#and i did want to throw in a reference to my very old green lantern brainy au

[cyclone-rachel]

oh my god, clark reacting to brainy post-season 2 going through his Emo Phase (tm)

Clark wanted the best for Brainy.

No matter what happened- and certainly a lot had, the last time they’d seen each other- he hoped Brainy would be okay. When he finally went back to the 21st century, he wanted all the pep talks and reassurances he’d given him, every affectionate gesture, every kindness in general- to be enough.

He pictured Brainy having the entire Legion at his back in support, as he gave speeches in front of the planets Brainiac 1 had threatened, and even temporarily digitized, promising that he’d make up for all the wrongs his ancestor had done. That he’d started his journey to becoming a superhero to do just that, redefine his family name and renounce its association with evil, and this only gave him more incentive for such a task. That he was sorry, and hoped people would be able to forgive him, just as the Legion had.

(just as Clark had, many times over)

And he hoped Brainy would be successful. By the time Clark returned, already thinking of all the things he’d tell Brainy about that happened in his time, he imagined Brainy would be back with the Legion, wearing his ring again, maybe with some kind of technological assistance to give him the powers he lacked without his robotic form.

But here he was instead, in basically the exact opposite scenario he’d predicted. Hair grown out over the symbol that marked his face, wearing a nondescript dark outfit, Legion ring and belt nowhere to be seen, living on some planet that he’d only heard about from Saturn Girl when she’d admitted to tracking his location.

“Querl.” He said softly, once Brainy had finally opened the door.

(he’d learned Brainy’s real name, too- that was another change, something he’d decided upon when he claimed he was no longer calling himself “Brainiac 5”)

“Are you okay?” he asked, when Brainy didn’t answer. “Do you want-“

He didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence, as Brainy practically flew into his arms, embracing him… but as he held Brainy, he figured this was the answer to what he wanted anyway- and something Clark would happily give him, for as long as he needed.

#papa don't look #brainiac 5 #querl dox #clark kent #superman #legion of super heroes #losh #fanfics #brainysupes #minifics #legion of superheroes #again this is from july #also i missed these nerds so much #and i did want to throw in a reference to my very old green lantern brainy au #but i feel like that would have clashed with him being emo #as described in the prompt

[fluttereyes]

Scottish Halloween

Stuff you may or may not want to know.

Did you know that Halloween originated in Ireland and came across to Scotland very early on? It is, of course, named for the shortened All Hallows Eve, and was originally the festival of Samhain where the veil between worlds was lifted and spirits could roam the mortal realm.

How do we do Halloween in Scotland?

Well Trick or Treat is a new thing brought to the world from American movies and TV shows but long before that and still for many in Scotland we have our own traditions. Trick or Treat is known as 'guising' (disGuising), where we dress up and go around the neighbours doors looking for sweets or other Halloween goodies. Most often it was fruit and nuts we were given, not sweets. The art of guising is to confuse spirits and allow children to 'blend in'. The poem we recited on a door being opened was "The Sky is blue, the grass is green, anything for my Halloween" At this we were instructed to work for our goodies, we had to sing, dance, tell a joke or say a poem, so rather than evil tricks for sweets we entertained for them. If we knew the neighbours well or if it was family we could go inside where they would have apples bobbing in a bucket and you could 'dook' for an apple, hands behind backs. This is a reference to the Druids seeing apples as sacred. More often than not they had strings with bread hanging from them covered in treacle and you were to take a bite (hands behind your back), obviously you were in a terrible state by the time you got home, (it's supposed to be scones but I was raised in a poor area). We carved turnips (neeps) and never pumpkins, which are easy, turnips are extremely difficult to carve, neep lanterns are also known as 'tattie bogles'.

You can throw a nut on the bonfire and if it quietly fizzles you will have a relaxed life, if it pops and cracks you need to change something in your life.

Hanging scissors on the back of your door can keep out evil spirits. Quite often bonfires are lit to keep the spirits away or the fire of a candle inside a neep lantern. Some in Scotland and Ireland still celebrate actual Samhain.

In the 1700's the eating of pork was banned under the witchcraft laws, so often people serve up sausage rolls or other pork pastries, I think it was around the 1950's before the law was repealed.

Just some rubbish to fill your brain with from an old Scottish woman.

[crystalcow]

𝑆𝑎𝑝𝑛𝑎𝑝𝑠 𝐶ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑//𝑆𝑎𝑝𝑛𝑎𝑝 𝑝𝑡 3

Masterlist // part one // part two

Sapnap x reader !p !child reader

Pronouns used: none specified!

Warnings: swearing, death, betrayal

•⊱✿•✿⊰•⊱✿•✿⊰•⊱✿•✿⊰•⊱✿•✿⊰•⊱✿•✿⊰

╔.▪️.═════════╗

Being sapnaps child will include..

╚═════════.▪️.╝

𝐏𝗼𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐥

Apparently the castle got attacked

George was killed by the one and only technoblade

You haven’t personally met the man but you respected him

After all he is a legend

But he killed George

So you were dragged with sapnap when he got pinged on his coms

Dream and George were arguing on the prime path

The sight somewhat terrified you

They were supposed to be best friends?

Dream is the strongest person on the server

George was supposed to be the most unproblematic and protected person

For some reason Quackity was also there

Hiding in the corner of Tommy’s house

“You don’t give a shit about us”

Those words brought some hurt to you as they left sapnaps mouth

“Of course I care about you! I just want to keep him safe.”

The three most important men in your life

The dream team, and ultimate trio the friendship that could never crack! The ones who raised you to be who you are

They were falling apart

“George is no longer king!”

Quackity was just eating all of the drama

Damn duck

“I’ve done so much for you, I hope you don’t forget.”

“Like what?” “I helped you raise a child Sap, a damn child.”

That pissed the both of you off

As if you didn’t just recently spend a whole day with him

None the less your whole life

Being drawn into wars, multiple actually

Practically being drawn to death

“Don’t you bring them into this Dream.”

“Eret is now king again, he can actually rule this place.”

“I was the best king this server ever had!”

So there it happened

The crown was snatched off of George’s head and you were dragged along with it

“Don’t worry, we can start our own place!”

“El rapids it is”

𝐄𝐥 𝐑𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐬

You were 100% skeptical about all of this

You didn’t trust that this would be good

I mean how could you

Everything that someone starts on the server

Dies, explodes, nukes, or straight up fails

So instead you went down to Lmanburg for the day!

You went to Nikkis bakery to get something to eat

She was glad to give you a couple snacks for the road

So while you were walking around the new area you spotted dream

“Where you heading off to?”

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

You both eyed each other weirdly

“Aren’t you supposed to hate me?”

You just laughed

Ofcourse you were upset

But you were also bored

“And?” “Come on let’s go see tommy”

So you agreed and carelessly followed the green man

You missed Tommy, after not having seen him for a bit

Fucking hell you needed friends

But when you got there

“Why the fuck is everything gone!”

You ran around the now blown up area

The tents were destroyed and signs were thrown around

Then you noticed the large pillar

You instantly ran to dream, begging him to give you a pearl

He was upset himself he lost his leech

So you threw the pearl up thankfully landing on the pillar

Looking around to see if there was any way he could’ve survived

But you accidentally tripped

And lost your first life

𝐘/𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝗼𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝗼𝗼 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 ♡︎♥︎♥︎

𝐏𝐫𝗼𝐩𝗼𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐬

You woke up screaming in your bed

The three lines on your wrist now faded into two

Sapnap came rushing in holding you lose to him

You tried not to but you cried a little

This was your first time loosing a life..

And you didn’t even mean too!

“Your never fucking leaving me again.”

Karl came in with Quackity following after

Karl just like snatched you away from sapnap and just held you

That man was ready to go back in time and reverse that from ever happening

Trust me he will if you ever loose another life

So after that everyone kept a close eye on you

That was until one day you were with your dad

You both were at your old house just chilling around

Before he handed you two velvet boxes

You were in awe of the two rings that sat in them

Who the fuck paid for these??

“I’m going to purpose.”

You almost dropped the boxes

“What?”

Sapnap just kept smiling

“You really like em huh” “Yeah flame, I love them.”

So you just hugged him

Internally freaking the fuck out

What would this mean???

Three dads? What if they wanted another child! Oh hell no

So you all stood in el rapids

Candles were spread around the top of the grassy hill

There were flowers blooming from every direction and lanterns set afloat

It looked mystical

You watched as sapnap got down on one knee

Karl was in shock, tears streaming down his eyes

Quackity looked love struck, looking into sapnaps eyes with total adoration

So when they said yes your dad called you and the other two just hugged you

“I’m guessing they said yes” you laughed

“Yeah they did!”

You couldn’t help but be happy

Your dad finally found some happiness

Even tho life was going to shit

If you won’t be there

He’ll have them

𝐋𝗺𝐚𝐧𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐞𝗺

Oh wait shit did someone spot tommy?

There was supposed to be a festival today

So you went to go check it out

Maybe throw a ball at the furry

“Go fetch!” You shouted at fundy

Yeah he was not happy and just threw you the finger

“Hey N/n is Dream coming?”

You were excited that Tubbo was actually talking to you again

“Huh? Oh yeah I think” “Great thanks”

And back to the disappointment

So you walked over to get a pretzel or some shit

And then heard everyone making a commotion

There he was, Dream walking in (angry) with full netherite armor

Damn dude respect some tradition

“Tommy blew up the fucking community house”

Did someone say tommy?

Oh you were ready to kill that bastard

Hell if Dream didn’t you most definitely will

So you followed everyone to the community house

Yeah you were ready to fucking cry

One of your homes, the place you’d always confide in since you were little

Where dream and George both helped raise you

Now blown to shreds

“What the fuck”

They were talking about Tubbo giving up the discs

Oh we are not going through that shit all over again

And this time the odds are most definitely not in your favor

Then tommy appeared half invisible

“YOU FUCKING DICKHEAD I THOUGHT YOU DIED YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT”

You litterly stabbed him, having to be held back by Quackity

“Alright hot shot, lets let them have their argument”

Tommy sent you an apologetic look already on the verge of tears

“Tubbo your not seriously considering this”

Then it hit everyone

“The discs were worth more then you ever were!”

Oh yeah we’re you already pissed off at tommy?

Yeah

And he just made it worse

“WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY TO TUBBO YOU SHIT HEAD”

Yeah you didn’t take pretending to be dead very lightly

Oh shit why was techno there

never mind, Lmanburg will be gone by tomorrow

No point killing tommy yet

Whos side were you on?

Neither. You litterly went into that battle feild and killed some shit

That was until multiple pieces of tnt landed ontop of your head

And that’s where you lost your second life

Shit

𝐘/𝐧 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐰 𝐮𝐩 ♡︎♡︎♥︎ ⚠︎︎ᴏɴᴇ ʟɪғᴇ ʀᴇᴍᴀɪɴɪɴɢ

𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐬𝗼𝐧

This time when you won’t up it didn’t feel as bad

But you still screamed

A rush of a heartburn and scars employed on your body

The second line now faded into one

Shit

You were only 16-17 and on one life??

Die young the better

You waited out in your bed until the end of the fight

Death alerts and messages drowning out your communicator

But you had no energy what so ever

Until it all went quiet

You tried your damn best to get out of bed and walked to the damaged Lmanburg

There were people crying

Others were severely hurt

Then there were those who were perfectly fine

The whole place was a crater

Lmanburg.. the place of agony and depths of your pain

Now it’s finally gone

What the hell are you gonna do now?

Quackity spotted you calling out for Sapnap

You felt like you were gonna be crushed under their hold

“I’m gonna fucking kill dream.” You heard Quackity mutter

Sapnap felt like a bad father

Who lets their kids die twice?

(Cough cough Wilbur and dream)

Then suddenly things switched around

You were walking around with a bloodied nose and black eyed Tommy

Yeah you did a number on him

But it’s okay since he was your best friend

And there was a sign inside his house

“Wednesday you and Tubbo. Bring no one or anything, lets settle this once and for all”

The final disc war

“Tommy you can’t go” “I’m going N/n, he has my discs.”

So you like cried a little bit lined up on the prime path

Giving the two probably the last hugs they’ll ever get

Prime you really didn’t want to loose them

So you ran straight to church prime

Litterly begging Master Oolong that they won’t die

“Please please please spare them. Pogchamp.”

(Please this is all jokes and old references don’t cancel me)

You got a blast message from punz on your comms with cords

“Come here. bring your best armor”

So you did so running to the nearest ender chest

If walking means saving tommy and Tubbo, it’s somewhat worth it

Sapnap made sure you didn’t leave his side as you traveled around the nether

even tho you could literally swim in the lava

So just to piss him off

You jumped in

The sigh of relief this man

Yeah he’s gotten a little more paranoid for you

But it’s okay since it’s in love

You looked around the weird black stone room

There were two giant photos of the discs

And everything was made out of the same material

No design what so ever

Tommy and Tubbo ran to you like you were gonna protect them

“Dream why” you asked as he was incased in the blocks

Down on his last life

Just like you

‘I’m sorry’ he mouthed to you

Why was he apologizing to you?

Hasn’t he hurt everyone here

You looked around the different items

Tracing the outline of the item frames

Gasping in shock as you a cage with your name on it next to badboyhalo

“Tell em what you told me! How you blew up the community house!”

Your neck spun around faster then an owl doing that 360 thing

You picked up your ace seriously read to slash his head off

“Wait wait! Lets put him in the prison.”

So they took him off

And it pained you to see it

You trusted that man for a very long time

Nothing stays the same on the Dream Smp

•⊱✿•✿⊰•⊱✿•✿⊰•⊱✿•✿⊰•⊱✿•✿⊰•⊱✿•✿⊰

TUMBLR WOULDNT LET ME WRITE MORE KMS. So yes I’m sorry but there will have to be a part FOUR. I just wanted to finish this-

As always! Ask or request anything and ask if you want to be on a tag list :))

#sapnaps child #sapnap x reader #sapnap x y/n #child reader #dream smp x y/n #dream smp x reader #mcyt #mcyt x y/n #mcyt x reader #quackity x reader #karl jacobs x y/n #karl jacobs x reader #tommy innit x reader #tubbo x reader #dream x reader #dream smp #lmanburg #lmanhole

[sweetchup]

Hot Cocoa Mix

Type: Kurapika x reader

Prompt: Jour de la Lumière givrée (Frosted Light Day) — A popular Winter Holiday commonly celebrated in the Yorbia Continent and the republic of Padokea. On the day of December 16, some people will go shopping for a gift at local shops to give to family members and/or lovers while others will prepare their snowflake lanterns. Such festivities will continue until 11:05 when strings of lights placed around the city or town will light up and people will begin to release their lanterns into the sky; creating a beautiful sea of lights.

Author Note: I hope you guys enjoy! I’m sorry this took so long, for so reason I just forgot how to write Kurapika’s character like it was insane. I had to rewatch the whole Yorknew Arc just to get a single idea.

(Prompts/Rules) (Holiday Masterlist)

The winter wind howled on from outside. Throwing around the snow that was falling from the sky with it, creating a painful whiplash to whoever crossed its path. Though that was the last thing on your mind at the moment for you could not hear the weather outside nor was aware of it as it was being drowned out by the loud chattering of people. Well, more like a swarm of people, who were interacting with each other throughout the tightly packed and crowded mall.

A clear sign that it was now the holiday season. More specifically, That today was officially December 16 and Jour de la Lumière, or Frosted Lights day, was upon you. Due to this many people, including yourself, were trying to buy lanterns or get a gift to give to family members.

“Oh I want this one! And that one as well!” Neon shouts out as she continues to pull out sweaters and throws them onto the pile of clothes in your hands. As people stare on and whisper to each other, quite confused at your strange group, You wondered if Neon truly even knew that she was supposed to be trying to get a gift for her father instead of herself.

