#Battlefield stuff. like that is A Thing) he makes it about caesar and also is veryyyyyyyyy uninterested ig? in antony

[catilinas]

lucan, pharsalia 7.786-95 trans. a.s. kline

cicero, philippics 2.59 + 71 trans. w.c.a. ker

[differentpostrebel]

Lost and Found: A Pirate's Promise

The first gif, is cause its the standoff, and also Caesar with the heart eyes for Joker, and the second gif because I cant find a gif of them running. Dressrosa really do be bringing out the passion and action.

Chapter 26: Doflamingo’s Deadly Game

A/N: We are back with another chapter! I truly cant wait for you guys to read this one, Chapter 27 is done and Im currently working on chapter 28. Thank you guys so much for liking, commenting, reblogging, and interacting!. I also have a special chapter cooking for Sabo and Y/N and what went down during those two years... We have some good stuff coming up, also dont forget to like chapter 25 also! And without further a do lets get to it and let the adventure begin!

Word Count: 5.1K 

Sanji x Reader, Sanji x Y/N, One piece x Reader 

Laws POV… 

Doflamingo laughed softly, his voice dripping with mockery. “Better hurry, Law. She won’t last much longer.”

We stood locked in a three-way standoff: Admiral Fujitora and his men on one side, Doflamingo opposite me, and Caesar still pathetically at my side. The air was thick with tension, a clash waiting to erupt. Caesar turned, frantic as ever, babbling in a desperate plea.

"Joker! Make him pay for this! And also the prin—"

Without hesitation, I grabbed him by the scarf, choking off his words as I dragged him closer. “The deal’s off, Doflamingo!” My voice was sharp, resolute. There was no going back now.

Doflamingo’s menacing laugh echoed through the battlefield. “I haven’t seen you in ten years, Law. Show your old boss some respect.” His grin widened, dark and unforgiving. “As for Caesar, you know how valuable he is to me. I need him back.”

“Ohh, Joker, you do care!” Caesar swooned beside me, completely missing the gravity of the situation.

One of the Marines spoke up, eyes shifting between the parties. “Admiral, it appears Law brought in Caesar Clown for a trade-off.”

Fujitora nodded, the weight of his presence almost palpable. “Ah, yes. The scientist responsible for that poison gas. A tricky situation... If he works for one of the Seven Warlords, he might be granted amnesty.” His brow furrowed as he weighed the situation. “This is delicate.”

Doflamingo chuckled, his voice cutting through the air like a knife. “They say you and Ryokugyu are forces to be reckoned with on the battlefield.”

“Sir, you flatter me,” Fujitora responded, calm but wary.

“Cut the crap. I don’t need praises,” Doflamingo spat, growing impatient. His smile twisted into something more sinister. 

“I’m having a little trouble unraveling the situation here, but it seems to me that as a Warlord, you’re doing things that go beyond your authority... like this fellow over here calling you Joker.”

Fujitora’s voice remained steady, though there was a hint of warning beneath it. 

“If you’re really trying to take me down, be ready to dirty your hands. It’ll take a mountain of evidence. Now... what do you plan to do about Law?” 

Doflamingo’s eyes glinted with dangerous intent as he turned his gaze back to me. His laughter stopped, and the battlefield grew even colder in his silence. “If you’re referring to the news about your alliance with the Straw Hats, then yes, he’s guilty.” Fujitora’s voice was calm but firm, the weight of his words unmistakable. “So tell me, Law—is he simply your subordinate, or an ally? The answer will determine whether you both are guilty. If so, that means we’ll arrest you... and the Straw Hats.”

“What kind of excuse is that?!” Caesar shrieked, his voice trembling. “So all he has to do is lie, and he’s scot-free?”

My mind raced. Damn it. My plan had completely fallen apart. The Navy was here, and now I was the target. I glanced around, feeling the weight of every decision. I can’t let the team in Dressrosa get caught up in this. If I lie, it’ll only make things worse. I have to make a stand, here and now.

I took a deep breath and shouted, “It’s true! The Straw Hats aren’t working under me. We’re equals in this alliance!”

“You just have to make things more difficult, don’t you, Law?” Doflamingo’s laugh rang out, filled with cruel amusement. “Well then, it’s settled. You’re guilty. But that won’t be the only thing making headlines tomorrow.”

Fujitora’s face remained unreadable, but the air around him shifted. Suddenly, an immense pressure bore down on us, the ground beneath us trembling. “Consider this your sentence,” Fujitora said calmly as the sky darkened. From above, a massive meteor hurtled toward us.

The Marines scattered in panic, and Caesar scrambled for cover, but I stood my ground. “Room!” I yelled, extending my hand. The space around me warped as I sliced the meteor in half, the debris crashing harmlessly around us. When the dust settled, all three of us stood in our original spots, a deep crack running through the battlefield like a scar.

“Even a blind man couldn’t miss that,” I muttered, still catching my breath.

“Ah, pardon me,” Fujitora said with a calm smile. “Just a small test.”

My heart pounded, but there was no room for hesitation. Fujitora continued, “Now, Law... you’re a criminal, which means I’ll have to arrest you.”

Doflamingo's grin widened as he watched the chaos unfold. “What now, Law? You’re not going to run, are you? You won’t get far in my kingdom.”

I gritted my teeth, my mind scrambling for a solution. I’ve got to think of something—fast.

Sanji POV… 

The streets of Dressrosa were a blur as I raced forward, the pounding of my heart drowning out everything else. Violet was right behind me, her soft footsteps barely audible over the chaos. But even with her so close, my mind was elsewhere—on Y/N. I couldn’t stop picturing her trapped in Doflamingo’s web, and it was driving me crazy. Every second I wasn’t with her felt like a second too long.

With shaky hands, I grabbed my transponder snail and frantically dialed. “Franky,” I called out the moment he picked up, my voice tight with urgency. “Where’s Y/N? Have you seen her?”

Franky’s voice came through, calm but direct. “I’m heading to the flower field.”

I stopped dead in my tracks, confusion mixing with my frustration. “The flower field? Why there of all places?”

Franky’s tone sharpened, clearly not in the mood for my questions. “And where the hell have you been, huh?”

I hesitated, casting a quick glance at Violet, her presence reminding me why I’d been gone. “I was… falling in love,” I admitted, my voice barely a whisper. Violet smiled at me, her eyes filled with a quiet understanding that almost made me forget the urgency of the moment. Almost.

But Franky’s laughter brought me crashing back. “Ah, so you’ve moved on, huh? Guess Y/N’s not on your mind anymore? I’ll be sure to let the others know there's less of a competition now!”

His words hit harder than I expected, and I could feel my chest tighten. Even with Violet by my side, Y/N was still there, lingering in my thoughts. No matter what Franky thought, I hadn’t forgotten about her. I couldn’t. Not with the danger she was in.

“Franky, cut the crap,” I snapped, my voice cold. “We’ve got bigger things to deal with. Just tell me if you’ve seen Y/N.”

“Honestly, I haven’t since we separated,” Franky admitted.

“Crap, we need to find her and fast!” My mind raced with the possibilities of what Doflamingo could be planning. Franky continued, “By the way, I also know where the factory is, but it won’t be easy. There’s a whole thing about it.”

“We’ll be lucky if we even make it out alive,” I muttered under my breath, frustration and urgency mixing together.

“Yeah, I’ve heard about Doflamingo’s plan,” Franky replied. “We walked right into that trap. But just because we’re in deep now doesn’t mean we can’t salvage the operation. I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve. We can still do some serious damage.”

"Alright," I said, trying to focus, “just meet me at the flower field, and we’ll work things out.”

Franky chuckled, “What the hell is that place? Sounds like something out of a fairy tale!”

I couldn’t help the irritation creeping into my voice. "By the way, I’m worried about Y/N. With Doflamingo’s plan, things are getting worse. And I’m also worried about Nami!”

Franky’s voice softened a bit. “Don’t worry, Y/N’s tough as nails. And so is Nami. They’ll be fine, Sanji. You’ve got to have some faith. We just need to find Y/N before Doflamingo does. As for Nami, she’s got Brook and monster Chopper watching her back.”

I opened my mouth to respond when a commotion broke out around us. A crowd had gathered, watching something on a large screen. I glanced over and froze. “Hey! What’s going on there?” I spotted Luffy on the screen, inside the Coliseum, fighting.

“Franky, why the hell is Luffy fighting?!” I demanded, my frustration spiking again.

“Oh, yeah,” Franky said, as if just remembering. “He’s fighting in some big tournament. I forgot to mention it.”

I groaned, running a hand through my hair. “Why the hell did you leave him alone? You know damn well he can’t be trusted on his own!”

Franky didn’t miss a beat. “Hey, you’re one to talk. You lost Zoro and Y/N!”

I clenched my fists, frustrated, but Franky wasn’t wrong. Violet, standing close to me, tensed. Her eyes darted around as if sensing danger before she spoke. "Blackleg, I have to leave. My men have found me. You and your crew are focused on getting to the factory—here, take this." She quickly handed me a folded piece of paper. “It’s disguised as a toy factory.”

I grabbed the map, my heart pounding. "No, you can’t go! If you’ve helped me this far, there’s no turning back!" I protested, desperation creeping into my voice. The thought of her walking away now—after everything—was unbearable.

“It’s too late for me,” she said quietly, her voice carrying a weight of resignation. “The executives already know I’ve betrayed the family. I’m doomed.”

“Violet, wait!” I reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder. “The western gate—meet me there and stay hidden. That’s where our crew’s rendezvous point is. I swear, I’ll get you out. No matter the cost.”

She looked at me, her eyes softening, filled with both care and sorrow. There was something deeper in that gaze, something that made my chest tighten. “Hopeless... you’re just hopeless,” she said with a small laugh, a blush creeping across her cheeks.

My heart raced, my mind split between saving her and focusing on the mission. But just as the tension hung in the air, a familiar voice shattered the moment.

“Pardon me, sir, but please fight! Don’t be hopeless!” It was Kinemon, and he was standing right in front of me, completely oblivious to the mood.

I groaned, my hand dropping from Violet’s shoulder. "Way to kill the mood, Kinemon. When did you even get here?"

Violet was already starting to slip away, her urgency returning. “Violet, wait!” I shouted, but Kinemon stepped in front of me again, blocking my path.

“Fight those men!” Kinemon pointed toward a group of thugs trailing behind him, completely unaware of the delicate situation he was interrupting.

“Really, Kinemon?” I muttered, exasperated. With a swift spin, I kicked the nearest thug square in the face, sending him flying. One by one, the rest followed, collapsing like dominoes. After a few seconds, it was over. I took a drag of my cigarette, feeling the familiar burn in my chest. “They’re just thugs, Kinemon. Why the hell did you need me for this?”

