#the moment they started trying their own version i was - preparing myself for the clash haha

[unoficialy-married-to-ace-austin]

The Cleaners Princess Kenny Omega smut

Summary: Olivia Jackson was the bullet clubs Princess, Kenny’s Princes. When she got hurt and had to put up here boots he and Kenny broke up. Now she’s back, and he and Kenny have some feelings.

Warning: Daddy kink, smut, some power kink I think, hair pulling, just generally nastiness. 

Olivia POV

3 years. It had been three years since I made a mistake in a match. Three years since I was carted out of the Tokyo dome on a stretcher. Three years since I had to retire from the sport I loved more than anything.

I couldn't get these thoughts out of my head as I drove down the road to Daileys place. I had finally gotten cleared to get back in the ring, and just in time for a huge moment on my brothers new company AEW. I turned into the parking lot of the event, and no one was out there. For a better surprise factor I was going to show up after the show already started. I found a parking spot and pulled my phone out, sending a quick text to Matt so he knew I was here.

I leaned my head forward a bit, letting it rest on the steering wheel. Was I really ready to get back in the ring? I practically jumped out of my skin when there was a knock on the window. I looked over to see Matt laughing causing me to role my eyes. I got out of the car, crossing my arms over my chest. "Really Matthew?"

"Oh calm down, it was funny." He said winking at me. "You got your bag?"

"Ya, I'm the back." I did heading around to the trunk to open it. As I pulled out my bag I looked over at Matt. "Where's my other half?"

"Fucked up his knee during our match earlier tonight. He should be fine, but we had to change the finish tonight a bit." He explained as he took my bag from me.

"You know I can carry my own shit right?" I asked as we walked to the back door.

"You sure? You couldn't back in Japan."

"That was a gimmick. You know me, living the gimmick." I joked poking his side.

"Ya, your the best at Playing entitled little sister. You kept it up even after you stopped wrestling." He said making me huff.

"That's not fair, I'm not even the youngest."

"Ya, but your the youngest of yourself, me, and Nick." He pointed out.

"Me and Nick were born the same day!"

"There was like a 5 minute difference." My head swung around to see one of my closest friends Adam page.

"What's up cowboy?" I asked crossing my arms over my chest as we stopped to talk to him.

"The sky."

"No shot Sherlock."

"Liv, watch your language." Matt mumbled shaking his head. If you went off of looks allow you would know me, Matt, and Nick were all related, but I acted so different then them. I drank about as much as Adam, and often would swear like a sailor. The only thing I had in common with them was wrestling really.

"Well I should probably get going. Got to get ready for the big night" I said winking at Adam as I turned to follow Matt down the hall.

"The Doc brought Nick back to the room before you got here, and you can get ready in here." He explained before pushing open the door. Nick is sat on the couch with his leg up, Karl was standing talking to Gallows, but Gallows wasn't looking at me. I smiled and put my finger up to my lips, telling Nick and Karl to stay quiet. Nick chuckled, and shook his head.

"Hey Matt." Karl said, clearly trying not to laugh as I snuck up behind him. I ran a few steps and jumped onto his back.

"GALLOWS!" I yelled as my arms wrapped around his shoulders and my legs around his waist. He surged forward in surprised, his arms flying out to steady him.

"Olivia!" He said surprised as he looked at me over his shoulder. I smiled at him giggling.

"Hi." He just chuckled at me and grabbed under my knees and hoisted me up so it was more of a piggyback.

"Sometimes I wonder how your related to those to." Karl said laughing.

"I still don't think she is." Matt said rolling his eyes. I simply smiled as I jumped down from Gallows back (witch is pretty far), landing with a slight thud.

"Well, I've seen almost everyone. Where's Kenny?" I asked looking around the room, and I could feel the mood shift to uncomfortableness. I rolled my eyes at their nervousness. Me and Kenny has been dating back in Japan, I had even been known as 'The Cleaners Princess'. When I got hurt we tried the long distance, but it simply didn't work out. We split up, but we never hated each other. I still saw him when he came to see Matt and Nick in California.

"Really guys? It's been more then 2 years. Besides, I'll have to see him regularly if I'm going to be working with you again." I reminded them.

"We know. He will show up with Don at some point, it's normal to have him show up late." Nick explained as I nodded.

"Ok. I'm gonna go get changed, do my makeup, all that good shit." I said walking over to the bathroom they had. Once inside I locked the door and pulled my sweatshirt off. I did the same with my shirt and bra, but paused as I looked in the mirror. I had a couple nasty scars on my body from surgeries over the years.

My fingers traced over the small tattoo on my side. 'Livin the dream' was written in small black letters. Most of it was covered by even ring gear, so no one else knew it was there. Except of course Kenny. A dare one night after I drank a considerable amount, also the night me and Kenny got together.

I pulled myself away from the thought as I reached into my bag grabbing another bra, and my crop top version of a young Bucks tee shirt. I pulled my sweat pants I had worn here off, and pulled the ripped jeans on. The fans had always called my crazy Jackson, witch matched that I was always the 'wild child'. I then pulled out my old leather jacket. It was cold and smooth, just like the last time I put it on. I had never dared to where it out of wrestling. On the back the word 'Princess' was spelt out in light pink letters that had a look of being attached badly. I loved it. It's Time to put on a show.

—————————————————

"What's the drunkest thing you've ever done?" Kenny asked both of us sitting on the couch in his room after drinks with the guys.

"Honestly? Probably my tattoo." I answered.

"Tattoo?"

"Ya, don't you remember? On my side. I got it the night we got together." I said pointing to my left side.

"I'm gonna be honest I only remember certain parts of it." He confused taking a sip of water.

"So, how as Kenny Omega been? Nice to see the cleaner back." I said shifting a bit and pishimg at the lose hair that had come out of the ponytail.

"Why does everyone keep saying the cleaners 'back'?! I've always been him!"

"Probably just waiting for the mean ruthless Kenny. I mean, you were the guy who would do what it took to win, and you did that against Mox." I shrugged.

"I guess really that the cleaner kinda died off when you left." He admitted. "I mean, I had put a lot of time in making us the 'power couple' of the wrestling world."

"Lest be honest, we were the hottest couple. Plus I bet people are already wondering on twitter." I said pulling my phone out to open twitter. I had about a million notifications and as I clicked through them until I found one that stopped me. It read: Kenny's princess is back!! I bet she's calling his daddy tonight 😉

I felt a blush creep up my neck, and practically jumped when I felt Kenny's breath on my neck. "Well look at that. You were right." I'm sure it could look like he was just reading the tweet for the hell of it, but I could hear the change in his voice. I get his hands on my waist as he turned me towards him, our faces inches apart.

"I don't think I told you how much I've missed seeing you in the ring." He whispered, thumbs rubbing at my sides. "Did you miss me?"

"Depends on the part." I whispered, my hand moving up to his hair, and I gripped it lightly. "I missed playing with your long hair," I let my hands move along his arms to his fingers, "I've missed your muscle, and these fingers." I mumbled running my hand on them. "And I've course this." I whispered as o reached down and palmed his dick, and I could feel it was rock hard.

He groaned out and pulled me into a rough kiss that had our teeth clashing together. We continued to make out as my hands went back to his hair, pulling lightly now and again. When he finally pulled away we were both breathing heavily. "You know your a teas right?"

"What do you mean?" I asked turning my head in confusion.

"This damn jacket. Last I checked you were The Cleaners Princess anymore." He whispered in his rough voice. He leaned forward a bit to nip at my neck.

"Maybe I miss being your princess."

"Well, I may just have some great news, there is an audition for that exact spot." He whispered pulling jacket from my shoulders slowly.

"What do I have to do?"

'Make the king feel good." I knew immediately what that meant, and slid from the couch to the ground letting out a small sound of pain when I hit the ground. "Careful babe. You will be making those sounds a bit later."

I reached forward and undid his pants and with his help pulled his jeans and boxers. His length stood tall and hard in front of me, the head an angry red. I looked up at him as he gave me a nod and I reached forward. As my hand wrapped around he moaned out. I ran my hand up and down it a bit before Kenny grabbed me by the hair. You better get sucking baby."

He lead me with my hair as my mouth wrapped around his tip. I recognized the taste, witch caused me to moan out, making him moan from the feeling. He lead me up and down for a bit, and I could feel him trying not to thrust up. "Fuck it." He mumbled pulling me off him and yanking me to his lap. He reached up and didn't even Try taking my shirt and bra off before he just ripped it. "Get your god damn pants off." He growled into my ear. I stood up quickly pulling them off, and when I looked back Kenny was waiting.

I crawled back into his lap, making him hold my hips. "Rode me slut." He whispered, making me shudder. He hadn't prepared me at all, so as I snuck down I could tell I was tight, but clearly didn't care. Once I bottomed out is at for a moment, trying to catch my breath. He leans forward his breath on my ear. "Bounce bitch."

Immediate I started riding him like I would die if I stoped. "Fuck, Kenny!" I moaned as I bounced. I get his mouth take one of my buds into his mouth as he sucked harshly.

"Let's use the right name. You've done this before." He said sternly. I could feel my climax coming, and knew he wouldn't let me off that easy.

"Fuck Daddy! I'm so close please!" I moaned as I tried to keep up my pace, slamming down on his Enyo match his thrust.

"Fuck do it princess." He encouraged making me shudder as I came. My body practically going limp. He pushed me forward off of his lap to the ground and positioned his dock in my face as he started to jerk off. I watched as he got closer, and stuck out my tongue as he came all over my face. Neither of us moved for a moment before Kenny pulled my back up, my legs shaking as I got up. He reached over and grabbed some blanket and used it to wipe us both off.

"House keeping is going to hate you." I mumbled my eyes already feeling heavy.

"I think I'll survive." He said pulling me closer. Did this mean we still liked each other? I pushed the thought away, just wanting Kenny to hold me as I slept.

AN: I really liked writing this and though about make a full series about it. Would any read it if I did?

#fanfiction #kenny omega #kenny omega smut #The young Bucks #kenny omega x reader #smut #Kenny omega is daddy

[himooonlight]

who are you? pt. 2 (reggie x reader)

pairing: reggie x reader

word count: 4.8k

plot: you dream about reggie constantly and when you see him perfoming with julie, you decide to ask her about him

warnings: reggie is too cute. that's the warning

A/N: english is not my first language and this is my first fanfic, so please, be nice ok? enjoy :)

you can read part 1 here

- What? How can you know that? - Julie asks, sounding surprised. - No, Luke, I don't know her.

  Reggie's gaze is fixed on me. I feel chills rising from my belly to the tips of my ears so I shake my shoulders, trying to get rid of the sensation.

  - Alex, don't do that. - Reggie says, looking in my direction. Confused, I turn around looking for Alex, but there is nobody there.

  It's amazing how realistic the hologram is. It's almost like I can see the colors of Reggie's eyes clearly, even his pores and freckles. I search for a projector and find nothing, so I decide it's time to stop ignoring my questions. Reggie has already confirmed that he is who I imagined, so it's Julie's turn to clarify what kind of madness is going on.

  The acting classes haven't prepared me at all for the moment that I find myself questioning my own sanity.

  - Are Alex and Luke part of the band? - I ask to no one in particular. I accept responses from Julie or Reggie. Maybe I prefer Julie, since Reginald is a synonym for craziness in my mind. - Reggie never told me their names.

  - Can't you see them?

  - No. Are they here too? Why can't I see their hologram as well?

  Reggie gives a short sarcastic laugh, something I've never seen him do. Be ironic. That was not as attractive as his easy-going personality, his funny and flirtatious ways and his warm smile. It seemed to clash with his version of my dreams and I wondered if maybe it was all a lie. It could be that I had created that Reggie completely and as much as the happiness I felt for him was not a lie, it could be that he, as the person I loved, did not exist. Still, I wanted to be close to him and be able to love him from up close.

  - We are not holograms and I thought you already knew that. - He replied. - No, Alex, it's okay. I can't explain, but I just know she is important. It's natural, just like you can tell when it's time to go to the bathroom, you know?

  I look at Julie waiting for her to say something, mainly because I prefer not to think about Reggie's comparison of his feelings with an internal sphincter alerting his brain about his physiological needs.

  Julie doesn't seem convinced, but she looks defeated.

  - I think we have a lot to explain, but we need time. Can you meet us after class? In the chemistry lab? It's my last class of the day. - She says, looking tired and conflicted. I really don’t want to make her feel that way, but I am already too irritated at the way I handled things before. I'm almost mad at my own personality.

  I am basically a shy person. However, there's a lot of different personas within me that can appear depending on who's around me or where I am. The original Y/N, the person I am independently of the environment or how I am with, is irrationally careful. I prefer to observe people, not bother anyone, not speak too loudly if it is not necessary. That's why I am not offended that Julie doesn't know me; because I am unapologetic for my personality - I am not ashamed of not wanting everyone to know my name, no matter how much I like the art that puts me in the spotlight.

  Maybe art is different for girls like me and Carrie Wilson, for example. She performs for other people while I do it for myself, to help and express myself. I'm still not sure what kind of person Julie is, possibly a mix of both of us.

  - I think I'll spend the rest of the day with... what's your name again? - Reggie says, looking a little more like the version of my dreams.

  I was excited before, but now I am just questioning my own decisions. I seemed to have complicated Julie's life and Reggie didn't seem so happy to meet me. The idea that I had created for that moment was certainly better in my head than in real life, because in my imagination Reginald would have explanations for me and would also fall in love easily. I blame it on my overthinking skills and stupid research, because according to what I had read, it was a case of "connection beyond life", not just a series of coincidences and feelings nurtured with patience. Apparently, we were soulmates. 

  Or it could be that I saw his band somewhere before and created the whole story in my mind. Detailed and with too many specific facts, but it's still a possibility.

  For the first time, I don't prefer to believe in the rational explanation. Sometimes it just takes a little bit of madness and magic for things to sound and be better.

  - My name is Y/N L/N. - I answer. - But in a dream you called me…

  - L/N! - A shout coming from the door interrupts me. Nick is standing there, looking weird. His dark jeans and long black jacket don't seem to match the boy who usually greets me with an excited and happy smile. It's something in his posture and in the way his eyes seem to call for help. He looks uncomfortable. - I waited for you in the cafeteria to help me with math, but you didn't show up.

  He doesn't say anything about Reggie, so I assume he disappeared again. I don't know what Julie's trick is, but I don't turn around to check so I don't look crazy.

  Nick's features soften unnaturally. He seems to be practicing some theatrical exercise, considering that his mouth forms and deforms a smile every second, imitating a broken doll. His eyes are on Julie, as if expecting a reaction from her and I wonder if he's using me to try to make her jealous. Which clearly wouldn't do any good. People don't even associate my name with his; everyone knows that I am only his tutor. And to me he is almost like a distant younger cousin.

  - Sorry, Julie was helping me with a song. - I lie, smiling weakly at him and adjusting my backpack. I don't like to lie because I'm bad at it, but we're not close enough for me to feel bad or anything. The actress persona helps at times like this. - But now I have to go to my next class. Thanks for the help, Julie. Tomorrow at lunch I'll help you, Nick. I'm really sorry, I completely forgot about it.

  I nod at her and widen my eyes when I see Reggie standing beside me. I turn completely to Nick and he doesn't show any reaction, so I just keep walking outside with Reggie by my side, looking at me with a funny look on his face. He walks sideways and I can't help but smile at the feeling of him so close to me.

  In order not to look crazy, I search my pockets for earphones and grab a script from the last play we worked on. I pretend to train lines while talking to him.

  - Nobody can see you. This is too weird. Shouldn't you be a hologram? - I ask, looking ahead and speaking quietly. There aren't many students in the hallways yet because there are still a few minutes before class starts, but I need to be discreet anyway. - Why can I see you then?

  In a wider step, he stops in front of me and starts walking backwards. I can look him in the eyes while I feel butterflies in my stomach. With his attention on me, I seem to have an entire zoo inside my stomach wanting to express how I feel about him.

  - I'm not a hologram. - He answers. - Do you know what happens to people when they die?

  - They turn to dust? - I try. Reggie ponders, but nods no. - They turn into stars?

  He laughs. In a precious way that seems to heal any pain I may feel.

  He laughs. And time seems to stop.

  Seeing his smile and his happiness in front of me makes me want to physically express what I feel, so before I can think about it, my arms reach up to hug him. In slowmotion, I see Reggie close his eyes and smile, as if waiting for my arms to wrap around him, as if he also wants a physical confirmation of affection. His cute dimples appear and I imagine that I, standing alone in the hall, look like an idiot.

  My arms go through him, so I pretend I'm stretching.

  - I wish I could feel you. - He speaks. His tone breaks my heart even when I thought it was not possible to feel more disappointmented.

I don't know what to say to him, so I don't say anything. It was natural in my dreams to walk hand in hand, touch his nose with mine, hug him and feel the warmth emanating from his body. Both dreams, as a man and in the recent ones as myself: I always knew that Reginald was there. As much as dreams were not part of physical reality, I seemed to really feel him, so I made an effort to demonstrate how happy he made me feel. And he also didn't hold back, always expressing with his body that he was there; either touching my hair, playing with my fingers, bumping his shoulders against mine, anything. I didn't understand how frustrating it could be to not be able to touch him until this moment. When this simple verb is all I desire.

  To touch him.

  But he is dead.

  I'm in love with a ghost that lived in my dreams.

  The two of us, defeated and without exchanging another word, get to the auditorium quickly. The door is open, but there is no one inside. We enter in silence and sit in the back. The comfortable black chairs and the maroon carpet are about to witness my madness when he sits beside me and puts his hand on mine. He stares at his fingers with intensity, making a vein in his neck pop a little. I can't help looking at him without reservations, mentally writing down his details. The way his face is triangular, his pink cheeks and his adorable asymmetrical nose. His lips are slightly parted and his hair looks so soft and inviting to the touch. I only look away from his face when I feel a light weight on my skin.

  He is touching my hand in a timid and almost imperceptible way. Shocked, I look at the position of our fingers, feeling hope run through my body. The intoxicating and numbing hope.

  Hope that he can be real.

  - I can hold a few things when I focus. - Reggie doesn't look able to focus on more than one thing at the same time though. - And with you I have difficulty focusing, to be honest.

  With that comment, I can't help but smile. My shock is exchanged with happiness to know that I'm not feeling all these beautiful feelings alone. That I'm not by myself, trying to understand the bad ones either.

  - Are you a ghost, Reggie? - The question rolls off my tongue with difficulty. It doesn't sound like a question; it's more of a statement. He confirms my assumption and I can taste the bad flavor that hope can give. It's a taste of disappointment, sadness, resentment. - And I am your unfinished business, hum? What does that mean?

  - I'm not sure what I need to do, but I know it involves you. At least I think so. And even if you don't feel the same way, you can see me, but not Alex and Luke. Until now, I thought we had unfinished business together, but maybe each one of us has separate things that we need to take care of. - His touch disappears and I miss him. I can't feel him anymore, but the weight of his words certainly make up for it. - We need to find out what's our deal.

  "Our deal". So romantic.

  Before I can answer, the teacher arrives with a group of students behind him. I wave at them and get up, sitting in the third row. I like to be close, but not too close. That way I have some space to ponder about wanting to participate or just keep watching.

  - Y/N. - Reggie calls. I can't say anything with so many people around, so I decide to ignore him. Mr. Ortega, the teacher, looks excited. We will start discussing the characters for the next play and he will probably comment on contributions to the story. - L/N. Darling. Cutie. - I still don't answer, but I can't help smiling. Listening to those things really feels like he's the Reggie from my dreams. - Pumpkin. Precious little nugget.

  My attention remains focused on the teacher, who decides to sit on the edge of the stage. He pushes himself up with his arms and turns his torso to land correctly where he wants to. It's amazing how most of the theater people seem to express themselves naturally, as if they can float. Most of my classmates also look like this, as if they don't overthink anything. What they wear, how they speak, their hand movements; everything is fluid. It's intriguing how different people can be.

  I assume I can be wrong too. Maybe the teacher thought long before he sitted there, maybe he thought about it over lunch. Maybe my classmates are nervous to answer simple questions, maybe even Carrie has her doubts about herself. People are also intriguing because you can never tell what's on their mind, how they truly feel, what's honest and what's just mean lies. 

  Most days I'm fine not knowing though.

  - If you don't answer me, I'll be mean. - The teacher starts talking about our choice between a musical or an immersive play (that he sounds very excited about). - You leave me no choice, Y/N. Hey, bowl of cereal that's been sitting out for like an hour. Tiny wet socks.

  He needs to stop before I start laughing while the teacher talks about his love for immersive theater. I look in his direction as if begging for him to stop, but Reggie sees it as an incentive.

  I couldn't have created his personality. Not in my dreams nor in real life. Reggie is interesting, quirky and too adorable for me to have invented him. My imagination is not so fertile as to be able to come up with a person as engaging as him. But it is no comfort to know that he is a ghost, that there is no chance that my dreams could come true.

  I was basically stuck on a roller coaster that I didn't want to go on. It was like I was at the top, happy to see the whole park and sad to know that I was going to fall soon. Ruthlessly, with the possibility of getting sick on the way, sure. Still there was no possibility of leaving or regretting being there. There was just the option of going forward knowing I couldn't be the same as I was before I saw the park from up there.

  - Rainy day. - He continues. I take a pen out of my backpack and flip the script over, writing a "stop it" in block letters. - Do you need to pay attention in this class?

