#FINALLY AN ENDING ABOUT A MAGICAL WORLD THAT IS HAPPY AND SATISFYING AND MAKES SENSE

[bonejunky6669]

THE OWL HOUSE HAD THE BEST FUCKING ENDING HOLY SHIT OH MY GOD

[intern-seraph]

i will wait (and hope)

book 7 spoilers! malleus/gn!reader

also on ao3

Malleus is afraid of the Prefect’s dream. Or, well, he’s afraid of what it could be. After all, there’s a chance that he’s not a part of it. He’s visited several dreams since he cast his blessing upon Sage Island, and many hadn’t included him. Understandable, he’s not close to many of his peers. But if his newest and dearest friend, the very human sleeping peacefully in his lap at the moment, doesn’t see him as essential to their perfect world..? He’s not sure what he’ll do. Still, the urge to satisfy his curiosity urges him to take a peek. Just a little one! So, with uncharacteristic hesitation, he throws himself into their dream.

When he opens his eyes, Malleus finds himself standing in an unfamiliar bedroom. The walls are built of immaculate stone brick that reminds him both of his dorm and his home. It’s the same size of his dorm room, or just about, and decorated in much the same Gothic style: black and green dominate the color scheme, but there are splashes of other colors that catch his eye. A pink heart-shaped pillow on the luxuriant onyx bedsheets, a few posters for things he doesn’t recognize on the walls, foreign tech in stark white and electric blue. The most conspicuous item hangs proudly above the bed’s headboard: a lavishly-decorated certificate framed in silver. He takes a few steps towards it, intent on reading what it says, but a sudden, powerful sense of magic draws his attention towards the floor-length mirror next to the wardrobe. He turns, eyes wide, as the mirror’s surface warps. Two hands emerge from the swirling glass, bracing against the frame, followed by one foot, then a second. Finally, a familiar face bursts from the mirror. Malleus is struck silent as his Prefect stands before him. Older, perhaps, but still his Prefect in all their loveliness.

They sigh and dust off their trousers. Mid-patdown, they finally meet his eyes. A brilliant smile blossoms on their face, and they rush to embrace him. He whispers their name, and they laugh. “Hey, honey. I know I was supposed to be home at the end of the week, but I wanted to surprise you.”

“Honey.” “Home.” Malleus feels dizzy when he hears those words. Before his stunned silence drags on for too long and makes them suspicious, he says, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, but I know my Hornton is strong enough to last for a month while I’m away.” They pull back, pressing a kiss to the corner of his lips before they walk over to the wardrobe. He watches them change into a more comfortable set of loungewear — looking down at himself, he finally notes that he’s wearing a soft black robe that matches one hanging in the wardrobe — and tries desperately not to ogle their bare body as parts of it are exposed. As they dress, they continue to speak: “My family’s asking about you, you know. They want to have you over again sometime soon, maybe for our holidays? It’s not for another month and a half, so there’s plenty of time to coordinate with your advisors and maybe even convince Lilia, Silver, Sebek, and possibly Grandma Maleficia to come with us.” They pause and look back at him, eyes twinkling with warmth that turns his insides soft and gooey. “No pressure, of course. They just want to get to know you, is all. After the honeymoon, there’s been so little time between your duties and my work to really bond more as a family.”

“I shall see what I can do. I, too, want to get to know everyone better. After all, they are my family now as much as they are yours.”

The Prefect, done changing, takes his hand and walks him over to the bed. He follows dutifully, sitting beside them and letting them rest their head on his shoulder. “I’m so happy that everyone’s getting along so well. I was worried, y’know, when we got the gate to work. Like, what if everything had changed since I arrived in Twisted Wonderland, what if everyone forgot about me, what if they didn’t want me back, all of that. But it’s been wonderful. I’m so happy I can share this with you.” They wrap their arms around his waist, and he feels his heart seize in his chest. “I love you, Malleus.”

Throat tight, he replies, “I love you, too.”

[nellie-elizabeth]

The Legend of Vox Machina: Souls in Darkness (3x12)

As a not-so-secret Percy/Vax enjoyer, even though I do ship the canon ships more... this episode made me very happy.

Cons:

Okay, remember when I did the big paragraph in episode nine about Pike's whole deal with the Everlight? In this episode we get this line: "sometimes you should go against the wishes of your deity. After all, the gods didn't create us to blindly obey them, right?" And that sentiment is fine with me, that makes a lot of sense as a conclusion a character could come to on her faith journey. But... why did she literally throw away the Everlight symbol when facing down Thordak? That moment doesn't seem to actually lead to this one! I'm really hoping that season four can give us a bit more clarity on how we're supposed to view Pike's relationship to the Everlight. I'm fine with them making strong choices, but right now it feels kind of directionless and unspecific.

I want to reiterate that I'm sad about the Bard's Lament thing here. I still wonder what we'll see in future seasons, if some alternate version with different context will play out. But just... seeing Scanlan hugging Pike and Grog and then going off with Kaylie, everyone sad but ultimately at peace and in a good place with each other, i was just like... this is not my Fucked Up Story of Self-Destruction! I just want Scanlan to be way more of a mess. I want "what's my mother's name," and since we didn't get it here, within its original context, I wonder if we'll be getting any version of it at all! That does make me sad, even if I understand the reasoning behind it.

I liked how the Raishan fight ultimately went down but I wish they could have found some way to tie in the idea of the feeblemind - defeating Raishan by taking away her intellect, her main asset, was such a cool thematic element in the stream. I get why it would be hard to adapt, though!

A small thing, but it feels like only Vex and Vax are really grieving all that much for Percy? Like, the rest of the gang are there for the ritual, and Pike and Keyleth are helping with the magic part of it, but nobody else has had really any emotional processing time about Percy's death since his funeral. I wish there had been a bit more going on with some of them, especially Keyleth, who's supposed to be Percy's good friend!

An even smaller thing, I don't like Vax calling Pike "Pickle" in the scene where they're discussing the resurrection. I feel like Liam always used those nicknames in cute little moments in the stream, but it wasn't a regular thing, and it feels overplayed this season to me. All the nicknames, really.

Pros:

But, okay - I thought this was a kick-ass finale, really strong! The Raishan fight was, I'm a broken record here, extremely cool to look at. The animation of this show is so top-notch that even in moments where I feel hesitant about a writing choice or what have you, it's still always stunning to look at. I loved, loved, loved Keyleth getting more of a one-on-one showdown with Raishan while still having the group there to back her up.

The thing where Keyleth turns into a rock statue of herself and then crumbles apart to become an earth elemental is both a) extremely fucking dope and b) a good angst-generating machine, as it makes everyone who witnesses it think she's just fuckin' died before she pops up out of the earth like a total bad-ass. Vax wailing in agony about her ostensible demise... yes please. We love to see it.

And the cleverness of feeding Raishan's disease back to her - wow! The visual of Keyleth killing Raishan so quickly at the end of the last episode, and then feeding into the way Raishan is ultimately brought down here - they did a good job of making the Raishan vs. Keyleth fight feel very personal. Thordak, for all that he killed Vex and Vax's mom, was still mostly just this abstract big huge danger that was going to take over the world. Raishan had a more personal vendetta against the Ashari, so it was satisfying to see this showdown play out the way it did. Five out of five dragons defeated, Vox Machina. Hell yeah.

And then we bring Percy back to life!!! Ahhhh. Everything about Vax talking to the Matron, going into the shadowy Orthax realm, finding Percy, while the ritual is going on back on Exandria, I could literally quote every beat of it as my favorite part. I got super emotional at Orthax saying "Percival deserves this" and Vax saying "the fuck he does" and struggling towards his friend. Vax's shock and dismay when Percy doesn't recognize him at first, and then "she loves you, and so do I, brother"... like, fuck me up, it was so perfect! I loved the fact that it was a team effort from the twins, here. Vex giving her famous speech and the tear breaking through to wake Percy up from his trance, and then recognizing Vax at last... Vax has this special relationship to death specifically because he loves his sister so much and was willing to die to save her, and now he's using that connection in order to find a way to get Percy back. It really ties everything together from all the way back in season two episode three, when Percy inadvertently sets off the trap that kills Vex. The three of them have had this sort of convoluted relationship to what happened that day ever since, and this is a lovely capstone of it.

Then let's talk about that ending. I already said I'm sad about the big Scanlan change. But... I understand that when they were mapping this season out, they didn't have a guaranteed season four. Given that limitation, and the economy of storytelling required to make this show at all, I do appreciate the send-offs that the characters got. Everyone's going off on their own little journeys for a while. Scanlan with his daughter, and Vex and Percy to Whitestone, and Keyleth and Vax on her Aramente. They threw in the Vex line to Vax and Keyleth about not going off to get married, which got an eyebrow raise out of me, that's for sure. I'm happy for Vex and Percy - I loved that shot of them both leaning against Trinket and cuddling. So sweet. And I'm happy for Vax and Keyleth. Him wanting nothing more than to help her out on her journey is a good look for him. I am really curious about the Matron's consequences for him for helping Percy, and how that's going to alter how that arc for Vax went originally.

And... I think that's all I've got! In a way, I think this season didn't click with me during the process of watching at quite the same level as the first two seasons did. We've got quite the escalation, and a lot of changes, and just a lot riding on certain moments, and... well, I think this is still some exceptional television. I think it's remarkably high caliber and I'm still overall quite pleased with what we got! I just had a different emotional experience with it than I think I was expecting in a couple of spots. Still, I was so relieved and excited to hear about the renewal for season four and I'm so ready to see where they take the story from here!

8.5/10

[dudeyuri]

I'm having thoughts and feelings about bad buddy must be a day that ends in y. But like, last episode tomorrow, kind of verklempt, need to word vomit

My first watch of Bad Buddy kind of smacked me upside the head. I know this is not a unique experience. I was left reeling for a bit. Watching Bad Buddy was the first thing I did in 2023 and I watched all 12 episodes in one sitting like a glutton and I stayed up til 1am even though I had to get up at 4am the next day (I haven't done stupid shit like that since college). Then I started my rewatch the next day. Then I put it aside for months because it was actually a physical ache in my chest when I thought about it. I just...never?? encountered such a fulfilling narrative that followed through on all its promises. Even with its deliberate deceptions and twists and uncertainties - I put my trust in Bad Buddy's narrative and was rewarded for doing so like never before.

It got me from the first episode - the first episode did what I think almost every first episode should do: tell you exactly what the story is going to be, without telling you exactly what the story is going to be. Fantastic writing, deliberate pacing, satisfying character development, pitch-perfect acting, all top-notch. It kept the energy up all throughout even as it got heavier, and stuck the landing in such a profound and bittersweet way. This was the first Thai BL I've ever watched, and probably the third BL I've ever watched period. One of my first impressions after finishing it even for the first time was that it was, maybe above all else, self aware.

My initial impression was also not a unique one: so far this is funny, charming, an exciting premise. And by episode 4 I was starting to get hit with it: this story is all those things and a knife in your gut, a lump in your throat. And it's queer, and it's tragic. Like, from the jump we see the two households both alike in dignity, we know what this is: it's Romeo and Juliet (or Kwan and Riam). We know how it ends. Pran knows how it ends. They teased us the whole show with Pran's decor, his doorknob hanger, like this show's version of a comedy and tragedy mask - what's it going to be? How's it going to end? Everyone watching knows how romcoms typically end. But everyone also knows how Romeo and Juliet ends.

In a move that can really only be described as revolutionary, Bad Buddy decided that queering the Romeo and Juliet narrative meant a happy ending. With caveats, but happy and alive and together. It was as simple as two characters finding their agency in a world trying to deprive them of it, seeing every path around them that led to tragedy, and instead trailblazing a new one that led to happiness. (everything that could be said about this has already been said; I look to this essay by @chickenstrangers often!! helped me make sense of pat gets shot lol. MK I hope you're not sick of people linking this left and right). It's a narrative choice that resounds.

I was personally struck by that specific pain Pat and Pran experience, the pain of having to lie to your parents and keep love a secret from them - is there a queer person out there who doesn't relate to that in a bone-achingly deep way? Regardless of your relationship with your family. Having to partition yourself like this is part of the queer experience. And it's exhausting because you just have to live like this. It's exhausting because the people who are supposed to love you have made a liar of you instead. You can be surviving and thriving and happy, but your parents will still ask your siblings about their love lives and ask you about the weather (too real??? oops). There's a hint at a possible thawing in the final episode that gives hope, but Bad Buddy does not magically make the parents realize they were wrong and accept their sons' love - I mean, that just doesn't happen. It would have made for a disingenuous ending, it would have been a disservice to the narrative and to the viewers and to the metaphor. If you're lucky enough to have parents who would, you're lucky. It's a sad truth. "We can't change the world...but the world can't change us either."

