#in her original universe and all others she has an adoptive daughter

[mintsuwu]

Took a lil break from the asks in order to cook some ✨SMILING CRITTERS FAMILY TIME✨ with @rexmk0153universe-blog because why the hell not??? I might have to divide it in two parts though-

(1/2)

DogDay

DogDay's journey begins when a stork delivers him to the wrong family of wolves, leading him to be adopted by Big Bad's parents. However, his presence triggers jealousy in Big Bad, his adopted older brother, who resents the attention their parents give to the newcomer.

Despite the pack's focus on abilities related to weather phenomena, Dogday stands out due to his unique qualities and talents. As he grows older, he feels a deep longing for a sense of purpose and identity beyond his wolf upbringing. Seeking to find his true self, he leaves the pack and ventures to Jolly Valley, where he encounters the Smiling Critters and forms close bonds with them. Over time, Dogday becomes a leader among the Smiling Critters, embodying their values of friendship and unity.

Big Bad, driven by pride and a mix of emotions, followed Dogday to Jolly Valley, intending to both antagonize his little brother and secretly monitor his progress. Despite his outward bravado and mischievous nature causing ocassional trouble, Dogday remains welcoming towards his older brother, except when his antics go too far. Hus unwavering cheerfulness and open-heartedness serve as a beacon of hope for both the Smiling Critters and his troubled older brother.

BONUS: "Big Bad" is actually a nickname! His actual name is "WindWolf"... Dogday usually calls him "Big Bro", but the rest of the critters "misheard" it and began calling him "Big Bad", much to his dismay.

CatNap

Catnap shares a unique connection with a deity known as SandMan, who reigns over the Dream Realm, a distinct reality separate from the main universe. The origin of Catnap traces back to a moment when Dogday, as a young member of his pack, made a wish upon a shooting star for a friend, and this wish brought Catnap into existence.

SandMan took particular interest in Catnap due to his remarkable qualities, leading to a special father-son dynamic between them, despite Catnap starting off as just another creation of SandMan like many others.

Catnap, however, felt a strong pull to leave the Dream Realm in search of Dogday, the source of his creation. Eventually, the feline succeeded in finding Dogday and chose to remain by his side, along with the other Smiling Critters. Despite Catnap's origin in the Dream Realm and his connection to SandMan, his loyalty lies with Dogday and their companions, forging a lasting bond beyond the confines of the Dream Realm.

Kickin'Chicken

Kickin'Chicken comes from a predominantly female family, consisting of his mother, sisters, and himself as the middle sibling. His father, known as "Rockin'Rooster," is a famous singer, an example that Kickin' aspires to follow. However, Rockin'Rooster's focus on his career leaves little time for family, causing conflicting emotions for Kickin'. Despite his admiration for his father's success, Kickin' yearns for more attention and connection within the family... Yet he hides it under his "cool and tough guy" persona.

However, among his family members Kickin' has a strong bond with his older sister, Pecky. She is level-headed compared to Kickin', but shares his adventurous spirit and openness to new experiences and people.

BONUS: Kickin's family is quite fond of Bubba Bubbaphant, given how he was Kickin's first friend and all of them consider him another member of the family.

CraftyCorn

Craftycorn, born in a magical kingdom governed by four elemental monarchs (Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts and Spades) was raised as the daughter of the Queen of Spades, destined to become a warrior. However, Crafty harbored a distaste for violence, finding joy in art and nature instead.

Despite her mother's attempts to grant her freedom to choose her path within the elemental realms, the other rulers disapproved, doubting Crafty's suitability for the throne. When Craftycorn was to receive her royal Merry Charm, symbolizing her assigned role, she unexpectedly manifested her own charm—the flower. Fearing disappointment from her mother and influenced by the other monarchs, Craftycorn fled her home, unaware of the devastation her departure caused her mother.

Their relationship is complicated, marked by love and care, yet tinged with Crafty's mixed feelings towards her mother.

LoolaLamb

Loola is a special sheep born into a flock known as the "Sleep Sheep" or "Slumbering Guardians." These sheep have the unique role of wandering through villages, signaling to people that it's time to sleep and seek safety from the dangers of the night. Once their task is complete, SandMan, a mystical entity who the sheep "worship" due to its previous helps toward the flock, can traverse their realm to ensure everyone enjoys peaceful dreams and restful sleep.

She's the daughter of the flock's leader, tasked with protecting the sheep, particularly during the day when they're less vigilant due to needing rest after their nightly duties. However, Loola lost her mother at a young age and was raised by her father, who prepared her to take on a similar role in the future.

Despite her upbringing, Loola yearns for adventure and exploration beyond the confines of her flock's duties. After much persuasion, her father allows her to leave, although they maintain communication through letters.

The lamb often travels alone, but occasionally spends time with the Smiling Critters in Jolly Valley for extended periods of time.

[jazjelspen]

devil's spawn.

angel alastor w/ radio demon daughter reader

(notes: based off of the concept of my other story 'my angel baby' except alastor and his adopted daughter switch places and personalities. In Alastor's pov (?)in this chapter.)

(caution: RUSHED!! definitely rushed qwq so I greatly apologize. Not proofread in the slightest. Might have cringe parts am so sorriy qwq)

(Alastor is still in a way the angel version of 'the radio demon' except he's called 'the radio angel' by his fans, but he doesn't refer to himself as such since angel alastor is actually humble)

(I'm willing to make another part but considering Hs becoming more stressful and it blowing my brain up it'll definitely take time, but always willing to make more if wanted/needed)

It was another bright and fresh day in heaven, Alastor clinging the laundry up on the line while his mother, whom he managed to find in his decades inside the pearly gates, sat on a rocking chair reading a book as she usually would.

The bright heavenly lights making his halo shine, complimenting his wings, other neighborly 'winners' he would be acquainted with would walk by and greet him with a wave or a tip of their hats to him while he was outside fixing their clothes.

In this particular universe, Alastor is the complete opposite of his original counterpart. Where the original Alastor would hurt and destroy, this version of him would care and heal. He was selfless, kind, compassionate and sympathetic to which again is also a complete twist around compared his original self.

Alastor died out of an accidental kill, mistaken for a deer and shot through the head while he was out in the forest collecting his adoptive daughter's favorite flowers, at her favorite flower meadow on the day of her eighteenth birthday.

Unfortunately due to missing his baby girl's birthday and being taken away from her too soon for his liking he has been living in pure regret, panic, and pure sorrow form having to leave her too early and it pained him everyday.

He raised you all by himself while juggling his passion for radio hosting, finding comfort in your innocence and smiles when he first found you and as you grew up you gave him a reason to live and work.

That's the only thing that him and the original sadistic version Alastor have in common; the fatherly love for their daughters who are also their entire lives. Their love traverses across universes.

Eventually the more you grew up the more.. peculiar and unique you became.. your innocence would melt away with a sadistic fire in your eyes that he would notice at times but would try his best to lead you in the ways of love and compassion which you had for him but lacked for those around you..

Alastor was finishing up his morning chores for his mother's home before he would eventually go back inside and get a few necessities before leaving his home. His pearly coat, his shining microphone staff, fix his appearance in the mirror just a tad, and finally hugging his mother goodbye from the porch to head up and down the street towards the main part of the city.

Yes, he was still a radio host as well too.

Instead of broadcasting screams of pain and terror from sinners he instead would give voices to those who wished to express their passions, interview everyday folk and influential people on opinions and advice to those listening to his radio show and he even has good connections and acquaintances to the high Seraphims of heaven in order to get the latest news in the ruling of heaven.

He's just as famous as he was in life, maybe more considering how many people there are in heaven alone.

His polished shoes creating sounds on the pavement as he hummed a special tune that he adores, a tune he used to sing to you. Yet again still greeting passing by acquaintances and fans of his show with genuine glee and care.

Alastor waved off to an old friend while walking by, shining his taken cared for smile. "Good to see you again Roger, don't forget to tune in soon in a few hours! It'll be a real gas so don't miss i-- oh my!"

Alastor looked down as he seemed to bump into someone small, looking down at his feet he saw a young little girl. Another fellow 'winner' she seemed to have bumped into him with chocolate smeared around her mouth with a giddy yet apologetic smile on her face. And unfortunately smeared some chocolate on his pants.

"Hiya mister!" she waved, showing her dirtied little hand as well "Sorries! I didn't watch where I was going..!"

Alastor noticed the stain and his jaw hung slightly from surprise but then immediately laughed it off, petting the young girl on the head in understanding.

"Oh little one, don't worry about it at all! Here, so you can clean yourself up." He then took a white embroidered handkerchief for his chest pocket to give to the little girl who then wiped her face and her hands, seeing her struggle a bit Alastor graciously held her hands gently to wipe them off for her and her nose as well.

"Mary!" A voice exclaimed that approached, a woman than came into view, a winner as well. "Oh! Well if it isn't our most kind radio host! I deeply apologize about my daughter sir.." The mother would smile sheepishly and apologetically. "Thank you so much for helping my little girl, I apologize for her clumsiness! Could I perhaps offer you help of any kind?..”

Alastor shook his head as he would then neatly fold the handkerchief and saved it in his coat this time so that he could remember to wash it when he got back home. "Oh no no! No need ma'am, it's nothing a little magic can't cover up for the time being!" He smiled at the woman who now had her hands placed on her daughter's shoulders with a sigh slipping through her lips. He looked down at the girl as he gave her a pat on the head "On the other hand, are you okay dear? I do hope you didn't hit yourself too hard!.."

The little girl shook her head as well in reply, "Nu-uh mister! Thank you for helping me! I promise not to bump into anymore misters or any misseses!" Oh her messing up of words ringed a bell in his head

"How darling! Take care of yourself and your mother now, " He looked up at the woman to then lower his head slightly in respect before resuming his steps again "Apologies for the rush, just trying to see if I can get some special guests on my radio show tonight!"

The woman waved at him 'goodbye' with her young girl following suit "Oh I sure hope they agree! Good day to you Alastor!"

"Good day to you as well madame!" he waved back as he finally took enough steps away from them to now get a clearer view of the inside of the city.

He couldn't help but sigh in despair, he remembers when he used to have his own little girl.

Took care of her as if she was his own blood, as if they came form the same flesh and heritage.

And although you didn't, he never loved you any less.

His smile faltered slightly but picked it up quickly, rushing towards the next moving tram that he recognized to get to his destination: the middle of the city. Once he saw one and hopped on, he could feel his heart pump with blood he once had as red and now as gold as the tears of the elder angels.

If what he heard was right, he would try to get a segment with three special guests from hell.

Sure, he knew that they came from a place of bad and evil but that didn't deter him any less. From life to death he would give voices to everyone that needed to be heard and he would follow it no matter where someone came from.

The fresh breezes and the smell of bakeries, restaurants, the sounds of workers in mom and pop shops and independent growing businesses were like music. He could've sworn that even the laughter of children and the chattering of friends, couples, and families amongst each other turned into melodies in through his brain circuits.

Heaven was.. heaven.

But his only sin was not speaking out at heaven's hypocrisy or flaws at times. Many times he would but it turned into heaven setting restrictions on him.. silencing his own voice. He was never fond of that but apparently according to Sera and that blasphemous Adam, it was required. 'To avoid panic and prevent disturbances amongst the people of heaven' or so they'd say.

He was working on a way to go around that.. change their minds. But it was much harder than he anticipated.

Oh!-- The tram stopped with a loud hiss and ring.

Alastor snapped out of his thoughts would hop off the tram and finally start resuming his walk. He was now just a block away, the more he walked the less the voices and sounds of work distanced, entering a quieter part of the city. He was now in the smack middle of the entrance to heaven, where ice cream shops were laid in rows, cafes as well, people quietly chatting and drinking their beverages or eating their food.

Oh! And he could heard a familiar tune! It was that one.. welcome song that St. Peter would often sing..

Not a favorite song of his.. at all.. but he applauded them for effort!

Maybe a splash of swing or jazz would bring it to life.. but he assumed that was the old man in him talking.

For the time being he decided to watch some place nearby yet not too close since he knew that if he stayed where he was he would be caught up in the performance and he would have to sing with them..