Kinemon straightened, brushing off his robes as if he had just finished an important task. “I was informed that the toy factory is holding my dear friend, Kanjuro,” he said gravely, his face lined with worry.

I raised an eyebrow, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "Oh, is that so?"

Kinemon’s eyes widened, desperation creeping into his voice. “Do you know the way?”

I couldn’t help but smirk, pulling out the small piece of paper Violet had handed me earlier. “Sure, you’ve got it,” I said, unfolding the map in front of him

Y/N POV…

"Alright, I think I lost them," I muttered to myself, finally stopping after what felt like hours of running. My heart pounded in my chest as I bent over, placing my hands on my knees to catch my breath. My muscles ached, and I was heaving like I’d just finished a marathon.

"When we get out of this," I breathed heavily, “I’m definitely gonna work on my cardio, because… man, I’m out of shape.” I chuckled to myself between gasps for air. "Then again, I was injured for the most part, so maybe this counts as my workout."

My eyes landed on a bottle of water, abandoned on the side of the street. It was probably someone’s, but I didn’t care. I snatched it up, unscrewed the cap, and gulped down the cold water. “I needed that,” I sighed, wiping my mouth.

Suddenly, a loud voice echoed from the nearby broadcast. "The crowd is going crazy, folks! Lucy is destroying the competition… in pursuit of the Flame-Flame Fruit!"

My heart nearly stopped. "Lucy?" I straightened up, my mind racing. "Flame-Flame Fruit?" My eyes darted to the transponder snail broadcast, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. "But that’s… Ace’s fruit. How did—"

My breath caught as the camera panned to the fighter in the arena. It was Luffy—no, Lucy—fighting like his life depended on it.

"Luffy?!" I whispered, eyes wide with shock. "What the hell is going on?!"

The crowd around me was roaring, cheering for "Lucy." It all made sense now. Luffy was after Ace’s fruit. My stomach twisted with a mix of emotions—relief, worry, and confusion. But more than anything, I knew I had to get to him.

“I gotta get there, and quick,” I murmured under my breath, already gearing up to run again. I glanced to my far left and spotted the massive structure of the Coliseum in the distance.

"I’m close!" I whispered to myself, my legs already moving. The pain in my body didn’t matter now. All that mattered was getting to Luffy before anything went wrong. “Hang on, Luffy, I’m coming!”

With renewed determination, I pushed through the streets of Dressrosa, weaving past the citizens and sprinting toward the Coliseum. My mind raced just as fast as my feet, every step bringing me closer to whatever chaos awaited inside.

Law POV.. 

“Room!” I yelled, slicing through the second meteor Fujitora had just sent crashing down. My heart pounded in my chest, but I kept my focus sharp.

“Strength truly admirable for a warlord,” Fujitora said, his tone calm but unwavering.

Before I could respond, I heard Doflamingo’s chilling voice cut through the air. “Don’t interfere, he’s mine to kill, and mine alone,” he declared, launching a barrage of string bullets. One of them grazed my left cheek, drawing blood.

“Damn it,” I hissed, my mind racing. I couldn’t afford to get bogged down here, not with Y/N still in danger. I leaped away from my position, darting into the dense forest, hoping to gain some distance. But Doflamingo wasn’t far behind, his maniacal laugh echoing through the trees.

“You’re not getting away that easily, Law!” Doflamingo taunted, his strings slicing through the air as he pursued me. “Stop playing me for a fool! All this running around… it’s just to buy yourself some time!”

I gritted my teeth, pushing forward, trying to ignore the growing dread in my gut. I have to keep stalling. There’s no other option.

Doflamingo’s voice cut through my thoughts again, more venomous this time. “I will soon have her, Law. You can’t protect her forever.”

“Y/N...” The sound of her name made my blood run cold, and my eyes widened with fear. I had to keep him occupied. If he got to Y/N—no, I couldn’t let that happen. I had to keep moving, keep stalling. My only hope was to delay him long enough for the others to handle the situation.

But just as I thought I might create some distance, I skidded to a halt. Fujitora now stood in front of me, his immense presence blocking my path. My heart sank. And as I glanced behind me, Doflamingo emerged from the shadows of the forest, cutting off any chance of escape.

“Come on, did you really think I was going to let you have it your way?” Doflamingo sneered, his voice laced with malice.

“Damn it,” I muttered, my mind scrambling for a plan. I was trapped between two titans—Fujitora in front, Doflamingo behind.

Sanji POV… 

Kinemon and I made our way toward the flower field, hoping to meet up with Franky so we could make our next move on the toy factory. My mind, however, was racing with concern for Y/N, who was still unaccounted for.

“Folks, we are down to two competitors for this round!” shouted the announcer over the video transponder snail. Kinemon and I paused for a second, looking at the broadcast. My eyes widened in disbelief.

“Luffy? Sir Luffy is there?!”

I clenched my fists, a mixture of frustration and worry bubbling to the surface. “Can’t he stay out of trouble for once?”

Kinemon, oblivious to my rising temper, waved his sword in the air. “I say we go to the toy house, rescue Kanjuro, and deal with this situation after!”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to rein in my frustration. “I’d love to, but we have two major problems. One, we don’t know where Y/N is, and two, there are Marines everywhere,” I said, gesturing toward the streets swarming with navy personnel. “It looks like they’re trying to surround the Colosseum.”

“To no end,” Kinemon added, tightening his grip on his sword.

I nodded, scanning the area. “It seems like a lot of pirates and criminals entered the tournament. The Marines are just waiting to scoop them up as soon as they step out of the arena.”

“Y/N... where are you?” I muttered under my breath, the anxiety gnawing at me. I couldn’t help but think the worst. Every second that passed without finding her made the knot in my stomach tighten.

“Well, a society can only operate properly if criminals are apprehended,” Kinemon said with a straight face, completely missing the gravity of the situation.

I didn’t hesitate to smack the back of his head. “Do you even realize you’re working with pirates right now? And one of them is standing right here!”

He blinked a few times, rubbing the spot where I hit him. “Ah, yes. My apologies.”

I sighed. “We’ve got to figure out a way to warn Luffy without drawing attention to ourselves. But the entrance to the Colosseum is heavily guarded, and there’s no way around.”

As we scouted the area, my eyes landed on a group of Marines stationed near the gate. Among them stood a towering figure—a Navy Vice Admiral, waiting outside the Colosseum.

 Law POV… 

“Run as much as you like, you’re just delaying the inevitable,” Doflamingo taunted, his voice dripping with malice as he pursued me relentlessly. His confidence was almost maddening, each step echoing with the promise of impending doom.

Fujitora wasn’t far behind either, his presence a looming threat as he prepared another assault. With a sudden motion, Fujitora commanded the ground to rise up and attack, sending debris flying at me. I barely managed to keep my footing, my landing almost causing me to trip.

Desperation clawed at me as I fumbled for my transponder snail, trying to reach Nami. “Come on, come on, pick up!” I pleaded, my voice tinged with urgency.

“Nami, what happened?!” I shouted into the transponder, but there was no response. Panic surged through me as Fujitora launched a third attack, his Meteor technique crashing down towards me. I tried to dodge, but the sheer force of the blast hit me with brutal impact, sending me sprawling.

“No mercy for the wicked,” Doflamingo’s laugh echoed ominously through the chaos. It felt like the world was closing in on me, each second dragging out with unbearable tension. I clutched the transponder snail tightly, desperately hoping for an answer.

The transponder snail continued to ring, each unanswered call heightening my frustration. “What are you waiting for, Nami? You were attacked, weren’t you?!” I shouted into the device, my voice cracking with desperation.

Another meteor descended, its fiery trail lighting up the sky as it hurtled toward me. The explosion was deafening, the shockwave nearly throwing me off balance. I barely managed to dodge the blast, rolling out of the way just in time. My body was heavy with exhaustion, each breath coming in ragged gasps as I tried to stay one step ahead of Fujitora’s relentless attacks and Doflamingo’s mocking taunts.

Y/N POV… 

"Sir, there are no signs of any pirates or criminals in the streets," I heard a Marine's voice echo from nearby as I crouched, hidden in a shadowy back alley. My heart raced as I kept as still as possible.

"Alright, come back to the Colosseum. We may need backup just in case," the voice of a Navy Vice Admiral responded.

I let out a slow breath as the Marines moved away, leaving the streets quieter, at least for now. Finally, I allowed myself to relax enough to make a sound.

"I need to think of a plan," I muttered under my breath. But first, I had to get rid of this disguise Kinemon had put me in. It had helped me stay hidden, but now it was more of a liability. The Marines, along with the men who had been chasing me, were probably out looking for me. I couldn’t afford to stay in one place for too long.

As I was about to stand, someone grabbed my shoulder, pulling me back down. I hit the ground with a loud thud.

"And just where do you think you're going?" one of the men sneered, his laughter making my skin crawl. “The boss is going to be pleased about this.” said the other man.

Crap. They found me.

I clenched my right hand, preparing to throw a punch and send them flying, but before I could strike, a familiar figure appeared, already handling the situation.

"Now, now, why don’t we let the girl leave?" a smooth, calm voice spoke. "Besides, you're not going to lay a single hand on her."

In swift, precise movements, Sabo took out all three men with ease, knocking them down one by one until they were left sprawled out on the ground, unconscious or close to it. He hadn’t even broken a sweat.

“Sabo?” I whispered, relief flooding through me as I stood and walked toward him, my heart pounding for a different reason now. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around him in a grateful hug. "You always know how to show up just in time."

He chuckled softly, his hand resting on my back. “What can I say? I like being there when a beautiful woman needs rescuing.”

I pulled back slightly, smirking up at him. "Oh? So you’ve made it a habit of saving me, huh?"

He gave me that familiar cocky grin, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Well, what can I say? It's one of my favorite pastimes. Besides, you seem to find yourself in these situations often. Lucky for you, I don’t mind being your knight in shining armor."

I rolled my eyes playfully, but I couldn’t hide the smile tugging at my lips. “If you keep this up, I might start to think you’re following me around on purpose.”

Sabo leaned in slightly, his voice lowering, teasing. "Maybe I am. You make it worth the chase, after all." 

I was about to close the gap between us, the tension thick with unspoken words, when a groan interrupted the moment.

“Ugh... what happened…” one of the thugs muttered as he slowly regained consciousness.

Sabo sighed dramatically, rolling his eyes. “Way to kill the mood,” he muttered under his breath. I smirked, crouching down to meet the thug's groggy gaze, grabbing him by the collar.

"Hello there," I said sweetly, my voice carrying a dangerous undertone. "You and I are going to have a little chat," I added, tightening my grip slightly as the thug’s face drained of color.

