#ghost stories is fantastic but way too short >:(
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whats ur rank of coldplay albums ?
my top 3 might probably be
a rush of blood to the head, parachutes and maybe viva la vida
started listening to all the albums of the group and i honestly think theyre great lol!
oh god uhhhhhhh that is a TOUGH question fkjdsh, the only thing i can say for sure is that everyday life is my least favorite (not that it's bad, just definitely NOT my go-to pick compared to the others)
a very VERY rough tier list for me:
parachutes, XY, mylo xyloto, music of the spheres, viva la vida, a head full of dreams, ghost stories, a rush of blood to the head, everyday life
but tbh i could reorder that quite a few ways and still be like "yeah that's right" like i just think everything from parachutes to viva la vida could easily be tied for first *$#&@(*$^%@(#&
#XY is tied with mylo xyloto but if i HAD to pick one. i have more favorites on XY#viva la vida is just baaaaaarely behind this. ONLY because i've overplayed it to death fkjdhg#ghost stories is fantastic but way too short >:(#rush of blood to the head is very nostalgic to me but not as high up as the others#a head full of dreams is GREAT. just still not as high up there bc the others are even better jkhgfg#idk why i ddint see this ask in my notifications :0 glad i checked my inbox lol#asks#rockstaruncle
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Hi! Just curious, what are your favorite comic runs? I've finished the comics on my current to-read list so I love hearing what other people like!
hello! as always i’m sure i’m forgetting plenty of stuff but these are some of my favs, both completed and ongoing series.
completed:
batman: the knight (2022)
miniseries, 10 issues total, so it’s extremely readable and really satisfying in a short amount of time! i like zdarsky’s bruce a lot (i’ve also enjoyed his work on the current batman run) and carmine di giandomenico’s art is fantastic. also, it’s the ghost-maker origin story and bruce & khoa somehow get divorced at least twice before the story’s over. love that for them.
superman: american alien (2015)
anthology collection about clark kent through the years, a really great read for superman—digging into clark’s character rather than focusing on external plot!—with some great cameos too (like young adult clark getting mistaken for some rich guy named bruce wayne at a yacht party, or reporter clark running into pre-robin dick grayson).
future state (2021) batman: dark detective
i am not immune to dan mora’s bruce wayne, especially when he is skrunkly and beat up the whole time.
batman: urban legends (2021)
an anthology so you can kind of pick up/put down as you like! these are a good read if you don’t want to be tracking huge overarching plotlines for a bit. the first few issues have a great jason series too.
ongoing series aka my current pulls at the comic shop:
spirit world (2023)
this one is new and is SO fun and compelling; i love xanthe already, and the assorted cast (including constantine and cass!) and new side characters (bowen my beloved, i’d die for you if you weren’t already dead) are delightful. one of those comics where i’m genuinely interested in the plot too and not just reading for my favs. alyssa wong is doing some really cool things with this concept/cast and i hope they have a chance to do way more in this world.
batman/superman world’s finest (2022)
again, i am not immune to dan mora, or the delightful superbat of it all. (and robin!dick! i love him.) i also started reading waid’s teen titans spin-off that takes place in this same era and there are only a few issues out so far but i’m having a great time.
city boy (2023)
i am OBSESSED with this concept (sentient cities! sharp-edged/lonely character figuring out his connection to them!) and the writing is super fun so far. also the intro comic (free on kindle/elsewhere; also has a free spirit world issue) has a great nightwing run-in.
i’m also subscribed to nightwing, superboy: the man of tomorrow, action comics (anything with kon crumbs…), and dark knights of steel (listen…i am still holding out hope for more royal court spy!tim crumbs), and i don’t know much about shazam yet but i’m giving the new series a try too.
#hope there’s something here for your reading list!#asks#comics#batman#superman#spirit world#city boy#comic rec
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SR Ortho Shroud - Apprentice Chef Vignette
"Master Chef"
[Cafeteria – Judging Venue]
Master Chef ― Ortho Version ~Let’s Make Loco Moco 1~
―A short while before cooking begins
Ortho: ―Energy inspection complete. All functions, including the cooking and processing units, are operating normally.
Ortho: Everything activates without a hitch, great. I tried to make my exterior look similar to my brother's outfit when he took the class, does it look weird at all?
Azul: It looks fantastic on you, Ortho-san. However, I never expected to see you take an interest in cooking… I'm a little taken aback.
Ortho: It's only recently piqued my interest. Sometimes I hear my classmates swapping kitchen horror stories, you see.
Ortho: When someone said, "cooking is way too high level for newbies," it suddenly made me want to try to win against it… Which resulted in this gear being developed.
Azul: I see. And if you are to do a trial run of that gear here, the Master Chef course would be the best opportunity to do so.
Ortho: Exactly! I knew you'd get it, Azul-san.
Ortho: Not only can this gear cook food, but it's built with many other functions to manage proper nutrition or count calories and the like.
Ortho: I plan on getting the expert chef to check out my functions and test out what all would be useful for cooking!
Azul: I can see you're raring to go. Then, I'll wish us both luck.
Ortho: Yeah!
[Kitchen]
Ghost Chef: We'll have you make the "Loco Moco" dish for us today, Ortho-kun.
Ghost Chef: First, we'll have to prep the onions that'll be mixed into the hamburger meat. Do you know how to mince?
Ortho: Okay, I got this!
Ortho: ―Begining cooking procedures. Activating the Cooking Gear's Food Slicer Unit.
[whirrr… fsshhh…!]
Ghost Chef: H-HUUUUUUUUUUH!? HE TRANSFORMED!!?
Ortho: First, I need to adjust the shape so it will be easier to prepare. I need to swing vertically over the onion and… slice it in half!
Ortho: Great, looks like my knife is sharp enough! Umm, since this is for mixing in with hamburger meat…
Ortho: ―Executing command: "Target ingredient: Onion / Processing Method: Mince / Configuration: 3mm Squares"
Ghost Chef: W-Wow… The onion was finely chopped up in no time flat…!
Ortho: …Whew, I've finished with the onion. Will these be sufficient?
Ghost Chef: Y-Yeah, it's cut expertly, but… What exactly is that round blade that came out of your glove…?
Ortho: I took an industrial-grade cutter and downsized it so it could be used in cooking.
Ortho: It releases water as it cuts. This removes the necessity to clean both the blade and the ingredient.
Ghost Chef: You've sure come up with something interesting. But this is just too far removed from traditional cooking methods… Hmm.
Ortho: Different tools shouldn't cause any deviation from the recipe, though… Or should I have used a knife?
Ghost Chef: Well, I guess for your case, you have to cook like that… So I'll make an exception this time.
Ortho: Yay~! Okay then, I'm ready for the next part of the class!
Ortho: ―Activating Heat Sensor Camera. Calculating the temperature of the stir-fried onions… 38.2°C. Current temperature is 41°C lower than last measurement.
Ortho: According to my database, the best temperature range to continue cooking at after letting the dish simmer down is between 38~44°C. Chef, can we continue with the next step?
Ghost Chef: Sure, that's fine. So, next, take the ground meat, onions, and spices to form your hamburgers.
Ortho: Understood! ―Executing Command: Deploy Hand-Coating Gloves.
Ghost Chef: Woah! And now suddenly there are gloves attached to your hands. Is this another one of your technological applications?
Ortho: I'm using something similar to shrink wrap for this. It'd be pretty tough to do maintenance if my joints got dirtied.
Ghost Chef: Ah, that I can understand. It's just like how it's troublesome to have to wash everything that climbed up inside of an eggbeater.
Ortho: I thought as much. In the future, I'd like to equip some functions that would handle this effectively, but… This time, I want to try to knead it by hand
Ghost Chef: And why is that?
Ortho: It sounds like when my brother took this course, he didn't like this specific task.
Ortho: So I thought it'd be good to know the source of his stress, so I could factor that into the eventual kneading function…
[squish…]
Ortho: Hmm, maybe he didn't like how it felt when he touched it? Probably means if I can automate this task, everything'll be solved!
Ghost Chef: Sounds like you've figured out your answer, Ortho-kun.
Ghost Chef: By the way, your brother is Idia-kun, right? Has he changed at all since taking the course?
Ortho: Hmm, I don't think anything changed. He still doesn't really care about food at all…
Ortho: …Oh yeah! Maybe I can use this Cooking Gear to help improve his eating habits.
Ghost Chef: Eh!? You made all these functions without actually knowing what you'd use it for in the first place?
Ortho: Ehehe, so actually… I just made this because I wanted to "win at cooking!" So I didn't really have a particular use for it in mind.
Ghost Chef: Well, I guess that's a good enough reason to start. Also, even if it is an afterthought, I'm glad that you have a goal to strive for now.
Ortho: Yeah. Alright… Now I have to start improving this gear so I can make food that my brother'll want to eat!
[Kitchen]
Master Chef ― Ortho Version ~Let’s Make Loco Moco 2~
Ghost Chef: While we wait for the hamburger to cook, you can prepare the toppings. We'll garnish with cabbage and mini tomatoes for this dish.
Ghost Chef: The cabbage needs to be shredded, so… Are you able to adjust your cutting size in 0.1mm increments?
Ortho: By design, I should be able to. I would like to test it for myself, so could you tell me the specific size you're looking for?
Ghost Chef: Then, if you can, slice at 1.6mm.
Ortho: Got it!
Ortho: ―Executing command: "Target ingredient: Cabbage / Processing Method: Slice / Thickness Configuration: 1.6mm"
Ghost Chef: Woooah, very good! It was surprising when I first saw all this, but now it's really nice to see how quick and accurately you can cut.
Ortho: Simple tasks like these are a machine's strong point, after all! …Okay, I'm done! I wonder how the hamburger is coming along?
Ortho: ―Activating Heat Sensor Camera. Frying pan is holding steady at 16°C. Hamburger internal temperature: 34.5°C.
Ghost Chef: That's a pretty handy function, too. You don't need to take the lid off the frying pan to check how it's cooking, so there's no drop in temperature.
Ghost Chef: …Ah, oops. I let myself get a little too distracted watching your really neat functions.
Ghost Chef: Normally, it would take more time to prepare the toppings, but you're moving along smoothly.
