#let it be known to the world that i had a fourth guess which was dbatc but i thought 4 was too overkill

[titsthedamnseason]

*to the tune of the blank space loop* SYDNEY! (night 2 😁) as we all know by now we can expect ANYTHING from taylor and she seems to be just getting harder and harder to predict lol. but swiftie has become synonymous with clown so of course we’re still playing the surprise song game 🫶🏻 just leave your guesses in the tags or replies of this post and i will give shoutouts to everyone that gets it correct!!

my guesses are going to be girl at home and the way i loved you aaaaaaand don’t you? shut up i never do more than 2 but i just can’t narrow my thoughts down right now

[gallifreyanhotfive]

Random Doctor Who Facts You Might Not Know, Part 66

The Seventh Doctor was once frozen in ice in the Antarctic for over a million years after a skirmish involving Ice Warrior prisoners. Over time, his clothes had degraded dramatically, but he survived because he had put himself into a coma. He was accidentally awoken by an Antarctic expedition in 2012. Despite having memory loss, he brought up the names of his companions, such as Mel, Ace, and Hex, even referring to a woman on the expedition as "Ace" while he tried to remember everything. (Audio: Frozen Time)

A "monster," or "the Green Terror," had stowed away on the TARDIS when it had been caught on the First Doctor's jacket as a spawn. It eventually attacked the Fourth Doctor and K-9 when the TARDIS materialized inside solid rock. (Short story: Stowaway)

Thr Capricorn Killer was originally an office worker who had been suddenly turned to a vampire one night. Following his change and an altercation, he started killing and drinking people's blood. Eventually, he encountered the Fourth Doctor and Romana. The Fourth Doctor said, "I'm afraid someone brought you into our world. This is the only help I can give you. Now hold still. This won't hurt a bit." He then proceeded to stake the Capricorn Killer with a walking stick, something which hurt quite a bit and caused him to dissolve to ash. Then the Doctor went about his day like normal as though he had not just killed a man without second thought, asking Romana if she wanted to go for a steak at a restaurant. (Short story: I Was a Monster!!!)

Edgar Allan Poe took part in a seance with the First Doctor, Ian, Barbara, and some others. During this seance, a young girl named Abigail was possessed by evil forces trying to come into this world, connected through a ram's skull carved with a pentagram. Poe knocked a candle onto the skull to stop this, causing it and Abigail to go up in flames. Poe later recounted this in his diary but commented that he felt as though he had opened another gateway to let the evil in by doing so. The very next day, Poe was found wandering the streets of Baltimore, disoriented, and he died not long afterwards. A "mysterious stranger" visited his grave and left him roses and a cognac bottle. (Short story: The True and Indisputable Facts in the Matter of the Ram's Skull)

Because of LaMort, or Death, the Seventh Doctor felt the same sharp, raw pain that he had felt when Susan had left him and when all of his other companions left. He described his companions leaving as "Little deaths as they'd left him. Sometimes bigger deaths. Real deaths." (Short story: Virgin Lands)

The Eighth Doctor has been known to wear eye shadow. (Short story: Growing Higher)

Jamie has been known to take the precaution of chopping up the Second Doctor's recorder, not that it ever stopped him from producing a different recorder from somewhere. (Short story: Twin Piques)

There was massive beef between K-9 Mark I and Mark II. They fought a lot in their missives to each other and only buried the hatchet when the Fourth Doctor regenerated. (Short story: Jealous, Possessive)

A copy of "The Diary of an Edwardian Adventuress" by Charlotte Elspeth Pollard is at the Library of Kar-Charrat, the same place the Seventh Doctor and Ace once visited (as Daleks were invading). (Short story: Apocrypha Bipedium)

The Master once became producer of a show called "Make a Star," where many singers competed to become famous. He wanted to release songs as of yet unwritten to unravel the timeline. The Master later teased the Doctor for not guessing that he was involved, given that "Make a Star" is an anagram for "aka Master." (Short story: Hidden Talent)

The day after Barbara and Ian left in the TARDIS, Barbara's mother, Joan Wright, reported them missing to the police. A year later, she had not given up hope of finding her, and she shared a dream with Barbara on board the TARDIS. Barbara told her mother that she would return. (Short story: A Long Night)

The Fourth Doctor was once attacked by an entity representing all of the people who have felt fear because of the Doctor's actions and who was attempting to make the Doctor also feel that same constant fear. The Doctor was not afraid when the entity put him in cave full of people missing limbs and a terrifying creature that bit off the Doctor's arm, when the entity made the Doctor an old man in a wheelchair being tended by nurses, or when the entity put him in a padded cell. The entity eventually sensed a thought from the Doctor - that he was afraid of losing his mind. (Short story: The Fear)

Chloe and Arthur owned a bed and breakfast that the Sixth Doctor once visited. In this bed and breakfast, Chloe and Arthur were killed by hundreds of other versions of themselves over and over every day. The next version would come knocking, and the current would go outside and meet their fate. Eventually, the Doctor came to stay and also joined the ritual of repeatedly dying. After dying enough times, the Doctor decided that none of them will answer when someone came knocking, thus breaking the cycle and freeing them. (Short story: The Death of Me)

Long before The Doctor's Wife, the TARDIS took on the form of a woman called Iraj. Iraj (who I will from now on refer to as the TARDIS) had encountered Romana I just before her regeneration and decided that she wanted to play a trick on the Doctor. The TARDIS took on the form of Princess Astra and was annoyed when the Doctor barely noticed her. The TARDIS proceeded to put on three other bodies, forcing Romana to stay put when she lost her temper. The TARDIS eventually put back on Astra's body, only this time wearing the Doctor's clothes. Romana was still frozen when the TARDIS eventually returned, telling her all about an adventure she had had with the Doctor with Davros and Daleks, but she was still annoyed that the Doctor had barely noticed her. After convincing the TARDIS that the Doctor does care for her, the TARDIS helped Romana regenerate, and to Romana's surprise, she took on the form of Princess Astra! (Short story: The Lying Old Witch in the Wardrobe)

First 1 Prev 65 Next 67

[lixzey]

Letters

The Fourth Letter.

Timothée felt chills run down his spine. Eighteen letters—she wrote eighteen letters before she stopped writing. Why did she stop? She wouldn't just forget, right? Or maybe something happened.

Timothée sighed before picking up the fourth letter: June 28, 2023. Fourteen more letters after this. He carefully ripped the envelope open. He started to read, hoping to get some answers.

Dear Timothée, 

This is the fourth time I've been writing to you. I've kind of wasted all of my money on stamps. Which is utterly stupid, because you'd never read this. Or maybe you will? Maybe you're reading this right now.

Okay, I'll admit I kind of just had a fangirl moment. The thought of you reading any of my letters and touching the paper....

I really wish you're reading my letters.

Tiimothée chuckled. “I'm reading it, Y/N."

Anyway, I got partnered on a project with a girl who's also a fan of yours. Her name is Olivia. She invited me to her house, and her room was beautiful. There were photos of you on her walls and a few signed things. She told me that she had already met you. I told her I didn't believe her, and then she showed me a photo. You were smiling, your beautiful curls falling over your face, and you had your arms around her shoulders.

Oh, Timothée. I wish I could meet you so badly. Just to give you the biggest hug of your life. To let you know how much you are loved.

Because you are, you are absolutely loved by so many. Especially me. 

I love you so much, Timothée Hal. I really fucking love you.

But, we're worlds apart from each other. You're a well-known actor, and I'm just a girl with issues who is almost invisible to the world. Notice the difference?

Is it stupid to fall in love with someone who has no idea who you are? Is that stupid? To love someone you've never met? I haven't met you, but I feel like I've known you all of my life.

Oh, I almost forgot! I haven't properly introduced myself yet.

My name is Y/n L/n. 

There isn't a lot about me; I'm just a plain girl. A plain girl you'd never even notice. 

Well, I guess that's all for this letter. I'll write soon, I promise.

All my love,

Y/n. 

Timothée quickly put the letter down. He grabbed his phone from the bedside table and searched for her name on every social media account he has.

But nothing came up.

“She doesn't have social media, great," Timothée muttered, putting his phone down.

He looked down at the basket. Fourteen letters are still unread. Maybe, just maybe, in those fourteen letters he'd find the answers he was looking for.

“Four down, fourteen to go.”

[smokingasters]

A detail about the Peacebreakers in Providence. (translated + spoilers)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Overseas Research Department Field Survey Team/Peace Breaker Official activity period: 2098/04~2113/04

A unit that obtains and manipulates information useful to Japan from other countries. Its main mission is to enter other countries, gather information, carry out sabotage operations, and provide weapons and operational support to anti-government organizations who support the Japanese government. Regarding anti-government support operations, operations were carried out through domestic third-party organizations

(Example 1). It has been confirmed that it was provided to and expanded to the government and rebel forces of the former Southeast Asian Union (commonly known as SEAUN) (see corresponding data 04231 for details). Through "monitoring"derived from [...] The members were selected from among the soldiers who belonged to the Special Forces of the National Defense Force, based on the Sibyl System's advanced decisions, and from among them, those who had a particularly strong sense of national pride were selected. Establishment: Wave After its establishment, the company did some original work. Main strategies and execution records. 2099_Conflict within the Union of Southeast Asia

2111_Rebellion in the Republic of South Asia 2112_Operation Footstamp 2113_Kona Island independence group reduced cropping Involved in etc. For details, see 67721 data

In June 2118, the decision was made to dismantle the unit, and in the same month, the whereabouts of the unit commander and training staff went missing.

