#depicted later in war arc)

[deadmegumi]

The kakashi anbu arc/tenzo backstory eps are soooo good

[necrotic-nephilim]

as much as I love the common "Tim worships/stalks Jason" trope in TimJay fanfiction because it's Good and making Tim a weird little freak is Fun, I think the underutilized dynamic is where Jason is the one weirdly obsessed with Tim and makes it Tim's problem.

Like, the moment Jason is confronted with the information that a third Robin exists, the first thing he does is cover his wall with pictures of Tim so he can just obsess and torture himself over it. That is the behavior of a man who is Unwell over Tim's existence and I love it.

red hood: lost days #4

And as much as a shitshow as The Titans Tower Incident™ is characterization-wise (though I think it has far more merit in depicting Jason's character than people give it credit for but I digress-) there's something very fun about the fact that even after kicking his ass, Jason respects Tim and is impressed by him.

teen titans (2003) #29

And on top of that, Jason can't seem to stop trying to ask Jason to Tim to work with him in some capacity.

robin (1993) #177

batman: battle for the cowl #2

While Battle for the Cowl is an exceptionally bad comic, especially for its characterization of Jason and the "be my Robin" bit is taken deeply out of context, I do think it's interesting how obsessed Jason is with believing that Tim is extremely competent, only held back by being "brainwashed by Bruce". (hence him leaving Tim for dead later on in the comic.) Jason seeing a darker side of Tim and wanting to bring that out of Tim, wanting to see what Tim could be if he let go of his loyalty to Bruce is so fun to me, tbh.

And in Robin #177, Jason seems genuinely upset Tim doesn't want to work with him. Jason sees such a raw potential in Tim and is obsessed with it, constantly wanting Tim to work for him and see Tim be the type of person Jason is. And despite Tim rejecting him, Jason doesn't shoot to kill Tim. I just cannot get over the fanfic potential of Jason obsessing over Tim, tracking him and seeing what he's capable of and what he could be capable of. Wanting to make Tim see things the way he does. To Tim it's corruption, to Jason it's freedom. Tim trying to 'save' Jason is fun and all, but Jason trying to corrupt Tim? That's even more fun to me. Watching that power struggle between them, Tim unable to get Jason off his heels as Jason gets more and more possessive and bold with each attempt.

And when Jason sees Tim successfully get Gotham back under control after a gang war, he's impressed. He praises Tim, even. And then Tim just. Breaks him out of prison.

robin (1993) #182

The way they're constantly trying to see something in the other that isn't there, hoping the other will come around? That is the most fucked up hate/love dynamic ever. Jason keeps coming back to Tim, keeps trying to find ways to get Tim onto his side. They're always chasing each other. And I think Jason would be the one to confess love first, the one to do anything to make Tim his. And when you consider after all of this, Tim has his Red Robin arc and is at his lowest, getting the closest he ever gets to considering murder? I think it'd be so fun to see Jason take advantage of that and worm his way back into Tim's life and finally push Tim over the edge.

[ffxivtranslations]

Why did Haurchefant have to die? Interview Translation

I translated part of an interview with Yoshi-P and the two main scenario writers of HW, Ishikawa and Oda. It's about Haurchefant's character arc and why he had to be sacrificed. At least Oda tried to save him, bless his heart!

Interviewer: In 2.x, Haurchefant appeared to be a cheerful character, but in 3.0 his role takes a serious turn. What was the reason for this change?

Ishikawa: In the 2.x series I was in charge of his dialogue as the Character Concept designer, but in 2.55 I felt I had properly written down his important points and position in society, so I could hand him over to Oda and Maehiro for 3.0. Because of this I don’t think anything changed about him from the start; how he cares about his friend, or his essence as a knight.

Oda: I agonised over Haurchefant’s fate right until the very end… over and over I suggested plots in which he might somehow survive.

Yoshi-P: Those plots were too contrived; I couldn’t approve them! LOL In depicting this war between humans and dragons, I thought it was wrong to only have the dragons’ side experience loss after loss and not have the humans make any sacrifices. So that’s why I told them to properly decide the fate of every character. The fate of every character should have been decided early in the development phase of Patch 2.3. So Haurchefant’s fate was decided by then too, right?

Oda: Yes, that’s right. That’s why in Patch 2.4 and 2.5, when I wrote all his un-voiced lines, I was already doing so conscious of the fact that he would die later on.

Yoshi-P: Haurchefant is a character that is not just loved by players, but also loved by the development team. But since we decided on the plot twist where he would become the Warrior of Light's shield, we were prepared for the worst. Because of that we were able to write the Patch 2.5 scene, in the Falling Snows, where he reaches out to the Warrior of Light in his time of need. I think that such a long build-up led to the deep emotional impact of Haurchefant’s final moments. In that way, I think the deciding his fate early on was connected to how much importance he had to the story.

Oda: However, seeing how warmly players reacted to him, I feared that having Haurchefant lose his life would cause some players to quit the game forever, and fought desperately against it to the end…

Yoshi-P: He kept giving me re-takes of the plot where Haurchefant is able to come back to life, and eventually I remember getting quite mad at him. At one point, the 3.0 ending ceremony scene had Haurchefant appear in a wheelchair and I yelled “Hey, isn’t that the same as Thancred in ARR?!”. I’m pretty sure I shouted at him LOL

[cinerins]

2003 Clone Wars is so-so, but I have to admit, it's fun and it has a ton of little scenarios I really appreciate as a former Star Wars kid

Such as the ARC trooper segments, Mace Windu tearing up an entire droid army, and not to mention Jedi wearing full armor for certain battles!! Love that they kept their capes/cloaks to distinguish them, it's all so dramatic

Speaking of—Based on what I remember of later instances, I actually prefer this one's depiction of Ventress and Grievous

Grievous comes closer to a creepy crawly version of Vader, but it honestly works really well for the setup. He actually feels dangerous and somewhat unpredictable, giving multiple Jedi a real struggle despite his lack of any Force talent

For Ventress, I enjoyed the way she acted more ambitious, arrogant and immature—like a mirror to Anakin's character. In that way, I thought she actually would've made a fun counterpart to him, if they had kept that direction in the later show

Also her design?? Shout out to this dramatic little cloak, it's so endearing

There's more I could talk about, but honestly my thoughts just keep coming back to the best Cody moment in the entire franchise. Should've let him use his jetpack more what a goober

[blue-spider62]

I absolutely LOVE how much of a threat Starscream is in the Energon Universe.

Rather than being relegated to the role of comedic relief, Starscream is depicted as a force to be reckoned with and an irredeemable character. (As much I want to see a redemption arc, it doubt it's possible.) Upon being reawakened on Earth by Jetfire, what's the first thing he does ?

He shoots Bumblebee's face, blasts his only friend for showing weakness and squishes Carly's father like a squeaky toy just for fun.

Later, he willingly abandons an injured Skywarp, telling him he'll come back for him, only he does the opposite and shoots a hospital. This shows how careless Starscream is of the other Decepticons and how he's willing to abandon his men if it benefits him. Once they get back to base, the wounded Seeker is ripped apart in order to repair Teletraan-1 with his parts.

In Issue #13, Starscream mentions that he and his "brothers" are refusing to join a side, clearly referring to Thundercracker and Skywarp. This makes Starscream and Soundwave tearing Skywarp apart even more disturbing than it already was. Did I mention Starscream kicked Soundwave's Ravage and replaces Skywarp with Thundercracker ?

During Devastator's attack on The Ark, Starscream is shot by Carly, only to be spared by Cliffjumper. (Mind you he killed Cliff's entire clan.) Just when he's about to kill Carly in a similar fashion to her father's death, he's accidentally injured by the combiner.

After being challenged by Soundwave in a fight for leadership over the Decepticons in Issue #7, Starscream has his eye gouged by Laserbeak and gets tossed into an active volcano.

It isn't until issue #13 where we see what happens to him and and how he came to be. Prior to the war, Starscream was a blue-eyed scientist named Ulchtar and was friends with Jetfire and a Decepticon named Genvo.

After Jetfire leaves Cybertron, a battle erupts outside Ulchtar's lab before a stray missile destroys the building. Genvo grabs his friend and runs, but gets shot by none other than Optimus Prime himself. Ulchtar is praised by his friend for "screaming the stars into seeing us" before dying in his arms.

With his work destroyed and his friend dead, Ulchtar ponders his future until Megatron approaches him and offers revenge for Genvo and his clan as a Decepticon. Upon being asked what his brothers called him, Ulchtar's eyes turn red and, inspired by his friend's dying words, answers "My name- is Starscream".

A fun little detail I love about this backstory is that both Optimus and Megatron are responsible for Ulchtar's transformation into Starscream.

Ulchtar is a more sympathetic and likeable character. Rather than the treacherous power-hungry homocidal maniac we all know and love, he's somewhat a juvenile delinquent (hence his innocent baby blue eyes) and a bit haughty, self-assured and overly confident (kinda like Maverick in the Top Gun films). When meeting Megatron, his eyes change from blue to red, showing the end of his innocence and the beginning of his corruption.

Issue #14's preview shows Starscream getting fused to a tank by the M.A.R.S. salvage team after getting his legs burned off in the previous issue.

I guess he's Cybertronian Charles Xavier now.

[centrally-unplanned]

On a recent trip home I picked up my dog-eared childhood copy of The Crystal Shard, the first-ever appearance of trope-defining dark elf Drizzt Do'Urden:

As my partner remarked on seeing the cover, "do you really need the whole wolf? The pelt ain't enough?" Darn right it ain't, when I was ~10 and playing basement D&D every weekend with my friend circle I fucking loved Drizzt, like all nerd kids back then did. Even better, this book was one of those things where he isn't even the main character, no one thought this would become the "IP" that it did. It is pure Early Installment Weirdness. So I was curious how cruelly the passage of time would affect this 1988 fantasy pulp novel.

Anyway we are 112 pages in and our first named female character has finally appeared. I am not exaggerating or even ignoring bit characters for that point. Women as a concept do not appear in the first 30 pages, until this line:

"Fetch the wenches!" he commanded.

