#the battle of big wand spoilers

[katescribblesabit]

it is illegal not to give Dev and Peri a redemption arc in season two, because i said so.

i struggled with this one omg, you can definitely see i gave up on some parts, just dont look at it to much lmaoo that and the pen pressure i was all over the place, my brain just didnt wanted to compute. BUT I DID FINISHED IT YEAAA >:D

also two notes to this:

Dev and Hazel still had their talk about him deserving to loose peri. (it just happend before jorgen went over to dev)

dale got mind-wiped before dev (i didnt want him to interrupt the moment with business lol)

+ extra Peri and Timmy woahhhh!

[jaytalking]

Spoilers for the fop: a new wish ending.

TW for vague-ish allusions to child abuse/neglect

(I've never written for Tumblr before. Go easy on me.)

----

His interrogator is a child.

Timmy had started to think today was just not his day somewhere in between "coming home from vacation to an invaded Fairy World" and "Being captured by anti-fairies minutes away from the chip and tied to a chair with iron chains". Dale Dimmadone and fucking Foop (Irep. Oh who cares.) of all people being his captors had been the confirmation.

Now there's a child with sunglasses scowling at him, and he's just bracing himself for whatever this damn day throws at him next.

"Why didn't you talk?"

Timmy considers the question for about 5 seconds before deciding he doesn't care enough to weave a lie.

"Fairies can't break the rules, not directly. It applies to revealing secrets too, not my fault they couldn't figure it out."

"But you're not a fairy, the nets didn't work on you, only iron seems to have some kind of effect."

He gives the kid a wry smile. "Burning sting" was definitely An effect.

"Not that hard to figure out; once-human, means exactly what you think it means. So yeah, Maybe I just don't want to give that idiot answers, considered that?"

The kid gives him an angry look, Timmy just raises an eyebrow.

"Don't call my dad an idiot. Do you even know who he is? He seemed to know you, that's for sure."

"Did he ever tell you about a lemonade factory? I pulled him out of there, I knew THAT Dale. Whoever the golden-toothed asshole outside is he's not anyone I care to know, that's for sure."

The kid looks somehow angrier, Timmy continues undeterred.

"I do want to know your name at least, I'm getting tired of calling you "kid" in my head."

"You first."

"Smart. It's Timmy, Timmy T-... Fairywinkle-Cosma."

He's not surprised to feel a spark of recognition from the kid, the sunglasses hide his face but for the average fairy any emotion, especially a kid's, is as visible as ever. What he IS surprised to see is a curl of dread.

"Dev. Dev Dimmadone- why don't you just give up? We've got all the fairies under nets, the chip is gone so they can't do magic anyways, and you're in chains with no way to escape. Dad even offered you-"

"There's nothing he could offer that would make me give up on my family."

There's... a picture, that's starting to be painted in Timmy's mind, and he doesn't like one bit of it; Dev must be the kid Irep used to accomplish this plan, there's no other explanation for the kid being here and knowing so much about fairies otherwise. Dev is a Godkid. Dev is Peri's Godkid-

"What about letting your family go? Would that be enough?"

"... You don't know anything, do you?"

He might have put too much venom in those words by the way the kid visibly flinches and goes silent, but in that moment he doesn't care.

"Do you know what happens when a fairy doesn't grant wishes? Their magic begins to build up, bit by bit- it gets harder to breathe, to do anything without feeling absolutely horrible- and then they're gone, just like that. Without the Big Wand, without the ability to grant wishes, that's what awaits all of them- all of US. Your dad is a short-sighted idiot who doesn't realise I'm not exempt from this- so even if I did tell him how to become like me, he'd have the exact same fate. We'd both be dead and the Anti-fairies would have a grand ol' laugh about it."

"Irep-"

"Irep doesn't care about you. I don't give a damn what he told you, but it's obvious he kept you in the dark about basically all of this and now he's off to do the same to Dale. You need to accept you've been used, kid."

Dev is quiet, eyes fixed on the floor. Timmy's anger deflates slightly; the true mastermind here is Irep, he should reserve his anger for him, not for the kid he strung along.

"... He told me it would make him proud."

The question leaves his mouth before his mind can process it.

"Would that be enough? To justify all of this?"

Something has snapped, an echo of the ignored child who wished so badly his parents would pay more attention and was called selfish for it, who lashed out and wanted more, more, and more to fill a bottomless hole in his heart, felt vindicated when the truth was made evident: that love and attention is not a damn privilege, it's the right of any child.

"It wouldn't, and it wouldn't last for long. You know this, we both know this."

Dev is shaking. Timmy clams his mouth shut. He's shaking and his grip on the iron key is tight.

"There's no way they'll forgive me."

And he has to laugh at that, a short burst cut off by the pain of the chains moving and reaching new skin.

"That's the worst part- they always do. And before you even realise you're in the wrong."

[fountainpenguin]

Riddle watches New Wish - Post #28

The Battle of Big Wand

Part 3 of reacting to this episode (spoiler-free)!

They locked the boy who has a darkness phobia in the deep dark pit, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

omfg, OF COURSE the first thing he does is ask for a drink... Good to know that even 8 years ago, I clocked him as growing up to be a guy who relies on the things that get Fairies drunk (sugar and carbonation) to block out his excessive trauma. oh geez, dude...

How long's he been losing his mind down here? He was fine a few episodes ago in "Growing Pains"! D: He was hanging out at his parents' place!

- Oh, I SO called Peri with magical back-up. He's having a rough go of it... Wowza, he's hallucinating about Dev. That's dark. - I really hope they don't send Foop on a bathroom break or my anxiety is going to spike through the roof. Even if Hazel did use her rule-free wish to revive them, would that be f'd up if they killed Peri and Irep off the way the Grim Reaper told Foop he'd die back in "Man's Worst Friend" or what?

I think ginger ale is good for nausea, which is why Peri's asking for it, but it's still funny because... canonically, he can get drunk if he has enough of that.

I like the rainbow sickness. This feels more correct and enjoyable than the rapid inflation and explosion of the OG series. You can tell Peri is sick and gradually expanding as his magic backs up, but I like that we get to see it, especially since it's set up as death in this universe (rather than easy to recover from in the OG).

I like seeing that Peri is VERY clearly ill and definitely not in a mental or physical place to "push through the pain and escape."

I definitely would say "This is dark," and this loops back to what I said watching "Fearless" and "28 Puddings Later" that A New Wish is definitely a tone shift from the OG. I wouldn't say it's Invader Zim dark, but I think the only episode that gave me vibes this dark was "Channel Chasers" during the scenes that were aiming for "gritty adult action with buff hero characters.

I know Poof and Foop got torn out of reality in "Timmy's Secret Wish," but that's still cute and fluffy to me... lmao.

sldkjfsdklfj, I made a joke during my "Lost in Fairy World" liveblog about how Cosmo and Wanda were going to get ants with all that candy in their room. I know Hazel is lying about ants, but I like it.

Her landlord's hair reminds me of Remy's. that's... a unique style.

/glances tiredly and uneasily at my list of Remy's many runaway uncles who scampered off since they weren't their parents' heir and are still pretty messed up...

I enjoy Wanda comforting her dying son while Cosmo's taking it hard off to the side. Cosmo wanting a moment to himself feels right.

Peri and Irep must not be synced up, presumably because Irep is using magic to grant wishes. Or Anti-Fairies don't get back-up.

There he is~ Anti-Cosmo "literally only here because I was told I might score a godkid" Anti-Cosma. I hate him! (affectionate).

Anti-Wanda looks like she would bite me and I would let her.

Something is so very wrong with Dev "Instead of wishing my lactose intolerance went away, I'm going to delete lactose from the universe" Dimmadome.

I enjoy Irep constantly bouncing or lightly kicking his feet as he waits for Dev to give him new wishes. He definitely gets that from his dad.

Absolutely on the floor that I clocked Anti-Cosmo as hanging back while Irep runs the show with Dev. They've literally not changed and I'm so happy!!!!

I spent over a year worried they were going to reboot A.C. into some take-charge, full-steam-ahead takeover villain, and you're telling me the local confrontation-avoider is still avoiding conflict??

Take me out now; it's never getting better than this. (The sequel.) I'm gonna be riding this high for months.

I was expecting to see Tibecuador on that map, but they cleverly have the Americas on the other side of the globe. I assume that disappeared when Timmy aged out of Fairies, though we know it wasn't unwished after Season 5 (It gets a mention in Season 6).

I like that both Dev and Irep enjoy dancing to "So proud of my son" lyrics. They're vibin'. Irep has daddy issues too.

sdlkfjsd, when Jorgen undid Dev's "king of America" wish a few episodes ago, he didn't erase anyone's minds?? I like that the news refers to Dev as "former king of America."

??? Did Dev and Trev break their friendship after Episode 1 because they both like Bev? That's hilarious!

The news report specifically says "couples are breaking up" due to Anti-Fairy influence, without implying that Anti-Fairies caused these two to get together in the first place. WERE they together? That's silly.

I am once again disappointed we were robbed of the Trev-Dev-Bev friend squad. But this is funny too.

Another waning crescent.

I'mma be honest, but Hazel saying she's had her fairies for about a year just makes me even more confused as to why we're doing a "get a rule-free wish after 1 million" instead of the previously established "get a rule-free wish after 1 year."

