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anthroposeen · 4 months

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tmagp 17 relisten notes!!

as always, tmagp and tma spoilers below the cut! hope you guys enjoy the breakdown :)

celia:

- she's been teleported to another road side, this time very close to a highway in oxford. she missed the play with sam and didnt have a way to contact him about it

- she wants to make up for missing the play by paying for their next date, and seems pretty genuine about her guilt and interest in him

- once the incident ends, she thanks the computer/chester for it. this could have been a sarcastic comment on her part, but it comes across as her acknowledging the case for what it is, and acknowledging that it is somehow curated for her. i think this is evidenced by her telling alice the incident wasnt very useful, implying she tries to find their meaning, and takes them as some form of sentience.

sam:

- he seems a bit peeved that celia didn't call him to tell him she had to cancel, and tells her to not make a habit of this kind of thing. i think its important to keep in mind that we've established he's very sensitive to rejection and people "not having time" for him.

- "im not a big horror fan" who's going to tell him?

alice:

- her computer keeps malfunctioning, showing a jmj error

- shes back to making bad puns and jokes at gwen's expense, a hard shift from her demeanor last episode

- she jokes to gwen about venting their problems as a group exercise, but denies actually having a problem to discuss

gwen:

- she helps alice with the jmj error, and says that colin hasnt been in the office in weeks, though theres no more word in his whereabouts

- she also! denies having anything to talk about! great communication guys!

incident:

- narrated by chester/jon, read at celia's desk.

- incident pulled from the magnus institute oxford outreach center -> important for the obvious reason and because celia woke up in oxford the most recent time she teleported

- darrien is given low viability for agent, subject, and catalyst

- states that "continued incarceration" is the advised method of containing/studying the subject and phenomena, implying that sometime after the statement was given, the magnus institute incarcerated darrien for unknown reasons.

- the statement was given by a man named darrien -> episode 13 also featured a darrien, but it doesn't appear to be the same man to me, i think its most likely that ajn and johhny are just having a good time with recycling names.

- darrien was in a court ordered anger-management program and was transported across dimensions during a therapy session -> intense meditation seemed to be the trigger here

- the receptionist at his therapy office was a "big, soft looking guy" who stumbled over his words, this is followed by the mention of a "bookish looking guy" who darrien says gives him weird pervert vibes. while these are incredibly in character descriptions for them both, i cant say im sure these are alternate-dimension's martin and jon. ide also like to point out that these are characters from darrien's previous universe, not the tmagp one where he finds himself.

- when darrien wakes up from his meditation he has a strong migraine, dry eyes, a stiff neck, and he was dizzy. later, he discovers hes emaciated as he continuously passes out. these symptoms seem to go away as he stays in this dimension

- he woke up in the tmagp universe in a shopping center, coming from a magnus institute outreach post -> seeing as how we know the main building is still active, it could be that the outreach centers also serve as "portals"

- he experienced similar things to anya villette's statement in tma s3. he couldnt contact his employer, had no emergency contact to give the hospital, woke up in a different location, and was taken to the wrong address.

- the tmagp native darrien (who ill call other!darrien for clarity here) was welcoming to his lost doppelgänger, letting him stay in his house and offering him advice on how to keep his anger in check

- darrien describes meeting his other!self as "trying not to fall through the cracks" -> potentially a call back to anya villette's episode "cracked foundation"

- they reasoned the coincidence out by figuring they were half siblings, though they were both named darrien. they discovered a couple of time discrepancies, seeing as their dad died on different days

- the housekeeper, sharon, was wary of them, giving darrien a scared look and looking for opportunities to leave the room when he was around

- when darrien asks how other!darrien manages his anger, hes taken to a heavy door in the basement. there was a single drop of blood on the staircase leading down. ragged breathing and pleading for help rose from below the stairs, and darrien refused to be a part of this anger-vent exercise. he pushed other!darrien into the room, locking it back.

- darrien denies the invitation into the torture chamber, "i couldnt join him down there with my father", later saying he felt guilty for not killing other!darrien and "saving whatever poor soul he had kept". at first, i thought that his other!father was being kept in the basement and tortured, but i think he uses his dad as a metaphor for the anger they both carry. this opens up the scarier realization that other!darrien is just torturing a random person

- once he locked other!darrien in the basement room, he adopted his life.

- sharon didnt return to darrien after her vacation was up, and its thought that she reported him to the institute, where we can assume they began his incarceration

glitches/lies:

- "i'm ok/its ok" spoken by celia as she's trying to reassure herself

- no glitches after gwen and alice say they have nothing to share. its very possible this is because they dont want to share with each other

extra comments:

- the jmj wrror stops popping up after alice proposes talking out their issues as a team, but considering they dont actually do that im chalking it up to a coincidence for now

- this incident follows chester's normal shtick: statement from the magnus institute, directly targeting someones business, and sort of providing a cautionary tale

- this may be my favorite incident so far. it has a very similar vibe to the early tma statements, and an ominous music bit from s1-2 even played briefly as darrien meets his dopplegänger (at least, thats what it sounded like to me). it has a lot of revelation-centered horror that really grabs me, knowing exactly who will be in the house as darrien knocks on the door and following his dopplgänger into the torture room were so vivid for me, its the exact type of horror that always makes me genuinely creeped out!

- this episode raises a lot of questions about the stability of this dimension, and all dimensions in general since there seems to be reoccurring leaks/cracks. this manifests as celia teleporting across space, existing in this universe in general, the giant cavern in the magnus institute ruins, and darrien's adventures in universe-hopping.

- as i mentioned in the incident points, jon and martin have a sort of hinted cameo in darrien's original universe, but a part of me refuses to believe its them just because i enjoy the mystery set up after mag 200. if this is all the content we get of potential jon and martin dopplegängers, ill actually be happy with that. i really do enjoy the notion that they exist in some boring reality somewhere else, and martin still stumbles over his words and jon still needs anger management therapy. i like that theres consistency even in an alternate universe. im certain we wont be seeing these vague background characters again, but i would love to see darrien's reaction to norris's voice.

#tmagp 17 #tmagp #the magnus protocol #tmagp theory #tmagp spoilers #tmagp thoughts #alice dyer #celia ripley #gwen bouchard #sam khalid

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darkmasterofcupcakes · 1 year

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Total Drama Changes: Action and TDA Special/Between Action and World Tour

Part 2. First I did Island and the special, along with a bit of the stuff that I imagine happens between seasons. And as a slight warning, I’ve never actually fully watched Action and only really know what I know from reviews and reading stuff on wikis/TV Tropes. Also, remember that this isn’t necessarily going to be changing every single tiny issue I have, but the ones that particularly stand out to me. Even still, this one is probably going to end up being on the long side.

Now, to begin with the changes actually made to Action (not including changes that happened in the Island special, such as Cody, Tyler, and Courtney being on the cast from day one of the new series):

Geoff and Bridgette don’t constantly make out. They’re still definitely the most openly and physically affectionate of the couples on the show (though the others still show love among them), but they’re able to go more than like five seconds without their lips apparently being magnetized to each other.

Because Geoff and Bridgette don’t make out enough to annoy everyone else into kicking them off, there’s not a double elimination and they both would continue on the show for at least a little while.

There’s no jealousy on Trent’s part over the fact that Duncan and Gwen both like scary/alien movies, because Trent both has more faith in his girlfriend and realizes that just because two people have one thing in common, doesn’t mean they have a thing for each other.

Even besides the obvious change of Geoff, Bridgette, Cody, Tyler, and Courtney being included in the cast this time, the teams will be different. Haven’t fully decided if Gwen and Trent still pick their teams or if Chris does, or a mix of the two, but they will be different from the canon version.

Trent still gets booted early for “throwing challenges”. Difference is, here he doesn’t actually throw any; they simply lost, but Justin was able to convince enough of the others on the Grips that Trent was throwing challenges/sabotaging them that he got the boot during the elimination ceremony.

Courtney becomes the new Team Leader for the Grips following Trent’s elimination (to Justin’s annoyance)

Another change - when the original captains get eliminated, their spots are taken over by other team members.

The Aftermaths do still happen, but obviously Geoff and Bridgette aren’t the hosts, at least during Action. Not entirely sure who would host them in this season, so I’m open to suggestions.

Gwen stays on a bit longer, since she’s not basically forced to get herself booted to make up for Trent throwing challenges, though she’s still out at least a few episodes before the merge.

Before Gwen’s elimination, her and Courtney do start to form a sort of friendship, albeit at this point it’s more just a case of them not really having too much of an issue with each other, and having a mutual friend in Bridgette. But it does lay the groundwork for the next season.

Haven’t totally decided the new elimination order, including where Bridgette, Geoff, Cody, Tyler, and Courtney would end up, though Bridgette, Geoff, and Courtney do all make it to the merge, or close to it.

OBeth gets voted off much earlier and doesn’t have that weird subplot of insisting she’s got a boyfriend while also flirting with basically every guy on the show.

Owen doesn’t come back after he’s eliminated, so the mole subplot either never happens or is done with another character.

There’s a subplot with Harold and Heather forming a friendship of sorts and while it’s not the only cause, this is part of the catalyst for why LeShawna and Harold end up breaking up.

LeShawna does still say some bad things about the others while she’s on her spa day, though the tape everyone sees is a case of showing stuff out of context to both make it sound worse than it was, and remove any positive things she said. But she does still have to make amends to the remaining contestants.

Because Owen got to keep his 100K from the previous season, his family doesn’t bankrupt themselves with the cheese-cellar, which adds to the reasoning for him not needing to come back.

Justin would actually be a bit more competent as an antagonist, though he’d still admittedly be weaker than Heather before him or Alejandro after. But because Courtney doesn’t replace him as the main antagonist, he’s able to grow a bit in the role.

Haven’t fully decide the finalists besides Beth definitely not being one, but I do probably lean towards Lindsay being one of them, with the other plausibly being Harold, Duncan, or possibly Courtney

Speaking of which, Courtney and Lindsay would still have something of a rivalry, because you cannot convince me they’d be able to interact without there being any clashing, given their personalities

There wouldn’t be a vote to determine the winner - it’s just be a case of one person getting through the door slightly faster than the other. The Aftermath would still happen, but it’d basically just be an epilogue

Now for the stuff that would change from the Celebrity Manhunt Special....

Obviously the whole love triangle between Duncan, Courtney, and Gwen wouldn’t be a thing here, since Gwen and Trent never broke up in this version of “Action”

There also wouldn’t be the whole “jealous Bridgette” thing, or at the very least, she wouldn’t be violent about it? Maybe make some lighthearted jabs, but ultimately they’d make up with no major issues.

Duncan and Courtney might still break up, at least temporarily - partially because I can’t deny finding the whole thing of a custody debate over a raccoon kind of hilarious. Plus I still stick with my belief that they’d be the type of on-off couple who breaks up and gets back together every so often until finally deciding to actually stay together.

The Drama Brothers would still be a thing, but obviously the whole thing of Trent asking Justin to break up with his girlfriend wouldn’t happen

Also, Justin either wouldn’t be in the group or he would be in it, but that’d be a major source of conflict. Since in this version of “Action”, he was more of an actual villain than he was in canon

If Justin is in the group, he’d be the one insisting he should get a solo career, despite not having any actual musical talent. He’d literally just figure he’d be able to get by on his looks and having other people do things for him to make it seem like he’s got talent.

The rest of the special probably wouldn’t change too much except for the end, where Trent, Katie/Sadie (not sure which one), Eva, and possibly Geoff would also be among the contestants taking part in World Tour.

#Total Drama #Fanfic Stuff

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weakforarwen · 2 years

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I can't get over the similarities between Lancelot and Gwaine, both the characters and the episodes. I'll get into that in another post but first I have to point out a few things about Gwaine (episode):

Morgana looked the opposite of powerful sitting next to Uther for a tournament she couldn't care less about. She looked so vulnerable and useless that it reminded me of season 2. The writers only knew what to do with her when she was being evil. It's funny she was so uninterested in the tournament but perked up when Arthur almost died. She was like, hold up, things have gotten interesting! but then Arthur lived... He almost died without her having to lift a finger...

Were those two dudes really planning on killing the Crown Prince in front of the King and then just... walking away with the gold like nothing had happened?? They would've been executed on sight.

Why didn't Merlin just tell Arthur that he cut himself on a magical blade which wasn't dull and Gwaine confirmed was magical? Why didn't he say he saw that dude from the tavern in Lord whatever's necklace? It wouldn't have been admitting to having magic. Merlin always did things the hard way... Arthur might've still competed on the tournament but he would've been warned, and could've done something about the lords' fake identities at least. Wouldn't Arthur have believed Merlin? It was Valiant all over again, except this time Morgana wanted Arthur dead.

I read this somewhere, but, really, why would Merlin and Gwaine polish the knights' boots in the throne room? And why would Arthur punish Merlin and Gwaine? Merlin had done nothing wrong but cover for Gwaine, and Arthur was fucking rich and Gwaine had saved his life. Gwaine was right, all nobles are shit.

Also, anytime nobles are bad in this show it's because they're not themselves. These lords and the real Lady Catrina had been nice unlike the people who posed as them. This show really liked their nobility, which is frankly ironic when Uther and Morgana were the bad guys and Percival, Lancelot, Elyan, Gwen, Merlin and "Gwaine" were the good guys and commoners.

During the tournament, didn't Merlin knock Gwaine out of his horse? When did Gwaine join the match? I literally couldn't tell anyone apart on that field.

Uther's reactions during the tournament were like he was watching a mix of WWE and soccer - so white male of him, yikes.

Gwen again worried for Arthur during a tournament but didn't even wish him luck. She was really keeping her distance. Even when she told Gwaine that Arthur would be a good King she sounded kind of sad, like she was already imagining Arthur's future without her and with his noble-born Queen by his side, as it "should" be. She really had no faith in them; she was severely underestimating Arthur's feelings for her.

