#so I can potentially be a prophet again

[running-tweezers]

Listen to me. Y’all don’t understand.

I remember having conversations with my irl friend I got into Redacted about a DAMN crew road trip over a year ago

I have wanted this for so long I was BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS

[sweetheartsofpanem]

Storm Spirit and Sunshine - Soft Things Survive

Previous Part

warnings: refer to series masterlist

pairing(s): refer to series masterlist

word count: 3.06k

series masterlist | main masterlist

You swing the door open like you live there.

“I can feel it,” you announce, as dramatically as possible, stepping into Haymitch’s house like it’s the stage and you’re the lead in a weather-themed tragedy. “It’s coming.”

Haymitch looks up from the table, one brow already raised. “What, the end times?”

You point a single finger to the ceiling like a prophet. “Thunderstorm.”

He blinks at you. Slowly. “That’s what you’re being weird about?”

You stride forward with purpose, dropping onto the couch. “It’s not just any storm. It’s the perfect storm. Big thunder. Dramatic lightning. Just humid enough to make my hair do the thing. I can feel it in my bones.”

“You what?”

“In my bones, Haymitch.” You pat your knees solemnly. “These bad boys don’t lie. You’re not the only one in this village with old people joints. I’ve got the storm-sensing cartilage of a seasoned sea captain.”

He stares at you for a long moment, clearly weighing whether or not it’s worth responding.

“You need help.”

“I need snacks,” you say, kicking your feet up onto the coffee table. “And a window seat for the show.”

“Remind me why I let you in.”

“You didn’t. But if you did it’d be because I’m delightful and bring chaos into your otherwise boring life.”

Haymitch doesn’t answer, but you see the twitch at the corner of his mouth before he turns back to whatever he’s pretending to read.

Outside, the sky rumbles.

The sky rumbles again—louder this time, long and low like the clouds are clearing their throats.

You shoot Haymitch a smug grin. “Told you. These joints don’t lie.”

He doesn’t even look up. Just mutters, “Should get them checked out.”

You gasp. “Rude.”

Another crack of thunder rattles the windows, and this time you light up like someone just handed you a puppy. You practically skip to the window, sitting in front of it with your face practically pressed against it.

“This is gonna be so good,” you breathe, eyes scanning the sky. “I bet we get real ground-shaker thunder before long.”

“You sound way too excited about potential structural damage,” Haymitch calls.

You wave him off. “Shh. I’m concentrating.”

The next flash of lightning slices through the sky like a blade—bright and fast.

You immediately start counting.

Then the thunder comes—loud and sharp, cracking across the sky like a gunshot.

You turn, grinning. “Two miles away.”

Haymitch frowns. “What?”

You gesture wildly, as if it should be obvious. “The storm! When you see lightning, you count the seconds until you hear the thunder. Then divide by five. That’s how many miles away it is.”

He stares at you, unimpressed. “Did you just make that up?”

You scoff. “No. My dad taught me that when I was like six. It’s science, sunshine.”

“Right. Storm science,” he says, like that’s somehow less valid than regular science.

“You’re just mad I know more than you.”

“I’m mad you’ve made this your entire personality in the last ten minutes.”

You smirk. “Jealousy doesn’t look good on you.”

Outside, another flash. You immediately whip back to the window and start counting again.

Haymitch watches you from his chair, shaking his head like you’re the strangest thing to ever walk into his house—and, somehow, his favorite.

The rain begins and thickens fast—goes from lazy drops to a full curtain in under a minute. It drums against the roof with steady insistence, a rhythm that seems to echo somewhere in your chest.

You rest your chin on your arms, still leaning on the windowsill, watching the branches sway like they’re trying to hold on for dear life. Wind whistles low and mean through the gaps in the eaves.

Another lightning strike slices the sky—closer this time, burning hot-white against the clouds.

“Half a mile,” you whisper to yourself, counting barely past two before the thunder hits like a hammer. The floorboards tremble.

You glance back at Haymitch. “That one felt personal.”

He’s squinting toward the window, not quite as relaxed as usual. “If a tree falls on this house, I’m blaming your knees.”

You press a hand to your chest. “How dare you question my weather bones.”

“I question everything about you.”

“You never tell me to leave though,” you say sweetly.

He mutters something that sounds suspiciously like “mistake of the decade,” but you catch the twitch of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

Another flash—closer. You don’t even have time to count before the thunder answers, deafening and deep. The lights in the living room flicker.

Your eyes widen. “Oho. We are in it now.”

Haymitch sighs and stands, peering out another window like that’s going to change the weather. “Hope you weren’t planning to sleep tonight.”

You shrug. “Wasn’t the plan anyway.”

The wind howls—sharp enough now to make the house creak. You swear you can feel it in your ankles. And just as you’re about to make another smug comment, the sky flashes again.

“Lightning strike’s on top of us,” you say, half to yourself.

And then the thunder hits.

It’s not just sound this time. It’s impact. It rolls through the walls, shakes something loose in the floorboards.

Your stomach does a tiny flip. Not fear—just anticipation.

Haymitch mutters something under his breath and moves toward the kitchen. “Gonna find the candles before you start shrieking.”

You snort. “I do not shriek.”

“We’ll see.”

You’re still at the window, chin in your hand, rain streaking the glass like paint. It’s wild out now. Full fury. Trees bending, wind howling like it’s got a grudge. It makes the thunder feel sharper somehow. Hungrier.

“Storm’s practically on top of us,” you say quietly, like narrating makes it less intense. “Bet the next one knocks the power.”

From the kitchen, Haymitch grumbles, “If you manifested that with your weird knee magic—”

The lights go out.

Just like that.

Darkness swallows the room, sudden and total.

The storm outside rages louder in the silence that follows—like it was waiting. Like it was watching.

And for a second—just one—you freeze.

Your breath hitches.

It’s not the dark. Not really.

It’s the way it feels.

The way it hits you all at once—walls closing in, cold pressing down on your chest, the weight of memory clawing up from somewhere it shouldn’t still live. Dirt floors. No windows. Screaming until your throat gave out.

Locked in.

Alone.

Small.

“Haymitch?” you say—barely a whisper. But it’s sharp around the edges, panicked despite how hard you try to keep it steady.

There’s a thump from the kitchen. Then footsteps, fast and sure across the creaking floor.

“Yeah?” His voice cuts through the dark, close now.

You don’t answer. Can’t.

Because it’s too much—the wind, the dark, the memories crawling out of the corners. And god, you almost scream. It bubbles up, fast and hot and ready to crack.

But you bite it back.

You clench your fists. Swallow it down.

“Hey,” Haymitch says again, closer this time. “You alright?”

You can’t see him. Not really. Just the vague outline of him in the dim silver of the stormlight, his shape blurry in the lightning’s afterglow.

But that’s enough.

You breathe in—sharp. Then let it out, trembling. “I’m fine,” you lie. “Just—didn’t expect it to be so dark.”

A pause.

Then, quieter. “You sure?”

You nod. Then realize he can’t see you. “Yeah. Just startled me.”

Haymitch doesn’t move for a second. Then he steps closer, and you feel his hand brush your arm—warm, grounding. Not grabbing, just… there.

“C’mere,” he says, voice lower now. Less gruff. “Let’s sit.”

He guides you back to the couch like you might disappear if he’s not careful—hand light on your arm, steps matching yours even though you’re both just walking five feet.

You settle on the cushions, blanket pulled instinctively over your lap even though the room feels hotter now, like the storm’s pressing its breath against the house.

Haymitch sinks down beside you with a quiet grunt. The lightning outside flashes—blue-white and jagged—and a second later, thunder shakes the windows like a warning shot.

You flinch. Just a little. Barely noticeable.

But of course he notices.

You feel it more than see it—the way he shifts closer. Not touching. Just near enough to be solid. Near enough to make it easier to breathe.

“I’ll get candles,” he mutters, already starting to stand.

“No,” you say quickly, fingers catching his sleeve before you can think twice. “It’s fine. Just… stay for a second?”

He pauses.

Then slowly sits back down.

Neither of you says anything for a while. Just the wind shrieking outside, the storm lashing at the roof like it’s trying to claw its way in. Every new crack of thunder feels like it’s aimed at your spine.

You breathe.

In.

Out.

Haymitch doesn’t say anything about the way your leg is shaking. Or how tightly your hands are clenched in the fabric of the blanket.

Instead, he leans back, stretches one arm across the back of the couch behind you. Casual. Natural. Not touching—but close enough that if you needed it, if you wanted it, all you’d have to do is lean in.

“You still think this is perfect storm weather?” he asks after a moment, voice light.

You huff a laugh. It comes out a little watery. “Okay. Maybe slightly less perfect now.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I didn’t think the power would actually go out.”

“That’s what you get for taunting the sky.”

You glance at him sideways. “I was doing science.”

“Oh, sure. That’s what that was.”

“I taught you something.”

“You patted your knees like a wizard and summoned hellfire.”

You smile. “Still accurate.”

Another flash. Another crash. You swallow hard.

His arm shifts slightly behind you—closer now. Still not touching. But it feels like he could. If you asked.

You don’t ask.

But you don’t move away either.

Haymitch sighs eventually, mutters something about not stumbling over furniture in the dark, and stands.

“I’m gonna grab some candles before one of us eats it on a chair leg.”

You nod, trying to play it cool even though your spine feels like it’s been hardwired to the thunder. “Yeah. Good idea.”

But when he starts walking toward the kitchen, you… hesitate.

Then you get up and follow him.

He doesn’t say anything about it—just glances over his shoulder once, eyes catching yours in the dark. There’s a flicker of something there. Understanding, maybe. Or just recognition.

You don’t explain. And he doesn’t ask.

The kitchen’s pitch black, save for the faint light of lightning flickering through the windows. He rummages in a cabinet where he keeps emergency stuff—somewhere behind the duct tape and questionable canned goods.

You hover a few feet behind, blanket still around your shoulders, arms crossed tight like that’ll make you impervious to noise.

And then it happens.

A crack of thunder so loud it doesn’t even sound like thunder—it sounds like the sky split open and dumped war onto the earth. The entire house shakes, a framed photo toppling off the wall behind you with a crack, and your body reacts before your brain can even catch up.

You lunge forward and grab Haymitch’s arm.

Not just grab—latch onto it. Elbow to wrist. Like he’s the last solid thing in the world.

He goes still.

