#caleb: teaching her how to make a power point

[terrifyingstories]

tasha doesn't really have any kind of innate expertise as it pertains to things like plumbing, tiling, house improvement projects, general handiness, etc, but what she does have is grit, patience, and an impressive capacity to pick up new skills and knowledge rather quickly. she isn't intimidated by these projects and is surprisingly good at figuring things out with enough time and information. she's not a crazy genius, nor a plumber or mechanic or whatever she finds herself doing, but she's sharp and she likes a challenge.

she's not a professional, but she's handy and good to have around if you have a leaky faucet or running toilet. she's down to help with any home project and has taken on quite a few herself, both at home and at the studio she owns as well.

she doesn't have a huge passion for these things per se, but she likes figuring things out and challenging herself, and i think it's especially meaningful to her after how she was raised. this was the kind of work tasha was never supposed to know anything about; born into high society, she was always discouraged from getting her hands dirty in any kind of way and never would've been allowed to engage in anything remotely close. but after the attack, tasha was given an opportunity to reinvent herself, and she did.

it's not really something anyone could guess by looking at her; she's delicate and petite and not someone you expect to know her way around a toolbox, but one of the benefits of her new life is that she gets to be full of surprises, and she is. she likes that, not necessarily because she cares what other people think of her, but because she likes proving to herself that she's capable of new and challenging things.

[let-us-cultivate-our-garden]

What would your direction be for The Collector? I find the show did a very hard retcon by turning him into an uwu fandom baby, despite the fact that he was shown to be astute in his earlier appearances. Actually, what's the point of his character beyond providing Belos the keys to that genocide spell on the Day of Unity?

This one will be another two-fer.

For the first question: If I were Dana, and I just received news that my series was going to be cancelled and I only had 3 long episodes to wrap everything up, I would have done one of two things: either not include the Collector or actually make him the Final Villain.

Obviously, Dana did neither of those things.

His overall role is to provide powerful magic to Belos and hint at what happened to the Titans. If we're not going to include the Collector, then just have Belos be the one to have made the Day of Unity Spell since he spent hundreds of years studying magic, it's logical for him to have come across different and more powerful forms of magic. The mysterious fate of the Titans would then be left for the fans to speculate.

But if we are to have him, then he has to provide another angle than Abused Baby Character Is Yet Another Victim of Belos that we've seen multiple times already. If Belos represents the dangers of oppression and not allowing the Individual to reach their full potential, then the Collector has to be the thematic opposite. He needs to demonstrate how unlimited freedom for one person can be dangerous if the effect it has on others are not considered.

Belos is defeated with the power of individualism and self-expression but the show could have examined the other side of the coin. Freedom does not mean getting to do whatever you want. People still have roles and responsibilities to play if society is to function. Relationships don't function if it's all me-me-me. The Collector could have been that other side of the coin with his disregard of other's opinions and focus on things that entertain him. That would force Luz to actually realize that she can't choose herself every single time, that she has to be responsible and considerate of other people. It would be a great arc for her character and a fitting resolution for her to teach someone else about growing up. Otherwise, there's no thematic purpose for the Collector, who's currently just there to act as a Decoy Antagonist until the Real Villain can reestablish himself as a threat again.

Second question: If I had a full season 3, then the Wittebanes would definitely have their own episode. But even with the cancellation, Thanks to Them should have been a more Wittebane-centric episode instead of being crammed into the final 10 minutes.

I would avoid the Good Brother-Evil Brother trope like the plague; Philip is the younger brother here, he's going to look up to and emulate Caleb. They both became witch hunters to fit in, which implies that they were somehow different and this was the only way to gain community acceptance and safety. Philip is the most "unusual" of the brothers and is fundamentally dependent on Caleb, so he has more to lose if the community turns on him, thus he embraces witch hunting more readily. Caleb can outwardly fit in but the stress of raising his kid brother are taking its toll and he's growing disillusioned with the town's culture. Meeting Evelyn allows Caleb to relieve some of his stress but it also makes him blind to how radicalized Philip is becoming. The town loves his little brother! He can leave for a little bit and his brother will be in good hands :) I can finally be my own person! Pip is fine....he's fine....it's fine...

Except that we know the truth. Philip tied his grief over losing Caleb to the witches because it was ingrained into him that they're all evil and destroy lives. It's much easier to accept that reality than the one in which Caleb willingly left him.

The Wittebanes should be a tale about how young people are radicalized and how communities can fail vulnerable children. How grief can destroy us if not processed properly. Not "guess lil' bro got mad that big bro got a gf, lol!"

Finally, Belos' backstory needs to play into his ultimate demise. The Titan can reveal the full story while Luz only got the legend the first time around. She can remind Belos that he wasted his life for nothing, that killing everyone won't change anything. That he brought this hell onto himself and he's the only one to blame.

Basically this.

[shivadh]

Have you described in any of the books or shorts what a Shivadh bow looks like, yet? As in, like, bowing out of courtesy, not a bow and arrows. I'm rereading Twelve Points again and I realised I don't know what to imagine for that. I would very much like to know, for reasons.

(Also I just realised, curtsy and courtesy are the same word. Performing your courtesy to the king. Performing a curtsy to the king. Wild, the leaps we make at midnight-thirty.)

Honestly it's one of those things where I kinda stumped my own brain. I mean there really are only so many ways to bow. And we know that the depth of the bow matters and also how it's executed because it's distinct from just Any Old Bow. (And curtsey as well of course.) So I've kind of been letting people imagine their own. :D

Realistically, I think what makes the most sense is for the curtsey to be a sort of Regency style, where you bend at the knee and bow your head, rather than bending from the waist. That's fairly distinct but still elegant. For the bow, what makes the most sense is to make it more melodramatic, like an actor's bow -- you put one leg back, bend at the waist, and sort of wave one hand outward. It's not necessarily the flamboyance of the movement, but the distance your leg goes back and the depth of your bend, that would count.

For both, the depth of it doesn't just show respect but also indicates rank, so you might bow deeply to someone you're very familiar with, but if you were the same two people who didn't know each other and you outranked them socially or culturally, you wouldn't bow nearly so deeply. That's why occasionally someone is surprised when one of the kings bows deeply, because most of the time the kings are barely nodding their heads, since it's acknowledged that they hold a particular rank. It seems like it would be a weird power trip but I think of it as the king acknowledging "Hey, you're a person, we're in this particular social configuration, I'm showing you respect by not treating you weirdly or trying to puff you up." And of course it's all contextual -- like most people you would meet in a day are basically your social peer because the Shivadh aren't highly stratified or rigid about class, but even Gregory would bow more deeply to an elder to show respect for their age. And you can imagine how much room there is to play with how you might snub or slight someone.

All of this said, most of the time it's considered a bit archaic. The royals do it more often because one, most of them are old nobility, and two, it's kind of a marker of someone whose job or duty it is to preserve culture. Gregory bows because he's king and it's expected of him, but also because his mother was the duchess presumptive of Askaz and it was just instinct on her part to teach him "proper" (old) manners. And someone like Caleb or Noah or Ephraim might bow more often because they weren't raised in Askazer-Shivadlakia, so it's both novel and aggressively Shivadh of them, like "Hey I definitely can do this and it's sorta fun." But most Shivadh usually just shake hands or say hello, bowing isn't something you'd do very often in a day if at all.

[munsons-mutiny]

I’ve had this headcanon forever and it’s just never come up anywhere, so I figured it’s time to write about it.

Caleb’s spell that he makes for Veth, Widogast’s Transmorigification, has major implications for Exandria’s trans population! This could be the magical equivalent of top or bottom surgery only it’s down to a biological level! I’m sure they’ve had their own procedures, but a body that you can personally design does seem like an upgrade from whatever technology/magic they have available!

I like to believe that Caleb doesn’t think about the spell in that context at first, why would he? It was designed for someone with a different type of body dysphoria, and he doesn’t interact with too many trans people (at least that he knows, I have no clue if he knows about Yussa, and they haven’t seen Bryce in ages).

But once he starts teaching, and establishes himself as a safe space for queer kids (you can’t tell me the empire is super open minded, especially their most prestigious traditional institution) the application becomes obvious. The first time his favorite student, a small purple tiefling named Aza who reminds him so much of Molly it hurts, comes to him mid-breakdown because of how bad the dysphoria is the solution just immediately pops into his head. He could fix this for her, give her the body she should’ve been born in.

He comforts her the best he can and then calls a meeting of the lgbt club he has set up (it’s run under the radar to make it safe even for students who aren’t out to their peers yet). Where he gives a presentation on the spell, and it’s capabilities, even has Veth come in to show the results and have her talk about her experience and if there had been any side effects.

A couple students in the room cry at the possibility, some remain uninterested, but many are enraptured with the idea.

