#do star touches use the concept of mothers

[beautifulterriblequeen]

Leola is the name of Erik Dellums mother. Does that mean that Leola is Aaravos mother?

I think it means that Leola is Erik Todd Dellums' mother! Several of the character names in TDP were inspired by friends, family, and etc. of the writers, cast and crew. In that light, Leola is another wonderful addition and contribution to the tradition!

There could be more to it than that, of course, and we may learn about that in S6. But for now it looks like it's just one lovely detail among many similar.

[moonlightcycle571]

Lantern Corps and a 10 year old Child

In a last post, I said the Lantern Corps would love Captain Marvel because he’s omni-lingual (and there’s so many different species so it makes sense that they would feel comfertable around a guy who can speak their mother tongue, no matter how obscure it is).

And then it came to me in a glorious vision, the Cores would LOVE or absolute HATE Billy Batson, be it as a kid it as Captain Marvel.

First on the Love Captain spectrum:

Red Lantern: that’s the corps that’s the most insistent. Man’s fights littéral Wrath and demons alike on a weekly basis. Man’s go to weekly poker night with Satan and other Wardens of Hell. Why? Because he has his own prison dimension in th Rock of Eternity, who also holds the strongest demons.

Yellow Lanterns: as champion of magic, he holds a lot of weight. Especially for magic users. One flick of a wrist and boom, your magic is gone. The whole concept of ‘The Champion’ is enough for most to fear him. That and one does not play poker with The Devil from The Bible and other figures from various religions, and just have a normal presence. He’s terrifying when he wants to be. In his Cap form, he needs to actively tamp down to appear more family friendly, and not the eldricht horror he knows he could easily look like.

Green Lanterns: Homeless Child Superhero dealing with horrors must adults can’t handle. That takes willpower. Even before Captain, I’m pretty sure off willpower alone he could qualify. But what’s the real ringer is his imagination. The Rock of Eternity has access to magical dimensions that no amount of crack could dream up. Man’s had to learn how to use Looney Toones Logic irl and it works. Man’s got a while Disney Dimension with Ballerina Hippos with their Croc partners. Mans has debates about files with littéral walking talking dinosaurs. Billy is hella creative, and who knows what would be made with a ring.

Blue Lanterns: do I … do I need to explain? There are the lantern corps of Hope, I think the rest is pretty self explanatory. I will say though, he was close to accepting when he found out they got a Corgi. Even closer when Dex Starr, the red lanterns cat got a

Orange Lantern: bro fights the physical manifestations of the Seven Deadly Sins , including Greed on a regular basis. By right of conquest, he really should be wearing the ring rn. They be trying to put a ring on it for ages.

Black Lanterns: he once revived Freddy and or Mary by reconnecting them to the rock, and since then is considered a ‘nécromancer’. Also (similar to the Avatar State) he has memories of past champions, including death, so one can argue he’s in a life and death loop.

White lanterns: same reasons as the Black Lanterns. They’ve been trying to get Billy to also out-do said Black Lanterns (who in turn try to recruit him some more). It’s just one vicious snowball effect now.

Now for the Hate Captain spectrum:

Star Sapphire Corps: The thing about Billy is that he’s AroAce. Very Aro and Very Ace. So those who draw power from love and try to flirt are met with the disgusted face of someone who’s famously nice. It was a devastating blow to the whole corps. At some point Hal decided to hide behind Cap to escape another Star Sapphire who fell inlove with him, and they just, lost their power. No longer had the ability to fly and everything. He’s Ace-ness is crippling. And it did bring memes. The Ace community was winning.

Indigo Tribe: he’s too autistic for them. And while being the warden of multiple dangerous beings fits their MO and all, they ain’t touching the bullshit magical logic with a ten foot pole. That, and the first time a ring was sent to him to recruit him to keep the evil ones in line, he roasted their whole system, their ugly ass uniforms (that particular shade of indigo clashed with his Hero Outfit way to much) and ended with a comparison to them with a guy called ‘King Kid’ and the fucking ‘Easter Bunny King’ that somehow did a much better job at Machiavellic while also being uhly. They never sent a second one. The red lanterns sent more.

Ultraviolet lanterns: again, man’s fights the Seven Sins on the regular, is their warden along with other sick evils, lies to the Justice League on the regular and plays poker with Demons (and wins) despite being one of the most honest people there is. That and he’s so dad shaped, it counters their power of daddy issues.

Bonuse:

It’s not uncommon for various JL members to receive lantern rings. They just don’t want to. So the standard procedure is to find your local lantern, and give them rings. At some point all the Corps made a lantern offers chart (and maybe the JL got a bit competitive).

Problem, that screen was using old alien tech that didn’t have colour. So they knew Cap had the most lantern offers, but they didn’t know which colours. Until it got fixed.

J’le looking at the rainbow that’s Captain Marvels Ring List: …

Batman: Captain, why is there so many red ones?

Billy, sweating: …

Hal, not comfy with the amount of yellow: I… I need to make a few phone calls.

John, the one who’s been receiving all of his rings: Uh, don’t remind me. I’ve been getting cramps with the amount of times I had to input the different colours.

Dinah: I don’t think even I’m qualified for the amount of therapy everyone is going to need.

WonderWoman: How to you have Negative Pink Rings??? You can’t get a negative number in a list

Billy, inputing the Zeta Tube: haha, it’s so weird

John: … do I need to add AroAce as a weakness for the Sapphires???

Bonus points if the results are open to the galactic public, and just wonder who tf are and ‘Billy Batson’ and Captain Marvel and why they are dominating the top ranks. What is in the Terra city Fawcette.

Extra Bonus Point if the JL go: Who tf is Billy Batson, and why is he ranked above Captain Marvel.

I’ve been waiting to do this one for a while. But never got the motivation. Let me know if I missed any, and feel free to write fanfic (please tag me if you do, I wanna reeeeead).

Final note, I want to give a certain someone a comment of appreciation.

@wonderjanga you are my favourite person on this app. You are the reason I decided to get out of my procrastination slump. Thank you for you content, it’s always so creative and I deeply enjoy it.

For those who don’t know them, I recommend checking out their content. It’s genuinely inspiration for me to start writing again. I don’t think I’ll be writing on ao3 soon, but maybe one day.

[yanderes-galore]

Fandom: Star Wars

Character: Darth Vader

Pairing: Romantic

Type of Fic: Concept (HCs)

Oh no... Anakin giving into the Dark Side... Hope I get things right :( Doesn't really go into it so you can imagine him non-burned if you want.

Yandere! Darth Vader Concept

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Overprotective behavior, Controlling behavior, Manipulation, Violence, Murder, Isolation, Possessive behavior, Forced relationship.

Darth Vader is an Anakin who lost... everything.

His morals, his wife, his mentors, his mother, everything....

He is now a being of ruthless violence to try and justify his actions.

In a way he still wants to protect...

Even if it means stomping out rebellion for the Empire.

Vader no doubt knows he's become a monster.

Part of him wouldn't blame his obsession, whoever they are, for hating his presence.

But a lot of what he does would be for them... you.

Anakin... Vader... doesn't like change.

He has trouble with attachment and that was his downfall.

He has trouble letting go.

He used to be such a nice person.

Now... much has corrupted him.

Anakin has always had trouble with love.

He never wants to lose the people he loves.

Allowing him to have an obsessive and possessive attachment to those he loves.

I imagine Vader is the same way... deep in him.

He's driven to crave power to try and prevent anything similar happening to anyone with The Empire.

He thought he lost his ability to love when he lost Padmé.

Yet... he finds someone new.

Meaning, as always, his love is only harmful towards those he loves.

Vader would fear losing the one he loves again.

In fact, at first he tries to ignore such an idea.

He can't be attached to another.

A Sith Lord like him doesn't have time for another like Padmé.

But deep down... Deep down he craves it again.

Vader is one of the most powerful Sith Lords in the galaxy.

He is a man who takes what he wants.

Power, love, vengeance...

If he really wanted you, he could have you.

But why does he struggle?

All he feels is suffering.

When he sees you, a Jedi, a civilian, a rebel, someone who works under him... whoever you are...

He thinks of those he loved before....

He... He can't do it again, can he?

He's a selfish man.

A selfish man who hurts and kills those he loves.

If he truly respects and loves you, if he isn't just using you to cope...

He should let you go...

Yet as always he can't.

Darth Vader is powerful, arrogant, impulsive, ruthless, impatient, intimidating... and most of all...

Selfish.

Compared to Anakin, he's quiet no matter how you decide to see him.

It doesn't matter if you see him as you do in canon, or if you choose to use the fandom's un-burned version.

I still imagine he wears the helmet, the suit... and you hear that twisted breathing.

You may never truly know the man who took you from your home, who isolated you for his own benefit.

All you know is a cold mask and deep voice.

Along with his cold touch.

Vader is a man full of conflict.

His feelings for you do not help.

Vader is still a man who refuses to let go.

Once he obtains these new feelings for you, he can't just... get rid of them.

No, part of him still wants to love.

He doesn't deserve it, he knows that...

It never stops him from treating you like you're made of glass.

When the Death Star was around, he gave you your own room.

If not, you're never far from him.

I would not be surprised if he was more overprotective and possessive than he was as Anakin.

Now he's determined not to lose you like Padmé.

He may have been unable to save her.

Yet he'll succeed with you, he refuses to see otherwise.

Those who interact with you are closely monitored.

Any harm that comes to you is swiftly punished.

You're given a high security room and Vader often prefers to visit himself.

Vader likes his privacy with you.

By this point, it doesn't matter if this is wrong.

Vader finds himself obsessed with you and your safety.

He feels he can find love in you.

He wants to love again even if he can't.

It pains him when you flinch away.

He tries desperately to cup your cheek, to hold you close.

Frustration keeps bubbling within him when his attempts to change you, to make things work, fail.

Which often leads to him scaring you when he uses the Force to pull you into his arms.

He needs to be careful with his anger.

He could easily kill you if left unchecked.

Then he'd be repeating past mistakes if he wasn't already.

Vader expresses... desperation towards you.

Desperate for a love he can no longer have.

He can't force what he had to happen again.

You may always hate him... He'll always be a monster.

But he's too selfish to let you go.

Even if you hate him, he still holds on to his twisted view of love.

Vader would kidnap you from your home, slaughter all you love, and isolate you beside him...

