#so they dueled because idk i like swords and he loses his eye in the duel and theyre going to keep seeing each other

[blacklegsanjiii]

Hii i wanted to share my thoughts on the soulmate for Oisín Sanji if thats alright

I voted for Zoro myself (even thought honestly they would all be sweet/funny) but i think the situation with Zoro is the funniest like-

imagine all your life till this point youve been training the be the greatest swordsman of them all and you has your eyes set on this one guy all this time and also in the back of your head youre aware he has a kid thats around your age (based on the wanted posters when they stopped updating) and you see it as someone to help you get closer to your end goal

Que you becoming a pirate and later meeting this pretty asshole of a cook who you quickly become head over heels for when he shows his spark when fighting, he's your equal and you havent had that since your best friend died

And then you find out he is the kid of your rival but somehow instead of it being heartbreaking it only makes it better because even in the time you didnt know, he takes care of your swords with so much love and care, he helps you get a proper swordsman diet like he has done it a thousand times already and- he has a swordsmans soulmate mark!!!

Idk i just think zosan for this would be very funny but at the same time very sweet (love sick Zorooo 💥💥 he loves his spicy boy friend)

But i also think it would give mihawk a giant headache so thats also funny

No, no I get it. Trust me. It is the funniest option but also gives Mihawk the largest headache-especially if Zoro never connects the dots fully until they meet up on Karai Bari. BUT BEFORE THAT???

Zoro who hasn't had a decent match since Kuina died. He's had his eyes set on Hawkeye since he was a kid and joined the dojo and wanted to be the best since. Not because Hawkeye was the best then-he wasn't but everyone knew he would be and he had a kid around his age and the kid has a twirly brow with a dumb name. Then the posters stop updating and Hawkeye becomes a warlord then Kuina dies. He takes Wado and leaves to fulfill his and Kuina's dreams. He becomes a bounty hunter because he needs the money and the roads and islands keep moving on him. He keeps his eyes out for the guy around his age who could be Mihawk's kid. Then he gets tied up in a marine base and is freed by a guy who wants him to become a pirate. He agrees. They get a crew, a navigator and then a liar/sharpshooter and when they get to this fish restuarant? Sure he loses to Mihawk and gets bisected and the prettiest guy he ever saw is yelling at him to give up his dream but he doesn't die. It's fine, it's fine~. He's alive and the blond guy is hot and he can kick ass and he doesn't use swords.

Also the blond guy's name is Sanji and Zoro doesn't use his name at all. He is whatever nickname Zoro calls him in that moment. He's an equal and Zoro tells him all about his plans to find Hawkeye's kid when it's time for a rematch and draw him out to a duel, twirly always laughs at him for it, keeps saying it's a one way ticket to dying. He says it with a dopey smile though. He cares for Zoro's swords when he's on bedrest and isn't allowed to move, doing so anyway despite Chopper's protests. Also they know they're so soulmates, Zoro's whole back covered in blue and fish. Sanji's shoulder braided like the hilt of Wado Ichimonji and just as beautiful. Zoro wishes he knew what Oisín's soulmark looks like because it would be so much easier to find him.

After Sabaody when he's on Kuriagana and wishing he could have been there for his captain but he's training against his dream, with the man who holds his dream and it's good. Even if ghost girl is there and he's away from his soulmate. When he asks Mihawk where his kid is and Perona is curious because he never came to warlord meetings with the kid. Mihawk is like 'yes, that was part of the deal I made becoming a warlord, they would stop updating his bounties. As for his current location, no idea.' because he has his own dream and he's not taking his father's mantle, doesn't want it. Zoro yells that he's no help and Mihawk asks if he wants to follow suit of the people who tried to take his son before him, just because he's stronger doesn't mean he's strong enough yet. Zoro takes massive offense to this.

When they get back together and are leaving Sabaody Zoro is absolutely complaining about this to Sanji despite saying he's stronger and Sanji is laughing his ass off again. Sanji points out that Zoro seems to be overlooking the fact the kid was raised by Mihawk and Zoro grumbles and just buries into his side. Of course after WCI and Wano Sanji is prickly, even to his soulmate, even after the death pact. Zoro is absolutely never letting Sanji out of his sight again so when they go meet Mihawk and the rest of the Guild on Karai Bari the crew is nervous. Except for the monster trio and Robin.

At some point either Mihawk or Sanji slip up, it's just habit as they cook together on the Sunny since Mihawk is the only one to get along with the Straw Hat pirates. They're chatting idly and the crew is there just to make sure and Sanji points at something and is like 'hand the salt over, dad' and Mihawk just hands it over 'Oisín, you're an adult, really?' before they both pause and sigh. The crew is absolutely losing it in different ways. Nami is pissed that Mihawk wasn't there for WCI, Zoro is pissed that Sanji hid being Oisín, Luffy is laughing really fucking hard and asking Zoro how he didn't know, Chopper and Usopp are despairing. Robin hums and asks Mihawk if he knew Zoro was Sanji's soulmate and Mihawk sighs long and loud and Sanji asks if Zoro was telling him the same shit he was telling him for their whole relationship, Mihawk says yes and that Zoro is a fucking moron.

Do I also have something utterly heart breaking and wrenching for acesan in Oisín!sanji? Yes. Was this fun to write? Yes.

[bthump]

What would it be like if GA Griffith and NeoGriff suddenly swapped bodies

Well it'd be a kickass fanfic premise.

NGriff in the Golden Age would be interesting from NGriff's pov because of, let's be real here, all the feelings it would unlock that NGriff would try and eventually, inevitably fail to deny. I think he could play the part of human Griffith relatively well, especially if it's post-Promrose when Guts expects to view Griffith as distant and other. He and Casca might notice something's off, but they'd probably chalk it up to Griffith spending so much time around the nobility or something like that.

But yeah emotionally he'd be fucked lol, and it would be great. I can just imagine him bottling it up and playing the part, going through the motions to keep the past on the correct path until they swap back, but when the second duel comes around he fucks it up and maims Guts instead of losing to him.

Idk how that works with fate or whatever magic sent him into the past, but NGriff's stay there culminating in changing everything in one impulsive very slightly altered sword swing feels so right. Say once the timeline's been ruined they shift back bc that's how mysterious time travel works in fiction. Or yk, NGriff disappears because he just wrote himself out of existence. Or say NGriff knows why it happened and knows it'll only last X amount of time and the 2nd duel was one of the last things in the schedule before returning to the future. Point is, human Griffith returns with a new future laid out.

Human Griffith in NGriff's storyline would also be amazing because his angle is experiencing what it's like to have gained everything he ever wanted at the cost of Guts and the Hawks, and realizing he doesn't want it. But at the same time it's extra complicated bc NGriff did like, create a utopia. Human Griffith's gonna be hanging out in Falconia going 'damn I really followed through here.' Which makes his choice even worse, because he'd be trading a certain roaring success for Guts and much less, if any, success.

Though this could be mitigated a little if human Griffith is more disturbed by NGriff's means of yk, bringing dragons into the world. It could be a good eye-opening revelation of the cost of his dream, beyond his own personal relationships. I don't think he could write off the lives lost to fantasy creatures the way NGriff can.

He would obviously have to come face to face with Guts, see how much Guts hates him now, and be horrified.

And it's even better from Guts' perspective because he goes to confront and kill NGriff and finds the Griffith he's still in love with in his place, and that's just ideal romantic drama. Guts swinging his sword and altering the trajectory to miss him at the last second when he looks into Griffith's eyes and instantly fucking knows. I'd be remiss not to link this amazing fanart of that theoretical moment here btw.

That could also be a revelation for Griffith too - the realization that as much as Guts hates who he became, he loved and still loves him. Like, say Griffith has learned what happened in the Eclipse - Casca's kidnapped and hanging around, maybe he used his god powers to read her mind. (Also human Griff and post Eclipse sane amnesiac Casca would be its own wild can of worms, but I'm not gonna get into that bc that would take too much imagination.) Point is he knows why Guts wants to kill him, thinks Guts is absolutely 1000% justified, probably plans to let him, and so when Guts refrains and like, let's be real here, probably desperately kisses him instead, that's a major wake-up call about the nature of Guts' feelings.

If this is the same fic where they swap back after NGriff fucks up the second duel, it could be a perfect moment for human Griff to reappear in the past, in front of an injured, miserable Guts, and do some confessing. And it would be a perfect moment for NGriff to return, say something ambiguous, and... either kill Guts or let Guts kill him, depending on the fic's vibes and how NGriff's side of the story went. Maybe he can kill Guts with a certain sense of serenity knowing there's a parallel universe out there where they can be happy. Maybe the timeline's about to collapse and he lets Guts kill him because it doesn't matter anymore and it's a moment of spiritual fulfillment and joining. Maybe his emotions have been awoken enough that he wants to die. Maybe his emotions have been awoken enough that he wants to kill Guts for still affecting him. Yk, it's all good here.

Thanks for asking, this was a lot of fun to think about!

