#basically how I think canon future tom would look

[intuitive-revelations]

Some notes on Tales of the TARDIS: The Pyramids of Mars (some finale trailer spoilers included)

We don't get as much interesting stuff in the framing device here, for obvious reasons, but there's still some stuff to talk about.

Surprised they still used the stock backgroud / TARDIS cgi for this Tales of the TARDIS episode. I would have thought they would have something new/more specific to the next episode.

I'm very interested in the decision to have Fifteen and Ruby here. Out of universe I get it, what with Elisabeth Sladen being gone, and who knows if Tom would have able/willing to do something with a different actor (and who would you bring in even if he were? Luke?). But the in-universe placement is interesting. I would have assumed it was just a framing device, but we know we're going to see the Memory TARDIS in the finale. I'm guessing there will be a scene with them in the Memory TARDIS where Fifteen briefly explains what Sutekh is, and the Tales of the TARDIS bookends will basically be a deleted scene that fits into that?

There's actually some evidence for this. As we zoom in, the TARDIS doors seem to be open, which might fit with those trailer scenes of the Doctor looking out at Earth, plus the one of him screaming. However, Mel was there in the trailer, so I'm guessing we're going to be in and out of the Memory TARDIS quite a bit next episode.

I noticed those subtle camera glances from Ncuti as he's talking about Four and Sarah Jane :)

People have already commented on it, but I like the anti-colonialist reframing of the story.

As for the omnibus story itself, the editing was generally good. I don't know the original serial enough to spot everything they did, but I did kinda miss the Victoria reference at the beginning.

Interesting decision to replace the Time Corridor effects with the modern Time Vortex. Kinda makes sense in some ways, plus probably helps explain how Sutekh ends up in the Void without needing other stories. Super missed opportunity not using the graphics from the Season promo photos though, which people pointed out as being very reminiscent of the time tunnel.

As someone always eager, usually in vain, for 'canon' to fit together, I'm super intrigued by the mention of Sutekh having "evolved into a Titan" since Pyramids. (Interestingly, the iPlayer titles capitalised this. I found it a bit interesting, since in the context of gods, it immediately bring to mind Greek mythology, but that would be an odd choice to combine with the Egyptian/Christian inspired Sutekh.)

(Actually small critique of the iPlayer subtitling. I don't really need accessibility features, but had them on as I didn't want to miss anything. The new Doctor Who content has made some big bounds with accessibility, with the BSL and audio description options, but I was a bit disappointed with some of the subtitling line changes from the actual spoken words, even if I get why some lines might have been changed for clarity from Four's meandering language. It had quite a big effect on the dialogue though, in some places. I can see what people on here mean when they advocate for accurate subtitling.)

Anyway, back to the evolution thing. I hope this might be explained or eluded to next episode, given the decision to re-air an episode with such a distinctly different Sutekh.

Between the time tunnel leading to the far future, plus the fact he originates from the Dark Times, maybe the idea of him being the 'oldest one' isn't as crazy as I thought? After all, beings like the Toymaker, if they are the 'Time Lords' of the previous universe, are presumably only around 14 billion years old in the present day, if their original species had lifespans similar to the current Time Lords.

That being said, Four says he 'lived for 7000 years'. No idea if that's about his lifetime up until this point, or how long the Doctor thinks Sutekh survived in the Time Tunnel. If the prior, it's possible it doesn't include his time imprisoned. If the latter, maybe that's how long he was stuck in the tunnel before he escaped to the Void, with his disappearance causing the Doctor to assume he died?

Meanwhile, maybe the "Mother/Father/Other" thing is more about taking that kind of role in providing understanding of N-Space to the Great Old Ones, like in the Titan Comics storyline, than an actual parental connection? I don't know, that one's going to both me if we don't get more information tonight...

The only other possibility, which admittedly I kind of like, is that Sutekh is somehow an incarnation of The Beast (in the same way the Doctor might be the Other/Red Guardian), who really is old enough to be such a thing. If so, maybe he's awakened to that power/knowledge since last we saw him?

[toxicanonymity]

Are you still working through requests of are you pretty much caught up on them?

Far, far from caught up. I'm fortunate and very grateful to have such a large, highly-engaged community here. I don't think there's ever going to be a "caught up" state for this blog since each answer begets more asks, which is amazing.  The link below from my header addresses why I don't plan on closing my ask box to catch up.  I appreciate y'all understanding and rolling with how I do things kinda differently.

About requests

Basically I float around in a growing pool of our combined ideas and kinda do what flows. I think that provides the most bang for our buck in terms of effort/time to quality/output. This can look a lot of different ways, examples: 

Lazaretto - The sex pollen ask was from late March and I liked the concept but started to think the moment might never strike until I got inspired by jack white's song a few wks ago. 

Tommy's hard day (MFM) - I had tommy x reader x Joel asks since early April and finally did one last wk based on continued popular demand. 

Aches - I think this ask was just submitted a day or two before I wrote it, same with the original free use and the ask that led to stepdad!Joel. I was in a good headspace for those despite having older ones in my box.

Movie night - I think I wrote movie night like same day bc it went so well with my thots at the time.

grisly details below

When I say far from it, I mean triple digits, bearing in mind some are similar and many are joelkemon-specific (50+ between night walks and raider?). Sometimes those don't fit the current storyline/direction or not yet. For example, stepdad sleeping with your mom (see post mortem below lol), pregnancy scare with stepdad, or night walks being a peeping tom again. But I hang onto those for future consideration (the Tim Rockford murder board is real).

Since there are so many in this bucket I tried answering a couple of them as "hypotheticals" and ended up with like 10-15 asks over the next couple of days reading those as canon lol (affectionate - LOVE the enthusiasm, curiosity, and ideas). This would be easy to roll with if it was a small detail instead of whether they're even on speaking terms, or if I hadn't already started the next parts of the story and could just "skip ahead," but I did that to myself. Anyway funny thing is I would have gotten there (/will get there) just not yet at the time so it kind of reinforces my mindset of not wanting to sacrifice quality/flow to catch up.

I'm really grateful to everyone who shares ideas and asks, y'all really make this blog (I think y'all know that though).

That being said, I am due for an inbox clean-up and may need to pass on certain general ones (not Joelkemon specific). Idk if it would be a faux pas but I could possibly see if other writers want to do certain ones i can't (ex: stuff I'm not familiar with like A/B/O).

[another-bad-driver]

As promised… Matsby!!

So a couple months ago, I was telling my mom about how I had just finished The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo because I really liked it. The conversation turned to “How would you expand on The Great Gatsby?”, and I had no real answer. My mom, however, came up with a concept almost on the spot:

How did Dan Cody become Dan Cody?

I asked her to elaborate because, of course, I was interested in what she meant. She said she thought it would be great if there was a prequel to Gatsby where we got to find out how Dan Cody gained all of his money. She kind of just wanted the life and times of Dan Cody. So we mused about that for a little while. And then it sort of… faded into oblivion for a month?

But last night, she told me that she’d been thinking about her “Dan Cody prequel” again, so often that she kept thinking it was canon. So, of course, I made her tell me everything she had in her head about it. And we built in a little extra lore together.

So, without further ado… welcome to the Gatsby novel my mom will never write!! (And… it’s not a Dan Cody prequel at all.)

So Dan Cody basically sets off a chain reaction when he takes in Jay. By this I mean Jay, after establishing himself and getting all the money he needs, becomes the mentor to another kid trying to make it.

And that’s literally all I know about Dan Cody because honestly my mom was really focused on the OC she created instead of Dan Cody

The OC is this kid who my mom calls “Matsby” and it’s pretty much short for “Mentored-by-Gatsby” cause she doesn’t actually have a name for him.

Anyway so Jay meets Matsby in England (literally I don't know why in England but that’s what my mom said) and pretty much just adopts him cause he’s like

“Whoa… Dan Cody mentored me… I can ALSO mentor a kid! I’m so glad Dan Cody taught me how to fit in with rich people so I can teach other people how…”

So Gatsby teaches Matsby how to act, how to “old sport”... you know. Basically from the ages of 14-19 Matsby is learning Life Skills from Jay and Wolfsheim.

Anyway so while the book is taking place, Matsby is like… somewhere else? Failing to fit in with other rich people? Concocting his own empire of bootlegging?

The point is he’s not in the picture because he’s on a trial business deal for the summer. Like an internship or something. I don’t know.

But Nick doesn’t even know about Matsby! So he can’t call him or anything for the funeral. So Matsby doesn’t even know about Gatsby’s death until Wolfsheim does, but Matsby doesn’t really know all of the details.

So Matsby mopes for a little while and then ends out that section of the story with something that implies there’s a promising future for him, even though Gatsby is gone…

ON TO THE NEXT SECTION!!

It’s been like 15 years. Matsby is VERY successful. He’s making money even though it’s the Great Depression. Everything is going great for him.

However, our least favorite couple (the Buchanans) is NOT doing so well… they lost a whole lot of their money to the market crash. Tom is given a tip to ask Matsby for help.

And you’d think this would be a point of contention, yeah? Matsby would refuse Tom? But Jay coincidentally just… didn’t really tell Matsby about why he was throwing all the parties. So Matsby doesn’t really have anything against Tom. He allows him into his ambiguous business. (Ambiguous because my mom didn’t actually name a line of business for Matsby…)

So Tom starts making money again, and he and Matsby are kind of pals. As much as you can be when you know one of you has the high ground.

Anyway one day Tom invites Matsby to come over for dinner to properly meet his wife and daughter. And so, at dinner, they start making conversation, and the night is going really well…Until Matsby off-handedly ends a sentence with “old sport”

Tom and Daisy just sort of look at each other funny for a moment and keep the conversation going in a marginally more awkward tone.

But a little later when Matsby does it a second time, Tom finally asks where he picked that up. Matsby tells him he used to know someone who said it often. Tom asks when Matsby knew this someone. Matsby tells him 15 years ago, before he died. Shot in his own pool.

Daisy and Tom really know they’re fucked then. But what can they do? Matsby’s their ticket to the luxurious life they want to stay in. Daisy makes a meaningless comment in an effort to distract from the silence, but the rest of the night is too careful, too tense.

And Pammy is just watching this all. She’s heard the whispers her parents think are too quiet for her to hear. She can piece together parts of the puzzle, but she doesn’t know all of what fits into where. Not yet.

Uhhh so eventually Matsby finds out that the Buchanans played a part in Gatsby’s death

He recruits Pammy and they’re basically pen pals (because she suspects her parents, too) while Matsby goes on a search for the truth about Gatsby

Because Pammy told Matsby about her mother’s cousin who used to be Gatsby’s neighbor (Nick)

So Matsby goes to track down Nick, but Nick refuses because he doesn’t want to revisit that summer and also because he doesn’t want to be indirectly responsible for the revenge Matsby is attempting to exact on the Buchanans

And that’s pretty much where my mom ended out. But I have my own ideas in this vein so like… stay tuned for part 2??

[wooglebear]

This is how season 4, or TETOCUIS, would play out in this universe.

[WARNING]

[THIS POST INCLUDES HEAVY SPOILERS FOR MY TETOCU FANFICTION, I'M NOT YOU. SO IF YOU'VE NEVER READ THE FIC, YOU MIGHT WANT TO BINGE-READ THE WHOLE THING TO GET UP TO DATE. IF YOU HAVE NO PLANS TO DO SO AND DO NOT WISH TO BE SPOILED, CLICK AWAY NOW!]

[SPOILERS START HERE]

Episode 1: Captain Underpants and the Senseless Torment of the Space Toilet

This episode is mostly the same, just with Melvinborg there.

there's a cute little scene where Melvinborg debates whether he's wearing one of those blue spacesuit things, but decides to be the only one not wearing a spacesuit, so it would make more sense for him to be a cyborg.

When Moxie shows up, Melvinborg just fanboys over her, since he's a Moxie fanboy in this universe.

When they go to space, Melvinborg tells his future self they're all in this together.

Since Melvinborg and Ree's interactions have been rare, Mr. Ree attempts to talk to him. But when he mentions his brother, Melvinborg just gets flashes to getting hit with Camoflush's paintballs, which confuses Melvin and he asks why his future self is freaking out. George explains that Melvinborg was brainwashed by Camoflush last season.

When the Space Toilet attacks, Melvinborg just goes into a catatonic state in part because he's still dealing with Camoflush PTSD, and in part because he has PTSD from the whole Doom Dome thing two seasons ago.

Eventually, he is slapped out of his catatonia. But since Captain Underpants has standards, and I don't think the boys would have been angry enough to slap him, Melvin does it.

After the fight, Melvinborg goes to the school psychologist, Miss Labler, and talks to her. She diagnoses him with PTSD, and she basically makes her debut this way. I imagine she’d be voiced by Miss Yewh's voice actor, Maggie Wheeler.

Episode 2: Captain Underpants and the Abandoned Artifact of the Absentee Aliens

After Melvinborg has a nightmare about Camoflush, he asks Mr. Ree about his PTSD, but Mr. Ree drags him into a talk about how Magic the Gathering is getting a Cartoon on Netflix, and how he hopes they get Tom Wilson to voice Lord Konda. Melvinborg has another flash to Camoflush.

