#if your ships aren't here then i haven't watch them yet

[sir-myst-cake]

First post on here and it's a rant!! If you want more cool takes you should totally follow me as I'll be posting here more often and have totally cool art to share‼️‼️

I'm not completely sure how to tag this? I'm talking about the ships in a positive light so I think it's okay, and besides, I want lots of peeps to see it, I'm aware I probably won't change many people's minds at all, but it's okay lol, I just want Anti's to see they genuinely have a nothing burger and need to leave people alone.

This is a mostly TikTok only problem regarding Beast x Ancient's (thank god) but I've seen my fair share elsewhere like on here. So lemme counter every argument I've seen so far cause you got a lot of time on your hands to be telling people to off themselves over Cookie ships 😭 put that hate into people who actually deserve it.

BILLFORD COMPARISON

Regarding ShadowVanilla specifically, people have compared the ship a lot from both sides, but what really got me is what I've seen here:

"Shadow Milk Cookie is way worse than Bill! He drove Pure Vanilla to insanity! He tortured him!"- This is in regards to how people bring up the fact Anti's are fine with one thing but not the other when it's basically the same thing they're against. Psychological, physical, mental, and emotional torture. I'll be honest I haven't watched Gravity Falls whatsoever, but my friend has, and from what she says, yeah Bill is the definition of a cruel and unusual punishment. He's done some crazy things, absolutely heinous, might even be a little worse than Shadow Milk or on the same level, either way though-

You can't like one thing and then not the other, it's different flavors of the same thing, it's hypocritical. Either you hate them both or you hate neither.

"Those are 2 different fandoms!"- Doesn't matter, it's the same thing, just different media, it's not different whatsoever aside from the universe, there's much torture involved on both ends.

ABUSER X VICTIM

This one I've seen A LOT and I'm just ??

"If you ship Beast x Ancient's you support Abuser x victim btw"- That's a STRETCH. You are reaching FAR. Nobody is romanticizing the abuse, nobody is normalizing it, it's stuff that happened in canon and we acknowledge it but nobody is doing any of that other stuff. I'm not condoning anyone in real life to do that shit lol. It's called exploring, they have an interesting dynamic, romantic or platonic, two sides of the same coin. You can say the same thing about horror movies, they put a lot of disturbing stuff in there. Do the movie producers CONDONE any of that stuff? Obviously not. Goes for Devsisters too, they don't condone body mutilation yet they still made Burning Spice rip off Cheese's wings.

But even so, for the people who DO like it for the angst, I won't say fiction doesn't affect reality because it does in many cases, but this isn't one of them. Not every relationship is going to be peachy and perfect, just like in real life. I can give an example on this one too actually.

GoldenLily, they aren't condoning what Lily (technically) did to Golden Cheese's kingdom, but they like it for all the potential, complicated feelings and emotions that come along with it.

Also, that's basically the same thing with Beasts x Ancients, just turn it around to enemies to lovers.

"This isn't Villain x hero, this is abuser x victim"- Are you saying MOST of media is abuser x victim then? This is in fact a typical hero x Villain trope, it's nothing new. Respectfully, you guys freak out when a Villain does villain stuff, I'd be surprised if there was a villain who DIDN'T cause any trauma for the opposing party. But according to this logic, media is just dead, no more fanfiction, no more what ifs, no more content since it's all apparently problematic and not canon. Even if somebody switches stuff up in an AU, and makes things completely fluffy, that's apparently still not enough.

"oh you had to make an AU to ship them because you know it's toxic"- No, it's just playing around with scenarios. Learn to separate fanon from canon. This specifically goes for the redeemed AU's I see of the Beasts, people still complain, they act as if people can't change. One of the biggest examples I have of that is FlutterCord, Discord did plenty of messed up things, but in the end, he still managed to change. You'll still get burned at the stake for it though.

"You must be an abuser yourself to condone this!!"- Extremely disrespectful and a WILDDD take. Need I say more??

"I ship Beast x Beast rather than Beast x Ancient's"- According to your logic, the Beasts are abusers right? And if we followed the same story, they are not mentally well whatsoever. You'd rather ship 2 dangerously mentally unstable characters together who'd just make each other worse? Destroy each other? Fuck each other up beyond belief? It doesn't make sense does it, nor is it fair for y'all to praise these ships but hate on the others. You like watching the cookies crumble huh 😭

CANON

"The ship isn't canon!"- We know that, everyone should know that. With what I said earlier, please learn to separate fanon from canon. That's what a fandom is, we do non-canon stuff, it's very fun, you should try it.

"It's a Proship/Dark ship!"- Going the canon route, Beasts are Eons old, Ancients are thousands of years old. Big gap yes, but nonetheless all of them are old as fuck. Older than bloodlines. Treating the Ancients as if they aren't grown adults. You're intentionally trying to make it weird. Stop calling ships you don't like proships please.

Also a little off topic but please don't listen to everyone you interact with on TikTok?? I remember one time I was scrolling through a comment section and saw somebody say "Doesn't Mystic Flour Cookie hate Burning Spice Cookie?" On a MysticSpice vid, looked in the replies, somebody asked for proof/where it was implied, and they didn't answer 💀 just blatantly spreading misinformation. Sources around you are way more reliable than people who don't back up their claims.

CONCLUSION

Even despite all this, you still have the right to feel how you wanna feel. Just please stop harassing people for simple stuff like this, in all honesty, I feel like it's more about seeing one of your favorite characters shipped with somebody who hurt them in canon that makes peeps upset. Which I can totally understand because I used to be exactly like that, I LIVEEEE for Dark Cacao Cookie, when Mystic Flour's update came out, I wanted her dead. Quite literally blocked someone because I couldn't stand seeing their MysticCao art. Hated what she did to my baby boy fr.

But then It started growing on me, over time, I just realized it was never that serious.

Even so, notice how I still didn't go out of my way to harass said person about it because I specifically didn't like it? It really is that easy. Block and go about your day.

I also suspect this because of stuff like this 💀

Love that person who replied, but it's not that hard y'all. We all can in fact, get along.

ANYWAYSSSS thanks to those who took the time read, I love you my pookies hope you have a good day or night💕💕

[iamdinoz]

Genre : non canon queer friends to lovers ships with betrayal side trope a.k.a my favorite trope ever

[theoddest1]

Hey, isn't it so..."Great" that Viv is out here liking posts that clearly find moments where Angel is being sexual with his rapist "Hot" How much more telling can this all get, right? We really sit here, having to explain how fucked up it is to take SA, try to tackle it "seriously" but then proceed to not even do it for that reason. Only for it to be for angst and goon material. How do you expect me to SIT HERE and take whatever Viv has to offer seriously? The number of people I have seen trying to justify this gross behavior is abysmal. If you have this kink or whatever, fine not like I can stop you, be into that shit somewhere else, but DO NOT try and TACKLE IT only for it to be not even seen as serious or as a way for you to get off to your sick fantasies.

Why the hell would you like this? "Angel with his abusive rapist boss😝, so hot guys! Can'tstop thinking about it!"

What good reason would Viv have in liking this post? Why do over 4k people find a post like this neat? "Oh they're fictional, it's gucci, stop bitching" wouldn't need to bitch if people didn't outright sexualize moments meant to tackle an irl fucking problem.

By the way, this person ships Angel and Valentino together. Their pinned tweet is legit sexual Val and Angel art. I wouldn't recommend attacking them regardless if you disagree with their ships and what they deem...ugh "hot."

Fair warning to I WILL be showing some of their arts and reblogs as evidence, so if you are not into that sort of thing (anything NSFW), I highly recommend scrolling past my post or past this section of it.

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I'm pretty sure Viv actively searches for this sort of thing on Twitter, like it's PAINFULLY obvious that she does. How you just so happen to like a post clear af lusting for this abusive relationship YOU CLAIMED to take seriously that ALSO happens to be from an account that ships the abuser with the victim? Gtfo with your two-faced shit, just say your find this hot instead of lying your absolute ass off. The audacity for some fans to go after one group of people for liking questionable stuff only to let other questionable things slide. Like homie, you can let rape slide, but draw the line for any other questionable thing? How's about you have that energy for EVERYTHING with your hypocritical asses. Ion wanna hear y'all stank ass make callouts if you're okay with a rapist being shipped with someone he actively harms in various ways.

And Viv

You say this entire sequence is meant to be uncomfortable, meant to not sugar-coat how awful this situation is, and supposedly have people who are victims/survivors themselves, yet here you are liking posts from people who do anything but take it seriously and even sexualize it. That's absolutely insane to me. And reminds me how you were drooling over some pins that glamorize the abuse Angel and supposedly Husk goes through, you know, the same character that COMPARED his abuse with Angel's.

Ah yes, let's downplay how horrible Angel's situation is further, shall we? Let's especially do it after adamantly arguing with other SA survivors who "haven't seen the episode yet" and need to shut up or don't watch 😃. Let's ignore the fact that Husk and Angel's situations STILL aren't comparable but it's still very odd to have pins on TWO situations taken seriously in the show. So do you actually view the situations seriously or not Viv???

God she's....actually fucking stupid and horrid.

[penkura]

knowing [4/8]

Summary: Sanji knew you were the one the moment he met you.

Pairing: Sanji x Reader

Warnings: None really. Normal One Piece stuff I guess.

Note: Timeskip time! I do really gloss over Fishman Island yes, I just had to lol. Slightly shorter too, but longer chapters are coming up!

[Ch. 1] ● [Ch. 2] ● [Ch. 3]

Arriving back in Sabaody caused you to take a deep breath while you watched the various people from the shoreline. Finally, you were going to see your crew again, and though you had been so welcomed by the kunoichi village and were grateful to them, you couldn't wait to see your found family again.

You couldn't wait to see Sanji again.

Promising to keep in touch with your temporary home, you left the kunoichi who had brought you back to Sabaody and started making your way towards Shakky's bar, watching the vivre card in your hand to keep you from getting lost.

Every now and then though, you'd catch sight of blond hair and have to do a double take, making sure you weren't completely passing by Sanji, only to be fully disappointed when you saw it wasn't him. You'd even see people with orange and blue hair, wondering if it was Nami or Franky, once again disappointed to see it wasn't either of them.

You were, however, beyond excited once you finally saw one of your crewmates, shouting to them and running to hug them.

“Robin!!”

You threw your arms around her while Robin laughed and greeted you. You were the first person she'd seen as well, having the same problem where she saw people that looked like your other crewmates but weren't them.

“I wonder who else might be here.” You thought aloud while walking with Robin to Shakky's bar, anxious to see the rest of your crew.

“Well, Brook is definitely here. He's hosting a concert.”

“Oooh yeah! I've got one of his TDs, it's not bad,” you grinned a bit at the thought, “think he'd sign it for me?”

“I'm sure he'd be delighted to.”

You both laughed a bit, before you saw another head of blond hair, stopping and turning quickly to see if it was him. When you saw it wasn't, your shoulders slumped and Robin gave you a smile.

“Looking for someone?”

You were quite obvious about it, even you knew that.

So you turned back around, smiled, and linked your arm with Robin's before continuing onward.

“Just the love of my life.”

You and Robin laughed, despite you're being serious, talking about your two years apart on your way to Shakky's. You'd see Sanji soon, whether once you got back to Sunny or while you were on Sabaody.

You'd see him soon.

+!+

"What, the moss head was the first one here?!"

Shakky laughed and nodded at Sanji's surprise. "Franky arrived ten days ago, but left to go check your ship."

Duval bragged about how he and his crew protected Sunny, while Rayleigh reassured Sanji his coating job was perfect, the Sunny was fine, and you'd all be able to leave for Fishman Island as soon as you were ready. Ignoring Duval, Sanji was more than glad to hear Nami had made it to Sabaody and had gone shopping a few days ago, then Usopp arrived three days prior, and Chopper did so as well, while Brook had a concert that day. The only ones left had been himself, Luffy, Robin, and of course, you.

Hearing you hadn't arrived yet slightly concerned Sanji, he'd expected you to arrive much sooner, maybe even before Zoro, but definitely before you all were mentally scheduled to meet up. He knew you'd be fine, he trusted you and knew how strong you were, but still Sanji was worried your ride to Sabaody may have been late. Luffy would never leave without everyone there, but it sure would be easier if you had a way to communicate that you were near.

"Have you…heard from [Y/N]...maybe?"

Smiling slightly, Shakky shook her head no and watched as Sanji slumped down a bit hearing that. "Sadly no, I haven't heard from your girlfriend."

"W-What. How–"

"You aren't exactly subtle with that lovesick look on your face, young man."

She laughed a bit at him, watching as Sanji stood up from the bar and excused himself, saying he was going to search for ingredients to stock up the Sunny's fridge for when you all left. The whole time his face was bright red and Shakky knew she had guessed right. You and Sanji were practically hanging off each other the whole time you were in Sabaody two years ago, she just knew you were together from the little bit of time you'd been around.

"What a lovestruck cutie."

+!+

"Was that…Sanji?"

"Where?!"

Smiling at your antics, Robin let you hide behind her and look around for your lover, although she wasn't entirely sure why you were hiding. She knew the two of you were together and in love, maybe you were just nervous about not seeing him in two years. You had ended up cutting your hair while you were training, deciding it would be better for fighting. You had changed your outfit to a well fitted tank top and loose, knee length shorts with your basic ninja sandals (like from Naruto ok). You were sure Sanji would love your new look, but it made you nervous to think about seeing him again.

Hopefully the two years apart hadn't made him rethink your relationship or anything.

"Rayleigh, Shakky!"

"Aah, Robin and [Y/N], you're both here!"

Robin nodded while you stepped out from behind her and waved.

"You both just missed Sanji."

"Oh, how unfortunate." Looking over at you, Robin gave you a knowing smile and you did the same, your nerves calming down just a bit. You may have missed out on seeing him just then, but maybe it was for the better. You two would see each other again soon enough, more than likely unable to stay away from each other or keep your hands to yourselves (not in a sexual way you pervs) for a while once you did see each other.

You and Robin stayed for a bit to catch up with Rayleigh and Shakky, thanking Duval and his crew for their help in protecting Sunny as well as they could, before the two of you decided to separate for a bit. Robin would head right for Sunny, but you wanted to do some shopping for some clothes and to maybe find Sanji. When you were in Sabaody last, you'd barely had a chance go look at the vendor stalls before the events with Camie and the Celestial Dragons, and then being sent off like the rest of your crew of course, you didn't have much of a chance to shop around and find anything you wanted.

