#i had fun mixing book and show lore with this one

[lady-of-the-citadel]

a mother is a very special thing. . .

my take on Lady Alyrie Florent, mother of Queen Alicent Hightower and Ser Gwayne Hightower, wife to Ser Otto Hightower, Hand of the King.

In F&B, we don't get enough knowledge about many (any) of the female characters and I was pleased that hotd gave a name to Alicent's mother. However, I wanted to mix Alyrie's depiction of what we know about House Florent from the books (which is big ears), their house colors, and my own thoughts on a woman left from the narrative but must have made an impact. <3

[bunabi]

You don't have to respond to this, I just don't have anyone irl who likes DA as much as me, but as a big fan of Origins I keep hoping for the next game to scratch an itch for me and with each game I get further and further from what I'm looking for. The in depth character backgrounds (that had real impact on the game!), the combat (it turns out I lothe RTS unless it's DAO but for some reason I love DAO's combat so much), and the impact of your choices are all things that seem to diminish with each game. I also agree with your frustration at not being able to be mean, I'm usually a goodie two shoes in games but my favorite Warden was one I made pragmatic and comfortable with authority to a dangerous degree because the brutal choices in Awakening result in the best outcomes for Ferelden. Plus even if you prefer the kind choices, you can't make choices unless you're given them. Luckily there's BG3 and Avowed coming out but it still feels like such a loss every time a new DA is released.

I wanna respond because you raise good points. 😔👍🏿

I feel the same way. I'm ride-or-die for Thedas as a world — the lore is easy to jump into and the amount of half-truths makes speculation really fun — but the games have strayed further and further from my personal tastes.

No DA entry is the same in its approach or execution, so I think having mixed opinions is completely natural.

Compared to Mass Effect which sticks to it's formula pretty closely from ME1 to Andromeda, DA is constantly changing. I think it could have benefited from more consistency. I understand why that wasn't always possible.

You're allowed to be disappointed or wistful or critical without it being construed as like...giving ammunition to bozos or tearing the developers down.

If we can't discuss those things what are we supposed to do? Sit in a circle pretending those features never mattered lol? That I never liked having more roleplay freedom, never liked companion relationships having more tension, never cared about tactics? No I don't think I will.

And I say this while fully accepting DAV for what it is. Even if I wasn't blessed with a code from EA I had every intention of playing it myself. I bought the art book. I've done two zines this year and contributed to two more. My career revolves around making art directly inspired by Inquisition's. Haven't read all the comics & books but I'm as 'hardcore' as it gets.

Me, of all people, being called a fake fan for wanting blood magic or not feeling the character model proportions shows how emotionally charged and unhinged things have gotten

All that to say: I think the best way to be a fan of anything is to acknowledge the good and the bad and let others do the same. So long as those conversations are in good faith there's nothing to lose and everything to gain fr.

[isaacarellanesismyhusband]

mind if I sit?

pair: Walker Scobell x reader

requested by anonymous

so maybe reader is in Vancouver for something, and she runs into Walker at a restaurant and knows he's in pjo so they start talking about pjo lore and he randomly invites her to join his table with the cast? maybe she ends up getting an offer for a role on the show by somebody sitting at the table, so they become friends/start dating, idk it was just a total dream idea lol

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You walked through the vibrant streets of Vancouver, feeling a mix of nerves and excitement. You’d booked an acting class here a few months ago, trying to push yourself further into the acting world. The online reviews were glowing, and the idea of learning from a professional in the heart of such a bustling city seemed like the perfect opportunity to grow. You had always been passionate about performing, and maybe this class would be a stepping stone to something bigger.

After your session, you decided to grab a bite to eat at a local restaurant. The place wasn’t overly fancy but had a warm, cozy atmosphere, and you were craving something comforting after the long day. You stepped inside, the scent of garlic and herbs filling the air, making your stomach growl.

As you waited for your food at a small table near the window, you casually scrolled through your phone. You had some downtime before your next class, and it was nice to unwind for a bit. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed a familiar face walk in. You couldn’t place it right away, but something about him seemed recognizable. Then it clicked.

Walker Scobell.

He was the lead in the upcoming Percy Jackson series. You’d been following the show closely since you’d always been a huge fan of the books. Seeing him in person was a bit surreal, but you didn’t want to act like some star-struck fan. He was just a regular person grabbing lunch, right?

Still, you couldn’t help but glance in his direction now and then. To your surprise, he caught your gaze, and instead of looking away, he smiled warmly and walked over to your table.

“Hey, are you a Percy Jackson fan?” he asked casually, his voice friendly but curious.

You blinked in surprise for a moment before nodding. “Yeah, actually. I love the books, and I’ve been keeping up with the show news.”

Walker’s smile widened. “That’s awesome! It’s always cool to meet people who are excited about the series. Mind if I sit?”

“Of course, go ahead,” you said, trying to keep your composure. It wasn’t every day you had a conversation with someone in a major TV show, after all.

Walker sat down across from you, and the two of you started talking. The conversation flowed easily, jumping between Percy Jackson lore, favorite moments from the books, and how excited you both were for the upcoming show. You couldn’t help but feel a bit giddy inside—this was a dream scenario for any fan of the series.

After a while, Walker glanced over at a nearby table. “Hey, so, I’m actually here with some of the cast. Do you want to come join us?”

You blinked, momentarily stunned by the offer. “Wait, really? I don’t want to intrude…”

“You wouldn’t be intruding at all! We’re all fans of the series too, so we’d love to chat with someone who gets it,” he said with a grin.

Not wanting to pass up the opportunity, you nodded, and Walker led you over to a larger table where a few other familiar faces sat. They greeted you warmly, introducing themselves as you took a seat. The energy at the table was casual and fun—despite their fame, everyone seemed grounded and easy to talk to.

You found yourself falling into conversation naturally, your initial nerves fading as you realized that they were just like any other group of friends hanging out. The topic shifted between acting, life on set, and your shared love for the Percy Jackson universe. You mentioned that you were in Vancouver for an acting class, and that’s when one of the adults sitting at the table perked up.

“Wait, which class are you taking?” a woman in her early forties asked, looking intrigued. You recognized her as one of the directors of the series, though you didn’t want to come off too intense by pointing it out.

You told her the name of the class, and she smiled. “That’s actually one of the programs I recommend to newer actors. How are you finding it?”

“It’s been amazing so far,” you replied, grateful that the conversation had steered away from fan topics. “I’ve been learning a lot, and the instructors have been really encouraging. I feel like I’m pushing myself in ways I haven’t before.”

The woman nodded thoughtfully, exchanging a glance with another adult at the table. “That’s great to hear. You know, we’re always looking for new talent, especially people who are passionate about the source material. Have you thought about auditioning for something bigger?”

Your heart skipped a beat. “I mean, I’ve thought about it, but I don’t have a ton of professional experience yet. I’m hoping to get there one day, though.”

She leaned back in her chair, a slight smile on her face. “You know, we’ve been casting some smaller roles for the series, and since you already seem to click with the cast… How about coming in for an audition? It wouldn’t hurt to try.”

You stared at her in disbelief, unsure if you’d heard correctly. Was she really offering you a chance to audition for Percy Jackson?

“Wait, are you serious?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper.

“Absolutely,” she said with a nod. “No guarantees, of course, but from what I’ve seen and heard tonight, I think you could be a good fit. If you’re interested, I can set something up.”

Your mind raced, trying to process what was happening. You’d come to Vancouver for a class, hoping to improve your acting skills, and now you were being offered a chance to audition for one of your favorite series. It felt too good to be true, but the sincerity in her voice made you believe it was real.

“I… I would love that,” you managed to say, trying to keep your voice steady despite the excitement bubbling inside you.

“Great,” she said, pulling out her phone to exchange contact information with you. “I’ll get in touch with you in the next few days to set something up. In the meantime, just keep doing what you’re doing. You’re already off to a great start.”

The rest of the night passed in a blur. You continued chatting with the cast and crew, your heart racing with a mix of excitement and disbelief. You couldn’t believe what had just happened, but as you walked back to your hotel later that evening, you couldn’t stop smiling.

This could be the start of something big, and you couldn’t wait to see where it led.

