#i know I've said iconic a lot today but like this is one of my favorite scenes of the whole series

[jonathanbyersphd]

Jonathan shouting for Nancy while Nocturnal Me starts playing??? ICONIC UNMATCHED THEY AREN'T DOING IT LIKE THEM

[daenysx]

Hey babes first off cinnamon girl sleepover is absolutely iconic I love it! Very much helping me get into the autumn mood.

Can I please request James Potter + 11:25 pm? <3

11.25 PM | JAMES POTTER

"which one looks better?" you ask james as you hold two dresses in your hands. "i think this one is like- for a fancier night. oh, wait there's one more."

you're trying to decide what you want to wear to your friend's birthday party tomorrow night. it's important because it will be the first time james will meet your friends from work. he sits on your bed, watching you and helping you pick something.

you said you should decide what to wear before you sleep, and james agreed immediately. he likes this routine a lot, not just for special occasions but even in your daily life, you ask for his opinion on your outfit for the next day. he likes matching jewelries with your clothes, or telling you how much he likes your shoes.

"i think the dark blue one is really good." he says. "you remember i've got a shirt same color? we can match."

"oh my god, yes!" you say happily. "that would be perfect. i can wear my black heels."

james laughs at your excitement. you put the dress on your chair neatly, you can go to bed now that it has been decided.

he pulls you to his lap the second your leg touches his. he's quick to kiss you, your hand goes to his neck to get him closer. "sleepy?" you ask him, your lips still on his lips.

"a little." he admits, your gorgeous boy. he's been tired at the training today, he'll probably drift off the second his head hits the pillow.

"you know, now that the fall's coming, i think we should go shopping when we have time."

"yeah?" james asks, trying to settle down in bed with you. he's got big arms and a huge chest so it's not hard for him. "what should we get?"

"new lipsticks for me, because i'm running out of my red ones." you tell him. "and a new jacket for you, because yours will probably have holes in its arm if you keep pulling it down your wrist."

"and scarves?"

"yes!" you agree. "and pumpkin shaped candles."

james falls asleep somewhere in this conversation, he's got a smile on his face when his eyes close on their own. making shopping plans before midnight is a good idea. you kiss his cheek before leaving the bed to turn off the lights.

cinnamon girl sleepover ♡

[directdogman]

Hi, I hope you're having a decent day! I'm sorry if this is an invasive set of questions - feel free not to answer - but do you still actively like DSaF as your own creation, or is it more of a "it was fun while it lasted but i outgrew it and it's for the best to leave it behind" kind of project? Do you ever regret making the games? If you knew they would get so popular, is there anything you would have changed about them? Is there anywhere I could read more of your writing.

It fluctuates a bit. These last couple of years, I've really just been sorta nostalgic for it. I've seen a lot of people discuss those games being a source of comfort during bad times in their lives, people talking about how much the characters mean to them and it's hard not to smile when you see that.

It's a funny thing for close friends of yours to see people WITH fanmade DSaF merch out in the wild, or to watch a random youtube video and being hit with a DSaF reference outta nowhere. It happens from time to time, even today. On a few occasions, I've even had a person reference my work to me in real life and not realize who they were talking to, believe it or not. It's really fun to play dumb and get someone to explain your work to you like you don't know what it is.

I certainly didn't think any of that would happen when I first made the series, or even during development. I think the normal assumption would be to look at DSaF as it exists now and assume its release was a peak for it, but believe it or not, the official discord only had 30 people in it shortly before 3 dropped! The archive listing of the series (reposted to a single page after the series ended) is now sitting at over 1.1 MILLION downloads.

People kinda assume the true heyday of something is when it's new, when it's fresh and novel. For instance, some people look back at when FNaF itself was new and see that time as its peak because it had a lot of internet cultural relevance as big new indie thing on the block. But, raw numbers don't lie. The series has been continually growing since its conception and that growth has similarly bled over to its fan projects. This explains why DSaF, despite not having a new series release in almost 6 years, seems to be inexplicably growing.

Just recently, I saw someone post footage of a scene from DSaF 2 on Twitter, which got over 16k likes. People praised its writing and largely celebrated the scene. The ironic thing about that particular scene is that I remembered being unsure if it was good or not, so I showed it off in one of the FNaF community hubs. The response was broadly lukewarm to negative. Now, it's held up as one of the best scenes in those games. That's kind of the point I'm trying to make, my thoughts on the series have certainly changed with everyone's else with years of hindsight.

Heh. I'm not sure if I've talked about this in a long time, but y'know, the very first scene I implemented in-game was actually the very first Phone Guy scene in DSaF 1, more or less exactly how it appears in-game today. This was before I'd even written the bulk of the game. I was pretty unfamiliar with visual novels as a whole, pretty unsure if something like this would be palatable to a fandom that was really just used to sit 'n' survive stuff that were far more gameplay than text. I mean, there wasn't any FNaF fangames really LIKE DSaF before that point. Closest was FNaFb, a jokey turn based RPG made in the same engine.

The engine I made the game in is also not exactly fit for VNs out of the box either, and I wasn't 100% sure the idea would actually work. But, the very first time I added the image of the prize corner, Phone Guy, the audio of that iconic cheesy stock track and booted up a test screen, I had a little moment where I said "Oh. I think I'm onto something interesting here." I kinda remembering instantly realizing in that single moment how much potential the idea had. Over 8 years later, I still remember that moment like it was yesterday.

I think lately, that's the sort of stuff I think of when I see people coming to me and asking about the series. Yes, it's really rough around the edges, yes, there's jokes that've aged poorly. But, it is a source of comfort for people and entertains tens of thousands of people each month. And that's gotta count for something, right?

[queerfables]

A dash of nutmeg...

Look I feel a bit like I'm throwing soup at a dart board and calling it analysis, but I have some thoughts about Aziraphale's magic words in episode 4, and it's going to kill me if I don't share.

The thing is, these words have been nagging at me since I heard them. They sounded familiar, and I've been trying to figure out why. Today, it finally clicked.

Banana. Fish. Gorilla.

Those initial three words are all key words from Crowley and Aziraphale's drunken conversation about Armageddon. It's right at the start of things, when Crowley convinces Aziraphale to help him stop the world from ending.

We'll start with the fish, because they come up first.

"The point I'm trying to make," [Crowley] said, brightening, "is the dolphins. That's my point." "Kind of fish," said Aziraphale.

Their entire exchange here is hilarious and iconic but I'll try to keep this to the point. After some banter about the difference between fish and mammals, Crowley argues that dolphins don't deserve to be caught in the crossfire when the kraken rises and the seas boil. Which conveniently brings us to:

"Same with gorillas. Whoops, they say, sky gone all red, stars crashing to ground, what they putting in the bananas these days?"

Banana. Fish. Gorilla. It got me curious, so I searched for other places these words show up in the book. There's nothing I think is really significant: a couple of things are described as banana flavoured, fish show up in rains that herald the impending doomsday, gorillas aren't ever mentioned again. If I'm on the right track at all, I think this part is here to signpost a connection between this string of words from the show and the specific moments in the book.

If that's true, it must be pointing to something. What's left? Shoe lace and nutmeg.

Shoe lace.

The word "shoelace" isn't actually in Good Omens. Neither is "shoe lace" with a space in between. There's a couple of unremarkable descriptions involving shoes, and one miraculously conjured lace handkerchief, and then - and then. Right at the very end of the story, we have Adam, grounded by his parents, being described as "a scruffy Napoleon with his laces trailing, exiled to a rose-trellissed Elba". It's tenuous. I could dismiss that as nothing. Except Adam's laces show up again, and it's the very last passage of the book.

If you want to imagine the future, imagine a boy and his dog and his friends. And a summer that never ends. And if you want to imagine the future, imagine a boot . . . no, imagine a sneaker, laces trailing, kicking a pebble; imagine a stick, to poke at interesting things, and throw for a dog that may or may not decide to retrieve it; imagine a tuneless whistle, pounding some luckless popular song into insensibility; imagine a figure, half angel, half devil, all human . . . Slouching hopefully towards Tadfield . . . . . . forever.

I'm not ready to say much about what I think the significance of this passage might be. But an allusion to the book's ending does feel significant, doesn't it?

The one thing I will say, for people who may not know, is that this passage is riffing on a line from Orwell's 1984. The line it's playing on is a lot darker: "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – for ever." I think it's probably relevant that this is referencing a book about a totalitarian regime. I also think it's probably relevant that it's taking that reference and twisting it into something much sweeter, more optimistic and empowered.

I'm still thinking through all the connections and implications, though.

Nutmeg.

And that brings us to "nutmeg". I have to be honest, I wasn't hopeful. I didn't remember any references to it and if I were betting, I wouldn't have put money on it appearing in the book at all. But the word does show up, and it shows up exactly once. Crowley is reminiscing about a cocktail he had once, made out of fermented date-palms. It's part of a conversation with Aziraphale, where they discuss losing the Antichrist. And here's the really interesting part:

"You said it was him!" moaned Aziraphale, abstractedly picking the final lump of cream-cake from his lapel. He licked his fingers clean. "It was him," said Crowley. "I mean, I should know, shouldn't I?" "Then someone else must be interfering." "There isn't anyone else! There's just us, right? Good and Evil. One side or the other." He thumped the steering wheel. "You'll be amazed at the kind of things they can do to you, down there," he said. "I imagine they're very similar to the sort of things they can do to one up there," said Aziraphale. "Come off it. Your lot get ineffable mercy," said Crowley sourly. "Yes? Did you ever visit Gomorrah?" "Sure," said the demon. "There was this great little tavern where you could get these terrific fermented date-palm cocktails with nutmeg and crushed lemongrass-" "I meant afterwards." "Oh."

