#should i reveal val's first love?

[savingsallow]

Can we have more garreth x your oc headcanons / facts ?

OOOO SURE! :D

— thank you for your interest, darling! 🤭 i'd gladly yap‐ I MEAN share facts about them ♡

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☆ Valentine used to hate Garreth with a burning passion. This kid was just petty about their trouble with Professor Sharp.

☆ They eventually became good friends and started dating in their 7th year.

☆ Even though Garreth always showed interest, they didn't date as early since Val was in love with someone else at that time (5th year days).

☆ Garreth knew about her first since his Aunt Matilda mentioned the new fifth year being the Headmaster's niece in one of their conversations. He actually thought that she'd be as condescending and ill-tempered. But oh boy, he was surprised that Val was so nice and genuine.

☆ Val helped Garreth to sneak more for their dates during their 7th year.

☆ Garreth gifted Val a hand-sewn Niffler stuffed toy for Valentine's Day since she loves Nifflers and had a stuffed toy of it when she was a kid but was ripped apart by her cousin.

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[ms-cartoon]

Warning: This post will contain mentions of assault or anything along the lines of it. You get the idea.

My review for HH ep 2 was supposed to be out by now, but there are some things I have to say first. My reasoning for sticking around for Hazbin Hotel is all gone except for Vox right now. I love Husk too, but they really just kinda ruined him for me in ep 4. I'm probably being dramatic but that's just how I feel. If he's supposed to be this wise bartender who's meant to make people feel better and help reach an understanding of some sort, he really just failed at that.

EP 4 of Hazbin Hotel is probably the worst one out of all the eps released so far. There are PLENTY of flaws to point out, but they can be said for some other posts I'll upload soon. What I'm mainly concerned with as of now is that "Loser Baby" song sung by HuskerDust.

So it's revealed that Husk was once an overlord and was always gambling. He betted his status and powers when playing against Alastor and lost. Now I guess he's forced to do whatever Alastor wants such as being a bartender. . . .

Sorry to get off topic here but. . . . Husk was an overlord??? I don't like how they just suddenly reveal that. It caught me off guard. I know they sorta foreshadowed it in the pilot, but they should've given most newcomers to the show a hint or something. It honestly feels like the writers just pulled that revelation out their asses just to add some positivity and similarity between Angel and Husk's relationship (because Viv and the fans just love idea of this ship oh so much)

Also, since he was previously an overlord, how come nobody's heard of him??? Everybody will get shocked when they hear or see Alastor or recognize him by his radio shows. Everybody knows the Three Vs, Camilla, etc. but not a Husk??? The Overlord with a gambling addiction?? Charlie and Vaggie will get shocked when Alastor comes in the picture but look at Husk like he's some random dude that just popped outta nowhere?

Plus, Alastor didn't force Husk to work as a bartender. In the pilot, he was easily convinced with cheap booze.

Speaking of his gambling addiction; well we all know he likes to gamble judging by his appearance. But gambling being his addiction?? Since when was that implied?

Anyway . . . . At this point, I don't get what the idea of that song is or what Husk meant by it. Maybe I am overlooking it, but its pretty hard not to believe knowing how Viv screws up her writing skills and how she went about it. According to all the Viv defenders, the song was meant to say Angel isn't alone in being stuck in a situation he feels he can't get out of and that Husk can understand where he's coming from and what he's going through. Well sorry to burst y'all's bubble, but even if that was, they just did wrong ENTIRELY. (Sidenote: If you Hazbin lovers wanna see it how u see it, then fine. But Imma stick with what I believe and there's nothing that could be said to change my mind, so don't bother trying to correct me.)

Husk makes it seem like he knows exactly what it's like being in Angel's shoes; signing a contract and being forced to do something against his will. That part seems to be the only thing they have similar. Except what happened with Husk in the past should NOT count as a similarity!

Husk: Loses a bet against Alastor, costing his soul and status as an overlord. Agrees to commit to Alastor's biddings apparently, including being a bartender for a hotel (which he wasn't really forced to do. He doesn't seem to be afraid in refusing Alastor's requests. I partially don't even believe it was apart of the deal to do what Alastor wanted)

Angel: Is a pornstar. Forced to be a pornstar and do whatever Val wants him to do. Including submitting to him and his sexual needs, getting beaten, r8ped, assaulted (sexually even), exploited, drugged, etc.

What part of Angel's problem should Husk be understanding? Alastor doesn't beat or r8pe Husk! It's never even revealed what Husk goes through with Alastor. I doubt it's anything bad on his part, since he clearly isn't afraid to talk smack to the powerful radio demon who could kill him in an instant. They just . . . had that past and now Husk is doing him a permanant favor. What Husk is doing now isn't even anything bad. He's working as a bartender for a hotel and is being paid to do it. He may not like, but it's nothing bad. What ANGEL is going through on the other hand?? The word "bad" doesn't even begin to cover it.

Husk may not know what Angel goes through (though he should connect the dots since Angel hinted at him when he revealed he gets drugged all the time) but Angel just full on agreeing with him and accepting that he's a loser for what he goes through and having to embrace his situation????

Ummm . . . . NO!

Bro! You just saw Angel about to get drugged!! He should NOT have to accept that!!

[alaynestcnes]

“evidence upon evidence upon evidence” and it’s just chapter order and stuff like “oh jonnel is definitely the same as jon” (which is basically saying alysanne is the same as alys) or val being blonde means she could be redheaded in certain lights. it’s still all a REACH so no evidence for romance

Looks like you have some gaps in your jonsa knowledge so I’ll help you out a little 😊

A good place to start would be the jonsa compendium with at least 18 points of independent in-text evidence (not including the broader fun stuff like lotr lit parallels). We can also talk about the multiple allusions to Sansa being betrothed to a Targ (not including the ashford tourney theory already included in the compendium); here, here. Some other little tidbots I enjoy (a la 'blood of winterfell', jon/joff parallels, little in-text parallels, and too many others to mention) are in my parallels tag.

There are the BNFs/theorists who have speculated on jonsa; Alt Shift X and Adam Feldman have both found Jonsa to be significant enough to mention. They’ve been invited to have dinner with GRRM, and he has said Adam Feldman ‘really gets’ asoiaf. So, I kinda hold these theorists as just a bit more credible than whatever the twitter/reddit stans have to say.

And I know you brushed off the chapter analysis but let’s remember that GRRM has said that he is very particular about the sequence of scenes and chapters. So, it’s not absurd to say that the construction of the chapters is something that we should be paying attention to. Ignoring that is fine but don’t pretend like it’s Jonsas reaching, when it’s just your own blind bullheadedness. That being said, here’s an almost never-ending post analysing the in-text Jonsa parallels and references. And then here there's how whenever Jon or Sansa's chapters have a focus on love and marriage, then the other will almost always closely follow.

That's my little english lit seminar done, but I hope you're not too tired bc we've still got our AP hisory and political science class to go! GRRM has stated before that class is important (especially in relation to marriage) and he hates medieval-set stories where the highborn lady happily runs off with the stableboy. So, it's safe to say that Sansa will not be marrying any old glup shitto the fandom wants to pair her with. Her range of suitors is very, very limited. "Jonnel is definetly the same as Jon"...well, if the shoe fits? Like it just lines up too well, it's just a bit cheeky of GRRM to sow issues of northern succession in ASOIAF, all while providing a precedent for an inter-Stark union as a solution to a very similar issue. You could also make the case that Jonnel/Sansa is more of a foil for Jon/Sansa than a direct parallel (as instead of Jon marrying Sansa to supercede her claim, Sansa will choose to marry Jon in order to secure his position after Targ reveal). And really, is this anymore delulu than something like the Jon/Tyrion/Dany three heads of the dragon theories you see around?

Anywaysss this is just a fast and loose run down and better people than me have developed more comprehensive archives of the ever-extending jonsa meta universe, so please supplement your learning with some independent study: here, here, here.

So yeah…the evidence is a little bit deeper than Jon/Jonnel or Val/Sansa. I’m not trying to preach but calling Jonsa out on a lack of evidence or that we’re reaching for anything is giving very much illiterate on your side. If you wanna come into my ask and be a hater again pleassseeee at least do your research first. Next time there will be a quiz before I take anything you say seriously.

[bird-inacage]

Only Friends: What Led to Ray's Explosive Tirade (Playing 'The Bad Guy')

I have to admit that this was not how I expected this scene to play out. I was just as flabbergasted as everyone else at first. However I think there's one clear thing that Ray's outburst reminded me off: no matter whether you reveal the truth or keep it to yourself - either way, you are the bad guy.

I'm NOT the Villain

As Boston very derisively claims, if Ray reveals the truth of the affair, he'll be the one unleashing the damage. A similar parallel to what Boston did last episode (with very different intentions may I add, but damage is damage nonetheless).