Waiting at the side and hearing the singing come closer and close Alastor would make himself busy by polishing his microphone with his breathe and sleeve, fixing and dusting himself off as to not give any bad first impressions.

And thankfully he managed to remember his stain that the little girl left-- forgetting about it due to wanting to get to his destination on time and helping the poor thing. With a gentle swish of his staff pointed at the stained he then managed to cover it with his heaven-given magic.

Once the full group performance made his way towards his direction was when he stood up straight, chin high, shoulders fixed, looking good as always Alastor.

He heard Emily's voice among the performance, the youngest of the two Seraphims.

He's quite close with the two, at first only starting as something for business until one day he got closer to them and confessed his past, and his regrets.

Emily reminds him much of his daughter, the high angel having an enthusiasm and mentality of a late teenager or young woman, same age his daughter was when he last saw her.

He thought, wondered, pondered, dreamed-- what his little girl grew up into.

His eyes stared at his microphone, the shine of silver blinding him when he turned it for a spot of sunshine to burn his eyes slightly.

Did she grow up into an incredible woman? Did she ever find love? Settle down and have children? How has she matured? Does she resent him for leaving him so soon even if he never meant to? Does she look completely different? Did she ever change her name?

Were you even up here at all?

He hopes you were, looking and asking for you far and wide in heaven. Did you seclude yourself? Did you hide from him on purpose?

Or were you simply in hell..

No-- his little girl couldn't be in hell. Sure she had concerning hobbies, thoughts, ways of doing things but it didn't deserve her going to hell of all places.

You had to be up here, somewhere.. you had to.

A somber sigh escaped his lips as he stared at his reflection in the object between his palms and fingers. His heavy heart tugging and ripping itself apart.

'my little girl.. where are you?'

"Alastor!! Hey!"

A young voice shouted at him from afar, looking up he saw Emily wave and ushered him to head towards her way from afar.

He let go of his guilt for now, and shined his iconic smile as always.

"Why hello Emily, Sera," he lowered his head at the high angels in respect for them "How may I help you ladies today? I see we have new visitors!" His head moved to look at the other three ladies in front of him that came from below.

There was a young woman with eyes that shared the same enthusiasm as Emily's did, hair of sunshine and gold, fangs as sharp reminiscing those of a blood bat, small and thin frame and an outfit that successfully mimics casual sophistication.

Another young girl to her right was one that seemed more reminiscent of an angel, her long hair filled with silver and moon, a gaze as sharp as broken, stance serious and unapologetic, she seemed ready to protect the blonde girl beside her but also had eyes of worry and a sense of uncomfortability haunted her features and her almost slouched back.

The last one, really shook him up.

The next young woman to the left of the blonde girl was adorned in nothing but pure red with tones of a deep hot pink in her entire look. Her clothes were of an era he knew of very well, of course he'd recognize clothes from the 30s!.. except they had a few odd touches that more or so reminded him of the 40s or heck maybe even 50s.. a bit more ahead of his time. She had a large sharp smile that screamed of mischief and eyes that are waiting to do something-- anything sinister.

Despite all this, these characteristics weren’t the ones that shook him to his core.

She looked like someone he knew, that he missed.

"Everyone, this is Alastor. He's heaven's most famous and influential radio host! Giving voices to the voiceless when he was alive and even more up here, and of course due to his selfless acts when he was alive he was blessed to be let through the gates of heaven." spoke Sera, introducing the 'winner' as he chuckled sheepishly.

"Oh thank you Sera, but it's nothing really! Just had to do what was right."

Sera then lead his eyes back to the newcomers, having him face directly to the girl with hair of sunshine first. "Alastor, I present to you the Princess of Hell and heir to the throne, Charlie Morningstar. She's here to present a few ideas to the court the next day."

Alastor's eyes widened in surprise, "Princess! I didn't know royalty were to visit us today!" he bowed down towards the girl as to pay his respects, standing back straight once he finished. "A pleasure to meet you sweetheart quite the pleasure! Didn't expect our guests to be of royalty so apologies to any bad manners."

The princess shook her head with a large smile "Oh!-- don't worry you didn't give off any bad manners! It's nice to meet you too Mr...Alastor!.. it.. it's very admirable what you did before and what you do now! You seem to have earned your place here quite well!"

The man shook his head as well in reply "Oh like I said it's nothing! If anything I should thank my daughter, she was my reason and my motivation to be nothing but kind to others to present a good example! I continue to do so in her honor."

Charlie's eyes grew as a soft 'awwww' escaped her lips "You must love your daughter very much..!"

Alastor nodded, "Of course I do! As a father always should!"

Charlie opened her mouth again to speak, her eyes filled with a sense of bittersweetness until she was suddenly interrupted by the young woman dressed in red. She walked in between Alastor and Charlie with a sense of charm and enthusiasm, the spirit of a presenter or spokesperson shining in her body language and way of speaking.

"How delightful! The love of a parent transcends heaven and earth! Now that's poetry!" the girl's voice was glitched out and heavily amplified with a strong sound of static, as if her vocal cords came straight from a radio speaker. She held a staff much similar to his, except her's was shorter and more compact-able.

The girl with silver hair rolled her eyes in nothing but pure irritation, Charlie giggled nervously as she then pointed her way towards the one who spoke. "And this is ______! She's the founder and host of my hotel back in hell! She's helped me throughout everything and I dont think I would be able to get to this point if It weren't for her help as well!"

Ah,

He knew it.

______, anyone could have that name.

But you looked like his daughter, his pride and joy.

His face still shines with a smile but his eyes are baffled with the sudden hit of realization.

It couldn't be a coincidence-- you looked like her, your eyes had that spark he always used to see in his daughter before he left. The way of speaking, that stance-- more confident and mature but the way you spoke.. your vocals were a match to his daughter's just with a touch of years to it.

And you looked at him as if you knew as well, eyes narrowing with piqued interest. Sharp smile widening an-

wait..

what?..--

You seemed to have almost hopped right in front of him with your hand suddenly shaking his. "A real pleasure to meet you sir! Quite the pleasure!"

You mimicked his greeting yet somehow you spoke it so naturally, as if spoken a billion times before. He was stunned, if there weren't people around he would've slipped and broken down right here right now--

but he cannot, will not.

He will not worry others, he will not bother others with his emotions.

"Good to meet you Ms.."

"______. Simply call me ______." Your sinister grin only stretched, a sense of despair fell into the pit of his stomach,

His little girl in hell?

Did he.. fail at raising you?

Was dying too soon the reason why you let yourself fall?

Whatever the case, Alastor was nothing but stuck in a small limbo of his own guilt again

If he did this to you-- even indirectly,

he wouldn't ever forgive himself.

"Ms.. ______..."

'my little girl' he would've said, 'my daughter, how I've missed you. please forgive me for leaving you so soon... I'm so so sorry my darling..'

the words were stuck to his throat.

a small gust of air was the only thing that escaped from his cords.

Sera clapped her hands together once as a way to announce, "Well Princess Morningstar. I hope your stay here is nothing but comfortable, and I say that to your companions as well."

Sera looked at the 'winner' with confusion and a sense of concern but she knew she had to leave due to duties calling for her and Emily's presence.

Sera gently put her hand on his shoulder, "Alastor, would you perhaps show them where their hotel is and how to check in? It's going to be the one nearby."

'the one nearby' he thought, 'a block away.. '

"of course! anything to make our guests feel more welcomed!"

Sera nodded in 'thanks' before flying off with Emily on her side, herself also waving goodbye to all of you as well.

Alastor paused, before finally turning his head at the girls.

"Well, let's get you all to where you'll stay for the time being!.."

He will find out what happened to you, what went wrong, how he messed up.. he'll beg for forgiveness from you. for you were and still are his reason for who he is.

you were his one and only daughter, he will make it up to you.

"Follow me now! Time isn't going any slower!"

Little did he know, he wasn't at fault at all.

You were just born that way.

You knew what you were and you embraced it as a way to cope from him being taken away from you.

Of course you had to blend in and you took on the mantle of taking over your late father's radio show, eventually becoming as famous as he was and you were nothing but just as charming as he was on his show.

But then you killed, the power imbalance favoring you was nothing but amazing to you.

Years later, you enjoyed it. Killing was your life's purpose. Your crimes were never a subject for you to ever regret or feel guilt for.

You regret nothing.

You were a merciless killer then, and one now.

Through earth and hell, forevermore.

[petrichorblue94]

What really shocks me is that the more tfota books I read (I count the extended universe here), the more I realise that Jude was actually incredibly lucky. The world she lived in was deadly, and not in a haha the main character is actually gonna be left unscathed because they’re the main character way.

I first realised that when I was reading about Wren. My girl was physically and psychologically tortured since she was a child in practically a very Ramsey Snow / Reek kind of way. She was permanently disfigured by her own parents’ torture methods, she was left to believe that she could escape and then captured, like a cat and mouse game. She was made to think her adoptive parents despised her and were horrified of her monstrous nature but they were really just bewitched.

Her biological mother turned out to be the most evil of them all, sacrificing her soul not once but twice.

I’m just reading the Modern fairytales but Kaye is basically every middle class child’s worst nightmare ; or at least mine).

Like Jude’s story is actually the best. Even her twin Taryn lives in a psychological horror, she married a fucked up narcissist who promised her love and respect and adventure and it turned out he just made her do drugs and get involved in orgies and he nearly fucked (and later nearly killed) her sister and Taryn killed Kim the same way her adoptive father killed her birth mother and then she raised his son alone, and then she fell in love again and the guy was turned into a tree.

I mean when you look at it on paper (pardon the book pun) my girl Jude was raised into the gentry, she was Madoc’s favourite daughter and he spent most of his free time training her to be his successor in a world ruled by Oak as king and him as regent. She has her family and they make up despite all the fucked up things do to each other. She married the high king (and it was a rare love match!!) and becomes respected and feared. She has only known the rich world of the gentry in Elfhame, whereas Wren was homeless in the real sense of the word for YEARS, and Kaye was a school drop out who was couch surfing with her singer-wannabe mum and her prospects were living with her gran, working in a gas station and then maybe getting pregnant by her former bully Kenny and living in a trailer in the middle of nowhere like her friend Janet and maybe becoming an alcoholic like her mam and doing drugs (I’m still halfway through Tithe).

Like even when she became queen with Oak by her side as king consort, Wren’s kingdom was nowhere near as rich and golden as Jude’s. There was darkness seeped into it even when the ice was gone.

Since the cruel prince is after Kaye’s books, we know she ends up becoming Roiben’s consort so it’s definitely a better life than being a teen mum living in a trailer and working in a gas station… But she’s still a chess piece in the game of politics (that Jude becomes a master of) since she was nearly killed by the undersea and Jude had to go and avenge her in the Wicked King.

Like yeah, Jude had a shitty origin story but she became golden if that makes sense. She was never truly touched by the grit and the grime of what was happening around her and to her, she just adapted, pivoted and kept winning.

And she was genuinely so in love with the world of Elfhame that you can see everything around her through the tint of her fascination. Whereas with Wren everything looks ugly and sad and with Kaye everything looks messy and confusing.

Which is why I think she’s Holly Black’s most beloved heroine. I just hope she doesn’t get killed off in the new books cause you never know 100% with Holly.

[libby-for-life]

So, I got an idea for a request, an Au with Adam as Demeter, the Greek G̶o̶d̶d̶e̶s̶s̶ God of agriculture.

So this takes place right after the whole Lucifer and Lilith Incident. Adam is left reeling from the betrayal of his first friend (yeah "friend") and his other half. The angels tell him that they will make him a new companion, but he doesn't want a replacement, he wonders what he did to deserve them both leaving him (developing those abandonment issues already, I see).

But with a sudden great and mighty crack of thunder and lightning, Adam disappears from Eden and appears in Mount Orthys. He is found by Rhea, who is tired of all her kids haven been eaten by her husband Kronos and decided to take him in, before being found out and promptly being eaten whole, joining the others (except Demeter because she doesn't exist and is replaced by Adam) in Kronos stomach even though he's not thier sibling.

