#scarlet lady analysis

[nobodyfamousposts]

Scarlet Lady Top 10 Favorite Characters: Number 9

for @zoe-oneesama

Number 10 Here

Now let’s be fair about this. This list is subjective and according to my own personal bias. It’s not about who is deserving or who is “Best Boy/Girl”. These are just the top ones I like and enjoy seeing in the comic. My favorites may not be your favorites and I quite frankly don’t expect them to be anyone else’s favorites in the same order or even on the same list at all. And just because someone is not on my list doesn’t mean I don’t like them or that I don’t find value in them.

This is just a list of the characters I like the most and my reasonings as to why. What makes me like them? What makes them stand out? Because Scarlet Lady has a LOT of really great characters who all deserve a shout out, so these are just ten of them that stuck out to me the most.

And while I am at least attempting to value them here on their own merit in the Scarlet Lady comic as opposed to Canon or its many MANY issues or the differences between the two, it stands to reason that at least SOME mention of Canon is going to be made. That said, I am trying very hard to not rate them based on my feelings from Canon but more on how I feel about them in this comic.

And because naturally I like my dramatic moments, I’m going to do the list in descending order from number 9 to number 1.

So without further ado…

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Number 9: Alya

I love Alya in Scarlet Lady. So much so that I feel bad that she’s not higher on the list, but to be fair, she has some pretty tough competition. And it says something when that’s the case because it feels to me like everyone deserves a spot on this list…it’s just that some deserve it a little bit more.

Alya certainly warrants her spot on this list. She was one of the characters with the fewest changes from her setup in canon and yet ended up with such a major and lasting impact that her canon self can’t match.

But if I have to break down the reasons:

1. Alya is a good friend.

When mention is made of Alya being Marinette’s best friend, SL!Alya is the version that comes to mind for me. And honestly, she’s the image I long had and long wished for Alya of canon.

A friend who is supportive in all the right ways. A friend needing her own level of support. A friend who will disagree with you on points but still be your friend. A friend who can make mistakes and jump to conclusions but you can always forgive because you know she would do the same for you.

In Mr. Pigeon, Alya was willing to throw down with Chloe Bourgeois to defend Marinette’s honor and her hat design. And this was only two episodes after Lady Wifi, where Chloe had abused her power to get Alya suspended over a relatively minor infraction that had literally nothing to do with Chloe except that Chloe chose to be offended by Alya’s incorrect conclusion. Sure, it can arguably be for payback (given how keen Alya was to confront Chloe), but let’s be honest here: after being forced into a position where you are completely helpless at the hands of a bully and even authority figures are not willing or able to step in, most people would hesitate to confront the bully again regardless of whether they know they’re in the right. And Alya arguably didn’t have proof at the time that Marinette’s hat was actually her original creation.

And yet, Alya was going to act anyways. WANTED to act. For friendship. For vengeance. Not quite sure HOW she was intending to take down Chloe in this case, but I imagine it would have landed her in trouble again and she was fully willing to do so on behalf of her friend.

And speaking of her friend, remember Alya in Reflekta? She was excited of the idea of Marinette being a hero and part of me thinks she really pushed the “Marinette is Scarlet Lady” angle because she idolized Scar at the time and very much WANTED her to be Marinette—someone she also adores. Having two of her favorite people be one and the same would have been amazing for her! Sadly (or fortunately depending on your view) that was not the case, but Alya still got to have her moments of seeing her best friend as a hero, and her starry eyes sell it for me. As does Marinette later arranging an interview for her as Marigold—something especially important given in this version, one of the two primary heroes simply has no time for interviews while the other wouldn’t give a blog like Alya’s the time of day regardless of how much Alya did to help promote her.

Plus how in Troublemaker, she got the entire class to come to school dressed in Chat Noir gear to show support for the poor catboy and to help protect Marinette after the way her room and her multitude of pictures of Chat Noir were revealed on live television. Just to try and limit her friend’s embarrassment after her privacy was violated and her crush was outted.

See this? This is the friendship I wanted to see in canon. The ride or die. A counterweight. Supporting each other in reasonable and healthy ways. To be able to say with certainty that when the chips are down, they have each others’ backs. And Alya does.

Then there’s the Love Square—and if the change to the setup didn’t already improve how it went, then Alya’s involvement certainly did.

Part of the reason the Love Square struggled in Canon was because of how forcefully it was pushed with such shoddy foundation, and Alya was the biggest pusher. She forced so many situations out of some misguided attempt to “help” that only ended up creating stress for Marinette, cringe for the writing, and no actual momentum on the progress of the pairing. If you want a metaphor, then let’s describe it like this: If the Love Square is an actual ship and if Alya was a tug boat, she wouldn’t have been helping her ship “set sail” so much as dragging it underwater across the ocean and to its watery demise.

But in Scarlet Lady, Alya is supportive and encouraging—and not in the way where she blows off Marinette’s anxieties or Adrien’s obliviousness and forces them both into a position they’re clearly not ready for only to turn around and be annoyed that it didn’t work out. 

No, she was aware of Marinette’s feelings and interests to the point she recognizes Marinette has a small crush on Adrien even before the girl herself did. She also seemed to be aware of Adrien’s crush on her. So knowing this, she tried to help nudge things along. Note I said “NUDGE”. 

She knows a spark could be there. So when Alya had an opportunity, she helped to set things up in a way that would give Marinette and Adrien time together to explore that. Not to confess. Not to date. Just opportunities to be together, interact, and see what happens.

Heck, it feels at times like she’s more of Adrien’s wingman than Marinette’s. Especially given the whole bit in Stormy Weather, which remains to date one of my favorite strips of the entire series. Alya was the reason Marinette even made it there in the first place. And when she was picked for the modeling spot, she still tried to influence things to let Marinette take over. Similar to canon, yes, but a notably better feel to it. Better humor. Better outcome.

Which is ultimately what a friend should be trying for. For ALL of her friends.

And by the end of the comic, I can say that Alya is a friend to not just Marinette, but also Adrien and Alix and the other classmates. Yes, even Lila. Which says something given how much she initially despised Lila for the fake interview and how long she held that grudge against her. Going from outright dislike to grudgingly hanging out with to swallowing her pride and giving a real chance to actual collaboration on revealing a major truth.

Now that’s progress.

And speaking of progress…

2. Journalist Has A Point

Look, many a story will have THAT character. You know the one. Whether a detective, journalist, or conspiracy theorist, THAT character is devoted to uncovering the truth, whatever it may be—and usually in the form of plot-relevant secrets and useful information. 

So one of the biggest disappointments you can create is having such a character 

with all the drive and reasoning to investigate be in a prime position to uncover a major plot point, in which you give them all the resources and all the motivation to make the discovery…and yet have them do nothing.

Or worse, have the truth spoon fed to them instead when it’s convenient. No effort. No drama or antics. No surprise. No real reaction to the revelation. Just take away all the fun why don’t you?

Alya is a major fan of heroes and a journalist in the making. When these things mix, you have a ready-made source of humor and drama in a character with the dual position of he hero’s best friend who doesn’t know her secret and a wannabe investigator who risks discovering the hero’s secret. Normally, such a position would involve a number of antics over a multitude of episodes, with the friend being in a prime position to out the hero and the hero having to regularly come up with ways to distract and mislead the friend in question in order to protect the secret.

In canon, we get all of two episodes that even play with this setup. Two in the four seasons it takes for Marinette to just blurt it out to Alya. Lady Wifi and Pharaoh. That’s it. And of those two, Lady Wifi had Marinette completely unconcerned with Alya’s claim of knowing Ladybug’s identity. No drama. No conflict. No antics. No attempts at misdirection. No introspection or question if maybe revealing the city’s hero is even a good idea. No internal questioning if Alya should be told the secret—if she’s trustworthy or if she would be in danger. No continued attempts to uncover her identity as if Alya had just gotten bored with it. Nothing.

And if you know anything from my previous essays, you know that few things frustrate me more than having a great setup that practically writes itself and doing NOTHING WITH IT.

In Scarlet Lady, that setup is nixed from the start since Marinette didn’t start off as the hero. Instead, what we have is a situation where Alya idolizes the self-proclaimed hero of the city, completely ignorant to the truth that we as the audience were already immediately made aware of: that said hero is Chloe and she is ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!

Marinette is aware of her being horrible. Adrien is FULLY aware of her being horrible. WE all know she is horrible. But Alya, like most of the city, is enthralled and supportive of her as the “Hero of the City”.

This change immediately created a whole new setup. Where Alya is a fan of a hero while being ignorant to that hero’s true nature. Where WE know and even other characters in the show know, but it’s impossible to convince anyone else of this truth. I’m sure you all know what it’s like watching any character in that sort of situation. It hurts. But not as much as it’s bound to hurt her by the end.

And indeed it does, as it kickstarts what initially starts off as a funny setup where Marinette and others stay quiet and try to be supportive while inwardly cringing as Alya creates and manages a blog dedicated to the worst person ever sans Hawk Moth and Gabriel Agreste.

Adding to this is that said person won’t give Alya or her blog the time of day. Chloe has no respect or appreciation for the level of commitment Alya has or how much Alya helped her to get her fame, and even calls Alya a “stalker” at one point. (Not that she’s technically wrong to be fair, but bear with me.) This is a testament to Chloe’s view of heroism as a whole and her expectations regarding the treatment she should receive. Nevermind that Chloe’s initial rise to the spotlight was in great part because Alya was the one to put said spotlight on her in the first place. Chloe doesn’t acknowledge favors, only what she is owed.

This puts Alya in a difficult position. Unlike Canon, she doesn’t have the support of a hero to promote her blog. She is a teenager with no preexisting status as a reporter and no real connections or backing for people to take her seriously. And in a world of already established media and tons of fans like herself no doubt also trying to make names for themselves in similar niche areas, she has nothing to really make herself stand out. What ends up working for her is the live footage she gets of the akumas and the battles, which is exceedingly dangerous and puts Alya in danger. But to her, it’s worth it to be able to enjoy her two passions.

It is painful. It HURTS me to see Alya so devoted to someone who I know full well doesn’t deserve it and it hurt even MORE to see how Alya was finally forced to face the truth. Her reaction was real. Her difficulty accepting the truth that we all knew from the start and that Alya could have (and probably should have) picked up on as a journalist if she only investigated everything outside of the “Heroes WOW” light.

But this doesn’t make me look badly upon Alya. It’s not entirely her fault. It’s reasonable that Alya wouldn’t have known. Given Scar’s refusal to work with anyone outside of publications that “meet her standards”, Alya hadn’t gotten to interact closely enough with Scar to really see her “in action” so to speak. Not for some time.

Alya does ultimately end up finding the truth, but it’s not the one she initially went searching for. What started out as a love for heroes mixed with her interest in journalism slowly turned into a realization of what heroism actually is and who the true heroes are…and aren’t.

And with this realization comes a new outlook, new alliances, new goals, and a new plan to reveal the truth about Scar and just who is really the hero or the “sidekick” in the heroes team.

This here? This gives Alya purpose. It also emphasizes her role in the story and the impact she has. Because over time, the thing that most showed her flaws and ignorance became a major strength—AND ended up benefiting the city as a whole.

She was the only person who actively tried to help Chat when he was on the run in Copycat and gave him the info to know what was going on and who the true culprit was (especially important because Adrien had NO way of knowing what was going on or why he was being framed and Scar certainly wasn’t going to help).

She gave Lila and others a chance to share their stories that otherwise never would have been told. Especially notable given Alya’s initial dislike of Lila for her lies, something she continued to hold a grudge over for a long time after.

And as a result, she is a major contributor to Scar’s declining popularity as she helps spread the truth. Which adds a nice bit of irony to the situation that the little blog that gave Chloe her start and that she ignored ended up becoming something so major that it destroyed her narrative. 

Alya had been seeking the truth, been blinded to it, struggled to accept it, went out of her way to confirm it, and then shared it. Maybe it’s not as impressive as taking down the akumas directly, but it has a much greater overall impact on the story and helping get some of that sweet sweet karma we’d all been waiting for. And best of all, she does the one thing that many of us have also been wanting for Canon: to have SOMEONE investigate Hawk Moth and realize the puzzle pieces are pointing at Gabriel Agreste. 

If only she could have confirmed it a little sooner…

3. Alya as a Person

Alya is a teenager. She is a teenage girl and that shines in Scarlet Lady.

We see her PUMPED at the discovery of heroes in Paris. We see her genuinely EXCITED over the prospect of being a hero. We see her flip her focus and be SERIOUS over serious and not so serious things. We see her unapologetically and hilariously reject Adrien’s pleas for a trade of jobs only to be a hypocrite and turn around and beg him for the same. We see her get terrifyingly ENRAGED at Nino for changing her script without discussing it with her. We see her be PETTY and RESENTFUL over falling for Lila’s lies. We see her be IN LOVE after Animan. Plus how could I not love her sheer GLEE over getting to face off with Nora?

