#i am living for that parallel fr

[cheemken]

Where do each of the champions go after Diantha disappears? Do they go to their leagues and discuss what happened? And how to protect their regions if Diantha ever comes there. Or do they just hide from the public

But what about the champions on Diantha side? I imagine if they ever go back to their leagues then they’re gonna threaten the gym leaders and elite fours. That if they don’t stay on their side than they’d face a worse consequence than death. Or maybe they don’t want to go to hard so they threatened to have their lives ruined if they betray them

But like uygnhh Lance, Iris, and Hau have family in their leagues. I don’t think Clair, Drayden, or Hala would take well to being threatened, so they’ll try argue back or reason with their champions only for them to let out one of their Pokémon who quickly attacks, not enough to kill but it definitely injured them well. Seeing their champion attack family would definitely show the rest of the league that they aren’t joking around

One more thing I wanted to ask, do you think the leagues, or at least the family members, would realize or suspect that Geeta/Lance/Iris/Hau is being manipulated and/or brainwashed by Diantha? Like they know that a strong enough Gardevoir can manipulate emotions? Or do they just think that this is a side of their champions that they’ve never seen

The champions did head back to their own respective region, Leon especially became so paranoid he discussed matters abt it w his own League. But I also wanna say that even his Gym Leaders start to low-key question him, not really saying it to his face y'know just being quiet when he talks, bc ofc, Dia was right, Rose did threaten them. Raihan got threatened the most, and Nessa knows how much Rose threatened Sonia to the point she gave up on the gym challenge in fear of being killed. I want Bea to be protective of Allister too, Leon would ask where the Ghost Gym Leader is, and Bea would just tell him he's at home, he may be Gym Leader, but he's still a child. Leon insists that next time Allister joins their meeting, he doesn't care if he's a child, he's a Gym Leader, it's still his responsibility.

Idk if the others would be that paranoid, I wanna say that maybe Steven kinda is, but he believes Wallace so much when he says that there's smth in Diantha that can still be saved, and Steven isn't one for giving up on his friends, especially since that friend also helped him out at one point and gave him Metagross' mega stone. But the two did became a bit more cautious, in case that uproar would encourage more fights and an actual war

Idt they'd stay out of the public, especially now since there are actually people on Diantha's side of the argument, justifying her actions too. I wanna say that the champions who were loyal to her were helping them justify those actions too, and told them that Diantha could still be saved, that maybe they should also help each other out on purging all the evil of their world

And just cbdmnd man idk I really don't think Hau would attack, neither would Iris, since the entirety of the Unova League is kinda like her family. Geeta I believe would just threaten, but y'know she does care abt her league, and her voice is too weak and too tired to be considered as an actual threat. Lance tho? Lance will kill. Like this mfer had his Dragonite Hyper Beam someone, and he will do it again, no matter who's at the receiving end.

Can you imagine the parallels between Lance/Clair and Diantha/Augustine tho😭

Lance is there glaring at Clair, his Dragonite right beside him, and Clair glares back, her own Kingdra preparing to battle.

"This is my last warning, Clair."

"So, it's okay for you to hurt others and none of us can ever question it?"

"Quiet."

"You told me you weren't like the elders, Lance."

"I'm not."

"Hah! Right, you're so much worse."

God that low-key fucks me up hahaha

But y'know, idt Lance would attack Clair, more like get pissed at her more and threaten her to retire her of her E4 duties (since Clair is one of Lance's E4 in my hcs, and Silver's the one in charge of Blackthorn's Gym) and he'd take her pokemon away. But Clair thinks that's all a bluff, and just left to head back to Blackthorn. The other members of the league do follow Lance, Clair just kept quiet now, if Lance won't listen to her then so be it, whatever happens will happen, and she's just gonna accept and watch that shit show go down. Will she join a side? Perhaps, maybe Diantha would convince her to join Lance, or maybe... Clair would see that Lance is right, and Diantha's cause was right too, that it really would be better to rid the world of all things evil. It would be nice, recreating a world, reliving her life, but this time around no one would be there to tell her everyday just how much of a disappointment she is

As for the family members,,, Drayden and Hala did think abt the kids being controlled by Diantha, Hala believes it. Hala believes that it's bc of Diantha Hau is acting strange, the boy would always say how he'd like to be in Kalos w her. Hala's not sure why, but even back then he didn't trust Diantha that much, or maybe that was his own envy over the fact that she could somehow make Hau happy, more than he ever could. Drayden doubts it a bit bc he had met Diantha before, and the Kalos Champion was so nice and kind and so caring to Iris. And even from the stories Iris tells him, she could ask for anything she ever wanted, and Dia would be happy to give it to her, Diantha even gave her a Goomy egg, since she knows how much Iris loves Dragons. So for Drayden it was,,, something,,, he does think maybe Diantha's just controlling the kids, but he also thinks that Gardevoir's or maybe even Yveltal's influence made Diantha like that

Geeta's league fully fucking believes Diantha controls her. They already know just how loyal Geeta is to Diantha, she wouldn't even question her no matter what, and that's one of the downsides of their own Champion. And maybe they think it's their fault too, Diantha showed Geeta kindness when they were still young, until now, accepted her despite how eccentric she was, despite the fact Geeta can't feel anything that much, and maybe if the Paldea League did just that too, maybe Geeta wouldn't have been easily manipulated.