In what seems like the blink of an eye Caleb has suddenly become an underground queer hero, he starts performing the spell free of cost to anyone who wants it and is above the legal age (you just have to help dig up the clay if you can). Ends up having a whole medical procedure to the spell, where he takes them to the blooming grove (which I imagine has plenty of clays heheh) where it’s peaceful and they can talk everything over with caduceus before and after. Who can guide them through their feelings much better than Caleb though he always tries his best. He always offer the option to go back as well (though they have to wait a year, which is of course stated beforehand) if it isn’t the solution they were hoping for.

(Totally off track but I fully believe Caduceus ends up super involved in Caleb’s queer club, there’s so little aro ace rep and seeing someone whose so confident in it would be so helpful for them, and I think it would be so comforting for Caddy to see others like him and to know he’s not alone in that)

They keep the whole operation quiet, but it spreads silently throughout the queer community, Astrid even stepping in a time or two to keep it off the Assembly’s radar (She may be straight, but she’s poly with a bi partner, and I believe she’ll use her powers for causes she believes in for better or worse. Thankfully this is one of them).

There’s still discrimination against the queer community, but this quiet movement starts to spread to the point that almost every member of the nein is involved. Beau uses her connections at the Soul to get new documentation for people with proper names and pronouns. Yasha starts running Rexxentrum’s first self-sustainable lgbt safehouse for kids with nowhere to go (the garden is incredible). Jester and Fjord turn Fjord’s old orphanage into a second lgbt safehouse after he gets it shut down. Veth adds lgbt education to her camps curriculum, and is an advocate for same sex healthcare in the Nicodranas school system. She has a tunic that says proud mother of a bisexual wizard that she wears a little too often much to Caleb’s chagrin. Even Kingsley (illegal pirate king that he may be, my beloved) ends up becoming as involved as possible in Caleb’s group. Loves learning more about gender identity, and becomes the first Plank King to be openly gender fluid (probably who knows, I don’t know much about Darktows history but I def didn’t get super queer vibes). Makes sure Dark-Tow is accepting of all who turn to piracy, and imposes harsh laws against discrimination.

Essek looks on all of this with pride, so proud of Caleb and even the small role that he got to play in the spells creation. It’s the first time he gets to see something he helped with create good in the world. With Caleb’s permission he ends up sneaking back into the dynasty and leaving a copy of the finished spell on the Bright Queens desk, with a big created by Caleb Widogast across it (with whatever the wizard equivalent of copyright is). In a culture that centers around rebirth in different bodies, the idea that you could choose to have your original body back is a big deal. Dysphoria after consecuted individuals get their magic back is a huge problem within the dynasty, and it does Essek a lot of good to know that he’s done something actually helpful for his country.

Basically this got super long winded and out of hand, and I know Matt has largely cut homophobia, transphobia, and non-fantasy racism from Exandria but this idea would just not leave me alone!! And either way the spells implications for a gender affirming procedure are still super relevant.

[hello-eeveev]

Beau had half a mind to march over to the Candles and kill Ludinus Da’leth herself, if only so she didn’t have to spend another day looking over the same documents, trying to find something they could use to get him out of power. She didn’t trust him—hadn’t from the start—but the more she walked in similar circles, the more she had to deal with the Assembly’s bullshit, the more she was convinced that whatever Ludinus was up to at any given moment, it couldn’t be good. But he had spent centuries navigating Dwendalian politics; of course he knew how to cover his tracks well.

She was halfway through plotting out the assassination when Caleb, who was sitting at the desk across from her, closed his book and looked up at her. “It’s five o’clock,” he said.

“Finally.” Beau sagged in her chair, taking in a deep breath. As she exhaled, she let thoughts of work fade from her mind. Once she felt suitably non-murderous, she slapped her hands onto her desk and stood. “Let’s get going then.”

She and Caleb fell into their routine as easily as they fought side-by-side. Caleb collected all the files and documents and organized them as he saw fit, while Beau stacked the books in the order that she knew would be most convenient for whoever reshelved them. Then they switched. Beau ran the papers back to her tiny office and locked them in her desk drawer, and Caleb passed off the books to the nearest archivist to be put away. When they met back up, Caleb walked Beau all the way to the teleportation circle on the other side of the Archive. Outside of going home to Yasha, this was Beau’s favorite part of the day, because regardless of what they ended up talking about, they made sure that, for at least these fifteen minutes, neither of them had to think about their country’s corrupt systems and the horrible people running them.

By the time they arrived at the teleportation circle, her half thought-out plans of murdering the Martinet had been shoved into the back of her mind by Caleb’s fond tales of the kids he tutored and the progress they were making.

She really hoped he would take the Soltryce job, if not for the good he would do there, at least for himself. He seemed so happy when he talked about teaching, almost as much as when he was nerding out about spells with Essek or Veth.

The caster in charge of the circle beckoned Beau into the center of the room, and she jogged into position as they began drawing the sigils for the Zadash Archive circle.

“Hey, so tomorrow night, Yasha’s trying out a new recipe that she got from Martina,” Beau said, turning to face Caleb who lingered at the edge of the casting space. “It’s a stir-fry sorta thing that she learned on a trip to the Menagerie Coast. I think it’ll be really good, especially if we use some of your green beans. You down?”

The invitation was more of a formality at this point. Caleb joined them for dinner almost every weekend. But Caleb shifted awkwardly, looking down at his feet.

“Ah, I would love to,” he said, “but I already have plans for tomorrow. Maybe another night.”

“Eating a boba and reading all night doesn’t count as dinner plans.”

Caleb huffed a laugh. “No, it is a, um…” He picked at some fuzz on his coat sleeve. “A date.”

“Wha—” Beau blinked. Shook her head and blinked again. “What? With who?”

Caleb caught her gaze, expression completely neutral except for a growing redness on his face. “A friend,” he said.

She furrowed her brow. “I’m gonna need a little more information than that, dude.”

He glanced down at the runes being drawn beneath her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him run his thumb over the ring on his index finger—his Ring of Telepathy, it looked like—and his voice entered her mind.

“Essek.”

Beau’s eyes widened, but then the bastard smiled and waved like nothing happened. “Have a nice evening, Beauregard.”

Faster than she could run over and punch that smug look off his face, the chalk on the floor flashed and suddenly she was back at the Zadash Archive.

She fumbled for her Sending Stone. “Fucking piece of shit—I’m gonna—” She yanked it out of her pocket and activated it. “Caleb!” she shouted. Some poor young monk tried to greet her while an older expositor threw a stern expression her way, but Beau paid them no mind. She was already running out the door.

“The fuck kinda timing was that? What do you mean you’re going on a date with—” Shit, she couldn’t use Essek’s name in the middle of Zadash. “—with him? When did this happen? How? Who else knows?”

“You are the first, unless someone else has figured it out already,” he replied. “Unfortunately Sending is limited to twenty-five words, so I cannot say more. Goodnight, Beauregard.”

“I know for a fact that’s not how these Sending Stones work, you asshole!” She did a quick count of Caleb’s message in her head. Twenty-six words.

She could practically hear his shit-eating grin in the silence that followed.

Forget Ludinus, she had another wizard to kill.

Before long, Beau was sprinting up to her house. She waved off Martina’s sickeningly sweet hello and threw open her front door.

“Yasha!” she yelled. “Babe, you’re not gonna believe what Caleb just told me. Can you message Jester today?”

[pipperoo]

no one asked, but i’m yapping about it again! i have still not been able to stop thinking about my “steph and the phantoms au” and i spent a lot of my free time developing it this week (instead of working on my current wip :/) here are some of my more fleshed out ideas, once again it is long and i ramble a bunch

(for more context, look at “steph and the phantoms” tag or look at my last post)

wilbur cross’ big evil plan is to resurrect himself and bring the libs back with him to take over the world or some shit like that. he’s been a ghost for awhile and became the libs disciple after he died. he uses the black altar in lakeside mall for spells (which is also his version of caleb’s club) he’s a pretty strong ghost at this point and has a few abilities from the libs from gaining power from them. right now he can summon wiggly’s tentacles, the seals that go on the ghosts when they make a deal are blinky’s eyes (he can observe through anyone that has the eyes), has some control over the ghosts with seals (pokey), nibbly allows him to suck souls to gain power easier, im still working on tinky’s. his spells are fueled by soul power, in other words, ghosts, the stronger the ghost, the more power he gets. but once he uses the energy from a soul, they cease to exist. and in order to resurrect himself, he needs a shit ton of ghost power, which means nothing good for the nerdy trio.

the spell that occurred on the night the nerds died in the starlight probably has some connections to summoning webby or something dealing with her. steph’s mom had met the band before their rehearsal and got the cd and a picture that steph finds then. she was visiting someone there and was around when the spell triggered. webby’s power flowed into her which she then passed down to steph. steph and her touch of the gift are the entire key behind stopping wilbur’s plot.