I... am gonna un-canonize her 1 million wishes in 'fic unless this ends up being incredibly important. Sorry to keep bringing it up, but I just can't wrap my head around this. "Timmy's Secret Wish" was kind of a big deal. It was a movie and not just a one-off episode, and it's been referenced several times in A New Wish already. Timmy took so much flak for being allegedly wasteful, dangerous, or overly reliant on his wishes. He did make some wild ones, but I'm SO curious to know what Hazel wished for. I wish we'd see flashbacks like we did in that movie, but again... recognizing the limits of a 20-minute episode.

I'm so glad Jasmine told Hazel she wasn't shocked by the reveal that Hazel had fairy godparents, seeing as in Post #10, I said she'd expressed suspicions towards Hazel twice but it didn't seem to be going anywhere and I was disappointed. That's a good callback.

Winn: Your apartment was a hotel and then it wasn't.

That's the other thing I was wondering about! Thanks, Winn. You're my favorite.

It drives me wild that Antony's not going to talk to Hazel about whether she has issues because he doesn't have the context to know fairies get assigned to miserable children. I feel like he'd really want to hear about that.

Antony knows Cosmo and Wanda? Maybe they DID have dinner together. I hope he met Peri. I think they'd be friends. I'll have to look back and see if he was introduced to them by name in "Rattleconda Racers," but... I don't think I noticed he'd clocked them as her neighbors.

They probably crossed paths offscreen while he was home for the holidays. I haven't settled on a timeline yet, but he could've been home for a whole month for winter, so it's likely they've met and he saw Hazel interact with them.

There is something so funny about Winn saying they sussed Cosmo and Wanda out as fairies because of their pink and green hair when they look like this:

I enjoy Hazel being familiar enough with Dev, Cosmo, and Wanda to know their clothes by heart, but she blanked on Irep-

- implication being that she remembered his giant square head and not much else. Not even wings.

Hazel 🤝 Chloe Remembering Foop's hair, mustache, and crown, but forgetting he wears clothes

I'm surprised Hazel's friends are ready to go to war against an entire race of evil magical beings famed for bad luck and torture, and they don't have any questions about this? I feel like one of them would want to talk to their parents. Jasmine said she was a fraidy-cat early on, but I guess facing her fears in "Fearless" turned that around more than I expected.

Oh no, Jorgen's in a pit.

??? If we're in Jorgen's office, where was Peri held before the takeover?

I like how Anti-Cosmo clicks his heels.

New shirt design for Anti-Wanda?? That was on my reboot bucket list! I had my fingers crossed for a fancy dress, sweater, or jacket, but I'll take it! This is clever because it's close to her old design.

... I don't look forward to drawing it :'D

I am OBSESSED with their energy. Anti-Cosmo is so fancy and Anti-Wanda looks like she showed up in pajamas or party clothes. And he loves her so much. That's always been their thing, but it's good to get a reminder since he spends so much of their 1-on-1 time in the OG series screaming and running around. I missed him... It's been 11 years...

... Actually, that makes this my first time ever seeing new (canon) Anti-Cosmo content drop since he was outtie by the time I got to the fandom (back in 2016 when Season 10 was just starting). Exciting!

I actually have an AU called "King Me" that I started in 2016 but have never posted anything for, but it's about Anti-Wanda being raised from birth as the leader of the Anti-Fairies and getting betrothed to some nerd, and seeing them new and shiny and dressed like this makes me want to finish it, because I love Anti-Wanda being in charge when she's so casual and silly. It's one of my favorites <3

omg, it's an anti-Fairy shirt... OH, this makes the fact I portray Anti-Wanda as giggly over puns and wordplay even better...

Anti-Wanda shopping, pointing at the crossed-out crown: It's me.

I like how while Anti-Cosmo is bragging that Anti-Fairies are masters of torture who know all their counterparts' weaknesses, Cosmo looks like this:

Anti-Cosmo: I'm a master of torture... I know your biggest weakness~ Cosmo: I don't believe you for a second, but go off I guess

Irep knew exactly what he was doing when he sent Peri to the dark pit... u can't make me believe it was an accident he was hyperventilating and rocking back and forth with crossed eyes when Cosmo and Wanda got to him...

Wheezing at the fact that I'm pretty sure neither A.C. nor Anti-Wanda has been addressed by name because the writers gave us Irep and Lezah... They can't drop the anti-names on us and don't want to call them Omsoc and Adnaw.

I DID wonder where that set-up was going, but I think their names not being not acknowledged at all is the funniest direction.

Like?? POV, New Wish is your only exposure to Anti-Cosmo and Anti-Wanda, but you don't engage with the fandom so you sus out for yourself what their backwards names would be and that's how you grow up thinking of them.

I personally have Anti-Fairy kids using names picked by their parents and they only switch to using their anti-names when they become adults, so... if we were to assume Irep is just slightly too young to use the name Anti-Peri, that headcanon would still track in New Wish for him and Lezah. Which is interesting.

..... If Peri is short for Periwinkle, is Irep's full name Elkniwirep, because ouch. I understand where he was coming from when he complained his new name was "much more difficult to pronounce" than Foop.

I like the implication that Anti-Fairy nicknames would come from the end of their names rather than the beginning. Though looking at that name, I think Noir would also be an appropriate nickname for him.

Irep when he has to sign for a package for his parents: Eh, you can come back next week.

Anti-Cosmo's clothes are spot-on. It's him!! ... Except for his monocle being on the wrong side. I personally made him blind in one eye in 'fics, but I'm pretty sure a real monocle can be used on either eye.

It's kind of funny to me they did that. It must be easier to model this way, but the OG series never depicted him switching to the other eye even when he turned his head. Kind of interesting in an "I wonder if modern fanart will portray it interchangeably or if the right eye is deemed consistent" kind of way.

!!!! They kept his big ol' giant fangs!!! Irep definitely gets most of his personality from his mom, but he's got Dad's fangs <3

This makes me want to practice drawing him more. A.C. is the hardest for me to draw (between his clothes, hat, hair, and having bat-like ears in Cloudlands AU), but I really like his cravat here and would like to take another whack at him, I think.

skldjf, I'm glad Anti-Cosmo is still Mr. "super weird about needing to hold things in his left hand." Nobody cares, but I care

In the OG show, he threw his wand off-screen so he could switch his teacup to his left hand after picking it up... He does this in multiple episodes, shifting things to his left for no reason even if he picks them up in his right. I'm sure it means nothing, but... why did they draw him doing that? He keeps his wineglass on his left despite Anti-Wanda being depicted with hers on her right... Sometimes he'll even stand next to other characters and hold an item in his left even though his neighbor is holding the same item in their right. why.

?? Anti-Cosmo had to look up "discombobulated" in the dictionary? Wouldn't the taunting have been stronger to prove he doesn't have to look it up?

I like Anti-Cosmo bracing his legs beneath the dictionary the same way Peri did when he was looking at Da Rules.

Heavy book; need better weight distribution or it's killer on the back.

sdfkljsd... oh, poor Cosmo... Listen..... LISTEN........ I know there's no way in heck they would bring back the "77 Secrets of the Fairly OddParents (Revealed)" lore that Cosmo's deepest secret is that he's an "author of distinction" who's written oodles of books, including Astrophysics for Morons from the episode "Shelf Life," but...

This is SO MEAN... I have a 'fic ("Repeat") where we learn Cosmo's been erasing his own memories for ages because people wanted him in jail or worse for writing about astrophysics when Fairy culture pushes the idea that stars are ancient Fairies (à la "Wishology") and this is how he's protecting himself. My interpretation of him is that he gets upset sometimes because "He used to know what these words mean," like... that is an actual scene I've written, and I'm dying...

Corporate needs you to find the difference between these scenes... lmao.

"We knew it wouldn't be easy, not following the old beliefs… but we're on enough thin ice with the Fairy Council as it is. Let's… not tip the scales by making wild claims about the stars. But if it's any consolation… You can tell me about astrophysics any time of week." "Mm…" He didn't even know what 'consolation' meant. He did once, though… Didn't he? When he read his old diaries, they made no sense because he used to know so many words. His handwriting. His memories. But not all the words made sense anymore. Robin Cosma would be so disappointed in his son. How funny that your father can be a poet known across the cloudlands… and you can't remember how to spell "tinnitus."

Anti-Cosmo, you are being SO mean in my lore right now... Thanks, I hate it. But I like that physical torture wasn't the option they went for. This feels very right to me (Mental torments, preying on fears and paranoia instead of just attacking... This feels right for their species since they're supposed to be dark and creepy).

-> I mean, I don't know what I expected from Anti-Cosmo "avoids confrontation if he might get hurt" Anti-Cosma, but... lol.

SKLDFJSLDFJSLDFJ??

Anti-Wanda: /shoves A.C. out of the way and takes his book Anti-Cosmo: :(

If Anti-Cosmo has to confront anyone while he's in slapping range, he will die, actually. Wait, what did I write at the start of this liveblog?

