#||mail: merrin||

[mayxthexforce]

@mutatiio said:

the jedi's head lulled weightlessly over bode's arm, neck stretched back. the angle looked painful but bode had neither the free hand or the desire to help him. a sore neck was the least of his issues anyway. bode hauls him backward, one arm around his middle and the other pressing a blaster against his pale temple. "back up." he orders merrin, voice calm, dark eyes focused on her. he wouldn't kill cal if he could avoid it. has grown fond of him... but he would do what he had to in order to escape. blaster presses harder, voice raising when the reaction doesn't come fast enough. "NOW!!"

Sometimes, it still baffles Merrin how much trouble Cal could get himself into.

He's unconscious, which is not rare because she's lost time of how many times Cal has ended up unconscious when he shouldn't. The blaster pointed at him isn't new, either. But the fact she's seen guns be pointed at him over a dozen times doesn't make her any less angry about it this time around, especially because the one holding the blaster is a man who they'd trusted, a man who Cal had considered a friend. A former Jedi who'd lied to them, used them, betrayed them.

That story kept repeating itself. Merrin hated it more and more each time.

BD-1 has run to Kata, sticking by the girl in a protective manner. Merrin can hear just how worried the droid is, she can feel Kata's distress; but she doesn't look their way, keeps her eyes on Bode. Her frown deepens when his voice takes a demanding tone. She starts moving, not exactly away, but not closer, either; positioning herself between Kata and Bode, a good distance away from both.

"I understand," Merrin speaks. "Kata is all you have left, you will do anything to protect her. I understand the feeling. If someone threatened my family, I would rearrange every bone in their spine to my liking."

Her voice is low, but it is far from soft. Something lingers in it, something dark and ancient that she'd thought —that she'd HOPED— she had left behind on Dathomir. But, it seems, it was merely buried, unused because there hadn't been a reason to unearth it.

Until now.

"Cal is my family, Cere was my family." and Cere's dead. Merrin tries her best not to let the grief mix with her anger, but she fails. It seeps into her bloodstream like a poison, ignites the fire within her like she hasn't experienced since Malicos' betrayal. "You were family thanks to Cal, so I will give you one chance to let go of him. Nobody else needs to die."

Cal might have hesitated when asked if he could keep Kata safe. But Merrin wouldn't. Sure, Cal wouldn't be happy if she did to Bode what she'd done to Malicos, but he would forgive her eventually. The only thing keeping her from doing so now was that she didn't wish to traumatize the girl.

"Cal might not be certain that he can protect her, but I am. I can," she tells him. "And I will do whatever it takes, if you continue to be a threat to them."

There will not be a hole in this galaxy where you'll be able to hide from me if you don't let Cal go. NOW. She doesn't say that part out loud, but she projects it into the force. An oppressive, migraine inducing wave of darkness that flows from Merrin to Bode, accompanied with the very voices of the dead witches of Dathomir that Merrin believed she'd, too, left behind. But they remain, whispering of terrible curses and punishments that many have fallen subjects to for making the same mistake Bode's already made: enraging a Nightsister.

[merrins-brew]

MUAHAHAHA! You’ve been boop-attacked! >:3

NO YOU

[trappergirl]

blue jeans and art deco ! 💘

blue jeans - what is your most cherished article of clothing, accessory, or pair of shoes in your wardrobe? clothing is probably my ugly grinch christmas jumper (it makes me so happy!), pair of shoes is my chunky bratz looking black boots, accessory is my swarovski ring

art deco - what is your all time favorite era? i have a deep 70's obsession that is fueled mostly by abba and my constant rewatching of that 70's show

[shewhospeakswiththunder]

Perhaps you’re feeling bored at home or, if considered an “essential” worker like me, you need a little fun and stress relief. Here is my masterpost of fic recs from my two years of reading so far. Maybe you’ll find something new, or reconnect with an old favorite. Either way--

Enjoy! 😷💕

Reylo Fics that Deserve All the Love

Near Kinsman by englishable

Englishable is just one of the best writers I’ve encountered in fandom. This historical western mail order bride AU is top notch quality.

The Masochism of Self-Defence by greyorchids

The Reylo dynamic in this Boston PD AU is steamy, but also heartfelt. 

So Much Thin Glass by walkingsaladshooter

Never knew I loved modern day Gothic AUs until I ran across this one.

Heaven Forbid by DarkKnightDarkSide

I was stunned by the author’s creativity in this Priestlo fic. So smutty. So... inventive 😉🔥

Sonder by deathbyhumidity

Two strangers passing each other by on the train. Soft, dreamlike, somber, poignant. Modern AU.

And Still I Would Remember by Inmyownidiom

A Victorian era AU of two souls that parted and come crashing back together.

So, You've Decided to Glamour a Human Girl. by selunchen

Faeries AU! Ben, a fae, and Rey, a human. Shenanigans ensue.

Live Long, and Prosper by SaintHeretical

For the Reylo Trekkies. Hell, even if you don't do Star Trek, read this. PHENOMENAL.

Mr. Solo & Miss Wellfound by LinearA

“Regency/Victorian AU, Ben sees Rey's stockinged ankle by accident.”

Diyari by Nervoustouch

Modern archeologists AU. Snarky banter with dashes of Indiana Jones, The Mummy, and Sahara vibes.

Drawn to the light of your burning sorrows by Kyriadamorte

The Mothlo AU you didn’t know you needed. Both gritty and soft.

Crown Glass by RebelRebel

Fantasy AU, with lots of beautiful imagery and engaging character dynamics.