And you occasionally get some mind-dominated sex slaves who are, again, unnamed, until Catti-brie (the named girl) shows up. As barbarian boy Wulfgar's romantic interest by the by.

This isn't, like, a gigantic bash or anything - Catti-brie herself is a primary character and well-realized and all that, and as always you can tell a story about a group of guys if you want. But back then the pulp fantasy landscape was just fucking rough my dude; this book spends a lot of time on the "societies" of Icewind Dale, governance & trade and war, and women just do not contribute to that society, in any way, beyond token references to mothers-and-lovers as a concept.

There is a line Wulfgar, someone from the "barbarian" nomadic tribes, makes - as a comparison to Catti-brie - about women in his society:

Barbarian girls were raised to keep their thoughts and opinions, unimportant by the standards of men, to themselves.

And I get it, like Catti-brie is headstrong and wilful and Wulfgar is Learning to Respect Women. I grok that this is an arc moment and depiction is not endorsement. But I think that idea works a little better if the author had put a single female character from the barbarian society on the page to help with that point! The book shouldn't agree that they are unimportant, right? I'm looking at George R.R. Martin's portrayal of the Dothraki in A Game of Thrones - published in 1996! - and seeing it for the progressive act it is now lol, that is a low bar. I have read later R. A. Salvatore books and he would never do this today of course; it was just how the genre worked back then.

Progress is just good sometimes I guess!

[hottpinkpenguin]

Until My Bones Have Turned to Leaves - Ch.2

Joe Liebgott (BoB) X Fem!SoldierReader Part 2 of ? | Part 1 here! WC: 1808 Warnings: depictions of war; cursing; not proofread; non-canon Taglist: @imafckingbitch @aliciax3 @needf0rspeed

You saw it all in slow motion. In the cold, dark night, Pvt Jackson yanked the pin out of his grenade, the soft metallic click a familiar sound to your ears. He recoiled his arm to throw the grenade into the open window of the building. You could hear snippets of guttural German from inside, including a man’s brittle laughter, and the clinking of cutlery. They’re eating, you thought with a pang something almost like pity. In a few instants, they’d be dead.  

Jackson’s grenade left his hand, sailing through the night in a graceful arc. It soared over the fence surrounding the building and leapt through the glass-less window into the inviting lamplight of the room beyond. For a split second, no one noticed. The Germans kept talking, the patrol outside held their breath, and the grenade landed with an ominous clunk. 

In the same instant that the Germans inside let out a cry of surprise, Pvt Jackson was moving. Too soon, your instincts screamed. You grabbed clumsily at the back of his jacket, but the cold made your fingers feeble and fumbly. The fabric slipped through your grasp. He kept moving forward, mounting the small set of stairs in front of the door to the immediate right of where his grenade had only just disappeared. He confidently kicked the door in, warm light spilling into the night air outside.

You lunged forward with the intention of wrapping your arms around Jackson to prevent him from kicking in the door before his grenade detonated. You managed the first part of your plan - got your arms wrapped around his wiry torso - but his momentum carried the both of you forward. 

You heard Bull yell behind you, a garbled mix of “wait!” and “no!” 

The grenade detonated a heartbeat later. Jackson absorbed the explosion in full, but you felt the bite of shrapnel and heat on your hands and forearms where they snaked around the front of his chest. Both of you were thrown backwards. He landed heavily on the top step of the entryway, but your feet slipped on the icy stone, and then air. For a moment, you were suspended. Somewhere beside you, Bull’s booming voice. You heard a gunshot, then another. 

You collided with the frozen ground, a sharp lighting rod of pain ripping up your back. Your head snapped backwards against the earth, and all turned to black… 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

“Patrol’s back.”

Joe’s lip curled at Hoobler’s idiotic observation. 

“Gee, Hoob, you don’t say.” Everyone ignored the sarcastic bite in Joe’s voice. The men were on their feet, shuffling quickly to the street outside in search of the returning patrol. Joe hadn’t moved from the dust-ridden armchair he’d sunk into shortly after dinner. His neck ached and there was a pounding headache forming behind his eyes. No one in Easy Company was a stranger to the risks of warfare at this point, but the stakes of this patrol, after everything they’d endured in Bastogne, was a cruel knife-twist to the ribs. Nobody in Easy wanted to be in that patrol, but they hated being left behind even more. At least when they were all together, they could look out for each other. Pack mentality, Joe heard Lt. Speirs call it. The drive to move as one, fight as a unit, protect each other. This patrol had separated them, splintered off a small group to face danger alone. And now, as if proving the mens’ suspicions, something had gone wrong.

In the street outside on Easy’s side of the river, the distant sound of agony shattered the quiet of the pre-dawn dark. Someone was injured. Someone - maybe more than one - might be dead. Those who’d been left to wait followed the anguished cries of their Company-mate through the empty streets. 

It didn’t take long to find the source of the wails. Joe, along with about a dozen others, honed in on a barn at the end of a narrow street running east-to-west through Haguenau. Joe was practically sprinting towards it, the sounds of screaming getting louder. Who is it? He didn’t recognize the voice, and for some reason his heart locked up in terror. A few meters ahead of him, he saw Malarkey duck into the barn. 

Joe got there, stepped into the quickly filling room and took in the scene. Most of the patrol members were there, clustered around Pvt Jackson writhing in pain and moaning. Doc Roe was bent over Jackson’s head and chest, murmuring quietly and smoothing the man’s hair down against his forehead in a gentle, almost maternal gesture. Joe felt a sudden burn in his eyes as his throat closed up. They’d all served with Eugene Roe long enough to read his body language. If he was barking orders at the others to ‘give me some of your morphine’ or ‘hold him down’ or anything of the sort, or if he was digging around in a bullet wound or tightening a tourniquet until his patient was screaming bloody murder, chances are the soldier could pull through. But times like this - when Doc’s voice went quiet and he stopped barking orders and his touch got gentle - meant something differently entirely. Joe wondered if Pvt Jackson knew it the way that everyone gathered in the room did. There was an eerie hush on the growing crowd, a hollow sadness in their eyes. Not the first body they’d seen, and far from the last. But this one felt wasteful in a way other deaths hadn’t. 

After a few minutes, Jackson’s cries of agony turned to unintelligible moans. Then, with a sharp intake of breath, his muscles relaxed in a way that wasn’t natural to any living thing. His eyes dulled and Doc Roe stopped stroking the man’s head. And that was that. Pvt Eugene Jackson died in agony surrounded by moldy hay and sad faces in a French town that was little more than a crossroads. A few of the men swore under their breath and ducked out of the stifling barn into the dark night outside. Joe thought to do the same, but as he ducked around Malarkey towards the door his eyes landed on Bull Randleman. Bull’s mouth was puckered into a line that threatened to turn down at the edges, his telltale cigar hanging limply from his lips. His eyes were trained on Pvt Jackson but misty, like his thoughts were elsewhere. 

The realization hit Joe like a freight train. There was more than just grief over Jackson clinging to the eyes of the men from the returned patrol. There was an empty, bombed out quality to their stares, like they were all wrapped so tightly in their own thoughts they’d suffocate. Joe hadn’t caught it before, but he did now. He was in a room full of men for the first time since you’d joined Easy outside of Nijmegen, just before Bastogne. You were gone.

“Jesus Christ, Bull.” Randleman looked disoriented for a second before his eyes found Joe’s, his gaze coming into focus as if his thoughts had to travel thousands of miles to come back to Haguenau. 

“Where the fuck is she?” Joe’s voice broke on the last syllable of his question. A few of the others who’d joined the returning patrol looked on in varying states of comprehension at the unfolding exchange. The rest of the room was silent, all eyes glued on Liebgott and Randleman. 

“I… I’m sorry, Joe. She, she took a grenade. Jackson’s grenade.” Bull’s voice sounded small and pinched. Webster, who’d served as the interpreter on the patrol, laid a hand on Bull’s shoulder as if to steady him. Bull squeezed his eyes shut against the memory of your head ricocheting off the ground like you were a ragdoll. 

“Where, Bull.” Joe felt like he was about to vibrate apart into a million pieces. Not only had this piece of shit patrol gotten one of their own killed, but they’d left someone behind. A goddamn woman, no less. You. The Angel of Bastogne. Joe had been - and continued to be - the first to decry your presence as unnatural at the Front. He stood by his feelings on that point. But he’d sooner put the barrel of his M1 down his throat and pull the trigger than consider leaving you behind in this muddy, wasteland of a crossroads. Joe knew it as deeply as he knew his own heartbeat. 

Bull just shook his head slowly and sadly. “I’m sorry, Joe. I’m sorry.” He kept repeating it, over and over again. 

“She dead?” Joe challenged, stepping towards Bull with half a mind to punch him. The air in the barn froze as a dozen men held their breath, waiting on the answer. Bull crumpled at the question, choking out a single sob as he hid his face behind a hand. The sight made Joe’s bones feel brittle like porcelain, and he blanched. His anger fizzled, turning dangerously in the direction of desperation. You couldn’t be… dead?

It was Webster who answered after a few long moments. “No. Likely not. Just concussed.”

The silence in the air deepened for a heartbeat as everyone processed Webster’s answer. The cold fist of dread in Joe’s chest burst open into black rage.

“You left her?! You fuckers left her for the Germans?! Fucking left her in the mud?! What’s wrong with you?! Fuck!” 

Unable to keep his fury compressed to words, Joe turned and struck out with his leg at a rusted out bucket that lay discarded near his feet. The bucket flew through the air and hit the planks of the barn with a crunchy thwack before clattering to the hard packed ground beneath. The clamor earned Joe some chastising from his Company-mates, a few of them grousing about ‘sound discipline’. Joe ignored them and stalked out of the barn, his hands balled into fists at his side and his vision starting to go white. His mind reeled between memories of you darting from one foxhole to the next beneath the explosions of pinewood and snow in Bastogne to snapshots of your body bent at an unnatural angle and your face plastered in the half-frozen mud on the German side of the Moder river. 

