#(I only know the executions and deaths... I think XD)

[michellemouse]

(Part 2)

Gwenlynx Gander in Ronpa and Friends

(Part 1)

[stevestevesstuff]

Drunken Confessions | Theodore Nott x reader

Pairing: Theodore Nott x reader

Summary: Feelings are confessed after seeing you flirt with another man.

Warnings: Characters are 18+!, Alcohol and drinking

Word Count: 3k

Please just imagine that the Weasley twins are still in school xD

The party in the Slytherin common room has been planned for months now and there was always something that got in the way of executing it. One time it was a big upcoming test; the other was the detention of a student who took part in planning this event. But today was finally the day. You could feel everyone’s excitement radiating from them, the way they walked and talked was an obvious sign of how happy they were that this party finally took place. It all started in the morning during breakfast where the only topic the other students were talking about was said party. Conversations on what to wear or with who to go filled the Great Hall. As the day carried on, the people walking through the ancient halls of Hogwarts only got more hyped for the upcoming event. We’ve obviously waited long enough for it to happen.

I was no exception. The moment I got up in the morning, all I could think about was that party. With a big smile blasted on my face, I started my morning, and I was convinced that nothing could ruin my good mood. School has been pretty stressful lately so being able to unwind and let loose for an evening was strongly needed. For everyone.

While walking towards our dorm after class, me and my friend Lorelai were talking about what to wear. She was insisting on wearing her tight black mini dress with high heels, though I tried to talk her out of it. The party will take place in the Slytherin common room. In the dungeons. It would be too cold.

But I was unsuccessful with trying to change her mind. In the end she even convinced me to wear my sparkly dark green mini dress to match her “aesthetic”. Fortunately, this dress had sleeves so I wouldn’t totally freeze to death. Plus, there would be plenty of alcohol so after thinking about it I doubted that the cold could even be a problem.

The moment we arrived at our dorm, Lori stormed through the door and headed towards her closet to set out her outfit. I just chuckled and started doing my make-up.

“Soooo….” I looked up from my mirror when I heard Lori talking and gave her a questioning look.

“Mr. Nott did not ask you to go to the party with him, did he?”

Lorelei’s question made me freeze for a moment. She knew about the crush I had on my best friend Theodore Nott. How could she not? This poor girl had to listen to at least one hundred rants from my side on how perfect and nice and gentle and handsome he is.

I shook my head. “No. In fact, he didn’t even talk about the party until I mentioned it once while studying. At first, he didn’t seem really interested in going.”

“Okay, weird. Theodore Nott and not being hyped about a party? Is he okay? Does he need to go to Madam Pomfrey?” Lorelei’s joke made me giggle a bit.

She was right. Theo and his other friends were one of the few people you would always see whenever there was alcohol. So not mentioning such a big event was not like Theo at all.

“I don’t know. I guess he was just stressed out from all the tests and homework we had over the past couple weeks. But anyways, I convinced him to go with us. Or more specifically pick us up today and escort us to the party.”

Lori just looked at me. There must have been a quite obvious look of disappointment on my face as I explained the situation, because all I got as a response was her signature “I pity you” look. I rolled my eyes at her and continued to concentrate on my make up.

But she was right. I was disappointed. Very much that is.

Since I can remember I had a crush on Theo. The moment I first saw him in the Great Hall during the Sorting Ceremony I knew that I would like him. More than just as friends. And the more we did together, the closer we got, my feeling for him just grew. As he became my best friend, I tried to hide my feelings. Or more like lock them away and keep them suppressed as best as possible. Most of the time it worked, but in some unfortunate moments of weakness, my love for him just seemed to burst out of me.

Like that one evening we spent together on the astronomy tour. We were talking about everything and nothing, just enjoying each other’s company. Theo somehow noticed that I was cold and without hesitating, he gave me his sweater. In this moment, I couldn’t hide the blush that was creeping up my face and unfortunately, I also started to stutter. I couldn’t form any coherent sentences anymore and the worst part about this was that Theo noticed immediately and started teasing me, asking if I had a crush on him.

Just thinking about this evening was making me blush again. This stupid crush. I wish I could just get over it.

Time seemed to fly by and neither of us took notice, the only thing reminding us of how late it actually was, was a sudden knock on our door. Lorelei jumped up from the floor, on which she was doing her hair, to open.

“Babes! It’s your boyfriend!”

I rolled my eyes at her comment but smiled slightly. Oh, how I’d love to be able to call him that.

“I hope I do not intrude but it’s getting late ladies. The party is starting in 15 minutes” A small smirk crept on his lips as his eyes found mine.

Merlin, this smirk. It made me weak in the knees. Fortunately for me, I was still seated on the floor.

I took a moment to look at Theo properly. His hair was still slightly wet from an apparent shower he took before getting ready. Damp curls falling on his forehead, the rest of it looking kind of messy. But in a good way. He also chose to wear his black button-up with his sleeves rolled up. (Which made me go crazy but for obvious reasons can’t tell him) and black dress pants. Everything about this man was perfect and the fact that he somehow managed to look even more handsome this evening made my mind wander to places it definitely shouldn’t.

Before my brain got out of control, I nodded and got up from the floor to walk towards him.

“You know? Beauty takes time but I think we’re done here, right Lori?” I said as I gave Theo a small wink and Lorelei a confirming look. She just nodded, but then started running frantically through our dorm, searching for something.

Me and Theo just watched as she literally turned her whole closet upside down until she had found what she was looking for. Her matching black purse.

“Ready! Let’s go!”

A small chuckle escaped my lips as Lori pushed past me and Theo, running out into the hallway. I gave Theo a quick nudge to his side and off we were.

While walking towards the Slytherin common room, Lorelei walking in front of us, Theo leaned in towards me.

“You look breathtaking, Bella.”

I felt the heat rise to my cheeks, his cologne seeping through my senses and I turned away, trying to hide the immense blush that started spreading on my face. The effect this man had on me was unbelievable.

Theo just chuckled lightly, seemingly proud about what he had achieved and continued to lead me and my friend towards the location of the party.

Even before arriving, loud music and laughter could be heard. The excitement was rushing through my body, and I couldn’t wait to dance, drink and just let loose.

The moment the three of us entered the Slytherin common room, Lori was pulled away by a group of Ravenclaws standing by the entrance, so me and Theo continued to head towards the main area.

The music got louder, and the air got thicker and hotter. Even though the party only started around 10 minutes ago, it was in full swing. Some people were standing near two tables which acted as a makeshift bar, others were dancing to the music and some students were just socializing with others from different houses. I took a deep breath in, smelling the alcohol and sweat lingering in the air. The fear of being too cold in my mini dress immediately left my mind as I felt the heat of at least 50 people ingulfing me.

I turned around to look at Theo, but he wasn’t there anymore. Somehow, this man always managed to disappear without a trace. A small frown spread across my face at the absence of my best friend. Was he serious right now? He just left me standing there? Alone? I shook my head, trying to get any negative thoughts out of my brain and made my way over to the bar, intending to get either some shots of fire whiskey or gin.

As I served myself one or two glasses of alcohol, I felt a presence behind me. Before I could turn around to acknowledge said person, I felt a hand on my shoulder. My hopes of it being Theo were immediately crushed as I turned around and was met with a big smile belonging to Fred Weasley.

“Hello gorgeous.” He gave me a smooth wink.

“All by yourself? While you look like that? I consider this a crime.” I chuckled at his playful and faked offended tone.

I chuckled awkwardly, not knowing how to respond. But then I thought to myself, why not? I’m allowed to have a little bit of fun. Fred is nice, he wouldn’t do anything I wouldn’t want, so I decided to join in on the flirting.

“Well, hello to you too Weasley. You don’t look too bad yourself.” I jokingly flirted back, obviously checking him out while downing my first glass of fire whiskey.

“Are you ready for the best night of your life, darling?”

“Of course, who do you think I am?” Fred smirked at my answer, motioning me to drink my second glass of alcohol I held in my hand. I followed his command, grimacing while I felt the cool liquid burn down my throat, earning a laugh from the guy in front of me.

The night continued and I wandered through the common room, catching up with people I haven’t talked to in a while, though I always found myself back at Freds side as his company and lightheaded personality drew me in.

I wasn’t really interested in him, though I really enjoyed the playful flirting and the compliments we threw at each other throughout the night. It made me forget how Theo had just abandoned me without saying anything. The thought alone made my heart ache.

As I downed my eighth or ninth drink (I couldn’t really think straight anymore, let alone count), I found myself surrounded by a group of Gryffindors, including Harry, Hermoine, Ron, Neville and the Weasley twins. We laughed, told jokes and gossiped. I had the time of my life.

Suddenly, Fred took my hand and pulled me towards the dance floor.

“I love this song! Come. Dance with me gorgeous!”

I felt his hands holding my waist, swaying me to the sound of the music. I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate on the melody and beat of the song, hoping I was looking at least a bit presentable while dancing. Fred leaned in closer, seemingly trying to get more physical contact with me.

But before I could reciprocate his actions, someone pulled me away from my dance partner. The alcohol in my system was numbing my senses so before I even realized that I was no longer dancing with Fred, I was being pulled away from the party. My head was spinning and for the first few seconds, I couldn’t even tell who was walking in front of me with my wrist in their hand. I just awkwardly stumbled after the guy who frantically shook his head and swore under his breath.

“Cazzo! What were you thinking?”

I’d recognize this voice anywhere and anytime. Theo.

I opened my mouth to say something, though no words came out. Finally, we stopped, and Theo turned around to look at me, his grip still firm on my wrist.

“What the fuck were you thinking? Weasley? Of all people? You decided to flirt and dance with a Weasley?” The words rolled off Theo’s tongue like venom. He was mad. No. Infuriated.

“I….”

“No! I don’t want any excuses. Of all the people present at this party you chose to not only flirt and dance with another boy, but also, this boy was a Weasley.”

I have never seen Theo this mad, and my mind couldn’t comprehend why.

“What’s the matter with you? Am I not allowed to have some fun? Plus, I’m very capable of deciding with whom I flirt with. That’s my decision to make. Not yours.”

Theo swallowed hard, probably trying to contain himself from shouting. I could feel the tension radiating off him.

He leaned in, coming dangerously close to my face, still holding my wrist.

“Bella don’t fight me on this. You know very well why I have a problem with this situation.”

He was so close; I could feel his breath on my face and smell his cologne. A blush crept onto my face at the closeness of his body. God. Why was he so hot?

