#if a character has been cursed with it in Main timeline then rip them let’s do our best

[aalghul]

jason doesn’t feel guilty for the murders he committed!!! he can’t feel catholic guilt or want repentance or atonement for something he doesn’t feel guilt about! and there are dozens of religions we could explore jason in that would be so much more fun than catholicism or any type of christianity

[pedrostylez]

How The Crow Flies - pt. 5

Javier Peña x fem!reader x Frankie Morales crossover

Word count: 3.6k

Chapter Summary: You go back to Javi to figure out what to do next but you find yourself back at the motel

Chapter Warnings and Disclaimers: 18+ only. I am not responsible for what you read on the internet. You have been warned! Locations and descriptions of places may be inaccurate in comparison to each story (Narcos and Triple Frontier). Timelines are obviously different between the two stories, so we are going to meet in the middle and say we are in the early 2000s. These are not necessarily canon characters in regard to how they act, how they treat people, and their current relationships. DUBCON, Mentions of SA, mentions and illudes of self-harm, breath play, no condom fucking you guys (watch out), SMUT!!!! oral m recieving, unprotected p in v, dirty talk, Frankie is struggling with addiction people

A/N: Hope you guys enjoy!

Taglist: @thevoiceinyourheadx @suzdin @survivingandenduring @bariskaplans @inept-the-magnificent @casa-boiardi @paleidiot @darkheartgatita @missladym1981

The smoke drifting up towards the exhaust fan is slow, filling the room with the smell of tobacco. Frankie hasn’t smoked in over a decade; after a couple years in the army he was too keen on doing a line of coke once tobacco wasn’t enough to distract him. 

Staring at the cigarette now between his fingers, he thinks that maybe this can be the alternative to you. 

He thought that maybe if he had you, like he did just an hour ago, that his itching skin would settle and he could finally sleep. But after having you wrapped around him, fists clenching against the shower wall, his hand around your throat, he was dying for a cigarette to subside the need. 

Luckily, he keeps a pack in his bag. 

It’s there mostly as a reminder of how it all started, and how quickly it can all crumble. He has only ever stared at the shiny, still plastic wrapped package for a minute or two before stuffing it back away. But the way he ripped the package open after you left, pulling out one single cigarette and setting it on the sink and watching it from his seat on the toilet lid, he knew he was in trouble. It was only a skip and a jump to get the matches on the nightstand and light it, hiding away in the bathroom like a teenager. 

There was no way he could tell the guys what path he was going down. Using the decoy as replacement of his addiction instead of telling them how his blood was boiling beneath his skin would get him a smack on the back of the head. Now, smoking a cigarette like he did when he was fresh out of high school in the motel bathroom so that they didn’t see him, well they would likely send him home without any money to show for it.

Frankie curses at himself, throwing the half smoked cigarette into the tub where water still lingers. The hiss of it going out makes him flinch, and he rubs at his jaw to seek some type of relief. 

You were trouble; it didn’t matter how good you made him feel, or that you weren’t who you said you were. He was already losing focus after months of watching Lorea’s house. How can he be the one in control if you keep showing up?

“Agent Peña.” He gruffly answers the phone, sighing heavily as you hear the squeak of his chair from where he sits down.

“Hey.” You huff, sitting back in your chair at the kitchen table. You found yourself back in the city, in the home that Peña had set up for you, letting Yovanna know that you were going to be back in the jungle in a few days. 

More than found yourself back; you had practically sprinted to a taxi that would bring you back to the main part of the city after Frankie’s motel room. Arriving well past 2AM, you had collapsed in bed without a shower, and an anxious brain desperate to fall unconscious.

When you woke up, you dialed Peña immediately. 

“Are you alright?” Peña says quietly, hushed and concerned.

“Yeah, I’m at the crash house back in town.” You strain to sound calm, clearing your throat and avoiding the mirror by the front door by turning your body toward the table. 

“So soon?” He questions again, ruffling of papers heard and the sound of his door being shut heard through the receiver. 

You sigh unhappily, standing up and beginning to pace around the kitchen. “Do you want an update or not, Peña?”

You’re surprised when you hear his chuckle, the sound of his pencil tapping the desk. “I’ll be there in a couple hours, hermosa.”

When you hang up the phone, you collapse back into your chair. You know you shouldn’t have called him first; he was supposed to call you when the weekend came so that when he showed up it would be the same as if he wanted to spend the night with you. 

But you couldn’t help it. 

You felt yourself spiraling into a panic over what you did with Frankie, over the security guards that were too rough, over the fact that you enjoyed being in Frankie’s motel room over doing the job to bring down Lorea–

You stop, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath. Taking a shower and rubbing at your skin until it is raw from the heat and your sponge might do the trick.  

Peña finds himself rushing to his car, not caring to buckle himself in as he speeds in the direction of your crash house. He’s lost in thought, no longer able to hide his frustration when he gets to the pizza place close to your place and finds that he has to wait a few more minutes for the food to be ready. 

He can’t help but think of the worst. This isn’t like you-he knows that. He’s read your reports of when you were undercover previously, and you’ve always been the strongest on your team. Some would say you’re the clincher, finishing the job, sticking it out until the very end. You rarely ever needed the team, as most everything was executed by you. 

He’s wracking his brain trying to think of what could have possibly happened that made you flee the jungle so quickly as he pays for the food, tipping in spite of his annoyance and heading back in your direction. 

When Peña is knocking on your door, he’s surprised that you open it so quickly, hair wet and dripping down your shoulders with a towel wrapped around you. “Y’alright?” He asked hushed, stepping past you and into the living room to sit on the couch. 

He opens the box, letting the steaming pizza fill in the space as he settles back to feign comfort. He’s the farthest thing from comfortable, but he doesn’t want to lead this conversation. 

You take a deep breath, a crease between your eyebrows forming as his eyes trace over you. You’ve literally just stepped out of the shower, droplets of water making pathways to your fingertips, skin steaming from the hot water. “Uh, yeah I just–” You shake your head, trying to clear your thoughts. “I’m…a lot has happened.”

He perks at this, sitting upright and pulling off his jacket. His tie had been flung off the moment he got in his car, but all of his other layers suddenly felt too tight. “Sit down, hermosa. Are you hurt?”

“What? No.” You scoff, sitting beside him. The roughness of your towel brushes against his leg, the smell of your soap filling his nose as you lean forward to pull a slice of pizza from the box. “I’m just…there’s more going on than we thought.”

“Isn’t there always?” He asks, somewhat ruefully. He watches you eat, making sure you’ve had most of a piece before leaning back again.

“Did you find out more about Santiago?” You question, turning to him and shoving the end of the towel up into your armpit, holding it secure. 

He shakes his head, sighing. “Not much. Ex special forces operative. Lives in Miami, like you, which may be why he seems so familiar. I couldn’t get much of a read on who he typically ran with when he was active; it seemed like they reassigned him a couple times.”

You’re stone faced listening to his information, but he can see the wheels turning in your brain and the steam practically coming out of your ears. “Yovanna said he’s helping local police?”

“I didn’t find any record of that.” Peña shakes his head, shrugging. “But, if he’s only advising, then he can fly pretty much under the radar. We’ve been unaware of what they are doing beyond the Cali Cartel, and if he’s not helping directly with that then there would be no overlap.”

You sigh, and Peña can tell it is in relief. “I’ve gotten into the main house four times now. The rotation is simple, but the amount of security doesn’t line up with what is actually inside.”

“What is inside?” Peña questions, tilting his head. 

You shrug. “His family? His colleagues? Yovanna apparently does lots of the deliveries for what he is pushing now, but there’s practically nothing in the house beyond his personal belongings. I understand protecting them and his castle but…”

“It’s excessive.” Peña fills in the blanks, letting the information stir in his skull. “Either we don’t know what we are looking for and it’s right in front of us, or it’s somewhere you haven’t been yet.”

You rub your lips together, clicking your tongue when you’ve thought it over. “I’ve been in almost every room of the house. Even the kids’ rooms when they were brought into town to do some shopping.”

Peña hums, biting the inside of his cheek as he stares off to where your bag rests by the door. “There’s likely a safe that you wouldn’t be privy to.” He frowns when he notices that your bag isn’t even open, contents secure inside. He wonders when you actually arrived. “When did you get back here?”

You whip your head around to the door, looking at what he is seeing. “Last night.” You say quietly, looking back to him. 

Peña’s attention is brought back to you, how you’re still in a towel and slowly drying from the shower. His eyes glance down to your arms, now observing the tiny scrapes with your irritated skin. “Why did you come back so quickly?”

“Just wanted to.” You answer shortly, standing and walking in the direction of your bedroom. 

Peña doesn’t know how much to push you, wanting to have an answer that will let him help you, but he reverts back to what he knows. “Won’t admit that you missed me?” Peña teases, a smile tugging up at the corner of his mouth before he sees how you wince. You cave in on yourself, rifling through the drawer for underwear. He swears internally, knowing it wasn’t the right move.  “Hermosa–”

He reaches out, having followed you to the bedroom and stepped beside you. You wince away from him, his hand pulling back in shock. “Don’t touch me.” You seeth, and he holds his single hand up in defeat. 

It’s like his thoughts are one a race track, unsure if he’s hurt by your harshness, angry that you won’t tell him what’s going on, or concerned about what happened in the jungle. He waits a moment longer, anger taking over before taking the same hand and grabbing your arm to turn you around. “You have to tell me what happened.”

“I don’t have to do shit, Javi.” Your voice cracks, and he furrows his brow at the use of his name. He went from Peña to Javi in an instant, with you upset with him and he doesn’t understand why. 

“Do we need to call it off?” He questions, squeezing at your arm harder before finally letting go. Your skin’s scratches remain under where his hand was. “How am I supposed to keep you safe if you won’t tell me what’s happened?”

“Nothing! Nothing has happened–”

“Bullshit.” He scoffs, running his hand through his hair. “Did they hurt you? Is that why your arms are like that? Did they–” he stumbles over his words, worry weaving its way into his bloodstream with the anger he feels toward you. “Did they touch you?”

“Of course they fucking touched me, Javi.” You spit, pulling a shirt over your head. “Just like you just touched me after I told you not to.”

He freezes, hand on his forehead and other clenching at his side. His mind swims, dizzy suddenly and the heat of his fingertips don’t help. Your eyes are welling with tears in front of him, mouth twisted up in anger as you stare at him. 

He swallows, suddenly feeling sick. “I’m sorry.”

“Just leave, Peña.” 

“No–no I’m–fuck I’m so sorry. You have to hear me.” Now he’s panicking, following you around the room like a puppy begging for attention. “I didn’t know, I shouldn’t have done that.”

His hands stay close to his side, watching as you pick up items just to put them back down, brushing past him to the main living area to grab his jacket. 

“Santiago has a bunch of men in the jungle watching the house.” You announce, more composed than before even in just your underwear and a shirt. Javi’s mouth hangs open, desperate to understand. “One of them is named Frankie. Maybe look into the group Santiago was in that included him.” You swallow, holding out his jacket for him. “He knows I’m not who I say I am, but can’t figure it out. He’s not told Santiago because Yovanna hasn’t said anything to me.”

Javi nods, sliding his arms into the sleeves of his jacket. He has this feeling in the pit of his stomach urging him to ask more questions, to ask how this man has gotten ahold of his agent enough that she knows his name, but it dies in his throat. “I’ll look into him.”

You nod, walking toward the front door and unlocking it. When he reaches it, he stands a few steps back. “I’ll be back in a couple weeks. I won’t call again.”

Javi’s heart sinks as he nods, stepping through the threshold and back to his car, knowing he should have called the whole thing off right then. 

1 week later

Frankie hears a knock at his door and groans internally, tossing the butt of his cigarette into the toilet and flushing before walking toward the door to look out the peephole. 

He wasn’t expecting you to be standing there in jeans and an oversized shirt, looking behind you in a panicked manner in case anyone saw you at his door. 

He pulls it open, not remembering that he’s wearing only his pants unbuttoned and has pillow marks on his face from where he just got up to have a cigarette. “What are you doing here?”

You shrug, stepping past him and brushing your shoulder against his before perching on the edge of his bed. You smile as Frankie shuts the door, turning to you with a scowl. “It smells like cigarettes in here.”

“I smoke.” He announces, shuffling around to put the pack that is laying out back into his disheveled bag. 

You hum half heartedly, tapping your fingers on your leg for a moment before adjusting the pillow that he had thrown down the bed and looking at him. He can tell you’re gearing yourself up to make a big ask of him, and he crosses his arms in preparation.  “I wanted to know why you and Santiago were watching Lorea.”

Frankie’s blood runs cold before he laughs, quiet and unassuming. “What makes you think I’m going to tell you that?”

His breath stutters as you reach to the hem of your shirt, pulling it over your head and dropping to your knees. “I’ll give you that blowjob you asked about last time?”

His skin breaks out in a chill, suddenly hyper aware of how far from you he stands. “That’s…that’s not enough to tell you that.”

Your hand reaches out, finger curling around the first belt loop you come to and pulling. He takes a small step forward, willingly letting your mouth hover above the open zipper. “What else would you want to tell me the reason?”

He sighs heavily, your hands soft against his lower stomach as you brush your fingers against the hair there. You inch lower, snapping at the elastic band of his boxers with a sly smile. “I…uh–”

A loud knock comes to his door that makes you jump back, your hand retreating and his boxers taunt around an uncomfortably hard cock. You stand, doe eyed and questioning when he points to the bathroom. You step past him, skin on skin feeling like a tingle of something he’s very familiar with, a high, and he has to shake himself free of the feeling when the knock comes again. 

“Fish! Open the hell up. We’re late.” Benny calls through the door, leaning against the door frame as Frankie opens the door just as he did with you. Benny stares at him, eyes raking from his open pants to his face and smirking. “Why aren’t you ready?”

“I’m staying here tonight.” Frankie mumbles, swallowing roughly and holding the door firm in his grasp. 

Benny frowns, glancing past him for a moment into the room before bringing his eyes back to Frankie. “So, you’re not going to have any food? Or drink anything?”

Frankie can’t help but glance behind him, unsure what to do next. “I’ll just…order something in.”

Benny watches him for another second, shaking his head and standing straight. “You got a girl in there, and you aren’t sharing, huh?”

Frankie goes to tell him otherwise, that it isn’t the case, but Benny shrugs and walks away, shaking his head in the process. 

When he shuts the door he turns around, eyes trailing up to the bathroom door where your head is poking out with that same grin as before. “Really want to tell me all your secrets, don’t you?” You say quietly, stepping back out into the room. 

He laughs again, feeling his ears turn pink in embarrassment. “I wouldn’t say I want to…”

You smile, stepping toward him and pulling his waist against yours. Your hand travels down, cupping him. “Will you?”

He says nothing as you get on your knees in front of him again, eyes staring up at him as you pull down his boxers and let him spring free. You break your gaze for a moment to take him in, wide and heavy in front of you, before licking a stripe up the underside of his member. 

Frankie swears you can feel his pulse with your tongue by how you smile, glancing back up at him. “You want me to stay like this, or do you want me on the bed?”

His brain can’t think quickly enough, his hand wrapping around your hair at the back of your head. He pulls you closer, feeling your throat constrict around him and he groans out, “Show me what your mouth can do and then I’ll fuck you.”

The vibrations from your moan almost set him off, the head of his cock hitting the back of your throat over and over. He leans his head back, looking up to the ceiling before he feels you try to swallow around him. 

When he looks down and sees tears in your eyes he panics, pulling away from you. The string of saliva from your mouth to his shaft has him pinching his eyes shut. “Sorry, sorry baby–”

“It’s okay.” You sigh, moving your hand over him easily with your spit as the lubricant. “I…I liked it.”

There’s a pause between the two of you, and growl rising in his throat as he lifts you up under the arms, tossing you on the bed. You go to flip over, but he holds you down by your hip with one hand as he pumps himself. 

Frankie pulls you to the end of the bed, pushing your jeans off of you and your panties with it, holding your legs wide. “Wanna see you.”

It’s only a mumble, barely audible but you smile shyly. His own smile creeps up before he teases the head of his cock at your entrance. Sliding it up and down your folds, tapping on your clit before edging himself into your entrance. 

He takes his time, slower than the last and the slide into you at this pace is divine. He can’t think of anything but you wrapped around him, the way your walls pulse around him to your heartbeat, how your teeth are planted into your bottom lip. 

Frankie watches you as he pulls out, how your eyes roll back and your mouth opens into that perfect “o” shape. “This is exactly what I wanted to see.” He breathes heavily, shoving his hips forward to watch your chest bounce. “You, absolutely cock drunk.”

He begins a rhythm that keeps him just on the edge, able to watch and appreciate how you reach for him, how your nails dig into his forearms to keep you grounded. He loves how you throw your head back, chanting his name quietly and then moaning at an extra hard thrust. 

“F-Frankie, please–”

“That’s it.” He soothes, rubbing a hand from your hip up between your breasts to your throat. He watches you, waits for your eye contact before letting his fingers squeeze around your throat lightly. “You’re okay baby. Let it go.”

You squeeze him tightly, gushing around him in a way that makes his hips stutter. He groans, pulling out and finishing himself off over your stomach with one hand, keeping the other securely around your neck. 

You’re both breathing heavily, watching each other as he pulls away from you. Cautiously he holds out a hand for you to grasp, helping you to shaky legs. “Let’s get cleaned up.”

You nod, pushing hair out of your face and grasping on to his fingers tighter following him to the bathroom. Frankie’s heart beats faster at the feeling of you holding tighter on to him, biting the inside of his cheek before he says something that he will regret. Something like when can I see you again. Instead, he tells you what you want to know.  “There’s money that we are after.” He says gruffly, watching as you bend over and start the shower. 

You turn around, tilting your head. “I knew that.” You shrug, watching him. “So you’re watching to see when your opportunity is?”

He nods, clearing his throat. “We won’t raid with you in there, though.”

You smile, shaking your head. He senses that you want to say something more–that you have more to say but you’re not allowed. He waits, you turning to him and motioning to the shower curtain. “Come on, while the water is warm.”

[demonfox38]

Okay. Made it through the last season of Netflix's "Castlevania" interpretation. Thoughts are below the cut.

I've often thought of this series as the exploitation version of "Castlevania," and hiring Malcom McDowell confirms that.

Although, I find it hilarious that both Malcolm McDowell and Patrick Stewart have ended up voicing the same character. I'm sure there's a "Star Trek Generations" joke to be made in there, but I'm not Mike Stoklasa.

Also, I was cracking up a bit when Varney's plot twist happened. Mostly, because it came off a bit Skeletor-esque in vocal performance.

Also, also—laughing that the final boss went the "Castlevania: Lament of Innocence" route despite barely touching on that game's plot.

Animation had its ups and downs with this season. It seemed like there were some frame issues (not enough inbetweening.) I do appreciate how they incorporated more of Alucard's SOTN animations into his fights, however.

Additionally, some of the fight scenes' pacing seemed to have issues, particularly regarding weapon recovery.

The whole bit with St. Germain was off. Like, he's a weird asshole in "Castlevania: Curse of Darkness", but he's more of a weird asshole there in the same way that casually encountering "Doctor Who"'s Doctor would also be strange. Not a straight up villainous boob. Kinda makes sense thematically to have another character who is willing to do horrible shit for their lost loved one, but the series honestly did not do a good job establishing her. Like, did she even have a voice actor? Or a name? All I'm saying is it was much easier for outsiders to get the Lisa revenge thing Dracula had going.

Also, how dare you joke about not being deaf and then have a villainous monologue, TV show.

Greta's a good girl. Well, outside of being an occasional homewrecker. Point is, she's competent and trying her best to save people in a bad situation, and anyone having issues with her is not to be trusted in the same way that you don't trust people who don't like Rochelle from "Left 4 Dead 2."

Look at me. Do not trust people who do not like Rochelle from "Left 4 Dead 2." Yes, her writing could have been better, but she's still a viable character. Let people Thunder Child their ships on the rocks of your better self. Got me?

Also, y'all really need to embrace more polyamory. Or understand the fact that Alucard's not going to love just one person in his life. Dude lives to be at least 600 in the game's timeline. For a dude who loves humans, constricting him to just one who may live to be 100 at best is cruel.

There are some interesting philosophical dialogues going on here, but I can see where some people may lose their patience for them. Considering one of Castlevania's most popular memes is a philosophy debate, you're just gonna have to suck that up. My personal favorites included the topic of acting versus reacting, as well as having agency in one's story.

Striga's battle theme was cool, but otherwise, the music was forgettable. Yes, that is a sin. Punishable by Death? In this series, maybe!

The gore's still over the top. Which, okay, fine. There's a bit of that in game. It's just generally a bit more reserved with it or uses it in crucial boss fights.

RIP doggie.

The Targoviste plot's a bit of a wash, but it doesn't feel as useless as Trevor and Sypha's previous plot predicament. It's just nothing of a surprise, considering how many times the writing has played the "authority figures are useless" and "dark secret surprise" tropes in this series. Like, Greta being reliable is actually more surprising than anything with this plot.

I cannot emphasize enough how boring I found Carmilla's interpretation and plot arc. You guys could have had a giant, naked lesbian riding a skull and spewing magic at people while her cat-eared girlfriend jumped them for extra damage. But no. Vanilla lady with a scarlet sword for you. So long. Farewell. Auf Wiedersehen. Good night.  

Gotta say, as much of a deviation from his source character as he is, Isaac really turned out well in this series. He's definitely evidence that you don't always need to stick to source material.

His Abel is fucking sick, dude. Way to go, king.

Also, I was expecting more violence from Hector this season. Oh, well. At least he got a teeny bit of a spine.

Look. I'm not an alchemist by any means. I'm just a bit baffled by this season's emphasis of obtaining a Rebis. Like, any time the game series has talked about the Magnum Opus of Alchemy, it's more been in pursuit of making a Philosopher's Stone (or at the very least, a Crimson Stone, as seen in "Castlevania: Lament of Innocence.") Pulling a Rebis out of the aether is…well. Could have been more interesting than it was. I mean, it was a bit nightmarish, but it really didn't do much.

Sypha's really never getting back to her family, is she?

Love the idea that the cross subweapon is basically a fancy chakram.

GERGOTH. BUDDY. FRIENDO.

Really appreciating the monster variety in these last two seasons. I mean, that's a big selling point of the "Castlevania" games. Not so much vampires standing around and bickering in dick-waving contests.

Breaking out of the bullet points to hit on the big subject of this season—that is, the ending being surprisingly happy.

