#eva plays heroes

[fore-seer]

i don’t think global devastation qualifies as a silly little prank, grima

[cadybear420]

Choices Secret Pal December 2023, edits by me

Here's my creation for the Choices Secret Pal event by @choicesfandomappreciation!

For @stars-are-within-me, I've made some edits of their couples in formalwear for a masquerade ball! Astra (BOLAS MC) and Nia, Carina (COP MC) and Trystan, and Eva and Maya (Hero MC)!

Well except uh... yeah Eva and Maya kinda got caught up saving some people earlier and were kinda rushed to get to the ball ahaha

Well as fun as it would be to start a new fashion trend... first rule of superheroes is keep your double identity secret. Let's just hope the others don't make a big deal outta it later...

Masks off!

Eva and Maya go back to crime-fighting after the ball... except it looks like they were a bit rushed trying to get there too... oh well

I really enjoyed making these! Thank you to @choicesfandomappreciation and @stars-are-within-me for giving me this opportunity! <3

[centrally-unplanned]

Wasn't sure how to search for the other 18 rants about Eva not being about his depression, mind ranting again or linking me to a past one?

Oh, I don't think I have written it with any coherence at any point (maybe I have, I have been here for a long time after all), I was being cheeky. To quickly summarize, Anno's own mental health is certainly not irrelevant or anything, I was exaggerating for comedic effect, it isn't some truly-false statement. After all, depression can mean a lot of things! A generalized sense of struggling with one's place in the world? Oh sure, Eva is about that.

But Eva wasn't intended to be about mental-health-style depression and "Having Depression" is probably not how Anno saw himself? The themes of Eva are coming a lot more from genre commentary and discourse around otaku identity, and far more universal than the depressed. And while Anno did have a pretty famous bout of capital-D Depression, it was after the making of Evangelion, a bit of a "what do I do now?" kind of deal.

A lot of this is sort of a lost-in-translation across time and culture deal. Like you see this being said all the time (Shinji's wikipedia page):

Neon Genesis Evangelion director Hideaki Anno was depressed for four years before the series began production.[4] After the failure of Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise's sequel Aoki Uru, Gainax began planning a new series. According to Gainax co-founder Yasuhiro Takeda, ideas from Aoki Uru were borrowed for the new project, including the concept of "not running away".

And here is the source quote:

They say, "To live is to change."  I started this production with the wish that once the production complete, the world, and the heroes would change.  That was my "true" desire.  I tried to include everything of myself in Neon Genesis Evangelion-myself, a broken man who could do nothing for four years.  A man who ran away for four years, one who was simply not dead.   Then one thought.  "You can't run away," came to me, and I restarted this production.  It is a production where my only thought was to burn my feelings into film.  I know my behavior was thoughtless, troublesome, and arrogant.  But I tried. 

Now, for a weak argument I will say even without any context it should be notable that he doesn't say depression - this is more like feeling like a failure. The stronger argument is that Anno runs his fucking mouth all the damn time. He says bombastic and cryptic and tortured artist shit all over. When he asks Miyazaki to take his dick out and show the world his erect penis in Princess Mononoke, does he actually want that? Is that, you know, an authentic, unfiltered expression of his true emotion? Or is he playing to the crowd? He does this shit, its great, but, you know, you gotta read the tone.

One of my favourite quotes from Hiroyuki Yamaga is when he delicately called him a faker lol for the (Post-Eva, to be clear) depression:

On Anno’s severe depression, his “crisis of the soul,” as a motive in the development of Evangelion. YAMAGA: Well, I think Anno may have appeared in the Japanese media as you suggest; he’s made comments about wanting to die, and so forth, but at least from my perspective, things were never as serious as they appeared in the press. [LAUGHS]

Anyway, the far stronger argument is that this statement is false. He did not do nothing for four years! Nadia shut down production in 1991, and in 1992 Gainax began working on Aoki Uru, a sequel to their film Royal Space Force, with Anno as the director. Then funding fell through, so Anno himself goes to King Records and hashes out a deal with producer Toshimichi Otsuki for a new anime, with a focus on artistic agency and in particular rejecting funding from toy companies (standard at the time in the long tail of the Gundam boom for something mecha-esque) as he thinks they are a creative straightjacket. They put together a funding structure, and he writes the Evangelion Proposal which is finished in 1993, two years before the show airs. In that proposal are most of the core themes of Evangelion, the same depressing tone and otaku-commentary stuff. Work begins in earnest in 1994.

I have no doubt this was a stressful and harrowing time for Anno, I am just saying A: he does not mean these comments literally, he was in fact doing a lot and quite busy at this time. And B: this comment is about creative freedom and the future of the anime industry. Anno is depressed about anime, otaku, stagnation in the field, commercialization, things like that. Nadia was a gigantic fuck-up in his mind due to studio meddling, he is responding to that - it is an external and artistic struggle that he is referring to here. And these "universalized" themes are more like what he was putting into the work. And this makes sense because in Japan at the time you wouldn't really express things about mental health in the western, "capital-D Depression" way.

But since that is how it was expressed in 90's & 2000's America, the Prozac Generation, when these comments went to press in America that got put through that lens. These interviews are summarized in our media with the word depression - it comes up far, far less in Japanese sources at the same time (not zero of course). As an example, take the famous Hiroki Azuma Evangelion essay, "Anime or Something Like It". Depression is never mentioned - instead the societal lens is the focus:

According to Anno himself, this change of attitude came about while creating and producing the work. "Evangelion" was received enthusiastically among anime fans. He said that in noticing that autistic, enthusiast reception, he thought he should changed the entire conceptual structure of the work, and in the end that's what he did. After all of the episodes were broadcast, in what looks like a self-tormenting, auto-destructive critique of anime fans that ANNO would repeat many times in radio interviews, specialty anime magazines, etc., he would clearly reiterate the personal intellectual history of MIYAZAKI and OSHII. All three of them isolated themselve from "anime-like things" owing to their hate of the autism after they achieved overwhelming success among anime fans. 

Lol for openly expressing a hatred of autism, it was 1998 don't cancel him okay. I like its emphasis on the lineage - Anno's themes are not tabula rasa, instead in conversation with others, things western sources didn't pick up on.