Also, that spiel to Gwaine about Arthur was weird. He didn't even ask! Was that just her being in love? A bit dramatic if you ask me, as was the camera work when she watched the tournament. I don't like how they reduced Gwen to a love interest in this episode; she's always been a love interest but here they reduced her to a beautiful and rare jewel only the finest of men could appreciate. It would've been fine had Gwen done something to help Arthur or Gwaine, like talking to Arthur about Gwaine or about Arthur's participation in the tournament, asking Merlin to protect Arthur, etc. Gwen's first scene with Gwaine was cute but why did he notice her right away as Lancelot had? There were other women around... it's such a cliché... More men were interested in Gwen than women were in Arthur, which frankly makes no sense when he was the handsome and single Crown Prince. Of course, Gwaine realized Gwen wasn't interested because of Arthur... because she decided to wax poetics about Arthur for no reason... Again, what a cliché... Gwen was also reduced to the passive damsel in distress during the tournament; she could've at least voiced her concernts to Arthur - it wouldn't have worked but it would've been something.

Anyway, that last scene with Merlin and Arthur watching Gwaine and Gwen was funny. Merlin made me laugh. He was like 'Oh, right, I forgot, you can't be with Gwen because it's inappropriate... tough luck there mate, if only you had the power to change things, huh? Hmm... I wonder...'. I love sarcastic Merlin. Notice that when Merlin asked Arthur if Gwen should be setting her sights 'higher' (because they were watching her from above as she laughed with Gwaine), Arthur actually nodded? Merlin was so done with him.

Gwaine and Merlin are so cute - probably my favorite friendship - and Gwaine and Gwen were cute too... why didn't we get more Gwaine/Gwen interactions? And more Gwaine/Merlin too!!!!!!!

#bbc merlin #merlin #gwaine #bbc arwen #arwen #gwen pendragon #arthur pendragon #morgana #gwaine episode #gwaine commentary

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jasonblaze72 · 2 years

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#TheVoice #tvshow

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sepublic · 3 years

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Livestream Lore Analysis

To analyze the canon-relevant content we got from the TOH charity stream yesterday;

Pretty sure we just got a decent glimpse at the Collector’s true face! Like with the 2020 stream, Dana had ‘half of a new character’s face’ on the incentive wheel, but she specified that this mysterious character is one we’ve technically seen before; Albeit not their face. In the 2020 stream, she said the same thing about Hunter, who we’d seen in Season 1 as the Golden Guard; So this seems to be a similar case with the Collector here, as a character whose cloaked and hidden appearance was viewed in the last batch of episodes, the upper part of their true face reveal via Dana!

And we can guess it’s the Collector, based on the fact that our mysterious face has their face split into two colors; Blue, and yellow-orange. The yellow-orange half of their face (the right side) is shaped like a crescent, which perfectly matches what we’ve seen of the Collector. The Collector is also a character with celestial imagery, and this mystery character has star-shaped freckles! Plus they look like a kid and the Collector definitely sounded like one.

It is worth noting that before drawing the Collector’s face, Dana asked herself if she could do it from memory; So this glimpse might not be 100% accurate, but we’ll just have to wait and see. Dana also referred to this character as ‘them’, which COULD mean they’re nonbinary, since the show has already broken ground with Raine, plus that’d fit for what seems to be some sort of cosmic, otherworldly deity. However, it’s also possible Dana just doesn’t want to give away their pronouns; IIRC she did the same for Hunter during the 2020 stream, who we now know is He/Him.

We also got audio of a letter from Lilith, directed to Hooty! It takes place after the Lumity confession, which Lilith is glad to hear has happened; So we can guess it’s Lilith’s response to Hooty’s letter about the events of Knock, Knock, Knockin’ on Hooty’s Door. We know there’s a Frostbite festival at the very tip of the Titan’s toes (previously mentioned by Gwen to have swamps), which Lilith is writing from, further cementing the idea that this season is transitioning into fall/winter.

Lilith is happy about Eda making peace with the owl beast, but she’s still clearly got some jealousy going on over her little sister outdoing her again; However she’s self-aware and makes a point to remind herself it’s not a competition! Glad to see Lilith still struggling with her inferiority complex, but also addressing and making progress on it… It’s so sweet to see, her growth! Given how she has to correct herself from ‘wrest control’ to ‘make peace with’ when talking of the curse, I imagine Lilith still needs to recognize her curse beast as its own entity.

She mentions being spoonfed elixir by Gwen, so evidently she’s still struggling with the curse, and outright calls it a Raven Beast; Which could suggest that Lilith has an internal beast that takes the form of a raven! Given what we know of how the Collector sealed the Owl Beast into a curse, is this some strange consequence of magic meeting magic in the shared-pain spell, creating a new beast that has never actually known what it’s like to be free, nor possessed a physical form? The fact that Gwen has learned to be better about the curse, and knowing how Eda can make progress, is likely to help Lilith make hypothetical peace with it; I’d love to see Harpy Lilith later in Season 2B, or even Season 3!

Gwen has been teaching Lilith recipes handed down ‘from one Clawthorne to the next’, which I think indicates that Clawthorne is HER surname, and Dell took it when he married Gwen. This might contradict with Dana saying birds are a Clawthorne motif, if we consider the idea of Belos, Hunter, and Dell being related; But then again it’s just as likely that it applies to both sides of the family, since Gwen has Hawksley. Regardless, I still think Dell is a descendant of Philip’s brother, but the Clawthorne name seems to come from Gwen’s side; But we can’t say for sure and Gwen could’ve just been saying it as a shorthand, since surnames can change a lot across generations of marriages.

Gwen’s work in the Beast Coven causes her to come home with plenty of parasites, morbidly enough; I wonder if Eberwolf struggles with that? Lilith also mentioned she couldn’t help Dell carve palismen, which I think is huge news; This tells us what his job is, but also links Dell to palistrom wood! Again, if we go the route of Dell as a Wittebane, it could imply that his ancestor, Philip’s brother, worked closely with the magic of the island itself. Since Gwen is already in a coven, I wonder if this means Dell is carving palismen as part of the coven system? Could Belos have gotten palistrom wood with Dell’s help?

It also makes me wonder if Dell will help Luz carve her own Palisman as well… And if he has anything to offer to the Bat Queen, or Hunter’s palisman; Maybe in identifying the latter? Regardless, I have to suspect Eda got her respect for palismen from Dell, whose creation and passion for them led to Dell respecting the palismen as living creatures and not just tools; I then assume he has one of his own, and I wonder what his relationship with it is? Assuming his palisman wasn’t destroyed… If the show discusses the palistrom trees more (or would’ve had Season 3 not been shortened), I suspect Dell is going to crop up.

Lilith is also working at a museum now in an entry-level position, cataloging artifacts! This no doubt ties into this Season 2B screenshot we got from Dana;

Here, it seems Lilith is fascinated in ‘Deadwardian Balusters’. We know the Deadwardian Era is when Philip’s journal was donated, so I imagine this is how the subject comes up. No doubt her museum connections play a role in both Lilith’s passion for history, but also how she helps Luz learn more about Philip, if she knows so much about the Deadwardian Era. Lilith is also looking incredibly happy with her job, and is wearing glasses again! Her hair is still blue, but here’s hoping for some roots later down the line… Anyhow, Lilith is dismayed to see her employes/coworkers still asking about the whole ‘being banished from the Emperor’s Coven’ and whatnot, predictably.

Lilith is also invested in King’s island, which makes me wonder if she’ll play a role in King reconnecting with his father; Although due to her absence in the promo, probably not. That’s a shame, would’ve loved to see Luz, Lilith, King, and Port-a-Hooty reunite for another King-backstory adventure to another island! Lilith mentions consulting a colleague named Flora Desplora(?) about this island… Based on the name, I have to wonder if this is the head of the Plant Coven, since we know she’ll be more relevant soon.

Her being a coven head fits with Lilith once leading the Emperor’s Coven, hence how they know one another as ‘old colleagues’. According to Lilith, Flora has traveled far and wide doing all sorts of ‘historical feats’, but also doubts if Flora would even remember her. Considering Lilith had only recently been banished from the Emperor’s Coven, this would be a strange question to ask if Flora was a fellow Coven Head; So on further consideration, I’m starting to wonder if the two really aren’t the same, alas. That’s a shame; But we’ll get a name in our first episode back to the show, so I imagine five more days isn’t too hard to wait!

Lilith’s delight for Luz and Amity’s relationship does segue into her discussion of her own experiences with romance; A female suitor bought Lilith a bouqet of spiders ‘the other day’, but despite Gwen and the museum co-workers’ excitement, she confesses that she’s not interested and doesn’t think she ‘ever has been’. She’s got a lot to think about clearly and Lilith turned down the offer, but this HEAVILY points towards Lilith being aromantic, which; GOOD FOR HER! ARO REP YEAAAHHHH THIS SHOW KEEPS GIVING!!! Because why not, it’s already being cancelled for queer rep, why not go whole-hog and further??? I don’t think this letter will even appear in the official episodes, so this type of side material is practically beyond Disney’s jurisdiction anyhow.

Anyhow, Lilith is turning down another suitor who’s offered a bouqet of rat(?) eyes, but she IS keeping the eyes to send to Hooty; She knows Luz loves trying new Boiling Isles foods (which creates the hilarious image of a disappointed Luz finding out which ones she can’t digest), so she’s thinking of her! That’s so sweet and I’m glad to see Luz and Lilith’s relationship developing, Lilith thinking of her niece like that… Can’t wait to see them interact, hope to see them nerd out together! I’ve talked before about their similarities and I want to see them SHINE!

And because Hooty is WEIRD, he’s been asking Lilith to include a lock of hair of hers for him to remember her by; Although Lilith is mentioning this is giving her increasing bald patches that are harder to hide now. So it’s not the curse, it’s just Hooty being creepy lol… Given what we’ve seen in that screenshot, I presume Lilith doesn’t need the shawl to hide that, and it’s just for fashion/travel.

We’ve also got new end credits for Season 2B! There’s an updated version of Luz and her Hexside friends walking together; Luz and Amity holding hands, while the latter and Willow are updated with their new hairstyles! Gus is accompanied by two clones of himself and looks confident; Given what we see in the promo, I suspect Gus has been learning a lot from the keeper of the Looking Glass Graveyard, and it’s really cemented his certainty in his track! I’m starting to bet we’ll see Gus really show off the full extent of his illusions, maybe constantly accompanied by two; I’ve loved the idea of Gus always having a double to bounce off of as a character quirk, so this would be really fun to see! Willow’s plant has also grown more since the previous Season 2 credits; A nice reflection of her growing power but also emerging personality!

We’ve got Harpy Eda and King flexing his WEH power… And a shot of Camila and Vee, looking out the window as it’s raining; A raindrop positioned over Camila’s face like a tear! I’m so glad see them BOTH remembered, and look forward to being reminded of the two constantly at the end of each episode! Vee really is Camila’s daughter and Luz’s sister now, I love it…

Raine is seen in this final shot; Darius and Eberwolf to the side. They’re ensnared by the Plant Head’s vines, curiously enough… Given how she’s fighting Eda during her attempted rescue of Raine, and is accompanying the bard alongside Kikimora; Does the Plant Head have something to do with the coven binding vines? Did she help create and ‘program’ them, implement some plant magic of her own? She looks older than Gwen, which indicates she’s been a follower of Belos since he began his crusades; I can see the Plant Head being trusted by him for this sort of thing.

From a meta standpoint, the Plant Coven is the only one aligned to one of the four glyphs (Illusions could be seen as an extension of Light tho), which I thought was interesting. Obviously plants are much more varied and diverse than the other glyphs, but I’ve always wondered if this unique position meant anything for the Plant Head, being aligned with such a primordial form of magic. Again, her vines ensnaring Raine (and HERS specifically, not Kikimora’s) makes me wonder if the Plant Head has a connection to the coven bindings.

Will they grow on the Day of Unity, their vines connecting with the land and the Titan itself; Was the Plant Head an instrumental part of Belos’ plans since the beginning, hence her age and the implied trust? Did he learn from her to create the coven bindings? It’s all so fascinating, I love the Coven Heads and this one in particular intrigues me, and I hope her and Willow interact with each other and explore the latter’s unusual magic! Especially if Willow reminds the Plant Head of Belos, which was why she supported him since the start… Regardless, I suspect the Plant Head has an understanding of the coven bindings alongside Kikimora, hence why both are in charge of Raine; And thus why Raine and the Plant Head are there for the Coven Day Parade.

Luz has a diary entry! Originally another video for her mom, but Luz’s phone is being fished out of Hooty’s stomach… Will this lead to them finding the letter from King’s dad, I wonder? Luz and Amity canonically went shopping for Abomination supplies; Fanfic authors, work on that! Luz has also read through more of Philip’s diary… Just realized the parallels now between Luz and Philip both having one, even if diaries are such a common trope.

Luz seems to admire Philip’s intelligence (so I can’t wait for the broken pedestal when she realizes he’s Belos), and she specifically discusses how Philip’s portal instructions weren’t enough; Luz openly suggests that Philip had someone help him with it. I’ve already aired this point beforehand, since it was mentioned in the beginning of Yesterday’s Lie, and it’s made more explicit here; Philip needed someone to help him. And I that perfectly explains why Belos can’t make a second portal; He’s missing that same friend.

And I have my own theory on how that person was King’s father, whom Belos attacked in order to coerce him into making a second portal, before giving up and just searching for the first one instead. Ultimately, the decision to have Luz mention this is deliberate, and I’m glad to see this point emphasized; It’s already been stated before, but now it’s obvious. This explains and cuts away the supposed discrepancy between Philip and Belos.

What really grabs my attention though is that Luz ‘knows’ that Camila would like the Boiling Isles, if given the chance to actually know it and the friends Luz has met there! Obviously Luz is concerned about filtering her past dangers and the conflict with Belos for Camila’s sanity; She also notes that Willow and Amity seem to be ‘friendly’ again but are also probably still working on things. Here’s hoping this comes up in Season 2B! Willow gave Luz some recipes that her dad likes to cook, further cementing her love for the Boiling Isles cuisine, which she hopes can bring Camila to her side. We also learn that Luz got her lactose intolerance from her mother!