In October 2118, independent activity was confirmed, and it was completely destroyed. To this day, it is said that its range has expanded to include Japan, Northern Russia, and the Russian Federation. Tonami is said to have been the general manager since the company's founding.

■ PB2098 type TUSIMA PS (Peacebreaker Armor) A powered suit that is standard equipment for the Peace Breaker Corps. It covers the head, upper body, and lower body, and is equipped with heavy armor and assist functions in each part. Increases the wearer's mobility by 1.25 times. Visibility is ensured by using cameras in front and behind the head to project images directly onto the eyes using internal scale projection sensors. It is also equipped with an infrared sensor and 3D prediction function MS2 as an option. It is possible to carry out operations without securing visibility even under conditions of poor visibility. Multi-type labeling function installed on the front of the waist

***

Sibyl itself is promoting conflicts to expand itself, and then denying asylum to the refugees which is why they're confined to Dejima/Kyushu. Sibyl lets MFA do the dirty work and it's obvious that Sibyl just turns a blind eye to this because it benefits their colonisation approach. I wonder what Kogami's thoughts will be when he comes to realise that his "democratisation" in Siam Reap (Psycho Pass Movie) was just a part of Sibyl's grand plan. Also Kona Island? Didn't Rutaganda and his mercenaries live on an island? The knowledge that Sibyl would let the world suffer, after having seen the true effects of it in his journey abroad and that probably every person he met or lost on his journey (including the people that Tenzing lost) was suffering due to Sibyl's duplicity. In Case 3 Novel, Frederica is investigating the Peacebreakers in Tibet-Himalaya and Garcia by extension. Honestly, Kogami Shinya seeing the horrors of war, trying to help people and then returning to become a cog in the System is a tragic enough ending for me. I guess this was the meaning of that painting in that room. (The Abyss, I assume?)

Anyhow, I'm on my fourth rewatch (first time with subs so thank god I can follow the dialogues), and Sibyl has a knack of grinding my gears (pun intended), I've come to despise the System as much as Kogami. I'll delve into a proper review later, for now just accept my ramblings. I have 10,000 thoughts on Akane too, who in this movie punched me right in the heart, honestly I don't know how Akane-chan is so strong. I admire her grit.

[mariaofdoranelle]

The Courtship Deception - Part 5: Hope

Fic masterlist

Written for @throneofglassmicrofics

I’m posting the next chapter tonight because it depends a lot on this one to make sense lol I need everyone’s memories fresh

Warnings: none

Words: 695

Rowan’s POV

“YOU SAID WHAT?” Fenrys screeched in Rowan’s kitchen, a bruschetta halfway into his mouth.

He shrugged. “I said no. I’ve known her for a week, Fen.”

His friend put his food back on the plate, eyebrows raised at him. “You don’t think she’s marriageable?”

“She’s very marriageable,” Rowan defended himself, two hands up in surrender. It was curious how protective Fenrys was of Aelin, so he asked, “Do you think she’s marriageable?”

“Very much, yes.”

Interesting. “Do you wish you were one of her suitors, Fen?”

He snorted. “Fuck, no. I mean, she’s great, but I’m not in love with her or anything like that.”

“My point exactly.”

Yes, Rowan would love to get to know her better and see where it goes, but he’s not marrying Aelin after knowing her for a week. Especially not after finally fleeing from his royal duties.

“Bullshit.” Fenrys had a shit-eating grin on. “You’re half in love with her already.”

Lies. Rowan was approximately one-fourth in love with her. Half in love was too much for a week. Aelin was incredible, and she definitely fucked him like he expected his future wife to do, but it was too much too soon.

He wanted to get to know her better, wait until the thought of not having her by his side was absolutely unbearable; then, he could see himself popping the question. Not in a storage closet, and out of a sweeter sort of desperation.

Rowan liked her—way too much. It was even safe to say that he was smitten, as much as he hated this word. But apart from a title he barely had, Rhoe also wanted an amount of money invested in Gala Airlines that Rowan definitely didn’t have.

He wasn’t a proper suitor, he didn’t feel ready to marry her so soon, but if he let this go, he’d lose her—it’d be torture to fall in love with someone else’s wife.

After objectively explaining his thoughts on the matter to Fenrys, the man sighed as if he carried the world on his shoulders.

“Fucking Mala, do I have to do everything around here?!”

Rowan tilted his head, trying to understand his friend’s distress. “What—“

Fenrys held up a hand to shut him up, halfway out the kitchen already. “Just leave it with me.”

˜˜

Fenrys’ POV

The next day, Fenrys got to work to a full desk of poorly-wrapped gifts.

He called his co-worker instantly. “Seriously, Lor?”

Lorcan grunted, already knowing what this is about. “Not my job, Pup.”

He groaned, getting to work before work even started. Every single one of Aelin’s packages were to be checked before sent to her, but would it kill Lorcan to re-wrap the gifts nicely? You don’t send a half-closed Louboutin shoebox because you won’t bother to fit the shoes back in nicely, for Mala’s sake.

Fenrys works like a dog day and night, and does everyone ever recognize it? Absolutely not. His coworkers thought he had it easy because he let Aelin do things she wasn’t supposed to. As if. Guarding her regularly was hard, but imagine trying to protect a heiress gone rogue.

While he worked on the gifts, Fenrys did a little inspection to check which ones she’d like, and which ones would give her the ick. He removed the cards from the few ones that would certainly be her favorites.

Brimmed with designer bags, he managed the stairs to Aelin’s room, but had to knock on the door with his feet. “A package awaits your reception, Your Highness!”

When Aelin opened the door, her smile faltered as she notices the gifts—or who they were from. She opened one by one before asking, “The ones without the name tag?”

He grinned. “You’ll have to guess, Princess.”

From the way her eyes lit up, Fenrys made a mental note to slap Rowan later. He was penniless, yes, but he needed to up his game asap.

Fenrys cleared his throat. “I won’t be available for brunch today, but I’m sure Lorcan will love to gossip over macarons with you,” he joked.

“Oh.” Aelin frowned. “What’re you up to?”

“Just something I need to fix.”

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[catofthecanals289]

NicoJack fic

also on ao3 :)

Life is more than just hockey, Jack would hear his mother say to him many times when he was a boy.

When he wanted to skip a friend’s birthday party for practice, when his grades were slipping in middle school, when he didn’t even want to try soccer or football or baseball because he already loved hockey before he even knew what those other sports were. She used to sit him down and tell him, eyes all serious that he didn’t have to play because she used to, because dad used to, because Quinn does. She used to cup his cheek and tell him that there was a whole wide world outside of a hockey rink. That he could dream of other things too.

And Jack had smiled and nodded, but he’d wondered too. What else there could be. Why he would dream of anything other than the NHL, than playing for his country like she did, than scoring Stanley Cup winning goals and collecting medals and pucks and having his name on the back of a jersey that people paid money for, and all the other things he whispered in her ear when she asked what he was thinking about while driving him to the rink.

He’d asked Quinn once, the night before Quinn left Toronto for Michigan, if he ever dreamed of anything other than hockey.

“I guess getting married one day?” Quinn had said after a pause, looking at Jack like he was slightly embarrassed about it. He’d been fifteen and if thirteen year old boys find that shit lame and embarrassing guys Quinn’s age certainly did. But it’d just been them. Just Quinn and Jack and Luke. And Quinn had shrugged and he’d said, face still a little red, “I want to have a wife and kids and stuff. When I’m older, obviously.”

“Yeah, mom would kill you, dude, if you knocked a chick up now,” Jack had said, allowing Quinn to punch him in the arm with a grin on his face.

He hadn’t quite understood though.

Girls were great. They had soft lips and shiny hair and it felt good kissing them, but Jack hadn’t quite understood the appeal of a wife. Of a girl that’d always be around. Live in your house and everything. Girls never seemed to want to talk about hockey as much as Jack which had been weird because girls definitely like hockey too. Jack’s mom knows more than any guy he’s ever met about the game, but the girls who like to kiss Jack didn’t.

Life is more than just hockey, Jack, the fourth girl he ever had sex with had told him without any of the warmth in her voice that Jack’s mom had always had for him when saying this.

She’d been pissed, hair still a mess, slamming the car door behind her. Jack had run after her, fumbling to zip up his jeans at the same time, looking back he doesn’t know why he bothered. Why he didn’t just let her go. She’d been talking about colleges. About how they should go to Stanford together, or maybe UCLA, about PennState and other places he doesn’t remember anymore.

“I’m not going to college,” he’d told her with a frown and she’d scrunched up her nose and said that he still had time to get his grade up.

