#MANIFESTING SO HARD THAT THEY APPEAR IN SEASON 2

[satirn]

manifesting a timmy appearence in season 2 so so hard

[callinskiiscalling88]

How'd each twst character get their name

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Chapter 8 of Heartybul Manga Riddle: His dad was like "Answer my Riddle 3 to get the answer you seek" when asked what to put on his birth certificate. It didn't fit so the doctor just put Riddle. Ace: Parents lost a bet with a friend (Headcanon that all the Trappolas are gamblers) Deuce: When asked for his name his dad misheard the doctor and said "Deuces" thinking the doctor said bye (His dad is a tad stupid) Cater: His mom really likes caterpillars, but his dad wouldn't let her name him caterpillar Trey: Named after his grandfather

Chapter 3 of Savanaclaw Manga (Can you tell I had to stretch it?) Leona: His parents just liked the name (After looking up what Leona means I actually really like the name for him) Ruggie: His parents wanted to manifest a wealthy future for him (Ruggie means wealth among other things) Jack: His full name is Jackie but everyone uses Jack for short

Azul's Dorm Uniform Groovy Azul: His mom really likes the color blue Floyd: When his clutter was born, he was actually named something else, but his parents mixed him up with one of his brothers when he hatched.

Jade: So fun fact eels can change their genitalia, typically male to female for mating season. It's called sequential hermaphroditism! Physical appearance can also change, which is called sexual dimorphism. I like to think she was female but changed so she could get into Night Raven. Gender is a bigger thing on the surface than under the sea, so she really doesn't care about what pronouns are used for her or what she's defined as.

Kalim's Tsumsitter Groovy Kalim: His parents wanted a regal name for him. (But I find it ironic that his name means 'The lecturer')

Jamil: His mom just really liked the name. (And oh boy it fits~)

Vil's Birthday Jacket Groovy Vil: I saw this name meaning Protector, but one source said it meant hard work and beauty. His parents were looking at Google for names together, found Ville with the first result and chose it and removed the le. Rook: His mother went into labor during hunting a Rook (it's a type of bird) Epel: His dad thought it'd be funny to name him Apple. His mom didn't want to. However, they believe that the dad should chose a boy's name, so she went with it. He accidentally pronounced it wrong when the doctor asked for the name, and it stuck. His mom grew attached to the name overtime.

From the Lesson Chats. (This is literally the only official picture I could find with both of them together.) Idia: His mom was very insistent on it; his dad didn't have a strong opinion on it. Ortho: It's a molecule at the 1st and 2nd end of a group of atoms. Mama Shroud really wanted to name her kids something science-y when she was younger. She didn't remember that dream until Ortho came along tho, so she chose to use the name for him.

From Toboso's Twitter when Maleficent 2 premiered. (Translation) Malleus: Mal is an important staple for Draconia first names. Maleanor thought long and hard about the name and once Malleus popped up in her head she loved it. Silver: Well, his is canon... But if you don't know, Lilia chose it because of his hair color. However~, When Silver was younger Lilia wanted to give him the middle name Levan but forgot he did. Sebek: His mom wanted to give him a fierce name, so she chose to name him after the Crocodile God. (Sobek) Lilia: Like under the sea, I like to think gender isn't big in Briar Valley either. Lilia might be a feminine name, but it didn't really matter to whoever named him. !BONUS! Sam: Has the same name as his great great great grandfather.(The one Lilia knew) It's a passed down name. !BONUS! Crewel: Not his origin although~... He almost didn't get hired but then Crowley noticed they have similar first names. (Divus and Dire)

SO HERE WE ARE AT THE END!! WOWZAS!! THIS TOOK LIKE 2 HOURS?!??! HUH??! I blame the fact I was also assigning baby dolls to twst characters while typing this. Plus Epic songs... Those are SOSOSOSOOS good. Underworld Sagas coming the 26!!

But anyways thanks for reading Requests are open!! Comments appreciated Have a wonderhoytastic day!

[rapha-reads]

IWTV rewatch

(spoilers for the whole show and the books)

Season 2 episode 1 [What Can the Damned Really Say to the Damned] - part 2/4

- *solemn music*, thanks subtitles, and Louis' breathing getting all ragged. Aaaaaaah, DREAMSTAT MY BELOVED.

[Dreamstat] "Bonjour, mon amour", sorry, laughing again, but this time because of the bloopers and Jacob going "don't smile at me like that". I can't watch this scene normally any longer.

- [Dreamstat] "Is it the same question?"

[Louis] "Go away."

[Dreamstat] "Or do you miss me? I miss you. Despite our recent unpleasantness... Still missing each other."

[Louis] "Claudia!"

[Dreamstat] "Hm. Four years of grim wayfaring and still no sight of the benevolent vampire. So, how does denial manifest itself tonight? Sniffing German brandy?"

Oof, Louis automatically and immediately turning to Claudia when his consciousness-as-Lestat appears, Claudia still playing the part of the bandaid for a shitty relationship, except this time the shitty relationship is between Louis and his own mind. Claudia deserves betteeeeeer.

And the way Louis is so cruel with himself... Hallucinating your presumed dead-by-your-own-hands husband to not only punish yourself for your (and your daughter....) shortcomings but also say outloud the things you cannot, will not say outloud is a new kind of self-flagellation, methinks.

Also, timestamp! Four years since they arrived in Europe. So somewhere between 1944 and 1945, right before the end of the war. I think we'll get more precise time indicators later.

- [Louis] "You're not here, I'm just fucked in the head."

[Dreamstat] "Quite fucked. Was she worth it?"

[Louis] "Yes."

[Dreamstat] "You say it like you believe it."

[Louis] "I do, I do."

[Dreamstat] "I do, I do. I do."

[Louis] "Stop!"

Oooooooooooooh. Can't lie to yourself, Louis. Especially if you're literally manifesting your consciousness outside of you. Hard to get your mind to shut up and carry on the pretense when it's prancing around you.

Ha, I keep imagining what Claudia must be thinking hearing Louis arguing with himself like that. Poor dear must have really been fed up with her companion.

The way Louis shuts his own mind by imagining Lestat choking on his open throat is... Violent. Wait, what ? Did. Did Louis just imagine a bat flying out of Dreamstat's open throat? What???? Lou baby, um, are you alright??? Obviously not but I still gotta ask.

- [Dreamstat] "Oh. Purgatory is a lovely room for music. I have a new piece, Concerto for Gashed Throat and Orchestra."

[Louis] "I'm sorry."

[Dreamstat] "Don't say it again. You ruin it with remorse. It was a perfect betrayal. You gave me a death of distinction."

[Claudia] "Trucks!"

[Dreamstat] "But in answer to your question. Yes. I'm gonna bloody kill you."

[Louis] "If you were alive you'd have done it already."

[Dreamstat] "Hmm. Oh, love. I'm merely waiting until you're happy . So hurry up, mon cher."

*pterodactyl screech* Oh, this is so fascinating! Not just Louis' guilt and grief and how he misses Lestat so much, but also the way he does know him so well, every line spoken by Dreamstat is both Louis and something Lestat could say, yet it's also very clear this is Louis' mind because Lestat, as us watchers know with hindsight, would actually never consider taking revenge on his husband and their daughter... And it's also how Claudia's keeping watch, not interrupting Louis' psychosis session unless there's danger approaching, still playing the part that she was made for, Louis' companion, Louis' caretaker, Louis' shield in front of his self-destructive tendencies... And then it's Dreamstat tearing into Louis' throat, an actual visual representation of mental self-harm. I am fascinated and mesmerised.

- [Louis] "He came by invitation. My distraction from a monochromatic landscape. The gray of an obliterated road, the gray-brown of a charred and bullet-ridden city." - I just love the writing, that's it.

- Louis' face as the Soviet soldiers are shooting up the coffins is hilarious.

And also, welcome to Romania I guess. Garlic and crucifixes and staking corpses. Folklore never dies.

Aaaah, Romanian! Do you guys know that Romanian is a romance language like Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese? So if your native tongue is one of those, there's a good chance you might recognise some words or the sonority of Romanian when you hear it. Mainly French, Italian and Spanish tho, 'cause I have no idea what Portuguese is doing, sorry friends. Anyway, end of linguistic rant.

- Louis and Claudia telepathically arguing while meeting Emilia and Morgan is hilarious. They're family your Honor. Emilia is fun, Morgan already annoys me with his higher-than-thou attitude. Yo, asshole, broken English whomst? Go on, speak Romanian, let's see if you can do better! She's speaking your language, the least you could do is respect her instead of belittling her for minor errors that don't even matter because she's perfectly comprehensible!

... Sorry. Monolingual people needlessly correcting multilingual people is a pet peeve of mine. Ahem.

- [Louis] "Go ahead, Mary. Go and meet the other children. I bet they know everything about this place." - yo, Lou, even though it's a smart way to gather intel, maaaybe you can remember that Claudia's actually 40 and avoid laughing at her when she's forced to recon with what she hates the most, her perceived age and status? Thanks.

- [Louis] "Wait, that's wrong. She didn't say that in front of Claudia." - listen baby, I take everything you tell us with a grain of salt because we all know, the odyssey of recollection is flawed and messy. Do your edits, ain't gonna change much.

I do love how Louis is enthusiastic about correcting his own memories, tho.

- Oh,the following conversation is interesting; take extra notice of how both Armand AND Daniel look at Louis during that passage:

[Louis] "Yes. Yes! That's how it went. We should get every detail right."

[Daniel] "In total agreement."

[Armand] "Perhaps this would be a time to take a break, Louis."

*Armand looks at Louis with slight trepidation; Louis looks at Armand with anger; Daniel looks at Louis with concern and suspicion*

[Daniel] "You know, Real Rashid, I'm pretty good at my job, 'a bright young reporter with a point of view' [!!!!!!]. Interviewed a fallen Catholic archbishop, four Enron vice presidents, and if they've got something to hide, they always start with some kind of disguise. Not literally, not some dumb Halloween costume [turns to Armand and looks at him with disdain], gloves, contact lenses. They tell jokes, they're charming. And then at some crisis point, when I get close, it drops away and I see a flash of the truth."

Round of applause for Real Rashid doing his job so well he's even mastering pretending he's interested in what Daniel's saying. And round of applause for Daniel taking shots at Armand so skillfully. Love how zen Armand looks even as Daniel's basically calling him a liar and a master manipulator, do you think inside he's crying and shaking?

[Louis] "Armand didn't want me to do the interview, Daniel."

[Armand] "Still don't."

We wonder why!! Daniel's right, and Louis knows he's right, look how conflicted he appears as both Real Rashid and Armand leave the room. He knows he can't trust his memories, but he wants to tell his story as authentically as possible, and it's killing him to realise how much he's lost, forgotten or twisted over the years. The enthusiasm he had five minutes ago is gone, the liveliness in his voice at the beginning is gone, we're back to perfectly flat and controlled Dubai!Louis' voice.

- Ha, Louis' using Grace photo to pass as his wife, now there's a kind of irony I don't have the brains to decipher right now.

- Oh, boy, Morgan is insufferable. The perfect picture of the British coloniser. "This is an old country, with old things in it" - maybe you should listen to Emilia and stop looking down on her...

"Something out there, with soul disturb'ed. Disturb'ed?" *Louis nods* SEE, that's how you do it. Louis knows multilingualism, his husband was French, even his own family being Creole NOLA juggled with languages like there's no border between them. Emilia speaks perfect English because she's perfectly understandable. Sorry, I'm hung up on that tiny little thing because I'm from a multilingual household and I've lived more years in countries whose languages were my second, third, fourth or even fifth tongues than in actual France, so anything regarding languages and how some people barely even talk their own mother tongue but have no qualms correcting you when you speak multiple languages feels very personal. Had a bad experience at my previous job last December because of this kind of people so yeah, fuck Morgan actually.

- Europe: getting to the end of the worst war ever. Claudia: meeting a revenant and being thrown into trees. Emilia: fluently translating English to Romanian like the perfect queen she is (I'm very attached to her). Morgan: being insufferable. Louis: *aight, time to relax and get drunk on vodka, this is the perfect spot and time for that*. Lou darling I love you but you really got to check your priorities and sense of reality. "Baboons in Romania", seriously, love?

