#and i was googling what i was doing wrong and everyone is like 'DRAGON IS OP BEST MOVESET IN THE SERIES'

[secondlastk]

he is so perfect to me

[theroundbartable]

(sending hugs)

what are your thoughts about aithusa? personally i love her way to much, but she rarely comes up in fandom discourse

HEY :D Thoughts about AIthusa, huh? I have many of those. Thoughts, I mean. In my brain. They like to swim around and create a whole mess of things sometimes.

I think the reason why Aithusa doesn't come up in fandom discourse often is because there isn't very much to say. Aithusa was born, then color coded as a sign for the golden future of Camelot and was then abandoned by Merlin. Tortured by a crazy guy. Then raised by Morgana and used to create the sword that later killed Arthur. Whenever they come up in fandom discouse, it's mostly about Merlin doing his job as Dragon Lord right or wrong. But you wanted my thoughts, so I'm gonna allow my head to spin weird shit around the ungendered Dragon. (That is why I will use they/them pronouns for Aithusa.) When it comes to Aithusa's name, not the canon translation, I mean what it literally means, it's hard to find, since they used old English for the language of magic, and I think Greek for the language of the Dragon Lords (which doesn't necessarily have to apply to the Dragon names) and I haven't seen anyone make a post about it. All I get from Google translate is "Hey you" in Gaelic and that's a bit useless. Or well, this:

The automatic language recognition in Google would let me interpret Aithusa as a gift to the world. Or Arthur, depending on your shipping interests. Or, you know, if I could make up the Old English maybe pseudo-parts of the word (the writers were very lazy in BBC Merlin, they are literally quoting Beowulf when Merlin magics the blue ball in the poisoned chalice.). Something fitting I found in my old English dictionary is agan, meaning to possess, and to own, and thus (spelled with a thorn which my keyboard doesn't have) meaning as follows. So, in my absolutely amateurish and interpretational, and way too far reaching ways, I would say Aithusa could mean: A(gan) thus (a): To own the future.

(Again, you asked for my thoughts, this is not canon and probably pointless, I just needed to go down this route first.)

In the fandom wiki, we find THESE informations on Aithusa.

So, things we do know are very few

Aithusa is a baby

Aithusa was tortured and is therefore crippled

Aithusa cannot talk

Aithusa probably has Stockholm Syndrom because of Morgana

But you know, I think it's very interesting to know that Aithusa is the Light of the Sun, the literal sign for a Golden Future and that very sign can be hurt by a mere human. Not only does this mean that humans can kill Dragons (the Dragon lore doesn't make any sense, I swear to god) but it's also meant to be symbolism. Merlin, just like Arthur, is shown to be his own doom through Aithusa. They are hidden, tortured, kept from living their truth, abandoned by everyone who should be leading and protecting them.

With Aithusa being born it means that at that point, Merlin had already fulfilled his destiny. At this point in time, the golden age is already there and it should have been a sign for Merlin to speak up about his magic. He never did, that's why Aithusa remains mute. And just like magic itself, when harmed or in danger, Aithusa can easily be used for evil.

Apart from the symbolism and their part in Arthur's death, Aithusa doesn't contribute much to the story, I think. Yes, they console Morgana and they are like the continuation of the Dragon lineage, but that's ultimately pointless. Aithusa will be, inevitably, be the last Dragon. Which is honestly really cruel, but again, parallel to Merlin himself. That's where Aithusa's arc ends, unfortuntaley. Personally, knowing all that, I find Aithusa hard to use as the character they are in canon. With what little defines their character, you have to ultimately change everything about them to use them in fun fics and comics and stuff. That's why they end up as a little dog creature so often.

Don't get me wrong, I love Aithusa. But I love FANON Aithusa, just like I prefer fanon Sir Leon over canon Sir Leon. Because fanon Aithusa is like a domesticated chicken that Merlin keeps in his rooms or fights custody over with Morgana while Arthur is either oblivious, supportive, or being gaslit. But maybe I am overlooking a lot of things. So, if any of you like to disagree or add anything to my points, feel free to engage ^^

[ominous-feychild]

✦ Writer Questionnaire 2 ✦

Thanks for the tag, @the-golden-comet! (And @the-letterbox-archives tagging me when I was almost done here, haha)

Heads-up! Long post!

How long have you had your writing Tumblr/Writeblr? A fast and loose estimate is fine!

Two months ago to the date actually??? Or, at least, that's when I first uploaded a story here. My first actual Writeblr post was me hopping in on an open tag on the 6th of June, haha. I thought it was just a month, but looks like the summer's gone by in a flash! 😭

What led you to create it?

So, I'm a writer on Tapas! I'd been attempting to social network on other social medias (twitter and bluesky) but wasn't getting anywhere, didn't like the general formats, and uh... I'm sure I don't have to explain why I don't want to touch Twitter with a 10-foot-pole anymore. Let's just say, if you haven't seen, it's just as bad as (if not worse than) everyone says. Anyhow, I'd seen lots of Tumblr short stories on other platforms and started investigating what it's like here. Didn't know what "Writeblr" was or that it even existed, but eventually stumbled into the field after posting my short story. Thanks, @darkandstormydolls! ❤️

What’s your favorite thing about the Writeblr community?

How supportive everyone is??? Like omg you guys are so sweet, idk how to take it. Also I love seeing how much passion everyone else has for their writing, haha.

What’s one thing you’d like your mutuals to know about you?

Uhhhh, I think I'm pretty open about the things I'd like people to know about me, haha. I never mean to offend, so if I accidentally say something wrong, please tell me! I'm autistic and very dumb.

Is there anything you’d like to see more of on your dash?

I'm ngl I keep meaning to build out my followed tags for my fandoms, haha. The only fandoms I really see things for are TMAGP (10/10, TMA is my obsession. I am obsessed. It is one of my Special Interests and I love it with all my heart) and House of the Dragon??? Except I'm not even a fan of HotD??? So that's kinda annoying, haha. (Aka, my fandom stuff, but that's on me.)

WIP it Good

Which Works-in-Progress (WIPs) or writing projects are you noodling about, lately?

Rising From the Ashes, tragically. (Because it's one of the LAST things I should be working on right now, haha.) Otherwise, I'm of course always obsessed with the Arcane Rifts. Then I force myself to be obsessed with Sun and Shadow, though it's slowly growing on me, haha.

How long have you been working on them?

Haha, so I've historically jumped around a lot in working on different things, so these are approximate guesstimations!

Rising From the Ashes has likely had 3 or 4 years put into it/the characters. If you include the Calamity Crew (which overlaps with it in the timeline and originally ended up merging with the cast of RFtA), I'd say definitely 4 years!

The Arcane Rifts has had 5 years put into it.

Sun and Shadow is very new; I'd say it probably only has about 4 months of work in it? It's part of why I'm less interested in it, haha. Less I've put into it and less I'm attached to.

Do you remember what inspired them/what got you started?

Oh... oh dear. How could you ask me this??? 😭😭😭

Rising From the Ashes has existed since, I think, 2016. It started (tragically) as an RP starter on Google+. I wish I was kidding.

To those unaware of how it worked in that space (and likely similar ones to this day), you'd post a starter and people would join in with their own characters. 99% of the time, they'd drop out before long. However, I'd work out details of the characters in the process and carry that info over into the worldbuilding. I eventually stopped RPing with the masses and settled down with a single "partner" who I'll call Kris.

She's the one who stole my docs.

The Arcane Rifts technically originated as another RP starter? It never got attention, though, and instead my ideas for it simply carried over into the worldbuilding in general.

One of the characters of the original starter was important in the worldbuilding. It was not a character you see in the early books of tAR, though, so don't bother trying to figure it out. But, since he was so important, his origins were also important.

The Arcane Rifts started in 2019, as I wanted to make a story building out said character's origins. It was originally going to be a duology, the first book being Gene's backstory and the second being how Gene and The Other Guy's lives intertwined. (No, they were not gay for each other! 😂) It's since changed a lot, and focuses basically exclusively on Gene, haha. The last book in the series will probably be focused on the other character, though!

Sun and Shadow started for a romance novel competition on Tapas which has since ended. I didn't get to finish it in time for a lot of reasons, but I primarily cite stress and exhaustion from working full time at a physically-intensive job. It grew shockingly quickly and I had some fans donate to me related to it, so I'm kinda forced to work on it, haha. Dw--I like it! It's just harder to work on for a number of reasons, haha.

How much time, in your best estimation, do you spend thinking about them?

Tragic, the questions you're asking me--

It depends, haha. I'm autistic and hyperfixate a lot. Also, for one, that's a suuuuuper vague question??? Like what do you mean "how much time"--how much time within the day? How often in general? Idk, man, haha.

I think about the Arcane Rifts a LOT!

I've put an incredible amount of time and effort into it, and I'm in love with 90% of the characters there. Even the background characters have had a lot of work put into them, getting relatively fleshed-out backstories to make their motives understandable (even if not agreeable!), and I love them all so much, haha.

Except Katerina. She's a bitch.

I also think about Rising From the Ashes a good amount, and it's invaded my brain again lately, haha.

I took a step away from RFtA and basically all of my other stories late 2021 when Kris (my ex-writing partner) and I had a falling out. It was incredibly difficult for me emotionally to look at anything I worked with her on, and obviously RFtA was a huge one (actually, tAR was the only thing of my early works she had nothing to do with). Since early this year, I've finally been able to work on it again and it's been incredibly fun removing her stuff, actually!

