#and growing up and learning to have fun again and also alchemy

[balimaria]

I just realized I can cross over my favorite characters and literally no one can stop me. This is way too much power.

(these captures are from gll99's GX fansub! you can find it free on their blog @/kaiowut99)

Part 2

[livebloggingmydescentintomadness]

OK you have piqued my curiosity. What is Malevolent?

oh i'm so glad you asked :D

malevolent is a horror podcast based on lovecraftian mythos by harlan guthrie, who not only writes, edits, soundscapes, and composes the entire thing, he also voices every single character, by some force of alchemy i don't claim to understand.

the show is about arthur lester, a 1930s private investigator who is english but lives in arkham, massachusetts. he is simultaneously the saddest, wettest cat you'll ever meet, the most terrifying badass with a thirst for violence, the hugest cunt, and the kindest soul who refuses to give up on hope no matter what.

it opens with arthur (temporarily) unable to remember who or where he is. he's completely blind. a voice speaks to him, gentle but totally inhuman. the voice is inside his head, and tells arthur that his eyes belong to it now. there's a dead body at arthur's feet.

there's only so much i can explain without big spoilers, but basically, a book was sent to arthur's office, and when arthur opened this book, an entity from another world was released into him, where it took control of his sight. the entity can't leave of its own volition, and in fact isn't sure who or what it is either. they have no choice but to work together to figure out who sent the book and why, if they ever hope to be able to separate again.

things, of course, aren't that simple. arthur is now wanted for murder, and as arthur starts chasing leads, otherwordly things start chasing him back, including a powerful elder god known as the king in yellow.

arthur spends a month in a coma after being stabbed; when he wakes up, the entity - who has been awake and alone the entire time - tells him that the kind nurse who spoke to them every day called them 'john doe' and the entity... rather liked the sound of it. he asks to be called john.

arthur and john are both incredibly stubborn assholes who fight and bicker more often than not, who both tend to lash out and hurt each other when they're angry or afraid, but as they're forced to cooperate, as john learns about humanity through both arthur's eyes and arthur's extensions of kindness, they grow to care for each other. they grow to trust each other, even after they've betrayed each other.

they grow to love each other. it's explicitly not romantic and never will be, by harlan's statements, but it's also explicitly love. (i will die on the aromantic arthur hill.) they grow to become one whole, fucked up, multiply-divorced, utterly devoted symbiotic being, no longer desperate to separate but to keep each other. they are the dearest, most codependent, most bitchy, most beloved of friends.

truly terrible things happen along the way; the podcast definitely is not for the squeamish. arthur is more scar tissue than not by now, and really should NOT still be alive after how many times he's been punctured. it's genuinely quite scary at times, and genuinely heartbreaking in others.

but i think its key message is that no matter what we've been through, we must cling to hope with bloody fingers, and we must keep going, even if all we can do is crawl. no matter what we've been before, we decide who we're going to be today, and no one gets to tell us otherwise. love and self-determination is what will save us.

and just from a technical standpoint, i think the podcast is brilliant. because arthur is blind, john has to narrate what they are seeing and doing, which also allows us, the audience, to 'see' what's happening, and lets us feel like we're in arthur's shoes. when john gasps in horror at what he's seeing, we feel the same dread as arthur, because we don't know what's happening until john describes it to us. harlan's voice acting is truly astounding, both in the emotion he can convey and in just how many dozens of voices and accents he's able to pull off, often without listeners ever realizing it's all the same person.

another fun element is that because harlan is a big ttrpg guy, he allows patreons to actually vote on arthur's choices in the podcast, and he adapts the story to follow those decisions. (in some early episodes, this was represented by a rolling dice sound effect.) he does have a story planned, and set to end in season 6 (we're currently in season 5), but i think that level of audience participation is pretty cool.

so yeah, that's the thing i've been obsessed with for months! if you can't handle scary or gross situations then it probably isn't for you, but otherwise i very highly recommend it. 🫶

edit: i forgot that there's a trailer!

[cato-of-blamesociety]

32 Weeks Tracklist/Song Picks pt. 1 (weeks 1-8)

How/Why did I choose/chose to use the songs I did

*Full breakdown, updated in real time(weekly)*

1. Silent Hill by Kendrick Lamar x Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers

This song was chosen due to subtle melodies but a hard hitting beat. MMATBS played a huge role in my life last summer when it debuted. I followed Kenny like crazy, checking his insta and youtube regularly to see what he would do next. The music videos were food that I consumed over and over again, trying to fully tap into his message. There were other tracks in the album I wanted to remix such as; Purple Hearts/N95/Crown...but Silent Hill just felt more like my style. The lyrics basically wrote themselves. I was able to adequately outline my views for this project, and my goals quickly in the introduction.

2. Promise by Lupe Fiasco x Drogas Light

Drogas was released in 2017, and honestly I can't recall which project I heard first: Drogas or DAMN(Kendrick). I do remember copping the physical CD at a Target and bumping it in the whip on my way home. Lupe has always been a favorite artist of my mine. Dopest metaphors, cool ass voice, and he doesnt compromise his craft. Anyway, in the song, he raps about how rappers lie so much that they can't maintain thier image or even their careers. For me, I have always wanted to rip this beat and I finally did. It provided a dope but repetitive rhythmic framework for me to lay out my direction, my goals, and intentions as a(n): husband, father, artist, this project, and really my life in general moving forward. I hope you vibe with it heavy.

3. Cuff If by Beyonce x Renaissance

As a recent fan of Beyoncé (Lemonade, Everything is Love, Black is King, and Renaissance), I have come to really use the messaging to lean more into my partner. The music that was released (Lemonade and beyond) I felt spoke more to me about cherishing these relationships between spouse, our children and our community. I may not have a huge impact on the world, but to someone close to me, I know that my existence may mean the world to them. This is especially true with marriage. At least mine. We learn to love each other better, to grow together, and hell, parent together. It's not easy. So it's moments like this one where we enjoy our company and have fun.

4. Cut Me a Break ft. TI x The Free Nationals

I happened to stumble across The Free Nationals about 2 years ago. I had begun listening to Anderson.Paak which put me on to Mac Miller, BJ the Chicago Kid, and The Free Nationals. There is a Tiny desk concert that made me respect Paak's talent but also his playfulness with the band made me want learn more. I searched them on Spotify and found that they had released a Self-titled album in 2019...which comes after the death of Mac Miller. He makes an appearance on "Time" and makes me tear up. Anyway, I love the fact that they also released an instrumental version of the album. I knew that I wanted to incorporate them on this project, and this track, "Cut Me a Break" features T.I. coming in hot, and honestly, I don't follow T.I.P.'s music so it was dope to hear an up to date verse from him. I have come to respect and admire his distinguished voice which definitely pops with the band's instrumentation. When I was jamming the instrumental, I starting hearing/coming up with magic metaphors. My album (at the moment untitled/nearly completed) is based on alchemy, growth and self improvement, and 32 weeks is another way to play with that motif and set the stage for the album release. Hope you enjoy!

5. Gray Area ft. Mick Jenkins x Kaytranada

Not going to lie to you all, Kaytranada was a fresh one on my radar. I really didn't know about him. In the beginning stages of writing this tape, I was on the hunt for new music, and it slips my mind but there was trajectory that I followed to landed me to find him. I believe the first project I heard was 99.9% . Then I checked out Bubba which made me realize I f***s with Kay's music. I was super excited when I saw that Bubba had an Instrumental Version. Next step was narrowing down which track I would use. This process took longer than expected because as true Kaytranada fans know...each track was hot. There were so many options. I ended up finding myself being moved by Gray Area. I loved the visualizer he had posted YouTube as well. Next thing you know, I began opening up about my parents, more so my dad, and how their passed down the creativity that I now express. I was visiting my mom one day with my wife and kids. She had on her dinning room table old cards/letters from years past. I spotted one that my dad had made/gave to her. It had his handwriting and omg it was very NSFW lol. Not really but it was definitely cringy for an adult son to read about his father's feelings for his mother. However, my mom began sharing stories about them dating, the nicknames, etc. I realized I got my naughty side from them, and my spark to create/write from my dad. I am truly grateful for that info, as it helps me understand who I am, and what I want to do with my life. I spue some serious dope lines in this track. I hope you enjoy!

6. Fake Names x Freddie Gibbs & Madlib

This one was fun to write. I really stretched my brain to make the metaphors work. A friend introduced me to Freddie's music. I believe Pinata was the first song I heard him on. I definitely went through his whole catalog. Much respect to his craft. When selecting Fake Names, i was searching through his more recent works and I had remembered that his collab with Madlib was fire. Those beats are gold. This one just stuck out the most most. Easy flow, to really take time to dig into the bars, low ambience for vocal presence to shine, and the beat switch which signals the end of my verse. I love the beginning lines expressing my goals. 3 main points: acknowledgement as an emcee, obtaining the bag, and completing every project in the works at the moment. Watch me accomplish each goal!

7. Wailin' x Outkast

This track I feel is straight forward. Although, it should be noted that Wailin' is the oldest track/instrumental that I chose for this project. There really is no true reason why, especially since I was aiming to keep tracks more modern...like no earlier than 2010ish. I have always loved Outkast and ATLiens & Aquemini are my favorite 'Kast albums. I have used Liberation on a previous project. I had begun writing the verse a long time ago, but never gotten around to finish it. However once I was in 32Weeks mode, it was easy and fun to complete. My favorite line pays homage to a song on the ATLiens album (not this one in particular) "Don't wanna float face down in the mainstream, I'd rather walk to my destination on my own two feet..". "Mainstream" speaks a lot about how artist end up either selling out, selling their "souls" , or even flopping/dead all for the fame. I don't worry about that. I do aim for recognition of my effort and skills as an artist, the bread for that said effort, and to continue doing what I do. I hope that if you are reading this you can understand and identify with all that I say. Also, as someone who is working hard to make a dream a reality, I hope you know that if you feel the same pain, the torment, or even the struggles of everyday life, I got you. That is precisely the reason I make music, to help the listeners cope with life.

8. Umbrella ft. 21 Savage x Metro Boomin

This one was one that I truly found joy in writing. Metro Boomin's productions are always fire. You will see later that I indulged in his work for this project. I came across the Album Heroes and Villains and really didn't truly understand where Metro was going with this. I knew it was catchy af though because each track had it's own vibe, and audio return value. The 1st two tracks are what really pulled me in. As I was searching for beats for 32weeks, I knew I wanted a Metro track...then I discovered that he released the Hero's version of his album...which the second half had all the instrumentals. It was like he was asking for artists to take a stab at creating their own origin stories/sharing them. Which is exactly what I did. Because I am adapting my own story to his track I decided to tell my story of my younger self; death of father, single mother household, selling substances, getting arrested for selling said substances, growing out of that mindset, and walking into the man that I am today. Needless to say, just like this only the first phase of journey, it is also just the beginning of 32 Weeks. I hope those of you seeing this..today 8/30/23 as I write this, or ten/twenty years later, that you find a gem or glimmer of hope from my heart to yours.

[theotherrookie]

👫, for Rook and each of the lads please (blooddrinkingbartender)

Bill

Bill is the first new family member to be formally welcomed into the Order after almost three decades. Rick was previously the last addition to the family and the biggest disappointment of the past few centuries. Seeing as he allegedly got fired, it only felt appropriate to pick up the tradition again starting with the one who is taking his place as Rook's father.

Once Rook gets her new motorcycle, she and Bill start going on trips together. Driving around together is fun, but the idea to organize a proper vacation at some point is also there.

Rook picks up some Cornish, but Bill picks up some Italian in return. Veronica is extremely disappointed to find out it's mostly dialect terms.

Rook sometimes breaks into Bill's house while he's streaming. Sometimes she brings an egg, other times it's whatever works for a practical joke.

Antonio

There are a lot of small caring gestures that they both missed like hugs, but they also cook for each other a lot. It gets to a point where it's almost automatic to make a little extra and simply send a text to let the other know. It does help that Rook can drop by with ease through the pocket.

Speaking of the pocket dimension, Antonio eventually gets to learn more about Minecraft and some of its mechanics and compares it to the way traveling a block through the Nether is like traveling eight blocks in the Overworld. Rook still hasn't fully recovered from that realization.

Rook is a fierce promoter of whatever Antonio wants to do. Whether it's something he never got to do growing up, or something silly meant as a joke, she will be on board every time. She knows the feeling of being told no every time, she's not wasting the chance to be an enabler.

When the band finally lands a gig, Rook asks for advice on what to do on stage. Staring down vicious monsters isn't as scary as a crowd with smartphones apparently.

Leofric

Rook starts learning more about herbalism with discreet results, also with the help of her alchemy knowledge. It doesn't help towards mastering her own healing power, but she's happy to learn more about one of Leofric's interests and be a bit more involved than simply handing over a bucket of feathers every once in a while.

Rook has a lot to learn from Leofric as far as fighting goes. Sure, a shield doesn't really fit her style, but it's always good to know how to use one and her technique can use some refinement. Plus, it's a good excuse to both get into their armors. Many selfies have been taken.

Whenever Rook has to leave for a few days, she asks Leofric if he can look after her pets. Thea is the most excited about it and eventually Rook starts coming home to a very excited puppy looking to show off all the new words she learned in her absence.

Leofric eventually manages to make something that helps with the symptoms of magic withdrawal. The others don't notice much of a difference, but Rook feels noticeably better. She almost tears up when she realizes that.

@blooddrinkingbartender

[athletickat]

Top Reads 2020 Fanfiction

I started reading Harry Potter fanfiction this year (thanks to Tik Tok) and these stories I’ve read keep me up at night because I cannot stop thinking about them. 

#1- Manacled by @senlinyu

This is story is a MASTERPIECE. I cannot express how many times I’ve read and thought about this story. The way Hermione loves Draco and Draco loves Hermione is unbeatable. Hermione is a literal boss bitch in this story and my favorite Hermione in everything I’ve read. The build up, the tension, the CHEMISTRY; it is the best thing I have ever read. I could write a whole damn brook report on this story and be proud of it. This story is just... ugh *ultimate chefs kiss*.