- [Louis] "Mortals are scared of vampires, in a part of the world known for vampires, ain't a surprise or evidence of an actual vampire!" - he's got a point.

[Claudia] "There's one of us out there! But if he can't take you ballroom dancing and tell you you're pretty, hell with him, is that it?" - she's got a point...

[Louis] "Hello, grudge!"

[Claudia] "No! Mh-mm! I forgave you for messing up my plan, I did not forgive you for bringing him with you."

[Louis] "In a landfill with five years of garbage on top."

[Claudia] "In here! You carry him in here. You slow us down."

To be fair to Louis, he did tell her when they were planning the murder that if he lets Lestat back in and he lets himself be dragged back into Lestat, there ain't no way he can find his way back out after. At least he was honest about that.

[Louis] "What you gonna ask him, if he could talk?"

[Claudia] "Change the subject when the truth blinds you."

[Louis] "Who made you? And then what? Who made the one that made you? I mean, what are we looking for here, Adam and Eve of the damned? God? Are we looking for God, Claudia? Yeah, get in the hole."

So their names [spoiler alert] are Akasha and Enkil and I just realised their initials are also A and E, I'm slow (and raised atheist), and they're actually not good news at all and Lestat already knows them, but the lore is complicated and honestly you're better off not knowing them. Also if we want to get really theological you could say that the vampires have a sort of Creator God and his name is Amel but that's even more complicated, and I have no idea how much of this part of the books Rolin Jones will adapt. Anyway. It's funny because in later books canon Louis continues not giving a fuck about where vampires come from and how. It's Lestat that almost destroys the world once or twice seeking these answers. Like father like daughter I guess, Claudia really is a De Lioncourt.

- [Claudia] "I've known exactly four vampires in my life, and you've all been the worst. Lestat, Antoinette, the motherfucker and you. I'm looking for one, just one, that ain't a goddamn bastard!" - Claudia deserves BETTER! Also I'm sorry my queen but it's not gonna get better after that.

season 1 masterpost

part 1 | part 3 | part 4

episode 2 | episode 3 | episode 4 | episode 5 | episode 6 | episode 7 | episode 8

[bootlegramdomneess]

The Bear Season 2 thoughts

After watching The Bear season 2 and letting things marinate, I think I’d like to share my thoughts. First, as a therapist, for me this show perfectly depicts trauma and its effects in its most raw form. It was so uncomfortable and heartbreaking to watch at times, I felt like one of the themes of this season is sacrifice. What are you willing to sacrifice to A. Discover your purpose and B. is it worth sacrificing so much for success? I saw this theme numerous times throughout the season particularly with the Star convo and from Chef Luca when Marcus asked if it is all worth it and the convo Carmy had with uncle Jimmy about the story of failure

 The Xmas episode: This was hard to watch. I had to keep pausing it. Donna is so dysregulated and disturbed. But what I really want to discus and Mikey and Carmy’s dynamic. Mikey is so troubled. He is so unwell. Mikey is Carmy’s hero, but I think Carmy doesn’t see how deeply troubled his brother is. Mikey admires Carmy so much because Carmy was brave enough to get away from the family to pursue his dreams. So heartbreaking.  SO MUCH DYSFUNCTION.

 Claire- Her character wasn’t fully developed, but I feel like maybe it was done purposefully. We are seeing her through Carmy’s eyes and Carmy doesn’t seem to really know how he feels about her, or know her.  He says he’s in love after being forced to choose a feeling, but really he’s only just connected with her. I think perhaps he is equating that feeling of enjoying being with her with love, or maybe even having sex with her with love. He latched onto Claire because she is good at comforting him. Many people who come from dysfunction struggle with this and will latch onto people who appear to be good at this.  He’s with her because he thinks, oh, this is fun and normal. He used the term seeking “FUN” but he is searching for normality without a clue as to what normal is. Even deeper, he’s searching for a true path to becoming a healthy adult.

  Carmy: I empathize with him so much.  I do see Carmy has made some progress. His insight has improved a bit as he recognizes how much trauma he has experienced and how it has manifested in his adult life.  He is trying. He is seeking to change. He has recognized the need to be less emotionally inhibited. His judgement is a little impaired though. He sort of thrives In Chaos. That’s why the alarm going off wasn’t bothering him. That’s why he created this entire scenario by getting in a serious relationship with a stranger. He is so emotionally inhibited: The excessive inhibition of spontaneous action, feeling, or communication, usually to avoid disapproval by others, feelings of shame, or losing control of one’s impulses. inhibition of Positive impulses (e.g., joy, affection, sexual excitement, play); (c) difficulty expressing vulnerability or communicating freely about one’s feelings, needs, and so forth; or (d) excessive emphasis on rationality while disregarding emotions. I think this is his main Schema. Yah boy is messed up and needs some one-on-one therapy. I can go on and on about this. There’s so much. Carmy’s actions are pretty on point for someone coming from trauma, dysfunctional parents, and alcoholic parents. He behavior breathes asshole, but really, he has a deeply wounded, lonely, angry, abandoned and abused inner child and his adult self needs some serious healing.  

 Sydney: I love how they wrote and expanded her character this season.  I love how vulnerable they showed her to be. How hard she worked to deal with the growing anxiety. I felt her loneliness when she was eating that giant sundae alone, but I also loved seeing her in her element. Her dad is an ace. She has such a grounding, funny, hardworking energy.

 Carmy and Sydney: my babies. Their dynamic is so sweet. So genuine. So raw and real. How many times has he had a panic attack and thoughts of Sydney grounded him? Like..sir. I also feel he’s trying to protect Sydney in a way, and I see this in the star conversation. Underneath his words he is saying: I had to give up so much to get this and I don’t want that for you. It’s hell. It’s fucking terrible pressure. You don’t want this, but also not saying it because maybe he doesn’t want to shatter or shit on her dreams and ambitions. The foreshadowing of the growing anxiety she’ll likely face in the next season with the receipt machine going off in her head was telling. I think this is what Carmy is warning her about. I love when she jokingly teases him. I appreciate how he notices things about her: “you like making people happy.” I like that she calls him out and communicates her needs to him. This is a slow burn. They’re so awkward. They want to hang out. I don’t think they realize they may have feelings yet or if they ever will. They are so much a like in certain aspects but so different in how they view the world because of how they were raised.

Lastly, Richie is the MVP for me this season. I have a soft spot for him.

[jadelotusflower]

Stargate Rewatch: 1x01 Children of the Gods

After rewatching the original film I'm kicking off with the show's pilot - I actually watched both the original version and the "final cut" because there are aspects I enjoy of both. The final cut removes a few problematic elements and adds in some new material, but also cuts a few lines I really enjoy and the original version is really where my nostalgia lies, so... as always, my feelings, they are mixed.

Cold open with some redshirts - four men and one woman, sadly representative of the gender ratio the show will have going forward.

The unlucky Smurfette is Sgt Carol Weterings, not that I think she's ever mentioned by name in the episode.

"Probably the only thing it ever did was cost money." Heh.

I will say that Teal'c turning against Apophis at the end of the episode is nicely built - starting here where he examines the gun and identifies it as technology far advanced beyond the humans they’re used to dealing with.

When your name is above the title, you get introduced with an extreme close up.

The differences between the film and the show don't really bother me - I view the show as taking place in a very similar but alternate universe to the film rather than trying to squeeze them together - so O'Neil becomes O'Neill, Sha'uri becomes Sha're, Tyler becomes Charlie, Abydos is the closest planet to Earth, not the other side of the known universe, etc etc. But I consider the events of the film to be canon to the show universe unless directly contradicted.

But otherwise the pilot tries very hard to stick as close as possible to the film, to the point that Major Samuels states that General Hammond replaced General West.

Hammond says it’s been “over a year” since the events of the film, unclear exactly how much over.

The final cut has a longer version of the dead Jaffa, revealing one of them was a woman, and with all the changes to eliminate plot holes I don't know why Brad Wright put one back in. While we do see Jaffa women in the series, Goa'uld and Jaffa society is depicted as highly patriarchal and female Jaffa soliders are rare - we never see them in Apophis's ranks. It's an odd inclusion.

"What if the aliens get it?" "Well, they could be blowing their noses right now." hee!

"THANKS SEND MORE" Remember when Daniel had allergies? Give it a few episodes and the show sure won’t!

Amanda Tapping, doing her absolute best with some terrible dialogue. Brad Wright blames the "reproductive organs" speech on Jonathan Glassner, and it is terrible and thankfully removed from the final cut version, along with some other 90's era sexism from the bros. However there is one great moment, where Kawalsky asks "Have you ever pulled out of a simulated bombing run in an F16 at eight plus Gs?" and without missing a beat, Sam deadpans: "Yes." I love Sam.

"I'll give you exactly 24 hours to either return or send a message through - no Kleenex boxes, please." Hee, Hammond isn't quite the cuddly commander we know and love yet, but he has his moments.

It's very cute that Sam has a very similar reaction to the one Daniel had in the film just before going through the gate, although his was based in the wonder of something incredible and unknown, and hers is based in the physical manifestation of knowledge - says a lot about each of them and their similarities yet different perspectives - the marrying of these two points of view is what makes them such a good duo.

Michael Shanks, doing the James Spader impression that won him the role. He was only 26!

And of course Alexis Cruz, the only holdover from the movie (other than Erick Avari, who won't appear until season 2).

The original team sure did leave a bunch of weapons with the Abydonians, didn't they? I presume they taught them how to fire the guns because there's no way Daniel could/would have. He did however teach them very good English.

"Greetings from Earth, Doctor Jackson" - very cute, it's sad that Ferretti disappears into the ether by season 2.

Not the face of a woman who is shy, but a woman who knows how to make An Entrance. She even smirks a little as she walks over.

There is however a weird little moment where Sha're is reluctant to shake Jack's hand and looks to Daniel first - maybe she wasn't impressed about his little joke brushing by her husband? Both of these beats are removed from the final cut version which is probably for the best.

It's criminal Sha're doesn't actually get to speak in this scene, and in fact how few lines she has in the episode altogether.

It's disappointing, because Sha'uri was such an integral part of the film, and yet the show tries to get rid of her as quickly as possible to get Daniel on SG-1 and give him a core drive for the next three seasons. Her abduction is the precipitating event of Daniel's ten-year character arc and defining moment of transition from film!Daniel to show!Daniel, and yet she doesn't get a character arc of her own.

However I do think Shanks and Vaitiare Hirshon sell the relationship in the few scenes they have - they're very physically connected/protective of one another, perhaps concerned that Jack's there to take Daniel back with him (which is in fact the case). And of course Sha're, annoyed at being left behind while Daniel shows the others his discovery, gives him a very proprietary kiss to show everyone what’s what.

I think show!Sha're gets a bad rap, she's spunky and I love her. I just wish there was more of her.

Sam and Daniel insta-bonding. Daniel making an intuitive leap to solve the puzzle and Sam filling in the gaps with science to make it work, they really are kindred spirits.

The issue with the cartouche though is that the symbols look like hierogyphs, not star constellations/Stargate glyphs.

Back in the pyramid, there's a scene sorely missing here - imagine if rather than ogling Sha're, Ferretti had a conversation with her, giving us more of a chance to know Sha're on her own terms rather than just Daniel's wife and the object of others desire. Especially when Ferretti was on the original mission so knows she's more than a "beautiful woman" - it would also give additional weight to him being the one to remember the gate address where she's taken later on.

Teal'c clocks Skaara's gun as the same tech he saw on Earth in breadcrumb no. 2.

"Nothing good can ever come through this gate!" "You came through it , Daniel" I mean...I realise there are a lot of problematic white savior-y aspects to the show, but idk, this scene and the Abydonians all petting Daniel to say goodbye gets me. Sean Amsing as Tobay also returns in Full Circle which is a nice callback to this scene.

The final cut removes a reaction shot from Jack which I have mixed feelings about - I get that the focus probably needs to be on Daniel at that moment, but I do think it's important for Jack to appreciate how Daniel really found a home with the Abydonians and was appreciated and loved by them, and it's nicely played by RDA.

LOL, watch out for how many times Jack pats Daniel on the shoulder. Apparently that annoyed Shanks so RDA kept doing it, but it's also a nice little setup of their relationship going forward.

There's a second shoulder pat in the hallway.

