#just the way they drive home the tragedy of the war

[parab0mb]

Kind of obsessed with the 7-2 soundtracks rn.

[tired-teacher-blog]

It's not unusual for him to come home late, way past midnight or even later at times.

It's his usual schedule that you've grown used to over the years of being linked to the pro hero, it's even more expected now, after the conclusion of the bloodiest war you've come to witness, the one that unfortunately took the lives of many, villains, heroes and civilians alike.

It's a tragedy that everyone recalls to this day, almost a year later, and news outlets still report its events in remembrance of the many souls that perished..

The cities that were affected by the attacks are still under construction, and everyone, heroes and civilians, are working tirelessly to rebuild them.

You placed your phone down with a huff and closed your eyes again, it was almost two in the morning, a little too late to be outside, even for him, you weren't worried though, since it's as safe as it can be, but his cold empty spot right beside you was unbearable.

You struggled to keep your eyes open for a bit longer, just enough until his arms are finally wrapped around you, and his lips are covering every inch of your skin they can reach.

He was going to be there soon, you were sure of it, so resting your eyes for a while until he was, should be alright..

_ "umm.. Shouta, is that you?" your voice was groggy but barely audible.

How long have you been unconscious? Obviously enough to miss his return.

_ "Yeah I'm home princess, sorry for being too late but you know how it is." he whispered against your nape and nibbled on your skin playfully before placing a soft kiss there, he sounded sleepy himself though his big calloused hands were restlessly exploring your body to leave a trail of goosebumps in their wake.

The sweet smell of his shampoo and shower gel invaded your nose as you slowly regained your senses, this only meant that he's been home for quite a while.

_ "I missed you," you placed your hands on his, and craned your neck wishing to catch a glimpse of the man holding you close, and the sight you were encountered with heated up your whole body.

Droplets of water were traveling through his luscious raven locks to land on his gorgeous face, dark circles mixed with his deep scars, a tired smile brightening his pale cheeks, and a glint in his left eye that you could not decipher for the life of you.

_ "I missed you too honey, so let me show you just how much I did." he pushed his hips until you felt the outline of his hardness nudging your butt, and the uncontrollable squeal leaving your throat coaxed an amused chuckle to leave his own.

_ "Are you serious?" you twisted yourself a bit in his hold to stare at him in a threatening manner that didn't seem effective as he purposefully ignored your warning to slip his hand into your shorts.

_ "I am." he replied confidently and pulled you flush to him, your back -once again- resting against his toned chest.

Your eyes suddenly widened as sleep completely escaped you, and your mind turned into mush when he pulled off your shorts along with your panties.

You'd be lying to say this wasn't what you wished for as well, and the tingling sensation rocking your insides was proof of your desire for him.

His long fingers caressed your thigh before moving to fondle your glistening clit lazily while his lips were trailing the softest kisses along your nape and shoulders, and you absentmindedly pushed your hips against the slender digits driving you to madness as you wanted more and weren't afraid to demand it: "I want you, now."

You instantly felt his smirk against your flushed skin as he slurred a sensuous "you got me princess" before quickly pulling out his fingers and leaving you desperately squeezing around nothing, as you impatiently waited for a delicious intrusion that came soon after.

_ "You feel so good, ah fuck! So wet for me." his movements were slow and deep, as if to carve your core as he pleases, a silent statement and a promise that you will always belong to him, and only him.

One arm snuck under your side, while the other hoisted your leg up for better access as he picked up the pace.

You were close, really close, and so was he, as evident by his erratic thrusts and burning breath fanning over your shoulder as he mouthed your name over and over again.

_ "Don't stop.. Shouta please, keep going.. I'm cumming.." you choked out between hard plunges and fisted the already crumpled bedsheets beneath you.

_ "Yes go ahead love, don't hold back and cum for me," and his words were magic, stripping away what was left of your sanity to push you over the edge in mere seconds, "yes, just like that."

The fluttering of your walls around his pulsating cock was enough to make him lose his mind as well, his thick load spilling deep within as you greedily milked him dry.

His hips jerked and movements wavered a little bit more until they finally halted, and all that was left was a trail of his pearly seeds trickling out of your quivering cunt as he finally pulled out of you.

He held you close and buried his face in your shoulder, breathing ruggedly for a moment before murmuring apologetically, "I'm sorry sweetheart, I lost control."

You smiled hearing his bashful plea and squeezed the arms pinning you in place, "it's okay Shouta, I liked it," a reassurance that seemed sufficient for him to finally relax, and return the satisfied grin adorning your lips.

[oddeyes588]

gOD I'm eating so well today... we're finally getting some good characterization for Ruri and Rin... hell, it's incredible that we're getting some characterization for them AT ALL. I'm gonna ramble about it.

Ruri. Oh Ruri... it's genuinely so funny seeing her complete contrast with Yuto and Shun, who have all the dark and broodiness that comes with being characters who've been sharpened by the harsh edges of war. Yuto is in a bit of a middle-ground compared to Shun, but Ruri sits on the complete opposite end of the spectrum to her brother.

She's very chill and sweet, in stark contrast to Shun's tendency for rage and violence. Hell, she's the only one of the Xyz Trio who ISN'T glaring constant daggers at Dennis. She's sympathetic, and this goes in line with what we already knew about her. Having received the same teachings from Yusho as Yuya, she's pacifistic and hates the violent dueling that destroyed her home, as it's not what dueling is meant to be.

While Yuto and Shun get understandably hardened in order to do what is necessary to survive, Ruri doesn't want to lose what she loved about her home, and as such tries to maintain it. It's not like she let everything that happened slide off her back, she still has fear for Academia, but she's readily sympathetic, and it's honestly very sweet to see. While Yuto and Shun are still trying to adjust into the process of healing, Ruri is ready to dive in headfirst, because that's exactly what she was waiting for the whole time.

Basically, for having seen the Horrors of War, Ruri is handling herself remarkably well.

And at last... Rin. Rin is hilarious in a few ways, but to start with a more serious note...

It truly does speak to how good of a place Heartland was versus how shit of a place the City was from the get-go, because out of the two, Rin is somehow the more traumatized one? Not that anyone can blame her, since she grew up in a Capitalist Dystopia where you can be arrested and sent to a "correctional facility" indefinitely for the crime of, uh, trespassing on the property of the rich. Oh, and at the age of 14, too! Rin is often scared and fully ready to choose violence over it. Honestly, the idea that Rin's automatic reaction to somebody lunging out at her is to drive her knee into their stomach makes way too much sense... and it really speaks as to how little brain cells Yugo has that he doesn't learn his lesson, and keeps trying to hug her out of nowhere.

But with that said... god I love Rin, actually. Despite Yugo's inability to learn why you don't suddenly glomp somebody, she's got exactly the amount of "he's an idiot, but he's MY idiot" energy that we expected... by which I mean she has an ABSURD amount of that energy. She cares about Yugo just as much as he cares about her, though she shows it via the very hilarious method of affectionately dragging him at every opportunity.

And it's actually so great. I love her. Anyways! It's also neat to see how her overall focus is actually on a much smaller scale compared to everyone else. Yuzu has—or rather, had—obviously she asks about her home, asks how the Synchro Dimension is doing... and she's happy to hear that it's finally on the right track. But while the other three girls are somewhat vested in the fate of the universe(s), the state of their home, etc... Rin seems to focus a lot harder on the fact that she missed the Friendship Cup on account of being kidnapped at the time.

And while yes, there's a hint of tragedy to that considering that the losers of that particular tournament are all sent to an underground work facility to be worked until they die...

...her being lowkey SUPER competitive is a delight.

[itsabouttimex2]

Platonic yandere monkey family finding out y/n is dating redson

Monkiefam reacts to dating Red Son

(Alternate Scenario)

MK will no doubt be the calmest about this situation... depending on the season. In the start, he’ll be incredibly upset (even somewhat betrayed) about you dating his very dangerous rival. Let’s not forget that Red Son was once very willing to harm innocent people in his quest to take over the world/please his father.