I think all that is a good part of why I keep randomly getting obsessed with it again, haha. It's like looking at old friends (the characters, not Kris) and being all "omg??? I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN FOREVER??? PLEASE TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU'VE BEEN UP TO!!!" except it's removing Kris's stuff, haha.

I think about Sun and Shadow a lot more than you might expect with how much I talk about not preferring it, haha. I love the characters! Crow and, actually, Valyarus especially. They're both super interesting characters, and I'll randomly find my brain working out scenes between characters interacting with them.

(The problem with SaS is that, as a book, it's incredibly different from my usual works. It's a small cast of Frey/Crow and technically Daleira, while most of my stories focus on larger casts. It makes for a VERY different experience, and so it's a lot harder to work on)

When someone asks the dreaded, “What do you write about,” question, what do you usually say?

Actually, I've got a ready answer for this one! Until SaS, I was dedicating my time to the Arcane Rifts and had prepared the answer:

Percy Jackson meets Lord of the Rings in a steampunk fantasy world full of ✨mysteries waiting to be uncovered✨

(I'd say the "mysteries waiting to be uncovered" part ironically/accidentally mockingly most of the time, whoops, haha. I always feel awkward advertising my works.)

It was awkward when people would get actually interested in it from there and ask more questions, haha.

To clarify: that's my tagline for the Arcane Rifts! The story has gods and demigods messing with mortals, using them as their playthings and being REALLY immature babies because they don't really face consequences for their actions like PJ. Then, it's a lot more "grounded yet fantastical" like LotR, where magic is kinda infused with reality and yet you still have issues like starving to death and whatnot.

Let’s Rotate Blorbos

Name any characters you created.  Side characters, protagonists, antagonists, characters who’ve never been written, the first original abomination you ever pulled from your ass; whomever you’d like!

UHHHH THERE'S A LOT TO LIST???

Try this for a taste! These are just the guys I've gotten colors for!

Freya, Crow, Daleira, Valyarus, Grimnir, Soren, Gene, Tazin, Mislav, Adilzhan, Ludmila, Rada, Caspar, Nikolai, Gennadi, Oska, Rieka, Liesel, Carmin, Nora, Sammy, Kieva, Caron, Varik, Elazi, Riaan, Roman, and Tiberius! (Though Tib is getting a name change sooner or later)

Who’s the most unhinged?

Unhinged in which way? There's a lot of options there, haha.

I'm going to give honorary mentions to Valyarus, Gene in the later books, Tazin, Rieka, Gennadi, and Tiberius ! (Why does it not surprise me that most unhinged characters are from tAR? 🤣 Also I swear it's a coincidence most of the unhinged characters are red.)

(... Probably.)

In general, I'd say that, incredibly ironically, the Existence of Order is the most unhinged of all my characters. She's just incredible at hiding it.

(Tbf half of the Existentials probably belong on the "unhinged" list anyway but eh. They still don't compare to Order!)

Who comes the most naturally for you to write?

I'm going to give this as a tie between Gene and Sammy!

Gene has my 'tisms and just about all of my trauma, so we have a lot in common, whoops, haha. Also there's a... very specific detail about his character that makes him easier to write in general. It's just a major spoiler. 👀

Similarly and actually identically to Gene in some ways, while Sammy has a lot in common with me, he's also incredibly perceptive! (Although we don't share that fact.)

Due to the way I write, their analytical natures allow for them to spit straight facts about the worldbuilding and the people around them rather than beating around the bush, haha. Both are highly investigative, try to learn and understand everything around them, and notice small details other characters wouldn't! It makes it much easier for me to write, because uh... well here's an example of what my outlines look like.

Long story short: I include a lot of detail which I then transfer into the POV's character narration, cutting out details which they wouldn't notice or think about, haha. In Sammy's case (which that scene has Sammy as the narrator/POV character), very little information gets cut out because he's so perceptive!

(Here, as a treat--have another example!)

(In this scene, Nikolai is the narrator. Even the outline gets "filtered" to mirror the characters' way of thinking--like it's Nikolai himself seeing Caspar as "doll-like". The crossed-out stuff is details I most likely won't mention, but noted for myself, haha. I do the same thing if/when including details about the motives and thoughts of non-narrator characters.)

Do you ever cringe at them?

Gene and Sammy?

A B S O L U T E L Y .

Gene is a wreck in basically every way and desperately needs help (that he won't get until he meets Dimitry). As much as I love him, there's a lot of moments where you just can't help but wince and be all "shit, did you REALLY have to do/say that?"

Sammy on the other hand? He's a terrified, control freak manipulator who panics the moment he feels like he's losing control of a situation. It can be painful to watch, even if simultaneously fascinating.

How much control do you feel you have over your characters?  AKA, do they ever “write themselves,” refuse to cooperate, or do things you didn’t expect? To what degree? Are some less cooperative than others?

I explicitly go out of my way to add backstory to and develop each and every one of my characters until they "write themselves", haha.

I want my characters to feel like real people, so I do my absolute best to make them as real as possible. (That's part of why tAR is so massive...)

Special shoutout to Dimitry here, btw. Dude COMPLETELY screwed over the planned and intended from the earliest days path of the Arcane Rifts. I've mentioned before that Gene is villain-coded, yeah? Want to know why?

Because he was MEANT to be one! Then Dimitry had to come along, be the sweetest, nicest fucking person around to Gene while he was going through the worst part of his life, and keep Gene from slipping off the deep end!

MITRY, YOU PIECE OF--

Do you enjoy people asking questions about your characters? And do you have a preferred means of receiving said questions? For example, as Asks, as replies, as reblogs, as tag notes, as comments on AO3, etc.

I absolutely love, love, love!!! people asking questions about my characters!!! 🥰

I would absolutely prefer them as Asks sent to me, and especially would prefer if separate subjects/questions were sent in separate Asks! Like, say you were going to ask me about Gene and Dimitry. I'd rather two separate Asks, one asking for whatever you wanted to know about Gene and another for whatever you wanted to know about Dimitry, haha. However, if you wanted to ask a single question about both, that obviously is fine as a single Ask!

On writeblr engagement

What makes you want to follow another Writeblr account? Do you follow ‘em as you see ‘em, or take time scoping out the blog to make sure you align with its content? Do you follow based on WIPs, or vibes?

I definitely scope out before I follow, yes.

I choose based primarily on the personality of the person behind the blog, but the WIPs/vibes can also have an influence on my decision, haha. I'd rather follow people with kind/supportive personalities, and I'll eventually start liking their stories even if they're not initially my thing!

What makes you decide against following?

Bigotry. Moment I see it, I'm on the lookout for even the slightest hint of more and, if I see it, I'm OUT!

(That includes things like: homophobia, transphobia, TERFs, ableism, racism, xenophobia, etc.)

Also, while I include angst in my stories, the people who are big on "I have nothing but bad stuff in my writing and I'm proud" are, uh... not on my "follow" list. While they can write what they want and enjoy it, grimdark is not my thing. Angst is best in moderation and I very purposely control the amount of it in my life.

(Also Kris's--my ex writing partner's--obsession with "grimdark-ness" is a good part of why I'm so ecstatic to remove her stuff from my writing. Yes, I've tried it. For years. I hated it. Please and thank you. Also note that I proudly call myself an evil writer, so it's not like I don't love angst, it's just--moderation. Seriously.)

Do you interact with non-mutuals often?

Yes! I think a good 50-30% of my interactions are with non-moots, haha. I go out of my way to try to support my moots, but I'll definitely share support with anything that catches my attention, no matter who it's from!

To be fair, though, I think a majority of non-moots I interact with are on my mental "probably going to follow soon" list. I can be slow to make decisions, haha. It doesn't help that I try being active with my moots, so I'm trying to avoid growing that list too quickly!

Do your mutuals’ characters occupy space in your noodle?

Haha, depends what you mean by that? My brain is definitely too full of my own characters to have any space for anyone else's, but I definitely do think of others' characters at times! There's plenty of y'alls characters I really like, haha.

Just... omg, my hyperfixated AuDHD brain refuses to focus on anything except for the Hyperfixation of the Moment™.

This was a huge one! Hopefully I'm not screaming into the void with this one, or you guys enjoy finding out more about me and my WIPs.

If you're curious about the reason this is labeled Writer Questionnaire 2... well guess what!

Tagging (gently! This is a lot, haha): @honeybewrites @yourpenpaldee @paeliae-occasionally @mysticstarlightduck @illarian-rambling @.darkandstormydolls (tagged you earlier in the post haha) + open tags!

Divider from @cafekitsune!

[polyglottishthings]

I liked a lot of things about the Dragon Prince and i loved that they included a deaf character at all but imo they did it so wrong because

1. She NEVER mouths her words as she signs, and her signing feels flat and unexpressive. Sign language relies heavily on facial expressiveness alongside the way you sign, so it just looks like she's speaking very flatly all the time

2. She never once has trouble understanding people when reading their lips. It's true that a lot of people are amazing at reading lips and can get by pretty well by doing so, but no one is 100% all the time, and when you consider that she encounters both humans and elves with different spoken accents, it's LIKELY she would misread their lips at some point. There's a lot of comedic potential missed here, on top of the fact that it's just inaccurate.

3. She is finger spelling out everyone's names!! It's one thing when she's just met them and doesn't know much about them or hasn't given them a sign name/learned their sign name, but at the beginning of the show she spells out "Callum" instead of using his sign name. Since she seems pretty close to them, wouldn't she have given both of her nephews a sign name at some point?? I want to believe it's because the creators knew not everyone has/gives sign names....but given the context of this post....i just can't see that...