Mew is incredibly important to Ray. If we talk simply outside of Ray's love for him, Ray wants to treat him well, repay him for his kindness and support over the years. Therefore, once Ray was in possession of this information, he felt very strongly that Mew needed to know. He knew telling Mew was the right thing to do. He does genuinely care about Mew as a person.

Does he warn Mew and ruin his present happiness (which is based on a lie)? Or does he hold his tongue and potentially watch his friend get hurt from other mistreatments by Top further down the line?

Ray doesn't want to hurt Mew in any way. He doesn't want to be the bringer of bad news. Why should it have to fall to him to reveal this awful act of betrayal to someone he cares for so much? And when Mew supposedly doesn't react in the way he expects to this information, Ray goes ballistic with frustration, concern and anger. Why is he the bad guy for trying to help his friend, when Top can seemingly get away with it, and be in everyone's good graces even when he's completely undeserving? Why can no one else see Top's true colours?

I'm NOT the Worst

Something else that occurred to me throughout this episode, is how often Ray's friends belittle and overlook him. And it's so routine they hardly even notice.

Boston has never tried to hide his snide little back-handed comments at Ray. Since their fight at Sand's, he's become even more callous when throwing quips in plain sight. Namcheum makes an observation about all of them being partnered up, and it's only after a few beats that April points out Ray is still single. It's as if they forgot he was even there. Namcheum doesn't tend to pick up on any of the animosity or tension within this group. She's generally not the most tactful or best at reading people.

Then when Ray speaks to Mew in the bathroom, Mew immediately assumes Ray's been taking drugs. Ray looks clearly stunned by this. Yes, he's always coined as the 'drunk' but that's not his one and only personality trait. That's not all he does and is as a person.

It dawns on Ray that even his closest friends seem to always assume the very worst of him. He had a bad feeling about Top from the offset but no one cared or listened. Rather, Ray never gets given the benefit of the doubt, when he's not committed anything as problematic as the heinous crimes amongst their group. Particularly when compared to Top, someone who gets all the praise and adoration when Ray knows he's a certified piece of shit, is desperately unfair. And most of all Top gets the respect of the best friend he loves.

I think what really sent the situation hurtling south was Ray watching everyone play happy families, when he knows there is a web of dishonesty and resentment lurking beneath. It's all a farce. And Ray couldn't stomach it for another moment longer. He had enough.

Become the Very Thing You Loathe

In Episode 4, Ray displays a classic example of self-loathing and self punishment when he goads Sand to scold him. In doing so, it's as if he's deriving some warped form of satisfaction in owning these criticisms. Because he's told these things so often, he starts to believe it, so why not own it too? I actually mentioned this in my Episode 1 meta (regarding Ray's self-actualisation of becoming a burden). Sometimes embracing the very thing you hate being know for, at least validates the presence of that criticism. 'If people keep calling me an asshole, then fine, I'll become an asshole. At least then being called an asshole makes sense.'

So Ray brought it on himself to air out everyone's dirty laundry. 'Fuck it, if you really all think I'm the worst, then fine, I'll do what needs to be done, I'll be the worst. You all happy now?'

Even though Ray adopts the persona forced onto him, he's not happy about it at all. He wants to be identified with more substance, with more credit, as more than just what everyone claims him to be.

[anneapocalypse]

Why I Love the Hinterlands

The Hinterlands in Dragon Age: Inquisition get kind of a bad rap, and for kind of understandable reasons. For anybody who doesn't know the story, some context. The Hinterlands are the first open world area that unlocks for the player, a vast and highly explorable map full of quests, worldbuilding, and NPCs. So what was the problem? The problem was that the Dragon Age series had set two games' worth of precedent that the player could get locked out of an area and lose access to sidequests and other content—and the devs seemed not to fully realize they were fighting this precedent, or how strong it was, until the game came out and completionist players were getting exhausted and annoyed running around this huge map trying frantically to knock out all the side content before moving on. We still make jokes about devs on twitter trying to tell players that they could leave the Hinterlands. Lines were later patched in for the starting companions urging the player to go to Val Royeaux and advance the plot; you'll hear those lines if you play the game today, but they weren't there in the beginning.

The game's executive producer Mark Darrah has even spoken about this problem in his Dragon Age: Inquisition Memories and Lessons video on YouTube. From a game design perspective I do not dispute this issue. It definitely represents an oversight in the way the area is presented to players and the context they are given for what they should do next.

All that said… I love the Hinterlands, and with every replay (I have beaten the game four times at this point) my appreciation for this area and what it brings to the story has deepened. And as recent polls have raised discussion about the merits of various maps, I've felt moved to rise to their defense, so... here's why I think the Hinterlands are Good Actually.

Every map in Inquisition has its own overarching story, introduced by Scout Harding when the map unlocks and revealing itself through exploration and completing the quests within. Crestwood has the story of the flood during the Blight. The Exalted Plains have the story of the Orlesian Civil War. The Hissing Wastes have the story of Fairel and the surface thaig. And so forth. For this reason, I've come to feel that once you've progressed far enough in the main quest to have collected most or all of your companions, the most rewarding way to experience each area is at one go, as much as possible. Popping in and out of maps to complete one quest at time is, in my opinion, really detrimental to exploration and makes it harder to see the big picture. This is also one place where I really appreciate the invisible approval meter, because it discourages me from always stacking my party to game approval, the way I pretty much always play DA2.

At first glance, the story of the Hinterlands is the story of the ongoing war between the rebel mages and the renegade templars. This is one reason the Inquisitor may go there: to make contact with the rebel mages. They have been offered refuge in Redcliffe and are presently entrenched in the castle and adjoining village; the templars continue to attack the mages' position, and thus there is concentrated fighting in this region. Splinter factions of both mages and templars are also entrenched elsewhere in the area.

But this is just the setup. What the Hinterlands is about, its real story, is the common people.

The Inquisitor is first sent to the Hinterlands to make contact with Mother Giselle, in hopes of gaining some Chantry support. Seeking her out requires the Inquisitor to fight their way through the conflict to reach the Crossroads, where many refugees have gathered.

In these big, sweeping stories about heroes and villains, I think it's easy for the perspectives of common people to get kind of lost. One thing I do appreciate about the Dragon Age series is that every game does make a real effort to give voice to the commoner perspective. Origins has its city elf and casteless dwarf origin stories, and the player encounters many commoners throughout the game and gets to hear a bit of their perspective. Dragon Age 2 wouldn't be Dragon Age 2 without Darktown and Lowtown and the elven alienage and our interactions with the people who inhabit those parts of the city. Oddly enough, though, every human character we've ever had the chance to play in Dragon Age has come from a noble family; sure, Hawke starts out living as a commoner, but doesn't stay that way for long.

In Inquisition especially, we don't have the option of a commoner prologue to really drive home that perspective and carry it through the story. And while a Dalish elf, a Carta dwarf, a qunari mercenary, and a Circle mage certainly live very different lives than a human noble, they also live very different lives than Giles the farmer—not necessarily more privileged, but still different, with differing priorities and different stakes in this conflict. Bron the farmhand has no reason to be at the Conclave; he's here mucking out stalls, knowing the horses still need to be fed even if there is a rift spewing demons over there in the middle of the neighbor's pasture. Elaina the farmer is putting away cabbages for winter and hoping the barn doesn't get burned down by a stray fireball. And Elaina is one of the fortunate ones: her family's home and livelihood are still intact, for now. The Crossroads now hold many ordinary people who through no fault of their own have lost their homes, their crops, even family members.

Theirs is the perspective we get in the Hinterlands.

You don't have to stick around for all that. You can take Mother Giselle’s advice immediately, go to Val Royeaux, go deal with bigger and more important things and people. You will need 4 Power to go to Val Royeaux, but Power is easy to come by. Close a few rifts, and you’re good to go. You don’t have to care about these refugees and their problems.

But you know, something I notice is that the founders of the Inquisition spend a whole lot of breath talking about "the people." How they have to restore order for the people. How the people are looking to us—to you, Your Worship. The people need you. The people need to believe in you. That’s why we’re raising an army and building a cult around you! For the people.

Well, here are the people.

And if you talk to the people at the Crossroads, it turns out that what they actually need is less faith in Andraste’s chosen, and more blankets for the cold nights, medicine for the sick and injured, and food so they don’t starve. They need the war ended and the Breach closed so that they can return to what’s left of their homes and salvage what crops and livestock they can.

It is easy to feel a bit smothered by the Inquisition’s overwhelming Andrastian-ness, especially when playing a character who has their own religious beliefs, or none at all. We have a lot of characters trying to tell us about the importance of faith—their faith, specifically. We’re told that the people need to believe, and that’s why we have to play the role of this figurehead. And you can run with that idea and play it straight, if you want to. But there is, in fact, a different story to be found here, if you want to look for it—a story told in the world itself and the people who who inhabit it: people cannot eat faith.