Lance tho? His own League knows how hard he can get, he's always driven by his own beliefs and conviction, they don't think it's Diantha's influence, rather they believe that Lance finally snapped or maybe he thinks this is a mission he should finish, and Arceus above knows how fucked up he can get just to finish a mission he had set for himself. That fight w Rocket was actually really bloody, the news just won't tell you that. Some do believe Diantha had some sort of influence on him, but that was overridden considering that Lance was already brutal when it comes to criminals or just anyone who goes against him, even before he met Diantha.

[deeplovelydark]

deep space nine s05e12 // saturn devouring his son by francisco goya // ivan the terrible and his son ivan by ilya repin

[gracecarstairss]

thinking about how Mayesh is the mirror for the Ashkar people - being human in the eyes of House Aurelian means that they think all Ashkar are human. He protects them all in this way, ensuring that the Sault will be safe and that what happened in Malgasi (murdering all Ashkar) will not happen in Castellane.

this also applies to Kel, in a way. Kel is the person Conor loves/cares for above all others, yet he is a common citizen of Castellane - technically, the lowest possible class, since Kel is an orphan without a significant name, and family names are the most important source of power in Castellane. therefore, Kel is the mirror for the common people of Castellane - although he is considered an object/property in the eyes of nearly all of House Aurelian, being human in the eyes of Conor, the person who will one day be King, shows the future ruler that the people he rules are actual PEOPLE, not just subjects to use and manipulate to the ruler's liking. in this way, Kel protects the commoners of Castellane, which is so interesting. we see him do this multiple times in Sword Catcher when he is trying to instill empathy in Conor for others, including Lin (when Kel talks sense into Conor and and says "do you want her to be afraid of you?" which really hits Conor hard because he doesn't realize the full scope of his power and the fact that he uses it carelessly).

and what makes this more insane is the way that Mayesh doesn't even see Kel as a human, just an object, even though they serve similar important purposes for their respective classes. on my third read of Sword Catcher, I really honed in on the way that Mayesh treats Kel, and he really does not treat him as a damn human being!!! it's so awful. the hypocrisy of Mayesh is so wild, he is such an interesting character because of all his contradictions. anyways i'm so unwell about this!!!

[yourfavecharacterisqueer]

“Merlin. I'll have your favorite meal waiting for you. Now go. Look after him. Go.” He had failed Gaius, failed everything he was taught by his mentor, failed his destiny. He let Arthur die, he didn’t stop it, he didn’t heal him.

Gaius walked around the room, the bowl on the table that he had placed three days ago still there. He knew Merlin wasn’t going to come back, it had been approximately a day since Arthur’s death, he knew he not only wouldn’t go back but also couldn’t go back.

Three weeks later, he woke up in the middle of the night to hear sniffling and muffled screaming coming from the room behind him. He opened the door to the room and saw his ward, except he had three evident grey streaks amongst his black-brown hair. He knew exactly what the far younger man was going to say, just from his hair and the way that he clearly had been crying and hadn’t stopped crying.

“Arthur’s dead. I’ve been in Ealdor since he died. Hiding from Camelot, hiding from Gwen, hiding from you, hiding from the truth…” He looked up at the ceiling, closing his eyes to stop himself from crying and looking at the older man. “I failed him, Gaius.”

“Oh, Merlin, I’m sorry. I really am.” He stroked his hair and wrapped his arms around him in a hug, stroking his back. “I’m sorry you felt you need to hide…”

[ornitorinko]

realizing the first 4 gifs will be me next week 🥺 @farthestshores

Sherlock meme

↝ nine scenes (8/9)

[iridescentmirrorsgenshin]

hi! love love love all of your haikaveh analyses! they're so wonderfully done and itch my brain so right. i was wondering if you had any thoughts on the recent quest featuring them ('an odd textual mystery')? hope you have a wonderful day!

hiya! firstly, thank you so much for your ask! i'm so glad you enjoy my haikaveh analyses!?? they truly live in our heads <333 secondly i am so sorry this reply is coming late!! i wasn't able to play during the first half of the event, and then i've had technical difficulties, so i've only recently finished the quest! that being said, here is part one of two of my thoughts!

firstly, i love how this event feels like a reference to kaveh’s hangout, in which alhaitham says that kaveh’s annotations, according to the ex grand conservator, are too long and hard to read, and that as a student, kaveh had the habit of scribbling in all sorts of books, which won him the nickname “the urchin of Kshahrewar” ???

we're starting off strong with kaveh canonically hiding behind a ladder out of sheer embarrassment after trying to find the book on which he inadvertently founded a conspiracy. things will just never go his way huh :(

i thought it was interesting (and very deliberate) that when we go to where we would find kaveh, it's The House, and when the traveller and paimon believe they've heard kaveh-

it's this guy... homosexual jumpscare next time.... and then he says this phrase (before leaving in his typical manner, which parallels his 'see ya' in his character quest, plsss he's so !?!?!?)

after waiting again, the traveller and paimon believe theyve heard kaveh, and this time it IS kaveh... you mean they couldnt be told apart...?? really leaning into alhaitham and kaveh being innately bound by the mirror motif i think.!!