He'd do it all if it meant he could feel something again... If it meant he could have you.

Murder isn't something he thinks much about anymore. There's not much guilt now.

He's done it so much already for a cause he believes in.

A safer galaxy.

Don't you want a safer galaxy?

While originally dedicating this all to Padmé, he now makes his purpose revolving around you.

Affection is no longer something he really expresses like he used to.

He'll caress you, hold you close, squeeze you like his life depends on it as you sit on his lap.

Yet kisses are impossible, so is anything else.

You feel like you're just being used to cope.

For the most part... you are.

Vader just would never admit it.

He wants you safe, cared for, and loved.

All by him.

Sure, view him as a monster, he knows he is one.

However, this monster is doing all he can to keep you safe.

You may not be happy now... but you will be.

Soon you'll trust his words, won't you?

If he didn't want to love you, he would've disposed of you for being a distraction.

Unfortunately, his view of love isn't much better.

Vader's new view on love is preventing all harm.

That means killing people in front of you with his saber or powers.

That means isolating you.

That means locking you away for his eyes only.

He calls this love...

In reality, he's still a man afraid of loss, and he can't afford to lose you like everything else.

[dangermousie]

2023 End of Year Post - kdrama edition

Yes, we have a some of December left, and I want to check out Death's Game but whatever. I got time for this now and not sure if I will have later so here goes.

This is only going to cover kdramas that aired in 2023; if I watched it but it was made in a different year, it’s not on the list. This was an excellent kdrama year, the likes of which we hadn't had in a long time.

DRAMAS WATCHED

In order of liking from least to most as opposed to pure quality so pls don't come for me, fans of some popular dramas that are on my nope list. Also, I am including if I’ve seen enough to make up my mind; yes I realize that’s inaccurate, but that’s my list.

33. The Escape of the Seven - this is so aggressively stupid and mean that it feels like the makers are playing a practical joke seeing how much their audience will take. This has a season 2 coming, so the answer is a lot.

32. Behind Your Touch - the FL gets superpowers by touching people's and animals' butts. Yes, you read this right. Do I really need to add anything?

31. King the Land - yes, it was a hit. Yes, it stars popular actors. I HATED IT LIKE IT TOUCHED MY BUTT TO GET SUPERPOWERS!!! Plastic people in paint by the numbers story, with about as much genuineness or retability as a barbie aisle in walmart. I never expect much from Yoona so whatever, but to have LJH go from The Red Sleeve to this boggles the mind.

30. Mrs Durian - this is so dumb that I think I lost a few IQ points watching this, but its insanity becomes entertaining - I mean what kdrama can you name where a daughter in law declares her love and lust for her mother in law at a family dinner?

29. The Matchmakers - there is nothing offensive about this drama at all. But there is nothing in the least interesting either. If elevator music took drama shape, it would be this show.

28. Destined with You - sorry, Rowoon, I am still fond of you, but you are two for two in drama duds department this year. This is a drama where I loved ep 1, liked ep 2, was indifferent to 3 and...you get the point. Each ep was worse than the one before, and I bailed before I was dragged into a cosmic singularity.

27. Oasis - great first two episodes. Unfortunately it was not a two ep show. The performances are solid but the story is just not there - the effect is like a fancy chef making an amazing sauce to put on pig slop.

26. Boyhood - it's not you, it's me in action. I can see why people would like it but a 34-year old playing a high schooler in a Weak Hero Class 1 Slapstick Edition is no go for me.

25. Castaway Diva - it's so precious and kooky in the most annoying ways, with the most well-adjusted abused castaway in history. I like magic realism when done by Jorge Amado, but this ain't Amado.

24. Island - it had a good concept, good cast and fun visuals but the execution deserved one of ML's swords through the neck.

23. The Worst of Evil - if I wanted an American show, I'd watch one. Very solid performances though.

22. Song of the Bandits - period edition of what I said about The Worst of Evil.

21. Welcome to Samdalri - and goodbye to any hope of emotional involvement.

20. Joseon Attorney - I have yet to like a single sageuk centered around a profession and this was not an exception. I guess it could be worse but it also could have been so much better.

19. Twinkling Watermelon - everyone loved this drama. Everyone except for me. It's the kind of precious that sets my teeth on edge and I couldn't stand half the main characters we were supposed to root for. I guess I like my fruits to shine steadily.

18. Our Blooming Youth - probably the biggest disappointment on this list. This is not a bad drama by any means, but with that cast and that story (I loved the novel), I was hoping for a memorable sageuk not merely all right.

17. Vigilante - it has the emotional complexity and nuance of a punch to the throat but it gives us quasi-gay openly-murderous dudes going after psychos and Yoo Ji Tae holding feral Nam Joo Hyuk by his hoodie at his feet.

16. The Forbidden Marriage - expected nothing but it was a surprisingly enjoyable trifle of a costume drama that was also quite pretty.

15. Arthdal Chronicles: Sword of Aramun - a hot mess but such an entertaining epic one. And it gave us TWO Lee Jun Kis in period gear and who am I to cavil at the bounty of God?

14. The Story of Park's Marriage - it's a trifle, a souffle, so light it might blow away, but it keeps my attention and is so fun and sweet.

13. My Lovely Liar - a huge surprise, that manages to mix a murder mystery and a romcom, and shocked me by showing Hwang Minhyun can act.

12. Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 - the original ToNT was my fave drama of its year and I did not think it needed a sequel. But this is not a sequel but more of a side-quel and is such a total delight with brotherly love, adventures, romance and hijinks. It's a joy.

11. Perfect Marriage Revenge - it's actually very hard to do a soap right but this slim 12 ep drama managed. So fun, so crazy, such a good ship!

10. My Lovely Boxer - not really about sports, but about two broken people finding salvation because of and in each other. Also, if you like age gap romances, this is delicious. Sort of loses steam by the end but c’est la vie.

9. The Secret Romantic Guesthouse - this was a sageuk that was not on my radar with a bunch of actors I was not familiar with but it took my heart away. A good plot that was perfectly paced, characters and ships I adored, a logical ending. This is one of the biggest positive surprises of the year for me.

8. Tell Me That You Love Me - a slice of life remake (sort of, it's more "inspired by") of my favorite jdrama of all time. It's not as good as the jdrama because nothing could be, but it's an aching lovely story with some incredible performances.

7. See You In My 19th Life - funny and romantic and haunting and hopeful and odd. This was one of my favorites of the year.

6. Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow - it's rare for me to like a (1) sequel (2) with FL actress change (3) that is a Hong Sisters drama. But this was such a gorgeous, surprisingly achy story of love and loss and love regained with some cool monster fighting in the middle. Between the two seasons, this is the first Hong Sisters' drama I enjoyed from beginning to end in well over a decade.

5. My Demon - so tropey (chaebols, supernaturals) but it proves that these tropes are popular for a reason. The chemistry is fire, the story is unpredictable and the whole thing is an addictive delight. A rare drama where I like each new ep more than the last one.

4. Goryeo Khitan War - an old school sageuk in every meaning of the term (no romance, no eye candy, lots of bearded men, battles and politics), this feels like watching an epic movie more than a drama. The vast cast all earns their place and the performances (mainly from character actors given a chance to shine) are incredible.

3. Call It Love - two very very damaged people finding love and healing with each other. This is a narrative very hard to do to my satisfaction but when it's done well, as here, there are few things that can hold a candle to it.

2. My Dearest - a masterpiece of cinematography, narrative, performances. This is an old-school epic romance in the best sense of the term. If it doesn't make you swoon or break your heart, there is something wrong with you. A story of two untraditional, strong-willed, flawed people who fall in love in the middle of the horrifying Qing invasion of Korea and have to deal with all that the world throws at them, this is a bona fide masterpiece.

1 - Moon in the Day - who knew my favorite kdrama of the year will star a store brand Domyoji from Extraordinary You and an actress I was never familiar with. But this part period/part modern fantasy tale of doomed cursed lovers is everything I knew I wanted and everything I didn't know I wanted but did. Two lovers where their love did not save them and in modern day it might not again, has got me obsessed the way I haven't been in years.

FAVORITE DRAMA

Moon in the Day - if there is such a thing as a drama made perfectly for me, this gorgeous, emotionally haunting, utterly romantic, twisty tale is it.

WORST DRAMA

The Escape of the Seven. This drama is proof that demons exist and not sexy ones like Song Kang but horrible nasty ones who delight in the torment this hot mess inflicted on its viewers.

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER

Do Ha, Moon in the Day - a Silla general and a consummate killer who committed atrocities on the orders of his monster father and yearned to die for them, who found the meaning in life in loving his enemy but it did not make him better, a man so obsessed he literally was around for 1500 years of horrifying ghostly existence and still went "worth it" for a woman who killed him as long as he knew she loved him while she did it. He's intense and competent and beyond fucked up and has never had a normal day and I love him so so so very much from a safe distance.

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER

Gil Chae, My Dearest - she starts out as vain and spoiled but the horrors that break so many others bring out all her fierce survivor potential and she becomes such a force of nature - capable of incredible love but also sacrifice and strength and compassion.

Runner Up: Shin Hye Sun's reincarnator in See You In My 19th Life - quirky, damaged, strong, so odd and so vulnerable at once.

NEEDS TO BE MURDERED

There are a lot of characters who fit that category (King Injo in My Dearest? My God) but the crown belongs to So Ri Bu from Moon in the Day. You think you've seen abusive parents but until you've seen a man abuse his son his whole life and then continue for 1500 years after his death, you ain't seen nothing!

FAVORITE SHIP

The doomed by the narrative OTP of Moon in The Day. Only thing that's better than enemies to lovers is enemies while lovers and their impossible relationship where her killing him is a supreme act of love and his refusing to let go is so strong that he stays around for 1500 years watching her, helpless as she dies over and over again, is everything you ever want.

Runner up: Jang Hyun/Gil Chae, My Dearest. They are so strong and so damaged and it takes them so long to figure out what they feel and what the other person feels but their love and sacrifice and complexities are perfect.

FAVORITE SECONDARY OTP

Kim Shi Yeol/Hong Joo, The Secret Romantic Guesthouse - an assassin bodyguard pretending to be a carefree scholar and a widow of the man he killed to protect his king (and whose life was destroyed as a result.) I enjoyed the main OTP of this drama but I was utterly and completely unhinged for the secondary couple.