Ortho: Ah! Then, while we wait for the hamburger to cook, can you explain to me more about the toppings?
Ortho: Cause toppings are kind of like power-ups from a video game, right? You don't really need them but it's better to have them.
Ortho: That's why I bet if I could know which toppings are the most filling, I could make my cooking even more efficient.
Ghost Chef: Hmm, that's a difficult question. It can vary depending on what you have on hand, and what you feel like using.
Ghost Chef: For example, I wanted to make sure there was nutritional balance, so this dish uses vegetables as a topping.
Ortho: If we were to remove the vegetables from this recipe… The vitamin intake would be reduced by 75%. It really would lose that nutritional balance.
Ghost Chef: In the past, I would serve it as a salad on the side, but there were so many kids who wouldn't even touch it, because they didn't want veggies.
Ortho: I get it, you revised the process fundamentally to help resolve your problem. I think that's a very reasonable method.
Ghost Chef: Haha, thank you. Yes, I'm glad I changed it up like this.
Ortho: Changes, hm… If I want to be able to add that as a possible function to the Cooking Gear, I'll have to gather a lot more data.
Ortho: If I can learn to swap out ingredients, it might help in dealing with my brother's bad eating habits.
Ortho: The more I learn about cooking, the more I can see all sorts of possible challenges, just like in a video game.
Ortho: ―And finally, I set the egg on top… Done! It's made to look like the dish I saw as the top hit in an image search.
Ghost Chef: Nice, you've plated it so beautifully and deliciously. I guess it's time for you to take it to the judging venue, then.
Ortho: Okay! I can't wait to see how the judge will react~
[Cafeteria – Judging Venue]
Leona: Ughh… What a pain. Why do I need to be a judge for this Master Chef thing…?
Ortho: Sorry to keep you waiting! Oh, I see you were the one to order this dish, then.
Ortho: Here you go, this is the Loco Moco you requested! Please, enjoy!
Ortho: I want to use your assessment of the dish to help improve my Cooking Gear, so please be as candid as possible.
Leona: …Hey. Why're there vegetables in this loco moco? There wasn't any last time I ordered it.
Ortho: I heard this was a change made to help people eat their veggies. Great, right?
Leona: …Tch, way to do something completely unnecessary.
[bite, chew, chew, chew…]
Ortho: I followed the recipe exactly as it was written, so there shouldn't be any issues with the flavor… What do you think?
Leona: The hamburger and the gravy sauce taste fine. But because of all the veggies you threw in there, it shouldn't even get a single point.
Ortho: Ehhh, why!? I made sure to follow the recipe and throw in the right amount, size, and cooking time for all the ingredients!
Leona: Why should I care? All that matters is the judge's opinion, yeah? The recipe means nothin' if it don't suit my taste.
Ortho: …So without considering any of the general judging criteria, this dish "doesn't taste good" to you?
Leona: Basically. But hey, maybe you coulda gotten high marks if you'd just left the veg out like it's always been made.
Ortho: By adding the vegetables, it gave the dish a better nutritional balance. But Leona-san would have preferred no vegetables…
Leona: Geez, can't believe you'd just ruin a good meal like that. Since the judging's over, I'm outta here.
Ortho: Ah, he left… I can't really understand how someone could say a dish that satisfies nutritional needs "doesn't taste good."
Ghost Chef: Leona-kun must really hate vegetables, if he couldn't get past even this small addition.
Ortho: Ah, I should have asked why he hates vegetables to help me with figuring out how to change up recipes!
Ghost Chef: Ortho-kun… Are you actually happy with that result?
Ortho: Yes! The more data I can gather on any issues, the better I can improve my Cooking Gear!
Ghost Chef: Well, I guess I'm glad you're not sad after hearing that, but… Why does that make you that excited?
Ortho: Leona-san was already unhappy with the dish even before tasting it. That means he had already decided it wouldn't taste good just from looking at it.
Ortho: The challenge rating just shot up, now that I have to keep an eye on visual aesthetics, taste and nutrition… Of course that gets me super pumped up!
Ortho: I might be a long way away from being able to tackle my brother's bad eating habits, but… I'll definitely do my best to make my Cooking Gear even better!
Requested by Anonymous.
#twisted wonderland#twst#ortho shroud#leona kingscholar#azul ashengrotto#twst ortho#twst azul#twst leona#twst translation#twst masterchef#mention: idia
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🪸 JULY LISTENS 🪸
(ft. some lovely coral for those of us caught up on The Magnus Protocol😌)
this month, i’ve been working through some of the stuff that’s been languishing on my listen list for approximately a million years as well as revisiting some old favorites. here’s what i enjoyed most in my earholes:
G.O.B.L.I.N.S — (pilot, crowdfunding now!) for fans of Stellar Firma, the Meredith brothers have reunited with some other familiar voices to spin a story about an overly ambitious human office worker who gets dragged through the veil into the fae realm by a pair of chaotic goblins. the show is scripted but it’s marked by the same sense of humor that has characterized the Meredith’s other improvised works. 8 episodes projected if it funds.
Larkspur Underground — (11 eps, complete?) a fictional exposé about the sole survivor of a serial killer’s disturbing abduction and grooming. i was giddy to discover this one as an ardent fan of Showtime’s Dexter. it’s gory and glorious, and if you’re keen you might spot some clues; if not, the final episode is going to shock you. creator wants to make more, but it’s been a few years so who knows.
I Found A Wormhole — (5 eps, complete) a short yet existentially harrowing series. exactly what it says on the tin. mind the content warnings on the final episode but by the time you get there you’ll definitely know what’s coming tbh.
The Grotto — (10 eps, ongoing) a pull-no-punches exploration of messy grief with a supernatural twist. season two is here! this series has an absolutely killer soundtrack and immersive sound design. it has such a unique vibe. you’ll definitely like it if you like WOE.BEGONE.
Dear Bastard! — (16 eps, complete?) an epistolary comedy about a bunch of squabbling neighbors. i like to use this show as a palate cleanser when i’ve been listening to a lot of gruesome horror, because it’s just so light and fun.
Deviant — (10 eps, complete) a space pirate dramedy! i stumbled across this purely by accident and did a little binge. i love an absolute mess of a protagonist, so this was right up my alley. it’s a little abrasive at times but overall i enjoyed the narrative and it wrapped up nicely.
Murphy — (6 eps, s2 in production) a folkloric monster-of-the-week mystery with very charming characters. the first season is complete and although it is short, the episodes are long and make great use of their runtime. pleased to see their recent crowdfunder has been successful so there will be more!
Ghost Wax — (45+ eps, hiatus) a horror anthology facilitated by a “reclaimer” who can extract the final statements of the dead. this is similar to How i Died but the lore feels much more fantastically intricate. i don’t want to spoil too much of the meta plot but there’s a LOT going on, and i’m looking forward to s2.
Fulmar’s Folly — (12 eps, ongoing?) people on reddit love this series so i decided to give it a spin. fans of zombie survival like We’re Alive are most likely to eat this up. it can be a little overwrought at times, but the constant tension feels genuine in context. episodes are quite long but the length feels satisfying and necessary.
Nowhere, On Air — (46 eps, ongoing) another spooky small town radio show about a girl in a world she doesn’t belong to. this is one of my favorite genres of AD. fans of WTNV, King Falls AM, Tiny Terrors, and other shows of that ilk will probably enjoy this. it leans a little more surreal and introspective than comedic. IMHO, the host also just has a lovely voice. the meta plot is currently really hitting its stride.
All In My Head — (19 eps, ???) night terrors turn out to be something much more sinister. so intriguing, i was devastated to realize it may have been abandoned. i’m not going to completely give up hope for a final season though!
Zoinks! — (11 eps, complete?) a darkly comedic homage to scooby doo and other childrens detective fiction. i loved the way the narrative approached the subject of child neglect, while still maintaining a thread of silliness that saved it from complete bleakness. s2 has been mentioned but it’s projected release date has come and gone without a word, so it may or may not happen.
Trice Forgotten — (10 eps, ???) an aspiring cartographer gets accidentally mixed up with some pirates. i relistened to this series in honor of its anniversary and was just blown away by the sound design all over again. the setting is made so rich and alive by the effort put in by the production staff! and the character dynamics are so intricate and gorgeous. i am especially a fan of the tension between alestes and gammon. beautiful first season with SO much left to explore, i really hope to see this come back for a s2 someday.
#audio drama#podrecs#my description of trice is very lacking btw. there’s MUCH more going on in that show. too much to summarize#it’s really fun and i wish it had a bigger fanbase#LATE AGAIN IM SORRY
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AUGUST 2024 WRAP UP
[loved liked ok nope DNF (bookclub) reread*]
True Grit • A Sorceress Comes to Call • (Fit for the Gods) • A Short Walk Through a Wide World • The Chestnut King* • Where the Drowned Girls Go • The Hollow Boy* • The Philosopher's Flight • The Whispering Skull* • Death by Silver • Grandma Gatewood's Walk • Across the Green Grass Fields • Tales from the Hinterland • The Screaming Staircase* • Ascension • Running Close to the Wind • August Kitko and the Mechas from Space
* * * * * *
Lockwood & Co - time for a reread! I really like the idea of ghost books but struggle to find ones that I like, but these are perfect! The worldbuilding and story structure is somehow just what I want - just enough rules to give them the confidence to be bad ass AND tension for when they royally screw up, and a fantastic, case-book type narrative where the characters are going about their lives, fighting ghosts, and not actually getting to the titular case until halfway through the book. Love it! I need more like that actually. (I recommend The Angel of the Crows)
Tales from the Hinterland -since I finally read The Language of Thorns I figured I should get around to this too. I didn't like the related novels all that much but WAS interested in the stories, but it's been so long I've mostly forgotten their context. I didn't mind it, and I think Albert has a better grasp on the language and form of fairy tales than Bardugo, but the inescapable grimness of the stories quickly became repetitive and boring.
Across the Green Grass Fields - it took me a bit to warm up to this one, but once we went through the door I had a good time! I think this is probably my favorite of the individual door stories so far. On the other hand, I usually like the ensemble books, but Where the Drowned Girls Go didn't quite work for me this time, but it might be one that just needs a second read.