Once Early!MK learns about your relationship with Red Son he’s genuinely worried for you, thinking you might have been coerced into the relationship in some way. This fear sets him on the war path, racing off to the Demon Bull King’s fortress. He’ll unhesitatingly smash through hordes of Bull Clones, ripping apart the metal of the drones like wet tissue paper. Each machine-shattering swing of the Ruyi Jingu Bang brings him a step closer to you, a step closer to the dining hall that serves as the center room of the armored fortress.

Where he finds you and Red Son sitting across from one another, happily sharing a meal together.

His heart is struck with anger and relief in unison, his diametric emotions spread between the both of you. He’s furious at Red Son, for daring to try and court his precious sibling, but also eased by the fact that you’re clearly unharmed and here by your own will and volition. By nature of being someone very precious to him, you garner far less anger from MK than his rival does, but he’s still upset. His voice takes on a gruff edge as he angrily scolds you, sounding much like Pigsy does when the chef flips his lid.

“You came here?! Without telling me?! To go on a date with my rival?!”

Any protests, excuse, or explanations from you are summarily dismissed as he grabs you by the wrist, swinging his golden staff against the ground. Bits of tech and clutter from around the house gather together, forming a small mech with the both of you in the cockpit. Red Son can only stare in shock as MK’s brand new mech stomps out of the fortress, each angry step shaking the ground.

The ride home is tempestuous, his emotions flaring as he pilots the gold and red mech, biting his tongue to keep himself from yelling at you. He’s angry, sure, but he still loves you. MK doesn’t want to drive you away or hurt your feelings, after all. He just wants to keep you safe.

Even if it means cutting you off from your ‘boyfriend’. He’s only doing it for your own good, of course.

Sun Wukong has seen people make a lot of bad decisions in his time. Even as knowledge and resources grow wider spread and more readily available, people stay foolish, small-minded, reckless. Sometimes by circumstance. Sometimes by choice. And one of the greatest motivators for foolish decisions, staying consistent through the centuries-

is love.

Love, whether fleeting and passionate or slow and drudging, changes people. It inspires them to perform grand gestures, to better themselves, to grow and learn. Love makes people into artists, writers, sculptors, all so that they can share with the world with the white-hot beat of their hearts.

And then, equal and opposite, it drives them to violence and bloodshed. Blood-red hands born of green-eyed envy driven to take up sharp knives and heavy cudgels. It breeds wicked plots and gruesome schemes, tricking people into throwing their lives away for a fleeting flame that’s destined to burn out.

Love is beautiful and dangerous in equal amounts, something to be both cherished and feared.

Sun Wukong has seen both outcomes. He’s personally dealt with tragedies born of love, many times over. Not every coupling ends with marriage and children, a ring and a promise.

His own sworn brother, Zhu Baije, was cast out of heaven for attempting to seduce Guanyin, being reborn as a pig demon. Then, he never returned to the maiden in Gao village that he fell for, instead spending his life as a cleanser of altar leftovers.

Kui Mulang was separated from his lover for his crimes, and forced to become a furnace keeper. Tang Sanzang refused to marry the queen of the Women’s Kingdom, and then rejected the scorpion demon that stole him away.

He doesn’t tell you all of that, of course. He nudges you with an elbow and gives you a cheeky grin, saying that: “It doesn’t always end well, bud. Trust me, I’ve seen more than a few things in my time that would have you running for a cloister.”

He doesn’t warn you off of love entirely, or threaten you to not start dating. In fact, he’s not entirely opposed to the idea of you having a significant other. He’s a pretty easy-going guy, even when he’s staring down his enemies or cracking skulls open.

In fact, depending on who you go after, he might be entirely supportive of you!

Red Son is not a decision he will abide by, unfortunately. There’s just too many flaws to count, in Wukong’s opinion. Short-tempered, egotistical, elitist, violent, power-hungry… nothing that qualifies him to be your partner, honestly.

So the Great Sage goes about trying to casually split the two of you up, whether it’s finding his way “by coincidence” into your dates, or crashing any meetings you and the demon have. What can he say? He gets around a lot more these days, doesn’t he? It’s not strange to meet up in popular places around Megapolis.

Even though he continues to show up wherever you and Red Son meet, no matter how “off the beaten path” or “hole in the wall” it may be. He’ll never justify himself or explain why he’s there. But he will grab a table and join the two of you.

He might not be outright sabotaging the relationship, but he sure makes it hard to maintain and grow. He won’t candidly ruin it, but he keeps pushing and pushing, slowly fraying your nerves. It’s a trap, where he’s trying to push you into snapping at him. And if you do fall for it?

It does get worse.

Try to lash out at him, or demand that he go away. Yell at him, or push him away. Try it, and he’ll throw you over his shoulder and hop onto his flying cloud, racing you back to Flower Fruit Mountain. From there, he’ll forbid you from being with Red Son again, grounding you for the outburst he intentionally provoked.

Watching you grow upset with his decree, Wukong will wipe away the tears gathering up in your eyes, and pull you into a hug to comfort you. He doesn’t want you upset. He just wants you to himself.

“It’s alright, bud. Don’t worry about that fire guy. He’s pretty awful, honestly. Let’s sit down and watch something fun to take your mind off him, alright?”

And; for now at least, he’s got you.

No. Absolutely not. Macaque refuses to allow it. He doesn’t want to see you with anybody, but least of all a “hot-headed demon with daddy issues,” as he puts it. Where Wukong will show restraint by never outright ruining your dates and outings together, Macaque crosses that line unhesitatingly. Once he learns that you’re openly and happily dating a dangerous demon, he sets out to find you and rectify this little issue.

He stalks out to the park that you and Red Son are walking through, quietly following along as his glare burns into the demon’s back. His fury reaches a boiling point when the two of you settle onto a bench, Red Son’s hand slowly reaching out to yours.

He furiously stomps through the park, coming up behind the both of you. The shadows writhe and roil with each step he takes, coming alive to lash at the ground around them with ice-cold tendrils.

He summons up his shadow staff and swings it down, smashing the middle of the bench you and your boyfriend are sitting on to announce his presence, cleaving the metal cleanly and easily. You and Red Son both scramble to your feet, shocked and more than a little scared.

You specifically.

If there’s anything that gives him reason to pause, anything that stops him in his tracks, it’s the look of outright fear in your eyes. He takes a moment to catch his breath, dispelling his staff and quieting the rioting shadows. He’s still angry, sure. But he doesn’t want you to be afraid of him. So, even though he’s seething with fury, he stops short of actually harming Red Son, instead settling for dragging you away by your ear as you argue and protest his rough hold on you.

Macaque pulls you over to a shadow portal, still gripping your quickly-reddening ear between his thumb and pointer finger, pushing you in before him. He whips around to shoot Red Som a death glare, then turns back and jumps in after you.

You both pop out inside your shared house, Macaque’s foot tapping impatiently as he folds his arms, staring at you disapprovingly. You rub at your sore ear, glaring right back.

“No dating. I already told you this. One, you’re too young. Two, anyone could be an opponent in disguise. Three, he’s dangerous. Seriously, bad call. I thought you were smarter than this, kid.”

He goes silent when he sees the tears beading up in the corners of your eyes, maybe from pain, maybe from his lecture. He did just technically call you stupid. Macaque sighs, and pats your head.

“Look, just… go lay down. See if you can’t get some shut-eye, alright? I’ll check up on you when it’s time to eat.”

He sends you off to your room, spinning you around and nudging you off, sighing as you go. His powerful ears make it impossible to ignore your quiet sniffles and the sound of tears hitting the hardwood floors.

He’s not the bad guy here, he reminds himself. The bad guy is whoever’s trying to corrupt you or steal you away from him. Them, not him.

Never him.

[woodlaflababab]

Thinking about Aang and Iroh and their parallels when it comes to Zuko.