I'd have probably picked Rang and his mermaid from TotNT 1938 even over them, but they really were the main OTP of that drama.

NOTP

King the Land couple seems like an easy target but honestly, they are both so terribly bland and antiseptic and marketing by committee, they kinda deserve each other. So I am gonna go with Destined with You, one half of which thinks supernaturally roofying someone into loving them is cute and the other half thinks dating one woman while wooing another is totally a-ok. Ugh.

FAVORITE SCENE

There is no competition for the scene in the slave market in My Dearest, where Jang Hyun finds Gil Chae - the way he screams and tries to clutch the hem of her skirt will live in my head forever.

And the scene where he 'wins' that horrifying bet, or the scene where she finds him in a pile of bodies - they are as good also. Or when he fights off a squad to protect her even though he's sick. That whole drama is perfect.

Runner up: the scene of Do Ha executing Ri Ta's family, covered in blood, as she looks at him from the crowd in Moon in the Day.

Or the scene where he talks about how he cannot live as a person but at least maybe she will kill him and he will die as one. Or when her confession in the past intercuts with his walking in the present, or when he comes home in his bloodied armor and she finds he has a fever and it's the first tender touch he's probably ever known. Her murdering So Ri Bu saying she knows she's going against filial piety in loving her parents' murderer, the way they hug, both bloody, as he says "let's live." The way she says she can't go on as she's hit rock bottom and he replies she cannot quit because she must accompany him to his rock bottom now. Honestly, the drama is a font of amazingness.

Also, the opening scene of Goryeo Khitan War or the scene of Yang Gyu ordering to shoot the captives and having to do so himself.

The OTP meeting again at the intersection at the end of ep 1 of Tell Me That You Love Me. SHS comforting ABH as he's having a traumatic breakdown in 19th Life. The love-making scene in Call It Love. There were a lot of great scenes this year.

BIGGEST CRUSH

Lee Jang Hyun, My Dearest - is that even a competition? He's flawed - vain, often emotionally closed off, not great at processing emotions, lashing out when hurt. He is also incredibly heroic in a real, knows the cost but bears it, kind of way. Whatever he does, he commits utterly but it's never without understanding the cost. He felt both larger than life and utterly real. He went through hell and maintained his soul and the way he loved Gil Chae was breath-taking to behold.

Runner Up: Yang Gyu, Goryeo Khitan War - an experienced military commander who wins an impossible victory even as it ravages his soul. Competence is sexy as fuck.

BEST SCENE STEALER CHARACTER

Rang, Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 - 1938 really was Rang's chance to shine and he took it. For a character I started out disliking in the original, he really stole my entire heart in this drama. I am so glad he got his happy ending with his brother and his girl.

Runner Up: Crown Prince, My Dearest. He started out as a sheltered, spoiled aristocrat, convinced the world owed him for existing. He grew up slowly and painfully into an amazing man. And then was murdered for it and I cried.

NEEDS A SEQUEL

Arthdal - it leaves the story at a good stopping point but it's very much a "world in flux, adventures and conflicts continue" ending and I would love to see more of these characters. I know we won't but it would have been nice.

NEEDS SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

Behind Your Touch - should have been snipped at birth.

TOO MANY SCISSORS TAKEN TO IT

Vigilante - I don't mean it had scissors taken to it because it's not cdrama and there is no NRTA, but this drama would have benefitted from being longer. I mean, I love fights and gay polycules as much as the next tumblr person but a bit more character development would not have come amiss. (ahaha - I said come. Leave me alone.)

TROPE THAT NEEDS TO DIE

I don't care about cops/doctors/trash collectors/whoever - workplace drama centering on their "cases" needs to die. I hate procedurals from any country and Korea is no exception.

FAVORITE TROPE WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF

Supernatural critter devoted to their OTP with all the power of their long life.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Our Blooming Youth - it was far from terrible but it was a giant meh. I was so excited to see Park Hyung Sik in a sageuk (that wasn't the hot mess that was Hwarang) and I adored the source novel. It actually started well and then...it's like Revenge of the Beige!

BIGGEST GOOD SURPRISE

I want to say Moon in the Day but to be honest, I was excited by posters and trailers so it wasn't wholly a surprise despite not having much of an opinion on the actors before I saw them. So I am going to say My Demon. I was bored by the trailers, I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a Kim Yoo Jung drama and before this year I would have said Song Kang was an incredibly limited actor in everything I've seen him in and not appealing to me at all. And here I am rabidly rabiding for this drama!

If I am not limiting myself to dramas but can use this for actors - Hwang Minhyun in My Lovely Liar. I genuinely did not think the man could act and then he gave such a pitch-perfect, nuanced performance out of nowhere!

2023 DRAMAS I HAVEN’T SEEN THAT I MOST WANT TO WATCH

I have actually watched all the kdramas that aired this year that I wanted to check out except for Evilive. I am saving this for when I have time.

BEST NON-2023 DRAMA I’VE WATCHED IN 2023

I don't know if I'd say it's the best but Say You Love Me (2004) with Kim Rae Won as a quasi monk seduced away from his true love by an evil older woman was a hell of a ride.

MOST ANTICIPATED

Love Song for Illusion (Lady assassin falls for her royal target who has two personalities), Captivating the King (lady spy falls for her royal target who is tormented) - notice a theme? Also Flower that Blooms at Night because Honey Lee in a sageuk, The Life of Mrs Ock (Lim Ji Yeon in a sageuk), The Love Story of Chun Hwa (an "erotic" sageuk, hmmmm, what?!), Hong Rang (Lee Jae Wook in a super angst sageuk), Queen Woo (that cast and set in Goguryeo!), Wong Kyung (about Lee Bang Won's wife and I love the cast.) Basically, if it's period, I am there with bells on.

[raayllum]

6x05 Moonless Night Speculation

So 6x05 is called "Moonless Night" and it's ruining my life (affectionate), so let's talk about it.

Seasonal Placement

Something that's worth noting, I think, is that while episode 5 is undoubtedly an important episode in each season, as it marks the official "over halfway point" of the 9-episode assortment, thus far across the series it doesn't tend to hold the most plot compared to episodes occasionally surrounding it. Consider how 2x05-2x06 or 3x04-3x05 are grouped together as little collections, either grinding the plot to a halt to give flashbacks or to see Ezran leave his kingdom crownless and for Rayla and Callum to retrieve Zym from the wily Nyx. Even 4x05 and 5x05 aren't particularly plot heavy episodes, often getting the next segment of the story underway by travelling to a new location or having certain characters / pieces of information reconvene.

What episode five does tend to be are emotional turning points for characters:

1x05: This is the episode that makes the trio Friends, most notably allowing Rayla to open up to the boys about her parents and her fears, and having their togetherness reaffirmed. Unlike in the previous episodes, she's not hopeful or tolerating them anymore, and the boys have seen some of her more consistently good attributes / learning her behaviours too.

2x05: Callum finds the resolve to open the letter from King Harrow and we see where his mother, stepfather, and Viren felt about the mission that ultimately led to tragedy.

3x05: Soren chooses to do the right thing and stand by Ezran, and Callum and Rayla begin their romantic relationship.

4x05: Callum and Rayla deal with the lingering results of their fallout, even as Callum is able to admit that he is happy she's back, and we see how Rayla has become more jaded whereas Soren's gone in the opposite direction.

5x05: The group reconvenes to decide what to do for the rest of the season about Aaravos, leading to an interesting difference between the brothers. This one fits the pattern the least, arguably, but we'll talk a bit more about how S5 breaks patterns in a second.

As of course, TDP doesn't have to follow any previous seasonal notions. In every other season, Callum's arc(s) have always carried over into the season finale in some way—for 1x09 and 2x09, it's his relationship with magic, and for 3x09 and 4x09, it's his relationship with Rayla. Season five subsequently breaks convention as his arc is shored up by the end of 5x08, leaving 5x09 to give more room for Viren and Claudia's emotional arcs as well as a minor beat for Rayla's metaphorical/literal one with water. Season six could break previous patterns even further with 6x05 being a massive turning point.

With all that in mind, let's first examine what the Moon itself represents in TDP, and then what a night being moonless might mean before we get into plot and emotional arc speculation.

What does the Moon Represent in TDP?

One of the things that's nice about a series like TDP that takes its magic so literally is that we do have a handy list of things the Moon represents, at least tangentially. Callum's Spellbook reads, "Illusion, love, charm, private, deep, secrets, manipulation, death, reflection, appearances, and duality." Certainly seems like a very Aaravos-y star adjacent list, don't you think?

And we also get the explanation from Lujanne in 2x01, which is based off Plato's concept of the forms:

The arcanum of the moon is about understanding the relationship between appearances and reality. Most people believe that reality is truth and that appearances are deceiving. But those of us who know the Moon arcanum understand we can only truly know the appearance itself. You can never touch the so-called reality that lies just beyond the reach of your own perception.

For Lujanne, the philosophy behind the arcanum is rooted in the duality of truth vs secrets, appearances (and illusions) stacked against each other, and the nature of reality. However, we see other aspects of the Moon arcanum, such as Moonshadow form, be tethered to something equally involved in duality if perhaps more noteworthy for our purposes (Bloodmoon Huntress):

Moonshadow form is only achieved when we understand the balance between life and death. Balance is weight against weight, and to understand the weight of death, you must feel the weight and value of another's life. Think of those you love, those you hold dear. Now think of the souls who have touched your life. Understand that each time your weapon meets its target, each time we fulfil our duty, the potential for that life to change—to love another—is gone. We may remove hate, but we remove the potential for love as well.

Now, we can see how both of these may overlap with each other later — Harrow had the appearance of someone who posed a risk to the world but no longer did, and the vengeance declared was for an egg that hadn't actually been killed — but we'll get more to the other implications in the following section.

For now, I want to focus on examining the other less 'metaphorical' meanings and look at some of the more literal associations we have with Moons in the text. As we all know, there's been a prevalent light-darkness motif running throughout each season of the show that's only gotten more affirmed — and more linked to Rayla and Callum's relationship — as the show has gone on. (If you want more details, check out this tag.) We see this first hand in 2x02 "Half Moon Lies" where Lujanne also counsels Rayla through some Moon arcanum wisdom about her relationship with Callum:

L: And it is the same with you. There are parts you keep hidden. Real trust is about accepting even the dark parts we will never know.