There's been a lot of shit that's happened over the last few years. Obviously, a pandemic. Konami's run by pricks. Then, there's the situation with the allegations of sexual coercion with Warren Ellis. Additionally, the terrible ending of "Game of Thrones" likely impacted how this season was developed, considering it seemed to be chasing its progression in construction. (I mean, look at Carmilla and Daenerys.) I don't know how many people were happy with the last season of "Castlevania," but from my POV, it double-tapped itself in the foot with the way it pushed simultaneous sex and violence in its last two episodes. My point is, there was little taste for additional darkness, considering everything that has been happening. Society is drained.

A happy ending was what people really wanted. And man, did this pull through, in that regard. But, there's a conversation to be had in if this swerved too far or if it violates some artistic integrity to give people what they want. So, let's have it.

Look. Man. Have you seen a "Castlevania" ending? When you do it right, it's crumbled castles and rainbow-colored skies. If you do it really right, it results in a pretty girl holding the main character's hand. There is happiness in these games. Hope. Forgiveness and redemption. If this is supposed to be any bit an accurate interpretation of these games, it absolutely should end in such a joyful fashion. (Okay, maybe giving Dracula and Lisa a second honeymoon at the end was a bit much, but I get where people would want that.)

Did some items need to be addressed more? Absolutely. Alucard staking people and Hector getting sexually coerced into servitude are some pretty big topics to just wave away. (Oh, shit. That second part is even worse now with what Ellis was allegedly doing, isn't it?) I suppose I'm just glad the series didn't go full Sephiroth with Alucard. And at least Hector finally took some stand in his situation, even if it wasn't the bombastic, hateful revenge I'm used to seeing from this character in other stories.

I think the creators of this series were trying to save this show from the fate of "Game of Thrones." (To some extent, perhaps the "Voltron" re-interpretation as well.) There's so much media out there anymore that if a production team doesn't nail the ending, their creation gets wiped out of the collective consciousness. To that extent, I think the creators were successful in saving their series. Did it do damage to itself in yanking out of its construction and themes? A bit. But, in doing so, it pivoted back to being more like a proper "Castlevania" product. (And of course, by proper, I mean anything ignoring "Lords of Shadows." God, people need to stop chasing other products when developing "Castlevania" stuff and just let the series be as it is.)

I am very curious as to how much of this season was part of an original draft and how much was revised in backlash to everything that has happened. It doesn't seem like Trevor was intended to survive, but to some extent, Sypha had to. (I mean, until she has a kid, anyway. See "Lords of Shadows" series for dickery regarding that.) I'm also wondering if there was more intended for the Carmilla subplot, as much as the series was banging on about her invading locations. I'm not even sure St. Germain was intended to be a villain all along. Getting into a bitchfight with Death? Sure. Doing what he did here? That's a weird arc, dude.

If you come away from my POV with anything, it should be this: GO PLAY THE GAMES.

Do it. Do it, you ghouls. Go to the Steam store and download the "Castlevania Anniversary Collection." Boot up your PS3 or 4 or 18 or whatever and get "Symphony of the Night." Throttle Nintendo's stores until "Aria of Sorrow" or "Dawn of Sorrow" or "Harmony of Dissonance" or whatever rattles out of their moldy pockets. Find a ROM. Find an ISO. Just play a game. Especially, one of the ones made before 2010.

"Castlevania" as a game series isn't about hordes of vampires dick-waving at each other or edgy swearing or being grim and dark. Some of that stuff's there, sure. But, at its core, it's what game developers created when they looked at Universal Monster Movie creations and went "That's cool. Let's fight that!" It's a series about pushing technology in MMC chips to make rich, vibrant music. It's about flourishing artwork and layers of sprites dripping particles and gore onto players. It's sober and goofy and very pro curry.

The thing is, "Castlevania" players have their own unique connection to the series. We're the weirdos you see clapping their hands when a mutilated dinosaur shows up on screen. It's not because the monster alone is cool. It's that we've fought and struggled and bodied that thing through several floors like a goddamn "X-Men: Children of the Atom" stage. It's kicked our asses. We've kicked its ass. We've got a connection to it that you just don't get from passively watching it barf lasers through a computer monitor or TV screen. Like, you know how people go, "Well, the movie wasn't as good as the book?" It's obnoxious, sure. But, those who read the source materials have to go to the effort of constructing their own sets and people to understand what's happening. In a similar fashion, game players build up their own skill set to reach that next rung.

Maybe you don't always get a payout when you invest your resources into something. But, there is a sense of accomplishment, seeing what you can do.

There's a reason this series got an adaptation. I mean, outside of Konami's head executives wanting easy money. "Castlevania" is a fantastic video game series. Has it got a few problems? Oh yeah. Especially after outsourcing and pachislot machines became all the rage. But, there's a reason Simon and Richter Belmont are playable in "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate." There's a reason I spent a significant amount of time playing these games and writing or drawing fanworks for it. These games are wonderful. Beautiful. Difficult, but inspiring. Reasons I will still bang on about them decades years down the road.

When I get exasperated by layers of angst and edge lord content this Netflix series generated, I want you to know why. The roots of this show are good games held captive under poor management. Some people on staff know this. I wish they had more scenario and writing control. But mostly, I don't want to shit on them or their work. (Well, other than perhaps the obvious target.) I just want you to see what I love in these games.

And also to watch Crashervania. Because that's legit.

[alltheangstmygifttoyou]

I posted 329 times in 2021

124 posts created (38%)

205 posts reblogged (62%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 1.7 posts.

I added 184 tags in 2021

#art - 52 posts

#learn to be - 30 posts

#writeblr - 29 posts

#morgan weasley - 18 posts

#ask away - 17 posts

#a family curse - 9 posts

#tag game - 8 posts

#cats - 8 posts

#old story - 7 posts

#vent - 6 posts

Longest Tag: 99 characters

#cordelia eventually snaps about it making very clear to the reader that what theyre saying is cruel

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Catch Up Game

Thank you for the tag @karolinarodrigueswrites :3

Rules: tag people you want to get to know better/catch up with!

Favorite Color: black, red, and purple

Currently Reading: Fangirl and My Hero Academia 

Last Song: Eddie from the Rocky Horror Picture Show

Last Movie: Galaxy Quest

Last Series: Falcon and the Winter Solider (haven’t finished it yet)

Sweet, Spicy, or Savory: Savory 

Craving: Sleep and an m&m cookie

Tea or Coffee: Hot chocolate, I don’t like caffeine 

Currently Working on: Everyone Needs To Learn To Ask For Help also known here as Morgan’s story

Tagging: @prose-for-hire @alexie-writes

7 notes • Posted 2021-06-02 16:11:05 GMT

#4

🍓, for the character you think needs a hug the most

Thank you for the ask!!

This is a very difficult question because my first thought was all of them. But if I had to pick specifically which charecter needs a hug then I would go with... I'm going to list a couple and explain why:

Greenland very much needs a hug. She struggles a lot with understanding her own emotions. She's scared of touch, its uncomfertable and feels dangerous, but she also craves it. A very soft hug that gives her the option to opt out would be best and probably make her cry. Which she needs to since she bottles everything up.

Noah also needs a hug because even though he suffers the least physical and emotional abuse of the main cast he very much is not able to properly handle his problems. As a young child he has to deal not only witnessing a gory death but also know he was the main cause. Not to mention his mothers rapidly decreasing health requiring him to become the caretaker of the house at a young age which meant he did not have many positive reactions outside of his mother. Who then gets ripped away from him and hes placed in a city sized school with thousands upon thousands of people older than him, placed in the group that kind of announces to everyone that you've either killed or are very well capable of killing a person, and expected to act like a kid that hasn't been homeschooled all their life and figure everything out. So he is in dire need for someone to hold him and let him know he's going to be okay :(

Btvs Eva needs a hug because ever part of her life has sucked and she goes back in time to try and get the very dysfunctional but at least better than her biological family back together safe and sound no matter what. Also has to deal with the fact that said dysfunctional family will never be quite the same as she knew them because of her interference in time travel and even though the majority of them would be dead in her orginal timeline even those that weren't might as well be. Which means even though she's trying to make their lives better and prevent some of the terrible things that happen that will inevitably highly affect their personality. So no matter what she isn't really going to get what she wants even if she does succeed in bringing everyone back together. So a group hug would be very good for her.

8 notes • Posted 2021-11-05 22:51:00 GMT

#3

Tw: suicide

Haha so um how do you email your teacher that you haven't done the homework because you got really sick and then got so overwhelmed that you tried to slit your throat and now you're on suicide watch and still haven't been able to do any homework cause the thought gives you a panic attack?

9 notes • Posted 2021-07-21 17:36:50 GMT

#2

Its five thirty in the morning and im shaking and having heart palpitations and im very tired but the idea of sleeping is making me anxious why is this happening

10 notes • Posted 2021-07-02 09:26:33 GMT

#1

Speaking of art by the lovely @flummoxedangel I dont remember if I shared this or not but this was a present they gave me of three of my favorite boys and myself. Wesely Wyndam-Pyrce is in the blue shirt, Percy Weasley is reading the book, and Karkat is the gray one with horns. These three are favorites that my mind keeps circling back to.

Edit: the fact that no one told me I spelled karkat as katkat and had to scroll through my own blog and see it xD

12 notes • Posted 2021-10-31 19:03:48 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

[ex-vengeancedemon]

Averting Disasters and Other Ways to Avoid Your Problems

Chapter 5

Characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Mentions of things that occurred in Angel: The Series season 5.

Main Pairing: Buffy x Spike

Characters: Buffy, Spike, Giles, Willow, Xander, Andrew, Faith, Dawn

Summary: Set in 2008, five years after Spike’s resurrection at Wolfram & Hart. Buffy is living in Cleveland guarding the hellmouth. Spike has left Angel and company and is hiding out in Chicago. The Scoobies are scattered. When something starts going wrong with the slayers around the world, it’s time to get the gang back together.

Masterlist & Chapter 1

Chapter 5

"Buffy. Buffy! Slayer!" Spike yelled as he grabbed the pacing Buffy by the shoulders. "It's alright. You're home. The First is gone. You beat it. Remember?"

"What?" Buffy stared at him wild-eyed with something that almost looked like fear.

Apparently this was exactly the Buffy he remembered. Right down to her timeline.

"Buffy," Spike began slowly, "what's the last thing you remember?"

Buffy shook her head and tore away from him, resuming her pacing. "I- we were preparing to face The First. The plan was to go to the high school tomorrow and finish it. One way or another. I was going to give-"

She began frantically searching her pockets, almost ripping the lining of her already tore-up jeans. "Where is it? I just had it!"

"Where is what?" he asked. "Buffy, please. How about you just sit down on the couch and I'll go fetch some bandages. We'll sort the rest out after."

She shook her head vigorously. "No! I have to find it. Angel said-"

Realization dawned on him. She was talking about the amulet. The one that killed him. The one that brought him back.

Spike took her shaking hands in his own, trying his best to be reassuring, though he felt unsteady himself. "Don't worry about the amulet. I got it. It's over. The First is gone, Buffy. It's really gone. You won."

She looked into his face searchingly. He wasn't certain what she found their, but she stopped shaking.

"How?" she asked.

"I'll explain it all," he replied with no small measure of relief. "Just as soon as we get you patched up. Scout's honor."

Her eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly for an instant, a shadow of doubt crossing over her features. Spike noticed how accentuated those shadows had become. Her face seemed more hollow than he remembered, and dark circles hung under her eyes.

This wasn't how it was suppose to be. She was supposed to be better. She was supposed to be happy. She was... she was suppose to be free.

"Do you trust me?" he asked.

She nodded slowly. "I do."

"Good, then sit down."

Spike led her over to the tan couch that reminded him more of burlap than linen. She sat without protest, gazing over at the window without blinking. That might not have been a cause for concern... if the curtains had been open. He was hesitant to leave her alone, even if it was just to go to another room for a moment. Her behavior was nothing short of erratic and unpredictable. For all he knew, she could sprint out the door and be lost in the night in an instant. But that gash looked bad, and he couldn't just leave her covered in blood - her own or otherwise.

He would be quick.

Spike bounded up the stairs, taking pains to appear calm and collected until Buffy was out of sight. Once she was, he hurriedly made his way to the bathroom and rummaged through the medicine cabinet behind the mirror that - blessedly - showed no reflection. Pill bottles spilled out, falling into the sink, some half empty, some completely empty. Spike wasn't exactly sure what most of them were for. He never really had much need of painkillers himself. Unless you count bourbon. He grabbed a bottle conveniently labeled 'painkiller' and stuffed it in his coat pocket. Continuing his tear through Buffy's bathroom, he found a red first aid kit under the sink. Jackpot.

"You know, you could've just asked me where the first aid kit was instead of totaling the bathroom."

Spike jumped, pulling himself out of the cupboard and hitting his head on the counter's edge. He cursed under his breath and looked up to find Buffy standing in the doorway with her arms crossed.

"You were supposed to wait on the couch," he replied, rubbing the spot on his head that had kissed counter.

"I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine."

Spike looked pointedly at the gash on her leg and Buffy frowned.

"I don't know where I got that," she said finally. "I don't remember."

Spike stood up slowly with the first aid kit in hand. "It's alright. We'll get this all sorted."

It was all he knew to say.

Whether she was convinced or not, he didn't know, but she let him guide her to her bedroom. Buffy made her way directly to the bed and took a seat at its edge, her eyes downcast. Spike stopped dead at the threshold as if he was barred from entry.

The room was nothing like Buffy's old bedroom in Sunnydale. It reminded him slightly of a military barrack. Sterile, regulation, generic, and empty. The bedspread was a bright white, but it was stained with splotches of crusting blood. On the dresser were two picture frames: one with Buffy and Dawn, and another with a picture of the full Scooby gang. There was nothing else in terms of personalization. Nothing... unless you counted the walls.

All four walls of Buffy's bedroom were covered in newspaper clippings, photographs, and handwritten notes. Everything seemed meticulously organized by case. Mysterious killings. Suspected vampire attacks. Demon sightings. Everything a slayer would need to hunt down and track potential creatures of the night.

It was all wrong. Everything about the room was eerie. It didn't seem like Buffy at all. It wasn't her style.

The slayer stayed seated on the bed, looking down at her hands that were covered in some combination of dirt and blood. Spike ignored the walls for the moment and knelt down next to her.

He snatched a bottle of antiseptic from the kit and began dabbing it on the long gash on the side of Buffy's exposed calf. She winced but otherwise didn't react. Spike worked carefully to remove all dirt and caked-on blood from around the wound. He hoped it wasn't infected, but it might not be the worst idea to get her to a doctor later.

"You said you would explain," Buffy said, breaking the silence. Her monotone voice seemed almost worse than her previous panic. "Start explaining."

Spike didn't answer immediately, choosing instead to focus on cleaning up her wound. Really he just needed a minute to think of something to say.

"Where to start," he said with a humorless laugh. "Well, Willow did it. Activated all the Potentials. You, Faith, and a whole lot of newly made slayers beat back a whole legion of those Turak-Han nasties. It was really something to see." He grinned at her. "You were really somethin', Buff. Ask anyone who was there. The First is gone."

He paused and his grin faded. Now he supposed he owed her the less welcome news, she had to know eventually.

"But Anya didn't make it."

Buffy stiffened and she looked away. There were no tears. No nothing. Just a blank, emotionless expression.

"All the other Scoobies made it out alright," he continued, trying to add a happy note. "Xander, Willow, Giles, Dawn, Faith, they're all alright. Just saw Willow and Xander myself. Right as rain."

Buffy laughed. It was strained and slightly manic, but Spike sensed more relief than anything else.

He looked down. "But to do it, well, Sunnydale is nothing but a bloody hole in the ground. We leveled the hellmouth. It's gone. Permanently."

Buffy stared at him like he had started speaking Latin. "Gone? How?"

He chuckled ruefully. "Well that nifty little bauble of yours came in handy after all."

Spike finished cleaning the wound and began wrapping it with a layer of gauze and medical tape. When he was finished, he began wiping off her hands with the antiseptic before he realized that the blood wasn't her own. She stopped him and for a moment he just marveled at being able to hold her hand. Then he was hit with the sudden realization that he hadn't redeemed himself in her eyes yet, not according to her memory.

"Can you give me a moment?" she asked. "Just- wait downstairs. I'll be right there."

She seemed rational. Calm. So he just nodded and did as she asked.

***

After Spike left her, Buffy let out an unsteady breath as her hands began shaking again. Tears welled up in her eyes and she put her head in her hands. She didn't want to see the walls. Covered in those unfamiliar clippings, traced over with someone else's handwriting.

Sunnydale was gone. Anya was dead. She was a complete mess with no idea what was going on. And Spike was looking at her like she was some sort of ghost, some miraculous apparition. It reminded her of when he had first seen her after she clawed her way out of her grave. Maybe she had died in that battle with The First. Maybe Spike just didn't want to tell her they had snatched her from death's jaws yet again. She couldn't remember a heaven this time. She couldn't remember anything.

She shot up from her bed and almost ran out of the room, heading directly to the bathroom. When she got there, she threw the handle of the sink onto its hottest setting and scrubbed at her hands until they were bright red and not a speck of the blood or dirt remained. Moving on to her face, she washed off more grime with a soapy washcloth until she was satisfied. If she could just wash off the blood, she'd be good as new. The woman who looked back at her in the mirror looked paler than normal, with slightly bloodshot eyes. She frowned. Guess leading a bunch of Potentials into battle will do that to a person. Then she froze. No. That was over. Whatever the reason for her sorry state, it had nothing to do with The First.

She fixed her hair back in a hasty braid and returned to the bedroom, grabbing the first outfit she could get her hands on. She took the new clothes back to the bathroom, shutting the bedroom door behind her. If she never saw those walls again, it would be too soon.

She changed into what she realized must be some of her patrolling attire: all black pants and a long-sleeve shirt. It wasn't the most stylish ensemble, but it would do. She guessed this Buffy didn't have as good of a fashion sense. Oh god, I'm turning into a creepy hermit who only comes out at night, aren't I?

And from the looks of the house, it seemed she was the sole occupant. No Dawn. No boyfriend. No girlfriend. No roommate. No pet. And when all the current madness got figured out, she made a mental note to do something about the décor.

***

Spike roamed around downstairs where nothing seemed amiss besides the mud. It was a bit odd how all the doors were unlocked, but other than that there didn't seem to be any pressing cause for concern. There were no messages on the answering machine. The phone line still worked. So why hadn't she been answering her calls? Had she been getting the messages?

He heard the sink turn on upstairs and hadn't heard any windows opening, so he figured the amnesiac patient at least wasn't trying to make a break for it this instant. Tacked up next to the phone was a list showing two columns of names and phone numbers: Willow, Xander, Giles, Faith, Dawn, Andrew, Angel, and others he didn't recognize. He picked up the phone and quickly dialed a number. No time for second guessing.

The phone line rang five times before someone picked up.

"Hey Buffy, what's up?"

"Hey nibblet," Spike replied, keeping his voice low to prevent eavesdroppers. Well, eavesdropper anyway.

There was no response on the other end.

"It's Spike," he continued. "I think you better get yourself over to Cleveland. Now."

"I don't know what kind of sick game this is," Dawn hissed back, "but I'm not playing."

"Call Willow," Spike replied. "She'll catch you up to speed. Tell her you know about the slayers."

With that he hung up.

Ten minutes later, he heard Buffy come down the stairs and she found him staring at the phone. She looked much better than when he had left her. Her hands and face had been cleaned up, her hair was pulled back in a braid, and she had gotten a change of clothes. The wild, bloodstained Buffy he had first seen had been replaced with a more familiar version. She seemed to have shook off most of her earlier fear and panic - outwardly, at least. Always the soldier.

"Alright, so what the hell is going on then?" she asked. "Why can't I remember any of this? Seems like a battle that would be kind of hard to forget."

"We don't know yet."

"We?"

"Willow, Xander, Andrew, and Giles are working on it. It's happening to all the slayers."

Buffy frowned. "Has anyone checked on Faith?"

Spike shook his head. "Not that I know of. No one's been able to reach either of you for days."

Buffy sighed, crossing her arms. "Great. Anything else I should know?"

He pursed his lips as if in thought. "No, I think that about covers it."

"Alright, let's go meet up with everyone then." She made to turn toward the door before pausing. "How long has it been?"

"Not sure I quite followed you there."

"Since Sunnydale."

"Ah. That."

This would be easy. Just tell the slayer that it's been almost six years now since we leveled your old residence, destroying all your high school and college memories forever along with your family home and all your childhood keepsakes. Also I have no idea where your sister is and you haven't seen your old buddies in a couple years. And, oh yeah, I died and came back from the dead six months later and never told you about it.

Instead, he simply settled on, "It's been almost six years. Year's 2008. The U.S. just elected its first black president and they released a truly horrible film about sparklin' vampires."

Buffy's eyes widened, but she masked her shock admirably. "Oh. And so, I've just been, what? Guarding the Cleveland hellmouth?"

"Well, yeah, for some of that time anyway."

"And what have you been-" she started, then seemed to switch tracks. "I mean, where'd you end up? You know, after."

Spike looked down at the floor, making the pebbles scattered around seem like the most interesting thing in the room. "Los Angeles. Ran with Angel and his merry band of do-gooders for a beat."

It wasn't exactly a lie. It wasn't the whole truth either.

"Oh. You ran off to LA," she said tonelessly. "Everyone seems to love it there."

Before he could respond to what sounded almost like an accusation, the front door flew open and slammed open hard enough for the doorknob to leave a hole in the drywall.

"B! We need to talk," Faith said, storming in without invitation and startling the both of them.

The arm of her leather jacket was torn at the seam and barely hanging on and a shallow cut ran across her forehead. Her dark brown hair was matted from the blood. She was similarly disheveled as Buffy had been earlier. Seemed to be going around.

She froze when she caught sight of Spike. He guessed the jig was up.

Faith pulled a stake out of her boot and lunged at him. "What the hell are you?" she growled, as he jumped back from her parry.

"Faith, stop!" Buffy ordered, grabbing her arm before she could attempt another blow. "What are you doing?!"

Faith ripped her arm away and raised up a hand at Spike. "Buffy, that's not Spike! I don't know what the hell it is, but Spike died in Sunnydale. There's no way anyone survived that!"

