#Universe's Quartet

[theminecraftbee]

you know the excellent quadruple life fan comic has me thinking about double life again. and MAN. thinking about the soul bonds mechanically. like, before I get into my meta-analysis it’s worth noting that non-diagetically the soulbond mechanic being based on how many hearts someone has is basically the only way I can think to do it in minecraft that’s sensible, but diagetically…

so do you ever think about how the marker of what made people soulmates in double life was pain?

like, soulmates share injuries/pain! that’s the whole premise! like, to the point that day one people were making up elaborate ways to hurt themselves so they could test for their soulmates! you met your (very romantic-coded) partner and confirmed they were the person you were looking for by hitting each other, generally!

being a soulmate in the double life universe isn’t about being compatible, it’s about literally sharing pain, and it’s just… I think about how for some pairs, they share the burden between each other, and it brings them closer. for some pairs, though, the only way they know how to communicate is by hurting one another. and the thing is, this isn’t just a literal thing. like, mechanically, the thing soulmates do is share pain and communicate with pain, but metaphorically, can you say desert duo doesn’t have trouble communicating because half of how they know how to exist is either sharing in pain or causing it for each other? can you say that ranchers’ strength wasn’t a pair of people who understood each other’s pain and desperation to be better than they’ve been before? can you say that divorce quartet isn’t, well—

so pearl wins after scott hurts them one last time don’t you ever think about that,

[georgie3116]

*Steve and Bucky organising their Wedding*

Steve: Maybe we’re being old-fashioned defining these role by gender.

Bucky: You know, historically the best man’s role was to defend the the bride and groom in combat.

Bucky: I mean, if that’s not Natasha, I don’t know what we’re doing here.

[lolli-popples]

Seen a lot of posts centered around @chrisrin​ ‘s Gemcyt AU, and I’m loving everyone’s designs, but I haven’t seen any of Cleo, and that made me sad.

So here’s what I put together;

I though Jasper fit well :) 

Also did a basic pose sketch and what I think her fusion with Scott would look like. (Honestly might draw it again I love how it turned out) 

I’m sort of compelled to do a triple fusion of all three of the G’s but I need to go to bed so maybe tomorrow lol. 

[lesbianandstressing]

Yelena: Clint and Natasha won’t trace this back to us.

Kate: Are you serious? They trace everything back to us. They trace the things we haven’t even done yet back to us.

[grelleswife]

Johann:

If Noé has a million haters, I’m one of them. 🤭

If Noé has 5 critics, I’m one of them. 💖

If Noé has 1 detractor, that one is me. ✨

If Noé has no enemies, I am no longer alive. 😁

If the world is against Noé, I’m right there with ‘em. 💞

If Noé takes his last breath under questionable circumstances, assume it was me. 🔪

[amaliatheartist]

I STAY AWAKE MOST EVERY NIGHT

WAITING FOR A GLIMPSE TO APPEAR

[moderatelyprosperouspeasant]

I completed my Tortall book collection!! :D

I’m not really picky about book condition, so these are all used (I got all but three of them on Ebay) and many of them have library markings on/in them etc. The only thing I’m really peeved about is the sticker damage on the Trickster spines, since that’s the only part that’s really visible when they’re shelved. (Dear used book sellers, if you could please place stickers in less conspicuous places and stop placing them on pAPER SURFACES I would hold so much more peace in my heart.)

I had mentally prepared myself for the poster that’s advertised with Tempests and Slaughter to have been removed by a previous owner, but to my shock and delight it’s STILL IN THERE??? I never knew what the poster was, now that I know what it says I will surely be displaying it above these books :) ideally it will be displayed alongside the map that I’ve been meaning to get from Dual Wield Studio!

Other than getting my favorite editions of the whole series, I ended up getting extra copies of The First Adventure and In the Hand of the Goddess because I found copies of the gorgeous 2002 edition for really cheap! The other two books are more rare and expensive on Ebay, perhaps I’ll invest in copies one day, or get lucky. I’m super super pleased with these, other than some glue residue on one cover, they so far appear to be in GORGEOUS condition. The pages are so crisp and beautiful and AHHH I just think this artwork suits the series so well! I’m also super fond of small books, but these are hardcovers so they are in far better condition than the paperbacks I got. I also saw Immortals copies that matched these, they are beautiful but generally expensive.