The Dr. Fitzgibbons scene would play out the same, as well as the comic making scene, but when Moxie reads their comic and says they shouldn't trust him, George then says this is like the Dr. Vil Endenemys situation from season 1.

Then the rest of the episode plays out the same, just with Melvinborg there. When his past self gets kidnapped, Melvinborg is genuinely horrified for him.

Episode 3: Captain Underpants and the Hazardous Hysteria of the Hangry Hypnosinger

So, everyone gets placed in cyrosleep for three months. Yup, that includes Melvinborg.

When Krupp unfreezes George and Harold, he also unfreezes Melvinborg and puts a shock collar on him like last season.

Minutes of repeated shocks later, Krupp tells Melvinborg that he should have thought of this shock collar thing two seasons ago.

This might seem questionable, George and Harold quickly try to bring the old Melvinborg back. They comment on things like how his hair looks burnt from the repeated shocks, and that his skin looks damaged, which makes Melvinborg mad at Krupp for ruining his looks. But it's all in vain, because Hangry Hypnosinger shows up.

Melvinborg gets kidnapped by her, and she tells him the same thing Ragley said to Underpants in season 3, but changed - "I'll make you the dessert to Underpants, the main course, and them, the side dishes."

After the battle, Melvinborg would have a newfound anger for Dressy.

Episode 4: Captain Underpants and the Disturbing Dilemma of the Dysfunctional Doppelgängers

Another episode that's more or less like canon.

When they crash land on the planet, Melvinborg cries about his phone. When they discover the alternate Piqua, he would be confused.

Melvinborg meets Livmen-Borg, his blue-skinned counterpart. Livmen-Borg doesn't have the hat and acts more in-line with Melvinborg's season 2 portrayal, only with a side of slightly more murderous.

Melvinborg would be as traumatized as George and Harold to learn that the kids are toxic towards adults. He is thrown into the dungeon, too, but he escapes.

The land-shark scene would play out the same, but with Melvinborg there. Livmen-Borg doesn't turn into a shark though, and instead uses his laser eyes.

Episode 5: The Confusing Crisis of the Covinning Captive

Since Melvinborg's still around, he goes with the mission to rescue Melvin. After all, he has limits!

The treehouse scene would play out the same, only with Melvinborg there. He would mimic his past self by saying "move your butts out of here, you leaky faucets!". Then everything still happens with Krupp spraying everyone with mustard and joining the MISFARTS. I have the humorous mental image of the "Don't Do That Again" scene being recreated with Krupp and Melvinborg.

The episode would then play out the same as canon, just with Melvinborg there. He would be horrified at what his past self has become. Saying "this isn't you, past me!" and would say the f word after he betrays the boys.

Melvinborg would break down in the tears as the episode ends. After the two-farter joke, he would say "…This episode is my least favorite."

Episode 6: The Arragavting assault of the Alien Armada

The finale would be the same as canon, but with stuff changed.

Melvinborg tells himself, "How did my life come to this?" when he's doing spa duty for the Biglyans.

During when Fitzgibbons reveals his identity, Melvinborg gets a flashback to his brief stint as Vil Endenemys.

When asked why he's staring into space, he says "All the way back in season 1, I posed as the school's superintendent… who didn't exist."

Then the episode would play out the same, just with Melvinborg there. This is true until the final scene, where we don’t get Future!CU.

The final scene would have Melvinborg rooting around in the school's boiler room, looking for something he can use to get revenge on those boys.

He eventually finds a DVD marked "George and Harold's Worst Prank" and smirks. The narrator then said "And so Melvinborg found the perfect means to get revenge on those boys. That tale is for another time. That another time being whenever the people at Netflix make a season 5."

Then the credits roll, and Captain Underpants in space ends.

And that would be TETOCU in Space in the I'm Not You-Verse.

Complete with cliffhanger for a possible season 5, which will apparently never see the light of day. I'm not planning on making this outline into a fanfic. I'm just not interested in writing TETOCUIS.

TL;DR: A lot of shit would be different in season 4 because Melvinborg isn't dead.

[justjensenanddean]

Jensen Ackles | Orlando Convention 2022 (June 26, 2022)

(x)

Jensen keeps getting asked about what superpower he would want for The Boys press. Everything comes with something bad (like seeing the future). “Flying. It’s pure, just let me soar like a bird.” #spnorl  (x)

Jensen: Phil directed Solid Gold. Is Robert Mitchum (sp?) out yet? No? Hold onto your shorts! There’s a whole other one coming down the pipe. I’ll leave it at that. #spnorl (x)

Fan: I found out I was pregnant during a commercial break. I didn’t get pregnant during a commercial break Jensen: how do you know you didn’t do that too lol #spnorl  (x)

Jensen imitates needing to stop the show and run and find a pregnancy test lol #spnorl  (x)

Fan: do you ever get taken out of context and not like it Jensen: yeah that happens quite a bit (x)  Jensen: we get asked questions about ourselves and work more than most. Our answers have evolved and we have grown. Given what we know now and have matured and acquired knowledge over the past two decades, I would give different answers than I would then. (x)  Jensen: it’s the idea that I wouldn’t change the past because it got me to be here today. I wouldn’t be where I am today and it’s looking pretty good for me. (Grateful to be here now) (x)  Jensen: I know I didn’t answer all those questions right. #spnorl (x)

While filming, Kim Manners set up an extra shot (make up redo and everything) to prank J&J. They climbed down a wall and got doused in 15 gallons of water. (x)  They chased him around and he wasn’t a big guy. Jensen: we basically picked him up and put him into the water (x)  They committed so hard to it they actually had an appointment for Jared to get his cast replaced the next day. They planned him a late call and everything and Jared didn’t know why. (x)  A line producer casually asked about Jensen’s new iPhone as a ploy to get it out of his pocket. An AD immediately swooped in and got him on set in such a way he couldn’t immediately get it back. “They worked it concert.” (x)

Jensen would like Tom Hardy to play him in a British Supernatural adaptation (x)

Jensen says representation with the character of Carlos was important from the start and he’s impressed with the actor. #spnorl  (x)  Jensen: (for the show) I’m most excited to see what you guys think of the twists (x)  Jensen: we are not throwing away 15 years of established canon. #spnorl #thewinchesters (x)  Jensen: (someone mentioned) that John didn’t know about hunting until after Mary died. My answer was “oh I am fully aware” #spnorl (x)

.@JensenAckles : I'm well aware John didn't know about hunting. We're not throwing away 15 years of canon.  (x)

Fan: what do you love most about your kids Jensen: unprovoked I love yous… arrow cupped my face and said ‘I love you’ and immediately wanted to be put down. She wanted nothing but to purely tell me she loved me. Zeppelin & JJ do it too. #spnorl  (x)

Jensen only has one pet: “A 16 year old part blind mostly deaf 20 pound mitt. Watching him now is equally sad and entertaining. He runs into walls. Not full force just a thunk. What do you do? He’s just running around running into shit. I’m like ‘aw your dogs broken’” #spnorl  (x)  Jensen: he will stare at his bowls and walk away and I’m like, idk if he knew what he was doing just now. Like he’s full blown dementia. It’s sad but as soon as I pick him up he’s right into my neck. He knows it’s his dad. #spnorl (x)

Jensen says that Anthony Starr told him he was prepared not to like him but in the end Anthony said he really fucking likes him  #SPNORL #Spnorlando  (x)

Jensen tried hard not to drop the ball and especially not to do anything that can be misconstrued as ego or drama to The Boys. #spnorl (x)  Anthony said he was prepared not to like Jensen (a year after the fact). Jensen asked how he did. It made him happy when Anthony said “I really fucking like you man”. #spnorl (x) Jensen loved the set and crew. They’re good people and Kripke laid the groundwork to help them know not to worry. (x)

Jensen: The Boys is Kripke Unleashed. We always knew his mind was like that and now you do too lol #spnorl  (x)

Jensen finished shooting a new Batman voicing two weeks ago #spnorl (x)

(x)

[myenterpriseisparked]

Okay, so I’ve joked about Chakotay’s weird sense of humor before, but like....... he really does have such a funny sense of humor???? Like when we think of Chakotay, I think we all kind of forget how canonically funny he is??? Like this dude really does just get a big heckin kick out of messing with people. That’s his hobby. When he was getting his anthropology degree or whatever, I bet he did all of his research papers on the humor customs of cultures and stuff. 

Here’s some of Chakotay’s greatest hits:

- That one time when Harry came to him to request not to work with Seven anymore because he made a fool of himself in front of her and, instead of Chakotay just telling him that Seven already talked to him and was not offended by Harry’s behavior, he let Harry dig himself into a very deep hole and THEN told him Seven had already talked to him and that he was assigning Harry to permanently work with Seven just to watch Harry squirm. And then he chuckled about it to himself after Harry left. Iconic.

- When he and Kathryn are on New Earth and she asks if he’s still there and he says “No, I left an hour ago.”

- That one time when B’Elanna was trying to get him to go watch the Space WWE match with her and he was like “no I can’t I have to work” and she was like “dude you’re the boss, just assign someone else to do it” so then HE ASSIGNS B’ELANNA TO DO HIS WORK AND THEN WHEN SHE COMPLAINS HE’S LIKE “I thought you would be happy that I took your advice and delegated :)” 

- When he and Kathryn are talking after The Voyager Conspiracy and he’s like “did you poison the coffee?” (and then Kathryn jokes back “not more than I usually do” which brings up the fact that their senses of humor are perfectly aligned because the two of them have the exact same style of telling jokes and when they start joking around together it’s even funnier but that’s a whole other future post)

- The fact that he chooses to tell Kathryn he loves her using a fake “ancient legend” just because he’s a lil shit (yes there were other more emotional reasons behind him using an ancient legend and yes it was a way for her to have an out if she didn’t want to address his feelings but you cannot convince me that he hadn’t planned on using that ancient legend for months in case Kathryn was ever ready to start a relationship and that he made up that ancient legend with the sole purpose of being amusing.)

- Back to the wrestling episode: When he and Harry start ragging on each other and joking about boxing together and he just keeps egging Harry on to get the kid to dig himself into a deeper hole. Chakotay’s not actually that competitive of a person, he just really likes to see Harry get wound up. I feel like this is kind of a running theme for him, actually; he just winds people up and presses their buttons for the heck of it.

- The whole thing where Kathryn tells him he can shoot an apple off her head as a talent and he’s like “Sounds great. If I miss, I get to be Captain :)”

- When Tom suggests that Janeway play Arachnia and she’s like “no” and then Chakotay gangs up on her with Tuvok and Seven to back up Tom’s plan and Janeway looks at him and is like “thanks.” and he just grins. That whole scene reads exactly like a kid asking his mom to help out by taking a role in the school play and mom is trying to get out of it but dad backs the kid up while giving her a shit-eating grin and you just KNOW mom’s gonna have words with dad later. I love it.

- There’s also that scene in Scientific Method where Old!Chakotay and NotTalaxian!Neelix are in sickbay and Chakotay starts a “my affliction is worse than yours” contest with Neelix. I’m 100% sure that this is another example of him pressing someone’s buttons and getting them wound up just because he’s bored. 

- Basically any moment that he has a big grin in the background of a scene as some sort of chaos unfolds. He lives for that.

Anyway, Chakotay is hilarious and I don’t think we talk about it enough.

[yellowmellow182]

Ink Frosted Brownies

So, this is sort of a... masterpost for a weird tag that will appear in my blog from time to time... or smt like that.

What is "Ink Frosted Brownies"?

Okay, so you know how practically EVERY BatIM-fanartist has their own headcanons about how Joey Drew Studios employees would look like back in 30-s/40-s? Welp, I got those too:

Not all employees are listed here, but it's a work in progress (I can promise to add at least Tom, Allison, Dot and Buddy to the main party in the nearest future).

I made several sketches with these characters...

(more of these in my VK group)

...as well as some comic strips and full colored stuff

Regardless, these guys is not what the tag "Ink Frosted Brownies" refers to.

Although I have my own view on what "Bendy" characters would look like in the past, otherwise I try to stick to the canon as much as possible. That's why I don't think that they need to be marked with a special tag.

What IS different from the canon is these two:

I just LOVE the idea of Sammy and Norman passionately hating each other. I know that in the game Norman stated that he finds Sammy 'crazy weird' and that pregame Sammy wasn't the most pleasing character at all, but something about them having a grudge against each other specifically... I don't know, I still kinda want to dwell on this topic but that's for another day.

Oh, and speaking of "passionately"... this word doesn't only refer to hate

Yeah, all the above is just a long way of saying "I SHIP THEM" and it's their ship name.

Why the "Ink Frosted Brownies"?

Basically, it's cause of their color pallets.

My Norman has a lot of brownish colors, so I accociated him with some kind of chocolate treat. Sammy's pallete is very pale, so he's like a kind of frosting. And since it's a Bendy-related thing, you HAVE to put the word "Ink" somewhere. Ink frosting. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

And why make a post about all of this?

Firstly, I love my half-canon half-OC children (all of them). And I love talking about things that I love.