At first glance, Bad Buddy plays in the "BL bubble". Upon a slightly closer examination Bad Buddy says there can never really be a bubble--stories aren't crafted in a vacuum, the dominant ideology that is homophobia traumatizes and endangers and oppresses all who do not align with it, still there are happy endings for us here. We find each other and carve them out ourselves. To say all this, and to not veer into heavy-handed "yeah okay we get it" territory is a feat honestly! Seldom accomplished in such a riveting and sexy way! How refreshing! Bad Buddy reminded me of reading a good poem - upon first read, a good poem is about "a thing," and it's evocative as is and you don't even have to read it again to enjoy it. But you can also consider it carefully and unearth "the other thing," a deeper meaning, the answer to "why was this written?". Bad Buddy trusts its viewers to get there. I mean I know it's really not much of a hidden message, but again, they are subtle with it, iykyk etc. BB doesn't hold our hand, but it takes our trust and respects it and doesn't break it (though it shakes the jar, like quite a bit, lol. All good stories should tbh).

I think a lot about the form, too. In a less capable storyteller's hands 12 one-hour-long episodes can drag (I'm thinking of some recent gmmtv BLs lol), or even not be enough (I feel like I personally see that in a lot of western shows whose fanbases are out here begging for second seasons to tie up loose ends). P'Aof (and co.) knew exactly what to do with 12 episodes. Has anyone in the entire history of TeleVision ever known what to do with 12 one-hour-long episodes as undeniably as P'Aof and co in making Bad Buddy??

I know I'm being a little dramatic, excessively lauding good writing like this. Like yeah stories should be good and thoughtful and make sense, of fucking course. But I just have to appreciate it in a genre, in a capitalist reality, where a story does not have to be profound or clever or full of love to be marketable. They truly did not have to go this hard. (Though the writer in me who now considers Aof a personal idol also thinks: yes of course they absolutely did have to go this hard in fact It Is The Only Way). I'm so so grateful for it for so many reasons!! And I didn't even breach the topic of how fun and sexy I think Pat and Pran are together. Didn't even mention the fingersucking, the scent kink, the kissies - all genuinely just as important to me as everything else. It's all in the making of a good story! I am taking notes through my tears and I am so thankful

[mdhwrites]

Ok, so i watched the finale, it was pretty predictable but enjoyable. But during the after cred scene, it really just solidified how aimless these characters are, Willow truly became just 'strong athlete' who serves as Hunters arm candy. She doesnt seem to give a shit about plants anymore ig? shes just 'buff' now.

Gus went straight back to 'guy who likes humans who has a group to celebrate said interest'. Amity is just... making abominations? i guess? Hunter is making palismen, which seems shoved in because caleb apparently carved.

Luz is... magic. yeah thats it. Eda is a headteacher, which feels widely out of place, but whatever. King Is. Other characters are rebuilding? i just- it feels like these characters have nowhere else to go because they just had no personal goals outside of very basic shit.

With amphibia, sasha became a child therapist, anne became a biologist who specialised in amphibians, marcy became a game designer. These are all goals that reflect their journey.

Now I want to start by saying that endings are hard and that character endings can be even harder than that. If you do a time skip epilogue, you have to somehow be able to show that all the characters are happy, successful and moving on in a way that makes sense and is narratively satisfying. You also usually have VERY little time to do this with because it's purposefully meant to be fluffy and sweet and disconnected from the rest in a way that isn't going to fit with the core of the show. The problem is that part of why this is hard is because characters are meant to be complex and their endings should reflect on the themes of the piece as well. Marcy's creativity and wonder about things blooming into a webcomic (I believe it's a webcomic and not games at least, though games works too) is great because she found a healthy way to share those passions with others and make connections through them. Anne's whole arc was learning to find the wonder in others and the strange world she was in and so her aquarium job is dead on the money. Sasha had to learn the hard way how to stop being controlling, angry and manipulative and passing those lessons on is far deeper and useful to others than anything her cheerleader base would have made you expect. It also makes it so when the show states the theme of the piece, about separation being a chance to grow and what you'll find coming back together is all the stronger, it hits SO. FUCKING. HARD. And comparing that to TOH... Well, we got effectively six character endings from what I've seen, seven if you count Lilith but hers is just more of what she was already doing as her job in the series, just now with a harpy form so I don't. Only six are meant to be any sort of final cap on their character/lives. And I'm just going to say this outright: They're not all bad. So from best to worst, with the name at the start of each in bold in case you don't care about someone, let's talk about: Hunter Amity Eda Willow Gus Luz Hunter: It's good. It's genuinely pretty damn good. That's not a joke or a setup or anything either. If Hunter's arc was about rejecting Belos to any extent, then this is a GREAT finish, even without Flapjack. After all, the part of the Isles that Belos himself most directly destroyed through his consumption, greed and wrath was the palistrom trees and palismen. Having it be that Hunter is now helping restore those elements is incredibly potent. Of course, there's also the obvious connection of Hunter and Flapjack but arguably the bird had more to do with his arc than any one character so him influencing Hunter's future just makes sense. I think it also just fits well with Hunter's character though. Watching out for people trying to steal palistrom wood uses his old soldier training but now in a constructive way, he's obviously not a very social person so the isolation is probably nice to him to get away from things and the boy has a LOT mentally to deal with. Working on regular wood while thinking about all of that is going to be a good place to release those anxieties and tensions in a good, creative manner. And for themes of identity, I think it's fine too. While Flapjack was Caleb's palisman, I don't think we ever get it confirmed that Caleb himself carved for a living or the like. That makes this genuinely something Hunter is doing himself and not because of someone else. That includes if he's doing it somewhat for Flapjack because honoring a friend is a very personal thing and very different from copying the dead. And again, frankly, the job feels very right for Hunter because it plays into his strengths rather than his weaknesses and gives him the peace he needs. No notes. Good job show. You got one. Amity: Okay, that's a little mean because Amity's is... Fine. It finally gives a point to her and her father's arc that you can't argue with through "X led to nothing" like angst about her father or the abomaton problem. There is a through line to this, especially with her abomatons. It makes narrative sense and functions.

...Except how much have those things actually mattered to her and in how long? She still rejected her father's hug in Reaching Out and didn't ask Em and Ed about him so their relationship by the end of the show still wasn't good. Escaping Expulsion explicitly said Amity was letting her grades slip so she's been at least distracted from magic for over a season at this point. Yes they claim her hair is abomination styled but it's WAY too light colored for that frankly, making it look way more pink than any sort of purple. Worse yet is that Amity's arc, besides becoming Luz's girlfriend, can be generously claimed as having a theme of becoming her own person instead of what others want of her. This technically works but clashes some by her still following in one of her parent's footsteps. She just swapped from her mother's dream to her father's passions. Now Alador never pushed her to copy him, he was neglectful after all so that would have been hard, so it still works. It is still theoretically a form of abominations that is characterized in the show by being about passion rather than simply performance with Odalia pushing the need for it to be commercial, something Amity theoretically won't care about. Frankly though, with how much her arc tries to push her caring about others, her reading to kids, there even being from what I've seen a sweet moment between her and the Collector... Why not make her a teacher or a caretaker of some sort? That's harder to portray than abomination mechanic but it fits as an ultimate capstone for going from someone who only cared about personal position, being the best and would throw away lives for her goals to someone who rejected all of that. To someone who spent their life now lifting others up and her knowledge empowered her to do that better than she otherwise could have. So Amity gets like a B. It works narratively and for the character but there's some improvement that could be done.

Eda: Oh look, a job that is going to make her absolutely miserable! That is my first thought hearing that she's a headmaster. After all, being the lead administrator is NOT the same as being a teacher. The paperwork alone is going to make her wish she was dead, much like when Tsunade became Hokage in Naruto. But that's not really what you're supposed to be thinking with it. It's supposed to be the ultimate extension of both Momma Eda in her students being her kids but also the fulfillment of Eda going from reluctant mentor to full on teacher. Which... If there were more than two episodes of the series where Eda was actually even attempting to be a mentor to Luz, that might actually mean more and that is EASILY the stronger thread being pulled here. You have to make the students into a more abstract concept for the Momma Eda theme to really fit here. What could you have done with her? I don't entirely know but I would probably have said enjoying retirement with Raine. Living a life finally at peace and without a need to hustle and bustle to fight against the curse or the system. She could have the freedom she always wanted without having to fear for her life. Having her partner by her side also makes it so you know she has family, something she spent so much of her life without. So essentially it's an ending that works from a more meta perspective but when you actually consider the events of the show and the character, it's questionable how much it fits or how 'happy' an ending it will be for her, especially when it ties her down so hard.

Willow: Okay, being fair here, from a setup perspective this actually works better than Eda's ending. Her strength is much of what defined her character, magically and physically, and she decided personally to want to go into sports in S2. Her becoming an athlete fits on both of those levels. For a character who is mostly a plot device, that's not bad.

Except it really doesn't play into anything about how she began and her resentment towards the name Half a Witch. It also has nothing to do with her plants. These elements that the show tried to claim had her seething resentment, that dominated her childhood, are ENTIRELY gone from her ending instead of reclaimed in any way. It's frustrating because it really paints that early stuff as pointless and genuinely just for Amity's sake, not Willow's and that's not great when the athletic stuff always felt tacked onto me in S2 just to give her SOMETHING to do with Hunter.

It also just continues pushing this feeling to me that despite setting up and wanting Willow to be the shy, plant girl archtype at times, S1 especially wanting her to just be willing to wilt away, SOMEONE on the writing team hates that archtype. Just wanted to surgically remove every last scrap of that from her character, regardless of if she was given the time to justify it or the like. That was frankly more okay to me with the shy element than the plant element seeing as she feels BORN to do plant magic by the fact that she was a master practically from the first time we see her use it without no training.

But here's the real reason it's below Eda: I hate her design. It's mostly fine but it's also UNFINISHED. She has one kneepad and ONE SOCK. You can make excuses for one of those but not the fucking sock and it drives me up a wall. I also don't like that the reformed Isles would still have a character like Willow having spikes on parts of her uniform for sports. Get rid of those and imply things have become gentler show. It's not like you've ever cared about keeping the Isles' identity intact before.

Gus: Here is where we go from "It functions but is maybe not good if you think about it" to "You're being way more honest than you're meaning to be show." After all, we have that cyclical aspect of Eda where Gus is returning to the start of the show but there is NO thought put into this.

If there was, if the show was willing to show that Gus had become wiser and more considerate, he wouldn't be studying humans. Not on the Isles. After all, how is he even going to do it on the Isles? Studying Luz? That feels weirdly like being friends with Bigfoot while saying you still need to find Sasquatch and prove the legends are true. Dude, maybe stop being... weird about this race you know exists properly now. It's kind of uncomfortable.

It's not even a hard thing to fix: Say he's here to see Luz off before going through the portal door with one of those glamour stones to cover his ears. He needs to go learn anthropology and the political sciences of our world in order to prepare to be a proper ambassador. That actually might have been neat.

But, you know, that would have taken any thought or care with Gus and we're lucky he was even remembered in the finale frankly. It's a flat failure though and really highlights how Gus hasn't grown and is still mostly a joke to the writers.

So then the question is... If Gus is this bad, can it really get worse with

Luz: *breathes in slowly*

*breathes out slowly*

I've been pretending to grade some of these and if that's the case, I don't even accept Luz's ending. I tell the student that they ignored what the assignment was and just copy and pasted the first paragraph of their wikipedia entry and tried to hand that in as their answer to how the MAIN CHARACTER OF THE SHOW ENDS IT. Because that is exactly the vibe of this ending.

Luz didn't grow and she sure as shit didn't learn anything. Remember: Her theme for her character arc, the worst decision to me creatively, is the fantasy she wants to live versus the consequences of that fantasy. It doesn't even matter how bad that theme is ever handled in the show because this is theoretically the largest, explicit theme of the story outside of personal expression being all that matters.

And Luz literally ends the series chasing the same dream she had at the start.

I... I don't even entirely know how to respond to that. The show, which is a kid's show remember, legitimately said that her running away from her problems to play out one of her fantasy books was such a good choice, it should be the thing she does for the REST OF HER LIFE. That it is the final, definitive note for the character that Luz the Human is going to be Luz the Witch.

And you know what? If Luz's journey to being a witch actually meant anything in the show, this might have literally any justification. If during the course of the show she had genuinely learned a lot as a person over the course of becoming a witch, if magic itself had so many rules as to require you to be a functional human being in order to use it, it MIGHT work. It's not great but it might work. Except... Remember back when I was talking about Eda? About how Eda spends two episodes teaching Luz and that's it?

Remember: Luz is like 90% why the Selkidamus is beat while on the boat. By the beginning of S2, and explicitly with Escaping Expulsion, she is already closing in on the ceiling of her powers. She already outshines most other witches to the point where the Emperor is the only person to give her a real challenge combat wise so long as the series is actually remembering to let her cast spells. Half of her glyphs aren't even tried to be connected to anything but instead, as she puts it, are found from other witch's spells randomly. They're just... There and no one else noticed somehow.