Book Aziraphale differs from his characterisation in the show in a few ways, and this is the big one. In the book, Aziraphale is much more cynical about his own side, and much more aware of heaven's flaws. Here, he's convincing Crowley that the threat heaven poses is just as serious as any threat from hell.

If I'm right about any of this, if these nonsense words mean anything at all, I think they are saying that heaven and hell are two sides of the same very nasty coin, and more to the point, that maybe Aziraphale is more aware of it than he seems.

I need to think about this more, still. I'm not sure if I really think this connection is something, and if it is, I'm still figuring out what sorts of conclusions we might draw from it. But if the script is trying to point us to these three sections of the book, maybe there's a deeper analysis to be had here.

I do think it's interesting that the last two words each only show up in one section of the book. It's not like I'm skipping around trying to decide which passage involving shoe laces is most relevant - it shows up twice, only in the last few pages of the book and only in relation to Adam (and in particular, humanising Adam. He's Napoleon in exile, but he's a kid with trailing laces. His future isn't a boot stamping on a human face, it's a sneaker with those same trailing laces - and a stick that his dog can choose whether or not to chase).

I could talk myself in circles on this point, so I guess I've got to open it up to the floor. Am I making something out of nothing with this? Or do you think there could be something here?

[genericpuff]

Hi! I came here from your "lore olympus biggest whiff" blog about the finale... I've never read LO but I was always interested in it. However, after reading a few paragraphs of that blog (I didn't read all of it because I didn't want to get too many spoilers), it doesn't seem worth it. Would you recommend it up to a certain chapter? If yes, until which chapter should I read?

Honestly, if you want to read LO, I absolutely highly recommend reading the whole thing, or at least trying to. Not just to give context to the things we're all talking about in these communities, but also because it's about to go behind the Daily Pass wall on August 29th and it'll become even more inconvenient to do so.

I'm personally still a huge sucker for the first season myself because it just has that magic that LO used to have that a lot of us fell in love with in the first place; it still has its flaws, it's definitely the worst of the "Persephone looks like a toddler" era, but the characters feel a lot more real and a lot of the best, most iconic panels from the series come from S1. The first half of S2 also isn't awful, though the art does start to get a bit rough around the edges. It wasn't until the last half of S2 that I personally started to go , "Wait, I don't think Rachel knows what she's doing." That said, I didn't become a full-blown critic of the series until the S2 finale, which is where I firmly believe the comic should have ended (that is, if Rachel had structured the story better to allow for the S2 finale to be the overall series finale).

But you should read as much of it as you can anyways. Even if you can't get through a certain part of the story and decide to DNF, that's fine, but I personally don't want to be the one deciding for folks what they should be reading or how much. I also definitely don't want people forming their opinion of a work like LO entirely through my criticisms of it - the best way for you to form your own opinion, regardless of whether or not it aligns with my own, is to simply read it yourself. I know where I started to lose interest in the series, but you might not feel the same way when you read it yourself. It's definitely happened in the past that people have gone to read LO to "see what all the fuss is about" only to wind up loving it haha and that's great, honestly, I don't want anyone to wind up missing out on something they might like just because of my own opinions about it :' )

Honestly it seems daunting but you can easily read all of LO between today and the 29th, a lot of the earlier S1 episodes are relatively short and the actual pacing of the comic itself throughout the second and third season makes for a very quick reading experience, text bubbles usually aren't too wordy so depending on how fast of a reader you are, you can usually blitz through each episode within 2-3 minutes (that said, I'm also a bit of a faster reader so your reading time may vary). Plus the episode count on the app is also thrown off by several episodes that are purely dedicated to Q&A's, hiatus notices, etc. So it's about a 12-18 hour reading experience give or take, which sounds like a lot, but if you're able to read several chunks of episodes at a time in bursts, it can be done by the time it goes behind DP on the 29th :' )

So yeah ! I do hope you read it for yourself if you're really curious, and if you do, feel free to come back again and tell me about your experience! Did you get through all of it or did you DNF? Did it put any of my own criticisms into better context for you or did you wind up enjoying the series regardless?

Best of luck!! <3

[skitskatdacat63]

Happy Birthday to Seb, and Seb only.

+ some explanations

I realized as I was making this, some of the little stuff probably only makes sense to me, and maybe people who have been following me for a while atp. So I wanted to explain some of the little details I included cause I really love them!!

First of all, I wanted to incude my original sketch for this(from like 5 hours ago lmfao), bcs I find it sooooo cute. Look at him!! Little guy!

I. Fernando's Gift

This is of course a reference to the Fernando teddy bear, but more specifically to the vettonso comic with the bear I drew a while ago. As you can see from my sketch, this is the first gift I came up, which I'm pretty happy about!! It's always so cute to me no matter its form. Though...I don't think teddy bears existed yet in the early 1700s, but Fernando found a way, okay? I like to think Fernando is all gruff in the beginning, but gives Seb this or something similar and remarks "to keep you company when I'm back in Spain," and then he has to pretend he has food poisoning rather than living with having said something so sappy.

II. Mark's Gift

I don't think this is really a reference to any specific post of mine. Dog!Mark is just an important Mark characterization in general, but especially in boy king au where he is really reduced to the status of dog by virtue of his upbringing and vocation. He definitely plays this off as wanting Seb to get another hunting dog(something he advocates for often. Seb knows it's entirely self motivated but loves to humor him bcs its cute to see how much he loves dogs. Well Seb loves dogs too, one dog in particular-)

III. Jenson's Gift

AAAAHHHH I'm so proud of this one bcs of how many leves there are to it!! I couldn't for the life of me think of what Jense would gift him but then I remembered I characterize him as horse obsessed(read: ye olde carfucker.) So this is basically the ye olde version of him getting Seb ultra detailed minatures of his cars. HOWEVER this is also a callback to one of my favorite posts I've ever made, back when I translated Seb's car names into Latin. So it was fun to actually get to canonize that in a way. ALSO! BTW! Those horses are specifically Lipizzans, which are a very iconic horse breed in the Habsburg Empire and Vienna specifically. A horse breed sought after by the Habsburgs for both war but also riding schools, and they still remain as the breed of horse trained in Vienna's Spanish Riding School today. The emperor Seb is based on comissioned the school's main riding hall, and his portrait still hangs above where the riders enter. So I thought that was a fun little easter egg to include!

Also the characterization in this is so funny. I guess I'd consider them a polycule, like they're a unit and all have interesting relationships between each other. But one of the main focuses is the kinda love triangle between sebmarknando. Like Mark and Fernando constantly fighting for Seb'cs undivided affection and attention. But as per usual, Jenson, who is on the sidelines, swoops in effortlessly with the most perfect gift ever. I feel like he understands and gets along with Seb the best out of the three, but just doesn't want to deal with such a complicated thing so he's satisfied being a bit distant(he secretly takes a lot of joy one-upping the other two. It's impossible to not crave your ruler's attention, no?)

[kimberlyannharts]

At this point Power Rangers has done a few crossover comics, and they've all been some pretty logical and big name choices - the Justice League, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Godzilla. So today's crossover comic is one that definitely took people by surprise - Usagi Yojimbo, the long-running story of a wandering rōnin having adventures in feudal Japan (who also happens to be a bunny rabbit), written and illustrated by Stan Sakai since 1984. While an icon in his own right - funnily enough, he's a regular guest in TMNT properties - I don't think ANYONE really had HIM in mind as a contender for a crossover with Power Rangers compared to more conventional properties like Transformers or even My Little Pony.

After all, what do they know about samurai in Power Rangers?

It's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Usagi Yojimbo!

= So I know I've gone on and on about Shawn Daley's art but I really just need you to look at them again. It just makes me so happy to see a more stylized take on the MMPRs - basically if you took Daniele di Nicuolo's art and ramped up the anime influence by 100. It gives the book that much extra charm

= who the hell is THIS I'm here for the FURRIES not another random boring human!!!!!! it's like I'm playing Animal Crossing

= Jason's attitude in this book annoys me but at the same time it wouldn't be a Ryan book if he wasn't writing Jason in a way that annoys me.

= (also, they knew about the Morphin Masters this early in their Ranger career? I guess Zordon did mention them in an early episode, but.........what have they done that's similar to this that Jason would know about kjkjdkf

= I still think it's very weird that they didn't give the whole "maybe it would be easier if I was fighting alone" to uh.....you know.....Tommy, the loner? Who's so used to fighting alone that he struggled to adjust to a team? But I guess he has a girlfriend and Jason doesn't so.

= Is this a safe space. because the rabbit is pretty hot.

= HAHAHAAAA TOKEN EVIL HUMAN I KNEW IT

= YFIP: THE MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS - assisting the villain, thievery of a powerful artifact, assault against civilians, racism against furries

= Like I've said before Jason's characterization here irritates me a bit but I'll give the book props that someone's actually allowed to call him out on it for once. Like man I wish Tommy in the main series was allowed to tell Jason to shut up once in a while like Usagi does here

= Kim: Tommy, it's 4 pm! Time to go help our friends!