You don’t realize what you’ve done until the next flash of lightning lets you see your hand clutching his bicep like it’s life or death.

“Oh my god,” you whisper, instantly starting to pull away. “Sorry, I—sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

But his other hand comes up, wraps gently around your wrist. Not to stop you. Just to keep you steady.

“You’re fine,” he says softly. “I’ve got you.”

You freeze.

Because those three words land somewhere they shouldn’t—like a weightless promise tucked behind the ribs.

He lets go of your wrist slowly, but your grip stays for another second, maybe two, before you carefully ease away. The air feels weird now. Warmer. Closer.

He clears his throat. “Found ‘em.”

You step back, watching as he sets two small candles on the counter and strikes a match. It flares to life in his hand, golden and small, casting warm light across his face.

You swear your brain short-circuits again.

Because why the hell does he look good by candlelight? That shouldn’t be a thing. And yet.

He lights the first candle, then the second, muttering something under his breath about the Capitol not knowing how to wire a damn house properly.

You try not to stare at his hands again.

You fail.

“So,” you say, just to break the silence. “You do this often? Candlelit vibes and storm ambiance?”

He shrugs. “Just missing the romantic music.”

You grin.

And for a second—for one glowing second—it’s just you and him in a kitchen lit by firelight and thunder, both pretending this is completely normal.

You carry one candle. Haymitch carries the other, muttering about how you’re probably going to burn the house down with your “reckless candle waving.”

You hold it up like a torch. “We are the light in the darkness.”

“You are the darkness.”

“You wound me.”

You both step into the living room like it’s unfamiliar terrain now, shadows moving strange and slow along the walls. The thunder has quieted to a low, steady grumble—still loud, but not rattling the windows anymore. Just constant enough to make your bones hum.

Haymitch sets his candle on the coffee table and squints at the couch.

You drape your blanket back over the cushions with exaggerated grace. “Welcome to my lair.”

“You’re the cryptkeeper.”

“I’ve upgraded. Now I’m the storm spirit.”

“You’re gonna be the smoke alarm’s problem in about five seconds.”

You flop onto the couch and gesture for him to sit beside you. “Come on, sunshine. Let’s wait out the apocalypse in style.”

He raises an eyebrow but doesn’t argue. Just settles beside you with a sigh, the couch dipping under his weight. The glow from the candles flickers between you, warm and uneven, painting his profile in gold and shadow.

For a moment, neither of you speaks. Just the sound of rain, steady and wild against the roof, the occasional distant roll of thunder.

“This is kinda nice,” you admit quietly. “You know. Minus the potential power grid failure.”

He makes a noise in his throat. “You just like it ‘cause it’s dramatic.”

“Exactly.”

“You would thrive in a lightning storm.”

“Thank you.”

“That wasn’t a compliment.”

You grin and tuck your feet under you, watching the way the flame dances in the glass. It smells like old wax and dust and something faintly like pine. The scent makes your chest ache, a little. Something familiar. Something safe.

Haymitch shifts beside you, arm brushing yours again—barely there. But it’s enough. Enough to keep you grounded. Enough to make the dark feel not so scary anymore.

You glance sideways, and he’s already looking at you.

Your breath catches.

“What?” you ask, trying not to sound breathless.

He shrugs. “Just making sure you didn’t spontaneously combust.”

“Give it time,” you say, a little too soft.

His mouth quirks. He doesn’t look away.

Another crash of thunder rolls through the air, closer again. You flinch—just a little. And his hand moves, barely noticeable. Like he’s going to reach for you but stops halfway, fingers curling loosely on his leg instead.

Neither of you comments on it.

Instead, you whisper, “Still scared of the dark.”

And Haymitch, voice rough and warm and quiet, says, “Then I guess I’ll stay ‘til the lights come back.”

You nod.

Not because you need him to.

But because you want him to.

And maybe that’s the scariest part of all.

You don’t look at him when you speak, voice low. “My mom used to lock me in the cellar when I pissed her off. Sometimes for hours. No lights. Just dirt and cold and whatever creaked overhead.”

Haymitch doesn’t move, but his whole posture shifts—like someone flipped a switch in his ribs.

“I’d count,” you say, quieter now. “To keep myself calm. Just… numbers. Over and over. Thought if I got to a hundred enough times, it’d make the time go faster.”

Still nothing from him. Just that steady presence, always solid when it matters.

Then he says, just as low, “The thunder gets me. Sounds like the cannons, sometimes. When it’s loud enough.”

Your head turns.

He’s staring at the candle, not at you. But his hand rests between you—fingers loose on the couch cushion, warm in the golden light.

Without thinking, you reach over.

You don’t just brush against him.

You thread your fingers through his. Interlock them. Like it’s always been that simple.

Haymitch goes still for a second.

Then—he holds on.

You glance down at your hands—your fingers laced with his like it’s the most natural thing in the world. You can feel the roughness of his calluses, the quiet strength in his grip, the warmth.

Haymitch clears his throat after a moment. “Your hand’s freezing.”

“Liar,” you murmur. “Yours is warm. I’m thriving.”

He shifts slightly, his thumb brushing against your knuckles—barely there, probably unintentional, but your brain short-circuits anyway.

“Don’t get used to it,” he mutters, but he doesn’t let go.

You smirk, still watching the candle. “Too late.”

He huffs through his nose. “You’re an emotional liability.”

“And you’re enabling me.”

“Tragic, really.”

Another rumble of thunder shakes the house, and without thinking, you scoot just a little closer. Your shoulder brushes his arm. He doesn’t move away.

You feel bold. Maybe it’s the storm. Maybe it’s the soft golden light or the fact that you’re both letting each other be human for once.

“You know,” you say, voice light, “if you ever need someone to hold your hand during a storm again, I’ll consider accepting applications.”

“Oh yeah?” His voice is dry. “You offering references?”

“I’ve got rave reviews. Very warm. Excellent emotional support. Bit of a flight risk sometimes, but otherwise solid.”

Haymitch shakes his head, but there’s a smile tugging at his mouth now—small, tired, real. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Mm,” you hum. “But not that hard to make room for.”

He glances sideways at you. Doesn’t say anything. Just lets out a breath and leans back into the couch like something in him finally settled.

And you stay like that—hands clasped, thunder rolling, candlelight soft between you.

Next Part

[elikajinnie]

okay.. okay, i’ve had this request sitting in my inbox for months because i just couldn’t find the right idea for it. i love apocalypse/end-of-the-world themes, especially anything zombie-related, but let’s be real, that can feel a little overdone. BUT!! i finally came up with two plot ideas that i’m actually excited about, and now i can’t decide which one’s better… so i’m letting you guys choose!! i even got a little fancy and made visual versions of both plot ideas for you :) so… which one are we going with? or maybe... should i do both?? (The choice whether they will have smut is undecided)

P: Cult Leader!Heeseung X Fem!Reader

Warnings: Apocalypse!AU, Cult Manipulation, Religious Trauma, Gaslighting, Emotional Control, Stockholm Syndrome Themes, Power Imbalance, Obsession, Forced Isolation, Mental Deterioration, Symbolic Ritual Practices, Fear-based Obedience, Public Worship, Dubious Consent, Power Play Dynamics, Predator/Prey, Implied Malnourishment, Injuries, Physical Restraint, Sensory Deprivation, Implied Physical Punishment, Violence, Potential Voyeurism, Corruption.

Synopsis: You fled the compound, the chants, the man who called himself a prophet. You told yourself it wasn’t real, just another lie dressed as faith. But out in the wasteland, with nothing but hunger and silence, even doubt begins to sound like devotion. And Heeseung will find you again, because he won’t let his prized sheep get away.

P: Monitor!Heeseung X Fem!Reader

Warnings: Outlast Trials!AU, Psychological Torment, Emotional Manipulation, Power Imbalance, Obsession, Punishment For Defiance, Institutionalized Captivity, Praise Kink & Control Kink, Voyeurism, Paranoia, Mental Breakdown, Angst, Dehumanization, Graphic Descriptions, Torture, Medical Horror Elements, Threats Of Violence, Death, Traumatic Environments, Body Horror, Blood.

Synopsis: They said it was just observation. But you wake in a maze of cameras and pain, where every scream is data, and Heeseung is the voice guiding you through it. He speaks like he knows you. Watches like he owns you. Calls you sweetheart. Tells you you’re doing so well. And in a place built to break you, he’s the only one who sounds like love.

[coraniaid]

The thing about Kendra is that ... okay. There is a version of the show in my head in which both meeting and then failing to save Kendra are huge, pivotal moments in Buffy's life. They should both have had a huge impact on her. Kendra is the first other Slayer Buffy ever meets, the embodiment of everything Buffy has been told a Slayer should be, a challenge to Buffy's sense of her self as "the one and only Chosen" [as, of all people, Faith will put it five years later].

Becoming (Part 1) even teases the idea that Kendra's death will be a turning point in Buffy's story. "Even if you see them coming, you're not ready for the big moments," Whistler narrates in voice over as Buffy rushes back to the library. "Nobody asks for their life to change [...] but it does," he says, as Buffy finds Kendra lying dead on the floor and tearfully takes her hand. "It's what you do afterwards that counts," he tells us. The framing here is pretty clear: what are we meant to do but assume that Kendra's death is a "big moment" that will change Buffy's life forever?

I don't think I can imagine writing a version of Buffy who isn't fundamentally changed by this moment. Who isn't thinking about Kendra when she takes the bus out of Sunnydale, or when Angel comes back from hell next season, or when Drusilla comes back to Sunnydale three years later. Who isn't reminded of her almost every time she sees Faith: who isn't thinking about her when she insists to her skeptical Watcher and her friends that, no matter what, this time she's going to find a way to save her fellow Slayer. Who isn't thinking about what Kendra told her about being raised by her Watcher and never having anything resembling a normal life when she confronts Quentin Travers in Helpless or Checkpoint. Who isn't thinking at least a little bit about Kendra when she complains in The Gift how hard it is to live in a world where "everything gets stripped away". Who isn't missing her dead friend all through Season 7, and wondering whether Kendra -- who read the handbook and knew all the rules -- would have done a better job leading the Potentials than she could.