I looked at him, trying to stand my ground.

“Unfortunately, no. I do not know why you have such a big problem with me flirting with Fred. Plus, what else was I supposed to do? Lori was having fun with her friends, and you were nowhere to be found. You left me standing there. Alone. So, I found myself someone to spend the evening with.”

Theo suddenly let go of my hand, putting some distance between us. He raised his hands, brushing them through his already messy hair, letting out a frustrated sigh.

“By Merlin….” The clear frustration in his voice made it obvious that he had enough of this conversation.

“Do you like him?” Theo suddenly asked.

“What?”

“Do you like him?” This time, his voice was firmer, demanding an answer.

I looked at him, my eyes meeting his and for a moment, I could see something behind his eyes that I had never seen before. Desperation, mixed with a little bit of hope.

“I…no. I don’t like him like that.”

“Then why would you spend the whole evening flirting with him?”

“Because I wanted to, okay? You are not my boyfriend, you can’t dec- “

Before I could even finish my sentence, Theo closed the distance between us, reaching up with his hands to cup my cheeks. This action lets a small yelp escape my lips.

“Wha- “

My head was spinning, and I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or Theo’s closeness. I was sure that if his body wasn’t pressed so tightly to mine, I would have sunk to the ground with how weak my knees were at that moment. His hands gently caressed my cheeks, his right thumb slowly stroking it. The way he looked at me with desperation, hope and…longing was too much for me. I even stopped breathing for a second. I noticed Theo’s eyes wandering down towards my lips where they lingered for a second before they found my eyes again.

“What…what if I want to be just that?” Theo asked quietly while seemingly staring into my soul.

“What do you mean?”

“What if I want to be your boyfriend?”

The moment these words left Theos lips, my breath hitched, and my mind went blank. What did he just say? My head started spinning even more and I felt a blush rise on my face.

“I like you, cara mia. I’ve always liked you, but I was too much of a fool to tell you. I was scared of ruining our friendship but seeing you today, flirting with another man, that was too much for me. I couldn’t handle you being in the arms of anyone but me.” These words left his lips in a tone so gentle, I would have never believed they came from Theo if I wasn’t experiencing it first handed.

“I….”

“You don’t have to say anything. You probably won’t even remember what I’m telling you right now in the morning. I guess I won’t either. But I needed to get this out of me. I needed you to know how I felt about you.”

Suddenly, I felt a rush of confidence wandering through my body. I raised my hands to mirror Theos previous actions, cupped his cheeks and pulled his face towards mine. Our lips met and I felt like I could explode. The feeling of his lips was better than I could have ever imagined. They were soft and the slight taste of alcohol and cigarettes on them made this kiss so much more intoxicating.

His hands left my cheeks, wandering down my body until they settled on my waist, pulling me even closer into him. The kiss got more and more messy, teeth were clashing, and lips were bitten.

After what felt like an eternity, I had to catch my breath. As I pulled away, my hands still caressing his cheeks and his hands on my waist, a small smile spread across my lips as I tried to breath properly. As I looked up at Theo, the biggest smile I had ever seen on him was painted on his face.

“I love you, amore.” He said, still trying to catch his breath.

“I love you too, darling.”

His hands left my waist, removing mine from his cheeks and gently intertwining our fingers. He gently pulled me behind me, walking in the direction of his dorm.

“So, I guess it’s official now, Bella. No more flirting with Weasley. Or any other man for that matter.” His joke only earned a small laugh from me, already imagining what might happen in his dorm.

[the-artist-grimm]

Hi, I have just discovered your AU and I like the design, also the name made curious about what's the AU about

(Note this Lore Post is HIGHLY Outdated!!!! See the masterpost for current lore!)

Thank you! And for the ‘Crimson Angel AU’ think of it as translating to ‘Blood-Soaked Angel AU’, since I think that’s more of a better visual/description, but crimson just sounds prettier for an actual title.  This is gonna be a little long for more-in-depth lore dump so see the READ MORE for well, more! And my apologies for the rambles that have slowly taken over my brain, it's a little chaotic but the basic gist of it XD

(Note Anthea goes by she/they and I alternate between the two so if that causes reading issues let me know)

In this case, the ‘Blood-Soaked Angel’ is my lamb, Anthea, who starts off the story as being a seemingly kind, friendly, and optimistic person just wanting to help, but is really just someone who is trying to understand why they lived when their family and people did not, and just going with self-sacrifice and self-destruction as the only way to ‘prove’ they deserved to live. 

Got a mini backstory comic here with some explanations, though TLDR Anthea already had this sense of being responsible for keeping everyone else’s spirits up after losing their father, and when heretics destroyed the rest of their family/village at age 12 and they survived by the shear luck of just being out on a routine supply run, they feel as if they don’t deserve it. 

From there Anthea bottled everything up and wandered the forests for a bit until being found and taken in by Ratau, who taught her not only how to fight but also told her stories of his time as vessel, of which any involving The One Who Waits were the most interesting. A lonely, bitter, and kinda angry god of death, despite  his appearance, kept and appeared to care for the two young kits by his side. TOWW sounded different from the other bishops Anthea had only ever known to be violent, and thus she began to worship him as a sort of comfort-since thinking a gentler god greeted her family and would one day greet her was a better thought than the horror they must’ve faced prior to death. She lived day to day just pretending everything was fine, being a good kid, and helping out around the shack, while internally treating every moment like borrowed time, thinking she had to keep being useful to everyone else. (Ratau knew she had people-pleasing issues but didn’t realize the extent for a long, long time) 

Cut to Anthea being 26, and after she and Ratau were heading back one afternoon after some errand or visit were ambushed by heretics who managed to injure Ratau when they tried to escape, and though they got away, they were pursued. Thinking she’d lived on borrowed time long enough and wanting to prevent another person she loved from dying, Anthea took advantage of Ratau’s injury keeping him from stopping her and drew the heretics away, being captured as a result. 

Bishops, execution, Anthea gets the shock of hearing that they’re the final lamb prior to sacrifice, then suddenly they’re waking up in the gateway to the god they’ve worshiped for years, and he’s just as Ratau described. A lonely, bitter god with two young kits (I place Aym and Baal as teens since it leads to some interesting moments), by his side. Yet where that’s all Ratau saw, Anthea also saw the chains. The wounds bleeding an endless stream of ichor. The way TOWW struggled prior to their approach, how his voice and smile were strained. This god they’d built up as this better to the bishops is trapped and painfully so, and when offered the chance to help him, Anthea jumps at it. They must’ve lived for SOMETHING, must be the last for some greater purpose because there were so many other lambs who ‘deserved’ to live more, so if it’s for this prophecy then so be it. 

Game plays out, Anthea begins to see past the bitterness/anger Nariender puts up to see someone genuinely hurt by those he cared about and struggling to trust after while also seeing he’s not exactly perfect, whilst Nariender in turn starts to call Anthea out on the whole self-sacrificial stick as them just trying to die to make themself feel better instead of just facing the fact that they lived, others died, and that’s all there is to say. Slowly the two become friends, got an idea for example that Anthea starts to use the crown to show Nariender what he’s missed in the world as a means of comforting him/helping him remember not all was as bad as he recalls (aka they’re unintentional dates lol), Anthea also starts befriending the twins since they remind them of their own brothers which gains more Nariender friendship points at someone making his kids happy, and that friendship slowly turns to a genuine love from both sides. 

Anthea plans to keep her feelings hidden until after Narinder’s free, though secretly starts to work on an engagement present to confess by leaving the crown at the temple and going to the Lonely Shack at night. (the engagement also meant to be a symbolic ‘hey you don’t have to feel the same but just know I’ll be with you from now on I won’t leave you’). Is also Anthea finally taking steps to live life for herself and move on to something that makes her happy. Meanwhile Narinder has no idea what these feelings he’s having are-just that this weirdly kind, cheerful, but also melancholic and frustratingly self-sacrificial lamb makes his heart race, and is now for some reason being a little distant. He’s been trying to figure out how to return to the world above without sacrificing Anthea, but now has whatever this is distracting him, and thus has the crown follow one night, only hears part of Anthea discussing/being teased about planning a proposal but not who said proposal is for, and being unused to jealousy but very used to being cast aside and betrayed gets angry/scared/heartbroken and decides to just go through with the sacrifice anyway since it’s easier than trying to figure out why he’s feeling like this. 

Endgame battle hits, during which Anthea feels very confused/hurt by his order to sacrifice themself, as just the other day here was their dearest friend lightly scolding them for willingly dying just to visit. They try to reason with him and Narinder doesn’t want to hear it, so he orders the twins to fight Anthea which neither are willing but are forced, and Anthea has no choice but to kill both since Nariender refuses to hear reason. The anger, grief, guilt, and heartbreak they’ve bottled up finally boils over as red wings appear on their back like they briefly do in-game when the lamb refuses (this all started when I saw the scene in-game and thought the visual/symbolism was really cool), and they fight and defeat Nariender. 

When back at the compound Nariender’s just lashing out and cursing Anthea on the dais because he’s angry and hurt at her betraying him until Anthea just calmly tells him why he was spared-she loved him. Nariender finally looks at her and is hit with the realization that this lamb who’d always looked at him so warmly with adoration is now giving him the most blank, lifeless expression as she tells him he’s free to do as he pleases before leaving. And he now realizes that because he didn’t stop and think things through and instead let anger take the focus he completely neglected to realize that here was someone who loved him-who loved him even as they learned of his faults, saw his lowest, ect, and he just threw it all away over a misunderstanding he could've EASILY just asked about. He even sacrificed his guards (read sons) just because that was somehow easier than talking. Which begs the question, who else loved him? Who else did he miss? Was his imprisonment really all on the bishops, or was he also to blame? Whilst Anthea’s now stuck with a godhood she didn’t want, two more loved ones dead, and a broken heart. 

The two gotta learn where to go from here, the now blood-soaked ‘angel’ who’s begun to realize just how much giving pieces of yourself hurts, and a fallen god who’s begun to realize things aren’t as black and white as he thought. They get better! Eventually...