Grandma Gatewood's Walk - I've seen this one around (most recently at a Hocking Hills gift shop) and finally picked it up since my library had it on audiobook. Unfortunately it was doing a lot of things that annoy me about certain nonfiction and while it was readable and interesting, I wouldn't say I enjoyed it or would recommend it.
Death by Silver - a gaslamp mystery/gay romance that was fun! If you like a mystery that is, the "romance" coasts along on the "old school friends/hookup buddies" line and doesn't really get any development (or steaminess), but things do keep moving and it was a nice enough read that I'd maybe try some of the author's other work (but maybe not the sequel)
The Philosopher's Flight - I don't even know. It *was* a good read that moved along well, BUT... I don't want to lay everything at the feet of "it was written by a man," but it definitely had its effects. Stories about girls and women going into a man's world and showing them all up are pretty common and catnip to me (Keladry my beloved), but something about a man doing it in a women's organization that exists in a patriarchal society WITH a heavy political-unrest plot going on as well, and despite the abundance of female characters none of them are well developed? And the main character is just a bland-ass dude? It really didn't sit well with me, and I do not want to read the sequel.
The Chestnut King - I'm glad to be done with this series reread. They're honesty just a perfectly middling MG fantasy series, slightly dated but charmingly midwestern in many ways. Kids would probably enjoy it more, but there's not much for an older reader.
A Short Walk Through a Wide World - going in I knew this was being pitched as sort of cozy, and being comp'd to Addie Larue (which I didn't like in execution). Fairly accurate on both counts tbh, and I thought the curse in this one worked much better - the problem with Addie was that the inability for anyone to remember her didn't allow for any connections to make things interesting, whereas A Short Walk's not being able to stay longer than a few days or ever return offers *just* enough to be heartbreaking. Unfortunately there just wasn't much of a shape to the overall story and I was so bored I almost DNF'd. If you're more into the books being marketed as "cozy fantasy" you might have a better time of it than me.
Fit for the Gods - aka "Greek Mythology Reimagined," which feels self explanatory. Anthologies are always a bit of a mixed bag, but I really liked this! Especially compared to the previous anthology (Sword Stone Table), there was only one story I didn't really like, but otherwise really vibed with everything else! I also learned that most of my myth knowledge that's stuck around is from Percy Jackson, lol. (Not to mention the reincarnation story that mentioned Percy Jackson! I cackled XD)
A Sorceress Comes to Call - LOVED!!! Regency house party, magic, murder, mystery is so so SO up my alley. I've seen people call this a stressful book, and I get it, the mother is awful and things are definitely tense, but something was telling me that things would turn out ok for the main characters and I was able to enjoy myself lol. It also helped that it became quickly obvious that the mother was very full of herself and overconfident, even if she was terrifying. I think this is tied with Thornhedge for my favorite Kingfisher so far, though I might rate this a little lower on quality. If you liked this I really recommend checking out the Greenwing & Dart series by Victoria Goddard!
True Grit - meh. Picked this up through a combination of podcast rec/book sale find/needed to read another classic. The kid's got spunk, but that's all I've really got to say. Came very close to dnf'ing, but at least it was short.
DNF
Ascension - 25%. I was really looking forward to making a "if I had a nickle for every book about a mountain mysteriously appearing somewhere it shouldn't, I'd have two nickles" joke, but alas. This started off pretty good, going with the classic "I found these papers among my brother's affects after a long mysterious life" that I was REALLY excited about. Then we actually got to the story and the main character was just Most Special Genius Science Boy, and the way his ex-wife was being written was absolutely bleh. I looked a bit closer at the reviews and decided to dump it. (Other mountain book is My Volcano and you should read it!!!! It's so weird!!)
Running Close to the Wind - 11%. Was this funny? Yes. Was this super horny? Yes. Was this funny and super horny? Super yes. I can really appreciate what was happening here, it's just unfortunately not a style I can consume in anything larger than small bites. I decided to part ways before my feelings really soured.
August Kitko and the Mechas from Space - 41%. I honestly did like what I read, it just wasn't speaking to me? I can see this being a great book for someone, I just had other things I wanted to read more.
#bec posts#book log#wrap up 2024#book review#book reviews#booklr#bookblr#books#true grit#a sorceress comes to call#t kingfisher#fit for the gods#a short walk through a wide world#the chestnut king#100 cupboards#wayward children#the philosopher's flight#lockwood and co#tales from the hinterland#grandma gatewood's walk
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i know i said i wouldnt be ranting about totk anymore, but i realized i didnt really count the sage dungeons as story (dont ask me why) so i thought im gonna write a better summarized version of my opinion about totk (i have around 60% of the game, all lightroots, not yet all shrines (missing like .. 20 or so, know the reward), not all krogs (dont know the reward), not all mayoi (half know the reward?) )
(in no particular order)
good stuff (in my opinion)
the. MUSIC! god the music is good, it was good in botw too but now with much more different bosses it really is probably one of my fav soundtracks of all time (most fav are all three phases of the end fight, the pre-fight to that, the build up one before all of those, Frosgeira (wind tempel boss) the glorious mASTER KOGA and more tbh)
the build up and end boss fight(s) are fantastic, i dont think im ever not gonna have my heart racing when approaching it (despite now skipping almost the entire way bc i set a teleport thing right before it) just bc the build up is so well made and the music(again) is such a banger and the fight(s) itself is so fun too, tbh i keep wanting to play it just bc its so fun
i LOVE how many themes play into the music (endfight alone had so many layers, fav probably is ganondorfs classic theme and calamity ganons both in the same piece among much more, and daruks theme in the fire temple)
(edit) YOU. CAN. TOUCH. DA. DRAGONS!!!!
ganondorf
ganondorfs design (x3)
ganondorfs weapon designs
ganondorfs voice (japanese)
everyone elses voice (japanese)
all voices (german)
thE YIGA!!! i love everythign about them and am so happy they got to be more than just some mini mission
(edit) also the fact that they get zonau tech to work without any special ghost powers is so ????
(edit) koga can summon and use zonau tech unlimited?? hes so cool
NO stealth mission!! (as far as im aware)
bosses are very different from each other
main dungeons are not too short and not too long and mostly fun (mostly bc i personally didnt like the gerudo one), i love that you can still somewhat cheese them and do them your way
sages felt like they got a bit more involved
(edit) you gotta do more stuff before getting to the actual dungeons and i really like that, feels less like a fetch quest but that you are actually helping
(edit) each sage is actually there in the dungeon and is required for it, which is great!
each settlement saw a much bigger danger/change (tho that has more impact if you have played botw) and its problems felt much more real
shrines are well varied tho i think overall a little easy (only got stuck on two so far and later solved them easily bc when i first started them i was tired and exhausted, no brain left lol)
NPCs felt less flat + more bigger sidequests that felt like they had more impact
cool new monsters + designs
the underground was pretty appropiately creepy
the sages abilities are neat
you can refight bosses!!
stable points system is a neat way to encourage you using them
weapon fusing is neat
(edit) the forest of the krogs being corrupted like that is both creepy and a neat nod to oot
(edit) the vai gerudo outfit being gone!! (one) evil has been defeated
(edit) the health bar going so far off the middle in ganondorfs second phase is honestly just funny hnjdfdjk unfortunate that you only need the master sword and with a few perfect dodges his health melts like butter in the summer
(edit) the music when dragondorf transforms sounds so sad .. its probably meant as a oh no world is actually ending sad but i like to think of it as a oh god what did he do to himself sad
the scene where rauru seals ganondorf kinda fruity
(graphic, animations and the overall world is still fantastic)
bad stuff (in my opinion)
everything zonau they feel forced into every bit of the world and its history (i know them being somewhat alien is intentional but not like that) it feels crammed into places they werent before and shouldnt be and it makes it all feel very artificial
the glyphs/dragon tears/memories really ruined alot for me, while it gave you insight as to what happened, it felt like it showed you too much and too little at the same time and i think it would have worked better if it was all in text for once if even at all, so the past stil stayed a mystery and youd be left wondering
timetravel .. really wasnt necessary and felt more like an excuse to get rid of zelda + make her the poor little sacrificial girl again + and to make her turning into a dragon as tragic as possible, like nothing but a stepping stone to the big reveal tm
shiekah tech being not just fully irrelevant but practically erased, wiped off the world (i know about the literally last guardian parts in hateno, it feels more like an oversight tbh, purah technically using it ... tho i dont think she ever calls it that, the purah pad is jsut the sheikah stone but worse), there being no good explanation, no remains, nothing as to why it would suddendly stop working and why even the titans and ESPEICALLY the shrine of life would be destroyed, if anything why wouldnt you enshrine it as a memento to history it was such a focus in botw and so well integrated into the world that it being fully gone, not even old overgrown, or visibly reused to build homes etc., or remains of how they built the og shrines in the underground feels like a HUGE missed opportunity (seriously it would have been so easy to make the ancient shiekah base their tech on old zonau tech, without stealign the gocus but buildign a connection)
all of the continuity problems, totk feels like botw didnt happen and the excuse of 'they didnt want to confuse new players' doesnt make a lick of sense in my eyes bc; its supposed to be a sequel, if you want it to be a standalone game then dont call it a sequel- if you start to play a game with the sequel instead of the first part its your own damn fault if you get confused; if anything, it would have been a good opportuntiy to make people interested in botw so theyd buy and play that one too
ganondorfs character is very flat, you basically get to know nothing about him (yuno even calls that out midgame but its never elaborated upon nhgfrdfhkk)
the zonau and their kingdom of hyrule is presented as this so perfectly good thing to such a degree it turns creepy, the end cutscene with mineru going poof was kinda uncomfy to watch tbh
the reward for all shrines being essentially a reveal as to who the hero in the tapestry was and it being, of course, some weird half zonau is the lamest answer to a mystery i didnt want an anwser too, it doesnt feel like it came naturally either (again my point of the zonau being forced into everything)
the shrines (zonau) feel so much more unnatural than the shiekah shrines, alien in a bad way and not in a good way + really are like a bad reskin of them, their sudden appearance and use is so much less logical
back in botw i was doubtful of if the shiekah tech wasnt going to far too modern tech and cause it all to feel like a bad mix of modern tech and medival fantasy, but they balanced it perfectly (tho the eponator zero was very much the limit imo) but the zonau tech .... oversteps that line i think, it really does feel, more than anything else, that it was just bc they wanted the stuff to be in there bc it might be fun to play around with, im not against that kind of stuff mind you im all for fun, but it feels a little like they thought of a box with endless stuff to play with first and a zelda game second (if you get what i mean)
quite a few quests or things in the game seem like they are more and then end in a dead end (the worst of all is impa saying she wants to go research what could help zelda turn back, and i was excited and convinced that shed give me a quest to find some mcguffin that would do that after i beat ganon but there wasnt anything you could actually do; less bad one but disappointing nonetheless the dongos were mentioned and treated like this big awesome thing from alot of NPCs all around the map and then when you find them they are bascially just gem vending maschines)
the way zelda turns back and link gets his arm back is incredibly unsatisfying, none of them even have something like a scar, or mark from it all, zelda spent thousands of years as a dragon (a transformation that was said to cost your soul but i guess that wasnt true) and link had his arm bascially eaten by miasma and he gets it back like it was never lost, zelda returns all intact as if nothing happened, getting blasted by some magic tm by two ghosts that were supposed to be long gone is the solution to all problems!!
