#actually see her serve that purpose XD

[clotpolesonly]

Call Down The Hawk ch 65 // Mister Impossible ch 35 // Mister Impossible ch 35

[fivelasanctum]

Everything is real

S03 ep.07 and S04 ep.06 parallel: Been doing my rewatch of the series and noticed this gem inside Lila's psyche when she was talking to Allison being reminiscent of her yelling that her and five's life in the alternate timelines wasn't real. A blatant contradiction to what she mentioned here. "This isn't real Five! None of this is real!" -Lila S04 ep.05 Events when time travelling are real and still impact you, just can happen quickly and feel like a whirlwind. She also goes to mention to have something or someone to focus on to essentially keep you sane and grounded.

Five comes in right after they have this conversation, zooming in on him as he came to fetch them for the plan. Hmmmm...xD When Five and her get lost in the subway time travelling system, her focus point is her kids. Just as Lila became Five's purpose for surviving. To protect her and try to get her back home to them. Five also became her focus point. Just secondary to their shared goal. Being together, relying on the other for survival (initially), comfort and affection. Eventually falling for each other since they can sit down and have time to see how they are mirrors of each other in many ways. Lila has shown she has mental barriers both around her heart and mind. Self preservation. Much like Five with his own control over his emotions and keeping others at a distance from all his years alone and serving as an assassin. Lila has the same trauma... with being brought up by the handler and living in the same life. She lied about Stanley to Diego as a way to test him if he would be a good father because she was scared and didn't want to be rejected. Possibly lying about being with many people to make him jealous. Mind games that she probably was taught by the Handler.

In the above images you can see that lila is a very human character with inexplicable flaws. Seeing herself far too broken to have a family and cowardly. She tends to go for the jugular to hurt when she has been harmed or upset emotionally. She goes into denial and tries to run away from her problems to a certain extent. Whereas Five has always cut to the quick with his brutal honesty. Telling her Diego loves her but also the cold truth of how her mother never did. Making her almost cry so she lashed out by diminishing his experience by calling Dolores out for what she actually was. Something to note from their argument in season 4 leading up to their return to their present timeline. He confronted her about what they shared in all those years and that the marriage was broken. Lila lies to herself sometimes and wanted to run away from having to think about anything outside of seeing her kids.

I strongly feel she said those words to Five about it being all about survival and it not being real because she felt betrayed with his lies. Even though his words weren't wrong. She couldn't say anything to his reasoning for doing it. "You know why." Still - it's true to her character. When she saw the hurt on her lovers face...think that's when most of the anger faded from her. Replaced with a sense of powerlessness, sadness and resignment. Yearning to stay there in their happiness bubble (it was still their Anniversary when all this went down) but needing to have her kids back. She appeared as though she was ready to cry because in her heart she didn't want anything to change regarding the two of them. Just trying to push him away yet can't stand hurting him. Perhaps it's difficult for her to hold herself back from that defense mechanism.

This is the look of someone eager to get back to her old married life with the kids right? Again, ready to cry with the situation weighing heavy on her heart. Think why she had tunnel vision to focus on just seeing her kids again was because she didn't want to ponder what happens next with her relationship with Five, talking to Diego...figuring everything out. Damn. This was suppose to be a short post but turned into a mini essay. In short...she was lying about what they have not being real. Just tried to push it away due to in the moment anger with the reveal.

[rendy-a]

amh if possible could hoy make hdcns for the dorm leaders ( separately ) reacting to their mc fem explaining the marvel universe and then puts them to watch the movies hehe ( ..also mc's fav hero is dead-pool ;) bc it gives me laugh imagine their reactions about this xd) , thanks in advance and take care<33

This certainly ended up being a little bit of a crack fic but it ended up amusing. Hope you enjoy it.

At first, he scoffs as such a time-wasting thing as wanting to watch dozens of movies.  Where is the educational value in this?

He is just too polite to refuse to listen, so he’ll end up letting you describe all your favorite scenes to him.

You are better off if he doesn’t take an interest because, if he does, he is going to turn into the worst sort of comic book geek.  Be ready to have him quote lore from issues of source material at you during any discussion on this from now on.

What do you mean who would win?  In Volume 3 #3, Thor clearly defeated Iron Man.  Don’t get upset Prefect, I don’t write the lore, I just recite it.

Doesn’t appear to be interested but, if you pause long enough, he’ll prompt you to go on.  It’s important to you, so he’ll try to care at least a little.

You’d never tell him this, but you love to banter with him because it reminds you of your favorite character.  Sometimes you wonder if he’d be pleased or offended to know who you remind him of.

Movie marathons?  Not only is he willing to do them with you, but he is also often the one who suggests them.  Don’t be deceived though, it’s not for the movie but for the quality nap time on the couch with you. 

Don’t turn that off, Herbivore, I’m watching it.  What do you mean I don’t know what’s going on?  This is the part where we learn her mom isn’t dead after all.  So quiet down and keep the lights off.

Please, he is in Board Game Club with Idia. You think this is the first time he has hmmm’d himself through a conversation about fictional characters?

Wait, you say that this makes a ton of money?  Tell him more about this merchandising and licensing.  Especially that, what do you call it…ah, Happy Meal.

You can eventually talk him into watching the movies with you for ‘research purposes.’  When you do, you can’t help but notice how teary-eyed he gets at the sad scenes.  He’s just so sensitive!

Deadpool is also his favorite character.  He feels a sort of connection to certain parts of his story.

So, she chooses to stay with him even though he looks like that?  No, I’m not blubbering.  No, I don’t need you to cuddle with me.  Ok, fine.  Just for a little while. 

He doesn’t get it, but he still loves it.  Sure, you have to explain everything to him three times, but he gets excited over your excitement.  Call him any time to talk about your theories on how things would have gone if Thanos had made a different wish on the infinity gauntlet.  He doesn’t mind if it’s 3 AM (just don’t let Jamil find out).

Movie marathons turn into parties.  Why just watch the movies when you can have themed snacks and dress up too?  Hulk smash cakes and Black Widow berry cobbler?  Yes, please.

His favorite part of any film is the soundtrack.  If he hears a song he likes, he gets up to dance along.  It’s pretty disruptive when you are watching the movie but when you see how much fun he is having, you find you don’t really mind after all.

Sorry Prefect, Jamil says we can’t have dance battles in Scarabia anymore.  Ooh!  But come by the Pop Music Club later.  I’m going to play all my favorite songs for Cater and Lilia. Ahaha!

You were worried Vil would dismiss your favorite Marvel films as inferior art, but he is actually rather generous about it.  He believes the film should suit the audience and, as so, there is nothing wrong with films like this that serve to entertain the masses.

Still, he can’t help but be critical of everything while you watch.  He doesn’t criticize the things you’d talk about with your friends but topics you’d hardly even notice while you watched like the set design and lighting.

You notice Vil seems secretly fond of Loki.  You think the idea of the Villain that survives the main movies to get his own spotlight series appeals to him.

No, Potato, I’m just saying the angle isn’t right for this sort of tone.  A shot from below would be more effective.  Plus…wait, are you having more popcorn?  I don’t think so, it’s past the time you can snack before bed.

You had expected Idia to be all in on the Marvel Universe but, at first, he is oddly resistant to it.  He’d rather recommend you one of his own favorite hero movies.  If you disagree on which is better, he is more than willing to fight with you over why his is best!

After a heated argument, he puts on some of the movies to watch so he can come up with targeted points about why his own shows are better.  This does not work out for him as he gets sucked in himself.  Next time you meet up, he wants to go over tiny bits of lore and speculate on future plot lines from hints in the past movies.

You might think his favorite would be Iron Man because they both are innovative engineers, but he is a fan of Ant Man.  Shrinking down to a size where you can hide from everyone; it’s an introvert’s dream!

Prefect, this is serious business!  I’ve drawn up plans.  So long as we sleep only 2 hours a day and avoid taking any breaks for food, studying, and showers, we can finish at least three seasons this weekend.  True fans like us need to be ready to sacrifice for the shows we love!

There are many things Tusnotarou doesn’t understand, and this is one of them.  For starters, he barely knows how to use his smartphone, let alone how to stream movies and shows.  So, before you can even start explaining the plot, you must explain the whole concept of series and interconnecting shows to him.