But what really made me love this Alya and put her leagues above canon is her growth. Growth that she didn't really get in Canon. And a lot of that growth was evident through her discovery of the truth that was right in front of her and how she had gone so long without seeing it.

And when she is finally hit with the reality that her hero is no hero and that she was wrong? It’s hard. No kid wants to admit being wrong about anything, but especially not about a belief like that. Not the idea of heroes and not over your hero specifically. Especially when you realize you spent so LONG devoted to something only to find out you were wrong, other people knew, and you could have/SHOULD have known had you really tried to look.

And Alya….did NOT take it like a champ.

Denial was the name of the game. But her growth came in acknowledging that she was wrong, WHERE she went wrong, and taking steps to move forward with what she knew. Not by doubling down and demanding “evidence” that should have been easy to find if she just looked, but by investigating the truth even if it’s one she knew she wouldn’t like. And even if it involved things she didn’t want to do. To this end, she made up with Lila and the two actually ended up working together to change the tide of public opinion against her over time. 

Let’s note that: She went back on her earlier promise to herself, forgave and worked with someone that she disliked, and let go of her own pride and resentment in order to get to the truth that she originally never wanted to acknowledge.

Alya in Scarlet Lady plays more of a role in the series than she did in Canon. She wasn’t just “Marinette’s best friend” and “Ladybug fangirl” or a tool or prop for setting up certain scenes where Marinette suffers or Adrinette is given a half hearted attempt.

Alya is her own person. She disliked someone the others like or come to like. She adored someone the others and even we as the audience couldn’t stand. She stood up to her sister for herself and with the backing of her friends. She was silly at times for all that she tried to be serious and mature. She was oblivious and opinionated. She was wrong about a core issue to the story.

And that was perfectly okay.

Not because the narrative said so. Not because anything she did was hand waved. Not because Marinette or anyone else was thrown in as a scapegoat to distract attention away from her.

But because Alya is a well-written character with a personality that makes her a PERSON rather than a prop. Which makes her development into a hero feel rewarding rather than an obligation.

4. Alya as a Hero

Okay, Sapotis in Canon wasn’t bad. It worked as a new hero episode. It worked as the FIRST new hero episode. It made sense for Alya to help corral her sisters. I loved Trixx and his subtle means of testing Alya. It also had Alya getting some personal development as she changes from her initial stance of wanting to reveal her identity as a hero to knowing when to keep some truths hidden.

The problem is that lesson didn’t really stick as Alya goes on to demand a truth from Marinette that isn’t her right to know, try to force Marinette to tell a truth when she isn’t ready to reveal it, and betray Marinette’s trust and reveal the secret just to make things easier for herself and her relationship with Nino.

Gotta say, not impressed with Alya as a hero in Canon. Especially given how much the narrative had gone out of its way to keep portraying Alya as being in the right in each instance she was involved in regardless of what she actually did.

Then there’s the matter of the issue of her getting the Fox Miraculous after everything that happened with Lila and the complete LACK of Fox Vs Fox/Alya VS Lila/Truth VS Lies setup that such a setup would have been primed for. And if they weren’t going to do that or even anything with Alya and Trixx, then what was the point of giving Alya the Fox? There was just really nothing else that came out of a truth-seeker like Alya getting a Miraculous specifically involved in setting illusions and how that could develop her character.

@punchlord has already done multiple evaluations of the characters and Miraculous and which ones would best/least fit and why, and has done so much more detailed and eloquently than I can really offer here. Instead, I want to focus on SL!Alya and the changes Zoe made.

Here’s the thing: we all knew going in that Zoe was going to follow Canon for the most part. She admitted as such. We also knew that some kwami-swapping was bound to happen as a result of the changes to the world. Chloe gets the Ladybug. Marinette gets the Bee. Sabrina was bound to get something at some point that wasn’t the Dog. And yes, Lila too.

But NONE of us were expecting that Alya and Nino would swap their Miraculous AND their hero episodes!

And it worked. It worked so well.

Koki Marina is an awesome hero with such a stand-out look. And the one image of her playing with her fluffy hair always makes me smile.

The changes Zoe made vastly improved the Anansi storyline. Nino deserved his own hero episode that wasn’t just focus on him secondary to an issue for Alya and ultimately accomplish nothing on his own while someone else solves the problem for him...twice. And Alya deserved to be the one to deal with Nora and take control of her life.

The thing is, this was an episode with a lesson that was misplaced. Misplaced andmishandled, much like many episodes in the original series.

In Anansi, the biggest problem wasn’t that Nino couldn’t prove he could protect Alya, it was that Nora was overstepping on Alya’s life in the first place, especially when it wasn’t necessary. She didn’t consider that ANYONE ELSE could protect Alya—even the heroes when it is their job to fight the akumas. 

But more specifically, she wasn’t willing to consider that Alya could protect HERSELF. Especially of note considering that by this point in both versions, Alya had been running around and getting involved in the fights with the heroes for blog views. And in Canon specifically, Alya had already been a temp hero—I was surprised and disappointed that Alya didn’t argue more and struggle with NOT revealing that fact in the episode. But I digress…

If Alya was to get a hero episode, this was the better setup for it. And Zoe saw that and provided us that sweet sweet payout, with Alya proving herself and helping to take down her older sister. And just the absolute GLEE she had in doing so. The sort of glee you’d see in any younger sibling getting a chance to take on and show up their older sibling. All the younger siblings out there should know it. 

Plus her and Wayzz bonding, omg they are so cute.

While Canon Sapotis was decent (if not a bit frustrating with the lack of lessons for the twins after all their antics), in my view, SL Anansi actually HIT in all the right ways and felt more satisfying overall in comparison as Alya’s hero episode and ESPECIALLY in comparison to the Canon Anansi itself. 

It’s a good episode with a stable episode-centric arc, where the conflict starts with Alya NOT really being able to face down Nora alone and only manages to overpower Nora in an arm wrestling contest because her friends back her and take on Nora in a 4 on 1 match and overpower her together. This is highlighted later in the episode when Alya faces Nora alone to buy Marigold time and is shown to struggle. Then gets the power boost through the Turtle Miraculous that lets her effectively take her down save her. Cough. Yes. Just save her.

It’s a very empowering story for Alya. But it plays a bigger role than that, too. It’s not just the start of Alya being a hero, it’s also the point where she really starts to turn things around in terms of the overarching story of the comic.

This episode is the follow up to Sapotis, where the other characters are having a sleepover partly to look after the younger kids but also specifically to try and support Alya as she comes to terms with the realization that her hero is a fraud. Yes, Alya already knew that Scar was horrible by the time Anansi happened, but actually being a hero and having to work with Scar gives her an up close and personal look at how Scar treats the other heroes and how much—or rather little she actually does in a crisis.

It’s also the point where Alya seems to gain more confidence and also direct her reporting to a better end. And by the end of the episode, we really see Alya starting to use her skills to this purpose. This is when we get to see Alya actually BE the journalist she wanted to claim she was.

This? Right here? This goes to show that not only does Alya herself make a great hero, but that becoming a hero helped Alya improve herself as well. Which is something we should be seeing more of in such stories with teenagers gaining superpowers.

So all that being said, SL Alya succeeds where her Canon counterpart fails. The narrative points out when she’s wrong. She learns lessons. She is silly at times and acknowledged to be silly. But through it all, she retains the heart that makes her a good friend and the passion that shows her to be not only a journalist, but a HERO in the making.

[ijustreallylikecaptainamericaok]

There'll always be torches and pitchforks for ladies like us, Wanda. / You're so much like your mother.

One of the things that grabs me the most about AAA is the overlaps between Agatha, Wanda, and Billy. Agatha and Wanda, both granted immense power that they don't fully understand and struggle to control. Power that caused many to dismiss them as nothing more than monsters, serial killers, and weapons of mass destruction when what they desperately needed was the proper guidance. Not to mention their connections to the Darkhold and how that ties to their longing for their children (though we don't have the full picture on Agatha's situation just yet.)

And then there's Billy. The Demiurge. A being of immense power prophesied along with his mother. Powers newly awoken in the midst of his grief and anger. A kid searching, searching for something so important that he's willing to journey the treacherous Witches' Road in order to get it back.

It all circles back and repeats and I think back to how Agatha could've mentored Wanda, wonder how differently things could've turned out if she had, and hope the cycle can break with Billy.

[holyblanchett]

Not a Agathario thing but simply an Agatha thing I'm mad about.

Billy knows more magic and engages with more magic than Agatha. It fucking pissed me off and I have let it simmer for too long. We got more scenes of Billy talking technical magic than Agatha which is utter bullshit, Agatha as established in Wandavision is someone who loves the analysis, she loves picking apart what makes a spell work, why it works and more, she's the type of witch to have a grading system for all the other witches like she's Ash Ketchum who's going to be the Pokemon master and defeat all the other trainers.

Comics Agatha yaps so much about magic it gets annoying, in an endearing way but like yeah this woman knows what she's talking about and she sure as hell isn't stupid enough to not be able to survive without her 'purple' (it's adorable okay I love that Nicky calls it that). In the finale we have Agatha do like three spells, three? Motherfucker that lady forced the scarlet witch down the trauma central memory lane and had enough audacity to comment about her dead parents after she watched them die, she's got guts, she's got balls. She's not gonna mess around when it comes to a battle unless she's playing her opponent, she's fucking ruthless. like the whole scene with her having a noose around the twins' necks? You think that lady will whip out three spells and just not do anything else????

It is simply not realistic. Especially when it's against Rio, because let's be for real these two probably go hard in their fights as shown in the first episode. To have that condensed down to a little play fight of a thing so Billy can come in made me flip the fucking table.

It's stupid af, for a comics comparison it's like having Magik aka Illyana put down her sword forgo her wards and spells to karate chop someone or bringing a nerf gun when your opponent has an ak-47.

Agatha has two fight modes, fucking go for the kill or, slowly manipulate everybody give and give Doofenschmirtz monologues while she does it then bite heads off. Both end the same way. Agatha uses wit and charm alongside her magic.

If Jac really wanted high stakes she wouldn't have nerfed Agatha or have her go out without a proper verbal battle and one weird Billy thought invasion. So yes I'm beyond fucking mad.

Can I just say I shouldn't have laughed so hard at this (affectionate). I'm telling you if Jac had saved her coins for the final battle the show would have been so much better. I was craving a Agatha/Rio showdown. Mama had her magic for not even two minutes and even then she was struggling?? Rio knocked her on her ass one time and she was laying there like wtf??? I think another Anon referred to it as a light show and they werent wrong. It's so crazy to me. Hell, Comic, even What if...? Agatha is goated and so powerful. I get she had the darkhold in Wandavision but she's always been gifted she does not need it. She was done so dirty in her own show i will never forgive them 😭😭

[adracat]

Notrette: The Mother of Abominations, Queen of Heaven and Space

"This is the Mystery of Babylon, the Mother of Abominations, and this is the mystery of her adulteries, for she hath yielded up herself to everything that liveth, and hath become a partaker in its mystery. And because she hath made her self the servant of each, therefore is she become the mistress of all. Not as yet canst thou comprehend her glory.

Beautiful art thou, O Babylon, and desirable, for thou hast given thyself to everything that liveth, and thy weakness hath subdued their strength. For in that union thou didst understand. Therefore art thou called Understanding, O Babylon, Lady of the Night!" — The Vision and the Voice (12th Aethyr)

Thelema is an esoteric and occult philosophy founded by Aleister Crowley. That name may be familiar to those who've read any of my gwitch hermeticism posts. Thelema draws heavily from ancient mythology, among Greek/Egyptian in particular, and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Alchemy, astrology, and geomancy are among the crafts they practiced. Thelema asserts following one's True Will is the path to self-realization and fulfillment, gaining the Great Work or Magnum Opus. See my posts here for more on this.

Babalon is the Great Mother. She is Nott and Nuit; the Night. She is the Whore of Babylon that reins the Beast of Revelation. She is the Bride of Chaos, the primal light of the soul and where life began. She is Mother Earth, Gaia, in her most fertile sense. She is Lilith (etymology-'female night being/demon') the fell consort to Samael. Notrette is indicated by her name, derived from Nott the Norse personification of Night, and taken epithet Anesidora (Demeter, Pandora, and Gaia) to be Babalon.

And I believe in one Earth, the Mother of us all, and in one Womb wherein all men are begotten, and wherein they shall rest, Mystery of Mystery, in Her name BABALON— Gnostic creed

We never see her in the show, save one image. What is there speaks plenty to her place as this occult figure. And perhaps her link to Prospera most of all.