#2- Rights and Wrongs series by @lovesbitca8 

The Right Thing To Do, All the Wrong Things, and The Auction are my absolute favorite pieces of writing ever. Draco Malfoy in this series is my horny king, and the best Draco in everything I’ve read. The Auction has a special place in my heart because of hard Hermione works to stay alive and keep the Malfoys alive, as well. All the characters in each story are so well written, especially the Malfoys, and I cannot express how in love I am with each little plot detail and connection between the stories.   

#3- Remain Nameless by @heyjude19-writing

I recently read this story and I cannot get enough of it. This is first fic I’ve read with a wedding scene (two scenes!!) and I cannot put it in words of how perfect it is. This story is all about the love Draco and Hermione have for each other, and it has set such unrealistic expectations for me...ugh. Every chapter had me smiling like an idiot and I could not put it down. 

#4- Cruel and Beautiful World by Lena Phoria 

I am so happy that Lena Phoria turned this fanfiction into a book, but nothing beats the original characters in this story. The way I fell in love with all the characters (except Voldemort, gross) is immaculate. This story deals with a lot of trauma and heavy topics, but the plot and the characters are just too good. Draco is a sweetheart and absolutely whipped for Hermione, but they need each other. I have never laughed so hard while reading a dark AU fic, and this story made my abs hurt. Definitely one to read.

#5- All You Want by @senlinyu

Holy shit. This story has the best smut I have ever read. The way senlinyu describes what's happening to Alpha Draco and Omega Hermione during sex makes me laugh out loud. It is so so good and so so sexy. It is such a fun story to read, and that’s why I love it so much. 

#6- Breath mints / Battle Scars by @onyx-and-elm

This story is the definition of toxicity, but honestly, it’s still so good. Both Hermione and Draco are changed after the war, and they fall in love by rage, sex, and protection of one another. Hermione does not give a single damn about what people may say about her, and Draco just wants her to be happy (although it does take a while for him to see what that really means). Plot and characters are amazing, and the ending is *chefs kiss*.

#7- Isolation by Bex-chan 

The first Dramione fanfiction I’ve ever read, and it has a very special place in my heart. I didn’t think I would like reading Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger fanfiction, but this story changed my mind and led to my spiral of reading such amazing stories. Such an amazing read, and I love seeing Draco grow into a man that Hermione deserves and loves. This story is iconic.

#8- Hunted by Bex-chan

Another superb story by Bex-chan. A Romance/Mystery story after the war and Draco and Hermione fall in love... hard. They are great together and the plot is amazing. This story is another iconic one for me.

#9- Love and Other Misfortunes by @senlinyu

Another great piece of work from the Queen herself, senlinyu. Draco is so stubborn it hurts, but it’s okay because Hermione is there to save the day (duh). Love these two and the romance between them in this story. Also, Veela Draco with wings and fangs is too much for me. Not that it’s important or anything, but the smut level is through the roof. Love it.

#10- Bring Him to His Knees by @willhavetheirtrinkets

Auror Draco and Auror Harry are an iconic duo. I love how intricate Draco is in this story, and how his past still very much affects his present, but Hermione helps him a lot, and it shows just how much they care for each other. Hermione and Draco dance around each other until they realize *wait* they have feelings for each other! It is not complete yet, but I do check every week or so for updates because it has a good murder mystery plot and a fabulous Dramione. 

#11- The Risk-Reward Ratio by MissiAmphetamine

War fic, and honestly one of my favorite ones. Draco sucks up his pride and goes to the Order for help, and Hermione is the only one who truly excepts him. Draco is a stubborn bastard in this story, but he makes up for it. The scenes are so real, and neither character is perfect, but you’ll see how far they are willing to go for each other. 

#12- The Just World Fallacy by MissiAmphetamine

Sequel to The Risk-Reward Ratio, and this one is tough. Still so good, but deals with torture, PTSD, rape, and more heavy topics. The love that still stands between Draco and Hermione even after all that they have been through together is beautiful. I love this story, and I love seeing how each character grows into their own person while during a war.

#13- Broken by @inadaze22

I have never cried so much while reading a story. This story made ME feel broken because Hermione is quite literally shattered, but so is Draco. It’s a story that makes you feel so many things at once and it is beautiful. Super slow-burn, but in the end, Hermione and Draco are meant to be together. 

#14- This World or Any Other series by @olivieblake

Clean and Marked are incredible stories with a rollercoaster twist. I love each character in this series, and the love that Hermione has for Draco, and vice versa, is the most powerful thing in this universe. The relationship starts with a potion assignment and just extends through there. I love their characters so much alongside the secondary characters and it makes the story so interesting. 6th year Hogwarts and continues with the war, but Draco and Hermione are always there for each other no matter what. 

#15- The Eagles Nest by HeartOfApsen

Ravenclaw Draco and Hermione, 8th year, and Alchemy. This story is so complex, and I couldn’t stop reading it. I love both Draco and Hermione and how they work to settle a problem together. Also seeing all the secret rooms in Hogwarts was another compelling aspect of the story that I loved. They know they need each other, and them being nerds and all, school is what brings them together in the end.

#16- Almost Perfect, Almost Yours by BelleOfSummer

I could not put down this story. No matter how much it angered me, and no matter how much I wanted to throw my laptop at the wall, I couldn’t stop reading. The plot is so interesting where Hermione is raised by a Pureblood family, but she was adopted from muggles, so she is Muggleborn. All the while her and Draco fall in love through their teen years and go through a war together. Hermione is a bad bitch and Draco is whipped (maybe not in a good way). They experience so much together, and in the end, you learn to love them for who they are.

#17- The Green Girl by @colubrina

Hermione is sorted into Slytherin and makes all new friends that do not include Harry Potter or Ronald Weasley. I freaking love this story because Hermione is a literal Queen, and the story itself is so well written. I don’t usually read T-rated works, but I could not put this one down because it has such an interesting plot.

#18- Erised Effect by @adaprix

Smut, smut, and more smut with such a cute plot. I love little Hermione as a bad bitch and big dick Draco as a little softy. I was hooked from the first chapter and it was so crazy. The sex scenes in this are just... *fans self*. This story is a rollercoaster of smut, but Draco and Hermione are my all time favs in this.

#19- Every Day, a Little Death by @lovesbitca8

Draco tries everything to satisfy Hermione, and when I say everything, I mean everything. Such a cute story with such a cute relationship. Hermione doesn’t mean to fall in love, but alas, Draco is a sex God and it was inevitable. I love this story!

#20- Crimson with a Silver Lining by Lady Cailan

A dark AU where Draco is mesmerized by Hermione and her will to stay alive. Their love is so strong, but alas, Draco is a stubborn bastard. This story is an emotional rollercoaster and another story where I could not put it down. Also *spoiler* some family drama going on throughout the story. 

#21- Bond by MrBenzedrine89

*fans self* again because this story is incredible. Love the smut, love the club, love the love between Draco and Hermione. Super interesting details in this story with Draco, Hermione, and the infamous Bond club. Loved reading this story.

I fell down a rabbit whole of Dramione stories this year, and it made me ignore everything I had to in my life just to read them. I can’t wait to see more stories this year and procrastinate my life by reading these stories!

[kuekyuuq]

Alex: So, Lena. No more CEO for you.. no more infinite riches. you're just as poor as the rest of us now!

Lena: *opens mouth*

Kara: No!!! *flies off, leaving the rest of them windblown*

Nia: What's with her?

Kara: *returns, looking miserable, covered in black goo*

Lena: *raised eyebrow™* Kara? Did you just-...

Kara: Who would have thought, oil was so slippery?

Alex: Weeeell...

Kara: Hah! Got it!! *speeds away again*

Lena: *sighs*

Nia: ...did Kara just drill for oil?

Kara: *returns, looking even more miserable, completely drenched, dripping on the floor, dropping a handful of pearls on the desk* ..okay, so not very lucrative...

Lena: Kara-...

Kara: Right! BRB!! *swooshes away again*

Alex: *stares at left behind puddle* ...I am not gonna clean that up. J'onn can get mad at her later for making a mess.

Nia: *plays with pearls* Uuuuh, pretty!!

Lena: ..I'll build a robot to clean up after her, it's okay.

Alex: Lena, you shouldn't-...

Kara: *swooping back in, drops a heap of some brown, funny smelling chunks on the floor, looking like a muddy mess, but with a happy grin on her face* Sorry, I took so long! Had to smell them out and not take all where I found them so they can grow back! *clearly proud of herself*

Alex: Eeew!!

Lena: Kara? Are those-...

Kara: Truffles!!! I hear they sell by a lot and they really don't taste half-bad either.. I may have tasted a pound or two on my way back...

Lena: Why?

Kara: We can sell them, so you're not poor, Lena!

Lena: ...you did this for me?

Kara: Yes! I can get more! I thought about digging for gold, but apparently when you want to turn it into money, you'd have to certify where it came from and do taxes and it technically belongs to the country's it was found in, and that would make it like stealin-... *looks at her truffle-pile* Oh, Rao! Did I steal someone's truffles!?!

Lena: Calm down.. it's okay. Also-...

Kara: No! I am doing it all wrong, I-..

Lena: Kara! Stop!

Kara: *stops dead, completely frozen still*

Nia: Wooooaaaah!

Alex: *whispers to Lena* How did you do that? Was it a spell? Can I learn it??

Lena: Kara, I am NOT poor. Far from it. Aside from growing up financially fortunate, I am also smart and think several steps ahead. I have investments, material and fluid, many of which Lex never knew about and therefore could not cut me off of. Also, I am a witch now. If worst comes to worst, I am sure I'll get that whole alchemy thing down, too.

Kara: *slowly unfreezes* ...oh, okay. Right. ...um, who wants some truffles?

Alex: ...you know, Kara, you could have just turned some coal into diamonds.

Kara: ...no, I couldn't.

Alex: What? You are certainly strong enough!!

Kara: ...hnn.. no. Not yet.

Nia: A diamond out of coal? Isn't that how Lois said, Superman proposed to her? Right? Am not sure, she was drunk when she told that story at girls' night back then... Uh, hey, Kara? Lena? Why are you two blushing..?? .......ooooh. It's alright if I take those pearls, right, okay, bai!

Alex: Um, Kara, you know, you can do something original, right?

Kara: HA! Alex, you're funny! Me? Proposing to my bestest friend whom I love so much I would reshape reality for to not lose her?! Ha!

Lena: You did what now!?!

Alex: --aaaaand that's my cue. Have fun, kids. Invite me to the wedding, right? Bye!!

[peach-jelly-lemon]

KotB AU

I’ve made an au, I call it Knights of the Baron

Knights of the Baron explores what could have happened if Draxum had grabbed the turtles instead of Splinter in the lab. 

Designs for the turtles and a lot of descriptions for things 

Raphael, instead of having to learn how to control his temper and clumsiness, is advised to channel it into getting even stronger and punching things better (things like mattresses and spare scraps. He’s been told not to touch anything important). He remains protective over his younger brothers and a stickler for the rules, although both are slightly different in context. He is referred to as Spikes.

Leonardo, as someone who relied heavily on the influence of people around him growing up and was the most like Splinter, is now trying his best to be the most like Draxum. He still speaks dramatically and has fun with fighting, but now it’s more of a ‘taking everything seriously’ act instead of a ‘taking everything lightly’ act. His skill in manipulation and planning is noticed by Draxum and he is made leader- only in diplomatic situations. Everyone follows Raphael in combat. He is referred to as Stripes.

Donatello, in a space without human technology, relies on his speed and creativity to be as useful in combat as everyone else. Without realising it, he embodies the ‘ninja’ aspect perfectly and later is the first to unlock the Hamato mindmeld. He specialises in armour manufacturing, repair, and alchemy/chemistry. He doesn’t even think of a battle shell, because his back is never turned to the enemy anyways. He is referred to as Squares.

Michaelangelo continues his unpredictability. In combat, he relies on being underestimated and thrives on proving people wrong, both in terms of strength and creativity/outmaneuvering. He is drawn to art, but there are little to no supplies. Draxum discovers his potential as a mystic warrior when he accidentally scribbles out a doorway on the ground with his mystic chalk, and slowly begins specialty training. Still being the most emotionally driven, and with proper training, he masters his mystic powers quickly and helps the team work together. He is referred to as Spots.

Draxum raising the turtles:

It would not be beneficial if Draxum’s perfect soldiers died because he didn’t know how to take care of turtles or human babies. So he learns extensively and provides them with almost everything they need to thrive. Through the Power of Parenting he becomes slightly (only slightly) better and more amicable. 

His lab rebuilding is put on hold for a small while until he deems the turtles independent enough to not get themselves killed while he’s away and Huginn and Muninn can watch them (4-6). He manages to finish building the lab again at around the same time as the show because he gets Donnie to help him.

Once they seem dexterous and communicable enough (6-8), Draxum begins training them with their choice of weaponry. Everyone chooses similar weapons to the show and they aren’t the mystic ones yet. Donnie also wants a gun. He does not receive one (yet).

Similarly to the show, Raphael unlocks his mystic powers first. Un-similarly, it’s when he’s a bit younger (~12) and is not because Draxum threw Leo off a roof. After they all unlock their mystic powers, Draxum gives them the mystic weapons. Donatello still chooses to make and use his own.

Draxum is a bad parent but this is not an intentionally angsty au. He cares for the turtles in a ‘they’re useful’ way, but raising them instilled a bit of parental need to protect them. It isn’t beneficial to him to not care about them.

Some more notes:

Raph and Leo: They are co-leaders for different situations, and there’s an equal chance of them listening to each other and executing orders perfectly, and getting into a major argument about it. They understand each other’s strengths and respect them but they don’t understand the way their weaknesses affect their behaviour. They are protective of each other and even moreso of their younger brothers.

Leo and Donnie: Still consider themselves twins and reign absolutely supreme at dramatic monologues. Will get so carried away in dramaticizing things that they don’t notice very important/dangerous things around them. Have matching repaired fingers from where the other bit it off and then fixed it (either with medical or metallurgic+alchemical prowess). A terrifying and sadistic duo in combat and fiercely competitive with one another.