[timeagainreviews]

My Series 10 Rewatch: The Pilot

Hello friends! If you caught my last update, you'll know I took the last couple weeks off to study for my Life in the UK test. My test was on Saturday and I am happy to report that I passed! I think it took me longer to go through security than to take the actual test. After two weeks of studying, I am very much ready to get back into the groove of talking about Doctor Who. We now continue with my series ten rewatch!

The title "The Pilot," is an interesting choice for the first official episode of series ten. While it references the plot of the episode, there is also an implication that this story is a bit of a reset to a new beginning. It acts as a pilot to the Doctor and Bill show. Not only had Clara been the companion for basically three seasons at this point, there was also a year of hiatus between "The Husbands of River Song," and "The Return of Doctor Mysterio." It is a weird placement for a final season for a showrunner and lead actor. It's also a weird place to drop a brand new companion.

This new version of Doctor Who opens with the Doctor as a university professor teaching possibly the worst class on campus, that everyone seems to love. His star pupil is a girl named Bill, who isn't actually a student but loves his lectures. Speaking of star pupils, there is also a love interest for Bill in the form of a girl named Heather, but more on that later. The Doctor's office at the university is peppered with references to the past. On his desk sits a jar with the sonic screwdrivers of previous Doctors, like an assortment of pens. There are also portraits of River and Susan. And tucked away in the corner of the room sits the TARDIS, with an "out of order," sign hanging from its doors.

The first time I watched this episode I started to groan at the fact that the TARDIS was out of commission. Not because it should never happen, but more that I expected this to be incredibly tedious. After several years of Steven Moffat's plot arks leading to disappointment, I was bracing to be underwhelmed. As it turns out, the TARDIS works as good as it ever did. But the Doctor and Nardole are grounded regardless. This is due to the fact that there is some sort of door or safe they've been tasked with guarding, which brings us back to the whole bracing for mediocrity thing. I remember immediately thinking "Missy is in there." Spoiler alert- she absolutely is.

Dumb safes and meaningless promises meant to build up empty intrigue aside, the real reason to get excited for series ten is Bill. I was immediately interested in the concept of a black gay companion with a gender fucky name. I remember when the pictures circulated of her wearing a vintage Prince jumper and everyone was speculating whether she was from the '80s or '90s. This only added to my excitement for her character. As many of you know, I am a big fan of the idea of companions in modern Doctor Who that aren't from modern-day earth. Sadly, as it turns out, she's not a hip '80s lesbian, she's once again from modern-day England. Oh well, at least Nardole is from the future. Though I don't understand why he is suddenly a cyborg that makes whirring noises and drops lug nuts. There was none of that in Doctor Mysterio.

The Doctor calls Bill into his office where he confronts her about attending his classes. He wants to take her on as her personal tutor, despite her not being a student. He mentions that he noticed she smiles when she's confused, which is a good indication that she is openminded and naturally curious. It's even implied that he sees a little bit of Susan in her. I liked that little nod to Susan, though it begs the question why the new series has never had her return. While looking at the pictures, Bill indicates that she has no pictures of her mother before she died.

The Doctor uses this as an opportunity to do a kindness for his new friend Bill. Using his ability to time travel, the Doctor goes back in time to take a shoebox worth of photos of Bill's mother. Nevermind that doing this might change the trajectory of her mother's life, thus undoing any chance that she might meet Bill's father. It's a sweet moment for Bill, but it's undercut by Moffat's shitty writing. Bill notices the Doctor's reflection in one of the photos, but never brings it up. She doesn't even thank him. It doesn't really go anywhere other than to inform the audience that the TARDIS does, in fact, still work.

It's this kind of gay people need tragic backstories for no reason mentality that frames a lot of this episode. While I applaud Moffat's inclusion of a gay companion, it comes off as a middle-aged man's depiction of a young gay woman. There is diversity on the screen, but none in the writing room. This is made all the more apparent by Bill's horrible chips anecdote. Bill has a crush on a student who comes into the cafeteria where she works. So she gives her extra chips every day until it starts making the girl fat. The Doctor asks her why she is telling him this story and she replies with "I was hoping it would go somewhere." As did Steven Moffat, but it didn't. It just hangs there like a fart saying "Did I mention I was gay?"

The next few scenes take place over a montage. We see Bill and the Doctor in their respective student and tutor roles. And we also see Bill having a bit of a social life. Bill catches the starry-eyed glances of Heather at a club and they both stand there on the dance floor staring at each other. There's an implication that the two of them are into each other, but we never actually see anything to show why they would actually like one another other than raw animal attraction. In fact, their few interactions are actually rather awkward and cold. There's about as much chemistry between the two of them as there was between Clara and Danny. Which if you remember was zero.

There isn't really a whole lot of focus on anything other than characters for this episode. Moffat usually writes in one of two ways- heavy on character and light on plot, or so heavy on plot that it sits weird against his characters. This would be the former, as the plot is nearly non-existent. Bill begins to notice Heather around and tries to chat her up. Heather shows Bill a puddle that doesn't make sense considering it hadn't rained in days. I kind of love Bill's reasoning that the puddle is piss from the men on campus. That was genuinely funny. Well done, Moffat. But there is more to this puddle in that it also shows your reflection wrong. Heather notices this because the reflection of the star in her eye isn't where it should be.

Let's talk about Heather for a moment. She's a very odd character. Firstly, there is her eye, which has a defect that gives her iris a star shape. Bill asks the Doctor what kind of defect would do this, but neither the Doctor or the show has an answer. Much like Moffat's running gag from "The Curse of the Fatal Death," said- I'll explain later. But later never comes. Other than her eye, Heather's other two biggest traits are that she's most likely a lesbian and that she wants to leave. Her personality isn't really all that important other than to act as the thrust for the plot, which is sadly from another episode of Doctor Who altogether.

Doctor Who is a very old show. It’s bound to repeat itself. Chris Chibnall ripped off "The Silurians," wholesale with "The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood." I get that this was necessary as a means to re-establish the Silurians and why they've remained underground. But on other occasions, Doctor Who seems to repeat itself out of sheer laziness. Remember when the library in "Forest of the Dead," saves everyone at their time of death? Or when Missy plucks people out of their timeline at their time of death? Or when the Testimony records people in history at their time of death? Or when the Thijarians comfort people at their time of death? Because I do. So it's not surprising that when Moffat wants to steal from another episode, he steals from one from his own stint as showrunner.

The episode I'm talking about is "The Lodger," written by transphobic Brexiteer shitlord- Gareth Roberts. In it, a spaceship disguised as a top story flat lures people to their demise while searching for a pilot to take it into space. The ship's main criteria for a pilot is that the candidate be someone with wanderlust. Does any of this sound familiar? That's the exact same M.O. of the mysterious puddle. It latches onto Heather because it senses her desire to travel and extrapolates that into consent to take over her body and use her to pilot it around the universe. However, another part of Heather's psyche has kept it earthbound- a desire to be with Bill. If you remember correctly, this is very similar to how "The Lodger," ended. Craig and Sophie's desire to stay together is what kept them from being reduced to ash by a machine too stupid to realise it was killing its host.

Now, I understand that it sounds like I'm ripping on Moffat quite a bit, but I actually do like him as a writer. "Heaven Sent," is one of the best episodes in the entire history of Doctor Who. This one, however, is not great. After the puddle overtakes Heather's body, it begins to follow Bill everywhere. At first, Bill thinks the puddle is Heather, but her creepy Midnight-esque repetition of everything Bill says is enough to raise suspicion. Bill begins to run to the safety of the Doctor, where she finds him and Nardole fussing with the giant safe. The room in which the safe is located only lets friends inside, which is either telling or worrying as the puddle is able to simply wash into the room under the door. As I watched the water flow down the stairs I found myself feeling forgiving toward the effects department from "The Horror of Fang Rock." Green blobs beat slow-mo water any day.

For no reason other than it needed to be more spooky, the puddle screams like a wraith every time we see it. I loved the little addition of Heather's wet mascara adding to her ghostly appearance. The Doctor, Nardole, and Bill take a trip around space and time to see if they can shake the puddle. But no matter where they go, the puddle is never far behind. For a creature made of water, it certainly is thirsty. And trust me, that's far better a pun than the one I was considering. The WAP references were just too low of a fruit.

For reasons I can't exactly pinpoint, the Doctor decides to take the chase right in the middle of a battle between the Daleks and the Movellans. While I love the return of the Movellans in all of their Rick James majesty, it's a very weird scene. As far as I can devise, the Doctor is merely trying to see if the puddle can withstand the blast of a Dalek. It almost feels like Moffat needed to wake the audience up with a jolt of Dalek action. Up to this point, there has been very little tension. What I can't figure out is what Nardole is doing with the Fourth Doctor's sonic screwdriver the whole time. From what I can tell, he's shutting doors, closing off the corridors and locking Daleks out. Maybe? I really don't understand.

The Puddle takes the form of a Dalek just long enough to make us worry that maybe Nardole didn't get them all. Watching the Dalek disintegrate into a puddle of water was genuinely cool. I was reminded of things like the clear Dalek from "Revelation of the Daleks," or the visible innards of the teleporting Dalek in "Remembrance of the Daleks." I like it when the show does weird visual stuff with the Daleks. It's part of why I love Davros so much. The puddle reforms as Heather, holding out her hand for Bill to take, which the Doctor warns her not to take.

Part of the tragedy of the Doctor's character is how oblivious he is to human emotion. It's part of why he needs human companions in the first place. He couldn't possibly conceive of a situation where Heather's own yearning for Bill might be the cause for all of their problems. But Bill sees this. She sees the human desire underneath all of the scary and so she too reaches out, grasping hands with Heather. What I don't understand is why Heather needed to leave and see the universe without Bill. Why they needed to say goodbye at all is more of that "gays can't have nice things," bullshit I mentioned earlier. Let's walk through the logic a bit.

Toward the beginning of the episode, the Doctor explains that the acronym for TARDIS- Time and relative dimension in space, means life. If you think about this, it's him saying that life is basically you in a point of time and a point of space, relative to you. Thus it explains the very essence of being alive and experiencing the universe from your unique perspective. But toward the end of the episode, he changes this position to mean that TARDIS means "What the hell?" As in, just go ahead and live life how you choose. This comes after the Doctor trying to wipe Bill's mind and deciding he can't. This leads to the Doctor allowing himself to travel, despite the promise he made about the safe nobody cares about. Basically, Heather doesn't get to join in on the Doctor and Bill's travels because Moffat still had to do a thing.

A lot of this episode is neutered by this need to adhere to the season ark. Which I now realise is a major contributing factor as to why I so often forget Nardole is a companion. Nardole is forced to become the Doctor's babysitter, forcing him to hide his travels with Bill. Because of this, we see Nardole as more of an authority figure than a companion. He's the strict schoolmaster the Doctor and Bill are forced to sneak past on their way to adventure. What this does, sadly, is cut Nardole out of a lot of the adventures. The same thing happened to Danny Pink, whose opposition to the Doctor often times left him out of the fun. Also like Danny Pink, it's an arrangement that worked best with Rory Williams and has been imitated to hell and back since.

While I can't consider this episode a total success, I also can't write it off outright. It would be easy to damn it in a "Simpsons did it," fashion for taking its plot from a previous episode. It would be easy to write it off for being plot light queer bait where nothing really happens. I could rail on the inclusion of the Daleks for the sake of Daleks. But I have to ask myself- what is the function of this episode? The answer to this question brings me back to its title. This episode is a pilot for a new iteration of the series. We're in a new place with some new faces, and some familiar ones. The pieces on the board have changed location and strategy. If the function of this episode was to hit reset, I would say it succeeds.

Bill is a very likeable character. You immediately want to see more of her. Her introduction is both charming and endearing. The roundabout way she took to arrive at saying "it's bigger on the inside," seemed less thick than quirky, which is right on the money. You want to see more of her. You want to hear more of her questions. You want to experience the universe through the filter of her perception. We needed a companion who was different from the previous one. It was important that the audience is able to move forward with the new cast. We're not comparing Bill to Clara as many did with Martha and Rose. We're not being asked to forget the past any more than we are being asked to cling to it. This is exactly the right tone and in that way, I find it to be wholly successful.

[noxtms]

❝   HARRY JAMES POTTER DAY, sometimes referred to as hjp day, is a british wixen holiday marking the birthday of the late harry james potter. it is observed on the 31st of july, annually, though celebrations often last through the week. it was officially registered with the british ministry of magic on may 19th, 2014 by minister kingsley shacklebolt.   

potter, famous from birth for being the ONLY person known to have survived the killing curse, was a key figure in the fight against he-who-must-not-be-named during the second wizarding war. many credit him as the most important person in bringing about the dark lords eventual demise, thanks to his unique efforts to find and destroy several horcruxes. the campaign for a holiday in potter’s honor was mostly undertaken by his former classmates and freinds, soon after the end of the war. there was some controversy surrounding the date chosen, as many older wixen wanted the day to be the end of OCTOBER ; the date that marked the end of the first wizarding war and the day that potter originally survived the killing curse.   ❞

WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE :  

IN GODRIC’S HOLLOW   :   it’s become a bit of a tradition for members of the wixen community around britain ( and sometimes the world ) to make the journey to godric’s hollow as a sort of pilgrimage, if you will. the muggles who live in the village have never quite made sense of the influx of robed individuals they get at the end of july each year, but they’ve long since accepted it happens - and have gone out of their way to encourage that this ‘tourist boom’ continues by turning it into a sort of village wide festival. while they hang bunting, put balloons outside their shops and quietly murmur about how all the inns in town have been booked out for the sixth year in a row, wix make the journey around town, visiting the site of the potters home, and leaving flowers at the statue of them in the square. this, of course, is in place of the fact that no matter how hard they search ( and a small number try their HARDEST ), they’ve yet to find his grave. 

IN DIAGON ALLEY   :   how else would businesses celebrate the birthday of the chosen one, if not by slashing their prices for the weekend of july 31st and holding what some would consider a small street festival? it’s not exactly in good taste, but it did originally come from somewhere well intentioned. the very first alley celebration of harry potters life WAS ministry sanctioned, after all ( even if they’ve since tried to put some distance between them and the capitalists ). 

IN HOGSMEADE   :   it isn’t the only event that happens each year around this time, and it certainly isn’t the biggest ( or most highly advertised - that honor goes to the new nightclub on knockturn alley, who’ve been plugging their free ‘daiqharry’ cocktail with each ticket purchased for entry to their party on the night of the 31st ), but its the one pulled together by madam rosmerta at the three broomsticks that often draws the larger crowd of those who actually knew the boy. the hogwarts professors, sans mcgonagall, often book out one of the back rooms to share a drink the night of his birthday - and many of his peers use it as a way to get together and honor the boy they know they can thank for much of what they have, now ( and that they wouldn’t, without him ). 

OUT OF CHARACTER :

'harry potter day’ is a bit misleading, really ; the CELEBRATION of harry potters life and the honouring of a boy who made so many sacrifices for the wixen community spans the entire weekend, usually, and brings with it both... undeniable reverence for him, and a frankly inappropriate amount of commercialism. the recent benefit attack is still fresh in the minds of many, but won’t stop the usual festivities that span the entire country. in godric’s hollow, people carry on the yearly tradition of trying to find his grave site ( while those that know quietly visit to pay their respects ), and on diagon alley, shops cut their prices by half and shopkeeps talk fondly of the boy with messy hair they once had the privilage of serving. there are get togethers across the nation, big and small, but the three broomsticks in hogsmeade is a favorie of many who personally knew him, and who find the ‘holiday’ a rough one to pass. 

these are all things you guys can use in your roleplaying this week, but this event is going one step further by asking one more thing of you : this week, you’re encouraged to do at least one flashback thread set at any point in your muses past, even just the last six years, exploring... anything that you want. a key event with another character, the immediate aftermath of the war, a summer visit to hogsmeade before everything went so bad. more than that, you should plot and rp this thread with someone who you either haven’t done anything with, before, or who has a character yours is implied connected to, but you haven’t gotten the chance to explore things with yet. you’re only required to do the one - but feel free to do more, if the muse strikes ! 

the event officially begins on tuesday the 28th at 12:00am GMT, 10:00am AEST & 12:00pm NZST and monday the 27th at 5:00pm PST, 6:00pm MTN, 7:00pm CST, 8:00pm EST & 9:30pm NST ! it’ll end the same time a week from now, bringing us to august 4th - and catching us up a bit, timeline wise. 

you are not under any obligation to pause any threads you currently have going, and are encouraged to put as much a focus on the event gimmick and event itself as you feel comfortable doing !

ALL event related starters ( including private ones, this time ; let us see ‘em ) should be tagged as nox.event005 ! you have as much a choice as location as you always do ! 

if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to message the main, and please reply ‘rip harry’ to this post once you’ve read it ! 

[spiritmaiden23]

HANDY DANDY RP PLOTTING CHEAT-SHEET FOR ZELDA (skyward sword)!

Want new-and-exciting plots for your character? Long to reach out to more of your followers, but don’t know where to start? Fear not! Fill out this form and give your RP partners both present and future all the of juicy jumping off points they need to help you get your characters acquainted.

Be sure to tag the players whose characters YOU want more cues to interact with, and repost, don’t reblog! Feel free to add or remove sections as you see fit. Templatehere.

mun name: Amber! ooc contact: My DMs are always open for mutuals and non-mutuals alike! In case I’m not here you can always reach my personal which is over @sealilys annnd I do have a discord however that’s only for mutuals, I rarely do drops. That out of the way let’s get started! 

who the heck is my muse anyway?

Well, for those who never touched The Legend of Zelda in their lives, I’m sure it’s pretty dang confusing to see more than one design of both Zelda and Link, I’ll try my best to explain this! The series follows a very, very convoluted timeline filled with plotholes, as such the Links and Zeldas we see throughout different titles of the game are actually reincarnations (well Link is the only one reincarnating, Zelda reincarnates once... more on that later) who are destined to seal away whatever darkness may threaten the lands known as Hyrule. 

Skyward Sword is the very beginning of that timeline, with Sky Zelda (this Zelda) being the first Zelda and she comes from a place outside of Hyrule, in fact high above the kingdom known as Skyloft. During her time, the kingdom of Hyrule was not yet established so the place below the clouds is known as The Surface to the Skyloftians. As such, unlike the other princesses we see throughout the series, she is not born a princess but is actually just your average, everyday girl who was studying to become a knight! Zelda is well-known for being charming and vivacious. She’s childhood friends with the sleepyheaded Link and the beloved daughter of the headmaster of the Knight Academy. Life was good and while she dreams of the lands below the islands, believing that there’s something down there instead of a barren wasteland like most seem to believe especially since she hears someone calling for her down there, she was content with spending her days with her best friend. Little did the two know that they both had a heavy destiny thrust upon them by the gods themselves. 

Zelda’s story is one that is about awakening. And she wouldn’t have that awakening until one faithful day where she was ripped from the skies by the self-proclaimed demon lord Ghirahim, with his magic spell that broke through the cloud barrier surrounding Skyloft, she falls and wakes up unharmed on The Surface. After being rescued by an old woman who then informs her of her shared destiny with Link to bring Skyloft back to The Surface while defeating the great demon Demise once and for all, this kickstarts her awakening and she begins her journey in purifying her body at the sacred temples on The Surface and praying to the goddess Hylia to retrieve memories of a time long ago. Along the way, she meets with a Sheikah warrior named Impa who acts as an escort and later treasured friend. 

In truth, Zelda is actually the goddess Hylia reborn as a mortal. In her past life, she knew the Gods of the Old, in fact they were the ones who had instructed Hylia to not only look after her people but to also look after the sacred power of the gods known as the Triforce. A golden artifact that can grant the wish of anyone. Gods can not use this power however mortals and even demons can, this would prompt for Demise to rise from the crack of the earth to obtain that power for selfish desires. As such, there was a great war on The Surface against the dark forces, her people were dying and the war greatly affected the lands. During her final battle against Demise, Hylia constructed a plan that would bring an end to his terror at the cost of her own death. The battle ended with her victory where she manages to seal away Demise while succumbing to her wounds from the battle, later she’d reincarnate as the spirit maiden Zelda. Once Zelda remembers her past, this only fuels her desire to end Demise once and for all with Link’s help. 

And sure enough, despite the bumps and heartache along the way, Link defeats Demise. Yet there was a catch. Before Demise passed away he placed a curse on all three of them where his grudge will bound them to the neverending destiny of Link and Zelda fighting off the incarnation of Demise’s hatred. The story ends with Zelda staying on The Surface to watch over the Triforce while helping colonize the lands. 

things you should know:

Zelda is not a princess. Nor does she become one after the events of the game. She remains as a guardian of sorts for the Triforce considering the fact that the Sacred Realm does not exist, therefore there’s no safe place to hide the Triforce someone has to look over it. Instead she’s a literal goddess, albeit human but she still has her divine powers despite it dwindling greatly compared to her form as Hylia. 

I PLAY LINK AND ZELDA’S RELATIONSHIP AS STRICTLY PLATONIC WITH HINTS OF ROMANCE. It is possible for her to develop feelings for Link but to avoid stepping on any toes, she’s happy with being his friend. 

Zelda does not have the Triforce of Wisdom. Considering the fact that the Triforce does not split, it’s whole in this era. While she can now use the power of it since she’s mortal she prefers not to honestly considering she still has her divine powers from Hylia, while weak when compared to her god form she’s far more powerful than the average human (speaking of humans are not yet known as Hylians during her time). 

She can hear the voices of the gods. Very minutely though but she can hear them. Considering her connection with them and the lore behind the pointed ears, I’d like to think she’d have moments where she can hear soft whispers of them. Rarely do they talk to her though. 

While Zelda is very capable of fighting, she cannot fight any of the beasts during her main verse where’s she’s traveling the Surface to find the temples to purify her body. Not only will they outnumber her, not only she is without a weapon, but the monsters let out this miasma when defeated and it’s possible for that miasma to affect her purification process. For the most part, you’ll see her sneak around monsters. If push comes to shove, she’ll use her harp as a bludging weapon...

what she’s been up to:

main verse: Which is during the events of Skyward Sword, as such she’s no longer in Skyloft nor does she have the full knowledge that she’s Hylia but Zelda is suspecting that there’s a connection there. She does not know how to wield her magic as it comes and goes in spurts. She’s seen throughout the Surface so she can be anywhere! Even in other timelines due to using the Gate of Time, we can just say that something screwed up causing for her to end up in another time period or even verse! LOZ series is pretty flexible in time travel. 

where to find her:

Faron Woods:  The place where it all started. Here the Sealed Temple along with Skyview Temple is located, so she can be either wondering throughout the woods or either of those places. She’s currently alone and is sneaking away from monsters yet is also enjoying the sights of the Surface while being mindful of her mission. 