4. There are a few scenes where she hears something behind her, or when people are speaking behind her and she apparently hears them. I think this one bothers me the most, because the writers have basically made her deafness disappear for the sake of...what? Convenience? Not having to reimagine the scene? It's sad because scenes where this happens would be so much more authentic if you could see how scary it was for her not to understand wtf these people were talking about, or how she has found ways to stay aware of her surroundings despite not being able to hear them.

5. Along with the previous thing, her interpreter stands behind her WAY too much. Like, how is he reading her signs when she's in front of him or vice versa? Making the interpreter not able to view her/her not able to view him is basically excluding them from each other's conversations. You know how, when you're in a group conversation, if you miss what one person says, you aren't REALLY included in what rest of the people are saying? Yeah, that stills holds true with deafness.

A lot of this is just REALLY basic stuff because I don't even sign much and am not fully deaf and I picked up on it, so it leads me to think that the creators of the show just. Didn't ask a Deaf person for their insight? I mean they could've at least just Googled "Deaf people have sign language conversation" lmao

[honey-minded-hivemind]

Maybe there is an idea that I will regret later. Imagine, perhaps in the ordinary X-Men universe, where the Reader there died or they were killed, the rifts between the worlds open and various alternative versions of the Reader appear from these rifts (such as Spider-Man!Reader, The Prowler!Reader, Deadpool!Reader and several other versions). I imagine what kind of chaos it would be, plus the X-Men would become Yander's as they learn about alternative Readers and what they've been through.

English is not my native language, so I had to use a Google translator.

Take care of yourself, please, dear Author, and have a good day/night!!!

Okay! That's a good idea! I think you and 🦏 Anon would get along, with the various Readers' ideas! I don't usually write more than one Reader interacting... but, I'll try this out, for you and for 🦏 Anon!

The X-Men, in a generic AU, if they lost that version of Reader, would be upset. Reader was their friend, their companion, possibly even their sibling or child... Yet something strange happens. A rift seems to form over the area, and out of it falls...

More Reader's?

There's one who is like Deadpool, making puns and bleeding from their arm... There's a Spiderman Reader, who seems confused... There's a Reader who looks like cat villain, in purple and black... And there are so many more... A Reader who has bird wings and claws... A Reader who can create a hivemind... Even a Reader who can turn into a dragon...! There's just- There's so many of them...

Yet despite how different they are, they all seem to share one thing in common: A tragic or dark backstory. Bad parents, or bullies, almost dying, almost getting brainwashed, running from everyone, even from the heroes and villains...

The X-Men decide then and there that these new Readers are their new kids.

Trying to bond with them is odd, and not just because Deadpool Reader makes inappropriate jokes-

These kids have hardly ever been shown kindness. They seem to be missing certain people in their life, be it friends or loving parents or a kind aunt or uncle... they aren't bad, no... But, they're so sad, melancholy, for their old worlds... Even if their worlds were awful...

Some of the X-Men want to stop them from going back. They believe these kids should have a real childhood, with them, where they'll be loved and safe and fed. Others think they should investigate their old worlds, see what about them is wrong, and fix it... And even still, the rest just want the Readers to be happy, be it with them or without them.

In the end, as the X-Men scramble to find a way to keep their new kids with them, a startling truth comes to light...

All of the Readers come from the first Reader... If they can find the first Reader, the one who split apart into all of these others, then they'll have all of Reader with them...

So... now what shall they do...?

[audriegreywind]

wait i think i just realized what the nine realms title comes from

so i googled yggdrasil randomly and basically its a tree from norse mythology - with the 9 realms; Asgard, Alfheim, Svartalfheim, Nidavellir, Midgard, Jötunheimr, Vanaheim and Niflheim - a lot of which are referenced in rtte. what do you think?

Something I'm going to bring up in my Season 6 review, as a matter of fact 🙂 great question!

My general opinion on this: Yes, it's clear that the show is attempting to tie a significant part of Viking culture into their show that's supposedly exploring the intricacies of heritage and ancient civilizations you have some connection with. I believe John Tellegen has even liked/replied to tweets directed at him that support this theory.

Yeah, the thing is, that would be great if the show was trying at LITERALLY all the other things they're supposed to be trying at first.

Screenwriting, character development, animation, simple plots of episodes, etc. All of these areas have very obviously been lacking since the start of the show. Hell, they can't even stay consistent with the rules of the universe they're adding to. The amount of times they get a dragon's ability wrong (see: Razorwhips making fire tornadoes because they forgot Typhoomerangs were a thing) or selfishly change something in Hiccup and Toothless' story to make a lackluster plot work within The Nine Realms is absolutely insulting.

Therefore, I see this "subtle" tie in to actual Viking mythology as ridiculously pretentious. "SeE??? wE'rE DoiNg SoMEtHinG SMaRt aNd CleVeR wITh OuR TiTLe!!!" While the rest of the show is simultaneously destroying the brain cells of everyone who consumes it.

TLDR: Get the lore of YOUR OWN FICTIONAL UNIVERSE correct before you expect me to take your "clever" tie in with actual mythology seriously, Dragons: The Nine Realms.

[closetsof-backlogged-dreams]

what are ur feelings on the execution of the magic reveal??

ok so i have manymanyMANY feelings on in which ill try to wrap up as cleanly as possible so lets just get into it

the way they like speedran the magic reveal??

to paint you a picture: i was super impatient when i first started the series lmao, and so i had watched maybe 4-5 episodes of the first season when i googled "when does arthur find out about merlin's magic"💀💀 i ended up getting the wrong answer because im stupid as shit so i was just surprised as everyone else when it ACTUALLY happened, but thats besides the point.

the point? this was a SUPER important plot point. everyone was waiting on the edge of their seat, every single episode, for merlin to finally pop arthur's bubble and reveal his magic. but five seasons passed, and we didn't get it until the last episode?? are you kidding me?? and because we only got it on the last episode, where arthur was dying, arthur was robbed of any true explanations or declarations or apologies like he—we—deserved. instead, arthur's reaction to it was brief and just not enough. he was disbelieving, then shocked, then angry, then sad, then accepting, all within what, like a day and a half? forty minutes of screen time? im sorry, after spending around 46 hours watching this series and waiting for the magic reveal, that just doesn't cut it.

2. we have to admit, the magic reveal in the last episode felt so NATURAL

sometimes i really struggle to hate the magic reveal, because no one can deny how perfectly everything fell into place. he got trapped in the cave, his father spoke to him, he escaped the cave and transformed himself into that old guy, he single-handedly wiped out the Saxons, arthur was struck, merlin found him and carried him away from the battlefield, merlin turns back into merlin, and then the fucking "I defeated the Saxons. The dragon, and yet— and yet I knew it was Mordred that I must stop." / "The person who defeated them was the sorcerer." / "It was me." / "Don't be ridiculous, Merlin. This is stupid. Wh—why would you say that?" / "I'm—I'm a sorcerer. I have magic. And I use it for you, Arthur. Only for you." (Your welcome for that, day after Christmas<3)

like, you CANNOT TELL ME that doesn't flow perfectly!! that everything that happened in that episode didn't flow perfectly!! the magic reveal was always going to be impossibly difficult to get right, but they got it right in the finale!! that is one thing i will always give the writers—I may have not liked the circumstances of the magic reveal, but the magic reveal itself was beautifully executed.

3. too little, too late

i read an article recently that really pointed this out, and while i disagree with most of what they said in the article, i agree with one thing: the ending was so, so unsatisfying. the magic reveal was so, so unsatisfying. what was the point of him even revealing his magic? the magic reveal was great, sure, but nothing actually came out of it. oh, for the next 24-48 hours of life, arthur can accept him!! but that's it.

there's the implication that gwen will legalize magic after the series, but merlin and gwen don't even get a final scene together! all in all, the magic reveal just wasn't enough. we ended so much more time for arthur to sort out his feelings, for there to be good days and bad days, to watch them relearn trust and love again. we deserved that kind of ending. we deserved the magic reveal to be in, imo, The Death Song of Uther Pendragon, or s5e3. give them an entire season to get through everything. you can still kill arthur!! but let them have that animosity. if anything, have them start out those last two battles on bad terms. let the travel to the lake be them relearning trust and love. let that be the emotional baggage they have to unpack in the finale.

just overall, do anything except what you actually did lmao.

alright!! i think those are the main three points? i think that wrapped everything up pretty nicely, so ty sm for the ask!! these are always the highlight of my month lol.

[dragon-snoots-a-boopin]

Alright, I've seen this video and response videos to it, several of them at this point. So, I am going to give my response on this person poorly made and not all researched video. While I am not like a major fan of Godzilla but, I know bullshit when I see it and this video is full of bullshit.

"Godzilla is the biggest media franchise in Japan" is a huge statement that isn't backed by any sort of evidence to this claim. Rather, he makes a joke about pretending that anime doesn't exist for 20 minutes. In fact, by doing a single Google search, I was able to find that Pokemon is the biggest Japanese media franchise. Not anime thrown into one single group, just Pokemon all on its own.

We then get the take that Godzilla as a franchise has become so big that people don't know it originated in Japan. Like, that is clearly a very wrong take. Like, there is no research required for this one. Pretty much everyone knows that Godzilla is a Japanese franchise and the fact that they even say this shows how little brain power this person has.