Kohelet 3:16 (Call Me A Cab) by LinearA

NYC Jewish Leia and Ben. Skillfully layered plot, nuanced characterization. Smut is HOT.

By the Shores of Varykino Lake by hipgrab (merrymegtargaryen)

Unhealthy dynamics, definitely read the tags. “There’s a lot of fucked-up-ness”, in the author’s own words. But it’s good writing. Fair warning.

Let Me Put My Darkness In You by ArdeaJestin

Canonverse. Hux is an insufferable, pompous ass and Kylo Ren writes terrible, melodramatic poetry.

Wintertide by Zabeta

Whimsical and primitive in turn, this lives up to the style of a true fairytale AU.

The Forty Thieves by PoetHrotsvitha

Peaky Blinders/Gangsters AU. Rey starts as Ben’s bartender and ends up as so much more.

I Said to My Soul, Be Still by LinearA

Dark!Rey takes her man. 🥵🔥💕

Hux's Rousing Pep Talks by Riels_shorts

This fic is hysterical. It’s not Reylo, and I don’t care. My list, my rules.

It's All I Can Do To Leave You Alone by TazWren

Office AU. Silly, spunky, with a bashful Ben. 

Sip the Honey Sweet by dietplainlite

Anne of Green Gables-esque/Edwardian era AU, the title really says it all.

The Pull to the Light by HarpiaHarpyja

Entrancingly macabre. This modern/fantasy/monsters AU catches your attention from the get-go, and never lets you off the hook.

lay then the axe to the root by sciosophia

All the Bronte goodness, plus smut.

The Golden Age by TourmalineGreen

Golden Age of Hollywood AU in which Ben is a jaded actor in serious need of an image fix, in the form of fresh-faced actress Rey.

Never Be Your Curse by Kate_Reid 

Kylo Ren is a go-go dancer in this AU. That was enough to get my attention 😘

Gallows God by Killtheselights

Bursting with deliciously grim imagery, an intelligent take on Norse mythology.

Thunderstorms, Clouds, Snow, and a Slight Drizzle by aNerdObsessed

Who doesn’t love an ugly sweater Christmas party? Ben Solo, that’s who. All the nostalgic wintertime feels in this modern AU.

Though My Soul Has Set in Darkness by englishable

It’s not long, but it’s good. A lyrical dive into the mindspace of child Ben Solo. A true gem. Also not technically Reylo. Still don’t care.

I Dare You by tinylittlebrain

Daredevil Kylo has pissed off ER doc Rey Kenobi for the last time. Spicy!

stuck in colder weather by redbelles

Professor Ren stops grad student Rey from biking home in a snow storm. And takes her to his home. You can guess where this goes 😉

Between Sky and Sea by nessalk

Serious Indiana Jones vibes with a Caribbean flair. Painstakingly researched, and moments of true beauty and joy.

But Before Tomorrow by Kate_Reid

Such good writing. Canonverse.

The Sword of Prince Hector by englishable

Exploration of what redemption might feel like for Ben, canonverse. 

if compassion be the breath of life, breathe on me by Victoryindeath2

All the angst and unknowns that we were left with in the wake of TLJ are soothed in this canonverse piece.

build a ladder to the stars by redbelles

An exploration of events post-Crait. Fantastic, beautifully written.

nor are we forgiven (which brings us back) by TolkienGirl

Both Kylo and Rey get to see what life would have been like if they both got exactly what they thought they wanted after TLJ. Fascinating read. 

Forsworn by Erulisse17

This Mando/ST crossover has everything you could want--action, witty banter, space romance! So much fun!

Reylo Favorites & Classics

One Shots

59 Minutes by delia-pavorum (literaryminded)

For Science by KyloTrashForever, ohwise1ne

He Made It Through the Wilderness (somehow he made it through) by LovesBitca8

light carries on endlessly by lachesisgrimm (olga_theodora)

Grey by ocjones

The Idiot's Guide to Flirting by Violetwilson

High School/College AU

I Caught Fire by KyloTrashForever

Mountain Springs High School by animal

Epithumia by pontmercy44

Soul Searching by OptimisticBeth

Office/Workplace AU

Sensual Storytime by andabatae

The Food of Love by LovesBitca8

Historical/Dystopia AU

Hiraeth by Ferasha

a manner of virtue by neonheartbeat

The lamb's thirst by animal

Wanted by Inmyownidiom

She Who Would be Queen by sasstasticmad

go i know not whither and fetch i know not what by voicedimplosives

ABO

Knot My First Time by KyloTrashForever

Canonverse/Canon-divergent

variations on a theme of you by diasterisms (Reydar)

i will be the wolf by diasterisms

Sky Marked Souls by AnonymousMink

The Death of Kylo Ren by nymja

World In My Eyes by sasstasticmad

i'm always in this twilight (in the shadow of your heart) by diasterisms

Catch Me I’m Falling by violethoure666

Sword of the Jedi by diasterisms

You'll Be the One to Turn by postedbygaslight

Dark Crown by Violetwilson

Harry Potter AU

Nocturnal Studies And Other Peculiar Magic by WaterlilyRose

Otherwise Modern AU

Pretense by Celia_and

Insta-heart by slipgoingunder

Serotonin and Dopamine by pontmercy44

The Elusive Mating Dance of the Porgus Adorabilis by andabatae

Hanging by a Moment by crossingwinter

WAR DOGS by fulcrumstardust

miles from where you are by Mooncactus

Charcoal by luvkurai

Stay by jeeno2

coarse and rough and irritating by frak-all (or_ryn)