Secondly, I plan on a few things related to my versions of JDS employees and my version of Norman/Sammy specifically. I still want to put their origin story in form of a comic, and there's a cool song that I want to make an animatic to... So, I thought, it would be nice to make some sort of info post about what you are about to see from me.

[herefortheships]

Now I can talk about things. Yesssss!

WARNING: HERE BE SPOILERS.

SPIDER-MAN NO WAY HOME SPOILERS.

Ok so. We all predicted that Eddie and Venom would basically be somewhere else, away from the battle, freshly yanked from their sweet honeymoon and would not get involved with the fighting at ALL 😂 Anyway they were too far away from NY to get involved if Venom decided to be a hero and get into it, and Eddie was still trying to make sense of what just happened to him (Venom seemed to be more up to speed, but it’s pretty much established that Eddie is, in his own words, an “idiot” and I think that’s endearing, I should say), so Eddie is still figuring things out, where they are, how the new world they landed in is like etc. Plus clearly they’ve been drinking and Venom is kind of wanting to get back into the honeymoon--in other words, Venom couldn’t care less about Spidey right now, as interesting the idea of fighting him might be, because Venom is more into getting back into his honeymoon with Eddie. Looks like someone was having a good time in their little escapade! 👀😘 Honestly good for them. They are literally so cute and funny together. 

I’m calling it a honeymoon, because, that’s kind of what it is, by the way.

Anyway.

While it was a little bit disappointing that our Venom and Tom H’s spidey did not get to meet, I do believe though that it was hinted that Andrew’s spidey might get involved with Venom in the future (he mentioned wanting to fight an alien, and Andrew’s spidey is from Sony + multiverse established means we could have other Spider-men [and other Venoms, more on that below] in other movies, because they are the Spider-men from other universes). Having Tobey’s and Andrew’s Spider-men making appearances in their own separate movies/universes simultaneously with Tom Holland’s Spider-man is no longer convoluted. 

That said, I have a sense of relief now that Eddie and Venom are back in the universe where they belong. I do not trust the MCU to handle these characters well. Their brief appearance, however, was handled very well. They felt like themselves, behaved like themselves, and let’s not forget to mention that sexy nipple grab?? Hello??? I admit that while I noticed Eddie’s weird movement, I did not notice the nipple twist until I got home and rewatched the scene on YouTube. That was totally a sexy nipple twist?! I guess if they weren’t canonically a couple before, it’s pretty safe to say they are now. I mean, you don’t twist your bro’s nipple at the same time you’re inviting them to go skinny dipping (aka *swimming naked*?? Hello?? My friends, I know they always shower together, do any and everything together--they are in the same body, so, naturally--but the fact this is brought up? Them together naked? It’s totally on purpose, my loves. These two are pretty much sexually involved with each other in canon now, though still mostly in the subtext (though it’s arguable that they are canon in the text after Venom said they love Eddie; unfortunately Eddie’s “Maybe a little [in love with you]” response was deleted) But yes, I guess it’s pretty much text now that they are not just friends/bros; they seem pretty sexually involved with each other, after the love confession and that nipple twist and the skinny dipping invitation by the way they totally already skinny dipped while drunk before + they totally had sex oops don’t look at me like that it’s all implied between the lines. Why is V so comfy twisting Eddie’s nips? Come on.  Only doing it in public bc they’re drunk, but imagine how they are with each other in private.

I am infinitely relieved to know they did not end up separated, as many of us feared due to the leaks. But the fact that Venom left a little piece behind definitely means that our Venom will not be the one to get involved with Tom H’s spidey, at least as the traditional villain origin of the character. But yes, I think that Venom’s piece left behind will become an iteration of the character in this universe. My younger sister upon watching this scene commented that Venom and Eddie are just dropping kids here and there, I thought that was hilarious and worth mentioning. But, to comment on this note, I don’t think this will be a Symbrock baby (aka Venom offspring) left behind; I think this is actually a piece of Venom themselves that will incarnate into its own iteration of Venom in the MCU. Our Venom might collab in the MCU, but lucky for us, our baby continues in their own little Sony universe corner. Good. This means that there will be at least two iterations of Venom appearing on the big screen simultaneously: our dearly beloved V, and a new incarnation of the character in the MCU, which will no doubt be a villain. That also means we might meet another Eddie Brock, too. THOUGH I think they might actually do Agent Venom with the MCU’s Venom incarnation. Look, they gave Flash blond hair. Things that make you go hmmm, am I right? We’ll have to see. 

Personally I think that Venom in connection to Spider-man is a little hard to pull off on the big screen, live-action. I think this is because that storyline sort of requires Spider-man/Peter Parker to show a darker side of himself, which general audiences are quick to reject (they did it poorly in Spider-man 3, BUT an attempt was made to show that the symbiote is merely enhancing an inner darkness that was always in there). I think the general audience doesn’t do very well with this sort of storyline, because they don’t want to see that the hero can have a dark side (unfortunately; personally I love these stories and character explorations). But this is talk for another time. I only bring it up because I think they are thinking of doing a Venom storyline with Tom H’s spidey in the near future, and this is why our Venom left a piece of themselves in Tom H’s universe. It’s because our Venom would end up as an ally if they met Spidey, and they want Tom Holland’s Venom to be the terrifying enemy that Venom initially is for Spider-man. Because let’s face the facts, Venom is the coolest Spider-man villain. By a long shot. It just might be hard to pull off. Well, let’s see how Tom H’s spidey does with it; he already showed a darker side in this movie, when he wanted to kill Norman in revenge. 

As long as our Eddie keeps his symbiote, I’m good with whatever the MCU wants to do with their own version of Venom. As long as it doesn’t strive to offend Tom Hardy or something weird like that.

To conclude this post, I think No way Home was entertaining and well done. I thought it was predictable, though, but that didn’t remove my enjoyment of it. My favorite part of course was seeing Eddie (and hearing Venom) lol But also seeing Tobey and Andrew again. But yes, this is a Symbrock blog, and therefore I am mostly taking about Symbrock and Venom here. I didn’t expect them to be too involved, and I got exactly what I thought I would get from them. A brief appearance in the mid-credits scene, being grossly in love as usual, and then poof back to their own universe where they belong. I’m just happy to see they weren’t damaged or sraight-washed or anything. 

Final note: I want to see Eddie and Venom carry this sexy drunk flirting sexy nipple twisting couple energy to Venom 3, while keeping that endearing funny vibe of grumpy Eddie x sunshine hyper active Venom they always have going on. I know now if anyone has my back, it is Tom Hardy. Tom Hardy won’t let us down. 

Ps. If they carry this flirty vibe to Venom 3, can Eddie please say it back? Eddie Brock I am watching you 👀 Tell Venom you love them back. Ok? Ok. It’s hard for this man to talk about feelings and stuff like that, so that will make it extra good if he *has* to come clean about his feelings. 

[alyblacklist]

Hey, I know you are not feeling the most friendly toward Red and TBL in general right now but I can't help but wonder of Red was right. I mean Liz was killed by Van Dyke (was that his name) who worked for Townsend. Townsend wanted Liz dead because of whatever Ivan Stepanov told him. I assume that was Red's big secret. If so, wasn't Red right about not telling Liz the secret. I mean she has a history of trusting people even though she doesn't know them well. Example: she trusted Jennifer after they had just met. Jennifer could have been working for an enemy yet Liz trusted her because of a biological connection (which she had no proof of). Also, blonde Kat, need I say more. She has proved that she has no sense of loyalty whatsoever betraying Red and the task force multiple times:

1.21/ 1.22 (Though, she had just found out that Red killed her father. I think that can be excused)

Season 3- she faked her death- did she not consider what she would be doing to Red, Ressler, Cooper, Aram, Samar and Dembe or did she just not care ? using gifs to make my point

Season 6- She turned Red in, nearly getting him killed and putting the TF, including herself, in danger. What if the government had decided to disavow all of them??

Season 8- She goes on the run, betraying the people who've stood by her for years and dedicates herself to killing the man who's protected her since she was a kid and has literally traded his life for hers. All of this for a woman who claims to be her mother. She values this alleged biological connection so much she ignores all the horrible things she knows blonde Kat has don.

Liz says she values honesty above all else and hates Red for not telling her things, but she constantly lies to, uses and manipulates the people she calls her family.

Opinions?

Thanks!

im posting this on my blog too.

I've gone back and forth on whether I should even answer this ask because I'm like a week late due to life events intervening but maybe I do need to say it:

I categorically and emphatically disagree with the idea that Red was EVER right in not telling Liz his secret because Liz was somehow untrustworthy. Liz resorted to trusting virtual strangers such as Jennifer and the fake Katarina only after Red repeatedly and mercilessly withheld basic information about HER OWN LIFE from her for years, all the while killing her adoptive father, admitting he "hired" her husband, killing Mr. Kaplan, killing her "mother" as far as she knew until the very end, keeping Kirk and Tom and anyone else who ever tried to get her the truth from telling her to the point that Tom died, all the while telling her it was either none of her business but done for her "protection"....I mean, come ON. She was not a child! She was a 35+ mom of a child who deserved to know why she was in all of this nebulous, supposed "danger" her whole life. She deserved to be invested in Red's plans especially when he expected her to take over his empire. What - she was supposed to do that blind to its purpose? To figure it out from that stupid letter?

Red held all the cards from day one. He allowed Dembe, and Dom and Ivan Stepanov - the important MEN in his life to know his secret and yet he couldn't bring himself to ever tell Liz. This is probably my biggest issue with the show right now. It was like everyone BUT Liz got to know "THE TRUTH." Even in the end - even after his SWORN ENEMY Townsend learned "THE TRUTH" he had to condition LIZ learning it on that stupid letter and his requirement that she KILL HIM? Who does that? Why is that in any way acceptable? We don't know. The only reasons we (the audience) were even given were a whole bunch of none of your business and I'm not sure why I can't tell her. Nothing - NOTHING - that Liz ever did supports how Red treated her in the end. Nothing except Red's colossal ego.

If the bones were really her biological father's as we have been told, she had a right to know that and why.

If Red is her biological mother as they hinted, it's even worse. And no, I still don't accept that as canon but I can't deny that's where they've left us with the teasing. Because then there is no larger motive or purpose to protect her mother or innocent third parties. Then, it is exactly as presented in 8.21/8.22 - all of this only to keep her mother (Red) hidden and Liz "safe" (an abject failure in the end). What a whole lot of death and destruction to protect a woman who wanted nothing more than to know WHY she needed to be protected. Who desperately wanted agency over her own life and deserved to have it. Who was an ADULT with a child of her own.

Even if Red is NOT her mother and is still an unrelated third man (as I hope) it's not much better. Maybe then he's at least conflicted between protecting Katarina/others while keeping Liz in the loop but this again begs the question - why enter/re-enter her life at all? Why keep her in the dark on these nebulous threats when the biggest threat ever seemed to be chasing after the mother she wasn't even aware of until AFTER Red entered her life? She was FOUR when her mother died. She was never, ever in danger unless and until the world learned she was leverage to get to Katarina, which they never would have learned had Red not done what he did for his own selfish reasons.

From where I sit, there was never, ever a good reason not to tell her why she was in danger and what her connection was to Red and to let her be a full invested player in her own future, and Agnes's future. I think Liz could have been trusted if Red would have trusted her. Yes, I get we wouldn't have a show if they had chosen to fill her in. It's the premise. But to see any part of audience defend Liz remaining in the dark after eight seasons because they just love Red/Spader so much that he can do no wrong, nope, I'm not ok with that. As things stand now, there was never a reason for Liz not to know "THE TRUTH" beyond Red's ego. And I guess that is why I cannot look forward to S9 because if he gets to prance around and pretend like nothing happened and it wasn't all his fault, and everyone happily claps while he does his thing, I will still be seething and raging. Liz deserved better. We - the audience - deserved better than for Raymond Reddington to be the "strong female character" of the Blacklist (I can't believe I actually have to type that). What a mess.

[oswinsdolma]

Proving all the Knights of the Round Table have magic part 3: Elyan

I've seen quite a few people headcanon Elyan with magic before, and it's definitely one of the more popular magic!knights hcs, so I apologise if I accidentally hijack anyone else's points xx

The most obvious indicator of this is the fact that Elyan leaves Camelot a year before Merlin arrives. This is about the same age Morgana's magic shows itself, so it would be natural to assume he left because he began showing signs of being a warlock, Camelot's laws being what they are.

It is also implied that Elyan left fairly abruptly, with Gwen having no idea where he went. He may have left in a hurry because somebody might have noticed him, and not told Gwen or Tom for fear of putting them in danger.

Perhaps in a darker note, he didn't say where he was going because he was ashamed of his magic and didn't think his family would accept him.

Gwen says that "[Elyan] always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time". Maybe accidents happen around him because he had trouble controlling his magic and found it increasingly difficult to cover for. This could be another indicator as to why he left.

Elyan didn't return to Camelot even for his father's funeral, and while he expresses his guilt, he doesn't give sufficient reason why: the reason? He may not be able to tell Gwen because he was still scared to return with magic.