I mean, they are such similar characters and one of my biggest regrets with the show is that we only get one scene with the two of them interacting. That's a damn shame. Even just beyond the fact that they're both wise, humorous, and centered on peace (though they have different ways to go about it), they both have two distinct and very different parts of their lives.

Iroh has the beginning of his life, which was centered around training to be Firelord and fighting a war, and then after Lu Ten died, where he gave up all of that and pursued something very different.

Aang has the beginning of his life which was about peace and childhood (and mastering his element) and then after he woke from the iceberg in which he was thrown into the world and his role as the avatar.

And it is these events that bring them to Zuko. Without them, neither of them would have had the relationship with Zuko that they do, Aang wouldn't even know him.

For both of them, Zuko reminds them of a loved one they lost (one in which they feel even a little bit responsible for that loss) Lu Ten and Kuzon, and to both of them, Zuko is one of the things that lessen the tragedy they went through. Iroh learns to love Zuko as one of his own and Zuko becomes one of Aang's best friends (each having Zuko fill the place of the person they lost.) (Aang even explicitly says one of the bright sides of the iceberg was the new people he gets to meet. "I did get to meet you." - Aang @ Katara)

They also both relate to and understand Zuko even if Zuko doesn't recognize that. Iroh understands being caught up in the fire nation propaganda and chasing an idea. (Honor for Zuko, Glory for Iroh.) Aang understands the pain of being ripped from your home and understands the way pain can drive you to do things you would never dream of doing otherwise.

They both are endlessly forgiving of Zuko. No matter how many insults Zuko throws at Iroh, no matter how much fire Zuko throws at Aang, they refuse to stop caring for him. Iroh in the form of standing by his side and Aang in the form of saving his ass again and again and offering him friendship.

Honestly, I think part of Zuko's frusteration with Katara's very reasonable unwillingness to forgive him as soon as he does something right is because he's a little bit spoiled on the forgiveness he has always gotten from Iroh and Aang. (And I also think Katara's resistance makes Zuko appreciate her forgiveness and thus their forgiveness so much more, especially when Iroh immediately forgives him once again at the end.)

It is Iroh's and Aang's patience and virtue that allow Zuko to grow and become the person he becomes. They are the two biggest influences on his change and both their influences are so similar in many ways. Iroh stands on the inside never leaving Zuko's side and Aang stands on the outside constantly offering a place by his own side.

I don't think it is a coincidence that Zuko had to lose Iroh's help and forgiveness to realize he needs to seek Aang's help and forgiveness.

Both of them have made mistakes with Zuko. Both had a phase where they realized they needed to turn their back on Zuko because of the pattern of behavior he's shown (dispite him trying to show different levels of repentance) and both welcome Zuko in once he has made it clear that behavior has ended and his change is true. Both love him, not because of what he's done, but because he has inherent value as a person and because they know deep down there is something good inside him.

Both of their relationships with Zuko are beautiful.

[iamred-iamyellow]

Every Brocedes Coded Taylor Swift Song

@formulaocean

✰ = my favs that make me sob aka the ones that are MOST brocedes coded 

Taylor Swift:

-Teardrops on my guitar

“I’ll bet she’s beautiful, that girl he always talks about”

“I wonder if he knows he's all I think about at night”

-Cold As You

Fearless:

-You Belong With Me

-You’re Not Sorry

-The Way I Loved You

✰Forever & Always (piano version AUGHGHGHHG) 

-We Were Happy

Speak Now:

-Mine

“you were the best thing, that’s ever been mine” 

-Back to December 

✰The Story of Us

“miscommunications lead to fallout, so many things that I wish you knew”

“and the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now”

"but I liked it better when you were on my side"

Red: 

-Red

“forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met” 

-Sad Beautiful Tragic 

-Come Back…Be Here 

1989:

-Wildest Dreams

-All You Had To Do Was Stay

-Bad Blood

-Say Don’t Go 

-Now That We Don’t Talk

-Suburban Legends

“and you kiss me in a way that’s gonna screw me up forever”

-Is It Over Now? 

Reputation:

-Don’t Blame Me 

-Look What You Made Me Do

-Getaway Car 

Lover: 

-London Boy 

-False God

“we were crazy to think, crazy to think that this could work, remember how I said i’d die for you?"

✰Afterglow 

folklore: 

-the 1

“it would’ve been fun if you would’ve been the one”

“you know the greatest loves of all time are over now”

-cardigan 

✰exile

“you’re not my homeland anymore, so what am I defending now?”

“I'm not your problem anymore, so who am I offending now?”

“there is no amount of crying I can do for you”

“you never gave a warning sign”

-my tears ricochet 

✰invisible string 

evermore:

-coney island

“what's a lifetime of achievement? If I pushed you to the edge, but you were too polite to leave me” (except he did leave tho im screaming)

-marjorie 

-closure

“yes I got your letter” (THE PARALLELS CAUS LIKE THE LETTER LEWIS WROTE THAT NICO DIDNT GET AND TOTO HAD TO READ IT)

“I don't need your “closure””

✰right where you left me (self explanatory)

Midnights:

-Maroon 

✰The Great War (I will be making a web weave for this also I’m literally sobbing)

“It turned into something bigger, somewhere in the haze, got a sense I'd been betrayed”

“there's no morning glory it was war it wasn't fair.”

-You’re Losing Me (ik it wasn't a part of the official album but whatever)

TTPD:

✰So Long, London (every lyric. screaming, crying, vomiting.)

-loml

-The Black Dog

“I just dont understand how you dont miss me.”

“and I may never open up the way I did for you.”

✰Chloe or Sam or Sofia or Marcus (one of my moots made a web weave about this song and you should totally go look at it here caus it's heartbreaking dhhdjsjjds)

-How Did It End?

-I Look In People’s Windows

"does it feel alright not to know me?”

“what if your eyes looked up and met mine one more time”

Honorable Mentions:

-I Don’t Wanna Live Forever

“I just wanna keep calling your name till you come back home”

-Treacherous

“I just think you should, think you should know that nothing safe is worth the drive”

-cowboy like me

“and the skeletons in both our closets plotted hard to fuck this up”

“never wanted love just a fancy car”

[ancientcraftnoccultism]

🌿 Herb Of The Day

Title: Lilac

Gender: Feminine

Element: Water

Planet: Venus

📜 Folklore & History 📜

Lilacs are an old, old, species that originated in Persia and then traveled to Europe. They were brought to America in 1750 and then planted at New Jersey Governor Wentworth’s home. Other prominent men fell in love with lilacs. They were reportedly one of Thomas Jefferson’s favorite flowers, and he documented his lilac-planting-methods in 1767. George Washington followed suit and moved existing lilacs on his property to his garden in 1785.

In Greek mythology, Pan, the god of the wild, chased a nymph named Syringa. She turned herself into a lilac bush to escape Pan, and in anger, he broke off the reed-like branches which made pipes. With regret, he tried kissing the broken branches, and as his air pushed over them, sounds were made. Lilacs were responsible for the creation of “Panpipes.”

Russian folklore believed that hanging lilacs above a baby’s bed would bring the child wisdom.

American folklore thought that lilacs could drive away evil and that placing them in a haunted house would displace ghosts. Thought to be symbolic of “old love,” Victorian widows often wore lilacs as a sign of remembrance. One hundred and fifty-five years ago today, April 15th, Abraham Lincoln died after being shot by John Wilkes Booth. Any American — and much of the world — knows the story of the self-educated, country lawyer who became one of our nation’s most beloved presidents. But what many Americans might not realize is how the death of Lincoln reverberated into so many areas of our collective psyche, including literature and horticulture, thanks to Walt Whitman. Walt Whitman was a reporter, printer, writer, traveler and Civil War nurse who is considered one of America’s greatest poets. He self-published Leaves of Grass and worked on it throughout his lifetime, eventually modifying it so that there are eight different editions. Whitman felt a great affinity with President Abraham Lincoln, and when Lincoln was assassinated in the spring of 1865, Whitman grieved.

