#they fix the body swap in another episode

[girl4music]

Yep. They actually did this.

What we now know as “And they were roommates” was “And they were soulmates”

And at this point in the show, there was absolutely no denying that Xena and Gabrielle were a couple.

I remember Renee talking about this scene in her commentary for it as the director of the episode and she said the reason they did this was because they knew while Xena was reincarnated into Joxer’s body, they could absolutely get away with the kiss even though it meant that it was Xena kissing Gabrielle.

Apparently the studio censors didn’t really care about the context of the scene, so long as it didn’t look like a woman was kissing another woman. So they did it. Again - because the cast/crew wanted it. Not because it was a way that they could ‘bait’ a queer audience.

[lumineary-arts]

Saw you ask about ppls AUs uh

Most of mine, admittingly, don't have designs yet. At least not drawn ones. Oops!!

But I can like?? Still ramble ig?

I also have a swap AU! I haven't posted a lot ab it, but it's called Solver Shift.

In it I put Sam in Cyns place. So the DDs have pink accents (wasn't comfortable using Doll and making them red, despite barely drawing DD armbands anyways - personally at least)

Some places I'm still unsure about, like idk whether Khan and Nori should be direct swaps with Ron & Tessa or should be put in Tessas parents position. If I go the latter idk who to put in Tessas place lol.

Ron and Tessa weren't actually ever romantically involved. They were just best friends, and were like "well we live together, we both kinda wanna know what having kids is like. So let's raise one together"; insert Nuke (N) being built. Tess survived a few years into his life, they built Cyn and then yada yada you know the story - dead mom

If it wasn't obvious by Ns name, the rail gun gets replaced by explosives. Thank Cyn for that, it was her idea. (They both take canonverse Uzi her engineering skills, but Cyn takes the more unhinged aspect of the personality.) - Nuke was like "we gotta do something about the DDs but idk what!" And Cyn, sparkly eyed and all, was like "Let's blow them up!"

I need to figure out some episode stand ins seeing as Cyn is younger but still sticks to N like glue. Beau takes Dolls place, they'd be Similar in age to Cyn (aka I gotta give them a body design F)

Oh also, as for befriending the DDs -- whilst Ep1 would run similar to canon; after that Thad/T would bond faster with the siblings than Uzi/Z bc they keep their canonverse personalities mostly!! So that's a reverse. Also T wouldnt want to kill the Prom unlike V, he just genuinely wants to make friends 😭

Don't ask me why Beau is at the prom, being younger and all. Might just make it an all years general prom rather than just the graduating class.

Next AU yay

Blood & Bats is a Vampire/Human AU! DDS and Solver Drones are vampires, you get the gyst!

N & Cyn are bio siblings, got separated bc of a divorce. Eventually both were separately taken away for shitty parenting, one of which caused Cyn to get vampirism one way or another. She also has DID/OSDD1 in this AU, the Solver conciousness isn't an evil entity here, just s Persecutor under the definition of "Misguided Protector who hurts as a form of protection" -- they're basically just a terrified vampire kid who thinks they're a danger and thinks isolation is the only way to keep their lived ones safe.

At some point the Elliots adopt N, later Cyn too. They also have previously adopted V and J. As time goes on, the alphabet trio one by one get turned by Cyn/Solver but they catch her after that so Tessa never is turned.

Uzi is basically a half vampire. Her mom was one, her dad wasn't. I don't remember the details atm, but I assume I've posted them somewhere in the tag on my account, but iirc Khan killed Nori in a moment of shock and survival instinct when finding out. Uzi doesn't know this. She finds out later after being turned herself (on accident!) - either through N or Cyn. Might do N to draw a parallel to the miscommunication between ep 2 and 3. Bc yeah Uzi would assume it's on purpose and he broke a promise.

Once they fix things, she finds out about her dad killing her mom and she runs away from home, terrified he might kill her too -- she crashes at the siblings place OR Thads place. I'm not sure yet. Both have pros and cons.

Khan cant easily access the manor, needs to be at an event for it. But the parents would want Uzi OUT asap. On Thads end; Teacher (Thad and Lizzy are either step or half siblings idk yet) and Ron (uncle, moved in after his sister died to help with the kids!) Would not let Khan take Uzi home sending as they see her terrified. They don't know what happened. But Khan has easier access bc he's friends with Teacher and obviously Lizzy is there which Uzi isn't thrilled about.

That's as far as I can remember the storyline -- there would still be parallels to some episodes! Ep 4 would still happen! Just some would survive! Rebecca would be found by one of the alphabet trio and turned to save her life. She's wheelchair bound after that. Sam survives but everyone thinks he got too high and doesn't believe him when he talks rambling about Uzis vampire form (Becca keeps it secret bc like if she says something it by extension endangers the other vampires in the school which now includes herself)

Intertwined/Inteetwinjng Codes (Me when I keep going back and forth between both titles) is a next gen AU thing. It started off as a joke,,, oh well

Kids.

These little shits are twins, they started this whole rabbithole. They would boot up sometime after Ep 4.

Later on their parents would want to program another kid & adopt one. Invert Annika and Zagi, except unexpected thing happened and they now have two babies to upload. Insert Raven.

Annika is currently undergoing redesign, ignore how basic she looks compared to her siblings lol.

As for the last 2 kids -- they didn't WANT any more, but when being sent to another colony they run into this toddler with a baby, who are being attacked by other DDs so they step in. Whilst they argue with N, Uzi gets the kids to safety. They were gonna keep the kids at their place for that night but Olicia did NOT want to sleep in the same place as a DD & a ton of half DDs -- so Thad gets called at 3am 😭 hes the cool uncle to their kids so yk

Next day it turns out adoption wing is full, so the siblings get passed around Thad, Uzis dad and Nuzi a ton (their own colony got killed so they cant go back there) until Ray gets attached to Nuzi, and you shouldn't separate a baby from its bonded adults. Seeing as he already lost the code related parents, they didn't want to risk further hurting his programming. So the siblings were basically accidentally adopted by Nuzi, despite Olivia not being happy about it at first. But she didn't want to separate from Ray.

That's mostly that. Theres not too much lore tbh. Just a silly half joke AU.

Also I have 6 siblings IRL so I tend to like give my ship kids many siblings 😭 so ignore that fact lol, just projecting

Then theres like 3 more Cyn centric AUs.

2 are pretty small.

DD!Cyn AU that has no name yet is just the AS uploaded a copy of Cyn/the Base Drones conciousness into a DD body and kept her with the trio. That'll lead to major Identity crisis once Cyn realizes technically she's a clone and her memories aren't *hers*. Aside from that: Cyn and J constantly have beef bc of J abusing N, Cyn tries to get her to stop but just faces verbal abuse herself in return :(

Shes also pretty distrusting of Uzi at first bc like!! Nobody except Cyn ever spent time with N!! That's a Drone getting close to her big brother which possibly could hurt him in the long run if she turns out to be like the other teammates!! (She eventually warms up to her)

Then there is Trapped/Hivemind AU. Literally just Cyn trapped in the hivemind, unable to reach her body for control. She can HEAR the other Solver Drones and the DDs, as they're all part of the hivemind. But she can't communicate with them. No matter how hard she tries.

Especially when she hears N she will call out to him but not get a response

So shes probably on the brink of losing it

Then there is "Dormant" Absolute Solver

Originally it was gonna be "The AS lost interest in Cyn as a host" and ig it still kind of is correct-? I need to go back and forth between certain aspects lol

But long story short, Cyn now got a separate body from the AS, doesn't know it killed Tessa & comes to C9 with J & "Tessa". The AS just brought her as a tool to manipulate N with, but she doesn't know that. Cyn joins the group from ep 6 onwards. Yay more PTSD for the child I guess :)

I havent written out ep 6 yet but I think she'd be with N & "Tessa" for that part.

Ep 7 she ends up on the side of the rocks with Uzi, and walks at a distance after being told to basically F off bc Uzi doesn't trust her now but Cyn is scared to be alone. Uzi notices Cyn isn't okay tho.

(Varian tangled reference yay)

Might I add that seeing Uzis wings and tail in ep 6 would have majorly triggered Cyns PTSD but shes unaware of why she feels so scared. So seeing Uzis tail the whole time definitely adds onto the stress =)

During the fight Uzi would reach out to Cyn through the hivemind, both girls calling out to N through Cyns body. The AS doesn't like that and forcefully shuts Cyn down. It has admin rights over her after all.

By the time Cyn wakes up, the AS is grabbing her to blackmail N after just having eaten Doll. Talking about how he wouldnt want to hurt his baby sister (hes aiming his laser cannon at the AS for context). Then it gets bored, drops Cyn and the regular program ensures. Except Cyn took Tessas gun and shoots herself free from the tentacles and runs to the pit after seeing Nuzi be pulled in. Whilst shes there trying to figure out how to get them back up (seeing as she cant use her Solver on them, or at least not Uzi. The show us so unclear if it works on DDs or not) the scene goes on.