[cinnamonroll-anon]

Hi! If it's okay to ask/request, could you do TFA Decepticons and Autobots, of your choice with Human Reader? Can be romantic/platonic

Reader's a fan of fnaf-related, from games, books, lores, movie, etc…

A/n: Absolutely Anon, thank you for the request! Sorry for any grammatical errors or making the characters to OOC. Sorry for any misinterpretation of the prompt anon, these can be seen as platonic or romantic (sorry for not including the fnaf movie, i haven't seen it and it wouldn't do justice to write about it, but I'll definitely go back and write the headcanon after i watch it)

TFA Autobots/Decepticons x GN!Fnaf Fan Reader (Platonic/Romantic)

Optimus

At first he would think it was based off of real events, in which you've had to remind him they're not. It's just a videogame

I think he'll find it odd how you could be so interested in something entirely fictional (he's not judging tho, man is a history nerd and he knows it) he may be just a bit concerned in the beginning

But it all shifted when you mentioned the books

That peaked his interest and you give some recommendations on the first ones to read. Obviously reminding him that what happens in the books doesn't happen in the games

I feel like he's a night owl and will definitely be reading them late at night. Sometimes you even join in and it becomes a fun little geeking out session, especially when he has so many questions and you're happy to answer

Ironically more into the horror aspect of fnaf (especially in some of the books because damn, messed up shit do be happening) and he's eating it all up fr (rip matpat mpreg that he read because, you little shit, you'd definitely tell him about it. Man was beyond flabbergasted and also learned about the theory side of fnaf) (definitely one was to make an impression 💀)

I think he's definitely more of a casual fan of fnaf

Bumblebee

Probably the most open to learning about your interests, especially fnaf

He thought it would be something simple like the video games he's played while on earth, boy was he wrong

You've got him hooked on the lore, it confused him at first but you guided him through the most confusing bits, like not canon works like the books, security breach, the peak of the fandom etc.

You guy's definitely watched "An Undeniably Canon Five Nights at Freddy's Timeline" and he was definitely hollering while watching it with you and it helped him understand the lore just a bit better (bonus that y'all watched it like a movie night!)

In absolute awe of the Fnaf songs, each one is a banger

He'll definitely ramble about it with you if it's your hyperfixation and he's always happy to learn more about what makes you happy

Bulkhead

More reluctant on it especially because it's in the horror genre and i don't think he takes it too well

He understands the idea and how it can be interesting but you might need to leave out agony and renment, might frighten him too much

Please don't show him the VHS tapes, that'll certainly scare the color off of him

He listens to the songs and thinks the community is very creative

Definatly likes the more cute and wholesome side of fnaf

Overall he's open to you but be mindful of his heart, he's a softie

Prowl

I feel like he may be the hardest one to introduce to but it's not your fault, it's bumblebee's (He's bothered prowl with videogames and stuff before)

But i think he'd give you a chance, seeing that he cares alot about you and this means alot to you

I think he'd be more intrigued with the horror mechanics of the game, learning how a mix of jumbled sounds and scenes could scare someone

He'd be down to play it/ watch you play it/ watch gameplays

He definitely jumps ip from the jumpscares. In his defense he was caught off guard

Overall he'd be supportive, listening to you explain the convoluted story and all the details

He'd remember just about everything you tell him. It's how he shows he cares, actively listening and remembering things you like

He'd find it cute how you like fnaf so much, reminds him of how focused and happy nature makes him

Ratchet

He at first waves you off, saying that he's to busy or tired to care

But this guy's got a soft spot for you

So he might not take the deep dive into fnaf, but he definitely listens to you

He'll let you ramble while he's working on something. Sometimes you feel like you're being overbearing and stop talking, he notices of course, "I'm still listening, this William guy sure is a piece of work"

He remembers everything you tell him, so you find yourself over the moon when he remembers some reference you said like a month ago

Finds himself pleasantly surprised that it's more interesting than just a horror game, but i feel like he'll deny that (but watch him ask what else happened)

Blurr

He probably is taking this more seriously than what he needs to, but you appreciate it

"So you're telling me that the sorrow he felt for losing his youngest son led him down a desperate path that ended up killing his own daughter on accident, but by then he was so broken he killed Henry's daughter, while also pushing away his eldest son, which would lead up into Micheal vengefully chasing down his father until Henry managed to trap everyone and put an end to Williams torment on all his victims and family?" He'd practically babble almost incoherently fast

Yeah that's practically it

He'd definitely like the more theoretical parts of Fnaf like how William had gotten away with it that long, why they didn't find the body's, etc.(he's practically a police officer as well, this is all up in his alley)

He's a quick learner and basically devours everything you show him, both invested and interested to learn why you love it so much

He found his answer and a hyperfixation!

Megatron

Being on earth for as long as he has, just collecting dust and not being able to go anywhere is pretty crushing... And boring

He'd listen to you ramble on the premise that he's so utterly bored that he'd listen to just about anything

He'd be on the edge of his seat waiting to hear what happens next, he'd be interested if you also showed him just about everything

He'd grow used to it and doesn't sincerely care what anyone else thinks, letting you ramble and just enjoy yourself

He'd be lying if he didn't say he enjoyed that time together

He'll let you sit on his shoulder and just go off

He's basically unfazed by it but enjoying it

Starscream

Probably freaks him out ngl but he'd shake it off under the impression that he couldn't be afraid of such a silly human story

Oh boy wait until he hears about the spring lock failure

But as much as it would freak him out man is invested to know everything

He'd jump up and scream at the jump scares when watching the gameplay. Every. Time.

He'd be in a love-hate relationship with fnaf, loving the complexity but hating the horror aspects

Honestly you rambling about it helps ease him into it, you're calming and so happy when you talk about it

Black Arachnia

Might not be as interested in the beginning, halfheartedly listening until you mention Springtrap

He reminds her of herself, an abomination both organic and technology. Both painful experiences and the agony of never being what they once were

She ends up enjoying listening to you explain how agony and remnant works. It's reminds her of her experiments to return herself to normal

She'd listen to you as she works, using your voice as a way to ground herself as she works

Definitely shocked at the family drama, but she loves the tea

Overall happy to be able to have one more thing to talk to you about.

Blitzwing

He's having a field day

"Such interesting methods of disposing the bodies- Yeah, what a cold hearted killer- Oh! Killer like the music!"

His three sides are all equally interested in it, job well done!

One is analyzing the crime aspects, one is taking the story at face value, and of course the other one is just as/ if not more ecstatic about it

He loves it and loves learning more about it and rambling with you

Will listen to a Fnaf playlist with you happily, especially because it reminds him of you

Idk but something tells me he'd laugh at the jumpscares, thinks the suspense is funny

Lugnut

He's surprised you fan remember so much about Fnaf. Like theres just so much

I feel like he'd boast about how much you know. "Look at the genius before you, they know more about this subject than anyone!"

He's super supportive

He'd drop just about anything he's doing to give you his full undivided attention

If you sometimes forget that you've already told him something and say it again you're doing him a solid. He doesn't have the best memory but hes enthusiastic!

He's proud of you and isn't afraid to show it, as you shouldn't be afraid to share of what you like with him

Shockwave

Man has been working on the clock for ages. I feel like when he'd listen to you introduce him to fnaf he was honestly so overworked and stressed that he just needed a distraction

And indeed it was a distraction

If you're the type to go into long rants for hours, sign him up

Definitely asking questions and just actively indulging with you

It's honestly adorable

If anyone asks what you're doing at his desk, he'll just shoo them off saying that you're a key part of his work

He's interested, hooked and loving it

Show him the music and that's a new guilty pleasure for him. He listens to them while he works quietly, never thought he'd enjoy it so much

Definitely eager to learn about everything; books, games, you name it, he wants to know

Loves spending more time with you, especially bonding over your interest!

Back to Nav

[adamnablelittledevil]

Only Blood Communion and Interview With the Vampire to go now. I'll make more elaborated posts about my thoughts once I'm done with everything, but here are some of my opinions:

TVA is absolutely my favorite (I've said it before and will say it again: the most purifying cry I had in my life, it destroyed and restored me in the best possible way), TVL, TQOTD and Prince Lestat are also on my top 4, though I don't know where to place the latter on my personal ranking. The others are sort of tied and the order changes according to specific aspects. Like, Blood and Gold covers a lot of eras and places of the world, has multiple interesting characters, so it's fun in the sense there's a lot of stuff to see, even if I'm not a Marius's fan and he isn't the best narrator imo. On the other hand, something like Merrick is more packed, just her, Louis and David (and some Lestat), but I just love her as a character and the whole story of her family. I can't really choose.

Memnoch would be the last because it was the one I struggled with (tho I loved Armand on it), I thought the concept was great and I could've loved it with a more active, intense and eventful execution. Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis is second-to-last because most of the plot was dumb to me, the part that made sense was solved in an unconvincing way, I had to do a lot of suspending disbelief even for a supernatural/sci-fi story... But it was nice to have so many characters I love reunited, even if some didn't have lines, it's nice to know they're around and I enjoy the vampires having sort of a healthy little community.

Favorite character is definitely Armand, then Lestat, then Pandora, Maharet, Mekare, Flavius, Merrick, Bianca, Gabrielle, Mona, Benji, Avicus and Petronia (they didn't appear much and did awful brutal stuff, yes, but having an intersex/gender-fluid character was great and they had so much baggage I could empathize with them). Most after Armand and Lestat are tied. I don't know if I'd call Benedict a fave, but I'm somewhat attached to him (and I KNOW about those spoilers). I LOVE Vittorio and Ursula too and I hope they can appear in some shape or form on the show. I don't looooove Antoine, but he's alright to me. He just seems to be a poor/broke dude who wants to live, have friends and dedicate his existence to his hyperfixations and I can relate because same lol. I get him.