When Gwen reveals her relationship with Arthur, Elyan is skeptical, and maybe even a little panicked. After all, would your sister falling in love with someone with the power to set you ablaze not be a terrifying concept to anyone with magic? But when Arthur comes to rescue them and proves himself to be slightly less of a prat than he may think, he tentatively agrees to return home, though I suspect this is mainly for Gwen's sake.

When the immortal army invades Camelot, Elyan manages to stay hidden and fight off some soldiers. Note that he is the only one of the group within Camelot with no Knights' training, which begs the question: how did he manage to escape? The answer could very well lie with magic.

Again, in The Darkest Hour, he is one of two knights that survived the meeting with Morgana. He is one of the more inexperienced knights as well, which suggests that he may have aided himself magically in the fight.

When faced with a seemingly unbeatable threat, Elyan says to Arthur: "tomorrow, we fight in your name, sure. For freedom and justice in this land." Now there is a lot to unpack here, but if we break it down, firstly there is the fact that Elyan places is emphasis on "your" when addressing Arthur. He has previously made a statement about the Pendragon crest, but in this moment, it seems that he cares more about Arthur than this. This is clearly indicative of the fierce bond between Arthur and the core knights, but it could be more than that: the emphasis of "your" is specific to Arthur, but perhaps more importantly, it is an exclusion of Uther. In his time, Arthur has made mistakes, but he has generally been more sympathetic towards magic than his father, and this may be Elyan's subtle way of acknowledging that.

In addition, the words: "for freedom and justice in this land" could just be in reference for Arthur's abilities as king, but this is a deep speech and one would assume it has a deeper meaning. Freedom and justice are two things that have not been afforded to those with magic for a long time. Uther's twisted "justice" involved executing anyone who disagreed with him and anyone who could be vaguely affiliated with sorcery. As for freedom, Arthur has created a fairer kingdom than his father, but magic users still live in fear. Combined with the earlier stress of "your", this is indicative that Elyan too believes that Arthur may one day come to bring peace to anyone who is born with magic.

This last point also has the implications that Elyan knows of the Once and Future King and surrounding prophecies. Though he is described as a troublemaker by Gwen before he comes to Camelot, he keeps his head relatively low upon arrival. Perhaps in the time he spent travelling, he sought help from magical communities, e.g. the druids, who helped him control his powers. This would also explain his vagueness about his whereabouts and lack of contact during the years he was missing.

I could go on about this quote but we'll leave it there for now.

Before he is overtaken by the power of the Lamia, Elyan is vocal in standing up for Merlin. This could be because he knows what it is like to be shunned by society. Magic could be a reason for that. (Also I fully believe that the only reason the Lamia didn't try and take over Merlin was because she was scared of the extent of his magic, not just because he had magic.)(and the merthur reasons when I'm in the mood)

Then Elyan falls sick, before the others begin to show symptoms. Maybe the Lamia sensed some magic and decided he was more trouble than he was worth.

Elyan was not raised by druids, and does not have the same powers as Merlin so wouldn't have sensed the power of the shrine, at least not too strongly. When he first sees the spirit though, he is genuinely sympathetic, even before the murderous intent takes hold.

In the Dark Tower, Elyan is consumed by his need to find Gwen, convinced that he is to blame for her capture. This could be survivor's guilt (and to an extent, probably is), but it is equally probable that Elyan believes that he should have used his magic to protect her.

Going off on a slight tangent here, the theme of "I have magic so it must have a purpose" within warlocks/sorcerers in the show is a) not a healthy mindset and b) uncomfortably common. Elyan may have latched onto the idea that he must use his magic to protect Gwen to convince himself to stay in Camelot, and with that conprmino, he began to fall apart. His behaviour is almost identical to Merlin's fervour regarding Arthur at this point, and it's fairly disturbing that these characters adopt this mindset that is Not Good For Their Mental Heath, Please Get Some Therapy.

Elyan dies. It's heartbreaking, and he does so trying to save his sister. But what is interesting is his funeral. When most main characters die, they are given a funeral in Camelot, e.g. Uther, Lancelot (the first time). But then Freya and Shade!Lanceot (and later Arthur) are set to rest in the Lake of Avalon. The difference between the two is that the lake funerals were arranged by Merlin, and those laid to rest there can somehow be affiliated with magic.

Now I'm not saying that Merlin knew about Elyan's magic, because sometimes he can be really not very perceptive about that (though it's always fun when fics cheerily toss that out the window because it's fun goddamnit-), but I don't believe he was entirely oblivious. Think about it: there are two of Arthur's closest friends canonically hiding magic from him and it's fairly probable that they'll pick up on Elyan's magic at some point. Even if it's just little things like his sympathies with magic or gentle arguments about the way mages are treated. There are so many avenues to explore with this it's overwhelming-

I also think Elyan may have picked up on Merlin's magic later in the series: the point of realisation was probably when Merlin rescued him during his time being possessed by the drowned druid boy, upon which he says: "you know, Merlin, you're much braver than you look." This is the first time Merlin has revealed his more BAMF side to Elyan, and in this moment, something unspoken passes between them. If not mutual understanding, it is at least Elyan realising what Merlin does beneath his carefree exterior, and despite the possession, I think he acquires a lot of new respect for his friend.

(also are we going to ignore that the lake funeral implies that it was arranged by Merlin. How close were they and what stuff did we miss out on behind the scenes for him to be trusted with this?? I need to know)

Elyan and Mordred have a friendship in series 5. If the earlier headcanon about Elyan learning to control his magic with druids is true, perhaps he may have recognised Mordred from his time there. They probably didn't acknowledge it much, but it created a bond between them.

And now for the mythological context!!

Of all the Knights of the Round Table, Elyan's backstory is perhaps the most estranged from the original legend (of course all of them are fairly disconnected *flashbacks to pope-gwaine* but Elyan's is w a c k y)

As a consequence, there is little to draw on for behind-the-scenes evidence of magic.

Elyan, or Helayn, was another Knight whose origins stem from France (the Vulgate Cycle, I think, though he could have surfaced earlier). He is said to have joined Lancelot in exile after his affair of 'courtly love' with Guinevere (go and look up this concept- it gets convoluted in the myths but is really interesting in terms of both origin and content). Anyway, his exile here could represent the time he spent out of Camelot before his appearance in s3, and relates to hiding from harsh laws, particularly if we regard Lancelot and Guinevere's relationship in the same way as we do in the Vulgate Cycle (basically keep the context with the appropriate work and it sort of makes sense)

I appreciate this seems a little like grasping at straws but that's literature I suppose ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

In the legends, Elyan is nephew to another of Arthur's knights, Sir Sagramore. This knight is less famous than some, but at one point, he embarks on a quest to find the fay. The fay are closely linked with the she, and perhaps also live on Avalon, somewhere mortals are only supposed to see moments before death. Perhaps Elyan can be associated with this magic?

In reality, there is little written of Elyan and no prose or poetry dedicated to him so it's quite hard to find stuff about him.

Also legend!Elyan is heir to the throne of Constantinople, which just goes to prove how widespread and deeply convoluted the mythos is.

[gthreepio]

i’ve been thinking about the future of the mcu and realized there’s a LOT that i didn’t know/didn’t remember in terms of where things are going so i figured i’d sum it up incase anyone else was in the same boat!! 

quick recap of (unresolved) mid-credit scenes:

doctor strange: mordo (a sorcerer that is one of strange’s mentors, who by the end of the movie becomes disillusioned with magic/the ancient one and quits) confronts pangborn (the paraplegic who healed himself with the mystic arts, who tells strange about mystic arts in the first place) and steals his magic because according to mordo, there are “too many sorcerers." of note, this guy is typically a villain in the comics but hasn’t been thus far...

gotg2: ayesha (leader of the sovereign, a golden skinned alien race obsessed with genetic purity), after spending most of the movie chasing the guardians for stealing some stuff, is revealed to have created an artificial being named “adam” which is presumably, adam warlock. (other stuff that is less relevant: kraglin appears to take up yondu’s mantle; the ravagers regroup and several old and obscure comic book characters are introduced [charlie-27, aleta, martinex, mainframe]; the watchers are watching things.) 

far from home: j jonah jameson basically tells the whole world spider-man’s secret identity, and frames him for what happened with mysterio....making him public enemy #1. ALSO, turns out nick fury and maria hill in the movie were ACTUALLY the two skrulls from captain marvel (talos and soren) attempting to do their job, while the real fury (and presumably hill) is ... up in space on some spaceship!!!

wandavision: monica (who we can assume is photon) is called by “an old friend of [her] mother’s,” up in space, which presumably means fury, talos, or carol. ALSO, wanda sits in the middle of nowhere reading the darkhold and hears the voices of her children who.. by all accounts, should not exist. 

aaaaand what we know about future movies (i’m not even going into the tv series.....): 

black widow: 

takes place after civil war

nat confronts a “dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past,” likely has to do with taskmaster who has apparently taken over the red room where nat was trained as an assassin

prominent new characters: yelena belova, who will take over the mantle of black widow after this; alexei shostakov aka red guardian, an ollllld marvel hero analogous to captain america except for the soviet union.

tony stark will make an appearance... SOBS

shang-chi and the legend of the ten rings:

shang-chi has never been seen in the mcu before, but he is, essentially, a superhero that is a master martial artist, and in some adaptations can also create duplicate (fake) versions of himself to confuse opponents

main villain will be the the mandarin who we have *sort of* seen before... he is the leader of a terrorist organization called “ten rings” whose main goal is to destroy world peace. brief history -- in iron man 1: one ten rings cell kidnaps tony stark and tries to force him to make weapons (he of course, makes his suit instead). stark and ten rings become enemies and fight a bunch. nat and nick fury fight them too. in iron man 3, the villain aldrich killian hires a dude to pretend to be the mandarin and claim responsibility for a bunch of stuff, but its not the ten rings or the mandarin at all. this makes the mandarin v mad and he has a dude kidnap the faker to punish him. they also briefly show up in ant-man, when a ten rings agent tries to buy the yellowjacket suit that darren cross is selling. BUT IN SHANG-CHI....... looks like we are FINALLY going to see the real mandarin after over a decade!! 

the villain razor fist will also show up, he is lesser known... he has no superhuman powers but he has surgically replaced his hands (1 or 2, depending on the version) with a steel blade, and is highly skilled at hand to hand combat.

besides the presence of these characters, the only bit of plot we know is “shang-chi is drawn into the ten rings organization and forced to confront his past.” so... yeah. we don’t know much at all.

eternals: 

quick explanation: the eternals are an immortal alien race who have been secretly living on earth for thousands of years. they were created by the celestials, who are most prominently in gotg2. 

more entirely new characters!!! their names are: thena, who can form any weapon out of cosmic energy; gilgamesh, who can make a super strong exoskeleton out of cosmic energy; ikaris, who has superhuman strength, flies, and can project cosmic energy out his eyes; kingo, who can shoot cosmic energy projectiles from his hands; makkari, who creates sonic booms, has super speed, and is deaf; phastos, who has enhanced intelligence, and is also gay (and married with a kid!); ajak, who has healing powers; sprite, who can project illusions; sersi, who can manipulate matter; druig, who can mind control; and dane whitman (black knight), a human with a mystical sword. 

regarding the plot... it seems the eternals have kind of dispersed, but have to come together again to fight the deviants, who are their “evil counterparts” (also created by the celestials, though i’m unclear on why). thena and gilgamesh have apparently been in exile, unclear why; sersi, who is posing as a museum curator, has apparently been in love with ikaris for centuries and it seems as if their love story may be central to the film; and kingo is a bollywood film star in his spare time. aaaaand that’s pretty much all we know.

directed by chloé zhao of nomadland fame! 

spider-man no way home: 

based on the post-credits scene in far from home, peter parker will now be known as spider-man to everyone. unclear if he’s going to be seen as a bad guy due to mysterio framing him, but i guess we’ll see! 

jamie foxx is electro, and alfred molina is doctor octopus; which is VERY interesting considering they played these roles in other spider-man franchises, once again stirring up excitement for possible multiverse. 

there have been *multiple* reports that andrew garfield, kirsten dunst, tobey maguire, and emma stone will be in the movie but tom holland has repeatedly denied this... so... who knows. 

there are also rumors that matt murdock / daredevil (from netflix) will be in several scenes! not confirmed though. 