Donnie and Mikey: The B-team remains supreme and similar to the real show. Donnie is protective over Mikey and they both understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses very well. In combat, they make a fast and efficient team, and they can bring out both the good and bad in one another. They can ramp up each other’s emotions until they are very intense.

Lastly, I will be writing a long fanfic about this on my ao3 account that goes through a similar timeline to the real show. 

[d-criss-news]

20 Questions With Darren Criss: How Acting Has Helped Him Make New Music

While Darren Criss has graced our TV screens with a range of characters, from high schooler Blaine Anderson on Glee to serial killer Andrew Cunanan on The Assassination of Gianni Versace, he was last spotted just being himself, on our For You Page on TikTok. “I’m walking to rehearsal with a guitar on my back with a Trader Joe’s bag ... I did not bring an umbrella because I forgot that it was raining. I’m rocking that NYC musician life,” the Glee alum explained in the hilarious clip posted three days ago.

While Criss’ acting work has earned him acclaim and stardom, he leaned into making music during the pandemic. On Aug. 20, he dropped a new EP, Masquerade, featuring five new tracks that Criss says were inspired by the different characters Criss has embraced throughout his career. After Criss wrote songs for his musical comedy web series Royalties and Apple TV+’s animated sitcom Central Park before the pandemic struck the United States, he then used those experiences as a precursor to his new EP. As Criss continues to promote his new music, he answered 20 of Billboard's questions – giving us a peek into how his new EP came together, and how growing up in San Fransisco shaped him as an actor, singer and all-around artist.

1. What inspired your latest project, Masquerade?

Although I would have preferred that it come at a far less grim cost, I finally had the time. Before the pandemic, I had written 10 new songs for my show Royalties -- along with an original song for Disney and another for Apple’s Central Park. These were all assignments in which I was writing for a certain scenario and character. Go figure. It was the most music I had ever written in a calendar year. This really emboldened me to rethink how I made my own music— to start putting a focus on “character creation” in my songs, rather than personal reflection. The latter was not proving to be as productive. The alchemy of having this time and having set a new intention with my own songwriting and producing made me put on a few of my favorite masques and throw myself a Masquerade.

2. How do you think your background as an actor complements your music?

They are one and the same to me. I treat acting roles like musical pieces— dialogue is like scoring a melody; there’s pace, dynamics, cadence, tone. Physical characterization is like producing -- zeroing in on the bass line, deciding on the kick pattern. Vocal characterization is like choosing the right sonic experience, choosing the most effective snare sound, and mixing the high end or low end. It goes without saying that it works in the complete opposite direction. Making each song is taking on a different role literally and employing the use of different masques to maximize the effectiveness of the particular story being told.

3. On Instagram  you wrote that “Masquerade is a small collection of the variety of musical masques that have always inspired me.” Which track do you identify with most in your real life?

Everybody absorbs songs differently. Some key into the lyrics, some into the melody, some the production, some into vocal performance. When I listen to songs, I consider all of their value on totally different scales. So it’s hard to say if there’s any track I “identify” with more than any others, since I -- by nature -- identify with all of them. I think I just identify with certain aspects more than others. If it helps for a more interesting answer, I will say I enjoy the slightly more classical, playful -- dare I say -- more Broadway-leaning wordplay of “Walk of Shame,” but that’s just talking about lyricism. I enjoy the attitude of “F*kn Around,” the batsh--t musicality of “I Can’t Dance,” the relentless grooves of “Let’s” and “For A Night Like This.” All have different ingredients I really enjoy having an excuse to dive into.

4. What’s the first piece of music that you bought for yourself, and what was the medium?

Beatles audio cassettes: “Help” and “Hard Day’s Night.” I just listened on repeat on a tape-playing Walkman until my brother and I got a stereo for our room with a CD player in it, which was  when I just bought the same two albums again, but this time as compact discs.

5. What was the first concert you saw?It’s hard to say, because my parents took us to a lot of classical concerts when we were small. But I guess this question usually refers to what was the first concert you went to on your own volition, and that my friend, was definitely Warped Tour ’01. My brother and I went on our own— two teenagers going to their first music festival, in the golden age of that particular genre and culture. It was f--king incredible.

6. What did your parents do for a living when you were a kid?

My dad was in private banking and advised really, really wealthy people on how to handle their money. My mom was, by choice, a stay-at-home mom, but in reality, she was my dad’s consigliere. They discussed absolutely everything together. They were a real team, and I saw that every single day in the house. They both had a background in finance (That’s how they met in the first place.) and were incredibly skilled at all the hardcore adulting things that I absolutely suck at. They were total finance wizards together. So of course, instead of becoming an accountant, I picked up playing the guitar and ran as far I could with it. Luckily, they were all about it.

7. What was your favorite homecooked meal growing up?

My dad was an incredible chef. For special occasions, I’d request his crab cakes. They were unreal. I’ve never had a crab cake anywhere in the world that was good as my dad’s.

8. Who made you realize you could be an artist full-time?

I don’t know if I’ve actually realized that yet.

9. What’s at the top of your professional bucket list?

The specifics change every day, but the core idea at the top is to continue being consistently inconsistent with my choices, and to keep getting audiences to constantly reconsider their consideration of me. But I mean, sure, what performer doesn’t want to play Coachella? What songwriter doesn’t want to have Adele sing one of their songs? What actor doesn’t want to be in a Wes Anderson film?

10.  How did your hometown/city shape who you are?

San Francisco. I mean, come on. I was really lucky. The older I get, the more grateful I am for just being born and raised there. It’s an incredibly diverse, culturally rich, colorful, inclusive, vibrant city. By the time I was born, it had served as a beacon for millions of creative, out-of-the-box thinkers to gather and thrive. I grew up around that. The combination of that with having parents, who were unbelievably supportive of the arts themselves, laid an incredibly fortunate foundation to consider the life of an artist as a legitimately viable option. It’s a foundation that I am supremely aware is not the case for millions of young artists around the world. I was absurdly lucky.

11.  What’s the last song you listened to?

I mean probably one of mine, but not by choice. I know, lame. But I’m promoting a new EP, what’d you expect? But if you wanna know what I’ve been listening to, as far as new s--t is concerned: a lot of Lizzy McAlpine, Remi Wolf, and Charlie Burg.

12.  If you could see any artist in concert, dead or alive, who would it be?

The Beatles is an obvious "yeah, duh." Sammy Davis, Mel Tormé, or of course, Nat King Cole. I would’ve loved to see Howard Ashman give a lecture on his creative process and his body of work.

13. What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen happen in the crowd of one of your sets?

I feel like just having a crowd at all, at any one of my sets, is pretty wild enough.

14. What’s your karaoke go-to?

The real answer to this I’ll write into a book one day, because I have a lot to say about karaoke etiquette. I have two options here: I can either name a song that I like to sing for me, for fun, or I can name a song that really gets the group going. The answer depends on what kind of karaoke night we’re dealing with here. So I will say, after I’ve selected a ton of songs that services a decent enough party vibe for everyone else, then I would do one for me, and that would be the Beatles’ “Oh! Darling.”

15. What’s one thing your most devoted fans don’t know about you?

What I have up my sleeve.

16. What TV show did you binge-watch over the past year?

Dave is a stroke of genius. There are episodes that I believe are bona fide masterpieces. Also, My Brilliant Friend is a masterclass in cinematic television.

17. What movie, or song, always makes you cry?

It’s A Wonderful Life.

18. What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

Get used to sharing everything about yourself and your life now, or more astutely, to the idea that you don’t necessarily get to control how your life is shared. I know it’s not really your thing, but you’re gonna have to get used to it, so start building up those calluses now. And don’t worry, all the stuff you love now will be cool again in your mid-thirties, so keep some of those clothes because you’ll be a full-blown fashion icon if you just keep wearing exactly what you’re wearing. Oh nd also, put money into Apple and Facebook.

19.  What new hobby did you take on in the last year?

I’ve always been a linguaphile. My idea of leisure time is getting to study or review other languages. This past year, I took the time to finally dive into learning how to read, write, and speak Japanese. Other than making music, it was one of the biggest components of my 2020-2021.

20. What do you hope to accomplish or experience by the end of 2021?

I hope I get to play live shows again.

[synonymroll648]

(Mostly) Detz Headcanons Because I Can

Fitz reaches a point where he just really doesn’t care about strictly following as many rules as possible anymore (doesn’t mean he’s irresponsible, though, he’s definitely still the group parent) and begins borrowing Alden’s pathfinder to the forbidden cities when it’s convenient

“Convenient” meant meeting the need to gather resources or follow through leads, at first, but then it turned into mostly taking Dex to pretty places he remembered from the Sophie Search

Usually, it goes really well; Fitz loves really likes the way Dex lights up and gushes about details of places he likes. He starts talking super fast through the grin that’s wide enough to break his face - if Fitz gets lucky, he starts bouncing up and down and pointing enthusiastically at things. Sometimes Fitz understands, sometimes he doesn’t. Either way, he always melts

...Except for the one time that Fitz didn’t realize that Paris was the place Dex had been taken when the Neverseen kidnapped him and Sophie. Dex had an almost instantaneous panic attack once he realized where they were

As soon as he explained Fitz got them out of there asap, and they just ended up drinking cinnacreme and hanging out (read: having snowball fights) at Rimeshire for the rest of the day

Dex assured him that it was fine, he didn’t know, but that still keeps Fitz up at night

One time Dex starts wondering out loud about the history of some cool ruins Fitz took him to and, to his surprise, Fitz immediately goes into an excited tangent about the history of the place

And that’s how Dex finds out that Fitz is a major history nerd

Fitz gets embarrassed afterwards because he’s used to boring and/or losing people when he starts rambling about history, but Dex assures him that he thinks it’s cool

Not too long after that Dex decides it’s safe to infodump on technology and alchemy projects

Unlike everyone else, Fitz actually tries to understand him and asks questions ’n’ stuff

Even if it means backtracking a lot, Dex really likes it

Idk if it’s official canon or not but I agree with the rest of the fandom when they say that Fitz is big on hand holding and kissing the back of his partner(s)’s hand(s)

And forehead kisses

And cuddling 

(In private, he’s not big on pda and neither is Dex)

Cuddling and forehead kisses change a bit when Dex is suddenly taller than Fitz, because it makes being the big spoon kinda difficult and he has to get on his tip toes to kiss Dex’s forehead

Fitz (lightheartedly) freaks out over that because “You’re a cinnamon roll, I wanna be able to, like, tuck you under my chin and protect you and stuff except that I can’t now, what the heck”

So for a while Fitz decides heels and platform shoes are his favorite footwear, anything to be taller than Dex (who, to Fitz’s dismay, only keeps getting taller and taller)

He has Biana and Della teach him how to run in heels and everything

Everyone finds it hilarious, though Fitz insists it’s not 

Then Dex slips at one point and Fitz catches him just fine

And while Dex is spluttering and blushing like crazy Fitz realizes that even though he’s shorter he can still carry Dex bridal style, so that automatically makes being shorter fine

Fitz still breaks out heels sometimes for fun but it’s no longer a Necessity

It becomes a Thing for Fitz to randomly scoop Dex up into his arms

At first Dex gets super flustered whenever Fitz does that, but he gets accustomed to it and just laughs most of the time

By the time Dex is done growing he’s at least five inches taller than Fitz so it looks a little bit weird, but everyone finds it endearing

Kesler and Juline were nice to Fitz before but once it became apparent the triplets actually listened to him, (having Biana for a sister has made him a master negotiator) they basically adopted him

He doesn’t mind, being at Rimeshire feels like he’s actually living, instead of being Mr. Perfect around everyone except for Biana at Everglen

The Dizznees are also really good at ice skating, for the most part

So they rope him into that every now and then

Dex, Juline, and the triplets are like. Pro level. The former two are super patient and nice about how Fitz is definitely not on the same level as him, but the triplets totally poke fun at him whenever they get the chance

They always apologize when they cross a line though, so Fitz doesn’t really mind

Dex doesn’t really get many opportunities to have fun out on the ice anymore, so he doesn’t really resist too much when the triplets challenge him to a race or something

Fitz just chills on the sidelines for the most part when that happens, he’s actually pretty good at being a cheerleader

What makes him feel better about his skill level is how within a week he’s better than Kesler

Kesler’s coordination skills just. REFUSE. to cooperate with ice skating

He can’t get on the ice without immediately face planting unless he’s holding Juline’s hand, even after about at least 2 decades of ice skating with an unofficial pro

It’s both impressive and adorable how when the triplets start skating towards Fitz, Dex will go out of his way to skate to him faster because he needs to be “protected”

(He really does, but Fitz won’t acknowledge it lol)

Sometimes Dex will skate in circles around him for a bit while teasing him and then leaving again 

He laughs the whole time while Fitz whines

FItz isn’t sure whether that’s worse than when he skates up to him out of the blue, gives him a quick kiss, and then leaves again

At least Fitz is better at tying shoe laces, Dex hasn’t ever bothered to learn the right way to tie them

Speaking of tying things, Fitz finds the lopsided bows that Dex ties onto the occasional gifts he gives Fitz quite charming

Dex’s gifts are almost always something that has a practical use, and quickly become integrated into Fitz’s everyday life

It has somehow made Fitz even more of a sap than he was before which Biana didn’t think was possible

A lot of times when Fitz gives him something he’ll see Dex turn into something to fidget with; he breaks it down and reassembles it into something completely different

The first time Dex did it he had literally no idea what he was doing, and then when he realized, he was horrified

Fitz thought it was super cool though

(It’s become more of an incentive for Fitz to get gifts for him, someone needs to stop this man-)

[furnass]

I don't remember if I've seen Viola yet? Then again I'm rlly busy being an adult and what extra space is left in my brain is full of my own things

I honestly haven't posted much abt her, I remember saying some things abt her when she was still in development, I wanted some musical themed quest siblings and that's how Viol came to be!

