#that one seasonal lore tab really will just keep on giving

[thefirstknife]

How are Osiris' echoes still around in the Vex network? Aren't they manifestations of his Light that would have ceased to exist when Sagira died?

That's Reflections! Echoes are.... something else.

[u.2:12] Reflections, Saint. I have no need for Echoes anymore. [u.1:13] What do you mean? What’s the difference? [u.2:13] One is a manifestation of Light. The other… reserved for Taken Kings. Better suited for traversing the Sundial because of what lies at its core.

Osiris left some of the Echoes in the Sundial to keep exploring until they find Saint. At the time of the Sundial, he could still feel them searching:

Two Echoes wander into the corridors of time with orders not to stop. Brute force has worked for Osiris before. To this day, he can still feel them. Their search continues.

It's unclear if he could still be feeling them (or if they're even still there), but I've always thought he could because of him thinking of being in the Sundial during his coma:

A familiar voice calls out, sonorous against the abyss, incomprehensible but sweet. I think I hear the fluttering of wings, but the hum of the Sundial gives no direction.

Wild. There could be some sort of an imprint or remnant of his deals with the Vex, being kept preserved in the Network. Like a snapshot of his time there. And if it's one of his Echoes, then that brings another question about it all due to the nature of his Echoes. It's also specifically noted that most of his Echoes just:

The rest eventually succumb to Vex security measures where the network intersects with the corridors of time. Even Osiris’s Light has limits.

Really interesting wording, that the corridors of time intersect with the network, which is what may have allowed the two Echoes still searching to essentially cross over and embed themselves into the network. Purely speculating here since we don't really know more. But it's something to think about! I am always thinking about the Echoes anyway.

[ideas-on-paper]

Monster Hunter Tri Diary, Part 2: Day cycles & Nighttime hunt in the Moga Woods

For previous entries, search for #monster hunter tri diary

Disclaimer: Text is paraphrased from my localization and might slightly deviate from the English version.

Moga Village (night)

Yay, we have day cycles! This is actually a feature that got scrapped in MH3U; while there were day and night versions of each map (probably a leftover from this mechanic), it was always day in Moga Village. In Tri, however, time advances in the village too, and you actually get to explore Moga at nighttime! (I believe the only previous time they tried something like this was in MH Dos, with the seasonal cycles.)

And look, fireflies! Or are those Thunder Bugs? (Given that this is Monster Hunter, probably Thunder Bugs.)

Also, there is a nighttime version of the village theme! I've never heard it before, due to there being no day/night cycle in 3U. It's a tad softer and more tranquil than the daytime version - I like it!

Chief's Son: "To restore the base camp, we need to dig new latrines, rebuilt the tent, cover the old latrines, delouse the bed..." Sounds like a really pleasant job. Might be easier to just throw the lousy bed into the trash and get a new one, though.

Okay, so the Chief’s Son tells me I have to report to him what I hunted in the forest, since he’s responsible for keeping tabs on that. Makes sense, since you kinda need to keep an eye on the monster population to prevent an imbalance in the ecosystem if you want to ensure a sustainable economy.

Actually, this reminds me... I remember there's an in-lore explanation that the Guild keeps records of the monster population in each area, to prevent certain species from going extinct and others from growing too large in number. (I think the only time they integrated this into the gameplay was in MH Dos; there was some kind of "bounty system", and the more often you hunted a certain monster, the less money you'd get for it.) So, are the reports I give to the Chief's Son sent to the Guild as well? (I suppose that would be like constant surveillance; but maybe, that's the exact intention behind it.)

At first, I thought the Jumbo Pearl might be a reference to MH Dos (since the village from that game is called Jumbo). However, after checking the Japanese item name, the kanji indicates that it's just an extraordinarily large pearl, rather than a pearl found near/associated with Jumbo Village. (Pity, though; that would've been so cool.)

Chief's Son: "Go report to my dad, will you? He LOVES reports." Okay - well, at least that shows he's taking his job seriously.

Chief: "There are no hopeless causes... Just lost confidence!" That's actually a damn good motivational quote right there.

Gossipy Lady: "It's obvious whenever the Chief is in a pensive mood. He stands at the left pier and gazes out at the sea." I wonder if there's a story behind this habit...

Guild Sweetheart: "The good news is that the Guild apparently has completely forgotten about us. So, you're not missing out on anything!" Well, I guess that's the bright side of it... xD Still, a bit odd if you consider the Guild is technically responsible for protecting the village - all they do is send one rookie hunter here and that’s it. They don’t even bother helping the villagers repairing the damage in any other way.

Outfitter: ""No weapon is perfect. Every one has its strengths and weaknesses." Maybe grandpa was right after all..." Well... A fault confessed is half redressed, or so they say. xD

The shy kid tells us about a goblin with a mask living in the Moga Woods (his older brother also says he's "constantly talking nonsense about an elf"). If my memory serves correctly, that has to be Cha-Cha.

Blacksmith: "I'm gonna to tell you - but just this once!" Except when you cycle through the dialogue by repeatedly talking to him, you can select "yes" again. xD

The Bowguns are completely different in Tri. Instead of the usual two classes (Light and Heavy Bowgun), you have to assemble your Bowgun out of individual parts (stock, frame, barrel), each influencing the stat values and overall performance. I guess this was done in an attempt to make the Bowguns more customizable, so you can have a sort of in-between as opposed to just light/heavy. I'm not a Gunner myself, but I think the idea is kinda cool; ultimately, they didn't stick with it, though.

Btw, there are some weapons that are completely missing from Tri: Dual Blades, Hunting Horn, Gunlance and Bow are all unavailable in this game (despite being available in Freedom Unite).

Also, the Switch Axe and the Long Sword are not available from the start; you have to unlock them later on (you have to do the 3-star Urgent Quest to hunt a Gobul to get access to Long Swords). I was a bit confused when I saw that I couldn't make any Long Swords, since I was sure I heard they existed in Tri. However, the selection of Long Swords in this game is very limited: Minus the weapons from online events, there are only seven Long Swords you can make in the game. That's right: seven. A bit of a bummer for me as a Long Sword main, especially since there are not even blades for every element. (There isn't a single Ice Long Sword you can forge offline.)

So, seems like I'll have to get a little creative here - I think I'll make myself a Great Sword when I get the chance, since that's a weapon I'm at least moderately accustomed to. I also might try out a Switch Axe against Gobul, since you already unlock these after the 2-star Urgent Quest. (Can't say I'm looking forward to it, though. xD)

Btw, I don't know if it's just a translation error in my localization, but when explaining weapon sharpness, the smith says orange is sharper than yellow which is sharper than green. Of course, it's the other way around, with yellow being sharper than orange and green being the sharpest. So, this is a small pitfall for anyone who might be new to the game - just wanted to mention it.

"Fuel for the furnace, chemicals for forging... All of that costs money, so you gotta pay something." I think this is the first time I've seen it mentioned that the smithies in MH are using chemicals to make weapons/armor. Guess that makes sense, since a lot of the equipment pieces are composed of both organic and inorganic materials, so it probably wouldn't hold together otherwise.

"My life's goal? To forge a weapon beyond anyone's imagination! I've tried again and again, but failed. One day, I'll succeed - just you wait!" Well, as long as you have a goal and dedication, you can achieve anything. Better luck next time! :-)

I really like the smith in general - such a lively and spry guy. ^^

What the?! How did the smartass kid get into my house? Who let you in? WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY SWAMPHOUSE?!?

"Did you know you can skip conversations? That way, you can skip boring conversations with people you don't even want to listen to. Very handy!" I wish this was a feature in real life.

"But some things you'll get to hear only once. And then you'll say: "Oh no! Why did I press the cancel button? Now I can never hear this again! Buhuuuu!" Unironically me every time I want the text to scroll faster and accidentally end up missing dialogue. xD

"Oh, some conversations you can't skip, like important village info and lectures from your mom..." Pity - I'm sure everyone would appreciate the latter. xD

"Do you believe there is life on the moon?" I dunno, kid - I've never read sci-fi literature from the MH universe myself.

"Why don't hunters use their huge airships to fly to the moon? Did no one get this idea before?" Well, maybe they did - I just doubt they got very far. xD

Yay! I can actually give my Poogie a name! (Actually, I think this is the first time in the series you can do this.) Though it's curious that the list includes both male and female names - is Poogie's gender just whatever you want it to be?

The cuddle timing for the Poogie is WAY more lenient than in Freedom Unite (seriously, that was hardcore).

Moga Woods (night)

"Hello, it's me, the Chief's Son! Not Junior! Nobody calls me that!" Yep, definitely daddy issues. (Nice to see the Chief's Son inherited his dad’s telepathic skills, though.)

"Oh, nice attack! Maybe you're not such an inexperienced hunter after all..." Shit, they've caught onto my ruse - they know I'm too good to be a noob! xD

It will never not be funny to me that the "So tasty!" when you make a Well-done Steak is the only voice line they ever bothered to record for the old games. In fact, it was so important that they even recorded it in different languages. xD

I appreciate how there's a brief display of "MAX" at the end of the stamina gauge - that way, you know when you're at max stamina.

Okay, so the monster list also works differently in Tri. Instead of buying the books with the info at the item shop, you have to gather the infos yourself while being out in the field. It feels a bit like a spiritual predecessor to MH World; I guess they did this to add more to the "exploration" feeling. It's a little tricky to do though, so I understand why they got rid of it. (You have to open the monster list in the menu, point the Wiimote at the monster and then add the info to your list via drag-and-drop. I can imagine this is going to be rather difficult with large monsters, since you kinda have to pay attention that you don't die while gathering data. xD)

Honey: "Full of nutrients, but indigestible in this form." What? Last time I checked, honey was a perfectly digestible type of food. What makes MH honey different?

Okay, so I've picked up an item called "Firedouse Berry". It increases fire resistance, apparently. The logical conclusions would be that there are other berries in Tri to counter the other elements (water, thunder, ice). Either way, I've never seen these in any MH before.

I’ve always wondered what the "houses"/windows carved into the cliffs of Area 7 are. I suppose this is what the Head Farmer meant when he was saying that the statue in the cave had something to do with the "forest ruins". Is this where the ancestors of the sea people lived? If so, why are these great buildings in ruins? What brought about their demise?

You see, it's the little things that always kept me fascinated in Monster Hunter. You can find these ancient ruins in all of the old MH games, but it’s never explained who built them. It's like a dark mystery of the past, constantly looming over you - and perhaps, a silent threat that this might happen again.

It's funny how the Jaggi were my literal introduction to Monster Hunter. If I hadn't read an article about there being "raptors" in MH4U - despite the Jaggi looking more dilophosaurs with their frills (which is ironic, since they're the bird wyverns that don't spit poison) - I probably wouldn't have picked it up. xD

After playing Lies of P for so long, I have to get used to MH combat again. Although I adjusted the controls of LoP so it was basically the standard MH controls (because I literally can’t play with anything else xD), the combat itself feels very different. MH’s is a lot more mobile in comparison, involving lots of dodging and repositioning; since there’s no target lock-on (targeting for large monsters only got introduced in MH3U if I remember correctly), you can’t just lock onto your target to circle around them.

Also, I don't think there’s a pause button in Tri? A bit strange since Freedom Unite had one, but I guess you're supposed to use the Wii Home button for this.

There was a young Aptonoth in Area 1, probably the one who fled from Area 3 when I killed its parents (cool that the monsters move to other areas, though!). I briefly contemplated to let it live, but then I told myself "well, it's probably not gonna survive without its parents anyway" and did the mercy kill. (I'm such a cold-blooded murderer, guys. xD)

One thing that never fails to make me laugh is how there are wooden struts sprouting from the ground if you place the BBQ spit on uneven terrain. xD (That BBQ spit is so important, it even gains the magical ability to support itself if need be.)

So, in summary, I killed 15 Jaggi, while also gathering some stuff along the way. I would've needed 30 resource points at minimum, I delivered 90 - so, thrice as much. Well, there's no kill like overkill. xD

Moga Village (day)

As far as I know, 3rd Gen is the first to have its own kinds of fertilizers for mushroom and insect farming spots on the farm (Shroom Germ and Funky Pheromones, respectively).

Dung: "That's right: Monster poop. The odor reveals (too) much about the monster's diet." Must be really pleasant to carry that around in your pockets (or store it in your item box). xD

The item description says you can only sell Pittance Fangs for "pocket change" - that "pocket change" being 180z per piece, which is quite a lot by early game standards. (I've been wondering about the name, though; could it be that monster parts like fangs, teeth etc. are used as currency in some places in the MH universe? Is it custom to give these kinds of fangs to beggars so they can buy themselves something for it?)

Okay, the smith now wants me to bring him some Iron Ore to prove that I’m “worthy” of being his customer - at least he was so kind as to lend me his Mega Pickaxe for it. (Remember, kids? The time when you still had to carry pickaxes and bug nets with you to gather ore and insects?)

Village Chief: "All wyverians are hard to please. And this one is the worst. I know him since my early youth. I got into more brawls with him than the sky has stars!" Sounds like the Chief and the smith were best friends. xD It's charming to see the Chief reminiscing about his youth, though.

Chief: "My son still has a lot to learn... But you have to overcome barriers to grow." That's true - ngl, the Chief does have some pretty deep quotes.