You ended up buying a mini transponder snail and a few clothing items, deciding you should start heading towards Sunny when you saw a vendor selling kunai and shuriken, and you were instantly drawn in. You were running low on funds, but desperately wanted some new knives to use for any upcoming fights. You were so engrossed in looking and working out the math in your head on how many you could afford, that you nearly jumped three feet when someone wrapped an arm around you and told the vendor to let you get whatever you wanted.

If you hadn't recognized the voice, though slightly deeper than you remembered, and the smell of tobacco mixed with a familiar cologne, you would have whipped around and punched the guy in the face before placing a knife at his neck. Instead you turned around so quickly, coming face to face with the one person you'd been so anxious yet excited to see again.

"Sanji."

"Hey there, beautiful." Sanji gave you a smile and brushed a bit of your hair out of your face, noticing you were tearing up. "I've been looking for you!"

"Sanji!!" You threw your arms around his neck, letting him lift you up and spin you around while you cried out of happiness.  "I-It's you! You're r-really here!!"

"Of course I am! Couldn't leave you with that moss head to get lost or anything!"

Once he set you back down, you got to take a good look at Sanji and see how he'd changed over the last two years as well. He'd swapped his bangs from the left to the right, he'd grown out his goatee more, and even had a mustache now. Even if he still looked exactly the same as two years ago, you'd still think he was handsome and be in love with him.

Of course, Sanji still thought you were beautiful, he'd even say drop dead gorgeous now. He didn't have the chance to tell you so before you kissed him and hugged him again.

"I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, love," Sanji hugged you close, thankful that his two years of hell and running on the Kamabakka Queendom were finally over, and that he was back with you in his arms, "you have no idea how much."

+!+

After all of you were finally together again, you and Nami had spent so much time hugging and giggling over the boys being themselves, once you began your course down to Fishman Island, all you really wanted was to stay near Sanji. Knowing you were going to the land of mermaids, it worried you a little that Sanji might start rethinking your relationship, considering you were apart for two years.

You couldn’t have imagined that your crew would be separated once again, so quickly due to the volatile nature of the ocean depths. Waking up in Camie’s place a short while later, you were glad to see Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, and Sanji were all with you, being escorted elsewhere by your friend, until you met more mermaids who were close with Camie.

Sanji tried, he really did, to not let it get to him, especially with you around, to not fall over himself around the mermaids, unfortunately, despite it all, he still ended up nearly bleeding out from all the other pretty girls around. You chose to stay with him and Chopper after he’d been given a blood transfusion to keep him from dying, and once he woke up, Sanji was almost on the floor in front of you apologizing.

“I’m so sorry, my love! I’m such a fool of a man!”

“Uh, Sanji—”

“Please forgive me!! I love you more than anything!!”

Before he’s able to say much else, you take his face in your hands and shut him up with a kiss, allowing you both to get your thoughts straight before you say anything in response to his groveling. Honestly though, he should know you better by now.

“I’m not happy about the situation—”

“I’m so sor—”

“But, I’m not going to be mad at you anymore. You’ve apologized enough and I believe you’re really sorry,” you give Sanji a smile, before rubbing your nose against his and making his face turn bright red at the affection, “I’m sure you went through a lot while we were apart, so I’ll give you a pass this time.”

“Mon amour, you’re the only one I love that much.”

“Yeah, I know, so if you do that again, I’ll have to clean my kunai.”

“…oh.”

You laughed a bit at Sanji’s reaction, which made him relax and smile in return, before he kissed you again.

“I swear, you’re the only one for me.”

“And the same for me, cutie.”

+!+

After you’ve all helped to put a stop to Hordy Jones and Luffy prevented the ship Noah from destroying Fishman Island, you’re glad for a reprieve that turns into a party with food and drinks. Every member of your crew, all the Fishmen that can fit in the palace, had a blast and the party continued on for so long that you and Sanji had to step away for a few minutes alone.

Somehow, luckily, you found an empty closet that you could sneak into, finally getting some time alone after everything that happened. You started out just talking and holding each other, before Sanji started kissing you all over your face and making you giggle, every now and then quieting yourself if you heard footsteps. You were still trying to keep your relationship a secret, so Sanji understood you silencing your giggles for a moment wasn’t because of him, it was to keep someone from opening the door.

“Hey,” Sanji kissed your cheek again, smiling at your giggle while you gave him a questioning look, “What if…what if we told everyone?”

“Hm?”

“About us. I mean, its been a while and part of the crew knows already.”

“Sanj—”

“Only if you want to!” He kissed you again to make sure you knew he wasn’t going to force you to tell everyone if you weren’t ready. “We can wait until you want to, I just—”

“Sanji,” you have to take his face in your hands to make him stop before he rambles too much, forcing him to look at you as you smile at him, “I think it’s fine if we tell everyone. We’re both in this for the long haul, I don’t think they have to worry about us making things weird by breaking up or anything.”

“You’re sure?”

“Mm-hm!” You nod and give him another kiss, causing Sanji to hug you tightly. He really was a little worried you’d reject the idea, but if you tell everyone, it’ll make it easier. You won’t have to sneak around and keep everything to yourselves.

“I love you so much!”

“I love you too, Sanji!” You giggle when he starts to kiss you face again. Sanji really is the sweetest man you’ve ever met, you feel so lucky to have him as your boyfriend, maybe future husband and father to your children one day, if he wants that with you too.

Unfortunately you’re interrupted when someone opens the closet door, and the sigh is familiar enough that you feel your face heating up.

“Can you two stop being gross for one day?”

“Zoro!” You shouted while Sanji pulled away from you to give a glare to your swordsman. “What are you doing?!”

“I was looking for the bathroom!”

“This obviously isn’t it!!”

[coimbrabertone]

Offtopic Offseason #2 - The Incoherent Musings of a Star Wars Fan in Big 2024.

So, being a Star Wars fan is hard.

I don't mean that for some stupid "STAR WERZ IS WOKE NOW! CHILDHOOD RUINED!" bullshit, I mean being an actual fan of Star Wars.

I want to watch Star Wars shows, I want to play Star Wars games, and I deeply disagree with the idea that Disney is making too much Star Wars stuff. No, in fact, my stance here is quite similar to my stance on superhero fatigue from the last Offtopic Offseason - and that's that people aren't sick of Star Wars, they're sick of bad Star Wars content.

Let me put it this way - the only buzz I've heard about Skeleton Crew is that they referenced something from the Holiday Special and that there's a kid from that Max Rebo species - the Ortolans, the blue elephant guys. That doesn't fill me with an urge to watch it.

Just like I haven't had the urge to finish The Bad Batch.

Just like how I haven't picked up Star Wars: Outlaws yet.

There is, however, one Star Wars project that I did engage with in 2024: the Acolyte. Yup, the show that the internet was shitting on before it even came out and the one that they managed to get cancelled despite the first season ending on a blatant cliffhanger. I want to talk about that show.

Why? Because the thing is...I don't think the show is that bad.

I certainly don't think it's any worse than Book of Boba Fett or some of the later episode of the Mandalorian.

In fact, I'd say the concept of the Acolyte is more interesting than either Mando or Boba Fett, and here's why: the idea of a woman, who had the only home she ever knew taken away from her by the Jedi, training under a Sith to get revenge is an interesting premise.

That same Sith disguising himself as her bumbling accomplice to monitor and influence her had potential as well.

The Jedi Order being this corrupt, detached organization trying to maneuver the political intrigues of Coruscant is interesting, as is the fact that the plot is ultimately set into motion by Master Sol making a series of impulsive and violent decisions - thinking they he knew better - that ended in him killing the girls' mother, Aniseya.

All of that I'm good with.

There are a few things I'm not so good with. The vergence stuff and how that relates to the twins (and them being two sides of the same person) didn't quite work with me. I also felt that some of the stuff they did with Aniseya in the final two episodes undercuts the Sol storyline, because one: she really does demonstrate she's dangerous, and two: if you're still planning on letting Osha go with them, why are you using a Dark Side ritual to turn yourself into an dark smoke monster and absorbing your other daughter while doing so?

Like if the point you're going for is that Sol broke the Jedi teachings because of his selfish attachment to Osha - later leading to Osha killing him as her fall to the Dark Side - then why are you giving him a justifiable reason for stopping Aniseya?

And I guess on some level, I question how much purpose there was to having both Osha and Mae as characters. I know this is probably approaching a sort of Ship of Theseus point where I change so much about the Acolyte that it's not the Acolyte anymore, but I feel like there was a way to tell this story with just one character rather than this split person/twin thing.

You know what, I'll commit to it - here's how I would've done the Acolyte show.

Indara, Sol, Kelnacca, and Torbin go to investigate Brendok, just like they do in the show, however, when they find the convent of Dark Side witches, they decide they need to stop them. So rather than a series of potentially sympathetic misunderstandings, it's that the Jedi saw a Dark Side threat, they got spooked, and they decided to crush it.

This is to mirror some of the other darker Jedi moments in Star Wars, such as Mace Windu saying that the "oppression of the Sith will never return" before attempting to finish off Palpatine, or the Legends lore of the Jedi bombardment of Korriban after the Great Hyperspace War, aiming to destroy it.

Neither of these things worked, sure, but it demonstrates a rare Jedi ruthlessness that could suit this story nicely.

Anyway, having lost the only family she had, Osha (who, remember, we're treating as a single person at this point) wanders the galaxy and eventually winds up at the ruined Sith Academy on Korriban - and here she finds Qimir.

Qimir plays it cool and doesn't quite reveal who he is but starts telling Osha about the Sith and feeling her out, trying to figure out if she'd make a worthy pupil or not. Qimir sends Osha through the tombs like in KOTOR or like the Sith Warrior/Inquisitor storylines in SWTOR and starts revealing more about the Sith to her as she goes on. By the end, she believes in it, is willing to become a Sith, and makes a red lightsaber.

Then Qimir sends her out to hunt down the Brendok Jedi. At this point you could probably split the show into a season one and two, where the first season, "The Acolyte" is the story of Osha being an acolyte on Korriban, and the season two would be like "The Apprentice" or something a bit less trademarked, probably, and be about Osha actually hunting down the Jedi.

And hey, maybe it's a shitty idea, but I think it would place the show better in the lore and give us an interesting perspective where we follow a Sith character who fully believes she's in the right, and because of how this version of the Brendok events played out, we can't really say she's wrong either.

Maybe all of that is a product of the kind of Star Wars fan I grew up as though. I was born in the prequel era, meaning that for me, Phantom menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith were always part of Star Wars. I grew up playing KOTOR on my dad's computer and then later watching Clone Wars and then after that getting really into SWTOR for awhile in the early-to-mid 2010s.

Star Wars to me is lightsabers and deep lore and the Jedi versus the Sith.

I guess that's why Acolyte, for all its flaws and mistakes and strange writing choices, got my attention in a way that a lot of Star Wars stories haven't.

I mean, I watched Acolyte all the way through while I still haven't felt motivated enough to watch Andor - I'm sure that for a lot of nerds, that's downright sacrilege - but that's where I'm at with this franchise.

Do you have any idea how long it's gonna take for someone to be willing to make a female-led Sith show after how the Acolyte bombed? I'll be waiting decades at this rate. I'll be waiting even longer when I ask for those characters to one: be aliens because goddamn all these species in the galaxy but the only ones that ever seem to do anything are humans, and two: be lesbian because...I dunno man, representation makes me feel good.

I guess Mother Koril checks a lot of those boxes but...she's got like fifteen minutes of screentime max and then kinda turns into a cloud of smoke and we don't see her anymore. Is she dead? Is she alive? Is she some other third thing?

Nobody knows.

And we're probably never gonna know because the show's been cancelled.

Fun times.

So yeah, these are some incoherent musings from a long-suffering Star Wars fan in 2024.

Like the meme says...

Star Wars would be so good if it was good.

[myfanfictiongarden]

Again, it is so interesting to re-watch s1 of RoP with the perspective of the events of s2. Especially if you look at all the moments with Halbrand, now fully aware that not only is he Sauron, but also how he came to the point we first meet him in the show. One could wonder how much an active hand he already had in s1, but we do know that he can NOT influence all the events to his liking.

“The road goes ever winding. Not even I can see all its paths.” s2 ep8

Still, let’s look at the scenes when we first meet him on the raft.

“Looks can be deceiving.”

Literary the first thing he says to Galadriel (and us) is a warning. Verbally it is mostly aimed at Galadriel joining the human survivors on the tiny raft, with the others debating if she is harmless or not, yet after his true nature is revealed this looks more like he is toying with his companions, inwardly laughing at a joke only he would get. At the same time it serves as a warning as well, for the humans on the raft were sooner willing to to sacrifice an “nobel” Elf, someone looking different from them, ignorant to the wolf in sheep’s clothing among them.

“You needn't keep your distance.”

“I am simply wondering what manner of man would so readily abandon his companions to death.”

“The sort that knows how to survive. Why be part of the larger target?”

Isn’t this exactly the philosophy he always lived for? As Morgoth´s lieutenant ready to sacrifice countless lives, but slipping away and hiding when defeated? A opportunist, who will let an old man die on a sinking ship, for a new window opened up for himself?

“You are a target still. I doubt we shall find safety until we make landfall.”

“I suspect finding safety won't be that easy. Leastways not for you. Separated from your ship. Really? You're a deserter, aren't you?”

I’m wondering, did he know who she is in this moment? He knew her brother Finrod. Would he have noticed a family resemblance and connected the dots? If yes, he must have known quite a lot about her from hearing others mention of her, and in that case, would have really enjoyed putting up this performance.

“Do I have the look of a deserter?”

“You don't have the look of someone to whom things happen by accident. Which means you were running. Whether toward or from something, I haven't yet decided.”

Even if he by now knew who she was, the fact that he was all alone adrift on the Sundering Seas must have made him rather curious. He had been out of the picture for so long, and walking among Men did not get too much info of what had been going on. Why was Galadriel of the Noldor alone at sea?

“Duty demanded I return to Middle-earth. And that is all you need to know.”

Galadriel doing what she always used to do in her youth, avoid the facts. She did it in the face of Melian, why not to a mere mortal?

“Important Elf business, no doubt.”

“What have Elves ever done to you? Do you blame us for your being stranded here?”

“The way I see it, it wasn't Elves that chased me from my homeland. It was Orcs.”

Once again, cleverly not giving away all the intelligence, but we later truly learn that it was Orcs who brought upon him this small downfall. 

“Your home. Where was it?”

“What's it matter? It's ashes now.”

True, Forodwaith is all but destroyed.