I'm not sure yet who Cyn will stick with, probably N bc I've more ideas. BUT also I'm waiting for episode 8 to decide that for sure. Same with the ending. I got multiple bad ending ideas and also a good ending :) ep 8 will determine which one will be canon :)

Oh yeah Cyn lol -- both new and old ref bc of the oil canister I didn't draw in the new one yet. She still has it as you can see by the oil tubes!

Also the Good!Ending DAS!N would run a Daycare post canon. IC!N also runs one. I just like having N work with kids.

Most of these (I think all except DD & Trappsd Cyn) are tagged on my account probably with some more info

Idk if the tags will show up tho bc they don't always for me when searching for them :(

My pinned post has the tags listed I think

I think that was all of them hm (istg if I forgot one 💀)

OKAY THIS ONE'S SUPER IN DEPTH I'M HEAVILY INTRIGUED. MULTIPLE AU'S DUDE!! I LOVE IT, KEEP EM COMING. Loving the ideas behind the swap AU. Putting Sam in Cyn's place is unique, I hadn't heard anyone do that before!! Also the thing about using pink is fair, I did use red but I didn't keep that in mind! A vampire AU's extremely fitting for Murder Drones, being a substitute for the Solver/Disassembly model. Since ep. 4 is my favorite, I love the fact it'd still play out here. Also I must say I REALLY like the next gen AU designs??? I actually kinda wish we saw more next gen stuff, or maybe I'm just not looking in the right places. Either way I very specifically love Rexim and Raven's designs, I think the color choices are really speaking to me. ALSO ALL THE CYN FANS ARE GONNA BE EATING UP THE CYN-CENTRIC AU'S. But it seems like the poor girl could never catch a break. WONDERFUL WORK ALL AROUND!!

[woolying]

i meant to post this last week before the first in-game comic came out but i forgot oops.... anyywayyy i am sooooo obsessed with teruko plays among us so im posting my initial predictions based on canon/what i think would be funny (girl who likes mongy monday and drdt a bit too much and is trying to be normal about it) also i explain the roles for people who may not know them!

i might update these each week as more info comes out in the comic

(under the cut bc its long / drdt spoilers)

DAVID

jester (neutral role, has to get voted out to win) - i think its kinda self explanatory as to why lol (i hope teruko shoots him <3)

i would say imitator (crew, in meetings can select a dead crewmate with certain roles and take it for one round) and he uses it on xander if (probably when) he dies, to sorta match what he does in canon, but i didnt put down any imitable roles for xander... but i guess he still could be anyway if im wrong about xander's role

ACE

morphling (imposter, can disguise as other people) - bc blackened, and he imitated eden in the note?? idk

either that or swooper (imposter, can temporarily turn invisible) - bc hes sneaky like that

veteran (crewmate, kills anyone who interacts with them) - the scared of other people role

XANDER

executioner on teruko (neutral, has to get teru voted out to win) is my fav guess i think

maybe vigilante (crew, can guess imposter roles in meetings to kill them, if they guess wrong they die) - just bc it suits him?? idk

one of the imposter roles idk - bc attempted murderer, maybe teruko shoots him?

^^ i wrote these before episode 3 came out and we have since seen xander doing a task so this is a no (tbh i dont think executioner does tasks either?? i forget if its a toggle or not)

CHARLES

amnesiac (neutral, basically no role but if they find a dead body they can steal their role and be it for the rest of the game) - haha get it because he forgot...anyways

investigator (crew, sees footprints when people walk around), tracker (crew, can place arrows onto people to see their location), or spy (crew, can see exactly who is where on admin table) - investigative roles that don't involve dead bodies

^^ another update post episode 3: charles on admin table!!??? (but notes say he always does that what a loser)

WHIT

swapper (crew, can swap votes onto someone else in a meeting) or transporter (crew, can teleport two people to trade places during the round) just bc i think he'd have fun with it lmao, both can be very chaotic/annoying roles or rlly good/helpful depending on how the person uses them (he uses them to be annoying)

mystic (crew, gets notified whenever someone dies) - just vibes tbh

EDEN

engineer (crew, can vent and fix sabotages remotely) - a support role suits her i think

i kinda got nothing really oops??? we'll see i guess

MIN

undertaker maybe?? (imposter, can drag dead bodies) - bc blackened, altering the crime scene🔥🔥🔥

tbh a more suiting imposter role might be traitor (a random crewmate who becomes imposter if both die early) but idk how this group would manage to kill the imposters that quickly... either that or amnesiac picking up an imposter role based on the fact that She Didn't Want This

altruist (crew, gets to sacrifice their life to revive a dead participant) - min voice i just wanted to save you!! i can imagine teruko dying in the middle of nowhere and min bringing her back

J

vigilante or jailor (crew, can tag people to be jailed during the round and choose whether to execute them during the meeting) - i think shes pretty involved in trials so a meeting crew role makes sense? though j gives off such bad guesser vibes lol may she rest in peace

tracker - partially vibes, but also i think it would be funny if she got a role that can be kinda boring in some circumstances bc she'd be so mad about it

AREI

guardian angel on eden (neutral, wins if eden wins) - Arei "I guess this time I can be the person you rely on" Nageishi

jailor maybe - it reminds me of her in mins trial with the pen idk vibes

tbh im not rlly sure if the blackeneds will end up being imposters?? bc it almost feels too obvious but maybe the simplest answer is the right one yknow? also since min was added off a poll i was kinda doubting, but i feel like nico/levi could also be imposters if they were chosen instead? but idk who else would be if not the blackeneds bc at that point its just random so i cant really guess

these could be all totally completely wrong honestly im just having fun thinking about it! i cannot wait to see more YAYYY YIPPPEEEE

[mdhwrites]

Would you consider explaining here, in your opinion, the decline of the Emperor's Coven as an antagonistic force or even broadly as a concept within TOH's world? And - if you don't mind me asking - do you think it had that much of an adverse effect on the series?

So I'm going to break this up into two sections to answer the two questions here. The first is going to be their decline and then why that had an actually pretty big adverse effect though not one you'll immediately feel. I'll do bold text and what not to help clarify in case you want to go to each.

The Decline of the Emperor's Coven

So it is important to recognize that there is a decline at all because it is important, regardless of how quickly it happens. The first time we see an EC guard is during the Covention demonstration in episode 5. Before then, we only have the bumbling guards of the Conformatorium as the protectors of the Isles. They have all magics, Lilith beats Eda in a witch's duel implying that she is even stronger than her, bare minimum due to not having the curse, and in general is treated with reverence. They fill out an entire stadium of people wanting to join them. Amity's biggest motivation and desire for the future is to join them. They're a BIG deal and implied to be real threats. Enough so that Eda will actually hide from them unlike in episode 1 where the regular guards made her not worry about needing a disguise of any sort. She isn't reckless with the guard but they are definitely less than the EC, even if not absolutely stated.

But... The decline starts almost immediately as the next time we see them is episode 8, Upon a Swap. Not only do they struggle with keeping Luz entirely under control while in Eda's body but they have a humiliating loss at the end of the episode when Eda swaps everyone's bodies around. I believe we still see some Conformatorium guards, something that effectively stops by S2 but this is the origin of Steve. Still, they lost Luz from other madness going on and the joke at the end is followed up by Lilith's resolve. It could be brushed off.

Unfortunately they don't really ever get another big moment. They turn into the name drop for turning in Eda but otherwise, until Agony of a Witch, we don't see any EC members besides Lilith. Unfortunately, Lilith just lets Eda go once, loses a Grugby match a different time and that's it for TEN. EPISODES. Mostly just jokes as Lilith refuses to actually do her job.

Until in Agony of a Witch, Lilith and an entire squad of scouts are beaten... By Hooty. As a joke. Yes, at the end of the episode, Lilith gets a big fight against Eda but this isn't an even fight like before. They use all the same spells they did in the previous fight but Lilith has to cheat in order to not be immediately obliterated by the power gap between her and Eda. It's not an intelligence thing either as Eda isn't using tactics besides BLOW THE FUCK UP ALREADY. Lilith has to be saved effectively by the timer running out on Eda's magic because she never had a chance. Even if she's acting high and mighty... It still leaves a worse impression for how good her magic and her ability to fight are and she is the COVEN HEAD.

Hunter does not fix this in S2 either. His accomplishments are: Bullies a couple people without magic.

Steals defenseless palisman before losing them.

Beats up Kikimora while she's under sleeping drugs.