Guild Sweetheart: "Drum roll... The Guild says: absolutely nothing!" Man, they sure are taking their time... Okay, how about this: I'm gonna go out to get some Iron Ore for the smith (and for myself), and you see if you can get through to the Guild in the meantime, alright? Don’t worry, sweetie - I’ll be right back!

To be continued

[jujuberry136]

Puppet History theories?

New puppet history dropped, the lore is increasing exponentially. Theories below the cut - anyone have additional or other ideas?

So, the Professor is back and not giving any explanation as to how he is here in the present and not dead, but there was some weirdness going on in the episode (prior to the post-credits scene):

The professor’s appearance is off. If you pause the screen at some of the side-by-sides in the early episodes, the Professor’s eyes are a different color and his fur seems much more washed out. I don’t buy that the Watcher team suddenly doesn’t know how to light their studio!

There’s a mysterious box that is hooked up to the theater that the Professor doesn’t want any questions on

For the first theater sketch, you can hear the Professor’s voice say “where does he keep those guys”. Definitely sketchy

The Professor won’t let Ryan touch him nor does he actually answer the question “are you a ghost?” While there may be some legitimate bad feelings with Ryan killing him last year, it does seem suspicious

The Professor has that “rest break” in the middle of the show where he just collapses for a few minutes and his voice definitely seems oddly amplified/doubled during periods of the show

There is a long conversation about meat and how much the Professor likes it, but previous all we knew about his eating habits was that he ate spiders and jelly beans. This is reiterated in the show’s intro, so it seems a bit odd that he’s now craving “flesh”

While there’s a reference to the complex victory algorithm in the main body of the show, but when Ryan is crowned the winner of the episode he doesn’t reference it directly - the Professor talks instead about tallying/counting points

There’s no victory trophy! Instead we have “Puppet Cream” that the Professor insists that Ryan apply immediately. The instructions also say it needs to be applied daily. The Professor claims this is due to supply chain issues... but it’s a real Buffalo Bill vibe going on when insisting that Ryan applies it

The show was nominally about hippo, but really focused in on the idea of imposters (and faking your death)... giving us a clue that not is all it seems?

Then there was the post-credit scene! We see that Ryan is suspicious at the Professor’s survival and doing some research, including going on a e-commerce site to bid on a lamp with an actual genie in it. Some clues from the screen:

Open tabs include: puppet necromancy, trophy supply chain, Chicxulub extinction, time travel methods, and blue man group (I guess even a mystery doesn’t stop Ryan’s love)

The Science Simp website has articles on:

What looks like the professor’s fossilized hat and glasses being found in Mexico; the article notes that’s like super weird

An article on what is known about the meteor that killed the dinosaurs (aka the Chicxulub extinction)

An article on how good holograms are now

A note on the Pope being jokerfied (an on-going joke about Ryan being jokerfied happened in early seasons)

When Ryan goes to bid on the lamp with the real genie, the description notes that it came from a local estate sale seemingly run by the devil and a three-headed demon

And then we have the same noise that was heard in the show being heard in the Watcher studio before we had that scene with the shelf of Professor plush toys (with the middle one’s eyes MOVING before the lights went out and they started glowing).

Theory time!

The “professor” we are seeing is actually an advanced hologram being powered by that box that has been added to the theater. The weird lighting, the weird voice effects, the “rest break” are all related to the hologram’s technical glitches, and that’s why he wouldn’t let Ryan touch him early in the episode. The hologram is being operated by the devil, who is now interested in further punishing Ryan.

The “puppet cream” could either either a getting a Buffalo Bill situation where the devil is prepping Ryan for hosting asmoedeus himself OR it could be a play on the idea of “puppet cream” since we’ve seen that the show can turn humans into puppets (aka, see how Ryan likes being a LITERAL puppet rather than the figurative puppet he was last season)

There are TWO professors - the Faux!professor seen during the main episode who is slightly off, who is some sort of imposter with an agenda and the real professor, who is working in the background of the show and the post-credits trying to foil these plans. The show had the story of the Black Panther taking on a false identity and going on a speaking tour of the United States - is this our in-universe parallel? Then there was also the post-credits scene of a Professor plush on the ground (that Ryan stepped on), but no immediate gap on the shelves of plush toys. There was, however, the plush in the middle shelf whose eyes moved as Ryan was exiting the building and then whose eyes GLOWED in the dark. This Professor looked slightly different from the others on the shelf - more like the Professor we know and love rather than merch! I think this is the true Professor who has made a new deal with a genie or found some other method of time travel (since his gear was fossilized, but not him!) and is working in the background to try to thwart this imposter.

[ladytauria]

hey liv sorry in advance i am nosy

🍓🐇🧃🪐🍬🦷🦋🦴🪲

dont be sorry! i enjoy nosy uwu

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction?

hmm

i was 12. my favorite tv show at the time was this old disney cartoon, "super robot monkey team hyper force go" (abbreviated as SRMTHFG or SRMTHG. i prefer the first but plenty of people use the second.) it was canceled after its 4th season and, uh. the ending was SO bad. like, major major cliffhanger.

anyway, i was looking up... i don't even remember at the time. and i discovered deviantart, and i discovered this person's OCs. read a lot about them, including some fanfic, and then eventually discovered fanfiction.net

i didn't realize what it was at first; i thought it was just a writing in general site? and i was like oh! i can share the book i'm working on! (i have been trying to write a novel since i was 10). and then as i was looking into where i would post it, i realized what it actually was. (no, the title didn't give it away. idk why.)

so then i was like oh!!! this is really cool actually!!! and i wrote my first fanfic xD

that was in 2011? so i was 12, almost 13.

and i've been reading & writing fic ever since~

🐇 ⇢ do you prefer writing original characters, reader inserts, or a mix of both?

okay so this is a tough question

bc like

i love love love love love second person.

like.

*adore* it.

second person, present tense is my absolute fave, but past tense is good too. (i have written an entire sapphic little mermaid retelling [12k words i think] in second person. uh, it needs revisions but it's a full draft. i opened it it the other day and im still so proud of it uwu)

howEVER. outside of writing second person w/o ever explicitly naming the pov character i have not actually written a reader-insert? so for that reason alone i will have to say 'prefer writing oc's'

🧃 ⇢ share some personal lore you never posted about before

uhh

hm

i'm a chronic oversharer (mostly in the tags) so that's kind of tough!

ah! since my grandmother's memory issues started, i've been doing about half of the cooking (it's been a bit of a battle, as she keeps trying to do everything xD) and i've cooked a lot of new things this year!! i've gotten very good at cooking pork chops. which 🤔 now that i bring that up, i might make friday! or tonight, but they're still in the freezer, so...

🪐 ⇢ name three good things going on in your life right now

my grandmother's memory situation has improved a lot!! it's still not great, but like. strides ahead of where we were 7-8 months ago!

my anxiety has been much kinder to me this year <3 i've made some very lovely friends this year~

mmm, oH, my energy levels have been fantastic this year. i didn't realize just how bad they had gotten until i started these new meds, and now i'm just. <333 much better.

🍬 ⇢ post an unpopular opinion about a popular fandom character

hm

idk if i have any unpopular opinions...? i mean. i'm sure i must, but... nothing immediately comes to mind ^^;

🦷 ⇢ share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

hmmm

recently been trying to get in the habit of summarizing what i want to do before i start writing. it makes the process much easier, if ik a bit about what i want to do before going in?

🦋 ⇢ share something that has been on your heart and mind lately

i am much better at being patient than i ever gave myself credit for in the past <3

🦴 ⇢ is there a piece of media that inspires your writing?

i can't think of one piece in particular, as the places i find inspiration are. all over the board?

🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

picked a wip from my open tabs at random! funnily enough this is also the one i ended up doing for the emoji ask xD

it's also almost triple what this asked for but once i started writing i couldn't stop <3

He swallows, staring up at Tim. Jason has had plenty of practice reading people through a domino, but. He has no reference for the look Tim is giving him now. Only that it— That the feeling it gives him is… is new and strange. He has no name for it, the way his stomach feels fluttery and tight, his scalp and fingers tingling. His mouth opens—but all that escapes is a stuttery puff of air. That’s okay. He doesn’t know what he was going to say anyway. Tim hooks a gloved finger under his chin; tipping his face up. He leans in, slowly—so slow that Jason— There’s nothing keeping him there. He could run. Turn away. But he feels caught, feet anchored in place. Tim’s mouth touches his, and all thought leaves him. Jason has never been kissed before.

[ writers truth or dare ask game ]

[zavalas-bignaturals-lore]

Neomuna thoughts

From my last post on the ECHO program and how that might tie in to Lightfall, I should add some info that I left out before I move on to my questions. Way back in Season of the Worthy, Bungie released a bit of web lore with Ana Bray encountering a derelict ECHO ship, now named Caelus Station. The ship housed ranks of Exos with cryogenically frozen human embryos ready to begin colonization efforts. We can only assume that Soteria's ECHO launch happened before the ill-fated Caelus Station, though we do not know how long before. The only confirmed timeline mentions that we have put Soteria's launch before the "imminent endangerment" of humanity, and the rest of the ECHO ships launching in response to Rasputin shutting down during the collapse.

So, on to my questions about the relationship between Soteria's launch, Nefele Stronghold, and Neomuna. Are these three all truly the same thing? That seems to be the consensus among Destiny lore junkies, but I'd like to explore some other options as well. The driving force behind this surrounds a critical missing piece of info. How in the world does Rasputin know anything about Nefele Stronghold?

Rasputin shut down during the collapse and is only brought back online during the events of Destiny. In this case, there are two windows of time for him to have learned of the ECHO ship as Nefele Stronghold, either during the indeterminate time between the launch and the collapse, or during the time since his reactivation in Destiny. While the former is indeterminate, I am led to believe that the time until the collapse was relatively short, given the "imminent endangerment" of humanity. It is possible that during this time the ECHO ship was able to get set up and transmit back to humanity and the warmind. If so, it is conceivable that Rasputin would have been able to set up protections for the now designated Nefele Stronghold that he could then bring offline when he activated his YUGA SUNDOWN protocol as described in the lore tab "TM-Moss Custom Duster."

The simplest answer for the lore is that it doesn’t matter how Rasputin found out about Nefele Stronghold, all that matters is that he did. That answer doesn’t satisfy me though, so let’s keep digging.

My next proposed theory shifts Nefele Stronghold to being a midway point, so to speak. In one of the ending dialogs to this season’s Heist Battlegrounds, it is noted that the Stronghold designation belongs to “colonization efforts... and anti-extinction vaults.” If Nefele Stronghold is an anti-extinction vault, it is conceivable then that it is related to the Koranthin network and then has information on every launched ECHO ship. This gives us something to do as pert of the season finale in a few weeks. A nice little bunker raid that locks in a new destination for Lightfall. This covers the hole of missing information on Rasputin as well. If Nefele Stronghold is an anti-extinction vault, then of course Rasputin knows of it, it would have been established prior to the colapse.This also gives all the more reason for him to have totally deleted record of it. That’s nice, neat lore, all tied up with a bow. I have one more theory however.

What if Nefele is a red herring? As part of the myth that a lot of this theory is predicated on (Nephele a Greek nymph/spirit of clouds > cloud city > Neomuna), Nephele was created by Zeus (or Oceanos) in the image of Hera to trick Ixion, a son of Ares. One of many titles that Zeus held was Soter, the male counterpart to Soteria. If you will indulge me with the ultimate spinfoil hat, in this metaphor, we sub in Rasputin for Zeus, and this becomes a plot for Rasputin to have faked deleted records for Nefele Stronghold to protect any chance of any of the ECHO ships having escaped. To be clear, I don’t really subscribe to this one, it’s just a wild and fun theory that I want written down for posterity. Just in case it turns out to have merit. Bungie does like to tell a story in their names, after all.

[satemha-the-warlock]

My Comments on D2: Lightfall Story and the Criticism About It

Spoilers Ahead!

So, because of all the work and personal stuff, I was only able to finish the Lightfall story last weekend and I've been trying to avoid all discussion and commentary about it in general because of spoilers. Since I'm done, I started checking some of the people I actually value their opinion one way or another and ignored most of the Reddit/Twitter stuff. I know I'm kinda late to the party but I wanted to write what I feel and think somewhere.

In general, I get why some people feel like the story is not good enough or has problems. Leaving the personal taste aside, I see that most of it based on personal expectations and how they all assumed this story will be a major story breakthrough. But instead they feel like they got even more questions and confusion.

I have to say, this is not my experience. I'm much more confident about the next two years we have ahead of us because of this expansion and what it did, especially on the story side. And I think this different perspective is partially because of how I look at things from a different perspective.

When it comes to stories, there are two main ways you can critique them. First one is from the consumer perspective: you look at from a more passive place, and focus on enjoyment and expectations people had. Other one is the creator perspective: in this one, you try to understand the decisions made, technical aspects and what these mean for the next steps.

From the former perspective, it's normal to see some people disappointed by the Lightfall story because they didn't get what they assumed they were going to. But from the latter, things take a different turn.

