#beast would not have ended like that if someone took one for the team ←has never read beast

[the-gayest-sky-kid]

i think beastzais just like that cause he hasnt been pegged

[kittenshift-17]

Omg I feel like any teen wolf fic (sterek fic) you write would be amazing, on that topic ur an amazing writer and I’m glad that one day I stumbled upon one of your fics. And also speaking of sterek fics (or any teen wolf fic) do u have and recommendations on what to read for that fandom???

Okay, so I took my time with this one because I had read some, but not a lot... but oh boy, did I deep dive into the research to bring you some top tier Sterek Fic Recs.

TOP 20 STEREK RECS

Play It Again by metisket ***I LOVED THIS ONE***

In which Stiles goes along with one of Derek’s plans and ends up in an alternate universe as a result. He should’ve known better. He did know better, actually, and that means he has no one to blame but himself.

“Laura wants to lure the kid in with food and kindness and make a pet of him, like a feral cat. Derek wants to have him arrested for stalking. They’re at an impasse. (And the rest of the family is staying emphatically out of it in a way that suggests bets have been placed.)”

So Shed Your Skin and Lets Get Started by halfhardtorock

He's sixteen and in the woods on the wrong side of the town-line and he's so fucking fucked.

He knows he's not supposed to run, they teach that to you in preschool (don't run from a Were, back away slowly and walk with care), but they never told you how it would feel, standing alone in the dark with your heart beating in your throat as those glowing eyes tracked you from the shadows.

Don't Feed the Wolves by Amazonia_8

Stiles took the dare, because what else was he supposed to do when the whole lacrosse team was chanting his name? Even though the werewolf pack had left Beacon Hills years ago, nobody was stupid enough to set foot on the Hale property.

Except, apparently, Stiles.

Now he's got a feral werewolf following him around town with the sole purpose of claiming Stiles as his own.

so now you've got the best of me (come on and take the rest of me) by mangotangos

"It doesn't matter how hot Derek is, how Stiles barely comes up to his shoulders or how Derek's hands could probably fit really snugly around his waist. None of it matters, because he's basically a glorified babysitter for the foreseeable future and Stiles wants him out. Operation annoy Deputy Derek Hale into leaving begins now."

~or, the one where Stiles' dad hires Deputy Derek to be Stiles' bodyguard, Stiles hates him on principle and then 2 seconds later falls in lust (and love) and tries to seduce him into bed with his sexual prowess.

There Are No Wolves In California by kitsunequeen

Hunter!Stiles accidentally hits a wolf with his car and can't bear to leave him in the road to die. It's not till he gets the wolf home that he sees its eyes glow red... ------- Even everyday roadkill is upsetting, but this thing… Moments ago it was probably a majestic beast, and now it’s a mangled pile of soon-to-be rotting flesh. He presses a shaking hand to the only part of its chest left intact, not even thinking about whether it'll give him rabies or some other awful disease.

He’s about to pull back when something even crazier happens.

He realizes the wolf is breathing.

(not so) Pure Imagination by theroguesgambit

"There is a world where whenever someone fantasizes about you, you can physically feel it, but you have no idea who is thinking it about you."

Stiles knows it's wrong, but he's been Fantasizing about Derek and he can't bring himself to stop. Derek doesn't know who's taken an interest in him, but he's enjoying it way more than he probably should.

Little Wild Animal by DiscontentedWinter

Derek Hale finds a feral human on his pack's property. Humans are supposed to be extinct. But then, Stiles is full of surprises.

The Darkness Inside by isthatbloodonhisshirt (wasterella)

The sheriff watched him for a moment, then he sighed and turned slightly. He reached out to open a cabinet door beside him, and pulled out a shelf. It was on a track, so it rolled out of the cabinet fairly easily, and held a small CCTV. Derek frowned and inched his chair to the side a little bit so he could get a better angle.

He was looking at a teenager, or someone at least young enough to be the same age as Scott. He was sitting on a bed in what looked to be a larger room, the area he was in surrounded by four glass walls, with his legs crossed and head tilted.

He was also staring directly into the camera, as if he knew someone was watching. A creepy smile slowly slid onto the teen’s face, and he held up one hand, wiggling his fingers in a slow, eery wave.

Derek felt his mouth run dry. He didn’t know who this kid was, but he didn’t like him.

“Who is that?” he asked quietly.

“That,” said the sheriff, “is my son.”

What I Did On My Summer Vacation by grimm for missingsun

There's something weird about Beacon Hills that Stiles can't quite put his finger on. The way everyone in town knows his name the day he arrives. The way they insist the melancholic howling that echoes through the forest every night is just a dog. The way his dad denies getting a dog, even though Stiles comes home to find one sprawled across his bed, some big black thing whose eyes gleam red in the right light. The way that massive oak tree out in the woods vibrates under his touch, pulsing with sickly life.

There's something weird going on in this town, and Stiles is determined to get to the bottom of it.

Patterns of Intention by drunktuesdays

Derek looked like the stuff of his deepest fantasies. His shirt was rumpled where Stiles had his hands in it, and he was breathing hard as well, chest heaving. His eyes—his eyes were glazed over and he looked stunned, like he’d been—like Stiles had—

“No,” Stiles said, blood draining from his face. The word was croaky and felt like it had to be wrenched out of his chest. “God, no.”

Wants & Needs by MadcapRomantic

Derek Hale has been participating in the Beacon Hills Mating Run for a decade, each year coming up without a mate. His mother, convinced this is his lucky year, persuades him to run one last time.

Enter Stiles, a young Omega with an unwanted Alpha nipping at his heels.

Family or not, Peter is determined to have Stiles.

But convinced they are True Mates, there isn't anything Derek won't do to keep Stiles safe.

I don't know why, but I guess it has something to do with you by LunaCanisLupus_22 for xXxClassifiedxXx 

“You smell like me,” the guy says, scowling as he crowds in and Stiles staggers back between the coats and finally hits the wall. “Why do you smell like me?”

He barely lets out a garbled sound as the blood rushes to his cheeks. “No reason,” Stiles yelps, struggling to get his footing and grasping at a whirlwind of puffy fur.

Or the one where Stiles goes thrift shopping and steals an alpha's shirt. And gets a lot more than he bargains for.

Sleeping Dogs by starsystems

Let sleeping dogs lie. Prov. Do not instigate trouble.;Leave something alone if it might cause trouble.

Derek Hale is asleep in Stiles's bed. And it just escalates from there.

Because of course it does.

We've Written Volumes (in Blood and Scars and Ink) by notthequiettype

Stiles is on his back on hard-packed dirt. He's cold and there are leaves stuck to his neck and there's a four inch gash in his side that he thinks he can feel his ribs through. There's so much blood around him he feels like he's floating on a pond and everything is so much dimmer above him than it was a minute ago, which is saying something because he's in the dark center of the forest in the middle of the night. And the worst of it is that he's alone, totally alone with the smell of his own blood drowning him and the soft side of him run through by a tree.

As his eyes slip shut, the last thing he thinks is, "This is going to kill my dad."

In Case You Didn't Know by Blu_Crowe

Stiles moves into the lofts, and he and Derek start to get closer. Unfortunately Stiles is a moron, and Derek is bad at feelings. They figure it out... Eventually.

Stilinski's Home for Wayward Wolves by owlpostagain

“At least your puppies knock first,” Stiles snorts. “Here I thought their alpha raised them to be well-mannered.” 



“There’s a sign,” Derek responds stiffly. 



Stiles, whose curiosity outweighs even his hardest of grudges, abandons his chilly façade of nonchalance in a heartbeat. He jumps right up and all but pushes Derek out of the way in his effort to get to the window, and sure enough when he leans outside there’s a laminated strip of cardstock duct taped to the vinyl siding: 



DON’T FORGET TO KNOCK Stiles gets cranky when we scare him

---

Or, in which Stiles Stilinski moves to Beacon Hills for his junior year of high school and accidentally adopts a pack of teenage werewolves.

Lock All The Doors Behind You by entanglednow

He has no idea what you're supposed to say when you find one of your...werewolf acquaintances, completely out of their mind, growling like they're about to see what your insides taste like. There's no handbook for this. Stiles is thinking that if he survives he might write one.

Feral Formalities by Aleandri

"There was silence as no one seemed to breath at the table.

Derek had just gifted Stiles, an unmated Omega, with food.

Right in front of another Alpha.

Who he was on a date with.

To discuss being heat partners...."

*In which, Stiles presents as Omega, and everyone wants a piece of the alpha-baby-making ass!*

for a good time, call... by EvanesDust for kalika_999

Stiles unlocks his phone to send out a quick text asking his father what he wants to eat, even though he’ll get salad regardless, and notices a strange number on his recent call log.

His face scrunches in confusion before realization dawns on him.

Oh shit.

Events from the night before peek through the hazy fog of his mind. Stiles thought, or he was hoping, that the phone call was a dream. But there it is, staring at him in the face—a one minute and 57-second call to an unfamiliar number.

Oh God.

Did he seriously call someone—possibly an alpha werewolf!—for phone sex?

...Or the one where Stiles drunk dials a very grumpy alpha werewolf and propositions him for phone sex. Hilarity, misunderstandings, and feelings ensue.

Golden Boy by trilliath 

Apparently it still amuses his uncle to buy sex slaves for him, no matter how steadfastly he refuses to use them. Derek ducks into his tent with a resigned sigh, prepared to dress and reassign whatever new beauty Peter has bought him. They do make for loyal servants, so he can't really complain about Peter's 'gifts'. But it is annoying to deal with, to have to spend his evening sorting out a slave instead of being able to go right to bed. It's just something he has to learn to accept as a byproduct of serving alongside his uncle.

But when he lays eyes on the boy laying amid his furs, he finds his breath catching in his throat. His skin is golden with the candle-light glimmering against the sheen of oil that has been slathered on his bared body. His lips are parted, and they work over inaudible words or sounds. His skin is flushed, nipples peaked and pierced with simple but unexpected golden rings. He's spectacularly beautiful in the candlelight. The many glowing candles that have been added to his usual lighting cast glittering edges and shadows, imbuing an almost unearthly golden color to his skin.

It's enough that Derek hesitates.

[danwhobrowses]

So I Finally Finished a Playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3

It's been months of playing over my holidays and the weekends, but I've finally completed my first playthrough of what was deemed Game of the Year for 2023.

As someone whose only D&D experiences come from the two movies (the bad one that traumatized me as a kid by killing Snails and the good one that deserves more love) and Critical Role, I didn't know much of what I was getting into, only my coworkers saying 'buy it, it's a masterpiece' unanimously when I inquired about it. Having no idea how to play or the lore, I was very much entering blind.

Continued down the Keep Reading

So, I'm sure we gotta get through the first set of questions so let's get to them.

What was your Tav? It took a long time to realise that 'Tav' meant your player character among fanpages, I can't tell you why it's Tav still, but I only pieced it together from Durge naming too. My Tav is Dec, short for December because that's when I started playing and I couldn't waste too much time on stream thinking up a clever name. He was a High Elf Guild Artisan, for Class I started as a Beast Master Ranger, ironic that Ranger is deemed one of the lesser classes among the community, I was adamant to not use archery at the start but by the end of it I was a Crossbow Expert. I went 9/3 with Rogue to get Assassin, but then respec'd my Ranger into a Gloomstalker, since I never really summoned the bear (probably should've learned from Sam's constant dissing of Trinket eh?) plus when I remembered Dread Ambusher it gave me 3 attacks on the first turn. He has combustible blood thanks to Araj and some tadpole powers after consuming them after the creche incident made him more open to trusting the Dream Visitor; Charm - which failed 90% of the time - Psionic Backlash, Favourable Beginnings and Luck of the Far Realms used mainly, I had Stage Fright and Force Tunnel but didn't use it, same for Cull the Weak. Likes to talk things through, especially with Persuasion/Charisma buffing invisible hats. Has the Duellist's Perogative Sword and the Swire's Sledboard Shield for Melee, and the AC bonus, plus the Armor of Agility giving him an evasive 24 AC with Advantage thanks to 20 DEX and the Cloak of Displacement.

You can't see his scar and tattoo too well from here but I had to show off his Black Furnace and Red dye on his armour it looks too good. Here's a better look of his face:

For his tattoo and scarring I like to think he got the tattoo after the burn, in some ways distracting it from the scarring.