Back in Eden, the entirety of Heaven is freaking out because the first man is just gone. He's nowhere in Eden. He just disappeared under their noses. Once they

calm down, decide since they already made Eve as a replacement for Lilith, they can just make a replacement for Adam. Using Eve's rib, they create Steve and erase Adam and Lilith from history, their titles of first man and woman now belonging to Eve and Steve.

When Lucifer breaks into Eden, he succeeds convincing Eve to bite the apple, but when he tells her to give it to Adam as well (definitely not because he's a yandere for him and is his top priority), Eve asks who Adam is.

Eve: Adam? Who is that?

Lucifer: ...Adam? You know the first man??

Eve: You mean my husband Steve! He's the first man, not whoever this 'Adam' is

Lucifer:....what.

*I've already thought of more scenarios with this Au, but this is already pretty long, so i'll stop it here

Now, you kinda need to give me more, but this is beautiful. I love the idea of Adam becoming a God. Rhea slowly feeds him a special salve that turns him immortal. And while technically he is Adam, the god of agriculture and farming. He also had another name that he went by. The Reaper. It's where the scythe originated from. He reaps the fields and it's up to him on whether you have plentiful food or a drought that year.

He came across Persephone and immediately adopted her as his own once he saw how innocent she was to the world. She reminded him so much of Lucifer of someone he once knew but he couldn't put his finger on it.

She was creative with Spring. Such beautiful flowers came from her. The angels may have may have made the earth, but the gods were what kept it going. Kept it from dying. The angels in Heaven thought that they did a good job making the world and the universe but it was Adam's family that kept it from perishing. He had a family in the gods. They treated Adam as one of their own.

Until one day, Persephone gets kidnapped and taken to Hell. Adam is on a war path. He will find his daughter and the gods are backing him up.

The entirety of Hell shakes and splits open as twelve-foot-tall people radiating power and light storm in, all wielding weapons that, despite not being angelic weapons, are powerful enough to kill sinners.

They will find Persephone.

Meanwhile, Lucifer soon catches wind of these godly beings and goes to confront them. He sees Adam for the first time since the dawn of Eden and nearly has a heart attack. Adam. The first man. He was back.

[11queensupreme11]

If the yanderes were theoretically sent into the original PJO world and married Sally instead of Gabe (lets just say they couldn't not, like the fates completely, utterly, forced them, they literally couldn't not marry Sally). What kind of dads would they be for Percy?

(that was the question, now my long predictions.)

Poseidon: I saw one of your asks involving Percy's sass and yeah, I have a feeling Poseidon would be the spanking/corporal punishment dad. Maybe good cop/bad cop, though that feels more like Beel and Hades? Also, he's the most likely to commit incest in this universe as well 💀

Hades: He's definitely good cop/bad cop. I feel like he'd find a way to threaten pjo!poseidon to do a better job, then feel bad because he loves Percy.

Beelzebub: He'd quite literally go to Sally and be like, marry me to protect your daughter. and be so hard on her.

I can't think of the others (mostly because cu feels like he'd be a younger boyfriend, oh well), but I'd love to know your thoughts! :)

have a great day/night!

I BURST OUT LAUGHING AT THE CU ONE 😭😭😭😭 there is no damn way sally would ever date him so yeah, he's better off just getting adopted by her and becoming percy's adopted brother tbh 😭😭😭😭

poseidon: he would be so fucking abusive holy shit 💀 you know how sally's always sending percy away to a boarding school? welp, now she's gonna desperately try and send her away to a boarding school in a whole new country, all this poor woman wants is to keep her daughter far far AWAY from poseidon, but poseidon won't have it so rip them 💀 sally's gonna really go through with it because poseidon will gradually start to love percy just like in arsenic blues, so now there's gonna be sexual abuse to add onto that and poor sally won't be able to stop it. she'll try, but he'll just amp up the physical/emotional/psychological abuse towards her 💀💀 honestly, sally's probs gonna pray to pjo!poseidon for help and that'll be what gets her killed by ror!poseidon (unless the fates forbid him from killing her)

hades: he'll be so much better 😭💖💖💖 .......until the niece/stepdaughter kink hits in 💀 i think hades is gonna TRY and hide it from sally because he knows she'd be horrified if she found out and he'd also feel lowkey bad because hey, she's still his wife. sure they don't love each other, but he sees that it's kinda messed up to cheat on ur wife with her daughter......

beelzebub: IF the fates forbid him from killing sally, he surprisingly won't be as bad as poseidon. not much physical abuse, but do expect a lot of psychological and emotional abuse from him. like poseidon, he'll also expect 100000% absolute obedience from sally and percy. if percy's still young, she'll have it a lil easier because he could just groom her to be obedient to him. sally's gonna have it harder tho because she'll recognize the abuse and TRY to stand up to him, but like........ he's the devil. good luck with that 💀

anubis: oh he'll love sally!!!!!!! you know he's constantly looking for the perfect mate???? he'd definitely see one in sally because of how sweet and motherly she is! he can't wait to take her and percy -- he's adorable lil stepdaughter -- back to his universe so he can introduce them to kebi and they can all be one happy family! .....but then sally keeps fending off his advances, keeps saying that he's making her uncomfortable??? and what's this about not wanting to back home with him?????? oh, so sally's not really the perfect mate after all????? welp, you know what he did to the girls and women who failed 💀

loki: cannot, for the life of him, pretend to be nice or even tolerant towards sally and percy. not only has he been forcefully taken away from his home, the fates are now making him play house with a bunch of MORTALS??? and he's getting forcefully MARRIED to one? he hates it so much, he's forced to live with inferior beings and he can't even kill them? best believe he's gonna take his anger out on them a lot. expect all kinds of abuse that he excuses as "it was just a joke, you guys are so lame 😒"

apollo: honestly, he'll be the best! he has more human partners than divine ones, so he won't be disgusted by this! he'll be a lil peeved, but he'll warm up once he gets to know his lil stepdaughter who's an absolute sunshine! honestly, he's a sucker for kids so he'll spend a lot of his time tutoring percy, playing arts n crafts with her, teaching her how to draw, paint, sing, dance, etc. any little interests she has, no matter how silly, he will 100% encourage! 10/10 no abuse, no incest, just apollo vibing and doing his best thriving in the situation being thrown at him

cú chulainn: lmao sally would HATE THIS she doesn't want ppl thinking she's some cradle robber or a cougar 😂😂😂😂😂😂 she'll be like "pls pls PLEASE do NOT introduce yourself as my husband 😭" and he'll be like "don't worry i won't 🙄" this man will NOT be a father to percy AT ALL. he will honestly be more like the big brother who bullies her affectionately 😭😭 he's not even gonna bother trying to be like a proper husband either, so now sally's just got TWO kids she needs to take care of but honestly, she would VASTLY prefer that to having this "young" ass dude as her fucking husband 😭

[hoseokslefteyebrow]

Ooooo Please a miguel o'hara x shy!alt universe!reader? if Miguel sees Peter's adoptive daughter shyreader who is actually a variant of his oldest daughter who is dead in his universe? The shyreader is actually the adoptive daughter of Peter B Parker and Mj and Mayday loves her adoptive sister who’s a spider hero that bonded venom. Venom being protective of the Parker family and the host 🖤🖤

[ A/N: Sorry it took so long. Also I tried including as much of the idea as possible but I might've missed a thing or two.]

Miguel remembers the first time he's seen you. He remembers how his heart was caught in his throat and how time seemed to slow for a minute. You were his eldest daughter.

But you didn't recognize him. You looked exactly like Gabi's elder sister. He loved both you and her dearly before he messed it all up. 

Everyone knew Peter B liked to take his kids with him to HQ. And Mayday wasn't an issue, as long as people kept an eye on her. But Y/N? You were shy, painfully so. Mayday's older sister, adopted yet treated like you were born into the family. 

Peter did warn him beforehand on who you were. And originally, Miguel had told him he'd be fine. But everytime he'd see you walk across, he'd feel anything but. He longed to care for you as he once did, the way Peter did now. 

Peter did though. He could see it in his friend's eyes. And he understood. He adopted you after all, has cared for most of your life like you are his own. The only difference you had to the other Y/N is that you're bonded to a symbiote. Something Miguel is unaware of (for obvious reasons.) 

Keeping it secret from Miguel was harder than expected. He kept a bit of a close eye on you whenever you were around, but not to the point where he knew where you are at any given moment. 

And for a good while, it all goes well. 

Until an anomaly in 928 flies itself into the building. You had been on that exact floor, playing with Mayday and Hobi when the thing flies into the room. 

You barely have a moment to understand what's going on before you're engulfed in Venom's black form.  With Venom's fast reflexes, Mayday is swooped into your arms, shielded from the flying glass and whatever else heads your way.

Miguel had originally been fighting this anomaly alone, given it popped in his universe. Though seeing the building get wrecked, on a floor where he knew you were fond to hang out, it stressed him out. 

Did he now lose you too? Again? He's quick to make his way towards the building, ready to search through the debris. However, before he can lift a brick, a quick black body jumps out, catching Miguel by surprise as it moves at a pace and slings a web towards the goblin variant, only to plunge a kick right into it's face. 

" Y/N! Nice. Where's your sister? " Peter asks you as he comes to a stop beside you, sticking to the building as you do. 

Your mask dissipates, and soon enough your own face is shown. Miguel is caught completely by surprise. Sweet, shy Y/N is bonded with a symbiote? 

" Don't worry she's okay. She's with Hobie. How do we take this down?-" You barely have the chance to ask as th goblin releases bombs into the sky, barreling them towards you. 

And you're quicker to react than Miguel and Peter, jumping up and making sure everything went off mid air, avoiding causalities all together. 

Stuck in his shock, Miguel only watches as you and Peter wrap up this anomaly together. He was as amazed as he was concerned in all honesty.

After that moment, Peter takes both you and Mayday home again. Miguel doesn't see the two of you for a while, given that the building needs to be fixed. 

Once it has, he's all too glad to see you specifically again. 

This time, you're not surrounded by the other teenagers, Mayday, or Peter. It's just you. You're chilling in a corner, reading a book. You put it down when you see him though. 

He nods his head in greeting with a tiny, nearly invisible smile on his face, fully intending to leave you to your book in Peace when you ask him the most curious question. 

" Who was I to you? " 

He stops as he turns around, not believing his ears. 

" What? "

" I can see the way you look at me. You've known another me before.... We're we close? "

A small sad smile makes it's way onto Miguel's face at your innocent curiosity. 

" Yeah.. You were my kid. I was shocked the first time I saw you here. I don't understand why other me would ever abandon you- You didn't know him, did you? " He's curious too. 

You shake your head. 

" No. I was left in the adoption center too young to remember. I think my biological father wanted nothing to do with me, his name wasn't on my papers. My biological mother's name is Evelyn- Was she my birth mother in the other universe too? "

Seeing that you're just as curious about him and other you as he is, he sits down beside you. The two of you talk for a while, and Miguel finally gets the closure he desperately needed. You're not other you, but you're still a version of you. The two of you alike yet different. He's sad he lost other you, though he's happy he gets to see you again. 

[heartofmortis]

✶ Evenstar

gif by @houseofamidala

PAIRING: Anakin Skywalker x OC

TROPES: tragic romance, princess x jedi, forbidden love, secret relationship, kate & anthony coded enemies to lovers, anakin’s pov, mandalorian anakin skywalker, fluff & angst, found family, artist gf x mechanic bf, canon divergence, original planet, big old tragedy

WARNINGS: major character death(s), depictions of war, pregnancies & miscarriage, grief, violence, eventual smut

TIMELINE: post-tpm – post-rots (31bby–16bby)

✶ . *. ⋆ READ ON AO3 ! // PLAYLIST !

chapters 1 – 14 completed (last updated july 12th 2024)

━━ ACT ONE (complete; 5/5)

━━ ACT TWO (currently writing; 13/15)

━━ ACT THREE – SIX (coming soon)

current word count: 40k+

EXTENDED SUMMARY

Elia Valarys is a graveyard. A display case for all the former, torn up iterations of herself. Her innocence, her girlhood, her youth. She has died so many times before it is like a memory. She is no longer flesh and bone, but tendrils of smoke, a mournful spectre. Not a girl anymore, only a ghost.