There's the take that Godzilla in public domain in America which is 100% false. Again, a simple Google search reveals that there is a photograph of Godzilla that is public domain in America and that's it. Toho owns everything Godzilla related and always will.

Makes a point early on is the person stating that they don't like Godzilla. I'm sorry, why are you making a 26 minute video on a topic that you hate? No wonder this video has so much bullshit.

They talk about a nuclear test that America did where they say that it killed EVERYONE on a boat called the Lucky Dragon. In fact, this is completely wrong. Only one person died and if they did their research then they would have found this out.

Now we get to the point of actually talking about Godzilla (2014). Now, the way he talks about it makes me think that they didn't actually watch the movie. They say that Godzilla becomes a symbol for American heroism which is so wrong. Godzilla doesn't give a crap about the humans and a lot of people, Americans included, die as a result of Godzilla's actions. This is followed up with saying that Godzilla is an ally to the American military in the movie and only shows the shot where some aircraft carriers are following Godzilla like that is evidence enough? Again, this is wildly incorrect because, again, Godzilla doesn't care about the humans present in the movie, not once. Godzilla's focus is on the MUTOs and that's it. We also get this really poor take that in the 2014 movie, Godzilla is a Superman figure which, guess what, is not correct at all. Godzilla doesn't try to mitigate how much damage is being caused, doesn't attempt to save anyone or just being a force for good in general. Godzilla, in the 2014 movie, is meant to be a neutral force of nature but, because it doesn't have the same allegory for nuclear testing is bad, like in the original 1954 movie, it just doesn't work.

Now, throughout this person talking about the 2014, he references the MUTOs specifically as Japanese threats. Again, did they actually watch this movie?? Only ONE of the MUTOs started out in Japan. One of them was, in fact, chilling in Nevada, in America, which is clearly stated in the movie. It's like this person is trying to indicate some level of racism in the movie that isn't actually there. Now, we get this take where they say that the U.S. just kind of realized we couldn't stop the MUTOs so we just let Godzilla handle it because hero. Again, if you watch the movie you see that the military had a plan to use nukes to stop the MUTOs and that went sideways so, the decision was to just let Godzilla fight it out. It was a last resort options, not something they chose to do because we want to idolize Godzilla in America. Neither Godzilla nor the MUTOs care about humans being there one point unless the humans are presenting a threat, as they did to the MUTOs on multiple occasions in the movie. They also call the MUTOs a Japanese threat another two times, possibly hinting that the person thinks there is some kind of subtext in the movie of having Godzilla, "the American hero" taking out the MUTOs, "the Japanese threat" which is an incredibly racist way to see this movie and is also completely wrong. One was in Nevada and two were in the Philippines and they made their way to a power plant in Japan.

Now, the person gives the absolute worst take on the 2014 movie by saying that the MUTOs never wanted to be woken up and basically just wanted to be left alone and have babies. DID YOU ACTUALLY WATCH THIS MOVIE??? Do you see the level of destruction that just two to three of these MUTOs cause throughout the movie? Okay, now imagine TENS OF THOUSANDS of these monsters running about the Earth if we had just left them alone to have babies. There would be no more humans left if something had not been done to stop the MUTOs like what the fuck kind of dumbass take is this?

We then get this really bad take about how American cities don't get the level of destruction in these movies. They cite a moment in Godzilla VS Kong where the two have a fight somewhere in China. But, what this person fails to realize is that Godzilla spends time in that movie tracking the remaining presence of Gidorah, which is in pieces of MechaGodzilla and one of those is in a town in Florida and so Godzilla goes there and intentionally causes major levels of destruction to said town in attempts to eliminate the pieces of MechaGodzilla. Again, if they had watched the movie, they would have known this.

"American Godzilla doesn't stand for anything" is some of the finest bullshit I've heard. Not to mention that they make this claim and back it with absolutely nothing at all. If you watch these movie, especially the 2014 one, Godzilla in these movies is supposed to represent the balance of nature. That is why, in the 2014, Godzilla's one goal is the eliminate the MUTOs and their eggs as that would throw the natural balance off. This is even said and shown in the movie that it really baffles me that they missed this point and didn't provide any evidence to their own point. There's even the message of humanity messing the balance of nature too. Using the oxygen destroyed in King of the Monsters harms and interferes with Godzilla restoring balance while it doesn't affect Gidorah one bit.

We also get this part where they tried to compare 2014 Godzilla to 1954 Godzilla, which I don't think works at they are two different movies with different messages and thus, can't be compared. Plus, after all of this, the person says that they see Godzilla as man vs nature and that the 2014 movie is the best American version of Godzilla. But, after that they go back to saying that American Godzilla is nothing more than a Superman figure, which is safe and boring, and goes against the origins of the character. Again, they don't provide any evidence for their claims at all. What do you mean by safe? What is so wrong with it going against the origins of the character? No, no evidence or explanation, just move on to the next point. Something else that this person seems to purposefully ignore is that Japan made Godzilla more of a hero figure before America did and they again say that the 2014 movie made Godzilla an Americanized hero without anything to support this claim, again.

Now, one part that I really don't like about this video is where they lead in with what is art and basically thing whole thing of art vs entertainment which is something that has always bothered me because people seem to think that these things have to be separate. That art can't be entertainment and vice versa and I think that's an incredibly limited way to think of things. Anyway, they talk about how the 1954 movie got stripped of its message and turned into Godzilla: King of the Monster over in America, which turned said original movie into more of a blockbuster. Here's the thing though. This person, again, fails to provide any evidence as to why they think this is bad, they just say that it happened and that's it. This leads into, again, them saying that the 2014 movie is a movie that doesn't have anything to say without providing any substantial evidence...AGAIN.

This leads into some more of the finest bullshit in the video. They go into this thing about how the US Military will throw money at movies and video games that portray the US Military in a good way and yes, this is true. Now, in this part they say that Godzilla 2014 had an AGREEMENT with the American military, who provided locations and vehicles etc. but that the movie doesn't provide any criticism on the American military. Let me ask you this, why does it NEED to do that? It does show them as ultimately powerless against these larger than life monsters, why does the movies have to have some kind of criticism on the American military? Plus, a character in the movie does provide what you could say is a criticism which is about the arrogance of man assuming they're in control of nature which it's the other way around. Yes, a character literally says this! Maybe it's not direct but it's there and is said directly.

"To be critical of the US Government requires you to be independent". What in the bullshit world of bullshit takes even is this sentence? This person is essentially trying to equate the lack of criticism towards the American military that would lead to the 2014 losing out on a majority of its funding as the overall reason as to why Godzilla doesn't work in America. Yes, you did read that right. Plus, again, they make this claim without any sort of evidence or anything to back it up. They also basically say a take about the 2014 movie being propaganda...yes! they also DID'T provide any evidence for that claim either! Just because they got locations, vehicles and personal from the US Military doesn't make it propaganda. They don't show the US in any way that is good or bad and they don't promote any political party either thus, not propaganda.

They also make a claim where they say that the 1966 King of the Monsters movie is a blockbuster with nothing to say, that it made more money than the original 1954 movie because of this and that, because of this, Japan also took to calling him Godzilla. This is 100% false as Japan still calls him Gojira to this very day and Godzilla is just a translation of that. You also have to consider the post war economy of the US and Japan and you will see why King Of The Monsters made more money.

"If there's anything I can hope to get across in this video, it's to research the things you watch". Let's consider for a moment that a lot of this video is this person make wild claims without any evidence to support them, which is what happens in the video, you can how absolutely fucking stupid this statement is to end on. They clearly did not do ANY research for this video.

Now, the last thing I want to touch on is the amount of irrelevant bullshit is in this video. They go on a tangent about taking a film class where the teacher just put on YouTube videos...like what does this have to do with anything. There's a tangent where they go into to some WWII history and a shortened version of the creation of Toho Studios which could have been even shorter to actual stay in line with their point. I also can't forget about the tangent about Disney doing everything they can to keep their properties from falling into public domain. I honestly don't think the "boat rat drives boat" thing is entirely accurate but that doesn't matter. This video is bloated with pointless bullshit that you could cut a lot from the video but, that still wouldn't save it. This person clearly knows nothing about Godzilla and shouldn't have made this bullshit video to begin with.

[iustitians]

[RECALIBRATE] How frequently does your muse evaluate their own ways of thinking? Have they little self-insight/feel set in their minds for better or worse, or are they constantly questioning their own outlook? To the point of self-doubt, even?

Thought, learning and intellect headcanon asks for muses | no longer accepting

---

Oh god. I started casually answering this and then as I got further I had to open a Google Doc to keep notes, because the more I think about it the more I realize that Neuvillette is such a mixture of someone who is so open to new knowledge and yet at the same time so stuck on his own ways that it's actually kind of ridiculous. Okay let me try to be coherent for at least a moment.

So on the one hand...

How often does he re-evaluate his knowledge? Short answer is, all the time. Neuvillette came to Fontaine to learn about himself and who he is, due to losing many memories but also largely due to being born in human form. That means by extension learning about humanity, and that's what he's been doing all those centuries. He is also fully aware that there is much he doesn't know, he doesn't understand, and perhaps he doesn't truly have the potential to understand due to being a dragon. It's something he openly acknowledges. In that sense, he is certainly open to new discoveries and new knowledge, and re-adjusting and changing what he knew or what he thought he knew about humans and the world around him that now belongs to them.