[yeehawgame4ever]

since im taking things from trm and putting them in a massive stew pot and mixing them all around ive Also done it to mc's backstory but it was like this

[martianbugsbunny]

Who Makes You See Color (A CaptainCroc Soulmates AU Fic)

This is a First Colors AU where people start seeing color because of their soulmates, but not at the same time. One of them sees color right when they meet, and for the other, it takes a while. Idk, I didn’t feel like going for the standard (though don’t get me wrong, the standard is gorgeous, it’s lovely, it’s maybe my favorite soulmate AU strategy and I would lay down in the road so it didn’t have to step in a puddle) and also I wanted the ✨drama✨*waves hands dramatically and does a funky lil dance*

Also, I ignored the bit where they briefly met in the bar because A) I forgot about it; and B) I like the Jolly Roger better for a First Colors AU. Ficcer’s prerogative, yeah?

Chapter 1 is below the cut. Have fun!

Rumple wanted to just give up and lie facedown on the deck of the ship. That pirate captain had kidnapped his wife. He gave Rumple a terrible, ominous feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew that he was going to lose something, be it his wife or his dignity or perhaps even his life.

And of course, the moment he laid eyes on the pirate; the moment he knew his future was about to be thrown onto a different track, was also the moment he began to see color.

It was stunning, really. Almost so stunning it was worth it. The sea was glittering, sparkling, a thousand different shades intermixing in the ripples, the foam lighting up the deep waters. There were trees that, even in the distance, were so vivid they almost hurt his eyes. But what really took his breath away was that man—that wicked, horrible man—whose eyes were the same color as the sea, and just as complex. Whose dark clothing made him a beacon of horror, standing before a pale, drab sky.

Why did it have to be him?

Rumple had known it wasn’t Milah for years. She had never made a secret of the fact that she never saw color because of him, and since one of them was supposed to see it the instant they met, it was ruled out rather neatly from the beginning. Although…Rumple had clutched onto a vague hope, for a while, that perhaps their love was just slow to reveal itself for some reason, and the day would come when one of their worlds became tinted.

Well, the day had come for him, and it wasn’t Milah.

“Where are my manners?” the pirate captain asked. His tone was mocking, as though he and the crew were all laughing at Rumple…which, he realized, they were. He clutched his walking stick tighter, tears beginning to burn at his eyes. He’d waited his whole life to see even a glimpse of color, and now, he wished he hadn’t seen it at all. “We haven't been formally introduced. Killian Jones. Now what are you doing aboard my ship?” Captain Jones cocked one eyebrow, as if daring Rumple to say the wrong thing.

“You—you have my wife,” Rumple stammered, eyes riveted on the sword in Captain Jones’ hand. Oh, that sheer color, so sleek, so smooth, almost the same as the sky—that was the color of the bite of steel into flesh. That was what brought blood welling to the surface. Rumple briefly wondered what blood really looked like; he quickly pushed that thought away, hoping he wouldn’t have to find out.

“I’ve had many a man's wife,” Jones said carelessly. Rumple’s throat contracted. Why was his…soulmate…such a disgusting, slimy man? Why couldn’t he have been made for someone good?

“No, you...you see, we...we have a son, and he needs his mother,” Rumple told him. He didn’t even try to use love as a reason to get Milah back. Milah told anyone, absolutely anyone, who would listen exactly what she felt for Rumple. (Nothing.) It would be useless to play that card.

“I’m not much for bartering. That said,” Jones went on, smirking, “I do consider myself an honorable man, a man with a code.” That must be a lie, if Rumple had ever heard one. “So... if you truly want your wife back, all you have to do is take her.” He tossed a second sword onto the deck in front of Rumple. “Never been in a duel before, I take it? Well, it's quite simple, really. The pointy end goes in the other guy,” he said, laughing. As if Rumple were so stupid he didn’t understand how a sword worked! “Go on. Pick it up.”

Rumple didn’t move. What was he supposed to do? He could hardly cross his hovel without his walking stick; how could he duel a man who had doubtless been in hundreds of them? And for a woman who loathed the fact that he hadn’t died in a futile battle?

“A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets,” Jones said, in a tone that implied what Rumple deserved was death. There had to be a mistake; this man must be Milah’s soulmate. They talked exactly the same way.

“Please, sir,” Rumple pleaded, his voice breaking. “What am I gonna tell my boy?” Oh, Bae. As if his life wasn’t poor enough, was he to be left without a mother?

“Try the truth,” Jones said coldly. “His father's a coward.”

And with that, Rumple’s audience with the pirate captain was over. He left the ship, pondering what to say. He wouldn’t tell Bae that his mother had been abducted; that would be too painful for him, and he was too young to understand that Rumple couldn’t win her back.

He would tell Bae that Milah was dead. It would be a terrible thing for the boy to hear, but better, easier, than the truth. And with any luck, Milah might one day escape and return—no, she wouldn’t do that. Not even for Bae.

Rumple had to face up to the fact that his soulmate was a brute—and worse, his son would never again have a mother. The only person in his life would be…Rumple.

Well, then, Rumple was determined to be the best father he could possibly be. His boy would not live in the lap of luxury, but he would damn well be loved.

[sureameline]

TASK 001: MUTANT FUCKERY !

what is your ability? gargoyle physiology ( technically chimera but... )

what is your character’s government-assigned classification level? level two. although powerful, his physical differences set him apart big time.

what can you do? super strength/durability/regeneration. those are self-explanatory. ameline can also turn into walking solid stone (often does so unintentionally), use their ever-present stone wings to glide, glowing eyes to see in the dark, and... some of his sick parkour skillz™ are credit to this ability. in addition, ameline possesses sharp stone claws and a tail, along with a very strong fanged bight, when in chimera form. picture the stryga, but a bit bulkier and with sharp teeth. to a small degree, he’s able to manipulate water. with more practice and focus, he could do this on a grand scale, but he’s not concerned about using it for battle. battle should be intimate. a gentleman’s duel. what ever happened to the dignity of swords? he can just randomly exhale water, though. fun party trick -- if he ever went to parties. to get to the more complex part, let’s go over his notre dame obsession! ameline possesses the subpower of guardianship, and their guardianship is over notre dame. this essentially means they have a soul connection to the building and that they were born with one purpose: protect it. the reason they’ve been alive and healthy for so long is because, until all of notre dame falls for good, they’ll live with it. finally, he also possesses evil immunity... which i’m just sayin’... to be the eyes emoji for anyone with a character whose ability is associated with evil on the powers wiki page... ( waiting for an ezra battle... )

what can’t you do? with how many centuries they’ve been alive, they’ve uncovered most of what they’re able to do. that said, they haven’t mastered it. it’s always been seen as more of a curse -- something that just needs to go away -- as opposed to something that just needs to be tamed. ( i mean, to be fair, up until recent centuries... if not the past century... what the fuck was a mutant? )

what are your weaknesses? he’s often completely stone and chimeric, so mark that down ( and, even when he isn’t, he still doesn’t look human ). his circadian rhythm also demands he be awake at night, thus making daytime tiring. although not because of his ability, his hearing is very limited. he’s had centuries to adjust, but it’s still something that could cause weakness in any given battle ( unless it’s against tenzin :salmon_smirk: )

how did you first come to the realization that you were a mutant? he was born with stone wings and glowing emerald eyes... that’s pretty clear! but, even then, he shifted between baby and chimeric stone thing quite often. it was very clear he was something -- later to be known as a mutant. luckily (?), his parents were already outcasts, so they had nothing to lose by keeping and loving him for a few years until they were killed lol. 

if given the choice, would you remain a mutant? why or why not? this is a difficult question. being a mutant has done nothing beneficial for them, but their adoration for notre dame is too strong for a knee-jerk reaction to be ‘no.’ that said, if they weren’t a mutant, their adoration likely wouldn’t be as strong as it is...

what do you hope to see change in the future, with respect to the current strife over mutant acceptance? short-term? long-term?  they don’t care they don’t care they don’t care. just start treating everyone with warmth and kindness and... idk, maybe stop government experimentation??? 

[metamelonisle]

assorted headcanons i have (fandoms involved: Kirby, Super Mario, Sonic, Smash)

mayro hcs:

Within the three central characters of SMB, the order of weakest to strongest is: Mario -> Peach -> Bowser. Bowser is an incredibly strong beast of a king, and has the magical prowess to match. Peach is able to match Bowser in terms of magical power, as she is usually the one who undoes all of his magic at the end of the game. However, she’s still physically weaker than Bowser (it’s not because she’s weak though. It’s just that no one is as strong as Bowser). Judging from how she’s playable in some games, she is just as physically strong and agile as Mario is, which puts her dead center between Mario and Bowser. Mario is the weakest, as he has no magic of his own, and outside of external aid (Powerups, Caps, Power Stars, FLUDD, Luma, Cappy) he really only has his acrobatic skills (which admittedly, are pretty impressive) and his wits. From what I remember, Mario has never beaten Bowser in a direct straight fight. He’s always either A. aided by an external force (like powerups or friends) or uses the environment to his advantage to circumvent the power difference (like the Axe in SMB or the brick-block floor in SMB3). Peach is as strong as Mario physically and Bowser magically, but usually gets kidnapped because Bowser never plays fair (using multiple people to capture her, using sneak attacks, i mean, i’d be surprised if he didnt employ an ultimatum of “get in the koopa klown car, or i’m eating mushroom stew tonight! Gwah ha ha!”)