Favorite pairings (either as an OTP or brotp): Lesmand (👑👑👑), Pandora and Flavius (👑👑), Maharet and Mekare (👑, they just don't get more crowns because they don't appear as much as I wanted 😔), Armand and Benji and Sybelle (as duos and a trio), Armand and Riccardo, Armand and Bianca (pretty much Armand and everyone that isn't Marius lol), Lestat and Mona (their childish siblings-coded beef entertains me), Maharet and Jesse and Vittorio and Ursula (👑👑). I wish I had seen more of some characters/dynamics, tho.

MAYBE I could tolerate Marius and even love Magnus (he seems to have a sad and interesting story) if all I'd seen of them had been the content of the last trilogy, but given the previous books, I'm not sure I can enjoy Anne's decisions. I have a lot of mixed feelings about Magnus apologizing and Marius's behavior not even being seen as something to apologize for in the first place, but that's for another post.

Some of the books I would've been able to read and love with or without the show, some I only read to get information, but I'm mostly glad I'm equipped with so much of the lore now. That's not to say there aren't problematic things even for the genre that I need to compartmentalize and ignore (to some extent and not completely) for my enjoyment, because there is a lot of that, but it hasn't been a waste of time. And I'm glad I know what can happen in the future, make silly little fancasts and have events to look forward to seeing on the series. Obviously, opinions can change with the next books, when I re-read the novels or even with conversations and discussions... And that makes me excited as well.

[brainrotbabe24]

OMG can you write about Thorins company and reader who has like a tongue piercing, nose piercing, snake bites/lip piercing, etc, and a few tattoos at a pretty young age and theyre like How tf did this kid get all of those🤨😦

(Like not literally a kid but yk, younger than most of the company)

Ilyyyyy btw take care of yourself💞💞

Hi! Thank you for your request!

I had so much fun writing this one...it's kind of a mix of how they would react and if they had piercings and tattoos too! I kinda got carried away, lol 💖🎉

Gandalf:  Omg, how cool would it be if he used his wizard powers to make your tattoos move?! I feel like he would do that just for shits and giggles. Like one minute, you had a cat on your calf, and now it’s up by your collarbone.

Balin: He would rather get to know you than pry into why you got piercings and tattoos. If you feel comfortable telling him, he will listen without judgment. It would bring back memories of his young adult life with Dwalin. I think Balin and Dawlin have matching tattoos. I could also see Balin having a nose or eyebrow ring when he was younger, but it got ripped out during battle.

Dwalin: Dwalin would love that you had so many tattoos and piercings. He would ask to get matching tattoos. You guys will talk for hours about tattoos, future tattoo ideas, and any horror stories. I think out of everyone, he knows why you have so many tattoos/piercings but would keep that secret forever.

Óin: “You got a booger in your nose.” he would joke about your septum ring. Oin doesn't understand the idea of piercings, thinking they will get caught on things and be distracting. But he loves tattoos. I could see him having a lower back tattoo from when he was young and wild. His secret would be revealed on the journey to Erebor when they stopped to bathe in the fountain at Rivendell. “Nice tramp stamp, Oin; what’s it say?” Nori jokes. "Why not ask your mother? I'm sure she would know." Oin laughs!

Glóin: He thinks you're lying about your age. How could the youngest member of the company have more tattoos than all of them combined?! Gloin loves your nose ring though. You are trying to convince him to get one, and it's slowly working!!

Bifur: Would sneakily show you his one tattoo proudly. It’s a heart with a dwarf's name written in it...secret lover??? Would he consider his ax a piercing? Yes. He won't ask why you are so young with so many tattoos, but every so often, when you drop some lore, he will listen intently, ensuring he gets every bit of it.

Bofur: Gives each tattoo a name. If you guys were sleeping next to each other, he would trace them. If Gandalf did his magic to move them, he would make little stories for them to preform.

Bombur: Asks how you eat with a tongue piercing. He is a little confused about the hype of piercings and tattoos. But Bofur and he would write down all the lore you told, trying to piece together the story.

Ori: Ori would ask to doodle on your tattoos. He would add to them, like drawing squiggles or coloring them in. He would also ask you to pose so he could do drawing studies of your tattoos. By the end of the trip, he should ask you to pierce his ears! 

Dori: I have to admit, he would actually like your look. He would think it’s a very dwarf thing to do and find it incredibly fashionable.

Nori: Nori will bond with you over piercings and remind you to clean them. He will also tell Ori he should follow in his footsteps and get some piercings. "It would be a Ri family tradition!" Nori will say.

Side note: Nori definitely has nipple piercings and a tongue ring lol

Thorin: He would be a little hesitant. With your age, the tattoos, and the piercing, he would be super weary. Thinking you were a bad influence! Balin would have to tell him not to judge a book by its cover.  

Omg idea: So you know how the dragon sickness kinda made him obsessed about gold and jewels. Well, what if he started to act like Smaug and he would sleep on the gold…and it got so bad that now he has like little bits of gold and gems stuck in him. They would be littered over his body…the more I talk about it, the more I keep thinking of Edward from Twilight..so think Thorin but with a sparkly body. 😂😂

Fíli: He loves your look!!! I could also see him trying to get you into some dwarf fashion and would gift you cool earrings he made. He would be down to hear your stories about your tattoos, but he would be too nervous to show you his...gotta keep that princely image lol

Kíli: Would want to get snake bites because of you. He thinks they are so cool and totally badass. “y/n could you do it for me. Here use this knife and give me some snake bites!”.

Side notes: I couldn't find a GIF of snake bites, but this one kinda matches the idea I had for him lol

Bilbo: Bilbo would disapprove. He would be scared the first time he met you, thinking you were a criminal….and once he realized your age, he would faint.  How could someone so young have so many tattoos!!

[spopsalt]

Just gonna drop this one off here. We can all agree Hazbin and Helluva are dropping balls and fumbling bags left and right.

So, I’m gonna recommend a few GOOD series that discuss life, death, and religion.

1. Dead Like Me. It’s an early 2000s show about George Lass, an 18 year old woman who’s life was cut short when she died on her first day of the job. No longer a part of the living, George gets a new job, reaping souls before they die and helping them pass on. It’s admittedly dated, but much better at handling it’s more progressive themes than Vivziepop. The soundtrack and fashion is pleasing aesthetically. And as for writing, there are some things left to be desired, but its still incredibly ambitious with an amazing cast of characters. Lots of nuance. DO NOT WATCH THE MOVIE. Also, if you like Hannibal, this was created by the same guy.

2. Good Omens. You’re on Tumblr, you’ve probably heard of it, so I’ll keep it short. It’s essentially The Omen, with a twist to it. Due to a series is mix-em-ups on the day he was born, the AntiChrist was mistakingly raised by a normal, loving family. Having had a rather not-so-complicated friendship since the creation of man, a demon and angel must team up to stop the end of the world as we know it. Taking the well know Omen story, and adding its own humorous twist to it alone makes the story fun. But it’s also fascinating seeing the representations of angels, demons, and horsemen alike. The overall take on religion was fun in and of itself. It was also a book.

3. Hellboy. During WWII, the Nazis opened a portal. A baby came from that portal. That baby was Hellboy (yes, that’s his name.) Hellboy was raised by the US government organization BPRD (The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense). He’s supposed to bring about the end of days, but HB is a brawler with a heart of gold and a hand of rock. And maybe a taste for alcohol. The series hosts a ton of fascinating characters, with all sorts of different backgrounds, lore, and species. There are many cues takes from world mythology, Abrahamic religion, and even H.P. Lovecraft. It’s mainly a comic franchise. The first two movies were great. There’s also a mini comic series called ‘Itty Bitty Hellboy’ that’s cute.

Never watched those before, but I'm sure those did them better than Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss (It's not hard) I might check those out!

[kitzatara]

My full Zatanna Bring Down The House Review!

(spoiler filled, you have been warned!)

First of all I really enjoyed it, it is a very good characterization of Zatanna. We see her heroism and her innate desire to help people, even strangers, and people she doesn’t trust. Helping the magic users, and seeing her desire to do what’s right. She was determined and doesn’t hesitate to help, just like the hero she is.

She had a dry sense of humor, a showman personality and love of performing, her stubborn will and her temper as well. These are all traits that I have seen and consider to be consistent in Zee over the years. So seeing them be core to her in this book was very much appreciated.

I do have a couple narrative nitpicks, 1) she’s never killed anyone, ever. So the decision to have her accidentally kill a kid in the story was a shame to me. I don’t like the breaking of that 60 year record. My only comfort is that it technically isn’t canon. So technically her record is still intact.

2) is the casters doing logomancy. I think that should be something only Zataras can do. It’s such a unique style of spellcasting, and having other magic users be able to do it sort’ve undermines this unique concept. The original reason the Zataras spoke backwards was because they were descendants of Da Vinci. So others should find it extremely difficult to do if they can do it at all.

I’ve mixed opinions about the casters & bunnies in general. They remind me of the Homo Magi, And I couldn’t help but feel that making Zatara part of a secret magic group was just taking from Sindella’s origin. Which has already happened by making Zatara a Homo Magi, I think the casters easily could’ve been swapped for the Homo Magi. But they were interesting, warring factions of magic is always a fun concept.

