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twinkleton · 4 years

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at the end of the century - douxie x reader

Whew, this was a douzy to write! I'm so sorry about the wait, maybe it's length will make up for it! This is part two to my last fic, so be sure to give the first part a read if ya haven't! I wanted to include a familiar for the reader, but it just didn't make sense for the story. I'll happily write another fic that has a reader with one if anyone would like! Also, to avoid confusion, this takes place during the "first" battle at killahead. No time travel going on yet, obviously it's changed to where Douxie is involved in the fight. Hope you guys like it!

Tags: @purplesinnerw @clarencebells

As per usual for Camelot, its streets were bustling with its citizens up bright and early for morning shopping. Traders were bartering their newfound treasures, and parents were buying food and supply for their families. For Y/N however, she was neither a trader or a member of a family. She had nothing, except her magic. Of course she felt terrible tricking people into looking the other way while she grabbed onto a loaf of bread or an extra shirt she’d need, but in order to survive it’s what she had to do. After a while, the guilt can subside. She’d rather be doing this than have to rely on anyone ever again.

Still, as she leaned back against a wall, taking a bite out an apple she’d taken earlier, she couldn’t help but feel jealous at the sight of a little girl on top of her father’s shoulders, laughing along with her mother without a care in the world. She’d argued it was because of having to look at someone so privileged, but really it was because of having to look at someone so loved.

---------

Three years later,

Tensions had reached their peak between Morgana and King Arthur, and a war was about to begin against Gunmar and his army of Gumm-Gumms. Morgana had had enough of his mistreatment of magical creatures, therefore her loyalty to him was hanging by a thread. It didn’t seem enough that Arthur seeked help from the trolls of Dyoza, as she believed he only saw them as pawns.

Back in Merlin’s study, him, Douxie, and Archie were discussing how to prepare for the upcoming battle, more specifically, what to do about Y/N.

“No, we are not leaving her here!” Douxie shouts at Merlin. Archie gives him a concerned look.

“Douxie…” he says, trying to calm his friend.

“No, Y/N has never given us any reason to doubt her. How could you suggest such an idea as to lock her up until the battle is over? What has she ever done to deserve that?!”

“Hisirdoux, this is not about what she has done, but she potentially could do. We know how close she is to Morgana, and Morgana will say or do anything to persuade her to be on her side. With Y/N she has an advantage, an extra card in her deck. Keeping her here is only a precaution. It’s a way to keep Y/N safe and to keep Morgana from being stronger,” Merlin explains.

Douxie isn’t convinced by that. He knows Y/N. He knows that she would not want to be stuck here while the rest of them go off and risk their lives for Camelot. And if Morgana sees her on their side, maybe Y/N could be the one to convince her to stop.

“Clearly you’ve forgotten that she was the one that stopped me from bringing dark shadows into Camelot. Ever since she’s been here she’s done nothing except be the kindest and most understanding out of all of us. There’s nothing Morgana could say or do that would convince her to go against that.”

“I’m with Douxie,” Archie agrees. “Surely Merlin, you can have a little more faith in the girl. And with her training from Morgana, she could be our biggest asset against her and Gunmar.”

Douxie gives him a scratch behind the ear, silently thanking him. Archie beams at him.

Merlin gives a sigh in defeat, not willing to argue anymore about the subject. “Alright, we won’t keep her here. However, should she side with Morgana, I fear her safety will be gravely-”

“What are the three of you up to?” As if summoned by them talking about her, Y/N walks in.

All three of them stop in their tracks, faces blanched.

Douxie decides to sacrifice himself in explaining. “N-nothing Y/N! We were just uh..trying to calm down Archie! You know him, always been a scaredy-cat,” he nervously chuckles, picking up Archie and frantically petting him. Archie’s face screams unenthused.

“Ah yes, frightened I am.”

Y/N giggles at the absurdity going on. She walks over to Douxie, saving Archie from him. He relaxes in her arms, belly exposed for Y/N to give light scritches.

“Aw, it’s alright, Arch. I’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you, okay?” she playfully reassures. Despite obviously not needing the comfort, Archie purrs at that. Much like everyone she’s come across since being here, Archie full-heartedly loved her.

Merlin takes the opportunity to leave the room. “I must go. There’s still much to be done before the battle.” He stops at the door, turning to look at Y/N. “We all trust you, Y/N. Please, don’t let that be a mistake.”

She understands what he meant by that, and stays silent. Merlin takes his leave.

Douxie glares at where Merlin was standing moments ago. “Don’t listen to him. We know you’d make the right call with Morgana.”

Y/N lets Archie out of her arms, the familiar jumping onto the table. “I don’t know what to do. Morgana is adamant that Arthur will never see through his hatred with magickind.”

“Don’t you see Y/N? This is the only way to stop my brother and his tyranny.” Morgana had been hiding away, deep in the forest. The only person she trusted with her location was Y/N, on the condition that she swore not to reveal it to anyone else, or else their lives would be the first one targeted in the upcoming war. Y/N agreed to the terms.

“And you honestly believe Camelot or the world even would be safer with someone like Gunmar? Once he defeats Arthur, there would be nothing to stop him from conquering everyone, including you. The world would be in shambles,” Y/N insists. It pained her heart arguing against Morgana, the first person in the longest time she’d felt safe with. It wasn’t easy for Morgana either.

“What have I been trying to tell you from the moment you set foot in that castle? Arthur fears us, he fears Gunmar, me, and you. Magic is nothing to be afraid of. You’ve seen the wondrous things magic can do.”

“And I’ve also witnessed the horrible things it’s capable of. I know magic can be good, but people like Gunmar have to be stopped. Please Morgana, you can still do the right thing,” Y/N pleads.

Morgana turns her back on her apprentice, beginning to walk away. “The same could be said for you, my dear.”

Despite her best efforts, Y/N can’t stop a tear from falling out of her eye. Douxie immediately walks over to comfort her, wrapping his arms around her.

“I’m afraid, Doux,” she admits, grabbing onto the front of his tunic. “I spent years not trusting anyone, fending for myself, and the whole time I was so lonely.” Soft whimpers could be heard coming from her.

Douxie begins softly petting the back of her head, patiently waiting for her to continue.

“Morgana was the one who saved me from that life, who gave me hope. She felt like the mother I never had.”

She slightly pulls away from Douxie, wanting to look at him. Looking into her grief-stricken eyes made Douxie almost want to agree to Merlin’s plan of keeping her here, just so she wouldn’t have to face Morgana. He knows she wouldn’t want to do that however.

“What if she’s gone after this? Will I be left all alone again?” Deep down she knows she wouldn’t be alone, but her paranoia was telling her other things.

“Never,” Douxie assures. He pushes her hair away from her face, pressing his hands against her cheeks. “I promise, darling. You will never feel alone ever again,” he swears. Y/N’s fears melt away with his words, her eyes refusing to leave his. They didn’t notice how close they had gotten until Archie interrupted. He hops onto Douxie’s shoulders, causing him to let go of Y/N in order to regain his balance. He lets out a huff of annoyance, with Archie giving him a cheeky smile.

“Don’t worry dear Y/N. No matter what happens, Doux and I will always be here for you.” She smiles at that, giving Archie a loving pat on his head.

“Thank you, Archie,” she says, looking back at Douxie to grin at him, implying that their moment wasn’t finished. Douxie gets the hint.

--------

Deya slams her amulet into the bridge, opening up the portal to seal away Gunmar and his army. Y/N had stayed with the trolls of Dyoza to help them against the Gumm-Gumms, leaving Merlin, Douxie, and Archie to defeat Morgana.

The fight had gone too long for Merlin who was injured, weakening his magic. Archie had been knocked out earlier by a strong blow from Morgana. Douxie was holding his own despite Morgana being far stronger than him, however it didn’t last long.

Pushing her hands away from her, a huge burst of dark wind cascaded the arena they were in, leaving Douxie and Merlin blind. Morgana seized the opportunity to trap them, tying them up in rope created by her magic. They struggled against them, but there was no use. Morgana started cackling with glee, believing she bested them.

“You fools! You should’ve known better than to go against me. You wasted your lives trying to protect my cowardly brother, and now all your squabbling will be for nothing!” Morgana rises into the air and raises her hand, a strong light pulsing from it, no doubt from her charging her final blow against them.

Douxie frantically looks around for any sign of help or weapon to use. Finding nothing, his last resort is to use words.

“Morgana! Think about Y/N! You know she doesn’t want this!” he shouts, desperation clear in his words.

“Don’t act as if you care about what she wants! You only see her as your puppet, another pawn for you to use! She and all magickind will finally be free once all of you are gone!” A final pulse comes from her hand, the light so bright it hurts to even glance at. All hope deferred, Douxie’s final wish was for the truth to be heard.

“You’re wrong! Y/N was the reason I changed for the better! I used to be whiny and immature-”

“Hisirdoux! Now’s not the time for a heart to heart!” Merlin interrupts.

Douxie ignores him, “I used to be bitter about the hand I was given, but Y/N gave me a reason to be grateful for what I had! She’s the brightest out of all of us, and I’m so, so lucky to have met her, befriended her, and fallen in love with her!” A wave of peace fills Douxie, accepting his fate.

His words have left Morgana speechless. Doubt floods her mind, for the first time since this battle began. However, she snaps back into her fury.

“Very well, you can die with a peace of mind. I’ll tell Y/N all about your feelings for her while she grieves over your dead body,” she maliciously answers. She throws her hand down, an enormous beam of light launches from her hand.

Douxie closes his eyes, waiting for the feeling of burning skin to come, but it never does.

“There won’t be any need for that, Morgana!”

He recognizes that voice, and his eyes shoot open. The ground beneath them shakes, as Y/N throws up a shield so large, it sends Morgana’s magic flying all across the other side of the room, most of it hitting Morgana herself. She lets out a cry, falling to the floor.

Y/N sprints over to Merlin and Douxie, freeing them from the ropes.

Douxie gleefully says, “Y/N! You made it! You’re okay- how much of that did you hear?”

Y/N giggles, “Just that last bit. You know, the important bit.”

Douxie lets out an embarrassed chuckle. Archie, having finally woken up, flies over to the couple. “I’d hate to interrupt this lovely reunion, but we do have a ninth-level sorceress to take care of.”

They all turn towards Morgana. “Right, let’s finish this,” Douxie commands.

Douxie and Archie team up, using magic and fire to seal Morgana in a ring of flames. Morgana growls in anger. Y/N puts up shields all around her friends, blocking any of Morgana’s attacks from hitting them. When Morgana shoots her magic at Y/N, Merlin defends her, the bolt ricocheting off his staff and back towards Morgana. Douxie jumps towards Morgana, armed with a sigil designed to freeze her. He successfully reaches her, and the both of them are frozen in the air, except she has no control.

“Hurry! I can’t hold her that long!” Douxie warns.

“You’ve lost yourself Morgana! Bound to dark magic,” Merlin yells, slamming his staff to the ground, a large sigil of his own covering the floor.

“I have no choice but to seal you away!” He begins the spell, balls of light rising from the floor. Morgana is able to swing her staff at Douxie, throwing him across the room. However, before she can move, Y/N replaces Douxie, freezing Morgana once more with an even stronger hold.

“Do it! Finish the spell!” Y/N shouts.

Morgana screams in frustration. “How dare you, Y/N! I am the reason your life has meaning, I’m the reason for everything you hold dear! You’d be nothing if it weren’t for me!”

“I never was nothing! The only thing I used to be was alone! You’ve given me a family, and for that I’m grateful, but now I have to protect that family! And the only way to do that is to get rid of you!” Y/N turns toward Merlin, “Any day now!”

Merlin chants the final line of the spell, and a beam of light expels from his staff, hitting Morgana at her feet, encasing them in stone. The light slowly works its way up her body.

“I will destroy you all! No matter what it takes, no matter where you go, I will not rest until I’ve ended you and all that you love!” Morgana vows, hitting Y/N with a bolt, knocking her down. Douxie sprints and catches her before she hits the floor.

Most of Morgana’s body has been encased, leaving only her torso and head free. “I swear on your lives I shall rise again!”

“And we’ll still be here to stop you once more, buttsnack!” Douxie promises, firmly holding onto Y/N. Once all of her has been frozen, Merlin crosses his arms, finishing the enchantment. Y/N opens up a portal to the Shadow Realm, and Merlin hurls Morgana into it. The last thing heard from Morgana is fearful screaming as Y/N closes the portal.

With the battle finally over, everyone gives a huge sigh of relief, falling to the floor. Archie marches over to Douxie and Y/N, jumping on top of them and licking their faces.

“Arch! That’s disgusting,” Douxie complains with a smile, clearly not meaning it. Y/N hugs Archie, giving him a kiss on the forehead. Douxie beams at the both of them, feeling so content in the moment.

He puts a hand on her shoulder, “Are you alright, love?” Archie hops off of Y/N, deciding to give them a moment alone.

“I’m okay, more than okay really. She was too far gone, there was nothing more we could do,” Y/N answers. “Now, about your little declaration of love there.”

Douxie nervously giggles, “Yeaahhh, about that. Look desperate times call for desperate measures! Had I known you were just going to waltz in anyway, I would’ve waited for a more romantic evening to confess my undying love for you.”

“Uh-huh.”

“There would’ve been flowers, music, little sweet buns iced with our initials toget-”

Y/N cuts off his rambling by grabbing his tunic with one hand, resting the other on his cheek, and pulling his lips towards hers. Their first kiss is a soft one, with Douxie wrapping his arms around her, pulling her even closer. They let each other go, feeling the sudden urge to laugh at one another for their impeccable timing.

“I love you too, Douxie. More than anything,” Y/N confesses.

Douxie grabs her face and pulls her into another kiss, convinced this is the happiest moment of his life.

Eventually, they remember they’re not alone. They look around to see Merlin passed out on the floor.

“Merlin!” they both shout, running over to him. Archie apparently had been trying to wake them up, waiting for their moment to be over in order to tell them.

“Why didn’t you tell us he’d passed out?!” Douxie scolds.

Archie waves his paws in defense. “Pardon me, you know I’m all for happy endings. I just didn’t want to be the one to tell you it’s not over yet.” Douxie lets out a groan, slamming his hand to his forehead.

“When do you think he’ll wake up?” Y/N asks.

“Hopefully, soon,” Douxie answers, doubtfully.

--------

Nine centuries later,

“FUZZBUCKETS!” Douxie screams in the air, being dragged along by a mephit he, Y/N, and Archie were trying to catch.

“Don’t let go of it!” Y/N shouts, trying to sprint ahead of the creature.

“Ah yes dear, that was the plan all along! To free this poor tortured beast!” he yells sarcastically, before slamming into the ground for the fifth time that night.

“You know it was your sense of humor I fell in love with first!” she quips. She opens up a portal on the floor and jumps into it, opening up another one right in front of the mephit. She draws up a sigil that the mephit bounces off of, knocking him down.

“Ah well, luckily for you I’m quite the jester!” Douxie jokes.

Archie swoops in and blows fire at the mephit, fatally wounding it. Douxie is then able to cast the creature away. They all let out shouts of victory, Y/N giving each of them a high five.

“You know, one of these days you two will be the death of me. Maybe don’t start flirting with each other until you’re absolutely certain you’ve caught the shadow mephit,” Archie chides.

Y/N scratches behind Archie’s ear as a way of apology. “I’m so sorry dear husband over there insists on putting his hands on me at every available opportunity. He’s quite the scoundrel,” Y/N teases.

Douxie scoffs at that remark, pretending to be offended. “Pardon me, dear wife. But if I recall correctly it was you who-” He doesn’t finish his sentence as he’s distracted by the lights suddenly flickering and then bursting.

“Hisirdoux,” a voice calls out.

“Is that…?” Y/N questions, looking around.

“I think it is…. Merlin!” Douxie grins in excitement, happy to know his master is finally awake.

A green sigil lights up from underneath Douxie, making him jump back. Merlin rises up from it, except it’s only a projection of him.

“Hisirdoux, my faithful apprentice-”

“You darn right I’ve been faithful. Who leaves a guy hanging for almost a millennium? You could’ve sent a raven, or a text! There’s texting you know!” Douxie whines.

“It’s so good to see you, Merlin,” Y/N says with a smile, giving him a bow.

Merlin smiles back, “Lovely to see you too, dear Y/N. I see Hisirdoux hasn’t tormented you enough to run to the hills yet.”

Y/N laughs, standing back up, “Actually, he’s done quite the opposite.” She raises her left hand, showing off the ring on her finger. Douxie wraps an arm around her shoulders, eyes staring lovingly at her. Merlin beams at the both of them, glad that they’ve had each other all the years.

“Congratulations, you two,” Merlin proudly says.

“Thanks, Master,” Douxie responds gratefully. The last nine hundred have been wonderful with her and Archie at his side.

Merlin clears his throat, “I’ve come here to task you all with a mission. You must bring the Guardians of Arcadia, with haste.” The projection of him fades away, leaving the three of them alone.

“Errand boys once again, aren’t we?” Archie complains. Douxie lets out a sigh.

“Don’t think of it as an errand, think of it as another adventure,” Y/N suggests, wrapping her left arm around Douxie and letting Archie climb on top of her shoulders. “It’ll be fun! You’ll see.”

Douxie chuckles, and brings his left hand to her head, pulling it closer to him to press a light kiss against her forehead. “With you, my love, anything’s an adventure.”

--------

Bonus,

“Wait, so the two of you are wizards?! Not just baristas at the cafe?!” Toby questions.

“Yup!” Y/N replies.

“And you’ve been living for nine hundred years?!”

“Yup!”

Steve gives Y/N a quick up/down glance, “Well, you certainly don’t look it.”

Douxie glares at him, “Careful, she’s married.”

Steve raises his hands in defense, “I’m just saying! Wait, to you?”

“Yes!” Douxie barks at him.

“Today’s actually our eight hundred and ninety-sixth anniversary,” Y/N informs them with a smile.

“And you’re spending it here? Wow Doux, you suck at romance.” Toby criticizes.

Douxie scoffs, “Alright, you go celebrate eight hundred and ninety-five anniversaries and report back to me!”

Y/N lets out a giggle, “Maybe that’s enough questions for now.”

#douxie imagine #hisirdoux x reader #hisirdoux casperan #douxie #toa douxie #douxie casperan #tales of arcadia #trollhunters #wizards #douxie x reader #hisirdoux casperan x reader

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sneakyboymerlin · 3 years

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well now ya gotta do Will

First impression: Well, Will duped us when he pretended to be anti-magic to Merlin, only to turn out to be his only true friend in Ealdor. So, my first impression was that I needed to punch this man, only to be followed by stark relief. I will say, I loved him and his relationship to Merlin a ton. I ship a character from another fandom with a friend from his past who only appeared (and died) in one episode, and so I couldn’t help but see the various parallels between them. Yeah, that’s right, I shipped MerWill for a long time. I prefer them as a friendship now, but sometimes I just think about the big What If they pose. Anyways, I thought that Will made a good point about people dying if they fought back, but agreed with Arthur and co. that if the people of Ealdor didn’t defend themselves, then there’d be certain death.

Impression now: First of all, Will walked so Gwaine could run. If those two met, they would be best friends instantly. Fathers fought for a king who saw them as expendable? Check. Majorly doubt Arthur due to his nobility? Check. Willing to die for him in the end, albeit begrudgingly? Check. Protective of Merlin and thinks Arthur should treat him better? Check. Died unfairly? Check. And more. They basically copy-pasted Will’s backstory onto Gwaine, the main difference being how many episodes they survive. As for my opinion on Will’s thoughts?? I think he was right to question Merlin’s loyalty to Arthur, given Arthur’s behavior—after all, Merlin himself wasn’t exactly Arthur’s biggest fan when they first met, and he didn’t even believe that Arthur could be the one in the prophecies when Kilgharrah told him. Will knows a lot less than Merlin does about this apparent future Arthur will bring forth, so given his knowledge, he’s absolutely rational here. It’s not a matter of if the time is right to reveal his true self to Arthur, but whether Arthur as he is (not for what Merlin is told and grows to believe Arthur will become) would accept Merlin. Will has no reason to believe that Camelot is dependent on Arthur’s leadership and protection, so he views Merlin’s choice as protecting Arthur instead of Ealdor/the greater good. We as the audience know that protecting Arthur is what protects the greater good, but that’s not what Ealdor needs from Merlin. Merlin came back to help, after all. Looking a bit deeper, I think it’s pretty clear that some of Will’s adamance comes from the fact that he sees Merlin and Arthur’s relationship as one-sided and wants Merlin to be able to be himself, the way he can be with Will. On that note, I’d argue that Will actually accepts Merlin far more than either Hunith or Gaius. They may not directly persecute him like Camelot would, but they absolutely dehumanize and demean him in some alarming ways. Will is not guilty of this and actively wants Merlin to question these things.

Favorite moment: The reference to their past magical incidents, wherein Merlin accidentally felled a tree, nearly crushing “Old Man Simmons.” As I touched on earlier, Hunith and Gaius see Merlin’s magic as something to only be used with a specific purpose/as a weapon (you could see this as someone forcing a career on their child I guess, saying that they can’t just enjoy something—they have to capitalize on it, or else don’t do it), whereas Will encourages Merlin to just have fun, enjoy life, etc. I think this perspective has a special place in my heart because Merlin is magic incarnate, which means that when you conflate Merlin with his magic, Hunith and Gaius are telling him that he is a weapon, whereas Will is essentially telling him to love himself. Furthermore, the nickname “Old Man Simmons” sounds like Ealdor’s “OK BOOMER.” You just have to wonder what kind of shenanigans they got into.

Idea for a story: I won’t get into the Will Lives AU I’m writing, but I will tell you about an unwritten idea I have. Imagine for a moment that Arthur, Gwen, and Morgana didn’t come with Merlin to Ealdor, and he stays there just the same as he told Arthur he would, only to hear about the unicorn Arthur killed and the plagues on Camelot, being faced with the decision to either help Ealdor with reparations after defeating Kanen or to return to Camelot and fix Arthur’s mistake. Will tells him that Camelot isn’t Merlin’s problem to fix, it’s Arthur’s, and that Ealdor needs him right now, but with Merlin so determined to help his friends there, Will follows anyway (he’s sure this is a waste of time—after all, Merlin can’t use his magic in Camelot—but he’s not going to be left behind again). When Will realizes that Merlin is in fact doing magic on a regular basis while Arthur is literally in the room, he decides that he needs to supervise Merlin at all times.

Unpopular opinion: Will was the most positive influence in Merlin’s life. I pretty much explained this above, but even Hunith and Gaius’ support of him and his magic feels conditional. They’re ultimately pressuring him into even worse self-loathing than he already had. I’ve said it before, but Merlin at first sees his life as worthless because he has no purpose, and then goes on to see his life as worthless because he only exists for a purpose. This is an idea that, imo, entered his mind due to Hunith’s influence (based on her letter to Gaius), and I don’t think the real issue was ever addressed—he has worth outside of his uses. Getting a purpose in life didn’t change how he felt about himself because he was still under the impression that he couldn’t just exist—he was held to a different standard than everyone else. I mean, he considers in 1x01 that he’s a monster, believes it by the time he meets Freya, and admits to Lancelot (in a deleted scene) that he saw his magic as a curse, which only changed when he accepted that it’s a part of him. So I guess, in summary, my unpopular opinion is that Hunith and Gaius are meh when it comes to magic children.

Favorite relationship: Merlin, of course. We don’t really see him form a relationship with anyone outside of him. That said, I like how he’s willing to challenge Merlin’s beliefs for Merlin’s own good. That’s some high quality friendship. It shows that his love for Merlin is unconditional, and that he’s willing to put in the time and effort to work on his issues with Merlin instead of, say, turning a cold shoulder or keeping a silent lie. Even though he is arguably an antagonist, since he challenges the protagonist, he is the most positive influence in Merlin’s life. So of course he dies at the end, leaving only bad influences for Merlin. Go figure. However, consider how, after Will’s given his final word and helped change Merlin’s mind about some things, the new antagonists to Merlin’s story—though not overtly—are those whose views Will challenged (Hunith, who tells Merlin his place is by Arthur’s side, and Arthur himself). Merlin’s faith in Arthur is shaken by Will, and that’s not a bad thing. It means that Merlin is holding Arthur to a higher standard and viewing him through a more realistic, less idealistic lens. Basically, I agree with most of @panharmonium’s analyses of Merlin and Will when they say that Will’s influence goes beyond just The Moment of Truth.

Favorite headcanon: With the way Will jumped in front of that arrow? I think it’s possible he’s done this before, but for Merlin those times. In fact, joining the battle and saving Arthur’s life may have been indirectly for Merlin, not just because of him. I’ve always been partial to the headcanon that Merlin faced some level of bullying in Ealdor (and that makes his first interaction with Arthur kind of heartbreaking in hindsight), but I like to think that Will often got involved on his behalf. When we see Merlin standing up against Arthur in 1x01, we’re also seeing all the times that Will stood up for Merlin. Unfortunately, it works a lot better when Will does it, so Merlin finds different, more magical discreet ways of dealing with wrongdoers in Camelot. This is not to say that he didn’t ever fight against bullies before Camelot, as his sense of justice is enough for him to ignore that Arthur is the literal prince when he gets into that marketplace fight with him, but 1) the same tactics that Will employed just don’t work for Merlin, and 2) it’s different when someone else is being bullied as opposed to when Merlin himself is the victim. He’ll absolutely go down swinging, but he’s definitely more willing to go through pain himself than to let others undergo it. I don’t think Will would have the same issues with Merlin if it was any other way.

#bbc merlin #prince william of ealdor #merlin emrys #ask game #mine

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percyjacksonfan3 · 3 years

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For the salty asks: numbers one, five, six, and twenty through twenty-three please 😇

I live for the chaos so pls just... go off my dude

Ah Tay, reason #187893467 that I love you is that you indulge me in my rants <3

Salty asks are from this post!

K this got LONG so here's a read more!

1. What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?

Honestly even though I don't multi-ship often I DO usually get the appeal behind ships so this is a really short list. This will probably get me some hate but I still to this day can't get behind c/ex@ from the show that will not be named. But then again I do get the appeal of two super attractive women with chemistry and the whole ruler/ girl who makes the ruler change their ways thing. So I guess I get it even if I don't like it?

Also, and this is not to hate on Hinny, but Harry and Ginny from HP are not my cup of tea. I like what fandom has done for them but the actual content we get for them in the books (and movies, but I prefer the books) isn't enough for me to love them. Same with Mal and Alina from S & B/ Grishaverse, they're so bland to me in the books but the show is doing far better with them and actually making Mal ya know. Likeable. Again, I don't ship it, but best friends to lovers is top tier so I get it.