She hadn’t wanted to listen about his dream of getting drafted, of making it to the NHL right after. Of playing in one of 30 cities in North America. She had been angry instead, upset because how could that be his dream, when she was imagining a future for them where hockey was nothing more than a backdrop.

“Hockey is my life,” he’d told her and he had known it wasn’t what she wanted to hear but the depth of heartbreak of her face had still been a surprise.

He’d wondered then, standing there in the drizzling November rain, if he’d ever find anyone who’d understand. That maybe there was more to life than hockey for other people but not for Jack, that he didn’t want there to be. Everything he loves is intertwined with hockey. His family, his brothers, his friends. He doesn’t know what else he could need, what else he could want.

Life is more than just hockey, Jack hears his mother say in the back of his mind when he sits on a plane to Switzerland years later, his knee pressed against Nico’s.

Nico who came into Jack’s life as part of hockey. Who’d been there on the ice in New Jersey the first time Jack stepped onto it, welcoming Jack to the team with an honest smile and firm handshake. Who’d listened to Jack talk for an hour straight that first day even though he probably didn’t expect a waterfall of words when asking Jack about his favorite goal in hockey history. Who’d blushed sweetly when Jack had teased him, almost a year later, the two of them naked, tangled in bedsheets, for asking such an awkward, weird question.

“Did you get that from hockey flirting 101,” he’d asked before sticking out his tongue and Nico had rolled his eyes but asked all earnestly, what Jack’s favorite goal of himself was. And again, when Jack told him in way too much detail, he’d listened.

If Jack asked him now, he’d probably still remember the answer.

If Jack asked him now, he’d probably look at him with that look of nervous excitement in his eyes that makes Jack want to kiss him and tell him that everything would be fine. That they’d make it in time, that there was nothing to worry about. That people have babies all the time and that Nina has got this. That she has Katja and Rino and Luca there. That she knows Nico is on his way.

“You’re gonna be an uncle,” he says quietly, giving Nico a soft smile, just as the seatbelt sign turns on again above their heads.

The last text from Luca that Nico received ten minutes ago just told them that Nina was still in labour.  Which Nico had gone back and forth over being good or bad. Good because it meant they might make it in time to be there for immediately after, but bad because well. Nico understandably kind of hates the idea of his sister being in pain.

“I’m gonna drop the baby,” Nico says, and it’s so unlike himself, this fear, this anxiousness, this nervous energy that makes him rub his hands on his thighs, that Nico can’t not steal a glance around before cupping his cheek with his hand.

“No, you won’t,” he tells him, calm and certain like Nico has been for him countless of times before.

Nico nods.

And when Nina, hair still sweaty, an exhausted, happy smile on her face, puts her bundled up, red faced little boy into Nico’s arms, he doesn’t drop him.

He looks at the baby, awe in his eyes and holds him so gently it melts Jack’s heart in a way he doesn’t think anything else ever did. In that moment, looking at Nico look at this baby that isn’t even three hours old yet, Jack doesn’t think he remembers a single goal he’s ever scored.

Nico glances up, an impossibly gentle smile on his lips, and he looks at Jack when he speaks.

“Can Jack hold him?” he asks, and behind him Nina laughs, soft and tired and happy.

“Of course,” she says, and before anything else can register in Jack’s brain, he’s holding the baby.

Breath stuck in his chest, heart beating to his throat, he feels a rush of warmth go through him that he has no name for until Nico reaches out and the baby, eyes closed, wraps its little hand around Nico’s finger.

He wants this, Jack realizes. A baby. A family. With Nico. He wants this moment and have it be theirs only. He wants more than just winning the cup with Nico, more than building a dynasty with him, more than sharing ice beneath their skates for the rest of their careers. He wants more than just hockey with Nico.

Life is more than hockey, he whispers again in his own head and meeting Nico's eyes, he thinks that Nico understands. That he's feeling the same.

Their life is more than hockey.

[chorusofkhonshu]

Theory of Numbers in LN

I guess I will explain myself slightly. While researching the the podcast, it got me wondering. Noone has had a part of herself in Nowhere, a part that hides secrets from herself, something that when in the waking world she says she feels a part of her is missing. So I wondered what part of her is missing. Not her body, not her mind, not her soul. The Ferryman needs her to accept Nowhere so that all of her can go thru the Halfway Point. If it was her soul crossing over then there'd be no need for her to physically cross. So I looked for a fourth option. And surprise surprise there was a fourth option. A theory posed by a rather famous psychologist who was alive during the time period that I estimated TSON to take place during. His theory was basically the same as Otto's professor, all of them in the same line of work. And like Otto's professor, his theory was dismissed because it leaned to far into mystics. If you look hard enough you can find this. The fourth option presented was called The Shadow. There are two shadows, the personal shadow and the collective shadow. I may talk about personal shadows in a later post, but lets skip to the collective shadow. The collective shadow is the dark side of humanity, all coming together to form something almost like a place. He called this place, this hypothetical world of the worst of humanity Unus Mundus which translates to One World, a place where past, present and future all meet. A shadow, a thing that when asked if it exists, the answer is no, but you can see your shadow! Its something that exists and yet doesn't. And how is Nowhere described by Noone? Below is a description of the Collective Shadow and world of LN before the podcast.

After that brief introduction I can finally move on to the numbers! The collective shadow was something that you could dream into, is what is stated briefly. Now in these dreams, time has no meaning in the collective shadow is what the old professor said, and in Nowhere time has no meaning either. The clocks in all games are all wrong, they are either going faster, slower or the numbers aren't even in the correct order. Go ahead and look. The clock in episode 1 of TSON, the numbers are all wrong. So then........whats the use of numbers? Numbers in dreams, have symbolism attached to them. Each number having an Archetype attached to it. I am not going to go thru them all but I'll go thru 2 of them for now. Number 1 Archetype- Known as the Child, the Divine or the Innocent. This is Mono, whose name can mean 1. One who has trouble willingly growing up, who is innocent not in the fact that they are good, but that they are naive, with child like tendencies. How does the Divine aspect come in?

Mono developed the ability to somehow tune the Transmission, that is his "Divine" nature of his Archetype. Moving on to Six Number 6 Archetype- The Rebel

Does this not perfectly encapsulate Six? Her description is

She's split in two, goes to the Maw, kills the Lady, takes her power, heals herself. She overturned things without powers, now that she has some, whose gonna stop her? She is a rebel. I wanna go on more but its sleepy time for me. These late night insanity sessions be doing numbers on me. If you interested look of Jester and Archetype number 9, or number 3 and 5. Pls let me know if im crazy.

[im-a-wonderling]

The Chosen One ~ Anidala

Well...I don't often write ficlets, and if I do, I don't post them. Buuut I was working on Rescue Me, and this just kinda happened, so I hope y'all enjoy.

Warnings: Unedited angst I guess?

Word count: 1.5k

To be the chosen one with no choices.

That’s how Anakin felt, standing on the balcony, fresh off his fourth nightmare this week. He watched the nighttime traffic of Coruscant whirl past, wishing he himself could hop on a ship and run away. He would never be able to describe the relief he’d feel if he and his wife just…left. If their responsibilities ended, and they had the chance to leave, to go to safety, to have their child in peace.

He let out a shuddering breath, trying to get ahold of himself. 

The dream tonight had been worse. He’d seen her die. He’d felt her life…stop. 

His ears caught the soft sounds of padding feet. 

���Go back to bed,” he said quietly. “I’m fine.”

The feet only came closer. He closed his eyes, a fleeting smile gracing his lips. He should’ve known better.

“Ani,” Padmé said softly. Just his nickname, nothing else.

Arms—his favorite arms in the galaxy—slid around his abdomen, and a face buried into his back. “Come back to bed with me.” Padmé’s coaxing voice lulled him back to sleep like nothing else had, not the excessive exercise, not the staying up until his mind was too tired to manufacture anything, not even sleep aids he’d taken from the infirmary.

Padmé made everything better.

A searing pain started in his chest as he remembered his dreams. 

“I’m not going to sleep anymore tonight.” He meant it. He wouldn’t sleep, even if he had to glue his eyes open. Being exhausted tomorrow was a small price to pay for the hope that he would feel less haunted when the sun came up.

The arms loosened, and Padmé swung around to face him.

The day her beauty failed to make his breath catch was the day his heart no longer beat. Her warm brown eyes held more power over him than anything else in this world. The rosiness of her cheeks reminded him of her luscious home planet of Naboo, and she was now more his home than the desolate planet on which he’d first fallen in love with her, thirteen years ago. And her hair?

He reached up to touch one of her curls, running it between his fingers with a sort of juvenescent fascination. 

Padmé studied his face. “What’s wrong?”

He didn’t answer. He knew his wife well enough to recognize the alarm in her face, but he didn’t want to give voice to the horrible images he’d seen, not in the presence of his angel. 

“If you don’t tell me what’s bothering you,” she said, her voice like balm on a burn, “then I can’t help you.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “The longer I can’t help you, the longer we’ll both be out here, not sleeping.”