And Mother Giselle, the person we are sent to the Hinterlands to find, knows this. She is certainly a devout Andrastian and deeply influenced by a life in the Chantry—but she also chooses to be on the ground helping people in need rather than arguing with her fellow clerics in Val Royeaux. After the attack on Haven, Mother Giselle and the Inquisitor have a conversation about faith, in which the Inquisitor points out, in one way or another, that faith may not be enough. Giselle may seem to disagree. Yet it is she who then leads the survivors in a song that does not mention the Maker or Andraste even once. The much-maligned “The Dawn Will Come” is so frequently assumed to be a Chantry hymn because it is Mother Giselle who starts it; even the fan wiki lists it as such. But I hear something much more akin to a folk song, a marching tune—not a high holy chorus for a cathedral choir, but a song with a simple tune and repetitive lyrics, about hope in dark times.

Perhaps she was rather more persuaded than she appeared.

When you ask your ambassador Josephine, “What do the people make of us?” she tells you how many noble allies you’ve gathered. And that’s not unimportant; this boots on the ground shit costs money, and most of that is coming out of noble coffers. But when you ask Mother Giselle, “How are the people?” she speaks of the terror and suffering of the people in the Hinterlands, and warns of mass starvation if the farmers cannot return to their fields.

This is the story of the Hinterlands.

And the density of side quests on this map reflects that. In addition to aiding the refugees with food, blankets, and medicine, there are so many more opportunities to help people in small but meaningful ways. An elven widower who cannot reach his wife’s grave through the fighting asks the Inquisitor to bring flowers there as is his custom. A grieving widow asks for the retrieval of her husband’s wedding ring from the templars who murdered him. A beloved ram has gone missing. A mage mourns her templar lover and the war that has come between them. A note speaks of two brothers, templar and apostate, torn apart by the war. A son has gone off to join the cult in the hills (no, not our cult in the hills, another one), and his mother needs the special remedy for her breathing problems that only he knows how to make. And so many more. Even the Winterwatch cult itself asks us to consider what it is the people truly need: the Inquisitor can enlist them as Inquisition agents, or ask them to aid the refugees.

Are all these sidequests vital to the plot? No. You can skip them if you want to. Are they relevant to the plot? Absolutely. Are they meaningful? To me, yes. Maybe they didn't change the whole world, but they changed something for these people.

It is so important to me that we get to actually meet the common people whose lives are depending on us. Whatever you think of the Inquisition itself, people actually are dying because of both the rifts and the war, and many more will die if these problems aren’t resolved. Meeting them, giving them names and faces and side quests dealing with their more mundane needs is so much more meaningful to me than standing around back at base being told “People are starving in the Hinterlands.”

It's understandable that the Hinterlands had to fight the precedent set by Lothering getting locked off, because in many ways the Hinterlands serves the same narrative purpose as Lothering: showing the effects of the present crisis on the common people and what's at stake for them.

I should note that the Hinterlands are not the only part of the game that addresses the impact on common people—far from it, in fact. The Exalted Plains give us a taste of how many have died for the Gaspard's attempted coup; Emprise du Lion shows us commoners kidnapped and tortured by Red Templars; the Winter Palace puts the bloody reality of the "Grand Game" in stark contrast to its gilded veneer with the indiscriminate murder of servants for expediency.

But it’s important that we are introduced to the suffering of the common people early in the game, when the Herald—not yet the Inquisitor—may still feel pretty shaky on their motivations for even sticking around.

While I've mostly been talking about non-mage commoners here, I do want to say a few words about the rebel mages as well, since they too are a part of the story of the Hinterlands. I hope that no one reading thinks I am blaming the rebel mages as a whole for what's happening in the Hinterlands, for what the common people here have suffered. The templars, notably, are not entrenched in the Hinterlands. Their present stronghold is Therinfal Redoubt, an old Seeker fortress, which is a significant distance from Redcliffe. The fact that the bulk of the fighting is taking place near Redcliffe, while we've no evidence of a mage offensive against Therinfal, makes it pretty clear that it is the templars who are pursuing the mages at this point, not the other way around. Certainly some in the region may not bother to make that distinction while their crops are on fire, but let's be clear about the story the map is telling us: it is the mages who are under attack here, not the templars. It is sometimes said that Inquisition deliberately draws a false equivalence between the mages and templars in this war. I would like to point to this piece of environmental storytelling as evidence that that is not entirely true.

Sometimes, it seems like pointing out that collateral damage happens is read as condemning an oppressed people for defending themselves. I want to make it clear that this is not what I am saying. I simply feel that those characters who have lost homes and livelihoods in this conflict are also worth seeing, and talking about. But I also don’t think it’s an accident that this is the map whose story is all about the suffering of ordinary people, and it is also the rebel mages who have their base on this map; the templars do not.

So, that’s why I think the Hinterlands are Good Actually! They contain an absolute wealth of worldbuilding, and their story frames the game’s central conflicts around the people suffering for them, early in the game when that perspective is most needed.

[out-of-the-forest-i-come]

The Gentleman and His Vowsmith

4,5⭐

The Gentleman and His Vowsmith is a gripping murder mystery mixing romance and historical fantasy, and I had so much fun reading it!

Nic and Leaf, heirs to two noble English families, are set to be married. According to custom, they are to be locked in with their party inside Nic’s mansion while the marriage contract is being negotiated. Nic doesn’t want to get married to a stranger and continue living under the weight of his father’s expectations, at the cost of his own freedom. He doesn’t want to have to face his old lover and negotiator for his fiancee’s family, Dashiell, whom he hasn’t spoken to in seven years. But the marriage is decided, the lock-in in effect, and he can escape neither Dashiell nor his marriage. That is, until a dead body turns up on the first evening of the lock-in. It looks like a tragic accident at first. Then, someone else dies. Convinced the deaths are no mere accident, Nic and Leaf, his fiancee, set out to uncover the murderer and their motive as the atmosphere in the house grows tenser and tenser with each day that passes.

Engaging from the beginning to the end, The Gentleman and His Vowsmith is a great book to read if one is looking for a fun murder mystery. The intrigue was delightful, foreshadowed well-enough that I was able to guess several of the answers and plot twists without losing interest in the book, and that the plot twists I hadn’t discovered kept me on my toes while still making sense in hindsight. I was gasping and talking to myself all throughout, and I really did not expect to enjoy myself so much while reading this book. I also have to give my credits to Rebecca Ide for having created such amazing subplots, which I followed with the same avidity as I did the main intrigue and which I loved just as much, if not more.

The only downside to the plot is that the build-up to the ending could have been in my opinion, stronger. I am not going to spoil the ending, but I thought that revealing the truth about the murders in two different scenes, even if they weren’t far apart, rather than in one single scene cut up the tension that should have built up and grown until the final, grand reveal. As it was, after the first reveal scene, the tension went down instead of going forever up, and the second scene was less grand because of that. The ending was still good, but it could have been more effective had the build-up been better.

Though the plot is very good, the characters are the novel’s real strength. All three of the most important characters, Nic, Leaf, and Dashiell, are well-developed and instantly likeable. They all felt very natural, flawed without being annoying, and I had no trouble getting attached to them. I admired all throughout the chemistry between them and how natural the relationships—platonic or romantic—felt. The wholesome friendship between Leaf and Nic was set up really quickly, and yet it made sense that it took so little time because the author made sure that the relationship itself made sense. The romance was equally well-paced, and the author balanced pining and romantic action perfectly. In truth, the characters and their relationships were so well-developed that I found myself quite fond of some of the minor characters and their relationships (I would be delighted to read about Val and Charles, if anyone involved in making this book sees this!).

When it comes to the worldbuilding, I have no doubt that Rebecca Ide spent a lot of time working on the magic and laws surrounding vowsmithing, as their knowledge of it could be felt through the writing. However, I found it wasn’t sufficiently explained in the novel, and now that I have finished the book, I am still absolutely incapable of explaining how the magic system works or what exactly vowsmithing entails. It didn’t hinder my overall comprehension because the book featured magic but wasn’t about magic, but since magic was a constant in the background, it did bother me not to understand it, and I think I might have missed some of the stakes of the plot because of that.

Despite this, The Gentleman and His Vowsmith is a very good book and I had a great time reading it. I would happily recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fun, queer murder mystery and I do think that fans of Freya Marske will enjoy it.

[hiemaldesirae]

Okay so my idea is Vox was an omega in life and hid it because he wanted to be a producer and at the time omegas were rarely allowed such autonomy and freedom. So when he dies, he just naturally falls back into his pattern of hiding his nature, especially because he knows he wants to be an overlord and another enterprising demon could take his power if he mated with the wrong person.