Minutes later, Sabo had tied up the last of the thugs while I took the opportunity to change into one of the outfits I “borrowed” from one of the sellers here in Dressrosa—an off-the-shoulder white mesh cami and a black mini skirt. When I stepped back, I caught Sabo looking at me, his gaze trailing slowly from my feet to my face. He let out a low whistle, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Well, well, well,” he said, grinning as his gaze lingered a bit too long. “You’ve certainly outdone yourself, haven’t you?”

I felt a blush creeping up my neck but tried to stay composed. “Oh, this thing?” I said with a mischievous smile. “Just something I borrowed from a seller. Figured I’d spice things up a bit.”

Sabo’s eyes sparkled with amusement and admiration. “Borrowed, huh? Seems like you’re making quite the impression. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to concentrate with you looking like that.”

I stepped closer, crossing my arms with a playful smirk. “Distracted, are we? I thought you were the one who was always so focused.”

Sabo chuckled, his gaze lingering appreciatively. “Focused, yes. But you’ve definitely raised the stakes. It’s hard to keep my attention when you’re dressed like that.”

I leaned in slightly, my voice dropping to a teasing whisper. “Careful, Sabo. You might just get a little too distracted if you’re not careful.”

Sabo’s grin widened, and he leaned in, his lips brushing near my ear. “Oh, I’m definitely up for the challenge. But you should know, being this close to you is making it a lot harder to stay focused.” 

I playfully pushed Sabo away and made my way to the thug, grabbing him by the collar. “Now, why were you chasing me? Who sent you?” I demanded, my voice firm.

Sabo, arms crossed and grinning, watched with amusement. The thug sneered at me, trying to muster some bravado. “Bite me!” he spat, attempting to land a headbutt. I dodged effortlessly and released him, Clenching my right hand and connecting it with my left palm letting my hand spark with electricity.

“Now, are you ready to talk? Or are we going to do this the hard way?” I said with a smirk, electricity crackling between my fingers.

Sabo whistled appreciatively, “Yeah, you don’t know what you signed up for. You really don’t want to get caught in that.”

As my hand drew closer, the thug’s bravado faltered. He squirmed, his face paling. “Okay, okay! I’ll talk!” he pleaded, trying to back away.

“Start talking,” I said, my voice laced with barely contained rage.

“We were sent by Joker to capture you and bring you to him,” he stammered, trembling.

“Joker, huh?” I muttered. “Well, looks like you’re going to have to make a call to Joker then.”

“I refuse!” he said defiantly, though his voice wavered.

“Well, I tried doing this nicely.” I grabbed him with my left hand, lifting him up, and connected my right hand, electricity flowing through my left arm. “Now, Bolt,” I said, as the electricity surged through him.

The thug convulsed under the shock, his whimpers echoing as I let the current flow. After a few agonizing seconds, I dropped him to the ground, his body twitching as he lay there, groaning.

“Now let’s try that again,” I said, smirking, as I readied myself for his response.

Laws Pov.. 

I kept running, my breath heavy, my mind racing. Doflamingo was closing in fast. I glanced over my shoulder, just as he appeared in front of me, blocking my path with that twisted smile.

“Well, how about that? Nowhere else for you to run, Law,” Doflamingo taunted, his voice dripping with amusement as he started walking slowly toward me.

Before I could react, Caesar’s voice cut through the tension. “Joker, wait!” Caesar shouted, waving his hands frantically. “Kill him if you want, but there’s something important I need you to do first! And don’t forget about the Princess!”

Doflamingo’s attention flicked toward Caesar, and I used the brief distraction to gather my strength. My mind was spinning, and in that moment, I couldn’t help but think of Y/N. Wherever you are... I hope you’re safe and far away from all this.

Caesar’s whining continued. “That bastard ripped my heart out and stole it from me! I shudder just thinking about what he’ll do next!” he said, his voice trembling with fear.

I can’t stop here. I won’t let him win!

“Room!” I shouted, raising my hand. “Shambles!” The world around me shifted as I teleported away from Doflamingo, creating enough distance to continue my escape.

As I reappeared farther away, my body aching, I kept running, not daring to slow down. I just need to stall. Keep him away long enough... Y/N, stay safe. I’ll deal with him. Somehow.

I fumbled with the transponder snail, my heart pounding as I called Nami’s line again. Instead, Chopper answered, sounding frantic. “Hello! Who is this?! Whoever you are, we need your help!”

“Listen, Raccoon, I don’t care what your situation is!” I barked, still sprinting and narrowly avoiding another barrage of Doflamingo’s strings. “Take the ship and head to Greenbit, now! I’m leaving Caesar with you! No time to explain—just do it!” I cut the call before he could protest.

I could hear Doflamingo's mocking laughter echoing closer. Just as I glanced back, pain tore through my side—a "bullet string" hit me dead on. I crashed to the ground, gasping for air, my vision swimming.

“This is the end of the line, Law,” Doflamingo sneered as he loomed over me, his voice a twisted blend of arrogance and sadistic joy. “Who did you end up calling? Was it the princess?”

His cruel laughter sent chills down my spine as I struggled to push myself off the ground. Every breath felt like knives in my lungs, but I forced myself to glare up at him.

“I set a trap for your partner,” Doflamingo continued, eyes gleaming with satisfaction. “I knew he wouldn’t resist the prize in that gladiator contest. Strawhat doesn’t stand a chance!” He laughed again, like a predator toying with his prey.

I clenched my fists, trying to ignore the searing pain. My mind flashed to Luffy, Y/N, and the rest of the crew. I couldn't let Doflamingo win.

“So, are you ready to give up, Law?” he asked, his voice dripping with false sympathy.

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[costellos]

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮! 

—asks received between Sept. 1 and Sept. 16.

anonymous asked: My all time favorite concept is cuddly Stands. Wingman Stands. The ones that figure out that I like someone and then proceed to act on it. I can just picture sitting there, beating down my feelings for Polnareff or Kakyoin and all of a sudden, my Stand just starts nuzzling into their neck and we make direct eye contact. I start trying to apologize but my Stand just keeps hugging and kissing them. I firmly believe someone (probably Joseph) would tease me about it. 😂🥺

AHHHHH I LOVE THIS!!! stands are basically a shadow of yourself sooo 👀 I think Silver Chariot and Emerald Splash would be flustered. especially Chariot; Polnareff acts suave but I like to think that the moment his flirting is returned the man just shuts down. Emerald Splash would handle it a lil better, but Kakyoin is doing everything he can to downplay the situation. you? like him? ugh, that’s unimaginable. although he’d tease you about it, that pink blush is unmistakable. 

anonymous asked: Ight, concept time. Im in college for massage therapy, and we spend a lot of out lab time massaging one another (and it's soooo niiiice. My touch starved quarantined ass LOVES it.) Anyway. Now I can't get it out of my head of treating my faves to a nice massage. Ceasar and Joseph after training. Literally all of the Crusaders, especially sweet Polnareff. Using swords is tough work! Id love to help him relax. (Something tells me Joot wouldn't want to cooperate. No matter. I'll massage Star. 🥰)

omg that sounds amazing! I’m so envious.... can I come to your massage therapy class? anyway, I think all of them would appreciate it! some would be more excited than others (Joseph, Polnareff), but most would be super hesitant (Caesar, Avdol, Kakyoin) or would straight up reject you (Oldseph, Jotaro). just put those hands to work and they’d melt to your touch. they’d be in the middle of protesting and the moment u so much as pinch their shoulders they just go “hhhggghh... nice......” (Star would be your best client, he’s so happy to have any sort of attention from you 😊)

💘 anon asked: 😔😔i’m here to openly confess my love for pannacotta fugo, i’m gathering my brain cells to write you good concepts but for now, i wanna give him a hug and tell him it’s okay and purple haze isn’t that scary bc have you seen a depressed bitch’s dirty ass room before?? that’s scary purple haze ain’t nothing (ps i’m bitch)

PUT THOSE BRAIN CELLS TO WORK, GIRL. I WANT UR BEST CONCEPTS!!!

hmmm... it depends on the situation on whether or not Fugo would accept your words. if you’re just coming up to him out of the blue, I think he’d brush you off. but if you’re calming him down after an outburst and you’re persistent about talking with him, he’d be much more receptive. he’s so lost and so, so scared yet having you here, holding him, would remind him that not all things in the world are terrible. although he still doesn’t think he deserves you, he’s glad that you’re here nonetheless. 

just a soft anon 💖 asked:  Bro. I'm taking my fine art entrance exams tomorrow morning and I'm 😃 afraid because it's gonna be my third attempt and I can't stand the idea of spending another year of my life on prep for that stupid school. I just hope Mista would be proud of me. Ftuefhsjjagj anyway I hope you're doing ok Toya bby

just a soft anon!!! I’m so sorry about the late reply! but I know you put your best effort in your entrance exams and I’m so proud of you for getting it done and over with 💕 please let me know how you did!

Mista would 100% be proud of you! he’d be waiting outside of the entrance, and the moment he sees you come out, his face would just light up. he’d be so proud of you for finishing your exam. and even if you’re not sure of your results, he’d pick you up in a giant hug and tell you that those admissions directors would be stupid to not accept you. I hope you’re ready to celebrate by going to your favorite restaurant, courtesy of Mista himself!!

anonymous asked: Not a request but I like to think despite appearances, Risotto likes playing cute games. Imagine his s/o showing him Pitter Patter Pop and gushing over how cute his character is. (I know Pitter Patter Pop is a Jojo game BUT LIKE. THE GAME IS SO CUTE.)

LMAOOO. it probably starts as something he plays to pass the time. like, Formaggio has been raving about it for a week now, what’s the harm in downloading it? but then it turns into a minor obsession. wow. this game is pretty cute. but what’s cuter (and funnier) is seeing Risotto show you his phone and say, “[Name]. look. they got all my poses down."

anonymous asked: Concept: Going in for a hug with Polnareff except you both lean your heads the same way and accidentally kiss 😳😂 (alternate answer, i can totally see this happening with Joseph) (I've literally done this on accident before lmao)

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Polnareff would be so embarrassed! he’d immediately pull back, eyes wide and a hand over his mouth. how he’d respond after that relies entirely on you. if you’re embarrassed too, he’d try to change the subject to diffuse the situation. if you’re into it, however, Polnareff would waste no time going in for another smooch 👀 gentler, this time. and correctly!

anonymous asked: But just think GoT universe and Ris is a targaryen. Uffff he has a sword forged from the blood of his enemies and an armour of leather and steel, and he rides into the battlefield on his massive dragon Metallica, and his king's guard's leader is Prosciutto Lannister and Ris has an alliance with the northern lord bruno stark. ufffff...

my knowledge of GoT is super limited but! imagine Risotto’s skin stained with blood and dirt. his breathing heavy and rugged. his eyes vermilion, as red as the fire that burns behind him. his muscles ache and his mouth is dry, but he’s not done with battle. not yet, at least. Prosciutto watches as Risotto advances. his armor is as beaten as his king’s, and though he’s capable of assisting Risotto, he merely places a paper rolled with fine tobacco in his mouth. he knows that this this the king’s fight.

anonymous asked: I can't imagine the circumstances, but I like to imagine Risotto teasing his s/o by holding stuff over their head (for example, the t.v remote). Maybe s/o wants to watch a certain movie but he doesn't want to lmao. Alternatively maybe they'll try to wrestle the remote from his hand but he's just sitting there, chilling while his fingers won't budge at all--

omg.... yes...... I think he’d do it with a super blank expression too. like he’s amused, he just won’t show it. the most you’ll get is a quirked brow. sometimes you see the slightest hint of a smile, and you can’t help but smile yourself. you know that action is reserved for you and you only. also his just sitting there, chillin, while his s/o tries to wrestle the remote from his hand is CANON u can’t convince me otherwise.

