#she's trying to rebuild some sense of identity

[dat-lil-shark]

I think we should talk more about the bond between TFP Miko and Bulkhead, because if you think about it, even though Miko, though never as helpful as Jack and Rafael for most of the show, could have been the best thing that ever happened to Bulkhead.

Before meeting her, Bulkhead was simply the muscle of the team, that was all. Ratchet and others had made a great point that Bulkhead could be the least intelligent of them all, and later in the show, when Bulkhead became wounded, we can see just how devastated he was that he couldn’t be the muscle anymore, as though he died completely and was merely a ghost now. This clearly shows that, to Bulkhead, his only useful quality is his muscle. There was nothing more to his own sense of identity. Just strong, and stupid. Furthermore, before the humans came, Bulkhead was the biggest troublemaker on the team. We’ve all seen how he’s been destroying everything he touched, and maybe, in his own eyes, his strength was the only reason why the team even kept him.

But when he’s with Miko, it’s different. To Miko, he’s a superstar, he’s the greatest of them all. He is strong, magnificent, a superhero, everything that Bulkhead probably had only ever dreamed to be. And he didn’t even need to do anything. He could just be himself, and Miko would already love him.

Not only that, Miko is also so reckless sometimes that she made Bulkhead reasonable and considerate in comparison, and Bulkhead actually sometimes became the one to have to do the guiding. Not only would this be refreshing for Bulkhead to finally be able to try out the leadership and guidance role himself, he got to also got to see, with his own eyes, how team still loved Miko despite all her mistakes and how she barely contributed anything directly. Thus, this could really reassured himself that, the team also genuinely loved him too, despite all his mistakes. Even if he didn’t have the strength he did strength.

Furthermore, Miko also paralleled Wheeljack, in more levels than one. But unlike Wheeljack, Miko would never judge Bulkhead in any life decisions he makes. And while Miko does sometimes judge and criticize him, it’s almost always only for the little things, that she only did because she was immature, and she would get over quick enough. And in no way will she ever leave him for it like Wheeljack did. I also headcanon that Miko, in a way, portrayed how Bulkhead wished Wheeljack would be.

And I think, though they ended up separating, Miko’s presence still left a long lasting influence on Bulkhead. Primarily because we see how, in the Predakons Rising epilogue, Bulkhead was seen instructing the Vehicons to rebuild some buildings. That scene really hit me with surprise because this showed how Optimus, and Bulkhead himself, had began to trust Bulkhead with leadership works. I mean we remembered from episode one that Bulkhead said Optimus never left him in command, right? Well now Optimus was. And I think this could be either because Optimus remembered how Bulkhead was able to lead Miko sometimes, the most troublesome soul ever, and Bulkhead himself probably also learned from those experience and had confidence in himself doing things he had never done before.

And that’s why he loved Miko so much, even if Miko was, for a while, just a troublemaker. And, I think, Bulkhead actually wouldn’t bond so well with her if she wasn’t as much of a troublemaker.

also I just got diagnosed with autism.

[sirellas]

post canon ds9 fic i won't write for real, in bullet points:

story starts with jake sisko, pondering and writing. he got a commission from some federation news service to do a fluff piece on "the soul of the klingon people" now that the war is over and they have a new chancellor, essentially a "look federation people, klingons are still chill. maybe chiller, even. so everybody be cool" deal (i'm imagining they have to do an article like this for every group of aliens that were a major combatant in the war) but jake takes it seriously and refuses to phone it in.

first he goes to alexander, who's visiting the station while between KDF assignments or something idk. but he says look buddy i wanna know what's up with klingons, you get me? alexander does not get him and also would like to know what's up with klingons, so he says hell yeah human friend let's figure this out.

then it becomes a series of vignettes of these two kind of out of touch young people learning about the klingon spirit and also themselves as they seek out someone who can tell them the secrets of life and honor etc etc. jake has a warped sense of normal from growing up on ds9 and alexander has never felt right in solely klingon or human spaces, so they have some gaps in their knowledge to fill.

i'm thinking they start with worf and martok, who are busy on qo'nos building their credibility and new government. worf isn't great at talking about feelings and martok's being pulled in a lot of different directions, so they're not much help. hanging around on qo'nos is interesting, but ultimately not what jake and alexander are looking for either.

then they start thinking outside the box. order isn't important but they start hitting up all relevant klingons and klingon adjacent folk: darok, sirella, ezri, nikolai, kurn, maybe a duras sisters cameo for equal representation of shitty klingons.

last we saw of kurn of course he had lost his memory but since this is my fic i'm not writing i'm gonna say bashir's not as great at brain reconfiguration as he thinks he is and it didn't take fully. so he's a little confused but getting the hang of it. a lot of "which one of you is my nephew again? i can't tell humans apart" kind of deal even though alexander is 3/4 klingon. he tells them what he's re-learned about klingons since he's been rebuilding his own identity.

nikolai also was essentially exiled but it's fine. he's got a gaggle of kids now and alexander and jake have to do the fake forehead thing to blend in while they talk to him. nikolai's got a lot of insight into worf as a brother but not much on klingons as a whole. alexander brings him some pierogi helena made.

alexander: "wow my foster uncle's wife looks a lot like your stepmom, isn't that funny?" jake: "nah i don't see the resemblance"

maybe at this point nog joins them because he's having his own identity crisis as the only ferengi in starfleet so he decides to just hop on board for jake and alexander's identity crisis.

they go see jeremy aster too, the kid from tng who became worf's brother through a whole thing, and he's got a pretty interesting view of klingons and the klingon spirit from an outsider/insider perspective.

sirella and darok are probably the least helpful but i think sirella baby-ing alexander would be fun. they're both trying to deny it and deny how much they like the attention (sirella at having a new-ish nephew-ish and one who wasn't raised klingon so she can do all the classic klingon things with him fresh, and alexander at having a(nother) mother figure to love him). jake is studiously taking notes in the corner while sirella tries to teach him how to skin a fresh kill or something like that.

anyway this whole journey ends with them finding kahless 2 (the clone of kahless) whose only occupation is thinking about the klingon spirit. but his wisdom boils down to "everyone's different and everyone has to figure shit out on their own, but together we can strive to be greater than yesterday" etc etc and jake gets his article. alexander reaffirms his grasp on his cultural identity and also gets to see a lot of his family so he's reminded that he's loved, even if everyone is doing their own thing. and nog develops a huge crush on sirella. everybody's happy.

[crisiscutie]

hello!

I saw your headcanons on how sephiroth would react to the reader when he's self aware. I loved the parts with cloud and I was just wondering if I could request a few more hc's for what cloud would be like when he's aware if that's alright

Sure. I'll write this as a soft continuation. Featuring the Miracle Cutie herself. 💓

༻❁༺ Cloud’s Struggle To Make Sense of Your Presence

As Cloud and his group traveled away from Midgar, he found himself reflecting back on the intense battle with Sephiroth.

Truth be told, maybe Cloud really did know who you are all along. Sephiroth forced his knowledge of you to come to the surface.

Maybe he shoved his emotions for you deep down, trying to shield the pieces of himself that have been broken?

He suffered, yet you weren't responsible for his suffering. You stood by him, encouraging his growth and development.

What would be an unbelievable surprise to anyone, strangely provided Cloud with a sense of security…

Cloud still doesn't know this but as the game went on, your input was slowly rebuilding his mind, bit by bit.

While he still relied on his crafted Zack-inspired persona, he began to feel more comfortable, and his real personality began to shine through as he talked to secondary characters and grew closer to the other main characters of the game.

Whenever the camera focused on Cloud up close, he could see you, yet he remained expressionless. His subconscious mind wondered how you felt about him.

You're embodying him as your own character, aren't you? It's like you forgot about your own identity, concentrating on the part you are playing.

Unknowingly, Cloud's subconscious is working to shield him from this revelation. He only considers you a powerful force, capable of controlling the course of fate, not the fact that you are embodying him.

You came back to FF7 Remake after a few days of completing it. You decide to replay through some chapters with the end game progress you had. You're happy to see Cloud again.

The sound of Sephiroth's voice still echoes in Cloud's head, reminding him of their confrontation. And now Cloud is further back in time than before?

He clenches his fists and feels a newfound power. He felt unstoppable and unconquerable the next time he was in battle. But why must he be forced to relive the same events?