How anyone in the Senate could resist Padmé’s silver tongue, Anakin didn’t know. He certainly was never able to begrudge her anything for long.

Padmé’s hand found Anakin’s hair. She didn’t smooth it down or comb through it, but just sank her fingers into the soft locks, holding onto as much of it as she could. “Talk to me.”

He shut his eyes, leaning into her touch. He hadn’t realized how much he needed it. “The dreams–” he broke off. “They won’t stop.” 

He felt Padmé lean away from him, and the distance made his anxieties skyrocket. 

“Ani, I’m not going to die in childbirth.” Her voice, while loving, was stern, and he hated it.

“How can you be so sure?” he asked, his voice shaking, opening his eyes again. “How can you discount–”

“Listen to me.” Padmé lifted her chin, the same way she did in Senate meetings when she was about to end a discourse. “I’m fine. All my check-ups have been normal.”

“My mother died,” Anakin croaked. “I dreamed it, and it happened.” He reached out for her, his hands settling at her waist. “I…I can’t survive losing you,” he confessed. “Without you–” his voice cracked. “Without you, there’s nothing left in this galaxy for me.”

Padmé remained still in his arms. He knew she was formulating the right thing to say, but he didn’t want her to say anything, for how could she have a solution if she didn’t even believe in his dreams in the first place?

“Anakin, if I die–” Anakin shrank away from her, unable to bear it, but Padmé walked after him, her eyes blazing with stubbornness. “You have to let me finish.”

“If you die, I die!” He knew he was being too loud, but there was no way to say these things quietly. “I won’t even think of living without you!” 

Padmé’s retaliation was sharp. “Do not condemn this child to a life without a mother or father!”

Anakin froze. 

Padmé drew nearer, reaching out for him, pressing Anakin’s metal and flesh hands to her belly. “If I die, this baby will need you more than ever.”

Anakin furrowed his brow. 

“You’re not only a husband anymore,” she said softly. “You’re a father now too.”

Father.

Anakin blinked. 

He hadn’t had a father. Obi-Wan had been the closest thing, and Anakin was already nine years old when Obi-Wan came into his life. 

A different fear gradually came into Anakin’s mind.

“What if I’m a horrible father? What if the baby hates me? What if it goes hungry? My mother did the best she could for me, but…there were times when we both went to bed hungry, times when Watto took advantage of us.” He shut his eyes, overwhelmed both by the memories and the compassion in Padmé’s face. 

Padmé’s soft and cool fingers ran comfortingly down his face. “You’re not on Tatooine anymore. And the baby won’t hate you. It’s half of you and half of me.”

Anakin didn’t reply at first, the gears in his mind turning. “I’m a Jedi. I don’t make any money, and the council wouldn’t let me raise the baby in the temple, not without me telling them I’m the father, and if I did that–” 

Anakin had to choose. He had to make the choice which hovered over him for years, the sacrifice he’d avoided being forced to make. 

The Order or his family.

Obi-Wan, the Jedi Temple, and Anakin’s very way of life or Anakin’s mother, his wife, and his baby. 

He tried to imagine the two different paths.

If Padmé died, the baby lived, and Anakin didn’t step forward, their baby would likely be sent to Padmé’s parents on Naboo. Her parents were unaware of their daughter’s marriage, and Anakin’s child would live with no clues as to their father’s identity. Meanwhile, Anakin, wracked with grief, would devote himself to the Order and bring peace to the galaxy, as the Chosen One was prophesied to do. 

However, if Anakin did step forward…he didn’t know the first thing about parenting. He didn’t know anything about babies, how to keep them healthy and entertained. He would flounder and perhaps fail miserably multiple times. But Anakin had always been a quick learner, and if he made up his mind, eventually he would figure it out. 

He could show his child the galaxy, teach them all he knew about piloting and fixing things. They would meet all kinds of people from all walks of life. And he would tell them stories. He’d tell them about wise Master Qui-Gon Jinn and powerful Obi-Wan. They’d learn all about the Clone Wars. They would know all about their strong, beautiful mother, and they would live every day knowing that both their mother and father loved them. 

But he’d be separated from the Order. 

Neither future was perfect. Neither one felt like destiny. 

But that wasn’t the way to think about it, Anakin could see that now. The Order could continue without him. Obi-Wan could continue without him. If Padmé died, their baby would need him. 

He opened his eyes again, suddenly calmly resolute. “If the worst happens, and you…you die, I’ll leave the Order.” His wife’s wide eyes told him she understood the weight of what he was saying. “Anything you could ever ask of me, I would do,” he told her. “And I will provide anything and everything our baby needs.”

“Anakin–”

“Without you and our baby, there’s nothing else for me,” he said simply. “Without the two of you, it all means nothing.”

“I–”

“I know, it’s a little bit crazy, but–”

“That’s not what I was going to say.” Padmé looked up at him. “I was going to say I love you.” 

“Oh.” Anakin let out a long breath. 

The pinch telltale of worry appeared between Padmé’s eyebrows. “Ani, are you sure about this?”

He brought his hands to her cheeks, holding her in place while he kissed the adorable scrunch. “Yes.” Padmé’s arms wrapped around him, holding him so tight, he couldn’t think of anything but her, just what he preferred.

Neither one of them spoke for a while. 

Then, wordlessly, Padmé led him back to bed. When Anakin settled under the covers and closed his eyes, he was still afraid, but he knew that if he woke up from another nightmare, he would wake up to see the woman he loved and remember the promise he’d made her. Because, as it turned out, the chosen one did have choices.

-

Tag list:

@thelastpyle @valiantlytransparentwhispers

[alltimefail-sims]

LORE TIDBIT TIME WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Did you know Vlad was apart of the settler colony who mysterious disappeared? This is obviously a nod to the Roanoke colony which I think is sooo cool. What do you think happened to Vlad's colony? I like to think Vlad was turned or became a vampire and whipped them out.

HELL YEAH LORE TIDBIT ABOUT VLADDY DADDY!!! 😏

I'm going to treat this as a "deep dive" into Vlad and Forgotten Hollow, so I'll be adding it to my Deep Dive Series tag. Unsurprising to literally everyone, but this is gonna be a long one.

So… let’s get into it! ↓

Going into this I will admit that I actually did know this about Vlad!! I've been wanting to talk about it for forever but have never gotten around to it haha. 🤭 I'm a bit of a history nerd and I love a good spooky story/conspiracy, so naturally the Roanoke Colony was one of my obsessions when I was around 11 or 12 years old.

I think it's an interesting tie in from the sims team, I'd even say it's a bit meta because I feel like the game normally sticks to making references toward itself and its own canon characters/events while generally staying away from anything that would be too direct of a reference to "our world." Personally though I wish they broke the fourth wall more! I like easter eggs or hidden details that make it easier to imagine the characters existing not in their isolated, imaginary worlds, but in ours instead.

It's interesting to think about why the sims team might have made this connection - was it just a cheeky, unserious little wink to a well-known unsolved mystery, or was it done for the purposes of creating implications and expanded lore regarding Vlad and Forgotten Hollow (a case of them showing us instead of telling us). There are so many theories archaeologists and historians alike have had about the lost colony of Roanoke over the years: some believe the Roanoke colonists could have all died by disease or famine, some believe they could have been victims of a deadly storm, some believe they were attacked by neighboring tribes or by Spanish soldiers. Nowadays there are scholars who will argue that no tragedy befell the settlers at all and that they simply relocated (that would be why they left "Croatoan" behind - there was a nearby location referred to as Croatoan Island, now modern-day Hatters Island).

With that in mind, along with Vlad's own refusal to recall the details of this event, it's safe to assume that the sims team isn't referring to the happier Roanoke theories...the 25 colonists of Forgotten Hollow likely faced an unfortunate end.

Your theory of Vlad being turned and thus wiping out the colony (I'm guessing due to new-turn bloodlust) is sooooo compelling, the implications of that scenario are delicious and I personally never thought of it from that angle! My theory is only a little different: I agree that Vlad was turned on the day that the colonists "disappeared" (whatever that implies), but I have always played Vlad's story not as if he was turned and then killed everyone after, but rather that the thing that turned him successfully killed the other colonists but accidentally turned Vlad. It's a really long story that I play around with for fun in my brain but the short-ish version is: Vlad awoke outside - cold, alert, sweaty, dirty and covered in his own blood - but somehow alive, which he was thankful for. His new immortal condition is still unbeknownst to him at this point, but he felt an ache like never before, so deep in his bones it was excruciatingly painful, but his senses were heightened tenfold. He didn't remember much, just that the colony had been under attack the night before. His relief to be alive rapidly melted into abject horror as he found everyone else (friends, neighbors, family, children) dead. He realized soon enough what had happened to him and stayed in Forgotten Hollow where he would be memorialized as its "founder." He spent his days hellbent on retaliation and retribution, but was also steadfast in continuing the work that was began there before the attack. Eventually he does get to face off with the vampire who attacked him and his people, killing it and rising to power in the vampire world. He keeps the events close to his chest because they were traumatizing and cause him sadness, and he's worked diligently to remove himself from his humanity/human memories and from emotions in general (thus how he has become the person we see today). I always thought if he killed the colonists himself the other vampires in his circle - at least his closest confidantes - would know (as he's got quite the massive ego), but they don't seem to have knowledge of this event and they never mention it. I've thought that it could be possible that sharing the memories of this event would make Vlad feel weak, and he's not one to boast in his weakness. He'd much rather rewrite history in a way that is beneficial to his image; dragging up emotions about dead people would not bring them back to life, and by burying this history of a massacre in Forgotten Hollow he is also creating some mystery around himself and making it easier to play the role of a great-great-great-great grandson (or whatever he's pretending to be, relationship-wise) to the original founder.

