#also idk what happens to any of them. some of these guys may prove hypothetical cause some of them might die

[catominor]

c. martinus' impressive array of sons...

[ferineelegance]

// A, I, P, T, X

((...*Rubs hands together OuO strap in bruh. You asked for this. Read more because LONG

A- AFFECTION - How does your muse show affection?

I would say a lot of ‘acts of service’? Or whatever it’s called? If she comes to care for someone I think she’d want to help them and generally lighten whatever load life might hand them however she can. Be that cooking, cleaning, helping throw down with demons, giant rogue metal animals etc. etc. lol She will try to pitch in where she can and won’t be one heard complaining often. (however that last bit can also become a problem when/if she decides to keep quiet about something she maybe shouldn’t) Though (possibly surprisingly, given how she can be to strangers/people outside her various ‘circles’) she’s not totally inhibited regarding things like physical affection. It just depends on her comfort levels. If this is someone she cares very deeply for and is thus very comfortable with, I see it being possible that they find themselves subject to random affectionate contact lol - passing embraces, caresses, touches etc. In some cases, I can see it coming from a place of her maybe wanting to give those she cares about the affection she never got (and maybe they never got either before that).

I- I LOVE YOU - Does your muse find ‘i love you’ easy or hard to say?

Probably depends on the situation calling for it, but in some cases, it might be easier for her than expected. In the general (not necessarily fully romantic) sense if it’s regarding someone she already knows she cares about a lot (I see potential for some ‘cluelessness’ sometimes lol), in at least a few verses I think she could find the nerve to damn whatever ‘awkwardness’ society might have attached to those words and say it pretty quickly if she feels it’s called for. She might not say it super casually in a lot of cases, but she will say it when she thinks it matters. I mean in some verses she knows a lot better than some how fast things can go bad and how easily people can be taken from her it’s something she can tend to worry about a lot, frankly, so part of her might end up on the side of ‘life’s too short not to say it/let the people you care about know that they’re cared about’. And on top of it, if it’s someone she cares for, she’ll think they deserve to know, and deserve whatever effort it might take to put aside said awkwardness or whatever in order to be that open and say it. And then in very comfortable/established relationships over time I could see this developing into her maybe being the sort that makes a point to say it on routine at certain times (parting - be it for short or longer periods, etc.- for example) because of that ‘never know what could happen’ view.

P- PARTNER - What does your muse look for in a partner? looks / personality?

….*monkey-puppet glance at that earlier ‘Esie likes bad boys’ post/convo’....LOL On the more serious note, uuuh...let’s get the short part out of the way, I think looks can really depend with her, actually. I wouldn’t say ‘looks don’t matter at all’ with her, but she knows better than to have it be the biggest priority regarding this sort of topic. I feel like she might be a ‘knows what she likes when she sees it’ and doesn’t really have a solid ‘type’ in mind….probably because romance is not really something that’s generally forefront (or even close) in her mind in most cases. If a ship happens, it will be built on a lot more than physical attraction, I’d say. Naturally in that process, eventually the inner question of if she is or isn’t attracted to a given person will probably come up, but there’s just usually a lot of hurdles to get over before it gets to that point.  Now the LONG part lol - while I don’t want to pigeonhole her to one personality/temperament/archetype or whatever too much - particularly since, again...all this shit is hypothetical since she’s never even been shipped at this point, so no real experience to go off of - I think she...really could be more likely to gravitate towards a certain sort of overt ‘toughness’ and/or resilience. Can vary a little verse to verse, like a lot of things, but generally...yeah...As strange as that may seem given some of her common traits (I know it’s surprised me lol but...I mean...I have also said in the past that she can have a little of a complicated relationship with ‘power’). Or at least that might be the more common catalyst towards generating the confidence/dependability that it would take for the right chemistry to happen I think. I think in essence...Esie might be the sort that maybe needs to be ‘impressed’ to a certain degree. She really...might not be the one that ends up fawning over the ‘underdog’ types. Esie is a little bit ‘survival of the fittest’ in that sense I guess. Strange cat woman want strong mate who will survive the winter. LOL