She was not always so tragic. She was her parents' miracle, born nine years after they were told they would not conceive again. She was their ray of sunshine. Her three older siblings showered her with love, despite being nine and thirteen years older than her.

For her first nine years, Alana Uttara was happy. Her mother's role as a handmaiden to the Queen of their homeworld, Aphelion, allowed her to spend time running circles around the vast palace with the princesses and her little niece. Alana's niece was born when she was five years old. Violet was the daughter of Alana's oldest brother, Aerrik and his girlfriend, and she became Alana's favourite person in the galaxy. Alana and Violet were always more like sisters than aunt and niece.

Her first death came when the sky was lit by brilliant fireworks.

As Aphelion celebrated its liberty with a fine party, Alana's world collapsed around her. As sparks showered behind her, she learned that two of her siblings and parents were dead. She wanted to scream until her throat was raw, until the stars trembled above, until the universe gave her family back. Until she had nothing left to give. (Fate is not kind to little girls with big dreams.)

Aerrik Uttara begged the Queen of Aphelion to allow him to adopt his sister — they were all each other had left. But the Queen took her instead.

Her second death arrived a year later.

Alana Uttara was buried in cotton dresses and sunlight smiles next to her parents and twin siblings. Her soft heart was not built for such anguish. (Her mother always said her heart was as vast as Aphelion's great oceans. Alana's heart and gentle nature were no curse, no weakness. It was her greatest strength.)

In her place, Elia Valarys was born. At last, she was official. A Princess of Aphelion, the Third Daughter. Not an heir; a false princess; a royal without a crown. Her people adored her, and Elia Valarys shone bright as the sun, hiding her grief behind tiaras and balls. She refused to break. But when she did, she built herself back up like a mirrorball. Elia and Alana became two different people, but their hearts were still the same.

Alana let her pain drown her, Elia grew despite it. When death stole from her, her heart flourished and made room for more love. If she could not be happy herself, she would make the galaxy better for others and make them happy. She had two new sisters and a new father who loved her like she was his own. Until little Violet turned nine years old, the last of the Uttara family would visit the Palace as often as possible — much to the Queen's disapproval.

But Alana Uttara still stalked Elia like a shadow. She was the bottle which Elia poured her heartache into. When the novelty of being part of the royal family wore off, Elia had two people living within her: the lost girl and the quiet princess.

She died a hundred times during the war.

Like a blossom in winter, her famous heart grew brittle. Her hands turned to frost as she cradled dying children. She tried so hard to protect them all, to keep them safe and take them far away from the war. Even though she saved hundreds of children displaced by the war, she was tormented by the ones she lost. After you watch a child fade away in your arms, you cannot be the same.

When she believed she could not suffer through anything worse, the betrayal arrived. It cut through her knife, twisting in her heart. Finally, she surrendered to her stone heart. Nothing can hurt you when you cannot feel anymore.

The final death caught her a lifetime later.

(The worst betrayal came as a blade through her stomach as she clung to her lover's arms. He could not protect her anymore. She could wonder forever if his last words were a lie: “I love you.”)

In any universe, Elia Valarys and Anakin Skywalker were not destined for a happy ending. (But they still fell for each other like Icarus fell for the sun every time.)

[geek-fashionista]

The Origins of the Trainwrecks Universe

Just... bear with me.

In the year 2001, I created a character named The White Maiden. According to legend, she was a sickly young woman who gave her life to protect her home planet from an outside threat. In actuality, she was a star spirit, and the threat was her twin sister, who had become a black hole. The White Maiden sacrificed herself to subdue her twin, leaving her lover, a knight, behind.

The knight's name was Julian Luna. The White Maiden was Whitney.

Two years later in 2003, while I was still living in Hawaii, I created two characters named Ray Kingston and Felicia Moreau. The plotline of their story was basically Horimiya but with class differences (Horimiya did it better). They lived in Waialae-Kahala because Felicia's family had money for days, and I never actually wrote their story down.

We skip ahead another three years to 2006. My now-husband, realizing I was crazy person, created a set of characters to interact with the imaginary people I'd split my psyche into. Whitney's twin sister Desiree was seduced by one of them. Whitney was also seduced by one of them but that's not as important. And the recently created Makoto, who had been turned into a monster by the darkness inside her, was saved by James, the Prince of Darkness.

Typical teenage edgelord shit.

In June 2006, I moved to Washington State at the beginning of summer vacation. Bored and friendless, I revisited some old stories while my characters and my now-husband's characters got busy in the Sean Paul sense of the phrase. Whitney's twin sister Desiree (my literal shadow) gave birth to Jasmine. Luna was accidentally created when I tried to draw her mother with short hair. Whitney adopted Sebastian, then had two more sons before her uterus gave up. Duke came out of his mother's womb with a camera in hand... until I made him an assassin. Makoto became the victim of my attempted Hallmark Christmas movie, where she meets an annoying little boy named Dimitri with a hot single doctor dad. Then she got seduced by my husband's mind, a higher being, and Dimitri became biologically hers and a genius. And then she got back together with James and they had a daughter before Dimitri died and Makoto was so bummed that she jumped James and got preggo with triplets Leo, Victoria, and Twylight in 2009.

Over the next decade, I whittled what was probably 20-something characters down to six: Sebastian, Jasmine, Luna, Duke, Dimitri, and Victoria. While the others disappeared into their own universes or passed into The Slums (my subconscious), this group stayed together, trying out different stories until they found their home. But they have all retained elements of their pasts:

Luna, the otherworldly star spirit, born as her mother died.

Dimitri, half-human half-other, too smart for his human side to handle.

Sebastian, burning with anger against God after being stricken blind.

Jasmine, who inherited her original mother's original sins.

Duke, who hates Dimitri because he has half his heart inside of him.

And Victoria, playing the piano in an empty room on a moonlit night.

Now, if you'd like to hear about all the different lives they've lived, be sure to tune into their individual character development diaries as I write them on Substack... eventually. Bonus material for later seasons. :D

[random-sparks-98]

Sunlit Gotham Universe Notes

Batfam Notes:

- Due to moving around the batfam timeline a bit, Jason is the only one who has died who has been fully buried and then revived (Steph’s heart stopped for about three minutes when Black Mask captured her, and Damian has not been killed.)

- Damian came to Gotham earlier than canon, and is currently 10 years old and in 4th grade at Gotham Academy

- Jon Kent is also going to be the same age as Damian in this AU

- Jason Todd is going be announced as Legally Alive before the beginning of the story (Yes, he is still Red Hood, but he doesn’t kill anymore (most of the time))

- Bruce will NOT be going missing in time

- This means that Tim never drops out of high school, gets emancipated, and becomes CEO of a company at the age of 17. It also means that Dick will not have been Batman

- Selina and Bruce are dating - he’s gonna probably propose soon, but big life events keep happening (like adopting new children every few months) so he hasn’t yet. He claims he’s waiting for a time when everything is calm. His children call bullshit and say he’s just scared she’ll say no

- Selina totally knows that he already has the ring and is honestly just teasing him and stressing him out more by making comments and jokes every so often

How does Wonder Woman not know about the demigods?

- When the Greek Amazons went to live on Themyscira they became cut off from the rest of the mortal world. This means that they weren’t aware of Camp moving around to follow Olympus

- Diana was born WAY before the First Great Prophecy, and technically isn’t a true demigod because she was sculpted from clay - therefore not really part mortal

- By the time Diana had left the island, demigods had gone underground and general society forgot that they existed. Both camps are kept secret so that the demigods are safe, so Diana hasn’t heard about them and assumes that the demigods are just no more

- Due to the Mist, Off World League Missions, Rescue Ops, and the fact that she lived in Paris for a while, Diana hasn’t been around during any of the major battles - or her focus was elsewhere

- Donna Troy might show up at some point, and the same logic about leaving Themyscira works for her too. We’re going with the Magical Duplicate origin story for her, so again, doesn’t quite count as mortal enough for the prophecy

- Cassie Sandsmark originally used magical artifacts to help Diana fight crime and was later ret-conned into being either a daughter of Zeus or a granddaughter of Zeus. The ret-con is going to be brought up in the story and we can all thank the Flashes for messing up the timeline. But basically she doesn’t become a proper descendant of Zeus until after the Titan War and therefore the prophecy doesn’t apply to her either

Children of Apollo have the following abilities According to the Riordan Wiki:

- They can curse others to only speak in rhyming couplets that can take days or even weeks to wear off (depending on strength and number of people in the spell)

- They are expert archers, inherited from their father. However, the children of Apollo who are healers tend to be less skilled with this (as seen with Will Solace)

- They also excel at anything involving throwing or shooting stuff, like shooting hoops or shooting firearms or other missile weapons 

- They are skilled in physical contests and games

- They excel in the arts

- They are skilled musicians

- Vitakinesis: As the children of Apollo, they are natural healers. They can heal people by singing a hymn to their father (in Ancient Greek).

- Audiokinesis: As the children of Apollo, they have the ability to control sound waves and music

- It is extremely rare that a child of Apollo can possess complete photokinesis, as only Apollo himself and the Titan of Light, Hyperion, and the Titan of the Sun, Helios, have been known to use the ability

- From what can be gleaned from The Demigod Diaries, it can be presumed that some, or even all of Apollo's children possess a limited form of precognition

- Thanks to a curse, all the children of Apollo have a terrible fear of snakes

In this AU, souls have auras that are unique to each soul. Demigod children with parent’s who deal with light (ex: Apollo or Iris) can see the auras if they focus really hard. Children of Apollo will often use it as a way to check how well a patient is healing as the brighter the aura the healthier the person.

[thejournalisttintin]

I did these separate so I could combine them all into one.

Here are several Tintin OCs I’ve reworked, plus a new one I’ve designed.

Meet the Wang-Hughes family. They consist of mom Li Jing, her husband William, and her three children Yina, Mei, and Chen.

I redesigned them with the idea that Li would essentially be related to Chang in a sense. I originally designed her as a Korean character, but when I started to think about redesigning my old Tintin OCs, I thought to tie her in to my Tintin fan universe.

More headcanon info on this fam! (Possible TW for racism):

Li is the youngest daughter of the Wang family; she is Didi’s younger sister.

She and Didi were very close when they were little. They loved to play silly pranks on each other; while Didi was the more elaborate and overt prankster, Li was more clever and subtle.

Li was also an excellent student as a child. She was intelligent and studious, always willing to do her homework. She also loved to dance and paint.

Painting was Li’s way of expressing herself. She loved to paint pictures of flowers and other things. But Mr. Wang wanted her to focus more on her schoolwork, which forced her to suppress her artistic ability. Mrs. Wang, on the other hand, secretly supported Li’s talent.

When Li was a young adult in her mid to late twenties, she met William, an art historian who was visiting Shanghai from London. She knew from that moment that they were meant to be.

Li and William dated for several months, during which Li decided to have William meet her family. Reactions were mixed; Didi seemed to like William, and Mrs. Wang as little uncertain.

But Mr. Wang, on the other hand, disapproved of William right away. He and Li got into an argument over William, with Mr. Wang telling Li that being an art historian is not a suitable career and that he won’t provide for a family should Li have one. But Li asserted her statement that William has a kind heart and he loves her for her personality.

It was because of that argument that she and Mr. Wang has become estranged from each other for a long time.

Having made her decision, Li moved to London and married William. Despite them being able to set up house together, Li felt homesick. She missed her family.

Li has even tried to contact her family for some time, but she could never get a hold of them. She even tried to contact Didi, and the same thing: no response. (At this point, she didn’t know about him being afflicted by the madness poison during the events of The Blue Lotus)

Li felt more comfortable wearing traditional Chinese clothing around the house, but whenever she ran errands by herself or with her husband, she had to adapt to more Westernized fashion. This came after an incident in which William admonished a bystander who shouted a racist slur at Li.

Which comes to my next point: After her daughters Yina and Mei were born, Li wanted them to honor their heritage. So she decided to teach them the traditions she grew up with. But at the same time, she was worried that her daughters would also be a target of bullying and racism because of their heritage.