He wrote years later in Specimen Days about learning of the President’s death:

"I remember where I was stopping at the time, the season being advanced, there were many lilacs in full bloom. By one of those caprices that enter and give tinge to events without being at all a part of them, I find myself always reminded of great tragedy of that day by the sight and odor of these blossoms. It never fails."

While lilacs are first to bloom, their flowers are short-lived. The heady fragrance lingers sweetly at first, but then the blooms start to die, leaving a heavy, cloying smell. One of the first flowers of spring, lilacs contain a natural compound called indole that’s found in flowers — and feces. It’s that undercurrent of the “bottom note” of fragrance that suggests decay and death.

🔮 Metaphysical Properties 🔮

The beautiful May-blooming lilac is one of the loveliest tokens of spring. But they are much more than beautiful shrubs with showy, sweet-smelling flowers. Originally lilacs were planted to repel all evil. Planted near the entryway, lilacs were believed to send out protective vibrations. When the flowers are cut and brought into the home they cleanse any living space. And they'll also remove any unwanted spiritual presence. Blue and white varieties work well for this purpose. Since lilacs are ruled by Venus, they are also used in love spells. Try placing some pink lilacs on your altar while performing a love spell. The dried flowers make a powerful addition to any love sachet.

🍴⚕️ Culinary & Medicinal Properties

The simplest way to enjoy lilacs is as an infusion of the flowers for a lilac sugar. The sugar can then be used in recipes to add lilac flavor to baked goods. This also works with a lilac simple syrup which is just a liquid form of the same thing that’s perfect for making cocktails. For my money though, I think lilac infused honey sounds the best. The sweet floral flavor of lilacs translates beautifully into an ice cream base.

To prevent the recurrence of disease, lilac flowers were used to help strengthen the system and prevent relapse after a patient had healed. They’re said to be specifically good after cases of malaria. Tasting the raw flowers you can actually pick up some of the astringent qualities, as they make your mouth dry and pucker a bit (along with their floral flavors). This astringent quality makes them good for use in skin care products. Lilacs are used as a folk remedy for intestinal worms, as well as a treatment for gastric discomfort and gas. Regardless of the purpose, the most likely medicinal lilac preparation is a tincture, which is just a lilac infused alcohol

[the-far-bright-center]

In discussions of TCW-Anakin vs. film-Anakin, I understand why some people see them as being incompatible or entirely different portrayals. But whatever problems I personally have with TCW are more to do with certain OOC dialogue lines that I don't agree with, or the overly-contrived situations that TCW tends to force him into just so an episode or scene can function as a 'meta-commentary' on his character or storyline. Believe me, I have issues with specific aspects of TCW's writing for Anakin, but the fact he's more outwardly 'suave' or 'dashing' than some people expected is not one of them. If anything, I see the 'Skyguy' persona as perfectly in keeping with Anakin as portrayed at the beginning of RotS, and I would argue that a great deal of the TCW characterisation is pulled directly from those Battle of Coruscant scenes. TCW Anakin is also heavily inspired by Jake Lloyd's Little Ani in TPM, which, lest anyone forget, counts as FILM-Anakin. Seriously, do people not recall how much swagger and self-confidence little Ani has at the beginning of TPM? (🎵Do you see him hitting on the queen, though he’s just nine and she’s fourteen.’ 🎶 😅) He's a hotshot little ace podracing pilot and he knows it! And in AotC, the only reasons Anakin comes across as more 'awkward' at the beginning is that he's nervous about seeing Padme again after so long. Once he knows for sure she reciprocates his feelings at the battle of Geonosis, the suave, confident Anakin is back! And thus by the time of the Clone Wars, it makes sense that after being a general in the war in charge of many men, he'd have to have a certain level of outward charisma no matter how much inner doubt or turmoil he might be feeling. So, in my opinion, the actual baseline 'persona' for both versions of the character isn't as different as some seem to think. I'm tired of the idea that film-Anakin ISN’T supposed to be seen as ‘cool’ in-universe, just as much as I’m tired of the idea that TCW-Anakin ISN’T supposed to be viewed as a figure of pathos by the audience, either.

Imo, they’re both takes on the same character coming from different angles, set at different stages in his life, and portrayed through different mediums — an animated series heavy on self-aware, darkly ironic humour in a more contemporary style intended to entertain and increase enjoyment of the Prequels-era and its characters. vs. a more serious Greek tragedy with Shakespearean overtones made with old-Hollywood-style sensibilities as part of a mythic six-film saga.

While there are plenty of things that TCW gets wrong about Anakin (see my 'TCW discourse' tag for more on that), dismissing him because he is ‘too macho’ seems to miss the mark a bit. Just because TCW Ani doesn’t shed literal tears on-screen doesn’t mean he’s not emotional or emotionally vulnerable. As far as I remember, there's even a scene where Obi-Wan and Anakin discuss the fact that Anakin has trouble keeping his emotions hidden, especially when it comes to his feelings for his loved ones, which is the opposite of the stereotypical stoic, self-reliant 'macho' ideal. And the amount of times we're constantly bashed over the head with dramatic irony about his fate as Vader in that series surely drives home the point that his trajectory is a decidedly tragic one. (The way he cries out in agony in the Mortis arc, 'I will do such terrible things!' gets to me, every time.) Despite his powers and prowess, TCW Anakin is even shown as being physically vulnerable at times, as well — see the Jedi Crash storyline which he spends mostly knocked-out unconscious, the nod to his mechanical arm as a liability in the Zillo Beast and Citadel arcs, and the scene of him futilely struggling like a wild beast before being captured with ropes in the Zyggerian arc, or the fact he gets captured and tortured by Dooku in 'Shadow Warrior'. I see endless jokes about TCW Ani getting electrocuted every other episode, but then fandom uses this to fuel the dismissive view of him as just some dumb himbo instead of understanding that this, too, is supposed to add to the character's pathos.

Likewise, fandom claims that Prequels-Anakin is 'uncool' and 'cries all the time', which is simply not true. As noted above, film-Anakin banters, jokes, laughs, makes daring jumps out of speeders, does bold piloting moves, is in fact an imposing duellist, and so on. Sure, his character is not supposed to be seen as aspirational (obviously!) and the most memorable and dramatic moments of the latter two Prequels films feature him in the midst of extremely intense emotions. But the oft-repeated view of him as 'uncool' completely ignores the fact that by the time that RotS starts, film-Anakin is supposed to be a well-known and widely-admired charismatic general, aka the Hero With No Fear, who is viewed as almost singlehandedly saving the Republic. The audience may be privy to Anakin's inner struggles with his fear of loss, but in-story he is supposed to be seen as THE golden boy of the Jedi Order and the Republic. The RotS novelization frequently mentions that Anakin has 'dash', 'boldness', and a 'presence' 'like the Holo-Net hero that he is'. It literally says he's the best at what he does and he KNOWS it. He's not just supposed to be an awkward idiot in the way some people seem to perceive him solely based on certain scenes in AotC. Rather, he's supposed to be shown as falling from a 'great height'. By the time of RotS, film Anakin has just as much swagger and self-confidence in his role as General Skywalker as he does in TCW. Just because that side of him is not the main focus of the film doesn't mean it's not supposed to be there.