Anyway, I am just presenting the negative case here, certainly depression is a part of Evangelion. That reality is just often stretched into a sort of "Eva as Anno's therapy" lens that I think is not justified by what we know of the production. (Not to mention it was a joint production, not Anno's work alone, but I have gone on long enough)

[romance-club-daily]

Romance Club Books's recap! while we wait for the new update~

November/2024 | Credits to: @nvta_rc on SpoilerAreWithUs (Telegram)~

DRACULA: A STORY OF LOVE Istanbul is enveloped in darkness. The heroine and Mehmed, who has taken her, play a game: they eat lukum and answer each other's questions when they find a nut. So the girl learns that Mehmed is the same sultan from the past, he did not die and was not reborn. Then the heroes go to the mosque, where Mehmed leaves the girl, and soon after she is found by Noe. Then we are transported to the past and see how Vlad by cunning and with the help of dark forces defeated the much superior Ottoman army and almost took Mehmed's life, but at the last moment he was stopped by Radu. Then, once again in the present, the heroine realises that in the here and now Vlad could not control his anger and went in search of Mehmed…

HELL AND HIGH WATER Fortunately, the team manages to avoid mines located right on the water. Without deviating from their course, they continue their journey - they talk casually, cook and even meet an orca. But the cosy evening does not end well: right in the middle of the night the protagonist is awakened by the uneven movements of the yacht and the wind moaning outside. Hastily dressing, the girl hears Chand's warning shout, and then the power of the entire water element falls on them. The waves overtake the ship time after time, until finally the terrible thing happens - the element takes away one of the crew members, the dearest to the heart of the heroine, finally and irrevocably. The search continues into the morning, but is unsuccessful, and the coming morning brings no relief. The night storm leaves a salty and corrosive wound of irreparable loss on the heroine's soul…

SONG OF THE CRIMSON NILE Ramesses tells everything he knows about Saamon: he is a very powerful oneiromancer who can kill in his sleep, is close to Pharaoh and is probably hiding in the palace right now. In a strange coincidence, Livius's mentor has a certain Saamon working for him. It is also strange that Pharaoh is afraid of oneiromancers and keeps only necromancers in the palace. But there are no shesmu practising two directions at once. Livius writes a message to his mentor, asking about Saamon. At that moment Seth returns and says that he knows how Eva can communicate with the dead Isman - she needs to get to the Duat. To do this, she will need the help of her friends…

CHASING YOU 2 The protagonist and Sam arrive at the royal treasury from where the tiara was stolen. But no serious evidence, except for rat droppings, is found. Rachel learns that not long ago the commander of the guards got drunk in a pub with two handsome guards. In the evening, the heroine goes at Ezra's invitation to a closed men's club, where he, along with the entertainment collects information. Ezra knows about the kidnapping of the Queen's tiara and encourages the girl to chat with the poor in the slums of London. On her way there she meets the twins and in their company she finds a poor thief pretending to be a dead man, and among his stolen goods is the Queen's tiara. Sensing a catch in everything that has happened, at night the heroine goes to meet the twins, who suddenly start talking about the death of the police commissioner...

W: TIME CATCHER Praevius moves all of the Conductor's power into Nova and partially into Shen, who tried to save her. After that, they lose control of their Presence. Getting out of the Vatican is impossible even after Lucien appears. A fight ensues with the hunters, among whom is Grigorov. He shoots the heroine and at that moment she is covered by Renato. At the last second, Shen still manages to teleport everyone, including the wounded Renato, out of the Vatican. The Alliance, along with the Archivist, immediately set about rescuing Nova and Shen - the Guide's power is placed in a secure facility. The team then returns to the search for the Source. The heroes determine the next place of research - the castle of Catherine de Medici, Blois, but at this moment Vesper brings sad news - right now Renato, never recovered from his wounds, dies…

KALI: FLAME OF SAMSARA Devi has a strange vision of Clara Swinford choking on her own blood. In an attempt to learn more about herself, she turns to Ram - and the latter performs a ritual, putting Devi into a trance where the girl sees scraps of memories of her past lives and the India-British wars, where constant and horrific sacrifices on India's part were in vain. Devi is pulled away from thoughts of her homeland by current affairs - de Clare and the entire Indian delegation have the honour of being invited to a ball at Swinford Manor. After a long assembly and the first dance with her fiancé, the heroine manages to slip into the depths of the estate, socialise with the guests and learn that the Swinfords are among the largest importers of opium. Doran and Kamal are also busy ferreting out English secrets - they illegally sneak into Swinford's study. Eventually, something draws Devi to a virtually empty wing of the estate, where she meets Clara. A brief altercation, the glint of a knife in the moonlight… and Devi's vision comes true. Clara is dead. The maid, a girl from India, helps Devi hide the evidence and mentions Samsara in the conversation, and Devi hears the voice of the newly alive Clara Swinford behind her back. Alarmed, the heroine runs out into the fresh air, where she meets Saraswati. Their conversation is interrupted by eerie screams from the direction of the estate; Sarah begins to speak in a voice that is not her own, her eyes lighting up red. A frightened and uncomprehending Devi suddenly notices drops of blood on her hem and realises that a murder has indeed taken place and that Clara Swinford is dead….

GARDEN OF EDEN MC and Minhyuk are baffled by a phone call that is answered not by words, but by a piercing melody played on a violin. But MC can't devote herself to solving the mystery, as her every day is packed to the minute. After a difficult conversation with Castiel's father, who insists on stopping any relationship, even a friendly one, between his son and Jiyun, the heroine has to go to the filming of the series, record a new song with Leah and have a fun cam. Only Eden does not let anyone go so easily - right during the meeting with the fans a young man with terrible scars on his face threatens the girl on behalf of the club. But she won't be intimidated so easily and MC starts to try harder than ever to get an invitation to a mysterious restaurant that is rumoured to be connected to Eden. Castiel makes a new suggestion: maybe Eden is just a revenge on Cas for the fact that he once managed to escape from them? Then MC, as Castiel's only love, is definitely in danger. The girl demands heavy security from the agency, but right on the stage, while taking part in the show ‘Queendom’, she notices in the front row the very crazy man with creepy scars. Meanwhile, Lin, under the influence of medication and following Eden's instructions, disrupts her own band's concert. Is this really the end of RK3? Lin is led away from the stage, but that doesn't stop him from breaking into the agency and attacking MC in front of Donghyun. The former RK3 leader is led away by security, and then the same classic tune that was on the phone found in Miyeon's possession comes out of the psychologist's laptop….

SOULLESS Vincent, Threxio(a) and the protagonist fly to the ancient Starling Archive. In the abandoned village in front of the magic-sealed entrance, they meet Xanthea, who also wants to enter the archive. Vincent allows her to join them, before binding her with a blood oath. Xanthea finds a piece of crystal in the archives, combines it with two others and obtains the powerful Abyssalite artefact. But her actions are a violation of her oath, and Xanthea burns up in front of everyone, then is reborn from the ashes. It turns out she is the Primordial, a demon who creates other demons. And she also created the protagonist, but the latter is a mistake because she can feel and is able to infect other demons near her with her feelings. And Xanthea's enemy, who needs Abyssalite to fight her, is the Veil itself. Xanthea leaves, locking Vincent, Threxio(a) and the demoness in the archives. The company finds Vincent's ancestor's secret room, takes all the records from there and, using all their powers, teleports home. A few days later, we meet Elliot, who says that the heroine's last client has gone missing, and charges her…

HEAVEN'S SECRET: REQUIEM The squad makes it to the train that takes them to Oxford. The heroes finally get to the Adam base and meet Donovan. From Ian's words, the pastor in the church on the base may know something about the Order and the heroine goes to talk to him. At night in her room she wakes up from a noise in the corridor and discovers a sign of the Order on the door and the inscription ‘We know who you are’ made in blood. Based on information from the pastor, the girl learns the approximate location of an estate where a man with ties to the Order used to live. The squad heads there. On the way, the car is attacked by the infected. Trying to help Lester, the heroine finds herself in danger, but at the last moment she is saved by a mysterious demon hunter. It seems that he is the very person connected with the Order….