Tommy: yes honey

= Wow, look at these guys! They're like......Shogun Rangers! ............wait a minute

= But seriously, though, I gotta say these are one of the best alternate MMPR designs we've gotten in ages - I LOVE how they apply all of MMPR's little details into each individual user. And the altered weapons are awesome, too. Between these and the Kaiju Rangers we've really been cooking with the alternate forms lately

= And as I said, they did manage to resist the urge to give Usagi a Ranger form. I did like my old "maybe he'll find a Samuraizer" idea, though

= They both nearly died via crystal explosion a few hours ago but all they care about is their cool new outfits, just otp things <3

= I was about to say "well yeah, duh, that's why the Dragonzord doesn't have wings" but then I remembered. oh yeah. technically the Zords aren't Japanese in origin in-universe, are they

= It's nice to see Dragonzord Battle Mode! That was a form that didn't get a lot of spotlight in the comics - I think the only time we really saw it in the main series was Shattered Grid, and not for very long before it got destroyed by Serpentera

= Kim and Usagi only get one real onscreen exchange but she also catches him in the Pterodactyl and they have matching bangs. I'll take this as a win, though Splinter is still her #1 rodent dad

= they are so fucking sad

= I think future books should bring Usagi back or just crossover with him again with no explanation. Make people think he's a PR character just like how people assume he's a TMNT character

[nadas-dirthalen]

I Saw Solas's Origin in an Achievement Icon and It Opened My Eyes on 15 Years of Lore

— PART EIGHT: if you haven't read previous parts, do it now! —

[ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ]

Welcome, friends and travellers! I wanted to get some thoughts recorded before Veilguard's release so I could see if I am right about an absolute BOATLOAD of theories I have.

In short: I saw the achievement list when it was released. I have seen the backstory hints for Solas included in said list. AND MY MIND WAS BLOWN.

You have been warned: THIS COLLECTION OF THEORIES INCLUDES SPOILERS FOR EVERY DRAGON AGE GAME AND ALL PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL UP TO AND INCLUDING OCTOBER 18, 2024.

Come sit down with me. Make a nice cup of tea (and hide it from Solas). We've got a lot of unpacking to do.

(no, this photo isn't the spoiler, I just like it.)

The Story of Solas: Him Solas Evanuris, Da'durgen'lin (1/3)

— The Ballad That Played Right Before Our Eyes —

I meant to write this as soon as I got my day started today (perks of being on the border of a sinus infection right before Veilguard). But I thought of something last night, and I had to do some of the Temple of Solasan and Trespasser all over again to confirm it.

I'm glad I did. I'm horrified at what I found.

Let's begin.

Seriously, as ever, go read the other parts before this one. If you need to only read a few, then read 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7 (linked above). All of those matter for context here, you've been forewarned!

This post will exist in three parts. First up, we've got:

The World at the Time of Solas's Manifestation

Da'durgen'lin: Not the First, but Perhaps Mythal's Last

Solasan: The Icy Terror the World Forgot

The Dread Wolf: Inspiring Hope in Friends, and Fear in Enemies

The World at the Time of Solas's Manifestation

I will be as brief as possible here. Remember when I said the other parts were important for context? It's because we're largely skipping the context we've already covered today.

In the briefest of terms:

Titans, unsundered.

Maker's second children, made. Evanuris, jealous. Evanuris, slaying Titans.

Evanuris, already doing all of their lyrium/Titan-atrocities. We'll get to how I know that.

Conditions are perfect for the blight to begin. All Titans, thus far (that we know of), have been wounded consistently. All are ramping up to "fight back." (We'll get to that.)

But the Evanuris are continuing, heedless of what their arrogance will bring.

Enter: Solas Evanuris.

Da'durgen'lin: Not the First, but Perhaps Mythal's Last

More brevity here, but now with added screencaps from when I just played Trespasser this morning (in fact, I just finished the Shattered Library, and am going to go back to Trespasser after this).

We already knew Mythal was mining Titans for people. What I've refreshed my memory on are three things:

We don't know where in the Deep Roads this is (that I know of)

This is not the only place we see lyrium coffins

This is where we see the codex about needing to forget this place: the one I mentioned began the blight yesterday.

Before I go on, I wish to revisit one more codex from this portion of the Deep Roads: Mythal's Lullaby.

Ir sa tel'nal Mythal las ma theneras Ir san'a emma Him solas evanuris Da'durgen'lin Banal malas elgara Bellanaris, bellanaris.

Isatunoll Mythal gives you dreams Lyrium within Becomes Solas evanuris Blight you give to the Titan Forever, forever.

I've discovered new significance in it that I have not been able to fit into these posts as yet: this lullaby is almost perfectly in the Hallelujah cadence. It follows Hallelujah's meter, but the lines are split up as a distraction.

It can be arranged as:

Ir sa tel'nal, Mythal las ma (8) Theneras ir san'a emma (8) Him Solas Evanuris, da'durgen'lin (11) Banal malas elgara (hallelujah, hallelujah) Bellanaris, bellanaris. (hallelujah, hallelujah)

With the use of "you" in the song and the fact that it is called Mythal's lullaby, I am going to posit that she is singing this to Solas. Why?

Cole tells us in Trespasser. "He did not want a body. But she asked him to come. He left a scar when he burned her off his face."

I believe that this is Mythal asking Solas to take physical shape. But... why? Why coax a spirit if he did not want to come into the physical world, outside of his Titan? If she coerced him into a body, only for the horrors of the Blight to follow, why would he look up to her as the lone voice of reason among the Evanuris?

I'm choosing to read Mythal in a good light here. Know that, as I continue to theorize, the worst case scenario is also possible.

Solasan: the Icy Terror the Elvhen Tried to Forget

Last night, after writing part 7, I could not get this codex out of my mind. The moment of the blight's beginning. I am astonished that I have not seen it theorized before (not to say it does not exist, just that it has not been flung far and wide across the fandom—at least not where I can find it).

Let's go back to it.

In the light of the veilfire, the runes seem to shift, coiling and uncoiling like snakes. A thunderous voice shatters the stillness, shouting: "Hail Mythal, adjudicator and savior! She has struck down the pillars of the earth and rendered their demesne unto the People! Praise her name forever!" For a moment, the scent of blood fills the air, and there is a vivid image of green vines growing and enveloping a sphere of fire. The vision grows dark. An aeon seems to pass. Then the runes crackle, as if filled with an angry energy. A new vision appears: elves collapsing caverns, sealing the Deep Roads with stone and magic. Terror, heart-pounding, ice-cold, as the last of the spells is cast. A voice whispers: "What the Evanuris in their greed could unleash would end us all. Let this place be forgotten. Let no one wake its anger. The People must rise before their false gods destroy them all."

I could not help but think again on how Mythal's lullaby directly says, "Blight you give to the Titan." I asked myself, late at night, in despair: could Solas's manifestation TRULY have been the beginning of the blight on Thedas?

Well, we know where to find out, don't we? The Temple of Solasan. I'm not the kind of person to grab 114 shards in a video game (sorry, Bioware), but I did find a mod that let me in over the summer, and I pulled up an old save.

Jogging my memory made me cry.

The top chamber in the temple is where one finds the inscription on Solas. We'll get there, and we'll also get to the outside of the temple, don't worry. For now, I want to focus on the lower level. (Pardon my Inquisition screenshots and their messiness; I told y'all I wasn't going online in any real capacity today, and I meant it. You're getting all homemade footage here.)

There are three rooms down here. One for plants (left), one for fire (right), and one for ice (center).

Huh. Doesn't that sound like...

For a moment, the scent of blood fills the air, and there is a vivid image of green vines growing and enveloping a sphere of fire. The vision grows dark. An aeon seems to pass. Then the runes crackle, as if filled with an angry energy. A new vision appears: elves collapsing caverns, sealing the Deep Roads with stone and magic. Terror, heart-pounding, ice-cold, as the last of the spells is cast.

My heart sank. My stomach twisted into knots. I explored the fire and plant wings again, and found little that I hadn't already explored or looted—only corpses possessed by demons.

But the ice room...

Something flashed within. Something that made my blood run cold (fittingly, I think).

I ventured in. And then I began to cry, for I knew.

Without enemies, not in combat, the floor periodically flashes when you run over certain spots in the room. The whole floor, just for a second, is covered in these.

I'm not one of the fancy fly-cam people, so I spent a lot of time running around until I could hit the Tactical Mode button at the exact right second.

I don't know what this exact sigil means. But I swear that it has blight or bad-bad-not-good-magic implications, and... well, it's red. Red, in a blue room full of ice.

Even with no corpses around this time, no enemies left to fight: I knew, deep in my bones, that this place is what that codex was referring to. Let this place be forgotten.

Let the Titans be forgotten, because of what horrors we have seen.

It makes me read the codices of this temple in a new and horrifying light.

Faintly carved into the stone is a figurebound in chains. Two other figures haveturned their gaze from the central image.The script below the image is ancient,though Solas is able to provide a partialtranslation: Pride in our accomplishments and in our hearts. That same pride became (a word meaning corrupted or altered) within him, he sought to claim (indecipherable), cast from favor and so was bound. Hidden from mortal eyes, death lies within.

"That same pride became (a word meaning corrupted or altered) within him." Now, we have new context on what corrupted or altered might imply.

The same with, "cast from favor and so was bound." The Titan—the Stone—rejected Solas. But why? Was it because of what he was seeking, or because of what Mythal was coercing/asking him to seek? And when he was "bound" — it was by her, right?

But we know what came next. We know that Terror—a Forgotten One, a Titan—fought back, just like Cole says.

"They made bodies from the earth. And the earth was afraid. It fought back. But they made it forget."