And this is what you want to say her character was leading up to? A profession that in the human realm has no transferable skills because she can't just be spinning Stringbean all the time without it being obvious and glyphs don't work in the human realm. It's actually worse in the Boiling Isles because unless she's going to get employed as a glyph master or something, she still needs a job. Everyone has magic there after all and anyone can use glyph magic with ease. You don't even need to be confident in it. Thank you Gus and Looking Glass Ruins.

It is bizarrely revealing how little thought and care was put into Luz and the themes of the show with this being how it ends. It is just, top to bottom, a failure. The only way it functions is fans of the show being happy she's chasing her dreams into eternity. You cannot think about it for even a second without some sort of question coming up.

And what else would she do? Easy. I've been saying she should have become a counselor or a therapist literally even before S2. That was just the obvious way for her to grow to me. She learns that you need to balance reality and fantasy, your passions with the demands of the world and takes up a job that lets her help kids like her find happiness and a place in their world. Either world. It would imply she understands childhood fantasies are just that, it would highlight her empathy and understanding of others and also is an amazing culmination of the theme of Fantasy versus Reality.

And instead the show's response was probably as far from caring about any of those things as you can possibly get. I don't understand it and it blows my fucking mind.

But I mean... if you want to finally drop the pretenses and just admit that your show is nothing but basic, escapist fantasy... I guess there really isn't a better ending than this, is there? =======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[spnbaby-67]

Convention Confessions

ok Jared Fans, here's one for you, yes I am back to writing again. I am doing these to get fully invested to writing again. I missed it so much. Remember, these are not real and is for entertainment purposes only. I have met both Jensen and Jared, and I love them dearly and would never ever cause any harm to any of them and or there families. They are to precious for this world. Hope you like it, Parings: Jared and Reader,

Warnings, Non really other than Jared being adorably cute.

The convention hall was buzzing with excitement as fans from all over the world gathered to celebrate their favorite TV show, Supernatural. Jared Padalecki and the Y/N Stephens had become a beloved pair, and their on-screen chemistry had given rise to countless fan theories and ship names. As they took their seats on the panel stage, they exchanged a knowing glance, bracing themselves for the inevitable questions about their off-screen relationship.

The moderator began, "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the stars of Supernatural, Jared Padalecki and our surprise guest, Y/N Stephens!"

The audience erupted in cheers, and the panel started with a series of standard questions about the show. But it didn't take long for someone to bring up the topic that had been on everyone's minds.

A fan raised their hand and was given the microphone. "Hi, Jared and Y/N! We've all seen your incredible chemistry on the show. Can you tell us if that chemistry extends beyond the screen?"

Jared leaned back in his chair, a playful smile on his face. "Well, you know, we're pretty good actors, so that chemistry you see might just be some top-notch acting."

The Y/N chuckled beside him, playing along. "That's right. It's all in the script."

But the audience wasn't satisfied with their coy responses. Another fan chimed in, "Come on, we've seen the way you look at each other during interviews. It's not just acting, is it?"

Jared's smile widened as he exchanged another glance with the reader. "Okay, okay, you got us. We're actually sworn enemies off-screen."

The room erupted in laughter, and the tension in the air dissipated. But the questions about their relationship continued to pour in, ranging from innocent curiosity to more personal inquiries.

As the panel went on, Jared and the Y/N expertly navigated the questions, giving just enough to satisfy the fans' curiosity without revealing too much. They shared anecdotes and stories from their time on set, always emphasizing their deep friendship and camaraderie.

Finally, as the panel came to a close, the Y/N leaned toward the microphone. "You know, it's been amazing to work with Jared on this show. We've become like family, and I think that's what makes our on-screen chemistry so special."

Jared nodded in agreement. "Absolutely. And we're grateful for all the love and support from our incredible fans. You make this experience truly magical."

With those heartfelt words, the panel concluded to thunderous applause. Jared and the Y/N exchanged relieved smiles, knowing they had successfully answered the sea of questions about their relationship while leaving their fans with a warm and happy memory of the convention.

After the panel ended, Jared Padalecki and the Y/N made their way backstage, away from the enthusiastic crowd. The convention staff congratulated them on a successful panel and offered them refreshments. As they settled into a quieter area, Jared turned to the Y/N with a grin.

"Well, that was quite the panel," he remarked, his hazel green eyes sparkling with amusement.

Y/N chuckled, feeling a sense of relief now that they were away from the scrutinizing eyes of the fans. "Yeah, we managed to dodge those relationship questions pretty well, I think."

Jared nodded in agreement. "We make a good team, on and off the screen."

As they chatted and enjoyed some well-deserved snacks, the Y/N couldn't help but reflect on the journey they'd been on together. From the first day they met on the set of Supernatural to now, years later, they had formed a bond that was both professional and deeply personal.

She turned to Jared, a hint of nostalgia in their voice. "Remember when we first started filming the show? It feels like a lifetime ago."

Jared smiled warmly, his expression turning nostalgic as well. "Yeah, I remember. Those early days were something else. We were just a couple of kids trying to make it in the acting world, and look where we are now."

They exchanged a knowing look, both aware of how fortunate they were to have shared this incredible journey together. Y/N's gaze softened as they spoke again, this time with a touch of vulnerability.

"You know, Jared, I'm really grateful for everything this show has brought into my life. And for our friendship."

He reached out and placed a reassuring hand on the her shoulder. "Y/N, the feeling is mutual. You've been an amazing friend and co-star. I can't imagine doing this without you."

Their moment of sincerity was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was their fellow cast members, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, and others, all of them eager to join the post-panel celebration.

"Hey, you two! Don't hog all the snacks without us!" Jensen called out with a grin.

Y/N and Jared shared a laugh, realizing that their private moment had come to an end. They welcomed their friends with open arms, knowing that the bonds they had formed on and off the screen were something truly special.

As the laughter and camaraderie filled the backstage area, it was clear that the love and friendship between the Supernatural cast members were as strong as ever, a testament to the magic of the show and the enduring connection between Jared Padalecki and Y/N Stephens.

As the convention day drew to a close and the cast and crew shared stories and laughter backstage, Jared Padalecki couldn't shake the feeling that it was the right moment to share something he had been holding back for far too long. He found a quiet moment to pull the Y/N aside, away from the chatter of their friends.

"Y/N," he began, his voice earnest, "there's something I've been wanting to tell you."

She looked at him, curiosity and a touch of nervousness in their eyes. "What is it, Jared?"

Taking a deep breath, Jared continued, "You know, earlier during the panel, when we were joking about being sworn enemies off-screen and how we're like family on set… Well, there's a part of that which I haven't been completely honest about."

Y/N's brow furrowed, and she leaned in closer to hear him better. "Jared, what are you trying to say?"

Jared looked into the her green eyes, his own gaze filled with sincerity and a hint of vulnerability. "Y/N, the truth is, I do love you. Not just as a friend or a co-star. I mean, I love you in a way that goes beyond all of that."

Y/N's heart skipped a beat, and they felt a rush of emotions wash over them. They had wondered about the depth of her own feelings for Jared for a long time, but hearing these words from him was both unexpected and incredibly moving.

Jared continued as he took her hands in his, "I've been keeping this to myself because I didn't want to complicate things or put pressure on our friendship. But it's become impossible for me to deny how I feel. You mean more to me than I can put into words, and I don't want to hide it anymore."

Tears welled up in the her eyes as she processed Jared's confession. She reached out to gently cup his cheek, her voice filled with emotion. "Jared, I… I've been feeling the same way. I love you too, not just as a friend or a co-star, but in a way that's so much deeper."

Jared's eyes glistened with happiness as he leaned in, capturing the reader's lips in a sweet, tender kiss. It was a kiss that spoke volumes, sealing their unspoken feelings and promising a new chapter in their relationship.

When they finally pulled away, Jared smiled, his heart feeling lighter than it had in a long time. "I'm so glad I finally had the courage to tell you how I feel."

Y/N smiled back, her eyes filled with love and happiness. "Me too, Jared. This is a convention I'll never forget."

As they rejoined their friends, hand in hand, it was clear that their bond had deepened into something beautiful and genuine. The Supernatural family had witnessed a love story unfold, one that transcended the screen and was now written in their hearts.

@deans-baby-momma

[sjsmith56]

The Fae Elements, Part 7 - The Past

Summary: A flashback chapter that explains more about the fae king James Barnes, specifically how he managed to have a much younger mortal son.

Length: 5 K

Characters: James Barnes, Sheriff Brown, Cora, Mr. Horton, Steven Rogers.

Warnings: Despair, grief. A young woman is described as easy to seduce.

Author notes: Okay, it was supposed to be only six parts, but this came to me, so I added it on. It's a flashback, but it kind of explains some things that happen in the main story. This is set in 1945 and explains how Buck came to have a mortal son. It also somewhat explains his reluctance to protect Sage as a child, with a marriage bond. Unlike the rest of the story, this is written in 3rd person POV. The AI images of James Barnes as a farm worker and rich businessman, were created by the author, using Microsoft Copilot app, in Designer mode.

<<Part 6

👮🏼‍♂️ 🧑‍🌾 🪦

The crowds in New York celebrating the end of the war in Europe were boisterous, loud, and finally too much for James Barnes to continue observing. Although he was happy to know that the hostilities of the mortal world had ceased, at least in that part of the world, he would wait for his council to assess the damage so many years of warfare had inflicted on the North African and European landscape. Certainly, the repercussions on the environment would be felt for years to come, not to mention the cost it had inflicted on people, both fae and mortal. So many of their kind had been swept away by the madness. So many mortal descendants had been killed by both sides.

As he leaned back against a building in the alley he ducked into, Barnes ran his hands over his face.  He had been fae king for far too long, had overseen massive technological and industrial changes in the human world that greatly affected the fae world.  His own self-imposed isolation after Daere's death placed their kind in peril, as the Industrial Revolution that spread all over the world introduced stresses on nature that seemed unthinkable.  Vast tracts of forests had been cut down to satisfy the needs of the mortals for fuel, building, and agriculture, forever changing some landscapes for the worse.  A sense of despair threatened him suddenly, and he looked around to make sure no one was watching as he flew out of the alley, away from the noise, and the singing and dancing that suddenly felt wrong. 

For hours he kept high in the sky, using the warm air currents to glide from the city to the countryside. Everywhere he considered landing seemed to be teeming with people intent on being joyous. Certainly, it was their right, but he craved solitude at this moment, so even the stronghold wasn't an option for him. He could have always gone to the sanctuary, but he had spent so long there after the death of his wife, in his self-imposed exile, that he knew if he returned, he risked turning his back on everything once again. So, it had to be somewhere else, somewhere quiet, where he could think.

As the sun went down on May 8, 1945, he finally found a spot and landed, making his wings invisible again, then using his magic to make sure his clothes were appropriate for the area. Wearing the garb of a migrant worker, overalls, shirt, work-boots, short jacket and cap, he began walking into the small quiet town. His appearance at the edge of town drew some attention and at one point, he was approached by a man wearing the uniform of a law enforcement officer. Taking his cap off, in a gesture of respect, he waited for the man to reach him.

"Stranger," said the man, wearing a badge that said Sheriff. "Where did you come from?"

"I was hitchhiking and was dropped off here," said Barnes. "The driver of the truck said I might be able to find work." The Sheriff frowned and the disguised fae king realized the people here likely were not friendly to strange men. He needed to think fast. "I've been searching for work since returning from Europe."

"You served? Where?"

"France, I went in with the 101st Airborne on D-Day," replied Barnes. "Received a leg injury that took me out of the war in Belgium and got sent home."

"Where's home?"

"Virginia. My wife was with another fellow, so I left. Been on the road ever since."

He looked away, hoping to convey his embarrassment at his situation. The disapproval from the lawman rolled off of him in waves, and he knew instinctively the man likely wouldn't allow him into town.

"I can give you a bed in the jail for tonight, and a couple of meals if you clear out a storeroom for me," said the sheriff, surprisingly. "But I want you gone tomorrow. I'm only letting you stay the night because no man should come home from the war to find his wife with another."

"Thank you, sir, I appreciate it," replied Barnes, hoping he looked desperate enough to be appreciative of a bed and food.

Following him back into town, he was aware of everyone's eyes on him, even noticing people coming out of their homes to watch him pass. It was more curiosity than anything else and he did all he could to insert the thought that he was forgettable into their minds. As they re-entered their houses after he passed, he breathed easier, knowing that he had successfully passed himself off as just another sad mortal man, down on his luck. The Sheriff entered the jailhouse, nodding at another uniformed man, typing a report using his two index fingers.

"This is ...."

"Jim," said Barnes.

"Jim is going to spend the night in a cell and then clean out the storeroom in the morning. He gets a meal now and a meal before he leaves. He's not under arrest. He's just another soldier who came home to an unfaithful wife."