  I look at the teacher, who continues to talk excitedly about our options for the play, and write "you've got 5 minutes", to which he responds by jumping in his seat. I keep looking ahead, but pay attention to what he says, leaving my palm facing up. He sees it as an invitation and leaves his hand over mine, without touching it. Reggie begins to tell a story of when he went to a kennel and saw a puppy named Y/N and wanted to adopt the little animal, but he found out in the worst way that he was allergic. He said he didn't care. Then he told me that he liked my perfume and that it reminded him of spring. And that he missed being alive. I write a "I can't smell you; what do you smell like?", which he reads quickly. He takes his wrist up to his nose and smells it.

  - I think I smell like autumn. - He shrugs. - I'll let you pay attention now. See you with Julie later, okay? Have a good rest of the day.

  Reggie leans over, like he's going to kiss me on the cheek. He did that in my dreams too many times, whenever he said hi or goodbye. It had started with a conversation about different cultures and ended with a promise to travel together - just words thrown in the wind. I remember waking up sad to know it would never happen. With him so close now, I can only hold my breath and hope he can kiss me.

  - Sorry. - He says, walking away before we can find out how his lips would feel on my skin in real life. He disappears before I can say goodbye.

  I am spring, he is autumn. Opposite seasons that will never exist at the same time in the same place. Both important, intense and simply different; both loved. It's still very bittersweet that such beautiful feelings can't blossom together; because when I bloom, he dies, just like autumn leaves.

  The rest of the class is focused on the choice of the play and I try my best to pay attention, but it's difficult to think of anything other than Reginald. I can only focus on something else when I am in the last class of the day and Nick sits next to me. It's math and I assume he's going to ask for help with his homework, but he starts the conversation questioning my relationship with Julie. His tone is not subtle curiosity, but more like someone who is going to ask for a favor.

  - I really just wanted to ask something about a song that I thought would be good for our next play. - I try to sound chill about it, but the way Nick looks at me makes me anxious. He's different, acting like he's playing a part I don't know about. I don't know much about him to bet on it, but I believe I am good enough at reading people to know that there is something strange about him today. - But is there anything I can help you with? I thought you were going to see her on Saturday. You did go to her house, right?

  He smiles at me and a shiver runs down my spine.

  - Yes, I went to her house. I just wanted to know if you guys talked about me.

  I answer a simple "no" and let my brain interpret his words and actions. His posture is too upright and there is an air of superiority in the way he moves. His body language looks different. He seems to feel like he is better than everyone and I never took Nick as pretentious. 

  He starts to draw something that I don't really identify at first, but I soon recognize the tarot card number one. 

  The Magician.

  The man in his drawing has one arm up and the other is pointing down, representing the magician's connection between the spiritual realms and the material realms. I can only tell this is the Magician card because of the four elements Nick draws on the paper: a cup, a pentacle, a sword and a wand. It symbolizes the four elements water, earth, air and fire, meaning that the magician has it all.

  Nick takes his time to draw the flowers and foliage around the magician, which makes me think that he believes that this person or feeling is very creative and clever. At least, that's the original meaning for the card. The boy also draws the infinite symbol above the head and when I think he's about to finish the drawing with the snake around the magician's waist, he stops.

  It's incomplete.

  The infinity symbol and the snake mean access to unlimited potential. Maybe Nick's magician doesn't feel so powerful. Maybe there's something holding him back.

  - Sneaky, huh?

  His voice is firm and low. He doesn't sound mad or surprised that I was in fact watching him. He sounds superior, like he is trying to tease me.

  - Sorry.

  I can't focus on the rest of the class because it seems that as much as Nick's head is turned forward, towards where the teacher is, it seems like he's paying attention to every move I make. How I hold the pen, how I breathe, how I write. It's nerve wracking.

  When the class is over and Nick leaves, I think about his drawing and notice a detail that I hadn't paid attention to before. Nick's quick fingers painting the magician's robe.

  It's a black robe. Nick's magician has a black robe.

  It's never a black essentially, because it's supposed to be white, alluding to purity.

  - Ready to go? - Reggie's head appears on the door. I pack the rest of my things and say goodbye to the teacher. She smiles at me, not knowing I'm about to speak to the dead.

  We really never know what's going on in someone's life.

  I take out my phone and put it close to my ear so I can "talk" to Reggie. My classroom is in the same corridor as the chemistry lab, but at opposite extremes. Because it's a big school, we have about 5 minutes to get there, especially with the slow pace he and I take. The boy smiles and does the same as before, walking backwards in front of me, so that we can talk looking at each other. I like that he also likes to look at me.

  - Tell me some of your stories. - He asks.

  Testing the waters, I tell him the same story I told a few days ago, in my dreams.

  - My mom once ordered two pizzas from different places because she had coupons. The two delivery guys arrived at our door together and one of them started singing "why can't we be friends" in a very funny way, but the other didn't like it very much. In the end I'm sure they exchanged numbers. Too much tension in the air, you know?

  - I can only imagine their faces. - Reggie replies. - But that's very smart of your mom. She sounds nice.

  - She is very cool. My dad is very funny and my older sister is… well, older. She is grumpy most of the time, but she has a good heart. Do you miss your family?

  I would miss mine for sure. I only have my mother, my father and my sister; the rest of the family decided not to accept my sister's girlfriend, which made the four of us form our own independent clan. No aunt, no grandfather, no cousin. Nobody else; we could only trust ourselves. As much as holidays like Christmas could make us smile fakely and reduce our lifespan a little with boring conversations, at the end of the day it is the four of us against the world. A cruel world that did not accept my sister for who she loved, which was stupid.

  - Yeah, a little. My parents didn't love each other anymore, but they were still my parents, right? It doesn't matter that they were a couple first.

  - And they will never stop being your parents. They can split, but even now, they're still your parents, Reggie. - He smiles sadly at me. - Don't you wanna see them?

  We stop for a while in the middle of the hallway. There aren't many students because most of them have already headed to the exit. I put my phone back in my pocket so I can extend my hand to him. Every contact needs to come from him, because no matter how much I focus, I can't meet him halfway. He has to go all the way by himself. He reads my intentions quickly and imitates me, holding his palm up. I can feel the pressure of his hand against mine and his timid warmth. His thumb gets between my thumb and pointing finger, almost intertwining our hands. His pinky is almost circling mine in a half hug. I stare at his eyes with love and adoration, hoping I'm interpreting right and he is indeed doing the same.

  He must be focusing a lot for this to happen.

  - Would you help me find them? - He asks.

  Reggie doesn't know, but with his hands on mine I'd say yes to anything and everything.

  - Of course! We'll find them.

  He starts walking again and I quickly put my hand down.

  - Thank you. But now, tell me: - His smile makes me smile too. I'm glad this version of him is very happy all the time. - did it hurt?

- Let me guess. When I fell from heaven?

  - No.

  - What?

  - Did it hurt when you fell for me?

  I roll my eyes and walk faster, passing him to get to the classroom before I can say that yes, it hurted. A lot. Falling for him was oh so sweet, but also hurtful.

  Loving him made me realize that distraction and destruction sound awfully alike and sometimes you don't understand which one it is. Distraction, destruction; both, none.

  What started as a way to feel more excited about life and its possibilities turned into something more, something bigger that I couldn't explain. In the beginning the dreams were entertaining, interesting. Just emotions not really related to me as a person. It was more about sensations, experiences. But soon enough I was thinking about him when I got up too, not just before going to sleep.

- Hey, Y/N. - Julie says as soon as I see her exiting the classroom. She's with Flynn, who probably knows everything by now. She smiles and waves at me. I wave back and Reggie does too, like the fool he is. - Do you want to go to my house? You can stay for dinner too, if you want.

  - I'll check with my sister. If I know her at all, she'll take me to your house and check with your dad if he's fine with everything. Is it ok?

  - Sure! - Julie answers. - Is she going to pick you up here?

  - Yeah. She'll be here any minute actually. You can text me your address and I'll meet you there.

  She hands me her phone and I add my number saved under "Y/N (who's very sorry about everything)". They wave goodbye while Reggie stays by my side.

  - I'll see you in a bit, right?

  He sounds unsure and I wonder if anyone would ever be stupid enough to leave him. His puppy eyes are too much for me to handle, so I start walking to the parking lot, where my sister usually waits for me. He follows me.

  - Of course. Even if my sister says no, I will text Julie and we will figure something out. - That would be the moment that I would give his hand a squeeze, just to make sure he knows I mean it. - Don't worry, okay?

  - I'm not worried. I have this feeling I'll always find you, so it's alright. - Before disappearing, he winks at me. - See you later, alligator.

  I'm still smiling when I spot Daisy's car and get in. My sister looks at me with her eyes half closed, silently questioning what happened for me to be in such a good mood.

  - Okay, I have boy problems. - I say. She doesn't drive, so she can still stare at me. - Big ones.

  - Like "his dead body is too big to hide" or "you like him" problems?

  - I like him.

  - It's a shame then. I could've helped you with the other one. - She starts driving and misses the way I roll my eyes at her answer.  - Why is it a problem though?

  - Oh, it's simple. He doesn't exist.

  - Too many fanfictions, huh?

  - Something like that. - I shrug. - Can you take me to a friends house? I'd like to talk to her about my boy problems.

As we drive to Julie's house, I wonder why I'd be Reggie's unfinished business and if I'll ever be able to meet him halfway, because we do share the same feeling, even though I didn't say anything to him before.

  I also feel like I would always find him.

  Doesn't matter when or where, I'd always find Reggie.

#reggie x reader #reggie x y/n #reggie fanfic #julie and the phantoms #julie and the phantoms fanfic #jatp fanfic #jatp #reggie jatp #reggie #juke fanfic #julie and luke fanfic #julie molina #luke patterson #alex and willie #fanfic #fanfic reader #fluff #fanfic fluff

[phandom-against-onision]

You have probably already informed yourself, but here is a masterlist anyway.

MAJOR CONTENT WARNINGS: BLACKFACE, SLURS, RACIST COMMENTS, CHILD PREDATORY COMMENTS, NSFW CONTENT, BEASTIALITY, TRANSPHOBIA, MISHANDLING OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES, OUTING AND MORE! PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

Shane Dawson has been shown to mock black people on several occasions, saying the n word, doing blackface and creating stereotypical recurring characters.

When beginning on YouTube, Shane had a character called “Shanaynay” who was supposed to be a “ghetto-white girl”. When playing her, Shane often used ghetto stereotypes. She was a recurring character from 2008-2011. Although he has long stopped playing this character, he was continuing to sell the merch and profit off his racism as recently as last year!

He has also done blackface in his character skits, and said the n word as Shanaynay. On one of these occasions, he called an actual black woman a “n*gga bitch monkey woman”. Watch the full video for all occasions.

Here are some additional comments on this matter.

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Shane Dawson has acted inappropriately with and around minors for a long time.

He has probably done this even more than his blackface, and that’s saying something.

This clip, which went around last year, contains him calling a 6-year-old child sexy and admitting to googling CP. This is from his Shane and Friends podcast, which contains a lot of explicit clips.

He has also asked his teenage fan to “show herself” and “shut up and twerk”. This is from 3:55 - 4:29 in this video.

One of the instances really going around on Twitter at the moment is him pretending to jerk off to a picture of the then-11 year old Willow Smith.

A reminder that her family has not forgiven him, so neither should you!

Honestly, there are way too many occasions of this. Please check out this Twitter thread which lists a lot of times he has made inappropriate comments and did inappropriate things.

Another very distasteful thing he has done is claim to solve the murder of an actual six-year-old child, profiting off “speaking” to her spirit.

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Shane Dawson has joked about bestiality on camera multiple times.

This is just straight-up weird. It went around a lot last year, but in case you’ve forgotten, here is a playlist of a few clips. He also rubbed his face in his dog’s crotch but I can’t find a direct video of that by itself.

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Shane Dawson is transphobic as hell.

Watch this full video for the details where he uses trans as an insult and says tr*nny while knowing it is a derogatory term.

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Shane Dawson has promoted and supported terrible people and channels.

This has been a long-time criticism of his viral documentary series, but it is still important to remember.

Let’s start with the problems with this in chronological order. 

His first viral documentary series was The Truth about Tanacon.

Tanacon, to begin with, had several issues. Despite big dreams, it failed spectacularly due to lack of organisation and preparation before the event. There were many last minute changes and it generally lacked several necessities in events. Some issues were disorganised registrations, reserved meet and greets that didn’t go through the system, clashings with VidCon (a bigger event), inappropriate content creators, adversied content creators that didn’t appear, condoms in the goodie bag, lies about free tickets, no food, no room for anything, one hallway, lack of regulation in wristbands, underestimation of guests, overly expensive merch, no cooling system, no fire solutions (meaning they kicked everyone out) and it goes on. 

Despite actual people suffering due to the incompetency of Tana, Shane made her out to be an innocent martyr. This gets even worse as you realise than Tana has been exposed for several racist comments throughout her YouTube career.

Shane is clearly shown to be a terrible interviewer, presenting more as a friend than someone who is willing to find the “truth” of Tanacon. Instead of learning about Tanacon from an unbiased journalist, we get an obscured version of what happened, engineered to sympathise with Tana instead of her admitting to her mistakes.

Yet, this somehow was only the beginning of the problems with the documentary series, as the next one was with Jeffree Starr.

I don’t even know where to begin with the problems with this.

Firstly, Jeffree is perhaps the most problematic YouTuber who is still popular on the website. He has been exposed as racist, sexist, supporting of rapists, terrible to fans, transphobic, ableist, fatphobic, homophobic, insensitive to suicidal people, sexualising of minors, fascist and violent. Check out this thread here for the full details and proof of these claims.

Shane is not stupid. He is aware of these controversies, but has continued to support Jeffree. When a fan called him out, he was extremely rude and was very mad, and supporting all the hate the fan was getting.

The entire documentary series is about him befriending Jeffree, and making him out to be a good person. 

Jeffree should NOT be given a positive platform like this, and he should NOT be continuing to get away with being “cancelled”. So many other YouTubers have been “cancelled” for lesser things, yet Jeffree manages to always get away with it.

The next documentary series was the Jake Paul series. This is perhaps his most controversial documentary series.

Shane is not a therapist, a psychiatrist or a mental health professional. Even though he did consult some people, they are not allowed to diagnose people based on suspicions and videos. Yet, throughout the entire series, he calls Jake Paul a sociopath, and using that label to justify everything he has done.

Jake and Logan have both stirred up some of the biggest controversies on the platform, yet Shane gave them the ability to thrive. Like he did with Tana and Jeffree, he humanised him and edited it to the audience would sympathise with Jake. He has been exposed to scam his young fans, been rude to his neighbours and cast members, made light of serious disorders like anxiety, saying the n word and doing several things for clout, such as “marrying” Tana Mongeau.

As addressed in the documentary series, Alissa Violet, Jake’s ex-girlfriend, has shared her stories of physical abuse in the Team 10 mansion in private life, yet Shane did not fully address this or even mention this to Jake in the episode after. This further proves that Shane is incapable of running a documentary series with such deep themes as he will gloss over them or not address them properly.

This issue is further seen in his documentary with Eugenia Cooney.

A warning that I have not actually seen this as I have heard it contains triggering subject material which I do not wish to subject myself to in interests for my personal mental health - I am only going off the statements of experts and viewers.

In theory, this documentary could have been brilliant. After all, it is two people who have gone/is going through eating disorders and discussing it. However, experts have said that this could be harmful and it is easy to see why.

As much as I do not like Shane, I, and experts, do believe that he had good intentions behind this documentary. However, it probably would have been better if they consulted an expert regularly throughout the documentary when handling a touchy subject. After all, many of Shane’s viewers are young and/or influential, and a correct portrayal of a subject which is terrifying and real to many people watching is very important.

Here is an excerpt from this article about how he handled this:

Other fans were concerned with Cooney's safety, given that she referred to having an eating disorder in the past tense, signaling that she may not be considering further treatment.

"She certainly looks like she is physically healthier, but mentally she still seems like she's struggling a lot and she tries to cover it with her overwhelming positivity," another comment on the video says.

Experts who spoke with INSIDER — and who have not personally treated Cooney — are wary of considering Cooney's treatment a success story.

"When we are in the midst of our eating disorder we are very, very good at wearing masks. We're very good at playing a role that is very convincing and wants to let people know that we're okay," Chevese Turner, the Chief Strategy & Policy Officer for the National Eating Disorders Association, told INSIDER."A month of treatment is just barely scratching the surface of the road to recovery. While she put on a good face and was very chipper and cheerful, I'm not convinced that's what's going on inside. How do any of us know for sure?"

While both experts told INSIDER they believe Dawson had good intentions, they also expressed numerous concerns with the way the video presented the reality of eating disorders, and Cooney's recovery in particular. Turner says having Cooney share her story could be very cathartic, but she worries how much of her appearance was intended to resurrect or preserve her career."What's essentially happening is that people are bullying her online for her looks and her body and that does have an impact, it impacts all of us when that happens. For someone with an eating disorder, the impact can be devastating. I think [Dawson is] trying to help in his own way, but probably the thing that would help the most is her having more time in recovery," Turner said.

"I don't want to speculate, but obviously her success on YouTube is a driving factor to get back to work. None of us know if she's fully capable for that work and I would want to believe that the people around her who care about her most are confident that she can handle it," she continued. "I hope that they'll encourage her to take a break."

Overall, it has been shown that Shane is unfit to handle a documentary series with his evidently extremely biased views, and he should consult more professionals when editing. Although many people would argue that he has good intentions, it is possible to have good intentions while being irresponsible. Shane is aware of his large audience, and his influence over people around the globe. He should be more careful when creating a video with strong themes which many viewers may be suffering through or offended by. 

Either than his documentary series, Shane is also friends with other problematic people outside it - most infamously, Trisha Paytas. 

Trisha Paytas’ brand has become being extremely controversial. However, this doesn’t excuse that she has done and should not normalise her behaviours. She has been proved to be very transphobic and homophobic, as well as racist, ableist, abusive and insensitive to people with mental illnesses and disorders, notably DID. She lives to stir up drama on YouTube and more recently, TikTok. Despite being aware of this, Shane has continued to be close friends with her and excusing what she does because she’s just Trisha.

He has also openly supported far-right people on Twitter, giving harmful conspiracies a platform on his channel.

-

Shane Dawson has contributed to destroying growing/popular channels.

When 20-year-old growing YouTuber Bobby Burns released a video giving valid criticism to Shane Dawson, Shane featured him on his channel and pushed him as a heater.

This was not a thing which only happened once. Shane decided to continue to feature him on his channel, branding him as a hater. However, Shane’s dedicated fanbase did not like this and began to send hate to Bobby. Due to the lack of popularity, Shane stopped interacting with Bobby and didn’t feature him in any more videos without attempting to “save his career” like he has done with so many other people.

That is not to say that Bobby is faultless. I am not that familiar with his content, but I have heard that he did contribute to his channel’s demise, which makes sense. However, as a huge content creator, it was irresponsible of Shane to take a growing channel and brand him as a negative hater. He is aware of his audience, and that is important to remember. When he has such a large fanbase, he needs to be more careful with the videos he is showing them, and the characterisations of YouTubers.

However, what Shane is going under fire most recently is his involvement in the James Charles scandal last year.

Despite denial, Shane has been proved to play an important role in the “cancelling” of James last year, encouraging Tati to upload the video and making false accusations of predatory behaviour. This was highly likely done to degrade a competitor’s palette so his collaboration with Jeffree would be more successful.

Recently, he posted these screenshots on Twitter and then deleted the Tweet.

This proves his blatant immaturity. Somehow, James, the youngest of the four YouTubers involved in the scandal, has grown up the most. Shane was a part of the downfall of James, causing him to debate suicide. His defence for this was saying that he “needed to be served a slice of humble pie the size of the fucking Empire State Building”.

James Charles is not faultless, and he should not be made out to be an angel or a martyr in this situation. However, no one deserves to have suicidal thoughts, and anyone who defends this by saying that it was the humbling he needed is disgusting.

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Shane Dawson attempted to out Dan and Phil for views and clout.

As a bisexual man who has opened up about his fear of being outed when he was closeted, he should be ashamed of everything he did to Dan and Phil.

Like many YouTubers at the time, Shane used the Phandom to get views and subscribers. In doing this, he objectified and sexualised Dan to his young and influential audience. Check out this video where he said that he wanted to facefuck Dan in an orgy while watching a video where he just turned 18. In that clip, he also split up Dan and Phil into “cute” and “not cute”. 

It even went to the point where he asked the Psychic Twins about the sexuality of Dan and Phil. In this clip, he accuses them of queerbaiting as well as supporting the Psychic Twins’ invasive and insensitive comments about them not dressing gay enough, diss of them refusing to go on their podcast and outing and stereotyping them. This was as recent as 2017.

-

There are actually a lot of other reasons why Shane is under a lot of controversy at the moment. Here were my sources, and some further reading for anyone interested:

THE PROBLEM WITH SHANE DAWSON: a thread

shane dawson sexualizing young children: a thread

One of YouTube's biggest stars made a viral 'documentary' about another YouTuber's eating disorder. Experts say it could be harmful for its subject and audience.

Jake Paul tried to use looting for YouTube views, and is facing charges. These are all the ways the controversial star has stirred up outrage in the past.