“Miss Neon-n, aren’t we supposed to be finding a gift for your father? Eliza asks, worried about your well-being as well as how much the young girl was spending.

“Oh yeah… Well, I’ll just pay for these and then we can go find a gift for daddy.” Neon says happily, as she gives you her credit card and skips away with Eliza following in tow. Before leaving, Eliza gives you an apologetic look but you only shake your head. There was nothing for her to apologize for, it was your job as a bodyguard to take care of tasks such as this one.

Once the girl is reassured, you stagger over to go wait in line while balancing the large pile of clothes in your hands. Thankfully this line wasn’t as long as the other stores you have visited, so you should be able to catch up to the rest of the group rather fast.

As you wait in line, you let out a sigh while you ponder for a little. You wondered why you just felt so odd. Like as if you were kind of sad or…. gloomy? It was Frosted Lights Day, your most favorite times of the year, so there should be no reason for you to be feeling this way.

“Honey, I think you made a perfect lantern,” A young gentleman's voice says, catching your attention. Looking over, you see the man with an arm wrapped around another young woman. They both were in front of a vendor selling Make-your-own lanterns, the lady painting one herself. They must be a couple, you concluded to yourself as you continued to watch them.

The girl giggles happily to her boyfriend.

“You think so? I messed up the snowflake design though…” She admits, rather embarrassed at herself. The boyfriend laughs and kisses the girl’s temple.

“I think it’s perfect! Come on, let’s go pay for it.”

As the two pay for the lantern, you can’t help but realize your heart feels rather heavy now. Was that what was making you feel down? Because you couldn’t celebrate the Holidays with your own boyfriend, Kurapika?

You quickly took your eyes off of the couple, you were being ridiculous. It wasn’t like Kurapika was gone or anything, you would see him tonight like almost every night. You shouldn’t be feeling down just because Kurapika doesn’t celebrate the Holidays. It wasn’t his fault he grew up in a tropical climate and his people do not have winter-esk holidays.

You let out a groan as you start to feel even more gloomy than before. Why did Frosted Lights Day have to be your favorite holiday?

“Miss!” You are startled as you hear a voice yell in front of you, “It’s your turn to pay.”

You gulp, embarrassed you had spaced out and missed the fact the cashier had been calling your name for a while. Giving an apologetic bow, you walk up to her counter.

“S-sorry about that. I was a little spaced out.”

“I could see that.” The cashier mumbles out as she begins to ring up the items. You clearly heard the rude response but chose to ignore it. There wasn’t any point in starting a fight in a clothing store after all.

Originally you were going to go back to observing the area around you but you feel your phone buzz suddenly in your backpocket. Taking it out and opening it up, you see you have a message from Melody.

‘Miss Neon would like to pick up a cake from the bakery. It’s closer to your location do you think you could pick one up?’

Typing back a quick response in confirmation, you quickly put your phone back away and bring your attention back up to the cashier. You didn’t want to come off as rude or impatient for having your phone out after all.

After punching in the credit card when the cashier tells you the amount needed, you take the bags of clothes and leave the store. As you find a map of the mall nearby, you hoped Melody was referring to the cake shop you saw when you entered the mall. If not then you would have to deal with one of Miss Neon’s “episodes” for bringing her the wrong cake.

Swiftly moving around other crowds of people as you get to your destination, you notice something in the corner of your eye. Looking closer you see near another store stood a hunched over elderly lady seeming to have dropped some of her stuff. People walked by her but it seemed none were trying to stop and help her.

Letting out a sigh, disappointed by other people’s selfishness, you quickly make your way over to go help the elderly lady.

“Oh deary, thank you very much. You didn’t have to help little old me.” She tells you as you begin to pick up the dropped items for her.

“It’s not a problem,” You tell her, give her a small smile as you place the items back into the bag. Though as you were picking some of the items up you would pause for a moment to make sure your eyes weren’t tricking you. Some of them were quite peculiar. Usually gifts that were given or treats that were made for Frosted Lights Day were decorated with a winter theme in mind but this lady had more of a spring theme going on. Cookies and pastries decorated with flowers. Bright yellows, greens and orange colored wrapped gifts. It was far from the usual traditional way of doing things.

As if sensing your curiosity the elder in front of you begins to explain,

“Odd choice huh? Well, ever since I was a child I never liked the winter. Especially the cold weather and snow that came with the season. I much, much preferred the spring. The blooms of colors that came with the buds of flowers that grew. The many scents that you could come across. Just everything about spring was so perfect.”

You stopped picking up the last item to look up at the lady. Amazed at how happy and carefree she looked as she explained her love of spring.

“Though, my friends and family loved winter, especially the holidays that came with it. So, I just added my own signature twist to it.”

“As if it’s your own tradition…” You mumble out almost as if you are in like a daze as a thought comes to you. Finally putting the last item away, you hand the bag back to the lady as you stand up, “Thank you, Miss.”

The elderly lady didn’t understand why at first you had thanked her but when she looked at your eyes, without any words, she suddenly understood. When she had first met you, she saw an anxious storm brewing in you, with your eyes dark and a light sheen over them. But now, the storm was gone and your eyes were bright and shined like stars.

“Your welcome.” The elder mumbles out, giving you a small wave as you leave to travel further into the mall.

—.—.—.—.—

Kurapika lets out a heavy sigh as he punches in his floor number and leans against the wall of the elevator. He was utterly exhausted, taking care of the business in the place of Mr Nostrade was really tough. Though, Kurapika knew it would all be worth it.

As the elevator doors open on his floor, he clutches tighter onto the box in his hands. To anyone else walking by the package would look like a gift given for the holidays. But it was anything but that. For a pair of scarlet eyes laid in the box. Kurapika’s recent item he had obtained from his hard work.

As Kurapika continues to walk down the hall, he tries not to allow his anger cloud his judgement. Though he couldn’t help but feel an itching, almost burning, feeling come over his eyes as he recalls the events from earlier today. Those slimy bastards, Kurapika thinks to himself as their laughter and carefree manner echoes throughout his head. How dare they treat these eyes —the eyes of his brethren— as if they were just some sort of item to decorate their shelves. Some sort of useless toy…

“Kurapika,” The soft touch of your hand touching his cheek and your calm voice brings him out of his thoughts. As he slowly comes out of his trance, he realizes he had already gotten back home.

“(Y-y/n)...” Kurapika mumbles out, still slightly dazed. Even though no words are spoken between you two, you can tell what exact “item” was in the box he was holding. Especially at the fact his knuckles were white from clutching it so harshly.

In a slow manner, you lightly lean over and allow your noses to rest against each other. This Eskimo kiss type of act always had a calming effect on Kurapika, “Come downstairs when you are ready, okay?”

With that, you allow Kurapika to make his way upstairs to do his thing. You knew not to interrupt or press into him when it came to something like that.

In the meantime, you decided to finish up the activity you had planned for tonight. You just hoped Kurapika was up for it.

“Ah,” The sudden voice startled you. Turning around, you are surprised that Kurapika is already back down stairs. Usually, it takes him a while to calm himself when he finds a pair of scarlet eyes. Especially if he wants to find a safe place for it, “(y/n), what is all of this?”

A dash of heat comes to your face as you feel yourself slightly become embarrassed.

“W-well it is Frosted Lights Day and I know you never grew up with exactly ‘Winter’ and my holidays. But, I still thought we should celebrate in our own way.” You explain to Kurapika as you watch him make his way to the coffee table and grab the flowers and colorful paints you have placed out.

You can’t help but feel nervous as you wait for Kurapika to respond. Just waiting for a single word, anything at all.

“These are to decorate the lanterns right?” Kurapika mumbles out, breaking the silence as he picks up a white lantern nearby.

“Y-yes. It’s a tradition to make them.”

“Then, let’s do it,” Kurapika states as he gives you a smile, allowing all your worries to disappear.

Shuffling over to make room for you, You sit down next to Kurapika on the soft carpet decorating the floor. As you two begin to decorate the white paper lanterns you bought, you two converse about your day. You tell him about how guarding Neon at the mall went. While he slowly, almost hesitantly, tells you about his meetings today. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust you, you knew he would trust you with his life, but you knew it was still hard for him to open up to people about his vulnerable side.

“I see…” You say out loud once Kurapika finishes explaining. At this point in time, you were resting your head on his shoulder. In a slight way to comfort him while he was telling his story, “I’m sorry Kurapika. I wish people weren’t heartless, money grubbing bastards.”

Kurapika laughs, almost sarcastically in a way, before kissing your forehead. “I wish for that too. But soon I won’t have to deal with that anymore.”

“Oh yeah, your new job is coming up right?” You mumble, almost to yourself in a way. It was some sort of bodyguard job for an emperor if you were remembering it correctly.

“Yeah—“ Kurapika is cut off by a loud bell ringing out.

“Ah, it’s already time?” You shout out surprised as you take a look at the clock. It truly was already 11:05, you two must have been talking for a while.

As both of you make your way outside, with Kurapika helping you get to your feet, you gasp as you see the sea of blue and white lanterns. Even with the cold pricking at your skin, you can’t help but feel a happy warm-like glee fill you to the core.

“So pretty,”

“Yeah it is…” Kurapika states, almost breathless and amazed at what was in front of him. He had seen the lanterns a couple of times while he was exploring after the Kurta Massacre but always from afar, almost hard to make out the shapes. Never up close. Never like this.

After a little bit more of watching the lanterns go by, you feel Kurapika tap you from behind. Turning around, you see he has already lit both of your lanterns. “Ready?”

“Yeah..” You whisper out, breathless out how handsome your boyfriend looked in the soft warm glow of the lanterns you two had made. Taking your lantern, you two stand next to each other ready to send them off. “On the count of three, okay?”

“1…”

“2….”

“3..—“

“Ah. Wait.” Kurapika suddenly says, quickly searching for something in his pocket. Thankfully even though he caught you off guard, you are able to stop yourself from letting the lantern go. Confused, you look at your boyfriend as he finally finds the item out he was looking for.

“A string?” You questioned confused as your boyfriend grabs the lantern from you. Though, you soon realize what he was doing and can’t help but feel your heart flutter.

“Yeah, I don’t want them to get separated after all,” Kurapika explains as he ties the lanterns together, each with a bit of space in between so they don’t bump into each other when they float away. As Kurapika gives your lantern back to you, you can’t help but feel extra jittery now. “Ready, (Y/n)?”

“Yeah…” You whisper out, finally allowing both of your lanterns to slowly float up into the sky to join the others. In the sea of blues and whites, the warm orange glow from your colorful lanterns stick out like a sore thumb.

After the lanterns start to make their way higher into the sky, you quickly close your eyes and begin to make a wish to yourself. Though as soon as you are about to wish for something you feel something caressing your cheek. It took you a moment but you soon realize it was Kurapika’s warm calloused hand.

Quickly, almost worried you would open your eyes too soon, a pair of soft lips mold against yours. It’s hesitant at first giving you slight pecks but once Kurapika gains more confidence as he goes on, he dives in further to give you something more passionate.

It’s as if the world has stopped when you two slowly pull away from the kiss. It’s peaceful, quiet and as if nothing could ruin this moment.

Kurapika flashes you a rare smile and he rests his arm around your waist when you slowly open your eyes. Even though he ruined your chance to make a wish, you didn’t care in the slightest and press further into his touch by resting your head on his chest and draping your arms loosely over his shoulder. Softly, you two begin to hear some jazz music playing from a band down on the street below. Leaning in to rest his head against yours, Kurapika begins to slowly sway you two back and forth. There wasn’t any reason behind the actions, you weren’t even sure Kurapika knew how to dance correctly. But, all that you two knew was it just felt… right…

Taking in each other’s presence as the aroma of hot chocolate fills the air from somewhere, you can’t help but feel at peace. Especially as you watch your two lanterns float off into the horizon.

Never, ever, floating two far away from the other…

#kurapika #Kurapika Kurta #kurapika x reader #hxh #Hunter X Hunter

[twdmusicboxmystery]

TWD 10x14: Details

Okay, let’s talk details! I’ll try to cluster these by character:

Negan/Daryl:

When Carol goes to see Negan and make a deal with him, he says he wants, “a T-bone, a beer, and a scoop of Rocky Road. 

Naturally, the beer reference caught my attention. But it also occurred to me that Rocky Road is ice cream. So, we can obviously link the beer to Beth, and the rocky road could be a reference to Daryl’s frozen yogurt “I never.” I don’t know how to work the T-bone in. Maybe it’s less about the meat and more about the T. As in, a cross. (@frangipanilove​ also pointed out that as ice cream is frozen it goes with the coolers/frosty cola theory)

Negan says, “I get it,“ at one point. Kind of small potatoes, but Beth dialogue always jumps out at me. During the “I don’t think she’s coming back conversation, Negan gives Daryl a canteen of water. Just the fact that water is involved in the scene is more evidence that this is meant to be a Beth reference. Negan also says, “I’m not bullshitting you.”

I also noted that when the three whispers (rule of threes) kneel to Negan, and he ends up shooting them, there’s only one bullet in the shotgun. I’m not trying to say anything in particular about that. But we can have the “I get it now,“ line, and then there’s one bullet in the shotgun (dude is shot pretty brutally in the face) and then of course there’s everything I talked about yesterday with him saying, “I don’t think she’s coming back.“ Just lots of Beth related details around Negan and Daryl here.

And as I said yesterday, I hope that’s a hint that both of their future arcs will intersect with Beth in some way.

Eugene/Ezekiel/Yumiko:

There’s definitely a fool/foolish theme going on here. I’m not entirely sure what to make of it yet, but it definitely is linked to faith. You often hear phrases about “a fool’s hope.” It just means believing when there’s nothing left to believe it anymore. So, you’re a fool to believe it. But that’s also the strongest form of faith. And we heard this theme over and over again this episode, both from Eugene and from Zeke.

Eugene and the bunnies. Actually lots of interesting symbols in this conversation. He says his mother grew up next to some train tracks, like the ones they’re currently passing. We saw train tracks not only leading to Terminus in S4, but also associated with Beth in Ty’s hallucination in 5x09.

Then he says his mother was a “pistol,” but she used to buy the bunnies for Easter, so he’s come to associate the chocolate bunnies with “family.” Beth, anyone?

Then Yumiko says, “we’re not really on a journey to find chocolate bunnies, are we?” He answers, “No. We’re on a journey for the future hope of mankind.” Yeah, seeing all kinds of Beth symbolism there.

There is that cage full of walkers that Eugene’s group sees. So, we have two walkers in cages and then a bird in the third compartment. I think we could interpret that several ways.

I think this Stephanie thing will lead to Beth and the helicopter group in some way. We just don’t know how, yet. So, the two imprisoned walkers could represent the two sheriffs (Beth and Rick). Then again, perhaps the bird represents Beth. In which case, the two walkers might represent Rick and Zeke, since I think I’ll three of them will be part of the helicopter group and have death fake-outs at some point.

The yellow rope is also interesting. Perhaps it suggests the three of them escaping imprisonment together?

Let’s talk in a little more detail about how they are foreshadowing Zeke’s death fake out. His horse collapses suddenly and Zeke sees a bite on it. I went back and watched the scene where Zeke was fighting the walkers. We don’t actually see the horse get bitten, but at one point, one of the walkers staggers toward Zeke from near where the horse is standing. So, I’m kind of thinking that’s where it happened.

And it’s similar to how they showed Carl getting bitten. As in, they didn’t really show it, but if you know to look for it then you can see where it happened. Zeke is very emotional and sweet with the horse. He keeps telling it, “it’s okay, it’s okay.“ Also Beth dialogue. And then he puts it down.

Another thing that occurred to me is that it’s almost as a parallel to Carol killing Lizzie. I say that because 1) he “puts it down,” obviously feeling heartbroken about it. 2) There’s a flower graffiti on the bridge pillar behind him. And 3) this episode is called, “Look at the Flowers.” Then, as I mentioned yesterday, he tries to get Yumiko to promise to leave him behind if he’s too weak and falls. She says no, but it still feels like something exactly like that might happen.