Kind of a step down from Lilith getting to claim to have beaten the most powerful wild witch in the Isles, isn't it? On the influence on the Isles side, we don't get a lot but Amity forsakes them kind of just because. No argument or debate about this still being her world and her needing proof that Belos and the EC are evil or can't be changed from the inside. No, she's just now a wild witch because her girlfriend is because otherwise we don't get a reason. Worse, Sport in a Storm... exists? An episode where multiclassing students have less than zero interest in joining the Emperor's Coven despite that being the only way for them to legally practice the type of magic they want. Also, just by concept, it requires that people are so disinterested in the EC that they now have to actually try to recruit people versus 20 years ago when people would curse each other just for a chance into the limited positions available.

Hell, by the end, it seems like most EC guards are honestly one bad day away from quitting, with no repercussions, because of Steve and the guard Dana voices who goes to the cute cat coven which isn't even one of the big nine.

Also means that the cute coven joke, which happened three episodes before The Day of Unity where everyone needed specifically one of then sigils (though why EC coven members were affected without a representative in the ritual is unknown) had to go past Dana so many times she VOICED IT.

Sorry, got off track. On the power side, we only had Lilith before Hunter and Hunter doesn't have magic so the members have to keep up the slack. They are then immediately replaced with Abomatons and the Abomatons lose to... Everyone. They are literally never a credible threat except to Luz who had the worst chances of beating one when that came up because she already been worn down by the rest of the demonstration. Otherwise, the only moments the scouts or the abomatons are treated as real threats are when the Emerald Entrails are captured because they don't actually have a reason to fight them and cause problems for the school and when Amity tries to pretend Willow should be worried about them. Not all of them, only Willow and it's pointedly to make sure the audience knows that Amity is an idiot when it comes to Willow. That she is blatantly wrong about how much of a threat these guys are. That's still worse somehow than in Once Upon a Swap where they at least recognized these people could kick their asses without a distraction of some sort.

But that's how it falls. With how few times it shows up though, it raises a question:

2. Why Does the EC's Fall from Grace Matter?

It's actually pretty reasonable to wonder about this. Besides Hunter, they don't get a lot of appearances so why does it matter that they're inconsistent? Well... For one big reason:

They our only sign of Belos being a bad ruler. Of him being a dictator. Of him... At all. They exert his force more than even Hunter does because Hunter is constantly questioning him and not doing his job. For a villain like Belos, who is effectively not in the series for 90% of it since he doesn't take an active role until the Hollow Mind effectively, before then it's always just sweet words to people that are all lies, THAT'S A PROBLEM.

If we can't take his coven seriously... Why should take him seriously? Worse yet, why should we take Luz's opinion of him seriously? When she yells about him lying to people and she claims he's hurting people, you're left asking how? The guards are bumbling fools without direction or ability. Most of them, Hunter included, are just one push away from not doing their job. That's not what happens with a dictator and it's not what you should be thinking abut when EC members become the primary threat to our protagonists.

Instead, the show has no tension for its second half except against Belos effectively. Whenever EC members are around, victory or loss is just entirely plot dependent and we know that. That's how Willow can effortlessly bury a person and their abomaton and then they just... show up, covered in vines once we're actually pretending these people are threats. It's why they during the entirety of Labyrinth Runners, its only Gus and Hunter we're following because their lack of magic makes them able to be threatened while Amity and Willow getting in each other's way is the far larger threat than the trained soldiers. An abomaton and captain of the guard is just one not that fancy combo move away from being beaten because they're that little of a threat.

For an adventure show, that's just explicitly bad. From a thematic standpoint, it actually gets worse the more times WILLOW specifically beats them. After all, Willow is the poster child of the regime. She practiced the wrong type of magic at first before finding the one that the Titan blessed her to be able to be a master of. The more times she specifically beats the EC handedly, despite them using multiple magic types like Luz and Eda preach you should be able to... It makes you question if Belos isn't right. The evidence amongst the main characters, Gus included, is that he is and them conquering his forces better than Luz, Eda, Lilith, Barkus, Jerbo or Viney just reinforces that they're better.

Even Amity, who still only practices one type of magic, eventually beats the poster boy of the Emperor's Coven, something Luz never does in a fair fight. So is Belos wrong in thinking witches should only be using one coven?

Yes, him lying makes that the case but the show supports his arguments far more while also discrediting him as some grand tyrant who is a force that needs to be opposed. Hell, Terra tried to poison kids and its his guards, and his laws, that protect Eda and Raine during Them's the Breaks because why not? The EC scouts don't like doing evil. Steve and the cute cat coven members make that clear.

It discredits the final villain and ruins the themes while also just making the show worse at its genre. So yeah, it's a real problem... But only a problem if you think about it. If you care about the worldbuilding. Otherwise, the lack of stakes is the main one that will dig at the back of your brain because you'll want to be invested in what's happening but everytime a fight scene breaks out, it's nothing. Because you know the result.

And as Belos' only manifestation for absolutely the first season and arguably the second... That should be the last thing you feel when one a squad of these guys steps up.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[stuffnonsenseandotherthings]

Cupid's Last Wish Final Thoughts

Watch It Or Drop It The Challenge

A fireworks show of a drama which suffered from a few awkward pauses and which, even though it ended with the dampest of squibs, was a joy to watch.

Strengths

I think part of the reason I held off on watching Cupid's Last Wish for so long was because I was a little leery on the whole "BL but with body swap" premise. Don't get me wrong, I actually love the concept of a good body swap plot, who doesn't, I just haven't seen it done well very often. Luckily, however, Cupid's Last Wish more than impresses on this part and what could have been a very messy plot indeed was instead an incredibly well executed exploration of the self, the body, and the complex relationship between them. Through it's central premise Cupid's Last Wish delved into themes of gender identity, gender dysphoria and, as @wen-kexing-apologist, @lurkingshan, and @so-much-yet-to-learn delve into in this post, maps out a truly trans experience and, for that, it shines.

Another strength of the show, linked directly to the body swap, was how well it handled the misunderstanding and miscommunication between the main pairing. Normally, when confronted with a romantic miscommunication situation in a drama, it makes me want to tear my hair out with how unnecessary it is and how easily it could be fixed but not here. I could literally see Korn sending the wrong message and Win completely misleading things and I could understand why. At no point (apart from perhaps the last 2 episodes which I'll get to in a bit) was I questioning why Win thought Korn was in love with Lin or how Korn was unable to see what his actions were communicating to Win.

A final two strengths (before I move on to the weaknesses) are the cast and the soundtrack. I won't go too into depth (after all I expected Earth and Mix to put on an excellent performance) but the dynamics between the central trio were fantastic and Jan and Mix sharing two dual roles was an impressive (and impressively convincing) sight to see. Likewise the soundtrack was pretty basic but effective, the use of Tillybird's "Just Being Friendly" was a highlight and I've had Mix and Earth's "Closer" on repeat for my own trip.

Weaknesses

For all that Cupid's Last Wish does right, I won't lie, it also does quite a bit wrong with the main issue being that as well thought out and as beautifully executed as the body swap plot line, everything else feels a little... half hearted, half baked, half done. The inheritance plotline felt silly within a second of it being introduced (I still don't get why Win was so angry or why he held the grudge for so long when everything we'd been shown up to the "big reveal" indicated he should have felt the opposite); the Aunt and Uncle were barely there and, brief attempted murder on the part of the Aunt aside, barely villains at all (and were actually quite reasonable once they got to have civil chat); and the whole plot twist with the mum being the homophobic mastermind behind Win and Korn's estrangement was so poorly done and so rushed I'm still angry about it (she did absolutely nothing to be forgiven and I can't believe her revelation was swept under the rug in seconds).

I wish I could say these were minor things but they were, technically, half the drama and really soured things when it was time to focus back on them. What really put the nail in the coffin though, is the fact that these weaker elements became the entire focus of the show in the final two episodes which meant it ended with a decidedly wet plop rather than with a bang.

Conclusion

There is much to love about this drama and perhaps even more to explore with regards to its central theme but unfortunately some of its weaker elements were just a little too loud to completely ignore. I would still rewatch it (in fact I plan to) and I would still recommend it to anyone thinking of giving it a go (and even foist on people who weren't thinking about it at all) but I would also say that I wouldn't judge anyone who decided to speed run the final 2 episodes.

Watch or Drop: WATCH (but with a minor warning)

Final Score: 7.5/10 (closer to an 8 than a 7)

Would I rewatch it: Yes, heck I even want to write meta about it if I can find the time.