Might try making a fic, might just keep this as drabbles and rambles along with art, but right now I’m having fun making fanart/aus for the first time instead of just watching from the sidelines, so I hope you enjoy the ride. But for now enjoy some angsty doodles :D

[maxdibert]

Speaking of these evil characters, how do you think it would be like to defend them in court? I can’t imagine what Voldemort’s lawyer would have to say

Defending Voldemort would be a monumental challenge, and as a lawyer, you know he won’t be declared innocent. In cases like this, the goal is either to get a reduced sentence, ensure that his crimes are subject to review over time (rather than an irreversible life sentence), or, if the trial takes place in a jurisdiction with the death penalty, to prevent him from being executed. But you’re not aiming to keep him out of prison because that’s literally impossible. Defending someone like this is awful because you know the best you can do is negotiate deals, but if I were to take on the role of his lawyer, I would try a strategy based on the following points:

1. Questioning the Identity of the Defendant

Voldemort has undergone multiple transformations, physical changes, and soul fragmentations (Horcruxes). One could argue that the person born as Tom Riddle ceased to exist decades ago and that Voldemort is more of a magical entity than an individual subject to conventional human and magical laws.

2. Challenging the Legality of the Trial

The magical justice system (especially the Wizengamot) has shown irregularities in the past. It could be argued that Voldemort is not receiving a fair trial due to the enormous emotional charge and prejudice of the court, making the trial more of a political spectacle than a legitimate judicial process.

3. Coercion and Mental Control

It could be argued that many of his actions were influenced by external factors, such as the prolonged effects of his own dark magic, the fragmentation of his soul, or even the fate imposed by the prophecy. This would be a sort of magical way of pleading insanity, so to speak.

4. Attacking the Legitimacy of the Ministry of Magic

The Ministry of Magic has historically been corrupt and ineffective. One could argue that Voldemort merely took advantage of a power vacuum, acting as a revolutionary in a dysfunctional system. While his methods were extreme, the narrative that he was trying to “restore order” could be used in his defense. Another angle would be to highlight how many Ministry officials not only collaborated but manipulated the system for their own benefit, using this as a way to delegitimize the trial itself. This is mostly a sensationalist strategy meant to cast doubt on the Wizengamot’s credibility. It wouldn’t achieve much legally, but it could make them question certain aspects of the case.

5. Plea Bargain for a Reduced Sentence

If all else fails, we would attempt to negotiate a lesser sentence with the Wizengamot in exchange for cooperation. For example, he could offer to reveal knowledge of forbidden dark magic, the location of cursed objects, or even information about former followers who are still in hiding.

Obviously, defending Voldemort would be nearly impossible to win, but these arguments could at least help him avoid the maximum penalty or shift the narrative of the trial into something more nuanced. I don’t know, it’s a lost cause—just like Bellatrix, Barty, or Fenrir. These are characters who are clearly not going to escape a severe sentence. It’s much easier to work with Umbridge, Lucius, or Severus. Severus would be an easy case, and Lucius too because he’s insanely rich—arguing that the evidence against him is merely circumstantial and that no one can prove he specifically killed anyone would likely result in a sentence with a set bail amount, which he’d pay off and be done with it. Severus could easily get parole or even a full acquittal because he was collaborating with “the good guys” for many years, and just that alone is usually enough to get someone out of prison. xD

[purpleenma]

This is not my typical art or meme post but a doubt surfaced in the Mcspirk Discord server about TarsusIV and if Kirk was on the list to die or to survive. So I made a kind of shallow dive in the net to see if I was able to find an answer, and I could say I did, but boy did I also find something I was absolutely NOT expecting.

For the record canon or alpha canon in Star Trek is what we see in the shows themselves.

(Some people may include here scriptwriters or directors publications/comments and interviews relating their work on the show and their intentions while making it, in general any of the key people that contributed to the canon we see in the shows. For others this is considered beta canon so it's a kind of grey area.)

Beta canon is all the rest under the Star Trek brand; novels, videogames, manuals, comics, etc.

Having established that more or less, here we go:

In alpha canon the answer to if Kirk was in the list to die or survive is; "it's tricky" xD

Memory Alpha in all accounts points to him being one of the other 4000 people that survived the mass execution, although it is not exactly specified that he was on any list to survive. There were previous scripts where Jim says he was, but it was scrapped among other things. Still, if Kodos executed the 4000 colonists all together in the antimatter chamber, and we haven't heard of any escapees or switches between people, I think it's safe to say he was on the list of survivors. However, I think it's important to note that we don't know if later Kodos just chilled, ordered more people killed or there were more deaths due to his ruling the more the situation became dire. And we also don't know how long he lasted in charge, since I couldn't find an exact time when help arrived either; it just states it arrived earlier than expected but too late to save the 4000 killed. So we can't be certain how much time elapsed from the mass execution till help finally got there.

Kirk is listed as a survivor of the TarsusIV Massacre, that encompasses all the struggle since what would be the uprise of Kodos and ordering those executions, till the unknown time later when help finally arrived. But we seem to be left to wonder if he could have been sought for later executions or persued in any way. In fact when we think back at what happened to his friend Tom Leighton, who was also a survivor and one of the nine witnesses, it is understood the damage to the side of his face either was caused by Kodos himself or took place during the massacre at least, maybe caused by Kodos enforcers.

Since we don't know exactly what happened and for how long after the mass execution, we can't be sure what or who was the cause. Like most of it, it's left to interpretation. But when you get into account that him, along with Jim and Kevin Riley, who were all rather young then, are from the few people who could identify Kodos because they saw his face, added to his wounds, makes you think that at least there was some big turmoil and, be it on purpose or not, these kids ended either in Kodos presence himself when most didn't even know his face, or could retrieve that photo we see in the TOS episode from Kodos' headquarters or some other important place that may store such data. As one ST Discovery novel (beta canon) suggests and also tells us more of what transpired after the execution.

So yes, alpha canon, or "the" canon left it ambiguous on purpose, since any intent to specify was scrapped before the TOS episode Conscience of the King was produced.

But here is where it gets juicy; beta canon (specifically Memory Beta) tells a very different story, one that made me have to read the paragraph twice and fact check because wtf xD

Two novels you'll see listed in the screenshot detail that Kirk was, in fact, on the list to die, but he escaped, saving Kevin Riley while he was at it. And not only that, but that Kirk was saved by SAREK who MELDED with him to erase the memory, because he also saved KODOS and gave him his new identity (wtf Sarek? You did that because you thought it was the logical thing to do or how come?? This could have tremendous implications...)

I don't know if any of you guys knew this but I sure didn't and the fic potential for this is unimaginable xD Maybe many of those that made Tarsus fics including Spock and/or Sarek there are based on this piece of beta canon but yeah, shocking.

I'm aware that Shatner touches on more about what happened in TarsusIV in some of the ST novels he wrote, like "Star Trek: Academy #1 Collision Course" and the "Autobiography of James T Kirk". For the latter I believe I read an excerpt some time ago that talked about riots and the situation getting really violent, but I couldn't find any information in this small search and I don't have the spoons to read the book right now, so take it with a grain of salt.

In the end it is all up for interpretation and you can go either way, but you sure get some interesting details in the various levels of canon xD

[lifea16]

Mastermind live thoughts [Spoilers below cut]

The animation is amazing like oh my god! 💕

Ah, gonna be the Stolas trial I see

Andre stop flirting with your sister

✨Unpaid interns✨

Fuck.. double trial I see

RUN

Be fucking faster

Why do they sound like the cherubs

What is this….?

“Face the music” is honestly a bit too funny

Trailer scene time!

FUCK

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck

Blitz you don’t deserve to be deadnamed :/

???

Andre what did I just say, stop flirting with her, at some point comphet is cursed

Oh thank Satan (?) that Blitz actually defended himself against the possibility he forced himself onto Stolas

Candle head in Wrath?

Vassago bilingual? And he here!

Don’t you wanna take Stolas down first??

Yep.. they are claiming Blitz S/A’d Stolas in the trial. Fuck. At least hopefully the Blitz antis will realise they’re wrong in the episode

Bestie (/s) I think you got Blitz and your sister’s names confused. Put Stella on trial coward

Grimour, Stricker

You tell them Blitz!

Poor Mox :(

Go off Bea!! /pos

Yep you too Ozz! Tell ‘em

Mammon aren’t you Ace?? Don’t you want not to be fucked??

Satan looks a lot more like a Candlehead than I would’ve thought

How is this not the finale?? AAAA

Well shit….

Yay! Classism!

Poor Fizz, seeing your best friend (?) almost get executed live on TV! TF

Blitz sacrifices himself (tries to) <//3

(My hc) “Bitches (Blitz) say “I wanna die” like a broken record, but when you almost get executed on live tv, you shit yourself

Stolas save your future boyfriend now!!!

Go off Blitz! Tell ‘em off on their classism

As much as I understand not liking racial coding, .. Blitz and imps in general especially in this episode are very POC coded, with a lot of he’ll just being racist

</3

No Blitz don’t accept your fate 😭😭😭😭😭😭

Stolas ex machena please please please please

😭😭😭😭😭😭

Why Blitz must you care so fucking much about your family and if I could cry I’m pretty sure I would be by now

The screencap I paused on is so pretty.. To bad it’s Blitz getting executed (And almost made me wanna cry) or I’d make it my banner

Aaaaa

Fuck yes Stolas!!

Blitz is saved !! ✨⭐️💕

Boyfriends protecting eachother 💕

Yay! Songs! <3

XD “half a brain”

“Some kind of Mastermind-“ roll credits

Stolas I know you’re dealing with rascists but please don’t act like that with Blitz rn ur doing a regression and I hope it’s an act

Nevermind lol kinda

Yep. This is a clear racial allegory. No hiding it now

Fancy ahh reveal Stolas

Also we just shifted the “I’ll sacrifice for my loved ones” horse to Stolas instead of Blitz

Stolas ur an idiot too

Fuck yes! Romantic ish Stolitz duet part!

No Blitz you fucking deserve to live <333

And I’m back too “if only tears could fall” again.. Please Blitz take his sacrifice and save him after that till the system breaks and you two will be free

Either death or.. whatever happened last two episodes

Shit

Where is Lucifer? Just because Luci’s in his depression era doesn’t mean you are the ruler of hell Satan

Oh nevermind

The sins have existed before Luci fell. Interesting

Blitz is so defensive over Stolas and his life ahh 💕😭

Step 1: *Panic* , Step 2: “Wow this is a sturdy door”

Blitz is being silly but not swearing so he must be concealing his emotions again

<33 Group hug <33

Are we starting some weird chain now (Octavia was now alerted and running for Stolas)

Or not..

Poor Via </3

Loophole! Also more racism allegory!