[grailfinders]

Fate & Phantasms #54: Caligula

Today on Fate and Phantasms, we’re building Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, better known as Caligula, in D&D 5e. Nero’s uncle is the dreaded Bardbarian, going mad on the battlefield and spreading that madness through the ranks of his enemies.

Check out the level-by-level breakdown below the cut, or the build summary over here.

Race and Background

Despite his best efforts, Caligula was a (Variant) Human, giving him +1 Strength, +1 Dexterity, Insight proficiency, and the Fighting Initiate feat to grab the Unarmed Fighting fighting style. I know you’re not using it now, but you were a famous politician at one point. Also, that feat lets you make unarmed attacks that deal 1d6 damage on a hit, or 1d8 if you use both hands.

You’re the third emperor of Rome, which makes calling you a Noble a bit of an understatement. You get History and Persuasion proficiency, because you still remember what a Rome is.

Stats

Your Strength is your highest ability. Not sure if you were paying attention up there, but you’re choking out a lion at max ascension. Second is your Constitution, you’re not easy to kill, and all your class features are tied to it. Dexterity’s next for some extra AC. Your Charisma isn’t bad, you’re terrifying and a politician-so terrifying and terrifying. Your Intelligence and Wisdom are low and lower, because Madness Enhancement. Honestly, wisdom would’ve been your dump stat regardless of your class, you weren’t exactly King Wenceslas. 

Class Levels

1. Barbarian 1: You know the song and dance by now: Rage- Bonus action to transform for a minute, get advantage on strength checks and saves, add damage to your attacks, and you resist physical damage types (bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing). All that comes at the cost of not being able to cast or concentrate on spells for the duration, and it ends early if you stop attacking or taking damage. Unarmored Defense- an AC based on your dexterity and constitution. You’re one of the few berserkers wearing something resembling armor though, so don’t worry about it too much. Just don’t pick up the heavy stuff and you’re fine.

Barbarians also get proficiency in Strength and Constitution saves, as well as two barbarian skills. You’re good with Athletics (see: choking out a lion, above) and Intimidation(see: choking out a lion).

2. Barbarian 2: You’re not known for your restraint, so Reckless Attack makes a lot of sense for you. All your attacks get advantage at the cost of opening yourself up until the next turn, causing all attacks against you to have advantage too. You also have a Danger Sense, giving you advantage on dexterity saves against effects you can see, like fireballs, letting you play fiddle while your party burns.

3. Barbarian 3: Third level barbarians set down a primal path. When you choose the Path of the Beast from an unearthed arcana, you gain the Form of the Beast. While raging, you can transform yourself in one of three ways, gaining a natural weapon for the duration. 

Bite gives you a bite attack that deals 1d8 piercing damage, and once per turn you can regain health equal to your proficiency bonus when you hit if you’re bloodied. 

Claws deal 1d6 slashing damage, and give you an additional attack each attack action. (I’d let you mix this with your Unarmed Fighting to do 1d8 with both hands, but I’m not your DM)

Tail deals 1d8 piercing damage and has reach. You can also use your reaction when attacked to add 1d8 to your AC for that attack.

If you want to keep things canon compliant, Bite (and just ignoring the transformation) would be your best pick, but the claws are fine too.

4. Barbarian 4: Use your first ASI to beef up your Charisma. We need it for multiclassing, and extra yelling.

5. Barbarian 5: Fifth level barbarians get an Extra Attack, letting you make two attacks per action, or three with your claws out. That’s a lot of hitting for a level 5 character. You also get Fast Movement, adding 10′ to your movement speed while not wearing heavy armor.

6. Bard 1: Multiclassing into bard gives you proficiency in one skill of your choice. You’re an angry, screamy, punchy man, so you’re not using your skills that often, and you’re certainly handling that lion well, so why not Animal Handling.

First level bards also get Spellcasting, using Charisma as your casting ability, and Bardic Inspiration, a number of d6s you can give to other creatures to help with saves, checks, or attack rolls as a bonus action. They’re replenished after long rests.

Caligula’s an interesting case for a bard: he’s not so much singing magic into existence as he is making everyone else go mad with him, so his spells are either entirely mental (driving people mad) or entirely physical (things he could do without magic). For example, Dancing Lights is the former, making everyone around him hallucinate a bunch of floating light, and True Strike is the latter, letting him hit things good. Bane reduces a number of creatures’ ability to strategize, reducing their attacks and saving throws for the duration. Dissonant Whispers and Tasha’s Hideous Laughter induce madness in a single target, causing them to flee or break out in uncontrollable laughter respectively. Longstrider is just Fast Movement Part 2: Roman Boogaloo.

7. Bard 2: Second level bards become a Jack of All Trades. Just like your niece, your Imperial Privilege lets you do whatever you want. You also get a Song of Rest, adding 1d6 to your party’s healing in short rests. I don’t really have a way to flavor that into your build, but we’re already taking liberties with the whole “growing a tail” thing. Frankly this is tame in comparison.

Also, thanks to Thunderwave you can shout really loud, dealing thunder damage to creatures around you and pushing loose objects away.

8. Barbarian 6: Sixth level beast barbarians have a Bestial Soul, making your natural weapons magical for the sake of overcoming resistance. Also, after each rest you can pick one of three options to add to your mobility:

You gain a swim speed equal to your walking speed and can breathe underwater.

You gain a climbing speed and can climb difficult terrain, including upside down, without a climbing check.

Once per turn when you jump, you can add an athletics check (your entire check) to the jump’s length.

Again, most of these break canon, but the added jump distance does it the least. If anyone asks, this is what happens when Madness Enhancement gets mixed with Imperial Privilege. You can do whatever you want, and don’t care if it’s physically possible.

9. Barbarian 7: Your Feral Instinct gives you advantage on initiative rolls, and you can ignore being surprised by raging. You’re not totally sure what’s going on at any point in time, so just go with the flow. “The flow” being punching people.

10. Barbarian 8: Use your next ASI to beef up your Constitution for more health, and some extra bonuses later.

11. Bard 3: Third level bards graduate from a college. You’re not one for higher education, but The College of Valor has some stuff in it that’ll be useful. Double your proficiency bonus in Athletics and Intimidation with some Expertise, and use Combat Inspiration to let others add your inspiration dice to damage rolls and AC. Spread a little bit of fury around the battlefield to give your party the edge in combat.

For your spell this level, Crown of Madness forces a creature to lash out at its allies, but it also eats up your action each turn so it might make more sense to just hit them yourself. Of course you’re mad, so you don’t have to do the most logical things.

12. Barbarian 9: Ninth level barbarians get a Brutal Critical, adding an extra die to your attacks when you roll a 20. You’re not super strong, but you are super sadistic.

13. Barbarian 10: Tenth level beasts gain an Infectious Fury. While raging, if you hit a creature with your natural weapons, you can force them to make a wisdom save of DC 8+ your constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus. If they fail, one of two effects occurs:

They use their reaction to attack another creature within 5′ of them that you choose.

They take 2d12 psychic damage.

You can only attempt this a number of times per long rest equal to your proficiency bonus, so choose carefully.

14. Bard 4: We want those limited Fury uses to really count, so beef up your Constitution even more for more health and chances to Fury.

Also, grab Knock. It’s less “magic” and more “’knock’ing down the door”. You’re the emperor, you go where you want.

15. Bard 5: Fifth level bards get a bonus to their Inspiration, bringing it up to some d8s, and become a Font of Inspiration, regaining inspiration on short rests instead of long ones.

You also get a third level spell! Enemies Abound lets a creature you target become as good at seeing the darkness inherent in all humans as you are if they fail a wisdom save (read: they become as paranoid as you, picking their targets at random when they attack). This lasts for a minute, but requires concentration, so you can’t set the spell and then run off to bite people.

16. Barbarian 11: Your rage is now relentless! Relentless Rage can keep you fighting after you drop to 0 hp while raging. When that happens, if you pass a DC 10 constitution save you drop to 1 hp instead, and the DC increases by 5. It resets after a short rest, so feel free to take a breather if you die too many times.

17. Barbarian 12: Use your last ASI to bump your Charisma for stronger spell saves and a stronger oratory presence.

18. Barbarian 13: You get another Brutal Critical die at this level, making your attacks even more sadistic than they were already

19. Barbarian 14: Fourteenth level beasts can hear the Call of the Hunt. Choose a number of willing creatures up to your constitution modifier when you start a rage. These creatures can roll a d6 and add it to their damage roll once per turn while you rage. (This is different than getting another d6, it doesn’t work with crits.) For each creature that accepts your gift, you gain 5 temporary HP per creature. You can only use this feature a number of times per long rest equal to your proficiency bonus.

20. Barbarian 15: For your last level, you gain a Persistent Rage, letting you continue to rage until you end it willingly. Some people run away from the screaming vortex of madness, making it harder to keep your rage going. Now that’s less of an issue.

Pros:

If you’ll pardon the wordplay, you’re very adaptable, with a wide range of movement options to stay mobile in varying settings. You can also change up your combat style a bit depending on what you’re fighting. Sometimes a flurry of blows from your claws will be best, sometimes you’ll want a heavier attack, it’s all good!

You can both help your party and hinder enemies with madness inducing spells and the Call of the Hunt. Giving Reckless Attack to other martial party members can be a huge boost in their offensive power, and it makes you tougher too.

You don’t need any sort of equipment to make this build function. Thrown in a dungeon? Your fighter and wizard are screwed, but it’s no problem for you. The only issue is spell components, and you’ve got plenty of muscle to hold out until you find them.

Cons:

Your best abilities are tied to either spell slots or a very limited number of uses per day. This probably won’t be too big of an issue in most campaigns, but endurance tests won’t end well for you. This is also way less of an issue thanks to Tasha’s beefing up the number of uses.