OG series Anti-Cosmo doesn't even want to take over Fairy World; he wants a godkid. His shtick is "I will literally do anything for a godkid even if it's stupid and I make a fool of myself." And then he makes a fool of himself; it's great. [...] Taking over means confronting magical people, and Anti-Cosmo doesn't, like... do that. He taunts people IF he holds a blatant advantage (like them being locked up or them being a human who can't jump and grab him), but he's also a huge coward <3 He's Mr. Buddy System. He needs his Anti-Fairies. So... He might be here, yeah! But I do get major Irep vibes. Irep's totally leading, and I don't see Anti-Cosmo's aesthetic here, so I think he's playing a small supporting role if he's here at all. [...] He DOES have smug energy and cool lines sometimes… but he's also a tantrum-throwing brat who's scared to stand up to people, and in this house, we love him for it!! [...] I just want Anti-Cosmo to be an awkward nerd pretending to be confident, but also he likes to run around and goof off, but he should also look at people like he's confused they kicked his puppy.

sdlkfjsfdjkl??? oh my fluffin' gee. This is beat for beat "Anti-Cosmo taunting people when he's trapped them under a butterfly net in "Fairly Odd Baby" and then backing the heck down as soon as H.P. tells him "Yeah, we're not doing that." ... This is the same energy as Jorgen's slideshow when he specifically labels H.P., not Anti-Cosmo, the more influential parent of the anti-fairy child they raised to be evil way back when... He's the same person... He's such a sheep <3

I was so worried they'd change you, my doormat nephew, and for WHAT?!! Go king; give us nothing!!!

They didn't give him oodles of sass? That's what I thought for SURE they'd reboot him with. I'm losing it. He really is "just there doing his best" without being the main villain. He's minimally helpful. Basically not at all. I can finally embrace him without a hint of hesitation... My windblown tissue of a boy has come home!!

This is the best! spitting, crying. I cannot believe this. I can finally stop second-guessing if I even read him right in the OG series. He's so cringefail loserboy and always has been and I can finally stop lying low about it! I LOVE HIM!!

I genuinely could not fathom a world where they brought him back and he was still just Like That... How ?? did they do this?? I was so SURE they'd put him in charge and only present his "smug, confident" façade and I'd just shrug it off and try to squint for the parts of him I enjoy the most… omfg… Our anxious, dorky coward actually made the jump?

He's like Anatole Kuragin... Anti-Cosmo would be flawless in the role of "Okay, sing these two songs like you're the sexiest and most confident man alive. And for this other song, cower on the floor wailing about how you're a man of honor and the old man calling you a scoundrel should take it back because it hurts your feelings. You just tried to kidnap the girl you like, but got spooked and ran away. btw, you're everyone's most specialist boy in the world."

The Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812 AU nobody asked for but we know we deserve:

btw, after years of waiting, I had the opportunity to see this musical (<3) and words cannot express how I felt when - after listening to the soundtrack and always wondering why Anatole backs off so fast when Marya shoos him from the courtyard - I got to experience the shock of Marya bursting onstage with a gun.

I am in such shock that I read Anti-Cosmo right. Like ?? I don't know why that's bizarre to me- I've taken so many notes on him and I was very confident in what I thought about him. I just ?? can't believe he's still set up to be a soggy dishrag?

No one ??? ever portrays him like this ?? We don't do that here! That's not on his Fandom Wiki page, which calls him a "ruthless criminal mastermind" and "far more devious than most other villains in the show." People don't remember him like this... I'm dreaming...

I gotta lie down. What the FLIP do they have written for him in the story bible, if anything?

-> I gotta read the OG series story bible @zachbrightside sent me. I've been putting it off 'til after New Wish, but maybe I'll liveblog my reactions to that too.

-> Fun fact, I collect story bibles due to my days of combing Scribd for early scripts... But the OG series story bible for FOP is one I never thought I'd see in my LIFE. I'm excited.

Okay, I totally got impatient and took a sneak peak at the New Wish story bible for fun (something I glimpsed super briefly about a year and a half ago and then put away because I wanted to wait and see the show for myself, so I didn't see more than a glimpse of Hazel, Winn, and Whispers Fred, but I don't want to look at the OG series bible until I'm properly liveblogging). AND!!!!

Guess who didn't misremember the rumor about the Pixies coming back! I'll talk about that more in a separate liveblog, I'm sure, but oh gosh; oh goodness...

They didn't reboot Anti-Cosmo with sass AND they have a note here about the Pixies "potentially aligning their interests with tech magnate Dale Dimmadome..." Do you understand how close that gets us to H.P. coming back as his sassy, in-charge self... My most beloved character in the series, still snarky... I want him so much... I can taste it... He's one chump door away...

I won't get my hopes up since Season 2 isn't confirmed, but do u understand... Yes I know they might kill him and replace him with Sanderson and it'd shatter me, but do u understand how close we are to the funky guy who's haunted my mind every day for the last nearly 9 years...

Dale, I have GREAT NEWS for you... The prophecy... H.P. and Dale together... My 7-year dream fulfilled at last...

what are Ben Stein's rates and can we get him for another movie. I think Pixies & Dale would be the thing that does me in; it's never getting better than that... Can you even IMAGINE if we had Musical 2.0. for some inexplicable reason...... My favorite episode, oh goodness... Just let H.P. dunk on Anti-Cosmo again and I'm done; I'm out. retired. deceased.

It's SO over for y'all if they do bring back the Pixies. Unfollow me then because it's all I'll talk about for the rest of my life.

Hey wait a sec- I'VE BEEN ROBBED!!!! They WERE supposed to be here! Dale WAS supposed to be the finale antagonist!

?? I was RIGHT in my initial assumption that Dale had been set up for this plot. I'm totally justified for going into this finale thinking we were gonna fight Dale. That's... way funny, because I have a whole note over here I was gonna address when I'm done watching about how I don't feel like Dale stalking Hazel and all those notes about Fairy World left on his board even went anywhere...

Did they drop the "Dale stalking Hazel" plot point & this Pixie route because they figured Anti-Fairies would bait viewers in and Pixies wouldn't? So, like... did we only have that scene to upset Dev, and now we're not following through with the implications? :'D I am dev-astated on both accounts...

I probably would've done the same thing in their position (Write the finale for Anti-Fairies instead) because the Pixies aren't as well known (I think) and don't have the same opposite vibe as counterparts (which makes for dramatic storytelling), and maybe increased excited viewers increases chance of Season 2, but...

I've been robbed blind!! D: OH, this hurts so much more than when it was "just a rumor" to me that the Pixies were meant to appear "in the latter half of the season." skdljf, I shouldn't have looked at this; what've I done... PLEASE give us a Season 2 with Pixies in it... I'm beggin'... I've seen behind the curtain and I cannot be reborn in my innocence.

- Extremely funny to me that the Pixies not showing up implies they're not making a move because it hasn't been 37 years since their last big takeover plan. It's the OCD... - HEY WAIT A MINUTE, back at the start, I told y'all taking over Fairy World wasn't Anti-Cosmo's thing and it was actually H.P.'s... oh, this is FUNNY... I wish I had someone I could rub this in the face of. Oh my feathers, I'm SO glad I know H.P. and Anti-Cosmo well enough that I nailed them both like butterflies on display and didn't make a fool of myself [in my mind], sldkfj... #Not a fake fan... You don't spend 8 years writing 1 million words worth of 'fics about each of them without knowing your boys!!! I'm sorry, I just... This has been extremely funny to liveblog. I didn't peek ahead... I didn't know for sure if Anti-Cosmo was gonna be here to take over Fairy World - I really thought they'd reboot him to be confident and suave because why would they read him as an anxious coward?? nobody does that - but I sure as heck knew an Anti-Cosmo based closely on the OG wouldn't be leading the charge! He's a pushover <3 And the fact the Pixies were supposed to be here is KILLING me. Of course it was a plot meant for Pixies... because Anti-Cosmo doesn't do this and H.P. does. That's SO funny... I can't believe this... I'm dying, squirtle... I can't breathe... Please let me infodump about how despite everything I've said about H.P. going against the Pixie stereotype, he is actually implied to have OCD, and by his own admittance seems to want to take over Fairy World because Fairy World's disorder just drives him up a wall... I miss him... I lied about loving Anti-Cosmo; please come back, beloved... Please send him on a time travel vacation so he can come back feeling like he waited his obsessive 37 years... oh my glory, he's within my grasp... It's been 16 years... - The file name on this thing is "FOP Reboot Series Bible Draft 7..." oh, my boys lived up to 7 drafts... oh, my babies...

Oh my GOSH, they pitched an episode where Hazel's parents come over for dinner game night and Cosmo and Wanda are struggling to appear normal... That's the exact kind of episode I was sad we hadn't had yet back when I was saying post-Episode 1 Cosmo and Wanda were giving me sexy lamp vibes! I'm sad we didn't get this one.

Okay... I've seen too much. I won't read anything else in here and I'll save it for a future arc of liveblogging all these resources. Oh, this stings. The finale's cool and all, but I just miss my boys so much, and I want them to come back as their glorious, snarky, finger-gunning, drunk-on-the-job selves so a new generation can fall in love with them like I have, and they are SO CLOSE...... D: Nobody knows the trouble I've seen... nobody knows my

Ooh, what?

Big Daddy!? Mark Chang? Mama Cosma? Juandissimo?? omg-

IRVING?? They found you too?

No one is safe...