MJ is still his girlfriend and i hope it stays that way!! 

doctor strange will be featured in the movie, taking on the mentor role now that tony stark is gone :( this will be interesting as i.. haven’t really seen them interact much before. because of this inclusion some people speculate that the film may draw inspo from some comic storylines where peter’s secret identity is restored with magic. 

doctor strange in the multiverse of madness: 

scarlet witch is essentially co-starring!!! it’s going to be really interesting to see if they bring vision or the twins into this at all, though i’m not counting on it. 

seems like mordo will be the main villain -- recall the ds1 post credits scene where he is apparently running around trying to steal people’s magic.

america chavez will make her debut!!!!!! i have no idea how this plays into anything but i am so excited!! 

regarding the plot, all we really know is that strange has been researching the time stone, mordo messes with him, and this results in him accidentally unleashing “unspeakable evil.” presumably there will also be heavy involvement of the multiverse, and who knows what kind of craziness that will bring!! 

initially was going to be directed by scott derrickson who did ds1; however he stepped down to being just EP due to “creative differences.” i am presuming this is because derrickson really wanted to make this more gothic and horror than disney was comfortable with. i REALLY hope they keep some of those elements though and don’t erase the idea entirely! anyway, it will be directed by sam raimi now (of evil dead and spiderman 2002 fame). 

the film also reportedly ties in with the loki series (will loki show up!?) and spiderman 3 (which is obvious enough, given that strange is in that movie and those curious electro and doctor octopus castings...)

thor: love and thunder

directed by taika waititi again, hell yeah!!! and he has stated, the film will be “so over the top now in the very best way" and would make ragnarok look like a "run of the mill, very safe film" .... so.... oh god

so many great returning players!!! including.... valkyrie (now the king of new asgard), jane foster, lady sif, korg, star-lord, mantis, drax, nebula, and kraglin (takes up yondu’s mantle after he dies in gotg2)

in this movie, thor isn’t thor anymore.... it’s JANE!!! she gets cancer :( and is undergoing treatment while simultaneously being thor. i’m a little nervous how this will be handled, but i’m excited. (it’s based off an amazing comic series by jason aaron) 

the big bad: gorr the god butcher, played by christian bale! the gist of it is, this dude HATES gods because nobody helped when his family was dying and in need. his weapon is “all-black the necrosword,” forged from the head of a celestial, and allows the user to create wings and fly at extreme speeds. honestly, he sounds cool as fuck. 

valkyrie is going to be made canonically bisexual!!! 

it will explore more of korg’s backstory, and also include... space sharks!?!?! an alien race from the comics.

taika has called the script “very romantic” so take that as you will 

black panther 2

will again be directed by ryan coogler

not much is known at this point, does not have an official name

t’challa will NOT be recast (which i’m happy about) so..... honestly no idea what to expect for this one. i think we can probably expect shuri to have an expanded role. all we know so far is they will be “exploring the world of wakanda.” not clear to me how this is different from the upcoming wakanda D+ series. 

tenoch huerta has reportedly been cast as a villain, but no one has any idea who. there’s also rumors that donald glover is in “informal talks” to play a role. note all of this is unconfirmed.

captain marvel 2

will be directed by nia da costa (candyman!) and written by megan mcdonnell, who is one of wandavision’s best writers! 

will take place in the present day 

will feature kamala khan / ms. marvel, monica rambeau / photon!!! this will be so interesting.... kamala is a huge fan of carol’s in the comics, she is her mentor/idol. the ms. marvel series will also resportedly lead into cm2. and monica, well, monica knew her when she was a little kid. wandavision implies that there’s some bad blood between carol and monica though, not sure why. maybe because carol left and never came back? (until endgame) 

post-credits scene of wandavision appears to tie into this, having monica go up into space at the reqeust of her “mom’s old friend.” again, not clear who that is. this could also be a tie in to secret invasion though, so we’ll see. or both.

zawe ashton has been cast as an unknown villain... a lot of people are actually speculating that she may play rogue? which would be fascinating, as there’s a comic arc where rogue steals her powers and memories. BUT there’s still no confirmation that X-men exist in the MCU so for now i remain skeptical.

they are looking to cast a ‘john boyega’ or ‘michael b jordan’ type which makes me wonder if they are going to create a new character, a “younger” war machine to be her love interest? (note: carol and rhodey are a huge thing in comics!) carol obviously does not look her age but her and don cheadle.... that just doesn’t work. which is why i wonder.

ant-man and the wasp: quantumania 

in addition to scott and hope, pretty much all the major players are returning including: luis, hank pym, janet van dyne

cassie lang has been recast with an actress 5 years older, which is really making me wonder if they are going to make her stinger in this movie! (aka one of the main young avengers)

the villain: kang the conqueror! this dude time travels. original name nate richards. in the comics, kang travels back in time to rescue his younger self (nate) from an attack that would help shape him towards a life of villainy. kang also gives him some fancy armor. his younger self actually is like, what the fuck dude? and renounces his destiny, becoming a hero. and he makes his armor look like iron man, calling himself iron lad. who is a young avenger. which also makes me wonder about cassie lang.

otherwise not much is known! 

guardians of the galaxy vol. 3

james gunn is returning, i’m mixed about this...he really does *get* the guardians though. 

based on the gotg2 post credits scene, i think we can assume adam warlock will be a HUGE part of this. there are multiple versions of him, some villainous and some heroic, but no idea how this is gonna turn out.

no word yet on whether thor will be involved, or if those ravagers they introduced will be involved. 

fantastic four 

will be directed by the spiderman guy, john watts.

otherwise we know literally nothing.

aaaaand that’s the roundup! 

[marvelbitch23]

These are some of my favorite marvel fics.

Enjoy!

whatever souls are made of - atypicalsnowman - Multifandom [Archive of Our Own]

Stephen Strange/Tony Stark

Soul bonding canon divergence. Fourteen million futures and Stephen saw just one where they win. Tony has to soul bond to a virtual stranger whereas Stephen... Stephen is in love.

This is a story of how two broken men became friends, then family, then fell in love.

And saved the universe.

The Guiding of Death - Chapter 1 - RayShippouUchiha - Marvel Cinematic Universe [Archive of Our Own]

James “Bucky” Barnes/Female Tony Stark

“Hades and Persephone reborn huh,” Fury states then more than asks, “no need to ask which is which.”

Toni’s brows furrow even as dread begins to squirm to life inside of her.

But before she can say anything, before she can open her mouth and set the record straight, she hears it.

A murmur as loud as a scream from somewhere in the tomb silent bridge.

“That whole Merchant of Death thing,” someone off to the side faux whispers, “makes a lot more sense now.”

It echoes across the bridge like a gunshot.

The Devouring of Hearts - Chapter 1 - RayShippouUchiha - Marvel Cinematic Universe [Archive of Our Own]

James “Bucky” Barnes/ Female Tony Stark

Toni’s gums ache for a split second, fresh blood flooding her mouth before she swallows it.

And in that next second that curl of darkness inside of her sits up and decides that this, that Howard’s continued cruelty and abuse, will no longer be allowed.

Toni licks the blood from her now too sharp teeth before she plants her hands on the floor in front of her and pushes herself back up onto her feet.

This time when Howard lashes out at her Toni ducks low to avoid the blow.

Crouched on the hall floor, sharp nails digging into the dark wood beneath her, Toni hisses, takes a moment to calculate, and then she leaps.

We Can Do Better - Chapter 1 - Zeethulhu - Marvel Cinematic Universe [Archive of Our Own]

Tony Stark/Stephen Strange

14,000,605 universes and only one win in the time Doctor Strange had to look.

This is not the universe where they won against Thanos. Sitting in the ruins of their battlefield, knowing everything he swore to protect, his universe was coming to an end, Stephen makes a choice.

Sacrificing his body for a spell, he takes the only souls he knows can orchestrate a victory back in time. A spell created by his own hands, fueled with his sacrifice, he catapults himself and Tony Stark back to the moments of their birth.

With their reality at stake, they need to create a chance for their time-line to win. After all, their universe wasn't the one that won.

Peter Parker's Adventure Through Time and Space - Chapter 1 - Sciencelings - Marvel Cinematic Universe [Archive of Our Own]

Irondad

Comic book science and time travel make for a great fic. Alternate realities, past timelines, space and a whole lot more. Spoilers for infinity war stuff but by now we probably don't need that.

Basically Peter meets everyone in the Marvel universe and everyone loves him. But with more plot.

Peter travels through alternate realities and has to fix problems that aren't really his but he has no sense of self preservation so you can see how that goes.

Peter is a [Genius Playboy Superhero] Orphan - Chapter 1 - squishychiminie - Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies) [Archive of Our Own]

Losing Gwen was more than just heartbreaking for Peter Parker. It shattered him. That’s three people he loved, and failed to save. But, he must piece himself back together, swallow his misery, and do what has to be done.

Can he keep the glue from cracking?

Or

The one where an angsty kid owns a small but thriving business and is also one reckless bamf

Disclaimer: Mentions of (at some point in passing) drugs, alcohol, depression, bullying, abuse, sex, blood, murder, suicidal thoughts/ tendencies, loss of a loved one, etc.

PROOF SPIDER-MAN LOVES CLICKBAIT - Chapter 1 - mauvera - Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) [Archive of Our Own]

Harley/Peter

When Peter Parker gets a job working at Buzzfeed there's really only one subject he can write about: superheroes. And what superhero does he know better than everyone's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?

What he didn't expect was that everyone would think Peter's new obsession with the hero would be interpreted quite like That.

stay, i pray you - Chapter 1 - floweryfran - Marvel Cinematic Universe [Archive of Our Own]

Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark

There is a tap on the table top and a quiet, “Scusatemi, signorina,” and she looks up. There is a boy there, no more than twenty, and he is undoubtedly American, though his Italian is so polished that even she would be unsure if not for his hesitant slouch— discomfort, it says I am out of place. His gaze is not demanding. It is not cold, either— but intelligent, distant. Not assessing, but calculating. As if she is made of code, and he is reading her.

“I speak English,” she tells him, “better than Italian.”

He slumps with something akin to relief. “Oh- that’s. That’s cool. I’m really sorry to ask-“ and he looks it, wincing and pulling his own fingers, “-but would it be okay if I sit with you? My mamma is in a formaggeria across the piazza and I desperately don’t want to stand in there and smell cheese for an hour so I was gonna grab an espresso but every other table is filled and I don’t want to impose but—?” He looks at her. He is sharp, ardent with a wisdom that puts her teeth on edge. No young man should look like that: as if he has stared straight into the barrel of a gun and laughed at the bullet, swallowed it whole.

He looks old for his age. He just. He looks.

Sharpen Your Teeth - Chapter 1 - STARSdidathing - The Avengers (Marvel Movies) [Archive of Our Own]

Tony Stark/ Loki

A betrayed Tony Stark leaves the Avengers. He's angry and bitter but he's not about to stop being a hero. The problem is that not everyone is happy with his decision.

Shadow of Grief, Ghost of Hope - Chapter 1 - Zeelian - Marvel Cinematic Universe [Archive of Our Own]

James “Bucky” Barnes/Tony Stark

Finding out about his parents' murder at the hand of the Winter Soldier, Captain America's old war buddy, pushes Tony Stark into a very dark place and he turns to the former HYDRA assassin with a burning fury, part of him screaming for revenge.

Finding out that Steve knew and didn't tell him pushes him over the edge and he lashes out against the super soldier, but just as Steve is about to retaliate the Winter Soldier takes Tony by surprise, by knocking Steve out and surrendering.

The Asset knows that to be free HYDRA must be crushed, and for that to happen his best chance is the resources of Tony Stark, when Captain America shows up in Bucharest the fragmented memories of who he once was tells him that the Captain will protect him and bring him to the Avengers so the Asset goes with him, but when the Captain is about to attack Iron Man with deadly intent he makes a choice and goes against the voices within.

The Asset neutralizes the Captain and surrenders to Iron Man, hoping that he will be able to convince the man to use HYDRA's own weapon to take them down.

[diamondcitydarlin]

You know what? I really LOVE your takes on Loki, in fact I agree with almost all you say, except for one thing. I believe that lokius will be canon. Yes, I know how it sounds, but I just don't see any other route that the show could take when it comes to Loki's romantic arc.

OMG listen I want to be wrong. Badly. Like...I am 100% open to the possibility I might be scrolling my dash one day- AND HOLY SHIT SEASON 2 DID A LOKIUS KISS?? WHAT?? LEMME FIRE UP DISNEY+ REAL QUICK

And you're not wrong that the organic path to take here, the one that makes the most sense and would do all the characters the most justice and fits with everything that's been set up (unwittingly or otherwise) is Loki and Mobius finding their way to each other. Of course it is! It's just that...after a certain point, season one was not in any way beholden to the basic tenants of storytelling and no one seemed to really care what they might have set up earlier or not, they were going to do whatever the hell they wanted to do whether it made sense or not and I guess that worked for some people. Good for them.

So, I'm just saying the track record isn't great here. What's more, I'm 100% confident the powers-that-be KNEW what they were doing with Lokius, intentionally allowed or encouraged certain meaningful looks and moments because hey, fandoms are lucrative, especially those devoted to shipping, and the fandoms create the representation they refuse to do themselves. Anyone saying they were never ever written or directed or depicted with the intent of getting people to see a romantic vibe is just wrong lol. I mean, people can think whatever they want, but I know how this business works and I know how execs think (it hasn't ALWAYS been this way, but since capitalism decided certain forms of queer exploitation was lucrative? yes, absolutely). We're not pulling anything from thin air, in fact it's rather blatant. Yes, they ultimately made the m/f romance the most blatant of the two but that was a calculated choice too- just gotta cover all the bases lest an investor or someone thinks it's -too- much.

Now, I'm not saying never. I feel like we're reaching a boiling point here where holding out on proper representation can only go on so long before someone caves, either out of a moral or monetary interest. I think it is POSSIBLE that some time in the future, if Mobius and Loki get put into different creative hands in a different project, maybe. It's certainly a more likely queer pairing to be seen made explicit canon in Marvel than most of the others imo.