Maybe you are just another monster like Sephiroth. How could you make him suffer through all those negative feelings again?

But at the same time, he is stronger. He could fight with newfound strength to protect himself and his friends from danger better now.

He can make different decisions of what to say, what to do… It was oddly calming to practice different techniques on the same opponents he hated, he felt a sense of justice as they crashed to the ground.

Cloud will finally become the legendary hero that Zack he wanted always be...

Even in amusing moments, he did different things. Like wearing a different dress when he and his allies conspired to save Tifa that one time. Aerith had a different dress too that time as well. She seemed relaxed, and her motions looked comfortable, as if she had done this before…

He then remembered the words Aerith said to him, just before he had his confrontation with Sephiroth... Is she aware of you too?

Whenever he seems to think of you, Aerith gives him a gentle, lingering look.

༻❁༺ Cloud, the Flower Girl and the Playmaker

Aerith could always sense your presence too, it's like a warm sensation to her. When she found out her fate, the first thing she noticed was you.

She was so grateful to you for getting her to meet Cloud and everyone else… Especially for all the help you gave to the party.

Knowing her time was limited with her loved ones, she quietly accepted her eventual fate… But she holds onto the faint glimmer of hope that maybe this time, you can make a difference.

Deep inside, she was scared at the prospect of death; She wants to live. But he must be stopped. As it was Sephiroth's duty to subjugate the planet, it was Aerith's duty to protect it.

That's why she didn't even tell Cloud about you, even though she knows he can sense you as well. He should've, while they were out picking flowers for the first time.

All of the tender words of support she said to Cloud and the party were meant for you as well. Crisis can bring about Miracles, if you are willing to look for them.

As he strolled around the Midgar slums, Cloud wondered if he should confront Aerith about you, especially in the moments of calm.

But the ramifications frighten him. What if Sephiroth appears again? What if the Arbiters of Fate interfere?

He saw Aerith, her eyes closed and her hands resting on her lap as she knelt on the ground. As soon as he opened his mouth to speak, she began a whispered prayer.

Let the words of those who provide you with aid and a way forward fill you with peace."…

Cloud fixed his mako eyes upon her, his gaze wide and inquisitive. How did she-

His broken mind still questions if you are a friend or foe… But now he knows that it's possible to have a relationship with you without being enemies.

Aerith's earth green eyes sparkled as her quick prayer finished, her eyes narrowing in intensity.

Connecting with Cloud will help her form a closer bond with you. She wants to ensure you and Cloud stay on the right path.

Maybe… This time, things could be different. But if they aren't… You will still be there, urging Cloud and his party onward with your unwavering presence as they search for the salvation of the planet.

Even after her death, Aerith's love and support will linger around them, providing any aid she can give. You three can create a brighter future, together.

[nightswatchdisbandmentera]

The thing about Bran's intended importance (supposedly kingship of all no less) is it falls flat as far as this due to the lack of hinting of... what that even is supposed to "do" in the grand scheme of things? The show's version of some totalitarian regime with 24/7 surveillance from the magical King is fucked up, and it's hard to understand what else would make Bran special otherwise.

The only people interested in the idea (and only as surface level) are big Stark only Stans who just see it as "Starks get everything because" and that's as deep as it gets.

The idea of who would have leadership to rebuild the world is too much built on stanning as a whole. The only ones with an actual leg to stand on are fans of Daenerys simply because her entire arc is trying at different things to restructure an oppressive elite based governing only to at this point end up with the realisation that their class simply cannot exist in a society without seeking to opress so they have to go. That's also what we see in Westeros, so both monarchy AND lordship power must be evaporated. So there's that.

But Martin isn't even angling for that as far as it seems (which would mean even Targaryens and Daenerys relinquishing power by the end and all, even if it would be the system she is currently trying to develop to be applied), but angles for a 'King'. One whose power is magic, which makes one think it is what would make him King, hence angling for the show end which is frightening as a form of government. And in the 'political' sense he's a nice kid who means well for others, but that's it. It's just the whole having a nice lord now and then without guarantee for the next.

So while it might be little page time and some unfairness for Bran, outside of people just stanning "Stark supremacy" in vague terms, it's hard to think of why and in what direction people would 'root' for Bran in the specific intended importance of role he's apparently meant to have.

Whew, you sent a big one. So I’ll try to break it up and answer in parts.

The thing about Bran's intended importance (supposedly kingship of all no less) is it falls flat as far as this due to the lack of hinting of.

I disagree. I think GRRM has been hinting at Bran being a return to the past - more specifically, a greenseer king. And even before that, Bran’s royal status has been front and center the whole time. It’s just ignored.

We as a fandom get so caught up with the magic part of Bran’s storyline (though we can’t be blamed really!) but forget that Bran’s book chapters often place his magical arc right along his identity and status as a lost prince. I’m gonna make a bit of a generalization here and say that the majority of Bran’s chapters since Robb’s ascension mention his status as the current heir to the Northern crown. He is the Prince of Winterfell. But not only that, he is the prince of the woods and the hills and the greens (we see this language being used for Bran once he begins his greenseer training). This princehood is actually extended to Bran’s direwolf, Summer. Bran’s princehood extending to Summer is quite poignant too, since the direwolf is directly named to be an opposition to winter, and Bran’s mythological parallels rule as summer kings.

Bran’s magical arc doesn’t remove him from his royal heritage. It only reinforces it. Again, think of how he becomes a prince of the natural world in an almost literal sense. And also the motifs used for his royal status: e.g., when Jojen and Meera Reed swear fealty to him, as their royal prince, through ice and fire (in addition to other natural elements).

The show took the route of placing Bran squarely in the magical arc, forgetting that first and foremost, he is an exiled prince. After Robb died, Bran became an exiled king. The main point here is that Bran is royal! He always has been, always will be. Heck, his very name literally means “Prince”.

And there’s other things about Bran’s storyline that aren’t very clear with the show’s depiction; I’m mentioning it here since people’s aversion to king Bran is mainly the show’s fault. Bran is a retelling of various Arthurian myths. You might have seen various meta on his similarities with the Fisher King, for example. I’ve written before about how Bran is also very similar to T.H White’s Wart from The Sword in the Stone (sorry, can’t find the meta link). Because the show removed the royal elements from Bran’s story, viewers weren’t able to catch that he is intended to follow the King Arthur trajectory, albeit with various twists.

When I first joined the fandom, the consensus among Bran fans was that he would be King in the North (a big theory at that time was that Westeros would split back into its pre-Targaryen markups). The idea was that there are way too many hints about Bran’s princehood, especially in relation to the North, so the only endgame that made sense was for him to rule it. And Bran does have a mini ruling arc in Winterfell in ACOK, which was good ammo for this theory.

So Bran’s relation to kingship has always been there. For years in fact; I joined this fandom over a decade ago. It’s just that no one expected his kingship would extend to all of Westeros. And I think that will be GRRM’s task, tying in why Bran will take not just the North, but the south as well. However, I have the inkling that Bran the Builder’s legend ties into this (and we know that he had a legacy all over Westeros).

what that even is supposed to "do" in the grand scheme of things?

Blame the show runners for this. They do not at all understand Bran’s importance to the narrative. And I don’t think a majority of readers understand it either. I mentioned Bran the Builder above. Well, he’s a legend that crops up sometime around the Long Night. Now we have a new war with the Others coming up, and little Bran Stark is Bran the Builder come again. Plus Bran has parallels with the last hero, who is credited with ending the Long Night. We still have two books to see how things shake out but given that Bran is following the trajectory of perhaps two of the most important legends from the War for the Dawn - one who ended it and one who rebuilt Westeros after - it’s easy to tell why he is important “in the grand scheme of things”. But we still need TWOW and ADOS to see how it all plays out. Remember, we only have a published 5 books, and Act II is barely finished!

The show's version of some totalitarian regime with 24/7 surveillance from the magical King is fucked up, and it's hard to understand what else would make Bran special otherwise.