We all know there is not much time left to finish up "Light and Dark" saga of the Destiny. This means that there are many storylines that needs to be wrapped up and questions looking for an answer. But in the meantime, you have two main stories, at least two raids, eight seasons, several dungeons and additional storytelling potentials like exotic missions and quests. As a creator you have to make sure that you're closing all the storylines in a satisfying manner, making sure you have everything inside the world to do that, AND ALSO make each part meaningful and enjoyable to the players. Oh, and you have to prepare your world for the next major saga you're going to start after all that.

Let's say Lightfall answered many big questions people wanted to be answered. Then what? How are you going to use all other parts of the game? How are you going to keep people in the world for the rest of the year? Can you even answer those questions without rushing or leaving certain parts out in the main storyline? They had to find a way to both develop the story further but also use it as a worldbuilding tool make sure they set things up for the next chapters.

And I think that's smart because in the pervious expansion stories, one thing that bothered me was after the expansion story and related quests are done, there is not much left to do in those new places other than quest steps and bounties. People think Witch Queen was great (and it was) but how many people went back to Throne World after expansion quests were done? If you completed all of that, you don't really have a reason to go there now. It mostly sits there unrelated to most of the things.

I feel like with Lightfall story, Bungie is looking for a way to fix this issue as well. By using the whole year to tell the story more in depth and giving us more story in-game rather than just inside the lore tabs (remember how people complain about that?) they're going to make whole year richer in that sense. This will make finishing the story in a satisfying way much more easier, not harder like some people assume.

TL;DR, it's clear that we're going to get a lot more story and lore throughout the year during Lightfall and possibly in Final Shape. This is a major creative decision by Bungie that made some people upset but made me excited because I can see how smart of a move it is. This is hard for people to understand if they don't have too much experience in storytelling and worldbuilding, especially in a serialized way, so that's why people have a hard time to make sense all of this. But if you look at the current state of the Destiny world from this perspective, things will start to make a lot more sense and you can better understand why some parts of the story and the world is there and why they're added in this way.

[tinkkles]

Yeah the nine definitely have something to do w/ it, orin's hunting for Sjur's killer leads her to Xur which results in her becoming whatever she is now. I just Do Not understand the nine's motivation at all for anything - their opinion on ahamkara is confusing too, whether they were trying to study their paracausal power or eradicate them for being too dangerous along w/ the great hunt. I saw a theory that they may have participated in killing huginn & muninn in an attempt to prevent an ahamkara from being taken when Oryx arrived (whoops) - but then why kill Sjur, someone who can clearly help w/ the great hunt?

I guess what I'm trying to parse from the new lore & being generally unwell is WHY did Sjur die. Prior to this season, it was just "the nine killed her for some fucking reason and maybe some day we'll get back to this narrative thread (copium)," but it wasn't clear to me until now that she had actually been sent to kill the ahamkara when she died, which to me complicates the motivation for her death. You're right that it seems like she had resigned to carrying through, but it's clear that some part of her desired an alternative solution - and we know it's very easy to accidentally make a wish. Though Sjur would be aware of that, and presumably would know how to avoid doing that, so it is totally reasonable to assume that she did just put aside her hesitation and fought huginn & muninn to the death. But if she won, then why did the nine kill her? And if she lost, and huginn & muninn were the ones who killed her before the nine intervened by killing the ahamkara, then why did they leave a coin on her body? Just as an apology? (Unless that was just idk some elaborate time travelly/future-seeing plot to get orin to find them. God I wish I understood the nine at all).

And, if huginn & muninn are the ones who killed her after agreeing on a fight to the death, why did she feel betrayed & furious in the way she is on the wish-ender lore? Or for that matter, if it was the nine why would she feel betrayed either? It seems like the nine weren't really known to the reef at that point, so how could Sjur feel betrayed by strangers?

Riven explains the betrayal, and the motivation behind her death (a bid to gain the upper hand over Mara in their contract by giving her something to really desperately desire). But how the nine could fit in if it was ultimately Riven's doing is a mystery to me - my only guess is that they may be responsible for hiding Riven's clutch, and may have interfered with Sjur's weird spirit prison situation to achieve that (???). If you have theories on the nine's involvement i'm v interested - I don't understand their lore so I simply refuse to make any assumptions about their motivations lol. (though FYI I don't really want to know anything from lore tabs that aren't in-game yet, trying to keep myself vaguely unspoiled for the exotic mission)

Also worth pointing out that none of this ties directly with the vex & the black garden either - though my uneducated guess is that there's a connection between the ahamkara's reality-bending power and the garden's similarly reality-warping fuckery. But how those elements could come into play wrt sjur is still a mystery as well

i theorize about destiny lore by fixating on several details and then vomiting them all up onto a plate and go "is this anything"

Something something. Riven taunting Crow & Osiris about wishing for their loved ones to be resurrected. Riven seeking leverage over Mara, the crevice between What Was and What Was Wanted. Mara wished for something she didn't need for the purposes of her plans, just something she wanted - badly enough that she would make an unnecessary wish to Riven. And whatever her wish was, Riven granted it by dumping Shaxx on her, to have an impromptu memorial for Sjur.

Mara has used her power to save Sjur's life before. She's let herself use her god-like abilities for something as selfish as wanting Sjur to live. She was able to control Riven because of her incredible ability to contain her desires, to only wish for what was necessary to put her plans in motion. But she wants Sjur so badly that she'll change a prophesied future to keep her alive.

Sjur trapped in a maze, Riven's Lair is a maze, something unknown took Riven's eggs from her lair and hid them in the Ascendant Plane, Sjur's spirit is (was ???) in the Ascendant Plane in Shattered Throne.

Something betrayed Sjur as she died. She was sent to kill Huginn and Muninn, but she didn't want to, she hesitated, she wanted another solution. She could have wished for a way out of this, knowingly or not. She could have wished to be resurrected. The "Unless" is burrowing into my brain

It's not necessary for Mara to investigate Sjur's death, it's a diversion she was advised against pursuing. But she needs to know what happened, and she doesn't - there's a crevice between what was and what was wanted. She's not sure it was a murder.

Idk where exactly all this goes. What if Sjur is trapped in a wish? What if her death was the consequence of an accidental wish? Could she or someone else have wished to spare Huginn & Muninn, a wish that could be granted by causing Sjur's death? What if Riven saw this as a way to kill Sjur, in an attempt to gain leverage over Mara in their contract? And how did Huginn & Muninn end up dead if Sjur didn't want to kill them, and was instead killed at the scene? (I do not understand how the nine play into this bc i do not understand how the nine play into anything. I've seen some people guessing that they're responsible for hiding Riven's clutch, maybe they enlisted Sjur to do it for them. Idk. much to consider).

[shurelyasreverie]

Ezreal, Kayn, Yone Reverse AU Headcanons (100 Followers Special)

The title was the easiest way I could put it, but it's headcanons for an AU where Ezreal/Kayn/Yone are league players and the reader is a playable champion in the game. Thank you so much everyone for a hundred followers! I hope you'll accept this post as a small gift of thanks. I also find Reverse AUs a super fun concept so lemme know if you want more posts like this

Ezreal

(I just had to do him, there's no content for him and his voice actor is literally a host on League Proguides asldkfjad)

Ezreal's been playing League since the earlier seasons and ever since he was allowed to get his hands on a computer. He essentially knows the ins and outs of the game and is a die hard fan

Despite having good knowledge and skill with all champs, there was something about you and your abilities that Ezreal loved. After one game he already had a perfect feel of your champion and managed to get a triple (maybe even quadra) kill. He knew you were the next one to main

Give it a week, two max and he had Mastery 7 on you with minimum mastery points. Give it a month and you'll be the champion that he's played the most out of all time

He loves playing you but if you're ever banned, he'll accept that he'll have to play another champ. But if the enemy team has you, he feels unhealthily guilty every time he sends you respawning back at the fountain

Ezreal also loves to geek out on the lore. He's read up on everything about you, your biography, your short stories and he's watched all the cinematics you're included in. He's searched for your fanart and has probably set you as his wallpaper on his computer. In his settings, the voice line volume is maxed out, he loves hearing your monologues or interactions with other champions

A shameless simp. He's ended up crushing on you and he's going to embrace it. He's read all the self insert content for you and has probably written his own. He also gets pouty about any other champ that canonically gets to interact with you in the lore

He is a shameless but also a broke simp. He hasn't bought your skins but he's managed to gain a couple through Hextech chests and many, many rerolls

If you're selected for a music project like K/DA or True Damage, someone save Ezreal's heart because he's not going to be able to handle it. He’s bought the album, he’s learnt the lyrics and he’s learning the dances

Kayn

Kayn is a pretty tryhard player. He was previously dedicated to another game and only played League casually, but when you were released as a new champion, Kayn made the switch to focus on League. Your abilities just worked so well with his playstyle, give it enough time for him to perfect his skills and he could tell that he would be able to 1v5 the entire enemy team with you

After many months, Kayn's now known as a dedicated (Y/N) one-trick pony. If he streams or has a YouTube channel he's probably going to hold the title for the best (Y/N)-player in the region. Every kill and outplay he's flexing his Level 7 mastery and eternals

If you get banned, Kayn is straight up dodging, he doesn't care how long the wait time for the next game will be. Does he get autofilled into a role you're not made for? No problem, change the runes and itemisation and he's all good to play you

The only times he’s not playing you is if it’s a special game mode (like ARAM or One for All) or if he’s playing with friends and trying dumb strategies. But even then you can bet he’ll be thinking how much easier his game would be if he just selected you

If the enemy team has you in their composition, he’ll be a complete savage and tear the enemy apart on their lack of technique with you. He can see all the mistakes and errors, only solidifying how he’s the best (Y/N) player

Kayn never really took much interest in the lore of League but once you were released, he checked it out. He thinks the entire lore is too convoluted to follow as a whole but he’s keeping tabs on anything you’re involved in. He'll never admit it but he isn't particularly happy if you have a significant other in lore

He has bought all your skins and chromas. Even the legacy and hextech skins he's spent his money to get his hands on one way or another. Despite this, he actually likes playing with your default skin sometimes. It expresses your lore and personality best and it also makes him feel nostalgic

Kayn couldn't care less if people flame him personally but if anyone flames you as a “dumb” or “brainless champ” then to Kayn they've pretty much asked for death. He can be extremely savage and toxic if he wants to be, it's almost like he's another person. If his account gets banned, he doesn't care. He'll just start a new one. He’s defended you and that’s what matters

Yone

Yone is like an old man with technology. He would only play League casually but he's quite passionate about all the theory and techniques involved in the game. He knows all the concepts and what all the champions can do but he just can't seem to connect his mind and fingers so he ends up as a rather average League player

That all changed when he tried to play you, however. Even though you weren't the easiest champion to play, you were the easiest to understand to him. Whenever he played you, he was able to display just how much knowledge he had of the game and his win rate soared. It took some time but you were the first – and only – champion he has a Mastery 7 on

Yone appreciates all the content relating to you as it was clear how much time and effort was put into your design, gameplay and lore. Your biography in Runeterra is extremely entertaining, your splash art is phenomenal with lots of hidden symbolism and foreshadowing to your lore and your voice lines in-game compliment your personality perfectly. He also goes out of his way to listen to your cinematic theme song, it's absolutely beautiful to him

You are by far Yone's favourite champ to listen to. While all the other champions trash talk and roast their enemies, you were respectful but confident when up against the enemy team, but could be savage if you witnessed any injustice, much like Yone's attitude when he plays League

When you were a part of the Spirit Blossom event (or if you have a skin with a similar aesthetic to it), Yone’s heart raced when he first laid his eyes on your splash heart. He had a complete internal panic, he’s never felt this way for a game character before, was this normal? If you were also part of Spirit Blossom’s dating sim or something similar, Yone would act as though he is completely unphased by the event, playing your route with a straight face (but his cheeks burning red)

The instant he heard of Yone's fondness of you, Yasuo gifted him with an official figurine of you. It was rather embarrassing and Yone keeps it away from prying eyes, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't like it

Your characterisation is so expertly done, it makes you so realistic and Yone can't help but let his mind wander sometimes and imagine what life would be like if you were real. You'd undoubtedly be good friends, perhaps even more, he’ll never truly know

[hawkland]

Destiel fic recs #3 - the (mostly) longfic edition!

It’s been a while since my last rec post - mostly because I’ve been wallowing in a number of longer fics (50-350k!) so it’s taken me a while to have enough to talk about in one post (and boy do I talk a lot, here!)

With these longer fics, I do sometimes have some caveats with my recs - or at least reasons why they might not appeal to every Dean/Cas reader. But note that if I didn’t overall strongly recommend reading the fic I wouldn’t include it in my recs here at all, so any quibbles I bring up are minor compared to my overall enjoyment of the stories. Just, I don’t want someone to commit to a long read without knowing what they’re getting into and why it might not be their thing.

I’m still not into reading complete setting AUs at this time, but a lot/most of these are canon-divergence AUs, often written/set at the end of a season and giving an alternative take on what happened next. I love those kind of stories, as it’s often so interesting to see how fans thought of what might happen in the next season (especially when it’s better than what we actually got.)

Onto the recs & discussion behind the cut!

The Sinking Ship by UnfortunatelyObsessed (114k). This is a story that ripped my heart to pieces (in a good way!). I stayed up all night to finish reading because I simply couldn’t stop once I started on it and it gave me a massive fic hanger from all my emotions. Season 14 divergence, imagine if Dean did go into the Ma’lak box to trap Michael under the ocean with him forever...and once there, he discovers that Cas has stowed away with him. Because of course Cas would never leave Dean to such a fate on his own.