Blades Crossed by the-reylo-void (Anysia)

Embers by sciosophia

Mitan, Midi by animal

Janus by englishable

Say My Name by Graendoll

Thank You for The Music by hipgrab (merrymegtargaryen)

darling, so it goes by akosmia

This is the Sign You've Been Looking For by RebelRebel

Broken Things by midnightbluefox

One-Night Stand by delia-pavorum (literaryminded)

The Rebel Side of Heaven by jeeno2

On The Bumpy Road (To Love) by violethoure666

we could plant a house, we could build a tree by Like_A_Dove

I’d Like My Obituary to Hint at a Sequel by Violetwilson

Only If You Want To by Violetwilson

Not Reylo, Still Awesome

Gingerflower/Gingerrose, Armitage Hux/Rose Tico 

Between Sand and Sea by Brit Hux-Tico (birchwoods01)

If Ever I Would Leave You by Weddersins

Her Yellow Rainboots by Weddersins

Merrical, Cal Kestis/Merrin (Jedi: Fallen Order)

The Stars Alight by FlyingMachine

Heavy Ice by FlyingMachine

Caltrilla, Cal Kestis/Trilla Suduri (Jedi: Fallen Order)

No One Else by xanderwilde

call it what you want by xanderwilde

tear you to pieces by xanderwilde

Dramione, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter Universe)

Now Is A Gift by SenLinYu

Sex and Occlumency by Graendoll

Zutara, Katara/Zuko (Avatar: the Last Airbender)

oracle bones by an orphaned account

Fics by Me

Virtue Ethics

Reylo College AU (completed)

Dr. Ben Solo, adjunct philosophy professor and part-time martial arts instructor, discovers a young woman in his Intro to Philosophy course whom he thinks may not actually be enrolled at the University.

Chiasmus

Reylo Role-reversal canonverse AU (WIP)

Scourge of the galaxy, Kira Ren, is tasked by the First Order to eliminate the last of the Jedi. When she captures hotshot podracer Ben Solo to extract Luke Skywalker’s location from him, things do not go according to plan. 

This Dance of Light, This Sacred Blessing

Snapshots of a modern Reylo AU. Smutty, prosey one-shot.

Listen Up, Kid

Canonverse Reylo Post TLJ one-shot

The ghosts of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren's past are back to haunt him with a vengeance. A well-meaning, familial kind of vengeance. Or, A Star Wars Carol.

Ben’s Body

Reylo Modern AU (completed)

Rey is an up and coming sculptor specialising in human shape and form. Her new next door neighbour has a body to die for and she's determined to preserve it in marble forever. Now she just has to convince dashing and reclusive Ben to model for her. Preferably naked.

Growin’ Up

Reylo High School AU (completed)

Ben Solo was supposed to only be ruining his own life with his bad decisions. Rey Niima was just trying to pay attention in class. Both get stuck in detention.

Seven Texts, 2 AM

Reylo Modern AU, smutty one-shot

Ben has good reasons not to have sex with his neighbor, Rey. She has other ideas.

Song of the Forest

Reylo Fantasy/BatB/Fairytale AU (completed)

Once upon a time, a girl with an unknown past appeared on the doorsteps of a lord’s manor, and now the forest at the edge of the lord’s property is calling to her.

A Season of Frost & Warmth

Modern Reylo P&P AU (completed)

When Ben shows up to a Halloween party with no costume, it only confirms Rey’s certainty that he is the world’s biggest jerk. Until it comes to light that maybe... he isn’t. 

Follow Me Home

Modern Werewolf Reylo AU (completed)

Rey gets stone drunk and brings home a big cute husky she found in an alley. The next morning, she finds a naked man built like a fridge sleeping on her living room floor, and no dog in sight.

The Gentleness That Comes

Reylo Modern AU one-shot

Underground boxer!Ben is resigned to his life of violence, until he meets a pretty new bartender one night.

Unlikely, Unbidden, Unbound

Gingerflower canonverse AU (WIP)

General Hux is imprisoned by the Resistance when the First Order falls. He had known his death was coming, it was simply a matter of course. He’s disappointed to learn the Resistance has other plans, and an unwavering policy of giving people second chances.

@thereylowritingden @reylofic @nancylovesreylo @grlie-girl @lilia-ula @greyforceuser @tazwren @mhcalamas

[koreanbibliophilegirl]

Year-late confession

Okay, so now that I actually have a tumblr blog, I got something to say to the sh fandom...

I am 99.9% sure I caused the Syrah fic.

I sent Angie three separate pieces of fan mail in 2019, and the last one was sent in December. At the end, I added a p.s. asking after Syrah.

I found the reply in my inbox in January(it was sent a few days earlier, but I didn’t check), but she didn’t say anything about my p.s.

The next day, I came on tumblr(I liked to search sh material, even though I didn’t have a blog then) and found out that Angie posted a Syrah fic on her blog which caused a huge ripple throughout the fandom.

Even if I wasn’t the only one who asked about Syrah, I’m still pretty sure I was the proverbial last straw on the camel’s back.

I’ve been feeling sort of guilty about it for over a year now, but I got a tumblr blog only today, so I decied to come clean immediately.

Oh, and I got from Angie that Jo-Jo is building parachutes. Also Beetle’s birthday is Halloween. Also Merrin was born on July 13th.