By resolving to tell Callum about his stepfather's death, Rayla chooses to show her whole face — a full moon, if you will — and it's not the last time truth is associated with light in opposition with darkness either ("I finally see the truth. I find myself here at these horrifying crossroads because I have followed a dark path"). We even see this in the way the framing at the Nexus changes compared to before Callum knows the truth with Claudia, and after when he knows the truth with Rayla, with Rayla being framed in the light. The truth may be ugly, and Harrow's death darkens Callum's life, but just like each girl's hair being white and black at this point, Callum ultimately chooses Rayla when it matters here the most.

It is likewise not surprising that Callum's understanding of the Moon arcanum ("After all, we can only truly know the appearance itself" "Now you're starting to sound like Lujanne") evolves alongside his understanding of Rayla, knowing better how/what she hides in S3 and what's actually going on.

Then season four comes in very heavy handed with making Rayla synonymous with the moon pretty blatantly in a way she hadn't previously been afforded. Just having Callum looking at the moon is meant to represent his love and longing for her, after all, and she's framed as the moon upon her return as well, literally moving from dark (moonshadow form) to light.

This is a sort of association we've only thus far had given to characters like Janai with the sun. And then they have the association drawn through dialogue, too, just in case the Most Obvious Framing Ever wasn't enough.

Okay, so Rayla is a Moonshadow elf who now has the moon as a potential stand-in for her. Shocking, I know. But put a pin in it as we have one other blatant Moon symbolism thing to discuss, and that's Runaan and Ethari.

Now, the moon itself isn't super prevalent for Runaan and Ethari, per se. They're far more associated with circles/cycles (their family, the pendant, the shape of the lotus pond), weapons, and hearts — their goodbye dialogue for example. We do see two heavy Moon associations for them, though, both of which that is particularly apt for today's meta:

It also worth noting, of course, that neither of these things are exclusive either to Ruthari in the text. The notion of "Guiding Moon" and Ruthari's partnership is a consistent parallel to Rayla and Callum's evolving bond, as well as Rayla giving Callum the necklace with the same sentiments that Ethari did upon giving one to both her and Runaan.

With all that symbolism and setup out of the way, let's get into the biggest speculative question we have to try and answer:

Why is it Moonless?

Now, what you might've noticed in all our symbolism and setup is one main commonality: the moon, while tethered to duality, is usually seen as a more positive symbol than not having a moon. Light, or the light side of the moon, is better than the dark side or it being nonexistent. We can already see undercurrents in this given Callum's arc surrounding darkness ("In darkness, gaze upon a fallen star"): light, or the moon, is a Good Thing—most of the time. If you want more discussion on why Light isn't solely good in the series, check out this meta here.

What I'm getting at here is that Moonless Night almost undoubtedly refers to some kind of dark turn or tragedy. The only question is what/which one, and for that, I have three main thoughts:

1) Luna Tenebris

Luna Tenebris was the Queen of the Dragons after Sol Regem was disposed and before Avizandum (+ Zubeia) took over. She was also queen when humans were expelled from Xadia (known as the Judgement of the Half Moon) and mysteriously vanished circa 4x04's flashbacks, leading to chaos:

However, Luna Tenebris' disappearance is far more associated with a red Blood moon which doesn't bode well for the connection between blood-dark-star magic, and is most obviously associated with the Bloodmoon Huntress, Kim'Dael, as she and her kin were hunted under Luna's reign. So I'm not positing that Luna's death for her personally was a moonless night.

But it might be for someone else, who's been forced to live without her, and who vanishes shortly after she does.

Luna Tenebris' presumably 'unsuitable heir' (maybe the wrong kind of archdragon? Arcanum-less?) bears a striking resemblance to the dragon we see Rayla approaching (attacking?) in the S6 clip from the video game trailer:

We know that he's in a snowy place and we also know thanks to released screencap titles that Callum and — more importantly per the screencap above — Rayla are in snowy place from 6x03 "The Frozen Sea" onwards to presumably 6x05 "Moonless Night" at least, given that I can't imagine they'd always be at the infamous Starscraper (6x04) for just an episode. If Luna's heir is not an obstacle in 6x03 on their way to the Starscraper, facing him could be something they have to do — perhaps he's a nuisance to the Celestial elves or holds something they need, like a glowing crystal — in 6x05, as he's the result of well, a Moonless Night.

This is probably the most abstract of the few we have and the most entrenched in Just Plot (at least phrased/pictured as the above). The other two subsequent theories are much more in vein with an episode focus and/or the title maybe having multiple meanings (the above as well as one of the other two we'll detail down below).

2) Moon Fam Release

I'm prepared to eat my words but honestly, "Moonless Night" doesn't fill me with a lot of confidence for it to be a Moon fam heavy episode—at least not in a happy way. For starters, like I said before, there's all the negative associations with being 'moonless'. Even Ethari's vow amounts to "Myself and my love is with you even when there is no light/goodness/hope in your life." That doesn't exactly feel like a reunion vibe given that Runaan being released from the coins is surely something he will ultimately feel positively about.

Ethari's vow to Runaan is going to be harder to uphold if Ethari isn't there for Runaan's release. If Ethari is Runaan's guiding moon and it's a moonless night, then it doesn't seem like Ethari's there. Of course, he could be. I've speculated for a while that 6x02 will feature Rayla and Callum dropping off the Shadowpaw and making a pit stop at the Silvergrove, giving us a chance to catch up with Ethari; perhaps he'll even come along and has been left out of the (admittedly few) screencaps we have of Rayllum approaching the Starscraper for marketing seasonal secrecy purposes.

Another long held theory though is that whatever Callum has to do to ultimately set Runaan (and everyone else) free from the coins will not end well though.

If Ethari is there in 6x05, that makes me think the Moon fam will get out around the halfway point of the episode, they'll have like one (1) very happy scene, and then almost immediately major shit is going to hit the fan that becomes the focus.

Another add on reason is that I think if Moon fam are released and reunited in S6, the plot reasons behind it are 1) to give Callum a motivation to potentially go 'too far' (too fast?) in his quest to release him, and 2) to have Runaan there to encourage Rayla to kill Callum if/when he gets possessed again. There are many other reasons to love Rayla's parents, there are many other reasons to want them around, but from a structural/plot standpoint of being side characters, I do think that's the purpose they're here to serve in s6, with probably having an expanded role in s7.

For example, if we follow along the line of "Moonless Night" being a release episode with the meaning being largely related to Runaan and Ethari > the main characters, that means it would have to be about either how much Runaan missed Ethari in the coin (which we don't need to see to understand the coin is terrible, we know that) or two, Ethari not being there and Runaan not listening to whatever Ethari would want him to do (maybe not being upset with Rayla or angry at Callum?).

I just can't see an episode like "Moonless Night" ending on a good note for anyone while still having the name of the episode be earned unless we entirely go flashback heavy (Aaravos, Rayla's travels or whatever) or the Luna Tenebris heir route.

With that caveat in mind, I want to talk about what is the most likeliest reason behind "Moonless":

3) Aaravos and Callum

As stated before, the character most accordingly associated with the moon is Rayla. This association has become even more literal into arc 1. I think it's the association next to the Luna Tenebris one that makes the most sense.

While I could perhaps see a flashback or expansion on how she felt during her time away featuring into S6, I would question the validity of doing it at a location like the Starscraper where there is so much feasibly else to focus on in a very unique and special location where we're primed to be meeting new characters (possibly friends and foes from the celestial elves), getting lore drops, and stuff focused on Callum and Rayla's present emotional journeys. Something like that would make more sense on the way to the Starscraper where we're just killing travel time, the same way the S2 flashbacks were reserved for the two episodes where the kids are just stuck on a boat, or in S3 on the way to the Storm Spire.

The other thing that's worth noting is the way that Rayla is framed as the Moon in opposition to Aaravos' darkness. Callum worries he's on a dark path and Rayla reminds him that he can choose to take another way. Callum is gazing 'in darkness' at a Fallen Star and Rayla shows up haloed in light to literally turn him away from it. Like in 2x02, she's seen as the more positive, light side of the moon. And we know without a doubt that she will be at the Starscraper alongside her human fella. We know from S2 and S5 that Callum will go to "dark places" in order to help/protect her.

There's a few different ways this could play out. Maybe Rayla goes off on an agreed upon mini-quest to fetch something from Luna Tenebris' nearby heir to help free her parents, leaving Callum worried and alone at the Starscraper, and he's possessed in the interim. Maybe, as noted in Option 2), he frees her parents at great detriment to himself. Maybe she's threatened because the Celestial elves aren't that friendly or serve Aaravos.

If Callum only 'succumbs' to Aaravos' possessive / coercive control — a moonless night is total darkness — then the removal of light would be a reasonable step on the path to getting there. Threatening or fearing the loss of that light ("But the second you see that elf girl in pain, you completely lost yourself") in order to make it disappear, to let a "dark path" overtake Callum? It'd be a tragedy. It'd be moonless — and it would plunge Rayla's life into darkness as well, fearing that she might have to become the assassin both Runaan — as she carries his bow — and Callum — heart vs duty — have asked her to be.

Conclusion

Like I said, I think there are ways to overlap. Both Option #1 and Option #3 could be paired together if the heir puts Rayla at risk in her journey, or Option #2 and Option #3 if freeing the Moon Fam with all the coins' deep blood magic indicators are taken to the forefront (aka the symbol on the coins matching the symbol on Aaravos' book). It could be none of these things.

If 6x06 is indeed "Moment of Truth" as has been speculated, I'll assume de facto that 6x05 ends with Callum being possessed again (although again, the circumstances that lead to said event could take many paths) in order to nudge Rayla's arc ahead (whether Runaan is literally there or not, though I would probably lean towards yes and Option #2 for 6x05). It'll just be go go go plot and drama wise — and no matter what, I can't wait for it.

[onedappercat]

Why Does the Ortolan Sing?

A human AU Good Omens fanfic

(View uncensored art on AO3)

Chapter 20: So Much For Stardust

Rating: Explicit

Summary:

Following his mother’s death, Azira sets out to prepare his family’s bookshop for reopening. While appreciating the shop’s new sign, he hears the beckon of a siren’s song sounding from the coffee shop over the road. He succumbs to temptation to find the source of the hypnotic voice is an auburn-haired songbird. Intrigued by the singer’s beauty and haunted by his apparent loneliness, Azira is determined to introduce himself. There’s only one problem: the musician’s menacing, jealous, and possessive partner.