From Hunter, we finally learn the name of his palisman; Flapjack! Hunter talks about how he doesn’t recognize the term and neither do the Coven Heads he asks, indicating it’s a human-exclusive term… We know that Eberwolf tends to hiss at Hunter, while Darius ignores him. Hunter also observes that Raine is ‘weird’ lately, and a lot more ‘quiet’… This indicates that Hunter doesn’t know of Raine’s betrayal and brainwashing.

…Naturally, BELOS knows what flapjacks are, they’re pancakes; Which Hunter doesn’t know of either, so either he’s just really secluded, or the Boiling Isles doesn’t have those. Belos is specifically ‘suspicious’ when Hunter asks further, causing him to stop asking; So it’s clear this dude is Philip. He recognizes ‘Flapjack’ as the name of his brother’s Palisman; And since the isles doesn’t have flapjacks, the only reason that term would come up, much less Hunter knowing about it, is via a cardinal’s name! Belos knew Flapjack, and may or may not know Hunter has him; The fact that he ‘got’ suspicious could mean he doesn’t already know why Hunter would know of this term. Maybe Belos knows Hunter has a palisman, but doesn’t necessarily realize it’s Flapjack…

Hunter also canonically says ‘Damn’ in cursing pancakes. CANON swear y’all. Since these letters and journal entries seem to be more outside Disney’s jurisdiction, it seems Dana is using them to get away with a lot more stuff she otherwise couldn’t… Now I’m really hoping she continues to do this even after the show ends, maybe during the wait for season 3; Adding to the lore, the characters, and including some fun details and tidbits here or there! Maybe one day we can have Eda, not Wendie Malick, but EDA, say fuck.

Flapjack won’t tell Hunter who his original owner was, but he DOES pull at his hair when he does so… Probably because he recognizes Hunter as a clone of his previous owner, or at least notices the uncanny resemblance. Flapjack is obviously traumatized, but does he know that Belos is Philip? Who Hunter is, and not just a coincidence? Is he hiding this info from Hunter, because he knows who these people are, and how that information might break him?

We see Hunter do a scientific experiment with Flapjack, showing us what a nerd this kid is, not unlike his uncle Philip/Belos and probably not unlike his father, either! Hunter offers Flapjack a goreberry (a fruit that palismen hate), and anticipates a violent reaction as proof of wild magic’s danger, wearing a suit of armor for protection… Only for Flapjack to simply split the berry to share with Hunter.

What’s concerning however is how Hunter is so clearly looking for proof of wild magic’s danger, to the point of borderling hysteria; His whole world and indoctrination from Belos is being shattered, so he’s trying to preserve and reconcile this with what he’s learned… Only to once again be proven wrong, and by consequence, so is Belos. Hunter is so clearly surprised, disappointed, and touched by Flapjack’s gesture; And no doubt questioning everything he knows and assumes, about his uncle and wild magic.

Finally, let’s get to our Season 2B screenshots! We’ve already discussed one via Lilith, who seems to have a new fulltime outfit as a museum worker now. We see Hunter and Luz in a hallway in the Emperor’s castle, lined with propaganda paintings of Belos, portraying him as a godly figure. Luz is wearing the letterman from Eda, indicating this is indeed a fulltime addition to her appearance as well, I hope. She’s clearly hearing Hunter smugly say some Pro-Coven crap that she knows is wrong.

We get a look at a previous outfit for Belos, which shows his hair; I presume this means that at first he wasn’t hiding every inch of himself… But as the curse worsened, he had to hide it in order to maintain the holy, invincible image. Belos is depicted rescuing witches from fire that represents the wars of the Savage Ages, before being celebrated by them in a moment of peace; Showing off green fire and a purple spell as proof of his power. It seems these paintings are in chronological order, if you look at them left to right…

So past two paintings too distant and obscured to observe, we have Belos in his modern-day appearance; But we see a painting of him fighting off Owl Beast Eda! I hope it’s Owl Beast Eda… If it’s Harpy Eda, that indicates her rescue mission for Raine at the Coven Day parade goes VERY badly; I suspect it’ll fail, but I hope it’s not too disastrous and doesn’t make the rebellion look worse-off, especially if Raine is made to renounce the wild witch sentiments. It’s possible Belos recently commissioned this painting (or even made it himself) to celebrate his victory over Eda the Owl Lady, who represents the wild magic and rebellion he’s been against; Only for her to be overtaken by her own twisted curse…

But others have pointed out that this hallway heavily resembles the one we see this ghostly Belos kid in;

Then there’s the comparisons with the ghost kid with Inner Willow… In other words, THIS might be Belos’ mindscape! Not only is it cool to see how other characters’ minds look, but obviously this is huge in terms of lore; We’re seeing Belos’ memories! How Hunter and Luz even ended up here is a question I really have to ask… I suspect this episode is Hollow Mind. What’s interesting is that Willow’s memory photos are just that; Photos, but Belos’ memories take the form of stylized propaganda paintings. Obviously this says a lot about Belos; How he views himself as a savior, as a holy, higher being and whatnot. He’s distorted and twisted reality to create an artist’s take on things, his own…

I also suspect this is where we’ll see that shot of a shadowy Belos covered in blue eyes. It could be another Inner Belos who guards his mind, just as Willow had two inner versions of herself; And/or it’s his curse beast itself, which Hunter and Luz will directly interact with! Either way, this episode is going to be INTENSE and I can’t wait… I wonder if Luz going into Belos’ mind is prompted by what she learns of Philip, and it comes from her connecting the dots by this point; Or is simply building up to her and Hunter figuring it out.

I also wonder if Hollow Mind will be an A/B plot structure like many episodes before, referring to Belos’ mindscape, but also an attempt by Eda to undo Raine’s brainwashing! I don’t know if we’ll have multiple changes to Season 2B’s end credit sequence, to reflect different episodes… But if they’re not too frequent, this could mean that Raine is going to be brainwashed for a while, hence that image of them being ensnared by the Plant Head’s vines; This is a constant.

We see Luz and Amity, in school uniforms, talking to each other; Apparently in Bonesborough! I wonder if this is Reaching Out… They’re sad and Luz is leaning against Amity, so I’m wondering if she’s talking to Amity about her problem with Camila, and Amity is expressing sadness over the situation, over the idea of not seeing Luz again; And/or the shared experience of parental conflict. I presume Luz will establish ASAP that Camila is NOT like Odalia, of course!

Finally, King and Steve! We were outright told that Steve ascended to memetic status because of fandom reception, so good for him; That’s why he’s getting more relevance! He seems to be a biker now, while also wearing his coven mask, and is talking to King; Is this Steve’s day off? Is he smugly making a point to King about how the coven rocks? Did he capture King? There seems to be snow, so it might be the knee, or it’s just winter coming in, as I mentioned earlier. Steve also has what appears to be either a cauldron and/or a passenger car; So I wonder if we’ll have a humorous B-plot of King and Steve teaming up together! I hope the Emperor’s Coven isn’t targeting King because they know of his dad…

All in all, that seems to be everything! I might do a much shorter list later on, condensing my takes into a couple of bullet points; But for now, this has been an ENORMOUS lore dump, just like the 2020 stream! It’s everything I hoped for and more…! It’s really neat to get these treats as both a reward for the fans, and also an incentive to encourage donations for the queer community; I admire how Dana has chosen to do this in specific reaction to Disney’s homophobia, and doesn’t care about spoilers if it means helping out!

We already have Season 2B in like five days, but it’s just so nice to see, and maybe plays a part in her willingness to show it anyway if we’ll see it soon enough… Still, I presume those audio letters are definitely bonus content, so THAT is just such a nice treat! I love this crew’s passion for the show and the setting and its characters, they all feel so immersive and REAL, there’s just so much heart. They’re really just giving us so much because they care and love it too; From the countdown art for each episode, to this! Bless you Dana and crew, you guys are the real ones and have been such a WONDERFUL fandom experience for me, I’ll miss it when it’s over!

#the owl house #lilith clawthorne #luz noceda #the owl house hunter #the owl house flapjack #the owl house collector #speculation #analysis #charity stream #dana terrace #the owl house steve

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nat-20s · 3 years

Text

Part 8 of the wonderful! Au: the boys answer some questions! Up to you to decide if they actually clarify anything!

(also on AO3)

~*~

Martin: Hey everyone! I know what some of you are thinking right now: it's not Tuesday, why is this episode in my feed? I know significantly more of you are thinking: I don't consistently keep up with podcast releases, how much free time do you think I have, buddy? To answer your queries: this is a bonus episode! We're answering listener questions to clear the air and/or have fun. Also, I don't know, around 20 to 40 minutes a week, as that is the average amount of time per episode? Maybe during your commute? My husband's omnipotence has been gone for five years, we just have to guess at that sort of thing now.

Jon: For legal reasons, that last statement was a joke. In fact, to cover all of our bases, we do not guarantee that any of our responses are genuine.

Martin: Just because we say we'll answer things doesn't mean we'll answer truthfully. Though, honestly, I think we might make it more enjoyable if we do tell the truth. Like, I don't necessarily have a fun lie prepared for our first question from konspiracyking97: "What's their fuckin deal anyway?"

Jon: Is this referring to the oblique references we've made about being from a parallel reality and only ending up here as a consequence of ending one apocalypse and potentially starting another or the general premise of the show?

Martin: Oh, it's gotta be general premise, yeah?

Jon: In that case, I'm Jon, the other voice you're hearing is Martin, we're married, and we talk about things that are..nice? Good? Usually generally but occasionally rather specifically pleasant.

Martin: That pretty much covers it. It's not a complicated show. Uhh, next question comes from Shane: are either or both of you aliens? Nope!

Jon: Well..

Martin: No. We are 100% human people from Earth, we are under no definition extraterrestrial.

Jon: Eh..

Martin: Okay, first off, I know the tone of that 'eh' and "not fully human" is not synonymous with alien, so even if 100% is being a bit generous, we're still from the same planet as our listeners.

Jon:..

Jon: But. We sort of aren't though. Technically speaking.

Martin: No no no no no. I don't care if it's parallel, Earth is Earth is Earth, regardless of whatever nonsense metaphysics might be occurring.

Jon: So what you're saying is that if you got sucked through a portal and landed on an Earth where dinosaurs were still the predominant species, you wouldn't consider yourself to be an alien?

Martin: Nope!

Jon: I'm certain that they would consider you an alien. All of their mammals are probably shrew sized.

Martin: Sounds like a them problem.

Jon: Sounds like a-?! You know what, no, this will be an off the record debate, for now, I suppose I concede that the two Earths and our physiologies are similar enough that we might, maybe, not count as aliens.

Martin: Thank you. Anyway, our next question is from anonymous, and asks, "Is all of this an ARG?"

Jon: A whomst?

Martin: Alternate reality game. It's a method of storytelling that's interactive with audience, and usually has, I dunno, a certain suspension of disbelief to it where it pretends to be something actually happening in the real world until a dramatic reveal. A lot times it was used as a marketing gimmick, but others have done it just for fun. I can show you some examples after the show?

Jon: So it's in essence a more involved creepypasta?

Martin, delighted: Aw, babe, I'm never going to have a handle on what pop culture you are and aren't aware of, huh?

Jon: We were born within a year of each other, and I've told you that I was a deeply morbid teenager, you should probably be able to intuit some of things, love.

Martin: This coming from a man who has yet to see "It's a Wonderful Life", but has seen every film in the "Banjo Cannibals" franchise, including the Easter special. Jesus doesn't exist in the Banjo Cannibals universe, why does it have an Easter special?

Jon: The movies are rather shoddily translated from Russian, so I'm fairly certain the Easter component of that special was invented wholesale in the English version.

Martin: You say that like it answers more questions than it raises.

Jon: Yes, because it does. Oh, and to answer anonymous's question, no, this isn't an ARG. From my understanding of it, if it were, it'd be a poorly constructed one, as there's no real game element to any of this.

Martin: Hmm. Well, sometimes the game component is just trying to figure out what's going on with the story, or if there's any deeper content, and people are definitely doing that with this show.

Jon: That's not by design though. It's more a side effect of us having poor brain to mouth filters, I'd say.

Martin: Harsh, but fair. Oh, this next one is from Zac, no K, who asks, "Are you two actually even married?"

Jon, flat: We are, but it's under false names because this whole thing is an elaborate insurance scam.

Jon, incredulous: Yes, obviously, we're married. What did you hear in this podcast that would make you wonder otherwise, and how do we rectify it?

Martin: Clearly we need to up our quota for how "disgustingly in love" and "horrifically sappy" we are per episode. Which segues nicely into the next question from Gwen, "What's your favourite wonderful thing you've brought so far?" My answer: my husband. He's kind of my favourite in most things, you know?

Jon: Boooooo

Martin: Why, what's your favourite thing?

[Jon reluctantly sighs]

Jon, indulgent: being married.

Martin: A: serves you right for trying to pretend you're the less horrifically sappy and romantic one even though earlier today someone put a love note in the lunch they packed for me-

Jon:- Lies and slander! I have never, in my life, done that, even once.

Martin: Oh, sure, not even once. And you definitely don't reserve the lilac sticky notes specifically for my lunches because you know I like the colour.

Jon: I..I don't.. you're rather ruining my image here.

[Martin snorts]

Martin: Can't have the audience think that you are, on occasion, an incredibly doting husband-

Jon: -A title I would argue we both share-

Martin: - which is obviously why, even with it being your favourite thing you've brought, being married to me is just a small wonder-

Jon, audibly rolling his eyes: As I already explained-

[A Pause}

Jon: Actually, you're right-

Martin: Wait-

Jon:- I really should have brought it as a larger wonder-

Martin: Wait-

Jon: though I should warn you, I think I'd have far too much material for just one little segment-

Martin: No no no no no-

Jon:- In fact, I think I might have too much material for just one little episode-

Martin: Joo-oon-

Jon: I might have to do a whole series! Where would I even start? I mean I could talk about how every day I get to watch the early morning sun highlight your curls when I get up first, or hear you quietly humming and shuffling around the kitchen when you do, or I could talk about how the lunch notes only started in the first place as retaliation to the notes you would leave on the mirror for me to find, or how every time I get to see you at ease in a way that you aren't with anyone else, it takes my breath away, or I could talk about how cute I find the lines between your eyebrows that you only get when you're thinking something petty, but you know it's petty so you don't want to say anything-

Martin: Okay, okay, Christ, I give !up I surrender, and will cease my teasing on this particular topic.