[forestfullofberries]

please do tell me your thoughts on the EPIC trio (Eury, Ody, and Polites) ramble all about them i love hearing others thoughts on them (and i might snatch a few HC for myself in the process lol) i could talk about them forever honestly

bestie (no idea who you are) what do you think i've been doing on this blog for the past tree weeks

anyway. odysseus used to be my favorite character (now the spot is taken by eurylochus (i don't love ody any less now, i just love eurylochus more)), i am always drawn to characters who go through absolute hell while having enough drive to persevere, because they have something worth surviving for.

polites... i feel like i don't know enough about him. how did he manage to bring all of that optimism through 10 years of war? or did he develop it during/after the war as a way to cope? how much of it is a front he puts up for the sake of others? does he have anybody waiting for him at home? what flaws, shortcomings does he have? is he naive or is he wise? is he both? i just don't know, there was so little time to get to know him.

now, eurylochus. i didn't think much of him at the start, just like probably a lot of us, but then i started warming up to him, even before thunder saga put him in such a spotlight. there's just something about him being the one who cares for the crew. the voice of the crew. i like the sound of it.

before thunder saga came out i had this vision for the underworld animatic, i wanted to use chorus time to show eurylochus going around the ship trying to keep the crew from total despair, comforting those who are crying, trying to ground those who are having the worst visions. but now i don't think he'd be in the condition to do that, with his own baggage of opening the bag and seeing everyone who died because of it? yeeeaah, he's the one who needed comfort during that underworld trip.

also, i was adamant that he didn't open the bag. i was just so sure it would be out of character for him! cautious pessimistic eurylochus? messing with a dangerous magic object? why on earth would he do that!! (i still don't completely understand why he did that tbh, but i guess the growing mistrust from luck runs out played a role there)

and of course, thunder saga has me obsessed with the guy. it's the tragedy of it all. the one thing he found purpose in - protecting the crew - and they're all dead now. don't even get me started on him having his own Just a Man moment. devastating. so of course i play mutiny on repeat.

headcanons? eury aro. (disclaimer, i know very little of his mythological background outside of the odyssey, and frankly do not care) i think he and ctimene are in an aromantic version of lavender marriage. they're good friends, and they make the home life work, and they care for each other a whole lot, but also they both know they'd be fine on their own. ctimene has a good relationship with eurylochus' side of the family, and he knows they will take care of her in times of need.

that's why returning home as soon as possible is not that high on his priority list, especially when it comes to preserving lives. he knows that every single man in their army has someone waiting for them at home, and each life lost means many broken hearts. so yeah, he's not very keen on taking risks.

as opposed to odysseus, who knows he's on a ticking clock. the prophecy was vague, but it's enough to put together the situation: empty throne, widowed queen, only heir too young to do anything. of course he's in a rush.

my other headcanon is that as a kid, eurylochus had his growth spurt relatively late, and for most of their childhood he was shorter and scrawnier than both odysseus and polites :D

[latibvles]

Poet you have now unleashed a monster in me as well with the Mouse Hole crossovers. I’m dying to hear more about all of it but for right now, I need more details about Lena and Andrew Haldane. Idc if it takes the least realistic aus but I need them together

WE ARE SHAKING HANDS ANON, I LIKE THE LOOK OF THEM AND LENA DESERVES NICE THINGS. LIKE THE HANDSOME MARINE CAPTAIN WHO'S WAR ENDED JUST A LITTLE TOO EARLY JUST LIKE HERS. We are pulling from The Pacific School of Andrew Haldane Survives His Headshot which isn't the craziest leap to make. I am after all the person who looked at the 100th and said "you know what they need to do? Ride dragons." So... not the craziest thing to suggest. More of Lena & Andy under the cut.

So Lena is... very clearly not from Massachusetts, but you know who is?

Crank who she is very good friends with. And Jo, who she is also very good friends with.

And so Lena Connolly, post-war mechanic, is on her way up to New England, possibly to help Jo get her stuff from her parents' place to move in with Rosie. Or maybe she's just coming up to say hi to her two favorite people after a while of not seeing them. Both things are very Lena, because as we all know: she's a team player.

Maybe the car Lena's got right now isn't the most reliable thing, but it's all she's got for right now — and she's good at fixing them. It should be able to last her from Brooklyn to Boston: a mere four hours, right? Right?

Wrong. Maybe she hits a pothole too hard on the way up or something. But something is definitely knocked out of place and so she has to pull over to fix it. Sputtering exhaust, the poor thing's on its last legs.

Will that stop her from getting all up under the hood to try and fix the problem herself? No.

Will that also stop Andrew Haldane, who's finally coming home after being stuck in the Hospital Carousel for months, from asking his brother to pull over to see what's going on? Absolutely not. Doubly so because this person is half bent over under the hood of the car.

All of which to say — Andy Haldane meets Lena Connolly with a smudge of oil on her cheek, and her hands, frizzy-haired and huffy. Maybe he's making heart eyes about it. Shut up. Anyways she immediately goes on prattling in irritation about what's wrong and how she can't fix it before catching herself.

Robert offers to drive to the nearest telephone to call a tow company. Lena has, well, her stuff in the car so she doesn't want to leave it. Andy Haldane is now volunteering to wait on the side of the road with a complete stranger 98% because it's the right thing to do and 2% because she's pretty.

if I had a dollar for every blonde pacific man I paired with a ginger I'd have two whole dollars which isn't a lot but—

I think it starts as small talk really; curiosity about how she knows so much about cars, which leads into her being a mechanic, which lends itself to "I used to work on the big birds," and "Really?" and "Flight Engineer, 100th Bomb Group" and "Captain, Fifth Marines."

They don't dive into the nitty gritty details. Lena doesn't ask about that pink scar tissue on his temple and the hair that's shorter than the rest of it. Andy doesn't ask about how one of her fingers is just that much shorter than the others.

But he does make her laugh to take her mind off the tragedy that is her current mode of transportation (more like the lack of it). He does offer to take her wherever she's going (which is more like Robert doing it, because Andy isn't quite ready to be driving yet. But he'll gladly sit in that passenger's seat).

"Do you always offer rides to strangers down on their luck on the side of the road?" and "I feel like if I answer that you're gonna poke a hole in it no matter what I say."

Did I mention he likes making her laugh? Did I mention he's definitely got a crush?

They do get to Jo's, eventually, after Robert comes back and late afternoon is ebbing into early evening. Jo's frazzled and she does not recognize Strange Blonde Man with her at the door but Lena assures her that she'll get the full story later.

Lena also isn't shy when she likes somebody, so Andy does in fact get the New York number and not just the Boston one.

Which Andy calls, when she gets back to New York — her dad picks up first though, and she's giggling and apologizing half-heartedly over the phone.

It's a lot of phone calling and sometimes letter writing until Lena comes back up again. Because I can't escape the friends-to-lovers allegations. I also just think that Andy and Lena first kiss at Cape Cod? Sign me up, quite frankly.

I also think that calling someone at 2am because you can't sleep because you are Haunted™ is a look and by a look I mean the Andy/Lena look. Maybe he can't drive all the way to The Bronx but he'll definitely take the train when she's having a particularly hard time in the bleak midwinter.

My kink is couples who kind of have their shit together but are also just a really good team as well as lovers can we tell yet? Because they make a very good team. And Lena has fully committed herself to getting grease stains on that man's cheeks for years to come

[ross1fum1]

#drives me crazy how apparently he's justified only because he' known for committing war crime on track

As a marc supporter, I would like to try to make you understand my point of view.

Personally I don't justify marc because he is used to commit crimes on the track, but because imo there is always a tendency to judge very negatively actions that done by others instead go unnoticed.

The first example that comes to mind is the incident between marini and bastianini in portugal last season. Marini made enea skip the whole season and may have ruined his career but the criticism of him was minimal and today no one remembers that incident anymore. At silverstone 2021 marc had a similar accident with martin (who was not hurt) and in that case instead the criticism was fierce, with marc as usual being accused of being an aggresive driver who ALWAYS causes accidents. In reality, the last accident he caused was in Argentina 2018. This year Bagnaia pulled marc down in portugal and tried to pull him down in jerez, but there was no criticism of him.

Then there is the whole issue of slipstreams that are only noticed when marc has taken them.

Marc is not a saint, but neither is he a criminal who goes down the track to k1ll his opponents. He has taken aggressive actions like all riders, in fact in my opinion even less than others, but because of what happened in 2015 a lot of people fail to judge what he does on track in a rational and lucid way.