Eldin Province: Neighboring Faron Woods and home to the infamous Death Mountain (known as Eldin Volcano). So what is she doing in a dangerous place? Why, praying at the Earth Temple of course! Here’s where she meets with a Sheikah warrior Impa, so chances of her showing up as an NPC in a thread is pretty high! 

Lanayru Province: Once a lush, green place now became a desert yet far from barren, hidden underneath the sands is a time long lost where hints of the past can be uncovered. There are many caverns throughout the desert. It is around here where she travels to find something known as the Gate of Time. Impa will most def show up as an NPC since she’s traveling with Zelda during this time. 

current plans:

Meet with Link and return Skyloft to the Surface while regaining all of her memories as Hylia.

desired interactions:

I would love for more wacky time shenanigans to happen where Zelda not only meets with LOZ muses from other timelines but also other muses from different universes all together since the LOZ community is pretty dang dead! This can work in post-game verse as well since she has more knowledge of timelines and the like! 

Muses joining Zelda’s journey while she uncovers her past, it’d be fun to do dungeon threads with potential of action happening since Ghirahim is hunting down Zelda along with the monsters that work under him. Protect tiny goddess at all costs!

I want her to make more friends but enemies would be fun too! 

Romance. I am a sucker for fluff and cuteness. 

This is very random but I want Zelda to interact with a Kina or even Kass so that they can do a jam session together! Actually any musically talented muse doing a jam session with Zelda is all I could ever ask for. 

things that bother me:

This doesn’t bother me too much but your muse insisting that she’s a princess despite her constant denial. I can understand this one considering her bloodline is royalty later on so it’s whatever.

Your muse magically knowing she’s Hylia. Yes, she has strong powers that can probably be sensed and yes she more than likely resembles her past life look but your muse shouldn’t make that connection easily on the spot unless she tells you herself and for the most part she keeps that knowledge away from outsiders. Insisting she’s just a humble spirit maiden should they feel something fishy with her.

YOUR MUSE BLAMING EVERYTHING EVER ON HER. This ties in with the one above, having your muse condemn Zelda for the choices she had made during her life spent as Hylia is a bad look dude. It’s hard to put into words and this happened long ago when the fandom was active but just... making Hylia/any Zelda out as the bad guy is just really annoying and just downplays her character. 

tagged by: i pirated it ;v; 

tagging: whomst ever! i recommend doing this since it’ll help a ton with those who still are unsure with your muse but feel too nervous to ask questions.

[fae-fucker]

Zenith: Chapter 37-40

Chapter 37

So this chapter is very rapey and if you’re not comfy reading it I can safely say that it’s not crucial to the “plot” of the rest of the book at all and you can skip it if you wish. 

We’re back with Klaren, who’s being strangled by General Cortas because he’s mad that he’s constantly horny for her. She mind-controls him into letting her go and we find out that she’s been here for two years, where they forced her to send videos to the King of Xen Ptera to get him to surrender but she’s a rebel so she told him to keep fighting. 

During that time, she’s also been brainwashing General Cortas into “loving” her. And now that his mind has been completely fucked, it’s time for Klaren to also get fucked. 

No, really. This was apparently the “sacrifice” she was supposed to make. 

She was born to do this. Born to sacrifice herself. Her heart, to the king of Xen Ptera. Her daughter, unplanned, had been sacrificed, too.

Now, she would willingly give up her body to the cause.

[...]

They spent the rest of the night together, tangled in the sheets. 

Tangled in her lies.

Now, let me explain how this squicks me out, beyond the obvious. 

Are we supposed to feel ... bad? Feel sad that she’s doing this? Feel bad for her? Because so far, General Cortas/Cyprian has been painted and portrayed as a crusty antagonist who’s out to get out dear Andi and Dex, while every Klaren chapter has been all about how she’s sad and she has to sacrifice herself and how it’s her destiny and how she regrets she can’t stay with her family and all that jazz. We even get an emphasis on how she’s in love with her king and loves her daughter as well.

Like, I know in the end Cyprian dies (spoilers, but I talked about this in my review so) and Klaren only exists in flashbacks, so it’s not like we’re getting redemption arcs for either of them. 

But like, if this is supposed to make me uncomfortable and to be very muddled then I’m honestly impressed. But I doubt it? And I’m very unsettled by the fact that we spend so many chapters moping around with Klaren to sympathize with her and her plight, and I don’t understand why they chose to spend so much time on the backstories of two characters that are either dead or will die in the main timeline in the first place. 

Nexus better answer these questions or else it will just prove Shinsay wrote this because ... No, I don’t think Nexus can justify this, actually. I don’t get why this subplot exists.

SHINSAY WHY DID YOU WRITE THIS

Chapter 38

We’re back with Andi post-argument and she’s in the med bay with Gilly and Lira, and we get an actually pretty nice, quiet moment where the girls try to both care for Andi and give her space. If y’all had focused on this instead of the mind-rape and the mind-control (oh boy I bet these two will have shit to do with each other huh) and the reality TV drama and space wars you defo can’t write it would’ve been a much better and more fun book. 

Anyway, the other girls leave to eat and Andi chooses to remain with Valen and watch over him. Lira drops this on us:

“There’s a fissure in you. I can sense it even from here.” Lira loosed a gentle sigh before explaining her words. But when she did, they sunk like a rock into Andi’s gut. “Sooner or later, you’re going to have to choose between forgiveness or hate. And you and I both know which one is harder to live with.”

I know this is in reference to Dex, considering how Andi’s been all quiet and weird after their argument, but honestly? Andi’s looking at Valen’s fucked body and my headcanon is that Lira is actually referring to Andi herself. Think about it. Lira knows what happened. Lira knows Andi still feels like it’s her fault Kalee died. 

And instead of it being another tired “forgiving is better for ur soul than hatred uwu” sentiment, when applied to Andi’s self-hatred, this would be a hard-hitting and genuinely insightful statement from Lira. 

Because self-hatred is harder to live with than self-forgiveness.

But this is Shinsay and I’d be surprised if they thought that far.

Anyway, Andi has yet another flashback to the crash and Kalee’s death and it’s all blood and metal and bla bla bla, we’ve seen this a billion times already. Then it turns out that Valen’s tests come back positive for “abnormalities,” and then he wakes up and is all like “kill meeeeeeeeee” and the chapter ends. 

Riveting. 

Chapter 39

We skip to some time later, I guess? Dex is shirtless and getting his nails painted by Gilly, which is fun. They discuss whether Valen is or isn’t a mutant, and we get this:

“Valen is no different than us,” Andi said to Dex, “and he’s not a mutant. And put on a damned shirt. This is a spaceship, not a pleasure palace.” 

“It used to be both.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, then winced as Andi ripped off one of his boots and launched it at his face.

Y’all really gonna talk about how much sex you used to have when there’s a literal 13-year-old right there in the room with you who’s listening and is a part of this conversation? 

Interesting choice there, Shinsay. Not even a little uncomfortable at all. Just these two adults talking about how they used to fuck while one of them is shirtless.

Andi thinks about how the Marauder used to be a man cave, and yes, that’s what the text says, and how it’s actually beautiful and modern and well-furnished now because they have genuine Adhiran cowhide couches. Then there’s more descriptions of the interior of the ship and I’m extremely bored and wondering why we needed to know the layout of the kitchen or what Alfie was wearing while in said kitchen (it’s a Kiss the Cook apron, btw). 

There’s a little argument about whether Valen is or isn’t a mutant due to his weird blood. It’s completely pointless. 

“Ah-hah!” Alfie’ s head emerged from the cooling unit, frost covering the tip of his oval chin. “I have discovered the source of the smell.” He held up a dripping hunk of green meat, then proceeded to march over to the small ejection site and blast it out into space.

... Right. 

So why do you people have a dedicated trash compartment again? 

All this waffling about brings nothing, as Alfie just cryptically says that Valen’s DNA seems to have changed and that they’ll have to do further tests once Valen’s back home.

Andi thinks about how Gilly does have a soul after all, because Gilly seems excited about having a mutant on board. This book has too many characters considering whether they or someone else they know has a soul or not. I think it’s Shinsay’s way of trying to be deep. 

Andi thinks about how cool her team is and how they got out of Lunamere without issue and how it’s gonna be nice to take a break. Then the ship starts crashing, I guess? 

We gotta throw more forced plot into the narrative because clearly these characters don’t actually have any goals of their own. 

Chapter 40

We’re back with Nor, who’s moping about her backstory and Zahn and Darai again. We find out through math that she’s 26? 

Anyway, remember the prison guard they were gonna test Zenith on? Yeah, she’s dead. Which does indeed confirm that they hadn’t tested it before then. Alrighty. I also don’t get why they test it on their own loyal citizens instead of, you know, the prisoners they have in Lunamere. It just makes so much sense to try to brainwash someone who already loves you into loving you more and risk them dying from this foreign chemical instead of trying to brainwash someone who hates your guts and who wouldn’t be a loss if they died anyway. 

IT JUST MAKES SO MUCH SENSE YOU GUYS. 

This time, they are testing it on prisoners, so maybe their “head scientist” (more like two-head scientist amirite fellas) learned their fiking lesson. Ok but then Aclisia says these prisoners are the “first participants in the study” which ... Yeah it doesn’t make sense and I’m pretty sure they’re not participants nor is this a study. 

Then Aclisia says this will be the “final batch.” So ... the Lunamere guard is not classified as a test subject nor a “participant,” and these guys are “participants” but will hopefully be the “first” but also “final” test subjects? 

You’d think having two heads would make for a better scientist.

You’d think having two heads would make for a better writer ...

One of the prisoners calls Nor a “scnav,” which does sound nastier than all the other dumbass curse words they scrapped, and Nor says that they’ll begin testing on that one. 

Aclisia says that “the weapon” is effective on any body part, as long as it comes in contact with the skin and can enter the blood stream. So ... Which one of those? Cuz having both makes no sense. The former sort of makes the other irrelevant. Also, what if an alien creature doesn’t have skin or blood? I guess it’s just universal. Even though they’ve only tested it on one alien species before ... and she died from it.

Flawless worldbuilding, lads. 

We find out that Zenith has the ability to “to enthrall a person or terrify them, depending on how strong their will was” which is ... dumb as hell even before combined with the fact that 1) they haven’t tested it on live subjects until now and 2) it apparently transcends species. And now you’re telling me it will also work differently on different individuals based on their “will?” How is that even quantifiable? And if it is, how did they define it? How did they define something so nebulous so closely, without ANY test subjects, to the point of making this silver goop able to tell apart who has a strong will and who doesn’t?

Whatever. Zenith seems to work and the prisoner now obeys Nor’s every whim.

He lowered his head in an attempt to bow, even with his hands tied.

You don’t need your hands to bow but go off.

The other prisoners get Zenith’d as well.

[Nor] turned to Darai and Zahn with a grin as solid as steel. “My soldiers, it’s time to darken the stars.”

And we got Zenith’d too, my lads.

[sleepyfan-blog]

warnings: Betrayal, cursing

Fandom: Underverse, 

characters: Dust, Killer, Horror, Cross, Dream, Baby Blasters Sans and Papyrus

word count: 2,891

summary: Dream wakes up to an argument, and realizes that he fled to the wrong au. Can he talk Cross into letting him go?

Dream woke to the sound of three voices arguing, low and fast, their emotions tense, fearful and uncertain and mixed with confusion. But he couldn't focus on what they were saying, as he felt as if his bones had been pulled from him one by one, soaked and acid, before being roughly shoved back. He was low on magic and curled around something in a very uncomfortable position. The guardian of positivity frowned at himself, took in a couple of deep, calming breaths and did his best to focus through the slowly receding pain to try to listen in on who was arguing. Their magic was somewhat familiar to him - but not in a good way.

"-and I'm telling you, one of us needs to teleport to boss, right now, and tell him." A rough, growling voice muttered angrily, sounding as if he was a couple of feet to Dream's left.

"Yeah, and I don't want to be the one to do it! You know how tetchy he gets whenever his name is mentioned around him, and he's going to lose his shit if he finds out that the ball of fuckin' sunshine is actually here. Why the hell he's here, I don't know." A second, lighter voice hissed from a little bit further away.

"I didn't realize that Sunny D knew where this timeline was. You'd think that boss would have picked a timeline that none of the Star Shits had been to before, given that our main base is here." A third voice purred "And wouldn't it be better if we just dragged him to boss in the first place? Because if we go and tell Nightmare that he's here, there's a chance that Dream will wake up and teleport off. And then Boss'll really be pissed."

"I can barely sense him though. Which means he's probably got like... Next to no magic. Do you really think he could walk in that state, much less create a portal to leave?" The first voice pointed out musingly.

Dream tried not to flinch as he realized that he'd... He'd come back to Dreamtale - and the memories of why he had instinctively fled to his former home caused the positivity guardian to try to suppress a violent flinch and a sob - Horror, Killer and Dust hadn't seemed to notice that he was awake yet - and he needed to make sure that the tiny, abused children that he'd rescued would be safe. And they really weren't here. He also realized that he had somehow managed to turn back into his original form - but at least he wasn't dog-shaped. At least it wasn't immediately apparent that

Cross spoke up - because of course all four of Nightmare's main minions were crowded around him - saying quietly "What I want to know is why are his clothes shredded? I've never seen his boots torn up like that - and his pants are all messed up as well."

"... That's a good point. Welp, something to ask him when he wakes up. Heh, we might be able to have a bit of fun with him before we tell boss." Dust responded, and Dream could hear the sadistic glee in the other's voice, not just in the other's magic. There was a dull smacking sound of bone against bone and Dust hissed "Oww! What was that for?"

"Don't be weird and gross, Dust." Cross scolded, discomfort in the other's magic as he spoke "I think that earns you the dubious honor of telling bo-"

Dream could hear the ringing of an interdimensional cell phone, and Dust answered "What's up, boss? ... Right now? I mean, we kind of... Okay! Okay fiiine... Yes boss... Recon and report. By myself or-? Got it. Yes boss." It felt like an eternity of silence before Dust spoke up again "Well, Horror and I have a mission - and he wants us to leave now... And there's the portal. I'll tell you the details once we get through. Have fun sorting this mess out you two."

The positivity guardian heard two sets of footsteps walk away from him, before their magical signatures vanished. Despite desperately wanting to try to get up - to try to move into a less vulnerable position, Dream was hoping that the two remaining Bad Sanses were still under the impression that he was asleep, and might give him an opportunity to flee with the very young Sans and Papyrus he was still holding carefully. Thankfully, both of the pups were still asleep, snuggled into one another and nestled in his arms. He didn't dare to even activate his eye lights in an attempt to see what was going on, as that would reveal, if one of them was looking at his face, that he was awake. He knew that he would have exactly one chance to try to escape with how little magic he had - and the fact that both Killer and Cross were efficient hunters.

"Soo... Let's fight to see who has to tell boss. Loser has to give him the news." Killer suggested.

"No. For one thing, Nightmare doesn't like it when we fight each other... Besides, you'll be the one going to speak to him anyways." Cross responded.

"Are you implying that you're stronger than me, Crossy-boy?" Killer hissed, irritation and indignation spiking in the other's magic.

"Yes. I know for a fact that I'm stronger than you are, Killer." The monochromatic skeleton answered back, supremely unconcerned about his teammate's annoyance.

"Then put your gold where your mouth is, you shit!" Killer growled, and Dream felt the other's irritation turn into rage and bloodlust.

"I don't need to prove myself to you, Killer." Cross responded back, his voice still calm. "One of us needs to tell Nightmare that Dream - and whoever he's got with him - is here and I don't trust you not to try to stab one of the three of them while I'm away. You've stabbed prisoners out of boredom before, and I don't think that Nightmare would take it well if you were hurting Dream. He's..."

"Really strange when it comes to that particular Star Shit? Yeah. I've noticed that much. I've been working with Boss for a lot longer than you have... And what do you mean by whoever's with him? It's just Dream." Killer growled, confused.

"He has two beings with him. A Sans and Papyrus who I've never sensed before. He's hidden their magical presence with his own, but I can sense them." Cross answered back.

"... Both of them must be really tiny, if that's true. Because I certainly don't see another Papyrus laying down next to him, and they're always tall... If they're full grown." Killer grumbled "Fine. I... I'll go talk to boss."

Moments later, Dream felt the tell-tale flash of magic distinctive to teleportation. With only one of the bad Sanses watching him, now was definitely the time to-

"I know you're awake, Dream. I noticed the difference in your breathing pattern, earlier." Cross spoke up, his voice suddenly much closer and more directly above him than normal. "So you might as well get up.”

Dream hesitated for a moment before turning on his eye lights and looking up at Cross - startled that the other was kneeling directly in front of him. After a moment of awkwardly starting at the other's mis-matched eye lights, the older skeleton shifted his hold on the sleeping Sans and Papyrus in his arms so that he was holding both of them with one arm, using the other to slowly and painfully push himself up into a sitting position, a quiet groan of pain leaving him as his joints snapped and popped a little bit as he straightened his spine, staring blearily at the other. He didn't know Cross very well - but he knew that Ink did... And that the other had counted the other as a friend. Perhaps he could reach out to the other, while he had the chance? Keeping his voice low so that he hopefully didn't wake up the sleeping children, he pleaded quietly "Please let me leave, Cross. I hadn't meant to come here - I've... I've never spoken of this place to Ink or Blue, ever and I... It's vanishingly unlikely that I ever will. Please I-I've got to get the little ones to safety!"

Cross stared at him, the other's eye lights widening and Dream could feel the horror and confusion within the other's soul as the younger skeleton seemed to be at an utter loss. "I... What... What the actual fuck happened to you, Dream?"

Ah. Time to lie. "I... N-nothing much, I just... Uhm..." Dream looked down at himself - Cross's horrified staring was... Oh no. His clothes were ripped to shreds, and since he'd moved, his cape wasn't covering much anymore. A bright gold blush appeared on his face and with his free hand he tugged his cape over himself (and the pups) "I... Cross please..."

"No. Seriously. What the hell happened?" Cross growled, his eye lights intense "What did he do to you? I can sense traces of his magic on you, but I wasn't going to say anything in front of the others. What the fuck did a Gaster do to you?" The other grabbed one of his shoulders, shaking him a little.

The sudden movement startled Dream, causing him to flinch and curl in on himself, and the rough movements forced a whimper of pain to leave him "I... P-please... I-It's p-probably n-not as bad as you th-think! I just... The G-Gaster b-briefly experimented on m-me but he c-couldn't keep me contained for v-very long. I f-found the Sans and Papyrus in a cell and broke them o-out and... I was r-running on instinct and I h-had only enough m-magic to 'port us to one AU and I... I-I went home... I d-didn't remember at the t-time that it's n-not safe here anymore. It ha-hasn't in a long time but I... I-I fled here to Nigh..." Dream immediately stopped talking, shifting his hold on the pups again, so that he was holding them in his arms again "But that's not important. What is, i-is getting the children to safety. Please let me leave so I can get them to safety. I-I'll bring you along too! S-so you won't get into trouble for letting me escape."

"I... I don't..." Cross responded, his facial expression - half hidden by his scarf - showing absolutely nothing. But the other's emotions were unsettled and unsure - as if the other was trying to figure out what to do. The other's gaze fixated on the tiny bone puppies in Dream's arms. "Why do they look like that?"

"Oh... You've never been to a Baby Blaster Beast AU?" The guardian of positivity asked, blinking a little in surprise "Or even a Gaster Blaster Beast AU before? I... I'll explain but please - at least let me open a portal to set the children in a safer world, Cross?"

"No, I haven't... they're... So small..." The monocrhomatic skeleton responded, his red and white eye lights still focused on the very young skeletal creatures in Dream's arms. "I... I can see why you'd want to protect them. I... I can't open portals, you know. And I'm not going to try to summon that treacherous, two-faced bastard. He'd probably force you to try to put them back in their own au... Despite the fact that you've clearly just rescued them from somewhere terrible because he doesn't like to interfere or some bullshit like that. But... I... Sure, I'll help you." There was a strange emotional flutter in the other's magic that Dream wasn't aware enough to identify, much as the positivity guardian tried to keep as in tune with his surroundings as possible.

"I know that... But I can - but you'd have to not attack me while I'm trying to summon up enough magic to do that, so I don't lose concentration." Dream explained, hope building in his chest. He had no idea how much time he had left before Nightmare showed up - it depended on how reluctant Killer was to talk to the fallen guardian. But he suspected that he didn't have much left.

"I... I wouldn't attack you, not when you're carrying helpless children. I've... Done a lot, for Nightmare. But I... That's a line I'm not going to cross." The monocrhomatic skeleton responded, nodding definitively as he stared at the tiny skele-pups.

Dream could sense a rising determination within the other, and despite the seriousness of the situation, he couldn't help but chuckle a little, commenting "Nice pun, Cross." If he were less tired, he might have tried to respond back, but he was already focusing on making a portal.

The other groaned, burying his face in his hands "I didn't do that on purpose! The others make way too many cracks about my name as it is! I'm just glad that none of the others heard me say that. Otherwise I'd never hear the end of it."

Dream smiled kindly at the younger skeleton before responding "I'm sorry to hear that the others tease you for your name, but again, tha-" His eye lights widened as he felt his magic rush out of him and fizzle. "No... Why... Why can't I open a portal? I.. I sh-should be able to... To do so..." He felt himself falling over again, Cross' arms wrapping around him as darkness started to envelop him.

The positive guardian heard Cross speaking, his voice apologetic, and the feelings in the other's magic and soul guilty and determined "I'm sorry... But I can't go against Boss. I need him to fix my timeline."

"But... You... You promised to help me..." Dream responded, a look of betrayal flashing across his eyes. He should have known better than to hope that one of Nightmare's people really would help him - but Cross had genuinely seemed intent on wanting to help the children... "But... Please... At least make sure that the children are safe, Cross. I don't... I don't know what he'll do to them."

"I... I'll try. That I am genuinely promising you. I don't know how much I'll actually be able to do." Cross promised, grabbing Dream as he stood up, the shorter skeleton's feet dangling a couple of inches in the air. "I've just gotten a text from Killer. Nightmare's expecting you."

Dream struggled against the other's grip, kicking the taller skeleton, but the violent movements caused more pain to course through the positivity guardian "No... No! I won't... Won't be captured without a fight..."