Jon, probably making the :3 face: You don't have to stop. I mean, I could also discuss how very, very attractive I find your voice when it takes on a teasi-mmph!

[There's a pleased hum, then a pause.]

[The audio quality is slightly changed, as if the recording has been stopped and then started later]

Martin, giddy: Uh, heh, anyway, Eric asked what the least favourite thing we've brought was, and because of Jon's attempt to embarrass me live-

Jon, overlapping: It's definitely not live-

Martin:- on air, I'm gonna say it's my husband.

[Jon scoffs]

Jon : If the past few minutes are any sort of indication, I'm going to go ahead and saying that you are lying.

Martin, sighing contentedly: Maybe a bit, but how was I supposed to resist when your indigance gives you that adorable little nose scrunch? In reality, my least favourite thing was probably, um, mini golf? Which, I still don't think is inherently bad, definitely superior to regular golf, but when it's the only thing a next door two year old wants to do with you, the charm begins to wear off a bit.

Jon: Wow. A rather scathing review of a toddler.

Martin: Not so much a scathing review of a toddler as it's a scathing review of minigolf's inability to keep its appeal after the third time in the same week.

Jon: Mmm, the sound effects rather quickly go from part of the atmosphere to part of the irritation, don't they?

Martin: So what's your least favorite thing we've covered here?

Jon: Oh, love, I'm not going to pretend to have nearly enough memory of what we've covered so far to have a least favorite.

Martin: Really? Nothing that you regret or rescind?

Jon: Well, regret, certainly. It was one of the weeks where you went first, and your second item was mutual aid funds, and what they can do for marginalized communities, and I had to follow it with fucking Slapchop.

Martin, poorly suppressing laughter: In your defence, Slapchop, or whatever offbrand we have, is pretty useful, especially when either your scar or my arthritis is acting up.

Jon: I'm still not convinced you didn't somehow see my notes for the recording and decided you get revenge for the first year that we knew each other.

Martin, no longer suppressing his laughter: Yep, you got me! This marriage wasn't an act of insurance fraud, but it was a near decade long con to humiliate you on a podcast that about twenty people listen to. I'll draft up the divorce papers immediately, and then we can finally go our separate ways.

Jon: I'm glad you've at last admitted it. Such a weight off of my shoulders. Goodbye forever then.

Martin: Right.

Jon: Right.

[A beat.]

[There's a pfft from one of them, before both dissolve into giggles that lasts a good 30 seconds.]

Martin, slightly out of breath: I can't believe we're the kind of people that talk this much about speciality kitchen gadgets.

Jon: Sorry about that.

Martin: God, don't apologize. I'm, like, deliriously happy with our varying degrees of useful cooking ware filled life. If you had told 25 year old me that one day he'd be debating the merits of getting a tortilla press with his husband, he'd have wept, I tell you.

Jon: Funny, if you told 25 year old me the same thing, he would've said "You don't know the future,piss off" and then quietly have a bit of a panic at 3 am that night.

Martin: I bet you were insufferable in your mid-twenties.

Jon: First of all, who isn't, secondly, I was fresh out of Oxford, and third, I was insufferable in my late twenties, as you can attest to, and I'm insufferable now, as you can further attest to, so extrapolation would indicate that, yes, I was insufferable back then.

Martin: Probably a different kind of insufferable, though.

Jon: There are different kinds?

Martin: Of course! You used to be "prick boss" insufferable and now you're "smug in a way that I can't admit I find hot or it will go straight to your head" insufferable.

Jon, in the aforementioned smug tone: Oh, really?

Martin: See, see! Straight to your head.

Jon: Well straight is probably the wrong descriptor-

Martin: Oof, 4 out of 10 joke, babe.

Jon: That would be a far more convincing rating if you weren't grinning right now.

Martin: It's a genuine review, I'm just well known to be a sucker.

Jon: You and me both, darling.

Martin: Okay, if you're pulling out darling, you're clearly in too giddy of a mood to be focused on recording. Last question, from Jess, "You two mentioned meeting at work, but how did you actually end up together?" That's easy, Jon pulled me out of a hell dimension and then we went on the lam together to Scotland.

Jon: If that's not the way to tell a cute boy you like him, I don't know what is.

Martin: All right, that wraps up this bonus episode, and as the old saying goes, hiding from murderers in a cottage is more conducive to romance than suggesting you gouge out your eyes together.

Jon, cut off: Hey-!

#tma #jonmartin #jon sims #martin blackwood #post canon #wonderful! au #my fic

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forwantofamohawk · 3 years

Text

Selfishness, Selflessness and Reciprocity

Or: An essay on why I think that Coderra has more potential as a relationship than people give it credit for.

As a foreword, I would like to say that this applies equally to romantic and platonic Coderra. Many of the building blocks for a romance are the same as those for a lifelong friendship. All I want, at the end of the day, is for Sierra to be happy.

Now you could alternatively call this essay “Cody’s tendencies in relationships and how that changes in Planes Trains and Hot Airmobiles” because the first item of focus here is his relationship with Gwen, and how and why it fundamentally doesn’t work. While Gwody is generally not well-liked as a relationship due to his creepy, entitled and stereotypical “nice guy” behavior, those aren’t the reasons why it doesn’t work. They’re effluences of the real core problem with his Cody’s behavior and that mentality, and I’m going to call it out right out of the gate: Cody is selfish.

For him, it’s never about what Gwen wants or who Gwen is as a person that matters. She is an object to be attained, an ideal girlfriend that will make him cool by being with him. His first notable interaction with her is making a pass at her during the talent show- he more or less thinks he can “get” her with a bit of flirting, without putting in the legwork of actually getting to know her. Compare this with Trent’s first major interaction with Gwen in The Big Sleep as a counterpoint. Watching this scene, what strikes me the most about how Trent conducts himself here is that there is no flirtatious undertones to his approach, no overt, eye-wagging, shit-eating-grin “hey babe, you’re so cool and I’m totally into that”. No, he just talks to her. Talks to her about whatever she wants to talk about, lets the conversation naturally go where it goes, and it gets her to open up, if only just a little. Cody, on the other hand, never does this with Gwen, he never understands this, and every interaction he has with her until Up the Creek, and then resuming in World Tour, is about trying to obtain her as an item.

In World Tour, his selfishness and desire to have Gwen reach new levels and really show how little he actually cares about her as a person. During the episode in Australia, Gwen acts hurt because Duncan is acting jealous of Alejandro “hooking up” with Courtney. Cody’s first instinct is to offer her his vote, but with the implicit subtext this game alliance is a means for him to hook up with her. Gwen is not actually hurt here, she’s playing him for a vote, but he doesn’t know that, he thinks Duncan has actually hurt her. She says to him “ Can you make the pain go away?” and he nods and tells her he’s there for her and that he’ll make everything better.

This is Cody at his absolute lowest. Here he is seeing someone he thinks is heartbroken and vulnerable and all his first reaction is to manipulate it to get into a relationship with her.

Now this may all sound very anti-Cody, and I certainly don’t apologize for or condone this behavior. But I also now move on to my next point, which is that it is a learned behavior which makes sense in the context of his upbringing, and that he has the capacity to change this behavior.

A bad childhood does not excuse bad behaviors as an adult, or even a young adult like Cody, but it does provide a level of understanding how and why he does the things he does. There is a substantial body of canonical evidence that Cody is a neglected child, manifested most famously and notably in the show by the revelation that his parents (nor anyone else for that matter) never once remembered his birthday in Awwwww Drumheller. Interestingly it seems the Dramarama spinoff has taken this idea up as well, with Cody having said “It feels like a mother’s warmth, or least, so I’ve been told” which in context seems meant to indicate that Cody is unfamiliar with motherly affection. But what he lacks in parental attention is made up for in material wealth- his TDI bio speaks of a plethora of the latest tech and gadgets paid for on his parents dime. This is where the root of his selfishness in dealing with Gwen comes from- having never received love in his life, only things, he can only conceive of a relationship as a thing to be had, not love to be shared between people. Because the latter concept is utterly alien to him. But it’s alien to him because this mentality is learned, taught by years of neglect and being spoiled. And what can be learned, can be unlearned.

Enter Planes, Trains and Hot Air Mobiles. It is all good and well to argue that Cody is the way he is because he is a victim of parental apathy and absence, but unless this amounts to meaningful change in his behavior, it is meaningless. Here we see that Cody in fact has the capacity to change and to be better than he was, and it’s in his relationship with Sierra that we first see this.

The Total Drama Jumbo jet has been demolished to smithereens, and at the epicenter of the destruction was Sierra. The episode begins with her eliminated, incapable of walking, buried under rubble and with most of those still present utterly uninterested in her plight. Cody, Alejandro and Heather are tasked with racing to Hawaii by whatever means they can find, but Sierra is left with no provisions for her return home. Let’s be clear here- Cody is supposed to get to Hawaii, not Sierra.

At this point in the game he’s only barely started warming up to her the last episode, and otherwise has rebutted her at every turn since the game began. She cannot move on her own, no matter what means he uses to travel she’s dead weight. With his chosen method of travel, the balloon, Cody can get farther and go faster if he goes alone. He has every logical reason in the world to be selfish here, from a competition standpoint.

And yet he doesn’t. He takes her with him, an act that I would argue is his first truly selfless act in any of his canon relationships with anyone. He gains nothing by bringing her along, or at least, nothing that is immediately apparent when they set off. He risks his victory in the competition to ensure she has someone to take care of and look after her. He prioritizes her needs and the urgency of her situation over his wants, and even his personal feelings for her at this moment- despite everything she has done to him that has made him feel violated and uncomfortable, by taking her with him he has forgiven her, and without words said that her life and wellbeing are worth more to him than his own feelings about their past. This does not absolve Sierra of responsibility for these acts, but Cody’s forgiveness is an important step in giving her the opportunity to atone for them. It is a profoundly mature moment for Cody, the most mature he has ever been in the entire series since Up the Creek.

Later on in the episode, something incredible happens. Something called reciprocity- an exchange of mutual benefit to all parties involved. And it’s when their hot air balloon has crashed and they are stranded in the middle of nowhere somewhere in North America, with no apparent means to continue the race. Along with a box of fireworks, Sierra motivates Cody with a rousing speech, and importantly tells him that “You want a number one fan? That comes with responsibilities!”

This is a first for Sierra, in that she is demanding something out of Cody’s side of the relationship. For all the time she has been on the show with him, she has taken care of him with no regard for getting anything out of it in return. She has saved his life at risk to herself numerous times, and while she exacted a toll in physical affection she had never previously called upon Cody to do anything for her, personally. Here that changes.

She demands that he continue the race not for his sake, but for hers, and for all the fans she represents. This transforms the act of continuing the race from a selfish one for Cody, into a selfless one, as he is no longer doing it out of self-interest, but to fulfill his obligation to his relationship with Sierra. And for the second time in the episode, Cody shows the ability to be selfless and consider the needs and wants of others. He is not a fundamentally self-centered person at heart, and his bad habits can be unlearned in the right circumstance with the right people.

It is this relationship that carries a feeble weakling and a crippled girl to the finale against all odds. It brings out the best in both of them and takes two people who on their own would have zero chance for success, and allows them to lift each other up and help each other move forward. This is the potential of Coderra, as a romance or a lifelong friendship. It’s only two, maybe three episodes where we see a glimpse of it, but I think that together they can be a little less broken and start to defeat their worst demons.

#td #tdi #tdwt #total drama #total drama island #total drama world tour #td cody #td sierra

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extremelyblackandwhite · 4 years

Text

handmaid - 14

PAIRING: mob!sebastian stan x ingenue!reader

WARNINGS: age gap

A/N: hiya so before you start reading, if you’re not from the uk or interested in academic life in the uk, russell group is a very odd word. russell groups are what ivy leagues are in the us meaning it’s a group of very prestigious unis like cambridge, oxford and durham. just thought i should explain what it was so no one’s confused. also remember that weird episode carter baizen had a very badly made tattoo on his wrist? yeah that is mentioned here bc i basically decided that young seb acted like carter. sorry for taking longer than usual to post but i hope you enjoy this chapter xxx

NEXT CHAPTER

- Don’t you wanna kiss me? - he caged her between the wall and him, hands resting on both side of her head. - Be honest.

He was close enough so she could see every detail and texture of the skin of his face and feel his soft and controlled breathe. Y/N couldn’t help but touch his face, her fingers lingering on tiny little scar marks that seemed to have faded over the years but not enough to departure his face, to tracing his jaw to finally settling on his lips. Curiously, her thumb swiped down his lip almost as if she was trying to erase the fact that her own lips knew exactly what his felt like.

There was this undeniable pull between the two of them that Y/N couldn’t deny existed, however, she was much too smart to give in again. She had plenty of examples where giving in to affections led to terrible fates beginning with Juliet and both hers and her beloved’s death and ending all the way with Anna Karenina jumping in front of a train. No, Y/N was much too smart to ignore what surrounded her. However, she was still a young woman and like so, she was no match for the rotten judgement that came along with her young years. Nevertheless, she pressed her body harshly against the wall, hoping that somehow she could merge with it and avoid the question that was being posed to her.

- Cat got your tongue, angel? - he questioned yet it didn’t sound like a mock as it sounded like a tease. - You can talk to me. I know you’ve missed me.

- I don’t know what you’re talking about. - she turned her head to the side, hand clutching the towel for dear life. If there was something worse sounding than this situation was being naked in front of him, her friend’s fiancé. Sebastian smirked, noticing how she had bared her neck to him unknowingly giving a clear view of the bruises forming from last night. God, it was quite a sight, a sight he could get used to seeing every single day.