Yumiko has a cool line. She says, “I don’t know what lies ahead. Probably things none of us can predict. Or imagine.” Yeah, that still make me think we’re looking at a cure arc pretty soon. But it’s just a cool, very hopeful thing to say.

And let’s not underplay the fact that they’re camping under a bridge. We don’t see anyone fall off it or anything, but keep in mind that in Fear, Madison was kind of under/beside a bridge just before she disappeared. And I believe her “death” is a fake out as well.

Let’s address the Princess stuff. Look at the stuff in this picture with this walker. The first thing that struck me was that it’s sitting in a rocking chair. When the Governor went into the retirement home in 4x06, there was a walker tied into a wheelchair. So, different kind of chair, but visually it looks similar.

As I said yesterday, these walkers look a lot like the Rich Bitch walker from the golf club. If you zoom in on the table, there’s actually a mannequin abdomen, just like we saw with the Rich Bitch walker. There are also pink shoes, lanterns, a blue umbrella. Plenty of pink. The two at the table are holding cocktail glasses. Not sure what to make of the guy on the motorized scooter.

Upon seeing all the purple @wdway​ pointed out that purple is an important color where Advent is concerned. Here’s what she found:

So, purple actually heralds the coming of Christ. And blue, well…..

They walk past a food truck. It’s actually a burrito truck in this case, but in Alone, Maggie laid down next to an ice cream truck when she was waiting for Sasha. Because of the water and freeze symbolism around that (think blue coolers and frosty cola) we’ve always seen that as part of the Sirius symbolism.

Beta:

We definitely heard a lot of the hear/see/speak no evil theme. Beta keeps asking the Whisperers around him if they can hear Alpha speaking to him.

(When he takes her head off the pike, he cradles it like a baby. Yikes!)

When he gets to the western saloon place, he finds a note that says these two eyes see one truth.

And let’s talk about this western theme. We’ve seen it a lot in FTWD, and there are hints to it earlier on during S7/8, such as with the Smokey and the Bandit trailer and the Highwaymen. 

@frangipanilove​ found THIS ARTICLE for us in which AK talks about how S11 will have a huge western theme. So, this is all foreshadowing that will be paid off at some point. And let’s also appreciate that the word ‘sheriff’ has its origins in the old west. So while we’re still hoping we’ll see Beth alive before the end of the season, and not face another long hiatus not knowing, this may suggest that S11 will deal with old west things, including, you know, sheriffs. ;D

Inside the saloon, we see tons of interesting symbols. The semi-circular bar looks just like the one Beth looked for booze behind (where she found the peach schnapps) in Still. There is alcohol, spoons, musical instruments and equipment, a music stand, candles, a mini fridge, records, plenty of interesting colors. You name it, it’s a Beth symbol.

 We’re also wondering what he’s called Half Moon. It’s obviously symbolic, and the moon is linked to the Sirius symbolism, both because we saw the moon in Still and because of this picture from 4B of a dog chasing moon. We’re just not exactly sure how to interpret the half-moon thing yet. @wdway did some research I won’t go into here that also links it to Easter and resurrection. Just saying. ;D

There’s a battery next to his record player. And he uses the music to call the walkers. We’ve seen that theme lots of times before, and often associated with Beth stuff. In 4x01 at the Big Spot. With the green Gremlin car at Hilltop in S7, to name a few.

Beta says to Alpha’s head, “Thank you. I see now. Thank you.” Then he fixes half of his broken mask with skin from Alpha’s face. 

Carol:

It struck me that Carol hallucinating Alpha was actually a lot like Daryl hallucinating Merle in S2. Not just because of the hallucination, but also because the hallucination was razzing them, calling them names, and was obviously a representation of their own mind and the worst things to think about themselves.

One detail that jumped out at me is that when Carol is trying to get the boat down, there’s a pink blanket or tarp next to it. I thought of the Pink Theory, of course. Then Alpha says something interesting. She said that Carol even sent a letter to Maggie about Alpha. It’s kind of an interesting detail to throw in, especially because they don’t go into detail about it. It could foreshadow Maggie’s return, but I also think there must be a specific reason they mentioned this. I’m interested to see how that plays out.

The walker that tried to buy Carol crawls out of the river. And when it’s trying to get her, Alpha accounts, one, two, three.

Alpha also says, “My mother used to say everything works out the way it supposed to.” Yeah, that was something Mica said in 4x14, The Grove. Like, those exact words. So it’s kind of disturbing to hear Alpha say them. And that made me realize that her earlier, whiny apology, when she was saying, “I’m sorry you’re mad at me,” was supposed to emulate Lizzie in a super-twisted way. Remember, Lizzie got upset and started crying because she thought Carol was mad at her? Yeah, seriously traumatic, twisted stuff.  

Oh, and there’s another one of those. I caught that Alpha counted after telling Carol to the let the walker bite her. She says, “One…two…three.” I wasn’t sure what that was at first. I was just thinking Rule of Threes. But then I realized. If you go back to episode 4x02, where Lizzie and Mica’s father died, they counted too. They would say, “look at the flowers. One, two, three,” like they were counting breaths to calm themselves. So once again, hearing old lines in Alpha’s twisted voice.

 And one way I could kind of obliquely relate this to Beth is simply to point out that, while a lot of people in the fandom may think this stuff is ancient history, it’s truly not. The characters are still dealing with events from S4 and S5 in a big way. So why would we discount Beth from that? Well, TD definitely wouldn’t. ;D

Okay, Alpha says some really interesting things to Carol (all equally messed up). At one point, she says, “And now you can’t go back. They won’t accept what you’ve done.” So, the Can’t-Go-Back theme. We heard that a lot in S5.

Then she says, “Being out on your own, you’ve tried it before. They always pull you back. Wanting more. Love Motherhood. Death. But they don’t know what you truly want. Admit it. What do you want? What do you want? Say it. Say it.” Carol doesn’t admit to anything. 

And I had to sit and think what it is Alpha’s referring to that Carol wants. At first, I thought maybe it was forgiveness, and really, she needs to forgive herself. But looking at the intersection of the other character journeys, especially Zeke’s, I realized I was wrong. What Carol wants is death. She’d never admit that, even to herself, but she wants it to be overwith. 

And we’ve seen this from her before. She’s not one that would take her own life, but back in 6x16, when the Savior shot her, she was literally begging Morgan to either let her die or kill her. She won’t do it herself, but her world and the things she’s done have become too dark and too much for her to bear, and she longs for death.

Just then, a walker bursts from trees and grabs her. She kills it easily enough, but it reminded me of the walkers coming out of the trees at the gas station in 4x04. And that makes sense because Tyreese was going through much the same thing then as Carol is now, after losing Karen/Henry. And, okay, this is a total side-tangent, but I almost wonder if that was the rationale for putting Tyreese and Carol together in 4b. I mean, they were connected anyone because she was the one who killed Karen. But him transcending what happened and forgiving Carol was kind of a foreshadow of Carol’s much more protracted arc to try and transcend the things she’s done and the things that have happened to people she loves.  

It’s also important to note that this mirrors what I’ve always said about Carol in the Grove. She was talking about Lizzie when she said, “she’s too dangerous to be around people” and that whole speech, but she was also talking about herself. And this is another version of that. Alpha is saying it but that’s Carol’s own inner voice saying everything. So look at some of this dialogue in that light.

“It’s finally time... You always knew how this would end. No one’s coming to save you. Not Ezekiel. And certainly not Daryl. Not after what you did to Connie. Stop fighting. No matter what you do, you lose people. Sophia, Lizzie, Mica, Henry, Ezekiel… And if you go back, Daryl could be next.”

“I could never let that happen.”

“Your track record does not inspire confidence. Just look at the flowers, like you’re supposed to. One…two…three…

Just really interesting.

Okay, I’ll stop there. There’s probably more but you can all study the episode and find it. This is the kind of stuff that’s sprinkled throughout the entire thing and it’s all really interesting.

Thoughts?

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

[misterewrites]

Marco Ubaldo Van Diaz (Monster Hunter AU/starcoween) part 1

Hey everyone, Mr.E here and I finally did it! I finally made my own writing blog  on tumblr! woo *throws confetti* I finally decided to just put my stories in one place so it’s easier for people to read. I felt weird about the idea to be honest but i decided it was for the best.

Story prompt of the day: Marco Diaz is a fledgling monster hunter. While on his latest contract, he stumbles into trouble and needs help to fend off another monster. However, is he willing to accept it from what lurks deep in the woods?

I love me my gothic horror. I love me my Castlevania, the witcher and van helsing, Dracula, old movie monsters and of course the curse of strahd dnd campaign  I’m doing. So what better for starcoween, my totally made up holiday i missed anyway? write my own version.  This is based on a few things. Dnd, van helsing, castlevania etc etc (the big bad is actually a reference to the curse of strahd) so there’s not really one source in here. Also it is darker than my usual stuff but i did still add comedic because that’s what I like.

So that’s it for me. I hope you all enjoy. I plan to get my stories on this blog asap  so they’re easy to find if you ever want to reread them. Also this second part will be a little late because I have birthday gifts to give out. So the next story I’ll do is spatz pirates au part 3. Also, let me know whatcha think of a certain character I have written for for the first time. have a great week! 

“I am here to witness your passing” the young man said, kneeing before the loose circle of candles that flickered back and forth with a hypnotic sway.

He was strangely dressed for these neck of the woods: A elegant black coat with a well kept red vest and white collared shirt. A black ascot tie wrapped snugly around his neck and a simple brown riding cloak draped over his shoulders. His boots were caked with mud from his travels though he carried a strange assortment of baggage: Two sheathed blades hung on his back, a bag slung around his shoulder with random pouches sewed onto his belt.  

“I beseech you: Move on from this world and lay your grudges to rest”

The crackling of the flames were the only response he received.

“Your spirit is weary, your anger is great.” Marco murmured gently under his breath, clutching the small doll in his hands carefully “I will put you to rest.”

He stood to full height, the icy breeze playfully tugging at his ponytail as he held his lantern close. With one swift movement, the doll caught ablaze and was flung directly into circle.

Marco’s face remained stony and indifferent as an inhuman shriek broke the quiet of the night. A blackish, oily smoke rose from the burning toy yet instead of rising to the sky, it remained, growing in size while humanoid shapes formed within. Hands clasping at empty air, long dark hair billowing through the haze, faces shifting between unparalleled joy and furious anger.

“Do not resist” Marco calmly spoke to the entity “I know it’s scary but you must let go or you will harm many.”

The shriek grew and grew, echoing through the darkened forest. The smoke began to form into a ghostly shade: a young woman with dark hair and tatter clothing. Her eyes gleamed with an ailing yellow glow, her skin was cracked and sickly, her teeth were sharp and curved like fangs. Her fingers shifted between human and beastly talons.

She focused on the lone man, hissing angrily under her breath but Marco remained unmoved by her threat. He patiently kept his gaze, refusing to break contact with the specter.

Without warning, she lashed out. Raising her arms, she lunged forward, hands tensed to wrap themselves against an unsuspecting throat.

The flames from the candles burned orange for a moment before blazing a righteous blue and as the ghostly shade approached Marco, a fiery torrent rose. Her hands scraped at the fire but it stung far worse than any flame she had ever known in life. White smoke curled off her body as the flames shrank but still glowed a pale blue.

“Sorry” Marco gave an unapologetic shrug “Holy candles and a magic circle tends to do that. Because you’re corrupted and all.”

The shade glanced downwards realizing she had been tricked. Beneath the burning doll was a circular chalk outline of complex runes and symbols that glimmered with the faint trace of magic now that they held a wayward spirit.

The ghostly woman thrashed but each time she drew closer to the candles, the fires rose, towering above her in warning. She tried smothering the flames that burnt her childhood treasure but nothing could halt the fire as it consumed the toy slowly.

Marco remained still until the doll was burnt to ash and a gentle wind scattered the remains.

The ghost began to gleam with a pure white light. Her skin cleared, her eyes now a pleasant green, fangs retracted until they became human once more. The clothing mended itself until it was pristine and elegant.

A woman no older than Marco replaced the vicious shade and looked gratefully upon him. He gave a polite, understanding nod as the woman vanished into dozens of tiny lights that quickly ascend into the night sky. The flames went out at once, the candles now waxy puddles as the magic circle’s glow faded.

Marco fished out a scroll from one of the pouches. What once contained unreadable magical runes he could never hope to decipher or read was now blank, its surface empty and bare.

“Another successful contract” Marco sighed appreciatively.

Marco had been training to be a hunter all his life and while his natural talent had gotten him far, he still was new to this line of work. Up to now, all he had really done was help rest some wayward spirits and stopped the occasional zombie horde. The wraith was the first real threat the Guild entrusted to him and while he was happy another soul was now at peace, he did not feel accomplished at his task.

“Hunters do not seek fame and glory” Marco recited the Guild’s manta “but it really does help getting jobs.”

Marco sighed while he began cleaning up the site, brushing the chalk away with his gloved hands and covering the dried wax with dirt when a scream rang out from the darkness. Not a ghastly haunted one but a very real, very helpless living cry for help.

Marco raced through the thickets and foliage of the forest, adrenaline surging into his tired body.

He broke through the bushes and nearly fell off a previously unseen hill in his haste. He flailed wildly, shifting his weight back and forth while trying to regain his balance.

“Okay!” Marco scolded himself “Don’t go running blindly through the forest, it might be a bad idea….”

His voice trailed off when he finally noticed the burning village below, battle cries, crackling flames and terrified screams filled the night in a macabre symphony.

“well shit that’s not good!” Marco cried as he raced forward, one hand reaching for his blade, the other grasping the air in an attempt to steady his footing making his way down to the hill.

He was roughly halfway through his heroic charge when his foot caught a grass clump and took a less than refined spill downhill. He tumbled for a moment or two before being flung through the air straight into a thick fuzzy body and knocking them both onto the scratchy dirt floor.

Marco groaned unhappily, covering his mouth as his stomach churned nauseously.

“Ugh, I hate motion sickness.” Marco gave an ungentlemanly burp before turning to the poor soul he crashed into “You okay?”

A chill ran down his spine as a deep, hungry growl responded to his question. What he mistook for hay was actually dark bluish gray fur that smelt of blood. He gulped nervously as the figure dug their sharp nails into effortlessly the earth. The face was not one of a friend or even human but a wolf’s with murder singing in its red eyes.

“Werewolf” Marco said matter of fact before snapping into action. With one fluent motion, he unsheathed his blade and swung for the beast’s neck.

Marco flinched as the blade bounced harmlessly off the creature. He glanced at his weapon and let out a frustrated moan upon realizing his mistake

“I grabbed the wrong one!” He scolded himself but there was no time to smack himself. The werewolf took advantage of the novice mistake and swiped angrily at the hunter. Marco caught the attack with the flat of his blade but the beast’s strength knocked him back onto the balls of his feet. The creature’s eyes narrowed in excitement as it prepared for one final lunge.

That was its mistake. Marco reached into his coat pocket, pulling out his hand crossbow  and sent its payload into the charging werewolf. It howled in pain, the slivered arrow head piercing its thick hide and burying itself deep into its body. It feebly tried to pull the bolt free but the sliver burned, intensifying the pain that coursed through its body.

Marco sheathed the steel blade he accidentally pulled and drew out the sliver one he meant to. The werewolf’s gaze fell upon the weapon, its polished blade gleaming in the moonlight.

For a moment, the world ceased to exist as the two combatants stared the other down, waiting for the moment to strike.

The werewolf broke the stalemate, dropping onto all fours and attempting to blindside Marco with its speed.

Marco scoffed as he brought down his sword into the creature, whispering a prayer as it fell dead at his feet.