(edit) link losing an arm wouldnt just be super intersting but also lend itself well to lead up into the next game where his prothesis is the focus and source of abilities
(edit) zelda got done so dirty, instead of her actual interests and character to shine she just gets shoved into yet another crisis surrounded by strangers in a world that looks like hers but isnt, and all she does is beg the ancient sages to swear to help link and sacrifice herself again (can you call that fridging? bc she sure feels like she got fridged) i like zelda and i dont like how much i didnt care about her and tbh im angry at the game for that
(edit) both link and zelda not even slightly changing in the years btween botw and totk kinda boring, like a haircut can only do so much
(edit) sonia really is the wife that dies to make husband sad thing isnt she? i get that gan had to get his hands on an enigma stone but i feel like there had been better ways to do that, the fact that she dies that easily is almost funny honestly, why does ganondorf even have weapons when he can just one punch people to death (tho i find it funny to imagine he can literally just kill people in one punch but hes too prideful to do it most of the time so he always uses weapons to look more cool)
(edit) so many new characters that you barely get to see or interact with, i really ... couldnt get myself to care much
(edit) zonau tech being so irrelevant to the games story while its also the focus is .. weird, its really just play doh for the players and nothing else honestly
(edit) monsters mining sonanium feels strange bc ... they dont do anything with it? the best thing i can think of is that they were told to do that so link cant .. upgrade his battery thignies? but then again you could just destroy the mines and remaining constructs to stop it .... also you really dont need anything zonau tech related to beat gan?
(edit) ganondorf beign so utterly uninterested in their tech is weird considering how he dealt with shiekah tech (and we KNOW it can get corrupted) he should be a tech nerd tbh
my twitch VoD of the first time beating the game getting muted at the credits despite me talking over it
nitpicks (in my opninion)
(edit) ganondorf should have a bit more of a boar inspired design, as treat, i think
(edit) the enigma stone wandering back to ganondorfs forehead even after transforming is? weird? i guess an excuse for da epic last stabby but still? (how cool would it have been to have to plunge into his mouth and break it there or something)
(edit) the underground gets a lil old after a while, the fact that its pretty much the same everywhere aside from some .. very strange flowing magma is a lil boring
(edit) ganondorf could have gone way more crazy with abilities and all that, imagine hed spwan multiple miasma arms on himself when you get him to a certain level of health
(edit) i miss unique weapons, there arent even normal axes around anymore, everything is about fusing really, i miss the cool shiekah tech weapons
(edit) the forest of the krogs being largely irrelevant is kinda weird
(edit) mineru being the sage of spirit still is kinda meh, the robot is neat but i thought tauro or purah would be the surprise sage tbh
(edit) the bosses were a little easy (i did boldo gohma rather early and did it without even getting hit)
you cant talk to koga normally :(
you cant find koga again after the last fight :(
you cant refight him (to my knowledge) :(
i find it very strange that yuno seemingly lost daruk shield, despite him having inhereted it in botw
the sage powers are not .. very great integrated, while its fun to haven them run around and help you fight, to actually use their powers you have to chase after them, something that in the heat of a battle is very annoying to do, constantly activating the wrong on or them losing their charge up when they get knocked over is like trying to herd a wild pack of geese while a three headed dragon is shotting laserbeams at you
some widlife just disappearing all of the sudden is very strange (like the rhino in hebra)
some new houses or settlements would have been cool, that the material things at the sides of roads are really only for you to play around with and not to build anything that lasts
you cant fight ganondorf (non dragon, even the dragon is locked to that evening sky) in the sunlight, night or rain, i would have loved to fight him at various times of day
their refusal to show any kind of blood is honestly turnign serious scenes into very awkward ones, sonia just getting punched and she dies with not even like, losing some spit from the force or something, or the fact when you defeat ganondorfs second phase he acts mortally wounded but doesnt even look scratched is just :/
amiibo stuff while neat being included its really mostly just bloating your inventory, if i wanted 5 vaguely different link outfits then i would have gotten the amiibo for it
why hide the -now-totally-not-phantom-ganon-armor- behind such a long questline and then .. have that NOT be upgradable
they put in a house building thingy and then not let you have a roof or a tree or something :(
at some point stable points jsut get you more and more of those free staying over night tickets that i maybe used .. once at the very start and now its just accumulating in my inventory
only one new horse coat pattern :(
satori now only being a thingy that shows you caves is kinda boring, i loved the mystery around it in botw (additionally, that it shows you caves you have completed already kinda sucks)
the end of the shrines isnt that cool anymore, speaking to a mummified monk that gives you essentially his last remains of life energy is so much cooler than a statue of the oh so awesome god king and his wife
the many references and reuse of old names is neat but together with timetravel etc. it easily leads to confusing and fighting among fans for who is more 'right' and its just .. tiring
(edit) considering how much of the advertising was about the sky islands i wished there were more and bigger ones, the underground (that was a little one sided after a while, it all looking the same rly) could have been alot smaller if the sky was bigger instead
(edit) i wished there was more of a sense of .. lost life in the ruins you find, from all races, the ancient ruins are jsut some bridged and ceremonial stuff and i wished there were more like .. houses, like people actually lived there and it not being all around beign a platform for you
(edit) the fact that the half zonau hero exists mean either rauru and sonia had kids but those were clearly not important enough to ever show nor mention, or there were other mixing of them before they all mysteriously died out the fact that the ancient hero was half zonau means their genes survided till then but somehow it never came up? the tapestry still exists and impa and purah say like its a well known fact that the hero looked like that (not at all close to any modern species) when you talk to them while wearing it (the fact that the hero armor thingy is very reminiscemt of ganondorf is like some backtreading bc we were theorizing about the hero having been ganondorf once and they wanted to stop that .. but the more funny thing is the HC of its a descdendet of rauru and ganondorf nhjdfknhdgkfnhkfd) (edit to add to the HC; the game being a big battle about child support is funnier than it should be idk if nintendo knew what they were doing adding details like that)
all in all it just feels like missed opportunities, lost potential, and more a game build around some game mechanics they really wanted to get into than telling a neat story, espeically so bc they called it a sequel, most of my complaints wouldnt be there if it was some alternate thing instead
i probably forgot stuff but if i think of more i will add them later with a little note that it was added in an edit (sidenote, i find it funny how much more nuance that whole conflict would get if rauru and ganondorf were bitter exes bfdrjfbdfndk)
#ganondoodles talks#zelda#totk#totk spoilers#i felt like i was beign a little unfair#so i wanted to make a summary#tha took me hours to write#and is again long as shit#whoop#long post#this isnt a complete list iether bc that would be even longer and take even longer nhdjkkd#i wanted to do comic works damn it#anyway this is the last long post about this#bc im moving on now#...its half inspired by people respondign to me with -what how can you not like totks story but then like botws lol wtf-#well i do#*shrugs*
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Hi! i love reading you little stories about danny ‘jed olsen’ johnson!! I was hoping you could make a post about how he would look, like: many body scars, soft muscular body, or strong and tougher kind of body. Hope you understood what i was asking for, i tried to explain it the best i can! <3
You mean like general headcanons? I did a mixture of both his appearance and his personality if that’s okay. There is a link of a visual of what I think Danny looks like at the very bottom. Hope you enjoy!
The Ghost Face/Danny Johnson
This man has many scars all over his body from his victims trying to defend themselves, but failed. Where he has scars the most is definitely his legs and chest where victims have landed sharp objects deep past his suit, into his skin. I guess his leather suit can’t protect him all the time. He has a giant scar running right through his left eyebrow. Him being the cocky bastard he is, he loves to show it off to his coworkers and make up an insane story for it. The crazy thing is that they actually believe him.
His gaze can intimidate anyone. He has these stern yellow eyes that will make you shrink into your skin if he glares at you. However, when he gives someone puppy dog eyes, you can’t resist. There’s no way you can say no to those gorgeous yellow eyes. Additionally, I just wanted to say, his eyes make him look cat-like. 😂
Danny has a very lean body. He has to be strong so he can overpower his victims. However, he isn’t bulky because he also has to be fast and carrying a ton of muscle will slow him down. He definitely works out a lot. I’d say he runs 7-8 miles and hits the gym at least two hours everyday because, let me tell you, he is definitely shredded. (I’m sorry. This headcanon is definitely the runner coming out of me.)
Danny has short, but fluffy black hair. He makes sure to keep it silky soft so he can easily run his hands through it. Also, to wow the ladies; he knows women love a man with gorgeous, silky hair. Dingus.
Dude, this man is literally so silent. He can judge which floorboards creak, which doors squeal when opened, what shadows keep him hidden from sight. It’s insane. Literally a god.
I think we all have gotten a glimpse of how much of an asshole and narcissist he is. He’s extremely mischievous, confident, and thinks he’s the biggest lady-killer. Spoiler alert! He really isn’t no lady-killer: he can’t even get a lady for the life of him. His cheesy pick-up lines and flirting skills are full of crap. He better be glad he has his looks or he’d get himself slapped across the face.