P.S. Marc did wrong today and I don't justify him, but the incident is only relevant because he is involved, and the very heavy insults he is receiving in these hours would not be written if someone else had caused the crash

I'll start by saying that I really like Marquez as a rider. Because if you're a MotoGP enthusiast you can't help but like a champion like Marquez. Marc Marquez is a record-breaking rider, records that are both positive and negative. I don't think there is any need to list the positive records because they have become history. He’s a rider who always rides to the limit, beyond which either glory or tragedy exists. His 85 victories prove it, but so does the fact that since the beginning of his career he has collected over a hundred falls. Now, if we want to quickly go over all the times that Marquez has been at the center of controversies due to unfair moves, quite a few situations come to mind. Starting from Moto2 when in 2011 he hit Wilarot at the end of the first free practice session, or in 2012 when in Catalunya he hit Pol or in Valencia when he made Corsi fall. Moving on to MotoGP, the trend has not changed. Already in 2013 in Aragon he hit Pedrosa who fell and caused Marc to receive a penalty. Again in 2013 in Great Britain he ignored the yellow flags caused by Crutchlow's fall, falling in the same trajectory and risking taking out the stewards. In Argentina in 2018 he received three penalties in one race, which had never happened before. In 2021 his duel with Martin ended with a questionable overtaking attempt that made them both fall. In Portimao in 2023 he received two long lap penalties after colliding with and injuring Miguel Oliveira, the home rider. And I purposely left out all the events of 2015 between him and Rossi because we could discuss this for ages and still not get to the bottom of the situation. Let’s just say it was certainly not a moment of great sportsmanship on either side. There’s no doubt that situations like those Marquez has found himself in over the years can happen to anyone. The point is that they don't happen to everyone. You took Marini injuring Bastianini as an example, very true, there are certainly other riders who have done the same, but these events are not remembered because they happened once, twice at most. As long as we're talking about once or twice I think everyone can agree that it's an unpleasant incident, but if you do it multiple times throughout your career it becomes a pattern.So without taking into account racing contacts that, although questionable, are part of the sport, it’s clear that there’s a reason why people are not surprised when Marc commits one of his usual war crimes. Because it’s a part of him. Which in my opinion, however, should not be a justification. It’s true that MotoGP is a dangerous sport, but it should be dangerous because they race at 300km/h not because it becomes a contact sport. When Marc and Nicolò got so close yesterday on the last lap I already knew it would end badly, because that's what you expect, and if you expect it it's obviously because you've been given reason to expect it. I hoped it wouldn't happen because it was a friendly race that didn't count for anything at all, and yet if you're Marc Marquez it apparently does matter, because the moment you find an obstacle between you and the podium either it moves of its own accord or you find a way to make it move. Which is a reasoning that I could perhaps understand if you were fighting to win the world championship in the last race of the year but not if you're doing 10 laps to promote a bike. I won't deny that opening Tumblr and seeing people saying "Oh it’s the Marc Marquez experience🤭” really bothered me. Especially because I follow the WSBK championship seeing one of my favorites down with a potential injury because someone is not able to control himself was not very pleasant. Now what I say is irrelevant because his behavior will never change and that's how he is. This doesn't mean I have to accept it. I’ll be here applauding him when he has battles like the one in Jerez this year. Where there were contacts but it was pure racing and there was no unfairness. Trust me. But at the same time I’ll be here holding him and any other rider accountable when they pull some unfair move.

[atopvisenyashill]

All of the adult female characters are supremely isolated from other women... friends or family. It's equally doled out. Alicent is in King's Landing. Rhaenyra is in King's Landing and then Dragonstone. Laena is in Pentos. Rhaenys is isolated on Driftmark (she essentially doesn't leave due to Corlys's wars and/or various strifes between her family in all those years).

The only female company any of them have are daughters, step-daughters or granddaughters and that is a relationship of responsibility, even if it brings happiness at times.

they establish that feeling of isolation in the show you’re speaking of too early & in a weird way by wholesale excising laena’s impact on the plot and also making rhaenyra look a bit nonsensical. the thing about this time period in the book is that everyone is building the families that are going to get destroyed by the dance. there’s an entire arc here wherein rhaenyra & alicent get their first true taste at what losing might mean with the driftmark fight and the harrenhal fire, and it makes both of them double down on their worst impulses in fear for their families and make the conflict more volatile & more irreparable. for rhaenyra, this involves first losing harwin and then laena, two people she is incredibly intimate with, and laena to childbirth to boot. it’s why she panic marries daemon so quickly, she’s afraid for the lives of her children and has convinced herself only daemon is capable of helping her do that. in the show, they gloss over rhaewin and cut out laenyra completely by isolating her in pentos and then telling that arc exclusively from daemon’s PoV instead of laena’s or split between them. laena’s death is what drives rhaenyra’s isolation to dragonstone. instead, in the show, it’s what drives daemon back home (because he wants to lay laena to rest at driftmark) and then to dragonstone with rhaenyra. this is exactly what they did in got btw - they told the war from robb’s pov not cat’s, then changed jeyne into talisa bc she was less complicated. they cut sansa’s entire vale arc bc they thought it was boring then put her in winterfell and focused more on ramsay gleefully torturing her than sansa’s actual story. they just shuffle laena around into what’s easiest.

the thing is that laena is a tricky part of the family because she is a daughter, but also has her own family, and her husband does not have his own seat, so he’s naturally an extension of yet another family. this nuance in her character doesn’t work so they just have her never interact with her own parents or brother & then die so daemon will go home. the reality is that laena loved her family and considered rhaenyra her family, and would have fought for her on vhagar but she dies before she can and vhagar is used to kill rhaenyra’s son. that’s the tragedy of laena. like alyssa t, like aemma, forced out of the story too soon. but idk, they just weren’t interested in talking about the tragedy of a woman who died too soon, so even if she died loved, she dies woefully unfinished in her life. reminds me of what brienne says - no one sings songs for the women who die in the birthing bed. not only that, but her entire family is sloppily racebent & they refused to think through the implications of a) what laena’s death in childbirth looks like now and b) what completely erasing her entire character’s impact and changing her personality looks like now. i think that’s wonky writing and i don’t understand people’s devotion to defending that weird choice!

[alicentsgf]

I was thinking about how Alicent's been wearing green since ep5 and for all of the post time-skip but Rhaenyra didn't actually start wearing black post-time skip until ep7 and if that symbolized the point in time in which they both committed to the sides of "war." But then it reminded me of how Rhaenyra was distant with Alicent after she married her dad and had Aegon, and even with Alicent constantly trying to reignite their friendship and defend her, and it wasn't until 4 years after that initial marriage that they came close to reconciliation. But then Rhaenyra's wedding happens and suddenly it's Alicent that's mad at her, and now ten years later it's Rhaenyra who's attempting to reach out and try to repair the divide, and getting rejected. And then it's Driftmark, and six years later the two are cold with each other until the dinner where AGAIN they find a sliver of hope, of being able to talk again. Even on the verge of war, and even afterwards when Alicent desperately wants to keep Rhaenyra safe and Rhaenyra thinks about giving up so she could go back to Alicent... Idk what the point of this is, they drive me crazy lmao

THIS and I love that they added it. as far as I can work out i might be one of the few people who actually enjoyed fire and blood and didnt just force my way through it for the lore and I prefer this interpretation of their relationship so much more. sorry. idc I love it. and its not just the homoeroticism okay. its because "history" can boil it down to two ambitious women tearing the world apart for pure self-interest. but instead we're shown these women deeply loving each other and wanting peace over and over !! but still it couldnt save anyone. it drives home how inevitable this all was. that this tragedy had to play out one way or another because the throne is a curse the targaryens can't ever really escape even all the way down to daenerys who's never even seen it.

[mwolf0epsilon]

Forceful Intervention AU - Supporting Cast

The Masterpost for the Forceful Intervention Verse got ridiculously long and reached the character limit, so I opted with making a post for the supporting character cast instead of stressing over trying to make everything fit into one singular post.

Without further ado, meet the cast of OCs!