Did you Save Scum? Don't Lie to Me! Yes and I'm not sorry about it. If you wanna invite me to a D&D table I'll follow the rules and how the dice lands but there's a lot more wiggle room there than in a game where there's finite dialogue options. I was also not going to sit there and let my companions turn against me just because the game fancied throwing continual Nat 1s or low rolls at me, nor would I let Omeluum die in the Iron Throne, or end up leaving the Mirror of Loss empty handed. I bought the game so if I wanna carve this experience this way I shall carve it this way, I get some people see the Morally Good path as boring for this kind of gaming but I like to be good, it feels good, and I want good things to happen for my allies, even if it means having to undo most of their religious indoctrination. But, it did take a while for me to start save scumming, really it was freeing Halsin that started it but it didn't become regular until Auntie Ethel. I only really did it for dialogue/lore expansion (or when there were two dialogue options I was between which I hoped would be interpreted how I expect it to) and for necessary buff rolls like the Mirror of Loss, but sometimes I did it to keep some key NPCs alive like Jaheira, who died at Moonrise the first time.

Who did you usually team up with? Kinda a harem squad since I had Lae'zel, Shadowheart and Karlach. I was very combat-oriented; Lae'zel adding support to Karlach's melee or Dec's ranged combat while Shadowheart made up for most of the magic with heals, summons and like 100 scrolls in her bag (Dec horded about 100 different arrows and poisons too, sometimes pays off). I respec'd her to Light Domain after the Nightsong stuff to fit her character and hair change - though I must admit I preferred the black hair - and gave her my Adamantine Splint Armour for defences plus the ring and Balduran's Helm for +5 healing each turn. Lae'zel was a Battle Master, clad in the Helldusk set, though I didn't use much of her Superiority dice moves; the enemies often made saves against it even with 18 strength (20 after the mirror of loss, and higher at endgame thanks to an Elixir of Cloud Giant Strength), I relied more on her brute force, plus reaction skills like Executioner and Sentinel, plus the Silver Sword of the Astral Plane. Karlach was a 9/3 Bear Heart Barbarian and Champion Fighter, I did respec her for the Feats but the Bone armour, Balduran's Greatsword and Brutal Jump also helped at times, plus the Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength and the Amulet of Greater Health made her a high damage, near-200 Health-on-Rage machine (over 200 thanks to the +30 extra health at the final battle). I tended not to swap around a lot, I couldn't abandon my healer, loved Karlach's personality and I had sentiment for Lae'zel being the first person I encountered, she has the sad eyes too, but I did do some rare switching for personal quests. Initially I started with Astarion, but that's because of a misunderstanding of who Karlach was - more on that later - and it turned out that I wasn't doing much for stealth, I brought him for Cazador though, much like I brought Wyll for Ansur and Gale for the Book of Karsus. Later in Act 3 I played around with dyes and equipped everyone, out of fear that I may be sprung unprepared like with Orin - Halsin only had a torch - by all campmates joining the fight, it didn't happen but everyone at least looks stylish.

I go between whether I like Wyll's colours though, on one hand he looks like a Templar and the white would stand out in Avernus, other times he looks like a cosplayer XD Minsc and Jaheira needed no dyes the colours already suited well, but I do love the colours I chose for Astarion, Halsin and Karlach.

Who did you fuck? (romance) Probably would've been asked sooner but sadly Dec became an unintended bachelor, at least outside of the headcanon. He did share a night of passion with Lae'zel after freeing the Emerald Grove but it wasn't something he wanted to pursue further, our dynamic was more befitting of two soldiers, or at least a dynamic where we think we're the General and the other the Advisor. Had Shadowheart took 'later' for her drink offer as 'I want to see all the dialogues other characters have first' rather than a refusal there might have been a romance there, instead I feel we fell into a more sibling bond, she can be a bit too sassy at times in passing dialogue - I had hoped to see more development with her and Lae'zel eventually being friends. Wyll did his best to throw sad puppy eyes at me when I refused to dance with him but it just made things more awkward, Gale meanwhile probably was gonna make moves when teaching me the Weave but he was very hung up on Mystra for me to entertain it, I sat with him when he felt the mortal coil though. Astarion I think made a passing suggestion but nothing of substance, Halsin left it late after he got kidnapped by Orin - I didn't realise he had to physically join the party to be a part of the group until Act 3 - coming onto me right before I confronted the Brain which was quickly turned down. I believe Minsc and Jaheira are unable to be romanced atm, and I did not fuck the Emperor; it weirded me out that he just was there shirtless chilling next to my unconscious dream state. We killed Minthara, didn't know you could recruit or romance her in a Morally Good path. Which left Karlach, fuck did I want to romance Karlach, not for lack of trying either; but because when I met Wyll he was talking about killing her I immediately assumed 'oh Karlach must be that woman on the cover with him' (aka 'the bitch who could've been cool if she wasn't such a bitch' Mizora, who I also wouldn't have romanced given the option) and stuck a pin in it, I was also unaware that most Act 1 romance stuff would come to a head at the end of the Emerald Grove quest which I prioritized so I only encountered Karlach after I saved Halsin and the Grove, meaning I couldn't reach Dammon until Act 2. By then Karlach seemed to be locked out of romance, perhaps for another misunderstanding on my part too since I did upgrade her engine twice at Lost Light very swiftly, but it still was a knife to the heart after all that and the date at the circus that she called us 'just mates' to Fytz. All this and then they give us a better kissing patch ¬_¬

Yes so sad, anyway what about ~Astarion~? Astarion is popular, and I know why he's popular, and the scene of him killing Cazador was very well done...but Astarion for me though was just fine; I mean you guys see Karlach right? Part of the reason she stays my group was that I can't bear to part from her. A lot of the times my Morally Good options didn't align with Astarion's brand of pessimistic chaos, so he spent a lot of time in camp as I mispronounced his name until I heard it be properly said, which probably hampered his story a bit more, but we had a close enough friendship that he heeded my advice with the Ascension and the spawn, wish he reacted to me getting a painting of him since he can't see his reflection though, felt like something could've been done there. Jaheira was a fun personality too, angry old lady who says it like it is, kinda wish we had more to her quest, seeing her home and her interacting with her wards/children was interesting, Minsc was charming too in his simple way, would've been cool if he had more of a presence as well, like we could hear about Minsc and the Stone Lord in separate lights earlier in the game to build up to him. On that topic, I was surprised to find that there wasn't a companion for each role, I suppose there were constraints but Aylin and Zevlor both worked as Paladins, Alfira a Bard (though I don't think anyone would dare put her in the line of fire), I suppose there's little need for a Sorcerer when you had a Wizard or a Monk when you had a Fighter and Barbarian but it was strange, you get 2 Druids and your Ranger is built more like a Fighter or Barbarian (the latter I added to Minsc). I'd later learn that there was cut content for a halfling companion who was a werewolf, but I can see why that one was cut, with Chetney and all, but yeah not any halflings, Barcus could've been a companion even without the Artificer class, or a Dragonborn.

So how did your story go? Being the Morally Good Guy I was I went through most of the best options I could, but I also tried to avoid combat earlier on when I was struggling to work with it. I was friendly with the Goblin Camp for starters, since they thought I was with the Absolute and Dec is willing to put shit on his face to avoid conflict, it all went tits up after freeing Halsin and having to kill everyone but it may've had some benefit to how I could walk freely through Moonrise. Ironically it was the same with the Githyanki, friendly up until they wanted me to hand over the prism, though the Creche was a lost cause anyway, they're lucky I didn't ransack the place, could've gotten a lot of xp and loot there. I let Viconia live, so she can dwell on that burn Shadowheart gave her but oftentimes I was not so merciful, do wish I didn't kill that one Sharran with the letter of hating being there though, why'd you fight me girl? Same with the Bhaalist with the parents at Elfsong, and the goblin children, I was using nonlethal but arrows don't count as I'd soon learn. Allies were mostly good-to-neutral creatures like the Tieflings (though I wish I saved more, nobody told me about the harpies and I thought convincing Rolan to stay would mean the Grove not the Shadow Cursed Lands - also why send refugees who struggle with goblins through the SHADOW CURSED LANDS?) and 90% of the Ironhand Gnomes because fuck Wulbren - I didn't like Barcus too much at first, thought him rude, but when Wulbren didn't even show gratitude for his attempts I softened to him. Kindness made me quite the enemy to others however; the infernal naturally did not appreciate my deeds of pact breaking but saving the Duke anyway and pilfering the House of Hope, but to be fair Raphael (and his clear portrait of himself I clocked onto immediately when he was in his human guise to know he was untrustworthy) never repaid me in-game for 'killing' Yurgir, and Mizora would've squirmed a lot more in her Ilithid pod had it been a table interaction - though, the latter two were more than willing to help me with the Absolute, 'cept Raphael because he's dead - but in my defence I loved outwitting and being a sassy little shit to demons. Slaying the Chosen was a given, as a very Pro-Karlach guy I was never letting Gortash live, got the Father/Grandfather-Daughter set with Bhaal too. Killing the former Balduran was disappointing; as much as he was on my side he always felt like he had his own ulterior motives, he also had a superiority complex to him with his constant urging of being half-Ilithid; thinks it's not important that he's Balduran either, dismissing Ansur's legend until confronted by Ansur's spirit. Stealing the Orphic Hammer was an insurance policy at first, I could understand Voss' disdain for us using Githyanki Jesus in a box like a forcefield, but it's a shame that the guy who was all about trust decided not to trust me in releasing Orpheus; we could've stopped the brain together! Omeluum would've heard me out. I mean Orpheus was a bit salty but he at least was willing to negotiate and not immediately side back with the brain like a petty bitch. I'd say the gods have mixed feelings with me; friendly with Selune and Lathander at least, and whatever Withers is - though the guy roasted me about my love life. The rest either neutral or anti; Shar and Vlaakith (if you can call her a god) definitely hate me, because they're sore losers, think Myrkul and Bhaal likely hate me, Bane however seemed to respect game not sure how I feel about that. I don't quite like Mystra, think she's a bit extreme with her treatment of Gale, but I understand her role, valid god but shitty person. On the other hand I probably have Cyric's favour for helping the Strange Ox, which might be bad...but Milil was happy to be recognized.

In the end, most of the allies got to live somewhat happily; Gale got the orb out of him and became a professor, Lae'zel - having dealt the final blow to the brain - leads the charge against Vlaakith after Orpheus became a Mind Flayer and was mercy killed, Shadowheart has her family (Shar would've always been with her regardless of her choice), a bunch of pets and can maybe reminisce with Nocturne again one day, Jaheira and Minsc - once he survives Zhentharim execution, didn't realise I needed to have him talk to Nine Fingers - also can rest with her wards and probably share drinks with Nine Fingers until the next fight, Astarion sadly has no cure for vampirism but he is owning it and killing the right people (I like to think he'll get to see the sun again, maybe Omeluum and the Mycolids help), plus Halsin has a bunch of kids in Moonrise to look after, plus Thaniel, Oliver and a new Owlbear who I'd rather had left with Dammon given the option. Isobel and Aylin can settle down, Rolan runs the Sundries, Hope is free, Alfira and Lakrissa got their bard's school, Florrick and Ravengard resume leadership to rebuild, Dammon has his forge, Scratch found a new home in this Mindy (but I remain best master), Mol I'm sure will be running the Guildhall in a few years, Thrumbo has a shelter for his brothers, Mayrina will raise her son without the threat of a hag, Vanra won't become a hag (but does need therapy), and Arabella will probably be the next Withers after reading some more rocks. Yenna didn't seem to have an ending so I'll assume that she found a loving home too, maybe with Halsin or as one of Jaheira's wards, or maybe Gale wants a Sous Chef since she did bring her own carving knife if you didn't know. I wish Alfira got invited to the epilogue, god of song is fine but not the familiar face and it would've been cool for them to meet, nice to get a letter at least, and we'll have to visit Art's grave sometime. Surprised we got no word about Mizora, I didn't get a letter from Geraldus even though he survived, Naaber apparently had more in him after wanting to be a dog, sad not to get anything from Rolan, Devella (I know Valeria mentioned her but c'mon), the Gondians, Mol, Omeluum, or Aylin and Isobel from the epilogue, did we really need the ramblings of Ettvard? Plus the papers must've glitched they said Stelmane's killer was still at large? Post-credits scene felt a bit weak mind you, but guessing Withers is that old God of Death Jerghal? Least he's not a surprise villain to fight. As for me, well, I was never one to give up on people and neither is Dec, and thus Dec and Karlach brave Avernus to seek a fix for her infernal engine, punch a few demons and whatnot, Wyll is there too as the Blade of Avernus, a role he embraced twice after barely contributing to killing Ansur but that's more proximity. We'll chill in the House of Hope especially after her letter, but soon enough we'll all return to Faerun on a more permanent basis.