paimon then impersonates alhaitham, to which kaveh recognises, saying that paimon doesn't sound herself - which could parallel how the kaveh comments that the traveller sounds like alhaitham in one dialogue option within his hangout, a cute detail <3

also, kaveh clinging onto the narrative that no one knows he lives with alhaitham, and then listing a scroll of names, being all of his and alhaitham's close friends... ironically very intimate

also it being confirmed that kaveh has low stamina, i didn't know i needed this until i was given it

kaveh drunkenly circling a spelling error in permanent ink, thinking nothing about it but that the book is terrible, returning it, and then creating a city-wide mystery, believing it to have happened AFTER he returned the book, and frantically trying to piece together what happened is so kaveh coded, ofc it WOULD happen to him

tighnari checking the book out when kaveh complained about it him because he thought it sounded FUNNY!! i love hibm..,m,,,

also kaveh using red ink and alhaitham using green ink... oh so the contrasting outfits aren't enough, you're also canonically using complementary colours... oh so.. huh...

tighnari immediately clocking that alhaitham joined in by adding a circle, calling it a 'game', so he knows that alhaitham is having fun doing this...? dare i say... f-flirting,,,

tighnari saying flirting.!! HE DESERVEDLY CALLEDHAIKAVEH OUT!!! they are too much in their intricate (homoerotic) rituals.

tighnari using a leaf in the forest metaphor... very interesting

cutting to cyno and sethos, cyno being bitter that sethos makes excuses to not play TCG, referencing their voice lines about the other, this is such a nice detail

absolutely no thoughts here just pure homoerotic brainrot of knowing what style of ink and the penmanship of your life partner, along with an unnecessary specific memory of the two taking breaks from their schedules to spend time together in their secret spot in the tree in cyno's second story quest... ive not had one coherent thought since this, the writing for cynonari is so so great and lovely and everything, they deserve the best

"back to the book" BRO GOT DISTRACTED!!! FR THERE WAS NO NEED TO TELL THAT STORY ABOUT HIM WATCHING TIGHNARI DO HIS HOMEWORK IN THEIR SECRET PLACE HELPPPPPP

also, cyno wanting to solve the mystery of the book for tighnari's sake and protection. oh. (if this weren't haikaveh's fault/event then cynonari would own it... tighnari, i, too, am so tired of them.)

and cyno canonically calling sethos bro!! another reason as to why its a crime this mini quest wasn't VOICED????

this is part one! part two is here and focusses on the final scene with alhaitham and kaveh, my bane...

[tequiilasunriise]

The sheer soulmatism of Lenore and Annabel fucks me up so bad everytime I think too hard about it okay sit down y’all.

The way they were immediately drawn to each other even though they had no memory of anything! No reason to immediately become so attached and protective and trusting! Not even death could part them, it’s almost like reincarnation in a way. The sins of living and the pain that comes with being alive washed away not by holy water but rather split blood, and in this new life they’re reborn into a blank, clean slate. Even in this memoryless ‘next lifetime’ they still choose each other without hesitation, without question, and I am on my knees sobbing.

The parallels of Annabel fainting! Annabel fainted when she learned that Lenore was actually alive, and Annabel also fainted when remembering how she died, and by extension, how Lenore died too (not related to soulmatism but in one scenario her lover caught her despite the injury, and in the other Lenore had no such hinderance but failed to catch Annabel regardless and that parallel kills me so softly). The soulmatism that is reacting the same exact way when you learned she lived vs remembering how she died, the soulmatism that the love is still the same. Oh how the love is still so tragically the same, crossing that threshold of death, despite the unhappy ending you shared. Annabel faints because it’s learning you have a second chance at love vs remembering how that same love was ripped away and I am no longer on my knees but laying facedown on the floor.

(The way Annabel looked at Lenore before collapsing in both scenes but with DRASTICALLY different vibes of disbelief like okay yeah sure, sure okay mhm just smash my ribs and rip my heart right out why don’t you?)

Now, NOW, the thing that truly ends me? The crazy red/blue symbolism these two carry.

Lenore is the embodiment of red. Her thoughts come in red print, as do the ribbons she was wrapped up in. Her fiery (pun intended), confident personality, her pure raging defiance rallying those around her. What’s more, Lenore’s anger and bared teeth is painted red the same way her love is, because red is not just the color of anger. Red is love, and Lenore, my god, she cares so openly about the people around her that her heart’s just painted bloody and brazen on her sleeve. Born from self-made infernos into the person she was always meant to be- flirty, quick-witted, taking what she wants when she wants- she is a young Montague wrapped up in her family’s house colors trailblazing down her own paths.

(But unlike dear Romeo who scaled a tree to look upwards towards Juliet on her balcony, Lenore was in a tree looking downwards at her counterpart, and this parallel is so important as the scene is clearly a Romeo/Juliet parallel but without the sweet sappiness but rather tension and just like, 1000x more interesting ‘can I trust you fr fr-ness’.)

Annabel is the embodiment of blue. Her thoughts come in blue print, and her ribbons are a deep blue to match. Blue is the color of calmness, and she seems so tranquil with a gentle yet firm confidence that puts people around her at ease. A natural born leader with such cool-headedness. Oh, but underneath that mask? Sadness. SO MUCH sadness, Annabel is an ocean of it, she’s a peaceful smile with a melancholic heart shot through. Young Capulet holds not pure innocence like her Juliet-counterpart but rather a deep rooted loneliness, like guys, Annabel is actually just so fucken SAD I think we really need to address this more yes she’s a total girlboss but also Annabel is the personification of hollowed out loneliness that comes with your beloved being ripped away from you.

This really got away from me, but my point?

Lenore, the embodiment of red, has blue eyes.