But then, we really don't know for sure what's going to happen in season 2, we can only speculate based on what we already know and from what I already know I don't have...really any expectations because I don't expect I will enjoy what comes next or want to consider it canon lol. But I'm also a bitter old lady that's been through a lot of media disappointment and I've had to steel myself accordingly lol, so it comes naturally to me be pessimistic.

There are definitely very clear avenues here for things to get better. There are paths one could take to at least halfway explain some of the weird shit that went on in season one (revealing that Loki had been enchanted, for example). So, in that sense, it could happen. We also know Tom is enamored with Lokius and Kevin Feige (for whatever his opinion is worth lol) has verbally recognized the couple's success as well.

At the end of the day, I think someone with a significant voice is just going to have to care enough about it to fight for it. Hopefully that happens!

[fencesandfrogs]

cloudtail’s daughter — worldbuilding & logistical things

so i've been working on an au re. dovewing being the direct child of cloudtail and brightheart. check out my cloudtail's daughter tag for more info, because i'm basically just jumping in this time with minimal context.

that said, i think this is relatively self-contained. it's mostly thoughts about the world of warriors, lumped in with specific changes for the au purposes.

[3.8k words, 14 min read. section headers, very long paragraphs. paragraphs in parathesis and italics are sidebars that can be skipped. a lot of spelling mistakes because my grammer checker cuts me off after like 2k words. sorry.]

section one: po3

so i've said before i want to minimize the changes made specifically in po3 for the purposes of this au. a) because that means i only have to keep track of 6 books worth of content (i've given myself through bramblestar's storm to get to the point where it could mostly fit into canon, but for reasons that are obvious re. my dovewing/tigerheart take, tigerheart's shadow would be a little weird, but not out of canon. anyway we don't get any tigerheart pov in this so who knows what he's thinking.)

anyway, hollyleaf plays a significant role in the ending three books of the rewrite, getting her own pov in book 4 the forgotten warrior. so she can't go exactly the same way it happens in po3. i need her back in thunderclan by book 2 for beavers, not book 5. also, she still needs to end up mates with fallen leaves. because changing that would count as a major series change that could have an impact on the future continuity and this series rewrite is intended to be fairly self contained.

right. so hollyleaf has her shit a bit more together, but she still kills ashfur and goes into the tunnels. the difference is we're ignoring the entire hollyleaf's story novella. don't get me wrong, it was a really good novella, but she doesn't have that much time. i'm not interested in figuring out the details of what happens, but she returns to the clans either before book one or in book one, i haven't decided. she continues to see fallen leaves fairly regularly, though, including spending irregular nights with him. everyone just kind of...accepts hollyleaf's ghost boyfriend, because no one wants to upset hollyleaf again.

lionblaze's personality is not entirely nonexistant in po3, contrary to popular opinion, but he does have to support an entire book in this rewrite, and it's the weakest book in the arc, so he's gotta have something. i've nudged him to be a bit gregarious and open. you know, big and friendly and warm. terrifying in battle though.

jayfeather ends on much better terms with brightheart. i know he doesn't really end on a bad note with her, but this is also to help story flow a bit.

other changes will, i'm sure, crop up here and there, but those are the three major ones. i've got tonnes of changes i'd like to make, but i'm keeping it minor. (notably, if it were up to me, jayfeather would do his back in time sequence once, not twice, and it would be in omen of the stars. hollyleaf's ghost boyfriend would add more solid ground to it, and that would be established in book 2, but as i've decreed the rules, it is not up to me.

also, dovekit and jaykit would be siblings, and dovepaw would become the medicine cat dovefeather, and jaypaw would be the warrior jaywing. that's a bigger change though for a different au.)

section two: family dynamics & a bit of genetics

so one thing i really like in omen of the stars is how close dove/ivy/white are. it's really cute. cloudtail and dovekit are super close in the first book, and brightheart, dovekit, and ivykit are going to stay close throughout their lives. (cloudtail will also stay close with his daughters, but dovewing and ivypool consistently look to whitewing for support, and brightheart is good for that too.)

i have whitewing as still existing because age wise, i think it makes sense for brightheart to have her younger litter at dovekit and ivykit, than for them to be her first litter and for amber/dew/snow continue to exist. (in my hypothetical jaywing/dovefeather au, this is reversed.)

i'm not keen on her being close with her younger sisters. i do think, for future story purposes, whitewing and birchfall would have amber/snow/dew. this is a super unimportant change because the only part of that litter that matters is that lilykit is fostered so that lilyheart can then foster twigkit and violetkit, and there's 0 reason that whitewing can't be responsible for that.

(be honest, did you even remember that chain of events? did you even remember who raised lilykit? did you even remember sorreltail was her birth mother who died? yeah, that's what i thought.)

anyway, i've danced around the specific genetics of how we get a grey dovekit from a white cloudtail and a red brightheart, and you may think, "matthew, one paragraph isn't dancing around it," and that's because you have no idea how much i care about this and how much i have to say about this. if you don't want to read 1.3k words about cat genetics, skip to the next section. the last two paragraphs is the only part that's even kind of important.

so. i've put a whole lot of thought into this. because obviously dovekit is responsible for being grey to make the whole bit work about her, you know, being dovekit, and dovekit must be dovekit for dove's gentle wings to work. so this is important.

i'm going to walk through the two options: tortie brightheart and tortie dovewing. (*technically, calico brightheart and either for dovewing, but i'm keeping it brief.)

(an aside that's totally skipable: so there is a gene on the extension locus E/e which causes cats born black to turn to amber, which definitely could be brightheart, but it's pretty rare, so i'm sticking with my calico assumptions. that said, in brightheart's official art, there is a black ring around her nose, implying a very specific silver tabby to amber deal. given her kit coat isn't described anywhere i can find it, i'd say it's actually the best description of brightheart. that said, best description is not the most likely. anyway, if this were the case, i wouldn't need all of this write up. so know that there's an easy solution, but i'm choosing to ignore it because of its rarity and because i don't want to check if brightheart could have inherited the silver genes she would have had to for this to work. it's definitely possible, given that frostfur has the same deal as cloudtail, see below, and lionheart could be golden --- as in the formal word for a cat with certain genes, a color linked to silver, but, well, i just can't find it likely. i'll add a short description of how it would work at the very end of this though.)

in either case, cloudtail is the same, so i'll address him first.

so, cats have four genes on the white allele, Wd, Ws, w, and wg. Wd is dominant white, and it could be what cloudtail has, but since he has blue eyes, it would be likely for him to be deaf, and, because it's dominant, there's a low chance that neither dovekit nor ivykit inherit it. is what i would be saying if whitewing wasn't his first daughter. she is also solid white with blue eyes, so to me, that makes me thing he has Wd- (as in, any other gene.)

the other option, Ws, requires him to be WsWs to be fully white, and brightheart to be either WsWs or Ws- for whitewing to inherit WsWs. given that ambermoon and dewnose are not fully white, it seems that brightheart is Ws- and cloudtails is Wdw (or Wdwg) in order for their theoretical image to be correct.

(an aside of even less importance: ambermoon's father was not cloudtail. the short explanation is that she shares one X chromosome with princess, who was XX --- see my discussion of tortoiseshells below, we know princess wasn't one, so she can't be XXo --- and one with brightheart, who's XXo or XoXo. therefore, ambermoon and princess cannot both have accurate canon descriptions because one of them needs to be a tortie. i think it's more likely she was sired by a red tom. yes, it is possible for kits in the same litter to have different sires, and yes, that is necessary, because no one else has dominant white in thunderclan AFAIK. this means making her birchfall and whitewing's gives a bit more wiggle room in all this. a bit. she could also have the same thing covered on brightheart in the above slide, but that's complicated for other reasons.)

brightheart is almost certainly Wsw or Wswg. they're not both wgwg because that leaves no options for ambermoon, who i'm interpretting as not having any white. cloudtail inherits from princess wg because of birman gloving demonstrating on her white paws (there are other ways, but given her description, which fits it almost identically, i'm going with that.) so for white, we have Wdwg for cloudtail and Wsw for brightheart.

ivypool inherits Wswg so she can have her inconsistent white, and dovewing inherits wwg.

now, we don't know anything about cloudtail's father, except that he's white too (or cloudtail couldn't be white.) princess is light brown tabby, which is something i'm having a hard time deciding her genetics for, so we'll work back to that (neither of the obvious options leads to a cat that looks like princess, because of how tabbies work, the combination is likely not to be obvious anyway) if i decide we need her genetics.

right so for dovewing to be solid grey, two things must be true: cloudtail and brightheart must be either Dd or dd (dilution). brightheart, i don't believe, is dilute, because i've seen cream on cats and it's far closer to sandstorm's color than brightheart, so i'm calling her Dd. cloudtail can be either.

dovewing is dd, and so is ivypool. that's how you get light grey.

now, either cloudtail or brightheart have to have a B- black phenotype. (special case included, if you read the aside) and i think it's more likely to be cloudtail. then, brightheart can be blbl, which is cinnamon, and would help hide her tortie-ness. (we're covering that later.)

at this point, dovewing is more or less settled. if you're comfortable with this type of genetics, you can probably work it out. dovekit inherits B-/dd/wwg, and she's everything we need. the fact that she's not a tabby does kind of matter, but not really, because the nonagouti gene is recessive so even if cloudtail was a masked tabby, he can still be Aa and brighheart can be Aa, so she won't show. that makes dovewing B-/dd/wwg/aa, for those following along at home.

ivypool is a tabby, so she'd be B-/bb/Ws-/A-.

okay, we have the core of them settled down. there's a lot more that goes into types of tabbies, but that doesn't really matter here. the last bit that matters is the tortie issue.

as is a somewhat commonly known fact, tortie cats are almost always female, because the phaeomelanin (red pigment) gene in cats is sex linked to Xo (vs X for eumelanin, the black gene). this is expressed as O/o when discussing the specific gene, but since we only care if its dominant, the XO/Xo distinction is slightly faster to type if X means black and Xo means orange.

anyway, these are codominant, if a cat has two, they'll be expressed at random. that's how tortie cats exist. since for the vast majority of cases, only female cats have two X chromosomes, only female cats can be XXo.

(as an aside, that's another reason for the clans to find sol strange. i know the clans have a lot of male calicos, but sol was the most distinctive one, since redtail died in the prologue and i can't recall any others off the top of my head.)

anyway, dovewing needs to inherit XX to be fully black (grey), so brightheart needs to be tortie to pass on one to her and remain orange. alternatively, brightheart is XoXo and dovewing is a tortie. i'm sticking with brightheart tortie because that's actually how i pictured her, so i like it better, but it doesn't really matter, since the cream on dilute torties is actually rather subtle.

ivypool is the same as dovewing, although she could be a tortie if dovewing isn't and brightheart is, something i quite like the idea of.

now, for option 3, the cryptic option in the aside. basically, to summarize, you can get black cats who turn orange over time. the end result is a cat who looks very much like brightheart if they start silver tabbies (like ivypool could be), up to the black ring around her nose in the official art. that makes it the best way to describe brightheart.

however, it's pretty rare, so i chose to ignore it for my analysis. if brightheart did have this gene, then nothing would change about dovekit and ivykit from their canon descriptions, nor would her's change, except for her apprentice art, which would need to be updated as spreading orange over silver.

this is also the only option that gives us fully red ivykit, something i have decreed adorable.

over 1k words about cat colors later, here's my take: dovewing and ivypool with somewhat mirrored tortie spots (they'll never be perfectly mirrored, both because ivypool has white and because its entirely random) is cute and adds something extra to all of that art where they're mirrored.

i'd rather have straight red brightheart because she's got so much art very clearly not calico, and i'd rather have the two sisters match each other for cinematic drama than change brightheart. the accurate thing to do would be calico brightheart because it could be easily hidden by the right genes on the B locus, but i don't want to do that. so. i hope this was illustrative.

section three: clan culture

this here has no impact on plot but i've read a lot of worldbuilding stuff developing distinct cultures for the clans and honestly, that's why i'm so sad book 6 takes place with two shadowclan narrators. unfortunately, dovewing and ivypool are, like, crucial to the success of the clan cats, so they need to be there.

that said, were i to write this, i would certain write novellas for lionblaze and jayfeather.

anyway, i'm going to take what we've come to see as "standard clan culture" as thunderclan culture. they have a good deal of contact not with twolegs but with kittypets (compared to the opposite for riverclan) in the old terretory, so it makes sense they developed a more rigid, militeristic life, less free and less spiritual than the other clans necessarily. they're trying to be tough in front of the kittypets.

riverclan is just kinda...chill. they like flowers and shiny things. they copy twolegs because its fun (cats irl do this because they want to be like you --- being like you seems safe to them, but these kitties do it because its fun.)

so they make, not flower crowns because, no thumbs, but certainly weave flowers into den walls and leave petals places. (to everyone who keeps putting things on cats heads, please try doing that with the most patient domestic cat you know, and then i'll let you quietly correct yourself. i mean, continue doing it for fun, but if you seriously think that's possible...)

i do like the idea of them making wreathes its just, like, no opposable thumbs guys. maybe the medicine cats do it for religious holidays.

anyway, they have patrols far less regularly than thunderclan. they're also the most true to real cat schedules: most active at dawn and dusk. that's when fish are active.

so they're not lazy, sleeping all day, they get up earlier than all but the earliest risers in thunderclan and shadowclan. (windclan wakes up early too, we're getting to them.)

they also make shrines, but they don't really have a ton of weight to them. they're copying what they see.

when cats die, however, the trinkets lining their nests are dispersed to their loved ones, and one or two are added to a collective pile/arrangement somewhere. riverclan has been pretty clear their nests float (although i can't tell you why, considering they just evacuate when that happens and have to rebuild), so the most useful thin i can think of is to preserve the trinkets.

they also are one of the two clans to celebrate proper holidays. there's not a good sense of order to them, but when a celebration is needed, a celebration is had.

that said, unlike thunderclan, the warrior vigil does remain strong in riverclan. this is because twolegs are far more common in their territory, and so learning to be quiet when necessary is important, and the vigil reinforces that. riverclan cats are also really good at sitting still: you have to, to be able to catch fish.

shadowclan is pretty serious, but unlike thunderclan, they're serious about religion. being a medicine cat in shadowclan is a pretty serious deal. they tend to die young. (i'm stealing this mostly/entirely from warrior cats redux because i can't get it out of my head.)

they retain bringing apprentices to the moonpool in the new territory. it was always an important deal for them, whereas in thunderclan it's kind of like "oh yeah make sure that happens," like a mastery project in high school or a first year seminar in university.

they also care a lot about their ancestors. i believe blackstar is the one who called the names of the fallen during every gathering? yeah. that's because remembering the dead is really important in shadowclan.

they've got a lot of nursery tales about ghosts who grew vengeful once their names were forgotten, fading from starclan but not allowed to fully die. so. when everyone dies real fast like that, carving their names into everyone's memory is super important.