CW: Domestic abuse, loss of a loved one, adultery, toxic relationship, murder, blood, organized crime

Excerpt from chapter 20:

“Space is incredible, you know?” Crowley’s smile broadened as he stared up at God’s canvas. “It’s true eternity. So vast and limitless, we’re constantly finding something new. Even when Earth is long gone, the space we used to occupy will receive the light from star systems we’ve never known, never named, and the light from Earth will do the same. We’re fleeting, but space isn’t.”

“That’s beautiful…” Azira sighed. “And slightly tragic. Nothing lasts forever, I suppose.”

“Some things do.” Crowley took a deep breath of the fresh, country air. “Humans give names and stories to the stars, and I wonder who else out there, seeing the same stars from a different angle, have done the same. Like over there,” Crowley motioned to a cluster of stars Azira couldn’t differentiate from any others. “Coma Berenices. Humans looked at those stars and saw the hair of an Egyptian queen, sacrificed to Aphrodite to ensure her husband’s return from battle. Something so human. Or the Andromeda Galaxy… one of our neighbors. Named for a beauty whose parents angered the Gods, causing her to be sacrificed to a monster. The stories we assign them won’t last for eternity, but their light always reaches somewhere, even once they’re gone. And there’s an infinite number of them to do just that.”

“When you put it like that, eternity is… a hard concept to grasp.” Azira pondered for a moment. He’d had philosophical conversations with his parents, but eternity was never a topic they touched on. “I admit, my mind usually stays grounded in the stories in books; I don’t tend to consider just how insignificant that all is.”

Crowley eyed Azira at askance, then rolled onto his side, propping his head up on his hand and smiling. “Eternity is a mountain made of diamonds.”

“A what?” Azira grinned.

“There’s a mountain made of diamonds, a hundred miles wide and a hundred miles high, and every thousand years a bird comes and sharpens its beak on the mountain.”

“The same bird?”

Crowley waved his hand dismissively. “We’re talking diamond mountains; you want to harp on the age of the bird?”

“Right,” Azira chuckled. “Carry on.”

“So this bird sharpens its beak on the mountain, scraping away a tiny piece every time. Once that mountain has completely worn away, one second of eternity has passed.”

Azira stared up at Crowley, his face framed in the falling stars and glittering diamonds of eternity, sending their light to Earth. His lips parted, a soft gasp leaving him as he took in the eternal beauty, incomparable in his mind to the fleeting beauty that was Crowley. Crowley’s soft smile and gentle eyes were gazing at him with the kind of love actors attempt to portray in movies. It was so believable, as he watched the old black-and-whites with his mother, until he witnessed it himself.

“Make love to me under the stars,” Azira whispered. “Eternally.”

Continue from chapter 20 here.

Thank you so much to everyone at @goodomensafterdark for your help and putting up with my millions of questions! 🥰

[llamagoddessofficial]

I hope I'm not unwelcome here, I was wondering. How do you think the boys would react to a siren MC that was another variety of deep sea siren~? I've been writing a fic with the reader as a deep sea eel siren and it's on my mind since I adore your siren au thoughts!

Ohoooooo

I fuckin love the concept of a gorgeous, dangerous eel Mc. Sleek and dark and powerful. I feel like a deep sea Mc would be bigger than her pelagic counterpart... much closer to the skeletons in size. Not to mention, she’d have some other unique traits, like heightened senses and bioluminescence. 

Sans: She is, for once, something he isn’t used to seeing on his usual menu. Orca are surface dwellers. She’s a curiosity; he adores curiosities. Especially pretty ones. He’s cautious, because she’s clearly a predator, he works slowly... stalking her from a distance, then approaching fast and ducking away at the last second, baiting her into lashing out so he can see how her attacks work. It doesn’t take him long to figure out what her deal is. He’s enamoured with this beautiful, fierce novelty from the deep.

Sans frightens her. He didn’t, at first; he looked like a puny version of the much bigger, much toothier whales who occasionally make the long journey to her depths. But then he started moving- and she realised his danger wasn’t his body, it was his adaptability. He could kill her if he wanted to.

And yet... there’s something about his intelligence. Something about his powerful form as he swims. Something about his unreadable calm, soft smile around her, razor sharp eyelights taking in every detail... she can’t help it, she’s drawn to him. 

Red: ... C’mon. We know this dance by now. She’s big, she’s beautiful, she’s strong- not only that, but she’s mysterious and elegant, a dangerous predator from the depths all decorated in glittering lights. It’s like he’s at a cocktail party and a 6ft buff woman just walked in, wearing a black velvet dress and diamonds- he’s shootin his shot, and nothing will stop him. He likes his ladies capable of killing him. He makes a couple stupid eel-related pickup lines (“girl, are you a coral-dwelling eel? cus you’re my a-moray.” “I’m a conger, not a m- wait,”) and her baffled flustered reactions just cement his growing interest.

Red is... a lot. Not necessarily in a bad way. He keeps shocking her by making her laugh (“gulper? jeez, i hardly know her.”) and she likes the company and conversation. Deep sea sirens don’t tend to do the whole ‘group’ thing, but that doesn’t mean it can’t get lonely, down there in the endless night. 

She also likes the patterns on his body- you don’t see many pretty markings when you live in near pitch-black. He likes when she can’t help but touch them.

Skull: Finally. Finally. Another creature from the deep, another siren like him, who understands his mannerisms and his way of life. A siren who’ll see him as kin, who won’t view him as some kind of strange, unknowable alien. Being around her makes him soft and giddy, he lights up his bioluminescence any chance he gets, he enjoys having that point of bonding with her (he’s smug the others don’t understand their secret language of lights). He gets the overwhelming sensation they were meant to be together... the abyss is so huge, so endless, and yet somehow they found one another? It can’t be chance. The stars aligned. He knows her smell now- he’ll follow her wherever she goes.

A deep sea Mc would definitely feel more comfortable around Skull than she does around the other two sirens. They’re so similar, and she’s much more used to monsters like him; big, dark, strong, slow. She’s still careful around him considering he’s the more frightening apex predator where they’re from- being familiar with something doesn’t make it any less dangerous. But when his tentacles flash and she flashes back, it feels like stumbling across someone who speaks your mother tongue in a land full of strangers.

[ymechi]

The Naiad au (Scrapped)

EDIT: 17/11/2023 I have decided to rework this series, so this story won't continue, instead there will be a new one with the same concept.

-slight idv and genshin crossover, the mc is an OC and has female pronouns

-english is not my first language

TW: SAGAU, Cult au, imposter au, mentions of death, drowning

this is part 1 , part 2

The warm embrace of the water did not soothe her as much as she had thought. She was flailing, panicking and scared out of her wits. She was doing anything to rise up again to the surface but the net and anchor would not let her go, using their imaginary claws to sink her deeper and deeper into the ocean floor. Her lungs were burning and her rational mind was screaming at her to remain calm. She was wasting precious resources and making things worse yet her instincts were louder trying to fight the descent into the watery prison below.

Was this how things were going to end?

Stranded in a new world alone, confused and branded as an impostor for a god she did not know?

"With your death may All-Mother cleanse us of your sins."

What sins? What did she do? Who was All-Mother?

But no one would be there to answer her. The only answer was the silence of the water.

She looked up one final time. she could still see the sun above shining ever so brightly reflected on the water above, she tried reaching it with her hand but it was in vain.

The net still clung to her like the villagers arms as they apprehended her and tied her. The anchor was heavy she saw as it took three grown men to carry and she was just one weak untrained girl, it was futile to fight.

The anchor continued to pull her down.

In the back recess of her mind she thought how weird, how familiar this scene was. Once upon a time she remembered watching the same scene but through a third view another girl just like her was killed in the same manner.

For something she had no control over.

Unlike that person would she just drown quietly, would a miracle happen and she too would grow fins, gills, the ability to breathe underwater? That would be most ideal if she did not want to end as a corpse underwater. Alone in the dark ocean being killed for a crime she did not commit.

If only she could be like that girl.

with that one final thought her body betrayed her and she ended up breathing the ocean water. She closed her eyes for the last time as the water filled her lungs.

. . .

. . .

. . .

There was a small sound she could hear. She did not know where it came from. It sounded what she thought a star would sound like, small, sparkly and floaty . Softly it hummed and swayed creating a sweet melody. It hummed once again and she could not help herself but to hum along.

The sound stopped for a second after she hummed along but resumed its melody a bit faster, perhaps it was cheerful she joined along? She opened her eyes to look.

What greeted her was not a person, not a creature but the sun still shining down on the ocean floor.

How?

It should not be possible for the sun to still be visible all the way down here. . .

Wait.

She was still alive?

Realization dawned on her and her eyes widened in shock, she looked around frantically. She was definitely on the ocean floor, the anchor still attached to the fishnet she was stuck in.

Yet.

She was alive?

She hesitantly took a deep breath when she expected water to fill her lungs. Nothing happened. She was speechless for a moment bringing a hand towards her chest and she looked down. What shocked her was the sight in front of her.

Her arm- her hand.

 Despite being so deep into the ocean she could see her previous skin color was gone, something akin to a blue-ish tone took its place. Her hands were now webbed as well with the tip of her fingers having sharp nails and a deep purple hue.

What had happened to her.

She touched her face but it still felt the same. She doubted she could find a mirror All the way down here.

She wanted to try to get out of the fishnet first Before planning anything else.

After finally having a concrete plan she pushed herself upwards and tried to pry the fishnet away from her but it was mostly in vain. She looked at her sharp nails and wondered if she could try to cut it off with them.

She took one hand and tried to pull the net with her nails while the other was holding it in place. It took some while to get the process right before the net started to tear down.

Neat!

Finally sensing some hope in this situation she managed to bring out a smile. After some more flailing around and tearing the net she managed to tear it out enough that she could get away from her "net-prison".

After she was finally out from the fishnet she relaxed her shoulders in relief. Finally she had a moment of peace to herself.

. . .

Perhaps that was the scary part as well, the peace allowed her to think but thinking of what happened. Waking up in a strange land, being captured, treated like some criminal and then dying. Except she did not die. She looked down on her webbed hands. She traced her fingers with her other hand, over the sharp nail, over the visible veins and in between the webbed parts. It felt too real to be a dream. She pressed her finger deeper into the palm of her hand. her sharpened nail accidentally cut into her flesh but she only felt a sting. What surprised her was the golden liquid that flew out of her hand.