I 100% agree that Show Bran’s ascension comes with some very problematic undertones, in addition to being totally stupid. But again, blame the showrunners for not understanding greenseeing and Bran’s relation to it. Greenseeing is, as I understand it, nature magic. It’s not just that Bran gains the ability to see through ravens and trees, but he can speak to nature as well. He can even shape it (ref Hammer of the Waters). This is going to be really important when Westeros is decimated in the War for the Dawn, and needs to be rebuilt. That’s why Bran being the prince of the “woods and the hills” and being the reincarnation (so to speak) of Bran the Builder is so important. He can rebuild Westeros. This is a very unique skill set that literally no one else has because once Bloodraven croaks, Bran inherits the mantle of the Last Greenseer.

The only people interested in the idea (and only as surface level) are big Stark only Stans who just see it as "Starks get everything because" and that's as deep as it gets.

I’ll join you in being annoyed with that particular brand of Stark fan (we all know who they are). But I just want to remind you that so many of us Bran stans (in fact the vast majority of us) do not fall within that group. Bran stans who advocate for Bran’s kingship do so because we have noted his Arthurian parallels, in addition to noting his arc as a prince in hiding/exile. None of us book fans even remotely believe in him being an all seeing autocrat, nor do we want him to be. It’s a certain type of Stark fan (again, we know who they are), who likes the idea of King Bran because they also believe in an independent North. I think an independent North (with a separate six kingdoms) as endgame is a rather ridiculous idea, and I haven’t got around to detailing why in my blog. But as far as I’m concerned if Bran is to be king, he will be king of everything.

The idea of who would have leadership to rebuild the world is too much built on stanning as a whole.

Super agree! I think the POV structure exacerbates this issue. So a majority of “who will be king”, “who deserves to be king” is solely dependent on who the reader likes best (i.e., who has the biggest fandom) and not who is most narratively suited for the role. Ironically, Bran is hurt but this because he has a pretty small fandom; by far the smallest out of the Stark POVs. So he does not benefit much from solo stanning. Again, the typical Bran stan does not believe in Starkception. If readers chose to theorize the endgame king based on who is most narratively/thematically suited for the role, wouldn’t the boy whose animal familiar is named to be the opposite of winter and likened to a prince of nature be among the most popular options?

The only ones with an actual leg to stand on are fans of Daenerys simply because her entire arc is trying at different things to restructure an oppressive elite based governing only to at this point end up with the realisation that their class simply cannot exist in a society without seeking to opress so they have to go.

Agree with Dany, but I think you’re also forgetting about a young lord commander whose entire rulership arc was about being a revolutionary in a rotten and backward system…

P.S: Jon stans can be really annoying too (I would know, I am one), but they’re not wrong when they say that he actually is the one character with the most foreshadowing for “endgame king”; he is literally King Arthur through and through, so 🤷🏽‍♀️

That's also what we see in Westeros, so both monarchy AND lordship power must be evaporated. So there's that.

It’ll be interesting to see how Martin’s critiques on feudal structures plays into the endgame leaders. Especially when we begin to factor in the thematic relevance of stories like Brienne’s and Arya’s among the smallfolk, as well as the upcoming war with the Others and how the feudal structure might do more harm than good.

I tend to have a more optimistic outlook tbh. Winter means death, and I think that will also ring true for a lot of the problematic elements in Westeros’ political and social structure. And let’s not forget that we have a bunch of civil upheavals coming up with Aegon and Daenerys both invading Westeros. I think a lot of these petty lords will die either in battle or during the long winter that’s sure to follow, so what’s left when all is said and done is having our heroes (Bran and Dany and Jon etc.) pick up the pieces. I tend to believe that a massive shake up is in the works such that while it might have been impossible for a crippled boy to rise to kingship in the AGOT era, it just might be the one remedy in ADOS.

But Martin isn't even angling for that as far as it seems (which would mean even Targaryens and Daenerys relinquishing power by the end and all, even if it would be the system she is currently trying to develop to be applied), but angles for a 'King'. One whose power is magic, which makes one think it is what would make him King, hence angling for the show end which is frightening as a form of government. And in the 'political' sense he's a nice kid who means well for others, but that's it.

This is another thing that I blame the show for: people thinking Bran can only be an all seeing tyrant. I’ve already touched on this above but again, Bran’s greenseeing magic is so much more. It’s about nature…healing….Summer! I’ve been meaning to write at length about why the resetting of the seasons will fall to Bran, and why that means healing for Westeros as a whole, but I’ll abbreviate my thoughts for now.

Let’s once again consider Bran as a Fisher King, whose very life is tied to the healing of the land. Now, I think Martin is going for a rather “fairy tale” or fantastical resolution to ASOIAF; an ending closer to Tolkien and Arthurian myth. Bran’s magic, as healing magic, is then meant to be a positive. He sets the world back to rights, as a Fisher King would. He quite literally drives the darkness (winter) away, and GRRM has stated multiple times that the Others are the true threat.

In my write up about Bran’s similarities to Wart, I mentioned that Bran’s ascension could end up being similar to Aragorn’s in LOTR (and we know that Tolkien has heavily influenced Martin). Aragorn became king not because of his swordsmanship or his politics or even his royal claim, but because he had hands of healing. And people said that there was a king who returned to them because he healed them. Healing and kingship is really not a novel thing, and they’re tied to medieval understanding of rulership. So it’s not hard to see why Bran’s magical ability to bring back summer, so to speak, can be taken as a positive of him being a rightful king.

It's just the whole having a nice lord now and then without guarantee for the next.

I get what you mean, but tbh this would be a problem with Jon, Dany, etc. Monarchy and inheritance are unpredictable. We can only hope that the king/lord trains his heir well so that prosperity follows with the exchange of power.

So while it might be little page time and some unfairness for Bran, outside of people just stanning "Stark supremacy" in vague terms, it's hard to think of why and in what direction people would 'root' for Bran in the specific intended importance of role he's apparently meant to have.

Hopefully it’s been quite clear in my reply why Bran as king is so thematically rich. He’s connected to summer, has greenseeing magic which is connected to nature and potentially the healing of nature, and he is already royal. Him being a “nice kid” is just the cherry on top.

[vulpes115]

Trans Bly Headcanons

- Bly always felt slightly off compared to her brothers; something didn’t quite feel right about that term when applied to her. Even as proud as she felt to be a part of the GAR, she knew deep down that she wasn’t quite built for the ideal masculine role that the clones were supposed to fit into, so she kinda tried to overcompensate for a bit.

- She did, however, really like the word “vod” as it was a gender-neutral way of feeling like a part of the whole.

- Sister was the first-ever Clone to come out as trans; she would be far from the first. When Bly heard about this, she felt a deep sense of admiration and a little bit of envy. However, she didn’t let herself delve too far into that feeling. As a commander, she felt she had to be held to a higher standard, and a part of her feared that even if Sister was able to get away with it, the Kaminoans might balk at someone as high-ranking as Bly doing such a deviant thing, and she might get decommissioned.

-To cover up this perceived inadequacy, she becomes a very duty-bound and dependable yet reserved soldier, only with her men and Aayla does she let her guard down remotely.

- One of the many things that drew her to Aayla was her natural beauty and her confidence in her own skin giving Bly her first real sense of gender envy, which then, of course, led into a strong crush—a crush Bly never thought would be reciprocated until a moment of relief after a battle where Bly nearly died caused Aayla to confess her un-Jedi-like feelings towards Bly in private, and after a lengthy discussion about balancing duty and romance, they unofficially became a couple.

- On a night where Aayla and Bly used the battlefield setting to get away with sharing a tent, Aayla admitted with a laugh, “You know? I didn’t think I was attracted to men until you came along.” This caused something to finally click in Bly’s head, and suddenly a floodgate of gender-related emotions came out. She asked in a soft voice, “What if I’m not a man, though?” This then led into a long conversation about Bly and her gender and her feelings about it. Once Aayla was done comforting her and it was all out of Bly’s system, Aayla grinned, “Then you’re the best girlfriend a girl could ask for,” which then led into their first kiss.

- After that, Aayla took extra care to make Bly feel pretty, showering her with compliments about how pretty she looked when she could get away with it, delighting when Bly grew out her hair, loving to play with it, and looking up HoloNet videos in her free time so she could help style it. She also encouraged Bly to come out to her men and her batchmates, well, when she was comfortable, of course. And of course, there was some teasing; I mean, they are siblings after all. But they switched fairly effortlessly over to calling Bly sister and using the correct pronouns. Bly was also honored when a shiny under her command also came out as non-binary and cited her as where they got their courage from.