“I know something of the pain you carry. I grieve for you. For those you lost. Around your neck. Was that the mark of your people's king?”

“My people have no king.”

“But if they did, where might that kingdom be found?”

“To what end?”

“What if I told you we might be able to reclaim it?”

Here I’m gonna jump for a moment to look at Galadriel’s mental state, for we can clearly see that she is too focused (on the verge of obsession) of jumping only back into battle, that she barely spares a moment to acknowledge this man’s apparent losses, already picturing the success of she might have with re-instaling a lost king of Men while simultaneously defeating Sauron. That would surely put her up into good graces again with the other Elves. Right? (Now I’m realising that her brother Finrod is among other things remembered for helping the mortal Beren on an impossible quest, even facing off against Sauron. Does she subconsciously seek the same noble path as he? Or is she too blind by grief and rage to look for any other motivation that her personal)

“I’m afraid you're short an army.”

“Leave the army to me. Why're you dodging the question?”

“Why're you stranded at sea?”

“Because rather than rest in glory, I chose to seek out the very enemy responsible for your suffering.”

By now, even Sauron is calling her bs, while we also see the sort of reasoning Galadriel wishes to become her narrative.

“Look, Elf. You didn't cause my suffering and you can't fix it. No matter how strong your will. Or your pride. So let it lie.”

There- there is so much to unpack here. First of all, yes, she didn’t cause his suffering, HE did it HIMSELF, no mater what he might tell otherwise. Second, he calls out her pride, a weakness she will manage to overcome by the end of s2, but he never will.

“I have pursued this foe since before the first sunrise bloodied the sky. It would take longer than your lifetime even to speak the names of those they have taken from me. So letting it lie is not an option.”

This will never not be funny to me once we learned to whom she was actually speaking- he is literary an eternity older than her. Still, it also shows how she used to flex her “superiority” in the face of other beings, another thing Elves might be partial to do in their long existence, and it is such a contrast to how she will later welcome the Fellowship.

“At last, a little honesty. If you want to murder Orcs and settle a score, that's your affair. Don't dress it up as heroism.”

Foreshadowing at its finest. But also some hypocrisy from his side, because he always dresses up his actions as the most noble intentions. Then again, he is currently in his repentance era, so he does speak with some self critique.

“Are you going to tell me where the enemy is or not?”

“The Southlands.”

Because Sauron has noticed that Adar and the Orcs moved there.

“I need to know how many the enemy were, under whose banner they marched, and then you are going to take me to their last-known location.”

“I’ve got my own plans, Elf.”

Yes, he has.

[allastoredeer]

Can I ask your opinion on radiobelle/charlastor and radiodust? I'm just curious because, other than chaggie, they were like THE ships pre-show while radioapple was pretty rare, and now it's kinda the other way around, and huskerdust shippers finally getting fed

I don't really favour any Alastor ship over the other (huge multishipper over here) and I haven't found a problem that can't be solved or made worse with a polycule, actually (with Alastor centre stage <3)

AYYYE! Hello my fellow Alastor multishipper! And yes, of course! I'd love to share my opinions and thoughts :3

When I first saw radiobelle/charlastor I felt kind of weird about it - this was before the show even dropped. While I wasn't active in the fandom after watching the pilot, I still saw things here and there, and radiobelle never really did it for me.

Recently though, I've been coming across some super cute radiobelle fan-art, and honestly? The ship doesn't really bother me. In fact, it's kind of growing on me.

I know people like to rave about how Alastor is like a "father figure," or Charlie "saw" him as a father figure, especially during the "Dad Beat Dad" episode. But, like, it's really not that big of a deal. They are, in no way, actually related. There is no familial ties to them aside from words and perceived feelings. And even if she does truly see him as a father figure, fandom is THE place to go to change canon and do whatever you want with the characters. That's what it's always been and that's what it's always going to be.

Besides, the ship has a lot of cute potential and I'm so here for it. I think one of the reasons people hate on it so much is this weird, perceived power-difference/imbalance between them. What with Charlie being this wide-eyed, hopelessly optimistic, and sometimes very naive women, and Alastor being this darker, manipulative, seemingly "older" man. I can see how that would squick people out, especially with the idea of Alastor manipulating/using Charlie.

However, I'd like to argue that Charlie is a grown-ass adult. Considering how the aging process works in Hell (particularly with Hellborn. Particularly with hellborn royalty, considering Lucifer is a fallen angel who's older than time itself and yet looks like he could be the same age or younger than Alastor), Charlie could be leagues older than Alastor. Maybe she's actually a couple hundred years old in Earth years, but she's considered in her mid twenties in Hell years.

As for the manipulation thing, we've been shown several times in the show that Charlie won't put up with Alastor's bullshit, and that she'll even call him out on it. I don't think she's as naive to Alastor's manipulation or schemes as everyone thinks she is.

I'm not a die-hard radiobelle shipper or anything, but I think its a pairing that has a lot of cute and wholesome potential. I think it gets WAY more hate than it deserves. (Besides, has no one considered the absolute hilarity of Lucifer meeting up with his daughter for the first time in years, and getting introduced to her creepy, dark, sadistically weird boyfriend with an obsession with 20th century radio? Does no one else find that fucking hilarious?? Just me??)

As for radiodust, I wasn't weirded out by it like I was with radiobelle. Originally, I was just kind of meh about the ship. But also like radiobelle, I've been seeing more content of it and its starting to grow on me. An Alastor/Husk/Angel Dust polycule actually sounds kind of cute, and has the potential for a very interesting dynamic to play around with.

My general consensus: While I'm not a die-hard shipper of radiobelle or radiodust, I like the pairings and I can see why other people would like them too.

Additional, to those who do dislike these two ships, that's okay. Some pairings just aren't to your taste, and there is nothing wrong with that. Sometimes a pairing just squicks you out. That's fine. Just don't harrass other people who do like it. If you do not like these pairings, then move on and read/watch/look at something you do like. It's that simple.

I have mad respect for both of these ships because, like you said, dear Anon, they were what kept the Hazbin fandom going for years. Let's show some respect for our elders, people. Honor those who came before 🫡

[huffle-dork]

Long Live the King

Chapter 7: Crossing the Unknown

Read Fantasy Masks | Read Swapboys | Read the first FM adventure | Other Multiverse Adventures | Read on AO3

The marshy ground of the Moors becomes more and more overrun with water during the day, until there's only the occasional mound of earth poking out from under the surface. The trees aren't bothered, their roots growing larger and lifting themselves out of the ground. Slowly, the boat starts to rock again. Just the faintest bit of waves. Not long after this motion gets noticeable, the boat pulls over to one of the small islands. There are three row boats docked here, along with two groups of people--one wearing wide, flat hats, the other wearing Phantom masks. The flatbed boat stops and Vsevna gets off first, greeting the Phantom group with enthusiasm.

Jackieboy peeks over to look at the new people and the row boats. He frowns, “We’re not crossing the ocean for two days in tiny row boats are we??”

Henrik, standing nearby, laughs. "No, of course not. That would be terrible. Look." He points farther out to sea. There, illuminated by the fading sunlight, is a large sailing ship, the sails not yet down. "That is the Serpent's Wake. Vsevna's ship. He is very proud of it."

Jackieboy squints at the horizon and then he brightens up, bouncing slightly, "OH FUCK YEAH!! LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT THING!!"

Henrik laughs again. "I know! It is so amazing, isn't it?!" 

Chase joins them, staring out at the ship. He whistles. "I-I didn't expect it to be so big." 

"You have never been on a ship, then, Chase?" Henrik asks. 

He laughs. "I grew up in the mountains and never went more than a day's walk from my village. Of course I haven't." 

Jameson joins as well. To be fair, I haven't, either. 

"Didn't you also grow up in the mountains, though?" Chase asks. "I remember that the Jairsolas claim was in the Northavens." 

Jameson nods. That's true.

"I wanna climb those sail rigging things SO BAD!!" Jackieboy exclaims, "I wanna be like a pirate!! Like in the movies!!" 

"Please don't Jackie if you fall here we can't help you when you break something," Dr. J says with a sigh. 

Bro laughs, "Don't worry doc, I can float up there and catch him if he falls!" 

"Yeah Jays! Let me live my dream!!" 

Henny is staring out at the boat in awe, "It is majestic! Like something out of an epic!"

Henrik grins. "Vsevna will be so happy to see your reactions. He loves his ship." 

"Hey!" Jackie is over by the pile of supplies in the center, untying the ties. "We have to move this stuff to the rowboats!" 

"Ah, right, right." Henrik nods. "Ah... we were not expecting to run into four extra visitors, so it may be a bit tight. Perhaps we can convince some of the others to wait for a bit." 

"I say we let them take a boat to the ship right now," Chase says. "The sooner they come back, the faster the loading will happen."

"I can stay to help load! Flying will make it easier," Bro grins. 

"I'm willing to do whatever needs to be done to make this easier for you all," Dr. J says with a smile. Jackieboy looks like a kid waiting for his turn on a ride, excitedly watching the boat. He can't keep still.

Chase notices Jackie's excitement and grins. "How about me and Jameson row out with these three?" He indicates JJ, Henny, and Jackie. 

"That will work out," Henrik says. "Go talk to Ankhi and Felicia over there, in the hawk and doe masks. They will row you out there while the rest of us load the two last boats and get ready to load the third when you return."

"Yes!" Jackieboy pumps his fist and parkours out of the boat, eager to get to the row boats now. The rest of the swaps laugh, seeing Jackie so excited. Henny and Dr. J thank the others then follow Jackie out to the rowboats. 

Jackieboy is first to the new Phantoms, "Hi! I'm Jackie!“

 The two Phantoms--Ankhi and Felicia, hawk and doe--look surprised to see Jackieboy. "Ah, good to meet you, then," Felicia says, giving a small smile. Ankhi looks over at Vsevna, raising a hand for attention, and when 

Vsevna waves back he shrugs and looks at Jackie again. 

“Our friends said you could row us out a bit early?" Jackieboy asks.

"Early? Yes, I suppose," Felicia continues. Chase and Jameson catch up with Jackieboy. "Sorry, it's just that we picked up some extra people along the way," Chase explains. "So you will need two trips then, I see." Ankhi nods. "Alright, in the boat, then." 

The rowing takes longer than the swaps expected, but soon they stop next to a ladder built into the side of the ship. "Be careful climbing up," Felicia says. "Landwalkers find it hard sometimes."

Jackieboy makes a 'pffft' sound, "Don't worry, I'm pretty good at this kind of stuff!" 

Dr. J and Henny share a concerned look. But, Jackie scales the ladder like a champ and jumps onto the deck before poking his head down to look at the others. "Hurry up, slowpokes!" 

The two sailor Phantoms look impressed at Jackie's scaling.

"Oh my god he's insufferable sometimes-" Dr. J sighs. 

Henny giggles and goes up next. His lanky limbs kinda get in the way before he manages alright. 

Dr. J hesitates then slowly works his way up the ladder, clinging to the deck once he makes it. Henny helps him up and holds him steady once they're all up. 

After the swaps have gone up, Jameson goes, slow and careful, and then Chase, who tries not to look down and breathes a sigh of relief as soon as he gets on deck. "Not a fan of high places," he says. 

Ironic, considering the jumps you've made before, Jameson says. 

"Hey, those were desperate moments. If we didn't jump out that window the King probably would've killed me." 

That's fair. 

There is so much space on this deck. Not to mention there are stairs leading up to a second deck on top of a cabin. 

Jackieboy laughs in disbelief as he sees the deck and he runs around on it and spins around, laughing in glee. "Look at this thing!! ITS AMAZING!! it's so big!!" He looks back at his friends and points, "That's it! When we get back home- I'm looking up where to find a ship like this nearby cuz I need to take Zara and the kids on one of these!!" 

Dr. J chuckles, "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Jackie." 

Henny comes to join Jackie, running around the deck and looking around. Chase and Jameson hang off to the side, more watching the other three react than anything else. 

There are quite a few people out. They all have Phantom masks but only a couple are actually wearing them on their faces. They all seem to stare at the Swaps when they see that they don’t have masks but relax as they see Chase and Jameson with theirs. 

“I guess we’ll have to see if Vsevna has plaster here… you all need masks,” Chase says. 

Henny gasps in excitement and stims a bit in place. “We can get masks?! Oh yes, yes!!!” 

“Heh really? That’d be so pog!” Jackieboy grins. “Bro and Alt talked on and on about how much they loved theirs.” 

“But… aren’t those only for Phantoms..?” Dr. J says quietly. 

I think at this point you all certainly count as Phantoms. Jameson smiles. 

“Though we’re not exactly the uh- authority on that,” Chase laughs. “But I’m sure Jackie, Hen and Marvin will agree.” 

The Swaps exchange excited looks. 

Meanwhile, Bro is trying his best to help carry all the heavy things and load them into the rowboats.

While that group piles in the rowboat and heads off, the others continue unloading the boat, which is a bit harder than loading it in the first place since the hold is so small. Marvin's levitation magic proves invaluable. 

In the time it takes the first rowboat to go out and come back, the other two have been loaded. 

"You can take one of these two out while we finish this last boat," Jackie says to Bro. "We won't mind if you want to meet up with your friends sooner."

Bro wipes some sweat off his brow and then looks at Jackie and laughs, "Do I really need to take a rowboat if I can just... fly over?" Then he thinks, "... then again- I don't wanna scare the other crew-"

Vsevna overhears Bro's comment and laughs. "Do you think my crew scares that easily?" he says, playfully. "We have seen much! We have even sailed through some Wyldseas. Sure, they may shout, but they will not be scared." 

"But he does not have his mask," Henrik points out. "They may not trust him at first." 

"Ah, I'm sure his friends can explain."

Bro laughs with Vsevna and nods, "Ah very true- I was wonderin' if you guys still had my mask from last time... but considering what happened to Wyvern lair... probably not." He sighs and shakes his head, "...probably good I didn't keep mine though... Alt had his when we left... but he didn't have it after... I think the King got rid of it..." Anger burns in his eyes.

Jackie's expression darkens. "He might've kept it," he mutters. "I haven't interacted much with him, but from what others have told me... he's the type to keep trophies." 

"Son of a bitch," Henrik mutters. 

Bro grits his teeth in even more anger, his eyes glowing bright blue. “Fucking bastard.” 

Jackie sighs. "In any case. It seems like you can fly on over if you want. I think Vsevna knows his crew." 

Vsevna grins and nods.