Only, well. Hand on heart, I don't think this is an accurate description of what canonically happens on screen after Season 2. In the version of the show that I like to think about, Kendra is important and her life and her death matter enormously. But in the version of the show that was actually filmed and aired ... well, like Whistler says, it's what you do afterwards that counts. And what the show does after Becoming is to almost immediately forget Kendra ever existed. Nobody but Cordelia ever says her name out loud (and even that's just a single throwaway line to get the audience up to speed about Faith). Buffy never mentions where "Mr Pointy" came from to anyone; she never mentions Kendra to Faith or Dawn or any of the Potentials. Kendra doesn't show up in dreams or prophetic visions; we don't see her alive in the alternate reality of The Wish or trapped in a clinic alongside 'the real' Buffy in Normal Again; the First Evil never bothers to take on her appearance. The closest we ever get to coming back to Buffy finding her body in the library -- that "big moment" that was going to change Buffy's life -- are a couple of lines in Dead Man's Party where Joyce and Oz note that the police no longer suspect Buffy of Kendra's murder ("oh, good," says Buffy, "that was such a drag").

I can't imagine writing a version of the show where Kendra didn't matter, but I don't have to: that's the version that actually got written.

And yeah, that's infuriating -- like so much else about how Kendra was treated by the show -- but I think if you start talking about how much Kendra's death means to Buffy you do need to acknowledge that you're not talking about the version of the show that everybody else actually watched. Kendra really isn't haunting the narrative in any meaningful way. I wouldn't be surprised if most casual fans of the show don't remember she existed. For that matter, I genuinely don't think some of the people writing for the show in its last few seasons remembered she existed. It almost feels like an insult to Bianca Lawson to pretend that the show that treated her and the character she played with so little respect actually always intended her to have this huge posthumous importance (and ... I guess ... just kept forgetting to invite her back?).

Even her last name -- Kendra Young, we were told after the show ended -- feels like a bit of an odd afterthought. One of the few things the show told us about Kendra was that she didn't remember her parents and didn't have a last name. But, well. Why would the writers of the show suddenly start caring about little things like that?

[bisclavret]

like many who have suffered at the hands of bbc merlin before me, i recently indulged in a thought experiment in which i outlined my own version of seasons 3-5 that stay thematically and tonally in line with the show (except they're less fucking stupid). but then i quickly realized that focusing on details is pointless: all you need is to solve the one Big Problem the show has, and the rest will follow. the problem in question? ✨morgana✨

i like the first two seasons. s1 achieves what it sets out to do and has fun while doing it, and s2, while flawed, sets up a ton of potential that the following seasons unfortunately squander, beginning with the insidious season 3. you can only distract me with cute knights and goblins and fart jokes for so long before i start seeing through you, evil, evil season of television.

my hypothesis is that if the writers had crafted s3 morgana into anything more sympathetic than a violent half-alive poltergeist that can never be reasoned with because she's suddenly terminally off her rocker, everything would've fallen into place. a sympathetic morgana would've made real, valid arguments against uther (and arthur) that wouldn't just be the ramblings of a woman possessed. her betrayal of arthur would have stemmed from her feeling increasingly morally superior to him because of his complacency in the face of their father's tyranny. under morgause's guidance she would stop believing that arthur is capable of change, and the whole point would be that she might actually be right. arthur would have to actively try and prove her wrong, instead of getting praised for doing the bare minimum because the bar is on the floor.

furthermore, morgana's prophetic dream about arthur and gwen becoming king and queen and her decision to prevent this however she can is a direct parallel to merlin learning about that same prophecy and making it happen by any means necessary. merlin's desires about his and arthur's futures are subtextually fueled by gay love and devotion, so why couldn't morgana's be? why couldn't she properly express her bitterness that arthur gets to be with gwen in a way she can't "took gwen away" from her, instead of suddenly declaring that gwen is nothing more than a servant, after two seasons of demonstrating again and again that she loves, values, and respects gwen more than anyone else in that godforsaken castle?

following this, an angry and emotionally volatile but still sensible morgana asking gwen to stay by her side during the coup of the castle in the s3 finale and gwen going behind her back to help arthur and the knights would've hurt like a bitch. double-sided betrayal! gwen having a real plot! the proper beginnings of a toxic yuri that would shape a generation!

then there's the utter hubris of having morgana shoot arrows at the same civilians she worried herself sick over for 2 seasons — even morgan, her medieval counterpart that was rooted in every sexist trope in existence, doesn't just go around killing senselessly but instead has (often petty!) personal vendettas against gwen, arthur, and the knights. morgana had every right to be sick of the pretensions around chivalry in camelot (she was always quick to mock it, even in s1), and to lash out at the knights and soldiers after years of feeling powerless in a castle full of armed men that blindly followed her oppressor. the show conveniently forgets that morgana was victimized as a woman as well as a sorcerer those first 2 seasons.

but like i said, this is not just about morgana. allowing her to remain a real and multifaceted character even as she betrays everyone in pursuit of her ambitions would've given the rest of the core four more interesting conflict to work with: merlin because he would have to experience real consequences to his actions, arthur because he would watch his sister go against his father (and his knights, and his birthright) and experience some actual internal dilemmas about it, and gwen because she would be forced to choose between morgana and arthur without the pretense that it's an obvious or easy choice for her to make.

even morgause and gaius would come off more interesting as mentors: neither one inherently evil or inherently good, both jaded by events that happened before our protagonists were even born, both heavily influencing morgana and merlin into fulfilling roles that they think are appropriate, but that morgana and merlin may not have chosen for themselves had they not been under their care.

you get the gist. if the show followed its own setup, morgana's mistakes wouldn't lie in cheap and senseless acts of violence but in alienating the people she loves because she is too hurt and jaded to trust them. meanwhile, everybody else would feel guilt over "failing" her and yet they would be too caught up in their own (sometimes flawed!) beliefs of right and wrong to truly see her point of view.

arthur would convince himself it was sorcery that corrupted her. merlin would know that isn't true but he wouldn't be able to argue without confessing everything, which is the defining conflict between him and morgana and it's cheapened when she's just an evil witch caricature and merlin is framed as inherently virtuous in contrast. gwen, too, would become a more active participant in her own life by choosing arthur over morgana and choosing to rule camelot with him instead of just waiting politely to see where things go.

and, of course, uther's downfall and death would be quick, final, and completely earned — when and why did the show even decide he of all people was the sympathetic villain, anyway?

lastly, and perhaps controversially, i think morgana should've learned merlin's true identity by season 4. her being the first of the main characters to find out makes perfect sense considering their shared history and their interconnected and mirrored arcs. even the show seems to agree, considering she does find out a little before arthur. but the narrative itself tried pointing flashing neon arrows towards this way earlier — there is a whole entire episode in s4 where merlin being emrys is repeatedly spelled out for morgana and she still isn't allowed to see it. that episode makes her look like the stupidest person to ever live, which is pretty funny im not gonna lie, but also another frustrating thing in the endless string of frustrating things that make up this show.

morgana learning that merlin has magic would've transformed the source of merlin's anxiety from a crippling fear of being outed someday to the crippling fear of knowing she could out him at any moment. this would make him want to beat her to the punch (perhaps he'd consider killing her for a minute and decide against it because she isn't a cartoonishly insane evil person in my version of events) and maybe he would even feel some tentative excitement at the idea of coming clean, now that it seems inevitable. after all, he always intended to tell arthur eventually! and i think gaius would have to admit outright that he does not want merlin to tell arthur he has magic because he, gaius, simply cannot risk such a gamble. it would be so interesting to see gaius and merlin clash and disagree once it becomes obvious that it's not merlin that isn't ready for the reveal, it's gaius. delicious!

with morgana's knowledge looming, things would inevitably spiral into a magic reveal by the end of season 4. i picture this season as an absolute mess of miscommunication between everyone at camelot, which is, y'know, canon. growing increasingly cunning and vengeful, morgana would use this tension to her advantage, destabilizing the court from the outside while she creates alliances with other sorcerers outside of camelot (instead of living alone in a hovel for no reason — morgana le fay i'm sorry i'm so sorry they gave you agravaine instead of your all-female entourage oh my god).

and here's where the events would change beyond recognition (aka here's where the meta becomes the fanfic i refuse to write). picture it with me: a militia of sorcerers infiltrates camelot and arthur and gwen have to set aside their differences (assuming gwen kissing lancelot and arthur overreacting happens, which it should) for the good of the kingdom as well as for love. picture high priestess morgana in her element, side by side with a bunch of misfit sorcerers that aren't so easily vilified, chopping down camelot's soldiers and knights and assuredly making their way to the newly-minted king.

then, just as it starts to seem that all hope is lost, in swoops merlin (the actual merlin, not his old fart disguise) on dragonback (kilgharrah hates morgana so much i know his sexist ass would stoop to anything to stop her)!!! imagine merlin showing off the extent of his powers in front of everyone and preventing the sorcerers from getting any further, declaring loud and clear that camelot is protected by him, by emrys. imagine that display of power alone being enough to send everyone home.

imagine the loyalties clearly drawn: merlin on arthur's side, morgana on the sorcerers'. imagine arthur, feeling confused and betrayed by everyone at this point, banishing merlin despite everything he's done for him in the angstiest, most emotionally dysregulated scene the show had ever put to screen. imagine merlin starting season 5 free at last but very lonesome, an embittered dragonlord like his father. imagine the absolute mess camelot would become without him, even with gwen — now queen guinevere — there to pick up the slack. imagine arthur actually earning merlin back, finally growing into his role as king as he does so. imagine the reunion.

all this and more could've been not just possible but inevitable if morgana was allowed to remain a complex character that is neither inherently good nor inherently evil: it was undeniably the biased and one-note treatment of morgana's downfall by the writers that set the precedent for literally everything else that happened after merlin chose to poison her. the show wouldn't have even had to jeopardize its tone or the monster-of-the-week vibe, all it would've had to do is admit that even the "good guys" are capable of mistakes and what makes them good is the ability to feel remorse and change for the better. (as opposed to uther, who was miles beyond redemption since way before the pilot and deserved to lose everything and die alone. OBVIOUSLY???)

in a world where morgana remains multifaceted and sympathetic, mordred would get a better arc as well, so if we really wanted to, we could still end on the same tragic note that the show ended on. with so much harm inflicted onto so many innocent people by the pendragons for so long (including mordred and the many druids and sorcerers that raised him), it could realistically end up being a little too late for anything more than one shining glimpse of king arthur and the sorcerer merlin's short-lived golden age before fate catches up to them. glimpsing that reality just to immediately lose it would've been far more satisfying and far more tragic than whatever the writers thought they were doing with all that pointless carrot-dangling.

and finally, an ending in line with morgana's new and improved arc. in this version, rather than bleeding out on the forest floor alone, she would channel the morgan le fay we know from the legends: sobered up by the reality of her brother dying, she would use her high priestess status (and perhaps also her pendragon status) to be granted passage over to avalon alongside arthur on the boat — a one-way ride — just to make sure he gets there safely. this is her penance for the harm she has caused, the same way arthur's penance is to die and leave the true ruler of camelot (gwen) behind to achieve everything he was too slow and indecisive to build while he still had time.

merlin's penance, then, would be to stay behind and watch them cross over without him, waiting and waiting and waiting until they come back or until he can finally join them. which is a bit fucking harsh if i'm honest, so i'd at least make it slightly more faithful to the legends by having him return as an old man and letting him take a long nap under a tree by the shore, his body slowly enveloped by vines like the cobwebbed fisher king in 3x08, never fully sure if he's dreaming or if there really are strange shapes fading in and out of the fog over the lake. still tragic, but nevertheless a little more open-ended and whimsical than [TRUCK NOISES] THE END!