Just two dudes, drinking beer, (not) talking about their feelings.

“She was the complete opposite of everyone else, she practically fell on the floor laughing every time I tried to do some kind of chore they all took for granted.” Underrated line, because it gives important context to Daniel and Sha’re’s relationship, and perhaps more importantly, how Daniel characterises her - she is the one who keeps him grounded, who teases him, there is balance to their relationship. There’s potentially an interesting parallel there to Vala in the later seasons, although it manifests in a very different way.

“I think she forgave me for what happened to our kid, she just couldn’t forget…I’m the opposite, I can never forgive myself, but sometimes I can forget.” This is a great scene.

The Final Cut removes all the “harem scenes” and while I can see why, we do lose a bit of context to Teal'c's involvement in the process as he is the one who chooses the women from the holding cell to go into the harem, and then from the harem to be presented to Apophis.

There was another missed opportunity to actually see Sha're interact with the other prisoners - she could have had a conversation with Weterings at least, find out she was from Earth, perhaps assure her that the others would be coming to rescue them.

To the surprise of no one I’m sure, this episode does not pass the Bechdel test.

But there is a hint of solidarity among the prisoners - first in the holding cell where the others hold Skaara back, and here in the harem Sha're squeezes the hand of another woman.

Weterings is killed by the hand device which keeps the electrical current aesthetic from the movie the show will later abandon - as Teal'c looks perturbed.

Daniel back on Earth immediately getting stuck into the coffee even though no one else is drinking, lol.

"Ra played a god, the sun god, he borrowed the religion and culture of the ancient Egyptians he brought through the gate and used it to enslave them." A bit of a change from the movie here, where it was the other way around - slightly less problematic!

Everyone is in dress blues except Kawalsky who is in camo, and Daniel, who is wearing Jack's clothes.

"Colonel I'd like to remind you that rescuing Dr Jackson's wife is a secondary objective." This line was removed in the final cut and I don't know why? It adds to Samuels’s bastardry.

Has everyone forgotten about Weterings?

Shoulder pat no. 3!

In the second harem scene, Sha're is now sitting isolated from the other women - did she argue with them? Just trying not to be noticed? What happened offscreen?

Also what's going on in the top left corner - it looks like the healing device! Maybe Sha're did throw down with one of the others and that's why she's on her own. I have to read into things, because the show gives us so very little of Sha're and it's a real shame.

She does get a good moment fighting against the guards though - earlier she was defiant and told them she wasn't afraid of them, here she bites one of them on the arm.

I understand from a narrative perspective why Sha're is the one who gets taken over, but it really is Schrodinger’s fridging - until she’s found Sha’re is both alive and dead for the purpose of the narrative, both Daniel’s primary drive and source of inner conflict.

Christopher Judge does so much with so little. Master of the cheek twitch!

Oof, the nudity. In isolation from everything else, it doesn’t bother me - it’s intended to be horrifying, not titillating, and is effective in conveying objectification and dehumanisation by the Goa'uld.

However, it was a studio request, Wright/Glassner regretted doing it, it doesn’t fit the tone of the show going forward, but most importantly Hirshon was pressured into the full frontal when she only agreed to topless, and for that alone it should be excised.

The puppet symbiotes are so much more effective than the cgi they use later. I don’t think there’s another scene in the show that really captures the menace of the Goa’uld like this one - the symbiote (who we'll later learn is Amaunet) slithering around on Sha're's body is just so visceral and horrifying. The glowing eyes before implantation is an effective touch.

Jack sticking Daniel in it with Sam by saying Sha're was a gift could be amusing, except the conversation gets cut off before Daniel can explain. It annoys me, because Daniel not "accepting" Sha're was actually the point? It's kind of important! I assume he does tell Sam the whole story later.

"Unless we want to get ourselves a really bad reputation, I just think we should avoid shooting the first people we meet on a new planet" is a nice follow up to Daniel's sarcastic "well that would have been an excellent reason to shoot everyone" from the film. At this point, Daniel doesn't appear to be carrying a weapon other than a knife. Oh, how that will change!

The Chulak priests speak "a derivation of Arabic" and something else - the Goa'uld language is meant to be similar to Abydonian, which is based on Ancient Egyptian. Of course modern Egyptian is an Arabic dialect that came much later, but perhaps we are to assume Goa'uld - or at least the Chulak vernacular - evolved along similar lines.

Jack unable to shoot Sha're when she stands in front of Apophis is a nice movie callback.

The final cut has a good extra scene between Sam and Daniel where he is quite delusional thinking Sha're might just be drugged, and Sam tries to talk sense into him. Daniel's blind optimism against Sam's pragmatic realism will be an important aspect of their relationshio going forward.

Shoulder pat no. 4!

Teal'c P.I. sees Skaara talking to Jack and starts putting pieces together - the weapons from the opening scene, the weapons on Abydos + Jack's watch, and Daniel helpfully supplying the Earth glyph.

Alexis Cruz is committed to the film pronunciation of Sha’uri, bless him.

“But you are a great warrior, we defeated Ra together!” Skaara’s faith in Jack is so pure.

Skaara gets a shoulder pat too.

"Another fine day on planet Kawalsky" - This line was removed from the final cut! What a tragedy. I get the sense Brad Wright feels a bit cringe about the campier aspects of the show, but it's part of the charm! To be fair Ferretti was more of the wisecracker in the movie rather than Kawalsky, but I love that show Kawalsky is a little goofy.

I'm sorry, what is this silver monstrosity? I guess a sliver of credit that after the nudity not going for a sexy alien outfit, but this is a hate crime. I also have a very high tolerance, and even affection for, silly Stargate headgear, but there's camp and then there's ugly.

Peter Williams as Apophis though: 10/10, no notes.

"They're going to choose...who will be the children of the gods." I do love it when they say the title of the thing in the thing.

The subtle moment where Teal'c motions that Jack should kneel is a nice setup - Skaara being very reluctant and angry about kneeling, and being the last to do so, is nice movie continuity. Skaara really gets shortchanged by the show after this episode.

"How much would I remember if you chose me?" I wonder if Daniel ever thinks that maybe him drawing the attention of the Goa'uld contributed to Skaara getting chosen. You know, just to really lay on the angst and guilt.

So the premise is that these Apophis underlings are choosing hosts for their children who are symbiotes ready for implantation, which doesn't really fit with what we learn about Goa'uld queens/reproduction later. We also learn later that Skaara is taken as a host for Apophis's son Klorel which doesn't sqaure with these two choosing him.

Headcanon time! This is actually Zipacna who we meet later arguing for Klorel at Triad - different actor, of course, but he wears a similarly silly hat. So Amaunet now has access to all of Sha're's memories of Skaara and she and Apophis decide that he will make a good host - maybe she also likes the idea of a family resemblance between herself and Klorel (I think we can assume he is also Amaunet's son?). But Apophis doesn't want anyone to know he's choosing a host for his offspring, so sends Zipacna out to do it for him.

This makes sense of Klorel later claiming that Apophis chose his host, and also gives backstory to Zipacna showing up in Pretense. And in the scene, the Goa'uld make a very quick decision to take Skaara, while the rest get very grossly examined people before choosing.

Shoulder pat no. 5!

"I have nowhere to go." Teal'c turning on his brother Jaffa to save a roomful of people, not expecting to survive himself, really hits.

"For this, you can stay at my place." hee!

Jack not wanting to hear it when Teal'c tells him Skaara is no longer himself is a turnabout of the earlier scene with Daniel. Not so flip now it's your Emotional Support Abydonian, are you Jack?

Kawalsky getting Goa'ulded doesn't seem to hurt as much as Sha're's - because the symbiote isn't mature, or because Amaunet is particularly sadistic?

Soon to be SG-1 posing for their album cover.

It was the late 90's when tvs were tiny, so everyone had to stand uncomfortably close.

And we end with shoulder pat no. 6!

[gaybae1021]

Talkin mcd werewolves

I always had such a spot spot for the mcd werewolves. Specifically, I really liked how they didn’t go down the Twilight route, keeping traditional anthro and scary designs and not doing Alpha bs (cough cough mystreet).

That being said, the werewolves felt kind of poorly defined to me, the tribes were more like plot devices, appearing and vanishing without any real discussion of the impact. The fact that Bodolf’s tribe was hardly mentioned in season 2 I think shows that they ran out of ideas for the werewolves.

Luckily my brain is absolutely overflowing with ideas about them, so here’s my redesigns and thought process:

To anthro or not to anthro?

While I really liked the choice of anthro werewolf designs, I absolutely suck at drawing anthros. It also felt weird doing that for child characters, I know the series kept kids as normal wolves but does that mean werewolf puberty involves an awkward transition from animal to anthro? It just kind of Icked me out, so I’ve decided to keep all werewolves as full wolf transformations. Unlike twilight though, I’ll be largely referencing Wolfwalkers.

Tribes

I know the series had four tribes, but so far I’ve only needed three for the story. If I ever need more tribes, I’ll add more. I haven’t named them yet either, so I’ll denote them by color for now.

Red Wolves

Og wolf tribe, led by Bodolf and Khira. Wolves in this tribe are smaller than the other tribes, with shorter limbs, tails, and muzzles. They have light patches on their muzzles, above the eyes, and on their paws. Brown and Amber eyes are most common.

Brown Wolves

Yip’s destroyed tribe, and also the type Logan was turned into, hence Yip bonding with him so quickly. They are the largest and stockiest wolf tribe, with wide muzzles and short ears. They have lighter markings under their eyes, on their chests, and the underside of their tails. Green and hazel eyes are most common.

White wolves

Fenrir’s tribe. Medium-sized, but thin and lithe, almost more fox-like than wolf. Large ear tufts, neck ruffs, and tails make them look larger than they are. They have dark markings inspired by huskies. Blue and grey eyes are most common.

All tribes, despite size difference, are significantly larger than actual wolves, and most adults werewolves outweigh the average human.

Werewolf Creation

Werewolves can be born by having one or two werewolf parents. They can also be created by being bitten by a werewolf while in wolf form. The person will become the same tribe as the wolf that bit them. Children’s marking will usually follow basic genetics, but those bitten can develop markings independent of the appearance of the wolf that bit them.

Transformation

Transformations, like in Wolfwalkers, are astral projections. The person does not physically transform, rather their consciousness leaves their body and manifests as a wolf. This most often occurs during sleep, but anything that causes a “disconnect” between mind and body can also cause the transformation. So being knocked unconscious, meditation, or sufficient intense emotion will also do the trick.

Communication

Werewolves in wolf form can still understand spoken language, but they cannot be understood by humans. Werewolves in human form can still understand werewolves in wolf form.

Injury

While transformed, the two forms are still linked. Injuries sustained to either form will transfer to the other. In the same way, so long as one body is being sustained, the other does not have sustain itself. Since the body is technically resting, the wolf does not need sleep, and so long as the wolf hunts, the body does not need food. Hypothetically, werewolves can remain transformed indefinitely. However, there are risks associated with this.

Lost werewolves

In the past, Werewolves were occasionally used in blood sport and hard labor. A massive beast of human intelligence that never needed sleep? It was easy to see why fighting arenas and military generals were eager to capture werewolves and use them for their own gain. Sometimes, they would manage to escape, but they no longer knew where their bodies were. Being separated from their bodies for long periods of time would essentially cause them to go feral. These “lost werewolves” are essentially immortal, the strength and instinct of a wolf combined with a faded but still present human cunning, and no need for sleep. The stigma of werewolves as dangerous is mostly due to the few cases of attacks by lost werewolves. This is what happened to Logan, and also what destroyed Yip’s tribe.

Leaders

No alpha crap in my version, we’re following actual wolf behavior with a leading couple. I don’t necessarily think the tribe is a fully related family unit like wolf packs, bringing new people into the tribes is actually quite common, but most of the tribes definitely follow the idea of “they are our leaders because they take care of us” not for any strength/bloodline reasons.

Now onto the werewolf characters I have so far!

Bodolf and Khira

Leaders of the red wolves. Both have equal authority, though are quite different in their beliefs. Bodolf is more open to working with humans, whereas Khira is less trusting, and unless a human is joining their tribes wants very little to do with humans.