"You barely have enough energy to keep conscious, much less to actually fight me. You won't be able to escape, even if you manage to get away from me." Cross pointed out, his tone of voice almost sounding as if he was thinking that Dream was being unreasonable. "If you continue to fight like this, you'll wake up the kids - and you don't want to upset or distress them, do you?"

"A-As if the three of them being captured by Nightmare will be any better." Dream hissed, still struggling and fighting against the other as best as he could - kicking at Cross's knees, trying to get the other to fall over - or at least stumble, barring that. He also felt no shame whatsoever in shifting a little and biting one of the other's arms that was restraining, unaware at first that he was growling .

"Ouch! What the fuck?" Cross swore, startled that the other bit him - he hadn't thought that the guardian of positivity was one to do something like that "You bit me!... And you're growling." He was... Really surprised. He'd never seen the other in such a... Feral? State. He'd expect this sort of thing out of one of the Fells, but not Dream.

"You're trying to capture me, and it's one of the few ways I can fight back." Dream hissed. He needed to save every bit of what little magic he had left for the teleport out to a different AU, which was why he wasn't trying to use his magic on the other. The positive guardian was continuing to hold the sleeping skeletal puppies as gently as he could, not wanting to wake them up.

Cross yelped again as Dream continued to bite him and growl, teleporting into Nightmare's castle "Oww, fuck! Stop that!"

"{NO!}" Dream growled in Hands, unaware that he was doing so, his form shifting and cracking, warping and prompting pained whimpers from the frustrated guardian as he was forcefully turned back into Gaster blaster beast form, shrinking to half the size of the Sans-pup, who was ten inches snout to tail.

Cross cursed colorfully in shock, using his gravitational magic to hold all three of the small dog-things before they crashed to the floor. He scooped them up in his arms and headed straight to Nightmare., making sure to wrap all three of them up in Dream's cape, grabbing the stubborn guardian's crown just before it hit the ground as well. Not a single damn thing about this situation made a single bit of sense. Hopefully someone would explain. He felt three squirming lumps in the cape and murmured quietly in hands “{Settle down, would you? The kids won’t be hurt. That much, I did earnestly promise, Dream. As for what happens to you, that’s Nightmare’s decision, not mine.}”

[battlestar-royco]

masterpost of fix-it headcanons for AC0TAR

the only day you can add onto this is  e v e r y  day

this blew up into a huge thing and it’s no longer just headcanons but more a reworked outline/embellishment of the first three books. feel free to add or change what you want if you make it through the whole thing :D

n/esta--a gray ace icon!--is the main character. the first book is told in n/esta and l/ucien’s alternating POVs.

some worldbuilding and character background for human lands because sj/m provides fuckity nothing: mama and papa arch raised their children on scary stories about the fae. the first story every human child hears is the one about the human-fae treaty and the ominously growing rip in the wall between human and fae lands. (as a young woman, n/esta remembers a time when a fae attack would happen once every few years, but now she hears of five to ten a year.) because humans are atheist, the arch sisters also learned many stories about secular historical figures and events such as j/urian and his legendary murder of c/lythia during the human-fae war, and f/eyre took an interest in famous painters from a young age.

mama arch died and papa arch’s leg was irreparably damaged while protecting their daughters from a fae creature attack. the girls developed growing resentment toward fae as they got older.

after their family’s fall into poverty, n/esta and e/lain grew up helping f/eyre learn to read. she'll never be at their level, but she knows enough to get by. n/esta always budgets and goes shopping. the harvest from e/lain’s little garden has saved them a few autumns, just like f/eyre’s hunting. their father loves them and wishes he could do more, but they're happy to care for him.

actual ac0tar timeline: (because the humans deserved a plotline and i’ll die mad that they never got one:) the human lands are deeply unsettled by the hole in the wall, and a few attacks have ravaged the northernmost villages. f/eyre is taken to p/rythian. n/esta and e/lain find the mercenary who helped f/eyre. the mercenary is an important mentor for them and she helps n/esta leave tomas. e/lain’s fiance g/raysen who is completely justified in his wariness against fae fiGHT ME sj/m is an advocate for human rights, and all his family’s resources are helping mend the wall, but they just can’t do it without magic. e/lain stays at home to take care of papa arch while n/esta heads north with the mercenary to save f/eyre and possibly find a magical solution to the wall. unsuccessful, n/esta returns home to find that her family has suddenly come upon fortune again, and she funnels some of that money into the human effort.

meanwhile in the sp/ring court, l/ucien watches as tom lane brings home a human girl, f/eyre, who may just be the key to defeating a/marantha’s curse. the curse forbids him from warning her about tom’s true nature, and his feelings toward tom are difficult because tom has provided him shelter from his family but has also been another source of abuse. l/ucien also resents f/eyre for murdering andras. both trapped and opposed to each other for different reasons, f/eyre and l/ucien begrudgingly become friends. they look out for each other and a/lis.

throughout book 1, l/ucien mourns andras and carries out his duties as tom’s emissary. he visits utm multiple times, discreetly conversing with all the imprisoned high lords and their spies (maybe a/zriel and/or n/uala and c/erridwen makes a cameo here) and spreading the news that the curse may soon end. every time he returns, the high lords inform him on their movements/preparations for a/marantha’s death and h/ybern’s rise.

f/eyre completes her third task, but her stab to tom’s heart is fatal. tom dies honorably, for the greater good of all the fae, but l/ucien and f/eyre will never forget the darker parts of him. because a/marantha deserved better as a villain, a/marantha disappears in a diversion created by the king of h/ybern (hereon known as “koh”). rice is a straight-up antagonist and kidnaps f/eyre into the night court. l/ucien is left to rule the s/pring court alone.

ac0maf timeline: the second book continues l/ucien and n/esta’s POVs but also introduces t/arquin, m/or, and a h/ybernian’s POVs.

the h/ybernian pov (perhaps a commoner, soldier, or advisor to the koh) gives us insight on the koh and a/marantha’s plans. both the koh and a/marantha are given thorough backstories that make them sympathetic and/or interesting villains. the latter is one of many lethal commanders in the h/ybern army, alongside d/agdan and b/rannagh. her bitterness against humans has been renewed upon her defeat by f/eyre. the h/ybernian perspective also allows us to see h/ybernian culture, history, and pro/anti-war factions so that h/ybern is no longer a monolith. at some point, we see the cauldron come together. its power is immense.

now, let’s add some semblance of conflict and flaws to the inner circle. (i tried to stick as close to the canon as possible here, but again, mess provided FUCKITY NOTHING.) they each have differing motives, but at the end of the day they all just want prythian to be safe. they’re actually morally ambiguous anti-heroes/villains as heroes instead of this “it was all an act” nonsense. i/llyrians are explicitly poc. rice kidnapped f/eyre not because they’re mates, but because he wants to use her newfound powers as an asset against h/ybern. a/zriel’s torture victims never recover, but he only ever resorts to such measures when he believes necessary. a/mren (agender; ace) hunts for their blood, and they have an insurmountable body count. m/or (power lesbian) is incredibly kind, but everyone in court knows not to get on her bad side or they’ll face her justice. c/assian is the most ruthless commander i/llyria has ever seen.

additionally, the inner circle is complicated. m0riel was never a thing. c/assian and m/or also never hooked up, but they are besties. a/zriel is the intuitive, emotional core of the group; everyone goes to him for advice on friends, relationships, and hard decisions. a/zriel (pan) and c/assian (bi) have been steadily falling in love since their time in the camps as boys but neither of the idiots will admit it to themselves or anyone else. a/mren is still known as “tiny ancient one” because they’re like millennia older than everyone else. they impart cryptic wisdom and brutally honest advice on their edgy^TM kids. the night court also know their time with a/mren is limited because they are searching for a way out of their fae form, so their company is cherished. the four of them have stood beside rice over the centuries, and they love him, but they’ve also watched him steadily become more corrupt and merciless. can he be saved or is it time for a change in leadership? this is a conversation everyone wants to have, but no one is brave enough to begin. everyone skirts around it throughout the book, tension slowly building to an inevitable confrontation.

moving on to the plot: in the night court, we follow m/or ruling v/elaris (she fucking  f i n e s s e s  k/eir in the process). she’s in a simmering, slow burn romance with an i/llyrian woman: an activist against wing-cutting and a mutual friend of a/zriel’s (he set them up). m/or’s strength in court is her kind nature. she has many loyalists in the court of ni/ghtmares who know of her past with e/ris and k/eir. meanwhile, a/mren and f/eyre's subplot takes them to the human lands to get in touch with the arch sisters.

after his time utm, t/arquin returns to the summer court to play his part in preparing for the war against h/ybern: translating his half of the book of breathings and gathering powerful allies (br/yaxis, the b/one carver, and the w/eaver) for the war. his emotional arc is all about his recovery from the trauma he underwent utm. meanwhile, c/resseida hears word that some night court members are headed to the human lands, so she initiates an alliance with them and tags along in hopes that she can retrieve the mortal queens’ half of the book.

in the spring court, i/anthe is introduced. l/ucien soon realizes she is a double agent for h/ybern. she feeds him info on recruitment and battle strategies. koh and a/marantha are depending on i/anthe’s priestess order to spread pro-war rhetoric across h/ybern (??? this is the best i could do with what sj/m gave). the human lands are the most at risk because koh plans on cutting his army directly through spring court to crush the laughably weak human resistance before taking over the south. (sources report the effort is headed by the cursebreaker’s older sisters....)

in the human lands, n/esta and el/ain are pleasantly surprised by a visit from their sister, and more than a little alarmed by the two fae who accompany her. f/eyre just missed papa arch, who recently set sail with some of g/raysen’s soldiers to recruit southern soldiers. human efforts to seal the wall have been mostly fruitless, and every victory pyrrhic. although neither sister is a fighter, n/esta and e/lain have both seen enough horrors to last a lifetime. n/esta has worked her way to the position of treasurer of g/raysen’s army, and it seems that the proximity of the wall has activated some magic in elain so she is now a seer (this is some bs but so is sj/m’s magic system smh i tried). therefore, both of them (plus the mercenary) always sit in on war councils, and they receive a formal invitation from the mortal queens to discuss their next movements. a/mren and c/resseida come along, and the queens agree to give their half of the book in exchange for some fae magic to mend the wall. only m/or is powerful enough to do such a thing (also bs but sj/m never explained her power!!), so they must go back to the night court. amidst all the suffering, one good thing boosts human morale: e/lain and g/raysen's marriage.

in the n/ight court, a/mren, c/resseida, and f/eyre return to merge the book and tell m/or of the deal with the queens. tensions have risen between m/or and rice’s ruling styles. the court of nig/htmares is also split between m/or and k/eir. too much is mounting for mor to even think of going to the human lands. she and a/zriel also recently received a request for help from l/ucien: one of the spring sentries reported that amarantha’s legion is on the move. meanwhile, the h/ybernian pov chronicles the legion traveling to spring. the best the n/ight court can do is send c/assian. l/ucien and c/assian do all they can, but a/marantha’s too powerful and she rips right through the hole in the wall. c/assian’s wings get fuCKING SHREDDED in the process.

acowar: we’re gonna pretend v/assa, m/iryam, and d/rakon don’t exist bc they did very little for the plot. pr/ythian is in all out fucking bloody-ass war. when war crimes are committed, characters are held accountable. spring fae are scattering, seeking refuge in other courts. we see true horrors and battles and loss throughout the book. it’s high time that the lords all convened to lay out a plan of action, but everyone’s had pretty big fish to fry in the post-curse era. the n/ight court is fracturing, t/arquin and l/ucien are adjusting to being high lords, the a/utumn court has always been infighting, etc. so now an effort is being made to call everyone to a council in dawn.

first, m/or can no longer ignore the call to the human lands. l/ucien joins her because of his lands’ proximity to the wall, leaving i/anthe in charge (they’ve become quite good companions and she’s cut off her ties to hybern). c/assian also comes because l/ucien has been harboring him in spring and providing the best possible (but insufficient) healers for his wings. finally, our human and fae plots come together. m/or and c/assian’s reunion is touching. c/assian’s banter with abrasive n/esta takes his mind off his damaged wings. they both enjoy each other’s pragmatism, sarcasm, and emotional empathy. (in another life, they might’ve made a good match ;).) m/or patches the wall because even though a/marantha is already through, it’ll stop reinforcements from joining her. in a historic event, humans (the queens, the arch sisters, and g/raysen) are invited to the council of high lords.

all our big players are at the council: all h/igh lords + partners and courts, plus terrified but dignified human squad. m/or is reunited with her old friend v/iviane, (they were DEFINITELY a thing once). k/eir, e/ris, and b/eron were invited by none other than rice, who also plans to use feyre’s powers to win multiple battles. the n/ight court can no longer deny that it’s time to talk about rice. all the rising tensions come to the surface here. rice wants to employ the [insert better name for keir’s soldiers than fucking d/arkbringers], but m/or’s i/llyrian gf has been raising an army and she thinks that’s the safer bet. in the end, all the high lords decide they need both, and no one is quite happy. no one knows wtf is in the future for n/ight court leadership.

human squad and fae recap each other. humans hope papa arch can come through with some southern support. amarantha is razing her way through human lands while a/driata and v/elaris have suffered attacks from koh. n/esta, e/lain, and f/eyre all share stolen conversations between meetings over the days. f/eyre misses her home and family, but she knows she’ll never belong there again. humans are given the d/arkbringers (yikes) and b/ryaxis.

as human squad + lucien make their way home, their caravan is attacked by a h/ybern commander--maybe d/agdan or b/rannagh. e/lain is kidnapped to the koh’s camp; she’ll be a good hostage to draw in the pr/ythian asset f/eyre and crush human spirit. the h/ybernian notes that the cauldron has amassed much more power than we last saw. however, koh’s power over the cauldron and his soldiers has been spiraling out of control ever since a/marantha left to attack humans. though she’s been successful against them so far, her obsessive desire to slaughter humans wastes a lot of soldiers & resources on lands that are of little use to h/ybern. the h/ybernian gradually becomes acquainted with e/lain and frees her from the camp. humans return home shaken, but without further incident. the diversion has given a/marantha enough time to secure g/raysen’s lands before they arrive.

in the night court, they realize that without b/ryaxis they’ll need to free a/mren from their body for once and for all to defeat koh. they all share one last night of drinking, games, and being silly and sad. a/zriel and c/assian ruminate on the possibility of losing other inner circle members, and realize their feelings for each other. when h/ybernian and p/rythian forces assemble for the final battle, rice dies an anti-hero’s death on the battlefield. c/assian commands i/llyrian infantry nobly and courageously while m/or’s gf commands from the skies. f/eyre uses her powers to the best of her ability, and with significant help from a/mren in their true form, wins the day for p/rythian. a/mren disappears into their original desired dimension, and f/eyre dies knowing that she neither belongs with humans nor fae. c/resseida, t/arquin, and some p/rythian court members survive, but not without suffering scars, limb loss, and casualties etc.

in the human lands, papa arch has returned from the south with a few thousand men, but not enough to face a/marantha. the d/arkbringers and b/ryaxis hold their own against her soldiers, but she herself still lives. echoing how f/eyre outsmarted a/marantha in book 1, the humans must utilize a/marantha’s own hubris to defeat her. a major human character dies: perhaps g/raysen, the mercenary, or a queen.

finally, the enemies are defeated. arch family and high lords are invited to a funeral for f/eyre cursebreaker in the night court. n/esta and e/lain mourn their sister, but the funeral as a whole serves as a commemoration of all the losses of the war. additionally, m/or and i/llyrian gf have a beautiful private wedding. in rice’s absence, the courtiers of dreams and nightmares flock to m/or. now that their power is secure, she and l/ucien hold long overdue but fair trials against e/ris, b/eron, and k/eir for what they did to m/or and j/esminda (l/ucien’s lover who was killed before his eyes). they are found guilty, and a/zriel uses his sword truthteller in the execution. after, everyone settles terms and plans for war reparations. all the courts vow to donate what they can to the human lands because they all bear the responsibility. the humans go home one last time. human and fae alike are deeply traumatized by the war, but there is hope of happiness and recovery in the future.

[theonceoverthinker]

OUAT 2X14 - Manhattan

I don’t have a pun for this time, but I wanted to say that this is probably one of the episodes that I was the most excited to cover for this rewatch for a few reasons. First, I haven’t watched it since my initial watch of the series so apart from the broad strokes of the story, I’ve forgotten a great deal of it. Second, it’s one of the biggest and best received episodes of the season from a General Audiences standpoint from what I understand. Third, I’ve never had a real opinion on Neal because I binged Seasons 2 and 3, so this episode will provide me the opportunity to do just that! Finally, it takes place in New York and who doesn’t love New York!

...Don’t answer that! Anyway, I hope you’ll read my review of this episode which is just under the cut, so I’ll CUT to the chase. Ha! Turns out I did have a pun in me! Okay! Let’s get started!

Press Release While Mr. Gold, Emma and Henry go in search of Gold’s son Bae in New York, Cora, Regina and Hook attempt to track down one of Rumplestiltskin’s most treasured possessions. Meanwhile, in the fairytale land that was, Rumplestiltskin realizes his destiny while fighting in the Ogres War. General Thoughts - Characters/Stories/Themes and Their Effectiveness Past We gotta talk about the forking Seer and how she relates to Rumple. First, on a strictly aesthetic level, look at the way that the Seer moves her hands as she asks for water! It looks a bit like how Rumple moves his hands when he gets the Seer’s powers. Also, even her voice is sing-songy in the scene as per the captions, matching Rumple’s. Second, on a more narrative level, it’s really interesting to examine just how much of the Seer ended up becoming part of Rumple. When we see Rumple first become the Dark One, while manipulative at times, because said manipulation happens with Bae as a child, it’s played as more of manipulation that any authority figure could conceivably do cranked up to 11. And when he’s not with Bae and he’s dealing with others, he’s blunter, not as cunning as he grows to be later. But the Seer, like him in later flashbacks, picks upon more vulnerable parts of Rumple’s psyche, like how she brings up Milah and Rumple’s fears of his past and cowardice.

So I know that there are some complaints about Rumple’s discussed reasoning for turning back from the Ogres Wars was changed to being about Bae to about Rumple’s cowardice, and I actually couldn’t disagree more. This entire flashback’s setup isn’t about Rumple’s excitement to be a father, but about how he is more scared than he realizes of fighting and dying in the war. That’s how, as I mentioned before, the Seer initially gets him: by mentioning his father’s cowardice and his desire to stray away from that path. In the next flashback scene, Rumple shows much more explicit fear at those harmed in the war and one of the most poignant lines from that scene is about praying for a quick death and the final words he says to what he thinks is the Seer is “and I’m gonna die.” I honestly feel like this was a revelation that was always supposed to come out. It doesn’t lessen Rumple’s love for Bae or that that loves is any less powerful, for he wants to live for Bae, but from a story perspective, the main throttle of Rumple’s decision to harm himself does lean more towards cowardice. Hell, even Milah hits the ball on the head: “You left because you were AFRAID.”

“It will require a curse -- a curse powerful enough to rip everyone from this land.” Note that the Seer says this as Rumple’s asking for the truth about him finding his son to be revealed. I feel like people forget about this line and how it pertains to Rumple’s journey back to Bae. Many in the fandom (Myself included) mock Rumple for needing a curse to traverse realms while there are many other ways to travel them as revealed over the course of the series. Now, I get that yeah, to an extent, that’s true. New magical MacGuffins are introduced so that new characters can be introduced and so that we can see our current cast battle the fairytale elements with their modern mindsets and emotional problems (I personally find it more annoying when it’s mocked to the point where it’s used as an actual story critique, forking Cinema Sins and the mentality they’ve introduced for many who criticise films over minute details rather than how the work functions as a story -- this is why you will never see me take a point off for a plot hole). But back on topic, Rumple was told by both the Blue Fairy and now the Seer that he’d need a curse to get back to Bae, and so he kept that in mind. Present I know that a major point of contention is Emma not telling Neal about Henry when he brought up the idea of something good coming of their relationship, and I think it’s more of a complicated situation, one akin to both her initial lie to Henry in “True North” and her decisions in “Fruit of the Poisonous Tree,” where to say that something is objectively right or wrong is missing the point. Yes, Emma shouldn’t have lied and the episode is very explicit with how that was the wrong decision. However, look at what she’s dealing with. A vulnerable time in her life is now being further bastardized with the knowledge that it was all a conspiracy and while I like Neal, he didn’t exactly broach the subject with tactful bedside manner, instead trying to rationalize something so personal and painful to her. Also, I want to point out how Emma on some level knows this. That’s why she calls Mary Margaret in the very next present scene. But she doesn’t do the right thing. Look, this isn’t the easiest episode to be an Emma fan during, and I know that well. And I swear, I’m doing my best to keep my fan goggles off, but I’m not going to pretend that it’s not a nuanced situation when it is. And finally, Emma is chewed out for her decision. Henry gives her a “Reason You Suck Speech,” calling her just as bad as Regina, a line that hurts but is justified and given with an appropriate level of painfulness from an eleven year old. And even her initial apology isn’t enough.