Watch It Or Drop It Masterpost

[so-long-soldier-writes]

Author about the body swap thing I wanted to ask for headcannons but I accidentally wrote fic lmaoo. Please do whatever u are comfortable with. Yoh know everyones gonna eat it up everything and anything u write coz u are such a godsend and so good at writing it

Awwhhh, you're so sweet!! Thank you! 🩷🩷 I have taken literally FORVER to type this up, and to be honest, I've been brainstorming it, and then in the last hour, FINALLY found my words! I'm no good at body swap, so I hope this is kinda what you were looking for, but if not, I can take another stab at it 😅

SO i have two thoughts in mind about this - a body swap where you're just friends-ish / mutuals, but also one where you're in an established relationship

also, this post is kinda all over the place, and i'm so sorry for that, lmao, idk what happened

i'll try to organize my thoughts

~ FRIENDS / MUTUALS ~

admittedly, i read some body swap fics on ao3 prior to writing this, just to get the idea, but my brain will always go back to the episode of supernatural where some kid switched bodies with Sam

can you imagine a spell going wrong and one day you wake up ~biologically~ where you're not supposed to be?? like wtf

like imagine kai was doing a spell - maybe a complicated gemini spell he didn't understand, or a love attracting spell (bc he has a crush on you) type spell, or maybe he's just fucking around, or maybe he's not to blame and someone else cursed him, OR, maybe, YOU fucked around

either way, you wake up the next day to a huge problem, bc you know him, but not that well, and now you gotta fix it

[a bit of heretic!kai]

ooh ooh imagine one of the heretics, or even lily, did the spell to get back at you both

or maybe mary louise knows you have a crush on him so she takes matters into her own hands

or lily's just stale that kai won't listen to her and stay in the house, so she did it to fuck with him

~ back to the main thoughts ~

no matter how it happened, it happened

you wake up totally not in your body and it takes you a minute to determine who's you have

and the horror / excitement / confusion you feel when you realize kai is in yours is unmatched

i mean… he's cute… the urge is explore is STRONG, but you can't do that without consent

and kai is facing the same issue

but you do have to look at each other?? yourselves?? to get dressed, so you both allow a little sneak peak as you do that, but that's IT

then, as soon as you're ready and build a bit of confidence to confront the situation, you're both out to find each other

if kai did the spell bc of a love spell gone wrong, he's gonna be a hot mess

trying not to stutter, no eye contact, shuffling feet, biting his lip

if he did it on accident trying another spell, he'll be nervous, but more capable of explaining the mess; "it was a 2 person spell; i thought with luke i could; i'm looking for a solution"

if someone else cursed you both, you'd meet up with ???'s dancing in your heads

aware you're definitely in each other's bodies but having no clue what to do about it

[switched by someone else / swapped as a curse or payback]

can you imagine?? if you're cursed, and it becomes a multi-day thing as you try to figure out whodunnit??

you spend all day together narrowing down your list of vengeful enemies, trying out reversal spells, siphoning magic from yours to his, but never finding a solution

and then by the end of the day, you get this really weird feeling and you don't want to be separated from your own damn body, so kai sleeps on your couch and you take to your bed

but even that distance feels weird, so he ends up in your bed and your hands are touching, and maybe your legs are tangled just a bit

and when you wake up, you're still in each other's bodies, so it's upsetting, but also a relief that you have each other's, and your body didn't do a second jump overnight??

at some point, you tried calling your old friend, kol, who had been body swapped before, but his situation was very different

he kept dying and that's why he jumped twice, but his mother might have some answers if they read her grimoire

so you borrow the big old dusty ass book and kai eventually manages to undo the spell

but after that, kol is very adamant about the dangerous gemini not having any access to his family's magic, to which you can agree is valid, and kai thinks is "fair"

besides, covens are very particular about grimoires being in their own families, so kai can understand his concern

so the book is dutifully returned without kai having anymore access to it

when your curser learns you reversed the spell, they're not happy, but don't try again

kai is already gemini, and now you're working with mikaelsons, and you're already close with kol, and now kai, too, by working so close to him and sharing his literal body and sleeping with him bc it feels weird to not sleep with your own body, so the curser doesn't try again

but they are stale af for the rest of their life

but not stupid enough to try again

[plain, old, experimentative, backfired spell]

if kai's own dumb spell backfired and switched you, he'll come clean about it quickly

he'd probably be so nonchalant about it, but secretly screaming inside

and then you ofc don't know a reversal, so you spend all day with him looking for one

maybe you can't find one, so you're forced to call his dad

his dad berates him over the phone so strongly, and gives you a little insight to what his childhood may have been like

you feel some sympathy for the kid, and get why he felt the need to become the leader so bad // to feel some control over his domineering father

once you get unswitched, you force him into a conversation about how you want to be friends with him; how the situation helped you understand him better; how you've actually really liked spending time with him... but would like to do that in your own body

after some hesitation, bc he doesn't trust easily, he agrees

explaining to your friends that an unexpected body swap led to your friendship raises some eyebrows, but you're confident in your decision to befriend kai

you both could use a friend, and hey, maybe it'll help to have him in the long-run with MF drama

[love spell gone wrong]

poor guy just wanted a perfume-equivalent spell, or a little extra added charm, or something like that, but instead he swapped your fucking bodies

the process of working out this accident occur much like the previous backfired spell, except kai doesn't know how to admit his original intent, and therefore, doesn't

it isn't until you actually ask what he was trying to do, once you're already unswitched, that he blurts it out without meaning to

but all is well, as you admit a little crush of your own on the siphon, but had no clue how to admit it

from there, you kind of start as friends that kiss each other, but as trust grows, so does your relationship

his confidence grows, too, and he gets less shy

one morning that you've covered ~many bases~, he stands proud in your kitchen and finally admits, "yeah, that body swap was bc i had a crush on you; it didn't go as planned, but worked out just the same"

and just maybe it's that moment that you realize you love his dorky ass self

[YOU had the backfired spell]

if you fucked around, that would be even crazier than anything he did, because no one, i feel, would be expecting it

like everyone can see kai doing some weird shit where bodies end up swapped, but if witch!reader is fucking around and manages to get into his body (lmao), questions WILL be asked

but imagine doing the walk of shame to wherever he lives, and having to explain to him the reason he feels all weird inside is because of a spell you did

and then you have to go through the whole ordeal of finding out what exactly happened, what to do about it, and where tf to go from there

because honestly, you can't live a day in someone else's body and then just ... move on ...

like no, he's attached after that, whether for better or for worse (it's for better, you know it)

but in a situation where you fucked around (and certainly found out), kai would find it so fucking funny

the whole town would manage to find out bc that's just your luck, and anyone who's not incredibly worried for you (jo, bonnie, liv, stefan), is laughing their ass off (damon, caroline, enzo) but none of them are helping bc wtf are they supposed to do??

so you debate calling a mikaelson or a far-away parker father, but kai doesn't like either of those options and votes instead to check gemini grimoires or, y'know, play the guessing game

maybe in his guessing game, siphoning the magic out of both of you does work (and then you take a three day nap [together] out of exhaustion)

or maybe he happens to have a spell that works and you're so grateful for the effort that you propose dinner or cocktails or something, but kai decides instead that he'd rather have you as someone he can trust, since now you REALLY KNOW EACH OTHER and he doesn't think you'll betray him after that

maybe you then admit that the reason you think you got swapped is because your crush-clouded mind had been thinking of him all day, and at the time of the spell

so now, with this new information, he's certainly not letting you walk off and pretend this never happened

nope, you're stuck with him for life now

~ ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP ~

ever since he became coven leader, you've been helping kai learn new spells & adapt to all his new magic and all that

lots of gemini spells require 2 people, but even tho you're not gem witch, you're trying your best to help him

and that's when, this time, it backfired, and switched your bodies

it's like polyjuice potion on steroids, how you look like him but feel like yourself, and he looks like you but feels like himself immediately, you tried to reverse it, but efforts were futile

after wondering for a moment about wtf to do, eventually you decide you'd have to go to jo or his father to get help

you both picked jo, buuuut she's at the hospital on a shift until late so you gotta get through the day as each other

you had made plans for lunch with your friends, but they hate kai, so not wanting to tell them about the swap (they're hesitant about you dating already), nor being allowed to cancel (per caroline), kai has to manage being you throughout the hour

and when kai usually goes to chill with damon for that hour, you have to pretend to be him, but mostly because explaining the situation to damon seems like a headache you can't handle

ofc, when you get into your right bodies, this might be a fun story to tell someday, but right now, it's not

now, you both have to handle each others' lunch dates, and it is not something you're looking forward to doing

in kai's situation, caroline immediately noticed something was up, but kai's a good liar. elena was none the wiser and rambled on and on for twenty minutes about med school, but in that meantime, bon picked up on kai-ish and certainly not y/n-ish habits, too

granted, the two of you have grown so close you're beginning to share habits, but some things are so recognizable to the individual that bonnie has doubts