I loved literally. Every. Damn. Thing. About this fic. Cas telling Dean stories to pass the (endless) time. Their small intimate moments while realizing they can never consummate physically while trapped in the box but finding every other way to express their love. The absolute heartbreak that had me SOBBING when Michael fights for control of Dean and destroys everything they’ve built together and Cas thinks he’s lost Dean forever. Sam & Gabriel & Rowena & Claire & Jack doing everything they can to devise a plan back home to try to save them both while keeping Michael trapped. Also even just the wonderfully sensitive portrayal of aroace Jack still closely bonded with Claire and Maggie and just. And just. This is a story I’ve already re-read just to savor how much I loved it and its portrayal of everyone in TFW 2.0 and their extended family, it just hit my id in all the most incredible ways and I have nothing but absolute love for this one.

Beautiful Chaos by anyrei, mugglerock (141k). Season 9 canon-divergence, in which Dean doesn’t simply abandon Cas to fend for himself post 09x03. Instead he sets Cas up in a kind of squatter’s nest in an abandoned building near the bunker so he can keep tabs on him and help him out. 

This fic definitely gets the award for FILTHIEST, HOTTEST, SMUTTIEST Dean/Cas (and Cas/other) I’ve read in, like, ever, for human!Cas turns out to be a rather insatiable sex fiend/cock slut and Dean is too up his own repressed ass to easily give Cas what he wants/needs. It is dark at times, Cas ends up in some very unsavory/non-con situations, and the authors do mention that they tried to hone in on endverse!Cas’s characterization more than what we saw in Season 9...so you might roll with it, you might not. I adored their original character Jerry the tattoo artist in this, and like I said it was seriously hot (if you are good with total bottom!Cas and Cas with others, I know those are not everyone’s cuppa). I did have a few minor issues. For one, the last chapter felt a bit rushed and hand-wavey, but clearly the authors weren’t fond of the canon conflicts of season 9 & 10 (Abbadon, Mark of Cain) and just wanted to be done with them. Can’t say I really blame them. And I did have to laugh a bit at Lebanon, Kansas apparently having such a bustling gay bar/tattoo artist/etc scene being someone from a butt-fuck nowhere American small town myself. But, SPN was never all that realistic in how Lebanon was shown (and yes I’ve spent too much time roaming around it on Google maps), so if you can suspend some disbelief this is an awesome hot/angsty/occasionally heartbreaking read.

These Forsaken Lands by destielpasta (53k). I came upon this story when looking for fics that dealt in some way with the aftermath of Godstiel. This is a wonderfully atmospheric late Season 9 “fill-in” case fic (post Meta-fiction) where Cas ends up in a small town that had been visited by Godstiel...and while initially residents have reaped much good fortune, there has suddenly been a wave of deaths/bad events and he is determined to find out what happened and set things right. He calls upon Dean for help, but Dean is fighting the Mark of Cain and it’s going to take a lot to get past its control and find a way out for both of them. Together they work on repairing an old church while trying to repair each other and their damaged relationship.

I loved this story for how well written it was, really invoking a gothic small-town/Americana atmosphere. The original characters blend in very well with the case-fic at the center of it, and the author deals really well with Cas at a very fragile point when he’s running on borrowed grace and trying to navigate Dean’s MoC-enhanced anger. It’s Dean/Cas but actually much more of a Cas character study, so I highly recommend it to my fellow/compatriot Cas-girls who love a good wallow in his head.

Mixed Emotions by Tierra469 (50k). Canon 12 “parallel” fic that then goes canon-divergent with the season finale. I actually stumbled on this while in the mood to read some Cas/ or & Mary fic after enjoying their interactions in Season 12 (don’t hate me). This is sort of two fics in one. The first half focuses mostly on filling in the gaps with some critical S12 Cas episodes, especially Cas & Mary’s developing friendship (and one night of something more). But of course Cas’s feelings for Dean (and vice-versa) are always there, and when Cas figures out a way to get his powers fully back, the question is if Dean can open himself up to be vulnerable - and express love - the way Cas needs for this to work.

This was an interesting fic in a lot of ways. I loved the author’s take on angels’ connections to their vessels and grace, it was very consistent in a way the show sometimes/often wasn’t. Cas is very Cas in not understanding privacy and personal boundaries (so he does some questionable things, admittedly, which might squick some readers). The smut is fucking HOT - though I will caution at one point it involves Cas temporarily in a younger (NOT underage) female vessel (and the story does point out Dean’s discomfort with this and some of the consent issues involved, I don’t want to spoil too much). I wanted the Mary plot resolved more than it was, but I still recommend this story strongly for the quality of the writing and unique/well-developed take on angel lore and mechanics that was quite different from what I’m used to reading.

We Are Either Here Or Not Here by petramacneary (54k) A post-season 12 fic that goes on a different tangent to how Cas returns, and what happens in the meantime. Particularly, it offers a different take on what apocalypseverse!Cas would be like—as Mary makes her own way back from that world with AU!Cas as her prisoner.

What I loved about this story: first off, BAMF!Mary is awesome here. Dean is so heartbreaking, not quite knowing what the fuck to do with this different Cas who at times is just a painful reminder of who/what Dean’s lost...but then becomes a chance for Dean to say and express some of the things he always was afraid to in the past. And when (real/our) Cas finally returns, there’s some very interesting stuff that happens with both Cas & AU!Cas and Cas & Dean that I don’t want to spoil. (And let’s also just say that when real!Cas and Dean finally get together it’s AMAZINGLY awesome. Like, hot Impala!sex. So is the artwork that goes with this story.)

You Can Keep Holding On by NorthernSparrow (353k) The longest fic I read this time around and probably the one I have the most mixed feelings about, but a while on I do keep thinking about parts of it so I do rec it with some caveats. This is a canon-divergence after the end of Season 11. Dean & Sam find Cas after he’s been blasted out of the bunker...to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Mary isn’t in this one except for a brief appearance/visit, which Dean thinks is Amara’s gift to him. Life seems good for a while, they’re enjoying dealing with mundane problems for a change, but then Cas seems to be pulling away from the brothers, spending less and less time with them at the bunker, taking a mundane job at another Gas ‘n Sip, and clearly preoccupied by something else. Or is it someone else? Dean is worried yet finally ready to accept that Cas maybe has a girlfriend, or a boyfried, but then it turns out that is not at all what Cas has going on. It’s something far more serious than that.

Honestly I almost stopped reading when the reveal happened - it’s a subject that’s very sensitive to me from personal/family experience and not something I usually like reading in fic (especially if there is a sad ending.) So I admit I jumped ahead to read how it would end first before committing to finishing it. And I am glad I did, because the author handles the subject matter with a realism and obvious knowledge of experience as well, not how I often see it in fanfic. There are a lot of emotional ups and downs but it’s nice seeing Dean in his momma-hen/mode, and Sam is so so good in this one! I think I enjoyed Sam’s characterization here most of all! And the author has a really cool/well developed angel/wing lore that hit my wing-kink pretty hard. I do think it could have all been edited down a bit - I found myself skimming parts, especially in the last third, just to get on with things. But it’s definitely a story you can disappear into for a good long time and I’ve bookmarked the author’s other works to read later, so again, I do rec it even with a few caveats.

A few shorter fics, too, just because I don’t want to forget about them...

Eleven Erogenous Zones of a Fallen Angel by almaasi (15k) Pure gratuitous wing!kink for me :) Cas uses the last of his grace to manifest his wings...but then is stuck with them in his human form and not even able to use them to fly as he used to. This presents a lot of awkward problems to deal with but also the excuse for Dean to help him keep them clean :) I did say wing kink, right? :D :D I loved how Cas seemed confused about the pleasure signals he got from bathing vs. sex vs. grooming and all of that. It’s sweet and hot and has my favorite kind of caretaking Dean in it.

Fossil Tracks by SegaBarrett  (3k). Dean & Sam & Cas and dinosaurs. How can you go wrong with that? One of the SPN stories from the Id Pro Quo collection I really enjoyed reading (and didn’t write myself, lol).

[vagabonds-art]

Lost

Summary: This is basically how I see Kebechet (my guardian) reacting to the start of the this season and the emotional fall out of that cutscene. 

A/N: Major spoilers if you haven’t played up until the second cutscene, be warned! Also, I am aware of the Wolftone Draw lore tab but Kebe isn’t. So to her, Saint could be right.

Characters: Mara Sov, Osiris, Savathûn, Kebechet (OC Guardian), Demon (OC Ghost), a bunch of mentions like Saint, Ikora, Lakshmi

Word Count: 1,699

Warnings: Canon typical violence (its kinda there) and angst. 

She should have known. From the very moment she found him wondering about the inner Hive structures on the moon, Kebechet should have known. Vaguely, she recalled telling herself that Osiris’s mannerisms and actions were unfamiliar because of his grief. 

He had just lost Sagira. There was no way he could have been thinking clearly, anyone could understand and sympathize with that. More often than not sorrow and anger mixed together in volatile and self-destructive ways. 

That was what she told herself. And now here Kebechet stood regretting it. 

Saint’s screams of anger and sadness still echoed in her ears long after he had left. It’d been long enough that he probably made it back to the tower by now. Back to tell Ikora and Zavala everything that happened while it was fresh in his memory. Not that he would ever be able to forget. 

Kebechet knew she wouldn’t. 

That thing. That frozen construct hovered a few inches off the ground, trapped between two glowing triangle shapes created by Queen Mara was once Osiris. Though inanimate, the posture it had taken before being stopped made Kebechet feel as if it were mocking her. Locked in a position akin to something trying to rip itself free of an outer shell, head tilted upward toward the sky surrounded by wisps of swirling light. A constant reminder of what should have never happened. 

“You may speak to it.”

Mara Sov’s authoritative tone snapped the Hunter out of her thoughts. Hazel eyes finally tore away from the barely open grated door off to the back of the room to meet luminescent blue ones. 

“I’m not sure I want to…”

It was true. Kebechet wanted nothing more than to run and hide, to fall asleep and wake up from this horrible nightmare. If only that was all this was. 

“I’ve told you before, your father still lives.”

“And I’m just supposed to believe that? With everything we saw?”

Realizing her tone, Kebechet took a small step back and looked at the helm held in her hands for a moment. A small apology came on the back of a quiet sigh. Mara said nothing in return. Not that she needed to. Based on the subtle shifts of an otherwise stoic face, Kebechet knew she understood. Or at least, led on that she did. 

“It… Can’t hurt me… right?”

“Not in its current state.”

With a small nod, Kebechet put her helm back on and turned, starting to walk toward the chamber that housed the construct. She was sure to give the Techeun in the center of the room a wide berth as she passed. She’d barely rescued the tech witch from the ascendent plane and trust was a little hard to give at the moment.

What was only a minute or two at most felt like hours the closer the Hunter got to the frozen statue. When her footfalls fell silent was when it started speaking to her. 

“I am at your mercy, Guardian.”

Just like before, Savathûn’s voice was nothing like what Kebechet had expected. Not that she really knew what to expect other than low guttural growls or ear-piercing shrieks. Instead the Witch Queen’s vocals were gentle, almost welcoming in tone. 

“This construct protects me, from those who wish me harm. From my worm’s hunger. But it is a prison too. Quite elegant… Don’t you think?”

It took a moment for Kebechet to register the familiar taste of copper on her tongue before a stab of pain pulsed from where she had bitten through her right cheek. From that point on, she focused solely on that as a means of distracting herself. Distracting the growing rage and want to destroy the construct. 

For the most part, it had worked. A little too well. Savathûn was going on about her regrets, being called a liar and having skepticism. Kebechet had missed most of the one-sided conversation until she heard something about interpreting truth.

That was when the Hunter noticed everything around her starting to blur. At first, she thought it was just the visor of her helm acting up until visions of scenes past flashed before her eyes.

Savathûn’s voice acted as a narrator of sorts as she explained who she was and what she had been doing all this time. She claimed to be a friend, acting as a sort of protector when it came to the pyramid ships. The Black Fleet as she called them. When that didn’t work to her liking she took to finding a form that allowed her to gain trust among the Guardians. 

To Kebechet, it all made sense now. 

Osiris was the optimal target. He was the former Vanguard Commander, one of the heroes of the city. The means to Saint-14 being alive today. If those facts alone didn’t win over guardians and citizens alike then surely his ties to Ikora and Kebechet would. And they did. 

The current Warlock Vanguard had no issue trusting her former mentor, especially after the loss of his light. She was only trying to look out for his best interest and keep him safe within the city’s walls. And the Young Wolf? Not only was Kebechet the guardian, she was also the only one Osiris trusted to send back in time and bring Saint back alive. Being his kid must have been an added bonus when the Witch Queen found out.

As if Kebechet needed even more reason to feel absolutely horrible, Savathûn continued. 

She mentioned how it was her who brought Crow to the city for his own redemption. How she was the one to look out for Zavala when Caiatl was a threat. It even seemed as if she was bragging when she stated she was the reason House Light sought out aid from Ikora and the guardians. She was the reason for discovering Lakshmi-2’s betrayal and causing her death. 

“You may disagree with my methods,” Savathûn said with a smile evident in her tone, “but you can’t argue with results.”

