#I’m not joking like endgame spoilers

[hyperions-light]

hi I thought about Davrin for two seconds again and I dissolved into an inconsolable puddle of slime

Like… he thought he was going to die! He was expecting to die, he wanted to die defending people! He was racing towards the end of his life in a glorious shower of blood and heroism !! But his story is about LIVING

It’s about Assan ! It’s about the idea that you could be more than your nature or what you’re good at, that you could make a different path for yourself. That you don’t have to be what everyone expects of you, or do the thing the world says is your destiny

It’s about the flowers in Lavendel! He’s blighted too, he’s dying, too! But if you’re not dead you’re still alive. He’s still alive and life will grow from him

He will raise Assan, he will nurture his brothers and sisters, his legacy will be more than his death

I can’t stand to sacrifice him, I can’t do it, even though it hurts the other way, too. Because he asks Rook what he’s going to do if he makes it, if he lives

and he has to find out

War, Peace, Death

And Life, too.

[fanfoolishness]

It’s both insanely satisfying and deeply horrifying to play with Cal’s Dark Side power 😭😭😭

And somehow the most painful thing was I yelled at BD for a stim on Nova Garon just after giving in to the Dark Side, and Cal’s voice was a demand, it was cold and absolutely devoid of fondness and my heart just broke

(I don’t know if that was intentional or I just happened to make that up but that’s what I heard dammit and it was deliciously painful)

[fluoneia]

arcane 2 new episode spoilers

Oh my LORD I have so much to say. Like WHAT THE FUCK WAS ACT TWO.

SO MYCH HAPPENED. Vander is alive, Viktor is dead(?), CAITVI IS BACK, CAITLYNS DATING MADDIE???? Powder is slowly coming back, MEL’s STORY was INSANE, Jayce is crashing out, where the FUCK is ekko? AND WE GOT TO SEE VI AND POWDERS CHILDHOOD! As well as her mom!!!!

I LOVE this new act. But I also hate it. Because what the fuck????

Like with CAITVI bro. I was so angry at the ending of act one, thinking everything was lost, but it just goes to show just how deep Caitlyn and vi’s affection is. Despite Caitlyn being in a relationship with maddie, her feelings will NEVER go away for Vi. As soon as she saw her, Caitlyn switched sides like a fucking light switch. I’m sorry, but they’re literally endgame. Maddie and Caitlyn was nothing but a rebound. I don’t really see them as a couple moving on, and I NEVER saw them as a couple in the first place!!’ Like come on, the writers were just fucking with us.

Though, I am excited to see more of it. The reaction of maddie when she sees Caitlyn and vi working together again, how it’ll all play out.

And also, family reunion???? I damn cried bro. Both those girls deserve nothing less then a family. All they wanted was their family back, to love eachother again, and they finally got it. But it was ripped away from them the second they thought they found peace, harmony, and love.

When will my babies be able to take a GODDAMN BREATH

Also. DID ISHA FUCKING DIE??? LIKE WHATS UP WITH THAT

and where is ekko. WHERE IS HE. SHOW ME EKKO

I’m also sick and tired of people saying CAITVI Jayce and viktor crashed out because of a failed relationship.

Viktor became fucking arcane Jesus and got in touch with the arcane, discovering things he couldn’t imagine. That had nothing to do with Jayce. Jayce was crashing out because his soul was struggling between sanity while being in touch with the rune.

Caitlyn was grieving her mother and was clouded by the need for revenge and anger. In her mind, at the time, vi was holding her back.

Vi was already a mess. Crazy, murderer sister, brothers dead, TWO fathers dead, mother dead, spent four years getting beaten up in prison, and THEN she lost Caitlyn. Her crashing out and losing it wasn’t the result of just a failed relationship, but years of packed on trauma she never got to experience. It all fell on her at once. Caitlyn had a huge factor to this, yes, as it was her breaking point. I get it. She said— “everyone in my life has changed, promise me you won’t change” and CAITLYN FUCKING CHANGES and abandons her. So yeah, it probably did do a lot. BUT that wasn’t the only reason

I get it’s a joke but like… PLEAZD!!’ I’m going insane

[looney-mooney]

Spoilers for the finale of Fairly Oddparents: A New Wish under the cut cuz I need to RANT about this okay???

Just watched the season finale of FOP a new wish and uhhh. Why does it Suck??? Like for real, WHY does it SUCK???

I’m. They did my boy Peri DIRTY, first of all. Seriously, WHY was there SO MUCH gross-out humor with him? SECOND of all, they didn’t even BRING UP the fact that if Peri dies, so does Irep. Like, that wasn’t even a THING that was MENTIONED. THIRD of all, they really just DID NOT flesh out the character interactions to the same level that we’ve been getting throughout the rest of the show? Like, at ALL???

Also, I’m. Okay. Dev and Irep’s interactions in Irep’s introduction episode were SO FUN, but in this special their chemistry is fucking NOTHING. Why does Irep get along better with Dale Dimmadome??? It would be so, SO MUCH MORE FUN if Irep hated Dale’s fucking GUTS. If he saw Vicky in him. I was excited for this special SPECIALLY BECAUSE Dev and Irep were so much fun to watch the first time around, but this one just FLOPPED.

FOURTH OF ALL, DEV DOESN’T GET TO REMEMBER ANYTHING? WHAT??? BUT HE WAS THE MOST INTERESTING PART OF THE SERIES??? WHAT’S PERI GONNA DO NOW, BE A DENTIST??? I THOUGHT HE CARED ABOUT HIS KID! LIKE FOR REAL!!! THE MOMENT WHEN HE SAID HE CARED ABOUT DEV WAS THE ONLY REAL GOOD MOMENT IN THE ENTIRE FINALE, AND THEY BASICALLY JUST THREW IT AWAY WITH THE ENDGAME!!!

God. Like, I get Dev did something wrong. The narrative wants to punish him, he’ll probably find out somehow later down the line because they can’t just throw him away like that. I GET IT. But like. Okay. Okay.

Here’s how I would fix this.

It’s so fucking easy to do, too. Have Dev wish fairy world back to normal, so that Peri doesn’t die from magical backup. It doesn’t make sense for Wanda to have to be the one to do it, because she’s only not had access to magic for like a DAY, ON TOP OF having granted a BUTTLOAD of wishes JUST THAT MORNING, vs Peri who hasn’t been granting wishes for Dev for a WHILE, Who is VISIBLY DYING THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE EPISODE BECAUSE DEV DOESN’T MAKE WISHES.

THEN, when HAZEL gets to make her rule free wish, have her wish Dev gets to keep Peri anyway. Have her wish for ALL the people who saved Fairyworld to get to remember forever, Dev included, even though he was the one who -

Wait. WAIT. YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE SO MUCH MORE FUN???

If Anti-Cosmo and Dale took over the takeover and overthrew their sons. Like, not even maliciously, just in a “we know better than you” sort of way. But then Irep started having Peri’s magical backup affect HIM, too, and Anti-Cosmo dismissed it, thinking the takeover was more important.

Dev’s still mad at Peri, but he DOES care about Irep, so he agrees to reverse the damage so he can make a wish, which would save Peri and therefore also Irep. I would also like it if Peri’s magical backup manifested in more,,, visually subtle ways. Fainting spells, occasional vomiting, loopiness, confetti coming out of orifices, the OCCASIONAL bloating, but treated more like a chronic illness than. Whatever the fuck they actually did in the show. This would set the stakes higher by making it easier for the audience to actually take the danger to Peri’s life seriously. Instead of, you know. Treating Peri dying like a JOKE.

Then Dev would have to work together with Irep, Peri, Hazel, Cosmo and Wanda (maybe even Anti-Wanda, too, since I don’t think she wants her son to die, though I think if she does join it’d be at the last minute) to fix everything. And Hazel could still recruit her friends, but it would have a much tighter focus on this new core squad, and a lot more focus on character-oriented espionage than “rule of cool”ing it. Maybe even have a nod to the fact that Dev and Winn were friends once, too? (Can I get some nuance, can I PLEASE get some nuance???)

I don’t think we actually need to involve earth that much, either. Don’t replace fairies with anti-fairies, just take away fairy magic, introduce the “not using magic is life-threatening to fairies” aspect, with Peri as our main example, and that’s a really good threat on its own.

Then the ENDGAME leading to season 2 could be “Peri and Irep are BOTH Dev’s fairy godparents now, but now Irep has to follow Da Rules the same way any legitimate fairy godparent would. Dev still doesn’t think of himself as being friends with Hazel right now, but he’s happy to lord over the fact that he has two fairies now over her. The show now has room to play in a space where there are limits to the power of the antagonists, and the protagonists only get to be happy because they were able to break da rules in the first place, and now we have to live with that.” A pleasant symmetry that lays down the groundwork for some Actual Narrative Themes, instead of… whatever mess that was.

I mean, god, I’m not even sure I want them to have a season 2. Like. Jesus, the version of this show and its characters that I built up in my head was so much better than the actual show itself turned out to be. And there’s something really sad in that, you know? Like, I loved this show, and I thought it was building up to something really fun and interesting. But it just. God. It fumbled the landing of this first season so hard.

I’m probably still gonna make, like, an illustrated video essay about my version of this finale like a dude bro posting their fanfic to YouTube and calling it a rewrite, but oh my GOD it was BAD and I thought it was gonna be SO GOOD and it WASN’T and AGHHHHHH. I wanna FIX IT.

(What this whole thing really taught me though, is that I should really be focusing more on making my own stuff. I can’t control how a big studio treats the story I want to see, but I CAN control how I write my OWN stories. I’m gonna let the disappointment fuel me to do better)

Ahem. Anyway, thank you for letting me rant, I really fucking needed it after that.

[psychopersonified]

****SPOILERS SEASON FINALE*****

🇦🇺 walk among you….. so yes we get it early if you don’t know by now.

The fucking FEELS.

Revelations, clarifications, self discovery.

One thread gets tied off, another picked up.

Daniel casually lobbing 💣 into vampire marriages. Poking holes into the story that fans have been asking too. Daniel being even more insufferable… at the end.

Sam Barclay a DJ - with a decorative helmet? Daft Punk? 😄

Armand? What’s your next move??

A few funny moments peppered throughout.

Louis looking hella FINE in modern day. Warm light makes his eyes pop. Bittersweet homecoming in multiple ways. Seeing how his NOLA life is reduced to a footnote for tourists. The way he can walk into a luxury hotel now and the white staff treats him like any other patron - the respect he so craved in the past. I’m sure there will be more commentary around this in the next few weeks.

Lestat serving dirty rockstar vibes, funny enough, he’s serving a much better looking Steve Tyler 😁. The ‘plank’, I have jokes for this later (anyone remember Ed, Edd and Eddy?)