But joking aside, what part of it comes down to I think is how she can worry/stress a lot, FOR people she cares about. And someone that’s, say, more on the soft or vulnerable side, while she absolutely can come to care for, and want to protect, and...maybe basically mom such types, they also might compound that stressing in certain ways. Particularly if things are taken to the level of intensity of a romantic relationship. That’s not that she won’t worry about a given ‘tough guy’ (lol) type that ends up in the role, particularly over some of the negatives those sorts can get up to, but those are also the sorts that might be most likely to convince/prove over time to her, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that they can handle themselves for the most part, and have the grit to face/survive real hardship, danger, etc. and even come out on top often enough. A tougher, more...idk ‘hardened’ (for lack of better term) sort is probably more likely to really convince that at times high-strung brain of hers she doesn’t need to worry about them quite so much. These are also the sorts that she will likely find the more reliable, and comforting as ‘backup’ in some senses, assuming they’ve earned her trust that they will take up that role if it’s needed. She can rest in their presence more than she probably can someone softer. - Not that she just expects a partner to do all the ‘protecting’, she doesn’t. Just two is better than one, and some of her (not necessarily totally conscious parts) prefers that that person be properly capable of holding up and helping out if/when things get dicey. 

T- TRUE LOVE - Does your muse believe in true love?

Oo...that’s actually an interesting one.... I would say in most cases, she is not the most ‘romantic’ minded person. But I would not say that that means she’s so coldly practical/’jaded’ that she thinks genuine love doesn’t exist. I think she would be able to see, in any number of people around her, even in strangers day-to-day or stories that reach her, that it does exist. And it’s not something she’d scoff at. But I think in some verses it’s very possible or even more likely than not that she might see it - consciously or unconsciously - as something she will simply never have.

X- XOXO - Does your muse use / like pet names?

As far as her personal opinion, I think she could be fairly neutral to them (unless someone’s making her uncomfortable with them, like in a creepy way or something). It might surprise her a little sometimes if/when someone decides to use them on her, but she’s probably not going argue with them over their choice to do so in most normal cases where it might occur. Lol I don’t think she’d use them much herself though? It could depend on verse a little though too. I don’t know that she’d use them much in most ‘modern’ verses for instance, but again, not a lot of experience with properly deep relationships in general, so not making that a hard ‘no’. Aside from that, again, high familiarity/comfort/affection would be a prerequisite. If she did use them, probably mainly would stick to the ‘traditional’ rather than anything overly ‘creative’, things akin to ‘darling’s, ‘dear’s etc.

[phoebehalliwell]

So I LOVED your Sheridan and Warren fic!! The two of them are hilarious because that are just trying their best those poor boys! I had a hypothetical, so like in all those AU where Prue is wished alive in I Dream of Phoebe, what would happen in this situation? Would Prue go see her sisters or would she go find her kids? ALSO Prue as the boys magical (deceased) guide is Perf 👌🏻