After Li had Chen, she had found out about a relative who was adopted by the Wangs who would be coming to visit London. She was unsure of how to act, because she never knew who he was or where he’d be staying. (FYI, it was Chang!) But a plane crash in the Himalayas had prevented his visit, which made Li worry immensely.

Once Chang met Li, he had a mixture of feelings. One) he didn’t know about her because Mr. Wang never once mentioned her after her departure, and two) he was unofficially an uncle to her children.

Yina and Mei immediately took a liking to Chang, which meant that he babysat them more often than not. And occasionally, he had a bit of help from Tintin, who has little to no experience with small children.

Anyway, that’s all the information I have for them! Hope you enjoy ☺️

[ang-900]

The Original Voltron Adaptations Vs Their Original Japanese Counterparts.

Beast King Go-Lion:

Go-Lion/Voltron's backstory is that he got split due to his hubris after thinking he could take on the space goddess.

Voltron is a sentient being who lived long before time.

Voltron's title is king of the beasts.

All the pilots, save Fala/Allura, are from Earth.

All the boys are effectively in the same boat as VLD Shiro and have the gladiator backstory.

Earth is dead and gone, consumed by World War 3 by the start of the show.

Allura is canonically 16.

Raible/Coran's a strategist.

Altea/Arus's people were assumed to all be destroyed (especially the royal family), but they're all hiding out.

Allura's parents and siblings are executed by Daibazaal/Zarkon's hand while she was a year old baby. Zarkon didn't know she existed.

Hiroshi Suzuishi/Pidge is descended from Ninja.

There's so much blood and gore. People get cut in half vertically and horizontally. We get the privilege of watching people drop dead on screen with these horrifying faces and screams. Zarkon and Sincline/Lotor drink blood, too.

Honerva/Haggar has this bs called occult science.

Akira Kogane/Keith and Allura are so slowburn to the point it might not exist between them.

King Raimon/Alfor's ghost comes back from the grave to tell the paladins how much they suck.

Pidge threatens to eat the space mice twice.

Shirogane Takashi/Sven dies and and a later episode introduces his younger brother, Ryou/Sven, who was captured as a slave among others before Earth was fully destroyed.

Cannibalism

A tragic side character commits suicide at the end of an episode

Amue/Romelle's older brother is willingly turned into a robeast. Her older brother and father are both murdered by the Galra during a battle with Voltron.

Earth is completely destroyed and uninhabitable. The boys become honorary citizens of Arus.

A scene depicting Pidge's mother shows her seeing him off his mission. It's the last time he sees her.

Lotor has a dream about his mother where it suggests Zarkon had a hand in her disappearance. A flashback occurs showing us she was a good person and was killed for moral differences.

Coran's son, Saint/Garret, died as an infant while he and his mother were escaping from the castle. They are buried by a local group of people. The Galra dig up this grave to clone him.

Hys/Nanny is shot by Garret and dies.

A father-daughter bond is implied between Coran and Allura when the latter comforts the former after the Garret incident.

The Galran foot soldiers are living beings.

Romelle almost died via firing squad.

One notable robeast involved a snake like being who survived a civil massacre amongst her people and was introduced burying her deceased child. She adopts Pidge within the same episode. She dies at the end from blood loss.

Another notable side character was a sand person. Allura befriends this one by giving it her bracelet. The sand person is turned into a robeast. It's implied the sand person dies at the end, though it is unclear why.

During the final battle, Lotor sends out trapped prisoners in bubbles as bombs so Voltron can't move without killing them. Lotor also shoots them as missles. Haggar also shoots at the prisoners so Voltron can move and end Lotor's career.

Haggar's motive in helping Voltron lies in that Lotor killed Zarkon.

Haggar is Zarkon's mother.

Ryou dies fighting Lotor.

Honerva dies. Zarkon dies. Lotor dies.

Voltron: Defender of the Universe:

"We don't need clothes." Keith, 1984.

Arus is still alive, they just get attacked.

Voltron's backstory is that Haggar disguised herself as said space goddess and wrecked Voltron into five pieces.

Coran's a diplomat.

Voltron's title is King of the Robots

Galaxy Garrison exists here.

Allura grew up an only child and seldom saw her parents because they were busy.

Sven is severely injured and is, instead, sent to another planet to recuperate, but gets captured as a slave on planet Doom and thinks he's crazy.

Zarkon disrespects Haggar likes it's nobody's business.

King Alfor built Voltron.

Zarkon has a nephew

Pidge has a sister who's stated to be training as a pilot.

That same tragic side character is said to have returned to her home planet offscreen

Romelle's older brother is willingly turned into a robeast. He swims out to see in the middle of a battle with Voltron. Romelle's father in consequence goes mad and is implied to have died as a result.

Balto is ravaged by Lotor's forces. Pidge becomes an honourary citizen of Arus.

Pidge is an orphan and the scene of his mother depicts his adoption

Lotor has a dream about Allura instead. Allura's nightmare shows us she's afraid of Zarkon.

"Lotor, my beloved son, you're a nitwit." -Zarkon, 1984

Doom/Drule council.

Coran's son, Garret, and his wife are said to be alive in another dimension they were beamed to when the Galra attacked them. The clone is robotic like.

Allura when comforting Coran after the Garret incident, calls him a good man.

Lance is a country boy.

The Doom foot soldiers are robots.

Romelle was sentenced to be shot by a firing squad with stun guns.

Lotor and Haggar look for a new robeast victim among the Medusans. Audibly noting that they're all in a deep rest. That Medusan lady chooses to adopt Pidge. She also gets hurt, but it's implied she lives.

The episode about the sand people goes relatively the same way. However, the sand person is stated to be exhausted, but alive.

Sven is injured and sent back to planet Pollux to heal.

During the final battle, Lotor sends out robots in bubbles to trap Voltron. Keith can't move him because the bombs would blow up in their face. Lotor shoots them as missiles. Haggar shoots them down so Voltron can end Lotor's career.

Zarkon lives. Haggar lives. Lotor lives.

Pidge has a brother, Chip.

The same:

The Robeasts sometimes have unique tits (long, metallic, and spiky).

Lotor has three different kinds of chins and noses he alternates between.

Allura's only living relative is her aunt.

Armoured Fleet Dairugger XV:

The show begins with a strong theme linked to the lifestyle and aspirations of young sailors staking their life on the sea.

The Galaxy Alliance's goal is to create a star map of the universe, explore planets, and potentially colonize one.

Shinji Ise/Commander Hawkins is unsure if there are any lifeforms other than the three species in the Galaxy Alliance.

There are three planets in the Galaxy Alliance: Earth, Mira, and Sala.

Miranda Keats/Krik has telepathy.

Barros Karateya/Zandee is possibly from New York.

The cook can sing and cook.

Krik and Moya Kirigas/Cinda are Mirans.

Shota Kreutz/Wolo and Saruka Katz/Tangor are Salans.

The main fleet has spent 7 months in space.

Manabu Aki/Jeff hates spicy food.

Tatsuo Izumo/Shannon has no deeper reason to hate the Galveston/Drule other than they've been fighting one another recently.

Sim/Sandu dies as a pilot with his ship.

Wolo's brother dies.

Haruka Kaga/Lisa's singing when the force is stalled on the weather planet.

Murder

Captain Barataria/Brak kills himself.

Walter Jack/Cliff's brother's name is Jimmy.

Cliff has a magic hobby. He wants to be a member of the Magic Castle in Hollywood.

The Dairugger crew/Vehicle force sing the theme song when sending off Captain Dick Asimov/Stanley.

The planet Hawkins saw blow up was a consequence of the Galra not wanting a base to be built on that planet - Planet Apollo.

Krik on his shift as commander simply orders the teams to head to their vehicles.

The Vehicle Force are observing the artifact they collected in a previous episode with hopes and doubts the civilization survived.

Commander Hagi/Kernel Klaus dies.

Director Wakasa/Marshal Graham is peeved the people aren't taking Drule threat seriously.

Drake/Mongo dies. Teles/Hazar has a devastating reaction to it.

Graves

Krik is implied to be a prince.

Sirk/Dorma has no biological relation to Hazar and instead is his adjutant.

Hazar's father is a Homeworld secretary socrat and he's immediately dismissed from this position when Hazar returns to Galveston.

Planet Mira has flowers similar to purple orange-spotted flowers.

The Vehicle team learned space combat at the space fortress.

The queen of Eldora states the Galran frontline base is east of the planet Eldora, in the area where the blue light shines.

Earth gets attacked, and are fending off the Galra.

Yasuo Mutsu/Chip trained really hard at the space fortress' juvenile school in terms of science.

The pendant Lisa gives Jeff is what her mother gave her before Dairugger's departure from Earth. Lisa considers this a souvenir.

Commander Date/Kernel Kerbert* and crew die due to how damaged the ship is.

Patty Ellington/Ginger planted a seed she found in her room. She compares the growth of the plant to their perseverance.

A sunset reminds Cliff of his hometown.

Hazar gets promoted to commander of the attack fleet.

Pidge dreams of driving his mother to Mt. Fuji. We see her physically in the back seat.

Krik's letter is from his father who states harvest is good on Mira. Cliff's letter's from his father who sends his greetings to Ginger.

The photo of the baby is Jeff's newborn nephew. He has at least one sibling.

Chip is a lonely single child.

Lisa and Chip are childhood friends. They were in the same class in juvenile school, and they trained together at the space fortress.

Kazuto Nagato/Hutch and Tasuku Izu/Marvin insult the three girls. They're mad because Kai Shinobu/Rocky previously talked about Emma/Twyla continuously, whilst Hutch says he grows tired of the three. Ginger trips Hutch and he cries.

Commander Twyla dies.

The crew of the Space Explorer play rugby with a squad of Galra soldiers. They all die.

Both the buck and the fawn die.

The two dolphins die. One was a calf. The mother swims head on to a bomb.

Ginger is grievously injured, and is piloting her machine while fighting off sleep medication. She is dedicated to fighting by her team.

Hazar hesitates to land a killing blow and his gun is shot from his hand. Dorma shoots the body guard and in pain he shoots about wildly, accidentally striking Emperor Corsair/Zeppo - who dies.

The date by the time of the Drule evacuation is Feb 9 in the space year 2203.

Commander Newley agrees the Drules should have the third planet of the 26 system as they have nowhere to go.

Commander Hazar is assassinated by three Galveston soldiers. One of whom is Sandu's younger brother.

Jeff gives Lisa's necklace to Hazar's corpse.

Voltron: Defender of The Universe - Vehicle:

The Galaxy Garrison's motive is to find a second planet because Earth is suffering overpopulation.

It's implied the Vehicle Team and crew already encountered Hazar. He is described as a pirate.

The Vehicle Force call themselves the Voltron Force.

The Vehicle Force can only stay combined for five minutes.

Lisa is implied go be an alien.

Wolo's planet has seven moons.

There is a spy aboard the Galaxy Cruiser for the Drules. This is never touched upon again.

The food is crap.

Krik's from a water planet and it was at one point saved by Voltron.

Krik has ESP abilities.

The Drule have a confirmed child soldier among their ranks.

Shannon's brother was taken prisoner and is currently being held on Planet Doom.

Commander Hawkins pours hot chocolate from kettles.

Wolo's brother is implied to have survived the encounter with the beast.

Lisa talks about past African civilization when the Force is stalled on the weather planet.

Commander Brak says he'll move to another planet if the Galra choose to be peaceful.

Cliff is a country boy. Has a confirmed younger brother named Ginny* and two other brothers.

The Voltron Force are singing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" for Captain Newley's farewell party.

Commander Hawkins saw a planet, Orus*, get blown up. The reason for its destruction is unknown.

Krik on his round as commander gives orders with great enthusiasm which is noted by his teammates.

The chef paints as a hobby and the Vehicle Force spend an entire scene roasting his painting.

Kernel Klaus lives and wants to continue building bases.

Marshal Graham is down in the dumps when people joke about him and other high ranking personnel.

Mongo took an experimental time travel ship 😭 and left the empire for good because he no longer wanted to be a part of war.

Hazar drops the photo of him and Mongo because he's clumsy. He looks at it and wishes the latter luck.