Marco wiped the sweat off his brow when the world came crashing back in. What he thought was the werewolf’s primal animistic snarls thundering in his ears were actually echoing all around him.

“It’s a pack” Marco realized “A pack of werewolves.”

Marco pulled the bolt from the dead werewolf and broke into a run, a fearful thought nestling into his mind. He had never fight a werewolf before and this village was at the mercy of a bloodthirsty pack of them. He hadn’t the slightest idea how many were running around or if the town’s guard were ready to deal with such a threat.

Marco felt his desperation rising as he ran through city streets blindly. Fallen bodies, buildings ransacked or destroyed, the living scattered while the hungry howls of wolves came from all directions.

“A hunter out in public? Strange to see one not lurking in the shadows. Perhaps you’ve all grown a backbone.”

Marco skidded to a stop. His skin crawled as a thick, seductive magic blanketed the icy night and weighed heavily on his body.

The young hunter gripped his sliver blade tightly, searching for the owner of the voice but none could be found.

“Here hunter. Above your squishy mortal coil.”

Marco’s eyes hardened at the sight of the man perched lazily on a nearby rooftop: He was hardly much older than Marco with a handsomeness that was too perfect to be human. His raven hair short yet well kept. His pale red eyes glimmered with a dangerous charisma. He wore fine clothing, the kind Marco had only seen nobles or kings flaunt carelessly. His lean frame was draped in black cape with blood red lining that looked like it was dripping free of the fabric.

“Tell me hunter.” the man said with a conversational tone as he slid across the roof tiling “Are you a brave man? Or simply foolish?”

Marco resisted the urge to take a step back: whatever this man was, he was a threat and one that could not be taken lightly.

“Based on your reaction to my presence” The man sneered playfully “You were not sent to hunt me, were you?”

Marco remained silent.

“Hmm” The man stroked his chin thoughtfully “Interesting. I am Count Rictavio von Zarovich, local lord of the area. You can see my castle in the distance.”

Marco glanced where the man gestured and sure enough he could see a small piece of a tower peeking above the treeline.

“I was under the impression the castle had long since been abandoned” Marco replied. He thought frantically of ways to shift the situation in his favor but if he was facing what he thought he was facing, he would be lucky to escape unharmed.

“Ah mortals” Rictavio’s voice took on a longing tone “Your memory is so small.”  

“Well” Marco shrugged, eyes locked with von Zarovich “We all can’t be vampires, can we?”

“No” the Count smirked as two long pointed fangs slid down “We can’t.”

Marco’s body tensed as he tried urgently to recall all he could remember about the vampiric undead but before he could gather his thoughts, a howl scattered his thoughts.

He reached madly dove into his pouches, his hands agitated in a mad search for the one item that could protect him.

Another howl screeched even closer than before and out of the corner of his eye, Marco could see large shadows quickly darting out of the forest menacingly.

“Come on” Marco muttered to himself “Come on!”

Rictavio smiled joyfully which Marco wasn’t sure was a good or bad thing.

Marco didn’t stop even as impossibly large black wolves slowly drew closer, their red eyes alive with an unceasing hunger towards the hunter.

Marco nearly sobbed with relief as he pulled free the old, nearly destroyed scroll. He held it triumphantly and with a calm voice, Marco spoke the ancient language written on the paper. it crumbled in his hands while the magic it held took effect.

A shining translucent bubble formed all around him at once, shielding him from the pack and their vampire lord.

One wolf tried biting at the encased hunter but pulled away as a holy energy burnt at its jaw. The other wolves snarled and began circling him once more.

Rictavio looked amused “I have never seen such a shoddy protection spell before. You hunters are so uneducated.”

Marco twitched anxiously. Rictavio was spouting out knowledge about hunters like it was the weather. Most hunters didn’t have a drop of magic in them and magical scrolls and items tended to be rare personal possessions.

What made Marco nervous, however, was how the vampire knew how helpless he truly was: Head to head fights were often ill advised. Monsters and creatures were physically superior to even the fittest hunter. That’s why most usually study their prey, setting up ambushes and waiting for when the situation favored them. Even a hunter’s toolkit was prepared for battling a specific creature which is how Rictavio knew Marco was no threat to him. He was here for a wraith, not a vampire and his pet werewolves.

“The night is young” The Count spoke with an air of confidence “and that spell won’t last forever. This, my dear hunter, is where you die.”

“Well” Marco tried to muster a tone of assurance “You should probably keep count of how many wolves I’m going to kill. I got one earlier so the current count is one. Obviously”

“Humor is all your have now.”

“No” Marco disagreed “I got denial too. Really helps keep the edge off.”

“Your jokes are as terrible as your hunting.”

“Why don’t you come closer and find out?”

Rictavio made a motion to sneer again when, without warning, a warm gentle light basked the area in its illumination.

Marco was fine aside from his eyes readjusting for a moment from the sudden shift in lighting.

His foes were not so lucky.

Steam rolled off the wolves as they writhed in pain, their forms switching between their four legged and their heinous werebeast shapes. Whatever what was going was not what they signed up for and in droves they bolted and escaped into the darkness of the forest.

Rictavio lasted a few moments longer: His skin bruised and flaked under what felt like sunlight but he seemed unconcerned by the new development.

“Run hunter” he mocked with a toothy grin “and let’s see what remains when you return.”

And flourish of his cape, the vampire had vanished and in his place was a gigantic, monstrous bat escaping into the night.

The sphere of protection cracked and broke a few seconds later. The crackling of flames, sobs of sorrow and shouts for help were all that remained of the monsters.

Marco glanced where the strange light came from and found a cloaked figure standing near some trees, her hand outstretched still.

“Who are you?” Marco called, turning to face his savior.

The figure straightened up at once, her hand slipping under her riding cloak as she looked around.

“Who, me?” the figure gestured to herself.

“Umm…yeah” Marco nodded in confirmation “you’re the only one there. Who else would I be talking to?”

“That’s not true” the figure countered childishly “This tree is here. You should really apologize to mister tree.”

“I’m sorry mister tree.”

“Thank you!”

“Now, how did you do that?”

“Oh, you hear that?” the figure nudged the fallen corpse that lay near her feet “He’s talking to you. You should answer. Welp, it looks like you’re having a rather serious conversation so I’ll just get going. Okaythanksbye!”

and just like that, the figure ran, swallowed whole by the looming forest.

Marco frowned: part of him wanted to chase after her not only to properly thank her but also perhaps work out a deal about creating a new protection scroll. She was clearly a powerful spellcaster and her timing was perfect.

But he couldn’t just leave yet, not with the village so devastated. He needed to help the best he could and in any way possible. Guilt bit at him as his failure to repel the attack weighed heavily on his mind.  

The damage wasn’t as bad as he initially feared but that didn’t lessen the horrors remained. 12 villagers had died during the attack, a few were bitten but it was unclear if the lycanthropy curse had been passed on to them and some were missing, currently thought to have been carried off by the pack. Many buildings were severely damaged to the point of near collapse and those that weren’t still needed desperate repairs.

“Things look grim” the captain bluntly told Marco “the guard consists of twenty people and we can’t be everywhere at once. We don’t even have enough slivered weapons to properly fight off the pack and we still have the vamprye to content with.”

Marco scratched his chin thoughtfully “It is rather strange a vampire would be able to gain the loyalty of a pack of werewolves.”

“Is it? Such an alliance would be beneficial to both parties” The captain replied “The vamprye gets blood and the wolves meat…..”

“How long ago did he appear? Current rumors stated the castle was abandoned centuries ago.”

“About a month now.” the captain rubbed his eyes tiredly “He appeared without warning but at first it was simply that undead fiend. In his weakened state, he was far easier to fend off. But the next week he came with the wolves. It was a smaller pack then but we were unprepared. Since then, he has come once every week, terrorizing our simple village though I suspect he will return sooner than later.”

“My guild is three days away” Marco said thoughtfully “even if I leave now, I would still have to convince them to pool the resources together to fight this threat and travel back. At a very minimum I return in a week but why do you believe he will attack soon?”

“You, my dear hunter, are a toy to him” The captain spoke simply “He is a cruel and manipulative creature. He would slaughter us to draw you to his castle and quicken your return.”

“I should’ve never came” Marco murmured guiltily

The captain placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder “You did not know. You cannot fault yourself for such a thing. We can only do what we must.”

“Is there anyone who can assist me? I wasn’t exactly prepared to fight a vampire lord.”

“My guard are strong, brave warriors but we cannot leave the town undefended and I doubt the villagers would be so eager to wield weapons against the dead.”

The silence was thick, thoughts swirled in Marco’s head. A vampire count would be an undertaking of its own but a pack of werewolves…..

“Are you prepared to sell your soul hunter?”

Marco stared quizzically at the captain

The captain shifted uneasily “…There are two….women…in the forest that may be able to assist you…for a price.”

Marco caught the subtle contempt laced in the man’s voice “Not a fan I take it?”

“Witches” the captain said straight to the point “They live deep in the forest. Unholy beings with unnatural magic. We avoid them at all costs but if you wish to rid this place of the vampyre, they may be your only hope.”

“I’ve worked with stranger” Marco admitted “and I take it since everyone avoids these witches, everyone knows where to find them?”

The captain clenched his fist tightly.

“That is more homey than I’d expected” Marco told himself as he stood in front of the witches hut.

It was a simple hut made of wood and straw. A cozy light slipped out of the door frame as strange charms hung from the roof, swaying gently in the breeze.

As the young hunter made his way closer, the door swung open invitingly almost like it knew he was coming.

“Well…that’s not foreboding at all” Macro shook his head while he made his way inside “not in the slightest.”

“It wasn’t meant to be dearie but you’ve had a long night.” A friendly older voice called out to him.

“One you seem to be well aware of.” Marco answered as he finally entered the abode.

The interior of the hut was small but loving. A fire place in the corner, kitchen opposite side. A desk with several blank scrolls and books, strange, foreign plants and materials kept away in small drawers near a large cauldron and through the cracked door leading to another room, Marco spotted two humble beds.

The woman sat by the roaring fire place, a leather bound book sitting in her lap as she peered at Marco through her reading glasses.

She was a tiny woman, shorter than he to be sure. Her eyes were grayish purple color that gleamed kindly. Her skin was pale and her long poofy teal hair ran down her back. Two red spades graced her cheeks (witch marks Marco remembered). She wore a long purple dress with gray gloves and simple black footwear with purple socks. She looked more like someone’s mother than a powerful spell caster but Marco was not fooled.

“Take a seat.” The woman gestured to the chair across from her.

“Thank you” Marco nodded amicably as he dropped into the chair ungracefully

“Would you fancy a bit of tea? Or perhaps some coffee?”

Marco shook his head “I rather not.”

“Wary I see.”

“offended?”

The woman chuckled “not at all! It is expected when one wanders the forest. Dark, dangerous things live out here.”

“Since you know all about me, why don’t you introduce yourself?”

“of course. My name is Eclipsa.” the woman revealed “I am humble witch and nothing more Mr. Diaz.”

“How long have you been watching me?” Marco asked politely.

“Since you entered the forest of course.” Eclipsa gave a friendly smile “Can’t have strange man wandering about especially a hunter. Thank for you easing Nora. She was a good woman.”

“I was doing my job. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“So your words say yet your heart speaks otherwise. Helping a village is rather sweet of you.”

“It was foolhardy” Marco replied bitterly.

“Nevertheless sweet.” Eclipsa pressed “One does not cancel the other. Actions can be a multitude of things.”

Marco glanced about the home “The villagers don’t like or trust you.”

Eclipsa gasped mockingly “I would’ve never guessed such a thing! I kid of course. I am well aware of the villagers hatred of me but I wouldn’t harm them. Not like that vampiric friend of yours.”

“I’m surprised he hasn’t paid you a visit.”

“He tried.” the witch sipped her tea “But he quickly found out that was a very unwise choice. He’s avoided me since though I suspect he’s planning his revenge.”

Marco opened his mouth to continued when the door opened once again and a cheerful voice called out “Granny, I’m back!”

In walked the cloaked figure from before, a basket of colorful flowers hanging from her arm as she pulled back her hood. A long, flowing blonde braided mane tumbled free and Marco was momentarily awestruck by the young woman.

Her eyes were a sky blue with childish and rather endearing skulls as her witchmarks. She wore a black short sleeve blouse with pink trim and long flowing black skirt that stopped at her ankles. She wore practical mud covered work boots and the typical witches hat with a conical crown and wide brim. Hanging off the tip of her headgear was a home made stitched heart that gave her a rather adorable quality.

She took one step in, took notice of their guest (he knew she recognized him based on how wide her eyes had gotten) but never skipped a step as she nervously greeted Marco.

“Hello stranger I’ve never seen before!” Star gave a tense bow “W-what brings you to our humble…”

“Star” Eclipsa cut in “I know you went to the village.”

“Whaaaaaat?” the woman replied in a deadpanned, not so convincing tone “Me? The village? Nooookay I’m sorry but there was a fire. Screams! And they weren’t directed at us for once”

“Star, we’ve talked about this.”

“I know but….”

Eclipsa sighed “I know you want to go but it’s safer for you here. Now, we have a guest.”

“Right….oh. Oh!” Star pivoted on her heels and faced the hunter “May I offer you some food? Perhaps a drink?”

“No thanks” Marco softly waved his hand “Your grandmother offered me but thank you all the same.”

“You are welcome.”

“And thank you for saving my life.”

Star’s cheeks took on a pink hue as she gave a casual smirk “It was my pleasure. I mean I couldn’t just let them eat you! Well I guess I could’ve but it didn’t seem right.”

“Admittedly it wouldn’t have been a good day for me. Not fond of being a chew toy.” Marco chuckled.

Star giggled cutely “I don’t think anyone is.”

The two shared a small smile before a cough knocked them out of their stupor.

“Mr. Diaz.” Eclipsa gave a knowing grin at Marco’s reddened cheeks “I am aware why you have come and I am afraid I cannot assist you.”

Marco’s shoulders sagged in defeat “Without your help, I won’t be able to kill the vampire.”

“Perhaps but I am not a fan of needless conflict. I am just an old woman who wishes to live in peace.”

Marco sighed tiredly.

“Star, on the other hand, will be more than eager to join your quest.”

“Yeah!” Star nodded in agreement “I totally would.” She paused, finally processing what was said “Wait, I would? I mean yeah but you never…”

“I never let you go unsupervised my dear” Eclipsa explained “You are quite reckless.”

“For the last time that sprite startled me! The fire was not my fault.” Star quickly chimed in.

“Regardless how a fire did or did not spontaneously burst into existence matters not.” The older witch ignored Star’s comments “You will guide Marco and assist in his quest. You were planning on doing so anyway.”

The younger witch said nothing

“I know you dislike Rictavio far more than I but you cannot simply just attack a vampire. They are not like other creatures and to recklessly assault one will not end well. So better to send you with a trained hunter than have you unwisely sneak off on your own and get yourself killed or worse, turned.”

“Me? Killed? Turned?” Star scoffed at the idea “C'mon granny, I can handle myself.”

“Your grandmother is right.” Marco spoke up as he rose to his feet “Vampires are not to be trifled with so casually.”

“Actually she is my ninth great granddaughter” Eclipsa corrected Marco “It’s simply easier to call me Granny Eclipsa.”

Marco stared in disbelief “Just rolls off the tongue huh?”

Eclipsa let out a small laugh “You say great nine times and see how eager you are to do so again. So Mr. Hunter, I shall allow my Star to guide you. In exchange, you must ensure her safe return to me.”

“You have my promise.”

“Don’t you want to hear an or else? For dramatic effect?” Eclipsa rose an eyebrow.

“You are a powerful and educated witch. I am well aware what will happen if I do not fulfill my promise.”