max and grace both died in 2008 (year might change) max fell in waylon hall during a party and grace died in hatchetfield high (still figuring her death out). they didn’t know each other but they were both seniors. they piqued wilbur’s interest bc they died at black altars and he recruited both of them. max was struggling with the fact that ppl only briefly cared he died bc he was the star quarterback and that means they would lose now and grace is struggling with the fact that her beliefs were wrong and all her faith was for nothing. grace needs a new code to follow and max wants to feel valued so they throw themselves into serving wilbur and start competing with each other. their squabbling annoys the shit out of wilbur so he puts in place that they are his number twos and that it’s impossible to rank any higher and they will always be at the same level. when they aren’t fighting for approval they become friends bc they are the only two ppl in the same situation and they start to work together. their jobs are wrangling the ghost population, keeping them away from black altars, and tracking down the ghosts that could be of use to wilbur. (they first need to gather evidence that a ghost is strong before bringing it to wilbur’s attention) max does his bully tactics to keep them away and grace leans more into the research and investigation of strong ghosts.

i’m still trying to figure out what the nerdy trio called their band, but the band with steph is called “ghost whisperer”

now here are my bases for the dynamics

lautski is probably staying pretty similar to how they have been depicted. i feel like i’ve barely thought about them bc their dynamic seems so cut and dry in this au. pete helps steph with school work and makes her feel worthwhile. running bit of only working on songs after steph has finished her hw. steph raises pete’s confidence. they both fall for each other but how can a ghost and an alive person be together?

richie meets max when max is trying to teach himself how to skateboard and he is just eating pavement. richie doesn’t realize that max is also a ghost and says his snarky comments out loud. max of course hears and immediately gets pissed and starts to stomp over (through his job in controlling the ghosts he also keeps them away from areas that he just wants to hang out at, the skatepark being one of them) richie learns of the other ghosts and quickly starts to ramble to hopefully avoid max’s wrath. max changes his tune when richie unconsciously lets slip that an alive person can see him. he plans to show richie the ropes of being a ghost in general and in hatchetfield and teaches him all the ghostly abilities they can do (teleport, summon objects that are important to the person ie their instruments, pick up real things, etc) to start max is scouting out how strong the nerds are through hanging out with richie, but as they get closer and max enjoys having friends, he starts trying to make richie stronger so he can maybe stand up to wilbur.

ruth meets grace on the streets and they bump into each other as grace is going somewhere to research. ruth is instantly fascinated with grace bc she’s another ghost and ruth thinks she’s hot. grace tries to get back to what she was doing but ruth keeps rambling to maintain her attention. ruth let’s slip where she died which piques grace’s interest and she stops being so rude. it becomes her new focus and she starts researching the deaths that happened by the starlight. they continue to hang out only bc ruth keeps finding her and grace stops finding reasons to send her away. she learns to enjoy ruth’s company and uh oh, they start to fall in love. grace starts using research as a way to get closer to ruth instead of just learning. maybe ruth also writes grace a song at some point.

these are just some of my bones for this story at large, there’s still a lot i haven’t discussed yet. i pretty sure now that this will become one of my next writing projects and i don’t want to give everything away. of course, if anyone want to know more, i will gladly divulge.

just so you know, this whole concept was made up after i had celsius for the first time and i thought it up on the clock too which is always fun. thinking about this has also disrupted my work on my most recent fic, so i really need to catch up on that. anyways, thank you to the ppl that liked this concept, it always means a lot <3

[kanerallels]

My story for @sw-olives-and-grapes, which I finished JUST in time last night! It's a little messy and I'm not totally satisfied with the ending, but I hope you guys like it nonetheless!

Read on AO3!

(note for those who don't follow the link: Hera and Kanan's outfits are inspired by pictures I've seen of the Chinese hanfu! Also there are no real content warnings here)

“COME ON GUYS WE’RE GONNA BE LATE!”

“Since when is Ezra the one who wants to be on time?” Caleb Dume muttered, tugging at the collar of his tunic for the thousandth time. His formal Jedi robes might have been right for the occasion, but that didn’t stop them from being more uncomfortable than his usual attire.

Hera’s voice was muffled by the closed door of her room, where she was changing. “Probably since Sabine’s the one doing the fireworks after the ceremony. And he’s grown up more than we give him credit for, dear.”

“Don’t remind me,” Caleb said, sighing and letting the back of his head thump against the wall he was leaning against. “Seems like just yesterday he was falling off of roofs and causing international incidents with Mandalorians. Now he’s well on his way to becoming a Knight.”

As painful as it was to see his Padawan growing up, he was also proud. Ezra had become much wiser and more powerful since Caleb had first met him, and he was growing into a fine Jedi.

“You’ve done a good job of teaching him,” Hera pointed out, her tone knowing— as it always was. It sharpened into something a little more amused as she added, “And as I recall, you had a little something to do with that particular international incident.”

“Well, what was I supposed to do?” Caleb grumbled as Hera’s bedroom door hissed open. “Just leave you and Sabine to— wow.”

Hera lifted an eyebrow at him as she stepped out of the room. “You’re staring, Caleb.”

“I’m not,” Caleb said, staring. “You just… you look really nice.”

Nice didn’t quite sum it up. She was wearing a dress— a simple dark blue undertunic, with a full, fluttering skirt over it. It shaded from blue to a pale silver towards the hem, as did the light blue edged robe she wore over it. The upper half of the tunic had a blue panel, embroidered with silver and darker blue. Similar embroidery marked the hem of the robe.

The colors shimmered against her skin, and the flowing fabric made her look elegant and beautiful and Caleb felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of her, like it so often did. 

Judging by the half amused, half embarrassed smile Hera was giving him, he was still staring. Clearing his throat, Caleb said, “I, uh, I assumed you’d be wearing your dress uniform.”

“I was going to,” Hera said wryly. “But somehow, there was a mishap in the laundry, and Ezra turned it an unflattering shade of pink. And then it happened to be out when Sabine was working on getting the fireworks ready, and she set it partially on fire.”

Caleb snorted. “Wow. You’d almost think they were planning something like this.” Knowing Sabine and Ezra’s propensity for mischief, he wasn’t exactly surprised. Especially when he noted how similar the color of his blue and gray robes were to Hera’s dress.

Rolling her eyes, Hera said, “Oh, yeah. That would be such a shock, knowing these two.”

“HERA, CALEB, ZEB’S HERE AND HE’S IMPATIENT TOO,” Ezra yelled from down at the entry bay. “CAN WE JUST GO ALREADY?”

Exchanging an amused look with Hera, Caleb said, “We should probably get going.” Offering her his arm, he asked, “Are you ready?”

Looping her arm through his, Hera replied, “Always, dear.”

Together, they headed down to the entry bay. Ezra was waiting, wearing his own set of formal robes and bouncing up and down on his heels with impatience. Zeb was with him, looking bored and slightly fancier than usual in his Lasat Honor Guard uniform. Chopper was, for once, waiting near them without making trouble, although Kanan had a feeling that wouldn’t last long.

“Finally,” Ezra said, spotting them. “Let’s go! You look really nice, Hera. Uh, sorry about your uniform.”

“Don’t worry about it, Ezra,” Hera assured him. “And you’re right, we should get going. We don’t want to miss Caleb’s ceremony, after all.”

Letting out a groan as they headed down the ramp, Caleb said, “Don’t remind me.”

“What, you’re not looking forward to getting up in front of all those people?” Zeb asked, his grin just a little too wicked. “Getting that award and whatnot?”

“You’re enjoying this too much,” Caleb told him. “And it’s not an award, it’s just a ceremony honoring some of the people who fought in the last battles of the war here on Coruscant—”

“Like you,” Ezra said cheerfully. “And Rex— he’s gonna be there, right?”

“I think so— Ahsoka said she wanted someone there to distract her from being bored out of her mind,” Hera said, and Caleb snorted.

“Skywalker’s gonna be there. None of us are going to be bored.”

Together, they made their way to the speeder parked at the edge of the landing platform. As Zeb, Ezra, and Chopper slid into the back seat, Caleb took the front passenger seat, and Hera arranged her skirts neatly around her as she sat in the driver’s seat. Bringing the speeder to life, she moved them forward and into the flow of Coruscanti traffic.

Despite the general nature of traffic on Coruscant, especially in the evening, it wasn’t long before they arrived. Their goal, a small meeting hall in the upper levels, was lit up for the occasion, and surrounded by speeders— most of them piloted by droids dropping off their occupants.

As Hera brought their speeder to a stop nearby, switching it off, Caleb vaulted out and headed around to her side. Offering her a hand, he said, “Can I give you a hand?”

Accepting it, Hera let him help her out of the speeder, remarking, “Such a gentleman.”

“Well, I was raised right,” Caleb said, and behind them, Ezra groaned.

“If you guys are just going to flirt all night, I’m leaving.”

“Come on, Ezra,” came a familiar voice, and Caleb turned to see Ahsoka Tano heading towards them, grinning. She wore a sleeveless black dress with a high collar and a long skirt, her sabers hanging from a belt on either hip. “If you say that, you’ll be gone before they serve the food. Let alone the fireworks.”

“Fair enough,” Ezra said, heaving a long, dramatic sigh. “Guess I’ll just suffer.”