He could just see it in front of him. Waking up every single morning to her already flushed cheeks in one of those sheer white pyjamas with her soft skin bruised from several nights of pure undecided pleasure. Y/N, on the other hand, was trying her best not to lower her hand to the skin showing through the V of his grey tee shirt which looked very inviting. Stop it, Y/N. You’re a smart woman, this is just the hormones speaking.

- I was wondering if you’d accompany me for breakfast. There’s the little spot downtown I’m certain you’d enjoy.

- Did you ask Gwen? - her voice came uncertain almost paining her to mention Gwen in the middle of all of this. Gwen needed to be mention, they were gonna be married, they are gonna be married. That is certainty.

Sebastian stepped back as if he had been hit by lighting before sighing and leaving her be. Her loyalties lied way too deep with the Forrests and he wasn’t about to get her in trouble or do something she didn’t feel like doing. Y/N, on the other hand, watched the door like a hawk watching as he left with a sense of guilt she couldn’t deny. It was just a crush, she told herself, it was just a crush and crushes are normal. Single people crush on married ones all the time that does not mean they will try and ruin a wedding, not that Y/N could ruin something that wall already ruined.

A single part of hers expected him to be teasing again and enter the room once more but he didn’t and after she spent a long while leaned against the wall as if some invisible force was holding her, Y/N decided it would be best if she got dressed and checked on Gwen, mostly to ensure the heiress was home. After she was in a long sweater accompanied by some black leggings, she followed the wall down to Gwen’s bedroom, knocking on the door rather loudly.

From her knock, what sounded like a commotion could be heard from inside the heiress’ bedroom along with the sounds of feet paddling the ground until the door was opened. However, instead of Gwen standing there with her usual bed ridden eyes, it was her bodyguard who opened the door in a rather untidy way, carrying his trousers in hand. Y/N peeked inside the bedroom, an equally untidy Gwen with the sheets up to her collarbones waving goodbye at Christian.

Maybe it was the lack of sleep but Y/N was livid. She stomped into the bedroom, closed the door behind her and crossed her arms at the woman she had known since they were both born.

- Are you joking? - she questioned, attempting to sound annoyed but it came more as of a “again?” sort of inquiry. - You can’t do that under Sebastian’s roof when he’s at home.

- Don’t worry, Y/N. I’m careful. - she shrugged, her hand coming to push her own hair back which caused the sun to hit the gem on her engagement ring. God, she didn’t even take it off. - It’s not like he can kill me.

- Genevieve, you’re engaged. You’re gonna be married and all you’re doing is acting like a teenager. God, I understand you don’t wanna get married to someone you don’t like but the least you can do is try to be his friend, at least.

- I don’t need friends like Sebastian and I also don’t need you to lecture me.

- Seems like you do considering you’ve been sleeping around ever since we came into this house when you’re engaged. - she pointed at the engagement ring on Gwen’s finger but she merely huffed as if Y/N was reprimanding her for something completely unnecessary. - Gwen, your father asked ...

- You’re just being jealous, Y/N. - the handmaid was stunned by those words. Jealous of what? - You’ve always been jealous. You’re jealous that no one has ever looked at you and now you’re trying to destroy my love life.

- You shouldn’t have a love life, you’re engaged. - Y/N tried to reason with the redhead but she was much to head strong to listen. - I’m done discussing this with you.

- Then do me a favour and stop giving your opinion on my engagement.

- I’m just try ...

- Miss Forrest? - one of the maids knocked on the door, creaking it ever so slightly. - Your father’s here.

- My father? - Gwen furrowed her eyebrows, jumping from the bed with her sheets wrapped around her. - Why is my father hre?

- I don’t know. - Y/N shrugged but her mind was certainly going haywire about what could it be. Had he gotten word she had kissed Sebastian? Was he here to fire her. She didn’t know.

- Go distract him. - the heiress pushed Y/N out of the bedroom, locking the door behind her.

The handmaid sighed, wondering if Mr. Forrest was in a good mood or if she was about to be fired. Maybe being fired was a good idea, that would mean she would be as far away from Sebastian as possible. However, little to no people get fired from mob related jobs even if they’re not complete associates. Instead they got to sleep with the fish and Y/N wasn’t a big fan of that.

As she went down the stairs she could see Mr. Forrest in his signature black suit and red tie he had been wearing since he could remember. He always look sophisticated enough for you to wonder if he was some sort of professor in a Russell or Ivy League group. However, he had this air of familiarity which Sebastian lacked, making Sebastian a more austere person to look at. Maybe it was that Y/N had grown up around Mr. Forrest and not Sebastian, but Mr. Forrest was always very approachable.

- Y/N! - he smiled at the sight of the young handmaid. - What happened to your neck?

- My neck? - her hand covered her neck as she realised what was in her neck in full display for everyone who was curious enough to look at. Oh fuck. - Oh ... I burned myself with a curling iron.

- Did they take you to the hospital? - he inspected the marks on her neck.

- No, Mr. Forrest, it is fine. I’ve done it before, it’ll be gone in a few weeks. - she smiled nervously. - So ... we weren’t expecting your visit today, Sir. Is there something the matter?

- I need to speak with Mr. Stan about the Paris’ events. It was a clear lack of security and you two could’ve gotten harmed.

- But it was an ambush, sir. I don’t think it’s his fault. - she shifted her weight from feet to feet, eyes everywhere but his face. - Besides, his first worry was Genevieve. He rushed her out of the hotel once the shots were heard and none of us were harmed.

- Who protected you during the shot?

- My bodyguard. I think it is really unfair to blame Mr. Stan for something he wasn’t expecting, sir. Besides, he took care of Gwen. - she was lying but if she were to tell the father of the heiress that Sebastian had went to her instead of his daughter, they would both be axed off. Not that he would kill Sebastian, he would probably kill her and just yell at Sebastian which, honestly, would have little to no effect on him.

- Living with Mr. Stan really hasn’t changed your forgiven nature, has it? - his expression softened, taking the weight of guilty out of Y/N’s back. - Nevertheless, there is still some affairs that need to be mentioned and discussed, specifically the wedding.

- He’s ready for you, sir. - Amelia spoke out and Mr. Forrest nodded his goodbye to Y/N.

Y/N just stood there, sighing in relief that he seemed to not have any idea that she had locked lips with his daughter’s husband to be and that she had managed to grab Sebastian out of the madness that was him thinking Gwen had been alone.

The young girl sat on the coach, thinking she could take this break to breathe without stress but Gwen soon came down the stairs with Christian behind her whose hand was resting in the back pocket of her jeans. Y/N rolled her eyes, grabbing one of the books from the coffee table and opening it up. She? Jealous? Of what exactly? Just because she wanted them to at least be friendly with each other did not mean she was jealous of Gwen’s engagement.

- Where’s dad?

- He’s in a meeting with Sebastian. - Y/N didn’t even raise her eyes from her book, speaking with a rather bland voice.

- Being mad is childish, Y/N. - she shrugged, stepping to the kitchen to grab a tangerine.

- I’m not mad at you, Gwen.

- If you’re not mad at me then you can cover for me while I go shopping with Christian. - it wasn’t like Y/N was in the place to complain anymore so she just nodded, pulling her legs up so her feet were resting on the couch as she got lost in another one of Austen’s works.

Jane Austen was one of Y/N’s favourite writers despite many book snobs thinking it was overrated. This was mostly due to the intelligence that even subdued female characters seemed to hold and the way she described everything with just the right amount of detail to allow your mind to flow freely into her worlds.

She was much too lost in Mansfield Park’s words to notice Sebastian and Mr. Forrest had walked down the stairs and were now in the living room. This was only brought to her attention once her name was called out by Mr. Forrest, inquiring about his daughter.

- She’s still asleep. - she lied probably for the 100th time today. - Rough night.

- Still adapting to the mattress. - Sebastian added, certain that Y/N was covering for the heiress.

- Ah ... Y/N, I hope you and Gwen come to visit soon. The house has certainly loss youth ever since you two left.

- Of course, Mr. Forrest. - Y/N smiled, waving goodbye as he entered the lift, leaving Y/N and Sebastian in the living room. God, why was the universe still allowing them to be alone in closed environments?

- The maid said you and Gwen were in a fight. Are you okay? - he asked but still kept his distance, the austere like posture still very much presence which was a far cry from the relaxed vibe he used to put out when with her.

- Yeah, she was just ... having a bit of fun with Christian. - Y/N put the book down on the coffee table, wrapping her arms around her knees which were folded close to her chest.

- I can have a word with her if it bothers you.

- It doesn’t bother me. - once again lying. She would never admit it to herself but it bothered her that Gwen could go around being engaged and she couldn’t go around with Sebastian. Someone had to be the moral one.

- Sounds like it does, angel. - there it was, the nickname. - You sure you don’t want me to fire him?

- No, I want you and Gwen to at least be friends. You’re gonna be married and if you’re not attracted to each other you could at least be friends. - Sebastian sat next to her on the luxurious leathered deep couch.

- You have to understand that people don’t get to marry because they’re friends or like each other in this sort of business. It’s not what we do.

- Just because it’s what it’s done doesn’t been it should be done. Do you seriously want to be married for the rest of your life to someone you’re not even friendly with?

- In all honesty Y/N, me and Gwen won’t even live in the same house after we get married. She was to go to LA and I’ll let her go there, we just need to be married, not together or in love.

- I don’t wanna go to LA, it’s too hot. - she spoke out without even putting her thought through the rational part of her brain. - I’ve never left NY, I don’t wanna leave to go to LA.

- Just quit. - he shrugged. - You do know you can quit your job and actually have a life right?

- People don’t quit the mob.

- You’re a handmaid, you’re not exactly part of the mob. Besides, you have a Cambridge degree you can get a job.

- I don’t have any experience besides I’ve never actually did anything other than this. I don’t have experience, I don’t have parents, I don’t have a family at all. - she grimaced at the thought but it was true. She never knew her parents and the only thing she had from them was the necklace from her mother, there was no other immediate family around or if there were Mr. Forrest always said they were dead. At the end of the day, she was by herself in a world that had been shielded away from her. What she knew was being by Gwen’s side and basically making sure she didn’t die. - I don’t have anything to inherit, I have a degree yes but I never actually worked a single day in my life. I don’t have enough money to make a downpayment on a home or to even rent in NY. God, I don’t even have enough money to buy a ticket to get out of NY.

- I’m sorry, Y/N. - he reached his hand out, caressing her jaw which led her to notice a dark mark on his wrist she hadn’t noticed before.

- Is that a tattoo? - her eyes lit with curiosity. - I’ve never noticed that before. When did you got a tattoo?

- When I was 16. Me and my friends faked our parents signatures and got it done at a weird place downtown. My father was livid and I’m pretty sure he died still mad about it.

- Well, it does look very bad. - she bite her lip to hold in a laugh.

- Stop biting your lip, angel. - he said in a warning tone, hand lowering to one of the hickeys near her collarbone. - You are tempting me.

- You should learn to control yourself then.

- I don’t know if I wanna control myself around you.

- I think we suffer from the same thing, then ... Sir.

tag list: @lilya-petrichor @xoxohannahlee @irespostthingsiwanttoseelater @nikkipea @madisonpillstrom @cevans98 @thelostallycat @sideeffectsofyou @anxiousdreamersworld @sarge-barnes-sir @captainchrisstan

#sebastian stan #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan/reader #sebastian stan/you #sebastian stan x you #sebastian stan x y/N #sebastian stan/y/n #mob!sebastian stan #mob boss!sebastian stan #mobster!sebastian stan #mafia!sebastian stan

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king0fcrows · 3 years

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I am SHAKING right now because I’ve had WAAAAAY to much coffee and

I just saw a post about Generator Rex on my dash and here’s the thing:

I had completely forgotten it existed.

I LOVED that show. It was legit one of my first real fandoms? HOW did I entirely fucking forget about it? I literally cannot even remember anything about the show right now except that I was constantly lusting over Agent Six?

And when I went back to look at my fandom timeline on my old archived tumblrs, I also was reminded that I was into Ben 10. Not quite to the degree I was into Gen Rex but enough that I remember reading obsessive!darkfic of Kevin/Gwen back on DeviantArt BEFORE Ben 10 made him into a good guy in Ben Ten: Alien Force.

(Yes, I have apparently always liked creepy ships--even in early adolescence.)

Ben 10 started when I was pretty young, to the point I was watching with intrigue whenever I saw it on cartoon network but not YET able to keep track of a schedule well enough to not miss episodes.

But by the time Ben 10 Alien Force hit?

Oh FUCK yeah--my ability to actually follow fandoms developed!

So my fandom timeline looks like this:

Fanfic.net and DeviantArt accounts started in 2007. I was liking futzing around on these sites a few weeks/months before breaking down and making accounts. I distinctly remember Quizilla being somewhere in there as well. This was right as I ended middle school/started high school and really started getting into fandom as a regular hobby. Main fandoms were Harry Potter, Naruto, Bleach.

I discovered Livejournal a year or two later and sadly made an account in 2009 right as the site was exploding but I enjoyed the short time I spent there. I was introduced to the Star Trek reboot movies, GenRex, and Ben 10 Alien Force during this time. I futzed around in communities for those fandoms (and the aforementioned fandoms) for a year before I gleaned everyone was mid-exodus and followed to tumblr. I made my first tumblr blog in summer of 2010 but didn’t really start using it regularly until 2011.

I was immediately sucked into the SPN fandom! The pretty blue eyed angel standing in a shower of sparks won my heart and I’ve been in hell ever since. (Even when you leave the SPN fandom you never really leave.)

Simultaneously, Young Justice started and I enthusiastically jumped in--unearthing my early childhood love of Batman: TAS, Justice League/Unlimited, Batman Beyond, and Teen Titans in the process. I proceeded to rewatch all of those shows. When rewatching JLU I distinctly remember flashing back to the memory of me sobbing over both Solomon Grundy and the Flash nearly/outright dying in their respective JLU episodes when I was roughly eight years old. This is the first time I can remember contemplating death and experiencing empathy for a fictional character. I’m still wrecked if I watch those episodes! (Really DCAU as a whole is pretty heartwrenching and will wreck my ass.)