Trisha Paytas’ racism

THE PROBLEM WITH JEFFREE STAR: a thread

EVERYTHING WRONG WITH TANACON: an ongoing thread

So what from here? Shane has released an apology video, but words don’t mean anything without action. Here are some suggestions for what he could do to actually show further improvement.

He could stop doing conspiracy videos in the harmful and biased style he is known for, and delete his videos despite the views.

He could stop being friends with such toxic and controversial people.

He could donate his money and time to helping out the #BlackLivesMatter movement, and to black charities/organisations in general. It does not negate what he has done, and it is not in my place to forgive him if he does do that, but it would represent his improvement.

He could formally apologise to the parents and the family of the children he has sexualised.

But he will probably not do that. However, as a hater of cancel culture, I hope that he does improve as a person. It is not my goal to send hate, but to inform people. Sending Shane death threats or insensitive comments are the last things we need. To criticise him for doing that, then doing it yourself is hypocritical and harmful. Instead, we’ll just have to inform ourselves and wait for the future.

#shane dawson #james charles #jeffree starr #tana mongeau #jake paul #logan paul #dan and phil #dan howell #phil lester #psychic twins #eugenia cooney #gigi gorgeous #bobby burns #jaden smith #willow smith #jada smith #tati westbrook #youtube #youtube drama #drama #conspiracy #conspiracy videos #trisha paytas #masterpost #tanacon

[linklethehistorian]

Randou and the Sins of Season 3's Fifteen Adaption (Interlude)

Episode  27 — The God of Fire: A Post-Section Addendum

Forgive me for backtracking for a brief moment, but in hindsight, there were two small things — particularly relating to the subsection of this section, which is titled “The Confrontation with Sheep at the Arcade” — that it seems I failed to properly address in my initial posts on this subject.

After realizing this mistake during the long struggle to get back on track with rolling out the rest of my article, it became apparent to me that I had three choices: I could go back and try to edit this information into the main article, hoping that it would fit well into what already existed without clashing with the carefully written transitions between sections, I could wait until the very end of my article and then make a post addressing the matter in hindsight, risking my audience becoming and remaining conflicted over certain bits of information until then, and being totally unaware of the one thing I accidentally skipped over, or I could simply make a separate addendum such as this to address it here and now, as soon as possible, and not have to worry about fitting it directly into the previous section for the time being — without having to give up either the chance to talk about it now or even to potentially go back at the end and try to fit it back into the main article at my leisure, as well.

Naturally, as I’m more than sure you can already see for yourself, given that you’re reading this, I decided to go with the last of these options, as I felt that this was the one that would offer the greatest amount of opportunities, with the least amount of potential problems that could come out of it. As for whether or not I will eventually, upon the completion of this very long analysis and review, attempt to backtrack and merge this added data into its rightful place in the main piece, that is something which I will have to decide when the time comes, even if I have a very optimistic outlook on this prospect right now, but in the meantime, I will just be sharing it with you here, and placing the link to this post somewhere in the Masterlist between the discussions on Episode 27 and Episode 28.

On one final note before we jump into this, if this post seems a bit sloppier than usual or just flows less smoothly than the rest of the article in any way, I truly apologize, but if that is indeed the case, it is likely due to the fact that I have had much less time to plan for my discussion of these things than I have had for everything else I’ve talked about up until this point. I promise that if in hindsight I should sense any need for it, I will attempt to re-write it in a better, more comprehensible format at a later date, but at the moment, I’m afraid that this is the absolute best that I can do if I am to get this information out in a timely manner.

Now, with that said, let’s go ahead and get into the actual things I’d like to talk about.

Dazai’s Previous Invitation to Join Sheep, and the Gang’s Initial Misunderstanding About His Affiliation

Okay, so this one is honestly a little embarrassing for me to admit to forgetting in hindsight, purely because of how often the subject is referenced in the novel despite being completely removed from the television series’ adaption, but in earnest, part of the reason I didn’t even think about it at the time was due to just how inconsequential this information was in the grand scheme of things; nevertheless, for those of you who truly want to know everything that was changed or omitted from Fifteen in the anime — or even just want to know more about the events and details of Dazai’s life — these facts probably still will be of some interest, so I will mention them anyway.

Contrary to how the show presents it, in the original version of the tale, Sheep actually do not immediately look upon Dazai as a threat when they first meet him in the arcade, nor does it even cross their minds that he might be a member of the Port Mafia; rather, their first thought upon seeing and conversing with him was simply that he had to be someone whom Chuuya had been looking to recruit into their own ranks.

Interestingly, it was also very briefly mentioned much earlier in the novel by Dazai himself — back during his and Chuuya’s initial meeting in Suribachi City — that the bandaged brunet actually was once handed a formal invitation by Sheep to join their organization but ultimately refused their offer, although this does not appear to be the reason why the gang now mistakes him as a potential new member of their group, given that, at the very least, the members there in the arcade seem not to recognize him whatsoever; in fact, they even question Chuuya’s behavior in seemingly having chosen to induct him without first receiving the council’s pre-approval — an accusation which Chuuya curiously, actively chooses not to correct, likely purely because he does not want to look like a traitor in their eyes, should they realize Dazai was actually with the Mafia. Indeed, it isn’t until Dazai purposefully outs himself as a mafioso in order to stop them from taking the redhead away with them that Sheep realizes the truth of things — at which point Dazai ends up having their captive members released in order to appease them, as we see in the anime, and things then go on to unfold as I have described previously in my article.

However, while of this might be very intriguing and, at the least, a bit insightful into how Dazai knows as much about the organization as he does, to be totally earnest about the matter, I must reiterate all the same that the removal of this information from the show was on the whole a very wise one that I can wholeheartedly support, for its existence truly doesn’t affect the overall storyline in any majorly impactful way, whatsoever — so much so that even I, a very dedicated Fifteen enthusiast, was able to easily forget about its existence during every one of the multiple times I wrote, read, and re-wrote the section dealing with the episode in which it mostly would have been present.

Looking back on it from that angle, I suppose, then, that my failure to bring it up prior to this probably did not change all that much, but still, in the interest of transparency and thoroughness, I wanted to make a small addendum post about it, anyway — and besides, there was already another matter regarding the arcade scene that I needed to speak on to begin with, so why pass up the opportunity to do this at the same time? There was genuinely no reason why I should have resisted.

Sheep Truly Being the First to Leave the Arcade in the Novel & DarkestJay8686’s English Translations

Now, in regards to that other matter I needed to address, for anyone who might have already read and/or started reading only DarkestJay8686′s English translation of the Fifteen light novel upon discovering my article, I am sure that there is probably a lot of confusion resulting from the conflict between my assurance that Sheep were the first to leave the Arcade before Dazai and Chuuya, and DarkestJay’s translation, which depicts the exact opposite of this, and for that I deeply apologize — not because I am wrong about it (as I am not), but rather, because I failed to discuss this apparent contradiction back when I first brought it up, even though, rightfully, I should have.

Be that as it may, I need you to understand that I did actually have a specific reason for why I had previously chosen refrain from talking about it, as although I did sincerely think about and even strongly consider adding mention of this whole ordeal to my disclaimers and notes at the beginning of this article back when I had first prepared to post it, in the end, I was simply too concerned that it would be considered somehow rude or unfair for me to do so.

My train of thought back then was — mistakenly — that to express anything other than complete praise and pure, unconditional endorsement of DarkestJay’s work would be to instantly and irrevocably make myself come off as a disrespectful, ungrateful monster who has no appreciation for the people who dedicate their free time to making these stories available to non-Japanese speaking members of the fandom, no matter how kindly I may have tried to word what I had to say. I was utterly terrified that, even if I spoke highly of the translation as a whole and encouraged people to read it, if I also had explicitly addressed the reason why I personally did not recommend using it as the sole source of knowledge of the book at the same time and mentioned any of the mistakes I found to be made within their interpretation of events, then I would be seen as criticizing the author for things that truthfully were likely to largely not be in any way their fault. Obviously, in hindsight, this line of thinking was not the best to listen to in light of the misunderstandings it could cause, and I realize that, but these were nevertheless my thought processes at the time; having had time to think deeper on the circumstances now, though, I of course have also come to the conclusion that none of these other concerns of mine need be had, so long as I try to approach the matter as delicately and respectfully as I can, however big these fears may have been at the time, and so, I intend to finally speak about it at long last.

Furthermore, while I in no way want to seem like an opportunistic profiting off of someone else’s misfortune — as I assure you that I, too, was quite saddened to hear of their struggles and wish it hadn’t happened — seeing as that their work was nonetheless sadly removed from WattPad, and they had to relocate to another platform where they wouldn’t have to fear censorship again, thus requiring me to have to provide y’all with a new link that actually works and leads you to where you need to go to read it, I think that is really the perfect time for me to preface my sharing of that new link with this little PSA of a sort.

So, if you’re keen on getting that new link I mentioned and want to learn about the reason why my information about Sheep’s departure from the arcade doesn’t line up with their translations, as well as why it’s inadvisable to use their otherwise mostly excellent translations as your sole source of info on Fifteen rather than reading it alongside the other trusted translation I have provided at the beginning of my article, feel free to hop on over to this post to find out.

[View the masterlist]

#linklethehistorian #bungou stray dogs #bsd #bsd spoilers #spoilers #bsd season 3 #bsd novels #fifteen #Arthur Rimbaud #bsd arthur rimbaud #Randou #justiceforrandou2k19 #justiceforrandou2k20 #justiceforrandou2k21 #fifteen article #Randou and the Sins of Season 3’s Fifteen Adaption #Episode 27 — The God of Fire #writing #My writing #my thoughts #The Confrontation with Sheep at the Arcade #Interlude #Post-Section Addendum #Sheep Truly Being the First to Leave the Arcade in the Novel & DarkestJay8686’s English Translations #Dazai’s Previous Invitation to Join Sheep and the Gang’s Initial Misunderstanding About His Affiliation

[eldritchwriter]

CHAPTER TWO UPDATED Defeating Sunrise by @eldritchwriter | Rating: Explicit | Relationships: Sephiroth/Cloud Strife.

Summary: Cloud isn't good at this whole 'parenting' gig, and even when he tries, it doesn't seem to be doing him any good. He's ready to give up, when he is inexplicably pulled into the past with his young protege in tow. The last thing Cloud expects is to be dropped straight into the Wutai War and in front of a Sephiroth who is younger and still in charge of his own mind.

As Cloud spirals headlong into his trauma-filled past, trying to make sense of his memories and discern truth from his own fictions, long-buried feelings for Sephiroth begin to emerge. With Denzel's help, he can surely change the future, but the biggest question of all is what that future should look like at all. Read here on AO3 or read here:

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Even unarmed, Sephiroth was dangerous. Cloud tightened his hand on First Tsurugi, moving so he was completely covering Denzel from any potential attack.

“Why are you here?” Cloud hissed. “How are you here? I killed you.”

Sephiroth’s head tilted to one side, and he looked Cloud up and down. Cloud didn’t miss the way Sephiroth’s eyes next went to Masamune, then to Denzel, and back to him. It would have been too fast for someone else to catch, but not for SOLDIER enhanced eyesight.

“Don’t even think about it,” Cloud said. “You’ll be dead before your hand reaches the hilt.”

A quirk upwards at the corner of Sephiroth’s lips was the only warning before he lunged for the blade. Cloud didn’t think before reacting, swinging his sword on its blunt edge straight into Sephiroth’s stomach. Sephiroth’s eyes widened as he doubled over, the breath leaving his lungs as he staggered backwards.

Cloud raised his sword in a ready position again, eyes not leaving Sephiroth at all.

Then Sephiroth smirked.

“You said I’d be dead. Use the sharp side of the blade for that.”

Sephiroth’s voice still had that deep, liquidy slide to it that squirmed its way into Cloud’s head and wouldn’t let go. But Cloud also detected a hint of breathlessness to it, one that he hadn’t heard from Sephiroth before whenever they’d fought.

Sephiroth did not get winded in battle, no matter how hard the blow.

“Thanks for the tip. I’ll slice you in half next time,” Cloud said, tightening his grip on the sword hilt.

The air was hot and stagnant around them. Cloud, who was dressed for the cool air outside Midgar and not for a more humid environment, felt the sweat drip down the back of his neck. Still, it was a stalemate. Sephiroth did not move, his eyes scanning Cloud like an interesting monster that had popped up out of the undergrowth.

But it was not an unblinking stare like Cloud was used to, glowing and snake-slitted to the point of inhumanity. Framed by silver hair that reflected only moonlight, Sephiroth’s eyes shone with intensity and, most frightening of all, sanity.

A PHS started ringing, startling Cloud enough to almost make him leap into an attack. Fortunately, he realised what it was before doing so, and Sephiroth raised his hands with a smirk before reaching slowly into his pocket. Cloud inched forward, not prepared to trust that Sephiroth wasn’t about to pull out a materia and activate it.

But Sephiroth pulled out a PHS with a black leather phone strap and flipped it open, pressing the speakerphone with a small beep. His eyes didn’t leave Cloud’s.

“You’re late.”

The voice that came from the PHS was no-nonsense and deep. In the background there was the sound of gunfire. Cloud didn’t recognise it.

“Apologies. I’ve been held up.”

“You? Held up?” The voice on the other end of the line sounded equal parts amused and concerned.

“Yes. I trust that you’ll be able to get this done without me, Angeal. I was only on this mission for the optics of it anyway,” Sephiroth said. “Call me back when the new troops are in position.”

“Wait, Sephiroth, are you—”

Whatever ‘Angeal’ had been about to say was cut off by Sephiroth snapping the phone shut.

“So, what happened? Did the Wutaians find you and pay you, or did they create you? Their own super-soldier? You have mako eyes, I notice.”

Cloud frowned in confusion.

“Cloud?” Denzel was peering round him at Sephiroth, wearing a scowl of his own. “Why doesn’t he recognise you?”

“Should I?” Sephiroth asked, folding his arms over his chest. “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of being introduced before.”

“You know, in all your stories about fighting Sephiroth, you never told me he was so chatty,” Denzel said, and Cloud saw Denzel was looking up at him through his peripheral vision.

None of this made any sense. Sephiroth was acting like he didn’t know Cloud, like he hadn’t repeatedly hunted him down – even risen from the dead – in order to kill him. Something was hugely wrong.

“What are you? Some lost clone? Didn’t get the memo that this is all over and Jenova is dead?” Cloud asked, and to hell with it, he was about to just run Sephiroth through and be done, when Denzel shifted just a little further forward.

The moment Cloud took his eyes off Sephiroth to move Denzel back behind him, Sephiroth moved. Cloud barely had time to bring up his sword to deflect the blow aimed at his neck that would have taken his head clean off his shoulders. Masamune now once more in hand, though, Sephiroth flipped backwards, out of range of Cloud’s counterattack, and made no move to attack again.

“I’m wondering if you’re just a lost Wutaian that has fallen into a mako pool and lost his mind,” Sephiroth replied and his eyes slid to Denzel. “Boy, has your friend had any knocks to the head recently? Fallen into any large gullies?”

“Why you—” Cloud began, but Denzel’s hand on his arm made him pause.

“Cloud… I don’t think he remembers anything…” Denzel’s voice dropped low to a whisper, though Cloud knew it would have no effect on Sephiroth’s ability to hear them. “Doesn’t this seem really weird?”

“The only thing that is weird is that some no one in the middle of the Wutaian jungle has disarmed me,” Sephiroth answered, his voice sounding quietly bemused. “And that if Wutai had such a soldier at their disposal, they did not do a very good job in briefing him not to lose his mind in the field.”

Sephiroth lowered Masamune and his body language relaxed. Cloud couldn’t believe it. Sephiroth was… standing down? Since when did the mighty Sephiroth do anything except gear up for battle?

The creak of bamboo and leaves rustling in the wind was all that passed between them for a few moments.

“I am not particularly good at diplomacy, but generally, I find it works best if both sides use their words to communicate instead of just glaring at one another.”

“Usually, diplomacy doesn’t involve gunboats,” Cloud replied without thinking.

Sephiroth threw his head back and laughed. And that was when Cloud knew that whatever had happened to him this evening, this was not any Sephiroth he’d met before. This was not the maniacal laughter of a man who believed he was an alien destined to use a planet as an interstellar spaceship. It was deep laughter and held a tinge of irony to it.

“You clearly don’t know Shinra’s version of diplomacy very well. Although I suppose they use less gunboats, and more, well, me,” Sephiroth gestured to himself. “Now, we can fight here. I’m sure it’ll be very thrilling for both of us, but I detect that you want to protect the boy behind you more than you want to fight me right now.”

No matter what Cloud answered, it would show weakness to a man who would exploit it. He gritted his teeth. No answer was better than giving a bad one here. Though Sephiroth was right, he needed to get Denzel away from here and the potential battle that could take place.

“I’m growing bored,” Sephiroth inserted into the long silence that had spun between them. “Being able to disarm me and swing around a sword heavy enough to wind me. That’s impressive. You had my attention for that. But I do not have time for this.”

Sephiroth brought Masamune back up again. “Fight or flee.”

The instinct was to fight. The instinct was to throw everything into battle, all else be damned, and for Cloud to hear the ringing clash of steel through the damp night air once more. To just be done with this already and to not have to see Sephiroth’s cat-like eyes studying his every move just as his bastard of a father had done when Cloud was in a mako tube, held against his will, screaming for someone to save him and Aerith, oh god, Aerith — But Denzel was here, and Cloud would not put him in danger.

If Sephiroth was truly back, it wouldn’t take Cloud long to find him again. No doubt burning down some unprotected village or waxing poetic about his mother on top of Shinra tower. The chief priority had to be Denzel’s safety.

Once Cloud decided, he didn’t pause. He scooped up Denzel, throwing him over his shoulder as the boy squawked, and made for the thick undergrowth.

Sephiroth did not move to pursue.

That was weird. Incredibly so.

Only once Cloud was sure that they had put a few miles between Sephiroth and themselves, did Cloud slow to a walk, setting Denzel back on his feet.

“Cloud! What are you doing?” Denzel hissed. “That’s Sephiroth! That’s… that’s the guy who… he…”

It seemed Denzel didn’t know what he wanted to say, but his eyes turned up towards Cloud in angry accusation all the same. “Why didn’t you fight him? I could have taken care of myself!”

Cloud attached his sword to his back, starting to walk in a direction that he hoped was towards Wutai. “There’ll be time to fight him when you’re not with me. Besides, defeating Sephiroth has always been a team effort. It’s never just been me alone.”

Cloud really wasn’t looking forward to telling Tifa that Sephiroth was not only alive, but seemed to walk around quite fine. And it was perhaps a lie to say that the others had always been by his side fighting Sephiroth, but they had been aware of it. They’d been able to manage the casualties and handle the fallout at least.

Cloud wasn’t sure he could go into battle again alone.

“You could have taken him. It’s not like he had all those other guys around him this time,” Denzel pointed out, cheeks turning red with frustration. “No creepers talking about Reunion either.”

That caused Cloud’s step to falter. There had been something unsettling about it all, and now that he thought, it wasn’t just that Sephiroth didn’t recognise him. It was that the Jenova cells within him were completely silent. Inert. The siren call of Reunion hadn’t shot through him once in their interaction.

And Sephiroth had never had to call his remnants to him on a PHS, had he? Not when he was fully formed.

“Cloud?” Denzel was looking up at him, still angry and confused, but also looking slightly worried now.

“It’s nothing. Come on. Let’s see if Yuffie is about. She’ll want to know if Sephiroth’s on her doorstep.”

He began to walk through the undergrowth more purposefully. Denzel followed behind, and if Cloud threw a few worried glances behind them to check for pursuit, he didn’t comment on it.

*

Arrival in Wutai was not what Cloud thought it would be. The proud nation had been rebuilt under Yuffie’s leadership, well, as much as possible given the rapid conversion to renewable energy had allowed. But gone were the windmills atop the mountains, and there was the scent of smoke in the air.

It was only once they were clear of the forests and out of the valleys into an open plain that Cloud saw what he had feared. The plains around Wutai were crawling with military units, armed to the teeth.

Shinra troops.

And that wasn’t possible.

He pulled Denzel back behind a large boulder, his heart hammering in his chest. There was no way that any Shinra faction had formed without him knowing about it. Not unless Rufus Shinra had been playing some duplicitous game under all their noses. Which wasn’t the most unlikely thing to have happened, but Cloud trusted Reeve to have caught it before it came to something like this.

“Why is there an army here?” Denzel asked, crawling forward. “I thought Wutai had its independence. Why are they under siege?”

Cloud caught the back of his shirt and dragged him back. What was it with this boy and trying to get the lead into danger?

“Those are Shinra troops,” Cloud said, his tongue heavy in his mouth. He was trying his best not to think about the implications, his mind racing as he tried to put together the disparate elements of what had occurred since he’d followed Denzel through that portal.

“But Shinra doesn’t have a military anymore,” Denzel shrugged Cloud’s grip off his shirt, adjusting it and looking to Cloud like he might have all the answers.

“No, they don’t,” Cloud agreed.

Damnit, he wasn’t a strategist. Working out geo-politics was more a Vincent and Reeve thing. Hell, even Barret had more experience with just… seeing the big picture of things. He was simple. Point him at Sephiroth, wind him up, let him go.

Although he hadn’t even done that tonight.

Wait.

A younger Sephiroth, one that he had somehow been able to best and who called people on phones.

A war in Wutai.