He doesn’t get it, but he is happy to watch with you.  Your reactions to the show are far more amusing to him than the actual show.  Plus, he feels like he learns so much about the human world from your conversations.  A subway, how intriguing an idea.  Humans are so fascinating.

Even though he watches politely, he isn’t very impressed.  They can fly?  Well so can he.  Magic, lightning, superstrength?  All just part of being a dragon.  Perhaps instead of being interested in these superheroes, you’d rather learn more about him?

 Lilia, do you think I am a superhero?  The Prefect has been explaining this concept to me in great detail lately.  I can’t help but notice the many things I have in common with these so-called heroes.  Why yes, Lilia, now that you mention it, I am wearing a cape.  Another point in my favor. Fu fu fu.    

[thedragonqueen1998]

Today at work i got insanly inspired to write and once i got off work, i immidiently went on my phone to type it out. XD I just finished a 3 hour long writing ses(had a 15 minute food break in the middle). ^^ Probably just gonna forever gonna be a wip thing, but it was fun and i'm kinda proud of it. Despite it being rough in some parts, mostly because i wanted to rush to the 2nd half and i didn't wanna get stuck, i'm happy to share it. ^^

It's a kinda long, so i'm gonna add a Read more line to not fill your dash with text. Also, first time trying formatting out! XD

So, originally this post was just gonna be a "i actually wrote something! Look!" thing, just showing of some work i did, but after writing the reason why i wrote a line a certain way, it went into something very sad and kinda dark, so if you don't wanna read about death, a light mention of suicidal thought and grief... just stop after What even is my life.

Idk why i wrote it, but it took alot of effort and it feels... important to me, i guess. Part of processing and such. So, yeah. Read at your discretion. Thank you for your time. 💜

Ezio had many regrets in his long life. Not being there when his father and brothers were arrested. Of not being there more for his sister and mother. Of not trying to be together with Cristina. Not being able to save her. Or being able to save Uncle Mario and Monteriggioni. But biggest of all, not having spent more time with his family before the execution.

He had love, but didn't cherish it. Didn't truly feel it and took it for granted. But unlike so many others, Ezio could take those regrets and change them. Thanks to Desmond.

When he walked into the Library, he thought he might get an answer or two in return for many more. He truly didn't expect that calling out Desmonds name while the Apple bathed the walls in gold would result in it being answered by the being himself.

The being looked like a man, clad in a white light, eminating from a strange device under his right arm. His face looked like an exact replica of Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's face, though his build was closer to his. Broad shoulders hidden underneath a strange hooded white doublet and long legs wearing strange tight fitted pants made from a material he did not recognise. Even the scar was the same as his! Was Ezio made in the image of the one he was the Prophet for? Was Altaïr the herald? All questions Ezio wondered, but not knowing if Desmond was like Minerva or not, he dared not waste any questions if the beings patient was thin.

But first: "Are you Desmond?" He had to know, have it confirmed, even if the being appeared after the name was called.

"Ezio? Is this the Library? Am i seriously bleeding while dying!?" Desmond was looking around at the empty tomb, before his eyes returned upon Ezio.

"Yes, this is Altaïr's library. You are bleeding? I do not see any blood and you are dying!? Is there anything i can do to help you? Please, my lord. Tell me what i need to do to save you." Ezio was desperate to know his purpose and if all his life lead to this moment, where he could save Desmonds life, he would fulfill it.

"There's nothing you can do. I am dying semi willingly and even if this is some Animus infused death hallucination, it is nice having my last moments with you, even if your not really here. I am so sorry i couldn't answer any of your questions or try to save you from losing everything. You never deserved any of it. In the end it didn't really even matter. I am sorry you wasted your time chasing riddles and ghosts." He looked so grieve struck while saying it and the look Desmond had while gazing down onto Ezio could only be described as lovingly.

"What do you mean? Could you have saved my uncle!? My father and brothers!? Why didn't you if you do not think i deserved it! I have served the Brotherhood almost my entire life, sacrificed so much trying to find out what Minerva meant and now your telling me that it was all for nothing!? If you think i wasted my time then give it back!"

Desmonds eye's widen before softly smiling and saying: "Your right, you wasted your time and sacrificed too much for nothing. Let's change that."

Before Ezio knew it, the world went white and he knew nothing more.

—————

When Ezio awoke, it was to a bed he hadn't seen in almost 40 years. His childhood bed and his room. He couldn't believe it. He was given a second chance. To live his life. To right wrongs. To save his family! To think going to the Library would result in this!

At the thought of the Library, Ezio suddenly remembered Sofia. To have forgotten her and even abandoned her without a second thought left Ezio feeling guilty. Would she wait outside the Library before realising he would never come back? Or because he is now in the past, a past where he intends to change the future, would she never meet him? Never exist? The thought of her hurt, but like so many others, Ezio knew that him being in her life would have risked hers. Even if she knew and accepted it, it is still better if she never got the chance to know him and inevitibly suffer because of it. Same with Cristina. Though he could now choose her, he knew that despite the many mistakes in his life, the Brotherhood was not one of them and his refusal to properly let her go killed her. Letting that life affect her once again was too cruel. It was for the better to just let her go.

Federico nudged him with his elbow. "Brother, what has you thinking so hard you look like you bit into something bitter?"

"Nothing much, just wondering what i should get." Ezio smiled and laughed. He was currently out with his family on a trip the market. The last time around, he had decided to sneak off to spend some time with a girl he didn't even remember the name of anymore instead of spending time with his loved ones, to his great shame and regret. This was the last thing his family had done together outside of dinners before the execution in 3 days. That he missed out on it was one of his biggest regrets, but Desmond let him change it.

That Ezio might never truly understand or know what or who Desmond is, how he watched him in the Vault or even what Minerva's people and the Pieces of Eden truly were will forever haunt him, but the trade to see his family again and to even be able to save them is a fair trade. He can go his life wondering these questions and maybe try to find them now that he will have more time, thanks to already knowing the Templars plans and who will be an enemy or ally.

He felt a finger poke him inbetween his eyebrows.

"There you go again Brother. Thinking too hard! Be careful or you might hurt yourself." Federico teased before yelping and then laughing when Ezio pushed him.

"Please don't start fighting now sons." Their father said before turning back to the stall owner to continue discussing what wares to buy and the prices.

"Sorry Father!" Ezio said before giving his brother a teasing look that promised this was not over.

Ezio remembered this day well enough. Not to remember the woman he decided to chase, but enough to know that when his family had been at the market a horse had run wild there and according to Claudia, nearly trampled her down in the confusion.

He was a bit sceptical to believe it was as close as she had made it out to be, but he knew horses much better now than he did before. After years of riding them to and from places in the chase for his targets, he knew that having one running towards you in a blind panic could scare anyone. Even though he knew to be wary of them and treat them with respecy during his original childhood, he didn't truly get how these gentle beings could be as scary as his sister had made the poor creature out to be.

According to his family, it had been a war horse, bloodied, running around in a blind panic, probably scared from a skirmish. Being chased by guards hadn't helped and eventually the guards got a good shot at it and put it down.

Ezio wanted to save his sister years of fearing horses, so he kept an eye and a ear out for any signs that the animal was on it's way.

There. A scream. Everyone stopped and looked around for the source. The source was still hidden by the crowds, but in the distance you could start seeing people moving away from something coming this way and the screams were getting closer.

Ezio breathed and slipped into his Second Sight, the Eagle Vision, as he now knew Altaïr had called it. Or more accuratly, Eagle Sense. With the years, his constant use and need for it had changed his Sight. It had become much stronger, letting him see farther, expanded his hearing, to let him hear his enemies heartbeat and even know what moves they were going to make. Even let him know where his enemies was going to go on a patrol route.

It truly was a gift and now he would use it to try and predict where the animal would go, as to lead his sister and family away from the danger. Then he saw it. The shine of something important. Something that glowed as strongly as the Apple of Eden had. The horse.

There was much about his Gift he could not explain. He had tried, but it is much like explaining sight to a blind person. Why things he didn't even know about could glow gold and lead him to the answer. Why allies glowed blue and enemies red, nor how he could tell friend from foe and now. His Sight told him, with the same intuition as telling friend from foe, that this horse was Desmond.