THE REUNION…. OMFG…. Decades of grief finally getting processed together. This one is poignant. Firstly Louis coming to terms with his own choices.

Secondly Claudia. You can imagine parents when a child is diagnosed with an incurable disease, if they have different opinions around what’s best for the child - treatment, dignity, suffering… neither is completely right or wrong, but It can tear them apart. And when the child eventually succumbs, they are left with nothing but each other and the grief - some marriages survive, some don’t.

COLOURS finally.

And to those worried about Louis fading into the background in S3, don’t worry. Don’t you worry, our boy throws down the gauntlet!

Overall, a great conclusion to the NOLA-PARIS arc. And laying foundations for something BIGGER. *wink wink*. My shipper heart whist not euphoric, is adequately satiated for now, knowing a more satisfying outcome is in the future.

Season 3 possibilities: We’re going into somewhat uncharted territory now I think. Louis is a much stronger character than the book!Louis. He has bits of Lestat’s personality and vice versa. Honestly I love it, it will make their relationship moving forward more on equal footing. It lays down the possibility of a power couple Loustat (one that I’ve been advocating) going into Prince Lestat. Lestat doesn’t have to shoulder the entire burden of governance through his personality alone, an equally charismatic partner to share it with. Maybe it will be Prince Louis & Lestat of the House of LOUSTAT endgame for the show!

[captainwaffles]

Character development of the Guardians

Spoilers ahead

Start obvious with Rocket. He went from this edgy criminal who couldn’t accept himself to someone who let himself heal. He made himself a new family. He stopped letting his past haunt him and came to terms of who he was and where ha came from. He allowed himself to be the good guy. The hero in his own story

Quill found out it was okay to be sad. You can’t run forever. He loved a version of Gamora that died. He had to leave her dead. This Gamora is not his and she’s not ready or willing. He is allowing himself to grieve and grow and that’s amazing.

Gamora oh my god. I don’t remember what she said but it was something along the lines of like I’m not yours or something. She’s not she’s not the males love interest. She doesn’t need a man. She got herself a family. She found a place she finds safe by herself. She’s reconnecting with Nebula too. Amazing

Nebula, my love. She really grew from endgame into this. She made a family and found something she loves, taking care of people. She let herself grow close to Quill and Rocket and everyone else. She started sharing emotions and thoughts.

Mantis. I’m so mad. I feel like since she was introduced they punched up her silliness, especially in this film. She doesn’t understand some things but they made her overly stupid. Which feels wrong. They finally gave her some peace though. They allowed her to speak her mind and say she doesn’t need help and does stuff differently and that’s amazing. I wish they didn’t have to make her just the butt of jokes for it though

Drax. A lot of the same from Mantis. He was not that empty and stupid in GotG 1. As the series continued the more they made him, let’s make him stupid and a laughing stock. At the end we finally got to see his more complex sides with being a father and that grief he still has for her. But he also realized he can be a dad and not a fighter

[carigm]

Today Millie had a fan panel in which she answered that her ideal ending would be Mike and El getting married and Will being happy and confessing to Mike (lol) and ofc the Stranger Things fandom kicked up the old Byler vs Mlvn war once again, regardless of the fact she doesn’t write the show. But I want to break down some points here about things I’ve been noticing today, but also for a while and that I think need to be discussed. Keep reading if you want.

I’ve seen a lot of hostility towards Byler and Bylers on Twitter lately, saying we’re delusional and don’t know what we’re talking about. This always seems to be the go to argument even tho it’s all in the narrative. Today it got really bad after Millie’s comments and even people that were merely disagreeing with her opinions got called everything from delusional to misogynistic.

IF the Duffers suddenly decided to ignore everything they’ve carefully crafted and put into their narrative that doesn’t make anyone delusional, it just makes them terrible writers. Who would be doing a great disservice to all three characters involved in the love triangle.

There’s been an insurgence (on Twitter) of so called “Will stans” who seem to be completely fine with the idea of mlvn being endgame because “Will can just get another boyfriend” Not only is this insulting to what the writers have already established for Will’s character but it’s also a defense and endorsement of the worst kind of lazy/bad writing that could graze our screens.

The Duffers CHOSE to tie Will’s character arc to Mike’s and El’s.

How do you expect them to undo that and create a well fleshed out character that’s deserving of Will, in 8 episodes that we know are not just gonna be dedicated to Will’s supposed love interest, because there’s a shit ton of stuff to resolve?

If this was the route the Duffers were going for, they could’ve clearly given Will a love interest last season (like with Robin) or two seasons ago (like with Dustin) And yet somehow, people think it would be totally okay for Will to get the most meaningless romance of all time as the writers ignore the same story they’ve created.

Another point I’ve been seeing a lot from these people is “Mike won’t come out. Let it go. He’s just a very unlikable character” What does that say about the quality of the writing and content you’re willing to consume then? You’re okay with characters being poorly written? And please someone explain to me how Mike’s actions, especially in S4, make any sense unless he likes Will.

The more people try to simplify this story the more plot holes and inconsistencies it creates.

The funny thing is that a lot of these “Will stans” used to be Bylers themselves but are so deathly afraid it won’t be endgame that they’ve started to use the same rhetoric mlvns use every day to justify what would be atrocious writing.

And this next thing might be controversial but I think it needs to be said.

So many people on Twitter have hit those who disagree with Millie’s opinion today with “y’all are misinterpreting Millie’s words” and let me tell you, no one has. She’s been saying the same stuff for forever and quite frankly she’s never had a coherent thought about Will. Which is fine, at the end of the day that’s not the character she plays. However, I haven’t forgotten how last year (at another panel) she was asked about Byler and said it was just a reflection of Finn and Noah’s friendship and that was what people were seeing…

Whatever the fuck that means, I guess.

Again, I’m not taking her answer today too seriously cause truth be told she’s been saying some version of this since she was around twelve, and has even at times said she was joking about it. If a wedding were actually happening she wouldn’t be able to say it cause I’d literally be a spoiler, even if she doesn’t have the scripts yet or doesn’t know I’m sure there’s things that would be off limits for any actor to say at this point.

But this defense squad that formed today begging for us to not misconstrue her words because “she really cares about Will’s character” is laughable.

Her answers regarding the topic of the love triangle have been anything but nuanced. If she doesn’t want to get into it or address it, that’s fine. It’s her choice.

But of course, mlvn stans are gonna take her answers seriously, as well as those who are now “Will stans” who basically ship mlvn too.

And to me there’s a fundamental flaw regarding the ship wars in this fandom, which these people don’t seem to grasp. At this point, it isn’t so much about “which ship is better” but “which outcome isn’t violently homophobic”

That’s it.

I don’t care how much you ship mlvn, this is the undisputed truth here.

But when your lead actors act like it’s not a big deal, it’s no surprise the fandom doesn’t give a shit.

I can only hope the Duffers were smart enough to see reason and were able to write the only outcome that won’t set television back around 10 years or so.

And hopefully one day, when S5 is out, we can get a more in depth and honest conversation with the actors about all of this.

As for me, I’m gonna lay low and not give much of a fuck until we start getting those Reddit leaks, which were very much accurate for last season. I’ll take a peak at those, and depending on what they look like, I’ll stay around or dip completely.

If you read all of this, thank you.

[sixpossumsinatrenchcoat]

Natural Satellite [ch 12]

An In Stars and Time AU. In ch 12, Loop returns to the House. You can start from the beginning here.

When you reach the kitchen, your stardust balks in the doorway, eyeing that stupid blinding countertop. You sigh. “I’ll get it.” “...Would you?” “Don’t feel bad,” you tell them, patting their head with all the condescension you can muster. Which is a lot. “Not everyone can be as graceful as yours truly.” Then you saunter up the aisle and— —hit your hip on the kitchen counter. Oh, okay. Haha! Okay!! You’re going to kill yourself!!!!

[spoiler warning for all conceivable endgame spoilers, including the secret end]

Whaa~aat are you doing here? Haha… What are you doing here. Literally why would you ever, ever, ever come back here? You did this already. You played this game and lost. It’s someone else’s turn.

Oh, you were bored? Re~eally? You were bored and lonely and so blinding pathetic that you’d agree to play pretend with a lot of vacant husks of the people you failed? The family you abandoned? A lot of stupid ugly strangers who don’t even recognize you? And that seemed like a good idea?

Stars. It’s the worst joke you ever told. And as usual, you’re the punchline.

A colossal hand rears up from the shadows. Absently, you just attack it. There’s no satisfaction in watching it shudder and fall. No pleasure in hearing your stupid stardust’s stupid Kid marvel at your strength. The whole performance is almost as empty as you are.

That idiot understudy even tried to give you your— their dagger. “I don’t really need it,” he said, shuffling his feet. “I’m pretty strong now.”

Of course you laughed in their face. You weren’t even trying to make them feel small. It was just so blinding funny.

There’s someone saying something. More sepulchral whispers from the ghosts you left to die. Talking to them at the Tree was bad enough, but seeing them in the House is—well, it’s just hilarious. It’s so funny you could cry. You remember how they used to wail and moan every time you drove your blade into your throat. Would they cry for you now?

(Stupid. Of course they wouldn’t. Who could cry over a stranger?)

“You’re pretty strong,” the Fighter tells you, grudging, after you one-hit another Rancoeur, and you nearly fling yourself into the nearest Tear. But what would be the point? You’re already living your worst nightmare.

The ghost of your Fighter is the one who hates you the most. Isn’t that funny? Isn’t it hilarious? He took to you so quickly once. He thought you were sooooo~ cute. In all fairness, you definitely were. And you used to wear a lot more… clothes. But your surface isn’t exactly solid, nowadays. If you tried to put a hat on, you’re not sure if you’d set it on fire or if it would just fall straight through you. Not that you want to wear a hat. You have no one left to hide from.

Slapstick is a little low-brow for you, anyway.

But these actors are a bunch of hacks. They don’t even remember their lines! You have half a mind to fill in for them. A call and response between you and your understudy. Practically a one-man show! So high-concept!! So avante-garde!!

The only problem is, audiences never like a one-man show. Normal people find them inaccessible. Masturbatory. Pathetic.

But you knew that already, didn’t you.

When you reach the kitchen, your stardust balks in the doorway, eyeing that stupid blinding countertop.

You sigh. “I’ll get it.”

“...Would you?”

“Don’t feel bad,” you tell them, patting their head with all the condescension you can muster. Which is a lot. “Not everyone can be as graceful as yours truly.”

Then you saunter up the aisle and—

—hit your hip on the kitchen counter.

Oh, okay. Haha! Okay!! You’re going to kill yourself!!!!