Logan

Turned after an attack by a lost werewolf. Initially struggles with accepting this new part of himself, but becomes more comfortable with support from Donna and Yip. Gains his leader mark after fully accepting his role as Yip’s guardian. His growing family kind of symbolizes the regrowth of a tribe that was almost wiped out.

Yip

Last surviving member of the original brown wolves. Was taken in by Donna and Logan while they searched for his tribe, and more importantly, his body. Eventually Logan and Yip find the ruins of Yip’s tribe, and after an epic showdown with the lost werewolf that turned Logan and attacked Yip’s tribe, are able to bring Yip’s body home.

Leona

Child of Kiki and Zane. Initially human, she was born very weak, and Zoey didn’t have much hope she would survive. Desperate, Kiki took her to the Red Wolves, hoping that turning Leona would give her the strength she needed to make it through. Bodolf was out, so Kiki had to plead to Khira, who has never been fond of her. Khira initially refused, as she had no idea what effects turning a child would have. She also insisted that if she did it, Leona would have to stay with the tribe. Kiki was able to convince her otherwise, and Khira begrudgingly agreed to turn Leona. The turn was successful, and Leona’s health improved, though she has some developmental delays and stunting.

Donna

Le gasp, a significant shift from canon! Not entirely sure if I want her to become a werewolf, but at the same time it would be incredibly cool and give her something else to do in season 2 besides generic mom. If she is turned, it was either an accident by Rollo/Lello, or she intentionally had Logan turn her. She gets her leader mark at this point.

Rollo and Lello

Identical twins, both in human and wolf form. It can be difficult to tell them apart while transformed, though their personality differences make it clear who’s who very quickly. Rollo is energetic and playful, while Lello is more reserved.

Fenrir

Prince of the White Wolves. Unlike the other tribes, during the timeskip his tribe has adopted many human practices. They live in a more traditional kingdom, and have more traditional power structures. For example, Fenrir’s mother has significantly less power than his father, and lacks the leader mark. Fenrir recognizes the problem with his tribe’s new practices, but doesn’t stand up to his father. He is kind, but also cowardly, and when push comes to shove his loyalty stays with his family. Takes the role of leader after his father is killed by Laurance.

[mosscreektarot]

Akashic Records Reading

This reading is an in-depth look at what the Akashic records want to bring forward for you at this time. This may contain indications of your soul’s purpose, your traits, past lives, and lessons you need to learn in this lifetime. Please be aware that this is a general reading, so take what resonates and leave the rest behind.  The groups are as follows: Group 1-Upper Left, Group 2- Upper Right, Group 3- Lower Left, Group 4-Lower Right.

Let’s begin!

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Group 1

Queen of Cups, The Tower, 4 of Wands, Page of Swords, The Hanged Man  10 of Wands Rx, King of Pentacles, 8 of Cups Rx

You love water, specifically the ocean. Something about the sand between your toes reminds you of how infinite the Universe is. You are highly passionate but don’t know how to control that passion and may feel aimless or directionless. You are VERY introspective, to the point you sometimes can’t see the forest for the trees. You can be described as “brooding” or melancholy, especially at this point in your life. 

You are heavily guarded by “Angels” or light beings, and may sometimes feel like you are being watched because of this. You may have a connection to the Fae. 

There is either currently or close at hand a highly difficult and chaotic event in your life. You may feel that all is lost and have the desire to let darkness consume you. Black cats may be significant in your life or may appear as a warning in times of trouble. 

You may have difficulty keeping close relationships or finding long-term partners. You often come off as quite intense and it is your subconscious way of keeping people at a distance. This goes back into your childhood or past lives, and you may feel like you have never seen or experienced a relationship with a healthy foundation. 

You may be an air sign or an air rising sign. You are linguistically gifted and never fail to come up with a comeback or quip. It seems like you are always ready to fight for yourself and loath the idea of giving up or giving in. Full of ideas and logic, but very little experience planning or following through. 

This life you must learn how to find solace in solitude. Meditation is especially important to your growth as an individual and you have the potential to become enlightened should you pursue this path with discipline. 

You may have been a laborer or “work horse” in a past life and often have unexplained pain or soreness that makes you feel older than your years. You easily gain muscle and have a hard time relaxing. 

Material wealth is something you have lacked in this life or past lives and you have a deep seated insecurity when it comes to money, food, and finding stable living conditions. You HATE wasting anything and do your best to live minimally. You are very frugal and find ways to reduce, re-use, and recycle almost anything. 

Your challenge is “staying”. You will leave anything or anyone behind if you feel the slightest inclination. You find it hard to work on relationships or to continue a chosen path, whether that be career, spiritual, or emotional matter. 

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Group 2

9 of Cups, 4 of Wands, 6 of Swords, The Empress, Knight of Cups Rx, The Magician, Knight of Swords Rx, The Tower

You are of the stars. Your past life was from a higher dimension and you have a natural easy grace and charm. You are well-suited to manifestation. Very small (usually timid) animals are attracted to you. 

You may have recently found your person, gotten married, or are VERY close to finding true love (or a life-long friend for those of you who are not romantically inclined ;) ! ). This spring, in particular, will be one of the most memorable and beautiful seasons of your life. There is currently someone in your life who needs help and attention–reach out to them. 

The next 6 weeks will have rough waters, and you will need to make sure you are protected. Your guides will help you navigate the uncertainty you face, and you may feel like your strength is gone. Keep your head held high and look to the future. There will be ease and flow once more. 

You are called to children…You may have a child of your own, or feel the need to help guide young ones in whatever ways you can. You are warm and protective, and your nature feels like springtime after a long winter to little ones. You would do well in healing arts, teaching, forest conservation, and have a knack for growing things. Venus may have a strong influence on your birthchart. 

Self-care is what you lack. You are so busy giving your time, energy, and affection to everyone around you that you forget to dote upon yourself. Simple acts of self love like rose-petal baths, self massage, or solving puzzles (seems very specific for some of you) will do wonders for you. 

Your challenge is self-control. You find it difficult to manage your base emotions or may have a blocked sacral chakra. There is a lot of guilt and shame regarding your physical form, sex, or your gender. You are very delicate and sensitive, and cope with the injustices of the world by doing injustice to yourself. You must connect with all elements in order to be balanced; it’s like you have the recipe for life but lack ingredients. 

Things will start to happen for you very quickly once you start advocating for yourself. Reach for your goals and watch them fly to you. 

A warning: The Tower was on the bottom of the deck for this group. Do not take on too much too fast, and say no! You are primed for burnout and it has made you reckless. Listen to your gut at all times. 

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Group 3

Knight of Swords, 3 of Pentacles Rx, 2 of Swords, 7 of Wands, 2 of Pentacles Rx, The High Priestess Rx, Ace of Wands Rx, 5 of Pentacles

You’re an enigma. A desert storm. Dreamlike and full of mirrors. You are the culmination of your past, present, and future…full of boundless untamed energy with a clear focus. (Do you ever sleep??) 

It’s time to share your ideas. Stop ruminating about what others will say or think. You cannot act as though your intelligence is weak or ill-gained. Yes, you are mostly self taught but you know exactly what you are doing and have groundbreaking ideas/techniques. It’s time to take action and stop deliberating. You may feel at a standstill but it is because you haven’t made the choice to move on. There is no wrong way. 

Once you act, you will have an endless list of demands and clients/customers/prospects. Your life will become more hectic than ever and it’s important you learn to ground yourself now, in order to avoid hitting the wall. You need to learn to juggle tasks (focus on one thing for a time, then switch to another), as multi-tasking will cause you to mis-step. 

Your challenge in this life is trusting your intuition. You may often classify it as anxiety or run logical circles in your mind to prevent you from making a clear decision. Start focusing on the lunar cycle and how it can help you manifest/banish. Spend time in the moonlight. Amethyst may be a powerful crystal for you. 

You have so much fear your idea will fail, and this is keeping you from even trying. You cannot bring your dreams/manifestations to fruition if you don’t act! You think too much and it is only harming you. You may be bringing ill-will into your life because you ruminate and cannot just let things go or be as they are. If you catch yourself doing this, say to yourself “I release this idea”, and physically DO something else to change your focus. Realize it is only human to have this tendency/intrusive thoughts and that there is nothing wrong with you (barring extreme anxiety/OCD–if you have suspicions of those disorders please see a doctor--there isn't anything wrong with you either, but you may need some outside assistance :) ). 

You may currently be in need of something and have very little hope that someone will help you. Help is around the bend. Your full desires will come to fruition in 5 years or 5 seasons, but the worst will be over after Yule. 

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Group 4 

6 of Swords, The World, 4 of Wands Rx, 3 of Wands Rx, 9 of Swords Rx, Ace of Cups Rx, 9 of Wands, 10 of Wands

You have been carried and guided in past lives or this life so much that you are not sure how to stand on your own two feet. You were VERY famous in a past life, and were a prominent historical figure. Marie Antoinette vibes... However, because of this constant pampering and being followed about by “yes men”, you cannot take criticism or be wholly independent. You need guidance, and that’s okay. 

That being said, you continually seek purpose from others, and it’s time you re-evaluate that habit. You need intrinsic motivation and a sense of self-worth before you can find true and lasting happiness in your interpersonal relationships. Worship yourself before you grant anyone access to your temple. 

You feel the need to travel or may be very “flighty”. Some may think of you as flakey or withdrawn. You are a strong leader but are out of practice. You may have been betrayed by those around you (Et tu, Brute?), which makes it difficult to see yourself in a position of leadership once more. 

It seems you have personal demons that haunt your dreams and make you feel like you were born unlucky. Cleanse your space (especially under your bed!) and protect it with cinnamon, herb sachets, or even something as simple as salt and see if that clears up some of this dark/heavy energy you have been feeling. 

Your challenge in this life is learning to fill your own cup. You cannot rely on compliments or gifts from other people to make you feel worthy. Make space in your schedule to pick up a hobby, read a book, journal, or take quiet walks. There is more to life than validation. 

You have been building a small empire of side projects and ideas and feel quite worn out by the work you’ve put in. They are slowly growing but you feel wary. Take the time to celebrate how far you’ve come and the milestones you’ve reached so far. There is still much work to be done, but your harvest will be bountiful! Make sure you take breaks when needed. 

[borrowedtimeandspace]

The Box (Although Not the Suggestion One, as That Doesn't Exist)

29. Element

From this list of gt prompts

AU: Good Omens/Doctor Who crossover, based on this post by @mayomkun and a conversation with @neonthewrite.

Note: My first time writing a Good Omens fic! I couldn't resist once I saw the art linked above, not to mention the rare opportunity to write for a smol Doctor! Also... this got quite long, almost twice as long as my usual prompts. I had lots of fun with these dorks!