So you enjoyed it? Yes, very much. I did of course make a lot of mistakes though; kept forgetting about Dread Ambusher for one, my earlier failures at romance still stung, I think the game wasn't as welcoming to those unfamiliar to it. The dice did not like me many times, I once got a Nat 1 in a 2 DC with +2 bonus, I also have had several instances of back-to-back Nat 1s, even had 6 in two different streams. Combat was an adjustment period, I missed a lot of the time which was frustrating, or the enemy would make saving throws on my gambits, Karlach even got pushed into the abyss at the Temple of Bhaal, I was livid. I think I probably would've experienced more if the game established better that you can long rest as much as you like without turning into a Mind Flayer, because much of Act 1 was me reluctant to Long Rest because they say you can change 'within 2-3 days', as a result that affected some romance options too, nobody to spend the night with if there's no night, as well as other in-camp interactions - Astarion never tried to bite me for instance, and I'm sure Raphael would've arrived to reward me for killing Yurgir had we not dealt with a backlog of interactions. I remained quite the hesitant player too, I ignored Gale stuck in a portal for a while fearing some magical backlash was gonna vaporize me, oftentimes I expected worse than what actually happened. Graphically there were a few characters whose cheeks were being pulled to the far left side of the map which was weird, and some battles would have enemies who would just do nothing for their turns, and some areas didn't render quick enough to not be noticed, but it was small stuff in comparison, I didn't do much for camp clothes or dyes until late on but probably for the better since style should be for the final act. I also keep seeing stuff that I somehow missed in my playthrough; like there's an angry squirrel near the grove? A frog in Ethel's house? A bird who wanted help with the giant eagles? What? Where?

What was the most difficult part? Act 3 had a lot of tough shit going down, though one of my most memorable struggles was against Auntie Ethel in Act 1. Already deep in her domain at lv4 it was a rough run to start with, continually hit by Hold Person by her projections, only when I learned they were one-hits did it become a little easier, but without Extra Attack it was still difficult. After that combat was here and there, sometimes it was just the environment like being jammed in a pipe when fighting Minsc; Lorroakan was annoying, Grym I had to be tactical with the hammer, the Assassin at the Facemaker was quite difficult too because he'd Haste himself and hide. The Death Shepherds in the Mountain Pass were surprisingly difficult without the Blood of Lathander, much easier with its Sunbeam. The companion quest final battles of Cazador, Ansur and Viconia were each difficult in their own way; the former was most annoying because my party would be downed but the thrown healing potions weren't working (plus those downed members were the ones with Radiant damage and holy water), wasn't even Bone Chilled like with Viconia, Ansur was difficult because of his burst attack. Raphael hits fucking hard, but once I realised that Hope kept dying because she was getting backlash from dealing Radiant Damage it was just attrition and lots of potion throwing. Combat-wise I think the toughest battle was Cazador due to the glitch of thrown potions not healing, otherwise the toughest boss was Ansur. Overall the most difficult experience I found was the timed operations of the Iron Throne.

Will you play again? Most likely, which is something I don't tend to say so Larian did do their job well. Though I might wait a bit to play other games first and give Larian time to add more content and finer polishing, I think I'd have a better time with it the second time around, would definitely try to resolve previous wrongs or missed opportunities, though I doubt I'd look forward to everything there; killing the Goblin Camp was still difficult work, same with the Steel Watch and all the turn limit stuff, I'll at least wait until I have Extra Attack before dealing with Ethel in Act 1 and take more Long Rests, maybe rotate the party a bit more and try out some other classes - but you will pry Speak with Animals out of my cold dead hands! Learning later about there being a bunch of cut content would entice me to play a third time if they reach a stage where all the intended content has been added in, but there's not exactly a time frame for that or a clear show of intent so far, so we'll see in that one, for all that is cut it seems like the end product is the tip of the iceberg. Enjoyed the play, played for a long time, would play again: money well spent.

[honey-minded-hivemind]

No no no, YOU'RE good, I love how intricate your ideas get!

BRO YOUR BRAIN POWER, Everything would only be more heartbreaking (how did you even do that) if reader was the extant child/relative of one the yans, my brain explored the idea with the professor or magneto, someone who wouldn't have suspected reader was their child, what would be worse for reader is if nobody knew and it was found out AFTER they're back. I'm evil :)

I could Imagine the reader, being the sweet selfless thing that they are, and being the only one who can't use their powers to escape like the others can, they might resort to begging the three to run and leave them behind, it's the very last thing any of them want, OH MAN it'd tear them up inside, but especially if reader were the oldest, the kids could be swayed to listen, even if they really really don't want to.

🐑 Anon

🥺🥰☺ Thank you, 🐑 Anon!!! I'm enjoying these small asks posts, as it's helping me discover how I want to write the first main story post! It's helping me think over how each character would act, possible relationships, and exactly how far I want it to go... So thank you, and for everyone else, who keeps asking about this au, and sharing your thoughts and ideas for it😊

And yes, it would involve more angst if they found out Reader was their child after they're back, but I raise you this: What happens if they found out when Reader and the others initially died? (Isn't that a fine wine of angst?) They never suspected and never knew Reader was a relative of theirs, and the pain and guilt over only ever knowing after Reader had already died. It would be worse if, when sorting through some of Reader's stuff after that dark day, they find a few papers in their handwriting, mentioning they know that one of their mentors or guardians is actually their parent/sibling/relative, but that they aren't going to tell them, because they don't want to ruin their relationship... Or if Reader had a DNA test or birth certificate or something else, detailing the fact they're related... The absolute misery the adult/s would be in, knowing they would never be able to right it, that they'd never be able to let Reader know they would have accepted them, no matter what... It breaks them all over again...

If Reader begged the others to go, to leave them, the three would be torn. If Reader is younger than them, they are staying no matter what. Only being forced to leave them would keep them from being by their side, sticking together til the end. If Reader is older, they would reluctantly leave, but only after Reader forces them into a position where that's the choice they're left with. And the three would be doing everything they can to get back to them, to try and rescue them from the strangers wearing the faces and powers of their teams, the people they call family...

I think I've finally decided on how old Reader is, and I say they are the youngest. Not by a lot, granted, but that doesn't stop them from being seen as someone to protect, no matter how powerful or awesome their powers are. They could be able to turn into a beast-like creature, or transform into any animal they want, or have fangs and claws, and they'd still be getting defended. It doesn't mean Reader themself isn't protective. Reader has lashed out before, during the few weeks they'd all been held captive, all to protect their captured friends or to defend the other platonic yans... Reader did suffer for it, though, terribly... It's why their death was a little different than the others. Where the others deaths were rather quick, Reader's was dragged out, made as painful for as long as it took to pass on...

It's really no wonder the adult and older teen platonic yans snapped and took their time destroying the people who'd done it. Who didn't even give them a chance to reach them before it was too late. And what a bloody, long drawn-out mess it is... And when it's finally done, well... There's a new world order on the verge of forming, and when it is brought to fruition... a lot of their enemies realize what a dangerous mistake they made...

[dwellinginsilence]

Haleigha with her Elf Owl, Owlthena. Under the break is her 🪄Wizarding World Alphabet🪄 and an empty one if anyone else would like to fill one out for themselves or their MC. Please tag me if you do, because I want to see everyone's babies.

divider by @cafekitsune

🐈Animagus:  Tortoiseshell cats belong to witches and wizards who are wise beyond their years. They tend to be quiet, but it’s because they are observing and analyzing their surroundings. They are caring and understanding and need plenty of alone time to be able to organize their world. They love adventures, new experiences, expanding their minds, and their people even though they cherish their alone time. They are individualistic, independent, and go after what’s best for themselves and their loved ones. Even if things don’t turn out how they want, they still tend to be very optimistic. 

😱Boggart:  Ranrok

🍎Class:  Her favorite classes are Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures, does the best in Potions, and even though she likes history as a general rule she can’t stand History of Magic class or Professor Binns. Her favorite teacher (after Fig’s passing) is Professor Garlick and she will search her out if she’s had a bad day for a hug or some plant therapy. Her favorite damage spell is Bombarda, but her over all favorite spell is the Patronus charm especially since her patronus reminds her of Sebastian. She will often cast it just to be surrounded by the warm magic and memory of Sebastian (while he’s gone from her life). Even after he returns, she’ll conjure it to seek him out just to prove to herself he’s safe. 

💀Dark Magic:  Not as against it as most others, sees the use for some and thinks knowing all magic to protect oneself is important. But, ultimately, doesn’t have much interest in learning any dark magic and feels more and more uncomfortable with her friends doing it. 

🌀Expecto Patronum/Patronus:  Tortoiseshell cat if she learns the charm before falling in love with Sebastian, but it’ll change to a dragon. If she falls in love with him first, it’ll be a dragon from the start.  

🧹Flying:  Loves flying, but doesn’t enjoy quidditch. As a matter of fact, isn’t really coordinated enough to fly and play a game. Doesn’t have a preferred broom, but will choose to ride her thestral, Equinox, when he comes to live with her, over anything else whenever possible. 

🏏Game team:  Whichever team her friends tell her to root for because she couldn’t care less who wins what. 

🏠House:  Hufflepuff. But she has a very soft spot for Slytherins. 

🔵Imperio:  Not a fan. Her least favorite of the Unforgivables.  She hates the idea of taking someone autonomy away. It feels like assault to her. 

💼Job:  Wants to becomes a professor at Hogwarts and do something with magical creatures. 

💋Kiss:  Her first kiss was five years old with the boy next door. He chased her around their houses and when she finally let him catch her, she kissed him.  Her first real kiss was Sebastian. 

🧠Legilimancy:  Learns to overcome Imperio, but nothing more than that. 

🐉Magical beasts:  Her favorite beasts are nifflers and thestrals and she keeps many in her vivariums. As she gets older and continues studying beasts, she collects so many she ends up having separate habitats for each type of beast that she keeps. She has a three legged albino niffler she rescued from poachers named Jack and a thestral named Equinox she gave to Sebastian for a period of time. 

📝N. E. W. T./OWL:  Takes every single test, even the ones not necessary for her future career and passes them all with at least “Acceptable”. The classes she regularly took she got at least “Exceeds Expectations” in. And she got “Outstanding” in Creatures, Potions, Herbology, and Charms. 

🦉Owl:  A grayish black Elf Owl named Owlthena

🌱Plant:  She lives Niffler’s Fancy because it makes her nifflers go crazy and get quite distracted by the beauty of a fanged geranium. 

🏉Quidditch:  Tried playing, did not like it. Enjoys watching her friends play. Gets incredibly frustrated if she catches Sebastian playing. Can take or leave professional games. 

💭Remember:  Her favorite memory is getting her Hogwarts letter after not believing she ever would. Then the look on Sebastian’s face when he fell off the dueling table. 

🩸Status:blood:  Half-blood, her mother grew up a witch, her father is a muggle. Having not grown up around wizarding families she doesn’t even understand the blood status issue. 

🍬Treats/Honeyduke’s:  Chocolate frogs are her favorite and she will shamelessly eat several at once. She keeps a book of all the cards and has them organized alphabetically by Hogwarts House, then just alphabetically if they didn’t attend Hogwarts.  She also loves trying Bertie Bots Every Flavor Beans, especially with Anne once she becomes well. 

❌Ugly bad habits: She can’t say no, even when she’s exhausted she literally can’t move. 

🙊Veritaserum:  She thinks the potion should be regulated so it can be used as a proper tool in court. She doesn’t have any issues using it or having it used on her. If someone is going to lie, they should be willing to pay whatever price is necessary, and she is willing to pay that price.  It took her a few tries to brew a perfect batch, but ever since she makes sure to keep some on hand. Just in case. 

🪄Wand:  Wood: English Oak- This is a loyal wood and demands a partner of strength, courage, fidelity, powerful intuition, and an affinity for the natural world (the creatures and plants in it).  Some believe Merlin’s wand was made of English Oak, but it isn’t certain. Core: Dragon Heartstring- They produce the most powerful magic and learn and bond the quickest.  They can be somewhat tempramental.  Flexibility: Solid  Length: 10 1/4” Appearance: Soft spiral, black Handle: switches between Imperial (grey and silver), Botanical (silver leaf), and Celestial (light grey)

➕Xtra:  When she smells Amortentia it smells like pine trees, fresh oranges, the lake (fresh water in general), and singed wood (the smell when confringo is cast).  Her own scent is similar to fresh baked apple pie, new books, and fire (not something burning, but fire itself). The scar across her eye is from a dog attack as a small child. She doesn't remember it, but she almost lost her eye.

🤢Yuck:  Once she feels she’s proved her bravery to Sebastian or anyone else she battles with, if they’re out and get attacked by dugbogs she will let the other person handle them. Everything about those beasts makes her gag. 