Oh! I also don't really get Dwalin/Ori from The Hobbit, but that is probably in large part because I'm a Dwalin/Nori shipper. Again though, all of the secondary characters' relationships in The Hobbit rely on fans to extrapolate HARD and wear extreme shipper goggles, and ik there's that scene where Dwalin helps Ori out of the river so like.. maybe that's where it's from? I don't hate it or anything but it's always something that's made me go ??? cause I have no idea where the heck it came from.

Apart from that... I can't think of any rn? I feel like I understand where all the PJO ships come from, even if I don't ship them. There are a couple that I don't understand how they can be someone's OTP, just because I find them super boring (no offense to those who ship C@leo or J@siper but I just don't love how Rick handled those relationships). In TSC I think fandom mainly vibes with the same pairings and that's true for most of my book fandoms. With the shows I watch I don't think fans majorly ship anything too out there for me. Maybe I don't interact enough with fandoms to tell. So this is all I got.

5. Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?

Oh my god, oh my god, this is a can of worms, my lord. A pairing I'm not so sure about, but characters? Abso-fucking-lutely. I took a break from PJO fandom for exactly that reason and the list of characters is endless honestly, for multiple fandoms.

I won't say fandom ruined Bell@rke for me cause I still ship it, but I definitely lost enthusiasm with how toxic the shows fandom was and then that was made even worse when the show completely destroyed itself with the worst writing and plots ever in the latter seasons.

Also I have a feeling that G@me of Thrones/ @soiaf ruined one for me but I can't remember this very second. Maybe not, and again that's probably cause I don't interact with fandoms en masse, usually just through fic and following a few people I vibe with in each.

6. Has fandom ever made you enjoy a pairing you previously hated?

Yes, quite a few! I used to dislike Drarry (for obvious reasons I feel) and Romione (as a kid I wanted Hermione to be with Harry and even when I grew out of that I really didn't like she was with Ron) but fandom changed that for sure. And same with Darklina now, I was upset cause I felt like the books really underutilized their relationship and fell short of what could have been a super awesome pairing if better explored, but the show fandom is taking it in so many different ways that I'm starting to really love them despite the reasons I shouldn't.

And I won't say I hated Hayffie in THG, but definitely the only reason I ship them is from reading @ellanainthetardis's fic Have a Drink Sweetheart and then all the others written for them. That portrayal of Hayffie and the characters have become my own headcanons now because I've been reading them for so long and they're so good.

Fandom made me ship Leon and Morgana from Merlin too, though that's very lowkey. I never hated them, I just never thought of them as a pairing until reading fic.

20. What is the purest ship in the fandom?

Percabeth. I don't care which fandom, it's Percabeth. Growing up together, going from enemies to friends to best friends to lovers? The establishment of them being best friends and the way Rick wrote that friendship was so pure, and they are a couple with no internal problems, all external, and you just know they're gonna be together through everything, fighting at each other's side, cause that's the way they are. There's a reason they're my OTP and it's cause they are the most well-established, ride or die couple I can think of. They're just so solid.

21. What are your thoughts on crack ships?

Love em for fandom but personally I very rarely get behind crackships just because I usually need a lot of build up, scenes, good dialogue and chemistry, etc. to ship something, so most of my ships aren't crack ships. The only one I can really think of that I actively root for and ship and would read fic for is Billy/ Owen from 911 Lonestar which is just... something.

Like idk if Barduil from The Hobbit is crack because ik it's quite popular... what makes a ship a crack ship anyway? Lack of canon reference? Is it cause they two characters would be so random together because they barely ever interact? Or because it's SO unrealistic you know for sure it will never happen but want it to anyway? Or is it lack of popularity in fandom? I need someone to define this so I have a better answer :D if it's the second option then I have MANY

I love seeing fandom stuff for crack ships though, cause seriously, it's fiction, ship who you want. If you ship two characters just cause you think they're pretty side by side then that's enough for me. Make all of the fan art and fic you like.

22. Popular character you hate?

Oof. Jason from HOO. And Leo in everything after The Lost Hero. I hated Piper in The Lost Hero and Mark of Athena but like her after those. I don't like any of the book characters from S & B except Nikolai, but I like everyone in the show (except David? Why did they make him so weird? Like he's not even awkward, he's straight up rude imo, but anyway). In @soiaf I don't like Jon Snow, I think he's boring. And I despise Jorah Mormont cause I think he's creepy for having a crush on Dany.

Didn't love Stefan in TVD, too much of a goody-two-shoes. I liked dark Stefan but it felt like a totally different character. Honestly most of the characters I don't like cause they're boring or too by-the-book.

OH! A big one in M@rvel is Captain America. Can't stand him honestly, I like him as a character to have in the story, but I like never agree with him on anything. I like a couple of his one-liners but that's it really. I also don't like Gale in THG, idk if that's controversial. Or Lex@ from the show that will not be named because I think she's manipulative and not good for any of the characters i DO love.

Is Ron popular? I think so. I like fandom Ron but not canon Ron and idk why. I think I'm growing out of it but I read those books when I was like 7 initially so I thought it was awful of Ron to stop being friends with Harry because he was jealous and I never really got over that.

There are so many but I'm gonna stop now.

23. Unpopular character you love?

Again, tons. I love anyone whose got kind of a tortured backstory because it makes them more interesting to me.

I love Movieverse Hawkeye! I think Clint is great and while I wish his deafness was canon in Marvel and I don't love J Remmer, I do love Hawkeye a lot. He was honestly one of the only Marvel characters that felt consistent and in-character throughout the movies.

I like President Snow from THG just cause I think he was a fantastic villain. And Effie and Haymitch aren't unpopular, but they're probably my favourites, again because of the fics mentioned above.

Leon from Merlin!! I don't actually think he's unpopular, but he's like... my fourth favourite character in the show which I know IS considered high for most people.

Sandor Clegane from ASOIAF. Not the show, just the books. His book character is phenomenal and I am so excited for GrrM to finish the goddamn series so I know what happens to him.

The Stolls and Katie Gardner from PJO cause fandom created Tratie and sucked me in at a young age.

Bellatrix Lestrange? Is she unpopular? I don't think so but she's another one I think is a fantastic villain. I'm almost more interested in her than Voldemort tbh.

That's probably it!

Thanks so much for the ask Tay, this was tons of fun! Anyone else who's interested can feel free to fill my inbox!

#taylor tag #ask games #look it's me!#now I'm just thinking of all the ships I hate and want to go off #i won't #but tay maybe you've awakened something in me that you will feel the brunt of later

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blackhakumen · 3 years

Text

Mini Fanfic #692: Teenagers React to Everyone Losing in Mario Golf World Tour (SSBU)

Mario

Mario gets hit by a Green She'll and turns into his little self on Screen.

Futuba: Wait. (Eyes Widened in Complete Disbelief at the Screen) THAT CAN ACTUALLY HAPPEN TO HIM!?

Ren: We've seen this man get stabbed, detonated, and knocked out many times than any of us can count. And none them ever resulted him into being little.

Lavenza: Perhaps it's the Green Shell's doing......(Place her Hand on her Chin and Starts Thinking) Hmmmmm.........

Futuba: (Turns to Lavenza) Anything on your mind, Lavvy-chan?

Lavenza: This might be hunch, but....How about we try devising a plan? Where we can try hitting Mario with a Green Shell ourselves.

Futuba: That way, we can see if he can turn into a small plumber or not. (Smiles Brightly and Excitedly) That's GENIUS!

Ren: (Has a bit of a Curious Smirk on his Face) Wouldn't mind being a part of that plan myself. I think my throwing skills has gotten better overtime.

Futuba: Mines too!

Makoto: (Immediately Gives the Trio Her Signature Cold Niijima Glare) We are NOT throwing a Green Shell at Mario.

Ren: There it is.

Futuba: (Starts Giving Makoto a Disappointed Pouty Face) Makotooo.....

Lavenza: (Genuinely Shocked and Disappointed) But why ever not, Ms. Queen?

Makoto: Because it's very rude and completely uncalled for. I mean seriously, what would Peach say if she saw you three going through with plan? She would be very disappointed. As I am with you three for even thinking about doing this.

Futuba: Come on, sis! Can't we just-

Makoto: (Stares Piercing her Glare) The answer's no and that's final.

Ren/Lavenza/Futuba: (Straighten Themselves Up in a Bit of Fear) Yes, ma'am!

Lavenza: (Genuinely Surprised) Goodness! I have no idea the Queen could be so terrifying....

Futuba: (Starts Shrugging) That's Makoto for ya. Her glares and motherly attitude are completely outmatched in our ragtag group. You know, besides Haru.

Haru: (Happily and Gently Scratches Under Morgana's Chin While He's Sitting and Purring onto her Lap, Causing her to Giggle Softly Altogether)

Lavenza: I see.... So I suppose nothing could ever try and faze her in some occasions, yes?

Futuba: For the most part.

Ren: (Smirks Like a Love Struck Dork) That's one of the million reasons why I love that beautiful woman after all~

Makoto: (Pouts at Ren) Stop trying to flattering me, Ren-Ren!~ The answer's still no!

Ren: (Chuckles Lightly) We know that already, 'hon~ I just wanted to tell you how much I love you is all~ (Kiss Makoto on the Cheek)

Makoto: (Lays her Head on Ren's Shoulder Once She Begins to Blush) Dummyhead~ (Hugs Ren Afterwards) Love you too~

Futuba: (Puts on a Deadpinned Look on Her Planned) Unless your name is Ren-Ren and try making her blush like a strawberry.....

Lavenza: Fascinating.....

Coco: (Writing Down Somthing on her Notepad)

Tails: Writing down possible theories and methods of any of this makes sense?

Coco: Yup!~

Luigi

Luigi sadly slouches down onto the floor and gets licked by a Boo on screen.

Yoshi: I dunno which is sadder.... Seeing my Luigi being sad or seeing him getting licked by a random Boo.

Pit: (Starts Shrugging Slowly) At least he didn't call himself a loser that time.

Yoshi: Yeah.

Peach

Peach dramatically faints, with heartstrings playing in the background, on screen.

Sonic: ('Sigh') There goes mom being dramatic again.....

Amy: (Happily Resting her Head into Sonic's Shoulder) I feel like you've gotten that from her as of late.

Sonic: ('Heh') Yeah right. Like I can be a drama as well-

Amy: Ice cream on Chili Dogs.

Sonic: (Eyes Widened and Gasps Loudly From his Girlfriend's Sudden Words and Dramatically Points at her) How DARE YOU say those words in front of me!? Your own BOYFRIEND!

Amy: (Giggles Softly at How Adorable her Sonic is Being Right Now) I rest my case~

Yoshi

Yoshi went into his egg in a very sad manner and starts rolling around the area before falling down on screen.

Ann: (Place her Hands onto her Mouth) Oh my gosh! This is so hard to watch!

Shiho: (Hugs Ann's Arm) This is so sad....

Haru: And so adorable at the same time!~

Morgana: (Sighs While Rolling his Eyes)

Futuba: (Raise her Hand) All in a agreement to hug Yoshi later on, say aye!

Ann/Shiho/Haru: (Raises Their Hands as Well) AYE!~

Lavenza: (Raises her Hand as Well) I would also like to join in this event as well!

Dark Pit: (Smirks Smugly at an Already Annoyed Yoshi) Guess who's back on his cuteness bullshit?

Ryuji: (Chuckles Lightly) Yeah.

Yoshi: For the love of...(Gets Up From his Seat) Why does everyone in this room thinks I'm cute?

Ann: Because you are-

Yoshi: Okay. I get. I flutter jump, I turn into an egg, and I admit, I do have a cute face. But for GOD SAKES, I know Kung Fu! I-I know how to drive a car with little to no problem! (Got Out his Trusty Nunchucks) I even learned how to use Nunchucks and everything!!!

Ryuji: Come on, man. You're overreacting.

Coco: Yeah. There's nothing wrong having a little cuteness in ya. (Happily Gives Yoshi a Thumbs Up) I think it suits you perfectly well.

Yoshi: (Turns to Tails) See, even your girlfriend thinks I'm cute, Tails!

Tails: (Eyes Widened at What Yoshi Just Said) Wait.....

Tails/Coco: WHAAAAAAAAAT!!!!!?

Coco: (Starts Blushing Herself) B-B-But weren't not dating! We're best friends!

Tails: (Starts Blushing as Well) E-Exactly! A-And besides.....(Chuckles a bit Lately) I-I'm pretty sure Coco wouldn't really be interested in dating someone as boring as me-

Coco: ('GASPS') (Pouts at Tails) Miles Tails Prower, how could you!!?

Tails: (Taken Aback by Coco's Sudden Change of Attitude) What? W-What did I say?

Coco: How could you say that about yourself!? You are absolutely NOT boring to me at all!

Tails: Y-You think so-

Coco: (Grabs Tails' Hands and Gently Squeezes Them) I KNOW so, mister! You're the most smartest, brilliant, precious little cinnamon roll I've ever met and anyone who thinks otherwise are dumb and stupid!

Tails: (Almost at a Loss of Words) Coco.....

Coco: I mean it, Tails! I don't EVER wanna see you put yourself down like that ever again, you hear me!?

Tails: I won't do that anymore! I promise!

Coco: (Stares at Tails For a Brief Second Before Sighing) Good. (Gives Tails a Loving Hug) I'm glad we come to an understanding. I love you, bud.

Tails: (Chuckles Lightly While Hugging Coco Back) I love you too, Coco. Thank you.

Almost Everyone: (Stares at the Best Friends Hugging Each Other) (Yeah. They would SO be cute couple together.)

Amy: (So CUUUUUUUUTEEEE!!!~)

Daisy

Daisy tries calming herself down before taking one look at the camera and starts angrily stomping and looking away on screen.

Ryuji: Sheesh. Even when she try to calm down, she still gets angry....

Yoshi: That's my mom for ya. Always a low-key bad sport.

Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong starts slapping the ground angrily before a random barrel came down and hit his head, causing him to fall down unconscious on screen.

Yusuke: That has to be a painful experience to go through.

Futuba: Tell me about it. I highly doubt that any normal human could survive a random barrel falling down on their heads.....or their entire body.

Ryuji: I envy that gorilla sometimes....

Diddy Kong

Diddy Kong lazily eats his banana, throws the peel on the floor beside him, gets up, ,immediately slips on the peel and fell on screen.

Ren: Yeah. No. He had that one coming.

Everyone: (Nodding and Completely Agrees to What Ren was Saying) Yeah./ Very True./ Uh huh.

Wario

Wario gets struck by lightning on screen.

Ryuji: (Eyes Widened in Complete Shock) JESUS! Where the hell did that lightning came from? It's not even raining outside!

Yusuke: Perhaps there's more to this universe than we originally thought....

Waluigi

Waluigi starts acting dramatic to losing before falling down into a black hole, that suddenly appears out of nowhere, on screen.

Futuba: Wha-Wha- WHAT!? How is even possible!? W-W-WHERE DID THAT BLACK HOLE EVEN CAME FROM!?

Morgana: (Shakes his Head Slowly) I don't even know anymore, Futuba....

Futuba: Damnit! (Looks Up Into the Ceiling in Anger) NONE OF THIS MAKES ANY SENSE!!!

Lavenza: There's a lot of things that doesn't make sense, Big Sister Futuba.

Bowser

Bowser angrily punches a camera on screen.

Ryuji: WOAH WOAH WOAH! What the hell was that all about!?

Ren: A evil, giant turtle getting mad over a simple game of golf....Kind of sounds a lot sadder when I say it out loud.

Ryuji: Right!? It's just a frickin' golf game! Why do they have get so hell-bent over it everytime they lose!?

Ren: I don't think anyone really knows at this point, man.

Bowser Jr.

Bowser Jr throwing his usual temper tantrum on screen.

Morgana: (Starts Sighing While Rolling his Eyes) Here comes another Bowser Jr's cuteness hour.....

Futuba: (Teasingly Pokes Morgan's Cheeks) Getting jealous there, Mona?~

Haru: (Immediately Pulls Morgana into a Loving Hug) Oh my sweet, little Mona-Chan!~ Please don't be jealous of Bowser Jr-kun anymore! I promise I love you with all of my heart!~ (Begins Kissing Morgana's Cheek)

Morgana: (Starts Getting Ticklish by Haru's Kisses) Haru! Come on! I believe you already! Really!

Lavenza: (Turns to Futuba) What exactly is happening here right now? Is Mona-Chan really jealous of this Bowser Jr character?

Futuba; (Simply Nodded) Oh big time. He thinks Haru thinks that the little guy is more cuter than he is.

Lavenza: ('Gasps') That is crazy talk....(Turns to Morgana) Mona-Chan!

Morgana: (Turns to Lavenza) Huh? What's wrong, Lavenza?

Lavenza: (Gently Grab Both of Mona's Paws) There us no need for you feel any jealousy towards Bowser Jr. While it is true that his overall appearance is cute to look at, you are and always will a precious feline in my very eyes!

Morgana: (Eyes Widened in Genuine Surprise While Blushing) Y-You.... really mean that, Lavenza?

Lavenza: Why, of course I do. (Joins into Morgana and Haru's Hug) I wouldn't be here, telling you this if I don't.

Haru: Lavvy-chan is absolutely right on this, sweetheart. You're a lot more precious than give yourself credit for. So please don't be jealous anymore, okay?

Morgana: (Sighs While Being Overwhelmed by the Group Hug) I'll try not to....(Smiles a Little) Thanks, you guys.

Futuba: (Smirk Softly at the Trio While Silently Taking a Few Pictures of Them ('Heh Heh') Dorks.

Rosalina

Rosalina faints....and accidentally fell down on the Lumas, who were trying to help her up, on screen.

'Thud'

Most People in the Living Room: Oh!

Yoshi: That has got to leave a mark.

Pit: I know. I kind of feel bad for those poor little Lumas....

Dark Pit: They're floating, magical stars with eyes, Pit-Stain. They'll be fine.

Birdo

Birdo angrily shoots eggs at the camera on screen.

Ann: (Really Glares at the Screen) Really?! What is with these people and breaking camera screens!? Do they honestly even know how much those things cost!!?

Shiho: (Simply Shrugs) I guess they really can't stand the fact they've lost a game golf.

Ann: Right!?

Toad

Two Toads tries to cheer up the main Toad by cheerleading on screen.

Ren: Huh. Cheerleading Toads.... That's a new one.

Makoto: It's cute how they try to do whatever they can to support each other.

Ren: I agree. It's also ironic how this is the most normal reaction of losing out of everyone else we've seen so far.

Makoto: ('Sigh') Yeah.....

Nabbit

Nabbit hides under a bag....only to get eaten by a Piranha Plant on screen.

Dark Pit: Alright. I'm about to lose it in a matter of seconds, if someone in this room don't tell me why in the hell does that dumbass thought that having a Piranha in his bag was even remotely a good idea!

Ren: ('Sigh') Yeah. I think we're done here.

..............................................................

Sonic: Sheesh....That was a lot more insane to watch through than I thought it would be.....

Yusuke: Not the most cringe worthy event I have ever seen so far, but it was still rather.... interesting to watch, to say the least.

Amy: I know..... I had no idea they would took golf so seriously...

Ryuji: You're telling me. I mean, really, I can't believe these guys were making a huge deal about losing one single game of golf! GOLF!! Probably one of the most boring sports in all of the frickin universe!!

Ren: Well, knowing Mario and the gang, I'm pretty sure they found a way to make the sport more fun to them.

Ryuji: That might be the true, but that doesn't make what we just saw, any better, bro!!

Ren: ('Sigh') Yeah. It.... really doesn't.

Futuba: (Found Something Interesting on his Phone) Huh.

Pit: What you found, Futuba?

Futuba: (Shows Everyone Beside her Phone) It says here that Mario and the others are hosting an all new golf tournament next month. It's called the "Mario Golf: Super Rush Tournament"

Yoshi: (Takes a Look at Futuba's Phone) Yep. Seems pretty legit to me.

Everyone: (Nodded in Agreement)

Makoto: They're going to embarrass themselves in that tournament, are they?

Ren: I'd be surprised if they didn't.

Makoto: You're gonna record the whole thing, are you?

Ren: (Chuckles Lightly) Oho yeah.....

@keyenuta

@26shann

@princekirijo

@cyber-wildcat

@albion-93

@lovekittynoir

@italian-love-cake

@ma-lemons

@craftyfreakdragonuniversity

@caleb13frede

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fishoutofcamelot · 4 years

Note

Merthur

[Send me a ship and I’ll give you my brutally honest opinions about it]

Hooooo booooyy you really wanna open that Pandora’s Box? You really wanna go swinging at that can of worms, my good sir? Well alright...

Okay! So since I respect the fact that people probably don’t want to hear me riff on their otp for a million years, my Brutally Honest Opinions will be located under a cut-off.

Tldr: every ship has flaws and it’s important to see value in the human-ness of that - but while Merthur is an objectively good ship, most of its flaws happen to be ones that personally make me very uncomfortable. If you don’t feel the same way, that’s perfectly fine because we’re all entitled to our own opinions and preferences.

I’ll preface this by saying that every relationship, fictional or otherwise, has some level of problematic-ness to it. People are messy and imperfect, and our relationships reflect that. Lack of communication, codependency, distrust - for the sake of simplicity we’ll call these things ‘Problem Factors’. And these Problem Factors play a big role in determining who/how we ship. That is, each person can tolerate certain Problem Factors while finding others uncomfortable, which leads them to shipping or not shipping certain things. You might tolerate secret-keeping and ship Merwen, while you might not tolerate heteronormativity and not ship Arwen.

I know that the fandom largely likes Merthur, and it’s easy to see why. It’s an objectively good ship - excellent buildup, chemistry, and overall dynamic. They have amazing scenes together and their banter is simply electric. So I don’t blame the fandom for adoring this ship so dearly, and under any other circumstances I probably would too. HOWEVER. It just so happens that Merthur hits up on a LOT of my personal squicky Problem Factors. And if it doesn’t hit up on yours, then great. More power to ya.

I could harp on about codependecy, Arthur’s occasional harshness and violence towards Merlin, fanon interpretations, oversaturation, power imbalance, or even the amatonormativity of the soulmate thing. Those would all be valid things to critique, and have probably already been critiqued to death at this point. So I’m not gonna talk about that. Instead, I’m going to address another elephant in the room that makes me far more uncomfortable than probably anything else:

The Minority Metaphor

I’ll be the first to admit that BBCM’s discrimination metaphor is...shoddy, at best. The victim-blaming, victim-antagonizing, and fascism-apologizing are some major issues that make this show unpleasant to rewatch at times despite it being one of my all-time faves. However, it’s also oddly relatable.

I make it no secret on this blog that I’m an American Muslim. And as a Muslim who lives in a very non-Muslim region of the world (seriously, I’m so deprived of Muslim interaction that I get visibly excited whenever I see one in public), I’m no stranger to discrimination.

When I watch magic-users be harassed for the actions of a rare violent few, despite the majority of them being peaceful people who just want to be left alone - when I watch magic-users constantly feel they have to apologize for being who they are - when I watch magic-users be antagonized in the eyes of the public - you can bet your fricking biscuit that I relate.

I couldn’t imagine falling in love with or being put into a relationship with an islamaphobe/bigot. Even if they’ve changed their views and reformed, it would still be a point of contention for me. Because I’ve been screamed at and harassed, and to think of my love interest having once been on the other side of the fence...I don’t think I could stomach a romantic relationship with them.

Now I love Arthur as a character, but we can’t ignore the fact that he’s part of the oppressive ruling class that has discriminated against and subjugated Merlin’s people for decades - and when he became king, Arthur himself contributed to that same oppression. And though he felt remorse for it, though he was just a young and impressionable child at the time, Arthur also still has that druid camp raid on his conscience (not to mention that he promised the druid ghost he’d make changes, we never see any of that happen on-screen).

Yes, his prejudices were the result of ignorance and his father’s propaganda/conditioning, but he’s not a child anymore. He can’t blame his mistakes on anyone but himself. He had moments of questioning magic, questioning the morality of the Purge, but ultimately fell back to his father’s rhetoric every time. You can blame Merlin and Morgana and his environment for manipulating him in that direction, but he’s still a grown man capable of forming his own opinions, not a pile of clay to be molded by the whims of others.

I sometimes try to ship Merthur, because it has a lot of appeal - but then I remember scenes where Arthur told Merlin that magic was evil straight to his face, and I can’t bring myself to be okay with that. If someone called me a terrorist to my face - and people have - I’d probably cut them out of my life then and there. “Oh but they’re a good person deep down.” Tell that to the people they’ve hurt and offended, Patricia. We can only excuse the bigotry of others because we have not yet found ourselves in the position of their victims.

Of course, canon has shown that Merlin is a far ‘better’ person than I. And by ‘better’ I mean that a lifetime of propaganda and subjugation, as well as the impression of Kilgharrah’s destiny-heavy rhetoric upon him, has brainwashed Merlin into being complacent in his own oppression. He’s okay with supporting and defending his oppressors, choosing the tyrannical ruling class over his own kind, because that’s how his mind has been twisted (not that that excuses his actions either, of course). And though Morgana kinda went off the rails, her heart was arguably in the right place with wanting to overthrow Camelot’s current government. If you’d put me in her shoes, I’d probably want to kill Uther too.

Nevertheless, I can accept that Merlin has more room for forgiveness in his heart, and could somehow find it in himself to love someone who was once (and maybe still is) in a position of oppressive authority over him. Like, I get it. If someone changed their ways, I’d probably be able to be their friend and get along with them, but to be in a relationship with them? Even if Merlin could conceivably fall in love with Arthur, I can’t in good conscience ship it.

Okay, what about shipping them but only in aus? Well, rock meet hard place. I can’t bring myself to ship them in canon because of everything I just talked about, along with the other uncomfortable Problem Factors I briefly touched on earlier. And I can’t bring myself to ship them in aus because I feel that if you have to change things about the ship to make it work, then maybe it wasn’t a good ship to begin with. Plus I just don’t generally like fanon interpretations of Merthur for reasons I do NOT have the time to get into unless you want me to write a full-length dissertation on fandom trends.

So...yeah. Those are my Brutally Honest Opinions about Merthur. I hope you’re prepare to contend with the tides of discourse this will likely spark.

Thanks for the ask! <3

#bbc merlin #merlin bbc #merlin #bbcm #ask #fish post

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stardustndice · 4 years

Text

——A Fire Exit. A Sword-Fight. An Overdue Discussion.

Part 2 of 2 of an FBI AU Obi Wan Kenobi x Reader Story. Read Part 1 Here.

a/n: It’s finally here! I’m so sorry this took so long, everyone. I’ve been so busy figuring out plans for my freshman year of college and I graduated high school! Very exciting. Anyways, please enjoy the final part, I’m very proud of it. Props to @hellotherekenobi for spawning this fic. Couldn’t have done it without ya.

tag list (either you asked to be tagged or I like your writing a whole lot): @kaminobiwan @karasong @morganas-pendragons (if you want to be tagged in future fics, lmk!)

warnings: mention of blood, minor violence, some hot stuff near the end ;)

“Because she isn’t you.”