Shinra troops on the ground like they owned it, blazoning the Shinra Electric Power Company emblem without shame.

There could be no way that this could be true, and yet…

“Stay close to me and don’t speak. Not a word,” Cloud said, finally turning to Denzel.

It was the first time he’d looked at him properly since they’d fallen through the portal, and he could see that the boy was scared. His blue eyes were wide, the corners of his mouth turned down, and his skin pale in the moonlight. Cloud could hear his breathing as he tried to regulate it.

“What are we going to do?” Denzel asked.

Cloud leaned around the boulder, watching a troop of Shinra soldiers running towards a helicopter in regimented order.

“We’re going to get back to Midgar.”

“Don’t you mean Edge?”

Cloud shook his head. “No… No, I don’t think I do.”

*

Sephiroth surveyed the gathered troops with a bored expression. The area around Wutai itself was not particularly interesting to him. It was heavily landmined, and those inside the city couldn’t really escape it. The battle in this area was mostly one of the mind, a stalemate between two superpowers on who would break first.

The guerrilla battles that happened all over the Western Continent were more his speed, and far more intellectually thrilling than this one. Still, he had been told to be here as the fresh wave of new cannon fodder joined the front lines. Something about being inspirational and that a SOLDIER First Class should do what they could to maintain morale.

Still, this was a job that was far more up Angeal’s alley than Sephiroth’s. In fact, the man had spent more time among the new recruits than he had with his officers. Which left Sephiroth feeling somewhat like he was babysitting the Third Class who Angeal had left behind.

No, not babysitting. Pet-sitting. Zack Fair resembled an over-excited puppy more than he resembled a child. With a children, Sephiroth always found that there was an air of petulance that Zack lacked. He was far too affable.

“Do you think we’ll take the city soon? Like, it’s been years. I dunno how they’re holding out so long,” Zack said, pausing in his squats to instead look at Sephiroth expectantly.

Sephiroth wondered if it was appropriate to remind him that one usually obeyed protocols and called a commanding officer ‘sir’ but he let it slide. He had more on his mind than the besieged Wutai, or Zack’s excitable lack of respect.

“Strength of will,” Sephiroth said, thinking of how his mysterious assailant’s eyes had shone through the darkness earlier that night. They had shown a strength of will, and a fear that bordered on hatred.

If Wutai had synthesised mako into their own soldiers, then this war might be about to get interesting.

“Oh, right,” Zack said, as though Sephiroth’s answer had been particularly illuminating. “Honour and all that.”

“You have a mentor who understands the Wutaian mindset quite explicitly,” Sephiroth commented. “Honour and all that.”

Zack gave him a blinding grin, and opened his mouth to say more, when a barrage of gunfire broke out from the south towards the mountains. He gave Sephiroth a sharp look, and Sephiroth had barely inclined his head before Zack had taken off in the gunfire's direction.

Too eager for battle, too eager to prove himself. Angeal has his hands full teaching that one caution.

Sephiroth walked to the mobile unit that had been turned into his headquarters for the operation. He wasn’t concerned about any enemies attacking them from the rear. It was a suicide mission considering how well-armed Shinra was against an unfortified position. Zack would be more than fine handling it.

Instead, he stepped into the boxy trailer and closed the door behind him. It was a simple space. A cot to rest on, for when Sephiroth slept, which was rarely more than a few hours when he was on the front lines. A screen, on which to project battle plans but which currently was just playing a slideshow screensaver of Shinra’s space program. A small cubicle bathroom, that Sephiroth barely fit into and so often would end up electing to just find a stream when out on mission.

It was not homely, but it was perhaps the place where he had spent most of his time besides Shinra Tower. There were no personal effects. He saw no need for them.

He sat down on the cot and turned over the night in his mind. He should have reported the incident immediately back to Shinra, specifically to Hojo, so that the professor could investigate it if need be. If not Hojo, then at least to the Turks, so they could run intelligence operations into the matter.

But then he would have to admit that, not only had he let the soldier escape, but he had also been disarmed. That didn’t happen to him. He imagined Genesis’ sneer if he were to find out.

Sephiroth’s pride was an incredibly complex thing, but it was also one of the few things that he had that he could claim as his own. Even with a moral code as twisted as his own was compared to the common man, he could justify his actions from his impeccable track record.

If he were no longer the strongest, then that was a slight against not only his standing in this war but also against his identity. Sephiroth, Butcher of Wutai, is what they whispered about him. Though he had not committed all the crimes attributed to his name, there was also a sense of pride in that he was credited almost single-handedly in the success of this campaign.

A loud bang on his door disturbed his reverie.

He got to his feet once more, still turning over the bright-eyed soldier and how fast he’d moved as he opened the door. What he saw caused his grip to tighten so hard on the flimsy plastic doorknob of the trailer that it shattered. The pieces fell to the floor.

Had his thoughts summoned the mysterious man to him? Eyes that glowed with mako, hair that stuck up defying gravity’s command, and a tight, wilful expression that pulled the man’s brows together in what could not be called an intimidating expression but could be called icy determination.

Then Sephiroth saw Zack, who had a sword pointed at the man’s back. And the boy that the man had been guarding struggling in Zack’s grip.

“Sorry to bother you, sir, but I—Ow! Don’t do that!” Zack tried to shake off the redhead boy who had tried to sink his teeth into Zack’s arm.

“Denzel, don’t bite.”

Though the man’s tone was calm, Sephiroth could hear how hard his heart was beating.

He was terrified.

“Someone caught them trying to steal uniforms, probably trying to infiltrate the camp or something. This guy—” Zack gestured with the sword tip to the blond man. “—was slicing through our troops like they were nothing. Must have incapacitated twenty men, but didn’t kill a single one. All just out cold. I don’t think I could have done it.”

“And yet, you beat him?” Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.

It gratified him when Zack shook his head. “Nuh uh. This guy surrendered.”

“I don’t want to fight you.”

“Huh?”

Sephiroth tilted his head to the side. “It is the second time that we have come across each other tonight, and you attacked our troops. What is your motivation behind such actions? Especially as you seemed to want to keep the boy out of danger before?”

The man seemed unfocused, briefly, and then he shrugged. “Someone must have cast Confu on me. I don’t remember.”

Sephiroth ignored the man and instead turned to the boy. “And you as well? Are you going to say that you had a run in with Mystify materia?”

Even if one of the duo had learned to lie, the other was just a boy, and how he quickly glanced at their mystery soldier’s back showed he hadn’t mastered the skill. “Yeah. Yeah, it was Confu.”

Sephiroth was more likely to believe his mother was a chocobo than that obvious deception, but he was going to get nowhere in this mystery as things were. He stepped aside, allowing Zack to frogmarch their captive and his protégé into the unit.

Things were now somewhat more cramped than before, with Sephiroth and Zack stood blocking the door, and their captives crowded back against the cot.

“You do not recognise this man, Zack?” Sephiroth checked.

The blond’s unique blade, which bore a striking resemblance to Angeal’s Buster Sword, did not escape Zack, who was taking it from him. Sephiroth saw the man tense until Zack rested the blade against the wall.

“No, sir,” Zack said. “He’s not anyone who I trained alongside.”

“So, who are you?” Sephiroth asked, surprised when unease flashed across the man’s face in front of him.

“Cloud,” the man answered and for the first time, his gaze dropped from Sephiroth’s face and instead he was looking at Zack. “My name is Cloud Strife. And we need your help.”

#sefikura #sephcloud #sephiroth #cloudstrife #ff7 #final fantasy vii #sephiroth/cloud #defeatingsunrise #fanfiction

[nobodyfamousposts]

Felix July: Felix is Chat Noir (Clash of Noir AU)

I figured I’ll do a mix of my aus for Felix. Just for variation and inspiration. This one features Felix from the Clash of Noir AU.

He remembered what day it was just in time to start kicking himself for losing track.

All the talk and rumors and gossip had gone over his head. All the planning and excitement left him too busy with trying to keep track of his civilian tasks AND his self appointed duty of protecting Marinette and judging Adrien Agreste to actually consider just what said planning and excitement was supposed to be for.

It wasn’t until he happened to see Tikki in Chloe’s hands that he stopped and took notice of the world around him.

Including the foreign but somewhat familiar young man Chloe presented the doll to as a “gift”.

Prince Ali.

Felix had enough time to curse his own lapse before the doors burst open and another familiar but much less pleasant figure entered with a growing army of singing minions at her command.

Princess Fragrance.

Dammit.

This was the day Rose became an akuma—courtesy of Chloe Bourgeois, of course. And there was little doubt that the visiting Prince of Achu was her intended target.

The officials were attempting to respond to the intrusion and actually tried to question the clearly not-normal girl in what had to be the worst decision they could make. Already aware of what was going on and what would come of that, Felix charged for Ali and dragged the boy off and around a corner while everyone else was still distracted.

“Hey!”

Not that they were distracted for long, but just long enough for him to get a head start was more than enough.

He needed to get Tikki back to Marinette! And unfortunately, the direct object of the akuma’s infatuation happened to be attached to her.

Last time, he had been forced to face Princess Fragrance alone for a time, desperately stalling and trying to buy Ladybug time to arrive on the scene while protecting the Prince and getting him to safety. He hadn’t understood why it had taken her so long to show, but seeing Tikki in the Prince’s possession was a pretty good indicator of what must have happened in his original version of events.

If Chloe and then Prince Ali had Tikki, Marinette couldn’t transform.

That meant Chat Noir would be on his own this time as well.

And Marinette would be defenseless.

While he wanted the chance to see his replacement in action to observe how well he can manage as the new Black Cat, the situation was far from the best choice as a test.

He wanted to test Adrien. But not while Marinette would be at risk.

Because if Tikki was here, Marinette no doubt knew it and was likely on her way—assuming she wasn’t already somewhere within this blasted hotel. And with the akuma here as well…

Victory was still possible if Chat Noir fell.

But not without Ladybug.

He needed to get Tikki to Marinette.

“Where are we going?”

He also needed to do something about the Prince.

With a quick turn and some fast thinking, he pulled Ali with him into a side room that led to the laundry room and slammed the door behind them. Fortunately, they were far enough ahead that anyone following them would not have seen where they went off to.

“Do you know anything about what is happening in Paris right now?”

Ali blinked. “Do you mean the Mayor’s plans for sending the city’s trash out into space?”

“Wait—what?” Felix shook his head. That wasn’t important. “Nevermind that. No. I mean about Hawk Moth and the regular akuma attacks.”

The other boy simpered. “I had heard…something to that affect. But those were just normal criminals, weren’t they?”

Oh boy.

“No. No, they were not. Akumas are victims taken over and granted powers by a specific super-villain. And that green-skinned girl chasing after you happens to be one.”

Ali paled. “Oh.”

“Until Ladybug stops her and purifies the thing controlling her, that akuma is going to keep hunting you down—all over the city if she has to.”

“So…what should we do?” Ali asked. “Should I give myself up? Would that make her stop?”

Felix stared at him dryly. “No. Akumas don’t stop.”

That just made the Prince pale even more. “Oh.”

But this gave him an idea.

Within minutes and with the aid of a couple of hand towels, Felix and Ali both had cloth face masks. This doubled both for granting them at least some limited protection from the perfume as well as obscuring their features.

“Brilliant! This will make it more difficult to determine who I am!” Ali exclaimed.

“Well, sort of,” Felix noted. “You’ll have to do something about the jacket or she’ll pick you out in a crowd regardless.”

The Prince nodded in agreement and removed the jacket. A faded hoodie did well in obscuring Prince Ali’s features and making him less noticeable as the royal figure he was known to be.

To Felix’s relief, he also removed the “toy” as well. Felix silently set the jacket aside with Tikki inside. First chance he got, he’d have to get Tikki and track down Marinette. But for now…

“There is a back entrance out of the hotel.” Felix explained. “Going on foot will be slower than a car, but it will also mean more places to hide and more routes to take. You’ll be harder to track that way. But you need to leave now before she blocks off all the exits.”

“You’re not coming?” Ali asked, concerned.

Felix hesitated.

“I have…something I need to do. There’s someone I have to find.”

For royalty, the Prince was rather kind as he merely smiled at his savior. “Then I wish you well.”

And with that, he was gone.

Felix sorely wished he could have gone with him, if only to escape this danger.

But…

His eyes fell on the pink kwami who stared at him in clear distrust.

The things he did for his Lady…

______________________________

It wasn’t worth it some days, Felix moaned to himself internally. It just wasn’t.

Finding Marinette had somehow been the easy part. But Tikki had been sick somehow, and Marinette needed to take her to a healer.

In the meantime, Felix was trapped in a hotel room with Chat Noir, the head butler, and Chloe herself—who as part of some payback for her earlier cruelty had been the victim of a particular blast of Rose’s perfume. One that left her smelling rancid in a way that no one could stand for long.

Even worse in that she was refusing to be by herself, insisting on staying glued to Chat Noir’s side for lack of Ladybug present in the silly belief that the spotted heroine will be arriving soon. Chat clearly was not having an easy time of it. But neither were Felix nor Jean, as the room they were holed up in was one of the smaller versions for cheaper guests. There was space for them all, but Chloe’s reek was strong enough to permeate the room as easily as a scented candle.

Nobody was happy about this.

Felix, for his part, was staying near the door. Partly for the sake of distance from Chloe, but also to offer an added buffer against anyone who may try to burst in. Not that he would do much good compared to Chat Noir, but they were reaching a point where the hero would be needed. Once all the noise outside and sound of footsteps of the various minions faded, he would suggest Chat leave and go to assist Ladybug. Surely, Marinette would have gotten Tikki healed by now. It’s been about how long it took last time, near as he could figure.

All he had to do was just bar the door, keep any entrances closed, sit tight, and wait this out—

“I can’t take the stench anymore!”

“Hey!”

“I got the window open!”

Felix froze.

“NO!”

“Uh oh!”

“My prince~!”

OF ALL THE IDIOTIC—

Within an instant, Chat Noir foiled all of Felix’s carefully laid plans by opening the window. One that led to a perfectly placed balcony in full view of the growing army of singing minions. And sure enough, having been alerted as to which room they were in, Princess Fragrance was just waiting for an opportunity like this—one that Chat Noir in all his idiocy just handed her!

She let loose a cloud of perfume that engulfed Chat, Chloe, and Jean within seconds. Felix, fortunately, being far back enough by hanging near the door still, was just out of reach of the immediate cloud. Not to mention that of the four of them, he was the only one still wearing the face mask to offer at least some protection.

Enough for him to stave off the effects of the perfume if he didn’t get too close. But not enough to stave off actual attacks from the akuma or her ever increasing multitude of servants.

“Now, Kitty! Do be a dear and bring my Prince to me!”

Case in point.

“Yes, your hi~ghness~!”

Felix wanted to scream.

Oh, he very much wanted to scream.

There was no time for screaming though, as he slammed the door open and bolted back down the hallway and away from the akuma and her growing entourage.

Luckily and unluckily, Chat Noir gave chase. Still stupidly singing out pleas for Felix to return and tell the Princess where her Prince was.

Nope. Nope. He was not having any of that today. Hell, as far as he was concerned, his daily requirement of good deeds was officially met for the day. He was done.

Marinette had Tikki back and Ladybug would be making an appearance soon enough.

But…

Would she be able to defeat Princess Fragrance alone from this point?

He hesitated, which was just enough to allow his replacement to catch up to him.

“I found you~!”

But Felix had been Chat Noir longer.

And he had been training a heck of a lot harder.

Granted, he’d been preparing himself for the eventual Clash with Adrien over the mantle rather than because the other boy became an akuma’s minion, but the tricks he’d learned and strength he’d built were still just as useful in the moment.

And he wouldn’t deny there was at least some satisfaction in the sensation of his leg slamming into the other boy’s chest and sending him into a wall. Before he could even attempt to get up, a shelf lost it’s connection to the wall on one side, leading to several rather heavy items slipping off the edge and landing right on Chat’s head.

Perhaps he had put a bit of his still remaining bad luck energy into that kick. Or perhaps it was Adrien’s own bad luck at play. Regardless, Felix was a mix of grateful and amused at the way events played out.

Cautiously, he approached the other boy. It might have been a trick after all. But several moments passed and Felix confirmed that yes, Chat was knocked out.

Now would be a perfect time to escape. Let Ladybug figure things out. Let events unfold without his interference. Let things continue as they should.

And yet…

The Ring seemed to gleam, as if drawing him to it. And it quite possibly was. He could feel the energy between them. He could sense the connection. He still carried a piece of Plagg’s power within him, after all.

It was an opportunity. He could pass it up. He should pass it up.

He grit his teeth in agitation.

“To hell with it.”

After all the torment he’d suffered under the Ring’s curse, he couldn’t help but feel insulted at how easy the Ring was removed from Adrien’s hand. Maybe it was because the curse had only been his? Maybe he had the worst of it since he’d been the one to feel its full effects? Or maybe Adrien was just that lucky?

Still, within seconds, he had the Ring settled in the palm of his hand and a green light changed Chat Noir into a very unconscious Adrien Agreste. Not a shock to Felix, but it was still unsettling.

Given the way Plagg was staring up at him, he must have felt similarly.

“Felix.”

“Plagg.”

The kwami hesitated. “Are you really going to initiate the Clash like this?”

He paused. It would be very easy to. With Adrien unconscious and off guard, Felix would win easily. There would be no conflict, no contest from there and Felix would be free to find an appropriate candidate for his mantle in peace.

But that wasn’t why he was here, he reminded himself.

“Not yet.”

He couldn’t help the shudder.

“I don’t want it.”

Not like this.

Never again, if he could help it.

“I’m only going to be a temporary substitute for now. Just for this crisis. After that, I’ll let him have it back.”

For now, went unsaid.

Plagg looked uncertain. “You know it’s not yours anymore. Not after what you did.”

“It’s still partly mine.” Felix replied. “And that means I have to make sure it ends up with the right person.”

That got the kwami’s attention. “That’s what you’re doing?”

Felix didn’t respond. It should already have been clear that he wasn’t fit to bear the Ring. He never had been.

But if nothing else, he would be damned sure that whatever Chat Noir ended up existing in this world wouldn’t be the same. Even if that meant taking it away from Adrien and as far away from anyone bearing the Agreste name as possible.

“You can’t just decide that.”

“Actually, I can.” Felix replied. And the bad luck energies that continued to exist in his body sparked as if in agreement. “Part of your power is still with me. Until the Clash…I have time to decide who I want to replace me.”

“You’ve made your share of mistakes.” Plagg hissed. “Adrien isn’t you. He deserves a chance!”

“And he will have it. Until he proves himself—whether worthy or unworthy.”

Plagg gaped up at him in surprise.

“If he proves himself by my standards, I will step aside.” Felix stated. Not that he expected it, given what he had seen so far. But the boy still had potential nonetheless. And while foolish, he hadn’t shown himself capable of the same intentional betrayal Felix had.

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Then I will take the Ring and pass it on to someone who can.”

The part of him that hadn’t stopped screaming since feeling her body go cold in his arms was against it. But even that part of him was doing this for her just as much as the rest of him. He couldn’t forget her. Would never forget.

She would want him to give the boy a chance.

So he would.

However, right now, what they needed wasn’t a chance for Adrien.

But for Marinette.

For Marinette…

“Plagg. Transform me.”

Just for today, he would be Chat Noir.

#ml au #ml fic #clash of noir #felix agreste #ml felix #adrien agreste #chat noir #plagg #tikki #prince ali #marinette dupain cheng #felix month #felix july #princess fragrance

[writingonesdreams]

Soso! Happy STS! ✨ I really need to know - how do you actually plan a novel? How did you go about it for 5th magic? Where do you start, when do you know it's time to stop and go writing? How detailed are your plans?

My outlining method

That's a really nice ask, I'm going to enjoy this😁thank you for the questions, Rie!

My novel development looks like this:

Braistorming the concept, ideas, tropes, characters. Feelings, images, topics and themes. All in one bullet point list to look and play around with. For example the first ones I had for 5th Magic were magic types, learning from differences, estranged brothers, enemies to friends and clones

Themes in focus. What are the questions this book could try answering? What do the things I can imagine happening lead to

Characters. What do I know? Who are they based on? What fascinating traits are they embodying? What are the contrasts in their personalities that make them unique and intersting? Like Kyler being stoick but driven. Acacia being an inspirational leader, but also torn by her obssesive passion for magic.

Their flaws. What is their arcs about? What beginning would be the best to show their growth at the end when they realize the theme's statements on their journey?

Relationships. What are their dynamics? How do they knock off each other? How do they help each other in their respective arcs? Where do their personalities clash, where is the conflict potential here? Like Acacia helps a lot in Kyler's growth, she is the static character for his development. But she has her own problems and arc that others will be important for. 

What setting and situations would best press at the character arcs? What would set the themes in conflict with the environment the best? Like for Acacia magic is artistic self-expression in a world that culturally values magic for its usefulness and effectivity as a weapon. 

The central external conflict. What could this be? Does one logically come out the setting and arcs? What plot would best show the themes and character growth in action? I go with the rule "Plot is there to create circumstances that wil showcase your theme." 

Key plot points or the main beats. What absolutely has to happen? I write down what I know - sometimes it's just the beginning and end. Maybe it's the middle and end. I write those down in a list and expand on them with time. Little details, notes, other bullet points with ideas for scenes. Key happenings that need to happen and what leads to them.

Research. What things do I need more information on? What does this setting or plot or character issues need me to find out more about before writing? 