---

Lissa Colo'Ba - A natborn officer who served with the GAR while under the command of Jedi General Chora Tuteru and the 209th Battalion (aka Avis Squadron). Known simply as Dove (a nickname given to her by the troopers of the 209th), this mysterious pilot has a past that links her both to the Jedi and Mandalorians alike, in more ways than just her service record. Like the saying goes, never judge a book by its cover.

Maeleen Eppa - The renegade daughter of two very corrupt senators, Mae was reluctantly conscripted into the GAR after finding herself in hot waters with both her parents and the Republic (after accidentally stumbling into Separatist space while trying to run away from her home planet of Poluzitania). Spending the majority of the war serving under the 104th as an engineer and mechanic, her loyalty towards both Jedi Master Plo Koon and the 104th became the driving force for her rebellion against the Empire.

Zed Kwinde - A strong Force Empath that was raised as a Guardian of the Whills for the Kyber Temple of Jedha. He grew disillusioned due to feeling powerless in the face of war, as he could sense the misery and pain of others but was not allowed to interfere as that was not his battle to face. Unwilling to sit around idly, Zed fled the temple and completely reinvented himself, becoming somewhat of an expert in cybernetic enhancements, slicing and marksmanship. While he comes off as snarky and selfish, his intentions are often much purer than they seem.

The Golden Ladybug Crew - One of many brothels in Coruscant's red light districts that has allied itself to the Coruscant Guard, due to having formed a mutual respect for each other's street-savvy survival skills. The Golden Ladybug is not only open to clone troopers who have nowhere else to go, but also often provides supplies and information to the Guard in exchange for protection from the shadier folks who threaten the Madam's business and affairs.

The 105th/Petrichor Company - The veteran troopers of Krell's defunct Battalion, who could not be relegated to other Jedi due to their distrust of Force Users. Having initially worked with the 501st to try to rehabilitate them, several incidents involving in-fighting and excessive violence ended up forcing the Jedi to leave them under the Coruscant Guard's jurisdiction, in the hopes that some community service might help them get along better with "outsiders". The 105th was then assigned to work with the Golden Ladybug, who through sheer commitment and infinite patience, managed to rehabilitate the traumatized troopers.

Scully & Erin - An unlikely duo of a Changeling with connections in the Coruscant Underbelly, and an AgriCorps Jedi Ruurian. Scully and Erin both have ties with clones that (despite the horrors of Order 66) have clearly not been sullied or forgotten, as they are always willing to lend a hand to whomever most needs it. Even while on the run. The two travel with ex-501st Trooper Nax (known to them as Hobbs) who they rescued from Daiyu.

Metronome Squad - A batch of clone troopers divided among four battalions who maintained close contact throughout the war. They were ultimately separated by the tragedy of Order 66, but later managed to reunite with each other (those who were left anyway). The group consists of Rhythm (Communications Officer of the CG), Pitch (Clone Medic of the 501st), Beat (ARC Trooper of the 104th) and Tacet (ARF Trooper of the 212th).

Guard Remnant - A group of surviving Coruscant Guard troopers with faulty inhibitor chips, that managed to flee the heart of the Empire after Order 66 went out. Comprised primarily of riot troopers and unofficially lead by Slick, the Guard Remnant has made of the town of Bakkskrash their home and keep the settlement protected with the help of Dogma and Rhythm (whom both accidentally became the sole law enforcement for the entire town).

Sponge Clan - A tight-knit family unit comprised of ex-501st clone medic Sponge, their partner Hugo Espin, their adopted clone children, hybrid clone child Molly, Pitch of Metronome Squad (who at the time was having issues reconciling with Rhythm, thus had nowhere else to go), scuba trooper Penguin, heavy gunner Lichtenberg (who was considered MIA on Umbara but managed to survive by the skin of his teeth) and several pets (the most notorious being Beautiful, Sponge's barghest companion and most trusted friend). They are not immediately allied to any of the many Mando clans whom seem to have taken an interest in them, instead focusing on the Guard Remnant and the town of Bakkskrash.

AI Troopers - AI copies of Fives and Tup that were created from brain-scans that were done prior to their deaths. It's unknown who exactly created these AI copies, or what reason they had to do so, but the experiment seems to connect to one of Palpatine's various Immortality projects.

The Lost Children of Mandalore - Several Mandalorian clans that reside in Epifania, after their ancestors settled there while on the run from the Mandalorian Wars. While the clans sometimes don't see eye to eye, they are united in their affinity for the clone troopers who have sought shelter on their quaint little planet.

The Golden Pye-Dogs - A band of pirates that have allied themselves to the Guard Remnant and the Sheriff of Bakkskrash. While most don't understand why these scheming scoundrels would willingly work with law enforcement of any kind, one can't ignore the fact they seem to have an adopted clone child as the factor behind this particular choice.

The 13th Sister - Once an AgriCorps Jedi and dear friend to Erin, Kera Brookii willingly became an Inquisitor in the pursuit of power. Having grown disillusioned with the Jedi Order's seemingly "unfair" training policies, Kera felt like her potential was wasted and sought revenge on those who she assumed looked down on her. Cruel and manipulative, she is suspicious of Zed's activities as a mercenary for the Empire, being sure of him being a double agent. None of the other Inquisitors believe her however, as they consider her traitorous by nature and far too power hungry to ally themselves with willingly.

Sulu Ra, the Mad Cloner of Kamino - A microbiology specialist on Kamino. He was adept at perfectly replicating microorganisms that comprise the majority of a being's internal and external body flora, thus helping their products to live outside of lab conditions, making Sulu Ra's work an important part of the cloning process. However, due to his morbid curiosity of natural mutations and hybridization, interest in bio-weaponry, and natural dislike of wasting resources, the once highly sought out microbiologist became a nuisance that actively tampered with the cloning process to indulge in his own sick and twisted experiments. His list of victims includes Tup and Dogma, Olly's entire batch, two entire battalion's worth of rookies, and many more beings that they themselves created from scratch.

Aoife - A mysterious young lady with seemingly omniscient knowledge of the world around her. No one knows where exactly she came from, but Aoife seems to have good intentions regardless of her strange nature. She saved Hardcase from a fate she herself says was impossible for him to have been relegated to because it just "didn't make sense in the story".

The Rascal Gang - A group of kids who's parents were either a part of the rebellion or who were clones. Mismatched in all sorts of ways, this oddball group seems to have ended up on the Colossus, and are on the lookout for something. What exactly that something is, remains unknown (but likely has to do with the Resistance).

[cornedbread]

i wonder if you please have me suggestions on what the bbau teachers should be what kind of youkai, if possible. i'm on art block😅

(p.s. i'm still learning japanese folklore btw)

I have a couple ideas! Hope they help you ^_^

〔Short Answer〕

Gonzalo & Faklex - Yurei (幽霊)

Faklex - Amanojoku (天邪鬼)

Viktor - Oni (鬼)

Tiara & Billy - Hannya

Billy’s Son - Chopiraku (チョウピラコ)

〔Long Answer〕

Yurei (幽霊) is a sub-type of yokai that are ghosts with unfinished business. All humans have a spirit, otherwise known as reikon, if given a proper funeral the reikon will join its’ ancestors in the afterlife. The ascended reikon will also protect its’ living family and the future generations. However if instead they are killed suddenly or hold ill feelings, the reikon will turn into a yurei and they will haunt the living until their unfinished deed or ill feelings are resolved. The more suffering a human experiences, the more powerful they will be as a Yurei.

There is a sub-type of Yurei that died at sea called “Funayurei (船幽霊).” They died at sea and they will forever haunt the sea. Funayurei have a unique fish-like appearance, basically mermaids. As their name says, “Boat Spirit,” they haunt the seas and cannot leave the seas. They fill boats with water to shipwreck and kill the passengers.

I think Gonzalo fits for this sub-type since he died at sea abruptly and probably with strong ill feelings since this was during the war. It’s also quite tragically fitting, the imagery of a reikon protecting its’ family being paralleled with a soldier protecting his country. But because of his ill feelings, this protection was more violent than defensive.