Also around that time I also was introduced to Ao3 and spent many months just casually reading fic there before I finally wised up and created an account in the summer of 2011.

Iron Man and Thor were my gateway to the greater MCU. I experienced peak tumblr from 2012-2015. Superwholock was everywhere and you can hate it as much as you want but it got me into Doctor Who and I am so, so fucking thankful for all of those fandoms. They were so sincere and enthusiastic and wanting to see the next episode/season and liveblog it along side everyone else were sometimes the only reason teenage me had for not wanting to kill herself.

I made it through the worst of it in my personal life. College happened. I stayed on tumblr even when the Purge happened in 2018. I mourn the loss of p0rn and had to fan myself when I rediscovered the old sideblog I made just for hardcore lemony fanart that I forgot existed until I started making this post.

I’m an adult in a much better place. I’m anxious sometimes about what will happen next in fandom and sometimes nostalgia for what came before makes me feel gloomy/overly pessimistic--but regardless of what comes next, in the end I believe it will be an adventure and full of exploration! I will adapt and I will thrive and I will squee along side everyone else as new and wonderous fandoms emerge!

#the fanscape #for me #superwholock #cw: suicide mention #peak tumblr years

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k7l4d4 · 3 years

Text

Midnight Striga: Fairy Tail/Owl House Cross Fic Episode 6 Part 2

Hello, and once again, welcome back to midnight Striga! Thanks for reading!

With a shout, Eda gripped the arm, slamming the attached body onto the ground. Looming over the hooded figure now gasping on the ground, Eda growled. “Now listen here you sneaky bastard, I don’t know who you are but you caaaaaaannnnnnn!?” She trailed off from her threat, shock rising as the hood fell back.

“Oh, hello, Edalyn!” The old woman cheered, flipping herself up and onto her feet. In a blink, she rushed in, pulling a frozen-stiff Eda into a bearhug. “I have so much news to tell you about!”

Luz blinked, eyes flicking between the two, before the features clicked. Eyes widening, she shot Eda a look. “So… this is your mom?” She asked, pointing at the woman.

Shaking herself back into the present, Eda groaned, lightly shoving the woman away. “Yes, unfortunately.” Giving a deep sigh, Eda turned to Luz, gesturing to the woman next to her. “Luz, meet my mother, Gwendolyn Clawthorne, and one of the single most recurring pains in my butt. Speaking of which,” She turned to Gwen, scowling, “What do you want, mom?”

Gwen gave a beaming grin, tilting her head in apparent thought. “Is it really such a shock that a mother would want to see her daughter?” She asked, neither aware of the way Luz tensed at her question. Both Gwen and Luz reeled back at the response she got, however.

“Yes.” Eda bit out, intense bitterness coating her voice. Standing firm, she put both hands on her hips, head tilted up in anger. “Everytime… EVERYTIME!! You’ve visited me since I’ve been living on my own, it’s been to try some cockamayme cure for my curse. And they. Never. Work!! So yeah, I’d say it’s reasonable to be a little skeptical.” She finished, panting slightly at the exertion of her outburst, lightly covering part of her wrist, and the feathers underneath.

Luz desperately held in the urge to shout at Eda for talking about the woman before her like that, but she could grudgingly admit to seeing where she was coming from. However, neither of them were fully prepared for Gwen’s reaction. Gwen gave a tired sigh, a sad smile forming across her features. “I do suppose I deserved that.” She chuckled, reaching up to Eda’s face, tracing a hand across her jaw, much to her daughter’s discomfort. “I promise, Edalyn, I just want to talk. That’s all. Please?”

Eda bit her lip, conflicted. On the one hand, she was sick and tired of being burned by her mother’s antics… and on the other hand, she was sick of her family being in pain, and was honestly wanting to have genuine quality time with her mother for once. Deciding to take the risk and just bite the bullet, Eda sighed, relenting. “Okay, fine! We can talk.” She said, throwing up her hands in exasperation. Turning a raised eyebrow to Luz, Eda asked, “You want in on this, kid?”

Seeing the two witches giving her matching looks of inquisitiveness, Luz blinked, before rapidly shaking her head. “Oh no!” Pointing to Eda, she continued, “You need this a lot more than I do at the moment, and, if that brief back and forth was any indicator, the two of you have enough issues to work through WITHOUT me being thrown in.” She stated, stepping back, arms raised. Shooting Eda a brave smirk, “Don’t worry, I’ll just make a day of it in town. I mean,” she shrugged, “I’ve kinda got to get used to people being suspicious of me in public all over again, why not start now?”

Coming to an agreement (“If you die, I’m selling all your stuff!” “Love ya too, Eda!), the group headed their separate ways, promising to catch up later. Gwen giddily dragged Eda along, who was personally torn between annoyance at the manhandling, and amusement at her mother’s amusement. “Yeesh, calm down, Gwen! You’re gonna rip my arm off!” Eda half-joked. Gwen’s yanks actually did have a real chance of removing her arms, but it’s not like that was a problem with her condition, really.

“Oh, I’m sorry dear, I’m just so excited!” Gwen squealed, a sheepish grin filling her face. “I just…” Her smile turned sad, “I just really wanted to see you.”

Eda gave her own sad laugh. “Don’t worry, I can understand the feeling.” Her mind flashed back to how she was after she and Raine split up, all the nights she wished they were back, wanting to see them. A thought came to her. “Hey, I just noticed… where’s Hawksley?” She asked.

Gwen gave her a mischievous wink. “Oh, he’s just looking after our other guest.”

Eda shot her a look of bafflement. “Other guest!? What are- oh no.” She groaned, as realization set in. Turning her gaze, she was in no way surprised to see Lilith, glumly slumped over a table before them, Hawksley perched on top of her head. What did shock Eda, however, was the bottle of Appleblood Lilith was chugging. Turning accusing eyes towards an unrepentant Gwen, Eda shouted. “SERIOUSLY!?”

Cheerfully whistling to herself, Luz strolled along, using the noise of her whistling to tune out the whispers and muttering all around her. It was honestly a neat trick, but she was well aware it wouldn’t work forever, especially if she ended somewhere more crowded. Scanning the area, Luz was disappointed, if unsurprised, by the sight of parents tucking their kids behind them as she moved past. It hurt. It was understandable, but it still hurt.

Sighing, Luz slipped into the shadows, rolling her eyes when the sounds of the main streetside picked up in volume at her ‘departure.’ Still, the sheer amount of gossip was entertaining, if only for the wild speculations and rantings of the more… colorful members of the local communities. Seriously, her? A shapeshifting giraffe seeking to supplant the Emperor through a false army of Abominations wrapped in Illusions? Pfft! She was gonna have to tell Eda that one, preferably when she was trying to drink something!

Laughing internally at the thought of an Owl Lady Spit Take, Luz tightened her movements against the wall. Her ears pricked at the sounds up ahead; it didn’t sound like the usual rampant paranoia. And if she focused enough, she was almost certain…

“Look, I know things are… really crazy right now.” Amity’s voice sounded out, confirming Luz’s suspicions. “But I honestly think this’ll be good for all of us. The Moonlight Conjuring is an important aspect of our culture, and is a funtime all around. If you all show up while it’s still daylight, nothing should go wrong.” Moonlight Conjuring? Hmm… something to talk with Eda about.

“B-But what if those Oroboros creeps attack again!? I can’t put my parents through that!” An unfamiliar voice questioned, concerned murmurs of agreement sounding in response.

Amity’s voice sighed. “I… I know it’s scary. The things I saw at the Covention, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget, not entirely.” Her voice took a melancholy note, before firming. “But in a way, that’s why we have to do this!” At the sounds of confusion, she continued. “That attack was supposed to make us afraid, to make us all panic. Something that it’s managed in spades all across the Isles. But for all that Oroboros is powerful, it’s an organization with a finite amount of resources. They can’t be everywhere at once, and no organization would commit precious resources to attack a party for school youths!” The nervousness died down, replaced with cautious contemplation. Luz gave a little smirk; Miss Blight apparently had a way with words, and some serious charisma if they were already changing their tune.

“I’ll go.” A familiar voice said. It took Luz a moment to place it; it was the voice of that girl who Boscha had burned! Her voice spoke up again. “If you can find someone to protect us, just in case, I’ll go.”

“W-Well, that’s fantastic!” Amity said, faux-excitedly. If Luz had to guess, her friend speaking up had caught her flat-footed, and she was trying to get things under control. “And I know just the person to do so! If you all show up before sundown, I promise, on the Blight name, you’ll all have an amazing time!” At that, all potential opposition crumbled, a chorus of agreements and cheers going up. As sounds of footsteps headed off, Luz peaked around the corner. She saw Amity, jerkily waving goodbye to her… friends? Acquaintances? Her face stretched into a plastic smile.

Suddenly, Amity rammed her head against the wall, knocking her forehead against the stone repeatedly, frustrated grumbles coming forth. “Stupid. Stupid. Stupid! Oh, I’ll find someone to guard us, everyone! Leave everything to Amity, everyone! I swear it on my family name!” She slapped her hand against her face. “Titan, what was I thinking!?”

“I don’t think you were.” Luz dryly noted, walking out from her pseudo-hiding place. Amity leapt back, startled. Luz noted how quickly she shifted into a ready position, one arm pulled back to cast, the other slightly pressed forward to defend herself, legs prepped to spring to either side and out of the way. She was honestly impressed, the girl had some athletic experience.

“Oh! It’s you!” Amity exclaimed, relaxing slightly, if not fully. “Luz, correct?” She said, more than asked, extending a hand for a shake. Smirking, Luz complied, giving the girl a firm grip, Amity’s eyes widening at the painless pressure. Schooling her features into a cordial smile, she grinned. “It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“Really?” Luz asked, blinking rapidly. She had honestly not been expecting that. She cocked her head. “I kind of expected you to be some level of scared of me.”

“Oh, don’t worry, what you represent terrifies me.” Amity said frankly, the sheer honesty in her voice drawing a surprised snort out of Luz. “However,” Amity continued, her eyes focusing on Luz. “I gained a look into your measure during the Covention. You are wild, independant, and freely and liberally resort to violence even faster than Witches and Demons do. But you’re also loyal, caring, compassionate, and understanding, with a strong sense of duty. While I find you puzzling, your traits are those that I find commendable.”

“HA! Glad to hear.” Luz smirked. Her face shifted into a serious frown, contemplative. “You know, I overheard your little problem. So,” She grinned cheekily, “You need to find a bodyguard, eh?”

“Ugh! Please don’t use that phrase!” Amity near-pleaded, hiding her face in her hands. “My family has been going nuts over my safety. I am honestly lucky that they let me go into town without an armed guard of Abominations!”

Luz snorted, blinking at the mental image of Abominations skulking around Bonesburough, scanning for threats and hovering over an annoyed Amity. “Wow, over-protective, much?”

Amity exhaustedly nodded. “Yeah. My parents… aren’t the best, but they do care about me. Even if they care about our image more.” She said, muttering the last part spitefully. Shaking her head, she refocused on the original topic. “But yes, I need someone who’s willing to stand guard for me and those I plan on inviting to my Conjuring.”

“What about me?”

Amity blinked. “I’m sorry?”

“What about having me be your guard?” Luz elaborated, shrugging. “I’ve got combat experience, free time, and you won’t have to pay me!”

“That’s-!” Amity started, before pausing. She brought her fingers to her chin, eyes narrowed in thought. “That could actually work.”

“Really?” Luz asked, cocking her head. “The offer was serious, but I wasn’t actually expecting you to agree.”

Amity gave a grave smile, nodding. “Indeed, I’m willing to agree to this. If you don’t have any requirements?” She asked, eyebrows raised.

Luz paused, thinking. “If you could invite Willow and Gus, I’d really appreciate it.” She finally said.

“Done.” Amity said decisively, typing up the messages on her scroll. “That honestly works out rather well; ever since their actions at the Covention, their popularity has sky-rocketed and my friends have been wondering about meeting with them so this is an excellent opportunity. If that’s all, I will see you at my home before sunset; you can ask Willow and Augustus for directions.” WIth that said, she turned on her heel, marching off. Luz shook her head at Amity’s antics, before turning to leave herself. Neither noticed the group of individuals perched on a nearby building, the apparent leader’s eyes tracking Luz’s every movement.

“Of course,” Eda muttered, staring in resignation at the sight of her sister, chugging away on the table in front of her. Shooting an accusing stare towards Gwen, Eda moodily stomped over, plopping herself down from across her sister, glaring at her.

“EeeeDalyn?” Lilith blearily asked, words slurring slightly. She hiccuped, bottle awkwardly cradled in her hand, the other bracing her against the table. “Since when are you purple?” She muttered.

“Purple?” Eda said incredulously. She turned to Gwen, concerned. “Is it me, or is she…?”

“Absolutely wasted? No, it isn’t you, she really is.” Gwen noted dryly, casually yanking the bottle of Appleblood out of Lilith’s hands, ignoring her weak protests. “I dragged her out of her barracks, kicking and screaming. I believe a few of the Coven Guards who tried to stop me may be in need of Healing. Now, we are going to take the time to stop, think, and figure things out. As a family.” She said firmly, arms crossed.

The bitter snort came from Lilith, of all people, much to Eda and Gwen’s shock. “A-A family.” She chuckled, swaying lightly. “Is that what we are?” She laughed again, slapping the table. “And here I thought we were a bunch of strangers, pretending we CaReD about each other!!”

Gwen and Eda shared unsettled looks. Gwen hesitantly spoke up. “Now, Little Flea, I know I’ve been… distant, but-”

“DO NOT CALL ME THAT!!” Lilith shrieked, eyes wild, before calming down. “I-I haven’t been ‘Little Flea,’” She muttered derisively, “Since you abandoned me!” She accused, fist pounding against the table.