Overview. All main characters developed and figured out to their core? Is there something to add or change about the themes? Any more side characters needed that represent important milestones for other arcs? Is the list of key points long enough to be a whole outline? 

That's basically it😂. After this I polish the outline, collect scene ideas and possible quotes. I often reread some outline books to check if I'm not missing something structurally. I keep the outline in the key events and smaller points that expand on it, so not very detailed. I want to leave this creative freedom for the actual writing, so it doesn't get boring or set in stone. All of this is in the end the preparation, a guide, a blueprint full of suggestions. I can deviate or expand on this. It's to make it easier to write and keep the story cohesive, open for changes before I write 100k of words that could lead nowhere. In a way it's my hope to reduce the draft count from 10 to 2😂 because rewriting is a nightmare to me, while planning is fun.

The scene ideas get added and crossed out over time. New inspiration gets a new file for consideration. Each of these has their own file actually.

I also reread outlines from older ideas. I found out I take and learn something from each story concept even if I don't write them. Jayden was for example created by the idea for Magic never lies about a battle royal between mages where he was the mentalist that befriended the main character. Grayson was developed as an alternate version of Kyler in the roleplay with @kosmosian-quills in @cirianne's universe, but became his own person. Casey is the result of my long desire to give the main girl a younger brother with a good dynamic. The magic war setting came from me wanting to highlight how magic doesn't need to be about wars, but can mean many other things, something that Acacia represents. 

Favorite movies and books are handy too. I have a list to see what the common elements are to help me figure out what it is that draws me to them.

I talk the initial ideas over with @thewalkingnerdx. Discussing them with her helps me develop the characters and plot more. She is amazing with her questions and incredible points. I run this down by as many writers as there are willing to listen, but she is the best.😁 

You might have noticed that I focus on themes a lot.😂 They make the book for me, I am honestly always surprised how unpopular they are among writers. I love analysing them in other stories, reading into context and symbolism and I love them in my work as well. Although I pride myself in knowing them early and building the plot and characters around them, they still surprise me. Like in 5th Magic I had this long list (all those lists I know) with main themes, but I figured out the big unifying theme only recently. It showed me many of the smaller ones were just the unifying theme from different angles. 

Theme for me is the broad topic, the statements/opinions for each character, their respective arc's issue and question. For example in 5th Magic there is importance of being in the present moment, the necessity of human bonds and closeness, the learning from differneces and the main one is being true to oneself. It's the main one because it concerns all the main character arcs in some way. Kyler's about finding himself, Acacia about not fighting who she is, Grayson about expressing himself the right way... 

Is this like that only for me? What are themes for you, something you figure out as you write? 

Thanks again for the ask🤣

How does your novel writing process look like? From 1 draft to satisfaction?

#writeblr #storyteller saturday #wip: 5th Magic #planning #outlining #my planning method

[thefloatingstone]

Would you please make me a list of your rcommended comics(books or web-series any genre original content or fanworks)

Oh that’s a god one! Thank you so very much 💙 Let me see what I have on my shelf and on my hard drive. (I don’t know if I’ve ever made a list of my favourite comics before or not here on tumblr?)

in no particular order;

1: Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai

I dunno if it ever really shows or not, but Japanese historical settings are something I’m really into! I think it’s one of those dormant interests that flares up every now and then. Anyway. Usagi Yojimbo has basically been tied for my favourite comic for over 10 years now. It’s a series of stories, both short and with longer arcs, following the character of Miyamoto Usagi (roughly based on Miyamoto Musashi) travelling around the country of Japan in the early 1600s as a Ronin after the lord he served was defeated and killed in battle. Usagi, being one of his samurai, is not killed in the same battle which, considering his lord was killed, is a massive disgrace in historical Japanese culture. Basically along the thought of “If your lord died and you didn’t you must not have fought hard enough to protect him.”

Anyway, the comic is both a history lesson on Edo period Japan, a travel diary, a slice of life comic, a Chanbara, an action comic, some times even a horror or ghost story, a tragedy involving unfulfilled love and lost families, a lesson on traditional Japanese Yokai and other mythology, and now and then high fantasy.

10/10. HIGHLY recommend. The author Stan Sakai is also a wonderful person I’ve had the pleasure to meet a few times at Comic Con. And considering he like... remembers who I AM despite being an extremely famous comic artist... I dunno. I have endless respect for the man and he’s shown me great kindness in the past.

Also you know... black and white comics. They’re my jam, yo!

2: Bone by Jeff Smith

I have no idea if I even have to say anything because Bone might just, without hyperbole, be the greatest comic ever drawn.

At 1300+ pages drawn over the course of 10 years, the story starts out as a cartoon, full of hijinks and fun adventures and jokes and very slowly, reality starts setting in, things get more dangerous, the stakes get higher, the bad guys much darker. And by the time you reach book 3 of the 9 book story, you’re suddenly in a story of the “epic” variety. Not in the internet slang term but in the actual definition of the word.

You have massive wars between men and monsters, you have clashing cultures and ideologies, conflicting motivations and goals, and of course saving the world.

And it manages to do so without you EVER feeling “Excuse me but this was a cartoon book about funny jokes. This shift in tone is really weird and doesn’t work with the cartoony characters.”

It just blends and grows beautifully. And has remained as my favourite comic for... *counts* lord... 14 years now.

The book was recently released in a new colour version in case you prefer hat, but I honestly recommend “The Brick” single volume black and white version. It’s cheaper, first of all, but also I cannot express how masterful the blacks and whites of Bone are. They’re essentially Watterson level.

(also Jeff Smith is ANOTHER comic artist who is just like... the nicest person. Like REALLY nice. He’s been kind to me on occasions in that “you really didn’t have to be that nice” kind of way)

3: The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck by Don Rosa

It’s published by Disney officially... but the Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck is essentially a fancomic. The only reason its not is because Don Rosa became SO GOOD at making duck comics Disney hired him to make them officially and he was SO GOOD at it became one of the most important Duck artists just after Carl Barks (the creator of Scrooge) himself.

The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck is a comprehensive biography of Scrooge McDuck’s life, not just made up by Don Rosa, but pieced together from Carl Barks’ own comics where he would have Scrooge make passing mention to events in his past or people he met. Don Rosa essentially took all these passing remarks and mentions and drew out a timeline, starting with Scrooge age 13 leading all the way up to his reunion with his family when Donald as an adult met up with him again.

It starts with Scrooge, from a poor family in Glasgow in 1877, boarding a ship for America to seek his fortune. We follow him through the years as with each chapter, he comes close to being rich and successful, only for it to fail or fall apart at the last minute, until, eventually, we see him catch his break and become the obscenely rich and successful person he’s fought and worked and bled so hard to be.

...and then the comic continues. And we see him lose himself. Greed, the constant need for MORE money and MORE success keeps going. The need to show HOW rich and successful he is takes over, until we see him and his family fall apart. And the comic echoes Citizen Kane as Scrooge realises the best time of his life was when he was seeking riches, not after he finally succeeded.

And then Donald and his nephews appear, and Scrooge’s life gets a second wind. His lust for adventure flares up again, his need to seek fortunes and treasures burns as strong as ever. And he keeps going.

The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck is a story about looking for your place in the world and fighting to create it with your own two hands, but it’s also about how you should think hard where you place your value in life, and it’s never too late to re-direct course and try again.

There is also “The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion” which is a collection of stories that didn’t fit in with the original comic and would have disrupted flow. Basically like how a fanfic will have oneshots related to a larger story

Also, the producer of the band “Nightwish” created a soundtrack to accompany the original comic as a sort of “What If” in what he imagined the story would sound like if it was made into a movie

4: Cucumber Quest by Gigi D.G. ( @ggdgart )

A newer comic I stumbled upon which has skyrocketed into being a fave and I can already tell, that’s not a position it’s gonna relinquish. Cucumber Quest is a more cartoony and comedic story than the previous comics on this list. But that by no means makes it of any less value or dulls the moments that this comic decides to punch you in the gut with emotions HARD.

The art and colours are glorious and something I hope to study so I can better my own art hopefully, and the writing and humour is of a calibre that I just know I could not replicate it if I even tried. Full of puns, absurdism, awkward jokes and a whole lot of FEELINGS, It manages to make me both laugh myself into a coughing fit as often as it makes me yell “OH NOOOO!!!” when something dramatic happens.

The story follows our main character Cucumber, a put-upon out-of-his-depth wizard-to-be who is tasked with saving the world from the evil Nightmare Knight who has been summoned from his thousand year slumber by an evil sorcerer who wants to take over the world (as you do). With him is his little sister, the sword wielding Almond, who is WAY more into this “being a hero” thing than he is (and probably better at it too) as the duo make friends and travel to the various kingdoms to defeat the Nightmare Knight’s lackeys, working their way up to fighting the Nightmare Knight himself and sealing him away once more!

That all sounds.... really straightforward, doesn’t it? Well... that’s what everybody else in the comic thinks too. ...Shame that real life is never easy and straightforward.

From evil henchmen that start crushing on cool “Good Guys” with cool swords, good guys who don’t REALLY want to hurt the bad guys because they don’t seem so bad? To cool good guys with cool swords suddenly learning that being in danger is not as much fun as it sounded when they started this. To big evil final boss bad guys who are just tired of all of this...

What’s also awesome is the entire comic... all OVER 800 PAGES OF IT... is completely free to read online! But you can also buy physical copies of the first 4 volumes in book form to support the author! 

http://cucumber.gigidigi.com/cq/page-1/

I HIGHLY recommend this one too! It has canon LGBT characters! It has found family plots! It has scary bad guys that just need a hug! It has magical girl transformations! Literally anything you could want is in this comic. Including emotional wrecking angst! Did I mention FEELINGS???

(I couldn’t pick a single page so here are 3 random ones without context. Seriously almost EVERY page is so good I struggled very hard to choose)

-

-

5: The Property of Hate by @modmad

Hey. Do you like fantasy worlds made of imagination? How about protagonists with grey morality who act like super primand proper gentlemen when they’re actually huge nerds? How about reluctant “Well I guess I’ve ADOPTED you now you annoying gremlin” adult-kid relationships? How about puns? How about abstract and colourfull character designs? Or saving the world?

The Property of Hate is Modmad’s original comic that they’ve been working on a few years now. it follows our lead character, RGB or “Problematic Mary Poppins” as I like to think of him, as he asks a young child if she’d like to be a hero and help him save his world? When she agrees, he takes her to a fantasy land... completely NOT preparing her for what she’s signed up for. The story then follows the duo through the abstract and shifting world as RGB slowly divulges information on what exactly our Hero has to do to save the world. It turns out it’s a lot more complicated and messy than merely “beat the bad guy” or anything like that.

Not to mention it seems this fantasy world has its own rules of reality and dangers. Emotions and abstract thoughts have real physical form here, and something like an “idea” can quite literally run around and create havoc, while something like dreams can fuel or destroy, and emotions like grief can cause irreparable damage.

Our Hero also learns RGB himself is a lot more complex and messy than he first appears. Seeming to be a good person trying to do good things (despite being a little stand offish and rude at times) but seems to also be carrying a past and the weight of having done some very very bad things “for the greater good”. And our Hero, as well as we, the readers, start wondering how much we should trust him, even though, just like our Hero, deep deep down we just know we WANT to trust him. And maybe he needs saving just as much as the world itself does. Even when he’s at his scariest and... not quite himself.

The Property of Hate is also available online completely for free. Modmad does have books for sale but I believe it’s on-demand or something along those lines. Please feel free to message them here on tumblr and they are happy to chat to their readers and interact.

http://thepropertyofhate.com/TPoH/The%20Hook/1

I think I’ll leave it there despite meaning to do 10 at first because this is already EXTREMELY long.

Hopefully you found something that seems interesting! Let me know if you decide to check any of these out and whether you ended up liking them or not! I’d love to hear your opinions.

And thank you for indulging me <3

(I’m trying to remember to add my ko-fi link to all longer posts like this I make. Especially since I keep forgetting ☕️Buy me a Ko-fi ☕️ )

#lucymelonbun #C-Puff answers #Long post #image heavy #Comics #comic recommendations #comic recs #I added a read more to this post but tumblr ate it so whatever #thank you for letting me ramble about stuff I like #I feel better <3

[d6official]

DAY6 Interview with IZM

All the members of DAY6 are vocalists. How does the composing process work?

SJ: Most of the work is done together. We try to reflect our collaborative opinions in various areas such as riffs and melodies. Of course, there are also times when we write songs individually or in units. Participation in the “points” of each song varies depending on what we want to convey.

On the topic of “point” in composition, is there an emphasis on making the song a popular hit or a perfect song?

SJ: I think it differs from song to song. Mostly, we consider the two together and try to blend together the tastes of each different member. But since each of us likes slightly different genres, once we work together, the colors of different genres come out and the focus is on breaking them all down and “refining” them.  

If you could tell me more specifically the type of music each member likes.

SJ: I like modern rock and British pop. Radiohead, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran…

WP: I’m similar. I used to really like R&B, but now, I’m looking for light-feeling songs and songs that aren’t trendy/mainstream.

J: I like folk music. The most memorable album that I’ve listened to recently was Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler’s EP <brent>. I prefer music that is sincere.

DW: From trap to Queen XCII, I listen to diverse types of music. I like electronic music, so I used to listen to a lot of EDM.

YK: I used to listen to a lot of hip-hop, punk rock and Brit-pop when I was young. These days, I prefer bright music, music that is makes me feel good and is comfortable to listen to. I learned the process of building chords from boy bands like Why Don’t We, and bringing out bright moods from Rudimental.

The members have differing tastes, were there any conflicts when coming together as a group?

WP: There were a lot. It took a long time for us to mesh together personality-wise. Each member has different taste in music and different tendencies, so it was inevitable for us to clash when writing songs together. But now, we don’t have such problems and we work well together. Maybe it’s because we went through those conflicts early on while preparing to become a band that we now work harmoniously and joyfully together.

When DAY6 first joined JYP, you guys weren’t a band, but a dance and vocal team.

SJ: Except for Dowoon, who joined after later auditions, all of the members liked to sing. Because we liked to sing, we learned how to play instruments and studied to write lyrics and songs while practicing at the company.

Dowoon is the only music major on the team.

DW: I’ve played the drums since I was in middle school. Just playing with my friends (laughs). I don’t think I play well.

YK: He is the only music major in DAY6. After Dowoon joined the group, the speed of song production increased immensely.

As the member in charge of guitar, how would you evaluate your own guitar play, Jae?

J: The more I look at it, the more I feel like I’m lacking. I want to show gradual improvement.

And what about you, Young K, in terms of bass?

YK: To be honest, it took me awhile to see myself as a bassist. While practicing, I came to realize the role that the bass has in bringing the components of the band together and its importance in filling in the empty parts.

You debuted in 2015 with the EP <The DAY> and you’re already in your fifth year as a band. You’ve released 2 full-length albums, 4 mini-albums, as well as 25 self-produced songs for the "Every Day6" project in 2017.

DW: The Every DAY6 projects started off as an idea from the company. Before that, we were steadily writing songs, but after hearing a series of feedback from the company, they proposed, “The songs are good, wouldn’t it be nice to release songs each month?”

SJ: Whether it’s a full-album or a mini-album, we have to decide on a title song. And for each and every song, we put in great effort to make songs that we can play for the public.

YK: As an aside, we actually have the least contact with Park Jinyoung PD-nim in the company. But even though that is the case, at each company meeting, PD-nim says, “I’m looking forward to hearing DAY6’s songs!” I’m thankful for that.

SJ: I remember that PD-nim really loved ‘I Smile’.

Could you pick a song that you would pick as your most popular or a song that you didn’t expect to be so popular?

SJ: The response to “You Were Beautiful,” “I Loved You” and “I Like You” were really good.

J: “I Wait” for the latter part of your question. We thought it was a good song, but we never imagined that it would be as popular as it is. Thank you for giving it so much love.

The first full-length album that came from the project in 2017 was <Sunrise>. It was chosen as IZM’s “Domestic Album of the Year” for that same year.

SJ: It contained the singles we had released so far through the project as well as the final versions of some songs that we had worked on before. It was our way of showing the completed results of our hard work. There were new recordings and we redistributed some parts. We tried to capture the diverse sides of DAY6 and we got good results from it. I remember being really thankful reading IZM’s special year-end edition and reviews.

Although the number has increased compared to the past, band activities in the K-pop scene still feel unfamiliar to some.

J: When we work, we don’t think much about that or about the “idol” aspect. To be honest, no group thinks about that when writing. We look to express the music that we like. If you like rock, then you do rock; if you like pop, then you do pop.

Even so, we can find the idol pop concept and a touch of rock on top in DAY6’s music.

J: I would like people to go through this process of analysis. Rather than separating music by only idol pop style or only rock style, we try to take the parts of different styles that most strike a chord with us and draw inspiration from the various styles. In that regard, we want to take the strengths of all of those things and make music that’s distinctly “DAY6’s music”.

Your most recent work, “Youth” was released in two parts. Trying out different types of music, such as the intense “Shoot Me” and the retro synth-pop “days gone by”, is impressive.

SJ: Listening to various types of music, there are times when you have a gut feeling like “This is it!” and just like that, after we decide on subject matter, without following any set of rules, we try to apply DAY6’s color and make it our own.

These days, young bands, such as Why Don’t We and 5 Seconds of Summer, have taken on the tones of synth-pop more often than pop-punk.

YK: Any genre can be prepared. Of course, foreign bands are using a lot of electronic sounds lately. It’s a genre that gets a lot of response. But if you constantly just follow the trend, you’ll be stuck again. We want to be able to broaden our colors as a band through a wide range of (different music styles) and be stuck in the same place.

We mentioned DAY6’s color earlier, I think that lyrics that express the natural emotions of those in their 20s are the message that symbolize this team. But because you’re a band, do you not greed to talk about big topics or public opinions into your lyrics?

YK: Before debut, I wanted to discuss big issues in my lyrics and there was a time when I tried to do just that. But then I realized that if the lyrics became too full of ideas and if others would have a hard time understanding those lyrics, wouldn’t they then be considered failed lyrics? Park Jinyoung PD-nim also gave me a lot of advice about it. Now, I want to express our lives as they are and our honest emotions through song.

To sum up, we can say that the band’s present is represented by themes like “youthfulness” and “youth”. I’m curious as to what DAY6 thinks of “youth” and about the music you want to express through the theme.

SJ: “Youth” is passion. Old age doesn’t mean that passion disappears. If you keep passion in your heart, you’ll always have youth.

WP: Youth is “continuing to walk”. Even after bad things arise following good things. I think it’s a period of enduring and being thankful for what’s been given.

J: I agree with Sungjin’s “passion” (laughs). To add to that, it’s difficult to weigh the importance of everything, whether it’s something small or big. It all feels gigantic. As important as it is, it’s also a time to work hard.

DW: Youth is “a time to do whatever you want”. It’s as if to wonder many times if you can try this or that and maybe hesitating to do it. But then saying, “Let’s not hesitate and just try it first!” This is the mindset of youth.

YK: Youth is a “period of growth”. That’s why it’s hard to define. I think the moment your youth ends is when you stop trying to learn and you don’t grow anymore and you’re stuck as you are. And that is why we should continue to live to the best of our abilities in this period of our lives.

© jaelavie

#day6 #ot5 #t: interview #trans #190504

[precuredaily]

Precure Day 120

Episode: Futari wa Precure Splash Star 22 - “Super Surprising! Michiru and Kaoru’s Shocking Confession!!” Date watched: 11 May 2019 Original air date: 9 July 2006 Screenshots: https://imgur.com/a/5PEq8nL Project info and master list of posts: http://tinyurl.com/PCDabout

Before we begin, would anyone like to go on a feels trip?

If you hear the sound of gross sobbing in the background while reading this review, don’t worry it’s just me. Michiru and Kaoru are talking with Gohyaan and Akudaikaan about their failure the previous episode. Akudaikaan loses his temper, lashing out at all in the room and reminding M and K with no uncertainty exactly what their purpose is. He warns them not to hinder his ambitions ever again and they hastily leave. While they stand on Gourd Rock to ruminate some, Gohyaan appears and taunts them some more about their closeness with Precure. He reminds them that if they defeat the heroines, all their problems will be solved.

The next day at school, Mai is quiet and ponderous because she believes the Kiryuus might be from Dark Fall, but she tries to dismiss this notion. The sisters show up and repeatedly flare up their powers, causing Flappi to scream at the burst in dark energy at inconvenient moments (like the middle of a test).

evil eyes: on

Saki and Mai try to talk to the fairies in the hallway, but the sisters appear and Mai hurries off. Saki tells Kaoru that Minori wants to hang out with her again, and asks Michiru to tutor her in math. Their faces soften and they both agree to these things. Then she invites them out to the Sky Tree after school. The sisters go outside and Kaoru reminds her sister that if they wait to defeat Precure, their frustrations might return, but Minori shows up before they can do anything. She is super excited to see Kaoru and explains that she and her mother are there on a delivery to the school, so they may as well go watch Saki’s practice.

a wild Minori appears

They head behind the school near the practice fields, and Mai walks out of the building, notices the three of them, and tucks away to see what’s going on. A stray softball is coming right at Minori’s head, and Kaoru quickly makes it disappear. Mai notices this but before she can say anything, Minori notices her and Saki comes up, asking about the ball. Michiru and Kaoru deny any knowledge, so Saki shrugs it off and invites all of her friends to the Sky Tree while Minori heads off to find her mother again. 