Spoilers for Good Omens season 2, but only for like the first 5 minutes.

~~~

The angel sighed glumly, kicking up a small whorl of stardust floating past.

It had been some time since the other angel who'd helped jumpstart this whole pet project had flown off, a bit flustered to get back to his own duties. Busy work, being a Principality, he supposed. That left the angel alone to stare, morose, at what had brought him so much joy not long ago.

All that time spent in the design process, all that effort sunk into putting on a magnificent show– and functional to boot, with all the stars the nebulas could churn out, given the time! All of that, just pfft in 6,000 years flat, once the Almighty got around to creating that "Earth".

Surely it must have been an oversight, thought the angel. He'd been working on this nebula right alongside some of the higher-ups who definitely would know about such a thing as Earth and the "people" meant to be the audience for all their hard work. And yet he'd heard nothing about it until that other angel- Aziraphale, was that his name? -brought it up right after the nebula came bursting into existence. Maybe the higher-ups simply assumed he knew about it, too? That could be why it was never mentioned.

Ah, well… soon enough, the angel would fly off to try and find someone he could talk to about this whole universal-shutdown business. He couldn't help feeling a bit wounded that so much went into things like this, all for it to be nothing but fluff and spectacle for one tiny little planet off in the corner. A corner that wasn't even fully manifested yet! For now, though, a part of him was reluctant to leave. It was still a beautiful sight, if he said so himself; watching the gasses and dust swirl, elements coming together only to expand in bursts of color and light. He reckoned someone ought to enjoy it before it all went up.

Then something made the angel's ear ring and his wing twitch uncomfortably. Some kind of odd sound that he had a hard time pinpointing below the muffled noise of the nebula coming to life all around. 

With a befuddled frown and a wave of his hand, the angel expanded his perception of the space around him. The nebula soared overhead, and the ever-shifting motion of the brand new stars and their infant planets, all of which also blew up to an immense scale compared to the angel now, slowed to a crawl and then nearly a standstill.

From down at this new scale, the sound was a bit clearer to hear, but no less baffling to the angel. His head moved on a swivel to try and spot the source of the stuttering wheeze that seemed to be circling about. While the noise wasn't exactly threatening, it was unusual and, quite frankly, a bit upsetting.

It came into view slowly. Rather literally, it seemed to struggle to manifest once the angel caught sight of it. Something blue and angular and about the size of his hand, fading in and out of sight in time with the struggling noise, finally coming into full solid form with a low sound that almost could be mistaken for a sigh of relief.

The angel's eyes were wide. That hadn't been in the blueprints.

With a flex of his wings, the angel flew closer to the strange object that had appeared. A curious finger hesitantly reached out to touch one of the sides of the box to find that it truly was material! Not just dust and gas, but something actually tangible!

He'd just begun to wonder what exactly this odd and mysterious blue thing was, reaching for it with both hands with the intention to turn it over and figure out just how it worked, when one side of the box suddenly swung inward. The angel's hands twitched back in shock. 

The box was alive??

Then, something even more shocking happened: out of the opening in the box leaned a tiny figure. A very similar shape to the ones angels took these days; pairs of arms and legs, one head, but no wings to be seen. And the tiny figure looked just as shocked to see the angel as he was to see it.

"Ah," it said after a moment. "Right, uh, hello! Sorry to barge in on you like this, but I've, ah, gotten myself slightly stuck, I think."

The angel caught himself staring agape at the little fellow. There wasn't supposed to be anything alive in this quadrant for a few million years, let alone sentient and capable of speech! The thought suddenly occurred as he remembered what Aziraphale had gone on about earlier: was this one of the "people" they were working on? He hadn't been hanging around that long, had he??

"Um," the angel managed to respond. "Not to be rude, but you wouldn't happen to be from Earth, would you?"

A flash of recognition crossed the absolutely teeny face of the figure- the person, rather- but he hesitated before answering. "Well, not quite that, but I was in the neighborhood. Must have gotten myself turned around somehow, and ended up in another…"

He trailed off as he leaned further out of the box, looking this way and that until his gaze landed on the looming nebula, and he stopped to behold it.

A warm bubble of excitement rose up in the angel's chest, cutting right through the confusion of the moment. All this time he'd been so worried about the people not being able to witness the wonders the universe had to offer far beyond that Earth place, and however this one got here, he wasn't about to waste a second!

"Yes, of course! Where are my manners?" The angel cleared his throat and maneuvered himself to float a short distance from the box to keep from blocking the view. He gestured grandly upwards with his arms and wings and said, "Allow me to introduce you to–!"

"The Horsehead Nebula," gasped the man.

The angel's head whipped around, the feathers in his wings ruffled agitatedly as he once again stared in shock.

The person in the box continued, "But it's just starting out! All those stars are only beginning to burn. Barely put the timer on the pressure cooker yet! Oh…! Look at you, you're gorgeous!"

A flurry of emotions flooded the angel as he listened to the little man praise his work (even using the same phrasing the angel had, making him quite proud of it all over again) but he did it in a way that was extremely odd. Like he expected it to be different. It did feel good to be recognized, but something didn't sit right.

"You've…seen it before?" asked the angel, floating cautiously closer once again.

"Oh, dozens of times!" the man exclaimed. "One of the classic star factories of the known universe, personal favorite of mine-,"

The angel interrupted, "Sorry, but I'm afraid that's impossible. I was here to kick all this off, as it were, and I haven't gone anywhere. And, meaning no offense, you are…surprisingly hard to miss in all this. If you'd been here 'dozens of times' already, I'd have noticed, and as far as I know, only the others who worked on it should even know what it looks like!"

Despite the angel getting worked up about it, he was more perplexed by this strange creature than he was upset with him. He sensed no falsehoods when he spoke, which only confused him more.

"Hang on, so, you…" the man blinked as he processed, glancing back and forth between the angel and the nebula. "When you say ‘worked on’, that sort of sounds like it was by design. Is… is that how this universe came about, and not by happenstance? You're telling me you built this??" Though his tone was incredulous, there was more awe in it than disbelief. 

“Well, I…” For someone so small, this mysterious man had a way with his words that completely disarmed the angel. With a flustered grin, he admitted, “It was a group effort, but I was the one lucky enough to start it all up.” To punctuate the point, he gave a revving gesture to mimic the way he’d cranked up the engine just before it all came about.

Agape, the man gazed back up at the nebula. “Wow. I mean that is just…smashing work, really! If I’d known it looked this magnificent brand-new, I’d have come to see it ages ago–,”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” the angel chided, shaking off the pride the little fellow kept stirring up, distracting him from figuring this oddity out. He did his best to emulate the authoritative tone of voice those upstairs took on, but he wasn’t sure how well it was coming across. Crossing his arms to try and look more serious, he insisted, “Now, I rather think you’ve got some explaining to do about just what you’re doing here, and why you claim to know so much about my nebula. I’ve half a mind to report you!”

Tiny little hands shot up in a soothing gesture. “Alright now, no need to get your…wings in a twist. I can explain, it’s just… well, it’s a bit complicated.”

The angel’s brow jumped expectantly, ready to listen.

“Right.” The man shoved his hands in his pockets with an awkward shrug. "Well, for starters, I’m a bit of a traveler. Travel through time and space, to be exact. That’s why I say I’ve seen this nebula before, even though it’s only just begun to exist. Seen it in the future, loads of times. Can’t resist, really, especially when I’ve got people aboard who don’t have the opportunity to get this far out from their own planets.”

“There are more of you in there?” blurted the angel, curiosity overriding the stern tone he’d tried to put on. Glancing up at the Horsehead, he said more softly, “And you… take them here just to see it?”

It was admittedly a lovely notion. Someone out there, in the future, bothered to trek across half the universe just to see the beauty of its workings. Warmed something in the angel’s chest to think that maybe all this work wasn’t for nothing.

“Well… not at the moment, no,” the man confessed, glancing back into the dark inner space of the box. “Just me right now…”

The angel’s wings drooped as he tried to imagine how that felt. Being a part of the Heavenly Host generally meant that one was never truly alone. They were all part of a group, and they knew they could rely on one another in times of need. Being all alone in a little box sounded quite…

“And you, erm… You’d said before that you were stuck?” the angel prompted, his voice much quieter in light of all this new information.

“Ah! Yes, I did!” the man burst out, as though remembering that he was, in fact, in a bit of a crisis. He shook off all the distractions and leaned back out to lock eyes with the angel. “I dunno if you can help me, but… Well, you see, this is actually not the universe I belong to. It’s a bit too much to explain, but the long and short of it is, I was semi-accidentally pushed past the limits of my own universe into this one. And well, you see, my box here, it runs on energy native to my universe, so I’m running on empty. Not even running, she’s just sort of… dead in the metaphorical water.” 

He ran a tender hand along the blue threshold for a moment before returning his attention outward and upward. “This did happen once before, and I managed to get it fixed by recharging it with some of my own life energy, but now I’m thinking that maybe- Well, I’m wondering if, since you were able to create all this out here, then you could perhaps give me a bit of a jump start!”

"Oh! Erm, I can surely try," said the angel, doing his best to sound confident. "Should be simple, really, with a nebula under the ol' belt!"

The angel's arms uncrossed and he once again reached both hands out with the intent to take hold of the little blue box.

"Oi!" exclaimed the man, jumping back from the doors. The angel paused, sheepish when he realized that, being so small, the poor fellow must not have seen him coming and got startled. It would be quite a sight, he supposed, a great big pair of hands coming at him all at once.

"Ah! Forgive me. See, there aren't meant to be people quite yet, so I don't really know how to…" the angel trailed off with a bashful chuckle, then waved the thought off. He gave a gentle beat of his wings to back off ever so slightly so the little bloke could see more of him and hopefully not be afraid. Cupping his hands before him in the manner he intended to hold the box, he asked, "May I?"

The little man stood straight again, and gave a rather pointed adjustment to his clothes. "Gently as you can, if you must," he insisted.

"I'll be very careful," promised the angel with a nod. Then, much slower this time, he reached out and brought his palms up to meet the very bottom of the box, fingers curling up behind to very gently stabilize it.

As soon as the angel made prolonged contact, the gravity of the situation with the box became clear. The little man had tried to explain it, but now the angel could feel it. His eyes closed as he opened himself up to fully understanding.

"Oh, dear…" he breathed, briefly overwhelmed by the cold, empty feeling the box gave him. No ordinary box, it would seem, with its deceptively vast interior compared to the exterior. Another universe, indeed. The angel could also sense that it should contain its own spark of life, but as the man has said, it was completely devoid of it. An incredibly well-loved box, but assuredly in dire straits.  "You are unwell, poor thing."

Blinking his eyes open, he found the man just within the threshold, watching with uncertainty and a little bit of awe. The angel gave a resolute nod and decided, "You're most definitely in need of a miracle." 

With that, the angel shifted his grip to hold the box in one hand, the little man clinging to the box's opening to keep upright. Such a small, gentle movement for the angel impacted the man much more. He focused on the task at hand, taking a deep breath to concentrate his energy in the very heart of the box deep within it. Once he felt it, his free hand lifted and there was only one thing to do.

"Let there be light," he whispered, drawing his hand down to call upon the powers of Heaven.

The change was immediate. On the angel's command, the interior of the box flickered to life. The man whirled around to watch a blue-green energy fill what looked like a column in the center of a round room much bigger than the limits of the box the angel held in his hand. That room also lit up with tiny motes of yellow all around, and the little man gave an elated whoop at the sight.

"You did it!" exclaimed the man, turning the biggest grin such a small person could make to the angel. "This should be just enough to get home!"

"Oh, it's no trouble really, I–,"

The angel's bashful words were cut off by a slam as the opening to the box shut all of a sudden. He barely had time to blink and wonder about how abrupt that had been when it opened halfway and the man's head poked out once again.

"Also, dunno if this needed to be said, but probably best not to tell anyone I was here, if you can," he said with some urgency. "Not my universe and all, not to mention the whole future business- best left unsaid, I think."