Joe’s body took him back to the house where he’d last seen you on autopilot. His hands put his gear and pack on, cleaned his rifle, and stocked up on ammo and grenades. The pale whisper of a pink dawn was peeking over the horizon when an empty-eyed Randleman and a stony-faced Webster joined him in a beeline due-east through the streets, headed towards the banks of the river and, on the other side, German-controlled territory. All the while, Joe’s mind teetered on a single, incontestable fact: if you were out there, Joe would find you. And God help any man who stood in his way.

**more to come!! stay tuned and let me know if you want to be tagged

[cleverthylacine]

Japanese G1 continuity is absolutely not normal about girls but damned if they don't give us some of the best ones

There was a significant amount of Transformers continuity released between 1987 and around 2007 that was produced in Japanese and is really only known to most English-speaking fans through fansubs, dubs that were only released in Australia, and the like. Shows like Headmasters, Victory, and Zone. Manga like Victory and 15 Go Go Go Teletraan (which was really mostly Kiss Players). Radio shows like Kiss Players.

I'm gonna be super up front. Japanese G1 is not normal about femmes in any way, shape or form. At the same time, it gave us some of the BEST and most underused female characters in the Transformers universe.

Headmasters, which came out right after the US G1 show ended, is particularly egregious. In Headmasters, Arcee has been reduced to Fort Max's administrative assistant, uses ridiculously polite and subservient language, and is also the only medic. And being a medic would be kind of badass if they let her be as badass as Ratchet, you know? But they absolutely do not.

Also, in Headmasters, Carly (now married to Spike) allows her son--a freaking child, not even a teenager--to go on missions when Spike can't and a human is needed, because uh, for some reason it's better for a 12 year old boy to go, not an adult woman?

But most of the good femmes don't come from Headmasters. And some of the best femmes we have are from Japanese G1.

Super-God Masterforce made it up to us by giving gave us Minerva, a human girl who is a Headmaster with a robot body (transtector) making her basically a bad ass mecha pilot, and who actively does fight.

The Victory manga gives us Esmeral, Deathsaurus' incredibly classy wife, and Lyzack, Leozack's twin sister, who is in charge of defending the homefront but really does want to go out and fight. Illumina appears in both the Victory manga and the anime. She's a little human girl who has a crush on Jan Minakaze and is always trying to get people to choose nonviolence.

(Lyzack later appears in an English-language comic - the Wings Universe--wherein she's basically Deathsaurus' servant and Starscream hits on her. I don't like that.)

There are a number of great femmes who were only ever toys. The Cobalt Sentries set gave us Howlback, leader of the Decepticon military police (called the Cobalt Sentries). She is basically Ravage's twin sister but instead of being super stealthy she can turn your attacks right back on you.

(Later she appears in several English language comics and in at least one she is canonically trans. I'm not a fan of her depiction in the SG Recordicons Batman tribute arc, though.)

The Unite Warriors toyline - Takara's response to Combiner Wars, basically - gave us the combiner Megatronia, made up of Megaempress, and her four guards, Lunaclub (sometimes called Luna Clover or Luna Trefle), Flowspade, Moonheart, and Trickdiamond. They are incredibly awesome.

(IDW 2019 used Trickdiamond, but none of the others. Tricky was one of Swindle's contacts.)

Then there's the elephant in the room that everyone pretends isn't there...Kiss Players.

So, okay. There is nothing normal about Kiss Players whatsoever. On the other hand, I'd rather listen to KP than watch RID2015 which is just blatant copaganda from hell.

Kiss Players had an interesting plot involving little bits of Galvatron and Unicron getting into humans and creating the Kiss Players--humans who could give TFs a powerup by kissing them and then merging with their internals somehow. Then there are the Legions, the dick-tongued monsters that everyone who hasn't actually listend to the show or read the manga thinks are Megatron.

The dick-tongued monsters are gross. It is also gross that some of the Kiss Players are barely teenagers and definitely not adults and are constantly ending up in Situations.

But the plot centres around the apparent rise of Convoy, or Optimus, from the dead, and his transformation into a weird groomery dude, which many people don't understand there was an actual reason for, because it's not Optimus, it's someone else riding around in his body.

Melissa Faireborn is like if you chopped Marissa Faireborn's IQ in half, dyed her hair blond and threw out any pants or skirts that covered her knees. She is nothing like Marissa and I treat them as cousins, but Xiaoxiao Li is amazing and her real lover.

Anyhow, this female scientist (Dr Amaou) lost her mind over the loss of her daughter during the events of the 1986 movie et sequelae, and she's got to be stopped from turning Atari and her Autorooper robot pal into a permanent fusion to reincarnate her daughter Shizuku (whom for some reason I always want to call Setsuna instead).

It's a little confusing because most of the really good parts of the plot got jammed into a few episodes near the end of the season, although once you know what it is, it's clear that it's being set up. That artist just likes borderline lolicon way too much.

The second season of KP is very squeaky clean and sends the girls out to collect what they think are Allspark fragments, and they are very annoyed because Ravage, whom they call "black panther man" keeps getting in their way and fucking with them, only to later find out that the bots who gave them this task are Unicronian heralds and Ravage is trying to stop them from helping Unicron do what Unicron does.

Rosanna, everyone's favourite robot pop idol, comes from the second season of KP, although you don't see very much of her or her companions Glit and Sundor.

Incidentally KP sets up the Unicron Trilogy and some of its characters end up in the UT--which did come to the US, and gave us Alexis Thi Dang.

(This post is brought to you because I just wrote an Esmeral thing and someone was musing separately about Megaempress as a parent and I almost ended up writing this post while reblogging them, because I'm a nerd with a hyperfixation).

[the-writer-is-always-write]

Thoughts on Dune: Part Two

General Impression: I adored this movie from start to finish. Having just rewatched Part One a week ago, it felt like a seamless transition hopping back into the story. The score, the set design, the costumes, all of it was impeccable.

Chani: her character arc was obviously the biggest deviation from the book, and although I felt a lot of surprise watching it unfold, I think some reflection has left me alright with it. I've admittedly only read Dune and Dune: Messiah, but both books are clearly meant to illustrate the dangers of religious fanaticism and the ways that religion and prophecy can be manipulated and utilized as a tool for oppression. While these ideas can (hopefully) be discerned fairly clearly by the reader, I think it makes sense to have an audible voice of dissent in a film adaptation, particularly from someone among the Fremen. The only concern I have is wondering how Denis will handle Dune: Messiah, since the plot sort of hinges on Paul and Chani being together. But I guess that's a worry for later.

MY BOY MUAD'DIB: Timothee is just so utterly perfect for this role, I genuinely could not imagine anyone else doing it with such grace and gravitas. Seeing the gradual spiral of innocent teenager to reluctant leader to religious icon was heart-wrenching. Paul has honestly become one of my favorite fictional characters because his story is so complex and layered with tragedy. He's simultaneously a product of manipulation and coercion, and an angry young man seeking revenge against those who have hurt him. He lacks agency in many ways, yet he still makes decisions that lead to so much destruction. He tries so so hard to avoid the holy war, but it becomes an inevitability he can't escape. Reading Dune: Messiah for the first time a few weeks ago really helped me to understand how the prophecy controlled him as much as he used it to control others. I could literally give a ted talk on this, and how it's such a fascinating take on the messiah figure trope.

Jessica: I saw an article recently where I think Denis called Jessica "the puppetmaster," and I think that's very fitting for her depiction in this movie. I like how it openly shows the manipulation tactics of the Bene Gesserit, particularly how they prey upon the "vulnerable" Fremen first. Rebecca did a fantastic job giving the creep factor.

Feyd-Rautha: I still don't know why Denis had a vendetta against Harkonnen eyebrows, but I guess it was cool? I LOVED the black and white lighting on Giedi Prime, and the arena scene was SO. GOOD. Denis really went for it. Feyd's accent caught me off guard a few times, but overall I think the ruthless and brutal nature of the character really shined through. He's the antithesis to Paul, and I think Denis captured that theme well enough.

I thought all the other characters were well done too. Stilgar was maybe a touch too comic relief-y at times, but nothing catastrophic. Gurney was great, but I would have liked at least one more baliset scene :(

Things we missed: I'm a little bummed we didn't get Harah. I know the movie was already pretty stuffed, but I honestly thought they could have used the actress that played Chani's friend (I can't remember if they ever mention her name). Even if the idea of Paul "acquiring" her was a little icky, they could have done something else with her character at least. I was also sad they didn't do the full funeral scene with Jamis, but oh well. I think the greater omission was Thufir Hawat, but again I can see why they chose to cut him. I just think the dynamic between the Baron and Feyd-Rautha had a lot more friction in the book, mostly because of Thufir conspiring them both against each other.

I'm honestly not upset we didn't get to see freaky-toddler Alia. I was excited for Anya though!

Overall, I really loved this film. No adaptation can get every detail perfect, but I can see the ways that Denis and the actors adored this story and wanted to tell it in a powerful way. I thought the themes stayed true to the book, and I'm really hopeful we get Part Three!

AND THE WORMS. THE WORMS WERE GREAT. LONG LIVE THE WORMS.

[misrepresentedmorallygrey]

PROPAGANDA

Rose Quartz Propaganda

"We saw her character arc in reverse!! We first saw all the good she did and then learned of her terrible actions in the past. If her story was told the other way around, it would have been a great redemption arc. Yes, she did some terrible things, but she had no choice. She did everything she could to stop the colonization of earth peacefully buy nothing worked. Blue and yellow diamond just didn't listen to her and when they did, THEY were the ones who made the zoo and shit. Rose wanted to free them but couldn't get to them after the war! And with the corruption, there's no way she could have known that'd happen. There's so many things she wanted to do but just couldn't. And with spinel, yes it was shitty to leave her alone for so long, but again, between running her court, running the rebellion, dealing with earth, she likely wasn't a very high priority and like with the zoo, there was no way to get to her after the war since the galaxy warp was destroyed. And don't forget, she was practically a child around this time. You're saying you didn't do any stupid, selfish, or harmful things as a kid? She learned from her experiences and grew, we just saw that growth in reverse, leaving us as viewers with a poor perception of her."