[raven-6-10]

The Dreamers in House Targaryen

So, I finally did the Thing I once promised to do.

Below the cut is the complete famiily tree of House Targaryen, based on all the information currently available in all the published books. I also included the Blackfyre branch for the sake of completness.

Included a reference for what means what on this absolute monster of family tree. Also, for the sake of clarity, I did not include spouses unless they were also Targaryens or a child of a Targaryen.

House Targaryen pre-Conquest surprisingly includes only two confirmed Dreamers and none who could be suspected of having the gift.

Or maybe it's just the lack of the data (*glares at Valaena's mother*)

Daenys the Dreamer: self-explanatory. The most famous of Targaryen Dreamers and the one everyone wants to be like.

Aegon the Dragon: honestly, no surprise there. GRRM confirmed that Aegon's Dream from the show is also canon to the books. But even if he didn't, I would have marked Aegon as a suspected Dreamer - it was long theoretised that Targs came to Westeros because of a prophecy about the Doom of Men, so I could see the Conquest being kicked off by a Dream.

Now this is were it gets Interesting!

Alysanne Targaryen: there is an excelent analysis of Fire & Blood chapters on why Alysanne could be a Dreamer. One that apparently was missed by her relatives.

Viserys I Targaryen: so the thing is. Book!Viserys is never hinted at to have Dragon Dreams. Even in the show, he only had the one dream (of dubious authenticity). Hence, marked as show!only Dreamer.

The Greens!

Helaena Targaryen: Honestly, same deal as Viserys. Book!Helaena is never even hinted at as somebody who might be a Dreamer. So she's in blue and not red.

Now, Aemond's potential line might have produced something. If Alys actually had a living child. And if that line survived more than a generation.

Unfortunately, Lack of Data.

Honestly, once again we are dealing with Lack of Data on the Blacks and their descendants. Fire & Blood only takes us to the end of Regency, which is when Aegon the Younger turns sixteen. We have almost nothing after that as WoIaF is much less detailed on the family doings.

So if there was somebody with the gift, the fact did not make it into history.

Aegon IV's many, many bastards!

(even if some only suspected)

(or you know, not actually his)

Brynden Rivers (The Bloodraven): the only one with magical shit going on, and his is explicitly of the First Men variety.

(If we ever get Fire & Blood 2, I have some hopes for Shiera.)

The Blackfyres!

Daemon II Blackfyre: very explicit confirmation in The Mystery Knight, as he speaks of several Dreams he had over his life that came true.

Also, it's a colossal mess of a family tree with multiple branches having an uncertain fate. *eyeroll* And fans wonder why nobody believes in Varys' story about Young Griff.

Moving back to the main family, we finally get some confirmations that yes, Targs still produce Dreamers. Granted that seems to be confined to Maekar's branch

Daeron the Drunken: confirmed in The Hedge Knight and about as explicit as it gets.

Aemon Targaryen: as confirmed as it can be when we don't have his pov. But he says several things during aFfC that in hindsight are rather prophetic.

And here are our heroes!

Daenerys Stormborn: very explicitly has Dragon Dreams and waking visions at various points in the books.

Jon Snow: technically, we still don't have the confirmation that he's actually a Targaryen. But Jon does have a dream about figting Others at the Wall with a sword of fire, that is very similar to the Dream Dany has about fighting warriors of ice at the Trident.

Rhaegar Targaryen: marked him as a suspected Dreamer for the simple fact that it is hinted that he could see Dany when she was having her visions in House of the Undying.

[flawseer]

What's your opinion of what everyone did after the sealing of Darkstalker in the legends book? It just seemed way too quick with how they just moved on from the horrors, as Fathom and Indigo had kids and Clearsight flew off to a new continent to have kids with and create a whole new tribe. On another note, considering how Fathom was kind of banished (from what I remember) and had kids split off from the Royal Family, do you think there may be a descendant of Fathom somewhere hiding with Animus powers? Or do you think they just ended up being adopted back into the royal family after being discovered?

I personally consider Legends: Darkstalker the best book in the series, in part because I believe Sutherland's writing shines when she is not binding herself to the 5 books arc structure.

That said, the ending does have a bit of that one particular prequel problem. You know, the one where the characters are confirmed to be at a certain location in the future, so they absolutely HAVE to end the prequel story getting to that location IMMEDIATELY.

That's what I was thinking with regards to Clearsight's ending. Now, everyone deals with trauma differently, so I can only comment on her actions from my own limited point of view. I don't think I could have done what she did, at least not so suddenly. She had relationships beyond Darkstalker, with Listener and her parents, whom she presumably was still on good terms with. Like, especially her parents I think never actually learned what happened to her. They might have continued living thinking their only daughter died in the evacuation.

When I think of that part of the book, I personally like to envision an epilogue where Clearsight returns to her parents and lives with the Nightwings for a while (a couple years maybe). Her parents are supportive and Listener is grateful and admires her friend for saving her family. So much so that she reverses her stance on futuresight and authors a scroll about it, crediting Clearsight as a master prophet (this is the scroll that Moonwatcher later reads).

But the other Nightwings still fear Darkstalker, and they remember his girlfriend who stood on stage with him and looked at him adoringly as Darkstalker massacred his own father (they don't know she was tricking Darkstalker). So there is public tension building at Clearsight living with them, and it begins to negatively impact the people who support her. In the end, Clearsight decides to leave the tribe, both to protect her loved ones from getting caught up in her fallout and to separate herself from all that trauma and find her fortune on the new continent.

Notably, she actually tells her friends and parents about that plan this time, and they don't spend the rest of their lives wondering what happened.

As for Fathom and any potential descendants, there is a 'realistic but boring' answer, and one that is a bit more interesting narratively.

The boring answer is that, yes, there are descendants of Fathom around. Lots of them. It is inevitable. If you take an individual and step back one generation, you find they will have 2 parents. Above that they have 4 grandparents. Then 8 great-grandparents, 16 great-great-grandparents. At 10 generations back we are looking at 1024 theoretical ancestors. Now as these numbers get bigger, some of these lines will cross-breed with each other again, so the math isn't entirely clean, but just trust me that these numbers balloon really fast the more generations you go back.

Fathom was alive 2000 years ago. If we lean conservatively and say the average dragon has eggs at age 20, that means 100 generations have come and gone from then to today. The number of ancestors over this many generations is so high, you might pick any Seawing currently alive in present day and there will be a very decent chance of them having Fathom somewhere in their bloodline.

You go back far enough and everyone starts to be related to everyone else. Ancestry is funny like that.

For the more narratively interesting answer: I do believe Fathom re-integrated into the royal family again. One thing that needs to be kept in mind is that Pearl, like her brother, also had her entire life uprooted by the Royal Seawing Massacre. She was all at once dealing with the shock of losing her parents and the stress of having to now run the entire kingdom without being prepared for it at all. There was no time to process any grief, or the lingering fear. When she sent her brother away and forbade him to have children, that wasn't an act of malice, it was the only solution she could think of to keep everyone safe from the future threat of magic without also having to execute the last part of her family.

Neither of them ever had any ill will against the other. Pearl was dealt the shittiest of hands and she tried to make the best play she could at the time, while desperately trying to keep herself together. That is what I think.

As Pearl and Fathom got older and the situation in the Sea Kingdom stabilized, Pearl might have finally been able to reflect upon what happened and to process some of her neglected emotional turmoil. I believe Fathom eventually reached out again and they both found a way to reconcile, mending their fractured relationship. I don't know if Fathom moved back into the palace; perhaps he chose to stay away to keep the rest of the populace at ease. But I think his children or grand-children would eventually re-integrate into the royal family.

This turned out a bit wordy and the question was sitting in my inbox for a good while. But I hope this provides an interesting answer.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Now don't throw tomatoes at me but I'm actually really excited to finally see malleus again— I've always loved malleus since we met him in the story, but I'm also sooo curious about what's gonna happen next,, I'm wondering the obvious thing, about whether or not we might get a parralel scenario like what happened with the KoD and silver will have to "slay" malleus or at least be the one to land a killing blow, but I also saw a really interesting post focusing on how magic is a manifestation of dreams and deep desires and imagination,,,, in that case, I may (VERY delusionally) hope that Yuu finally gets to be a major part of the story for once??? Even reading the novels, there HAS to be something bigger for yuu— while the idea of crowley simply being an incompetent airhead is fun and more comfortable, haven't you thought that meybe he pulled them into this world deliberately??

All to say, what if at some point, Yuu somehow manifests magic in a very dire moment ?? You know lol?? Agh idk. I just want yuu to finally make impactful choices but that IS too much to ask, as far as we can see for now,,, (but hey, that part leading up to ace getting is UM, and the convo between him and yuu,,, it *does* give one a sliver of hope, doesn't it? :') )

Don't worry, no tomato throwing here! 😅 I may not care for certain characters, but I’m not going to shame anyone that does. You’re free to think however you want about Malleus!

dbjsvsJcwhj My personal feelings about him aside, I am actually glad he’s finally relevant to the main story again. He’s missed out on so much of his own book OTL In the time he’s been gone, the fandom has been left to speculate about both his and Lilia’s potential death flags. I really doubt Twst will have the balls to kill off one of them, but it would be cool to at least see Silver delivering the final blow to knock some sense into (not necessarily kill) OB Malleus.