Eclipsa gave a joyful smile “It is so refreshing to talk in such a straight forward manner. I do hope you survive. Such a nice lad. Well off with you two.”

Marco and Star looked at one another “What?”

Marco and Star stood outside with the same shell shock expression on their faces as the hut door closed behind them.

“So…is this what getting kicked out of a house is like?” Star joked.

“It feels familiar” Marco admitted “though most of the time I’m being tossed out a window. It’s nice to go through the door for once.”

“I don’t think that’s what windows are for….”

Marco shrugged “I would like to point out I never said I went willingly.”

“Why would you?” Star nudged him playfully “That’s way too much work.”

Marco tried to suppress a smile but it ended up spilling onto his face anyway.

“So, ready to take down a vampire?” Star asked curiously

“Not really but lead on witchy woman.”

“Okay but only because you would get so loooooost.”

Marco and Star stumbled out of the bushes. Marco wildly slashed and thrust his blade into whatever was chasing them as Star let out a frantic battle cry, flames pouring out of her palms.

The creature snarled in annoyance, taking one last swipe at the witch.

“Watch out!” Marco cried, pushing Star out of the way just in time for a large scaly  claw to narrowly miss her head.

“Back! BACK I SAY!” Star yelled, arcane energy crackling between her fingers.

The creature knew better than to pursue. It snorted before retreating into the thicket.

Marco and Star laid on the ground, her head on his chest, his arms wrapped protectively around her frame.

“I told you it was a dragon.” Marco scolded gently.

“Nah” Star shook her head “its got to be a salamander. Those things get huuuuge out here.”

“It breathed fire!”

“And your point is?”

“It wasn’t on fire. Fire salamanders always set themselves on fire!”

“What? No, that’s not how they work”

“I studied them! I fought one! I know how they work.”

“Psst, clearly your books are wrong.”

“Clearly you can’t tell a salamander from a dragon!”

“Aren’t they in the same family?”

Marco opened his mouth before stopping dead in his tracks “I…don’t know actually.”

“We should find out.” Star jumped to her feet and offered a hand to Marco.

He shook his head as he gripped it tightly and allowed his partner to lift him to his feet.

“So this is the castle….” Marco whispered “Well fuck.”

The castle stood high above their heads surrounded by cliffs. While it towered in the distance when Marco first saw it, now it loomed over them, impossibly large. Time ravaged banners fluttered helplessly in the winds, the ancient stone still sturdy and well built and a lonely road spiraled around the mountain was the only visible path. Any hopes of catching the count unaware were an impossibility.

“…Looks like we’re going to have to walk up” Marco murmured to himself, still lost in his thoughts. There must’ve been a way to some how reach the castle unnoticed.

“Well duh” Star rolled her eyes “It leads to the front door! How else are we supposed to get in? A window? Psst, those are waaaay too high up.”

“I was kinda hoping to get in unseen” Marco said “I don’t like the idea of Rictavio having time to set up for us. Can’t you fly us up or something?”

“I am a witch, not a bird. Besides the spell would only last ten minutes if I use it on the both of us and there’s no way we’re going all the way up there in that time. Come on, just take the path before you. The sooner we kick this vampire’s ass, the sooner everyone is safe.”

“Star” Marco shook his head “I don’t think you’re understanding the problem here. Vampires are powerful creatures. Even magic would have a hard time piercing their unearthly nature. We can’t just walk up to him and go ‘hey we’re here to kill you! Stand still please.'”

“Sure we can” Star waved off Marco’s comment “I’ll just sunbeam him and that’ll be that.”

“We need to be more discreet” Marco argued

“We need to launch an all out attack!” Star countered

“Recklessly charging is going to get us killed!”

“Recklessly charging has always worked for me!”

“How?!”

“I’m a witch!”

“That doesn’t make any sense!”

“You don’t make any sense!”

“Star, that literally makes no sense.”

“Well” Star turned on her heel and faced Marco directly “Make sense then!”

“Fine!” Marco shouted “Duck now!”

Star blinked in confusion “Wait, what?”

Marco dropped low to the ground, pulling Star downwards with him as a massive wolf leapt at them from the shadows, his jaw biting into thin air.

Marco drew his sliver sword but Star was faster on the uptake. She gestured to the wolf, her skulls glowing with magical energy.

The wolf struggled against some unseen force, muscles stiffening as they were frozen in place by Star’s spell.

Marco quietly stabbed the still, silent creature, holding his blade until it fell limp before him.

“Whew. Good acting Star.” Marco gave a grateful smile.

“Umm….” Star looked back and forth uneasily “yeah…was totally aware he was there.”

“Hey, you didn’t tell me you could restrain monsters.”

“Well you didn’t tell me…umm…..yeah!”

Marco shook his head as his eyes fell upon the wolf’s corpse, began forming in his mind.

“Hey Star…..can you make disguises?”  

#star vs au #my stuff #my story #starcoween #story #vampire hunter au

[skyesrandomdoodles]

((We were supposed to write a short drabble for English class. And I chose do do this. Please don't mind my very crappy writing.)) The sound of rain echoed through the empty halls of building five, of Nanba prison. A prison that was located on an isolated island located deep within the ocean. A place one could only reach by boat or helicopter. One in hich was nearly impossible for inmates to escape. An inmate sat quietly within cell eight. Enjoying the the tranquility of the pattering rain against the cells small barred window. To her right sat a boy with pale skin and teal hair, his dull grey eyes, closed, focusing on meditation no doubt. To her left, sat a young man with equally pale skin and raven black hair so black and shiny it looked like oil. His magenta eyes were outlined with a bright red liner. He too, seemed to be meditating as well. Good old Upa and Liang. Behind them laid a fourth inmate, undoubtedly napping. His messy grayish green hair, which was normally in a low ponytail was now hanging over his face, Soft snores escaped him yet they were not loud enough to disturb the others. He went by the name of Qi, and he, unlike the other three, was extremely lazy. A loud bang on the door of their cell jolted all four out of their activities. Their supervising officer, Samon stood outside the door. A smile on his face. "Come on, lunch time." Stretching, the inmate got up and looked at the other three who hadn't moved. "Come on boys, you heard him. Lunch." Her voice was so soft it was a barely audible whisper. A talisman on her upper back preventing her from raising it much higher unintentionally. The three looked up at her, slowly rising to their feet slowly. "He interrupted my meditation," Upa gave an irritated groan. "It's your own fault for going off into lala land so close to lunch." Qi looked down at the grumpy young man with a grin. "Shut up trash." Upa called harshly, crossing his arms. "Hey! I am not trash!" Qi gave him a rather offended look. "No, he is right," Liang joined in, "You are indeed trash." Qi looked over at the other inmate, "Reiumi." He whined. "They're doing it again!" Reiumi gave a soft laugh, crossing her arms. "And what can I do about it? You have done this to yourself, pretending to be sick instead of exercising." She paused and turned to the other two. "But on the other hand, it is not very kind of you to refer to Qi as trash. He has different interests then you." "But-" Upa started but was quickly cut off by Rei. "No buts, now come on, you don't want to have an empty stomach for exercises today, do you?" Grumbling Upa followed her out, Liang and Qi followed closely. After all four had gotten their food they sat in a group at table five. "Did you hear about the new inmate over in building thirteen?" Liang mumbled, chewing on a mouthful of fried rice. "I heard he got put into cell thirteen with those four idiots, but then got moved because he was causing to much trouble." Qi added, shaking his head. "Sounds about right, building thirteen can't ever keep the inmates of that blasted cell under control" Upa rolled his eyes. "Does anyone else find it ironic that they were put in cell thirteen of building thirteen?" Qi asked. "Thirteen is a really unlucky number," "I don't know about that, but oe thing I do know is that inmate eleven is kinda cute." Reiumi let her eyes drift over to table thirteen where said inmate was sitting his his cellmates. "Reiumi!" All three sharply turned their heads in her direction. "Whaaaat?" She put her hands up in defense. "You know I can't help it." She fixed them with a cheeky grin, though her vioce still remained the same soft tone. "Disgusting." Upa turned his his nose up in disgust. "Awww little Upa is still ad about losing to them in the tournaments." Qi swooned, laughing at the smaller man. Upa's face went bright red with race, "YOU LOST TOO! YOU DIDN'T EVEN HELP YOU TRASH!!!!" He screamed at Qi, standing up. "Shorty." "TRASH!" "Shorty." "TRASH!" "Guys stop.." Liang shrunk down as all eyes were on their table. "NO! I AM SICK AND TIRED OF BEING IN THE SAME CELL AS THAT TRASH!" Qi let out a soft growl. "Well I never asked to be in the same cell as you did I?!" "Qi, Upa, come on, don't be like that." Rei stood up, pulling the two away from each other. "No." Qi pulled away from her and glared down at Upa. "I am NOT trash." "Prove. It." Upa hissed, his voice filled with venom. "Fine." Qi growled soft, looming over the smaller boy. "How do you want me to?" Upa closed his eyes, humming in thought before a wicked smile broke across his face. "You have to go down to the underground prison of our building. If you can make it through before I do, I won't call you trash anymore." He smirked, clearly satisfied. Liang and Rei gawked at him. "That's suici-" "Sounds like fun~" Both were cut off by a monotone female voice. All four turned around to see a medium sized woman with red hair smiling coolly at them. "Akuma.." Rei stared at her, crossing her arms. "How long have you been listening?" Akuma laughed and stared back. "Long enough to see Trash boy and Midget make a deal, which sounds exciting. I want to come." "How would you even pull that off, you're no from our building." Liang grunted, running his hands through his long braided black hair. "I have my ways." She grins. "So expect to see me." And before any of them could object she turned on her heel and walked away briskly. "I guess it's settled then." Qi started to walk out. "We'll leave by exactly twelve." "I still think this is suicide." Rei whined, looking down the stairs into the old blackness of the underground prison. "You didn't have to come." Upa snapped and he took a step down one of the stairs. "Of course I did, I have to make sure you idiots don't get hurt." She huffed, following him. "Hey!" All three turned to glare at her. "You know I'm right, now where is Akuma, she said she'd be here." "I am here. You just aren't observant." Akuma's voice suddenly called out behind her. Yelping in surprise, Rei almost fell down three steps before getting caught by Qi. "Clumsy much?" He laughed teasingly, steadying her. "Shut up." She brushed off her white dress and turned to look at Akuma. "It's not very nice to scare people like that." "And it's not nice to tell people to shut up when they saved you, and besides, who said I was nice." Akuma smiled, reaching the bottom of the steps. "Whatever edgy teen.." She stepped down behind her, looking at at the three men in font of her. "Alright, get this over with, it's dangerous down here." "Okay mom." Upa called sarcastically, lighting a small lantern. "We should split up, Liang will go with me, Rei and Akuma will go with Qi," "That is a really bad idea." Liang mumbled, the lantern's light was not doing a good job of illuminating the inky blackness that seemed to swallow the underground. "I agree." Qi stared down at him. "it would be safer to stick together." "Quiet trash, that won't work because this is a competition between you and me." Upa lit a second latern, roughly shoving it to him. "If we went through together we would both win." With that he began walking off into the blackness. Qi rolled his eyes and took the lantern, turning to head the opposite direction. "Come on girls." Both looked over at Liang who shrugged in defeat and followed his friend. "Guess it's just you, me, and the trash." Akuma smiled gleefully and skipped after Qi. Rei glared at her, following. "He's not trash, he's actually really cool." "Awww sounds like someone has a crush." The redhead turned to give her a taunting smile.

"Akuma, I do not." Rei whisper yelled, feeling ready to tackle her. "Reiumi and Qi sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-" She was caught off by Rei tackling her to the ground. Both broke out in a fist fight, creating a loud ruckus. | Qi looked back at them and hissed quietly. "Be quiet before you attract any unwanted attention!" Both girls were quiet long enough to hear the sound of metal scraping across the dark stone floors. Qi seemed unaware as he continued to scold them about the surveillance doll that was lurking around. Surveillance dolls were horrifying to put it simply. They were like something straight out of a nightmare. They were tall doll like robots with a long metal sword for a left arm. If they saw any inmates that were loose, well it's probably obvious what happens. And said doll was slowly creeping up behind Qi, who had had now realized the danger they were in. His usually tan skin went at least seventy shades paler as he slowly turned around. The doll raised his arm in the air. Liang followed Upa closely, unable to shake the feeling of unease that was washing through him. "I still really think this was a bad idea." "Just keep quiet, we're almost through." Upa snapped irritably. Liang was going to respond, but was harshly cut off by a scream. "That sounded like Qi.." He mumbled worriedly and turned in the direction it came from.Upa rubbed his temples in frustration. "Let me guess, you want to go save the trash?" "Only because he girls are with him." Qi backed away, the doll had missed him by an inch. He shook as he had barely avoided being sliced like an apple. Rei and Akuma quickly jumped up, standing in front of him defensively. Rei pulled three throwing knives out of her hair, getting into a fighting stance. "Um..Rei...there's more, they're everywhere." Akuma looked around in horror and more dolls piled into the room, surrounding the three. "Well isn't that just lovely.' She grunted andlunged at the first doll, stabbing the three knives into it. It fell over lifelessly. But more just kept coming. "I don't think we can defeat them all by ourselves!" Akuma kicked one clear across te room, sending it barreling into three. "Don't worry, you won't have to." Liang jumped out of the darkness with Upa. Both stood in battle positions ready to fight. "Oh thank goodness you guys are here." Rei nearly died with relief. "Thank us later, we have creepy dolls to fight." Upa turned to face the dolls, a grin on his face.

But four of them were no match against the dolls. There were just too many. And Qi was not much help, he sat in a corner, cowering. Trash he was indeed. The four found themselves being backed into a corner, barely avoiding being sliced. "Still this was a good idea Upa, we're gonna die because of you and Qi's stupid bet!" Rei pressed herself against a wall, the dolls getting way to close for her comfort. "Shut up Rei!" Upa growled, shrinking down as far as he could. "I justt want you to know that your trash just as much as Qi is!" "You take that back" Upa snarled, turning his head to glare at her. "Guys, right now is really not the time to argue!" Liang did his best to swat the dolls away, his face twisted with worry and anger. "You know, I agree with Liang, it really is not a good time to argue." Akuma barely avoided being stabbed. And suddenly the dolls stopped moving, they all stood frozen, ready to lung at the inmates. Then they parted, creating a path. Building five's supervising officer, Samon, walked through the path of dolls. His face was expressionless, his eyes burned with anger. "Aw crap." All five mumbled in unison.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Samon chewed them out. "I would expect this out if Qi and Akuma, but you three?!" He pointed at Rei, Upa, and Liang angrily. "Hey!" Qi and Akuma gave offended looks to the supervisor. "OH SHUT UP!" He smacked both on the heads, earning a mumbled apology from both inmates. The other three hung there heads in shame. "Sorry Samon-san." "Just be sure not to do it again. And as for you." He turned to Akuma. "Back to building thirteen, your supervisor is here to escort you back." Akuma nodded and walked out of the room. Samon turned back to his inmates, crossing his arms. "As punishment you four are to stay in your cell for four days. No leaving unless it's for lunch." The four stared up at his with big eyes. "PLEASE NO, WE'LL NEVER SURVIVE!" They would most likely murder each other. Samon gave an amused laugh. "Then you should have though of that before making that reckless decision. Now, get back to your cell. " Hanging their heads the four walked back. They didn't even make it thirty minutes before Qi and Upa started arguing. "YOU'RE TRASH!" "I AM NOT!" "PROVE IT!" "Not again.." Rei and Liang gave exasperated cries. It was going to be a long four days.