Dr mario is mario’s dad. he is the main protagonist of DK 81, mario bros 83 (alongside his twin brother Luigi, Sr.) and the first Dr. Mario, and the main antagonist of DK’s Circus and DK Jr.. He dated the Lady from DK 81 (no relation to pauline) but nothing came of it. his significant other/mario jr and luigi jr.’s mother is unknown, if they are even the same person. He is still practicing medicine to this day and is a vetetan in Smash, having attended every game since Melee as a fighter but Brawl and attended every game since 64 to cheer on his sons. (Don’t ask me who nurse peach is idk yet also DM64 and DMW are different)

there are two Mad Pianos. One is a mechanical trap made by Boos (64) and the other one is a real piano possessed by Boos (DS).

the Unagi from 64 suffers from anxiety and is more afraid of Mario than anything else. Peach thinks very fondly of them.

Sonic sometimes asks Mario to babysit Classic Sonic (the one from Mania) and as a result they get along pretty well. CS regards mario as a kind of “cool older brother/father figure” and Mario just thinks he’s adorable. They do extreme sports together

kriby hcs:

bandana dee is nonbinary (he/them)

king dedede probably runs a memepage on facebook about how great he is (it has 3 followers)

dmk listens to linkin park and considers them to be “way better than whatever that punk listens to”

the four otherworldy kings (parallel woods, parallel kracko, parallel meta knight and parallel dedede) are still alive for some reason and HOO ARE THEY MAD (at kirby & co specifically. they’ve chilled out regarding anyone else but if they see the dream friends or that cheeky piece of gum it’s ON SIGHT)

Kracko is related to dark matter in some form. i dont know how but they are. they’re suspicious. also kracko is scared of shrek bc they saw that one tumblr post where he eats lightning then reaches into his bag for the gun that kills clouds

dark nebula has two interpretations: first is mine: an extremely overconfident and egotistical blob of dark energy that thinks he’s lucifer. he talks with a disgusting amount of prose and a fake vague european accent bc he thinks it makes him sound refined. he calls himself names like “the lord of darkness” and “the beast within us all” and stuff and tries to get people to sell their souls to him. the thing is, he’s weak. like, PATHETICALLY weak compared to most beings on popstar. he were actually locked in a box by someone in response to being given a “proposal” to be his servant and herald. (that “someone” may or may not have been Galacta Knight) the other interpretation is that they’re a chaotic and malevolent demon with a very intense friendliness with nothing behind the eye. (like bill cipher, or tom cruise.) they got locked in a box bc Zero made them and was like “you are a mistake” and locked them in a box so they wouldn’t have to deal with them. it’s unclear if they resent zero for this and may be unaware of their existence entirely. When entities are killed, they release all of their power in a big explosion. this is why enemies “pop” when they are defeated, why mid-bosses violently explode after a while, and why bosses explode multiple times and then vanish in one last big one. the more powerful the entity and the more energy they retain at the time of death, the more powerful the explosion. This is largely the reason why Void Termina was sealed in the Jamba Heart instead of being slain by the heroes of yore, as the resulting explosion might destroy the entire galaxy. It is theorized that if Galacta Knight were to take his own life, the resulting explosion would irreversibly devastate the universe. (this remains unproven, as he only dies after being extremely worn down and eventually fatally wounded by Meta Knight.) 

galacta knight is one of the heroes of yore who defeated and sealed void before the series started. people feared and demonized him because of his power, and it made him scared he might accidentally hurt innocent people as a result. he became a hermit and wondered how he could neutralize himself as a threat to the world, and ultimately decided the best choice was to seal himself away in a crystal. Whenever he is unsealed he is extremely upset (as he considers himself a living WMD who’s very presence presents an immediate danger to everyone around him), and fights whoever he believes unsealed him (as since they revived him, they must have known about him, and why else would anyone unseal the greatest warrior in the galaxy if they’re not gonna use him as a weapon/attack dog?) He eventually dies for good in ironically, his first appearance, at the very end of Meta Knightmare Ultra. When he is beaten by Meta Knight, he’s lost so much power and strength that he can finally let go, realizing that with warriors like Meta Knight around, not only is he no longer a danger, but he can rest easily knowing that the galaxy is in safe hands. Finally at peace, Galacta Knight dies, releasing an explosion on par with Nova’s. Due to the way time works, Galacta Knight is fated to survive everything that happens to him up until his very last fight with Meta Knight in Ultra. He has known that he would die in a duel to the death with a winged masked knight in the stars since the days of yore, and used to frequently exploit the law of Forgone Conclusion up until the sealing of Void. Post-Seal, he began to believe the vision he saw was symbolic rather than literal, believing that this masked knight likely represents the darkness within his heart, and that his “death” actually meant his inevitable snapping and descent into fallen heroism and wanton destruction. When he finally sees Meta Knight in Robobot, he does not actually recognize him until he’s been badly wounded, but still escapes, as they’re not in the right place yet. He is elated to realize that the vision of the future is not describing his fall, but his actual death. When MKU finally rolls around, Galacta is hopeful (which is likely why he doesn’t kill Nova like he did with SD), as he’s knows going to die, which means the universe will be safe. Knowing that this is his last dance, he pulls out all of the stops to give Meta Knight the greatest fight he can before he croaks. When the final blow is struck, he loses control of his wings and is flung around by muscle spasms, but is able to regain control long enough to relish in his defeat. Galacta Knight and Hyness are not the only currently living heroes of yore. Given that Gooey, a piece of Dark Matter who is very loving and friendly, is clearly able to not only receive love, but give it as well, I think that all Dark Matter is capable of it, except for Zero, and possibly Miracle Matter. (I’d be willing to give them a chance, though.) They are unable to tap into their positive emotions because of their loyalty to Zero. This has changed as of Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards and Kirby Star Allies. After Zero’s death in 64 and Void’s purification in Allies, all remaining Dark Matter is free to do as they please without Zero to tell them what to do. Most have disappeared, but four major members remain. Gooey, Void, Miracle Matter, and Dark Matter Swordsman. He was the first Dark Matter to realize that he cared about others when post DL3, he questioned why he was so adamant to fight Kirby and Gooey even when it could have easily resulted in his death. He ultimately came to the conclusion that it was because he genuinely cared about Zero, and his intense loyalty to him was a result of that. Until Void’s purification, DMS hung around Gooey frequently, as they’re really the only family he has left. After Void’s purification, he was elated to learn that Zero had effectively come back, but now able to give love as well as receive it. He’s a little sad Void doesn’t remember his time as Zero, and as such doesn’t remember him, but believes it’s for the best that Void is not burdened by his past mistakes. His relation to Miracle Matter is unknown.  Now that Void has been purified and DMS has embraced his positive emotions, they are no longer weak to the Love-Love stick or the Rainbow Sword. As such, the Love-Love Stick has been disassembled back into the heart stars and returned to their owners, and the Rainbow Sword is currently in the possession of DMS, having replaced his old sword. Similarly to all native Dream Landers becoming animate yarn outlines in Patch Land, all native Patch Landers become animate three-dimensional plushies in Dream Land. The bosses from Kirby’s Epic Yarn are still around. Even Yin-Yarn is still alive! (but Shhhh don’t tell anybody its a secret) They’re doing a lot better now that Yin-Yarn isn’t around/active to boss them around. Fangora- Mostly just vibes in Weird Woods. They’re a lot less hostile then they used to be, so give em’ a visit! They’d love to eat-er... Meet you! Squashini- Still performs magic. He uses a weird mix of stage magic and actual magic and occasionally performs in Dream Land. He’s especially popular on Halloween! Hot Wings- Continues to look after her chicks in Hot Land, although they’re adolescents at this point rather than babies. She’s cooled down in terms of intensity and has begun to warm up to visitors, but only really trusts Fluff and Kirby. In Dream Land, her fire is cloth, but still burns like real fire. She has occasionally been known to barbecue as of late, complete with a cheesy apron and cheesier jokes. This has made her popular in Patch Land but she mostly just cooks for friends or her kids. Most of the time they just forage. Calimari- Resents Double Bubble and the Fuzz for ruining his cap, and has made himself a new one. He continues to hoard treasure, and will pickpocket anyone who comes by him. He could theoretically make a fortune with his knitting skills, but is too lazy to do so. A really good way to piss him off is to tell him he looks like a potato. He will hurt you. Meta Knight and Dedede - Oh You Know Fluff once ate an entire bar of ZOTE he found in Kirby’s laundry room and no one noticed until it was too late

idk there’ll probably be more but i’m kinda tired rn. feel free to add or edit as you please. i’m bad at being consistent i think so help is greatly appreciated 

[ahyesthesufferingoftvteens]

UH OH SISTERS! I’VE THOUGHT OF A THE HOLLOW AU-

So basically its a The Hollow Fantasy au. Weirdo is a hyucking god that all the fantasy races worship in some form or another, and Colrath the dragon is the bringer of destruction prophesied to come and be defeated by the chosen one, along with his merry band of followers. (I might draw out the designs for these and stuff XD)

Adam: Human. Used to be a simple peasant in a rather famous village in the human kingdom. The only one that can wield the famed weapon of god weirdo himself, the Ishibo (kinda a sword in the stone type of deal but I haven’t thought of exactly how it goes yet) Basically has the power of god and friendship on his side. A good wielder of the staff, and particularly strong as he worked as a carpenter/woodcutter with his parents (it’s the family business).