Rolling his eyes, Caleb turned to Ahsoka. “Good to see you— have you seen any of the others, yet?”

“Rex is inside,” she replied. “I came out here to look for you, and the Skywalker-Amidala brood.”

“I have a feeling we’ll hear him coming,” Hera said wryly. “Ezra, Zeb, Chopper, we should probably find our seats. I’ll be with you in just a minute.”

Ezra didn’t protest— another sign of how much he’d grown over the years, Caleb mused— just nodded and headed towards the hall, Zeb and Chopper on his heels.

Turning to him, Hera studied him for a moment. “Are you nervous?” she asked, moving forward to smooth down the front of his robes and straighten the sleeves.

Caleb let her. He’d be lying if he said he minded.”Not really,” he said. “Mostly it seems like a big deal over nothing. I didn’t even do that much, and it was years ago.”

“You and I both know it was more than nothing,” Hera pointed out. “There are people here today— Jedi especially, who wouldn’t be here without you.” Checking him over one last time, she added, “If it helps, I’m sure this is far from the only thing you’ll be remembered for.”

“As long as you remember me, that’s all that really mattered,” Caleb told her, which drew a smile across her face. Stepping a little closer, she pressed a kiss against his cheek, and Caleb had to resist the urge to turn it into a proper kiss, to pull her closer still.

Drawing back, Hera smiled at him in the way that said she knew exactly what he was thinking. And I’m supposed to be the Jedi around here. “I’ll be watching in the crowd. Good luck, love.”

And with that, she turned and headed inside, taking most of Caleb’s concentration with her. It was more than a few seconds before he registered Ahsoka calling his name. Glancing at her, startled, he saw her grinning at him. “Way to be subtle, Dume. You’d put Skyguy to shame.”

“Okay, that’s just mean,” Caleb told her as a speeder zipped out of the traffic towards them, coming to a sharp stop that nearly slammed into the side of the landing platform. Caleb was not remotely surprised to recognize Anakin Skywalker in the driver’s seat. He was steering with one hand, smiling easily as he hopped out and moved to assist his wife, Senator Amidala. The senator wore a dress of satiny, dark purple fabric, simply and elegantly cut. The bishop sleeves were a sheer, paler purple, beaded in sparkling patterns. Her hair was twisted up in a mass of braids around her head, strands of gems shimmering in the braids. This provided a sharp contrast to Skywalker himself, who wore simple dark brown and black robes and had his hair cut short.

Two of their children, Luke and Leia, were with them. Leia was dressed in simple but elegant white with her hair pulled back in braids twisted with silver, and Luke wore black, like his father. The blonde boy caught sight of Ahsoka and Caleb and waved as he followed his mother and sister inside. Anakin headed in as well, but not before stopping to chat with a group of men clad in blue and white armor.

“It’ll be good to see Anakin again,” Ahsoka remarked. “He gets so busy with his… mechanic shop that isn’t a front for any kind of vigilante activity.”

“I always forget how subtle your lineage is,” Caleb quipped, lifting an eyebrow at the Togruta Jedi, who rolled her eyes at him.

“You’re not much better yourself. How are you feeling about the ceremony?”

Caleb took a minute before shrugging. “Fine. It seems a little unnecessary to invite me— I mean, I barely did anything. Everyone handling the Chancellor were Jedi Knights at the very least. All I did was talk to one clone trooper at the exact right time.”

“You saved his life, and the lives of others,” Ahsoka pointed out quietly. “Don’t underestimate that.”

“Hm. And then there’s you, who—”

“Showed up fifteen minutes late with Spacebucks?”

“I was going to say who took out a former Sith lord, crashed her ship, and showed up here in time to help me,” Caleb said wryly. “But sure, that too.”

Ahsoka laughed. “Come on, let’s get in there before we get wrangled by some poor event organizer. The sooner it’s done, the sooner we eat.”

“Now you’re speaking my language.”

They headed into the hall, following Skywalker and a few others who were chatting quietly. The antechamber they entered into still held a few people, but Caleb could see most of them had moved into the main body of the hall. It was filling up quickly, and he felt his first twinge of nervousness.

“You’re feeling nervous now, aren’t you?” Ahsoka asked, sounding amused. “I’ve seen you wrangle bloodthirsty mobs— all you have to do now is stand there.”

“I know, I know,” Caleb grumbled. “Unlike you, however, I’ve never done one of these things before. Since, you know, I didn’t actually do all that much.”

“We can have this debate later. Come on, we’re supposed to be backstage.”

Heaving a long sigh, Caleb followed her down a side hall and into a back room, where there were a handful of others. Among them were Skywalker, Masters Tapal, Junda, Fisto, and Windu. The latter of which looked up at their entry, and gave Caleb one of his non-smiles. “Caleb.”

“Master Windu,” Caleb said, smiling at him and giving a respectful bow. “Good to see you.”

Ahsoka gave a brief nod, muttering under her breath, “I still can’t believe you two get along so well.”

“He’s my grand-master, Ahsoka. Besides, the only reason you don’t really get along is because your lineage is full of lunatics.”

“Okay that is not why AT ALL—”

The sound of applause from onstage cut Ahsoka off, and Master Junda said, “That’s our cue. Skywalker, Windu, take the lead?”

The duo exchanged a slightly amused look, and headed out onto the stage together. Caleb, resisting the urge to run a hand through his hair, followed the rest of the Jedi, Ahsoka right behind him.

The stage held only a podium, where Senator Bail Organa stood. Caleb knew the man— not well, but he liked him. Senator Organa gave them an encouraging nod and smile as they lined up behind him on the stage, along with a small crowd of clones. Caleb recognized Rex and Commander Fox, and gave them a quick nod as Senator Organa started speaking.

“Welcome, everyone,” he said, his voice amplified by the microphone. The murmuring crowds quieted down anyway, turning their attention to him. Caleb started looking for Hera as the senator continued.

“I’m glad to see you all here. Today we celebrate the twenty year anniversary of the end of the Clone War. While there were still battles fought with the Separatist remnants after this point, this was the day, twenty years ago, that the Jedi engaged and defeated the Sith Lord who had taken over our Senate, and, with the help of some of our noblest members of the Grand Army of the Republic, retook the Senate building from the troopers under his control.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Caleb saw Fox shift fractionally, and he held back a wince of sympathy. The commander had been one of the ones Palpatine had been controlling, along with most of his men. He’d nearly been responsible for a lot of lives lost.

“When the Jedi’s valor is mentioned, I find that, far too often, we gloss over the role of the GAR,” Senator Organa continued. “Both those who arrived on site with their generals and those who, once freed from the Chancellor’s control, joined our side. Without the help of men like Commander Fox, our Republic would not be where it is today.”

Caleb couldn’t hold back a grin as he heard raucous cheers coming from the audience, where several armored troopers were pounding their feet against the ground in approval. Senator Organa smiled as well, and waited for silence until he continued.

“The revelation of the Chancellor’s deception and his intention to tear down the Republic, replacing it with his dictatorial Empire, was a shock to everyone. Our trust was shaken, but we kept moving. Life as we knew it was suspended, an interim chancellor was put in place. We turned to the Jedi for help, and they came through as they often do, as did the warriors of the GAR, to whom we owe so much.”

The senator paused, looking somber. “There is much that could be said about this time. About how we finally righted some great wrongs against certain citizens of our Republic, or how we managed to bring the Separatists back. About how we managed to bring a time of peace. That last part is what I would like to focus on tonight, though. 

“Our time of peace was only brought about by working together, by setting aside differences for the greater good. And that, my friends, is something I would like all of you to remember.” Leaning forward, Senator Organa said, “Our greatest times will come when we work together. Not when we are divided by strife or arguments.”

He paused, letting the words sink in, then smiled. “But we didn’t gather here tonight so I could lecture you. We’re here to celebrate— to celebrate those who sacrificed their lives for us and those who are still here. And to celebrate the victory we achieved together. Because together, we’re better.”

As Senator Organa spoke the last words, Caleb finally found Hera in the crowd. She caught his gaze and smiled, and it was like she was the only thing in the galaxy that existed. Together, we’re better, he thought. I’ve never heard something more true in my life. A smile crossed his face.

He barely heard the applause as the senator ended his speech and the crowd rose to their feet. All that mattered was the moment when they moved off the stage, and Hera was with him, catching hold of his hand and giving it a quick squeeze.

Later would come dinner and reuniting with old friends, speeches from other veterans and Jedi and the most incredible fireworks in the galaxy. But all that really mattered were the people at his side now.

[sapphic-scylla]

Everything Wrong with the Bigotry Wizard Series (HP) Because This Transfem Feels Like Throwing Hands

(Yes, I grew up with this shit and I know these books back and forth. It’s knowledge I really wish I could forget, but if it’s in there, I might as well use it for a good cause. And that good cause is rallying people against its terribly bigoted and racist author. Also, know that this is a way of weeding out followers and potentially hateful people so I never have to see them again, so choose wisely if you intend to argue these points.)