But that's just how I play with Vlad! 🤷 I could be way off-base lmao!

Regardless of what happened, we know Vlad is the sole survivor of this event and he is scarred by it, impacted so deeply that he only ever vaguely alludes to it with no clear explanation. Whether he killed the colonists himself or just witnessed their death, the sims team will probably never give us concrete answers (and frankly, that's probably for the best considering their track record). But the clever connection of the LOST colony and FORGOTTEN Hollow are clear as day and I just think that is freaking cool! The occult lore in TS4, especially regarding Vlad and Forgotten Hollow, make interesting framework for storytellers and lore-lovers alike! Vlad is one of those characters who has sooooo many interpretations, and I eat up each and every one!

Okay, I think that's all I've got for now! Sorry about my word vomit! Somewhat related: here's an article I recently read on Roanoke that talks about the archaeological finds which have changed some of the discussions surrounding whether the colonists survived or not! I found it pretty interesting and you might as well!

[apocalypticavolition]

Let's (re)Read The Great Hunt! Chapters 49: What Was Meant to Be & 50: After

If this is your first time seeing one of my posts, you might assume that it's safe to read this post if you've finished the first couple of books of The Wheel of Time. This is a very foolish assumption. My reread is for the whole damn series, so don't keep going unless you like spoilers for everything!

Both of these chapters have the Wheel icon as we're closing out the story.

His memory came in flashes and patches. Old things he could remember, but the last few days seemed like bits of broken mirror, spinning through his mind, showing glimpses that were gone before he could see them clearly.

And this explains why Rand doesn't retain all of his character development going forward: he forgets it all. Dammit Rand.

“Nynaeve? Elayne? How? You were all in Falme?”

Note that these questions go unanswered. Rand presumably gets filled in offscreen in between this book and the next, but we're starting our trend of him being kept out of the loop by the others.

“They are gone,” she said. “Saying ‘no’ won’t change it.”

Min is really not demonstrating herself as a fated love interest to Rand here. She doesn't understand what he's talking about, she's frustrated he's upset he didn't get to see Egwene, and she's only bringing a little emotional support here. The best she's got is trying to buffer him and Moiraine and obviously that's not gonna work. I'm not saying these are bad choices; they barely know each other, why should they act like perfect soulmates? But it's a shocking transition after Min's certainty and Lanfear's gloating.

“I wish you weren’t here,” he told the Aes Sedai. “As far as I am concerned, you can go back to wherever you’ve been hiding and stay there.”

Yeah, Moiraine pulling a Gandalf doesn't really work with her because she's not anywhere near established enough of a figure in this world. I don't blame Rand at all for calling her out, and frankly I'm not impressed with whatever it was she was doing offscreen, which has amounted to nothing practical.

What resulted was neither Padan Fain nor Mordeth, but something far more evil, a blend of the two. Fain—let us call him that—is more dangerous than you can believe.

Indeed, he's especially dangerous because the two forces should annihilate on contact but apparently preserve themselves through his flesh, which seems like a particularly unstable arrangement.

“Your battle took place across the sky, in full view of every soul in Falme. Perhaps in other towns on Toman Head, too, if half what I hear is to be believed.”

An inexplicable miracle. I still don't think there's any real guess as to what might have caused it. I guess the Wheel was just desperate to make things work.

He remembered being called Lews Therin; not only by Ba’alzamon, but by Artur Hawkwing. “I won’t. Light, the Dragon is supposed to Break the World again, to tear everything apart. I will not be the Dragon.”

Two books in and Rand is still trying to refuse the call. But can you really blame him, considering what the Dragon stands for in popular iconography? Any man who'd want to be the Dragon Reborn would be a horrible choice.

When all seven are broken, perhaps even before, the patch men put over the hole they drilled into the prison the Creator made will be torn asunder, and the Dark One will once more be able to put his hand through that hole and touch the world.

Indeed the Dark One's touch is only going to get more extreme, especially once the fourth seal is broken. Let's keep our eyes open next book for any other signs of their weakening besides the rest of the Forsaken being freed no later than this point.

But it did not change the way he felt about Tam, and Emond’s Field was the only home he had ever known. Fain is the important thing. I have one duty left. Stopping him.

Which is why Rand will flee cross country past the Two Rivers and straight to Tear. I don't think it's a disconnect in the story though; we'll see why he becomes more focused on the latter mission later.

“Why would I not stay?” Loial said. “You are even more ta’veren than I believed, true, but you are still my friend. I hope you are still my friend.”

Loial is one hell of a friend. Plenty of people could have run off at this point and I wouldn't blame them.

“It is said,” the one-eyed man said carefully, “that when the Dragon is Reborn, he will break all oaths, shatter all ties. Nothing holds us, now. We would give our oaths to you.”

Note that Rand doesn't demand they break their oaths but rather they interpret his presence as being reason enough to supersede them.

Masema, who hated him. Masema, who looked at him as if seeing a vision of the Light.

Even now Masema is clearly too turbulent to be a good ally.

They were all watching him, all waiting. Death is lighter than a feather, duty heavier than a mountain. He made his decision.

Fake cliffhanger! You know there's really no chance of things going the one way.

—from Charal Drianaan te Calamon, The Cycle of the Dragon, Author unknown, the Fourth Age

Spoilers, geez! Though technically you could argue that perhaps this is from the last fourth age. It's not actually specific enough to be any Fourth Age for certain. Note as well further evidence of translation convention in effect: Calamon is clearly the word for "Dragon" and an obvious corruption of Telamon.

In any event, that's book two! I'm going to be taking another break; supposed to be getting a new laptop soon and think I'm going to start using it as my reading machine because I'm just getting annoyed doing it on a tablet. Until next time folks.

[sicklyworm]

Monster cans and reading bans!

Ao3/Anon Hackers <3333

Prologue :

Ao3 tiredly took a sip of his fourth monster of the day, his hands typing as fast as he could make them. He knew better than to procrastinate for so long, after all this project is 30% of his final grade, but the patrochilles fanfic he was reading was just too good for him to read it all in one go. Now a full 26 hrs later than that horrible decision and he still isn't done with the fic due to his favorite site being down and the project is due in 7 hrs. Now Ao3 would say he is pretty good at pulling shit out his ass when it comes to school but he really had underestimated this project. fuck. He should have known this class was going to bite him in the ass eventually. After all, getting a credit for just thinking critically would be far too easy. Ao3 bit his lip in an attempt to stay awake but his brain wasn't just wasn't cooperating. Sighing Ao3 closed his laptop and started to type in the number he swore to himself he would never call. That number he got from the very one and only Anon Hackers or as Ao3 likes to call them dickface.

Hackers was a pretty popular person on campus, but considering that they live in florida that might actually be the biggest red flag of all time. After all, everyone in Florida could possibly be replaced by SCPs in very bad disguises and the rest of the world would be none the wiser. Hackers themself was known for their… well lets just go with passionnet one sided arguments on things like religion. Which were really just Hackers angrily spouting whatever conservative talking points were popular at the moment at anyone who looked even slightly left leaning. While Ao3 himself had never actually been on the receiving side of Hackers ire, his friends have and that's enough to make Ao3 despise them with the fury of a thousand suns.

So when profesor Fanfiction.net assigned them as partners on such an important project and Hackers was forced to give Ao3 their number, Ao3 elected to just do it by himself so he would never have to use the damned thing. It's just one silly project after all, how bad could it be? Oh how much ao3 wanted to strangle his past self for not starting this project earlier because right now in a desperate attempt to at least completely fail he is going to do something he said he would never do… he is going to ask for Hacker to save his ass.

Hackers was fucked. Not by procrastinating school like Ao3 but because they have been lying about having a boyfriend to his parents for the last 3 months and now they want to meet him. Their parents are christian evangelical extremists and even Anon got uncomfortable at times about how they talk about queer and trans folk despite being christian themselves. Hackers never came out as nonbinary to their parents either so whenever they have to visit them it is a pain. They barely get away with using they/them pronouns at school and if one of his 'friends' were to learn his dead name they would never be referred to by their chosen name ever again.

Their habit of just saying whatever their parents did the day before whenever they felt uncomfortable has also driven away anyone who would still use their right name even after hearing the old one.

Hackers turned in their bed so they could scream into their pillow. This whole situation was impossible, no way to win, just ways to lose. "I did this to myself, I guess-" Anon was cut off by their phone going off, their jolly ringtone mocking their desperate situation. Peeling themself from their bed Hackers grabbed their phone, the number had no id but the area code was the same as theirs so they decided to answer.