This is an excuse to go off abt her thank you bugg <33 it'll be below the cut bc this is getting kinda long LMAO (also all art done by @  motor-oil-soup on tumblr thank you sarge <3)

She's one of 3 siblings, and is the middle child. Her older sibling is named Dizzy (jazz-themed, she/they/he), and her younger sister is Delilah (goth/dark folk/folk punk themed, she/her). Viol is themed after classical music and more specifically she is Polish (thank Sarge for that)

Since she's music-themed, I like her attacks to be via music. I imagine her having mostly wind-themed attacks but instead of using any kind of weapon she has a violin she uses. I'd imagine it to be like she plays something and it goes off of that, like some of Orik's attacks, or Thayne's when he gives status effects. I haven’t decided everything for her attack wise so :]

She was raised in a way of like a child musical prodigy, gifted kid burnout type thing. She plays multiple instruments and still loves music, but had issues growing up which included the fact that her & her siblings were All Trans <3 They each ended up going their own way, Viol ended up at the college at the same time Copernica was there, and they became friends :)   (I imagine Delilah to live in the cursed city, and Dizzy travels around and performs anywhere they can go :) )

Viol at that time she was first at the college did have a massive ass Crush on Copernica, but saw how Copernica talked abt Armilly so she didn't try and pursue anything. The two of them had conflicting views on how the college should be handled, and when Copernica left, Viol stayed because she wanted to help change how things were happening, she had faith in the staff. Hyapathia eventually becomes headmistress, and Viol is working under her, and really believes that Hyapathia could help make the college better. So later when the quest group comes back to the college, Viol is sent by Hyapathia to 'deal with them'.

So Viol fights some of the quest crew (Armilly and Copernica are off looking at something so Copernica doesn’t see Viol immediately) and they kick her ass after a fight <3. But then Copernica sees Viol, Viol sees Copernica, and it's kinda a like. HUH??? moment for both of them, like hey what are you doing here? 

Copernica and Viol catch up for a bit and she tells Viol what’s been going on, and at this point Copernica has realized Hyapathia is the new Headmistress, so they probably talk about that. Copernica also is tasked with introducing Viol to the others as she never met anyone besides from Copernica in the group. Viol is a bit confused as to why her ex crush best friend is now in a group with some kids and an old guy but. She’s very glad to see Copernica again.

Okay now for the gay part. Her and Armilly bond together bc Viol shares her energy with certain things and a friend of her friend is also a friend, and Viol bonds with Copernica b/c they were previously friends and they both share a love for magic and Viol learns abt alchemy from her. I have some self-indulgent content of them in the depths of my google drive which consist of when Viol meets the quest crew, and I’ll probably eventually write one of Viol getting together with Armilly & Copernica. There’s more misc things involving @motor-oil-soup ‘s oc Cordi b/c they are Friends. Besties even.

I haven't done much art of her ever since Sarge hit her w the Polish Beam /lh but I'll put some of the stuff it's done :] (Once again Sarge when you see this thank you for doing my girl justice <3) Fun little thing abt her: Her pipe is a gramophone!!!

[kingofthewilderwest]

what do you think of the ending of fmab? do you think it was well-written how ed was able to give up his gate of truth? i personally think it's a deus ex machina bc even if it WAS possible to give away your gate, it's kinda cheap that it has the same worth as Al's soul when it was established souls are invaluable. also even if ed did learn alchemy isnt all too great, i can still never see him choosing alchemy over their bodies even before he learned this lesson

I think it’s a downright *BRILLIANT* ending.

I would say it’s clearly planned from the beginning. Arakawa established the rules of equivalent exchange from the start. And one of the things she shows is that Ed could trade his leg for Al’s soul. I’m more used to hearing the FMA fandom joking about that exchange rather than Ed exchanging Al’s body and soul for the Gate of Truth, a gateway which is so powerful that entering inside of it provides you with all knowledge and understanding of the universe, not to mention the power of alchemy, which allows you to manipulate matter in magic-esque ways with ease. To me, it’s weirder to swap a leg with a soul, but I accepted the premise there (given as it’s a soul without a body, I can fly with it), so I’m more than fine accepting the exchange of Ultimate Knowledge And Power Of Everything with one human’s life.

Given as every character has a gateway, and it’s tied up into your identity, it seems just as plausible to me that someone could give up your gateway, just as you can a soul, or a leg, or your eyesight.

And it’s to note that... Truth has a say in the exchange. Ed is still the person offering his gate; Truth is the being accepting it. Truth approves of Ed’s loophole. Truth is the arbiter who takes things away when someone commits the taboo of Human Transmutation, and Truth intentionally takes away body parts that are representative of the person’s flaw. Truth knew about Ed’s arrogance from the beginning; Truth knows about what Ed learns now.

And what is it that Ed has learned?

As far as Ed and lessons, I believe that Ed giving up his ability to do alchemy is the entire demonstration of Ed learning a lesson. It’s the culmination of his character growth arc, in a way. 

Ed started as an arrogant character, one who believed alchemy was the ultimate way in which he could solve challenges - in some ways, rise above humanity's struggles. Alchemy will provide a solution to saving their bodies, too, he believes. Throughout the series, Ed and Al realize that they're only human. Moments like being unable to save Nina, or witnessing the birth in Rush Valley, or going through all the near-deaths they have in their adventures... make them see that what's truly great about humanity is its... humanity. Ed becomes humbled in understanding what he can and can't do, and at the same time, comes to find where the greatest value in his experiences are: his friends and family and the people around him.

FMA lets us know humanity's abilities are limited. We can't do everything. We can't raise the dead. We can't create life from nothing. This is all interconnected into the scholarship of Amestrian alchemy, especially as taught by Izumi: all living things are small in the grand scheme of the universe, but they’re interconnected into something incredible. We are one part of All is One and One is All. BUT. Humanity is also beautiful in what it can do: unite together, help one another, live together, fight for what's right. And as the FMA manga and FMAB shows, humanity is a beautiful thing, and all of human life should be cherished. It doesn't matter if you're a chimera, or a soul bound to armor, or Ishvalan, or Amestrian, or Xingese: your life is profoundly beautiful and worth being saved.

It’s to note that the reason the good guys win against Father is because of FMAB’s theme of how humanity unified is the ultimate best thing of humanity.  It’s this bonding strength of humanity that allows them to defeat Father. It’s the Dwarf in the Flask’s downfall to underestimate the power of working together over brute power and alchemical doings.

Likewise, the solution to getting Al’s body back isn’t alchemy: it’s the bond of the human spirit.

Ed giving up alchemy isn't a throwaway last minute deus ex machina, I’d say, because it’s integrated into the biggest themes of the story and the plot developments and Ed’s character development and more. By the end of the series, Ed has become humbler and wiser in acknowledging the limits of alchemy and the strength of humanity. It’s Ed having learned his lesson that alchemy is not all-powerful, to the point that it’s fine to give it up... to sacrifice it, in the ultimate act of solidarity to be with his brother.

The way I read you describing Ed’s exchange, you’re suggesting Ed never learned alchemy isn’t too great, or that Ed wouldn’t prioritize alchemy over physical bodies. Yet I think that Ed giving up alchemy is the culmination of an entire series of Ed learning better about alchemy’s strengths and weaknesses, and Ed growing into appreciating the strength of human character. Ed isn’t just trading clappy science for bodies here. Ed is making a trade to get what he finds most important: a promise to his brother kept, and a sacrifice to make his brother and him move forward in their personal lives. What Ed finds the more important thing isn’t the power of alchemy... but what he can do as a human with his brother. 

ALL of Al is now trapped behind the gate... without this exchange, Ed would never be with his brother again. And that bond Ed has forged with Al was always powerful from the start of the series, and inseparable, and deeper than his love for alchemy. And Ed, with an even greater appreciation for the human spirit at the end of the journey, is more than prepared to drop alchemy for a human bond.

Ed giving up alchemy is fine because he's human, and will be able to experience the great things of human life without alchemy. He'll be able to be with his brother again. He'll be able to live a life with Winry. Alchemy isn't needed for that. Alchemy can't save everything, anyway - they couldn't save Nina with it. Ed's much less arrogant than before, and is willing to give up alchemy for something he understands is much more beautiful and important. 

I’m sorry that this is a skimpy (for me) response, because I’m writing off the top of my head rather than pulling open the text and posting in manga graphics demonstrating my points. It would be fun to talk about this in more depth. Analyzing specific quotes and scenes throughout the manga and anime. Looking in depth at that final conversation with Truth. That stuff. But. I also recognize I have significantly less time in my life than I have in eras past. So I hope this answer suffices! In short, I feel like Arakawa had this ending planned from the start, interwove it with many important concepts that she developed through the series, and came up with a CLEVER AS FUCK loophole as to how Ed and Al can exit Truth’s presence whole - the brothers, who have shown to be intertwined in their beings throughout the series, can now walk together out one door.

[sleepyowlwrites]

Hi, Sleepy! Happy Blorbo Blursday! My question for you is: Which OC has unique talents or abilities? Tell us about the abilities! Is it plot relevant? Or more of a fun fact?

it's been a week! woah.

I'll answer for the youth story kids, because it's been a bit since I mentioned that they all have powers!

none of these are plot relevant, because youth story doesn't have a plot, only vibes. I added them because I wanted to. it is unclear within the narrative if these powers have always been present or if this year is a strange, magical realism capsule. yes, I am changing the baseline again.

R - projected thermography. he's got such a terrible memory, but the action of putting pictures onto objects helps him. so he's got loads of photobooks full of stuff he wants to remember.

Bell - clairvoyance and enhanced senses. the clairvoyance is really foggy and irritates her. she likes things to be clear. when she's actively using one sense, it mutes the attunement of another.

Cal - photokinesis. he glows when he's happy and he's actually scared of the dark so this works out.

Savannah - colorized empathic telepathy. something I made up myself from existing powers in fiction. she senses other people's emotions and sees them as colorful auras. the better she knows someone, the more detailed thoughts she can understand, but the colors prevent her from actually just reading people's minds.

Daniel - spontaneous matter transmutation. he can do alchemy! (like from fullmetal alchemist) he can transform one object into another, but he can't create stuff from nothing, and he can't turn matter into energy or vice versa. and it requires concentration or very strong intention to do it right and not sap all his own energy.

Irina - plant manipulation. she can help plants grow, change their colors, fuse two plants together, turn something poisonous or remove poisonous effects. as someone who always wants to manipulate people, manipulating plants is a pretty good one.

Mark - rapid healing. the more severe the injury, the faster he heals, relatively. a broken finger will take a few days, but a deep bruise will also take a few days. a superficial wound will heal faster than normal, but still less noticeably fast. during one of R and Mark's early fights, Mark fell down some stairs and broke his collarbone. it healed within a week. a skinned knee takes like one or two less days to heal than for anyone else.

Evie - psychometry. she's only okay to touch people when she's comfortable around them and only okay to touch their skin when she's got enough energy to maintain control and not accidentally see their memories. she wears warm colors specifically because memories always show up in cool tones.

Nyks - phasing. his control is wonky. skin contact helps keep him grounded, and if his energy levels are low, it's the only thing that will keep him corporeal. he's a naturally cuddly person so this is fine with him.

Jae - omnilingualism. he can learn any language within days, if he wants to. he can read any language and understand it. he likes that because he has trouble speaking any language.

thanks for asking, Truly ;)

[jadedxrealityw]

-Strange Girl- Draco Malfoy x Female Reader

    ♡~🐍~♡

    Request:   can you do one where draco realizes he likes the reader and wants to kiss her but he is scared so once she is by herself one day he goes up to her and kisses her and he is embarrassed but she kisses him again 🥺🥺 and she’s a hufflepuff

    Kody: This is gonna be a short one, but sweet nonetheless.

    Year: 7th

    House: Hufflepuff

    Possible Triggers/Warnings: fluff overload, Draco being a nervous wreck because i like torturing him. 

    ♡~🐍~♡

    herbology was your favorite class at Hogwarts. Plants and learning about their magical properties were just something you found extremely interesting. It was also where you met your soon to be favorite person. Draco Malfoy had been chatting it up with his friends and go himself a detention after lunch.

   being you, you spent most of your time in the herbology classroom. So after lunch when Draco Malfoy went to serve said detention you were there, but no professor? How strange. He had thought he walked into the wrong classroom for a moment.

    Roll Flashback

   “Professor Sprout?” a males voice called out. Startled, you quickly go to stand up, but hit your head on the table you were under instead causing a loud thud and slight pain. “Ouch!” you squeaked, reaching up to rub the top of your head with the pal of your head to sooth the pain.

   “Who the bloody hell are you?” turning your head, your met with cold grey eyes that bore deep within your soul. Draco. Malfoy. Damnit. “Um Y/n L/n, Hufflepuff, 7th year- uh sorry!” you sputter, being intimidated by this tall platinum blond Slytherin.

   he raises a brow and looks around “Where the Professor?” he asked, referring to the first statement he had said. “She usually just asks me to watch the ‘troubled kids’ as she calls it, but they just end up leaving because i’m not threatening in the slightest. She gave you a list of stuff to do i presume?”

   you lean down and pick up the empty pots from the ground you had dropped before you got there, keeping your hand up so he could hand you the paper. Draco looked at you weirdly. You were fully aware of the fact people chose to walk all over you? ‘What a strange girl’ he thought.

  he nonetheless reaches into his robe pocket to hand you the sheet of folded up parchment. His fingers grazed your hand as he slipped it in your palm. You felt your face flush slightly, but grab it anyway. You lean back up, placing the pots on the table and use one hand to unfold the paper, quite skillfully.

   you eyes scanned the few items on the list and you smiled gleefully ‘How fun’ you thought. You turn your attention to the Slytherin and nod once “Thank you. Now just avoid Sprout for like an hour and you should be okay. I suggest just hanging out in your common room for now”

   Draco’s blinks mindlessly for a second or two. “How- How come your just letting me leave? You seem like a goody two shoes. Why not just rat me out?” a amused smirk played on his lips as he spoke. You reach under the cupboard and grab the bag of soil that was under, placing it down.

   you look up at the ceiling, indicating you were thinking “Um- well, i believe that we shouldn’t have to ‘do extra’ for a class we aren’t really interested in. I, on the other hand love herbology, so i don’t mind the extra work. You rather do something in Alchemy right?”

   your words seem to catch him off guard How did you know that? He crosses his arms with a distasteful look “Oh so your some bloody stalker aren’t you?” he hisses, which makes you twinge a bit, but you stand your ground “We have been in the same potions class since first year. You speak quite loudly”

   you let out a small laugh, but Draco just huffs and makes a dramatic exit ‘Strange bloody girl’ he thought while storming off

    ♡~🐍~♡

   after that, Draco began to take notice to you in potions class. For someone who liked herbology a whole lot, you exceeded in in potions almost as well as he did. How in his right mind had he not seen you before? Maybe it was because if a person didn’t wear a green lined robe, he tuned them out.

   a month or so would pass and we would continue getting detentions in herbology, but would actually aid you in his own punishment chores this time. You both made small talk and Draco grew to like your company. You didn’t seem to be afraid of him, well not to much.

   you also found yourself growing closer to the Slytherin, but in a romantic way. You just couldn’t shake the feeling no matter how hard you tried. What really got you was when he took off his robe and vest and rolled up the sleeves of the white collared shirt. It. Was. Hot

   but out of the herbology classroom, you were nothing more then the strangers you were a month ago. Your friends had convinced you to try and get over him because it wouldn’t result in anything other then avoidable heartbreak. Draco on the other hand was a oblivious idiot. 