Now was when Kebechet really wanted to tear away from the visions. 

Seeing the way the Witch Queen carelessly and effortlessly carried out her plan all while masquerading as Osiris was bad enough. But now the Hunter was being forced to see her father dead on the ground with the lower half of his face rapidly decaying while dozens and dozens of ink colored moths flew out of his mouth. 

“I am no villain,” Savathûn declared as the vision mercifully shifted upward, “and you are no hero.”

The imagery ended with Kebechet looking up at the Traveler being surrounded by clouds that strongly resembled a Worm God. 

“We are paracausal.”

There was a gasp that wanted to jerk out of the Hunter’s chest when her vision finally returned to normal. It took every ounce of restraint not to open fire on the construct with her auto rifle. But she did it, even managed to turn and start walking away.

With a final glance over her shoulder, Kebechet exited the chamber with as much poise as she could muster. 

She’d barely gotten a few feet away from the door before bringing Demon out of his pocket to sit in the palm of her hand. “Please…” she whispered lowly, desperately avoiding Mara’s expectant stare, “get us out of here.”

Gladly, the Ghost did so, transmitting the pair back to the ship they came in on. Once safely inside and settled, Kebechet ripped off her helm and chucked it toward the back of the cockpit. 

Demon could only watch as she fidgeted in her seat, staring at the console as if to decide what the hell to do next. Gathering his own courage, he hesitantly floated in front of her face. 

“I got a couple messages while you were dealing with… that.”

When the Hunter said nothing he continued, “One’s from Saint, the oth--”

“Play it.”

With a twist of his shell, Demon let a ball of light expand from his core. 

“My little bird, do not blame yourself for what has happened today. That thing is known as Queen of Lies for a reason. I do not trust that it ever had Osiris to begin with and neither should you. I will find the real Osiris and bring him home, this I promise you as a Titan and your second Father. Stay strong, Kebechet and remind Ikora of the same.”

The planes of Demon’s shall retracted back to his core as the message ended. His optic was downcast as he spoke, “The other was from Ikora, she just wants to talk.” 

As if realizing what he had said with the fragile nature of his guardian’s current emotions, Demon’s optic shot up to look her in the eye, “Like a Warlock and not a Titan!”

That managed to get a small scoff of a laugh from Kebechet. Already Demon could feel himself relax until she sniffled a moment later. Not even a second after that was when the water works started. 

Her chest jumped with sobs as she tried in vain to wipe the tears from her cheeks. 

“De--Demon… How-- What’re we gonna do? How can we-- Is th--there any… Can we even fi--fix this?”

“I… Kebe, I don’t know…”

Demon knew that wouldn’t help, even saw it when Kebechet’s face contorted with distress. Her head thumped softly against the back of her chair before she started to curl in on herself. The heels of her boots planted firmly on the seat of the chair as she wrapped her arms around her knees. 

Wordlessly, Demon set the flight path back to the Tower before managing to squeeze his way under his guardian’s chin in an attempt to comfort her. When she shifted he worried he’d upset her further. His concern was put to rest when she grabbed the scarf Osiris gifted to her years ago and took it off to wrap around his small drone-like body. Then her whole form shifted. 

Now sitting sideways in her chair, Kebechet tucked Demon between her shoulder and neck. Her hands cocooned around him and the scarf like she was trying to protect one of the few things she had left. 

Because she was. 

[thefirstknife]

Hi Bel,

I keep seeing comments about people complaining about the quality of destiny’s writing and story in the last few weeks. I haven’t really engaged with destiny since season of defiance, what’s currently gotten everyone so riled up? I thought that people were enjoying Season of the Deep/Witch in terms of narrative, why is Season of the Wish causing people to deride the destiny writing staff again?

I don't know!

Deep and Witch have been absolute bangers in every aspect to me. I've been enjoying all interactions and lore tabs we've received. A lot of them are stuff that we've never had before, a lot of reunions and closures, a lot of development and interactions between characters who you wouldn't really think would have much in common.

Sloane's return and healing from what she's been through has been fantastic, Drifter opening up with her to help her because he also got help from others was fantastic, Sloane reuniting with Aisha and Shayura brought me to tears (Shayura's descent into madness was triggered by immense trauma of Sloane staying on Titan and Titan disappearing), everything with Sloane and Zavala...

Witch was just incredible in every single way; the focus on Eris, the amount of Eris and Ikora content!!!!! Everything about Xivu and Savathun and their interactions together!! Eris finally fulfilling her goal she promised Savathun YEARS ago, getting that closure.

Wish so far has been equally great to me. All the new stuff about Ahamkara is amazing, finally giving us proof for long-standing speculation about Ahamkara and how they aren't universally evil creatures and expanding on them as a species. I love all interactions we've had so far; finally we have Petra back, Mara's singleminded focus on figuring out how to defeat the Witness and her continuous work to improve as a person, ALL SJUR MENTIONS!!!!! I won't talk about the "leak" because we have no context for it so I will wait for the full story to be revealed before I can pass judgment; something that I think should be a lesson to learn from this entire year. Maybe wait for the story to finish before judging the story.

Literally everything this past year that involves Osiris, but especially this season now that he's back in his element with the Vex. And of course every little detail we get of him and Saint. Osiris honestly shaped this year for me with everything that he's done to uncover the biggest mysteries. I think a big reason is that a lot of people just don't like Osiris, which I consider a massive skill issue.

Other than that, I don't know what are the issues people have besides just not being interested in any of these storylines and attributing it to a nebulous "bad writing" claim. I also genuinely believe that way too many people get wrapped up too much in fandom, imagine storylines they want to see and then get disappointed when the actual story doesn't go there. Almost like people forget that this isn't their story and these aren't their characters. A lot of it is also fandom completely warping characters into not what they actually are and then feeling like the canon story is the one that's wrong.

Whatever is the reason, I guess everyone is entitled to their perspective of the story and everyone is free to explore the story in different ways through fanfics and AUs and whatever. I do that too!

But I would definitely ask people to be normal with how they engage in criticism, especially in the current state of affairs. Writers are developers; they experience a ton of harassment and negativity from the community and also from inside the company. And they are online: they can see what we're saying. It's been documented that community commentary has been used to harass writers:

Imprint this into your brain and never forget what these people had to go through. Let's not forget also the way people treated Seth Dickinson on social media when he was active with Destiny fans. "Fans" were actively arguing with him about his own work (telling him that HE is wrong) and were utterly disgusting towards him when he tried explaining what he wrote. His works are now hailed as the best writing in Destiny and people want him back. If I were him, I wouldn't want to come back ngl, not with how he was treated and not with how fans are still treating writers (and hey, Seth wrote LF Collector's Edition! So he was back, technically, this year!). Let's not forget that a lot of writers are members of various marginalised groups. And I'd definitely not want to go back with zero support from leadership.

Which is also an important aspect for all developers, including writers: sometimes they have orders they may not like, but can't argue against. They do the best they can with what they're given, the time they have and directions they receive. And with that in mind, I am enjoying everything we've gotten this year, obviously with some specific complaints about things I didn't particularly enjoy (like the universally mid reception of Defiance; I've spoken about my gripes with it before, a big one being the shafting of Suraya who should've at least been mentioned in a lore tab).

I can tell that there is passion in their work, even if maybe they would prefer to do more with it, but can't. Maybe even if they want to take different routes, but can't. But from what we got, I can feel that they care about this world and these characters. I can tell that someone lovingly wrote about Sloane and her friendships with two grieving women. I can tell that they deeply cared about Sloane's friendship with Zavala and that they loved showing us Saint and Drifter caring about a fellow trauma survivor.

I can tell that the writers are immensely careful and loving towards Eris; everything she went through was crafted with love and passion from both writers and her VA. Eris' story is such a fundamental aspect of Destiny and I can tell that this was important to the writing team and that they gave her everything they could to do justice to her character and her arc and her healing and her release from the cycle she was trapped in for so long.

I can tell that there are writers who care a lot about Osiris and Saint and their relationship. I can tell that someone cared a lot about expanding on Ahamkara and giving them more personalities. I can tell that someone cared DEEPLY about Sjur and Mara and that her repeated mentions are the passionate work of writers who want us to remember her.

I could go on. And I know that not everyone sees it this way, which is fine; we all have different ways of perceiving stories. I enjoy discussing things we in the fandom disagree on and I enjoy hearing different perspectives! Unfortunately, this has recently become rarer and rarer. And for the love of god, please try and treat writers with some respect, especially now, especially those who are still working and doing their best with the shitty situation they're in. None of the cries of "poor devs" ring true to me unless the same is given to writers, instead of treating them like punching bags.

[alatismeni-theitsa]

16 anti LO anon opinions

All under the cut

(1) Fastpassers are also probably mad bc when smythe post fastpass title on twitter(which was heathers musical song ripoff) everyone was so hyped up and excided, they thought this gonna be about "Underqold badass queen Persephone " or something with her trail or something big with her, but no, they got Minthe flashback that didnt change anything in the story

(2) Fastpassers are annoyed bc this episode was flashback of Minthe. Two previous fastpasses got pretty big(and stupid) revals(leto is bad guy,apollo and artemis may be zeus child and last but not least Cronus awakening) so they were hopping for something more not a filler wpisode that changes nothing in to the story bc there were wpisodes that make Minthe more "symphatetic" than this one.

(3) Am i the only one a bit concerned that a Minthe episode made LO fans demand their money back but apparently episodes and a planned redemption over Apollo, who R*PED the main character, was met with fans sympathizing with him and feeling bad for judging him "too soon"?  They can accept a sexual assaulter having mommy issues to excuse his bad actions, but a boring filter episode about Minthe, who we know will be killed by the end anyway, gets outrage? That doesn't sit well with me.

(4) oh my god the LO fans hated the minthe fast pass so much they actually made LO's rating start to go down 😭 most of us here dont even like the comic but none of us would purposely review bomb it over a boring episode over a character we didnt like, thats so entitled!

(5) Adding on to the recent fastpass, it was extremely boring. I get that you can't please everyone but the fact that Minthe is having a backstory now just feels like filler.

This is the main issue I have with Rachel's story, she has so many characters but chooses to develop them at the worst times. If we got this backstory earlier in season 2, this would make sense. However, the fp before this one ended on a cliffhanger. You'd think it'd continue but no, we just get Minthe backstory.

I'd rather see an Apollo backstory, he's an active villain and would be interesting to see his motive.

Minthe doesn't have a compelling motive other than jealousy.

(6) I can't be the only one who thinks the new hairstyle updates for characters like Apollo or Eros look weird right? Eros literally looks like an adult version of one of his siblings Storge (who has curly permed hair and was holding a hamster)

(7) That Lo eros panel ... oof. Wheres his hairline going? He had a damn 7 head. Also at least for awhile the men had a different face from the women, but I guess they’re also women now, facial features wise?

(8) On a side note: why the fuck is Eros so ugly in this episode😭

(9) SMYTHE DOES NOT ONLY HAVE A DD/LG KINK, SHE A L S O HAS A PREGNANCY KINK!!! WHY ELSE HADES WAS SO *SMIRKY* ABOUT THE WHOLE FERTILITY GODDESS THING BACK WHEN HE AND PERSEPHONE WERE AT THE BEACH???? i swear to Allah this shit gets even more and more disgusting.

(10) This is something i see so much but LO especially but why do all of them have boring ancient clothes? It's always white or tan sheets or maybe black if it's someone in the Underworld. I'm going more off ancient images but shouldn't the gods especially have more grand and detailed clothing options? i get it's probably harder to design based off colorful skin tones but it's not impossible. it just seems so much of the comic design feels very flat, so if the story can't hold up then the art should.

(11)  The main problem I had before with lore olympus was its cliffhanger syndrome. Like, why do some many chapters leave on a cliffhanger and for no reason at all? Like when Hera got hit and nothing happened. When I was experiencing the episodes coming out in real time, it drove me mad.

It's gotten better recently but that's probably because the three recent episodes (fastpass) felt more like filler.

That's the main reason why I feel like the plot is being dragged out. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for cute character moments and creators getting money but, LO is slowly becoming less and less interesting. I literally skipped around in most of the fasspasses because it really wasn't interesting. The only thing memorable about all of the fp episodes is the beginning and end, the middle is just kinda there.

(12) Ampelus (psyche)'s eyes used to be golden/yellow but now its coloured purple lmao

(13) Wtf is happening in lore olympus?! Now they want to bring cronus back and do another war?!? Are they crazy nothing like this didnt happen in mythology and obviously not bc of persephone(in comic her pink tree in underwold will give crounus power and life). It supposed to be romance not whatever fuck this is now.

(14) I feel like if I was at Henson Co. or Webtoons with a tv deal on the line, I would make Smythe to hand writing duties to a pro or take a hiatus seriously plan everything out, because all these new plots are distracting from what people signed up for, which is to see HxP get together and the myth. It seems like filter seeing as any TV adaption wouldn't cover most of it anyway, so why even include it? If RS wants it over sooner than later, this isn't how you do it, she's just procrastinating now.