Bride of Samael

Prospera is unmistakably the Great Deciever. Her name before Vanadis' fall was Elnora, which means Shining One. The same as Lucifer, the morning star. It matches the name of Dellingr, Nott's husband in norse myth. However, Delling is a red herring and perhaps the slight change in name is intentional. Prospera is the true Satan, who fell from grace and now rebels against God. Considering Dominicus and Delling are both coded with divine authority, this seems to be the point. If Notrette is Anesidora, then Prospera is Phosphoros. In my Prospera analysis, I noted she's bedecked in Hecate symbolism. One of Hecate's epithets is Phosphoros, light-bringer, signifying Hecate, Diana, and Eos/Aurora; goddess of the dawn. Another parallel with Nott's mythic husband. Phosphoros/EOSphoros is the greek name of the morning star. Perseis, another Hecate epithet is synonymous with Perdition. The name Satan took after falling. She has also cast aside her original shining name to be Prospera

The planet Venus is historically 'morning star', one of the wandering stars in astrology, and Elnora is similarly coded with Venus parallel. Consider the sign Pisces, which is Venus and her son Eros fleeing to safety. (The Prologue events) The events of episode 17 onward easily fit Venus' role in the story of Eros and Psyche.

Crowley asserts Babalon and the biblical Scarlet Woman are separate and the latter enacts the will of the former. Prospera wreaking her havoc on Earth and Space is certainly fitting with Aerial as the Beast of Revelation.

So how does this relate to Notrette? Because she is the Bride of Samael/Satan, Lilith, who rebelled against Adam and was banished from the Garden of Eden. As Babalon/Babylon, she is the mother of harlots and revels in adultery. We already know Quiet Zero was her project. She is a gifted geneticist and the only person explicitly fiddling with biometric code... The Mother of Abominations can easily apply to Aerial and replichildren. Something we already suspected, but seems confirmed. She is indeed the Angrboda to Prospera's Loki. After all, in the Tempest Caliban is the child of the Devil and a witch.

Consider fell Lilith, the first wife of man who was formed from the same clay as Adam and unleashed horrors upon humanity. This tale mirrors Pandora, another Anesidora. The first woman in Greek mythology molded by clay who unleashes horrors from her jar. Mothers of Abominations both. Some occultists view Lilith as a former agricultural and fertility goddess like Demeter. Anesidora is Satan's bride, Lilith.

Potnia (Mistress), an epithet of Demeter, can also be taken as indicative of the great Idolatress

Queen Nuit

The highest deity of Thelema is Nuit. She is the naked Great Mother dressed in the stars. She is infinite space and infinite possibilities. They name her Our Lady of the Stars, Queen of Space and Queen of Heaven. Greek Nyx, Norse Nott, and Egyptian Nut are all her names. Her consort is Hadit, the embodiment of causality; '"the flame that burns in every heart of man, and in the core of every star." And causality is the method to which Prospera works her curses upon the cast.

Notrette is metaphorically a queen before her death. Married to psuedo king Delling, she is the G-Witch Queen of Heaven and Space. Her name hard placing her as Nott just drives the point home.

Daughter of Babalon

But casting aside speculation, well-founded as it is imo, let's take a look at her canonical child; Miorine. Thelema also speaks of her and cements Notrette's true identity.

And this palace is nothing but the body of a woman, proud and delicate, and beyond imagination fair. She is like a child of twelve years old. She has very deep eyelids, and long lashes. Her eyes are closed, or nearly closed. It is impossible to say anything about her. She is naked; her whole body is covered with fine gold hairs, that are the electric flames which are the spears of mighty and terrible Angels whose breastplates are the scales of her skin. And the hair of her head, that flows down to her feet, is the very light of God himself. Of all the glories beheld by the Seer in the Aethyrs, there is not one which is worthy to be compared with her littlest finger-nail. For although he may not partake of the Aethyr, without the ceremonial preparations, even the beholding of this Aethyr from afar is like the par taking of all the former Aethyrs.

The Seer is lost in wonder, which is Peace.

And the ring of the horizon above her is a company of glorious Archangels with joined hands, that stand and sing: This is the daughter of BABALON the Beautiful, that she hath borne unto the Father of All. And unto all hath she borne her.

This is the Daughter of the King. This is the Virgin of Eternity. This is she that the Holy One hath wrested from the Giant Time, and the prize of them that have overcome Space. This is she that is set upon the Throne of Understanding. Holy, Holy, Holy is her name, not to be spoken among men. For Kore they have called her, and Malkah, and Betulah, and Persephone.— The Book of Thoth, Aleister Crowley

In the show she is given Kore/Persephone symbolism as explored in my Miorine analysis. As the daughter of a Demeter it felt fitting, but it's now doubly significant. The Hebrew words Malkah and Betulah mean 'Queen' and 'Virgin' respectively.

With this wealth of context, I can't help but wish Notrette made a full appearance. Yet I understand both production meddling and perhaps symbolic intent may have led to her remaining unseen. Babalon is Mystery. And her glory cannot be comprehended.

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: West Coast Avengers #42: ONE OF OUR ANDROIDS IS MISSING!

March, 1989

It begins here... VISIONQUEST ONE OF OUR ANDROIDS IS MISSING!

Oh, comics. You and your movie references.

Scarlet Witch: "Where is my husband? Where is the VISION?!" Wonder Man: "He -- he's gone, Wanda -- vanished as if he never existed!"

God damn it, Byrne. You know I love dialogue on comic covers.

But we're kinda jumping into things here. I don't even really feel like we need to do a last times recap because the start of Byrne's run feels like its taken a time skip forward.

Tigra has rejoined the West Coast Avengers. Hank Pym has rejoined the West Coast Avengers. WASP HAS JOINED, as more than a guest star!

Despite the cover declaring OH NO VISION IS MISSING, the beginning is a slow burn, establishing the normal functioning of the West Coast Avengers.

Implying that this new status quo has lasted long enough to be comfortable.

The Byrne run is contentious, in part due to the very story arc starting here.

BUT I WILL BE FAIR!

So lets get into it.

Scarlet Wanda wakes up from an uneasy sleep to find that despite the early hour, her robo-husband Vision is not in bed with her.

He doesn't need to sleep but still spends his nights at her side (awww) but this morning one of her husbands is missing.

Wanda checks around the guest house that she and Vision have made their home in the West Coast Avengers Compound but no trace.

Also, while she's getting dressed the narration notes that she must practice ABSOLUTE CARE not to accidentally gesture indiscriminately and cause WACKY MAGIC SHIT to happen.

I didn't think she was still experiencing that kind of magical incontinence after her training with Agatha Harkness.

But that's one of the things I've heard about Byrne's run. He prefers a certain, classic portrayal of characters like Wanda and Vision and apparently not burning down houses by pointing the wrong way is a bridge too far.

As Wanda wanders across the compound grounds, she spots Hawkeye up early and training with some absolutely ridiculous equipment.

It's some industrial looking robot arm that flails him around so he can practice his aim even while being flailed around.

I don't know how often that comes up but an ounce of preparation.

Wanda accidentally steps on the one twig on the otherwise immaculately groomed grounds and startles Hawkeye into shooting an arrow right at her.

Wanda just probabilities the arrow to lose all its forward momentum and fall to the ground.

Hawkeye shuts down the flailing and asks why Wanda is up so early. She asks the same thing of him.

Hawkeye: "Er... yeah... Well, since me an' Bobbi have been on the outs there ain't been too many reasons for lying around all day."

Oof.

You can just imagine Clint laying in bed, unable to sleep. Just staring at the ceiling and feeling the emptiness next to him. And then going 'fuck it, I'm going to go shoot things with arrows until I can't feel feelings anymore.'

Having had to admit how empty his own life is, Hawkeye repeats the question to Wanda. She explains the thing where he took off? Maybe? Without letting her know or leaving a sign. Its all kinds of weird and foreboding.

Hawkeye goes well this is why we have "eleventy skillion dollars" worth of the best communications technology.

You seriously didn't try calling him first, Wanda? C'mon.

Hawkeye calls for Vision over the intercom but only gets Hank Pym, who is also working early, running a systems check on the computer system.

See, because, he had a "biostatic analysis running overnight" and the results were off.

Also, what the hell are you doing here, Hank Pym?

You quit to fix your first wife's enormous head.

Well, that's not a happy story. Because when is it ever for Hank Pym?

Big brain lady who claimed to be Maria Trovaya was actually MODAM, the lady version of MODOK. Because MODOK is clearly a gendered name. Her not giant brain name was apparently Olinka Barankova.

She took Hank captive and replaced him with an android imposter that Hawkeye unmasked. Hawkeye and Black Widow (and Mockingbird independently) help Hank Pym thwart AIM's schemes until AIM hit the self-destruct and ran away.

MODAM went on to other things but eventually got killed by Red Skull and put on display like a big-headed trophy. While, apparently, Hank went on to just sheepishly rejoin the team.

Anyway, this went down in the Solo Avengers issue that has the same cover date as this West Coast Avengers issue so I'm surprised there's not a "wondering what Hank Pym is doing here? Check out this month's Solo Avengers for the full story!"

Anyway. Back to the point. The communications system blows out with a squawk. As if the transponder on Hawkeye's side was blasted! Or maybe there's a duck in the wiring! So Hank runs outside to confirm that there is indeed shit going down.

Shit of the most Ultron-y type possible. The Ultron kind.

Really thought he'd be gone longer after Wonder Man ripped him in half.

I know Ultron always comes back but geez.

Meanwhile, inside Tigra's bunglow, she's asleep. Not everybody is awake at ungodly hours! Take a page from her book, the Avengers!

But only the sleeping in part. Not the weird fucking dream she has.

Tigra dreams of being a tiger with a perm, hunting blue alien space deer.

But when she pounces and tears out its throat, she wakes up only to a mouthful of feathers. Having lived the punchline "and when I woke up, my pillow was gone!"

Except, I can't figure out what Tigra is sitting on. Doesn't seem like a normal bed. Maybe its a large, feather pillow and she uses it like a cat bed? Maybe its a small feather mattress and she uses it like a cat bed? Maybe don't sleep on a cat bed and you won't have cat dreams, ya dork.

I canNOT believe that I had live through the drawn-out "oh no, Tigra's cat instincts are getting the better of her!!" plotline and now we're just doing it again.

We're doing Ultron again, we're doing Tigra having cat problems again. Some fresh start.

I do hope her cat problems don't manifest as uncontrollable hypersexuality again.

Tigra is considering that maybe she should tell her teammates that she's having vivid dreams about murdering animals but a loud BOOM draws her attention and she rushes outside.

Also rushing outside is the Wasp! Hi, Jan! You definitely left so I'm wondering if we'll get an explanation for why you decided to come back and join the team.

Also also, Tigra notices that Wasp is flying out of Hank Pym's bungalow, instead of the main house where Jan's room is.

She notices it and thinks hmmmm.

A lot of writers try to put Jan and Hank back together. And a lot of writers try to more definitively break them up.

Englehart was one of the latter. He had Jan yell "divorce means divorce" at Hank when he tried to hug her. He brought back Hank's first wife and basically annulled Hank's marriage to Jan.

But, remember, Maria turned out to be a big, evil science brain so the divorced marriage is unanulled and it seems like Byrne mgiht be one of the former type of writers who want to undo undoing the marriage.

Busiek was one too. One of the creative decisions I wasn't really onboard with for his run but he tried his damndest to sell the idea, including having Hank reconcile (again) all the disparate parts of himself.

Then the following writer Geoff Johns had Wasp shoot down the idea that she'd ever marry Hank again.

It comes and goes in waves.

Less so now that Hank is turbo-dead.

Anyway.

Tigra and Wasp rush toward the training area, where they heard a big boom. And Wonder Man is rushing to check it out too.

Wasp: "Simon! You can fly faster than me! Get up ahead and reconnoiter!" Wonder Man: "Just what I was going to do, Wasp!"

You don't need to get snippy, Simon.

He grouses to himself that Wasp got too used to being in charge and that she's still barking orders like she's Captain America.

I guess there's always gotta be some kind of tension in the team. And Wonder Man always gotta be fighting someone. And he's stopped being the Hawkeye to Hawkeye.

Wonder Man flies up and sees Ultron. And like me, is surprised because he didn't think he'd see him again so soon.

Ultron blasts Wonder Man with "some kind of magnetic field blast." Not usually a weapon Ultron has so maybe he upgraded.

Wonder Man just gets off the tree that he broke with his butt and launches back at Ultron.

Simon William's nearly indestructible fists strike the robot's sterling hide like the clappers of a great bell... The sound that reverberates across the California hills has the ominous tones of a death knell!

Hawkeye cheers on Wonder Man but Dr Pym warns him that Ultron could turn the tables.

COMPLETELY UNPROMPTED, Scarlet Witch has an intense expository flashback about Vision's ENTIRE BACKSTORY.