ASTREA'S BROKEN HEART The heroine meets the bosses, and they send her with the team to exorcise a demon, so that she can fully familiarise herself with the real work of ‘Astrea’. David conducts a rite of exorcism, but the possessed girls can not be saved. The appraiser returns to the agency, where she meets Raphael and realises that she begins to get used to him little by little. At night she continues to have nightmares, and in the morning she finds bruises on her neck and arms. Taking it for auto-aggression, the girl hurries to Malek to give her a hypnosis session and help her remember what she has forgotten. In a state of trance she remembers everything, and also, without knowing it, gives the professor information about her purpose. After that, together with Felonia, the heroine goes to the victim's sister from the club, and then meets Mikael, who confirms the fact that Raphael is an angel, and also tells that David, Felonia and Cassiel are demons, and Mikael himself is an archangel. The tired heroine goes to bed and has another nightmare….

7 BROTHERS The heroine talks to Jasper, trying to trick him into finding out where he gets his drugs to sell. He calls her to a club to introduce her to the supplier, and after the show he invites her to his new loft for a party. The address shocks the girl, as it is her and Ray's former home. When she returns to Rosewood, the heroine finds the door to her room broken down, her belongings scattered and all her underwear missing. Later it turns out that this is the work of bitchy Sophie, who later tries to make the heroine look bad at a pool party. There she finds out that Jasper is taking drugs to sell to people from Father Grant's drugstore chain. At night she goes to Ray's house, but before she gets there, she witnesses an attempt to shoot a man. Hoping to get away from the police, the heroine says that she works for the FBI, but the information is not confirmed. The whole next day the idea that the agents are not agents at all, and her brother is in danger, does not leave her head. Carter makes contact from an unknown number and reports that he is in Seattle, where he was brought by force in a truck. While contemplating how to help her brother, the girl suddenly finds herself pinned to the ground by a real jaguar…

AND THE HAZE WILL TAKE US Vereya, who appeared in a dream, shows MC the stone hidden deep in the forest and tells her to find it. In the morning, the whole village gathers at the border with the fog, because Vereya's murderer has supposedly been found - it is Milon. He is driven out of the village into the mist. The heroine turns to Volot with a request to teach her priesthood. Together with the apprentice, all the priests and the magician go to the ancient bones of the gods. Ozar tells her dream - the village is destined to burn. Returning after her apprenticeship, the girl sees her deceased sister in the window of the house, which is also clearly seen by Hanna - looking at Vereya, she utters: ‘Mo-rock (I don't remember what was the word for this on english version)’. The heroine tells the priests that she sees Vereya's spirit. Everyone goes to the forest to perform a ritual to exorcise the spirit, but instead something from the mist briefly takes possession of the heroine's consciousness. During the night, a thunderstorm begins, and a dead man's hand appears from a boarded-up hut in the cemetery…

THE THUNDERSTORMS SAGA After a fight with a dragon rider, an elven woman kills him and then discovers his magical bracelet on her arm. After a cold night in the gorge, she is found and rescued by Sha'arnez, who brings her to the palace of Emperor Ro'od. The girl barely has time to recover and clean herself up before she is thrown into the dungeon. The brother of the deceased comes to see her, and the elf comes to realise that this is his revenge. Having gone through beatings and humiliation, the young noblewoman still appears before the ruler of the Ro'od Empire - Foelh ea Eini Lono Ved Vain Firkain, who sentences her to death. The girl is saved from execution by Prince Tai, asking her father for her. In the evening, after inviting the heroine to his chambers, the prince explains his act by saying that he wants to use the girl to make peace between the Ro'od Empire and the Eshai after all, making the Eshai a dragon rider. As she contemplates her conversation with the prince, the noblewoman wants to go for a walk, but instead the guards take her back to the dungeon, where in her former cell lies the disfigured corpse of the guard who tortured her….

SHAKESPEARE'S CODE A few years ago, magic awakened in a girl who was sent to be executed. At the moment of her ejection, an ancient creature also awoke, which became for the heroine not only a Master and mentor of magic, but also a curse. Now the witch receives a task to get into a closed hospital for the nobility - St. Bartholomew's Hospital. There serves a descendant of a Protestant priest who years ago shared M's memories and imprisoned her in artefacts. At the same moment, the girl is hired for service by Lord Dudley, directly related to the Queen, asking for help in investigating the murders of young boys near the asylum. However, arriving at the place, the heroine is attacked by a dark phantom at night, and the morning becomes a witness to another murder…

[blazinghotfoggynights]

Fandom is wild! I love it.

Also, I'm just thinking and those thoughts are wandering out of my fingertips. This is just me wondering "aloud".

Tommy Kinard shows up for 30 seconds, after comments about Buck going on a self-discovery journey, and BOOM we have a new relationship and portmanteau in less then 60 seconds.

After last season, I have zero expectations for this season. I can honestly say last season was the most disappointing of the show for me. That ending was awful.

But back to the speculation and messiness. Okay, let's assume for a minute that Buck and Tommy start messing around. I hate to break it to the general public but it isn't as uncommon as you may think for people in their 30s, 40s, and even older to realize they may not be the sexuality they thought they were or to say, "I don't give a damn", and start exploring different avenues.

Personally, I think Buck has been bi-coded all along. But, that's just my opinion. I think he just hasn't dated any man since he began working at the 118.

As for Eddie, I think when they were on Fox, that character was written to appeal to the...ahem...Fox demographic. He's a macho, muscular, handsome alpha male type: good old southern boy, religious, war hero, badass, survivor who loves his family and country. No way was that character EVER going to be anything remotely other than completely heterosexual.

I also believe that as long as the show was on Fox, no white male lead would be anything other than straight. (Look at the history of the major or recurring gay characters on the show. Hen, Karen, Michael, David, the first guy Michael was dating, Eva, and Josh. Note the ratios and how almost stereotypical Eva and Josh are written.)

With a move to ABC, I think there is a chance for a more...diverse spectrum within the LGBTQ characters; however, I am not sure ABC is willing to write both the male leads, I know Bobby and Chim are strongly written characters, but let's be real, Buck and Eddie are arguably the most popular characters, as possibly bi or gay and put them together. Why are they, and not Bobby or Chim, the most popular, especially with that coveted demographic of women 18-49? When you answer that you have the reason both networks might be hesitant to put two men who live in each other's pockets and co-parent a child together.