(15) I find Demeter in LO just confusing. If she’s so overbearing and controlling, why would she ever allow Persephone out of their domain to live with Artemis in the city? Even the most liberally easy going parents don’t let their naive children out into the world like that with people they barely know, yet the supposed helicopter parent does. Why not literally literally lock her up? Especially when Persephone can’t control her powers and is desperate to hide that she killed a village of people? Demeter knows she’s a danger to others yet let her out anyway? That doesn’t sounding overbearing to me. It sounds like she’s right to want to hide her away. Persephone is a bigger threat to everyone else than they are to her. More so, actual controlling parents do give their children phones to keep easy tabs on them, yet LO Demeter doesn’t? She could constantly call Persephone or check up on her without physically needing to be there, yet they don’t do that. What modern parent would let their child leave home without a way to contact them? If anything, she’s extremely loose on parenting her and lets Persephone do/have whatever she wants. The controlling helicopter parent premise too is undercut by the fact LO Demeter ends up being right in wanting to hide her daughter away because within a month of leaving home Persephone is drugged, kidnapped, threatened by several people, r*ped, blackmailed, is close to dropping out of school, attacked by shades, and had a mental/emotional breakdown, many of those things being linked to her future “caring” husband. I just don’t buy it. Demeter ends up looking correct by anyone who isn’t blinded by the rose colored glasses of HxP.

(16) If I'll ever bother to read LO I'll do so only to see how horrible exactly it is.

[swift--fox]

Dean and Death Have More in Common Than Their Shared Taste in Fast-Food

Remember when God (Chuck) said OG Death was into fried pickles and tickle porn? Yeah, Dean already knew that. Set early season 11, after Dean killed death and Sam and team set Amara free. Mainly angst in this one, there will be a part two (When? Who knows, it might be tomorrow, it might be next week, who know? I certainly don’t)

~~~

It had been a few hours since Dean had almost killed Sam, actually killed Death, and Rowena freed whatever black storm cloud came barging out of what seemed like middle earth. This was the first free moment he had to really process what just happened, and none of that was what he was currently focused on at this moment. No, he was more concerned about the conversation he and Death had had, waiting for Sam to arrive.

“We have more in common than you might think.”

He kept hearing Death’s words over and over again.

“If you somehow find a way to weasel your way out of this like you Winchesters are so well known for. Take this, I think you might find its contents…soothing in times of need.”

His words were like nails on a chalkboard inside Deans skull as he held the small USB drive in his hand. What the hell did he mean by soothing? He was wracking his brain for anything that might be on the drive. What if it was a trap? But Death didn’t know Dean was going to kill him - hell, he didn’t even know he was going to kill him. He didn’t even think he could. Maybe it was information they needed to beat this Darkness… whatever it was.

Before he could think twice, he inserted the USB into the slot of his laptop and waited for the information to download. A couple grueling seconds went by before a folder popped up on the screen labelled ‘Death’s saved videos for DW’.

Videos? Videos? Dean was now royally confused, but opened the folder nonetheless.  A list of saved files opened up, none with specific names. Just a jumble of letters and numbers. Whatever they were, Death clearly wanted them to be ominous. Why wouldn’t he give them real names? Maybe this really was information that could be used in the newest apocalypse.

He clicked the first one, hopeful for any information that may be used. What he witnessed instead, though, seemed more like the opening to a porn video? He didn’t peg Death for the porn type, and doubly did not like the fact that Death thought he knew Dean’s porn preferences. 

He was about to exit the tab and pretend that never happened when a strangled laugh fell from his laptops speakers. Looking at the scene in front of him, there was a man in only his boxers strapped to an X table. His ankles and thighs strapped down with leather belts, similar belts around his biceps and wrists, and the last one around his chest, all keeping him well secured. The next thing Dean noticed were skilled fingers attached to a beautiful mistress laden in only black underwear and a frilly bra wiggling her manicured nails into the man’s ribs, causing forced laughter to pour out.

His eyes went wide, mouth drying almost instantly. He shut his laptop faster than the first time Cas caught him watching porn all those years ago and swiveled his head, making sure no one was around. Sure, it was his room and he knew no one was in there, but the paranoia of getting caught was far greater than his rational thought. Once he knew he was alone, he let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He shook out the excess anxiety from his fingers before standing up and walking to his desk. He opened the bottom drawer and fished out his bulky headphones before repositioning himself on the bed.

Dean took a deep breath, shakily covering his ears with the headphones and plugged them into his laptop. One video wouldn’t hurt, right? Help that itch he could never scratch? He closed his eyes, taking one more deep breath before he slowly opened his laptop and let the laughter fill his ears once more.

~~

One video turned into two, two turned into four, and before long a couple hours had gone by. Dean, of course, hadn’t noticed how long it had been, and was so engrossed in the scene in front of him, he didn’t hear the knocking at his door. So, when there was a warm hand on his shoulder, he let out a small yelp, and slammed his laptop closed before looking up. He was met with concerned blue eyes. He removed his headphones rather ungracefully and willed his panic to subside.

“Sorry Dean, I didn’t mean to startle you. Are you okay?” Cas asked.

“Y-yeah, I’m good. Damnit, Cas, you could have knocked.” Dean answered, annoyance clear in his voice.

“I did knock. You didn’t answer. I got worried.”

“Well no need to worry, I was…” Dean gestured to his laptop, instinctually about to tell Cas, before he remembered what he was actually doing. “Uhm, nothing, I was doing nothing. I’m fine, you’ve checked on me, you can go.”

Cas rolled his eyes at the hunter. “Dean, I know you watch porn,” Cas said, amused.

“I was not watching porn!”

He was met with a quizzical look, “What were you doing then? You closed your computer pretty fast.”

Shit. Shit shit shit. Dean and his stubbornness. He’d just dug himself into a hole.

“Uhm, nothing. Death just gave me something at our last meeting. Nothing important.” He stammered, hoping it was good enough for Cas to leave it alone.

Of course it wasn’t.

“Dean, if Death gave you something, it could be useful for fighting the darkness. And we need anything and everything we can find to help.” He argued, reaching for the laptop thrown on the mattress haphazardly.

Dean reached for the laptop, panic quickly rising back up, but as his hand met his duvet rather than cold metal, his eyes widened.

“Wait. Wait wait, Cas don’t, please, give it back! No!”

“This is not just your fight, Dean.” Cas threw a glare in his direction before turning back to the laptop, unplugging the headphone cord, and opening it.

What Cas was met with, was not what the angel was expecting as the room was filled with laughter emanating from the laptop resting in his palm. His eyes went wide, jaw slack. Dean used this as an opening to swoop in and grab it before shutting it again and shoving it under his pillow.

Once the laptop was hidden from sight, he felt realization finally dawn on him. Every muscle in his body tensed as he screwed his eyes shut, his back still turned towards the angel.

“Dean…” Cas started, watching the man in front of him flinch at his name. He took a couple steps forward, placing a hand on his shoulder. Dean violently shrugged it off, but still hadn’t said anything, not trusting his voice. Cas watched his face tighten more before it was turned away from him again.

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t...” Cas trailed off again, lost for words.

“It’s. It’s fine. Just. Just go.” His voice was so small, so broken.

Cas walked toward the door, allowing himself one last look at the hunter still standing in the middle of the room, like if he didn’t move he couldn’t be seen. He sighed, still lost for words, before he finally left, shutting the door behind him.

~~~

It had been three days since Dean had seen Cas, and he finally decided it was time to venture out of his room. He had run out of his emergency food stash, and had convinced himself Cas had forgotten the whole ordeal that went down less than a week ago. Sure he was still replaying the events over and over, but Cas had much more to worry about than Deans extracurricular activities. He took a few hesitant steps out of his room, before beelining it to the kitchen. He was not ready to run into the angel, even if he was convinced he’d forgotten about it. The memory was still too raw.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he walked into the kitchen and only saw Sam, reading a lore book and picking at a salad.

“Hey,” Dean greeted, walking in and opening the fridge.

“Oh look, he’s alive! How’re you feeling?” Sam asked, barely looking up from his book.

“I’m alright… Have you seen Cas lately?” Dean was pretty sure Cas wouldn’t have said anything, but he had to be sure.

“Nah, he looked a little puzzled a few days ago, but hasn’t really left the library. I think he’s trying to find what he can on the Darkness,” Sam replied, finally looking up, “why?”

“No, nothing, just curious.”

After Dean had finished making and eating a meal consisting of too much grease and an offhand remark from Sam about his cholesterol, he started back toward his room. Or, he thought he was going toward his room. His legs had other plans. He stopped outside the library doors, questioning if he really wanted to do this now. He had to know if Cas had forgotten. Faith was one thing, but he never truly believed in faith. He had to know. Needed proof that he could relax again. So with a deep sigh, he pushed himself through the doors before he could convince himself not to.

He felt every muscle in him tense as his eyes met the trench coated man sifting through the books on one of the walls. He watched his fingers lightly graze each book before they landed on the one he needed. A shiver went down Dean’s back imagining the light touch skimming down his own ribs.

No. No- he cannot be thinking about that right now. Cas had forgotten, it will never happen. He cleared his throat, willing the intruding thoughts away.

“Hello, Dean,” 

He wasn’t sure why, but the sound of his voice punched him in the gut, and a wave of anxiety barreled over him.

“H-hey Cas, sorry, uhm, I just came to see if I could find anything on the Darkness. H-have you found anything yet?” He went for cool and collected, but fell short, leaning towards scared and pathetic. He winced at his words as he watched Cas for any indication that he had noticed. When Cas just pulled the chosen book from the shelf and opened it he sighed in relief.

“No, not yet, it’s slow going. Hard to find information on something that hasn’t been seen since the dawn of creation.” He looked up, giving a small smile.

Dean immediately averted his gaze. He didn’t mean to, really, he didn’t. But looking him in the eyes was just too much. He scolded himself again. What happened to walking in here with his normal bristly attitude?

“Okay, well, uhh, if you just want to hand me some books, I’ll just be on my way-” Dean started, hands fumbling with a loose string in the hem of his flannel. He was cut off hearing his name.

“Dean,” He flinched involuntarily, hearing his name in the same tone he did a few days ago. Of course he hadn’t forgotten. He’s an angel.

“Cas, just. It’s fine, just drop it.” Irritation and fear laced his words as he walked to grab a pile of books laid out on the coffee table. “I’ll just take these to my room, I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

“Dean!”

“What? What is it Cas? What part of ‘drop it’ do you not understand? You walked in, I kicked you out. It’s a new day. Can we please move on?” Dean pleaded more than anything.

“No. We can’t. What is going on? I have never seen you react like this before.” Cas put his book down, and started toward the hunter, seeing him visibly tense, eyes averting from his own again.

“Please, Cas. I can’t.”

“Can’t what? It’s not like I’ve walked in on you watching worse than tickling before.” Cas tried.

Dean screwed his eyes shut, taking a step back, and grabbing the wall to center himself.

“Don’t. Please. Don’t make me talk about this.”

“Talk about what? So what if I saw?  I just don’t understand what the big deal is.” Cas clearly started becoming more frustrated, but tried to keep his voice calm.

“Because it’s embarrassing, okay? It’s… it’s embarrassing.” Dean hung his head, his hands finding that loose string again, before he turned, hoping he’d make it to the door.

“Why?” Cas asked. He didn’t sound judgmental, or cruel. Just curious, he honestly wanted to know. And that made it a hundred times worse, in Deans opinion.

“I, uh. Nothing, can I just go, please?” Dean’s voice was so small, Cas almost didn’t register his words.

“I just want to understand, Dean.” Cas laid a hand on his shoulder, feeling every muscle tense at the touch.

Vulnerable. Raw. That’s all Dean felt as Cas’s hand collided with his shoulder. It burned his skin, nerve endings lighting up like they were caught under Hell’s flame. All he wanted to do was curl up and pretend this never happened. He was right. This really was a trap. Death really did get the last word, huh? He laughed to himself wryly.

“What?” Cas asked.

“Nothing, nothing… just thinking, this situation is kind of laughable.” He wiped his hand down his face, trying desperately to find a way out. Maybe he could just run out the door. That seemed feasible.

Apparently Cas was a step ahead of him, as he felt the hand on his shoulder grip tighter. Guess he wasn’t running from this one.

“Dean, just. Don’t run away. Talk to me. Why is this such a big deal?” Cas asked again.

“It’s a big deal ‘cause I like it! Okay?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it. He felt the heat in his ears growing molten, and he wanted to crawl out of his own skin.

“You like it?” Cas asked. “Like, tickling people?” His hand tightened more, verging on painful.

“N-no…”

Cas watched Dean’s entire body tense, his legs went stiff, back straightening ever so slightly, Cas was sure the muscles were showing under his flannel and black t-shirt. His arms subtly curled into his sides, like he was trying to protect them.

Finally, it clicked. He was honestly surprised it took him this long.

“Oh…oh, I see.” Cas replied, taking a step closer to the hunter. “Does anyone else know?” Cas whispered into Dean’s ear. He revelled in the shaky breath that left his lips.

“N-no, no one else. C-can I go now? We-we gotta-” He clamped his mouth shut when he felt Cas’s other hand grab his bicep.

Cas let the hand squeezing his shoulder drop, letting his fingers brush the back of his ribs gently before dropping to his side. He smiled wickedly at the small gasp that left Dean’s mouth as he arched away from the touch.

“You could go; I did get the information I wanted. But the real question now is, do you, Dean Winchester, want to go?”