House choices are split between Bravery, Ambition, Smart, and Everyone Else, which is Tracking and is very ineffective as a teaching system and also forcing kids into a lane. These houses compete every year for who’s better at what? Following orders? Being obedient? Which is a system HIGHLY susceptible to bias and imbalanced competition considering Snape’s unfair treatment of every house that isn’t his and the overwhelmingly unfair come-from-behind victory the Hero house had at the end of their first year because they what? Saved the world?! What kind of precedent are you setting by saying you can win in school by being a hero when there is a house based on bravery? Favoritism anyone?

No one in an entire castle has ever questioned their gender or discovered their sexual orientation? Not the twins? Or Hermione? Or Tonks? Wild. (And no, I do not count JK’s off-the-cuff tweets “clarifying lore”. If it was actually true, you would fully and unabashedly address it in the books, ya bigot.)

Ah yes, rumors of a haunted house out in a village on school grounds when actual fucking ghosts wander the halls of the school, a poltergeist is constantly causing mayhem, a sad girl haunts the girls bathroom, and a LIVE FUCKING BASILISK SITS IN THE SEWAGE SYSTEM. And those sounds in the Shrieking Shack were the product of a kid sent there because he was dealing with lycanthropy. Yeah, sounds like a healthy way to deal with a kid with a physical disability…

Wizards in EVERY OTHER part of fantasy are thousands of years ahead of everyone else. Yudala in Critical Role was investigating pocket planes, the Astral Sea, and OTHER WIZARDS THAT WERE HUNDREDS OF YEARS AHEAD OF SOCIETY ALREADY. Essek was attempting to understand his own society’s god and had cracked the secrets behind TIME AND GRAVITY MAGIC. Caleb Widogast was a transmutation master and had, not only helped Essek discover the secrets of time travel, but had the ability to alter LIFE AND DEATH. Ayda Aguefort’s library was an educational beacon in a pirate town where people refused to learn to read and was creating new spells for herself and her friends. HP wizards live like they just discovered indoor plumbing and don’t know how cars work even though they already have time travel down. WHAT?! The MOST inconsistent.

Magic system. Everyone has unlimited free access to just three phrases that can control, torture, or kill people?!? And they teach that? To students???? in MIDDLE SCHOOL?!?! WHERE THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE SORTED INTO A HOUSE BRANDED AS AMBITIOUS?!?!!! Bud, D&D spells are CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES. And not only that, but spells like Power Word: Kill and True Resurrection are both 9th level spells and require not only the physical knowledge of the spell, but YEARS, even DECADES of practice for normal people to learn. Even Dominate Person is 5th level and a solid overwhelming majority of the population doesn’t even know the Friends cantrip. And most people aren’t adventuring murder hobos that go on adventures for months on end to level up super fast to get to 17th level to learn 9th level spells mechanically.

Voldemort would get fucking merked by a full line of people with firearms. Dude couldn’t even take over a school of middle schoolers without working at it for 6 years.

Did they not have therapists in Hogwarts? Pretty sure everyone at that school could have used a trained therapist or a guidance counselor with a degree.

We make jokes, but they did not have access to contraceptives. And they had High Schoolers in a giant think tank sleeping in the SAME TOWER. If you think there weren’t unplanned pregnancies in that giant bowl of hormones, you’re crazy.

The hero and his friends standing up for the giant on the school grounds? Hermione being the only one standing up for the house elves? Common courtesy isn’t a heroic trait. That’s why it’s called COMMON courtesy. And why include house elves anyway? Slavery and writing house elves as “wanting to be enslaved” IS A SHITTY MESSAGE TO PUT OUT INTO THE WORLD.

The very obvious racist naming scheme JK shamelessly put forward: Kingsley Shacklebolt (Black Character), Cho Chang (Asian Character), Parvati and Padma Patil (Middle Eastern Characters), Dean Thomas (Black Character), Seamus Finnegan (Irish Character), Fleur Delacour (French Character), and more.

Lycanthropy was confirmed by JK herself to be about HIV/AIDS, which makes how they treated Remus Lupin (another terrible name) even worse.

Rita Skeeter was a character she created to resemble and, as such, harmfully and falsely stereotype and misrepresent transpeople and how she perceives them to be. She makes an active point to describe her as unattractive, having manly features, and in the fashion similar to that of a drag queen. She also spares no expense describing her as duplicitous, dishonest, and having a habit of “changing her body to spy on children”. Even her name insinuates she’s a mosquito. And that’s not even mentioning her actual trans character in the video game, Sirona Ryan. Sir(obvious) ona(woman in Japanese). You named her Sir Woman Ryan. You fucking cunts.

Goblins. Here we go. One of the most obvious problems. Described in book as being greedy, short, intelligent, hook-nosed debt collectors that wear special hats and run all of the banks and speak their own language. And as of the most recent video game, apparently also steal children. Sounds like an awfully racist and stereotypical description of what the hateful side of the world perceives Jews to be.

Even the heroes are perpetually being shallow, reductive, and downright awful people on a regular basis. Basing people on looks, degrading a female character for standing up for mistreated people, judging people based on how quirky, different, or off normal they are. All things that really fall in basic decency if you really think about it.

Attempting a redemption arc for the Dursleys, the Malfoys, and Snape, all parties being aggressively and shamelessly abusive characters for YEARS. Dursleys sticking the MC in a closet to live, refusing him food, shutting him in from the outside world, and generally just treating him with a truly overwhelming amount of disdain IS CHILD ABUSE. Attempting to bring any measure of redemption to their relationship after 14 years of that is irreproachable and irresponsible. Snape berates, abuses, and treats the MC like shit for years because he loves the MC’s dead mother, kills one of the MC’s main mentors, and then when the MC finds all of that out, he names his kid after the guy? Nice message, bruh. And I really shouldn’t have to explain the Malfoys.

The truly insane amount of coincidences and favoritism that stems from a kid’s relatives, pure dumb fucking luck, and a life experience that just happened by chance is fucking uncanny. The world thinks its story is about love and friendship and some shit, but continues to reinforce the ideal that this kid is special because of his mother and father and all of the things that he is capable of to defend against his mortal enemy stems from that. He corrodes Quirrell’s face, he blocks a death spell with a spiritual aura that summons the ghosts of the dead, he summons a patronus that was his dad’s, the wand he picks up from the store is just NATURALLY bitter rivals with his enemy’s, a magical cup just so HAPPENS to ignore its primary function ONE FUCKING TIME to allow for the MC, A PROPHECY mentions this fucking kid and the book even tries to bring in the forcibly branded Kicked Dog™ character that none of us gave a second thought to.

Quidditch is a truly stupid fucking sport. Who wrote the rules? Let me get this correct. Seven players on each team play on a field on brooms where two ANIMATED STEEL BALLS THAT BY THEMSELVES COULD SHATTER BONE AND CAUSE DEEPLY TRAUMATIC INJURY ACTIVELY HUNT PLAYERS while people play a rousing game of handball only two have one player on each team, completely separate from everyone else, are playing the world’s most difficult game of I Spy with a ball that truly would be the hardest thing in the world to see, no matter the lighting, and if they do somehow manage to catch this sentient ball that could really just leave if it wanted to, it counts for like 9x the usual points, usually rendering the entire rest of the game invalid or forcing the other team to be so far ahead that it doesn’t even matter. Nightmarish.

Harry pretending to dose Ron’s drink to improve his performance puts forward a terrible message of “as long as it’s to help, it’s ok to dose someone’s drink with suspicious liquid”. Even if he didn’t do it, you gotta understand how that looks, right?

The ethics of love potions in society in general are incredibly loose in the books for what they should be (especially considering a student actually dosed cupcakes with them at either age 14 or 15? Either way, it’s INCREDIBLY disgusting) and the fact that they actually taught love potions to a group of middle to high schoolers and put the ability to bypass consent in their hormonal claws should go incredibly high on the shelf with death spells, torture spells, and absolute control “bend your will to my own” spells and that entire shelf should be locked away in a safe and never touched.

You’re not supposed to go into the Forbidden Forest except on the occasion that we send you as 11-year-olds in there as punishment for wrongdoing.

There’s just a tree on the grounds that can fucking kill people. And one of our founders left a snake that can petrify and poison people in the pipes. We’re also going to let hell creatures that feed on the misery and woe of the living roam the school grounds for a year hunting a prisoner that really didn’t do anything. We’re also going to bring back a tournament people have died in so that three seventeen-year-olds and a fourteen year old can compete.

If there is any more things I missed, please don’t hesitate to add them in the reblogs. I really would like to know how much more problematic behavior and how many truly distasteful writing choices I’m missing in this extensive list.