The Earth—the Titan—was afraid. It was Terror. It fought back, lighting a room entirely in horrific red circles that gave me a jump-scare (and no doubt doing other terrible blight things). It chased the elves from the Deep Roads, even as they sealed them.

They begged the other elvhen to forget this place. "Hidden from mortal eyes, death lies within."

The blight.

This was terrifying (pun almost intended) for the fleeing elvhen. So much so that they left a parting message by the door to the temple.

An inscription taken at the temple doors in the Forbidden Oasis, followed by a translation. The writing is shaky and uneven, as though the writer labored to complete the task: Emma solas him var din'an. Tel garas solasan. Melana en athim las enaste. Arrogance became our end. Come not to a prideful place. Now let humility grant favor.

Let's re-examine that elven language.

Emma solas him var din'an. Within [Solas or arrogance] becomes our end.

Remember "that same pride became (corrupted or altered) within him?" Does him mean Solas, or does him mean the Forgotten One from whence Solas came?

Regardless, I am beginning to understand the legend, the horror: one last person from one of Mythal's lyrium coffins, and Terror begins to consume Solasan. Elves, fleeing desperately, hands shaking as they carve warnings into the doorway.

The markings are crude and simplistic, but their meaning can be understood: "They did not ask questions and so I was away. I keep my head low and work like the rest. The circle will not hunt this far. At first I regretted the choice, but they all feel the dread at the door. I do not stand out. Only a brother or sister would know these words. If you found your way here as I have, then you are not alone. If you would have allies when this contract ends, then find me." For a moment, the pounding of footsteps can be heard, as if someone is running. Then it fades.

I saw this on my way back to Solasan—I had not seen it before, clearly. I looked, and I wept. I'll admit that.

Because I saw, "the dread at the door," and I knew. The dread locked inside Solasan. The Terror, barred within and forgotten.

And from that Dread? Only one pulled from a lyrium coffin. Mythal's last da'durgen'lin, rushed out of Solasan. I hope that she asked him to take a body to help him escape Terror. I hope that she asked him to take a body to somehow calm Terror, if the Stone truly rejected Solas.

I hope she did not mean for Solas's creation to cause Terror.

Regardless of the motive behind Solas's true and horrific origin, the effect is the same: a parallel to the Inquisitor, Solas's rise to fame and power began when he survived something he should not have.

Dread.

The Dread Wolf: Inspiring Hope in Friends, and Fear in Enemies

If you're like me, you've wondered why these seem to be everywhere. Outside of Dalish camps, sure (even though Fen'Harel is their villain, they still entrust that he'll protect them, uh huh)... but also in the temples and holy places of other Evanuris, not just Mythal. Also out in the middle of the wild.

Now we know. We know because we know the meaning of the Dread Wolf. Wolves, in ancient elvhenan, were warriors, generals, second-in-commands. We can intuit this based on their continued use in Dalish culture with its Arcane Warriors/Knight Enchanters. Solas was one such "wolf" — but he had a quality that no other did.

He had been marked, somehow, by his survival of Dread. I don't know enough today to confirm whether that means Solas is blighted, immune to the blight, or something else entirely, and I only have 1.5 more days until Veilguard launches (and maybe proves all of this wrong). I can only guess at this connection.

Whatever it was, that became his resonance in the culture of Arlathan.

"I was Solas first. Fen'Harel came later... an insult I took as a badge of pride. The Dread Wolf inspired hope in my friends and fear in my enemies... Not unlike "Inquisitor," I suppose."

The insult, presumably, was that he was the one "wolf" for whom it had all gone wrong. Rejected by the Stone; product of a turned Titan fighting back with new blight. But to inspire hope in his friends, and fear in his enemies? We must consider what those friends and enemies would want, and what they would consider hopeful/fear-inducing.

Solas's friends, we know from the agents we see in his rebellion, also want an end to the Blight. His enemies, the other Evanuris, want the blight to cover Thedas.

Therefore: to inspire hope in his friends and fear in his enemies, the Dread Wolf would have to possess some innate anti-blight quality. Therefore, I posit that Solas's title, the Dread Wolf, is meant to refer to how the blight did not kill him when it was unleashed by Terror.

This quality—and the threat that the blight would soon pose to all of Ancient Elvhenan and the entire ancient world—would give way to... well, we all know.

Rebellion.

Stay tuned.

----

Also: I am essentially FULLY OFFLINE to try and avoid game spoilers! As these reviews have just gone live yesterday (10/28), I am not reading my notifications/replies, and am appearing here only to continue posting my theories. I have heard that the embargo has been broken at least once already and I refuse to risk it, so I will respond to messages and notifications once I have played Veilguard for a bit.

(Mutuals, if you need me, you may DM me, as long as you do not mention the reviews in any capacity.)

[gamerbunny1996]

Jschlatt x Depressed reader

*Warning ⚠️: there is mention of depression, suicidal thoughts, and self harm. If you don't feel comfortable with that stuff don't read. It doesn't go into details or anything, just slight mentios on it all.*

I've been feeling really down a lot recently and I just needed comfort so I'm writing this more for me then anything but maybe someone needs this too

Word count: 2,252

Sorry if this sucked I was pretty much just writing my thoughts.

I shut off my computer and leaned back in my chair with a sigh. Looking up I was just lost in thought. The last couple of weeks I've been talking to this guy and it's just been a shit show with him. Then streaming and all has been stressful as well. This month has just been horrible to say the least.

My phone soon goes off. Looking at my desk I see a text notification for that guy. Sighing I opened the message and just like it has been every single day he was to see a picture of me. It's annoying because all he wants is sex and I really don't want that. Fuck buddies isn't my thing. I just rolled my eyes and turned my phone off ignoring him. I'm still not sure why I haven't blocked him yet.

Standing up I go to lay on my bed. I'm just tired of men I just want to go on one date for once in my life but all guys want to do is fuck and it's annoying. I turn on my side and open my phone back up and go onto tiktok. My fyp has just been bikertok. Scrolling through, my eyes start to tear up. Shutting my phone off I grab my stuffed dragon and cry into it. Just frustrated with everything in my life. Ended up dozing off a little before I heard my phone go off. I almost didn’t even want to see who was messaging me. Sighing out I did open my phone and seen that a good streamer friend of mine has messaged me. Clicking onto his icon I started to read his message. “You okay. You seem really down today on the stream” Smiling a little to myself I message Schlatt back. “Yeah I’m doing great” I Lied to him. Glad it was over text so he can't tell.

“I know you're not, you can tell me I’m here for you” I just left him to read.I turned my phone off and I walked to the bathroom needing a shower. Getting undressed and turning the shower on. I put it as hot as I could handle and stepped in. The water is burning my skin a little. I just stand there letting the water pour down my skin. My skin turned bright red. Tears started to run down my cheeks. My thoughts are getting too much.

Why does everyone hate me? What do I do wrong. I just want to be loved. I'm tired of everyone looking up to me, I'm a nobody. The thoughts soon turned darker and darker. *Knock knock* I get snapped out of my thoughts. More knocking happened. Shutting the shower I stepped out and wrapped a towel around myself. The knocking seems to become more frantic.

“Hold on” I yell out. Putting on my fluffy black robe I walk out of the bathroom and to my front door. Opening it up stood my friend Jschlatt. “What do you want?” I say annoyed. He just rolled his eyes and walked in. “Start talking, I'm not leaving until you do” he said sitting down onto my couch. “Let me get dressed first” I scoffed and walked away.

Getting dressed fast in a big T-shirt and shorts I walk out of my room. I walked to the living room and sat on the couch next to Schlatt. “What's up?” he said, turning to look at me. The TV playing in the background. “I already told you I'm fine.” He rolled his eyes. “Your not I can tell”

“I am though”

Schlatt put a hand on my leg that is now crossed.

“It's okay not to be okay you know”

Right then and there broke me. I started to cry like an ugly cry. I can't breathe, tears won't stop. Everything seems painful. Schlatt pulls me into a hug. I wrap my arms around his neck crying into his shoulder. He starts to rub my back to soothe me. After a good few minutes I finally started to calm down. Taking deep breaths. I sit back a little from Schlatt. Taking one last deep breath I speak.

“I feel stuck,lost even. Every guy only wants one thing. I just want a cute date where they bring me flowers and take me wherever they plan to go. Then at the end just drop me off and call it a night. That's all I want. I just want a boyfriend. My depression is hitting hard. I can't stop thinking about what happens if I just don't exist anymore. Or should I just hurt myself just to make all this pain go away. I just can't take this anymore.” Tears started to stream down my face halfway through that talk.

Soon I feel a hand brush away my tears. I look Schlatt in the eyes and I see pain and sadness behind his eyes. Did I say something wrong? “Hey it's okay if you ever feel like everything is over just come to me I don't mind being there for you” He said. Soon I felt a light touch on my arm. Looking down Schlatt was tracing the scars I had. I didn't mean to make him sad.

“I ask myself everyday what would me death look like and I would imagine it all the time just me alone in my bed to never be found” I spoke. “I would find you because I will always be there for you” that made me smile a little to hear that someone cares.

“Please if you are ever down come to me I'll never mind” he spoke again. “Thanks I need that a lot actually” I smiled at him. “Now let's have a movie marathon and I'll order us some dinner alright” I nod my head. Pulling the blanket off the back of the catch and snuggled up. Schlatt pulled me close and I lay my head on his shoulder. He turned a movie on and pulled his phone out to order some food.