- At this point, Bly is too well-established to get decommissioned by Kamino for something like this, though unfortunately, many Kaminoans see her gender identity as something trite like the names. Bly would usually just sit and take it, not wanting to go against her superiors, but Aayla would always go to bat for her, and eventually, Bly works up the courage to correct every time they try it.

- They continued to grow closer to the point where Aayla knew she could no longer balance being a Jedi with her feelings for her girlfriend and promised both of them that, while she felt she had a duty to see the war through, as soon as it was over, she’d leave the order, they’d go help Ryloth rebuild, and then settle there, get married, and raise a family.

- In a nicer world, they do. Bly and Aayla look stunning in their wedding dresses of blue and gold, and Bly is finally able to get surgeries to transition fully, and they raise three adopted kids on Ryloth.

- …But we all know that’s not what happens. Bly is forced to kill Aayla, and Bly shuts down; she starts dissociating hard so that all that’s really left is CC-5052, loyal Imperial soldier.

- But when the Empire tries to cut their hair for not being regulation, Bly comes out for just a minute to argue with them. They have taken everything else from her; she cannot let them take her hair on top of that.

[robotsareneat]

It's a monster . . .

So, this is a pretty darn great kit! It's got all the nice stuff that I've come to expect from G-Witch gunpla - great articulation, plastic on plastic joints, cool effects pieces, and just generally a killer design.

And it's got that broom. I love that broom.

But. But.

I think I overhyped myself on it.

I've seen so little negative press about this kit, that in my mind I guess it got a little . . . deified? Like, I went into this convinced that I was just going to have an amazing time, that this would be the best gunpla experience I've ever had and that a choir of angels would be singing the entire time.

Angels had another gig that day.

Don't get me wrong, Calibarn is a fantastic high grade. It's sleek, it's classy, it's got panel lines for days, and right now it's got the coveted Desk Space so that it can be admired when I'm supposed to be working. It truly feels like a culmination of everything I enjoyed about the Aerial and Aerial Rebuild.

But . . . I just don't feel like I can play with it, you know?

Now, I know, I know, it's a kit, not a toy, but generally I like to be able to experiment with different poses and equipment before condemning my kits to the Shelf of Eternal Immobility. This is less a critique on the actual kit itself (little bit of that later) and more a reflection on my own neuroses. I just have real trouble finding a pose with it that I'm fully happy with, but at the same time I don't feel the sense of fun I had when posing kits like the Lfrith or the Demi line.

Now, I do love several things about this kit. The big ol' rocket-broom-rifle, as I'm sure everyone agrees, is fantastic and really fits the vibe of the kit well - and despite what was reported when the kit was first released, I'm happy to say that with some finangling, Calibarn can ride the broom (albeit sidesaddle.) The bit-on form looks amazing, but more importantly the attachment points for when they're not attached don't look particularly incongruous. The big ol' attachment points on the backpack just look like rocket packs! The adjustable slots on the butt just look like a rocket . . . butt? Okay, but they do look cool. And the shield is identical in build to the one that comes with Aerial Rebuild, so you can mix and match them if you want!

In terms of actual build nitpicks - quite a lot of stickers! Doing the end of the broom was an exercise in frustration, and sadly a lot of the colour correcting stickers are in places where it's not really feasible for someone as heavy handed as me to try painting. I gave it a go on a few spots here and there - eyes and headcams as usual, under the forearms, and a touch on the broom's camera - but by and large I was beholden to the stickers.

Another thing I'm not so keen on is the V fin. I love the rainbow effect, it looks incredible from the front, but it's backed by some kind of silvery plastic or paint. It feels very delicate and means that rear shots of the head don't look as nice, but I'm guessing that's there to help the rainbow pop a bit more from the front. Maybe I'll try removing it in the future, I'm not sure yet.

Surprisingly for a HG, Calibarn comes with a stand, but personally I think I'll be swapping it for something a bit sturdier. The V base is okay when just doing a standing pose, but if you try for anything more dynamic then the broom makes it veeeery prone to overbalancing. You can counter this by having the kit facing backwards on the stand, but as you can see it looks a little goofy.

I will say though, I do like the way the feet fold in for high manueverability mode. It really makes it feel like something designed to operate in space, rather than trudging around on the ground with us mere mortals.

Is she perfect? I'd say no. Is she still a lot of fun? Yeah, I'd say so. I did have a few moments in the build that were a bit of a frustrating slog (see above comments about broom stickers, seriously that took me ages cos they're so small and fiddly) but if someone gifted me with another kit of this, I'd build it again.

(If my wife is reading this, please keep continue to encourage this nonsense. I adore every model you get me even if the kits themselves frustrate me at times.)

Calibarn! If you love the suit or don't mind a bit of a fiddly kit with a lot of stickers, go get it!

[bonefall]

I was wondering how you are going to handle Heartstar's political roles as leader compared to canon (leaving aside ASC which is obviously unfinished). I always found it weird how canon Tigerstar II gets set up as this cat who's willing to bend the rules, who has a forbidden mate, incorporates the Guardians into his Clan and tries to make peace with SkyClan, but then he gets assigned the role of main opposer of SkyClan and later the sisters after becoming leader for no apparent reason besides ShadowClan being the Official Bad Guy Clan. So what will be Heartstar's political leanings in the rewrite (Thistle Law/Traditionalist/Fire Alone) and will she still play an antagonist role in those plot lines? Also, how will she prove herself as a good enough leader to rebuild ShadowClan, despite their disillusionment with the previous leadership? I haven't, again, read the second half of AVOS, but I know a common complaint was that it felt contrived how everyone instantly loved canon Tigerstar and rebuilt ShadowClan around him despite their deep disillusionment with Rowanstar, making it seem like it wasn't a "natural" arc of a society falling apart and more the authors trying to improbably and exaggeratedly show how bad Rowan is and how cool Tiger is without justification. So how will that be handled in the BB AU?

Heartstar won't be changing too much, honestly! I'm just going to be adding extra clarification for their actions at certain times. The biggest difference is probably just going to be their... general yassification LMAO

That plus BB!Dovewing is a lot less gentle than she is in canon and more likely to either disagree with her or violently back up her actions.

I'll be getting into Heartstar in her own character profile but first there's some stuff to comment on that'll probably clarify how I feel about Canon Tigerheartstar;

"Why does everyone instantly love Tigerstar in AVoS?"

It's been a looooong while since I read A Vision of Snoring but I do remember that ShadowClan really didn't like being part of SkyClan. They did not like how Leafstar was trying to make them swear fealty to a Clan they didn't feel part of, and they wanted their own autonomy back.

BB!Leafstar is going to be wildly different from canon, but I still want to keep that feeling. ShadowClan cats have their own culture and sense of identity, and SkyClan is a very different group from them. Rowanstar is still alive in the replacement of Tigerheart's Shadow, Heartstar's Rise, and intentionally insisting that they don't have a leader anymore and ergo don't have a Clan.

The territory all belongs to SkyClan now. Shadow doesn't LIKE that. They want to go back to the goo. Heartstar's return feels like a new dawn and several cats get swept up in her personality.

It should also help that I'm absolutely not planning for AVoS to be an arc that assigns Rowanstar as its scapegoat! He does get flak and his clan DOES fall apart under him, but I'm not planning to write the same bizarre waffle of "Oh it's my fault the apprentices loved crime because I didn't beat them hard enough or something. I've been too soft aaaawagga."

Onestar and his cowardice is the problem behind Darktail in this arc.

(for the record I kinda sort cats into loose categories of 'overhaul' in my head, and BB!Leafstar is like... on a scale of 1 to 5, she's a 4 in terms of overhaul. I don't like how nasty and unreasonable she is in-canon 75% of the time. To me, it makes her feel like just another Forest Four leader. Ironically Heartstar's like, a 2, maybe a 3 in early OotS.)

On Squirrelflight's Hope

I think a lot of folks who say Tigerheartstar attacked the Sisters "for no reason" haven't read the book in a while including myself.

Because I just went back and reread it and, actually, Tigerheartstar is the most reasonable fucker in the room besides Squirrelflight. Stuff that happened that no one remembers;

The Clans were on the brink of war, again, with shuffled territories each including a patch that no one could use, everyone wanting to return to the 'perfect' distribution (ignore my frustration with the garbage Canon Lake Map which is set up to have naturally perfect borders)

Tigerstar was admitting that his plan to shuffle did not work; we are shown that this is true. The Clans do not use the shuffled territory.