How is Desmond here? Why? Did he lie about dying? Or was certain death only a large chance that Desmond beat? Ezio supposed it did not matter. If he lets events play as they had before, Desmond would be struck down by an arrow within minutes. Oh, maybe Desmond had tried to prevent his father and brothers demise, but was struck down in the attempt? Though, why choose to do it as a rampaging horse? Either way, Desmond was clearly panicking, almost upon him now. If Ezio could not calm him down, his death was guaranteed.

But how? Ezio has just seconds now to plan a way to stop him before he is trampled down.

Then, he finally realises, that among the bright gold he shines, he also glowes blue. Such a deep colour which he has only seen in the greatest friends or closest family and he knows, Desmond would never harm him. The look of pure love on Desmonds face made more sense now.

So Ezio decides to not move and simple raise up his hands, as if to pet the horse.

"EZIO!"

————

Desmond was in pain. He knew that Juno lied about his death being quick and painless, but god, why did it have to hurt so much!? During his hallucination, it wasn't nearly so bad! And can't forget the weird nightmare he's having ontop of it. He's a goddamned horse on some battlefield. He was rearing up when the nightmare started, neighing as his rider was shot and killed by an arrow.

There's so much blood. The smell strikes fear in his heart. There's so much red. He slips into Eagle Vision and there's even more red. Not a spec of blue. A sword slides against the armor he is wearing and the screech of metal is too much. He bolts.

He needs to run. Away from the monsters with sharp sticks. Away from the smell of blood and death. Away from the shadows hiding hunters. They follow him. They chase him for a long time.

He is getting so tired.

He needs to get back to the barn. His owner would make everything alright. He would croon soft noises he did not understand, but the tone was soft and gentle. He would give him a treat while brushing him down after a hard days work.

He did ride him into scary battles he did not understand, but afterwards he would wash and groom him extra thoroughly, while feeding him the best apples, crooning more sounds in a happy tone. He would repeat one of the few sounds he understood, which meant "him" and "pay attention to me".

Dante.

But he wasn't on his back anymore and he didn't hear his voice. Just the loud, scary noises of more men in the shiny hard thing. They had the pointy sticks too and tried to take the things dangling from his mouth. Only his owner can touch that! Only he is to be trusted with them.

Running is getting harder, there is large, straight hills in the way and the path is narrower with many strangers in it.

There is still so much red. He can still smell the blood, feel it clotting his fur. Too much red!

Blue.

Suddenly there's blue in front of him. He knows blue means ally. Though why and how this person is blue confuses him. But he is Blue and running him over is not good, but why is he standing there!? Does he not see the red!? Smell it!? Does he not understand we need to run!?

"Desmond"

That single word pierces the fog of fear and wild panic that has flooded Desmonds mind. Ezio is in front of him, hand already gripping the reigns while the other rests on his muzzle.

"There we go Desmond, everything is alright."

Desmond still feels phantom threads of fear, but with Ezio's calming blue glow and his voice saying gentle reassurances, it feels far away.

Now with his mind fully human and not driven by horse instincts or memories, the question becomes: How and why the fuck is he a horse in 15th century Italy with Ezio!?

What even is his life.

————

So, a couple parts i'm stupidly happy about is the "He had love, but didn't cherish it. Didn't truly feel it and took it for granted." part. This, as you can probably tell was inspired by the famous quote "When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it. And I had love, but I did not feel it."

I believe Ezio didn't fully understand liberty until he tried to live a peaceful life with Sofia and realised he would always fear Templars taking revenge on his family and time, because the knowledge that he would never see his children grow up to adults had never been a concern before he met Sofia. He probably thought he wouldn't have a family at all.

But love. Love he would understand what he missed. He would understand it just days after he lost his father and brothers. Those moments you missed out on. Of opportunities to spend time that you squandered away. Time you will never get back, because in real life we don't have time travel.

And now i understand it. Before the end of the last year, i was like Ezio before the loss. Before i lost my grandparents only a few weeks apart.

Those opportunities to spend time was rare and thankfully i took most of them, but i still squandered it away by not actually spending time with them. I just visited and hid away in my room, wasting the time by sitting on the phone.

I will forever regret that because ny memory is shit and besides a few childhood ones, i have no memories of them. I still remember their voices, they were pretty distinct thankfully, but how long until i forget that.

It hurts and as someone who is afraid of death and it's finality, such a reminder that time and love is finite is soulcrushing. It is only recently that i have truly started to think of my grandparents and i guess try to process the fact they are gone forever.

When we first got the news that my grandpa had died, i was even more glued to my phone, not wanting to acknowledge what was happening. I also didn't wanna sleep and only got some when i passed out from exhaustion. We even went to the doctor to get time of work and some sleep medication i didn't dare end up taking.

I even had thoughts of just taking all the pills and just sleeping, to get away from the pain forever. But i'm thankfully too much of a coward, so it just stayed thoughts. I'm doing much better now and as i mentioned, i think i'm starting to process the fact that they are gone.

So, yeah. This post went in a direction i didn't expect. But it feels important and maybe in a few years i can look back at this post and see a snapshot of who i was and reflect on who i am now. So, here's to the future me and anyone else who needs to hear it:

I hope things are going well and if they're not... well, things get better. They always do. You're loved and even if your loved ones are gone, they live on in you. You will carry that love with you, for the rest of your life. 💜

[nerdasaurus1200]

Why Cassandra's Moonstone Armor Sucks

*cracks knuckles and dusts off keyboard*

It's time to finally rip this armor to shreds...figuratively because it's indestructible XD

And big shoutout to @whosbex @archivedwoods @th3p0rtalmaker @the-reverse-mermaid @aziraphalesbookkeeper and @majorabbey who all wanted to see this. I thank you all so much for your patience 🥰

Don't get me wrong there are some elements of this that absolutely work. The blue and black is a wonderful color scheme, especially that blue swirl that goes down and around Cass's body. And the spikes on the shoulders, forearms, and calves looks super cool and gives off a more black rock feel and a very intimidating silhouette. But...that's about all it does right.

1- It doesn't fit Cassandra's sense of style at all

In all the outfits we can see Cass wear throughout the show, we can very easily get a sense of exactly what her style is. It’s very clear that she dresses conservatively. And especially in armor she values practicality above all else. Her clothing has to serve its respective purpose. And up until season 3 the only revealing thing she wears is her island outfit and even then that’s pretty modest. And the moonstone armor comes along and completely disregards her established sense of style.

2- It undermines the moonstone's capabilities

We get it very explicitly confirmed that the Moonstone made the Dark Kingdom, and made Cass's tower as well. We see the amount of detail it puts into buildings. Even the rocks, the most simple thing it can make, are magically complex enough to know to seek out the Sundrop. And you're telling me that this thing can't make better armor than that?? Nuh uh, no way. I don't buy it. There’s absolutely no reason for the moonstone to provide a skin tight catsuit with a few spikes when we know its power can be much more sturdy and intimidating.

3- It's Chris Sonneburg's fantasies showing through

Those of you who have been in this fandom know the crush that Chris, the director, has on Cass. She's supposedly based on his college crush or something, and from day one he always wanted Cass to be the villain and plan to betray Rapunzel even as far back as the very beginning of the show. And of course, don't you want to see your crush in something hot? Therefore, I'm certain that the retaining of the catsuit was his idea. Because if you look at the moonstone concept art you can see more and more the visual leaning into a catsuit rather than actual armor

4- It's not at all practical or historically accurate

For reference, THIS is what armor has typically looked like throughout history

And even in works of fantasy you still have some version or variant of armor like this. Throughout the middle ages you can see just how tanky armor used to be. But as you can see, the moonstone armor looks nothing like that. It doesn't at all look like it could realistically defend a person.

Granted Cass's guard uniform is also kinda form fitting like the moonstone armor, but there’s still protective elements of it. The helmet, the breastplate. You could still believe that that is practical armor. Despite it being indestructible, the moonstone….is not at all practical armor. It doesn't look like it belongs in history or even fantasy. It is so obviously modern it’s almost painful.

5- It makes her disappear.

This is actually something that @moltenhair pointed out a while back that I never realized. There's too much black in there. A lot of the time we see Moonssandra at night and because there's so much black on her armor it makes her fade into the background to the point where she looks like a floating head and hand because the blue is all that really catches your eye about the design. Granted one can make the argument that this could have been done on purpose because taking and using the moonstone isn't actually giving Cass the spotlight she thinks it is but...eh...it's a loose argument.