In business and marketing, how race and sexuality are approached is still quite influenced by the vocal majority and how they think it works. It isn't right. It silences the voices of those who aren't TPTB. The people who are members of those groups aren't listened to, but that is how it is.

My heart will always beat for Buddie endgame. (And write Buddie fanfic when I have time.) But I have seen how media, marketing, and corporations operate and they will always feed the people holding the wallets keeping them afloat. That is why there is a part of me that believes Buddie is probably only going to exist in fanfic.

Buck, and Buck alone, may be given a bi arc while Eddie is written as 100% heterosexual and permanently paired with a woman, while being supportive of Buck and his partner.

By keeping one canonically straight and making the other canonically bi they can straddle the fence. They can play up the chemistry between Buck and Eddie, teasing a what might or could be situation, while keeping them apart.

I could also be totally wrong. Maybe when Eddie realizes Buck likes men, he decides to add more rainbow to his preferences, give in to the very dirty, and locked down like a bank vault, fleeting thoughts he's had about his best friend over the years, corner Buck alone, tell him drop Tommy or whatever man is d-ing him down, and do the d-ing down himself.

Hey, ABC! You are welcome to use the last paragraph for inspiration!

[worstgirleva]

LULLABY OF THE LAST DAYS is a premade scenario where you play as fantasy heroes working to stop the end of the world. This setting and more are part of Burniung Hearts Forever, currently on sale for 65% off at

[cocogum]

My take on the Yumalia couple if these two officially got together.

(and why it thoroughly differs from Tristeva)

Yugo and Amalia strike me as that one couple who would never marry and never stay in one place since they would explore the world together while being aware that they are both perceived by people to have an ambiguous relationship. I pretty much believe they’d be a peripatetic couple.

Because let’s be honest here, Yugo is NOT an ideal suitor for a princess. (and neither is Amalia for any royal but this speaks more for Yugo than for her)

He’s a protector first and a hero at heart. He’s also an adventurer and loves to move around different places so why should he stay put and act like he can perfectly have (and want) a normal life?

During his adventures, he would most likely give Adamaï or Nora the responsibility of supervising the Eliatrope kingdom while he’s not here. Amalia, on the other hand, won’t even have to rule her kingdom because Armand has already gotten the position (and proper diplomatic) skills for it.

And no, unlike Eva and Dally, Amalia and Yugo won’t be having kids (even if i have a specific au for that. i’m sryyy! even though i’ve been thinking about it, I still can’t picture them having a kid in canon 😭) but Amalia will play somewhat of a role as a (guardian/mother?) figure if Yugo decides to wake up his other siblings (like Mina, Phaerys, Glip, Balthazar) or if she gets to babysit Chibi and Grougal for a temporary amount of time (shit will get wild if she gets to do that. unlike Alibert, she’s gonna lose it 💀).

So in other words, Yugo and Amalia’s relationship is a lot more different than Dally and Eva’s for the reasons below :

Dally and Eva: Made a family, stay in one place, take care of their family, would rather live a normal life rather than go on too many adventures, have some fluffy moments, train and teach their children, family game nights, always got guests around like Goultard and Poo, etc.

Yugo and Amalia: Have NOT made a family, do not stay in one place for very long, go on many adventures, risk their lives, save people daily, sleep in inns or forests, babysit Chibi and the other primordial eliatropes who hatched from their dofus, takes care of each other during their adventures, cuddle sessions, etc.

To be honest, I love the idea that the two couples are opposites from one another cuz it canonically works! 🥰💕💕

[smallgodseries]

[Image description: A portrait in blood red. The figure of a woman rises over a silhouetted cityscape - a white dress, a smoking gun and bright red lipstick. Her pupils bright red under a wide-brimmed hat. Red flames rise from the black city and her brief reflection lights the docks and barges in the river below. Text reads “252 • EVA • small god of FEMMES FATALE.”]

• • • • •

She walked into my theology like a queen walks into a throne room, or like a knife slides into a wound; making her own space even as she was stepping into it, absolutely certain that the world would yield before her, and she swung that certainty like a sword, guaranteeing her own ascension.  She leaned up against my desk, all red lips and dangerous curves and legs that went all the way up to the promised land, and she whispered, “You’ll be fair, won’t you?”

I think I promised that I’d do my best, and I think she laughed that husky, whiskey river laugh of hers, and said, “That’ll do, doll, that’ll do.”

And then she was gone, and I was here, anchorite in her scriptorium, trying to write out the lives and lessons of all the small gods without getting myself condemned by any one of them, and Eva’s kiss was burning on my brow, and I had a tale to tell.

Sometimes a girl gets tired of nocturnal visits from unspeakable powers.

She’s not just a god of women, although most of her followers are female: she’s the god of a space inside the story, a specific role to be fulfilled.  Her people are mysterious, beautiful, seductive, alluring; they lay traps, planting poisoned seeds throughout the soil of their narratives.  They enchant and enthrall with a look, a kiss, the scent of their perfume.  And all too often, their redemption comes in the form of dying to save the hero, the poor sap who followed them into danger to begin with.

Eva comes for the femmes fatale who choose that role, who select their lipsticks with their heads high and their hearts proud, and she comes for the ones who don’t, the ones who blossom beautifully but without understanding it, the ones who would rather be overlooked and left alone.  She understands that beauty can be just as painful to carry as ugliness, when heaped in too much towering profusion, and she weeps for them, the ones who’ll never know a moment’s peace, the ones who will always be called upon to play the role of instigator in someone else’s story.

Eva loves the ones who call on her, and she smiles with her metaphors painted plainly on her face, and she tries to keep them safe.

She almost never succeeds, but oh, how she tries.

[valyrra]

HL OC // Slytherin OC sheet

Name: Vanessa Nott

Name meaning: “butterfly�� (British origin)

Birthday: 31 of October

MBTI: INTJ

Ethnicity: British

Zodiac Sign: Scorpio (Pisces Moon)

Tarot card: Death

Pronouns: She/Her

Blood status: Pure-blood

House: Slytherin

Sexual Orientation: Lesbian

Height: 6ft (~183cm)

Eye Color: Green

Hair: Black, lower back length. Usually she styles it in a low ponytail or something more fancy.

Personality: Strategic, hard-working, good at listening, rebellious. Vanessa is an introvert with a tendency to control everything around her, not good with talking to big masses. She's protective, assertive and seems quite emotionless. Has tendency to get competitive. When you get to know her better you see a girl, who just tries to stand up for herself, be independent, though it is hard for her due to her brother's (William) commanding nature.

Face Claim: no f/c yet , struggling with it for some reason

Voice Claim: Kimberly Brooks, best known as Ashley Williams from Mass Effect, or Shinobu Jacobs from No More Heroes.

Prominent Features: freckles, pale skin, tall height, slender figure. Wears big round spectacles. Sorry she's kinda basic :)

Talents: Can play piano, good at potion-making, likes to draw and paint.