When they get there, she instructs all of them to squish themselves against the tree, and feel the calming and positive energy it exudes.

literal tree huggers

Michiru and Kaoru reminisce about the good times they’ve had in the land of greenery, as well as remembering the threat of Akudaikaan. (see the full video at the top) After questioning why she brought them here, Saki says that it’s where she met all of them, so it seems like a special place, and then continues “Do I really need a reason to invite my friends to the Sky Tree?” This surprises the sisters as they’ve never thought of themselves as friends before. They seem genuinely happy for a moment before they remember they’ve got a mission. They clench their fists and this causes Flappi and Choppi to go crazy, so Mai and Saki quickly excuse themselves to talk. Mai tries to explain to Saki that she thinks the siblings are from Dark Fall but the fairies keep interrupting, and Kaoru insists to Michiru that they have to do this. It’s clearly hard for both of them, but they insist to each other that they are proud warriors of Dark Fall, and they prepare their attack.

the absolute anguish

Saki and Mai feel the intense dark energy approaching them and transform before they can even learn who their opponent is.... and so the reveal is that much more dramatic. But the twins do show themselves this time, and there’s no turning back. Bloom is shocked, Egret is more dejected that her hunch was right.

and look at this gorgeous shot. (textless version in the gallery)

Bloom insists that they don’t have to fight, but the Kiryuus insist that they’re from different worlds, and their only purpose for existing is to destroy the Precures and enact Akudaikaan’s will, so they attack. Bloom and Egret block, but refuse to fight back, which angers Michiru and Kaoru. They exchange ideals with the cures, who maintain that they can still be friends, but the twins retaliate that, as all life comes to an end eventually, their vision of a world of ruin, with no life at all, is actually ideal. Egret retaliates by asking Kaoru why she saved Minori earlier that day, and both cures remind them of the nice things they’ve done and promised they’d continue to do, to prove that they’re not truly evil. Saki insists that they’re all friends before they’re warriors, either of peace or of Dark Fall, and she refuses to fight her friends. The speech seems to be working, you can see that Michiru and Kaoru are being swayed, but they are still too afraid of the consequences of failure and double down on their words, before leaping into the air and diving towards the Precures, as the scene freezes and the credits begin to play.

Here we are, at the emotional peak of the journey of Michiru and Kaoru. All the cards are out on the table and they have made the choice (under duress) to put aside their personal feelings and emotional attachments and fight Saki and Mai. I honestly think this hurts them more than the Precures, because deep down, they don’t want to do this, and as much as they try to bury their feelings, they can’t help but to bleed through. There’s a clear hesitation that wasn’t there when they debuted, and they barely hide their emotional attachments to Saki and Mai. They no longer call each other out for helping, making connections, and otherwise getting involved in the lives of the heroines. They hype themselves into fighting, and maintain that they have a responsibility to Akudaikaan even when it’s clear that this goal differs from their desires. They take pause at Saki and Mai’s rejections of their fate and insistence that they’re still friends. They don’t want to do this, but they feel like they have no choice.

Normally, Michiru wears the mask and puts on the act of being friendly to the humans but secretly dismissing them, while Kaoru is more straightforward about her feelings, good or bad. It’s because of this difference in personality that Kaoru is the first one to insist that they drop all pretenses at the Sky Tree and defeat Saki and Mai, while Michiru is initially reluctant (and borderline crying).

seeing them display this kind of emotion would have been unfathomable a few weeks ago

She knows their mission deep down, but she’s allowed her friendly persona to become part of her, and she doesn’t want to fight them. At the same time, Kaoru reminds her that there’s no choice. Regardless of their feelings, they will always be warriors of Dark Fall and that’s the duty they have to fulfill. I don’t want this to read as though Kaoru simply doesn’t care, though. Arguably, she cares even more, but because she doesn’t hide her true self as much as her sister, she is better equipped to see the options in front of them: they cannot keep dodging this matter, they have to confront Saki and Mai and admit that they’re from Dark Fall. If they don’t, Akudaikaan will destroy them himself. Neither of them thinks that their friends will be accepting of their identities, because they come from the side that has been trying to destroy them and everything they care about so how could they possibly remain friends? It’s kill or be killed, so Michiru and Kaoru choose to take a stand for their lives rather than their true principles. However, Bloom and Egret’s refusal to engage and fight back does start to sway them. Mai calls out their hypocrisy particularly well:

The villains are given pause by this, for a moment they falter and lower their guard. Mai has seen through their facade, and wants them to realize the truth they’re denying about themselves. It almost works, but when Saki calls them their “friends,” that triggers a response. That level of intimacy is still too uncomfortable to them, they won’t allow themselves to become close to anybody but each other, and this challenge to their core beliefs makes them retaliate. They reiterate that they were created, given life, for only one purpose: to serve Dark Fall. If they aren’t enacting Akudaikaan’s will, they are betraying that purpose, and don’t deserve to even exist at all.  So they fight back, out of fear and loyalty. The villains who fight against their own hearts, and the heroines who refuse to fight because of theirs. What will be the outcome of this clash of ideals? Find out in the next review.

There is one bit of symbolism involving Michiru and Kaoru that I only just realized this episode, and I am furious at myself for not catching it sooner, with how much I’ve talked about other symbolism involving them:

If you’re standing in the teacher’s position, Kaoru sits in the back left corner, Michiru in the seat ahead of her, Mai sits in the back right corner, and Saki sits in front of Mai. Their positions mirror each other, in much the same way as Michiru and Kaoru are mirrors of Saki and Mai. If I were to read further into it, Saki and Mai sit by the window (the light) while the Kiryuus are furthest from the sun’s light, representing their dark nature. I do not know if there’s some Japanese mythology, folklore, or superstition about what side of the room you sit on, beyond the obvious anime trope that the second-from-the-back on the left is the Main Character Seat so they can stare out the window.

Before I wrap up, have some truly sincere Michiru and Kaoru expressions:

The next review will either be tomorrow, or in a week. I want to do some comparing and contrasting with Kiriya’s arc in FWPC, but I don’t think I’ll have a lot of free time tomorrow to write, and as I mentioned, I’ll be on a road trip for a few days. Hopefully I’ll be able to jot something down, I want to wrap up the Kiryuu arc before the trip so I can start into the back half of the show when I return. We’ll see where the wind blows. Whenever the review comes, look forward to it!

Pink Precure Catchphrase Count: 0 Zekkouchou Nari!

Miracle Drop Count: 1

#Precure #Pretty Cure #Futari wa Precure Splash Star #FWPCSS22 #PCD120

[volcanicflash]

Morph

„A light in my hand

A light in my heart

I polish the rust off my soul

And place a mirror across from your mirror

So as to create an eternity of you” – Ahmad Shamlou, The Garden of The Mirror (trans. Jason Bahbak Mohaghegh)

 „I am the beginning and ending of what is war

And I am the beginning and ending of what is raw” – Jedi Mind Tricks

 It’s late at night, and nights usually come with grace. There’s a certain eternity to them that doesn’t try to convince me that I should believe every thought I’m having.

But this one is different. It takes only two words and a light switching up in the bathroom for me to start spiraling down. As if a part of my brain would start fogging, no longer being able to see through the endless, calm silence that a warm summer night brings. The brain, when the light switches on, becomes like the bathroom window: a frosted glass. Reality is not allowed. Reality is especially not allowed when I’m looking in the mirror for a brief moment, while I’m washing my hands, and that moment is rewriting everything I knew about myself in a split second, the horror of not seeing my reflection as it is. Or, rather, seeing it exactly as it is. Then the mirror becomes the enemy. Then is the moment of truth for the one who would rather spit herself in the face through the mirror rather than facing it.

I’m trying not to gaze into it any longer, I’m switching off the light, but as I step out from the bathroom, there’s another one in the hallway, a full-body one, gathering in the lights coming from the opposite room, just enough to reflect my silhouette. A form that stays the same even in darkness, where no one can see reality. I shut my eyes, what is reality. I know the next morning won’t be the same.

 *

 Wake up. Stretch. Get up. Sit for five minutes, observe your thoughts. They’re racing. Observe them. Stare at the wall. Put one foot on the ground, feel the cold. Put the other one down, feel the rug. Stand up, open the door, grow a shield, be bulletproof. Open the door, switch up the lights again, observe your surroundings, step on the smooth and fluffy rug that’s trying to distract you from having the thought, then open the faucet, wash your face, look in the mirror, try staying neutral. Feel the itch on your skin, the knot growing in your throat. Resist the urge to claw your face violently. No attack, no satisfaction.

Prepare yourself, be like a dead animal, your own version of taxidermy, put on a pedestal for an imagined audience that stares into your glass eyes, you could almost hear their sharp gazes like knives clashing onto the smooth surface.

Step out on the street and everything is a mirror. Dirty car windows that have „for sale” posters glued to them, dusty and uncomfortable underwear shops’ windows, supermarket walls shining inhumanly. Try not looking, look anyway.

There is no sense of body as whole while looking into a mirroring surface through the lens of dysmorphia. You see shapes and sizes impasted into something you forgot that’s human. They’re just feet that you’d rather shape and smooth down with a chainsaw, you’d slam back together as if the joint could pop back, you’d skin yourself alive to suck off flesh and fat tissue with some weird machine that’s all in your imagination, cut off the breast then reshape them and slam them back onto the flesh, no, you’ve never seen a plastic surgery, no, you’d never be able to endure one, no, absolutely no one would break open your skeleton to reshape it. Nip and tuck, that’s the other story. Sit with it.

Then come the fabrics, textiles that cover you. But none of them fall accurately, and none of them are hugging the skin in the right places. You don’t know where the right places are. You just know that they’re not right places. Palm-sized areas, softness, a curve, an angle. Nothing remains of it if you look at it from the perspective of an insect, climbing up on the skin, stepping on it with its tiny legs, one by one, barging into hairs, dead skin cells. But is this body dead or alive, when you can’t inhabit it. Where does dissociation end, when you’re dissolving in the worm’s stomach-organ, when you can finally see your true reflection in the eyes of deep sea creatures who never saw anything bright before machine encounters and their summer days and nights are infinite in the void of oxygen? Longing for deep salty water won’t sanitize your wounds, evil mathematics and ratio-obsessions. Sometimes I wonder in front of a reflecting surface if all of this will matter in a decade, among severe droughts, hailstorms, floods and food shortages. But the internalized audience and someone else’s voice, that speaks instead of mine disapproves of it. Dwelling in a foreign city, dwelling in a foreign body.

 *

 The only place that has no reflections is a dark one. Lying on the bed, for the first time in my life I wanted to know how being drunk would feel, dead, bare-assed drunk, not remembering anything the next day, in the glorious, numbing headache and graceful nausea, where throwing up would mean that for at least ten minutes I’d turn off a thought process. But I resist.

Then the emptiness ensues. There are no drinks, no drugs, but the feeling of being a vessel, a vessel of void.

I remember sitting in my kitchen with a classmate years ago, working on some insignificant project for an insignificant grade. A small-stature, very pedantic young woman, her legs carefully placed on each other, polka dots, hair in a fringe. I’m explaining the difference and connection between clitoral and vaginal orgasm, as she’s marrying her boyfriend in the next month and the only thing she did with him is kissing.

„But is this a custom in the Baptist Church, that you’re marrying the person after half a year of dating?” – I asked.

„Yeah, usually, but there were some exceptions before.”- she replied with a fake smile that slowly faded into a genuine one, after she realized she’d been through answering one of her most difficult questions in her life. „But I’m very curious. It feels so good when I hug him. And I can feel the wedding night is going to be great.” – she added.

„But have you ever felt that tingling, squeezy, flooding-hot sensation down there before?”

„Yes. It was interesting, at first, I didn’t know how to feel it. That’s why I started to be curious.”

„This curiosity was intense for me too, when I first had sex” – I added – „but my worst concern was that what will he think about my naked body. I’m not in the best relationship with it.”

„Sometimes I’m not either. But then I look in the mirror and I remember that God created us to be perfect. And when I’m thinking about that, it fills me with peace. Try to place your existence into God’s hand.”

Good for you, I thought. I’m placing my existence into the hands of a god below. God, please touch me, I can’t touch myself. Do your duty and fill this vessel. Fuck me to unfuck me.

I’m rolling back to my side, I turn up the volume on the music, the soundscapes fill me up, this is what one usually doesn’t get in subcultures and nomadic taste-groups, these intense sensations during concerts or listening, when the symbolic sonic self-destruction transcends the whole body into another realm of existence. This constant becomingness that fills every nerve, every pore, every inch of skin, these goosebumps that annihilates the pain of being trapped into a body you can’t always cope with.

 *

 What does it mean being a woman, when one is an empty vessel that could be filled up with anything. Does honoring the dread of looking in the mirror count as an approach to end this phase of utter madness? Why do I think every pain that comes across my way is trying to teach me a lesson? In fact, they do. It’s a productive emptiness, a Śūnyatā, a black ensō circle drawn to the blank paper. And with every brush stroke and every new circle drawn in silence, they become infinite, yet none of their ending is connected as the ink slowly fades out from the brush. Where the lines don’t touch, where the saturated ink-spot gathers on the paper, is where pertaining to self ends. While being a vessel of existence is not inherently something good or bad, a shattered vessel is what losing the sense of one’s femininity would look like.

In the evening I’m reading Bolaño’s 2666, where professor Amalfitano is having a conversation with the Voice. When I get tired of it, I just simply press the button on the Kindle and close the cover, I switch off the lights then I take the last stroll to the toilet.

In the hallway the full-body mirror stops me. Lights from the streets gather in it, coming through multiple windows and blinder-holes. The silhouette is standing there in its whole 171-centimeter height, dark and weirdly shaped. „What does femininity mean to you?” –  it asks. „I don’t know”. I’m trying to look away, but it stares into me. „What does femininity look like to you?” – it’s persistent and its voice is hollow but stringent. „Something that’s always someone else and is outside of me. When I see women, I see the lack of woman in me. Yet I don’t know this piece from the puzzle. Woman is a puzzle. Femininity is that piece from the puzzle and the image is not complete. Why are you asking me these?”

Before it could answer, the silhouette transforms itself into someone resembling my young mother. She has no face of her own, but I can see a vortex of words, curses and fragments from lost sentences spinning in her skull. She’s shivering, squeezing her breasts and stomach. And I can hear her voice from behind. „You are pear shaped like everyone in the family”. „I looked just like you when I was your age.” „I was even skinnier”. „When I worked at the theater, I had this guy who said once that if I put cold compresses on my breasts they would cease like pimples.” „You’re so beautiful, can’t you see yourself? Tall and long limbs.” „Many would envy your legs.” „I got fatter after you were born, but before that I was just as thin.”

She’s vibrating until her face starts growing back, then her presence fades away and the voices that came with her. Then my silhouette appears again but turned into stone. And this one tiny snake is just there at its legs, crawling up and down, slowly turning to me, growing and growing, an then it comes right through the mirror.

Its cold skin touches my feet. It creeps up and with every inch of its scales it tries to turn me on, going back and forth on the places I hate seeing the most and it just caresses me and tries to blend in with the softness, and its double tongue is weird and erotic and what’s femininity even more, than weird and erotic? Making love is a snake trying to get into a desire-machine. This is when it becomes cosmic.

#flash fiction #short story #experimental #dream #dysmorphia #body dysmorphia #body image

[firebirdtransam68]

Scene Comparisons From Transformers: Superlink/Energon (Episode 50)

I found two clips of the same scene, but with different languages (and graphics).  The scene in Episode 50 where Galvatron becomes enormous as well as Optimus Prime, and how the media went from CGI to hand drawn may be one of the best moments in Transformers: Superlink (Japanese with English subtitles) and Energon (English dub).  Although, personally, I have no problems with the CGI (it is not perfect, but I don’t think it is awful like many fans say it is), and I find it really interesting how a work has a mix of both 3D and 2D animation (mixed media).

I will start with the Superlink version, first.  Here is the clip:

In this scene, we see the behemoth Galvatron admiring his new super form, and declared himself “the Transcendent Emperor of Destruction, Galvatron-sama.”  Optimus Prime (hell, I will call him Grand Convoy in this version), while still big enough, declared he can do the same; so he became enormous like Galvatron, combined with the Grand Force, and declared himself “the [Autobot] Supreme Commander, Grand Convoy” while beginning the fight.  Note that both characters became hand drawn (probably because CGI couldn’t be THAT consistent with the animation).  Galvatron was actually really gleeful to fight Grand Convoy (he would get infuriated when anyone interferes with the fight, because he wanted to fight his rival one-on-one without anyone else joining the fight; he mentioned earlier that he wanted a fair fight, and he GOT a fair fight... maybe), and clashed with his old enemy.  Once their fists were together, they created a blueish lightning impact that crushed some of the rocks below (probably to show how forceful such impact is).

Snowstorm and Irontread were pleased that Galvatron was no longer possessed by Unicron, and he was acting like his old self, again (“although bigger,” said Irontread); by old self, meaning an agressive, impulsive, and stubborn Decepticon (or Destron) leader.  Rodimus Convoy was surprised that Grand Convoy and Galvatron were not only fighting each other directly, but also fighting off their possession from Unicron, who corrupted them with an ominous power; Hot Shot was also surprised.  Omega Supreme caught a sight on Grand Convoy and Galvatron fighting, also surprised.

Grand Convoy performed a “Grand Force Impact,” which shot off lightning bolts and another forceful phenomenon that caused an explosion; but it did not affect Galvatron, as he charged at the Autobot (or Cybertron) leader without a single scratch, and drew a blade at Grand Convoy, who was trying to block it with his arm.

One of the Autobots (I think it is Overdrive; there is also Wing Saber, and another Autobot in which I cannot decipher who because of the flames) was surprised that Grand Convoy was more aggressive, more powerful, and more determined than ever before; he really didn’t expect that.  Nightscream was surprised and nearly lost for words, while Shockfleet was just swooning over Galvatron (he has a crush on the Decepticon leader).

Grand Convoy and Galvatron were still fighting in their gigantic modes.  Galvatron diverted Grand Convoy’s attention, transformed, and kicked him, but Grand Convoy caught his balance, and kicked the Decepticon back, but it did not affect Galvatron as much (besides stumbling a little bit); suddenly, Galvatron stabbed Grand Convoy with his blade, and claimed victory, until Grand Convoy electrocuted him, and did the unthinkable: Combining their corrupted sparks (as well as his Combination Spark), sealing them into his body, and disappearing into the atmosphere along with Galvatron.  

I was stunned by not only the graphics and soundtrack, but by the fight scenes, the leaders’ determination, seeing Galvatron back to normal without being possessed by Unicron, and Optimus Prime trying to stop the corruption by sealing it into his own body (unless that was Primus, but it sounded like Optimus was declaring the fate).  Of course, there are still many awesome scenes and moments in Superlink, as well; not just this scene.

Now, let’s see the Energon version of the scene:

(The first time I saw this clip in sound, it was so horrible, I paused it before I saw the great battle; to me, that was even worse than some 4Kids dubs (individuals are different; sometimes we can tolerate certain works, but other times, it is far too much to bear); I wish I was brave enough to at least watch the clip with sound, but too bad I wasn’t; I am glad I saw the original version, first, though.  The good news is, there are subtitles, but I don’t guarantee they will be accurate, but I will try my best to decipher them.)

In this scene, Galvatron calls himself “the new-and-improved emperor of the dark side” (Star Wars reference, here), which did not sound as menacing as “the Emperor of Destruction,” rather, it was somewhat amusing.  Optimus Prime seems unconvinced, but then proceeds to battle Galvatron.  First, he combined with the Prime Force, said “let me introduce myself” (as if Galvatron does not know who you are), and called himself “supreme leader of the Autobots,” which sounds a little more boastful than the original version (Superlink sounded more determined, in my opinion).  Galvatron thought that was funny (as did I).  The fight began.  And, seeing how this version seemed choppy and less detailed, Energon, like Armada (originally Micron Legend), is rushed and not very smooth (the visuals are bad enough, already; don’t worsen the moment with the voice acting).

The reactions from Snow Cat and Demolishor are nearly the same (just with different wording), although Demolishor said Galvatron gained a few tons (as if to say Galvatron is overweight), which is lame, because Galvatron grew many yards or miles tall, NOT gained more mass or weight by a thousand pounds times 100 heavy; not even 4Kids would have made the pun slide if Energon were to be redubbed.  Rodimus Prime said, “since Galvatron was holding back on the power he stole from Unicron,” and Hot Shot responded with “yeah, and that’s what worries me;” which would have made sense had not the show been rushed (what do you mean by “holding back on the power he stole from Unicron?”  I don’t recall Galvatron “stealing” Unicron’s power, although he did use too much power, so that would be understandable; but the wording threw me off).

We see more choppiness when Optimus Prime was preparing the final blow, and the explosion was just a black puffball (how weak of an explosion!); and then Galvatron charged at Optimus in stills (one picture, then another, without any real motion).  There was no real force when Optimus blocked the blade (besides the expressions from Optimus and Galvatron).

One of the Autobots (presumably Cliffjumper) commented how pumped-up the Autobot leader is; he doesn’t seem too surprised like Overdrive was in Superlink.  Starscream didn’t say anything (but his mouth was moving; really bad lip synching, there); Mirage was cheering for Galvatron to win (in this version, Mirage doesn’t have an obvious crush on Galvatron, but there have been really subtle hints).