Important for setting up future stuff but fucks sake, Wanda, get your head in the game.

You should know the drill.

Dr Phineas Horton created the Human Torch, no not Johnny. A lifelike robot that accidentally burst into flames whenever exposed to oxygen.

Jim Hammond Human Torch became a hero, the first Marvel hero. The company wasn't called Marvel but he was in Marvel Comics #1 so there.

Since Stan Lee rebooted Human Torch as a teenage human for Fantastic Four, there needed to be some explanation for why the robot guy wasn't around anymore.

And the answer is that his flame burned out of control and he exploded and collapsed in the desert.

Where he was found and rebuilt by the Mad Thinker who used him to fight the human Human Torch. Until robot Human Torch learned that the Mad Thinker was Evil, Actually, and turned against him.

And the Mad Thinker's failsafe made robot Human Torch explode again.

The Fantastic Four just left him in the Mad Thinker's abandoned base because Reed is an asshole and doesn't believe robots deserve due to the dead.

Where Ultron found him.

Anyway. Back in the here and now, Wanda remembers that she's actually in a life or death fight and that everyone else has been participating while she's been gazing off into the middle distance.

Again: fucks sake, Wanda. You're one of the win buttons against Ultron! Get your head in the game!

But Hank notices that Wonder Man's punches have been denting Ultron. Which should be impossible if Ultron is made of adamantium, as he usually is.

Figuring never asking forgiveness is easier than asking permission, Hank shrinks Wonder Man tiny size and insists he flies down Ultron's throat.

Wonder Man says, uh, no, I don't want to unshrink inside an indestructible chassis, that sounds like a horrible way to spend my time.

But Hank insists so Wonder Man does it but complains the whole time.

The Journey To The Center of Ultron is weird. The usual atomic flame that burns in Ultron's mouth (yes, that's apparently what his mouth glow is) is just an illusion.

Also, when the shrink wears off Wonder Man OH YEAHS right through Ultron instead of that not happening.

Hank explains that when he noticed that Wonder Man was actually denting Ultron, he realized it couldn't be the real deal.

But the (West Coast) Avengers were kept so busy fighting Ultron that they didn't notice the discrepancies.

Until Hank did. And instead of explaining it, he decided to demonstrate it in the most dramatic and visually interesting fashion possible.

Hank, you weirdo.

Scarlet Witch wonders why someone would send a fake Ultron and Hank realizes it was probably a distraction.

Taking charge, he yells "AVENGERS DISASSEMBLE!" which is a big oof with cursed future knowledge. But what he means is everyone split up and search for clues.

If someone was distracting the (West Coast) Avengers from something, its likely to be something around the compound.

Instead of actually helping search, Scarlet Wanda wanders off to the cliffs to moodily stare off at the ocean and CONTINUE TO FLASHBACK.

FUCKS SAKE, WANDA!

Anyway.

Blah blah blah, Ultron found robot Human Torch's body.

He wanted to rebuild it into a cool minion but Ultron apparently sucks at robots. Ironic, since Hank Pym shoulda sucked at robots and somehow built the worst one and Ultron has Hank's brain.

Anyway, Ultron kidnapped the robot Human Torch's creator Dr. Horton and forced him to rebuild the Human Torch into Vision. Making his skin red as a private joke about the flame powers he once had.

Didn't think Ultron's sense of humor ran that subtle, honestly.

After the rebuilding was done, Ultron had to erase the Human Torch's personality because he kept trying to fight Ultron. So Ultron used some Simon Williams brain tapes that he swiped from Hank Pym's lab. And with that as a base, Vision lived!

Ultron sent him to attack the Avengers where he pretty promptly defected and switched sides. And the Avengers accepted him because the Avengers are cool like that sometimes.

And it was on the Avengers that Scarlet Witch met Vision and they fell in love and got married and then Vision dry humped two babies into her, magically.

THAT SURE WAS VISION'S ENTIRE BACKSTORY, WANDA. VERY HELPFUL.

Meanwhile, the other Avengers were actually searching.

Hank Pym contacts her on some kind of video phone that stalks her to the cliffs and tells her that they found something but they really need to discuss it face to face.

And when Wanda joins everyone who was actually doing work, Hank Pym explains that Vision is "gone."

Because A) he's nowhere in the compound. They still don't know where he physically is except 'not around.'

But things have gotten a bit weirder and more sinister.

B) Hank finished that computer scan he was doing and found a sophisticated computer virus. One that found and erased every trace of Vision from the Avengers' files. All the information they had on him, every report he's ever entered, everything.

And the virus infected the East Coast Avengers' computers as well. And SHIELD (not actually around currently, so slight continuity hiccup) and the Pentagon and the Fantastic Four.

Every system the virus infected has lost all trace of Vision.

Its like he never existed. Except for all the memories everybody has of him. And also any physical record like print-outs or photographs. But digitally its like he never existed!

Hank Pym: "For this to have happened means somebody got in through our defensive network. Somebody got past all our alarms, all our codes... Everything!" Wasp: "And to do that... They'd have to be one of us!!" Hawkeye: "One of the Avengers has turned traitor! But... WHO??" Mockingbird: "Is that really so hard to guess, Hawk?"

MOCKINGBIRD

WHAT

DID

YOU

DO?

Follow @essential-avengers and be very angry with me about things that are about to happen. Like, reblog, and comment maybe. I don't know about mockingbirds but my cat definitely tried to stop me from finishing this post.

[cornytheclown]

Part 2/3 of my Fates Villains Character Analysis series at 1am.

Up next is Hans

Hans

Much like Iago, he is also a major asshole. Unlike Iago, he is a very different breed of ass. Hans is much Much more of a sadist and brute, practically reveling in the bloodshed that he brings.

He started from the bottom as a lowly crook. A horrible criminal apprehended by Prince Xander of Nohr himself…but released and promoted to Commander of the Army by King Garon (who at this point is possessed by Anankos and is off his rocker). He Swears that he’s rehabilitated though! He’s learned his lesson, he’s not gonna be a violent man anymore!

Right off the bat, he’s sent to follow Corrin and the crew off on a mission to check on the old fort. And Right off the bat, Hans screws over everyone involved by killing a Hoshidan guard on standby, for seemingly no reason. And ends up starting problems - he causes problems On Purpose. Though, they do find out not too long after (in Conquest) that this was part of Garon’s plan in the first place, so Hans isn’t as meat-headed as you’d think. He’s just following orders!

Throughout the game in his appearances, you can see just how much Hans loves to kill. If you thought Iago had disregard for human life, Hans straight up mows down people for fun! He takes so much pleasure in the pain and murder of others, the more gruesome, the better! The way he killed Scarlet says it best - off with her head in Revelations, and off screen in Conquest (you could only imagine what he had done to her there).

I think it’s fair to argue that, no Garon, Hans is not a rehabilitated, changed man who found Jesus in prison.

But he’s not Just a killing machine who loves to murder and kill and maim. He actually has some pretty strong ambitions, and follows his orders well enough as a surprisingly well suited commander.

Granted, his method of training his men is having them kill each other. Despite an unorthodox and probably detrimental method, he’s able to command an army pretty well for a man straight out of jail.

And it’s more than being a commander that he wants - Hans is looking to go All The Way to the Top! Much like Caellach of Sacred Stones, his goal is that of Rags to Riches - clawing his way up from being a crooked brute to a corrupted king of his own kingdom.

This was something mentioned in his appearance in Heroes so I don’t know if it’s mentioned in game as well in Fates, but you can tell that he’s more than willing to follow Garon’s orders and command his troop. For such a barbaric man, he has a strong loyalty towards Garon. Though, I suppose if the King bailed you out of the slammer and hired you to be his commander in the army in return, you probably wouldn’t bite the hand that fed you.

And given Hans’ strong ambitions in mind, sticking loyal to the King seems like the best way to go. Garon seems pretty open minded about the slaughter of innocents these days anyhow, so that’s something that he can get behind.

He’s not above throwing other people under the bus to get to where he wants to be either. He threw Corrin under the bus after Cheves, claiming all of that slaughter and such was mostly Corrin’s doing.

Okay seriously, every other chapter he’s in in the games, he’s killing someone. Civilians and War Prisoners - even ones that weren’t supposed to be killed, It’s mentioned that many of his crimes include Robbery and Murder, but this man would be a serial killer if given the chance, if he hadn’t been already! The fact that it’s war is a good enough excuse for him to throw his hands up and be like “Welp, might as well kill them all!”

There’s art that Kozaki made of a very well dressed Hans with two ladies, each on one of his arms, and I wanna say that’s canon too. Hans absolutely gets bitches when he’s not killing it on the battlefield.

The fact that he’s more than capable of turning on the charm and scoring outside of battle makes the theory of him being a serial killer even more likely. There are a lot of serial killers who are notoriously charismatic, and it’s often how they’re able to mask their true nature so well and avoid being caught. I might be thinking too deep into this art piece but I dunno. I don’t think it would matter to Garon though, or Iago. Just means that he’s perfect for the position.

I don’t think Hans is that deep of a guy overall. He’s a simple man with simple desires: Murder and Power. He was once a lowly Brigand sentenced off to jail, but now he’s a free man and given the power to command an army. All without any sort of remorse for his previous actions.

The only thing he truly wants is to go even higher beyond his own station, and to kill as many people along the way. A true sadist at heart. He will kill anyone whose Not even in the way, if he so wants to. As long as he can get ahead in his goals regardless, then it’s alright! He’s loyal to Garon both for the opportunity he gave him and also to get him higher up on the ladder and closer to becoming king himself!

That’s all he wants - to become King and to kill people. All while getting tail on the side probably. I think that simplicity is what makes him such an entertaining character to me. He’s 2 dimensional for a reason, there’s no tragic backstory or any justifiable reasoning for what he does. He’s just a horrible man. It would’ve been nice to maybe see more of him expressing his ambitions, maybe expanding on that but personally, Hans is perfect the way he is!

As a character.

Seriously I think almost everyone would be dead if Garon didn’t have a hold on Hans like he does after freeing him. The pursuit of his personal goals is the only reason why he hasn’t just tried to outright murder everyone both on the opposite side and his.

I don’t have a lot of Misc HCs for Hans tonight, other than him frequenting the pubs and being a surprisingly successful ladies man. And also having some kind of affair with Iago on the side.

Hans is like 90% straight, but I think he and Iago have smth going on between them. You can’t tell me those two hadn’t hooked up once or twice while on missions or between.

Ain’t no way.

[moonstone27ls]

just a random thought

Anybody ever check out this youtube account called The Take? I only pass it once a blue moon. I did like their video on Cinderella. But a couple of weeks ago I noticed this video

Now I'm not gonna go into a lot of detail/or rant for two reasons. One, I'm not black. Or a minority... I think (look not getting into that can of worms). But I did sit down and listen to it because at thumbnail glance I didn't know what they meant.

But then after I listen to it... I sat down and saw of couple examples that made me think "Omg they're sooo right". And... its still a thing? " even after this video was made. Again not gonna get to detail. I'm just having an "aha" moment cause I've been watching TV.

Lets see comic wise, (and this will probably offend a Wandavision fan, no you're not welcome8B). Comic wise, Wanda aka Scarlet Witch had finally dumped Vision and I was okay with that. Comic wise he was a bore. Maybe he was fun in old years but now he's boring.

Secondly, I thought Wanda could do better. And they gave her Jericho Drumm aka Doctor/or Brother Voodoo. And I thought at first glance "Oh he's got a great design". And I don't know a lot about him. Maybe we'll get more story. Nope. Wandavision came out, Marvel suddenly forgot she had a good thing going. Now everywhere I turn its Vision, its Vision. He can't/or won't leave her alone. Even though he's made/or had two different relationships and kids which he ditched one pair.

I'm like "Why are focusing on him?". What happened to Jericho? Only analysis... Jericho's not selling. They literally scrapped him (even though they didn't finish/or get to explore it more) for Wandavision. Gah and ever since the MCU I hate Vision more cause he's a pointless trope. But anywayyyys back to another example.

Second/and third is TV examples. Second is an old entry but I'm gonna use it. Boy Meets World. Angela and Shawn were a GREAT couple and I do mean a great couple. Angela should had been the end game.

But at the end of the day the writers?/creator/or Disney?(dunno who to blame and don't care).... didn't value Angela and pushed her aside for the white chick.

Then there's an ABC show Will Trent. Season 2, I was very hopeful. Will Trent was flirting with a lovely black lady Cricket. And I thought "Oh good a HEALTHY relationship". Nope episode 1, they literally kill her off.

Whats the motivation? Only for the writers to push him back to Angie, the toxic white girlfriend. Besides that trope, I guess it also counts as fridging. Such a waste of actress.