Annabel, the embodiment of blue, has red-adjacent eyes.

FORGET LAYING ON THE GROUND IN TEARS I AM CURRENTLY CLIPPING THROUGH THE FLOOR AND HEADING STRAIGHT GAY TO MY GRAVE IN THE BACKROOMS!!!

YOUR HONOR THEIR EYES ARE THE GODDAMNED COLORS OF THE OTHER’S MOTHERMARYFUCKING S O U L LIKE WHAT IN THE JESUS H CHRIST BUMBLEBY SOULMATISM IS T H I S S S⁉️⁉️⁉️

[thatneoncrisis]

the expendable child character is a narrative parallel to jinx reconciling her relationship with her sister and younger self. like i get not liking expendable child character but she does have an obvious narrative purpose outside of just being cutesy for sillies and then dying for sads. also she had like a cute hair dye montage and stuff man shit was tragic :( maybe im a braindead enjoyer of media trope slop but have you considered that shit was tragic

spoilersssss under da cut

hey have you considered that throwing a character in a show who barely has any personality or any inner world just for them to die because you KNOW theyre a cute kid that people will get attached to is uuuuuh cheap? like i fully understand why she exists, i get the parallels the show isnt subtle, they LITERALLY dye her hair blue and braid it, and she spends half her screen time being the symbol zaun wants jinx to be. how the fuck am i supposed to register her death as tragic when the writing was on the wall the moment she stepped on screen. how am i supposed to get attached to what is essentially a teddy bear filled with C4.

i dont like her bc the show knows how to write kids- violet, powder and mylo bounced off each other and the adults in their lives in such a natural way (excluding the other boy and ekko bc frankly they dont get enough screen time for me to judge them and the first guy was clearly doing double duty as comedic relief/oh wow another dead kid). i do not like child death as blatant manipulation, i do not like pretending that kid was a real and interesting character whos death i should be invested in, i do not like acting like recognizing what a show is doing is the same as them executing it well in any way. i understand CONCEPTUALLY why jinx likes her, omg the baby is just like me fr, they spell it out by having her look at the camera and go wow you remind me of powder who is who i used to be but then bad shit happened but youre cool, but thats not the same as like. building a bond with them, a rapport, shes just kind of this amusing Thing jinx has around and doesnt really care about outside of "kids dying is bad"

finally, do not do that fucking thing where youre like "oh well maybe i just like shitty poopoo tropes but i thought it was pretty good 🥺" how the fuck am i supposed to respond to that. im not like, upset at arcane for fun i like it when stories are told well and get frustrated when the pieces are there and just never connected. i feel like this show has reached a breaking point with how many people it can take from her without it meaning anything after a certain point. half the time its not even her fault it just kind of happens to her in some greek tragedy twist of fate, shes not allowed to have good things and instead of it being like, a conversation about children of war and how unfair shit is dropped on their heads constantly, jinxs motivations and energy is only tangentially related to zauns sovereignty movement.

theyre so like. fixated on her having this overly unserious attitude about everything around her, and i get its a coping thing to distance herself but it RARELY lets up during pivotal moments. its like a story is happening to her rather than her actively contributing- the people would have been taken to stillwater whether she was at the rally or not- sevika would have figured out a way inside that building with or without jinx, they did not escape stillwater thanks to her ingenuity, but because that guy summoned a big ass zombie werewolf who happened to also be her father. the ONLY reason she goes to that building is bc thats where the baby is, i dont think isha as a symbol of the inner child, was inspiring jinx to be a good person, shes just like, a creature of convenience. i guess while im here i can let you guys out or whatever. and what does it mean when that inner child, the living embodiment of whatever goodness and innocence may still exist in jinxs heart, is ripped away from her in a violent explosion exactly the same way as last time? she did the opposite of what vi did last time and the outcome was identical. is history repeating itself, will jinx change? is there any change that can happen that will negate the absolutely comical amount of bad shit that happens to her? this show does not in any way give me the confidence to believe that will happen

basically i think jinxs development thus far is repetitive and gives very little consideration to her as a character rather than an archetype, and isha suffers greatly for it. why show a relationship when you can simply imply it? why make the child any harder for jinx and the audience to project on? why does she need a history, or goals or any interests that arent a giant blue flag that shes powder 2

[elsa-fogen]

Anon that loves the fucked-up shit here, this fallout is just making everything all the better.

Alastor being offended is perfect lmao, you’re really capturing the man that most people don’t seem to characterize!

Poor Angel wishing it was Val haha, would he still be terrified, just relieved, or a mix?

Love that everyone is generally scared (save for Niffty, who’s just happy to be there!). Alastor does NOT care that they can’t sleep, can’t believe the residents don’t enjoy his broadcasts how dare they

That's right how can they NOT like his brodcast, this is real art!