Weakness: Can get pessimistic, tends to see the world in dark colors; judgmental; seems insensitive and blunt.

Fears: Tokophobia, toxiphobia

Wand: Wood of oak, core of Manticore, hammered handle, notched Shaft, 13½ inches in length

Patronus: Big redback spider

Animagus: Can't transform

Favorite Classes: Potions, DADA, Herbology, Astronomy, Charms

Favorite Magical Creature(s): Acromantuli, hippogriffs, kneazles, toads :)

Clothing Style: Dark academia, gothic

Friends: Ominis Gaunt, Imelda Reyes, Anne Sallow, Sebastian Sallow

OC friends: Lydia Parkinson, Ren Aries, Hellendil Melinae, Akande Ogundimu, Eva Makaroff

Rivals: William Nott (OC),Tom Riddle (lol)

Love Interest(s): Natsai Onai, Lydia Parkinson

Family: Comes from pure-blood family Nott. She has a brother (William Nott(OC)), who happen to be a perfect Slytherin, good boy in the eyes of their parents. Vanessa always seemed like a white raven of the whole family. She has difficult relationship with her relatives because practically all of them wanted her to proceed Nott bloodline and she wasn't having it.

Playlist: [link] (WIP)

special thanks to @esolean for perfect moodboards, @shanaraharlyah and @scentedcandleibex for inspiring the OC questionaire!

[fore-seer]

SHE’S SOOOO SILLY I LOVE HER SO MUCH

[sullustangin]

Inspired by that Edna Mode post you reblogged, I'm curious in the early days of Eva's creation of her Voidhound persona did the standard Voidhound costume have to go through any adjustments because some part of the costume was impractical or unsafe? And were there any suggestions on things to add to the costume "because that's what the pirates in holofilms wore" that were shot down without even trying them out it was clear it was a bad idea?

Oh, golly! You've tapped the lore vein. I'm so sorry in advance. I also apologize for being SLOW on this because I had to remember/write down some of the headcanon explanations (because I sometimes forget that the Voidy costume isn't canon.....).

~~

I wrote about the appearance and the influences here in our universe, basically making the Voidhound costume an ode to the Shadow and other pulp mystery-solving heroes. There isn't a perfect Voidhound armor in game right now, but Columni Restored Smuggler/Targeter (pub side) is the current one in use for cut scenes. As for how Eva remembers it:

~~

The process of creating the costume was actually pretty fun. It came hand-in-hand with winning Nok Drayen's treasure.

Eva was a just-turned-20 moron, but she was streetwise enough to understand that everyone was going to want to be with her...or bump her off. She was already smart enough not to sign anything as 'Eva Corolastor.' EC sufficed at the gaming tables. But how did she keep her head now that she'd inherited the rep of best smuggler in the galaxy? Risha, as ever, was three steps ahead of her. "You can't walk around looking like that and demand a higher paycheck." She tossed Eva a fashion magazine. "You need an upgrade in general, but look at the expensive stuff first."

The costume came about as a collaboration between Eva and Risha. There was a spandex version, with a mask. "Not enough armor, not enough deflection capacity." "No matter how shiny it is." There was a Mando version, because it had a helmet, but that was veto'ed by Corso. "Letting people know you're a girl will make men like me think twice."

"Assume the lowest common denominator of the galaxy is Corso."

"Hey now!"

"You said it. Sorta."

Bowdaar stuck his head into the hallway from the galley.. "If I see a bounty hunter approaching me, I rip off arms first, ask questions later."

Eva pointed in his direction. "That's a better argument."

The form of the costume finally arrived while Eva and Risha were watching an old holofilm. The plot twist was surprise/secret twins, a comedy of errors for one hundred minutes.

"Wanna be my twin sister?" Eva asked Risha. "The costume. That bossy bad bitch thing we're making."

"...that would lend us some flexibility as to who actually does the negotiating. If one gets caught, the other shows up in the costume, reasonable doubt -- gotta let us go." Risha sucked the melty ice cream off her spoon as she rolled the idea around in her head. "She's going to have to make a hell of an impression if the same audience sees her twice, played by two people."

"Acting lessons for each other might help." Eva gestured at the holo screen. "Not like plotline acting, but compromising with each other and how we normally act to create that character that gets the big paycheck."

"The costume is also going to have to cover a lot of recognizable features, least of all what a pale freak you are," Risha quipped, holding out her arm next to Eva's.

"You might plan on peeling yourself back to 20 when you're 90, but I assume I'll live and die in the same skin. Plus I'm still on iodine for the cosmic radiation." Eva got to her feet. "Stand up."

Immediately: "Lifts," they said in unison; Eva was short.

"Padding."

"Binding or compressing."

"Can we leave that to the costume to make the illusion? We need to move in this thing."

"And let's not forget looking good."

~~

The button-down shirt. The vests. The neck scarf, to add a pop of color. The black blastweave greatcoat and trousers. The boots.

They had a fight over the rebreather mask (Eva no, Risha yes), but that was settled when Bowdaar pointedly hooked a claw into the mask and ripped it off -- and took half of Risha's foundation with it; the humidity in there had steamed the makeup off. No masks. Thick cake of makeup instead, in a foundation shade halfway between them, with complimenting colors for both.

There was another fight about the hat. "I hate hats," Eva said, eyeballing the atrocity Risha had on her head. "One more thing to get ripped up or ripped off. Helmet, if anything."

"I couldn't think of a more inelegant piece of gear," Risha sneered. "The hat can cast a shadow, obscuring the face in holos and in person without any risk to the makeup. It can be made of blastweave. Also." Risha drew out a long, thin hatpin. "You'll have at least five to ten of these in your hair at any time. Think of them as additional weapons."

To make her point. she stabbed Corso's sandwich on the table.

"Now, now, ain't nothing a that a toothpick couldn't handle," he drawled as he plucked it back out of his food. Corso had gotten used to the constant argument over Miss Dark and Broody and Paid Better.

~~

Then Akaavi Spar, Mandalorian of Clan Spar, came on staff and things really got fun.

She was surprisingly impressed by the costume. "Thought you'd hate it for the duplicitous nature," Eva barbed as she spun around in the greatcoat, as Risha finished removing her hat.

"I think it is a tool of cowards, but your people have a preference for live dogs as opposed to dead lions. For its function, it serves purpose," Akaavi stated, leaning back against the bulkhead in the lounge. "It also presents some interesting tactics, if you don't manage to kill yourself first."

"I like the sound of that," said Eva, as Risha said, at the same time, "That's her job. I'm just supposed to look the part."

First: after a mishap with a jetpack and, on a separate occasion, rocket boots, Akaavi applied a vigorous coating of flame retardant to all of the costumes.