* * *

Running the House goes a lot more smoothly with Loop around. They’re remarkably efficient. Sort of alarmingly efficient, actually. Not for the first time, you find yourself wondering what their deal is. And not for the first time, you find yourself strangely reluctant to think too hard about it.

When you get to Euphrasie’s office, Madame Odile spends about ten minutes enraptured by a lot of boring paperwork before you gather the courage to mumble, “Um. Madame? Are you almost finished?”

“Absolutely not,” she says briskly. “Honestly, this organizational system is in shambles. Who in their right mind would put expense reports in the same file as enrollment rates? What’s the common thread there? ‘The letter E?’”

Mirabelle giggles. “My roommate says the same thing.”

You don’t want to interrupt, but… “Is this, um. Do you think you might want to help her organize after we beat the King, though?”

Odile barks a laugh. “I’m no one’s secretary. This isn’t altruism, Siffrin, it’s research. I’m looking for any more information that she might have tucked away on Wish Craft. You know. The thing that might actually free you from an eternity of torment?”

“Check under ‘water bills,’” Loop suggests. “Or ‘waste management.’”

Madame Odile actually snickers.

“Okay, but…” You huff a breath. “It’s just. The rock trap will go off if anyone leaves, but I’ve still got some keys to collect… and if we take too long, we’ll be pretty hungry by the time we reach the King…”

“Understood,” she sighs. Then she rolls up her sleeves. “Isabeau!”

He salutes smartly. “M’dame!!”

“Pull out this drawer,” she tells him, nodding at it. “And this one, too. We’ll bring them with us to the library. That is where we’re headed next, no?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“Then that’s our first move,” she says firmly. “We can discuss next steps once we’ve resituated.”

But when you get to the library, she gets right back to work.

“Madame,” you sigh. “Weren’t we going to—”

“Oh, absolutely not. This is only because of that trap.” She quirks an eyebrow at you. “If we have other business to attend to, I’m quite sure we can accomplish it in teams, now that we’ve picked up an extra pair of hands.”

Oh. Weird. From your perspective, Loop’s been with you the whole time.

You frown at her. “You think we should split up?”

“Well, there’s no risk anymore, is there? Apparently, failure isn’t permanent. If anything goes wrong, we can simply… start again.”

Loop flinches.

You flinch, too. Technically, temporally, she isn’t wrong. But having the same excruciating conversation over and over and over again… Honestly, it sounds even worse than dying. “Um…”

She flaps a hand at you, her interest already drifting. “You and Loop can go retrieve whatever-it-is you’re so eager to find, and—”

“No,” you blurt out, alarmed. It takes you a second to notice the echo. Loop spoke at the exact same time. You give them a startled glance before pressing on. “Um. You can’t… You need one of us with you. It’s dangerous. And they’ve been with me the whole time, so… they know how to be careful.”

“Teehee!” Loop winks. “I assure you, I’m nothing if not careful.”

“Fascinating,” Odile mutters. “You know what Siffrin’s referring to, then?”

They count on their fingers as they rattle off the answers. “The Crying Key in your Housemaiden’s old classroom; the Scissors Key in the trap room, and—”

“That’s plenty. We’ll keep Siffrin; I have a few questions for him. Loop, what’s your Craft Type?”

“Who’s asking?” they ask automatically.

Odile’s mouth twitches. “Cagy little thing, aren’t you? It’s like meeting Siffrin all over again.”

“No it isn’t,” you both say, in perfect, unnerving unison.

Loop glares at you before rolling their eyes. “I’m Scissors Type. If you must know.”

“Then we’ll send you with a Rock type, to be safe. Isabeau!”

He snaps to attention. “M’dame!”

“Go with Loop. Watch their back. Siffrin,” she adds, making you jump. “Can Isabeau trust them to take the lead?”

You give them a deeply distrustful look, then sigh. “...Yes.”

“Then we’ll see you two shortly. With any luck, we’ll have something to report by then.”

* * *

It’s the worst thing you can imagine. Your own personal void, tailor-made for you. As if your pathetic existence wasn’t torturous enough~!

You do your level best to ignore him. Unfortunately, the ghost of your Fighter makes himself uniquely difficult to ignore. Every time you look his way, you find him already staring. A lot of quick, nervous little glances, like you’re some unspeakable horror that, should he take his eyes off you for ten seconds, would promptly unhinge your jaw and swallow him whole.

The next time it happens, you lose your patience. “Craft a picture, why don’t you? It’ll last longer.”

“S-Sorry!! I was just—just wondering, um. Are you… okay?”

(What.) “Peachy keen, big guy. I just lo~ve wasting time on a lot of low-level losers that’ll reset the second we finish the job.”

“…You’re talking about the Sadnesses, right?”

“Teehee!” you giggle, and wink. “Who can say~!”

You can finish ch 12 here: ao3.org/works/53412649/chapters/138927454

[ficbrish]

Journey's End

Rating: Explicit 18+ only!

[AO3 Link]

[Kinktober 2023 prompt thanks to @absurdthirst! October 5th - Body Worship (mouth)]

Summary: They've saved the day. What comes next?

Takes place during Act III/End game. There are SPOILERS FOR THE ENDGAME OF BG3 directly under the line!

[Click here for my other Kinktober one-shots]

The fireplace in their room crackled and popped. Astarion was gazing into its flames, almost trance-like; soaking up the only taste of sunlight he’d ever have again through their temporary hearth.

Vistri couldn’t stop staring.

A contented sort of grief sunk his eyes, even though they were lifted by the strength of newfound freedom. There was nothing out there now that owned either of them, controlled them, or sat in their heads. The city was still a disaster, a literal war zone, but the defeat of the Netherbrain allowed a previously-unreachable stillness to settle over them. For the first time, there was no axe waiting to fall.

It slowed them down to an unfamiliar tempo, one they couldn't remember ever experiencing. It was surreal. The most common things were extraordinary. Here they were together in a rented bed, no active threats nipping at their heels, relaxing.

Languidly tangled up in each other, they'd fallen into a steady, spacey contemplation. Astarion took in every sparkle of the fire as Vistri drank in every detail of his face.

“I’m always afraid to tell you just how beautiful you are,” she suddenly admitted.

Cuddling and watching the shadows dance over his features made her want to say it so badly that her little confession slipped passed her self-control. Vistri didn't want to bring up his looks in intimate moments like these. Not when it was ingrained in Astarion that they were the limit of his worth.

“Why afraid?” he answered quite rapidly for as far away as he seemed.

Vistri chuckled, giddy from the way his attention snapped directly to her, yet unsure of how to translate her feelings into words, “I just… I never want to hurt you. I don’t want to place value on the things you hate about yourself.”

Astarion cupped her face in his hands and kissed her forehead, “Silly little beloved.” Her compliments gave rather than took. They were treasures, closeness.

He started to laugh and it rang out of his chest, “I thought you were getting tired of me.”

Abruptly, she sat up, “Tired?! Of you?”

“You know how you tend to get bored.” He'd already lost the sun. Why wouldn't the brightness in his life disappear along with it?

“Astarion, you could never bore me.”

“Never say never,” he quipped.

As much as he was joking, Vistri did have a tendency to get bored. There was real apprehension under his wit.

Eager to prove him wrong, she dove into his chest, tightly wrapping every arm and leg she could around his body, “Never! Never! Never! Never! Never!”

He laughed harder at that. It rumbled against her ears, and Vistri’s heart felt like it would burst at the sound.

She wanted to spend every day making him laugh like this. A huge smile spread over her face, “Does this mean I get to dote on you now? Properly? As much as I want to?”

Kissing her, Astarion brought her body flush against his, “Is this what you’ve been holding back from me?”

“Wait," she was legitimately thrown, “Have I been holding back from you?”

Astarion seemed just as confused as she was, “Not entirely... You just have these moments where you stare and look sort of concerned. Like you’re deciding whether or not to tell me something I probably don’t want to hear.”

Vistri broke into relieved hysterics, “Astarion!”

He chuckled at her laughing fit, “What?”

Vistri tried to show him how she felt through the tadpoles before remembering they didn’t have those anymore. He could tell by the look on her face.

“Did you just try to tadpole me?”

She laughed again, “It’s second nature by now.”

“Well, now you’re just going to have to use your words,” he teased with an affectionate smirk, “Like a big girl.”

Vistri’s fingers trailed from his lips to the curls over by his ears. She met his eyes mischievously, holding his gaze like it was tied to hers by a string.

“Yes, Daddy,” she teased. She’d never called him that before, neither as a joke nor in the throes of passion.

Astarion found himself liking the way the word spilled out of her lips. He whimpered appreciatively and grinned, “I think I like that.”

Vistri felt herself blush. She’d said it as part of their play, but something tugged at her when Astarion said he liked it. Her vision blurred for a moment, dizzy with his words. She traced her finger across his lips again to bring herself back to the world, “I forget. Do you know that you’re gorgeous? Or are you completely clueless to the fact?”

He laughed, then adopted an affectation of utter surprise, “Me?! Gorgeous? I don’t believe anyone’s ever called me that before.”

“Never ever?”

“Never ever!”

“Incredible,” Vistri pretended to be utterly offended, “Such an insult—Nay! A deep injustice to beauty itself!”

“Oh, really?” he played along dramatically, “Enlighten me.”

Vistri put her fingertips back on his lips, lightly stroking his silky soft, cool skin. “Your face is like an orchestra,” she purred, flattering him and meaning it, “I hear every sigh from every heart that’s ever beat when I look at your face.”

“If you didn’t steal that one from me, I’ll have to steal it from you,” he smirked.

She pressed her finger to his lips in a “shush” gesture, “I’m not done.”

He pushed it to the side with a kiss, and said, “Oh? Please, do go on.”

Stroking his cheekbones with her thumbs, Vistri continued, “The self I see through your eyes captures me. Whenever I see you, I want to give you everything I have.”

Astarion couldn’t help himself, “That’s how I rob people so easily.”

They laughed. When it grew quiet, Vistri brushed a thumb over his lip, “I’m obsessed with your mouth.”

“It does provide many important services.”

Vistri slowly shook her head, “It doesn’t have to do anything. It just has to exist.”

What she said didn't make a lot of sense on its own, but to them, it meant everything. Astarion closed his eyes to her touch, feeling it dance across his lower lip, then his top one. He parted them slightly, and she let the very tip of her finger fall gently between them. She took it away, replacing it with a kiss. They both moaned as their tongues reached for each other from the soft meeting of their lips.

Her eyes glistened with emotion and her voice trembled, “You just have to be you. And I’ll love you for all my days. All I want… is you.”

“Vistri,” he cried out, kissing her in the most unhinged manner. Actual centuries of continual horror peeled away at the flick of her tongue. Astarion only pulled back to say her name aloud again and punctuated it with another wild kiss. She whimpered; he moaned.