[asexualreptile]

Day 5: The magician reversed

A spirit's form that captured my interest

This form is not described in any of the books but the concept won't leave me alone.

The first shape that Bart ever took:

I imagine it's the first living thing that he sees aka his First Master. I know there is a footnote about it being some blonde, angelic and innocent looking form but... come on, how does that make sense? I'm fully comfortable putting that down as an instance of his unreliability towards us as readers.

From the Bartimaeus wiki, Bart's first summoning was 3010 BCE in the city of Ur.

Unfortunately, I couldn't for the life of my find a visual reference for this exact time frame and location; at least not one that was detailed enough to actually serve my purpose, so the reference for the drawing above is slightly later (2600 BCE, Ur), namely the Queen-Priestess Pu A Bi (written in Akkadian at the bottom left corner).

Please look at the absolutely gorgeous real-life ornaments at the Penn museum: https://www.penn.museum/collections/object_images.php?irn=1138#image4

This fantastic paper helped me figure out the rest of her garments (at least I hope I got it right xD):

What lay beneath: Queen Puabi's garments and her passage https://scholar.google.de/scholar?hl=de&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=what+lay+Beneath+Queen+puabis+garments&btnG=#d=gs_qabs&t=1710439461867&u=%23p%3DJlQNlOGQ3iMJ

For the spear I loooked at Google images, the tip should be Bronze (because we're looking at a Bronze age civilization, how mind-boggling is that; he's so old it's hard to wrap my head around)

And look at these details; I'm really happy with them!! Nope, not even royalty was wearing shoes at that time yet I learned!

The four butterfly wings were inspired by some throw-away comment by Bart that they were trendy at some point, no idea if the timelines add up, they just looked cool to me.

[egg-emperor]

If/when Eggy finally scraps orbot and cubot for good, do you think he'd show them the superior bots that he's replacing them with (and bragging about the superior bots superiority while calling robot and cubot Useless), just before he scraps them, just to twist the knife?😈

He was clearly already very into threatening them with the idea of replacing them to immediately knock them back into submission and obedience all along lol

And now that Sage is a thing, I can imagine it's getting worse for them already as he practically already unintentionally replaced them as when she exceeded all expectations, he quickly expressed enthusiasm to assign her to many major tasks they would've previously managed

So they're almost out of a job already aside from like the awkward things like being called to the bathroom/bedroom to assist him or give his special massages etc where they have to see him nude lol with Sage in the picture

She's appealing to many of Eggman's needs and much more enthusiastically and earnestly than they ever did, so she's much more reliable to him and praised by him of course. Plus there's the greater appeal for all the pride he can take in her for being an impressive creation that he truly feels is reflective of his genius just like he longed for in the prequel comic

He could never say the same for poor Orbot and Cubot, who he feels put a stain on his image more often than not for how often they set off his short temper, disappoint him, and need much more forcing and threatening into doing a lot of things. Their typical antics are specifically what made him wish for something to be proud of above

Sage, seeing them as family, may hope that Eggman changes his mind on how he feels about them but he knows she'll still remain loyal to her beloved father, even after any disappointment if he did it. Not that it's not a concern to him in the first place anyway because he always does what he wants and that won't change for anyone at all XD

So he may already be very close to replacing them without even needing to make more robots first, the more he finds Sage and Metal cover most areas for him! Aside from those early things he still makes them do. I can imagine even if he's already immediately constantly putting them down in comparison to Sage every time he praises his golden child

He could make their replacements quickly because both quality and quantity matters and he needs some for those more awkward intimate tasks and he'd be sure to brag about how much better they are at serving him too, but especially Metal and Sage as his very best. Really rub it in to make them feel like inferior useless disgraces in comparison

Or maybe without even making their direct replacements yet, he'd tease by telling them he'll use their parts to make better and superior robots that replace the very last of their little purpose and use to him left, will reflect his genius, and treat him the way he should be. "I'll replace you with creations I can actually be proud of, like Metal and Sage!"

And he'd also cruelly emphasize that he's definitely not going to use their data banks/minds if he repurposes them to make these new robots he boasts of creating because they're only good for their parts. He wants to make it hurt, make them feel like the trash they'll become when they're torn apart and thrown away, unable to feel anything at all

Oh this cruel bastard. Him being proud and happy with his newest shiny toy makes him either totally ignore and abandon, deliberately treat his older obsolete creations like shit to make them feel inferior in comparison, and/or even scrap them entirely. You may be happy for Sage's promotions but poor Orbot and Cubot have to suffer for it!

[laufire]

And you know I always want to hear more about the YJ WIP, so Young Justice: Fenix

I'm going to switch things up a bit here. For those who might not know, that's how I call a Jason-centric, longfic WIP of mine set in the Young Justice (cartoon) universe. It takes all four seasons as canon (it cherry picks re: the tie-in comics), and mixes some of my headcanons regarding Jason's character in it with some mainline comics canon that I don't think would apply to the show, but that serve my purposes. AND it throws in some dcau canon (but making it my own) for good measure.

Though the story is largely about Jason, the collision with his old life and the reunion with his family, it's told in multiple POVs. Mainly to advance the plot and not just write a navel-gazing Jason angst fest xDD. I thought I'd list the characters that get to have POVs, and tell you a bit of what they'll be bringing to the story. In order of appearance:

Talia al Ghul. The story opens with her! She's the main plot-mover, because she's in the thick of the actual conflict (vs. the new league of shadows + the light), preparing and moving pieces so things go the way they're supposed to. The dynamic between her and Jason is shaping up to be interesting too: it's different from how I see their comics relationship, AND different from the fanon mother-and-son dynamic. There's some of that, maybe, but due to circumstances and the large gap between him and Damian in this canon (nearly 20 years), he funcitons more as a parental figure than a brotherly one... cue spousification añsdklfjasdf. It's been fun to write.

Jason Todd. He's the main guy. He's going through it xD (also, this version of him didn't go into a pit, so he's healed the slow way and that's had an effect on him.

Dick Grayson. He's running point on The Superhero Side of things, as a leader, as a link between various sets of the plot, etc. His relationship with Jason is still forming. They are closer in age and (in my head) they actually shared time and space in the manor, as brothers, which makes some things easier and something more complicated. He also offers a counterpoint to Bruce (next one). In every instance we see into Bruce's head, we see that (although he rarely exteriorises it), he thinks about Jason. Dick doesn't, he has a mental block the size of a country. Until things come crashing down... very close to his birthday...

Bruce Wayne. He's there to suffer! I say this with affection because yj!Bruce is better than most Bruces but. I enjoy putting him through the ringer. I'm giving him angst about Jason, I'm giving him angst about Damian, I'm giving him angst about this-mysterious-red-hooded-guy... even about Alfred, and about other things I still haven't ironed out completely lmao.

Damian al Ghul. He's at the center of the conflict, what our mains are protecting above all. He's six years old. My goal is to strike a balance with his character, because otoh, yj offers a different version of the al Ghuls, which would change things, but I do love comics!Damian and the edges he comes with. His relationship with Jason tugs at my heartstrings.

Dinah Lance. She has a much smaller part than the ones above, but she has a couple of POV sections of her own. One of the first scenes I wrote for this fic was a therapy session with Bruce shortly after Jason's death, and I didn't want her to be in the fic *just* for that lol. She offers a little insight into the Senior League, into how (what in this world is) a very public child hero's death affected things, etc.

Cassandra Wu San. I simply find this (very, very different) version of Cass fascinating and wanted in her head. I wanted to show her perspective on the other bats, Barbara (who hasn't gotten a POV herself because this version of the character is simply more interesting through Cass's eyes) and Bruce in particular. And I also thought that, timeline-wise, it'd fit that she might've met Jason as the Red Hooded Ninja if they were in the League of Shadows around the same time. So that's fun.

Artemis Crock. I wanted someone on the original team to have a POV as well, and she was the immediate best choice. She can help move the plot on that side (here she's the new team leader), she has insight on the Shadows as well (Jade is also around btw!), I imagine as the teammate who Jason would've connected with the quickest, and we get to see some of her conflicting feelins re: an old teammate being resurrected... and not being the one she misses the most.