[anti-fairy-world]

You know, while we don't think Stuck In My Head/Mind The Gap were bad episodes or anything, we kinda wish they'd been cut in favor of making that time the part one to The Battle of Big Wand, with the actually episode being part two. Make it a whole big forty to forty-five special instead of trying to fit it with a twenty-two to twenty-three minute run time

We actually like everything they were trying to do with the special, but we just wish they had more time to flesh things out and play around with the jokes between the plot moments. The writers probably didn't really have much of a choice with the time they were given to work with and had to prioritize where screen time was used, and honestly they did what they could, but sometimes it felt like 'and now this is happening so we can get moving with the plot'

[logical--dreamer]

I really liked the finale of A New Wish, but it felt really rushed pacing-wise. Honestly, I wish they had done something with Dale's "project H" that led to this, as well as more build-up to Irep. Yes, we had that one episode, but he just felt...there. I was hoping for a betrayal that he was using Dev and give us a little more emotion for Dev's redemption. Honestly, it would have been better as a two-parter.

Overall, I loved this season, and I hope they get a season 2!

[punk-angel]

the art below contains some spoilers for the fopanw episode: the battle of the big wand!!!! so if you don't want any spoilers in any form then please keep scrolling!!

I LOVE THIS EPISODE IT'S SO . ARGHHGHGHS

[thunderstomm]

I have many thoughts about the finale but I think this one is important to share.

SPOILERS FOR THE BATTLE OF BIG WAND BELOW !!

I’m glad Hazel didn’t use her wish on Dev. I like Dev. He’s probably my favourite character! But it is not a satisfying writing choice in any regard for Hazel to use HER rule free wish on Dev. It’s meant for her, she is justified on using it for herself just because of that! But also… it feels too easy to use the wish to resolve the tensions with Dev.

I like Dev, and I want him to be redeemed in future storylines. Does that mean he should go without punishment though? No. Besides- it’s not like we have never seen a kid get back their godparents before!

Remy Buxaplenty, anyone? He lost his fairy, and had his memory erased. What happened next?Juandissimo went out of his way and against the rules to reunite with him, and they convinced Jorgen to let them be godparent and godkid again. And we KNOW Peri cares about Dev, he was still keeping an eye on him after the split just a few episodes before!

Also who’s to even say if the memory erasure works, because according to some of the previous specials, sunglasses cancel out the memory erasure. We see Jorgen put on sunglasses before carrying out the memory erasing process in the finale, and Dev never takes his off! What if he still has his memories!

And even if you don’t like that theory, it’s canon that the memory erasure can wear off, if one is reminded of what they have been forced to forget!

The show has left itself in an amazing place for storytelling in a season two, and I would hate to see that potential go to waste. Thinking about long-term storytelling is important, and this show getting a second season would benefit this narrative so much, because it’s clearly not over just yet!! (:

[ninja-chibi]

PERI THOUGHT PERI THOUGHT

Slight spoilers for the finale

I know there are a lot of OP Peri headcannons, and a lot of disabled Peri headcannons, but i hadnt heard this idea before: What IF, Peri being used to suppressing his OP magic IS his disability? And that his exhaustion is caused by the physical toll on his body that keeping everything in moderation takes?

Notice how in The Battle of the Big Wand, Wanda mentions that Peri hadnt granted a wish in weeks? Well, this explains why he looked so terrible compared to all the other fairies, but how did he last as long as he did? Wanda and Cosmo developed the symptoms of magical backup frighteningly quickly, but Peri was in stage ONE of magical backup for what seemed like a decent chunk of time. Maybe he lasted as long as he did because his body was USED to containing a lot of magic for a long time? In which case, is Peri normaly on the verge of magical backup? Is this what gives him Fairy Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? (I did some research, and that seems to be what most of the fandom headcannons him with.)

Anyway, hope i cooked. This headcannon seems fairly cannon-compliant, so im adopting it into my belief system.

[a-casual-egg]

Spoilers for The Battle of the Big Wand kinda, under the cut

I want them to sit on the Big Wand building (which I'm pretty sure is where Jorgen's office is) and have a big talk full of apologizing (mainly from Peri) and figuring out what they can do to make their godparent and godchild relationship work.

[scootersscooter]

Reeling over that finale guys

‼️ The Battle of Big Wand Spoilers below ‼️

I think the conversation between Hazel and Dev at the end was really interesting. Just the acknowledgement of what (potentially) happens to Dev after he restores Fairy World.

DEV SAYING HE DESERVES TO LOSE PERI AND HIS MEMORY!!!!!! The character development on this kid!! Also Hazel immediately following up his little pity party with "you definitely do" was actually hilarious to me. Yeah girl, set those boundaries!! I love Dev but I love that Hazel can acknowledge the good he did while not guilting herself over the consequences to his actions.

It's the way Dale immediately cut his son out of his OWN hostile takeover 😒. Dale Dimmadome when I catch you Dale Dimmadome!!! Hate that man but he was pretty funny during his screen time I will admit.

WINN, JASMINE, AND ANTONY KEEPING THEIR MEMORIES!!!!!! I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS!!!! AND PERI JOINING HAZEL AND HIS PARENTS AT THE VERY END OF THE EPISODE!!!!

Guys I need a season 2 please!!! I need to know how they want to continue the story from this point on!!

I also need to know what's going on with Dev. Like is he going to Fairy Court or just getting his memories wiped? If he does get his mind wiped what will happen to him? He'd still be going back into a neglectful household and his dad wouldn't even recognize this one instance of being proud of his son!!!!

AURGHGHGHHHHHHH!!!! I NEED A SECOND SEASON RIGHT NOW!!!!! PLEASE!!!! 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[nerdyfan1]

I have mixed opinions on this finale but, I just want to say something.

The Battle of the Big Wand spoilers under cut

I fucking hated this bit. It’s like the one part of the episode that actually bothered me a little bit. This is personal I’ll admittedly this but, I feel like this is the first time where they were mean to him when it was really not needed.

Please will anyone get mad at me if I were to say I need Dale Dimmadome to drop dead? Leave that little boy alone.

[katescribblesabit]

i want a season two so bad plz plz plz

i love the fairy Timmy au, its living rent free in my brain

i gave it my own little spinn on it

basically Cosmo, Wanda and Timmy somehow convinced the fairy counsel to let them adopt Timmy

Timmy signed the fairy certificate and became one permanently (making Ymmit appear, he gets thrown into anti fairy world right away)

i saw somewhere that peri is canonically around 20 years old in a new wish which will make Timmy around 30 years old

Timmy is not a fairy godparent himself, however he became the new author of the rewritten da rules from anw

since he was the one that exploited the loopholes of the old one the most, he was the perfect fairy to rewrite the book (with Jorgen reviewing it over before publishing) and ruining the fun for Dev lmao

in the battle of big wand Timmy gets thrown into the prison with his parents and brother, and it plays out like in the drawings

this would also be where he is "canonically" first shown on the show

anyway Timmy is living his best life as a fairy rn

[kyndredravenstories]

Eyes of Infinity: Delirium Chapter 11

Hello, I have been posting my work on AO3 and recently decided to venture here to Tumblr. Please note: This story is 18+. No minors. Please read tags carefully. Link to AO3 below but I will also be posting the chapters here.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/53564641/chapters/149422321

Pairing: Sylus/Female MC with some elements of Xavier/Female MC

Genre: Romance, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Angst, Adventure, Smut, Porn with Big Plot and Big Feelings

Content Warning (For the entire fic): Explicit sexual content, spoilers and alterations to existing lore and cards/memories/tender moments/secret times, size kink, size difference, vaginal sex, cunnilingus, anal sex, fingering, all kinds of fingering, elements of consensual somno, dom!Sylus, jealousy, possessive!Sylus, Mephisto stalking, typical game violence, battle and combat, PTSD

Summary: To love him meant stepping over the threshold and crossing into darkness. To be with him meant accepting the lure of the shadows. And to protect him from betrayal meant sacrifice. I knew not how, only that I would not let time sever our paths ever again.

Previous Chapters: Ch 1 / Ch 2 / Ch 3 / Ch 4 / Ch 5 / Ch 6 / Ch 7 / Ch 8 / Ch 9 / Ch 10

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I am a Hunter, and I'm straight as an arrow. But, even I break the rules at times. I had certainly saved plenty of people in Linkon in my time fighting Wanderers, so it's no surprise that I have quite a few individuals that 'owe me one'. As I prepare for meeting Malakai, I remember a certain shop keep that operates a semi-illegal arms pawn and trade shop known as the "Crate" in the Auric Sector. My guns might not be enough to give me an edge against Malakai, so I decide to pay the "Crate" a visit. 

A few stops on the bullet train takes me there in less than thirty minutes. When I walk in, his son gives me a glare that could melt rock. I hold my head high, unfazed. I'm used to confrontations like this. Though most people are usually glad to see Hunters about, not all citizens are happy to have us interfere in their business. As though nothing is amiss, I walk up to the counter and lean against it. Around me, the walls and displays are lined with all kinds of weapons and ammo. Guns, blasters, spears, wands, and even swords. Some are innovative models, others are off-brand Hunter copies.

"Fireborne," the man across from me sneers. He's short with sideburns that are too long and greasy hair that could have used a wash last month. "Thought you were on suspension."

I give him a winning smile. "Maybe I should tag a couple of fines to your books this month and see if they'll end my medical leave early as a reward." We stare each other down until he reaches for a gun that's strapped to his hip. I keep my cool. Even an idiot like this wouldn't dare to attack a Hunter out in broad daylight. 

"Get away from her, Gary," an old grizzled voice shouts from the back room. A wrinkled man with tanned skin and a head of white hair limps out, leaning heavily on a long black cane.

"Alren," I nod respectfully.