Perhaps she did really die and was reborn as something else because she certainly was no longer a human.

She watched in fascination as her skin healed itself in merely a few seconds.

Yeah, definitely not a human anymore.

She sighed but then was shocked to see bubbles leave her mouth. A neat reminder she was very much at the bottom of the ocean, alive and all.

[desultory-novice]

...UH OH...

Just kidding as this is all very good stuff, Mechalor Anon! Can't draw it, because it's a lot, but I will drop some corresponding text/lore on you, based specifically on your "The HWC misguidedly brings Zero Three back in Planet Robobot" concept (with a touch of the sword/brush thing) because it did latch onto my brain!!

(This is the LAST major event I do in this doomed timeline though)(1)

[Planet Robobot] [Apologies AU "Snowflakes" Timeline] [Secret Boss Fight - "NULL v0.3"]

:Kirby enters the room: :There is no one there: :Suddenly, the whole building shakes: :A horrific scream, overlayed atop itself, is heard:

:A door opens and Susie rushes out: :It shuts behind her, then shakes with a thud: :Eyes downcast, she murmurs to herself:

Susie: "...What is that machine thinking...? Why would the Mother Computer...ask for something that awful to be...?"

:She finally sees Kirby is here and puts her business face back on:

Susie: "Ahem! You're back! And you've found our secret lab."

Susie: "Clearly, you don't appreciate the miraculous wonders of science and technology as much as some of us..."

:The door bangs again, interrupting her: :There is another piercing dual scream:  :Susie flinches at the sound and begins shaking:

Susie: "...I can't do this anymore." 

Susie: "Listen, think what you like about us being here, but I just need a little more time. I can't let anyone interrupt this!"

Susie: "My original plan was to distract you with our latest in wide-area suppression, fresh off the assembly line but..."

Susie: "...I can't go back in there... We excavated this dreadful THING out of your planet, so YOU handle it...!"

:The door behind her opens as she flees the scene: :Slowly, white sludge begins to spill out from the open door: :It rises into a burbling bubble with a single slit of a closed eye:

:The bubble then cracks right down the middle where the eye sits: :The split orb unfolds into two limp halves each with a smaller, half-lidded eye: :Inside each of the sphere halves one melted-looking half of two figures, a boy and a girl: :Each vaguely familiar figure has a single wing (one dark, one light) made of grasping fingers:

-

[BOSS: NULL v0.3] - Pause Screen

Of all the biological data the Haltmann Works Company unearthed from this planet, the Mother Computer seemed especially interested in this. However, it found it could not fully analyze it to its satisfaction due to the "unknown bond" sustaining the creature's core. It would ultimately deem the project a failure.

[IE: Star Dream is trying to understand Zero for its own purposes but cannot and could never understand the deep "love" that ultimately brought about Zero Three; just like it could not understand Haltmann's love and would delete it]

[BOSS: NULL v0.3 EX] - Pause Screen

Though Susie always tried to follow the mother computer's directives faithfully, she deeply questioned this particular project. When the directive came to "use" the creature in spite of the unhappy children's souls inside, it strengthened her conviction that Star Dream had to be separated from her father.

[In EX form, the sibling-goo is dark matter black instead of snowflake white; Noir's wing is blood red instead of corruption purple; their eyes remain the same]

-

NULL v0.3 plays out as a very unusual boss fight. It is somewhat timed, because v0.3 will damage itself with its "attacks," thrashing about. And if you leave it alone for long enough, it will kill itself. Or you can defeat it with regular copy abilities. Both of these lead to the "normal" boss fight ending, where v0.3 rips itself apart, both sides screaming as the white bodies melt away into nothing. 

However, like in Super Star, this boss will provide you with special, unique battle-limited Copy Abilities if you inhale the right attacks from it: "Dark Sword" and "Light Painter."

Attacking the "swordsman" side of v0.3 with the Dark Sword ability will make it attack you more aggressively. However, if you try to turn Dark Sword ability on the "painter" side, you will be met with a vicious, un-blockable counterattack from the swordsman side that will knock the ability out of you and cause it to swap sides again.

If you try to use Light Painter on the swordsman side, it will cower away in the background, ...guiltily... keeping its distance, however you can lure the painter side closer to you and reduce its aggression levels again by attacking the painter side with Light Painter.

If you succeed in the task of defeating v0.3 with proper use of the two copy abilities, you are rewarded with a different end fight cutscene, where the white body coalesces into a giant sphere once more before melting away, revealing Adeleine and Noir, looking as they did before, who then dissipate peacefully into sparkles...

--

...Man I want to make video games so bad...

AHEM! Here's Mechalor Anon's uncropped asks that inspired this!

Thanks for the appreciation and glad you liked what I did with Zero Three! Sorry I couldn't include Bandee in this more. I really did dig the idea of him using the paintbrush like a spear though!

-

PS: NO MORE HURTING THEM, OKAY? ^^ ; < message to myself

-

(1) I say this again to myself because after the "good" ending, someone out there is going to suggest, "Well, if they were purified they could come back in Star Allies! Maybe each of them sporting white hair! They could be a swap character, like the Mage Sisters. It would make King Dedede happy..." which... okay, sure, maybe yes!

Bu~t I have a huge backlog of stuff INCLUDING other Apologies stuff to do so I'm still declaring Snowflakes to be a "failed Noir" timeline!

[peaches2217]

your mareach family headcanons are everything. they're so cute! i wonder, how would luigi and peasley take to being uncles? would they even start wanting one of their own, or will they just pledge themselves to be the best uncles this kid has ever had?

I am so happy someone's actually interested in my Uncle Luisley concepts because I keep having to omit Peasley for the sake of wider applicability and I am so ready to not do that

(@mrspockify if it's okay, I'd like to use this post to answer this ask of yours too, since there's so much overlap!)

Luigi, of course, is absolutely thrilled. Mario has wanted kids pretty much his whole life; now he's getting that chance, and Luigi's gonna have a little niece/nephew/nibling, and by their power combined that's gonna be the safest and most spoiled kid in existence! There's a lot of jumping and shaking each other and whooping and hugging and it's just an absolute spectacle. (I... may or may not have a fic in the works. 👀)

Since he's Prince Consort of the Beanbean Kingdom, Luigi lives about an hour's flight from Toad Town. He visits regularly to bring gifts or to make sure Mario's not running himself into the ground worrying over Peach's health or just to see what else he can do because he's so excited! Whenever he's home, he'll often make checklists of things the parents-to-be may or may not need and set out to gather everything before his next visit, be it practical items like bedding or nursery supplies or more sentimental offerings like a collection of their mother's best recipes (Peach has been wanting those recipes for ages now, so really it's long overdue). He even briefly tries to take up sewing so he can make the tot some clothes (with... disastrous results, admittedly. Such a tiny needle... so much blood...).

Peasley's initially a lot more indifferent to the prospect of being an uncle. He's happy for their friends, truly, but the news doesn't stir him the way it does his husband. But he doesn't remain indifferent for long, and that's because Luigi is absolutely radiant when discussing/performing his perceived duties as an uncle. Peasley worships the very ground he walks upon. Anything that makes Luigi this happy is bound to make him equally happy in short order.

Being an only child (and a little out-of-touch if we're being honest), he has no idea what being an uncle even entails, so he just goes along with all of Luigi's ideas: bedding? He'll have a dozen hand-stitched silken pillows and blankets commissioned because the little royal deserves only the best! A cookbook? He'll have one penned by a professional scribe on the finest parchment, because Mama Mario's legacy shan't be recorded on anything less! They're wanting name suggestions? How about we spend the whole night tossing ideas back and forth, my love? There's a dusty old parlor a few halls down; let's turn it into a nursery so the baby will have a comfortable place to stay should babysitting duties befall us! Admittedly it's still less about wanting to be a good uncle and more about ensuring all of Luigi's desires are fulfilled to the utmost, but hey, he's still a great future uncle by proxy, so that's what counts, right? 😆

They do inevitably discuss having children of their own somewhere along the line, what with the topic being so relevant now. They will at some point need to produce an heir, biological or adopted or unrelated yet entrusted with the title (Peasley is trans, meaning biological children is an option for them). That said, they ultimately decide they're happiest on their own for now; if they decide they want a child somewhere down the line, then that's a bridge they'll cross when they come to it. They've got a good fifty years, stars willing, before they have to worry about who will take over after Peasley, so they're not in any rush.

Queen Bean, on the other hand, isn't getting any younger, and the Mushroom Kingdom's upcoming arrival is a stark reminder of that. Her son and son-in-law proudly show her the parlor-turned-nursery that they've spent weeks renovating, and as they prattle on about all of the luxuries they've equipped it with for a baby that's not even their own, she can't help but feel exasperated.

She pulls her boys in for a hug, anchoring a massive hand on each of their shoulders so they can't run away. "I trust this nursery will one day serve my grandchildren, yes?"

Peasley shoots Luigi an apologetic look, fighting back a wince. Luigi's just trying not to laugh. "We're... discussing it, mother," Peasley finally says.

The Queen smiles placidly and pats them both. "Discuss it faster."

[glitched-username]

Hear me out: rottmnt but they are the actual sizes of the animals

Mikey is 5 inches for box turtles

Donnie is 9 inches for softshells

Leo is 1 ft

Raph is 30 inches (2.5 ft)

Splinter is 10 inches

And April is... there for comparison lol

Read more for my random assembly of thoughts and ideas

Just thinking about how Mikey views Leo and Raph's as giants, being over double his height and Raph being 6x bigger. But Raph and Leo are still tiny compared to humans like April.

And Mikey just loves treating his family like a jungle gym. He's gotten so good at it that no one even flinches when he jumps off an impossibly high distance cause they know he'll catch himself no problem, and if he can't then

Also using this concept to further transmasc-ify Leo cause female red eared sliders are larger than the male counterparts. Just imagining Donnie accidentally outing Leo out of a closet he didn't even know he was in cause

"No, you're the correct turtle species and there's nothing wrong with your mutation, female sliders are just bigger"

"...Donnie, I'm a guy"

"Yeah"

"..."

"..."