And I'm just gonna point this out, not counting TV shows. Disney's guilty of this themselves. Now I don't entirely think they mean to do it on purpose. But just looking I'm noting this I'm looking at their FEATURE films. I think with all this whole "FEMINISM" means "we don't need a man/love story" into the movies.

Which at first I get. Now animated(2D) only three of the Disney princesses are of color with a relationship. (Sorry not counting Pocahontas thats a historical mess. Sorryyy) But since transitioning into CGI... none of the new princesses are getting a love interests. The ones of color. The white ones did aka Anna and Rapunzel. Even if we argue "Oh Elsa will get one" again she's still white. And no not counting Encanto either. Uhh cause the focus is usually Isabella and Luisa, they're single. Same for Maribel but she's a kid so not holding her to it. Do I count Dolores... pft sorry no. I blame the writers on that.

But none of the new princesses of color have gotten one. Not even Asha, Asha would have gotten one originally but they scrapped it.

Now again before someone jumps me. I don't think they mean to do it on purpose.

[thatwasntlikeridingabikeuasshole]

i hate it when i have to pretend i take a book seriously for english class when i actually could not possibly care less about it. im talking abt into the wild we have to write an essay abt it and ive got my claim and im like "hey guys give me reasons why my claim is true" into the groupchat and everyones like "well we dont think it is" ok girl im glad u have an actual opinion abt this i do not i just need to crank out a thousand words of good english work and submit it. i dont actually care if i agree with what im saying at all, this could not be farther from my interest, i have so much more to worry about in the world. i could actually give a shit whether or not the main character is a transcendentalist or not, literally dont care, just give me 2-3 body paragraphs and some quotes babey as long as my fingers keep moving i could be thinking about literally anything else and it wouldnt matter. god i wish we were doing good books in english this year

[chuuyrr]

a drabble between dazai and scarlet witch! baby fushiguro! reader during dead apple

i received a request of it and found myself writing this. not sure if i will add it to the final piece since im still working on a vessel au fic of yuuji being the scarlet witch' vessel. feel free to think of it as my analysis on dead apple too lol ! enjoy ☆

"[name]-chan? are you familiar with snow white?"

"the princess who ate the poisoned apple?"

"yes, that one. i'm quite surprised you know her."

"because daddy read to me her story before i went to bed once. plus, she's one of my favorite princesses, dazai-nii!"

"do you think she knowingly ate the poisoned apple?"

"huh? what do you mean by that?"

"well, it could be because of her stepmother right? or maybe.. despair. she could have been in despair."

"but what if it isn't, dazai-nii?"

"and why is that, [name]-chan?"

"i think snow white was meant to eat the poisoned apple because she was only human. my daddy told me that, sure, maybe snow white might have been incredibly stupid for accepting and eating the poisoned apple that the sketchy old lady gave her, but that's just how it is."

"only.. human..?"

"yeah! my daddy said that snow white is human, and just like us humans, we tend to be stupid sometimes. we all make mistakes. at the end of the day those mistakes and us being stupid—can lead us to something so much more. look at snow white, she woke up in the end of the story. if snow white hadn't eaten the apple, she wouldn't have been saved by the prince's kiss. so, i think we eat the poisoned apple not because out of despair, but because we're meant to be saved and that we're only humans."

[nobodyfamousposts]

Scarlet Lady Top 10 Favorite Characters: Number 10

For @zoe-oneesama

Number 9 Here

Okay, I realized as I was writing these that there is way way WAY too much to each of these and why to be able to put them all into one post, so I'm breaking them down into individual essays focusing on each one to keep them palatable.

So without further ado....

Number 10: EVERYONE

Yeah, I know it may be cheating but at this point it was the only choice I could make.

I came to regret making this list, specifically because I couldn’t seem to make up my mind as far as who all would be on it. I reread the entire series. I kept switching people in and out as I was reminded of characters or scenes I loved. And I came to a realization that there is no character in the whole of this series I didn’t enjoy to some extent that they didn't deserve some love in this list and I kind of wish I could have added all of them just to give them all some spotlight.

Yes, it is partly because everyone is vastly improved compared to Canon. But as I reread the series, it came to mind that if Canon didn’t exist and I didn’t have the comparison between the characters, I still very much would have loved this series and everyone in it.

Cause and Effect Exist

It's important to have a setting in which the characters and their actions make sense for the world they live in. When the setting is supposed to be modern day earth, we need the people to be able to show that they are capable of surviving in it on a day to day basis without being so massively incompetent that they would do something like accidentally ingesting poison. Or forgetting how to breathe.

I would think it would be obvious, but sometimes Canon makes me wonder. Which is never a good look for a show that is supposed to have some level of seriousness and involve superheroes.

Here’s the thing Canon can’t seem to get: when a majority of the things that go wrong in a plot are because of everyone having to be stupid to make the plot work, you have a problem with the writing. Changing the material in a story so that younger people can enjoy it does NOT mean dumbing down the characters and throwing in arbitrary lessons with no real reason to them. Even if the show itself is geared towards kids, you can’t treat the audience like they’re stupid.

In Scarlet Lady, the people aren’t stupid.

Silly, yes. Wrong, often. Overdramatic, definitely. But while they may make stupid choices sometimes, they aren’t so dumb that anyone should have concerns about their ability to function at a higher level than an overcaffinated 2 year old.

They’re fooled initially the way many of us would be with a biased story that hits the news first. Oblivious to the problems in a situation that they logically wouldn’t have much direct insight into. Prone to making mistakes and incorrect judgement the way that anyone would. That's normal. That's expected.

But they’re not so incapable as to forget things that happen right in front of them between one day and the next. Or even between one scene and the next.

Things carry over. We see cause and effect. We see consequences—bad and good. And those consequences extend not only for the episode or season but for the entire series.

Aurore KNOWs Alec cheated her before and maintains a tight control over him and prevents more of his antics.

Adrien and Alya maintain a cold attitude towards Lila for some time after her reveal as a liar. And it even remains a point against her as used by Chloe as herself and as Scar to discount what she says.

The boys of the class remember Adrien’s “love letter to Marigold” and try to win him her merch because they’re bros like that. 

Adrien himself remembers the instances of his dad being a massive prick and instead of being surprised and “sad boi uwuwu” each time it happens like it’s supposed to be a surprise that the massive prick would choose to be a prick, he very clearly moves through the stages of grief to the point of a sort of acceptance that involves planning around and even for him.

Gabriel’s horrible parenting and general lack of concern for Adrien or his wellbeing as he ends up a casualty of various akuma attacks was played off for laughs when such incidents occurred. Then they were brutally called out against him in the Finale as a way to counter his claims of doing everything for Adrien’s sake. And the big reveal of the Birthday Scarf…utilized in the last way anyone would have wanted.

And Chloe is perhaps the biggest example as her antics ARE NOT forgotten or ignored by anyone. The classmates still interact with Chloe and are relatively nice to her, but they don’t just forget that she’s treated them horribly. They don’t act surprised when she does anything horrible. Nor does anyone just laugh it off or excuse it as “just who she is”. We see follow up to her behavior—the class fully expecting her to cause trouble and actively try to plan around it. People calling her out on past behaviors. And even bigger consequences as time goes on. Such as Adrien breaking off the friendship. And a blink and you miss it fridge logic moment in Ikari Gozen when you realize that when they said she was banned from all future Gabriel-involved competitions, they meant it.

The fact that by the time the big reveal happened that Chloe was Scarlet Lady, no one was shocked.

Story-wise, this is showing the passage of time and the effect the events of the story are having. It’s showing that there is lasting impact and that what happens to the characters matters.

Meta-wise, this is Zoe rewarding us for paying attention.

Continuity exists in Scarlet Lady. Time exists. The people exist. When anyone does anything, you get the sense that they aren’t operating in a vacuum. The things they do matter. There are consequences. There is an impact. And if there is an impact in the story, there will be an impact on the audience.

Which leads to…

Character Depth/Character Growth

Usually in TV shows of this nature, if there ARE character arcs for the side characters, they only occur over the course of a single episode devoted to focusing on them before moving on elsewhere. 

Canon didn’t give us that much at all in favor of having every episode that should focus on other characters learning and growing instead forcing Marinette to be wrong in some way and learn an arbitrary lesson that often would have better served for someone else.

In Scarlet Lady, the arcs we get are impressive for all that they’re relatively unobtrusive. They aren’t big. They aren’t world-ending. And the thing is, most change in life isn’t. It can just FEEL that way.

Like the way it felt for Kim when he first found out Ondine liked him and then had his confession to her screwed up.

And the way it felt for Kagami when she lost that first match against Adrien.

Then there’s the way it felt for Chloe when she was dismissed by her mother, had her popularity go downhill, and ended up losing her Miraculous.

…or the way it felt for Adrien when he discovered his dad was Hawk Moth.

The reactions we witness are in a great part due to actions outside of the characters’ control, but are ultimately a result of the experiences they have had and the ways they have changed as a result.

The question becomes: are the characters that we meet at the beginning pretty much identical to how they are at the end? Is the world?

The answer in Scarlet Lady is no.

Whether because the characters themselves change or our perception of them does, we can see that they have all undergone some sort of events that create a difference between the start and end points.

Not all of them HAVE to undergo some big emotional arc. Not all of them NEED to. But the characters still mostly go through some sort of growth by the end that I feel make them stronger and healthier people.

You’ve got the big life-altering changes like Lila and Sabrina.

You’ve got the little changes like Nino and Ivan.

You’ve even got the most minuscule, beginning stages of change in Chloe.

You’ve got growth that creates such perfect setup with Mylene when she starts off scared and traumatized by how things went with Stoneheart then is the one who confronts him in the end. And the parallel between the finale and the beginning when she returns him to normal by kissing him just like they did in that first episode to change him back then, too! (Just….GOD, I CANNOT GET OVER THIS!)

You’ve got them reaching out and making friends and relating to people they hadn’t before.

And by the end of it all, we get characters who feel like people rather than props.

They don’t all have to change. They don’t necessarily need to go through an entire emotional arc and back again. They just need to be part of the world they’re in.

Nino doesn’t just pop into existence when Adrien or Alya need someone to interact with. Kagami isn’t just a non-horrible or non-evil love rival for Adrien or a stepping stool for him to “practice“ at being in a relationship before it’s time for him to try the “real thing” with his endgame pairing. Luka isn’t just a decent guy who is the only actual form of support for the female lead and yet only lacking that precious “male lead” title or all around just not “Adrien enough” to fill the role.

Adrien isn’t just a “sad boy” meant to be a main love interest, Villain’s Morality Pet, and the one everyone idolizes and chases after just cuz he’s the male lead and that’s how you show he’s desirable I guess. Marinette isn’t the atlas keeping the story alive because no one else is apparently capable of learning lessons and changing, or even just the bare basics of functioning as individuals. Chloe isn’t just there to be horrible for no reason and get away with it so she can continue to be horrible until the writers suddenly need her to be sympathetic.

And the rest of the classmates aren’t just some Greek chorus there to fill the background.

We see them interact. We see them making jokes or jabs. We see them even…*gasp* having different opinions!

And on something as major and life-controlling as feelings about the “Hero of the City” no less! Why, that’s the sort of thing that would break up friendships and determine who you can sit next to at the cafeteria! The horror! The scandal!

And…oh hey. This puts the characters in different groups. It links them with characters other their Canonically designated pairings and groups. This lets them disagree on things and not need to vilify any of them. This creates implications that add depth to the story and to the people in it.

The characters can disagree without being enemies. They can be wrong without having to be evil. They can make mistakes without having to be stupid. And they can change and grow—both for better and worse.

And we see both and in different ways. SO many different ways.

Adrien goes from excited and impulsive to buckling under the forced responsibility and weight of a partner who hinders more than she helps.

Lila goes from selfishly bad and self-serving to selfish but friendly with better direction of her talents in a less self-serving way.

And Chloe just goes from selfish and bad to selfish and worse..

I mean, it says something that the combination of Lila’s growth and Chloe’s fall from grace resulted in Hawk Moth being unable to use Lila as a tool for his Heroes Day plot like he originally intended.

The key is that whether they necessarily grow or become better people, these characters are still IMPACTED by the events around them and AFFECTED as a natural result of the world they live in. 

You can’t help but feel for them in some way as a result. It’s part of why I love them.

The other part of why I love them is a bit more epic though…

Crowning Moments of Awesome

If there’s one thing I love, it’s seeing characters be awesome. I love it when characters get to be awesome. I would love to see more of it. Especially when the ones involved are characters you wouldn’t normally expect or get to see have a chance to shine.

And it’s when you see these characters be awesome that you really get the sense that yes, this character would work as a hero.