"Ellara, what brings you to my neck of the armory?" the store owner asks. As he approaches, his son, Gary, slinks away. Alren's eyes fall on Mephisto who's calmly perched on my shoulder. "And what's with the bird?"

"New pet I picked up," I explain, ignoring Mephisto's frustrated grunt. I point to the display case I'm leaning on. "Listen, I'm going to a meet up tonight and things are probably going to get hairy. I need something small but potent. Something I could hide in a skirt."

Alren gives me a one over and crosses his arms over his chest. "You're on suspension, so I assume you can't pay for this trinket you're needing?"

"Right as usual," I nod sheepishly.

"I do owe you my life, Ell." He lets out a long sigh and scratches the back of his head. "Let me see what I can do."

He takes me through several display cases and shows me quite a few different gadgets on his walls. None of them really strike me as what I would need. After nearly an hour, we make it to one of the front-most display cases. The 'real expensive stuff' as Alren puts it.

"Grenades?" I frown. "The place I'm going to is public. I don't want collateral damage."

Alren pulls out a box about five inches in width. He pops open the lid to reveal a thin narrow cylindrical object. It's silvery. Curious, I reach for it, but Alren gives me a warning glare.

"See that ridge at the top? That's the pin. Pop it off with your nail and you'll make us both deaf."

"A stun grenade?"

Alren nods. "But localized. Smaller. More temporary effects. Good for sticky situations and undetectable to scanners."

I'm instantly in love. "How much?"

"Too much for a Hunter salary," he chortles. With another sigh, he pats my back. "It's on the house. After this consider us even."

It doesn't fit in my skirt, but I do manage to hide it inside the inner pocket of my chest piece. After leaving the "Crate", I make my way back to the Destiny Café. Unfortunately, my trip there doesn't yield anything useful. As expected, there is no information on any reservations for private rooms at 9 PM tonight. I end up touring a few of the rooms then heading back out to grab a bite to eat and to try to text Xavier again.

The day passes in the blink of an eye, and the time for the meetup arrives too swiftly. My messages to Xavier hang as "delivered" but still unread. At some point, Mephisto flies off somewhere, and no more texts or calls come through on my phone. Just as I suspected earlier, I'm alone in this.

As my watch signals 8:59 PM, I have no choice but to proceed inside.

After eight o'clock, the Destiny Café transitions to its nighttime décor. The bright daylight bulbs are dimmed and warm orange-tinted lights give the place a cozy firelight feel. The area for the internet café comes alive with multicolored LED signs and patterns. The computers there glow and pulse in a row of rainbow keyboards and mice. The coffee bar is still going strong, serving those who are more active during the dark hours of the clock.

It's a fairly busy night, and the rooms and seats are mostly all occupied. As I enter through the door, a pleasant chime calls the waiters' attention to my presence. I leave my winter coat at their valet check-in, and the servers wave and ask if there's anything I need. I'm about to have a seat in one of the chairs when my phone goes off with the same eerie melody from earlier.

"Ask for the Red Room."

I'm not surprised that Malakai already knows I'm here. My belly churns with a burst of adrenaline as I go up to the customer service desk. Am I ready for this? Probably not. Even with a trick like the grenade up my sleeve, I won't be able to do much if this is an ambush with a group of trained fighters. This is especially true now that I don't have my Evol to help me.

I take a deep breath.

Well, here goes nothing.

"Hello," I greet the young woman at the counter. "I have a reservation for the Red Room."

The girl looks confused, and while she's checking her tablet for something, a man approaches us in uniform from the coffee bar. He has an athletic build, and his appearance is well-kempt. I can't tell his age, though he seems to be older than I am. Xavier's age, maybe.

"I'll handle this, Lara," he tells the girl then turns to me. "This way please, miss."

I follow him down the hall, but he doesn't take us to any of the private rooms. Instead, he pauses at a narrow door labeled "Staff Only". With a flick of his wrist, he scans his bracelet against the keypad. The light on it turns green, and I hear the sound of a lock opening. The man gestures for me to go inside and hands me an earpiece.

"Thank you, um..." I didn't get his name, so I flounder.

"Isaiah," he says with a polite smile then turns on his heel and walks away. As he does, I press my lips together, pop in the earpiece, and tug open the door. As I do, I pull out one of my guns and unlock the safety. I don't care if I look paranoid. If this really is an ambush, I'll only get one chance to defend myself.

As soon I'm inside, the door locks into place behind me.

Well, shit.

When someone tries to capture you, you break their neck. Not their leg.

Sylus's voice echoes in my mind as I examine the room. It's empty, and there's not much to see. As I might have expected, the room itself doesn't have a touch of red in it. The name is simply code. Other than the odd entrance, though, it looks just like every other private room in the Café. Well, maybe not every room. Embedded in the back wall right next to the stylish arrangement of table and chairs is a large fish tank. It's illuminated and gives the room a pleasant cozy feel.

I walk up to the tank. It's taller than I am, taking up almost half of the entire wall. Strangely, it's empty, as though the owner hasn't finished setting it up yet. I try to see the other side of it, but there's too many plants and decorations to get a clear view. Still, I get the feeling that there's something behind it.

My heart is pounding, and I can't focus. Antsy, I check my watch.

9:10 PM

I start when static hisses across my earpiece for a moment before a familiar voice resounds within.

"You've come armed to a business meeting?"

Malakai.

I'd forgotten how much he reminds me of my dead brother.

I steel myself against those thoughts in particular. There's no room for my trauma to rear its head tonight. I need to stay focused.

"I still have no idea who you really are or what you want," I tell him calmly. "You text me out of the blue on an unregistered phone and invite me to meet you alone. And, what? You expect me to come in here and offer myself on a silver platter?"

A huffing sound. "I suppose I should start with an introduction, then."

"Seems right since you apparently know everything about me," I snap.

"Indeed. Since you came all this way, and since we'll be seeing more of each other from now on, 'guess there's no harm in it." A beat, then -- "I'm Malakai Noxis."

My hands tighten on my weapon and my blood runs cold.

Noxis?

Like the organization we've been hunting for months?

The implications cut me to the quick.

"I see I've struck you speechless."

"You're not just a buyer..."

He makes a sound of amusement. "How in the world did I leave that impression?"

So, the masked man I'd met at the Mythe was the leader of Noxis? He was responsible for its creation and all of the terrible ripples it had caused among society? All those deaths. All that suffering. And now, even my own condition. He was to blame for all of it?

"That changes things," I frown, resetting my grip on my gun.

"For you, maybe. But you haven't even heard what I've come to offer."

I bite my lip, keeping my simmering anger at bay. "Didn't think I was dealing with a coward who wanted to talk over an earpiece. Why'd you even invite me here if you weren't going to come in person?"

"Last time we met, you couldn't stop staring at me like I was a ghost. It wasn't pleasant. I wonder, do I look so much like someone you regret losing?"

"Don't change the topic."

"I wasn't. Or did you think only certain organizations could afford to buy explosives?"

I waver on my feet, leaning against the tank in front of me. "What did you say?"

"You're a smart girl. I don't think I need to repeat myself."

My mind goes blank as I try to wrap my head around what he's telling me. He mentioned explosives and losing people important to me. He could have looked up my history; he likely did already. Is he messing with my head? Or, is he taking responsibility for Caleb and Grandma's deaths? Is he admitting that it wasn't Onychinus, but Noxis that blew a crater in my life less than a year ago?

No.

Not just Noxis.

The man I'm speaking with right now.

I shudder. My hands lower even further. As I start to breathe faster in panic, I try to yank myself back into focus. There's no proof. Bring me proof. Otherwise, he could just be toying with me to throw me off kilter.

"Lies," I rasp. "You're lying."

"You think so?"

"What reason do I have to believe you?"

"Open the drawer to your left."

I look in that direction and step over to a short table with a ceramic blue vase on top of it. It has a single drawer, and with a shaking hand I reach out and open it. My heart nearly stops as I pull out a broken pair of glasses that I recognize too well. It's Grandma's. There's a piece of a charm chain hanging from the side. A Christmas gift from me. The metal is burned, and one of the lenses is missing. The lens that remains has a drop of dried and crusted blood smeared on its surface. I can't help it. I drop them to the floor and reel back.

"Judging by your reaction, I assume you recognize them."

It can't be.

"You...you...killed them..." But, why? Why tell me all this? Why bring me here? Surely he knows that the moment I see him, I'm going to break every single bone in his body. His face first. Just like I've always imagined doing to my family's killer.

I'll punch him again and again.

Then shoot him until he's full of holes and bleeding out at my feet.

"I like this look on your face," Malakai says. "The setup was worth it."

I look up and around the room, but I don't see any cameras. Where is he watching me from? Nausea claws at my gut, and I push it down. Bastard is watching me from somewhere. Watching and laughing at my pain and my sorrow. Well, I won't have it. I'm not his mobile entertainment, and I'm certainly not here to play around. Glancing at the tank, I suddenly get an idea. If I'm wrong, I'm about to get in a lot of trouble.

But, at this point -- fuck it all.

I raise my gun and point it at the fish tank. No hesitation. No doubt. No stops.

I pull the trigger.

It's reinforced, but not against my caliber of bullet. The cracks creep up the sides of the tank.

Pop

Pop

Crackle

Pop

Bang!

The glass shatters, and a wave after wave of water pours and guzzles out of the tank.

Beyond, I see a shadow of a man standing in the darkness.