And there certainly is a high degree of self-doubt involved, too - as I mentioned, he questions not only what he understands, but what he's capable of understanding in the first place. We see that at the beginning of his story quest - in spite of having lived in Fontaine for about 500 years, Neuvillette not only didn't consider himself a part of it, but also in fact didn't seem to even consider that a possibility to begin with. It took the experiences of that whole investigation, everyone pitching in willingly to help him, and then Wriothesley and the Traveler spelling things out for him, for him to begin to realize that both Fontaine and he have changed without him noticing. However, this kind of realization doesn't lead to immediate change. I'd say he's still processing all that to this day, to be honest.

But that doubt also seems to be at least part of what causes him to stand in place, or at least move forward very slowly. He appears to be his own greatest limitation, and that's where I say,

On the other hand...

How often he actually applies this new knowledge he has gained and adjusts to it is a whole different matter, and here my brain just returns a bunch of static noises as the answer. Because for all his openness to learning new things about the world, humans and himself, and for all his readiness to accept and acknowledge everything he had been wrong about, Neuvillette is a horribly inflexible person for whom many meaningful kinds of change take entire centuries to contemplate and then implement. Or try to, anyway. To a varying degree and with varying results. Like as an example, I'm pretty sure Furina has been trying to get him to loosen up and interact more with the human world for centuries, and finally after five hundred years, during the last Lantern Rite, he decided to give it a shot. Finally he was going to implement what he had learned about humanity in all that time by initiating some sort of activity on his own!

So he went to one place in Liyue, tried one new thing, and went back to work after half a day. Good job, buddy.

But hey, baby steps.

And perhaps part of the problem, in addition to the self-doubt issue I mentioned earlier, is something that he himself mentions at the end of Lantern Rite, and something I've been thinking a lot with regards to him recently: he is hardly bereft of time. He is under no pressure to learn and change quickly and rapidly. Of course, this does not apply to matters related to his work, and this kind of knowledge will be put in practice much more effectively. For example, the serial disappearances case taught him that people will sacrifice themselves for spiritual needs as well as each other, so now he will know to consider that as a possible realistic motive in future cases. But matters related to his work are human matters, and human matters are under more time pressure - and time itself is also a human matter.

When it comes to changing himself, he is in no rush because he does not need to rush. He has all the time in the world. If he doesn't understand something now, he can take a couple decades or centuries to think about it. He has too much time.

And sometimes one has to wonder whether that's a good or a bad thing.

tl;dr he's a mess that needs to be studied in a lab

[pharawee]

I haven’t spontaneously forgotten about my favourite show. I was just gone for a couple of days and could only watch Big Dragon now. I’m so glad I didn’t rush myself though because episode 7 was so, so good. Just the perfect mix of funny, sweet moments and good communication.

So essentially an extra fancy episode of mongbiaw.

But more on that later.

I actually kind of like how Big Dragon has this slight overlap between episodes. It’s not just a rehash of stuff we’ve already seen. The old scene is always  interspersed with a previously unseen perspective. It’s like at the start of each episode the scene opens up a bit more, revealing more of the characters and their intentions.

In episode 6 the focus was on the kiss, but episode 7 starts with Mangkorn’s confession: I like you. I won’t let you run away anymore.

And Yai is very clearly touched by Mangkorn’s sincerity. It’s probably exactly what he needs (and it’s like Hong said in the previous ep): between the two of them, someone had to have the courage to make a choice.

And tbh I’m always weak for the single perfect tear trope.

So is everyone else at the Faculty of Business Administration.

I love how Mangkorn and Yai immediately go back to their usual ways, teasing and pouting their way through the conversation (and that’s part of why they’re attracted to each other, right? It’d be weird to take that away), only this time their way of communicating is a bit more careful and considerate. More playful and less biting.

Mangkorn asks about Nine, but it’s pretty clear to me that he already knows that Nine isn’t serious competition. He trusts Yai, and...

Yeah, no.

It’s so nice to see them communicate so well. In previous scenes (like the big “break-up” scene in the pub’s bedroom in ep 6) they went by words alone and completely ignored the way things were said. But here what’s important isn’t the topic of conversation. It’s them building rapport.

It’s Mangkorn doubling down on his confession and making sure Yai knows he’s serious. It’s Yai being his usual bratty self and accepting Mangkorn’s affection. Because more than anything Yai needs reassurance, and Mangkorn knows that now.

Also, the colour grading in this episode was just lovely - all soft and peachy and warm, and very flattering on the usual reds and greens.

We’re treated to a very important (!) montage of Mangkorn and Yai doing MosBank things. It’s like a special episode of mongbiaw, their travel vlog, and I’m pretty sure that’s why they included it. They just vibe so well.

And tbh I’m so glad Mangkorn drives a regular standard motorcycle. I’m so tired of superbikes in BL (except in LITA, where they made sense - and they even had Aprilias and Yamahas instead of the usual overhyped Ducatis... uh, sorry for the rant. Seems like I’m particular about motorcycles now.)

Mangkorn and Yai visit a temple, where they make merit and start creating some of their own “myth” together. Because, you see, not only is this the temple Mangkorn’s parents visited to pray for a child - Mangkorn also told Yai the story behind Hong and his engagement; about why he’s named Mangkorn (Dragon) and she’s named Hong (Phoenix).

Dragon and Phoenix are two of four Guardians. They’re auspicious names given to children intended by their parents to be together.

Yai’s symbol (and his family name), the tiger, is also one of the four Guardians. Turns out Mangkorn’s parents had the right idea, just the wrong symbol.

I’ve used google lens on this. It means dragon and tiger.

That leaves the turtle. Is Nadear the turtle? It can’t be Nine, even though he’d probably disagree. Maybe there’s a hidden fifth mythological animal that’s forever third-wheeling.

Also, I can’t believe this show made fun of itself and referenced the mpreg* in the book. I was legit scared there for a minute.

(*There was no mpreg. Just a couple of chapters on some weird experimental pregnancy drug that randomly made its way into Yai’s hands so of course he decided he needed to have Mangkorn’s babies. He then had some kind of imagined pregnancy and, honestly, the less said about this the better.)

Anyway, the cute mosbank sticker makes its return.

As soon as Yai got out the camcorder (maybe I’m way out of the loop but people still use these in 2022? or is this a vintage thing and I’m getting old?) and said that he’d forgotten the memory card I knew Mangkorn would give him the cursed thing that started all of this. Only now they’ll rewrite it with new, better memories.

And Yai is wearing his favourite shoes again.

On to Nine third-wheeling for 5 minutes straight. Everyone’s making the most amazing faces.

Nadear, you did this to yourself. You have no right to be embarrassed.

The face of a man who just wanted to eat his crab dumpling in peace.

I’m pretty sure Nine bought this place and immediately had it demolished. 

But it isn’t over yet.

I mean, it is. Nine just refuses to get the hint and is becoming increasingly annoying about it (I still love you, Big, no worries).

But it’s interesting how the left side of the screen - Mangkorn included - is in green. Nine, in neutral colours, is set against the red side. It’s like he’s surrounded by red and green but he isn’t a part of it. He remains an outsider.

This is Star Hunter’s weekly reminder to give this man his own show. Also, is this his scheming face? You better not be planning anything, Nine. It better not be involving any experimental pregnancy drugs.

Back to the mongbiaw montage:

Same, pigeon, same.

I guess it’s confirmed, both Mos and Mangkorn are certified grandpas.

At this point, they just gave Mosbank a camera and let them loose in a theme park tbh. They certainly know their target audience (it’s me, I’m their target audience).

And it wouldn’t be Big Dragon without another BJ joke. As if you need to ask, Yai (but it’s more polite if you do).

If they ever start selling these plushies it’s over for me.

The bracelets, not so much, but it’s a cute touch.

Plus, it leads to Mangkorn mentioning yin and yang, and the balance of nature - and again the four mythical animals: Dragon, Phoenix, Tiger and Turtle. It also leads to Mangkorn wondering what kind of story they’re a part of... and I wish the translator had made it more clear but the whole thing is another cheesy/clever way of self-referencing the book/show. The subtitles say “A dragon owns Yai”, but I’m pretty sure what’s meant is มังกรกินใหญ่ (Mangkorn kin Yai) - Dragon Eats Yai, which is the title of the book/series in Thai.

Then Mangkorn apologises again, this time for the way they met. And it might be easy to dismiss this whole bit because what is there for Mangkorn to apologise? Sure, he blackmailed Yai into hanging out with him, but Yai’s the one who successfully drugged Mangkorn (and, uh, himself) and recorded their night together (again, what kind of idiotic idea is this even... Nine is dodging a bullet there). 

But I think from Mangkorn’s perspective he now knows that Yai needs this far more than he does. Yai needs to feel safe and cherished. Mangkorn’s still the driving force in their relationship, I’d say, but he’s actively choosing to give in. The push and shove between them, the tiger vs dragon analogy, the contrast between red and green, it’s balanced out. The yin and yang bracelets are proof of that.

I can’t handle how soft this episode is. I just can’t. Usually the penultimate episode in Thai BL is reserved for pain and suffering but Big Dragon said nah and gave us MosBank in shades of pink. Thank you, Star Hunter, I owe you my life.

I was waiting for Mangkorn to admit that he’d been crushing on Yai since their freshman year. It was one of my favourite bits in the book. And look at him, he’s so gone. Can you imagine him randomly coming across the Star & Moon pictures (and if all he saw were pictures he probably wasn’t even involved in the contest) and just stopping at Yai?