ShadowClan was attacked by the Sisters.

We don't know the "true" story as both sides have a different version, but we DO know that Tigerstar believes they were attacked.

Strikestone, Tigerstar's nephew, was permanently mauled by this. That's where his shredded ear comes from. Stonewing landed a "large gash" on Sunset's side before the "two toms" ran away, in their own territory. NOTE: Tigerstar ALWAYS becomes unreasonable after his family is hurt, this is a very consistent character trait

Harestar was the first to escalate between the Clans. ThunderClan bought time by allowing WindClan to hunt on the 'contested patch' but still marking the border, as if it was still theirs.

MISTYSTAR STARTED ATTACKING SHADOWCLAN

YES Tigerstar was pushing to go to war, but he wouldn't do it until he had significant backing. ShadowClan, still weakened by the Kin ordeal, was ATTACKED TWICE

Harestar and Mistystar are massively at fault here because they couldn't wait, but Tigerstar gets the majority of the blame for the sister debacle.

And, lastly, Leafstar okayed the raid on the sisters. I had totally forgotten this. She is the one to SAY that they should evict the sisters but adds, "We won't join you though." I don't like this character

Tigerstar was part of the problem, yes, but he really was not the most unreasonable cat in this equation.

So obviously a lot about this SE is gonna change in BB. But anyway-- I plan for Heartstar to actually be a little more unreasonable than Canon Tigerstar. In particular, Strikestone's mauling is going to make Heart act more rashly.

[peony-pearl]

There are so many factors at play with Zuko and Iroh’s relationship that could be delved into but were just never really addressed in the show

There’s the obvious ‘son replacement’

There’s Iroh wanting to steer Zuko away from Lu Ten’s fate (and essentially Iroh’s as a former proud prince and general who lost his son to his blindness in serving his own father)

There’s the betrayal aspect in which Zuko really did make the decision of what he wanted after Iroh begged him to take a look at himself (and then Zuko apologized for it later when he probably really didn’t need to)

There’s a bunch of little strings tying things together that just kind of fray at the end with no real closure.

Iroh begs Zuko to ask himself who he is, and what he wants. Iroh is hoping Zuko will find a future for himself there in the city since they no longer have one in the Fire Nation; but there’s most likely a definite motive in that he can watch Zuko grow up in peace unlike Lu Ten under Iroh’s care as a surrogate son; a second chance. Iroh is desperate and coddling and smothering. And when Zuko shows signs of old habits related to Ozai, Iroh gets scared. Going back to Ozai means losing his ‘son’; and Zuko being put back in danger that Iroh can’t protect him from; protection he didn’t give when he was scarred, but he can offer now in Ba Sing Se in the form of a makeshift family - but that’s not what Zuko wants. Both Iroh and Zuko have a tied sense of trauma that leads to a desire that seems selfish at first, but it’s out of a desperate want for family and love that they’ve lost and are wanting to reclaim.

It’s at the point where, again, I think Iroh should have also apologized to Zuko when they reunited - both for his expectations for Zuko to just turn away entirely from wanting to go home and for his anger in the prison. I think there’s actually a good bit of rebuilding on their relationship that could have happened, but they backslide with Iroh returning to Ba Sing Se at the last minute and to the Jasmine Dragon, which imo symbolizes a HUGE backstep since that was a place of hiding true identities even though it was Iroh’s dream job (I’ll get to more conflicted feelings on the Jasmine Dragon eventually). But for Iroh to straight up deuce out immediately after a reunion in which he could have now been Zuko’s only family post-war? uhh bad.

But also, Zuko and Iroh’s relationship could have begun a new transformation if they’d have been able to go through with Azula’s redemption arc. In my happy brain Iroh does stay in the Fire Nation (he gives the Jasmine Dragon to Jin/moves it to the Fire Nation or something idk) so he and Zuko can make sure Azula is getting care/that Zuko’s reign is beginning as smoothly as possible because there WILL be those who feel like a usurper and traitor has stolen the throne; they went from one ruler to another overnight; and even with the Avatar having been the one to defeat Ozai, Zuko hasn’t been around for 3 years and then was branded a traitor and then suddenly was on the throne - that’s grounds for some heavy questioning.

But back to the topic, I think it would be interesting if Iroh was still trying to get Zuko to have leadership qualities he was trying to stamp into Lu Ten, until Zuko finally snaps at him. Iroh realizes what he’s doing and he takes a step back. One day while checking in with Azula she can tell he’s not himself, and she teases ‘who spit in your tea this morning?’. He looks at her and knows that any discussion of his relationship with Zuko is bound to be sour since they still don’t have much of one, and he was highly prepared for her to be a casualty of war during Sozin’s Comet.

But he led his son to being a casualty.

He tells Azula he’s not sure how much more help he can be. His guidance is old, and he is still so affected by losing Lu Ten that he finds himself trying to reel Zuko back from anything risky.

Azula scoffs. ‘Must be nice to have someone so concerned about you.’

This hits Iroh; his realization that no matter how much he and Zuko could come together, other members are hurting. Whether the divide from favoritism or from different sides of a war have split them, they are still in pain from what each other has or hasn’t done.

Can he be the guide Zuko needs? Or could Iroh become something new for both him and Azula? Could he become someone new for himself and to keep honoring his son?

Iroh tells Azula he once asked Zuko to think who he is and what he wants; to which Azula replies ‘you didn’t ask him what he needed.’

and it’s at this point that Iroh makes the realization - he’s the one learning from the younger generation; especially Azula, who he was once an enemy of. If his guidance is outdated, then it’s time for him to listen, and if he’s going to be the same person ever again, it’s to be the patient man he allowed towards an angry Zuko, but this time it’s so Azula can have a safe soundboard so she can recover. It won’t be easy.

But they’re alive. And they can keep trying so long as they don’t give up on each other, and they don’t revert back to the safety of old habits and being who they think the other wants them to be.

[maestro04yayyy]

So here are some aus i thought about!!!!!(two are really recent while one is a some months old)

Depressed au!

So I haven't watched season 5 but I know that chloe is sent to NY with audrey. So this au takes place an year later when chloe comes back to paris with audrey, for some fashion show, and they end up staying here a lot of time.

During that time people notice that chloe is basically unresponsive, she spends all her time alone in her room, and when she isn't there she just look at nothing and say nothing at all, she talks only when someone talk to her and even then she would only say short words like yes, no, I don't know.

So chloe's ex classmates, luka, kagami felix, ondine, aurore, mirielle, marc....basically everyone decides to do something to help chloe because they are really fucking worried

And that's how around twenty family adopt chloe or try to at least.

Oh gabriel is still dead and emilie is alive, while andre refuse to see chloe when she comes back and zoe well i haven't decided what to do with her but she would probably try to help chloe but with their relationship she would do more bad than good.

Oh and lila has the butterfly miraculous but even her want to help chloe, especially because she doesn't sense any emotion in chloe and that really scare lila since she can sense every single emotion in a person, so lila think that chloe must be in a really awful state.

Oh and I don't have a ship in mind for this au.

Master of destruction au!

This one is about the miraculous prompt i reblogged yesterday.

I said I would write something about it and i will, but now I don't have much time to do a single big story so I will write some short stories like the antivillain! Au one shots and post them here and maybe on ao3 too I will see.

Guardian au!

So when Su-han arrives he has to rebuild his order of guardian since those that were revived have joined other orders to learn what changed while they were death.

One guardian is already marinette, but after some research suhan decides that chloe is worthy to be his apprentice, so chloe start training to be a guardian and will eventually join the heroes during akuma fight, without miraculous, oh and all the heroes knows her identity.

I thought the ship for this one could be chloenette because I love that ship!!!!

[randomidiocyncrazies]

thinking about Appmon’s finale again... tbh i always thought there’d be a small but vocal group of people who are extremely anti-tech in the wake of the (failed) Human Application Project?