There are other beautiful editions that I would love to invest in just to have them, though my apartment is tiny and I do not need more belongings lol…now that I’ve collected all of these, though, I should really prioritize reading the Circle of Magic series. I’ve been too attached to Tortall to think of exploring a different world of hers, but Tamora is my idol so I’ve really gotta buck up and immerse myself in that world.

[fentennyson]

Anybody else miss when crossover groups were popular?

[innerslumber]

I went to the Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes exhibit and wanted to share for anyone who has not seen it. I am under the impression that the installation changes from location to location so I wanted to show this snapshot in time. I fully admit to being biased in what I will post so if you want to see a particular character, please let me know! Apologies ahead of time for my crappy photo taking skills.

🔵⚪️🔵⚪️🔵

Steve Rogers (Captain America)

The whole tour started off with Steve featuring immediately. You can see Captain America all throughout the exhibit but in the room that was more focused on him, Steve was sharing the space with Sam and Bucky.

The picture above was from a small monitor showing different designs and CGI work. I particularly loved this concept sketch. The extra long eyelashes are on point. 👍

The iconic comic cover of Captain America punching Hitler was one of the first items shown in the exhibit.

I thought it was interesting that half of Steve’s plaque was about Bucky. 🤣🤣🤣

It was honestly a bit intimidating to stand beside the uniform. Chris isn't the tallest of the bunch but still plenty tall! It just felt really impactful. This was worn by him in Age of Ultron.

The urge to smash and grab this was very strong. 😝😝😝 I loved the "As wielded by Chris Evans". This particular shield was used in Endgame.

Steve's various interactions with American presidents. Bush Jr. criticizing Steve for resisting against the Superhuman Registration Act which led to "Civil War", makes me even more glad that I was always Team Cap.

But maybe more importantly:

OBAMA WAS THE ONE WHO PARDONED BUCKY IN THE COMICS?!?! HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS BEFORE???

The Tesseract. Without the CGI for the glowing blue, it was mostly just clear. But still very cool.

I admit I am not that knowledgeable about the comics and seeing this "Cap's Kooky Quartet" made me go on a Google info hunt. But basically the other Avengers are tired and abandon Steve to go on vacation and without his knowledge, hire the "New" Avengers line up of Clint, Wanda, and Pietro...who are at this point newbies and basically criminals. From what I gather, it was a lot of bickering and shenanigans (Clint calls Steve "Glamor Pants"!!). I found this incredibly helpful post to explain the dynamic and also please look at this adorable picture of Dad Steve and his Misfit Kids.

The exhibit ended with the gift shop and I had to ask myself, "Do I REALLY need a soup bowl shaped like Steve's head?". He was definitely the character the most heavily present in merchandise! I was tempted to buy this Marvel cookbook but I do think it was a missed chance for Steve. I mean, okay, I get it. The beef tongue as a nod to living through the Depression. But I would have made corned beef tongue in an acknowledgment to his Irish roots. Just my two cents. 😘😘😘

This is just a small sample of Steve in the exhibit and this post would have gotten way too long if I tried to fit it all! I had a lot of fun and I'm so glad I had a chance to see it!

[katsettee]

Wow surprise surprise more @linkeduniverse.

I like to think they have the closest to legitimate sibling bonds out of the rest of the crew. Hyrule and Wind keep Legend and Wars humble when they get too big for their britches.

[checkoutmybookshelf]

The Immortals Quartet

Time to chat about another of Tamora Pierce's beloved heroines and one of her early quartets. This is also the quartet that--in my entirely subjective experience--catches a lot of guff for its romance subplot. But we'll get to that. These are some of my favorite books of Pierce's, and I'm pretty sure that I read these after the Alanna and Kel books, although they were her second published quartet, coming before Kel. Let's talk The Immortals Quartet.

Veralidaine Sarrasri, unlike Alanna and Kel, is not originally Tortallen. Our girl is Gallan, and when we first meet her in Wild Magic, she is recovering from bandits sacking her village, burning down her house, and killing her family and all their animals. She's also desperate to hide what she thinks is a form of madness from every human she runs across, which gets really complicated when Numair starts teaching her how to harness her wild magic. And for just a hot second, can I say how much I love Numair in this series? He has just as much character as Daine and I am never NOT here for phenonemally powerful mages who are also basically oversized puppies.

Getting to watch Daine develop relationships with Numair, Onua, Alanna and George, the royal family, and the Queen's Riders is such fun, and so well done that when Daine finally feels safe enough to explain why she sometimes seems recalcitrant about her magic lessons it feels immensely earned. These relationships also become immensely foundational to the rest of the series, as does Daine's b-plot but still really compelling arc about hating Stormwings.