��Zonkos:  She can be quite playful, so to get Garreth back for almost getting her in trouble her first week at Hogwarts, she bought trick ink and switched it with his. Instead of it being invisible immediately, it turned invisible a day after use. So only after he’d done his work and took his notes and turned everything in did he realize it was all blank. (She made sure to talk to the professors about it all before hand so his grades wouldn’t suffer. She couldn’t stand the guilt of permanently hurting someone’s record.)  Later that year, she switched his soap for trick soap that left stains that wouldn’t come out for a week. He threatened revenge but she gave him sad eyes and he gave her a big hug instead.  divider by @cafekitsune

🪄Wizarding World Alphabet🪄

🐈Animagus: 

😱Boggart: 

🍎Class: 

💀Dark Magic: 

🌀Expecto Patronum/Patronus: 

🧹Flying: 

🏏Game team: 

🏠House: 

🔵Imperio: 

💼Job: 

💋Kiss: 

🧠Legilimancy: 

📝N. E. W. T./OWL: 

🦉Owl: 

🌱Plant: 

🏉Quidditch: 

💭Remember: 

🩸Status:blood: 

🍬Treats/Honeyduke’s: 

❌Ugly bad habits:

🙊Veritaserum: 

🪄Wand: 

➕Xtra: 

🤢Yuck: 

😜Zonkos: 

[roipecheur]

Here's how to fix Frank Punisher.

First, retcon whatever happened in Punisher 2022. Say it was all a dream and Frank passed the test or whatever by not giving into the Beast at the very end, thereby defeating it. Or the Beast was possessing him the whole time, so none of that was really him, and also Maria was not like really Maria or whatever. I don't care, it's bad, it completely undermines everything that makes Frank as a character, and it needs to go.

So. At the end of Punisher 2022, he's in some hell dimension called 'Weirdworld'. That's fine, that can stay. This is the only good content in the entire run besides Frank's obligatory homoerotic moments with Daredevil.

Frank should get forcibly adopted by wandering children and accidentally catapulted into Dad Mode™ between unimaginable bouts of violence. This is probably the only time that run got him right.

Now, to bring Frank back. He needs a new Microchip. This guy can have some connection to the original David Linus Microchip Lieberman who Frank murdered to death for betraying him back in the early aughts, or he can just be some rando who took on the hackerman name.

He appears to Frank in Weirdworld as some sort of spirit while the kids are sleeping. New Microchip has projected himself in there using magic. He offers to bring Frank out of Weirdworld, but in exchange, Frank has to grant him a favor. Frank tells him to go fuck himself with extra sauce. New Microchip offers to save the kids, too, and Frank is a sucker for kids. So he agrees.

(I'm picturing New Microchip kinda like that nerd guy from the animated Atlantis movie, but OG Microchip was also fat, so like Atlantis guy with a little extra pudge. Cute, though.)

Frank is back on Earth. The kids are free and get sent to someone, probably Natasha because Frank trusts her and she'd look at them and go "what the literal hell" and I think that would be funny. New Microchip has a very Frank-like backstory where his family got killed, and he wants Frank to kill their killers. Frank is opposed because His War Is Over and he doesn't like being forced to do things. But he has to go along because of the magic deal.

Punisher skull comes back. Frank mows the people New Microchip wants dead down in a very typical, Frank-like way. New Microchip also outfits him with a battle van and provides really good tech support. When it's done, Frank is automatically released and is no longer bound to New Microchip.

Naturally, Frank goes to kill him. He finds New Microchip sitting out back looking at the scenery of some sort with a loaded gun waiting nearby. Waiting for Frank. New Microchip's job is done, and he gave up everything to do it. He expects Frank to kill him.

Instead, Frank is like. Grudgingly impressed that this guy had the balls to take what's coming to him instead of trying to run. He also likes his new battle van and could get used to that sort of thing. So, he offers New Microchip a job.

Ok. Here's the crucial part. If this was a new run, Frank should be done with this round of gratuitous violence by issue 3-5, and he and New Microchip should be fucking before issue 10. It needs to be played exactly the same was as if New Microchip were a woman. He's patching Frank up or something, and then they start kissing, fade to black, next page shows them in bed together.

Marvel needs to really play up Frank being bisexual. Not gay. Bisexual. Frank loved his wife, and that's very important to his backstory. Also, gay and not bisexual Frank gives off this weird vibe like being gay helped make him the Punisher, and that would be a nightmare for the PR team and for me personally. But they need to make him SO queer. To the point where people see those stupid thin blue line Punisher skulls and go...isn't that the one who has a boyfriend now?

Angry right-wingers with guns will be burning their shirts and tearing the decals off their cars. Frank's fan base will return to where it belongs: with weird comic book freaks who think he's a funny little guy.

One other thing. There has to be one splash cover where Frank is bridal carrying New Microchip to safety. There should be an explosion behind them. The explosion should, inexplicably, be in the shape of a skull. Picture this. It's very romantic.

[writing-frenzy]

Here come SI off the rails :D

Brain worms have arrived and shored up some of my remaining will to dream once more :D

And of course it dreams up a way to maybe, maybe give our favorite traumatized imaginary shield character a reason to actually smile and mean it. (Maybe?)

And of course, I forever fell in love with the SI OC trope, soooo weeeeee, buckle up everyone and thing, this one is gonna be a doozy.

First off, our SI boy was playing HSR, trying out a full imaginary team comp of Luocha, Walt, Aventurine, and Yukong when sudden, traumatizing death. It is not pretty, it is horrible, it is scaring, and it literally almost breaks our poor mc's mind; how can they not ask, beg for someone, anyone to save them?

It's a good thing (or is it) that something does.

Whether it is Aha on some sort of new kick, a manipulation of destiny, or even a certain Mother Goddess at work, our poor soul gets taken into a new world; but not as they were. Their mind and body were too broken when they were transferred, so the being had to get creative.

So, they took some inspiration from the team they were playing in their most recent memories, taking from doomed versions of themselves who were willing to trade for their own wishes in turn (and oh, how many were doomed in all the paths; there would always be one with a simple wish to fulfil easily.)

So, the MC becomes a meshed form of the Imaginary team of Luocha, Welt, Yukong and Aventurine: he is a good height, about 5-9, not six foot because Aventurine and Yukong are shorter taking it down a bit. He has Welt's brown hair, but it seems to be a bit messy and longer, what with all the hair styles, which he has to braid to keep in order and less annoying. And for all he seems human, he actually does have Foxian ears and tail, along with most of the bloodline perks, but hides it with illusions and tricks for reasons. His skins is tanner and kissed beautifuly by the sun, and his eyes are really cool, being a mixture of Aventurine's shape and style, but with the other three's colors. he also looks late 20's/early 30's just imagine him with welt's eye lines because the character maker doesn't have that. (The glasses are there for reasons and this is him illusioned because the ears were just not meshing for me.)

As for the eyes, I tried my best TT^TT (headcannon that most Avgin's eyes are usually in shades of brown to gold, with rarer shades of darker purples and even green at times, going with how Avgin means Honey and all, so with Kakavasha being born with not only bright beautiful eyes, it also has blue in them like water? and it rains? yeah, no wonder they thought he was blessed.)

But yeah, with his appearance over, now we get an interesting little bit about him; his path is Remembrance :D how? he has no clue, only that his memories are pretty shitty now, he knows random ass stuff (gifts from the other four; my guy know so many loopholes now for the IPC) he instinctively knows how to use his powers, just has to practice with control, but what was his favorite food? his dream in life? his actual name? nadda, zilch. He does know his power is literally a mixture of all four of his Imaginary team, allowing his skill to produce shields that also buff and/or heal his allies, with them disappearing can either randomly heal, buff, or do nothing before they go. His Ult is a mixture of Luocha's, Yukongs, and Welt's, doing incredible damage while also debuffing his enemies to hell and back, and even letting his team heal like with Luocha's. This doesn't even count in the terrifying follow up attack, that randomly does whatever the fuck it wants to :D tiny black holes to devour enemies? shower of golden rain that heals allies by draining the enemy's own life? this is only scratching the surface~

Yup, our boi is a OP beast :3

Did I forget to mention he came to this world with half the damage he got from his death? So it's very lucky where he ended up; a few years before the Avgin's genocide, luckily found by the tribe where they took him in, who while hesitant about the stranger, couldn't turn him away, then felt well they didn't when they finally opened their eyes to see they were one of them. Even if he's of mixed blood, he is still one of their own and came back to them, even as harmed and damaged as he is.

Not to mention just how talented and powerful he is.-

The wise woman watches, with her guard, as the stranger to their ways learns with an appetite like starving dog, so keen and willing to continue struggling on even with the barest of scraps. It is a kin to someone struggling with quicksand, finally finding some leverage that can save them from demise just in time, light entering those eyes once more. But like a beaten dog, they shy from most touch, hesitant and still, eyes watchful as they take in all threats to their self before they settle into a long wait, ready to attack.

It makes it both tragic and amazing, seeing someone so strong, someone she has seen break rock and stone with but a thought, so obviously broken, but willing still to heal. She knows her guard would like for this stranger to become part of the guard, to let others know of his strength so that they can better themselves and their people.

But the wise woman did not live so long to be wise as she was with simple thoughts and hopes like those; she saw signs everywhere, she has read omens in the sands and wind, reads the bones with ease; besides a select few, no one knows of their stanger's talents.

She names him Sarth, for his always thoughtful ways (and to hide within sight, just that for all his power, it is his mind most terrifying of all.)

(He was found under the stars for protection and warning, waking only when the stars for secrets was high in the sky. She sees how gentle, ever so kind their stranger is for the children, and she makes her decision.

She finds she will never regret it, traitors in their mist, the men in the black uniforms abandoning them, telling their stranger to please, please, if nothing else, save their children and ill away from this mess. If nothing else, she knows that at least the 452 with him will live.)

-so yeah, I have feels about those still being missing being 3,452 people; i just yoinked a chunk for myself, my guy Sarth covering everyone with his ridiculous powers, stealing a ship he found (interestingly, it was an illegal drug merchant who was currently being killed, so it would be a long, looooong time before someone notices one missing ship that was destined to be scraped because of damages and age over the years.) My guy is desperate, knowing of the discrimination they will face from practically everyone in the universe, not knowing who to ask or even if there is anyone willing to aid them; the IPC is shady as heck, he doesn't think Himeko has fixed the express yet, and their ship is running on luck, prayers, and Yukong's memories and knowledge of flying through even worse with even more tragic of conditions.

Sarth could really, really use a break right now; everyone with him at that.

Then in walk some Fools; Sarth somehow not only impresses them, he even tricks them, getting one fool, who goes by as Tricky Trickster, delighted (because what's more delightful then tricking others? Himself getting tricked in new and innovating ways. After all, how else could one learn to better themselves?)

So, my guy is able to enter in a game of high stakes with the Fools; he has 6 chances to win his people the chance to live well, with food in their bellies, chances for education, no worries of threats, the complete secrecy of their survival, all that good chance... here is the thing; he has to win at least four games, because the hightest amount of people that can be saved per game is 113 people, so yeah, four games would equal the 113 peeps. (he doesn't count himself; he can at least get along in this universe, he has power and tricks on his side, he can do what must be done; all these sick, injured, or too young? they can't.)

So he plays the games, winning two at first, getting 226 from there... only to lose the third game; what he loses is decided by random on a wheel, with him in the end nearly ending up practically blind, his eyes basically just for decoration now... he almost loses the fourth, but by chance actually wins, getting another 113 people. but this luck doesn't hold by the fifth game, this time he loses 20 years of freedom, to begin after the games are done and to serve in the Tavern. the last game is done with bated breath, the last 113 people's lives hanging by a thread, when MC pulls off yet another miracle; he uses the memories of harmony and abundance, sealing with preservation to gain back what little sight he can to win the game, saving all 452 people that came with him. there is much tears, crying, sobbing and mourning because once more something is taken from the Avgins but they persevere, many promising that they will do what they can for him in turn.

(In the end, they find an interesting item, one that can channel things with multiple paths and contain it, shaping to whatever the owner needs. Those are now shaped into glasses for Sarth to wear so he can see, only able to be removed by himself. it doesn't feel like much to the Avgins, it feels paltry for all he has done for them, but Sarth loves and adores anything he gets from them, to the honestly little mudpies from the kids to even the gems others offer; his favorite is the company they offer.)

So yeah, in my head, when the Trailblazer enters the planet of Festivities, my guy is near the very end of his service term, with maybe a year or two left.

This is so far what I have for him, but I must say; he gives off Dilf energy like hard core and the thirst for him is real :D

[thevindicativevordan]

Jon hugged Injustice Superman, then got sent home and took the completely wrong (but wholly expected) lesson from the experience; stop trying to do more, lest you become an overachieving fascist.