ALASTOR IS JUST LIKE ME FR. Like i can relate to him in so many things it's getting scary LMAO, i've never could relate to fictional charcter more. Usually I just take traits from chracters i like for myself and with Alastor it's the first time when character has MY traits, it's really fun. LIKE, HE EVEN LIKES TO DRAW! What the fuck?? It's really the first time character i like likes to draw canonically and it's not the thing I give to them as headcanon. And when i was a kid i used to listen to the radio a lot and I wanted to work on the radio EHEHEHRHE

HA! FUN THING, NOW I'M WORKING ON TV FUSDGHYUGHUSIJDHSDKSIU AM I VOX?? I'm at work right now and there's so many ads for radio i insert in the TV broadcast GHSAHGHAGHDGHHAGSD i have this joke that i live in the universe where Alstor and Vox aren't fighting iudhsgdjhsdhgs

Angel... i don't know. I think at first he would be like "haha, suffer, fucker" BUT I DON'T THINK HE COULD ENJOY IT FOR EVEN 3 DAYS. And i'm not even sure if he could kill him if he was offered. After all, it's abuse stuff, and Angel at some point felt good with Valentino... and i don't know, it depends on how much these memories mean for him. I mean, i could go in depth and try to analyze this, but mehh i don't really want to. I just say, i parallel them with Hunter and Belos in The Owl House, except in toh it was family relationships

oh woops this got too long and pointless sorry

[todorroki]

Love Sea ep 8 thoughts

yall i'm gonna watch next week's ep with my vision partially obscured LMAOOO i know what's gonna go down and i'm dreading it (EXCEPT for fort throwing hands i'd like to see that)

i am Living for the mutrak cuddles. is it because we're gonna get pain next ep that they're laying all the sweet moments down rn LMAO

rak and vi are so so similar it's no wonder they're friends. vi refusing to outright tell mook that she likes her, and rak refusing to admit he's in love with mut. the parallels go crazy with these two. not to mention rak telling vi to go home this episode mirroring vi telling rak to go home back in ep 6.

i LOVE this shot of mut and meena so much. they're so similar it's endearing. also nina is such a strong actress. her growth will only make her better, and i hope she goes so far.

now, about the GL side story, i'm glad we're getting a lot more than the book gave. like YES they got a whole makeout scene and the ending credits this time!! i'm just very sad for mook. she is obviously into vi, but thinks vi is just playing around with her. like their whole problem could be solved if vi just said she liked mook. classic misunderstanding plot.

swerving back to mutrak, my god.... the way this scene is so erotic despite them both being full clothed. we didn't get any nc this ep, but mut pinning rak down and telling him he'll fuck him until he can't think of anyone else!!! that whole scene was so hot. that feather light touch on rak's neck... mut telling rak to Say what he wants yea.. the kinky d/s dynamic goes crazy with these two

AND the way fp just devour each other during kiss scenes... yeah mhmm i'm not recovering ever

yall fort's arm is so thick in love sea. my god like i don't think peat's hands r very small either (BUT IDK i've never seen him irl i wouldn't know). anyways the way they're holding each other is kinda driving me nuts sorry

dam.. and they're always just kissing each other like that.

be so fr mmy are yall putting extra nc scenes in the boxset. SPEAK INTO THE MIC.

i think it's so crazy an abusive absent father is trying to tell his son's man to break up with him bc he isn't "good enough" like damn what gives you the right?? like mut said, why should he listen to jak LMAO even jak's reasons were very weak to me.

also, production. why do that dramatic phone screen cracking to hell if you're just gonna make rak pick up a perfectly fine unbroken screen in the next shot ? is it just.. a figurative shattering of the screen to parallel the shattered glass of rak's past? that was a slightly weird way to have the scene play out but ok. i guess. peat's terrified-traumatized acting goes so hard as always.

no spoilers but the main conflict and its resolution is so.... hm. let's just say the way it plays out is not my favorite, though i'm always open to my opinion changing depending on how it's done in the series. i've been enjoying the way the series handles the novel scenes so far. ANYWAYS pain train until like the second half of ep 10 me thinks, and i'm dreading it a little LMAO i know fp are gonna make it hurt 100x more than the novel bc they're good at that.

[blackbatcass]

If it’s okay could you recommend comics for the flash fam? I really want to start reading them but I have no idea where to start 😅

YES I ABSOLUTELY CAN ANON!! reading flashfam comics can change your life for the better fr, unlike batman comics which usually change your life for the worse. Flash comics are honestly very simple to get into? for the most part you can just pick which era you want to start with, hop on that mainline ongoing and read from there.

this got kind of ridiculously long (i ramble about flash sorry)

i am not by any means a well-read silver age fan so I'll just skip right over those LMAO. if you want to read barry's run i assume you can just read flash v1 up until crisis. if you're interested in reading wally as kid flash he's featured in backups throughout a lot of v1 iirc!

unsurprisingly, my number one rec for the flashfam would be the flash volume 2 (1987). it's got pretty much everything you need. it introduced the speed force, basically created what we think of as the flashfamily, reintroduced & created beloved characters, and built up wally into the loser we know and love today<3 at its core it's the story of wally's journey from the very start of his career as the flash, learning how to fill barry's shoes and be a grown-up. it starts when he's this insane cringe 20 year old loser and ends with him as a full adult who's married with two kids LOL. it does soooo much work for wally as a character it's unreal.

but to keep it real flash v2 is......very long. like Incredibly long. it is 200+ issues and ran for over 20 years. so i can break it down into some smaller pieces & try to provide a roadmap so it's maybe a little less intimidating

the bad news is that the first guy to start out on the run fucking HATED wally for some reason lmfao and it shows. it's painful to read. the good news is he only stayed for the first 14 issues lol so honestly you can just skip those and start at #15 where william messner-loebs took over. now......the messner-loebs era is also not perfect and can be a bit of a slog. I love it in the fond 'wow wtf was all that' kind of way but it is definitely not a masterpiece. there are a lot of unmemorable, bland (occasionally batshit & ridiculous) arcs and he introduces a whole army of mostly forgettable side characters. credit where credit is due there is a lot of good stuff in there, he set up some stuff that is foundational to flash lore (like LINDA!! and hartley!) but it's not for everyone. if you want you can jump in at #31, where wally moves to keystone, or if you read some of it and it's not for you it's honestly fine to just skip to #62 where waid's run begins. #62-65 are a flashback retelling of wally's origin story (basically flash year one) and it's sooo good. essential wally reading.