Yes, it’s true that Silver states in the recent update that magic was originally considered “a miracle borne of strong desires from the heart.” But 💦 I don’t think that means Yuu would randomly manifest magic in the final fight?? It feels more like a “let’s save the day with the power of friendship” to me, but I could of course be wrong.

I understand being frustrated that Yuu’s participation in the main story seems to fluctuate a lot, with most of their activity being books 3, 4, and segments of 1, 6, and 7. That’s not much, especially considering how long books 6 and 7 are. Sometimes (even in events) it feels like Yuu is barely there, as most dialogue options don’t involve different reactions from the characters. Even Yuu's quest to find a way home is barely addressed or taken seriously until early in book 7. Yuu hasn't gotten "real" development unless you count them realizing their Disney dreams are prophetic in book 5, taking the initiative to save Grim in book 6, and that dialogue option about them being worried they're not contributing + the related convo with Ace in book 7. All very short moments in the grand scheme of things. And honestly, I think that makes sense for the kind of character Yuu is. A blank slate, a self-insert, an outsider that's easy to exposit information to, someone with which to view the story, characters, and world through. Yuu is primarily there to be the POV character, the lenses, the camera that we see Twst through. They're not really meant to be a traditional "main character". It's possible that Twst gives them a slightly bigger role at the very end (especially with what went down in the dream in book 7), but I doubt it will be a huge triumphant moment where they and they alone save the day or deal the final blow in a crazy act of self-sacrifice. Twst has always been a story that puts the NRC boys first, while Yuu is the observer.

I've noticed that the complaint of Yuu not doing a lot in the story comes mainly from English speaking fans?? And I guess that makes sense, given how western culture tends to emphasize independence and standing out. They want Yuu to reflect that. They want to be the ones to make a difference. I don't even remember ever seeing these same comments from the Japanese speaking fans; it's definitely a less common sentiment for them. The Japanese fans seem pretty content with Yuu being an observer and taking on more of a minor or supporting role. Again, this fits in with what I understand of many eastern cultures. They're demurer, not wanting to stand out too much from the crowd and instead prioritizing group harmony. Very interesting cultural difference to note!

It's a common theory (with many variants) that Crowley intentionally summoned Yuu to Twisted Wonderland for his own nefarious motives. People found him pretty sus right away due to how he seems to not put in any real time or effort into investigating a way to send Yuu home. Plus, there's that ominous opening monologue of his to consider. However, I don't think he summoned Yuu because of their (potential) great magical capabilities. The Mirror of Darkness tells us that it doesn't sense a shred of magic in Yuu, and Leona smells zero magic on them (though that could be because it hasn't technically manifested yet, as some fans claim).

The idea is that Yuu is supposed to be plain. They are supposed to be magicless. Why? To humble the NRC students and to show them that asserting yourself violently or with great magical power ISN'T the way to go. To show them value in strategizing (which Yuu does in the prologue by helping Grim aim at the ghosts), of camaraderie. What does it say about the story's themes if Yuu, the person who is supposed to be showing them the worth of mundane things, is suddenly... "secretly ultra-strong, actually”/“just like you guys” (even if it's only a temporary hope-fueled magic)? It might contradict what has already been set up. It also breaks the self-insert appeal of Yuu, since developing magic would also mean Yuu would later have to further develop things like proficiency in magic, best/worst subjects, and an unique magic/signature spell... meaning Yuu HAS to become better "defined", thus losing their blank slate nature. This would surely upset some fans who deeply project onto Yuu, have a Yuusona, etc.

Yuu can still make an impact on the characters and the world--and they have, judging by how much closer the boys are with each other--without having to be The Most Special One or like everyone else. I think it undermines what Yuu has already managed to achieve to say that they haven't made an impactful choice at ANY point in the main story when I believe they definitely have. Yuu made the choice to sign the contract with Azul. Yuu made the choice to approach Malleus. Yuu made the choice to go against Crowley's orders and go retrieve Grim from S.T.Y.X. Yuu made the choice to get Leona’s help with the contracts. Yuu made the choice to stand with Adeuce against Riddle in book 1. Yuu made the choice to let the VDC/SDC tribe train at Ramshackle. Yuu has done a lot, and all without needing to seize the spotlight or to do anything big and flashy. I don't think Yuu needs to be big and flashy. There is pride to be had in simplicity and being humble too. There is pride in representing the 90% of humans in Twisted Wonderland that are ordinary and without magic.

(An aside: so if Yuu wasn’t able to manifest magic in many other extreme instances, does that mean their desire to save Grim in book 6 wasn’t “enough”? That their desire to save Ramshackle, their one and only home in this world, wasn’t “enough”? It implies that Yuu didn’t wish hard enough for these other things they clearly care about and want.)

I think a good way to give Yuu a decent role while staying true to their design as a blank slate would be for Twst to really lean into the whole "beast tamer" aspect that was introduced all the way back in the prologue. This would work well with their deep connection to Grim as well. Assuming that Grim ends up being the final OB... We could easily have the NRC students and staff on the ropes, Malleus at his wit's end after exhausting himself with his own OB, a rampaging Grim about to end it all. And then... one lone figure shakily rises from the rubble and confronts Grim. One human. Magicless, defenseless. A human lost in an unfamiliar world, a human who believes they're useless and don't contribute much. A human who is always in need of being protected by others. But not anymore. This time, it's Yuu's turn to protect what they love--their friends, this world they've come to love, Grim. Ace and Deuce yelling at Yuu to not be stupid, to get back--but Yuu just advances, calling out to Grim and begging him to stop. And maybe it's Yuu's wish that rallies everyone and/or gets OB Grim to hesitate. That's when they can strike. Is that corny? Yeah. Does it sound like the ending to a Disney film? Sure. But it still grants Yuu, a magicless human that is supposed to be there to teach everyone about friendship, cooperation, and humility, their big moment to shine. The best of both worlds, I'd say.

[greentrickster]

Okay, two things:

LGBTQ+ pride FTW 20always, baby!!!!!!!!!!!

Many members of the LGBTQ+ community are in places where it's harmful or even actively dangerous for them to display that pride

So! As someone who's just... wandered into a lot of youtube videos and internet essays and classic literature classes that involved conservative religious terminology, has an English (aka formal bullshitting) degree, and who got an A+ in my neurodivergent masking abilities, I'm gonna let you in on a phrase that's basically a life hack for establishing certain boundaries:

'God has called me.' No seriously, hear me out. This isn't a conservative Christian hype post, it's about how to use the language of conservative Christians to your own ends.

Example 1: Instead of "I'm asexual, I'm not interested in sex," try "God has called me to celibacy." Also works if you're married and the two of you aren't planning on having kids, regardless of if you're actually having sex or not.

Example 2: You're aromantic or have preferences other than straight but aren't in a place where that's safe to admit to: "God has called me to singleness." This also works if you are straight but just aren't in the space to date at the moment.

Example 3: You're going somewhere that might raise some eyebrows but you really want to go to because these are Your People? "God has called me to minister at [place you want to go]." I recommend ministering with the Songs of Solomon (because if you turn your head ever so slightly to the left, they are so much hornier than you'd expect).

Again, this isn't about being a good Christian, or even actually believing in God; it's about framing your truths and experiences in a way conservatives understand and respect. It's about hiding in plain sight during a time where it's even less safe for the LGBTQ+ community than it already was, and being able to establish certain boundaries for yourself in safe ways. It's about saying your truth in ways they'll actually hear.

Also, if you're in a place where people commonly talk about Bible verses and such, I recommend John 11:35 and/or Genesis 9:13 to claim as your personal fav.

John 11:35 "Jesus wept."

It's the shortest verse in the entire bible, and I honestly do like this one a lot. Weeping is something typically done when you can do nothing else. It is heartbreak, frustration, despair, utter and helpless sorrow. And I like the idea of a son of god/prophet/guy doing his best to establish change being characterized as able to weep; it indicates that there is an understanding of these emotions, and thus the potential for empathy and compassion for those who also experience them.

Genesis 9:13 "I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth."

It's from the end of the Noah story, God's promising not to flood the world again, no matter what humans do from this point on, because he's decided that that was an excessive reaction on his part. An indication that, while all-knowing and all-powerful, he's still capable of error. More importantly, rainbow cameo.

Anyway, hope this is useful to someone out there, and that everyone's staying as safe as possible in these never-ending Historical Events.

EDIT!!!

@ellipsiswears #raised in church disclaimer: that was not what the rainbow after the flood meant#one of the fundamental tenets of Christianity is that God is perfect does not err#so I recommend not saying that to a Christian unless you're ready for a Discussion#stay safe y'all

^Very important addition! I got a little lost in the sauce of personal interpretation and ways that verse could be read! I did grow up nominally Christian, but neither I nor anyone in my direct family are fundamentalist. And the church that I was with the longest and that my parents still attend from time to time is constantly on the cusp of being kicked out of our denomination for being 'too liberal.' Stay safe, do what research you're comfortable with, and don't be afraid to fact-check me and others like me; we are well-intentioned, but still fallible.

Please feel free to add to this thread with more information and suggestions regarding this topic, in the notes, in the tags, by adding to the thread proper, whatever. This isn't a topic or strategy I've seen discussed anywhere else, and I want people who might benefit from it to have it!

.

(Also, to be clear on the perspective I'm coming from, my own personal belief system boils down to "I firmly believe that there is something Big and Good out there, and there are many correct ways to connect with it and many proper names for it.")

[cocoavanille]

Slander for @drarrymicrofic

As to why and how nearly all department thinks he's dating Emily, Harry is unsure – he wouldn't dare even cracking a flirtatious joke at her, less so kissing in the store like the papers suggest. There are no photos, of course, it's all pure slander. But the newspapers love to make noise and a rumour of the head auror dating one of his youngest subordinates fits the criteria too well.

Harry sighs, laying the paper on the table, helplessly looks at Emily. She is clearly fuming inside, but keeps her mouth shut.

– Sorry about that, I'll shut this down in the evening and we'll never talk about it again.

– In your place, I would worry more about your boyfriend coming in here to investigate the roots.

– I've got nothing to hide, – Harry said calmly, – he's not that dumb.

Emily saw right through his disguise, smirking.

– Oh, you're shitting yourself already, I can see. Good luck seeing him after the ball is over. If things go south, I promise to visit your grave.