Seeing Max help against Robustus. Seeing Kim help against Odine. Alix stepping in during Pharaoh, calling out her brother’s fan fiction, and helping the heroes escape the security system at the Lourve. Alya stepping in during Copycat to clue Chat in to what’s going on and later keeping Anansi distracted to keep her away from Chat while he’s trapped. Rose kicking Nightmare!Chat in the face to defend Marinette even when she’s dealing with her own nightmares in Sandboy. Luka leading groups twice to stepping in and helping the heroes deal with akumas. Nathaniel standing up for Marinette and Sabrina when they’re accused in Rogercop and then helping the heroes in Reverser. Seeing the entire class step up to try and protect Marinette in Befana. Seeing all the friends working together to compete in the Friendship Contest in order to protect Adrien from a less serious but still potentially terrifying outcome.

These little moments of support make such a big different and really make it make sense that the heroes would trust these people with magical jewelry to help them in battle.

And the little moments of characters being petty or strong or smart or turning the tables or just showing off what they’re capable of. Even without superpowers.

Adrien getting petty revenge for Nino and finding a tactic to counter Gabriel in the future.

The Police Force in Rogercop just saying “Nope” to obeying an obvious akuma. 

Zoe manipulating akumas twice to help the heroes. Her two Reasons You Suck Speeches to her mom and Bustier.

Every instance of payback that Tikki gets against Chloe.

Everyone in the Finale. Just…EVERYONE in the Finale. The characters who manage to avoid akumatization by either spotting the flaws in the illusion or refusing to give in to fear and even protecting others. Nora smacking any akuma that enters the home. Claudie pulling off Power Mom and ordering Max to stop attacking the city then helping to calm him down. Prince Ali and Juleka freeing Rose by kissing her! Chris, Ella, Etta, and Manon saving Mylene! Mylene saving Ivan with a kiss in a direct callback to how they first got together in Stoneheart! (Yes, I am still stuck on that!) Ondine saving Kim! Lila and Sabrina saving Alix! Luka facing Riposte alone and unarmed and then Kitty Section saving Kagami! ALL of the Heroes making a final comeback to help take down Hawk Moth for good! Just—AAAAAH!

How could Miraculous have peaked with this in Season 2 when this is Grand Finale material? Because there are few things more awesome than getting to see ALL the characters the heroes met and befriended and helped throughout the course of the story stepping up at the final battle to help take the Big Bad down!

Like…can we just take a moment to appreciate how everyone gets a chance to stand out in some way? Not all of them necessarily good, exactly (looking at you Andre). But still stand out and be memorable. Even characters who didn’t originally get much focus. Especially characters who were originally functioning as cardboard cutouts to fill a scene.

Anyone remember Aurore? How for the FIRST akuma in the pilot of the series and one who is quite frankly the most interesting and noteworthy, we don’t really get to see her again except in the background.

In Scarlet Lady, we got to actually look in to the contest and how she lost as well as the aftermath. She wasn’t some arrogant showoff who deserved to lose to the “sweet down to earth rival”, she was a girl who legitimately tried her best and had valid reason to be upset. Seeing her get revenge on Alec for cheating and humiliating her on live TV was well worth it.

Or how about the Photographer? Just there to take photos of Adrien in the park for a photo shoot or be the school photographer, but otherwise has no personality and is only remembered for his weird “spaghetti” line.

In Scarlet Lady, his role is two-fold. He acts as a sort of supporter for Adrien in his crush. Taking really good pictures of him being happy with the girl he likes. Taking more class photos at the behest of this girl for the sake of a friend who missed out on the class picture. And then there’s his OTHER role as a sort of antagonist to Chloe. He becomes one of the only ones in the early seasons willing and capable of dismissing her tantrums.

They’re both given more character. They get moments to stand out and BE awesome. So is everyone.

EVERYONE. From the classmates and big named characters we see regularly to the side characters who only appear once or twice. They all get some good scenes and focus that give them their own identities. All of them are memorable. None of them can really be ignored or forgotten. And part of what made making this list so difficult was that I found myself getting attached to pretty much everyone as I came across each of them that I couldn’t quite make up my mind.

Everyone in this fic has done something to make me happy and warrant my approval. Even the characters I normally wouldn’t like at all had their moments to shine and elicit an “okay, that was cool” from me.

Thus I grant this spot to everyone. To all the characters I don’t get the chance to mention. To all the ones I like albeit somewhat less than others. To all the ones I know are horrible but can’t help but like regardless. To all the ones I fought with myself for THREE MONTHS over which one would get this spot.

I love all of them.

[i-am-sassy-rogue]

It’s not even analysis or any of sort but... what kind of reason to dislike female characters is to point out they are “actually” ugly?

It happens frequently in both Elia Martell and Sansa Stark discourse written by antis as somewhat an evidence for them not being important, good people or some mix of that. 

MCU Scarlet Witch portrayal by Elizabeth Olsen is critized (among many others) of whitewashing (correctly) and... for actress being not pretty enough. Or, to quote my “fave”: having fuckin’ nasty face of r*tard (wow, congrats on ableism)

 In top ten what is annoying about Elsa number 11 is her being ugly. To make matter worse, actually real problem when she almost killed her sister when she was an adult (strike her with her powers and then threw out of palace without any further thought) is on place 21.

Few people on Witcher wikia pointing out that Yennefer can’t be good fit for Geralt (book, game and show wise) because without magic she would be really horryfying to look at...?

Katniss is, indeed, strong fighter, complicated character and et cetera, but for certain Reddit discussion she can’t be called best female character of decade because she’s “far from pretty”.

Frost from Mortal Kombat 11 is written to be hate sink of sort (yes, I do like her, but that’s not the point): betrayed her master (beloved by fandom Subzero) for power, is incredibly arrogant and self-centered. But most common criticism? You guessed it.

Yue from ATLA among being called annoying, useless and weak, huge part of antis bring in her looks as another “flaw”.

Before writing “ooh, everyone has different beauty ideal, what do you expect?” - that’s not my point. Even if all these characters above were atrocious in looks, what kind of reason to dislike the character is that.

And if you feel urge to point that Katniss/ Yen/ MCU Scarlet Witch/ Frost/ any of the ladies are awful no matter their looks, that isn’t point of this post.

Also, yes, male characters are not immune to this, althought it’s certainly goes far more often about them being “not masculine enough”. Just scroll through Samwell Tarly criticism. And then compare it to S@ndor Cl3gane/T^rion L@nnister criticism AND defence against said criticism.

[aspiringauthorintraining]

Dandelion Wine: Supervision Required

You took another gulp of the dandelion wine, emptying the last of the glass’ contents into your mouth before asking Charles for a refill. He looked at you with a worried look, but you waved it off saying not to worry.

Any other day, you would have gone for grape juice. But after the long week you had, you had decided that you deserved a little bit of the nice stuff to relieve some of the piled up stress on your shoulders. And somehow, one glass of wine had quickly turned into four.

As you waited for Charles to finish filling your glass up again for the fifth time that night, your half-lidded eyes landed on a familiar pair across the room. You were so immersed in watching them, you hadn’t noticed someone taking the empty seat next to you.

“What’s got you drinking wine all of a sudden?” Kaeya sidled up next to you, eyeing the drink in your hand with an interested look.

You gave him a glance before gulping down a good portion from your refilled glass. Your face turned sour at the bitter liquid escaping down your throat. “Do you think Jean and Diluc are dating?”

The cryo user followed your line of sight, to see Jean and Diluc conversing about something inaudible.

“You’re joking, right?” He asked, confused.

“No?” You responded, squinting your eyes at him. Had the lights in the tavern turned brighter all of a sudden? “Anyways, I think they make a great match, don’t you?”

“Huh?” Kaeya was further confused by your words. “Are you drunk?”

“No,” you lied, taking another sip of wine.

Kaeya gave you a skeptical look. “I’ll go get Diluc for you.”

“No, stop! You’re ruining their precious quality time together!” You grasped his arm tightly, preventing him from getting up.

“What are you talking about?”

You responded to his question with an exasperated look. “I’m talking about Jean and Diluc! Can’t you see how perfect they are together?”

His eyes flitted to the pair, before giving you a strange look.

You breathed a heavy sigh, mustering up the energy to explain the concept of love to this blind person.

“The two are the classic example of what people call, “the ideal couple.” Jean’s basically the perfect “girl-next-door”; being gorgeous, having everyone in love with her, and excelling in everything she does.”

“And Diluc?” the captain asked, amused at your analysis.

“He’s the ultimate “bad boy”. He’s got the looks, the money, the power. He’s always busy running his wine empire and acts like he doesn’t care about the city after quitting the Knights of Favonius- yet, he protects the city in the shadows and takes time out of his busy life to check up on the ones he cares about.”  

You paused in your lecture to take another sip from your cup.

“I bet they like each other, but are afraid of the prying eyes to have a public relationship-“ You gasped. “-or maybe they’re in a secret relationship!” You concluded, surprised by the sudden thought.

Kaeya snorted at your conclusion. “How much have you had to drink tonight?”

You glared at him. “I’m not drunk, I’m telling you!”

“Of course you aren’t.” he smirked.

You ignored his sarcasm. “Anyways, they both really deserve to be happy after all they do for Mondstadt. You know with Jean as Acting Grand Master, and Diluc as the Darknight Hero.”

Seeing the said man walking over to you two, Kaeya leaned in closer to you with a grin. “Should you be saying the Darknight Hero’s true identity in a public place like this?” Kaeya whispered in your ear.

You quickly shushed him, putting a finger to his lips. “Shh, don’t give away Diluc’s secret!” Your widened eyes glanced around the room to see if anyone had heard him, like you hadn’t just gave out the secret seconds ago. Thankfully, the other patrons in the tavern were already drunk to care about what you had to say.

“I thought I told you not to drink too much.” Diluc interrupted the conversation, watching your drunken state with a frown.

“I’m not drunk! I’ve only had what was in this cup. I promise!”

“The lady speaks the truth.” Kaeya piped up, ignoring the glare he received from Diluc. “Although, I did see her asking for a refill earlier.”

You pouted at Kaeya’s statement. “But I used the same cup! So I am telling the truth.”

“Say Diluc,” Kaeya grabbed the red-haired man’s attention. “Are you and Jean together?”

“Excuse me?” The Acting Grand Master comes up from behind Diluc.

Kaeya shrugged his shoulders at the accusing glares, pointing to you. “She seems to think that you are.”

Jean’s eyes grew wide, looking at you quickly. “I’m not in love with Master Diluc, nor will I ever be.” Jean adamantly stated.

“I think it’s time for you to go home-“ Diluc got cut off by your finger shushing him.

“Shh. You don’t have to deny it in front of us. We fully support your relationship.” You shoot the couple an empathizing look.

Kaeya burst out laughing behind you, at Diluc’s and Jean’s face.

“Nothing is going on betwee-“

“Aren’t you tired of hiding? We’re your friends, you can tell us the truth.” You said, patting her shoulder gently.

“Like I said there is-“

“Okay, there’s nothing going on between you two.” You nodded, before ending off with a wink.

“No, no winking!” Jean pleaded.

Diluc just shook his head at you, before hitting a laughing Kaeya in the back of his head.

“We’re leaving now.” He lifted you, who kept winking at Jean, up into his arms and walked out the tavern before things could get worse.

“Stop winking!” He heard Jean yell from behind, to you.

Kaeya’s cackling could still be heard even as the door shut.

Leaving the tavern, the walk, or ride home in your case, was quiet. You had quickly fallen asleep in Diluc’s arms, holding on tightly with your arms around his neck. And when you opened your eyes again, you found yourself on a bed, with Diluc taking your shoes off.You had a urge to touch his scarlet hair, and found your hand doing so.

Noticing you were awake, Diluc looked at you before heaving a deep sigh.

“Please stop trying to pair me up with other people whenever you’re drunk.”

“But why not?” You whined.

“Because I’m already married?” He quipped, grabbing your hand touching his hair and landing a kiss on it.

“You are?” Your eyes widen. “To who?”

In your mind, Diluc was one of the best people you knew. So obviously, the woman he married would have to be as well, right?

“To a very drunk woman.”

“?” You tilted your head, confused at his answer.

He rolled his eyes. “It’s you.”

“Me?! Really?!” You gasped at his revelation. “We’re married? You and me? Me and you?” You asked repeatedly.

“Yes, dear.”

“Are you sure? Because I feel like I would remember something like that happening.” You gave him a skeptical look.

“If the ring on your finger is anything to go by, then yes.”

Bringing your hand right up to your face, you gasped as your drunken vision took in the glistening ring nestled on your fourth finger. And while you went through a range of emotions, Diluc finished tucking you into bed.

“Is that convincing enough for you?” He asked, taking the spot beside you on the bed.

“I guess so.” You agreed sleepily, the wine’s effects making you more drowsy by the second.

“Go to sleep. We’ll discuss this in the morning.” Diluc caressed your cheek, lulling you to sleep.

You softly hummed in agreement, before your sleep overtook you.