The Stormwing arc really finds traction in Wolf Speaker. In my experience, most people say that In the Realms of the Gods is their least favorite Immortals book, but for me, Wolf Speaker takes that prize. Not at all because it's a bad book, but for me it's the most forgettable of the four. Daine and Numair are investigating sus nonsense in Fief Dunlath, and there are blood rain and shape shifting/mind riding shenanagins and Daine begins to have holes poked in her Stormwing prejudice courtesy of Rikash Moonsword. It's a fine book, and the subplots with the wolves and ogres are compelling, but for whatever reason this book does not stick in my head.

The book that does stick in my head and is unequivocally my favorite of this quartet is Emperor Mage. This book follows the Tortallen peace delegation to Carthak, and geopolitical and divine shenanagins ensue. Dain's relationships with Kaddar and Ozorne--and particularly how Numair and Ozorne's history colors both those relationships--are again central to the plot. The Graveyard Hag is also actively throwing broom handles between the spokes of Daine's wheels by giving Daine the power to bring skeletons to a seeming of life.

That gets absolutely amazing because the Graveyard Hag wants Daine to reanimate human skeletons, but Daine makes the PHENOMENAL point that humans forget literal walking nightmares really fast. What humans don't recover fast from is when you literally raze their centers of government to the ground, including food stores, records of all kinds, and the freaking treasury. So instead of making human skeletons dance through the streets, Daine reanimates DINOSAUR SKELETONS and wrecks absolute shop. It's amazing, I wouldn't change a thing.

The other thing I love about this book is Numair yo-yoing between being an experienced intelligence operative and black robe mage and a complete idiot. He is tangled up in plans to free slaves and overthrow Ozorne and yet he still somehow manages to forget all of that and swing at Ozorne when he suggests that Numair is banging Daine. Numair. Honey, sweetie, friend, you cannot be THAT much of an idiot. And the best part is, at least three other characters call him on that idiocy. This book is fantastic.

In the Realms of the Gods is the book that, in my experience, gets the most flak from fans. My experience has been that people object to the student/teacher dynamic between Daine and Numair deveoping into a romance and the significant age gap between the two characters as the romance develops. People also seem to feel that this book is too long and drags in places. I don't tend to find that the book is draggy and long, but that tends to be a very "your mileage may vary" thing for readers.

In terms of the age gap and student teacher dynamics, I want to start off very clear: In real life, student-teacher relationships are never ok, are always predatory, and I do not support. However, to paraphrase Red from OSP, not every book that shows things that aren't unequivocally morally good do not need a "Do Not Try This At Home" sticker on the cover. Books don't have to be morally instructive, they don't have to show the best possible healthy relationships, they just have to be interesting. And honestly? I find Daine and Numair interesting. On top of that, Tamora Pierce is aware enough as an author that Daine and Numair actually do (however briefly) discuss the potential pitfalls of the age gap between them. They don't address the student/teacher thing, but then I wouldn't expect them to because that's not the relationship they have in this book. They are more partners than student/teacher. All this to say, I can understand why people dislike this romance, but I'm not here to throw shade, because honestly I enjoyed it.

I also enjoyed meeting and learning about Daine's parents, exploring the literal Realm of the Gods and all the wibbly wobbly timey wimey chaos shenanagins, and the conclusion of Daine's Stormwing arc. (And how dare Pierce make me cry that hard over Rikash. That was uncalled for.)

Overall, I deeply loved this quartet, and Daine is a welcome change from the very martial Alanna and Kel. She also represents an evolution of the magic systems in Tortall, which was really compelling and refreshing.

[georgie3116]

*Bucky to Steve after getting defrosted in Wakanda*

Bucky: I feel renewed.

Bucky: I’m to deal with any changes that come my way.

Natasha: *With Blonde Hair* Hey, look whose back!

Bucky: Your hair is different. You changed your hair. I can’t take this. I’m out!

[hanahope101-2]

Utapri ✨ All Star Stage✨ Music Universe ✨

Official Website

[crimeronan]

it's been a while since i posted any kind of visual ref for the OCs and i like this picrew a lot so here..... i made one for their private selves and one for their public selves. probably a better at-a-glance ref than all the quick summaries in the world:

(see alt text for character descriptions!)

[the-magnificent-otaku-draws]

All the screenshots I made for chapter 7-10 of Book 4.5. Check it out on my Ao3 (The_Magnificent_0taku_san)