Mira: Naiad/Nymph. Spirit of a lake Adam lives by. She saved him from drowning as a child and is basically his best friend/second mom now. Insisted on coming with him despite the fact that her lake my get polluted/dry up without her there to keep it safe. Can communicate with the various animals around her to protect and fight for her. Good intuition as well, and is the first to know when something’s not quite right.

Kai: Demon. The youngest child of Emperor Akuma, who lives at the Demon capital high in the floating islands above the entire continent. Insisted on coming with Adam and Mira because he was bored and tired of being trapped in the palace. A great dancer like his mother, and as such he’s pretty light on his feet. He’s excellent at fire magic too, but if you tire down his mana and manage to grab him he definitely won’t be able to escape.

Reeve: Elf. Son of a well known duke in the elf dukedom. A prodigy in all types of magic, and is a bit stuck up because of this fact. He joined Adam’s team when his father disowned him in front of the group, after losing to Kai in a magic duel. He’s good at all types of magic, and is especially good at curses and the more darkish arts, but also has a poisoned knife for close combat just in case. Big bookworm and tends to know more info about a lot of things more than the others.

Vanessa: Harpy. Lives by herself in a nest situated in the mountains. Tried to lull the group with her singing so she could grab them and kill them for trespassing into her territory. It doesn’t work on Mira and she manages to have a talk with them. Vanessa is just trying her best to survive, and is constantly starving, so she doesn’t want anything to scare the little prey she has. The group, after Mira insists on it, lets Vanessa join them, and she gets to eat all the fish she wants to her hearts content. Has a sharp tongue and head filled with many schemes. She also can scratch your eyes out.

Skeet: Wolf changeling. Lives with his pack in the woods. Was chased out of it for siding with the group and preventing them from being killed for trespassing into the territory. Becomes the group’s hunter, and catches lots of animals for them to cook and eat. Is also a really good “guard dog.” Incredibly fast and his bite is just as bad as his howl.

This is all I got RN Will possibly add onto this later IDK XD.

[queen-of-crows]

So I’m replaying DAO with my “canon” warden and since Anora/Alistair is generally considered the most politically sound option that’s what I’ve had her do on all previous playthroughs. But last night I let Alistair duel Loghain, forgetting that Alistair would automatically kill him afterwards. Thus cancelling the engagement as Anora will refuse to marry her father’s killer.

At first I was like oh shit time to reload but then I couldn’t get over how character driven the subsequent scene felt, opposed to the rather halting, awkward scene where Loghain is sad facing you and Alistair is losing his shit at the mere notion of sparing him.

Like, the poetic, hard wrenching cinema of Loghain finally seeing that Alistair is really Maric’s son, and Alistair casting that aside and invoking Duncan’s name as he kills him is amazing. The inigo montoya vibes were off the charts. Extra angst points this time because Alistair was wielding Maric’s Blade. The cosmic karma of Loghain leaving Cailan to die and selling elves into slavery only for Loghain to die on Maric’s sword, held by Maric’s elf blooded son is just incredible.

The way Alistair’s struggles with his heritage clashed with his grief about Duncan was so brilliant because justice for Duncan, the first person who truly treated Alistair like more than a pawn, took immediate presidence over any politics or bloodlines or pretty agreements even as he was about to assume the throne. His two emotional arcs do a final tango together in this scene.

And I like Anora, she’s interesting, makes a good queen, and she and Alistair make an excellent team. But holy moly, the image of a blood spattered Anora declaring that she will never marry her father’s murderer is impactful to say the least.

The way she looks at Eamon when the power hungry snake tries to make her swear fealty is gut wrenching. Because of course she is not going to. And in this scenario she did everything right, she helped dispose her father, she helped get the support needed. And now all that work, all that compromise is now being used against her. Because while she truely does love her people, she cannot betray her father’s memory.

And like, even my warden, Tessa, felt so in character. Giving alistair, her best friend, the opportunity to avenge Duncan, the man who she barely knew but who saved her from being made tranquil. Not wanting to fight Loghain herself because she does not want “the hero of river dane”, a man the common folk speak about in reverent tones, to be killed by an elven mage. She herself doesn’t fear their ire, but she is terrified of that anger and resentment being taken out on others of her kind.

She even liked Anora, but when pressed to pick between her and Alistair the choice was clear. When Anora refused to swear fealty, Tessa implored her to be reasonable, and got the reply “Like reason had anything to do with your decision” it just felt too real. Because while Alistair will make a good king, that’s definitely not the main reason his best friend chose him over a woman she barely knew.

Idk, it was like watching every characters deepest desires and themes being laid bare right in front of my eyes, and ultimately I couldn’t make myself reload.

It was DA2 levels of external and internal motivations clashing in unexpected ways and not being able to tie everything up in a neat little bow. It just felt so organic and messy and real. And even though I feel bad about Anora, this is definitely my new canon.

[dialux]

fear not for the future; weep not for the past

In honor of the trailer, which we have waited for for far too long! Another ridiculous take on Jon assuming his parenthood, though this is... less humorous? Idk, but it does take up the task of explaining the Jon & Catelyn relationship of my dreams!

[In which Catelyn knows the truth, and tells Jon while Ned’s off on a state trip.]

...

“If you hate me that’s fine,” Jon said, sharply, before turning and running.

Catelyn sighed, inwardly and out. Jon was a better kid than Robb- easier, at least, being both quieter and less temperamental all at once. But when he got angry he tended to stay angry, and he also had a terrible habit of running into the woods when he felt like being alone.

With Ned off to Castle Cerwyn for a week with delegations from all seven kingdoms, and Jon having apparently been in such a bad mood as to snap at Arya and make her cry- Arya, crying, over something unrelated to chores!- Catelyn had confronted him, and the boy had shouted for well over a quarter hour before fleeing. But now she had a good idea of what was bothering him, and Catelyn didn’t feel remotely ready to deal with it.

Though- staying silent would likely be crueler than telling the truth.

Jon deserved the truth.

She’d fought over that very point with Ned, before he left. Jon hadn’t been so suspicious of his mother’s personality then, though, and yes, if Catelyn told him the truth there would likely be a moon’s turn of irritated looks from her husband to deal with, not to mention a cold bed.

And yet.

Jon deserved the truth.

Mind made up, Catelyn made her way towards the godswood. She didn’t bother to look at the trees, where Robb always liked to hide; Jon liked his feet planted on solid ground, and Winterfell’s swordsmaster had spent years training that flatfootedness out of him. Instead, she looked at the shadows.

And there he was: Jon, curled into a ball that made him look smaller than his gangly years; hidden in the dark curve of a sycamore overlooking the pools.

Carefully, Catelyn picked her path through the snow and leaves, until she was close enough to feel the heat of the pools’ steam on her frozen fingers.

“I’ve never hated you.”

“Like I’ve never hated you?” was the immediate response.

That stung. Catelyn hadn’t ever been so close to Jon, that was true enough; but she’d never hated him either. To think that he had wasn’t a pleasant thought.

He’s a child.

“This is about your mother,” she said, instead, keeping her voice soothing.

“Everything is about her,” Jon replied bitterly, after a long pause. “Everyone else knows, though, and it was staring at me all along. You-”

“Everyone knows?” Catelyn demanded. Adrenaline jolted through her, but she forced herself to stay calm. 

“Did you know her?” Jon asked flatly, head poking out of the shadows to level a look almost exactly like Ned’s at her. He sounded more hesitant than angry now, and Catelyn thought she could all but taste the desire soaking through his voice. Yes, she decided. Ned was wrong to keep this from him. “Was she- how was she?”

“She was very pretty,” Catelyn said slowly. She’d met Lyanna Stark for all of a few minutes at Harrenhal’s Tourney before the girl had run off; what she’d heard of her since hadn’t been very complimentary.

But Ned had loved her- still loved her- and Jon was her only child. Catelyn wouldn’t taint those memories with her own suspicions.

“Pretty, and bright. She could wield a sword better than half the men her age, and if her father had allowed it, she’d likely have entered all the tourneys in the world. And when you’re as small as she was- it’s courage and brains that won her battles, until the last. Ned tells me you get that from her.”

Lyanna’s brains, had been his actual words, and not an ounce of her ambition. He’d disappear for the Wall if I allowed it, accept the black and the oaths without a second glance.