through the solid skill of gaslighting, kai makes his way through lunch, but you're struggling through your lunch

unfortunately, you do not share your bf's ability to down three cocktails and not trip over your bar stool when you get up for the bathroom, nor do you have the same habit of rolling up every paper straw wrapper you have and flicking it across the table, and nor are you able to lie as well as he is, when damon and ric ask, "wtf is wrong with you"

and after a moment of staring and prodding, and the realization that ric will find out anyway, then tell damon, you cave and tell them both what happened

damon, ofc, begins to study you like a bug

ric is apprehensive and scoots back in his seat

eventually, you get away from their grasp and meet up back with kai

the girls go one way and you and him go the other

you manage to avoid them for much of the rest of the day by returning home and studying spells

you try a couple that might be able to reverse the one, but you refrain from doing too much; both of you are afraid of making it worse

kai tries to siphon it out of you, but that doesn't work, either

finally, in the evening, jo and ric show up and try to help

jo finds a spell that could work, but… she needs another witch

liv refuses

ric refuses to involve bonnie

so jo calls their father to handle it

over the phone, after chiding kai for fooling around, he helps jo with a spell that will unswap you

the switch itself is rather visceral and a bit painful

but it works

he hangs up after one more chiding, then jo and ric scold you as well, then they finally leave

you and kai don't practice spells for some time after that

or, at least, you stick to anything with latin that you can for sure translate

the next time he goes to portland, he'll take a grimoire that'll help him understand some of the more difficult spells -- and their reversals

because while the whole ordeal wasn't bad, it was just weird

and certainly something you'd like to avoid

~ now, for a smidge of nsfw ~ mostly for established relationship kai, but can be for friends that turn into relationships, too

despite the whole ordeal being a lowkey mess, if you were to find a solution that didn't involve his dad, kai would be hella tempted into talking you in to trying it again just for ~fun~

one, bc he had some fun messing with care and bon

but even more so, bc he wonders what sex is like in that situation

i think we can all agree, kai has a little NPD mixed in with his ASPD, so sex with the self is something that would be at least a bit intriguing

plus he's just so curious about everything

and being able to feel what you're feeling is so motivating for him

he's both curious and wants to make sure he's doing a good job

it'll be half cheat sheet, half check mark that he's giving you what you need / deserve, and half straight up curiosity

so if the opportunity presented itself, he'd totally body swap again

but he needs to know there's a spell to undo it, too, bc he quite likes his own self

[belovedstill]

emoji writing prompts

(inspired by this post)

96 prompts up to your interpretation. take literally, reverse, mix and match! (works well with taking ask suggestions, using random number generators, or rolling dice)

1-6 genre or tone:

🥰 fluff

💔 angst | sad ending | angst with a happy ending

🔞 smut | explicit | suggestive

🔍 mystery

🎃 spooky | horror

😎 crack | humor | meme inspired

+ 1-90 prompts:

🌸 hanahaki | pining | mutual pining

⌛ time travel | reincarnation | time loop | time is running out | immortality | time hijinks | this time they will do it right (do they?)

✉ epistolary | chat fic | letters | postservice au

🧙‍♂️ magic | urban magic | fantasy | be careful what you wish for

☕ coffee shop | restaurant | food industry

🩹 hurt/comfort | fix-it fic

💭 mind-melt | mind-reading | telepathy

🏳‍🌈 queer | queerer | unique queer experience relevant to exactly one person

🌊 merfolk au | stranded on an abandoned island | pirates

🍀 everything goes right | luck doesn't exist but somebody really does make it seem like it does

🥀 unrequited love | dealing with loss | grief

📆 slice of life

📦 delivery | package sent to the wrong address | swapped luggage/suitcase | there's some kind of mix-up happening | move in

🎬 celebrity | actor | PR hell | youtuber | streamer au

💻 internet | social media | bloggers | fandom au | two customers with radically different reviews on a product and they take it personally

🔪 revenge | murder | assassin

📞 wrong number | wrong address | wrong person | customer service | tech support | long distance

🩺 doctor | sick fic

⚽ sports | team | competition | challenge | dare

💍 engagement | marriage | arranged marriage | marriage of convenience | accidentally married | poorly-timed proposal

💋 first kiss | first relationship | first romantic experience | teaching one another how to Romance

👑 royalty | nobility | servant | butler | unequal power dynamic | undying loyalty

🎨 any artist au

🎁 gifts | surprise | keepsake | christmas | holiday | birthday

🤰 pregnancy | mpreg | alternative offspring acquisition options

👶 baby | kidfic | de-aged | age regression | accidental kid acquisition | single parent(s)

👥 resurrection | came back wrong | dark alternate character | came back right but everything else is changed

🦋 butterfly effect - change a seemingly insignificant detail in source material and write how it affects the story

🐾 pet au | animal transformation | pet acquisition | animal-to-human transformation | object-to-human transformation | object-to-animal transformation (you get the drift)

👻 ghost | afterlife | paranormal | supernatural | modern supernatural | mixed supernatural genes

😈 demon | a different kind of hell | pact | soul as acceptable transaction payment | the villain's in charge now

🤡 idiots in love | platonic buffoons | only one brain cell among them | they're so stupid

🏳️ surrender | hope | bargaining

❔ oblivious | didn't know they were dating | mistaken identity | amnesia | nobody remembers them

🛡️ protect | guardian | bodyguard | rescue

💼 office | workplace

✂️ separation, chosen or forced | abandoned | cutting ties

🎓 school | university | academic professions | mentor

🏠 domestic | roommates | neighbours

🧩 soulmates (ideas) | platonic soulmates | destined to be enemies | 3+ soulmates

🏖️ beach episode | change of scenery | more than 'a lot' self-indulgent

🏩 pwp | escort | sex worker | stripper | sugar relationship

🤝 found family | putting differences aside to work together

🧬 appearance/body/behaviour modification | shrunk down | made bigger

💾 found a lost disc/usb drive/notebook/diary | lost phone | decades-old journal/letters found among the belongings of a person who's no longer there

⚖️ getting justice, one way or another | rebellion | protest | doing the dirty work so others can thrive | balance | lawyers au

⚙️ android | futuristic | science fiction | physical workers | making it work

👁 obsession | abduction | kept captive | hostage | stalker | drugged | private detective au

⚠️ make it as messed up as you want | forbidden | taboo

🕳️ something is missing | unsettling | out of the corner of the eye | nearly, almost, not quite | not enough

🤞 must pretend | spy | secret identity | identity reveal | undercover | fake dating | secret relationship | fake-married | fake [insert role] | essentially, they must pretend to be somebody they're not/to be in a dynamic they're not

✨ under a spell | truth compulsion | forced to say the opposite of what they mean | a curse made them do x

🐌 slowburn | sped-up slow burn | over the years

🧸 childhood friends (to a dynamic of choice) | separated in childhood, reunited in adulthood

⚔ enemies (to a dynamic of choice) | meddling enemies | rivals (to a dynamic of choice)

🔁 transmigration | isekai | swapped places | role reversal | body swap

🔀 crossover | fusion | characters from X piece of media put in the world of the last piece of media you've enjoyed | make it your favourite piece of media from your childhood

⁉ miscommunication | misunderstanding | wrong place, wrong time

🔆 harem | reverse harem | poly relationship

🛏 bedsharing | accidentally falling asleep on one another | passing out | dream-sharing | invite to stay over

🔮 fairytale | mythology | folklore | legend | prophecy

😶 love triangle | two-person relationship/love triangle (they know each other as two people) | one-night stand turns out to be the new boss/professor/awkward dynamic

🔒 forced proximity | locked in a room | trapped together | handcuffed together | snowed in

🤲 huddling for warmth | sharing body heat | touch starved

💬 rumours | lies | misconceptions and dealing with them

💥 set off the (conflict) bomb | right before the blow-up | argument | fight | pranks

✊ superheroes and supervillains | superpowers | the chosen one(s) | deemed to be the cursed/unlucky one

🔥 rebirth | sacrifice | sacrifice of something other than their life | destruction | letting go | ritual | change

💁‍♀️ spite fic (write literally anything you like that fandom/somebody else complained about that you disagree with) aka "they're wrong and i'm going to keep having fun"

#️⃣ love at second/third/nth sight | meet ugly | annoyed at first sight | reluctant

🖤 blind date goes right | blind date goes wrong | stood up | matchmaker

🚗 travelling together | commute | road trip | hitchiking

❕ confession | interrupted confession | confessing when it doesn't matter anymore

🚫 getting what they want but not in the way they want it | not like this

🖊 doomed from the start | it was always going to end like this | it didn't have to end this way

🐱‍👤 did a crime on accident | did a crime very much not on accident

👭 doppelgangers, lookalikes | twins | they meet their alternate self from an alternate word/different time