[aion-rsa]

How Alias Anticipated Modern Superhero Storytelling

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

J.J. Abrams’ spy drama Alias, which turns 20 this week, was a lot of things: high-octane action-adventure series, twentysomethings relationship drama, occasional National Treasure homage. It was also, surprisingly, a spiritual predecessor to today’s hyper-saturated superhero movie and TV universes: A preternaturally gifted fighter, Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) inhabits comic-book-esque alter egos to infiltrate secret missions related to ancient artifacts and promised immortality, all while ensuring that her nearest and dearest don’t know how many times she’s saved the world—or which side she’s really on.

Like the series’ MacGuffin-generating Nostradamus figure Milo Rambaldi, Alias has proven to be somewhat prophetic itself about what makes for the kinds of superhero stories that land today. With some 20th-anniversary hindsight, let’s look back at what made Sydney’s story so super and what lessons Abrams’ ridiculous(ly fun) series can still impart to the current crop of superhero sagas.

The Secret Identity as Kiss of Death

The highest priority that spies and superheroes share is that they cannot get made—that is, have their identity as a larger-than-life individual linked to their “normal” selves. They must always keep their personal and professional personas separate, lest they risk losing the people who know both sides of them. Alias establishes this difficult lesson in the first half hour of the pilot, when Sydney reveals her true work (she thinks SD-6 is just a covert branch of the CIA) to doctor fiancé Danny, only for him to blab about it later and get bloodily taken out in their bathtub. It’s the first time that SD-6 treats its sweet protégée harshly, making clear the consequences of her actions should she open up to anyone else in her life. And then she defects to the CIA, which will be a death sentence for her if SD-6 ever finds out.

Yet beyond the specter of grisly assassination, what the series really digs into is Syd’s growing ethical dilemma about being a double agent where it concerns the actually good people at SD-6, primarily her longtime partner Dixon (Carl Lumbly) and sweetly awkward Q stand-in Marshall (Kevin Weisman). It would be too easy if the series were only about her getting long-game revenge on SD-6 director Arvin Sloane (Ron Rifkin); the real conflict comes from Sydney lying to Dixon’s face on every stakeout, knowing that he still thinks he’s working for the good guys and she can’t ruin that fantasy for him without potentially turning him into collateral damage.

Similarly, the moments in which Sydney’s two (or three) lives begin to collide have other heartbreaking consequences: While the scene in which her best friend Will (Bradley Cooper cast as the friendzoned buddy, amazing) gets kidnapped and sees Syd saving him, is one of the decade’s best laugh-out-loud moments, it also leads to Will going into the Witness Protection Program. His life ends, in a sense, because Sydney couldn’t keep everything compartmentalized. And we haven’t even gotten to the awful fate that befalls her best friend Francie (Merrin Dungey)…

What Alias Predicted: The beating heart (or arc reactor) of many a superhero story is this tension between selves—which means that the big reveal of a secret identity has to be carefully timed and deliberately presented. It’s as emotional as Peter Parker’s (Tobey Maguire) mask getting ripped away when he saves the subway car of people in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, as big as Spider-Man: Far From Home doxxing that Peter Parker (Tom Holland) in a commentary on fake news, or as pure and simple as Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) outing himself as Iron Man in the very first installment of the MCU. You cannot unring that bell, so it better be a memorable moment.

What Superhero Stories Can Still Learn: Rev the secret identity stakes back up! Captain America: Civil War ably took on the game-changing Marvel Comics arc of the same name by having heroes collectively unmask, and movies like Spider-Man: Far From Home are still playing out those ramifications. But mostly we see the dangerous ramifications of heroes doxxing themselves, without really digging into the strain for heroes to constantly have to lie about the things that truly matter to them.

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Campy Disguises and Clever Aliases

If you’ve watched Alias or were even vaguely aware of it, no doubt the first thing you envision is Sydney in black leather and bright red hair, a.k.a. her iconic look from the pilot. Her non-SD-6-sanctioned, under-the-radar disguise (impersonating Will’s sister) displays her ingenuity and establishes the series’ brand: attention-grabbing hair paired with increasingly ridiculous outfits, from chain mail waitress ensembles to rubber dresses. She’s played punks, rich bimbos, alluring businesswomen, escorts, and all manner of female personas upon which her marks would project their assumptions—all of which belied her true strength and cunning.

Even when future episodes riffed on the color wheel with teal, magenta, purple, and good old-fashioned blonde wigs, it was still within a clear spectrum established on that pivotal mission, when she channels a silly girl who cares more about the color of her hair than her safety, only to pin her torturer with the same chair to which she’s bound.

What Alias Predicted: I would hazard a guess that Natasha Romanoff’s first appearance in 2012’s The Avengers—a seemingly helpless redhead tied to a chair, about to be nastily interrogated—was a nod toward Sydney’s triumphant pilot mission. What’s more, despite the first ten years of the MCU leaning toward sleek costumes, later phases (like WandaVision‘s cheeky Halloween callbacks) have realized that they can embrace the bold colors and campy designs of the comic-book source material.

What Superhero Stories Can Still Learn: Better to lean into the bold colors and campy designs of the comic-book source material than to go for more sleek and cool. WandaVision did this, albeit cheekily and using the excuse of Halloween, but the nod toward Scarlet Witch’s original outfit was well received. Because any superhero can look cool in leather, but only the standouts can rock color.

Rambaldi Artifacts, Immortality, and Clones

While replicating the romantic dramas of Felicity, Abrams was also playing with early iterations of his signature “puzzle box” narrative style: The pilot has Sydney chasing after the mysterious Mueller device, which turns out to be… a floating red ball… which bursts into water the moment she tries to remove it. That head-scratcher of a device is only one of many inventions belonging to Milo Rambaldi, a fictional Renaissance-era philosopher whose sketches and writings all pointed toward the ultimate endgame: immortality. You know, just normal spy thriller things.