"Right. Quite right," the angel agreed. He hadn't a clue how he would even begin to explain all this if he were to follow through on his previous threat to report it. Doubtful that there was even paperwork for this scenario.

The man gave a nod. "Thanks much for the jump start!" he called as he disappeared into the box once more.

The angel was just wondering what he should do with his hands, if he should simply let the box float on its own to do its thing, when it yet again swung open.

"By the way, I love your hair!" the man grinned. "Great color to it; I'm a bit envious, really!"

"Oh! Erm, thanks!" said the angel, smiling brightly as he accepted the compliment. "I'm rather fond of yours as well, I like the shape of it."

With that, the man gave one final wave to the angel. "Cheers!"

When he vanished into the box this time, it was for good. The angel felt a pulse of energy run through his palm before too long, and the box once again began to wheeze. It was a laborious noise, but nowhere near as sickly as it had sounded before. Just as slowly as it had appeared, it began to vanish, and soon enough was no more.

Slightly stunned, the angel contemplated what had just happened.

It was an odd feeling he was left with. The concept of other universes started to sink in, making him wonder even more about the Almighty's plans for this one. Had They made backups in case the 6000-year shutdown didn't work out?

Beyond that, it did make the angel feel better hearing that, even if it wasn't in this universe, his hard work wouldn't go unnoticed. Someone was out there, in the distant future, bringing people around to see the wonders of the universe. All the more reason, thought the angel, to not just run it all for such a short time and then stop out of the blue! Why create it all without giving them the time to witness it, if that was truly its function after all?

The angel, remembering himself, diminished his perspective once again. As his celestial body expanded, the nebula once again kicked up to high gear, young stars flying about amongst the dust. He gave a pointed flare of his wings, bound and determined to bring this issue up with someone sooner rather than later.

A strong beat of the angel's wings shot him out into the dark matter in a flash of brilliant light, and he sped off to do just that.

[cboffshore]

Both Djinn and Oni are seen as evil in the show but they don’t necessarily have to be. I wonder if there’s a Dragon-adjacent species in the Realms? If I squint, you can put Arin who’s Oni-coded with Lloyd’s old helmet or whatever with Nya and Sora with…whoever. But she’s Dragon-coded, AND Creation coded to Arin’s hypothetical Destruction. If I squint really hard I swear you can give Arin a character arc with Nya there’s gotta be more than just them not having any real powers at the start of the show.

I feel like my certified big brain bestie @nyaskitten would also enjoy this ask (and probably with WAY more coherence than me) so I'm inviting them to the party as well.

Before Raine shows up, here's my handful of assorted thoughts about this ask (under the cut for DRS1 spoilers:)

Regarding the Oni-Djinn-Dragon spectrum you imply and that I am about to run away with: what if the djinn are actually the MIDPOINT of that hypothetical range? I'm suggesting this because our sample size for djinn is so small right now (in order of appearance we ONLY have Jackass Supreme, Mr. Expo-Dump-And-Die, and Arrakore (who I do not yet have a funny summarizing nickname for because he's got like ten minutes of screentime under his belt), which isn't enough for me to extrapolate from) and we really don't have a TON of information to suggest that they lean one way or another as a collective. (Obviously if we get a montage of a bunch of resurrected djinn proving that Arrakore is the outlier by, I dunno, committing grand tax fraud or something, THEN we can make an overall assumption.) They do, however, display visual indicators of both Oni and Dragon - Nadakhan's finale evil magic ball things are destruction purple and Arrakore's magic manifests as bright creation gold - and generally otherworldly powers, although we don't know how universal they are. Nadakhan is the only one we ever see using most of the non wish-granting abilities like shapeshifting and teleportation (that reminds me, I still need to get that magic gatekeeping theory out!), but I'd assume that that early Skybound line where all Kai knows of djinn is that they're "sneaky and have great power" probably means this isn't a one-off thing. Anyway, back on track - I do agree that the djinn lean towards the Oni side given what little we've seen so far, but that evidence field is so small that any hint of Dragon coding in there could tip it. And Arrakore might not have done much yet, but I do think he's contributing to the Dragon side and dragging their alignment closer to the middle of the scale.

Regarding the Arin thing: I fully agree that Arin could have a killer connection with Nya right now, but I actually like that his arc is a bit disconnected from the rest of the team at the moment! Ninjago has always had a funky problem of shoving protagonists into relationships straight off the bat, whether that be romantic or not, so it's interesting that Arin's a bit emotionally isolated. He's very much trying to sort himself out, which isn't something I really remember getting in the first fifteen seasons. I feel like that's going to be a huge part of season 2 and I'm really curious to see how it's handled! Too curious to speculate, really, but that might change later, and I do love what you're going for here.

That was kind of a mess, but I hope it made some sense! Thanks for the ask!

[raayllum]

The fact that DPO didn’t show in their social media the “To love is simply know this” part of the poem and it’s revealed by Callum in the trailer while they show a scene with him and Rayla is such a move, they know what they are doing don’t they? I wonder how it will actually play in the show

So here's the thing - one of the traits attributed to the Ocean arcanum forever ago (hi like immediate post-s1 "which primal are you" quiz) cites that the Ocean arcanum is primarily about connection, i.e. "You value friendship, love, and family above all else in life" which isn't that dissimilar from Callum's canon Tales of Xadia bio, citing, "I value those close to me more than anyone or anything" which he's more than demonstrated before about Ezran and Rayla. This also falls in line with Viren's "I have always been ready to do anything to protect my family, however dangerous, however vile. In the name of love, you may perform acts so unforgiveable," Claudia's overall everything in regards to her family / her father, and Rayla's "Going to dark places and making hard choices is an act of love".

Furthermore (putting on my English major cap) let's look at the (presumably Tidebound) poem itself:

Do not ask how the ocean’s blue, Or why the tides their time do keep. To love is simply to know this… The tides are true as the ocean is deep.

So the first two lines mention the ocean and tides, making them the connective thread of the poem (i.e. 3/4 lines are about them), specifically to not ask questions regarding appearance and time. You could also extrapolate this further into not asking why people do what they do (how their behaviour appears/manifests) or keeping track of when people do things (love is patient, love is kind, and all that). Either way, it seems either 1) you don't always have to understand someone to love them or 2) to be more focused on the person you love than the physical world around you / to see the people you love in the physical world around you.

Then you have the, as you rightfully pointed out, online that's been omitted from the poem previously: "To love is simply to know this..."

Now love itself isn't simple - platonic, romantic, alterous, and familial forms of love are about as complicated as it can get. However, TDP has taken this stance before with love and knowing what you can understand about it:

To know something truly and deeply, you must know it with your head, hand, and heart. Mind, body, and spirit. I love you with all of myself, and I always will. (Sarai, 2x09)

Which is to say I think the entire final lines need to be analyzed together, stating:

To love is simply to know this: the tides are true as the ocean is deep.

Which means, to me, that to love someone truly and deeply, you must accept that there will be changing and tumultuous times (the tides are in a constant ebb and flow and always will be) but that if your love is deep enough, you can weather any of said changes.

While it undeniably applies to Claudia and Viren (hence them and their Rayllum "reaching motif" "darkness and water" parallel), the fact that it's Callum reading it out loud is meaningful, I think, particularly since this sort of epiphany and it manifesting in his arc would absolutely fit his and Rayla's evolving dynamic this season: still madly in love, still incredibly supportive, and working to find their way toward reconciliation and understanding.

His love for Rayla, and her love for him, have been a defining part of their characters for a while (basically every season since season two) and I don't expect that to change any time soon. Thus, they have to come around and figure out what they are, and reaffirm who they are to each other (a partner, a friend, a best friend, and possibly a romantic partner again) in order for either of them to fully start healing.

Because at the end of the day, all it really comes down to is if they love each other - and well, the answer will always be yes.

Ezran: You still love her, don't you? Callum: I don't even know if she's alive. Ezran: She's alive. And wherever she is, she loves you, too. [...] Ezran: Callum, Rayla, stop [arguing]. Don't you remember who you are?

[septemberrie]

I have come into your inbox to rant and ramble after being blown away. I specifically ship your version/characterization of saulxandreas and romantic or platonic!saulxfarah/saul&farah, where the two dynamics are a foil for one another. Your fic, it was just red, is a masterpiece. It perfectly encapsulates the way that Andreas’s “feelings” for Saul would likely manifest, not as a healthy romantic attraction but as a twisted combination of attraction, jealousy of someone more popular and better than him (“good, kind, stupid Saul”), the desire to dominate, and the homophobic/toxicly masculine idea of owning/besting someone by fucking them. That sort of dynamic unfortunately often culminates in sexual violence, whether it be rape by deception or straight up assault. Which is made all the more heartbreaking by saul’s devotion towards Andreas and their early friendship. The contrast between Andreas being too narcissistic and insecure to love properly (“I did love you, you know,”) and the real love between Saul and his fairy, Farrah, and his other friends, made me cry.

I also ship saulxhealing because he puts on this image of even tempered mentor/guardian for the sake of his son and students, but he has got to be internally shattered, the most broken and traumatized character in the whole series, especially after season 2. Pretty much everyone he’s known and loved died violently. throughout his life, two people he trusted (Andreas and Sebastian) treated him like dirt by trying to kill him. He must have a very damaged sense of self worth and internalized guilt at being one of the last ones standing. Maybe he could find solace in being a father to sky, although i wonder how their relationship was affected by sky killing his biological father to save Saul on top of the previous trust issues that were not resolved.

Have you ever thought about writing another fic in light of all the compelling saulxandreas moments from season 2? Ken duken really amped up the tension between them, every time they appear on screen Andreas looks at Saul with such a creepy intense look that’s hard to ignore. And there’s the introduction of Sebastian, who definitely had a crush on Saul (“following saul around like a puppy”) The potential for Sebastian’s jealousy and hatred toward Andreas during their school years, and andreas being possessive of saul would be interesting. I could see your characterization of andreas continuing beautifully in a post s2 fic, with his viciousness showing in the way he relentlessly bullied Sebastian to mark his territory and because he could.

Also, it’s a testament to your writing that canon s2 Andreas pretty much acted in accordance with the Andreas in your fic! There’s always the possibility of canon work completely going against a fic, but s2 Andreas was every bit as bloodthirsty and aggressive as you wrote him (not Ben asking saul if sky inherited Andreas’s bloodlust 😭) Burning saul’s house down in jealousy, pushing students around and making sparring more violent, being emotionally unavailable towards his son, and insulting silva’s masculinity, (“did he wear an apron?”) it was amazing how you basically extrapolated his character so accurately from just a few scenes in s1.

Basically, thank you for writing it was just red, and the way you wrote it makes me yearn and wonder if you’ve ever thought about writing something post s2. The past and present structure for it was just red would be perfect in explaining the sheer depths of Sebastian’s hatred of Andreas (with Saul at the root of it all,) and the way Saul/Andreas’s scenes were so intense, culminating in Andreas sacrificing himself to save Saul, makes me wonder what kind of relationship they had in the past even if it was an unhealthy one. The show also glossed over saul’s imprisonment after he was caught returning to see sky, and the way you wrote his imprisonment in i.w.j.r. Makes me think you’d write that part wonderfully. The saul&sky&andreas conflict and dynamic (“you’re already starting to sound like him.”) was also teased but not explored in canon, and the way you described that in the last fic (“he’s in my DNA” “he’s in my bones.”) chills. I’d kill to see your exploration of that dynamic post s2. And they also didn’t include any grieving scenes for Saul after his fairy died!

Anyways, I’ll end this here. It was just red. was amazing, literally one of the best fics I’ve read and definitely the best when it comes to comparing the quality of canon to fic. You have a gift for fully fleshing out the motivations and psychology of characters, your writing is technically skilled, and you included themes beyond just shipping (about love, war, trauma, growth, and disillusionment) that I didn’t expect but were really impactful to read. I would die of happiness if you were considering writing another post s2 saundreas fic but that’s not to induce any pressure because I am already forever greatful for the fics you’ve already written. Wishing you all the best in life. Also, is it okay to send you more asks/messages about fate? This has gotten ridiculously long but I’d love to discuss more saundreas/saulbastian/saulrah things down the line with you if you’re interested.