Tim Drake. He caused me a lot of headaches because a.) the show version of Tim is really... just there and b.) I started properly planning the fic at a time where I wasn't feeling particularly kind towards comics!Tim. Luckily for my peace of mind I got over that lol, but even then, that period made it so I put extra effort with this character and the result is that he has his own parcel of the plot LOL. Featuring undercover mission, archeology digs, among other treats for him. His dynamic with Jason is complicated (Jason has a lot of feelings that are really more about himself than about Tim, but Tim is sort of in the way of dealing with those lol), added with the fact that when they meet, Jason is still keeping his identity under wraps and he can't air all of that out... yet xD

So basically: the Waynes (though Tim wasn't ever adopted in this version of canon, in my head; his step-mother is still around) or inner batfam circle + Talia + one member of the team + one member of the JL.

ask me about my wips!

[kaija-rayne-author]

Is Solas a Villain?

Spoilers for Dragon Age Inquisition and Trespasser DLC. Maybe DAO and DA2 too.

So is he a villain?

Nope!

That's not me being a Solas apologist.

That's me being a pedantic AF writer/editor/word and literary nerd.

Solas, no matter how players feel about him, is an anti-hero.

Firstly, what is an anti-hero?

1. A character who is a hero to some, a villain to others.

Solas was a hero to the ancient enslaved elves, even if he did end up basically destroying the world. If he does what I suspect, he'll also end up a hero to the current generation of enslaved elves, too. He's mentioned he has spies, many, indicating that many people, even good people, serve him. Because they think of him as a hero.

2. A character whose existence offers a critique of social morals and reality.

Can you think of any other character in DA:I who calls attention to the problems of the status quo more than Solas? I mean, truly pointing out the uncomfortable truth?

This convo w/Dorian sort of illustrates that point.

Dorian: Solas, for what it's worth, I'm sorry.

Dorian: The elven city of Arlathan sounds like a magical place, and for my ancestors to have destroyed it...

Solas: Dorian... hush.

Solas: Empires rise and fall. Arlathan was no more "innocent" than your own Tevinter in its time.

Solas: Your nostalgia for the ancient elves, however romanticized, is pointless.

Solas: If you wish to make amends for past transgressions, free the slaves of all races who live in Tevinter today.

Dorian: I... don't know that I can do that.

Solas: Then how sorry are you?

3. A character who is the focal point of conflict in a story.

Rather a no-brainer on this one. I truly think the actual villain/s of DA:D won't end up being Solas. I think, as he was in DA:I, he's a massive distraction. A misdirection of attention.

4. A character who is particularly engaged in the conflict, typically on their own will, rather than for a specific call for the greater good. As such, the anti-hero focuses on their objective first, and everything else is secondary.

Solas, if Romanced, gives up his heart's desire, the Inquisitor, the only person that has ever drawn his attention from the fade, for his goal, even though you can see how much it destroys him to do it.

His heart, hers, his friends... NOTHING can get in the way of the goal. And it's a goal he's taken on of his own will. He's taking the responsibility of fixing his fuck up because he fucked it up. (He's foolish because if he'd just stop and think for a second, he'd realize he's really bad at fixing things.)

5. An Anti-hero is still operating for what they think is the greater good. Solas truly believes that fixing what he broke is for the greater good of Thedas. Not just his own people, (that's an enjoyable side benefit XD) but Thedas itself. Because it was never meant to have the veil in the first place. (We'll just brush that whole evil self-absorbed mage-gods being set free at the same time under the carpet? Because he has "plans". Solas, Solas, just stop and think for a minute!)

6. They tend to be flawed heroes in the sense that they do wrong things/screw up/cause harm.

Welp. That's pretty much a dictionary definition of Solas, isn't it?

So how is that actually different from a villain?

A villain is a malicious, often cruelly malicious character, who is involved in or devoted to wickedness or crime or hurting others for their own sake. One who contributes evil agency (motivation) to the plot.

The literary purpose of a villain is to stand opposite the hero to help the plot move forward.

In contrast with the hero (which is defined by ingenuity, bravery, pursuit of justice and the greater good), a villain is most often defined by their acts of selfishness, evilness, arrogance, and or cruelty. They are often cunning and display unilaterally agreed upon immorality that can pervert or oppose justice.

In short, an anti-hero is a character who does too much good to be truly bad, and too much bad to truly be considered good.

Solas, as a character, gives unflinchingly of himself to the Inquisition. He gave them his home, if you believe Skyhold is actually his.

He gives of his blood and flesh in battles.

He gives his knowledge.

If Romanced, he gives his heart to a mortal inquisitor.

And he's willing to give whatever is left of his heart, his soul, and very possibly his life to fix what he broke.

Sorry, Solas haters, he's just not the villain you want him to be.

And that's what makes him so bloody fascinating!

Humanity loves our anti-heroes.

Did you know the term anti-hero was used as early as 1714, but that the character archetype has been used by Homer (Theristes), in Ancient Greek drama (Medea), in Roman mythology (Hercules), and in a lot of Renaissance literature (Don Quixote)?

At some point, the existence of an anti-hero character eventually became an established form of social criticism. Which Solas is very good at.

Other examples of anti-heroes most folks will likely recognize

Wade Wilson/Deadpool

Huckleberry Finn

Lou Bloom/Nightcrawler

Bruce Wayne/Batman

Mad Max

Captain Jack Sparrow

Lisbeth Salander (Girl w/dragon tattoo)

Han Solo

Pinnochio

James Bond

Lestat de Lioncourt (Interview w/a Vampire)

Geralt of Rivia (Witcher)

Tyrion Lannister (Game of Thrones)

Dexter Morgan (Dexter)

Indiana Jones

John Rambo

T-800 (The Terminator)

John McClane (Die Hard)

The Beast (Beauty & the Beast)

Tyler Durden (Fight Club)

Magneto (X-Men)

Logan/Wolverine (X-Men)

Riddick

Shrek

Stitch (Lilo & Stitch)

Harley Quinn

Hellboy

John Constantine

Frank Castle (The Punisher)

V (V for Vendetta)

Tony Stark/Iron Man

Sherlock Holmes

Judge Dredd

John Wick

Maleficent

Venom

Angel & Spike (Buffy)

Dean & Sam Winchester (Supernatural)

Oliver Queen/Green Arrow

The Mandalorian/Din Djarin

Wednesday Addams

I'll stop there, because the list could probably go on for a looong time (as if it hasn't already? 😅)

My work of words is my only income. Please consider a tip or becoming a patron. :)

[princess-ibri]

How would you incorporate Mizrabel from the Castle of Illusion games into the Disneyverse?

Ok, I've been thinking on this for weeks now trying to figure out a good idea for this, i've thought out soooo many different things xD And I think I finally got one that I like:

Link to the fairytale mentioned in this so it makes sense if you don't already know it

Oh also Trigger Warning for Body Horror. Thats a first for this blog I think xD

Mizrabel is originally the adopted daughter in the Nordic faitytale Tatterhood. The child taken in by the childless king and queen, who only serves the purpose of befriending a wise woman's daughter so that the wise woman can tell the queen how to gain two biological daughters, who go one to be the actual main characters of the faitytale, and then the adopted one is never heard from again. I've ways wondered what happened to that poor girl...

And what happened was that, her heart broken by grief over her adopted mother basically abandoning her once her own twins were born, the young adopted princess Mirja goes back to the wise woman herself, demanding she be given something that will make her beautiful, powerful, noticed, loved.

The wise woman warns her of the dangers of such a request. Her mother asked for a child of her own, disregarding the one she had, and for the greed in her heart she did not follow the wise woman's rules and gained more then she asked for, and did not appreciate what she gained besides.

For the Queen ate, not one, but both of the magical flowers she had grown with the wise woman's guidance. She was warned to eat only one, but she hungered to ensure the spell would take, and so gained one beautiful daugher--and one wild one.

But the cast off princess doesn't care about the warning. For she wants to be More than both of the children the queen has gained combined.

The wise woman sighs, seeing the heartache of her child's friend, and gives her a seed to take and plant, which over the next year will grow into an apple tree that will bear a single fruit, a black apple that shines with all the colors of the rainbow. If she takes one bite of it, she will outshine both the children the queen carries, both in beauty and power.

But, like her adopted mother before her, Mirja does not heed the rules. Fearful that one bite will not be enough, she eats the full apple.