The other man saluted him slightly, then returned to his report. Sheriff Brown got on the phone and ordered a meal for all three of them, then showed him the cell where he could sleep. There was a cot, with a thin bare mattress on it and nothing else.

"I've got a pillow and blanket in the storeroom, if you want to come and have a look at the mess."

He led the way to the storeroom, turning a light on by pulling a string that hung from the ceiling. It was full of all sorts of equipment, old furniture, and boxes everywhere. Reaching to one of the boxes, the Sheriff pulled out a bare pillow and a scratchy wool blanket, handing it to Barnes.

"If you can make some sort of sense of this mess, I might be able to give you some money as well, but I'll see how good of a job you do. You're welcome to work on it overnight if you can't sleep. I have to lock you into the building as Joe and I both go home to our wives overnight unless we have a prisoner that needs guarding. That okay with you?"

"That's fine," said Barnes. "I appreciate you giving me a place to sleep. If you don't mind, I can start now before the food arrives."

"Suit yourself."

Brown took back the blanket and pillow, leaving the other man there who started with the boxes, moving them to the hallway and taking stock of what else was in the cramped space.. After ten minutes Barnes took his jacket off, already feeling warm as he used his strength to shift some of the heavier furniture into a place that was out of the way. The food arrived and the other officer came back to get him, leading him to the front office, then gesturing at a table where a young woman was unpacking a basket.

She was pleasant to him, in a way that reminded Barnes of Daere, his long-dead wife. Her honey-coloured hair wasn't curled like the other women who wore theirs in large Victory rolls. Instead, she let it hang loose over her shoulders, her natural waves reflecting the light from the overhead fixtures. He imagined that in the sun it would be more golden in colour. Her soft brown eyes reminded him of a doe's eyes, so large and trusting. Smiling kindly at him, she placed a plate of food in front of each man then set out cutlery.

"Thank you, Cora," said Brown. "If you come back in an hour, you can pick up the dishes and return them to the restaurant."

"Yes, Sheriff," she replied quietly, then took her leave.

"Nice girl," said the lawman. "Her family's had it tough since her brother went to war. Her daddy died of a heart attack and it's just her and her mama running the restaurant. Maybe now with the surrender her brother can come home and take care of them as she doesn't seem to be the marrying kind. Eat up, before it gets cold."

It was good food, hearty, simple fare that reminded Barnes of the type of meal they strived for when he first arrived in America in the early years, with Daere and their twin sons. The council had sensed that the Americas needed the fae king there, as great trials against their people were coming. Unfortunately, there was little he could do about the troubles, as the paranoia was so great against anyone who tried to defend those accused of being in league with the dark one. After Daere's sister was hung, and she wasted away in despair, Barnes retreated to the sanctuary with his then young daughter, Hope, as her older brothers chose to remain in the stronghold, still being built at that time. Shaking himself out of the painful memories, he finished the meal and returned to the storeroom to continue working on it. Later, Brown stopped and had a look at his progress.

"Cora hasn't returned for those dishes yet, so I've left you the key to let her in," he said. "Mind you don't let her linger too long. People gossip about her. They think she's too trusting with men and there may be some truth to it. She's a sweet girl but without her father and brother to watch over her I think she's lonely and some have taken advantage of that. Anyways, good night, Jim."

"Goodnight, Sheriff," replied Barnes, locking the door behind the man, still coming to terms that the man didn't want him to hang around town but was willing to leave him on his own inside the jailhouse and with a woman who was a little too "trusting."

It almost didn't make sense but then mortals could be like that. A timid knock 30 minutes later brought him back to the door and he looked out the small window to see it was the young woman, Cora. He let her in then stood back as she packed the dirty dishes back into the basket. They stood there a bit, then she looked him in the eye.

"Where are you from?"

"Virginia, originally," he said, lying a little bit, as he was from England originally, then moved to Virginia in the mid 1600s.

"Are you married?"

"I was. My wife is now dead."

"I'm sorry." Her hands were fumbling a little with the hem of her sweater. "Do you miss her?"

"Very much. Are you married?"

She huffed a little. "No, ain't no one wants me. They say I'm not right." She looked out the barred window of the office. "Doesn't stop them from inviting me into their car or their barn."

"Why do you stay?"

She shrugged. "Don't have enough money to go to the city. Mama needs me, although there's talk of selling the restaurant so Mr. Horton can build a factory for all the men coming home from the war to work at. Maybe you could stay and work at the factory. Maybe you could marry me."

"I'm not staying, Cora," he answered. "The Sheriff wants me gone tomorrow. I can't marry you because I don't love you and that wouldn't be fair to you."

She frowned and sighed. "Can you take me with you? If I stay here, no one will want me. They all think I'm loose but I'm just lonely."

"Well, I understand lonely," said Barnes. "Give me your hand."

She obliged him, placing her soft hand in his. Barnes closed his eyes and used his magic to see a little further into Cora's life. It was a gift he didn't like using because things could always change but what he saw surprised him and he looked at her intently for a bit, before releasing her hand. She wasn't well educated, having been kept at home to look after her sickly mother. Her brother had tried to teach her more before he left for war in 1942, but without his encouragement she hadn't gone past a basic level of literacy. Now, he was dead, already buried in a cemetery in Belgium, although the family hadn't yet received the notification. There was something else that concerned Barnes, but he knew it was likely her only way out of this tiny, backwater town. He decided to be honest with her as so many here hadn't been.

"Cora, what do you know about the fairy folk?"

"That they'll steal your baby's soul when you're not taking heed," she replied. "That's what the older people say. I would like to see one. In my mind, they're beautiful, with wings, and they grant you wishes."

"Some do, some don't." Barnes sighed, then stroked her golden hair. "What if I said that I was one of the fairy folk?"

"Are you? Do you have wings?"

"I do, but if I show you, then you can't tell anyone. There's only one wish I can give you, Cora, but if I give it to you, then you have to leave here and go to the city."

In his hand were several strands of her hair. Entranced she watched as they glowed and transformed into gold threads that intertwined and became a gold necklace.

"That's magic," she said, then looked up into his blue eyes. "You are one of them."

"I am. I was feeling sad and came to the country to gather my thoughts, but now I think I was guided here to see you and make it possible for you to leave. Your mama will move on soon and join your daddy and your brother in the next life. You'll be alone. Most of the people here think you're not smart enough to take care of yourself but you are. You're kind and gentle and you're a hard worker. When you go to the city, you must wear this necklace always to protect you but keep it hidden by your clothing. With the money that the army will give you for your brother's service to his country, and that Mr. Horton gives you for your mama's restaurant, you can start over again in the city. You're going to have a baby, Cora, so you'll have to stop going with other men until you meet a man in the city, named William Hart. He's a good man who will love you and marry you, even though you're going to have another man's baby, a boy, that you'll name Richard. That baby will have my eyes. He'll be so smart and make you both so proud."

"Will you come to see us?" she asked, her brown eyes questioning him.

"I will but you won't see me, as that's how it has to be. The necklace will let me find you again. When Richard is old enough, I'll make myself known to him and he can choose whether to join me and the fairy folk or to stay in the mortal world. Either way, he'll have a good life and so will you."

"So, you have to put a baby in me," she stated, understanding his meaning. "Will you tell me I'm pretty?"

"I already think you are, inside and out."

He smiled, then turned out the lights and led her to the cell where his cot was. Using his magic, he transformed the cell into something nicer, holding a proper bed with a soft mattress, clean sheets, and flowers everywhere. Placing the necklace around her neck, he kissed her, gently and with kindness, knowing she had never received that from any of the men in this town who had used her for their own pleasures. In fact, only a handful of men, including the sheriff, hadn't taken advantage of her loneliness. It wasn't something that Barnes would normally do. He had actually been celibate since Daere's death, but it would be the only way to make sure Cora left this backwater town, it's darkness evident just under the surface. If she stayed, her life would be a misery and she was too kind to be subjected to that. When they were finished, he showed her his feathered wings, allowing her to stroke the feathers with her soft hands. He walked her back to the restaurant, carrying the basket of dishes for her, making sure she was safely inside and locked the door before he returned to the jailhouse and let himself in with the key the Sheriff left him. It took him all night, but he finished organizing the storeroom, and rested for an hour before the Sheriff returned.

"You did a good job," he said to Barnes, as he inspected the storeroom. "You must have worked all night on it."

"Almost. Sheriff, why did you let me stay?"

"You seemed like an honest man, maybe a bit down on his luck," he replied. "Only a handful of others would have helped you."

"Is that why you trusted me with a key, and with making sure Cora picked up the dishes? For all you knew I would take advantage of her."

The Sheriff's jaw tightened, and he swallowed. Barnes could feel the heat of the man's shame, even though he knew by his touching of Cora's hand that Brown was one of the few men who respected her.

"I was hoping you could take her away with you," he finally said. "She's too pure of heart and kind to stay here. When that factory is built, the type of men it will attract for work will look at her and use her for one thing."

"Will she and her mother get a fair price for the restaurant?"

"No, Mr. Horton will try to cheat them. That's the type of man he is. If her brother doesn't return before her mama passes away, she could end up with nothing."

"Her brother's not coming home," said Barnes. "He lies in a grave in Belgium. The notice should be coming in a few days and then the life insurance that the army gives will follow."

"How do you ...." He frowned then looked at Barnes again. "Jim, who are you?"

"Think of me as someone who cares about her," he replied. "I have abilities and I looked into her future a ways. She does have one, but she has to leave here to attain it. I need you to make sure she gets what's owed to her. She needs to be made responsible for her mother before she passes, then you need to make sure that Mr. Horton pays what the restaurant is worth. I'm going to make my own visit to him, but you'll have to be here to follow up on that."

"The city will swallow her up." Brown's anxiety and fear for the young woman was all over his face.

"No, she will meet the right man, one who loves her gentle soul." Barnes placed a hand on the Sheriff's arm and shared the vision with him. "He'll love her and the baby that she's going to have and will bind himself to them. They will have a good life."

"You had your way with her?" The man's anger simmered, and Barnes sent him soothing thoughts.

"It was necessary to give her the gift of a child. She won't go with other men now that she's carrying it and will wait for the one man who will love her as she deserves. I swear that I was kind and gentle to her, truthful as well. You are also a truthful man which is why I am charging you with making sure she gets to the city. You care about her and that is more than most in this place."

"How can I be sure that you're being truthful with me?" His anguish rolled off of him, as he wanted to believe that Jim had Cora's best interests at heart.

Barnes displayed his wings, unfurling them to stretch almost the entire width of the room. His eyes blazed with a blue light, and he raised himself towards the ceiling. With a cry, the Sheriff lowered himself to his knees and covered his eyes. When he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, he looked up to see Jim back in his human form.

"You're an angel."

"No, a light fae, fairy folk," he answered. "Angels are distant cousins. We both fight the dark but fae are more ... worldly. We love, we marry, we have children, we mourn, we try to leave the world a better place. Now, will you help Cora?"

"I swear I will drive her to the city myself," said the Sheriff.

"I believe you." He turned to leave, pausing at the door. "Where will I find this Horton man?"

"He has an office in the large red brick building in the centre of town. You'll know him as he dresses like a banker and carries himself as being better than everyone else."

Without a word, Barnes left the jailhouse and walked to the centre of town. The red brick building was quite prominent, seeming to be better maintained than the other buildings. Stepping inside he asked where he could find Mr. Horton. Directed to an office on the top floor he went up the stairs. No one else was nearby and he transformed his look into someone who was wealthy, with well styled hair and a fine suit. As he entered the office, everyone in there stopped talking.

"I'm looking for Mr. Horton," he announced, confidently.

One of the men sitting at a desk approached him.

"Who are you?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

"J.B. Barnes of Barnes Industries," replied the fae king. "I'm interested in setting up a factory in town and heard Mr. Horton was the man who could make it happen. Of course, if he's too busy I could always go to Westville."

"I'm sure he would like to meet with you, Mr. Barnes," said the man, his attitude becoming much friendlier. "Let me check with him. Please have a seat, here at my desk."

Disappearing into a nearby office, it was only a minute before he returned, with Mr. Horton in tow. The older man, tall and thin, with a superior attitude, immediately offered his hand.

"Mr. Barnes, a pleasure. Please come into my office."

"I'll get straight to the point," said the fae king. "I've heard you plan to open a factory here in town, building it on a site where several locally run businesses currently sit. I want the same site and I'm willing to outbid you to acquire it for my investment."