He must have stared at Yai’s picture for days until he decided to find more about him. And this was years ago. He was hopelessly in love with someone he only knew from afar - who then, once they met, openly hated him. And now he’s holding this man in his arms. Mangkorn is truly living his dream.

This is like Sarawatine minus the high fives.*

(*Don’t get me wrong, I love 2gether and the whole pining for years trope. Plus, Tine is one of my favourite characters - which probably tells you all you need to know about me lmao)

But anyway.

Yai needs his daily dose of reassurance, so he asks Mangkorn to never leave him - to which Mangkorn replies that he won’t.

What a painful bit of foreshadowing. I bet that’s not going to trigger Yai’s abandonment issues at all once he gets wind of the whole going to New York thing. It might even make them worse. After all, if this is a lie, then what about all the other sweet things Mangkorn told him so sincerely? It might be a little thing to other people, but at this point Yai has been so incredibly hurt by his mother leaving/dying that the smallest setback is probably going to seem like being left all over again.

But I love how this scene is a direct callback to the scene in episode 4 where Yai is alone in his bedroom with his hand, his frustration imagination and Mangkorn’s ig as his only company:

Looks like Mangkorn isn’t the only one fulfilling his fantasies.

And I love this scene but that’s got to be the tiniest bathtub ever (and is that a red toilet? Cosy.)

2022 is the year of the finger to lips trope and I am here for it.

Oh look, another bit of foreshadowing:

Mangkorn was so close to telling Yai about New York and it’s going to bite him in the arse. But tbh Yai probably would have been hurt anyway. There’s no way this isn’t going to hurt him, even if he’s trying to be considerate (going by the preview for ep 8). Even after he’s said that Mangkorn’s future is his happiness.

But this bit, this bit right here:

Never mind that Mangkorn probably spent a whole night, drunk and crying, writing this very bad, very cheesy poem (my guess: it isn’t the only one. Come on, this boy spent years pining after the Moon of Business Administration. There’s dozens of these things!).

It’s the Are you being naughty part that Mangkorn says twice and that has Yai sober up instantly. It’s doing things to me. Oh. Oh no. 🫠

And this show better be true to its word and show us more of this scene next week because it’d be a waste if they didn’t.

But also who has 4 metres of weirdly shaped satin fabric just lying around at home? Is Mangkorn a cosplayer, too? Don’t use satin. It’s horrible to sew with.

[turquoisetuber]

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: What DLCs Would Survive Galeem??

I always found it a little backwards that only Kirby survived. Even if he was the only one with the ability to live, he would've helped someone else (like Meta Knight or King Dedede), but I just bought it. But with the additions of the DLC Fighters, there's never an explanation as to how they got there or if they were a part of Galeem's army. So that's where I come in. I'm going to decide what DLCs would survive and who wouldn't!!

NOTICE: I am by NO means experienced in all of these games!! A lot of my knowledge is from Smash and Smash only, so if I get facts wrong, feel free to correct me!! I'd love to hear all of your guys' ideas as well!!

So of course, there are rules and limits. If there weren't, almost everyone would live.

Nobody can latch a ride with Kirby/any other potential survivor. As I said earlier, if they were able to do that, Meta Knight and Dedede would be alive.

As said earlier, most of my knowledge is based off of what they can do in SMASH. But that doesn't limit it. I researched several characters' abilities to make sure my claims were as accurate as someone with no idea can.

With that, let's get into it!!

Joker: Not a Survivor

Joker is pretty much a normal teenager, and Arsène doesn't have anything that would help Joker escape?? I'm pretty sure that there are a few things in P5 that might have allowed him to survive? But as far as I know, no, he wouldn't.

Hero: Not Sure?? Leaning: No

I know nothing about Dragon Quest, but I feel like Hero would be in the same boat as characters like Link and Cloud, where they can try but ultimately they're gonna get captured. The only reasons I'm not sure is because of Hero's reveal where they save Link from Marth and Meta Knight, implying they were alive? But I don't think they actually survived and that that was just a way to advertise them.

Banjo & Kazooie: Not Survivors

Banjo & Kazooie would be in the same boat as Duck Hunt. They don't seem to have anything outstandingly useful to win with, so unfortunately they probably wouldn't live.

Terry Bogard: Not a Survivor

Terry is the most human out of the bunch for DLC pack one (aside from Joker, but even then, Joker has Arsène). He really doesn't have anything to fight against Galeem with and almost no means of escape. Terry unfortunately wouldn't live.

Byleth: Not Sure?? Leaning: Yes

Byleth, unlike the other Fire Emblem cast, has Sothis, who I think has been seen helping Byleth escape one place to get to another. Of course, I'm guessing based on the reveal trailer, and have no prior context to what that cutscene actually was. I still think Byleth could survive.

Min Min: Not a Survivor

Similarly to Terry, Min Min is just a stretchy human. She doesn't have anything all that special other than her arms. Min Min probably wouldn't survive.

Steve/Alex: Survivors!!

Our first definite survivors of the bunch, and they're the minecraft reps. Any shock? Anyways, this one is situational. But I'm gonna count it since the Star Fox gang AND Captain Falcon conveniently had their ships. So, how would they do it? Nether portals. If Steve and Alex build a Nether portal and go through it, Galleem probably couldn't get them, since I think the light would just break the portal on contact since it acts more like a weapon than an entity. So congrats, Steve and Alex, to be the first of three definite survivors!!

Sephiroth: Take a guess. (Survivor!)

Listen, Sephiroth can slice Galeem in half. Considering that, I think he could avoid Galeem's attacks. Under the assumption that he doesn't kill Galeem so that World of Light can actually happen.

Pyra + Mythra: Not Survivors

As far as I'm aware, neither of them have any abilities that could help them escape, since they seem human or equivalent? So they wouldn't make it, most likely.

Kazuya: Not Sure?? Leaning: No

Kazuya was weird to me. I'm not a huge fighting game person other than SSB, so I knew nothing about Tekken. After some google searches, I leaned to the side he wouldn't survive. He's mostly human, but even with his Devil's Gene, more powerful characters (like Ganondorf) also lost, so he wouldn't survive. I think.

Sora: Survivor!!

My main!!! Even though I love Sora, I'm not biased! I haven't played Kingdom Hearts. But based off of a few searches, and his Final Smash, I believe he can open portals with his Keyblade. Unlike Steve and Alex, he can open portals under less circumstances. So the place of our third and final survivor goes to no other than Sora!

To finish it off, the DLC packs brought some very powerful characters that could survive World of Light. I wish we had gotten some explanation as to what happened to the DLCs, but I get it. Cutscenes are hard to make. Again, these are all my ideas, and I might not be right! If you have something to add, feel free! I'd be glad to hear from you! If you got this far, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!!

[jessequinones]

DragonFire (Book 2 ) Fallen Star Review

TLDR

That kind of sums up my experience, too long, didn’t read. I got 80% of the way through this story before I gave up which is a shame because the beginning was good but then it kind of fell apart.

In the beginning, Blaze is hyper-fixing on figuring out who/what he is, all the while Risha really needs some loving, like girl, if he hasn’t noticed your advances for an entire year, best to move on. Anyway, it felt like LJ Davies has a better understanding of his characters, they feel more fleshed out (except for Risha) and I’m enjoying it. The problem started in the first fight scene.

I know I have aphantasia and difficulties imagining most things, but that first fight scene and every other fight scene felt pointless and I couldn’t see anything. Again, I know I have aphantasia, but even I can at least keep track of a fight if it’s written well enough. These fights felt like they were filler even though several characters died, the story moves on like nothing happened and we get no time to reflect on the loss of any of these characters.

Sure the story tries to reflect on one of the character's death, but it reflects it by saying “We’ll just give them space” and before the dragon who’s affected by someone’s death gets to speak about their feeling, they get captured but not until after getting angry at Blaze and Risha for having a nice romantic moment the SAME NIGHT one of their friends died.

It feels like LJ Davies forgot to add in a few moments and decided to throw these things in because none of them felt right.

Blaze and friends escape their village, while escaping, Blaze and friends, (except for Pyro) begin to play games WHILE ON THE RUN and are confused as to why Pyro is telling everyone to knock it off.

Blaze kills a dragon and is confused, upset, and hurting, thinking he’s a monster, at the fact he killed one of his own kind and feeling disgusted by it? That never gets brought up again.

One of Blaze’s friends gets killed? Let’s have Blaze and Risha spend a nice moment together the same night.

There are just so many moments that either feel off or are just never expanded upon it took me out of the story because I honestly don’t know which moment was gonna be important and which one was filler.

I don't even want to get into the fact of how Blaze was in the wrong, Pyro was right, but the story made it feel like Pyro was in the wrong. You see what happened was that Blaze saw a village getting attacked and wanted to save them. Pyro said they're currently on the run and need to get to their destination, it'll be a foolish idea to try and save a random village because they might get killed, so what did Blaze do? He goes to the village and nearly dies but only to get rescued by his friends at the last minute putting everyone at risk and it's because of him (which the story doesn't bring up mind you) that led to the death of one of his friends.

Also...what was the plot of this book? I stopped reading at the 80% mark, I feel like I should know what the main plot of this story was. The first book was simple, save Tarwin. This one...save Blaze’s friends? That’s not the plot of the story, they all get captured trying to get to their location but they get taken to the same place they were heading to anyway which was to do what again? Was it to clear Blaze's name? Stop the invasion? Who was invading?