At first, Vox hated being an omega, but as the years went on, he realized what he actually hated was the constrictions Earth's society had put on him and he began to feel more comfortable and assured in his designation.

When Vox feels comfortable enough to start exploring his sexuality and possibly having partners for his heats, he drafts an NDA that all his potential partners have to sign so his secret can never get out. It works great and Vox learns what he likes and doesn't like and his secret is secure.

When Valentino approaches him for a partnership, Vox is already established as a small time overlord. Valentino flirts relentlessly but Vox remains completely professional until one day Val comes into work to find Vox leaning on his desk with paperwork of some kind. Vox tells Val he just needs his signature real quick and so Val signs it without reading. As he finishes, the contract glows and disappears and Vox grins before pouncing on Valentino and kissing him ferociously.

They fuck like crazy for the next week while Vox rides out his heat. Val was shocked to discover his business partner was an omega and a wicked lay but he was most shocked when he tried to call Vox his little omega and found himself saying "my little beta" instead.

Vox smugly informs him that he'd signed an NDA and that he was bound by it for the rest of eternity, but that if he played nice, maybe Vox would let him spend his next heat with him again. So every year, about a month before Vox's heat, Val rolls out the red carpet just so he can have the pleasure of being Vox's heat partner.

Vox will never tell Val, but after their first time together, he'd decided he didn't want anyone else. Nevertheless, it's good to keep Val on his toes-and he likes being showered in gifts.

OUGHHH wait oh my god this is honestly pretty fucking genius . i love this idea soo much and its actually so fun i love twists on a/b/o even though i myself typically pivot to more rigid dynamics. the idea that vox likes to NDA people he sleeps with is SOOO fucking funny and im now imagining a situation where valvox eventually start wanting more than their current situationship and vox in a show of trust nullifies the contract and NDA for val only, even though val still doesnt breathe a word of voxs secondary dynamic unless vox says its all good because hes just That Whipped 😭😭

theres also a crazy amount of potential angst here that i feel i should point out with the idea that perhaps voxs aversion from revealing his actual dynamic stemmed from past unfortunate memories in life + even what led to radiostatic breakup if we're following canon timeline here . like the idea that vox first revealed his dynamic to alastor and then al in his typical "I Have Never Interacted With Another Human Being Before" manner proceeded to use it against him and then broke voxs trust forever (<- you can tell i never got over the twist in freak-a-zoid) and now vox is learning to get over that wirh val... Aough. i dont know i think staticmoth can be sooooo cute sometimes

this prompt was wonderful nonny thank you for sending it in (and i promise ill find some time to start dusting off the other asks in my inbox eventually. just... maybe not now because im still irrationally scared of them)

[strawberry-spectre]

I was at a friend's party and as I was bored I scrolled through Tumblr and found a "bad end friends" post, like it got me thinking, so far I never saw a "bad end" or reverse au in MH, like the villains never got redeemed or some didn't even WANT to or what if our loved ghouls had a tragic ending or were evil (kinda like shadow ghouls) idk underfell vibes

And that made me think...can you imagine like a genuine villain valentine, one that didn't get redemption? And if so, hcs?

Genuine villain Valentine is such a cool idea omg :0000 Imagine him breaking ghoul's hearts just for the fun of it and using them for his own advantage lol he definetly would be a scarier villain.

I don't think Val would have the 3 dumbass clouds with him bc I feel like that was mostly for comedic effect and to back him up as the villain. In this au Val would be scarier alone without the 'hehehehehehehehehe' from the clouds lol.

I think it'll be cool if in the wdgfil movie his appearance was more like Cupid's, only seeing glimpses of the character then a final reveal :DD some no face shots of him with his trophy case, his silhouette, etc etc

And the first time we see evil Val's face can be when he's alr hypnotised Drac so it's like ':000 he rly did that omg'

I think the main complication would be Spelldon. Does Valentine continue to lead ghouls on whilst in a relationship with Spell? Is Spell also evil in this au? Does evil Valentine truly love Spell? Does Valentine know he's gay alr? What are the other reasons for Val to lead ghouls on other than 'it's fun'? What would his backstory be? I don't think it should be too 'sympathetic' or else he wouldn't be a 'genuine villain'

I don't think it'll make sense for Spelldon to be evil bc we see that Casta's very sweet and nice, if she wasn't in the picture though I would def love to see evil power couple Spelltine who does evil things together lmao. Maybe that can be their 'shadow' self (13 wishes) (imagine shadow spelltine guys IVE BEEN OBSESSED W/ THE IDEA-)

[katyspersonal]

Another SOTE progress post!

1) Okay so like I said earlier in another post the highlight of today was finally defeating Rellana x) It felt REALLY rewarding to finally win after having to try so many things, Miyazaki forced me to use my brain AGAIN

2) After that I went to talk with the NPCs around the crosses by an advice by @val-of-the-north since not being able to summon Leda apparently meant that I've got the rune of Miquella broken. And hoooo boy.... At last I got to that part where Ansbach revealed the uncancelled Mohg's lore.

"Once, in an attempt to free Lord Mohg from his enchantment, I challenged Tender Miquella, only to have my own heart rather artfully stolen. I knew not how weak I was. I believed that with sufficient mastery, even and Empyrean would be within reach of my blade. I could not have been more mistaken... Miquella the Kind...is a monster. Pure and radiant, he wields love to shrive clean the hearts of men. There is nothing more terrifying."

"Righteous Tarnished. Miquella the Kind makes my blood run cold. I am loath to admit it, but even at this very instant I wish to run very far away indeed."

Soooo, yeah.. Apparently the bit I was spoiled is later game dialogue, this is a different one and I see it for the first time! Damn, trailer quote tho x)

3) What I did NOT know is that all these characters were under the spell of Bewitching Branch too ;-; Guess Leda is going after the hornsent guy's throat now gfhgjg Wild to see how everyone now does what they actually want, SPEAKING OF:

4) Thiollier now wants to go seek the part of Miquella he earlier had sealed away with the spell wall branded with his Haligtree symbol! There is now outright confirmation that Trina IS Miquella:

"Would Kindly Miquella chasten me? For falling for St. Trina, while knowing that she was the discarded half? The problem is... I simply cannot help it. I would sacrifice everything, just to gaze upon her, one last time."

Damn... either 1) Looks like both alters of Miquella have the capacity of compelling affection? Not just his Bewitching Branch, but whatever sleepy scent powers Trina is using or 2) Thiollier is Just Like This. Tea?

"I see you've thrown away... Something you should not have. Under any circumstances. How will you salvation offer... to those who cannot be saved? When you could not even save your other self? Kindly Miquella..."

5) The cross strangely has the message from Miquella, "I abandon here my love". All things considered it is not supposed to refer to his feelings, and recalling dialogue by Ansbach I'd say it maybe refers to his ability to wield love as weapon? Because look at how NOW Trina's power entices people into coma. Speaking OF:

6) Turned out my previous guess was wrong, and "bastardisation" of Trina's otherwise pacifist powers was not work of followers, but result of Miquella severing her from his being!

7) (or rather 6.1 lol) This is actually a good additional timeline clue! Earlier Freija mentioned that she received her Scarlet Rot wound in Caelid, so, as Malenia and Radanh fought, and Miquella was the one to heal it! So he was around that time yet. Then, change in Trina's powers happened as Miquella went to abandon his Empyrean entity, when Dolores has been using the powers as they were and she was in the Roundtable Hold! This I think will be useful for later to recover when could he have started with the plan! I already have a working suggestion for explaining events, just need more info!

8) Damn, not the area from the trailer ;-; Thiollier is so dead lol

By the way the boss in this area is RIDICULOUSLY difficult hghghg I gave up on him and kinda went to have adventures elsewhere just for the heck of it!

9) Discovered an actual dialogue by an old lady in Belurat, AND:

EMPYREAN?? I actually yelled at Val about it since I needed to know whether it is legit the same term or perhaps a loss in translation! And he researched Japanese script and confirmed that yes, indeed, this woman IS an Empyrean like GEQ, Marika, Ranni, Miquella and Malenia! @val-of-the-north be a dear and add the evidence you've found today in a reblog or another pose! Because HECK, WHAT????

10) So I went to look around in random places since that boss was too hard. Found a small piece of some ruins by Val's advice, using one of those blue Keyswords. Then I wanted to go down in a village down near Moorth Ruins but for the heck of it could not figure how to get down there. While waiting for Val's slow ass to instruct me, I started to run wherever, really. And ironically, found the exact cave leading me to the FULL version of those Ruins! Felt surprised to find the golden tree inside!

11) Went through second poisonous swamp in the game yet, truly Miyazaki xD

12) Stumbled into Kindred of Rot, but they are RED in color!!!