"Rose Quartz is Steven Universe’s dead mom. Initially, she’s set up as sort of an ethereal perfect figure who everyone misses and compares him to. Later we get to see more of her backstory and discover that she’s actually like, a person, with flaws, who has done some bad things, but she did those bad things largely in the course of trying to escape an abusive home life and save the people and planet that she fell in love with. It’s very clear that despite her flaws she was trying to do the right thing and that she deeply cared about others. Unfortunately, a woman who was not a Perfect Martyr was way too much for the Steven Universe fandom to handle. She pretty much set off the wave of SU crit blogs because these people were furious either that she had taken violent measures to solve her problems, that she hadn’t taken violent enough measures to solve her problems, or both somehow. Lots of “Why didn’t she just murder her abusive parental figures?” Lots of “She was evil for having a baby even though she knew she’d die in childbirth!” Lots of “She should’ve been able to protect everyone from a magic nuclear weapon with the power of love somehow.” Lots of “She shouldn’t have rebelled (even though not rebelling would’ve meant the destruction of Earth) because her abusers retaliated and that’s her fault.” LOTS of people drawing her as stick thin even though she was fat in the show. People treated her like she was on the same level or even worse than her abusive parental figures who were also the main villains of the show. It was unbearable to witness."

Mahiru Propaganda

"They got unfairly voted guilty in the first round and keeps getting blamed She never meant to hurt anyone and the only reason she did was cause she couldn’t read social ques"

"Mahiru Shiina is the most traditionally feminine character in Milgram, and she’s very in love with the idea of love. That makes her an easy fandom target. In Milgram, we are introduced to ten murderers. It quickly becomes apparent that not all of these murders are conventional. By the time we are introduced to Mahiru, we already know most of these unconventional murderers. Mahiru’s first music video depicts her going on various dates with her boyfriend, even though he is not shown in the frame. At the end of the video, Mahiru wakes up, turns to the camera, and has a horrified expression. Whatever happened, she didn’t want it to happen. And then a lot of the fandom accused her of being a stalker. Was that what got her a 55% guilty/unforgiven vote? I don’t know. I wasn’t there. But she heard what the fandom said. She heard these voices saying she couldn’t be forgiven. Saying that she was a stalker or that she didn’t really love her boyfriend, even though that wasn’t true. She was beaten to near-death by Kotoko, a vigilante who was forgiven by 67%. Fuuta, who also sustained serious injuries from Kotoko, calls out the audience surrogate, saying what we did with our verdicts would have made us the same as him if Mahiru had died. And yet Mahiru doesn’t blame either us or Kotoko. Mahiru’s second music video shows that she was indeed in a proper relationship with her boyfriend. She smothered him with her love. The video slowly revealed the toxicity in their relationship. She asked why she can’t do anything right. The fandom perception was better in that she was safely voted innocent/forgiven. Still, there are issues. Some infantilize her or say that she’s delusional. Yes, she had a sheltered upbringing and has difficulties reading social cues, but that doesn’t take away her agency. On the flip side, some have theorized that she kidnapped her boyfriend and wasn’t in a proper relationship with him. (Not sure what to say about that, but this is a series about sympathetic murderers.)"

[thegreatzombieartisan]

RoP!Sauron and the Missing Repentance or “Don’t Eat the Children!”

For what he has to work with, Charlie Vickers is killing it as Sauron. Yet what’s interesting is an interview (Time or Empire?), where showrunners said the audience will feel sympathy for Sauron in S2.

It’s arguably inappropriate for an adaption to portray Sauron as sympathetic given how legendarium is Catholic work. Neither Sauron nor the Devil was an antihero turned villain like Walter White, Tony Soprano, or Milton’s Lucifer in Paradise Lost. And while it’s on point for Amazon to promote sympathy for the Devil, rumor has it that this angle is actually Simon Tolkien’s idea. Interesting.

In any event, if one did feel pity, or even sympathy, for Sauron, it would be during his brief repentance

Sauron’s relapse back into darkness is a pivotal plot point

Then Sauron was ashamed, and he was unwilling to return in humiliation…

Shame is a heavy emotion — it is perceiving oneself to be somehow fundamentally flawed, unlovable, or unworthy in the eyes of others. Many of us know of someone who, like Sauron, failed to overcome shame despite its harmful impact on others or themselves.

While shame can be constructive if not accompanied by blaming others, this is not true for humiliation. It is a common feature of humiliation to feel wronged, unfairness, or injustice. Refusing to take full responsibility is what dooms Sauron’s redemption.

Want my sympathy? Show Sauron genuinely do good and struggle but ultimately fail to free himself from the “heavy bonds Morgoth laid upon him”. That is at least understandable and pitiful, and would give his character arc satisfying complexity.

However, as RoP tells it, Sauron never fell back into darkness — he never left

In Forodwaith, Sauron is a satanic presence fresh from committing war crimes who also experimented on orcs, aka sentient that possess consciousness and feel pain, before assassination. Instead of performing acts of benevolence for at least some of the following millennium, he spent it as an evil chowmein puddle (absurd to the point of hilarity).

He ate one of the Children; and despite being a beast master, he allowed a sea monster to snack on the Children. Some might argue that Sauron took a noninterventionist role like the Valar but it’s clear he acted to save his own life — or rather, from becoming evil chowmein in the ocean (can chowmein swim?)

What is there to be sympathetic about? Sauron was depicted continuously as evil. Totally evil. Smug evil.

“Do you think Sauron really repented?”

An often asked question twice answered. Per Tolkien:

[Sauron] lingers in Middle-earth. Very slowly, beginning with fair motives: the reorganising and rehabilitation of the ruin of Middle-earth

“… his temporary turn to good and 'benevolence' ended in a greater relapse, until he became the main representative of Evil of later ages."

“Fair motives” = “good intentions”. To be clear, “good” isn’t subjective but objectively defined within legendarium’s divine (Catholic) moral order. In other words, you can’t possess “fair motives” if your concept of good and evil is misaligned with the divine good.

Sauron isn’t fallen like Gollum or Wormtongue. He is not of the Children but of the Ainur who are governed by a secret code called axani — although it clearly includes not harming the Children. If Sauron had “fair motives” and acted “benevolently”, then his understanding and actions were (briefly) good.

“B-b-but Sauron only repented out of fear!”

Immaterial. In Catholic reconciliation, two types of acceptable contrition (sincere sorrow) exist: perfect and imperfect. Simply, even if Sauron was motivated by fear, it still falls under imperfect contrition.

How does someone become “perfectly contrite”? Take Diarmid’s advice: do good. Goodness is cultivated like any other skill. It is interesting how RoP seems to understands this through a wise Southlander but does not apply it to Sauron.

[100jewels-between-teeth]

18+ Oneshot

Word count: 3562

AO3 ¤ Ko-Fi ¤ Masterlist

~

Summary: With the end of the war, life returns to normal. The choices that some have made begin to weigh on the mind, and some are there to set what needs to be set straight. For the sake of love

Characters: Illario Dellamorte, f!Rook de Riva, Lucanis Dellamorte, Viago de Riva

Cw: graphic depictions of a kind of violence, read at your own discretion

An: What can I say but, fuck Illario Dellamorte. Enjoy! Make sure to follow or look at my other works, big things on the way!

Of course, after everything, places like the cafe did not feel the same anymore. The aroma that hung in the air of roasted beans and spices that once carried feelings of nostalgia and comfort now filled the man’s heart with dread and regret. The sound of the water, the chiming bells of incoming gondolas and merchant calls, all of it was tainted now. An undeserved peace and comfort that brought him nothing but shame for what he had almost caused, and what had been so graciously given back to him. 

Maybe that was the cruelty of it all. That Illario had to continue existing in a world that he had tried to bring down. He couldn't even hide. 

Truly, Illario did not want to be here. 

This was the first time he had come back to Cafe Pietra since his coup. Really, other than the battle in Minrathous, this was the first time Illario had shown himself outside at all. Of course, there was that looming paranoia of the other Crows. Just because Lucanis had ‘forgiven’ his transgressions, did not mean the rest of the Crows followed suit. Even now, sitting at the usual table he and his cousin would frequent, he could hear the whispers, the veiled insults. Glares that wished their looks could, indeed, kill. 

Ilarrio did know, however, he was not in such a place to reject invitations. So when he had gotten the missive from his cousin’s new paramour, who was still reeling from the heights of their world saving antics, he was not about to say no. Disregarding his cousin’s love was not exactly a way to get back into his good graces.

Besides, he never really disliked Rook. Maybe this could be the start of some sort of redemption arc for himself. 

As Rook made her own entrance into the cafe, Illario could not help but pity her. A Fifth Talon to one of the greatest heros Thedas had seen, it couldn't be anything but overwhelming to the woman. Coming from a life where discretion and secrecy were your greatest allies, now to having every person know your name. Illario felt that envy bloom again in his chest, that anger of being denied what he felt deserved. But he could dwell on that later.

For now he could play the role of the atoner. 

The woman knew how to stand out. That wild curly hair framing eyes that looked like burning embers. A warm smile that he knew was masking the months of hardship and pain she had endured. To his surprise, the patrons of the cafe seemed to not pay much mind. Yes, there were a few who gave gasps, others with respectful nods. But he could assume that people were so used to her wearing the Crow uniform that the shimmering dark purple saree she now doned was enough of a disguise for her. To see the woman dressed so casual, even if the garbage was anything but, must have been some kind of relief to her. Illario was not too sure - he had always loved the attention, personally. 

Illario made sure to stand as Avantika approached, bowing his head to the woman. “Things must be finally calming for you after everything.” 

Illario was not sure exactly how to break the ice. He knew that, with Rook, he was treading a very thin line. Even Though she herself was the one that pushed for Lucanis to forgive, rather than imprison him, she still loathed him. Siding with the Evanuris, betraying his own cousin, being the reason for his possession. It was unforgivable, that much he knew. But whether it was Lucanis pushing her to be more understanding, or her own volition, his comment elicited a warm smile. 

“I would not go that far, but I can finally leave without being stopped every ten steps with an invitation to some kind of banquet or delegation.” Avantika rolled her eyes, her smile still gracing her features as she took her seat across from Illario. 