The series saw Sydney and co. chasing after all manner of Rambaldi MacGuffins, from a clock to a kaleidoscope to a music box to flowers that either demonstrated proof of eternal life (by never wilting) or amped up human aggression. Through all of this, it becomes clear that Sloane helped found SD-6 in order to collect all of Rambaldi’s artifacts and capture immortality for himself—even and especially at the cost of people like his daughter, Sydney’s half-sister Nadia Santos (Mía Maestro).

Before we get more into Rambaldi’s prophecies about the sisters, we can’t forget the parallel fever dream of the series: clones! Or, rather, secret agents genetically modified to look like anyone—which means everyone is a suspect. This constant paranoia quickly got out of hand on the series, but its first reveal was perfect TV drama: There’s not an Alias fan who doesn’t remember “Francie doesn’t like coffee ice cream” and the complete devastation that followed—the knock-down, drag-out fight that destroyed Sydney’s apartment just as badly as Danny’s death, but also Sydney’s heartbreak upon realizing that her best friend was already long dead.

What Alias Predicted: The Infinity Stones themselves are less interesting than in various superheroes’ personal connections to them: Loki (Tom Hiddleston) tempted by the tesseract in Thor: Ragnarok; Star Lord (Chris Pratt) and the Guardians of the Galaxy channeling their friendship to withstand the effects of the Power Stone; Wanda Maximoff’s (Elizabeth Olsen) stages of grief as she copes with trying to keep the memory of Vision (Paul Bettany) alive even without the Mind Stone. In short: grounding the most out-there plotlines in the personal ensures they will always land.

What Superhero Stories Can Still Learn: Ground the most bonkers of plotlines in the personal, and they’ll always land.

The Chosen One and the Passenger

This is when the Rambaldi business started getting less National Treasure levels of charming and more outright weird. Turns out the team wasn’t just recovering a treasure trove of artifacts, but also Rambaldi’s prophetic writings—including the mysterious “Page 47,” which featured a drawing of a woman known as the Chosen One… who bears quite the resemblance to Sydney herself. That would be easy enough to dismiss as a strange doppelgänger coincidence, but then comes the reveal of “Project Christmas”: When Syd discovers that she didn’t just stumble into the spy life on her own, but was actually trained as a sleeper agent from childhood, it only amplifies her fears that she has no true agency over her life.

Further Rambaldi writings center Sydney and Nadia into predestined roles as the Chosen One and the Passenger: supposed foes who are fated to clash, with one dying. Nadia getting injected with “Rambaldi fluid” in order to tap directly into the long-dead man’s consciousness (contained within another artifact known as the Sphere of Life) only earns her some nasty apocalyptic visions. But despite their genuine friendship that comes from bonding over their fucked-up childhoods, Sydney and Nadia are forced into that preordained confrontation when the latter is injected with a compound that reduces her to a mindless killing machine… all while a giant red ball is hovering over a city in Russia, because why not. Even after Nadia dies, and is brought back to life, then dies again, with her ghost haunting Sloane as he finally attains immortality, she remains a presence on the series.

There are certainly echoes to Black Widow and how it handles Natasha and adoptive sister Yelena’s (Florence Pugh) strained reconciliation after the older sister got out of the Red Room while the younger was still caught in its web. Their bickering banter about vests and poses, their differing memories of their false childhood, and their respective feelings of abandonment are what elevated Black Widow’s standalone outing—and made it even more tragic, on multiple levels, that this was the only time we would see the two of them in a movie together.

What Alias Predicted: Sister stories are gold! The Rambaldi storylines would mean nothing if they didn’t hinge on a tragically preordained confrontation, just as the MCU’s Red Room depiction seemed overdone until it was presented within the context of multiple generations’ differing experiences with its bloody legacy.

What Superhero Stories Can Still Learn: More stories about sisters! With Nat dead not long after she and Yelena had just started to bond again, it’s vital that Yelena’s future MCU appearances show her still grappling with the little time they got together.

After all, the best superhero stories are the ones that can feel just as fresh now as they did 20 years ago.

Alias is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

The post How Alias Anticipated Modern Superhero Storytelling appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3ih3u0c

[mayxthexforce]

Merrin looked back over her shoulder at Cal. A small, playful smile pulled at her lips when he said that he'd rather they don't fight. She, on the other hand, thought that would have been an interesting event- they both had skills that were definitely worth at least a sparring session.

"The same way I knew I could trust you," Merrin pointed out matter of factly. "I don't. But I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt and, if it turns out I was wrong... well, you know what happens when someone betrays my trust."

He'd seen exactly what happens when someone betrays her trust, back in Dathomir when Malicos had thought himself the ruler of a planet he didn't even fully understand. But she wasn't going to say 'I will bury him alive' when Maul was close enough to hear them. That would have been really rude.

"Besides, you said he was really dangerous a few years ago," she pointed out. "If he wanted to kill us, he'd have tried by now."

@mayxthexforce is making a risky decision: “ you’ve never had to fight me. ” (from Merrin to Cal)

"yeah, i know." he jogs to keep up with her steady strides. quick glance behind him, in the direction of the sith. or… the ex-sith?? it's still not clear. either way, he's not fond of keeping his back to him. "and i would like to keep it that way."

cere and greez accepted merrin aboard easily enough (bar some general whining). mostly due to their trust in cal. this is different. he doubts any amount of trust will make either of them fold this time around. "how do you know you can really trust him??" sceptical, but trying.