The Drule are searching for a new planet due to a transient sun while the Galaxy Garrison are searching due to overpopulation.

Commander Hawkins and Jeff's relationship is funnier than it needs to be.

Ginger got run over twice by joggers.

Lisa invented a carrot and cabbage cocktail she calls 'C & C'.

Pidge and Chip are twins.

Jeff's favourite food is spaghetti.

Jeff has been intentionally skipping Professor Page's plant seminars.

We see Krik's family photo.

Hazar and Dorma are brother sister and he has a good relationship with her.

Commander Nerok escapes in an escape shuttle.

The crew drinks hot chocolate in their downtime.

Earth gets attacked and wins against the Drule.

Ginger brought an unknown plant seed aboard ship and is growing a small plant.

Jeff explains a learned philosophical viewpoint to Commander Hawkins, and the latter's answer is that Jeff would make a great politician.

Lisa bought a good luck charm from a wizard on Planet Korb*. Jeff doesn't believe in that, but he wears the necklace the following episode.

"There is a good chance the lieutenant could be damaged." & "You're a brave fool." -Krik, 1985

Pidge and Chip studied solar energy as a hobby.

Kernel Kerbert* and his crew survive by fleeing in escape ships.

Jeff has a dog named Rover. He named a planet after said dog, an idea Commander Hawkins shoots down.

Krik's father bought another hydro bionic farm that he will inherit one day.

It's implied Cliff writes about Ginger to his brother as they want to meet 'that smashing Ginger'.

Jeff's family sent his baby photo. He thinks he's still cute.

Lisa and Chip are close enough she recognizes his hand writing.

Chip dreams about Pidge. He worries greatly about his brother after the lack of a letter.

Hutch insults the three girls based on their looks implying Twyla is hotter. Ginger trips Hutch after he, Marvin, and Rocky insult all three female members of the Voltron Force and he cries.

Commander Twyla escapes in an escape shuttle.

The Voltron Force play football with the Drule. Jeff finds Lieutenant Antor seriously hurt under rubble, but they heal him and he lives.

The buck dies but the fawn lives.

The dolphin is a single dolphin who somehow managed to disable a missile and survive.

"We just signed an important peace treaty right at this table. I've agreed to let Ginger slurp up her spaghetti, and she's agreed to let me slurp up my soup." -Cliff to Jeff, (Ginger present).

"Well I didn't sign and I want my own table away from you." -Krik to Cliff and possibly Jeff, (Ginger present).

Episode 45. Episode 45 is way too funny. Krik and Cinda crave coconuts out of the blue, ask Commander Hawkins if they can stop at a planet for some, and Krik salutes to his commander that it was a 'dumb idea'.

Ginger has PTSD from an experience as a child where she survived a ship blowing up.

The Drule home-world had destructive material buried under the surface.

Hazar spares Zeppo, but the latter's body is slumped on the throne.

Captain Newley relocates the Drule to a planet in the fourth quadrant in the far galaxy.

Hazar lives.

Krik is passive-aggressive.

The Drule blow up perfectly good planets they can't have.

The Same:

Krik has ESP abilities.

Krik can possibly play an instrument. He holds it the entire time, however.

Jeff, when he takes the first shift as Commander, is disgusted and reluctant to sit beside Commander Hawkins much to the amusement of the man.

Commander Hawkins is passive aggressive.

The Drule homeworld is getting hotter. All the residents have moved below ground, and starvation is prominent.

Krik pilots Voltron when Jeff is out of commission.

Krik shoves a whole gun into Jeff's pants.

The Sky Team ft. Krik drive a tank/enemy patrol car.

Dorma is kidnapped and asked to join the resistance which she steadily accepts.

Original Japanese:

All the foot soldiers are organic.

Consequences. Consequences everywhere.

A good portion of one note characters die.

Adapted Shows:

Stun guns. Stun guns everywhere.

All the foot soldiers are robots.

Bonus Voltron season 3:

King Alfor's ghost can bend the fabric of space. He can also shoot lasers without a gun.

Nanny lives.

Pidge has formed murderous intent towards the castle mice.

Fifth castle mouse.

Commander Cossack a.k.a. Cossack the Terrible.

Lotor drinks something called a mean potion that increases his meanness.

Queen Merla.

King Deus Ex Machina Alfor.

Lotor gets put in jail and has his allowance revoked.

"You don't know Zarkon like I do." -Lance, 1985.

Bonus Bonus Fleet of Doom:

Chip is taller than Pidge.

Hunk is buddies with Modac.

Wolo and Lance used to lightly "bully" Cliff.

Keith and Jeff are competitive with each other.

6 year-old Keith got lost in a forest.

Haggar has two wolves within her (not literal wolves).

*Not sure what the confirmed spelling is but I did my best to spell it like it sounds.

[retiredkat]

This article states the issues PERFECTLY

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon — 5 things The Book of Carol got right (and 5 it got wrong)

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon's second season meshed together two versions of the show as it ramped up to Carol and Daryl's journey back home, resulting in some wins and losses for fans.

Dawn Glen Nov 9, 2024

It’s safe to say that The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon has had something of an identity problem. Initially conceived as a “roadshow” set in the US and centered on the characters of Carol (Melissa McBride) and Daryl (Norman Reedus), the show then moved to France and lost McBride. The first season then built a new premise around Daryl stuck in France and contemplating a new life with nun Isabelle and her “chosen one” nephew Laurent. However, when McBride then returned to the show for the second season, it’s clear the decision was made to then pivot back to the original concept, but set in Europe.

These massive changes have left the show — and especially season 2, subtitled The Book of Carol — something of a jumble as the old version of the plot was phased out to make way for the new one. Despite this messy premise, the show did still manage to pull together some compelling pieces of storytelling, create dynamic action sequences, and explore some of the character’s deeper emotions. So let’s take a closer look at what exactly The Book of Carol got right, and got wrong.

5 things The Book of Carol got right

Carol

The best decision this show ever made is not just getting Melissa McBride back on board, but also making her an executive producer. During promotion, she spoke about her input this season, which comes across clearly onscreen. Having Carol confront and truly deal with her original trauma which began her massive character metamorphosis into the hero she is — losing her daughter Sophia — is long overdue. Seeing Carol speak openly about Sophia, her other losses, and her state of mind are all things that the character deserves, and which McBride absolutely needed to play onscreen.

There wasn’t one element of Carol’s story that wasn’t written and performed brilliantly. Even her horrific lie about looking for Sophia worked, as it illustrated the depth of her desperation. She's willing to put herself in that position knowing the guilt of the lie couldn’t remotely touch the guilt she feels for losing Sophia in the first place.

Carol was her empathetic, sassy, ingenious, courageous and devastating best, and it was a joy to be back in her company.

Ash

Carol’s new friend and pilot was an absolute breath of fresh air in season 2. Ash was a man stuck in the past, forced out of his hermit-like life by Carol’s magnetism and his own kind heart. Manish Dayal was magnificent as the sweet, gentle, broken father who found his world completely opened by this new friendship. Partnering hardened and cynical Carol with such a warm and innocent man created fantastic chemistry between the pair, which the actors embraced with a light touch. In a fictional world which so often highlights the worst of humanity, giving us someone who is exactly who they seem to be and is full of forgiveness and unexpressed love adds the hopeful balance that such a dark show needs.

I am so glad that Ash got to live (I had totally written him off from as far back as the trailer of season 2, given that hopeful people are always the first to go in this universe), and even happier he got what he needed: a new adopted son and a reason to live. I hope he makes another appearance down the line. If we can believe that plane of his can cross the Atlantic twice, there’s nothing saying he can’t do it again to come and find Carol and Daryl on their travels.

Scenery

When talking about moving the show to France, the scenery was always one of the first things that the show’s creators mentioned, and it truly is the aspect of the location they get absolutely right. The utterly dazzling locations, from the catacombs to Mont St Michel to stunning vistas in the French countryside, really give The Book of Carol a grander, more poetic feel than the original Walking Dead show ever had.

From Daryl and Isabelle’s sunset kiss on the beach in front of the nest to Carol and Daryl’s bike ride past Paris’ tourist attractions, every location shot looked filmic and was sublimely captured. Even the CGI-devastated cities were well-executed and gave a classic twist to the urban vistas we’d grown used to. And on a more intimate scale, the farmhouses and stone-built villages that Carol and Daryl found themselves in do feel uniquely French, lending a believability to the characters who live — or lived — there.

Casting

The Book of Carol was packed with compelling secondary characters who were all depicted expertly by their performers, to the point that it’s incredibly sad to be leaving them behind. However little they were given, every actor made their character feel realistic and compelling.

Anne Charrier gave film noir glamour and grace to Genet, who displayed a regal supremacy and an absolutely human connection to her country. Clemence Poesy gave Isabelle a serene strength and softness, expertly inhabiting both of Isabelle’s identities as party girl and nun. Eriq Ebouaney gave the series a feeling of gravitas and richness as rebel leader Fallou. I absolutely could believe that many would follow this man, look to him for guidance and reassurance, and put their trust entirely in his word. Laïka Blanc-Francard gave a lovely, delicate performance as Sylvie, the young sheltered nun who fell in love for the first time and became a brave, righteous defender of what is right. She’s a captivating light on screen, and I imagine her career will take off after this.

Perhaps best of all was Romain Levi as Codron, the brutal soldier who turns protector and friend. Levi came onscreen in season 1 an obedient soldier and callous killer helping to hunt for Laurent. When he encounters the innocent Laurent and finds a faith in humanity he never knew, Levi deftly conveys the change in his heart. His emotional scenes begging Laurent for forgiveness and bonding with Fallou were highlights from the latter episodes of The Book of Carol. I am so glad he (seemingly) lived to fight another day, especially as Levi is also a joyous delight in interviews.

Comedy

When Norman Reedus first talked about the spinoff, he often repeated that it would be “lighter” in tone, and it was something a lot of fans looked forward to. The Book of Carol delivered on that lightness in the form of Carol’s humour and Daryl and Carol’s banter. Melissa McBride has incredible comedy chops, and Carol’s scathing, dry wit was peppered flawlessly through her scenes, from casually informing Mick’s friend that their friend was in a car trunk with an hour of oxygen left, “give or take,” to her deadpan declaration that she doubts she’d find Daryl in a kitchen.

One of Carol’s greatest abilities is to make us sob with heartbreak and snort with laughter at her caustic take-downs of fools, and The Book of Carol leaned into it so well. Her funny bones are so strong they rub off on Daryl, and make even the overly earnest Daryl funny. Their scenes with Didi and Theo, with Daryl barely controlling his laughter at Carol pretending to be Isabelle, and telling Theo’s friend that Florida was on their bucket list, adds brevity that really lifts his character. While Carol and Daryl are epic as a fighting duo and emotive as supportive best friends, their “old married couple” bickering is the most welcome dynamic on The Book of Carol.

5 things The Book of Carol got wrong

Daryl

Or “Darren” as some online fans were calling him. Considering that the show is named after him, it is absolutely astounding how badly the writers got Daryl. Almost every aspect of his character that fans hold dear was undermined, trashed, or forgotten. Most essential was the idea that the man who’s most defining characteristic was loyalty would decide that he could give up his old family (Carol, Judith and RJ, Maggie, Aaron) after spending mere weeks with Isabelle and Laurent. Having his relationship with Laurent be stronger than his connection to Judith is especially insulting to anyone who has watched since Daryl held Judith hours after her birth, and dubbed her “Ass Kicker.”

Even the multiple times Daryl makes promises to Laurent that he will come back, that he will see him again, do not seem right coming from the always-truthful pragmatist Daryl. In season 10 of The Walking Dead, when Judith expressed similar concerns, he was honest that he could not promise to always be there for her, but still managed to give her comfort. Why wouldn’t he do the same with Laurent?

Daryl's romantic relationship with Isabelle was also wildly out of character, for reasons I talked about at length here, and completely rewrote everything we have known about Daryl and the length of time he takes to form a romantic or sexual connection.

For me personally, however, the biggest flaw in Daryl’s writing comes in his scenes with Carol after their reunion, but I’ll get to that.