Donnie specifically checked why Leo was so tall because he was pissed at the slider gloating about the growth spurt when he became a teen and just straight up diagnosed him with Transgender (tm) like it was the most casual it of info to drop

Donnie is peak borrower energy. But like if a borrower decided to take it to a competitive level. How does he get such crazy tech despite being the size of a hairbrush? By massacring lost or currently devices for their parts. So, thrown out radios? Yep! But also, a store display TV that is currently airing commercials? Also free game for the softshell. He's had the most exposure to humans because of this and is definitely the least freaked out when they first meet April cause he at least knows what to expect (ie: they're more scared of us than we are of them sort of thing).

He's also the most feeal and territorial about his stuff because "do you KNOW how hard it is to lug all these parts into the lair??? If any of you touch you will die"

Also L to Splinter. Going from Lou Jitsu Action Star, to kidnapped and forced to fight in the battle nexus and then turned into a sewer rat and now you have to deal with 4 sons, one literally big enough to bite his head off even as a baby/toddler. He definitely had to start relying on Raph more as they grew up

And Raph

Oh Raph.

He already had a hard time learning his own strength in the original, where they were all roughly similar sizes. But now? He has to really practice being gentle. And he's gotten DAMN good at it. So good that even though it looks like he's being completely reckless and throwing his weight around his tiny brothers, he knows exactly how much pressure each brother of wildly different sizes and durability can take.

Bro is constantly doing mental math that would make Donnie impressed.

He has no idea how to handle meeting April. Like, all he's known is how to be gentle around people cause they're smaller and more fragile and suddenly, here's a human, over double his height... but she's still physically weaker??? Or at least not as durable. She doesn't have a shell or tough scales and wasn't specifically mutated for war so doesn't have any durability/strength/regeneration genes.

When they first meet, I imagine the other boys are less freaked out cause they're used to everyone being taller than them but Raph goes FULL protective mode. Pulling out all the stops because he thinks it's going to be a tough fight, that the human would easily stomp him if he doesn't go all out.

But when he sees she isn't fighting back and is hurt pretty bad from his bites (1000 psi ain't a joke, she's lucky she still has all her limbs after that) he instantly goes from "evil giant monster must attack" to "mother hen" and gets extremely apologetic.

Not an... amazing first meetup but April jokes about it now, Raph even gives her little play bites when they're messing around or just absentmindedly gnawing on it while watching a movie(though much more gentle). And while Raph COULD give little playful bites to his little brothers, he has to be VERY aware and VERY careful while doing so, but with April he can be a bit looser with how gentle he is

I imagine once he gets his powers he's finally so happy that he can give April an actual hug for once lol

And I don't think Draxum reaaalllyyy anticipated the turtles not growing to a more human height. In his defense this was basically the first time he used live human DNA during the mutation process. How was he supposed to know that the animal's height would take priority over the human's height?

Draxum saw splinter shrink down into a rat during his escape but just assumed they were all so small that they couldn't have survived the collapse. Oh well, he'll make sure to fix that flaw when he finally gets his lab back up and running.

...

...

Also Mikey is still the strongest

[luna-loner]

Day 1: Paint Tales From Their Childhood

Asano Gakushuu:

It wouldn't surprise anyone to know that Gakushuu was an expert in the many forms of art; and painting certainly was on the list. What they might not know is that he's been doing it since his diaper days.

Good Guy Gakuhou fawned over every single masterpiece his little Da Vinci made, believing that each one meant something important about his child's development. Each one.

"He already understands the concept of complementary colors!" He squealed when he Gakushuu used red and green.

"He's figured out how to mix colors!" He exclaimed when Gakushuu accidentally added blue to the red blob he 'drew' on the canva.

"Oh, he's practicing Kanji already." He smiled at the random brush strokes his infant son would make. He legit believed every stroke was his boy trying to draw a kanji he'd seen before.

It's safe to say Gakuhou has an album dedicated solely to Gakushuu's artwork, which he still keeps to this day, partly to subtly brag about his kid, and partly to tease said kid.

Sakakibara Ren:

After doing a finger painting at school, little Ren went home with a new goal in life-- to become a painter. His parents got him all the canvas and materials he needed. Ren mostly painted nature scenes since humans and animals were too complicated for his five-year-old self, plus he's always loved nature.

A week later, he was back to his books. He didn't touch his art supplies again until mother's day when he decided to author a short story starring his mom; and since it was going to be about his mom finding a magical rose garden (her favorite flower), he decided to add illustrations!

So he did just that. He folded the papers and used the strappler pins to make a book. He ended up with two extra pages, so he used one to write a short poem and the other to paint him and his mom holding hands (he wanted them to be hugging but it was too hard for him to do). His mom has the book to this day.

Araki Teppei:

Once, little Teppei was reading an article on renaissance artists with his dad when he suddenly decided he, too, wanted to be a famous painter. He got out a normal A4 paper and started painting random stuff since he didn't have a clear vision in mind, so he ended up using a lot more paper than he intended.

Eventually, he settled on a family portrait. Sure, the stick figures had disproportionate body parts and the colors were a bit messy, but his dad loved it nonetheless. Not only did he proudly hang it on the refrigerator, but he had his own surprise for his little artist the very next day: A news article on the famous painter, Teppei, was hung next to the artwork.

Years later, Teppei still has the artwork and the news article.

Koyama Natsuhiko:

This boy grew up roleplaying as a heroic wizard in his own little world. One day, he decided he wanted to bring his magical world to life, and what better way of doing so than by drawing and painting background pictures and taping them to the walls? He was home alone that day, so little dude got to enjoy his fantasy as much as he pleased. The paintings, while simple, really made his adventure all the more immersive.

His folks weren't exactly happy with the mess that greeted them once they arrived home. Literally every wall was covered in at least a dozen paper! Still, they didn't scold him for it...because little Natsu was already asleep by then. Evil little gremlin

Suffice to say, cleaning was a pain, and it took them two weeks until they could no longer find anymore of these papers. (Seriously, just when they thought they've put them all in trash, they find one on the ground, under the sofa, or still tapped to the wall! How?!)

Seo Tomoya:

Unlike the rest, Seo seemed to use his art supplies for anything other than art.

Once, he decided to fake chicken pox to skip school after watching Tom and Jerry (in you case you don't recall, there's an episode where Jerry paints red dots on a sleeping Tom and convinces him he's sick) so he did just that and came 'crying' to his parents.

His parents didn't buy it, and a grumpy little Tomoya was sent packing to school.

When Halloween was right around the corner, Tomoya decided he wanted to be an alian and thought painting his skin green would be the perfect costume. Not only that, he also decided to "dye" his hair green as well.

Guess who spent his Halloween grounded? Yup, Marvin the Martian over here.

In a similar instance, Tomoya discovered something called something called food coloring and decided, "Cool! I can make a flame-colored cake with my paint!" Because if it's colorful, it's edible, right?

Fortunately for everyone, his mom arrived home just in time to stop him. He had such a field day helping her clean up the kitchen...

[hgejfmw-hgejhsf]

Whump Wednesday

Hello, friends. I return again, with another Whump Wednesday prompt fill. I must forever thank @thinkof-england for her infectious excitement that has succeeded in pulling me out of my funk for two weeks in a row now and allowing me to get SOMETHING down in words, whether I think it is any good or not.

This week's randomly selected prompt from the whump wheel was: buried alive. The wheel hit us with a doozy yet again this week! And this prompt was indeed a struggle for my slow moving muse.

I wanted to do something...nontraditional for this prompt, so I used a historical fact I once learned on a ghost tour of Savannah, Georgia. If you've never heard of the safety coffin, it is an interesting concept (although not exactly successful in practice, but we're ignoring that for the sake of this fic's existence, okay?)

TW: implication of death, expression of grief, suicidal ideation

“My dear Henry, I’m so sorry. The fever came upon him so quickly, and before the doctor could begin his work, he was…” Mrs. Claremont-Diaz’s voice dissolves beneath the weight of the tears building at the edges of her eyes, every word already fragile before tested and taken by grief. June finishes her mother’s message by placing a hand on Henry’s shoulder and squeezing lightly. He dips his head, touching his chin to his chest and finding himself suddenly unable to remove his gaze from the broken earth at his feet. The grass is exceptionally green beneath a blinding sun, having benefited greatly from the near constant fall of rain in the spring. The very rain that seeped beneath his Alexander’s skin, chilling him to the bone and seizing his lungs until he could freely draw air no longer. On this day, however, the air is warm but with a welcome breeze, the sun high and bright in a cloudless sky, and the grass…exceptionally green. But at Henry’s feet, an interruption. A crack in an otherwise perfectly crafted spring day. A mound of dirt, cold and damp, beneath which the love of his life will lie forever. And a rusted bell atop a wooden plank, tied to a loose string. Henry longs to join Alexander, to lay down beside him, until they might become so entangled in limbs and lives lived that historians of some distant future will think them to be a single entity, with nary an inch of space between them. But as much as he wishes it, he knows that he cannot. He once promised his father, upon his own deathbed, that he would care for his mother and sister and look after his older brother as he took the responsibilities of the household upon his young shoulders. He intends to keep that promise, only hoping that his love will wait for him somewhere among the stars, until they both can be together again. Despite the family’s protestations against his vigil, Henry remains at the graveside until the sun has long since set, revealing a blanket of stars blinking down from the heavens above. He speaks, then, to his father, as he has done so many nights before. Only now, he speaks to dear Alexander as well, making a renewed promise to them both to find his purpose in their two families, never merged in name but certainly merged in love. It is nearly dawn when he is startled awake from his place on the ground next to the grave. He sits bolt upright, his limbs aching with the sudden movement from the unforgiving earth, and listens. He feels no wind upon his cheek as he pinches himself hard, hoping to chase away any lingering effect of fitful sleep that had come upon him in the night, lest he still be caught in a dream. But here, in the quiet of the morning, without a breath of wind, and awake enough to feel the moisture seeping into his trousers from the dew building upon the grass, he hears it. The sound of a ringing bell.