One problem I have, that isn’t exclusive to this book, was having her not use magic much until the end. It’s very common for magic users to have this trope of powerlessness. Especially at the start of a hero’s journey. So, I recognize the story format but I’m tired of seeing it.

We’ve now have had 6 stories follow a similar route (7 soldiers, come together, Mystik U, Jewel of gravesend, mystery of the meanest teacher) also absolute power, and technically both JLD runs also begin similarly. Seeing Zatanna constantly at square one no longer serves her character, her story, and discards her history. We should move past stories centered on her not using magic and start moving on to stories of her being a fully realized sorceress.

My final big problem with the story is constantine’s inclusion. I’ve made posts on other platforms about how poorly he treats her and will eventually post one here. But in Bring Down The House he is once again made a part of her origin and revealed to be manipulating things behind the scenes, keeping secrets from her, and even lying to her because he knows better and is trying to “keep her safe.” It’s just an example of sexist tropes like him manipulating and infantilizing her. Which I am also sick of seeing.

That all being said the conclusion is the crown jewel of the story. It’s immensely satisfying. We got to see her transfiguring an army of demons easily. A powerful ability in her tool kit that I feel isn’t utilized as much as it used to be. The bunnies as allies was also fun, and having magical bunnies as allies and a part of her show is a fun and whimsical addition to her lore that I’ve wanted to see.

It was dare I say almost worth the typical and repetitive hero’s journey. While the decision to make Zatara the villain of this story was interesting, albeit not one I would have made. His defeat was wonderful and spectacular. It was emotional, impactful and bad ass. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Finally, it must be said and cannot be understated how beautiful the art was. It was colorful, whimsical, and just perfect for her story. It wove with the narrative seamlessly. I loved the artwork in this book. Truly blew me away.

So even though I have my criticisms and nitpicks, it was still a really fun and beautiful read, with a perfect ending. I wish the series was an ongoing, or led to a solo title for her because reading this showed how fun her story could be. All in all to me it was a 4/5.

Thank you for reading

Eht dne!

[gaybichon]

I do not plan on watching Wicked in theaters, so I will need your complete thoughts/review/rant about it, please ❤️

okay here we go (under a cut for rambling)

the stans were not even slightly exaggerating about ariana's performance... the e•mo•tion she conveyed in "no one mourns the wicked" had me crying before the title card even dropped

i say this with all the love in my heart but like. wicked is not a perfect show. there are things that could be improved about the story and pacing and i think jon is doing a great job with that (though i'm curious about part 2 because. there's a lot to improve there) so while there were no major changes (yet) i do like the changes so far

speaking of pacing-- i was curious (suspicious) about the runtime being so long but it genuinely didn't feel like it. it's not like he added a bunch of new stuff i think he just left more breathing room in the scenes between songs

i can't even say anything about cynthia like obviously she's amazingly talented and her performance was incredible. the dynamic btwn glinda and elphaba is insane. the ozdust ballroom scene will make you want to set yourself on fire it is so heartbreaking and beautiful like when elphaba is crying and glinda gently reassures her like what if we all just kill ourselves!!!

i don't know why everyone was so agitated about the color or whatever i think it was visually stunning and the costumes are gorgeous, i cannot wait to see how they develop in part 2

i have mixed thoughts about the idina and kristin moment for very nitpicky reasons (could have been a great opportunity to incorporate some of the book lore) but i don't really care i love them and it was very silly and fun

also i'm pretty sure that was a stephen schwartz cameo at the end of "one short day" can anyone confirm or deny that

other nitpicks: i don't care for the cgi animals and jeff goldblum can't sing. oh also i think it's silly that they're like "we invented cages" idk the movie doesn't draw a distinction btwn animals and Animals so maybe they're operating in a world where all animals have the capacity for sapience or whatever if given the opportunity. but like i think they'd have figured out cages by now

these are just the thoughts off the top of my head but i'm sure i'll come back with more 🩷💚

[yumeka36]

Black Myth Wukong

I finally finished my (mostly) all-bosses playthrough of Black Myth Wukong. Since a lot of my favorite streamers were playing it, and it looked intriguing from the trailer, I wanted to give it a try once I had my fill of the Elden Ring DLC. It took me a month to beat the game (I only had time to play about 2-3 hours a day).

Overall, I enjoyed the game immensely. Give me a game with really cool and creative monster designs, plus pretty, scenic areas to explore, and I'm happy! The combat is really fun too - the mix of spells, melee attacks, transformations, stance styles, etc, gives you such a variety of ways to play. Plus the fact that you can respec anytime removes the pressure of committing to one build. But honestly, I kinda stuck with the same build the whole game, lol. I focused most of my skill points on health, defense, attack, Immobilize, and Pluck of Many, as well as putting all my Mind Cores into the same, plus mana. This got me through basically all of the game with relative ease. Actually, either I got overpowered or the game wasn't that difficult for me, since by mid-chapter 2, almost every boss was a first or second try victory for me. Only exceptions were the Loongs and few chapter finale bosses and secret area bosses who took a few tries more. Then there was Erlang, who took me at least 30+ tries over 3 hours and was one of the hardest bosses I've fought in any game (coming from someone who's fought every boss in Elden Ring, Sekiro, Bloodborne, and the Dark Souls trilogy). So yeah, don't want to see that guy again anytime soon.

The only time I respeced a bit was to put more points into four banes resistance against Erlang. But I was also dumb and didn't realize there was a Drink to restore Qi, which was what I really needed to get rid of his shields with the fan vessel. But I still died a few times even after figuring this out, so I think he's just a really difficult boss.

While I enjoyed the heck out of the gameplay, unfortunately I couldn't follow the story/lore well at all. Obviously this is because I know close to nothing about Journey to the West or Chinese mythology. So while I understood the basic premise of finding Wukong's relics throughout the land, everything else as far as who the characters were, what their relationship is to Wukong and each other, and why they're doing what they're doing, was totally lost to me. Even after watching a "story explained" video, it's very clear that the game is a true sequel to Journey to the West, and you're guaranteed to be lost about most things if you haven't read the book. But the fact that I still enjoyed the game despite this just shows how fun it is. If I enjoy the gameplay mechanics, not being able to follow the story isn't that big a deal to me. Also, the animated music videos between each chapter were amazing. My favorite is the one for chapter 3, which was so well choreographed but also deliciously horrifying.

Like I do with most games, I wanted to make sure I beat every boss and explored every area the game had to offer. But I also didn't want to follow a walkthrough religiously either (which is something I did in my early days of gaming with the Dark Souls games). Other than look up a boss list and where to find them, I played the game mostly blind until around chapter 4. I was upset when I realized I had missed key things in chapter 3, which was being able to fight the Apramana Bat and Rat Captain bosses, as well as attain the Auspicious Lantern curio from the Lantern Wardens (I did fight a couple of them, but then decided to avoid them once I got yeeted off the cliff, lol). So from that point on I carefully checked IGN's walkthrough as I explored each area. Thankfully those were the only two bosses I missed during the rest of my playthrough. But damn, does this game have so many hidden secrets! I can't imagine anyone finding all the bosses/secret areas without looking it up online.

I guess that's one complaint I have about the game...maybe the secrets are too secret? Like I said, I don't know how a player is expected to figure some of these things out if playing normally. Maybe some more hinting about how to access the secret bosses and areas would have been nice, even if it's just some NPC dialogue or more elaborate item descriptions. I also don't like that they hid an essential thing like armor upgrades behind a questline that's so easily missable. A couple other minor issues I had were forcing cutscenes in the middle of fights and your character being way too prone to stagger with few ways to increase Tenacity, resulting in many wasted mana and focus point attacks (why is Tenacity not part of the skill tree?) But again, these were just minor issues and took little away from my overall enjoyment.

So yeah, I highly recommend Black Myth Wukong if you like fantasy adventure games focused on boss battles and various combat styles.

[felassan]

its that time again! 🍵 Thoughts/wonderings on Dragon Age: The Missing #3, under a cut due to spoilers for The Missing (not just #3):

Thoughts on Issue 1

Thoughts on Issue 2 (note: this post also contains spoilers from DA:D leaks)

Thoughts on the first 4 pages of issue 3 (which came out via preview)

Overall I enjoyed the issue a lot and it's my favorite of the 3 so far! Issue 2 was more fun and punchy/had more oomph (as Teia and Viago are amazing and simply showstealers tbh⭐), but this issue has been my fav so far because i] I'm hyped that after three (3) years we got to see Strife's design, and more importantly ii] the issue advanced the DA:D [pre-]plot a bit and dropped inchrestingggg new lore stuff. (The pacing wasn't great, it was kind of rushed in places and it was a lot to try to fit in to just a few pages. I also would have liked it if the the Veil Jumpers could have been given a bit more depth/been fleshed out a bit more, but again there's limited pages in these comics)

I like what they're doing with a different color palette version of the picture on page 2 in every issue :>

On page one, are those icebergs floating in the sea? would there be icebergs in the Nocen Sea or Ventus Straits? it seems like the climate around there is warm.

On the map, I like the little representation of the Imperial Highway.