   “So let me guess, when you talk to Y/n you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, your palms get sweaty, your heart rate starts to pick up, and you kind of want to kiss her?” Blaise explained, brow raised in a amused manner. Draco’s jaw dropped, dropping his book “How do you know that!”

   the tall Slytherin boy chuckled “because you won’t stop talking about her. Its driving me, Theo, and Pans up the wall. Just ask her out” he shakes his head. Theo and Pansy nod from there side of the sofa in agreement “Please, we beg you. It’s so obvious you like her. Its painful” Pansy groans.

   Draco’s pale face turned a light shade of pink as he clicked his tongue “I do not like Y/n. That’s absurd! She’s a Hufflepuff anyway, what would my father think?” he crossed his arms. “In case you haven’t noticed mate all three of us are still alive and well”

   “What does that mean?” Draco asked, a confused expression on his face. Blaise sighs deeply and lifts his hand that is interlocked with Theos “All three of us? Gay. Pansy? She’s dating Ginny Weasley. A Gryffindor girl. We are living proof that your father will be pissed, but won’t shit” Blaise xplained. 

   Draco seemed to have an epiphany and pushed up and off from the black loveseat. Tripping over his feet, he zoomed out of the Slytherin common room leaving his friends slightly stunned “What do you think he’s going to do?” Theo asked with an excited smile.

   “Trip over some stairs and die at this rate” Pansy let out a snort. Blaise shook his head and stood up from the sofa with Theo “Will be in my dorm room, alone. Bye Pansy” Blaise spoke quickly as he began to drag Theo into the halls. The brown haired Slytherin boy smiled and waved “Bye Pans!”

   seconds later Pansy grumbled “I hate being single- oh wait. Ginny!” she yelled as she followed Draco out of the common room to find her girlfriend. 

    ♡~🐍~♡

   running down the halls of Hogwarts, he made a sharp turn to the exit. He pushed open the doors, the cold air hitting his exposed skin. He should not have ran out of the common room only wearing a black t-shirt with dark grey sweats. He even forgot shoes and was only wearing socks. What a lovesick boy he was. 

   he made his way behind the school to the greenhouse where he had met you all those weeks ago. Hoping to find you there. As the pale boy pushed the door open, there was no one to be seen. “Y/n!?” he shouted, but nobody came.(Someone has to get that reference please)

   a confused look played on his features. Your always here and now your not? He had no time to mull over that fact and left the greenhouse. Searching the school felt like hours, when in reality was only about ten minutes. He had even waited outside the Hufflepuff common room for awhile.

   waiting had only made his heart race more in anticipation. He wanted to see you. He needed to see you. He soon found himself walking back to the greenhouse. “Draco?” his head snaps up like an owl. There you were with a confused expression,  E/c eyes looking up and down his body.

   why wasn’t he wearing shoes? It was also dreadfully cold out and he didn’t have any jumper of sorts, while you looked as warm as a marshmello. “Why don’t you have shoes. Are you alright?” you asked, worry clear in your tone. Draco didn’t answer, just walked towards you.

   you raise a brow, placing the bag of soil on the ground. As soon as you lean back up a pair of lips clash with yours. His lips move against yours in a feverish way, almost hungry. Draco pulls away and looks down at your shocked face. Oh shit. 

   “Oh- no. I apologize for that. I- I didn’t- well i did mean to, but i didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. I’m going to kill Blaise-” he was forcing words out which seemed to bring you back to reality so you could grab a fistful of his t-shirt and bring his head down to your height.

   now it was your turn to kiss the shocked boy. It didn’t take him long to react because his hands found your hips rather quickly. he stepped closer, pushing his chest against yours. Kisses eventually got more sloppy before he pulled away for air “I- uh- wow?” he said, unsure of what to say. You chuckle softly.

   “Yeah, wow. Now let’s get you inside. Your so cold” You say, grabbing his chilled hands, interlocking his fingers with yours. He nodded slowly “Please” he said, a small smile forming. You both made your way back inside the school, holding hands and smiling. 

   “What in the bloody hell just happened?” Cedric asked, looking towards the  Gryffindor boy who had watched the whole scene with him.

   Harry seemed to sputter a bit before answering “i- i have no clue. We should do that though” 

   “What?”

   “Nothing!”

    ♡~🐍~♡

   Kody: short, sweet, kill me im so tired. Anyways peace. I also ordered a Draco Malfoy love letter on etsy, so when that comes in February, expect a post about it lmao. 

[rachelbethhines]

Tangled Salt Marathon - Rapunzel’s Return Part 2

Continuing on from part 1 - 

https://rachelbethhines.tumblr.com/post/635068926214258688/tangled-salt-marathon-rapunzels-return-part-1

Summary: When Rapunzel tries to defeat the Saporians by herself she gets captured; but once Varian realizes that the Separatists plan on using one of his potions' destructive properties to destroy Corona, he and Rapunzel work together to stop it.

Let’s Talk About What a Let Down the Sapiorans Are

Throughout seasons one and two the Sapiorans were built up to be this intriguing race of people with a complex past and real problems that are sadly relatable to this day. They had a history, goal, motives, and special abilities like magic.  

Yet all we got was a really bad hipster parody. 

Heck, the crew can’t even keep it’s stereotypes right because they mostly slide into hippy territory instead. Hipsters, Yuppies, and Hippies are three distinctive counter culture movements for three different generations with completely different social concerns and fads. 

Basically Chris tried to “stick it to the kids” again and just wound up insulting his parents' generation instead because he’s that oblivious of other human beings.

And that’s not even taking into account that previously the Sapiorans were living on the run as nomads in caravans not dissimilar to common Romani stereotypes, so the show is once again making negative racial connotations due to thoughtlessness.

Why Do You Have a Secret Underground Room Hidden Behind Your Workshop Xavier?

Like that not a thing normal people happen to have lying around there workspace. We still are given zero explanation for why Xavier has all this plot convenient knowledge and rare unordinary plot useful stuff. 

Given his previous connection to Saporia and Zhan Tiri wouldn’t it not have made more sense to reveal that he is an actual plot important character in season three rather than keep him as just the exposition fairy? 

So Was This Before or After the Saporian Take Over? Cause Either Answer Makes This a Dumb Plan.

Why would the guards, especially Cap, just give up? Did they even bother fighting and then lost to Varian’s weapons or were they told to stand down by a brainwashed Frederic? If they knew something was wrong then why not stay and help? What makes them think they even could find Rapunzel given how no one knew where she was heading and her letters were infrequent? What difference would they think finding Rapunzel would do? 

Basically, just like with the “former cellmate” line, we needed to actually set up and establish this conflict rather than relying solely on exposition dumps. Because what we get here doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. It goes against established character and leaves a lot of unanswered plot holes. 

More Promotion of Authoritarianism From the Show

Remember that these are the same people who formed a lynch mob to hunt down a fourteen year old all because the king told them to. The same king who had been lying to them for years and placed their lives and homes in danger for months. The same king who persecuted the poor and orphans for years. Him suddenly sending townsfolk to the mines isn’t anything new, so what are these people’s breaking points? Anyone else would have revolted by now.  

But noooo, they need Rapunzel to do it for them. Cause Rapunzel is royalty and they can’t do anything without royal permission because they’re sheep. Sheep that’s been subjugated for years and conditioned to be afraid of their “beloved ruler”. 

I understand from a meta point of view why you would want your main character to take charge but...

Like this isn’t inspiring.

It’s disturbing. 

Why are we promoting blind loyalty to a person who’s not earned it just because they were born special? In a freakin’ kids show no less! 

Oh and still no one bothers to call out King Frederic’s abuses here, FYI. 

Take Note That Quirineon is Activated By Heat

This will be important later on in the review. 

He’s Already Built Grenades For You. Wouldn’t Those Be Better Because They’re Easier to Control?

He’s already built explosive chemicals for you. You just used them in part one of the episode. And it came in an easy to use form rather than an unstable, and untested, mess that could literally blow up in your faces since no one, not even Varian himself, knows how to control it yet. 

You Don’t Hammer Out a Cast Iron Pan

It’s literally in the word. To make a cast iron pan you pour the metal into a casted mold. You don't hammer it out like you would with a sword or something. And you can’t even go with the “rule of cool” here cause Rapunzel surrounded by molten metal and fire would have been far more impressive looking.  

Yes I’m being picky cause I’m stalling. I don’t care. This is just yet another instance of the crew not paying attention to details like they should. 

Behold The Final Time Eugene Will Ever Call Out Rapunzel’s BS

This is the last time Eugene will hold an honest discussion with Rapunzel like an equal to her. By the end of this episode he will have transitioned into full on doormat mode. 

Also burying negative feelings and not addressing issues is who Rapunzel is. She’s been pulling this shit since day one. It’s what causes 90% of the conflicts in the show. Have you not noticed Eugene?  

So This Episode Has Contradictory “Lessons” 

The episode presents this idea that Rapunzel needs to open up to others and trust again after Cassandra’s betrayal. The problem is that the episode doesn’t follow through on that. It makes a knee-jerk decision to go with a “responsibility” lesson that wasn’t built up to instead at the last minute. 

More on this later.    

Varian Doesn’t Actually Interact With the Saporians at Any Point.

The only person Varian interacts with is Andrew. We have no concept of how he fits in with the rest of the group and what his dynamics are with them. What do they think of Varian? What does Varian think of them? The consequence to this is to further divorce Varian from narrative, even though this is supposed to be his redemption episode. 

As I said in the last part, you can easily write Varian out of this episode and nothing really changes plot wise. That’s bad writing. 

Also I was robbed of Khary Payton and Jeremy Jordan exchanging lines. I was this close to having audio material for my BH6 crossover, dang it! 

Behold The One Time the Black Lady Gets a Line!

I think her name is Juniper? 

You can tell it’s her because of the shadow on the wall.

Anyways they casted this part and only bothered to give the character a single line? What a waste! 

But this just goes back to the series' poor representation. The only WOC in the show are presented as “shifty” and untrustworthy, even when they are ultimately “good guys”. The majority of them are straight up villains tho, and even as antagonists they’re not afforded any real screen time. 

And the only other outright black women on the show is the inventor lady who was given zero respect and the ghost of a barbarian. 

Once again, I don’t think the crew are intentionally racist. I think they’re just sloppy. They wanted to be more inclusive but they failed to actually give voice to minorities behind the scenes and so failed in representing them well. This is a problem with the industry as a whole, not just this one show, and must be talked about as such if we wish to change things for the better. 

None of this “Stuff” Holds Any Real Meaning

We get several callbacks to season one through Cassandra’s personal things that she left behind, but none of this stuff holds any real personal meaning. It’s just there. They wind up triggering these big emotional reactions from both Rapunzel and Cassandra but the audience is just left confused because what they’re crying over are things that have little significance to these characters. Even this line from season one is just dripping with sarcasm and not some pleasant past memory that either Cass or Raps holds dear to their hearts. 

Way To Go, Dumbass

It’s not that she went alone, or that she broke down when it finally hit her that Cass left, that I’m making fun off. The episode already addresses those two points. 

No, what ticks me off is that Rapunzel has taken down killer robots, ghosts, and monsters before now with her magical hair but a handful of regular dudes can just bring her down? I don’t care how much alchemy they got. Depowering your main character for no stated reason just for narrative convenience is poor writing. 

Because If He Didn’t He Would Have DIED, Rapunzel!!!

He literally would have freakin died had he not done something! He was left inside a jail cell to rot away! Before that he was threatened with hangman’s noose! Before that violence from an angry crowd! Before that he was left alone to starve and/or die from exposure! There was no way out for him except to fight! 

And here you are inside the very prison that you kept him in and you still don't have the fucking self awareness to put two and two together! 

This Right Here the Assassination of Rapunzel’s Character and the Killing Blow to the Series

Yeah, and what about after the storm? Hun, bitch!?

We’ve spent two damn seasons watching Rapunzel stepping on people and making excuses for herself and the one time when she should realize her actions are wrong and finally own up to her behavior and she still does not fucking change.

This is supposed to be a coming of age story! That means the main character is supposed to grow and learn shit! But when it matters most, Rapunzel only digs in her heels and refuses to change! 

Why should I care about this character anymore if she’s just going to keep on being selfish no matter what? Why should I bother watching the show if it fails to deliver on its premise? How is this in any way shape or form an appropriate message for children!? 

If you’re watching the series for the first time, then it’ll take awhile to register just how awful this scene is and how it really is the beginning of the end, because they did have time to turn things around after this. But they didn’t, and here we are. 

This Isn’t a Real Apology

It’s not a real apology if all you do is make excuses for yourself. Rapunzel doesn’t address what she actually did wrong here and it has nothing to do with her stupid promise. 

She neglected and enabled the abuse of a child for a year and three months, and she’s not even sorry for it! 

You Were Never a “Friend” Rapunzel

Friends, actually do shit together. They enjoy each other’s company. They care when the other is hurt or in trouble. 

Rapunzel only came to see Varian when she needed him for something. Even now, after this confrontation, that’s all she’ll ever do. She does not actually care about Varian, because the creators will not let her care. 