[mayxthexforce]

❓ - bode for merrin

send "❓" to know what's the first word that crosses my muse's head when they think of yours!

Since she found out his full name, the first word to come to mind when she thinks of him is "Akula", a word in her native language, because the pronunciation (akuh-lah) resembles the pronunciation of Akuna, and it means "To bring the little one". After meeting Kata, Merrin thinks it's a pretty fitting word, almost prophetic. But another word is "Iyatakuni" because, again, the pronunciation of the last three syllables (ah-kuh-nee) is very similar to Akuna. It means "to disappear", which —given who Bode is— also seems pretty fitting.

[pointlomadem]

Notes from September Meeting - Ballot Measures & Propositions with Anne Hoiberg & Cody Petterson

Notes from September Meeting – Ballot Measures & Propositions with Anne Hoiberg & Cody Petterson

Conducted via Zoom per social distancing guidelines

Participants: 61 participants at the largest point-in-time count during the main program. (44 members and 17 non-members)

Call to Order: Merrin initiated the convening’s program at 4:01 pm. 

Agenda: An E-mail Agenda was circulated to publicize the convening.

Agenda was approved by unanimous consent

Open Forum for candidates & their…

[mayxthexforce]

This had become a sort of habit of theirs: Boba would come, they'd be busy with each other for a day or two, sometimes a little longer, then he would go back to his ship, back to the dangerous adventures that awaited him all across the galaxy, while she focused on saving her culture from extinction. Merrin asking for him to take her with him, however, was new.

His excuses weren't at all convincing.

"It would still be a single man's job if I went with you," she pointed out. Merrin knew what he meant but she wouldn't miss the opportunity to tease him with the loophole: she wasn't a man. "And I have no need for credits."

She followed his gaze to the helmet, then their eyes met and her expression turned mischievous as she took the helmet, holding it behind her back.

"Or what?" she taunted. If he insisted on calling her a girl even though she was older than him by a year or two, then well, Merrin could behave like a foolish girl. Besides, she enjoyed being able to actually see his face and to hear his voice, without that helmet of his in the way. "What's in it for me, hunter?"

@mayxthexforce​ has sent: “ why can’t i come with you? ”  (from Merrin to Boba)

𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒  [THIS IS LATE]

“Don’t be foolish. This is a single man’s work.” Boba responded coldly and bluntly, while he polished and fixed his arm wrist’s flamethrower. He needed this piece functioning in particular, to its finest for his next mission, from one of his top clients. The person in question’s identity was never revealed, although it was safe to assume it to be important. And the payment was also a fat one.

It was also possible to tell how the bounty hunter was ready to leave, at any given moment. Even though, he still had to finish tending to his own equipment. “I also wouldn’t share the payment.” He added in the same tone of voice, as he attached the flamethrower that he has been tinkering with. “It’s all pointless to you, anyway. Just wait for my return.” His gaze landed on his helmet for a brief moment, before locking eyes with Merrin. “Give me the helmet, girl.”

[mayxthexforce]

Send 🌛to find my muse up late at night

@mutatiio said

It wasn't until she left Dathomir that Merrin grasped the concept of anniversaries.

Before, the Nightsisters had a calendar of their own. Like most —if not all— sentient species, they required a form of telling the passage of time with precision. There are 24 hours in a Dathomirian day, and 491 days in a year. But they didn't keep track of many milestones. Birthdays were only celebrated sporadically, when a Sister reached a truly remarkable amount of years lived. They celebrated the very first birthday and then, there were no other celebrations until that same Sister had reached adulthood, then no other until they reached their middle age.

Merrin had stopped counting the years that passed the day her people were massacred. But the galaxy hadn't.

In fact, the galaxy kept such a close track of what happened around —even before the Empire, which she found disturbing— that there were records of exactly when the monster that Merrin now knew as General Grievous had brought death on her people. Today was the anniversary of her people's deaths.

Greez had taught her how to read a star map, and Cal had shown her how to translate it from the holographic projection on the table or holopad to the sky above her head. Because of this, Merrin knew exactly where to look as she went and sat outside, watching a specific point in the sky. The red star that kept Dathomir warm and alive shone brighter than those around it, so it was easy enough to find that even a child or, in her case, someone who hadn't found out one could tell which sun was which despite being so many light years away until she was well over 20 years old, could do it.

There was a melancholy permanently attached to her stargazing that Merrin wasn't sure if she'd feel or not, had she not found out about the fact she could give importance to an anniversary and that she could just, look up in the middle of the night and see the sun she'd lived under her whole life until the fateful day she met the others. But the Mantis crew knew to give her space on this specific date– the old members, that is.

Her body tensed and she roughly wiped her tears away the moment she heard steps too close for comfort, and her attention snapped to the source.

"Cal is not here," she said, slightly choked up but pushing through the lump of emotions in her throat, when she spotted Bode. "If he knows what's good for him, and for Greez's nerves, he's asleep. You should be resting, too."

[mayxthexforce]

okay well first of all, let it be known that I ship Anakin/Sabe more than any of his other ships because we have developed them so much and they are our babies. I will AU the fuck out of them with you and I don't just AU with anyone.

I'm not a split Anakin and Vader person because as you know, we have Vaderkin ships and Sabe, and those go under Anakin typically.

But, I also ship Vader/Sabe in that exact form. There's a familiarity and a two lost souls in them that I love so damn much, and we need to fix what the comics did to them. Plus, I love what we were talking about with them yesterday about if he survived and how he still gets panic attacks and such.

NOW THAT'S JUST THE GIVEN.