the waid run is definitely the best section of the comic. it's classic it's iconic it builds the flashfamily it creates the speedforce it introduces bart allen. it's phenomenal. if you are interested in characters like bart, the garricks, johnny & jesse quick, and max mercury they are all integrated into the flashfam over this run. if nothing else i would recommend reading this part. oh and SPEAKING of bart allen, he gets introduced in issue #92! he hangs out in flash for a bit, zero hour happens, and pretty soon after his impulse series starts in 1995.

this is my #2 flashfam rec! if you have been in these tumblr circles at all then you've heard us rave about impulse 1995. it's simply Thee comic of all time. everyone on earth needs to read it im not kidding. it follows bart's life living with max mercury and his daughter helen, trying to adjust to normal life in the past. it's just. it's the best. it's 89 issues long, but honestly it goes by SUPER fast. i would recommend doing what i did and reading impulse and flash in parallel, just to get that organic experience & context. they cross over several times until impulse eventually ends.

ok back to flash v2. once geoff johns takes over..... i mean i won't say it ruins the comic and there is definitely stuff worth reading but i love waid infinitely better. it's really up to you. waid also comes back now and then to write a few chunks.

the flash series doesn't end until 2008. the next big thing after would be flash: rebirth, which. i am not a fan of for obvious reasons (get back in that coffin barry) but it's essential to understanding the plot so i have to include it lol.

i honest to god have no idea wtf was going on during flashpoint & new52. I will not pretend to understand that era. however if you are interested in the modern flashfam & the introduction of characters like ace west and avery ho, there are a couple good places to start! if you want to read williamson's run, you can start at the rebirth flash run (flash v5 #1). wally is eventually reintroduced (thank god) during this run.

if you want to start at the jeremy adams run (which features lots of members of the flashfamily) you can start at flash #768, which runs all the way to #800.

I would personally recommend the current flash ongoing written by si spurrier! it is kind of a lot and I'm in the minority in my love for it but it's interesting, thoughtful, has a role for pretty much every character, and has a lot of really cool cosmic horror elements. i will concede that it is VERY complicated and technical but you can tell spurrier has things to say and honestly it's so rare that a comic makes me think these days that i'm eating it up.

there were also two recent flashfam miniseries that just finished, speed force and jay garrick: the flash! i enjoyed both. they're short and fun.

aaaand that's my list! it is by no means comprehensive and it is very possible i got some things wrong so I apologize in advance. if you have any more questions I will be happy to try and answer them. I hope this was at least a little bit helpful and not even more confusing lol!

[thecountesstribe]

HOTD SEASON 2X4 SPOILERS AND REACTIONS.

Babies we got our asses kicked today huh??!

I knew it was coming, I knew but that doesn't make it hurt less. As a matter of fact it hurts worse because I loved book Rhaenys and sure they changed and butchered her character somewhat in the show but that was Grandma and I loved her. I need Vhagar and Aemond dead bro. I'm not even playing I'm wishing for their downfall so hard right now. Rhaenys Targaryen was one of the greatest women in Westeros to ever live and stamp that. I'm not ready for the reactions of her family when they find out about her death. Baela, Rhaena, Jace, Corlys, Rhaenyra and the others just recently lost Luke and to lose her so soon after. I'll be sick. Her relationship with Meleys was so special to me. Meleys looking back at her for the first time during the episode and then taking her last look at her for the final time, I was in tears. I'll never get over this hurt. Her face when she realized that she wasn't going back home with Meleys and the fall 💔💔💔. I am not okay, I'm not okay. Rest in peace to them both.

Sunfyre I'm sorry you had that halfwit who barely knows his mother tongue for a rider even though that little nudge you gave him was actually super duper cute. Another one of my babies. Y'all don't think they rewrote the story to kill off Sunfyre because in the trailer for episode 5, Sunfyre wasn't shown.

Aemond I hate you! Living up to that kinslayer moniker. So we intentionally see him burn both his brother (honestly fuckin deserved and about time) and his dragon. Wonder how this is gonna play out, they better not give Aemond Baela's story arc. I'm so fuckin serious. That's it. I wanna fight.

Rhaenyra coming home to a tongue lashing was so satisfying. Jacaerys was fed up y'hear me. He was done. Her telling him about the song of fire and ice just like Vizzy T did for her warmed me a little.

Criston Cole shut the fuck up challenge. It happened years ago, it's time to let that hurt go. They let that old man read him for filth and spit on him just for me.

Alicent being potentially pregnant and having to take medieval plan b or is it medieval abortion medication is so funny to me. I wonder how crybaby Cole would take the news of her potentially getting rid of the child? It's gonna be a mess.