You thought it was impossible to have the air knocked out of your lungs without having been pushed onto the ground. Evidently not.

Your heart feels like it’s about to tear itself out of your chest and blood is rushing to your cheeks as thousands of possibilities sprint across your thoughts. Every time you’d seen him in the past, scanned his face, or gazed at him when his back was turned, you always assumed he didn’t feel the same way, that you didn’t deserve someone so kind, so hardworking, so passionate about protecting the innocent. To your surprise and excitement, you were wrong.

Another shriek from the hostage wrenches you out of your daydreaming. The Negotiator steps into view of the abductor, but not before nodding at the collection of terrified patrons huddled near the bar and meeting your eyes. You get the gist and begin to step towards them, avoiding the neon spotlights shining from the ceiling. Scanning the room quickly, a fire exit catches your eye on the other end of the bar, just a short distance from the room Orwen expected you to ‘service’ him in.

“Rheva, I need you to talk to me,” you hear Kenobi say calmly. His shockingly calm demeanor when negotiating never fails to shock you but you still feel an ounce of worry at his seemingly nonchalant tone in these situations. “What happened?”

You can’t afford to turn around as you begin leading partiers out of the exit. You don’t want to know the possible carnage that could ensue in the event that such a delicate position is compromised.

“You think I’m an idiot, Kenobi?” someone sneers, you assume Rheva. “No one wears a fucking suit and tie to Kina’s, not unless they’re looking for something.” You hear an exasperated sigh from your partner and you suppress a giggle. As they continue speaking, a Togruta gives you a look of shock, probably at your giggling during a hostage situation. You shoo him to the exit. Once everyone besides a few stiff, armed guards remain, you turn to see how Obi Wan is doing, moving silently until you’re merely a few steps behind him.

“I know you’re looking for me. You and your pretty little friend,” Rheva spits, gesturing to you with her knife. At this point, the hostage, a girl who looks to be in her early twenties, is hysterical. Tears are streaming down her face and she’s frantically looking between you and Obi Wan, desperate for eye contact. Despite his deescalation expertise, you see Obi Wan tense slightly at Rheva’s not-so-fond nickname for you.

“Rheva, we’re looking for Sarek, not you. Has he done something to you?” Obi asks softly, cautiously taking a step forward. Almost imperceptibly, Rheva starts to shake, her grip on the knife becoming weaker. Both you and your partner notice. Your partner’s patience is thicker than yours, though, as he spots you itching to quickly diffuse the situation.

“He can’t...if I tell you, I’m dead!” she shrieks. Obi Wan’s brows furrow. This is new information. If Sarek has been telling whomever he sleeps with about his plans, then you’ve had everything you need without even knowing it.

“Tell us what?” you chime in, taking a step to stand at Kenobi’s side. You hear a clatter behind you and you turn quickly, pistol drawn. A trandoshan hisses and licks his fangs, the last thing you glimpse before someone hits you in the back of your head and the world goes dark.

Someone poking your cheek gently rouses you into the conscious world. You groan lazily until a harsh slap hits your cheek. At that, the world rushes into your brain like ice water dumped on a drunk sorority girl. After several rapid blinks to clear your cloudy vision, you whip your head towards the source of the hit.

Sarek grants you a sinister grin, his lizard tongue darting out to sound a signature trandoshan hiss. It doesn’t take long for you to realize that your hands are tied behind your chair with zip ties. A spark of hope flies in your chest.

Sarek will regret not using handcuffs later.

It’s not long before that spark is snuffed out and replaced with a venomous anger. A grunt sounds from behind Sarek and your eyes dart away from his pale golden eyes. Obi Wan is in the same predicament, although his left eye is now outlined in a garish, swelling plum. As your blood boils you look around for an escape route. Nothing adorns the dusty concrete walls besides cracks and mold, so you assume however Sarek entered the room is out of your line of sight.

“Maybe your friend isn’t as tight-lipped as you, Kenobi,” Sarek drones, and you wrench your head away when he drags a claw down your jaw. A cry escapes you when he grasps your hair and yanks your head back towards him. It’s truly painful, though, when he steps aside, still holding your hair, to show your partner. When you make eye contact with him, ashamed, his eyes widen and his mouth opens barely, only to be replaced immediately by an angry mask. “Don’t touch her, Sarek.”

“And why not? What exactly are you going to do about it tied to a chair?” Sarek giggles maniacally, his back to you but you’re sure he’s baring his teeth grotesquely.

As quietly as possible, you begin to shimmy your hands, now in fists, out of the zip tie. It stabs into your wrists, but adrenaline and determination push you to keep pulling and twisting. Your partner notices your efforts and focuses on Sarek. He takes a leap of faith.

“We have Kaiela.”

For a moment you pause, your head shooting up to raise a shocked brow at Obi Wan, but he doesn’t return your gaze, and you quickly resume your task, praying that his risky bluff won’t get the both of you executed. You’re not too worried; Obi Wan has a 100% success rate at life-or-death mission improv thus far.

“If you let us go, we’ll give you two a happy little reunion,” Obi snarks. Time passes as Sarek stares down at Obi Wan, who huffs a strand of hair out of his eyes, all the while maintaining Sarek’s gaze. You’ve nearly wrangled yourself out of the zip ties when Sarek’s cackle makes your heart drop. “Oh, Kenobi, you handsome idiot,” he drawls and leans forward, whispering loudly “she’s with me.”

Everything happens at once. The zip ties snap apart and you lunge for Sarek right as he turns to smirk at you. His smile vanishes and you deliver a powerful blow to his solar plexus and he crumples gracelessly to the ground. Your eyes narrow when you notice an empty sheath for a small knife on his waist and look at Obi Wan. The world screeches to a halt for the second time tonight when you see a knife sticking out of his stomach. You spring up to inspect his wound and he winces when you touch the handle. Taking it out would make matters much worse. “Christ, I’m glad you never became a doctor,” he mumbles while you snatch another knife from Sarek’s inventory.

“We don’t have much time. He’ll only be out for another minute or so. We have to leave. Were you conscious when he dragged us in here?” you ask. Obi Wan nods and looks somewhere behind you. Once you follow his gaze after cutting him free, you see a large metal door. It takes some effort, but you manage to help him limp out the door only to groan upon seeing Sarek’s garishly-decorated office. A gold chandelier hangs from the marble ceiling and plush fur rugs are piled on top of each other in a seating area by the exit, you assume to whatever ‘jail’ the two of you were dragged here from. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer a view of the starlit harbor, the ocean peacefully rolling into wooden pillars holding up the dock.

Halfway across the room: that’s how far you get before you wince upon hearing a metal slam and reptilian growl from behind you. You’re surprised when Obi Wan stands on his own to turn to Sarek, determined. Sarek, however, is not nearly as composed. Both of you sidestep Sarek’s messy charge, but you tense when he quickly pulls out...a sword? If it wasn’t for your partner slowly bleeding out and how painful your heels are getting, you'd laugh, but Sarek holds the blade to Obi Wan’s throat and backs him into the burgundy wallpaper in front of you.

By the grace of the gods, you spot an atrocious-looking display to your left, holding a gaudy and intricate broadsword. The rug helps muffle your footsteps, and the sword smoothly slides out of its mount. It’s surprisingly light and you whirl around to see Obi Wan struggling to push Sarek away. With all the strength of an MLB pitcher, you hurl the broadsword into the wall to his right. The blade sinks into the wall with a solid thunk and the practically-bedazzled handle wobbles back and forth next to Kenobi’s head. He then offers a sly grin that releases a cage of butterflies in your abdomen and yanks the sword out of the wall and brandishes it out in front of him. Sarek leaps back in the nick of time, nearly getting sliced in the belly.

You suddenly get an odd feeling of déjà vu.

Stress festers in the pit of your stomach as you watch Obi Wan and Sarek dance around each other, composing a metal rhythm as they lunge for the other’s vital organs. Sarek’s knife is still lodged in Obi Wan’s stomach and you fidget. “Please be careful,” you yell halfheartedly over the clanging, “You do remember your stab wound, don’t you?” Obi Wan glances over at you for a split second and gives you a cheeky grin. “Are you sure I’ve been stabbed? I hardly feel a thing!” he puffs, ducking under a particularly clumsy swing from Sarek. You roll your eyes but the duel escalates quickly when the exit bangs open harshly, and in piles an assortment of trandoshans, each of them wielding a firearm of some kind.

A snicker sounds from Obi Wan’s opponent. Kenobi drops the broadsword and backs away from Sarek and his rapidly-advancing cohorts. Tension has clogged the room at this point. It’s silent until Obi grabs a heavy-looking vase and unceremoniously chucks it at the window. Before you know it, he’s wrapped an arm around your waist and takes one, two, three steps and leaps out into the air above the water. You shriek and clutch at the back of Obi Wan’s suit jacket, shutting your eyes tight and bracing yourself for the icy plunge.

It never comes. Instead, a loud thump rattles your bones and forces your eyes open. The first thing you notice is that Obi Wan is still holding onto you. More importantly, he’s rubbing circles into your back to try and help you relax. You scramble gracelessly off of him and look around. A consistent dripping noise echoes around the space and you discover that somehow you’re in an open space under Sarek’s office, which was sticking out from the building and over the water like a sore thumb. Your eyes trace a long black wire leading from the edge of the building to your location. You squint at Obi Wan. “There’s no way you could’ve known that wire would be there.”

He chuckles. “I was fully prepared to go for a swim before I spotted it. It would’ve been a pity to ruin such a nice dress.” You stick your tongue out at him and he softly jabs you in the waist, eliciting a very mature squeak from you. Once he winces from laughter your face softens. “Let’s get you to a corner store and grab a first aid kit. If you’ve gone this long without passing out from blood loss the knife must not have punctured anything vital,” you tell him, gently touching his abdomen. He’s silent and you look up at him to see him...avoiding your gaze? You realize you’re still touching him and jerk your hand away like you’d just burned it.

“Are you worried about me?” he laughs, beaming. In retaliation (and to hide your glowing cheeks), you move to support Obi Wan and begin to lead him out towards the street, purposely looking as far away from him as possible.

“We can buy a first aid kit at the corner store and perhaps grab a bite to eat at Dex’s?” Obi Wan suggests. You nod and the two of you walk/limp to your destination.

On the sidewalk outside of Dex’s Diner, Obi Wan sits patiently, waiting for you to bring out food. You both had decided not to eat inside the restaurant and scare the customers with Obi looking so banged up. You’d carefully cleaned and stitched up his wound, and all the while he stared down at you, bewildered by your concentration and skill.

He’d come to terms with his feelings a long time ago, only now he’s scared you don’t feel the same way. You’d always treated him like a brother, as much as it irked him sometimes. Too many times you’d come very close to catching him gazing lovingly at you while you cut down mobsters and the like. It was becoming more difficult by the day to keep his heart from tumbling out of his lips, to keep the dam shut.

His chest clenches as the memory of your pained and frightened face in Sarek’s grasp resurfaces. It cleaved straight through his soul. At that moment, he gives himself a task: he’ll make sure that you never have to be that scared again, even if it kills him.

He is torn from his thoughts when the bell at the door of the diner chimes and you take a seat on the curb beside him, a hand offering him a Shawda club sandwich. He groans in happiness and you laugh, watching him dramatically savor the first bite. Peaches and purples swirl together in the sky as the sun begins to peek over the horizon. Its rays are cut into pieces by towering skyscrapers and buildings, the pieces hitting the sidewalk around you. The moment is peaceful but you have something to get off of your chest, you just don’t know how.

“Obi Wan-”

“I-”

You both startle. You gesture to him to speak and all at once the words he was going to say are absent from his tongue. An awkward pause fills the space between you.

“What I said at Kina’s...I wasn’t lying,” he says firmly. “I’ve never met anyone who comes close to you. I’m sorry if you don’t feel the same way but I need to tell you this before something happens to me again. You’re everything to me. You’re strong and capable and you deserve the world. I just hope you can settle for me.”

When you don’t move his heart sinks into his stomach. His hope tarnished, he begins to ramble. “If you don’t want to work with me anymore, I understand. I just hope we can-”

The defeat laced in his voice breaks you out of your shocked stupor and you whirl around, planting your palm on his mouth. He quiets, his eyes searching yours for an explanation. You press your forehead to his, giggling from relief and the last of your adrenaline. Your hand falls to cup his jaw, his beard soft under your fingers.

“Shut up and kiss me, you reckless dork.”

Obi’s face splits in a grin as he finally kisses you, pulling you closer at the nape of your neck and his other hand tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. Your other hand is splayed on his chest as you break for air and you initiate the next searing kiss, tugging him with both hands by the collar of his torn dress shirt. You hear his muffled chuckle at your unbridled enthusiasm.

You push him away to make sure it isn’t some kind of twisted dream, but you’re instead greeted by a rather attractive sight. Obi Wan is panting, his cheeks dark and one button undone on his dress shirt, revealing his collarbone and the top of his chest.

“I’m offended that you called me a ‘reckless dork’ when you just aggressively made out with me,” Obi Wan snarks, grinning.

“Oh shut it, you loved it.”

“I suppose it was alright…although it wouldn’t hurt to practice.”

#Obi Wan Kenobi x reader #fanfiction #star wars #Star Wars prequels #star wars the clone wars #Star Wars AU #fanfic #Obi Wan kenobi #ay it's Dex #userxkara #writing #obi wan #Obi Wan x reader

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raybyanothername · 4 years

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I was tagged by @do-what-the-knight-tells-you on my main account!

Rules: Name your top 10 characters from 10 different fandoms and tag 10 people.

This is, possibly, the hardest thing I've ever done in fandom... and I'm including finishing an entire ship week on time (wait...I haven't actually successfully done that...sh!).

Alright! Here we go! In no particular order...

Rodney McKay // Stargate Atlantis

Sassy genius who is both pessimestic AND has self-esteem issues hidden by loads of arrogance? Literally, me, but better at it.

Also, that gif of him totally sums up how I handled making this list.

Jason Todd // DCU

He's my favorite Robin, who is (in any incarnation) my favorite superhero. Plus, he's got sass, sarcasm, a temper, and a tragic backstory that beats other tragic backstories up with a crow bar. He is The Best antihero to ever grace a comic book.

Coco Adel // RWBY

I'm not convinced there's a single character in RWBY that isn't awesome (good, bad, they're all interesting!), but Coco is just... *sighs dreamily* Goals. I mean, the heels, the clothes, the gatling gun?! *fans self* I want to BE her!

Quark // Star Trek

If ya haven't caught on yet, I love a sarcastic character (Chief O'Brien was a close second btw). The whole concept of a reluctant hero with questionable morals appeals to me and every d&d character I have ever played though and Quark is just plain amusing in every scene. Chaotic Neutrals get shit done!

Also, I would like to note that picking JUST ONE character from Star Trek physically pained me! I want points for not picking one per series

Ron Weasley // Harry Potter

I'm legally bound by the fact that I'm a millennial to include Harry Potter on this list. Ron happens to be my favorite of the Golden Trio (though not always my favorite Weasley...). I absolutely love his sass, his loyalty, his intellect - I was always more a Hermione, being a book worm and all. Ron is emotionally intelligent in a way I always wanted to be and I think he's a great example of a person not letting their weakest moments define them.

The movies can go burn in dragon dung, because Ron was epic and they did him wrong. Rupert Grint, however, is adorable and also deserved better.

Pippin (Peregrin Took) // Lord of the Rings

I can't even begin to explain why I love Pippin the most of the whole fellowship, but it basically comes down to he was the one I could most easily relate to. He was the youngest, the most naive, but his heart and his intuition always saw him through. He was also hilarious.

And if you're shocked I didn't pick Merry, who was the most amazingly sarcastic and grumpy hobbit ever, you may join the club. Even I'm a little surprised.

Wolfram von Bielefelt // Kyou Kara Maou

Sarcastic. Grumpy. Tempermental. Secrectly a big softie. Wears a comfy pink nightgown. Wolfram is literally the perfect man.

This was my favorite anime as a teen btw and if you haven't watched it you should.

Yuri Plisetsky // Yuri on Ice

Angry blonds are apparently my type? *shrug* Yuri also has those tragic backstory vibes that make him a super interesting character to try to analyze. I need to write some YoI fanfic ASAP.

Melanie Segal // Bunheads

Sarcasm. Wit. Accidental anger issues? Yes, please! Honestly, of all the storylines I hated to see unexplored when this show was cancelled, Melanie's was the one I was most bitter about. There was just so much to explore!

I have like five WIPs in my fanfic folder surrounding her, honestly, no exaggeration.

Lady Morgana // Merlin

Early seasons' kind-hearted, rebellious Morgana? Good. Mid-seasons' plotting and smirking Morgana? Also good. End of series half-crazed psycho witch Morgana? Good!

There is no bad Morgana character! All of them are golden, all of them fun to write. And good lord do I need to update my Morgana fic...

-.-.-

I tag @peredhel @drunkdragondoes @rideboldlyride @sailorbuilt @laserfocus @hittheroadjus @5sosmukefan @darksarcasminthejaeger @samanthacblack18 @logicheartsoul to try this out if any of you want to give this a shot! It definitely took a lot of thinking and I surprised myself more than a few times!

#fandom ramblings #stargate atlantis #star trek #merlin #rwby #bunheads #yuri on ice #kyou kara maou #dcu #batman #lotr #lotr fandom #lord of the rings #harry potter #ron weasley #ray answers #ray rambles #ask ray

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comicteaparty · 4 years

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June 1st-June 7th, 2020 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from June 1st, 2020 to June 7th, 2020. The chat focused on Phantomarine by Claire K. Niebergall.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Phantomarine by Claire K. Niebergall~! (http://www.phantomarine.com/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace until June 7th, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Discussions are freeform, but we do offer discussion prompts in the pins for those who’d like to have them. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic! Whether you finish the comic or can only read a few pages, everyone is welcome to join and chat with us!

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 1

1. What did you like about the beginning of the comic?

2. What has been your favorite moment in the comic (so far)?

3. Who is your favorite character?

4. Which characters do like seeing interact the most?

5. What is something you like about the art? If you have a favorite illustration, please share it!

6. What is a theme you like that the comic explores?

7. What do you like about the comic’s story or overall related content?

8. Overall, what do you think the comic’s strengths are?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

copperine

Ooh I'll answer a few asap!

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

As another creator/reader, I feel Phantomarine has a lot of good parts: 1. So it starts off thrusting us into the middle, which is unique. Even though we are underwater, the creator gives delightful warm palette. You can identify the spooky 'evil spirits' from the protagonist without the page looking cluttered. 2. I quite enjoyed Ch 2 (The Horizon Child) where I'm presented with more world building and how the story ties with the Red Tide King's lore. My favorite part is the Fracture Day Festival, the colors and the clever plot tactics written. 3. As for character(s), I love Phaedra's noble character. She is a future Queen and has a heroic presence. I also like Vanna, seldom I see great parent writing as her. She is both nurturing and an intelligent doctor. I admire how Lady Lazuli ties her job to Paval's condition. I have a soft spot for silly Paval, his character is both silly yet wholesome (he's not bratty <3) 4: So far, I enjoyed Cheth's interaction (in Ch 1) it told alot about his character; his tendency to shapeshift into different forms. I like his unusual character, hitting my nostalgia buttons for a good villain.(edited)

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

For themes, it seems to explore family grief and sacrifices within the chapters I read. To have a stable life, one has to endure hardship such as Phaedra taking on the burden of her father's role. I enjoy reading that life philosophy theme not often explored in web comics. Also Vanna and Paval's interaction gives me good family vibes 7-8. I feel Phantomarine storytelling is intricate and expresses the vibe of an experienced creator. Tackling multiple plot points, stringing them into good beats; is tricky but Lady Lazuli pulls it off almost effortlessly. Initially chapter 1 left me with questions and it starts to reveal itself as the story progresses. I came into the story following Phaedra's adventure and will be in for the ride. 5. I have some favorite illustrations: this one http://www.phantomarine.com/comic/the-horizon-child/2-27-the-maritime-fair/ I love the colorful festival. and also the opening page was quite impressive with the crowds of souls, where they become silhouettes, yet convey enough visuals. I LOVE this page in Ch 3 (Fata Morgana), the way the words 'RUN' echos through http://www.phantomarine.com/comic/the-fata-morgana/3-33-the-dark-shoreline/ There's alot of things I like about it: pacing, the plot progression and as I struggle with stringing multiple plot points, I marvel at this skill in the comic.(edited)

Miranda

1. I love that the stakes are high after just a couple pages. There's no dallying and it draws you in so well. Also Cheth is just fantastic and his introduction is so well done! 2. I really loved Pavel eating pancakes and Pavel hiding in his stuffed animal hammock nest to point out a few scenes. It's so hard to choose a favorite moment, but sadly I'd have to say the end of Chapter 3 and just how that all unfolds. 3. GAH! Pavel? Ya...Pavel. Cheth is wonderful, but I feel like Pavel is so young but already has such an interesting personality and I love his spirit. 4. I really enjoyed Pavel and his Mom. But Cheth and Phaedra's interactions were very entertaining. But Pavel and Vanna are just so close and supportive it's just heartwarming sniffle because I know what happens And the warmth and love there stands out a lot against the harshness of the "convent-like" place and Halea's temple, etc. 5. OMG. where to start? I don't even know. I love it. I love the colors. I love the designs. I love the pages with all the tiny little details, they are wonderful. But I think one of my favorites is: http://www.phantomarine.com/comic/the-fata-morgana/3-34-the-prayer/ because I love the contrast between Pavel and Cheth and I think there's just a whole bunch of emotion in this page. 6. This might not be a purposeful theme, but in general I've caught a theme of how danger and bad stuff is handled and I love seeing such strength in all the characters. Phaedra with he just outright defiance, Pavel with his positive outlook and Vanna with love and compassion but also with a analytical mind. They all handle tragedy and loss in their own ways and it's very well done. 7. Everything. This is a very difficult question. 8. Use of color and characters that all stand out from each other.

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

cracks knuckles Alright, let's GO! 1. I loved how we immediately know the stakes. We see Phaedra's personality in the challenges Cheth offers, and we know that she's well aware of the situation she's in. It gives it a mythological feel, of the hero in the underworld fighting to the surface. Only this time, there's a caveat; she's still technically an underworld denizen, but allowed to roam the land of the living. The colours set the mood very well too; I loved that the Red Tide King's ghosts were all rimmed in red, while the protagonist were either yellow or blue (diametrically opposed to the red.). And of course, Cheth; he's a wonderful villain opposed to the protagonist, and they have great rapport.

2. Oh dear, there are several to choose from. My favourite one so far is when Cheth asks Phaedra how many people were made into orphans after the war. It was that scene that immediately made me hooked onto the story; a story that went there and isn't afraid to go to that deep, dark place will always get me to keep reading. Another more minor moment was when Eddy was revealed to bully Pavel due to not having his family visit him; it's a great way of having an antagonist show that they are not truly all dark; rather, it's a morally grey area that the characters are in. Even an antagonist can have layers and it makes them seem more human. Finally, Vanna's passing into the Fata Morgana. The scene where she said that she was glad to have saved him, and where they said their goodbyes made me cry. As someone who's had to say goodbye to my own mom as she goes abroad....and not knowing when she'll be back, it hits a deep part of me. I really thought Vanna would be one of the main protagonists.....but alas, it was not to be.(edited)

3. CHETH! Hands down, CHETH! Notwithstanding my bias for underworld cthonic deities, I LOVED his personality. The fact that he reminds me of one of those deliciously personable villains from Disney helps a lot. And I loved how he never let's Phaedra forget that he is a threat, a blue/orange morality villain throughout; he uses his collection of souls to yell at her to be quiet, points out that she's a monster like him, and impersonates her dead father. But he also shows signs of not being a completely inhuman god; like when he shows a slight look of pity/sympathy for Phaedra mourning her father, or when Pavel mourned his mom's passing into the otherworld. Also, I don't see a lot of deities who fluidly go between genders like he does. It makes him so much more interesting, that he shifts into different identities that way. One of the best portrayals of a death deity I've ever seen.

4. Cheth and Phaedra. There's an interesting power dynamic going inbetween these two; on one hand Cheth is a literal god, and he holds a lot of power. On the other hand, Phaedra has shown time and time again to outsmart him both mentally (e.g. winning the questions) and physically (e.g. cutting off his hand). And yet Cheth recuperates from those injuries fast enough to go against her again. It's a back and forth game of David and Goliath. Interestingly enough.....Cheth seems to hold some measure of interest with Phaedra, as if she is an entertainment to him. However, there's also his slight contempt with where she came from, and it's as if however entertaining she is....he'll never forget that. Meanwhile, Phaedra outright wants to kill him....which I don't think anyone can blame her for. It would be interesting to see how their relationship evolves throughout the story as foes.

5. THE ART. IS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. The colours balance each other well, the painting style gives it a soft feel, like going into a new world. But I absolutely, absolutely HAVE to give kudos to the details LadyLazuli gives in the backgrounds and the world in general; worldbuilding wise, it shows strong potential for show and don't tell. Several of these pages can be standalone posters themselves!

http://www.phantomarine.com/comic/king-of-the-red-tide/1-1-king-of-the-red-tide/

Several. http://www.phantomarine.com/comic/king-of-the-red-tide/1-31-the-echoing-graveyard/

I mean it http://www.phantomarine.com/comic/schooner-of-the-moon/4-1-schooner-of-the-moon/

6. One theme I'm really interested in and noticed is the idea of paranoia of the vulnerable/sick. Cheth has brought up the idea that a living soul is needed to help Phaedra; however, as she is a seaghost, many people would either be too scared or repulsed by her to aid her. And the seabitten were generally treated as needing to fear or be ashamed of their own "afflictions". Pavel and his mother, however, seem to take exception to that rule and are more interested in helping or accepting these afflictions, trying not to let the fear and paranoia prevent them from being charitable. It would be interesting to see how this theme develops more, as Pavel and Phaedra eventually meet. Would Pavel still keep to these views? Or will society....or....something else, convince him to fear them even more. Or worse, would his mother's death make him more frightened of the seaghosts?. I can see a lot of parallels with this theme to the lepers and other people with diseases; people were scared to even interact with the lepers and they were considered "dirty". It is a common and sadly still very prevalent theme in real life to this day.(edited)

7. I have to say....everything. It just sucks you in very easily.

8. The strength is that it reads like an epic, and not just any epic....a true to life one. The story and dialogue flows amazingly and the colours are vibrant. Overall, it's exactly how I imagine a perfect seafaring mythological story; sometimes I feel like I'm watching a film. I will note that one thing LadyLazuli nailed is pacing. She knows which panels to have dialogue and which ones to not. Sometimes we get dialogue and other times we're just....enjoying the atmosphere and the beautiful backgrounds. Hayao Miyazaki once clapped his hands slowly, making sure to leave a pause inbetween. That was ma, the emptiness, where there is no noise, but just the peace to enjoy and savour. Where there is no action needed. I think Lady Lazuli nailed the concept of ma perfectly. Because she lets the readers enjoy her world.