[gakriele-lvs-blog]

Hunter's looong list of siblings (Luz)

Yes, Hunter has a lot of parental figures everywhere. But what about the rest of the family? What about the kids and teenagers who have either something in common with him or their existence is just something he has no option but to accept? Let's start with the first sibling:

---Luz: The moment that mask fell off and he licked Luz we all know what they were meant to be (that sounds so wrong out of context) The point is that, although their personalities were so different, and so easily prone to conflict, their shared interests and similar good-hearted nature allowed them to strengthen that little and thin connection that they formed that night into something greater. Like a little seed destined to growth into a strong, robust tree. That meeting became the cataclysm that open up a road full of opportunities and possibilities for Hunter.

Meeting his first friend, partner and palisman Flapjack; The Speech and choice Amity gave to him at Eclipse Lake; Meeting Willow, spending a whole day with the Emerald entrails, living as the kid he was never given the chance to be, and getting to know the true Darius; Properly meeting Gus and the whole friendship that was born from it; Meeting Camila and experiencing what truly means to be loved by a parent.

It was thanks to Luz that Hunter got the chance to be... well, himself! The last and possibly most powerful demonstration of this comes from Thanks to Them, with that single line: "Yeah. Gonna make sure you're safe too, Hunter. You're family now." His reaction says everything. For the first time in his life he is being told he is loved, that he is part of a family that loves him, and this time he knows is true.

Hunter sees Luz as this literal miracle that not only saved his life, it change it for the better. He looks up to her and tries at every opportunity to follow her example of how to be a friend, and be part of a true family. All while as a way to repay her for everything, he protects her, teaches her how to defend herself, how to use a palisman, and everything he knows about magic and its history.

Luz in response threats him as not only a friend but like a brother, like someone she has known and trusted for her entire life, like family. She is not afraid to tease him for his crush on Wilow, joke about how much he expresses his love for Flapjack, or taunt him for his obsession with Cosmic Frontier.

For Luz Hunter isn't the Golden guard, or the emperor's right-hand man, or Belos's nephew, much less Caleb. For her Hunter is just... Hunter.

[Nex time: Vee and Hunter]

[homunculusalphonse]

// toh spoilers

i didn't have a problem with this at first, but king being a titan... honestly takes away the entire meaning of toh.

right in the first episode, we see that king doesn't actually have a powerful crown that makes him a huge beast. he's... just a little guy. like i'm not even joking.

yes, i know the titan clues were always there, and baby king meeting eda was adorable and wholesome, but to me, king being a titan feels... contradictory? if this makes sense, it feels exactly like luz actually being the chosen one, which confirms belos' suspicions. it feels like hunter's disability being erased and that being treated like a GOOD thing (not to mention how cruel it is since they killed flapjack, and yet hunter is never seen using those powers in watching and dreaming. WHAT WAS THE REASON!!!).

what i mean is, these three characters in particular - king, luz, and hunter - are Actually Special. when we're introduced to them, they're not your average heroes. king is a small creature that starts out having no powers, acting mostly like a pet-slash-toddler. luz is a human who can't naturally do magic. hunter also cannot do magic AND he comes from the enemy side. but that doesn't make them any less valid as people. king may be comedic relief and he messes up a lot, but he is a good friend and he always helps. luz is able to figure out glyphs, teaching her own mentor and everyone else. and hunter gets his own palisman even though he doesn't have powers. caleb was his previous owner, too, and he was human! (i know evelyn gave him flapjack, but the point stands)

but by seasons 2 and 3, the show... erases all of that representation. i already mentioned luz and hunter, so king starts developing his own powers, and sure, i don't mind him figuring himself out, but him being a TITAN? seriously? how did toh mess up this badly? why did they deconstruct the fantasy world if they were just going to succumb to the same tropes?

[watchmenanon]

Exclusive: Noah Schnapp, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb Mclaughlin & Sadie Sink Spill Stranger Things 3 Secrets

Classic, gory, fun, sad, bigger – those are just some of the words used by the young cast to sum up “Stranger Things 3” on Jimmy Fallon’s “The Tonight Show”.

The last time we left Hawkins, it was set in late 1984 and things have somewhat become normal once again. Well, as normal as it gets considering there are killer creatures from the Upside Down that can access our world.

When “Stranger Things 3” premieres on Netflix, the storyline will fast-forward to July 1985. There are new villains and a whole new threat . Having said that, the biggest obstacle that the group of wannabe Goonies are facing aren’t just Demogorgons but something more unnerving – puberty.

As producer Shawn Levy points out, “Our tagline is that ‘One summer can change everything’, but the reality is that growing up doesn’t happen at a constant or consistent speed. People develop in very different ways and at different rates“. To echo SFX, while some might be content playing “Dungeons & Dragons”, others are starting to feel that the kiddy stuff are well behind them.

As part of their Asia promo tour, Hype got the chance to sit down with Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb Mclaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), and Sadie Sink (Maxine “Max” Mayfield) to talk about the exciting Netflix series.

Prior to our roundtable interview, the cast of “Stranger Things 3” made an appearance at the Stranger Things Summer Festival event held at Akiba Square.

During the Q&A session, the young actors got to interact with popular Japanese celebrities Ms Yuko Oshima (former group member of girl band AKB48) and comedy duo Speed Wagon (Jun Itoda and Kazuhiro Ozawa). They were also gifted with custom traditional Japanese outfits called HAPPI.

Fans who attended the event got to experience zones and game stalls that were inspired by elements of Summer in 1985 Hawkins, Indiana, and more. We were geeking out real hard but our highlight was, of course, our exclusive interview with the quartet.

How is “Stranger Things 3” different from season 1 and 2? 

Caleb: It’s different from the last 2 seasons, which had like a fall-wintery vibe. This one is bright and fun. We see the kids hanging at the Starcourt Mall… It’s essentially the same formula but you can’t tell as a viewer because the storyline is different and there are new characters.

What were your first reactions when reading the script? 

Sadie: Usually before reading the script, we hear rumours about what’s going to happen. Especially if there’s something big like a death.

Do you just get your own parts? Or are everyone’s parts included in the script as well?

Sadie: Yeah, we get the full script. It helps us get into the characters.

Gaten: Some people choose not to read everybody’s parts. They just go into their scenes.

Sadie: It make sense too because how is your character supposed to know what is going on with other characters.

Caleb: Sometimes I do that. It helps because I’ll have a natural reaction to the situation, especially when everyone is back together.

What would you say is the biggest change about your characters compared to the last season?

Caleb: I feel like Lucas faces battles differently; in a more composed way.

Sadie: I think Max is now more established in Hawkins. She’s not the new girl anymore. She’s earned her place in the group. She’s not letting Billy push her around anymore. She’s also super confident and that’s why I was drawn to her.

I like that we’re getting to see some girl power through Max and Eleven’s friendship too.

Sadie: Yes, we get to see this strong female friendship when Max kind of takes Eleven under her wing and shows her what it means to be your own individual self and teaches her to have her own style. It’s cool to see Max become her role model in a way.

Of course me and Millie have a genuine relationship off screen as well so I think that chemistry really shows.

Gaten: I think it’s great that the girls aren’t necessarily just the girlfriends.

Sadie: Yeah, they have their own storyline. Max’s purpose wasn’t to be Lucas’ girlfriend. She has her own thing going on and she’s very independent.

What is the craziest rumour or fan theory you’ve heard about your characters?

Sadie: In the beginning, there were a lot of rumours floating around about Max before you’ve seen her on season 2. People were like, ‘who’s this red head chick’ joining the show. Many assumed that she was going to have superpowers like Eleven.

Caleb: Or that you were going to take Mike away.

Gaten: We’ve been there from the beginning. So there’s not much for them to speculate, caused they know the characters already. Coming in later in the show, I can imagine (it being harder for Sadie). Every new addition, fans are going to be skeptical about it.

Sadie: One of the weirdest thing I’ve heard someone say was like ‘Oh, the character is supposed to be tough. But she has red hair, she can’t be tough’. People say the weirdest things.

Eleven is the only one with powers. If you could possess one in real life or as your character, what would it be?

Sadie: I want to be able to teleport. Max will probably like invisibility so she can steal stuff.

Caleb: For Lucas, maybe like Hawkeye in Avengers or something. It’ll be cool to see him be a sharp shooter. Or like Green Arrow too.

Noah: I guess for me, I’ve always wanted to have invisibility cause then you’d get to do anything you wanted. It’d be so fun! Like maybe just walk up into the plane and skip all the queues.

Gaten: For me, I’d like to be a shape-shifter and change into different animals. For Dustin, I think he’d be really cool in manipulating technology. Say there’s a bad guy attacking with missiles, he could just reprogram them with his mind. If a car is coming towards him, he could just turn off the engine.

Noah, your character has gone through some pretty dark encounters. How do you detach once the director yells cut? What about the rest of you guys?

Noah: I separate the two things as much as I can. So usually, after an intense scene, when the director yells cut, I’m never really sad.

Sadie: You can just snap out of it?

Noah: It’s just two different worlds, you know.

Gaten: I think it’s good that you’re able to shed it so quickly cause there are so many performers that hold on to it. Especially when a character that deals so much as Will does.

Sadie: It depends on the scene too. If it’s really emotional, it’s harder.