And Here Comes the Death of Varian’s Characterization

In order to make this stupid, forced, “redemption” work the writers had to do a complete 180 with Varian’s character and his motivations. Instead of freeing his father, seeking revenge, or just, you know, surviving, he now suddenly cares about “being friends” and “being accepted by people”, only he has no reason to want any of that! 

Rapunzel is a shit friend. Heck all the mains are crap friends to him. They ruined his life and the townspeople tried to kill him. Why would he want anything to do with any of these a-holes!? 

Varian doesn’t get assassinated in the same sense as Rapunzel and Cassandra do. He doesn’t suddenly become a hateable dumb douchebag or anything, but he nevertheless has his character retroactively sabotaged by the writing.  

Uh, Were You Not There When Your Dad Rounded Up a Lynch Mob Against Him, Raps?

I believe you were. Also Varian literally told you to your face that he had to go into hiding cause the townspeople were willing to attack him just because those rumors that you failed to stop and pretended not to know anything about. 

Just because the characters shout something repeatedly does not make it true. The audience isn’t dumb. They can remember what happened only two seasons ago. 

Where Was the Inciting Incident For This Change of Heart?

Why should he even want their forgiveness? Why has he given up on freeing his father? Why is he having second doubts about overthrowing the kingdom that persecuted him? 

If you’re going to drastically change a character’s motivations, goals, and moral alignment then you need to present an in story reason for that change. We don’t get that. There’s no inciting incident on screen for us to see the shift in his character development. 

The audience is left to only infer, and that’s poor writing. The audience shouldn’t have to do the work of the writers for them.  Characters’ motivations and goals  should not be guess work. 

The only thing we can glean from this is that he had a change of heart while in prison and that’s a horrifying thing for the show to suggest. That’s basically justifying Frederic’s abuse. It also recontextualizes Varian’s arc into one of submission to his abusers and not one of learning to do the right thing simply because it’s right. 

Once Again, Were You Not There For Season One Rapunzel?

They had a year and three damn months of chances. These people actively tried to do him harm just for simply seeking help. He has no reason to trust them nor you. 

Why Are We Shoulding All of the Blame Onto the Abused Child?

Yes, he did do all of those things, technically, but they’re being presented here without context.

The Queen enabled his abuser who was threatening his life and destroyed his home. He kidnapped her as a last restore when all other methods to get out of his desperate situation failed. 

The princess he threatened neglected him for three months and repeatedly refused to help him, even throwing him out into a deadly snow storm. Despite him being her responsibility, thereby making her neglect a flat out abuse of power.  

He would have died a slow and painful death in prison had he not helped to overthrow the kingdom that persecuted him. 

I’m not going to pretend that what Varian did was right or that he shouldn’t feel sorry for what he did, but this is a highly skewed version of events that are being recounted here just to create bias in the viewers. It’s manipulative writing intended to gaslight the audience. 

Also, why does he even want a second chance!?   

Doesn’t This Undermine The Saporian’s Goals?

The Saporians wanted to reclaim their ancestral homeland so that they would no longer be a displaced people. How does blowing up that homeland help them? 

Season three just throws all logic out the window. There’s barely a single villain who doesn’t undermine their own goals at some point with their stupid actions. 

So Why Varian and Andrew Not Some Other Team Up?

Out of all of the various recurring baddies in the show Varian and Andrew have the least in common. I’m not saying that they couldn’t work together, but doing so required more set up than this. Because as is, this is a very contrived teamup. 

They have diametrically opposed goals and moral alignments. Varian doesn’t bring anything to the table that the Saporaions couldn’t have supplied themselves. Meanwhile the Saporians have failed to offer Varian anything that he could want. 

At best it’s a marriage of convenience for them to both break out of prison together, but even that is contrived because we don't know why neither of them were sent away on the prison barge with the rest of the season one villians.  

Better combinations would have been 

Varian & Lady Caine

Andrew & Lady Caine 

Varian & Cass

Andrew & Cass 

Varian & Zhan Tiri

Andrew & Zhan Tiri

Varian & Hector

The Baron & Varian

Andrew & Staylan 

King Trevor & Varian 

Like there were tons of options here that the writers just ignored, even though any of them would have made more sense than the one they went with.  

The Andrew and Varian Dynamic Can Be Seen as an Allegory for Grooming; Unfortunately the Writers Didn’t Consider That Implication.

Yeah... That’s pretty much what Andrew has done here. He’s groomed this desperate and lonely teen to become a child soldier for him. And one only can only pray that’s all he tried to groom him to do since they were trapped inside a confined and enclosed space together for several months. 

Listen, I don’t mind children’s shows touching upon darker subjects. Often fantasy is a good way for people to process complex themes and uncomfortable real world situations through the safety of fiction. It can even be helpful for those who have had the misfortune to experience certain traumas. 

I’m not complaining that TTS is too dark. 

I’m complaining about it being shit. 

All of the crap Varian goes through is just thrown in there for shock value. It’s not here to commentate on the real world nor provide a complex story. The situations are brought only to then be outright ignored. This isn’t thoughtful nor deep. It’s not meaningful nor heartfelt. It’s just hollow drama done in bad taste. 

You’re Not In a Position to Judge Rapunzel 

You got captured first because you decided to throw yourself a pity party. 

Would He Though?

I’m pretty sure Quirin is very well aware of how shitty Frederic is. If anything I would think he’d be pissed that his son, that he tried so hard to protect, was mistreated in such a hordenous way. 

This isn’t some satisfying ending to Varian’s arc. It’s a heartbreaking revelation that he’s been beaten down by his abusers.  

Varian’s Arc Isn’t Actually About Validation, and Rapunzel Giving It Here Doesn’t Really Change Anything 

I spoke about this before on its own, but Tangled the Series places far too much stock in validation. Yes, it’s an aspect of his character arc, but it’s not the end all and be all of his motivation. It’s not the force that drives him to do what he does. 

His primary goal is survival, both for himself and for his father. His secondary goal is gaining his father’s approval, but that’s not because he’s seeking generic praise, it’s because his father is emotionally distant. The “validation” is a mask for the real issues which are to fix his relationship with his dad and avoid the guilt of having possibly killed him in an accident. 

Rapunzel has fuck all to do with that. 

He doesn’t need to hear approval from her. He needs her to get her shit together and help him! 

Rapunzel’s and Varian’s Situations Are Nothing Alike and Rapunzel Doesn’t Know Jackshit

Rapunzel you were dumped by your bestie because you’re a shitty friend. 

Varian was neglected and abused by those who were supposed to take care of him. 

Unless you’re drawing parallels to how Frederic and Gothel treated you, and even then neither of them denied you basic fucking needs! 

This should be an “Oh Shit! I’ve become just like Mother Gothel” moment for Rapunzel, not an “Oh yay! Someone to share in my personal misery” moment. 

Man, Rapunzel suuuuuucks! 

Also This Still Isn’t An Actual Apology

Once again, Rapunzel is not admitting what she did wrong here. She’s not actually acknowledging Varian’s pain, nor what she needs to do to make admins with him. 

What she’s doing is making things all about herself again. She’s talking about her feelings. About what she is facing. Rapunzel is an incredibly selfish and egotistical person and the show is trying to present this as a positive thing by rewarding her for such behavior. 

Varian’s Redemption Should Have Nothing to Do with “Friendship”

Varian has no reason to want to become friends again with the woman who ruined his life and abused him. 

But more than that, redemption shouldn’t be dependent upon Rapunzel’s friendship, nor even her ‘forgiveness”. Varian should be able to do the right thing just because it’s the right thing, Rapunzel be damned. 

This cheepens not only his character development but also Rapunzel’s development as well. Rapunzel is not allowed to grow as a person and accept that not everyone wants to be her friend, and that people may have valid reasons to hate her even, and that doesn’t make them evil. 

It also rushes through Varian’s arc undermining what the audience had to get through to get to this point.  

OK, Let’s Talk About The Goatee

I wouldn’t have minded the beard had it just not looked like a fucking barcode. There’s production art where it looks fine. But just wiping it away ties back to what I was talking about in part one. It’s denying Varian the chance to grow up. This is supposed to be his coming of age story as well but the crew won't let him do that because “rule of funny” apparently overrides what the characters actually need in order to develop.  

Once again, the show isn’t a sitcom. You can have comedic moments but the comedy doesn’t need to outright undermine the drama. 

Once Again, Shouldn’t Eugene Be the First Person to Jump to Varian’s Defence?

You mean the orphan on the streets who stole stuff and fought to survive when the adults failed to take care of him? Is that what you’re talking about Eugene? Cause if I remember correctly that was you not just three years ago. 

You Mean Rapunzel Needs Him To Make Her Feel Better About Herself

Spoiler alert, but Varian doesn’t actually do anything after this point in the episode. His entire “redemption” is just about making Rapunzel feel better about herself after Cass has rejected her. He’s literally become the rebound. 

How Come Varian Suddenly Became Shorter Just for This Shot?

I know the meta reason is to reflect that scene back in Queen for a Day when Rapunzel promised him that she'd help him before everything went tits up. Where he was also drawn shorter in that episode to make him seem more verunable, but here he’s just suddenly shorter for only two shots and then suddenly back to his usual height. 

Crap like this is why I insist that Varian didn’t actually get any taller in season three. The show just has always been inconsistent with his height and most of the “evidence” for his growth are cherry picked instances where the show drew him smaller than usual for reasons, like here.   

So Where Did They Get That Much of the Explosives and How Did They Get Them So Fast?

Only Varian knows how to manufacture that stuff. Why would he make that much of it if he was still in the experimental phase with it? He’s even surprised that they have so much, so where did they get it? If they made it then, how did they make it so fast? 

So This Plan Goes Nowhere

Spoiler alert: Varian doesn’t actually get to do any of that. In fact he’s kind of pointless for the rest of the episode. 

Why Would the King and Queen Care About a City That They Can’t Remember?

Like this revenge doesn’t make sense. It’s just a contrived way to get Eugene and Lance out of the way.

If the Quirineon Explodes From Being Exposed to Heat Then What Good Does Just Dropping It Do?

Yeah, remember? The stuff explodes when heated. Simply dropping it shouldn’t do anything other than make a mess on the ground maybe. 

All That Build Up and Varian Still Doesn’t Get to Do Anything Useful

Up till this point, Varian was shown to be the most competent threat in the show. Yet here they have him be a screw up twice in a row just for comedy antics and to glorify Rapunzel again. 

If you got to nerf other characters just to make your main look good then you’ve failed to establish your main character as being capable in their own right. 

Remember That This Boy Was Trapped in a Jail Cell With This Guy for a Year!

No, I’ll never be over this.

Andrew is the most directly violent and scummy out of all of the villians in the show. 

If he’s willing to do this now, if he was willing to do this to his ex-girlfriend, then what the heck was he willing to do when he and Varian were trapped alone together? 

So Andrew Just Willingly Sacrifices His Own People Here....Even Though His Goal Was to Give His People a New Home....

People need to use this gif more often when concerning this show and the villains’ ass-backwards plans.

And yes they survive because of Varian alchemy. But that was on accident. Andrew had no way of knowing that would happen. He’s willing to destroy his own people just to blow up his ancestral homeland and for what!? What does he gain from this action?  

The Mind Wipe Kills Frederic’s and Arianna’s Characters; Littraly

Frederic and Arianna are effectively dead at this point. Anything that made them, well them, has been wiped away. Their personalities, hopes, dreams, their on going stories and development, just gone. And we never get them back, even when their memories supposedly return. 

Varian’s Not Even Allowed to Get the Idea On How to Save Corona...In His Own Redemption Episode No Less

This is his episode! We’ve spent two years building up to this point and you can’t even let him help? He’s denied the chance to make up for his own mistakes! Just so Rapunzel can play hero and be a very shallow representation of what a bunch of men think a “strong” woman should be! 

It’s fucking insulting. That’s what it is. 

Making a female character the center of the universe to the point where other people are just props for her is not empowering! 

No It’s Not!!

Uh you wouldn’t even be here had you just fucking helped Varian to being with you dumb bitch! This is very much you and your father’s mess! 

Even now, while pretending to be responsible, Rapunzel can’t actually be responsible and own up to what she did! 

She’s fucking 20 and the 16 year old shows more maturity than her! 

Also Your Hair Can Protect Two People at Once Rapunzel; Remember?

There’s no excuse for leaving Varian out of the action. We’ve been shown multiple times now that Rapunzel’s magic hair can protect her and other people at the same time. 

Having Rapunzel Save the Day By Herself Undermines Everything the Episode Was Trying to Establish

What happened to needing to “trust again” and letting other people help you? Having Rapunzel save the day alone just tosses out the lesson that the show was trying to build up to. 

The show tries to frame this as Rapunzel learning “responsibility” but that also does not work. For one it was never established that she needed to learn that within the episode itself and secondly, she doesn’t actually do anything different from what she usually does. 

Being an action hero isn’t the same thing as being responsible. Being responsible is being considerate of others, doing the borning shit or mundane crap that you hate, and being mature enough to recognize your own failings and admitting when you were wrong. 

So in the end Rapunzel is neither responsible nor more open to others. 

And There’s the Death of Eugene’s Character

Lance, who has maybe exchanged all of three sentences with Raps, is more distrught than the guy that supposedly wants to marry her. This isn’t heartwarming, nor it is growth. It’s just lobotomizing a character right in front of our eyes. 

In this very episode he was worried about Raps going to face the Saporians by herself and was, guess what, fucking right to do so. But he doesn’t give two shits if she gets blown up!? 

Ooookaaaay.....

This is the completion of turning Eugene into a doormat. From now own he shan’t be allowed to have any thoughts or feelings of his own that disagrees with Rapunzel. 

The Eugene we knew is now dead. 

But Of Course the Show Rewards Everyone for Behaving In the Dumbest Way Possible Anyways

Don’t expect any of these grossly out of character moments and oxygen deprived logic to be addressed nor fixed within the show. The series will keep on shoving unearned endings into our facing while insisting that this is positive development. 

How Did Y’all Get Here Before Varian?