________

The next day, you woke up with a raging headache.

“I hope you learned not to drink five glasses of dandelion wine.” A deep voice sounded from behind, as you chugged down the glass of water sitting on the bedside table.

You just put your finger up to your lips, shushing him. “Everything’s too bright and loud.” You squinted at him and then shielded your eyes. “Even your hair’s too bright for me right now.

Diluc just continued. “You know, I thought after we got married your drunken matchmaking for me would stop.”

“Hey, I said I would try not to. I never made any promises.”

“And that is why I won’t let you drink dandelion wine without supervision.”

“If I remember correctly, I kept to my promise. It’s not my fault you weren’t specific on the details.” Diluc gave you an exasperated look, making you relent. “Fine, fine. I’ll have proper supervision next time. Adventurer’s honor.”

Bonus:

The next time you were in the tavern, you had made sure to order a glass of grape juice.

Jean was sitting next to you, talking about Klee’s most recent accident, blowing up something somewhere again, when the door to the tavern opened. In walked Kaeya and Diluc heatedly discussing something you couldn’t hear.

You took a gulp from your grape juice, noting it’s unusual sour taste.

Must be a new flavor they’re trying out, you guessed, before a sudden thought occurred to you.

“Hey, Jean?”

Jean looked at you, with a questioning glance.

“Don’t you think Kaeya and Diluc are a good match?”

Jean spit out the drink in her mouth at your question. “What?”

“I mean, they’re total opposites, but you know the saying how opposites attract.” You noted the grape juice’s sourness again as you took another sip.

You paid no attention to Jean, who was stammering for a response, and watched as Charles called Diluc over with a worried expression. You overheard the words “labels mixed up” and “dandelion wine” as you took another sip.

___

*(A/N): I’ve been obsessed with this game recently, and wrote this on a whim. All the husbandos are so good looking. Leave a like, comment, or do whatever. Thanks for reading! And please stay safe out there! (Why go out anyways when you can just play Genshin all day lol) ^^

[underestimated-heroine]

9th reference post! Someone stop me.

(sorry if I reblog, it's only to keep from losing this to the sands of time! Also anyone's free to reblog or save this as is the mode on Tumblr Dot Com. Links go to my blog because it's the best, easy way I have to make sure I don't lose posts to deletion.)

General

Mad macaron scientists

You look like one of those murdered British boys video

Write to your local newspaper

Zelda Horsequest

Just act gay until someone decides to call u out for it (see notes)

Netflix "omw" callout post

Harvesting cinnamon video

Baby Zuko Mobile Ad

On Chekhov's Gun

Anti-racism means anti-capitalism quote

How did Tony the tiger die were-ralph post

Steps to decolonization

JK Rowling TERF store

In-denial gay moodboard.

Don't make it harder for bigots to change their minds

The worst thing I've done to a group of human beings

Butt hair trans ally iconic post

Prosthetic leg got stuck douyin

Pink lemon pussy iconic post

How technological advancement happens

Watsonian vs. Doylist

Cat twine pole

Yankee doodle origins gucci

Grocery store thieves cake for coworker

Ursula k. Le Guin quotes

The minions are immortal

Lady Gagita

Fairy Tail women are sexist analysis post

Paul Revere glider video

Hoe union aita

Scooby Doo was going to be R-Rated (the movie)

Video sword swing technique analysis

Nikki asexual moodboard

Good and iconic SpongeBob gags compilation

Boris Johnson redecorations

Crazy D&D Campaign

She wears short skirts I have feelers comic

Wish fulfillment P&P

Emergency service link video

Bet you're wondering how I got here monkey post

Batman pussy post

Sexyback but it reverbs in a sewer

Tumblore guys can't have consecutive orgasms post

Chicxulub Meteor UPDATED VERSION post

Chicxulub 2nd post

Static dog gif and tags

Average woman is three times smaller than the average man

Wage theft vs. Other Kinds of Theft

Inflation cowboy tiktok

Espooky Lesbians tiktok

Veganism fallacies post

Crazy Dion Diamond sit-ins and history

Tumblr store crabs tumblore post

Online entitlement collection

C-SPAN Irish guy takedown landlords

Kaitlin Bennett "shithead"

Douglas Henderson KP-G extinction event art

What angels might be like

Tiktok terrifying when my dog opens a door

Kung Fu Panda Customer Service Take

It's NOT all over

Wallstanding guy siren tiktok

Original spiders georg post

2000 election Florida

JFK American Futurism Post

These words are said with an astounding degree of confidence world heritage post

Cats divorce

Capitalism running to and running from

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Ancient kids played in giant sloth footprints

Car dependency

Gollum's loincloth

Custody Dance Tiktok

Personal

Dragon Cry Tits

This country claims to be democratic SCOTUS screenshot

Inscrutable genderbending message

What the fuck is the post+ store

Who forgot isle of dreams mp3

"be alright" is funny

The "recommended posts" feature is fucked up

The figureskating dream

Issue with how writers accept criticism

The only fight that's won is the one that isn't had fight scenes

On "yeah sure I'll reblog that"

Mantit onion

Stillhouse Lake series rec

On my pronouns

Fairy Tail's self-inserts & fantasies

Zelda wind waker ladder

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Justin Bieber song loop

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Glee movie ask

Another historical perfectionism nuance post

Tumblr is half male half female

Seeing random hentai nipples

Jurassic Park Shoulders of Giants Quote

SOS Jonas Brothers

Erza Scarlet Drag King

Fatphobia and putting the onus on the oppressed

[letterful]

professional vibe diagnosis: madi @dearorpheus 🖤

KEY TERMS: gothic heroines, final girls, bluebeard narratives, death & the maiden, monster theory, dangerous appetites, antiquarianism, sawbones & their history, perfumery, poison bottles, cursed jewels, blood vials, soft & warm light, morbidness & coziness intertwined, with more than a dash of elegance & sophisticated taste 🖤

media recommendations under the cut!

(a sidenote: i did not include a lot of obvious choices, such as angela carter or helene cixous or anne carson or any gothic 101 authors, since i know for a fact you’re already familiar with them. to be perfectly honest, you’re one of the most well-read people i’ve ever met, so i wouldn’t be surprised if you were already familiar with most of these, but i did my best!)

Severance: Stories, Robert Olen Butler—talking heads! literally!

Fairy Tales for the Disillusioned: Enchanted Stories from the French Decadent Tradition,

The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa (for some truly exquisite prose),

Imaginary Lives by Marcel Schwob (oh, Schwob is criminally underrated; also,  these tales remind me of early Borges)

Kieślowski films! La Double Vie de Véronique (1991), especially—this scene is... somewhat spoiler-y, but goodness. it is beautiful, in a grandiose way. also, can we talk about the lyrics of the featured piece? 

speaking of Polish movies: Cold War (2018) & Ida (2013) are also a must!

Arthur Machen’s short stories, and especially The Inmost Light,

M. R. James’ short stories, of course, but especially Count Magnus,

The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson; the entire collection serves as one of my favourite retellings of the Daemon Lover ballad, although it’s not a very straightforward one—The Man in the Blue Suit (slash James Harris) is at most a peripheral figure, and his status as a supernatural entity is up in the air, since most of the stories are uncanny instead of explicitly supernatural (and yet, whenever he enters the stage, something shifts in the atmosphere & things go... very wrong, very quickly). I especially recommend The Tooth!

speaking of daemon lovers, here’s an academic analysis of this motif: Demon-Lovers and Their Victims in British Fiction (an extended excerpt is available on Google Books)

still speaking of daemon lovers: The Book of Tobit! and, specifically, the story of Asmodeus and Sarah of Media, who might or might have not inspired the line about the woman wailing for her demon-lover in Coleridge’s Kubla Khan. also! this... retelling of sorts: (x)

The Song of the Sun: Collected Writings by Leah Bodine Drake (her poems of fantasy are quite wonderful; here’s an example!),

speaking of fantasy-themed poems... these anthologies are very good indeed (& beautifully published!): Monster Verse / Dead & Undead / Killer Verse / Bewitched & Haunted,

Het Lied van Heer Halewijn (a proto-Bluebeard story, and the Dutch equivalent of Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight)

speaking of... these are some of my favourite transformative works dealing with this ballad: (x) (x) (x) (once again, it’s fanfiction, but it’s quality fanfiction, cross my heart & hope to die)

german-language musicals! goodness, they’re some full-throated, pulpy, gothic extravaganza. here’s my favourite scene from Tanz der Vampire, and here’s the english lyrics, and here’s the english-language demo (it is... not as good as the original, alas). i also recommend Elisabeth & Rebecca! speaking of pulpy musicals: can we talk about the riddle from the scarlet pimpernel? because it has no business being this catchy. 

alright, i’ve covered some lowbrow musicals, so let’s talk highbrow now: The Great Comet is based on a tiny excerpt from War & Peace, but good god. it /feels/ monumental in scope. this song is... yeah. yeah. it’s also sung-through (like Les Mis, or Evita), so you’re not missing out on anything, even if you only listen to the cast recording!

speaking of songs with great Madi energy... Take This Waltz by Leonard Cohen (based on a poem by Lorca!) definitely reminds me of you!

also. Memorial by Susanne Sundfør. it’s the drama! and Kate Bush, obviously, especially Hammer Horror (even more obviously) <3 and this rendition of Memory! 

i don’t know whether you own ps4, or even consider yourself someone keen on video games as a medium, but madi. madi. madi. bloodborne is practically tailor-made for you, and i’m not even exaggerating. dubious medicine! secret cults! victorian architecture! blood, blood everywhere! eldritch abominations beyond human comprehension! i’m going to fly you to poland just so you can play it. 

on a related note... netflix’s castlevania is. well, i genuinely cannot say whether it’s good, but it’s fun, and its aesthetic is basically gothic on steroids. very explicit, that is to say: sex and murder usually take place simultaneously.

some academic books of interest that were not already included in my previous masterpost:

The Ring of Truth: And Other Myths of Sex and Jewelry,

the Devil’s Advocates series,

The Work of the Dead: A Cultural History of Mortal Remains,

Dark Banquet: Blood and the Curious Lives of Blood-Feeding Creatures,

Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus,

Severed: A History of Heads Lost and Heads Found,

The Science of Monsters + Science of the Magical.

[rodeoxqueen]

Rodeo’s Devil May Cry Roster

Last Updated: Feb 22th, 2021 (All Works Accounted For)

It ain’t much but it’s honest work. If you liked it and you want to, feel free to give your local cowboy a tip on Ko-Fi. 

Enjoy yourselves, my darling Lone Rangers wandering the earth. 

-Rodeo

Headcanons

Dante 

Dante As A Dad

If Dante Had A TikTok

Tickling Dante and Vergil 

Why Vergil Sleeps With An Eye Mask

The Sparda Twins Dying For Each Other (ANGST)

Dates With Dante Before and During A Relationship

How Nico, Nero, and Dante Would Handle Anti-Maskers

Dante and Vergil With A Delinquent Child

Dante and Vergil's Favorite Types Of Intimacy 

Kissing Dante and Vergil All Over Their Faces

Dante, Vergil, and Lady Cuddling Their Male S/O 

Dante Sleeping Over With His S/O For The First Time

Dante and Vergil Being Bridal-Carried In Public By S/O 

Dante and Vergil Joining Their S/O’s Skin Care Regime

Dante and Vergil Having Disagreements With Their S/O

Dante and Vergil With A Sympathetic Demon Hunter S/O 

Dante and Vergil With a Black!Half-Demonic!Angel-like!S/O

Dante and Vergil Falling In Love With A S/O Who Is Nero's Age

NSFW

SDT!Dante (NSFW)

Dante and Vergil: Giving Their Male S/O Oral Sex (NSFW)

Dante and Vergil: Spanking As Foreplay, Giving and Receiving (NSFW) 

Dante and Vergil Having SDT!Sex With A Devil-Triggered! AFAB! S/O (NSFW)

Vergil 

Vergil As An Uncle

Vergil As A Grandfather 

Tickling Dante and Vergil

Vergil During Thanksgiving 

Insults Vergil Have Thrown At Dante

Why Vergil Sleeps With An Eye Mask

Dante and Vergil With A Delinquent Child

Vergil Owns A Vinyl Collection: A Concept 

The Sparda Twins Dying For Each Other (ANGST)

Vergil Fighting His Power Obsessed Daughter (ANGST, TW: DEATH)

Dante and Vergil's Favorite Types Of Intimacy 

Kissing Dante and Vergil All Over Their Faces

Dante, Vergil, and Lady Cuddling Their Male S/O

Vergil and V with a S/O Who Can Summon A Persona

Dante and Vergil Being Bridal-Carried In Public By S/O

Dante and Vergil Joining Their S/O’s Skin Care Regime

Dante and Vergil Having Disagreements With Their S/O

Dante and Vergil With A Sympathetic Demon Hunter S/O

Dante and Vergil With a Black!Half-Demonic!Angel-like!S/O

Dante and Vergil When Nero And Their S/O Can't Get Along

Dante and Vergil Falling In Love With A S/O Who Is Nero's Age 

NSFW

SDT! Vergil (NSFW)