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA tysm !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i love my boys so much i’m really trying to keep them like. like as removed from proper magic as possible bc i just think it’s really fucking funny to just follow two bimbos around as they try their best. i’ve also def like tinkered w canon a lil bit as explained in this post here only to keep them further away from aunts who could explain everything like they don’t even have a whitelighter bc paige was supposed to fill that role really the only person they have is prue who gave them a crash course when she unbound their powers as explained in this post and they will occasionally summon her but even then it’s less for advice and more bc like. they want 2 talk to their mom. and i do think prue will occasionally try to make like guest appearances on their birthday she’d def be a presence kinda like how grams was a presence for the girls if they had a book of shadows prue would do the flipping. but they don’t. she did guide their familiar to them!! the cat’s name is swizzlesticks and yes it is just kit again lmao. But. Ur Question. so basically in w&s’s origins jack raised them post prue death and like he kinda fucked off to japan for the rest of the show (sidenote both warren and sheridan are quasi fluent in japanese like jack the only difference is while jack uses his bilingual talents for business the twins almost exclusively use this ability to multitask while watching anime) so i think piper and phoebe had like Zero contact w their nephews and paige actually has never met them like she didn’t even really know they existed bc deadass just no one mentioned them. so like if prue is wished back to life in i dream of phoebe for starters she’s gonna know chris is piper and leo’s son bc she’s been keeping an ear to the ground and Heavily monitoring this chris situation before she assessed that he was good she spent a lot of time trying to figure out if a ghost should beat the shit out of an alive witch so idk who’s wishing prue alive in this specific au tbh u know what richard’s kinda off the shits this ep he’s probably wish prue back to life to try to prove to paige that she doesn’t have to be a charmed one she can just be paige :) and paige would lose her SHIT bc like oh my god that was not what she wanted and she’s so not ready to meet prue but here she is lmao and chris is freaking out bc now he really knows he’s altered the future in Major ways i think piper would see prue and immediately pass out and while i think prue would really really want to see her kids her first task would definitely be fixing the future and she would entirely dedicate herself to making sure wyatt doesn’t become evil but i think like she would pull chris aside and be like hi in your future where are my kids and chris would be like who? and prue would be like my sons?? warren & sheridan???? and chris would be like what?????? bc this whole time if wyatt was indeed not the eldest son like are you Fucking Kidding Me????? but no he’s never even heard of warren and sheridan bc in the dark future their powers were simply never unbound and they just continued to live as mortals and may or may not be dead depending on how good the witch finder bots are but like. i don’t think even if wyatt knew they existed he would want to find them bc that just draws attention to the fact they existed and he’s not the firstborn of the next gen so either they’re doing fine-ish all things considered or they just like died lowkey. but chris didn’t even was remotely aware of their existence. and i think this would kinda send prue into a bit of a tailspin bc her boys are so far removed from their legacy and their family (and they’re being raised by jack yikes!!) and she’s like no these are my kids but if she wants to get where they are she either needs to book a fight or find a whitelighter so i think this would specifically be a prue/paige adventure which is also nice bc paige is omnilingual and prue does not speak japanese so like. idk cute adventure. probably use some monster from japanese mythology to save either some smallish town or alternately a major city bc both of those r fun. i think if jack saw prue again he would start throwing things at her and stuff bc he’d be convinced this is some demon here to kill his kids just like they killed her bc haha that’s not a recurring nightmare lmao so i think prue would cast the truth spell right then and there to prove she’s really her which also leads to some good comedy and character development bc jack paige and prue are all under a truth spell and there is a lot unsaid between all of these characters with paige’s inferiority complex and prue and jack’s true feelings for each other and issues caused by prue’s death y’know blah blah blah but i think prue would really use this opportunity to bring warren & sheridan back into the fold so to speak and bring them to the manor and properly train them in the craft and tbh in this specific au i think prue and jack would actually end up together. bc in any other world i’m saying they literally just coparent like they’re fond of each other and will always love the other in like some way but it’s not like Love but i think here specifically it’s like. like the time spent apart where jack just like fucking wishes prue was there and realized what an absolute sap and hopeless romantic he is bc yeah he always like grand gestures and clowning around but like. warren and sheridan’s first steps? and jack was just fucking alone like ngl he almost cried bc he just wished. like prue should have been there. she would have been a great mom. she was a great mom. and his kids deserve their mom and like. he just wishes he could have shared that moment with her. completely unbeknownst to jack prue actually does like you know watch over them all and she’s just like. like blown away by jack. like never in a million years would she have thought he was capable of doing what he did. like. like wow man. and i think the combination of those two like actually having them together again and raising their kids i think romance would blossom again. and i think it would be this insane slowburn bc i think y’know like. like it only happened the first time bc jack pursued prue and was like stubborn and stupid and he like knew she was outta his league but it didn’t matter bc that relationship was just for funsies it was a fling it was never meant to be permanent but if jack were to pursue it know it’s be like. permanent. you know? and jack just doesn’t think prue feels the same way like jack’s a fuckin idiot he knows that and prue’s like a witch? like an insanely talented with and a successful photographer back from the dead don’t worry about it lmao and she just like. she takes the world by storm she balances her career and motherhood and saving the motherfucking world like how could she ever. she would never want to be with someone like jack like that’s just. it’s not in the cards. and prue on the other hand keeps waiting for the penny to drop she keeps waiting for like. jack to realize he doesn’t have to be here anymore. she’s convinced he’s gonna hop town and continue being the man she knew while she was alive now that he doesn’t have to keep watching over the kids now that he’s free in a way but that just never happens because jack doesn’t want to leave like those are his kids also he’s in love with prue lmao but she just can’t. she doesn’t get it. men leave. that’s what they do. that’s what they’ve literally always done she can’t like. she can’t open herself up to something serious only to have jack just ditch and leave her kids with the memory of his back walking out the door so she lowkey starts to push him away put her walls up which only furthers jack’s belief that this is never gonna happen but sometimes it’s like they’ll accidentally fall asleep on the couch together in the middle of the afternoon with the sunlight on them and they’ll wake up like Horribly Embarrassed like oh my god which they’re like this isnt weird okay like we have kids together they’re right there like. we have had sex multiples times before piper walking in on up taking a cat nap in the living room is literally it’s nothing!! oh but it so is something meanwhile phoebe the empath is about to lose her Fucking Shit like guys!!! guys!!!!!!!!! and piper’s just trying to reign her in like no don’t interfere bc piper knows prue’s fear of abandonment and she does not know this new iteration of jack she just remembers what he was like and she doesn’t want to see prue get hurt paige is on the opposite side bc she has literally never met any previous iteration of jack or prue and she’s like hello?? they’re in love?? and chris is like hi okay but like. the task at hand? and the girls are like no shh like trying to covertly spy on prue/jack/warren/sheridan/wyatt all playing in the solarium prue’s doing the telekinetic mobile thing again and jack’s expression of wonder is the same as his sons like !!!! and chris is like deadass i do not get it okay evil wyatt tho. but blah blah blah slow burn i think prue and jack would get married like s8. their wedding would replace paige and henry’s bc as mentioned before paige and henry having a wedding esp a wedding that early was like. dumb. but yeah. prue x jack brainrot. i’m mentally ill i love them so much.