So, that first confrontation between Rumple and Neal. Wow. What I like about Neal as he pertains to Rumple is that he immediately gives Rumple no leniency. I talked about this briefly during my review of “The Return,” but this is such an important distinction to Rumple’s other biggest loved one, Belle, who has somewhat looser parameters. From the second Neal sees Rumple again, he’s blunt about his intentions and exactly what he thinks about what Rumple’s capable of. I don’t want to say that there’s no love there, but it is pushed back in terms of Neal’s priorities, buried under decades of bitterness. And at the same time, while full of love, Rumple is still using his old tricks to get Neal to talk to him. He leverages his deal with Emma for more time to talk to him and while it works, it only serves to get more ire out of Neal. Rumple’s apology is likewise undeniably sincere, but the manner in which it is both gotten and attempted to be implemented completely miss the point that the anger produced can’t be healed so easily. I mean, just look at Neal’s face when he says that there’s magic in Storybrooke. Every benefit of every doubt is abandoned like the Stiltskin boys across portals. That having been said, with three minutes of time for an apology, I feel like we almost got more out of Rumple’s apology to August in “The Return” than we did here. Where are the tears? Why isn’t Rumple saying as much as he possibly can? It’s not enough to take points off or anything, but this meeting is partially what the first season and a half were building towards, and I kind of wanted more umph to it. That also having been said, I get that because Neal is a different person from August’s rendition of him entirely, of course the reactions are going to be different, and Neal’s speech after he’s done talking blows the conversation away. Credit to Michael Raymond James because in this scene, he completely kept up with Robert Carlyle, and that’s not always an easy feat, especially in such an emotionally charged scene. Insights - Stream of Consciousness -It is so bizarre to see Rumple and Milah happy. It’s a great contrast to how bad things got between them and is a great show of how Rumple’s cowardice really affected Milah, turning her from someone who looked so content into the miserable woman from the flashback in “The Crocodile.” All throughout the scene, they’re so dopey-eyed and in-sync towards the end. I honestly would love to read a fic where they managed to come to terms with their past and maybe be able to forgive each other, and I know I’m alone in this, but there is a story there. -”My weaving days are over.” *thinks about how in roughly 250 years, he goes by Weaver* Suuuuuure, Rumple. -Okay, seeing an adorably excited non-Dark One non-present timeline Rumple is just the best. Robert Caryle really shows Rumple’s youth here, excited, bouncy, full of music and light. It’s an honest job and plays against the cowardly spinster we see in “Desperate Souls,” the blunter Mr. Gold and the silly, but frightening Dark One version of Rumple, it makes for such a unique contrast! -Milah also gets such a unique contrast in another respect, being the more cautious half of the relationship compared to how she is after Rumple arrives home. -”But to the world?” So, when in the series finale, the idea of “the Rumplestiltskin the world will remember” came up and kept being echoed like it was this important thing, I felt that it kind of came out of nowhere because I hadn’t ever seen Rumple concerned with his legacy beyond the more isolated well being of his children, grand and great-grandchildren, and wife. However, as I hear this line, it makes a bit more sense to me, especially because this is the same episode that discussed the Henry prophecy, which was also touched upon in the series finale. -So, Rumple does that bug-eyed thing that I complained about in the last episode, but here, because the confrontation between Rumple and Bae is impending and is isolated as the main reason for his concern, it works sooo well! -Killian, thank you for breaking up that horrible mother/daughter moment! -”Names are what I traffic in, but sadly, no.” This line cracked me up! XD -”I’m not answering anything until you tell me the truth.” That’s a pretty solid rule of thumb, Emma. Neal’s definitely no villain, but just going forward, that’s a good mindset to have! -”I am the only one allowed to be angry here!” She’s got a point, Neal. You’re not really explaining yourself in a way that you’d be justified in being angry. -I love spotting bloopers as they’re happening. It’s like the OUAT version of finding Hidden Mickeys! -”My son’s been running away for a long time now.” When?! He ran away ONCE and he wasn’t even trying to run from you. He was trying to take you with him, in fact! Did you forget that?! -Henry and Rumple get a great scene! -I know you’re Baelfire.” Fun fact, last year at NJ con, I got this question wrong in the true/false game. But now I know the truth, and I’m coming for you again, Jersey! -Gotta give all the credit in the world to Jennifer Morrison here. There’s so much pain in her voice as Neal’s revealing the truth to Emma and Jen just captures how Emma’s barely holding her shirt together because now even more of her life has been shown to be a lie, and this time, a more vulnerable memory has been made even worse because of this new knowledge. -”To remind myself never to trust someone again.” That is such a tragic line. Even as Storybrooke has done a major job of changing Emma’s mindset in that regard, you do still see bits of that distrust in her personality. That’s why I like the concept of Emma’s walls being a constant in the series. -”You’ll never have to see me again.” Neal, you do know that your father is clearly still chasing you, right? You think he’s gonna give up so soon? -I like how as Rumple agreeing to watch the Seer, you can already see that his face has fallen and that he’s grown more haggard, showing some of that fear already striking him now that some of the initial adrenaline has worn off and the reality of the war is settling in. -”Who are you?” Jeez Belle, why not say “hi” like a decent person? -Regina, you know, instead of playing The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, it could be easier to, you know, look in her bag instead. -David, Thanksgiving with your family would be the best thing EVER! -Apparently, Bae learned to be a locksmith from Rumple. Neat! -Another great use of the weather from OUAT! The snow really helps to accentuate the dire straits of the war and is just adds a nice bit of texture to the scene so that it’s not just dirt against a night sky. -On the opposite end, Rumple hurting himself, especially as someone who is overcoming some serious orthopedic issues right now, is so uncomfortable to watch. Rumple’s screams actually gave me shudders. -As if I didn’t have enough reasons to praise the living daylights out of Robert Carlyle, just look at the moments when he enters Neal’s apartment. It’s the first glimpse that he gets of everything his son went through as a result of his actions and it’s subtly heartbreaking. -To add to this Robert Carlyle acting chain, his eyes as he screams “tell me” is forking hysterical! -Rumple’s splint makes me so uncomfortable. Go see a better doctor! -”A strong name!” Rumple straight up indignation as he says that cracks me the fork up! -I like Milah’s buildup of frustration as Rumple arrives home. At first, she’s almost smiling as she tells Rumple Bae’s name, but as she quickly confronts him and learns the facts, she gets angrier until we see the beginnings of the misery that sets off “The Crocodile.” I also want to note that Milah’s anger is for Bae’s sake, not for her own like in “The Crocodile,” and I think that is such an important distinction. A lot of people condemn Milah for her choice to leave Bae and my degree of agreement with that statement varies if you’re asking me to view it in terms of her choice as an individual vs comparisons with other characters, but I think it’s important to show that love for Bae. -forking hell. Die, Cora! -I think I do enough of a job complimenting the effects team to be able to laugh at the New York backdrop during Emma and Henry’s conversation. -I ADORE the design of the Seer, by the way. The stitched up face and the eyeballs on her hands is just so cool! -It’s interesting to note that the last scene of the flashback happens after the events of “The Crocodile’s” flashback, as Rumple states that his wife ran away, and not “died.” -Rumple, to quote a magnificent show of great quality, “If you could gaze into the future, you’d think that life would be a breeze, seeing trouble from a distance, but it’s not that easy. I try to save the situation, then I end up misbehaving. Oh-oh-o-o-o-oh!” (I’ll write a ficlet for the first person to tell me what I’m referencing). -”Okay. I get it. We’re all messed up.” *Takes a deep breath* Ookay, Neal. You sent Emma to jail, and while it may have helped break the curse, it also put her through some serious shirt. You don’t get to make light of that. -”In time, you will work it all out.” Yeah, about 250 years, but he does get there, and it’s pretty freakin’ awesome when he does! Arcs - How are These Storylines Progressing? Rumple finding his son - I probably should’ve listed this as an arc long ago, but I forgot. In any case, Rumple finally found him! The journey from the start of the series here was a fantastically well done one! I feel like it never dragged or took any longer or shorter than the season and a half that it ended up lasting. And now, it kind of gets a second life. Rumple is now physically with his son, but emotionally couldn’t be further from him, and we get to see Rumple trying to bridge that gap. I don’t remember liking this part of it, but on concept alone, it’s so fascinating to see that next step. Emma lying to Henry - I like that Emma gets to have a flawed moment with Henry and that Henry actually reacts to it so negatively. For a season and a half now, Emma’s been Henry’s hero so of course when she not only lies, but to such an extent, he’s going to have a bad reaction because he’s put her on a pedestal. Not only is it an interesting character moment for Henry, but as I mentioned before, it’s a good job on the narrative’s part in punishing Emma for her lie. Favorite Dynamic Rumple and Henry. To be honest, Neal and Rumple should absolutely go here, but their entire conversation is more story based, and I talked about them ad nauseum up in that category, so why not highlight another dynamic? Rumple and Henry are so supportive and kind to each other here, and it feels like both good foreshadowing of their familial relationship, a show of the progress both characters had made thus far when it comes to how they treat their loved ones, and a tragic setup for not only the let down they both get from their respective loved ones, but also of the prophecy. For the latter one, for most of he episode, it felt a little weird seeing Rumple talk to Henry so softly despite knowing the prophecy. It felt a bit like him raising a pig for slaughter. However, the end of the episode makes it clear that Rumple was just now remembering the prophecy as he watched Neal and Henry bond, and it works well enough for me. Their time together in the episode is just so gentle and in an episode that’s more or less full of harsh moments (those gentle moments included in hindsight), the break that Henry and Rumple give is desperately needed. Writer Adam and Eddy are really good at writing intricate storylines. When you look at their other episode like the “Pilot,” “A Land Without Magic,” and “The Queen of Hearts,” you notice that the situation the characters are put into are never so simple. Just like someone can’t or shouldn’t be expected to straight-up hate Regina in the “Pilot,” one can’t or shouldn’t be expected to hate Emma, Neal, Henry, or Rumple here (Except Cora. We can hate Cora allllll we want), no matter who you’re a fan of. That’s because they’re careful with their framing and character work as to never let one forget their full picture. And I think that holds especially true in “Manhattan.” Culture In my intro, I said I was excited to finally get an impression of Neal for myself. When you’re in a certain shipping camp like I am (Captain Swan), Neal tends to be thrown through the ringer. Hell, even my best friend in the fandom hates him. However, when you’re as anti-salt as I am, you tend to take a lot of the shirt thrown at him with a grain of...well, salt. This is part of the reason why this rewatch appealed to me so much. I always found Neal to be pretty average in my book. I remember liking him, but not having much of a reaction to either his actions or his death in Season 3 (I also feel like I should disclose the fact that I wasn’t in either of the shipping camps throughout Neal’s entire present existence on the show), and I feel like I’d be remiss not to talk about him a bit now, especially as this is his debut present episode and affords him the most perspective.

So here goes.

I like Neal. I don’t love him. If you asked me to line up every character in the show, he’d probably end up near August, and I like August too, though not as much as major characters like Rumple, Regina, and Emma.

What’s appealing to me about Neal is his non-exaggerated blunt personality. The way he curb stomps Rumple’s apology is so in-your-face, as if to scream to an audience that already finds sympathy for Rumple that his pain matters too and it will be paid attention to. This works by keeping him a sympathetic character, but also giving him a compelling dynamic. As for Emma, that bluntness also helps, but in a way that makes Emma more sympathetic. I mentioned before that Neal’s exposition about his part in the conspiracy of sending Emma to jail was less than ideal, and it’s part of what contributes to her decision to lie about finding him. Neal is a bit of a jerk, obviously not devoid of either the heroism or love of his former selves, but it’s a character quality all the same and a good one, especially because to my memory, it stays around and is pretty organic. It paints the trauma that he’s had at the hands of the world since his abandonment as it’s such a stark contrast to his Enchanted Forest self.

Rating Golden Apple. What a great episode! It goes in with the promise of payoff for quite a few major story elements and does exactly that. It’s unwaveringly harsh in many respects, but that’s why it works as well as it does. Neal’s addition to the main cast shakes things up and provides new opportunities for characters, for as harsh as it is to watch, seeing Emma lie about Neal and be punished for it was a good narrative choice, and the flashback was utterly fantastic in its storytelling! Flip My Ship - Home of All Things “Shippy Goodness” Swan Fire - Listen to that vulnerability as Emma says Neal’s name and that happiness that Neal just can’t keep out of his voice as he says Emma’s! That’s just fantastic! Also, he keeps the dreamcatcher! Also also, that “leave her alone” was romantic as all hell! Captain Floor - I’m very pissed at myself for not mentioning the best ship ever at any point before this. Like, Killian and the Floor just belong together, and to not acknowledge that was a callous mistake on my part! My sincerest apologies to my reader base, and I beg for you not to think I’m at all an anti! ()()()()()()()()() It feels so good to give this season a high grade again!!!! Woohoo!! Thank you for reading and to the fine folks at @watchingfairytales for putting this project together!

Next time...someone DIES!!!

...I’m saying that like we all don’t know who it is that dies… ...Please come back…I’m so lonely...

Season 2 Tally (124/220) Writer Tally for Season 2: Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis: (39/60) Jane Espenson (25/50) Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg (24/50) David Goodman (16/30) Robert Hull (16/30) Christine Boylan (17/30) Kalinda Vazquez (20/30) Daniel Thomsen (10/20)

Operation Rewatch Archives

[zephyrthejester]

Reflecting on Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Please click “Keep Reading” to view my concluding thoughts on the Madoka Magica franchise as a whole. Unfiltered spoilers abound.

I am only now realizing it: At one point, I stopped perceiving Puella Magi Madoka Magica as being a standard fare story. Right now, I hold this franchise in the highest regard. This tiny, twelve-episodes-and-a-movie story feels to me a grandiose epic, sweeping in scope and masterful in presentation.

I once said I would have dropped this show were I not liveblogging it. That it wasn't for me. I've never been so glad to be wrong.

At the start, my feelings about this show were neutral at best. The content that is surely far more enjoyable upon a rewatch didn't do much for me on my first time through. But as mysteries unraveled and characters became more nuanced, I was sucked in completely to what ended up being a story I'll never forget.

This is, perhaps, the concept of time loops taken to its full potential. The show's initial, slow pokes and prods into the dark and terrible horrors that Magical Girls face became all the more heartbreaking as we saw timelines where even worse outcomes came to pass, where the characters we came to know were broken in body and mind, where one legendary young woman stood tall against it all.

Akemi Homura has cemented herself as being one of the most fascinating fictional characters I've ever encountered. We saw her transform from suspicious neutral party to the main character. From weak and shy, to deathly cold, to the self proclaimed embodiment of evil. Her love for Madoka was so powerful that she walked through time for years and years, letting herself deaden all emotion, letting herself become a focused machine with only one goal. To save Madoka from all the pain Homura personally shouldered upon herself.

And then, one day, Homura won. Madoka was elevated far beyond the reach of that pain and became the salvation of every Magical Girl. But that wasn't enough for Homura. She thought that Madoka wasn't as happy as she could be, so she plucked God from the heavens and made her a mortal. So Madoka could have a shot at a truly normal life. Even if it meant destroying everything Madoka wanted and everything Madoka accomplished...

Homura‘s determination is a pathos that also invokes awe. A willpower that is unforgettable. She said she would do anything to get what she wanted, and she did everything. I am certain that I'll be remembering Homura and thinking about everything she's done for years down the line.

Kaname Madoka appearing to be the main character? A red herring. She easily had the weakest and lightest personality among the main cast, but I suppose that reinforces what she really was. In the end, she was an idea. A concept. Madoka was not a person, but the goal, the everything, the end-all-be-all answer to all the pain Homura and countless other Magical Girls suffered. Despite this, in the ultimate final moments, she didn't matter at all. Madoka, and everything her Godhood represented, was cast aside in favor of what Homura thought was best. And it was all so heartbreaking.

Incubators, or Kyubey, were less a character and more the representation of everything Homura fought against. They were a force of nature, only there to weather against as the characters dealt with everything thrown at them. But then they went too far, and the wrath of Homura was extreme. According to the wikipedia synopsis, it seems Incubators in Homura's world are the new Soul Gems. They feel the emotions, they absorb curses into themselves. Homura drove the entire hive-mind race mad and doomed them with wracking torment. And this pleases me. The meddling of Incubators is why this tragic story exists and why everything was changed forever in the final moments.

Miki Sayaka was instrumental (HA HA HA) in proving to the cast and we viewers the full extent of the horror that lurked just beyond Kyubey's facade. Sayaka's story arc was the baseline summary of how the universe worked (at the time). By itself, Sayaka's rise to glory and fall to despair was beautifully effective, and it defined what Homura's endless journey meant. And beyond that role, Sayaka herself was charming and fun to watch.

Tomoe Mami, in what little screen time she had, was the experienced veteran of the lot... Despite being largely unaware of what it actually meant to be a Magical Girl. As Rebellion proved, she was capable and strong in many respects. Her sudden and immediate death in Episode 03 was monumentally important because it established the stakes. It was a bold, bright neon message saying "This franchise means business."

Sakura Kyouko was the lovable hotheaded tomboy of the group. Looking back, I'm not entirely sure she accomplished anything meaningful in the full scope of the story, beyond assisting in key fights. Sayaka and Mami left their marks, steered the story down a different path... but Kyouko? I'm not entirely sure what she affected in the long run. Even still, I loved her personality and her commanding presence.

Bebe Nagisa wanted cheese.

Finally, I would be remiss not to talk about what is perhaps my favorite aspect of the franchise: The visuals. This show's aesthetic is unique. It's unique. Take a moment to think about what that means. Nothing else looks like Madoka Magica, and nothing else ever will (without being branded a rip-off.) The complete marrying of standard anime visuals with real-life textures, splayed in chaotic, reason-defying patterns... Never once did the Witch content look aesthetically ugly. At all times this show carried a splendid sense of style. All at once, its chaos was structured.

I’d also like to applaud the music. This area is definitely not my forte (HA HA HA), so all I’ll say is that I thought it really sounded nice all the time. The ED song in particular stands out to me as embodying the general mood of this story.

Indeed, it took me a long while to warm up to this show. But now that I am here, looking back at all there is to see, and knowing all there is to know... Puella Magi Madoka Magica has my greatest respect. I am never going to forget this story.

This concludes my liveblog of Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Thanks for reading, and thank you for recommending it to me.

[torestoreamends]

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Show Recap – 04/03/17

I've seen the show a few times now, so at this point I'm fairly picky about what I want to see. I have favourite versions of scenes and lines. I have favourite actors and actresses in the various roles. While every performance is always amazing, I have two main criteria for what constitutes a Good Show, as in, an above average performance of the play. 1. I want it to make me feel something. I want someone to make me cry, or flail, or laugh uproariously, or have to bury my face in my scarf to contain all my emotions. 2. I want to gain new insight into the characters, or the story, or the show itself. During this particular performance, both criteria were absolutely and completely met. 

I was in the front row, for the first time in over six months. Last time I won Friday Forty. This time I just got extremely lucky with returns. Other people I talked to in the row had bought tickets at the back of the stalls months ago, but paid more than those seats are now worth, so the theatre upgraded them. I've never heard of that happening before (just like I've never heard of front row returns coming up on Nimax), but clearly these things can happen! 

The special thing about being in the front row is that you can see so much detail, not just of the acting, but of the play itself. There were little lighting things I've never realised before, and watching people sitting on the stairs in the wings was fascinating. All the lights that give the effect of the train moving are strips of bulbs up above the stage, which dim and brighten. The lighting effect (an intense blue flash of light as each wand connects) when Harry is transfigured into Voldemort, is triggered by someone in the wings watching the actors' movements, to get it precise. I saw Sam hanging out on wires for the whole time the adults are in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom (he's so incredibly relaxed up there, you wouldn't know at all that he wasn't on solid ground). And I watched Anthony's quick change between the Slumber Party and Owlery scenes (which is just him ripping off the pyjama costume and having the other clothes already underneath, then pulling the green jacket over the top). 

I'll come back to some of the offstage stuff as I go along, but for now let's get into the play itself! 

*

In the opening couple of scenes, while Ron is doing his nose stealing trick, Albus is definitely enjoying the joke. At that moment he's sort of half connected to his family, because he thinks the joke is funny and he keeps laughing at it. But at the same time he's being pulled away by this awareness of who his family are, and the pressure of that. It's like he's the only one of them who can't be completely in the moment with all the people staring at them. Clearly he wants to be, he's trying to be, but he just can't ignore everyone on the platform either. It's a great moment of inner turmoil. 

And I absolutely love how much Ginny cares for all her kids. She gives attention to each of them at different moments, and it's lovely to see. There's all her concern for Albus, her tenderness towards Lily, and before James left to get on the train she dragged him in to give him a kiss on the cheek. Also, her 'people always look at you' line felt a bit different this time. Sometimes I wonder if it bothers her, all the attention, even after years of getting used to it. But this time it just felt quite playful. However, when she called after Harry, that was quieter and more serious, and she paused a beat before calling him, like she wasn't sure if she should be worried or not. 

On the train today, Scorpius didn't even attempt to make friends with the first kid who came into his compartment. He'd already assumed no one was going to stick around, so he just gave them a resigned little nod as they left and went right back to his book. 

This performance might actually be one of the best I've seen Anthony do, especially the Voldemort timeline, although we'll get to that later. I've heard people say in the last week or so that he's changed the way he plays Scorpius, and I can see what they mean. It's not so much a fundamental change in his voice (although that is a little smoother), or in his mannerisms, it's just a new understanding of the character and where he's coming from. There's so much new meaning in every interaction, and there's no longer a moment where you feel any of the lines are driven by Anthony. It's pure Scorpius. The throw away lines are Scorpius's throw away lines, not ones Anthony is bored of. There wasn't a second that didn't feel inhabited by Scorpius.

I love the interaction between the three kids in the carriage. Scorpius is so excited to have people there, talking to him. Albus is determined to focus on Scorpius despite Rose's interference. And Rose is just full on judging Scorpius. I loved the innocent look on her face every time she hit Albus.

Scorpius did this evil little hand wiggle thing when he said 'the son of the Dark Lord', which was very cute. And then after Rose left he stayed curled in on himself for a minute, not looking at Albus, apparently certain that Albus was going to abandon him. And when Albus didn't leave, he got the sweets out, and looked up very very slowly, in complete amazement.

In case anyone's interested, the trigger for the Pepper Imp smoke is inside the sweet bag. Anthony got it half out of the bag and held it in his hand, so I could see it. 

In the Sorting scene, while the Sorting Hat is running through his speech, Rose is standing at the front of the stage muttering to herself. I'm not entirely sure what she was muttering, but I picked out the words Slytherin and Gryffindor, so I can only assume she's heard from her uncle that she can ask to be put in a particular house. There was definitely a bit of 'not Slytherin' and 'please Gryffindor' in there somewhere. And after she was sorted, James shrieked her name really loudly as he ran round to high five her. 

The Sorting Hat's noises of indecision around Albus were really intense during this performance. It got really loud and hissy, and seemed to go on for ages, until he finally made his decision. And when Albus went over to join the Slytherins, Scorpius tried to give him a double fistbump, but the pair of them are such awkward nerds that it wasn't at all smooth. I think Albus missed. 

The first time Draco appeared, during the transition scene, you could see how empty and exhausted he was. I'm pretty sure Alex is made up to look that much of a mess, because he doesn't look nearly so tired in any of the stage door pictures I've seen. Draco has these big bags under his eyes, and he just looks tired, like the weight of everything -- the rumours, Astoria's health, not being able to protect or connect with Scorpius -- are just weighing down on him. I should also note that Draco's eyes are completely perfect. I've never realised before just how grey they are. I haven't been able to verify whether Alex just has grey eyes, or if he wears contacts (I think his eyes might be slightly grey but it's hard to tell from pictures) but honestly, they're exactly what you want Draco's eyes to be. Sharp and bright and silver. 