This was so bizarre?? Damn, still, what ARE they doing here? First turned out that Formless Mothers and rituals for her that Mohg is using originated in Shadow Realm, now this.. Makes me wonder whether all Outer Gods come from this place originally, so God of Rot too, so, Twinbird too?

13) Hey @heraldofcrow how did you lose your clothes?? Put them back on slut gdghvgbvbbh

14) I decided to explore later and instead went to bully Horned Knights and Ascetics for their sets and weapon in Belurat. Belurat has places very close to Site of Grace for both! Horned Knight farming went pretty fast and easy! Ascetic... not so much. :/ He did drop his weapon and arm piece, but past this point he's been only dropping leg piece over and over! Reminds me of that 'Seebass? No, it's at least C+!' meme vffhhhh I think I will return for his mask later :/

15) This type of posts becomes a bit too structured, I need to post more random items descs

16) However I got a note from Val that we surprisingly got lore on Fingercrawlers (lol at my recent theory post aging like milk xd) and @jarognieva said something about a couple of spots on the map looking like giant fingerprints + having many fingers within 👀 No idea what is going on yet, but I can see it now!

Okay that's it for now.. until the tomorrow's work shift ends xD

[chaifootsteps]

One of the many things that bugged me in the final, was Al's segment in the last few minutes, mostly because like everything in this show there was so much missed potential. So I present a part of a re-write I would love to do, this part focusing on Al because he could have been really cool and not an edge lord. Also most of this is stuff I've seen in other asks/re-writes that I think would be cool.

So Al in this version is pretty close with pilot/original Al. He was still a serial killer who loves to make deals. He has his code for killing of killing those who take advantage of the weak and most of his deals are deals of protection(ie. every time you help me, you can call on me to help you that number of times), he still makes deals for his own gain of course and is still as ominous as in the pilot. Also he functions like a warlock from dnd, with no real power of his own. Also also, he never swears at all, not once and if he does its a more old timey swear, he cannot talk with out his staff and has to perpetually smile.

Have him keep his sentiment from the pilot that he's here at the hotel for his own amusement and that he does not care about anybody in it. Have Al start of as very aloof and keep him this way for the frist 10(give or take) episodes(also give the show more episodes). Have Al never use his powers on screen have only give hints that he's as powerful as everybody says he is. Over the first season have the cast grow to like each other more Al include but much much more mildly. The main villains of s1 should be the Vs also save Heaven for last or later. So s1 final, the Vs attack the hotel or sm and the main cast + sinners who have checked in to the hotel(believing it not to be a lost cause, which also gives Charlie some extra motivation). During this have a part where Al has to use his suposed powers only to reveal that he has none or that they are extremely weak. At some point either durning or before his 7 year sabbatical they where either taken or disappears for some reason(maybe because of a deal he broke?). After this have Al use what little magic he has to teleport away leaving the hotel(because he's a coward/does not want to be seen as weak in anyway). The cast gets the Vs to leave them alone with one of Sir. Pent's machines bc he's the best and we love him.

Another thing that I want to do is show Al being aroace. Have an episode where he goes with Angel to the Vs tower just to mess with Vox but they run into Val and Alastor is very obviously uncomfortable near him, you could even have Angel notice this and try to have Val piss off.

Ok moving on to next season, Al is missing and have the gang(mostly Niffty and Husk bc in this au those three are friends and you can pry that from my dead hands. Also Husk and Al have a deal of mutual protection, they help each other out. Hell this could be another reason why Al left at the fight because he could do anything to help Husk.) start looking around pride to try and find him. They do and he immediately teleports away leading to a short chase until Al runs out of magic. Then the rest of main cast confront him about the whole ordeal. I'm not sure how exactly it goes but Al durning the whole conversation is trying to doge all questions and lie as much as he can(the main cast after this still don't know all the details but the main idea is that, Al had a deal with somebody who gave him powers when he first entered hell, maybe Lilith? And 7 years ago he broke it somehow, leaving him to disappear trying to regain lost power). Husk and Niffty manage to convince him to keep helping the hotel and probably question him more in private. I'm not sure what the rest of s2 would be about, I know that s1 is about more sinners checking into the hotel and also getting Angle away from Val. s2 Might be about Charlie finally getting to talk w/ Heaven and would you look at that they love the idea of a hotel for sinners to reform because heaven likes the exterminations about as much as hell does(exterminations are still about over population in this au). Also s2 introduces Lucifer.

I'm not quite sure what exactly happens in s3 and 4 but I know that in s3 Al starts believing in the hotel more and caring about the people in it(would he ever admit this? no.). Somebody in this season also presents him with betraying the hotel which he says no to. Idk how s4 goes but it ends with some angels(not all of them, only the most dedicated exterminators) going to hell against heavens rules to kill as many sinners as they can. They get stopped obviously but I still need to work out more details.

I'm still working on sorting out other stuff for this re-write also sorry if this is really long or annoying, I've had this sitting in my brain all week. If you don't mind I might also send asks about the other characters in the re-write

Good rewrite! Interesting stuff!

[irkimatsu]

Do you have any predictions for Season Two of Hazbin? In general or just for Husk?

I do have random thoughts! Somewhere between "what I think will happen" and "what I think should happen", I'd say! No particular order:

-The fact that we'll be seeing Abel makes me think we'll be getting more about the beginning of Earth, and hopefully an explanation for Adam being the first human in heaven when Abel is, y'know, right there. (I like him so far, there isn't a single thought behind those puppydog eyes)

-I'd also like more about Vaggie's backstory - at the very least try to plug some plot holes/stuff that's kind of nonsense, like "why was Vaggie surprised to know that angels are vulnerable to angelic weapons when she was attacked by Lute" and "what would make one of the top exorcists suddenly change her mind after years, that kid surely wasn't the first Sinner to express fear of dying, Vaggie obviously knew what she was doing this whole time". I love Vaggie, but the way her backstory was handled is one of the biggest complaints I have, and I'd love if S2 could retroactively make it a little better...

-Pentious and Emily interactions! I will die from the adorable, I want to see Emily's reaction to the first redeemed Sinner

-Pentious and Molly will meet and have at least one conversation where they bring up Angel Dust and Anthony. Neither of them realize they're talking about the same person. A joke will be made where Pentious should obviously realize that this is Angel's sister, he almost connects the dots... and then he doesn't. This conversation could also reveal some backstory about Angel's life on Earth. (Genuinely wondering how Molly will react to her brother ending up as a gay sex worker in Hell.)

-Niffty's solo will have absolutely nothing to do with the plot, will go way harder than it has any right to, and will be one of the best songs in the entire series.

-We're not learning anything about Niffty yet. She's better as an enigma. That's a final season sort of reveal.

-Baxter will exist and I will make giddy clapping noises every time he's on screen. I love science gremlins who sound like Richard Horvitz. (Apparently it's not actually Richard playing him?)

-We won't meet Crymini yet. There's too much going on to fit her into eight episodes. Maybe if it was a longer season, but as it stands, not yet. We will meet her to give Husk another positive relationship, to show off his gruff-but-loving fatherly side; just not yet.

-I also don't think Huskerdust will go full canon yet. This isn't me being selfish or bitter, just realistic; I think it'd be too rushed if they got their Big Gay Kiss this season. Furthest I expect for now is mutual "oh god, feelings, time to drown them in my substance of choice" panic. Their relationship will be developed, they're just not smooching yet. Be patient, dear shippers, the patience makes it much more satisfying. Hey, it worked for me with Stolitz, anyway!

-We'll learn a bit more about Husk's past as an Overlord, but it will open more questions than answers. We'll continue to learn more about Husk's backstory for the entire series, drip-fed in little pieces. I want to know more, but I think it's too soon for him to show all his cards.

-If any characters' pasts are really explored, I'm guessing on Adam (via Abel reacting to his death), Pentious (as Heaven tries to figure out what he's doing there), and/or Vox (season is supposed to be focused on the Vees and what the fuck is his deal with Alastor.) Val and Vel are also options - how Val met Angel, or, well, basically anything about Vel - but if I had to pick one, I'm going with Vox.

I feel like there's other stuff, too, but that's what I've got for now. Damn it, I need more Hazbin! I wonder if we'll get some news on the anniversary?

[heyclickadee]

My take (that no one asked for) on every single Star Wars show and non-saga movie:

The Clone Wars (movie): It’s…okay it’s rough. This wasn’t supposed to be a movie at all, putting three episodes of the show together and releasing it theatrically was part of the distribution deal with Cartoon Network, as far as I know, and it does show. It’s grown on me, though.

Clone Wars (The Tartakovsky Series): I think I’m probably in the minority here, but I actually don’t love this one. It’s fun, slick, and stylish, like everything Tartakovsky does is, and I don’t dislike it, but it just doesn’t do much for me. It’s cool. Maybe it’s a little too cool. Great art style, though.