Danny is a fantastic photographer. He makes sure that any photo he takes is on point. He’s a perfectionist. If he takes a photo, no matter if it’s for work or snapping photos of victims, it has to be perfect or he scratches it out of his camera roll.
He is a great writer as well. I don’t know why the Roseville Gazette would hire him if he wasn’t. 🤷♀️ Anyways, a fucking unit at punctuation. He uses semicolons way too much than he probably should, just like me, and he knows it too. Hey! If it looks good and sounds good then that is all that matters. He’s also a pretty fast typer and always proofreads his writing at least 4 times before turning it in for publishing. He tends to get all his work done before all his coworkers.
He keeps a journal where he writes important information about his victims: where they live, their daily routines, and stuff like that. He also sketches out what each and every one of his victims looks like next to his notes.
He’s pretty cold-hearted and has an obsession for fame and recognition. He wants everyone to know who he is and to fear him. He’s addicted to the fear frozen on his victims faces when he calls them and has dozens of pictures of his victims hidden in his nightstand drawer to use for his articles.
Even though he’s a phenomenal journalist, he doesn’t get paid that much so this man literally lives off of ramen. However, he loves himself a nice home cooked meal: anything that takes a long time to cook to be honest. He would cook if he wasn’t so bad at it.
He loves himself a good bargain; he loves the power they hold over someone. The moment someone breaks their side of the deal, he can break his and they’re over and done with if you know what I mean. 👀
He loves drama. He’ll listen to all the tea and no one will know he’s listening in either. He’ll start spreading it around to all the other coworkers. Now everyone knows the business. That’s why you never whisper shit while Danny is around because he’ll get a hold of that gossip one way or another.
Danny Johnson visual
Hey you guys! Just a quick note that I’ll get to your requests on Saturday. This was the easiest request in my inbox so I didn’t have to think about what I wanted to write as much as I have to with other requests. I’m just so exhausted from camp, but I wanted to post something new for you guys to read. I hope you enjoyed it.
#slashers#slasher x reader#slashers x reader#horror#dead by daylight x reader#dead by deadlight#dbd killer#danny johnson#danny johnson x reader#jed olsen#jed olsen x reader#danny jed olsen johnson#slasher#sophi ghostie writes#ghostface#the ghostface#ghostface x reader#dbd ghostface
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bro it took me 10 whole ass days after Halloween to fully watch through martin walls’s new short bc my boyfriend wanted to be there to watch it with me. and yall it is so peak. I really really love how martins art style has evolved, and he still has one of my favorite styles ever tbh. the way the story plays out is really cool too, bc the original mysterious house felt like a PSA, and the horror came from the inevitability of these children’s deaths, but this one felt more like a traditional horror film. it gave a lot more suspense, to feel like there was a chance that at least one of these kids would get out alive!! and it is definitely super scary in a new way, as well. it’s scary like a horror movie, but it also feels scary like a nightmare. Martin is really fantastic at conveying brutality without showing you outright what’s going on. He’s great at twisting and breaking people in ways where you can’t even figure out what happened to them because it’s all a blur, even when it’s happening right in front of you. It gave it a feeling of seeing your first gore video as a kid online, where you know something is very very wrong, but you can’t really process it. Ralph’s kill felt like that. At first I didn’t really take it seriously, because of Lorenzos stupid goofy walk (sorry man). And then he started ripping up this kids face and I was like WHAT THE FUCK. I also love how the kids have these beady little sylvanian family eyes that become weird gross human eyes when they become ghosts. and the sound design and backgrounds were so good!! The house and the Watermans felt HUGE compared to the kids. It really gave them a lot of power that added to the fear. The house itself also felt winding and supernatural, the kind of place that just where you think you can leave, you’re right back where you started. And i can see it was on purpose, so it did the job well. The fuzzy, seemingly diagetic music playing off the TV added a lot to the dreamlike feeling, it made the situation feel even more hectic and close to home. Silence was also utilized very well to emphasise important scenes or scares. I also REALLY enjoy all the little details martin hides in his scenes!! They’re so fun to find!!! Enjoyed how the ending felt very triumphant, but still melancholic. Really really really good short. Go watch it!!
#actual sugar post#twf#the walten files#rambles#the mysterious house#the return of the pumpkin rabbit
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august reading meme!
BOOKS
Burning Your Boats by Angela Carter. I got through this collection of short stories slowly but surely, and it cemented Angela Carter as one of my favourite authors. The Bloody Chamber will always have a special place in my heart, but each collection had stories that made my imagination run wild and enthralled me with their prose. Some of my favourites were "The Loves of Lady Purple," "Impressions: The Wrightsman Magdalene," or "The Scarlet House."
Olvidado Rey Gudú by Ana María Matute. This is my ASOIAF. What a long, meaty, enchanting tale, seriously. This book is the magnus opus of one of my favourite Spanish authors, and tells the story of the Kingdom of Olar from its birth to its end, over five tumultuous generations. It mixes the grounded medieval setting and outlandish fantastical elements in a very fluid prose, and following the tragic tale of woe in its pages over the last couple of months was a delight.
COMICS
The Cheshire Contract (Action Comics #613-618). I wanted to read the story of Lian going to live with Roy, for Reasons. It's good and fun and short (it occupies a small part of a larger issue, 8 pages each), so if it interests you, go for it.
Batman & Spiderman. This is part of a bunch of crossovers I haven't read, and don't plan to for now, so I was mixing some context, but I read it because Talia was there lol. I don't think DC and Marvel mix well, most of the time, but this little one-shot makes it work.
Jason Todd: Rebirth (2016-2020ish). It... had its moments. Waaaaay too much Lobdell, just as the New 52, but now that I've started the next phase to fall face-first into Cheer, of all arcs... yeah, neither is good lol. But one thing that really appealed to me was the dynamic between Jason and Bizarro; hence the cover. The other highlight was the (tragically few) interactions between Jason and Duke, especially in New Talent Showcase 2017. Give me mooooore, DC!! Other than that... well, there were many things that annoyed the hell out of me (Black Mask's writing, Bruce's EVERYTHING), but let's not get into it lol.
Green Arrow (2001). What a run. I've loved it from beginning to end, really (though a bit through the middle the art horrified me xD). It turned Mia into one of my favourite characters (and in reread, elevated a rareship into an OTP, because it really works for her character :P), which is not rare given that this is clearly where here best arcs are :D. Connor didn't have enough to do, tragically, but he's a great character and I look forward to read more about him; about Dinah&Ollie as well.
Batman: Bane of the Demon. Hi yeah just mentioning this arc to tell you guys about how Ra's apparently keeps cameras in Talia's bedroom :))) he might've been watching as she hooked up with Bane (who he unceremoneously decides she must marry to advance his plans). Let's all kill Ra's.
Batman: Death and the Maidens. A Rucka story, so you know it's good (though not particularly good to Talia lbr... I'm not bothered by *what* happens, I just wish we'd seen more of her perspective, during and especially after -though that's not a mmater of *this* run of course). Bruce's dream journey/possible visions of his parents's ghost were a highlight. Do recommend.
Truth & Justice: Hunted by the Past (#4). Way better than similar "Jason fears becoming the Joker!!!" stories, though that interpretation of the character is never going to be one I agree with. I liked seeing him with the helmet again, and the art is fun. The story gave Jason yet another pre-Robin childhood friend (this one got killed
Green Lantern/Green Arrow: Hard Travelling Heroes. A fascinating read, especially taking it in its context and comparing it to how timid DC is about politics in current comics, IMO. This run was messy and didn't always seem to know what it was doing, and some of what it included or argued feels wrong from a modern perspective, but it dared to take risks and that's always appreciated on my part. My favourite story was the one introducing John Stewart; both for John himself, of course, but also because it was unafraid to write Hal as someone that despite good intentions and despite being a ~heroic character, had racist biases he needed to face and overcome.
Kingdom Come. This is one of those ~iconic comics that feels like a must-read; it's meaty and it raises questions and it's a run you could really sink your teeth into. And I didn't like it at all LOL. It's so... nostalgic and regressive and downright reactionary. Its fluffy epilogue does it no favours, too (other than prompting this post of mine, ig).
No Man's Land. I finally read the whole thing!!!!!! It took me SIX MONTHS!!!!!!!! And speaking of reactionary beliefs añdslfkjasf. But I did like it and enjoyed it far more than Kingdom Come, tbf (except Dixon's issues omg whyyyyy is he everywheeeeere he's so boriiiiiing). Helena Bertinelli is the uncontested star of this event AFAIC, and I won't hear otherwise. Well, Leslie, Barbara and Cass definitely shined too. And Montoya and Essen. Aaaand Harley Quinn has her introduction. And Selina has a lot of fun stealing things and screwing with everyone!!! And Talia gets Bruce to get his head out of his ass!!! Ugh, there's so much I could say about this run. The Renee & Two-Face issue. Alfred's tale of himself as Bruce's squire. Lynx and Batman's brief team-up. The Secret Files and Origins tale about a man named Jason who thinks Gotham is speaking to him, and who thanks Barbara for her service to the city. There is a lot in this arc that I'd gladly rotate in my mind forever. But Helena is my darling and THEE best Bat(man). That is all.