[thewaronsyd-blog]

Kylo Ren/Ben Solo: The Case for Redemption

Hello fellow humans who are interested in the possibility of a Kylo Ren/Ben Solo Arc.  I, like you, was curious on how this potential redemption could/would be carried out so I decided to do a little research!  And I got carried away so I basically wrote an informal essay on the subject… what can say?  Below you’ll find a summary of the typical “temptation arc” a villain figure follows on his way to redemption (Zuko and Spike are other examples of this form of arc so Ole’ Benny will be in good company) as well as some of my jazzy commentary.  There are two other types of arcs, the first is the “sacrifice arc”, but this is unlikely to be used since it is the arc Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker followed, and I highly doubt J.J. will be THAT repetitive.  The second is the “forgiveness arc”, but this arc only takes place with villains who have already turned into a hero, and Ben/Kylo certainly isn’t there yet.   

The original template for redemption arcs in storytelling I used is linked below if any of you are interested in learning more :) https://mythcreants.com/blog/crafting-a-redemption-arc-for-your-villain/

1. Something Changes for the Villain:

This is the seed that will grow into a change of heart… hopefully hehe

- It Is Established Why the Villain Is Evil

The typical reasons for this are that they wanted to do something good so badly that they were willing to do evil in the process, they have blind loyalty for something or someone who saved their life, protected a loved one or manipulated/brainwashed them or they believe the good side/members of the good side were responsible for their misfortune.

Through Bloodlines and TLJ we know that Ben/Kylo turned to the dark side due to the discovery of his heritage (Grand-daddy Vader), brainwashing/manipulation by Snoke and the betrayal of Luke that lead Kylo to destroying the Jedi Academy.  These motivating factors certainly follow a hypothetical redemption arc for Ben/Kylo.

- A Good Influence Is Introduced

This good influence can be found through meeting a new person(typically the hero), discovering something sacred or being reminded of better times.

*cough* Rey *cough*.  Need I say more?

- The Villain’s Loyalty Subtly Shifts

As they spend more time with their influence they will grow more attached and may hesitate to commit crimes or question the orders of their leader.

Okay so I’m not sure if you can call murdering Snoke in order to protect Rey and “bring a new order to the galaxy” subtle, but clearly he is doing some serious shifting.  Ben/Kylo himself admits that he is “feeling the call to the light again”, Rey tells Luke that she saw good in him and she believes he will turn him to the light and Snoke got all pissy in the beginning of TLJ because he could see that killing Han had split his soul and left him unbalanced.   It cannot be denied that Ben/Kylo is conflicted, meaning he is still very much following the redemption arc up to this point in the films.

2. The Villain Is Caught Between Sides:

This is basically a form a grey area or limbo state.  The Villain is no longer evil but he definitely isn’t good either.  This is the “bread and butter” for temptation arcs and is usually, but not always, quite drawn out.

Now here is where things get tricky.  I can’t say for sure whether Kylo/Ben has entered this stage yet.  His big “shift” happened so close to the end of TLJ that we haven’t spent enough time with Beautiful Ben, err I mean Ben/Kylo, to see how he has changed since the killing of Snoke. However, things don’t look very good for everyone’s favorite Dark Prince in the last act of TLJ.  He sort of tries to murder Luke (which could be justified seeing as the last time he saw him Luke tried to kill him) and then he attempts to destroy the last of the rebels… But, who knows?  Maybe Ben/Kylo has this huge renovation plan for the First Order!  Some new none-murdery guidelines he’s going to implement into Star Trooper protocol?  Fingers crossed.