Misogyny

There is a horrific streak of misogyny that runs through this season; almost every single female secondary character died even though it was absolutely not required for the plot. While Genet, as the big bad, would understandably die, there was no need for Sylvie, Anna or Didi to lose their lives.

Genet’s motivation seemed to be frustration and retribution on behalf of the under-classes and how they were treated before, and during, the zombie apocalypse. The death of her husband in front of her seemed an unnecessary inclusion, but suddenly makes sense when you hear showrunner David Zabel explain in the “Inside the Episode” special that — in his mind — Genet was just “a simple woman” who wanted to have babies with her husband, and went mad when that future was taken away from her. I cannot express how horrific I, and other female fans I know, find that reductive, sexist and trite character motivation.

The entire nun element of the show also reeks of male fantasy service, considering both women immediately cast aside their vows in order to kiss men they have just met, and then — like all virgins who have sex in horror movies — must die for their sins.

Isabelle

I am so sorry, Isabelle, you deserved better. In the first season of the show, Isabelle was a compelling, complex foil for Daryl; a woman with a past who had found hope and faith at the end of the world and believed her nephew could save humanity. But she was also a woman who had let that idea blind her to the danger she was putting Laurent in, and was manipulative and cruel to the man she felt could help them. In season 2, she was reduced to a woman Daryl kissed, and then she died. The fact that you can remove Isabelle from season 2 and that every single plot point (bar the kiss) would play out exactly the same shows the lack of agency and significance she had in The Book of Carol.

That Isabelle didn’t have a single interaction with Laurent in this season is a crime, as is her “fridging.” The second a romance with Daryl was confirmed, her fate was sealed. There is no way she could live given that Daryl would be moving on with Carol; he couldn’t be seen to leave his new girlfriend behind. It’s one of the many reasons the romance was such a hideously bad idea, because instead of leaving for a new life in the U.S. with Laurent, Isabelle is a lovelorn nun met with silence when she declares her love, reduced after her death to an amorphous source of guilt for Daryl.

I wrote here that the most insulting part is that Isabelle's arc in season 2 wasn’t even an original idea; it was simply a nun-themed carbon-copy of what happened with Leah, Daryl’s time-gap girlfriend from the main show.

Daryl’s romance

Even outside of the fact that her romance with Daryl signed Isabelle's execution order, and that Daryl became romantically involved with a woman who had compared him to his abusive father, from a writing point of view, the romance was the absolute worst decision they could make. It achieved nothing but made almost every single group of fans unhappy; which, given how divided The Walking Dead fandom is, is quite the achievement.

Carylers — those who want to see Carol and Daryl together romantically, and arguably the core audience of the spin off — felt miserable and betrayed to see Daryl have a romance with someone he had known for mere weeks, in the very show they believed would focus on Carol and Daryl’s relationship. Those who believed Daryl was meant to be with Connie were devastated he had seemed to have forgotten her and had no plans to return to her at the Commonwealth.

But perhaps most self-defeating was that those who liked Daryl's romantic relationship with Isabelle were angered that it consisted of one kiss, followed swiftly by her death. The existence of the romance at all betrays much of what we know of Daryl, waters down the things that made him special, but throws it aside so quickly and easily. And having him be able to joke and laugh about Didi and Theo thinking Carol is Isabelle just hours later is equally destructive.

Creating a plot that will be so divisive and controversial that you also know has no long-term impact in Daryl’s ongoing story or development is absolutely baffling.

Carol and Daryl

Although The Book of Carol nailed the pair’s comedic, bantering scenes, it absolutely dropped the ball on Daryl’s reactions to Carol’s arrival in France.

While the moment of their reunion was moving, immediately afterwards Daryl is cold, cruel and neglectful of Carol, ignoring her attempts to connect with him as they walk away from the Nest. Of course he would be upset over Isabelle and anxious to find Laurent, but why on earth would he be treating Carol like an annoying, buzzing fly?

The long-awaited reunion between the pair was built up in promotion with taglines like, “to find home is to find each other” and “bonded by one soul,” yet once Carol was there Daryl reacted to her presence as if she’d just crossed town to hang with him, rather than cross the Atlantic during the apocalypse. Why would he not be expressing utter amazement and gratitude for all she did and risked, just to be by his side? Rather than the eventual, casual “I’m glad you’re here” that we got.

It feels as though this is a symptom of a bigger issue that exists with the creatives not knowing how to portray Carol and Daryl’s complex, deep relationship. Showrunner Zabel has said that the relationship is completely platonic, yet scenes such as those with Didi and Theo imply something else, which was picked up both by “shippers” and those actively against shipping. Showing us that these two characters will always choose each other over everyone else, that their happy ending is being with each other, but refusing to consider that their connection may be (or evolve to become) romantic dramatically hampers how their relationship can be depicted or furthered. It creates an emotional inauthenticity and reduces the impact of the character’s bond. It feels as though Zabel and co. were afraid to show Daryl be too overly enthusiastic about Carol’s amazing feat because it would seem too romantic “true love” coded, which tells you something about why that avenue should be considered.

[push-tet]

@hellodahliah special for you 🥰 and for ppl who want to understand the lore of my Verona

kind of an addendum to the last post

bruh im sorry that this post came out so long!!

The Counts origin: The Counts, like the Сapps, were once an aristocracy. But after losing the election to Macbeth's ancestor, the Counts' ancestors ceased to consider themselves aristocrats. Leaving the path of palitics the Counts chose the path of jurisprudence. The Counts were able to maintain their power and influence over Veronaville by pulling the strings of law and justice

Escalus-Prince - Knowledge\Pisces- 5\3\9\1\7

Yeah, he's got a double name but everyone just calls him Escalus or Escal

He's too empathic for a job in the judiciary

He met his ex-wife at uni, he thought it was the real love but in fact she was using him to improve her position at uni so that she would not be expelled (he did all her academic work for her). When the truth came out, he didn't make a scene and just asked her to leave

After the death of Ledia Macbeth (the mayor at the time), he continues her work trying to reconcile the old generation of feuding clans

Escalus couldn't spend much time with his son. That's why they have a strained relationship with him

Escalus realizes he's spoiled Paris. While he has time, he tries to carefully correct this mistake so that he knows Paris will be a worthy successor to the family business

Gregorio - Romance\Taurus - 4\7\3\8\3

He is the first adopted son of the Summerdreams. When he grew up, he changed his last name

He was in love with a servant girl at the Сapp House (at the time of the game, the deceased Angelica Nurse)

He's a master of bad flirting

Before he became the Counts' butler, he tried his hand at stand-up

Gregorio still doesn't know how to react to Paris' words - You're like a big brother to me

After the fire at the old Count manor, he developed hydrophobia

Paris - Family\Leo - 5\8\3\4\5

Paris was born and spent half his childhood in Champs Les Sims. But his parents were going on a long expedition, so they returned to Veronaville and left their son in the care of Escalus. They promised to send him a card or letter once a month, but he hadn't received one in over three years (they're alive)

Paris was chubby in chilhood

Paris got interested in drawing after watching - Little Miss Wendalyn (fun fact - it's also Romeo's fav cartoon) At the moment, the biggest fan of his doodles is Merc

Paris is a little self-centered and makes himself a pretty good-looking guy. But even so, he always says - There's beauty in everyone. Someone just didn't think to wash their face today

Paris has been friends with Julliette since childhood but her liaison with Romeo annoys him. Paris just can't turn a blind eye to Romeo's shameful reputation. Not because he's jealous nonono

Paris and Romeo don't openly show their dislike for each other and pretend they are good bros. Paris calls him Gnomeo

The Zhung origin:

The fairies of the Zhung Clan are famous tea masters and their outdated views on life. The men of the clan are outstanding healers and the women of the clan are supposed to be creative but devote themselves to looking after the family. But no member of the family is allowed to leave the homeland without special permission from the elders. Failure to follow the rules is punishable by condemnation and condemnation within the family

Yingtai - Virgo\Family 8\3\5\3\6

After her daughter left the family, Yingtai devoted herself to a career in music. She is fluent in playing all musical instruments and has often performed at the opera

As a young girl, Yangtai disobeyed her family and went to university abroad dressed as a man

Yingtai's husband openly despised her family. He despised them so much that he refused to use his wife's surname after marriage

Yingtai hasn't spoken another language for a long time, so when she arrives in Veronaville she starts to communicate with everyone in her native language as a habit

Yingtai remains devoted to her husband even after his death

Yintai knows all types and kinds of teas by heart. So she's literally like: Fuck your zodiac signs. What's your favorite tea?; Her favorite - Longjing tea

please someone ask me about Yingtai and her husband's relationship they are my Roman Empire

Madam - Aries\Pleasure 5\6\6\4\4

i found an old post about her bruh

Madam change her name and took her second husband's surname so she and her daughter wouldn't be part of the Zhung

Madam hates everything to do with her father. Unlike her mother, Madame is convinced that he is not dead but simply ran away

Madame works as a fashion photographer but also successfully designs her own custom-made clothes. Some of her clients include - Marissa Cleveland, Armand DeBateau, Mercutio Monty, Klara Vonderstein, Goneril and Kent Capp, Bella Goth, Cordial sisters

Madame doesn't hate men, she just doesn't like it when men try to control women

After the "death" of her father, Yingtai fell into a deep depression and stopped paying attention to her daughter, because of this Madame became unmanageable and often deliberately got into trouble

After leaving home, Madame still has a habit of asking after the welcome - "Would you like some tea?" Her favorite - Pu Erh with basil-cherry

Helana - Scorpio\Fortune 7\4\7\4\3

When Helena was studying martial arts in Shang Simla. (btw the homeland of Madam and Yingati) She overworked herself so much that she now has to dye her hair blond to cover up a bunch of gray hairs

Helena the union of an ordinary sim and a fairy. A half-breed. She does not have access to such fnctions as - long life and magic. But in she excels in physical activities of ordinary sims

Fact: Helena was able to reeducate Paris to do his job properly

For Helna, Hermia is dead. So when she's asked to stop ignoring Hermia's existence, she says - I'm not crazy enough to talk to a ghost

Helena seems to be a cold person, but if you talk to her for a while, you will find out that in addition to white arts, she bakes cookies/buns to drink tea with (if Paris doesn't eat all the sweets in one go); Her favorite - green tea with peach

The Snout also have a dog named Peek

He was a present for Madam from father-in-law. i don't know how to describe him, i'll just show it

he's also supposed to be a Spitz

fact: the only three characters here are not Shakespearean references

hmmm, should i put Madam-Helena and Escalus-Paris templates for download?

[fizziepopangel]

A Fizziepop Take: Let’s talk about Blitz and Loona’s relationship

I’ve seen a few different reasons around the fandom for disliking Loona as a character, but I’m only going to touch on the biggest one I’ve seen, one being that she’s vulgar and vile toward the man who adopted her, Blitz. Now, maybe its my own fucked up relationship with my father that leads me to this conclusion, but I actually really like the way Loona and Blitz’s relationship is set up and the way it’s progressing slowly. I know I touched on it when I first started the account after seeing a post about how someone hated Loona because of the way she treated Blitz and blah, blah, blah…. But after watching the lost Helluva Boss episode, I actually like Loona and the relationship and I wanna talk about why, so let’s get into it.

I wanna start by saying that while I don’t condone how Loona treats Blitz, I understand why and I think the reasoning behind her behavior toward the imp plays a big role in the relationship. Now, to truly understand why Loona acts the way she does and why her attitude is the way it is toward Blitz, we have to remember how Loona came to be Blitz’s daughter. She was nearly 18 and about to age out of the pound, which is the hellhound version of an extremely fucked up fostercare system, and in the Helluva Boss universe, hellhounds are more of a commodity than a people of hell; used for jobs that require high laborand muscle, this does put hellhounds on the same level as imps, if not lower than the little red creatures. If we break this down, this likely means that Loona grew up in this system, either never being chosen to work or being chosen and brought back on multiple occasions when she was no longer useful to whoever she was adopted by, which would lead to a hoard of issues trusting anyone who signed her out of the pound since she would’ve essentially felt like a library book that would be returned when they were done or bored with it. Coupling that with the fact that in the flashback Blitz has to the first time he sees Loona in the pound, it’s likely that being aggressive wasn’t her nature in the beginning, but rather something she picked up to keep herself safe since we see in the flashback that she wasn’t the original aggressor, the slightly smaller hound was and after Loona’s defense, she reverts to someone who genuinely seems rather terrified of her surroundings…. This likely means that even locked in the cages of the pound, Loona was never truly safe in the one place she was the most connected to, and if she wasn’t safe from the other adoptees in the pound, there’s a good chance that the adults running the pound either abused her as well or just turned a blind eye to the abuse happening within the cages. Coming from a background like that and living that way would mean that Loona likely never truly learned to control her emotions outside of turning everything into something manageable (like rage), and never truly learned to foster trust since a place like that wouldn’t breed people she could foster trust with on many occasions.