Immediately, Barnes disliked this man, Horton. Recognizing him as one of Cora's unwanted "admirers," while he shook the man's hand, he could barely disguise his reluctance to even be near him. The physical touch as they shook hands allowed him to foresee the effect Horton's business would have on the town, bringing in all sorts of destructive elements, even attracting dark fae. It was dying and there was nothing that Barnes could do to save the small community, except make sure that this man's factory did as little damage to the environment as possible. As he shared his plans, he could feel the intensity of Horton's desire to outbid Barnes in order to build the factory to accommodate a technology that Barnes knew would be outdated within a few years. It was easy to manipulate the man into unleashing his desire to acquire more profits. By the time he left there, Barnes was certain that offers better than his proposed ones would be made to the business owners within a day or two at the most.

Returning to the jailhouse, he walked in, still dressed as a rich man. Sheriff Brown's eyebrows raised at the sight of him and with a smile, Barnes restored his farm worker look.

"It's all set," he said to Brown. "Horton will be making offers to the business owners very soon. Make sure they cash the checks quickly and leave town as soon as possible, before the building of the factory is even started. The town is dying, Sheriff. I think you already know that. Before it dies, Horton will wring out all of its decency, making it a small island of despair and depravity." He breathed out, then looked at a fishing rod, set up against the wall behind Brown's desk. "Do you use that very often?"

"Not nearly enough," said the lawman, glancing back. "Figured once I retired, I would have more time. Are you saying I should retire? I can't afford to, not yet."

"Let me work on that," said Barnes, smiling kindly at the man. He picked up a pencil and a slip of paper from the desk, writing a phone number down. "When Cora and her mother receive her brother's army life insurance, and the check from Horton is cashed I want you to call this number. You will be given an address in the city. I may meet you there or it may be an associate. Either way, you will be able to retire with your head held high. Don't thank me. My kind takes thanks as an obligation for you to do more. You're already doing enough."

With a nod, he left the jailhouse and began the walk to the edge of town. When he was out of sight of mortals, James Barnes, the fae king, took on his normal appearance and flew up into the sky, away from the dying town, away from the mortal woman who now carried his son. Surprisingly, to him at least, he felt good about it. By helping just a few people he was changing things for the better.

A week later, a phone call rang in an office in the city. Answered by a young fae man, the mortal on the other end was hesitant at first.

"I'm calling for Jim, to say that Mr. Horton's checks have been cashed and Cora's mother cashed the army life insurance check."

"Yes, Sheriff, we've been expecting your call," said the relatively young 50-year-old fae, Steven Rogers. "Do you have a pencil? I will give you an address. We have an apartment ready for Cora and her mother to live in, as it would be a good time to bring them to the city. Someone will meet you there."

After giving him the address Steven went to the roof and created a portal back to the stronghold, reporting in person to the king that the phone call had been received. Then he returned to the city, taking his post at the apartment, waiting for the woman who carried the king's son, and her mother, and the good man who was bringing them, who would be given his own check, allowing him to leave his town and retire. It would be Steven's duty, shared with another relatively young fae man, Sam Wilson, and a fae woman, Natasha Romanoff, to make sure the young woman, Cora, and her son, were kept safe, until the man chosen to be her husband, William Hart, a mailman by occupation, returned from the war in Europe.

Having seen the worst of humanity during the war, Hart was filled with a need to do some good in the world.  He tasked himself to be kinder to people, and to embrace life and love in a way he hadn't before the war.  When he arrived back in the city of his birth, it would be a few months before he would see a young woman, with honey-coloured hair, and soft brown eyes, like those of a doe, weeping at a new grave in Forest Green Cemetery, where he had just visited his own parents.  Hearing her pain, and wanting to help her through it, he approached her, speaking to her kindly.  He didn't see the blue-eyed stranger that watched him approach her, offering comfort.  The strange man, the fae king known as James Barnes, was standing under a gnarled oak tree, rumoured to be hundreds of years old. He whispered to the tree, calling it Daere, which meant oak tree in the ancient language that his late wife grew up speaking. 

"My love, I vowed never to be with another after you, but I had to get a young woman away from a place of darkness and had to give her a child to bring it about," he said, softly, his forehead resting against the tree. "I don't love her, but I did care for her. That's her mother in the newest grave, here where you died so long ago. The man is the one who will marry her and raise my son. By the ways of our kind, you know I must reveal myself to my son when he turns 30 and offer him a place in our world. I have deliberately not seen past that time to know his answer, leaving it to fate and destiny. Forgive me for breaking my vow of never-ending love for you, Daere, my beloved."

Tears fell from his eyes, wetting the bark of the old tree. Then a breeze came up, rustling the leaves and Barnes raised his eyes up, gazing at the canopy of green above him. Slowly, he nodded his head, as if the tree spoke to him. If it was speaking to him, it did so with words of comfort because his face became soft, and his tears ceased. His attention returned to the woman, Cora, and the man, William. It was exactly as he had been shown when he touched Cora's hand. The man was already in love with her, and that love would be enough to protect her and the half-fae son she carried. As for Barnes, the old oak, that held the spirit of his late wife, had already indicated that a day would come when he would take another as his beloved. Until then, he would visit Daere as often as he could. Until that day, someday in a future that he wanted to keep a mystery, he would continue to mourn the last fae queen who had ruled their people beside him.

THE END (for real this time)

Series Masterlist

Please support the author by reblogging.

[riacte]

RIA I AM GNAWING at the bars of my enclosure, I just finished the last few chapters and JSHDHDHHDJWJWHE <- insane insane insane. I’m going insane. I think this fic has one of the most satisfying conclusions I’ve ever read before like the final battle was SO COOL ?!? Epistolary fics have their limitations yeah but it’s SUCH an immersive storytelling like man I really did feel like I was in a live stream watching the combined forces of hero’s and villains and rebels take down the mayor. And MAN,,, that baletach scene after the dusts clears and he removes his helmet and the shadows surround them was so soft (that turn of phrase is detonating the 2018 cringe meter in my mind but I cannot think of a better way to describe it). I love how although there’s a happy ending, there’s still doubt for what could come in the future, idk it just feels like I’m peering into the social media of some distant city overbroad and feeling wildly confuse. I also LOVE the implication that Freth is like the New York of London of this world with the whole freth-centricism that’s such cool world building. I’m really curious to know whether there’s other cities being plagued with mutants too? Are their heroes elsewhere or is this like a Gotham city where one particular area is just prone to these magical things happening? Anyways so excited to see what more of this universe you’re going to explore :D

HAI HAI thanks for reading! 🥺🥺 I'm glad you like the ending, I was afraid it was gonna a bit too much whiplash from overthrowing the gov -> school setting (while I was writing the fic I felt like it was bouncing between tone every chapter). And I looove calling things/people soft like it's very 🥺🥺

"I love how although there’s a happy ending, there’s still doubt for what could come in the future" SO glad it came out this way for you, this was the tone I wanted. I worked backwards from the Blue Bats arc and wanted a mix of hope/chaos/recovery/uncertainty/but still hope for Lyra and Ben :)

The Frethcentricism was mostly me making a jab at how USA-centric the Anglosphere Internet feels at times 😭 but I would imagine the constant superhero/Mutant news gets aggravating for people who don't care. And it's like Spopera where I get to play pretend and choose which topics are culturally dominant. Freth is an important trade/finance/logistics hub. I can imagine it was historically important due to its location (being on the coast of a continent), then the Mutants appeared, the industries panicked and moved away, but then the heroes showed up, hence Freth had good security and low crime rates in its golden years. Its special status would probably grant it more autonomy from whatever country it belongs to— or perhaps it's a city-state/ in the process of becoming one. I imagine the lack of government transparency + crackdown on civilian protests + startling massacre of heroes pushed away those industries, hence the new gov has to incentivize them to come back.

There is definitely something "magical" about the area itself. Natural Mutants still spawn and will probably come back even if the heroes kill them all (rip LFSA, you were too optimistic about Mutant eradication). Kids from civilian families (eg. Ben) can develop powers out of blue thanks to the "magic". The "magic" doesn't abide by political borders so it's possible for kids in neighbouring areas to develop powers, which leads to conflict because Freth is obliged to take in everyone with powers, but the kid doesn't belong to Freth.

This universe has been bouncing around in my head for quite some time and I feel there's a lot to explore. Lyra's parents being a power couple, Reina's parents, the 826 graduates defecting, Mirage and co backstory, etc etc. I don't know everything lmao and I'm kind of waiting for things to slot into place. I think this universe is addicting because I Don't Know a lot of things but then I start writing and the characters/plot/world reveals itself? If it makes sense? So it makes me really excited to write because yippeeee I'm discovering more about this world :D (and if I don't like something I can just retcon it later lmao)

Thanks for the ask <3

[greatwyrmgold]

If you follow me, there's a decent chance that you have either read Ward or read/watch Oshi no Ko. Both of them have final arcs which are hard to describe without spoiling lots of the plot, but they both focus on self-sacrifice and suicide in a way that makes me want to compare them, so...spoiler alert I guess.

Ward focuses heavily on the mental health of its superhero (and villain) characters, to the point that the big threat that the final arcs revolve around—the Titans—were arguably created by those characters' depression (and also the space magic that gave them superpowers). Turning into a Titan is...sort of like involuntary suicide, where your humanity vanishes and your superpowers take over, and there's a lot of stuff in the middle that I don't want to explain, but the end result is that the superpowers need to be stopped before they destroy humanity.

Wildbow fans: I'm leaving a lot of details out because I want this to be sorta comprehensible to people who have never seen the word "parahuman".

Anyways, a plan is concocted, explained to the protagonists but not the audience. And from our perspective, the plan seemed kinda discordant with the themes of the work. Ward (and also Worm) tend to be negative about heroic sacrifices, seeing them as a form of suicide, not a heroic action but a symptom of the mental health problems that lead someone to fight a dragon with spiders and mosquitos.

So when the plan to save humanity seemed like it was going to be "have all the traumatized superheroes/villains kill themselves in a game of space magic chicken" (it made more sense in context), a lot of people were very Concerned about the direction it went.

Luckily, there was a twist that made it not space magic chicken suicide, and also tried to tie up a theme which had been mostly abandoned in the back half of the story. I'm not super satisfied with how the twist was handled or how it resolved that theme, but at least it's not about a bunch of traumatized people killing themselves for the good of humanity. I hear people who binge-read that whole arc in a couple days instead of a couple months liked the twist better.

Oshi no Ko's last arc or two has been a mess.

Aqua had a plan where he would trick the world into thinking Hikaru Kamiki killed him, for reasons that I don't want to explain because they're not directly relevant and also stupid. Everyone was expecting him to survive his convoluted plan to kill himself for the good of his sister, because a lot of weight was put on people around Aqua wanting him to live a happy life and not sacrifice him for the people around him.

But, uh, nope. Chapter 163 has the little crow god whose word is gospel chide Aqua for wondering whether killing himself was the right choice, and chapter 164 basically confirms that Aqua is dead. There are two chapters left, but two chapters isn't really enough to sell us on the 180-degree turn that it would take to walk back all this support for Aqua's suicide. Not when those chapters are a couple dozen illustrated pages each and not a novella, not when the circumstances of Aqua's suicide are spelled out so clearly.

Ward had a lot of concerned fans leading up to its conclusion, but it kept things vague enough that it came out alright in the end. Oshi no Ko had a lot of fans concerned for the same reasons, but where Ward kept things vague until it was time for the last reveal that turned those concerns on their head, Oshi no Ko steadily clarified that those fans were right to be concerned.

[sonofthesaiyans]

Attack on Titan, where to even go now?

I don't even know how to feel about Attack on Titan ending. After years of cursing its existence, I'm just not sure what the hell to feel or what to do now that it's really done. After years of constant raving over every new opening theme, trailer, and after the thousands of cracks made about how season four just would NOT stop dragging out.........I honestly feel even emptier than ever.

I still remember back when Avatar: The Last Airbender was on.

For me, every episode of that show was a freaking experience. Everything about the world and its characters had me completely captivated, it was a phenomenally fun ride, and waiting for season three to air was a torturous wait. One that was worth it though.

When that show ended, I was truly happy and satisfied with its final episodes. I was on the edge of my seat, and it was so rewarding. I was heartbroken when I realized it was over and I still dearly miss my favorite characters from that show........but it truly ended on a high note, even if the ending was far from perfect.

With Attack on Titan...........the experience has unfortunately been the complete opposite.

It's been nothing but a trying ride, in the worst way possible. Despite my investment, it usually only filled me with dread. After that travesty known as Chapter 105: "Assassin's Bullet", I could not wait for the series to just die, or better yet crash and burn.

For me, the possibility of any satisfying conclusion went out the window five years ago, the only satisfaction I had was seeing how many people were as pissed a the manga ending as I was. I still stand by the fact that it's a hollow, unsatisfying end. In spite of all the anime onlys losing their collective shit because they think the animation and music magically did away with all its problems.

Unlike Avatar, I just feel regret with the ending. I can't watch the show again because of how angry it made me, but I'm even angrier than I hate it so much because I genuinely wanted to love it and for it to be better. The ending sucks, the entire fourth season I think is the worst and most shallow spectacle in anime. And yet it's because of what an empty and joyless experience it was that I'm actually devastated that it's over. Like, yeah I am fed up with the people who hyped this thing to hell and back, but I've invested so much into it and now I don't know where to turn that energy.