They jumped over each other’s words as their mouths parted, each declaring their love at the same opportunity. “I love you, Astarion,” and, “Gods, I worship you,” clashed together.

Running both hands through his hair, she admitted, “I don’t have any desire to go, you know? I don’t think I ever have had any desire to go. I just want to be by your side.” Her voice was shy but firm.

He brought one hand down to his face and kissed it, “Me too.”

They smiled at each other.

Sadness sat under the joy in their eyes. And neither of them tried to hide it. The joy was there, the fear was there, and the pain was there. All of it. They shared all of it, and neither of them flinched away.

Vistri found herself playing with his lips again, “Can I put my finger in your mouth?”

He kissed it and teased it with his teeth, “You may, my dear.”

She pushed her finger past his lips until she met the tip of his tongue. “My love,” she sighed, “I bet the gods wept when they made your mouth.”

A whine came from his throat, and Vistri felt its vibrations on the tip of her finger. It drove her so crazy she sat up and climbed on him. Groaning as she settled over his hips, feeling him hard underneath her.

Sighing and rocking against him, she purred, “The world is so much prettier with you in it, my love.”

Astarion found and matched her rhythm, bucking in tune with her rolls to increase the feeling just a bit more. He growled under her.

“I want to live my life with you, and I want us to live, Astarion.”

He sat up, pulling her into his lap; into his kiss.

“Then live, we shall.”

Vistri pushed him back down onto the bed. Astarion smirked; that was his move.

She stroked him between his legs over his clothes, “Can I take it out? I’m desperate to touch you.”

He nodded and tossed his head back into the pillow. His back arched as she dipped into his lacings to stroke him skin to skin.

“I love how sensitive you are. Your beautiful mouth has so many different smiles.”

The one that spread over his face now showed his teeth and those darling fangs of his. His brow furrowed above it; his breath groaned its way out of him. Vistri leaned over to kiss his throat. Astarion called her name out and she kissed it again and licked it.

“Your fangs alone deserve their own congregation,” Vistri moaned.

Astarion grabbed her hair and whispered into her ear like it was a threat, “If you want to worship me so terribly, go ahead.”

Vistri was already drowning in him, but needed to stay afloat. She wanted this to be for him. Ever since Astarion lost the sun, Vistri wanted to show him he didn't lose her too, that he was worth the cost of it. She kissed him, licking his fangs up and down. It was a pleasure that felt sharp as pain, and Astarion could feel his bloodlust stir at the stroking of her tongue. Whines poured out of him like torrential rain, and Vistri kissed him between them; locking his lips with hers, stroking them.

Her tongue slipping past his lips to his tongue, to his fangs, to his lip, to his tongue.

They kept kissing as they worked together to pull his trousers down to his knees. It was a clumsy business. Their lips proved to be impossible distractions. Once he was free, Vistri sat upon him and grabbed hold of his cock. It throbbed in her palms and was quite wet at the peeking tip.

“Darling,” she said with wonder, “Your expressions are pure artistry.”

Vistri could see every sensation play over his face, like a sweeping river of ecstasy. She could feel herself throbbing in her core, in tune with his. She ran her hands slowly along his shaft and head until she could taste his impatience in the air. She teased him by pumping just a little faster, then a bit more, and a little faster, until she reached his preferred tempo and kept her stroking steady there.

“I love you, Astarion,” she moaned as she touched him, “Just as you are.”

His breath hitched. He was bone-hard in her palm, seemingly as rigid as it were possible to be, but as she stroked, he only grew more solid. She bit her lip, breathing hard. He was so close. She moaned when she felt him pulse against her fingers. Astarion gasped. Vistri felt wetness spill over her fingers and watched his face convulse with pleasure.

He cried out, gasping her name.

He sounded perfect.

Vistri leaned in for a kiss, tasting the euphoria on his breath before getting up to fetch a towel. She sat next to him on the bed and wiped down his torso with care before wiping down her own hand. Then she peeled the trousers off his calves and helped him remove his doublet.

The whole time, Astarion looked at her with soft eyes. Trust.

“What about you, my love?” he asked as she joined him under the covers.

She affectionately traced the bridge of his nose, “You’re exhausted, love. I want you to rest first.”

He tried to protest, but Vistri held firm, “I’d wait centuries for you if I had to, and lucky for me, I don’t think you could make me wait that long.”

Once Astarion slipped into his trance, Vistri moved about the room. She made sure every curtain was shut tight, and enchanted all the windows hidden behind them with sun-blocking illusions. Then Vistri threw another log on their fire and poked it secure before crawling back into bed. There she wrapped herself around Astarion, and savored the sweet ache of her desire until she fell into Lolth’s nightmares.

“Vistri,” a precious sound eventually called out to her through the dark visions.

She opened her eyes to see Astarion’s captivated and heated with lust. A base need borne from his heart shivered all over his wonderful body.

He kissed all down her chest and back up along her neck. When Vistri cried out, he pried her knees apart and positioned himself between her thighs.

“Do you want me, Vistri?” he asked, his eyes and tone equally as serious.

“Yes,” she begged.

He nestled his cock against her but didn’t push in. She squirmed against him.

“And you want all of me?”

“Entirely,” she promised.

Astarion took her, giving himself. He was as rough with her this morning as she was gentle with him last night. Pounding and slapping into her, to break her over and over. To be taken again and again. Until she was screaming his name, and he was screaming hers too.

By the time they were both spent, the sun was harsh on its high throne in the sky. They held each other’s hands under the sheets and stared at each other for a while before Astarion spoke.

“Can't go out in the sun," he said sadly, "And I've trapped you here with me in darkness."

Vistri nuzzled into him, “You’re wrong this time, Astarion. I could never be trapped as long as I’m with you. You are my freedom and my joy.”

He melted into her smile and squeezed her hand, "Ugh, now you've gone all sappy!"

Falling in love again at the little smile that punctuated his pouting, she squeezed him back, “By your side is exactly where I want to be.”

[Click here for my other Kinktober one-shots]

[chargeddeck]

So, I’ve watched Episode 3. Brain dump time. No spoilers but as always my Ask/DMs etc are open if you want to discuss.

Needless to say, my focus will be on Remy and Rogue so brace yourselves.

That intro music will never not be a banger and I know it’s all over the Romy internet but that moment, THAT MOMENT, is my everything. I love them.

Disappointed in the speed at which they went through this particular storyline but will see how it pans out across the series.

I thought Scott’s behaviour was interesting because I can promise you, the moment your child is born is the moment nothing becomes more important to you than them. This didn’t come to the fore until the end of the episode and even then I…I’m not quite sure of how to explain it. Scott made it all about him? The whole thing felt off.

Mr. Sinister is always an fascinating villain to me because of his links to Remy.

I continue to dislike Morph and his personality. The jokes continue to be personal and cruel, which simply do not sit well with me. I’ll also confess that I haven’t read the Exiles comic so I can’t be certain but it’s weird that he seems to gain a power set when he transforms into someone, unlike Mystique. I wonder if this version of Morph has some elements of Mimic in him, or even Sync.

And hello Remy’s other worst enemies; self doubt and insecurity. Maybe I identify with him on more levels than I realise but the more I see of Rogueneto the more it hurts. I just have to trust in home and harbour and that Romy will still be the endgame.

“Gambit can never unsee dat.”

Interesting to see some of the other internal battles people were facing but none resonated quite like Remy’s.

Scott charging up Bishop was weird. The blast were (rightly) concussive force last week but they’re energy now? Sure, Sebastian Shaw I can see using Scott’s blasts to charge but Bishop seemed odd to me.

Jean Grey is not the mutant messiah.

God I’m being really negative so far! I don’t mean to be. I enjoyed this episode!

Positive time then. Loved seeing Rogue’s first thought be for Remy when she returned. And then seeing his whole body language and face light up was perfect.

Essex’s lair? Nothing says mad, immortal British scientist than a converted gothic Cathedral full of bubbling green vats. Superb.

I thought Logan was really good in this too. From him telling Morph to knock it off when teasing Gambit to being there for Jean as well. I hope we get to see him tear it up with Sabretooth at some point as well as showing his natural caring instincts.

Loved the Cathedral fight, thought it was great.

Lastly, 80’s Mohawk Storm is the best Storm.

[fanta2y]

JJK MANGA SPOILERS

I AM UNWELL

choso is dead yall … HE DIED

HE FADED AWAY LIKE PETER PARKER IN ENDGAME FULL BLOWN “i don’t feel so good mr stark” WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO MY BOY

omg yuuji CANT CATCH A BREAK THAT WAS HIS BROTHER FR FR

😞😞

i’m literally going to play in traffic like i can’t TAKE THIS ANYMORE

but on better news

TODO AOI IS BACK BABY

BESTO FRIENDO IS BACK IN BUSINESS

and apparently he can still use his cursed technique !! still waiting for english translations for the leaks but :(((

HAKARI STILL FIGHTING URUAME idk if this just means they are stronger than we thought or hakari is weaker than we thought

EITHER WAY someone gots to give

but nah i’m excited for todo and yuuji to be a dynamic duo once again IF MY BOY TODO GETS CLAPPED BY SUKUNA IM KILLING GEGE AND THEN MYSELF (jokes)

another day…another slay :(

[nighttimeebony]

Reactions to The Last Olympian. Spoilers under the cut. And warning: long-ass post ahead.

EDIT: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4

Yay, Rachel’s back! I like that Percy is able to have a mortal friend.

Paul is cool.

Look, I love Rachel, but why does there have to be a goddamn love triangle? Percy likes Annabeth, Annabeth likes Percy, you’ve already put the work into making me like them and we all know they’re going to be endgame, so why does there have to be so much fucking romantic drama? Can’t Percy and Rachel just be friends without the weird romantic tension? This whole plot is busy enough on its own without you trying to shove something else in at the last minute just because you’re bored, RICK.

Wow, Percy really doesn’t get to have any downtime, does he? My boy’s really on “save the world o’clock” time at all times.

Yay, Beckendorf! I love you!

OH MY GOD AND HE’S ACTUALLY DATING SILENA???!!!! Oh, that makes me so happy!! I love that my little background crackship is actually canon! And the fact that they were apparently Camp Half-Blood’s “yeah, we know” ship is hilarious and I love life right now.

Ooh, bombs.

Wait. No. No no no no no no no stop

FUCKING STOP, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!

WHY?!?!? WHY DID BECKENDORF HAVE TO DIE?!? RICK!!! WHY??!!! WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME

I can’t even be happy that Tyson is here, I’m already so fucking depressed and it’s your fault, Rick.