Waking up slowly I realized I must have fallen asleep after eating. Looking around I sit up. Seeing my phone I grabbed it and saw a text from Schlatt. “I hoped you slept well. I left after you fell asleep. I hope you didn't mind” I smile to myself. I text him back a thank you. Noticing that one guy has messaged me. “Come on babyyyy please” I was now pissed I blocked his ass.

Getting up I got ready for the day. I didn't really want to stream today so I just laid around the house all day. It was now 5 in the afternoon and a knock happened at my door. Getting off the couch I open the door. There stood Schlatt with a bouquet of flowers. Yellow roses and sunflowers. He even had a stuffed cow as well. “I was wondering if you want to go on a date” he shyly asked.

Shock came over my face. Soon a smile creeped up. “I would love to” I hug Schlatt. He wraps his arms around me the best he can with them full. Pulling back I took the flowers and cow. “Thank you so much” I smile as I walk into my apartment to put my flowers in a vase.

“Let me at least put something nicer on then my sweats and t-shirt” I told him. “Don't take too long, I got lots planned” he told me. “I'll be fast I promise” I walk off to my room and put my new plushie on my bed. I hurried and slept on a nice pair of black skinny jeans and a black crop top. Putting my hair up into a high ponytail and curling my bangs.

Walking out I see Schlatt playing on his phone. “I'm ready,” I told him. He looked and smiled at me. “Wow you're beautiful” I started to blush hard.

Standing up he came and grabbed my hand. “Lets go” he opened the door and we walked out. Getting to his car he opened the door for me and let me inside. He went around and got into the driver's seat. We drove for a few minutes until he park outside a nice restaurant. He got out and hurried to open my door. “Thank you,you know you don't have to do that” I giggled stepping out of the car. “Well got to treat a pretty girl like you like a queen” he winked at me. I started to blush. We walked inside and got a seat.

Once our drink order was taken we sat and talked. “you know you didn't have to take me on a date” I said to Schlatt. “I wanted to though I want to show you that your loved and fuck every guy that's out there”.” I smile. “You're the best,” I say. Soon the waiter came back and gave us our drinks. Ordering our food it was just the two of us. Schlatt takes both my hands into his. Bringing them up to his lips he kissed me. Knuckles. I turn my head away my face bright red now. “I was alway jealous by all the guys who talked to you. I was to scared to say anything to you though because I didn’t want you to reject me. I love streaming with you and going on trips. You put a smile on my face all the time” I looked up into his eyes. There is so much love in them. “I’m broken though” I say. “I’ll fix you” is all he said. “Why” I try to see any hate in his eyes but I couldn’t see anything. When he opened his mouth to speak our food came out.

We just started to eat instead of saying anything. We sat in silence. Finishing up, Schlatt paid for our food and we went to the car. Sitting inside he started to drive us to the next place. Parking in the parking lot. We walked down a bridge that looks over the water. My eyes sparkle from how gorgeous the water is. Schlatt was slightly behind me smiling at the look I have.

He wraps his arms around me hugging me from behind. “Beautiful isn't” he asked. I nodded in agreement. “Alright this isn't fully what we are doing tonight I just wanted to show you” he told you. I turn my head around to look at him. “Really?” He just turned me around and started to walk back to the car with my hand in his.

Soon we showed up back at his place. We got inside and there in the front room were blankets and pillows. It almost looked like a big bed in the center of the room, could also say it's like a nest. It had some stuffed animals. Snacks and drinks in the center. I was amazed. “We are going to watch Tim Burton movies all night” he mentioned the movie marathon. My smile grew so wide I didn't think it could go any bigger.

“Here” he grabs a bag off the nest looking thing. “What is it?” I opened it up and looked inside and it was a pj set. Pulling it out it was shorts and a t- shirt, Friday the 13th themed. “I got me pants instead of shorts so we can match. I know you feel claustrophobic sleeping in pants, that's why I got shorts for you.” He told me. “Now go get dressed,” he said. Walking into his bathroom I got into the pj's. Once back into the living room Schlatt was in his pj's and had a bowl of popcorn made. Crawling on the blankets I sit next to Schlatt. He pushed play on the first movie of the night.

“I needed this, I appreciate it” I said.

“I know that's why I did it, if you ever feel depressed again come to me alright I don't mind I'll sit with you through it all. I don't care if you have suicidal thoughts or your hurting yourself call me I'll be there so face to make all the pain go away you hear me.” I started to tear up a little. Jumping onto Schlatt I hugged him so tight. “I appreciate you so much, the pain has been too much.” I soon whisper out. “Thank you so much” he held me so tight. I felt my shoulder become a little damp. He was crying. Soon I started to cry harder.

“Please don't leave me,” he said to me.

“I won't I promise” soon we both calm down pulling away from each other. He wiped my cheeks from my tears. He leaned in and kissed me. I kissed back enjoying this moment. Pulling away we just looked into each other's eyes.

“I love you and I promise I'll always be there for you” I smiled and said I love you back. “Now let's cuddle and watch our movie” laying back we cuddled up and watched the movie. I couldn't ask for someone any better than Schlatt; he was my everything.

[sciderman]

Sci ngl i assumed you were a cis gay dude back when i was obsessively reading your spiderpool stuff as a teenager. I’m a gay trans man and your comics always felt like a warm hug, truly my comfort doom scrolling — so it’s kinda nice to find out we’re more similar than id thought

bless you anon!! it's a pleasure having you, and i'm so, so glad my comics can be a cozy comfort for you!! kissing you so sweetly

you know, it's kind of funny, i've had an overwhelming response of people who've said they've just assumed i was male by the vibes i radiate and i'm not entirely sure what it means. i'm know you all mean it very reaffirmingly but it leaves me with a lot of questions. like, questions that i want to do further research into.

is there a masculine dialect? like how there are regional dialects? is that a thing? i kind of want to study this now. can you tell someone's gender by the way they talk like you can tell where they're from? that is so cool if it's true. how do you type like a man. what should i look for? i don't know if i've ever assumed someone's gender by the way they type. i just look at their bio and it usually says. and i kind of don't think about it when i type. i type like me. but – i think maybe i pick up the way that i talk from the media i consume (comic books) which is kind of overpoweringly male. overpoweringly populated by male characters, and written by men, y'know.

i think the way i type here on @sciderman is probably softer and more femme than the way i write on the ask-blog. on the blog when i'm answering things as Mod i kind of intentionally mimic the tone-of-voice that marvel editors use. that's an intentional choice. so - when you read what i write here it's closer to my real voice, but over on ask-spiderpool i'm putting on an act. i try to sound like a marvel editor. i call you all True Believers! it's all a persona. i think one of the things that's my strength in writing is falling into voices - i think i could be an excellent ghostwriter, if i needed to be. so very crafty at mimicry.

as a kid i always, always always would mimic the characters i liked from the movies we watched whenever i came out of the cinema. i remember doing that all the time. and it was always boys. (except frenchie from grease. she was my one female gender icon. god everyone hated me for that one. i loved doing the voice. wanted to be her so bad. wanted the pink hair. everything.)

you know,, even now The Very First thing anyone asks me when they meet me is where my accent is from, because nobody believes i'm native to london. it happened today (twice). the way i talk is a little weird. my response,, off the bat,, it's because i watched too many cartoons growing up. so,, i guess maybe i idolised too many masculine role models, and probably didn't have enough female role models. i liked the boy movies better than the girl ones. i spent more time with my dad than i did with my mom. my mom wasn't a good role model. dad says that's probably why i didn't want to be a woman. i didn't have a good role model. (sorry mom). (he's right). all kinds of variables here. i kind of want to do research into it. also i should talk to a therapist.

[seaofreverie]

Sparkstember Day 11: Angst In My Pants (The Decline And Fall Of Me)

Album two of two in the series of Sparks' immaculate new wave releases! Iconic in every way imaginable from the music to the artwork to ONE music video. I think it's more musically (and lyrically!) varied and mature in tone (besides... a couple exceptions. Yes, an album called Angst In My Pants) than its predecessor, which is a very good development. These songs will leave you chuckling and bopping along and also pondering the intricacies of human existence. Ok, maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but it can't be denied that behind much of the earnestness and theatricality here, there's lots of quite emotional, introspective and thought-provoking stuff to be found.

Thematically, this album goes everywhere. One moment we are in Sextown U.S.A, the next we're visiting Disneyland, California where we make friends among people and animals. On a more serious note though, I think the biggest emotional whiplash one could experience between different songs on an album is between Mickey Mouse and Sherlock Holmes. And yet there's still a very prominent element of humour, even in those songs that are on the more serious or dramatic end of the scale.

I said a few days ago that I'd try to return to the topic of Sparks' brand of humour and how it works, but I don't feel intelligent enough to analyse that today. And I'm pretty sure that from what I've seen, Other People And The Maels Themselves (Said It Better Than Me). So instead, as a little send-off, please remember: if a mouse can be special, well, SO CAN YOU!!! 🫵

Favourite songs (and other highlights):

Angst In My Pants: literally no other song like this one in this world. I can't tell why that is but it's just. So great

I Predict: I had a weird kind of effect where I heard this song in my early days of Sparking and it felt VEEERY familiar to me. I think it was due to the genre / style here, it reminded me of something specific, at first I thought it was very glam rock but I'm pretty sure that this is not it but something else (and I don't know what to call it in that case!). Anyway, banger song

Tarzan And Jane: whoa wait, am I already skipping to the third-to-last song on the tracklist?? I guess I am. This one's great and one of my early favs too (I wonder how long it will take until I run out of things to say about my fav songs and it all just becomes this list of 'it's very good and I like it a lot. next.')