For a moment, he felt like he could pretend that nothing happened. That they were just two colleagues, dare he say friends, meeting for a much needed coffee to chat about the world. Honestly, some kind of normalcy would do them both good. Illario was smart enough to know, however, that would never be the case for either of them now, for complete opposite reasons. 

“I already took the liberty of ordering our coffee. I hope it was alright to order you from what you had last time.” Illario could then see Avantika tense slightly. 

To most untrained eyes they would have missed it. To a Crow, however, even the slightest movement could be noticed. She did her best to cover it with another smile, leaning back in her chair into a more relaxed position. 

“Thanks. Honestly, after everything, the amount of caffeine in our systems has lessened immensely.” So it was going to be Rook to bring Lucanis into this. 

That relieved Illario in a way, it meant he wouldn't have to navigate the minefield of the topic of his cousin. Better for her to do so. Of course the comment made Illario break into a smirk. 

“So you are a miracle worker then. Not only have you saved the world, you have saved my cousin’s coffee addiction.” He could not help but joke, deciding to take a more relaxed position himself. “Now if you can get him to maybe sweeten his tastes a little-” 

“Trust me, I can't work that miracle.” Avantika jumped in on the beat, a deep laugh resonating that reassured Illario. “Besides, if he enjoyed the sweeter things, I'd have to worry about sugar keeping him up too. I can only fight so many battles.” 

For a moment, Rook looked out into the canal beside them, giving Illario a slight moment of reprieve to finally relax himself. This whole wait, he was not sure what side of Rook he would see, how tense this meeting would be. But she, shockingly, was exuding nothing but warmth. Maybe Lucanis had talked to her, maybe she was more forgiving and lenient than he thought. It reassured him, knowing it was something he could work with. 

If he had Rook’s trust and good graces, there would be no better person to vouch for him to be trusted by the others. She could get him back in, keep him safe in a way. It wasn’t manipulation, more so taking advantage of a good situation. 

As their coffees were placed before the pair, Illario decided to take the chance and broach the elephant in the room. 

“Rook, Ava, I want to thank you. For… this. I know what I did to everyone was unforgivable. For Lucanis to forgive… for you to be the one to push it. I am in your debt. Please know that I do sorely regret what I've done. My reputation, the family, Lucanis…” Illario cleared his throat, feeling it tighten as his emotions started to show through the mask of charm. “I want to make amends.” 

Rook’s eyes tore away from the water, burning amber staring into Illario. Her face was unmoving, an emotionless stare just looking at him. No, into him. Like she was able to analyse his very mind and soul. It was unnerving, Illario doing his best to not show his nervousness. But as if sensing the tension, Avantika broke it with another warm smile as she grabbed her cup delicately by the handle, raising it towards Illario in a toast. 

“To making amends.” 

Reflecting her own smile, he raised his own cup to her, the porcelain chiming together. “To making amends.” 

They both retreated to their cups, Illario thankful that the coffee can finally relax them more. Setting the cup down, the corner of his lips turned to a frown. 

“Honestly, I don't see what my cousin loves so much about this cafe. Maybe it is just me. They always seem to burn the coffee. Too bitter for my tastes.” Picking up the small silver pitcher, he added more cream to the brew, the taste slightly better as he took another sip. 

Avantika could only chuckle as she sipped her own. “Trust me, I know. I’ve had to get used to it. When I told Lucanis about how I would take my coffee before, he had to sit down. Said it was a crime. I’ll give it to him though, he converted me.” 

Rook smiled at the memory, taking another sip with a sigh.

“How is he? We… have not spoken much since Minrathous.” Illario felt that small wave of shame overcome him again. 

He did miss Lucanis, ironically, for putting the man in a prison for a year. With Lucanis being back, those brief moments with him before Illario’s plan was shown, had been nothing short of amazing. He had truly missed the Crow. 

Avantika thought for a moment, lips pursed as she traced her finger across the rim of her cup. 

“It is an adjustment, being back. After coming from the Ossuary straight into a war, there hasn't been a whole lot of time to… settle.” Her face regained that warm smile, eyes back to Illario. “But, he is good. Very much in that ‘I don't want you away from my sight.’ phase, which I can't blame him. I’m in that phase, too.” 

Illario joined her chuckle, his own face reflecting her smile. “Honestly seeing my cousin like this, actually happy and having someone to love in his life, he deserves it… you deserve it. Overbearing adoration at all.” 

His emotions swelled up, the last words getting choked up in his throat once more. 

“Thank you, Illario. It means so much to hear you say that.” Avantika beamed as she sat herself up a little, taking a sip of her coffee. “Truly though, he has taught me a lot. Not just about myself, but the world, family, coffee.” Avantika giggled as she motioned to his cup. “It still amazes me just how complex the flavours can be. The things you can do with just a cup of coffee. What did he say about Andoral’s Breath? Bitter and sweet… like a kiss goodbye…” 

Her voice drifted off wistfully, as if getting lost in a memory. 

Her head tilted as her eyes found him again. “Would you say that is how yours tastes?” 

“I wouldn't know Rook I–” Illario cleared his throat again, trying to rid the tickle in the back of his throat. “I did not order that...” 

Illario cleared his throat again, feeling as if he had a small itch that seemed to dry the passage. But looking down at the cup in his hand, swirling the contents around in the cup, its scent wafted into his nose, a fear beginning to bloom in his gut.

“Like I said, coffee like that is so hard to replicate the taste of. How it lingers on the palette, the scent, even its thickness.”Avantika’s warm smile remained, yet it did not reach her eyes this time. Eyes that were now cold, a wildfire behind that carried every drop of anger she had hidden. “I couldn't tell you how many times I tried to replicate it, make it near exact. But I think what I have now would make Viago, even Lucanis proud! Andoral’s Breath…” 

As if it were clockwork that slight itch in his throat morphed into what he could feel was a near blister, his body beginning to tingle as he could feel his cardiovascular system start to get heavy, inflamed, pained. A pressure building behind his eyes as he gripped his chair to shoot upwards in panic. 

“I wouldn't do that if I were you.” Her tone was quiet and sharp, but Avantika did not flinch. 

No weapon drawn, no magic crackling between her fingers. Rook remained still, the smile not leaving. 

“If I were you,” Avantika took a long sip of her coffee. “I would do my best to relax, take in the scenery and listen to me. Your heart is already pumping alarmingly fast. Veins beginning the slow process of coagulation, or rupturing, I can't remember. Causing your heart to race, raising your body temperature by panicking will only speed the process. Sitting here, talking to me, I'd say you have a few minutes. If you decide to act rash and panic…. You won't make it to the door.” 

He cursed himself. Of course he should have expected this - especially from a de Riva. To so blindly trust the one who had fooled his own coup, his fight or flight urge screamed in his brain, a brain he could only assume was swelling more and more. 

Was this woman fool enough to kill a Dellamorte in the open? He could only assume yes. 

“I would be wise and listen to what I have to say. That is what is going to keep you alive, so don't be stupid.” 

As if nothing were happening, she waved over the batista, another cup of coffee procured as Avantika sat back again, relaxed as ever. Illario could jot be sitting straighter, as still as a corpse, trying his best to breathe through the viscous liquid erupting from the boils and blisters in his throat. 

“I'm sure Viago did not talk about me much before. If he did I'm sure it was nothing but complaints and whinging. ‘Idiot’ he would call me.” Avantika snickered to herself, her tone and posture so casual it was almost as if Illario’s body was not melting on itself literally. 

He could almost feel his blood thickening and coagulating beneath his skin, trying so hard to keep his breathing controlled. 

“Well, if he has mentioned it or not, obviously we aren't really related.” Avantika gestured to her pointed ears poking from her wild hair. “Funny thing about that, I don't think he has ever really mentioned how we met.” 

Her finger twirled around the top of her cup, the contents swirling magically beneath as she stared at the canal once more. 

Illario wanted nothing more than to run, but for the sake of life preservation, he prayed to the Maker that somehow, someway, listening to her ramblings would save him.

Rook's brow arched as she stared at Illario. 

“I was Dalish, you see. Small clan, close to… Ayesleigh. Would travel in that little in between bit you see on the map between us and Rivain. Either way, I don't mean to offend but I assume you're not particularly well versed in Dalish customs?” 

He was stunned for a moment, the pain though his body almost causing distraction, but he did manage a shake in the head. 

*No, I thought not.” Avantika took a long sip, sighing at the warmth of her coffee before continuing. “The Dalish have a funny custom, you see, when it comes to mages. Unlike most, we don't shun magic, but that comes with a little caveat. The clan depends on how many mages you find amongst them. Some… tones! Others, well they like to be safe.” Another long, drawn out pause as Avantika watched a gondola pass by. Illario could feel a vessel pop in his nose, the red essence of life slowly dragging down his face, seemingly unnoticed by the woman.

“I was born into one of those paranoid clans. To my luck, my magic came early. Now, they don't exactly Want a child to potentially get possessed, nearly impossible to stop that. Also, the potential of attracting humans, no we don't want that either.” Avantika shook her head, that wild hair falling in front of her eyes.

“So… of course this is a tradition you don't exactly tell the children. Maker forbid you instil fear into their little hearts. So, around my fifth year of living, they gave me a pack, some extra clothes, and asked me to go forage.” For the first time, Illario could hear Avantika's voice get caught in her throat, eyes becoming misty. 

“I never saw them again… and let me tell you… a five year old elf does not fare well in the wilds on her own. I didn't know where I was, where I was going. I could barely keep myself alive. I was terrified, terrified that the family I knew just gave up on me. Left me behind due to something I couldn't control. That's when Viago found me, nearly starved and shaking. Funny enough, he had been travelling to one of his contracts when his horse became lame. Said if I could help him with some of the plant life around the woods, he would put me out of my misery. I helped him make new poisons, and he brought me here.” 

Illario heard that catch in her throat again as she gave a sad smile. Without even looking at the man before her, she whipped out a handkerchief, dabbing his nose. 

Illario could see now his skin began to discolour, bruises botching the skin exposed. Yet as his eyes begged silently for anyone around them to notice, nobody seemed to care. So Rook went on. 