Oh, hey, Triton. Which, fun fact, since Triton is Ariel’s father in the Disney movie, this means that (in the Disney canon at least) Hercules and Ariel are canonically cousins. So, hypothetically speaking, Percy would be related to the Disney princess Ariel, which you can’t convince me he doesn’t brag and joke about all the time.

“[Poseidon] had told me that I would know when to ‘spend [the sand dollar],’ but so far I hadn’t figured out what he meant. All I knew was that it didn’t fit the vending machines in the school cafeteria.” I love that the implication behind this is that Percy actually tried. He took this mysterious magic sand dollar that the god of the sea gave him and told him to spend wisely and wait for the right time to use it, and one day while he was at school, this fucking mad lad child decided to just cram it in the vending machine just to see what would happen. Percy is amazing and if you don’t love him, you’re wrong.

“Annabeth ran in right behind him, and I’ll admit my heart did a little relay race in my chest when I saw her. It’s not that she tried to look good… Still, just seeing her made me feel fuzzy in the head.” Actually screaming.

Clarisse’s friendship with Silena makes me so fucking happy. Clarisse is softer than she wants people to know and I love that about her. She’s so gentle with the people she loves and I’m here for it.

“Chiron and Annabeth exchanged looks, like they knew something that I didn’t. I hated when they did that.” Understandable. It happens a lot.

Oh, I recognize the name Chrysaor. Such a random reference, I love it.

JUST ADMIT YOU LIKE EACH OTHER YOU FRUITCAKES

“We headed downstairs to join the others. I didn’t know it then, but it would be the last time I ever visited the attic.” You know, Percy says something along these lines in every one of the books leading up to this one, and you’d think that I would learn to stop freaking out every time we get one of these lines, but you’d be wrong. Still getting anticipatory nausea and anxiety.

"The mountain tore itself apart, collapsing inward, and an enormous form rose out of the smoke and lava like it was emerging from a manhole." Typhon?!?!?! Do we have to deal with Typhon now too?!

Well shit, I guess we have to deal with Typhon now. Yeah, okay, sure, I don’t mind or anything.

“As far as I could tell, Rachel’s only rule about music was that no two songs on her i-Pod could sound the same, and they all had to be strange.” Hey, Rachel and I have the same music library.

Wait, so Rachel’s getting future vision dreams now too? But she’s not a half-blood, right? I thought only demi-gods got prophetic dreams.

Where the hell is Nico? What has he been doing this whole time? Just chilling in hell with dead people? And what even is his plan and why is it bad?

I think Silena is my new favorite character. Eating chocolates she doesn’t even like to try and cheer herself up is so horribly sad and depressingly relatable.

Percabeth!

“I shuffled uneasily and pretended to go through some more reports. Technically, even on inspection, it was against the rules for two campers to be… like, alone in a cabin.” I see what you’re implying, Rick, and I’m laughing.

“And I know some of you might be thinking, Aren’t all demigods related on the godly side, and doesn’t that make dating gross? But the thing is, the godly side of your family doesn’t count, genetically speaking, since gods don’t have DNA. A demigod would never think about dating someone who had the same godly parent. Like two kids from Athena cabin? No way. But a daughter of Aphrodite and a son of Hephaestus? They’re not related. So it’s no problem.” This is exactly how I predicted half-blood dating works, and it absolutely did not need to be addressed, but I kind of love that it was. It’s probably only funny to me because I was talking to my friend about this exact topic during school, and I made a “god incest chart” on a whiteboard so I could figure out if Percabeth would be considered incest. We eventually decided no, but still. My other non-pjo fanatic friends definitely started to question my sanity after that.

OH MY GOD! Is something gonna happen?! Are they finally going to confess?! Please, God, just give me this!

FUCKING GODDAMMIT, RICK!!! YOU CAN’T KEEP BLUE-BALLING ME LIKE THIS OR I’M GONNA RIP YOUR HAIR OUT

Oh, yeah, where the hell is Grover?

Wow, Annabeth really going for the throat here.

Aww, giant hell puppy

Nico!

Aww, of course Nico is sweet with the hell puppy

“Leneus’s knees started knocking. ‘I… I won’t answer questions with this hellhound sniffing my tail!’ Nico looked like he was trying not to crack up. ‘I’ll walk the dog,’ he volunteered. He whistled, and Mrs. O’Leary bounded after him to the far end of the grove.” I love this child. This child is my spirit animal.

Aww, Nico likes Juniper. That’s kind of adorable.

“[Nico’s] cold creepy smile made me sorry I’d agreed.” Have I mentioned I love this child?

Okay, shadow travel is the coolest thing ever, and definitely one of the coolest powers you could give to a child of Hades.

Everything with Luke’s mom… Oh, that’s horrible. I can’t imagine having to come to the realization that your own parent isn’t entirely there, especially at so young.

Little girl… not a monster… and something to do with fire… Shit, I got nothing.

HESTIA! Goddammit… I should’ve known that one.

I like that Percy refers to both Paul and Sally as his parents.

I really like Paul. I love it when step-parents are portrayed in a positive light, ‘cause I’ve got a step-dad too, and he’s more of a dad to me and my brother than my biological father.

Percy telling Sally that his signal to let her know he’s alright will be blue just about broke me. Fuck.

Orpheus!

The black figure Grover saw—I know him. Hypnos, the god of dreams. He’s a twin brother to Thanatos, the god of death. I think in some versions, Hypnos is actually female, but most people seem to agree that Hypnos is a male deity.

MOTHERFUCKER! Okay, so not Hypnos. Morpheus. I guess that makes more sense. *one google search later* Okay, I was kind of right. Morpheus is the son of Hypnos, and while Hypnos is the personification of sleep, Morpheus is the god of dreams and also has the ability to put people to sleep like Hypnos. Close, but no cigar sadly.

Nico! Why would you trick Percy?? If you just told Percy that Hades wanted to talk to him, he probably would’ve agreed, you didn’t have to lie to him.

PERSEPHONE!!!!!! And Demeter!

Demeter being a massive bitch about Persephone choosing to marry Hades is so on-brand and perfect. And that line about marrying the god of lawyers or doctors—oh my God this book is amazing.

Can we have an entire book about Hades and Persephone, please? This entire scene with all three of them is golden.

Why does Hades suck? Why did you do this to me? I had faith in you, Rick.

WHY IS PERSEPHONE SO INDIFFERENT TO ALL OF THIS?!?!??!!

ACHILLES!!!!! Wait, isn’t Achilles supposed to be blond?

Is it a coincidence that one of Greece’s most famous gay icons now stands before Nico di Angelo?

ANNABETH IS PERCY’S LIFELINE!!!! HIS TETHER, THE THING THAT KEEPS HIM HUMAN!!!!!! ToT DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY GLASS I CAN EAT

Holy fucking shit…… River Styx magic doesn’t fuck around.

Percy going on a murder rampage and nearly stabbing the god of the underworld because they threatened his dog is honestly such a mood.

*GASP* Baby Annabeth!

“The god looked at Annabeth, who was doing her big-pleading-gray-eyes thing.” The fact that Annabeth leverages puppy-dog eyes is hilarious, and the fact that Percy is so familiar with it by now implies that she’s done it on him before and that it apparently works! Oh my God, I love these children.

Also, Athena being an overprotective mother who doesn’t approve of Percy is just… Have I mentioned I love this book?

“‘This is a huge spell,’ Silena Beauregard said. ‘The bigger the spell, the easier it is to resist. If you want to sleep millions of mortals, you’ve got to cast a very thin layer of magic. Sleeping demigods is much harder.’” Yeah, that makes sense. Since the spell is bigger and spread across a greater number of people, it’s less concentrated than it would be if you wanted to just knock out two or three people.

The Hermes Cabin is just an army of Weasleys. (PJO Harry Potter au where the Weasleys are all children of Hermes and Harry is a son of Zeus when?)

“‘I’ll go with Percy,’ [Annabeth] said. ‘Then we’ll join you, or we’ll go wherever we’re needed.’ Somebody in the back of the group said, ‘No detours, you two.’ There were some giggles, but I decided to let it pass.” Everyone knows Percy and Annabeth are completely obsessed with each other.

“The girl in the lead had spiky black hair and a black leather jacket. She wore a silver circlet on her head like a princess’s tiara, which didn’t match her skull earrings or her Death to Barbie T-shirt showing a little Barbie doll with an arrow through its head.” Have I mentioned that I love Thalia? Goth-punk icon for the generations.

This is so fucking epic. I love the fast-paced battle planning stuff.

Michael Yew has a brother named Austin. I have a brother named Austin.

Percabeth. There’s that light-hearted snarky banter I’ve been craving.

Oh, yeah, since Percy’s fighting the Minotaur right now, I figured I’d make a reminder here that I forgot to write down in my first reaction post to the Lightning Thief. In the original mythology, the Minotaur was killed by Theseus, who was also, coincidentally, a son of Poseidon, so Percy slaying the Minotaur is kind of like a mirror to the original myth, even though he’s named after Perseus. But also I thought this was a good time to remind everybody that the Minotaur’s mother Pasiphae had sex with the Cretan Bull, an actual animal. Which, fun fact, is because Poseidon arranged for Aphrodite to put a spell on Pasiphae to make her fall in love with the bull. Kind of awkward that the Minotaur is technically Poseidon’s fault, and now Percy is the one that has to deal with the consequences.

“Tied around the base of each blade were lots of bead necklaces. I realized they were Camp Half-Blood beads—necklaces taken from defeated demigods.” Holy shit, that is dark. We’re really going there, huh, Rick?

Percy is a first-class badass.

Having all the monsters disintegrate when they die is a pretty clever way to avoid having to show actual blood and gore.

ANNABETH!!!!!!!!!!

“‘Percy?’ Silena Beauregard sounded like she’d been crying. ‘Plaza Hotel. You’d better come quickly and bring a healer from Apollo’s cabin. It’s… it’s Annabeth.’” NO!!! NO NO NO NO NO NO DO NOT DO THIS TO ME!! I SWEAR TO FUCK IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ANNABETH I’M GOING TO SET MY HOUSE ON FIRE

“‘Get back!’ I slashed the air in a wide arc, driving the rest of the demigods away from Annabeth. ‘No one touches her!’” This. All of this.

Will Solace. I found the other gay one, but I can’t even be excited about that because ANNABETH IS PROBABLY GOING TO FUCKING DIE

Even when Annabeth has actual poison in her system, she cannot resist the opportunity to tease Percy for being worried about her. I’m deeply upset, but I still love them as a couple.

This entire scene is everything. Annabeth touching Percy’s weak spot—this is easily the most romantic thing I have ever read, and I read fanfiction for a hobby.