#reading meme#books#dc comics#my thoughts#dc thoughts#id in alt text#captioned#angela carter#talia al ghul#jason todd#ana maría matute#the cheshire contract#mia dearden#batman: death and the maidens#green lantern/green arrow#roy harper#kingdom come#no man's land#helena bertinelli#green arrow (2001)
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Character Spotlight 1: EMF Meter's History
OOC: I was trying to plan more art or a narrative approach, but with the chaos upcoming in the next weeks in comic and my art program deleting the pens and textures I was using for this several times.... I'd like to go back and refine it better ! Its a little vague and weird in places but I didn't want to put off EMF stuff too much longer Anyway here's a summary of EMF's time at the vault, for people who missed his short duration here, plus his back story! Like always he's open for questions Under the cut since this was really long and wordy
The 18th week after opening the vault, EMF Meter was found with a severe head wound. He was discovered by Red Ball and Push Pin, and brought back to the vault to be cared for by Mousetrap. He wasn't able to determine what happened to him. Week 22 is when he regained consciousness. The exposed portion of his circuitry were still not healing over even as he started to recover. He was back on his feet by Week 24, though still suffered frequent headaches. He reported starting to see and hear things around the vault, but struggled to describe what exactly it was. His original electric field detecting capabilities became less effective, and he got a lot of false positives that messed with his perception. Being a very deeply spiritual person, he interpreted many of these things to be ghosts, and later, possibly demons. Especially after learning of the many losses the vault suffered recently, and prior to its opening. His time in the vault he always came off as quiet and secretive. He was really close with Mousetrap and no one else, and he didn't bring up his past much. He offered to help around the clinic, and to Mousetrap's surprise he was a trained doctor, and familiar with a lot of the pre-war techniques passed down from the vault. The clinic was extremely busy at the time, and some of the vault dwellers injuries were dire, especially Timer's infected leg after she had fallen from a cliff. With supplies dwindling, on week 30 EMF took off on his own to scavenge supplies from the boarded off hospital. To enter the building he climbed to the roof, but slipped on his way back down, surviving the fall but shattering the plastic casing making up his back. Having not told anyone where he had gone, it took the vault a while to locate him after his disappearance was noticed. He luckily made it back to the vault alive and in one piece. He survived a few more weeks due to Mousetrap's careful medical attention, but he wasn't able to make a recovery this time. On his death bed he urged Mousetrap not to blame herself. But how did he get here?
Many miles away from the vault, Emerald City, named after the fantastical city in The Wizard of Oz, is the one of the most stable settlements in the commonwealth. Known to many as simply the 'Walled City", it is notoriously difficult to get in and out of. Though well defended from bandits and wasteland threats, the city is rampant with deep rooted corruption. EMF Meter was born and raised there, and trained as a doctor. If he had stayed he'd have become an affluent figure, but he was really unhappy. The corruption that poisoned the city was prevalent in his family too, leading to both his success and his depression. Leaving behind his old life, he left the city. His journey led him to a church and cemetery. A huge, old world cathedral, barely damaged, and holding up well with its heavy stone foundation. As a doctor he was able to provide help for them that no one had been able to before. And without any survival skills, he felt he had lucked out finding a more genuine community out here, where he could really make a difference. While he provided the community with medical care, they guided him spiritually, with a strange religion unlike any of the beliefs held by objects pre-war. On the first day he was encouraged to throw everything he owned, besides the things he needed for his job, into the hole in the wooden flooring of the church. Freeing himself from its hold on him. He did so readily, believing fate had led him there. Even after leaving, he still believed deeply in things like fate, and more abstractly, demons.
He spent several years there, where he saw the group take in many more lost souls like him. Though he noticed, that as many people as they took in, the population size remained somewhat stagnant. A lot of his friends would leave without telling him. At night, the foundation of the building would groan, giving him nightmares. He was usually advised against using his electric field detection while there. When he did use it, like when assessing the health of other gadget objects like him, he'd pick up weird readings under the building. Despite being told not to approach the hole without another convert, one night he couldn't ignore it any longer. Layers upon layers of items filled up the floor of the cavernous basement under the floorboards of the cathedral. The bones and flesh of hunted animals, the possessions of the community, and...corpses. The whole church was built on a den of an enormous mutated creature, obscured by shadows. The whole church had been occupied solely to keep it dormant, at the expense of the resources, possession and even the lives of the people around it. The people who benefitted most were the high priests that took him in...and people like EMF who could provide rarer services. EMF's skills gave him a value the other passerbyers couldn't afford. He left that night.
EMF Meter was not a man built for survival in the wasteland. Generations of almost stable city life, even if the city was nothing like a modern one, and then further years where he was taken care of at the castle, he struggled a lot with finding food and fighting off beasts. He suffered a severe injury, and fell into a near coma. When he came to, he was a lot quieter and more solemn of a man. He was suspicious of the vault's intentions, and stayed mostly close to his fellow doctor and the person who remained by his side all that time, Mousetrap. For a final fun fact, in game they shared a mutual crush
#tw religious themes#tw cult#tw death mention#clangen#osc#object show#post apocalyptic#object#v9spotlight#emf meter
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Short review of everything I read in September
1. The Importance of Being Earnest / Oscar Wilde - 4.5 stars 🌟
I read it because I thought I'd take a course in dramatic comedies next semester. It's not going to happen, but I'm glad I finally picked out another work of Wilde because this was fantastic. It was funny and bizarre and full of witty, social commentaries.
2. The Road / Cormac McCarthy - 4 stars 🌟
I wanted something depressing, and I got it! This book is about a man and his son traveling through post-apocalyptic US, but it's not a sci-fi, and it's barely even dystopia. It's just a study in nihilism, depression, father-son relationships, and hope. The format was odd, but I enjoyed it. Plus, the book made me pull up essays about it from Google Scholar.
3. The Castle of Otranto / Horace Walpole - 4 stars 🌟
The first Gothic novel! Tbh, it reads more like a play someone tried to transform into a novel. I'm surprised at how much I liked it, because I'll admit the characters are a little flat. But it just flowed so well, and I felt like each character had a very distinctive voice. It was also quite romantic, and it seems like I can't really resist the knight in shiny armor.
4. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - 3 stars 🌟
This is better than Tom Sawyer, because it's a little more serious. However, there were some part of it that I just had to push through because they were too long and not interesting enough And it was a little hard to get used to and understand the way the characters talk. Still, this book was interesting, especially in the context it was written.
5. Release / Patrick Ness - 3 stars 🌟
I love Ness, so I enjoyed the book because it's so him, but this is my least favorite of him. There were just too many plot points and not enough pages, so it all went a little flat. The book is basically a coming of age story about the gay teenage son of an evangelical preacher and a ghost story about a murdered addict that had so much potential and I wish it was a book of its own.
6. Beach Read / Emily Henry - 4 stars 🌟
This was cute and lovely and also deep and sad but full of hope. I didn't plan to read it this year, but then I was at the beach for the first time in years and figured I had to bring it with me, and I'm glad I did.
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Alfred Molinathon Day 6
When Pigs Fly (1993)
Marty
His Role: I hope I never let myself live like this man does, I know I can be quite messy, but I make damn sure I clean enough to be comfortable! This man? Goodness. Sleeps in own clothes and shoes (all dressed up an no where to go), glasses and trash everywhere, eating cold pizza! Actually, I do that last one. That's not that weird. But man, I wouldn't want him to be my landlord, just saying. I've been around way too many people with living spaces like that, not nice people either. Unlike Marty, who seems pleasant enough. I don't know for sure if he's depressed or something along those lines, I hope after the events of this movie, he starts cleaning up a bit. Baby steps. Maybe Sheila helps out.
This man can just sleep anywhere and anytime! It's like he has narcolepsy, but it may be depression? But it was funny to see him pass out during a piano lesson and then again after Sheila finds out about the ghosts. I'm glad he feels more awake, having a gun shot at you while levitating on a rocking chait and going on a short road trip would keep you more awake to the world.
I would've like to see more of his love for Jazz and maybe see him teach more! I liked his dynamic with Tony, their little handshake was adorable. And of course, more of him and Dolphy, his big good boy!
His reaction to the ghosts was a more realistic one, I believe. He quickly accepted that this was his new reality and helped out his new dead friends. Him being terrified of a literary child was hilarious.
Also the bar scene? Him just losing his shit and laughing like a mad man at the chaos around him? Just great.
Last thing: his dreams were weird, but realistically so. Dreams are weird, man.
~~~
The Rest of the Movie: A fever dream of a movie in a good way. I mean, it literally opens with two strange dream sequences (a trend in this movie). I thought Dolphy, the dog, would have more to do, but eh, it's ok.
Lilly and Ruthie were fun, I liked their relationship! Lilly, a mother, was torn away from her daughter due to her murder by the hands of her own shitty husband and Ruthie, a child torn away from her mother due to illness. I hoped we saw more of Ruthie's background, but this is mainly Lilly's story. But I must say Rachael Bella, the actress for Ruthie, did a fantastic job, especially during the scene when she describes seeing Lilly's murder.
Randomly just bursting into singing and cussing out Marty for not joining right away and then him awkwardly starting a duet with Lilly was funny.
I'm really glad that Lilly got to semi-reunite with her daughter, I don't know if she plans on revealing herself and Ruthie to her or not. But she seems content with just rocking on their chair while watching her boat. They have a much better view now than the shed.
~~~
Sheila and Marty's chemistry wasn't as well built as, say Cliff and Kim (The Steal). Maybe it wasn't supposed to go in that direction, but that one dream? Wanting to be her lover? I don't know for sure. I still like their interactions and reactions to the ghosts. Both just going along and help the lost spirits, who are just doing whatever the hell they want, being silly and goofy together.
~~~
And to Frank, fuck you! His way of accidentally revealing to the cops that he murdered his wife was pleasing. Rot in hell!
~~~
Also, I want to add a warning. There are two slurs thrown in this movie. The N-word (not at anyone specific) and a ethnic slur for people who are Italian, Portuguese, or Spainard. Interestingly the last one being thrown at Marty. Just a heads up!
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Ahhhhh I love audio dramas but every year I love to go back to my favorites and I really want other people to give them a listen I love the characters (there's queer stuff in each as well), the fantastical and sci fi elements are interesting and work well in their stories and they have some nice anti capitalist stuff in there too. I'm just gonna give a little description for each and please please please give them a shot. They were all made by zoomdoom stories (and written by Jaimie killen) and all are very short for podcasts.
Idk I'm not amazing at collecting and saying my thoughts, but if anyone takes the chances and gives one a listen and enjoys it I'll be super happy.
SPINES: A girl, Wren, wakes up in the middle of a cultish blood ritual with little to no memories alongside someone she knows she loves and several strangers she has vague familiarity towards. Wren breaks out of the ritual as the building catches fire and they lose track of everyone else. She works through the mystery of who she is and what was going on during the ritual, learning the secrets of the group, and how she fits into it.
- I love this one it's fun and the way the story changes in seasons 2 and 3 is a fun turn, alongside the ending which is nothing I expected but enjoyed none the less, it's a bit more anthology than the other 2 with the first season having Wren run into weird supernatural occurrences slowly gaining information but the plot gets going as the episodes on. Tho I love it I'd probably rank it 3rd since conceptually I like Ella McCray and it's characters more and the story of mirrors is so tightly done that I need to place it higher
Mirrors: This story follows 3 women in a family line, separated by generations (in the past, present and far future) all seemingly haunted by the same ghosts... or perhaps these ghosts are trying to tell them something?