There is another sub-type of yurei that dies on land called, “Jibakurei (地縛霊).” As the name suggest “Earth-bound Spirits,” these are spirits that died abrupt deaths on land. They don’t have a unique appearance and could just be undead versions of the living person. They do not serve a specific purpose, only tied to a location or event.

The way Realex’s body is treated in the school by Faklex already makes it feel like he’s haunting the place~ Hidden away in a secret room with no door, and if Olivia finds she’ll receive a knife that she can use to, supposedly, kill Faklex or herself. Taking out the living the same way you died? Sounds similar to the Funayurei~ But that is pure coincindence, the Jibakurei is simply there to serve as a reminder of a tragedy. And Alex does that just fine, his corpse forever stuck in a cruel immortalisation of his suicide.

Speaking of Alex, what about our beloathed Faklex? Next is the Amanojaku (天邪鬼)! Amanojaku is a demon that encourages humans to do evil deeds. One infamous story is when Melon Princess was killed and then skinned by an Amanojaku. After eating her corpse, the Amanojaku was seen wearing her skin and impersonating her.

Sound familiar?~ I have a headcanon that the way Faklex steals bodies is by driving his victims to suicide, it would explain Alex’s death and the secret Olivia ending — or suicides are easy food, no need to kill if they’re already dead. Even though Amanojaku’s are focused on persuading people to commit sin, the Melon Princess story was too good to pass up. And besides, Alex is doing a great job being a bad influence on Scrina, Asmodena and Candice/Candy, forcing them to clean up and commit his murders.

Oni (鬼) are aggressive cannibal demons. They live in caves and disguise themselves as humans, they kill and eat them. They have a unique way of eating humans in one bite. Nowadays though they can be domesticated by being given offerings, in return they guard homes from intruders. They also give good fortune and wealth. The Oni mask is used to scare away disobedient children or discpline kids into becoming obedient.

The duality of an aggressive killer of human and a dilligent defender of humans reminded me of Viktor :) there is also a trope of modern Oni being troublesome and comedic, which is fitting for his cursed vr normal personality. When he is cursed he uses his human teacher disguise to befriend Angell, then hunts her down for even small mistakes. But when he’s normal he’s a jokester, but is very serious with making sure Angell survives and is able to escape or fix Infinity School.

Another member from the Infinity School is Tiara! Hannya (般若) is a sub-type of Oni. This demon was a human who was hurt deeply by her lover. Driven mad by her jealousy and pain, her spirit left her while she was alive and she turned into a demon. She now plays her revenge by targetting cruel men. Hannya mask represents destructive passion, in the shadows it either looks like it’s ugly crying or snarling angrily. Similar to Oni, the modern Hannya is much kinder. She brings protection and either good fortune or revenge.

I think Tiara would be the sub-sub-type Hanya Chunari (般若中成), this is the most powerful Hannya. Her body is still human but her face is fully transformed with a demon, with large horns. But she is not full-transformed, so it’s possible to save her with Buddhist prayers. This sub-sub-type allows Tiara to keep her opera mask and have her shadowey tarwill body be refrenced in the Hannya Chunari’s strong dark magic.

The fully-transformed sub-sub-type is Hanyang Honnari (般若本成)/Kiyo Hime (清姫), which is similar to Chunari exceot the body is now a serpent/dragon. She is found lurking manily in the ocean, unlike her other Hanya sub-sub-types. Since Honnari is fully-transformed there’s no hope of saving her, she is permanently a demon. There is a story where a monk manipulates a lady using her love for him, then makes a false promise that he will return home after a boating trip. When the lady found out he was lying the whole time, she was heartbroken and chased him to the docks. The monk left on a boat but the lady swam through the ocean, eventually emerging out the water as a Kiyo Hime and killing him.

There are two reasons I think Billy fits this: 1.) It’s a parallel to his family dying in the ocean during the war; 2.) The Monk x Lady story parallels Bob never returning home from the expedition, abandonment issues; 3.) His girlfriend is a deadbeat wife and mom. This is headcanon since there’s no official reason why Billy’s girlfriend/old friend is missing or replaced by a robot, maybe she died in child birth or Billy killed her! Idk! — After his girlfriend left him to raise his son alone, Billy was filled with alot of grief. Grief strong enough for him to build a robot in her image. And maybe grief strong enough to corrupt him into a Hannya? His only tie left to humanity — or artificial humanity — now being his son… But even that is gone too because-

Chopiraku (チョウピラコ) is a sub-type of Zashiki Warashi (座敷童子). It is the spirit of a child who was given a lavish funeral and shrine filled with offerings and their favourite toys and candies. Because of this they are much more difficult to take care of than Zashiki, but unlike Zahiki they give blessing of good fortune and wealth.

In BBEG:11YL we don’t see Billy’s Son again, I headcanon’d that it was because Son grew disillusioned with Billy’s obssesion of being “well-made” that he decided to leave and live his own life. But it’s also possible that perhaps Son died, which intensified Billy’s grief even more. And so all that remains is the spirit of a happy child stuck in the past, just like his father.

[cityoftheangelllls]

My Christmas Wish

Of course I will always love Christmas and always look forward to it, and I live for indulging myself with the nostalgia and gingerbread house making and spirit of giving and marathoning of classic Christmas movies, I feel that it's not as magical as it was when I was a child, and it's not just because of the trials and pains that come with getting older, but also because I realize that there are so many people out there who are less fortunate, and, for that reason, this time of year brings them a lot of pain.

There is not a day that goes by when I don't count my lucky stars and thank God for how fortunate I am. I live in a safe neighborhood and home with a loving family (even though they drive me nuts and we butt heads sometimes), I have a lot of friends, I have a good job, I enjoy indulging in my favorite hobbies and talents, and I find so much in the world that brings me joy and comfort and makes it worth it to keep on trucking when I'm not feeling my best. Oh, and I'm well on my way to getting my own place to live soon, or at least start looking for one.

And that makes it all the more painful when I think of people who don't have these things.

There are children and young adults living in dysfunctional or abusive homes, with people who don't love or care for them, feeling more neglected and worthless than ever each time this time of year comes around.

There are people living on the streets, completely alone, with no home, no family, no friends, no comfort, wondering when they're going to be able to eat next or if their death is coming soon.

There are people living in areas stricken by war and violence, fearing for their lives, unable to even celebrate due to their homes being destroyed and resources being cut off, wondering if this is going to be their last holiday season.

There are people struggling with disordered eating, hating themselves for eating even the smallest meal or the tiniest morsel of chocolate, especially as this time of year is focused on feasting and making yummy sweet treats.

There are people who are financially struggling or in dire poverty, living paycheck to paycheck, unable to do even the barest minimum for themselves or their families and friends, and it breaks their hearts that they are unable to give them something special this time of year.

There are groups of people who are not Christian or don't celebrate Christmas feeling ostracized and left out due to their different religions and traditions, and are likely to be even more targeted by hateful people during this time of year.

Finally, there are people who are just lonely, feeling alone at a time when no one should be alone.

These people should never be forgotten about during this time of year.

If I could make a single Christmas wish and have it come true in an instant, it would be that all this sadness and pain would stop. That everyone would feel safe, comfortable, and loved during the holidays, and that I wouldn't have to read about all the tragedy happening in the world, away from my small, sheltered, peaceful neighborhood.

Sadly, such tragedy has been the way of the world for ages, and it will continue so long as some humans out there are selfish and continue these painful cycles.

Needless to say, my heart is with everyone out there who feels alone and unloved during the holidays. You are NOT, I repeat, NOT obliged to feel happy and jovial during the holidays, nor are you obliged to celebrate them if you desire not to. Just know that you are NOT alone and there is at least one person out there who cares for you and wishes you all the best.

Whether you're religious or not, the holiday season is all about giving and being around your loved and cherished ones. And even though I consider myself lucky, I know there are plenty of people out there who are far less fortunate, and I want to give by extending my heart and my compassion to them.