Is Jon done? How on Earth do you walk that back? It's all so sad.

Anonymous asked: Any thoughts on the "resolution" and ending of Jon's mini, as well as his lukewarm future with more Tom Taylor writing?

Anonymous asked: Comics this week? Especially the ending to Adventures of Superman and the prospect of T*m Tayl*r continuing to write him?

Suppose with three asks I have to write up a post don't I? What a waste of time this all ended up being.

Haven't been reading this mini, was smart enough to learn my lesson after Son of Kal-El, but I did ask someone to DM me details just to see where Taylor left Jon. Someone was kind enough to share the details and even send me the final page. Not only is it exactly what I thought it would be, but I can't even console myself with Taylor "leaving" Jon. He's dragging the poor boy with him over to Titans, which sucks... but I've already emotionally severed my interest in Jon. After starting off by asking his dad to do more, Jon meets an evil version of his dad and gives up on trying to achieve anything beyond preserving the status quo. Only two choices for Superman are to be a hapless bystander or a fascist tyrant, and Jon's big emotional conclusion to his journey under Taylor is choosing to be feckless.

Making it all a complete farce is that Clark is doing more himself! He went to Warworld and led a slave rebellion to topple Mongul! Since returning to Earth he's teamed up with Steel to revolutionize Metropolis with Kryptonian tech. PKJ has had Clark outright say that his conversation with Jon pushed him to do more, including gathering the Superfamily together to work together as a team. Williamson has Clark trying to redeem Lex and use SuperCorp for good, and Williamson Superman is all about multiple characters "taking the next step and moving forward" per Williamson himself. Dichotomy Taylor presents here is utter bullshit, as seen with how the other Superbooks are being written. You can do more without falling into fascism, it's not a binary choice. And Jon's pacifism here is worthless because it doesn't actually change anything or benefit anyone. Murderman is still evil and won't stop, we know he has to be taken down with violence by an alternate Clark no less, Jon's hug failed to reach this guy. For fuck's sake he breaks alt Jay's arm just to make Jon mad, this guy is cartoonishly evil and beyond sympathy. Speaking of alt Jay, he's fucking dead right? No way does Murderman not kill him after Jon disappeared.

As for ol' Murderman himself, I guess Taylor might be seeding stuff for the inevitable Injustice 3. Val-Zod and Red Tornado Lois are left stranded in the Phantom Zone, which you'll recall is where Murderman ends up in what is likely to be the canonical ending. If that's why Taylor left them there then he'll probably just rehash this mini with Murderman meeting Red Tornado Lois there - she'll tell Murderman to stop and he'll flip out on her. What is left to even do with this character at this point? He's a one note dictator who reacts with murder and assaults to anyone who stands up to him. Any attempts at sympathy are wasted by how he is a mustache twirling bad guy. Only morons who worship these shitty game tie-ins as the only DC they've read think this is profound. Otherwise Clayton Henry was drawing a variant cover for Beast Planet that featured Val-Zod, maybe Taylor will bring those two back for that book. Either way I don't care. Done with Jon, Yang is coming back to write Kenan, that's the real news. Sweet dreams Jon, you had the potential to be great but now you are utterly unsalvageable.

[aoflameandco]

I often mention my hopes for Hell arc GrimmNell and actually... Today I want to share some personal delusions about it. 

Warning! I never liked Nnоitora as a person (his conflict with Nel is very good though) and I genuinely can't ship Nn0iNel, so yeah... pls bear with my bias

Do you remember Nelliel's fight during the Arrancar arc? Yeah, the one every Nel fan feels a little bit upset about. She had a solid reason to fight someone who hurt her family, backstabbed her and left her to die. Someone, who was intended to break her again, who abused her new friends, not to mention the general conflict of their life perspectives. But alas - Kenpachi finished Nnоitora instead. 

But what if... it wasn't the end? Kubo's Hell oneshot confirmed -  even dead Arrancars can return.

Take a look at Szayelaporro. The guy was crazy from the start, but Hell's influence pushed his Madness to a new level. It was heavily hinted that even the fallen captains developed a more dark personality (well, understandable why), so it wouldn't be surprising if the arrancar's aspects of deaths took completely over them. 

So yeah... I doubt that Nnоitora got a ticket to "Heaven", so his chances  to return as a Hell-enemy aren't out of the question. And wow, he just happened to be a perfect catalyst of GrimmNell angst. 

Nnоitora's Despair made him believe that there's no salvation for their kind. Nelliel was always the opposite - she was sure that they can change for better: with evolution they regain their morals and start aiming for more complex goals, not just a basic survival. Imho this part of her life perspective made her so involved with the self-destructive Espada members. As if she feels obligated to push them into the right direction. 

Didn't work with Nnоitora. At all. But Nel didn't give up and found herself a new problem aka Grimmjow. And wow, suddenly it didn't backfire. 

I'm not going to tell the difference between Nnоitora and Grimmjow and why one was able to form a sort of a healthy bond with Nel while the other - didn't. Sure, it's an interesting topic I might one day touch again, but we are here for the Hell delusions, right? 

So yeah, imagine, Nnоitora is back! And ofc he wants his revenge, he wants to break this arrogant woman again. How dare she enjoy her peaceful life! And no way... did she just replace him with this pathetic loser Grimmjow? Oh yeah, now she is so cocky: her stupid philosophy worked, she tamed a beast and turned him into her personal lapdog. Isn't it all she ever wanted?  end of pissed Nnoi's POV lol 

But wait, isn't it a perfect opportunity? Using Grimmjow to crush all Nelliel's hopes and beliefs? To break her optimistic nature? What a piece of cake - after all Grimm wasn't created for peace, and Hell can easily trigger his sleeping Destruction. 

Nelliel's despair would be fighting against someone she deeply cares about. She told him so many times that their aspects have no power over their decisions and yet - now she has to face it. Was she wrong? Was Nnоitora right? Were all of them the hostages of their destiny? 

I think Grimmjow would be the one to answer this question. He hates to bow to anyone and he won't give in, even to himself. And maybe, just maybe he would understand Kurosaki at this moment - the source of his motivation, the powerful wish to protect someone. 

Cheesy Happy Ending:

So yeah after some drama GrimmNel team up and beat Nnоitora's ass! In the end it will be Nelliel's fight with Grimmjow's assistance, because well- he understands how important it is for her to close this gestalt. And then they'll live happily ever after without a fear of losing themselves again.

P.S. We still have only crumbs about the Hell setting so pls remember this is just a big headcanon in the name of a ship angst lol.

[gizkasparadise]

Best fairy tale esque Asian drama

Beauty and beast type

Little mermaid type

Aladdin type

Cindy type

Etc

oh interesting! here's what comes to mind

for a beauty and the beast parallel, i think my favorites are:

hotel del luna. gender-swapped version! the female lead is a hedonistic immortal being cursed to run a hotel for ghosts due to her Traumatic Backstory. the male lead is a recent harvard graduate who was born for middle management and is in way, way over his head as he tries to teach her how to balance a checkbook

love between fairy and devil. the female lead is a little naive, very sheltered young flower immortal who accidentally unleashes the devil from a mystical space magic prison. so gorgeous and unexpectedly wonderful

for little mermaid:

my girlfriend is a gumiho draws direct comparisons to this story throughout its plot! it's a romcom/action/lite horror show about a gumiho (fox demon) who ends up transferring her power to a guy who wants to become a stuntman/action movie star. very cute and aggressively 2010 teen movie

i havent seen it yet, but legend of the blue sea is about mermaids and based off of a korean fairytale

for cinderella/rags-to-riches

okay it's not super cinderella-y on the surface, but princess agents has this vibe in a way? but instead of A Fancy Party the heroine instead was given An Awesome Sword, Spy Training, and Several Noblemen with Complexes

continuing to be super liberal with this interpretation, empress ki has the female lead go from smuggler to slave to concubine to empress. work.

shopping king louie is sort of this fairytale in reverse: the rich male lead loses his memories and ends up relying on a poor country girl. very fluffy and cute

100 days my prince is like a joseon version of shopping king louie, but at times darker with the subplots

i think a good chunk of 2000-2010ish kdramas basically lived on this trope

for aladdin i couldnt think of anything direct, so here's sort of a broader "making wishes/deals with immortal powerful fantasy beings":

mystic pop-up bar is about a cursed immortal female lead who runs a pop-up bar and is trying to resolve human being's grudges/grant their wishes by teaming up with a former ghost cop and a regular guy (or is he?) that has a special power of his own

goblin is about a girl who finds out she was destined to be the "goblin's bride" and bring about the death of an immortal cursed general who has been looking for a way to die for several centuries at this point. some wishes/genie-esque dynamics

angel's last mission: love. female lead is a cold, bitter former ballerina who has closed herself off from the world. male lead is her actual guardian angel. not one of my absolute favorites, but i liked the interesting dynamic and the OST is beyond gorgeouuuus

i did not like this drama that much but doom at your service might scratch this itch as well. the female lead is dying from cancer. the male lead is the actual manifestation of doom. would have been SO GOOD if it cut out the subplot and streamlined things a bit more

and these aren't really related to fairytales, but they have a similar vibe:

love and redemption. girl meets boy. boy is in a martial arts sect forbidden to love or marry. girl doesn't understand feelings and is in fact the reincarnated god of war. girl has also sort of killed boy for 9 lifetimes prior to this. boy keeps coming back for more because he thrives on masochism and costume changes. one of my top 3 favorite dramas

goodbye my princess is like someone had all the fairy tale tropes (rebellious princess, meeting while disguised, magical rivers) and then sort of took them in the backyard and shot them. lmao if you want it tragic, go here

craving more dysfunction junction? check out the wolf which starts with some sweet disney tarzan plot and escalates into fucking chaos

river where the moon rises is based on a piece of korean folklore. this one i wanted to like so much (and was enjoying for the first half), but the real-life drama lead to some unfortunate story complications (the show notoriously swapped out its male lead actor midway through airing)

alice in borderland draws a lot of parallels to alice in wonderland. it's survival horror so LMAO not the same vibe as the original story at all, but i figured i'd throw it in here. i have some mixed feelings about the drama, but i definitely binged it all

[scattered-winter]

is it cheating if i say 911 + apocalypse 👀

ngl. I have in fact been thinking about a 911 love and monsters au. which ik isn't the You Know What that u were probably wanting but uh. I have no control over my brain alas

LET ME SET THE SCENE.

love and monsters takes place about 7 years after nuclear missiles sent to destroy a world destroying asteroid rained debris down on earth and mutated all of the insects, reptiles, and amphibians into massive monsters. around 95% of the human population was wiped out from these monsters, and the survivors formed underground colonies where they could hide and survive. the colonies stayed connected via radio (which is one of my fav tropes in apocalypse media btw <3333) the plot of the movie happens because the main character leaves his colony and travels over 80 miles over monster-infested land to get to his girlfriend's colony, but in this au things would be. a little different <3

buck and maddie are separated when things first went to shit. maddie was with doug, and ofc she tried to find buck but wasn't able to in all the chaos. the buckley parents are killed by a monster (god fucking bless) (right in front of buck tho..alas) and a group of strangers pull a shocked + terrified buck into the back of their truck to get the hell outta dodge (this group of strangers later becomes his colony aka found family. u already know who they are <3) buck's colony consists of bobby + athena (haven't decided if they're together yet or not) + michael + kids, chim, and hen + karen + kids (nia is there <3 her family was killed in the initial monster attacks and henren took her in).

meanwhile, maddie ended up in a colony clear on the other side of the country. she escaped from doug (and a giant slug did everyone a favor and sat on him) and found her way to a colony consisting of the call center!! sue, linda, josh, etc!! they took her in and they're fambly ur honor.

at the 118 colony (what I'm calling it for the sake of telling them apart), buck manages to find maddie's colony on the radio and reconnect with her. his bestfriendbrother chim would sometimes hop on to chat and well. madney fall in love with each other over the radio. btw. just by the sound of each other's voices. if u even care.

and ANYWAY the plot happens when buck, desperate to be reunited w his sister, sneaks out of the colony to cross the country to find her colony. despite ykw. the horrors. (and I'm thinking this is kinda s1 buck where he's more goofy and less responsible and so bobby is sooo against him leaving because there's no way he'd be able to survive out there !?!? with horrific beasts trying to kill him every 5 steps !?!?) and chim catches buck sneaking out and they have the whole "please please don't get me in trouble" "I'm going WITH you lol" convo (and this is early s1/s2 chim as well because he feels out of place with the colony where everyone has someone to take care of (partner or kids) and he's also kind of afraid that even if he lives long enough to get to maddie's colony she won't feel the same way etc etc) BUT REGARDLESS. they both set out for maddie's colony and leave bobby a note that basically says "don't be mad xox" (bobby is, in fact, mad). however before they leave they're also caught by ATHENA. who actually decides to go with them because on god SOMEONE has to make sure they don't die in the first 2 miles. (and also she trusts bobby to protect her family while she's gone. btw. if u even care) so the team consists of chim, buck, and athena !! (I wanted to go for the maddie kidnapping arc kinda vibe....except chim is also there...)