I have a far more sincere attachment to AOT's characters than I do to the actual show, like Avatar before Attack on Titan has some of my absolute favorite characters. So I take it VERY personally that they were treated this way and that this is the finish we're left with on the heels of all that.

I don't WANT to hate on Attack on Titan. I'm sorry I couldn't have attached to this the way everyone else did. But I also CANNOT defend the reasons so many people have for staying with it to the finish.

I try to swear off Attack on Titan: The Final Season as noncanon as I don't even like the people who animated that.......But the images that made it such a torment are too deeply burned in.

I wanted this show to go away and I wanted to see the ending fail, yes. Because I hate Hajime Isayama with a burning passion. But I love its characters and the people behind them too much that I desperately wanted better. I don't want to let those go.

Sorry, this post has gone on much longer than I was intending........I just don't know what to feel now.

Somebody help me make sense of this because I am scared of everything falling into irrelevance now.

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

i just had a dream about the super mario bros movie

It was surprisingly good -- in fact, it's probably my favorite Mario movie. It starts out as an adaptation of the original game with all the old characters and everything (except Bowser is played by Jack Black), but then after they escape from the castle there are some weird cuts that imply the real story has started happening already. The cuts don't necessarily make sense narratively, because what we're seeing seems to be taking place before anything else; I guess this is part of why it reminded me of Inception.

The plot involves Mushroom Kingdom being invaded by bullet ants, who have been trained to do their work by flying bullets. These Bullet Ants are actually dark magic users who were originally going to invade Flying Island instead, but it turned into Mushroom Kingdom when something went wrong. So now there are these guys whose whole thing is flying around shooting stuff at people, except it works on mushrooms too? What happened here? And how did the bullet ant magicians get the idea for this if they were really planning to go somewhere else? Who knows! Anyway . . .

Mario gets mind-controlled by one of them so he flies off like a regular bullet, which makes him look kind of threatening until he lands back down whereupon everyone thinks "oh yeah this guy will totally save us" even though this particular Mario does not seem to know much of anything besides making fireballs at enemies 10 feet away. But anyway it's fine because eventually things start working out and also you realize that the way the bullet ants fly isn't exactly normal, since they can hover and rotate while moving forward, sort of like helicopters. They've apparently gone through the trouble of designing special helmets with these abilities and training many other little creatures called "helmet fairies" to help out. This might sound dumb or ridiculous but somehow it didn't come across as such in context. Maybe because it made perfect sense once you realized how well everything fit together. Also, they used lots of low-quality CGI, so it seemed less lifelike than the classic Bullet Ant designs would suggest, which helped reinforce this feeling. Somehow this worked in favor of the absurdity rather than against it.

The film ends with a fight between Mario and Bowser, who is more powerful than ever thanks to having learned to control the power of gravity. He still uses his hammer and chain whip as weapons, but now those also affect the ground beneath him, including sending giant chunks upward to crush anyone below him. The rest of the final battle takes place inside a cave with no light source visible above, and our heroes keep getting hit with big rocks and knocked backwards, etc., until finally they find some lightning bolts and use those to defeat Bowser and thus set themselves free. Now they go home happy knowing they saved their kingdom. At least, unless you count Super Luigi as a main character, in which case they never left home to begin with, so why should they celebrate? All very mysterious. Either way, the world feels better. You feel glad for everyone involved. Even Mario himself looks satisfied.

[late-to-the-magnus-archives]

Later - a Malevolent fanfic

Faroe is growing up. It's natural she has questions.

Unfortunately, most of the adults around her have reason to hide the answers.

This will surely end well.

(Takes place in the Surrogate series, after Judgment Day)

AO3

----------

“Uncle Arthur?”

Arthur keeps playing, though her string accompaniment stopped. “Yes, dear?”

“What were my parents like?”

Arthur freezes. Eyes enormous, hands still in the keys. 

Told you he’d panic, says Kayne, and Faroe sighs.

#

She’d been going to ask her dad, but he was in a mood.

Not that he ever, ever responded to her in anger, but still—Hastur was all-powerful, and his emotions rocked the world like waves against a shallow boat, and she didn’t want to increase his wrath.

Carcosa was tense enough as it was.

“It’s the games,” Dis explains, and gets in one light punch on Faroe’s shoulder.

It was a knuckle-punch—hardly that harmful, but it still hurt. “Ow!”

“Don’t let your guard down,” Dis says.

“What are the games?” Faroe says, and blocks the next one.

Dis’ smile is praise. “Showing off. Assholes trying to get your father’s attention.”

“Will dad be competing?”

Dis laughs. “Fuck no. There’d be no competition if he did—unless someone of his caliber showed up, and if they did, it would probably be a declaration of war.”

“Probably?” Faroe tries to pay her back for the shoulder-punch and is blocked.

“Well, there are other possibilities,” says Dis, forcing Faroe to pívot to keep facing her. “But Hastur is ancient, and established; literally one of the Great Old Ones. It could be a proposal for unification and reproduction, that sort of thing, but it’s unlikely. He’s sown his wild oats already.”

Faroe’s eyes widen. She knows what that means. “He has?”

“Sure. Just about all of them did.” 

Faroe stares. Her fists lower slightly.

Dis doesn’t take advantage of that opening, which means she’ll take it out of her later.

Faroe’s face is grim. She concentrates again, stepping, thrusting, keeping it light. No magic. Because she has to be able to fight with both, at the same time and independently. She’s human. She knows she is a remarkable human, but the things she may have to fight are more.

She’s distracted, though, because she sees the weird irony of the situation: her questions are all about parentage right now.

Who were her parents?

Does Hastur have children? If so, they had to be like him—deific. Probably immortal. Certainly powerful.

Why had he chosen her?

The thought is a happy one, but also strange. She has no really good answer. Because he loves me, her heart declares, but that doesn’t feel like it satisfies everything.

Dis finally makes up for letting things slip earlier and gets a good one in on Faroe’s ribs.

“Shit!” Faroe says.

Dis cracks right up.

“Don’t tell him!” Faroe says, red, and stomps one foot.

Dis waves a hand, still laughing, and Faroe knows she’s safe. There’s no adult as good at secrets as Dis in the whole kingdom.

Still, this is embarrassing. “Come on. We’re not done.” Faroe gets her fists up again.

“Damn right we’re not.” Dis grins and continues, and does not stop until Faroe is breathing hard.

#

Dad is still in a bad mood. She tries the eavesdropping spell, and all she gets is red tape—so many discussions of placement and wards and emergency spells. That was absolutely not worth an emergency nap.

At any rate, she doesn’t blame him for being annoyed.

Faroe considers trying to research in the library for Hastur’s other children when Kayne surprises her by speaking up in the middle of the day.

He almost never does when she’s outside her room. Which makes sense. He is secret.

She learned the hard way how secret when she told Nibbles about her secret friend, and his volume cut in half—as if he’d grown distant.

She’d cried. It had done no good.

He’d warned her. She’d learned to trust his warnings.

Hey, Faruffin. You seem a little down.

Oh! Hi. I’m not down.

Pfft, sure you are! What a cute little pouty face you have.

Faroe has yet to figure out how he can see her. She asked, and he’d said, That’s a secret! and never answered. 

It’s getting very annoying, the way adults do that.

Well. I have questions, and I can’t find answers, she finally says.

About whaaaat? There is a crunching sound.

Kayne eats things while he talks to her, sometimes. It’s weird. Occasionally, those things squeal.

My parentage. And… my dad’s get.

Kayne tsks. Two very different things, my love. Which one do you want to pursue?

Which one? Faroe frowns. Why would I have to choose?

Because I’m only giving you a clue to one. You have to choose, buttercup.

Ugh. Ugh!

Faroe looks at Nibbles. “Every single adult is insane,” she says. “And annoying. We should never become one.”

Nibbles nods her approval.

Kayne laughs. Careful what you wish for.

She sighs and tries to apply logic. So: she can ask Hastur about his other children. Failing that, there will be records, somewhere, about them. Children of gods can’t possibly slip completely under the radar.

But a couple of humans? She’d never find records on them. She doesn’t even know their names. Fine. My parentage.

An excellent choice. Here’s your clue: Arthur knows.

Faroe blinks. Knows what?

Aaaaall about it. I promise he knows more than he’ll tell you willingly, too, but you know that guy… he’s all crunchy pieces of glass in a bag.

Faroe sighs. Be nice. He’s just sad.

Well, he sure is! Did you ever wonder why?

Arthur has always been sad?

Right, this is a distraction. Kayne does that sometimes. I’m sure there is a reason, but it’s in the past. So Arthur has answers about my parentage?

All of them. Good luck getting them out of the poor thing. Just so you know… when you ask, he’ll panic.

So Faroe goes to Arthur.

And Arthur plays.

#

Told you he’d panic.

She plays her harp a little while he’s frozen—just fooling around with the ephemeral beauty of music, there and gone, no song ever the same.

Arthur swallows hard. “You… you’re asking me?”

“Dad’s busy. And you’re my uncle. So. It’s logical that you would know.”

She’s got you there, Arthur. John sounds gleeful about this, and that is so damn weird.

Arthur swallows again, still facing the piano, frozen.

Faroe sighs. “I guess I can ask another time.”

“No! No. It… it’s okay.” Arthur swallows. “Just… don’t tell your father you asked me. Okay? Or that I told you anything.”

Yeah. He’ll take it out on Arthur.

“What? Take what out on Arthur?”

He doesn’t want you to know that your—

“John!” Sharp. 

Faroe has definitely never heard Arthur talk like that before.

This is beginning to feel uncomfortable. “Do you know them?” she says.

Arthur… slumps. “I did.” He grips his left hand like some kind of liferaft, white-knuckled.

“Are they still alive?”

“No.”

Arthur, for the love of fuck—

“John. Shut up. This is mine to tell.”

John sighs. Fine. But you’re fucking it up.

“Who were they?” says Faroe.

“Nobody.” Arthur laughs weakly. “Absolutely no one. Just… people.”

“What were their names?”

Arthur shakes his head.

Faroe huffs. 

Your mother was—

“John!”

Yikes. “John, do you have something you would like to tell me?” says Faroe as primly as she’s able.

No. Sullen.

She will never understand him.

Arthur wipes at his face.

“Oh,” she says. “I’m sorry. I… I didn’t mean to make you sad.” Practically anything does, but still. “I’ll go.”

“No, it’s all right. I… I haven’t talked about this in a while. That’s all.” He turns to face her. “Yes, I knew your parents. Yes, they’re dead. No, I won’t tell you their names.”

This all feels very grown-up and serious. “What were they like?”

Arthur gets a small smile. “You’re a lot like your mother—really clever. Underestimated. Stubborn, but in… a quiet, smart way. Getting what she wanted without throwing tantrums.”

Oh… “Did she look like me?”

“A little. I’m sorry to say you resemble your father more.”

Faroe is quite aware she’s a lovely child, so she takes that as sarcasm. “And what was he like?”

“A fool.”

Arthur…

“He was a fool. He threw away everything good in his life, and only realized too late how foolish he’d been.” Arthur shrugs. “He paid for it. If that helps.”

“My… my dad was evil?”

No, he wasn’t fucking evil. He made mistakes like all people do.

Arthur’s face has gone very hard. “He deserved what happened.”

His left hand rises and lightly chucks him on the chin. Am I going to need to hit you again?

Some of the hardness melts. “No.”

“What happened?” said Faroe.

Your father destroyed him. That’s what happened. Are you happy now?

Faroe stares.

Arthur looks away.

What the actual hell… “If my father destroyed him, he must have been evil,” says Faroe very carefully, because this doesn’t make sense.

“He was.”

No, he was just unlucky!

Arthur sighs. “I didn’t like your father. Your mother was… lovely. She died giving birth to you, Faroe. She died all alone, and she deserved better.”

Arthur…

“I’m done. I’m sorry.” He turns back to the piano. “I’m sorry. I can’t talk about this anymore.”

“Thank you, Uncle Arthur.” She touches his arm. “It’s more than I’ve gotten before. Thank you.”

He takes her hand and lifts it to his cheek. 

It’s so tender, the way he loves her. She hasn’t seen anything like it anywhere else.

She leaves him there, wet with tears. Leaves him in John’s metaphorical hands—John, who is fuming, and already beginning to snarl as she exits the doors.

What the fuck was that all about? John demands as she closes them behind her.

Nothing new there.

Thus armed, she goes to see if her dad is still super busy.

#

He is still super busy. That’s all right. She can wait.

She stands patiently outside the war room. Waits while beings shout in there, while Things Are Declared, and she smiles, imagining their haughty faces (or whatever body parts they speak from) as Hastur… overrides.