Then came the delicate, almost gossamer-thin comm line that Akaavi threaded through each and every hat with such skill. No earpieces needed; Eva could be fed lines by Risha and vice versa. "Don't act surprised. Mandalorians are self-sufficient," Akaavi calmly said when Eva caught her one morning, early, sitting in the lounge and doing the dainty work.

That made the knitting thing much less of a shock later.

Customized smoke pellets and flash-bang grenades. Selectively activated hidden pockets. The final version of Eva's holdout knife set-up. The hand-held zipline launcher. Those were all Akaavi's contributions as well.

~~

Then came Corellia.

"The press is calling you the Voidhound," Akaavi reported as she flipped through pages on the Holonet.

"What a stupid, unoriginal name," huffed Risha. She eventually found the hat annoying, while Eva found that it grew on her.

"Hound caught the wolf. And the press gave it to me, so that's one thing I don't have to give to them. Anything we called this thing would be a tell on ourselves," Eva rationalized as she lined up a bunch of shots on the bar. "We were going to have to name this suit sooner or later."

"It's taken on a life of its own," agreed Akaavi. "It is not you. Yet it is."

"I'd like to keep it as a business partner only."

~~~

As a sort of postscript, the deployable hanglider got one test flight on Ziost before Eva disappeared.

[sarahsmi13s]

|| A Ledger Wiped Clean ||

Henrietta Wilson

but we must always remember, it's not the trauma that defines us - it's how we choose to react to it, how we choose to move on

henrietta wilson wasn't always playing for the heroes. before her recruitment she was spy, infiltrating pharmaceutical companies and rubbing elbows with drug lords for the red room. that was until she met eva, a low level addict that was no threat her or her mission. but something just clicked between them, their meet ups slowly becoming more and more about them and less about hen's mission... and that's where hen found herself wanting out. wanting to leave this entire spy business behind her. do something good with her life - clean up the blood that followed her everywhere she went. and that's how she met howard han. some goofy guy in the firehouse she found herself in after making it through the academy. he was the only one that met her with some level of understanding, an understanding and friendship that grew past being the minorities in the department. not long after making it to the department, her and eva found themselves going down separate paths. hen working her way to making a better life for herself... eva getting deeper into her addiction. hen didn't know how to help. didn't know how to get eva out of a hole that she, herself, was in not so long ago. eva broke it off eventually, not wanting to be a burden on hen and bring her down when she was making it up the ladder - and then found herself in jail. and maybe that was for the best, the final connection to her old life was out of the way - allowing her to push it away and forget about it. it was easy. she had flown under the radar for about two years. that was until howard, who had gained the moniker "chimney" after an incident that shall not be mentioned, brought one director athena grant to talk with hen. she offered her a true chance to wiped her ledger clean - bleach the bloodstained paper back to white. and hen didn't hesitate.

meet the rest of the team at the compound!

[centrally-unplanned]

Never blogged much about the actual Eva manga, but I wrote down some thoughts while reading, so uh lets do that!

In episode 2 of Evangelion, Shinji kicks off the episode by getting his ass absolutely handed to him by the Angel Sachiel. Just a full on beat down, he is getting figuratively crucified (the literal crucifixion comes later) in this battle. He is about to die, Misato calls out to him...

...and then match cut transition to Shinji in a hospital bed, complete tranquility:

Throughout the rest of the episode, Misato acclimates Shinji to NERV and generally congratulates him for being a hero, who saved them all with his victory. She does this whole little bit taking him to an observation deck to show him the city, the city he 'protected':

And this whole time you as the audience are meant to be shaking the (CRTV) screen going "girl he protected jack shit, he was about to die!". These scenes are disconcerting, not simply congratulatory, because of the directorial choice to hold back what actually happened in the fight till the end of the episode; that Shinij was possessed by the Eva, transformed into a monster just as terrible as the Angel, and devoured it. He looked like this piloting Unit-01:

In the manga, at least - which is how the first arc of the manga ends. The manga does none of this inverted storytelling, instead telling it all straight, while otherwise not really changing many of the details. The Rebuild films did this too by the way - just got rid of the time swap ordering, told it chronologically.

This really bothers me! Because the edit choice is load-bearing; Misato, in episode 2 of the TV show, is lying to Shinji - she is trying to bolster his ego for a cause she herself is just starting to have some real questions about, doubts she is unwilling to tell Shinji because she needs him to pilot. Its even subtly hinted at in her actual (internal) dialogue:

But she never has any explicit moment where she says this; instead, Kuleshov-style, the edit itself tells you. All of her dialogue is infused with mystery, and then with the reveal the entirety of the episode is recontextualized in your mind. You now question Misato's withholding of the truth, because the truth is at the end of the episode; the edit told you it matters. But since this doesn't happen in the manga, when Misato says stuff like this:

Which is the actual last sequence of Volume I, its telling you this matters; this is the culminating moment and so it is imbued with truth. Which makes Misato less complicated, and the sequence less interesting.

This is a general trend in the manga overall - scene-for-scene it has many good moments, but its wider concept of how to structure and communicate the story is extremely workhorse (like most manga are). Which is sad because a huge chunk of Eva's strength is not just the conceptual themes or philosophical dialogue or w/e, but the more aggressive, auteur approach to the presentation of that material. And that isn't just trippy visuals; it goes right down to the directing. The same dialogue put on two characters sitting in a room just doesn't work. (Hell, someone tried that once and I happened to write about it!) So its always a little sad to me that adaptations don't carry that forward; I was frustrated by the Rebuild's refusal to play with that aspect much, and at this point resigned to the manga's unwillingness. I get it, the manga is intentionally more chipper, aimed at a younger audience; its tonally coherent. Just sad for me.

The manga has a lot of good parts, don't read this the wrong way; its more about how pieces of Evangelion that maybe don't stand out as much as the loud stuff often get lost in the shuffle.

[armed-saphire]

Descriptions from the MGS3 voice casting sheet: (there are a few grammatical/spelling errors, I'm assuming because it's translated from Japanese.) (also lots of spoilers ahead)

Snake-

Male, 30s, Standard English. His real name is Jack. Naked Snake is the code name he uses in the VR Missions and during Snake Eater operations. He will later be given the name, Big Boss, and is the Big Boss of the future. 6'5" high, and his physical constitution are thick like 'Schwarzenegger'. He has more of an "all mighty", tough fighting style. He is a persistent, highly independant hero. FOX (Force Operations X), the special forces team that Snake serves with in MGS3, will eventually become the unique special forces team, "FOX-HOUND", formed at the end of the 20th century for solo infiltration and destruction.

The Boss-