The Clone Wars: Very high highs, very low lows. Though to be honest, I actually love a lot of the goofier episodes. They’re fun. It doesn’t have to be all drama all the time. Sometimes you can let Jar Jar be an agent of chaos. Sometimes you can have an episode about interest rates. I don’t have the nostalgia factor going with TCW the way a lot of people do—I didn’t watch it until I was in my twenties—so I do have to admit that it is tied with one other show as my least favorite of the animated shows, but that’s not a bad thing. I still love it.

Ewoks: I’ve only seen about six episodes. It’s veeerry 80’s. I think eight year old me would have gone insane for this show had I seen it. Adult me actually has a bit of a soft spot for it. I’ll watch the rest of it eventually. (Aaaand now I have the theme song stuck in my head. It’s. It’s definitely a theme song.)

Droids: I…haven’t seen it.

Resistance: I finally had a chance to get all the way through this show (I was eyeballs deep in “okay fine we’ll try this college thing AGAIN” when it was airing and just didn’t have time to check it out) and you know what? It’s actually pretty good. It’s definitely skewed even a little younger than Star Wars typically is, but it does what it does really well. Sort of feel like this one is slept on.

The Mandalorian: It’s a fantastic adventure of the week show. I actually don’t dislike the “plot” episodes, but mostly I’m just here to watch what shenanigans Din and his small green force son get into. Season three is weaker than the first two, but I don’t even really think that season is bad. There was some great stuff in it—just uneven and mixed in with some not so great stuff. Overall, good popcorn viewing, as far as I’m concerned.

Andor: Okay, yeah, Andor is fantastic. I do think some of its popularity is that it’s one of two (maybe three) Star Wars shows made for adults more than anyone else, so some people don’t quite have the same “why isn’t this making me feel like Star Wars did when I was a kid?” dissonance watching it, but it is also genuinely amazing. Probably the best thing Star Wars has ever done even if it’s not technically my favorite.

The Book of Boba Fett: Is it a mess? Yes. Do I still enjoy it? Yeah. My main problem with BoBF is that it’s got some serious structural issues. Even besides Din coming in and taking over two whole episodes, I think that the telling the story via flashbacks was a mistake, and that we should have followed Boba through the childhood bits and slowly caught up to him in the present. Maybe revealed it was all a flashback while he was in the bacta tank from there. And I…don’t love Robert Rodriguez’s directorial style all that much, never really have. That said, I do hope we eventually get more of this, though if we do I think it will be folded into something else. Still don’t love the live action pike design. (I actually have a conspiracy theory that BoBF was originally just a few episodes or even a season of The Mandalorian, and that it was made its own thing for marketing purposes.) I want more Boba, more Fennec, and more Sand People, if nothing else.

Solo: One, killing off Val Beckett was a huge mistake. It’s not story breaking or anything like that, but doing so when she’s one of very few black women in Star Wars and half of one of, like, two interracial couples in the entire franchise means that it hits in a way it wouldn’t if she was someone else. So, yeah, don’t like that. Two, the rest of this movie is a blast and audiences just hate fun. I don’t care that no one asked for this movie, it’s fun and campy and there’s a heist and I like it. Three, Enfys Nest has the sickest armor design in the whole franchise and I need more of her.

Kenobi: So…maybe unpopular opinion here, but…I really like Kenobi. Kenobi’s a delight. It’s not perfect, it’s got some problems, but I like that it’s about a guy who’s that depressed and alone slowly regaining his sense of hope, I like that we had something focus on Leia for a while (because Anakin and Padme had two kids and Leia always gets left second string), I like that you’ve got grifters like Haja and former imperials doing what little bits they can to help even though they can’t fight the whole empire. And I know that thoughts are mixed on this, but I actually thought it made a couple bits of A New Hope make more sense where Leia is concerned; kid me could never figure out how she knew who Ben Kenobi was when that was the name he only went by in exile on Tattooine (“Ben Kenobi? Where is he!?”), and it kind of made the switch from the very formal request for aid on behalf of her father to the more personal, “Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi,” a little more poignant, for me, anyway. Reva is an amazing character, she’s a perfect parallel and eventually perfect foil for Anakin, she’s a mess and a he’s in pain and I just. I love her. I have mixed feelings on the live action Grand Inquisitor’s performance (and mixed feelings on the makeup—on the one hand it could be better and on the other hand the other main live action pau’an we’ve got—the actor’s head was just shaped like that). Nevertheless, this show for me was mostly about the big emotional beats, and it hit all of those really well.

The Bad Batch: This is a magnificent show and I adore it apart from That One Thing and the fact that everything was left completely open, even going into the epilogue, apart from Omega’s coming of age and the Hunter’s and Omega’s relationship’s arc. That was resolved very well. I am mildly insane about this show. I love it. Also, it vexes me. Tied with two other shows as my favorite Star Wars show in spite of all that. Amazing soundtrack. Sidebar: If it turns out I’m right and That One Thing is an extended fake out and we’re not quite done with these characters, I’m sorry, but I’m going to be the most insufferable person alive.

The Acolyte: Everyone is very pretty and just a little stupid. Mae is very fun. The good scenes are very, very good. The writing is pretty uneven; judging from interviews I have a completely different view of writing than Leslye Headland and had a hard time picking up why a lot of the characters did anything, but when it hit, it hit. It’s…very CW drama, which isn’t a bad thing—just not always my thing. That said, Sol is a fascinating concept for a character and Lee Jung-jae did an incredible job with what he was given. Same with Qimir and Manny Jacinto. It’s honestly not my favorite Star Wars show, but I’m still disappointed that it looks like it’s not moving forward. The leftover story might end up being folded into the high republic book series, but I still hope we get some kind of on-screen continuation. I think the public needs more of Darth Babe the Jacked.

Rogue One: It’s great. Yes, the entire main cast dies, but the central message was still about hope. Vader gets to pun. I remain somewhat dismayed that the only thing a portion of the audience took away from it was that the Vader hallway scene was cool. He’s a horror movie monster there. Still a great movie. (Also, Saw, why do you have that??)

Young Jedi Adventures: This skews very young; most Star Wars is for kids in the first place apart from Andor, the Acolyte, and mmaaaaaybe the Tales of anthology (the other live action shows are, in my opinion, solidly whole family), but this really is made for very young children. That said, I have watched it, and it’s a very well done show for very young kids. Also I would die and kill for Nubs.

The “Tales Of” anthology series: Yes, I am counting this as one, because even though there’s a shift in focus from the Jedi to the empire between seasons, it all follows the exact same format and structure. I’d argue this series is the one that’s primarily for the adults who either grew up watching Star Wars animation or got into it as adults. It’s good, lots of atmosphere, the episodes do range in quality but I generally like them, and it’s nice they get to play around with different techniques, like making miniatures and incorporating them into the animation. The Dooku and Barriss episodes are probably my favorites.

Ahsoka: I know the fandom is divided on this, like they are on most things, but I love this one, okay? It’s not perfect, but I have a good time watching it. It just happens to be this perfect blend of campy, fun, dramatic, and mystical that really feels like Star Wars for me. I like it when Star Wars gets weird, has silly little guys, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Lucky for me that this series has extragalactic travel via whale, Ahsoka being dragged to Force Therapy by Anakin, and Ezra hanging out with the space fraggles. That, and I love some of the concepts. I like the idea that force sensitivity isn’t the be all end all, that connecting to the force is something you can learn with practice even if you weren’t blessed with the genetic lottery. Peridea and the space it occupies in folklore is neat. And the music is wonderful. It is a little uneven, it’s not Andor or anything quite that amazing, but I’m eager for more.

Visions: This anthology is fantastic and you’re missing out if you haven’t seen it. I don’t love every entry, but even the weaker ones are worth seeing once, and the stronger ones are worth seeing a whole lot more than that. It’s a great blend of styles and takes from people normally not involved in creating Star Wars. This is in a three way tie for my favorite Star Wars show.

Rebels: Again, it’s not perfect, because no show is, but I also think it’s the strongest standalone show Star Wars has besides Andor. Yes, there are weaker episodes, but on the whole it’s remarkably consistent, and the second half of season four might be some of my favorite Star Wars outside of parts of the original trilogy. Also, it has some stunning backgrounds, and while the art style doesn’t always work for every character, the character animation ends up really hitting its stride towards the end of the second season, and just gets better from there. And, as always, the music is fantastic. Rebels rounds out that three way tie for my favorite Star Wars show along with TBB and Visions.

[princess-of-thebes-1995]

I want to start a series. But, I don't know the first chapters on how to do it. Sooo..... I guess I will make it a drabble first. I hope you enjoy.