^ one example of the triangle motifs incorporated into the Veil Jumpers' outfits.

^ the face on Tist's shoulderpad reminded me of Sentinel armor.

Tist looks like a Greek statue of a youth hh

I liked the designs and hairstyles of all 4 Veil Jumpers. Irelin's fur collar is a nice touch to have remembered, in TN she was described as wearing supple leather trimmed with fur.

Strife is tall and stacked. this didnt surprise me, after reading the first story in TN I came away with that impression of him. in TN he was specifically described as being tall and strong, square-shouldered and straight-backed with calloused hands, lean with long ropey muscle. also I'm simply biased and a tall buff elf enthusiast hh. (in terms of build and stuff he reminds me of my Lavellan)

^ I wonder if the book at Strife's belt here is the leatherbound journal from Ruins of Reality, the relic of the Morlyn clan?

I wasn't sure about some of Strife's dialogue, he seemed to be missing the sort of snarky or lighter-hearted manner he had at times in TN? dialogue in general was a bit stilted in this issue tho, not bad so much as just quite info-dump-y.

Veil Jumpers faction details: they are an alliance between the best Dalish mages and hunters (not an all-elf and/or all-mage group) and other non-elves who were wiling and able to help contain the threat of timespace warping hijinks and chaos that's reigning in Arlathan Forest. presumably a fair few of the Dalish elves in the group are from Clan Morlyn. the mixed nature of the faction and Binde's presence in Strife's group feels like a natural progression of Strife at the end of his story in TN: [said to Myrion] "You're right, shem. This [Arlathan forest] isn't your place. But then, once upon a time, it wasn't mine, either."

also their base or HQ is a "sanctum". about that.. remember this? from this concept art? maybe that piece of concept art was showing the Veil Jumper sanctum? some of the concept art of Veil Jumpers shows them in a similar location with floating rocks and orange vegetation/foliage. [one, two]

in a previous posted I wondered,

last time we got a look in [Arlathan forest], Strife had noticed something had gone wrong in the forest. time and space was stretching and folding weirdly, reality warping, and he and Irelin saw echoes or mirages of themselves running around. mysterious entries had begun appearing in the relic journal of the Morlyn clan describing sacred ruins in there guarding a powerful fabled artifact, a halla figurine that Irelin grabs during that story. when Varric&Harding arrive, will they also be facing this sort of thing (mad sylvans, reality& time/space warping)? is the crucious stone similarly guarded by sacred ruins? could it have something to do with what’s gone wrong in the Forest? even when Irelin succeeds in grabbing the figurine, Strife still feels that something has gone wrong in there.

fun to see that this speculation was also correct ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝ as in this issue Arlathan is still timespace warping, Varric&Harding have to run a gauntlet facing these dangers, the crucious stone was contained in the ruins of an ancient temple, and Irelin posits that someone walking around using the crucious stone could explain the timespace warping in Arlathan.

Harding continues to eyeroll at Varric's bad jokes. he's basically an old man with dad/grandpa jokes at this point.

"Deep inside the Veil"? I found this to be kind of odd phrasing. we've long known that the Veil is thin in Arlathan forest, indeed thinner in such a way as to be different than how it is in other places where it is also known to be thin, somehow. inside the Fade is a place one can go. is that what's meant by this line? or is it meant to mean more like "deep in the forest, where the Veil is very thin" / "inside a place where reality and the Fade are mushing together" sorta thing? or is inside the Veil itself a place in which one can go? 🤔

that aside, these "Ruins of Reality", this "world turned upside down", this "place where chaos reigns", this "threat".. it reminds me bigtime of when Solas says in Trespasser "as the world burns in the raw chaos".. and indeed, Harding infers as much at the end of this issue, saying "[this] is going to be happening everywhere unless we find [Solas]", and Solas refers to the damage himself in his letter, "I will limit the damage as best I can". and I wonder.. in TN Solas talks about a few years of peace before his ritual is complete. it made it sound like the ritual would take a few years to prepare for or a few years to carry out (in ancient Elvhenan some spells and stuff would take years to cast). if his ritual/plans along these lines have already begun, it would make sense that places in the waking world which are "weakest" (i.e. places where the Veil is thin) would be the ones which are affected first.

the trials and gauntlet gave me nostalgia for the Urn of Sacred Ashes questline in DA:O

the map from page one of Varric and Harding's voyage contrasted with the map of the forest.. hhh

Spirits trading places with the living, literally ripping you out your own body and stealing it.. (by this point Strife, Irelin and the other Veil Jumpers are old hats at the Arlathan forest timespace shenanigans hh.) this is neat and interesting new lore, and it reminded me of the Nevarran belief that when a dead soul crosses to the Fade it displaces a Fade spirit. I wonder if it's related to that. also I thought it was represented in a cool way, with the reflection world and the muted grayscaleish color palette swap when their souls had been displaced and they were in the 'spirit world'.

the panels when Varric and Irelin are conversing from random upside down angles reminded me a lot of when the party enters the Fade physically with Hawke and goes "wtf" in Inquisition :)

Varric is having such a terrible time. again

Does Harding have the Inquisition hairy eyeball on her kneeguard?

Varric's reaction to the sky being the wrong way around reminded me of how it must feel to be a dwarf from Orzammar going to the surface and seeing sky above for the first time, dizzying, weird, disorienting

I like that while a mage, Irelin still has an alternative weapon (knife/dagger) just in case ^^

Varric seeming to sort've push Harding ahead of him while they fled the animals was a nice touch

is this the first time leopards were confirmed in Thedas? :D tho they look more like cougars or maybe lionesses or sabretooth tigers or something, and leopards are typically solitary. also lmao first the deepstalkers attack and now this. Varric's like "bloodthirsty wildlife omg" like they didnt already have that problem in issue 1 hh.

RIP Gilf Varric fans

hh, does Varric not know that he's been graying lately anyway, time shenanigans aside?

the time warping reminds me of In Hushed Whispers 👁️ very interesting in terms of implications. you can see why creating the Veil (which is connected to timespaceywarpy happenings) caused the ancient elves to begin aging.

^ check this out, the glowing green light on Strife's shoulder in his golden armor. seems like the green-glowing aspect of some Veil Jumper gear is still a thing [one, two, three]. it got more open, triangley and brighter in the second panel, like he was powering it up and gearing up for the fight. if they hadn't decided to run, would he have started to use it like the Veil Jumpers in those pictures? curious to find out more about the Veil Jumper gear - how it works and where they got it from.

^ what's happening in this panel? they seem to be straight-up disintegrating? not aging, disintegrating.

^ the presence of and focus on this satchel on the 'assassin', with its bright red fastener (draws the eye), seems sus. Varric says later in the issue that the 'assassin' saved him. it's hard to tell whether "I don't think this was the Venatori. I think it was Solas" means he thinks it was Solas who already entered the vault and took the stone OR if he means that and that the 'assassin' who saved him was Solas in disguise and that he's the one that's been tailing them this entire time. if the 'assassin' was Solas in disguise, I sus that the stone - which he had clearly already gotten at that point - is inside the lil pouch and that's what this panel is trying to convey. also it wouldnt be Solas' first time dressing up in disguise (Bard in TN).

the twisting pathway reminds me of the yellow brick road in Wizard of Oz

The Varterral. it looks nothing like the ones we've seen in-game or like the one described in Masked Empire (or depicted in the illustration in the Deluxe edition). is this an art/design oversight, or new lore showing that varterrals come in multiple forms? in fairness, in Dalish lore the first varterral was created by Dirthamen, fashioned of the "fallen trees of the forest" into a deadly guardian. this ent-like varterral looks like that. maybe "varterral" is actually just a name for any created creature that's been magically created and is guarding an ancient elven site, golem-like?

Irelin's staff-less magic and the spell distraction she did was cool. was she doing Stinging Swarm? ^^

And ofc the final pages are the motherlode, especially the new painting! Look here. I think the green figure (the one with the crescent moon headpiece) is the monster figure with the crescent moon head from that mural and from that concept art piece. and I think that's Ghilan'nain (Horror of Hormak and all that). BUT I don't think the red figure is the other monster figure from that mural (the one with pointy, crab-like shoulders, who I think is Elgar'nan). the headpieces don't match, the red figure's headpiece better matches with one of the other sigils from the hemispheres. I think the red figure is someone else. the question is who, and my guess is they're Andruil. the two figures could be read as feminine, and the feel of the painting could be read as romantic - definitely close. Ghil was Andruil's chosen, and her beloved. Andruil was the one who offered Ghil ascendance.

the painting also bears a resemblance to the red lyrium idol, which has been variously and interestingly described - a couple hugging, two lovers, one comforting the other, or a god mourning her sacrifice. does the painting depict the same moment from the idol, or not long before it at least? the main figure on the idol's headpiece is different, but coincidentally Andruil was also known as the Goddess of Sacrifice. wouldn't it be interesting and ironic if there was a time in the distant past when Ghil had to sacrifice the goddess of sacrifice? if this painting is depicting a moment before such a thing, that would help explain why the other monster figure from the mural has a different headpiece. if "the Evil Gods" are returning, Andruil couldn't be one of them, if she was killed. Ruins of Reality and Three Trees to Midnight are also full of references to both Ghil and Andruil..