#Sobs #that was awful I know

[superman86to99]

Action Comics #688 (July 1993)

REIGN OF THE SUPERMEN! The Last Son of Krypton bumps into Superman's greatest friend and ally: the dark, bat-themed vigilante known as GUY GARDNER. ("Bat" is for "batshit".) Okay, so Guy actually hated Superman up until a few months ago, but this issue quickly establishes that everyone’s least favorite former Green Lantern gained a lot of respect for Supes after watching him punch an indestructible alien to death and die himself in the process. So, what better way to honor Superman than going to Metropolis and punching those four dudes claiming to be him?

Guy lures the Last Son into a confrontation by using his knock-off Green (Yellow) Lantern ring to create a fake fire. The Last Son isn't amused and knocks Guy around for a few pages...

...eventually throwing him right into the middle of a suspicious biker get-together he'd spotted earlier, because why not kill a dozen birds with one stone? The biker meeting turns out to be a drugs-for-guns deal, so the Last Son diverts his attention from Guy to "deal" with the gang members. Guy then witnesses as the Last Son brutally punishes the criminals... and realizes he’s found his new kink.

At this point, Guy instantly switches to Team Last Son and declares him the One True Superman. Guy even gives a press conference in support of his new idol and offers to help him get rid of the other three pretenders, but the Last Son wants to do that alone.

The Last Son, however, is actually disturbed that Guy Gardner likes him and ends the issue wondering if there's a better way of dealing truth and justice than just burning criminals to death.

Character-Watch:

Kidding aside, this is a big step on Guy's ongoing evolution from jerk-who-is-a-hero to hero-who-is-a-jerk. We're nearing the era when he ditches his most annoying traits along with his Moe haircut. It is my responsibility to point out a continuity problem, though: he sees the Man of Steel on the cover of Newstime magazine and doesn't recognize the barely-disguised features of his college roommate, John Henry Irons.

Plotline-Watch:

The most important development in the issue: the Last Son of Krypton installs a bunch of monitors and satellite TV at the Fortress of Solitude. He says it's because he wants to keep an eye on Metropolis from afar, but I'm pretty sure he just didn't want to miss the Cheers finale.

At the Fortress, we get some clues about the Last Son's true identity: we see him draw power from his mysterious "regeneration matrix", and one of his robot servants keeps teasing him about changing to a traditional Kryptonian garb. Hmmm, who was the last one to wear one of those...?

Lois Lane interviews a would-be bank thief who had his arms completely broken by someone claiming to be Superman, and quickly deduces that he's talking about the Last Son. See, that's why she has a Pulitzer. Then she mistakes an old guy with a fedora and glasses for Clark, so maybe they should take that Pulitzer away.

At the hospital, Lois runs into Cat Grant (also doing reporter stuff) and as they're talking shit about the four Supermen, a Superboy interview by Tana Moon comes up on TV. Cat sees Tana and worries that the network is gonna replace her with a younger model -- which is foreshadowing for the upcoming storyline, "Reign of the Cat Grants".

As a result of the crime wave that followed Superman's death, Metropolis' police commissioner resigns, Inspector Henderson is bumped up to Commissioner Henderson, and Captain Maggie Sawyer is bumped up to Inspector Maggie Sawyer. There's a nice little scene with the two proclaiming respect for each other despite their long-running rivalry, and DC inching a little bit closer to actually using the word "lesbian".

And that's all from me, but for more commentary and cool details I missed, read Don Sparrow’s section after the jump!

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):

We start with a pretty great looking cover by Kerry Gamill & Jackson Guice (apparently from a sketch by Ed Hannigan) coloured by Denis Rodier.  It’s the colour that really set this one apart for me, with the yellow from Guy Gardner’s Sinestro ring meshing well with the yellow from the Last Son’s hand energy beams, with just enough red to keep it from being totally monochromatic.  It also looks like they’re in a real struggle, and not a posed “fight” stance.  Just great.

Inside, the first splash page does a great job of showing what the readers are feeling, after reading those issues introducing the four new Superman characters, and decides to investigate.

Guice and Rodier do a great job of Guy’s unique, less-than-handsome character face, particularly as Guy’s intention in looking into the new Supermen is to honour his fallen comrade, after Superman “did what nobody else could do” in stopping Doomsday.  There’s a look of genuine care on Guy’s angular face as he sets out to figure out just who these new Superman are.

The Last Son’s intercepting of the bank robber is well drawn, and it’s still jarring to see a Superman who moves so threateningly, and robotically—though he seems to have already developed a movie-character-like ability to crack one-liners, making him seem like maybe there’s a Clark Kent underneath after all.

But, nope, then he breaks every bone in the bank-robber’s arms, which is something so harsh even Batman wouldn’t do! (Even Punisher doesn’t torture people so ironically—this is Spectre territory!)

The update of goings-on with the police department is interesting, and Guice draws a more feminine Maggie Sawyer than we’re used to seeing, though with the vest and gray temples, Inspector Henderson is essentially identical to Perry White in this scene.  (Behind the scenes note: I was grateful that Maggie’s scene was so short, given that the Supergirl TV show currently airing has more or less been taken over completely by her relationship with Alex Danvers.  Digression over!)

The battle between the Last Son and Gardner is well choreographed—I appreciated seeing a brawler like Gardner actually think to use his ring (with a neat reference to Sir Justin from Seven Soliders of Victory) and the array of facial expressions Gardner shows as the Last Son wallops the crooks is pretty funny.  

STRAY OBSERVATIONS:

Betty’s Page is the name of the newsstand that Guy is browsing at, and just happens to be run by a pretty gal with bangs and gloves (who Guy disturbingly dismisses as a “smart mouth”).

BEATLESWATCH!  Just because he’s a safe-cracker doesn’t mean our would-be robber has poor taste in music, parodying “Fixing a Hole” as he takes an acetylene torch to the vault.

Man, that Lois Lane sure has a reporter’s knack for invention! Imagine, thinking that the Last Son isn’t actually Superman, but that he merely stole his body… [Max: OK, she can have the Pulitzer back.]

GODWATCH!  The Last Son thanks “the creator” that he can retire to “this fine fortress” and plan my next move.  Notice he doesn’t say “his” fortress… [Max: Weird that he didn’t say “Thank Rao”.]

I completely forgot about that little scene where the Last Son “draws more energy” from the Regeneration Matrix.  Very telling, not only about how the Last Son is so powerful, but also why someone ISN’T powerful in issues to come.

I might buy that the Last Son intentionally threw Gardner into the warehouse full of crooks, but were the overpass and water tower also up to no good? [Max: Those were Hydro-Man and, uh, Overpass Man!]

The Last Son seems to borrow liberally from his Gotham counterpart, right down to inexplicably being anti-gun.

Is Guy actually convinced this is the Superman he knew in the Justice League, or is he actually afraid of him?  His facial expression as he explains that he’s convinced would seem to indicate that he just plain doesn’t want to fight anymore.  

#superman #roger stern #jackson guice #denis rodier #guy gardner #eradicator #cat grant #superboy #tana moon #kelex #maggie sawyer #bill henderson #old guy who isn't clark #drug bikers #dang it accidentally tagged the eradicator again when will i learn #reign of the supermen

[dawnjeman]

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Building a Forever Home

  Happy New Week, my wonderful friends! I am so glad to have you on Home Bunch today. Thank you for your visit and I hope you enjoy every minute of it! I really can’t tell you how excited I am to be featuring my friend Kristyn of @blackard_modernfarmhouse. I told her a few months ago that if I had to build a home, hers would be my inspiration. I love how airy every room feels and the layout. It’s perfect for a family with kids.

Here she explains more about her beautiful home and her style.

  “Hello Friends! My name is Kristyn of @blackard_modernfarmhouse, and as I’m typing this I’m still in shock that Luciane asked me to be a part of this wonderful series. We just completed our build of a modern farmhouse in Southern Indiana, and I can’t believe how many times I referred to HomeBunch during our design process. I just hope I can pay it back by helping someone to make a decision or inspire them in someway.

If you follow me on Instagram then you know I’m very passionate about helping people through the building and design process because I know how challenging it is firsthand. I just want to inspire people to follow their gut and strive to give ideas to help make your home aesthetically pleasing but still being super functional for a young family! Another thing that will stand out is that you will probably see vintage rugs scattered throughout our home, and that’s because I own a Vintage Rug Boutique @violetvintagerugs. I love bringing that touch of old and uniqueness into people’s homes-it adds so much charm. 

A little bit about us…. My husband Barry and I were high school sweethearts, endured a long distance relationship for four years, and married after we graduated college. After he attended Law School and I attended Culinary School, we moved back to our hometown and started a family. Fast forward ten years later…. we run across Studio McGee’s Windsong Project and I can still remember the moment when I looked at my husband and said “that’s our house!” We had our house for sale the next week, sold within a few days, and started planning our dream modern farmhouse. We knew we wanted the classic feel of farmhouse charm but that edginess that comes with a modern home. Most importantly we still wanted functionality for our family, while achieving the look we were aiming for. We tried to merge all three and after months of planning we came up with the design of our home. My must-haves were a light and bright feel with lots of windows so we could let the outside woods in. We also wanted an open feel, but with rooms still feeling defined.  

 So here we are, finally in our house, turning it into our home with our three kids, two hairless cats and a rescue dog. I hope you can gain inspiration and see our heart in this home.”

  Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Building a Forever Home

Our house is situated on four wooded acres in Southern Indiana. We love being tucked away here where it is quiet and peaceful, and honestly we don’t have shades on most of our windows because it is so private.

Wrap-around Porch

We knew we wanted lots of porches because we love to be outside.

Porch Columns: Boral North America.

Flooring

We chose Pennsylvania Blue stone for the flooring and tongue and groove stained Poplar to warm up our white exterior. 

Porch Flooring: Pennsylvania Bluestone – similar here.

Porch Ceilings: Tongue and Groove Poplar stained English Chestnut.

Garage Doors

Garage Doors: Clopay Coachman Doors.

White Exterior

From the beginning of designing, we knew we wanted an all white house with clean lines, but we wanted it to be a mixture of materials. We decided on Celect siding, mixed with white painted brick to add texture. We wanted black windows to add that modern feel, and mixed a traditional black shingled roof with a metal roof over the porches to add that farmhouse touch. 

Siding: Celect – Premium siding from Celect Cellular Composite Siding by Royal.

Brick: Custom paint to match the siding.

All Doors and Windows- Sun Windows; Aluminum Clad on Outside and wood inside.

Front Door Paint Color

Black Windows and Doors Paint Color: Sherwin Williams SW 6961 Black Magic.

Exterior Sconces

We opted for gas lanterns instead of traditional lighting because we loved that rustic and romantic look that the gas lanterns provided. At nighttime, it looks magical- even from inside you can see the twinkling glow.

Gas Lights: Gas Light Pro.

Foyer

Our entry opens up into our piano room, which we also call the green couch room. Playing the piano is a passion of mine, so I knew I wanted a room dedicated to it. 

Staircase

Upon walking into our home, you are greeted with a traditional staircase with black glossy railing and shiplap walls.

I wanted a staircase that I could drape garland from each year! 

Garland: Pier one – similar here.

Piano Room

We did the grid wall to add texture and create a focal point, and added a bistro modern sconce for hints of brass and black.

Coffee Table: CB2

Artwork: Juniper Print Shop.

Couch

My favorite color is green and the second I saw this couch I knew I had to have it!

Couch: CB2.

Large Christmas Wreath: Target.

Christmas Pillows: Target.

Piano Room Chandelier

Chandelier: Restoration Hardware Bistro Globe Chandelier – similar here & here.

Rug & Piano

Piano Room Rug: CB2.

Piano: Steinway and sons Boston piano.

Living Room

Our goal in our living room was to create a light and bright atmosphere that still felt warm and cozy. Instead of doing an originally designed two story Great Room, we changed it to a vaulted 15.5 ft ceiling covered in shiplap. We wanted the black chandelier to be a focal point, as well as the giant picture window.  

  Chandelier: Restoration Hardware 63″ Camino Chandelier – similar here & here.

Textures

It’s really important for me to bring in lots of textures to create a cozy space. We added hickory shelves in the built ins, caramel leather couch, grey treed chairs, a black and brass ottoman, chrome hardware, striped linen pillows. I’m a big fan of mixing metals as well as materials! 

Couch: Restoration Hardware – similar here, here & here (chunky look).

Leather Ottoman: McGee and Co.

Rug: Wayfair.

Media Unit

The house originally was framed with a fireplace in the living room. I walked in the day it was framed, and it just didn’t feel right. I felt like it needed more windows. The woods behind us are so beautiful I knew I wanted to see more of them! So we took the risk and moved the fireplace outside on the back porch and put a giant picture window in there. Everyday I’m so thankful I followed my gut. 

Chairs: Article – similar here. Other Beautiful Chairs: here, here, here, here & here.

Storage

We definitely like to watch TV (we are a big WWE family) so we knew we wanted a big entertainment center. I wanted shelves for the pretty stuff, but also storage for tv equipment and kid toys.  

Ivory Sofa

Couch: Article – similar here & here.

Checkered navy/white throw: Schoolhouse Electric.

Layout

The living room opens to the dining room and kitchen.

Dining Room

I knew I definitely wanted open concept with our home and I love that the dining table is in the middle of the kitchen and living room. Each space feels defined yet open.

Dining Chairs

 Chairs – Serena and Lily.

Dining Table & Chandelier

Dining Table – Pier One, no longer available – similar here & here.

Chandelier: Visual Comfort – similar here.

Window

The windows open up right to the woods. It makes our entire kitchen and living room area full of natural light. 

Hardwood Flooring

Wood flooring: Mohawk Engineered Hickory, Sawbridge – unfortunately they are discontinued – similar here.

Naturally Beautiful

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know this area gets so much natural light and it is my absolute favorite thing about our home! 

Kitchen

The kitchen was the most important place to me, because before I owned my rug shop I was a chef and caterer. I love to cook, and not only that- I knew this is where we would spend the most time as family. They say the kitchen is the heart of the home, and man, it is ours! This is my favorite space in our whole home! We do homework at this island, eat dinner here, work on art projects, host holidays. It is our most used space! 

Island Pendants: Rejuvenation.

Island Dimensions: 10 ft x 3’7”.

Paint Color

Wall color, trim, cabinets: Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace.

Cabinetry

Cabinets: Custom Inset Shaker Cabinetry by Fehrenbacher Cabinets.

Stove: Wolf.

Pot filler: Delta.

Counterstools

Bar stools: West Elm.

Practicality

I wanted our kitchen to be a really functional space. Functional storage was a must. I added more drawers instead of door cabinets because I feel they are easier to get to and things don’t get lost in the back of a cabinet.  

 Smart Thinking!

My favorite thing about my kitchen is our pull-out sheet pan drawer. I was so tired of jamming sheet trays and large cutting boards into a tiny cabinet.

Rug: Violet Vintage Rugs.

Knives

I added a knife block drawer to help keep my counter clutter free!

Cabinetry: Custom – Similar Option: Here & Here.

Utensils

We added utensil dividers so all the utensils don’t get tangled. It helps keep things more organized.

Cabinetry: Custom – Similar Option: Here.

Kitchen Windows

The kitchen windows were a must have. I wanted to be able to see my kids in the backyard, watch the deer each morning, and let as much light in as possible. We wanted the outside to be pulled into our home as much as possible.  

Kitchen Sink

 Kitchen sink is by Kohler .

We also added a servo drive unit to our trash can so all you have to do is barely nudge it with your knee, hip, etc and it pops open. Great when your hands are dirty or full when you’re cooking and cleaning. 

Kitchen Faucet

Kitchen Faucet: Kohler.

Backsplash

I wanted our space to feel light and bright so we chose white cabinets, and knew the windows would pop. I decided to tile the whole wall to create a focal point!

Backsplash: Discount Glass Tile Store – Subway tile backsplash- 3×6 matte white (similar). Grout: French Grey.

Kitchen Shelves

Floating shelves: Hickory custom stained/built to match floors. – similar here & here.