ANYWAY. somewhere along the way they need to split up and so buck ends up on his own (but like they all know where they're going and all that so ykw. it's fine) and he. runs into a kid. off on his own in the middle of the fucking apocalypse. the kid (U KNOW) got separated from his dad and is trying to find him, and they were also traveling to a Safe Place in the mountains where it's too cold for most monsters to go but chris doesn't know which way to go and he wants to find his dad first. now buck realistically thinks that said dad is probably dead. I mean cmon. but he doesn't want to tell the kid that so he decides to bring chris with him (there's a certain point where chris and eddie were planning to turn north to the mountains and buck is taking chris to at least that point) and well. he doesn't really know what he's gonna say to the kid once they get there because he really doesn't think chris should be out by himself but he doesn't know how to tell him that his dad is most likely dead. ykw. angst. meanwhile eddie is traveling w a small group (haven't decided who yet) and DESPERATELY trying to find chris. and also, incidentally, heading to the Point Where He'd Turn North because that was the place they'd agreed to meet if they got separated. meanwhile chim and athena are also trying to find buck. everyone tryna find each other out here istg

ANYWAY chris + buck run into eddie's group and well. gay shenanigans ensue. u already know <3 (lots of similar elements to the existing apocalypse au.....because I care them...) and then they find athena and chim and then they find maddie's colony <3 buckley sibling reunion AND madney. double whammy <3 the colony maddie is at isn't very safe because monsters are getting close, and so they were about to leave to go to the Safe Place In The Mountains. buck chim and athena realize they should probably bring their colony there, too. so they head BACK to their colony (maddie and eddie go with them...chris was supposed to go w maddie's colony to the safe place but he snuck to go w his dad instead)

meanwhile back at the 118 colony, monsters have started breaching the underground bunker and so they were forced to leave and go aboveground to find a new place. the two groups run into each other and have a joyful reunion (buck + chim are now verifiable badasses who have survived for weeks on the surface btw <3) and then they all go to the mountain colony together. and scene <3

some notes: eddie has a sketchbook where he's drawing + cataloging every monster he encounters (sorta like. a How To Survive guidebook vibe) (because artist eddie is soo important to me) (it's for chris in case eddie doesn't make it so chris would still have a chance). also chim gets a dog companion <3

ask game

[loulougoingsolo]

Don't ask why I wrote this (thoughts on the latest Ear biscuit)

It's been a good while since I've written down my thoughts on an Ear biscuit episode. I can tell you, there are probably dozens of unfinished drafts saved on my tumblr. I'm determined to post this one - if that doesn't happen, hi, me, from the future, trying to cypher why this text never got posted.

This was the rpisode after Good Mythical Evening, and, as we learn from Link, Rhett is still sick, but I think it's safe to say he's not premused quite as dead as he was during the Streamys anymore. Because of all of my neuroses, I've been genuinely worried for a few days, but I guess it's okay to breathe again.

So, Link was doing the podcast with Jenna, and I have to say, this was an excellent episode. The past few times when Jenna had been on the podcast with both Rhett and Link, the dynamic has been a little off, more confrontational with Rhett and Jenna teaming up "against" Link (which of course is not really the case, but because I tend to see things more like Link than Rhett, I'm often rooting for him). This episode, Link and Jenna have a great discussion as complete equals, and it is really enjoyable.

First, Link and Jenna go through GME and the Streamys, and sounds like they are both proud of Link's performances on both occations. It seems Rhett was pretty sick on the night of GME already. I hope GME 4 happens next year, not just because I've loved every show thus far, but so they get a chance to do one with both guys not sick, and with the technical stuff going as planned.

My heart kinda melted, when Link said he was missing "his dude" at the Streamys, and turns out he had talked about what to say on stage with Rhett. The way he presented Mr Beast's award was epic, but apparently, had they won Show of the Year, something even better would have happened. Next year, maybe.

So, the majority of this episode is dedicated to a solo camping trip Link made (with Jasper) during their summer break. He compares notes with Jenna on why they both enjoy solo travels, and talk about things you gotta do to stay safe while staying in the wilderness alone.

The reason I ended up writing my thoughts about this episode, in particular, is that listening to Link and Jenna talk about how freeing solitude is. I got envious.

The reason I've been so absent from Tumblr and everything else is that with my parents getting older, a lot of my time these days involves me doing things for them. My dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's last year, and he no longer has his driver's licence. My mom has had some pretty major health scares in the past year, and it's near a miracle she is currently alive and actually physically functional. As if these things weren't enough, my sister was diagnosed with cancer, went through surgery, chemo and radiation therapy in the past year, too. She is doing better, now, but with my parents and my sister all struggling, I've suddenly ended up being very necessary. And that means, the most time I've had for myself in the past few months has been two days at most, but usually, not a day goes by without someone needing my help. And, I could really use a solo trip right about now.

Link talked about how being alone gave him a sense of being fully in control, and that made him happy. And for Jenna, solitude meant freedom. I can relate to both of these feelings. I've never really been able to be truly myself when other people are around, and it can be really suffocating. For me, it took a world wide pandemic to figure out that I actually like being me, but the problems, the anxiety and stress, emerge when I'm expected to interact with other people. As much control as I have over my own existence, I can't control other people. I've tried, doesn't work.

I csn't wait to see the video version of this episode on Wednesday. Link showed Jrnna a video he had made while watching the sunset with Jasper. I'm not religious, nor particularly spiritual, but if I ever feel connrcted with the universe, it's when I'm in the wild, surrounded by the beauty of nature. One August night this summer, I sat in the dark, staring at the sky, searching for shooting stars. I was alone at that time, apart from a million mosquitoes eating my ankles, and at the same time, I felt free, yet not lonely. And then I heard something crack in the dark, and, because I was in my garden, I calmly stood up and walked inside.

So, yeah, after sll of this nonsensical rambling, what did I actually want to say? Enjoy the little moments in life, alone or with someone you love. If you can, go on a solo trip - and if that is not an option, go outside, look at the stars and breathe. And even if this text probably isn't the best ad for this Ear biscuits episode, listen to it.

[itcamefromthetoybox]

Targetmaster

“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” is now out, and I’m seeing it this weekend! I need this movie. I NEEEEEEEED IT! And so, to keep myself from going completely bonkers (more than I already have, I mean), I am pleased to present the last pre-movie review: “Nerf Transformers: Rise of the Beasts 2-In-1 Optimus Prime Blaster!”

Box art taken from Amazon because I lost the pic I took of mine in the packaging

All of you know who Optimus Prime is and what Nerf is, so we’re just gonna skip the info dump. Instead, let’s talk about what exactly this toy even is. As the name of the toy obviously states, this is a Nerf gun styled after Optimus Prime. The thing that got my attention about this toy, though, is the fact that the Nerf gun also transforms into an Optimus Prime toy. It’s such a neat concept, and one I think kids will really like.

Now, before we get into the review proper, let’s address the elephant in the room. A lot of people got really pissy about the fact that this is an Optimus that turns into a gun instead of a Megatron that turns into one, since turning into a gun was the original Megatron’s whole thing. Well, there’s a few good reasons this toy isn’t Megatron, so let’s go through them.

Many American states have laws restricting or banning the sale of toy guns that could be mistaken for genuine firearms. Megatron is traditionally grey, silver, and black, and occasionally shades of green. It would be really easy to mistake a Nerf gun Megatron for a real gun, and that’s one of many ways kids get shot by panicked cops or other trigger-happy people in this country. Optimus, meanwhile, is predominantly red and blue, so a kid playing with him has a somewhat lower chance of being shot at by cops or anyone else. A lower chance, but sadly, not a zero percent chance.

Good guys sell better than bad guys. Financially, it makes more sense for Hasbro and Nerf to team up to make a toy of a hero like Optimus than it does to make a villain, especially since Optimus is the most well-known character in the entire franchise.

Megatron has not been confirmed to be in the movie. All the Megatron toys released for this movie are re-releases from previous toylines, but with the “Rise of the Beasts” logo on the packaging. Since this toy was made in a collaboration between Hasbro and Nerf, meaning the profits have to be split between the two companies makes more sense to make a toy of someone actually in the movie than it does to make one of someone not in the movie, because kids are more likely to buy the toy of the guy they just saw on the big screen.

In robot mode, Prime’s looks and articulation both suffer from the fact that he’s a working Nerf gun first and a toy robot second. From the front and top up, Prime looks good. He has the looks you expect from Optimus Prime by now. And then there’s the rest. Since his legs become the barrel of the Nerf gun, he ends up with cartoonishly long legs. Compared to the normal proportions of his top half, it’s a little jarring to suddenly see those super long legs. It’s like he’s wearing some sort of stilts and trying to hide it, and it is not going well.

...I just realized how awkward the orange barrel looks in robot mode.

The issues that come from being a Nerf gun become even clearer when we look at Prime from behind. Due to how a Nerf gun works, there wasn’t a way to make this toy so the gun’s handle could be folded down or removed without jacking up the price. So as a result, Prime has this giant blue growth sticking out of his back.

Robot Mode Optimus Prime has very limited articulation, as you would expect from a toy that’s meant to be a gun first and foremost. He has ball-jointed shoulders and elbows, and that’s really it. Since his legs are the barrel of the gun, they’re a mostly solid piece, with the only exception being the end of his long, solid leg part, which folds out of the way to not block the barrel for the gun. He also can’t hold anything in his hands, which is actually a letdown for me. I would have loved for him to be able to hold his own tiny Nerf gun.

Optimus Prime would go on to develop severe back pain.

Transforming Prime to gun mode and back is a pretty straightforward process, where the hardest part is just getting his arms positioned for gun mode, and even that’s not really a challenge. The whole transformation is quick and easy, which is partially caused by the fact that the entire body is a Nerf gun and the robot mode is the Nerf gun with limbs and a head, so transforming him is just getting those parts out of the way. My one issue is that, when putting Prime in robot mode, the barrel of the gun can sometimes make Prime’s legs not want to come together fully, which can make him fall backwards if you’re not careful, so do keep an eye on that.

I really like how the gun mode looks. It’s got a lot of visible Optimus details, such as the wheels his traditional truck mode has and the chest windows, which all make for a very stylized toy. It’s a really neat design, which at this point, I expect from Nerf after seeing some of their other Nerf guns. I’m very pleased with this look.

Turn him upside down and you can claim he’s a submarine or spaceship

Since Prime’s a Nerf gun, one thing we should definitely talk about is his fire power. After all, the point of a Nerf gun is to shoot your friends with it, and it would be kinda sad if the Nerf dart couldn’t even clear the couch. Well, I’m pleased to say that Prime has what I’d call decent range. He’s a smaller gun, so he won’t be hitting people across a field, but his power is good for his size. And remember, it’s not the size of Optimus Prime, it’s what you can do with him.

Optimus comes with two accessories, a pair of Nerf darts. Considering he’s a Nerf gun, this shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone. What I do like is that he has a place to store the Nerf darts aside from just loading one in the gun, which would impede Prime’s ability to transform. Prime has a pair of dart holders that unfold on his back/the end of the gun, which do a very good job storing the darts, I haven’t had any issue with the holders being too loose or anything, which I admit was a concern of mine. As a bonus, when the darts are stored, they do a decent job emulating Prime’s smokestacks from his truck figures, albeit in bright Nerf colors.

The film’s epic climax: Unicron chokes to death on a Nerf dart.

“Nerf Transformers: Rise of the Beasts 2-In-1 Optimus Prime Blaster“ is available at mass retail and can be found with the action figures, not the Nerf guns. He goes for about $20-$25 at retail, which is a little much, but a lot of online places are starting to carry him for about $17, which feels much more reasonable. While I’m not enamored with the legs and how he has a giant gun handle sticking out of his back, I do understand that those are sacrifices that had to be made due to the fact he’s a working Nerf gun. As is, I actually would recommend him for kids old enough and responsible enough to play with Nerf guns. I would also recommend him for adults responsible enough to play with Nerf guns. Basically, use good judgement before buying this for someone. “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” comes out this weekend, so this is the last Transformers review for now, and next week, we’ll be looking at toys of another beloved franchise that’s getting a movie soon, so come back then! This is JS, signing off and  wishing you Happy Toy Hunting!