He’s so powerful. He just booms, commands, and no one dares gainsay him.

He exemplifies what she’s been taught is good ruling: he listens to all sides, and when he acts, it is with justice, and fairness, and power.

She’s so proud of him.

So proud to be his daughter.

So proud to be chosen as his daughter.

Whatever Hastur declared is clearly law, because all the arguments stop. Moments later, the door opens, and various beings of madness and mayhem come slinking out like reprimanded children.

Now’s her chance. She flits in, avoiding all their tree-trunk limbs and tentacles with ease. “Dad.”

“Hello, darling.” He seems a bit weary. The model on the table is quite smashed; she hadn’t heard that happen, but it must have been quite an event. “I don’t have much time. Did you need something?”

“Yes,” she says, balanced on the precipice of what to ask for all of two seconds. About his other children? About who her parents were? No. She knows exactly what to ask. “Why did you make me your daughter?”

So he clearly hadn’t expected that.

She takes some pride in the way he startles, in the undulation of his tentacles, as if, in water, he would have pushed himself inches away. 

She waits. Tries to be patient. But no, the silence is too much. “I’m practically eight, dad.”

“I… I know.” Hastur sounds slightly choked.

She decides to leverage the information she has. “Were my parents evil?”

She didn’t expect the growl.

She’s never liked his growl. She knows it’s not aimed at her, knows she’s in no danger from him, but it’s such a big sound, a primordial sound, a sound that she cannot help responding to, as though it simply bypasses all parts of her brain that reason.

He cuts it off a moment later and strokes her arm. “Your father…” He stops.

“Yes?”

Still, he hesitates. “Your human father…”

“Yes?” It’s so hard not to make a tactical error here. To push further and say she’s old enough, or nearly grown, or any of those things that immediately remind adults that she isn’t fully formed. Mentioning her age was risky enough. Faroe literally bites her tongue.

Hastur sighs. “Your human progenitor was… unworthy.”

“Singular?” She already knows, but wants to test him.

“Your mother died upon your birth.”

Validation. “And my human father was… evil?”

“Yes.”

There we go. “You don’t go around adopting people from evil fathers normally, though.” She smiles.

“Ah… my darling.” He caresses her cheek. “You are worth so much more than he ever was. I had to. I couldn’t… leave you where you were.”

She tilts her face into his touch. “What happened to my human father? How did you come into contact with him, anyway? And me?”

“He took something from me,” says Hastur, “and he would not give it back.”

That is staggering. Her mouth hangs open. She can’t help it; her composure is gone, popped. “Took something? From you?”

“From me.” He strokes her hair. “Darling. I must meet with these fools.”

There are beings outside the door, trying and failing to be secretive in their phlegmy muttering.

She is still staggered. “What could some human take from you?”

“Later.”

Later. So that was the end of this conversation.

She hates to admit to herself that she might be storming out. Just a little.

Later.

Why was it always later? What did they think they had to tell her that she couldn’t handle now? She’d memorized epics! Studied the fall of empires! Analyzed the ending of entire civilizations and species!

He doesn’t want you to know that your—

John had said that much. She guesses the end of it: father is evil.

Well. It is upsetting. 

I don’t suppose you know what was taken from my father, Faroe volleys in Kayne’s direction.

He usually doesn’t answer if she reaches out. She hardly expects him to reply now—but he does. I sure do! But you already chose, Faruffin. No take-backsies.

He means that. He always does. Ugh!

She huffs. All the grown-ups were jerks today.

Fine. Well, if Kayne knew, then other people would know, too. It obviously wasn’t a secret.

She’d find out what was taken from her father. And find out what was done to the thief.

It feels weird, honestly, to know that the man who made her was… evil.

Does that make her evil? No. It doesn’t.

It still feels really weird.

At least she no longer needs to wonder why her human progenitor had been destroyed. The foolishness, to steal something from the Feaster from Afar, the Lord of Interstellar Spaces…

Nibbles digs at the floor with her hoof, a clear invitation.

“Yes,” says Faroe, chin up. “Let’s go outside and play.”

Nibbles chews at herself a little and produces a piece of bark, which she lives up to her name by shaping on the way out. 

They play the rest of the afternoon, throwing the wooden disc back and forth, and Faroe laughs, and Faroe wears herself out, and Faroe is already sleepy when dinnertime arrives.

Hastur, caught in meetings, does not come to dinner.

Arthur, for unknown reasons, doesn't come to dinner, either.

Faroe feeds half her plate to Nibbles and grows more determined than ever to learn as much as she can… though that might have to wait until the games are done. Responsible gods like her father were often very busy, after all. 

Later could not come soon enough.

-------

NOTES:

Don't judge Arthur too harshly. He thinks he's telling the truth. :(

[lgbtqmanga]

New Releases May 2, 2023

Crossplay Love: Otaku x Punk vol. 4 by Toru

The misunderstandings between the Otaku and Punk continue! When Shimazaki asks Hanae to help him with some modeling, Hana becomes a wig model. Mei is disappointed to see Hana with a stranger (a.k.a. Shimazaki in cosplay), worrying about what their relationship could be. Then Shuumei’s best friend, Yuzuru, recognizes Shimazaki…and figures out that Hana is really Hanae?! Yuzuru is the only one who knows both of their secrets, but what’s he supposed to say?

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (novel) vol. 5 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

The Special Edition comes with a set of 5 postcards, a double-sided bookmark, two folded mini-posters, a sticker sheet, and a lined notebook with exclusive new art shrinkwrapped to book!

The Barnes & Noble Exclusive edition contains the same book contents as the Standard Edition, but with a bonus 8-page color comic by a special guest artist bound into the book! (This comic is not included in the Special Edition.)

FINAL VOLUME!

Foes, allies, and one reassembled fierce corpse converge on the Guanyin Temple for a climactic showdown. With decades-long schemes finally unveiled, and dark secrets unearthed, the events of this rain-battered night will decide not just the fate of the entire cultivation world–but also that of a love story two lifetimes in the making.

Also included are eight short stories that focus on the future and the past. From magical incense burners to tense banquets, to lotus-pod hunting and nighttime expeditions with the juniors, these stories span from dawn to dusk and so much more!

Happy Crappy Life vol. 1 by Harada

After his boss discovers that he has been having sex with his daughter, Kyoutarou gets transferred from his high-powered job in the big city to a ho-hum position in the Japanese countryside. Obviously his first intentions upon being transferred are to return to Tokyo as soon as possible, but after he realizes that everyone in his new village knows exactly why he was demoted he loses all hope for his future...but still finds it in his heart to embrace who he is - a ne'er-do-well with a love for a certain type of sex!

Happy of the End vol. 2 by Ogeretsu Tanaka

After constant moving, Chihiro and Haoran may have settled down, which means a house-warming party. This sudden sense of "normalcy" is a little strange for the two of them as their lives are far from it. Whether it's the scars all over Haoran's body or the violent people in their past, finding moments of peace is their only solace in life today.

Run Away With Me, Girl vol. 3 by Battan

Maki and Midori leave Shodoshima, but instead of returning home, the two women find themselves riding away to a remote corner of a train line. Maki knows they can’t hide forever, but she can’t quite figure out how to tell that to Midori. Meanwhile, Midori doesn’t know where she is in her life any more than she knows where she is on the map, but Tazune is trying to answer that second question—and if he does, it may force Midori to answer the first… The thought of running away was once a wistful dream for Maki and Midori, but when the two women wake up to find it a reality, they’ll have to decide if it was just what they needed to find their way home.

FINAL VOLUME

The Titan's Bride vol. 3 by ITKZ

Kouichi has made the painful decision to return to his world. With their agreement satisfied and his decision made, Caius begins the magical process of sending him back. However, as the process begins, Kouichi watches as Caius’ physical form begins to fade. Unable to help him or ask why, the couple is dragged apart. What is wrong with Caius, and who, if anyone, will be able to help Koichi in his hour of need?!

[meimi-haneoka]

I honestly have so many feelings after reading the latest chapter. The characters have all grown so much, and they've really been showing their maturity and growth in handling situations (cough Kaito finally came to his senses) Especially Sakura, who I've grown up with in a way too! From the original series till now, finding it really lovely how she can be genuinely happy for Akiho and Kaito, and their decision to travel (comparing to how she reacted when both Eriol and Syaoran were moving away at the end of the salira card arc) and Kaito. Dear Kaito. He finally came to his senses and apologised. Really glad there was no translation errors for the apology, or I would have been MAD. Haha. Anyway, thank you again for the translation post! After reading it and the latest chapter I had a couple questions.

1. What's the price yukito paid? I dont recall it ever being discussed. He mentioned that it was a secret to Sakura and that's that.

2. In chap 42, (parents day) when Syaoran and Kaito fought, Kaito mentioned something about the future that was divined coming to pass. Did we ever get an explanation for that line?

I think overall they tied up the story so well. It's a very sweet ending for them, but definitely a little sad that they decided to travel (though I understand their reasons) I hope that the extra chaper(?) They show us snippets their new life :)

Side note: I was looking back at the clear cards, and realized that the "dreaming card" is actually named "yumemi" as you mentioned in one of your translation posts. And the MCF eventually turned out to be Lillie!! A powerful yumemi. I like how they added this little detail to uncover!!

Hiii, so glad to receive your ask!!! I'm glad to see you've read the final chapter and were quite satisfied with it! I also really enjoyed observing Sakura's growth along the way, it was amazing. When you're in the middle of it, it feels like she's stuck, she's manipulated by everyone (not only Kaito) because everyone is hiding things from her, but most importantly, she doesn't look like she's really trusting her magic capabilities in the beginning and she's quite "lukewarm" about all of it.

And that was exactly the point.

I will have the opportunity to explore this better in one of my posts because I feel like it's a very important matter that needs to be addressed, but I can already say here that the gradual shift from "maybe it's better to not use the key at all" to "I have dreams, I have strange feelings but it's surely all in my head" to "I will try to follow Syaoran's advice and listen to my intuition more" to "I believe in my power and I will decide what to do now" was really amazing to witness. I feel like it's possible to see it more clearly if you re-read the story all at once. Also, Akiho and Kaito's story was absolutely *pivotal* to her emotional growth too, because someone like her, grown up in the blessing of a loving family and surrounded by kind people, touched for the first time what it means to grow up NOT having those things. Her empathy was the absolute protagonist, in this arc, which made her befriend Akiho almost immediately, as if she could feel that the girl needed friendship desperately. But it's also what made her understand the situation and try all of her best efforts to bring Kaito back for her and make both of them happy. She did also a good job at being more assertive with her loved ones, deciding what to do by herself.

Let's go answering to your questions!

1- Hahaha, EVERYONE is asking about that! No, it wasn't revealed! Either they want to keep this as a fun secret forever, or.....it'll be revealed somewhere else! To be honest, I don't even know if Yukito still got that pact with the Tsukimine Shrine. They absolutely remember about it, but since Kaito had undone that with the rewriting of the world (and Sakura gave her friends only their memories back, she couldn't do much about the discrepancies arised - see Akiho's room) my suspicion is that he's back being his normal self, with no actual contract and no price paid.

2- Not exactly, I think this is one of those things we have to infer by ourselves. Also keep in mind that, if I don't recall incorrectly, that phrasing was from the ENG translation. What I understood from the JP is that Yelan simply had a divination about Sakura, and you know how abstract and vague divinations can be....I choose to believe she only saw that Sakura would be distressed/unhappy by a loss of control over her powers (which is indeed the primary reason why Syaoran did what he did, along with Eriol, he didn't know anything about Kaito coming) and not something more specific. Yeah, I have the same feelings as you, about the YunaAki side of the finale! I really, really hope to see them again somewhere else....And I want to see their new life in the extra chapter, yes!! T_T

Yep, well noted! 😉 the Dreaming Card *really* represented Lilie and not Akiho like Sakura had guessed, the "Yumemi" Japanese name sets it in stone! 😉😆

[dumbfinntales]

After a little over two weeks of play I’m done with Final Fantasy XVI. It was one hell of a ride. I have a lot to say about this game, both good and bad. There’ll also be story spoilers below so if you haven’t beaten the game don’t click read more. Seriously, experience the story for yourself. It’s a journey unlike any other.

Final Fantasy XVI is an action RPG set in a fantastical world of magic, beasts and oppression. Loads of oppression, death and misery. But also joy and love. The game is more action than RPG, in fact the RPG elements in this game are very shallow. You have “levels” but stat ups are automatic and the little gear you can get only boost up numbers. So it’s more Devil May Cry than Final Fantasy. But this didn’t bother me because the gameplay is fucking awesome.

The combat is without a doubt the highlight of this game. The combination of different Eikon powers and Clives basic moveset make for very satisfying action. If you don’t use those assist accessories (and I don’t know why you would, the game plays itself with those on) you have a lot to keep track of and sometimes the combat feels like your fingers start cramping because you wanna keep the damage going. Although the combat is flashy and cool the game isn’t very challenging. I only died on optional hunts and died once to a story boss. But even then the game is generous, re-filling your potions and the boss doesn’t even start with full health. But the main point is that the combat was fun and I never bored of fighting small mobs or bigger monsters.