Strife was looking at it now. On the other side, so was his double. Both transfixed by a statue of elven goddess Ghilan'nain holding a crystal halla figurine, exactly as the journal described.   - As the Strifes drew the attention of the merciless trees, Irelin swooped in and snagged the figurine with her talons, tearing it from Ghilan'nain's grip. The statue didn't let go easily, but neither did Irelin. With an angry squawk, she yanked the prize free and disappeared into the sky.

-- Ruins of Reality

in TN, the story title "Three Trees to Midnight" refers to the Way of Three Trees/Vir Tanadhal, which Dalish lore holds were teachings of Andruil given to the People. Strife thinks of the Ways during his escape, using them to escape, and invoke's Andruil's name multiple times. Strife also refers to Arlathan Forest as belonging to the Lady of the Hunt/Andruil. He also calls on Ghilan'nain, and Irelin shapeshifts into a halla (Ghil's sacred animal, being Mother of the Halla and the first halla), as well as a falcon and an owl (hawks are sacred to Andruil and the Dalish believe owls are Andruil's messengers). meanwhile Strife has turned up in this comic with Andruil vallaslin, after not having them in TN. very inch... resting... indeed.

why Ghil and Andruil in the painting? presumably this ancient temple, deep in Arlathan Forest, was a temple either to Andruil (whose forest it is) or Ghil (her beloved). why next to a painting of the Dread Wolf doing something to the Veil? in the story of Ghil's ascension, there is a reference to Pride -

On the second day she drowned the giants of the sea, except those in deep waters, for they were too well-wrought, and Pride stopped her hand.

On the third day she killed the beasts of the land, except the halla, whose grace she loved above all else.

This is how Ghilan'nain was made youngest of the gods.

there is also a story in which Andruil wanted to punish Fen'Harel. it could also simply be (or both could be true) that Solas painted the Dread Wolf mural when he stopped by earlier before Varric and Harding to obtain the crucious stone. what if in this comic panel we're looking at the same location as here, just with the comic version of the mural compacted down due to limited panel space:

and what's the relevance to Solas' plans, what happened the past, and the idol? I am guessing it is something to do with how Andruil went mad and hunted in the Abyss, putting on armor made of the Void and making weapons of darkness, to the extent that she brought "plague" to her lands and howled things meant to be forgotten. it's often theorized that Andruil accidentally brought the Blight/Taint back from the Void, and of course that links to red lyrium (Blighted blue lyrium, the red lyrium idol) and is reminiscent of the Evanuris digging deep, mining the bodies of Titans for "something else" and unleashing something terrible by doing so by mistake (we read of elves frantically collapsing tunnels, "let this place be forgotten, let no one wake its anger"). also I'm obsessed with the Balrog Theory so

Solas being kinda extra with his dramatic fursona red seal

he is always one step ahead of them isn't he

"You're joking. You've got to be" Strife +50 Headache

"Interfering in matters you do not understand can only make things worse" explain them then pls Solas. if you're cryptic and don't explain things in full all the time, then ofc people are going to be Concerned

the Orb of Fen'Harel, the red lyrium idol and the crucious stone.. Solas' list of Maguffins I Need For My Plans keeps getting longer.

As for the crucious stone itself.. whatever it does, it sounds like it weakens the Veil. makes sense why Solas would want it, then. there was this line in Ruins of Reality: "Mysterious entries appeared of their own accord, describing sacred ruins in Arlathan Forest that guarded an artifact of fabled power." In Ruins of Reality it referred to a crystal halla figurine. maybe the journal has since produced more entries of its own accord, telling of other ruins and artifacts - Strife and Irelin in this comic had heard of the crucious stone and had a map to where it was located after all.

Also the final question is who is the person on the final page, which is the cover for issue 4? Presumably the trusted informant from the issue 4 synopsis, "Varric connects with a trusted informant who might help them." I've seen speculation that they are the person from this concept art and I like that idea and could see it :] I love their outfit and the design of it makes me think of snakes, so again I'm wondering about the Viper. their oufits are similar, and so far we've had Wardens-Crows-Veil Jumpers in 1-3. perhaps issue 4 will introduce (in advance of DA:D) the Viper's faction. in the 2020 trailer you have the pair of boots (speculated to be a Warden) character, a character on the roof (speculated to be a Crow) and a Veil Jumper stalking through the woods. there's also the character in an alley of Minrathous with the knife. the pattern on their hood -

is like reptile scales, like the pattern on the Viper here and the pattern on the character on the final page's shoulders (as well as the scaley reptile on the person in that concept art's staff).

[andmaybegayer]

Last Monday of the Week 2024-09-23

I have a normal number of tabs open

Listening: Went to a metal show I knew nothing about because my partner was going and I figured it would be a good way to hear what they're into.

Nest of Plagues is a Hungarian outfit, which I liked a fair amount. Bad mix from their sound engineer but otherwise fun. I have no idea what any of the songs they played are so here's a random one:

Next up, Lone Survivors, a French prog metal group. Really fun, great bass

Then Science of Decay, Swiss group. Probably the most consistently good.

And the headliners who were Orphaned Land, an Israeli pan-religious peace themed band? Bizzare on many levels. What is the point of non-blasphemous metal.

Pretty good show all around, I'm not a huge metalhead so other than like "pretty good, some of this is nice" I have very little to say.

Reading: A Desolation Called Peace which is a delicious little thing. A really different book from Memory, and makes very efficient use of its scenes to handle a lot of information very deftly.

It's a bold move to do the like, barest intimations of a relationship in book one, ends with a single kiss. Book two: starts with them deeply estranged on the other side of the galaxy from each other, midpoint fucking, endpoint ???????.

The Eight Antidote scenes are clever! The sanitized self-concept of the empire in this one kid. There's a bit about the "Atrocities Teixcalaan had smartly given up committing" it's such a great line

Watching: Finished Mobile Suit Gundam. which was interesting and educational for multiple things, for one just as a reference for a bunch of other media I've consumed.

I want to compare it a little to Avatar, which is good but suffers heavily from the constraints of being a Western Children's Show, Gundam is a toy advert like Transformers but it doesn't feel the need to lean into "here is your moral lesson of the week" stuff so it can do some really thoughtful storytelling about war and duty.

The instrumentalization of the whole White Base Crew where they're just taken on as an expendable force by Earth is so great because it keeps them at a distance from both sides while still putting them on A Side.

The Newtype stuff towards the end both focuses the story and sort of weakens it? It moves you away from the drama and struggle of the crew into building this universe lore.

I'm probably going to jump ahead to Witch from Mercury and then maybe watch some of the past seasons.

Making: Some abortive microscope stuff, ran into weird power issues, need to fix that. Fiddling with VR projects but nothing meaningful, I wanted to try and work on some 3D curve visualization stuff but I mostly got bogged down remembering how VR on Linux works again.

Playing: Fell off Tactical Breach Wizards but I'm back, pushing through the final act. It's going well and I'm getting Rion under me, he's pretty finicky at times but very powerful.

Tools and Equipment: A consideration for you: if you have weird neck pain check your pillow. Ever since my partner spent a few nights at my place they found their neck pain gone because I use good normal pillows made of firm foam rather than bullshit sad feather sacks that compress down to one centimeter thick and do fuck-all for your neck. I do not know who thought down pillows was a good idea, stop doing that. You need to keep your neck supported!

[athetos]

Just finished Blasphemous and wow what a good game. After Isidora and getting all the upgrades the final boss was pretty easy, but very fun. I think the difficulty level of the game while challenging is kind of over-emphasized; while it’s very much punishing to the unprepared player, I felt it was overall fair. The deaths felt less “goddammit what did I do WRONG!” And more “so close, I parried half a second too late, I’ll get it next time!”

The story and lore were impeccable. This was a really intriguing world and I can’t wait to have a look through the art book, this game was really unique aesthetically and I’m excited to learn more about the Spanish culture that inspired it. It is truly Catholicism But Dark Souls. I would love to do some writing about the Grievous Miracle and those afflicted by it, or maybe even how the rest of the world feels about Cvstodia, since they’re apparently the only ones dealing with this shit, considering they conjured up the Wills in the first place.

I got as close to 100% completion as possible on a non-ascended file. I could not get the “perfect” ending as that is virtually impossible without a guide (and maybe isn’t doable on a first playthrough at all?) but I did collect every available item and beat every boss… except I did not finish Miriam’s fifth challenge, because after spending an hour on it then looking up a YouTube video showing the rest of the course I decided “actually fuck that I don’t have time for this.” The Miriam challenges were brutal and while I didn’t think the first 3, and portions of the 4th, were unfair, the 5th was out of control. Not for me. Also Miriam why the fuck are you here anyway girl go home you have your own game.

I’ve heard mixed but mostly good things about Blasphemous 2; namely, that while it apparently isn’t as good as 1 and has some performance issues, it seems to address the biggest gripes people had about it, so… that’s interesting? I have a lot of games I want to get through that I already own, though, so I’ll probably snag it when it goes on sale.