"I think it's time we stopped playing games," Malakai growls in my earpiece.

He raises his hand, and an invisible force wraps around my whole body. I gasp in shock and panic as that same something moves me by force and presses me flush against the opposite wall. It's a sickening feeling, cold and vile. Even when Sylus had once used his Evol against me, it didn't feel like this. Sylus always controlled his strength, always avoided hurting me. No such mercy here; I'm struggling to breathe; my bones are about to break, my entire body on the verge of being crushed.

I try to speak, but nothing comes out.

I can't see anything past the wall in front of me.

Sounds around me.

Crunching glass and sloshing water.

Footsteps behind.

"Drop the gun," Malakai commands, his voice real now, not part of a transmission. The Evol presses harder against my hands, and I hang onto my weapon with everything I have. It hurts, but I refuse to let him have what he wants so easily. My skin breaks out in cold sweat. The footsteps come closer and closer. My heart lurches in panic when a pair of large hands settles over mine.

"I'd hate to break these pretty little fingers," Malakai drawls right beside me.

"F...uck...you..." I manage to get out past his restraints.

A pause, then laughter. He's laughing, and it's horrible because it sounds just like Caleb. But, not. Not like him after all. This laugh is full of hate. It's bitter and toxic.

"Should you speak that way to the man who's come to save you?"

"Let...go....we'll see who's...laughing then..."

He makes a sarcastic sound of dismissal. But, I must have distracted him because the force on my body weakens somewhat. I'm not about to waste this opportunity. This man murdered my family. I don't have time for mind games or whatever it is he wants to play. I'm sick of being tossed around like a rag doll, both by my enemies and by fate. I'm sick of being a weakling, and I'm sick of needing to rely on someone else.

I'm done. I'm over it!

I feel the Evol around my body, can almost see it. If only I could Resonate. If only I could mimic this frequency. I want to throw it back at him. I want him to feel what it's like to be a breath away from your lungs being torn apart. My whole body hurts; my eyes sting in response to the lack of oxygen. But, if he thinks he's going to make me black out and take me somewhere, he's wrong. I'll be damned if I let him capture me. I'll be damned if I have to feel weak ever again!

"Do as you're told. If you want to live, it won't be the last time you'll have to listen to what I say."

I see red.

My heart pounds in my ears.

I drop my gun, simultaneously using the chance to lift my bound wrists to rest against my chest. I struggle. I put everything I have into reaching for the grenade hidden in my shirt.

Malakai shifts behind me. "That's more like it. Ready to talk now?" he asks, his voice edged and gruff.

"Let...go...first..."

"No, I think we'll do it this way."

The force around my neck backs off somewhat, and I rush to take in a deeper breath. With the pressure gone, I cough. I'm dizzy, but not so much that I can't think straight. I just need to reach my inner pocket. Just a few inches. If only I could move my hand a little.

His palm appears in my line of vision. He's holding a tiny red vial no bigger than my thumb. There's a clear liquid inside. As though baiting me, he shakes it.

"Do you know what this is?" he asks. "I'm sure you do. It's what you came for." He pulls back his hand, and I hear him tucking the vial into his clothes. "One dose is all you need to detox."

I can speak normally now, and I use it to my advantage. "You're not just selling the LUMINIS. You're selling the antidote, too."

"Not yet. This vial is a single prototype. First you breed a dependent market. Then you hold the cure hostage. Isn't that just good business?"

"So many people have died..."

"I call it a learning curve..."

"You despicable bastard." I wiggle my fingers. Just a little more. I can feel the edge of the grenade with the pad of my index finger. Come on. I can do this. Keep him talking.

He chuckles. "Don't be so harsh. Or so quick to judge."

"So what do you want with me?"

A pause as he considers it. "Your heart, of course. The Aether Core. I'd think you'd know that by now."

"Why don't you just kill me and take it then?" My index finger snags the grenade.

"That would be a waste," he sighs. "I think you'll be more useful alive."

"So you want to use me for your science experiments?" My middle finger wraps around the metal. "How does that make you any different from Onychinus?"

The atmosphere around us changes. The air grows colder somehow. As I manage to get a third finger around the grenade, his footsteps come closer. I hiss as he grabs my hair and roughly pulls my head back.

"Don't compare me to those fools," he growls. The force around me weakens just a little more. It's marginal, but it's enough. My thumb makes contact with the weapon, and I can move my wrist.

"Is that your offer, then? You give me the antidote and I become your lab rat?"

He starts to say something, but I don't wait for him to finish. I use the nail of my thumb to pop out the cap on the grenade and flick my wrist to send it falling to the ground.

Ping ping ping splash!

It makes a quiet sound as it falls into the water. I squeeze my eyes shut and hold my breath. Beside me, I hear Malakai gasp.

The grenade goes off, but I don't register the sound. In a split second, I can't hear anything except my own breathing. I'm pushed even farther against the wall. The force around my body fades away, and I'm thrown sideways. Without missing a beat, I drop to the ground and feel around for my gun. The frigid water from the broken tank saturates my clothes. There's about an inch of it on the ground at my feet.

Blinking open my eyes, I ignore the bright splotches of light in them as I scramble to find Malakai. He's a few feet away, laying on his back. There's blood at his temple, and he groans in pain. I've stunned him. Bless you, Alren. You've probably saved my skin.

My world tilts and dips as I force myself to get to my feet. The grenade managed to affect me too, but it's not nearly as severe as Malakai. Stumbling over to him, I drop on top of him and point the gun barrel to his forehead. My breaths come in short staccato bursts, my hands shaking. I can't focus on anything except my fury now.

Murderer. Murderer! Pull the trigger. Pull it. My family will be avenged! The antidote is on him. I just have to take it. Then everything will be fine again. I can go back to being a Hunter. I can get my life back. Everything can go back to normal again. He's insane. He's responsible for so many deaths. He wants to capture me and dissect me. If I don't kill him now --

"You've gotten stronger, pip-squeak," Malakai groans softly beneath me.

My tunnel vision widens from the spot on his forehead where I'm pressing the gun. Black hair swims into my line of sight. Violet eyes next. Deep and sorrowful. No longer a stranger's eyes; no longer a stranger's voice. Blood surrounds us in the water. Not mine. The face looking up at me is mine though. My brother. The brother that I'd buried and mourned and missed.

Slowly, the pieces come together, and suddenly I can't breathe again. I start to pull back, but Malakai's Evol clamps around me and holds me still.

"No. Keep the gun right there," he says. His Evol tightens around me until it hurts. I grit my teeth and shift my fingers back to the trigger. "That's it. The second you move that away from me," his eyes darken. "Well, you'll definitely regret it."

"C-Caleb...Caleb..." It takes me a minute to realize I'm repeating his name like a broken record under my breath. "No...no...no...it's impossible...impossible..."

"Why?" he asks. "You buried an empty casket. You never looked for me."

"D-dead...you're..."

Droplets of water fall down and land on his cheeks.

Tears?

My tears?

But, I'm so numb. I can't feel anything.

"I'm right here," he smiles, and it's a mockery. All of it. A damn joke. A prank. It has to be.

"Caleb...Caleb..."

More droplets falling to his cheeks.

For a moment, his eyes soften. He reaches up and strokes the side of my face.

And then something rips a hole in the wall behind us. With a new path created for its passage, the excess water flushes out of the room through the void. Someone steps inside, stride by powerful stride.

Silver hair.

Red eyes.

Furious, blazing, glowing red.

"Sylus," Caleb's smile turns venomous. "At last you arrive. I did expect you to show up earlier."

Despite the storm in his gaze, Sylus's expression is mildly amused. He moves to stand a few feet from us. I know that stance. I know the meaning of the arrogant tilt to his chin and the thrill to the curve of his mouth. In this moment, he's come to claim a life. For a minute, he just stands and stares down at us, though he doesn't acknowledge me at all.

"Not going to say anything?" Caleb challenges.

Sylus's smirk widens. "I don't deal with dead men."

Before I know what I'm doing, I'm throwing my arms out to the sides and trying to block my brother with my body.

"No," I whimper. "Please, no. You can't. He's...he's..."

Sylus takes a few more steps towards us.

One.

Then another.

I shake my head, tears flowing freely down my face.

"No...no...no...you can't...you can't! I won't let you!"

Standing directly above us now, Sylus looks displeased. His eyes rove over me. There is no mercy in them. No empathy.

"Don't force me to make you move aside," he warns, his tone steady and calm.

I shake my head. "Please...please...don't..."

"Now that you're here, let's get the show on the road," behind me, Caleb shifts. I hear him mumble something else, but I can't make it out. He reaches for something in his pocket.

Sylus's hand flies out. He pulls me against him then turns us as though shielding me.

My mind catches up. Caleb's words finally register.

An eye for an eye.

Just as I feel Sylus's Evol wrap around us, an inferno swallows us whole. The explosion is deafening, and I can do nothing but scream and press my hands over my ears. The roar of the flames envelops us like a monstrous tidal wave. The heat scorches at my back and shoulders. We're going to burn alive at this rate, and there's absolutely nothing I can do. My surroundings bend, shift, and blur together.

Then, silence.

Silence and distorted sound.

Clean, crisp winter air nips at my exposed arms and legs.

We've Jumped.