Jacaerys was angry this entire episode and I don't blame him. Why in a room full of adults with battle experience/tactics for the war to come does he and Baela have to act like the adults. On top of that his queen, the one who they're fighting for is just taking unnecessary stupid risks and not thinking like a leader. I'd be irritated asf too. The black council aside from a selected few are just a bunch of bickering childish idiots. Both him and Baela were tired. Baela and him stepping up and leading the council was so good. They literally fed us what could've been had they had a chance to rule. Westeros was robbed. Baela proving she's just as worthy as Jace is just *chefs kiss. One thing I could say about my boy is that he knows Baela could hold her own, she's proved it but he will never ever under any circumstances let anybody feel that they could dismiss her or disrespect her. Him letting that one goof know it's because of her they have actual information on some of the greens army and acknowledging her contributions, yeah they would've been both sat the throne. Ain't nothing like she's just a queen's consort with no power. They would've been co rulers fr. Him comforting her publicly when they brought up Daemon in front of the council no less, like he doesn't play about her. That's the kinda guy you want to be locked in for life with. Rhaenys looking on in the background was a parallel to the first time they held hands during the funeral and she came up to them and she peeped the same thing she peeped then. I know she knew that Baela was in great hands. 😭😭😭 Never beating the best couple in Westeros allegations.

They black council talking about Daemon probably having an orgy LMAOO, he's getting fucked alright. That man has not had one moment of peace since he stepped foot in spooky town and it's what he deserves. Laena being beautiful and haunting his ass, period boo and baby Rhaenyra wearing older Rhaenyra's clothes and the crown that was too big for her tiny head (symbolizing it was/is a burden) and tormenting him. Yeah I'm gonna have that on repeat.

Rhaenys already knowing Adam and Alyn are Corlys children before flying to her death and her informing him and that sweet scene with Alyn, I think she learned her lesson after the whole debacle with Laenor and his boys. That's growth. Wish we could've had more of that development on screen but what can we do.

It was honestly a solid episode. I'm exhausted this was probably a review too long and if you stuck around till the end thanks for reading my thoughts ❤️. Sunfyre, Meleys and Rhaenys didn't deserve that. Sending hugs.

[alex-multiverse]

Kh Worldbuilding headcanons: Destiny Islands Edition

No one ever talks about the original worlds in kh and i find that a travesty because these places are a really, REALLY good mine to play around with. (u can also use them or expand on them if you really like)

So im gonna share some HCs i have about the original kh worlds, starting with Destiny islands..... but before that some basics: also this is kinda long so under the read more it goes

In general:

Kh "worlds" arent really floating in space. the stylized icons we see in game are more akin to dimensional rifts rather than actual planets (seriously who thinks this is how the world looks fr)

Following on with the dimensional rift: as the "worlds" arent really pieces of the original world, they are something more akin as parallel dimensions or something along the lines of something like ff14 (mostly because i would rather die first than live in a world with 5 different versions of britain existing at the same time)

As much as dark road is cool, the explanation for the empty worlds is dumb and for the purposes of this exercise, instead ofthe worlds filling the people gradually after it is created, i consider that the worlds as they exist are the result of the surviving children of the war making their stories real in the fractured reality of the original world (it also follows the weird theme of reality/unreality that kh4 seems to go for) and it turning into a different version of earth as we know it, with some exceptions, such as monstropolis (which exists independently as a parallel land to earth in its canon) and Deep space (which is straight up NOT earth and was more like, the rift of lilo and stitch's world pointing at the high counselor's fleet BEFORE the actual movie started) and also the OG worlds who dont have something to be based on for reasons to be explained later.

the only world that exists in the ocean between as it is, is the Keyblade graveyard. because it was so majorly fucked up by the war it both shattered in the physical and dimensional way after it happened.

Now that that rant is out of the way, LETS GO TO THE MOST UNDERRATED WORLD IN THE SERIES:

Destiny islands is in fact, more than 2 islands, being a big archipelago with a bigger "main island" where our three protagonists live at. this one we have seen before in kh2

Destiny islands, is, by far, not the only chain of islands in the world. in fact, theres way more islands beyond the horizon.

We know the islands have a mayor, thus we know that they must have cordial diplomatic ties with different islands near them.

Due to FF characters existing here, i am very tempted to assure that some of the races from ff8 and ffX exist in this world (you are now imagining kimahri playing with a tiny kairi after diplomacy stuff with her dad just ended)

Due to DI being an original world, it is actually a shard of the original world that didnt really changed much compared to the other original ones. its major difference is that it is an ocean world like Wind waker hyrule or the Grand line from One piece

Magic is a real thing in the original worlds populace, you just really need to get good at it, learn it, be magical by default, or cheat and get a keyblade somehow

Religion in the og worlds strike me as something akin to the way people prayed to the aeons of yevon in ffx or the astrals of FF15. with people praying to the ff summons on a case by case basis and depending on their preference for patron gods. Ie: Leviathan being a goddess of the ocean and water who is prayed to by sailors or fishermen, while scholars prefer ifrit using an interpretation of the fire of knowledge. (you know. like a furry prometheus that doesnt get eaten by an eagle daily)

I'll probably go on more detail later, but for now, the summons that get prayed to the most in DI is probably Leviathan for the aforementioned reasons, Ramuh for nature and agriculture reasons, shiva for tradition and combat reasons (related to riku in my particular headcanon) And Titan for economical reasons, wow alex making the rock man into the economy guy i wonder where you have heard it before

Speaking of economy, DI currency totally has tiny paopu fruit symbols in its coins and bills, and its a legal course currency in its neighboring islands because they too dig the paopu fruit symbolism

Munny looks like malleable diamonds because it probably just morphs into the appropate currency depending on the world we're in, moogles only use them as they are because they are both the people doing synthing and also shady as hell. do not trust the pompom people.