Okay, someone really needs to find this spy because they are wreaking shit and hard

I have no idea who the spy could even be. My first thought was Silena because of how prominent a character she is, but not only does that not make sense, but that would also be a fucking horrible idea. I don’t need to hurt anymore than I already do right now.

Wow. Holy shit, Nico’s life is a fucking tragedy. This child needs all the therapy after this. I’m not thrilled with this portrayal of Persephone, but it is what it is and it is fucking depressing.

What is going on with Rachel? She knows Greek now?? What is happening???

Oh, hey, Prometheus

*after learning about Luke's backstory* I can smell the redemption arc.

I feel I should mention that in the original myth, Pandora was the first woman and was created by Zeus specifically to make men's lives harder as punishment for Prometheus giving man fire, because Ancient Greece was sexist as all fuck.

HOLY SHIT!!! Percy is a first-class badass!!

Okay, so, Hyperion getting absorbed into a tree is prime nightmare fuel.

(Also, I was listening to We Will Rock You as I read this scene, which I feel is pretty apt.)

"'Yeah, baby!' a voice wailed. 'PARTY!'" Ah, I see the centaurs have joined the chat.

"The last part was because a panicked Hyperborean giant stumbled backward and sat on top of him. The lord of time disappeared under a giant blue butt." Only in Percy Jackson can you expect to read a sentence like this.

I love Dionysus being weirdly invested in Pac-Man of all things. That entire conversation between him and Percy in the bar was absolutely hysterical. Percy is such a snarky little shit and I love any interaction between him and Dionysus. It’s like watching two smart-asses trying to out-roast the other.

Sally and Paul!

Oh, no. Oh, this fucking hurts.

That fucking jar! Goddammit!

Rachel!

Annabeth, stop acting like Rachel isn’t already your friend now too. We established that last book, remember? You guys are nerd friends now.

YAS, ANNABETH! Girl held onto the outside of a crashing helicopter, and after pulling herself in, somehow managed to make sense of the controls and not only stopped the helicopter from crashing into a building, but also pulled it out of the fall to turn in a circle and hover before landing it on a New York highway with other people nearby without hitting anything or hurting anyone else. And she did all of this while the helicopter was literally seconds from crashing. Also also, technically only hours after she was stabbed in the shoulder with a knife coated in poison. *slow clap* BAMF Annabeth Chase, everyone.

“Rachel plopped down on the curb and put her head in her hands. ‘I’m sorry, Percy. I didn’t mean to… I always mess things up.’ It was kind of hard to argue with her, though I was glad she was safe.” Jesus Christ, Percy. Annabeth’s abandonment issues and poor socialization skills are not Rachel’s fault. But I guess she did just fly headfirst into a literal warzone, so I guess Annabeth’s reaction is a bit more understandable.

“I looked in the direction Annabeth had gone, but she’d disappeared into the crowd. I couldn’t believe what she’d just done—saved Rachel’s life, landed a helicopter, and walked away like it was no big deal.” Yup. You picked a good one, Percy.

"'Everybody keeps telling me to sleep,' I grumbled. 'I don't need sleep.' Chiron managed a smile. 'Have you looked at yourself recently, Percy?'" Yeah, for real, when's the last time any of these kids slept?

"You can't just abandon your family because they did something horrible." Um. Yes. Yes, you absolutely can. The abuse victim says you can. (It's me, I'm the abuse victims, and I give you full permission to tell your family to go fuck themselves if they've ever done anything horrible to you.)

I get what the message is intended to be, and what Nico's trying to say: wanting revenge is a valid feeling to have, but holding grudges and holding onto that pain and fury will not actually make you feel any better. And by refusing to help the Olympians in the fight against Kronos, not only is Hades ultimately destroying himself, but he's also inadvertently aiding in the destruction of everyone else. Zeus is really the only one that deserves Hades's revenge, but at this point Hades isn't just hurting Zeus, he's hurting everyone, and when you cross the line of hurting innocent people in your quest to hurt the one that's actually guilty, your desire and quest for revenge is no longer justified. And if you've reached the point of hurting innocent people for no other reason than to make yourself feel better, then you really are no better than the person who hurt you in the first place. But none of this has anything to do with the so-called sanctity of "family".

We really need to find this fucking spy. They're running everything.

CLARISSE!!!!! YAY CLARISSE IS BACK!!!!!!

"Through her war helmet, I could only see her eyes—but I could tell something was wrong. Her blue eyes shone with fear. Clarisse never looked like that. And she didn't have blue eyes." Wait, what? What's going on????

"I looked down at the dying face of Silena Beauregard." WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!!????!!! WHY?!!??!!!??? WHY DID SILENA HAVE TO DIE?!??!! HAS SHE NOT BEEN THROUGH ENOUGH ALREADY?!??!!!

"Silena opened her hand. In her palm was a silver bracelet with a scythe charm, the mark of Kronos." WHAT

This entire chapter is literally nothing but pain.

"Standing at the foot of Zeus's throne, looking up at the stars, was Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She was holding a Greek ceramic vase." Oh no.

"[Rachel] focused on me as if she were coming out of a dream. 'I found it. It's Pandora's jar, isn't it?'" OH NO

"Her eyes were brighter than usual, and I had a bad flashback of moldy sandwiches and burned cookies." OH FUCK

"I picked up Pandora's jar. The spirit of Hope fluttered inside, trying to warm the cold container. 'Hestia,' I said, 'I give this to you as an offering.' The goddess tilted her head. 'I am the least of the gods. Why would you trust me with this?' 'You're the last Olympian,' I said." Title drop! It's all coming together!

This is the hypest thing I have read in years.

Chiron! Please don't die, I am literally begging you.

NICO'S BACK!

Everyone here is a fucking badass

Paul just stabbed a monster with a sword, and Sally fucking shot another one! In stories like these with divine powers and weapons that begin and end with stabbing, you are not expecting someone to just pull out a fucking gun and shoot the thing. I love this book.

"'Thalia!' Grover cried. When the dust cleared and the mountain stopped rocking, we found her still alive, but her legs were pinned under the statue." Holy fucking shit!

"Annabeth wipes her tears away. 'There was a time I thought… well, I thought…' She looked at me, like she was drinking in the fact that I was still here. And I realized I was doing the same thing. The world was collapsing, and the only thing that really mattered to me was that she was alive." Love. Just love. It's beautiful and heartbreaking and I love these kids so much and I'm so glad they found each other.

"I turned and faced the Olympians. 'We need a shroud,' I announced, my voice cracking. 'A shroud for the son of Hermes.'" I mean…… What can I even say?

Percy's wish is everything.

OKAY, WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING TO RACHEL?!??! Someone really needs to do something about this!

I love that Percy refers to Blackjack as his pegasus.

RAINBOW! <3

Oh! She has the gift of prophecy! Now that makes sense!

Wait. OH, FUCK!!

Okay, I'm glad Rachel is okay, but these fucking prophecies, man! We literally just got done with the Great Prophecy, but now there's another one we have to deal with?! Don't get me wrong, I'm still gonna read it and I'll probably love it, but still!

The moment when Percy and Annabeth finally get together is everything I ever hoped for, and it completely justifies every goddamn fake-out leading up to this point. I'm just so happy right now

That ending, man..... This book series is amazing. I'm so glad I was able to fall in love with it without knowing any significant spoilers. I cannot wait to read The Heroes of Olympus. Maybe I'll do a reaction series for that too.

[wolfboy88]

Teen Wolf Movie Review

I will admit when I first heard that there was going to be a movie, I was pretty damn well ecstatic as I think most of us were. I was excited to revisit these characters and see what they had been up to. But as the months went on and announcements were made about the upcoming movie, my excitement began to dwindle in the lead up to it’s release.

 I’ve gone into this viewing already knowing the plot and having seen the spoilers on my social media feeds and by reading the reviews. So, without further ado, I will now begin my own review.

 FYI Spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned.

 Okay, I’m gonna bite the bullet and just say it – the movie actually wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be, but I didn’t exactly love it either. I think the problem lies in the title because it’s misleading in that it actually doesn’t feel like a movie, instead it feels like a 3-part episode crammed together, overstuffed with content and easter eggs, and oddly paced at times with a rushed ending.

 It feels like a soft reboot as well as a sequel to Season 3 and Season 3 only. Anything that happened from Season 4 onwards feels irrelevant and unconnected and at times it seems like Jeff doesn’t even remember his own character’s or what happened to them unless it’s Scott or Allison. By making Scallison endgame again it has simply undone seasons worth of character development just for the sake of bringing Scott and Allison back together. And for what? I don’t really know. The show evolved over the years and changed into something I quite enjoyed but Jeff seems stuck in the past, just like the movie is at times.

 The first hour takes great care to set up everything and to assemble the characters. I personally really enjoyed the first hour and I think it would have made much more sense for it not to be a movie but either a miniseries or a limited series. It would have been a stellar first episode. There just wasn’t enough time to properly deal with everything, to give anything enough room to breathe or to give the emotional beats time to hit their mark and to be fully felt let alone give any of the characters beside Scott, Allison, Eli, and Derek any resolution or closure.

 The build up to the final big fight scene should have been epic but it fell short and flat and rushed with most of the characters either tied up (literally, I’m not joking, there supposed to be werewolves for christ sake) or standing around doing nothing. The plot was simply downright bonkers. Yes, it was mad crazy but at times hella enjoyable but isn’t that the charm of Teen Wolf.  

 Alright I’m gonna heavily divulge into the plot now. So Spoilers… and I’m gonna do by best to summarise this as best I can but like I said, it’s mad bonkers.  

 Mr Harris, the long forgotten about teacher who died at the hands of Jennifer Blake in 3A is actually behind everything. For what you ask? To get his revenge on Scott and his friends. I was scratching my head at this because no explanation or context is given. It’s just accepted. Like didn’t he have his head cut off or something? There were scars around his neck like it had been stitched back on, but nothing is explained about his apparent resurrection.

 So basically Mr Harris flies to Japan to steal the jar that is housing the Nogitsune that is at a ramen shop that Liam and Hikari own and releases the Nogitsune who brings Allison back to life and uses the Oni to kidnap everybody and hold them hostage in a magical spirit realm located underneath the college lacrosse stadium.

 The Nogitsune plan is basically to have Allison shoot Scott in the heart and have him die in her arms and make everyone watch and so he can capture their sadness to become even more powerful. Scott pretends to die but Hikari temporarily gives him her armour to protect him.

 Nogitsune then turns into a werewolf-nogitsune-hybrid-monster-thing (?!?) and the impending big battle falls flat. Basically, everyone stands around doing nothing as Derek, Eli and Scott fight hybrid monster in another magical realm before breaking through to end up atop of the Nemeton that is now on the lacrosse field (?!?) It is then decided that Parrish will hug the monster and burn it to death using his hellfire but it turns out the monster won’t stay still long enough for him to it so Derek basically offers himself up to be fried to death, and dies in front of his son and the trauma cycle for the Hale’s continues.