Bro looks back at Jackie and manages to calm himself down for a second- enough to give Jackie a small smile. “…I have been getting kinda restless not being able to fly so-“ He jumps up and hovers in the air above them for just long enough to give them a salute, “See you on the boat then, gents!” And then Bro rockets over to the boat. 

The crew on the Serpent's Wake shout out in surprise when they see Bro flying. A few go for crossbows hanging from their belts but Chase waves his arms. "No no no! He's with us!" he shouts. 

"A flying man?!" Someone shouts, confused. 

"Um--yeah?" 

The crew exchange glances and mutters but don't do anything as Bro flies closer. 

Jackieboy looks up and grins, waving up to the sky, “Bro!!” 

Dr. J chuckles, “I’m surprised he waited this long to fly around!” 

“I could tell he was getting antsy,” Henny giggles. He joins Jackie in his waving.

To be honest, he didn't do that much flying while he was here last time, Jameson says, eyes wide. It's amazing to see.

"Yeah that makes sense- He doesn't wanna scare people," Jackieboy chuckles, "He's a bit better than Alt though. Alt gets sick if he can't glitch- Bro just gets super restless. Like- that feeling when you're trapped inside and you wanna get out-" 

Bro startles as the crossbows are grabbed and hurries down to land on the deck. "Uh- hello there everyone! Sorry- i'm friendly and with the Phantoms I swear!" 

"Yeah he's with us!" Jackieboy grins and throws his arm around Bro's shoulders. "He's chill!" Bro blinks and then laughs, ruffling Jackieboy's hair. 

The crew look at each other and--almost in comical unison--turn away and get back to work. 

Chase and Jameson are surprised, and Chase actually laughs. "I wasn't expecting that." 

I suppose sailors have more to worry about, Jameson says. Is that true, about Alt getting sick? 

Jackie and Bro both look at Jameson. The hero nods sadly, "Yeah... he used to get sick a lot as a kid cuz... well he didn’t know he was magic I guess. Or I think we had to hide that? at least that's what my aunts said... I don't remember why... I think we just didn't want our parents finding us?" He gets a far off look in his eyes for a second before he shakes his head and continues, "But, yeah- one time early in our friendship he wasn't glitching around us and he just got... really sick." 

"I believe we figured out later its just pent up magic," Dr. J adds, "His body produces magic very fast and he has to use it or it overwhelms him like a fever." 

"He didn't use his ghlishing all that much last time," Chase mutters. "Poor guy. If he was worried he didn't need to be." 

Bro looks at Chase with a slightly sad expression, "Yeah... knowing Alt... he was trying not to... He's very stubborn like that... and really hates being looked at strangely... you know? But, if he does glitch around you, that means he trusts you." He smiles a bit more at this.

Jameson looks a bit worried about the far-off look in Bro's eyes, but decides to ignore it. I hope he doesn't do that again. His comfort is more important than others' impressions. 

Bro smiles softly at Jameson, “I hope so too… I think it’s easier for him here now… he didn’t seem like he was like- looking to hide it.” 

"Well, it's hard for some people," Chase says slowly. "People don't like to stand out. I get it." He smiles back at Bro. "And I think it's really nice that he eventually got comfortable to, ah, ghlish around us. Is that how you say it? I thought 'ghlishing' was the only form of that word." 

Clearly we lost something in translation last time, Jameson says. 

"Clearly." 

Bro blinks and then knits his eyebrows together, “It’s cuz it’s a really modern word… it has to do with a… lightning machine we have and his magic looks like… an effect it gives off?” He laughs, “it’s really complicated to explain…” 

“It can be called ‘glitch-ing’ as an action or… I guess ‘glitch’ is also an action word!” Dr. J chuckles, shaking his head. “English is so strange sometimes.” 

All languages are strange, Jameson comments. 

Changing the subject, Chase looks around. "I didn't expect a ship to be so busy."

Looking out towards the coast, the three rowboats are halfway to the ship. People start shouting and running about, preparing for their arrival.

Henny looks around at all the chaos too and sticks closer to the group. “ah yes- a lot is happening…” He looks towards Chase and Jameson, “Should we be helping? Or would we uh… get in the way?”

Chase also looks confused and a bit worried. "Um... I think we should stay to the side," he says. "None of us really know anything about ship stuff." 

The swaps all look at each other then agree to stay back. Yeah, this seems complicated. Besides- looks like the crew had it handled. 

When the rowboats approach, the crew lowers some winches as people start climbing up from them. Vsevna is first, and a lot of the crew shouts greetings. He laughs and waves and starts talking with the others. Henrik and Jackie soon appear, though Jackie turns around and shouts back down, "You can't make them pull you up again!" 

"Fuck you!" Marvin shouts back, though he doesn't sound actually angry. 

The swaps all laugh at hearing Marvin's shout.

Jackie sighs and looks around for the others. "Hey."

"Pulled up again?" Jackieboy asks through giggles, "Did he make the crew pull up the whole row boat so he wouldnt have to use the ladder before??" 

"That's exactly what he did," Jackie says. "I don't fully blame him for that, since he's not the best on his feet, but surely there's some magic that could help with that, right?" 

"If I'd known that was an option, I would've asked for that," Chase mutters. "That ladder was terrifying." 

Jackie sighs. "In any case. There are three guest cabins downstairs with a bed each. They're pretty small, but if you want to all try to fit in, go ahead. Or I suppose you could choose to sleep with the crew, they probably have spare hammocks. Oh, speaking of Marvin. He asked for a cabin to himself, given the whole... nausea condition. Even with the tonic he's worried about it. So there's really only two. "

The boys all share some looks, then look back towards Jackie. 

Dr. J timidly lifts a hand, "...I'm also worried about being nauseous so if I can... a cabin would be great." 

"We could share, Doc!" Jackieboy says with glee, "That way I can hopefully get some better sleep too- last couple nights have been rough..." 

"Me and Henny could share too- You wouldn't mind, right Hen?" Bro asks. 

"only if it is okay!" Henny says timidly, "I would not wanna take a cabin from someone else who is needing it!"

Henrik raises an eyebrow. "If you all think you can fit. They are pretty small." 

"I'm fine with sleeping with the crew," Jackie says. "What about you two?" He looks at Chase and Jameson. 

Chase shrugs. "I don't really care. I can sleep wherever." 

I'll take wherever I can get, Jameson adds. 

Henny and Bro look at each other, "If they're small- me and Hen can sleep with the crew too. I'm a pretty heavy sleeper." 

"Yeah! I think it could be fun! I have never slept a whole night in a hammock!" Henny says brightly. 

"Also, here, JJ." Henrik hands JJ a small ceramic bottle. "This is one of the tonics. Take one mouthful when you go to sleep and another when you wake up." 

The thought of a swinging hammock on a rocking ship makes Dr. J look kinda pale. So, he's relived when Henrik hands him the tonic. "Thank you so much Henrik."

"Not a problem." Henrik smiles. "I need to give one to Marvin, too. Where is he?" 

"Boat." Jackie points. "Again?" 

"Yea." 

"I do not think the crew like him that much." 

Jackie stifles a laugh. 

Bro laughs loudly at this, "Yeah i'm not sure I would either, having to do that!" 

"Oh, the sunset!" Chase gasps, looking off the bow of the ship. The sun is setting, the orange and pink light reflecting off the deep blue water. "That's beautiful!"

Henny and Jackieboy looks towards the sunset, then towards each other before they run towards the bow.  Jackieboy climbs on the top of the wall of the ship and looks out, laughing lightly in awe, "Wow... that is just gorgeous..." 

Henny leans on the wall and smiles, watching," Ha... this reminds me of when I was young… with my Papa and brothers... seeing the sun set on the beach..." 

Dr. J watches the two go with a fond shake of his head. Bro smiles and they take in the sunset too.

For a moment, everyone just watches the sunset. The crew doesn't mind, working around them. They're used to passengers. So they start pulling up the boats and their stored goods and begin to transfer them to the cargo hold. 

Marvin gets out of the boat and wanders over to the group, also looking at the sunset for a moment before clearing his throat. "I'm, um... going to go to a cabin." 

"Ah, here, Marvin." Henrik hands him another one of the ceramic bottles. "One mouthful before sleep, one when you wake." 

"Alright. Sure." Marvin examines the bottle. "Is everyone going below the deck, too? Who has the cabins?" 

"Jackieboy and JJ." 

"And you?" 

Henrik blushes. "Vsevna offered..." 

Jackieboy snickers at Henrik's blushing. 

Marvin grins but says nothing and just heads down a set of stairs tucked next to the captain's cabin.

"I might follow Marvin's lead and retire early too..." Dr. J says, clutching the tonic. "Since its gonna be dark soon anyways." 

"Oh yeah- is this kinda ship good to sail at night?" Jackieboy asks with a head tilt, then he shakes his head. "... that might be a dumb question- I just dont remember if we're setting off right away or in the morning-" 

"If we were not leaving until morning, why would we already be on the ship?" Henny asks, knitting his eyebrows. 

"Idk man! I dunno how boats work! That's my wife's specialty!"

Henrik chuckles. "Of course the ship is good to sail at night. It is built for long voyages. You cannot just stop sailing when it gets dark, that would eat up so much time. Don't worry, the crew is very capable." 

Jackieboy laughs and messes with his hair, "Yeahhh that makes sense... That'd be dumb-" 

"We might as well go to bed then, and let them take care of it," Chase says.

Bro stretches and nods, "That works for me." 

Henny smiles, "Yes! nothing wrong with some extra sleep. Then, we'll be one nights closer to finding our friend!"

"Let's go below, then," Jackie says. "Come on. I've been on the Serpent's before, I can show you where things are."

◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈

A benefit to sleeping below the decks of a massive ship? There is hardly any light to wake you up in the morning. Those in the cabins have portholes, but the portholes have wooden shutters that close. Everyone is free to sleep as long as they want... though those in the hammocks may be stirred by the sound of the crew getting up and going about their ship business.

Bro rises pretty early with the crew- used to early morning patrols. He stretches and looks around, smiling as he sees Henny still curled up asleep in his hammock. He goes up on the deck and goes to the edge to look out at the sea, feeling the fresh salty sea air. 

Dr. J comes up not long after, looking around and then relaxing slightly at seeing Bro. He comes over to stand next to him. "Good morning, Chase!" 

Bro smiles back at JJ. "Mornin' Doc. How ya feelin'?" 

"Better than I thought I would! Henrik's tonic has helped a lot." The good doctor smiles.

Jackie is already up, also used to early mornings, doing sword practice in a corner of the deck with some of the sailors. Seems the swaying deck has taken away some of his keen dexerity and he loses pretty frequently. 

Chase wakes up shortly after JJ does. "There's so much water," he mutters, looking out at the open sea. Then he looks up. "There are already people up there?!" He blanches just seeing the crew members going up and down the rigging.

Bro looks up at Chase's exclamation and then grins, "Oh... Jackie's gonna be such a menace to those guys-" 

"Honestly I don't see the appeal..." Dr. J says, shaking his head. 

"Only cuz you're scared of heights." 

"Any sensible person would be!"

"I completely agree," Chase says. "What if you fall? Not everyone can fly. In fact, almost no one can fly!" 

Henrik comes out of the captain's cabin at that moment. "Good morning, everyone," he says cheerfully. "Hmm. Seems only about half of us are awake. Do you want to watch Jackie fight? He falls down while doing so on the ship, it is very rare to see him fall." He chuckles. 

Bro grins, "I'm actually thinking of joining if I can! But, dunno probably good to eat something first-" 

Then, one of the doors to the lower cabins bursts open downstairs and Jackieboy claws his way up the stairs to the deck. He grins wide at seeing others up in the rigging and points up, "WATCH OUT ROPES IMMA BOUT TO CLIMB YOU SO HARD!!" 

Bro bursts into laughter, "Uh oh- proper sleep has made him hyper!" 

"YA DAMN RIGHT IT DID!" Jackie calls. 

Dr. J shakes his head, "Before breakfast? He's a mad man-" 

Chase shakes his head as he watches Jackieboy. "He's a fool." 

Dr. J laughs, "I agree- but unfortunately he's a very loveable fool." He says this as he watches Jackieboy start to climb the rigging, grinning like a child on Christmas. 

"Don't be so mean," Henrik scolds. "Not everyone is scared to fall. Besides, Bro could catch him, probably." 

"Well, he's free to do whatever he wants." Chase shrugs.

Henny soon pops his head up from below, his hair tussled from sleep. "Why is there the yelling?" he asks as he joins the others, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. 

Bro chuckles, "You don't usually sleep this late, Henns-" 

"The hammock was very comfy..." Henny yawns.

Chase glances at Henny and smiles. "Yea, it was, wasn't it? Something about the swaying was so soothing to me. And then--then I had another draisling." He looks at the swaps. "You remember me telling you about that, right? With Jack?”

Bro blinks and then nods, "Oh yeah! Your magic dreams- I remember!" 

“He, um... told me something. The King and Magnificent are going to the Wyldwood, and they're bringing Alt with them." 

Jameson appears just in time to hear this, looking like he didn't sleep as well as Chase and Henny. So my vision is on our path? he asks. 

"Seems like it." Henrik lets out a breath. "That is good to know." 

"And," Chase adds, "the two of them think that the Winged Elder One is helping Alt somehow." 

Henrik gasps. "So we are really on the right path, then!" 

Jameson grins, happy to hear this. 

Bro frowns at hearing about the King and Mag, and looks furious at the mention of Alt still being with them. But, he does brighten as he hears about the Elder, but his expression quickly morphs into worry. "If that is true... then they already know... that means they're gonna do everything they can to stop it..." He grits his teeth in anger.

"The King and Magnificent will stop it, you mean?" Henrik asks, looking worried. 

Chase rolls his eyes. "How arrogant do you have to be to think you can stop an Elder? If I was in their position, I would just give up there and try something else." 

Jackie, after getting knocked on his ass again, gets up and joins the others. "What are you talking about?" 

"Oh, uh..." Chase fills him in quickly. 

Jackie sighs. "Well, people like those two won't give up until they get what they want. And honestly, I don't think they'll ever get what they want. Their goal will keep shifting." 

Jameson nods. There's a way of fortune telling involving arcana cards. I remember learning about it when I was little, oracles in Saelas use it. One of the arcana cards is Hunger. A person who is never sated no matter how much they consume. This spirit is certainly like that, and I'm betting Magnificent is, too.

"Oh yeah... that's probably the best way to describe him," Bro growls, power bright in his eyes. "Arrogant, power-hungry... probably thinks going up against an Elder is a fun challenge-" He spist out with hatred. 