Gaten: I feel like after those big emotional scenes, everyone is usually very quiet afterwards.

Do you have a favourite storyline for “Stranger Things 3”?

Caleb: I’d say that my favourite parts in this season are the last few episodes.

Before we end this session, can you leave us with a little tease ?

Noah: The ending is very sad.

Gaten: It’s an emotional season and there’s heartbreak.

Sadie: It’s very different from the season two ending. Tears will be shed.

Gaten: More than previous seasons, I feel.

Caleb: The first two seasons were very dark and eerie, while season three is more comical and light-hearted. It is still dark, but it’s different from what I was used to… There’s a really good cliffhanger too.

“Stranger Things 3” premieres on Netflix on 4th July 2019.

[brooding-trait]

I for one would like to know what your personal lore for sages and spellcasters is (how one becomes a sage, if you choose what magic type you are/if it chooses you, etc). And I'd also be interested in some fun facts on your L./Simeon/and Morgyn ❤❤❤ (I love love love lore sorry for so many questions!!)

first of all thank you for asking cause i was thinking about spellcasters a lot lately 🙏❤️

sooo okay, big lore stuff !!! every born spellcaster is neutral and can learn any spells they are able to gather from books/parents/sages or anyone else who is willing to share their magic knowledge.

whether or not they're able to become the next sage mostly depends on one's personality. specific magic sticks to specific outlook or opinion on power, or personal traits. sages choose next sages themselves based on apprentice's knowledge and if they know exactly what they're supposed to be doing as sages with this specific magic.

practical magic mostly sticks to those who want easy life or help other people of the good will. these spellcasters are soft, little bit lazy but craftsy, light hearted, generally 'good', family people.

mischief magic in my lore sticks to ascendants of dragon valley/sylvan glade or simply put - good old magical fairy folk. these spellcasters often play with other people's minds and hearts, they're actual meanies and snobs, big good laughter time assholes. they're very fun snobs

untamed magic is extremely tricky. it doesn't look for something specific in a spellcaster but complete emotional control.

"you can't control the weather if there is a storm in your heart" as tess said to morgyn and she was right about it. if there is no balance - you're a dead one for trying to do any untamed spell because it's easy to fail. untamed magic starts absorbing sage's body and mind for controlling it at all, it's very powerful and sometimes it needs a sacrafice. tess' eyes are blind because of it and her life powers are stored in stones on her hands for better balance; if these break she is dead. morgyn didn't suffer any changes from being an untamed sage yet simply because tess does most of the job instead of them. though morgyn is an official untamed sage, they rarely show up to teach new people. they just got good emotional control and understanding of powers.

and here we go. some pretty random facts about current sages:

simeon is older than morgyn and l.

they all attended magic university but simeon was an assisant and l. with morgyn were students

l. faba's full name is elle o'reilly. she is the third daughter of o'reillys from sims 3 dragon valley

l. had unrequited crush on morgyn in uni because of their powers and magic arts potential

morgyn was born human but was turned spellcaster by their dad who also was a human at some point of time. their mom was a born spellcaster with great magic powers (that's where all the potential is coming from)

l. and simeon would never really bark at each other (only in uni) but l. and morgyn still do till this day. morgyn knows how to deal with her. morgyn and simeon are good to each other because they're calm

great tea time !! l. grimaces at them both casually drinking tea on weekends but usually joins them soon enough with good old flowers tea from her parents

simeon is an actual geek into dnd. l. would sometimes join him but it all ends up with her screaming at him being 'unfair' and 'killing her off to make fun'. she can't play dnd

simeon wanted to be practical sage to make his own life easier. old sage ethren told him he is a perfect fit within two months. similar thing happened with l. and keisha

l. is afraid of dogs. especially big dogs. morgyn's familiar (forced by their father) is a big scary looking doberman with glowing eyes. though they would rather pick a fox or an owl

morgyn isn't really around two other sages for the most part of the week, being extremely busy with hobbies and helping vampires. l. is in good terms with caleb but makes fun of lilith. simeon is fine with both of them and helps morgyn to cover their presense. they're all not afraid of vampires because they only know these two vegans :) they would be afraid of old vampires like vlad bloodvein or vladislaus tho

they all like spooky music which is often played in magic realm

books flying through hallways, windows and arches is pretty normal. they can't pass it from hands to hands cause magic weirdos !!!

[too-much-lime-and-larkspur]

things i want to see in the finale based on my pre-for the future binge

i’ve only watched the trailer for 3.2 once before making this, no other spoilers affected my opinions & ideas ^.^

i’ll probably update this in the notes as i finish this rewatch

- [ ] owl beast origin / story with collector

- [ ] boo boo buddies update (feat like. everybody)

- [ ] eda and lily don’t get their powers back & master glyphs

- [ ] gus finishes his bucket list from hootys moving hassle

- [ ] i NEED to see braxas

- [ ] bat queen????? what the hells she up to ?? if she was the titans palisman she might be able to help king,,,

- [ ] vee and gus with human things,, idc if it’s one teaching the other or what maybe gus keeps asking her about things idk

- [ ] EDA GOT ONE ARM P L E A SE

- [ ] kings nursery guardian (jean-luc) update/cameo from 2.3

- [ ] how did philip lose the door ? (unless this was already answered)

- [ ] luzs hair is big enough to hold shit like the clawthorne women

- [ ] masha and vee??? also please i need to see how she ends up poor thing

- [ ] LET THEM ALL END UP HAPPY

- [ ] hunter is ALIVE AND WELL

- [ ] i really don’t care what she’s doing but h want to see kiki under the collectors spell

- [ ] gus becomes an ambassador to the human realm (did they technically do this in thanks to them?????)

- [ ] what’s the deal eda made with the owl beast ? (nvm she ate 9 voles on the way home)

- [ ] where did flapjack get his name ?? flapjacks are a human thing as far as i know,, he told it to hunter in eclipse lake ,,,, did he belong to caleb?? or evelyn? someone who was a human or close to one? someone who visited the human realm??

- [ ] one of mashas tarot cards has the collector ? is it just foreshadowing cameo or does it mean something (it’s the past card,, saying vee is running from her past)

- [ ] wouldn’t it be so funny if the boiling isles was actually on mars like that curator said

- [ ] i need something with kikimora, whether it be her having a catra moment where she tries to ascend the ranks & betrays the collector or something or maybe she just causes problems for the sake of it idk but i wanna see her have some agency

- [ ] tbh would kind of like to see the echo mouse project philips entries about luzura and dirtrude,, maybe it has something about how to defeat either the collector or belos, whoever ends up being the Boss

- [ ] i kinda want to see luz befriend the collector at the worst she gets

- [ ] i want tinella nosa to do something too idc what it is i want her to cause some chaos

- [ ] cameo from the author of azura

- [ ] failed blabber serum follow up??

- [ ] main cast cooperating in battle together

- [ ] bad girl coven t shirts are worn at some point

- [ ] eda reaches raine save-the-cat style and we get another flashback

- [ ] the owl beast is freed but eda & liliths bile sacks don’t recover

- [ ] king growth spurt? maybe ?

[sldlovescartoons]

Fucking- Fuck it. I’m going to put a few of my random Professor Caleb thoughts here. In for a Penny in for a whatever.

Nobody in that school knows what to think of Caleb. The only one in the building that knows with certainty how powerful he is is the headmaster and the whole thing is too funny to him for him to say anything about it. For everyone else it’s a toss up. Because he’s just very normal for a wizard in the first place. He doesn’t even wear his wizard robes that the school issued him when he got the position, the students think it makes him cool and it just confirms the other teachers view of him as a young, radical, excitable whipper-snapper.

But none of them can really pin down how strong he is, because wizards are naturally guarded about their magic so they can’t just ASK and-

Caleb is a disaster human. He likes cats more than people. A third of students and staff have seen him trip over his own damn feet. He gets in prank wars with the other members of the Transfiguration Staff. Plus he’s not a dick, high level wizards tend to be pompous assholes on account of their knowledge and power and Professor Widogast is just sort of awkward and normal. A fourth of the staff think he was only hired because he’s an alumni. But-

But sometimes he says stuff. Or stuff will happen, and rumors start.

He’s asked by a second year what his favorite animal to polymorph into is (that’s not a cat, no cop outs, teach!) and he replied “T-Rex” with such a straight face that nobody can tell if he’s making a joke or not.

One time he came out of his office from lunch time soaked from head to toe and when questioned he shrugged it off with a “ah, just a little magic mishap.” That explained nothing and didn’t elaborate further. (He’d biffed a teleport to a new ship of Fjord’s that he didn’t have a focus for yet. They’d missed last month’s meeting and Jester had demanded a lunch visit of him.)

Sometimes when students wandered in for class there would be just a dozen cats in there. There was no way of telling which are real cats, which are illusions, and which are polymorphed other creatures. He is not forthcoming with answers. He offers extra credit to anyone who figures one out.