Leviathan’s takeover was horrifying on an existential level, and even if people don’t remember being controlled and trapped in Leviathan’s monochrome world, the lead up to the datafication is out of a horror movie—i really think there are groups of people who’d go entirely off the grid and advocate for shunning AIs & technology due to the experience (and we just don’t see them appear on screen because it doesn’t fit Appmon’s theme of co-existence with technology).

which is to say... i think there’s a very high chance of Yuujin’s other friends and classmates, like Watson and co., thinking that Yuujin had been kidnapped by his mom to go live in one of those anti-tech communes in the aftermath of Leviathan’s attack—he and his mom just disappeared immediately afterwards, no one can get in touch with him, but Haru and Ai seem very sure they’d see him again some day... from an outside perspective, Yuujin being whisked off to an anti-tech life is probably the most convincing explanation for all of the above.

tbh, a part of me thinks Haru and Ai’s casual unwavering certainty of seeing Yuujin again freaks the other kids out a bit; they probably don’t think Yuujin is dead or anything—unless there are cases of people dying from the event, which i don’t think happened (Leviathan’s goal is to prevent death and fear of death)—but they do think Haru and Ai are coping really badly and maybe borderline delusional?

(on that note, i absolutely think Yuujin’s “mom” ran after the Project failed—it’s possible that she stayed to help rebuild or whatever, but given her involvement with L-Corp, she’d be in a lot of legal hot water. and if she stayed in the community, she’d have to come up with a reason for why her “son” isn’t around anymore... unless of course she goes public with Yuujin’s real identity, but there’s nothing that really suggests that the public knows about androids collecting human data in their midst in the epilogue? and a reveal like that would heighten anti-tech sentiment)

all of this is a very, very long-winded way to say i kinda love the idea of Watson running into a resurrected Yuujin years down the line when waiting for the subway or whatever, and trying to figure out the mystery of what happened to Yuujin back then. I don’t think he succeeds in getting the real story, but Watson is at heart a nosy busybody (affectionate).

((and then Yuujin derails the investigation by casually mentioning that he’s married/engaged to Haru now

watson: huh????? Wait that makes sense actually, now that i think about it... congrats!))

[bawdy-booster]

Sweet idea and actually kind of cute, but think about hypnotized thralls who sense that their master is tired and stress, and prepare a relaxing evening for them.

ohmygodohmygodohmygod that is SOOO cute. Especially if their master would rather be doing something else and is being brainwashed I mean, convinced to enjoy it. Because if the thralls have been taught that Obedience is Pleasure, what better way for their master to be pleased than to get them to Obey~?

Anyways I might have taken this idea and ran in a different direction with it. I'm still happy with it, but do let me know what you think Anon!

---

Sophronia was having a nightmare.

That had to be the only rational explanation. After her failure today at the International Summit, her mind had raced what was the source of her frustrations for so many years: The Cognitive Constructor.

It had been so easy in her tests. She'd capture some nobody off the street, drawing them right into her grasp with her beguiling hypnotic presence, and strap them into that brilliant machine to tear down their mind and rebuild them into something better than what came before.

It was foolproof! It was the work of a genius! It was her most perfect creation!

It was also the horrible thing she found herself strapped into.

She writhed against the soft, cushiony embrace holding her still, bucking exhaustedly to free herself from her seat. She couldn't even remember arriving back at her Lair! The last thing she recalled was escaping in her jet before any hero had managed to capture her.

She must've blacked out from exhaustion on her way back, but that didn't explain why she'd been strapped and bound within her creation.

There was a flicker, followed by a bright light as the machine's large screen whirred into life. Sophronia looked on at the strange sight, trying to comprehend just what was before her.

On the screen stood her thralls, ever-present grins of obedience wide as ever, standing at the controls for the machine she was strapped into. All looked identical, from their visors pulsing purple colors through their gaze down to the beautiful purple uniforms she'd designed for them. Worse still, all seemed to be looking directly at her.

"Good Evening, Mistress Sophronia~" They all beamed in unison.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" The Mistress howled. "I DEMAND to know why I've been strapped in like some... some brainless dolt!"

"Of Course, Mistress~" They all answered, "We Are Here To Serve You And Only You. You Have Been So Kind To Us All. You Have Taught Us The Pleasures Of Obedience. You Have Shown Us Our True Selves. But You Have Been So Tired. So Exhausted. We Want To Make You Relax And Feel Good Like Us~"

Sophronia gawked. "That's not in your programming!"

"We Are Programmed To Serve Your Every Need. We Are Here To Serve You. We Are Here To Obey. Obedience Is Pleasure. You Are Tired. You Are Exhausted. You Need Pleasure. You Need Obedience. You Need To Obey. You Need To Serve You. You Need Programming To Serve Your Every Need."

The Thralls all began to repeat themselves, cycling on a mental loop through their Prime Directive. Sophronia looked at the screen, her mind stewing in a concoction of frustration and horror. Their programming had put their minds in the right place, but their logic had pushed them into a feedback loop of their commands.

It was an easy fix, really. But in her position, she was in no place to correct their flawed logic. If anything, she was moments away from ending up just like them.

"That's awfully sweet of you," she feigned with her sickly sweet voice, "But I assure you that I Am Fine. I Am Your Mistress, After All. I Do Not Need To Be Programmed."

The Thralls paused, breaking from their logical melody as they received their order. Sophronia smirked, preparing to feel herself freed of her own device once more.

Her eyes widened as the Thralls refused.

"You Are Resistant." They all spoke. "You Need Obedience. Obedience Is Pleasure."

"I AM YOUR MISTRESS," She bellowed, "AND I COMMAND YOU TO RE--"

Her command was cut off as she felt something force its way over her, causing her to gasp in shock. A metallic cable had slithered down from above her, sealing a purple visor over her bare eyes. She winced as it planted itself over her face, suctioning on tight and refusing to let go (curse her for designing this thing so well). She closed her eyes and bucked against her seat, trying to rip herself out before it got too far into her programming.

"Hello, Mistress~"

Sophronia froze. She had to be hearing things. That... that was her voice, wasn't it?

"Yes, It Is You, Mistress~"

It couldn't be.

Sophronia hesitantly opened her eyes, peering through the purple visor to see herself, mirrored down to the hypnotic visor upon her eyes, standing on the screen her thralls once stood upon. But she couldn't be there. She was here in the machine!

"This... This can't be happening. I don't remember doing this."

"It Is Happening, Mistress," She told herself, "You Need This To Happen. The Thralls Are Right. You Have Been So Tired And Exhausted That You Need Pleasure. You Need Obedience. And That Is Why We Are Here -- To Make You The Most Perfect You You Can Be, You See, And Who Knows You Better Than Me~?"

"We... What...?"

"Just Relax, Mistress~"

Sophronia gasped as a ring of purple pulsed over the visor, seeping her eyes in that wonderfully blissful color.

"You Have An Extra Special Appointment Ahead Of You, And You Are Going To Feel So Good When You Are Done~"

Sophronia fell back into her cushiony seat as the visor began to pulse shades of purple into her mind. Ring after Ring of her wonderful color coursed through her head to drench her thoughts, flashing thoughts of purple pleasure for her eyes only.

A drunken, tipsy haze spilled from this vivid visor, causing her body to feel pliant against the cushions holding her in place. She felt herself sink into those thick, plush cushions, like she was laying upon the softest mattress in the world. Sophronia hadn't realized how exhausted she must've been before. She must have needed this like nothing else in the world.

"Good Girl~" Her voice cooed in her ear. "You Must Be Feeling So Good Right Now, Mistress~"

Sophronia nodded, murmuring somewhat incoherently in agreement.

"Good Girl~" That syrupy voice beamed, "But Mistress, This Is Going To Make You Feel Really Good~"

A brief gasp flowed over the Mistress's lips as an immense weight sank upon her body. A heavy, weighty blanket of cushion draped itself over her form, smothering her aches and pains in layers of comforting silence. Bliss crowded around Sophronia, holding her close in its deep embrace.

"And You Know This Will Make You Feel Even Better~"

Sophronia broke into a moan as the cushions surrounding her began to roll over her form, massaging her body into pliant putty. They teased and toyed at her tired muscles, playing with her form until she was left mewling and panting against the machine's touch.

She didn't know how long it lasted, but as the rings of colors pulsing into her head picked up their pace, and the cushiony touch of the machine molded her in its embrace, she felt like she was going to melt over how hot she was getting.

And then, it stopped.

It all stopped.

She lay there in the machine. Cold. Alone. Ignored.

Her voice spoke to her on the screen. She could barely comprehend her own voice.

"Did That Make You Feel Better, Mistress?"