Banishing him is actually a decent idea (for once)

Ohhh Andrealphus just wants power. Honestly I should have figured sooner lol

If this is Mastermind then what the actual fuck will Sinmas be (unless it’s another Queen Bee situation)

100 years.. So have a relationship with Blitz and once that’s done go back to royalty! Sounds great!

..wait are we getting imp Stolas

Nevermind lol. Just hatless

He will enjoy very much

Ooh!~ Our theories were right! (Stolas must also learn classism the hard way for a bit)

So the white pupils are permanent now

<3

OMG Blitz hero! Yay!!! <3

<3333

Blitz is at an all time high and Stolas is at an all time low.. interesting

<33333

So.. are they immediately dating now?

THIS WAS ALL SO AMAZING!! Favourite episode now!

[glitteringcrab]

Campaign Manager Morty

I mayyy be splitting hairs here, because Evil Morty had exactly zero qualms over killing literally every Morty in the Citadel to escape and, even worse, over having hundreds of poor, innocent, deformed Mortys whipped during his times as president (it's like he put up a nice façade but was still internally seething and had to make someone suffer)--

--but what he did to poor Campaign Manager Morty was especially heartless, and it's always very painful to see it unfold, no matter how many times I re-watch it.

It's just that Campaign Manager Morty was so good. He had integrity. He had courage. He took it upon himself to murder his evil ex-boss to protect everyone else, even though he knew it would be a death sentence. He could have tried to leave the Citadel when he found the truth about EM, to save his skin, but he decided to act instead on behalf of everyone living there. When they brought him to the air-lock chambers where he'd be executed, even though he could tell what his imminent fate was, he showed no fear of death nor regret over having to face the repercussions of (what he thought was a successful) assassination. He was okay with throwing his life away for everyone else's sake. He only wanted to explain to the people executing him, that this was a good thing, that they weren't missing anything by having their favorite candidate executed. He had to explain why he did this. He wasn't evil, please understand...!

And when he found out that his ex-boss was still alive, his face filled with panic, because at that moment he knew that EM surviving meant EM would be seen as a poor innocent victim, and this assassination attempt just made things worse.

And then he finds out that Evil Morty won the elecions and panic takes over completely, even though he had nothing to win or lose any more. Even with his last breath, he tried to warn the others.

His death was truly tragic. He was a good Morty, undeserving of that fate. It was one of the cruelest things Evil Morty has done.

I mean, EM killed everyone, but he knew this Morty personally. He set him up. And he picked him for this very cruel fate because Campaign Manager Morty had the integrity to voice his honest (and negative) opinion on the campaign's chances of success. Which, if EM listened to him and left the race, would mean Campaign Manager Morty would lose his job. Campaign Manager Morty was honest enough to say to his boss something that would result in him losing his job.

Which in turn meant that EM knew Campaign Manager would have the guts to put himself in a self-destructive situation, if it meant "doing the right thing". EM knew (or at least took an educated guess) Campaign Manager Morty would act to protect everyone else, that he was a fundamentally good person, and still, not only killed him, but set him up for a very, very cruel fate, of trying to do the good thing and having it backfire completely, of losing all hope.

And today it hit me (again, I may be splitting hairs, because it's not like EM has a moral bar anyway) if one more reason EM did this completely heartless thing was: What if Campaign Manager Morty was actively demoralizing him?

I mean... think about it. Evil Morty looked very smug in those sequences (I actually remember thinking "what a moron" at that scene XD):

He already knew what to say in the debate and how to act to gain support. He had the confidence that he could pull this off.

But he didn't know he would pull this off. In fact, he barely won ("almost close enough to trigger a re-count") and this was with him getting himself shot and gaining votes through sympathy. If he hadn't arranged for his assassination attempt, he would have lost. He must have watched the polls closely, weighing his chances and deeming them Not Good Enough at that point.

And... he had given it his all to this attempt to take over the Citadel. By making himself a public figure, he invited scrutiny on his person (whether Trenchcoat Rick was hired/manipulated/mind-controlled by EM, or honestly stalking EM we have yet to see, but it's not unlikely someone would decide to look into this particular Morty more closely). I mean, they asked him his dimension number in an interview and he deflected. They could have kept pressing into his past. This whole thing risked blowing up to his face. And even if it didn't, if he lost the election race it'd be unlikely he'd get another chance like this one. He had to give this his all, he had to make it work, no matter what.

Evil Morty, who defaults in hiding, in making himself look harmless, in disappearing in the safety of the crowd, was desperate enough to make this work that he put himself in the metaphorical frontlines, turning himself into a public figure, getting himself shot, having to put up a permanent nice act to all those people he despised, in the hopes of freeing himself one day in the distant future. He may have been confident that he could pull this thing off, but actually pulling said thing off couldn't have been easy for him.

And there was obviously no one actually supporting him, because he has no friends. Sure, other Mortys supported "him", but not really. They had no idea what he really had in store for them. They didn't want him to win, they wanted the "nice Morty Candidate" to win (duh).

Any self-doubt, any emotional wavering, any exhaustion, he had to deal with by himself. Any cheering up, any hope, any courage he needed, he also had to provide himself, so that he could escape what he viewed as the unbearably horrible fate of being trapped in the CFC.

...And on top of that, when you are giving this your all, when you are at your most desperate to make this work because your first plan already failed and you might not get another chance like this, imagine having your own campaign manager telling you "no, actually, you won't succeed. Give up. Give up. Give up."

...And he sets up his Campaign Manager to give it his all to make sure everyone else escapes a very horrible fate, only to make him watch himself fail, to force him to face the desperation he kept (unwittingly) insisting Evil Morty should resign himself to.

...I don't know if I'm overthinking this, but Evil Morty's treatment of his campaign manager suddenly feels a lot less cold and heartless and a lot more furious and vengeful.

(I will still mourn Campaign Manager Morty forever; he was the best Morty)

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

So it seems like your requests are open? Cool! I have an idea for COTL! Lamb! Reader is Narinder's chosen vessel rather than the Lamb, and they're EXHAUSTED after everything that's happened. So when Narinder summons them, they say "what if I say "no?"" Narinder just goes, "what?" And they respond "listen, I just died, watched my entire race die, and have been running for my entire life. Can I at least have a break before I get thrown into this?" I just thought it would be funny XD

"Come closer. Fear not, for though you are already dead....I still have need of you."

Standing silently in the white void, you gazed up at the giant feline bishop--a god chained as you, a sacrificial lamb, were now. His arms were stripped to the bone, iron clasps keeping him shackled to the ground and preventing him from freely moving them around too much.

Yet despite him being imprisoned like some caged beast...he seemed no-less revering, and you couldn't help but admire him..

Even if he is the reason you were sent to your death.

Lambs all over the Old Faith were murdered in cold blood, their children snatched and butchered and their villages sieged by the fanatics of the five ruling Bishops. You had been on the run for weeks, without knowing why exactly they targeted your kind specifically.

What did such peaceful wool-covered creatures ever do to deserve this sort of horrible fate?

Only after they have captured you did you realize you were the last living lamb...and that the Bishops put all the others to the blade for one reason:

A prophecy.

A prophecy that spoke of their banished brother--the "One Who Waits"--being freed from his chains by a lamb who'd serve as his vessel and destroy the ways of the Old Faith from the inside out.

For that, the Bishops left none alive in hopes of stopping the prophecy from ever taking place, wanting to ensure the "heretic" stayed in captivity forever.

However after your execution, their plan seemed to have gone awry...considering you, a lamb, stood before the very person they desperately didn't want you to see.

"Those foolish Bishops thought they could keep you from me in death, but instead they sent you straight to me!" Narinder boasted. "I will give you life again, but at a price."

You nervously gulped. "And..what would that be?"

"All I ask is for you to start a cult in my name. Do we have a deal?"

".....what if..I said no?"

"....what?" He narrowed his eyes in confusion, surprised that you didn't readily agree to his offer like other vessels before you. They all jumped at the chance to come back to life..but not you. He began to feel a little insulted.

"Do you take me for a liar, little lamb?" He sneered. "Have you no desire for vengeance against the ones who senselessly destroyed everything you knew and loved? Believe it or not, I can give you that power-"

"I-I absolutely believe you, my lord." You quickly backtracked, kneeling down in respect. "I want that more than anything. It's just...so much has happened all at once. My village burning down, my capture, my death...I haven't known peace until I was sent here. I think..t-taking a small breather first would help me feel better prepared to start a cult in your great name..."

You felt like you rambled a bit too long for his liking, seeing as his stoic expression didn't once waver. Even the smaller cat guardians flanking him hadn't moved an inch, although the one in a white cloak did open his eyes, flashes of concern in them.

Yet Narinder's silence was most discomforting, as you feared that you've angered him and he was going to revoke the offer.

Bowing your head even lower, you squeezed your eyes shut, trembling. "Forgive me, I-I spoke out of turn. I..don't think I'm the right fit to be your vessel-"

However you stopped all movements as you no longer felt the weight of the chains holding you down. And you realized they had disappeared, allowing you to move your arms freely.

Although your neck still ached tremendously...at least the clasp wasn't crushing it anymore.

"No. You are the one I need...for it cannot be anybody else." His voice purred, causing you to look back up at him. This time his gaze seemed softer. "I seldom know what has transpired in the realm of the living..seeing only mere glimpses of certain events. But you've given me better understanding of your tragic circumstances. So I will allow you a brief moment of tranquility to prepare you for your task ahead."

You lightly gasped, smiling as you jumped up into a standing position, hands clasped together in relief. "Oh, thank you so much-!"

"Do not assume I shall always be this charitable." His voice went right back to being condescending. "Take gratitude that I permitted this...and do not ask me for anymore favors henceforth. When you lead a cult, you may not always get "breathers"."

"..I-I understand." You rubbed your neck bashfully. "I appreciate this a lot."

"So I reckon we have a deal? When you're ready, I will guide you on what must be done, and you shall take the Red Crown atop my head to fulfill your mission."

"Very well. I shall gladly serve you and repay the debt I owe."

Narinder blinked, silent for a few long moments, before he grinned wickedly, sharp teeth spreading from ear-to-ear. All three of his eyes seemed to glow brighter.

"Excellent. You understand what must be done and already show such strong devotion to me...you'll be my finest vessel yet."

[they-reap-what-we-sow]

20 questions for writers

thank you for the tag @fanfictiongreenirises I finally managed to finish a tag game!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

168- with 44 podfics and the rest are regular fics!