SkewricArt

5. What is something you like about the art? If you have a favorite illustration, please share it! The backgrounds and color choices are stunning every single time. The page where we first see the fata morgana, with the off whites and ethereal blues looks absolutely haunting to me and it's a favorite (The Archer, 3.26) and the context makes me wanna CRY but that page is so incredible zjsfskf(edited)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Wow, a mountain of words after the first day And all of them extremely kind. Thank you all so much! This has seriously lifted my spirits today

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

You are welcome, Lady Lazuli! I binged in 3 days. oh dear I feel like I was writing a book review more than a Q&A at this point (edited)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

These honestly feel like book reviews! Extremely passionate book reviews It’s a wonderful sight. And it helps me know what people respond to, and how they respond to it. I will be going back and reading these like direction notes, ohoho~

RebelVampire

What I like about the beginning is kind of how much world lore is snuck in. We learn a lot about Cheth, the state of the sea, how death works, get name drops of other people like Cheline. So without having this long narrative about the world, we get to know a lot about it in the conversation without that necessity. For favorite moment, it's probably when Pavel and Vanna met Halea. Cause I've never seen a scene scream danger at the top of its lungs or feel a child was so threatened by anything. My favorite character at the moment is definitely Pavel. Pavel is just a cute boy who wants to heal the ocean even as most of the adult's around him say "Nah bro dat bad." I also just think it's cute how much he takes after his mother in regards to his appreciation of science. I also just in general like his design. I enjoy(ed) seeing Pavel and Vanna interact the most. They had a super cute parent-child relationship. I like how Vanna kind of balances keeping Pavel in line while also acknowledging that he's ultimately kind of the odd man out both in regards to his physical situation and his beliefs that he shares with his mom. Just all around I love the artworks color. There's a lot of great palettes, a lot of atmosphere, a lot of great contrasts, etc. All around it's just beautiful colorwork that really knows how to make the mood of each scene and character work. As for themes the comic explores, definitely for me science and the opposition scientific pursuits science can face. It's easy to say "But science", but when people are afraid of science or just don't like new ways of doing things, it can become hard no matter how much promise your work has. And I think the comic captures this really well, while at the same time combining more fantasy elements that still blend together really well.

What I like about the comic's overall story insofar is, as a personal bias, the high stakes political plot where people are getting assassinated, souls are being bargained, and so forth. I am a sucker for that since even if it's not the main focus, it adds a sense of danger and high stakes that otherwise would not be presence. For overall strengths, I refer back to the art question. It is definitely the entirety of the beautiful artwork.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Once my work day is done I'm going to comment on some bits of feedback - before other questions come out soon! These observations are tickling my brain. Some are things I haven't even considered before which is extra fun as an author.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Something interesting is that... right now, I'm not entirely sure Cheth is the bad guy? Like, Pavel noted that the red ghosts don't actually attack people. And Halea is definitely all sorts of suspicious, despite being a follower of Cheline. Yet if Cheth isn't a bad guy, he sure didn't make any effort to convince Phaedra of that. So there's a question of who's actually responsible for all the stuff that's going down (all the assassinations, all the attacks, etc).

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

Good point! Not only that.....but did you notice that the Fata Morgana has feathers? Kind like how the followers of Cheline do...

mariah (rainy day dreams)

I think the page where Pheadra reveals it's the year of the bonefish was the moment where I was like "oh, I don't think Cheth's bad. I think he's a lonely jerk trapped essentially by himself at the bottom of the ocean with a bunch of soulless dead people." Just the look on his face on this page and the second one make me think that it hasn't been his year in a long time. Or maybe ever XD which would probably turn anyone into a jerk. http://www.phantomarine.com/comic/king-of-the-red-tide/1-10-mark-of-the-bonefish/

And it maybe have also been that I had just finished rereading His Dark Materials when I originally read this but I very much hope at the end all of the Seaghosts are released from the ocean and balance is brought back to death. And I'll stand by my original comment at the end of the chapter still. Still team Phaedra as a Persephone figure at the end XD

I'm looking forward to actually meeting Cheline. Currently I'm pretty anti-Cheline (because I'm a Cheth apologist lol) but I imagine she will also be complex and neither 100% good or bad.

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

@mariah (rainy day dreams) so it was YOU who made that persephone/hades comment!

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

And it maybe have also been that I had just finished rereading His Dark Materials when I originally read this

@mariah (rainy day dreams) HDM is one of my favorite series ever so this pleases me MUCHLY. Absolutely a big influence!

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

It’s an amazing book series. For quite a while I imagined what my daemon would have been when I was younger.

mariah (rainy day dreams)

@mariah (rainy day dreams) so it was YOU who made that persephone/hades comment!

Lol yes, that was me XD

@mariah (rainy day dreams) HDM is one of my favorite series ever so this pleases me MUCHLY. Absolutely a big influence!

@LadyLazuli (Phantomarine) It's so good has definitely left big marks on my own writing and I love seeing it's influences other places :3

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I feel Phantomarine storytelling is intricate and expresses the vibe of an experienced creator. Tackling multiple plot points, stringing them into good beats; is tricky but Lady Lazuli pulls it off almost effortlessly.

@Joichi [Hybrid Dolls] This is very kind! This is my first experience making any sort of long-form story, and my first-ever comic but I think my background in animation has given me a crash course in storytelling - how to convey information as simply/quickly as possible while still being impressive and fun to watch. I watch a lot of storyboards all day, so I'm sure that certainly helps! And I don't have any other stories in my head right now, so I guess I'm throwing everything I have into this one. There are still things I’m discovering as I go along, too. I know all the major destinations, but the paths between them are sometimes still a mystery to me. It's like a puzzle I'm solving slowly

6. This might not be a purposeful theme, but in general I've caught a theme of how danger and bad stuff is handled and I love seeing such strength in all the characters. Phaedra with he just outright defiance, Pavel with his positive outlook and Vanna with love and compassion but also with a analytical mind. They all handle tragedy and loss in their own ways and it's very well done.

@Miranda I like this very much. One of the main themes I wanted to cover in the comic is the idea of brokenness. The circumstances that break people, how they react to it initially, how they react to it as time progresses, and how they try to solve it... if they can, or want to. Being threatened by danger and darkness is absolutely a source of fear, and can lead to a broken feeling, so this lines up!

@shadowhood (SunnyxRain) YES. I'M SO GLAD.

@shadowhood (SunnyxRain) I never thought about it like this, but that's absolutely the mood I wanted. A pair of characters in constant conflict, and even though one seems far stronger/scarier, there is more of a balance between them than expected.

6. One theme I'm really interested in and noticed is the idea of paranoia of the vulnerable/sick.

@shadowhood (SunnyxRain) A lot of the big emotional segments of the comic are drawn directly from my experience with an illness I developed in my early 20s. I felt like I had lost not just my strength and health, but everything I had worked so hard for. There was also a risk of being physically marked by the illness, so everyone would be able to tell I was sick, and therefore write me off as unreliable or broken. I never meant to write a whole story about that feeling, but it seemed to happen on its own

I will note that one thing LadyLazuli nailed is pacing.

@shadowhood (SunnyxRain) I think my pacing is incredibly fast in chapters 2 and 3 but it's only because I wanted to get back to the main story SO badly. But maybe the things I had to cut were unnecessary. I do like to keep the plot moving; with how long the pages take, I don't have much time to lose!

Miranda

(I have to second that pacing comment. You do it so well!)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

For favorite moment, it's probably when Pavel and Vanna met Halea. Cause I've never seen a scene scream danger at the top of its lungs or feel a child was so threatened by anything.

@RebelVampire WELL, GOOD By the time this story is over, I wanted people to feel physically ill whenever they revisited that scene, knowing everything that will happen. I hope I eventually succeed... (edited)

As for themes the comic explores, definitely for me science and the opposition scientific pursuits science can face.

@RebelVampire Ooh! This was unintentional from the start, but is absolutely something I'm exploring as I'm planning the rest of the story. I like where it started to go on its own, so I'll be doing more of it for sure

@mariah (rainy day dreams) I actually have a couple different potential endings in mind, depending on how the plot goes and how audiences react, so... nothing is out of the realm of possibility here for better or for worse!

I'm looking forward to actually meeting Cheline. Currently I'm pretty anti-Cheline (because I'm a Cheth apologist lol) but I imagine she will also be complex and neither 100% good or bad.

@mariah (rainy day dreams) Can confirm no one in this story is 100% good or bad. That is all I will say. As I scream internally.

Okay, that was a lot. More than good enough for now

Deo101 [Millennium]

Okay, so I finally managed to get caught up on this one. I've been meaning to for a while! I don't do very well with questions so I'm just gonna kinda ramble on about how much I absolutely love this so far. The worldbuilding is seamless, it never feels like infodumping even though a ton has been revealed to us. I'm also endlessly curious about everything that's been brought up. The kinds of themes being covered; Light and dark, Death, Nothing being quite as it seems (Cheth being sympathetic, and Halea seeming like she has some dark secrets...), The trickery, The need to do what's right, Just all of it! This comic is making me think, and that's really pretty rare! (For something to get me to think about it and theorize, I need to not get caught up on anything else... The pacing, the visuals, the way the dialogue is written and arranged, it's all very clear and easy to follow. I might not remember all the names, but I know who is who and I know who is being referenced) It made me cry, and I am so excited to see where it's going. It's really hitting everything I love about a good story so far. Really this is incredible. I'll be trying to keep up with the discussion this week!

I only read it once and I went through it pretty fast so forgive me if this is a crazy theory but I wonder if Halea died, and won back her soul? Or, if she was seabitten and traded more than just her eyes so she wouldn't die. I notice all of the seabitten people have red eyes, and hers being glass would certainly hide that. She also specified cremating phaedra, rather than burying her, and I don't know if that's customary or just cause it took so long to find her, but I wonder if it's partially to try and make it harder or impossible for phaedra to return... Not sure if that would do anything but hey why not spill all my thoughts while I've got the chance?

(now after having said that it's time for me to backread and see if i've embarassed myself)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

does mental calculations No, no. This checks out with what's been stated so far. Theory is legitimate! And... is focusing on all the right things

Deo101 [Millennium]

phew lol

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Ayy, you finally read it!

Was it as good as we hyped it up to be :p

Deo101 [Millennium]

yeah, Ive been meaning to read it i didnt need to be so thoroughly peer pressured... ;)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Sorry I haven't participated in this book club yet ;; I will before the end of the week, I promise

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Also WOW what incredibly kind words again. Thank you!! And did it really make you cry?? I'm always so confused when people tell me that - I keep thinking there's too little story there yet to cause tears

Deo101 [Millennium]

yeah ;a;

I work with children

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Maternal love resonates very strongly with me

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Ohhh god. Um... okay... then.... checks notes Have a bucket ready after chapter... six, ish??

Deo101 [Millennium]

so just the line "I didn't know how much it would hurt. How... how did you handle this pain...?" really got to me

(sorry had to go find it so I could get the qote)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

AHHHH

Yess

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

That scene was a slog to get through. Every penstroke hurt.

Deo101 [Millennium]

and yet you say "I'm always so confused when people tell me that"

-_-

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

for me it was these lines

the obvious ones lol

Deo101 [Millennium]

spoiler that

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Maybe I don't think people are getting as hurt as I am

Deo101 [Millennium]

you dingus

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i did...

Deo101 [Millennium]

oh my god I must have clicked as soon as you sent it

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

you-

Deo101 [Millennium]

sorry I obsessively click while I'm reading things

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

ugh what even is the point of spoiler tags when there are people like you around

Deo101 [Millennium]

people who click every spoiler tag even if they know they dont want whats underneath? or people who click with reckless abandon

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

BOTH

(sorry off topic i will stop now)

Deo101 [Millennium]

Yeah so anyways back to my theories. I need to remember them now, you DISTRACTED ME.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

your theories were too good, i didn't want to be shown up

Deo101 [Millennium]

ugh. I don't remember but it was something about what must have been used to save pavel. It must have been some kind of a relic like the one phaedra needs (which can complete her and her friends souls, again, This would be assuming that being seabitten involves a part of your soul being taken which I assume to be true), something like phantomarine which repels the seaghosts (This would be assuming that seabiting as a disease is akin to being a zombie, which I am less convinced of because it turns you into a fata morgana- not a seaghost, but there could be some reason for that difference), or something with a sacrifice (goes along with my other theory)

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

It's similar with me, I don't often see good parent writing with indie comics. (I'd love to read more on good family writing) So Phantomarine convinced me of Vanna's believable maternal nature. I was counting the pages, and you have a good pacing, it has a good balance of world build with showing in pieces. I'm impressed because I've drawn comics for afew years but it's always a learning process whenever I draw a new series, explore new themes. So I admire your skills(edited)

Deo101 [Millennium]

Also, Cheth suggested that there is not really a way for souls to come from nowhere. They are consumed by the ghosts or him, And in Phaedra's case she had to split her soul among her friends; they couldn't get theirs back, they were gone. I'm at least partially convinced that The relic will be a way to steal someones soul to restore your own, or that there will be some kind of moral dillemma with needing to feed on other's souls to bring yourself back. I don't think it will be a "and then everyone gets out scott free" sort of deal

again I read it once and really fast so I'm assuming a LOT here sorry if im like. way off base

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

WOA

I love that. I felt like there would be something about relic that was too easy

I really like that theory

Deo101 [Millennium]

continuing the last little bit, I think that there is potential, if it was a sacrifice on his mother's part that he is alive now, that pavel is going to start deteriorating and his seabite will begin to spread. I think I could imagine phaedra giving up the part of her soul she has to restore his or something.

okay im getting crazy now sorry GASJDGKLGJSKLGD

depends on what's gonna happen in chapter 6 that rips our hearts out I guess, doesnt it?

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

hm, i'm not sure phaedra would do that. i think she has too much of an obligation to her country to give up her soul to a random kid?

Deo101 [Millennium]

well theres a lot of development that would happen before then :/ Just a thought!

im not saying "yeah this is what its gonna be"

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i know

Deo101 [Millennium]

but I think phaedra does have a lot of growing she needs to do, in many directions

and. she's also clearly compassionate towards children. who have lost their parents. just. as an addition

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

@Joichi [Hybrid Dolls] My brain is a web of red threads connecting random pieces of paper The first chapter took me about 2.5 years to complete (I was slow... and Photoshop is slow... and work was overtime-y... and crowds are a terrible idea, please don't do them) so it gave me lots of time to build up the story beyond it. And I didn't post it publicly as I went along - I went back and changed a lot of things as I came up with new ideas. It's only now that I feel comfortable enough to say the machine is 'rolling' But there were some elements that I only came up with, like, a week before posting a page?? The Fata Morgana didn't exist for the longest time, for example, and now they're crucial to the plot. But you don't see me mention them at all in the first chapter I'd go back and change that if I could.

Deo101 [Millennium]

not a random kid I thought it was p obvious that hes the living person who would be willing to work with a seaghost

and then they'll get to know eachother and phaedra is gonna be changed by his big heart.. obviously...

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

yes of course

wholeheartedly looking forward to them meeting

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

wholeheartedly looking forward to them meeting

@Eightfish (Puppeteer) ...THIS SUMMER

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

ayyy

Deo101 [Millennium]

coming soon

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

FIVE YEARS IN THE MAKING

literally

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

STARRING!

A bunch of people who all don't know anything!

Join them in not knowing anything!

Deo101 [Millennium]

hey! all the time and effort more than shows

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

it's a reference to all the dang mystery and complexity in this webcomic!

like dang, claire, why you gotta make us think?

was trying to relax, geez(edited)

not even your characters know what's going on

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

only one does

...sort of

......ish

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Cheline?

Deo101 [Millennium]

probably whoevers doin the dang murders(edited)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

...Keep thinking

Deo101 [Millennium]

omg

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

someone we know so far?

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

nods

...Claire STOP NODDING

IT'S DANGEROUS

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

second guess would be halea, but i don't think she knows about phaedra or about the specifics of vanna's research. third guess Vanna(edited)

hey

Deo101 [Millennium]

guy who died I forget his name and hes not in the cast list(edited)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

maybe that's why you got rid of her(edited)

Deo101 [Millennium]

wait he didnt die my b he was silenced(edited)

thats my guess

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

I still need to read the most recent chapter ahh

Deo101 [Millennium]

im so sorry. fish you lulled me into not spoilering. I'll go edit

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

oop

oh claire left

did one of us get it right

Deo101 [Millennium]

probably me

imagine us elbowing eachother trying to get through the same doorway, here(edited)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Everyone wins. You all get candy.

But no answers

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

cool mail it to me

my address is 2938..

Deo101 [Millennium]

yeah i noticed all my theories didnt get answers either... damn. waiting is hard.

fish you've got my address too can you just pass it along, thaaaaanks

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

it'd be cool to read the book club back in like

a year or two

finally a chance to doxx someone

what i've always wanted

Deo101 [Millennium]

I feel like this is implying i'll forget my theories. I wont. they live in my brain now.

literally forgot them in the middle of this conversation

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

yeah but i might forget your theories

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Go put 'em in the theory channel where I can't see them. Even though I've seen them now OHOHO

I am literally not allowed in my own theory channel

Deo101 [Millennium]

wait WHAT? you made a channel you couldnt see...????

I would die

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

oh what you can't see the theory channel? always just assumed you lurked there

Deo101 [Millennium]

we are polar opposites I will go off about all my plans if someone even hints at me that they want them

maybe i could learn a thing or two from you.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i would too but no one ever asks

Deo101 [Millennium]

I wont. but I'm sure I could

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I do not! I don't want anyone thinking I've stolen their idea, and I don't want my original plans to be changed... so... Off-limits

Deo101 [Millennium]

That's fair ^^

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i thought you had several plans :0

how are you choosing between them?

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I have told the full story to... um... three people so far? And by told, I mean... screamed at them

I have minor changes I can make to the ending, but the pathway to them is pretty much the same!

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

woah, okay!

i don't think anyone would think you stole their idea though

if anything, i think they'd feel smart for getting it right!

Deo101 [Millennium]

yeah I'd just be like yesss I was right

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I think, before the theory channel opened, I saw one theory that was spot-on

And I was like you children are smart

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

time to look through chat logs

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

HAHA. Best of luck

Deo101 [Millennium]

but there is a history of some people having literally been sued for ppl stealing their ideas from their fanfics and whatnot

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

i've heard if you send an unsolicited pitch to a big studio they will always return unopened partially for this reason

Deo101 [Millennium]

so its safe for you to not see them.. but I would be sad in your shoes. but I can tell that you're definitely not like me in this aspect. Plus your story is really pretty clearly woven very tightly to be a mystery and I have a feeling you want it to unravel in a specific way, where spoilers would actually change how it's percieved.

vs. yknow. spoilers don't change how ppl read my story. so I get it! I hope to one day write a story i need to keep secret tbh

n youre doing a good job of it, clearly

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

yee. It's "aaaaaa" now, but I can't wait to be "WOAH" when secrets are finally revealed!

Deo101 [Millennium]

and then the re read party

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

THough to be honest, I'm looking forward most to character interactions, not worldbuilding details

Deo101 [Millennium]

I'm not, I want to know the mystery!!!

I mean im looking forward to the character interactions and all that yadda yadda

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

even just like, "pavel and phaedra meet" is enough to keep me engaged :)))

yeah for me, i don't usually care as much about world details

I'm more like

I wanna see what happens to Vanna!

I wanna see Cheth sad

I want to meet Phaedra's friends

And I want to know everyone's backstories

which is probably not possible to piece together from present plot details

Deo101 [Millennium]

Anyways phantomarine kicks ass and I've already sent it to someone asking them to read it.

also full disclosure I thought that phaedra's name was phantomarine for like a long time

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I am absolutely fine with this.

By Twitter naming conventions she will be Phaedra Phantomarine anyway

Deo101 [Millennium]

I was literally just imagining. one sec.

I need to do an edit. one moment please.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Zelda is a cute boy\

love playing as him

Deo101 [Millennium]

I was gonna edit her introducing herself as phaedra phantomarine but I'm struggling to find the perfect page for it

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Well I'll just have to draw more of her then

I really haven't drawn her looking happy or confident very much yet

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

She always looks so cheerful and sure of herself in concept art

and then in the comic it's like

">:(" "D:"

Deo101 [Millennium]

the range

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

She's just... stressed

A very stressed character

Deo101 [Millennium]

Lord do I feel that

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 2

9. In what way do you think Pavel’s story will with connect with Phaedra’s? How might the two help or hurt one another as they pursue their individual goals?

10. Do you believe that Phaedra will succeed in her quest to restore her and her friends’ life? What challenges do you think she will face along the way? Also, what do you think will happen to her even if she does succeed given the shady origin of her death?

11. Why do you think Pavel and Vanna were attacked? What does this have to do with them being given Phantomarine? Also, what might this all have to do with their chance encounter with Halea and the coincidental Fata Morgana attack?

12. What do you think Cheth’s ultimate goals are besides collecting souls? What do you think caused Cheline and Shoshana to banish Cheth during the Fracture, and what might all this backstory have to do with the seaghosts and potentially fixing everything?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

Miranda

9. Well I definitely think they will work together to help restore souls...in some way....and I'm thinking Cheth might guide Pavel towards Phaedra, either knowingly or not. Or Phaedra will come to save Pavel. But I think they will work together for the most part and be able to commiserate over their lost parents. Once they get the relic, there might be some tension regarding how it is used. 10. As people mentioned, her soul is split between her friends. I think she'll be able to restore her own soul, but likely at the cost of her friends dying. I agree that the relic Cheth told her about can't be as easy as he made it seem. There has to be some trick to it. I think she's already facing her challenges of trying to help and get help as a partial sea ghost. I think there will be a bigger challenge once she gets the relic for the afore mentioned reasons. I think her coming back will upset certain people significantly. But I don't think know enough about Halea's plan to know just how upset she'll be at that. 11. Possibly, sea ghosts are drawn to Phantomarine, but are unable to get close enough. So they swarm because it's a beacon to them. So while the Phantomarine protected them, it also put them in the line of fire. I'm liking the idea that Halea was seabitten and that ties in to why she has glass eyes, so discovering another seabitten that's survived is going to be very interesting to her. I'm not sure what it had to do with the Fata Morgana attack besides drawing the swarm towards them. From what we've seen, Fata Morgana seem to appear where there are a lot of sea ghosts. But they very well could be Halea's assassins.

12. I think he wants to return/go on land (as he been on land before) and return to his "rightful" place. Maybe they banished him because he was preventing people from passing on properly, so they banished him thinking he would be less able to meddle with the passing on of souls. But obviously that didn't work. I would imagine if Cheth leaves the sea somehow, the souls he's gathered would be able to roam the earth as well, and that could just cause chaos for the living. But maybe it would also require him to leave his souls to pass on finally, leaving the ocean at peace?

Deo101 [Millennium]

I keep thinking about how the sea keeps being referred to as being "broken", and I wonder so much what that means. Could have something to do with the nature of cheth being banished off shore, and perhaps the existence of phantomarine itself? It seems to be linked with the seaghosts and him, and we've already seen prices being paid to gain power, and I assume the price that a god would pay is far steeper than what humans do... And then that leads me to thoughts about why cheth would have been banished. I think he knows something, or his sister wanted more power, or something like that. The people very obviously are dead set against hating cheth and loving everyone else, and I can't help but think how history is written by the Victors..

RebelVampire

My friends, just as a reminder, even if you spoiler tag here (which is fine for the chat), spoilers cannot be hidden in the archives.

Deo101 [Millennium]

Are we not supposed to talk about them? I'm a little confused sorry

RebelVampire

No you can. I'm not gonna stop it. Just saying it as a reminder.

Miranda

I was just spoilering for people that maybe aren't caught up that wanted to read in this channel.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I guess if people read everything after the fact, spoilers will still show up in the conversation's archived state but hopefully no one reading it will be unfamiliar with the comic. At least I hope so. Dunno why they'd be reading the archive and not the comic

Deo101 [Millennium]

Kinda what I was thinking, I was just worried we were being like, edged into "hey maybe stop doing this thing in particular" but idk what that thing would be

RebelVampire

I have no clue why anybody would be reading an archive before the comic, but sometimes people be crazy? XD But again, just as a reminder in case there's super secret information that reveals all.

Deo101 [Millennium]

My theories are too good apparently

I'm kidding. thanks for the reminder!

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Your theories are indeed very solid. I didn't intend to write a mystery, but here we are

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

Alright! my turn to give this comic more love! 1. The absolute Tension that was created between Cheth and Phaedra, and the fact that we jump right into this conversation involving SO MUCH! It's an incredible way to start off with so much intrigue and suspense as to what happened with Phaedra, her crew, her father, her family- and to have it all tied to a challenge set by Cheth to essentially put all the pieces together- sublime! What a way to kick off! 2. My fave is probably the beginning of chapter 2, with Pavel and his wee adventures and curiosity about the sea. It really gives that light to show just how much potential Pavel has about uncovering those mysteries of the sea he so lovingly interacts with (and on the same hand the one who gave him his pain and purpose). 3. Vanna. Hands Down. She's loving, she's fast acting, and she's someone who holds that ground for characters. I also really love Fata Morgana for her design and her energy. Super chaotic and mysterious hunter of death for the red tide king? sign me up. 4.Lady Halea and Pavel! That was such an interesting moment of her being knowing and foreboding at the same time. I can't wait to see what more of a role she plays in the future! 5.http://www.phantomarine.com/comic/the-horizon-child/2-1-the-horizon-child/ This is my favourite panel, along with the entirety of chapter 3's colour vibe. Claire has an incredible way to create and lead with atmosphere and design- the characters and world feel so well lived in and alive. Each page is given breath and love, it's astounding to see! 6. I love the theme of honour and accountability that Phaedra leads with in the beginning. Her drive to defeat the wrongs done to her by the red tide king, and her perseverance to do more for those also affected. Pavel and his themes of hope, light, and a second chance also really strike such a chord with me. He's a character that has the power to alter the decisions of those around him for sure!

7. Phenomenal and wonderfully put together. You can instantly tell that this story is going to be a classic with the way it's set up, and with the care and thought of each chapter reading like an epic, Phantomarine has a lot to offer! 8. There are so many to point out, but I definitely want to re-iterate the design. It's insanely solid and so recognisable on it's own. I love the lore and the thought that was out into making this world as alive as it is!