The Decline And Fall Of Me: it's great!! I like it!! And, of course, "check out my pizzas"

Eaten By The Monster Of Love: personal reasons that lead to a printed and framed mini-comic of my making appearing on my desk, which features some of the lyrics of this song, which caused me to have it permanently stuck in my head for a pretty long period of time. And this way I ended up liking it much much more than I did in the beginning, when it still seemed somehow pretty unremarkable to me

[aragarna]

Zorro Vive

And vive bien!

So, I've finished Season 1 of the new Zorro show (available through Amazon in the US and most Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries), and I really enjoyed it!

Without spoilers, I'd say that its main qualities are that it's fun and earnest and more cosmopolite in its retailing of the old story. It doesn't take itself too seriously, there's plenty of little homages to previous adaptations. There's many interesting and well-developed characters - of all genders and ethnicities.

It's (literally) colorful, with a comic/pulp feel that suits it well. There's been a true care brought to the action scenes, and OMG the night scenes are damn well lit. It's rare enough nowadays so points for that. Generally, the show is quite beautiful.

More spoilery thoughts under the cut.

I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from a new show. It's always hard to bring new canon to something so established and so iconic. And even though the Disney show is *not* the original canon, for a lot of people, it is.

But as a principle, same as for book adaptations or remakes, I'm not opposed to variations or changes. As long as they're good changes.

And I have to say, the vast majority of the changes in the new Zorro show, to me, were actually good changes, or necessary improvements for today's audience.

The most obvious is giving back a real voice to the Natives and not sugarcoating the colonization aspect. There's tension there. Natives are angry. But as years passed, people born there consider themselves "true Californians". Natives aren't just background characters or peons anymore. They're a driving plot force. They're shown in their own environment, with their own rites (I don't know enough about Natives of this area to know how accurate it is, but it felt a lot more authentic and respectful to me than other versions).

I do like the idea that the Zorro character comes from the Native culture, and that it's been passed on from one person to the next. Though it also brings my one big issue with the show: Diego becoming Zorro reads a lot like "a white dude steals a Native heritage." And yes, it's symbolic, and yes the fox spirit chose him, Diego didn't pick him, but still. Given that the audience is meant to support Diego (who really is a sweet guy!), that the narrative keeps showing us that Nah-Lin is wrong and should accept it, given the colonization context of that story, it's sitting a bit wrong with me.

This aside, I do like the exploration of revenge vs. justice, violence vs. a more measured response, in the face of adversity. When a few months back, the tagline "revenge is personal, justice is for all" appeared on the first poster, I wasn't sure what to think. I don't like revenge-driven characters. It's cliché and wrong. But the fact that the show precisely explored that, both with Diego and Nah-Lin, was actually quite interesting.

Diego, as I said, is a decent guy. A sweet boy really, vaguely immature originally but having to mature really fast, as the death of his father, the business of the rancho, the Zorro thing and Lolita's wedding are all dropping on him at once. Miguel Bernardeau is a clear departure from most of the previous Zorros, who were played by older actors, giving a more "adult" vibe to the character, but given he's supposed to be fresh out of college and out of his element, Bernardeau's more juvenile features fit the character well.

Nah-Lin is a lot angrier, and while in the context of the story, she's shown to be going at it the wrong way, all that anger *is* justified, and not something that can just be brushed off. Peace can't come easy when you anger people that way.

And you know who else I really liked? That damn Capitan Monasterio! Who would have thought LOL No, but seriously. Not sure why they named him that way. He was actually more of a Sergeant Garcia (or Mendoza from the 1990 show) than a Monastario. Obviously without the comic relief and cutely incompetent side of the character, but as the character who is a decent guy stuck between a rock and a hard place, serving a tyrannic boss and chasing a heroic outlaw that he may not hate that much.

I also really liked what they did with Lolita. An opinionated young lady that throws away all the corseting conventions of her time is always very relatable to me. Also, I just love her fashion sense. I wasn't sure what they were going to do with that impossible love triangle (I thought for a long time the wedding wouldn't actually happen). I wouldn't have thought they'd have Lolita figure it out, but I'm glad she did.

I'm glad they kept Bernardo, the mute confident. And I love Mei, too. The dynamic between the three of them (with Diego) is great!

Also, it's great to finally have a Spanish-speaking production, and have the characters speaking in Spanish, instead of having American actors put on fake accents.

I may have a couple of minor complains: namely that I didn't care about Samael nor Alejandro's first love. Not sure planting so early something that they're keeping for S2 is a right move. Feels like a waste of screentime. Also, I'm not particularly found of secret societies trying to rule the world, but it seems to be mandatory to any Zorro story... And the finale episode didn't actually wrap up that many plotlines - every major villain escaped! So that kinda made it look like Zorro didn't accomplish much, apart from breaking Lolita's heart, and his. But none of this prevented me from having a good time watching the show. I just really hope there'll be a S2 cause it'd be a shame to leave things there!

How about you guys? What did you think of it?

[bp-trio]

(  ALL IN ENGLISH )

[ CROWD CALLING ]

[ PAPARAZZI: HANA, OVER HERE ]

[ PAPARAZZI: HANA, OVER THE SHOULDER ]

Hana opens the door introducing herself with a smile. "Hey Vogue! It's Hana and you guys are getting ready with me for the Met." She says with a cheery tone as her staff cheer, causing her to giggle.

[ UPBEAT ORCHESTRAL MUSIC ]

Hana sits on her chair while her stylists swarm around her, trying to do her hair and makeup. "So today I'm going to be wearing a custom made dress and heels sent by the incredible Versace."

"The look is inspired by Barbie. So actually I was the one who came up with the theme of Barbie. One day I was watching Barbie: A fashion fairytale with my niece and I thought Barbie would be a good theme to go with as the theme for this year Met gala is the embodiment of an American style. And what's more American than Barbie. I actually dyed my hair blonde for the first time for this.”Hana explains her dress.

"So, I send my idea to Donatella and she absolutely loved the idea. So this is our take on Barbie, I guess." She says smiling before walking to into the closet to get changed before coming out in a very long pink dress. 

[ CLASSICAL PIANO MUSIC ]

"Rose and I used to dream about ever attending a Met Ball. And never really even believing that would ever happen. Is the literally the biggest dream come true." She says doing a big twirl.

"This is my first time going to the Met gala so I'm just looking forward to being there. I feel like I've seen it for so many years, so it'll be interesting to see what reality of the Met really is. So I hope I don't trip On this dress." She stands still while her stylists are fixing the dress.

Hana now has her hair, nails and makeup done, so she begins to taking pictures on her phone in the mirror and having her staff help her take pictures for her.

Once she received the signal to leave, the Vogue camera follows her outside to where many fans stood behind barriers cheering and scream her name as she and her team leave the hotel. Hana waves at them as she was being escorted to the car. Hana blows a kiss to fans before the door was closed behind her.

"WE LOVE YOU HANA!" A group of fans cheer to the Vogue camera before the videos ends.

[ INTERVIEW; Blackpink's Hana on Attending Her First Met Gala | Met Gala 2021 With Emma Chamberlain ]

Hana walked up to Emma with a warm smile. “No freakin’ way.” Emma said. “Hi!” Hana said as she gave Emma a hug. “Umm, Hello. Excuse me but you look so gorgeous right now.” Hana thanked her. “Thank you. I’m glad my first gala is going well so far.”

“Wait! This is your first Met Gala?” Hana nodded. “No way. Me too.”

“Really?” Hana asked enthusiastically, now feeling less anxious since she wasn’t the only first-timer with Rosé. “Yeah! I honestly thought you have been to the Met before since you have become such a big icon in the fashion world.”

Hana shocked her head, “No, it’s my first time and Rosé’s.

“So, tell me about your outfit?”

“To do that, I would have to bring this brilliant woman to the spotlight.” Hana brings her hand out, and Donatella comes from the corner and takes her hand.

“Hi, how are you?” Donatella asked Emma, “I’m so good, how are you?”

“Very good, thank you.” Donatella responded with a smile.

“So obviously I know who you are wearing. Tell me how you guys came to the conclusion about this dress.”

“Well, when we found out about the theme for this year’s Met Gala, we had many ideas. Hana came up to the brilliant idea of using Barbie for the theme and it was only right that we create custom dress. It’s one for the books and Hana is perfect for this dress. She brings out every aspect of the dress and more.” Donatella explained with her thick Italian accent, her passion shown through each word she said.

“That’s amazing. You really pull of this dress amazingly. I love all of this. So how many Met Gala have you been to?” Emma asked Donatella. “Lots and lots. Twenty maybe?” Donatella laughed. “No way.”

“Yeah.”

“So I feel like you are the best person to ask this. What advice would you give to us? It’s my first and Hana’s. I have no idea what to expect.” Emma asked.

“You are gonna be surrounded by people with lots of creativity and the Met is one of those events that allow you to connect with people. There’s something very special about the Met. So when you are in this great building and have the courage, and freedom to express yourself. My big takeaway is have fun.”

“That’s amazing. Well, I’ll see you guys in there.”

“Thank you.” Hana and Donatella say simultaneously.

[ RED CARPET MOMENTS ]

• Hana and Rosé arriving together. Creating one of the most iconic pictures in the Met Gala history.

•Hana and Donatella Versace being each other’s date.

• Hana staying a little longer than she was supposed to watch Lil Nas X’s transformation on the red carpet.

• Hana and Normani posing together.

[ CLEVVER STYLE ]

[ Best & Worst dressed Met Gala 2021 ]

[ Drew Dorsey ]: oh man, you guys! It is not the first Monday in May, but it is a Monday in September. The 2021 Met Gala is coming at ya!