Yes, he was left on a roof, but he can climb and y’all were outside of the city. 

Yeah... A Year and Half Fucking Later!

Ok, a year and three months, but that’s still not any better. Worse, all this implies is that Rapunzel would not have ever concerned herself with trying to free Quirin had Varian not broken out of prison. She would have literally left them both for dead and we’re supposed to find her suddenly doing the bare fucking minimum heartwarming and inspiring?

Where Was the Inciting Incident to Use the Decay Incantation for This? 

How did Rapunzel come up with this plan? When did she come up with it? 

When the hurt incantation was first found no one mentioned how it could be used to save Quirin. No one even gave Quirin a thought. Since then the incarnation hasn’t been brought back up, ever. This is a pretty big leap in logic for Rapunzel to suddenly think of this. 

All it highlights how Varian was originally meant to be there to translate the scrolls and incantations in order to establish all this but of course it got cut so now it just comes the fuck out of nowhere. 

Not Letting Varian Have Anything to Do With Saving His Father Is Even Worse Than Not Letting Him Save the Day

This has been his motivation since the beginning. It’s been the driving plot for a season, and now that the time has finally come what does get to do? 

Hold a dang bucket. 

Part of coming up with satisfying endings is following through on what you’ve established. The audience needs closure. Simply freeing Quirin isn’t enough, we need the carthartis of Varian specifically fulfilling his goal. 

I don’t know how to break this to you Chris, but this isn’t Rapunzel’s story. Not this segment of it anyways. It’s Varian’s and it just so happens to connect to Rapunzel’s. She shouldn’t have been center stage for this. 

The Series Blows It’s Load Too Early with the Incantations

This is the last time we’ll hear any of the incantations sung on screen, cause someone in budgeting didn’t know what was important to throw the money at and what was not. 

It’s not bad here, but if we could only hear one incantation only once this season it needed to be in the finale with the final heal incantation. 

Varian Was Right All Along

Also, all this does is justify Varian’s actions in season one. Rapunzel was indeed the only one who could free his dad according to this. For a series that desperately wants to shove all of the blame onto an abused child’s shoulders they sure go out their way to prove him right. 

So How Is the Hurt Incantation Suppose to Work?

There were so many fan theories after this scene because Varian and Quirin don’t respond to the hurt incantation the same way previous characters had. 

No one is gasping for breath, Varian can touch Raps without burning his hands, and Rapunzel can control the direction of her power. ect. 

Turns out there was nothing there, the writers just didn’t know what the fuck they were doing and made the hurt incantation very inconsistent just like all of the magic in this show. 

BULLSHIT!!!

You literally turn into a villain because she gave up on you!!!!

She also didn’t give two shits about you throughout the entirety of season two. 

Why are we just pretending like season one didn’t exist!? 

Why!?

The Note!!!

No It Fucking Didn’t!

Does That Look Like “I’m Proud of You Son” To You?

Chris went on to confirm that, yes, the note did hold more information that then got cut. Pretty much confirming all that we suspected. That Varian was cut from season two and his story hastily shoved back into season three at the last minute. 

Below is the link to the tumblr post he made.

https://cnotes.tumblr.com/post/190534585146/apparently-one-of-the-writers-said-a-while-back

What’s worse is that his defense is such bullshit. The below exchange pretty much sums it all up.

This Doesn’t Actually Resolve Anything and Is Therefore Unsatisfying to Watch

Part of the reason why this conclusion doesn’t work is because it doesn’t actually address any of the problems that they have in their relationship. Quirin never owns up to what he did wrong. There’s no discussion of what Varian was up to while he was entrapped, no conversation about what secrets Quirin hid from his son, and zero admission of wrongdoing on either side.   

Also Varian has done nothing significant to earn those particular words. Saying I love makes sense, but in context saying “I’m proud of you” does not. It doesn’t even work on a meta level cause the episode prevented Varioan from accomplishing anything. 

It’s empty. 

There Could Have Been More Screen Time to Fix This If Not for Season Two Mucking About

https://discord.com/channels/427940661589704715/569296212218347522/777635115978457098

Above is the link to the original storyboards. It doesn’t fix everything but there’s a lot more satisfying emotional beats including adding Ruddiger back in who is suspiciously absent for the entire episode for no stated reason. 

This version was cut due to time. Which, like with the Crossing the Line song, didn’t need to be had they been more effective with their usage of time in season two. 

They also could have had a better conclusion to Varian’s arc in general had he not been cut from season two altogether. 

So What Does Freeing Quirin Add to the Series?

I’m serious. What does freeing Quirin at this point and time do for the story?

It doesn’t add any character development, Quirin just wanders around aimlessly in the background until the finale and even then his part in that is a pointless dead end. Varian doesn’t gain his emotional closure, just empty, hollow “praise”. Nor is he allowed to accomplish any of his established goals. No new lore or history is exposed. No mystery uncovered. 

There’s no reason why this couldn’t have been done later in the season. Provide more tension and keep up the consequences of the characters actions. Give the mains something to do and work on until Cass and Zhan Tiri show up again.  

The only reason why this is here is to wrap Varian’s story up as soon as possible so he won’t “steal Cassandra’s spotlight”. That’s it. He’s rewarded for conforming to Rapunzel’s will and all the fans should shut up and be grateful, at least according to Chris.

I Like This Song But It Wasn’t Needed

It doesn’t add anything to the story. It’s just a generic celebration song. Which would be fine if it wasn’t for the fact that we have a limited number of songs, even less than in previous seasons, and the story isn’t over yet. This is the wrong place to put a victory song at. 

Especially when we could have had a song that furthered Varian’s redemption instead.  Yeah, that was cut too. 

So Is Varian the New “Lance” This Season?

He’s right there! This is his dang focus episode! 

Why hire Broadway singers and not let them sing!? Why waste talent and money like that? 

Also These Lyrics!

Did Glenn Slater just not read the scripts before writing the songs? That’s all season three ever does! Give the mains what they want without earning it. Even in this very episode!

So Is This Rapunzel’s 20th Birthday or Not?

Ok I have gotten into many a heated debate about how long season three is supposed to be. And that’s because what the crew says doesn’t match what the series shows us. 

By all accounts this should be Rapunzel’s birthday. According to season two she’s been gone for one year, and there’s the lanterns that they fly specifically on her birthday. 

But no one verbally says it’s her birthday and I’ve heard conflicting accounts from different members of the crew. Some stating that it is her 20th birthday and some disagreeing that it is. 

Well I’ll take what evidence that the show actually presents to its audience on screen over what the cast and crew says after the fact any day of the week, so I’ll be gathering up this evidence and proving by the end that season three is two years not one. 

But the fact that I must comb through series to prove this, the fact that we can even have this debate, and the fact that the crew have to state basic info after the series is over is just proof of the bad writing. 

Fun Fact: Cupcakes Weren’t Invented Until the 20th Century

Yeah, that’s the fault of the OG film, and yeah it doesn’t really mean much, but still it’s one more thing to add to the pile of stuff that doesn’t fit. 

Plus I’m just a hardcore nerd for historical cooking and I like to share my knowledge.  

Yeah But How Can He Trust All of You Again?

You’re the ones who let him down first; repeatedly. And you only started to make things up to him once he became useful to you. What assurance does he have that you won’t mistreat him again next time he’s in trouble or is no longer of any use to y’all? 

Yes, Let NOT Show What the Main Character Is Actually Going Through

Yup, this is “Rapunzel’s show” but we’re not going to let Rapunzel have any focus on her feelings or give any insight into her thought process about what is the main conflict of the series now.

Conclusion

Ducktales was robbed! 

I can’t believe this shit won an Emmy for “best writing.” It utterly fails on every possible level. It fails to be a continuation of the ongoing story and it fails to be a stand alone episode. Even the very structure of the story is fundamentally flawed. The only reason why it’s not the worst episode of the entire series because the finale and the penultimate episodes exist. 

Anyways...I finally made it through. It literally took my entire weekend but I’m finally caught up. Next week I’ll be going back to the usual one episode a week schedule. 

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #127: Leonardo Da Vinci

Today on Fate and Phantasms, we’re making the one person with enough free time to be both a universal genius and the best ninja turtle, Leonardo Da Vinci! Like many casters you’re super power is Being Adaptable, so just imagine every level summary ends with “Adjust your spell list to fit what your party needs” a lot.

Check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

Next up: Tamamo... 3!

Race and Background

Like a couple other servants you’re technically a homunculus, but we need that feat bonus, so we’re making you a Variant Human. This nets you perception proficiency, +1 Intelligence and Dexterity, and the War Caster feat. This gives you advantage on concentration checks, the ability to use cantrips for your attacks of opportunity, and the ability to use somatic components with full hands. That glove’s cool, but it’s probably hard to flash gang signs in that thing.

You’re Chaldea’s resident Izzet Engineer, giving you proficiency with Arcana and Investigation. You also get the ability to look up public building’s schematics to look for secret entrances and the like (it definitely would make the opening to Descent into Avernus a lot easier...) You also get enough background-based spells to make your first level spell list look downright silly. We’ll get into those at the levels section though.

You should probably try and keep that “Izzet” part under wraps. Mixing servants and mizzium could only end in disaster.

Ability Score Improvements

As the poster child of the Renaissance Woman, your Intelligence and Wisdom should be pretty goddamn high. After that is Dexterity- you literally made your body, and your craftsmanship is impeccable. Your Charisma isn’t amazing, because despite your body being a literal work of art you get a demerit due to the writing team’s transphobia, and also the standard array’s inability to give you all 20s. Your Constitution isn’t great for the latter reason as well, but we’re dumping Strength. Once again, the caster class’s 90% damage modifier is not going to help you get buff.

Class Levels

1. Wizard 1: You’re smart and magic, that’s a wizard. You get proficiency with Intelligence and Wisdom saves, as well as two wizard skills. History and Insight would be my pick, but you’re good at everything, so pick your poison.

You also get an Arcane Recovery once per long rest, allowing you to regain a couple spell slots on a short rest as a freebie, but their total level has to be half your wizard level rounded up. Oh yeah, you get spells too. They use your Intelligence to cast.

As the Universal Genius, your entire schtick is about being adaptable, so I’m not going to list spells in the breakdown this time around. If you want them, my personal picks are in the character sheet. 

That being said, you do get some guaranteed spells from your background. Thanks to being an Engineer, you get Produce Flame and Shocking Grasp as cantrips, and Chaos Bolt, Create or Destroy Water, and Unseen Servant at first level.

2. Wizard 2: Another problem with being a renaissance woman is that there’s no “everything” specialty for you to grab. That being said, the Transmutation school will help make your body a bit stronger on a more permanent basis than bladesinging would. You become a Transmutation Savant, meaning it takes half the time and cost to transcribe transmutation spells into your spell book. You also learn some Minor Alchemy, spending ten minutes per cubic foot of your target object, turning a nonmagical item made of wood, stone, iron, copper, or silver into one of the other materials on that list. This lasts for an hour, or until you drop concentration. I’m sure you can come up with fun ways to abuse this.

3. Wizard 3: Third level wizards get second level spells, including your background spells Heat Metal and Rope Trick. Everyone needs a bit of alone time. And also to slowly set people on fire. Also, you should probably grab Enlarge/Reduce. It’s a secret tool that will help us later.

4. Wizard 4: Your Ability Score Improvements are all going to intelligence, but we can be smart about it. Your Keen Mind gives you a small boost to Intelligence, but it also helps you navigate, tell time, and be a jerk to your DM by forcing them to keep notes on literally everything. Use this power wisely.

5. Artificer 1: You’re not just a mage, you’re also an inventor. And an artist, but we’re sticking with int casters today. Maybe for rider. With your Magical Tinkering, you can add minor effects to tiny items, because it’s not like you’ve already got prestidigitation or anything. Speaking of, you get another Spell list, which also uses your Intelligence to cast and prepare. Again, you’re a caster-almost literally any spell is canon for you, aside from maybe the divination ones. Specifically the futury spells.

6. Artificer 2: Second level artificers can Infuse Items, allowing you to create magical items for your party. Again, you can make almost anything, so take some liberties. Or check the character sheet. Either or.

7. Artificer 3: As an inventor who’s specialty is “inventing”, you’d think picking a subclass here would be hard. Normally you’d be right, but I want to make the Bastenyan X, so we’re going Battle Smith. This gives you some specialty spells, like Heroism and Shield, as well as making you Battle Ready. This gives you proficiency with more weapons, and you can use your intelligence instead of strength when using magical weapons. You also get a Steel Defender, a construct to help you in battle. You have to use your bonus action to command it, but you weren’t using it for anything else, so that’s fine.

You can also make the Right Tool for the Job after rests, creating a set of artisan’s tools until you make another.

8. Artificer 4: Another ASI, and another half feat. The Observant feat rounds out your Intelligence, allows you to read lips, and gives you a +5 bonus to perception and investigation checks.

9. Artificer 5: Fifth level battle smiths get an Extra Attack with each attack action, for when you really want to slap someone with your giant hand. You also get second level spells, like Branding Smite and Warding Bond. 

10. Wizard 5: Third level spell time! You also get your background spells, Call Lighting, Elemental Weapon, and Glyph of Warding. And that’s not even counting your normal spells.

11. Wizard 6: Sixth level transmuters can make a Transmuter’s Stone over the course of eight hours, and a creature holding possessing the stone gets one of several benefits. These include darkvision, and extra 10 feet of speed, proficiency in constitution saves, and resistance to acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage. If you’re holding onto the stone, you can even switch up the effect every time you cast a leveled transmutation spell.

12. Artificer 6: Hopping back into artificer gives you Tool Expertise, giving you doubled proficiency with any tool. I’m not sure if I was explicit enough here, but you’re very smart.

13. Artificer 7: So smart, in fact, that you can use your Flash of Genius to add your intelligence modifier to a nearby ability check or save, a number of times per long rest equal to your intelligence modifier. You might not be great at athletics, but you do know a lot about the technique!

14. Artificer 8: Nope, we’re not maxing out intelligence yet. Use this ASI to become a bit Tougher. No real reason for it, but you’re kind of a melee fighter with less than 100 hp at the end, which isn’t good. This gives you +2 hp every time you level up, and a nice +28 hp immediately.