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

9. I think Pavel is more or less a 'bringer of light' I think his decisions will cause major rifts in the story, and help Phaedra through looking at her situation with a different perspective. I think he's a really strong character! 10.I do believe that there is going to be loss and love along the way, like any long journey. The amazing thing about this is the possibilites of their actions, and where Phaedra may actually end up in the end. Her firey personality certainly can be her down fall to a degree, but I think that her goal will be reached in the end, though perhaps not in a way she expected ! 11.Vanna certainly knew more than she let the readers know, and Fata Morgana (and cheth) knew of that potential on that island. Im also feeling like Lady Halea, shady as she is, knew about such a possibility of an attack (but that is based on my own personal hunches !) 12. Cheth misbehaves and he's ready to make some waves in the water (literally ) I think he's ready to strike against his imprisonment, and Phaedra and Pavel are his 'potential pawns' along the way. I don't know if he is really behind a larger part of the plot, tbqh, and think that he's more so an opportunist who's ready to get out of time out. Halea and the gang on the other hand strike me somewhat differently

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Krispyyy these are all so lovely AHH

And some your readings are spot-on I’m so glad

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I think peoples’ reaction to Pavel is such a pleasant surprise. I was very unsure of adding him initially, and some people have said that seeing him right after ch 1 made them worried to keep reading... but he’s absolutely the link between the two conflicting sides of the world. I honestly tried to think of kid characters I liked in various forms of media, and ones I DIDN’T like. I considered him a challenge, and I wanted to do right by him. If Phaedra is the brain of the story, and Cheth is... whatever Cheth is... then Pavel is absolutely the story’s heart. He’s so important.

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

I did find Pavel as a good refreshing take on the 'energetic boy lead' or deuteragonist in this case. At first I thought he was that usual rascally boy who does what he wants. I think of Hogarth in Iron Giant. But the nice bits of sympathy you put into him, made him a stronger character.(edited)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Hogarth is pretty much a perfect child character in my mind. Still learning, still reckless, but capable of understanding deeper concepts than most would expect. His naïveté drives the story, but not in a bad way.

Deo101 [Millennium]

I absolutely love Pavel. He rings true to the kinds of children i work with, rather than the endlessly annoying types that are for some reason more typically depicted

Granted some kids are annoying but not usually how they're shown to be

Miranda

Oh Hogarth. I love that movie

But yes. Pavel is such a great character. There's so much to him and he's only a child but it doesn't make him seem less childish...if that makes sense

Joichi [Hybrid Dolls]

Yes or you didn't run into the issue of him making adult choices even though he's a child. He feels like a geninine child character. I second with loving Vanna(edited)

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I admit at first I thought, oh no, unrealistic child character, but I kept reading to see Phaedra. But then you really proved my first impressions wrong as the chapter went on

Also, Vanna

Vanna's great too

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Pavel has actually skewed a lot more toward Aang from AtlA. He doesn't have this grand destiny on his shoulders, but in terms of his maturity, and trying to see the good in things, that's absolutely him.

And yes, Vanna is absolutely essential to his character. I specifically wanted a scene where she had to turn on the mom face. Pavel's not perfect, even if he's well meaning. He still has to be careful.

Miranda

ya, maybe that's it. He doesn't have the weight of the world on his shoulders like most kids in shows these days. He just has kid problems.

copperine

I love Pavel, he feels very genuine to the world and his life

copperine

He feels very confident and naive at the same time, which is something I relate to (from when I was a child anyway) but I don't see portrayed as well and real-feeling that often

spacerocketbunny

Ok FINALLY JOINING THIS TEA PARTY, here we go: 1. Phantomarine has an incredibly solid start, from foundations to characters to motives, everything is so concrete and CLEAR. We enter in with huge stakes and high tension, it's immediately gripping and very effective! 2. So far is the introduction of the Fata Morgana! The chapter starts pretty tense and it goes from "can we trust Halea?" to "OH NO WE CAN'T AND EVERYTHING JUST GOT 100 TIMES WORSE" Wonderful execution on this scene, it's tragic and all the heavy hitting moments and spot on! Plus I love the FM's design it is just so GOOD 3. My favourite would have to be Halea so far! There's a lot of shifty mystery behind her and I'm super intrigued to see what her business is all about. Also would it be fair to say that the Fata Morgana is an instant favourite at this point? might be soon but have I mentioned that I love that design yet? LOL 4. Cheth and Phaedra I think is just a no-brainer there.The tension, the drama, the high stakes, Phaedra's conviction and Cheth's underhanded tricks, it's all there folks 5. The art is so fluent and feels like a beautiful whimsical puzzle that all fits together so perfectly. The environments are solid and thoughtful, the character's expressions are clear and amusing, it all just goes together wonderfully

spacerocketbunny

There's so MANY strengths for this comic, it's fun, it's beautiful, the pacing is impeccable and the characters are so strong and unique to each other. Everything about it is just so MEMORABLE, there really isn't anything I don't like about this comic. it's the kind of work that you can see getting easily adapted into animation/movies/WHATEVER it just has everything going for it honestly!

I'm not super great with speculating about events and all that but I will stand on top of a mountain to SCREAM MY PRAISE FOR IT

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

SPACEEEEEE

Would you actually like to know something fun about the Fata Morgana? TOO LATE I'm gonna tell you anyway

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

TELL US

copperine

YES

TELL US

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

So just before I had finalized the design of the Fata Morgana, @FeatherNotes(Krispy) had sent me this guest art for the hiatus

And I was like........ that's a freaking awesome motif I haven't thought of. Like a cursed halo.

copperine

a cursed halo.

@LadyLazuli (Phantomarine) yes

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

So... I had the mummy/bandage motif already set, but I knew it needed more. So I slapped some of those rectangles all over the fata morgana as... like... cursed jewelry that evoked the same mood as those divine bands.

SPOILER

ET VOILA

copperine

Omfg

That's incredible

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I couldn't do a full halo, but I could do lots of smaller ones

I loved that idea so much. Like... black bone jewelry, mourning a dead king

And I was like SOLD

So congratulations. Cartridge directly influenced a major design in Phantomarine

copperine

God, I aspire to that kind of thing

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

Ditto......damn

and it's one of the best designs too....

okay...gonna try my hand at round 2

spacerocketbunny

YAY OH MY GOSH THAT MAKES ME HAPPY

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

9. I believe that Pavel will be that living soul that helps Phaedra find the relic. But here's the thing....he just lost his mom to sea ghosts. The question is that while he's usually really helpful....would a part of him be scared of the seaghosts, and in extension, Phaedra? Would Phaedra be positively influenced by Pavel too?

Furthermore, Pavel and Phaedra both lost parents in violent ways; Phaedra lost her father last year, while Pavel just saw his mom seabitten and vanish. I think they can gain solace/a sense of camaraderie from that common factor.

10. Even if she does succeed, she'll always have people try to kill her. I wonder....I really wonder....if she'll consider abolishing the monarchy in place of a democracy for the islands. Phaedra seems to want to save everyone, but like other people have mentioned.... what if she can't? I think she's going to lose someone....and if it's not her, it'll be someone

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

Ohhmyy gaoihhhgs that is so cool Claire!???? Im so happy that that inspired u to make....the Bae even Bae-er

copperine

@FeatherNotes(Krispy) you're famous

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

11. Halea seriously....she gives me the creeps. And I think the Phantomarine was supposed to protect Pavel and Vanna from being attacked or seabitten. But unfortunately, someone wants to silence them....and Vanna wasn't close enough to the phantomarine to be protected. I think as soon as she saw Pavel was still alive, she didn't like that....that someone who was seabitten hasn't been taken yet.

If she IS in control of the Fata Morgana, or specifically, CHELINE, wouldn't she want more to flow through the ranks. What if they found a treatment, or worse, a CURE for the fata morgana? Doesn't that mean their assassin army could be diminished? What if it meant, I don't know.... less power for Cheline? If there's one thing that the gods in Phantomarine don't seem to like, it's their power being questioned.

12. Deo made some VERY good points. Cheth strikes me as a trickster god....but he's also not stupid. What bothers me is that he's not an omniscient god; he is only tied to whatever the ocean tells him. But like Deo said...what if that's the point, to prevent him from knowing more? Was he banished because he wanted more power? Or was it because he knew too much AND opposed Cheline?

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Man... I have a theory for something that might happen later down the line, but it makes me sad

Vanna returns as an assassin

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

I wonder if Cheth/Cheline have had an arms race and they are trying to outcompete each other....somehow. And thousands of years ago, Cheline won. Because she had a mortal on her side. But this time....maybe Cheth is trying to use Pavel/Phaedra as his mortal champions now, just like how the Greek gods used their champions in the Trojan war. Like someone said....Phaedra and Pavel may just be pawns in Cheth's great scheme of things, and maybe he ultimately wants to be free of his chains.

Also....who said that the relic ONLY brings back seaghosts? What if it can bring back Cheth too? Maybe Cheth is just using Phaedra to bring him the relic so that he can escape the sea. Food for thought.

@snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights) with how the panels introducing the Fata Morgana seemed to mirror Vanna's face.....I think you might be right. And she'll try to kill Pavel.

It's a lot easier to kill someone if they're frozen in fear.

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

ok I've only read chapter 1 so far but I'm just bowled over by the sheer beuty of the comic. Going to try for the first round before going on to the next chapters just because I want to gush about it a little.

Deo101 [Millennium]

Snuffy... I had the same thought

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

1. The opening scene is an instant win. The challenge and how the dialogue naturally reveals the stakes and the strengths and weaknesses of both Phaedra and Cheth make for one of the best openings I've ever seen in a comic, print or web. Just amazing. 2. Favourite moment in Chapter 1 was the turning point- right after Phaedra won her bet, and how she crossed a line that leads to a pretty underhanded emotional attack on the part of Cheth. Master strokes. 3. As a favourite character I have to go with Cheth, though I like Phaedra as well. he's just so deliciously sleek and evil, and his shapeshifting and soul possessing are very entertaining- thanks to the wonderful art that illustrates it. Great work. 4. I haven't seen more characters yet than Cheth and Phaedra but their interaction is superb. I will be surprised if I get to prefer another set and not those two interacting going forward. 5. The art shines the most when Cheth does his thing with the various shapes he takes and souls he wears. Going to hold on answering the other questions until I've read some more.

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

Finished reading through, but it's 2 am and I won't be coherent answering questions. Gotta wait till tomorrow but I had to say, what a compelling tale. So glad I got to read it. Bookmarked to stay on for the ride. Congrats!

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

You're very kind. Thank you

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

6. I think there's nuance on and about a wide range of issues. From religion and faith to politics and bias, discrimination and the fear of death. Complicated, fascinating stuff. 7. I like how characters feel alive, each with their own agency. I also like how it might come down to a competition on who actually is the villain- don't want to spoil anything. 8. The comic's strengths are many- art, plot and dialogue deliver an engaging story with good suspense. I'm a sucker for suspense, so I'm hooked (edited)

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

9. It seems Pavel might be the living person Phaedra needs, with enough quid pro quo to keep them on the same team at least for a while. 10. I'm not actually sure. I'm leaning towards 'yes' but the story might surprise me. If she resurfaces alive, she will have to deal with plotters in her court for sure, and perhaps uncover truths about their clergy that will be ...let's say at least uncomfortable. 11. I think the attack has everything to do with their chance encounter with Halea, considering the warnings they were given. I also have this inkling that their connection to the throne might be a bit more complicated that the average islander's there, which is why they were told to run and hide. 12. Cheth reminds me of Loki a lot (including the male/female ghost wearing) so I'm assuming he pulled a prank or attempted something that potentially would break the world, or some such thing, which got him banished. I'd expect his goal is to escape his banishment, which might then make him more likely to be a big and deadly threat. The seaghosts I think are connected to him directly which is why he knows everything in the sea, or some such thing. But I'm still forming my own theory on that so I can't say I feel confident making any kind of guess on that!

Once again, congratulations @LadyLazuli (Phantomarine) I thoroughly enjoyed this.:)

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

7. I also like how it might come down to a competition on who actually is the villain

@Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight) Ooh. Maybe there are still two! And it’s just a question of who is worse

12. Cheth reminds me of Loki a lot (including the male/female ghost wearing) so I'm assuming he pulled a prank or attempted something that potentially would break the world

@Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight) The Loki/Lady-Loki similarity was something I realized far later than I should have. It’s totally true! Might have been a subconscious influence. I always thought the idea was awesome

And thank you very much again for checking it out!

RebelVampire

Given that Phaedra is basically a ghost and Pavel is basically the only person who likes them, it is destiny he will be the only living person who can help her. However, my impression of Phaedra was that, at first at least, she may be overly concerned with her own goals and kind of forget that Pavel is just an adorable boy who needs help. So I kind of feel why Pavel will help her at first, it won't be a two-way street for a while. I definitely think Phaedra will succeed, but I also definitely think that won't be the end of it. Cause there's clearly a conspiracy to kill her. So sure, she may succeed, but then whoops have to stop corruption and the work is never done. As for challenges along the way, I'm sure there's gonna be some occassional Cheth's appearances of mocking. Mostly, though, I think it's gonna be protecting Pavel from the various dangers of the sea. I'm just gonna go definitive on this one with my theory. Halea is the one who had Phaedra assassinated and Halea somehow controls the Fata Morgana. And when she saw that whoops, maybe no more minions, she had Vanna and Pavel attacked cause they were clear threats of power. Cause Halea's power is entirely derived from the fact the sea is broken. If you unbreak the sea, no more power. So gotta maintain that status quo. As for the Phantomarine, I think it's more that in order to escape the dangers, Vanna and Pavel would probably have to travel far away from the safety of the lighthouses. I think Cheth just wants to be not trapped. I kind of feel like there's some unfairness going on here and that while maybe Cheth wasn't the greatest person, but also probably didn't deserve to be cast into the sea forever. And if I'm honest, I think it probably is what made the world worse than anything else.

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Solid answers, all of them. Sometimes the strongest theories are the simplest ones

boogeymadam

Oh nO these ended up so long asdfg my bad 9. They’ll probably be connected by a shared-quest. They can help by retrieving things for each other they couldn’t otherwise. We know Phaedra’s gonna need someone to go on land for her and retrieve that Sacred Relic capable of reviving the dead, so I’d be curious to see if Pavel would need the opposite for some reason. Whatever the case, my vague theory on how they’ll connect revolves around Katja! Simply because she seems like the perfect friend for him (and tbh, anyone). And because Pavel seems to like quite a few Seaghost animals like Salty Joe..... and because petting and playing with a fluffy sweet dog is exactly what Pavel deserves Hurt?? Is a more difficult question. I would imagine it’s Cheth related. So far Pavel has shown a lot of sympathy for Cheth and could almost be considered a fan of him based on the costume he wore to the maritime fair. Meanwhile Phaedra has very personal reasons for despising him. 10. Hmm.. Maybe… All the twists and turns in the story so far have taken me by surprise so I really don’t have a clue what kind of challenges she’ll encounter next, or whether she’ll end the story alive. LadyLazuli doesn’t seem to be afraid of breaking reader hearts (and i say that with love lmao). Almost certainly Phaedra have more challenges involving her dad. I’m very curious to know more about him and if he’s as honorable as he seems. If she succeeds, assuming she learns about Vanna’s Seabite cure from Pavel, perhaps she’ll make that a more widespread thing so Seabitten children aren’t abandoned at the aquifier. However, seeing as she was assassinated (or at least Halea claimed she was) she’d probably have to unravel the mystery of whoever is out to get her before she can safely return to the living life, or risk ending back where she started.

11. My interpretation of the exciting latter-half of chapter 3 is this: The instant Halea learned that Vanna cracked the code to curing or at least strongly delaying Seabite, she made up her mind to have her and Pavel killed. For some reason she doesn’t want knowledge of the cure to spread. Perhaps so she has more Fata Morganas under her control? So meanwhile, knowing how Halea operates somehow, Garth gave Vanna the Phantomarine a means of protection, one that a Fata Morgana would not be able to destroy with a bone arrow perhaps. His reasonings for summoning Cheth are very mysterious to me, but I think someone Garth once cared for, this “Snowbelle”, may have had a positive-enough interaction with Cheth that Garth thought “yeah okay I’ll trust you to help my friends” :0c 12. I haven’t picked up on a clear indication of Cheth’s goals, so I’m pulling this mostly out of my bum, but I think it has to do with his skull. It’s on an island so he can’t reach it (unless the lighthouses go out apparently, http://www.phantomarine.com/comic/the-horizon-child/2-21-golden-feronia/ ) and Vanna makes it sound like something terrible would happen if he could reach it. His manifesting and wearing all these other souls, but never appearing close to any of the bonefish imagery makes me think he can’t assume that form without his skull being in the water, but maybe that would unlock some other powers too. Maybe that would undo the banishment, and he’d be free to leave the sea. Which is really funny to me that only once he unlocks fishmode, can he go on land lmao. What he’d do once he’s got that freedom tho, who knoooows I kinda think the relic Cheth told Phaedra of could be the skull, but it’s so... huge… Phaedra and her friends would have no means of getting it into the ocean that I can think of. Maybe they don’t need to in order to revive themselves though?

WAIT i sent that and it just clicked for me that seaghosts can go on land but Cheth can't so whether or not the lighthouses go out, that skull's off limits. but still.

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 3

13. What are you most looking forward to seeing in regards to the comic?

14. Any final words of encouragement for the comic?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

boogeymadam

13. most looking forward to meeting Phaedra's friends and learning more about the world they live in. Every place we see is dripping with character and a unique atmosphere and unexpected purpose, like the aquifier vs. the venue Vanna and Pavel were in at the end of the maritime fair. 14. It's just such an absolute treasure of a comic, one that is immediately so intriguing that I couldn't have stopped after the first page if I wanted to. (And with a premise and style like this, who would want to!) Its tone is whimsical and a wonderful balance of heartwarming and heartbreaking. Makes me feel nostalgic for old animated movies. Also the pacing great! Phantomarine can pour so much progress and into a single bubbly page and then others have thoughtful pauses that allow for plenty of breathing and digesting of that information. Aside from it being just overall enjoyable, it's also great learning material~

Miranda

13. Honestly, right now I’m really excited to see Cheth and Pavel interact. But besides that I’m looking forward to Phaedra and Pavel uniting 14. KEEP IT UP YOU BEAUTIFUL PERSON YOU! WE LOVE YOUR COMIC AND IT BRINGS JOY TO OUR HEARTS. But seriously. It’s a work of art and you are telling an amazing story in a spectacular way.

Ryccomics

I eschewing the prompts I cannot find them anymore. Good: First, love the art, and color scheme. Second, probably the best backgrounds I have seen in a webcomic, they useful for the telling the story. Love the crowd shots, and the people in the crowd being detailed and different. Pavel’s design quite unique. I really adore the self-contained story of chapter 1, it set up main character, their goal very efficiently, and at least temporary villain (we’ll see about that later). Chapter 2 and 3 I was little less keen on, now we are focussing a different set of characters, and I am waiting for the stories to re-converge. Although, the Vanna death(?) scene was very well done. Most of dialogue has this will matter later tone to it. I feel confident the story has a direction, and a route to get there (this very important given the nature of web comics).

Tantz Aerine (Without Moonlight)

13. I'm looking forward to Phaedra and Haldea interact. That should be juicy. 14. Just keep on going. You're doing great!

shadowhood (SunnyxRain)

13. I can't wait to see the lore unfold in Phantomarine. It's a world that I want to keep exploring along with the protagonists. And I do want to see how the crew would react and cope to being seaghosts and what that would mean for their relationship with Phaedra. And of course, Cheth. I want to see more Cheth. 14. Claire, your webcomic is amazing, and just want to say that you're doing a wonderful job with it. Please keep up the good work, and I look forward to reading and drawing shitmemes for it

eliushi [a winged tale]

Everyone has already said so much more eloquently of what I wanted to say! I also love the very creative use of typography and background art as Pavel ran through the house to escape in the last chapter. Excellent suspense and tension! As always, looking forward to more!!

Jiblish

Ahhhh I’m late but 13. I’m really looking forward to seeing all the threads come together and seeing all the tension that has been building up unravel. It’s always cool, in stories with different viewpoints happening simultaneously. to see them all crash into each-other. More specifically with Phantomarine, there’s so much we feel like we know and don’t know so it’ll be exciting to get more pieces to the puzzle about people’s true identities and intentions as time goes on. Oh, also, I hope my man Garth is doing okay haha 14. I’ve said this before, and people have said it here, but you can tell this story was crafted with love and somebody with the intense desire for good storytelling. It’s wonderful. Keep doing what you’re doing! We’ll be excited for whatever you cook up next

RebelVampire

I am looking forward to learning more about Cheth cause I really feel like there's something deep just under the surface that's waiting to burst out and scream surprise. As for final words, this is all around a beautiful comic with some really interesting lore with lots of detail and thought put into it. And I think that along makes it worth a read even if it's not your cup of tea!

FeatherNotes(Krispy)

Im looking forward to seeing how Pavel really develops. I've said in my questions before that I believe he's a character that has the power to alter and change the course of events-! I think he's going to really turn Cheth on his head with these next new pages too. Also, Fata Morgana is DEF a fave, i want to know so much more of her purpose in the cogs and gears that turn the story U-U All in all, i cannot express how much I truly love this comic. I discovered it a while ago and was instantly hooked with the visuals, characters, and power of story. There's definitely a sense that Phantomarine will easily become a classic amongst the webcomic medium, and that it's certainly a work of art to keep tabs on!

eliushi [a winged tale]

I love the comic layout, the colours and the theme of Phantomarine! It really feels like I’m watching a show since it’s so polished with great movement between each panel. I’m super looking forward to all the character developments and unraveling more mysteries

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

I wanted to thank everyone for your kind words before this Book Club officially closes up. I've jumped into the webcomic community without much prior experience or exposure, and I've been amazed by the outpouring of kindness and guidance from everyone I've met, including the people here. Thank you for all the encouragement this week - to me, Phantomarine's story is just barely getting started, but to know it's already this well-received is very affirming (and a little overwhelming!). I consider it my duty to deliver a satisfying story from here to the end, and I'll keep aiming for that goal until my job is done. Big hugs from me, and thank you very much for the feature! I'll have a blast looking back on this in the future

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Phantomarine this week! Please also give a special thank you to Claire K. Niebergall for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Phantomarine, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: http://www.phantomarine.com/

Claire’s Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/phantomarine

Claire’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Phantomarine_

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #book club #bookclub #webcomic book club #webcomic bookclub #comic tea party #ctp #phantomarine #claire k. niebergall

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lutelyre · 4 years

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Fic Drabble: Merlin

Prompt: After years of requests, H-bee has finally dragged a Merthur fic from me, and tbh I’m not mad about it. This also could have worked for Whumptober’s “Ransom” or “Numb” potentially! Fandom: Merlin -- AU “Rival Gangs” scenario (This was my first time ever writing this fandom and I haven’t seen a SINGLE episode, so what a wild ride...)

Everybody Knows That The Dice Are Loaded

Merlin feels himself break out in a cold sweat when he sees them drag Arthur inside, hogtied and blindfolded, his nose already broken and blood drooling from a torn lip onto his dumb rock band t-shirt, bruises blooming on his face like dark roses.

He’s spitting curses, struggling like the diehard hero he always tried to be, and Merlin feels his heart crack a little bit, a panic growing fizzily in his chest. Goddamn it—he’d told Arthur that Mordred would be patrolling tonight, he’d told him a hundred times. Why the fuck wouldn’t the man ever listen to him?

“We didn’t expect to pick up this fuckboy, when we went cruising, huh?” laughs Mordred, his eyes alight with triumph and maybe also a fresh line of coke. Mordred had never been good at keeping himself out of the goods. Behind him, Morgause gets tired of Arthur’s impressive litany of expletives and punches him in the stomach, hard. Author shuts up mid-swear, and instead groans in pain, long and low. They must have already broken a few ribs. Morgause reaches down to shove a rough wad of cloth into his mouth to gag him, clearly already over this shit.

Merlin’s fingers twitch involuntarily. “Great, you got us useful asset, but the Knights won’t pay for a beat-up piece of pulp, will they?”

Arthur’s head snaps up at his voice, a noise of recognition half-dying in his throat. Merlin’s stomach flips over. Mordred laughs, high-pitched and not really sane. He always was more aggressive when he was doped up.

“Who says we’re ransoming this little piece of shit?” He kicks Arthur’s back with his heavy black combat boot, hard, and Arthur twists awkwardly on the ground and grunts, gritting his teeth.

“I’m going to have a little fun with him, and then we’ll put his head on a spike for the Knights to cry over.” A switchblade catches the light, and then too quickly Mordred is kneeling down, gripping Arthur’s chin and already drawing a deep, red-seeping line with the blade down his forehead, smiling when Arthur tries to jerk from his hold.

Merlin’s own teeth feel tight in his mouth, buzzing. He tries to think fast. “You don’t want to ransom Pendragon’s kid? They’ll pay good money for him.”

Arthur makes another half-bit off noise, surprise but also an undercurrent of anger in the muffled sound.

Fuck, what was he doing? He had promised never to tell that secret—knew it would make Arthur a target more than anything else. But what the fuck else was he supposed to do? Mordred’s head had snapped up at his words.

“What d’you mean, his kid?” He looks slowly from Arthur lying on the ground to Merlin, whose fists are clenched. “Just how did you know that, man?”

Shit, shit, shit—

“Not all of us just spend our time testing the goods, Mordred.” He says, as casually as he can muster. “I’ve been doing research, I thought that was my job in this hellhole.”

Mordred chuckles under his breath. “Oh yeah? I wonder about that.” He brings his knife up to his mouth and licks the blood there, slowly.

“This little Knight ass-wipe seemed to know where he was going when we grabbed him, didn’t ya?” Mordred brings the blade back up to Arthur’s face, draws another line on his forehead agonizingly slowly, diagonal to the first. “Even seemed to know exactly what we were doin’. I wonder how he knew that, don’t you?”

Arthur hisses, face creasing in pain as the knife presses to his flesh, droplets of blood beading and dripping down to disappear under the blindfold. Merlin tries to look away but can’t tear his eyes from Arthur, his hands twitching spastically, the way his jaw tightens around the gag stuffed in his mouth.

Mordred brings his knife up again, and Merlin suddenly realizes he’s carving a letter into Arthur’s forehead, a bloody “M”. He feels sick, struggles not to choke, not to rip the knife from Mordred’s fist, not to scream bloody murder himself��why had Arthur been out, that blasted, brave-hearted—

“Look—does why he was there even matter?” Merlin licks his lips, tries to put enthusiasm in his voice instead of the dread he feels filling the his chest like water, fear churning in his lungs. “We should use this as an opportunity—we could make an example of him, that we’re willing to ransom, and make a fucking sweet load of cash.”