Sounds like her brother, Catelyn had replied, just as Jon disarmed Robb with a flick of his sword that looked impressive even to her. Ned had looked so surprised, and Catelyn had smiled, slow and wide. He is your son as well, Ned, now. And just because he holds his words important doesn’t make him a fool. Or have you forgotten who challenged Theon Greyjoy to a duel of honor when he was not but ten?

“What did she- look like?”

“Long hair,” Catelyn murmured, eyes closing. “Dark as yours. You’ve her eyes, as well, the shape and the size- though the color’s all Ned’s. Arya’s, as well. Your grandmother’s, apparently.”

“You’re lying to me!” 

Catelyn jerked away, nearly losing her balance on the leaf-strewn ground. When she straightened, Jon’s hands were fisted at his sides and he looked mulishly stubborn. Like Ned had looked, back when Catelyn first pushed him- irritated; somber; regretful but not repenting.

“Her eyes were purple,” said Jon, and the disgust seemed to swallow him whole. “That’s what that Dornish ambassador said! Her eyes were purple, and she killed herself, and-”

She twisted to fully meet Jon, face to face, and asked sharply, “Who did you think your mother was, Jon?”

He shrank back, just a little, at Catelyn’s face, before straightening defiantly. “Ashara,” he said. “Ashara Dayne.”

“Ah.” Surprise left Catelyn faint. She considered letting Jon keep believing in the lie- it was easier, all truth told- but unfair, in the end, to Ashara Dayne’s memory, to Ned’s own honor, and to this little boy standing in front of her. “I see why you’d believe that.”

“But it isn’t true,” Jon said, defeated.

“No,” said Catelyn gently. She reached forward and wrapped her hand over Jon’s shoulder, using the leverage to sink to her knees in front of him. “No, it isn’t true. But it is past time you knew, I think.”

He stilled, body like stone under her fingers. His eyes- so similar to Ned’s; so dissimilar, too: more hurting, more angry, more bitter- didn’t look away from her.

“Ned didn’t tell you at first because it was dangerous,” Catelyn explained. Better Jon understood this before it was overshadowed by the revelation. If Jon were to spill even a hint of it to anyone- the consequences could be disastrous. “Children have loose lips; and if news reached the King, there might not have been much left of us Starks by the time he was done with us. Better you remain ignorant and loved and safe, Ned thought, even if it was all a lie.”

“Father... committed treason?” Jon whispered. 

“At the end of Robert’s Rebellion, he went to Dorne to find his sister, Lyanna. He found her at the Tower of Joy and slew Arthur Dayne, two others of the Kingsguard- and he entered the tower to find her on a bed of roses and blood.” Oh, how Catelyn had had nightmares after Ned had told her! How cruel the world had been to Lyanna Stark, to Ned, to all those Ned had once named family! “She did not live to see dusk, but she was not alone in the tower. For beside her was a babe, just a few days old.”

Jon frowned. “A babe?” Then, realizing: “Me.”

“Yes,” affirmed Catelyn. “You.”

“But then- my father wasn’t- isn’t-”

“Lyanna was stolen away by a man,” said Catelyn, watching Jon sadly. “Do you remember who?”

He looked numb. Shell-shocked.

“Rhaegar Targaryen.”

“And a son of Rhaegar Targaryen would be...”

“A prince.”

“Not a prince,” corrected Catelyn. “The crown prince. And with Rhaegar dead? He’d be king.”

Jon shook his head. “Nobody’s going to ride to give me a- a- throne. Nobody.”

“And that matters little.” Catelyn cupped his jaw and brushed a lock of hair from Jon’s forehead. “The things Robert Baratheon is known for- restraint is not one of them. He attacks threats with his hammer, and beats them until their blood turns rivers red.” A gruesome picture- she did regret how Jon turned white and strained- but also necessary. Better he be wary now than careless. And if he remembered how Rhaegar died, all to the better. “Do you see why we wished to keep it silent?”

Understand. Understand that there are no easy choices in this. Understand that we have done the best we can.

Slowly, Jon nodded. 

“Yes,” he whispered. “I do.”

Catelyn let her hand drop, and bowed her head. Jon left, but Catelyn remained, silent, shrouded in shadows, under trees that left her shivering and frightened. Finally, she rose and almost walked away, but then paused at the edge to the godswood.

The best we can, she thought, remembering rumors from the south that Robert would ride north soon. Let us pray it will be enough.

[fourteenacross]

hamilton chicago: friday, may 19

 AS PROMISED! Show notes! About the Eliza Company!

(Previous Ham show notes: May ‘16, July ‘16, October ‘16)

Pre-show notes:

There were so many stairs! Which wouldn’t have been a problem except they didn’t sell all the merch upstairs and didn’t SAY THAT until we were already up there, so I ran a marathon to get a gd hoodie. idk how those Great Comet kids do that every night, jesus

The stage is smaller or at least SEEMS smaller--more narrow. Thus, some of the choreography seemed different.

This will be the bougiest thing I type in this review, so brace yourselves: they had different signature cocktails and they did NOT have a gin cocktail and while their Hennessy cocktail was FINE, I was a little bummed.

In overview: I LOVED this cast and most of them are now my second favorites after the OBC. They were PHENOMENAL. I’m so jealous of all my buddies in Chicago who are so close to this cast.

Cast: Alexander Hamilton: Miguel Cervantes Aaron Burr: Daniel Breaker Eliza Hamilton: Ari Afsar Angelica Schulyer: Karen Olivo George Washington: Jonathan Kirkland Lafayette/Jefferson: Chris De'Sean Lee Mulligan/Madison: Jean Godsend Floradin Laurens/Philip: Jose Ramos Peggy/Maria: Samantha Marie Ware and the rest of the cast

Song-by-Song

Alexander Hamilton: It was weird not having the wild applause after each actor’s entrance, not even for A.Ham. There was nothing wrong with that, it just threw me. I could tell IMMEDIATELY that Daniel Breaker’s Burr was going to be unique. There wasn’t as much emphasis on my FAVORITE DUMB DETAIL of this song, the coat-books-bag hand-off.

Aaron Burr, Sir: Daniel plays Burr as a little more irreverent, and a little closer to ~*~historical Burr~*~ rather than Leslie’s more sleek and refined Burr. His “talk less, smile more” was almost sarcastic, and that really set the tone for him. The whole time that AHam is ranting and babbling, he looked more and more like he was trying to keep his distance, like he was already exasperated. The intros for the gang were PERFECT. They were different from the OBC, but still in the same style.

My Shot: THIS WAS SO GOOD. The moment I knew this cast was going to be something else. This song was a perfect encapsulation of Hamilvantes--frantic and desperate and defensive and ready for shit. José was a perfect hype-man, his Laurens’ recklessness really shone through, like this was what he was always primed to do and he finally found someone willing to encourage it. Chris Lee was SO funny and his accent was PERF. I’d say better than Daveed’s, but I’ll get to the issues with that later. We had an understudy for Mull/Mad, Jean Godsend Floradin, and he was SO AMAZING--he was small and somehow had all that big Hercules Mulligan personality inside of him all the same.

Story of Tonight: I will admit that this song was not as queer as I’m used to/wanted it to be. AHam did a lot more hanging off of everyone as opposed to just Laurens. Of course, no one will ever gay this up as much as Lin and Anthony.

Schuyler Sisters: SAMANTHA WARE THO. Peggy is so frustrated and angry with her big sisters at the start and that was perfect. Karen is AMAZING she brings a very different energy to Angelica in this song, more...I don’t know, like she’s rushing out there to learn, whereas Renee played it more like she already KNEW these things, but was bringing her sisters out to see it for themselves. Also, Daniel’s Burr is so full of himself and such a smarmy asshole and I LOVED IT.

Farmer Refuted: Seabury was so tiny! José Amor was just swallowed by the costume. He played the character younger and less condescending than Thayne does. Miguel had an almost angry edge to his delivery, or maybe more sarcastically vindictive. Whatever he did, it was super funny.

You’ll Be Back: This was funny? idk, I’m not into these songs as much as other people, they’re funny, but it’s kind of just one joke?

There were audible gasps during the transition, which furthers my conviction that it’s one of the three best things in the show that you don’t know about if you haven’t seen it.

Right Hand Man: Jonathan Kirkland as GWash was really good, but it took me a couple minutes to decide that/connect with him.Very commanding and frustrated in a very different way than Chris Jackson. Older seeming. I noticed for the first time the very specific desertion choreography leading up to “are these the men with which...etc.” I LOVED Daniel’s delivery of Burr’s lines in GWash’s office, particularly “from a distance.” “We keep meeting” was played for laughs explicitly, whereas on b’way I always feel like people laugh at it even though it isn’t necessarily delivered as a joke. (This line always scans as more creepy than funny to me on the cast recording.)

Winter’s Ball: Weirdly, this was the gayest number in the show? AHam and Laurens are hanging off each other basically up to the second the “ladies!” bit starts and did not seem like, totally convinced this was something worth their time? It was an interesting choice.