Going back to the Paopu fruit: its quite a common tree fruit in the islands and in fact is industrially harvested in some islands both as an export and in-island use.

The paopu folk story is actually mostly just a misconception for an older tale. originally involving sailors and a promise to return home safe. it eventually turned into "sharing one will entwine your fates forever"

Paopu pastries are a common dessert, and paopu wine is used often in weddings.

Monsters ARE real in the islands and roam the most inhabited places. These are often hunt for game and for safety reasons

THAT MEANS, chocobos are also a thing people use in the most rural parts of the islands for fieldwork, transportation and sometimes food.

Blitzball is MAD popular and they Often do tournaments involving several islands. DI itself was almost a perpetual champion up until jecht retired, then they win every so often instead of always

Boating licenses are a thing, but kids can still use their little boats because they have to row them. think like, the difference between a bicicle and a motorbike.

There are bridges for tram systems between islands that are close to each other, usually reinforced for sea and storm reasons.

Legally speaking, equal marriage is a thing and even polyamorous ones because why being an ass about it.

Healthcare is mostly public, but there are Specialty care stuff in the main islands that costs money because of course it is

Because sora and riku are japanese names, i prefer the island to be something like a tropical japan, so most of the people in DI have japanese names.

That would be all for now. tune in next time when i tackle on Twilight town, who may or not be in perpetual twilight (is not)

[dayurno]

It is deeply DEEPLY funny to me that when in need to come up with a character that would help Neil want to stay at Palmetto after everyone graduates, Nora just created Kevin 2. He truly lives rent free in all of our minds. She's just like us fr

BAHAHA i think there is definitely more to robin than just her kevin parallels but i am forced to admit that she has many of them and the role she plays in the monsters is not unlike the one kevin left vacant when he graduated….!!!! but it’s just sooooo @___@ to me that not only is robin so similar to kevin narrative-wise but she’s also a direct result of kevin’s influence in andrew…… andrew who wanted her to believe in herself and fight back the same way he wanted it for kevin…. andrew who trained robin every night like kevin did with neil…. andrew using exy as a means to give robin a second chance at life like kevin has been telling him for years….. DO YOU UNDERSTAND!!!!

i think even if robin doesnt get to be a fox while kevin is a fox it’s still so clear that kevin’s influence still lingers….!!! im not sure if he would have been close to her at all, and maybe she would have been scared of him and his criticism, but i think if they ever got a chance to be friends then they really would ok. i believe 🥹

[isa-ghost]

Feel free to just ignore this if you want to, lord knows the last thing this fandom needs is another crows vs. tubblings spat, but...

I'm sorry, people think Chayanne should go to Tubbo for emotional support??? Tubbo??????? The guy who couldn't talk directly to his best friends about his emotional problems to the point that he tried to deliberately sabotage their relationship??? That Tubbo???? Are they watching the same streamer I am???? Do they live in some kind of parallel universe????

(this is all referring to the character on qsmp, no shade to the actual Tubbo)

EXACTLYYYYYYYYYYYYYY GOD. G O D.

I feel so bad for Crow-Tubblings like me bc we're all just here like 🧍‍♀️ "why are yall so mad." Having both sides of the story is wild, it's so obvious when one side doesn't watch the other fr. 😭 And this goes for Tubblings AND Crows btw both sides do it

[lovingdabeessss]

I personally love your headcanons, so like just curious but what do you think would have happened if Yang (bless her) had actually physically died - let’s say instead of just swatting her to the side the blade actually stabbed her when she took the hit - in the Ever After, cause given what we do know, the options are:

1. Drink tea, whole body (plus soul?) ascends

2. Get murderized by a cat, clearly Alyx did not go back but at the same time she left a part of herself behind as a wish to help Jaune go back so you know (so no body but the soul ascends)

3. The usual ways that Afterans ascend like dying

Like assuming everything else remained the same (maybe Jinxy was in the mood to loot a corpse, I imagine that looting a dying Afteran must be quite profitable, they do come back with new stuff after all), imagine what the Blacksmith must have thought when another dead human appears but with an arguably more intact body and the worst possible phrasing of a dying wish on the planet.

OH TO LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE YANG GOT STABBED FR

Like IMAGINE the VISUAL PARALLELS!!! WITH

A D A M

I’d go insane id never be normal about it like I’m already not normal about how similar those two scenes were, and here I am, less normal

I think that if she had died within the ever after she’d ascend

Because that tea gave less of a vibe of being spiritually helpful and more of a just actual poison vibe

I also 100% think jinxy would rob the dead and disabled it would be INSANE if in this alternate timeline the first thing they see from Yang is her prosthetic being sold off by jinxy along with penny’s sword like obviously so so so painful also at this point makes him kinda a grave robber which is very funny

If it’s all about emotional acceptance then at that point yang would’ve accepted everything that was happening to her including her death because in her head everyone she loved was safe and going to get to the other side of the portal so it’s all fine and she in cannon accepted that she was dead even when she wasn’t she was like “oh I thought we were in hell” and was just suffering with that till Blake got her fairytale self insert dreams to come true (she’s so real for that I love her)

I think she might get herself stuck In between actually ascending tho because she refuses to address her feelings ever and would just accept that as the afterlife till she was told she could get back to her loved ones