Mordred sighs, hums to himself softly. “Maybe you should use this as an opportunity, Merlin.“

Merlin opens his mouth to retaliate, to make some kind of fuss—anything to stop that knife from touching Arthur’s skin again—But in one quick movement Mordred reaches and pulls the now blood-soaked blindfold from Arthur’s face to pool loosely at his chin.

Arthur blinks hard against the sudden light, and one eyelid is swollen and puffy, his eyelashes dripping blood from the brand Mordred carved into his skin, but those eyes are still the bright blue Merlin knows so well; clear like a summer day, like a sky so hot you could burn just reaching up to touch it. Arthur’s gaze searches frantically and locks onto his own almost immediately, yearning and furious all at once, a muffled groan breaking his lips.

Suddenly Merlin can’t quite breathe.

“What d-do you mean?” Merlin manages to get the words out even though his mouth is cold, his tongue thick around the words, strangling. He doesn’t look away from Arthur for a moment, even though at this point he knows it’s a risk. Mordred is watching them both closely, watching everything like the scene in the dusty storeroom is a play put on just for him, but Merlin can’t fucking help it, he needs to let Arthur know he’s trying— needs to find some outlet for all the rage and fear and heartbreak that seems to be suddenly happening in his chest, water still steadily rising.

Mordred laughs again, sharp and incredulous. “C’mon man, I don’t need to be hyped on Morgana’s freshest powder to think that something is up with you. You’re acting funny, and it started right about when I dragged this bastard in.” Mordred draws his tongue slowly up his knife again.

Damn it all—of all the people in this sordid operation, other than Morgana herself, Mordred has always been the most perceptive, the most sly. Getting out of prison early last month had only made him worse. And doesn’t Merlin know that? He should have planned better for this—he should have made another plan, had a fucking back-up.

They’d always just written off the possibility that this could ever happen—believed themselves too good to be caught, too quick, too cunning. It was just laughably stupid.

Mordred’s other hand fists in Arthur’s hair, wrenches his head back to peer at his face, considering. “Pendragon’s son sure is pretty.”

Arthur makes another noise around his gag, like he wants to eat Mordred alive, murderous. Merlin struggles to pull it together, trying not to drown.

“I—I didn’t think he was really your type, Mordred.”

“What, you mean to tell me he’s more your kinda guy?” Mordred laughs again, elated. “I’m beginning to think you do. I’m even beginning to think maybe—“ He brings the switchblade up again to press the tip of the knife into the underside of Arthur’s chin, force his head back further. “—Maybe you’ve already established this pretty-boy is just exactly what you like to fuck.”

Merlin yanks his eyes away from Arthur, and he knows his face is too fearful, too honest. The dangerously hair-fine tension of the room has reached a breaking point. “You’ve been sampling too much snuff Mordred, and it’s finally gotten to your head—stop acting so crazy.”

Mordred’s laughter wipes off his face, and then he abruptly lets go of Arthur to let him hit the floor with a dull thud and a moan.

He knew that had been a bad move as soon as he’d said it. The last time someone had called Mordred crazy, that poor fucker had ended trussed up in the bathroom of a fast food restaurant way out on the turnpike, missing most his fingers.

There’s a pause, where Merlin wonders wildly if he has enough hand-eye coordination to kick the knife from Mordred’s hand and snap the ties between Arthur’s wrists and legs, like this was some kind of an action hero movie. It’s a frantic thought—He knows he doesn’t have that level of skill. He’s not exactly in this gang because of his brawn, and this knowledge sits heavy in his limbs, frustratingly resigned. It’s a shame he always thought riding off into the sunset was for sissies, anyway. His pulse thunders wildly in his ears, a hundred staccato beats a second.

Mordred considers Merlin, the obvious panic spiraling over his face, and then a beatific smile slowly crosses his lips, chillingly angel-like.

“Alright then, how about you prove me wrong?”

“Mordred, look, can we just slow down—“

Mordred extends the knife out to Merlin— gleaming wet with saliva, still tinged red at the edges. “I think you should put your money where your mouth is, man.”

“What?!—Fuck no!” The words fall from Merlin’s lips before he can stop them and he hurriedly backtracks. “You—you know I hate getting everything so—messy. You’re the one who gets his fucking rocks off lopping off bits of people, I— I do the tech and, I do the planning—“

“—and I’m the muscle. Yep, I know.” Mordred smiles wider, his faintly bloody teeth look horrifying in the dim light of their storeroom, tightly wrapped packets of Morgana’s best product around them wrapped up in paper and taped with red duct tape, ready to be shipped tomorrow. Merlin dimly notices that at some point Morgause must have left the room, to stand guard or to call for reinforcements, he’s not sure. The world has narrowed to himself, and Arthur on the ground, and Mordred suddenly knowing too much, seeing too much, everything being too much.

“But still, I think you should indulge me, just this once, don’t you?”

Mordred steps forward, leans in very close and Merlin feels a shiver slide through him. “You carve up that pretty face a bit more for me, Merlin, and maybe I’ll decide we should ransom him.”

In the dirt, Arthur jerks, twisting and fighting for leverage from his bindings, a low growl in his throat. His eyes have a desperate, pleading look to them as he meets Merlin’s gaze again, his hands fisting the air like he’s imagining them around Mordred’s throat.

“I think he’d look good with a little more of our color on him, huh?” Mordred murmurs the words softy, like it’s just a suggestion, but Merlin knows what he’s asking—he wants to carve another letter into Arthur’s cheeks, his forehead, maybe his neck. Mordred always did have a penchant for making sure their gang left a calling card. He’d do it to suppliers who turned traitor, new initiates who lost their steam and wanted to run home to mama. Hell, Mordred even slashed some random teens outside their local deli the other week, because they’d been ‘getting on his nerves.’

Merlin struggles not to choke on the bile rushing up his throat.

He wishes Arthur had fucking stayed indoors tonight, like he was supposed to. Merlin almost even wishes he could kill him and let that be the end of things, could cut him up him without feeling like this, without feeling anything. He wishes he’d never met him that sunny July day on the highway, wishes he was just some other piece of trash the crew was always pulling in to make their dicks feel better. He wishes he wasn’t drowning right now, his fingers numb and his ribs heaving, wishes—

“If you do this for me, Merlin, I promise we’ll just ask for a big ole’ wad of cash from the Knights, like you suggested. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Mordred holds out the knife in an open palm, barely an inch away. Merlin realizes he’s loving this. Mordred always hated him, all the way from day one when Morgana brought him on to help organize the gang’s gigs and pay off his credit card debt, never liked being only the muscle. This realization pumps sluggishly through his head as though from another time, another century.

“Something tells me you’d like this guy to see another day quite a lot.”

When Merlin doesn’t move, Mordred sighs dramatically, as if this was all just wasting his time and starts to pull the knife back. “But if you’d rather, I’m happy to go ahead and slit his throat, man. It’s your call.”

Merlin swallows hard, closes his eyes.

For a second all he can see is Arthur’s laughing face the last time they’d stolen a breath of a moment together, far on the other side of the city where the feuding gangs usually don’t dare show their signs, and they’d stood in the glowing pool of light from a corner streetlamp and Arthur’s lips were soft and his breath was so warm—

He takes the knife.

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mandyizzym · 4 years

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After Darkness

J.F. Johns

I would like to thank J.F. Johns & Amazon Publishing for my copy of the ARC. Due to this kind gesture, I have decided to leave an honest review.

God damn you, Amanda! When will you research a book before you apply for the ARC? This book is a sequel series to a series called Eternal Darkness Trilogy. Luckily, you don't have to have read the first series to get to grips with it but I think it would help.

In a world where humans and cyborgs coexist, it is forbidden for them to interact. Terra has never grasped this law, but when your dad is an extremely important part of the government, she knows she is meant to be a good girl. In her posh neighbourhood, at her posh school, with her posh friends, but what happens if that never satisfies? Especially after the loss of her mother. Terra decides the only way to deal with her anger is the pits. Where humans & cyborgs alike come to fight, illegally of course. That is where Terra sees him, the silver-eyed boy who has plagued her dreams while he dies.. each and every time. Can Terra fight the urge to get involved in a revolution, or will she be the one to kick start it?

I actually really enjoyed this book, yeah the writing was a bit lost on me at times but it kept me gripped. I couldn't tell if he was going for a younger YA audience or not, but then some sexy time made me realise probably not but it did tend to fall that way.

The world-building had some real Hunger Games vs Divergent going on. There were 7 Capitals, each having a real futuristic theme which really gave it HG feels. Each Capital (district) served a purpose, had watchers (peacekeepers) plus had curfews. No man's land kinda reminded me of Divergent, and the walls/fences around the Capitals reminded me of both books but it certainly had its own spin on it which was good.

There was a lot of characters (not too many that would blow your mind) but a good few. I think this is where it would have helped to have read the first books that the story originated from as these cyborgs seem pretty badass. I even found myself rooting for them pretty early on in the book which was awesome!

Our leading lady Terra Underwood was rather good, she started to get a bit annoying nearer the end of the book but she started off pretty strong. I have a lot of love for our cyborgs. The twins Ten & Rife were so creepy but I absolutely loved their characters! They reminded me of something from the shinning and I could imagine them rolling around on their plastic tricycles whispering "oil rummmmm, OIL RUMMM".

There were major strong females in here, Camille was obviously extremely cool, but Scarlette is going to be KICK ASS! or so I hope. Scarlet has the potential to knock it out of the park and I love the whole world destroyer thing. Morgana, we haven't heard much of yet so I am dying to see what happens with her character, I hope she's a super badass like Scarlet. Petra is a real devil, a proper Mike Tyson *wink wink* and she is ready to go to town! I always love a good villain, they make the story. There was a few characters who just went completely MIA like Hooky? He was a huge part then boom 0. Also, Terra's friend Damien?! Sasha & Damien both went MIA but Sasha still returns, Damien is just never heard from!

That brings me to our swoon-worthy cyborg males, and they certainly are hot hot. Eric Thorn has that cheeky cocky confidence around him that I absolutely love! He always seems up to something while not being up to actually anything. Malcolm Broddory we haven't heard much from him yet, but I can feel myself getting behind him. Then we have Kalem Akuma, oh how the Lord has answered our prayers! I never realised how much I wanted a cyborg boyfriend with serious KJ Apa feels (with KJ's natural colour of his hair of course). He comes across as mysterious, brooding, heart swooning male. He and Eric have done a number on me and I need another hit!

All in all the book was pretty good and I will certainly be reading on, I actually can't wait to see what unfolds.

"'Shoe's take time, your ginormous feet need time to adjust.' 'My feet are not big.' ' You know what they say about big feet...' Malcolm arched an eyebrow, then realising what she had meant glanced down at the shoes and said, You are right. My feet are big, aren't they?' Men, Camille thought.

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selenecrown · 5 years

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The Phantom Thieves of Hearts x Female!Reader (A Rumor Only Lasts Seventy-Five Days)

Author's Note: Hey, look, another Phantom Thieves of Hearts x Reader! Sorry Anon this isn't an Akira Kurusu x Reader or an Goro Akechi x Reader, but I worked really hard on this for you! And for everyone else who needs to know I'm still writing fanfictions, even after all this waiting!

This fanfic does take place in an AU, where The Phantom Thieves of Hearts are actual, real thieves that steal from the rich and give it to the poor, and punish corrupt people and help out the weak. And so, the Metaverse doesn't exist. So, Morgana can't be a cat, he's a person. So, be ready Morgana fans! Because probably from now on I'll be more comfortable using a human!Morgana

This is 110% inspired by the new outfits from P5A Masquerade Party ---Detective Daylight--- and P5A Masquerade Party ---Phantom Midnight---, so, yeah. I'm not even going to lie, that's the reason I did this fanfiction in the first place. So, get ready for a masquearade party full of shinnagans and your local Phantom dorks with those specific outfits. I will make one modification, though. All the mask will be full on masks, not half masks like in the art because it ruins the fun of identities.

Also, please listen to Meet Me by Mickey Valen Feat. Noé. As, I almost made this a songfic but I decided against it later on because it seemed awkward and out of place. But, please do listen to the song. It's worth it!

Also, this does get a whole lot darker later on, but I can't tell you because. . . Well, it ruins the surprise of the Palace the Phantom Thieves are targetting. But, I'm warning you guys, it gets dark real fast. So, prepare for some feels.

"They sent us a calling card?!" A woman exclaimed in the middle of the night into an almost empty room. "But. . . Why?!"

She knew exactly why.

She's a liar.

"It will be alright. It's not the Man in the Black Mask, at least! If it was him, we'd be dead for sure!" A man said to the woman, putting an arm on her shoulder for comfort.

That part is true. If it was him, you two would be screwed with a capital S.

"True, but. . . What about the money? Our property? The workers? What are we going to do? They're going to steal everything with what we have!" The woman wailed into her hands.

Oh, stop being such a bitch about it like you actually care.

Because, I know you don't.

"It'll be alright. We know their tricks, they can't deceive us!" The man assured her.

Oh, he's lying now, too.

Great, the more lies, the worse this gets.

The Phantom Thieves, were a well-known group of thieves that stole from the rich and corrupt, and gave it to the poor.

They were a group of dangerous individuals who claimed to give justice to those corrupt people untouched by the law but was controversial as to if that was the truth. As, the only people who had seen them where severely hurt and often couldn't remember any faces of the people who had robbed them.

But, other than that, the only thing that could even give the public a clue as to who they were. . . Was rumors sprend by the masses.

That's right.

None of the group had ever gotten caught, so only rumors could satisfy the public's thrist for answers.

Sure, there was a few people who did know the Phantom Thieves, but the police was on thin ice with all the failures to capture the illustrious group, so anyone even suspected was often arrested if reported to the authorities.

So, not only was corrupt people was afraid of being found out, but so was the average citizen if they where reported.

Everyone lived in fear of the Phantom Thieves.

And yet. . . They were popular with the youth.

As a symbol of rebellion against corrupt laws and tyrants, which is why even though the group had revealed little to no information about themselves to the public, many companies would make products about them. From personalized Calling Cards to themed attractions, the Phantom Thieves turned from a urban legend to a worldwide media phenomenon.

The group had a site that you could request for them to target someone's "heart", or their reputation. Officially called the Phantom Aficionado Website but nicknamed "The Phan-Site" by the public, anyone could request for anyone else to be taught a lesson. From new, petty crime-doers to other thieves on the prowl.

But, despite being so illustrious and uuntouchable to the public. . . You knew all of them personally.

That's right.

You knew the people behind the masks.

The only thing is. . . You didn't know you knew them.

Because they had kept you naïve to any knowledge of the group.

But it's hard to do that when they're the talk of, well, everywhere.

"Today I will be not be teaching you today, you will be reading from your textbooks and answering the comprehendsion questions on page 194, 198 and 200." Your Japanese teacher, Miss Kawakami, said plainly.

"It is all review, because next to none of you have been doing the homework at all recently and I'm not happy about it. And since most of the class is not listening to me during lectures, you'll have the textbook to work with instead of me." She said in an annoyed tone, as if she honestly just wanted to leave the class right now and not deal with any of you.

"For those of you who did the homework. . . You are to come speak with in the hallway."

Come in the hallway? But Miss Kawakami almost never asked for that sort of thing, she'd just give you free time when this happened. What was the matter this time?

You got up from your seat, and walked out of the classroom. But before you could leave, Ryuji Sakamoto stopped you by grabbing your arm.

"Wait, you did the homework?" He asked from his desk.

You were in the same homeroom as Ryuji, so the two of you often hung out then since you guys were friends.

"Yes, I did, why?" You replied him.

"Ah, whatever. Can you give me the answers later?" Ryuji asked you, but you shook your head.

"Ryuji, the comprehension questions was the homework, so you have all the answers. Kawakami is just giving you the homework as classwork now." You sighed at him.

"For real?!"

"Yeah. Oh, that's right, you ditched yesterday, didn't you?" You asked him.

"Yeah, but I was helping Akechi with his house with Futuba and Morgana." Ryuji shot back.

"Okay, okay." You putting your hands up in surrender.

"(First/Name)! Come on, I know you did the homework! Ryuji! Quit bothering her and get back to work!" Miss Kawawkami yelled at you two.

"I'm coming!" You said back to your teacher. "See you around, Ryuji."

"See ya." Ryuji repiled, as he pulled out a textbook and a piece of paper.

You walked out the classroom to find. . . Two other people standing out in the hallway with you. They seemed just as confused as you were, but before any of you could speak, Miss Kawakami spoke up.

"So, since you actually did your homework, I'm giving the three of you permission to ditch this period, or at least slack off for the period. But, I need some help grading papers, can one of you help me out?" She asked.

There was silence among the three of you. Then, you spoke up.

"I'll do it."

"Thank you," Miss Kawakami smiled at you. "The two of you can go do what you want. (F/N), come with me."

You followed her to the teacher's office, to find a few other teachers there. Miss Kawakami sat you down at her desk and gave you an answer sheet, and simply told you to mark an answer with a slash if they got it wrong, and a minus a half if the person got the idea of the answer, but didn't answer it correctly. Then, she left you to your own devices in the office.

You where grading the tests of another class, which must have been Akira and Ann's class, as when you went through the papers, you noticed Ann's and Akira's tests in the pile of ones you graded. When you were almost finished grading, with only one left the pile, you felt a tap on your shoulder. When you turned, there was Makoto.

"(F/N)? What are you doing here?" She asked you.

"Miss Kawakami asked me to help her out with grading papers, and since I had nothing better to do since I finished my classwork, why not?" You said.

"Ah, I see. Did you see Ryuji doing it?" She asked, seriously. Her face got dark, almost like she was going to beat Ryuji up if he didn't.

Makoto Niijima was the student council president of Shujin Academy, and Ryuji was a local delinquent. So, the two often came into conflict when it came to school work and ethics. But outside of school, you won't know that with how they treat each other. Even though Makoto seems to not show Ryuji much respect, she does deep down have some for him. Even you could see that.

Ryuji was a sweetheart and a great person outside of school. He really was, it's just he can't stand adults who abuse their power. That's why he strongly supports the Phantom Thieves and what they do, since he believes that the justice they have is truly justice. Makoto also had a strong sense of justice as well, almost as strong as Ryuji's sense of justice. She believes that justice is, in a way, absolute and no one could escape it. And, you couldn't quite blame her for having that sense of justice, since she wanted to be a police commissioner and her sister was a public prosecutor, it made sense.

"I think so. I saw him with half of the work done. He asked me a few questions about the work before Miss Kawakami called me out of the room." You lied to her.

Makoto. . . Was not a good person to piss off, to say the least. Even for a student council president, she was scary angry.

In being a friend to Ryuji, you decided to cover for him.

"Oh, that's good." She said. Her dark look on her face faded into a cheerful smile. "That's wonderful."

Makoto. . . Your smile.

You've had that same one when. . .

"When you've finished, can we talk?" She asked. Her cheerful smile turned into a sincere smile. Like she was. . .

"Yeah, sure." You responded.

"Alright. Meet me by the student council room, okay?" She smiled, and you nodded and she left the room.

That smile had on her face. . . That was the same smile when you found out her sister was given a calling card.

In other words. . . She was definitely hiding something from you.

"Well, whatever." You sighed, turning back to the ungraded paper left untouched until then.

After you had finished, Miss Kawakami came in and asked if you had been told that somebody wants to see you, like as soon as possible. You told her someone had dropped by asking you to talk with them in the student council room, but you told them you wanted to finish your task first, to which they agreed. Kawakami thanked you for helping her and dismissed you to go see Makoto.

When you opened the door, only was Makoto there. She was waiting patiently on a table.

But there was one thing you noticed:

She had an earpiece in her right ear.

It was hard to notice with Makoto's usually neat hair not tucked behind her ear, but you saw an earpiece through her brown hair.

"Please, take a seat." She smiled warmly at you, and moved her left hand to a seat. But, that only made everything even more chilling than relaxing.

You nodded and was going to sit down when you saw something else Makoto did:

She quietly locked the door out of the room.

And then she turned back to you as you had sat down in the seat offered to you.

She smiled warmly again at you, like an mother looking after a beloved child. "I know this isn't something I should be asking, but. . ."

She stopped speaking for a moment and you heard something faint come from somewhere and then Makoto said, "Your last name is (Last/Name), correct?"

"Y-Yes, why?" You asked, scared by Makoto's calmness in the situation.

Makoto has never asked you about your family, so why is she---?

"Are you, by chance, related to Aeron and Mara (L/N)?" Makoto asked.

Who?

Your brows knitted together, and your head tilted to one side, as you face scrunched up.

Ae-ron And Mar-a?

Are those English names? Maybe?

"Who?" You asked Makoto.

"The people who where on the news the other day. It is suspected they are having affairs within their marriage to one another. . . And I thought they where your parents since you had the same last names." Makoto said.

"No." You answered, firmly. "My parents have Japanese names, I've never heard of those names before."

"I see." She nodded her head, as if she had learned something very important and vital. "Then, can you tell me your parent's names?"

"Hinata and Kasumi (L/N)." You stated.

"Can you tell me more about them?" She asked.

Why?

Why does she suddenly care about your life at home?

"They're both workaholics. Most of the time, they work all day, all night without stopping. They both are nice people, They're just. . ." You hesitated for a moment. "Distant. We don't talk much since they're busy most of the time."

Makoto nodded. "One last thing. . . Why do you have bruises on your hand?"

"Huh?" You said, looking at your hands. You had brusies on your hands, but that weren't all that bad. "Oh, these? I got those because some kids where throwing stuff across my yard for fun. And, while I was lucky in not getting hit, my hands weren't as lucky."

"Oh," Makoto sounded surprised. "Sorry, the brusies worried me. Do you want to stop by the nurse's office?"

"Makoto, they aren't hurting me that badly." You said.

"You sure?" She asked, one final time.

"Yes. It'll go away soon." You said.

And just like that, Makoto let you go for the day.

When you went back to class, you had about 10 minutes before your next class would start. So, you pulled out a book to read. But, Ryuji came over almost as soon as you opened the book.

"When did you get these?" He asked, picking up one of your hands that had brusies all over.

"Some kids where throwing stuff across my yard for fun yesterday and I cleaned it up. But, most of the things I cleaned up was not easy to pick up and move." You told him.

"What did the kids put in your yard?"

"Many different thing, from heavy weights to a toilet." You said.

"The hell." Ryuji sighed, and then let go of your hand. "People these days. Argh, it just makes me wanna---!"

"Want to what, Ryuji?" A girl asked. When you turned, there was Ann. She was eating a package of Jagariko, and Ann sat right smack-dab in the middle of your desk. In the process, taking the book out of your hands.

"Y'know, beat some sense into them! Why the actual hell would people do something like that!?" Ryuji growled.

"I dunno. Maybe she has a really big yard and people use it without asking for permission?" Ann said.

"That doesn't make any sense, either!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"Well, what do you expect? The situation doesn't make any sense." Ann sighed.

"What are you guys talking about?" Another voice said.

That, was Morgana.

Morgana was a small boy, even smaller then Futuba albeit by not that much, but he certainly he a big ego. Probably the biggest one of the group. Morgana had hair like Akira's along with bright blue eyes, and he didn't seem follow the school dress code. He often wore a yellow bandana over his neck, and wore a t-shirt with a crude joke on it.

"Nothing important. Are we ready?" Ann said.

"Ann---" You almost said something, but then the bell rang to dismiss the class.

"Let's go. Come on, let's beat Akira there!" Morgana blurted, as he rushed out of the classroom. With Ryuji tailing him.

Ann, meanwhile stayed behind to help you pack up. And when you two left the classroom, Akira appeared to greet the two of you and followed you both to the roof.

"Ah! Smooth, Akira! Escourtin' two ladies here!" Ryuji teased Akira. Causing Morgana to give a hilarious face of shock and for Akira's face to show a beam of confidence.

He pushed up his glasses and smirked, "Haha. You have much to learn in the ways of gentlemanly attributes, Morgana Velvrule."

"Shut up!" Morgana shot back. "I was-I was just making sure Ryuji doesn't try anything!"

"Hey!" Ryuji exclaimed.

And with that, the door to the roof opened. And out came Makoto and Haru.

"Ah! There you guys are!" Morgana changed the subject. "Come on! I got sushi today!"

Pretty much after lunch, the day went by in a blur. You and Ryuji normally walked home together since the two of you lived not far from one another, but Ryuji said he needed to do something.

Leaving you by yourself to walk home.

"Alright, everyone's here. Ryuji, did (F/N) get home safely?" Morgana asked Ryuji.

"That's what she said." Ryuji said as he went through his text messages, to check if anything had changed from the last time the two of you talked.

"Good, now let's get down to business." Morgana stated. "Makoto, Akechi, is she related to them?"

"No. She said she had never heard those names before. She said her parents are named Hinata and Kasumi, not Aeron and Mara." Makoto said.

"And from what I could tell, she wasn't lying, either." Goro added.

"So, as far as our sources says, she is safe, correct?" Morgana asked.

Futuba nodded. "Yes. She wasn't invited, or on the guest list at all. And, there is no one else who could invite her to it now because of the couple's paranoia. So, chances are high she's way out of the question now."

"Alright. Then, let's move on. We definitely need a plan for infiltrating the place, we will have to do it in advance, am I correct?" Akira tried to confirm from the group.

"Yes, the place is pretty big just from the outside." Goro stated. "I couldn't get too close, but the place was much bigger than it looks, that is for certain."

"So, when can we infiltrate the place? There's so many people there it will be a big problem, and with them on high alert, it makes it much worse." Ryuji stated.

"We'll have to either do it late at night, or when everyone is out of the house." Morgana said.

"So, which one?" Ann asked. "Either works for me."

"Let's do the second one." Haru suggested. "It's just easier for everyone. And, It lessens the chance of being caught."

"Yes, that would be something to prioritize." Yusuke said.

"Are we in agreement, then?" Morgana asked. "Then, now we need to figure out the schedule of the couple and see when out next chance will be."

When the Phantom Thieves had gathered that much information about their target, they had found out the house was normally empty on Saturdays. And this coming Saturday both had meetings to go to, so the chance was wide open to them.

So, they set a date and was ready to infiltrate the targeted place.

Which, this time, was a mansion, and a small house right next to it.

The mansion seemed. . . Overly luxurious, even for a mansion. But despite it being luxurious, the group discovered rooms that weren't as luxurious and where downright gross to be in, or just not great rooms in general. Futuba, because she wasn't sure what was going on, set up cameras in certain areas, to see the purposes of them are. Then, they went to infiltrate the small house next to the mansion, they found it actually was supposed to be a shed full of tools, parts of many things, and a whole bunch of weapons. But, there was someone living there, because there was food in there, certain electronics that people often had where also present, as well as other signs to show someone was living there.

But. . . The place had no running water, and not that much electricity, either.