Who’s the main villain of this story?

I need to read a different review or google the summary of this book just to have an understanding of what I read because this book was really...really boring and it felt like there was a lot of filler.

The chapters were long and with my slow reading speed, it took me days to get through one of them. They just wouldn’t end and I like to read at least one chapter a day, if it takes multiple days to read one chapter, I’m not enjoying the story.

To be honest, I’m most likely not gonna read any other books in the DragonFire series because I’ll most likely need to have an understanding of this book to read the next one and I can’t be bothered.

The first story was simple, save Tarwin while also showing off the world. There’s a monster that keeps appearing which all leads to a showdown at the end. It’s not the best book I’ve read, but it got the job done, I truly can’t tell you anything about this story and I just put it down yesterday.

What I can tell you is there’s a shadowy demon thing who’s planting seeds into Blaze’s mind that he’s a monster? I have no idea how it got inside Blaze’s skull, nor why it’s there. Its sole purpose is to inform Blaze he’s evil and that’s it. However, all of those “You’re evil” lines are useless if you remember Blaze is the poster child for being a good boy. Honestly, the story would be better if the shadow monster wasn’t there and Blaze is telling himself this, not an outside source.

There are also knockoff goblins who all sound the same and their sole purpose is to be evil and serve the dark lord I guess? There are two different goblins (let’s be honest, that’s what they are even if they aren’t stated that in the books). There are two of them who are named and not only can I not remember them, but they sound the exact same. One is supposed to be the leader of the other and I can’t tell you which.

I like the beginning. I wish I could’ve seen more of the Princess, heck, maybe even throw in a love triangle (not the one with Boltock, Ember, and Pyro). I just needed to connect with Blaze and his friends and taking them away from Blaze, even if it’s for a moment really didn’t help the story because I knew nothing bad was gonna happen to them despite the story saying something bad was about to happen one of them, I just couldn’t care so I’m moving on.

[beardedmrbean]

Oh yes the white man burden or Woke man burden these days…please ignore the pre colonial Filipino (okay there probably a different term they used) kingdoms. Or the fact they used to terrorized China trade ships

But even their weapons implied they were sophisticated enough to created many detail weapons prior to Spain invasion. I also learn that the Disney Princess Raya sword is based off the Kris

Also about Africa, this post remind me of something

https://www.tumblr.com/ainomica/625234307004432384

Also if you guys want to do pre colonial Africa

Where the kingdoms, the empires, the large scale conflicts. Just like the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Africans were in various stages of technological development

But one simple Google search revealed Yoruba, you know the ones who make up 64% of my African genome

Side note I know it FAR more complicated as the research just Yoruba as the basics and it probably more complex. Like say…using the Italian tribes but you probably just going to say “Roman” for most Italian descent

But they made fortresses, building kingdoms and empires. Yet African Americans want to do our ancestors just wore the most basic drabs and only hunted prior to European colonization

Also the thing they were no black Christians pre Europe…where Christianity started? Oh yeah the MIDDLE EAST. Also is Ethiopia mention in the Bible or another African country thus considered one of the oldest Christians groups in history?

But I think a lot of Africans issues that Americans (ESPECIALLY my community) still have fetishized view of Africa like it the goddamn 60’s. I want break it, but given the people who push this idea call me coon…a long long road

Spain had the Philippines as a colony for 300+ years if they were going to be "civilized ™" Spain probably would have managed it by then, then again Latin America has lagged behind the US and Canada on the HDI so maybe on that front Spain and Portugal had the wrong priorities when they decided to start out with getting everyone baptized and stripping resources instead of stripping resources and setting up infrastructure.

UK had the advantage of not having to answer to the Pope on that end, but the pearly gates will show which one had the right idea I guess.

Colony wise things didn't go as well in Eastern Asia for those two, Netherlands on the other hand did great, but that's me rambling now.

As for Rya and the Dragon, Disney managed to do a pretty good job with that one

As for the Beyonce thing well, most everything I've seen from her that's "Africa" is pretty generic, she's even skipping out on Africa this time round for her "world tour"

26 stadiums on the continent with a capacity of 60,000 or more. Bulk of them are for their football clubs lol, those should be good enough. Those all look to be in relatively stable areas too.

Side note I know it FAR more complicated as the research just Yoruba as the basics and it probably more complex. Like say…using the Italian tribes but you probably just going to say “Roman” for most Italian descent

Map is similar to one that was floating around Red had posted, linguistic map so ya It's gonna be like that because those guys all killed each other too, look at the Franks before France was fully united, "Germanic" tribes in Europe too

I'll have to look into those guys though, see what's going on with them, seems fascinating.

Also the thing they were no black Christians pre Europe…where Christianity started? Oh yeah the MIDDLE EAST. Also is Ethiopia mention in the Bible or another African country thus considered one of the oldest Christians groups in history?

Link here: I imagine the discussion was much longer and more involved than this passage lets on, but ya. (also that strip of land has been called gaza forever, one place in the area that Israel even historically has never run)

Ethiopia also claims to have the Ark of the Covenant, they've never actually pinpointed where Sheba is but most consider it Ethiopia, but in Africa the only community that's gonna be older is the Egyptians, Coptics, St Mark was their first "Pope" which much like the Roman Catholics and Latin the Copts managed to keep the old language alive which helped immeasurably when it came to translating things. (was looking into the decline of their old religion, by the time Islam came round Christianity had done most of the heavy lifting on ending that one)

But I think a lot of Africans issues that Americans (ESPECIALLY my community) still have fetishized view of Africa like it the goddamn 60’s. I want break it, but given the people who push this idea call me coon…a long long road

Damn Right, and I'm not just talkin about Shaft.

Pan Africa stuff made it easier to advertise to people, don't have to look and make sure something is appropriately Kenyan and what not.

Get a wider audience for movies that way, sadly it's resulted in what we've got going on now and hopefully the internet will get people learning more specifics now.

[harveyhawkscripts]

[A4A] Cuddling Your Half-Dragon Roommate [Modern Fantasy] [Roommates] [Insomnia Comfort]

AN: Welcome to the finale of Monsters for Mental Health May! Thank you to everyone who voted. Apologies if this one seems a bit rushed; I just got back from my trip and boy, are my arms tired! This one might be in the running for The Great Script Rewrite (pending). Anyway, please enjoy ^-^

Usage:

- Okay for monetization

- Please credit me as Harvey Hawk :)

- Tweaks, improv, and pronoun changes are okay! Just please do not rewrite the script completely.

Synopsis: In a modern fantasy setting, the listener has trouble sleeping due to insomnia. Their roommate, a tsundere half-dragon just back from a grueling double shift, helps them finally fall asleep. 

Google Doc

Key:

[SFX and Action]

(.) Short Pause

(...) Longer pause

(Voice instruction)

Word Count: 990

—

[Footsteps]

HALF-DRAGON

(Exhausted) Ugghh... Gods, I hate evening shift. 'M always dead afterwards.

[Muffled TV noises]

[Footsteps stop]

Tch, really? They left the TV on again? They're so damn absent-minded.

[Door unlocks, opens, closes, and locks again]

(Surprised) Oi. The hell are you doing up? It's, like, two AM. Don't you have commissions due?

(.)

How could I not? You haven't shut up about it.

(.)

(Slightly irritated) Yeah, well. I do listen. And I would like to not listen to that damn TV all night. So, shut it off and go to bed.

[TV turns off]

(.)

I don't care if you sleep or not, just go to your room and be quiet. I just had a shift from the depths of hell and if I don't get some rest, I'm going to lose my shit.

(.)

Listen. You're my roommate, so I tolerate you to an extent. But you do not want to get between a dragon and their sleep.

(.)

(Growls) Half dragon. Quit nitpicking! What is your deal tonight? You're normally so chill - which is why I chose you as my roommate by the way - the hell is your damage?!

(.)

Oh, for fu- there's nothing to be scared of! I put up wards! You know I did!

Look, if I check the magic wards, will you finally let me rest?

(.)

Fine, I'll put one on your door.C'mon.

[Footsteps]

(Whispers) Tu...tela

[Claws scraping on wood]

There. Go to bed.

(.)

Then get a glass of water. Quietly. Goodnight.

(Sigh) What is it now?

(.)

There are blankets in the closet. Problem solved.

(.)

What?! What more could you possibly want?!

(.)

(Sigh) Shit.

Look, don't - I didn't mean - I ... Ugh. I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have yelled. I just... I had an awful day at work.

(.)

No, you're right; it's not an excuse. I'm sorry. But I'm too tired for guessing games right now. Why don't you want to go to bed?

(.)

Insomnia...You never told me about that.

(.)

Uh, because I'm your roommate? You ever think that you being up all hours of the night might affect my sleep schedule?

(.)

No, I'm not going to find another roommate. I don't want another roommate. Idiot. I'm going to help you.

(.)

What do you usually do when you can't sleep?

(.)

Suffer? Shit, okay. No wonder you act so out-of-it. You're always tired.

(.)

You do too! You leave the peanut butter out and I always have to nag you to get your clothes out of the dryer. I just figured you were an airhead.

(.)

You're still a hell of a lot better than other roommates I've had. At least you haven't set anything on fire... yet.

(.)

Heh, sorry. But seriously. Going too long without sleep isn't healthy, dingus. Next time something's bothering you, just come to me, got it?

(.)

Yeah, really. I don't keep you around for the hell of it, you know.

(.)

It means... Well, it means....

(.)