After the battle against humans, you went to Earth with your triplets. You met Quaritch's side of the family. His remaining relatives. His parents were sadly dead. So, your kids had no grandparents. But, they had aunts, uncles and cousins. Since your parents and first family died. You cut ties with your toxic second hand relatives. You moved to Europe.

The Colonel had relatives from his ethnic countries. Like Germany and Ukraine mostly. You never went to Europe since you were poor. But with the salary you got from Pandora, you were able to afford a cute stone cottage.

Quaritch's family welcomed you and your babies with open arms. The Colonel would video chat with his relatives.

He told them about you. He should then your lovely photos. They wanted to see you. They approved you. The Colonel sounded he was in love and was happy.

You lied and said that the Colonel died from the Pandora poisonous air

To avoid hate towards the Navis

They bought the lie

You would video chat with Norm and Neytiri. Then sometimes Max and Jake.

You went to Trudy's and Grace's family to pay your respects for their funeral. Their bodies were sent to earth.

But sadly, life was not a perfect ending. You had to raise triplets. They were a little different thanks to your abnormal genes. They were more stronger and athletic than other babies. Mutants like you. They also had dominant traits from their dead father.

Worst of all was that, a lot of men tried to be your next husband. You were horny and lonely. You admit. But the men you didn't trust. You did some background checks and found disturbing stuff. Then some men would do drugs and are rude. They wanted to fuck you due to your lovely face.

And you didn't reveal being a mom. So, they would admit they hate kids.

You didn't want to ruin your kids life. So, you quit dating. An abusive step dad was your worst nightmare.

So, you would masturbate and watch porn. It was not enough.

Later, you got two stalkers that threatened you to give in to them. You had to move to a farm in France. To your surprise, the dead Colonel was part french. He had estates there. He made a will before he died. He gave all property to you.

You got his money, houses, cars, and family jewelry.

You loved his photos the best. He was handsome as an elderly man. But, he was better when young. Not too young. Begging thirties was his prime.

When your kids finished pre school. You then would travel to Pandora for summer vacation. The latest tech made Pandora travel easy as an airplane.

Neytiri and Jake would meet you and see your triplets. You met their first kids. Neteyam and Loak. So far, they wanted their future kids to be girls.

Then norm would call. He told you that a clan in Tanui needed a Medic for the ill. So, you would take your kids there. As you worked a little. Then return to Neytiri for the remaining vacation time and then go back to earth.

Life was beautiful so far.

Then, it got the evil eye.

When your kids became twelve. It happened.

You stayed a week at the Sullies. Then was about to go to work for the Tanui. But, your first born, Miles told you he wanted to stay. You would come back anyway in two weeks and meet him back at the Sullies.

You agreed. Your son always was the closest to the Sullies. He was the most athletic. He would do kickboxing and track on earth. He was called spider by the kids.

Your second son Val loved soccer and acting. His second hobby was water polo. Which was why he loved the beaches of Tanui.

And your little Isabella Maria was the artist. She was like you. She loved fiction and arts. And ballet. She hated opera. You loved it. But she had your other traits.

So, you kissed Miles on the head and left for Tanui on the chopper of one of your old friends from the old base.

You would text your son. And video chat with him multiple times a day.

But one day changed everything.

Spider and his friends the Sully kids minus neteyam were goofing around in the jungle.

And saw Navis wearing marine uniforms. When your triplets wee ten, you told them the truth of their dad. How he died and how he was evil. Now, spider was curious why the Navis were searching around the corpse of his dead father.

Meanwhile, after waking as a Navi, the Colonel remembered your pregnancy and birth. He remembered you first. The Colonel having sex with you and all that. Then his babies came next.

He was there holding your hand when you pushed all three out. Him naming the triplets after himself and then his dead parents.

But, he remembered your tears. How he punished you. The Colonel felt guilt. He treated a weak and delicate lady like that. He didn't want to. But, you broke his heart and trust multiple times. You always attempted to escape. You finally escaped once but a few weeks later was discovered and brought back to him.

Now, general Ardmore offered a deal. She would track you down and give you and the kids to the colonel. And give the you allowance money every month and insurance till you pass away.

The Colonel without hesitation agreed. The general started the search. She gave the Colonel pictures of you. Many men would take pictures of you on their cellphone and post them online. Since you were beautiful, they took your photo when shopping, walking outside and etc.

The Colonel was mad when he found out about the men who tried to date and marry you. And then those two stalkers. So far, you were not in France. But where?

The Colonel sighed as he picked up his old skeleton and crushed it.

His luck changed when his ear piece announced they caught Navi children and a human.

The colonel was confused when he saw the human kid. Was he smokin a blunt and seeing shit? The kid looked like him when he was a kid on earth.

The kid was wearing human clothes. But his dirty blonde hair and dark blue eyes had blue and brown with silver linings in them. His blue eyes, his dad brown eyes and mom's grey eyes....

Then the colonel's eyes widened in realization.

It can't be.

It's too good to be true.

Right?

To be continued

[arwainian]

Reading This Week 2024 #49

Hello hello. Update from last week: I wrote a conclusion to my big paper, and will be discussing it with my advisor tomorrow

also today has the record from my first week of participating in @/thetransfemininereview's December Trans-Authored Readathon. Which I've been sticking with mostly by reading comics from trans authors that I'm familiar with already who have some of their work on itch.io. If y'all have any recs of stuff to check out, I'd love to hear them

Finished:

Rough Pages by Lev A.C. Rosen, narrated by Vikas Adams third book in an ongoing queer murder mystery series I've been reading. this was definitely written in response to contemporary book bannings. I am without a doubt a Read Queer Books guy & advocate but the book did come across as more than a little preachy to me, and I think part of it was the reveal that "oh YEAH like almost all of our major characters from previous stories are queer book readers, except for our protagonist, and now he's going to learn the Power of Literature!" and also it had a pretty didactic "white bf learns to let non-white bf handle the racism he experiences without flying in to save him" b-plot

The Scales of Seduction by Rien Gray snesbian (snake lesbian) erotica set in ancient greece which rules

"Origin Story" by Saundra Mitchell in Transmorgrify! *sighs heavily* once again I try YA and it just doesn't work for me, so I wont be reading the rest of this anthology

Full of Shit by Max Graves short comic from the artist/writer/cartoonist behind What Happens Next, which is a great webcomic serial you should check out

Wee Wandering: My Solo Trip in Scotland by Cynthia Yuan Cheng a really cute little travelogue. I read Cheng's original fantasy romance comic a little bit earlier this year when it came out and gushed about it here. they have a really charming and expressive art style

I am of Two Hearts by Val Wise i absolutely adore Val Wise's work, and I've been meaning to read this comic forever. really worth it

Started/Ongoing:

Assassin's Fate by Robin Hobb, narrated by Elliot Hill okay Bee has achieved some minor lasting wins but is still going fucking through it. I've stalled out right where some interpersonal conflicts are flaring in the rescue team that I need to brace myself to push through.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 9 written by Kanehito Yamada, art by Tsukasa Abe reading this one like chapter by chapter, i think my frieren interest in waning

Blood & Flowers by Mars Adler vampire stuff, fun time so far

[justmenoworries]

My unorganized thoughts about Hazbin finale because I am feeling all the feelings.

Positives

The songs? Absolute bangers. Both of them. The Chaggie "More Than Anything" reprise got spoiled for me but I still loved it. We stan a supportive couple ready to go to war together. The reprise for "Happy Day in Hell" at the end was a nice touch. Loved that it was Lucifer who picked up the slack to cheer up Charlie. Mans finally becoming the dad who stepped up.

The battle as a whole was awesome. Hot take, but if Adam didn't have the spawn infinite enemies cheat all bad guy armies seem to have in these situations, the Hotel definitely would've won.

I'll admit, I wasn't too jazzed about Sir Pentious replacing Mimzy in the main cast but he kind of redeemed (lol) himself for me this episode. Bro was both one of the funniest and most heartwarming characters in the finale get yourself a man who can do both. The unholy (lol) noises I made when he showed up as a redeemed soul in Heaven. Good for him! He deserves the best. Also I find Sera's and Emily's reactions to the reveal kind of interesting. Emily is overjoyed seeing that Charlie's idea works, but Sera looks... mortified? Disgusted? Kinda tells us which one of these two really deserves the title of Big Good. Side note, but it's kind of funny how the only physical change a redeemed sinner goes through is that their color scheme is now pastel instead of goth.

ADAM FUCKING DIED YESSIRRRRR! GOOD RIDDANCE BITCH NO ONE WILL MISS YOUUUU (Except for Lute, but no one gives a fuck about what Lute thinks, cry harder hoe)

Charlie's and Lucifer's true formssss! Razzle and Dazzle getting to be badassss! (R.I.P. Dazzle, hope you somehow end up in Heaven too)

Alastor Vs Adam. Cool fight, surprisingly not as one-sided as one might've thought. I mean, Alastor still lost but he lasted a lot longer than most of the others who fought against Adam (Poor Sir Pen)

Vaggie and Lute rematch, I fucking called ittttt!