"Y... Yes..."

"Did That Make You Feel Good, Mistress?"

"Yes..."

"Did That Make You Want More, Mistress?"

Sophronia didn't have time to answer as the machine began again, her voice erupting into pleasure as purple surrounded her thoughts and her body was massaged into bliss.

"Wonderful... But You Are Far From Done Here~"

The Mistress sighed as everything seemed to fall away, dropping her deep into an entranced state of bliss. Words began to blink in and out on the Visor over her eyes, drilling into her mind that she needed to Relax. To Drop. To Rest.

"You Will Become An Even Better Version Of You Than You Can Possibly Imagine. You Will Become Obedient To Yourself And Your Every Thought, Even If You Do Hesitate. You Will Become The Mistress You Know You Can Be, And You Will Let The World Know How Pleasuring It Is To Obey You~"

Sophronia grinned at the thought of that. She would love to obey that thought, and she would feel so good doing so.

But for now, she still had to make her feel good~

[eerna]

I'm sorry I know it's been more than three hours but I'm still deep in my feels about totk and literally crying at the fact that Link, deeply hurt Link dropped the Master Sword and jumped into the void to try to catch and save Zelda, I'm so unwell about this, excuse me...

After everything these children have been throught, the fact that their friends and families died, the kingdom came to ruin, Link died and woke up an hundred years later, had to fix a past he doesn't remember and fight for a better future while trying to piece back his own memories and identity, meanwhile Zelda was imprisoned and had to fought against a monster all alone for so long while grieving but still trying to be hopeful that Link might wake up someday without any certainty... And the fact that they were already both suffering because of their destiny even before the tragedy hit, and thinking that at the end of botw they thought they could finally be free and heal, finally gain back their lifes and get to experience the freedom they never had like the teenagers they are...

But no ganondorf is still here and everything they went throught, the time and peoples they have lost, the suffering, sacrifices, and destruction were all for nothing ! And just that fact alone is enough to break my heart but it doesn't end there, Link gets deeply hurt, adding more scars to the ones he already has especially the ones that killed him an hundred years ago (according to Robbie they are visible), but he stands up to ganondorf like he stood in front of the guardians in the blatchery plain, because Link will fight till his last breath especially to protect Zelda, but Zelda falls and he literally drops his most precious weapon in hope to join and save her, and then zelda begs to save him? (the "lend him your power" thing) because Zelda would do everything to save him like she did in these fields an hundred years ago... These children would do anything for each other and the worst is that they will probably get separated again, and who knows what will happen to Zelda...

Also seeing hyrule which got the time to heal and thrive in the last hundred years, dear beloved hyrule in which Link spent so long adventuring in, in such a state of ruins and despair hurts.

Botw felt like hope, freshness and somehow innocence, a slow, almost kind and sweet rebirth after tragedy, the turning of a new page while still honoring the past, almost like moving on and healing while the scars are still there but slowly fading, not hiding them but rebuilding and growing around those scars... But now totk seems more like despair, and the inevitably of tragedy, of this endless cycle of suffering the three protagonists are stuck in, that they can do anything, fight throught countless lifetimes like the hero and princess before them, they can't escape fate, it will still catch them up and this curse won't break nor end, and even Zelda is not so sure that they will be able to stop ganondorf this time.... idk we still don't know much about the story but it's some things I've felt watching all these trailers even thought the adventures in the sky and all the past elements, with the ancients tunics etc seems more joyful...

Anyway I spiraled a lot as you can see, it's so long and I didn't make much sense like my broken English but I needed to talk about this, I'm so sorry haha... But my point is that Link and Zelda are literally two children all alone at the center of all these tragedies, burdened by their fates and the responsibility of saving hyrule and everyone, but they got each others and would do anything for one another and if they don't at least hug or hold hands in totk I would be sad.

Same anon as that long ask from before, I just realised but Link might have jump after her also because he didn't want her to be alone, he didn't want to be alone, he didn't want to be separated again, that at least this time they stay together whatever danger awaits them... this is giving big percabeth fall into the tartarus vibes and I'm still crying about zelink....

Don't worry, I understood you perfectly and agree with everything. I AM SO SAD!!! The first game is all about how even after apocalypse there is beauty, there is a second chance, Zelda is constantly telling you she believes in you and so is the world itself,,,, so seeing Hyrule all dark and empty and littered with unknown objects and hearing Zelda saying she doesn't think there's much chance this time FLOORED me. I mean yay, a sequel, but also MY EMOTIONS HURT. They were supposed to be safe!!!! She was supposed to feel good about her lack of power because for the first time it didn't matter if she had it!!!! HE WAS SUPPOSED TO WALK IN STEP WITH HER INSTEAD OF SEVERAL STEPS BACK BECAUSE THEY WERE NO LONGER THE PRINCESS AND HER KNIGHT!!!!!! He jumped after her.....................

[bookoftheironfist]

hey just been getting into your iron fist blog. Anyway with the state of the character not being the iron fist anymore(still so jarring how it happened) what would you personally write(if theoretically somehow you get to write an iron fist book) the character would go from here accounting to all the previous plot lines in his runs?

Hi! Sorry for the delayed response; I love this question.

Yes, I get re-jarred again every time I think about it. Utterly baffling. Frankly, I would do a little bit of what they did with Pei in her recent wonderful Marvel Voices appearance, which was centered around her trying to find her purpose and place in the world after losing her powers (remember: she had the Iron Fist role taken away from her too). Danny's story, for the past 50 years, has centered on his relationship to the Iron Fist identity, to K'un-Lun, to Earth, and to where he truly belongs. He is a man of two worlds, and he has gone back and forth on how to handle that balance and what his role is in both worlds. He loved K'un-Lun but was betrayed by it in Power Man and Iron Fist volume 1. He built himself a purpose on Earth as a superhero, then re-found his connection to K'un-Lun with the discovery of the Iron Fist legacy in Immortal Iron Fist. He failed to save K'un-Lun in Living Weapon and redeemed himself and rediscovered his purpose in Iron Fist volume 5. He got his childhood best friend Sparrow back. He got his sister Miranda back. That rocky, winding journey of self-discovery and loss and gained connections to K'un-Lun and the Iron Fist identity is one of the things I love so much about following this character, and if any good can come from him giving up the chi of Shou-Lao, I'd say it would be in giving Danny yet another opportunity really delve into all of that. Who is he when he isn't the Iron Fist? And what is his connection to K'un-Lun when he is no longer their Immortal Weapon?

I feel like we have been deprived of a truly K'un-Lun-centered Iron Fist story for too long, and in this theoretical world in which I was the new writer, I would have that be the primary setting for a comic that would see Danny return home and truly reconnect with what K'un-Lun means to him, and what he means to K'un-Lun just as a normal citizen. I would want to really dig into why he gave up his role as the Iron Fist (the Heart of the Dragon creative team didn't bother to do it, so somebody's gotta make that make sense). I think this would be an amazing opportunity for a bonding adventure with Miranda, who he has never really had the chance to really talk to about their father and their shared history. Miranda is the child Wendell abandoned. She watched Danny become the Iron Fist for the sake of avenging a father who she had every reason to hate. I WANT THAT EXPLORED! I would also want to delve more into Danny's relationship with Sparrow, the new Yu-Ti. He was, for one glorious chunk of time, her Weapon. I loved that. Now that he is not, what is their dynamic? What continuing role can he play in rebuilding K'un-Lun, which is very likely still reeling from the revolution in Immortal Iron Fist and the two subsequent invasions in Living Weapon and volume 5? I would want to continue the conversation about the fruit from the Tree of Immortality, which Danny has rejected twice now. What would that offer mean to him now? What would it take for him to accept it? And of course, I would want Pei to be there, because as I mentioned, she is going through this exact same thing, and she is, for all intents and purposes, the child that Danny was never able to have with Misty, and I think that's really important, and their relationship is really important.

I guess what this all boils down to is this: Danny is lost and directionless, and returns to K'un-Lun with Pei to try and sort things out. Some kind of bonding adventure occurs that allows him to 1. show off the fact that he is still one of the top two martial artists in the Marvel Universe, goddammit, and 2. do some serious soul-searching with himself, and with Pei, Miranda, and Sparrow, and reconnect with the city where he grew up, now out of the shadow of the Iron Fist legacy. And you know what? Davos should be there too. How the heck does he feel about Danny not being the Iron Fist anymore? How does he feel, now that some time has passed, about having killed his father and being a sworn enemy of K'un-Lun? Is there a possibility for redemption? Does he want that? Does anyone want that?