While Superlink went to black and then cut to the next scene with Galvatron and Optimus still fighting (probably indicating that time had passed), Energon cut immediately to the fight scene.  When Galvatron kicked Optimus Prime, you can see the blurr effects in stationary, and the motion was choppy, YET again.  When a flash appeared, the cut freeze-framed before we get to see Galvatron’s reaction to being kicked back.  Galvatron stabbed Optimus, claimed victory, and got electrocuted with Optimus saying the following line:

“It seems we’re both filled with the power of Unicron.  Well, it’s time I take it and put it in the maze” (didn’t make any sense, whatsoever; I don’t think even the subtitles thought it made sense, either).

We see Galvatron’s mouth move, but he didn’t say anything (more lip synching failure).  While Optimus and Galvatron were disappearing (or shrinking), we just see them dissipating into the atmosphere with no other surrounding light other than the yellow beam.

Yeah, the Energon version was (I will say this) awful.  No wonder this Transformers work was hated by many fans (especially those who saw the English dub first/only).  Since I saw Superlink first (which I thought could be better, even though it was still an awesome Transformers anime; I liken it to The Transformers: The Movie (1986), since they killed off my favorite characters, and there wasn’t enough character development for some of the newer characters (like Springer, Wreck-Gar, and Kranix), even though I wanted to see/know more about them; the film and the anime are very similar to each other), I wasn’t affected by the monstrosity in Energon.  Although, when I tried to watch Energon, it was too much to bear (some of the animation was bad enough, but the voice acting was worse); I starting watching other works (mostly movies and TV shows, as well as listened to music, and compared Sonic X sub vs. dub for humor (as well as hypothesizing what if 4Kids got the Unicron Trilogy and made it better, but not great)) to get the rushed dub out of my head, and I started to rewatch some clips from Micron Legend as well as Superlink (to me, the originals are more tolerable, and are usually the best). 

I have a recommendation: if you want to see a certain work, don’t look for the dubbed version, first; try out the original version, and maybe see the dub next.  You may like one better than the other, and some parts may be better than others, as well.  You may like the original, or you may like the dub; individuals are different, after all.

Looks like that is all I will be saying for now.  I plan to rewatch the two Transformers anime shows as well as watch Bumblebee (2018) again, and also Sonic X (original version with subtitles) during my spare time.  My next classes are coming up soon, so I may not post as much; but that doesn’t mean I won’t be back.  I have mentioned earlier that I am an on-and-off Tumblr user; having other things to do is one of the reasons.

Everyone else, have fun exploring more content you like, and please be cordial and respectful to one another.

Stay tuned for future posts.

This is FirebirdTransAm68 signing out.

#sub vs. dub #sub vs. dub comparison #transformers #anime #transformers anime #transformers: superlink #superlink #transformers: energon #energon #grand convoy = optimus prime #galvatron #optimus prime #optimus prime vs. galvatron #grand convoy #galvatron-sama #anime comparisons #japanese anime #トランスフォーマー スーパーリンク #トランスフォーマー #rushed dub #even 4kids could have done better than this #at least energon kept the soundtrack... mostly... #episode 50 #transformers: superlink episode 50 #transformers: energon episode 50 #episode 50: spark #コンビネーションスパークの力 #the combination spark's power #I think the superlink episode has a more awesome title than energon #so awful I viewed the episode on mute

[flyswhumpcenter]

Bad Things Happen Bingo! The event where you send me I give myself self-indulgent requests according to this marvelous card!

tfw you write Markus whump but it’s not the Markus most would expect

Brachion

Summary: Valerie didn't think meeting against with her abusive ex would end in a dark alley. Or, at least, she didn't think it'd end that way, with hands wrapped around a neck that wasn't hers.

Fandom: Trauma Center (New Blood) Ships: Valerie/Markus

Wordcount: 1.8K words

Event hosted by @badthingshappenbingo

AO3 version available here.

She’d have guessed she’d hear again about this one violent, abusive, terrible ex she had had in med school. She knew it. She knew it was going to end badly for someone, her or someone else related to her in some way or another. She was afraid it’d be her mom, or her best friend, or other relatives she’d still have the misfortune to be in contact with…

But little did Valerie know who was going to take the fall for her.

 The more she thought about it, the less it made sense for him to attack this person in particular. Who’d even attack people’s workmates to get revenge on them? What if they had a terrible relation together? Sure, she’d have felt guilty if someone she wasn’t fond of got assaulted because she once dated an asshole, but it wouldn’t be the same as if that attacker hit someone she cherished. She’d feel terrible if that happened! She had chosen to save lives, not help people almost lose theirs.

And… then, out of nowhere, it’d start making some sense again. Of course someone out for her life and happiness, apparently desperate for her to come back to him by hurting people she loved until she broke down and let herself down, would decide to hurt the persons she spent the most time around: her partners, her colleagues, no, her friends and companions of misfortune. They had lived through operating in a remote Alaskan hospital, moving to Los Angeles, getting into Caduceus USA’s Maryland branch, getting kidnapped, operating on war casualties in South American countries, meeting a famous surgeon and his fellow nurse (Valerie was pretty damn sure these two were secretly married, there was no other solution to the puzzle), saving the world from a worldwide lethal danger answering to the name of Stigma, everything.

Of course that guy would try attacking either Elena or Markus.

 Elena seemed, despite how much Valerie appreciated her both as a colleague and a dear friend, to be an easy victim for him to pick up on. She was young, petite and rather frail, charming eyes but with little physical strength. She’d be easy to trap in a dark street corner, untrained to self-defence techniques (albeit she had since then started learning some of those on Cynthia’s advice) and too kind for her own good, especially if she was walking Pepita and had one hand unavailable to hold a leash in. Just thinking about that made her skin crawl, truly.

When he started to make himself heard from again, starting with ominous messages from a blocked phone number and her mother’s more and more frantic calls, Valerie had prepared herself to fight against him and protect Elena. She wouldn’t let her friend get hurt because some psycho was still after her years later, still potentially armed with a scalpel he’d have managed to slip out of the facility. It felt like her right duty, the one she had to fulfil as a slightly older figure and close friend. It felt natural, rather than right, genuine and strong, but it wasn’t passionate. Her mind wasn’t swept away by a storm of emotions and impulses whenever someone even remotely suspicious approached Elena.

 She had gotten her guards up. She’d protect, she’d attack, like a guardian angel turning into a hound. She’d be the body’s immune system. She had killed Stigma, she’d manage to make her former boyfriend land up behind bars in case he decided to jump into action again. She was ready, especially once she had warned Elena about it. The latter had taken it well, despite trying to assure her she’d be all fine and not to worry for her (it was difficult not to worry for someone with whom you’ve lived through so many catastrophes). It’d be all fine. She could do this.

But, in the end, she hadn’t seen it coming.

 It had been a pure coincidence. She was walking from her place to the nearest general store to pick up some dishwashing soap she had just realized she had run out of, nothing out of the ordinary. It was the comfortable rhythm of life, filled with all these little moments where nothing much happened, when it was just a succession of habits and customs. The contexts in which even someone like her, who had saved the world from a lethal pandemic, had most of their guard down.

A critical error, she’d soon discover.

 Valerie simply happened to take a shortcut, that day. She had lived in Maryland for just long enough for her to know about a few passageways to shorten the routes of daily life, to go faster because losing time had never been her specialty. She’d only take these during daytime, for obvious reasons, which made it all the more shocking when what she thought could only happen at night and in her darkest dreams turned cold-sweating nightmares was unfolding right before her eyes.

There, in an alley, were two familiar figures. One of them, turning her back at her, was the man she had feared for so long, whose aura was filling her with dread, dishevelled hair, two hands lifted. The other, face turned towards her, back against a wall, fingers wrapped around the neck, an eye almost shut and a mouth striving for air, was her colleague. Her friend. Her companion of misfortune. A person she’d have never wanted to see hurt because of her.

 But it wasn’t Elena.

It was Markus.

 Heart filled with a whirlwind of panic, anger, fear and the forbidden child of the three combined, Valerie couldn’t say not to the primitive impulse inhabiting her body. Rushing almost blindly, unconcerned by most of the consequences for her own sake, she ran to the assailant and, without giving him the proper time to react, kicked him right in the weaker spot she had available on hand. Old reflexes she thought she didn’t have anymore activated: she slammed him against a wall, making sure his hands were locked behind his back, as she grabbed her phone and called nine-one-one without hesitating.

In her voice, calm fury. She was angry at the world, angry at herself, angry at this garbage dump of a human being. This wasn’t meant to be, she knew it, it had slid right under her nose despite her preparations and self-training. Dammit, that wasn’t supposed to be!

 She remained frustrated. On one hand, she couldn’t let go of the ex unless she wanted to risk him causing more damage than he had already done to her friend or her; but on the other, she wished she could help Markus breathe properly, instead forcing herself to hear him hack in an attempt to regain his proper breathing. All she could do was wait and make sure the guy wouldn’t escape from her grip. This was terrible element over terrible element, cumulating into an Everest of problems.

In the end, Valerie chose to make her worst decision to this day pass out by merely using a simple technique learnt during self-defence classes with Elena. Did her friend protect her better than she protected Markus? For sure. Was it awful? Yes and no. She was forever grateful for Elena now, but all she had left was now to face the biggest consequence of her halfway-thought-out plan.

Clearly, if these two always worked together, it was for a reason.

 Kneeling down next to Markus, putting her hands on his shoulders as if it wasn’t too late to protect him from the dangers she had cast upon herself while they waited for enforcement to do something about their situation, the details only kept adding up to her conscience: he already had two strong red hand-shaped bruises on his neck, traces of an event never meant to be, an incarnated reminder of her terrible solo-plans.

To be honest, she was simply used to Markus’s terrible sense of humour and his unpractical habit to tease her on everything he could find with the force of a thousand snickers. She was used to clashing with him lightly, like friends picking up on each other, never to truly hurt the other but more to play on the few parts they were allowed to ridicule each other on. Nothing big, nothing big… but something precious nonetheless. Something precious she had almost just lost, would she have not taken this route, would she have not noticed it.

 Passion had saved the both of them.

 Waiting for help to arrive, all she could do was to care for him as much as possible. A thousand questions went through her mind at the speed of light, too quick for her to grasp and say out loud. A storm in her mind, ravaging everything in its course, and no question uttered by a disturbed mind. Ironic, coming from her loud mouth.

“It’s… gonna be alright, Markus,” she whispered, more to reassure herself than him. “It’s… really gonna be alright. We’ve always been alright, why wouldn’t we be this time?”

He coughed.

“Wish I hadn’t dragged you in this mud, but I…” She gulped. “I’m sorry. For him. For this. For everything. Just… sorry.”

Tears retained.

“If I had been more careful… Or clever… Or better, all things considered… You wouldn’t be there…”

Tears flowing.

“Sorry, I really am…”

 Pulling the still mute Markus against her chest, as if that was going to keep him alive, she watched the familiar sirens fill the air and senses in the darker corner of a street until then safe. Only then did Valerie understand why she shouldn’t have expected Elena to be hurt in the process because, as it stood, she had never been the enemy the beast was hunting.

And for that she could only accuse herself of being the cause of it all.

 A strained whisper reached her ears, prompting her to look at her colleague’s face where a tired smirk was painted.

“Hey, Val…”

She was unable to reply, too busy retaining herself from crying from the shock and the guilt.

“I forbid you to blame yourself… Only I can do that… Didn’t give you permission… as far as I’m concerned…”

“You shouldn’t speak, Markus…”

“And let you bawl your eyes out…? Yeah, no, fuck that…”

“You’ve just almost died! Can’t you just… be quiet for once, when you need it?!”

He snickered at her reaction. Ah, what could have she expected other than that from him, after all…

“Sure seems like it, huh… Seriously, stop crying now, I’m alive…”

Valerie brushed her tears away with her sleeve.

“…I’d have killed everyone in the room and then myself if you had died.”

“Yeah. I know…”

 Watching the paramedics come to them, she realized that maybe, just maybe, a nightmare had just ended.

#bad things happen bingo #trauma center #trauma center new blood #valerie blaylock #markus vaughn #elena salazar #strangulation #violence cw #abuse cw #otp: let's show them the healing touch #bthb 1

[everythingcollided]

More Than A Fan [Peter Parker]

Request:  Hello beautiful! May I get a Peter x Reader where he’s completely SOFT™️ for her and once she finds out about her best friend being Spidey she can’t help but wear/buy all the Spidey merch available? With fluff and flustered Pete? Love you lots! ❤️

Word Count: 2,153

Warnings: Swearing, slight sorta severe pining 

A/N: I was so excited to write this cause the request was absolutely adorable! Thanks to @beautiful-writings for basically being my beta reader she’s amazing! 

It’s been three days.

Seventy-two hours since she’d wrapped her arms around him in their customary hug, the comforting smell of her shampoo clouding his senses and lulling him into the safety he only ever felt around her, breath puffing right over his heart. It was normal, and Peter never expected it to stop only hours later.

He kept on seeing her face in the rain where she’d caught him maskless under the awning of a shop he couldn’t remember, hair stuck to her cheeks and neck, eyelashes lined with raindrops. She looked as delicate as a flower in the darkness, almost too stunning to be real, and Peter’s guilt clashed with the need to get her someplace warm and dry.

“I need some time,” she’d said, like a knife to his chest.

And then she walked away. Peter had never thought about how much he’d miss those hugs until she wasn’t there to give them.

Three days.

Aunt May kept on asking him if he was alright when he came out of his room with darkness under his eyes and he always said yes because he knew how much she loved her and he couldn’t bear to disappoint another woman in his life with how stupid he had been. She offered up a movie night complete with three bowls of popcorn anyway.

It was on the fourth day, when he’d just finished eating his breakfast, that his phone vibrated.

‘Can you come over?’ the text read, her name written at the top followed by the yellow heart that guaranteed he wasn’t imagining it. She really wanted to see him.

He didn’t even answer, rummaging through his closet for a sweater and barely having it over his head before charging downstairs and unhooking his bike from the rack. He completely zoned out on the ride over, going from muscle memory alone.

He was so scared that she was going to leave him. Maybe five months ago he would’ve been able to handle it; when she was just a girl with pretty eyes and a kickass sense of humor. When she was just his best friend who made his stomach feel weird, who for some reason he couldn’t even see the same as he saw Ned even though they were both equally important to him.

Five months ago he could’ve taken the blow because hey, he’d lost friends before and it hurt for a while but he still had Ned and MJ and they’d do their best to help him forget about her. Five months ago he was helplessly oblivious to the fact that his feelings for her were in no way wholly platonic and that everything she did put hearts in his eyes.

Now, the thought of losing her made Peter feel like he would be blown into thousands of pieces and he wasn’t going to let that happen. She was going to let him explain why he kept his identity from her for so long, and she was going to understand.

She was going to understand.

Peter’s heart is thrashing around his chest, thumping with the beats of his knuckles against the wooden door as he knocks. It’s warmer than he thought outside, or maybe that’s just his body heating up from the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He balls the edge of his sleeve into his palm nervously, tapping his feet against the faded welcome! mat, feeling anything but.

The slight creak of the door as it opens sounds loud in his ears and he jumps, eyes darting to the figure in the frame and widening in turn. There she is, the crinkles at the edges of her eyes the first thing he sees and the large t-shirt she wears the second.

It’s bright red, with a cartoon version of Spider-Man swinging across the front. His name is etched down the long sleeves swallowing her arms in bold letters and Peter almost has to squint with the sunlight reflecting off of the material.

“So, question,” she starts casually, rocking on her feet - which are clad in socks that resemble that part of his suit flawlessly - and not at all appearing mad like Peter had expected and prepared for. “You wear boxers, right?”

He’s dazed by her attire and it takes him a moment to realize what she’s just said, cheeks coloring. “Yeah? Yes, I do. Why?”

She nods, ponytail swishing. “Great. Come on.”

And then she’s pulling him by the hand into the house he’s been in so many times he has it memorized, down the long hallway decorated with pictures of her with missing teeth and pigtails, of the two of them with their arms around each other holding participation ribbons at a science fair with gigantic grins, and into the living room.

There are bags littering the carpeted floor as well as the coffee table standing in the middle of the room and the couch. Boxes peak up out of the abyss here and there, tops ripped open and dropping styrofoam peanuts over the ground.

“Shit, I forgot what box they were in,” she mutters, gracefully weaving through the mess. Her shirt rides up as she rummages through a box and Peter spots web designs crawling over her shorts.

“What is all of this?” He finally asks.

“Did you know that Stark Industries owns this whole Spider-Man brand? They have, like, everything.” She’s practically inside of the box now, balancing on one leg as she submerges her limbs in search of...boxers, was it? Her voice echoes against the cardboard and Peter decides to help her before she hurts herself.

He wades through the plastic and moves behind her, pressing a hand to her back to let her know he’s there. She sends him a grateful smile as she moves to give him room. “Mr. Stark didn’t say anything about...a brand?” She hums in confirmation at the questioning edge, Peter’s chest filling with warmth at the thought that Mr. Stark would do such a thing for Spider-Man, for him.

His hands brush against fabric in the sea of green and pink peanuts and he latches onto it. She chuckles at the product. “See, boxers!” Little Spider-Men are swinging around the dark blue background. “I also ordered sweatshirts, shorts, socks, pillows - they have pillows isn’t that cool? I think I got a few bras too.”

Peter flushes at that and sends her an incredulous look. She glances at him, eyes widening when she’s realized what she just said. “I mean, they were available.”

“You bought all of this stuff?”

“Of course.”

Peter feels that little gnawing at his stomach again, the same one he’d felt days ago. He looks around at all of the packages, and the thought of how much money all of it must have cost makes him wince. “Why?”

She furrows her eyebrows, fingers fiddling with the edge of her sleeve in the way she’s always done when wearing long sleeves. “Well, why not?”

Peter runs a hand through his messy hair. “You said you needed time,” he hates how fragile his voice sounds in the quiet room, how easily she gets under his skin. “You haven’t talked to me at all and now you’re acting like everything’s fine and I’m just...really confused?”

She seems to slouch into herself at his words, eyes softening. Her teeth tug her bottom lip into her mouth and she takes her time in bringing her gaze to Peter’s. She takes a step forward, a question sparkling in her eyes, and he finds himself nodding. All he’s wanted is for her to be here, to be on good terms with him, and he knew he’d do whatever she needed to get there.

She circles her arms around his waist and lays her head against his chest. Briefly, he wonders if she can hear how fast his heart is beating, but she speaks before he can fully freak out about that. “I’m sorry. It just took a lot of processing. I mean, first I had to deal with the identity thing, and then there’s also the constant worrying I’m going to have to deal with because I know you’re gonna get hurt, you idiot.”

There’s a pause, and her voice lowers.

“I was mad for a bit. Hurt, I guess. That you didn’t tell me. But then I thought about everything you’ve done for me and hated myself for ever thinking about ditching you for saving the world. So, instead of being the worst best friend ever, I decided to hit the internet and get some merchandise so that I could be your biggest fan.”

Peter twirls a piece of her hair around his finger, pulls her tighter against him. “You didn’t have to do all of this.”

She lifts her head to look at him, eyes narrowing as she observes the contours of his face. “You know I’m always here for you, right?”

He does, but the past three days show something different than that promise and she must see the confliction on his face because she frowns and takes a step back.

She runs her hands over her face and sighs. “Peter, I know what I did, it hurt me too, okay? But I didn’t want to try talking to you when my emotions were all over the place. I could’ve said anything and I wanted to be sure that I wouldn’t dumbly ruin this because I hadn’t given myself enough time to let it sink in.”

“Please understand,” she begs, digging into a ripped bag and producing a shirt identical to her own. “Don’t let our matching shirts go to waste.”

Peter cracks at that, laughing and reaching for the article of clothing. “Seriously?”

Her lips lift in the grin she’s been trying to hold back, shrugging. “It might be a little big, but, yeah. Seriously. We can be Spider-Man’s biggest supporters.”

“Ned’s gonna want one too.”

“I ordered four. Just in case MJ wants one too.”

Peter unfolds it, heart bursting. He should’ve known that she wouldn’t abandon him, that instead, she’d do something like this. She always found ways of sweeping his feet out from under him and leaving him dumbfounded.

All of that guilt and worry from the previous days fizzles into nothing. Peter’s stuck just standing there and staring at his best friend, wondering how he found someone like her that chose to handle him on a daily basis.

“So,” she starts, clutching a white pillow with Spider-Man illustrations to her chest, eyes wide and vulnerable. Peter’s heart skips a beat. “Am I forgiven?”

It’s in that moment that Peter almost crosses the three steps separating them and presses his lips to hers. It’s a quick wave of emotion that’s gone as fast as it came and his stomach sinks a bit when he realizes he has no right to do something like that.

Peter pretends to think over, mostly so that he can get his brain back on the right track and away from her lips. “Did you get sweatpants?”

Her expression morphs into a mix of a smile and agitation. “Yes.”

“Then yeah,” Peter’s face heats in the intensity of her smile. “Just don’t spend this much money on me again.”

“Would I be a proper fan if I didn’t have the merch? I don’t think so.”

“You don't have to have merch to be considered my biggest fan.”

She shrugs and tosses the pillow at his chest. “It’s a bonus.”

He throws it back. “An expensive bonus.”