I bring this up in a lot of berserker builds, but spells and rages don’t mix, and you get an even shorter end of the stick than most others. Your spells need high saves to work, so your stats had to be split between strength and charisma, meaning you’re not amazing at either one.

Most of your damage is coming from your body, and it doesn’t have that much range. Fast and flying enemies might be an issue for you.

Next up: The berserker so nice they named him thrice, but not so nice that they’d actually use him in the plot.

[koukouture]

So, I made another account, this time it’s a gunslinger. I put off making a gunslinger account for a while now, mainly because I believed they were weak. But, boy was I wrong. I killed four people in my first Day of Liberty event on that account. And so, because I really liked it, I decided to make a character off it. Enter Lucien Choi. (I don’t actually have that hair and outfit for him yet, but I’m going to draw  him like this)

-He’s nicknamed ‘Lucifer’ by his comrades, because he’s a ‘demon’ on the battlefield

-Comes from two noble Korean bloodlines, the only  reason  for his  existence is               That they  wanted a weapon.  And they got  one. 

- He’s very cocky and vain, kind of like a  watered down version of Caesar but  with more trauma

- You can actually sit down to talk with him, he has a soft side, he’s not a total jerk

- Dancer! It’s his hobby and he sometimes gives the others dance lessons

- a lot of people mistake him for an idol, he likes the attention

 -  A+ talent rating 

- His main power is called Moon, a result of both bloodlines merging. Gravity control and glyphs.  He can make glyphs like Weiss from RWBY but they control gravity and mess with physics. He can use them as shields and they can exert push and pull forces, like his mother, the glyphs are also physical and can cut through things

- Martial arts boy. His father, a fighter, pushed him to train nonstop to become the ultimate weapon. He’s not the best, but, it’s enough for him to enter close quarter combat when he needs to

- Openly bi, flirts with everyone, you can’t stop him so just roll with it 

- Flirts with every breathing thing with a hole

-Switch af

- Kinky

- FuCk oRdERs hE dOes wHat He WaNTs

 - Hates Caesar more than Johann does

- Nono defends him and it pisses of Caesar so much lol

- Sadistic, has a dark streak, sexually and in the sense that he’s sort of a psycho 

- Doesn’t like talking about his past before  Cassel 

- Chisei? Y E S

- Has flirted with Chisei, he thinks he’s hot

- Stuff happened and that’s all I’m gonna say

- After the whole betrayal thing, he was really hurt

- After the SS mission he’s sort of lost it, he’s just not the same 

[notbecauseofvictories]

Brontide - Aziraphale (because I agree, Good Omens fandom is too nice and does not appreciate how terrifying the idea of angels is)

brontide — the low rumbling of distant thunder.

Crowley did not often think about Aziraphale as an angel.

….of course he was an angel, and Crowley did derive a certain amount of pleasure in reminding him. Occasionally he even slipped into the Latin, angelus, but Latin was very In at the moment and particularly among the Oxfordshire set. The learnèd men were calling each other uxor and deliciae in those days, as they got up to naughty things under academic dress. So it was not very strange for the handsome lecturer, with his consumptive poet’s aspect and ill-favored coloring, to so lovingly address the Professor of Assyriology—especially when the Professor spoke of ancient Assyria with such  endearment and fond remembrance, as though recalling a particularly pleasant holiday. Such undue passion made him very attractive, all agreed.

“Crowley,” the Professor of Assyriology said in chastisement whenever the Lecturer dared such endearment, though the Professor was blushing as he said so. (‘Crowley’ was not the name the lecturer gave to his students, but they could forgive such a lapse with the excuse of fondness.) 

“Yes, angel?” the Lecturer always replied, with feigned innocence and a smile that had too many teeth in it. It put some in mind of a snake, the Lecturer’s smile. But the Professor would smile in return, an indulgent sort of smile that let this familiarity pass, unremarked-upon; and all the Professor’s students would sigh, for a not-insignificant number of them were violently in love with the Professor of Assyriology, and knew that so long as the Professor smiled at the Lecturer in that way, they had no hope of encroaching upon his affections. 

It made a great many of them distraught, pale with love and prone to quoting Catulus Caesar and Martial’s epigrams, but the Professor of Assyriology did not notice. When Aziraphale thought about his students, it was regarding their showing a knowledge of the Gospels in Greek, the Thirty-Nine Articles, and Joseph Butler’s Analogy of Religion; it was only Crowley who called him ‘angel’ and knew the truth of it, and that was all Aziraphale cared for.

Still and despite all this; Crowley did not think of Aziraphale as an angel. Not in the traditional sense of sparking beryl wheels and too many eyes, those heads of lions and goats and dragons and all quarreling amongst themselves. Of course that was what angels were, for Crowley remembered what had been in Heaven. But from the first (the First, there in Eden) Aziraphale had been a soft and pleasant fixture, fleshen and rounded and too much of the world to ever make Crowley think of his own origins. Aziraphale was not of that wellspring, nothing like what Crowley had left behind, with its strange and terrible inhabitants. An angel, as Crowley remembered the word, was not the stuff that made up Aziraphale.

In truth, he preferred this Oxfordshire understanding: Aziraphale as a man he wrote long letters to, maintained a certain kind of fondness for, and sometimes (when they were gin-drunk, smiling in the light of a streetlamp) thought very hard about kissing. it was an unasked-for, undeserved blessing, to be so in love in such a soft, human way. ‘Angel’ was then only an endearment, and Crowley clung to the reassurance of it, for to think of Aziraphale discorporate—huge and hard as light, fearsome as the dawn, cruel as justice—was beyond thinking.

He’d had a sword, once.

(Crowley didn’t like to think of it.)

This also meant that Crowley was ill-equipped when he met Aziraphale on the battlefield, as the angel was trying vainly to turn aside the BSAC and Crowley was in Johannesburg to sow general discord. Rhodes had been easy—a hunger for fame, a greed easily exploited and a harkening to power that did not need stoking. Crowley had barely got the words out, and then he was inducted into the British South Africa Company. A minimal amount of fuss, little tempting involved, just the way A.J. Crowley liked it. But Aziraphale had been… 

(Aziraphale had been there at Sodom and Gomorrah. Aziraphale had overseen the deaths of the firstborn in Egypt. Aziraphale had stood beside Raphael as Adam and Eve, then Seth, Cain, Abel, and all their children, were turned away from the gates to Eden; as they were told: no. Aziraphale had always been more pitiless than Crowley in these matters.)

When it came, Crowley wasn’t sure whether the humans in his party could even see it. All that vastness, static electricity and pressure gathering like an oncoming storm, but tinged with righteousness as pure and painful as holy water. Long before Aziraphale appeared, it was there in his advance guard. And though Crowley did not ordinarily think of Aziraphale as an angel, he came as one—crackling into sight like a shard of divine retribution. (At the gates of Eden he’d had a sword, and it had burned; Crowley remembered at last.)

“CROWLEY,” the storm that was Azirphale said before it struck, its voice tender enough that it only shattered his eardrums. The black blood of it slid down Crowley’s jaw, leaving him dizzied, cringing. “YOU SHOULD GO.”

“I…” Crowley breathed, and then he nodded. (It was a good thing, he thought suddenly, to be a demon; no one on his side questioned cowardice.) “All right, then,” he said, ducking his head. And with that Crowley ran, and hid, and the holiness of Aziraphale broke over that part of the world like rain.

When Crowley came out again, most of the humans were all gone and dead, but Aziraphale was sitting there in the canteen, picking at the food with a little moue of disappointment. “Such abysmal cookery!” Aziraphale cried, as though this was the worst of the day, that the Transvaal cook could not do a proper fry up without his third and fifth fingers, which he had lost in the fighting. “Crowley, look at this, is it not a crime?”

Crowley picked his way over the corpses, their hands and legs splayed over all that needless, pooling blood. He looked down at Aziraphale’s plate and thought to himself that it did look a dog’s mess, but so were the bodies lying in the street, where actual dogs, thin street-mongrels, had taken to tearing them apart. “Sure,” Crowley said absently. “Yes.”

Aziraphale eyed him—Crowley could feel him looking—but he did not say anything. Instead, Aziraphale pushed the plate of mash towards Crowley, who collapsed into the seat across from him. They both of them picked at it silently, until the sounds of the shelling, the fighting and dying, died away. Even then, they ate burst, oversweet tomatoes; they talked of the music they missed, of London, of the time before. It was all very awful, especially the food. Every bite Crowley swallowed tasted of static electricity, ozone, and cupric.

He swallowed each mouthful deliberately, and Aziraphale’s eyes—all of them, the others not quite having faded from his wrists, his throat—watched him. Aziraphale’s smile was painful, taut. “I am sorry, my dear,” he said, though Crowley had watched him rain down righteousness and would venture to guess he wasn’t.

“’s all right,” Crowley mumbled.

“I am,” Aziraphale said again, more insistently.

It felt strange, to be on the other end of a desperate desire for forgiveness. Crowley wasn’t sure what to do with it. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’m not in any place to judge.”

But Aziraphale did not look mollified at this. Instead, he pushed the plate towards Crowley. “Have some more,” he said, and in his voice were the harmonics of the celestial spheres, like Crowley needed to be bribed into it—as though Aziraphale looking at him, with his many, many eyes gradually fading and the roundness and redness returning to his cheeks, was not enough.

Crowley ate. After, he was sick into the dust beside a grave—mostly because he felt he ought to be after so much grief, such rich foods. Aziraphale, to his credit, stood beside Crowley as he retched, absently rubbing his back.

[necromancy-savant]

Julius Caesar in London

So last night I saw Ben Whishaw in Julius Caesar at the Bridge Theatre, and oh my fucking god it was fucking amazing. I barely even know where to start but this was the best live theater I’ve ever seen. We all better hope someone tapes it. The second it was over I wanted to see it again, immediately.

Let’s start with the stage itself. The stage consisted of these rising and falling platforms that would go up and down and in and out of the spotlight when up or down for different scenes. A new scene would rise up with the platforms, giving a new configuration. And the sets were very impressive, I will say that. Around these platforms you had a big crowd of people standing around who were part of the audience. They were part of the show. I wish I could have been one of them, but I’d bought my ticket the night before and was actually quite lucky to get an almost front row seat where I had an excellent view. But the crowd was given these red Caesar hats that looked like Trump hats and actors would come through the crowd and join them in various scenes. The conspirators came from the crowd to assemble to kill Caesar. Artemidorus pushed her way through the people to get to Caesar. Cinna the poet was flanked by a mob as other actors beat him. It worked so well, and they gave them flyers, stuff fell from the ceiling on them, like these flyers that said “Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is Dead!” right after Brutus’s speech at Caesar’s funeral, and these secret-service looking guys made all of them get on the ground right after Caesar was killed. The play opened with a four piece band consisting of electric guitar, bass, drums, and a singer who later played the same servant I was (he played guitar by himself for the funeral), Octavius, Lucius I think, and Trebonius respectively. They were playing Seven Nation Army when I walked in and then played We’re Not Gonna Take It, and then were broken up for the first scene. They were the citizens supporting Caesar. 