[hbyrde36]

Self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 🖤

oh! so fun, thanks anon!

In no particular order because they are all precious to me:

Steve Harrington: Vampire Hunter

Vampire Eddie Munson, Vampire Hunter Steve Harrington, P.I. Robin Buckley, bad-ass gun toting Nancy Wheeler, VAMPIRE DUSTIN!, Stripper Chrissy Cunningham, and so much more.

My ‘steddie as Anita and Jean-Claude from the Anita Blake novels’ fic. I fucking love this thing. It’s SO FUN. The book series it’s pulled from start out in the 90’s (yes I’m old and I read them when they were originally published🙈) and as much as I love the idea of Vampire Hunter Steve having a beeper, I decided to bring things up to present day (along with quite a few other changes to make it my own, and to fit the steddie vibe). It’s weird and a little challenging writing a fic intermingling two different pieces of media, but I love weaving in and combing elements of each universe's lore, while still maintaining the main beats of the story. If nothing else, read this one for the dream sequences!

2. Caught in the Undertow

Post season 4, Canon Divergent – Eddie lives and Vecna has been defeated.

AKA the sad Eddie fic, or, as i used to call it in my head, 'the passively suicidal Eddie fic'. This was my first foray into the ‘giving my own issues to my blorbos’ thing, although it still seems to be in character for them, I think. Don’t worry, I spread it out between both Eddie and Steve, so they’re both a little fucked up. I loved and hated writing every word of this fic. It was so hard sometimes and I made myself cry more than once, but it was incredibly cathartic. This is the fic I go back to and read parts of more than anything else I’ve written.

3. Times Like These

Time loop, Eddie POV

TLT was my first brain worm, my first ever fanfic, and the first thing I’d written period in a very long time. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was so intrigued by the idea and there weren’t many (any?) Eddie POV time loops on ao3 at that point so it was definitely a little bit of a “fine I’ll do it myself” moment. I was just so curious how it would play out if Eddie, the new guy who knew so little about the upside down, who got thrown into the mix and died all within a single week, were to be the one stuck in a loop. What would he think was happening to him? Would he trust the party enough to tell them? What would he do or change to try and fix things? I think I’ve improved quite a bit as a writer since I finished this, just through sheer practice, but I’m still so very proud of my first baby and think about it often.

4. Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)

Canon was just a crazy homebrew D&D game, sort of.

My second brain worm, this fic lived in my head for 8 months before I had written a single word of it. It all started with the idea that, 'what if all of the events from the show had just been a D&D game played by the boys in Mike’s basement?', and then I ran with it from there. It’s a work in progress and we have still have a ways to go (I’m not sure we’re even at the halfway point yet) but I love how it’s turning out. The response from readers, in comments on ao3 and tumblr, to this one has been very kind and encouraging. It makes it SO easy to work on knowing others love it as much as I do.

5. Thank God we didn’t peak in High School

Friends-with-Benefits to Lovers, Modern Au, life after high school au, no upside down

I wrote this series at the last minute for Steddie Week. Last minute, as in I didn’t even start until several days into the event. I’ve never put out so many words so fast. This fic is loosely based on my own marriage’s origin story, although our beginnings were even more dramatic than this (I felt like I had to tone it down to make it believable). This is the first project that made me realize how fun writing from prompts could be! It’s definitely not my best writing, but the story is fun and cute, a little dramatic and angsty, and as always the boys get their happy ending!

[adelle-ein]

part of me wants to watch good omens, just from the perspective of a practhett fan/gaiman mixed-feelingser who read the book eighty billion years ago (age 13) and then reread it when the show was first out bc she didn't remember aziraphale/crowley being much of a thing (and she was right it wasn't)

like i'm curious for a number of reasons, not least of which is that good omens the book suffers terribly from being written by two fundamentally different writers. superficially practhett and gaiman's main bodies of work are very similar -- putting spins on myths and legends and lore, general cynical/jokey tone -- but like. their actual worldviews and styles of writing are SO different on just a fundamental level, they have such different priorities when writing. pratchett romance and gaiman romance could be opposite ends of a writing scale lbr. pratchett fucking hates sex scenes and gaiman can't stop (badly) writing them in. pratchett firmly refuses to make any of his characters conventionally attractive, neil gaiman is very much a "all my characters are pretty." pratchett's writing is generally more optimistic and gentle then gaiman's (if a child dies in a pratchett book it's a Big Fucking Deal, for gaiman it's a tuesday.) pratchett likes a smaller scale and more character-focused narrative in general, et cetera. there's a reason everyone has always struggled to adapt pratchett works to the screen, because he was not a big screen writer by any stretch of the imagination. none of this means that gaiman's writing is BAD it's just very, very different

good omens just reeks of several different manuscripts mushed together, the end result being that no character or theme is very well fleshed out and the enjoyable bits are over very quickly as we jump from author to author and pov to pov. also show of hands, who thinks that gaiman put a full on sex scene in there originally instead of fading to black and pratchett just ctrl-shift-backspaced the whole thing lmao. so i'm not surprised the tv show has gone a wildly different direction from the book, because the book simply isn't very good. plus several parts of the book i suspect had nothing to do with gaiman at all and would be difficult for him to retell (either bc he doesn't have the information to do so or just because he's rewriting a late friend's story and that can't be fun, this isn't a judgement of gaiman.) also gaiman's writing and character have changed a LOT since the 90s, GO the original book was laced with homophobia and i know some of of his old graphic novels have bad transphobia issues (haven't read those.) i don't have any issues with the show taking a different direction basically. i think that's a good call for many reasons. but i'm also just like how??? can you adapt this book to screen??? well rewrite the whole dang thing and pick some side characters (aziraphale and crowley) to actually become main characters and lead the narrative so there actually IS a central narrative instead of a general "here's what eleven billion different characters did during the apocalypse." it's a smart call. it also means the show is predominantly about two white men, AND you can actually do something with all those nasty gay jokes and make them a real couple instead which....ratings! attention! media sensation! blah blah. though this season doesn't seem to be catching on like the last one

but anyway the rest of me...doesn't really like watching tv shows very much and doesn't actually want to watch a show by an author i don't particularly like, about a premise i'm not super interested in, with a target audience i am Less Than Fond Of (superwholocks) lmao

[solemn-marauders]

"We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

MC (Thea) and Eleazar's First Meeting

Disclaimer: These are written quickly while the ideas are fresh. They are short and most likely sprinkled with errors. I’m posting these for me, but if other people enjoy them, then all the better. I will be using my MC’s name, Thea, since this is her story. I also keep the time period in mind. I do my best to keep it as period accurate as possible.

Trigger Warning: Quick mention of a small amount of blood, from a scratch.

Additional Information: After appearing in the Book of Admittance, as well as after receiving his wife's posthumous letter about the girl, Eleazar takes it upon himself to personally retrieve this mysterious girl from the orphanage.

I had a fun time mixing together Thea's lore and canon lore. I learned a bit more about the wizarding world in the process!

Also, I apologize for the slightly abrupt ending. I hit a wall, and for the life of me could not write any further.

An elderly man had arrived at the orphanage early one morning wishing to take-on Theadora as an apprentice. He claimed to be the husband of Miriam, Thea’s only visitor in her 10 years there. It wasn’t until he showed Thea a tintype of the couple and Miriam’s familiar journal that her scepticism began to ease.

A stack of paperwork and a few handshakes later, Thea was sent to pack what little belongings she had and begin her new life with a complete stranger. She had barely uttered two words between his arrival and her meeting him outside. She had no farewells to wish on her way out. The other girls and nuns had been nice enough, but no deep connections were ever made.

Thea looked back at the building that had housed her for the last 10 years. There were no feelings of sadness or loss. She felt as she did most of her life, numb.

She made her way towards her new guardian, the only sound being the soft crunch of dirt under her worn boots. He reached for her modest bag and gave her a reassuring smile. Thea’s grip tightened on her luggage, “I have two animal friends. A raven and a cat, they go where I go.” Her eyes never wavered from his, her tone and words were a challenge.

The gentleman chuckled, “I’ve already had the pleasure of meeting them. Your feline friend is curled up in the coach and your raven has been patiently perched atop it since the moment I went in to fetch you. Thea looked up past his shoulder. Monty gave her an encouraging squawk, and it was only then did Thea relinquish her hold on her bag.

“I can already see why Miriam was so fond of you.” He seemed to say more-so to himself than to her.

Once they were seated in the carriage and on their way did Thea find her voice again, the comforting weight of Samira on her lap easing her nerves.

“What shall I call you?” She asked.

“Eleazar is fine for now. Once term begins I will then become Professor Fig. Oh! That reminds me,” He reached into his jacket and removed a thick envelope, “this is for you.”

Thea saw her name written in neat script on the front, the back was sealed with red wax and stamped with an emblem that had an “H”. She looked up at Eleazar quizzically. 

“Go on.” He encouraged.