- I don't wanna give stuff away for this one, the journey through different times and characters is super well done and the way they go about solving the mystery is amazing. Please just give it a listen this and the other shows are fairly short amd can be completely quickly. This is my number 1 audio drama of all time please give it a listen without spoilers
The six disappearances of Ella's McCray: during her wedding Ella stepped into the forest and suddenly disappeared, with 6 witnesses to this event. The problem? All the witnesses say completely different, colliding memories of what happened, many completely unbelievable, stranger still it seems like all of their visions have left them marked and changed in different ways.
-I love this one, the hook was really cool and every character is voiced and interesting. It also has a trans woman as one of the main characters! (Trans/nonbinary characters have appeared before but this is the first one that is a main character from the very beginning) This might have become my favorite if not for one thing.... it's unfinished. Ever since covid the 3rd and final season has been on "indefinite hiatus." Still it's worth giving this story some love as what is out is still very well done and has some interesting sci fi stuff I haven't seen before.
#audio drama#podcast#zoomdoom stories#mirrors podcast#SPINES podcast#six disappearances of ella mccray podcast#queer media
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ML fic Underrated Masterpieces
So there are some ML fics that are absolutely brilliant, but haven’t gotten as much attention as I think they deserve. So I’m gonna give that attention to them, and hopefully make them more well known! This isn’t limited to any particular year. BTW, in case any of the authors haven’t made the connection, I’m Keyseeker on AO3. All Multi-chap fics must have fewer than 300 kudos, and all one-shots must have fewer than 100 kudos, and they must be complete in order to count.
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Multichap-fics
The Ghost in the Machine by @jheqiawrites
As part of this function, Adrien knew about Monarch, the akuma butterflies, the victims, and, of course Ladybug and Cat Noir, the heroes of Paris. He was authorized to contact the Ladyblog as well as the citywide alert system if one of his platforms was active during an akuma manifestation, allowing his friends to get somewhere safe until Ladybug and Cat Noir could deal with the situation
While the necessity of these functions was disconcerting, it was programmed to be his routine so he gradually grew used to the inconsistencies. After all, humans tended to be selfish, highly inconsistent, and often flighty, but once you had observed them for a while an intelligence such as his could begin to see the patterns.
That is until she came online.
This fic is fantastic! I adored diving into Adrien Alliance’s thoughts, his emotions, as he slowly evolved, became more aware, and more... well, human, I guess you could say. You can easily tell he’s based on Adrien with how similar his character traits are, how he latches onto Marinette especially, and even get jealous at times. But also how he grows from that, becomes a better person, and ultimately values other people and their happiness above himself. He has some magnificent character growth that all culminates in a heart-wrenching finale!
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in case you don’t know me tomorrow by @thelibraryloser
“We live in a crazy world where pieces of our lives can be erased like they never even happened. I just wanted to memorize this moment so… so I could keep it, if that makes sense.”
Adrien's heart gave a little flutter. She wanted to keep this moment, meeting him. She wanted to keep… him.
“I understand exactly what you mean."
In a world that has created a way to selectively delete memories, no moment is truly safe. So how do you hold on to something when the memory of it is gone? And how do you keep fighting for someone when you're the only one who remembers?
Yes, I know I already recced this fic in my top ML fics of 2022 post, no, I don’t care. The fact that this hasn’t gotten more attention is a travesty. It just... it’s its own complete story and Adrien’s and Marinette’s fumbling around, trying to figure out what to do after Gabriel tears them apart, finding their way to each other despite everything... it’s amazing.
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Stealing Freedom by @rosie-b
Adrien Agreste was a good person. Marinette knew this to be true, of course; she wouldn’t be marrying him if he were some irredeemable villain. No, her fiancé was practically the opposite of evil. He cooed over babies and kittens, literally stopped to smell the roses and always brought large bouquets of them to dates. He had trouble killing spiders and bugs, begging his partner to take on the task whenever she was around to save him. Adrien was the sweetest person Marinette knew, the most kindhearted, the most forgiving; he was almost too perfect for her sometimes.
But now, Marinette knew that the same Adrien who still blushed when his fiancée kissed him was also the well-known terror of Paris, Cat Walker.
Now, this fic really SHOULD have been in my top fics for 2022 post. I’m a sucker for enemies au and I love a good Sentiadrien fic, so combining the two of them here is great! I feel so bad for Adrien, and I love that the heroes know from early on that Cat Walker isn’t really the enemy here. It’s short, but it’s sweet.
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Strangely Familiar by @sunfoxfic
Alya Césaire’s life is perfect. Indeed, between the success of the Ladyblog, how well she’s doing in school, and the fact that she’s a superhero who has never bore the weight of a crisis of epic proportions, her life almost couldn’t be better. Almost.
But Alya has always been a go-getter, and so she’ll chase after that perfect life if it kills her. Which is how she ends up rushing to move out of her father’s apartment and in with Marinette, Adrien, and a complete stranger: Nino Lahiffe. And in fact, her life does seem perfect — she and Nino are fast friends. They spend a lot of time together and get to know each other really well.
But in the end, fortunate situations will bear unfortunate truths, and she learns things about herself that aren’t quite comfortable. Like I said, though: Alya has always been a go-getter, and she won’t let new feelings deter her from chasing after her perfect life.
This one is still criminally underrated, which I’m guessing is because it’s DJWifi-centric. It’s really worth checking out though, it really fleshes Alya and Nino out, and there are even some Lovesquare-esque shenanigans going on, since they don’t know each other’s identities.
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life’s waiting to begin by kopycat_101
Marc is the shy and soft-spoken Prince of the Underworld, used to being ignored at best and feared at worst. He greatly admires Nathaniel, the Prince of Nature, who’s much too out of his league. Handsome, kind, charming, and charmingly modest, with hair as red as a rose and talented artists' hands.
Yearning for the love of a nature deity when he’s a deity of death is beyond ridiculous, so Marc keeps his hopes low.
But an encounter at the border between the Underworld and the surface leads the two to speaking, which leads to Marc showing Nathaniel his writing and Nathaniel his art. And from there blooms a beautiful friendship…Or maybe more.
This is a marvelous Hades and Persephone inspired story, with a fair bit of drama going on near the end. Marc and Nathaniel may be from two different worlds, and their powers may clash, but that won’t keep them from seeing each other, however much the other gods may wish otherwise.
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Forging Our Own Ending by Ryleesheep
It was one thing, to know your father was Hawkmoth. It was entirely another thing to watch him transform with your own eyes. Adrien watched it again and again, his Lady by his side, determined to find the truth. No matter how many tries it would take.
Brilliant Hawkmoth Takedown fic here, it differentiates itself from most of the pack with how strategic it is, especially with the use of Second Chance. I love how it shows every use of it, with all the differing reactions and information gained from every loop, until finally everything can be put into motion.
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Into the Unknown by NUMBER1ANGIRL
Marinette Dupain-Cheng has been Ladybug for 12 years now. She’s been fighting Hawkmoth by herself in this time, without the partner she was promised. When Hawkmoth is defeated, she starts fighting a new villain, and the strange ache of something she wasn’t aware was missing.
This fic is great. Gabriel sent Adrien away immediately after he received the ring, so he never even got to meet Ladybug. She ended up assembling an entire team to compensate, and when they finally defeated Hawkmoth over a decade later, Adrien’s called back to France in order to deal with Gabriel’s affairs. Which Marinette is very suspicious of...
Oh also Marinette and Luka had a daughter from a one-night stand, and while the two of them are great friends, they’re not married. The daughter, Sara, is great and a lot more perceptive than she’s given credit for. Quite the little Adrienette shipper too!
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Gabriel’s Big Mistake by LilacEnthusiast and Mr_BlackCat
Gabriel makes a bad decision, and it backfires horribly. Shenanigans ensue.
This is a fantastic and brilliant fic. It’s a “crack treated seriously” type fic, with Gabriel doing a ceremony to try to make himself more powerful, and turning himself into a butterfly as a result. His attempts to write a note to Nathalie are less than successful. He’s attacked by a bird, saved by Nino, and becomes his pet butterfly, Subwoofer. But his butterfly mind slowly starts overwriting his human one over time...
This is both a hilarious and an angsty fic, all wrapped into one. Kind of reminds me of how Fullmetal Alchemist is both hilarious and tragic at times, though this one leans more towards the humor. It also has a sequel, which is sadly incomplete, but still worth checking out. Seriously, check out this fic!
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Butterflies Don’t Speak: Gabriel’s Version by Falling Papillon
Nathalie gets struck with an akuma. Her mind gets sent a year into the future. She starts to live her days backwards up to the day she was akumatized.
Gabriel and Nathalie fall in love with each other backwards.
For doctor who fans, you know the Doctor and River Songs? It’s like that but Gabenath and ACTUALLY reversed timelines and instead of “spoilers” its “butterflies dont speak”
This story is in Gabriel’s pov. Nathalie’s pov is in a separate story since they are both going through time differently. I recommend reading one pov at a time but you can read it however you wish!
Butterflies Don’t Speak: Nathalie’s Version by Falling Papillon
Nathalie gets struck with an akuma. Her mind gets sent a year into the future. She starts to live her days backwards up to the day she was akumatized.
Gabriel and Nathalie fall in love with each other backwards.
For doctor who fans, you know the Doctor and River Songs? It’s like that but Gabenath and ACTUALLY reversed timelines and instead of “spoilers” its “butterflies dont speak”
This story is in Nathalie’s pov. Gabriel’s pov is in a separate story since they are both going through time differently. I recommend reading one pov at a time but you can read it however you wish!
So truthfully? These stories (or this story more like, it’s the same story from two different perspectives) is the reason I made this list, and I specifically waited until they were complete to post this rec list.
I have ADORED reading through them both as the author posted them, usually posting one chapter of each at the same time, so that we, the audience, learned what was going on at the same time as the characters. And then to see the crossover point, to get to where we saw what one character experienced, and then to see it from the others point of view... it was just great.