👂 as they go through their day, they hear a voice and it's strangely familiar (oh no) | the voice in their head actually has their best interest in mind | two souls trapped in one body fighting for control

❌ the plot is trying to incite an event for them but they refuse to have any part in it and they will outrun it

🍸 alcohol/substance use | in vino veritas | choices were made and all that's left is regrets | choices were made and there are some gains actually | remembers nothing of what they did while drunk (others may be kind enough to spare no detail)

👍 support group | dealing with issues | compromise

82. 👪 meet the family | meet the friends 83. 💰 CEO | rich x ordinary | two different worlds collide 84. 🌠 rarepair! | rarer! | unlikely friends 85. ⚡ The Realisation | oh moment | oh no moment | learning something crucial yet horrifying they wish they could forget | the antagonist was right after all 86. 0️⃣ last day alive | apocalypse | they truly only have each other left 87. ✔ it was somebody's plan all along | they sure were aware the whole time it was somebody's plan all along | scheme | trap | gotcha | test 88. 🎲 choose an action for character to take and roll d20 - that's how well it goes, write it 89. ➕ anything at all inspired by an emoji not from this list sent in an ask or randomly generated 90. ® get a string of 3+ random emojis from an emoji generator (e.g. this one or this one or any other) and write a story based on them

if you're disappointed that a prompt you wanted to find isn't on the list, take it as a sign to write it 👀

and if none of these spark creativity, check out Hatch's Plot Bank with 2300+ plot ideas

screenshots of the emojis under the cut

[regardstosoulandromance]

I was saying this in the black sabith discord but another missed opportunity caos a funny caos plotline is a body swap episode like it’s so funny no matter how you slice it

four way swap with the spellman family where everyone has to pretend to be everyone else while trying to swap back. Zelda having to pretend to Hilda or Sabrina is very funny to me

sabrina and lilith swap bodies because of a spell gone wrong and we get kiernan-shipka-pretending-to-be-lilith-pretending-to-be-sabrina AND more importantly michelle-gomez-pretending-to-be-sabrina-pretending-to-be-lilith

Nick and Prudence body swap this is how I get a spellnight kiss

mortals/fight club body swap!! mortals and witches body swap?? the witches having to experience mortal life for a day and the mortals getting magic powers for a day??? That would be so cool and actually tie into the totally dropped plotline of sabrina wanting to bridge the divide between mortals and witches. I need a time machine and access to the caos writers room I could fix everything.

Sabrina/Salem body swap.

[amelikos]

Some character notes and episode notes for HZ069, writing them down for future reference.

The episode starts with the RVT heading to Suiryoku town (in Kitakami) by bus, only to find out that no one is there. An old woman tells them that they are holding a festival (since the town is famous for its apples), so the RVT decide to participate and ask about Briar there. As they go around the festival, Friede spots Zeiyu with her Yabasocha and takes an interest in her Pokemon. She doesn't want to tell him about it since he is an outsider, but challenges him to a booth game and says she might tell him if he beats her. Friede accepts her challenge and quickly leaves (and seemed fired up about the idea of playing). Murdock suggests everyone enjoys the festival, so they all split up to have fun.

Roy and Achigator end up coming across a booth away from the main festival area after following a sweet scent, and they find a strange device on it. The man in charge of the stand admits to Roy that he doesn't know what that device does, and lets him try it out. Roy and Achigator both press the device button at the same time and find out that they have switched bodies. They try to reverse the process but can't, and Achigator in Roy's body ends up leaving after smelling something nice. Roy in Achigator's body runs after him and gains a new perspective on how Achigator sees the world around him.

Liko and Dot eventually find out that Roy and Achigator have switched bodies. They agree to keep a low profile until they find a way to fix the situation. Murdock soon joins them and almost finds out that Roy spoke in Achigator's body. Liko and Dot distract him, and Murdock eventually buys everyone some candy apples. Roy accidentally uses fire on his, but it turned out to taste better that way (Murdock calling it baked candy apple). The trio thanks Murdock and leave with their Pokemon before they are found out. Meanwhile, Friede keeps winning against Zeiyu at games and she grows more frustrated each time. She challenges him to a battle, and Friede accepts.

The group ends up running into Mollie, who was treating a girl's injuries and had a whole line of kids asking for help because of similar issues. Liko and the others decide to help and somehow avoid raising suspicion about Roy and Achigator's situation. Back to Friede and Zeiyu, Friede ends up winning the battle with Cap (who had gotten serious since he tossed his hat aside).

Meanwhile, Liko and the others try to find their way back to the old man Roy had met. They run into Orio who was trying to fix a broken stove at a stand. Once again, the kids want to help. They suggest Achigator's flames to cook the yakisoba. Roy has some trouble using the flames in Achigator's body. Achigator ends up encouraging him by singing and Roy manages to use the flames properly, which allowed the yakisoba seller to finish his work properly. Dot points out that even swapped around, Roy and Achigator make a great team. Orio and all the customers got their yakisoba and leave happily. A boy who was waiting with his mother thanked Achigator and said that he wants his first partner to be an Achigator once he becomes a trainer, which makes both Roy and Achigator happy.

Afterwards, the man Roy had met finds him and tells him that he managed to fix the device. They use it again, and Roy and Achigator are back to their respective bodies. Liko and Dot show up and admit that they want to try out the device as well. The man accepts, with some hesitation. Liko and Nyarote try to use it, but the device breaks down after their unsuccessful attempt. Dot manages to read the text "Synchro Machine" after looking at the device more closely.

At the end, the RVT meet back up after they all enjoyed the festival. Zeiyu comes up to Friede and challenges him to another game, but he says he has to look for Briar (even though he'd love to accept her challenge). Zeiyu says that Briar is her homeroom teacher and that she is at the Crystal Pool/Shining Pond at the moment, which outsiders cannot visit without permission. An old man (who is the caretaker of the community center) gives them permission to go as thanks for helping his daughter Shizune (one of the girls Mollie treated), which makes Zeiyu frustrated. The RVT decide to head to the Crystal Pool as their next destination.

--

Fun ep overall. I do wonder why Friede and the others have to look for Briar and ask around, though. Maybe she can't be contacted for some reason.. maybe she doesn't have a phone or something like that.

I like festival settings, too. It's always fun seeing everyone in a different setting than usual. Seeing Liko and the others enjoy themselves was cute. Liko and Dot were attached at the hip, and Dot was having fun playing games and wanted to try more, etc! (I do wonder where Landau was during the ep, maybe chilling somewhere.. we didn't get to see his side of the festival) Roy and Achigator being swapped around is an amusing scenario and works for both of them. Also helped them be more in sync and learn more about each other. And Achigator growing to be more like his idol (Lizardon) since the kid they helped said he wanted to have an Achigator once he becomes a trainer was cute.. The kids are growing to become heroes of their own (especially since they saved the school and were recognized as such by others students at the end of the previous chapter).

The RVT are also just casually genuinely cool and kind people. They couldn't help but step in and help others when they could do so.. and Liko and the others helped too, even though they were trying not to blow their cover. Which also says a lot about them, that they were trying to find solutions to everyone's problems. Liko and Roy were already the type to step in and help when they could, but it's also nice seeing Dot be more involved in these kinds of scenes now. Shizune (the girl Mollie helped) having a little crush on Roy was also cute tbh.

Also appreciated the Friede fanservice (made for me), which made up for the fact that we didn't see him shirtless back in the beach episode in HZ042 :/ (one of the most tragic moments of the show etc) (but maybe it was for the best after all, because the jinbei is also a bit too yabai on its own) Friede having fun and playing is just the cutest thing, and so was him getting excited about seeing Yabasocha and wanting to learn more about Pokemon as a professor... he is usually serious and responsible, so getting to see these carefree and excitable sides of his character is always a plus in my book, it's adorable tbh. He is a professor after all, and I love when he gets curious and excited about mysteries and Pokemon. And it's funny when teenagers beef with him and he just casually beats them in battles or games. No mercy. As he should.

Not sure what to make of Zeiyu's character so far. Her interactions with Friede were funny. She gave the information about Briar's location at the end, but surely that won't be the end of her role in the current chapter? She hasn't introduced herself yet either, so. I am a bit curious about her role. I am biased against game characters in general until I know what they bring to the Horizons narrative, so I'll need to wait and see her role before my thoughts are formed. So far, they're used to further the Horizons plot and characters' arcs, and it should keep being like that.

Next ep, Kanuchan focus and most probably evolution on my bday! And Friede will be there (an adult has to be there as a representative to meet Briar so he can handle the research talk and stuff like that, but I'm still pointing it out because I'm happy I get to see him more now ww).