(Growl) Don't make me say it!

(.)

Obviously I like you, idiot! I wouldn't live with you if I didn't. I... enjoy being your roommate. And if something's wrong, you need to come to me for help.

(.)

Because I said so! Anyway... let's find a way to get you to sleep.

(.)

Nah, I don't have any sleep magic. Not my thing. We might have some tea in the back of the cupboard.

(.)

Already had some, hm? Okay. Have you tried a warm bath?

(.)

Alright, check that off the list. Oh, I know! There are these, uh, audio stories for sleep online. Like, narrations and stuff. What about that?

(.)

Not even that works. Damn. Uh... Well, do you know what's causing your insomnia? Stress? Maybe you eat too much junk. I know you have a sweet tooth.

(.)

Huh? What'd ya say?

(.)

Scared and what? Little louder.

(.)

Lonely...? Ah. Oh. Hmph. Well...

(.)

(Hesitantly) Maybe I can... stay in your room. On the floor. If it means I can sleep.

(.)

Where the hell else would I sleep?

(.)

D-don't be ridiculous! Why would - I mean, you - I can't sleep in your bed!

(.)

Because that's - we aren't dating. It'd be weird. Besides, you probably kick in your sleep.

(.)

Oh, yeah, you totally do. I can tell.

(.)

Aw, c'mon. Don't give me those eyes.

(.)

(Growls) ....Fine. But kick me once and I'm going back to my room. Now c'mon. I just finished a double shift and I'm about to pass out.

[Door opens]

Um. What the hell? Where am I supposed to sleep?

(.)

I mean your bed is overrun with stuffed animals. I don't know how you expect to fit on there, let alone the both of us.

(.)

Look, if you want me to sleep with - uh, next to you, then you need to shove some of these things aside.

(.)

(Sarcastic) Sorry. Friends. You'll need to shove some of these friends aside.

(.)

A little more.

(.)

There.

[Blankets shift]

Go to sleep, roomie.

[Blankets shift]

[Blankets shift]

[Blankets shift]

Be. Still.

(.)

(Sigh) What's wrong?

(.)

Yeah, well, there isn't room for me and your big teddy. Cuddle one of your smaller plushies.

(.)

Arm support? Geez, you're so high-maintenance. Fine. Come here.

(.)

Because I'm letting you wrap an arm around me. Obviously.

(.)

Yeah, I'm sure. Get over here.

[Blankets shift]

(.)

Of course I'm warm. I'm a half-dragon.

(.)

Quit fidgeting. Just... curl up to my chest.

(.)

There, comfortable?

(.)

Good.

(.)

Nah, it's not weird. It's actually... nice. Heh, your breath kinda tickles.

(.)

It doesn't bother me. Go to sleep, roomie.

(.)

You're still tense.

(.)

Hey, it's okay. How about this? Let me trace my claws down your back real gentle... There, just focus on how that feels. I'm going to wrap my tail around you now. Like a weighted blanket.

(.)

There we go. I've gotcha.

(.)

Gettin' sleepy?

(.)

Good. Hey, before you go to sleep I gotta tell you something. It's important.

(.)

You totally owe me breakfast in the morning. I'm thinking pancakes.

(.)

(Chuckles) Okay, okay. I'll help make it.

(.)

...Yeah, I can stay with you tomorrow night, too.

(.)

Goodnight, roomie.

END

[spectrum-color]

Now I want there to be a RotE tarot set after seeing the Fitzloved card. I can’t do art, but I can do ideas! I Googled the meanings to the cards so I could come up with them; now everyone just pretend you can see a really cool card

Judgement-Bee

The Destroyer speaks for itself

The Hanged Man-Verity

I was tempted to make this Fitz but Verity is quite literally slowly sacrificed during the Red Ship War

The Emperor-Reyn

The Empress-Malta

There are a lot of monarchs to select from in this series but these two fit the best imo (even if they’re more like democratic representatives)

The Lovers-Fitz and Beloved

Not only did this inspire the whole idea, but they really are the central love story of the series

Death-The Four

I could have done Dwalia or the Pale Woman, but why not their actual boss?

The Hierophant-Wintrow

He quite literally wanted to be a priest

The Hermit-Chade

He lived in the walls for decades and only like 3 people knew who he was; it’s too perfect

Temperance-Molly

She represents stability for both Fitz and Burrich

The Devil-Kennit

This isn’t just commentary on him being a bad dude; he also tempts those around him

The Sun-Lord Golden

The Moon-The Fool

The Star-Amber

Beloved is so awesome they get 3 cards; one for each major persona

Strength-Burrich

For all of his faults as a father figure, Burrich represented strength and protection for Fitz (never forget him beating the shit out of Galen)

The World-Fitz

It would have been funny to make him The Fool but he is the POV character and lead of the series so this seems appropriate

The Magician-Nighteyes

This is kind of a weird one on the surface but Nighteyes represents the magical (he is literally supernaturally bonded to Fitz and they communicate telepathically) and the natural (he’s an animal who has a minimal understanding of complex human affairs) combining

The Fool-Shrewd

His inability to see what was right in front of him resulted in his own death and plunged the kingdom into a near civil war

The High Priestess-Patience

Google says that this one represents wisdom, and Patience is one of the only characters who has any

The Tower-Galen

This card is associated with disaster, and Galen is the character who imo had the biggest negative impact on Fitz and the trajectory of his life

The Chariot-Althea

Change and transitions is the whole theme of her arc

Justice-Kettricken

She basically spent her entire time as queen regent righting the wrongs of the Farseers

Wheel of Fortune-Paragon

I considered Tintaglia or Icefyre, but Paragon represents change the best out of all of the dragons. By proving that Liveships can turn back into their true form, he permanently upends Bingtown and Rain Wilds Trader society AND destroys Clerres and the Servants stranglehold on destiny

[ragecndybars]

Fic in Review 2022

tagged by @bi-demon-ium :D thanks!!

Total Number of Completed Stories: Nine this year if you count my little Fuuka birthday drabble! :D I'm pretty proud of myself tbh

Total Word Count: 61,000 posted on AO3 this year, which makes 400,000 on AO3 in total! I... don't even wanna guess how many words are in WIPs in my google drive 😅

Fandoms Written In: Persona 3, Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon, and Fire Emblem Awakening :D Mostly Persona 3, lmao.

Looking back did you expect to write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expect:

I wrote probably about as many words as I usually write in a year, but I definitely posted more fics this year than I would have expected! Especially since I've... kinda been going thru it this year lmao, so I'm pretty happy. :) Definitely still have wayyy more unfinished WIPs than published works tho, which may not ever change given how many silly little ideas I always get lmao

What’s your own favorite story of the year?:

Probably Always Wanna Play (But You Never Wanna Lose), given how much effort I poured into it, lmao. I was pretty proud of some of my Whumptober works too though!

Did you take any writing risks this year?:

Not really, to be honest, lmao. I guess I experimented a bit with my writing style in System Error, but I'll talk more about that in a minute lmao.

Do you have any fanfic goals for the New Year?:

I have a couple of specific WIPs that I would like to finish and post next year, but, more generally, I kind of want to diversify and post more character studies and plot-focused works rather than just angst, lmao

Best story of the year:

I think the one that turned out the strongest, other than my fave (which I've already talked about lmao), was System Error :D Like I said, the style here was a little experimental, since I was playing around with a more clinical POV from Aigis, mixed with some memory loss and gaslighting from Ikutsuki that jumbles her ability to properly categorize her own feelings on what's happening, and I really like how it turned out.

Most popular story of the year:

Always Wanna Play (But You Never Wanna Lose) was my most-viewed, most-bookmarked, most-kudosed, and most-commented-on fic of the year, which makes me really happy tbh 😊 That one definitely had the most work put into it so I feel like that paid off, if that makes sense?

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:

I was pretty blown away by how nice everyone's been about my fics this year, though the glitter dancing on the skin didn't get a lot of attention, which was predictable, lmao. Pannelivia isn't exactly a popular ship and it was a pretty quick and relatively underdeveloped fic tbh.

Most fun story to write:

Fair Trade fought me a little since I was rushing to get it out before Oct 4th ended, but I found it very fun and intuitive to write!

Story with the sexiest moment:

None of them this year, lmao.

Sweetest story:

I don't... write a ton of sweet stuff, lmao... but my Fuuka birthday drabble was short and sweet! :)

“Holy crap that’s wrong even for you!” story:

Hm, I guess that would mean the darkest story of this year for me? Which kind of depends on your perspective. Always Wanna Play But You Never Wanna Lose had some mild gore and a LOT of blood, with Minato coming very, very close to death, which could be seen as the darkest this year. But System Error I think takes the cake for being much more bleak without a happy ending, what with the mind control and memory removal 😅

Hardest story to write:

Tantrum has been fighting me for the past several YEARS, so I feel like I have to say that one, lmao

Biggest disappointment:

Hm, I don't know. I guess I'm pretty disappointed that I wasn't able to post a couple more whumptober fics -- two in particular that I wrote 5-10K for but just couldn't wrap up to my satisfaction -- but that's not really a disappointment given that I still wrote was more than I'd expected.

Biggest surprise:

How many comments I got on my fics 😭 thank you everyone who commented, it really kept me going this year <3

I Tag:

uhhhh @wizard-finix @misty-wisp if y'all wanna, and anybody else who sees this and wants to, go ahead!!! every time i get to one of these points in a tag challenge I forget about every person I have ever met hsjkhfls