On the station in third year, when Albus does the Incendio spell, I noticed that Sam ended up with this green powder all over his hand and his robes. So when Harry starts beating at his robes to get them clean, he really is actually brushing dust of them. All the powder had gone by the time he was done with them. 

During the third year train ride, Scorpius was fiddling with the catch on his suitcase. I could hear it clicking open and closed while he messed with it. Also, after Lily's Sorting, when Scorpius danced off stage, he sang the 'Potters don't belong in Slytherin' line. Lots of the singing and dancing has gone these days, but it's nice when some of it still remains. 

Having had a close up look at the boys' wands (Albus's during the 'my wand is stuck in the floor dance, and Scorpius's on top of the train) I can confirm that the two wands are exactly the ones that were on display at the HP celebration. Scorpius's wand really does have that much curvature to it. It actually looks really comfortable in his hand. And the designs on Albus's wand are pretty cool.

Incidentally, Albus's wand was apparently not stuck in the floor during the dance this time, because Rose knocked it over with her cloak. So he hurriedly stuck it back down and pretended nothing had happened. 

At the end of the scene between Harry and Hermione in Harry's office, Harry sits there for a moment, thinking about trying to do some of the paperwork instead of going home, almost like he's trying to work out which is the lesser of two evils. Then he seems to decide he's too tired for paperwork, so he tosses it aside and stalks out of the room. 

During the conversation between Harry and Amos, Delphi isn't waiting in the wings. She's a lurking presence at the very back of the stage, in the shadows. I've never even noticed her there before. I know she has a rapid cue, so she probably couldn't wait offstage, but I also think her presence there has some significance and foreshadowing. The conversation between Amos and Harry is driven by her Confundus Charm, so I like the fact that she's there, and her presence is very much felt. 

I also got the sense, during Delphi's line about Amos being her uncle, that that was a very rehearsed statement. Everything around it was so natural and flowing, but there was a tiny change of tone on that line, like she'd been practicing it, ready to give someone her cover story. Although presumably she had been planning to use it on Albus. I wonder what she would have done if he hadn't been sitting and listening on the stairs? Would she have found some other way to just casually bump into him? 

I love the beginning of the blanket scene, when Ginny is trying to direct the maelstrom of chaos that are her children. She gives Lily the most beautiful, soft smile when Lily says she loves her wings. It's such a sweet little moment. 

In the main bit of the blanket scene, I just got the overwhelming sense that Albus didn't want a fight. He was unhappy with the blanket because it wasn't a gift for him, but he didn't want to fight. He just wanted to be left alone. He didn't understand what his dad was doing there, talking about himself, and it was all that confusion and frustration that welled up inside him and boiled over. His jealousy of the closeness between his dad and his siblings, the fact that they got cool presents ('Fairy wings make sense, Dad, Invisibility Cloaks, they also make sense'). Albus just wants to be understood, and when he isn't, he takes a misguided route to telling his dad so. 

I love in this scene when the shouting gets so heated that their voices are almost breaking, and their spitting in each other's faces. The real peak of this scene was 'At least you've got a dad. Because I didn't okay?' 'And you think that was unlucky? I don't!' That was the moment when they were closest together and screaming the loudest. And then after The Terrible Words, Albus was physically shaking as he stepped away. Shaking and on the verge of tears. I've never more wanted to leap onstage and hug him. I wonder when he manages to stop shaking, if he does. I doubt he sleeps well that night. 

Oh, while we're at a scene with Dudley, I just want to give a shoutout the Jack North, who is completely incredible. I can't get over the clean brilliance of his movement, and how he gives everything he has 100% of the time. There's never a moment when he isn't fully engaged, especially in the dances. He's just really great, and I always look forward to watching him. I love him as Krum in particular. 

One background Dursley thing. Uncle Vernon says the line 'I forbid you to tell the boy anything more' in this strained, high pitched rasp of a voice, and I noticed that after the line he sort of sank onto the ground rubbing his throat. That was a cool detail. 

In the fourth year carriage ride, during the bread section, Albus was all uptight and frowny, and I thought he was being disapproving of Scorpius's antics. Or, not disapproving, but a bit incredulous and despairing of them. But no, he was only bothered by Rose's presence, because the second she left he lit up like the sun. I think he though Scorpius's bread bit was hilarious, but was so irritated by Rose that he couldn't enjoy it properly. I love how much Albus absolutely adores all of Scorpius's stupid little sayings, and dances, and antics. 

The thing that makes the quiz section of this scene so wonderful is that Albus knows all the answers, and he knows Scorpius knows all the answers. He only asks the question to give Scorpius a bit of fun. During Scorpius's answer to the first one he's beaming at him, overjoyed and marvelling at how much of a nerd his friend is. Also, Scorpius said 'Yes, a quiz!' with so much excitement that the whole audience laughed, and Albus did too. Albus delighting in his best friend gives me so much happiness. And what also gives me so much happiness is that, despite any misgivings, Scorpius would follow his best friend to the ends of the earth if Albus asked him to. 

On top of the train, Scorpius's 'the trolley witch is coming towards us' was so over the top of ridiculous. He was just screaming it in Albus's face in pure panic, and flailing in her direction. 

The boys didn't do the full on hand grab that they sometimes do when they're knocked back by the Pumpkin Pasty explosion, but they did sort of pat at each other, giving each other encouragement. This was a particularly handsy Scorbus show. They were all over each other, with little bits of hand holding and clothes playing and tickling and arm punches... I'll get to those later. Suffice to say that, despite the lack of them holding hands on top of the train, the rest of the show more than made up for it. 

A random observation from the EGM, everyone has different coloured linings to their cloaks. Annabel has purple, but there were definitely some in green, and other colours too. It just adds to the effect when they're all swirling their cloaks around in that pre-EGM dance. 

I'm still not over how Draco simply doesn't want to be at the first EGM. He stands by the wall, arms folded, off in his own little world of misery. He shuffles around, kicks at the floor in frustration, tries to get comfortable and fails. He's restless and unhappy, and devoid of any energy. He's just so done with the whole meeting before it's even started. But of course Harry knows he's there, and cares about his presence. Maybe he knows that what he's saying will have some impact on Draco? He glances down at him before he starts speaking about Voldemort's allies. 

Draco has so much fun trolling and joking with and mocking the world that's made his life a misery. He actually grins down at the floor when Harry starts talking about Dark Marks, like 'here we go'. And when he destroys the meeting at the end, I enjoyed how people were running after him, either to yell at him or to agree with him. Milligan went sprinting after him shouting 'MALFOY!' 

Speaking of Milligan! I love him at the beginning of the St Oswald's scene. There's a reason the 'inmates' all gang up on him. First he takes one witches knitting from her, then he takes a man's cup of tea (and he drinks some of it as he's walking away with it). Clearly he's the bad cop of the staff. 

Before I forget to mention it again, I think Delphi has an Augurey feather in her hair. There's this feathery streak of black right up by where her hair is tied, and it could be some sort of alice band, but I think it only goes down one side, and it certainly looked like a feather to me. 

One interesting bit of interaction from the scene in the kitchen at the Potters' house. When Ginny talks about inviting Scorpius to stay, she gives Harry this really stern look, and I wonder if maybe they discussed it, and Harry wasn't at all keen on having Scorpius round. It was a really significant, irritated look, right at that moment in the conversation, and it was quite clear she wasn't happy with Harry's opinions on the subject. 

Scorpius talking about the taste of fish will never not make me smile. The boy hates the stuff. He kept pulling the most disgusted faces and sticking his tongue out while he was asking Delphi what it tasted of. And then, when she said it didn't taste of fish, he looked at Albus and gave him a thumbs up, and Albus grinned and patted him on the back. 

Jamie as Scorpius flailed his cloak so hard round his head that he almost fell over. And at one point he stuffed all his fingers into his mouth. He's really got the Scorpius mannerisms down to a fine art. 

During the scene where the adults are looking at the map of the UK, when Draco said 'he's my sole heir', he looked round at Ginny and saw her giving him this slightly disgusted look, as if she was wondering if all he cares about is the Malfoy name, which is a little odd because Ginny is usually the sympathetic one. Anyway, his clarification that Scorpius is his only family came right after that, like he was proving to her that it's more than that, that Scorpius is more important than just an assurance of the survival of his family name. 

I absolutely detest the first riddle in the bookcase scene, and have done ever since June. The way they go about answering it is just appalling, and there's no way any first time audience member, someone who's never read the script, could ever follow it. They don't think nearly enough about it, and I cringe every single time Hermione comes up with the answer from nowhere. It's my least favourite line in the play, I think. 

Anyway, with that rant out of the way... I noticed that inside the bookcase, the books are sort of foam and have a curved corner, so they're easy to slide in and out of. Almost like rollers in a soft play area for kids, where you can slide through them. 

*

So I've been told that yesterday's cast board was incorrect, and that Lowri James was on as Petunia and co. instead of Morag. Honestly, whoever it was, they were amazing and did a fantastic job. 

In the scene in McGonagall's office, when Ron walks in, Harry gave him such a look. It was complete exasperation and incredulity, like he couldn't believe his best friend had his mind on his stomach at a moment like this. And then when Draco arrived, Harry sort of tightened up, and Draco grinned at him. The 'Harry Potter is always where the action is at' line was brusque and mocking, a little accusatory, and Ginny's line was stepping in to calm the tensions down, and get them out of the office before a fight broke out. 

One of my favourite things about this slightly adapted version of Scorpius that Anthony's playing at the moment, is how well it relates to the one stage direction from Act Two, Scene Four: He looks at his friend talking to a girl -- and part of him likes it and part of him doesn't. I've never felt that quite so palpably before this show, but it really coloured his whole interaction with Delphi all day. He didn't hate Delphi, he hated Albus's relationship with Delphi. 

I noticed him standing among the trees, watching them for a bit before he stepped forward. This was another of the scenes where he was using the smoother voice again, and there was a twist and sarcasm and exasperation there, but he didn't have a problem with Delphi aside from when she was messing with Albus. You could feel that tension in there, the liking it but not liking it. 

Another thing I noticed in this show, and I don't if it's because I've been thinking about it recently, but I understood more exactly how losing Astoria really drives Scorpius through the story. He gets grief and loss, and how it can affect people, and he seems to really sympathise and empathise with that. With Amos, and the loss of Cedric, and with Snape, and the loss of Lily and Dumbledore. Delphi's line in this particular scene, about them having the chance to give an old man his son back, seemed to resonate with that side of his character in particular. 

And then at the end of the scene, the 'she didn't kiss me' part was wonderfully sarcastic. Scorpius sort of stood right in front of Delphi, deliberately blocking her way out so she had to dodge round him. It wasn't that he expected her to kiss him, it was more that he was trying to make a point to Albus that she wouldn't. He was making a big deal of Albus's obvious attraction, possibly because he didn't really know how to react to it.

In another example of me not being able to read the cast board, I had no idea Adam was on as Bane, so I spent most of yesterday telling my friends how great Nuno was, whoops! Anyway, Adam was awesome (and has really intense eyes?) This whole scene was quite different to how it usually plays out, and at the end, when Bane tells Harry he could lose his son forever, his voice was very soft and dangerous. It felt like a real warning, and that he wanted Harry to be cautious. It wasn't just comments about things he'd seen. It had more weight and gravitas than that. It was a great little scene. 

One of the reasons I love sitting in the front row, is that you can look round at the auditorium behind you, and the scene where Albus and Scorpius see Hogwarts through the trees is one of those where the whole auditorium is really used as part of the set. There are all these lamps throughout the whole theatre, which are lit up during this scene, and when I turned back to look at them they were like fireflies glowing in the darkness. Very beautiful. 

In fact that scene as a whole was beautiful. I enjoyed watching Albus's expression change throughout it. At first he's smiling, because the school really does look beautiful, and because Scorpius takes so much joy in seeing it and talking about it. Then he sort of sighs and says about it being terrible after all, which is meant to be a joke, a joke they can both share, because Hogwarts has been awful for both of them, hasn't it? But when Scorpius says it hasn't been for him, Albus just stares at him in pure confusion. It's the first seed that shows how the library scene can happen. Albus assumes that Scorpius feels the same as him, has the same desires and wishes, and he doesn't really look beyond himself. That's perfectly demonstrated with those moment of shock as Albus realises for the first time that his best friend of three years actually doesn't hate school. 

After that, he collapses into a deep, unhappy frown when Scorpius talks about wanting a mate like Harry Potter. Albus, who worries so much about measuring up to his dad, who's a constant failure and disappointment, suddenly discovers that he must have been disappointing Scorpius all along. And it's a beautiful revelation to him when Scorpius tells him that no, he's better. I feel like we get so much insight into Albus in this scene, and it's one of my favourites purely for that. 

In case anyone's interested, when they're using the Time-Turners, the person holding it (usually Scorpius or Draco) has a bit of see-through elastic stuff looped round their neck, which they hook their fingers through to hold it up and let it spin freely. 

One thing I noticed in this particular Time-Turner transition was that the boys kept glancing at each other as they travelled, almost reassuring each other that it was going to be okay.

And then they arrived. And this is the moment when Anthony really started to come into his own with Scorpius. There was so much pure Scorpius gold in the first task, which is probably always there, but this time I didn't have Mackey and Wyatt distracting me, and the boys were just inches in front of me, so I could do nothing but watch them. 

Scorpius is completely overwhelmed to start off with. He can't quite seem to comprehend that he's here. This is history and he's witnessing it right now. He's at the actual, real, first task of the Triwizard Tournament. He doesn't smile for a while, he just sort of stares around at everything, mouth slightly open, taking it all in. But then when Fleur was introduced, he looked around and gave Albus this huge grin, almost like 'can you believe we're here?' It was history geek Scorpius in all his nerdy glory. Just perfect characterisation. 

And when he walked into Hermione, it was because he was so into it. Wondering at everything, really having fun by that point. It was like even though he knew what was going to happen he was so excited to be able to watch the Triwizard Tournament (and I can totally relate to that). He was so distracted that he went sideways into her, and Albus had to save him, because he really forgot what he was doing at that moment, and where he was. He looked lost (which just goes to show how well he does in the Voldy timeline). But once they'd got themselves out of that one, Scorpius looked at Albus and whispered 'I am so sorry', and Albus shook his head like 'it doesn't matter, we have a job to do'. It was a really sweet moment between the two of them.

I think I've already mentioned Alex Price's eyes in this recap, but I don't care. When the adults come running on, once Albus and Scorpius have returned from time, Draco ran in with the most fierce, blazing look in his eyes. It was fierce, intense desperation, and it was the most alive he'd looked up to that point. I will never stop being in awe of how Alex and Anthony portray the Malfoy family relationship when they have only one scene alone together, and the person most of their interaction is based around never appears on stage. It's incredible acting. 

I say this every single time I see Nicola as Hermione, but I think she's incredible. She portrays the perfect imposing but also broken Hermione of the second timeline. There's a moment where she brandishes her wand at Albus like it's a knife, but then she closes her eyes and presses the handle to her forehead, like she doesn't have the energy for any of this. I also really enjoyed her delivery of 'been having those dreams again have you Potter?' which was just the right level of sarcastic and mocking. 

This performance's Staircase scene was awful, in the best possible way. Heart wrenching. When the boys met at the top of the stairs, Scorpius seemed like he was trying to crack a joke with Albus, but Albus wasn't responding. It was as though Scorpius didn't really know what to say or do, so he defaulted to the things that normally make Albus smile. 

There's also a moment where Albus runs underneath the staircase Scorpius is sitting on, and normally Scorpius gets up and throws himself after Albus, leaning over the banister to watch him walk away. But this time he simply didn't have the energy. He just stayed sitting there, staring down at the ground. I almost thought he wouldn't stand up for the end of the scene. As the staircases wheeled round for the boys to face each other, Scorpius stayed sitting there for a moment, and when he dragged himself up it looked painful and exhausted. He walked really quickly down the stairs, barely looking at Albus, while Albus stared at him in miserable desperation. 

And during the duel, the staircase Scorpius is on is taken out into the wings, and I could see him still sitting there. Only a couple of people in the theatre can see into the wings that far, and I'm certain I was the only one watching, and yet Anthony didn't break character out there for even a second. He started off curled up to one side, sort of slumped across the staircase in a miserable ball. Then he switched sides and leaned against the banister. He tucked his hair behind his ear and inspected his fingernails. Every inch Scorpius, even offstage. 

The duel was as great as usual, and Alex nearly forgot the line 'I wear it better'. There was a lengthy pause while he tried to remember it, but we got there in the end. 

I really do love the scene between Scorpius and Delphi on the stairs. You see Scorpius's natural sympathy and kindness come shining through. In this performance, when Delphi said about how she'd been too ill to come to school, his eyebrows went right up, like his entire perception of her had been changed in that single moment. It shows how brilliantly manipulative she is, that she found the one thing that would make him really okay with her. I also adore the way Anthony says 'oh' when Delphi starts talking about how she has to do something about Scorpius and Albus. He was perfectly happy to talk about changing time, or really anything, but his face just falls the second his and Albus's friendship is mentioned. Albus, at that point, is the last thing in the world he wants to talk about.

The way Draco grins with sheer delight when Ginny says Harry does most of the cooking gives me so much joy. It's like all his christmases have come at once, with that single piece of information. Anything to troll Potter. 

Harry's look when Draco interrupts him talking about how he wants to protect Albus is just pure sullenness. To hear himself compared to Lucius Malfoy of all people might be the most insulted Harry has ever been. He folds his arms, sinks down in his chair, and glares in the opposite direction, wanting to hear none of it. 

I also love how, even before Draco directly addresses or acknowledges Harry, he's really speaking to him throughout the scene. The words are meant entirely for Harry, and even if he doesn't look at or acknowledge him, that's who he's hoping to reach. I just like Draco's authority, and how he can project that sort of thing, and how Harry, as much as he hates it, can't ignore Draco. These days he cannot deny that Draco has a point. I think that shows how much Harry has grown up over the years. He's developed some kind of respect for Draco, and I think as the play goes on, Draco realises that fact and comes to respect Harry in return. 

The library scene in this performance was spectacular. Throughout the pre-amble to Scorpius's speech, whenever someone shushed them, Scorpius turned round and gave them a little respectful and apologetic nod, before continuing to have his heated conversation with Albus. The wrestling match was pretty intense and lengthy, before Albus finally won the Time-Turner. Scorpius's speech was as effervescent as always, full of raw emotion and fight, but the real highlights came during the apology. 

Often Scorpius just curls up and doesn't look at Albus at all until the end, but this time Scorpius was watching him while he spoke about Astoria, and how they don't discuss her enough. He then curled back up again, during the part about the black cloud. But when Albus said he didn't think Voldemort was capable of having a child like him, Scorpius just completely melted. It was like any misgivings he had towards Albus just disappeared in an instant; all his misery went away, because of the wonderful thing Albus had just said about him, and the fact that Albus thought he was kind. And then there was the little smile they shared when Scorpius said he should quit while he was ahead.

I also loved how Scorpius replied to Albus's 'Friends?' with 'Always' but didn't initially reach out to shake Albus's hand. He sat there and looked at Albus for a long moment, before Albus insisted they shake. And when Albus pulled him into the hug, he was almost horizontal he was sprawled so off balance against Albus. It would have only taken for Anthony's shoe to slip, and the two of them would have both ended up in a heap on the floor (it's going to happen one day, and it'll be hilarious when it does). 

A hilarious note from offstage during this scene. I happened to glance across and see Paul trying to crawl silently up onto the staircase so he could be ready for the next scene with Hermione. Just Paul's corduroy clad bum disappearing up the stairs. Ridiculous. 

When the adults gather in McGonagall's office to find out what Albus and Scorpius are doing, Harry's 'like I say -- peace -- not war,' earned him the filthiest glare from Draco. Draco spent the whole day being disgusted with everyone around him, and it was wonderful. 

Also in this scene (sorry, it was just a day of Alex and Anthony stealing the show, what can I say?) as they all ran offstage, Draco's 'what on earth would they be doing there?' was thrown out, almost gabbled, which somehow made it even funnier? The audience lost it. 

I will never be over Albus's little hand spread of victory when Myrtle appears in the bathroom. His delight in his plan coming through is just a joy to see. And he knows how much Scorpius will enjoy seeing her too. Everything he does is as much for Scorpius's entertainment as for himself. I guess in that sense, Albus really does think about Scorpius and his emotions, just maybe not in the most important moments. 

I really loved how Scorpius's line 'of course -- you're a genius -- Moaning Myrtle...' didn't trail off in this show. It was cut off, as Myrtle leaped in and started berating him. I haven't seen that abrupt an interruption before, so that was cool. 

I honestly can't tell you much about what the adults were doing during their bit in Myrtle's bathroom, because I was too busy enjoying how chill Sam was on the wires. Everyone on wires gets hooked up in the wings, in the front two entrances to the stage. Sam was in the very front one, and the actual harnessing is done with a black drape over the wings (the Dementors are similarly hidden, much to my disappointment), but during the adults' bit, he was lifted up and suspended above the arch over the entrance to the stage. I assume the same happens with James L on the other side of the stage. It was amazing though, because if you didn't know he was on wires you really wouldn't know at all. He looked so thoroughly relaxed, one hand on the wall next to him, as though he were standing on solid ground. Sam's wire work in general is great, to the point where I genuinely still sometimes forget that he actually isn't under water in the lake. 

Anyway, briefly back to the adults in Myrtle's bathroom. There was a great moment where, when the truth about the Time-Turner comes out, Draco looks around at the others in sheer disbelief and exasperation. It was as though he was thinking 'you have got to be kidding me. All these rumours are THEIR fault'. I love how Draco is kind of a passenger in this ridiculous drama, which is driven by Harry and Albus's woes, it's always so much fun seeing his reaction to all the information we as an audience have already been given. His reactions really are wonderful. 

*

Scorpius's chat with Polly Chapman was probably the best one I've seen from both sides. Scorpius was a mix of incredulous and amused. It was almost as though he didn't entirely grasp the seriousness of his role in the timeline until they heard the screaming from the dungeon. He was just sort of enjoying something that was a perk of this timeline. Enjoying it, but also being utterly amazed and confused by it. 