[nintendouniverse2023]

My Donkey Kong Country Timeline

Donkey Kong Country Adventures

For those who didn't know that in My AU were Donkey Kong and Mario were at the same universe and The Same goes to Banjo and Kazzoie*

-A very long time ago, in a world where as

-In Brooklyn, A man named "Mario Mario Sr" was started out as a carpenter and meet a girl named Pauline who was running for Mayor at that time. Things really hit it off at that time. Until a younger Cranky Kong AKA Donkey Kong SR kidnaps Pauline. After Mario Sr defeats the Kong and send him back to the cage, Mario Sr and Pauline seems to have a relationship.

"Donkey Kong 1981 events happens"

- After being sent back to the circus were he ended up in abuse even more. It's not just that, people are even calling him a monster, abuse him more and much more punishment's over

-Year later after those events, The Authorities decided that they want to kill DK, only to have a teenager named "Donkey Kong Jr" who had to go through all the trouble to save DK.

"Donkey Kong Junior events happen"

-Soon after that he kidnaps Pauline *Now Mario's Sr's wife* again leaving Mario have to rescue her. He then team up with DK Jr who dose not want any violence's. As Mario Sr sets off to this adventure while DK Jr distracts his father and through it fall the way, Jr helped Mario Sr get to his father. After the battle, Mario and Pauline convinced the thorites to just let them go where they came from and they did.

-"Donkey Kong Gameboy events happen"

- After DK Sr and Jr was set free and Return to a Younger "Wrinkly Kong" Jr began took on several adventures on his own but One day he was visited the caves of Inka Dinka Doo, a ancient god, who told the ape he has shown great heroism and bestowed upon him a magical treasure known as the Crystal Coconut, Which their long ancient assistors hid away because their afraid that the wrong hands will use its magical extrognary power, Now they restore their legacy much more.

It was not long before the Kongs will have to face "King K Rool" is a big green scaley tyrant, a single father and King of Krocodile Island leading an empire called the Kremlings. He and his army set the seven seas known as a vicious, frightening, self centered one of all of the of islands around. No one really knows where he got a very bad scar on his eye during one of his travels along time ago. One of his main goals in his army is to take the Crystal Coconut in hopes of ruling the island we’re it is and total domination of the seas.

- A Young "Mama Kong" was once an adventures and her last ones were the Legendary Crystal Banana but ends up failing after a Giant Beast almost killed her.

- Through the years of the remaining of my life after making out alive, The Beast remains in the temples for years, not surprised if the it can lived this long. The Legends of the Crystal Banana still remains in the dangerous temples under the island. Some of the Kongs who craved adventure decide to stop going due to many ghost stories. For a few decades, The Crystal Banana was still a rumor legendary story as it never to be claimed, unless someone that was brave and clever enough to claim their future goal.

- DK Jr and Mama Kong would evenly get together, got married and gave birth to Quadruplets that one will change forever.

-"Donkey Kong the third, Slash Kong, Funky Kong and Swanky Kong" is born

- Future Kamek and Bowser stole all of the babies in order to find The 7 star children. Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Donkey Kong, Wario, and Baby Bowser. Chief Yoshi and his tribe of Yoshis go on a rescue mission to save the Seven Star Children from Future Bowser and Kamek. That the end of the adventure "Yoshi" was born.

-"Yoshi's Island DS events happen"

- DK the third had a strong connection with his father scene they like to do things like father and son. He loves his mom *Though be a bit embracing* and DK SR *As he talks smack to everyone in a Cranky mode but told him stories about a man in overalls beat him and sent him to a prison*. DK is next in line to become King of the island. While most folks would be eager to become a ruler, DK isn't quite sure if he can do it. He doesn't know why HE would be chosen and not any of his siblings.

- My OC Scar Kong, was a very patient and very special skilled, training very day. He use to have a strong connection with DK and probably didn't know he won't be king.

- Funky is very laid-back and easygoing. He was quite okay of not being King of Kongo Bongo Island because he would rather spend his time in the beach just surfing and would make a business in there as well.

- Swanky was a very tacky ape who is always trying to make a quick buck. Unlike Funky, he's actually jealous that DK was chosen to be King of the island. He'll also find ways to get DK in trouble, even if it means getting everyone else in trouble.

- "Candy Kong" was born and was adopted by her moms.

- DK Jr has meet a Male Chimpanzie Kong "Loncho Kong" who was a plying to get a job a guard to support his wife "Sweeten Kong" to expecting their first child.

- "Buchin Kong" was born, *A quite happy and a total gentlemen in love of singing, Dancing, Swinging and Exploring. Plus, he's Bisexual*

- "Mora Kong" was born, *A total Live Streamer with a Sassy awaited*

- When DK was 8 and Candy was 6, The two of them seem to have a complicated relationship. They started as friends, playing music, swinging on vines and swimming in a river in the summer.

- "Chunky Kong" was born

- Scar found this out the hard way the true reason is because DK was the oldest of the Quadruplets, Which ends up as Scar's fit of anger cause destruction to Kong Bono Jungle and tries to take the Crystal Coconut. Scar was sent away by Jr but disappeared soon after. DK was unsure what happened tp the both of them after that fight, this makes Cranky take over his son's place as King. He tries to ask Funky and Swanky but they won't tell him. He watched at the top of Kongo Bongo hoping one day, Scar and His Father will return.

- "Esther Kong" was born *Another Brash explore who restfully craves, who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty.*

- Wrinkly got sick and boreally unwell, As soon Cranky was rashly to see her, it was too late. Cranky didn't have the time to say goodbye to her. cranky thought he lose everyone and though it was fault blaming Jump man and Humans even more, holding a grudge to his very day of his defeat.

- "Lanky Kong" was born and left by the Manky Kong's after being forced to be kicked out because of their savage behavior. He's spent most of his childhood alone untill he was brought in by the Kong Clan.

-"Miki Kong" was born *A Cheerfully Girl with Quite a grove of the ocean.*

- He counties ruling Kongo Bongo for years untill he have to retire, due to getting old. Though even when his grandson DK was next in line for the throne, he must do everything and must train his grandson Donkey Kong into becoming the new king and a true hero, even though its been hard he knows when to ease up on him especially to make sure to make him never make the same mistake, guilt and the path he gain to. Nowadays, Donkey Kong spends most of his days in his cabin ranting on about what comes to his mind, Making doing some science potions, selling his treasures for junk, keep watch of the Crystal Cocoanut and Trains DK and his friends. He's gotten so bitter that all of the younger Kong's have started to call him "Cranky". As bitter as he is, he cares quite a lot about his family.

- Cranky put him through rigorous training and Battle Arenas. But DK would rather spend his days hanging out with his best friends, Diddy Kong and Funky Kong, swinging on vines, rocking on the bongos and enjoying some bananas and spending time with his girlfriend, Candy Kong. This would take time before DK will learned before DK will protect the Magical Crystal Coconut.

- Funky Kong was childhood friends with "Roxanne Kong" and ever scene then they began to have a lovely relationship. By the time their 18, Funky and Roxane kinda spend the night together which ends up getting her pregnant. 9 months later, she gave birth to a son “Diddy Kong”. This made Her and Funky realize that they need each other by their side and got married and spent more time together.

- Once Swanky and his brothers moved out from their childhood home, Married a woman named "Goldie Kong" He kinda made his own million dollar business company and made a very popular game show. He would eventually get into a rivalry with Bluster Kong due to having a better successful company and have the temper problem,

- "Dixie Kong" was born

- Buchin Kong along with his fiancée "Gallica Kong", have given birth to a daughters named "Lexie Kong" and their whole family decide to move out of Kongo Bongo Island and move to a different Island in their new Yatch.

- "Lizo Kong and Tiny Kong was born" was born

-"Raonic Kong, Rita Kong and Ronchi Kong " was born

-"Grovo Kong" was born

-"Fruity Kong" was born

- When Diddy was 8, DK was unable to babysit Diddy because DK started dating Candy Kong, Funky and Roxanne hired Chunky as a back up babysitter. Diddy find Chunky okay, just not that brave. He has brought 2 of his younger chimpanzees cousins with him, Dixie Kong *Age 8* and Tiny Kong *Age 4*. Dixie and Diddy really liked to support each other and Diddy was offered to learn new things and which loved to hang out with her ever scene.

-"Kiddy Kong" was born

- Gallica and Esther would return to Kongo Bongo Island, were they try to retrieve the Crystal Banana. Gallica was killed in a middle of the trail, forcing Esther to retreat.

- The next day, Esther told the family the bad news, which ended up being a slow and depressing time for everyone, inculing Buchin and Lexie but lead to Buchin into a broken depressed state. Never talks or smiles. Ether eats, sleeps and care for his kids. Esther and her sisters will have to agree to take care of him and their nieces and nephews.

- "Loxie Kong" was born

- When Diddy learned about the big news about his uncle next in line for the throne, he became super exited about that and would always proved to DK as a legend to him but sometimes over in his life as a Second Banana.

- In Cranky's Cabin, Diddy was taken care of Cranky and took the old apes complains and trying to take care himself. After he takes Cranky to bed, Diddy was being sneaky and watches tv with the volume down, only to revile the news about the reptilian empire called "The Kremlings" were attacking the island. Diddy goes outside the cabian to revile the flying croc. The Kremlings began to get out of the copter the same time the head co leader and the General of the Kremling Milatary "Klump". Diddy began to have his chance to stand up and foughts off the beast. He tries to stop Klump, only to be stopped by the Blue Savage and Bulk Bodied "Krusha". The Kremlings get the apprehend and put Diddy on the Prison Barrel. Their leader revile to be a big kremling, gold belly and crown, a red cape and a damaged right eye, "King K Rool" He clamed that the legends are ture as he steals the Crystal Coconut, making him King of Kongo Bongo Island. Once DK freed Diddy, they go on a quest to save the Island.

- "Donkey Kong Country events happen"

- After DK and Diddy defeated King K Rool and his Kremling army and Got the Crystal Coconut back, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong have a moment, DK feels a bit more confident about taking on the role as the new island king as Diddy Kong was really looking forward in the future into never give up on the heroic's hopes and dreams.

- Scar Kong busted himself out of Prison Island and would crash into Krocodile Island and demanded to know, where's DK which gives K Rool an idea.

- The second invasion when it comes to The Kremlings, DK tries to stop K Rool as Kaptian K Rool but Found out that he teams with Scar Kong and got captured. Later Diddy and Dixie learns about this and must go and save him.

-"My version of Donkey Kong Country: Diddy Kong Quest events happens" *Scar Kong at Stronghold Showdown, battles the Kongs with a Kremling Tank after betraying them but ultimately defeated, as he fell into the ocean and mauled alive by a bunch of sharks. The body was never found.*

- Diddy started to have a mental break down, The fear of not losing his loved ones to King K Rool and being the worst for his family. The DK family manage to calm him down after while.

- When DK and Diddy gone missing on a fishing trip, Dixie was tasked to stop the Kremlings in the Northern Kremisphere to rescue Banana Birds with the help of her younger cousin "Kiddy Kong".

-"Donkey Kong Country: Dixie Kong Double Trouble events happen"

- Donkey Kong would later become best friends with Mario along with other allies, While ignoring Cranky the fact he shouldn't be talking to Mario on certain adventures, parties and adventures.

-"Mario Party, Sports Events and Go Kart events happen"

- King K. Rool steals the prize medals from the upcoming Jungle Jam tournament, prompting Donkey Kong to chase after him and retrieve the stolen medals.

-"Donkey Kong King of Swing events happen"

- The Kremlings attempted again by striking the Banana Alines and stealing Space Banana's leaving DK, Diddy and Cranky to stop them.

- "Donkey Kong Jungle Climber events happen"

- Timber the Tiger's parents go on holiday and leave their son in charge of the island they live on, prompting him and his friends to organise a race. Their enjoyment is interrupted when a sinister intergalactic pig-wizard named Wizpig arrives at Timber's Island and attempts to take it over after having conquered his own planet.

-"Diddy Kong Racing events happen"

-"Banjo and Kazzoiee Series and Bad Fur day events happen"

-"Donkey Kong Barrel Blast events happen"

- After King K Rool lost to the Kongs after that, he went back to Krocodile Island as the Kongs believed to be dead and celebrated but really The Kremling are planning something big. During that, DK meets Lanky and Chunky for the first time.

-"Donkey Kongna events happen"

-Ghastly Kong took control of The League of Kongs, stole all of the Banana's required DOnkey Kong heroic deeds to get them back.