Dante and Vergil: Giving Their Male S/O Oral Sex (NSFW)

Dante and Vergil: Spanking As Foreplay, Giving and Receiving (NSFW)

What Dante, Trish, and Vergil Do When They Want To Get Intimate With Their S/O (NSFW)

Dante and Vergil Having SDT!Sex With A Devil-Triggered! AFAB! S/O (NSFW)

V 

Vergil and V with a S/O Who Can Summon A Persona

Dante, Vergil, and V

Personality Traits The DMC Boys Fall For

Dante, Vergil, and V With A Nephil! S/O

Dante, Vergil, and V With A Trans! FTM!S/O

Dante, Vergil, and V With Their Dhampir! S/O

Dante, Vergil, and V With Their FBI Agent! S/O

Dante, Vergil, and V With A Thick-Thighed S/O 

Dante, Vergil, and V With Cosplay Hobbyist! S/O

Dante, Vergil, and V With A Strong & Badass S/O

Dante, Vergil, and V With A Wonder Woman! S/O

Dante, Vergil, and V With A Badass But Lazy! S/O

Dante, Vergil, and V With Their Authorities Angel! S/O

Dante, Vergil, and V With A Part-Time Pro-Cosplayer! S/O

Dante, Vergil, and V With A Strong And Very Closed Off! S/O

Dante, Vergil, and V With A S/O With Scarlet Witch’s Powers

Dante, Vergil, and V Watching One Piece With Their Male S/O

Dante, Vergil, and V  Being “Jet-Pack Cuddled” By A Short!S/O

Dante, Vergil, and V With An Amnesiac! S/O That Still Loves Them

What Would Dante, Vergil, and V Do If Someone Made Their S/O Cry

Dante, Vergil, and V With A Physically Weak But Intellectually Badass! S/O

Dante, Vergil, and V With A S/O With Muscle Twitches Due To Antidepressants 

Dante, Vergil, and V Playing the Pocky Game

Dante, Vergil, and V Getting Their Hair Stroked

Dante, Vergil, and V Taking Care Of Stray Animals

Gifts Dante, Vergil, and V Would Give To Their S/O

Dante, Vergil, and V Taking Care Of Their Baby Daughter

Dante, Vergil, and V Going To Their Kid’s Volleyball Tournament

Dante, Vergil, and V Taking Their Children To The Amusement Park 

Dante, Vergil, V, and Nero’s Favorite Traditional Chinese and Japanese Foods and Drinks

(Dante, Vergil, and Nero On The Maury Show)

PART I

PART II

PART III

NSFW

Dante, Vergil, and V With A Virgin! S/O (NSFW)

Dante, Vergil, and V With A Thick-Thighed S/O (NSFW)  

Dante, Vergil, and V With A Friend With Benefits (NSFW)

Dante, Vergil, and V With A S/O That’s Always Horny (NSFW)

Dante, Vergil, and V With A S/O With Small Boobs (NSFW-ish)

Dante, Vergil, and V Doing The 69 Position With A Timid!S/O (NSFW)

Dante, Vergil, and V Catching Their S/O Touching Themselves (NSFW)

Dante, Vergil, and V With A S/O That Likes Being Called Kitten (NSFW)

What Dante, Trish, and Vergil Do When They Want To Get Intimate With Their S/O (NSFW)

Dante, Vergil, and V With A S/O That Blurts Out They Masturbated To The Thought Of Them (NFSW)

Nero 

Ticking Nero

Raising Nero As His Mother

Being Best Friends With Nero

Nero and Chewing Gum: A Concept

Poly! Nero, Kyrie, And Male S/O Relationship

How Nero Might Become Evil: A Pysch-Analysis

Nico And Nero’s Friendship (Knife Brother Requested!)

How Nico, Nero, and Dante Would Handle Anti-Maskers 

Nero With A Black! Half-Demonic! Angel-like! Best Friend

Dante, Vergil, V, and Nero’s Favorite Traditional Chinese and Japanese Foods and Drinks

Lady

Dante, Vergil, and Lady Cuddling Their Male S/O

Trish 

What Dante, Trish, and Vergil Do When They Want To Get Intimate With Their S/O (NSFW)

Nico 

Nico And Nero’s Friendship (Knife Brother Requested!) 

How Nico, Nero, and Dante Would Handle Anti-Maskers 

Fully Written Works 

Dante 

Stuck Thinking About You

Summary:  Dante or Vergil gets immobilized in some embarrassing or inconvenient way during a job and then (Y/N) pays them company until they can be freed. How about they have a crush on (Y/N) and they don't know it is returned until the end?

A For Apple, Or A For IKEA?

Summary: In which Vergil goes to IKEA with Dante to get a new table. But at what cost?

Don’t Leave Baby In The Corner

Summary: Dante and you talk about wanting kids or not while waiting for the pregnancy test.

Nothing Hurts When I’m With You

Summary: With Dante hurt from a demonic attack, the two of you seek shelter and each other's warm company in a cave.

草莓珍珠奶茶-Strawberry Pearl Milk Tea

Summary: You take Dante out for his first bubble tea experience.

Somebody Else’s; Nobody’s (ANGST)

Summary: Dante hates to think about you with somebody else, yet he still says no to your love. Guess he's just a coward, and now he's picturing your body with somebody else.

NSFW

Velvet Devotion (NSFW)

Summary: You don't know what you do to him. How you hold onto him in the dead of night, nails raking his skin. How he feels held by you. On velvet sheets, he finds he is worshipped with the softest of affections.

Vergil 

Of Lacking Specatcle(s)

Summary: Vergil is a lot of things. Vergil is the Dark Slayer, The Alpha and The Omega, and the eldest son of Sparda. Vergil is also….in need of glasses?

Knock-Off Ring Franchise

Summary: Vergil and Dante leave Vergil’s S/O in the shop with a TV and a strange VCR tape. Drama ensues.

Stuck Thinking About You 

Summary: Dante or Vergil gets immobilized in some embarrassing or inconvenient way during a job and then (Y/N) pays them company until they can be freed. How about they have a crush on (Y/N) and they don't know it is returned until the end? 

A For Apple, Or A For IKEA?

Summary: In which Vergil goes to IKEA with Dante to get a new table. But at what cost?

NSFW

The Passion In Rivalry (V/Reader/Vergil)(NSFW)  

Summary: Vergil separating V from himself with Yamato. Threesome with reader ensues.

Do I Want To Know, Do You Feel Held By Me?(NSFW)

Summary:  All in all, Vergil is a tempered blade. Plunged into heat and left to the cold, he is only perfected with each night you come to his room.

He Wanted War, She Wanted Peace; In Pieces, They Collide(NSFW)(ANGST)

Summary: She pursued him, the demon in a human shell. Their time together meant no good, a match to silk and feathers, devastation imminent.

V

TikTok Stardom

Summary:  V and Y/N try to survive the four attempts Dante takes to be TikTok famous, one of the TikToks surprisingly working out in the end.

TIkTok Stardom II: The Lovers Strike Back

Summary:  Dante challenges (Y/N) to make a better TikTok than him, not knowing the secret weapon has a cane, secret dance skills, and an ever-present smirk on his face.

Verona Serenade

Summary: V takes you out on a date, and it’s poetry as always.

i died, and was born in the spring; i found you, and loved you, again

Summary: After a loss, comes the regrowth of roots once thought destroyed by the tides of time. A story in which V kisses you softly and Vergil holds onto you tightly.

NSFW

O Tempter, O The Sea (NSFW)

Summary: You cry out for the sea, yet you do not expect an answer back.

~Sweet Erotic Angel Baby~ (NSFW)

Summary: There is vitality in vulnerability. Even in your soft kisses, there is something with a bite that he craves to feel.

The Passion In Rivalry (V/Reader/Vergil)(NSFW)  

Summary: Vergil separating V from himself with Yamato. Threesome with reader ensues.

Nico

Heartline Driver, Front Seat Lover

Summary: At the end of a road trip begins a new path for you and Nico. But first, you have to turn on the ignition.

Series

Devil May Grind: Magic Mike! AU

Dante/Reader

Series Summary:  From a surprise rendezvous to a male strip club on your birthday to a private dance, you end up seeing eye-to-eye rather than eye-to-groin with a cowboy stripper named Dante Sparda.

PART I- Can You Touch This?(AFAB) (NSFWish)

Summary: A shy and short homebody celebrating your birthday with friends, you end up somewhere you'd never expect: a male strip club. And what you'd also never expect is a certain red-devil/cowboy stripper to lay his special treatment on you.

Vergil 

{KEEP AN EYE OVER YONDER}

V

{KEEP AN EYE OVER YONDER}

Keeping Up With A Himbo

ALL OF THE SPARDA BOYS

Series Summary: A series of domestically fluffy snippets where the s/o of a Sparda learns just how much of a himbo their lover is.

Dante (I)- Change Of Hands

Vergil (I)- Lost In The Sauce

AWAS

Dante/Reader/Vergil (NO SPARDACEST)

Series Summary: Dante and Vergil meet a mysterious and powerful being with a painful past and an even deadlier endgame.

(AWAS Has A Separate Masterlist)

Please Let This Cowboy Know If She’s Missed Any Of Your Favorites. She Ain’t Too Good At Book-Keeping. 

[forgottenlivesobverse]

‘The Demons of Dog Street’

For the first of Forgotten Lives 2‘s two stories featuring the Philip Hinchcliffe Doctor and his companion Rue, we welcome back Kara Dennison, who developed the characters for her story ‘Gauntlet of Absolution’ in Forgotten Lives. Kara talks about her new story, ‘The Demons of Dog Street’...

What's your new story about?

The Doctor and Rue receive a summons to present-day (1950s) Colonial Williamsburg, which in turn takes them back to Colonial Williamsburg proper to investigate the usage of a very powerful artifact that technically should not exist. They meet a lovely young lady who is being hunted by strange demons for seemingly no reason -- and whom Rue does not trust one bit.

On a secondary level, it's also about the lens of history, and CW is (and always was) a changing historical lens based on what its overseers (and investors) felt was needed at the time. Whether that was quiet contemplation, or a search for ‘American identity’, or a concerted effort to unearth bits of history that were previously ignored or overwritten. Having a fully alien Doctor and fully alien companion be witness to this allows for an examination of this at arm's length, which I really rarely get to do. How much of any historical analysis is fact, and how much is a reflection on some other point in history -- our own time included? Every era is hiding demons; humans are just very adept at pivoting the narrative to decide what those demons are.

What did you most enjoy about revisiting the Doctor you created for Forgotten Lives?

I loved getting to start building a world around the Doctor and Rue: what have they seen, who have they become in each other's presence, that sort of thing. They're very close with each other in a strange way—not romantic, but affectionate and understanding—enough that he will drop his silly swashbuckler mask around her, and she's beginning to understand the significance of that.

I also pulled in a few elements from the first anthology, things that are going to be more relevant in his life than he (or the readers, or even I) initially thought. This feels more like an era than a one-off now, with an arc story and the beginnings of a Big Bad. I hope there will be more of these anthologies in future; there's more I'd like to explore, and to see others explore.

What, if anything, did you want to do differently this time?

I wanted to really explore the dichotomy of this Doctor, poke at it a little bit and see what it's about. Initially it was a bit of fun: he's sort of a reverse Scarlet Pimpernel, absolutely daft on the surface but scarily brilliant when he's out of 'uniform’. Here, we see more examples of where he draws that line and why. I'm not sure even he's entirely aware of his reasoning, though. The more I write him, the more I get the feeling that this particular persona (as opposed to anything else it could have been) is a bit of safe rebellion, a way to feel like he's freer and bigger and cooler than he feels right now. Especially with the revelation we get in this story concerning his last two ‘jobs’. Perhaps the germ of his Hartnell-and-forward selves knocking about inside and begging to get out.

Aside from your own, which of the Forgotten Lives  Doctors is your favourite? I might be a little biased, but my Altrix cohort Paul Driscoll did some fantastic work bringing the Gallacchio Doctor to life. I'd love to swap Doctors with him sometime and see what comes of it. That very Victorian showmanship speaks to me. As it is, I'm excited to see another friend of mine (Nicole Petit) put her own spin on him in this anthology.

As a bit of an aside, there's really nothing more gratifying than seeing someone else write your Doctor and absolutely smash it. That's been the biggest joy of Forgotten Lives 2 for me: watching how he exists in someone else's mind, and seeing how clearly he comes through.

Can you describe your Doctor in three words?

Conniving disaster fop.