(if it wasn't blackstar who did that it is in this au.)

anyway, they've got a good amount of order to their life, like thunderclan, and the camp is also a lot quieter. in thunderclan, kits are under a good amount of danger from badgers and foxes and hawks, oh my!, but pine forests are a bit safer, since foxes are the only serious predetor.

i mean, it's complicated, and i can't really figure out what biome to base this analysis on, but i'm sticking with "foxes are all shadowclan really has to worry about" because it works for me. so shadowclan kits are allowed (suprivised) out of camp much earlier.

i know this contradicts tigerheart's shadow, and my choice was either "shadowclan: militant about protecting kits" or "shadowclan: dgaf" and i'm going with "after brokenstar, they did get real protective of their kits, which is when tigerkit was born and raised, but over time, they've relaxed back to their natural state of chill"

anyway, they're probably the most similar to thunderclan, but dovewing vibes there so much better because there's a real sense of order for purpose, not just because. so there's less shouting about who is going on patrol and who's hunting. the dawn patrol is leaving because if you're up at dawn, you need to secure the territory. etc.

and while she's part of a prophecy, shadowclan revers the prophecy itself, not dovewing. dovewing is not special for being a part of it, she's just doing her role for clan life. her role happens to be different than the usual, but so what? she's just a cat.'

also, they have holidays. namely, the new moon is a big celebration night, but they also celebrate the seasons, and new life. this is part of why tigerheart gets so homesick: even dovewing, his wife, doesn't share this part of life with him, and he misses it.

finally, windclan. i don't know honestly what to do with them. they're supposed to be the most spiritual but that's not reflected in how they're written, even in like tallstar's revenge, so i don't know. i think they're the calm riverclan crossed with the more focused on protocol of clan life thunderclan.

they rise early because rabbits, and their hunting patrols are smaller and less organized. based on the books, they just run full wild after rabbits most of the time, which means they scare off the other ones for a while, so it makes sense to have a mentor and apprentice go out every hour or so during the waking day to grab a bunny or bird than for a bunch of cats to feed the clan for a day.

they do have a lot of respect for medicine cats and leaders. starclan isn't seen as something the average cat has any connection at all with. i have a hard time keeping track of who complains about what in the broken code and avos, but i feel like windclan gets angry at some point about shadowsight's visiosn.

anyway, so a cat like jayfeather is like "oh he real cool" and that's fun for jayfeather. everyone expects great things from him. because, you know, medicine cat and in a prophecy? can you imagine i mean shame he came to be via crowfeather and leafpool but you'd be a fool not to admit he's a credit to his parent's names.

they're also pretty proud. and private. very private. no one knows at all what goes on in windclan. i'd not put it past them to have a secondary camp to move to if they get uncomfortable with so many people knowing where their camp is.

i mean, how else do you explain them keeping the tunnlers secret for so long? i mean, like completely secret, no one else knew about them secret, we found out about them in a super edition secret for so long?

section four: medicine cat shit

this is a short section, but i want there to be the idea, especially in shadowclan and windclan, that medicine cats are really important to the integrity of a clan, so they need to be spiritually pure. this doesn't mean they can't have been warriors, but they can't break the code.

that's why thunderclan and riverclan medicine cats share herbs so much more than the others: if windclan and shadowclan leadrs say no, medicine cats are risking a lot by disobeying.

this is also part of why leafpool steps down when the truth comes out. what she did is bad enough, but it will be far worse for crowfeather if she doesn't step down, and shadowclan and windclan will come for her head.

nightcloud and breezepelt are also angry because not only did crowfeather have kits out of clan, but it was with a medicine cat. that's like having sex out of wedlock with a nun.

and that's pretty much all i have for this. most of it was taken up by cat genetics, because integrity matters to me.

[crowdvscritic]

round up // MARCH + APRIL 21

March and April were a whirlwind of vaccines and awards shows! A full year after we starting staying at home, the end of this weird chapter in recent history seems like it might finally be coming to a close, and this pop culture awards season—typically a time full of fun and glamour—captured our moment weirdly well. (Emphasis on the weird.) This month’s recommendations is filled with more Critic Picks than usual, so without further delay, let’s dive right in...

March + April Crowd-Pleasers

Double Feature — 2018 Action Thrillers: Bad Times at the El Royale + Den of Thieves

In Bad Times at the El Royale (Crowd: 9/10, // Critic: 8/10), Jeff Bridges, Cynthia Erivo, Jon Hamm, Chris Hemsworth, and Dakota Johnson are staying at a motel on the California-Nevada state line full of money, murder, and mystery. In Den of Thieves (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 6.5/10), Gerard Butler takes on some of the best bank robbers in the world. Whether you like your action with a dose of mystery or the thrills of plot twists, these will fit the bill.

Double Feature — ‘80s Comedies: Caddyshack (1980) + Splash (1984)

In the mood for pure silliness? Take your pick between a mermaid and a gopher! Five years before The Little Mermaid, Tom Hanks fell for Daryl Hannah’s blonde hair and scaly tail, and John Candy was his goofy brother in Splash (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10). And four years before Ghostbusters, Bill Murray was the goof on a golf course full of funny people like Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, and Ted Knight in Caddyshack (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6.5/10).

Double Feature — 1980s Coming-of-Age Films Starring Corey Feldman, Kiefer Sutherland, and Challenging Brother Relationships That Influenced Stranger Things: Stand by Me (1986) + The Lost Boys (1987)

Believe it or not, I had no idea these two ‘80s classics had so much in common when I chose to watch them back-to-back. In Rob Reiner’s adaptation of Stephen King’s Stand by Me (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9/10), four kids (Feldman, Jerry O’Connell, River Phoenix, and Wil Wheaton) are following train tracks to find a missing body. In The Lost Boys (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10), Corey Haim and Jason Patric move to a small California town and discover it’s full of ‘80s movie star cameos and…vampires? One is a thoughtful coming-of-age story and one is just bonkers, but both are a great time.

Spaceman by Nick Jonas (2021)

My love for the Jonas Brothers is well-documented, so instead of going down the rabbit hole I started digging at 15, I’ll talk about how Nick Jonas’s latest solo album will likely appeal to a wider audience than just the fans of the brothers’ bombastic pop records. It’s full of catchy tunes you’ll play on repeat and an R&B-influenced album experience about the loneliness we’ve experienced in the last year and how we try to make long-term relationships work.

Ted Lasso (2020- )

I love stories about nice people crushing cruelty and cynicism with relentless kindness, and Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) is the warmest, most dedicated leader this side of Leslie Knope. Be sure to catch up on these witty and sweet 10 episodes before season 2 drops later this summer.

Double Feature — Tony Scott Action Flicks: Enemy of the State (1998) + The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)

Tony Scott’s movies have got explosions and excitement in spades. I love a good man-on-the-run movie, and in Enemy of the State (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10), Will Smith is running through the streets of D.C. after getting evidence of a politician’s (Jon Voight) part in a murder. I also love a tense story set in a confined space, which is what Denzel Washington is dealing with in The Taking of Pelham 123 (Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 7/10) after a hammy John Travolta takes a New York subway train hostage.

Double Feature — Baseball Movies: The Natural (1984) + Trouble With the Curve (2012)

Sue me—I love baseball movies. Robert Redford plays a fictional all-time great in the early days of the MLB in The Natural (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10), and Clint Eastwood plays a fictional all-time great scout in his late career in Trouble With the Curve (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7.5/10). If you love baseball or actors like Amy Adams, Glenn Close, Robert Duvall, and Justin Timberlake, these movies are just right here waiting for you.

Nate Bargatze: The Greatest Average American (2021)

Sue me—I enjoy Netflix standup comedy specials that are safe enough to watch with your whole family. That’s exactly the crowd I laughed with over Easter weekend, and while the trailer captures Bargatze’s relaxed vibe, it doesn’t capture how funny he really is.

The Mighty Ducks (1992)

I thought somewhere in my childhood I’d seen at least one of The Mighty Ducks movies, but after watching all three, I think my memories must’ve come from previews on the VHS tapes for other Disney movies I watched over and over again. The original still holds up as an grown-ups, which is why even my parents got sucked in to this family movie while just passing through the living room. Bonus for ‘80s movies lovers: Emilio Estevez is basically continuing Andrew Clark’s story from The Breakfast Club as an adult. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6.5/10

Double Feature — New, Dumb Action on Streaming: Godzilla vs. Kong + Thunder Force (2021)

If you want something intelligent, go ahead and skip to the next recommendation, but if you’re looking for something stupid fun, these are ready for you on HBO Max and Netflix. Thunder Force (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6/10) follows Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer as they train to become superheroes who take on superhuman sociopaths wreaking havoc on Chicago, and alongside Jason Bateman, they do it with a lot of laughs. Godzilla vs. Kong (Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 5/10) is, um, exactly what it sounds like, so I’ll skip a plot summary and just say it’s exactly what you want from this kind of movie. #TeamKong

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

All you need to know is Russell Crowe is an outlaw, and Christian Bale is the guy who’s got to get him on the train to prison. I also watched the 1957 version, which is also a solid watch if you love classic Westerns. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021)

Marvel’s newest series isn’t nearly as inventive as WandaVision, and it may not land every beat, but it’s worth a watch for the fun new gadgets, Sebastian Stan’s dry joke delivery, and its exploration into themes of what makes a hero and what governments owe their citizens. It’s a pretty satisfying entry in the MCU canon, but I’d also recommend re-watching Captain America: Winter Soldier and Civil War—the canon is getting expansive, and it’s getting trickier every year to keep up with all the backstory.

March + April Critic Picks

Best of 2020 Picks

As per usual, the months leading up to the Oscars becomes a binge period for potential Oscar nominees. In March and April, I watched many of the films that made my Top 20 of 2020, including Boys State, The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Let Them All Talk, Minari, Nomadland, On the Rocks, One Night in Miami…, Promising Young Woman, Soul, and Sound of Metal. You can read how I ranked them on my list for ZekeFilm, plus reviews of The Father, Minari, Promising Young Woman, and Soul.

Bonus: If you loved On the Rocks, don’t miss this feature and beautiful photography starring Sofia Coppola, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning, and Rashida Jones for W Magazine. 

Stranger Than Fiction (2006)

What would you do if you started hearing a voice who narrated your every thought and move? If you’re Will Ferrell, you’ll seek out a literary professor (Dustin Hoffman), fall in love (with Maggie Gyllenhaal), and track down the voice (Emma Thompson) who’s making ominous predictions about your future. Stranger Than Fiction is funny thought-provoking, and an unusual but welcome role for Ferrell. Crowd: 9.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

All the Royal Family News

Speaking of stranger than fiction, it’s been a busy few months for the Royal Family. We’ve celebrated 95th birthday of Queen Elizabeth, the 3rd birthday of Prince Louis, and the 10th anniversary of Will and Kate’s marriage. We also lost Prince Philip, and we watched the drama of Harry and Meaghan’s interview with Oprah. No matter what happens to their Crown, I don’t think we’ll ever get over our fascination with the Windsor family. A few pieces worth reading from the last few months:

“In Meghan and Harry’s Interview, Two TV Worlds Collided,” Vulture.com

“The Queen’s Man: Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Dies,” TIME.com

“Obituary: HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh,” BBC.com

Goodfellas (1990)

One of my film opinions that makes me feel like a phony is that Martin Scorsese just isn’t my cup of tea. He’s brilliant, but his films tend to be long and dark, two qualities that are never my first choice…and somehow Goodfellas still worked for me? Maybe it was the TV edit graciously toning down the violence or maybe it was that Ray Liotta and Joe Pesci were firing on all cylinders, but for some reason this ‘90s classic didn’t suck the joy out of my evening like Scorsese often does. (Bonus: For a Martin Scorsese/Robert De Niro I don’t really recommend, head to the last section of this Round Up.)