[random-mailbox]

Random-Mailbox's Favorite Sailor Moon Fics - Week 39 - Missing Scenes Part I

This week’s post is for the amazing @riverlethe, since today is her birthday! 🍰❤️🎂🎉🎊💐

Following one-shots are fandom’s way to fill in the blanks in both Anime and Manga, giving our characters much needed closure and depth. It was hard to decide what to include, so @goddessalthena suggested I do this as Part I, which will allow me to do another post down the road with more (similar to what I did with Christmas stories).

Also, don't forget to check out the prompts for @usamamoweek2023!

As always, my apologies in advance for spoiling some of these for you (Fic Titles are linked to either FFN or AO3 entries).

A Nightmare Between Them - Sweetsugarines

This one-shot gives us a glimpse into the mental state that Usagi was in post-Black Moon and Nehelenia battles.

Love Breeds Insanity - @angelmoongirl

Usagi absolutely refused to cancel or postpone her first date with Mamoru since the defeat of Galaxia. No matter how terrible she might be starting to feel or what her friends are trying to tell her.

The Aftermath - sailor-elsa

This is the darkest story of the bunch, with Usagi trying and almost failing to handle the aftereffects of the battle with Pharoah 90.

ER Epiphany - @uglygreenjacket

Mamoru’s work-shift gets interrupted by a youma in the ER. Who will step in to help if he is not able to transform without someone noticing?

All's Fair in Love and Birthdays - @uglygreenjacket

Another awesome one-shot that fills in the gap after the birthday episode. Mamoru and Usagi actually get to discuss what happened that day and what it meant to both of them. With Mamoru not playing very fair 😏

These Games We Play: Chapter 11: From Silk to Cotton - @allyunabridged

This one-shot takes place in Sailor Moon R, after Usagi gets rescued from Prince Dimande and before returning to the past. With King Endymion helping her take baby steps towards getting over the ordeal.

Day 2: Item - @tinacentury

Set at the start of the 3rd season of the Anime, this one-shot fills in the gaps on what went on in Mamoru’s head when Usagi wasn’t able to transform.

this little brook of life - Tosca1390

Set between Anime’s R and S seasons, Usagi and Mamoru grapple with the weight of responsibilities and lack of alone time, as Chibi-Usa re-appears in their lives.

Miscellaneous Works: Short Stories That Tumbled From Tumblr: Chapter 6: Oneiromancy - @floraone

Set at the end of the break-up arc in the Anime, Usagi gets to see more of the nightmares that Mamoru have been dealing with and understands why he can't let go of them.

---

That's it for this week! Next time we are covering Green Jacket stories!

Here are the links to the previous Tumblr posts in these series to explore more amazing works based on different themes - make sure to check them out if you haven't had a chance! (Click on title name to go to the post) - I will keep updating the list every week as new posts come up:

Week 1 - Groundhog Day

Week 2 - Established Relationships

Week 3 - Sex Positivity

Week 4 - Unfinished Stories

Week 5 - Darker Stories

Week 6 - Potions 🧪

Week 7 - Reveals

Week 8 - 👻Halloween🎃

Week 9 - Wrong Perceptions

Week 10 - Non-Senshi AU

Week 11 - In-Progress Fics

Week 12 - Mutual Pining

Week 13 - Enemies to Lovers

Week 14 - Slow Burn

Week 15 - Christmas Part 1 - Ugly Christmas Sweaters and Santa!

Week 16 - Christmas Part 2

Week 17 - New Years

Week 18 - High School AU

Week 19 - Slice of Life

Week 20 - Coffee shop AU

Week 21 - Huddle for Warmth

Week 22 - Friends to Lovers

Week 23 - ❤️Valentines Day❤️

Week 24 - Do a Grouch a Favour Day (or Cheer Up Fics)

Week 25 - Soulmate AU

Week 26 - Amnesia Fics (and resources)

Week 27 - 🍀St Patrick's Day🍀

Week 28 - Fix it Fics

Week 29 - Prompt: Mug

Week 30 - Flowers

Week 31 - Traditions

Week 32 - Dreams

Week 33 - Friends

Week 34 - Body-Swap

Week 35 - Medical Assistance

Week 36 - Sex Pollen

Week 37 - Psychometry

Week 38 - What If

[we-pay-for-everything]

Nancy Drew, season 4, episode 8 review (spoilers!):

So, this episode was very heavy on Nace, but I can't say I loved it? I loved that the episode was about them, and I loved them working together, actually talking, realizing they're better together even as friends, and that they can still bring out the best in each other, but the last minutes of the episode lowkey bothered me. Nancy had a huge growing moment when she opened up to Nick, George and Bess at The Claw but it was after Ace left. She called them family, they had a group hug, and then she celebrated her mom with all her family but Ace. That part bothered me! I know everything's always so tense with them now, but isn't Ace Nancy's family too? Isn't that the whole point of the episode - that they are still friends and always will be? Ace would've wanted to be there for Nancy and he was excluded. It's like now that he's the ex he can't be family - he's below the others when it really matters? It's all about epic love and angst now, but stuff like connection, trust, companionship - all of that can't apply to them anymore? It's always the same thing in media. There's this idea in mainstream "feminism" that friends > lovers. But, like, why? Aren't boyfriends supposed to be closer to you than friends? Is Nancy and Ace's love any less special and meaningful because it's romantic now? Is their love worth less now that it's fully romantic? Ace's part of their group and he was literally the only person not at Nancy's house.

Also, I kept waiting for either Nancy or Ace to accidentally use the back door or whatever. I feel like that's how they are going to fix their death curse? They'll forget each other? Or at least one of them will, but they'll get together anyway and cheat death? Ace went finishing for a reason. That whole scene was about more than father-son bonding. Oh, and also, Ace's dad is less of an ass this season, but I can't forget how he kicked out his son out for accidentally revealing his dirty secret. I can't forget how Ace's mom did nothing and left her son alone after being kicked out of his home. She sided with the man who lied to her. Women always fucking do this. They always side with their husbands, it's pathetic. And even when she saw him for the first time in another episode, she barely asked how she was... Honestly...

I wasn't expecting the body swap and felt a bit of foreboding when it happened, but the writers successfully avoided clichés! But it's odd that it wasn't a bigger deal actually. The actor who plays Nick, Tunji Kasim, did one hell of a fucking job playing Bess. He 100% nailed it, from top to bottom! Kennedy McMann, who plays Nancy, did a great job with Ace's stoner, deadpan look. I think Alex Saxon did a good job playing Nancy too. They all did well, including Maddison Jaizani, but I think the actress who plays George, Leah Lewis, is the weakest one in the cast. She didn't stand out.

Sadly, I'm 99% sure Ryan is going to die this season. I don't know if that's his redemption arc, or if they want to make Nancy sad, but I'm pretty sure he's gone die unnecessarily, if anything for shock value since this is the last season and, aside from the gang, he's probably the most beloved character...

Hmm, I don't know... what do you guys think? I'm not in the fandom so I don't know what the fan theories are. I'll see if I can find some!

[none-prob]

I write about a character per day

Day 12: Edalyn Clawthorne

Owl lady. Anarchist. Mother of two.

There's just so many things I want to say about her.

I think Eda's life before Luz was summed up quite well with her own quote: "It's my power, kid. And before you showed up, I spent my whole life wasting it." That goes to show how impactful Luz is on Eda's life, and that's not the only character Luz had a positive spin on (I'm considering writing about Luz after W&D).

Before Luz came, Eda's life, which we can speculate, was selling human garbage to the Isles' citizens, pickpocketing, do anything in order to buy potions to not let the curse affect her, while also running away from the Emperor. Even with King and Hooty, and previously Raine and Lilith, her life was probably not as adventurous as when Luz came. Maybe, maybe not, and I wished we could have seen more of Eda's life before Luz, but we won't. It's fine, because everything she did with Luz and everyone in the house was awesome. Even the swap thing, yeah that's my controversial take, I think Once Upon A Swap is a good episode. It's a good episode in a show full of great episodes. But anyway, the point is, Eda had really used her power for good, even pushed her hardest to save Luz, and she's proud of it. That moment for me was like losing a family member, one who only been around for a few months. And it all started with a little crown. And speaking of that...

Her relationship with King was also blooming. Before Luz it wasn't that exciting, as they probably just did their things together. But with Luz and later on Lilith, King was more open about her story, only to find out it was fabricated by Eda. But what was his response after Eda said so? Asked her to adopt him. It's one of the few times Eda ugly cry throughout the show, and it's fine. It's beautiful. Eda was now a mother of two, of a human and a Titan. It got so much better, for the very few scenes in For the Future they bonded together over a mutual feeling. King hugged Eda's leg in the most emotional way possible.