- The Villain Switches Sides for Selfish Reasons

- The Villain Is Unhappy In Team Good

- The Villain Goes Back to Evil

- The Villain Is Unhappy in Team Evil

I don’t really see this stage going passed continuing the inner-conflict Ben/Kylo has with the light/dark side of the force.  There simply isn’t enough time for Ben/Kylo to become good then become bad again just to ultimately turn good yet again.  On the other hand, you could potentially count Kylo/Ben’s team-up with Rey to kill Snoke and the rest of the praetorian guard as his brief switch to the light.  

3. The Villain Turns Into a Hero

- The Villain Must Stop a Great Evil

The villain must be the only one who can stop something very bad from happening.  This typically occurs when the villain is ordered to do something by their master, but it can work for villains who are their own bosses as well.  While carrying out their evil ways they may have unleashed destruction on a level they did not forsee.

It seems entirely within the realm of possibility that Kylo/Ben could set something up through the First Order that gets out of hand and he must intervene to stop it from coming to fruition.

- The Villain Makes a Great Sacrifice

The sacrifice must be enough to prove their devotion to good but not enough to wipe their hands clean.  The sacrifice can be in the form of the villain giving up the goal they had pursed at the cost of doing evil (their motivation for being evil), destroying their own forces, land, palace, or other assets, or giving up their own life.

So we know, or at least we hope, that Ben/Kylo isn’t on a sacrifice arc and that means his sacrifice won’t be giving up his own life.  

4. The Hero Humbles Themselves

- The Hero Begs To Be Allowed To Help

Just because the villain is a hero now doesn’t mean everything is sunshine and daisies.  They will try and help with a big problem but the rest of “team good” will be very reluctant and will most likely throw the previous crimes of the hero in their face.

Just a guess but I have a strong feeling Finn is not going to be a fan of Kylo’s lol

- The Hero Toils Thanklessly

The new hero will work hard to make things better and complete selfless acts with no expectation of reward.

- The Hero Proves Their Worth

Another crisis occurs and the hero is put to the test.  This is likely a crisis that the new hero is uniquely suited to solve.  Maybe because of their villainous experience or because their skills are a strong match for the task at hand.

I’m going to go ahead and assume that Kylo/Ben’s previous role as Supreme Leader of the First Order will equip him with some useful insights. Plus he is super buff and that could definitely be helpful.  I also believe that if Kylo/Ben gets redemption this problem, and it’s solution, will be the climax of the movie.

5. The Hero Is Forgiven

Not all the characters have to forgive the hero in order for them to complete their arc.  Instead, what is most important is that the hero forgives himself.  They are now at peace and they no longer have to worry they’ll fall back on bad habits.  Yay!!

So do I want a Ben/Kylo redemption to happen? Yes, 100%.  Do I think it will happen? Ehhhhh idk.  Maybe?  It took two full movies to get him through the first stage (jury is still out on the second stage), and now he’s supposed to go through the last four in one movie?  It seems unlikely.  But on the other hand he has undoubtedly started on his journey to redemption.  Whether that is because Rian Johnson intended him to finish that arc or was just using it as a plot line to make his eventual descent into full-fledged bad guy super sad, I’m not sure.  Introducing Kylo/Ben as a villain with conflict and vulnerabilities that forces us sympathize with him certainly makes him a more compelling character.  And even though I will be bummed if he doesn’t end up redeemed (and in the arms of Rey) I’ll eventually get over it because they have provided us with one of the most interesting villains in blockbuster history (in my opinion).  

If J.J. Abrams does decide to continue the Kylo/Ben redemption arc into the final film it is going to have to be central to the plot and will most likely be interwoven into the climax of the movie.  Here’s my prediction:  

I’m assuming there is going to be a substantial time jump in between TLJ and episode IX so we will be reunited with Kylo/Ben there, after the time jump, at the beginning of stage two (caught between sides).  Around the middle of the film he will enter stage three (turning into a hero) and be faced with stopping a great evil (most likely of his own creation) and as a result must make some sort of sacrifice.  After or during his sacrifice he will reunite with Rey and the rebels, having embraced his light and/or found some sort of “force middle ground” with Rey that all the TLJ symbolism was hinting at.  Next, he will go back to the rebel base with them and sulk a little bit about how everyone except Rey hates him because he used to be a supremely evil murderer.  Then something is going to happen and he’s going to have to team up with Rey and the rest of the Scooby gang to take down the First Order for good thus proving his worth (stage four).  And then they will defeat the big bad and he’ll be redeemed so he and Rey can make out during the sunset.  Canon.  The End.

Thank you so much if you took the time to read all of this nonsense!  I’d love to hear what you all think!

XO, Syd

Oh, and if that isn’t how episode IX plays out one of you better turn it into a bombass fanfiction.  Many thanks.