Blitz, while being the founder of a murder for hire group and an assassin himself, genuinely embodies the phrase “be who you would have needed when you were a kid”. From what we know about his childhood so far, he wasn’t valued by his father and didn’t seem to get much praise from those around him at all. We see on multiple occasions that Blitz is rather softhearted when it comes to the people he considers himself close to. He does what he can to protect them, he’s affectionate, and he values what they think of him…. It makes sense that the imp saw Loona in the pound and immediately wanted to take her away from the horrorshow he saw and offer her the care and protection he feels she (and likely himself) never got in younger years. I think that’s what causes the man to be so much more lenient with her than most people think she deserves.

Now, because Loona grew up in a place that taught her that trust wasn’t something you could put in anyone other than yourself and only fostered aggression and fear in her, I don’t think she actually understood how to be a part of a loving home, which is what Blitz does his best to provide her. I mean if you think about it, the little red creature takes her in at 17, creates an abuse free space, most likely gives her food, clothes, even gives up his bedroom for her so she has a safe, private place to sleep, and then goes a step further and gives her a job so that she’d still have a way to support herself if she chose to leave home when she legally became an adult. Now, if you think about this from the perspective of someone who has nothing and has never had anything like this, it sounds amazing; almost too good to be true….. Most times, people say that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is… so Loona has likely spent most of her time with Blitz just waiting for the other shoe to drop…. And if you think of it that way, from her perspective, while everything that Blitz has given her is amazing, it must also be terrifying since suddenly she had so much more to lose if she let herself get attached to him and everything he’s given her and he were to suddenly abandon her for any reason.

I know, anyone watching the show can easily tell that Blitz does his best to be a good father figure to Loona, even when he’s met with resistance and sarcasm or downright physical violence on her end. We all know he would never purposely do anything to hurt her in any way, and I think Loona knows that too on some level, but everything she has hinges on Blitz wanting her around. Her home, her job, and up until she met Vortex and was introduced to his friends and other hellhounds at the party, her only ‘friends’ were Blitz’s employees so at any given moment, Blitz could have taken pretty much everything from her if he wanted to. If you’re attached to someone and they up and leave, effectively changing your entire life in the way Blitz could have done to Loona, it’s going to hurt and even just the thought can be anxiety-inducing…. I think that’s what Loona holds on to; that feeling of ‘I can’t get too attached’ since she probably knows first hand how badly it would hurt to have the rug pulled out from under her like that.

Looking at things that way, I think it makes sense why Loona is so verbally and physically violent with her adoptive father…. And it makes sense why Blitz puts up with anything she throws at him (literally). The man has gone out of his way to show Loona that he plans to stick around as long as it is physically possible for him, and I don’t think anything short of death could make him change that way of thinking.

Now, I know Loona is an adult now and she should definitely work on controlling herself and getting past everything holding her in that mentality, but I think she actually is healing in her own, slow way. You can see it when she almost calls Blitz dad and when she talks to Octavia about Stolas. Loona talking to Octavia about the importance of a father just putting in effort when it’s not easy to had just as much to do with her and Blitz’s as it had to do with Stolas and Octavia’s in that moment and I honestly think that was a big moment for her because despite there not being any big changes between her and Blitz, I think that acknowledging the struggles of the relationship and everything around it went a long way in her opening that wound in a way that meant it maybe healing properly from it, even if she didn’t outright acknowledge it. I think that’s partly what opened the gate for the scenes we see in the lost episode that was released the other day. Loona’s never let herself call Blitz her dad out loud, but at Bee’s she not only calls him her dad, but shouts it to a crowd of people…. And even as an audience, we can see how much that meant to Blitz, especially after the night he had at Ozzie’s prior. Despite being a small thing, I think we actually saw a huge win for Blitz in that moment as well as a massive breakthrough for Loona. And I think that breakthrough for Loona continues as we watch her genuinely care for Blitz in a softer way, similar to the way she briefly looked after Octavia back in “Seeing Stars”, even gently putting the drunk man to bed and promising him that even if she was alone there, the man wouldn’t spend the rest of his life alone. Does Loona know exactly what she’s promised? Maybe…. Maybe she only agreed to be comforting in that moment since she knew he needed it, but either way, both of those options are big for her in their own ways; like big enough that we might actually see a bigger shift in their dynamic to a healthier father/daughter place.

Do I think things can just get better now that we have a bit of new context involving Blitz’s relationship with his daughter? No. I think we’ll see a lot more scenes with softer interactions between the two as Loona continues to heal and Blitz continues to try to be a good father to her, like the ones we see in “Western Energy”, but I think it’ll continue to happen on the slower end of the spectrum. But the healing and progress is something I love for both of them and cannot wait to see more of as the show goes on. But remember, that’s just a Fizziepop thought on this complex relationship.

[iowriteswords]

Io's Writing List, June 2024

1. When Pinioned Birds Take Flight - finished, last few chapters posting on AO3 over next few weeks

(Their dad is dead. Their brother is gone. All three of them are fugitives. Is now a good time to adopt two zombie children? No. Will that stop them? No.)

2. Untitled BATB retelling - in progress, currently being shared for free on Patreon

(He's not looking for a way out of the curse. He's just trying to help the girl he found crying in the woods. The curse protects him; he doesn't want it broken. But he does want Mira to love him, and he can't have one without the other.)

3. Take Off Your Happy Face - in  progress, will start posting on AO3 in the fall

(With Batman and the Joker dead, Harley takes Robin and runs. She doesn't know how to be a mother; she barely knows how to be an adult. But she's all he has, so she'll have to figure it out.)

4. When the War Ends - in progress, will be published in 2025 or 2026

(Nine years ago, Eloise's lover betrayed her, launching their kingdom into a three way war. Now, Eloise has been kidnapped, and her captor has offered a way to end the war. But can she trust the future of her country to a man who's hurt her so much?)

5. Ozma: the Boy Queen - in progress, earlier drafts of first 2 parts on AO3

("Rescued" from his mother and unwillingly restored to his original form, Tip is made queen of Oz. Unable to return to his old life or his old body, he--she?--works with what he has. At least Dorothy is cool.)

6. Talon!Cass - in progress, title pending

(Sandra Woosan takes in her daughter from an alternate universe. She has zero experience with children. Her daughter is a zombified assassin who can't speak or understand any language Sandra knows. What could possibly go wrong?)

7. Talon!Steph - in progress, title pending

(A Talonized Stephanie Brown joins Oracle, Huntress, and Black Canary in New Gotham. Set in the world of the 2002 Birds of Prey TV show.)

8. Talon!Carrie - in progress, title pending

(Martha's baby is dead, and her sanity is shaky at best. Thomas is seriously considering a future in vigilante justice. Alfred only took this job as a favor to his father, and he thought he would be managing a household, not babysitting adults. A brainwashed teenager can't possibly improve this situation, but, well. She's here now.)

9. The Talon and the Clown - in progress, title pending

(Duela and Talon are home with their parents. Owlman is dead, and Gotham is healing. But Talon's been through twenty years of brainwashing and torture, and recovery isn't easy.)

10. The Sun and the Moon - upcoming

(Siri sells herself to a talking bear to save her starving family. When she learns that her best friend and fellow prisoner Mikkel is actually the bear in another form, she wants to be angry, but she'll have to rescue him from his evil troll stepmother before she can yell at him.)

11. Flightless Birds part 4 - upcoming, title pending

(A speedster and an alien arrive. A junior superhero team forms. Secret identities are revealed. Tim and Jason reconnect with their families.)

12. Silence - upcoming/in progress

(Unexpectedly deprived of fins and gills, a mermaid learns to be human.)

[intuitive-revelations]

I need to rewatch that episode at some point to fully digest it, as I was watching with my family, but I have a bit of a theory coming out of it. Granted it might also be wishful thinking, since it's kind-of what I would do if I was in RTD's shoes, but hear me out:

Getting another mention of the Timeless Child arc feels very deliberate, despite (again) the new series obstensibly being a jumping on point for new viewers.

The episode is filled with themes regarding being a 'foundling' (that wording from Davina was a VERY deliberate choice - granted it's already floating around in pop-culture a bit with The Mandalorian, but it's also specifically the wording the Master used to describe the Timeless Child), not to mention fostering from the parent's point of view, and ambiguous family relationships (daughter / foster kid etc.).

There's clearly a coincidence parallel there. Indeed we hear as much from Fifteen himself.

"I'm adopted." "Are you?" "Yeah, yeah. I, uh, only found out recently."

Meanwhile we also get this element of the timeline changing, and it completely changing the life and personality of Carla.

And finally, there's the Doctor watching Ruby's birth mother (?) leave despite seemingly being tempted to confront her vs Ruby immediately running off when she realises the Doctor's a time traveller (RTD clearly influencing himself there, given the similarities with Rose's debut).

My guess (and hope, full disclaimer) is that we might get some development of the Doctor's origins to make them a bit more ambiguous beyond the Timeless Child mystery. Ideally via changing timelines as per Unnatural History IMHO, like I mentioned in a recent post.

We've got some hints of RTD thinking this way already, given his reasoning for sharing Doctor Who and the Time War during lockdown:

More importantly, the idea has come of age. This chapter only died because it became, continuity-wise, incorrect. But now, the Thirteenth Doctor has shown us Doctors galore, with infinite possibilities. All Doctors exist. All stories are true.

Tales of the TARDIS also seems to lean quite hard into this, with each past Doctor having aged beyond their regenerations due to the constantly changing time tracks. (This also feels kinda like what he was getting at with his 'all Doctors bigenerated' comment, even if it actually occuring in-universe as it did with Fourteen woud be a disaster.)

Do I think we will get too focused on timelines shifting? ...no not necessarily. But I do think we might see some key themes regarding having multiple families (biological, adopted, fostered, found etc.) and these might get applied directly to the Doctor, with him acknowledging having multiple pasts and multiple families. Like that line from Lungbarrow:

'Goodbye, Lungbarrovians,' he called. 'Don't worry. I don't ask for your forgiveness. Time runs in circles. I have other families!

Granted, a lot of this is pure speculation, but I do think there's clear setup for Ruby and Fifteen to be foils to each other going forward, which may indicate similar arcs, even if they don't necessarily unfold at the same time.

However there is one big thing that really might just link it together for me..

The way the family changes as the timelines change. The way Carla's relationship with her foster children changes too. The difference in the number of photos.

This last bit is particulary interesting, because it has two possible subtextual meanings in my head. Let's assume the theory is right, everything involving Ruby is meant to foreshadow the Doctor's own multiple pasts and multiple families.

Does the number of photos represent the size of his family (eg. 45 cousins in a House vs a handful of siblings and stepsiblings)?

"You've got the biggest family in the world." "I have. What about you?" "Uh... I've got no one."

(Although it is worth noting that this is also exactly what Sarah Jane said to Ten about the companions in Journeys End. I'm not how, or if, this is meaningful, but I figured I'd note it.)

Or... and this is a stretch of a stretch... could it represent the number of incarnations the Doctor has had in each timetrack?

"All those lives... you fostered thirty-three." "How many? Not me, darling. Don't be so stupid."

There's not that much to go off yet, so a lot of this may be well off what actually happens, but on a thematic level at least, I do very much think Ruby and the Doctor will continue to be foils to eachother regarding their relationships with their families and trying to find their 'true origin'.