– Shoo, let me think.

Laughing, Emily leaves him to it. Harry sighs. Would it be too naive to hope Draco wouldn't know somehow? This is a mess. Jealousy isn't the problem, it's Draco once again having a reason to give him a lecture about public image.

Before the day ends, the Prophet has his "shocking" statement denying the "scandalous romance".

Draco isn't home at ten, eleven pm. Right, the curse breakers are trying to crack open the artifact they've found in the criminal's layer...

The door opens when he gets up to make tea. Draco yawns, shakes his head lightly, barely keeping his composure.

– Evening, Harry. Do we have something sweet?

– Bought your favourite cupcakes.

– I love you, – Draco sighs, seemingly unbothered, – tired? The press is such a mess.

So he's seen it. Then why is there no actual reaction? Does he not care? The thought is slightly terrifying. Harry hesitates, then looks up to meet his boyfriends' eyes. Draco frowns after a couple seconds of eye contact.

– What? If you're trying to use legilimency on me, it's not working.

– You're fine with it?...

– What, the rumour? For fucks sake, Harry, Emily would rather drown than get on your dick or even kiss you, that woman wants nothing to do with men aside from getting them arrested or having patience with a couple at work.

Harry snorts.

– Yep, that's our best field worker.

– Then why are you concerned? People believe stupid shit all the time–

A big yawn makes Draco startle, then Harry notices the slight tremor in his hands. Someone haven't had dinner and is nearly fainting and he's here, worrying about... Pfft, seriously, why is he even nervous? Draco knows him too well to believe he'd pick Emily of all people, even Ron more of a suspect if he looks at it from his perspective.

– Tea or coffee?

– A piece of chocolate and a lot of kisses. I've cracked the bloody thing, by the way, gave it to Ronald on the way back. Stop acting like an anxious cat already, let's have dinner.

After a scrumptious meal they both don't have the energy to move much, Harry laying on Draco's chest on the couch, listening to his heartbeat.

– Aren't you afraid I can potentially cheat on you?

Draco thinks for a while. Nods.

– The thought is unpleasant, but I'll live even if. Also, I don't really believe you'd do something like that.

– Why? Profiling interest.

Draco shifts a little so he can comfortably move higher.

– Well, first things first, a cheater is a state of mind, sometimes even a character trait. As I see it, cheating is equal to not trusting or/and respecting you own choices, which is not something you are famous for. You also have enough decency to break up and then go fuck someone else. Why are we having this conversation? You can't actually think I'd throw a fit about someone writing a poor coworker romance story.

Harry smiles sheepishly. Draco rolls his eyes.

– That is insulting, not the rumour.

– Sorry, I just–

– I love you, Harry. And I trust you before any magazine. But if you ever do cheat – you're out of my life for good.

For some reason, this is the only answer that calms Harry's anxiety.

– Love you too.

He whispers into his ear, nibbling on the edge. Draco breathes out a little heavy.

– No stamina right now, honey, I'm drained.

– Who said you need to do something?

Draco takes a long look at him, then shoves him away with a glare.

– We're not having "apology sex" – there's nothing to apologise for. Want to please me? Go to sleep, I can tell when you're having a headache.

Harry bites his lip and obeys, getting off the couch.

Only in the morning, waking up in loving arms, does he realise why Draco has turned him away last night. A smile appears on it's own when Harry kisses fair skin on his forehead.

– You're the best.

Draco is deeply asleep, but he hopes he knows. Because Harry does for sure.

Draco Malfoy may not be the best person in magical Britain, but he's the best partner, lover, expert and a friend Harry Potter could've asked for.

[mirror-to-the-past]

So. This could be reaching, but it's a strange observation I'll bring it up anyway: Ralsei's introduction as a hero in the main part of the prophecy breaks up the rhyming and rythmic structure earlier established. It's founded exclusively in end rhyme and masculine rhyming structure (i.e. "light, night," "dire, expire," "send, end"), and Ralsei's introduction as a hero both breaks it up and doesn't have a complete rhyme that matches with the format. Ralsei has an assonance-based rhyme that matches the vowels of Kris and Susie/Noelle's sections ("-arts," "eart," "ar"), but the consonants with "-rk" in "dark" ending are noticeably harsher than the "-s" suffix ending in Kris and Susie/Noelle's portions: "Dark" does not mesh as well with "Parts" or "Heart" to the ear.

On how he also just breaks up the flow- Again, everything else is written in rhyming pairs of two, while Ralsei's out here breaking the main flow up to be tacked on the heroes list at the end, which is a three-rhyming structure that seemingly doesn't repeat afterwards.

Now, the other non-rhyming bits that are isolated events that don't fit in the flow of anything makes this observation seem a little less poignant, but it just seems different to me for the main "idea" of the prophecy to have such a noticeable break in its structure like this.

Where am I going with this?

Uuuuh, I don't know, could mean lots of things.

"Dark" being isolated is meant to further reference Ralsei's "alone in the dark" idea- he's a loner, he doesn't belong, he's not meant to be paired off with complete poetic structure, even when included in a prophetic trio of legend- there's a felt gap between him and them.

More conspiratorially, perhaps, like how I speculate more certainly about Susie, he wasn't meant to be there. While Susie seems to be a misinterpretation of the prophecy where she took over the role as "hero" for Noelle, Ralsei's line seems to be completely inserted- as thought he wasn't meant to have a line there in the first place. Perhaps, through his apparent omnipotence of his place in a game, knowledge of the Player, and knowledge of all other manner of secrets, he came upon the prophecy meant to spell destruction and doom for the Light and Dark worlds, wondered if he and potentially a sacrifice on his end could forestall their doom, and sought to count himself in with the supposed "original" two heroes' lot. He'll take whatever pain he can for them, after all. Maybe, similarly to what I suspect of Kris and is canonically evident with Susie, despite the burden and paranoia it brings him, inclusion in the Prophecy fulfills Ralsei's desire of company and love. He's glad to have whatever pain might come to him at the end, so long as he was able to have fun with friends along the way, so he "took the deal" to be included, or something (Again, similar to what I theorize of Kris- I've seen people speculate from the "demon-summoning" throwaway line that Kris might have semi-knowingly summoned the Player in an attempt to feel spark and power in their life again, which semi-backfired, of course).

Of course, that brings up the obvious counterargument of "Well, if Ralsei was able to insert himself into a prophecy that originally didn't include him whatsoever, why does he apparently feel so much despair at the disaster ending, and that the Prophecy can't be changed?" And to that I say, uhhh, idk man, I'm just throwing weird things I notice at the wall to see if any of it sticks. Maybe his inclusion has been the only bit that has seemed to change, but he was hoping his presence would do more, so then he lost hope? Maybe for whatever reason, he's withholding more information, and his "I want to believe it can change!" is somehow misleading? I have no idea!! I just wanted to talk about rhymes

Edit: What appears to be full main body of the Prophecy (like, leaving out the lines that don't match with anything like the "Toothpaste and then boy" ones) as it aligns with the typical rhyming structure:

A world basked in purest light,

Beneath it grew eternal night

If fountains freed, the Roaring cries,

And Titans shape from darkened eyes

The light and dark, both burning dire

A countdown to the earth's expire

But lo, on hopes and dreams they send

Three heroes at the world's end

The first hero, the cage with human soul and parts,

The second hero, Girl, with hope crossed on her heart

The third hero, the prince, alone in deepest dark

The knight which makes with blackest knife

Shall duel with heroes, strife by strife

They'll hear the ring of heaven's call

They'll see the trail of hell take crawl

And then, when all hope is lost for the tale

The final tragedy unveils

To save the worlds, there is only one way

[unknown]

---

Again, it's a very slight difference, and the preemptive "the first, second, third hero" portions definitely distract from the rhyme of the word itself. Just a minor interesting detail to me that I can overthink about, lmao.

[aroaceleovaldez]

hello! so I'm doing a revamp of a character and I'm switching over their god parent to Apollo. One of the prominent traits of said character is that they are cursed - do you have any thoughts on how I could use maybe the plague aspects of Apollo or if there are any nasty curses I could pull from mythology?

i actually have a perfect hc for this! One of my ongoing hcs for CHB (brainstormed with the help of my group chat) is that each of the main 12 cabins has a "bad omen" power that crops up once in a blue moon and is considered a curse or bad luck - basically every other cabin's equivalent of the Hephaestus cabin fire powers. Big 3 kids are just kind of omens in themselves and for Hermes cabin i usually go it's just the chthonic kids and they're less "bad" omens and more just omens in general + being more common than the "cursed" powers other cabins have. For the other cabins, I usually have their "bad omen" powers be: Demeter = Geokinesis, Ares = iron skin, Athena = vision/inflicting blindness (literal or metaphorical), Apollo = plague, Hephaestus = pyrokinesis (canon), Aphrodite = "Whispers" (similar to charmspeak but functioning slightly different and more malignant), Dionysus = insanity.

I imagine all of these powers would be extremely rare (same level as what's described with Hephaestus fire powers - like once every hundred years or so) (except for maybe chthonic Hermes kids or Big 3 kids - again they're kind of a technical inclusion to the Bad Omen Powers Club). They're generally the black sheep of their respective cabins. In my personal hcs I like to have Will be a plague child of Apollo (he considers his "bad luck" effect to be why most of his cabin died soon after he arrived at CHB and blames himself for it) and also have healer children of Apollo be often born at the same time as plague children of Apollo to keep them in check (Will is both!) - though healer children are less rare and can crop up all on their own, no associated omens required.

With Apollo and plague powers, you could also tie in his associations with insects (specifically midges and locusts, though he also has some association with bees if you wanna throw that in there too) and rodents (rats/mice). He's also the god of mold and mildew! Lots of fun room to play around with plague-leaning powers for Apollo kids. In canon, Apollo kids with prophecy powers are also implied to be somewhat cursed (such as Halcyon Green) so you could potentially play with that as well. Particularly that + Apollo's association with snakes as one of his animals, since snakes in greek mythos are heavily associated with prophecy.