okay anon, I hope you know this is the best ask I've ever received, my ego will never be the same after this 😅💕

I love the points you brought up in your 2nd paragraph, re: Saul x Healing. The man has been through it ALL, although I always have a hard time reconciling what he's actually been through with the mechanical way the writers had him deal with everything in S2. It's absolutely criminal we got little to no fallout from what went down in the lodge because you're so right, Sky and Saul's relationship is fundamentally changed now that Sky murdered his bio father to save his real father!! Plus Sky and Saul have both now lost their fairies, they've both killed their own fathers, their home burned down… like they have so much loss together (makes you wonder what's left to repair if they both lost so much).

I have actually started a "S2 from Saul's POV" that tries to both build on what specks of light they gave us (Ken rocking tf out of angsty Andreas, references to Sebastian and Andreas' crushes on Saul, wtf was going on that week when both Saul and Andreas were teachers at Alfea when they have this history together????) and also tries to bridge some of the gaps (where tf is the emotion? any of it? About Farah? Sky killing Andreas? Siding with Roz???)

And I'm toasting you to kingdom come, anon, for the praise re: Andreas' characterization in my fic. If you had told me when I was writing it that we were going to get as much fucked up Andreas in S2 as we did I would not have believed you. It was a dream come true--my only wish is that they hadn't killed him off so early. He was SUCH a great rogue/lesser villain. I really don't remember what happens much in s2 after Episode 4 lol that's basically It for me. I'm framing your sentence "the best quen it comes to comparing the quality of canon to fic" because ??? excuse me this is the most fantastic compliment because that's exactly what I was going for/hoping for and!!! thank you!!!!

Back to my S2 "rewrite" fic. I hadn't considered as much your particular angle, like what if Sebastian being Sebastian and not just any old blood witch was part of the reason for Andreas' sacrifice? Extra baggage between the three of them? I'm curious what you mean about "the past and present structure of IWJR would be perfect in explaining the sheer depth…" are you just referring to IWJR or are you talking about the proposed post-s2 fic you would like to see me write? Sorry I'm just curious!!

Anyway anyway anyway PHEW you are incredible for sending such a kind and gushing message and THANK YOU!!! I literally had to sit on it for a few hours bc it was like staring at the sun lol it is so bright and makes me so happy. You are ALWAYS welcome to come chat about anything Fate, on anon or off! We are a friendly bunch and love talking about our silly 13 episode fairy show!! Thank you again!!

[colorcodedbeanies]

S2E1-"Seven Thirty-Seven"

Season 2 let's fucking goooo. Said out loud "Jesse kill him" in this moment

TW: Sexual violence, addiction, police abuse, racism

So I mentioned in the last post that Tuco very much matches a white middle class Idea of what a criminal is. Violent, unpredictable, and indulgent, with a massive temper and hang-ups about respect. At the risk of poor meow-meowing him a little I think its interesting that this is complicated in this episode. Tuco PANICS when he realizes No-Doze is seizing, enough to turn the car around and seek out the closest help he has access to. When No-Doze dies, he gets angry, striking him again. This matches what we'll learn in future episodes (and in BCS). Tuco isn't necessarily violent for the hell of it. Rather, using makes him unstable, and that instability often manifests in actions he regrets later. To be clear: Tuco has definitely killed before and likely would have again had he not encountered Hank. He's certainly not taking any steps to protect himself or the people around him. No-Doze's death is really no one's fault but his own. The Salamancas in general tend to manifest their psychological issues and insecurities into violence directed at a lot of indiscriminate bystanders. But to me, even that capacity for regret and lack of control complicates that "stone cold killer" image that Walt and Jesse have of him. Gonzo is also complicated, worrying that shoving No-Doze's corpse under a stack of a cars "[isn't] very Christian", but I'll dig more into that closer to the end.

So we've got another pairing of eroticism and criminality, but this time its manifesting as explicitly sexual violence. Walt assaults his wife. There's no other way to describe it. She is telling him to back off and until she screams "stop it" he continues to ignore her objections. To me, there's two ways to read this scene. One, Walt is unexpectedly aroused by what happened. Something about the distress of the situation, (or very possibly, being yelled at and degraded by a bigger, younger man) created a sexual reaction in him. And/or, Walt is attempting to imitate Tuco as a way to cope with the fear of that situation. Tuco beats the shit out of No-Doze, Walt attempts to act out his fear and frustration on Skyler's body (including shoving her forcefully against the fridge). Skyler even explicitly attributes it to fear, though she believes it stems from his cancer anxieties. Regardless, this isn't going to be the last time Walt attempts to imitate brown men who humiliate him/terrify him in a desperate attempt to defend his own masculinity. Bringing my inevitable cuckoldry discussion ever closer (threatening).

I think its important to give some due credit: Hank is legitimately making an empathetic attempt at helping Marie with her issues. He doesn't always say or do the right things with the situation (clearly being more comfortable tossing her at a therapist than having honest conversations with his wife). But the thing with dealing with addiction is that there's rarely a concrete right solution. He does his best (for now) to not lay blame at her feet, provides her with multiple support mechanisms, and is resolutely in her corner for dealing with this. Which would be very sweet to see if it weren't also likely some tactics he would make fun of a meth addict's family for employing. Its hard not to connect Marie's issues and Hank's work when the show takes pains to show Hank smacking a prisoner's cell bars after a frustrating interaction with her. Hank may be frequently disrespectful and callous to Marie, but he clearly views her as worth investing in, worth coaching through this, and is clearly conscious that she can't be held meaningfully accountable for what she does unless she has the proper help in place too. An attitude that does NOT apply to anyone who isn't his rich white wife.

It is notable, though, that the Schraders have clearly left this all as a secret in order to save face and keep up appearances. I went after Skyler pretty hard for how she responds to her in the moment, but I want it on record: Hank very much ambushes her with information about her kleptomania, and then immediately asks for support without a word of apology for either her distress or for keeping this from her. What Skyler says isn't kind. It isn't nice and it isn't empathetic to her sister. But she's also not wrong that she's being asked to just box up her feelings at a point when she's already under an immense amount of strain, which no one has really bothered to reach out to her for. They really are Jesse and Jake aged up, both vying to be taken seriously while also being mortally afraid of admitting to weakness in their day to day life.

Walt doesn't nail down the lie about the meth, writing off Jesse's concerns. Specifically what he says is "How much salesmanship do we really need? That degenerate snorts anything he gets his hands on." This is going to bite him in the ass next episode, but is pretty telling of how Walt views addicts. Unthinking, ravenous, almost animalistic, and importantly, with no sense of self-preservation.

Gonzo is my final note: he dies doing something innately human. He dies going back to rebury his friend, another gangster that polite society doesn't give a shit about, because its the respectful, Christian thing to do. He dies slowly and in pain, bleeding out alone. This is all extremely funny to the DEA, who pose for selfies with his corpse and cackle about the idiot criminal.

[brassandblue]

the M A N  f r o m  t h e  R A I L R O A D // INTEREST TRACKER

MUSE STATUS: PRIMARY

(By liking this post, you are indicating interest in plotting with this character, and are OK with me sending memes/prompts to your inbox!)

NAME: The Man from the Railroad

ALT NAMES: The Railroad Man

OCCUPATION: ????

SEX/GENDER/PRONOUNS: Male(??), He/him

SEXUALITY: ????

FACECLAIM: Richard Armitage

AGE: Appears as a man in his mid-late 40s

HEIGHT: 6′5″

BUILD/BODY TYPE: Tall, long, solid, elegant, eerily ‘perfect’

HAIR: Black, salt-and-pepper

EYES: Dark charcoal grey

PINTEREST BOARD

ALL ABOUT ̸̧̬̖̼̦̾ ̸̧̳̒͒ ̷̠̑̽̕ ̴̮̗͍͈̈́͊̉͜ ̸̨͙̞̱͙̊̉̈́̈̓ ̷̢͓̤̪̞̋͘͝͠ ̴̢̛̣̭̃̐͘ ̵̦̭̤̰͗̍̂ ̵̻̫̀̄ ̴̯̻͒͝ͅ ̴̨̨̣̼̍͆̾̚ ̷̡̮̱͔̜̒̉ ̸̻͇̟͕̜̂̕͠ ̸̡̥̳̆͐ ̶̠̭͂̒ ̷̯̳̠̈́̍̿̍̔ ̶̛̺̐̉̿͘ ̵̰̉͂̀͂͝ ̸̧̥̭̓̾͗̒͝ ̶̺̤́͒̉ ̶̬͘ ̷̨͂̍ ̵͈̺͇̆̑̐̐ ̸̹̩͈̟̆̏ͅ ̷͉̿̃͒̈ ̴̲̳̂ ̶̧́͊̀̆ ̵̳̜͋̈́͂͛ ̶̡̪̓̒ ̶͙͙̝͈̆̄̚ ̵͈͖̼͚̄̌ ̸̞͆̏ ̶̗͔̳̩̇̿̈́͗ͅ ̴̨̺̯̱̞̊ ̴̣͈̂ ̴̖̜̃̇̓ ̷̦͐́͠ ̶͇̟̥̣̿̓̌͌ ̴̹̼̭̃̌͐͝ ̴̙̀̐ ̵̧̞͆͘͜ ̴̡̳̟͔̳̒̃̍͘ ̸̦̬̪́͊ͅ ̴̭̝͂͒͋ͅ :

Wouldn’t YOU like to know?

The Man-from-the-Railroad is an enigmatic, impeccably tailored, charcoal-suited figure, black hair dusted with salt-and-pepper, and a gleaming white tiger-like smile.

His origins are unknown, his true purpose and motives are unknown.

What is known, however, is that he is charming, cunning, from the Railroad, and while some might consder it up for debate is certainly not the Devil. He is something else; which is to say, worse, and real.

-

For RP purposes, here is a rundown of his character and powers so you can know what to expect. All of this applies to his canon (aka DEFAULT) setting, and can/may be tweaked for AUs on a case-by-case basis.

NOTE: Most things I have pulled either from canonical instances or “word of God” per the writer(s) of the podcast. Some things I have extrapolated, due to his brief appearances, and others I have inserted from my own bullshit. I still try to stick to the core aspects of his character as seen in canon; and he is subject to change should more material become available on new episodes of the podcast.

PERSONALITY:

The Railroad Man is, above all, charming, seemingly affable, effortlessly confident, and stopping him from doing what he wants is about as easy as stopping a speeding train. He has the air and appearance of unnerving perfection, as though he was manifested into being clad in his signature pinstripe suit; but it’s every part of his appearance, from his perfectly-coifed hair, to his perfectly cut thin beard, to his unnervingly straight, bright teeth, down to his polished leather shoes--the sort of which you could never afford. Something about him is just... not quite human... it is cold, bright, unbearably real.

He delights in style and class and has a flair for the dramatic. However, he is a stickler for rules--that is, the Old Rules of magic and honor and deals: If you bring harm upon him and his own, you owe him; if he does you a favor, you owe him, and he will come to collect at a time of his choosing. 

He also revels in death and blood as it pertains to the railroad (worldwide), and since at least the 1880s (though very likely earlier than that) he has contributed to pr*son pipelines that provided hard labor to build hundreds of thousands of miles of tracks worldwide (over 100,000 miles in the United States alone). 

They saw the land split by iron tongues. They saw men work to pull up driving spikes and laying rail. they saw the avarice and greed and the ever-growing power of the railroad in this man's eyes.

-- Old Gods of Appalachia, Episode 23 (Season 2), A Bad Night for Hollow Men

Blood, as it turns out, and the lives given in his name and/or the name of the Railroad, allows him to travel as he pleases, and the more bodies worked to death, the better. To say he has a cheerfully callous disregard for human life is a vast understatement. He is decidedly not human, and considers himself better, superior, to them--even to the point that this can become a blind spot where he underestimates human opponents, though fighting against him will always come at a great cost.

His only redeeming qualities are his apparent ambivalence on things when he can get his way, his charm (although smug), and his adherence to rules. He is not unwilling to work out a deal, and in fact, would prefer to do so even if he has the power to get what he wants by sheer force alone. 

He is a man of class and taste, with an airy arrogance that shows itself when his patience wears thin. Just don’t inconvenience him too much--he is not afraid to massacre hundreds to get what he wants, or to shed blood as he turns to smiling anger.

POWERS/ABILITIES/WEAKNESSES:

- Rapid, near instant healing of his body and clothes (blood-based) even from catastrophic injury. He can be killed if cut off from his healing source, provided the blow is a fatal one

- Immense strength/stamina-- can rip out a person’s throat with his bare hand, can also withstand a shotgun blast from close range and remain on his feet

- Teleportation over vast distances, provided he is within a dozen miles of a working railway; he uses working rails as ‘tunnels’ through utter darkness from place to place

- Shapeshifting-- Per Steve, he could be The Railroad Ma’am if he wanted; I have decided he could be pretty much any shape and has such control over his physical form (clothes included)

- Shapeshifting/Illusiory magic-- This passage from episode 25, Siege of Pleasant Evenings, explains it best:

And then as if to answer her unspoken query, the Railroad Man’s body flickered and changed. He seemed to grow taller, and then shorter, he seemed to distort into impossible forms and faces, and collapsed back into the well-dressed fiend in the charcoal suit. In one flickering moment, and dark-skinned, wrought with muscles, his back misshapen by a slab of scars; in his hand hung a heavy hammer. Another shift, and he was a woman cradling her dead husband’s head in her lap, his body crushed by stones. another flicker and he was a burning town, billowing black smoke into the trees, the heat and burning stench of men dying ripe on the air, for but a moment before he flickered again, and he was a salt and pepper playboy in a fine hand-tailored suit. 