-"Jungle Beats events happen"

- When a group of evil Tikis known as the Tiki Tak Tribe arrive on Donkey Kong Island after being awoken by a volcanic eruption,[ and play music to hypnotize the animals, mostly elephants, zebras, giraffes, and squirrels on the island into stealing Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong's bananas. Since Donkey Kong is resistant to the Tikis' music, he works with Diddy Kong to retrieve their hoard of bananas from the Tikis and Save the island.

-"DKC Returns events happen"

- As the Kongs celebrate Donkey Kong's birthday, their island is attacked by the Snowmads, arctic invaders. Their leader, Lord Fredrik, blows a horn that creates frozen winds and an ice dragon. The Kongs are blown away and the Snowmads seize the frozen Donkey Kong Island.

-"Tropical Freeze events happen"

- King K. Rool and his reptilian Kremlings invade the idyllic DK Isle and kidnap Donkey Kong's friends, planning to power up their Blast-O-Matic weapon and destroy the island. After a tutorial, the player embarks as Donkey Kong to rescue the others from their kidnappers and stop K. Rool's plan.

-"DK64 events happen"

- After this fails, terribly, DK and his Friends countine to stop the Kremlings from Steal and Attempt to Steal the Crystal Coconut untill eventally meets up with Mario again but with his sister.

- Mara was detrend to go and confront "Donkey Kong" who told various stories about his history with the Mario's Sibling Dad before they were born. Once get to Kongo Bono Island, Something very interested once their with her brothers, Peach and Amatory, When DK and The Mario Squad heard about King K Rool who captured Mara, Diddy and Dixie and must go rescue him.

- This event happens “Super Mario Rebirth Show Season 1 events happen”

-"Super Mario Rebirth Show Season 2, Kart Chargers and 3D Universe events happens"

- After DK and Diddy returned home from helping Mario and Friends by saving the galaxy and Rosalina from the grasp of Bowser, Cranky Kong has decided it's finally time for Donkey Kong to take the throne. This causes of a celebration party with the help of his faithful friends and family by his side.

- Donkey Kong, now crowned king, got so much responsibilities as to protect his people, Continues his Hero duties. The Kremlings are making bigger scheems for the DK Crew to handle.

- DK Crew would make new friends like Esther Kong, scene she and her family moved back to start new lives.

Donkey Kong the Third might not be perfect but getting there.

[tiggymalvern]

Burn Notice - s7 rewatch

I finished rewatching season 7 of Burn Notice a couple of weeks ago now, and on second watch, it worked better for me than it did the first time. The first time, the ending felt rushed, and I didn’t entirely buy into Michael’s switch of allegiance; but knowing it was coming, and watching the details more carefully, it seemed more realistic. And I’ve been pondering over it since, poking over what I felt were flaws on first viewing, and it holds together a lot better than I thought. It always made sense that Michael would turn against the CIA, given how they treated him and everyone he cares about, given the corruption he uncovered among them. On first watch, though, I didn’t buy that turning against the CIA would immediately mean siding with James. There had to be a third option. Except there pretty much wasn’t, from Michael’s perspective. He didn’t know that the rest of the gang were already working on the ‘get the hell out of the country’ plan – and even if he had known, the last time they all tried that, it went appallingly badly. Michael’s first choice for getting out was to die. He expected James to shoot him in the head, and he was so done with everything, he was fine with it. But James didn’t – instead he exploited Michael’s weakness. He knew that Michael was doing everything to keep the people he loved out of prison, and he offered Michael another way to do that. When Michael was in the world’s shittiest frame of mind and not likely to be making good choices, James dangled a carrot in front of him. And Michael being Michael, if he decides he’s going to do something, he goes for it 100%. That’s always been one of his primary strengths, but applied in the wrong circumstances, it becomes a massive flaw. In Nature of the Beast, Michael admits to Sam that he’s struggling, that he likes James and Sonya despite who they are, and he says he’s relying on Sam to help him. Two episodes later, when Fiona confronts him about it, he’s all, ‘Nope, I’m fine, nothing to worry about here.’ I don’t think he would have said that if he and Fiona had still been an item. But he knows that she’s moved on with Carlos, and there’s a combination there of Michael not wanting to dump his crap on her when she wants nothing to do with his world anymore, and Michael not wanting to rely on her when he’s no longer her priority. It’s a case where he’s protecting both of them from each other, I think, but it results in him turning away from support even though he knows he needs it. And he turns away from it more after some of the things he has to do. After he has to kill Roger Steele, after he watches James shoot the useless dude. Michael’s got some pretty bad self-loathing going on at that point, and he’s deliberately dodging the rest of the team because he doesn’t want them judging him too. When he needs help the most, he won’t ask for it any more. It's been apparent for a long time that Michael’s the most dangerous of the Burn Notice crew. Fiona’s dangerous because of what she might do when she’s furious, in a particularly bad moment. Michael’s dangerous because of what he might do when he’s cold and semi- rational. Because of that Larry-like part of him that’s he admits is in there. Michael might do terrible things when he’s not actually all that rational, but he thinks he is, and that can be so much worse. Sam and Jesse, meanwhile, are the stable ones of the group. Which isn’t to say that they can’t get angry enough to want to murder someone – they absolutely can. But they nail that shit down. It’s most obvious with Sam when they’re interrogating the guy who tells them how he took Sam’s friend out into the Everglades and shot him in the back of the head. At which point Michael grabs Sam and hauls him out of there – good call, you should absolutely do that. But later, Sam’s back inside asking the guy who paid him to do it. Which makes sense, because you don’t make the cut for a SEAL team if you can’t get a grip on yourself under just about any circumstances. And Jesse somehow manages not to murder Michael after he figures out Michael was the one who destroyed his life. Those two guys are reliable pretty much anywhere and anywhen – they’re the stability Michael needs to be utilising and isn’t. Another big flaw of Michael’s is that he’s willing to hurt people he cares about to protect them. He tells his mother early in season two that he ghosted her for ten years because he wanted to keep her away from his world. He knows the rest of the gang will vehemently disagree with what he’s doing, but Michael’s convinced himself he’s right. In his own head, he’s not turning on the gang, even when he is. When he and Sam climb out of the water after their fight, Michael leads his threat with, ‘Because we’re friends,’ - still present tense, even when he’s warning Sam to stay the hell away from him. And that fight on the bridge is SO perfectly done. We’ve seen disagreements between these two turn physical before when Sam’s tried to stop Michael from doing something stupid. With the stakes so much higher this time, neither of them were going to back down, and it was always going to get ugly. Sam knows that in a straight fight he’s going to lose, so he plays it smart and gets them into the water. It takes him a couple of tries, because Michael sees it coming. – they’re both smart. And it works. Sam has the advantage, and if he’d wanted to kill Michael, he could have. He loses because killing Michael is the absolute last thing he wants to do, and because near-drowning is so unbelievably dangerous. He has to loosen his grip and head for the surface the second Michael goes limp, and so Michael fakes him out. They both played to their strengths and their understanding of each other, and Sam really couldn’t have done anything differently. There are a couple of things in season 7 that don’t really work. First of them is that it takes Michael any time at all to make his decision on the roof. Sonya vs the woman he’s been in love with a decade – he really shouldn’t have to think about that. Even if Fiona tried to move on emotionally, it’s obvious all season that Michael hasn’t. Dramatic tension and all, but… nope. The big thing that bugs me is James’ security lapse. Sonya vouches for Michael, and then Michael gets put through days of sleep deprivation, drugs and interrogation before James will trust him. Which makes sense in a vile way. But then James takes Fiona, Sam and Jesse on trust because Michael trusts them? Meets up with them more than once, lets them see his face? Since when? It’s not even necessary for them to ever meet James. Michael could have worked with the rest of the gang exactly as Michael worked with Burke and Sonya prior to meeting James, all at one step removed. That’s what I would have expected. Yes, they have to be able to recognise James when they see him with Michael at the end of the series, and know that Michael’s lying to them. But they didn’t ever have to meet James for that. By then, they’ve already got James’ full name and background and details from his ex-colleague at the mental hospital, so they’d only need photos to recognise him. If James had stayed away from everyone but Michael and Sonya, that would have been consistent behaviour and changed nothing about the overall plot. The only detail that would have been different is that the others wouldn't have been there to see James kill the useless dude. But that could have been worked around. The others could have been all, 'Hey, where's useless dude these days?' and Michael wouldn't have wanted to explain. And they'd figure out he's dead quickly enough, and maybe they even start to speculate that maybe Michael killed him... Season 7 still has its glitches, but fairly minor ones in the overall plot arc. The writers wanted to send Burn Notice out with a dramatic bang, and they certainly did that.

[icharchivist]

Oh right, I just remembered two other things I was thinking about when writing/thinking, but sleepiness

If Sandalphon/Lucilius mirror Lucio/Lucifer and given how Sandy got better and Lucilius not, then good prediction would be that in other pair someone will also make completely different decision. But since Lucifer already killed his creator, then it would be Lucio deciding to stay by his creator side no matter what. But Lucio is playable and would need something to push him into ignoring his doubts, while Lucifer is not a playable character and he is who knows where, abandoned, like seriously... Lucilius is astral, but was revived and Sandalphon isn't trying to try it for Lucifer? Just to try? Hello?? Unless that's other, more selfish reason he is willing to let Sariel find Belial, to also find Lucilius, recover body and try some shenanigans on his own (I still stand by my theory that Belial just sewed Lucilius head to Lucifer's body and prayed that it will work). Just saying that reviving primal beast sounds a lil easier. Anyway, either Lucio/Lucifer will mirror Lucilius/Sandalphon and one of them become our enemy or not, I am just thinking, it's interesting. Tho, now I think Lucifer talking with Bahamut is a little too much, more like Lucifer beating up Bahamut for answers and I feel like we should revive him in other body just to let him beat Lucilius for answers (with sandal, Lucifer is Lucilius' parent now)

Second thing was something about Id, Ego and Superego or something, with Lucifer feeling like more perfect form of Lucio... Eee...

Oh, Shalem... Poor her... Now I wonder if her and Lucio helping as Lucio wouldn't mirror Lucifer and Sandalphon? Lucio hides his true identity and does nothing to help her with Shalem being pissed off, while when Sandalphon screams at Lucifer for pain he caused him, Lucifer... Apologizes. I don't remember exactly both scenes, but I remember that Lucifer said he didn't meant to hurt him and generally seemed at least willing to try to relieve Sandalphon's pain he caused. He didn't meant to, but he did. Closing in cradle maybe wasn't the best idea, but at least he gets star for a effort. If he had more time, he would probably get to it... Or not.

Also, does Sandalphon was really unable to leave the cradle or he just thought so? I got impression that he wasn't closed there, like... There was no lock on the door and Sandalphon could leave any moment if only he wanted. Like cradle was meant to be just a lil safe place for Sandalphon to gather his thoughts and calm down, without Lucifer standing above him... Oh gods

Sandalphon thought he was imprisoned and Lucifer was sure that Sandalphon don't want to talk with him at all and decided to just sleep for rest of eternity... Maybe it would be better if Sandalphon was just imprisoned there, aaaa... *Screams*

Ahah help

i think the real reason Sandalphon isn't trying to bring back Lucifer is because of narrative closure in the sense that it's 100% a writer thing. Him desperately trying to bring back Lucifer would lessen the ending of 000 and that's why he's not doing so. Personally i've been on team "Cags can make Lucifer a new body and tie his soul back to it with the connection Sandalphon has to him" but alas. I don't think primals are easier to bring back than Lucilius but Lucifer is in this strange situation where a part of his soul is tied to Sandalphon and therefore he can never truly move on in the afterlife.

As for the enemy, i think the fact Lucifer already rebelled against his creator is the thing that really mirrors to Lucio so idk about him becoming an enemy, but for Lucio more in general i think he could always end up in a situation where he will have to oppose the crew in some way.

Very true for the Lucio/Shalem vs Lucifer/Sandalphon parallelism. Lucio is still trying to be in control and he sees Shalem's distress but because of the bigger plan, he can't help her out. Lucifer meanwhile, took time to understand Sandalphon's distress but once he did he threw away all the plan and purpose that was put on him to assist him. A different level of willingness to face how they both caused distress to the people they care for.

The cradle was guarded by Lucifer's feather that Lyria had. The Crew could only get into the cradle because of Lucifer's feather. that's why there was implications of how Belial and Bubs couldn't hurt Sandalphon despite Lucifer being dead (even if Lucifer tried to protect the cradle still), and that he tried to snatch the feather from Lyria. so, no, i think there Was in fact a Lock, but it was less to lock Sandalphon in and more to lock everyone else out.

But Sandalphon did believe Lucifer locked him here and didn't want to talk to him for eternity which is still sad, regardless of the lock issue. It was a mess sobs.