Her bones begin to crack, her skin to melt and merge. She has gained the ability to shift forms, to become anyone and anything. But she cannot yet fully control it, and horrified by the mass of shifting flesh she has become , she flees into the mountains.

There, she meets the witches and troll-folk of the mountain, who teach her greater magics, and she becomes a fearsome sorceress. Finally, after seven years she returns to her old home with her troll and witch companions to wreck havok on her mother's new daughters.

She did not count on the wild one being so fiercly protective of her beautiful sister.

Defeated by young Tatterhood, bound within the mountain, the witch-princess, now having cast off her old name for the name of Mizrabel--for so young Tatterhood taunted that she was--lives in lonely seclusion in the mountains, biding her time, learning deeper lore and magic that will allow her to escape and fulfill her obsesseion of outshining every princess in the lands of the EverRealm.

[avelera]

I saw very few fanarts about HOPE! Hob and I were disappointed that there aren't many fanfics about this. The idea is so good. Have you ever thought about writing about it? I imagine all Endless would be switched, of course. By whom, I don't know, but Hope is among them. And then we have Dream, an emo poet and artist in ancient Rome/Greece who is having a hard time following the death of his son and separation from his wife. And he still has his family situation. And finally, he finds Hope.

So @fishfingersandscarves is writing this AU right now! I think it's really intriguing, especially since Hob Gadling = Hope Godling has a certain pleasing linguistics to it, as if Hob is hiding in plain sight with his name.

I would probably not write a simple role reversal where Dream is a mortal made immortal and Hob is something akin to an Endless. Mostly because fishfingersandscarves has that on lock already and I don't think I'd have anything to add that matched the quality?

But, I think if I did write this scenario I'd consider a couple angles:

1 ) I'd consider one where Hob has always been Hope, he knows he's Hope, but unlike Dream he lives among people on purpose because he loves them and people having hope is sort of his thing. Why was he in a tavern in London in 1389? I mean, have you seen that century? It was horrific to live through. Hope was right where he needed to be. Dream does not know Hob = Hope but Death knew. She did not give him his wish, she just wanted her brother to meet this other mysterious entity and played along with Hob's "mortality" because she knew Dream would be resistant otherwise.

^^ this is the one I'm least likely to write but I think the idea of Hob knowing he's supernatural and just not bringing it up would be funny and certainly it would serve Dream right for how mysterious he is. XD

Now, for the fic I'd actually write:

2 ) Once upon a time, Hope and Dream were inseparable. It's right there in the name, hopes and dreams go hand in hand. Also, like Morpheus, Hope is a god or divine entity from Greek mythology. Hope, or Elpis in Hesiod's Works and Days is the last entity who remains within Pandora's Box when all the evils are set loose. (Granted, Elpis is female but we can fudge that for the purpose of fanfic. Also, I don't see a need to make Hope an Endless-style being with 6 H-named siblings. Hope/Elpis is one of the children of Nyx, just like Death and Sleep, by the way.)

Now, for the purpose of the fic, imagine one day Hope goes missing. Perhaps it's because of Pandora trapping Hope, perhaps it's like Destruction going missing. One day, Dream's other half, Hope, is just gone. Dream is shattered. Perhaps it marks the beginning of Dream as the dark, brooding figure we know because of course, what are Dreams without Hope? Nothing but anxiety and nightmares and despair. Dream has never forgotten Hope. Indeed, when battling Lucifer, he can still think of no stronger force, no stronger entity than his lost other half, Hope.

However, it turns out Hope isn't dead, or even if he is captured, he found a way out: manifesting from one lifetime to the next as a human, in order to walk among them. He doesn't even know he is Hope, after all, Hope requires that you don't know how things will end, you just believe they'll get better. It is his very nature to believed in without evidence.

But even if Hope doesn't know his own nature anymore, a sacrifice to carrying out his task, Death does know where he is. And finally, at a point where she truly believes Dream might "leave this plane forever" she decides enough is enough and to reunite them. Granted, this isn't the Hope Dream knew, it would be unfair to his current existence to load Dream up with those expectations. He has no memory of their time together. But the love is still there. Hope, or Hob as he knows himself in this life, is immediately attracted to Dream. Dream is attracted in return, but in his case, it just irritates him further, this nagging sense that he knows this person, this nagging sense that Death is trying to force him to make a friend he doesn't want, this nagging sense that he likes this "mortal" regardless, and how dare this man pull him out of his millennia of melancholy at the loss of his other half?

So Dream spurns Hob, he rebuffs his attempts to know him better, he flies into a rage at the very suggestion they could be friends. He hasn't had a friend in thousands of years and he isn't about to start again now with this upstart. But he keeps getting drawn back. He tells himself it's for the 100 years wager but then, that one ended in 1489 didn't it? Yet he keeps returning.

Because of course, Death couldn't give Dream back his Hope as he once was. That person is gone. Those memories are gone. She could only give them a fresh start, Hope as he is now, if only Dream would open his eyes and realize Hope has been right in front of him the whole time.

[annabtg]

20 questions for Fic Writers

Thanks for tagging me @theresthesnitch, I love seeing everyone's answers on this!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

40.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

177,784. (A couple of thousand of those are actually by @eemolu, my partner in writing taller than the trees).

3. What fandoms do you write for?

These days, almost exclusively HP, though I've written a few little oneshots for Lois & Clark.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. The Great James Potter (167 kudos). Jily, canon, 7th year Lily POV "enemies"-to-lovers, 8.7k.

2. AO3 Is Down (149 kudos). Jily Muggle AU where they work for AO3. As cracky as it sounds. XD 1.4k.

3. As If By Magic (139 kudos). Jily, canon, 7th year slow burn, 34k.

4. Inescapable (138 kudos). Jily, soulmates, Hogwarts across the years, 4.2k.

5. Are You Experienced? (135 kudos). Hogwarts Jily go to a Muggle concert for their first date. 12.6k.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Absolutely!! Comments make my day and I always want people to know I appreciate them!!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably Trapped - Emmeline Vance's last fight with the Death Eaters, told from her POV.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Are You Experienced? is definitely one of the fluffiest!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I wouldn't say I've ever got full-blown hate, but I've got a few negative comments, most of them for writing Sirius/Lily. Stuff like 'Sirius would never do that to James' - even when it's a story where the Sirius/Lily part is fake dating and James is actually aware of it and endorsing it. xD The mind boggles.

9. Do you write smut. If so, what kind?

I write some smut, yes! M/F, mostly vanilla stuff. :p

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Not really! Though one day I want to finish that fic where Lily is a L&C fan. xD

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of! Who would be interested in stealing my fics? Lol. xD

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have! My old Remadora story Over Spilt Coffee (FF.net link here - I should put it up on AO3) was translated to Russian, from my own Greek translation. And there was also a translation of Birthday in Spanish but the link doesn't seem to be working.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

A couple! Apart from taller than the trees which I've already mentioned, I'd cowritten a fic for L&C with my friend Raquel.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

JILY!!!

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

My old WIP Through Times Of War. It was my attempt to write Book 7 before DH came out. I still remember my plans for it, I had an ending and everything, but I'm just not interested in that era anymore.

16. What are your writing strengths?

A good grasp of grammar, vocabulary, flow - the technical aspects. My writing always looks very polished.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Coming up with a good plot/what happens next.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I've done it once - had Fleur and her family fight in French about Bill, in listening range of the Weasleys. I think that, if you're going to write dialogue in another language for a fic, it has to serve a narrative purpose. I don't like it when characters speak in another language or drop random words/endearments just to show off the writer's headcanons about where they're from.

19. First Fandom you wrote for?

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

Depends on your definition of favourite, but the one I'm proudest of is probably Are You Experienced?

Tagging @athenasparrow, @charmsandtealeaves, @kay-elle-cee, @jamesunderwater (if you haven't been tagged already!)

[biohazard-4ever]

correct me if i am wrong but ain't that exactly what happend with say Ashley and Leon in both OG and Remakes? that's the biggest example of "something something that goes nowhere" and now if you fell in love with this lil dynamic you're free to construct it within your own head but it doesn't mean it's ever gonna be anything more significant than what you personally make it out to be. And that same thing can be said for any of other pairing but i choose Ashley in this instance because she's a one time character like few more of them we never see come back because they've served their purpose.

whether you wanna read into leon's lines as flirting or not is totally up to you but expecting a meal out of a puddle is ridiculous imo. there's a fine line between reality and headcanons

which is when you say that these characters are shallow, fans have to pick up the slack and make something out of them because the fans love these characters enough to bother with them in the first place. this is why i think Cleon fanon is much better than "canon" Cleon if that makes sense XD

Fanon Ship will always be better simply because we are allowed to ignore things and timelines. We are allowed to ignore rules. Nothing is really written in stones.