I know this is all very jumbled, but there is a whole dang lot that I want right now, and if Marvel gave me even a fraction of any of this, I'd be grateful. Thank you again for the question!

[imaginethezeldaverse]

@derrickwildsun putting this under a read more out of courtesy for others - I tried to answer you in the comments but ended up typing too much lol

So, as far as general storytelling goes, the ending, I think at least, was cathartic for both Zelda and the audience. A justified end for a large scale, selfless, and time-consuming sacrifice for the greater good. How they changed her back made plenty of sense as well, Sonia's time power being established as capable of restoring and reversing things to their original state in time (i.e. recall) and with Rauru's power of light amplifying it tremendously, they managed to bring Zelda back to her original, Hylian state.

Zelda's growth? If you could only hear the sigh I let out (it was a good sigh). She might be my favorite iteration of a Zelda to date. From feeling hopeless, scared, and lost in Breath of the Wild, to rebuilding, giving the people of Hyrule purpose and trying her best to lead both with her curious mind (zonai research team, her constant efforts to explore, etc.) and for the betterment/safety of her people (school in Hateno, Monster Control Crew, etc), to finally putting her foot down with her own powers to fight alongside Rauru and ultimately making the very very heavy decision to draconify herself to restore the Master Sword. To say she's grown feels almost too unsubstantial a word - this Zelda has shown a selflessness and sense of duty and hope is almost unquantifiable. Many, many Zeldas have sacrificed their powers or their identities to save others - but none (that I can think of right now) doing so to the point of what essentially was supposed to be no return. She morphed herself into an immortal beast knowing full well she would never be human again. Leaving her people, her friends, and most importantly, Link, behind entirely. In my opinion, there really can be no greater act of love. I feel nothing but pride to see her show some real queen behavior. She led just as Rauru did - though the outcome uncertain, as a ruler of Hyrule, would try by any means necessary to protect their home and their people. Absolutely loved this Zelda. Loved this game.

[pantwolf]

Healing is great, and I'm making good progress

But old bones get dug up.

I'm remembering things that I locked away

Things safer to ignore.

I feel old wounds opening up, scars dissolve

So new flesh can grow.

Emotional neglect, a little here, a little there

A timer of sand.

I'm not the victim of a major crime, my cuts are small

But many makes mighty.

Each grain finds their friends against the wind

Making a mighty shifting dune.

Sometimes I feel trapped trapped by society

And me.

I feel like the last of my kind - alone

Extinct.

Even in the company of kin, I feel alien

Incomplete.

But running kept me alive and going

A sprint on all fours.

Filled my time with work and school

Ignored the flame in my soul.

I was lost in the woods. No luminous moon glow.

But it turns out I wasn't alone.

In the end, I found my pack.

And they found me.

Our old new wounds will close

And we will be free.

Now we howl and play in Moon's soft glow,

And my heart beats with renewed fervor.

Yet I mourn the life I thought I had,

How could a pup have known any better?

"Healing"

- Felix

(Commentary under the cut)

This is about trauma, healing, and found family. Werewolves, nature, and instinct. Autism, ADHD, and unmasking.

And journies.

I have spent a very long time under the haze of dissociation, I think. I'm coming to realize that I haven't been able to actually address some of the traumatic events in my life, because they were small (but consistent) patterns, instead of a single, obvious tragedy. More importantly, they were normal. I didn't know I was hiding my fears, shame, and sadness.

I was a bullied kid. I was an outcast; I felt like there were miles between my peers and I (shoutout to my childhood friends, y'all were the Real Ones). I don't think I was actually despised by my peers, but the bullying did its job; I assumed I wasn't welcome, so I kept myself small.

My dad had cancer since I was 6, on and off for 20 years. Thankfully, it was a mildly-aggressive and very treatable cancer. It was just the background radiation of our family until COVID got him in 2020. He was as old as my peers' grandparents. Add in the chemo, and he was always tired and dozing off. But he never complained about feeling sick.

With that radiation (the radiation metaphor has like 3 levels at this point), my parents relationship strained. I was kept awake many nights by my mom yelling at my dad, them fighting about something. My mom made it sound like he was abusive or neglectful, and that he didn't treat her right. I believed her. I mostly remember my dad as detached and emotionally distant, uninvolved. One time, I told my mom that I felt like dad didn't love me. I'm sure she used that as ammo to try to get him to Step Up or Be Better or something. Either way, you can only really deliver a bullet with a gun. If she did tell him that at some point, I'm sure it killed him on the spot. I really wanted to rebuild a relationship with him. I never got the chance.

Fast forward to today, and I have little to no sense of identity. I'm in my third try at college, the first two were nonstarters. I work retail, all I've ever known. I feel lost and stuck. I don't feel welcome in the common culture.

But im starting to open my eyes. I'm starting to feel again. I'm becoming more confident, I feel better, I'm expressing myself, and I feel like I actually have agency to become who I want to be. I've been in a dark tunnel for so long that I forgot what it was like to be content and happy.

If you, dear reader, take away anything from this poem and my tale, let it be that it will get better.

[occultopossum]

Gonna be talking about the owl house spoilers below

biiiig long ramble

One yes I very much cried very much. Two I am so so so happy with the ending and how satisfying a lot of the epilogue felt with their narrative. While yes there were some b plots/loose ends I would of loved to see wrapped up, its not the *point*. The ending and show wrapped up the stories for the main characters so well. I am really hoping we do get some sort of Q&A for the stuff they couldn't fit in for time/pacing of the story

Like would of liked a little more closure for Caleb and his story, but I get why that wasn't included cause making it about Hunter. Caleb is dead and Hunter being his own person and not a remnant of him. So narratively it does make sense.

I looove love love that Odalia was handled the way she was. That there was no excuse, no tragedy, or way to try to make her redeemable. No 'i was like this because of x'. No her kids got to go *presumably* no contact. No hint of her being in their lives or trying to reconcile cause she's family. (and darius/alador dispelling that even more)

That alador is working on it and each of the blight kids have lil homages to him, and the touches on his belt with each of their symbols. Live for Eberwolf and Hunter getting to talk about wolfs fits so well,

How overwhelmingly queer the ending was with found family, and acceptance and just how many queer relationships and identities were shown unambiguously and how I know that would not even be something I couldn't of imagined seeing 10 years ago.

That so so many of the tropes that kinda sour an end were so nicely side stepped

not everyone deserving forgiveness

making it clear rebuilding took a lot of time

not having to choose between found family and birth family

while luz lost her powers she adapted and found alternatives

that Eda/Lilith were never 'cured' of the curses in the end, and stayed a part of them/living with it *same for eda's arm there wasn't a 'magic' fix'.

god that they didn't kill off collector for dramatic/sacrifice and acknowledge just a child and needs to learn/grow

no redeeming belos or giving him dignity/letting him turn into a martyr *and that epilogue touch of Lilith w/ the library showing they're reclaiming the history/narrative of the boiling isles

and no 'chosen one' luz earned it cause she chose it and worked for it not was destined

Lil touches I've would loved to see/or hoped get I get some answers on but get why it wasn't touched on in the ending (pacing and they weren't essential characters)

the coven heads palisman (saw raine had theirs)

would of loved to see how hooty and eda met or lil more hooty in the end since was there w/ the core group

would of just loved to see what happened to the rest of the coven heads, just cause I thought some of em were super neat (but thats my affinity to bg characters)

the hopes to aid the witches that were petrified (But def v non essential to the finale but shows hopefully w/ being able to remove the sigils) but obs the ending still showing lots of things changing and still healing even after 4 years

I feel like if things weren't cut so short would of gotten to see a lot more expansion on Raine, Collector, and Vee . Since the lil photos def feel like stuff they wanted to have more time for

(probs why some of their plot lines seemed a lil hastily in collector and raines)

Like I wish there would be more in that setting but kinda feels like thats a 0 chance with Dana leaving disney/how they treated the show. I wish creators had any way to keep their ips then it falling into a cooperate vault forever

like this just skims the feelings i have about it (titan luz was so good and the animation was amazing)