The casting was great because a lot of the roles were gender bent and most of the conspirators were women, PoC, or both, and that totally put a new spin on things. Caesar himself was an old white man, full of himself, easily manipulated, condescending, but not outwardly mean-spirited. He was the kind of guy you wouldn’t want to be a dictator, but could see where Antony was coming from when he says he can’t see how Caesar was dangerous. He was the kind of incompetent person with and outdated look on everything who had a sort of seemingly benign senility. Cassius was a woman, played by Michelle Fairley, and she was fantastic. The urgency in everything she said made it feel so real to me, and she was motivated by a passion to right an injustice that Brutus, a white man who was positioned as more of an ally (which worked excellently for his character), couldn’t necessarily see as well as she could. Casca was played by a black woman, and when she and Cassius discussed the conspiracy alone it really drove home that the conspirators were a group of minorities who, unlike Antony, for example, really had a personal investment in keeping Caesar from dictatorship. You could tell Brutus and Cassius really cared for each other too, and their more tender moments at the end were so sad. 

Actually one really good part was when Caesar says that Cassius has a “lean and hungry look.” At those first lines, she’s standing right there, trying to be polite while obviously, rightfully offended, and then she goes to leave and Caesar says “would she were fatter!” to her back, and she stays just out of his sight but continues to listen. For his own part Caesar was so condescending speaking to her, and to Calpurnia, an Asian woman much younger than himself, and so he really didn’t respect women or take them seriously. 

Ben Whishaw was exactly how I imagine Brutus, gentle and introspective but at the same time, a leader, and he got more and more stressed throughout the play while still making every effort to take care of his friends and put their needs first. He looked like he wanted to tell Portia everything but I guess didn’t want her to get hurt. Portia was also black, and so Brutus was really someone trying to be a good ally and making some mistakes, but always trying to be strong for those he cared about. 

During the stabbing scene, the platform was one big thing at first but turned into stairs after they shot Caesar. Caesar said “et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar” and then put up his hands, and then Brutus shot him. And I don’t know where all the blood came from but they really did coat their arms in blood up to the elbows. 

Marc Antony was so good at the funeral he almost had me convinced, and that’s all that needs to be said about that I think. Just, every single actor onstage was so full of energy; they all went soooo hard that it was absolutely captivating, and their characters had clear motives and such real emotion. 

Very little, if anything, was cut from the first half, but the second half had a lot of stuff cut to make it tighter. The conspirators stuck around (except Casca, for some reason) and honestly I felt more invested in the second half because of that. Instead of Pindarus they had Metellus Cimber, and instead of Titinius Trebonius. Roughly, anyway. Decius was there too, and she and Cinna I think picked up Messala’s lines. Lucius ultimately pulled the trigger on Brutus. The set was amazing with barbed wire everywhere and milk crates and just a dirty war zone with fog and machine guns sounding. Caesar’s ghost appeared initially with a hood over his head and Brutus pulled it back and then started, and he came back in full military apparel on the battlefield, with Brutus staring at him while saying that the spirit of Caesar is there and “turns [their] swords in their own proper entrails.” So that was a great touch. 

And at the end Octavius, who was a very no-bullshit soldier and strategist the whole time while Antony was like Caesar’s campaign manager, stayed onstage and celebrated his victory while balloons came from the ceiling. He was not white either, so he’s something totally new for Rome. 

This is probably one of the longest posts I’ve ever written, but I thought you guys would appreciate how much I loved this and tbh I want to remember every detail of it. I really only wish I could see it again so I could pick it apart further. 

[sheikah]

Episode 5 Spoiler Stuff/Scripts

(Thanks to @cheesekimbapshyshyshy​ for sending me the links as I was headed to bed so I could see this before I’m too busy at work tomorrow!)

Hey guys! Stuff for episode 5 dropped tonight. It’s PDF files so I typed up the Jonerys parts as you’ve asked me to do in the past to avoid spoilers for the rest. I will put them below the cut. 

Before I do that I just want to say that I see some major inconsistencies and red flags in these. But they seem to be from the same place as the episode 4 ones, so we can trust them with a grain of salt. Remember that since the episode 4 ones changed a bit by the time the episode was finished, these will too.

There’s some things I don’t really like and I’m sure you’ll feel the same. But I am going to bed after posting this so I will give better commentary or answer questions when I get off work later tonight. 

Obviously, major spoilers ahead.

Exterior--Blackwater River Battlefield--Day

Tyrion walks alongside the ravaged loot train. He sees the Dothraki herding the captive officers and soldiers (including a bloodied Randyll and Dickon Tarly) toward Dany and Drogon.

Dany announces to her captives that now is the moment they’ve all been waiting for: bend the knee, or die. Drogon growls and most of the captives drop to one knee. There are a few holdouts, though – among them are Lord Randyll and a nervous Dickon who’s taking his cue from his father. Echoing Cersei’s propaganda, Randyll says he isn’t serving a foreign woman with an army of foreign savages. Dany corrects Randyll: she’s the rightful queen of Westeros. Tyrin can see Dany’s temper rising, and points out that Randyll fought for her father and handed the ururper Robert his only defeat; perhaps Dany could show mercy. But Randyll couldn’t give a shit about her mercy. He simply echoes Ned’s line from S1: “I’m a soldier. I learned how to die a long time ago.”

Very well. If this lord of Horn Hill won’t serve her, it’s time for a new lord of Horn Hill. Dany and Tyrion turn to Dickon. Tyrion urges the kid to be reasonable. He had a shitty tyrant for a father, too.

“Don’t die to prove your father’s point.”

Dickon looks to his father, and we see that a part of Lord Randyll wants his son to bend the knee and be spared. But Dickon is his father’s son. He steels himself and stays on his feet. If this is the end of House Tarly, so be it.

In an aside with Dany, Tyrion advocates against executing Dickon with him. He’s just a dumb kid with a shitty father; nothing a few months of prison won’t cure. If Dany starts snuffing out entire ancient family lines like the Tarlys, the lords of Westeros will never support her. Dany doesn’t much care; when it’s their turn, those lords will also bend the knee or die. Tyrion wants to press his case further but Dany has heard enough. All her advisers warned her to be cautious and she doesn’t listen.

Now she’s finally won a victory. She didn’t come to Westeros to plead for the Seven Kingdoms. She came her to conquer them. Tyrion cannot push harder without publicly undermining his queen. His only choice is to stand by and watch. At Dany’s command, Drogon incinerates Lord Ranyll and his heir.

After they’re burned, all the other holdouts promptly bend the knee. Say what you will about Dany’s methods. She gets things done.

Exterior—Dragonstone—Day

Camera shot of a dragon’s wing, as Drogon brings Dany back to Dragonstone. Dany does not notice the additional boat in the harbor below her, nor the lone figure on its deck too far away to make out.

On deck, Jorah looks up and sees Dany and Drogon. Holy shit that kid had grown up. He steels himself for the reunion.

On land, Jon watches Dany and Drogon wheeling in the sky, approaching their Dragonstone landing pad. Behind him, Rhaegal leaps down to meet his mother and brother, landing too close to Jon. Viserion joins him. They notice Jon, and meet is gaze.

The two dragons close in on Jon, trying to decide what to make of him: friend? Foe? Meal? Jon stands his ground, staring into Rhaegal’s eye. Rhaegal appears to be leaning toward the latter. But Drogon lands with Dany on his back and the other dragons make way for him as he approaches Jon and leans in to sniff him.

Every nerve in Jon’s body screams to run, but instead he sticks out his hand, and touches the creature’s muzzle.

Drogon decides Jon is Ok. A look from Drogon breaks each of his brothers around to the same opinion.

Impressed, Dany dismounts. You didn’t run.”

“Didn’t think I’d get very far.”

This leads into a scene with Dany and Jon. On screen or off screen, she gives him a censored version of the events on the Kingsroad, leaving out the part about roasting the Tarlys. She only tells him that many former Lannister loyalists lined up behind their rightful Queen, hint hint. Half-joking, Dany points out that, for one, she has dragons. Let’s be honest, if this whole Army of the Dead is as flammable as they say, whoever has the fire-breathing dragons should probably be Queen. Jon laughs. He doesn’t think the throne should go to the person with the most dragons, necessarily. Why not? She wants to know. Dragons are magic. People like magic. A big part of the reason the named Jon King in the North was because he was magic. Jon protests; that wasn’t the reason. But Dany keeps needling him. “Admit it. People like you because you’re magic.” “I’m not magic. “You are! Rising from the dead is magic, and you rose from the dead. Lots of people saw me walk from the flames unburned. More than once, actually. But this ‘rising from the dead’ . . . was a very private affair.”

Jon offers to show her the scares. She sure wouldn’t mind seeing them—but she doesn’t take the bait. It’s cold out. She wouldn’t want him to get sick.

Jon calls her “Dany,” without any of her numerous titles. And she’s a little taken aback, but also likes it. “No one’s ever called me that before. “I’m sorry, it’s just . . . well, Daenerys is a mouthful.”

Eventually, the conversation goes to a more serious place. He asks her point black if she believes him about the Army of the Dead, and the danger they represent. She can tell he’s honest, apparently to a fault.

In turn, she asks Jon if he trusts her to do what she says she’s going to do with regards to the people of Westeros. He says he does. They’re both people who actually care about helping and protecting people who don’t share their blood, people they don’t even know. They’ve both acted on this impulse, more than once. That’s a lot less common than magic.

“Jon asks, “Is this where you ask me to bend the knee again?”

She smiles and shakes her head. She’s not going to ask him to bend the knee. Not just now.

And up the beach comes Jorah, seeing Dany with yet another handsome fellow who’s not Jorah.

They have a brief reunion, in which it is established that Jorah is cured. And maybe she shows her trust in him by hugging him despite the fact that he recently had fantasy leprosy.

Interior—Dragonstone—Audience Chamber—Day

Tyrion has told Varys what Dany did to the Tarlys. A Targaryen burning people alive—it troubles both men. Tyrion has not discussed the event at any length with Dany since it occurred, but they both decide he has to, when the time is right. They’re both realpolitik guys. They understand that a certain amount of ruthlessness is necessary to win the throne. But they’re hoping for Caesar-level ruthlessness, not Caligula-level.

They are interrupted by a raven, who lands on the window ledge with a scroll tied to its leg.