“Abandon!?” Eda exclaimed, confused and alarmed at her estranged sister’s behavior. “Sis, I don’t know what’s been going on with you, but how has Gwen abandoned you?”

Eda reeled back at the bitter anger in Lilith’s face. “She never came to my induction into the Coven, did you know that?” She said, “She never showed up for any of my promotions, any of my awards, anything!! She just, up and left!” Lilith laughed, a bitter, hollow sound. “And here, I learned that she’s been visiting you for Years!! Trying to cure you!”

Gwen’s eyes grew misty. “I have made mistakes, and I apologize for that, Lilybug.” She said, reaching out towards Lilith, unconcerned when she slapped her hand away. “You were always so strong, so independent. I never meant to ignore you. I’m sorry if I hurt you because of it. But that’s why I dragged you both here!” She pleaded, glancing at the two of them. She wrung her hands in nervousness. “I just didn’t want to fail the two of you again. I know I can’t fix the pain between the two of you, and I don’t expect to. I just wanted to get you two together to hash out some ground rules, if that’s okay?” She explained, a hesitant note at the end

Eda and Lilith shared a glance, a moment of grudging understanding passing between them.

Eda turned to her mother first. “Okay, I guess we can do that. But if you’re serious about being in my life for real, I don’t want you coming around with crazy cures anymore.” Her voice took on a tender note. “If you’re gonna come over, I just want it to be so we can spend some time together, okay?”

“And I’d prefer you to visit me AT ALL!” Lilith shouted, some of the slurring fading from her voice. Eda was honestly surprised at how quickly she was recovering; a glance at her neck, and the Healing Glyph tagged onto it explained much; it was forcibly purging the Appleblood from her body, getting her back to normal. Eda winced; Lilith was going to feel like HELL when that thing wore off. “I want you to visit me, ask me about my day, take an interest in my Life!!” Tears pricked at Lilith’s eyes. “I want my mother back!” She pleaded.

Gwen turned a watery smile towards the two of them. “I think I can manage those requests.” She said, a pleased smile on her face. She grew serious. “Now then, If we are going to act like a family, as a whole that is, I am going to be doing my motherly duties, and establishing some rules for the two of you.” She stated, nodding even as her daughters groaned. She continued, ignoring their annoyance. “The rules are simple; Eda, you are to no-longer deliberately antagonize Lilith. If the two of you run into one another, you are to keep a civil attitude and in no way try to anger or upset her. Lilith, you are to cease your attitude in attempting to bring Edalyn in under the guise of being cured. If Edalyn is brought in, it is to be because she is a criminal and flouting the law, not out of an inane desire to cure her. Besides, I strongly doubt Belos would do so in the first place.” She finished, feeling a smug satisfaction at her daughters’ matching look of dumbfounded shock.

“B-But! He promised me!” Lilith said, whined really. “He gave me his word!!”

Eda groaned, even as Gwen raised an eyebrow. “Lilith, Belos’ regime is built on his Coven System, something Eda’s very existence stands in challenge to,” She said gently, “There are no circumstances in which he will EVER cure her. If you bring her in, he will have her thrown into the Conformatorium, and nothing more. He has all the leverage, and all the authority, and you have nothing that could compel him into curing her at your behest.”

Lilith shakily pulled herself to her feet, staggering off, a mumbled excuse echoing as she rapidly walked off, tears in her eyes. Gwen sighed. That had gone about as well as she’d been expecting.

Eda turned an impressed look towards Gwen. “Well dang, Mom! Didn’t know you were such a rebel!”

Gwen shot her daughter an unimpressed look. “I’m not.” She said primly.

Eda had a look of disbelief. “Really? Because you didn’t have a problem calling out Bonehead on his crap.” She said snarkily.

“That is because I am under no delusions as to his nature.” She said, “Belos’ rise to power and initial rule was tyrannical and cold, utterly without mercy. I, and many others, chose to join his burgeoning power because it was literally either him or complete chaos and anarchy. Not everyone can survive it as well as you, Edalyn.” She said archly, almost daring her to protest.

Eda opened her mouth to do just that, but paused, considering. Ultimately, she sighed, pushing herself away from the table. “Yeah, that’s true. I still hate him, and I always will, but I can get why people shacked up with him, even if I disagree with him on principle.” She grudgingly, painfully admitted. Giving her mother a level look. “This, as short, weird, and awkward as it’s been, was nice. I really hope you keep in touch for real, okay?” She said softly, before walking away.

Gwen just smiled, tears of relief and sadness filling her eyes. It wasn’t much… but it was a start.

#the owl house #fairy tail #owl house au #fairy tail au #owl house crossover #fairy tail crossover #luz noceda #eda clawthorne #lilith clawthorne #gwendolyn clawthorne #amity blight #magic

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coinofstone · 4 years

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3x12 The Coming of Arthur pt 1

The title is such low hanging fruit I feel bad cracking a joke about it.

It's a quest episode! I love a quest episode. Srsly feel free to send me any and all Merthur quest fics. I can't get enough 😂

This is the episode responsible for the lovely Leon fanon headcanon that he's immortal. Always handy in an Arthur Returns fic.

Uther: you must go on this mission alone

Arthur: *brings Merlin*

I do love Merlin being being a smart alec and nagging Arthur while packing. Excellent banter.

Arthur said

Arthur threatening a young boy like this is such an ugly and uncharacteristic action it makes me angry.

Merlin tending to Arthur while he's sick and injured 🥺

Also I'm sorry but Merlin shows fuckin Gilli his magic but he's hiding it from fuckin Gwaine while Arthur is suffering? Silly.

Cenred's massive army makes me wonder if it's a result of his tolerance of magic or lower standards than the knights of Camelot, or some combination of both.

Poor Leon, though. He's just got back from near death in that forest and Uther sends him right fuckin back in 😂

Looks like they snuck in to Camelot via the dragon's cave. I doubt that was the intention but I still approve 😂

Knowing he's on a suicide mission, Arthur gives Merlin an out, knowing he'll never take it, knowing he doesn't even want him to: he still presents him with the choice.

How come literally everyone else gets a crown that fits them but Arthur walks around looking like he's wearing hand-me-downs?

Morgana might be evil but she looks damn good on a throne.

3x13 The Coming of Arthur pt 2

There's a post going around Twitter about ppl who nitpick at TV shows... this comment falls into exactly that category 100% but I'm sorry, I cannot just ignore the fact that Morgana's got these massive banners and an entire army's worth of uniforms, I mean look:

Every guard with the sigil on his uniform and half a dozen banners in the council chambers alone. That's to say nothing of the ones outside. I mean look at the sheer fuckin size of these things:

Look how tiny the ppl are next to em! They've gotta be at least 15 feet long, at least. Where did they come from? Were they all magicked into existence? Who designed that sigil? What does it represent? Is it Gorlois' banner? I HAVE QUESTIONS.

Leon isn't someone I've ever been particularly attracted to, personally, but his defiant shout of "Long Live the King" in the face of Morgana's threats, is sexy as hell.

Depressed Arthur is such a mood.

So. Gwen. Originally in 3x12 when Morgana essentially invited Gwen into the fold (insofar as a Queen's servant can be), it seems to be a set up, because Morgana has been treating Gwen like shit for ages, why would she suddenly want her friend back? Especially since Morgana knows something is going on between Gwen and Arthur - there's no way she believes that they were actually under the spell of some random sorcerer, that just doesn't make any sense. So you kind of assume - or at least I did - that Morgana is keeping Gwen close knowing that she'll be useful as bait or a hostage, just essentially as a person of value to Arthur. She's known Gwen for too long to actually believe she'd cross Arthur, there's just no way someone as machiavellian as Morgana doesn't see Gwen's 'loyalty' as a simple survival tactic. All of this is to say, when Morgana and Morgause eavesdrop on Gwen's conversation with Sir Leon, Morgana is just like, 'welp, she's betrayed me. Guess I'll kill her in the morning.' as though she was actually expecting Gwen to do anything else?!?! Like, why? It would've made so much more sense to just cut that line entirely and go straight to something like

Morgana: it's as we suspected, she's betrayed me

Morgause: yes, now she can lead us straight to Arthur

And it would've made so much more sense than the weird sort of purgatory they've implied where Morgana changed her mind about Gwen very suddenly the night before she took the throne. It's not a super important detail in the overarching story but it's another example of how carelessly their story has been handled.

Me rn:

I do love that they made Freya the Lady of the Lake, and that she kept her promise by telling Merlin how to defeat the army of the dead.

How Merlin really sees Kilgharrah:

Gwen really is the smartest of all of them.

I do love that Merlin's first undead kill with excalibur is entirely an accident lol

The subtext between Morgana and Morgause is really gross. I haven't said anything before because I generally don't approve of ship shaming but the not so subtle subtext gives me the heebies.

This is such a great shot

Everything about it, his woman at his left and his man at his right, his romantic rival opposite him on his wife's side, as directly opposite her as possible at a round table with an uneven number of placements. It's a really beautiful shot, fitting for an equally beautiful scene. It's a very moving scene, the music really adds the exact emotion you'd expect for this moment we all recognize... and I feel like the knights' oaths are very well matched. The snarky part of me wanted to make a 'call me maybe' joke about Percival, but he's so sincere I just can't do it. The moment of levity added by Merlin's banter with Arthur is really, really well paced. Honestly I think it's probably the next perfect, iconic scene since Gwen and Arthur's first kiss. Hats off to this crew.

(Don't worry dear reader, I'm sure I'll get back to complaining shortly)

Santiago is so dreamy. I'd share his bedroll any day.

I like that despite all the talk of equality and doing the thing Uther wouldn't approve of, Gwen still worries about the company seeing her and Arthur kiss. Like, he's planning an insurrection with a bunch of commoners and two dudes who've been officially banished from Camelot, but she's internalized the classism and the rules of royalty so deeply that even amongst friends she instinctively keeps their relationship hidden. I'm not sure how intentional that was but it's brilliant.

The fight big fight scene with Merlin just barely missing the cup while the knights are cornered, and Gaius showing up like the brilliant deus ex machina that he is, honestly makes the previous budget-slashed episodes more bearable. Because this really is great, even knowing it's great at the expense of those others.

Morgana's screeching is eerily similar to Aithusa's.

I wonder if they knew they were getting renewed for a fourth season when they wrote this. Because you know, it really could've worked as a series finale as well. An open-ended series finale, but a series finale all the same.

As a Queens kid, I cannot explain to you the joy it gives me to watch Arthur and Merlin just chillin on the steps to the castle as tho it were a stoop, which I suppose, in a sense... it kind of is. Ahhh youthful days.

Commentary is Jeremy Webb and Julian Murphy.

And this kids, is why we're watching with commentary! They've just explained that Morgana's sigil is supposed to symbolize the Rowan tree that's supposed to be at the heart of the Isle of the Blessed. That suggests she designed it herself, so there's at least one of my earlier questions answered.

They talk a lot about how Emila Fox was very pregnant when they were filming her in this season, and they shot entirely around it - and I can't help but feel anger toward Joss Whedon and his 'handling' of Charisma Carpenter's pregnancy during S4 of Angel.

One of them called the round table scene 'curiously moving' and I think that is really fitting. They'd had this in mind for about two years, which is probably why it's so extraordinary. That's a great gestation period for a scene as iconic as this.

One final tidbit: the sword in the stone was filmed in France, and made it back to Wales intact. I guess nobody wanted to take it out. That's kind of an interesting thought, like a little set superstition or something. It's kind of cute.

The DVD extras/special features will get a separate post if I feel I have comments worth sharing.

#bbc merlin #bbc merlin spoilers #merlin #merlin spoilers #merthur #3x12 #bbc merlin 3x12 #merlin 3x12 #3x13 #bbc merlin 3x13 #merlin 3x13 #the coming of Arthur #the coming of Arthur part one #the coming of Arthur part two #the coming of Arthur pt 1 #the coming of Arthur pt 2 #i cannot believe that's the actual title of this episode #onceandfuturerewatch

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torchwoodtrash · 4 years

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Some facts about End Of Days (series one episode thirteen) OOO FINALE TIMEEEE

This episode is chock a block with Doctor Who references so without further ado lets go

The spaceships hovering over the Tahj Mahal in the TV report look the same as the Jathaa Sun Glider seen inside the Torchwood Tower in the Doctor Who story ‘Army of Ghosts’/’Doomsday’

Jack again refers to UNIT

Jack’s speculation that Weevils are ‘time sensitive’ may be an allusion to Time Hunters a Doctor Who spin off range where one of the main characters, Honore Lechassuer, is time sensitive.

Abbadon was first mentioned by the Ood in the Doctor Who story ‘The Impossible Planet’/’The Satan Pit’ as a name used by some cultures for that story’s monster, the Beast.

As in Everything Changes Jack mentions his desire to see the right kind of Doctor

The Doctors severed hand is seen again and reacts to the approach of the Tardis at the end of the episode, with the fluid in the jar bubbling

That Tardis sound is heard just before Jack disappears, crossing over into the Doctor Who story Utopia

The stun gun Gwen uses on Rhys may possibly be of Alien Origin

When Billis ‘time jumps’ away from the Hub after killing Rhys, he appears to use a small device held in his left hand. Previously though when he vanished in the shop his hands were both empty

The Hub has nine levels of cells (corresponding to the 105-step staircase mentioned in a wall- notice seen several times during the series), and apparently an unspecified number of other, unused levels below these.

Owen believes that within 24 hours of his (later reversed) dismissal from Torchwood, Jack will somehow slip him a retcon amnesia drug that will wipe all of his memories of the organization. This would seem to refer to a variant or a larger dose that could wipe more than just recent memories.

Owen appears to recognize Rhys when he first sees his blood-soaked body lying in the hub mortuary. If so, this would mean that he has met or at least seen Rhys before, either in an incident not shown on screen or maybe in photographs

The story was originally titled Apocalypse

When the TARDIS is heard materializing, a wind picks up in the Hub, even though a layer of concrete separates the Hub from the TARDIS.