Don't think I have forgotten about Anakin/Merrin and Vader/Merrin. Nothing appeals to either side of him more than the green glowy trick and well, with Vader, the whole desecrating altars.

I also love the idea of Sabe/Obi-Wan. That's just one that we need to get off the ground, same with Anakin/Vader and Trace. I'm sure there are more. You've got 99 characters and I could probably find a character to throw at any of them. Be careful or I'll throw my married at 16, 6'2 NBA player at them.

But no, I ship so much with you. I love writing with you. Also Vader thinks he and Sabe need to punish Fox.

Who do you ship with my muse?

Bonus: Include why you like the ship!

You know how much I love Sabekin. They were the very first ship I roleplayed in this blog. Pioneer ship fr fr, and for the longest time I was only roleplaying regularly with you, so I don't think I'd have stuck around as long as I have if I hadn't brought you down to the dark side with me xD Merrin and Trace also love their disfunctional man, even if they've not been as deeply explored. And Obi-Wan and Sabé are that couple who judges everyone else, I love them! RIP Fox, again

[mayxthexforce]

REASONS TO CUP A FACE. ( A PROMPT LIST. )

@mutatiio said:

[CHECK]: after an unexpectedly violent situation, sender frantically rushes to check if the receiver is okay, cupping their face to look closer. ( bode @ merrin )

For a wonderful moment right before she opened her eyes, Merrin felt as if she was back on Dathomir, many years ago. She could have sworn she heard drums, the sort that were played in the celebrations to honor the birth or the passing of a Nightsister, loud and jovial. Something she'd made the mistake of taking for granted back then, using the loud sound as her chance to sneak away from celebrations and towards the swamps that young Nightsisters were supposed to stay away from.

The moment she opened her eyes, the reality of the situation struck her hard enough to completely kill the wonderful illusion.

Her head was pounding. That's what she'd mistaken for drums. The pain and the pounding both blossomed from the same spot on her left temple. Merrin reached up, fingers pushing wet, warm hair away from where it was sticking to her skin. Now her fingers were wet and warm too, and the pain didn't cease– if anything, touching made it worse. But she got a good feeling of the gash of her temple before holding her hand in front of her face to confirm that what she felt was blood.

She hated speeders. She hated having to jump off speeders even more.

Merrin's eyes went wide and she tensed as large hands cupped her face and moved her head. Her hands instantly moved to grab onto the arms the hands belonged to, ready to burn at whoever dared attack her when she was vulnerable, but before her powers could grow beyond a concerning heat at her hands, she realized it was Bode. The one who'd had the brilliant idea of jumping off the speeder to lose the ones chasing after them.

"You and your plans- You're worse than Cal!" she used her hold on his arms to get herself back on her feet. "You're lucky you're handsome."

Okay, perhaps the adrenaline or the hit to the head were making her a little too loose of tongue. But Merrin couldn't even pretend to care when her head was pounding and so were her hearts.

[mayxthexforce]

begonia :   how cautious is your muse ?   are they prone to noticing red flags ,   or paranoid to the point of untrusting most everyone ?   why or why not ?  

belladonna :   how does your muse respond to silence ?   do they take comfort in soundlessness ,   or seek to fill the void with noise ?   

bluebell :   does your muse learn from their past ,   or are they prone to repeating the same mistakes ?  

carnation :   what is your muse’s relationship with their gender ?   how do they express or not express this relationship ?  

For Sabe, Merrin and Luke

❥     𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒    [   𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙳 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙿𝚃𝚂    ]   .

Sabé

begonia :   how cautious is your muse ?   are they prone to noticing red flags ,   or paranoid to the point of untrusting most everyone ?   why or why not ?

Sabé is very cautious. She is not paranoid, but she doesn't trust people easily and thinks giving people the benefit of the doubt is a privilege. She's observant, so she tends to notice red flags if given enough time to watch and/or interact with a person.

belladonna :   how does your muse respond to silence ?   do they take comfort in soundlessness ,   or seek to fill the void with noise ?

Sabé finds comfort in silence depending on the reason for said silence. When she's alone or with someone she trusts, she finds comfort in it, but she thinks it's mildly threatening when there's complete soundlessness when she's with people she doesn't trust.

bluebell: does your muse learn from their past, or are they prone to repeating the same mistakes?

She learns, she also beats herself over past mistakes a lot- a little too much.

carnation :   what is your muse’s relationship with their gender ?   how do they express or not express this relationship?

Sabé doesn't really think about it all that much. Growing up, she was always held to the same standards and expectations as her two older brothers (to a toxic, controlling degree) and, while she was part of the Naboo royal guard, she was an equal to men, then she was above most of them because as the Queen's Shadow she was only second to Panaka. Wherever she goes, she makes sure people know they cannot push her around or take advantage of her just because she's a woman, and doesn't let people underestimate her for long unless it benefits her goals to allow it.

Merrin

begonia :   how cautious is your muse ?   are they prone to noticing red flags ,   or paranoid to the point of untrusting most everyone ?   why or why not ?

She used to be more trusting when she was young, especially after Grievous killed her people and she spent a year alone. But after Malicos used her to seek the power in the depth of Kujet's tomb, she became far more wary. She's not that good at noticing red flags because she's not socialized much and also her clan leader for the first half of her life was Talzin, who was a walking red flag but was glorified by the Nightsisters. She's more prone to fail to notice red flags in women (especially older women) than in men.

belladonna :   how does your muse respond to silence ?   do they take comfort in soundlessness ,   or seek to fill the void with noise ?