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

346,848. unfathomable number who is she where did she come from

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Batman (Batfam) my love my life, but 9-1-1 is a close second with one-offs for a lot of my other passing interests.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Floppy Bird - crack fic that was meant to be an angst fic that I never understood why people liked so much asfhjs

cocoa on a cold night - a classic timby holiday fic that I wrote in the middle of summer, talk about environmental storytelling

secrets un(revealed) - the only purposeful long fic I've ever written, and also the most trope mashing I've ever done with reverse robins, magical realism au, and delicious delicious miscommunications (in my head the only fic that deserves to be in the top five :wheeze: )

Eggshells - vent fic alert !! very embarrassing that people like this I try not to think about it ":)

taking the blade (for you and yours) - a round robin fic written with the server and CHOCK full of Damian suffering.

5. Do you respond to comments?

NO PICTURES. NO COMMENT. I DONT KNOW HOW TO READ.

no jk jk I really really try to but once I start getting behind it's just a whole spiral. these days I have a better chance of replying to a comment on an old fic than a brand new one because I dont want leave them half replied

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

any of my death fics probably? I think with DC a death is a little more inconsequential than other fandoms just because of how often it's unpermanent, so as a concrete answer, I'll say for you (i would cross the line). nothing quite like parental grief.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

happy ending wink-wonk or XD

probably Who The Hell Is Red Hood? - I've done things there with growth and healing that DC HQ would shudder to imagine

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not regularly, thank everything, but the one controversial three-some I posted needed comment regulation lmao

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes and uh, the kinky kind? idk take a look for yourselves I guess

10. Do you write crossovers?

Yes, and they're ALWAYS unserious- Buck from 9-1-1 dating Emma from Friends (yes Ross and Rachel's kid) anyone?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Uh, not by a person? as far as I know? but I have found my fic on those like, document websites??? which is weird lmao just read them on your phones guys not everything needs to be uploaded

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

weee yes! round robin my beloved, and also every fic @canonicallyshort and I have written in our threads. those count. to me. emotionally.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

I WILL GO DOWN WITH MY MULTISHIP (which really means I'm never going down at all) but really I dont think I will ever get over Merthur... or Buddie... or- you see what I mean?

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

oh god I have so many wip that I am holding out hope for but my biggest WIP is an unpublished hellhole affectionately entitled "Death Pit" by everyone who is working on it- most notably because it features a literal Death Pit, every horror, angst, whump, and trauma trope you can think of, and a cast of characters and a plot thread so long we have 20+ page outline documents that aren't even fully updated... I shudder to think what will become of it one day, I imagine sentience isn't very far off

16. What are your writing strengths?

why is this an interview question. I dont know my strengths really?? um. I have good ideas, that one I'll say. execution is a different story (likely one that will never get told. like the rest of my good ideas)

I also think I do fairly well with scene descriptors. I really like to set a scene because I'm seeing a movie in my head and you all should too!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I'm down to clown globally! I dont like to use google translate though, so if im writing in another language it's only because SOMEONE on the server is a native speaker and can vouch for my text.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

oh god one direction. head in hands. it was an 'adopted by 1d' fic that I made my mom beta, and turned it in to my 6th grade English teacher as my creative writing assignment. then I made a poem about it. then I wrote a song about it. thankfully it never got published and is trapped in the cursed purple file folder it was 'hidden' in since 7th grade. my first published fic was almost 7 years later with a Gomens fic!

20. Favourite fic you've written?

AHh um. favorite child scene here, but top contenders include: lithium + 5 for its graphic design and medical accuracy, fiery veins on speechless days for its emotional whump that makes me hurt every time I reread it, [PODFIC] wither on the shore which is not a fic I wrote but one of my favorite podfics of @silk-scarlet-ribbons 's works.

tagging (if you wish to participate!) @canonicallyshort @silverandsunflowers @selkienight60 @crows-murder

[teecupangel]

What if the Desmond gets turned into an immortal animal and sent back in time trope happens but because of Isu bullshit it happens thrice once for each main ancestor

like Desmond pops into being around young Altair and is like this might as well happen so he stays with Altair for the rest of his life and travels around for a bit before thinking it's probably time to go see Ezio and he arrives in time to see another animal that he somehow knows is also him pop out of nowhere and they would be doing the Spiderman pointing meme if either if them had fingers

So they think this is weird but just go along with it for years and years until they go visit Ratonhnhaké:ton when it happens again

If you wanna be thematic maybe the desmonds ate an eagle a wolf and a bear but I thinks it's funnier if they were all the same type of animal

The Desmonds can speak to each other but no other animal or human

Honestly, I think having Desmond be an eagle, a wolf and a bear would be thematic. In that idea, I think Altaïr should have eagle!Desmond, Ezio should have wolf!Desmond and Ratonhnhaké:ton would get bear!Desmond. 

We’re giving them the following so that Altaïr’s eagle!Desmond would have an easy time traveling around before visiting Ezio. Altaïr would find eagle!Desmond as a child, maybe after training, and tries to pet him because he seemed docile. Desmond lets it happen because it’s Altaïr and Altaïr starts bringing him a bit of his food to feed him which Desmond eats because raw food felt weird even though they’re surprisingly delicious. Desmond stays with Altaïr, being known as Altaïr’s eagle who doesn’t mind getting petted. Unless you’re Abbas. Abbas only gets pecked. In one memorable incident, Desmond almost managed to peck his eye out when he was insulting Altaïr and… yeeaaahhh… everyone agrees he’s a smart bird. 

Wolf!Desmond is given to Ezio because, this way, he could be mistaken as a dog when he’s just a pup and also because Ezio had ‘dealings’ with the Followers of Romulus in Rome and I think it would be funny if Ezio was kicking their ass with an actual wolf. Give them a bit of ‘maybe we’re being punished?’ vibes before they die. XD Okay, but in all seriousness, we’re giving Desmond to Ezio as a child. To be more exact, he’s a wolf pup Petruccio found during the rare times he was strong enough to take a walk outside for a bit. He looked like a dirty little thing but Petruccio was so happy that Desmond allowed him to pet him and followed him home that his parents couldn’t say no to his request. (Up to you if Desmond being with Petruccio leads to him being able to save them or even just Petruccio or we’re going for the ‘they still get arrested and executed and Ezio keeps apologizing to Desmond for being unable to save them as he cries’ route)

Now, Ratonhnhaké:ton getting the bear is a matter of convenience. For one, it would be easier for a wolf to sneak into the cargo of a ship than a freaking bear. Another idea though would be if Ratonhnhaké:ton found the bear cub after the burning of his village, when he was at his lowest and grieving the death of his mother. Just imagine Ratonhnhaké:ton hugging the bear cub who he believes also lost his mother as he cries.

For an alternate take of Desmond being the same animal: we can go for cats.

Seeing stray cats wouldn’t be that weird and they’re usually smaller than dogs so they can easily slip in and out of places. They’re also sprinters so Desmond has a high chance of getting away.

Now.

The funny thing would be if Desmond is just a pure white cat for all three of his reincarnation. If you want to screw Desmond up a bit more, his right front paw is either black or is completely furless.

The only thing that would differentiate them is the collar.

Altaïr’s Desmond has a plain red ribbon that came from Altaïr’s sash.

Ezio’s Desmond has one of Claudia’s old ribbons with lace at the end and a small bell (that Desmond doesn’t like because it makes stealthing harder than it should be).

Ratonhnhaké:ton’s Desmond has a plain leather collar that Ratonhnhaké:ton had hunted and made himself.

[citrus-cactus]

There are NOT!!!!! enough posts on this webbed site talking about Antiope and Alesand. FRIENDSHIP OF THE MILLENNIUM, I am LIVING!!!!!!!!

Dark Ages issues 5 and 6 highlights (plus some very narrowly-focused musings and speculation) under the cut.

I did NOT expect two new characters (who are really only fleshed out in the last three issues) to be my favorite part of this miniseries, but here we are. This series scratched a very specific itch I’ve always had about Gargoyles regarding the “on-screen” relationships between female characters, and between these two kiddos and Sacrifice’s mentorship of Desdemona, we FINALLY made some headway into where I always wanted to be!

First of all, SHE GOT TO FLY FOR REAL!!! Congrats, Alesand, you did it. You’re living 10yo Citrus’s ultimate fantasy and I’m SO INCREDIBLY HAPPY FOR YOU! Out there living the 10th century dream, fr fr 💛💛💛

Antiope’s FACE!! Sorry, Brooklyn and Broadway, but you aren’t getting any credit apparently, bahahaha XD

Antiope always being the one to tell Alesand how to be careful in the cave (around a bunch of stuff Alesand doesn’t understand) and just generally looking out for her safety and well-being, with Alesand trusting and heeding her friend’s warnings without question 🥺 Plus, the way she tries to shield Alesand from the dragon’s view for just an instant longer with her wings to give Alesand as much of a head start as she can is such a fantastic detail 🥺🥺🥺

The way that both Brooklyn and Antiope remain (relatively) calm under pressure and are the ones to have the most common sense when trying to reason with Wyvern, plus them being the ones who shape the quintet’s exit strategy from the cave 🥺

“I swear I’ll let no harm come to, friend Alesand!” GIRL!!!!!!!!! 🥺💖😭💯

ANTIOPE IS QUICKEST TO SPEAK AND COVER THEIR TRACKS WHILE SPECIFICALLY LOOKING AT HER FRIEND, PLUS THAT LOOK IN THE LAST TWO PANELS, I’M!!!!!!!