Samira began to stir as Thea slipped her finger under the flap to break the seal.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Phineas Nigellus Black

Dear Miss Gravethrone,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Matilda Weasley

Deputy Headmistress

Thea was in disbelief, words would not form for her. 

“I’m sure you are rife with questions and please trust me when I say that I will answer them all to the best of my ability.” Eleazar almost pleaded, he could see the panic rising within her. “Have you ever experienced moments of the unexplainable? Instances where things would happen around you that some would call…strange?”

Thea felt nauseous within the confines of the rocking carriage. Was this a kidnapping? Was this man utterly mad? But he was Miriam’s husband, or claimed to be, and Thea liked Miriam, even trusted her slightly. Surely her husband would be a man of merit.

“I..um..nothing comes to mind.”

“I can’t say that I’m surprised. Your case is a most unusual one.”

“‘Strange instances’, ‘unexplainable moments’, ‘Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’, are you alluding to magic?” Thea felt positively loony for asking such a question. Maybe that was the explanation. He was escorting her to the madhouse. The nuns had called on him to take her away. She had heard that most insane individuals weren’t even aware of their malady. Maybe Miriam never existed, were Monty and Samira also figments of her imagination. But Eleazar had acknowledged them before they entered the carriage, or was that just him appeasing her enough so she’d freely go with him? The cat firmly pressed her claws into Thea’s arm, almost as if reading her mind and telling her, I’m real you silly girl. Thea also heard Monty squawk from atop the carriage in agreement with the feline’s sentiments. 

“Please,” Eleazar had his hands raised, palms facing Thea to display that he was no threat. “I can see the panic on your face. I know this is quite the pill to swallow.”

“Show me.” She interrupted. “Prove that magic is real or, so help me, I will leap from this carriage and take my chances on the streets.”

Her companion’s jaw dropped and his mind raced at her demand. He studied her face, all the colour gone, her eyes were brimming with tears. Eleazar felt his heart lurch. She was still just a child. A child with no one, therefore knew nothing of trust. His face softened as he reached into his jacket once more to retrieve his wand. His eyes never leaving her face. His hand slowed as she flinched when he began to remove it.

“I’m just grabbing my wand.”  With painstaking care, he revealed it to her. He wanted so badly to earn her confidence. Miriam had such a way with people, a trait he was often lacking in. “I’m going to cast a spell that will levitate your acceptance letter. Is that alright?”

A stray tear had fallen from her eye, she blinked rapidly and nodded. She was now holding her poor cat tightly to her chest, but it seemed that the feline did not mind.

“Here I go,” he pointed his wand at the parchment, “levioso.”

Thea’s eyes widened as she watched the paper lazily float towards the roof of the carriage. She wanted so desperately to convince herself that she wasn’t crazy; so she tried to rationalise what she was seeing.

“That’s a simple parlour trick, having to do with forced wind or something. I don’t believe you.” Her words were meant to be firm, but the wavering of her voice was a stark contradiction. 

Eleazar thought hard. He had to come up with a spell simple enough not to scare her, but also bold enough to prove that this was way beyond “parlour tricks”. As he thought, he caught the emerald gaze of Thea’s cat. There was something behind her stare that made him wonder if she were more than she appeared to be. Before he could ponder further, the feline wiggled herself free from Thea’s grasp and sat in the space beside her. In a blur of black, she had swiped her paw across Thea’s hand eliciting a gasp from the girl. “Samira!” Thea immediately brought her hand to her chest and cradled it there with her other. “What has gotten into you?” She asked her in disbelief. All the while the black cat looked back at Eleazar, like she was waiting for him to do something. The solution finally came to him.

“Samira may have found a way I can prove the existence of magic to you. May I see your hand?” He asked as he extended his own.

When Thea clutched her injured hand closer to her chest, he tried again.

“I’m only going to perform a simple healing spell. I know it’s hard to trust me at the moment, but believe me when I say that I truly think that she,” He gestured his head to where her cat sat lazily licking at her paw, “would do far worse to me than she did to you should she consider my intentions nefarious.”

A few seconds of silence passed before Thea tentatively put her hand on his. Eleazar looked at the angry red line running down the back of her hand. It was thin, but small drops of blood were beginning to bead at the opening. He poised his wand over her hand, “Episkey.”

They both watched as her wound knitted itself back together and then vanished entirely, leaving only the stray bits of blood behind. Thea frantically wiped it on her skirt. She brought her hand to her face and vigorously rubbed at the now unblemished skin with her thumb.

Samira gave Eleazar a slow blink before she settled herself back into Thea’s lap. She began to lick at Thea’s hand in what Fig assumed was a show of an apology.

After several minutes of riding in silence Thea spoke, “So you’re saying I can do magic too?” she asked while gazing out of the carriage window.

Relief washed over Eleazar, it seemed that she was starting to accept her new reality.

“Yes.”

“Even though I’ve never done anything magical ever in my life?”

“I believe you have. You’ve already proven yourself to be a sharp girl. You probably have experienced something and just rationalised it to fit within the narrative of the world as you knew it.”

Thea’s brow furrowed, “You’re basing all of this on assumptions. There’s no definitive proof that I can produce magic; so why am I receiving a letter to attend a school that specifically teaches the thing I may or may not be able to do?”

“Myself and the other professors at Hogwarts, along with the Ministry of Magic, which I will explain to you later, are certain that you are a witch because your name was written in the Book of Admittance.” 

Her eyes snapped to him. “The Book of what?”

“The Book of Admittance, in conjunction with the Quill of Acceptance.” He could tell that he was only confusing the poor girl further. “How to explain this briefly..” he pondered to himself. “Hogwarts was founded long ago by two witches and two wizards, all four incredibly powerful and intelligent. They left behind several enchanted items that we still use today, two of which are the Quill of Acceptance and the Book of Admittance. The quill’s job is to record the name and birthdate of any individual who begins to show even the slightest traces of innate magical abilities. The book’s job is to assure that the name not be recorded until the individual’s abilities have proven to be more permanent. Every year, the Deputy Headmaster or Deputy Headmistress, checks the book so that they may send out acceptance letters. When Professor Weasley checked the book this year, your name and birthdate were listed. It caused quite the stir to see someone well past the acceptance age of eleven written, but the book and quill are never wrong. That’s what I meant earlier when I mentioned that your case was a most unusual one. All wizards and witches display signs of magical abilities, at the latest, by age seven and attend their first year of Hogwarts at eleven. This is all geographically specific of course, other wizarding schools do things differently.” Eleazar trailed off, he could tell that somewhere in his drabble he had lost Thea’s attention. “Are you alright, I know this is a lot to take in.”

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “You said that the quill also writes down the birthdate of each individual?”

“That it does.”

She blinked and the tears fell. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper when she spoke next. “I’ve never known my birthdate..”

Fig felt his heart shatter at her words. Here he was, babbling on about enchanted items and magical schools, and this poor girl had fixated on something he hadn’t spared a second thought to. He could be such a fool.

He slowly reached out his hands to gently clasp hers in his. “My dear child,” he said softly, “you were born on the 30th of June.” 

Thea took a sharp and shaky breath as more tears fell. The only things that clearly stood out in her mind when she found herself on the doorstep of the orphanage was the name Theadora Gravethorne and that she was maybe five years old. The nuns had simply treated her arrival date as her birthdate, she always appreciated the sentiment, but it was a yearly reminder of yet another thing that kept her from knowing who she truly was.

“June 30th..” She whispered to herself. “That just passed, so that would make me fifteen years of age?”

“Correct.”

“Does the book or quill reveal anything else about the individual? Their parents? Where they were born?”

“I’m afraid not. It’s always just the name and day of birth. Though the book and quill are specific to people born in England, Scotland, or Ireland. That is all it reveals.”

Thea attempted to swallow her disappointment. “You said that magical children start schooling at age eleven. Why am I just now appearing in the book?”

“That is a question on everyone’s mind. In the history of magic, which dates back well before ancient times, there has only been two, maybe three, recorded mentions of a witch or wizard whose magical abilities didn’t fully develop until they neared the age of fifteen. The last record of such was over 400 years ago.”

“Do you have any idea as to why?”

“I know of a connection, it’s what my wife dedicated her life to researching.”

“Speaking of Miriam, where is she? Are we meeting her somewhere?” Thea looked on as Eleazar’s face fell. The lines on his face deepening, the light in his eyes dimming.

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but my wife is no longer with us. She died two months ago.”

Thea sat back in shock. She had last seen Miriam just four months ago. She not only seemed in good health, but also in good spirits. She had shared with Thea that she was making progress on her mysterious research and that she would return and share everything with her in due time. It felt like a rock had settled itself into Thea’s stomach.

“I’m so sorry, Mister Fig. I quite liked Miriam.”

“Oh she was quite fond of you as well. She would often share with me her excitement at her plan to take you away from the orphanage and ease you into your new life.” He looked down at his clasped hands. “I’m afraid I am a poor substitute when it comes to taking her place, but I made a promise that should anything happen to her, I would look after you.”

“She never fully revealed to me the details of her research. She always said that she would when the time was right.” Thea’s throat became dry. “Did her death have anything to do with whatever it was she was looking for?”