I blink open my eyes and see that we're outside in the snow. Still reeling, I hear screams and clamoring. People are running down the street. Emergency sirens are wailing. Someone's tripped the PA system to call for Hunters and Fire Marshall support. Black thick smoke billows upwards into the night sky. As my thoughts sharpen, I recognize the blazing building.

It's the Destiny Café.

How odd. I don't remember coming here. The last thing I recall was sitting in my apartment and reading a book.

I smell rusted metal.

I look down at my hands.

They're covered in red. Deep, dark, red that looks almost black in the moonlight.

At last, I look up at the person I'm embracing and meet equally crimson eyes. My heart melts at the sight of his face. I'm relieved. My arms are wrapped around Sylus, and he's warm and sturdy and real. So much time has passed since we spoke. I was starting to fear that he'd forgotten me.

My relief is short lived as I see that his back is coated in blood. That's what's all over my palms. His jacket is gone, and his shirt is torn. His lips are moving, but I can't hear what he's saying.

That seems to upset him.

"Ellara," he calls my name.

I hear him this time.

"Sylus...you've come..."

He shakes my shoulder and holds something in front of my face. A small red vial no bigger than my thumb. Clear liquid moves inside. Something about that vial spears me through the heart as soon as I see it. But, I don't want to think about that right now. There's no reason to; not now.

My cheeks feel cold.

"Drink it," he says to me. "Now."

"What is it?"

"Drink," he says again in a rough impatient tone. "Don't make me tell you again."

I take the vial, and he helps me tip it into my mouth. It's tasteless and odorless.

Strange. Why are my hands shaking?

And then the blood catches my attention again. "Are you hurt?"

He smiles and strokes the top of my head. "It's not my blood," he says as always. He's lying, but I don't want to think about that either. As he reassures me, the fluid on my hands glows red and turns to ash.

I touch my face, wiping away tears.

Sylus stands up and offers me a hand. I take it, letting him help me to my feet.

"Looks like there's been a fire," I say, feeling strangely sleepy all of a sudden.

Sylus makes a sound of agreement.

"How come you're here?" I ask.

"Do you not remember calling for me?" he tilts his head. His expression is still steady, controlled. But his eyes give him away. There's concern there, deep within.

"Ah..." I rub my temple. "Sorry, I'm a bit tired. I guess I haven't been sleeping well."

"If you're tired, you can rest in my arms," he says, holding them out. I step into them, pressing my cheek against his chest. He feels warm and safe, as always.

"Will you take me home?"

He nods. "If that's where you wish to go."

I close my eyes. "Please don't leave me alone again."

His arms tighten around me. "I won't," he promises, and I pray that this time he's telling me the truth.

[fountainpenguin]

Riddle watches New Wish - Post #30

The Battle of Big Wand

Part 4 of reacting to this episode (spoiler-free)!

I LOVE that we get to see so much of Foop's spindly fingers in this episode. The way he wiggled his fingers was one of my favorite body language quirks back in the OG series. He's the same person...

Uh-oh... Dev's starting to have second thoughts now that people are getting hurt... And Irep doesn't like it...

I think it's REALLY funny that Irep's hair looks blue when he's in good lightning and black when he's in dim lighting. Not sure if that was intentional to mimic both his parents' hair and his old curl, but that's super clever if it was.

/record scratch. "So, you're probably wondering how we got here."

Irep remembering why he prefers working alone.

Fascinated by the choice to portray Irep tucking his hands behind his back. It seems to be his thing while his parents lean into the OG show's style of holding their hands like stubby chicken wings. I've been thinking that this whole episode... I have random memories sticking out to me from OG series; I'm gonna look it up.

- Oh, interesting... He does it in "Playdate" (dressed nice and trying to fool Cosmo and Wanda into believing he's rehabilitated after Abracatraz), "Love Triangle" (flirting with Goldie on the playground), "Timmy's Secret Wish" (bragging about being a lawyer), "Two and a Half Babies" (pretending to be a good boy for his teacher at the end so she'll let him go to summer camp), "Terrible Twosome" (swaying Poof to mess around and pull pranks), and maybe others, but that's enough looking. - I guess it's just his thing! That's cool; I don't think that was a gesture I paid much attention to in the OG, but he's done it a lot in New Wish. I think he's happy he lost his stubby arms.

I'm OBSESSED with Dev's realization that he and Irep aren't business partners if Irep doesn't listen to his feelings as a partner. He's gonna realize he didn't listen to Peri, and he's gonna want him back!! They're gonna work it out! ... Hopefully with a mediator!

I like how Dale went from 0 to 100 in paying attention to his son as soon as he realized Dev was capable of business deals. He's not being comforting, but he's interested in talking business.

Dale is one of the funniest characters I've ever seen in my life. Not necessarily for the things he says, but for the commitment to the bit.

His swagless looks, nonexistent charm, and extreme amounts of oddly specific lemonade trauma have captivated me. I desperately want to look at him and say "Huh?? Who invited THIS guy??"

Hands down favorite part of Dale's design is the enormous puffer jacket he wears despite the fact it's obvious he's still super scrawny. But I also like how his child design ALSO has the exhausted lines under his eyes in "Nectar of the Odds," which I'd just assumed were invented for adult Dale until I took another look. Also, on some bizarre level, I feel like Dale has actually recovered remarkably well for a guy who spent 7 years tormented underground in servitude? Is he generous with his money? No. Does he have friends? No. Is he kind to his son? No. Is he capable of resting between projects or just taking breaks in general? Also no. Can he handle people messing with his schedule? Absolutely not. Is he keeping tabs on his abuser to ensure she doesn't wreck his or his son's life? Nope. But does his hard work bring him happiness? ... I don't know :'D But he's good at getting things done when he sets his mind to it, he can host a killer event, he's heavily implied to have amazing robotics skills, and he has insanely quick turnaround on his marketing plans, so he's got that going for him. -> Dale will look at stuff and say "Is anybody gonna hyperfixate on that?" and not wait for an answer. "Self-made" lemonade boy, my beloved... If we get a huge plot twist that Dale is the creator of the Vicky-themed robot babysitters from the "Channel Chasers" epilogue, would that be nuts or what? Me: Wait, what are all the symptoms of hyperfixation again? Lemme look this up... Me: Me: ... Good to know! (It was all of them. All of them are the symptoms)

The Dale ramble I wrote here got so long that I moved it to its own post. I hope you like my shirtless "Dale bad at being on his honeymoon" doodles <3

I'm glad Dale seems like he's doing okay and that Dev didn't bug him with lemons (or throw him down in the dark pit that swings shut from the top, even though that would've been so easy). I think I was right in that I'm probably making a bigger deal out of his backstory than the show intended, but I think it's hilarious.

I do have a history of going for characters who give me "Okay, but where else can I ever get this character / this dynamic?" energy. He's one heckuva guy. I need to put him in a 'fic and shake him up and down like a snow globe. I desperately want him to find out he accidentally hired his abuser to babysit his kid. I hope it was an accident, because if he's kept her number in his contact list, I'm gonna have a talk with him.

I wish we'd see Dale doing "angry at Hazel" stuff. I'm confused as to what the purpose of it was... Are we not going to touch on that in the finale? Was it just to upset Dev, but not vital enough to follow through with as an actual plot point? hm.

-> ?? I feel like it was a big deal in at least two episodes leading up to this big finale plot, so I'm just... surprised? Hm.

I guess I'm not really bothered because I don't think Dale knows Hazel came to Fairy World or that she'll appear again, and I understand why his attention is diverted, but it'd be fun (for me).

Also, this is our second time being robbed of a Dev-Irep sleepover D:

omfg, Irep ditching Dev for Dale is the funniest thing ever.

oh no.

Alone again...

sdlkfj, Wanda has spent this entire series taking shots at Dev because she thinks he's a bitter bully and she kept saying things to Peri like "Blink twice if you need help getting out of here."

I remember posting years ago about how I like to think Cosmo's really good at reading people (especially when it comes to distracting them, like encouraging Jorgen to "scramble the Fairies" in "Abra-catastrophe" before he can separate them from Timmy).

So... I really enjoy that he senses Wanda's going too far and might lose any chance of Dev helping, and he tries to stop her.

oh no... I like how when Wanda is telling Dev about dying from magical back-up and she uses the example of a fairy feeling queasy and needing to use the bathroom and then they explode...

... because that's how the Grim Reaper told Foop he'd die back in "Man's Worst Friend" ("Oh, this is fun! You're gonna perish on the toilet!"), and I've been thinking about it ever since I saw Peri dying on the floor.

I headcanon them dying young, but not THIS young!! /jk

Wanda, I have good news for you! I'm pretty sure that guy you think is dead isn't dead. Pretty sure I saw him when I took my screenshots of Anti-Fairies taking over Earth and (ironically) the memorial scene at Fairy Con.

Irep when the alarm goes off cracks me up. There's no point in posting the screenshot because he's tiny and blurry, but he's so spooked. His eyes take up his entire face. RIP overly sensitive bat ears and weak bat eyes.

Oooh, Jasmine singing is going to do something. Are the Anti-Fairies going to enjoy it despite other characters thinking she sings poorly?

Yes. lol. I was going to theorize in my 2nd post for this episode about whether Irep is still really affected by music, but I didn't bother because I was like "I can't imagine that would come up."

oh no, he is. Not enthusiastically... but he is. Love that for him. This kid's always loved to dance and play loud music. Never change.

oh no!!! They're exploiting Irep's one true weakness...