Helpless: My party was divided on their feelings on this song and Ari, but I came down strongly on LOVED HER. I wrote a little heart next to this number in the notes in my bullet journal. She was so cute and I loved her voice and she was perfectly bubbly and in love. Karen’s delivery of “I’m just saying...etc” was AMAZING and totally new and I loooooooved it.

Satisfied: I WOULD KILL A MAN FOR KAREN OLIVO. Her performance is basically like she’s having a conversation with herself, posing a question/problem and trying to come up with any possible solution where she wins. Like she’s working through this problem and realizing she’ll never win. It was much more...idk, interactive than Renee or Mandy? There was a lot of her delivery and face that was more animated. Her “so this is what it feels like...etc” was AMAZING, incredible, genuinely amazed and shocked that she was stymied by this guy’s brain. It’s definitely my favorite performance of this song ever. Worth the whole goddamn Chicago vacation on its own.

Story of Tonight (Reprise): Cute. “She’s married” was SO good. They were both so into it--Burr was smug and knew exactly what he as getting away with and AHam was almost proud of him for it XD

Wait For It: Daniel’s more rakish, funny Burr makes this song even more poignant, like a look into what’s beyond his jokey exterior. I connected with it SO deeply.

Stay Alive: Lee was pretty funny. I’m pretty sure Lafayette gave him the finger as he ran off, which made me laugh.

Ten Duel Commandments: Again with the “not as queer as it could be.” (Sorry, my gay, depressed, stressed out self over-relates to historical Laurens’ gay, depressed, stressed out self, so Laurens’ subtextual gayness is important to me.) (And a lot of feelings about the decision to make it subtextual in the libretto, if not in the OBC’s performance, but I won’t get into that.) (Altho I will say something about the letter hand-off at the “note for your next of kin” made it seem like the letter was specifically intended for AHam? Something in the look they exchanged on the hand-over.) José was SO tiny next to Robert Walters as Lee??? And, surprise, I loved Daniel’s delivery of E V E R Y  O N E of his lines. 

Meet Me Inside: GWASH WAS SO BIG AND AHAM IS SO LITTLE. Like, one of the few things I knew about this cast going in was that Miguel is the tiny!Ham, but Jonathan Kirkland is SO TALL! I loved AHam losing his shit, but given how scrappy and defensive Miguel plays the character for the rest of act one, I kind of expected more? GWash played it almost as if he wasn’t firing AHam, just sending him home to think about what he’d done and see his wife and cool off.

That Would Be Enough: Ari has a great voice and I love how physically affectionate she is with AHam. It felt so natural and really added to their chemistry.

Guns and Ships: Burr’s intro is SO EXCITED like he couldn’t wait to tell us about Lafayette. Like I said earlier, Chris Lee’s accent was better than Daveed’s, BUT because it was so good, I have a feeling some of the lines were indecipherable to people who didn’t know the words, despite the fact that his rapping was very crisp.

History Has Its Eyes on You: I never really noticed the signifigance of Washington handing over the sword before. It definitely felt like Washington was making sure AHam really thought long and hard about his new responsibilities before giving it to him.

Yorktown: INCREDIBLE. Mulligan’s verse was SO GOOD. This number always gives me chills and this was no exception. I always want to jump up and cheer and they def fueled that today. Also, the “immigrants” line got applause and cheers, even though a lot of the other applause/cheer lines didn’t not.

What Comes Next: This was fine.

Dear Theodosia: Very sweet on both their parts. Their voices really sound wonderful together.

Tomorrow There’ll Be More of Us: The cramped staging of this really threw me. AHam could have reached out and touched dead!Laurens. José played it kind of wistfully smiley which didn’t 100% work for me, which is probably good in the long run considering how wrecked I was watching Anthony.

Non-Stop: SO GOOD. At the beginning-- “after the war” etc--it was like AHam was trying to show up Burr in all his line deliveries. At the start of the courtroom bit, Burr looked at the audience like he was looking into the camera on the Office and it was amazing. “Constitutional convention” was adorbs--he started normal and went full on squeal by the end. “You’re a better lawyer than me” was SO GOOD, like he showed up just to announce that after steeling himself and Burr was so over it and I LOVED IT. The end was so perf and intense, specifically the “isn’t this enough”/”he will never be satisfied.” And AHam’s “look around, look around” is always one of my favorite lines.

Intermission: I am SO GOOD at bathrooms, guys, I was in the ladies room before the lights even came up all the way and out in time to grab a drink before dissecting the show with my buddies.

What’d I Miss?: Good, but not as good as I wanted it to be? Lots of little flourishes that made it his own, but not over the top enough for my preferences. (I’ve previously seen Daveed and Chappelle, so my preferences really err on the side of VERY OVER THE TOP). He kept poking Madison with his cane to get his attention, which was cute. His “I can’t believe that we are free” hit particularly hard for some reason--it might have been the angle I was sitting at and how the slaves were framed in the view from that side. 

Cabinet Battle #1: GOOD ALL AROUND A+ EVERYONE.

Take a Break: I really liked José’s approach to this number more than Anthony’s. Anthony hangs a lampshade on it, José leaned into playing a nine year old, and that works better for me. The audience LOVED Eliza’s beatboxing. And Karen and Ari are SO. GOOD. TOGETHER.

Say No To This: Samantha Ware definitely plays Maria as more complicit in the blackmail. You can tell she LIKES AHam, but she’s also an adult who knows what she’s doing the whole time. I LOVED that play on it--very different from Jasmine, but equally nuanced and interesting.

Room Where It Happens: SO GOOD. I know I keep typing that in all caps but IT’S TRUE especially when it comes to Daniel’s Burr. It’s like he so genuinely was shocked and needed to figure this out. There was so much energy at the end and his final verse with slightly different choreography was sooooooo great.

Schuyler Defeated: Good job everyone.

Cabinet Battle #2: “France” was so good, like Madison wasn’t sure if he was supposed to reply once the mic was in his face. He almost missed it. A+.

Washington On Your Side: THIS WAS GREAT. I loved TJeff’s fast verse in the middle, his realization that he needed to resign made him wide-eyed and bowled over. Madison directed his “which I wrote!” at TJeffs and Burr, when he’s directed it off stage the last few times I’ve seen it, like he was finishing an argument with people and then wandering into this song. Burr was def stirring shit at the start when he went up to TJeffs.

One Last Time: ALSO SO GOOD EVERYTHING WAS SO GOOD SORRY. I loooooved GWash’s “talk less” which was much more sarcastic/bemused than Chris’ frustration on that line. His GWash overall had that much more fatherly feeling to him. His riffs at the end were amazing--he went full gospel and he def had a powerful enough voice for it.

I Know Him: Good, etc.

The Adams Administration: King George is much more involved in this number than he’s been any other time I saw it. I didn’t dislike that? I’m neutral on it.

We Know: Good. One of my other fave lines is in this song and I wasn’t super into the delivery of it, but overall it was suitably foreboding.

Hurricane: Beautiful. I really felt it on the heels of AHam’s desperation/defensiveness in Act 1. I totally get why he would do this, even more so than usual. And there was def a little spite thrown in with his other reasons, just for good measure, which is #relatablecontent.

The Reynolds’ Pamphlet: Samantha Ware’s forced “haha NOTHING TO SEE HERE” smile added to the “she’s complicit” vibe. José was great, King George and TJeffs were HILARIOUS.

Burn: SO FUCKING GOOD. SHE WAS SO ANGRY AND UPSET. I LOVED IT. Her “I hope that you BURN” at the end gave me chills and seemed ten times more vengeful and furious than any other performance I’ve seen, which I am INTO. Give me more furious, vengeful Eliza.

Blow Us All Away: mostly fine. Philip could have been a little suaver. “Everything is legal in New Jersey” was great, I have yet to hear a bad delivery of that line, though I may be biased.

Stay Alive (Reprise): SHE SCREAMED A LITTLE! Not the full on shriek, but a tiny anguished scream and that is ALL I WANT. It totally worked for me and was one of the two things I REALLY missed from Lexi’s performance.

Quiet Uptown: Not as emotional, and not in a bad way. Everyone was a little more in control, which is a legit way to play it--more numb than hysterical. As a result, I stayed more together than usual. Karen has a great voice, obvs.

Election of 1800: Burr was all exhausted for the whole thing and I loved it. I loved his eavesdropping on the voters. Madison’s delivery of “you worked on the same staff” was great. I kind of wanted more from Burr’s face after he lost b/c he was SO EXPRESSIVE for the rest of the show. The “because I’m the President” bit was good overall, though no one will ever beat Chappelle’s delivery of that line. Burr sucking up to TJeffs and the way TJeffs and Madison broke away to have that conversation like Burr wasn’t right there. Loved it!

Your Obedient Servant: FUNNY esp because Burr is SO MAD and then so sweet on that closing lines. His "Sweet Jesus" was great. 

Best of Wives, Best of Women: I teared up. Ari and Miguel had such lovely, loving chemistry.