Other visions flickered across the eyes of those who saw him there, each one a custom-made image of pain and loss and violation. 

He grinned up at her, stark and feral, like a wolf with a mouth full of your firstborn. “Do not mourn these poor souls, Miss Walker, for they have all fallen short of the glory of their god—be it the one who takes their tithe or the one who signs their paycheck. They look to both for salvation and find naught but throats like sepulchers and feet quick to shed blood.”

- Blood magic-- His blood and blood shed for the railroad are the/a source of his power. However, like other creatures of the Dark, he can be cut off from his exposed healing source (a pool of blood) if he has already been injured and ONLY if he has been sufficiently caught off guard. Blood shed in his name can cover wards, spells, sigils, and the more blood, the more control he will have

- Creation of Hollow thralls-- By getting folks to agree to work for the Railroad, and giving them his black business card, he can call upon them--through some corrupting magic, their minds will empty and he can command them to do as he wishes. Sometimes that will distort their bodies, sometimes not, but it will always lead to their eventual mindless and monstrous death

- Compulsion of obedience/mild hypnosis-- through the sound of his voice, the touch of his hand, through the act of truly looking into his eyes and Seeing who and what he really is

- Heightened senses-- He can smell the air and taste the earth; he is attuned to the ground in which rails have been staked and to the lives affected, changed. He can sense power and life and death and the stories and names of the people there. He can and will kneel and taste dirt, and he can and will sniff the air like a hound to find the threads of the stories he wishes to learn

- Names and Property Lines-- It is important that he is apparently nameless, as names in Alt Appalachia have power; his being without a name means power cannot be claimed over him in this way. Additionally, ownership of property is particularly important in this world-- wards, charms, barriers on a person’s land can be weakened or rendered void if that ownership changes. The more blood shed by TRM on the Walkers’ land, for instance, and spilled over their protective wards, meant the land would slowly but surely become his. It would follow, then, that a stand could be made against him with sufficient magical defense if you had your own little plot and a legal deed with your name on it--as long as you can keep him from sending waves of dying bodies over the property line

MISC:

- When he dies, a bright light bursts through his eyes and mouth and the terrifying sound of a train will rumble past before he and any carnage vanish. Death for him is not at all permanent

- He likes making stupid train pun jokes on occasion but they are subtle... ish

- He is probably around 100 years old or more by the 1930s

- While rather fae-like in the way he operates, he is familiar with human culture and language and all that sort of thing

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(The following images are screenshots from official Old Gods transcripts which you can find on their website. If you want to know a little bit more about him, these snippets are the way to go.)

((WARNING: They contain descriptions of blood, injury, and MINOR, out of context spoilers for the podcast.))

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WARNINGS: RPing with this character will involve sensitive topics from various eras throughout American history, as well as topics on mental illness/depression/PTSD, sexuality/sexual themes, drug addiction/substance abuse, war/violence/gore/injuries, racism/colonialism/imperialism/nationalism, socio-economic issues past & present, homophobia past & present. 

By liking this post and indicating your interest to engage in RP with this character, you are accepting the above warnings and have read the rules posted here on this blog.

[thvndersnow]

THEO VESH ;;

name ; theo vesh species ; second-gen awoken, earthborn pronouns ; he/him/his gender ; trans man sexuality ; gay class/subclass ; icecracker titan ghost: strange (he/him)

phys. description ; 4'10 1/2" with dark, purple-blue skin covered in white freckles. hair is moon-white and curled, cut short and shaved into an undercut. wears gold facial and ear piercings (pictured). theo is of a muscular build typical for a titan despite his short stature, but he tends to hold on to fat around his hips and thighs. out of armor, he dresses in darker, "alt"-style street clothes. his eyes have black sceleras, and his irises/pupils resemble a pair of moons that change phase alongside the actual moon when he's on earth.

light abilities ; while theo is technically an arc-based striker titan, his arc light manifests by drawing energy in rather than expelling energy out, resulting in the creation of ice crystals and snow. this similar in ways to stasis in appearance, but his light does not form perfect crystals in the way stasis does. while not technically light abilities, theo has inherited an unrefined precognitive ability that only activates in his dreams from his awoken heritage. he is not trained on how to use it and is often very bad at interpreting and utilizing these dreams -- they really only serve to freak him out.

personality ; theo deals with heavy anxieties, a phobia towards hive, and trauma from his time in the arcology. he loves fiercely and loudly, especially people within what he considers his family, and he looks up to his twin sister like she is the sun. while he can be petty, and easy to anger, he is of the ultimate belief that mutual cooperation and support of one another is the only way to beat back the darkness, and so he tries his hand at altruism and diplomacy whenever possible - which is why his views towards the eliksni and cabal tend to be more favorable than those other guardians might have.

brief history ; theo was rezzed in the arcology on titan two hours before the start of the Red War. for the next year, he was trapped, scrabbling lightless through the dark with only his ghost, strange, for company. when the traveler was freed and his light was returned to him in an explosive burst of arc he was finally found and extracted, living and learning under sloane until another titan was able to bring him to the last city, where he re-found and reunited with his twin sister, julia.

theo's time in the arcology left him skittish and fearful, especially in regards to hive. he still wakes up panicking, and has a hard time being around hive nests.

generally, i say theo was a part of the events of shadowkeep, witch queen, and the vow of the disciple raid, as well as season of the dawn with his twin sister julia, and acted as a liaison to the eliksni quarter in season of the splicer. he is also the one who cleansed the thorn into lumina, which acts as his signature weapon.

@lepiidopterophobia is his main savathun, and orchestrated a lot of events in the arcology specifically aimed at honing him into a stronger lightbearer; despite his protests, she sees him as one of her brood. i will not be doing a similar relationship dynamic with other savathuns.

tags ; gen tag | hc tag | aesthetics/musings tag | ic tag | gen ship tag

[xserpx]

TV Show Ask: 2, 4, 9, 10, 35, 38, 39, 46, 47, and 48?

Thanks for the asks! 🥰

2. Already answered.

4. are there any shows you wish could just be cancelled already?

I'm gonna be cantankerous and say House of the Dragon. I'm just not a fan of GoT. Granted, I will probably eat my words if/when I ever get around to reading the books, but until then I find the discussion about it quite irritating, especially because of how inescapable it feels lmao

9. Already answered.

10. what’s one show you thought you’d love but turned out to really hate?

I think probably Chainsaw Man? I do like some aspects of it, and I really wanted to like it more, but it just feels almost boring how teenage angsty it is, it conforms too much to the genre to be interesting. I stopped watching after episode 8.

35. who are your top 5 TV characters right now?

1. Anthony Lockwood, Lucy Carlyle, George Karim (Lockwood & Co.) - I'm obsessed with Lockwood & Co. to the point where I'm procrastinating finishing the last book. I can't pick a favourite of the main trio, they're all so great in their own ways. I just love how truly found family they are, the actors are all spectacular, they just fill my heart with joy.

2. Scanlan Shorthalt (The Legend of Vox Machina) - It's so hard to pick a favourite in TLoVM and this is definitely subject to change, but Scanlan is my favourite at the moment. I love me a comic relief character who is much more than just comic relief and I was so impressed with his arc in the second season.

3. August of Arnäs (Young Royals) - deeply problematic/unpopular opinion, I know, but I will die on this hill. Young Royals is an incredible show with genuinely clever writing and complex characters, it's nowhere near as tropey as it appears from the outside, and while I love Wille & Simon I think the character writing really shines when it comes to August. It helps that he has Leo levels of self-hatred that manifest as egotism. They're surprisingly similar characters, actually.

4. Kendall Roy (Succession) - I think Kendall is the character I'm most interested in seeing genuinely change, either for the better (fucking over Logan) or for the worse (becoming Logan). Maybe he'll end up doing both. Either way, I'm rooting for him.

5. Geordi La Forge (Star Trek: TNG) - I've been actually watching TNG after years of catching episodes every now and then, and have come to realise that my favourite of the TNG crew is Geordi. I always thought it'd be Picard or Data, but I think Geordi is a great all-rounder, he's funny, he's kind, he's clever, he's approachable. I love him!

38. do you prefer hour long episodes, or 30 minute?

Hour long episodes are the best. Proper ones, too, without ads.

38. do you prefer 22 episode seasons, or 13?

I prefer 13 episode seasons I think. It generally makes for a better quality show. That said, there is also definitely space in my life for longer seasons when I want something less taxing.

46. do you prefer to watch TV alone or with friends?

Alone. I don't watch TV with friends that often, but even when I do more often than not I'd still rather watch it alone. I like forming my own opinions on things, I always care too much about what the person I'm watching it with is thinking.

47. are there any shows you love but your friends aren’t interested in?

Mostly the kid's/teen shows like JatP, Lockwood, Young Royals, Heartbreak High.

48. are there any shows your friends love but you aren’t interested in?

Rick & Morty & Dragonball Z are the big ones, they make references to those shows and I just don't get them. Aforementioned Game of Thrones & spin-offs, some of the anime they watch I'm not interested in either.

[myriadxofxmuses]

Tagged by: @heartxshaped-bruises

Tagging: @savagecuhnt , @emmaxmeyer , @strictlyoc (for whoever you want : ) ), @lunarruled , @lostxones (Molly), @northrnattitude (Dakota or Anthony), @hxneybees (Charlie), @aprilwritcs (Audrey), @thanaredreamtof , @unwrittenxrp

► Silas

★  ⸻  BASICS

NAME: Silas Oberon Birch

 NICKNAME(S): Speedy (becase of both of his addictions - coke and sugar), Tree Hugger (only used by the band when teasing him of his upbringing)

 AGE: 25+

 SPECIES: Human

★  ⸻  PERSONAL

MORALITY: lawful / neutral / chaotic / good / gray / evil

RELIGIOUS BELIEF: His parents raised him in a spiritual commune. One that dove deeply into the Y2K belief when it arose - something that ultimately meant their demise when it didn't happen. Silas was only three when it fell apart and his parent left to lead a much more agnostic way of life, which now dictates his belief system as an adult. 

VIRTUES: chastity / charity / diligence / humility / kindness / patience / justice

PRIMARY GOALS IN LIFE: He's not much of a goal person. He usually just wings it. Very go with the flow. The only thing he would consider a goal in his life was to become a rock star and he did it, so he doesn't really see much point in any other ones. Especially since it's so easy for him to get what he wants now.

LANGUAGES KNOWN: English

SECRETS: His ADHD bothers him much more than he lets on. He wishes he was smarter and more business savvy. He considers his favorite color to be a little girly, so he doesn't let on how much he likes it. He would love to have a big family. He may seem dumb, but he gets it. He just doesn't let on how much, opting to keep the mask of his freeloving, happy-go-lucky attitude on to hide his actual intelect. It is easier to live life that way anyway.

QUIRKS: His hyperness can manifest itself into what appears to be fidgeting, but in reality his mind is constantly working over new music for the band. He is a very touchy, feely, hugger kind of guy. He can come off as obnoxious, but he has a great heart.

SAVVIES: He is extremely musically inclined. He can teach himself to play pretty much any instrument. He actually writes most of the music for the band. And, the deeper meaning songs, were written by him.

★  ⸻     PHYSICAL

BUILD: slender / scrawny / bony / fit / athletic / herculean / baby fat / pudgy / obese / other

HEIGHT: 6′2

SCARS / BIRTHMARKS: One along his leg from a dirt bike accident and various minor ones from skateboarding.

ABILITIES / POWERS: None

RESTRICTIONS: None

★  ⸻     FAVOURITES

FAVOURITE FOOD: Candy. Of any kind.

FAVORITE DRINK: Monster energy drinks

FAVOURITE PIZZA TOPPING: Chili Peppers and chicken

FAVOURITE COLOR: Purple

FAVOURITE MUSIC GENRE: Hard Rock and Metal

FAVOURITE BOOK GENRE: Graphic novels. He doesn't like to read very much, so when he does it has to he short and easy.

FAVOURITE MOVIE GENRE: Action and Comedy

FAVOURITE SEASON: Summer

FAVOURITE BUTT TYPE: Women's

FAVOURITE CURSE WORD: Cunt

FAVOURITE SCENT: Patchouli, Rain, Bonfire/burning leaves

FAVOURITE QUOTE:   Don't take life too seriously. No one makes it out alive.

★  ⸻     FUN STUFF

BOTTOM OR TOP: He is surprisingly dominant in the bedroom given his seemingly softer nature outside of it.

LOUD BURPER OR SOFT BURPER: Loud.

SINGS IN THE SHOWER: Oh yeah. And Gage keeps trying to get him to sing in their songs, but he always declines - disbelief that he is actually a good as he is told and only willing to do the occassional backup.

LIKES BAD PUNS: Definitely, although he isn't the greatest at making them himself.

THEIR OPINION ON THE MUN: They're quiet, but super cool. They should really let themselves branch out more. She should stop being so afraid of letting the world in a little.