The last speaking lines they have, second to last panel of the miniseries. I love Alesand’s exhuberance, it’s clearly not something that Antiope is used to. Their relationship dynamic is gold, A+ no notes.

~~~

Ok, so Watsonian speculation time! I know it’s foolish to hold out hope that the friendship between these two will last, as-is, until 994 (or beyond… hey, I can dream, can’t I?!?!!). Even if they were the same biological age at the time of the miniseries, this is just a snapshot in time for them, since they age at different rates (absolutely heartbreaking information that I’ve been keeping in the back of my brain this whole time, thanks I hate it). Even more heartbreaking is that we know what Robert will do, how disillusioned he is with the inhabitants of the castle by 994, and of the cracks and fissures in the human-human relationships and human-gargoyle alliance that began forming long before the day of the massacre. I have to think that Alesand’s death at some point before Episode 1 would be a huge catalyst, if not the primary motivation, for Robert’s betrayal of the castle, under the right circumstances. Assuming that is what happens, I would predict that the gargoyles do what they can to help/save her, which is why he really digs in to the “humans are not my kind” sentiment, but my latest hypothesis is that the sympathy(/lack thereof) he receives from either Prince Malcolm or Catherine/the Magus is such that the man he once was, the man who was so unwaveringly loyal to the crown, dies at the same time she does.

It’s even possible that the Archmage is directly/indirectly responsible for her death, and part of the reason he’s banished. Maybe Robbie wanted to execute him for his crimes, but Prince Malcolm refused? I don’t want that story to be told because I would be emotionally wrecked if true, but it also seems incredibly possible… not to mention a potential path for the villagers to arrive at the point where they call the gargoyles beasts and monsters to their faces. What better reason for open hatred, fear, and bigotry than the death of one of your own? :(

That, or Alesand and Antiope really do disappear to join the theater troupe Illuminati, and everyone just thinks they died. I would prefer that by a mile, but I won’t explicitly count on it (surprise me, Greg. Let them survive somehow, I double-dog dare you) ;)

~~~

A couple more wrap-up thoughts:

- I’m absolutely gobsmacked that Lex knows how to read already. Whom did he learn from?? I had previously assumed Demona was going to be the literacy vector for everyone in the clan who was interested in learning (since, iirc, word-of-God stated she taught Goliath) but clearly that’s not true! I still love that Alesand is going to learn from Lex, though. Did Brooklyn learn from him as well? 🤔

- I am absolutely not normal about widower Hudson. The last two-page spread stabbed me right in the heart.

- I feel like there’s a lot more to say about Verity, since her attitude was so very, very different from the stated origins of her clan, and none of the other gargoyles really even acknowledged Wyvern’s opinion of humans as they fended him off. Is “human problems become gargoyle problems” a philosophy that the clan had adopted decades before the alliance with Prince Malcolm that Verity was merely reminding Hudson of in Issue 1, or was it a belief that was primarily only held by herself, which became part of Hudson’s guiding principles as he was forced to carry on without her, and thus he made a conscious effort to make it part of the clan’s common culture only recently? What did “protecting the castle” mean to Hudson before there was an actual castle to protect? Their home along the cliffs? Wyvern’s cave? The rookery? Did he literally make up the saying “a gargoyle can no more stop protecting the castle than breathing the air” as the castle was being built? There are SO many little Wyvern-gargoyle-culture questions to chew on here. 🤔🤔🤔

- Looking back at the TV series, I find it interesting that Demona places such a significant amount of blame on Goliath’s leadership/philosophy specifically, when their clan throwing their lot in with humans was a decision made by Hudson during his leadership tenure. You’d think she’d have way, way more to say to him about that in hindsight… but maybe it’s yet another example of how incredibly short-sighted she can be.

[shockersalvage]

Salvage Showcase - Rei Shimizu

Killer Killer!!!

Where concepts and development kinda just...don't really happen XD

Here, while it might not be Halloween, I'd thought it'd be good to tackle another serial killer of the week in the form of the second one. Someone who I feel might be the second most popular of the Killers, behind Ted Chikatilo? However, probably not because of the most 'wholesome' or regular of reasons XD

It's the Parasitic Nurse - Rei Shimizu!

Summary

Rei Shimizu is a nurse working at Ongo Hospital - a hospital a bit infamous for its staff having quite a fetish concerning various anatomy of the body...

And Rei is no exception, since she herself has a fetish to! She's way into parasitology! But, the issues there, is that she's the sort to take her fantasies out on her patients and, well:

So Rei's deal is that she winds up implanting parasite eggs into her patients body, letting them incubate for about a year until they come on back to the hospital. When that happens, the patients, like poor Hana Niyama there, would be killed in an operation where Rei takes back the parasites while killing the patient with a stab to the heart. In addition to taking away various other body parts she needed. Of course, with her latest kill, it set off an investigation with Future Foundation's SCI unit.

Something that has her among the suspects, though she tries to hide her guilt under a facade of being a cute, caring, klutzy nurse. Initially, it seems as if Takumi Hijirihara is smitten by her - and he actually is!! However, he knows passionate killings when he sees one and confronts her about it in a hospital theatre. She tries to run into the woods, but he pursues her and gets her to confess her guilt & her obsession. He even ranks her 30 out of 100 (with her poor murder score being the only thing he can't love about her).

In addition, he is also able to guess that in addition to patients, she also had parasites in herself:

And he was right!! Rei's body is infested with parasites who fuse to become a gigantic monster that tries to kill Takumi. However, he is easily able to not only destroy the parasite, but kills Rei. For this version of Takumi's Super Kill Steal - basically his way of killing the serial killers is to one up them in their tricks - this time around he essentially unpersons Rei. No one is able to find her body or even really know she's dead, most don't know she's the true culprit, and the data of her records of involvement in the surgeries of her killings were erased.

This links back to DR's fashion of ironic deaths, Rei killed and stole parts of her patients as collateral for her own passion and, in turn, her SKS one-upped her by not only having Takumi kill her, but stealing away her entire body and records of her existence at Ongou Hospital - instead of just body parts like she aimed to. Alternatively, Rei's execution can also be read as 'she stole Takumi's heart, he one-ups it by stealing Rei entirely'.

Personality wise, Rei usually keep a facade of being a caring, if clumsy, nurse that just wants to look after her patients. However, this is just a ruse for people to not to suspect her. She's completely obsessed with parasitology to an insane degree and is utterly devoted to making and caring for her parasites - even if she has to murder innocent patients to make them.

Rundown

In Killer Killer's themes of Passion vs Shallowness, Rei's passion is clear as day - for her kink. In this case, she's pretty much a living representation of acting on unhealthy/harmful fantasies at the expense of others. Contrasting the other staff who, while having unusual tastes, still ensure it remains just fantasies and don't think to ever actually cause people harm. Alternatively, you can also take it as her having a Passion for her 'pets'. While there's nothing wrong with loving them, the fact that she's very clearly preferring mindless parasites to the lives of other human lives has her become unforgivable.

In terms of Shallowness, and connecting with her low score of 30/100, it's made clear that Takumi values the act of murder highly. He acknowledges Rei's passion for her parasites, but the fact she reduces the lives of those she kills as mere 'hotels' for her work has him disgusted with her actions. Likewise, she is higher ranked than Momichi and Eichiro who got 20, since Takumi acknowledges the passion she had for another being, but can't grade any higher since she had no regard for the human element of it. This makes her the 3rd highest ranked serial killer of the Killer Killer series, only behind Ted Chikatilo and Shuji Fujigawa.

Beyond that, Rei shares quite the heavy similarity to Mikan Tsumiki. Specifically, her Ultimate Despair self. Both are nurses that try to uphold an image of being innocent via acting klutzy and concerned for their patients. However, this covers up a darker side that is utterly devoted to a murderous & obsessive degree to the ones they love. This being Junko for Mikan and the parasites for Rei. Both even love parasitology, with Mikan showing it off in her Island Mode.

The difference between the two is also quite apparent. For what it's worth, while Mikan will kill for Junko, she's still doing in the memory of a person she genuinely loved (albeit a love that came about via insanity and manipulation from Junko herself & her DVideos, but still a love in a sense). In contrast, Rei's 'love' are just a bunch of parasites - loyal to her, yes, but it's no substitute for a human connection, even if warped. However, sadly for Mikan, in that same vein, the parasites Rei makes do reciprocate her love via being protective to their 'mother' and trying to defend her from attackers. Which is a step-up from Junko just...you know...treating Mikan like shit and not caring about the Remnants at all XD

Personal Thoughts

I like Rei for what it's worth. Compared to Momomichi's deal (getting this out the way, I don't like Momomichi at all) she's better in the motivation department since the chapter thoroughly expresses Ongou Hospital as being full of weirdos, so having one go rogue for their obsession didn't feel out of the blue and felt natural. Heck, if anything, a person going through such lengths for basically an animal at the cost of humanity is actually a pretty interesting concept for a serial killer....

My main issue though, is the parasites themselves since they represent an issue I have with Killer Killer as a whole: breaking the Danganronpa world for flashiness.

No explanation for how these parasites came to be or can become this fucking monstrosity. Even then, it's such a sttep shift from the sci-fi-ish/techno based preference this series thrives in that its jarring that this is now canon without fanfare or anything. It's just...a thing that's there for Takumi to dispatch quickly. Because in Killer Killer, who needs character development, proper exploration of themes or story concepts when you can just do flashy, worldbreaking fights without issue because rule of cool!~

(Please note, I'm the type of person that LOVES Kirigiriso and that work brought clones into the mix of Danganronpa's world - and made it work!! This manga chooses to ignore even trying on that front. And it's not as if it can't develop or flesh out concepts properly - i.e. Eichiro Saiyama's existence, it just chooses not to do so, ughhhh)

I genuinely think that if they kept the parasites more animal-based, no eyes/mouth, and no kaiju fusion - just wormish beings that Rei has infesting her to attack, then something like this would be a lot more tolerable. As it stands, its a thorn in a relatively decent villain of the week.

Also

I still don't know why they changed Rei's face in the initial release to the volume version XD I vastly prefer the first outlook (which matches more with Rei's questioning as to why Takumi was grading her by the way) since Rei's character in the initial release, among the other killers, was that her insanity wasn't mind-boggling over the top in expression, but a love that was completely distorted. Best shown with the contrast of her showing off her parasites, where the horror from her is seeing those disgusting things wriggling all about her as she's showing off in pride.Also, on that note, the parasites themselves were the 'over the top' facial expressions anyway, so having her also have on in the volume release also feels redundant.

Anyways, goodish character (who probably remembered for being attractive/the bizarreness of her parasites), just wish the one, aspect of her character was handled differently

-

And with this Killer Killer is once again done for the time being.

Thus, I can move on to another member of the obscure series of Danganronpa. Taking the place of Kirigiriso - since everyone from it has been covered - it'll be one of the two new characters in Makoto Naegi's Worst Day Ever:

Jutaro Akafaku!!

[legendoftheotherside]

Naruto fic recs pt 1

Yesterday, I found a document file containing a partial fic rec list that I made to share on Tumblr. That was back in 2022—lmao, I forgot about it. So, here are some fics that I liked (the rest will follow when I get time to write down the next list). Hopefully, this will help others find good reads and give authors more love.