[neonscandal]

So, BNHA & JJK is over, can I ask your final throughts and score (maybe) about them?

For me, BNHA is A- (yes, I love the canon BKDK moments, Bakugou is my fav, and I don't think the ending is that bad, the one thing I feel sad about is LOV ending)

For me, JJK is B+ (yes, I love Gojo/Geto relationship and also Yuuji as mc, but the overall pacing is kinda....)

Sorry for this random ask, just I love reading your thoughts.

Hello old friend 🌼🧡 Never a need to apologize, I appreciate you reaching out! I am really sad about both series ending so abruptly, honestly. Like I'm actively avoiding catching up with the MHA anime because I know I won't be able to see it for the first time again and, for some reason, I think rationing the remaining episodes will preserve the series longer for me or something. It is deranged.

But with the final chapters penned and all the information available to us, we can fairly reflect on them. I feel like I should caveat by saying that I've never known how to pick my favorite of anything so i hope you'll forgive the subjectivity of my answers. Considering we go way back, I feel like you already know that so, without further delay -

My Hero Academia | Manga With Me, Rating: A

Thanks for the brain rot, Horikoshi, and for allowing a massive and diverse fandom see themselves individually in the array of characters you breathed life into.

Honestly, I agree with your assessment here. MHA, in many ways, went against the grain of shonen which was a bit of a wild ride and led to some great plot twists.

ART + STORY

Initially, I separated these but found I couldn’t talk about one without bringing up the other. The fun and complexity of an ensemble show with different styles for certain characters is so refreshing from an art and comedic perspective. Even the way the fourth wall breaks is so tongue in cheek.. until it isn’t. All parts of the story are so perfectly in tune with Deku’s perception of the world and the stakes involved at different points of the story. Like the break when Deku shifts into All Might’s illustration style to make Sir Nighteye laugh and Aoyama’s sly little eye connects. But later those fourth wall breaks are a bit more devastating and you realize Aoyama’s meant to be grabbing your attention, you only realize too late which makes you complicit bystander in the narrative.

In so many ways, the art drives the story. As things get to their breaking point, you really see Horikoshi’s potential as a gore mangaka which is such a dramatic shift from where the art started.

The story (and art) was thoughtful and the overall message is simple but meaningful. Additionally, at every opportunity to cave to formulaic shonen expectations, those pitfalls were subverted for something a bit more honest, in my opinion. Specifically as it pertains to letting the most meaningful relationship of the story authentically be that of the rivals the whole story hinges on.

ENDING

MY HEART. There were many points where my conspiracies were super off and that’s also nice. You couldn’t always guess where the story was headed. While the final battle, in my mind, didn’t end as I imagined… that doesn’t actually matter. It’s in line with the story just in ways we wouldn’t typically imagine with the happy go lucky start. I haven’t really deep dived into my thoughts about the ending (and won’t too much here for the sake of brevity and not spoiling). But sometimes, like the characters of MHA, we too have to be satisfied with what we had while we had it. It’s also okay for us to reframe our perception and understanding of the world through the lens of new experiences and necessary to come to terms with the fact that the reality of something is not always aligned with how we may have built them up in our heads.

Jujutsu Kaisen | Manga With Me, Rating: A

Overlord Gege, wherever you are, you can no longer hurt me or any of your characters. Tears were shed.

ART + STORY

The last time I compared the two, I basically mentioned that you can’t really compare the art of something still in its relative infancy. At the time, I spoke, possibly from a place of delusion, that imagined the manga would continue on and explore more of the ramifications and motivations of its villains. Or, hell, even provide more background into some of our favorite characters as opposed to waiting for interviews for insight. With the way the story kind of abruptly ends, we have the full body of work but, as a reader, it feels like we’re missing pieces.

However, this, too, is in the spirit of how Akutami provided exposition throughout the story. Unless it was a proverbial “fuck you” to their editor (by including Yuji gambling in pachinko and making Hakari’s whole technique gambling with a multi-page spread explanation…) or to us (using that one bitching manga sorcerer, I guess that could have been a critique for anyone 😂), Akutami pretty brusquely had a story to tell and we were purely spectators.

Either you followed along like Yuji, someone who is being newly introduced to the jujutsu world while keeping hands and feet inside the ride at all times* like his life depended on it, or you were left in the dust like Junpei (RIP to those who Do Not Finish). Bear in mind, much of the story’s exposition was just.. matter of fact. Characters would be foreshadowed well before their official debut like Maki and Yuta and it wasn’t until the culling games that we knew just how unhinged Megumi was that whole. time. with his predilection for self destruction revealed in his very first fight and boomeranging back in his final fight.

*A/N: I realize I have some international readers - this is guidance typically given to someone getting on a rollercoaster where I’m from.

In places, the art felt a bit rushed where, in other places, it was exquisite. Overall, the story and the way in which it was told was extremely unapologetic and yet, characters who ultimately became mere cannon fodder could have such heart rending impacts on the reader even if their back story was nonexistent. Like, thanks for the trauma, Gege. ✨ So to a degree, my rating here is a bit subjective just because it made me feel things.

ENDING

The last few chapters, the After as it were, are very much on brand for things as they are and have been shown to be in jujutsu society. Back at it again with not enough resources to process the trauma because there will always be more evil to conquer. But as to the great and final fight, while I can understand it, from a story perspective I still think there’s something missing (this is not about Gojo). Like, there should have just been more. Even if we get that grain of redemption, it feels like the triumph is not worth the many, many sacrifices and isn’t that part of it, too?

TL,DNR: I am still in turmoil about both series ending and, while I understand where fans may be dissatisfied with each story’s ending, I feel like they are still in line with their overarching narratives. Sometimes the reality that there’s not always a nice ribbon to tie everything up is just as bitter when experienced in fiction.

[kitkatopinions]

ALrighty!

Spoilers for RWBY ep.... 8 I think? Below the keep reading as well as criticism:

So I was wrong about the Cat. I wish it had turned out to be a morally dubious good guy, but whatever, guess the writers wanted yet another 'the person guiding you is actually not trustworthy' plot.

Here's what I'm gonna say - Neo got fucking taken over and possessed the moment that she actually started getting a spotlight as a villain? HATE that shit. I want Neo, not just some conglomerate taken over by the cat? And I don't like that she talked at all. It should've just been the cat's voice.

Idk if Little is dead or not, but I really don't care about or like Little, so if they are dead, okay??? Better than having to see them again tbh.

Seeing people 'resurrected' but all wrong was kind of dissatisfying? Torchwick was the only one of them who was actually used well (because rwby is going through plotpoints at the speed of light in fourteen to sixteen minute eps so of course we can't sit with things,) but his voice acting was off and so it messed with the immersion some. I don't blame them for not being able to get an exact copycat and I don't think they tried very hard since they didn't need Roman for long, but still, I wish his voice actor had done better. The animation of him was pretty good though.

Ruby ascended? Fuck that shit! I have hope that we're actually going to get 'Ruby down in the tree realizing what 'ascension' actually is, but first off, I wanted Ruby to have a breakdown and struggle, not to be full on suicidal and decide to basically kill herself. Second of all, if this means 'no more Ruby' I am going to be so pissed off. This is Ruby's show, right? Or it's supposed to be! Even if this means that we don't get much Ruby for the next two episodes, I'm still gonna be mad. The 'development' we've gotten so far is just Ruby being in pain, and then seemingly dying? I'm trying not to count my chickens before they hatch or whatever, but this could be worst case scenario, people.

The moment where Ruby was getting attacked by everyone who was dead was... Well, first off, it was weird. Because A. Why would Neo bring in Clover, Leo, and Ozpin? Was she just bringing in everyone she thinks that Ruby may have sort of known who died? Second off, why does Neo think Penny cared about Ruby most in the world? When did she have access to that information? How did she know to use Penny that way? Third off, I liked the 'Ruby strikes out at Ozpin, only for Neo to replace him with Oscar' thing in theory but I would be wrong if I didn't point out that once again the only member of Team RWBYJNOR with dark skin gets the most violent things happening, which is a bad pattern. I get that it may be because Oscar is actually more like Ruby's friend than the rest of her team atm (which is sad,) but I just think the writers should be aware that this is a thing they do that they maybe should correct. Maybe they could've had it be Weiss or Yang that Ruby 'accidentally killed' in these visions? Just a thought. Fourth off! I liked how Neo transformed people into Ruby's alive friends and family, judging her for the 'murder.' Fifth off, I just gotta say the combat was not good for me once again. Neo literally has several people there fighting for her, and they all shot like stormtroopers? Ruby's discombobulated and depressed, so her going down without much fight isn't the problem, the problem is that Neo alone by herself should have been able to easily bring her down, let alone with her clones there to help her. Maybe she only knew Roman well enough to really replicate his style, but Neo and Roman? Tag team of the century!