The bosses in this game were amazing. Not particularly super difficult, but they made up with cool presentation and memorable set pieces. Some of the bosses reach the ridiculous levels of Platinum Games’ bosses, especially during Eikon fights like Titan and Bahamut. I honestly wasn’t expecting these kinds of bosses, but I was happy to see them. The final boss was also perfect. I was slightly disappointed by Barnabas, while he was a fun fight in a DMC kind of way, I was expecting Platinum Games’ levels of ridiculous, but the final boss delivered in spades. It truly felt final and each phase could have been a final phase.

Another thing that I ended up loving way more than I expected was the story. Not just the story, but the characters and the world itself. The story of FFXVI is without a doubt my favorite video game story of all time. It is the only story out of many story heavy games where I actually cared. I cared about the characters, the world and their struggles. The story was very dark at places with tragedy and death behind every corner. And the oppression of the bearers was especially brutally depicted. But also there were good times and triumphs. I honestly don’t know what this game did different, but I cared so much for almost all the charactes and I talked to them not just to exhaust dialogue, but because I cared what they had to say about current events.

I admit that due to this I got emotional a few times during the story, and I felt a special kind of euphoria to see Clives journey to the end and that he realized his and Cids dream. A world without magic, and we even get to see this world they worked so hard for towards the end. One thing I did find odd however. The mother figure we see at the end says that Eikons and magic are just a fairy tale from a book, but that makes no sense. Even if magic is gone, magic used to be a thing for hundreds of years. Clive ridding the world of magic doesn’t erase the entire history of the world where people wrote books and shared stories. Magic would be a thing of the past that people would talk about, but not something they’d deny as a fairy tale. I dunno, I guess that line was there to show off Clives success. I’m still glad their stories lived on.

The world of Valisthea is honestly amazing, but the ending felt very final with magic being gone. I don’t know how they’d be able to make DLC or continue this world in any way. Either they have to explore the past, or we see a resurfacing of magic. Although I hope not. If magic came back it would kinda invalidate Clives journey.

I’ve sung the games praises, but it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. I had some problems with the game. Some major problems. Let’s start with the pacing of the story. Yes, the story was amazing, but it wasn’t all the time. The game had a very strange pace where you’d first experience the most thrilling amazing action and story twists of your life, and then everything comes to a screeching halt as you have to walk around talking with people for an hour. I said I enjoyed the characters, but not all of them, and they didn’t always have interesting things to say. Coming from an amazing boss fight to doing fetch quests where you talk to a bunch of people is jarring, and not very exciting.

Not to mention if you’re like me who feels the need to complete all side content. Holy shit the side quests in this game were ass. They wary so much in quality, some of them I admit are interesting and they build up the world and characters wonderfully. Without side quests you would never find out the backstories of many supporting characters like Charon, Blackthorne, Gav etc... And there were some really interesting ones (and dark) like the one where some noble man and his son send bearers to their death for fun, or a little girl whose lost pet was a bearer. Really highlighting how fucking dark this world was.

However, most side quests were just uninteresting. Go here and talk to this person, hunt down this monster or could you find my missing friend? At some point I just sort of stopped caring about the side quests and started spacing out during the excessive amount of dialogue they had, but I did do all of them in the end.

The game was also very cut-scene and dialogue heavy, but that didn’t really bother me as I did care about the story. Most of the time at least. I do feel like sometimes things dragged on for too long, or some things were too cinematic. Like the first “phase” of the final boss was literally just an interactive cut-scene where you get to press buttons sometimes. Like I said, the pacing of the story was just all over the place and there was a lot of fluff.

I’m not gonna say that FFXVI is a masterpiece 10/10, but it was one of the most enjoyable triple A games I’ve played in a long time. It’s a game that’ll divide people, you either really hate it or really love it for what it is. Some people expected a more RPG oriented game. And some are fine with the game being a medieval Devil May Cry with Dragonball Z boss battles. I might not be replaying this game any time soon, but this experience will stay with me for a long time.

[fynnlink]

First of all: Thanks and Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays to you too.

My first response was to your framing it as not having any answers to the points you brought not that said answers maybe weren't satisfying or "enough".

And I in no way mean to argue against your "being pissed off" since it's a valid opinion especially if you like Aaravos a lot. So if I in turn offended you I apologise; I merely mean to discuss and engage with the media.

Now on to the important stuff:

I agree wholeheartedly with the point regarding "external" material (outside of the main series) but I think one of the issues TDP suffers from most is too much lore/story having to be squeezed into short, 9 episode seasons which is a shame as the world building is my favourite part of the series. Thus the need to use other ways to communicate parts of the story or lore. (The image of Ziard for example and the monologue/story attached to it are freely accessible but the point stands)

Having certain expectations even "high" ones is of course more than justified and feeling upset/unsatisfied when those expectations aren't met is too. There are quite a few plotlines which have developed in a specific way or not developed at all, that have disappointed me after waiting for answers since 2018. (Damn I've started this series at 14. That hiatus, seriously, never again please)

When exactly did Zubeia say that? Or are you referring to her lines in S4 E4? Because I wouldn't call the results of Aaravos' actions/involvement before his imprisonment Revolutions but rather Civil Wars / Unrest and I think her line "A Startouch Elf, one of the Great Ones, respected and loved by all until we discovered long-hidden treachery." is more of general statement than referring to her and the Archdragons. And the crime he was punished for was being responsible for Queen Aditi's disappearance (though no one knew what exactly happened to her until Aaravos told Khessa and then Janai found out) thus causing the tensions between the Elves and Dragons to boil over and also depriving the Archdragons from ending their succession conflict peacefully. (I'm hoping that if we get Act 3 we finally actually learn about the Orphan Queen.)

As to the severity of Aaravos' punishment it is quite literally the only punishment pissible as murdering him would've just had him return at a later point and imprisoning him in any other way would be nigh important due to his immense power both in terms of magical ability and persuasiveness manipulation.

I wholehearted agree that the involvement of both the Orphan Queen and the Jailer is less than adequately explained. Like you said it makes little sense to 1) believe a random human who at the time was probably young too and 2) to entrust the entire imprisonment process to another human one who was supposedly very mysterious. It would also be interesting to know whether or not the Jailer used Dark Magic or just other means like a primal stone or inanimate objects like gemstomes.

I don't think Aaravos had enough power (as in political influence not magic) to do anything against Sol Regem overtly. As even back then Anak Arao was THE dragon prince (Aaravos calls him that in S6 E9) so one of his parents was mostly likely the current regent during Leola's childhood 2000+ years ago. And back then Aaravos seemed to live a humble(r) life away from the heavens on earth with Leola and had no sway on the council. (Though it is interesting that The Merciful One apparently cared enough about Aaravos to comfort him above the Sea of the Castout). The entire story isn't resolved but Aaravos playing the long game was him drawing it out. He, at least in part, is responsible for humans learning dark magic and thus for Ziard "blinding" Sol Regem, Aaravos was also probably involved in whatever caused Sol Regem to get angry enough to indirectly kill Aithne Solaire as Aaravos even knew about it. This to me at least is reminiscent of Aaravos' incredible quote about surviving such a terrible wound (losing a loved one) and thus suffering forever. Aaravos didn't directly attack or kill Sol Regem to prolong the Archdragon's suffering and since he knew how to easily manipulate and use Sol Regem to further his own plans. Never throw away something that could one day prove useful. It took barely any work to get Karim to do exactly what Aaravos wanted and then to use Pharos to direct Sol Regem against Katolis, Viren and Aaravos' imprisonment. (A bonus benefit which in my opinion Aaravos also planned for is that this further turned Claudia on this "dark path" when she was just beginning to question/regret it)

Personally I don't think Aaravos' line was supposed to single out Zubeia from the other Archdragons as the only/main one to BETRAY Aaravos. Both the Archdragons and Aaravos call what happened back then a betrayal (Rex Igneous' line about "Not long enough, Betrayer") the Archdragons for Aaravos' manipulations and Aaravos for the imprisonment. It's simply that she's the only one who was involved when he says it and he's addressing her and not the others in the beginning of his conversations via posessed Callum. And Zubeia has proven she's ready and willing to fight when necessary (the standoff with Rex Igneous, her fighting against the corrupted Banthers in the great bookery and her attacking Aaravos in the finale)

When does he differentiate between Zubeia and the other Archdragons, he has the lines about Zubeia being "ravishing" but back when he tells Viren about Avizandum imprisoning him him only mentioning Avizandum is, in my opinion, just the series trying to keep it simple and even in a watsonian sense Viren proved just moments prior that the names of the Archdragons aren't known to him. And he does seem to enjoy her suffering by making her face Avizandum in the finale.

Regarding the Staff of Ziard that's why I amended that Aaravos had taken the Staff not necessarily that he had stolen it.

I think the Starscraper might function as the Star Nexus and thus draws in a semi-religious following and it's made up of other Elves since the Startouch Elves "don't intervene" which is probably what inspired that part of the Celestial Elves' culture. As to why it's Skywing Elves, earlier it was said that only winged Skywing Elves live there before they changed it. Again in lore this change probably happened because some elves at the Starscraper were born without wings. But yes it is something they could expand upon hopefully if Astrid sticks around the Dragang.

There was at least one more Startouch Elf around during the division of Xadia and expulsion of the humans to the east. (Visible in the opening of S1 E1 next to what is either Queen Aditi or her daughter. And they look distinctively different from Aaravos)

100% agree. Elarion has fascinated me since the poem was first translated and has only grown more and more interesting since. It's probably too big/important and needs to be the main focus. I think Claudia's final scene might be near Elarion since it's the same place as the S4-S7 intro sequence and the mountain range and sky full of stars and nebulae looks like the one from the scene of Aaravos crying over (creating it) the Sea of the Castout.

I don't view it as the finale of the series just of the act and season. Both the way it ended and the fandom's reaction is exactly the same as when Miraculous' fifth season ended. If you view it as a Series Finale not a Season Finale then yes it leaves certain storylines and plotpoints unresolved but whether they continue the story via more seasons or novels, etc the story isn't over.

Which is not to say you're not allowed to disagree. Art and Stories and their interpretation are up to any who behold them. It's just a matter of viewing it as an end for now rather then a complete end. And since Act 3 has been planned for a while I don't judge the story without also factoring in the limitations placed upon it by Netflix at first only paying for the first three and then the next four seasons. Of course a story made for ten seasons limited to seven can't resolve all plotlines. It was always meant to have an open end to entice viewers to want the final instalment.

Ultimately I hope/want Act 3 to focus on explaining the history more in depth especially from 2000 years ago at the founding of Elarion to 300 years ago with Avizandum's reign, a more in depth look at the Startouch Elves and the Star Arcanum and 'everything' related to it (for example Stella having the Star Arcanum??) and most importantly, to me, the origin of Dark Magic and further explaining it's specifics.

All three could be tied to Elarion as the main geological focus (along with Evrkynd probably, which could even draw parallels with the first human city built in opposition/definace to "Xadia" and the latest built in cooperation and peace. Once again I'm also glad Sol Regem is just bones now because that prick deserved what he got.) as all paths converge either in Elarion or at the Sea of the Castout.

- - - - -

Unrelated Sidenote but I think Aaravos will ultimately be "defeated" by, like most other parents in the series, sacrificing himself to restore/resurrect Leola. 1) He wanted to sacrifice his life for her in the beginning but wasn't allowed/able to do so and 2) it would even be akin to a final victory for him in undoing the Cosmic Orders' plans. And it would once again call back to the series' message of Love triumphing over Hate and Vengeance and the theme of Parents giving their future for their children. And this isn't as unlikely anymore since the series has begun to make certain deaths less permanent i. e. Harrow = Pip

Narrative of Love not Strength as Aaravos can't be defeated by force alone but by appealing to his love for his daughter(s).

Depending on when this happens and whether or not the Cosmic Order feels threatened or disrespected by it it could even put the Dragang (who would probably not turn against Leola) and the C.O. at odds and lead to a resolution in which there's justice for the C.O.'s wrongful deed(s) and not Revenge the way Aaravos dies it right now.

Also it would be similar to Elves and Humans working together to return Zym and bring peace and would be poetic to now also "repay" Leola's kindness and her friendship to both peoples in the past.

wait a fucking minute...

We still don't know why and how Aaravos was imprisoned.

And what exactly his beef with Sol Reg and the other archdragons was about.

And what his relationship was with the Orphan Queen.

Oh yeah! And also his relationship with Ziard... and city of Elarion...

DID THEY JUST KILL HIM WITH ABSOLUTELY NO EXPLANATION?

I'M SO PISSED OFF