 Derek’s death doesn’t sit right with me. For one, I don’t believe Derek nor the Nogitsune are actually dead. It feels too easy like it will be the next plot to another film. But did Jeff really go I’m gonna burn Derek to death like his own family did in the house fire? Like come on, it just feels icky and wrong and if Derek had to die, I personally believe it would have had a bigger emotional impact if Derek had died earlier when Allison shot him in the neck at the high school around the 1-hour mark. That would have upped the stakes and made everything seem more direr as well as being an incredible emotional pull. It would have given the story more depth than simply being about Scott and Allison.

 This might also be a controversial opinion, but I personally believe Peter should have been the one to die. It would have been a real full circle moment for the series as a whole and for his character development. Going from being the original big bad villain to sacrificing himself for a pack who he tried to kill many times and ended up helping in the end. The emotional pull would have hit harder as we already know and care about Malia unlike Eli who we barely even know.

 In saying that, Eli was good addition but it’s hard to ignore that he is essentially a cardboard copy of Stiles, right down to his mannerisms. Except for being a wolf.  

 I don’t even know what the point of Liam and Mason being in the movie was. They were barely in it and had a combined screen time of like ten minutes and had no scenes together except for one and even that was a stretch. So, Jeff wants us to believe that these two didn’t stay best friends? It’s really hard to fathom. And I think that’s what irks me the most. My two favourite characters being basically shafted. They served no real purpose to the story other than just being there.

 Other new addition Hikari was lovely, but we didn’t get much time to appreciate her or know anything about her except only that she is a kitsune and it becomes painfully obvious why Kira was relevant to the story. The lending of her armour was a pretty cool lore development but it feels like it was meant to be an arc for Kira’s story.

 I would also like to point out that if it hadn’t been mentioned beforehand in interviews, I would have not known that Liam and Hikari were together and at best they felt like platonic besties like Mason and Liam should have been. Also, Hikari’s age is never mentioned but she would have to be older than 17 to own a restaurant.  

 Stiles’ absence had been well-warned about and while it was felt at times, Scott and Lydia’s friendship was enough to ground the movie. Arguably I think Posey and Roden turned out their best work in this. Poesy is fabulous as a leading man and Roden’s always been a powerhouse in literally any her scenes, and I have to say Lydia and Scott’s reunion scene was just the right side of poignant and palpable.

 The chemistry between the rest of the cast is pretty much intact too and at times it felt like coming home or being wrapped in a nice cosy blanket and there’s some wicked enjoyment at being able to see Teen Wolf characters finally getting to swear on screen, even if it felt unwarranted at times.

 At times it was corny as fuck and mad bonkers but hey, that was part of Teen Wolf’s allure and charm. The humour of the series is still there but not quite as strong as it could have been. Shelley’s deadpan delivery of Malia’s lines had been chucking at my screen and Jackson and Peter were just there as comedic relief. The scene where Peter literally crawls around the rock face sniffing the ground was just hands down too funny and plain weird.

 Malia and Parrish’s relationship didn’t gel with me, and the nude scene wasn’t really needed. Although it was nice to see their hot bods. I also liked the brotherly sisterly thing going on with Malia and Eli. And also the hint at Malia and Derek’s niece-uncle relationship.

 Like most of the movie, nothing is mentioned or explained about what happened after the show ended and we’re left wondering about what happened to all the relationships that were in place when the credits rolled around for the last episode. I think that’s my biggest gripe is that we have no real answers to what happened after the end of show. There’s no mention of the war or what happened to Monroe. Was she caught? Is she dead? Does everyone know that supernatural creatures exists? Like was a 15-year time jump really necessary? I think 5 years would have done just fine. It’s sad that the pack didn’t stay together because I really don’t believe that would have happened. Yes, some of them were going off to college and whatnot, but it still made sense for them to return or at least stay in contact.

 Apparently, the only couple still together is Ethan and Jackson, of all people. Apparently Lydia and Stiles broke up because Lydia kept having a recurring dream or premonition if you will, of them having a car accident and Stiles dying. I don’t how to feel about that. But I guess that’s why the Jeep was left in Beacon Hills.

 There is literally no mention of Corey or Theo or anyone else. Scott and Malia’s relationship is reduced to nothing but an awkward reunion and then simply brushed aside, just like about everything else that’s happened in the series after the events of 3B. And I find it weird that Hayden didn’t return. If Scott needed his pack you would think he’d knew all of his bitten betas.

 The nods and easter eggs back to the show were a delight and purely fan service and I lapped them all up. It was also nice to see Victoria Argent back in two brief cameos when Allison is talking to the Nogitsune and he turns into her mother. The flashbacks were great too.

 I loved that Liam had the opening scene and that Scott trusted him to keep the jar safe. It does back sense to have the jar far away as possible from Beacon Hills, but it is disappointing that he barely interacted with anyone else. Not Mason. Not Scott. Again, what happened to the alpha and beta bond that is supposed to be stronger than a parental? But did like Liam coming in for the save on Derek.

 Same with Mason, his scenes were basically with Parrish and the Sherriff, and I don’t buy Mason being a cop. Jeff dropped the ball with them, and it clearly shows. Painfully so.

 All in all, it wasn’t the return to Beacon Hills that I’d hoped for. It was entertaining and had flashes to its heyday but ultimately it was disappointing too. It feels like Jeff wrote a love letter for only half the show and failed to move pass that era of the show and at times reads like a canon divergence fan fic.  

 Would I watch Teen Wolf Movie again? Probably, but just for shits and giggles and the warm hug. And just to see Liam with his beard. But really, I’d rather rewatch the series again.  

 I’m gonna head back to my Thiam corner of the fandom now and believe that Liam ran off with Theo to Japan to be together away from the pack. Striked up a beautiful friendship with Hikari and Theo was unable to return to Beacon Hills to help because he was off galivanting with Isaac in Paris 😊

 And for those who did watch the film, I’d love to hear your thoughts and take too.

[bisexualfemalemess]

*HSMTMTS SEASON 4 SPOILERS*

Gonna make seperate posts for episode 7 and eight because they’re so long and i would write like a whole book about them. So let’s get started with episode 7

WHAT IS HAPPENING? PRESS CONFERENCE?? GINA IS GOING TO NEW ZEALAND? With mack?! FUCK THIS! Not terri waiting on ricky as he’s climbing through gina’s window 😭😭😭 Fuck off with your mack bullshit. “I don’t personally have anything against you.” Bitch why you tryna start a beef then? EAT HER UP RICKY “are you planning on showing up for her tonight?” PROTECTIVE BOYFRIEND EXCELLENCE. AWUSUSUSU TELL HER YOU LOVE HER FIRST ITS WHAT SHE WANTS YOU MIND READER! Not miss jenn and gina talking about ricky not saying i love you yet. THAT PURPLE DRESS IS FUCKING GORGEOUS!! OMG. WOAH BENJAMIN AS COACH BOLTON LMAO. Not her casually checking if he’s dating anyone. Aww Ricky continuing nini’s tradition for her, they’re definitely better as friends. Aww, ej coming to see his friends. Aww, big red too. Ej supporting ash and maddox we stan. Aww, so glad seb and carlos are back together. Aww, he got ‘em a round-trip. Dani is playing tiara gold, fits. Did i mention that i love the relationship between Kourtney and her mom? Because i do. Hahaha not jet asking if kourtney’s mom remembered her, he’s so awkward with her, he’s as whipped as ricky. OOH, THEY BOTH WANNA TELL EACH OTHER THEIR THINGS. Madddox, coming in and interrupting and turning off the lights. The awkward laugh after ashlyn’s joke, they’re in love. Aww, rina meeting up in the dressing room at intermission so he can tell her he loves her and she can mention she’s leaving :( Also, the amount of kisses this season between them. INSANE. RINI COULD NEVER. Not mack :| naww, ricky holding her flowers. NOT HIM MOCKING MACK, HE’S A MENACE. Aww, Ricky telling miss Jenn he loves her, he’s on a trip rn. WAIT, MISS JENN GOT WICKED?! WAIT, MIKE AND LYNN ARE BACK TOGETHER???!!! Gina loves touching ricky’s face, just something i noticed throughout the season and rn during now or never. DEWEY WOOD?! He’s a madlyn shipper, as he should. Dani back away from ricky, please. He’s not having it 😭 RINA TROYELLA, THEY’RE SERVING! Terri actually showed up, wow. My babies. Aww, gina’s thinking about real life while playing gabriella. Give rina a happy end, pls tim. Aww, glad portwell got some closure even if she took away the one thing they have ashsjsusuusdshdududusu. She doesn’t want to ruin his night, aww. Rina supremacy. I love maddie and jet. Aww, jet’s such a cutie. “It feels like the stage should be afraid of you.”Bf. I want it all kinda served. ANTOINE?!!! NOT THE MIDDLE FINGER TO BIG RED SUSUSUSYSH THIS SEASOJ IS SO GOOD AND CHAOTIC. Not maddie practicing her confession to ash and then seeing her pretend she’s still with red. AWW RICKY PRACTICING HOW TO TELL GINA HE LOVES HER TO HIS PARENTS IM ON THE FLOOR. YES, WRITE HER A SONG. AHH NIGHT TO REMEMBER SISISUSUDUSU. WHY IS TERRI JUST WALKING IN AND OUT JUST STAY FOR YOUR DAUGHTER LIKE?! NOT SEB KISSING CARLOS IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE CROWD AND COMING OUT TO HIS DAD. Anyways, endgame. Aww, another rina kiss and her touching his face again, my children. Wait, who’s gonna go play coach bolton now that mazzara can’t? NOT GINA HAVING TO GO MEET QUINN WHILE RICKY IS GOING TO THE DRESSING ROOM TO TEL HER HE LOVES HER. Terri looks so happy telling him gina’s leaving??? AND THEN ADDING WITH MACK “i really am sorry, ricky.” Girl, no, you’re not. OMG THE WAY RICKY WHISPERED I LOVE TOU INTO THE EMPTY ROOM, I’M CRYING

[threewaysdivided]

I just wanted to say: I love your art and especially your banner rn by talos! also your fic as well thank you for creating everything that you do for people, it’s awesome!

Second: what’s something that you’ve been chewing on lately, story wise? What character conflict, or plot point can you tell me about (that doesn’t spoil too much of course)? I wanna hear your thoughts about the characters you write and your head-cannons on them too! Just spit some word vomit at me!

Thank you! 