Disclaimer: fics below aren't listed in any particular order + I didn't check grammar, I just wrote why I like something XD

Change Fills My Time by 100demons  https://archiveofourown.org/works/687192/chapters/1261512 

M; 73k; Gen; completed

Summary: Thirty year old Kakashi was supposed to have been killed by Pein during the Invasion. Instead, he wakes up in the body of his twenty year old self.

(It gets a lot more complicated.) 

Okay, so this is one of the most brilliant fics with time-traveling Kakashi I’ve ever read and this was probably my third time doing so, if not fourth. 

This fic is completed, has a clear plot, the writing is extremely well-executed in both style and tone, and has lots of twists. Although taking a darker turn than most fics of this kind (think of ao3 tags canon typical violence with a dash of character death), it’s the origin of the sort of famous Watanabe Textiles, and considering all I mentioned above, I wholeheartedly recommend it!

Of The Leaf by Temeritous https://archiveofourown.org/works/4795649/chapters/10975265

T; 41k; Gen; Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence; Complete, part of the series

Summary: [The king is dead; long live the king.]

A month before the Chuunin Exams are set to begin, the Hokage dies of a stroke. Danzo steps up as interim Hokage until the Council can vote in the Fifth, and then Kakashi has to start thinking about more drastic measures. Because what he knows, and what everyone else seems to have forgotten, is that natural causes have nothing to do with shinobi. 

Uff, I did read some fics with Danzo taking over Leaf after Sandaime dies (or he actively kills him himself) but I’ve never read this one. It’s very interestingly written and I wouldn’t have recommended it if I didn’t think so. This fic is part one of the series The Tale of Naruto Uzumaki https://archiveofourown.org/series/493657.

has the second installment: The Water Truce and I’ll just tell you: chef’s kiss!!

Nobody Expects The Shinobi Inquisition by Azremodehar https://archiveofourown.org/works/29282646/chapters/71908998

T; >200k; Gen; ongoing; Dragon age crossover

Summary: In an act of classic Uchiha Melodrama, Uchiha Shisui leaps to his death... only to be thwarted when he wakes up, chained up and in a dungeon, with a splitting pain in his left hand.

I’ve been playing Dragon Age longer than being a fan of Naruto, so color me impressed when I found this fic. The summary itself made me so freakin intrigued.

I love Shisui. He is a very fun character, a sort of blank slate to characterize in their own way for purposes of the plot, though I love that most of the authors use the most popular fanon characterization, putting their own spin on it, and this fic isn't exempt from that. 

In Nobody Expects The Shinobi Inquisition Shisui is kinda op but considering how hyped he was in the canon I can stand behind that. He’s also smart. A lot. I love when the MC is smart and Shisui doesn’t disappoint. He’s also a bit manipulative, but which shinobi isn’t? 

Having Shisui immersed into the main cast of the DA:Inquisition is definitely fun so following him sweeping through the game’s plot—sometimes silently just like true shinobi and sometimes in all the grace of a bull in a china shop just because he finds it fun—is something I wholeheartedly recommend. 

I can’t lie, I love this one so much.

Dance of the Dog God by Tartarun https://archiveofourown.org/works/28989696/chapters/71144721 

G (says that but it’s pretty dark and I would rate it M at least); 234k; Gen; incomplete - actively being published (more chapters on ff.net, but from what I understand the author had been publishing an edited version on ao3 up until mid 2022)

Summary: Kakashi loved Konoha a little less and his father a bit more. What happens next changes the face of history. However, Team 7's destiny years later is still wrapped with the silver-haired man's and an intricate dance begins. 

Dance of the Dog God could easily be considered an excellent psychological thriller. The author may have tagged it for general audiences, however, it’s the use of the Alternate Universe - Dark AO3 tag that should tell you a lot. It’s very, very dark while basically being AU where Kakashi defected, Rin lives, and Obito becomes Team 7's sensei and yet nothing is as it seems to be.

The author is a master at manipulating the reader with crumbs of information while building a greatly detailed world and keeping tensions and suspense high while having a very fast pace. 

It’s honestly one of the best-written fics out there. If you like a sort-of-like-grimdark atmosphere and are not afraid of some psychological horror, give it a shot. 

Time Flies Like An Arrow by Katlou303 https://archiveofourown.org/works/12668358/chapters/28877022 

Not rated (but imo T at the highest); 240k; Gen; complete (has sequel(s))

Summary: Sakura traveled back in time with the intent of changing everything, but something went wrong, and now she's four years old having nightmares about impossible monsters and losing friends she has yet to meet.

Time Flies Like An Arrow is an excellent time-travel fic with Sakura as an MC. Shisui becomes her friend and sort-of mentor, which made me really happy to read. But unlike most of the time-travel fics where the character travels to the past and immerses themselves with their younger counterpart, here the younger Sakura is mainly in charge while the time traveler shows herself through sharing memories. 

Hellbent by LuckySevenhttps://archiveofourown.org/works/25797892/chapters/62662261 

M; 200k; Multi pairing; Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence; ongoing

Summary: Orochimaru makes an adjustment in his sales pitch to Sasuke in the Forest of Death and everything changes as a result.

The Leaf is corrupt, Team Seven is disillusioned and Kakashi suddenly has to figure out how to keep three overpowered Genin safe on the run when the whole world wants to take a bite out of them.

A couple of steps to the side may take the path an entirely new direction, a few words chosen differently and the story may have an entirely new ending, and a small band of underestimated and untethered ninja who choose each other above anything else may shift the whole world on its axis.

Hellbent shoves the nail into the cogs of canon and executes it so beautifully; from well-written characterization to just plain old good writing, this fic has it all.

[your-local-uwu-artist]

update! finished season 4 time to start up season 5

I am glad to report that this season has brought peace to my inner 9 year old (who was upset about the treatment of snakes in season 1) further more just as I had gotten used to 'goodmadan' (thats what I dubbed him in my head) he is now gone :(

anyway: I am actually so proud of my wonderful son <3

I never updated my opinions on the cole-jay-nya thing. I actually ended up not minding it. the rivalry was very much a general rivalry not a love rivalry. I defintly got the vibe Cole just wanted to piss Jay off. which is good because if the writers actually tried to pull a heterosexual romance involving cole it would NOT have been believable. I also actually really liked the internal conflict it gave Nya.

I also LOVE LOVE L O V E D how they like: managed to adress Zane's death at the end of rebooted. the funeral scene was already a lot but I genuinely did not expect for it to have that much of an impact. I thought it would be a quick death fakeout you know? and then they go own to show the ways everyone is grieving and how that grief seperated the group and it's like 'wait this is actually sad as fuck wait what i might cry wait' XD

I think that one thing I posted about this show being really satisfactory as a viewer holds up a lot. I really appreciate how not only do we have these themes and full circles within a season but I also feel like the separation of the ninja at the beggining of the season called me all the way back to 'home'. (aside from being a super fucking relatable episode) I think that episode kinda like: really cemented the Ninja as a team. and my god LLOYD my son has grown sooo much <3 I feel like: so proud of him actually <333

Chen was a FUN villain. capital A Asshole, excellent theatrics. his design is FANTASTIC: the voice actor did a great job at bringing it all together. he was unhinged and evil and ethically fucked and morally even more fucked and an egotistical capitalist. he's MANIPULATIVE, manipulative as FUCK, honestly I think that's what made him a good villain, not his prowess, the way he fucking lives for the drama he causes. also I kind of got the impression that after being banished to the island he got a few screws loose. maybe that was just me but idk, I think it's the voice actors delivery of some lines and his evil laughter that gave me that vibe. like he's just not quite all there.

I think the stuff with the noodle factory prisoners was probably my favorite. I mentioned this but a while back I read a fanfic that had something comparable going on, but it was lot heavier in tone so in that fic the characters had to leave a lot of their fellow captives behind. I think the way how it was so 'all of us get out or none of us do' and that solidarity kinda like: was particularly nice to see with that fic on my mind, it healed the anguish left behind by that fic. also once again SO SATISFACTORY. when they finally executed their escape plan. dude I was fuckign cheering lets fucking gooooo

anyway I REALLY loved this season. also this is kinda silly but it's got me excited for when this one fanfic I am obsessed with tackles on this season. it's still on season 2 but I know the author has plans and I will gladly patiently reread this fic excessively while waiting for updates lmao

alrighty: time to go binge season 5: whenever I finish that I'll be sure to update you guys :3 Idk if anyone actually cares but talking to the void is fun anyway sooo

[katyspersonal]

On your Nanaya post, yeah, most of the people who say she's sinister or evil are on Twitter, usually people who share assets in game and speculate on lore. To them, literally everything Midra does is somehow because Nanaya is manipulating him to do it. Implications that he is studying the finger ruins? It's on her behalf, even though Midra is a sage. Sages are wise men who often dedicate themselves to the study of divinity and philosophy. It is very possible he created the three fingers, or encountered the three fingers and got himself into the situation he is in, while Nanaya was simply his wife who asked him to endure, possibly for her own selfish reasons. Selfish how? Well, once you become the Lord of Frenzied Flame, you are essentially dead and loose everything of yourself. If Midra fell to the flame, she would loose the man she loved forever. So she begged him to endure so she would not loose him. But no. She's clearly manipulating him or seducing him for nefarious reasons. There is no way she could just love him. They ignore so many context clues and just simple reasoning, such as how if she was a maiden to the frenzied flame, she would have been executed along with everyone else, but her death seems to be shockingly peaceful, slumped in a chair and visibly older looking that she is in her painting.

Anyway can you tell that it annoys me XD? i take some comfort knowing that Midra too would be annoyed if he could some how know people thought so little of her.