"... What can we do then? What if... together... they can best an Elder?" Henny asks in a small voice.

Chase and Jackie start laughing at that. 

"If they can defeat an Elder, they'd still have to deal with the other twenty-four of them," Jackie says. 

"I don't care how unnaturally strong that spirit is, he cannot defeat them," Chase says. "And even if he can, the world is full of other gods who would take issue with that." 

"Exactly," Henrik says. "The Celestial Sisters are watching over this island, as well as the Forger. Do they think they can defeat the ocean? Do they think they can defeat the moon and sun?" He scoffs just saying that.

Henny blinks and then laughs lightly too, shaking his head. "Ha... no- Magnificent is powerful but not that powerful!" 

Bro seems to relax at this too. Having someone point this out helped to ease his worry. "Ha- never really thought we'd have gods on our side..." He looks up at the sky, gripping his shirt over his chest. "... I hope they're able to help Alt... just until we get there..." 

"I'm sure he can make it," Jackie says. 

Chase nods. "I've had a couple encounters with an Elder. They're in my draislings. I'm sure they can protect him."

Bro smiles at Jackie and Chase’s reassurance.

"We have to believe in him too, Chase," Dr. J says gently, "Alt is a tough lad- I bet he's fighting as hard as he can... But, no matter what... we'll find him and bring him home." 

Bro nods at this and sighs, messing with his hair, "Yeah... I know... I just... can't help but worry. He's my baby brother..."

As Bro mentions Alt being his brother, Jameson's expression uncharacteristically... breaks. It's hard to catch, but for a moment, his face is full of grief. He quickly schools it back to sympathy. It's tough, trying to protect younger siblings, he says. But you can't let that guilt eat you up. You're doing everything you can. And I'm sure Alt knows that, even through whatever spell they have on him. 

The others glance at Jameson.

Henny watches Jameson and looks concerned for him. 

Bro blinks then smiles slightly, “Oh yeah- you mentioned having siblings once… sisters, right? So… you get it.” He sighs and messes with his hair some more. “But you’re right… Worrying isn’t gonna do anything right now…”

Jameson glances at Henny’s concerned face, then looks back at Bro with a small smile. Well technically Emer wasn’t my sister all the time, sometimes she was my [sibling], but she didn’t mind the rest of us lumping her together with Orla and Mairead. 

Bro smiles, “Non-binary- nice! also those are such pretty names! I bet they’re great gals!” 

Jackie clears his throat. “I have siblings too. Haven’t seen them in a while but I do wonder how they’re getting on sometimes. I’m not going to say you shouldn’t worry, it’s impossible not to, but don’t let it control you, okay?” He grins. “How about a distraction?” He raises a wooden practice sword in demonstration. 

“Oh yes, Bro, you may have a chance now that the waves throw Jackie off,” Henrik chuckles.

Bro looks at Jackie and then grins wide, “Hell yeah!”

As soon as Bro looks away Jameson’s expression slips again. Chase puts a hand on his shoulder, which Jameson looks grateful for. Has anyone seen Marvin? he asks, changing the subject. 

“I think he is still in his cabin,” Henrik says. “I hope the tonic is helping his nausea. If it is, he should come up. He would like watching this I think.” He gestures at Bro and Jackie going off to spar. 

I’ll go check on him, then, Jameson says, and turns to leave.

Henny watches Jameson with more worry and then looks to the others, “I think I left something downstairs as well! I will go with Jameson-“ Then he quickly follows after Jameson. He hesitates for a second and then reaches out to gently take Jameson’s shoulder, “…Jameson my friend… is something wrong?” He asks quietly.

Jameson stops just before the stairs below deck. He reflexively starts to deny it, then hesitates. Are you… prepared to hear something serious?

Henny looks even more worried but then he nods, “If you are willing to share… it is alright if you are not though. I just want to make sure you are okay…”

I think an explanation is needed, anyway. It’s only fair. I think everyone else knows. Jameson hesitates again before going on. My sisters… have passed. Six years ago my parents opposed many of the King’s new policies, so he… retaliated. I’m the last of my line. He shakes his head. All that sibling talk just… reminded me of things. 

Henny’s eyes widen and then, without thinking, he grabs Jameson and pulls him into a tight hug. He buries his head against Jameson’s shoulder and whispers in a shaky voice, “I am… so sorry, Jameson…” 

Jameson, not expecting that at all, stiffens slightly. But then he quickly melts into it, hugging Henny back. He closes his eyes and lets out a long breath. Been a while since someone said that.

Henrik hugs him tight for a while before finally letting go. He wipes underneath his eyes and then looks at Jameson with a sympathetic expression. “…I understand your pain, my friend. In a different way but… I… I will tell you something my friends know that you all do not…” He fidgets anxiously with his pocket watch and looks down, taking a deep breath. “…Magnificent… he pulled me from the past in our world… one minute… I was still living with my papa and my brothers were alive and then… it was suddenly 90 years in the future.” Tears brim in his eyes, “in a way… he took my family from me… and I already lost my mother and my sisters in a war…” He pushes up his glasses to wipe at his eyes better before laughing bitterly. “M-maybe that is too serious but… I understand, Jameson… I lost my entire family too…”

Jameson's eyes go wide, and then his expression softens. He shakes his head. No, it's not too much. It's alright. There are tears in his eyes too. I'm so sorry, Henny. I can't imagine what it would have been like jumping through time, after already losing your family. He gives a voiceless, dark laugh. But I also understand that pain. He smiles, eyes watery. I suppose we have to make them proud from beyond, then, don't we? He indicates the mask hanging from his belt. My family crest was a rabbit. I think... I think resisting the King is what they would want me to do.

Henrik looks up at Jameson and gives him a watery smile too, a tear dripping down his face. “Yes… I-I think they would be very proud… of both of us.” He gives Jameson another quick hug before backing up and wiping at his face again. He laughs lightly. “now… w-we should probably see if Marvin is alright, Ja?”

Jameson nods. He's probably sleeping in, if he's not too nauseous. But let's check anyway. He gives him one more smile, and then heads down the stairs. 

◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈━◈

Soon after the sun rises, Aneirin wakes up. He immediately turns his attention to Alt. He didn't see any more strange dreams that night, but that didn't mean there weren't more possibly coming. Getting up, he nudges Alt awake, and then Magnificent. "I think it's time," he says, grinning. "Time to jump across the land."

Alt looks exhausted, the dark bags under his eyes getting worse each day. But, he glitches up and stands at attention, dazedly looking back at the King. 

Magnificent blinks awake and then grins, getting to his feet in a flicker of magic. “Finally~!” He glances over at Alt and checks his strings mentally. They’re still strong. He nods in satisfaction, grinning even more.

Aneirin looks a bit concerned at Alt’s condition, but they don’t have time to let him rest. “We can leave the horses behind,” he says, grabbing the bags from them. They’d made sure to stock them up during the trip, but if worst comes to worst, he could remember an edible fruit if he saw it. “It will be too difficult for them.”

“Good- they were useful but I’m glad to not have to ride them anymore.” Magnificent grumbles. 

Alt looks at the King grabbing the bags and holds out a hand, “I can carry those, mu Ríth.” 

Aneirin grins. “Thank you, á klaíoh.” He was going to tell him to carry them anyway, but it’s always good to see them showing initiative. Alt takes the bags and adjusts them accordingly, nodding to the King. 

 As Aneirin hands them over, he looks up at the sky. Clouds are visibly moving across it. Gathering above them. This black magic is certainly giving him a boost. Then he looks around. They need a stretch of clear land… there. He points to a spot about fifty feet away. “I’ll open the doorway there. Don’t get too close until it appears.”

Magnificent grins at the clouds but then tilts his head and narrows his eyes towards where Aneirin pointed, “Why can’t we get close-?”

“Because lightning is about to strike,” the King says bluntly. The clouds rumble ominously after that. How dramatic.

“…oh- well yeah… that would explain it.” Magnificent replies, blinking rapidly.

“Get ready.” The King narrows his eyes. They flash green— A bolt of lightning flashes down from the clouds and strikes the ground. 

Dirt and grass sprays into the air, and suddenly a hole opens up, an archway of green light wide enough for the three of them to walk through side by side. The middle no longer shows the field, but instead a lush forest in all shades of green, the ground gradually sloping downwards.

Alt’s eyes widen as he sees the forest on the other side. He starts to walk forward- but Mag grabs him and tugs him back slightly. “Stay by us, kitten. We don’t want you getting lost.” 

Green flashes weakly in Alt’s eyes but he nods, whispering, “Y-Yes my liege.” 

Ah. Just as he remembers. The King nods, preparing himself, and walks forward. 

Magnificent grins, looking at the portal with mad glee. “This is it! Let’s go~” He walks toward, Alt trailing just behind him.

As soon as the three of them are through the doorway closes. They are standing on a sloped ground, surrounded by trees with dark green leaves, thick enough to completely block out the sky. But it’s bright as day in the forest, lit up by glowing yellow and orange mushrooms growing on the trees’ bark. Patches of moss cover everything in a fuzzy green carpet and the grass blades are wide, reaching their knees. “This is… in the foothills of the mountains, I believe,” Aneirin says.

Magnificent whistles, “My my… what a pretty sight!” He then makes a face at the grass reaching up so high and lifts up his foot slightly. “ugh- I definitely see where the wild fits in though.” 

Alt looks around at the glowing mushrooms and the trees. “it’s… beautiful.” 

Aneirin looks around. "I suppose it is. It's been so long since I've seen it in person." He gently puts one hand against the nearest tree. And the moss shrinks back, spreading away from his hand like an amoeba moving. A low groaning sound echoes through the forest. Other than that, there is no noise at all. "But that doesn't make it any less dangerous. I think I remember our destination being on flatter ground."

“Then let’s get moving,” Magnificent says, heading down the slope. 

Alt hesitates, watching the moss shrinking away from the King. But soon enough his eyes flicker with green and he moves to follow Magnificent. He grips their supply bag tightly, looking around the forest cautiously as they move.

Nothing happens for a while. They brush through the grass and weave around the trees, heading gradually downwards. Alt and Mag can feel the magic around them, so strong it's practically buzzing. Another one of those groaning noises echoes through the forest, and despite the lack of wind, the trees rustle. And then the ground heaves, gnarled tree roots rising from the earth, blocking their way forward.

Alt reacts first, getting in front of Mag and the King and holding a hand buzzing with green lightning out towards the roots. But, he relaxes as it doesn’t seem like it’s attacking them. He does look at them in confusion, though. 

Magnificent steps forward and growls, lighting green fire up in his hand. “The fuck is this?!”

"I told you, the forest has a mind of its own," the King says. He steps forward, experimentally touching the raised roots. They don't react. He turns to the side, inching between the trees, but it seems this wall continues to the left and the right. "No way around it, it looks like. We'll have to find some way through."

Magnificent growls, eyes glowing bright, “I’ll make a way through!” 

“W-Won’t that cause a huge fire??” Alt says in a bit of panic. 

“Silence whelp- you weren’t spoken to!” Magnificent snaps at Alt. The knight scampers back and presses his lips shut. “If this forest has a mind of its own- it can find a way to put itself out!” The mad magician giggles, then lashes out to try to blast a hole through the roots with a blast of green fire. 

The fire catches, burning through the wood surprisingly quickly. 

Aneirin steps back, looking actually shocked. The roots writhe as more of those groaning sounds echo through the environment. And then, from deep within the forest, comes a wailing scream of terror. Fear rolls through the woods, rising up within them at the sound of that scream. It's almost a physical force telling them to run as fast as possible in the other direction.

Alt stumbles back from the fire, eyes wide. Then, the screaming comes and he feels a shiver go through his body, parts of it threatening to pixelize. He starts to step back, almost wanting to listen to the force. But then his eyes flash green, Mag’s command to stay close washing away all the terror and he relaxes, eyes glazing over slightly. 

Magnificent feels the force but then snorts and steps forward, going through the smoking hole he made through the wood. “Nice try, woods- but you won’t scare me.”

Aneirin raises an eyebrow. "Impressive." He follows Magnificent. As he passes through the hole the tree roots slam down, barely missing him as they burrow into the earth to recover from the burning. He doesn't even flinch. "That's probably a banshee or darrig. We'll know if it's the latter if we have nightmares." 

The tree branches overhead bend, almost avoiding touching the two of them. They don't bend away from Alt. Which is a bit inconvenient, but it doesn't feel malicious.

“Oh goody- I love those,” Magnificent grumbles. He keeps moving forward. Alt stares at the roots as they slam down, a brief flickering in his eyes. But then he follows after Mag and the King, glitching around the branches in his way. 

It's hard to tell how much time passes without the sun for reference. Slowly, the trees change, growing taller and straighter, their dark brown bark speckled with white. The grass is no longer knee-length, now just brushing their ankles, turning dark green, almost turquoise. The glowing mushrooms disappear but are replaced by small white flowers and pink butterflies, both glowing as well. 

Soon, hunger starts to set in for the King and Alt. And just as they start to notice, they come to a section where vines drop down from the high branches of the trees. Vines with fruit on the end and berries along the length. There's a whole variety, the fruit resembling plums, apricots, nectarines, the berries like cherries and mulberries, but they're all the wrong colors. They look almost like jewels in the way they shine.

Alt, who's been dazedly walking through the changes, blinks up at the vines. Then, he seems to brighten, his stomach churning painfully. He instantly reaches up to try to grab some of the fruit. 

"Careful, á klaíoh." The King holds out his hand, stopping Alt from grabbing anything. "Fruit in the Wyldwood could be a trick." He narrows his eyes, trying to recall these. "If I'm correct... you shouldn't eat the ones that are warmer colors. Stick to the cooler blues and purples." Maybe. It's been a while since he had to eat these. And he'd rather Alt try than him. 

Alt startles slightly at the King stopping him. He blinks and then looks out at the vine again. He takes the first cool colored fruit he can find, hesitates, then slowly takes a bite.

It--it's so good. Delicious, sweet, and surprisingly rich for a fruit. It tastes like new flavors are emerging the longer he has it in his mouth, and as he swallows he feels comforting warmth in his stomach. His body is buzzing with energy, glitching on its own. 

He wants more. He needs more--

Alt practically melts as he chews on the fruit, eagerly eating what he can before he starts to reach for another. Then, he stops and furrows his brows against the sensation. He's hungry but... this... feels like a trap. He glitches back, looking at the fruit with narrowed eyes. He looks down at his body now, eyes widening as he sees the energy bubbling throughout. "...woah-" 

"...strange fruit-" Mag comments, raising an eyebrow. "If it provides energy though... maybe we should keep some around." 