[ Jackie Iadonisi ]: I can't believe we're here. I can't believe people are actually there. On the carpet, walking it. We are at the 2021 Met Gala, it's happening!

[ Drew Dorsey ]: it's very exciting. This year's theme is America: A lexicon of Fashion and it is very exciting because we did not get the Met Gala last year but we are getting it in 2021. All guests are fully vaccinated and masked, and we are back in Here.

[ Jackie Iadonisi ]: woo woo! And it's also really important because this is coming off the 20th anniversary of 9/11, and it's the tail end of New York Fashion Week, so it's just fashion on fashion on fashion, people, people, people, outfits. I can't wait to see these looks.

[ Drew Dorsey ]: So exciting. Also can we talk about the co-chairs, okay? We have Billie Eilish, we have Hana, we have Rosé, we have Timothee Chalamet, and we are up in here, okay? So you guys know we gotta talk about the fashion.

[ Drew Dorsey ]: it's dirty laundry.

[ Jackie Iadonisi ]: you know. let's go.

( LIGHT MUSIC )

( SHOWS VIDEO OF HANA ON CARPET POSING FOR THE CAMERAS AND PICTURES OF HER )

[ Carly Henderson ]: Hana, looking like a true Barbie doll coming to live.

[ Renee Ariel ]: oh my god. I'm here everything about this. She looks absolutely stunning.

[ Jackie Iadonisi & Drew Dorsey]: Ooh, okayyy. Oh my god.

[ Drew Dorsey ]: Wow, she is so pretty and her dress it's to die for.

[ Jackie Iadonisi ]: Okay, Hana in all custom made Versace. Looking good, looking fly.

[ Renee Ariel ]: Listen, she brought it. This is her first ever Met Gala and I love this look.

[ Carly Henderson ]: I love that her waist looks so snatched and small. And it's makes it the dress look even more amazing than it already is.

[ Drew Dorsey ]: I love this Barbie theme look and the split in the dress is gorgeous and makes her legs look long and sexy. I absolutely love the slit v in the middle of the dress.

[ Jackie Iadonisi ]: I completely agree with you. Her eyes are so pretty.

[ Carly Henderson ]: oh, the jewelry!"

[ Renee Ariel ]: it's all custom made MIKIMOTO 18k Pearl necklace and earrings for her birthday.

[ Carly Henderson ]: oh wow. I wish I got all custom made 18k diamonds for my birthday.

[ Drew Dorsey ]: her shoulder look absolutely amazing. I love the fact she dyed her hair to blonde.

[ Jackie Iadonisi ]: we just gotta talk about Hana for a second, because she's been having a moment after a moment with her solo career. Ah, she is absolutely amazing and an icon.

[ Drew Dorsey ]: Then She brought it to the Met Gala in this, the dress looks like an art piece to me. This is such a gorgeous dress. The color on her is incredible, and the fact that she carried it on with the eyeshadow, this colorful pink makeup look of the night. Obsessed with it, and the confidence, taking up the space. I'm here for it.

[ AFTER PARTY ICONIC MOMENTS ]

•Hana arriving with Rosé. Both were seen dancing with many top celebrities, such as Olivia Rodrigo, smiling and laughing.

•Hana taking part in fun drinking games.

•Hana officially became best friends with Megan Thee Stallion.

•Hana dancing with Anitta and Lil Nas X.

•Many celebrities taking a photo with her and following her on social media.

•Rihanna posting Hana on her Insta story. In the clip, both of them look happy in each other's company where Hana waves at the cam and also showers a flying kiss.

•Rihanna saying she would steal Hana from her company to her sign if she had an entertainment agency.

•Hana, Hailey Bieber, and Kendall Jenner playing rock, paper, and scissors.

• Hana getting a ride in a private helicopter to her hotel.

[panelshowsource]

hey frends!

just a lil update to say that i'll be moving soon, so over the next 2–3 weeks i'll be quite busy and won't be able to post a lot a lot (not that i usually post that much but i do try!)

now that many panel shows are wrapping up their seasons, it's not too much to keep up with the masterpost or anything, so i'll definitely keep that chugging, but gifs might be a little slow :') i have a few requests i'll work on, and it's fine to send those in; plus, i said i'd be making BIG gifsets for the recent taskmaster contestants and i'm definitely working on those! i wanna do a good job so taking my time :)

wanna remind everyone about some of the newer additions to the googledrive!

ed gamble — glutton (audiobook) (i'll be listening to this today while i'm packing! if anyone else listened pls lmk what you think!! i'm also wrapping up david's book and gonna post my thoughts soon hehe)

added the most recent alex horne/tim key celebrity pointless to the alex horne collection folder

a couple seasons of duck quacks don't echo upgraded to 1080p

bbc radio 4's hard to tell from 2011, with jonny sweet, charlotte ritchie, katy wix, etc.

complete british as folk, with fern brady, ivo graham, and darren harriott (any other homo reading this grow up absolutely and painfully obsessed with queer as folk? either version? oh man... this programme gets a 10/10 for the name alone, iconic)

live at the moth club

lots of fun new episode of growing pains, hignfy, taskmaster, outsiders :)

as well, there are a couple of new podcasts out: russell howard's wonderbox and james acaster's springleaf :)

i have a bunch of asks and i'll post them later! you guys are being so cute about taskmaster it's been so fun

hope everyone is having a great weekend!

btw... please don't feel obligated to anon me rude messages... i'm a little stressed with everything going on in Life, so maybe save those for the new year? i'll try to come up w witty retorts after i've had some sleep

it's funny, i've been hearing a lot about blog competition and fighting for notes and monopolising panel show content blah blah in my inbox recently. (i only included one here but there's genuinely been quite a few just in the last couple of weeks.) i don't know what might be going on on other blogs or discords or whatever, and i honestly didn't even know these were still convos people are having; i kinda thought we all agreed that this site isn't as big as it used to be, notes aren't as plentiful as they used to be, but by golly we'll just keep on posting anyways. i don't know if there are edit tags for any panel shows but i don't use them; i just post content here for my current followers and if you guys like it then that's all i wanted to do. i don't care if there are other panel show blogs with more followers or posts that get more notes or better gifs or better blogs or whatever. it's all fine. i don't care. i don't think about it. so you don't have to ask me that stuff — how to grow your blog or get more followers or more engagement, or how i feel about other blogs that post the same content as i do — i won't answer it. just post it because you want to; don't race to be the first one to get stuff at (especially at the expense of making content you're proud of!); don't put other people down; don't send anonymous hate. just be cool and worry about you. if you can't have fun here without validation in the notes then you're gonna be miserable. flopping is integral to being active.

[oldiesstationlover11607]

It’s aliiiivvvvveeeee!

What up? It’s 💛. Ya boi! You miss me? And my horrible references and jokes?

I have officially caught up with all of the stories I’ve missed (the basketball and nerd!reader, the Christmas stream, and daughter pt. 2 were my personal favorite I must say). Man, I forgot how happy your stories make me.

Anywho, I have come to torment you with requests once more. Now, I saw that you are a big Disneyland/World fiend (as am I). So, I was wondering if you could do a story where the reader and Josh are trying to have a cute date at Disneyland (because that’s the one I’ve been too 😭) and, though they struggle to enjoy it at times due to attention from fans, they end up being all cute and fluffy with each other.

I’m excited to see what you come up with! I’m such a huge Disney lover myself so I’m pumped!

Disney Day - Josh Dun x Reader

Warnings: Some angst/annoyance

Word Count: 1489

A/N: The way I put so many of the random facts I just know in here is so funny. Also welcome back to the iconic 💛 anon! We've missed you! Sorry lots of my requests are taking a while to get out. I'm working on getting lots of these out today :)

The sun was shining bright as Josh and I stepped through the gates of Disneyland, fingers laced together, our energy buzzing in sync with the excitement of the park. This was it—the day we had planned for weeks. An entire day together in the most magical place on earth, where everything, for just a few hours, felt like a dream.

Josh squeezed my hand, his eyes twinkling as he turned to me. “You ready for the best day ever?”

I grinned up at him. “You have no idea. I've got the whole day mapped out in my head.”

He chuckled. “I don’t doubt it. Lead the way, Miss Disneyland Expert.”

I laughed, tugging him toward Main Street where the scent of churros and popcorn filled the air. “First things first—churros.”

Josh rolled his eyes but smiled. “I knew churros were going to be the priority.”

The energy of the park was contagious, and I couldn’t help but feel like a little kid again, skipping along with excitement. We grabbed our churros from the nearest cart and then took our time walking toward the heart of the park, soaking in the sights and sounds. 

As we walked, a small group of teenage girls suddenly stopped in their tracks and let out quiet squeals, pulling out their phones. I could sense it coming. 

“Is that…? Oh my god, it’s him!” one of them whispered not-so-subtly.

I felt Josh's hand tighten slightly around mine, but before we could take another step, the girls rushed over, nervous energy radiating from them.

“Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but… are you Josh?” one of them asked, wide-eyed and hopeful.

Josh gave them that signature smile, the one that made his fans melt. “Yeah, that’s me.”

The girls nearly squealed with excitement. “Can we please get a picture?”

I forced a smile, stepping back as Josh politely agreed. This wasn’t anything new—it was something I expected, really. Still, I couldn't help but feel a little tug of frustration. We’d only just gotten into the park, and already our time was interrupted.