On the morgue table, Jack's pulse is visible, even though Owen claims he has no vital signs.

After Ianto sees Lisa and she disappears, she can still be seen partially in the frame to the far right when his eyes open again and the camera cuts to where she was standing

When Abaddon is rampaging through Cardiff, in the shot in which his shadow kills several fleeing shoppers, some of the shoppers fall down before Abaddon's shadow even touches them.

After Jack kills Abaddon by feeding the latter his unlimited life force and temporarily dies, in the shot of Jack's body from above, both his arms are spread out. But in the next shots in which Gwen runs up to Jack's corpse, Jack's left arm is at his side.

#torchwood #torchwood bbc #torchwood facts #torchwood series one #end of days #gwen cooper #ianto jones #jack harkness #toshiko sato #tosh sato #lisa hallett #owen harper #eve myles #burn gorman #naoko mori #john barrowman #gareth david lloyd

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jasonblaze72 · 2 years

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The Voice Season 22 Episode 18 Release Date: Race To The Top 10

The release date for The Voice Season 22 Episode 18 has been announced, and the fans of this singing reality television show are on their toes to know more. Before we get into The Voice season 22 episode 18's release date and streaming information, here's what happened in the most recent episode. We saw veteran musician Omar Jose Cardona open the show with Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer." With his upbeat performance, he established the mood for the evening, and Camila was astounded by how well he interacted with the audience. John, meanwhile, praised Omar's range, intensity, and soul while describing his voice as "out of this world." John continued, "I'm just fortunate to be your coach." Kim Cruse performed Aretha Franklin's "I Never Loved a Man" next for Team Legend. Her passionate rendition had John and even Blake on their toes as she displayed her tremendous voice. Blake claimed that, in a positive sense, her aggressive technique felt like an assault on him. John continued by saying that Kim had chosen "clever" songs. Sasha Hurtado left Team Gwen to join Team Camila, and John stole her. Also read: How To Watch The Crown Season 5 Episodes Online? Streaming Guide What Happened In The Voice Season 22's Recent Episode? The newest member of Team Legend performed "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John, finishing with an incredible run. Gwen acknowledged that she was pleased with her old colleague Sasha and was envious of her. John claimed to have observed Sasha's assurance. The youngest member of Team Legend and record-breaking The Voice performer Parijita Bastola then gave a rendition of Lady's "I'll Never Love Again." The slow ballad demonstrated the control and passion of the 17-year-old. Camila could only yell in praise of her "wonderful" performance. John claimed that everyone was enchanted by her performance at the same time. Harry Styles' "As It Was" was sung by Gwen's Kique, an 18-year-old vocalist, but he slowed down the song to give it an entirely different sound. While Gwen praised Kique's talent and star power, John said Kique exuded confidence and added his spin to the song. The next contestant was Kevin Hawkins, whom Gwen had taken from her husband's squad during the knockout rounds. He sang the Silk Symphony song "Skate," a '70s feel. Blake referred to Kevin as "the one that got away" and expressed his enjoyment of his comedic side. Then, Kevin "blossomed" on stage, according to Gwen. Alyssa Witrado then attempted a coach's song once more after having success with "Don't Speak" in the blinds. Camila felt she could have shown more passion during her performance of Miley Cyrus' "Angels Like You" from her time as a coach. On the other hand, Gwen acknowledged the song's complexity and praised Alyssa for her impeccable pitch. Former Team Blake member Kate Kalvach intended to "rock it" with Shania Twain's "You're Still the One." Despite some technical issues with her internal earpiece, Kate kept her attention on the task. The coaches praised her professionalism and said they couldn't tell she was having any difficulties. Kate's voice, according to Camila, is "beautiful and angelic." The "17-year-old powerhouse" for Team Blake is Rowan Grace, who was taken from Team Gwen. She demonstrated her wide range with "Hopelessly Devoted to You" from Grease. Blake and Gwen both praised Rowan for her "strong" performance with her new squad, while Blake stated Rowan "threw herself to the front-running." The next performer was Brayden Lape, who used Jordan Davis' "Buy Dirt." Due to his "effortless" talent, Camila claimed it was her favorite concert by Brayden. Blake said that the adolescent sounded "amazing" and forecasted that one day, with or without The Voice, he would be on the radio. Bodie, an alternative pop singer, served as Team Blake's "one-in-a-million artist" for The Voice season 22, episode 16. He performed the slow ballad "Glimpse of Us" by Joji, displaying his emotional side. Gwen broke down in tears after hearing Bodie's performance since she didn't anticipate hearing anything similar from him. Blake, meanwhile, claimed Bodie astounded everyone. When Is The Voice Season 22 Episode 18 Release Date? The Voice Season 22 Episode 18 Release Date is Monday, November 21, 2022. The Voice S22 Episode 18 will air on NBC at 8 pm in the US; international fans can stream The Voice Season 22 Episode 18 at 1 am BST (November 22), 6:30 am IST (November 22), and noon AEDT (November 22). Where To Watch The Voice Season 22 Episode 18 Online? The Voice Season 22 Episode 18 will stream on Fubo TV and Peacock premium at the time listed above. Fans have to cross-check the times listed above to watch The Voice Season 22 Episode 18 when it comes out in their nations. Also read: The Oval Season 4 Episode 4: Release Date, Preview & Where To Watch Read the full article

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dollophead-merlin · 5 years

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As Gentle As a snowflake

As the years following Arthur's death passed, Merlin found himself returning to Camelot less and less, really only going for weddings and funerals. The most recent death had been Gwen. Leon and Gwen had wed fifty years prior, when Arthur died to hopefully bare an heir to the throne which, thankfully, they did. All of the knights of the round table were long gone save for Leon.

When Merlin walked through the large wooden doors to the throne room where the service had been held, he looked around to look for any familiar faces to which he failed to find. However, in front of Gwen's casket, he saw a man with dark, curly hair and the same crown that Arthur wore, along with what seemed to him to be a familiar head of shoulder length hair.

He walked up to his old friend's casket.

"I will miss you dearly, old friend." Merlin muttered as he looked over the jewel studded casket.

Leon looked up to see the face of an old friend.

"Merlin?" Leon was astounded. He looked as if he hadn't aged a bit since that horrendous day. Then again, neither did he.

"Sir Leon." Merlin smiled. Like himself, he had looked as if he hadn't aged a day. The other man finally looked up.

"Father?" He asked, puzzled.

"I'll be right back, Tom, I need to speak with an old friend for a minute." The young man bowed his head again, mourning the loss of his mother.

The two of them moved off to the side of the room to speak a little bit more privately.

"Merlin? How are you? You look as if you haven't aged a day." Merlin flashed a ghost of his signature grin, desperately trying to be cheerful but miserably failing.

"I could say the same for you, old friend." The two of them talked for quite some time, with Leon telling him about a sorceress who cursed his family so their firstborn (who just so happens to be Leon) lives to be immortal and about his son Tom and the great king he's become and Merlin telling Leon himself about his magic (of course, Gwen had told him about it and over time, he had come to accept it and even lift the ban as his last act as King of Camelot) and his immortality (because apparently Emrys means immortal in some language? Merlin doesn't know either) as well.

They talked for hours but alas, Merlin couldn't stay in Camelot long. Before he left, however, Leon made him promise to keep in touch throughout the years.

And so they did. At first they'd meet up in a tavern or take a picnic deep in the woods every few centuries, which after a few centuries turned into every century which in turn turned into every fifty years. Before they knew it, they were seeing each other almost every day and found themselves catching feelings and soon falling absolutely head over heels in love with one another.

Merlin always found himself dreading Christmas time. Whilst he loved Christmas itself, an empty, black void filled his entire being, despite Leon constantly supporting and cheering him up. The two men could both agree he had adopted healthy ways of dealing with his past, despite it being thousands of years ago. However, Merlin still broke down and had depressive episodes from time to time. Leon was there through it all.

The two of them cuddled comfortably on the couch, a multitude of blankets piled up on them as they watched Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

"Merls, I need to go make more popcorn." Leon said while poking Merlin's butt playfully.

"Mmmnh, you're so warm." Merlin said as he got up, pulling a blanket up with him and wrapping it around him.

Leon popped some popcorn in the microwave before sitting on a bar chair.

"Come here love." He said as he held his arms out. Merlin sat himself facing Leon and snuggled into his neck. "You've been awfully cuddly lately, you doing alright, snowflake?"

Merlin shrugged lazily and wrapped his arms around Leon's waist as he felt his chin twitch and tremble.

"Look at me sweetheart," Merlin looked up with tear-glossed eyes, "Awww, honey, please, tell me about it."

"What's the point? It's always the same thing." He sobbed, leaning back into Leon's shoulder who, in turn, wrapped his arms around his love.

"I know, I know. Just get it out my love. Do you want to go back to the couch?" Merlin nodded into his shoulder and readjusted so he was straddling his waist. From there, he easily picked Merlin up and slowly took him to the couch.

Leon sat the two of them down and covered them up with the blankets before rubbing Merlin's back and peppering his neck and shoulders with light, gentle kisses as he sobbed.

"It hurts Leon, it hurts so much and I can't stop it." Merlin whimpered weakly.

"I know, baby. One day it won't hurt as much. I promise. You will always have me."

"I love you Leon." Merlin muttered sleepily.

"I love you too, my beautiful prince. Get some sleep. I'll be right here when you wake up." Merlin muttered a small "mhm" before settling nuzzling back into the crook of Leon's neck.

For the next few hours, Leon dare not move for fear of waking his beloved. He flipped through various Christmas movies to pass the time.

This is going to be Merlin's best Christmas yet. Leon thought after carding through a mental list of the presents he had gotten Merlin. He began peppering kisses all over Merlin's exposed shoulder and toying at the hair at the base of his neck when he pressed himself further into Leon's chest and heavily and contentiously sighed in his sleep.

Then, it started to snow. Leon knew how much Merlin loved snow. In fact, he loved it so much that he'd be absolutely devastated that he'd missed the chance to go outside and enjoy it with Leon.

"Merls. Merlin!" He whispered as to not startle him awake. Merlin awoke with a yawn, stretching soon thereafter. He looked up sleepily to see Leon smiling down at him, causing him to blush and look back down. "Look Merlin, it's snowing!" His eyes brightened and a smile appeared on his face at the mention of snow. "Let's get dressed and make some hot chocolate so we can go out."

After a long afternoon of playing in the snow, making snow cream, and making loads of cookies and sweets for the neighborhood kids, they decided to put out their presents. For the next morning and go to bed.

The next morning, Leon woke up as excited as, well, a kid on Christmas.

"Merlin! Merlin!" He whispered, barely able to contain his excitement. Merlin woke up rather quickly and chuckled at his boyfriend's antics as he pulled him down the stairs and into the living room.

They opened presents rather quickly and soon enough, all of the presents were unwrapped.

"Leon... This is.. How did you... What?" Merlin said while looking at his presents that ranged from necklaces and bracelets made with various leathers, chords, and decorated with little metal dragon and dagger charms, which Leon knew Merlin would adore, to soft, new blankets, to somehow even a few of his old tunics, his red neckerchief, his jacket, and even a few of his old spell books and some of Gaius' trinkets. He was on the verge of tears. "Thank you, so much Leon. I love it all."

"One moment, I have one more thing I want to give you." He hopped up and raced out of the room as if Christmas hadn't even started yet, nearly slipping as her rounded the corner.

When he came back into the room, Leon was carrying the biggest gift box Merlin had ever seen. He set it on the floor gently, letting Merlin creep up to it. He unwrapped and opened the box to find... Another wrapped box

"Seriously?" He chuckled as he arched his eyebrow at Leon.

"Keep going."

So he did just that. The next obstacle he ran into was having to search for the next box in a box full of confetti. When he found the box, it was completely covered in zip ties which was followed by tape. When he finally got that off, he took what seemed to be the final box out of that box, as it was plainly wrapped.

"Here let me get that for you." Leon said while reaching for the box.

"Wow, couldn't have said that when I found the box covered in zip ties?" Merlin chuckled to which Leon just shrugged.

"Now, before I open this, you have to close you eyes. And absolutely no peeking actually, better yet..." Leon said, grabbing a dishcloth and tying it around Merlin's head and turned him around. "Can you see?"

"No."

Leon unwrapped the box and got ready to reveal his final gift.

"... Turn around."

Merlin turned around, not knowing Leon meant 'take off the blindfold' as well, making Leon snicker.

"Take the blindfold off as well." He said with a grin.

"Oh." Merlin said, taking the blindfold off and opening his eyes. He blinked a bit before looking down at Leon. The sight before him brought tears to his eyes. "Leon..."

Leon was knelt down with a black velvet box propped open to reveal a beautiful diamond ring; a thick black band with a beautiful white diamond embedded into the band.

"Merlin Hunithson, when we met all those centuries ago, all I knew you as was a very loyal, happy manservant who wasn't afraid of speaking his mind to the king. However, as I got to know you, I realized you are so much more than that. You are incredibly kind, loving, caring. You do what you know is right. You enjoy the little things like a simple butterfly dancing through the spring air or watching leaves fall during the autumn afternoons, or even watching snow fall and the utter devastation you feel when you realize you missed it. I realized you are perfect in my eyes and I fell in love with you. At first, the older side of me tried to push those feelings away. As we lived on, I realized that those times are over and I should enjoy what I have in front of me, and it's the reason I am here with you, right now, on one knee. Merlin Emrys Hunithson, will you marry me?"

"Yes." Merlin whispered, letting tears stream down his face while he nodded his head vigorously and knelt down in front of Leon.

After quite a while, Leon wrapped Merlin up in a blanket, picked him up, and sat down on the couch, holding his now fiancee close.

"I love you so much Leon."

"I love you more than you can possibly know, my gentle little snowflake."

Wow talk about a sickeningly fluffy story am I right? Anyway, hope you enjoyed!

#merlin #leon x merlin #bbc merlin au #bbc merlin fluff #Leon's immortal au #post canon era Merlin #bbc leon

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