One "curse" I'm always amused by associating with Apollo kids and their potential snake and prophecy stuff is Tiresias, who was "cursed" (in some versions by Apollo) for killing a snake or two to be turned into a woman (or man, or mouse, again depending on version - it varies which they started as) (curse in quotations cause if it's the sex-change options Tiresias sure did not care one single bit so "curse" not effective i guess), sometimes repeatedly. Depending on version Tiresias is either born blind or gets blinded by either witnessing a virgin goddess bathing (yknow, the standard) or for siding with Zeus in an argument against Hera. Depending on version as compensation for being blinded in either situation they are gifted prophetic abilities (sometimes by snakes - cause "snakes licked their ears and gave them the gift of prophecy" is a surprisingly specific recurring thing in Greek mythos) or they're just born with it. In some versions of Tiresias' myths they're also killed by Apollo. So just in general with all the snake and prophecy and mouse and Apollo associations there, plus the genderfuckery, I just think that's ripe for an Apollo kid getting up to shenanigans.

Another famous Apollo-associated curses include of course Midas' ass ears or. gestures to Trojan war. inflicting plague. Or just straight up killing a designated hubristic individual's children (usually Apollo killing the sons while Artemis kills the daughters).

Hope this gives you some ideas!

[skycrimedraws]

Harlan Francis Lovell // PROPHET. Previously SOOTHSAYER, SEEKER,JOHN DOE, Lt. Lovell

Harlan F. Lovell grew in Seattle. His parents were unremarkable lower end corporate employees for Ares. His relationship with his father was strained, his expectations of him as the eldest were far more than he could withstand. Driving under the influence ended Francis Senior’s life, and put Mr. Lovell into a two week coma. Rescue attempts were quick enough to drag him out of the water in time, but Francis senior did not have the same luck.

Despite the potentially traumatic event, Harlan claims he has made his peace with his late father, and it is not a factor in his life. In current time, he has a good relationship with his mother and stepfather, as well as the younger siblings he helped raise afterwards, and speaks no ill of his biological father.

During the coma, Mr. Lovell claims he was aware to some extent, saw visions of a reality he should not have been privy to. He was twelve at the time so the possibility of an over active imagination is not out of the question. According to him:

“I kept sinking. I was drowning but I could not swim, everything around me felt like thick syrup, crushing my body. It was dark but I could see eyes staring back at me from time to time. Not like ours, different, somehow I understood they were eyes. I was trapped for what felt like years, feeling like my body was feeding something much larger than I was, but I was not being bitten to pieces, I wasn’t being chewed. My legs, my arms, my chest, it felt like I was being ground softly but constantly, losing more and more of myself. When I thought I had gotten used to the pain, it became unbearable once again. An endless cycle of numbing down and becoming aware. With what I know now, it was nothing like the astral world I can access. It was deeper. When I woke up from the coma, only two weeks had passed, and all I had lost was my hand. Doctors mentioned that I had more brain activity than expected, which led them to believe it was a case of locked in syndrome, but I don’t think it was that. I was awakened after that.”

Mr. Lovell’s current difficulties with night terrors and obsessive compulsions to understand things can be traced to that event whether it was real or an after effect of stress-induced awakening.

Mr. Lovell was inducted into an Ares educational program for the awakened children of employees. His studies of magic were based on the Unified Magic Theory school of thought, and a position in Ares or one of their subsidiaries was promised as part of his scholarship. Mr. Lovell finished his studies and was funneled into Knight Errant’s Awakened Crime Division. Lovell’s psychological evaluation was shaky, but excuses can be made for mages.

Mr. Lovell was a detective for six years. He cites his idealism as the reason he agreed to the Knight Errant placement. He cites the same thing as his reason for quitting. It was a one sided affair, as his contract left no wiggle room for him to stop working in KE until 40 years had been completed. Mr. Lovell explained many favors had to be pulled for his SIN to be burned, and mentions this was the only way for him to relocate to Los Angeles without being caught.

Mr. Lovell’s work in LA has been largely of a humanitarian nature involving the local anarchist cells and SINless people who have been failed by the governing bodies. His unlicensed Private Investigation agency (Manned solely by himself and his dog, Mac) accepts SINless clients, and even cash or barters. Although he doesn’t advertise himself as pro-bono, he isn’t a stranger to ‘forgetting’ to send the bill to a client or two.

He has grown a reputation, particularly among anarchist cells. In a night of riot, a marginalized slice of Downtown, home to foreigners and metahumans, caught on fire after reckless use of less-than-lethal ammunition. Despite police presence, emergency services did not make an appearance. Mr. Lovell happened to be on the scene, according to him. Fire fighting efforts from the community were underway, but the fire had grown wildly out of control with the way buildings were built with cheap materials, shoulder to shoulder.

Mr. Lovell acted selflessly, putting his own health on the line to employ the help of several spirits he had previously contacted for help. A powerful water spirit created a rainstorm over the span of thirty minutes, a spirit of man cast healing spells on several victims of the fire, while a third spirit of air gave way to fear in the authority’s hearts, enough to break the formation trapping the people in the area of the fire.

Mr. Lovell himself spent the next few hours casting healing spells on whoever else he could to the point of exhaustion. Mr. Lovell wasn’t keen on claiming any credit, but it was easy for the collective to learn of his identity. At the current time, Mr. Lovell resides in that neighborhood, mostly keeping to himself.

[nice-profession-mechanic]

A (to my knowledge) exhaustive list of Religions of Tyria rated by how trustworthy and dead their gods are.

The Five

Congregation: most humans

Dead: 2 of the known 8 gods of this pantheon of 6 are known to be dead (cause we killed them)

Trustworthiness: The fuckers flaked and left Tyria a hundred years before shit started getting dangerous.

Blurb: 6 ageless creatures who each hold a mantel of incredible power and draw further power from the faith of thise who believe in them while bringing some people back from the dead for fun.

The Unseen Ones

Congregation: A small section of humans

Dead: fuck i hope so. The player has played an active part in their extinction.

Trustworthiness: nope, used their religion to try and usurp the authority of the king and do a bunch of unethical science experiments. Also had anyone with the potential to rumble the ruse killed under false pretences. Had their first prophet imprisoned in a weird forever jail for 150+ years for asking questions.

Blurb: Invisible wizards who flaked on their last proper fight to keep their wealth, then later started a cult to avoid a prophecy that would lead to their extinction.

Spirits of the Wild

Congregation: Most Norn

Dead: We recently learned they can't die while the thing they represent in Tyria is still common.

Trustworthiness: Yeah, 4 of them took a bullet for the Norn so they could flee and survive a battle that would otherwise have killed them all.

Blurb: the least scary is the spirit of bunny, which represents bunnies. The most scary is the spirit of darkness...which you don't want to meet.

Titans

Congregation: The char, but only in the past

Dead: they were, apparently there were more in the Mists so now we gotta kill 'em all again

Trustworthiness: nope, it was just a cult using oppression and picking favourites to manipulate the Char into worshipping them and doing their bidding.

Blurb: what if the most flammable guy was 2 stories tall and insisted that fire was the best way to show fealty.

Zaishien

Congregation: battle junkies humans

Dead: Allowed to escape dead baby jail by Logan Thackery's almost male-wife, personally put in the ground for good by the player, eaten by their daughter and daughter's maternal grandpa.

Trustworthiness: Less over time, Balthazar used to be all about face punching. But when his free all-you-can-faith-buffet was at risk he started being a wanker.

Blurb: If dying gloriously in battle is your vibe, come live on a tropical island in the middle of the ocean with the most oiled up battle junkies you've never met. Also, death is avoidable if you do a good job. Also, we're training to invade the centre of the universe or go there when we die for good.

Zephyrites

Congregation: A flying church of monks who live in zeplins who are following the last of the unfulfilled Flameseeker Prophecies who use bits of their god's corpse to double jump.

Dead: Tyria's best and brightest got Glint killed in their attempt to kill her dad.

Trustworthiness: Unless Glint is playing the longest of long cons, she is very trustworthy. Her powers of prophecy and understanding of the way magic worked in Tyria allowed her to continue to affect the world long after she died.

Blurb: Was anti-brainwashed in the year 11,000 years ago and used her prescient powers of prophecy to help the mortals races of the world. Is the reason the Unseen Ones went to those lengths to not go extinct.

Mellaggan

Congregation: All Quaggans

Dead: yep, killed by snake people

Trustworthiness: quite, she has lead the Quaggans from danger on several occasions after being dead.

Blurb: a goddess of bounty, human scholars insist the Quaggans are actually worshipping the human goddess Melandru since they've repurposed some of her sunken temples, but the Quaggan insist they're different.

Ameyalli and Zintl

Congregation: Hylek

Dead: Ameyalli might have been Mordremoth, and that guy is very dead. Zintl is the literal sun, and that seems to still be present.

Trustworthiness: The rise of the Mordrem has given the Hylek reason to doubt Ameyalli. Hard to distrust the sun, what with its dispassionate warmth cast on all below it.

Blurb: Frog people have sensible gods, more at 11.

Celestial

Congregation: Canthan people, people who can see the stars

Dead: can't kill an idea. you can seemingly freely kill their physical embodiments in Tyria since it doesn't affect the stars they represent.

Blurb: the stars represent stuff and if it's the right time of the year they'll let you pick a fight with them to earn the right to be lucky.

The Eternal Alchemy

Congregation: Most Asura

Dead: you can't kill an idea and this one is the idea that "stuff can be understood"

Trustworthiness: not really trustworthy when it's a dispassionate world anthropomorphised as an equation that can explain any problem that no one has proved is real and has driven most people who got close mad.

Blurb: what if string theory was a macro scale problem

The Great Dwarf

Congregation: himself

Dead: getting there, there's only so many dwarves left

Trustworthiness: does exactly what it said on the tiny, very trustworthy

Blurb: do you wanna be a hive mind? And also turn to stone? Be an ageless being, go underground, and fight forever more?

Koda

Congregation: bear people

Dead: oh yeah, koda was once a guy, that guy is dead. His ideals and philosophies and somehow voice live on.

Trustworthiness: hard to say when you're listening to mysterious voices and auguries. Also, sometimes seems to drive people mad and that's a good thing?

Blurb: I'm just not gonna have a colonialists mindset and say nothing

[smaller-comfort]

picture of me hopped up on cold medicine attempting to process throes of the watchmaker under the cut. also a lot of rambling.

thinking about how brugaves and erlina become their shadow selves in order to serve aephorul- it's probably not the *only* mechanism by which he changes/empowers his followers, but it presents some interesting potential for future story beats and redemption arcs. I don't know that Barma'thazel and Elysan'darelle can or should be redeemed; fate decrees that they will Fall, and maybe their only hope for redemption lies in another life.