“Viago gave me a family I never had. Embraced who I was, even if I was an Idiot. So… imagine how I felt when I found out Lucanis, a man who had no control over what he was born into, was shunned by his own.” For the first time in this entire meeting, Avantika’s expression fully matched, her voice once lighthearted now laced with venom as her eyes stared what he could only describe as death incarnate into his soul. 

“A man who trusted you, thought of you as a brother. Family, and you tossed him aside. Sold him out and, because of you, had him endure those tortures of the Ossuary. Because of you, he has to live with knowing a man he loved, saw him as nothing but an obstacle. But guess what? In a way I got to do exactly what Viago did for me. I found him, and I gave him a family.” 

That look of disgust morphed once more, just the mention of Lucanis softening Avantika’s features. 

“Just like Viago I did not shun him for what he was, what he couldn't control. With time, I let him know he did not need to heal alone. That he didn't have to face a world that abandoned him alone. The funniest part, too.” Rook let out a near breathless laugh. “Solas, he trapped me in that prison in the Fade. It was like all of what I had experienced as a child came back. Alone, terrified, afraid. Ripped apart from the world. And in all of that shit… Lucanis pulled me back.” 

Illario could see a single tear run down Avantika’s cheek, her smile still remaining as she watched a bloodied tear run down Illario’s now purplish face. 

“I saved him… and he saved me. We both showed each other a world that we don't have to endure alone. I will never be able to pay back that debt. The only way I can, is to give him the love and security he had ripped away by you.

“So, with that. I'll end my ramble. Sorry, thanks for listening so well. But I do have one more thing to say, before I go. I don't want there to be any misunderstanding between us.” Her tone was kind as she leaned across the table, that dame tone becoming low and threatening. A voice Illario would hear in his nightmares to come. 

“If you ever think about hurting Lucanis, betraying Lucanis, or any of the other Crows, I will kill you. It will jot be quick. It will be slow… painful… and you will be alone. You will be alone and as your broken voice screams out for help as you choke on your own blood and bile, you will realise as you die the love you tossed away. That which saved me and Lucanis, will never be given to you. Do I make myself clear?” 

Illario could barely move any of his body, the pain excruciating as if he was melting from the inside. But he did not, trying to manage a gurgled yes as blood and black viscous liquid sputtered past his lips. 

Then, he was gifted one of Avantika's trademarked smiles, the woman reaching out to pat his cheek. 

“I'm really glad we could come to this understanding, Illario. I don't want there to be any misunderstanding between us.” Reaching to the jewellery circling her neck, she seemed to unclipped one of the baubles, tipping it into her coffee and passing him the cup before standing. 

“I hope we can see each other soon. I'm sorry I can't stay longer, like I mentioned, that can't stay away phase. I'll see you soon! You don't mind footing the bill?” 

Illario willed whatever energy he had to endure the pain and drink from the cup. The bitter liquid running down his blistered throat. For a moment he felt that death was breathing down his neck, but soon he felt his very veins become cold, as if thinning and repairing the damages. He could feel his throat open as he gasped for that sacred air. 

Blinking away what blood was left in his eyes, he noticed Rook already gone, leaving him to collect his sanity at the table alone. 

[dragon-ball-meta]

why do people care so much about canon, especially in fucking DB???? Was everything post-21st world Tournament not canon, because Toriyama's OG vision changed from an adventure serial to a typical battle shonen not out of artistic desire but popularity? Did canon end when the OG run ended? Did it end when the quality dropped precipitously near the middle of the Buu arc? Does GT and Online not count because he only did character designs, same with the movies? Super doesn't count because he only gave a hack writer the broad strokes? Later seasons of Daima won't count because Toriyama passed? Minus and Jako also don't because he wrote them decades later? A good bit of it even contradicts previous canon, including the OG run, so that's a non-canon too? And ofc heroes doesn't because it's from a gatcha game?

Like this isn't Catholicism, it legit won't start a religious war if you only consider Yo Son Goku and Friends canon

Well for one, that quality dip is quite subjective, but that's beside the point. Things which are "canon" are things that are considered by the author to be the official continuation of his work by his own hand. The reason establishing a "canon" or continuities is important is for the sake of criticism and consistency. Case in point, people insisting that Toriyama violated "canon" with Minus because it contradicted the Bardock special, which was never "canon" in the first place. Or people saying his depiction of Freeza in Hell contradicted the original series based on filler scenes created solely for the anime by the animation staff. There are many later story developments that would come up that people would try to pin as "plot holes" because they contradicted things that were only included in filler or spinoff materials. So for the purpose of judging the author's work, this is important. I don't know why there's so much backlash against it, honestly. It's not like anyone's saying "oh, that's not canon, you're not allowed to read or watch that!" It's just a means of trying to help keep criticism and discourse about the show's narrative and characterization more focused on the actual narrative and characterization is all. And thus, yeah, I wouldn't hold stuff not done by Toriyama himself in nearly as high regard in that sense. That doesn't mean I won't watch or read or play it and enjoy it. And it doesn't mean anyone else shouldn't either.

[wangxianficfinder]

In the mood for...

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1. A) Itmf fics where wwx is actually a servant. B) Or has a specialized skill that is not cultivation related, possibly one he's known for?

1A)

The Myrmidon by Basingstoke (E, 33k, wangxian, NHS/WWX, LXC/JGY, major character death, graphic depictions of violence, underage, WWX raised as a servant, spiritual weapons, gusu summer camp, Flirting, they're young, Canon-Typical Violence, Canon-Typical Behavior, War, WIP) sadly this is probably never going to be finished, but the WIP is great on the concept of wwx actually being raised as a servant to the jiang household

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2. Itmf any fics that readers of this lovely blog absolutely adore. Their favorite fic, and please tell us why! :D Did it have beautiful writing? A plot you think about even ages later? Introduce a new idea or change ur mind about a rare pair? Was it a tearjerker, or make you laugh till you cried? Did it make you warm and fuzzy to read, or scare the bajeezis out of you? Let us know! :D

The Bunnies and The Roomba: A Love Story by Nikki373 (T, 6k, wangxian, modern, Fluff, Humor, Idiots in Love, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Siblings, Siblings Try and Are Trying, College/University, 1 if by phone; 2 if by text; 3 if by mouth, Kisses, Romance, Falling In Love, LXC is the eternal captain of the good ship Wangxian) I adore The Bunnies and the Roomba by Nikki373. It's a hilarious and sweet story that I believe is hugely under-appreciated.

The Fifth Type of Non-Contact Force by Caixx (Not Rated, 83k, WangXian, Modern AU, High School, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Fluff and Humor, Actually Somewhat Canon, Mutual Pining, Horny Teenagers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Non-Graphic Smut) this fic has been on my mind a lot lately!!! i love the yearning and exploring the complexities of their relationship in this setting. i also just love the way the author's prose

ruined me with your regard by laallomri (T, 46k, WangXian, Post-Canon, Slice of Life, Introspection, Epistolary, it is not all letters but there are quite a lot of letters, Discussion of Canon Events, Pining) there's so much lyricism and elegance and emotion and I keep going back to it every time I need it.

Keep Holding On by abCEE (M, 316k, JYL & WWX & JC, wangxian, canon divergence, demonic cultivator JYL, YLLZ JYL, yunmeng siblings dynamics, role reversal, ghost general WQ, sunshot campaign, angst w/ happy ending, established relationship, accidental baby acquisation, PTSD) I’ve always LOVED roleswap AUs, and this one is the most in-depth one for mdzs. I’ve always loved reading WWX in JYL’s role just because I have the inner need to see him doted on and loved like she is, and this has all of that. Even past that, everyone in this fic is very fleshed out and all of the arcs still follow the og mdzs timeline, but have just enough divergence so it’s fresh!

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3. Itmf wwx and wicked musical crossovers. Esp anything that uses/has the vibes of the song "no good deed goes unpunished"

it's not *technically* a fic, but I think the asker would enjoy this song parody

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4. pretty sure this answered this before, but i couldnt find it for the life of me. im looking for fics where jiang cheng (usually its him) makes wwx be forgotten or erased from the timeline and things just go downhill from there. if its bashing or at least not friendly to the other characters its preferably

The Way It Wasn’t by KouriArashi (T, 72k, WangXian, XiYao, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fix-It, (eventually haha), Slow Build, Family Feels, Moral Ambiguity, Eventual Happy Ending)

Ad Oblivione by Baph, HikariNoHimeWriter (M, 70k, WangXian, Time Travel Fix-It, Temporary Character Death, Canon-Typical Violence, POV Multiple, Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Identity Reveal, Golden Core Reveal, Cultivation World Critical, Not JC Friendly, Abusive YZY, Angst with a Happy Ending)

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5. hello and thank you for all that you do. i was hoping you could help me with the itmf post and share some fics of wei wuxian’s core getting restored, perhaps with a focus on dual cultivation being the cause of it? and if none come to mind then what other fics handle the restoration of wei wuxian’s core well and stand out?

🔒 Truth Will Out (when caught on video) - End_OTW_Racism! by KizuKatana (E, 117k, WIP, wangxian, WN & WWX & WQ, graphic depictions of violence, modern cultivation, canon divergence, YZY abuses WWX , caught on camera, partial core removal, WWX kicked out of Jiang sect, livestreamer WWX, meet ugly, dual cultivation, smut, no war)

these colours fade for you only by doodlebutt (T, 36k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Everybody Lives, Golden Core Transfer, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, …eventually, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, bed sharing, Mutual Pining, like really unreasonable amounts of pining, Slow Burn)

The Core Issue by Hauntcats (T, 21k, WangXian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Not JC Friendly, Canon Divergence) WWX meditates his core back, not realising he's actually taking his own core back from JC

Golden Core Reveal / Golden Core Fix-It Comp

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6. Hello Mods! 😃 for ITMF I was wondering if there are any fics that

A) have LXC be angry at JGY for everything that happened/he did, or just let LXC be angry at JGY

B) do something with WWX being the Yunmeng jiang head-disciple, like focusing in on that or it being a plot point or something like that

C) show JYL and WWX being close and spending time just with each other, - I can't really find any where get to do that without JC being there and while I like Yunmeng trio I would like to see them have a bond independent of him

thanks! 😃 and have a great day!