On to... Team WBYJ. I'm not even gonna get into the fact that Blake and Weiss were more sympathetic to Ruby's struggles than Yang was (I am really frustrated with Yang this season,) but they all just stand there and do nothing while Ruby drinks down poison? What the hell? That is not a freaking good look, guys.

Anyway... I don't know how to feel about this episode, but I'm mostly frustrated and disappointed. And on the other hand, I guess we got good pics of Roman and Neo? I'm gonna have to wait to form a concrete opinions on this ep until we can confirm what the frick actually happened next ep, but for now, it's looking like another 3/10. I got some enjoyment, but overall a bad experience once again.

[theia-eos]

Recently I have read your story "Foundation of the Empire" and I absolutely loved Zahira! Unlike Dheginsea, she seems to be an approachable person lol

I hope it's not rude of me to ask but do you have any more lore/headcanons about her and her tribe? If you do I would be delighted to hear about them!🤍🤍

Oh! Uh, thank you! <3 I'm very glad you enjoyed the story and her, and I don't think it's rude at all, thank you for asking so politely (and I actually need to edit that story to fix a few details).

Anyway! Everything about her could be (very) generously described as extrapolation from the games, but is basically all made up. No canon material follows the cut.

Since Almedha and Kurth get their dark teal hair color from their father, she has long wavy black hair and dark eyes. She's a black dragon too, but in the art with Ashunera there seems to be a Zunanma that is draconic in nature, and it seems to have a green/blue shade (though it could be just the lighting and my copeium).

So I imagine that there were more types of laguz outside of Tellius than what we saw in the games (I also add in owls to throw in a fourth bird laguz. And perhaps more! That's just all I've got). In particular, I imagine that there were blue dragons in Hatari before the flood, and so Zahira is part blue dragon (like Ena is a red dragon, but has a lighter color scheme because of her white dragon heritage so Zahira had a more midnight/navy color to her). Not enough to effect her children with Dheginsea much visually. She had a younger brother who died in the Flood. I imagine that the blue dragons were known for their intellect over their strength, and it was a blue dragon leading Hatari long before the Flood who first ended the laguz slavery of beorc that Nasir alludes to in Path of Radiance.

I kinda sometimes like to imagine a prequel game, or maybe a few "gaiden" chapters in the Tellius duology that you could unlock, about the war between Ashera's champions and Yune's forces. In that vein, I imagine Zahira served Ashunera before the Flood and when Ashera seeks to destroy Yune, Zahira serves as the last stand for Yune. Zahira doesn't want the conflict, in fact it's very clear that she's distraught about how things have gone, but she's very powerful and she can't let a piece of her precious goddess be destroyed. In a way, she feared either half being the one left standing and losing the spark that made Ashunera so special, as what Yune alludes as what happened to Ashera.

Zahira could be like the Camus, I guess, trying more to force the conflict into a draw than killing unnecessarily, fighting against her own chaotic bloodlust (especially fighting for Yune). Altina is moved by her devotion and spares Zahira when they finally defeat her, and Zahira is relieved when Lehran and Altina convince Ashera not to destroy Yune. It takes a good long while for Dheginsea and Zahira to fall in love (Rajaion isn't born for like at least another 400 years at my best estimates, so they are like mountains growing into each other and evening out their worst characteristics), but she goes to Goldoa to help him with the other dragons to keep them from fighting the other laguz or beorc left standing. She is heartbroken at the significant loss of life, she saw the beautiful large world with her goddess and now it's almost all gone because there was always conflict.

In the end, while she's more personable than Dheginsea, she's so desperate to ensure a world in which Ashunera can come back that she has the same sort of problem in that she hesitates to want to take action in case in causes conflict and more unnecessary death (thus creating more conflict and unnecessary death). Seeing the way her beloved goddess fell, destroyed most of the world, and split in two in grief over war affected™ her. Possibly also feeling like maybe she chose the wrong side and led to a larger loss of life than if she had made the "correct" decision from the start. She's just more open about how much she empathizes with the people outside of Goldoa suffering, which would probably be more frustrating to deal with as she's not doing a lot to make things better at the same time. Soan writes to her because trying to get anything out of Dheginsea is like trying to get blood out of a stone at that time, but he's pretty frustrated with her also doing next to nothing despite her sympathetic words. In essence, she's what the writers of Radiant Dawn tried to convince us Elincia was like (I still do not buy it). If she was around to have a character arc, it would be learning to trust fully in her own convictions again.

Also, Dheginsea mentions seeing her when he dies, so she's obviously dead before the games. Ena's parents also are dead, which is why Nasir feels so responsible for her. Since laguz don't get sick, illness is out. Given Kurthnaga's fear of blood, I imagine there was a conflict of some scale within Goldoa that Kurthnaga saw that traumatized him. At some point in the timeline, there's a point when Begnion is basically fighting every other nation. Dheginsea calls for a truce and has the treaty signed in Goldoa, but doesn't seem to leverage that to end laguz slavery, as slavery continues for nearly another 150 years. If there was any time for there to be conflict in Goldoa, maybe outrage over seeing what was actually going on because there's no way a peace negotiation is held in Goldoa without the Goldoan citizens finding out about that war (assuming the issue of laguz slavery was kept out of the general knowledge of the citizens of Goldoa), I think it would be at that point in time. Ena's parents and Zahira die in this conflict, and Nasir feels responsible for not being able to help save Ena's parents somehow.

Yune says she doesn't bless her forces like Ashera did during the war, so Zahira is left more mortal than Dheginsea. I imagine she dies in front of Kurthnaga, who is very young at the time. It feels a bit too big a thing to happen in the history without every being talked about, but it's what I'm thinking right now. With the way laguz are, I imagine it would have been a smaller, more direct coup than what Ludveck attempts against Elincia in Radiant Dawn so, while bloody, it is over quickly. Dheginsea is the strongest, and still rules. Since he's already lost her over their shared desire to avoid conflict, he double downs on the feeling, where I think at that time she is gearing up more towards trying to make a few waves seeing that things being left as is was only making things worse.

If Zahira is alive closer to when the games happen, she would have gone with Rajaion to rescue Almedha and her grandchild from Ashnard. Seeing Almedha lose her powers and having a Branded child, and wanting to comfort her child, Zahira would have told Almedha the truth about the Branded and would have fought tooth and nail for both Almedha and Almedha's son to be treated fairly, consequences be damned, it's too close to her heart. She loves her children fiercely, perhaps even obsessively, and teaches them to treat all laguz and beorc fairly. She might also be the reason Goldoa backed the founding of Gallia, as that is a thing that happened that seems out of character for Dheginsea in a "maybe there can be peace if they all live separately from each other" kind of way (though Dheghinsea also could have decided that on his own. It just doesn't feel like him from what we see of him. Could also have been Rajaion/Almedha being young, rash, and bold). She absolutely would have adored Ike, especially given how protective he is of her grandson. If she was alive in Radiant Dawn, then she would side with Ike and Micaiah, but would neither attack nor be attacked by Dheginsea, Lehran, or Ashera. She would be more motivated by her desire to preserve life than bow to an incomplete goddess in that instance. The joy she would have talking to Nailah and hearing about what Hatari achieved after the Flood would restore her youth.

In the end, she was sad messy woman for a sad messy world. Thanks for the ask, and hope you found it interesting at the very least!

[konnoiseur]

SPOILERS FOR RWBY VOL 9 BUT HOLY SHIT I COULD TALK ABOUT THIS FOR HOURS

sorry for the janky screen recording twitter sucks and im impatient

OKAY SO LIKE. WOW????? this is so much and its SOOOOOOO GOOD like both ruby and jaune both have completely valid points !!

ruby is finally being allowed to snap a little, shes allowed to be pissed at her friends and sister who have all done a pretty piss poor job of supporting her, despite the fact that shes the youngest and has the most weighing on her. its great that show is lampshading (something i never expected to say) the fact that ruby is usually just looked to for the answers as well as telling blake to shut up when she tries to do the old "i know things look bad but" schtick that always shows up in the show. its FANTASTIC that ruby just leaves them behind even if we know itll be temporary; i truly hope this is a wakeup call for WBY who have been passive in rubys life for FAR TOO LONG despite all ruby has done for them

and its AMAZING that ruby *CALLED BLAKE AND YANG OUT* for prioritizing their relationship NOW! like i said on twitter, rubys reaction to the bees means her "what" in reaction to weiss' "finally" earlier in the vol wasnt confusion. it was disbelief that this is the priority for her sister and teammate after everything and considering where they are; not in a homophobic way (duh) but in a "we are literally in hell and salem is still OUT THERE with two relics and a maiden and we destroyed a fourth of the known world bc of a plan crumbled as we made it AND PENNY IS DEAD and we dont know what happened to our friends and all the civilians and NOW this is a priority?!" way, WHICH IS SO FANTASTIC. i just hope that the writers let this stand and dont have ruby walk back her feelings to protect WBY's because shes 100% RIGHT.