And it is exactly that. Leon and Ada's relationship will never be anything else than what it is -, because that is the dynamic set for them, and it is yet to exist a brave soul (or stupid enough soul) inside the Capcom Team to change this dynamic.

Leon and Claire... Their dynamic changed from the original timeline tbh. They were NOT RARELY described by Capcom as: "Almost siblings" Now they define their relationship as: "Friends-in-arms". So, yes there was a SUBTLE change, BUT one that will lead nowhere!

(Oh but now in RE2Remake Leon and Claire flirt, Sherry asks them about them being a couple and in Infinite Darkness there is that scene and in Death Island the way Leon runs to her---!)

All Capcom's teasing and doing. It will NOT go beyond that. Don't try to read too deep into it!

Exactly as you said!!

But, when you said: "It is up to us to decide if Leon is flirting with women or not" actually... The term "flirting" is used BY THE DIRECTORS to define Leon's interaction with those women in his life. Because Leon does that and has (as his RE6 ending title suggests it) A problem with the women in his life lol

It is part of his character. Canonically. But can be ignored for the sake of HCs

Like how the fact Leon is single and NOT with Claire is constantly ignored by us -, Cleon fans who HC them as a couple LOL

[blackjackkent]

More explorations in the ruined temple:

Chatted with Roah Moonglow. In-game Rakha succeeded the history check to recognize the Zhentarim logo but I choose to believe this didn't actually happen because why would it. She did shake the little halfling trader down for plenty of info though - most importantly, Roah namedropped Moonrise Towers as another center of the cult's activities, and mentioned "the drow" again as someone who's buying all Roah's smokepowder off her in service of some big upcoming plan. "That glint in her eye is bad news for someone." (This is good for me from a meta perspective, as I want Rakha to go beat up Minthara before getting Halsin and then lighting the whole place up by fighting Ragzlin.)

Stopped in camp to sort some inventory and Gale needed another artifact. D: Fed him the gloves we got off the goblins in the grove. He's worried because it's not having the same effect that the last item did; Rakha is worried because he's worried - and because she doesn't know what the hell is going on in the first place.

Encountered Abdirak in the so-called "Bloodied Shrine". This was an interesting bit that I didn't do with Hector; basically Abdirak serves the goddess of pain and is there to help the goblins torture prisoners. Letting him beat on you for a while grants you a permanent blessing from Loviatar that gives you buffs at low health. His conversation with Rakha was interesting. He mentioned something along the same lines as something Shadowheart said recently - "Pain without purpose is a terrible thing, wouldn't you agree?" Rakha told him, matter-of-factly as always, about her urge to cause pain, to inflict death. His response: "Do not be ashamed, child. What I see in your eyes, in your soul, is only natural. We've all suffered in these dark times. It is little wonder you bear scars of pain and anguish. Let me alleviate this pain." Again that flash of hope - does he know something about what happened to her, about who she is? The alleviation he promises is "penance - administered by my skilled hand". This elicits a dry joke from Shadowheart: "Go ahead. I'm sure you're in need of a little *penance.*" The beast, the dark urge, is unimpressed in Rakha's head by the idea of self-flagellation ("Only the poorest of men need seettle for the spectacle of their own gore," points out the Narrator), but Rakha's curiosity - and the hope for answers - wins out. A strange experience for her. The pain of his blows are crisp and sharp and - she must admit - oddly bracing, but they bring her no clarity. She can smell the blood in the air and lashes out at him, howling back with each blow, demanding he hit harder still. But it isn't what he wants - he (or his goddess) wants her mewling and begging for mercy, crying out in pain, which she was never going to give him. So she leaves, aching and angry and with no more answers than she had before. Shadowheart seemed to enjoy the show. Wyll and Lae'zel... less so.

Saved Volo! This ended up being easy because Rakha just beat the shit out of the goblin guarding him without bothering with the speech checks, bc she was still riled up from the encounter with Abdirak. XD She's pretty bemused by Volo; I suspect it might have actually been Wyll and not her that invited him to go to their camp.

Found one of Aradin's guys strung up and being tortured by the goblins. I suffered a great deal of terrible disappointment that this line is not in character for Rakha:

Interestingly, Shadowheart chimed in without prompting: "Say we'll take over. His work is sloppy - he'll kill the prisoner too quickly." Hints of that Sharran torture training poking through.

We get a fairly nasty bit of Durge content here. Rakha is more than a little distracted by the smell of blood in the whole area and the beast in her head would be happy to watch the torturer finish - or to do the job herself. [PERFORMANCE] "I'm taking over," she says, following Shadowheart's advice. "Your sloppy handiwork is going to kill the prisoner too quickly."

"What?" sputters the goblin. "Think you can do better? HA! Go on then, have at it."

Rakha hisses a breath out between her teeth. "I am going to do something so awful it would scare even you to watch," she says slowly. It isn't even really a threat - more an acknowledgment that her control is slipping, a warning to her companions as much as to the goblin.

"Oh," says the goblin cheerfully. "I'd like to see you try."

Narrator: Face the prisoner, consider the implements provided. Then...

Caress his thighs with the poker's warmth.

She isn't conscious of making the decision, or picking the poker up - only that it is suddenly in her hands and that strange harsh smile is twisting her lips, and the man is screaming, screaming in agony as the hot metal sinks into his leg.

Narrator: The stench of charred flesh wafts over you. You don't know why, but you are *really* good at this. You never want this perfect moment to end.

The beast in her head is purring eagerly, almost blotting out everything else - but at this moment she becomes conscious of Wyll's eyes on her. He looks appalled, disappointed - angry, even. And she feels her jaw set, pushing back suddenly against the dark urge.

Wyll is right. It is like Arabella - this man's pain does not serve them. But the smell is overwhelming, the sound of his screams so brutally sweet...

She drops the poker, watching it clang onto the floor. Stop. A hoarse breath in, a heavy exhale. Attack with purpose.

Don't let yourself fall further into this pit. Attack the goblins and save him.

It is its own kind of satisfaction for the beast to kill the goblins as well, of course. The beast always seems to win, in the end. But Wyll seems pleased, when they open the rack and let the man out onto his feet. And Rakha has a strange feeling in her chest, a mixture of pride and regret that she cannot explain or articulate.

(A/N: She got this very interesting sad sort of look on her face, watching him climb down off the rack...)

The prisoner has little information to offer - but a few useful scraps here and there. The druid Halsin can become a bear. Aradin wanted the Nightsong for a wizard named Lorroakan who is searching for it. And most important of all - the goblins were torturing him to find out where the grove is, so they can attack it.

----

"Good," Wyll says in an undertone as they turn away from the bloody torture device, as the man slips off into the shadows. "I saw that. I saw you fight it."

"You saw me fail to." Her voice is gruff, but her glance flicks to him sharply. How closely has he been watching her?

"And then I saw you succeed." Wyll shrugs. "Not all battles are fought with steel. I know that all too well."

[waitingforwinterwinds]

Game of Thrones - 57 SANSA V (pages 596-604)

Sansa attends Joffrey's first court session after the change of kings, in order to ask mercy for her father.

-

And so many others were missing. Where had the rest of them gone? Sansa wondered. Vainly, she searched for friendly faces. Not one of them would meet her eyes. It was as if she had become a ghost, dead before her time.

Oh that's chill inducing. Though if it were true at least she could haunt the shit out of Joffrey and his mother. ... How much of the court fled? How much of it was cut down in the ensuing fight?

- and when funny Ser Dontos started to hail her, Ser Balon Swann whispered in his ear and he turned away. ... A moment later, Lord Baelish entered through the tall doors in the rear, smiling. He chatted amiably with Ser Balon and Ser Dontos as he made his way to the front.

Oh hi Dontos.

"- All hail his lady mother, Cersei of House Lannister, Queen Regent, Light of the West, and Protector of the Realm."

Oooh, 'light of the west' that's fancy.