Sconce above floating shelves: Schoolhouse Princeton Long Sconce.

Kitchen Hardware

Hardware: Atlas, Sutton Place Pull & Atlas, Browning Knob.

Countertop

Countertops: Aureastone Quartz, Lincoln.

Paneled Refrigerator

We chose to hide our fridge and freezer with a panel, making everything look like cabinetry.

Fridge/Freezer: Sub-Zero, 36 in.

Mudroom

This may be our most functional space in our home. We combined a mudroom with pantry to create almost an extension of our kitchen.

Rugs: www.violetvintagerugs.com

Print: Schoolhouse.

Lockers

The lockers were a must have with kids, and especially adding doors to them.

Cabinet Paint Color: Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace.

Baskets above cubbies: Target (no longer available) – similar here & here.

Hardware: Atlas, Sutton Place Pull & Atlas, Drawer cup pulls.

Kids Stuff

The insides are always messy, but at least with the doors that space stays looking clutter free. We added drawers on the bottoms for shoes, art supplies, and knick knacks. I’m all about hiding my mess. We also added an outlet in each locker for electronic charging! 

Similar Hooks: Here.

Pantry

The shelves with all of the food are hidden on the other side of the wall so unless you physically walk into the pantry you can’t see all of the food mess.

We placed a countertop in here to keep our kitchen counters from being cluttered with appliances, like a toaster and mixer. We also added big drawers underneath for easy snack access for the kids. 

Our coffeemaker is in the pantry, and one thing we did was add a water line to the coffee maker so we never have to fill it with water. 

Food storage bins: Target.

Coffee Maker: Keurig B150P.

Countertop: Aureastone, Lincoln .

Shelves

Because we opted to eliminate the door to the pantry, I wanted functional open shelving since you could see into the pantry from the kitchen. I wanted to be able to display pretty dishes and bowls, while still having easy access to them.

Study

The one room in our house that isn’t white, is my husband’s office. I can still remember when he told me he wanted it black, and I thought he was crazy. Now I’m glad I listened to him. The walls are shiplapped in Sherwin Williams Black Magic.  

 Rug: Violet Vintage Rugs.

Door Hardware – Emtek Hardware.

Cabinetry

We chose brass fixtures to accent the black. We put the printer on a rollout to hide it inside the cabinet. 

Black & Brass

We chose brass fixtures to accent the black. We put the printer on a rollout to hide it inside the cabinet. 

Hardware: Restoration Hardware, Spritz pull brass – similar here.

Library Lights

Library lights: Restoration Hardware – similar here, here & here.

Laundry Room

Having a large laundry room was a must-have for us. I feel like I live in here (as most moms can relate), so I wanted it to be bright and colorful. I chose a cheery green wallpaper, and love that I have a desk where I can do work while I’m working on laundry.  

 I wanted laundry basket cubbies where I can store clean laundry to be put away and I also needed a utility sink where I can bathe our hairless cats and use for laundry.  

Laundry Wallpaper: Discontinued – Other Beautiful Wallpaper: here, here & here.

Laundry Chair: Target.

Flooring: Hex Matte White Tile – similar.

Lighting

Laundry Lights: Schoolhouse.

Subway tile: Same as kitchen – Subway tile backsplash- 3×6 matte white (similar).

Grout color: Delorean grey.

Wall

We also placed our iWallDock on this wall. We use it to control all of the music in our home and for security cameras. 

Water Fountain

We have a water fountain right outside the door, which is the garage entryway as well. The kids run in, grab a drink, and head right back outside to play! When they are thirsty- I just point ha! We really went for functionality in our home!

Drinking Fountain: Kohler.

Step Stool: Here.

Mirror: Rejuvenation.

Sconce: Visual Comfort.

Powder Room

I wanted this to be a fun space since I knew everyone would see it. I added the fun patterned cement tile for some interested, added board and batten to the walls, and a basket wall for some warmth. 

Again, I’m always switching out a vintage rug in here.

Sink

The double Kohler Brockway sink is great for hand-washing before dinner, especially because it has two faucets!  

Sink: Kohler.

Faucets: Kohler.

Soap Dish: Kohler.

Flooring

Flooring: Cement Tile shop – similar here.

Baskets: Etsy.

Boys Bathroom

 I went for a industrial/modern look in the boys bathroom, using contrasting black tile in the shower, industrial sconces, and black hardware. 

 I added warmth with a vintage rug and white oak mirrors. 

Mirrors: Rejuvenation.

 Wash Your Hands Sign: Target.

Vanity Countertop

Countertop: Quartz, Aureastone Lincoln.

 Faucets: Rohl.

Hardware: Knobs & Pulls.

Lights: Schoolhouse Electric. 

Vanity Lighting

My favorite feature about the vanity is the toe kick lighting that is motion activated. Great for kids in the night!

Toe Kick lighting: Kichler.

Rug: Violet Vintage Rugs.

Shower Tile

 Shower floor tile: Discount Glass Tile Store, Black matte hex 1 inch – similar here.

Floor Tile: White 2 inch hexagon tile – similar here.

Shower Faucet: Kohler.

Bull Picture: Wayfair.

Daughter’s Bedroom

This wallpaper is the star of this room. I wanted her room to have a cheerful and whimsical vibe. 

Wall Color: BM Chantilly Lace.

 Wallpaper: Hygge and West, Daydream, Blush.

Swan Blanket: Homegoods – Other Beautiful Kids Bedding: Here.

Rug: Violet Vintage Rugs.

 Chandelier: Pottery Barn Kids.

Bed

Bed: Crate and Barrel Kids – similar here.

Duvet: West Elm.

Striped Pillows: Pottery Barn.

 Other Pillows: Target.

 Dollhouse: Hearth and hand Magnolia.

Daughter’s Bathroom

My daughter’s bathroom was the only room with a colored vanity. I loved this retro blue and it inspired me to go with a retro vibe in her bathroom. Cabinet paint color is Benjamin Moore Woodlawn Blue.

Flooring: White Penny Tile.

Grout Color: Dark Grey.

Mirror: Rejuvenation.

Sconce: Schoolhouse Electric.

Art: Lynne Millar.

Faucet: Kohler.

Cabinet Hardware

Cabinet Hardware: Pulls & Knobs.

Master Bedroom

 We wanted our bedroom to feel calm and serene. We also don’t have shades on our windows since we live in the woods. The sunlight is our alarm clock. 

Throw: Mcgee and Co.

 Bed & Bedding

 I love to add textures on my bed as well- cotton, linen, velvet- give me it all!

 Bed: From local furniture company – similar here, here & here.

Duvet Cover: Arhaus.

Side table: Wayfair.

 Lamp: Pier One.

Rug: Loloi.

Ceiling

 The ceiling was intended to mimic a barn ceiling to help bring in that farmhouse feel.

Lighting: Wayfair.

Master Bathroom

I always have a vintage rug in here to add character and I wanted something unique for our flooring. 

We chose wall mounted faucets for the modern look and easy clean up! 

Vanity lights: Schoolhouse Electric.

Cabinets: Custom inset cabinets by Fehrenbacher Cabinets in Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore.

Mirrors: Rejuvenation. 

Sinks: Kohler.

Faucet: Kohler.

Cabinet Hardware

I wanted to mix metals in here so I did black metal hardware and lighting, but kept our fixtures chrome.  

 We put an outlet in the drawer for the hairdryer, etc. 

 Countertops: Aureastone, Lincoln.

Vanity Hardware: Knobs & Pulls.

Towel Rings: Delta.

Towels: Mcgee and Co.

Floor Tile

Tile: Cle Tile, Cross Encaustic Cement Tile.

Shower Wall Tile

Wall Tile: Discount Glass Tile Store – Subway tile backsplash- 3×6 matte white.

 Shower floor tile: Black matte hex 1 inch – similar here.

Tile Wainscoting

The master bathroom also features a subway tile wainscoting.

Light above tub: Schoolhouse Electric.

Tub

We knew we wanted a clawfoot tub to add that vintage feel. 

Bathtub: Kohler.

 Tub faucet: Kohler (discontinued) – similar here.

Vintage Runner

Vintage runner is from Kristy’s shop; Violet Vintage Rugs.

Artwork

Prints: Juniper Print Shop – Frames: Cb2.

Playroom

During framing we had a weird wall in the playroom area, and it just had the roofline of a dollhouse in my imagination. It inspired us to build this little playhouse in our playroom for our daughter. I love decorating it for all of the seasons.

Outdoor Fireplace

 We originally had planned to put a fireplace inside our living room, but I really wanted to let more natural light into our living room. So, we ended up moving our fireplace to our back porch and replacing it with a giant picture window. Now we love having all of the natural light in our living room, and the fireplace outside has been an amazing addition.

Cozy

With the electric ceiling heaters, plus the fireplace we can use our porch year round. 

Home-Sweet-Home

I love being surrounded by all of the trees.. watching the trees bloom, watching the leaves change, and watching the snow fall.  

Making Memories

Our long winding driveway is something I always envisioned my home having. I love that my kids can go exploring in the woods, our dog can roam our property, and I can watch the deer each morning through the kitchen windows.

  Many thanks to the super-talented Kristyn for sharing all of the details above!

Make sure to follow Kristyn on Instagram to see more of her beautiful home and visit her vintage rug shop!

Have a Blessed week, my friends!!!

  Best Sales of the Month:

Thank you for shopping through Home Bunch. I would be happy to assist you if you have any questions or are looking for something in particular. Feel free to contact me and always make sure to check dimensions before ordering. Happy shopping!

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  Posts of the Week:

Interior Design Ideas: Home Renovation.

2019 New Year Home Tour.

Belgian-style Modern Farmhouse.

Stone Cottage-style Home Design.

Custom Craftsman-style Family Home.

Newport Island Beach House.

New Year, New Beautiful Homes of Instagram.

Before & After Home Renovation.

California Duplex Home Design.

Stone Lake House.

Australian Beach House.

Family-friendly Home Design.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: Canada.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram.

Georgian-Style Manor with Traditional Interiors.

Transitional Home Design.

Interior Design Ideas.

Grey Kitchen Paint Colors.

Beautiful Homes of Instagram: California Beach House.

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See more Inspiring Interior Design Ideas in my Archives.

“Dear God,

If I am wrong, right me. If I am lost, guide me. If I start to give-up, keep me going.

Lead me in Light and Love”.

Have a wonderful day, my friends and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”

with Love,

Luciane from HomeBunch.com

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[beardcore-blog]

Mothpoint #9- Family Feud

*It felt wrong, locking them up, but Simon didn’t have any other choice. He was sure if he let them go, they’d kill him. Or, he’d have to kill them, and he couldn’t live with himself if it came to that*

Thawne- -name is Chronos.

Simon- Huh?

Thawne- *sigh* The time traveller on Pike’s payroll. I should have known.

Simon- Who… who is he?

Thawne- A long time Atom foe, went off the grid a few years ago. Palmer, that is the Atom, damaged his time belt, stranding him in the void. A space outside of time, when a timeline has been overwritten. Spent a millennia there before he managed to break out, and when he did… he was different. Picked up some temporal abilities, clairvoyance, the usual. Made him even more annoying

Simon- This Chronos guy, why would he help Pike?

Thawne- Why would you?

Simon- What?

Thawne- She’s still breathing. It would have been one less thing to worry about, now wouldn’t it?

Simon- I’m not you.

Thawne- And they’re not them. Stop treating them as such.

Simon- *They* are my family.

Thawne- Touching. But wrong

*No. Thawne was wrong, he was a trickster, a liar and a monster thought Simon. He had to get through to her. He knew if he got through to her, then the world was fixable. He didn’t know how he knew that, but he just knew. While he waited for her to wake up, he was working on a new costume. Old costume? It would be the same style he wore up to the City of Fear incident. Very classic. Bright pink and yellow, trunks, eyes instead of a visor. It was his most “heroic” look, even if he preferred his current suit for a myriad of reasons. He was hoping he’d finish before she awoke, but alas he heard her struggle against her bonds behind him as he worked, and he managed to turn around and face what he’d done only when he heard the chair fall over. He walked over and gingerly righted her. She spat at him.*

Emi- Get me out of here. Now.

*He closed his eyes, took a deep breath.*

Simon- Emi-

Emi- Go on then, how do you know my name?

Simon- We’re… Emi, this is going to sound crazy, but… Emi, you and I… We… we’re boyfriend and girlfriend. In an alternate timeline.

*Suddenly Emi laughs, loud, harsh, a sound Simon had never heard from her, not like this. It was a cruel laugh, sarcastic*

Emi- I’m not buying it. You think I’m stupid enough to go out with you? In this, or any time!

*He sighed, and returned to his work station. He’d been in a lot of crazy scenarios before. But altered timelines? That was new. He had thought himself immune to that all-encompassing phobia, the fear of change. He had thought wrong. Maybe, when he fixed everything, he’d visit Arkham and ask Doctor Crane about that… Or Professor Strange? Maybe there was a psychiatrist somewhere in Gotham who wasn’t insane…*

Emi- Look, freak, you don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into. Green Arrow’ll be here any minute and ohhhhhh man we are going to have some fun with you.

Thawne- You’re referring to your tracking device? The one you hid in the heel of your boot? First thing the kid did was destroy it. Waste of parts, if you ask me…

Simon- Could you-?

Thawne- Sorry, should I leave you "love birds" alone?

Emi- Ok, so maybe you do know my secrets. What good’s that gonna do ya? Do you even have a plan, or am I just gonna die of old age?

Thawne- I have a plan. No idea what the kid’s is though.

Simon- Really?

Thawne- I’m going.

Simon- Sorry, he’s… it’s complicated

Emi- Seems like a recurring problem

Simon- Well, I …am working on a plan. You’re not actually part of it – yet! If you’d like to help me, that’d be great, but for now, I just wanted to have someone to talk to. Not him, I can’t… You, I wanted you to talk to. Or I’ll just listen to you. Even when you’re being mean, I can’t not love you.

*He was pretty sure Thawne put his palm to his forehead at that point. Admittedly, it wasn’t Simon’s best line*

Emi- Oh. My God, you are by far the most naïve supervillain I’ve ever dealt with. How the hell are you one of the best enforcers of Gotham’s underworld.

Simon- That’s what I’m saying, I’m not.

*He had finally got the antennae on, those were always the trickiest, and thus the costume was complete. He stepped out of the room to change, then leapt back in with a dramatic “Ta-da!” Upon which Emiko burst out laughing, again.*

Simon- You don’t like it? You always liked it before…

Emi- AhahahahohmyGod. Oh my God. That is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen.

*Simon looked down, dejected, then pulled a chair over, in front of Emiko. He sat down, removed his mask, and looked at her.*

Emi- What do you think you’re doing?

Simon- -I need to know that…that you’re my Emi. Maybe I’m wrong and I can’t fix everything. But Jay, Jay always told me you-you get the lightning rod and that keeps you grounded and so if I can-can get through to you I’ll be able to fix everything.

*The words were hard to get out. The idea that maybe he couldn’t fix everything, that maybe he couldn’t get her back. It killed him.*

Emi Get me. The fuck. Out of this cell. You stupid. Piece of shit.

*He dropped his mask on the floor, put his head in his hands, and started to weep. He would still try and find a solution, but he wasn’t going to get through to her now, was he?*

Emi- Oh my God, you’re crying? Over some mean wittle words? Geez, what’ll you do when I throw you in Arkham?

*In that moment, he bolted up from the chair*

Simon- Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up!