Female, 40s, slightly British accent. A British American female. Real name is unknown. The code name she uses in the U.S. is The Boss. She serves in FOX's VR Missions. She gives support via radio transmission during the VR Missions. Her age is unknown but she is a gorgeous female soldier somewhere in her 40s and single. She is mother of Ocelot. She had experienced the world war. She was involved with the British SAS, the American Green Beret and SEALs, and sits high on the list of each country's special-forces legendary soldiers lists. She is currently proposing the establishment of a new special force unit. She is Snake's mentor, and the only woman that Snake loves.

EVA-

Female, late 20s, standard English. Eva is a spy and Snake's supporting mole. Infiltrating the KGB, she acts as Sokolov's lover under the name Tatyana (nick name, Tanya). She is also romantically involved with Snake, but he doesn't know about her double identity (Tatyana and Eva). Eva is using Khrushchev in support of Snake. She is an ex-NSA code analyst, an American sexy blonde type super glamour chick. As Sokolov's helper (and lover), she infiltrates the GRU, where she also becomes the Major's lover. Actually, during MGS3, while working as a spy for China she falls for Snake while working together. She is a very wicked, fox-like woman, but likeable.

Major Zero-

Male, 50's, British accent. Real name is David Oh. In "FOX" he's known as Major Zero. He will be referred to as Major Tom in the VR Missions, but his code name, Major Zero, will be used during the main story. He offers intelligence support to Snake via radio transmission during missions. He belongs to the CIA bureau of classified planning, and is the commanding officer of "FOX". Major Tom is British, an English gentleman. He is in his 50's and single. Aiming to create a task force of absolute secrecy to collect intelligence during the Cold War period, he organized "FOX". Major Tom has a British accent.

Thunderbolt-

Male, 50s, standard English. He is the colonel/major of the GRU. His code name is Thunderbolt, real name Ephgeny Borisovich Volgen. He plays MGS3's villain role. He is a giant at over 6'7" tall. He is kind of a torture freak. Inheriting a fortune from the Assembly (his dead father's money laundering business was handed over), he builds an enormous base in Glasnigrad. Bringing in The Boss's group and the Brezhnev military faction, he seeks ultimate political power. A man of broad tastes, he keeps two lovers, one of them Lieutenant Raikov, the other Eve. He is the strategic operations commander of the enemy. He is an ex-boxing champion.

Ocelot-

Male, high teens, standard English. He is Snake's old enemy and biggest rival. He has an incredibly handsome appearance, and is, in a word, cool. He is a pure, likeable young man. As a teenager under Major Volgen, he commanded the elite force. Ocelot, son of a legendary hero and was raised to be an elite. First encounters Snake in the VR Missions, he was put to shame in front of his subordinates. He hopes and hunts for a chance to someday get even with Snake. Even after that, Snake always seemed to be one step ahead of him. In awe of always being outdone, Ocelot comes to respect and hold deep affection for Snake.

Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov-

Male, 20s, standard English. Ivan is a young GRU Lieutenant. An elite in the power hierarchy, he is next in line behind the Major, and also the Major's lover. In his 20s.

Paramedic-

Female, mid-20s, standard English, raised in Eastern part of US. A Caucasian female who handles Snake's medical care via radio transmission. She is in her mid-20s, divorced. She is a "FOX" support member. She has a full, round look to her, and a motherly feel.

Mr Sigint-

Male, mid-20s, African American accent. He is a Will Smith type, a 21st century young African American male. He is crazy about computers. A supporting member of "FOX", he appears in the main story of MGS3. Mr Sigint keeps tabs on Snake via radio transmission. He explains about historical or visionary weapons and gives advice on how to deal with certain enemies. As a member of the NSA, he is familiar with the most cutting edge electronic reconnaissance technology.

Director Sokolov-

Male, 50s, standard English. He is a Russian scientist and his full name is Nicholas Stepanovich Sokolov. He is the man Snake must recover and escort back. He runs the planning and design department with Khrushchev (KGB) funds. Possessing a tall, emaciated body, he appears to be nervous but diligent. He is the inventor of Shaghad. In fear of his own creation, he hopes to leave Russia. Climbing the Berlin wall to the west side, he finds protection, but in Cuba Missile Crisis related dealings, is brought back to Russia. In the main story he is killed by the Major, Volgen, after making contact with Snake.

Director Glanin-

Male, 60s, standard English. He is another Russian scientist. His full name is Alexander Leonovich Glanin. He is short and fat, with a sly look and way of talking. A member of the Kosygin faction, he works in the Glasnigrad Planning and Design Bureau as a scholar, funded by the GRU. He is the inventor of a two-legged walking machine (the eventual REX). He is crazy about vodka. Troubled with the development of incorporating nuclear powered energy into his two-legged walking machine, he consults his American friend (the father of Otacon). After leaking information to Snake, he is tortured to death by Major Volgen.

The Pain-

Male, 50s, standard English. A surviving member of Cobra. He has the ability to manipulate and command large numbers of bees. He is a giant at over 6'7" tall. He keeps the queen bee in his backpack, using her buzzing sound to guide the other bees. His body is also covered with bees. When they fly, a beehive is left behind, formed in his hand. The beehive can then be thrown like a grenade, exploding into a swarm of bees. The Pain keeps a highly toxic, "bullet bee" inside his body. When he removes his skullcap, the bullet bee is released from his mouth. This bullet bee, much like a real bullet, is fired at high speeds.

The Fear-

Male, 50s, standard English. He is a surviving member of Cobra. His real name is unknown. His arms and legs are considerably longer than a normal person's, and he climbs trees much the same way that a spider would (he can pop his limbs out of joint and bend them backwards). Using rope he can rapidly travel through the forest and between trees. He is indeed a spider man. He has a long, insect-like tongue (forked through surgery) and can grab things with it.

The Fury-

Male, 50s, standard English. He is a surviving member of Cobra. His real name is unknown. He wears a black Soviet-made space suit, which serves as a replacement for actual fire prevention gear. He is very skilled with a flamethrower. Like The Boss, he has experience going into space as an astronaut, but suffered full body burns when traveling through the atmosphere. He can no longer feel pain, and does not talk much at all. He lives to create angry, wicked fire. Removing his helmet reveals a burn-distorted face.

The Sorrow-

Male, 50s, standard English. He is an ex-member of Cobra, already dead. He was romantically involved with The Boss, and the father of Ocelot. In battle together with The Boss, he lost his own life to save hers, and his corpse still rests below a suspension bridge in Cherno Yarsuki. He becomes an ally of Snake. Since he is a ghost, he does not speak outside of the boss battle. He gives off a sense of intelligence and the feeling of a philosopher. His personality is dry and serious. He is unarmed and very weak when it comes to combat. He can use his spiritual mental power to communicate, and has the ability to summon the dead.

The End-

Male, 100 yrs old, standard English. A surviving member of Cobra with a code name (The End) that implies the meaning "demise". His real name is unknown. He is the oldest member of Cobra and taught The Boss everything about sniping. This legendary sniper was born in the 1860's, he will soon be more than 100 years old. He is the founder of all modern day sniping techniques, from stalking and ambushing, to general know-how. With lichen living parasitically in his body, he is a living miracle. Through the photosynthetic properties of the moss living in his body, he can survive without eating or drinking anything.