(everybody's posting about 999 days of alectopause and my locked tomb brain rot is gonna spill over into this eventually, thinking about redemption, forgiveness and the indelible sin of immortality.)

The paralells between Erlina/Ely'san, Valere/Feral, Brugaves/Barma and Zale/Narcis are so stark, man. brugaves and zale both haunted by insecurity and feelings of inadequacy; Erlina and Valere both chafe under the yoke of discipline and self control. But for Erlina and Brugaves, it's externalized- she doesn't want to let anyone else control her anymore. she wants power, so she can make her own decisions and choose her own path. Brugaves wants to flee from his problems and responsibilities. No one will ever tell him he isn't good enough anymore; he's fast enough to outrun everything, now.

Zale and Valere are internally conflicted. Zale fears being *perceived* as inadequate. He fears that his motivation isn't pure. Valere fears a loss of internal control- if she slips up, she'll destroy everything she's supposed to fight for.

the scene where they get their powers back gave me chills. the shadows that haunt them are the children they never got to be! radical acceptance! they had to sacrifice those children in order to develop their powers, and the only way they can recover their powers is by rescuing those lost and lonely kids.

-in the timeline where Garl dies, Elysan'darelle also dies, but the implications of the final scene in the dlc are that elysan'darelle is necessary for the flood to happen. without garl, there's no flood, no prophecy, no Message, no Messenger. Teaks and Arty build the Shrine for Solen and Luana, but to what end? For some reason I was thinking of The Messenger as a failed timeline because of the flood and the destruction of the sky giants, but that's clearly not the case. Will book 5 see the world's connection to the sea of stars mended again?

(Speaking of Messengers. My conspiracy theory about Teaks being related to Shopkeeper: now thoroughly debunked. The Muse->Shopkeeper one remains unshakeable. The only question is whether Shopkeeper *is* Muse, or if she's just another future incarnation of the Ovate of Time.)

(watch all of this be a red herring and we still haven't met future!meliora, but I love the idea that garl ends up at the tower of time when he dies.)

(also: watchmaker has to die for keenathan to meet her in another life, which means she either leaves the clockwork castle or something happens to her in there. for Muse to be her reincarnation, she has to be dead before the flood and the demons. what happens?)

(Keenathan->Phantom is...less solid of a connection for me, and also amplifies Phantom and Muse's tragedy in ways that I'm not a huge fan of- there's a lifetime where they find each other, and then he loses her, and gets cursed for thousands of years. not a great end for the goofy pirate guy. The idea of him becoming Prophet, however, is much funnier.) (sidebar conspiracy theory, aventry and ewilda reincarnate as Phantom and Muse instead, because *that* kind of cyclical, repeating tragedy *is* something I'm a fan of. in every lifetime, he's going to lose her. in every lifetime, in every universe, his love for her is going to doom the world.)

-(also I'm having so many feelings about the Artificer. you guys. when he met Shopkeeper did he recognize her. does he call her Meliora by accident sometimes. Does she call him by his individual names. Does he even remember being separate people by then when it's been so long. i've been holding off on finishing an ifhtem drabble with arty until i finished the dlc and now writing it is gonna make me cry.)

-Someone on Discord brought up Garl naming Wentworth and Mel naming Keenathan being the same function and I love what this implies about Ninja.

...oh, he's also the Ovate of Hope, isn't he. or will be. reincarnation. fml. (this is very poetic/lovely to think about, but the title of ovate being specifically related to craft makes it unlikely, I know. but who knows! maybe there are lifetimes where an ovate doesn't grow into their title.)

-(tangentially related to reincarnation bullshit: everybody should play chained echoes. (I should replay it.) if you love being frustrated by sea of stars' lore, and if you were more attached to Breath of Fire 2 than Chrono Trigger as a kid, you will enjoy the fuck out of that game.)

-also! Reincarnation being a thing makes Resh'an and Aephorul even worse tbh. They both need to die to put things right, and maybe in their next life they won't fuck up so badly. (I think that's Resh'an's ultimate goal- create a timeline where they can find each other again, and be happy. If they die now, they'll be reincarnated into a broken universe full of suffering.)

(my interpretation of that one line in the arg is still that Resh'an was ready to give up immortality and move on, but Aephorul wasn't. Resh'an isnt afraid of dying; it's what he wants, more than anything. But he feels responsible for Aephorul, and Aephorul doesn't want to start over from scratch. they've spent so much of themselves building *this* life, they should be able to keep it. And maybe he's also terrified of what will happen if Resh'an has the option of choosing something- someone- else. As long as Resh'an is fighting him, it means Resh'an can never leave him alone.)

-Very funny that ARG!Resh'an didn't want players looking into Horloge when he's probably going to need a clock that ticks true to fix the mess he's made of the timeline(s). Asshole. Shopkeeper is allowed to curbstomp him whenever she wants.

-we already had tentacles and bondage magic and science experiments but now we have evil twins too like come ON. do the devs understand what they're doing. some of them have to know what ao3 is.

what are people's thoughts about evil twin Garl and B'st and Serai. And Resh'an. is this ultimately what happened to Aephorul? It was funny at the time when the Puppeteer said she'd have Zale and Valere's twins take their places and no one would know the difference (the hair is wrong!) but what if that really were the case? An experiment gone wrong, and the part of him that's real gets subsumed by his fears and doubts and anger. Suddenly he starts wearing eyeliner and cutting his hair weird and resh'an is too taken by his sexy edgelord look to question it.

(It's still a cop out, I think, but I don't think there's any way to resolve the problem of Aephorul happily without one. it's a plausible in-universe explanation, at any rate.)

Anyway, evil!Garl would fix Aephorul, I just know it. Not in any way that makes Aephorul *better*, mind you, but certainly in any number of ways that are both funnier and sexier. Something to throw at my AlchemistSwap!AU maybe.

-i can't believe they fuckin hogtied hortense

[lopez-richter-fangirl]

The Tin Can Bros have launched a kickstarter to celebrate their 10 year anniversary with SEVEN new projects, and they need our help!

Read on to find out how:

This is Brian Rosenthal, Corey Lubowich and Joey Richter

You may know them from Team Starkid, or you may know them from their own group the Tin Can Brothers (creators of projects such as Spies Are Forever and the Solve it Squad), formed in 2014. To celebrate 10 years, they’re raising a goal of $200k in order to stage seven projects

They’re currently a week into their campaign and have raised almost $50k with 675 backers. But they still have a way to go! And to help, we need to spread the word

TINLIGHTENMENT PROMO SCHEDULE:

Saturday 10th - The Great Debate

What is it?

A live comedy game show featuring Joey, Brian, Corey and special guests pitted against each other to win a debate. It gets silly!

How will I be able to see it?

Live shows in LA (and potentially other places!) throughout the year, digital tickets, and eventually some ‘episodes’ on youtube!

What can I share?

If you’ve been lucky enough to see past great debates on Patreon, talk about favourite topics and moments!

If you haven’t, share moments and clips from the first public great debate livestream happening on Thursday! (I think - if plans are changed then they’re doing a terrible job letting me help them)

Talk about guests! They talked about a Dropout crossover which I know people have been asking for with Starkid. I don’t know what that is but tell the people that do!

Tuesday 13th - Gross Prophets

What is it?

A brand new comedy musical featuring Joey, Brian and Lauren with music by Ali Gordon and Angela Parrish (shitty broadway! https://youtu.be/AZ-bOPiDqo8?si=F6guq3Pk_lOkCB5B)

How will I be able to see it?

Live shows (some workshop-y) in LA leading up to a run at the Adelaide Fringe, with digital tickets and eventual youtube release

What can I share?

We don’t know a whole lot about this project yet, but we do know it’s got a great cast and creative team - talk about those people!

That it’s going to Adelaide!! Australia is frequently in the top backing countries on kickstarters, and those people finally get a chance to see a TCB show live!

Theories on what the show might involve!

Saturday 17th - SIS at the Fringe

What is it?

An Edinburgh Fringe run of the fucked up Scooby Doo parody, with the original cast!

How will I be able to see it?

Live shows throughout the entire Edinburgh Fringe run in August, or a digital ticket!

What can I share?

This is an existing TCB property, so talk about what you love from the original! Share art, gifs, edits, anything!

That it’s going to Edinburgh! As above, UK fans have been desperate for this for ages, now’s our chance! Make sure people know about it!

Tuesday 20th - Spy Another Day LA and London

What is it?

A live concert screening (Hollywood Bowl meets Rocky Horror!) of Spies with most of the original cast for LA and TCB plus Lauren for London!

How will I be able to see it?

A live show in LA in Spring (likely April) with a digital ticket option, and a live show in London in early September following their SIS fringe run

What can I share?

Like with SIS, anything and everything you love about the original show! Angsty fics, art, memes, it’s all good

Joe Walker. To me personally he’s just A Guy, but some people are still shocked to be learning he’s doing a show again! Get those OG fans to support this!

That it’s going to London. I need Joey doing a passable to decent depending on how much he’s practiced English accent in London! And again, an opportunity for one of the highest backing cities to see them LIVE

Saturday 24th - TCBoB at 54 Below

What is it?

The songs from their musical This Could Be on Broadway in concert at 54 Below in New York City, with Joey, Brian, Lauren, Esther, Bryce and Clark, plus more performers to be announced!

How will I be able to see it?

Live in NYC in November, with a digital ticket option

What can I share?

The first workshop only got a digital ticket release but if you caught that, share favourite parts! And the soundtrack is available, so talk about how fucking good the songs are

The fact that it’s an opportunity for people to hear these songs live!

Tuesday 27th - Intelligent Life

What is it?

A reading of TCB’s queer sci-fi comedy TV pilot

How will I be able to see it?

Live in LA in early Summer, or by digital ticket

What can I share?

Like with Gross Prophets, this is a brand new (to us) project so we don’t know a lot! But we do know it’s gays in space! We love space gays

Remember, these are just ideas. Share anything you personally are excited for and think other people might be interested in! The aim is to make sure people are aware of these projects, what they entail and why they need to happen! Any other way you have of getting the word out about the projects and the campaign in general is valuable!!

Join our discord for more ways to help or to ask questions! https://discord.gg/4VNEBzpA

And if you’re hearing about all this for the first time, check out the campaign! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tincanbros/tinlightenment-world-tour