Diversity win!! The genderfluid bisexual has a gender-neutral response for nonbinary folks he thinks have bad boy energy!!

sdlfjk, I think Irep just found the person he most wants to godparent for. Ever.

I checked "Certifiable Super Sitter" again just in case I missed a bad boy joke, and I totally forgot Sammy screams "Break Vicky like a 2 x 4!" at the top of his lungs while he mimes snapping her neck. He's so funny. I love him. I wonder if Foop ever told Sammy about his "Scary Godcouple" trauma and if Sammy was extra ruffled about Vicky because of that.

Peri: I don't understand what you see in Sammy. He's so... mild. Irep: Not after I talk to him ❤️

okay, nerd.

......... Did Foop have a crush on Goldie back in "Love Triangle" because she has major femme fatale energy?? Discuss.

omg, just realized the reason why Irep's single eyelash felt so familiar to me is because that's how he looked in "Blue Angel." Absolutely hilarious that when he opts for a feminine disguise, he has fewer eyelashes than usual.

- Poof and Foop had 3 eyelashes per eye when they were young, but Peri's lost those, and Anti-Cosmo doesn't show lashes. Jorgen's New Wish eyes don't either (Jorgen wore mascara in the OG series) and neither do Cosmo's (Cosmo also liked make-up) - I ?? have to assume that means Irep is deliberately going for a more femme, nonbinary, or genderfluid vibe of some kind, which is perfect for me! His gender identity is one of his plot points in the 130 Prompts. - Can't believe all those years ago, I clocked Poof as growing up to be "the one suppressing trauma with candy and soda" and Foop as "the one who plays with gender expression" ... I know it's not stated by canon, but you get me...

??? I like how Anti-Wanda seems to be teaching Anti-Cosmo how to make his eyes look in different directions and he's loving it? Unclear.

I also like how with his accent, it sounds like he's saying "Hazel-y," which is cute. I like how he made the effort to find out her name; that's 100% in-character.

They are doing their best!! (They are not)

I like that when confused, Anti-Cosmo's instinct was to turn to Anti-Wanda for advice. That's new for him considering he used to shake her and scream. I'm glad they worked that out. And I'm glad he's exactly as "extinct by instinct" as he's always been <3

Apparently Irep (or at least Foop) gets the "spelling out unnecessary details" bit of his dialogue from his mom??

Like, monologuing important info is one thing, but in the OG series, Foop elaborates on things for no reason, like Anti-Wanda here. lol.

I was kind of worried about the direction Anti-Wanda's reboot might go. I believe what I said was, "I'd be interested to see her redesigned with new clothes and with a reduction on the "Anti-Wanda's stupid" angle in favor of mirroring Wanda better (owing to how I've always felt she was a hasty design slapped down in Season 2 and then they couldn't go back on it when Wanda's character developed further). Anti-Wanda's hit every mark I was hoping for in a rebooted design for her. She's still Southern and goofy, but she's not being played as stupid... She and Anti-Cosmo are equally silly and equally dumb and messing around <3

sdlkfj, Anti-Cosmo out here like "This isn't my party, so I'm down to follow my wife's suggestion that we slip from the room together."

Okay, other nerd; I'm glad you're excited to be alone with your hot wife as you definitely try to catch a real human running around.

ALSO very in character; man LOVES forgetting what he's doing and wandering around!! That's his thing!!!

Me out here like "Oh yeah, now I remember why I wrote a 'fic where no one looked for the captured Anti-Cosmo for 77k years because his family totally thought he'd gone wandering and dissociated and started a new life... oh no.

[acourtofthought]

Do you think Elain would actually try to get back to her human self somehow? I saw a lot of people think that she’d be in cahoots with Koschei because she wants to be turned back. I think the “I don’t want a mate/male” quote and Feyre thinking she wants a human man thing is in ACOFAS, so since then things have changed. She seems more accepting of the fact that she is fae, she just hasn’t accepted Lucien yet. These ideas mostly come from the evil Elain theories which I really don’t like anyway 🙄 but if Elain and Lucien are connected to Koschei I hope her trying to go back to humanity isn’t her main plot line. I hope she’d be over that by now

Elain did say "I don't want a mate / male" but then turned around and developed a crush or flirtation with a male shortly after which suggests progress.

SJM isn't the kind of writer to wave a magic wand and make these characters traumas disappear so Elain saying she didn't want any of the above after the war, after losing her father, after Graysen's rejection, etc. are not surprising.

She was thrust out of a world she loved and into one where she was turned into a being she grew up fearing, suddenly finding herself kicking beats and stabbing kings in battle. I think it's normal that she was trying to distance herself from extremely fae things like mating bonds and relationships with non humans when she really hadn't had times to come to terms with the fact that she is now fae and living in a place that is so unlike what she was used to.

However it's been over a year since the war. Nearly two years since she was turned. Elain may not be ready to fully embrace being fae (as Nesta wasn't ready until the end of her book) but that doesn't necessarily mean she wants to go back to a life where she knows people turned their backs on her.

Also, I can't recall a single SJM main character hero / heroine who has tried to work with the bad guy for selfish reasons and not ended up looking like the villain.

(spoilers for TOG to follow)

In the ACOTAR series we have Rhys looking like the bad guy because he was working for Amarantha. But....he ended up the hero because he was actually protecting his entire court and trying to find a way to free Prythian.

In TOG, we had Dorian seeming to work with Maeve. But in the end, he had only been playing her, finding how her powers worked so he could use them against her.

The above are two scenarios where a main character looked like they were working for the big bad only for us to discover they were using their intelligence to turn the tides in their favor.

But.........

In ACOMAF, we have Tamlin playing double agent to Hybern. Even though he was gathering information that did benefit them in the war, his main reason for allying with Hybern was to get Feyre back.

As a result, SJM made his character one that now "sucks" (her words from an actual interview with Eva Cheng).

Tamlin may get some sort of redemption but my guess is he's never getting his own book. With his journey, the author has told us that when a character tries to play double agent for selfish reasons it's not going to leave them looking like the hero, even if they were also trying to gather information on the side.

So Elain trying to ally with Koschei to be turned human again? HOW does that end up with her as a heroine?

First, it means she's willing to put others at risk for her own selfish desires, that is not FMC energy. Elain has had visions of Koschei, she knows he's kidnapped other females. Who would ever root for her knowing that she was willing to work with someone like him after that?

Also, Elain seeking him out then needing rescuing....isn't that just proving that she shouldn't have tried handling anything dangerous like Az believed? That she was a "little girl" trying to play in a "grown mans" world and failing? That Nesta was right telling her not to get involved with the Trove?

The only way the Elain / Koschei theory would work for SJMs kind of writing is if everyone thought Elain was working with Koschei for her own reasons but it's revealed she never wanted to be human after all. That she set out to prove she could best him with her intelligence and came out victorious (as Dorian did with Maeve or Rhys with Amarantha).

I am with you, there are so many more things that SJM could do with Elain's character than having her regress back to 2 years ago. We've already witnessed her at her lowest where she struggled with becoming fae and losing her life in the human lands. She's not 100% and I don't think she's thriving like she could be elsewhere but she has now made a few friends, keeps busy around Velaris helping others, developed her first "crush" on a fae male and now has a nephew to love. SJM would have wasted multiple books of Elain working through the worst of it and coming out on the other side to turn around and have her willing to put others at risk to become human again.

[racfoam]

Okay, I am sharing a few paragraphs from the nynn Atrium fight

BIG SPOILERS AHEAD ! ! !

“Why do you hurt her, Tom?”

Voldemort's breath — it hitched. He composed himself remarkably quickly, serpentine face turning into a monstrous snarl.

“Be quiet,” hissed Voldemort, glaring at Dumbledore, his long fingers tightening on his wand with such force Harry thought it would shatter. “Be quiet, Dumbledore. You know nothing.”

Dumbledore, however, was undeterred. Harry could not move, dared not speak, unable to believe how confidently Dumbledore strolled across the Atrium, like this was a normal walk in the park. It was an impossible sight to see, how uneasy Voldemort appeared, like a coiled snake readying to strike, shoulders tense, wand raised at Dumbledore without issuing jets of light.

It was like Dumbledore’s curious question threw Voldemort off kilter. Voldemort, unfocused? Voldemort, distracted?

Harry couldn't comprehend it. Yet there he was, staring at Dumbledore with wide, red eyes. Not out of fear, but something else.

Shock? Was Voldemort shocked?

“Why hurt someone whose only intention was to love you?” asked Dumbledore, and he looked so very disappointed in Voldemort, and so very sad.

For a long, breathless moment, nothing happened. The two wizards stared at each other. Harry wondered whether they were battling with their minds.

It was Dumbledore who stopped walking now, and his face shifted into a look of wonder, before his lips curled into a soft, understanding smile.

“I see,” said Dumbledore gently, like he and Voldemort were friends out for a drink. Whatever Dumbledore saw, it actually made him smile. “You're afraid.”

Afraid? Voldemort? Of what? Of Harry? Of Dumbledore?

“You're afraid you’ll lose her before you even have a chance to be with her.”

Something clogged Harry's throat. It felt a lot like falling off her broom, soaring down the sky without wings or a broom. A freefall, uncontrolled and wild.

Voldemort bared his teeth, and Harry knew what he intended to do before he'd even started doing it, could see the form of movement his forearm would make, in which shape his wrist and fingers would direct his wand.

The Killing Curse.