"...I-I don't think that's a very good idea, sire..." Alt breathes, "...I think the fruit was trying to bewitch me-" 

Aneirin blinks. "Ah yes, I remember now." He reaches up to the vines himself and--avoiding the fruit at the end--takes some of the berries. "The warm fruit will steal your energy while the cool fruit gives you it, but they both taste so delicious that you want to eat until your stomach bursts. To offset it, you need to consume the berries first." He pops a couple of them in his mouth. They taste slightly sour, a feeling that lingers as he grabs a purple fruit and bites into it. It's delicious, but not irresistible. "You were able to resist the feeling on your own? Impressive."

Alt feels a wave of pride swell through him at the King's praise. He smiles timidly and nods, grabbing some berries for himself and following the King's lead. "T-Thank you, mu Rith." He mumbles, popping a few berries in his mouth and then grabbing another cool fruit. His body buzzes with more energy and he grins, feeling better than he has in a couple days. He starts to pick both berries and fruits to take with them. 

"You're welcome." The King leans back against a tree as he eats. "We can take a moment here. I believe we also have bread and meat in the bags, if we're making this a full meal. If you would, á klaíoh, when you're done gathering." He gestures at the bags Alt is carrying. 

Alt glitches around and then perks up a bit and seems relieved the King is willing to take a break. "Of course, sire!" He sits down and starts to unpack, pulling out all the things they need for a full meal. 

Mag looks annoyed about having to stop but he sighs and comes over to sit anyway.

Aneirin notices Mag's annoyance and smirks slightly. "Come now, Magnificent. Surely you remember the need for rest, even if you may not remember the need for food. Besides, we're not sure where our destination lies anyway. A search takes more energy than a simple journey."

Magnificent sighs dramatically but he does lean back on his hands. "Yeah yeah- I suppose my legs could use a rest." 

Alt breaks the bread and hands some of the bread and meat to the King before giving himself some to eat and digging in.

They eat quietly for a while, the only sound being the faint rustling of leaves and that strange groaning noise. Now able to sit and really listen, it sounds like... like something heavy moving. Maybe something wooden. 

Magnificent has his eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of the forest during their break. Even if he's not a big fan of that groaning noise... 

There's also another sound. Alt can hear a faint... murmuring. Not a sound that fits in the woods. It sounds like one or two human voices.

Alt eats quickly but tries to savor the food too. As he's finishing up he picks up the sound of the mumbling and looks towards it, lightly tilting his head.

"...What is it?" Aneirin asks, noticing Alt's attention. Then he hears it too. "...Voices?" He frowns. "Wait a moment. Let's see if they change at all." 

They don't. They stay where they are, at generally the same volume, too low to really hear the words.

Alt tenses his shoulders and listens, narrowing his eyes. When they don't move he looks towards the King, "...an illusion?"

"Possibly," he says slowly. "But I believe we can take on any creatures that would cause it. It could also be real. And if it is, I am curious..." He pauses. It's tempting to send Alt to check it out, but if he goes too far, they could get separated. He looks at Magnificent, silently asking for his opinion. 

Alt's eyes spark with magic, "I could check it out, mu Rith." 

Magnificent glances at Aneirin and then shrugs, {His control is solid. He knows not to stray too far from our side.}

Aneirin nods reluctantly. "Very well. Be careful. If you think you are in danger, return and alert us instead of staying to fight."

Alt's flash green at the command as he nods, "Yes, mu Ríth." Then he glitches out of sight. He appears where he thinks he heard the noise, magic bubbling in his hands as he looks cautiously around.

As he weaves between the trees, the voices get louder until he sees two figures crouching behind a pair of bushes--which doesn't help hide them at all, since they are the only bushes in sight and kind of stand out. One of the figures is small, the size of a child, but with adult proportions. He wears old-looking clothes and has a mane of curly red hair and a beard that practically hides his face. The other is mostly covered by a black cloak, but has skinny wrinkled arms and long white hair. They are talking. It's not Glasish (or even English), but somehow Alt knows what they're saying. 

"What is a Jester but a Fool without conviction?" 

"The conviction is the difference. A Fool would walk down the Forest Path, a Jester would turn away for spite or fun." 

The short man grumbles and the cloaked woman sweeps two things towards her. It seems they're playing a card game of some sort, with a set of cards whose backs have the same pattern as the bark on the surrounding trees. Each of them has a hand of five cards and a pile of face-up claimed cards, and there's a deck to draw from in the middle. 

Alt pauses as he hears the voices get louder and he stops to hide partially behind a tree. He narrows his eyes at the figures. ...the King said this forest was dangerous... why are these people just... out here playing cards...?

Suddenly, both of them turn and look right at Alt, the tree doing him no favors. "Oh, someone approaches!" says the cloaked woman. "He smells of Hunger but he is not of that." 

"I think he travels with one, maybe two," says the small man. "Which is he, you think? Perhaps of the Hood?" 

"I say a Magician, or perhaps a Ghlish." 

"These people are of many arcana, maybe he is all of them." 

"That is very true. Stranger, would you like to join our game? We can deal you a hand. If you play well, perhaps we will give you aid."

Alt stiffens as they turn towards him, his blood running cold. He cautiously steps out from behind the tree, trying to keep himself from glitching. "um... dia duhui ..." He tries to greet. "Y-You all speak in... a strange tongue... may I ask what you... are, exactly?" He asks quietly, fearful of their reactions.

"Ah, some of the Wanderer in you, too, I see," the cloaked woman cackles. "Far from home, if you do not know." Somehow, Alt realizes that she's switched to another language that he understands as well. 

Alt blinks in confusion as they speak. Why does the language sound... more familiar now? It's not... Glasish. "... far from home...?" He whispers, green-blue flickering in his eyes. 

"You have nothing to fear from Lasta and Caba," the short man says, speaking that language too. 

"Frightening and strange we may be, but death and pain is no fun," the cloaked woman agrees. 

"And If I am Lasta and she is Caba, who are you?" the short man asks. "Will you give us your name?"

Alt  shakes his head out, blinking rapidly. "Oh well Lasta... Caba.... it's nice to meet you..." He says slowly. As they ask for his name, a foggy memory swirls in his head. Of a woman with red hair and a kind smile, who warned him about the fey. ... the fey...? like... the fair folk...? That's... confusing... but the memory’s vivid enough to give him pause before he speaks. "... I cannot give you my name... but you can call me Alt." He replies. 

Lasta and Caba laugh. "So he's clever!" Caba says. "Not so much a Wanderer, then." 

"Seeing more of the Magician, yes," Lasta agrees. "Well, Alt, would you like to play?" Caba picks up the deck and shuffles it. Alt catches glimpses of colorful illustrations on the face side of the cards. "There will be no cost." 

"And it may reveal more than you think," Lasta adds.

Alt hesitates again, glancing back towards where he left the King and Magnificent. But... surely there wasn't too much risk in playing a game...? He could just say he was scouting around. The knight nods and goes to sit down on the ground by them, "Um... sure? you.. keep mentioning all these titles and names... what are you referring to exactly?" He asks curiously. Honestly- it feels weird to be speaking so much. He's really only been speaking when spoken to by the King and Magnificent the past couple days.

"We speak of the arcana, Alt," Caba says, spreading out the deck for a moment to show the illustrations. Each card has one, with writing underneath it labeling it. 

Alt's eyes light up and he smiles, a foregin name on his tongue, "Tarot cards...!" Then, his eyes flash green and he knits his eyebrows together, shaking out his head. "Uh... sorry I don't... know why I said that..." 

Caba continues as if he had not spoken, "Oracles use them to tell fortunes, but they can also be used to tell the character of a thing." 

"Or for simple games," Lasta says. 

"Yes, like ours!" Caba cackles. She flips the deck so the faces are down. "Take five for your hand, Alt. Our rules are loose. Each round, present one of your cards. We will present one of ours. We must give reasons why our card will beat the others presented." 

"Use your imagination," Lasta says. "And if you do not know what your card is, go with your gut feeling to its meaning." 

"The one who convinces the others will take the cards," Caba continues. "And we go until we run the deck out. Whoever has the most cards wins for all. But you may bow out after however many rounds you please."

Alt listens to the rules and nods, smiling again, "Alright... that sounds fun." He starts to draw 5 cards.

Caba and Lasta smile. 

"Let the game begin!" Lasta says, and they each grab a card from the deck to fill out the rest of their hand. 

Alt's five cards are all different. Maybe there aren't any repeats in this arcana. The first one shows a two-wheeled silver cart being pulled by a pair of goats and driven by a woman with red hair and purple eyes. It's labelled as "The Chariot." The second shows a wheel with six spokes. In each corner is a woman, a bird, a wolf, and a cat, all with wings. It's labelled "The Wheel of Fortune." The third shows a man standing in front of a gold-framed mirror. While the man has short green hair and wears blue and red, the reflection has long brown hair and wears black and red. It also has scars on half of its face. This is labelled "The Mirror." The fourth shows a background that's all vivid colors blurred together, broken up by a black crack running down the middle, with more cracks branching off to the side. This is labelled "Fracture." The final one has an illustration of a clock face. It's floating in space, and the stars are spiralling around it, the background swirls of purple and blue. It's labelled "Time." 

Alt's eyes widen as he looks at the mirror card. Why... does the image of the man in red... look so familiar....?

"Play at will, Alt," Caba says, setting down her chosen card face-down on the grass. "We'll reveal in unison."

Alt’s caught in his own head for a second before he snaps back at the sound of his name. He nods and pulls a card at random from his deck, too shaken to put too much thought into it.

Lasta puts his card down shortly after. "I'll turn them, then," he says, and flips over the three cards. 

On the left is Lasta's card: an illustration of a cloaked figure wearing a white mask, holding a lamp in one hand and standing on a cliff. "The Hermit." It came out upside down when he flipped it. 

In the middle is Caba's: an illustration of a brown-haired man with a crown sitting at a banquet table, yet despite the full plate before him his cheeks are sunken. "Hunger." 

On the right is Alt's chosen card. The "Fracture." 

"Interesting, interesting," Caba says. "You seem to have no good cards, Lasta." 

"Better than yours, at least. A Hermit would not fall to Hunger." 

Alt's eyes widen looking at the Hunger card. The crown- the King...? He gasps for a second, a sudden pain in his temple as his eyes flicker green. He grits his teeth and tries to push past the sudden discomfort. He can't anger these kind creatures.... they are probably fair folk! It's just a simple game... it will be fine- He looks at the other cards and then mutters out, "Um.. t-the fracture would... affect both of them... wouldn't it? Anyone can feel... fractured-" He says this and grips over his heart.

They tilt their heads in comical unison. 

"Often a Hunger will cause a Fracture," Caba insists. 

"And the Hermit would have enough wisdom to avoid it," Lasta adds. 

"Oh, come now, yours came out reversed." Caba smirks beneath her curtain of white hair. "The upside Hermit is lost and lonely. He would have no one to support him through a Fracture." 

Lasta throws a hand in the air. "My hand has not been good these past few rounds!" 

"So you concede?" 

"I do." 

"Between you and me then, lad," Caba says. 

Alt grips tighter at his tunic listening to Caba talk about the Hermit. Lost and Lonely... He has to shake his head more to look back at Caba. He sees the Hunger card and feels a twing of pain in his head again. "... fracture seems... powerful... doesn't it? s-surely enough to best a... a hungry... king-" He says slowly. 

"So you see it as a King," Caba says. "Fascinating." 

Alt blinks in confusion and looks up, "Is he... not?" He asks, tilting his head at the Hunger card. 

She cackles. "For one so unfamiliar, you are correct. A Fracture is a danger to many. I concede." 

"We've not had one beat us in some time," Lasta adds. "Perhaps we should have fought more." 

Alt looks back up with surprise. "I won...?" 

"This lad has been through much. The smell of Hunger says it. We are not like those cruel ones, are we?" 

"No, of course not." Lasta laughs. "Very well. What shall he win, then?" 

"That is the question, hmm." Caba sweeps the cards towards Alt. "For now, keep these three for yourself. Consider them a souvenir in addition to your prize." 

Alt takes the cards from them and studies them a bit closer, frowning. "Ah... t-thank you..." 

"Gold is traditional for my people, if you'd like that," Lasta says, grinning. 

"Or I can wish you luck on troubled waters, if you travel much," Caba adds.

Alt then looks back at them and thinks, "... I don't have need for gold... so luck would be... better I think. I have been travelling for quite some time..."

"Ahhh, we are very lucky," Lasta laughs like this is some joke between him and Caba. 

"The cards will look like what you know," Caba says. "Perhaps in the presence of others it will look different. But luck, you say?" The two of them lean closer, almost pressing their heads together. Then they draw apart again. 

"Very well." Lasta reaches into one of the bushes and pulls out a small twig with bright green leaves. He passes it to Caba, and she rolls it over in her hands. Alt can smell salt, like the ocean. Caba hands him the twig. "When you most need it, luck will bring you where you need to be," she says. 

Alt watches with bright curiosity as Lasta and Caba prepare the twig. He hesitates to take it though- his eyes flickering more with green. It almost feels like he's fighting something... but he's not sure what. But, he eventually grabs it and looks at it with a tilted head. "...where I need to be... huh...?"

"Now, do you wish for a second round?" Lasta says, shuffling the deck. 

For some reason, Alt feels that a second round is a bad idea... He straightens up at the offer and then he pushes himself up. "Um... I... I probably shouldn't... I'm expected somewhere... I-I need to return but... thank you for the game, and your gift." He says, giving them a small bow.

"Yes, of course, twas a pleasure!" Lasta says. 

"No debt owed, no need to thank!" Caba adds. "Return to where you came from, and tell your companions of what happened." Lasta shuffles faster. 

Alt backs up and then nods to them, "R-Right..." He's not sure how much he will end up telling the King and Mag... He's worried they will be angry for how long he's been gone. 

"And we will continue as we do." Caba plucks a card from the deck mid-shuffle. 

"Farewell," they say in unison. And then immediately, the two of them turn their attention back to the cards, like Alt is no longer there.

Once their eyes are no longer on him, Alt glitches away, hurrying back to where he left Mag and the King.

Aneirin stands up when he sees Alt approaching. "What happened?" he demands. "You were gone for so long." If he hadn't been able to sense Alt's mind staying still he would have been very concerned.