The World Was Wide Enough: Very good on all sides--Daniel killed it. I teared up on “Eliza!” as usual, which started tears #1. Tears #2 is “They say Angelica and Eliza.” I never noticed before how everyone gathers around Burr at the end. The end of the song was so painful and emotional, I lost it again on “The world was wide enough...” it was SO full of emotion.

Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story: I BURST into tears on “Eliza!” here too. and then just sobbed through the end. Karen was SO angry at the start of the song and that worked so well. And Ari did the look and the gasp and I am CRYING AGAIN JUST THINKING ABOUT IT (Lexi also didn’t do the gasp when I saw her and I’m slightly bitter). Then I cried for like, five solid more minutes.

Cast

Miguel Cervantes: He’s SO TINY? SO. TINY. His Hamilton is SO angry and scrappy. He def plays Ham as defensive of everything. He was incredible. He had amazing chemistry with Ari and Karen and José and a great rapport with Burr and Washington. He was SUPER flirty with the girls. His delivery of “I’m not stupid” was fab, said very plainly and directly. He had SO MUCH emotion during things like “Yorktown” and “Non-Stop.” The way he taunted Burr in “Room Where It Happens” was great--you could see his slow slide from “I want to be this guy’s friend!” to “my asshole frenemy.”

Daniel Breaker: I would kill a man for Daniel Breaker? Holy shit, I loved him so much. Like I said, his Burr is more sarcastic and funny, more personable, more goofy, using sarcasm to keep everyone at arm’s length. He was definitely invested in AHam and the gang, but kept himself at a distance. His face was AMAZING, his facial expressions were worth the price of admission. He really connected with Burr in “Wait For It.” He was so angry and betrayed at the end, and watching that drift into regret was beautiful. His “WAIT!” was chilling.

Ari Afsar: I LOVED HER. Great transition from innocent and excited and enthusiastic and lovestruck to more mature to stoic and angry. She was very physically affectionate with Ham and their love was very believable and sweet. She did the scream and the gasp, which, as I said, are so important to me. During the finale, she perfectly melded the innocence and joy of act 1 with the maturity and determination of act 2. Eliza is a kind of thankless role and it’s difficult to put enough into it to shine, I think, but she nailed it.

Karen Olivo: I WOULD KILL A MAN FOR KAREN OLIVO. She’s maybe my favorite Angelica? I liked her better than Mandy, whom I LOVED, and maybe even more than Renee. I need to listen to/watch Renee again. But. WOW. Her “Satisfied” is so different--her whole interpretation of the character is so different! Her Angelica is much more animated and nosy and involved. She had amazing chemistry with Miguel and with Ari. “Schuyler Sisters” was WILD and ENERGIZED and excited. When she came out for WLWDWTYS, I was honestly shocked by how fierce she was.

Jonathan Kirkland: I was a little unsure of him when he first came out, but he totally sold me. His GWash was incredibly paternal, something Chris flirted with, but there was definitely a delineation there between family and duty. Jonathan plays it much more familial, which was really cool and obvs hit my found family buttons like whoa. You could tell how genuinely he cared for AHam as a person. He was more amused than annoyed by a lot of AHam’s shit. He also felt OLDER than the rest of the cast, but in a different way than Chris did.

Chris De’Sean Lee: SO GREAT. His French accent was so good--better than Daveed’s--and his rapping was A+. He’s definitely my second favorite Lafayette. He was very playful. His Jefferson was very good, but not as good as I wanted it to be? There was a little something missing in comparison to Daveed and Chappelle.

Jean Godsend Floradin: He was an understudy and I was SO SURPRISED because he really owned the role! He was tinier than the traditional Oak!sized Mull/Mad in my head, but just a fierce and scrappy. His verse in “Yorktown” was intense and he was so funny as Madison. He had great partner-in-crime chemistry with Laf/Jeff.

José Ramos: His rapping voice was incongruously deep! But he really established the angry shit-stirring recklessness of Laurens. His Laurens was FIRED UP to kick ass and take names. He was also SO SMALL compared to everyone but AHam, but ESPECIALLY compared to Lee. “Ten Duel Commandments” was so funny when they were back to back. He was fierce, though. His death scenes were a little too wistfully smiley to me, but still better than Thayne’s Musical Theatre Smile death scenes. Philip was GREAT--he leaned into the tininess at the start of the act. He was great during “The Reynolds Pamphlet” and his interactions with AHam were great.

Samantha Marie Ware: REALLY GREAT. I saw Sasha Hutchings as Peggy/Maria and was not so impressed. It’s a tough, thankless role and hard to make something of it, I think. Jasmine, of course, completely turns the role into a highlight of the show, but it’s not easy. Samantha NAILED IT. Her Peggy was almost argumentative in “Schuyler Sisters” and her Act 1 interactions with everyone, esp the sisters, were great. Her Maria was AMAZING. She played Maria as at least partially complicit, but with mixed feelings and it worked SO WELL for me. 

AND THAT’S THAT. We didn’t stage door because we literally forgot that was a thing, we were so pumped from the show. Let me know if you have any questions, I am HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM to the best of my ability! 

[vapaus-ystavyys-tasaarvo]

Revenge Sandwich Week 1

Okay I’m here to attempt to participate with actual words rather than just maps. I can do this. By the way I haven’t read any other posts yet because I wanted to make mine first! (Because I’m worried that if I do read other people’s posts they’ve already said everything I was going to say and then I don’t have anything. x) I mean, literary analysis really isn’t my strong suit.)

Turns out this book is still such a page-turner for me. :p It’s really reminding me why I loved Dumas books as a kid. I’m already a bit ahead of schedule because I just couldn’t stop reading. But I’ll just talk about this week’s part now.

So yeah, I did vaguely remember some of what happened here but there were a lot of details I’d forgotten. And even things that don’t count as “details”: SOMEHOW I managed to COMPLETELY forget that this was all about politics and Napoleon. I literally read the part about them stopping on Elba and went “hey wait is this a Napoleon thing?” and yes, turns out it was a Napoleon thing.

Anyway.

This story... or at least the beginning is kind of hilariously unsubtle, isn’t it? The book doesn’t exactly make you wonder who are the good guys and the bad guys. (At this point at least. I have the impression that this is going to change.) And Edmond is kind of boringly perfect and like EVERYBODY LOVES HIM except the couple of guys who’re jealous. Although he IS at least kind of charmingly naïve, the poor guy, so he does have at least one fault...

Well also he has a bit of a temper because of course he does, he’s a Dumas protagonist isn’t he? And btw that bit where he’s all like “yeah Danglars and me once had a row so bad that we almost had a duel over it (on Monte Cristo no less, that sure isn’t foreshadowing anything at all) but I’m sure we’ll get along fine from now on and he definitely would never betray me” rhat is EXACTLY the kind of thought process Dumas himself would have. Like I’m 99% sure he’s just outright calling himself out here.

I mean some of the characters do get some complexity already. M. Morrel is introduced as kind of a greedy bastard who just cares about his cargo rather than that his captain died, but then turns out that he genuinely cares about Edmond and is ready to even risk his own reputation to help him. Caderousse is an envious, selfish bastard but he’s also somewhat sympathetic. (Again, because he defends Edmond... this seems to be a bit of a trend here. Liking Edmond makes you more sympathetic. xD) And then there’s Villefort who’s... well he’s a really compelling character and I find him fascinating and I want to read more about him but I also hhhhate him as a person. :p Yuck, prosecutors. I feel like washing my hands. And I just see red when his only motivation to do the right thing seems to be just to please his fiancée and he like fantasizes about telling Renée about how nice he was. Ewww dude, you are the worst.

Renée is interesting because I kinda genuinely do like her but on the other hand she’s way too happy to marry Villefort which makes me side-eye her a bit. I mean yeah she’s an upper-class woman and probably doesn’t have endless choices about matters of love but still. (Also she doesn’t mind the death penalty apparently unless it’s for political prisoners. >__<) Well, we’ll see how things turn out. I hope she’ll keep showing up.

I do really like all the political stuff, even if it seems to be more about the intrigue and the plot than the kind of manifesto masquerading as a novel that Les Mis is. But I enjoy both kinds. :p It’s a fun contrast too, given that these are novels set approximately in the same era. (And Dumas still finds time to make fun of the Royalists which I appreciate.)

Oh but there seems to be quite a lot of class discussion too, right? Which is interesting. I’d really like to see where it goes.

Uh... that’s pretty much all the at least somewhat structured thoughts I had for now? Like I said, this isn’t really my strong suit.

Some random reactions and comments that I wrote down:

‘-- if it were known that you gave a packet to the marshal and spoke to the emperor, you might be compromised.’

‘How could it compromise me, Monsieur?’

Oh you sweet summer child...

‘I shall always have the highest regard for those who enjoy the confidence of my owners.’

That’s an interesting way to translate “mes armateurs”. (I had to check what it was in the original text, it felt so weird.)