Dean stayed silent.

Cas’s other arm left his bicep. He was about to leave, thinking Cas had backed out, not wanting to cross a line. But then there were two sets of fingers lightly placed on either side of the back of his ribs. They were stagnant, unmoving, but clearly there. Waiting for their order.

Dean inhaled sharply, and then immediately forgot how to breathe. His arms tightened closer to his sides, his abdomen went rigid. He could feel his heart in his throat.

“The doors right there, Dean. What’s it going to be?”

[sundayswiththeilluminati]

SUROS Regime

Nostalgia as a weapon of war. Style as a hallmark of victory.

Type: Auto Rifle

Slot: Kinetic | Energy | Heavy

Element: Kinetic | Stasis | Strand

Perk: SUROS Legacy - The bottom half of each magazine deals bonus damage and has a chance to return health on kill.

Trait: Spinning Up - Holding down the trigger increases rate of fire. / Dual Speed Receiver - When aiming down sights, weapon rate of fire slows while weapon damage increases.

Masterworked Trait: SUROS Ascendance - Increased chance for kills to regenerate health.

Ornaments: Coup de Main, Gray Nitrate, SUROS Chrome, Standard Bearer

Origin & Description: Despite looking like a super-cool pulp scifi ray gun, SUROS Regime is a regular ballistic auto rifle with disappointingly mundane abilities. It was first introduced in Destiny 1 and many players seem to have fond memories of it, but I have a hard time getting interested myself. I’m sure there’s someone out there who loves it but I haven’t found them yet. Its stats are solid but not extraordinary across the board, its 600 RPM fire rate is high but not unique, and only the chance of returning health on a kill sets its exotic perk apart - the other half is a variant on the standard legendary trait High-Impact Reserves that makes the bottom half of the mag deal extra damage. But it does also has a choice of traits: Spinning Up, where the weapon fires faster as you hold down the trigger; or Dual-Speed Receiver, which does increased damage with a slower firing rate when aiming down sights. It's a solid weapon in PvE but doesn't really do anything. In PvP the ability to refresh your health on a kill is a lot more compelling, since it's what makes armor like the Titan exotic One-Eyed Mask thoroughly broken, but even so it never quite carved out a niche. It's seen a PvP resurgence since Season 10 thanks to the Auto Rifle range & damage buff, though it’s still not a common sight.

SUROS Regime is an iconic piece from the SUROS foundry; its Destiny 1 lore tab implies that said foundry ran out of the smart-matter needed to produce its frame pretty quickly, limiting the supply. Its pull quote alludes to the foundry's emphasis on elegance and style. Most SUROS weapons have names drawn from music and dance, such as the Allegro-34 handcannon or the Pentatonic-48 rocket launcher, and they have a consistent design theme of casings built from wide, shallow curves often marked with bright red highlights and the foundry's name and logo. SUROS Regime is Peak Aesthetic for them: maximum curves and full-on pulp ray gun design enclosing all functional parts of the weapon. It's the manufacturing opposite of Sleeper Simulant's skeletal rapid-prototype look. SUROS Regime looks like it should go "pew pew!" in an exciting new way. But sadly it just goes "bang bang!" in the same old style.

SUROS Regime's ornaments keep the same silhouette and style and just change the color palette; "Coup de Main" is an incredibly boring white that at least brings it in line with the look of legendary SUROS weapons; "SUROS Chrome" makes it, well, chrome; "Standard Bearer" is another, more emphatically SUROS-themed look; and "Gray Nitrate" gives it a cool carbon-fiber look.

UPDATE: I FOUND THEM 

@fire-mage-719 I HOPE YOU GOT YOUR GUN

Destiny 2 Compendium Armarum Exoticarum

[ Ace of Spades | Ager's Scepter | Anarchy | Arbalest | Bad Juju | Bastion | Black Talon | Borealis | Cerberus+1 | The Chaperone | Cloudstrike | Coldheart | Collective Obligation | The Colony | Crimson | Cryosthesia 77K | DARCI | Dead Man's Tale | Deathbringer | Dead Messenger | Devil's Ruin | Divinity | Duality | Edge of Action/Concurrence/Intent | Eriana’s Vow | Eyes of Tomorrow | Fighting Lion | The Fourth Horseman | Forerunner | Gjallarhorn | Grand Overture | Graviton Lance | Hard Light | Hawkmoon | Heartshadow | Heir Apparent | The Huckleberry | Izanagi’s Burden | The Jade Rabbit | Jötunn | The Lament | The Last Word | Legend of Acrius | Leviathan’s Breath | Lord of Wolves | Lorentz Driver | Lumina | Malfeasance | Merciless | MIDA Multi-Tool | Le Monarque | Monte Carlo | No Time to Explain | One Thousand Voices | Osteo Striga | Outbreak Perfected | Parasite | Polaris Lance | Prometheus Lens | The Prospector | Queenbreaker | Rat King | Riskrunner | Ruinous Effigy | Salvation's Grip | Skyburner’s Oath | Sleeper Simulant | Sturm | Sunshot | SUROS Regime | Sweet Business | Symmetry | Tarrabah | Telesto | Thorn | Thunderlord | Ticuu's Divination | Tommy's Matchbook | Tractor Cannon | Traveler's Chosen | Trespasser | Trinity Ghoul | Truth | Two-Tailed Fox | Vex Mythoclast | Vigilance Wing | The Wardcliff Coil | Wavesplitter | Whisper of the Worm | Wish-Ender | Witherhoard | Worldline Zero | Xenophage ]

[thegreatmercutio]

The Villains of Shadowhunters. Part 2.

…thoughts, opinions, reflections, and predictions of past, present, and future villains. I wanted to talk or post about the Shadowhunters’ villains, because heroes are not without villains. So, I dig within the books, myths, lores, and the show’s perspectives. WARNING: Major Books’ spoilers!!!!

I will be discussing about Valentine, Sebastian, Lilith, Lorenzo, and Asmodeus. And how Sebastian is linked to Magnus.

And I do not know what the show will do and how much of the books will make it to season 3…so, it kinda a big rants on the villains and the what’s ifs.

I do wanna hear from you guys too…on your views on the past, present, and future villains.

This is a long post. Bear with me. 

Season 3

Lorenzo, Lilith, and Asmodeus.

All three names have been mentioned and confirmed. These are my thoughts and predictions. I do not know what the show will do…but I am going to use what I got from the books, lores, and hints from the show.

Lorenzo

I don’t know “how much” damage he will bring. He might be a surprise. All the teasers might be a distraction. To me, he’s the other side of the conversation. Some of the audience and the fans often forgets that…Magnus relationship with the Shadowhunters also comes with consequences too. Now, that he’s in a relationship with the Head of Institution…things will never be the same.

Know one thing…a very important factor. That all the choices that were made were motivated TO PROTECT. Yes, some people were mad at Magnus for the choices he made. However, I have seen comments more driven by being an Alec bias to forget that Magnus also has his reasons and his feelings. I understood both Magnus and Alec’s choices. It’s more rewarding to see the whole story…instead of narrow-mindedness, just saying.

There’s always two sides of a story.

The theory is Lorenzo is here to take Magnus’ title as the High Warlock…because he believes Magnus is unfit due to his agreement with the Seelies. How does Warlocks become High Warlock? It’s based on skills, talents, power, and reputations. Either, you’re appointed, you freely take up the title, or you can challenge another for it.

I have rewatched some of the episodes…Magnus was not the only one. There were other warlocks, including Catarina there. Sure, they were there to help Magnus…but it is also very clearly stated that Magnus was there to help the warlocks and other Downworlders. Unfortunately, the show didn’t connected the dots enough for the audience. And Izzy, did say the wards that was created did help but people only saw pettiness. Things like this definitely needs more reforms within the show’s editing and directions.

Punishing Magnus for this…to me is only the surface to the real reason. Because, if we are going to point fingers. Nobody is innocent. Instead, Lorenzo is there to punish Magnus for working with the Shadowhunters. I can see…within the Downworlders, Magnus might be seen as a traitor. Magnus did say to Alec, that his reputation is also on the line (associating himself with a shadowhunter). Which a lot of fans seems to forget that Alec is also NEW to Magnus.

Since season 1, he has been nothing but…unfortunately, their pet. Hence, The Warlock Pet. They are always at his door, asking for something. Do this and do that. Magnus is very kind and giving character. It’s kind of a curse. He is canonically written as so. So, he does it. Even with sass and salt, he still does it. What he hasn’t done much…is his work. His other obligations to the Downworlders. So, punishing Magnus for protecting his kind is stupid and narrow.

I know, that the show is limited and we can only assume things but like how Todd had to apologized for not telling the audience (at SDCC) that Magnus did get his Spell Book back…because damn, it’s THE Spell Book. Magnus’ SPELL BOOK. Which, he kept locked and secured. So, it’s important part of him. That is called, poor management, writing, and direction. He did canonically say…that Alec returned it to Magnus. Boyfriend brownies’ points that we did not get to see.

Magnus Bane Deserves Better. So, to me…Season 3 and Lorenzo will be an open door to something much bigger…and that it’s not the Clary’s show. Yeah, I said it. I like Clary but all these characters play a larger part on a larger scale. If you only thinking one side…you will miss out in some good storyline and development.

I want you think this…if a war is coming. A strategy to use is to weaken and eliminate a powerful element and ally. Magnus has been that element for the Shadowhunters. Lorenzo will bring doubts and will dig into Magnus’ insecurities. Being a High Warlock is an honor…it’s apart of Magnus’ identity and to take it away is to break him…weakening the dynamic and the alliance between the Shadowhunters and a powerful Warlock. Just a thought.

Lilith

The adopted mother of Sebastian. She will be the main villain of season 3. She is the mother’s wrath. The Shadowhunters has hurt her son. Simple, she will hurt and kill those who hurt him. Sebastian is her special son.

Lilith is a mother. Seriously, a mother. It’s a big part of her identity. In lores, she is the mother of demons. There’s a version of her in many mythology and lores. From the Bible, to the Roman’s, to the Arabic’s , to the Hebrew’s texts…etc. Including modern lores like CW’s Supernatural…but it’s important to not mistaken this show for the other. In Jewish mythology, she a demon of the night and literally known for stealing babies. Which is an interesting aspect to consider in her relationship with Sebastian….another tale, states she was actually Adam’s first wife but she refused to have sex with Adam…so she was cast out of Eden and turned into a demon. Than, Eve was made and made to be obey. Yes, incredibly sexist and disgusting. Which, is an important to remember how Lilith sees mankind…and mortals and men.

In the books, they did follow the Adam, Lilith, and Eve story…a little. She is basically one of the first humans. The first immortals. She did disobey and they punished her…by making her barren or infertile. Interesting element to keep in mind with her relationship with Sebastian. When she was cast out…she got into a relationship with a fallen angel, Sammael. He was her lover. Through their union…she became the first human turned demon. They sired the beginning of warlocks, witches, and fairies. Basically, she and him started Downworlders on earth. They sired a lot of Downworlders, which then the angels punished them and trapped them into place called the VOID. Book facts, Lilith can only stay on earth for a few hours…if not she will be pulled back to the VOID. This was created by the angels. Sammael was later killed by Micheal, the angel. Lilith…became the Lady of Edom and Mother of Warlocks. She also to the Shadowhunters, categorically label as a Greater Demon. However, I personally think she isn’t…because she was never an angel. She was human.

Here, the current link and note from shadowhunters wiki…to my predictions for season 3 villains’ arc:

“…Some time in the 1990s, Lilith was summoned by the young and ambitious Shadowhunter, Valentine Morgenstern. Lilith agreed to give Valentine her blood for his experiments, and Lilith took an interest in the unborn child Valentine had been giving her blood to via his biological mother, knowing he will be a powerful being—according to her, even more powerful than all the Greater Demons, and more mighty than the Asmodei. Lilith has since kept tabs on Sebastian, whom she sees as her own son and herself as his true mother”.

This is important…Lilith wants Sebastian to be the most powerful. Like any mother…she wants her son to be the best. Not against the best of the Shadowhunters but against Asmodei. Here…are you still with me. Asmodei are the children of Asmodeus. In the books, Asmodeus is the most powerful of the Greater Demons. My assumptions, is through Sebastian…she will overthrow Asmodeus and take Edom…or Edom and the other dimension, Earth.

Keep in mind, Edom is a dimension. A mirror image of earth…with their own mundanes, Downworlders, and Shadowhunters. But in this dimension…the Shadowhunters lost and Asmodeus and his children took over Edom. Why did they lose?…this is “Really” important here and a major theme of the books and show…the Edom’s Shadowhunters were more prideful and unwilling to work and live peacefully with the Edom’s Downworlders…through the discrimination and treatments, the Downworlders aligned themselves with their true parents…Papa Asmodeus and Mama Lilith. Joined Asmodeus, the Asmodeies, Lilith, and the others demons and overthrown the entire dimension.

Lesson here, if the killing and the discriminations of the Downworlders continues…history will repeat itself. Unfortunately, the relationship with the Downworlders and Shadowhunters has always been on thin ice. And true, people within both sides are trying to better the relationship but old wounds don’t heal over night.