and jaune. oh jaune. i think its easy to forget that jaune really has sort of revolved his entire life around ruby for the past few years; hes really the only one thats never left rubys side, except unwillingly. so hes really not wrong when he says that it IS all about ruby, it always has been; yes, he chose to go with her but doing that has led him to do some really terrible things and of course when he's experienced such high levels of trauma (they all have) and then is abandoned to a madhouse of the ever after, hes gonna snap, AND HE ACKNOWLEDGES THAT HES NOT WELL. he knows hes struggling, he realizes that he shouldnt have yelled, but hes VALID FOR STRUGGLING IN THE FIRST PLACE. again, i hope its something that the writers let continue naturally and not just have it walked back or dismissed as a lot of male trauma is done in the show (looking at you ren i see you)

side note, how WILD is it that yang literally *moves in front of blake* as if to protect her from RUBY?! like thats so insane to me, and it just VALIDATES rubys annoyance and betrayal that yang is prioritizing blake and their feelings over ruby and their situation here. also, yang protecting blake???? i thought blake was the fiesty one? the one that had a shouting match with weiss for hours? the one that shoved past sun and shouted "hes mine" to get at roman? then again, ever since adams death she barely been able to fight at all so maybe i should just stop being surprised that blake is a wilting wallflower even around her own friends. and BOLD MOVES from yang to act like RUBY is the dangerous one when shes rightfully showing anger and frustration, like yang isnt literally the one known to have anger issues and lash out at ppl. i guess its only okay when yang is mad, ruby really is just having a hysterical woman moment i suppose

UGH this is just so nice and i hate to praise miles about anything but hes always voiced jaune very well and this is a real standout moment from both him and lindsey. good catharsis and felt really good for a least a tiny TINY bit of my critiques of team rwby to be acknowledged by ruby and jaune; hopefully this shit can continue and let them ALL learn and honestly i hope we get even more scenes of ruby and jaune laying into others/each other and bringing criticism that rwde has been saying for years to the screen

[bi-disastersoup]

R'alma Crissen Lore Masterpost

Hi! Let me introduce you to the complicated mess that is my WoL. I like to write about him frequently, but I'm still developing him as a character. This will probably be updated as I come up with new lore for his personality/backstory.

Wol vs Azem sheet Azem's Familiar Design (or Why Does R'alma Have a Tail?) Azem Lore Masterpost

The Basics

Name: R'alma Crissen Race: Rava Viera (technically not actually, see below) Gender: Male Pronouns: He/Him (They/Them is acceptable for the confused) Sexuality: Definitely Gay (and Maybe Bi, unknown)/Probably Demisexual Height: 5'7" Age: 26(ish? I guess?) Nameday: 32nd Sun of the Fourth Umbral Moon (Aug 31st) Birthplace: Thanalan Tribe: Raptor Family: R'crissen Nunh (father) R'manafa Jhaz (mother) Combat Jobs: BLM/DRK/RPR/DNC/SGE (in that order) Non-combat Jobs: BTN/ALC

The Beginning

Alma Crissen was born a Miqo'te to the Raptor tribe of the Seekers of the Sun. She spent her entire childhood in Thanalan, and because of this she considers the region to be her home. She had long black hair streaked with red, and mismatched eyes, one dark green and one bright teal. Her skin was pale for a Sunseeker, since she spent most of her time indoors studying rather than out hunting with the rest of the tribe.

Her tribe and family were largely hunters of great skill and renown, known for their marksmanship with a bow. R'alma, however, showed an incredible affinity for magic and spellcraft rather than martial prowess, which made her feel like an outcast in the tribe. While no one went to any lengths to make her feel unwelcome, neither was there anyone from which she could learn to wield her magicks. And so, feeling as if on some level she didn't quite belong, she dreamt of the day she would set out on her own to find her place in the world.

She only made it as far as Ul'dah before her destiny found her and swept her away on what would prove to be the journey of a lifetime.

The Reincarnation

After the disaster with the Crystal Braves in Ul'dah, R'alma was thoroughly distraught and in a very bad place mentally. Unsure if she'd be able to return there to continue her studies as a black mage, she instead took up the greatsword and began her journey down the path of the dark knight.

It was also around this time that she met a shady peddler in Ishgard selling potions that he claimed were supposed to reveal the true nature of a person's soul. Not being in the right mindset to make decisions, and believing the man when he said the effect was only temporary, she bought and took one. As it turns out, the potion did exactly as advertised. The effect was not, however, temporary, and R'alma spent the next several years in the body of an Auri woman.

As an Au Ra, R'alma's skin was a dark, vibrant red, with dark scales and horns, and brilliant amber-yellow eyes. Her hair was still red-streaked black, the only feature to have stayed in the transformation.

It wasn't until her travels to Othard and the Azim Steppe some time later that she learned why her transformation had been permanent. As it turned out, her soul was from the Dotharl tribe of the Xaela, but had been somehow displaced during reincarnation. Sadu of course recognized her right away and gave her the name that she had been previously known by. R'alma preferred to continue going by the name given her by the parents that had raised her, however, and kept the Dotharl name secret.

Apollo's Gift

Sometime after the events of 5.3, R'alma decided to try experimenting with attuning to Azem's memory crystal, similar to how she did with Fray/Esteem during her training as a dark knight. In doing so, she was actually able to connect to him subconsciously across time. They spoke together several times, during which she learned that his name was Apollo, that he had vivid dreams of his myriad future lives (hers included), and that while biologically male, he often identified as female depending on his mood and disposition, hence why Hades and Hythlodaeus would often refer to Azem as "she".

Eventually, as matters with the Telophoroi were coming to a head and the journey to Sharlayan drew near, Apollo insisted that R'alma needed to stop contacting him, that she needed to live her own life in the present rather than constantly looking back to the past. As a parting gift, he offered to use his creation magic to alter her body into something more closely resembling his, so that she would have something to remember him by. The new form kept her signature red-tipped black hair, as well as one of her yellow eyes, and the bright teal one from her Miqo'te form that matched his own, giving her ties not only to his past but also to hers as well.

The body that Apollo gave her was that of a familiar that he had been working on designing. Though that was the official story, the reality was just a bit more selfish. In truth, Apollo knew that R'alma would be traveling to the past and meeting both Hades and Hythlodaeus in Elpis, and he wanted it to be in a form that they would recognize and feel comfortable around. Hythlodaeus was aware of Apollo's familiar concept, and would recognize it immediately as his, especially if it was running around with a soul of the same color.

And that is how R'alma ended up as a male Viera-but-not-really with a fluffy tail and cat eyes. In tribute to Azem, and because he is now biologically male, he prefers to go by male pronouns. I hesitate to call him trans, only because the decision was not one that he made himself for actual identity reasons, so.... It's Complicated™.

Aether-Searing

Dark arcane markings twisted and flowed in seemingly random patterns up the front of his torso, spread across his narrow shoulders, spilled down his back, and snaked down both arms. It was an artistic mixture of constellations, mathematical diagrams, and rudimentary symbology that he had somehow managed to keep largely under wraps. Some of the markings were purely arcane in nature, designed as a focus or enhancement for his spellcasting. Most of them, however, told a story or represented some important event from his travels. Much of it was likely indecipherable at the moment due to his injuries, though. All the same, it clearly made for quite the spectacle. "By the Twelve," Alphinaud breathed in awe. "What in–" "Aether-searing," R'alma cut in by way of explanation, his voice feeling thick and uncharacteristically gravelly in his throat. He cleared it before going on, but the thickness remained. "Been working on it for a while. Since we first came here. Different symbols and images that have meaning to me." Moving gingerly, so as not to aggravate his joints, he reached up and tapped his collarbone, where a line twisted and snaked like a ribbon in between an arrangement of simple shapes in varying size and orientation, about eight in total. "This one is us. The people I care about most, wrapped up together in a thread of fate."

He went quiet then, partly because talking sapped what little energy he still had, and partly from embarrassment. This time he could feel the warmth creep into his cheeks as his mismatched eyes stayed trained pointedly on the floor. This wasn't something for anyone else to see, necessarily. He’d done it mostly for himself, and for those whose stories he felt needed to be told, to be remembered. Aether-searing wasn't exactly a pleasant experience, but it was far from painful, and it allowed him to paint the canvas of his skin in private, without the need of another party's expertise or input. It was a technique he'd found detailed in a book in Noumenon shortly after their arrival, and it had served his needs perfectly for an idea that had been formulating in his head for quite a while.

The arcane tattoos that R'alma now sports on his body is an ongoing project that he's been working on since shortly after arriving in Old Sharlayan. As further tribute to Azem, and to all the Ancients who came before, as well as many of the people he'd met himself on his travels, and even to himself, he has committed his body as a canvas for telling the stories that need to be remembered. The symbols are designed in such a way that only he knows what they mean, dreamed up and applied in a stream-of-consciousness sort of manner. Two actual phrases in Eorzean script can be found among the mysterious artwork: "Remember Us" along his back, and on his shoulder "Listen to our heartbeats".

Many of the symbols right now, however, are purely arcane in nature and are meant to help focus his magic. There are a few larger, blockier shapes on his arms that he added just to get rid of the lingering feeling of Zenos inhabiting his body, and that he intends to remove or replace once the memory of that experience has faded enough.