Heyyyyy Hello! (The post in question is this ( x ) ask reply) I also have a strong preference for Nanaya being a loving wife and just a reasonable person! Both might have studied the Fingers, or just Midra, and all these people in the Manse have a VERY strong vibe of "having messed with the knowledge not meant for humans"! +For the people who doesn't know what we're talking about, there are traces of stone Fingers like in the ruins all over the Manse under these rugs:

(From this ( x ) post on Reddit, thank you so much dataminers)

Even that aside, the burnt masses of books and records contained the knowledge about the Frenzied Flame now:

I think studying the Finger Ruins suggested they already had a hunch on the Metyr's edgy kid known as Three Fingers and perhaps thought it was a good idea! After all, Frenzied Flame promises freedom from all suffering, all sins and all afflictions. Midra and his associates have been suffering by being hunted by Hornsent Inquisitors as "heretics", and I think those circumstances predated the discovery of FF! (the ghost asks what DID Midra do wrong which would not be the case if they knew why; flowers on the painting of 'healthy' Midra Manse are the same as in Shaman's Village)

So, them seeking the power that supposedly would've brought world's peace and end their suffering particularly too is just... it sooo writes itself fdhfhsd I can't really accuse people that think Nanaya was the one to push him for that idea from the start or anything of course. I just feel like the implication that she went blind and then died cradling someone who fell victim of Frenzied Flame (was stillborn like this, tried to become a Lord but burnt too fast, whatever it is) supposed to show grief and tragedy! Especially with them choosing to draw her with a hand on her stomach:

I can't really tell people "don't have evil scheming woman because her spiralling from loss works better" XD But as for me asking 'hey why developers chose to pit this detail?' is very helpful for the ideas that work naturally! I've just lost my courage after 'Miquella bewitched Mohg' take became canon let me be sdfhfhsdsd.

I think either she knew Lord of Frenzied Flame was a bad idea and Midra did a lot of acting behind her back, they both willingly pursued this knowledge but it only became clear when they've faced the dire consequences (like losing their son for example), or a bit of both like her having been trying to ground him peacefully but him always doing the "don't worry dear I got it". (He did NOT "get it" fsdhdshf) She still needed to know what was going on in her own mansion to some capacity, but simply telling him 'Endure' when Inquisitors stabbed him has some coldness to it, and she still has her head, unlike these guys:

Why not suggest that she did love him, but maybe of course she was pretty darn cold if his recklessness cost them their child? Not to mention the stakes of infecting the WHOLE world with Frenzied Flame! It is fair to love someone but get mad at them when something so drastic happens! And Midra himself understood it was all a bad idea because he screams at us to not come any closer for our own sake and expresses remorse before Nanaya when he gives up! If anyone knew when it was the time to declare the pursuit too dangerous and turn back it had to be Nanaya, but he didn't listen and that mistake was unforgiveable. Yes, she failed to be Tanith in this situation hdhfdsh But this is the point: different reactions from different characters!

I did notice this trend in general, that the side of the fandom that mines models and code tends to lack the feelings in their interpretations. Of course I love and respect logical approach and fumbling with the exact details as an autist! But Fromsoft's stories are not just about it. They're also about feels.. the tragedy. Love that ended because of tragic events as well as messing with the knowledge humans should not touch are some things they add everywhere! Both looking for the 'vibe' and focusing solely on 'details' are slippery slopes with Soulsborne lore. You need both "read air" and apply logic to come up with the most compelling takes. Because Soulsborne games are not JUST subtextes that some toxic person can swing around on "media literacy" flex, nor they are JUST fine details that should be taken in the worst "can't see the forest behind the trees" fashion. haha.... forest... fdhsd ANYWAYS, they're both!

..yeah so, I have strong opinions too! Midra not willing to take the slender of his beloved wife is a surprisingly comforting idea XD

[commenter2]

Hazbin Hotel season 2 episode ideas

Though season 1 of Hazbin Hotel ended a while ago, it’s been made clear since the announcement date of season 1 that season 2 of Hazbin Hotel is already in production and could come out earlier then we think. 

Sure Vivzie will likely want to wrap up on Helluva Boss season 2 now, but I could still see HH season 2 coming out around late 2025/early 2026. Hopefully all the success the first season of Hazbin Hotel brought convinces the people at A24 and Amazon to give VIvzie and the others more funding to make more episodes for season 2 and/or get the next season out sooner.

Only time will tell, but till there here are a few ideas for episodes that I could see happening in Hazbin Hotel season 2 in no particular order.

Trial S2x01: Lute vs. Hazbin Hotel- A possible idea for the season 2 premiere. We find out that ever since Lute became in charge of the Exorcist and is still angry at Charlie and co., Lute has been threatening to use the Exorcist army to attack Hell more often than just once a year, or put the Exorcist army on strike, unless Heaven punishes Charlie and her friends for the murder of Adam. Heaven in a combination of fearing of what could happen if Lute does anything like this, and that Adam’s death was indeed a shock, does decide to at least hold a trial to assemble the whole story of what happened and if someone is possibly responsible and should be punished. Things get intense when Lute negotiates a deal where if she wins this trial, she wants Niffty to be executed since she was the one who killed Adam.

This could be a good way to recap the events of last season as Heaven could use their version of the MMPR viewing globe to show events of the past AKA clips. To not make it a full clip show, I could see the episode review the events through the eyes of certain characters where we see the events shown in certain ways like Charlie has a lot of things look very happy, Husk see’s everything in a Noir setting, and Angel has all the male characters be very sexy before Heaven tells him to stop XD. We also could have segments where the angels give some of the backstory of several characters when they were human like Angel Dust, Niffty, and Husk. Sadly no Alastor as that deserves its own episode.

There is also the possibility of Charlie and the gang find out what happened to Sir Pentious while there, or not which could lead to plot of a future episode but more on that later.

In the end Heaven finds Charlie and co. not guilty cause they were technically in their rights to defend themselves, BUT Niffty is forced to go to court ordered therapy. Lute is furious at this decision and it is made worse when while out of the court she overhears that some angels/winners are glad/don’t mind that Adam is gone. This drives Lute insane and secretly vows to destroy Charlie’s hotel, the forces of Hell, and the “traitors”, in Heaven. This could lead to something related to the Lilith Imposter theory or hint at a future threat to the series, as someone tricks Lute into allying with it. Charlie and the Hazbin crew happily return to the hotel thankful that nothing big happened to them until they see Lucifer there with Lilith, surprising them especially Charlie.

Grand Reopening- Another possible choice for the season 2 premiere. I talked a little bit about this in my review of season 1 finale, but I could the first episode of season 2 starting with a bit of a recap of the events of season 1 told by Katie Killjoy and Tom Trench, where through them we also find out what has happened to everyone and Hell/Heaven since the season 1 finale.  It could then cut to Charlie and the others going back to the season 1 problem of trying to recruit more guest for the Hotel and depending on if they know about Sir Pentious’ fate, how they can redeem a sinner.  After shenanigans and problems, like now people don’t want to be associated with the people the Exorcist hate or poking at Charlie at still not knowing how to redeem sinners (again if she doesn’t know about Pentious), they do recruit a few more people like Mimzy, Baxter, and that Cryimini character to name a few possibilities which makes Charlie happy but then the episode ends on a cliffhanger with Lilith appearing to say hello to Charlie, much to her and all the S1 character’s shock.

If it isn’t the season premiere, then I still see it being about Charlie and the gang having another attempt to try to get some residents in the redemption program, but the same problems from the previous paragraph still happen and maybe Lilith’s new presence there makes things awkward until she tells Charlie about something (maybe the story of Dante’s Purgatorio) that helps her in a way. It also could hint at something being up with “Lilith”. 

Party Time- To celebrate Lilith’s return, the Morningstars hold a party to welcome her back. While happy to see her mom back, Charlie also thinks this would be a good chance to get some news clients for her hotel and to get people in Hell to help support her dream, but sadly her plans are put on hold when the Von Eldritch family arrive. 

For the rest of the episode we see various characters deal with the family members like Charlie dealing with her rival Helsa, Seviathan bothering/annoying both Charlie and Vaggie by bringing up how he and Charlie dated in the past, Angel clashing with Bethesda while Niffty wants to learn from her, and Fredrick talking to Husk and Alastor about business ideas, deals, and “deals”.

Pentious’ Paradiso- A Sir Pentious centered episode where we see him handle his new life in Heaven and being shown around by Emily like the poem the episode’s title is referencing. An episode like this is another chance to learn more unique things about Heaven and how it works, as well as be introduced to/foreshadow more angels and angelic characters that can appear later like archangel Michael and Jesus Christ.

If Charlie doesn’t know that Sir Pentious is in Heaven, then the main story for this episode would be how Sera has, until further noticed, forbidden Pentious and Emily from informing Charlie that he is there. They of course don’t like this as they think she is trying to stop Charlie’s plan, as I can imagine there being people in Heaven fighting against Charlie’s redemption program at this point, so they decide to go against the order and try to contact Charlie to confirm that redemption is possible for sinners. They eventually succeed (Helluva Boss did show us that Hell can receive video from Heaven) but of course get caught afterwards, where Emily takes the blame. The episode could end in 2 ways with Emily instantly becoming a fallen angel, or it’s another step to her facing such a eventually fate. I prefer the second option as her becoming a fallen angel should happen dramatically and after doing something really big like maybe cursing in front of someone XD.

A Day in the Garden- This is a prequel episode that would showing us how Lucifer met Lilith, the day they gave the apple to Eve and Adam, and Lucifer and Lilith being banished to Hell. It’s a fun episode that could give us more info on how things came to be, and maybe foreshadow things to come later in the season or series like something related to the Lilith Imposter theory I’ve been talking about.

Field Trip- During another debate between Charlie and Heaven about how a soul is truly judged, someone brings up the idea if Earth could somehow have a factor in it. After both sides take interest in seeing if it does Charlie, Emily, and a few other characters are allowed to visit Earth to do some research. This would be a fun episode as we could see how both react to Earth, as it was implied that Charlie likely never went to Earth, or not as much.

Such an episode could also have references to Helluva Boss, like seeing Blitzo and co. in the background or maybe Charlie and co. find Cletus and his other banished Cherubs there and try to get them to help with the redemption process. Not to mention it would be a good excuse to see the human disguises for characters.

End of Act 1- The season 2 finale. I’m calling it this cause I’m personally hoping for Hazbin Hotel to have at least 4 to 5 seasons, I mean if Helluva Boss is getting 4 then so should Hazbin Hotel. It’s also a callback to how the title of the S1 premiere is a reference to how a play/musical starts and how the finale didn’t end with such a title as this.

Some things I can see happening here is that Alastor calls in his favor to Charlie and this causes Lilith to do something that along with spelling out bad news later on in the series, finally reveals that she has been an Imposter for most of the season as if the Imposter Lilith theory does turn out to be true, it would get old wonder if the character was really her or not.

Maybe said Imposter gets destroyed, only for an eviler threat to be hinted at for the next season.

That is all I can think of right now, but I’m sure there are other ideas for what could happen next season like the eventual Vox confronting Alastor, Angel getting free for Valentino and seeing the moth pimp try to get him back, and an episode about the other Overlords like Zilla and Zestial.

Do you want to see any of these episodes happen in season 2? What could you see happening?