“Oh, just admit you love me, dork.” She retaliates by hitting him in the shoulder and though it’s harmless, her words catch him off guard.

“I love you,” Peter says, and it’s blurred on a line between best friends and something more and it scares him how close it is to the latter.

But she’s naive to it all, balancing the pillow on top of his head with a smile on her lips that makes him feel like the luckiest person in the world. “That’s more like it.”

She steps back and claps her hands together. “So, you gonna help me unpack or what?”

“You only called me over here to be your slave.”

“No. I called you over here to apologize, and to prove how awesome of a friend I am.” She crosses her arms. “And for you to be my slave.”

Peter blows air out of his nose. “Only because you’re my biggest fan.”

“Can I get you saying that in the suit on video?”

He gives her a look.

She puts her hands up. “Okay, fine. Kidding. Let’s get working, Spider-Boy.”

They work fluidly and have everything stacked in piles soon enough. She nudges him and jokes about them starting a fan page and Peter can’t help but think they’ve made a step towards something. Maybe it’s what he wants it to be towards, or maybe not.

But it’s something.  

#peter parker #peter parker imagine #peter parker fluff #peter parker fic #spider-man #spider-man imagine #spider-man fic #mcu #mcu imagine #marvel #marvel imagine #tom holland imagine #tom holland fluff #tom holland fic #peter parker x reader #spider-man x reader #tom holland x reader #lyd writes #mcu fic #marvel fic

[rosyangel95]

Stay With Me Leo

Ok, so here is the completed and rewritten version of the fic I wrote back in April. This is in honor of Leo’s Ever after release.

 Warnings: Spoilers, blood, cursing, near named character death, near princess death, tons of angst

Under the cut for those who wish to avoid such content

Leo had pursued his uncle all the way to the burned down Crawford manor. His uncle had stopped here for God only knows why. Perhaps Lord Crawford wanted to relive that fateful night when he killed his brother and his sister-in-law? Was he here to gloat in satisfaction that he had yet to be caught? Leo didn't care the reason. He was so close to his ultimate goal: revenge. How he would pay. Leo would make sure of it. As he rounded the remnants of the stone fence that was just outside the main building of the manor, he sees his uncle, bent down, examining the ashes of his misdeeds.

“Uncle!!” Leo Bellowed, with disdain dripping from his lips and rage emanating from his crimson eyes. Leo unsheathed his sword. This was the moment he had waited so long for, and he was going to make sure this time, this time, justice would be served.

His uncle slowly stood up and turned towards his nephew. “Fancy meeting you here Leo. To what do I owe the pleasure?” The sickeningly sweet tone in his voice chilled the air.

“You know damned well why I'm here” Leo said with a gaze sharper than his sword.

“I'm starting to feel all nostalgic now Leo.” Lord Crawford said with a sadistic smile. “Mmmm, yes. It was just like this. Your father staring me down with his sword. Same fire in his eyes, after seeing what I had done to your mother.” He said with menacing laughter in his voice. His eyes narrowed, gauging Leo's reaction.

“You bastard! Leo roared. Rage overpowering all sense he had left in him, as he charged his uncle.

“Like father like son.” Lord Crawford sighed, quickly unsheathing his sword to block the incoming blow. The sound of metal clashing rang out as Lord Crawford easily deflected Leo's blow. “That all you got Leo?” he asked dryly.

Leo's eyes narrowed and expression went flat. “You should know this isn't going to end well Leo. All who have ever opposed me have been left in the dust to rot.” Lord Crawford stated blandly. However his eyes flashed, relishing the rage that was emanating from Leo.

'This time will be different' Leo thought, raising his sword.

Lord Crawford raised his sword as well. “Shall we dance?” His eyes alight with mirth. Leo launched a flurry of attacks. While most were parried, he managed to land a few glancing blows. Or so he thought. Till he noticed that all his blade had managed to bite was the cloth of Lord Crawford's coat. Now it was Lord Crawford's turn to launch an attack. The onslaught of attacks managed to land a crucial blow, but only on his left shoulder. He could still fight. He could still win. With the faces of his parents held in his mind, he focused, trying to ignore the pain of the puncture in his shoulder.

“This is how it went with her too. One wound after the other. Till all that was left was the sweet sound of her screams.” Lord Crawford said with delight in his voice.

Leo couldn't focus anymore, as the sound of his mother's screams echoed through his mind. Leo launched at Lord Crawford, this time his sword hit its mark. A fresh streak of crimson stained the left sleeve of Lord Crawford's coat. “Not bad for a kid.” Lord Crawford smirked.

They clashed several more times, metal ringing out, with streaks of crimson splattering the dirt. Both were wounded, though Leo was more so. Leo had collapsed into a pile of ashes, propped up by one of the darkened beams that remained of the house. He had several puncture wounds in each shoulder and a deep gash across his chest. Lord Crawford had a few puncture wounds along his left arm and a cut along his left leg. “This is where it all ends nephew. The same way it ended with your father. Propped up against a wall giving me that same look. Right before I slit his throat and let him bleed out.” Lord Crawford's voice trailed off as his kicked Leo's sword off into the neighboring field. “Any last words?” Lord Crawford asked with the grin of victory gracing his lips.

Neither of them had heard the horse beating down as the priness had ridden onto the scene. Leo's eyes were so fixated on Lord Crawford that he hadn't noticed her approaching from the rear, and Lord Crawford was far too wrapped up in his nephew's demise to hear the metal sing as it came out of its sheath.

“I'll take that as a confession of murder Lord Crawford. By authority of the crown you are under arrest for the murder of your brother and his wife. Toss your weapon aside and lay on the ground.” The princess ordered.

Both of them turned and yelled “Princess?!?”

A scowl painted her normally sweet face. Rage burning in her chocolate brown eyes. Her long brown hair moved behind her in the early morning breeze. Not dressed as she normally would, she was wearing a long black coat, white pants that sunk into her knee high riding boots. A brown belt crossed her waist with a pouch off the the left side. A red silk blouse rose with her every breath as she brandished her rapier that demonstrated years of practice.

“Ah the little mouse has arrived to save her prince, how droll.” Lord Crawford sighed.

“Don't make me repeat myself.” She said annoyed.

“Do you want a dance too my lady?” He grinned.

“If that is what you wish Lord Crawford, then gladly.” She said in a polite tone, as she had been instructed to do as a princess at a ball. He came at her hard and fast, but she parried and dodged every blow expertly.

“My turn, m'lord.” She quipped. A sweet smile spread across her face. She moved with lightning speed, jabbing and slashing with grace and finesse. She was almost too fast for him, as he barely managed to parry most of her attacks. Several hit their intended mark, as small circles of red started growing across Lord Crawford's coat and shirt. Her anger flared as she slashed across his face, leaving a cut from his cheek to the corner of his mouth. “I will not let you hurt my beloved any longer, nor any of the other people in my kingdom. Your reign of terror ends here.” She roared, making the same mark on his other side.

This was the first time he had felt fear and she could see it in his eyes. “Yield!” She yelled.

“To the likes of you? Never!” He raged as he charged her.

“She prepared herself for the blow, moving her sword where he was headed. However, at the last second he changed direction and plowed right into her, puncturing her as the fell. She screamed in agony as Leo watched in horror. Leo tried to get up, but was instantly hit with the world turning. He sunk back against the burnt wood, despair overtaking him.

Hoof beats could be faintly heard in the distance...

Lord Crawford was now on top of her, sword impaling her left shoulder to the ground. She let out a yell and kneed him between the legs. Her head swung forward landing a direct hit to his forehead. He let out a grunt and a whimper as the blows connected. She then bucked him off as he rolled off her side. She struggled to get the sword out of the ground, slowly rocking the blade till it finally gave way. She pulled the sword out of her shoulder as rage overtook her. “Bastard!” She yelled.

She tossed the sword aside and lunged at him, landing on top of him, pinning him to the ground.

The hoof beats steadily got louder...

She raised her right hand and balled it into a fist. She propelled it forward into his face as hard as she could. The connecting blow resounding with a loud thud. Again she raised her hand and swung down with all her might. This time the thud was met with a crack. She let out a guttural yell and hit him again.

…................................................................

Giles, Alyn and two other knights came to the top of a hill overlooking the remains of the Crawford manor. “Is that the princess?” Giles gasped pointing down at the princess below. All eyes turned towards her. Leo looked pale up against some burnt wood left over from the fire, blood staining his coat and shirt. A few feet away the princess, covered in blood, was straddling Lord Crawford, beating him to a pulp in a steady rhythm.

“Shit.” Alyn breathed, as he took off into a full gallop.

Giles and the two knights quickly followed. Alyn rushed to his brother's side. Leo's eyes were closed and he wasn't moving. Alyn removed his gloves and gently touched Leo's neck, seeking a pulse. “Come on Leo, please...” he whispered.

Giles and the other knights headed for the princess. The knights struggled to pull her off of Lord Crawford. “Princess, enough! He's already unconscious if not dead,” Giles yelled as he admonished her. This seemed to break the princess out of whatever had posessed her.

Tears welled up in her eyes, “Leo.....” she breahted, as she started to squirm in the hold of the knights. “Let me go!” she screamed, as the knights only tightened their hold on her. The princess had had enough. She slammed her foot on top of the foot of one of the knights and elbowed the other in one of the openings in their armor. Both let go and let out a yelp in surprise and pain.

“Really Princess?” Giles shook his head and sighed, as he grasped the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

She ran over to Leo and Alyn. Tears dripped down Alyn's face as he turned to look at her. “I'm sorry Princess, he's gone....” Alyn barely whispered, unable to believe what he was saying. She gasped and trembled, before placing her own fingers on Leo's neck, searching, pleading for Alyn to be wrong. Her eyes lit up and she ran to her horse, grabbing gauze from one of the pouches in the saddle.

“Help me undress him.” She ordered.

“I-I don't think that'll help....” Alyn's voice trailed off.

“Who taught you first aid? He's alive you dolt!”

A wave of emotions washed over Alyn as he was sent reeling from what she had just claimed.

“Are you just going to sit there mouth agape, or are you going to help me Alyn?” she growled as she glared at him. Alyn's only answer was a grunt as he started to help her remove Leo's coat and shirt. Giles had been observing till now, but walked over to see what was going on.

“Princess?” Giles asked, communicating far more in one word and tone than a long drawn out conversation.

“Have a doctor ordered for both Leo and I at the palace. Send for a carriage or other suitable transport for us as well as Lord Crawford. Have a large room set aside for Leo and I to recover in with guards outside. Arrange for medical treatment of Lord Crawford, assuming he's still alive, so that he may stand trial.” she ordered. Giles' eyes went wide as he processed what she had said, realizing that in her statement that she had admitted that she was also injured, though he did not see where. “That's an order Giles” she snapped.

“As you wish Your Highness, though I have a few questions.” he stated, his voice filled with concern.

“That'll have to wait.” she replied quietly. She had started to feel light headed and was teetering back and forth ever so slightly.

Giles looked at the knights and nodded, “You heard her. Go!”

“What of Lord Crawford?” one of the knights asked.

“He doesn't look like he'll be a threat in that state.” Giles sighed.

The knights nodded and took of, jumping onto their horses and took off in a full gallop. Alyn had taken over bandaging Leo as the princess just watched, though she was still crouched down to be close to Leo. Her teetering had turned into full on swaying at this point. Giles walked over to her, thinking that she was going to pass out from seeing Leo in this state, placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her.  He felt the warmth and wetness of her blood on her coat. He gasped and moved his hand, seeing that it now was colored crimson.

Leo opened his eyes to find Alyn bandaging up his various wounds. “Alyn?” Leo whispered.

“Shhh, don't talk. Just stay with me. Okay, please just stay with me.” Alyn begged.

“But.... the princess.... she's..... hurt....” he spoke in brief spurts, trying to muster what strength he could to get his brother to stop helping him and to save his beloved. Alyn's eyes went wide as he looked at the princess. She was pale and her breathing was labored. Then he noticed Giles' hand and time seemed to stop. He let out a shaky breath as the thought of losing both his brother and the princess he had sworn to protect at the same time overwhelmed him.

Alyn watched as the princess' eyes rolled into the back of her head and she hit the ground with a low “thud”

…..........................................................................

Two days later the princess had yet to wake up. The amount of blood she had lost was staggering and her black coat had concealed the full extent of her injuries till it was too late. Leo on the other hand, was able to move around, though he was still in a good amount of pain. He sat next to the princess' bed side, clutching onto her hand.

She was pale and running a fever. Leo would occasionally take a wet cloth and lay it to her forehead. “Please wake up Princess. I.....I don't know what I'll do with you.” His heart ached every time she stirred in her unending sleep. His hopes would be raised, every time she would moan in her sleep, only to have them dashed as her movement ceased. “How could I have been so stupid? I should have never gone to face him alone. And you... why did you have to come and save me? Princess, I was okay with my past destroying me, but..... not, not you.” his voice cracked and his heart clenched. For the first time in as long as he could remember, tears started to fall from his eyes.

“Please stay..... I love you too much to lose you. You make my world a bright place where it's only been covered in fire and darkness. You help me sleep.... and you chase away my nightmares. Just please....” something inside him broke at last and all the hurt and pain he had been keeping inside since his parent's death came flooding out of him. He wept uncontrollably as strangled noises left him. Everything left him, the anger he felt that his uncle had killed his parents, the sorrow of not having them there to watch he and Alyn finish growing up, the guilt of not having been able to save them, and lastly the resentment he held against his younger brother for being able to cry all this time.

After what seemed like hours, Leo lifted his head, with blood shot eyes and looked at his beloved. As if finally answering his pleas, her eyes fluttered open. “Leo?” She asked with a weak yet concerned voice.

“Princess!” his heart shot up into his throat as his eyes widened in shock. The amount of sorrow he had previously felt was now twice that in happiness. Although he thought he could cry no more, he found tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Are you crying?” she asked, in a whisper of a voice.

“I thought I had lost you forever. How could I not?” Leo chuckled lightly.

“How could I leave you? I went through all the trouble of saving you after all. Besides, I'm far more worried about you leaving me.” She gave him a wry smile as her voice strengthened.

“I don't think you'll be able to get rid of me after this Princess.” He smiled and kissed her cheek lightly. “In fact I plan on staying with you forever.”  

#leo crawford #midnight cinderella #MidCin #how it should have gone

[chromemuffin]

Shoukoku no Altair / Altair: A Record of Battles

Another series I will be liveblogging, this time a wonderfully detailed manga set in a fictional version of the Ottoman Empire/Turkey (and written by a historian! how rare!). I guess Captive Prince got me started on a historical fiction kick, and I’ve been eyeing this manga for over a month wondering if I should read it or wait for the anime that comes out anyway...I decided to pick it up.

There are 18 volumes of this thing, so I suppose I should liveblogging by volume unless the posts start to get way too long. Which they may, if I get my hands on raws. I am a huge language nerd, so.

Chapter 1

First off, after reading the blurb at the end of the fan translated first chapter, I found out that the ‘shoukoku’ part of the title is a word the manga-ka made up. Composed of the words for ‘general’ and ‘country’ (a country run by generals), the translator found the word stratocracy (a government ruled by the military) fit the description best. Which is why the fan translations use the ‘Turkiye Stratocracy’, which is great because there is no confusion if you know what a stratocracy is, or take a second to look it up.

Meanwhile, the official Kodansha version calls it the ‘Devleti of Turkiye’. ‘Devleti’ is apparently Turkish for ‘state’ (so the State of Turkiye). Very different, and both good. I love translation work for this very reason. I think I prefer using stratocracy. It’s true to the original, and clearly distinguishes this story as being an alternate version of Turkish history to those who know the Ottoman Empire was a monarchy. There are already quite a few unfamiliar words around.

But. I also find myself liking Devleti of Turkiye haha.

HM THIS WILL REQUIRE MORE THAN ONE POST. There is so much to talk about before getting to the chapter itself.

First: the cover

all of them are so beautiful. The amount of detail in every article of clothing from the hat to the jewels to the pattern embroidered around the hem. And the sword. I know nothing about Turkish history or culture (and forgot what little my american schooling taught about the ottoman empire), but a quick search for Turkish swords yields some examples of the more intricately decorated ones. The manga-ka is a historian/majored in Turkish history which. is great.

It’s a pity the Kodansha volumes are digital only?? I’d pay for a physical copy (but don’t hate myself enough to buy a Jpn copy...historical stuff has too many complicated kanji)

I wish I knew more about their style of dress because it’s drawn so well. I’ll look that up another time.

I really love the asymmetry with the glove he wears for his golden eagle to land on. It’s not in every illustration, but it even goes up to his elbow as it should for a larger species of bird, apparently. it’s just. so much great detail.

his shoes

He has this like teeny tiny waist that is totally out of proportion with his massive hats. Also: how do you even figure out where all those folds go in those clothes.

Also, it uses the Turkish word for ‘chapter’, faşil. I’m assuming that’s the right one, of course. Manga likes to change up the words they use for chapters depending on the setting.

ANYWAY FINALLY THE STORY

Why is one of the months called ‘sugar’ in Turkish (sheker, or şeker more technically)??

Look at him, striking a cool pose. I find it funny that he strikes all these confident poses, but he’s actually quite tiny next to everyone else. He probably does it because 1) he is confident in his own abilities and 2) he’s still a teenager in a world of adults, and it’s held against him in this chapter. His inability to do anything later frustrates the hell out of him as it is.

AND HERE COMES HIS BIRDIE. my favorite already

the fuck this type of bird was supposedly used to kill wolves

and it weighs 8-11 lbs depending on male/female

This kid is stronger than he looks. Although, his is male (named Iskander, so I assume), and the males weigh less (avg of 8 lbs) but still. I guess that’s why he has a male one. The females are massive and would probably dwarf his tiny self.

How is this not a wonderful shot, though.

Also, thank goodness for katakana or else I’d have no idea how to even approach pronouncing his name.

As for the situation itself, we jump right into things with a national crisis.

He looks younger when caught off-guard.

Tell me you did not carry that 8 pound bird aloft on your arm all the way here.

The official translation forgot Halil’s nickname/title “大都市” (large city/metropolis).

And this is where things get interesting. Usually in the peace vs. war debate, one side will always seem unreasonable no matter how hard the characters try to convince you otherwise, but I like how this one is set up.

On one hand you have the side that wants war, sees the enemy nation as a threat, and even throws in that ‘do you want to make a scapegoat of one of your countryman just to avoid war’, though can’t really tell if that’s sincere sentiment or not.

But then the old guy, Halil just says ‘yes, if it means peace’. Kind of a classic argument? Reminds me of Akatsuki no Yona, and the state of their country before the story starts.

this. just. his face. I needed to show the two together. Zaganos is obviously not impressed.

and therein lies the problem with politics: its not really about what’s right. I mean, everyone in the room can probably guess that their own soldiers weren’t responsible. But for all present except Mahmut, the meeting was never about finding out the truth.

Also, I love how he rants to Iskander, and even asks him a question directly as if he can answer.

o.o don’t ask me i’m just a bird

Halil calls him “Mah-kun” in Japanese, but the English version gets rid of this. It’s a pity, since it shows how close they are.

“You only just became a pasha, and now this. You must be exhausted.”

Dude, if he’s exhausted then what are you. You’ve had this position for 20 years.

And! yay! He’s angry at himself and his inability to do anything, rather than be angry at Zaganos. Shows that he really is more mature than he looks (especially with his grumpy facial expressions and petite self lol)

He looks just like his mother. D: poor baby iskander and mahmut

the amount of detail in this manga. see the rabbits hanging in the corner? 

also about the next panel: holy shit he fucking heard that??? his mother getting killed right in front of him, and he managed to stay quiet. poor terrified child like holy shit. and he managed not to crush little Iskander

I’m not going to show it, but if you look closely you’ll see she was not only stabbed in the chest, but also had a hand cut off at the wrist. wtf

every panel is so pretty jslethasdk the amount of detail in every background

his expression here just kills me. he’s just coming to the horrible, heart-wrenching realization of what has happened and UGH

I just really like his range of expressions. He’s just so damn uncomfortable with his elder, a guy he obviously respects and has a history with, bowing to him like that.

How can your heart not break seeing this. All he has left is his bird, the bird whistle, and the container for holding the bird’s meat.

Oh you conniving bastard- I actually thought the Emperor was in on it until the second read through I’m doing now. It was hard to notice since the panel just cuts from one scene to the next.

TINY CHILD YOU. Mahmut is taller than Halil counting the headpiece but he is made to look so tiny in front of adults. I think he’s supposed to be around 17 at the moment?

Man, he had a plan. How the heck did he have time to prepare the animal blood anyway? What a classy way to deal with your enemies.

I’m also happy that the manga-ka can draw birds so well. Iskander looks lovely.

...And that is actually really fucking scary. Those golden eagles are huge and strong enough to take out wolves.

The subtle expressions are great. As is the exchange between Mahmut and Zaganos here. They will probably clash again in the near future, but it seems they’ve gained a little more respect/acknowledgment for each other.

And now THIS, this is very interesting.

It looks like a statue, and that is clearly Mahmut and Iskander. I won’t make any guess though, I’m usually dead wrong with speculations.

I love the lines in this though, so fluid with Mahmut and straight and angled with the knight guy.

onward →

#shoukoku no altair #the very long altair liveblog #image heavy post #long post #im sorry my thoughts jump around so much #i was more tired than i thought #altair vol 1