There are some additional ones that I felt didn't need to be included in this post but if you want to read them all of the descriptions are here.

[moistvonlipwig]

OUAT Week Day 6: Favorite plot twist

Snow White is a good person.

She has to be. That's the very last thing her mother asked of her -- to "hold the spirit of goodness" alive in her heart, so that Eva would never truly leave her.

Snow White is a good person, and that is why she let her mother die rather than take someone else's life. Snow White is a good person, and that is why she gave her child up, not once but twice, for the sake of her kingdom. Snow White is a good person, and that is why it is okay that she went to unimaginable lengths to ensure that her daughter would be too. It is vital to Snow White's psychological well-being, her very sense of self, that she is a good person.

But what if she's not?

That is the question both Snow and the audience are forced to grapple with after she tricks Regina into killing Cora in 2.16 "The Miller's Daughter." This moment is the fulcrum around which Snow's arc pivots, the point of no return after which her character will be irrevocably changed. Killing Cora in and of itself might not have been such a big deal, but playing on Regina's desire for a mother that loves her in order to manipulate her into unknowingly delivering the killing blow is a profound cruelty, one that Snow almost instantly regrets. Yet she cannot take it back. At the end of "The Miller's Daughter", Cora lies dead by her daughter's hand, and it is all Snow's doing.

This rocks Snow to her very core. By using the same candle to kill Cora that she had refused to use to save her mother, she has betrayed her mother's final request, and she is forced to truly confront the idea that she might not be good after all. She has briefly considered the idea before, but she has always been able to suppress the thought. No longer. Regina shows her her heart, and there is rot at its core, and it is spreading.

And yet -- despite the pain Snow's murder of Cora inflicts on Regina and Snow both -- it ultimately changes Snow for the better. In the immediate aftermath of Cora's death, Snow fears that her actions will be the beginning of her descent into villainy. But as Snow eventually comes to realize, she began that descent long ago, when she stole Maleficent's infant child. Snow's murder of Cora does not doom her to villainy -- rather, it gives her the chance to begin to claw her way out of it. To truly become a good person, Snow must first reject her obsession with being a good person, which up until now has defined her entire life. Thus, the psychological reckoning she endures after Cora's death at her hands is necessary in order for her to overcome that obsession and acknowledge her actions for what they truly are.

Without being forced to confront the possibility that she is not the person she thought she was, Snow never would have learned to truly empathize with Regina, and thus never would have healed that relationship as fully as she did; she never would have reached a place where she could look back at her parents' actions and acknowledge their flaws; she never would have been able to admit her wrongdoing against Maleficent and make amends for it. The good Snow does in the later seasons of the show would never have been possible without the evil she does in "The Miller's Daughter." Like so many other characters on the show -- Regina, Rumple, Hook, Zelena, et cetera, et cetera -- the hero Snow becomes is not despite her past villainy, but because of it; her past actions, and the lessons she has learned from them, inform her future choices for the better.

The brutal twist of Snow being the one to kill Cora is not just a turning point for Snow's arc, but also for the show as a whole. Prior to "The Miller's Daughter", OUAT did not spend much time interrogating the actions of its designated hero characters or questioning their status as heroes. The closest the show came to doing so was in episodes like 1.11 "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree" or 1.21 "An Apple Red as Blood" when the narrative pushed back against some of Emma's attempts to take Henry from Regina. "The Miller's Daughter" changes all that. It is a declaration of intent, a metaphorical throwing of the gauntlet. If Snow White can become a murderer, anyone can become anything. Regina can become a hero; Emma can become a villain; even Cora herself can (posthumously) learn and grow as a person. Snow killing Cora opens up the door to nigh-unlimited storytelling possibilities, and in the process changes the very fabric of Once Upon a Time forever. Nothing, we the audience realize as Cora draws her last breath, will ever be the same.

[dutifullynuttywitch]

WIP Wednesdays

Thanks for tagging me my lovely friends @ladylamrian @jerzwriter!

Here are two WIPs

Near Miss

Wake the Dead - Troy Hassan x Eva Archer (non canon )

“Hey, Archer! Been wondering when I’d see your pretty face around here.”

Troy’s bright smile quickly turns into a concerned frown. “Wait, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Brynn, she… they’ve gone missing.”

He steps out from behind the counter and wraps her into a tight hug. Eva melts into his warm embrace, letting his familiar scent surround and comfort her.

Troy’s heart breaks for her. He’s used to seeing her so strong, fearless. But right now, she feels small and fragile in his arms. He tightens his hold on her, burying his face in her hair. He smells a hint of lavender from the contraband soaps he’d gifted her.

That scent had been driving him crazy for months.

He’s been captivated by Eva for years now, really, if he’s honest with himself. Troy is not exactly sure when their friendship had blossomed into something more for him. It had been gradual.

He first noticed those lovely dimples whenever she smiled. The way her blue eyes sparkled with mischief when she thought of a new prank to drive her sister up the walls.

He started getting unpleasant pangs of jealousy whenever Eva dated other men.

But it was that first evening he took her stargazing months ago, alone out on that windy balcony, Eva wrapped snuggly in his arms, he’d come to the realization he’d truly fallen for his best friend.

****

Untitled - yet!!

Blades of Light and Shadow - Mal Volari (with a hint of Mal x Autumn later on)

Silence.

Mal had always avoided it. Those uncomfortable lulls in conversations. Silence wrapped around him, a suffocating shroud full of dark memories and secrets.

Silence led to moments of vulnerability. Those quiet moments became populated with thoughts of fear, anger, self-doubt. And Mal couldn’t let himself be vulnerable.

It had started when he was just a boy.

The cobbled streets of Whitetower’s Nooks and Crannies were a tapestry of grime and secrets. Young Mal knew every crack, every hidden alcove where the shadows whispered their ancient tales. He was born into this labyrinth of poverty.

His earliest memories were of ducking in and out of stalls and entryways, playing games with a ragtag bunch of kids from the tenements. Splashing around in water puddles, sneaking sweets from market stalls.

Life was far from easy in the slums of Whitetower, but his mother Maria did her best to protect him and his little sister Wren from the cruelty of the dark hovels where they eked out an uncertain existence.

When drunks became violent, their shouts and scuffles filling the night, or when the muffled sounds of despair echoed through the paper-thin wall of their small tenement room, Maria would sing lullabies to ease their fright.

And when the hunger became unbearable, she would fill the uncomfortable silences with fantastic tales of heroes and dragons and quests for lost treasures across the realm. Those were Mal’s favorite memories of her. How his mother’s soft brown eyes lit up when she spun her fantastical stories, all three snuggled under a worn blanket in front of their modest home’s warm hearth. 

I'd love to see WIPs from @thosehallowedhalls @petalouda85, @stars-are-within-me, @moominofthevalley, @lilyoffandoms, @tessa-liam and anyone else who's up for sharing!