My current banner art is actually a crop of the first paired piece I ever did to go with my Deathly Weapons fic.  (Specifically Chapter 11, which I still have a soft spot for since it’s one of earliest chapters that really let me lean into scratching the thing-I-haven’t-seen-too-often-in-fanfic itch.) 

I recently got my hands on a discounted Wacom (my digital art process got tanked a few years ago when my poor art-compatible hybrid tablet-laptop was tragically taken from us by a cracked motherboard) so I’m looking forward to getting into a faster art workflow again and maybe putting some new pieces out more easily.  I’d like to do more comic art pieces for the Chapter 18 mission, and there’s a silly little concept drawing for the planned Mission 5 that might be new-blog-banner material if it turns out nicely.  We’ll have to see how that goes.

As for what I’ve been chewing on story-wise lately… I’ve sort of been all over the place.  I’m still on burnout recovery so I’ve been letting myself move non-sequentially, working on the bits my brain feels like focussing on rather than trying to force creativity where the juice isn’t flowing.   (One of the things about being my type of writing-nerd is that “self-indulgent” for me means a story with plenty of material to analyse, which is very fun as a reader but has created a lot of work for myself as the writer.  As mentioned in another post, I have a full-blown TV-show-style story-bible for this one.)

Recently, my authorial ping-pong-ing has been going into a fair bit of spoiler territory.  There are some chunks of the Act III endgame plan which are underdeveloped in the specifics of what the big-boss bad-guys’ plan is, whether I want to involve the Anti-Ecto Acts more, and the logistics of both the counter-strategy our heroes are planning to use and how to make its more action-heavy parts look cool in writing.  When I’m not doing that I’ve been focussing a lot on the upcoming Wally-centric chapters, which are a set I’ve been wanting to keep schtum about since there’s a small potential spoiler mixed in and I don’t want to risk giving the game up or pre-setting people’s expectations before they have a chance to blind read (even if a few people have already made some close guesses in the comments).  It puts me in a bit of an odd-spot right now because the chapters I’m drafting are an immediate spoiler, the later sections I’m working on are a major spoiler and there’s a good chance that a lot of the character stuff going on in the middle won’t make a whole lot of coherent sense without prior context because of how I like to layer foreshadowing/development.

That said, Wally-centric chapters mean Wally thoughts, and of those I have plenty to share:

First of all, I want to establish that I really do like Wally as a character.  The DW chapter set comprising Flashpoints through to Equilibrium is going to explore and develop some of his flaws and insecurities, which means he isn’t going to be looking his best, but it’s not meant to be a Ron The Death Eater situation.  He’s just a complex person, and taking him warts and all means sometimes you have to get up close and personal on the warts.

Something that I’m maybe a bit over-conscious of when reviewing my DW story notes is worrying about letting Wally slide into just being punching-bag joke-fodder.  Wally is quippy, irreverent, a little tactless and prone to being a bit of an impulsive goober who sometimes gets possessed by teenage boner-brain, which makes him easy to fall back on as a default source of incidental levity (whether cracking the joke or being the punchline).  Because I’m now writing an 8-character ensemble where most non-focal characters only get a few lines per conversation, it’s easy for characters to slide into being defined by their strongest surface level trait(s)… and something I worry about with Wally is that his availability as a source of jokes runs the risk of Flanderisation into a disposable Scrappy/ Flirty Comic Relief, which isn’t his character.  Wally is actually really important – not just for his scientific book-smarts but for his perceptiveness, earnestness and ability to function as one of the emotional barometers for the squad – so I always have it in the back of my mind to make sure I include enough moments that actually demonstrate those qualities and the other characters’ appreciation of them/ their friendship, so that it counterbalances the more light-hearted goofery.

I think he’s walking the same tightrope as Sokka from Avatar: the Last Airbender – yes, he tends to take the L more often than the others for comedy purposes and sometimes he gets stuck with supremely dumb side-plots for the sake of tonal balance, but to claim that it’s the entirety of his characterisation really misses the point by a wide mile.

On that note, I actually really like the decision YJ!Animated decided to go with in its first and only season (ahem) in giving Wally a normal and functional family background.  I know that’s not the typical background for his comics counterparts (and no shade on other fan-writers who want to write AUs exploring the abuse dynamic, those are really interesting stories) but I think it was a smart deviation for the purposes of a large ensemble, and offered a fair bit of potential for cast-balance.  It lets him serve an important role as the normal one – not only as an easy window into what the current lives of ordinary middle-class civilians look like (which is good because ordinary people are who our heroes are donning the masks to protect) but also as a touch-stone for the others, most of whom either come from different cultures or from very atypical backgrounds.  Even if we discount the Impure Atlantean with military training, the ostracised White Martian and the Half-Alien clone-weapon, the other members of this line-up are an orphaned circus acrobat adopted by a billionaire, a girl from a dangerously dysfunctional criminal household where she was forced to fight her sibling, and a fledgling sorceress raised by an overprotective single Dad.  The others might intellectually understand what a “normal” childhood and family look like but they don’t necessarily know it as intuitively and intimately as Wally does.  That normality gives Wally the potential to be a more stable foundation for the others, a source of emotional contrast and of a necessary wholesome mundanity.  That is a good thing for the Team to have.  I think it also speaks volumes to the heart of his character.  For this Wally, the Flash and heroism weren’t an escape from a bad personal situation.  His life was actually pretty comfy and privileged - he didn’t experience a brutal wakeup to the injustices of the world or some other personal call to action.  This is a Wally who opted into the game because he loves the players and sincerely believes in their values and mission.  And while that might mean he has a more romanticised idea of what heroism entails – and will probably face some rough shocks down the line as that rosy vision runs into those more brutal realities – it also means he brings a sincere hopefulness to the job that is less hardened than a lot of his roughed-up, pre-jaded peers.  Underneath the teen sarcasm and surface-level lancer/smart-guy traits, this Wally has as much power to be a stealth-Heart as any of his Flash!counterparts.

Something else I find interesting when using Wally is how a lot of his strengths and flaws feed into each other – and I think this alternate backstory is part of it.  For all of his good heart Wally can come off as insensitive, and I think some of that could be read as a product of living a more charmed life.  I think he’s susceptible to a thing that a lot of real people do – universalising their own personal experience as the default – and that while he is canonically a geek and somewhat genre-savvy about hero cliches, he’s a geek about in-universe media so he probably doesn’t think to apply those tropes to “real people” like himself or his colleagues.  While this Wally is a skeptic, he’s not a cynic, and I think he might forget how much of an outlier he is in a world where things like living parents and loving parents are often mutually exclusive.  He’s smart enough to connect dots but there’s a little blind-spot where he simply might not think to until one of the others jabs an elbow into his ribs, because his default view on humanity is in some ways a little kinder than typical due to that small but still significant amount of privilege.

At the same time, Wally is also someone who has probably run into (or watched his mentor run into) a lamp-post at high-speed at least once in his career.  He contains multitudes and among those multitudes is an endless capacity for some absolute Looney-Tunes nonsense, which the world is 100% better off for having.

I love him, your honour.

[tamlinrose]

Good Omen 2 Spoilers

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Needless to say I’m devastated, obviously. The season was amazing, the writing, the acting, everything, and I was SO sure it was going to end with a drunken breakfast at the Ritz like Crowley. I was SO SURE they were going to kiss and happy music would swell and it was going to be all fine and dandy.

And of course I’m heartbroken for how It turned out, of COURSE I’m devastated that Aziraphale fundamentally missed the point that Crowley doesn’t want to be an Angel again, he doesn’t want to be a demon, he wants to be AZIRAPHALE’S.

Of course I’m so fucking sad that Crowley finally was vulnerable, and it came at just the wrong moment, the wrong time, the wrong wording to convince Aziraphale heaven can’t be fixed, because the thing is, Aziraphale is still brainwashed by the idea of Good. He is SO used to heaven being unkind that the second they throw him a bone he jumps, thinks “this is a chance for things to be different!” And is completely blinded by his own need to feel like a part of something bigger that he can’t see the truth, that they are manipulative and always will be, that if he didn’t have respect before he certainly won’t now, and most importantly That CROWLEY has never treated him like that, not once.

On the other hand, for all the people who are devastated and saying that they won’t rewatch, that they’re burning the bridge of their interest in good omens, that this is queerbait, it’s NOT. That’s your prerogative to stop watching of course, but the point is this is an UNFINISHED TALE. 6 episodes couldn’t cover the story, the overarching story, and this season didn’t have what would have been essential to Crowley and Aziraphale truly ending up together.

Crowley said it himself, Aziraphale WASNT THERE when they told him to shut up and die. He doesn’t believe heaven is as bad as it is because he hasn’t witnessed the true coldness up there in so long, and he’s NORMALIZED to the neglect and abuse he faces up there in a way many abused people are. He thinks that one bone is enough, that he can fix them, and he always would have felt that, which is why He NEEDS a personal arc where he realizes this on his own and stands up for himself AGAINST HEAVEN. THIS is his opportunity to do that. THAT is why the writers made him go back, he needs to know for himself before he can accept it.

THATS why Neil Gaiman is saying on his blog that he needs a season 3 to complete the arc. The writing timing of this falling out is intentional to keep the show alive to get to that point. If this tragic moment was left for Season 3 Ep 1 and they dined at the ritz like normal for Season 2 finale, there wouldn’t be any development we need for Aziraphale, and more importantly, if would feel like there was no need for a season 3. This tension is the writing worlds way of PRESERVING this show, and it’s frustrating yes, but that’s how things get renewed, that’s how Aziraphale gets the arc he needs, that’s how we get happy endgame Aziracrow, that’s how you rev up anticipation for the Second Coming, THATS how you write a story.

Also, it’s not queerbait. It never has been. They’ve always been in love, not even TALKING about the kiss here but about their complete trust in each other, their inside jokes, the DANCE SCENE, Crowley comforting Aziraphale after he lied to heaven. The symbolism between them and Maggie and Nina. (Nina also being in an abusive relationship like Aziraphale with heaven and needing TIME TO PROCESS before getting with Maggie, who will wait for her is totally mirroring the arc Aziraphale needs to have btw. Abused people don’t often just fall into healthy new relationships while still being entangled in their old ones mentally). My point is that if your argument for hating the ending is this was pulling the rug out from under queer fan base, think about all the creators who shoe in a gay relationship, kiss at the last second on the shows last episode, think about all the shows where subtext had to be enough, or where showrunners weren’t brave or allowed enough to make a relationship canon until the last second. This is the MIDDLE of the show (if everything goes well with Amazon which is out of Neil’s control). This has been explicit from the creators mouth and frankly the show itself for ages, even without a kiss. This is not queerbait, and sometimes relationships need space to be able to come back together in a truly fulfilled way, even queer ones.

Anyway that’s my rant, I have more, per usual, but this post is already long