Fearless (Taylor’s Version) (2021)

Her voice has only matured, so Taylor Swift revisiting her old albums is like upgrading a blast to the past. Plus, the six new tracks make me feel like 15 crushing on that boy in Spanish class again, and her Grammys performance (just before her third Album of the Year win) was magical and folklore-tastic.

Double Feature — ‘60s Action Classics: The Guns of Navarone (1961) + Planet of the Apes (1968)

The Guns of Navarone (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10) follows Gregory Peck and David Niven as they destroy Nazi weapons in the Mediterranean. Planet of the Apes (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10) follows Charlton Heston as he attempts to escape from, well, a planet full of apes. The pacing of ‘60s films doesn’t always hold up, but that’s not the case with this pair. Both are still full of suspense, and you can’t go wrong hanging with casts like these.

Let Him Go (2020)

Kevin Costner and Diane Lane play a farming couple who unexpectedly help raise a boy who lost his biological father—sound familiar? But instead of a superhero origin story, they’re part of a thrilling Western with performances nuanced (Costner and Lane) and showy (Lesley Manville). If I’d watched this before completing my Best of 2020 piece, it likely would’ve been on my list. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

The Oscars

I’m a ride-or-die fan of the Academy Awards, but I’ll admit even I found this year’s ceremony odd. Instead of focusing on what wasn’t so hot, I’ll recommend a few moments you don’t want to miss:

Emerald Fennell giving a shout-out to Saved by the Bell

Daniel Kaluuya acknowledging his parents’ sex life during his acceptance speech (??)

Yuh-Jung Yoon flirting with Brad Pitt and acknowledging she’s just “luckier” than her fellow nominees

Glenn Close dancing to…”Da Butt”?

You can also read about the historic wins and nominations from this year’s Oscar class and why the Golden Globes were an even stranger production weeks earlier.

Trailer-palooza!

Movies are on their way back, y’all! I’m counting down the days until I can get back to a theatre, and even if some of these movies are duds, I’m planning to see all of them on a big screen if possible:

Those Who Wish Me Dead (May 14)

Cruella (May 28)

In the Heights (June 11)

Space Jam 2 (July 16)

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (September 3)

West Side Story (December 10)

Also in March + April…

To add to the Oscars love, you can listen to a conversation about what we learn about family, community, and society in some of the year’s biggest nominees on the Uncommon Voices podcast. I join regular hosts Michael and Kenneth in this episode, and I recommend all of their thoughtful discussions on their “What’s Streaming” episodes.

I’ve previously recommended the Do You Like Apples weekly newsletter, so I’m proud to share I contributed twice in March! I wrote about Love and Basketball, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, and one of my all-time favorite Julia Roberts rom-coms, Notting Hill. (I also tied to win their Oscars pool, but I suppose that’s less exciting for you than me.)

It was a busy couple of months on SO IT’S A SHOW! New logo, new email list, new Instagram, and a host of new episodes about a flop of a Madonna flick, a Swedish children’s TV show, an urban legend turned into a horror movie, one of the best films about journalism ever, and a Martin Scorsese movie about a real boxer.

Most of what I wrote for ZekeFilm in March and April was mentioned in Best of 2020 recommendations…except for The Nest, a film that couldn’t figure out what genre it wanted to be.

Photo credits: Nick Jonas, Royal Family. All others IMDb.com.

[milf-lover42]

Bellatrix and Azula are the same character, change my mind

As most people can tell, Bellatrix Lestrange is my all time favorite character. I might get new favorites every time I watch a new show, and they all share a general similarity (let’s face it… I have a type, and if you’re reading this here on tumblr dot com… you do too, don’t lie). However, no character has ever come close to beating Bellatrix for top spot. And then I watched A:TLA for the first time a few weeks ago. I didn’t watch it as a kid, I was just young enough (2003 babeyy) that I wasn’t watching tv when it was on. Azula is obviously my favorite from this show, and is also the only character to ever come close to Bellatrix’ spot in my heart. But thinking about this and all the headcanons that people have made for the Black family dynamic… it seems like a pretty straightforward connection. Azula is essentially just a young Bellatrix.

Almost all of these Black family headcanons have been taken from fanfictions I have read over the years, and so the credit goes to their respective authors. Many overlap so I cannot pinpoint each author to each one, and it has been a while since reading some of them. Most notable of these would be Glass Silence by Zarrene Moss. There are many more fantastic stories I have drawn from but I couldn’t remember every fanfiction I’ve read to pick out each detail. For all the Azula stuff, I am drawing from Hello Future Me’s video on Youtube “The Psychology of Azula | Avatar: The Last Airbender”. If you want to spend an hour watching that I highly recommend it. Basically none of this is mine, I’m just using the headcanons and research of others to tie Bellatrix to Azula.

Let’s start with their family dynamics. Bellatrix is the oldest of the Black sisters, and has no brother. Although not stated in canon, (because apparently she’s too minor a character to deserve a backstory) it is presumed that all the duties of a male heir fell to her in a way. Marry young and marry a rich pureblood, carry on the family name and power, and secure a high social standing. Pureblood society is extremely archaic, if the treatment of muggle-borns is anything to go by, so we can safely assume that they are a very patriarchal society. Cygnus and Druella Black almost certainly wanted a son to carry on their name, especially given Walburga and Orion had both Sirius and Regulus. We can also assume that they weren’t exactly the kindest parents. At best, Druella was a silent wife subjected to abuse from her husband and ultimately was unable to keep her children safe; at worst she actively joined Cygnus in abusing their children. Each of the sisters have a unique way of dealing with this. 

Andromeda handled it by running away, completely rebelling. She fell in love with Ted Tonks, a muggle-born. I doubt this in itself was an act of rebellion, I think she simply realized how stupid blood supremacy was after speaking to him. Once she fell in love it’s clear she wanted to break away from her family so that she could marry him. Clearly her parents knew, and it’s likely she told them herself. Given Ted was a muggleborn I can’t imagine her parents reacting with a simple, “No he is beneath you, we forbid it.” They probably acted harshly in an attempt to make it stick in her head that the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black would not associate with m*dbloods. Either she ran away or was kicked out, but either way she stayed with Ted and didn’t listen to her parents.

Narcissa shut off and blocked all her emotions. Obviously as an adult she actively practices the same beliefs her parents did, but as a teenager I don’t see this as being who she was. As an adult she is very cold and unemotional. The only person she truly cares about is her son, Draco. She cares about Bella still, she just doesn’t show it because she wasn’t allowed to as a child. As for her feelings toward Lucius... it is unclear. Depending on where you stand, she either could have been forced into a marriage with him, or they were in love as teenagers and got lucky enough that their parents arranged for them to marry each other. My personal opinion is they were forced. I think Lucius was supposed to be married to Andy but when she ran away, the Blacks had to hold up their end of the deal with the Malfoy’s and so Narcissa was married off to him. She embodies the whole “Ice Queen” personality. In order to cope with the trauma and her unwanted marriage, she just blocked all emotion to keep herself sane, only showing it for Draco.

And then we come to Bellatrix. Bellatrix, who had too many expectations to live up to, so many roles to fill, and no positive reinforcement from parents who just abused her if she messed up. She felt everything. She was the oldest and cared greatly for her younger sisters, and probably did her best to take any of the abuse that was going to be given to Narcissa or Andromeda. She used herself as their shield because they were the most important thing to her. Even after joining Voldemort and going insane she makes it very clear how she feels about Narcissa. Bellatrix would follow Voldemort's orders to the ends of the Earth, but the second she is asked to trust Snape, she says that Voldemort has made an error in judgement. Cissa wants to go to him and ask him to keep Draco safe, but Bellatrix advises against this. Only when her sister is in potential danger does Bellatrix doubt her master. Even at the height of her insanity her sister is the most important thing to her. We can assume as a child she felt the same for Andy. In fact in my opinion she never really stopped caring about her until Azkaban, I think she pretended to hate her when she came out about Ted Tonks, but only did so so that Andy would run away and live her life with the man she loved. She was safer away from their parents anyway. It didn’t matter if Bellatrix thought negatively about muggle-borns; she just wanted her sister to be safe. After going insane however, she truly seems to hate Ted for being a muggle-born, and she kills their half-blood daughter Nymphadora. 

In order to cope with the trauma of her childhood Bellatrix used all of those emotions as fuel for her magic. She is an incredibly powerful witch and is massively intelligent (although why she didn’t just use Legilimens on the Golden Trio will baffle me forever… it would have been so simple…). However because of this coping mechanism, she is driven insane. It’s not instant, in fact it probably took years (probably that stint in Azkaban, lads) for the insanity to fully develop and take hold. All of that exposure to Dementors would have forced her to relive the trauma of her childhood over and over, while taking away the happy memories of her sisters. 

Bellatrix was given a support system to break away from her family. Now it’s not a good or healthy one, but it is one nonetheless. After being treated so poorly by her parents, and forced into a marriage with Rodolphus, she needed freedom. When Tom Riddle comes along and praises her skill and offers her a spot as his best lieutenant? Of course she’s going to take that. Finally some recognition, and a good amount of safety. Not to mention missions and tasks given to her and others to her husband that mean she doesn’t have to be around him. Bellatrix was mistreated by her father and mother, but probably always wanted her father’s recognition. Her mother probably preferred Narcissa because she could be groomed into the perfect pureblood wife. Bellatrix latched onto Voldemort to gain recognition, praise, and power. But I can imagine as a teenager, having a complete breakdown at least once, especially after being told she’d be married off to Rodolphus. Demolishing her room with magic, windows breaking, personal items being thrown either by hand or by magic, and screaming and crying at the end. Very similar to Azula’s breakdown in her final scene.

Now we come to Princess Azula. She has an older brother, Zuko, but is always given the limelight. She receives a ceremonial headpiece that she is always seen wearing, but Zuko does not. He might be the boy, but he isn’t expected to take the crown. Azula is even named after her grandfather Azulon, who was Firelord. She was always expected to be the next Firelord over Zuko. Her future was never her own. She is a firebending prodigy, always showing off her skills, whereas Zuko falls behind. She is favored by her father Ozai for sure, but she is never truly praised. She is simply a means to an end to him. She was always expected to be the best. Although it isn’t shown in the TV series, in the A:TLA comics Ursa and Ozia’s relationship is depicted as abusive. He cuts her off from her family saying that he is all she will need. 

 There are theories as to whether or not Azula has a Machievellian personality type, or ASPD or NPD that could have been a root cause of her diminishing sanity, and after looking into those they seem very plausible. She lacks empathy, she emotionally manipulates everyone, and she has a messed up sense of right and wrong. Altruism just doesn’t make sense to her, and emotions are not genuine, simply stories made to get your way. Ursa rewards empathy, love and trust, which is why she clearly favors Zuko. But Ozai rewards power, cunning, and loyalty. They are complete opposites so it is not possible to please both of them. If she has any of these mental disorders it would be impossible to please her mother, so she focused on making her father proud. But Ozai never really shows any level of praise towards her, so she constantly tries to better herself. If she isn’t perfect, she’s failed. 

At the end of A:TLA, Ozai forces her to stay behind in the Fire Nation. He says it’s because they need a Firelord because he will be leaving. Azula is disappointed to not partake in the final battle, but it’s what her father wants, so she obeys. However, he only leaves her so that he can become the supreme leader of everyone, or “Phoenix King”.  Azula doesn’t really get a promotion, just a fancy name. In the finale, she is shown as her mental state quickly deteriorates. Her perfect image is gone, her hair is not up, her makeup undone, and she is paranoid that everyone is out to get her. This is the beginning of her breakdown. When she is unable to put her hair up by herself, she cuts her bangs. Her hair is all of a sudden asymmetrical, which is unheard of. She then starts to hallucinate. By the time she fights Zuko and Katara she is extremely unstable, and the fact that she can actually still bend is incredible, because it requires control of your emotions. She instead manages to use her emotions to fuel her bending. At the end when she is defeated, she finally breaks. Her bending is out of control, and she is left screaming and crying. 

Azula never had anyone  take her under their wing and give her the recognition she craved. Zuko had Iroh. Bellatrix had Voldemort. If Azula had been introduced to someone like Voldemort she would have gone down the same path as Bellatrix. Likewise, if Bellatrix hadn’t been introduced to Voldemort she would have ended up broken just like Azula. Their stories aren’t identical obviously, but there are some strong parallels that place them together, so I can see them as the same person with different outcomes to their story.

Does this stupidly long character analysis have any significant purpose? Nah, not at all. But like… I’m clearly right so… yeah.