She doesn't like soundlessness. She spent a year mostly in the silence of the ruins, accompanied only by the whispers of the dead and the sounds of the nearby creatures that wouldn't have hesitated to try to rip her apart. However, she also doesn't like loud, crowded places. But she needs a middle ground.

bluebell: does your muse learn from their past, or are they prone to repeating the same mistakes?

She's learned a lot from her past and does her best not to repeat the same mistakes. Merrin is constantly checking herself to avoid falling into old habits and to avoid letting the beliefs (both very anti-outsider and specifically anti-men) she was raised with cloud her judgement and ruin possible interactions with others.

carnation :   what is your muse’s relationship with their gender ?   how do they express or not express this relationship ?

Complicated. Merrin comes from a culture where women are held as the superior sex and where nobody would even dare criticize a woman's appearance or catcall her. While she never adhered to those misandrist beliefs, being thrown into a galaxy that's mostly patriarchal was quite the whiplash, especially in places where slavery is common given that most slaves are women forced into some kind of sex work/entertainment for men. She's resorted to jokingly threatening men (joking about needing Greez's arm for the invisibility spell to enter Nur, or about needing Bode's blood for her potions) as a sort of way to feel like she still holds some of the power she had back in Dathomir, and because it's funny to see the looks on their faces because they have no idea she doesn't mean it.

Luke

begonia :   how cautious is your muse ?   are they prone to noticing red flags ,   or paranoid to the point of untrusting most everyone ?   why or why not ? 

Not very cautious, but he grew up in Tatooine and likes to think that he's a good judge of character and, as such, can notice red flags when they're there. He has been, however, manipulated by people who are known to be good at hiding those red flags, like Aphra.

belladonna :   how does your muse respond to silence ?   do they take comfort in soundlessness ,   or seek to fill the void with noise ? 

Luke doesn't like silence. He used to have a decently sized and loud friend group and his home was always pretty loud so, now, silence just makes him realize how alone he is in the galaxy, especially with the war over and Leia, Han and Chewie living all the way across the galaxy. He does his best to fill that silence, Artoo helps.

bluebell: does your muse learn from their past, or are they prone to repeating the same mistakes?

He learns, depending on the mistake. It does tend to take a Big consequence for him to be like "okay, never again." about a situation. He definitely learned the most when he went to face Vader and faced the consequences for it.

carnation :   what is your muse’s relationship with their gender ?   how do they express or not express this relationship ?  

Luke could be considered "effeminate". He doesn't feel like he has to prove that he's a man, he has never liked the whole "posturing, hide your emotions, be manly" thing, and he always laughed when his friends would bend over backwards to prove how manly they were, especially around women. His chill attitude towards masculinity is what earned him friends like Camie, the prettiest girl on Tatooine who had practically every guy after her. But it's also earned him a lot of bullying.

[mayxthexforce]

―    ﴾  𝚗𝚜𝚏𝚠  𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚝𝚜  ﴿   :    𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒  𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐘  𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍.

@corruptedforce said

When Vader had said that he'd wanted to repay her for all that she'd done for him, this wasn't at all what Merrin expected. Considering how intense he'd proven himself to be, Merrin was certain this wasn't all that he'd do to 'repay her'.

Merrin was also half-certain he was trying to kill her.

Vader had gotten her up onto one of the stone altars that had once been used for sacrifices for more cultures than just her own. She'd made quick work of getting her pants out of the way, and now he had one hand under her robes, squeezing her breast, one of her legs over his shoulder, and he was thrusting into her with what Merrin could only describe as possessive lust.

She'd been alone for so long, alone with her grief, her anger, her need for revenge and the all-consuming darkness of the planet, that she hadn't truly taken much time to sate her most carnal wants, at least not as thoroughly as he was doing so. Because he wasn't content with making her cum once, nor twice, nor three times around his cock.

Her moans echoed against the stone walls as her hands clung to his upper arms just to have something to hold onto.

"Mie ci'ni el'kta niye," her brain was definitely not 100% in the situation anymore, considering she had yet to give him any extensive classes on her people's tongue for him to understand her if she spoke anything other than basic. "I need to see you." her hand moved up towards this mask. His lungs were a work in progress but they were past the 'will die if he isn't wearing it at all times' threshold. It was part of what had gotten them into this situation, celebrating their progress. "Please, Lord Vader."

And here she'd told herself she wouldn't ever call him Lord. The word slipped out of her lips before she could even consider the possibility that he wouldn't ever let her live it down. But truth be told, she was way too overstimulated and, at the same time, still too horny to care.

[mayxthexforce]

𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐁𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐒

@hxdrostorm said

The galaxy was far bigger than even her wildest dreams had conjured, and the people far more varied. Before joining Cal in his crusade to restore the Jedi Order, and then in his attempts to live a normal life after deciding he wouldn't restore the Order, Merrin had believed all the people of the galaxy to be force sensitive. Meeting Malicos, Cal, the inquisitors, and Cere had further cemented that belief- there was Greez, who wasn't force sensitive. But she also had no idea what species he belonged to so she just assumed his kind were outliers, exceptions to the rule. But that humans were all able to use the force.

And then she met Boba Fett.

Merrin could write a whole list of things about Boba that had completely demolished her perception of humans.

"I was thinking about how different you are," she told him. Then realized that might sound rude. "You are the first human I meet who isn't force sensitive. I believed all humans were. Among my people, all individuals can use Magick. Force sensitivity is not really a gift, it's just another trait, like you humans and your single-heart circulatory system. Your capacity to pose a threat to Jedi despite your lack of powers is... admirable."