*He had never yelled with that much anger…ever. And certainly not at her. He saw the brief flash of fear in her eyes, even as she hid it. What did he look like to her, he wondered. Was that that other him, breaking through, or was he always like this? Was this what was always beneath the surface? No wonder Charaxes wanted him… He reached back for the chair, tried to sit down, instead he just fell down on the ground. He lay back fully, put his hands over his eyes and began to laugh. The laugh became a scream and then, silence. He stood himself up, picked up his mask, looked at her one last time, for now he tried to tell himself, then he put on his mask and left the room*

Thawne- *Sigh* Young love…

*Simon wanted to hit him so badly, if only he had speed… Then he could kill him, like he killed him, over and over and over. But then he realised that it simply wasn’t worth it. He wasn’t worth it. Right now Thawne was his only hope. Emi wasn’t going to help him. And so, he slumped out of that room too, ignoring his companion’s mocking "tutting," defeated to be met with his father’s face. Kinda. It was peculiar. His mask bore a striking resemblance to the Arkham Moth’s; both were green, both had dark rebreathers, and both had yellow, tinted visors Simon was sure hid an inner pain. Perhaps that was how, if not to Emi, he could appeal to his dad. Perhaps*

Drury- Went well, did it?

Simon- What was in the vial?

Drury- It doesn’t matter, does it?

Simon- It matters to me.

Drury- *You* don’t matter. If you don’t mind, I’d rather await my impending doom, then listen to you right now.

…

Simon- I know about your friends. Gar, and Mira-

Drury- Don’t you speak their names. Don’t you dare. What, did you think we’re equal or something, you think we can talk now because you know my tragic backstory? The friends that I’ve lost-! … Who told you anyway, your pal Carson?

…

Simon- I’m… I’m sorry.

Drury- Hnh. I don’t care.

…

Simon- Carson’s not my friend or anything. In case you thought-

Drury- Hmph.

Simon- He blew me up once.

Drury- You look pretty good considering.

Simon- What happened Drury. What really happened?

…

Drury- I was drunk. Gar was drunk. Miranda was- We were all drunk, we were on our way back from a play, Les Miserables- yeah, don’t look surprised, I’m a theatre buff. The radio was glitching in and out… thought it was a horror channel, turns out, it wasn’t.

Simon- The Blackest Night.

Drury- I wasn’t watching the road, in-between arguments with Gar, and trying to switch off the radio, I swerved, careered off of a cliff. I got off alright, but them? Miranda had fallen, she wasn’t going to make it. And what about Gar, eh? Well. Heh.

*He takes his mask off, his face shadowed. He wipes a single tear from his eye, and continues*

Drury- He hadn’t got out the car, don’t know if he even coulda, heck by that point it was on fire, blazing even. But he wouldn’t move. He just… sat there, seatbelt still buckled- burning, entranced by the flames. I tried pulling him out, I really did, but it was too late. I shoulda watched the road, yet I- I killed them. And then, then they came back. Black, grey, dead, like the rest of those so called ‘Black Lanterns’….

*Drury takes a step forward, Simon a step back, he knew it was coming but there it was. His dad’s face. Scarred, burned all on one side, not unlike Two-Face’s, one eye dead, the other filled with regret. Never before had Simon felt so much… pity for his father*

Drury- I watched them die, then I watched them be perverted, transformed into zombies by some necromancer, and they spoke to me. Mocked me. Blamed me. And y’know, they were right. Was that what you wanted to hear?

…

Drury- I’ve answered your questions, suppose it’s my turn. Who, are you?

…

Simon- My name is Simon. Simon… King.

Drury- Simon. I always liked that name…

Simon- You ever considered naming Ax- your son that?

Drury- My son-? I… I put my kids into foster care. They deserve better than I could give them. Axel, and Kitte- Katie. Heh.

…

Simon- I didn’t grow up with my father, but… I idolised him. I still felt like I knew him. Every news report, every article, I watched it all. My dad was one of the "greats"… Two years ago, I finally met him. He wasn’t that legend. In fact, he was better than I could imagine.

Drury- Why’s that?

Simon- He was kind. He was good. Yeah, he did bad crap, yeah he hurt people, but he always did it for his family, and for his friends. He was there for them. Like you should be for your kids.

Drury- I don’t deserve them.

Simon- They deserve a father, don’t they?

…

Drury- Your old man, what happened to him?

…

Simon- I lost him. ==== *It was for the best, he knew that. But it hurt all the same, like a bullet in his chest. Granted, he did have a bullet in his chest, so that might just be that that stung, but he doubted it. He had spent a good minute staring at that keypad, going back and forth on it, before finally, he put in the code he’d set. It was her birthday*

Simon- You’re… you’re free to go.

Emi- This is a trick, right?

Simon- No. Please.

*Emi stared at him, and the pain returned- having her look at him like he was nothing was worse than any wound, that was now a certainty. She climbed out the window, and then, she was gone. Simon walked quietly back to the main cortex*

Thawne- Did you do it?

*Simon doesn’t say anything. Thawne smiles, and nods*

Thawne- Good boy. This, is our key to getting out of this mess.

*Thawne picks the courier up from the workbench. It’s heavily modified*

Thawne- This is a hypertime tracker. Alone, it’s useless, but combined with DNA, it can track that person’s movements across time, to the last place they travelled.

Simon- Then, it’s nearly over…

Thawne- Aside from your daddy issues, the Fireflies and Bane, yes. Yes it’ll be over, but first, we need Chronos.

——– Credit to Brute, who wrote the framework of the Simon/Emi conversation back when this story was just a concept. It’s been heavily adapted since, as new characters and plot lines were introduced

Posted by Duncan C. Young on 2019-02-09 14:16:23

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[ceciliatan]

G. Willow Wilson guest of honor remarks at #ICFA40

I’m in Orlando for the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts (ICFA, pronounced “ick-fah”) where today the guest of honor, G. Willow Wilson, gave a terrific keynote speech at the luncheon in which she talked about how it is that some writers (particularly marginalized writers) get labeled “political” while others (of the most privileged groups) do not.

Some of you who read my blog might remember me getting into a Twitter storm in 2016 at a romance convention when I tweeted that a white, heterosexual, married writer had advised new writers “don’t be political on social media. Be Switzerland. Be neutral and don’t take sides.” My comment to that (on social media) was that only someone who is a member of the privileged class has the privilege to “decide” whether to be political. The rest of us don’t get to “choose” whether to be political or not because merely by existing we are perceived to be making a political statement.

G. Willow Wilson’s speech went right to the heart of that issue. What follows is a pseudo-transcript of about 60% of her remarks. I have recreated this from my notes, so please do not ascribe any direct quotations to her without checking with her first. Any errors are my own and I wouldn’t be surprised if I didn’t make a few while transcribing. (One little typo can change a “now” to a “not” and reverse the meaning of a sentence, entirely!)

I do these transcript-type blogs for my own record of things I find really noteworthy to talk about and to give folks who couldn’t attend the conference a taste of what was said. I stress again it’s only a fraction of what was actually said.

It begins with an introduction of the speaker by David Higgins, the vice president of the IAFA (hosts of ICFA) and then G. Willow Wilson’s remarks.

G. Willow Wilson GoH Speech March 14 2019 ICFA 40

Introduction by IAFA vice president David Higgins: You may have heard the Captain Marvel film just had a spectacular opening weekend, as the first female solo superhero film in the Marvel franchises, which has put to shame the [former Marvel CEO] Isaac Perlmutter’s wikileaked memos delineating his/the company’s anti-woman bias. I like to think that no one would be more excited by the success of Captain Marvel than Kamala Khan, the creation of our of our guest of honor, G. Willow Wilson.

Kamala is such a Captain Marvel fan, she writes fanfic about it, and [when she is imbued with superpowers] takes on the mantle of Ms Marvel. Although I myself have not written G Willow Wilson fanfic (audience laughter), I did help create the cover of this ICFA program. [Which depicts G. Willow Wilson and Mark Bould in comic book fashion fighting against unseen enemies.] Please let me let out my inner fangirl and gush about how much I love Ms. Marvel.

Let me also talk about the post-911 diversity efforts by DC to internationalize the Green Lantern corps. In the creation of Simon Baz there are elements combatting some problematic stereotypes while doubling down on others. Ms. Marvel, by contrast, is a great pleasure, and I teach Ms. Marvel in my class. Kamala doesn’t fit any of the easy labels that my students have been taught previously. Although they want to refer to her as Arab American but that’s not exactly true, she’s a second generation Pakistani American. My students arrive at [a really long string of words: second-generation Pakistani American millennial from Jersey City].

Part of the brilliance of Wilson’s writing is that Kamala’s identity isn’t oversubscribed to any one of those adjectives that describe her. Kamala comes to life and isn’t just a representative of a social category. Like her, Islam isn’t just one easy-to-understand thing. The fact that Kamala is a millennial is also important. Furthermore Kamala is loving, quirky, and inspiring. Wilson exhibits the same humor and sophistication in her other work. Cairo was recognized as a top pick by Library Journal, etc. [Long list of G. Willow Wilson’s accolades, and a detailed description of the novel Alef the Unseen.] Having finished a five-year run on Ms. Marvel, she has now started writing Wonder Woman for DC. And just days ago, The Bird King was released, a novel that tells the story of the last Emirate of Muslim Spain.

G. Willow Wilson: Wow, I’m apparently very busy! (Laughter) In my job, since I’m on these very specific comic book deadlines, you have to hit them month after month, but it’s easy to lose the forest for the trees. I have to move on to the next and the next. You don’t get to sit back and think, wow, I did such a lot of stuff. But hearing that list makes me think, wow, no wonder I’m so tired! (laughter)

Thank you for having me here. I can already see why so many of you love this convention so much. It combines the best of fan run cons like Westercon and an academically rigorous exchange of ideas. This has already begun to seed ideas into my brain. I wanted to talk a little bit about the theme of the conference this year: Politics and Conflict. I wanted to say something about the trends I see as a writer today in both books without pictures as well as comics.

When I saw the theme, I thought it could not be more timely than to talk about politics and conflict in genre. The roles that politics play in the genres we typically consider escapism, these are at the forefront of what we struggle with at the far end of the political spectrum. Not everybody who writes about politics is considered a “political” voice, while others are automatically considered political. It’s played out in interesting ways in my own career and life. Who is labeled “political?” To talk a bit more about that I’m going to tell you an origin story.

Once upon a time in 2009, I got the most extraordinary piece of hate mail. Every line was a different color. One was red, one was blue, the next one orange… Someone put a lot of work into this it, like a work of art! It was the old Internet so someone put a lot of work into a lot of highlighting to make it like that. This anti-fan or non-fan accused me of being part of the, now let’s see if I can remember all the parts: “socialist Islamist homosexual attack on America.” And as I read it back in 2009, I thought to myself wow, that is not a real thing. (laughter) But it sounds fabulous! (cheers)

This was before I took my email private so I used to get this kind of thing, but never one with such a load of hyperbole and such a work of art! But what was interesting to me was that I got this letter because I was doing a guest writer stint for J. Michael Straczynski on Superman. He was having some health problems and had to take a couple of months off, and I was going to tread water for three issues until he got back. Anyone knows that when there’s a big-name writer on the book who takes a break, the idea is you don’t change anything. You put everything back where it was when you started, and wait for the big-name writer to come back. I was told to “use Superman as little as possible.” I was happy to just have my name on the book and these filler issues were about Lois Lane reconsidering her life and going to her old stomping grounds. The artist they gave me came over from erotica and only knew how to draw women in 3/4 profile with this [stunned] expression her face. So maybe it’s not a surprise they weren’t very well received. But by writing these very mild, banal, filler issues of Superman I was labeled political. This occurred to me was something that was going to follow me. No matter how ridiculous and banal what I wrote was, I would be labeled political.

It was interesting to me to note that some people who wrote political stuff, on the other hand, were NOT labeled political. Some of you may know Fables by Bill Willingham, which is a large ongoing poignant exploration of fairy tales and fairy tale tropes. He was really the first to do that, widely imitated later; he created a genre-defining work. But he wore his Republican credentials on his sleeve. He is a friend and mentor. He was very generous with his time and insight, and when he was the toast of the comic book industry he would throw these infamous parties at Comcion. But he really wore his conservative politics on his sleeve. His beliefs come up not infrequently in Fables. I’ll read you this little bit:

The main character is talking to Gepetto, and there’s big conflict coming between fairy tale creatures. The main character says to Gepetto have you ever heard of Israel? Gepetto [asks him about it]. The character answers: Israel is a small country that is surrounded by countries who want to destroy them. They have a lot of grit and iron and I admire them. [Description goes on for a while.]

It really struck me that if I had said anything similar in my own work, praising real world events or countries, and putting them into the mouths of characters who were owned by a giant media corporation, I would have lost my job. But when I just tread water and write banal Lois Lane stories, here I get these hate letters. Bill Willingham could do this and face no reprisals. And all I had to do was exist and still face reprisals.

Why does that difference exist? When we’re talking about comics and graphic novels, these are a unique medium because they are visual. Those of use who are born with sight, we learn to interpret images automatically. But writing and drawing comics we learn to interpret things in a special way. You learn things as a comic book writer like if you want a cliffhanger it has to go on an odd numbered page, so it was be on a page turn rather than a spread which would be a spoiler. How do different readers interpret different gestures? It becomes political in a way other media do not because it goes straight into our brain that doesn’t differentiate truth from fiction. We believe what we see. And we begin interpreting what we see from the moment we see it whether we realize it or not.

And then when you are writing superheroes in particular you are using characters people grew up with. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the great irony is that superheroes are meant to reflect the zeitgeist, what’s going on right now. But people get very attached to the version of the character they grew up with. So when you reboot Spiderman and make him a black kid from New York or Batwoman a lesbian, and you do it just so you can tell a new story, something fresh and current, you get labeled political. That gets labeled a political and not artistic choice. Who owns those images? Corporations or writers or the fans? Who owns the characters, who owns the discourses around them? What do we do when there’s disagreement?

SF/F welcomes the reader to interpret the work because it is so symbolic. It invites us to put ourselves in the work and imagine things wildly beyond the bounds of our daily lives. There is conflict built into these genres that invite interpretation; interpretation invites dispute and discussion. It’s not always easy to know why we label certain things certain ways and not others. It’s been interesting to see this play out as I write Kamala Khan. My run on Ms. Marvel is done and I am now handing it off to Saladin Ahmed. The label of innate politicalness–here I am inventing words–is something that is kind of a spectre that has been hanging over this since the beginning.

I was talking with a mentor of mine and the editor on Ms. Marvel [Sana Amant] about how to navigate that political descriptor. I knew we were going to carry certain labels. A lapsed Catholic from Milwaukee with a typical American backstory wouldn’t get the same labeling. [Making Kamala Khan who she was] shaped the series by forcing us to put care and attention into every aspect of the series that we wouldn’t have examined otherwise.

We set our expectations quite low. We said let’s shoot for 10 issues and it will be really cool, and then we’ll probably go right back to what we were doing before. We didn’t know she’d have a shelf life. Kamala had the “trifecta of death”: new characters don’t sell, female characters don’t sell, minority characters don’t sell. The retrospective is that of course these various other projects failed for various reasons. But we had to create something that had joy and beauty in it and didn’t reflect the terror we were going through in the production of the series. Our editor Steven Wacker who championed us, our colorist, etc. the whole team. We worked more closely with the artistic team than any before or since because we knew there was zero room for error. When you have a character who doesn’t fit in a box, there is a burden of representation that unfairly falls under scrutiny. So everyone has to bring their A game at all times. Then we got to 10 issues, and then to 20, and then 30 and then 50, and then the trade paperback hit the New York Times bestseller list, and then the second one did. And we realized that we had pulled together a team that overcame the low expectations. Kamala survived and will outlive all of us.

[This success] can open the door for more. We have been living in a bottleneck for talent. When we didn’t consider representation [and only wrote/published for the dominant group/dominant paradigm] several generations of talent built up behind that bottleneck. That talent might have been lost if it weren’t opened at this extraordinary moment in history.

I’d like to close by saying nothing is impossible. If there is anyone who knows that for sure, it’s the people in this room. Thank you.

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