Alt stumbles back with a look of fear as the King speaks, "I-I stumbled into a pair of f-fair folk! They tricked me i-into a game. I'm s-so sorry, my king..." 

Mag sits up and knits his eyebrows in thought, "You got tricked?"

Aneirin's eyebrows shoot into the air in surprise. "A game? With two Fair Folk? By any chance, did they introduce themselves as Caba and Lasta?"

"Y-Yes." Alt says quietly. "Have you met them before, s-sire...?"

"Not personally, but I have heard of them," Aneirin says slowly. "A leprechaun and bodacha trapped in an eternal game. When the rest of the Fair Folk left this world for their Faerilynd, those two refused to help with the moving, instead continuing to play with their cards. In anger, other Fair Folk cursed them so their game would never end." He chuckles. "Little did they know that wouldn't bother the two of them at all. It's said they try to entrap travelers into playing while time around them passes quickly. But if the travelers win a round, they're granted a prize of some sort."

Magnificent snorts at this, "Ridiculous..." 

"...I... I won." Alt says quietly, yet, he tries to hide his prize under his tunic, suddenly afraid of the King knowing about it.

"You did?" The King looks surprised. He laughs. "They must have gone easy on you. Or perhaps you drew a good hand. Very well. What did you get? Tell us."

Alt stiffens, his eyes flashing green. He chokes a bit, then feels compelled to say, "I won these, mu Rith," and he holds out the twig and the 3 cards. His hands tremble as he shows the King. "Cards... and an aid for our travels." 

Magnificent teleports over and peers down at the spoils, then makes a face. "What garbage is this?" 

"The Fair Folk are fond of disguising valuables as common trash and common trash as valuables," Aneirin says. He takes the cards and turns them over, revealing their illustrations. Strangely, the person in the Hunger illustration looks different. No longer wearing fine green clothes and a crown, but instead a tattered cape with colorful static on the inside. The Hermit also looks different, now a man wearing a green cloak and holding a sword in the hand that's not holding the lantern. The King's expression darkens. 

"Keep these," he mutters, handing the cards back to Alt. "What do you mean by 'an aid'?"

Alt nods, taking the cards. Then he says quietly, " They said.... 'When you most need it, luck will bring you where you need to be' and h-handed me the stick." 

Aneirin's eyes light up. He looks at Magnificent. "I did say that we didn't know where our destination is..."

Magnificent eyes widen and then he grins too, giggling sinisterly. “My my Alt… how lucky for all of us!” 

Alt starts to back up, suddenly overwhelmed with dread. He holds the twig close to his chest- His eyes start to flicker.

"Alt," the King says, his tone dangerous as he notices the flickering. "Give that to me." He holds out his hand.

Alt flinches and seems like he wants to fight against the command- But, he can’t resist it as his eyes flare green again and he uncurls, reaching out the stick to the King. 

The King grins. He feels the slightest tinge of magic as his fingers touch it. And if Magnificent was to reach out, he could sense a faint signature from it and the cards, something strange and beautiful. 

Aneirin tucks the twig into a pocket on his tunic. "Well then. Now's a good time to continue on, I think."

Alt stands stoically in place one the stick is taken and nods dazedly. “Yes, mu Ríth.” 

Magnificent looks at the twig with a hungry expression. “If this thing could help us get to the doorway- shouldn’t we go ahead and use it?”

"I don't think this is something that can be used," Aneirin says. "Otherwise the Fair Folk would've told him a command word. I think its luck will simply guide us passively." He looks around, eyes settling on one direction. "Let's continue going downhill. I'm sure I remember it being on flat land."

“Ah- that makes sense.” Magnificent says. He glances at Alt and then starts back down the hill. 

Alt slowly follows after, the forest around him dimming into a hazy fog.

Aneirin leads the way, a triumphant grin on his face.

[blackjackkent]

OK, so... time to see about breaking into the Steel Watch Foundry.

Rakha has two intentions here:

Find a way to shut down production/operation of the Steel Watch to make it easier to betray and attack Gortash.

At Barcus's urging (and because of her severe dislike of Wulbren), attempting to do so without killing the Gondian staff inside - at least not without giving them a chance to surrender/talk.

They break through the heavy gate at the front in the way that Rakha has taken to getting through most locked doors, which is by having Lae'zel smash it apart:

Which of course summons the attention of the Watch outside. This is not exactly a subtle infiltration.

So far the strategy of this particular party against Steel Watch seems to be letting Lae'zel triple-smash it below the damage threshold and then have everyone run like hell while it explodes. Hey, it works.

Fun banter between Wyll and Lae'zel on the way in:

Wyll: Labour is the lifeblood of every city. Baldur's Gate would perish without its workers. Lae'zel: So it is with the githyanki. Without the mlar's swords and ships, and the gardens of our g'lathk, the empire couldn't thrive. Wyll: Maybe githyanki and humans aren't so different after all. Lae'zel: Let's not carried away, Wyll.

Another locked door to get into the building proper:

The entry hallway is stacked with crates and scrap metal and lined with steaming, hissing pipes. A pair of Gortash's soldiers are standing in a corner, having a very pleasant chat:

"I heard you were disciplined by Overseer Holzt, Dread Brother." "When instructing a Gondian, my enthusiasm overtook me. I cut off her hand." "Clumsy. What good are they without their limbs?" "Indeed. I had to dispose of her."

Lovely. They also immediately get mad as soon as Rakha comes in the door, leading to a quick fight that I don't remember from my last time here.

With the front path clear, it's time to enter the first main room of the foundry - and hey, this is a very different cutscene if you haven't gone to the Iron Throne first!

"You are asking the impossible!" A few armored guards - their leader bearing the Black Hand of Bane on her helmet - are standing around a small and frightened- (and exhausted-) looking gnome in a worker's clothes, who is pleading desperately with them.

"Gyronetics require a steady hand and a sharp gaze! I can barely keep my eyes open. I need to *rest*."

The Baneite officer smiles coldly. "You have a son, do you not?" she says, idly, as if the woman's pleading is nothing more than a joke. "Is he as lazy and pathetic as his spineless mother?"

Rakha watches with some fascination as the woman pulls from her pocket a strange device - a purple crystal encased in a gilt framework - which begins suddenly to glow with a strange, pulsing light. Around it, Rakha can see the Weave begin to swirl and churn violently, and through that churning a thin connecting line disappearing through the fabric of reality, rather like the tie that binds Wyll to Mizora, or that bound Shadowheart to Shar.

"Prinski's Motivation Sequence activated," says a prim female voice from somewhere - perhaps from inside the device itself.

Rakha doesn't know what this signifies - except that it instantly terrifies the gnome, who goes deathly pale.

"Wait! Stay your hand, I beg you!" she cries with sudden frantic desperation.

The Banite's smile widens. She twists her fingers so the device spins lazily above her palm. "Tell me, Gondian," she says coolly. "Tell me about your son."

The gnome swallows. "He's not--" she begins, and then seems to think better of whatever she was about to say. Her shoulders slump. "Yes, Overseer Holzt," she says, almost too low for Rakha to pick up at her distance from the conversation. "He's frail in body and mind. Like me, like all of us. Yet by your grace he lives."

Holzt smirks, clearly enjoying her position of power and the fear it engenders. "And your wife?" she growls.

The gnome's breathing quickens. Rakha can see the shimmer of despair in her eyes. "She is- was- useless," she says weakly, as if reciting the terrible words by rote. "And interfered with production quotas. You were... wise to remove her from this world." Her eyes flick around the room as if hoping for some miracle escape, but nothing materializes. "Forgive my outburst," she mutters. "I will work through the night. This Watcher will be operational by dawn."

There's a long, strained pause, which Holzt lets stretch almost to the breaking point.

Then she loosens her fingers, and the crystal in her hand goes dark, settling down into her palm. She pockets it, the nasty smile still curling her lips.

"I will allow it," she purrs. "But if your work is anything short of impeccable, your son will die screaming. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Overseer Holzt," the gnome whispers. She stares at the floor as the Baneite turns and walks away.

------

"Seems like Barcus was right," Wyll says grimly. "They're being held under duress."

"And their children threatened," Jaheira growls. "The son she mentions is certainly a hostage."

"A monstrous cruelty," rumbles Minsc. "As befits Bane the Tyrant. Say the word and Boo shall gnaw out this Overseer's eyes."

Rakha shakes her head slightly. Her eyes are still fixed on Holzt as she walks away towards the office beyond the far wall, and her jaw works in thought.

"That device," she mutters. "It was magic. Tied to that collar around her neck - and also to something beyond this place."

"Or someone, I suspect," Lae'zel says coolly. "The hostages in question."

Rakha scowls. "I told Barcus we would free these people, if it can be done," she says slowly.

Wyll smiles with bitter black humor. "Well, then," he says. "I suppose we'd best make sure that device doesn't go off."

[johaerys-writes]

Pleassssseeeee tell us about your VC ship preferences so far 🙏

Aaahh gosh I really don't know 🙈 Like whatever I say now will probably change once I've read the actual books, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to love whatever Lestat is involved in LOL. Loustat from what I understand is the obvious choice (?), and if the TV show is anything to go by then I know I'm going to like them. HOWEVER there's something about Louis/Armand from what I've seen in the show that is tickling my brain in a very particular way too..... the sort of extremely unhealthy obsession + one of the people in the relationship still being obsessed with their ex or something is sooo appealing to me haha. So many opportunities for delicious angst 👀

These are the ships I have personal experience with from watching the show, as far as I've seen (haven't finished s2 yet oops), but from friends here I've also seen a lot of Lestat/Armand which also seems like it would be right up my alley for different reasons, and also Marius/Armand. Love me a troubled (and also somewhat pathetic?) Daddy 😩

Once again, this is my extremely uninformed opinion so if you're a hardcore VC fan don't come at me okay LMAO. Also just putting it out there that I'm a huge fan of dark themes and problematiqueTM content, so there's very little chance that I'll be put off by stuff in the books that aren't "wholesome" or that are even downright evil haha. But still, I'm excited to read the books and revisit this ask and see if I ended up shipping something completely random 😅

[ewanmitchellcrumbs]

Good day to you Ange!☀️

I can’t get Ettore out of my mind rn thanks to Favours. Even as the fic has completed, I can’t help but imagine how they would go from there.

May I propose a scenario here, what do you think Ettore would feel in the morning after spending the night with OFC in his room and he falls asleep in her arms? Would he make a stink about it and hate himself for “being so vulnerable in front her” deciding never to it again, or would he embrace it?

I am always happy to chat about my stories, and create spin-offs and talk about the what-ifs, even if it's a series that's complete. Never feel hesitant to drop into my asks with your questions and ideas about my writing. I love that!

And I love this idea, so I've decided to write a little drabble for it...

It's still dark when Ettore opens his eyes. He doesn't remember falling asleep. The ship is still silent, except for the sound of the soft breathing beside him.

Soft breathing beside him.

He turns his head, his sleep addled vision slowly focusing and adjusting to the darkness. Her sleeping form is pressed against him in the tight confines of his small bunk.

They have never fallen asleep together before, they aren't supposed to, the risk of getting caught together is too great. Each of their trysts ends with them hurriedly dressing and then rushing away, afraid of who might see.

He flinches as he rolls towards her. The pain in the juncture between his neck and shoulder brings back the memory from earlier in the evening, when she'd sunk her teeth into the same spot to stifle a moan as he'd fucked her into the mattress.

He has always thought she looks beautiful splayed out and writhing beneath him, but now he decides the sight before him may be even better. She looks so peaceful. He never gets to see her like this. Her hair is fanned out across the pillow, her face is relaxed. She cannot be real. Surely this is an angel that lays beside him.

Reaching out a tentative hand, Ettore strokes the softness of her hair. His fingers move to trace the curve of her jaw, as he studies her face. A gentle thumb strokes across the plushness of her full bottom lip, careful not to disturb the still healing split from where he'd hit her in that same place just a week prior. His heart twinges with guilt as he remembers. He can't ever imagine laying his hands upon her in anger now.

They still haven't kissed. She has been respectful of his wish not to do so. In the beginning it felt too intimate of a gesture. Ettore has never kissed anyone before, but now he wants more than anything to kiss her. He has no idea how to go about it or how to even ask her, but he finds himself imagining how her lips would feel against his.

He is quick to withdraw his hand and drop it back to his side as she wakes up. Her eyes snap wide open in shock as she realises where she is, sitting up with a start.

"Shit!" She hisses. "Have I been asleep long?"

"Everyone's still asleep. It's not morning yet." He says softly, watching her as she scrambles from the bed and begins pulling her scrubs back on.

"Wake me up next time, we could have gotten caught." She whispers, grabbing her shoes before leaving his cell.

He watches her go, then reaches out to stroke the still warm spot on the mattress that she'd previously occupied. The pillow smells like her.

There is a war raging inside of him. One side is thankful to the path in life that has led him to her, the other curses himself for not being a better person and placing himself in a position where they can never really be together.

Ettore is not quite sure when his feelings for her started to change, but he is coming to the dawning realisation that the thoughts of her that occupy his mind are not so dark anymore. There is no desire to capture or to control. A warmth spreads through his chest at the mere sight of her. He feels as though an invisible string pulls him to her and, whatever obstacles they may face, he will always go to her. That terrifies him.

Series masterlist

[darcytaylor]

*sigh* Sis, we are going through it, aren't we? I've actually had to take the week off work because I'm simply out of it. I've been focusing on making seasonal food and drinks, getting cozy around the house and doing fun and relaxing activities. The colors of the trees outside are gorgeous and there's nothing like the sound of the gently falling rain to ground you. I'm going to be decorating for the holidays soon. It's important to remember that there are still good things in the world.

Personally, the majority of the fandom's output hasn't been for me since ~June since I'm not interested in shipping real people, so I've stuck to corners of cute Polin content and reasoned analysis (like your blog 💕). I love watching Polin edits, I've discovered so many great songs that way. I tried fics but I'm usually so mentally exhausted by the end of the day that I just don't have the bandwidth for reading. I revisited Notting Hill because Luke was talking about it so much, and there's a scene that I think the last drink one in the show is a reference to, so I thought that was cute. I've also been making my way through My Lady Jane (which is a very good show, I recommend) and one of the characters has a full suit made out of the same fabric as Colin's green/brown waistcoat that he wore when he and Pen were promenading and he was trying to teach her how to flirt, so that was also cute. For people who need that friends-to-lovers itch scratched, there's a really raunchy romcom called Zack and Miri Make a Porno that I love, it's a riot (though certain aspects of it haven't aged perfectly), just don't watch it with family 😅.