6A)

Twelve Moons and a Fortnight by stiltonbasket (M, 290k, WangXian, Humor, Slow Burn, Post-Canon Fix-It, Long-Distance Relationship, Epistolary, Love Letters, Family Feels, a-qing lives, teenage romance, Adoption, Romantic Comedy, Happy Ending, Weddings, Case Fic, Parenthood, Politics) in 12 moons and a fortnight verse, there's this lovely scene (and I belive it also is recurring addressed through the series to various degrees of lxc dealing with how he feels about jgy and what jgy had done) where lxc *spoiler alert* has a rebellious breakdown and starts slashing up the Lan rules with his sword *end spoiler*

There's a fic that I can't find yet, its short (tagged angst) where lxc hurts himself with his sword in guanyin temple as leverage so jgy doesn't hurt wwx. he's either angry or cold toward him iirc

6B)

Check out "First Disciple WWX" under The Untamed fandom here

Twelve Moons and a Fortnight by stiltonbasket (M, 290k, WangXian, Humor, Slow Burn, Post-Canon Fix-It, Long-Distance Relationship, Epistolary, Love Letters, Family Feels, a-qing lives, teenage romance, Adoption, Romantic Comedy, Happy Ending, Weddings, Case Fic, Parenthood, Politics) (Link in 6A) literally the opening premise of 12 moons and a fortnight is based around the training that wwx received as the first disciple. He was always intended to be jc's second in command - who could even lead the sect in his absence or injury etc

🔒 Heart's Courage by RighteousInAdversity (T, 19k, wangxian, WWX & WQ, NMJ & WWX, WWX & Yunmeng Jiang Disciples, WWX & WN, Lotus Pier, Sunshot Campaign, No Golden Core Transfer, Golden Core Destruction | Golden Core Melting, WWX has a Golden Core, Genius WWX, Jiāng Family Critical, not Jiang family friendly, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, BAMF WWX, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Canon JC Characteristics, Jiang Family Has A Redemption Arc, WWX Still Leaves Lotus Pier, not YZY friendly, Bad Parent YZY, not JC Friendly, As for JFM and JYL, not Bashing exactly, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia)

6C)

it's a long road but we're not alone by Stratisphyre (M, 62k, wangxian, JYL & WWX, LWJ & LJY, LJY & LSZ & JL & OYZZ, Canon Divergence, Not Everyone Dies, Canon-Typical Violence, Parenthood, Grief/Mourning, Family Feels, Reunions, Golden Core Reveal, Getting Together)

Atlas by Folderol (T, 2k, JYL & WWX, JYL & YZY, JYL & SL, JC & JYL & WWX, Child Neglect, Metaphors for living life with a cultivation disability)

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7. Hi!! for itmf, could i ask for ppl's fave canon dynamics authors? (self-recs very welcome!!) i was advised to avoid untagged E-rated fics but then i feel like i'm missing some great fics, so i'd love some help! thank you!! 🙏🏽💙

hi! i asked for 7, and i didn't wanna over-explain, but since it was asked, maybe you could add this to the itmf to clarify, if it's not a bother? 😅 thank you

i do mean top lwj and bottom wwx (only because sometimes the other dynamic can get a little ooc, which is fine, put the blorbos in situations! but not what i'm looking for currently), but /also/ canon dynamics for me means exploring while keeping their personalities: lwj being mean and bitey and awkward, but respectful when it counts, wwx being bratty but confident and enthusiastic. both dom & helpless waif wwx are interesting headcanons rather than canon to me. (also cnc/breeding kink r nice but not obligatory ofc adskjkfs)

tl;dr basically i've been 4+ years in this lovely fandom, and i feel im still not done appreciating the thoughtful way mxtx writes the characters and their dynamics, literally none of her MCs or MLs can be called 'typical' in BL standards

these authors do mostly tag their works but to be sure: 🔒kizukatana, diamondbruise, and saltyfeathers are some of my faves

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8. i’m in the mood for fic where wwx is a talisman genius! @efavs

🧡 Stunted, Starving Juvenility by TomatenMark (E, 712k, WangXian, WIP, Fix-it of sorts, Talisman master WWX, Not JFM Friendly, Study Arc, Getting together, Fluff and Angst, Engagement) This is absolutely *the* fic about WWX being a talisman genius

🔒 Truth Will Out (when caught on video) - End_OTW_Racism! by KizuKatana (E, 117k, WIP, wangxian, WN & WWX & WQ, graphic depictions of violence, modern cultivation, canon divergence, YZY abuses WWX , caught on camera, partial core removal, WWX kicked out of Jiang sect, livestreamer WWX, meet ugly, dual cultivation, smut, no war)

💖 Lessons relearned by Iamnotawriter (T, 44k, WangXian, LQR & WWX, Not Madam Yu Friendly, Time Travel Fix-It, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Inventor WWX, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, No Golden Core Transfer, YZY Bashing) his main invention is an array but talismans too

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9. For itmf, does anyone have any recs where folks treat wwx gently? Thanks!

🔒 Instead by apathyinreverie (T, 27k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, like self-indulgently so, by way of dark(er) gusu lan, manipulative elders, but in a good way, Golden Core Reveal, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, of sorts, not Jiang friendly, not really gusu lan friendly either, not particularly friendly towards anyone really, aside from wangxian of course, Cultivation World Critical, Sunshot Campaign, Fluff, Politics, Courting Rituals, possibly implied mpreg, Genius WWX, Talismans, No demonic cultivation, but wwx is still the lynchpin of the war, Possessive LWJ, Protective LWJ) (link in #11) depending on your definition, instead (in #11) counts for #9 as well?

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10. ITMF fics where jiangs are actually a family. Like not that they're only fam in name and are living together like in canon.

The Late Great Custody Debate by stiltonbasket (G, 9k, wangxian, JYL/JZX, LXC/NMJ, JC & WWX & JYL, modern, Domestic Fluff, baby a-yuan, Single Parent WWX, LWJ is a confused rabbit owner, nielan are married, nhs is: xoxo gossip girl, Custody Arrangements, engagement, Confused WWX, WWX voice: if i'm the one with the kid why are you suing ME for child support?, LWJ kills his own love life in the worst way, Happy Ending)

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11. Hi! For itmf, does anyone know of any fics where JC and LWJ find WWX in Burial Mounds after Wen Chao throws him in there but before WWX learns to conduct resentful energy? Like, they scoop him up and rush him to healers and WWX never goes down the single plank bridge?

🔒 Instead by apathyinreverie (T, 27k, WIP, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, like self-indulgently so, by way of dark(er) gusu lan, manipulative elders, but in a good way, Golden Core Reveal, Golden Core Transfer Fix-It, of sorts, not Jiang friendly, not really gusu lan friendly either, not particularly friendly towards anyone really, aside from wangxian of course, Cultivation World Critical, Sunshot Campaign, Fluff, Politics, Courting Rituals, possibly implied mpreg, Genius WWX, Talismans, No demonic cultivation, but wwx is still the lynchpin of the war, Possessive LWJ, Protective LWJ)

Hope Dangling by a String by KouriArashi (M, 70k, wangxian, canon divergence, fix-it, everyone lives, angst w happy ending, hurt/comfort, psychic bond, telepathy, communication, emotional/psychological abuse, jiang family feels, lan family feels, canon-typical violence, canon-typical politics, improper use of sacred forehead ribbons, gratuitous hair washing) I'm not sure if this counts or not for 11. Lwj saved wwx just a few days after he's thrown in the burial grounds, but wwx still learns demonic cultivation. He's never alone though, and has support from lwj and his family

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12. Hi!! Is there any fic where Wy is indeed Jfm's illegitimate son?

leading tone by silencemostofall (G, 32k, WangXian, Modern AU, Soulmates, with a lil twist, Eventual Happy Ending, lesbian wq rights, Music, Orchestra, platonic and romantic pining)

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13. For your next itmf I’d like to find fics that focus on wwx’s kindness. It can be any setting except a/b/o. I just want to read stories where we see his kindness and generosity shining through.

Thanks for all your help.

~*~

14. Are there any fics in which wangxian are in military? @constellationdks

囍 | a ghost wedding by sweetlolixo (E, 11k, WangXian, Arranged Marriage, Ghost wedding, Pining LWJ, Ghost Groom LWJ, Corpsefucking in the most romantic way possible, Angst with a Happy Ending, Non-Explicit Sex, Love at First Sight) probably not quite what OP wants, but LWJ is technically military in this fic

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15. Explicit ITMF! I recently reread the incense burner extra and I would just love to read some more stories where wwx is already soft and open without prep because of their everyday! Thank you lovely mods and reccers (novel dynamics only please!)

To Know, To Be Known series by cqlorphan (E, 38k, wangxian, Cock Warming, Multiple Orgasms, Marathon Sex, Under-negotiated Kink, Porn with Feelings, Aftercare, Dom/sub Undertones, Established Relationship, let LWJ get railed agenda, LWJ Learns Some Things about himself, sex tears, gratuitous use of names, Begging, Kink Discovery, Post-Canon, Bottom LWJ/Top WWX, Top LWJ/Bottom WWX, Switching, Light Bondage, Blow Jobs, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Let wwx get tied up but also let lwj railed, Repressed LWJ, and his journey to sexual abandon aided by, Inventor WWX, Cock Rings, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Dirty Talk, Rough Sex, Dildos, Rimming, Edging) a treat really this entire series, mentions of u what u asked for AND lwj being soft and open w/o prep as a bonus

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16. hello! are there any fic recs or lists about a Lan Sizhui Sect Heir? thank you! @mexicantransman

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17. Does anyone know of any WangXian Sentinel/Guide aus? Sentinels are kind of like superhumans with heightened physical senses, and Guides are like empaths and/or mind readers. The two usually bond with and balance each other.