So the person who was living there. . . They where not in a good place at all.

All your friends where gone today.

Of course they where, they always do this at least once a month.

And whatever reason may be, they leave you to fend for yourself. No contacting you til the end of the day. No matter how much texting or calling you do, it doesn't matter. They ignore you until the very end, and then they answer you.

But, you couldn't care less about it now.

Because the disappearances had a pattern to it, making you able to predict when they would disaapear.

The good thing was, no one asked you to pick up homework or classwork this time.

On the night of the heist, Aeron and Mara was hosting a party celebrating the success they have had recently in their business.

Security was tight, and yet. . . It was a masqurade party.

Where no one knew another's face for certain unless they knew before hand.

And the couple had some nerve to think a masqurade party was a good idea, even after getting a calling card.

They either where foolish, or had a trick up their sleeves.

Getting an invitation wasn't to hard, but fitting in was harder with wealthy nobleman among the general population of people. Luckily, everyone had fancy enough outfits to match the outfits of the adults.

Akira was wearing a red suit with a long tailcoat, but the inside of the tailcoat was black. The tailcoat also had two golden buttons to pull the coat together if wanted, and it also had a breast pocket with a fancy white handkerchief sticking out. Akira had a black waistcoat to match the inside of the tailcoat, with a white dress shirt underneath with a white ascot tie with a small blue jewel on it tied around his neck by a black strap, with a pair of black dress shoes, as well. Akira wore a black and red mask, that looked like a regular mask but with large horns coming out the sides of the mask, with two other sharp edges sticking up as well. The mask was mostly black, but there was red across the mask that showed details of a horn. But, it also made a shape of eyelashes on both sides of the lower half of the mask. The mask itself was big enough to cover Akira's forehead.

Morgana was wearing an all black suit, expect on the inside of the tailcoat, which was dark purple. He wore a yellow bow tie instead of a yellow bandana. Morgana also wore brown dress shoes, and he had an actual sword on him. He was using it as a cane but it was an actual foil sword. Morgana had a black mask two dark blue tusks coming out of the mask with a yellow line above the eye slots of the mask, as well as little spots of purple at the top of the mask.

Ryuji was not wearing a full on suit unlike anyone else, but he was wearing black dress pants held up by a black belt with a buckle with a pair of crossed swords on it, a grey dress shirt and a black and red waistcoat, with the front of the coat being black and the backside being red with three faded golden buttons keeping the coat together. Ryuji wore a yellow and blue sailor tie with skulls and crossbones across the tie. As well as a pair of brown loafers and a silver chain with a decoration at the end of the chain. Ryuji also wore a torn-up white cloth as a bracelet on his left wrist. Ryuji's mask was a skull was an eye-patch on the right eye that also had a skull on it. Despite what it looked like, Ryuji could actually see through the eye patch, because that was actually just a special lens Futuba designed for Ryuji, since he was the muscle of the group and sometimes needed to see in the dark.

Ann was wearing a red sleeveless dress with a small pink sash around her waist along with a black stripe at the bottom of the dress with a yellow stripe below the black stripe that was at the bottom of the dress, which went to about over her knees. She wore a pair of black pumps with a red rose as a decoration on the shoe as well as the bottom of her shoe was red instead of black. Ann wore a light pink see-through cloth with dark pink leopard prints on it that she wore around her upper arms. Ann had her nails painted red, and she wore red earrings to match. Ann also wore a black choker with a red heart charm on it, she also had a giant red rose in her hair, which was in raised pigtails. Ann's mask looked like a black cat mask, with pink leopard spots at the top of the mask, the mask also had upside down hearts where the ears where that where a little lighter color of pink than the leopard spots. But around the eyeholes of the mask was a blue stripe on top of the eyeholes and orange stripe on the bottom.

Yusuke wore a suit similar to Akira's, in that he had the same types of clothes on as Akira, but other than that, Yusuke's outfit was very different. Yusuke wore a dark purple tailcoat with a light purple on the inside of the coat, on the coat, there was a red handkerchief in his breast pocket. Yusuke also wore a waistcoat with black symbols that looked like a G, with a white background making the symbol easy to see. Underneath that, Yusuke wore a light blue dress shirt, he also wore a white and purple tie. Yusuke wore a pair of white dress pants and a pair of dark brown dress shoes. Yusuke had a white cane on him, with a golden fish on it as a decoration, but it also had a golden tip on the end of the cane as well. Yusuke's mask was light blue on the furthest left and right sides of the mask but then was cut off by a red stripe which then had white until it it went up to the eyeholes of the mask which had a redish-purple around the eyeholes. On top of the eye hole was purple. But, the mask itself was shaped much differently than most masks. It was cut off so you could see a person's nose, not the top of the nose but the sides of the nose, close to the eyelids and around the mouth. But, covered everything else.

Makoto wore a long dark blue illusion dress that went to the floor. The illusion dress held the dress up around her shoulders but had no decorations on it. Makoto wore a silver diamond dance belt around her waist that had no jewels on it, but instead was empty. Makoto also wore a pair of cream white ankle strap heels underneath the dress, that could be seen thanks to a slit in the dress on the left side of the dress. Makoto also wore a long silver cuff bracelet on her right arm, and Ann had helped her paint her nails dark blue to match the dress. She also wore a simple black headband. Makoto's mask was a light blue that covered her face and had a pattern of woman with closed eyes under a protective screen or something along those lines. It also had more lining on the sides of the mask to make the mask bigger on her face.

Futuba wore a loose black sleeveless dress with a line of cloth across her shoulders, a line of cloth as a replacement for the absence of the sleeves. Near the middle and the bottom of her skirt and the cloth acting as sleeves had strange light green symbols all over those areas. From numbers, lines, shapes, and who knows what else was on that dress. At the end of the dress was an aquamarine lace, or, that's what it looked like, around Futuba's waist was a design that matched the other symbols that was on the dress. Ann had painted Futuba's nails a light green to match the symbols on her dress. But, other than that, the other decoration Futuba had was a small black hat on her head with similar symbols as on the dress, and a faded green bow to add the the hat. Futuba wore a pair of black platform pumps with ankle straps with light green heels that made Futuba look tall, but it must have hurt to walk in. Futuba's mask was black and looked like a bat's wings with horns coming out the top of the mask. But, it seemed modified so it could cover the fact Futuba wears glasses.

Haru was wearing a sleeveless pink ball gown that went down to her knees, with more of the dress lower than that which went to about just above her ankles. Around Haru's chest, the pink was actually a very dark pink that had decoration on it. But, there was a light pink veil over the dark pink upper part of the dress that was covered in decorations of flowers and other things, but, at the top of the veil was a string of golden flower decorations that connected the veil to the dress and wrapped around Haru. At Haru's waist was a small white bow wrapped around the waist. Around the bottom part of the dress was also pink veil that had lacy at the bottom. Haru had light pink nails painted thanks to the help of Ann and she wore gold bracelets on her left wrist, as well as golden earrings with light pink jewels on it. Haru wore a pair of black flats with gold lining on the edge of the shoes around the foot. Haru's mask was on a stick on the right side of the mask, like traditional masquerade mask, which was pink with gold lining on the edge of the mask with lines coming off the the lines. Around eye hole was also gold lining that looked like eyelashes. But, on the right side was a blue flower and a little orange cloth at the bottom at the flower.

Goro's suit was mostly white. His tailcoat, white dress shirt, his dress pants, his gloves, even his dress shoes were white. His tailcoat had golden lining along the lines of the coat, including the sleeves. The inside of that coat was a dark blue, and in his breast pocket was a blue handkerchief. Goro wore a grey waistcoat with golden buttons, as well as a red ascot tie held up by a golden band. Goro had a mask that was somewhat similar to Yusuke's, in that it wasn't a mask you would see everyday. The top of the mask above th eyeholes was red, while right below the eye hole was a small amount of grey, while everything else was gold. Unlike Yusuke's, the mask covered most of Goro's face, minus the mouth and right underneath the nose. But, on the left and right sides of the mask was something that looked like fins. Golden fins, but it looked somewhat odd on the mask.

The couple had hosted the party in a section of the house that was the kitchen, the living room, the gaming room, a movie theater and a few rooms around there. The house was well decorated with many flowers, banners, and other decorations pertaining to a theme of a masquerade party. The colors most present was blue, green, and brown. Which happened to be the colors of the company Aeron and Mara founded and are the current CEOs of. The food seemed to be mostly desserts and filling. Not actually suited for a meal. The couple heavily encouraged the guests to take as much as they want since the chef made a lot more than expected. Most of the crowd was in the living room, and among the crowd was undercover officers, because the couple asked for them to be there. Which is how Goro got into the party with Makoto, because she claimed Sae wouldn't be able to come tonight due to another case she needed to take care of. Haru was invited to the party because of her status as a wealthy woman. Everyone else had made up names as wealthy people or people of status.

The group had decided to hide Futuba and the escape car on the back of the property close to the house, to make it look inconspicuous. As a bonus, there was no security back there and the couple seemed to let no one back there. The car itself was a black Citroën H Van, that was painted to look like any other car. While Futuba was left by herself, the rest of the group went to split up and search the house for money, jewels, whatever they could find. Well, Yusuke and Ryuji was taking a whole bunch of food from the buffet. And when Ann found out what the boys where doing, she snuck some, too.

But then, something happened the group didn't expect.

Someone noticed the car and went to investigate.

Which shocked the team when Futuba heard someone coming her way. And everyone started to panic.

"Oracle, hide!" Ann said.

"Oracle, you need to leave, right now!" Ryuji said. "Forget us! If you get caught, you're dead meat!"

Futuba panicked even more as she tried to hide her things, and then a door opened. Which caused Futuba to jump to the back of the car.

"Whose here?! I know someone's---!" A voice called.

Then a buzzing noise was heard and then something fell.

"Geez. Who the heck does something like this?" A female voice sighed. "What a creep. He must have tried to take another child into their Ring, or tried to rape them, disgusting."

The Ring?

What was she talking about?

"Hello? Is anyone here? I promise I won't hurt you!" The female voice called. "I'll help you get out!"

Futuba then popped her head out from the backseat. When she did, she saw a man wearing a security guard outfit slumped over and a girl looking throughout the car.

The girl wore an old cream colored Komarov Drape Chiffon dress that looked quite nice on her. She wore a basic white mask that was shaped in the form of a crescent moon. But the girl was also covered on bruises and cuts, or that's what it looked like. When the girl saw Futuba, she spread her arms.

"I promise I won't hurt you. I can help you." She said. "It's okay."

Futuba then ducked back into the seat and popped on her mask on. And then said into her earpiece, "I'm turning off my ear piece. My situation was taken an odd turn." And then turned off her eyepiece.

And then Futuba got up, and walked towards the girl.

When Futuba got to the girl, the girl moved the man into the outside of the car.

"Are you okay?" The girl asked.

Futuba nodded.

"Can you come with me? We need to get you away from the car. It's better that way, right?"

Futuba nodded again.

The girl lead Futuba into the small house, and into the living room of the house, which was just an empty room filled with junk and an old couch. The girl sat Futuba down on the couch. The room was somewhat dark thanks to it being dark outside, but there was a small lamp that the girl brought over.

She also brought a pencil and sheet of paper.

The girl brought a small plate of food for Futuba, that mainly seemed to be a type of meatloaf.

Not long after the two appeared, a black dog appeared and started growling at Futuba from the girl's side. But the girl tried to shush the dog with,

"It's okay, it's okay. She's won't hurt you. She's lost, too."

And not long after the dog stopped growling at Futuba, instead seemed to try and comfort Futuba too by rubbing againist her arms and surrounding her back.

"Can you tell me your name? Where you're from?" The girl asked.

Futuba became nervous now. She either needed to think of something fast, or get out of there.

But Futuba was smart. She picked up the piece of paper and wrote a fake name and then showed it to the girl.

"Your name is Hamuko, is that right? Where are you from?"

Futuba wrote down the first place she caught think of. Akihabara.

"Around Akihabara? That's pretty far from here. But, can you speak? It's much easier than writing everything down."

Futuba shook her head. And then wrote down an excuse: She had really bad social anxiety and she couldn't speak with strangers unless it was by paper.

"Social anxiety, huh? Alright. That's a good excuse." The girl sighed. "Tell me what happened to you when you got kidnapped by those guys."

Kidnapped?

Wait, the couple also had a kidnapping ring?

Is that what she was talking about?

Futuba wrote down a method they had used to kidnap people: Using chloroform.

"You think so? Well, it's not unlikely for them to do that. Are you okay? Does your head hurt or anything?"

Futuba shook her head.

"That's good. . . Wait, why are you wearing a dress? Are---?"

Futuba then immediately scribbled down something that went like: My family was going to go to a party. But I got separated from them and then those guys showed up.

"Really. That's pretty interesting to happen on tonight, of all nights. But no matter. Where from Akihabara are you from? Can you use my cell phone to call your parents?"

Futuba nodded.

The girl then handed over a cell phone.

It was hard to see what the phone looked like in the dark, but Futuba used it to call a group of numbers:

The number for the Phantom Thieves.

Inside the mansion, eight phones went off. Goro and Makoto asked to be excused to take the call, while everyone else simply just picked up the phone from where they were.

Futuba spoke first, "Hi, guys."

"Oracle! Are you alright?" Akira asked her.

"Yes, I'm okay. I'm. . ." Then Futuba asked the girl where she was.

"Over by the (L/N) estate. Not far from Sibuya." The girl said.

". . . By the (L/N) estate. By the back of the mansion, I think."

"Oracle, are you in that house? Does someone live there?" Morgana asked.

"Yes." Futuba responded.

"Who? Do you know?" Makoto asked.

"I don't. But she's nice and has a nice dog." Futuba said.

"Alright. She's not hostile? Can we come and you're sure she won't tell anyone?" Ryuji asked.

"I think so." Futuba responded.

"Then, we're on our way." Akira said, as everyone hung up.

"Is someone coming?" The girl asked.

Futuba nodded, and wrote down something.

The Phantom Thieves are coming.

"What? But, I'm pretty sure they don't do that sort of thing." The girl said.

Futuba shook her head. And then wrote down: Well, this is an exception.

"An exception? What on earth does that---"

And then, a door creaking was heard through the house.

And into the living room came eight people, each with different outfits and masks covering there faces, making it hard to tell who the people were.

One of boys, the one wearing the black mask kneeled before the girl and took one of her hands and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her right hand. While Futuba went to everyone else who asked if she was alright and what had happened.

The dog, simply stood up from where he was and went to the girl's side, as if to protect her.

"Thank you, my dear." Akira said, "You have protected our Oracle from certain danger, and all of us are thankful to you for that."

"Huh? Oracle? But---" She was about to say.

"Shh." Akira said, putting a finger againist her lips after he had stood up. "Tell nobody what happened, and we will spare you the trouble of the police."

The girl simply nodded. Then, the others turned to leave.

"There's my girl. I bid you a good evening, we will meet again." Akira said, after placing a quick kiss on the girl's cream colored mask. "And if you don't mind, we will take the car from your hands and that man on the gravel is coming with us."

The girl simply nodded again.

And then, the Phantom Thieves disappeared into the night.

After that close call, the group decided to check up on you. But, you didn't answer and group figured out why. It was almost one in the morning.

They each left a message saying how sorry they were for leaving you, and how they would make it up to you.

When you woke up, you made breakfast for yourself and put on your uniform and went to school. On your way there, you bumped into Ryuji.

"(Y/N)! Hey!" He called as you turned around.

"Good morning Ryuji." You said.

"Where you okay last night?" He asked.

"Huh? Yeah, I was. I did homework and went to bed early. Why?"

"That's good. . . Where you. . . Lonely?"

"Huh? Why would I be? You guys didn't do anything without me, did you?" You teased.

"What?! Hell no! Why the hell would we do that?!" Ryuji exclaimed.

You giggled a little.

"Hey! Don't scare me with that shit! That actually scared me!" Ryuji sighed.

"Pfft. You sure?" You asked him.

"Hell yeah I'm sure!" He said. "Nevermind. Forget it."

You giggled again as the two of you bumped into Akira and Ann.

The day passed by faster than the group had expected.

When the time came for lunch, your friends packed up and lead you out of the school. But you stopped before you could leave the gates.

"Where are we going?" You asked.

Everyone seemed to stop with confused faces. Then, Ann made an "Oh!" noise and went to you.

"I forgot. Goro wanted to eat lunch with everyone today! I was suppose to tell you last night, but I forgot." She wrapped an arm around your shoulder.

"Why today?" You asked.

"He said he had a scary interview coming up, and he needs something to calm his nerves." Makoto stated. "So, he wanted to invite everyone over to the TV station to a company him."

"Even Futuba?" You asked Makoto.

Makoto nodded. "We're going to go get her. After we go get Yusuke."

"But if we do that, we'll---!" You exclaimed.

"Get in trouble? No, not really. Not if we have Akechi give us an excuse." Akira said.

"But---" You protested.

"We'll be fine." Haru said. "Let's just have fun today. Is that okay (Y/N)?"

You sighed. "I guess."

"Yay!" Ann said.

And the six of you went to find your others members of the group.

After you had picked up everyone, your group headed towards the TV station.

Oddly enough, Goro was waiting outside and he escorted everyone into a back room to reveal a spread of seafood. From traditional sushi to cooked fish. It looked like almost every types of fish was here.

"Thanks for the food!" Morgana said, as he ran for the sushi.

"Hey, you better not eat everything!" Ryuji said.

"Then get over here eat something before I eat everything!" Morgana shot back.

And just like that, lunch started.

Goro had treated everyone to lunch, and after everyone gave him some encouragement to do his interview, escorted everyone out of the building.

And when you guys got back to school the day was almost over. So, everyone had just decided to go home for the day.

But then Futuba asked everyone to come over for dinner at Leblanc. Which everyone agreed to doing. Even after everyone had lunch together, it seems nobody could deny the wonderful food that.

Goro arrived first.

Ryuji arrived next with Yusuke right behind him.

Ann came not long after.

Then Makoto and Haru came in.

And lastly, you came in.

Sojiro Sakura closed up shop early that day and explained he had much more ingredients for more curry and coffee than he needed, and Futuba said they could get rid of it if they invite everyone over for dinner.

So, here everyone was.

Later, everyone moved upstairs since everyone had plenty of time before it got dark.

But then your phone went off and you went to take it, since it was from someone you knew.

"Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Sojiro asked you. "AKIRA! CALL TAKEMI!"

"Sojiro? What's the matter---? (Y/N)!" Ann yelled at you. "Oh my God! Call an doctor! Hurry!"

The Phantom Thieves had flipped their shit.

You had passed out in the middle of Leblanc.

When Takemi came to check you out, she said you didn't look physically unheathly but there was something going on, so you must have passed out due to stress, or maybe getting stress relief, she said.

But it was clear that you must have been dealing with something stressful rather than something physical.

Tae recommended that you stay here for the night since she wasn't sure when you would wake up, and you were mostly okay to do so.

The person who had called you had hung up, and the person you had talked to was your mother. When they tried to call her to tell her what had happened, she wouldn't pick up.

So, Akira picked you up and carried you to the couch upstairs and wrapped a blanket around you. Everyone gathered around you and whispered to one another.

"What happened?" Futuba asked. "Did something happen in her family? Did her family get death threat because people think she's in that family?"

"Who knows." Ann sighed. "Hopefully she didn't get a death threat."

"Whatever it is, it definitely is causing her problems." Goro said.

"Whatever happened, we'll need to keep an eye on her." Makoto said. "We can't let that happen again."

"You're right." Akira said. "We'll need to keep an eye on her from now on."

When you woke up, you remembered what happened last night but then. . .

"Am I sick?" You asked yourself, and then sighed. "Well, whatever. What time is it?"

You didn't see a clock in the room you were in, so you got up from where you were, to find you were in Akira's room, but Akira was nowhere to be found.

So, you went downstairs to the café Leblanc to find there was some costumers there, but Sojiro was tending the shop. Sojiro seemed to notice you first before any costumers did and gestured you come over to him. You did, and Sojiro had explained what happened last night.

You had passed out, and the doctor said you should get some rest today since whatever caused you to pass out wasn't physical, rather psychological. Since it was about lunch time, there was no reason to send you now. So, instead he asked you to go over to his house for the day. You simply nodded, and followed the direction he gave you to his house. When you got there, Futuba seemed more than happy to let you stay over for the day. Everyone not long after checked on you to make sure you were okay.

Futuba mostly stayed on her computer most of the day while you were charging your phone and relaxing on Futuba's bed. But, Futuba did once in a while go to you and stay close to you for a little while. She wouldn't cuddle or anything, she'd just stay close by, like she would nap beside you. From what you saw, Futuba was very smart with computers and technology in general, like everyone had described she was like. There was a lot of things around her about cognitive pscience, which you didn't get, but you didn't quite care then since you were distracted by your phone most of the day.

When school was out, everyone stopped by to check on you. Ann practically tackled you with a hug, with Ryuji in second place of doing that and Morgana right after. Makoto, Yusuke and Haru asked you many times if you were sure you were okay. And Akira. . . Well, refused to leave your side for a while. He wasn't clinging to you, but he wouldn't leave you be. Goro almost seemed to do the same thing.

But after a few hours, everyone allowed you to go home.

And, they seemed like they needed to do something, so you left them to do whatever they needed to do.

The group of teenagers let you leave to go home, and then they went over to the Leblanc attic to discuss what had happened a few nights before.

"So, Futuba got saved by the owner of that house, is that right?" Ann asked.

"Yes. And it seems she knew something was up with the couple. She said they had a kidnapping ring." Futuba answered.

"They have a Ring? And they kidnap people? For what?" Haru asked.

"It could be those two are even worse then we thought. We'll need to do more investigating to find out why." Goro said.

"Do you think they have a drug ring or something?" Morgana asked.

"No. It sounds more likely they have slave ring." Goro answered

"What?!" Ryuji said. "For real?! That's effed up!"

"But it makes sense if that's why that girl was trying to get Futuba out of the area as soon as possible." Goro said. "But, why would they need one? It doesn't make sense, the couple is well-off, have good social status, so, why would they need slaves?"

"Because they're insane. Nobody would do that to another person these days unless they are truly horrible people. And from what it sounds like, the Ring has been around for a while. So, it's not new, which annoys me even further." Yusuke answered.

"Maybe. But we need to look more into the couple because of this, otherwise they won't repent for all of their crimes." Makoto said.

"So, we need to plan another infiltration, am I right?" Akira said. "It seems (Y/N) will have to wait a little longer for us, huh?"

A few days later, the group infiltrated the mansion again. This time, finding people locked up in prisons who told them they had been kidnapped and forced into doing very horrible things. From killing people, to prostituting themselves so the couple could get information about certain things.

But, there was something strange.

Almost every single person said the couple had a child, and they needed to get the child out of that house, but when asked why they needed to, they couldn't give a clear answer.

When investigating the area, there was no sign that the couple even had a child. No photos on the walls, no signs of another decent bedroom, or even a way for more people to live in the mansion that wasn't inhumane. They even checked the house, but nobody was there. Not even the dog was there.

When everyone went back to school the next day, you where absent. Ryuji asked his homeroom teacer if you where here yesterday, but Ryuji only got back an ominous answer.

"Yes, she even came to school early. But, she said she wouldn't be at school for some time because of very serious family problems. I wonder if her family's been getting death threats and she can't come to school because of how scared the family is."

When the group met up, Ryuji told them the ominous news.

And this scared the heck out of them.

This caused the group to try to contact you.

To no avail.

Now, they where all sure something was up.

There was no mistaking it.

Something was definatly going on here.

But, what was it?

What was going on here?

Now that the dear friend of the Phantom Thieves was missing, it wasn't hard to tell the group was. . . Upset and. . . Angry.

They wanted an answer to what was going on.

And more importantly, they wanted their precious ray of sunshine back.

They wanted you back with them.

You were a reason to live on to them.

Now that you were gone, there was something missing within the group.

Their hopes for a brighter future that they would create for you and the rest of the world to enjoy. It seemed. . . To be duller without you in it.

Their personal healer for when they were about to fall down or die. Your pleas and cries for their safety you would say before mission would bring them back home safely.

Their personal cheerleader when things got tough during missions. Your cheers and encouragement would bring hope and vigor into each move the group made when they fought.

But you were gone now.

You where stuck and couldn't give the Phantom Thieves the courage to go on before a mission.

You were unable to help your friends do their job.

And now, the couple was going to pay.

They where going to pay for forcing your family to hide you from the world to protect you from the dangers of this harsh world.

And taking you away from the safety they had you under.

But upon more research and sneaking around, they found the answer to their question.

And you, in the process.

Aeron and Mara held another party that month.

This was because they thought they had won againist the Phantom Thieves.

But, the Phantom Thieves to ruin their reputation in gruesome way.

Even more cruel than the couple had been.

The night of the party, the preparations were set in place, and the time was almost right.

Everything was set.

"Alright, are we ready?" Akira asked the group. "Then let's wipe these two out."

"Alright!" Aeron and Mara spoke through the microphones they had in their hands. "Let's party all night til the sun comes up!"

The crowd of drunken corrupted people cheered.

"Oh? At the expense of who this time?" A voice spoke from the speakers. "Is it your workers? Or your daughter?"

"What?! Who said that?!" Aeron spoke.

"You know full well who. After all, the party is at our expense." Akira spoke as he walked to the stage, as the crowd looked at the area around them.

Even though the group was already here.

"Well, that's what it is for, is it not? Or is it for your daughter's murder at your hands?" Goro spoke, with disappointment in his voice.

"Daughter?! We don't have one! You're a liar!" Mara yelled into the group of people.

"Are you sure? Then, tell me, who is this?" Akira stopped walking to the stage.

And then, a screen appeared behind the two.

And, a video played.

The video seemed to be in the kitchen of the house, with Aeron and Mara in the shot, with a girl covered in blood and bruises on the floor. At the moment, it was hard to tell what the girl is doing. But it was clear what the couple was doing. Both had knifs in their hands, and cups of white crystals as well.

"You worthless bitch! How many times do I have to say it?! Your life is meaningless without your servitude to your parents! Children are useless unless they serve their parents!" Mara said, stepping on the girl.

The girl let out a blood-curdling scream in response. The scream rang loud and clear in the room. And, caused some people to jump back in suprise.

"NO! MOTHER, PLEASE, STOP!" The girl begged, but instead she was kicked in the stomach from Aeron. Causing blood to splatter all over the kitchen floor, as well as the appliances.

In response, some people screamed and gasped in horror. As, the video hid nothing as to what happened to the girl.

"And why would we do that?" He said. "You've broken our rules. And we cannot let you live because of it. It is justice, after all."

And then, the couple sprinkled the white powder on the girl, and she let out an even louder scream than before. Making clear what that white powder was.

Salt.