Interior—Dragonstone—Map Room—Day

Dany’s Small Council meeting. Jon has the abovementioned raven scroll in hand, staring at it, trying to take on board all its implications.

Jorah is there as well. Rather than going into a bunch of dull introductions and reintroductions, we get the flavor of his complex relationship to Tyrion and Jon in the course of their interactions, assuming that their initial meetings happened offscreen. The matter at hand: the dead are marching on the Wall. Now. As reported by Jon’s little brother, who is alive, and apparently very different from the boy Jon left behind at Winterfell.

Where does Dany stand on this ante-upping of the Northern threat? She is torn. Her position on the Northern threat has evolved in sync with her relationship to Jon. But they can’t march North and leave the Riverlands, the Reach, and the North exposed to Lannister aggression. Dany would be willing to put her imperial ambitions on hold, but not to abandon them entirely and abdicate to Cersei. She wants to face the Northern threat, but she can only do so if he opponent is willing to do the same. So, she asks Tyrion: would Cersei ever be willing to do this?

Tyrion homes in on the central problem: Cersei doesn’t believe in the Northern threat. She never has. If they want her to take it seriously, they have to convince her it exists in the first place. She needs to see it with her own eyes. Jon doesn’t understand how they could possibly show Cersei the Army of the Dead.

Tyrion points out that they don’t need to show her the whole army. Just one of them. Bring one of the wights down South. He knows his sister better than anyone here. That’s their only hope of convincing her.

This makes sense to Dany. Jorah volunteers to lead this mission North of the Wall. Dany doesn’t like the idea of losing Jorah after he just returned to her, but Jon says Tormund will help him with the wildlings who are at Eastwatch.

And so will Jon.

Dany does not like this idea and neither does Davos. Jon is the only commander here who’s fought the Army of the Dead before, and they’ll need him once the true war starts. Beyond that, he’s the King in the North, chosen by the lords of the North. A king should not go on a commando mission. Jon points out that this is exactly why he needs to go: he has dealt with them before. Jon’s and Dany’s argument has the undertone of a woman trying to keep her man from venturing into harm’s way, a fact not lost on Jorah or Tyrion. She tries to order him; he reminds her that, per their conversation on the beach, she said she wouldn’t ask him to bend the knee yet.

The reason his people have banded together behind him is that he’s never asked them to do something he wouldn’t do himself.

Jon brings Davos around to his way of seeing things, even as Davos bemoans his own fate as the Hand of a King who seems hell-bent on killing himself. Eventually, Dany realizes that Jon is going no matter she says, and she can’t help but respect him for it.

Varys points out that any evidence they find will be useless unless Cersei grants them an audience in the first place, and is somehow prevented from murdering them all during said audience. Tyrion knows this, and he has a proposition: he needs to arrange a meeting with his brother Jaime, the only person to whom his sister will listen. Dany is a bit suspicious: he wants to go back to King’s Landing and see his brother again? The one who led the attack on Highgarden, killed one of their prime allies and stole the food they needed for their armies? Tyrion tells her that “want” isn’t quite the right word; it’s as likely as not that Jaime will split him in half on sight. But it’s the only way he can see to make this happen.

Davos says he can smuggle Tyrion into King’s Landing easily but if the gold cloaks recognize the most famous dwarf in the world, well, Davos isn’t much of a fighter. Dany asks what happens if this whole plan fails.

“We hope a hundred thousand dead men don’t come to slaughter us until we’re done slaughtering each other.”

Interior—Dragonstone—Jon’s Chamber—Day

Jon is getting ready to go. Davos enters with Gendry. Davos has told Gendry not to tell anyone his parentage, but the Gendry takes a risk, steps forward, and says, “Hi, I’m Robert Baratheon’s son.” Davos isn’t thrilled that he just said this, but it gives Gendry a great moment to talk to Jon Snow about having a similar life experience. For Gendry: If this is the side I’m going to be on, I shouldn’t be afraid to say something. He thinks Jon will understand his background.

Gendry’s true parentage would actually matter to the people at Dragonstone. After all, with stannis dead, who is now Lord Baratheon? Who is lord of Storm’s End? For Jon, the bastard son of Ned Stark, meting the bastard son of his father’s best friend would be a big deal.

Jon and Gendry need to start talking to each other, and Gendry volunteers for the mission. Once he understands the importance of what they’re doing, he doesn’t want to be sitting on the sidelines.

Exterior—Dragonstone—Beach?

Jon, Jorah and some men prepare to go, loading the ship with food, the new dragonglass weapons, cold weather gear, etc. Tyrion and Jorah share a nice farewell. Dany says good to Jorah as Davos says goodbye to Jon.

Gendry apologizes to Davos, but his father wouldn’t stay behind and Gendry is his father’s son. Davos understands, even though he considers himself a kind of father to Gendry. The two embrace. Gendry set off for The Wall years ago. Maybe this time he’ll finally make it.

Jon is preparing to leave on the mission north. Dany, Tyrion, and Davos are present as well; two rulers and their Hands. Jon and Dany have to say a private goodbye in a public space. Tyrion has planted the seeds of the summit in Jaime’s mind. Jaime is going to do what he can to get Cersei to agree to it. Even in the best-case scenario, Cersei is a fickle and unpredictable woman; they need to be ready to head south as soon as possible if Cersei agrees to meet.

If this all works out, they may just stand a chance against the coming threat. If not . . . well, Dany won’t have to worry about the King in the North anymore. Dany hopes it works. If it doesn’t, Jon asks them all to try to convince Cersei anyway. He doesn’t matter, his life doesn’t matter, this is all that matters. Dany is moved by his selflessness.

Off they all go.

All of the above parts were from the script, here. The parts below are from the preliminary outline, here. 

Jon is on the beach and sees Drogon approaching. Rhaegal and Viserion land next to him. Drogon then lands as well as Jon gets closer and closer to him. Dany climbs off and is impressed he didn’t run. Jon tells her he didn’t think he’d get very far if he had. He watches her watching her dragons and wishes that he could keep looking at her and forget about the world events weighing on his shoulders. She lets him know what happened at the battle.

Dany then sees Dothraki approaching accompanied by Jorah Mormont, now wearing new clothes. Jorah tells her he found a cure at the Citadel. She introduces him to Jon and accepts his offer to return to her service. She then embraces Jorah, the first time she has touched him in years.

Varys and Tyrion sit on the steps leading up to the throne, discussin Tyrion’s concerns that while he is Dany’s hand, he isn’t her head. They agree she’s not her father but that she’ll need the proper counsel so she doesn’t turn into him. Varys says that she’s young and impulsive but now Tyrion needs to find a way to make her listen to him.

Jon receives a raven scroll from Bran telling him that the Army of the Dead are marching towards Eastwatch. Their skepticism is apparent, Jon is surprised Bran is alive, but they believe what he’s saying. They eventually come to an agreement that they need to show Cersei that the Army of the Dead is real and in order to do so they just need to show her one soldier. Jon tells them it’s possible since the first wight he ever saw was brought into Castle Black on its own before it turned. All they have to do is bring one wigh soldier into King’s Landing to convince Cersei of the truth. Tyrion points out that she’s just a suffered a major defeat losing thousands of men—if there was ever a time to get her to agree to a truce, it’s now. Jon tells them he’s going to be the one to go to get the soldier. Dany tries to talk him out of it . . . the others pick up on the undertones of what’s really going on there.

On the beach, Jon’s shop is about to leave and Dany tells Jon that she admires what he’s doing. It’s reckless and foolish but she admires it. Jon walks away, climbing into the skiff with Jorah. Davos, Gendry, and the Stark men. Tyrion watches Dany watching Jon. Jorah turns to look back at Dany but Jon never does.

Alright so that’s it, guys. Obviously some weird things. 

As far as Dany’s early scenes at the battle. I don’t love that Dickon had to be burned after the writers took steps in 7.04 to paint Dickon as a sympathetic figure. But if given the chance and urged to bend the knee he still refused, I guess he sealed his own fate.

I also don’t really like that Tyrion and Varys discussed Dany behind her back after the conversation Dany had with Varys in 7.02. But I am glad that the writing makes it a point to mention that both Tyrion and Varys agree she isn’t her father.

I don’t like this conversation about Jon being “magic.” First of all, it sounds absurd. My fanfic is better than this???? 

Secondly, how does Dany know Jon died? They have not discussed this yet up until now but this script implies that they have. 

The conversation about him being resurrected like her walking through fire sounds very weird to me. As does her “half-joking” assertion that the person with the most dragons can be queen. That’s a sort of OOC attitude from Dany.

I like the idea of Dany and Jon flirting and joking. Love it, in fact. I like the idea of Jon offering to show her his abs (lol). But not like this. Not like this. I hope this has been rewritten. 

In the preliminary outline I linked above, they have Arya’s fight with Brienne in this episode instead of 7.04 so I guess a lot has changed. I am hoping the weird “magic” conversation is one of those things that got revamped. 

I also don’t love Dany “censoring” the battle for Jon. I would prefer that they be up front with one another, but I understand why she is being more reserved until they know each other better, I guess. Still, the outline says she “tells him what happens” while the script says she tells him but censors it. I guess we have to wait and see!

I do like the parts in the outline about Jon gazing at Dany on Drogon and wishing he could stay like that watching her forever. 

I love that Dany doesn’t ask him to bend the knee again. I love that she makes it clear she doesn’t want him to leave to go North and that she thinks he is brave. 

But overall this has a strange feeling to it and I imagine the finished product will be quite different. I hope it will. 