Hyperprosexia by malkinmalkout (E, 192k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Sentinels & Guides, Sentinel WWX, Guide LWJ, Empath LWJ, Slow Burn, Rivals to Lovers, Fluff and Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, WWX POV, LWJ POV, Tags Contain Spoilers, Telepathy, Marriage, outsider pov, they have a kid, Telepathic Sex, Rough Sex, public exhibition, breath play, Rimming)

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If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***

[thevelaryons]

Am I the only one who doesn’t get why Corlys is acting foolishly in Hotd? He’s supposed to be a really intelligent political figure in this story (F&B) but the decisions he makes (Hotd) are the opposite of intelligently sound. Ngl I hate how he bends over backwards to go to war for Rhaenyra when he was complaining about her just before.

This is actually one of my criticisms of how Corlys has been portrayed in the show. I’m on mobile right now (and Tumblr search function sucks on the app) so I can’t link them, but I actually have a couple of old posts about this. The show has changed several key aspects of Corlys’ characterization so now a lot of his actions make him appear politically inconsistent, especially with actions he’s supposed to take later on in the story.

Like you said, it makes no sense for show!Corlys to be supporting Rhaenyra. He DIRECTLY blames her for his son’s death and yet despite his complaints, he prepared his fleet and even helps make war plans for her. This is all without Rhaenyra offering him anything in return, like making him Hand. Meanwhile, when book!Corlys INDIRECTLY blamed Rhaenyra for his wife’s death, several concessions have to be made to appease him and get him back on her side. Nor does Corlys tolerate any harm done to his family: he wants vengeance for Laenor’s death, he commits treason against Rhaenyra to protect Addam, he commits treason against Aegon II to protect Baela.

In terms of show!Corlys’ political intelligence, he doesn’t really display much. Moments he has in the book were removed in season 1 (and based on the leaks I’ve read for season 2, other aspects of Corlys’ story that show him as a political power won’t be in the show). In the bts material for the show, it’s actually said that Corlys doesn’t really understand politics much but he fares better on the battlefield. And that is where the problem lies.

You can also see a similar sort of change with other Velaryon characters. Laenor’s entire characterization was changed. Show version of Laenor is depicted as someone who goes as far as to abandon his family and dragon because he craves the violence of the battlefield more. Some of the things he says on the show are very reminiscent of a display of toxic masculinity + him having internalized homophobia which his book counterpart was not even implied to have. Show version of Addam and Alyn are unnecessarily aged up and might already be battle hardened soldiers from the Stepstones, instead of being innocent young boys who know nothing of war (and that’s actually quite relevant to their story arcs).

HOTD showrunners have made many changes to characterizations. But in the case of certain characters, those changes seem to be based on racist stereotypes. Similarly to how show!Laena got reduced to a fast black girl/unwanted wife who’s violent death is meant to serve the story of Rhaenyra (a white character) there are actually several aspects of Corlys and Laenor’s stories that were changed to uplift the white characters around them. The essence of their characterization in the show is altered. As I’ve mentioned before in another post, the black male characters in House of the Dragon are depicted as more hypermasculine, violent figures than their white book counterparts in Fire & Blood.

So yes, Corlys is meant to be an intelligent character but the show reduces that aspect greatly to depict him as more violent than his book counterpart. Show version of Corlys participates in the Stepstones through engaging in physical battles. Book version of Corlys does so through tactical command of his ships. Show version of Corlys returns back to the Stepstones to participate in more battles. Book version of Corlys does not (it’s actually Daemon that sticks around in the Stepstones). Based on leaks for season 2, if those leaks turn out to be true, then show version of the character will continue to be portrayed as more a soldier used to commit acts of violence than a politician who can act very intelligently to outmaneuver his opposition.

[stellanslashgeode]

I'm happily educating myself on all things Barriss via your wonderful blog. If you'd ever feel like unpacking more of your Wrong Jedi thoughts/intrigue, I'd love to hear more of your analysis.

Oh my, you've put a quarter in the machine now you have to hear the whole song.

The arc is very divisive with Barriss enjoyers because her character veers so far from her Legends depiction. She was a pretty prominent character in the original Clone Wars multimedia project and was a caring and selfless healer. And the arc doesn't do much to explain her motivations for turning.

Another thing that vexes me is because it is essentially a police procedural (they even hired a writer from Third Watch for this arc) so much occurs off-screen. So, we do not know quite what happened but have to infer.

Let's start with motivation. In her very few post The Wrong Jedi appearances they've tried to hint at Barriss falling mainly though post-traumatic stress disorder. And that's sort of a good explanation? She was at Geonsis at the start of the war, and was one of two Padawans we know of IN the arena who lived and the other was Anakin! You have to think this is a healer, someone who was trained to be a pacifist, and the battle was so sudden and frantic that she had to witness other Padawans she knew in the creche die all around her and she was too busy defending herself to do anything. So that's trauma and guilt. The short story A Jedi's Duty shows that she sat out nearly the entire first year of the war healing others back at the temple, explaining why she wasn't there to deal with Asajj Ventress with Luminara in TCW season 1. Also, she is having trouble sleeping because of memories of that first battle. She asked for help but they told her to meditate if she couldn't sleep, but she couldn't meditate properly because of this haze of the dark side invading her perceptions. She's even having trouble Force healing and she feels guilty that others are taking risks that she is unwilling to take. She consults with an old friend, Tutso Mara and is finally able to meditate, but right then Luminara calls her to a briefing, and wouldn't you know it, they're going to Geonosis again. She is frightened but memorizes the tunnel formations under the weapons factory they need to destroy because that's her duty to the Light and to her Order. The last scene is her joining Luminara and Gree to depart for the battle. And it's such an ironic story because Master Mara is one of her later victims and the place she bombs is right there in the temple hangar where the story ends. I think that's why she chose it as her target, it was the place she went from safety to chaos.

And what happens next? She almost is buried alive Right Away, then as she's reeling from that she gets a Geonocian brain worm. She was also at the Battle of Umbara, and you know how that goes. So I guess trauma is a fairly good reason, as well as her love and admiration of Jedi ethics and pedagogy that just went right out the window when the Jedi had to do what it took to fight in this war. Barriss is a bookworm, all that heritage meant something to her. And really, that was the purpose of the war, to isolate the Jedi by having them betray their morals and sully their reputation with the public.

Fanfiction writers also can pick and choose from Legends, such as all the crazy stuff that happened to her on Drongar but that's a story for another day.

So we get to the Wrong Jedi Arc itself. We aren't shown how she meets Letta Turmond, how much of a partnership that was. Letta says Barriss was the mastermind of the operation but that's after she's jailed. I don't trust her. I mean, Letta is a grown woman and while Barriss was an idealistic and heartsick Jedi at that point she's just 17-18 according to Feloni. I can see it as a situation where a teenager gets politically radicalized and taken advantage by a woman she trusts. If we get a Letta flashback in Tales of the Empire I will be so happy!

Ahsoka is framed. But there's a multi-step aspect to it. Part A, Letta calls Ahsoka to the prison because she was told she was the only Jedi her collaborator trusted and gets Force choked by someone we do not see. Part B, after she is arrested someone leaves a key card outside her cell and she follows a trail of first injured then dead clones to make it look like she broke out and went on a killing spree. Part C is the only one we actually see start to finish, where Ahsoka contacts Barriss and she lures her to the factory that made the nano-droids.

Barriss is guilty of Part C. But did she do Part A and B? She was at the funeral with Ahsoka and heard same time as her that she was transferred to a military compound. Then in the maybe hour, two hours Ahsoka was in a mission briefing Barriss supposedly broke into a brand-new high security compound, got in the walls, and strangled Letta as Ahsoka was in the cell alone with her. Then Part B, she hung around undetected for a few more hours to set up the escape while also erasing the audio off the recording of the murder.

I personally think Palpatine MIGHT have done part A. He has much greater access and he has the motive (to take away a pillar of stability for Anakin). If Barriss did do Part A, what was the motivation? The most pessimistic reading is she did it to save her own skin and purposely framed Ahsoka. Another is that Barriss genuinely talked up Ahsoka to Letta, and did NOT do so to set her up but because she was one of the lonely girl's only friends (and maybe love interest) and then Letta goes ahead and calls her there, Barriss is in the walls, and she just cannot have Ahsoka's opinion of her ruined. She killed Letta to silence her from tainting this one friendship she had left, did so out of panic, and wasn't thinking of the consequences. Then Part B, oh no I got my girlfriend framed for murder. So she springs her out. So why does she kill those clones to further frame her?

Consider the conversation after the funeral, "Ahsoka, do you think it is right for us to ignore our emotions?" I think the subtext there was "Ahsoka, I'm hurting so much, join me to stop me." She was feeling her out to see if she felt the same about the war as she did. And she did Part B to see if Ahsoka would run, SO THEY COULD RUN AWAY TOGETHER. Sure, it's manipulative as all Hell, but that's the dark side for you. It was a test, and Ahsoka failed because as soon as she gets out, she calls Barriss to help clear her name. So that she could get back to the war. The war Barriss hates with all her being. So that's why she did Part C. She had been alienated by the Order and her own master by all these deployments and the one person left who she valued was buying into the propaganda that the Jedi needed to finish this war. It broke her. And she did something awful.

All and all I think her fall is fascinating because it wasn't for personal power or attachments, she wanted to sacrifice her own grace to save the souls of all other Jedi. She did it out of love for the Order, even if it came in such a twisted and destructive form. That's also why she'd become a lousy Inquisitor. They're the anthesis of all she stood for, an army fighting for the dark side.

I know a lot of fans hate this arc but... man that speech! I spent the whole Prequel trilogy and TCW waiting for a Jedi to stand up and say "What we are doing is wrong, we should stop." Yoda and Mace know their path is leading to the dark, but they see no other way but through. I just wanted someone to say no with their whole chest. And it was Barriss. That's why I love her, your honor. I admire the idealists, her and Satine. They should have teamed up and put a stop too all that nonsense.

Sorry this is so long? I have a lot of FEELINGS and now you can see why I have a lot of trepidation about this Saturday. You know, I thought of you last night when I was rewatching Tales of the Jedi. It was the scene were Dooku was leaving to meet Palpatine with Yaddle following in The Sith Lord. I was imagining how you felt watching that for the first time, and I remembered my reaction was "Oh no, it's the temple hangar! Barriss is going to blow the shit out of this place in a decade and change!"