"Ha! Scream louder, and maybe we'll call an ambulance! But, that would be a problem, wouldn't it?" Mara said, as she stepped on the girl.

"Ah! Who cares?! She'll never be able to call for help now! And, if we say to the police she tried to kill herself, they won't know the difference! The police are fools, anyways!" Aeron replied.

The girl then seemed to have died, because she then fell to the floor, motionless.

When the video cut out, some people passed out. Others threw up, and the rest seemed paralyzed in horror.

All but nine people.

When the video finished, the nine people walked to the stage. Causing Aeron and Mara to take a fearful step back.

Akira got up first. He immendiately ran up to the couple, and knocked them down by kicking their kneecaps.

"You're going to pay dearly for killing her. And you're going to know the exact same fear (Y/N) knew every single time you beat her." Akira growled at the couple.

"No! Please! HAVE MERCY!!" Mara screamed at him.

"Why would we give you that?" Ryuji asked them, as he raised his bat.

"You both are pathetic lowlifes who don't deserve to see the light of day." Makoto said. Pulling out her brass knuckles.

"Parents are suppose to help their children. But neither of you have done that from the start, Hinata and Kasumi (L/N). So, you have failed as parents, and as humans!" Ann growled at them. As she readied her whip.

"Therefore, you will never see the light of day again!" Yusuke growled, as the group charged at the couple.

According to the news report, the (L/N) mansion was found to be trapped full of terrified people claiming Aeron and Mara (L/N) had murder their own child.

When the police investigated, they found more people in horrible conditions claiming they had been kidnapped and forced into slave labor.

And, they found a calling card from the Phantom Thieves that was a month old.

But, police did not mention anything about the child, exept she was in critical condition in the hospital.

You. . . Could hear them.

They were to calling you.

Your friends where right at your hospital bed, crying, begging, and praying you would live that horrible event.

And, you could hear them.

They each called you, by name, to wake up.

And you could feel them.

They where here!

You could feel their bodies hugging you, shaking your body in effort to wake you up.

You wanted to go back now.

You wanted to see them.

Move! Come on, move!

When you were able to open up your eyes, there were wires and machines everywhere around you. The room was mostly white, brown and green, with the machinery being grey. The room was modestly big, and there was a window to your right. You stood up to look out the window when suddenly you heard a door open.

When you turned, there was a doctor standing in the doorway, who looked stunned. Then, the doctor cautiously walked towards you. "Miss (Y/N)?"

You nodded at her, "Yeah, what is it?"

The doctor then turned around and said to you, "Stay here a moment okay? There's people who need to see you."

And then she left the room.

Not long after, you heard yelling in the hallways and footsteps rushing in your direction. And not long after people came rushing into your room. With cameras and microphones and bright lights.

Oh no.

It's the press.

"Miss (Y/N)! You're awake! Tell us what happened!" One person shouted.

"Yes, yes! Is it true you were abused by your parents?" Another said.

Before they started flooding you with questions and bright lights all around you, when you tried to block the lights so you could see, another light came and and blinded you once again. And when you tried to move your arms to block the bright lights, the wires on your arms stopped you.

Then you heard more footsteps coming your way and then you heard,

"Can't you all have some decency?! Get out!" You heard a familiar voice yelled at the press.

And there stood Goro Akechi.

But. . . Something had changed about Goro.

For one, his hair was shorter than the last time you saw him. He wasn't wearing his tan peacoat, instead he wore a dress shirt with his black and white tie with black pants and shoes. And. . . Something about him was different. You couldn't tell what exactly was different right then and there. But something had changed about him.

Goro cleared the room of the press by kicking them out and slamming the door on them and then turned to you.

And then, he smiled.

That's what was different.

His smile seemed genuine and real now. Like he had dropped heavy baggage off of his back while you were gone.

He walked over to your bedside and sat on your bed. He reached out one of his hands and placed it on you left cheek.

"It's been so long. I missed you so much, (Y/N)." He said.

"What do you mean?" You asked him.

Goro hesitated at that. "It's been almost a year since you almost died."

Goro explained what had happened over this past year. Akira's now permanently moved in with Futuba and Sojiro Sakura, with Morgana as well, Ryuji's now less of a delinquent and Ann's become famous fashion model now, Yusuke has become a famous professional and street artist, Makoto's an intern at the police station while in college, Haru's taken over her father's company and your familes as well, and he's in college and doing well at his job. As well as the Phantom Thieves were still alive and kicking.

"I'm so glad." You said, as you started to cry, "That everyone's doing alright after all this time."

Goro seemed to jump at the sight of you crying. "Of course we are. After all, we're not giving up on you now that you're back."

It took you some time, but you where released from the hospital and adjusted back to your normal life.

And this time, knowing there was a group watching over you.

#reader insert #Phantom thieves x reader #Angsty as heck but hey! I tried!#persona 5 imagines

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thecorpulentbeagle · 5 years

Text

Okujima Week 2019: Angst/Comforting

Here is the second day of this challenge. I’ve actually been experiencing some shoulder pain recently, so it was easy to write that part of this story realistically!

Interestingly enough, the new dancing games helped me a lot with this story, because it’s apparently cannon that not only is Makoto talented at aikido (which was kind of evident in the main game), but she has apparently won tons of trophies. And evidently, her sister is even better than her, which is slightly terrifying!

Here is the fanfiction.net link.

Please enjoy this next part of the Okujima Week 2019 Challenge!

Okujima Week 2019 Challenge:

The Healing Touch:

Angst/Comforting

-Haru-

“A toast to our champion!” A cacophony of cheers erupted at this declaration. Glasses were clinked, and a chorus of laughter followed.

“Please.” An embarrassed Makoto sat stiffly, her face slightly red. “There’s no need to go all out or celebrate. It’s just a win.”

“A win? Makoto, you just won the whole damn tournament!” Ryuji exclaimed, pounding his fist on the table.

The recently disbanded Phantom Thieves were currently engaging in a party of sorts at the usual hangout space of Leblanc, an unusually cheerful Sae accompanying them. The strategic advisor of the group had participated in an aikido tournament just hours earlier, and she had advanced to the final round before ultimately winning.

Makoto had insisted that it was no big deal, and that she had won plenty of matches and tournaments before, the irony of that statement being a topic of conversation. How could one be modest enough to say it wasn’t a big deal before mentioning all of her previous wins in an off-handed way? It seemed that only the student council president could.

Haru knew that Makoto was not falsely boasting either. Having been to her girlfriend’s room several times, she had seen firsthand the numerous trophies lined up on her shelves. Completely in character, Makoto had waved away Haru’s admiration, though the gardener could tell by her blush that she was flattered by the well-earned compliments.

“Yes, Makoto. This celebration truly is well-deserved.” Sae raised a glass at her younger sister, winking at her from across the table.

“See! Even Sae-san thinks it’s a big deal!” Ann nudged the embarrassed senior’s right side, giggling.

“Th-thanks, Sis,” Makoto muttered, tucking some hair back behind her ear.

Sitting on the girl’s other side, Haru leaned on her shoulder. “Yes. You truly were remarkable!” She nuzzled into her, conveying just how proud she was of her girlfriend.

What Haru did not expect was for Makoto to growl slightly and pull away. It was subtle enough that no one else saw or heard it, as Haru deftly moved her head away to make it seem like her action had been meant as a quick one, rather than actually settling her head there for a few minutes.

But it concerned Haru. Sure, Makoto did not like public displays of affection, but she was usually comfortable enough to engage in them around her close friends. In fact, the two had even hugged and kissed in front of the others once the initial teasing had died down.

She looked at Makoto to see that she was not looking at her. She… didn’t seem embarrassed, but why else would she have pulled away?

“Congratulations, Makoto.” Haru lost her train of thought to look up at their leader. Akira appeared as disheveled as always, his black hair askew and his glasses slightly off-kilter. He had been particularly invested in the outcome of the match, seeing that he had used it as a reason to visit.

“Thank you, Akira.” The student council president smiled, acknowledging his compliment.

“So now that we’ve officially gotten Makoto to actually accept some praise, we should have another round!” Futaba jumped up from her spot in the booth, waving at Sojiro. “Another round!”

The owner sighed and shook his head as he walked over with some more drinks for everyone. “You’re a bit too excited about ordering this, Futaba. It’s not like it’s alcohol or anything.”

“Ooh! Now that ya mention it, could we get a couple of beers or somethin’? I mean, it’s not every day we get to celebrate like this.” Ryuji’s eyes gleamed.

“Are you sure you’d like to say that in front of a person of the law, Ryuji?” Yusuke asked calmly, his hands folded together on the table in front of him.

The scruffy blonde’s head whipped over to said attorney. “I… uh…”

Sae shook her head. “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. But no alcohol. Is that understood?”

Morgana hopped up from where he had been on the floor. “Now I see where Makoto learned her behavior from.”

The group laughed. Seeing the confusion upon Sojiro’s and Sae’s faces brought even more laughter.

The gang celebrated in this fashion for another hour before finally calling it quits. Though it was the end of the week, the Phantom Thieves still had one more day of school before a free day, so they couldn’t go completely overboard.

After Futaba, Akira, and Sojiro waved the group goodbye, they walked the streets until arriving at the subway station. The group further split up, with Haru, Makoto, and Sae staying together. It had been decided earlier that Haru would spend the night, since the couple had planned a day together once school had ended for the week.

On the way there, Haru continued to notice Makoto’s odd behavior. She seemed to be using her right hand for everything, from swiping her subway pass to holding onto the handles of the vehicle. Which, in and of itself, wasn’t completely unusual, seeing as the girl was right-handed. But the way that her left arm hung limply at her side, and that she seemed to avoid any and all contact on that side… was strange.

Haru thought back to the tournament, as she hadn’t been acting that way before. She had been knocked around throughout the event, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle. They had all suffered much worse in the Metaverse, though, that might not exactly compare to real-world injuries.

She’d suffered a particularly nasty fall in the semifinals, but she had recovered and had ultimately won the match. She’d even defeated her opponent in the finals, so clearly, she wasn’t seriously injured.

Even so, Haru couldn’t help but worry.

The three made small-talk as the subway made its way to their destination. Haru didn’t want to worry her girlfriend now, but she did want to discuss her behavior in private. She thought it might be best to have that conversation away from Sae, just in case.

Eventually, the three made it back to the Niijima apartment, where Sae quickly unlocked the door and let them all in.

The girls discarded their bags onto one of the couches in the living room, Haru noticing that Makoto appeared to be moving very slowly and deliberately. It had to be an injury that was making her move like this… right?

Haru looked over at Sae to see if she had noticed, but the woman was currently scrolling through her phone, no doubt doing something work-related.

“I’m going to go change. Haru, I have a set of pajamas for you to use as well. I’ll let you change once I’m done.” Haru turned her head back towards her girlfriend to see her smiling tightly, almost mechanically. It appeared to be a grimace.

“Okay, Mako-chan. I’ll make sure to keep Sae-san company.” She winked at Makoto, who chuckled slightly before turning on her heel and heading into her room, closing the door behind her.

“You’ve seen that she’s in pain, I assume?”

Haru jumped slightly at the sudden voice. She looked back at the only other person in the room, and saw Sae giving her an intense look. So, it seemed that she had noticed something off with her sister after all.

Realizing she should give an answer, as Sae was waiting for one, she responded, “I have. I… didn’t want to bring it up. She seemed to not want me to even know about it.”

The gardener was slightly surprised to see the woman smirk. “That would make sense. Makoto has always been stubborn when it comes to toughing out an injury. Though I have to admit, she really isn’t that skilled at covering it up. She practically jumped through the roof when you laid your head on her shoulder.”

Haru tilted her head. “You saw that?”

Sae nodded. “I see everything.” At that slightly creepy statement, Haru merely stared. Sae shook her head. “Kidding aside, I do notice a lot when it comes to Makoto. My career path, plus her being my little sister gives me an acute awareness of such things.” She put a hand to her chin. “I can only assume that being her best friend and girlfriend affords you similar insights.”

Haru nodded. Though Sae had accepted her dating her sister rather easily, the woman was still very intense, and Haru was sometimes nervous when it was just the two of them alone. Makoto had a bit of an awkward side, which was one of the reasons Haru liked her so much. Her sister on the other hand, seemed to be constantly serious, with little to no instances of physical or verbal stumbles. To put it simply, Haru was sometimes intimidated by the older woman. She could see why Makoto (in her own words) struggled to live up to her expectations.

There was a moment of silence as the two said nothing. Haru wasn’t quite sure what needed to be said, and she quietly hoped that Makoto would finish quickly so that there was a bit of a buffer.

A slight chime rang through the air, and Haru watched as Sae lifted her phone up closer to her face, the device having never left her hand. Her eyes darted around the screen, her expression becoming somewhat serious.

“You’ll have to excuse me.” Sae picked up her recently discarded bag and slipped her phone into it. “Something’s come up that needs to be taken care of tonight.”

“Sae-san?”

Sae had made her way to the door, turning at Haru’s voice. “I will see you two tomorrow morning.” Gripping the door handle and pulling the door open she gave a slight smile. “Please take care of my sister for me. I’m counting on you.”

Haru gave a slight gulp, but grinned nonetheless. “I plan to.” Sae simply nodded and left, locking the door behind her.

Haru gave a deep sigh, but her smile remained. Though she was nervous about living up to Sae’s expectations of her, she felt a rush of pride at having the strict woman trust her so easily with a loved one’s care.

“Where’d Sis run off to?”

For the second time that night, Haru jumped at the unexpected voice. She turned around to see Makoto in her pajamas, which featured the round and bubbly face of Buchimaru-kun. Haru thought she looked completely adorable in it, and she enjoyed the fact that Makoto felt comfortable enough around her to dress in it, as the character itself was somewhat childish.

“Oh. She had to run into the office to deal with an important matter.” She walked over to the other girl. “She didn’t say what it was, but that she’d be back in the morning.”

Makoto nodded. “I see. I’d hoped she’d take at least tonight off because of the tournament. She really does work too hard sometimes…” The student council president looked at the closed door, clearly worried about her sister.

Wanting to ease her pain (both mentally and physically), Haru placed a soft hand on Makoto’s face. “She’ll be fine, Mako-chan. She can definitely take care of herself.” Smiling at the way Makoto leaned into her hand, she moved on to the main issue. “But enough about Sae-san. I’m more worried about you!”

Makoto gave her a questioning look. “What about me?”

Haru moved her hand from Makoto’s face to her left shoulder. Pressing it slightly, she was rewarded with a sharp hiss from the other girl, who quickly stepped back.

Haru did feel bad to cause her girlfriend pain, but she had to prove to Makoto that she knew she was hurting. “The fact that I can’t even touch your left shoulder without you wincing in pain.”

Makoto chuckled. “Ha. I guess I should’ve known you’d pick up on that.”

“Of course!” Haru nodded. “So now I’m going to take care of you, whether you want me to or not.”

The other girl sighed. “It’s really nothing. I’ve had this type of injury before.” She rolled her shoulder and winced. “I just need to put some ice on it for a while, and I’ll be all set.”

“Hm…” Haru looked at Makoto, thinking. She wasn’t sure how much of her worry was an overreaction, and how much was valid concern. It didn’t help that Makoto was literally attempting to shrug off the injury.

Makoto blushed slightly. “Haru. Y-you’re staring quite a bit.” She looked away, clearly embarrassed.

“I can’t help but be concerned, Mako-chan!” Haru tapped her girlfriend’s nose, which caused her to look up, startled. “You’re precious to me, so it pains me to see you hurt.”

“Ah. Trying to guilt me into letting you take care of me, huh?” Makoto smirked.

Haru gave a slight huff, irritated that Makoto had caught onto what she had been attempting so quickly. “Enough of this!” She darted behind the other girl and began pushing her towards the couch in the living room. “I will make it my mission to heal you!”

Makoto seemed to not expect such a sudden and strong response. She spluttered comically as she forced herself to move, lest Haru inadvertently shove her to the ground. “Haru! Please be careful. I’ve fallen enough times, tonight.”

Now that Makoto was moving, Haru eased up slightly. They made it to the couch, where Haru gave the other girl a light tap on her non-injured shoulder to indicate that she should sit.

As she did so, Haru made her way over to the freezer. “You just get comfortable, Mako-chan. I’ll be over with the ice in a moment.”

She could hear the grunts of pain from the student council president as she adjusted herself. Though Haru had been overdramatic moments earlier in order to have Makoto accept help, she truly did feel slight pain at the thought of her girlfriend being so uncomfortable.

Having experienced minor injuries in the past with her ballet, Haru knew somewhat how to treat them. She assumed that Makoto merely strained or bruised her shoulder. Had it been something more serious like a dislocation, she would surely have been in much greater pain.

Pulling open a drawer in the freezer, the gardener scooped out some ice and deposited it into a plastic baggie that had been taken from one of the cabinets. Having been over several times before, Haru knew where practically everything was in the kitchen.

She snapped up a dish towel that had been hanging on the freezer handle, wrapping it around the ice bag so that it wouldn’t make direct contact with Makoto’s skin.

“You’ve done this before.”

Haru looked over to see Makoto watching her, her eyes curious.

She smiled. “Yes. I’ve dealt with some bruises and sprains in the past.” She walked over to Makoto. “I used to practice ballet when I was little.”

“That makes sense. You are very graceful.” Makoto seemed to think for a moment. “That sounds… familiar. Have you told me that before?”

“I’m not sure.” Haru sat down next to her girlfriend. “I don’t usually talk about it, but I suppose I could have.”

Makoto made to reach for the ice, but Haru pulled back, setting it down behind her. “Ah. I’m going to treat you, remember?”

The other girl gave a confused look. “But you got the ice for me. I can handle putting it on my own shoulder.”

“Maybe. But I have another idea.” Haru’s eyes grew mischievous as she leaned closer.

“U-um…” Makoto stuttered but didn’t move away. A slight blush formed on her cheeks.

Smirking, Haru reached up towards Makoto’s collar and took hold of the top button. She slowly eased it out of it’s hold, her shirt opening up slightly.

“H-Haru!”

“Yes, Mako-chan?” Haru asked innocently, halting her progress.

“W-what exactly are you doing?” Haru moved her focus away from the girl’s shirt towards her face, which was now extremely red.

“Unbuttoning your shirt?” Haru said, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

“B-but why?”

“So that I can place the ice on your bare shoulder of course!” Haru smiled, enjoying how easily her girlfriend was flustered.

“Oh.”

It was such a short and simple response, with a hint of disappointment, that Haru couldn’t help but tease her further. “Why, Mako-chan? Were you expecting something else?”

“N-no!”

Haru clicked her tongue in mock disapproval. “Mako-chan. I can’t believe where your mind went. I’m just helping my girlfriend feel better.”

Makoto’s face somehow got even redder. “I-I… I mean… clearly you were…”

Haru giggled. “I was what?”

“N-nothing.” Haru was slightly disappointed to see Makoto give up so easily, but she could always tease her later.

She returned to unbuttoning the next few buttons, enough to be able to pull the shirt aside and expose Makoto’s shoulder, but not enough to see anything else. As she pulled the shirt away, she murmured, “Perhaps if you’re feeling better later, we can finish what you started in your mind. Unless, of course, it was nothing.” Haru leaned forward and placed a few gentle kisses on her shoulder.

After she had finished, Haru looked up to see Makoto nodding her head slowly. “I… think I’d like that, Haru.”

The gardener smiled. “Good!” Reaching behind herself, she lifted the ice bag and hovered it over Makoto’s shoulder. “Now, I’m going to place the ice here. Let me know if it hurts, okay?”

Makoto nodded again.

Haru slowly draped the bag over Makoto’s shoulder, a slight tremor running through the other girl. “Easy now…” Haru whispered soothingly.

Once it had been placed, Haru gave Makoto’s lips a quick peck before pulling back. “That should do it.” She looked at Makoto. “How are you feeling?”

The student council president sighed. “Better. It’s stiff, but the ice is helping with the swelling.”

“I’m glad.” Haru leaned back into the couch, taking hold of Makoto’s hand. “Now how exactly did you get this injury? Was it when you were thrown in the semifinals?”

Makoto shrugged, which caused her to wince. “I suppose. To be honest…”

“Hm?” Haru squeezed her hand, subtly encouraging her to continue.

“Well… I had hurt it a bit during practice yesterday. Training gone wrong,” she joked, chuckling. “Anyway, I woke up this morning feeling stiff, but I figured it would clear up. That throw in the semifinals exacerbated it, and by the time I reached the finals… I wasn’t sure if I’d make it.”

“Mako-chan…” Haru leaned over and gave her another kiss, this one a little more passionate. Pulling back, she continued in a worried tone, “Why didn’t you withdraw from the tournament? The worst thing you can do when you’re injured is exercise it more.”

“I…” Makoto sighed. “I didn’t want to quit. I mean… Akira made the journey all the way from his hometown to watch. And Sis took off work early, even if she just went back tonight. And…” She trailed off, looking away.

“And…?” Haru wasn’t going to let her girlfriend not speak her mind.

“And you were going to be there, cheering me on.” Makoto looked back, her eyes slightly teary. “I didn’t want to disappoint you. I… wanted to impress you. You’ve seen all the trophies I have, and how hard I fought back when we were Phantom Thieves. I… didn’t want to… be weak in front you. I wanted to prove to you that I can protect you!”

Haru was shocked at her unexpected emotional outburst. The two had just been kidding around moments before. She had no idea how important this particular tournament had been for her girlfriend. And what exactly did she mean about protecting her? Surely, now that their Metaverse days were over, there wasn’t anything to protect her from? “Makoto. I would never be disappointed in you. Ever.” She squeezed her hand. “And… what would you be protecting me from?”

Makoto sighed. “It’s… hard to explain. I don’t understand it fully myself. But,” she squeezed Haru’s hand, “ever since… my father… died… I swore that I’d protect my loved ones with everything that I had. I couldn’t… bear to lose anyone else. That’s why I trained so hard, every day.” A tear escaped from her eye, slowly rolling down her cheek. “I practiced aikido, I studied law, anything to be able to prevent criminals from hurting others.”

Haru’s heart ached from the anguish that her girlfriend was now expressing. “Makoto…”

“If anything happened to Sis, or to you…” Makoto gave a small sniff. “I don’t know what I’d do. And as for what I’d be protecting you from… you’re the heiress to one of the most successful fast-food chains in the world. There could be any number of people who would try to harm you for any number of reasons.”

Haru sighed. That was a fact she knew all too well. Being in the public eye like she was meant that she received all kinds of attention, most of it good, but some of it terrible. There were many people who still hadn’t forgiven her father for his lapses in workplace safety, and that ill will had transferred over to her. So far, no attempts had been made on her life, but she knew that could change at any time.

“Makoto… I don’t want to tell you that there’s nothing to worry about, because you’re right. But,” Haru reached out a hand and cupped her girlfriend’s cheek, stroking it with gently with her thumb, “I know that you’ll protect me. Even if you lose a match every once in a while, I’ve seen how hard you work every day.” She wiped away another tear that had been on Makoto’s face. “You don’t have to be perfect. You’re amazing just as you are.”

“Haru…” Makoto sniffed again, attempting to regain her composure.

“There’s no one I trust more. And besides,” she decided to throw in a joke to lighten the mood slightly, “I am a Phantom Thief! Even if I don’t have powers anymore, I can still hit back!”

“True enough, Haru.” Makoto smiled. “I apologize for losing myself for a moment. Perhaps… this injury is bothering me more than I thought.” She reached up and shifted the ice pack.

“Makoto. You’re allowed to express your feelings. Honestly, it makes me feel good to know that you trust me enough to talk about your insecurities.” Haru gave Makoto’s face a light pat before returning her hand back to the other girl’s intertwining their fingers together.

“Thank you, Haru. I’ll try to do so in the future.” Makoto’s face fell. “And… I apologize for bringing up my father. I know… the pain is still fresh for you.”

Haru winced. Her girlfriend was right once again. She’d avoided really thinking about it due to her concern for Makoto, but now that she had pointed it out, it was difficult to ignore the throbbing pain in her chest that surfaced whenever she thought about her late father.

“It… does still sting, it’s true. But… it’s starting to sting less and less, as time goes on.” Haru felt a tear drop from her own eyes. “Perhaps we’re both hurting more than we’re letting on.”

Haru was surprised to find Makoto’s lips on her own. The two kissed for a brief moment before the latter pulled away. “Even so, it’s a comfort to know that we’re each here for the other to lean on. Time heals all wounds, as they say, but having someone to empathize with… heals a great deal more. So, thank you again, Haru. For healing both my physical and emotional wounds.” Makoto squeezed her hand.

Haru nodded. “You’re welcome. And thank you as well.”

The two smiled at each other, enjoying the deep feelings that had resulted from this conversation.

Deeming that they’d had enough of this type of talk for one evening, Haru decided to switch gears. “Now then. While it’s been very nice talking through our problems, I believe that we had something else in store for tonight?” Her eyes twinkled.

Makoto tilted her head. “Did we?”

Haru leaned forward, removing the ice bag from Makoto’s shoulder. “Something like this, perhaps?” She moved her lips to the girl’s exposed shoulder, kissing her gently as she had before. This time, though, it seemed to have a much more profound effect on her girlfriend.

The gardener could feel Makoto jolt. “I-I thought that was going to be later?”

Haru raised her head, smirking at the other girl. “It’s been a few minutes. I believe that constitutes as later.”

Makoto wearily shook her head. “After the tournament and our conversation… I honestly don’t think I have enough energy.”

Haru giggled. “Fair enough. My exhaustion’s catching up to me as well.” She gave one last kiss to her shoulder before beginning to button up the student council president’s shirt. “Besides, I don’t want to make your injury even worse.”

“Hm…”

Haru gave a quick peck to Makoto’s cheek. “I’ll go change, and then we can simply go to bed. How does that sound?”

Makoto smiled warmly at her. “Perfect.”

There we go! I do not claim to know more than some basics of aikido, so if there are any mistakes/misconceptions, I do apologize. Hopefully, the rest of the story (especially the angst/comforting parts) will make up for it!

The tournament that Makoto participated in here is based off of Toshu Randori of the Tomiki style, though there are many other forms. From what I researched, aikido is not really supposed to be used for a traditional “competition”, but more so a demonstration of principles in a controlled environment. But I stretched the purpose just a little bit so that Makoto could be feasibly hurt outside of practice.

Also, for those who have played Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, the conversation in this story that Haru and Makoto have about Makoto wondering whether or not Haru told her about ballet stems from the fact that what happens in that dreamworld is forgotten by everyone when they wake up. I headcannon that they remember it on a subconscious level, hence the déjà vu feeling they experience here.

Hope you enjoyed, and see you tomorrow!

#okujima #okujima week #okujima week 2019 #makoto niijima #haru okumura #makoto x haru #haru x makoto #p5 #persona 5

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