15. Artificer 9: You get third level spells again, including your specialty spells Aura of Vitality and Conjure Barrage. You also learn how to add an Arcane Jolt to your magical weapon attacks, either dealing extra damage or healing a nearby creature. You can use this once per turn, and a number of times per long rest equal to your intelligence modifier.

16. Artificer 10: Tenth level artificers see a lot of their infusions become a bit stronger, and they become a Magic Item Adept, which gives them an extra attunement slot and makes building magic items from scratch much easier.

17. Artificer 11: Eleventh level artificers can make Spell Storing Items at the end of long rests, allowing you to give your Bastenyan a Knife of Enlarging so you can ride in style by hasting and growing it at the same time. Despite the name, these items have to be weapons or focii, you can only have one item at once, and they only hold a number of charges equal to your intelligence modifier.

18. Artificer 12: With our final ASI, we can finally max out our Intelligence score for the best spells, the strongest hits, and the most effective magic items.

19. Artificer 13: With your fourth level spells, you get specialty and background spells at once, netting you Aura of Purity, Fire Shield, Conjure Minor Elementals, Divination, and Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere. And again, these are all spells that don’t count for your prep.

20. Artificer 14: Your capstone level makes you a Magic Item Savant, allowing you to attune to five items at once and ignore all requirements for using magic items. True genius knows no limits, after all.

Pros:

By mixing some wizard levels in with your artificer, you can learn a frankly silly number of spells by default, allowing for a lot of magical versatility. Multiclassing also lets you steal higher level spells from other spellbooks, negating some of the weaknesses you’d normally get from multiclassing. By the end, you can still copy over seventh level spells! Not bad for someone who just got fourth level spells on paper.

With pseudoproficiency and advantage in concentration saves, you’re pretty good at holding onto spells even with your lackluster Constitution score.

Your DM’s going to have a really hard time keeping secrets from you with a maxed out Investigation checks, plus good insight and perception, plus the ability to perfectly remember everything that happened in the last month. Proficiency is +6, intelligence is +5, Observant is another +5, Flash of Genius is another +5... That’s a base of 22, even if you roll a one. Rogues aren’t that good at investigation. Okay, maybe rogues are, but still. 

Cons:

Multiclassing still has downsides. You don’t get ninth level spells, which is a bummer, and you also don’t get the capstone ability of Artificer, which is downright broken. That being said, it’s not like most games get to level 17-20 anyway, so it’s probably not that big a deal.

I don’t like making builds that rely on DM fiat, and this build kinda does. In a low magic setting, or against a DM who just doesn’t like you, you’re stuck with, at max, fourth level spells. A situational weakness, but one you should be aware of.

Despite having tons of abilities to join in the melee with your other party members, you’re actually pretty bad at surviving there. You have an AC of 15 with mage armor (the in-character option), and your HP is probably somewhere in the 130s without a magic item we get at level 20. That’s not to say you can’t get in a fight, you just really don’t want to stand out.

[swtorpadawan]

For 50 types of kisses. With my favorite swtor couple, Corellan and Kira.

Lets do 7 and 12

Kira Carsen hopped down from the Alliance shuttle and onto the pad of the hangar on Odessen as it landed, feeling elated. She’d been gone for a week while on Tatooine; one of the hottest, driest, most unpleasant planets in the galaxy. She’d spent most of that time fighting rakghouls, nightmare creatures born out of Sith alchemy, and managing a team of individuals with a rather “diverse” mix of personalities and ambitions, as well as coordinating with the independent THORN agency (The Hyland Organization for Rakghoul Neutralization, what a dumb acronym.) all to bring the Rakghoul outbreak on Tatooine under control.

For those reasons alone, she had good reason to be pleased to be back on Odessen, a place that – in just the two months since her rescue from carbonite – had become like home. This mission had been the longest she’d been separated from Corellan Halcyon since she’d joined, and that was an even more important reason to her.

But to her own surprise, there was another reason why she was truly in such a happy mood:  

Her mission had been a success.

Her mission. She’d been team leader for this one. She wasn’t playing second-fiddle to anyone.

And she’d found – over the course of the week – that she had a knack for it. She’d learned to appreciate the crew of Alliance personnel she’d been assigned. Blizz – the Jawa mechanic, a native of Tatooine – had been incredibly resourceful, and was adorable, besides. "Deadeye" Leyta, the Selonian gunslinger, had a ruthless streak, but Kira could relate to her desire to protect the people she cared about. HK-51 – the same hunter-killer droid who’d joined their crew on select operations years before – was still a sociopath, but his sense of humor was starting to grow on her. Doctor Lokin – the former Imperial scientist and expert on the Rakghouls – was as tricky as Corellan had (privately) warned her. But he was also as brilliant as Corellan had said, and in just a few days – using only the gear from his field kit – he had successfully adapted an effective vaccine to this new ‘Tatooine strain’ of the Rakghoul plague, as Lokin himself had dubbed it. THORN was already distributing synthesized versions of Lokin’s vaccine and achieved containment.  

Xalek… was Xalek. The Kaleesh Sith was arguably the bluntest individual she’d ever met. Even the other Sith in the Alliance didn’t seem to care for him. But she had to admit, he was (almost) as good with a double-bladed lightsaber as Kira herself was, and he followed orders when told to protect their support teams.

She wondered for a moment if this was how Corellan had felt. First with his old crew, and now with the whole Alliance. It had worked out. And the mission had given her a greater appreciation for what the Eternal Alliance truly stood for.

The whole experience had given her a greater sense of belonging.

Kira looked around the hangar, somewhat disappointed that there was no one there to greet her. The flight deck officer gave her a casual smile and a nod, then proceeded to take stock of the shuttle’s condition and fueling levels. A few other individuals around the hangar tossed glances her way, exchanging a whispered word to their fellows.    

She felt much more confident about that sort of thing now than she had a week ago.  

(Kira didn’t want to admit that she was a little disappointed that he wasn’t there to greet her. Corellan Halcyon had a whole Alliance to run, after all. He couldn’t afford to be seen running off every time the love of his life came back from a mission. But she was certain he was on-planet nearby; she could feel him through the Force.)

Behind her, the rest of the team – her team started to walk down the shuttle’s loading ramp.

Doctor Lokin already had his datapad out, preparing a report as he walked. The scientist had seemed quite pleased with their results. Leyta – who had been piloting the ship – was assisting the flight deck officer with checking in their shuttle. Xalek and HK were making themselves useful, carrying a crate of Lokin’s equipment and genetic samples to the labs. Blizz sauntered past Kira with backpack full of used THORN equipment he’d recovered that he seemed certain he could do something with. The small creature looked up at Kira, happily.

“Blizz thank red-haired big boss friend lady for taking Blizz on trip!” He chirped up at her in Jawaese Trade Language. “Blizz enjoy seeing old home – but good to be back on new home!”

Kira smirked at his excitement.

“Don’t mention it, Blizz. I hope we work together again soon.”

“Blizz hope so, too!” he gave her a wave, then walked off with his catch. No doubt he was headed for his work bench at the Underworld Logistics section of the base. The Jawa had proven an impressive tinkerer, so maybe his side project would result in something after all.    

As Xalek and HK hauled their cargo off, Lokin paused in his deliberations to regard Kira. The older man’s smile was somehow grandfatherly, charming, and creepy all at the same time. As Corellan had confided to her privately, he was someone to watch closely.

“I must echo our small companion’s sentiments, Knight Carsen.” He bowed to her. Lokin had taken to addressing her by her old title, even though Kira wasn’t even sure if she qualified as a Jedi anymore. “This has been a most efficacious expedition, and I must commend your leadership and skill. I do hope we are assigned to another operation soon.”

Kira found – much to her surprise – that her smile back to Eckard Lokin was genuine, and not forced like it had been earlier in the week.

“Thank you, Doctor.” She kept her tone and choice of words formal. “Your work was as impressive as advertised. I would certainly ask to work with you again.”    

“I am quite gratified to hear that.” Lokin’s smile turned into a toothy grin for just a second.

Yeah. He could be creepy. Kira thought to herself. She wondered how much of his behavior was intentional, and how much of it was just his nature.

“I’ll get started on my follow-up research right away.” He continued. “I would be elated if you could please inform the command staff that my preliminary findings will be submitted for review by oh-nine-hundred hours tomorrow morning.”

“No problem.” She nodded, holding his gaze firmly. “I look forward to… reviewing your work, myself.”

“Of course.” Lokin bowed again. “I’ll leave you to your own reports. Congratulations once again.”

With that, he turned and departed, no doubt heading for his laboratory.

Kira exhaled, relieved that she’d held up so well. She’d learned she could deal with the Doctor Lokins of the galaxy.

(Truth be told, she’d never met anyone quite like Doctor Lokin. But that was a problem for another day.)

For now, she had a report to make in the command center. Corellan – along with his advisors – was probably waiting for her there.

Satisfied that Leyta and the support staff had everything else taken care of, Kira headed for the corridor that would lead her to the war room, briefly mulling hitting the showers first. She’d been on Tatooine for a week, a planet where water was a luxury, spending almost half of her time in the Rakghoul tunnels. The brief sonic shower she’d taken at Anchorhead was the most hygienic relief she’d had in that time. Followed up with the day’s travel in the rather cramped shuttle, Kira suspected she could certainly have used the genuine experience of the shower in the quarters she shared with Corellan. It was a tempting prospect. But the Alliance had a reputation for being a ‘rough’ bunch. If she dallied, people – particularly Lana Beniko – might suspect she was trading on her relationship with the Commander, and that was something Kira would never allow.

The Commander. Still strange to think about Corellan that way, even if the role did suit him. He was good at it; the loyalty he commanded from his people was proof of that.

Kira was so distracted by her inner thoughts that she was taken completely unawares when a strong hand reached out seemingly from nowhere, grabbed her by the shoulder, and yanked her into a darkened maintenance closet where the door promptly slammed shut behind her.

Every instinct in Kira’s mind screamed at her to respond to this obvious attack with aggression in kind; to pull her lightsaber from her belt and lash out with the Force at her assailant.

But the Force, her soul – and her heart – all told her to do otherwise.

Kira stifled a gasp as Corellan Halcyon pulled her in for a deep, passionate kiss, pinning her against the sealed metal door. Instinctively, her arms wrapped around his shoulders as her lips tried to reciprocate the affection, only to feel his tongue assert itself possessively, slipping deep into her mouth and tracing her teeth, as if trying to memorize them. Kira released a slow, needing moan as their lips continued to press together for minutes on end. He so rarely took control like this. And the kiss… shavit. She couldn’t remember him kissing her quite like this since that night on Tython so many years ago, when kissing had been fun and mysterious and the ultimate. When the only thing either of them had wanted was to explore and then get lost in each other.

For a few fleeting moments, she almost felt overwhelmed by the sensation pulsing through her mind and body. It was like he was devouring her essence; her very sense of identity. And all she could do in that instant was to moan softly again in contentment.

But no. He would never do that to her. Even for as long as he’d been forced to deal with Vitiate haunting him, he would never become anything like him.

After what felt like an eternity – but still nowhere long enough to satisfy Kira’s sudden want – he released her from the kiss. She caught her breath, feeling like she’d been holding her breath underwater. Even after all that, he didn’t pull back completely, instead letting his forehead press down against hers, her back still against the door. Their breaths were heavy, even as they began synchronizing with each other.

“I missed you.” He whispered.        

In the minimal lighting, she could barely make out his boyish grin.

Kira actually giggled in embarrassment, pressing her hands against his chest. Corellan was the only one who could make her feel girly like this.

But despite that, she was still herself. She was truly part of something special rather than being subsumed by something that wanted to dominate and destroy her. Those fears she’d had as a child on Korriban could not be further from her mind.

Kira trusted him completely.  

“I can tell.” She grinned up at him, eyes sparkling in the dark.

Corellan reached up, gently caressing her cheek as she closed her eyes at his touch.

“I read the preliminary reports.” He whispered. “We’ll do the debriefing with Lana and Theron in just a bit. But I just wanted to welcome you home. And to tell you how proud I am of you.”

Kira chuckled as she cast her eyes downward, relieved that in the dark he probably couldn’t see her blush.

Then again, with their Force bond, she doubted she could fool him.

She’d realized instinctively that he’d used his Force camouflage ability just to surprise her in the corridor just now. It was the first time he’d done something like that since they’d been reunited. And he’d planned it perfectly; no one had seen him grab her in the corridor, which meant there’d be less tongue-wagging and gossip from the rank and file. He’d given her the ‘welcome home’ they’d both wanted without doing anything to undermine her position in the Alliance.

It had been perfect.

On the other hand, her competitive streak was pushing her to… assert herself just a bit.

Just because she’d found her place with the Alliance – and with him – didn’t mean she’d stop being herself.

“Tell me tough guy.” She grinned up at him saucily, reaching down and grabbing him by his belt. “Exactly how long do we have before that debriefing?”

________________________________________________________________

Author’s Notes: Something I really liked about the Echoes of Oblivion story was there were multiple moments in the story where Kira clearly takes the lead, even in the presence of characters like Scourge and Senya who are far more experienced, and the Outlander, who is theoretically the most accomplished warrior in the galaxy regardless of the other variables. She’s the one who comes up with the plan to find the ship. She’s the one who leads the group in the process of ‘Let’s meditate and go into Satele’s mind so we can fight the Emperor’. And so on. It all highlights Kira’s character development; she’s always been driven and now she’s coming into her own as a leader. Even though I don’t plan on taking my fic into that specific story, I did want to capture a measure of that.      

I had another piece of fic planned regarding this mission to Tatooine I’ve alluded to, but I like this, too.

I really like the character of Doctor Lokin. I wish he had more content. The others just seemed to be an interesting mix to me.

Full disclosure - I borrowed some stuff about the kiss from an old John Grisham novel; just a line that always stuck with me.

Roping in the Rakghoul even and THORN just seemed natural. I like to world build in my stories.

Tagging interested parties - @legacyofabsolutewalnuts , @misthios00 , @raven-of-domain-kwaad , @no-name16-21 , @a-muirehen and @jagger127 !