Take care of yourselves and don't let the bastards ground you down, we shall overcome 💪.

I'm glad you were able to take a week off to recharge and focus on the little things that bring you joy. Sometimes that’s exactly what we need to regroup and move forward. I love this time of year, too - the leaves changing colours is such a beautiful, fleeting moment. I just wish it lasted longer! Before I know it, winter will be here, and I’ll have to bring out my winter jacket, uggghhh!

I understand where you’re coming from with the fandom. I’m not a shipper either, and it can make it hard to fully connect with certain corners. But I really appreciate the people who follow me and engage with my posts, no matter where they stand (for the most part) - it means a lot! It’s so nice to hear you enjoy my posts and analyses - so thank you for that.

I haven’t delved into fanfics yet either, but as an avid reader, I know I’d probably fall down that rabbit hole fast! I usually read on my way to work too, and I’m not sure I’d want to dive into fanfics during my commute - it might be a bit much first thing in the morning! 😂

I tried My Lady Jane, but it didn’t quite click with me. Maybe I’ll give it another shot at some point - I tend to stick to rewatching shows I already know and love. BTVS, Shameless, Bridgerton - to name a few. They are my comfort shows and I tend to stick with them.

Take care of yourself, and thank you for the message! It’s always nice to connect with someone who gets it. ❤️

[animebw]

The Anime Binge-Watcher's Queer Anime Ship Tournament!

Greetings, all! For those who don't know me, I'm The Anime Binge-Watcher, a mostly retired blog where I used to binge-watch anime and analyze it in big fat text dumps. I've since left those days behind due to life and stuff, but over the course of my anime blogging "career," I developed a deep love for queer ships that I'm sure you can all relate to (and discovered I was genderfluid myself!) And the thought occurred to me: why not do one of those gay ship polls I've seen floating around all over social media lately?

So here we are! This is the start of The Anime Binge-Watcher's Queer Anime Ship Tournament! The complete bracket of my 32 favorite queer anime ships is up above. The first round will start tomorrow, so clear your schedule and get ready for the fun to begin!

But first, some quick rules and notes:

-Each round will last a week.

-Each individual match-up will have a link to see all the other match-ups for its round, so you'll never miss one!

-I've limited myself to one ship per series, just to keep a decent variety. There's one sort-of exception with a franchise spin-off movie that stands on its own enough that I can count it as its own thing, but other than that, yeah.

-The match-ups were chosen at random for fairness.

-I mostly tried to stick with relationships that are unambiguously canon; as you can probably tell just by looking, that didn't exactly work out. So I don't want to see any fighting over whether x ship is more valid than y ship, okay? This is solely about which ship you like more, whether its source material is brave enough to confirm it outright or not.

-You might notice a couple entries that aren't exactly anime mixed in there. That's because I love them too much to leave them off. It's my poll, I set the rules, and I say they get to be exceptions. Deal? Deal.

-If you don't see your favorite ship in there, it's probably because it's from a show I haven't watched yet. Sorry, Sailor Moon fans.

-Absolutely feel free to reblog and spread this tournament around! I'd like to see how big a sample size we can acquire.

Cool? Cool. See you tomorrow for the first round!

[somevillainfuckery]

Hello there! I hate drama and and want to nip this in the bud! 😃 Can I clarify something? Because I am a bit confused. Sorry if this is long...

Apparently I shared something of yours as a shipper at one point and you didn't like that...... and then (based on what you wrote in your tag to me) that you apparently shared some sort of passive aggressive message and it ended up being about me? And you think I clapped back? Or something like that?? I think???

And then you said something about an anonymous message?

I am very confused. Because I have no idea what you are talking about. I haven't seen or interacted to any complaint post. I aint got time for that. Ive been on this tag for 2 days, and I am well aware that it is polarized on the ship. Believe me. And i respect that. That is your opinion and you free to have it, I also love the platonic side too! I'm literally here for a good time and dont do drama.

I have learned that l've shared something of yours, and it made you uncomfortable, but I don't like that and I don't like to cause rifts in fandoms. I actually like all types of ships because I don't think that any one ship can be wrong because it's all fantasy and no one ship should be able to gatekeep any fandom, AND we should all stay in each other's lanes. I am just living my life, dude. If I have something to say I will use my face. I don't do anon. I'm not a coward.

In the past I have personally have gotten death threats and anonymous lies about my info being stolen as well as anon messages of people wanting to rape my dead body all because I ship something they don't approve of in past fandoms. So sick and stupid. All for a personal preference! So gross!! But anime fandoms are ceazy. That behavior is what I call a cheeto-fingered red bull flavored anti, and yes, I referenced them in one beetlejuice post because they are out definitely there.

God I hope you aren't one of those people.

Now I can honestly say that I haven't seen this supposed post of yours being passive aggressive towards shipppers (me), nor have I sent you any anonymous messages, but I would appreciate it, if you are just a normal person trying to keep the peace, then please, if you have an issue with me, please bring it up with me personally instead of adding to potential drama than doesn't need to be had.

I did make a post about my opinion on the couple after my first watch of the new movie, and I added a bit at the end about antis, but I figure you as more of a non-shipper or something, because you seemed cordial the post you tagged me in, and I haven't gotten anything ugly yet in this fandom which is nice. (thank goodness)

I mean hell, I support crack milulti-fandom ships because at the end of the day it's all fantasy and no one is wrong. I'm Ace so I actually love platonic ships just as much as romantic ones. I like and support it all!!! I just am fucked up in the head and i like this one romantically too. I am well aware that this ship is problematic, but thats why fantasy is so fun. I crave normalcy in reality but anything but in fantasy.

Like you said in the post you tagged me in, I also don't want to cause more unnecessary drama. I have not been in the beetlejuice tag for very long so if there is a more appropriate tags to use I will defitately use them. I am all about keeping the peace.

I'm just here to share content and find fun people to vibe with, but yeah I am used to staying vigilant with the uglies that try to be mean. Ive created sancruary groups for other fandoms simply so people can enjoy their ships in peace. I am not paying attention to you if you don't ship them (at least I'm trying not to).

I have not, nor will I read whatever it was that might have been said, but I am happy to rectify my mistake and delete anything I might have shared of yours. I will not heart or share any of your posts, because I do ship them and I don't want people to get the wrong idea about you. - Damn that sounds Hella passive aggressive but I'm not trying to be.

Believe me, this is the weirdest message I've sent to anyone, but I hope it is read and understood by a cordial individual. Please be safe out there. Please enjoy your lovely platonic besties, and I hope you find solas in whatever you can. The world is vicious. 💚🖤

(@spirits-n-giggles because of the word-limit on the chat I will reply here. I apologize for the delay in seeing/replying to this. I'm gonna try and explain things to the best of my ability-) To explain the anon thing, I swear, I did not think it was you. The very second I sent out my complaint post, someone sent an anonymous ask ripping me a new one, and I chose to delete and ignore it. After that I just realized that the complaint post was.. really really stupid of me- When I mentioned you in the post you had actually seen, the reason I apologized for the complaint post was in case you had seen it and decided to ignore it [which is completely valid]. I'm sorry you have to deal with horrible threats simply because of a ship you like. Just because someone ships a certain thing, does not mean that gives people the right to harass them. Just like you, I'm only trying to enjoy beetlejuice content, and I'm not trying to have any drama go down. I'm glad you understand, and that you enjoy my content. I won't block anyone from enjoying anything I post unless absolutely necessary, and right now.. its not anything serious enough to have you remove things that you reblogged from my account or anything. If you enjoy it, then do what you will, reblog and like what you want. I'm glad we both just want to keep the peace in the fandom, and avoid trouble, and I'm sorry if we got off on the wrong foot. I wish you a wonderful weekend, and if there's anything else that needs clarification, if you want to ask about anything else, or even away from this and you wanna talk about anything else- please reach out to me and let me know.

[the-bed-gremlins-reading-list]

Hi hi, just stumbled in your if, and it seems really promising. I really like isekais and intruder-narrators, so it's literally my cup of tea. The mysteries in this series will going to be thick, I feel it, especially if gods are so present in the narration. Furthermore, i want to know who our killer is in the original world. Are we going to have flahes about the MC's last life?

As of a prompt, I would like one of AubbyXRune (cause I shipped them straight away, what can I say, I love a friends to lovers).

I became truly heartbroken when I saw that they are a Romantic Option, so please, my lord/lady/Lairdship, indulge my plea T . T

I haven't read the others' asks, and I haven't found out your pronouns... So what is your pronouns, dear author?

It was Truck-san, obviously. Okay, so the first world was supposed to be where the skills were developed originally but I decided I liked the mentor set-up with the Laetoria better.

Everything about the previous world is open to your HCs. The only set thing about the murderer on that path is that the MC knew them. I don't plan on having any flashes of the MC's last life. The only exception MAY be initiating a "Return" path - I'm still debating whether I even want to do that branch since it means that you're actively initiating the events from canon, including your brother's death.

"She" and "they" work best for my pronouns! Thanks for asking. :)

Auberon and Rune ended up being pretty cute together. Surprised me a bit how soft Rune is for Auberon, but it's a bit different a dynamic than they have with MC (where they and Auberon are more equals vs MC has always been someone Rune protects).

Characters: Auberon and Rune An evening early in their time in the Sun City.

The raven is young - and impatient - it's too intelligent eye fixed on them, then turning to look pointedly at the nearby refreshment table and then back again. It's been making warbling croaking noises at the knight for the last ten minutes without success.

“I don't have anything for you,” they inform the bird.

The feather-duster’s begging only got louder. A few heads turned from the garden party to stare. Rune put their most determined stoic knight face on - they are on duty. They silently remind themself that they are guarding their lord, stoically and professionally, and definitely not being bullied by a bird.

As if standing here in armor with their post in the sun, just beyond the relief of the shade from the tents wasn't bad enough.

They aren't even the one that's been feeding the local birds! (They're just always around when the asshole is bribing his favorite informants.)

“How cruel,” Auberon teases as he escapes from a tangle of other nobles. (Matchmaking, not politics, if the tightness around his eyes is anything to go by.) He lifts an arm up for the raven to perch on instead of the ornamental tree it has been using as its pulpit.

“This is your fault.”

“Mm,” the duke hums as he feeds the creature a treat. He's still wearing his courtly persona so his laughter is kept to his eyes as he fusses after the bird.

Rune glances to the nobles watching their…friend. Friend. It's an odd title - too much the truth and yet it feels like a lie.

And these Nasenii circle him with golden nets. Marriage proposals made it break his wings. Promises sweet as poison and twice as deadly -

Auberon leaves off playing with the bird and slips in the way of his view, blocking off the party, his eyes flashing faintly gold as he sends the young bird away.

“Your eyes,” his tone is quiet but firm.

A warning, a reminder that their…condition is not well known at that it is best for them all that it stays that way. Rune knows that and yet…

Auberon’s hand at the back of their neck, their foreheads pressed close. The scent of the inks made to dry unseen beneath the citrus scent the duke preferred, and the imagined smell of wind and salt air - of home - lingering beneath it all.

“There's the color I adore,” Auberon smiled as Rune felt themself settle. Their other side quieted in the presence of the one who is so much more than their friend and lord.

Rune reluctantly drew away. Their scars felt itchy under all those gazes and they were all too aware of the sweat building up beneath their armor.

Auberon turned to cast a gaze back at the party. “My sibling made their escape some time ago - perhaps we should do the same?”

“Please,” they murmured. Only remembering once they were away: “Wait - you wanted to speak with -”

“This way I can gather more blackmail before I approach regarding road repair - I think I am close to having several names to spook the minister with.”

[supercalime]

i heard about the whole jatp drama, and i totally get your worries in that regard 😭 sooo often a show has something great going for itself, just for the creators to fuck up so badly that it's almost unfathomable sksksk (also looking at the umbrella academy season 4 disaster). gotta say that at this point, i think i will leave 911 behind fr if bucktommy aren't together anymore. i am out with one foot simply because i only watch certain storylines while skipping others, some characters haven't interested or excited me in literal years. but i love buck. after so many years of watching him try to find real happiness, and with the show slowly reaching a point where imo it's seriously time to wrap it up very soon, i cannot imagine that they will manage to strike gold the way they did with bucktommy ever again. tommy is the first love interest of buck that they actually tried to integrate into the world and the firefam. tommy got the seal of approval, we see buck seemingly finally reach that point in life he was searching for. making him go through ANOTHER breakup just to introduce ANOTHER love interest, nullifying all that bucktommy has established? there is a limit for how often you can press the reset button, and we have reached it with buck a long time ago. let the man finally have something else to work towards. we need a breath of fresh air in here. i am optimistic about s8, and i will live no matter what happenes, but i think that would be my final straw to disconnect from 911 amd canon buck ngl 🤔 fingers crossed that bucktommy is alive and well because it's got sm potential!! 🙌

Couldn’t agree more bestie!

Tbf my reaction to the jatp bs is on me haha. Everything was more intense in 2020/2021 for obvious reasons so it wasn’t surprising for me to have latched on to a tv show and relying on it for my mental well being. But all that bullshit made me learn to change my mindset and behavior on how to interact with media and fandom, which is to have the bar so low it’s in hell.

Anyway, back to 911. I wouldn’t blame you for stopping to watch the show at any point if it’s not interesting any more. I’m not even a fan of this one. I saw bits and pieces throughout the years as one tends to do with procedurals and didn’t want to have my experience tainted with the fanon ship that shall not be named. In fact, I’ve followed lone star from the beginning and I think I still prefer it over the og.

Now onto buck and his relationships. I completely agree with what you said about hitting the reset button over and over. Procedurals tend to stall instead of committing to a solid change unless they get repetitive and/or write themselves into a corner (which both apply to buck here). So yeah, it would be a disservice to bucks character if he yet again goes through another breakup and the cycle keeps going, specially since tommy was pretty well received as his LI unlike all the other ones that weren’t meant to last from the beginning (Abby, Ali), were the wrong person for him (Taylor) or were forced down our throats (Natalia - there was so much telling and not showing how “right” their relationship was, it’s embarrassing).

So, unless there’s outside factors preventing tommy to come back and stay for good (contracts, conflicting schedules, etc), it makes no sense for bucktommy to not continue on the path they are going.

I want bucktommy to thrive, but I won’t hold my breath waiting just yet. If they are broken up or eventually will break up (which I must emphasize I do not want cause I ship them with all my heart) I might quit the show as well. Buck and Tommy were a breath of fresh air and I would love to see what could happen to them if we are lucky enough to see their romance continue