[average-transdalorian]

Just saw a bad take about The Acolyte episode 3 and I want to talk about it (but am making my own post because I don’t want to start Drama on op’s post)

Spoilers for episode 3 By The Way

That’s an accurate summary, yeah

A: she wanted kids. Like many real life people do for many many reasons. Someone wanting kids. Isn’t bad writing. Or a plot hole. It’s a thing that happens

Or perhaps B: she needed to make sure that her coven was able to create a next generation to carry on their tradition; the episode does tell you to your face that there are no other children there, and haven’t been since before Mae and Osha were born. Why that is, we don’t know, but I’m going to guess it’s related to the Jedi’s Mildly Tense response to the coven training children, as well as their powers potentially being dark. Regardless, we get that having these children to raise and train is Important to the coven, and it reads to me as a sort of proof-of-concept that they could do more

You’re right that the episode doesn’t outright tell us this. Thankfully, The Acolyte doesn’t exist in a vacuum! Let’s look at the wider Star Wars universe to see why this might be, shall we?

1. Osha very strongly parallels Anakin. As a kid, Anakin was told that the Jedi were bastions of peace, justice, and goodness, and that they had the power to free the slaves; that’s why he wanted to become one. Mother Aniseya acknowledges the Jedi’s power herself, and while she seems to have a mildly disdainful view of them, she doesn’t seem to think that they’re evil. It stands to reason that she told the twins stories about the Jedi doing good, as well as stories about the Jedi doing bad. She’s okay enough with the Jedi to let Osha join them if it’s what she truly wants, so she clearly doesn’t think the Jedi are awful/evil/horrible

2. The Force. We know that the Force can guide Force-sensitives to certain paths through feelings of “rightness,” that’s like. A basic thing it does. It could’ve simply felt Right to Osha to say that she wants to be a Jedi, that’s something that makes sense in-universe

Both of these also make sense when we look at Osha’s notebook; she was drawing the Jedi’s insignia before this episode takes place, so she probably had reason to want to be a Jedi then as well

The episode does actually straight up tell us this one. Mae’s whole schtick is that she wants to live the same life as Osha. The whole “I share everything with you, why won’t you share everything with me?” Or their “One soul two bodies” thing that Mae is a lot more into than Osha. That seems to be one of the two central differences between Mae and Osha, really. Osha wants her own life, Mae wants a shared life. As for how that goes to “I’ll kill you,” well. First of all, children aren’t really known for their great emotional processing. Mae is hurt by Osha’s want to go to the Jedi (because she sees it as Osha wanting to leave her specifically), gets very angry, and says things she later regrets. As children do. On top of that, we know that the twins are both in touch with the Force at this point, and Mae has already been leaning a bit towards more selfish (dark) actions (see: her doing something that makes the butterfly thing more uncomfortable than what Osha did, then Osha complaining about how Mae “always does this” at the beginning of the episode), and it is a canonical fact that the Dark alters your thought processes, and makes extreme options seem more reasonable and makes you feel selfishness and anger (for example) more. Prepubescence + Dark side influence = extreme threat and action, it’s. Really not a difficult equation

It’s

Built

Not

Hewn. I’m sure parts of it were carved out of the mountain, but there’s plenty of (flammable) wood paneling to cause a big fire, and it makes sense for the structure to be made out of largely wood, as Brendock is a forested planet, and the coven doesn’t seem to have much contact with outsiders. Sure, there are a few sections that seem to have had excessive fire, but I’m guessing that that’s going to be part of the whole murder mystery schtick that they’ve got going on that’s going to be revealed more later

That’s correct! We don’t know how! The series is a murder mystery, and the mystery is “how did all of the coven die like that”! You’re pointing out one of the things that will be relevant later!

We do actually have an idea! The Jedi of the Prequels have suffered from nearly a millennia of decline. They are fewer in numbers, and missions are more dangerous, than they were during the High Republic, y’know, the era that the show takes place in? And those numbers do match with what we’ve seen so far of this era’s Jedi! Jecki’s first mission is when she’s 18. A master, a knight, and a padawan were sent to investigate an attempted murder in a Jedi temple. The Jedi of this era are more cautious, and have more resources, and as such, can commit more people to missions, particularly ones involving another Force-sensitive sect that isn’t committed to the Light. Also, it wasn’t three Masters; Sol seems to be a Knight at the time, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Indara was too (any Jedi not identifiably a Padawan is called Master Jedi by outsiders, that’s a consistent form of address). One Master, two Knights, and a Padawan (or two Masters one Knight and a Padawan) sent to investigate a coven really doesn’t sound like overkill to me

(Hold on I’ve hit image limit will continue in rb)

[morgulscribe]

Rings of Power Season 2, Episode 4 Thoughts

Random thoughts while watching the episode, not a review.

Spoilers below!!!

The depiction of the Gray Havens remind me a bit of Thomas Kinkade paintings.

A wide angle, dramatic shot of the elves traveling - shout out to the Eregion travel scenes from the film trilogy.

So the Axa Bridge is out… I've been in this position SO many times in LOTRO, looking down over the edge of a bridge that is broken in half, with nowhere to go and no place to cross over.

Nenya gives Galadriel visions of danger when the party considers going through the Barrow Downs. As I suspected, the writers must prefer the theory that Galadriel's magic powers come from the Ring, and not from her studying under Melian and her natural strength as the sister of Finrod Felagund. Most likely, this is the reason why Galadriel has not come across as very magical in the series so far.

The interactions between Elrond and Galadriel become amusing when you consider the fact that she is his mother-in-law in the books.

When I saw Tom Bomabdil from behind, I thought he was a woman at first, and I was already shipping him with the Stranger.

Does Tom Bombadil attract toxic trees wherever he makes his dwelling? Do the trees become toxic after being forced to listen to his singing?

I'M NOBODY --- IS THIS AN EMILY DICKINSON REFERENCE!!!!!

I like the costume/physical appearance of the Stoor matron, but I think some of the ears on the Stoors are clownishly big. Also… Nobody's hair.

I hope LOTRO puts in a hobbit village in the desert. It looks like a wonderful place to explore... and break your legs by jumping off roofs and balconies.

I'm not sure I like the concept of Tom leaving the Withywindle to go to Rhun. To me, having him explore Middle-earth and eventually settling down in the Withywindle makes more sense.

I like how Tom refers to the stars as being new.

The elves refer to the Barrow Downs as being an ancient graveyard… This would refer to the the region being used as a graveyard by the Edain in the First Age. However, the barrows would not become haunted until the Witch-king of Angmar sent evil spirits there in the middle part of the Third Age.

The Barrow wights are impervious to the elf weapons… That's because you need Westernesse damage type, not Beleriand. Now if you want to fight spiders and ancient evil, then Beleriand is what you need. (LOTRO reference)

Since Galadriel has seen the light of the Trees, I think she would technically be able to see the true forms of the wights - the spirits that are possessing the corpses. But the elves do not seem to be very magical in Rings of Power.

I am coming to the conclusion that this show likes sea creatures and things with tentacles to the same extent that LOTRO is obsessed with spiders.

Sûzat… Nice reference to the true name of the Shire.

Nice image of the two ents looking like the Two Trees.

Is Theo Lord of Pelargir???? Does that mean that his dad is nobility, and that Arondir knows who he is? I think I may have missed something.

Orcs stepping on flowers as they march… Good touch. If my memory is correct, I think Tolkien wrote a line about orcs/goblins going out of their way to stomp on flowers in either The Hobbit or LOTR.

Galadriel making a dramatic stand against the orcs would make SO much more sense if the writers had used the theory that this character is insanely powerful and magical even without Nenya. Otherwise, it seems like a very stupid action on her part.

A STAR SHINES UPON THE HOUR OF MEETING…. SCREAMING CRYING SHRIEKING LIKE A NAZGUL AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[kandisheek]

FIC REC WEEK 31 - GENDERBEND

Introduction to Ink by cagestark

Pairing: Bucky/fem!Tony Rating: E Words: 17,988 Tags: Tattoos, Sheltered Toni, Loss of Virginity

Summary: Toni has seen tattoos before. Happy, her security guard for as long as she could remember, had one on his bicep of his mother’s favorite flower, so. It’s not like Toni wasn’t aware of the things or didn’t believe in their existence. She’s just never seen someone so saturated with them. It’s a stark difference from the people she grew up knowing: stiff public figures in formal clothing who denounced youth culture and considered people with tattoos degenerates. He’s everything her father warned her about when she insisted on going to public university under a different last name. He’s so raw. He’s so, so beautiful. OR: the fic where Bucky has a lot of tattoos and Toni wants to touch them.

Reasons why I love it: Oh my god, this fic is so fucking hot. I don't know why I love the concept of a sheltered Toni so much, but the way she's written here is so good, holy shit. Plus, Bucky the tattooed bad boy is giving me everything I never knew I wanted. The sexual tension is fantastic, and the smut that follows even more so. This fic is so goddamn good, and I really hope you go and experience it for yourself!

The Idiot Box by Margo_Kim

Pairing: fem!Steve/fem!Tony Rating: T Words: 21,689 Tags: Bonding, Television Watching, Parks and Recreation

Summary: Stephanie Rogers isn't happy to be in the 21st century, but she's even less thrilled to be on a team with Antonia Stark who seems as spoiled and self-centered as people come. She and Tony do their best to ignore each other, until their mutual insomnia causes them to bond over the new American pastime: late night television watching. Eventual Steph/Tony.

Reasons why I love it: I never knew I needed Toni and Steph to bond over late night TV sessions, but I'm so glad I found this fic. The way they're written here is just lovely, and they fit together so well, it just makes my heart melt. Also, Steph going to Bruce for dating advice is one of my favorite scenes, Toni the tiger made me giggle. I love everything about this fic, and I hope you go and check it out!

Starring Role (In Your Fantasies) by Half_SubmergedinPurgatory

Pairing: Steve/Bucky/fem!Tony Rating: E Words: 18,469 Tags: Woman on Top, Sexual Tension, BDSM Overtones

Summary: Toni Stark was used to being wanted by people who thought she owed them something. People who thought they could own her, use her, take her heart home with them at the end of the night. Well, jokes on them. She’ll never be number one in their heart, but she would take a starring role in all their fantasies, even if they never got to touch her. She would ruin them for everybody that comes after her. Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers had it coming.

Reasons why I love it: Fuuuuck, this fic though. BAMF Toni Stark is one of my favorite things in the entire world. Add to that two besotted supersoldiers who would lay their lives down at her feet with the snap of a finger, and you get one of my favorite dynamics ever. This fic is unbelievably hot, emotional and fascinating in how it twists Toni's backstory to make it fit her journey of sexual liberation as a woman. I love this fic so much, and if you haven't read it yet, you absolutely have to. It's so good!