Interesting books’ facts, Lilith was in a sexual relationship with Benedict Lightwood and he got Demon Pox from her. Demon pox is a disease you get from having a sexual relationship with “some” demons. They tried to cure him of the disease…instead turned him into a worm…it’s weird, shameful, and embarrassing history of the Lightwoods. But…that’s her link to the Lightwoods.

Season 3, will be major driven by Sebastian and his mother. They will start small first…Sebastian heals…Lilith will send her demons minions and other allies to keep the Shadowhunters busy.

Asmodeus.

I think he is the Big Bad. Lucifer isn’t mentioned much in the books. He is kinda of overused in many media already. So, it’s more exciting to expand to the other characters of this lore.

I think, he will make an appearance in season 3. Towards the end. One teaser hashtags is #Asmodeusknowsbest, keep that in mind.

Asmodeus like Lilith…is not an original Mortal Instruments’ character. He is also mentioned throughout history in many textbooks. Asmodeus, the King of Demons, King of The Nine Hell, and one of the Prince of the seven deadly sins. He is the demon of lust. Lucifer is the demon of pride. If you’re wondering. In the books, he is the ruler of Edom and a prince of Hell. He also the general of Hell’s army. And a fallen angel. Brother to Lucifer and Raziel, the Shadowhunters’ angel. And…of course, he is Magnus’ father.

Remember, how I told you that Asmodeus and his children took over Edom. In Edom, his children is called Asmodei…on earth, they are known as Warlocks. Hence, Magnus. This is important here…Magnus isn’t like other Warlocks. 

Warlocks are made by demons…which the show did informed the audience through Iris’ house of horror. Asmodeus…is a fallen angel. His children isn’t just the basic traditional Warlocks…they have angel blood. Asmodeus’ blood. Magnus in the books “canonically’ reacts to Shadowhunters’ tools and weapons…interestingly, because he has angel blood. Sure, fallen angel’s blood but still angel. Often, Shadowhunters’ weapons, tools, and runes are protected and would hurt and kill Downworlders…who dares to touch or tamper with them.

I will say this…and have said it many times. Asmodeus was a disappointment of the books. Sorry, not sorry. I read the books and spend my own money on them…so, opinions are opinions. I am a fan…as a fan, I can also criticize. I am not alone in this opinion. Don’t get sensitive, book stans. I love both the show and the books.

Asmodeus was a strong built up…I had a lot anticipation for him but instead…it’s was mediocre. He’s so powerful but yet…this is it? The children of angels finally comes face to face with a Fallen Angel…basically the Lucifer of the Mortal Instruments and all he wanted was…Simon’s memories. Sure, taking Simon’s memories is sad but…it didn’t last long. Simon did regained his memories…so forth. Not much of a threat. Which is so unfortunate, most when Asmodeus can be so much more. Literally, why isn’t he?

Will the show follow this? I hope not. I am all for the show and books to a common ground. It shouldn’t be a match. Sorry, but no interpretation has ever been a perfect replica. So, like CC said…the show is a fanfiction. So fingers crossed, I really want a badass and epic Asmodeus.

To me, Asmodeus unfortunately became…a part of the writer’s last book curse. Yeah, I call it a curse. Often, long series…the last book tends to fall short compared to the success of the others…especially the conclusion of the tale. I know, I am generalizing it and not all series got the curse but…I read a lot of books and there’s always something about the last book…like the last season of a TV series, it often never meet the demands. As a writer, myself…I know this curse.

However, Asmodeus like the anticipation I had when I read Heavenly Fire…he had a lot of potential. So, the show has an opportunity to give Asmodeus, the justice he deserves and the show deserves…we need a real big infamous villain.

Why do I think he’s the Big BAD. Because him and his children were able to overthrown an entire world and destroyed all of Edom’s Shadowhunters. Edom, once was just like Earth (Edom was suppose be a mirror image of Earth, with their own differences…of course) but now with demons as it main population…years later it became a wasteland. 

Now, why not…move on to the next world. A new playground. One of the biggest reason for the Fall of Edom was because of the Shadowhunters’ pride and hatred towards the Downworlders. Leading the Downworlders to turn to Asmodeus and His children for help. And that’s how Edom became the Edom. Edom is the Mortal Instruments series’s version of hell. 

My predictions here, it will start with Sebastian and Lilith…they will start a war. There’s two directions here. Either Lilith helps Sebastian with his vengeance and kill all those who have wronged him and in return help her conquer Edom. I say this because she believes she can make Sebastian stronger and more powerful than Asmodeus and his children. The other direction, Asmodeus does work with Lilith and Sebastian to a point…however, I do believe they will betray each other. There’s is no way Asmodeus will let Lilith Shadowhunters’ mortal son take his throne. Especially, when he’s unstable and a brat. Not when he has his own son….Magnus. How I see it, let Sebastian and Lilith weaken the group’s bond and start a war to divide the Shadowhunters and the Downworlders. 

Here’s a thing. Asmodeus is an angel and he still must abide to the “free will” rule. No angel or demon cannot take the will…the will must be given to them. It’s an act of mockery towards God, who gave the mortals their free will…and to tempt the mortals in giving his or her soul to a demon is basically a “told you so.” However, it is also protection. Free will means you choose your path. Hence, why demons are big on temptations, selling souls, and haunting. They have power…and will use the power to break the individuals to give over their will…and there is also some serious daddy’s issue here too…which is a common theme in this show.

This is where Magnus comes in. If history does repeat itself…with the current relationships between the Shadowhunters and Downworlders…as I call it…thin ice and if Edom is the mirror image of Earth…get where I am going here. Asmodeus will need Magnus to take Earth and destroy The Clave and The Shadowhunters. Asmodeus’ children makes him stronger and more powerful. He needs Magnus.

But here’s the bigger scale…why he is Big Bad to me…unlike Valentine. He and his army will kill them all…both the mundanes and the Shadowhunters and any Downworlders in between. Basically, the classic world domination plot. Here’s something…his motives is different…I don’t want it to be because of “power’ but because of who he is…Asmodeus was an angel. He has seen heaven and he know what is considered as “good” and “beautiful.” But when he saw the creation of men and women…Lucifer, Asmodeus, and the other brothers saw evil within. Freedom is a dangerous thing. 

A world of true evil…which is a reflection of us. He is Valentine with a bigger upgrade. To a fallen angel, it’s not Downworlders, Shadowhunters, races, religions, sexualities, politics, etc…it’s humanity that is the problem. To the Fallens, the mortals will never be good. They were not made perfect. Flawed creatures.  Motivated by greed, selfishness, lust, pride, etc…to Asmodeus, Adam and Eve…God’s first mortals…also fell from grace…I think to Asmodeus…he just wants his father to know that all his children are disappointments…and that he was wrong. How many of us…wants to prove our parents wrong? This goes back…why Asmodeus is The Villain. His motives are like Valentine and Sebastian but the scale is bigger. He against someone much more powerful than the Clave.

These are my thoughts and predictions. Honestly, I don’t know what will happen and how much will make into a 40-ish minute show, I don’t know. But…through using aspects of the books, mythology, and lores…these villains can have the potential to shine. And yes, they will be hard, unpredictable, difficult, and awful to the characters…but a hero is not without a villain.

So, any thoughts?

Do forgive me, I wrote this on a rant style. Thee grammar is terrible. hahaha. 

[dustydreamsanddirtyscars]

Things about 13x08 “The Scorpion and the Frog”

Alright, since I am awfully late with watching the episode and I don’t think anyone really needs a ton of my rambles on my live watch, I figured - also since I didn’t find much noteworthy to meta or talk about while watching - I’d just make one bigger “impression” post on the episode.

Overall, I have to say - while this wasn’t one of the best episodes ever written - I did not mind the episode. I can’t say I adored it or liked it massively, but I certainly didn’t dislike it as I did with the previous two. I actually found the episode entertaining somewhat. The pacing was alright and I did enjoy the characters introduced in the episode - even though they felt too close to certain other beloved already deceased characters, which kind of left a bad aftertaste imo. In general though and despite it’s silliness, I think the episode worked as a true one off and filler (and I usually tend to say fillers don’t exist, but with this one to me it truly felt like filler - and yes, despite the fact some of the big themes were worked into the episode - but I’ll go into that in a bit).

Alright, here are some aspects I feel like commenting on a bit more.

First of all there is the title - one I think worked pretty well in relation to the context of the episode, because the fable the title is inspired by, I suppose, is explored directly within the episode by the characters and all their “deal making with the natural enemy” that like Dean said right in the beginning usually never works out for them. And of course we saw that ending up being the case with Alice (though in the end she was freed), but most of all Barthamus (who I did enjoy - he was kind of cross between Balthazar and Crowley to me - though tbh seeing him just made me miss Crowley so much more than anything else) and Luthor Shrike as well. More than how the title related to the episode’s arc however it is important to see it in relation to the overarching theme of the season of “nature vs. nurture” especially considering it was the lead up episode to the mid season finale which features Jack heavily, who is the main character through with the whole “fighting against your ~nature”-theme is explored by. If the fable is anything to go by and it’s dark moral then it would allude to Jack going dark side (even though he has been taught and socialized differently) as this is simply part of his “nature” as Lucifer’s son. In this regard it feels also noteworthy that Aesop (which Dean has read) wrote a similar tale about a “Farmer and a viper” where a farmer finds a snake freezing to death and takes pity on it and warms it in his coat - revitalized by that the snake ends up biting the farmer and kills him), which feels even more fitting in relation to SPN lore and how Lucifer is seen as the “serpent”.

Then there is the whole talk on Solomon and him keeping tabs on the Queen of Sheba, which reminded me that earlier this season we had a scene featuring the “Song of Solomon”, which makes interesting, if Solomon ends up popping up a third time this season I’‘d call it a pattern and it’s probably interesing to di into all of that history a bit further.

As for the episode’s characters. I actually liked Grab, he was a kind of “one off”-demon - he wasn’t plain stupid or over the top cringeworthy evil like demons (and angels as well tbh) have been portrayed a lot on SPN the past seasons. I wouldn’t have needed to see him again as a character, but he was enjoyable for the time of the episode. I also liked Barthamus and how the actor played him, but in general to me just no one can in any way replace Mark Sheppard and Crowley so that’s that. And lastly there’s Alice. She was alright (the actress did an okay job), though tbh, to me she felt too much like a clichè and too much like Charlie 3.0 (seriously, they even had to give her a line featuring “Charlie”? Sorry, but… meeeh, I’m not a fan). Hell, they even sent her off with a bus scene and her showing the “victory”-sign. I mean…. how much more blatant can you be?

Now let’s move on to Luthor Shrike. I personally felt reminded of Magnus/Cuthbert Sinclair a bit with his collection of artifacts and such (forever disappointed they never picked Magnus as a big bad, that guy would have worked as that imo). Especially as he was described as “doing anything and everything to add to his collection”. Tbh though I did find him a bit stupid tbh. I fully believe he has his entrance video trapped (he just seemed like that kind of guy) so he must have seen Sam walking in an out of the devil’s trap and then when he hands Sam a shot of gin he hadn’t mixed holy water into that to test him? Seriously? That just seems to me awfully stupid for a 200 year old immortal being. Which brings me to the other character I had to think of aside from Magnus with how he lived secludedly: Cain. Like Cain, Luthor also seems to have drawn away from socitey after losing a loved one. And yes, of course the parallel to John giving his life for Dean and Dean then later dying was prettyy apparent, but I suppose it was alos meant as a possible moment of foreshadowing for Lucifer and Jack’s story. Will Lucifer in the end maybe sacrifice himself to save his son? While I really don’t need or want a Lucifer redemption arc, I’d take it if that meant we’d finally be rid of that character lol. In visuals also to me Luthor was aligned with Cain who was also immortal and got stabbed by the demon killing knife and then later died like Magnus by beheading.

And last but not least on to the Winchesters. I have to admit if Jensen wasn’t as good as an actor as he is the “compass hand thing” as well as the “paw thing” would not have worked. They were silly yes and once more Dean was used as comic relief, but Jensen delivered it. So I didn’t mind those a lot. What made me a bit moody was when the “Nerve damage”-scene rolled around, because it captured so much with nothing much said, but only “I lived off of that stuff when I was a kid, What is it like 10 times the legal amount of caffeine?”. Yeah, nice callback there to how Dean never was a child from 4 onwards and literally ran on coffeine to make it through. Like… how is that not yet another example of how friggin awful Dean’s life was and how much he had to shoulder at a way too young age? Aside from that I found it rather interesting that Grab called Dean a “hand puppet” - of course that as due to the spell he had cast on him, but I can’t help but rather think of that comment in a much broader sense with Dean as a vessel - yes, I am still stupidly hoping that someday Dean as Michael’s vessel will be rendered of import by the narrative again. Silly me…

And now truly lastly, the ending scene with the burning of Bart’s bones and the spell and how slow the Winchesters were there and how Bart just stands watching in slow mo almost when Alice patiently picks up the lighter after he just said he is sooooo quick was just… eye roll worthy imo. Also, lol, Bart saying Sam is the smart one? Apparently not when it comes to keep something from burning. ;P I mean, come on Sam, you blew on that? Really??? Bahaha.

Anyway… So yeah, that’s kind of all I have to say. Not much stuff for meta, but a few very pretty eye candy moments, so maybe I’ll try some editing. Anyway overall verdict: Alrightish irrelevant episode. Score: 6 out of 10.