Anyway, hope this is interesting to you guys. I sleep now :)

[ljones41]

"THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART II" (2015) Review

"THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART II" (2015) Review Some five or six years ago, Warner Brothers Studios began a new tradition when its executives made a decision to split its adaptation of the last "HARRY POTTER" film into two novels. A year later, Summit Entertainment continued this tradition by splitting its adaptation of the last "TWILIGHT" novel into two films. And now Lionsgate has done the same by adapting Suzanne Collins' last novel in her "The Hunger Games" trilogy with two movies. The studio ended the movie franchise with the release of "THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART II". This last film, which is based upon the second half of Collins' 2010 novel, picked up where the 2014 movie left off - with Katniss Everdeen aka "The Girl on Fire" recovering from being attacked by her close friend, Peeta Mallark, after he had been brainwashed by the Capitol into regarding her as an enemy. After being attacked by a supporter of Panem's President Snow during a propaganda campaign in District 2, Katniss is frustrated by rebel leader Alma Coin's insistence that she stay away from the battlefields. Fellow tribute from the 75th Quater Quell Games, Johanna Mason, quietly suggests that she sneak aboard a supply ship leaving for the Capitol, where Commander Paylor is planning an invasion, during the wedding of former tributes Finnick Odair and Annie Cresta. Unable to control Katniss, Coin decides to assigned her to the "Star Squad"; along with childhood friend Gale Hawthorne, Finnick, and documentary director Cressida and her team. Led by Katniss' former bodyguard, Boggs, the squad is order to remain in safety behind the actual invasion of the Capitol and provide video clips of their incursion for propaganda purposes. But Katniss and her fellow combatants encounter a great deal of danger from Capitol soldiers, explosive pods and mutated animals. Coin also assigns Peeta to the squad, despite the fact that he has not completely recovered from his conditioning. What starts out as a propaganda campaign for the squad, eventually becomes a dangerous and bloody mission that ends in tragedy and a great surprise. This last "HUNGER GAMES" movie received a great deal of praise. But at the same time, these same critics expressed dismay that the last novel in the franchise had been split into two films. Surprisingly, I had no problems with how the adaptation of "Mockingjay" resulted in two films. Unlike the last "HARRY POTTER" and "TWILIGHT" adaptations, the two-part adaptation for this particular movie seemed to break at the right moment - namely the rescued Peeta Mellark's attack on protagonist Katniss Everdeen. However, I did have a few problems with "THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART II". I wish the screenwriters and director Francis Lawrence had featured a few scenes of Panem citizens rebelling against the Capitol . . . just as they had done in "PART I". In fact, I wish they could have featured a few scenes of the rebels inching towards the Presidential mansion, before Katniss and close friend Gale Hawthorne had reached it. The movie seemed so fixed upon Katniss' point-of-view (POV) that the entire sequence featuring the massacre of the Capitol citizens, Peacekeepers and rebel medics from bombs seemed slightly disjointed and confusing. I also wish that the screenplay had included a scene from the novel in which Katniss and her mother, Mrs. Everdeen, said good-bye to each other over the telephone. I never understood why they did not include that scene in the film. It would have been a great moment for both Jennifer Lawrence and Paula Malcomson. Quibbles aside, I must admit that I really enjoyed "MOCKINGJAY, PART II". I thought director Francis Lawrence and screenwriters Danny Strong and Peter Craig did a very good job of adapting the second half of Collins' novel. I had worried that Lion's Gate Studios would insist that the screenwriters and Lawrence drastically change the story by giving it a less bittersweet ending. Lo and behold, no such thing happened. "THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART II" - especially its ending - literally wallowed in moral ambiguity. More importantly, story allowed its heroine, in the end, to succumb to her worst instincts in a way that made sense to the saga that began in the first chapter. I believe it took balls for Suzanne Collins to end Katniss Everdeen's struggles against the Capitol on that note. And I can say the same for Lawrence, Strong, Craig and the film's producers. I was also impressed by the movie's portrayal of Peeta Mallark in this chapter of the saga. As many know, Peeta had spent most of "THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART I" as a captive of the Capitol. He had been tortured and brainwashed via a tracker jacker venom into making an attempt on Katniss' life. The filmmakers could have easily ignored Collins' story and allowed Peeta's recovery to be a quick job before he joined Katniss' squad in the Capitol's streets. Instead, they decided to follow Collins' story and allowed Peeta's recovery to be slow. By doing this, they allowed Peeta's presence in the squad to not only endanger everyone, but have an impact on Katniss' relationship with the Rebellion's leadership. More importantly, "THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART II" continued the saga's theme of the impact war has human beings. After all, this theme has been present since Katniss and Peeta found themselves in 74th Hunger Games arena in the first movie. But in these last two movies, audiences see how war impacts everyone and not just a group of tributes coerced into playing out a lethal war game for the sake of television ratings. The war eventually has an impact upon Katniss' various relationships - especially with Peeta, her best friend Gale Hawthorne, her family and the Rebellion's leadership . . . and also upon her psyche. What I found interesting in the combat featured in this film is that Katniss and her fellow combatants not only have to deal with the traditional weapons of war, but also the muttations and other technical wonders usually reserved for the Hunger Games. The most harrowing examples of the Capitol's use of muttations were the flood of black tar on the Capitol's streets and the lizard mutts' attack upon the squad inside the Capitol's sewer system. I found this sequence rather difficult to watch, due to the scary images, the level of violence and the devastating impact upon the squad. But I must say . . . I thought it was one of the most frightening scenes in the entire saga. And due to Lawrence' direction, the cast's performances, the editing team of Alan Edward Bell and Mark Yoshikawa, cinematographer Jo Willems, and the special effects team; I also found it very effective. Speaking of the performances, there is not enough I can say about them. I could not find a misstep made by any member of the cast."MOCKINGJAY, PART II" featured some really solid performances from the likes of Elden Henson, Wes Chatham, Evan Ross, Stef Dawson, Sarita Choudhury, and Meta Golding. Natalie Dormer continued her excellent portrayal of television director Cressida. Patina Miller gave a more subtle performance as District 8's Commander Paylor, who ends up playing a major role at the end of the rebellion. Although her screen time was somewhat limited in the movie, Jena Malone continued to give a colorful performance as former tribute Johanna Mason. Actually, she was not the only one whose screen time was limited. I could also say the same about Woody Harrelson, who portrayed Katniss and Peeta's mentor Haymitch Abernathy; Jeffrey Wright as former tribute and the Rebellion's tech man Beetee Latier; Elizabeth Banks as Katniss and Peeta's escort Effie Trinket; Paula Malcomson as Katniss' delicate mother Mrs. Everdeen; Willow Shields as Katniss' quiet and highly determined sister Primrose; and Stanley Tucci as Hunger Games host Caesar Flickerman. Thankfully, they were all top-notch, as usual. There were cast members who given opportunities to strut their stuff in one or two scenes. There was an excellent moment for Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, who as Rebellion commander Bogg, tries to warn Katniss about President Alma Coin's true goals in a heartbreaking scene. Sam Claflin continued his excellent performance as former tribute Finnick Odair - especially in two scenes. One of them featured his character's wedding to another former tribute Annie Cresta. And other featured his attempts to placate the still hijacked Peeta. One scene that featured an intense performance by Michelle Forbes, who portrayed Boggs' second-in-command, Lieutenant Jackson. However, Donald Sutherland and Julianne Moore received a good number of opportunities to showcase their talent. As President Coriolanus Snow of Panem and President Alma Coin of the Rebellion, the two performers gave interesting, yet contrasting takes on presidential villainy. Sutherland's performance struck me as verbose, but with a slight edge of desperation, as his character struggle to deal with the possibility of defeat. On the other hand, Moore's performance seemed a good deal more subtle . . . cool. I got the impression of observing a personality that proved to be a lot more manipulative than Snow's and just as murderous in the occasional flash in her eyes. The movie also featured superb performances from the three leads. Liam Hemsworth gave an interesting performance as rebel Gale Hawthorne. Very interesting. Hemsworth skillfully expressed Gale's fervent aggression against Snow's administration, but also a disturbing willingness to resort to any means necessary to end the war in the rebels' favor. But for me, his best scene featured that moment when his character was unable to verify whether one of his weapon designs was used in an attack in front of the Presidential mansion. Hemsworth barely said a word, but his stark emotion is perfectly clear on his face. I think Josh Hutcherson had the most difficult role in this movie. He had to take the Peeta Mellark character on a journey from the murderous and brainwashed young man to someone who managed to find some semblance of peace in the wake of two Hunger Games and a violent war. Thanks to the screenwriters and Hutcherson's performance, Peeta's journey was not rushed into some futile effort to resume his old relationship with Katniss as quickly as possible. And this journey resulted in a beautiful scene in which Peeta finally told Katniss how she was needed to end this war against Snow - a scene that Hutcherson not only acted his ass off, but also brought tears to my eyes. Jennifer Lawrence's performance as Katniss Everdeen seemed a bit more subtle than usual in this movie. I found this surprising, considering her role as the movie's lead. I suspect that Katniss' unusual subtlety came from having the brainwashed Peeta in her midst. I also suspect that Katniss' unease toward Gale's "by any means necessary" attitude toward the use of violence may have contributed to that unease. Lawrence really kept her performance under control in this film. But there was one scene in which Lawrence's performance blew me away, when she openly expressed Katniss' rage and grief against the tragedies she had experienced during the war. I understand that "THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY, PART II" made less money than the previous three movies. Personally, I do not see this as a reflection of the movie's quality. Sure, it had a few bumps in the narrative and the production. But so did the other three films. Frankly, I thought it was an outstanding conclusion to one of the best movie franchises I had the good fortune to see. And one can thank not only Suzanne Collins' imagination and talent, but also Francis Lawrence's first-rate direction, a well-written script by Peter Craig and Danny Strong, and a talented cast led by the always superb Jennifer Lawrence that brought Collins' story to life.

[skeleton-richard]

We have the benefit of a great canon AND historical material to expand it, and as I said we don't have the problem of it being too straight lol. Also there's a secondary canon, which is the canon of a particular performance, so you're not limited to one version. It's fun to do AUs and fixits where what we wish happens does but we still like the canon.

A lot of fandom seems critical right now with the way people get really pissed if a show doesn't go the way they want it to (sometimes to the point of harassing the creators [and other fans they don't like] as seen with Steven Universe, where a show about kindness and morality became a battlefield for a while) and eventually get super critical of things they used to like, which ruins a lot of the fun for the rest of us like when people say "ugh Moffat is the worst" when he wrote some of the episodes of Doctor Who that are the most important to me.

It's okay to not like something in canon, but don't be so critical of it that things only seem critical. There's stuff that happened in the second and third Books of the Dun Cow, Lamentations and Peace at Last that I didn't like but I'm not overly negative about. I can say "This is why I don't like what Chauntecleer did" but that can't be my whole opinion of the series as a whole. There rarely seems to be a rational, honest discussion of things in a canon or in fanon, it's all kids being antis and making blogs about how much they hate a particular ship. Honestly how do you find time to do that stuff.

I habe no reason to consider myself an academic considering I'm a crap-ass student who for some reason used to tutor US history and has been told by all but one teacher he doesn't analyse things well (though my honors project will be on Richard... that count for anything?)

I've actually done that too, noticed things in canon after doing something fan. I only really noticed a lot more about time in Richard II after speculating Richard would be the Prince of Time in Homestuck based on the line about wasting time. He says "time" ten times in that speech (and then the groom calls him "Prince"!) And time appears earlier on, about hoping we arrive too late, and even more directly with "call back yesterday, bid time return." And I've probably found stuff in Julius Caesar after being stuck in that fandom hole for too long...

There are three basic categories of fic writer:

type one: fan fiction is a love letter to canon, only small changes unless it’s an au!!

type two: the source material can bite me, I don’t give a fuck

type three: horny