- I love the bit about Les Catalans. It just appeals to me a lot, that kind of sense of a tiny community with an interesting history. I just appreciate it in a story (although I don’t really know how accurately they’re portrayed here and of course we only seem to get to meet two people from there.)

- Another thing is the strong sense of the era, it’s just very very 1815. I like it.

- Mercédès’s speech to Fernand is probably the most blatant kind of exposition dialogue ever lol

- Also at points it feels like maybe you don’t need to remind us that they’re Catalan like literally every time you talk about them? Especially with Fernand, omg. (And who says “with your Catalan knife” when they’re also Catalan themself?)

- So far I like Mercédès though, I don’t really have much to say about her otherwise. Fernand creeps me out, like he’s obviously meant to. He seriously doesn’t seem to care about Mercédès’s feelings AT ALL as long as she doesn’t kill herself. >___< 

- All the talk about it being bad luck to call a woman her fiancés name before they’re married and a man captain before he’s been formally appointed... there’s SO MUCH FORESHADOWING HERE OMG. I get it, everything is going to go horribly wrong! Stop reminding me!

- Danglars, why did you even talk in front of Caderousse? I don’t get it at allll. I mean at first I thought the novel was going to have Caderousse, Danglars and Fernand all conspire together against Edmond and I was so confused about Caderousse being there because he seriously didn’t have a good enough reason to hate Edmond... I’m glad it didn’t go that way but now I’m just baffled by Danglars.

- I don’t have much to say about Danglars in general, he’s probably the most one dimensional character so far. I mean I appreciate his twisted mind because it makes him a scarier villain but otherwise... I don’t know, we’ll see.

-  Btw isn’t it a bit weird how even though we get told that Edmond has all these friends and how all these people really love and respect him but they don’t really get named or introduced at all? Instead all the focus is on the three people who actually aren’t great friends. Just a thought. It’s weird.

‘a commissioner wearing his sash is no longer a man but a statue of the law, cold, deaf and dumb.’

Hah. :D

‘but, dammit, though he’s a Royalist and the crown prosecutor, he is also a man and not, I believe, a wicked one.’

‘No’, said Danglars. ‘Though I have heard it said that he is ambitious, which is much the same.’

Oh snap. Okay I really like that line even though it’s Danglars saying it.

- All the coincidences, like the foreshadowing and the character introductions, ARE NOT SUBTLE AT ALL. Buuuut then again what are you even reading 19th C. lit for if you don’t appreciate Poignant Coincidences....

- Uggghhh all the talk about trials is disgusting. Yuck yuck yuck. Hhhhate. The sheer lack of empathy in everybody except Renée. Also Villefort, HOW IS IT ANYTHING LIKE A DUEL WTF. Let’s make a list: a) duels are supposed to be agreed upon by both parties, b) it’s supposed to be balanced, not favouring one of the parties, c) both should be facing the same risks. YOU LITERALLY HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE, YOUR OPPONENT HAS EVERYTHING ON THE LINE. ARGH.

- did I mention that I hhhate him?

‘Nowadays, the sword has been put aside and the gown is supreme: there is a wise Latin tag to that effect.’

‘Cedant arma togae,’ Villefort said, with a bow.

‘I did not dare to attempt it in Latin,’ the marquise replied.

Okay, relatable. x) (obviously I don’t like her either but)

‘So the guilty man has been arrested,’ said the marquise.

‘You mean, the accused man,’ said Renée.

Thank you, Renée, the only half decent human being in this party.

This restore to us had a revolutionary ring to the ears of the crown prosecutor’s deputy.

Fucking royalists, omg. (I do appreciate Dumas snarking about them.)

settled his features in front of the mirror into their grandest expression and sat down, dark and threatening, behind his desk.

Omg Villefort you dork.

- Also: interrogating a suspect while also thinking ahead to how cleverly you can tell people about it later: like this guy is simultaneously so relatable and so disgusting. It’s both hilarious and enraging. (Idk, it probably hits me particularly hard because he feels like such a real person.)

happiness makes even wicked men good.

Another good line.

‘To whom was it addressed?’

‘To Monsieur Noirtier, Rue Coq-Héron, in Paris.’

Oh shit... Suddenly it makes sense that Edmond ends up in prison. >_______<

- Aaaa poor Edmond has all the power here and he just doesn’t KNOW.

- I don’t have anything to say about the next chapter, just AAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaa

- This part has gotten so much harder to read as an adult tbh.

Villefort ran out but, on reaching the door, realized that the sight of a deputy crown prosecutor in such a hurry could upset the tranquility of an entire town, so he slowed to his normal pace, which was quite magisterial.

Omg this guy. I swear.

- Villefort is having his Storm Inside A Skull moment except he put HIMSELF into this situation and of course he turns out to be an Anti-Valjean if anything. It really feels like an echo of the same scene though, even to the point of being interrupted and pushed towards the final decision by someone coming to tell them that the carriage is ready.

- I don’t have much in terms of thoughts about the chapters with Louis XVIII. Mostly I just kept wondering how historically accurate this was. xD

Okay, that’s all I had. Time to read everybody else’s things!

[bthump]

I just wanted to let you know that I absolutely love the super analytical takes that you have on Guts and griffiths relationship. Its a shame that many berserk fans write off the sexual tension that's shared between these two characters simply because they're men and counting for the fact that many berserk fans are blatantly homophobic. What do you think berserk would look like if Guts chose to stay with Griffith when he became a lord? Or if guts stayed with crippled Griffith minus the eclipse.

Thank you so much!

Yeah it’s really unfortunate that a large majority of the fandom is totally steeped in homophobia bc honestly the most compelling aspect of Berserk (imo but also lbr objectively) is Griffith and Guts’ extremely charged relationship, and I think the fact that so much of fandom tries hard to downplay it is kind of itself proof of how super gay it is lol. Like they can insist it’s just platonic but the fact that they feel compelled to ignore huge important plot points like eg the fact that Guts’ sole motivation for leaving the Hawks was to become Griffith’s friend, or the fact that Griffith textually valued Guts over his dream, etc, is pretty telling. Would they need to ignore so much if they really believed they were only platonic bros?

(lol sorry think I just had to get that out of my system and you gave me an opening.)

But anyway wrt your question, I think it would depend why Guts chose to stay (did Griffith win their second duel? did some action of Griffith’s convince him that despite the speech Griffith does value him ridiculously highly? or did Guts never hear the Promrose Hall speech in the first place?), but regardless of the exact reason Guts stays, I imagine that Berserk would end up being pretty much a really compelling story about medieval politics and relationship drama lol.

Like, take the tone of Tombstone of Flame Part 2, and that would be Berserk. Cool political scheming and complicated yet intense character relationships. Actually I say “relationships” but really it’s just Guts and Griffith’s that gets the real intensity and complexity lol.

Tho speaking of, I don’t really know where Miura could’ve taken their relationship in this alternate version of Berserk. Like, I can only see them eventually getting together if the Eclipse doesn’t happen ngl. But idk I guess this version of Berserk would be shorter, and maybe Guts and Griffith would have some conflict (eg if Guts lost the duel, maybe Guts’ feelings of inadequacy vs Griffith’s feelings of rejection) that eventually gets resolved. Ooh yk the logical happy ending for them in this kind of AU would be Griffith forced to choose between his dream and Guts and choosing Guts.

So yeah how about that? Political scheming, Griffith’s rise to the throne, both Guts and Griffith filled with self-loathing and their relationship totally tanked because Griffith thinks Guts wanted to leave and he forced him to stay, and Guts thinks he’ll never be someone worthy of respect in Griffith’s eyes, neither of them acknowledging this and Guts maybe continuing to help him but beneath the surface their closeness is gone, but then plot happens, Griffith demonstrates how he really feels once again but rly decisively this time by prioritizing Guts over his dream again, and they both start to figure their shit out.

As for a no Eclipse AU, I think it’s actually the perfect scenario to force Guts, Griffith, and Casca to actually deal with their issues. Like, in canon the Eclipse is basically a giant distraction. For Griffith it’s an escape, for Guts it’s an excuse to bury all of his emotions except rage and swing his sword at monsters for 3 years (and that’s his own escape and outlet: “when I’m swinging this sword… I don’t have to think about anything”), for Casca it drives her insane and puts her entire character on hold.

Without it what you have is Griffith with no dream, his emotional dependency on Guts mirrored by his physical dependency, and no escape from either his feelings for Guts or his feelings of failure and self-loathing. You have Guts who has just realized how hard he fucked up, who blames himself for ruining everyone’s lives but especially Griffith’s, and who has just figured out how much he actually means to Griffith. And you have Casca who… idk I think maybe her biggest issue now is with Guts and Griffith both losing/giving up their “dreams” and gravitating towards each other, she’s lost her motivation. She switched from supporting Griffith’s dream to supporting Guts’ dream and she has to let both go and support herself instead of dudes imho. And okay, maybe Miura wouldn’t go that direction with her character, but idc.

But I’m going to stay vague on how these issues could be resolved and lead to a low key happy ending because I’ve had this as a fic idea on the backburner for ages and someday I might actually finish it lol.