Josh took pictures with each of them, laughing and chatting for a moment before he finally made his way back to me. “Sorry about that,” he said sheepishly.

I shrugged, giving him a reassuring smile, though I could feel my patience being tested already. “No worries. Let’s just get to the Haunted Mansion.”

We headed toward New Orleans Square, making our way to the ride that had always been one of my favorites. As we stepped into the stretching room, I couldn’t help myself.

“Did you know the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland was the only one Walt Disney personally oversaw before he passed?” I began, slipping into my usual Disney trivia mode. “He wanted it to be spooky but still fun enough for kids but the ride didn’t open until he died. The last ride to open before his death was Pirates of the Caribbean.”

Josh raised an eyebrow, clearly humoring me. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah, the haunted mansion was supposed to be a water ride originally but they changed it. Would’ve been cool to see that though, I love looking at the concept art for it all.”

I was mid-ramble when I noticed a few people near us glancing over, whispering excitedly. I tried to ignore it, but sure enough, as soon as we stepped off the ride, another group of fans approached Josh, asking for pictures.

I took a deep breath, forcing my frustration down. I knew this came with the territory, but it was starting to feel like we couldn’t go anywhere without being stopped. I waited off to the side as Josh graciously took more photos, smiling and chatting with his fans.

“Okay, that was awesome,” Josh said when he finally returned to my side. “You might just turn me into a Disney nerd.”

I laughed, trying to push away the annoyance bubbling inside me. “Just wait until we get to Indiana Jones. There’s this boulder scene where the walls are moving back instead of the boulder moving forward to create the illusion from the movies. It’s super cool.”

We started walking again, but my excitement had dimmed slightly. I loved that Josh was good to his fans, but I wanted this day to be about us. I tried not to let it bother me, but as we grabbed a Mickey pretzel, I couldn’t help but launch into one of my usual rants to distract myself.

“Did you know Disneyland pretzels are different from Disney World’s? They put less salt on them here, which makes them way better. Disney World’s can be too salty sometimes.”

Josh bit into his half of the pretzel, nodding along. “Interesting.”

I smiled, feeling a little better. “See? This is why Disneyland wins in the snack department.”

But as we moved through the park, it seemed like every few minutes, someone would stop Josh. We barely got through Space Mountain without someone recognizing him, and even in the Indiana Jones line, there were whispers and glances.

By the time we got off Indiana Jones, I was at my wit’s end. We hadn’t even made it halfway through my carefully planned day, and I felt like we’d spent more time taking pictures than actually enjoying the park.

As we walked toward Fantasyland, a few more fans stopped us. This time, I could feel my patience snap. I crossed my arms, trying to keep my frustration in check as Josh graciously posed for more pictures.

When he finally came back to me, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. “I’m happy you’re being so sweet with your fans, but I feel like we haven’t had any time for just us,” I said, my voice tinged with irritation.

Josh looked at me, his smile faltering for a moment. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was bothering you.”

I sighed, feeling guilty for snapping. “It’s just… I was really looking forward to today. Just the two of us. And it feels like we can’t go five minutes without being stopped.”

Josh wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close. “I get it. Let’s try to sneak away for a bit, just the two of us, okay? We’ll find a quiet spot.”

I nodded, feeling a bit better as we made our way toward Toontown. “Okay, but I swear, if one more person—"

“Josh! Oh my god, can we get a picture?”

I groaned internally. Josh shot me an apologetic look before turning to the group. As he took more pictures, I crossed my arms, trying not to let my frustration show. But the more I thought about it, the more it got under my skin.

By the time we made it to Mickey’s house, I was practically fuming. Meeting Mickey Mouse was something I’d always avoided—I was more about the rides—but Josh insisted.

“Trust me, it’ll be fun,” he said, dragging me through the line.

When it was our turn, Josh practically ran into Mickey’s open arms like an excited kid. Despite my irritation, I couldn’t help but smile at how happy he looked. We posed for a few photos, and to my surprise, a Disney Cast Member asked if they could take a picture for social media. I rolled my eyes, but Josh nodded, flashing his camera-ready grin. The Cast Member snapped a few shots, and after we spent a few minutes chatting with Mickey, we headed out.

Josh must have noticed my lingering frustration, because as we walked away, he leaned down, whispering in my ear. “I know today hasn’t gone exactly as planned, but I’m still having an amazing time with you.”

I sighed, leaning into him as we made our way toward the castle. “I know. I just wish we could have more time for us. But… you’re right. It’s still magical.”

The sun began to set, casting a warm glow over the park. We found a spot near the castle to watch the fireworks, Josh wrapping his arms around me from behind as we settled in to wait.

As the first burst of color lit up the sky, I sighed contentedly, feeling the frustration melt away. This—this moment right here—was what I had been waiting for. Just us, wrapped up in each other, surrounded by the magic of Disneyland.

The fireworks exploded above us in a symphony of light and color, and I couldn’t help but smile as I looked up at the sky. We’d had interruptions, sure, but at the end of the day, none of that mattered.

Josh leaned down, his voice soft in my ear. “I wouldn’t trade a single second of today.”

I turned to look up at him, my heart swelling. “Neither would I.”

Because in the end, no matter how many fans stopped us or how many pictures we had to take, what mattered most was this—being here, together.

The real magic wasn’t just in Disneyland. It was in us.

//

REQUESTS ARE OPEN

[mickmundy]

another merc hc thread request from twitter! pyro seems like an appropriate addition since we've been stuck in our apartment without ac during a lethal heatwave. as of today for the first time, we officially have ac! let's cool off with some pyro headcanons! i hope you enjoy my dear friend!

honestly pyro is one I've held off on for a long time because i really think they're at their best when a great deal of their character is left completely ambiguous. pyro is the Beloved Mystery of the group (spy thinks it's him. Ha!), some things are better left unknown!

that said, i don't ponder what's "under the mask". the mask is an equally important part of who pyro is, too! i know it's common to dwell on what's going on under that iconic uniform, but i personally don't! are they an eldritch terror? are they just Some Person? who knows!

imo the mercs do not ponder this either. pyro is their friend and some things are just simply not their business! they might have a passing curiosity sometimes, but all in all, nobody is seeking to try and "figure them out"! they like pyro just the way they are, no matter what that way may be!

very creative, super visual! loves to draw and paint… they won't hesitate to get their gloves wet! loves gardening or anything that keeps their hands busy. LOOOOVES junk journaling. what can they say, there's lot of junk around the base!

this applies to my personal Team Fortress Law in general but also heavily to pyro so i'll stick it in with their headcanons: the love of the bit. and of nonsensical "toon" physics. a lot of fun things about the tf2niverse is that they don't demand explanation! "pyro, you could do that the whole time?!" No, not ANY time! only when it serves some higher comedic or ironic purpose!

i think pyro is mute (selectively or otherwise) and prefers to sign. she'll also grunt/make other expletive sounds, but her preferred method of communication is signing! or drawing out what she wants to communicate. no matter what she chooses, the mercs are great interpreters!

loves to learn. can almost always be seen peering over one of the other mercs' shoulders when they're doing… just about anything! it happens so often that even the most personal-space-valuing mercs have gotten used to pyro's love of observation!

not a child, or child-like. enjoys whimsy and toys and also maiming. just because he has some unconventional interests doesn't mean he's any less of a Grown Adult Merc than the rest of them!

loves to bake and is really good at it! pyro enjoys burning stuff, but even pyro knows that everything has it's perfect Burnt (ie:correctly cooked) Temperature! the mercs love his sweet treats!

i think the other mercs play up their fear of pyro to outsiders as an inside joke. like the meet the team videos where they're all scared of them was done to scare the shit out of the director LOL. like pyro has no idea that's what they're doing and spy will come behind the director and be like "look at the bloodlust within the wretched beast's eyes…" and pyro will see spy and stand up and wave like ^_^! and spy will wink and wave back when the director can't see him do so SKDFS

the best listener out of all of the mercs. pyro loves to listen! about anything! not likely to give sagely advice (best to go to heavy, engie or spy for that!), but if you just want someone to lean on and listen, pyro's your pal (and best secret-keeper)!

there's a lot of speculation about pyroland but again it's not something i dwell on. i entertain the idea of pyroland being symbolic of pyro quitting the job they hated. life's a fantasyland every day when you're doing what you love with who you love!

is a great driver and one of the most financially responsible mercs! extremely wealthy (nobody knows this) and lives humbly. always a big tipper, loves giving gifts to the mercs (handmade or otherwise)!

the eye goggles on pyro's mask are expressive! if she "raises a brow", her goggles move to make the expression!

doesn't hate water, just gets in it in their suit! loves to swim and blow bubbles underwater in their mask. don't leave them in charge of the thermostat though… what's A Little Warm to pyro might be 'your skin is melting off' to another! as for when they were frowning in the sub, i always figured that was because he can't play with fire in a submarine, lest the whole thing explode!

very gentle. great with medic's birds and all of the critters sniper catches (claps their hands repeatedly when sniper catches a new one!), takes very good care of them! loves reptiles specifically because they like warm climates and can be pretty hard to kill, just like pyro!

nobody ever sees pyro eat, but he Does eat! they'll all sit down to eat and there will be bite marks in the food and it will slowly disappear... but not when anyone can see it do so! again, nobody questions this or tries to "catch" pyro in the act. that's just another Pyroism!

really loves learning other languages (pyro has a language of their own of course!) and hanging around spy and heavy. they like their mellow vibe and enjoy "parallel playing" with them while they discuss literature. the mercs also say that pyro has a knack for impressions!