The romance-in-reverse, with both of them slowly warming up to the idea of getting together, of letting go of trying to bring Emilie back, and enjoying what they have together instead, and then having to watch as the other person slowly forgets everything they’ve experienced together as they go forwards or backwards in time (depending on whose perspective you’re reading) is just... it’s great.
And the way both Gabriel and Nathalie start off frustrated with how the other person refuses to tell them what the future holds, until they get used to it, and then gradually as they move through the story THEY end up being the one concealing information... the reversed passage of time just makes for such interesting scenarios!
Oooh, I also love how it complicated gift-giving, since objects only travel forwards, not backwards in time. Gabriel and Adrien have to be creative about gift-giving in order to have any success!
Just... this format, with the way time works, and how it affects both Gabriel and Nathalie, just... it’s very creative, I love it a lot, and honestly I’m probably gonna keep it in mind because I could see wanting to write a story for some other couple at some point in time using a similar idea.
One-shots
I Won’t Let You by @generalluxun
After Gabriel's defeat, two individuals not party to the celebration run into each other, and find each other.
I’ve talked about this one before and I’ll talk about it again. Or rather, rave XD.
The way that Chloe and Felix almost dance around each other to try to get the other person to understand why they’re unhappy and even kind of scared, comparing who has it worse, with Chloe making Felix understand how she’s treated by her parents and the expectations society has for her, and Felix making her understand, viscerally, the sword of Damocles he’s under... it’s brilliant and poetic, and beautiful to read.
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When You Broke Me by @emmalylis
Adrien runs away from home. Gabriel simply replaces him with a sentimonster duplicate. Of course, it isn’t an exact copy…
This is short, but really intriguing, I’d love to read more of this! This new SentiAdrien is innocent and confused about what’s going on, he thinks he has amnesia, not knowing that Gabriel just full-on made him as a replacement after Adrien ran away. The original Adrien is compassionate towards him, even as he tries to figure out what’s going on and what to do.
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The Little Things by christallized
Marc's going on a date with Nath and he only has a few hours to prepare. What will they do? What should they eat? What will Marc wear? Will Nath like all the little things Marc worked so hard to set up to give them the absolutely best, most perfect date?
(Also there's an Akuma breaking reality into an endless, painful fragmentation of horror and suffering but that's not important)
This fic is just fun. Marc is mostly worried about his date, while ignoring the Welcome to Nightvale-esque horror going on all around him. The cashier may be floating in the air with his body being puppeteered around and his detached head screaming, but there’s no reason to let that ruin Marc’s date plans!
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Xena season 4 finale(ish) post, warning for spoilers for certain mutuals who are currently watching the show, or anyone else.
FANTASTIC climax to Gabrielle's arc this season, good god. When she throws that fucking spear... chills. This is another contender for favourite Xena scene of all, it's so incredibly effective. The way these last few episodes have really hammered down Gabrielle's pacifism with her arguments with Amarice, her choice to let Brutus go instead of having him executed, her stupid powder and non-lethal fight shenanigans, the return of Eli in this episode - and it's all there just to make the moment where she picks up that spear as impactful as possible, and it works. Even her first kill and that fallout all the way back in season 3 now feels like it exists just to set up the emotional impact of this scene, it's that good.
And god the scene itself is amazing to watch. The way she mows down soldier after soldier as brutally and efficiently as possible, the way she visibly shifts from fighting to protect Xena to lashing out in frustrated rage as she realizes that escape is impossible, her lack of regret afterwards. The cheffest of kisses.
This episode was fantastic in other ways as well. I love that the show makes it clear that Xena only lost here because Callisto is a fucking cheater lmao. She would've killed Caesar when she intended to if Callisto hadn't intercepted her chakram, and she would've escaped the prison if Callisto hadn't broken her back. Caesar didn't defeat Xena, Callisto did, and only because Callisto has ghost magic going on. And that's very fitting too, because if it was just Xena vs Caesar it might've felt a little thin for an epic conclusion - but with true fan-beloved archnemesis Callisto involved, it feels appropriately impactful. Also love that Xena intended to just quietly assassinate Caesar lol. Circumstances are a little different than The Debt, since Caesar did declare his murderous intentions first, but the vibes are similar and I love them.
Also Caesar's sexualized vulnerability in this ep sure was a choice, but a good one imo - the sex nightmare (including a prolonged shot where they're positioned to mimic gender-reversed missionary) as well as Callisto getting handsy with him. And again like, idk exactly what the intent was here, but the vibes do feel like a call-back to his dubconny sexual encounter with Xena, and the fact (? taking their exchange in When Fates Collide into account, when Xena says she must've been his worst nightmare) that he was/is afraid of her. Idk, it adds a nicely complex layer to their interactions and mutual enmity, not quite undermining Xena's resentful hatred, but suggesting it's a two-way street, and for a good reason, especially with v traumatized Callisto drawing a parallel between the two of them in how Xena fucked them up. And given that they both simultaneously die by each others' hands-by-proxy in a pair of intercut scenes at the end, it does fit this story nicely. Both achieve a cathartic, and arguably deserved, vengeance.
Idk if I can say that was the intent definitively, I mean, the show also just has a hard-on for dominant women lol, it doesn't frame Xena as an actual rapist at any point, and it certainly hasn't made an impression on fans either based on the fact that I've like, never seen this dynamic between them discussed before. But Caesar waking up in terror after dreaming about Xena fucking and then stabbing him - in a context that suggests this is a recurring nightmare, given Caesar saying "dreams" plural and the fact that he hasn't even seen her recently - sure is a striking image to start us off with and contextualize Caesar's obsessive hatred, yk?
Oh man and finally I adore Callisto in this ep, and not just because she looks good with short hair lol. Also like, that shot when Xena and Gabrielle are being brought out to the crosses and she catches a snowflake on her tongue like a delighted child might be my favourite Callisto moment of all <333 And speaking of that moment, the direction and editing of this episode was also just amazing. Beautiful, many striking images, excellently paced.
Basically this was a nearly perfect episode, extremely satisfying and poignant and engaging and intriguing, and if it had actually been the end of the series it would've been a very fitting end. In some ways seasons 5 and 6 almost feel like bonus seasons lol, take them or leave them, with this as the true thematically resonant and emotionally satisfying ending.
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💞 HP Soulmates: Fated 2 Be - Week 1 Roundup 💞
Can you believe it? It felt like this first week just flew by! And in case you missed any of these fantastic fics (and art!):
💞 [FIC] Phantom 💞 (T, Remus/Severus, 1.8k)
Soulmates communicate by writing on each other’s skin, Severus leaves Remus on read way too often, and the two confront a little unfinished business because (you guessed it) they’re ghosts!
💞 [FIC] Ink Stained Skin 💞 (M, Harry/Pansy, 19.8k)
Pansy Parkinson went all the way to California to hide from her past and was pleased to find her escape a rousing success. At least it had been until a freak accident involving a spilled bottle of ink erased all her progress and sent her past (or possibly her future) careening back into her path.
💞 [ART] Pour My Heart (In Places Where It Can’t Be Touched) 💞 (G, Tom/Harry and Draco/Harry, Digital Art)
Draco Malfoy’s soulmate is Harry Potter. Harry Potter’s soulmate is Tom Riddle. Only Tom Riddle disrupts fate with his bare hands when he decides to split his soul, severing the string that links him to Harry Potter. The prophecy takes its course – turning star-crossed lovers into enemies.
💞 [FIC] Lover’s Leap 💞 (E, Pansy/Neville, 13.5k)
The Wizarding World is small and insular—Pansy Parkinson and Neville Longbottom have known each other since they were children. But after Pansy’s Grandmother dies, a magical heirloom forces them to see each other in a new light.
💞 [FIC] The Enemy of My Enemy 💞 (T, Harry/Regulus, 33.8k)
In a world where soulmates are identified by tattoo-like marks on the body, Harry Potter was born with a constellation on his arm. For nearly seventeen years, it sits there, dormant and dark. Then, as he and Dumbledore enter the cave where they believe a Horcrux may be hidden, the stars begin to glow. The Blacks don’t go looking for their soulmates. Regulus was taught from an early age to ignore the lightning bolt on his skin and prioritize his duty to the family. But when he finds himself thrust into an unfriendly future, his soulmate may be the only person he can trust. At first glance, the two have little in common beyond their mutual desire to see Voldemort defeated. Will that be enough to bring them together?
💞 [FIC] Soulless: Blind Date 💞 (T, Sirius/Severus, 1.7k)
There were three types of soulmates: platonic, romantic, and enemy. Severus was one of the rare few without a soulmate. He was one of the soulless. Those who are shunned by society because they are seen as unable to make connections, which is a blatant lie. Or Severus has the opportunity of finding love when he goes on a blind date.
💞 [FIC] souls and marks 💞 (T, Albus/Gellert, 1.1k)
A new parlour opens near the Diagon Alley, offering to reveal the soulmarks. Everyone is, naturally, curious, and clients start coming over, while the owner, one infamous Gellert Grindelwald, watches over them.
💞 [FIC] In His Love Story 💞 (E, Luna/Theo, 12.3k)
Set in magical regency England, Lord Theodore Nott is in want of a wife, except he doesn’t believe he will find a witch he could call his soulmate… until Lady Luna Lovegood made the Queen laugh.
💞[FIC] tell me where it ends 💞 (E, Draco/Harry, 63k)
After Harry wakes from his short-lived death, he begins to see red strings tied around the fingers of everyone he sees. No one else seems to be able to see them. He is surprised to see who is (or isn’t) tied to each other. He is tied to Draco Malfoy. Feature: Supportive Kingsley, a twist on the 8th-year fic
💞 [ART] We are who we are 💞 (G, Fleur/Hermione, Digital Art)
Fleur and Hermione try to resist the pull they have toward each other.
💞 [FIC] The Choice 💞 (T, Fleur/Hermione, 2.7k)
When one soulmate dies, the other begins to see them in dreams. Except it’s not just a dream, is it?
#hp soulmates 2023#hp soulmates#weekly roundup#hp fic rec#hp art rec#mod post#remus x severus#harry x pansy#harry x tom#draco x harry#neville x pansy#sirius x severus#albus x gellert#theo x luna#fleur x hermione
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