A first year swears they saw him teleport out of the courtyard but is immediately dogged on by his peers for saying that the guy who constantly gets his scarf caught on shit and choking himself knows Teleportation. That spell is for like Archmages and people who have big wizard towers. Professor Widogast lives in a little cottage outside town. Get real, dude.

A rumor starts at some point about Professor Widogast being in a three-way relationship with Archmage Becke and the head of her guard Eodwulf when they were in school. Some swear it’s true, others are skeptical, some refuse to believe that an absolute badass like the new Archmage would sleep with their dorky-ass Transmutation Professor. Caleb finds the whole thing way too funny to confirm or deny. One time someone asks him and he just starts to laugh.

He has Jester draw a portrait of him with several of Essek’s disguises to hang in his office just to fuck with people. But only for a few days, so eventually it becomes some sort of weird legend and nobody knows if it was real or not.

Was he late to class because he overslept or because he had to teleport to another country because his nephew biffed polymorph and had turned a camper into hamster and couldn’t turn him back? Who to say. Varies by the day, but they don’t know that.

At Caleb’s retirement party with the staff, he confesses to all sorts of pranks that he pulled over the course of his tenure and they range from benign and non-magical to “That cat that peed on your office draps in 846? Ja, that was me. I shapechanged into a cat and went on a bit of a rampage around the school and took out petty revenge on Professors that had pissed me off. You weren’t the only one, but the rest are retired-“ and very few know for sure how much to believe just based on the variety. And also just the everything about Caleb.

And so on and so forth.

I just want to take a few minutes to ramble about the inherent hilarity of Caleb Widogast becoming a professor as a level 17 wizard.

Caleb became a professor after turning down becoming an Archmage and deciding that TIME TRAVEL wasn’t for him. While that is all very in character, it’s also crazy as all hell and just very funny to me. Cause like, most of the professors there? Probably around level 8-10. Maybe one or two level 11 or 12, excluding the Headmaster because Archmage.

Level 17-20 is you are a legendary hero, pretty much a Demi-god. Once a character reaches level twenty they only way they can get more powerful is if they start developing legendary resistances and lair actions like Goddamn dungeon boss or bbeg. And Caleb is just. Teaching, and fiddling with the highest level magics and digging out evil on the side. And like, this sort of thing is all true of all the M9, and it’s funny for all of them, it’s just funniest with Caleb to me.

Just- Caleb apologizing to his class for missing a few days, he was dealing with something. Dealing with something being he and Beau were in some epic battle with an evil wizard or something. It’s his go to excuse when he gets caught up in business with Beau or has a high magic accident. “I was dealing with something” could be as simple as the normal he was moving, some friends got married, to he physically fighting corruption, he accidentally trapped himself in a demiplane for 24 hrs while he was trying to figure that spell, ect.

Caleb, chatting with other professors

Random Professor: I finally got Telekinesis working properly. Math isn’t my strongest suit, I got forcefully flung into the ceiling so many times before I figured the equation out with my notations.

Caleb, who has fought Demi-gods, dragons, and can teleport long distance a few times a day if he wants: Ja, I hear that. It’s fun to use for pranks, though.

RP: ???

If a bright wizard of the far future tried to dig into the legendary Wizard Caleb Widogast, after like finding an artifact or scroll Old Man Caleb made or something, they’d have such a weird time. The source of this powerful Magics they found and he was just a dude. He was rumored to have a harem of male lovers (just Essek in his many disguises), he taught transmutation, there is cat imagery all over his stuff, every portrait they find of him has like 12 dicks hidden in it. What the hell?

I just- it’s just really funny to me.

[renquise]

Mmmmmmm I love art that captures just how sharp-edged and deliberate Caleb’s change of presentation was when they landed in the Dynasty, in the aftermath of offering the beacon in that throne room; the way he was so very deliberate about going clean-shaven and including Kryn elements in his clothing. 

Like, how fascinating it was to see Caleb move from one survival instinct to another trained survival instinct–to go from presenting himself in a way that will be deliberately overlooked and underestimated, to presenting himself in a way that shows his power and skills and his determination to court this new alliance and strengthen their connection to the powers of the dynasty. It’s so interesting, because I think before this, the only time we see him pull out this tactic and this way presenting himself is when he was cutting their deal with Ophelia Mardun in the aftermath of episode 25. It speaks of Caleb being so desperate to keep his friends safe in these new precarious circumstances and desperate to help Veth, since they had just found out her entire situation. (I also forget that the table was convinced they had burned every bridge to the empire. I’m still thinking of Travis being like, THIS ENTIRE PART OF THE MAP?? WE CAN NEVER GO BACK HERE. Hilarious.)

And it makes the early shadowgast dynamic still absolutely fascinating to me, because all the careful charm that they aimed at each other was completely underlaid with this wary, sharp-edged maneuvering for position and favors. Especially since it later became apparent that Essek was also frantically trying to collect leverage over the M9 to be able to deal with them as necessary and cover his tracks from the beacon heist.  Even after all this time, I feel as though I’m still teasing apart what exactly Essek’s objectives were at this point in time, or at least what he thought his plan was–because it certainly wasn’t to be befriended by this bunch of chucklefucks and turn his back on everything he’s worked for up to this point. Like, why give spells, why teach these bits of highly-classified knowledge, when there were so many other things that he could offer them in terms of connections to the Kryn ruling class, which Caleb was himself trying to forge? (I mean, there’s the Doylist explanation, which is Matt giving Liam cool dunamancy spells to play with, haha. And maybe Essek had no clue what he was doing and was just frantically trying to collect favours and see it he could shape it into something to his advantage.)

Like, I love the way the 12-persuasion dunamancy lessons were underlaid with the both of them operating on crisis mode under several layers of masks to appear as impressive as possible and ingratiate themselves to each other, and all the while trying to piece together each other’s motives for doing this. And finding a connection despite and because of that. Fantastic. I love it.

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

The idea that Kanan was somehow rejecting the teachings of the Order by being in a relationship with Hera is just... A weird take. As is the idea that the Council or any other Master would have disapproved had they been alive to see it.

There's plenty of instances of Hera and Kanan showing they're both ready to protect innocent people or carry out important missions no matter what, and they both know how to go on without the other, and Kanan specifically asks Ezra to plan the mission to rescue Hera because he knows his own judgment is clouded by his emotions. That's not rejecting Jedi teachings, that's like Jedi 101 - How To Romance, Done Right. That just about screams 'I know love is both powerful and dangerous and I'm making sure I know when and how to let go, and especially let go of my need to control the situation.' If we were meant to think Kanan was angsting over his relationship, or was giving the """"attachment rule"""" the finger, you'd think that would have come up at any point, but it didn't. Kanan's issues with reconnecting with his past as a Jedi were fear and self-doubt, not 'I dOn'T thInk atTAchEmENt iS bAD AcsHUaLLy aNd tHe OrdER waS wROnG'

(Fear and self-doubt that he faces when he takes Ezra as his apprentice, which allows him to connect with Yoda in the Temple of Lothal as a Jedi, and be knighted for good as a Jedi. When he takes the very last steps in reclaiming his full identity as a member of the Jedi Order, as Caleb Dume, he still kisses Hera - because his relationship with her is in no way a rejection of his roots.)

But maybe he wasn't rejecting the old teachings but rather improving them? Because he understands how to balance romance and the Jedi way, and he could have had that even as a PT era Jedi because he just gets it, and the well-meaning but blind Order would have changed their rules after seeing the light? Like... No. The one reason why he can be in a committed relationship with Hera when he couldn't have had that as a Jedi living within the Order is so simple guys - there is no longer an Order to be essentially married to. Kanan is basically living Obi-Wan's year on the run as his whole life, but there's no Temple to come back to, and no Republic he's sworn his life to as a neutral diplomat/peacekeeper waiting for him. To push the metaphor to an outrageous degree, Kanan's fiancé died before the wedding and so he's free to remarry. There's no neutrality to uphold, there's no Republic missions to go on leaving his spouse behind, there's no longer hundreds of younglings to teach and take care of as a community, there's no longer a Temple to maintain, there are none of the duties of communal living. Kanan and Hera's relationship working so well isn't a gotcha to the Jedi who came before him, it's different circumstances.

But finally, the idea that the PT era Masters would either begrudge him the happiness or go "oh yeah, attachment is good actually, why didn't we ever consider it?" is dumb, big time. How do I know that? Because we do see a Jedi reacting to Kanan's new life - Yoda. And how does he react to Kanera? He doesn't. Because it's not the point of Kanan story and has never been, and if it was something that would have been a point of contention to him or any other Jedi, it'd have been presented as such, but it never was. Most Prequels Jedi we know would be happy that Kanan found a strong, supportive, loving partner to help him through all these years spent hiding and running, and it'd change diddly squat about the way the Order works.

Like, seriously, there's no need to 'question whether attachment is good' for a Jedi to be happy about Kanan and Hera - they aren't Anakin and Padmé. It's totally different circumstances, handled well.