I am not best pleased with house Lannister, but I do love implications that at some point Tywin went "look at my daughter, see how amazing she is, can't give her titles of Powah! and legal authority, because she's a woman, but hence forth, you have she is the "Light of the West" which does nothing but tell you she's awesome." (except she's really mean, actually.) At least, I'm pretty sure that's how those titles "Light of the West" and "Realm's Delight" work?

- and on his head a golden crown crusted with rubies and black diamonds.

Black diamonds? Now that's a choice.

Naturally occurring black diamonds are a thing, but like... how to tldr this? Natural black diamonds get their colour from having lots of black bits in them, the colour effect is kind of metallic because the bits tend to be carbon and graphite, but the thing with natural black diamonds is that depending on the quality the colour can look... gritty. smoothly coloured black diamonds are like... 1% of natural black diamonds iirc. Black diamonds used in jewelry tend to have their colour artificially enhanced by science and technology (like radiation). Artificial or artificially coloured diamonds produce a smoother colour for less effort.

... can you tell I like rocks yet? XD

And at the end, near last, came the names Sansa had been dreading. Lady Catelyn Stark. Robb Stark. Brandon Stark, Rickon Stark, Arya Stark. Sansa stifled a gasp. Arya. They wanted Arya to present herself and swear an oath... it must mean her sister had fled on the galley, she must be safe at Winterfell by now...

"safe at Winterfell" not "back at Winterfell" Part of Sansa must understand, but she isn't quite ready to face it yet. She's still got room to salvage this mess and save her father. Or so she's telling herself.

Also good job figuring that out. Not quite correct, but it is because Arya fled and is still evading capture.

"I shall die a knight." "A naked knight, it would seem," quipped Littlefinger.

For someone who thinks themselves clever, Littlefinger really doesn't understand declarations of intent very well. "Oh, but Petyr was intentionally trying to take the wind out of Barristan's sails, steal his thunder and mock him, he's being petty on purpose." Yes, I know. The underhanded jabs are all Petyr's 'intellect' is good for.

Finally he drew his sword. Sansa heard someone gasp. Ser Boros and Ser Meryn moved forward to confront him, but Ser Barristan froze them in place with a look that dripped contempt. "Have no fear, sers, your king is safe... no thanks to you. Even now, I could cut through the five of you as easy as a dagger cuts cheese. If you would serve under the Kingslayer, not a one of you is fit to wear the white." He flung his sword at the foot of the Iron Throne. "Here, boy. Melt it down and add it to the others, if you like. It will do you more good than the swords in the hands of these five. Perhaps Lord Stannis will chance to sit on it when he takes your throne."

Yes, police? I just witnessed a murder. ... shame it wasn't a more literal murder.

She smoothed down the cloth of the skirt nervously. She was dressed in mourning, as a sign of respect for the dead king, but she had taken special care to make herself beautiful. Her gown was the ivory silk that the queen had given her, the one Arya had ruined, but she'd had then dye it black and you couldn't see the stain at all. She had fretted over her jewelry for hours and finally decided upon the elegant simplicity of a plain silver chain.

A silver chain you say? Would that, perhaps, be the same silver chain Sansa was seen wearing when Joffrey lied at the Trident? You know, the last time Sansa was put in a situation where her words 'could have saved the day' when there's a strong chance nothing she'd said would have saved anyone. (Cersei had shown contempt for the direwolves and said in a Tyrion chapter that she didn't want them in King's Landing. Every indication we have says there's a good chance that if it hadn't been then, then it would have been later, but Cersei would have found a way to get rid of Lady. (and Mycah was already dead though they didn't know it yet.))

Although speaking of Lady, iirc, when the stain happened that fight was about the Trident and Sansa was thinking of Lady afterwards, she even dreamed of Lady.

Even the gown, given by the queen, a seemingly pretty and pure gift, stained and tainted by the memory and unresolved issues of what happe- ... covered up... by...

Ohhhhhhhh.

Oh this entire outfit is foreshadowing, isn't it?

Sansa has no cards to play, just an illusion of hope.

Ohhh, I made myself sad.

Sansa quailed. Now, she told herself, I must do it now. Gods give me courage. She took one step and then another. Lords and knights stepped aside silently to let her pass, and she felt the weight of their eyes on her. I must be as strong as my lady mother.

I know this is a hopeless play, but damn you're doing amazing sweetie. Don't falter, not in the lions den.

Ooph. No information, no truths, but she did so good.

"Only... that as you love me, you do me this kindness, my prince."

Oops, she's still too used to calling him prince. If that had been a deliberate jab, it would have been a very stupid one, since being called "not the king" is what had Joffrey so shirty at the moment.

"'as I love you...' but I don't love you at all, so I won't give you mercy at all."

[flowersdaggersviolasandblood]

Assassin with a Heart of Gold

Name: Admaer Daeneiros (He/Him)

Race: High Elf

Class: Rogue (Assassin)

Background: Criminal

Inspiration & Story: This lil guy I made long before I even touched BG3. He was originally made for a Out of the Abyss game that was unfortunately dropped. So his story was prematurely ended. The main inspo for this character is that he's an asshole with a soft heart. A tsundere hoe who thinks the don't care, but they actually do.

The main concept of his backstory is that he was born and raised a slave, more or less. At a young age, his Elven mother gave him up to a poor Human family. Only for that family to sell him away for money. He spent the majority of his life being bounced around by different slave owners, doing various different jobs that were asked of him. Eventually, his skills were so polished that he did better as a hired killer and assassin. He eventually escapes his enslavement and is on the hunt to kill every slave owner who ever owned him.

Below will related to his story so far within BG3.

WARNING, SPOILERS AHEAD!

Admaer isn't a native in Baldur's Gate, but he was quite obviously in the city when the Mindflayers snatched him up. He was (and still is) on a hunt to go after the man who made his life a living hell. For the purposes of this game, that end goal for Admaer is killing Lord Enver Gortash.

While on the Nautiloid, he opt to not save Shadowheart since the ship was quickly sinking. After the fact, he would meet her again and recruit her in the group. He would do the same with Astarion, Lae'zel, and Wyll. As for Gale, because the portal seemed dangerous, he saw no need to interfere with it.

Admaer's mind right now, aside from his own personal goals, is to get rid of the Mindflayer tadpole within his head. So upon entering the Emerald Grove, he's been largely dismissive of the Tieflings' blight and the Druids wanting to kick them out. However, the small inklings of the Druid Halsin has slightly peaked his interest. He's yet to meet kagha and Nettie.

Companion Relationships:

Astarion: Since EA (Early Access) Astarion was always my number one pick for this character, so he's obviously the "End Game Girl." Right now, in the context of the story, Admaer still doesn't know that Astarion is a vampire. However, both being fellow roguish men, Admaer currently is friendly with Astarion. Though he has noticed that Astarion has been feeling a little slow as of late.

Shadowheart: Admaer is also friendly with Shadowheart, though he is more distrusting of her than he should be of Lae'zel. Shadowhearts' constant bashing against the Githyanki has Admaer questioning why that is the case and if she's hiding any shit of her own. Especially since she's yet to come forth about the mysterious bauble she keeps on her person. If there's one thing he does agree with, it's that they need to find someone who can get rid of the tadpole.

Lae'zel: Not vibing with her condescending attitude, but respecting that she's not afraid to break a few bones to get the job done. Funnily enough, I accidentally appealed to her so much that she offered to fuck him XD. Admaer politely declined, though he did get some insight on what her history was like as a Githyanki warrior serving the Lich Queen, Vlaakith. Admaer is a little bit more on board with going to the Gith Creche since Lae'zel has been forth coming about what the next steps should be. Compared to Shadowhearts suggestion of just finding a healer. You know, in the middle of nowhere.

Gale: Mentioned this earlier, but when he found the unstable sigil, Admaer decided to leave it alone. So no opinion on Gale yet.

Wyll: Admear see's Wyll as a typical "do-gooder" type individual. He's even more confused as to why he's more focused on his search for Karlach than the tadpole they both possess in their head. He allows him to camp with his crew, seeing no point in not including the famed Blade of Frontiers. Especially, if his status holds true, he could utilize his fame to get themselves into the good graces of some important people.

Karlach: He hasn't met her yet. Right now, all he has is Wylls word: She's some sort of Devil who's out murdering innocents.