And Polly, who has been getting increasingly disturbed over the months I've been watching the play, was at her worst this time. Her 'oh Potter' exclamation was delivered the way I've always wanted to see it delivered. It didn't seem sudden, or overly hysterical, just annoyed and upset with the whole situation, which somehow made it even more disturbing. This is her life, and she's so used to it that all this creepy stuff only causes her annoyance, and she is disturbed by it, but almost doesn't realise it. We only really realise that this isn't normal because we're seeing it through Scorpius's eyes, and he is definitely freaked out by it. 

I loved this version of the scene in Draco's office, not because it was breathtaking and incredible the way it sometimes is, but because of the quiet way Anthony and Alex were inhabit their characters, and how real the whole thing felt. They didn't do some of the things I love best, but it didn't matter.

Scorpius's presence there seemed to irritate Draco when he first walked in. Scorpius always looks through his papers at the start of this scene, but this time when Scorpius got out from behind the desk, Draco started tidying up after him really briskly, sort of tutting at the mess. 

I also loved how direct and pointed Draco's 'do not use her name in vain' was in this performance. He took a little bit of time on it. He was using it as a teaching point, and you could feel his pain as he said the words. It's like he still can't handle hearing anything about her, or her perceptions of him. 

The most wonderful thing about this scene was just how long it took Scorpius to say his 'did she?' after Draco spoke about Astoria being his light in the darkness. I wonder if that's the most he's ever really heard his dad talk about his mum in over a year. It took him a second to process it and make sense of what he'd said, and the fact that Draco had actually said anything at all to him about her. It was a lovely little moment for Scorpius, probably the moment that gives him hope for his dad. 

I always love the final 'for Voldemort and valour' but this was an especially good one. You could see Scorpius working really hard to make himself do it, and I love the effort he puts in there. Both to be strong with and for his dad, but also because he knows it's what he needs to do if he's going to get Albus back. There's a great sense of collective duty in that moment, between the two Malfoys who both have their role to play in the world despite hating it. 

In the scene with Craig, when Craig said about hating homework, Scorpius sort of batted his copy of A History of Magic against the books in Craig's hand, almost like he was going to knock them out of his hand. He didn't though. That's probably too much of a Scorpion King thing to do for our Scorpius. 

I'm pretty sure the scene between Snape and Scorpius might have been my favourite of this performance. It was something of a revelation actually, in terms of my personal understanding of Scorpius's character. 

There was more of Scorpius's nerdism at the beginning. When he saw Snape he just lit up, and he was grinning and so excited, barely containing himself. It was just like how he was in the First Task scene, overwhelmed and overjoyed. When he said 'but you're the answer' he was almost breathless with excitement, and gave this little laugh of delight, like all his problems had gone away. 

It wasn't just Scorpius that was amazing in this scene though. Snape was just the right amount of exasperated with him, especially when he said about Hogwarts's beloved Scorpion King losing his mind. Scorpius barely seemed to notice though, he was so wrapped up in his excitement, and the possibility of it all, and how close he was to escaping.

The really stunning moment was when Scorpius thought for a beat and came back to talk to Snape about Lily. I've never thought about it this way before, but Scorpius understands loss, and you could feel the connection he was making between his situation and Snape's. When he was talking about Lily he was thinking about his mum, and how losing her had affected him, and how she was his dad's light in the darkness, and how that sort of love can keep you going. And when he was talking about Dumbledore, and how Snape must have felt so alone after losing him, there was a connection to Albus there, because he felt alone in this world too, having lost his only friend. It gave the whole speech such an emotional weight, and Snape was certainly crying as he considered Scorpius's words. He looked at Scorpius and considered him for the longest time, and Scorpius stared back, before he finally drew his wand and cast Colloportus. 

Another of the characters who was sort of a revelation in the Voldemort timeline was Ron. There was a quality to him in this performance that I've never really seen before. Despite all the humour and goofiness, he seemed to shine in Harry's absence. It was like he was this quiet, powerful hero in this world, supporting the others. I've never felt that way before, but it was really cool. 

Also I am slowly falling in love with the connection he and Scorpius seem to develop over the short period their together. At one point in this performance Ron put an arm around Scorpius, and there was an adorable moment where, when Ron said about tickling their nose hairs he reached out and tickled Scorpius' nose. 

One of the random things that happened was that the whole audience laughed when the map showing the route they were going to take between each task, to avoid being outside, was pulled down. I suppose it was a rather dramatic reveal on Ron's part, but still. I enjoyed how much everyone else enjoyed it. 

I thought the part where Scorpius is trying to free himself from the Dementor was especially well done in this performance. Normally Scorpius whines the line about his mother wanting his help, but knowing he can't help, which is fine, but it's not my favourite delivery. But in this show it was more of a desperate whimper, and there was genuine heartbreak to it. I really hope it stays this way, because it's exactly how I'd have wanted that line to be delivered. 

The moment Umbridge appeared and said that Hermione had been seen with them, Scorpius looked so horrified and scared. He was probably having visions of being kissed by the Dementors, and never setting the world to rights. Thankfully, Snape is there to save the day, and the world does get set back to normal.

When Albus came out of the lake, he burst onto the surface with such joy and energy that he splashed several people in the front row, and they all gasped and started laughing and complaining that they were wet. 

I was privileged to be about two feet from Scorpius's Professor McGonagall bum wiggle dance. In fact, he was so close to me that I could hear the water dripping off him. I could have reached out and touched his poor soaking body. And I noticed he's wearing socks, which are of course also wet. It must be awful to have wet socks. I felt a lot of sympathy for him at that moment. 

Draco grabbing him and dragging him off stage was really brutal in this performance. It was very much a case of angry Draco, or rather, very scared Draco. He grabbed Scorpius by the collar and hauled him away. 

I love how Harry completely shuts down when McGonagall says he can't interrupt her. He's angry before that point, but when she says 'you may not' his jaw tightens up (just the way Albus's does), and he turns away and folds his arms, and just glares off into the distance for the rest of the scene. It certainly doesn't help when Draco starts getting all sanctimonious with his 'seems fair', and McGonagall's 'all things considered' comment just makes it even worse. 

The highlight of the scene in Albus's dorm was the moment when Albus says 'Really scared you?' and Harry replies 'yes!' In this performance, Harry's yes was so forceful and emotional that his voice almost cracked. It was almost a bit hysterical. One of the cool things about being in the front row is that you can hear the raw, unmic'd performances some of the time, and that was one of those moments where I heard Jamie's voice from the stage, not from the speakers, and the emotion of it really carried through. 

Oh, and there were fun times in the wings during this scene. There's quite a little congregation of people sitting at the top of the stairs waiting to go on. Jack North was up there, because he's the one who places the gravestone at the start of the dream sequence, and I saw Poppy crawl up to join him too. I think Jeremy might also have been up there as well? Also, in case anyone's interested, there's definitely room to move the staircases around backstage, because they take the staircase from the very front entrance to the stage, to the middle entrance for the Owlery scene. Just one of my more random observations.

The slumber party scene! The beginning was adorable. I don't know how much sense this will make to you all as a description, but if anyone remembers the way Anthony used to whisper 'and wake up everyone in Hogwarts' sort of really over-dramatic and breathed so quietly? He leaned right over Albus and did the same thing with Albus's name, before finally shouting it. And then while Albus was still all discombobulated and half asleep, Scorpius tickled him on the air, and sleepy Albus glared at him. Albus will never need an alarm clock, as long as he has Scorpius. 

This performance's 'it's time time-turning' was one of the slow and grand versions. Scorpius looked at the Time-Turner as he said it, and Albus got this huge grin on his face at Scorpius's ridiculousness. And when Scorpius said he'd been working on the line all day, he said that line quite slowly and grandly too. Very sweet.

More wings action! I saw Anthony doing his quick change before the Owlery scene. They basically rip off their pyjamas, have the base costumes underneath, and then pull the jackets on over the top. I also saw him crawling up onto the stairs. Needless to say, I was paying far more attention to Anthony than I was to the scene going on onstage... 

The interesting thing about Scorpius's attitude to Delphi in the Owlery scene, something I touched on earlier, is that he wasn't really bothered by her being there. He didn't shut down the second she arrived, he was quite happy to look at her and chat to her. When she and Albus got their double act going he curled away into his corner and tried to ignore them, but it wasn't until she mentioned the Rowles that he really started paying attention. And I will never be over how it's the fact that she was never ill that he chooses to mention when he starts calling her out. That particular lie is the thing that wounds him most. He trusted her specifically because of that, and he feels emotionally used by it, as he has every right to be.

God the scene in Hermione's office was cute. Other people have mentioned how Ron has started going down on his knees to re-propose to her, and this time he threw in an improvised 'I can't get up' once he was down there, and she had to help him up. And honestly, when they kissed I actually gasped and swooned a bit. It was amazing. The love radiating off them. I've never felt it so strongly before. 

Another little thing from this scene, when Ron called Scorpius by the wrong name, Draco looked up and sort of appealed to Harry, who shook his head, and Draco tutted and went back to glaring at Ron. 

Draco's 'we need to find out who she is -- now' actually got a laugh from the audience, because it was so exasperated and thrown out as he sprinted offstage. 

I don't think there was anything particularly new in the Quidditch Pitch scene. It was as great as always. Albus looks so small when he collapses onto the ground after Craig is killed. He always looks tiny, but in that moment he looks smaller than ever, knowing that there's nothing he can do to help the situation. 

Basically skipping over the end of Act Three because there's nothing new to add to the conversation that you can't read elsewhere. 

*

I just love watching the second EGM. Draco hovers among the crowd this time, rather than separating himself from it. Hermione's speech is so non-specific, so you can see and hear people whispering, and he glances at them for a brief moment before turning back to listen and deciding to ignore them. It feels like such a long time before Hermione finally clarifies that she's talking about Voldemort's daughter. 

I also adore Draco's look of pure disgust when Ron comes clambering past him up the stairs, and stands above him on them. The hatred between the two of them is glorious. 

Another thing from the stairs, someone pointed out to me that there are two couples up there, and Draco on his own. He's almost totally alone in this whole adventure, and it must be awful for him. I think that's part of why it's so heartwarming when he and Scorpius reconnect and go through Godric's Hollow as a team. 

In the office scene I couldn't see Dumbledore, because the massive pumpkin was right in front of me, blocking him out completely, but I could still see Jamie, which is the important thing (I never watch Dumbledore anyway). Last time I was in the front row Jamie didn't cry real tears, and I was bitterly disappointed, but this time the tears were oh so real. Big, fat tears that splotched everywhere. And after Dumbledore left and he turned round to compose himself his eyes and face were all red. 

Draco didn't do the walking into the room and walking straight back out again thing this time. Alex has found a new way to entertain us all, which is to stand there super awkwardly, and then, when Draco says about this room being his soon enough, giving this ridiculous little 'mwahaha', which makes not only the audience but Harry laugh. 

I was also struck by exactly how stiff and awkward Draco's attempts at small talk are. He just sort of stood there and didn't really know what to do with himself, and he actually got a little bit emotional when all he wanted was to be happy, and admitting that he wasn't good at small talk seemed like a good way to get the subject away from something he clearly found it difficult to discuss.  

Draco was right in front of me during his speech about Astoria, and I could see the tears sparkling in his eyes. He was really welling up while talking about her, especially in the moment where he raises his eyes to the heavens and says about how she always knew she wasn't destined for old age. 

I love how the end of the scene gets briefly heated. Draco's desperation comes out when he insists on finding their sons, and then Harry explodes that they don't know where they are. One of the things Jamie does so well is capturing what being powerless does to Harry. He hates it. It frustrates him, and he feels upset and cooped up. Harry is someone who wants to be out there doing things, and sitting there knowing there's nothing he can do is the worst thing in the world to him, perfectly demonstrated by how he immediately brightens up and starts grinning once they're in Godric's Hollow and ready to save the world. The dire situation doesn't matter to him nearly as much as his ability to affect the outcome of it. As long as he can do something, he's fine. 

Moving on to one of those classic Scorbus scenes (and boy was it a classic). First of all, I will always be enamoured with the way snow gathers in Albus's hair. He looks so beautiful curled up on that doorstep with all the snow everywhere. No wonder Scorpius says what he does. 

When Scorpius started talking about how Albus would be his companion at the return of eternal darkness, Albus was looking down at the ground, but since he was right in front of me I saw this little glowing, genuine smile spread across his face for a moment, before he got up and started teasing Scorpius. 

Sometimes in this scene there's a beautiful moment where the two boys are just there, grinning and messing with each other, their predicament momentarily forgotten. I always wonder what would have happened if Lily hadn't come along. She distracts them from what might have developed into something more. In this show they were standing right next to each other, and Scorpius reached up to try and put Albus's hood up. I still have no idea why he'd bother to try doing that, since Albus's hair is already covered in snow, but it's pretty frigging adorable, especially with the laugh Albus gives as he does it. They were both so handsy with each other in this show, from friendly punches, nudges, shoulder and chest pats, and they were all over each other when Lily showed up and they had to part.

The other beautiful moment in this scene was after Scorpius's eureka moment. He put his hands up to give Albus a high ten, but Albus didn't go for that, he just grabbed hold of Scorpius's hands and squeezed them tight with excitement. Truly adorable. 

Has anyone else noticed how similar the names Dumbledore and Voldemort sound? They're really easy to mix up, and I've been waiting for a while for a cringeworthy moment when one of the actors would say the wrong one. It's even more tricky because they're often used so close together. Anyway, Jamie was the first person I've seen fall foul of this myself. The line 'I beat Voldemort' became 'I beat Dumbledore' before he corrected himself. I think we can let him (and Harry) off for that one. It's an emotional moment. 

I feel like all I've talked about in this entire recap is Alex Price, but I can't help it. He's just too good. Draco's entertainment and delight in the thatched roofs of Godric's Hollow is always something to behold, and in this performance he took a long pause and did a bit of a double take before the farmers' market line. Also, he always checks in with Harry after that line, to see if he's amused by it, which is just perfect. Oh, and I adore how disgusted Draco is with Ron telling him he has nice hair. He looks at Harry as if to say 'this is your best friend, do something about him'. 

Continuing with the Malfoy theme, in this show it was less of a Malfoy hug, and more Malfoy hugs in the plural. Scorpius actually screamed when he came to a stop in front of his dad after sprinting in, and Draco gave him this little smile and beckoned him in. I've never seen Scorpius so delighted to be allowed to hug his dad. He launched himself at him, and they clung to each other so tightly, both of them beaming with delight. After they'd hugged once, they let go, but then they decided they'd rather be hugging, so they started up again. This happened at least twice, but even after that they weren't done. Scorpius held his dad's hand for a moment, Draco ruffled his hair and put an arm round him, and Scorpius eventually ended up with his head resting against his dad's chest. When they finally parted, Draco winked at Scorpius, and Scorpius gave him the most radiant smile in return.

It should also be noted that the whole hug was done while Draco still had the Time-Turner in his hand. It was still out when they got to Scorpius's line wondering how they'd got there without the Time-Turner, so it gave greater meaning to Harry's line telling Scorpius they didn't have time to discuss it, and Draco's subsequent grateful smile. Draco still so obviously had the Time-Turner out that I'm certain Scorpius would have noticed it right at that moment, had Harry not interrupted. (I really want to know when Scorpius and Draco have the conversation about Draco having a Time-Turner. It has to happen at some point...)

A random offstage observation. I noticed someone in the wings during the conversation in the church, and I was absolutely positive there was no scene change or anything coming up soon, so I kept watching them, and they are the person who triggers the light flashes during the Transfiguration! For anyone who hasn't seen the play, as each of the adults' wands connects to the spell to transform Harry into Voldemort, there's this electric flash of light, a bit like lightning, from one of the spotlights. But I guess it has to be specifically triggered, based on when they make the move to join the spell, so there's someone in the wings watching! 

More Malfoy cuteness. During the scene where Albus and Ginny were talking, the two Malfoys were by the door at the back having a real heart to heart (instead of watching for Delphi like they should have been). I think Ron came wandering over to tell them off at one point, but they ignored him and kept on chatting away. I love how quickly the Malfoys figure things out, like they've been waiting for so long to do it, whereas with the Potters it takes months and months. 

I promise I'm trying to find other things to talk about, but I really feel like you should all know that Draco came to crouch on the floor with the boys and Ginny at the end of the fight. He was hugging and protecting Scorpius, and I think Scorpius was holding his hand, because when he tried to get up to go and get Delphi's wand, it took him a moment to extract himself from Scorpius's grip. But it was alright, because Ginny was there to take over and mother both boys. 

I noticed that, when Hagrid came out for his speech in the ruined house, the back of the stage was moving? Along the back wall of the stage there are some wood panels, and above them is some brick work, and during the Godric's Hollow section, the wood panels and brick work are perfectly lined up, but when Hagrid came in from the back, the bricks moved away from the panels until there was a gap there. I'm not sure if this movement happens at other times during the show, but I'd be curious to know. I've never noticed any movement back there before! 

There was an excellent nose boop in the final scene, which is always appreciated. Scorpius's usual flailing was just as ridiculous as always, and when Rose showed up his hair was all ruffled thanks to his robes being wound round his neck. So when Rose did her 'okay, Scorpius King', she reached out and really gently ruffled his hair flat before walking away with a little laugh. It was the least creepy version of that line I've seen in months, which I'm really glad about. I didn't know where Cherrelle was going with the old version, but it had got to the point where it just felt mean. This one didn't feel mean. It was actually a little bit sweet. It made the scene make sense. 

And then there was the Scorbus hug. It was the most ridiculous, awkward, and glorious thing I've ever seen in my life. I may have shrieked a little bit. 

Scorpius started off right at the bottom of the stairs, and he went hesitantly up the stairs, seeming to doubt himself every step of the way. Albus just watched him, with a confused expression on his face. When Scorpius reached Albus's step he stared at Albus for a moment, then very slowly and awkwardly reached out and slide his arms round Albus's waist, while Albus stared down at him with completely incredulity. At his 'what's this?' line, Scorpius withdrew, but he didn't go far. During the next few lines of dialogue he sort of patted Albus awkwardly on the chest and shoulder, and Albus patted him back. Even though it wasn't an extended hug, there was still so much physical contact between the two of them. It might have been one of the best hugs I've seen, and Scorpius seemed delighted by it.

The final scene, as always, was the perfect antidote to everything that had come before it. Tentative and tender, with a final hesitant, but beautiful coming together. It's a joy to see Harry and Albus reconnecting, and figuring things out over the course of those final couple of minutes. 

One of the things I most enjoy about being in the front row is actually the curtain call. You're so close up, and you have the full force of the audience's excitement behind you, and the actors' happiness in front of you. This was a really loud audience, who absolutely loved the show, and they totally lost it at the end. So all the actors were laughing together, especially Jeremy, and Anthony and Alex, who were sharing a private joke. Also, Jamie is so bouncy at the end, when he's leading everyone into and out of the wings. He has this big grin on his face, and sort of skips round, full of energy despite baring his soul on stage for five hours. He's amazing. In fact, everyone in this show is amazing.

This weekend I felt such overwhelming love for every single person on the stage. It was completely wonderful. They're all incredible, and I'm going to be heartbroken to see any of them leave in a couple of months. I just hope they all know how appreciated they are, because they really, truly are loved. 

[explainingstraydogs]

Recap

Hello, and welcome to ESD's recap of the events so far in Bungou Stray Dogs. Before we start, we would like to make note that this post is not spoiler free, so, if you haven't caught up with the anime, or the manga as of yet, it may be in your best interest to put this aside until then. Keeping that in mind, let's get started, shall we?

Season two starts out four years prior to the main story with the introduction of two new characters, Ango Sakaguchi and Oda Sakunosuke, also known as “Odasaku” by Dazai, who are the two best friends of Dazai Osamu. Though Oda used to be an assassin when he was younger, much like Kyouka, he stopped killing years ago. Through a series of unfortunate encounters with a European organization called Mimic, Oda was forced to throw away his policy of not killing anyone in order to take down its leader, Andre Gide. In his final moments, having been fatally shot during his battle against Gide, Oda informed Dazai that he should go to the side that saves people, which leads us back to the current timeline.

Returning to the situation with the Guild, Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, their leader, spoke with the agency president, Fukuzawa Yukichi, and offered to buy the agency for a large sum of money. Fukuzawa refused, but, Fitzgerald decided that he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Not long after the Guild’s arrival in the city, they quickly went to war against the agency and the Port Mafia. Lucy Maud Montgomery kidnapped several agency members using her ability, though Atsushi and Junichiro worked together to free them. Kajii Motojirou and Akutagawa attacked one of the Guild’s ships and John Steinbeck and Howard Phillips Lovecraft went after the agency’s staff. Amidst all the chaos, Kyusaku Yumeno, or “Q”, was released from confinement. Allowed to use his ability as he pleased, he went about cursing the people of Yokohama. Eventually, he tried to curse the wrong person; Lovecraft. He was captured and the Guild could use him for their own needs.

While Atsushi was captured and held captive on the Moby Dick, Fitzgerald told him that he was doing all this to find “the book”. With Montgomery’s help, Atsushi escaped the airship. In order to retrieve Q, Chuuya Nakahara and Dazai Osamu were made to team up, albeit reluctantly, and fight Steinbeck and Lovecraft head on. Steinbeck was quickly defeated by Dazai, but, Lovecraft transformed into his true form, a monstrous creature that couldn’t be destroyed by Dazai’s nullification ability. After Steinbeck foolishly reveals Lovecraft’s weakness, Dazai set off a bomb and ordered a corrupted Chuuya to attack Lovecraft from within, defeating him. Later, the agency formulates a plan to end the battle with the Guild, employing Atsushi as their main fighter in what they hope to be the final showdown between the organizations. However, the Port Mafia has had similar ideas, and sent Akutagawa to the Guild’s airship, Moby Dick, as well. There they learn that the whale is set to crash into Yokohama, killing most, if not all, of its citizens. Atsushi and Akutagawa are forced to set their differences aside and work together in order to take down Fitzgerald in a battle for control of the airship, but, despite their victory, someone takes control of the ship remotely, making it impossible for them to redirect it. In a last ditch effort to save the city, Kyouka Izumi redirected the drone she was confined in to crash into the Moby Dick before it could reach the city, barely escaping before the explosion. Season two seemingly ends with Kyouka being officially made a member of the Armed Detective Agency, however, at the very end, it is revealed that Nathaniel Hawthorne has joined Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the one responsible for hacking into the Moby Dick.

As of the end of season two of the anime, we have left the Guild Arc, and are heading steadily into the Cannibalism Arc, which is still ongoing.