Seeing everyone gear up and fight for the Hotel was cool, seeing so many Exorcists get axed off was cathartic as fuck.

Lute losing a part of her body because of Vaggie, just like she took a part of Vaggie's body was *chef's kiss*.

Lucifer Vs Adam and Lucifer just... not taking the fight seriously at all until Charlie almost gets hurt. He was really just toying with Adam for the entire first half and when he started getting serious Adam got trashed so fucking quick, I love it.

Charlie fucking shanking Adam and stopping his punch Just Like That. I lover her, she's such a badass. Sure wish we could've seen more of that (foreshadowinggg)

Vox acting as the greek chorus for the events of the episode works surprisingly well. Ngl I thought his constant commentary would get annoying really fast if they kept cutting away from the action just so he can say a funny. But no, they actually managed to time it pretty well. Props to Adam Stein (writer for this episode).

The Negatives (Yes, They Exist)

The other Vees did not need to be here. Seriously, we're starting off with Vox alone in his control room and we could've stayed there. Velvette and Valentino didn't even talk for the majority of the episode. And I'm not a fan of how Val continues to be played for comedy. Unfriendly reminder that this man is a r*pist and an abuser. If you needed a V for the funnies, Velvette and Vox are quite literally right there. (Can you believe Velvette had no lines this episode but fucking Val had both a speaking role and a not insignificant part of the ending song? Weak.) You can still have the ending scene of the Vees hanging out and planning after the aborted Extermination, literally nothing changes if you cut Val and Velvette from the cutaway gags.

Not a fan of how Lucifer stole the spotlight. "But you said you liked the Adam Vs Lucifer fight-" Yeah, I did. Doesn't change that this shouldn't have been Luci's fight, it should have been Charlie's. We've had hints this whole season that Charlie is actually way stronger and wrathful than anyone thinks and that she's actively working to keep up her cheerful and friendly persona. Her stabbing Adam with her trident was a nice start, but after Lute killed Dazzle and seriously endangered Vaggie, this should've been the moment Charlie decided "Alright that's it, no more Miss Nice Girl, I didn't want this to end in bloodshed but these assholes are going down." This should've been the moment where the gloves come off. How much more impactful would it be if Charlie was the one beating down Adam but stopping before killing him? If the show made it clear Charlie could murder this asshole, but she doesn't, because she's still better than he ever will be. What a way to show that Charlie truly does believe in the good in everyone or at least still believes in non-lethal solutions to the conflict between Heaven and Hell! But nope, Charlie gets two badass moments, then is banished to the side-lines and to the role of damsel Lucifer has to save and who has to be the metaphorical angel on Lucifer's shoulder who stops him from offing Adam (for some reason). If we needed to get Lucifer involved, maybe have him show up earlier to help the Hotel but get hurt somehow, forcing and motivating Charlie to step up as the future ruler of Hell. Speaking of-

Why the fuck was Lucifer so late to the fight??? Yeah yeah, I know, depressed shut-in, but in "More Than Anything" he literally calls Charlie "the only thing worth fighting for" in Hell. He knew the Extermination was coming. Yeah, maybe Charlie didn't tell him that the trial in Heaven went south and that Adam's Exorcists were going to target the Hazbin Hotel, but you'd think he'd have noticed something was up??? More importantly, if he really wanted to support Charlie's dream of saving the sinners in Hell, why didn't he take part in the battle from the start??? Why didn't Charlie ask him to fight alongside her??? Yeah, Charlie is reluctant to ask Lucifer for anything because they don't have the best relationship, but we've had an entire fucking episode of them growing closer and Lucifer assuring Charlie he'd help her. And this wasn't just a matter of pride, Charlie's friends and her girlfriend were in danger of getting killed, you're telling me she'd choose her own hang-up over all of them??? "But if Lucifer was there, the fight would've been over too quick-" refer to the previous point. Angels can be hurt and killed by angelic weaponry, there were like over a hundred Exorcists on that battlefield and don't tell me Adam would be above fighting dirty by attacking while Lucifer is distracted. There. Easy way to take Lucifer out of the fight and make way for Charlie.

Not a fan of how Cherri Bomb x Sir Pentious was bullrushed in this last episode. Yeah, we established Pentious likes her, but Cherri had like no interest in him until Angel commented he might have two dicks. Which, I guess her being after a purely physical relationship could work, but we all know that's not what Pentious wants. Their "romance" gives "He Was a Boy She Was a Girl" vibes. Like Velvette and Valentino, nothing in the episode would've been lost if that particular plot-line was dropped.

"The future of Hell belongs to the Vees" Yeah but does it though? Does it? Sorry, but I'm having a hard time taking these three seriously as a threat. Vox got effortlessly trounced by Alastor (and contrary to what the Vees believe he isn't missing, he came back), Velvette talked a big game about fighting the Exorcists but then did absolutely nothing and Val would eat dirt so fast against anyone who can actually fight back. Plus "Overlords hanging by a thread"? Which Overlords, exactly? Alastor? He's not dead and like previously stated, he's not 'missing'. Rosie, Carmilla, Zestial and the rest of the Overlords are just fine, the Extermination was centered around the Hazbin Hotel this time, no other turf even got scratched. "Nature abhors a power vacuum" What power vacuum? Again, no Overlords even died! No territory outside the hotel was destroyed! Are they just on a high from Alastor's supposed disappearance? I hope that's it, because otherwise damn, you three fucking suck at being Overlords.

[mariamakeslemons]

Spooktober 2024: Day 17 Grabboids (Tremors)

Warning: Reader is Gen Neutral but implied to be white (phrasing implies being born to white parents instead of adopted, I'm sorry)

Grabboids are the monster of the 1990s movie, Tremors. It's a PG-13 movie that is cheesy and just stupid fun, despite being a "horror" movie. For this, ignore all the movies after 2.

It was supposed to be a bit of a vacation for 141 after the shit hole of a mission they had. Instead, Price and his boys are all over the small store, off the floor with a few locals joining them.

“Alright, I just sent the text to Dad,” you declare softly as you look up from your phone. The locals all raise their fists, grin and give thumbs up, before suddenly going silent as the weird monsters move under the shop. It doesn’t break open the floor, but it does cause the floor to bulge a bit. They stay silent for a minute longer, before some of the locals start to whisper again.

“Your da? What’s he going to do?” Gaz asks from beside you, sitting on a lower shelf.

“Dad and Mom actually helped take care of the Grabboids about a year before they got married and a year and a half before they had me,” you explain, still soft. Price wants to demand more information, but it’s obvious that everyone is being quiet on purpose, so he just focuses on you and Gaz as his Sergeant continues to ask questions.

“Grabboid? That’s what they’re called?” he asks.

“Yeah. They’re long ass worms that have these tendrils that come out of their mouths,” you explain, miming said tendrils by wiggling your fingers by your mouth. You suddenly make a grabbing motion as you continue, “They grab whatever they’re gonna eat and pull it back into their mouth. Scared the shit out of me th’ first time I saw one.”

“You’ve seen them?” Gaz sputters out. You turn to him and raise an eyebrow, causing Ghost and Soap to both snort. Price chuckles as well, watching as his Sergeant scrunches his face, mumbling something about stupid questions.

Suddenly, a loud explosion sounds from outside, getting closer to the shop and sending the thing fleeing back the way it came. You jump off the shelf and roll, bouncing up and motioning everyone toward the door.

“Let’s move, we have maybe two minutes before they come back!” You yell, sprinting out. Everyone runs out after you, climbing up the fixtures that had confused Price as they entered town. An armored RV drives up and the top opens, revealing a lovely woman.

“Sweetie, there you are!” she calls up, “Val and I will start the evacuation, but you might need these.” You lean over the ledge enough to catch the pipe bombs with a manic grin.

“I thought you said I should never have access to pyro techniques, Mom!” you call back. Your mother gives you a look Price has seen on both his own mother and Soap’s ma.

“Listen to your Ma, you little shit!” a man’s voice calls from in the RV.

“I am, Dad!” you yell back, before turning to the group, “Alright, we’ll go in two groups.”

The locals are carefully lowered into the RV, leaving you with 141 as it drives off, completely immune to the Grabboids’ attempts to knock it over or drag it back. You sit down, fiddling with a pipe bomb while looking out at the town.

“Don’t worry,” you reassure them, “Mom and Dad act as the evacuation crew for Uncle Burt. Uncle Earl set up a safe zone near his Grabboid Amusement Park with Auntie Kate.”

“Wha’s th’ plan with th’ bombs?” Ghost asks, crouching down beside you. You give them a grin and all Price can think is that you and Soap are going to get along far too well.