Mother of two, but ran away from her own mother? Alright now that's an interesting shift. But like I said when I talked about Gwen, which is another niche character I also enjoy a lot, I'm so glad they communicated and made up the past. I can understand avoiding parents, the lack of communication resulted in avoidance, while your parents just want to do the things they think it's best for you.

How about her sister? Lilith probably has the second greatest redemption arc in the show in my opinion, after Hunter. It only took a few attempts, an all out battle, putting her sister at the risk of life, and a pain sharing spell for a Lilith redemption. Once again, a little lack of communication between them, had lead to a rift that took decades to fix. It's really sad, but I'm glad they're together to right all wrong, and learn magic together.

I think it's amazing that Eda managed to make peace with the Owl beast, something that had been a pain for her that she can't get rid of for 20 years. This is a really important lesson. Sometimes, you need to make peace with things that hurt you, especially those you can't get rid of. One lesson that Steven Universe had taught that no one seems to be able to grab. Eda got so much better, basically regained her power in one of the most stylish way possible.

The curse was an indirect reason that caused her to break up with Raine. Raeda is one hell of a beautiful relationship. I've talked about Raine's side before. Eda was the one who saved Raine's crew from the Emperor, who sacrificed to get a sigil for Raine's plan, and visited puppet Raine. Eda was impressed by Raine from the first look, from the first drink, and the rest is history.

I think this next part is my favourite of Edalyn Clawthorne. It's her desire to rub in on Emperor's face, but more importantly, to protect all wild witches left. An incredible anarchist. And in the most creative ways possible, including body swapping her own sister (see this is why I will defend Once Upon A Swap). With or without power, she is a legendary rebel. Someone who had built her name as the most powerful witch on the Isles, for managing to escape the police state from the Emperor without fail. No power, no problem. She will still be sneaky, be smart, and having absolutely none of it with the Emperor. She's not a rebel who just want to cause chaos, she's an anarchist who will stand up for the right when she needed to.

I love Edalyn Clawthorne. She's simply the coolest witch on the isles, without a competition.

[the-knight-tree]

The swap

Episode Title: A Day in Each Other's Shoes

Scene 1: Waking Up in Chaos

Brook Town, where Oak wakes up in the Kent house on the Second Candle Day. He blinks groggily, looking around the unfamiliar room. The bed feels different, and when he glances over, he sees Lois lying next to him.

Oak (as Clark):

(internally) "Where am I? Why does this room smell like hay... and pancakes?"

Lois stirs awake, turning to Oak with a sleepy smile.

Lois:

"Clark, why are you staring at me like that? Are you okay?"

Before Oak can respond, he panics and, instinctively using his speed, crashes into the wall, leaving a gaping dent. Lois gasps but starts laughing.

Lois:

"Clark! What are you doing? Did you have another one of those weird dreams again?"

Jonathan and Jordan rush in to see Oak sprawled on the floor.

Jonathan:

"Dad, are you okay? What happened?"

Oak (as Clark):

"I'm not Clark! I’m Oak! Wait... no, I mean... I’m not—I need air!"

Oak stumbles outside, bewildered, and finds himself in Brook Town instead of his home. Across the town, Clark wakes up in Oak’s home. Lucy nudges him awake, her usual morning routine disrupted by Clark’s startled reaction.

Lucy:

"Oak, are you feeling okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Clark stares at Lucy, at the glowing candles, and at Oak’s daughters entering the room one by one.

Diana:

"dad!, are we going to smallville today?"

Clark’s jaw drops.

Clark (as Oak):

"...Uh, smallville?"

---

Scene 2: The Elf's Arrival

As both Oak and Clark struggle to make sense of their surroundings, a mischievous elf materializes in front of them, appearing in a shared vision. The elf looks ancient, wearing a crooked smile.

Elf:

"Surprise! You two are swapping lives for the day. Time to walk in each other’s boots! Learn something... or not. Good luck! Hahahaha!!" Poof

Before they can protest, the elf disappears. Both Oak and Clark look at each other in their swapped forms.

Oak (as Clark):

"This can’t be happening."

Clark (as Oak):

"Why do I feel so... heavy?"

---

Scene 3: The Chaos Begins

Montages of hilarity ensue as Oak and Clark try to handle each other's lives:

Clark (as Oak) stumbles through Oak’s family routines. Diana drags him to fly to smallville, where he struggles to help Diana with spirit. Meanwhile, Oak’s triplets pull pranks on him, and Lana bombards him with questions about their homeschooling lessons.

Oak (as Clark) struggles with the simplicity of farm chores. He accidentally over-milks a cow, tries to fix the tractor but ends up breaking it, and has a hard time connecting with Jonathan and Jordan, who notice something “off” about their dad.

Both fail miserably, with Lois and Lucy finding their antics hilarious but endearing.

---

Scene 4: Realizations

After the initial chaos, both men begin to adapt, repeating their routines with better results. They gain a deeper understanding of each other's struggles:

Clark (as Oak):

Clark experiences the burden of Oak’s powers and the emotional weight he carries. He feels the sheer intensity of Oak’s responsibilities—managing his family, holding back anger, and controlling unimaginable powers.

Oak (as Clark):

Oak realizes the simplicity of Clark’s human life isn’t as easy as it looks. Clark’s emotional depth, his ability to connect deeply with his family, and his unshakeable moral compass make his life equally challenging in different ways.

---

Scene 5: The Elf Returns

At the end of the day, the elf reappears, snapping his fingers.

Elf:

"Time’s up! You both passed... barely. Back to your own lives now. Don’t forget what you’ve learned! Hahaha!!" Poof

A flash of light returns Oak and Clark to their original bodies.

---

Scene 6: Reflections

Both men return to their families and share their experiences:

Clark and Lois:

Clark tells Lois how overwhelmed he felt by Oak’s immense powers and responsibilities. Lois laughs, joking about how Clark is better off as a “simple farm boy.”

Oak and Lucy:

Oak opens up to Lucy about how he felt Clark’s human life and his Kryptonian life was deceptively difficult, especially the way Clark balances love and duty. Lucy smiles and reassures him, holding his hand.

---

Final Scene: Friendship Reaffirmed

Oak and Clark meet up on a hill overlooking Brook Town.

Clark:

"Well, that was... an experience."

Oak:

"Your life is harder than I thought. Still, I don’t envy your tractor problems."

Clark:

"And I don’t envy your everything exploding all the time problems. How did you hold this power all this time it's terrifying? I mean I get it you and me holding anger to not harm anyone but yours is really harder

Oak:

"Welcome to my mind it's never easy I have to always be on guard with myself and when I get angry I try to hold it back for a bit to keep me from not actually hit anyone"

Clark:

"never envy you. Ever."

Both laugh, grateful for the newfound understanding of each other’s lives. The camera pans out as they share a handshake, solidifying their bond.

---

End of Episode.

Hope it made a bit Lough or understand what each one life is and what will happen if you swap places with each other.

[mylittleredgirl]

dear space swap 🚀

Thank you in advance for writing for me! I love these fandoms and characters, and I’m very easy to please as a reader, so I hope you can write something you like and have fun. If my collected likes and prompts are helpful, please use them, but if you’re inspired by another idea or don’t feel like scrolling through this letter, please ditch all my requests and run with it. I love being surprised and look forward to seeing what you come up with.

💕 I love: canon divergence | complications (e.g. emotional baggage, working together while in a relationship, traumas inflicted by canon) | episode-related fics | fix-its | friends to lovers | happy/hopeful endings | hurt/comfort | “it’s just casual” to lovers | other canon characters included in the fic | pining | polyamory dynamics | 5-times | all ratings are welcome.

🔥 Kinks enjoyed: aliens made them do it (or local canon equivalent) | blow jobs | body worship (especially related to body changes like aging, scars, weight gain, etc) | edging | hand jobs | masturbation | soft dom/sub (bondage and praise yes, pain and shame no) | watching/voyeurism | sweet I-love-you sex works for me too!!

⛔️ DNWs: alternate-setting AUs* | bashing of other characters or past canon relationships | crossovers (except between series in the same universe, like star trek) | hurt no comfort | non-canon nicknames | non-sexual bodily fluids in sex scenes | permanent character death | spelling out accents (for human characters) | unplanned pregnancy | zombies or blood-sucking vampires (other canon-typical aliens and cryptids are ok!).

*AU clarification: I don’t want alternate-setting (coffee-shop, law office, regency, etc) AUs, but I LOVE what-if canon divergence AUs of all sizes: fix-its, what if X episode ended differently, what if Y foundational thing didn't happen (e.g. “what if Agent Scully wasn’t assigned to debunk the X Files in the pilot episode, but she and Mulder met another way”), as long as they are still the same characters in the same canon universe.

--

Fandoms/pairings requested are below with some thoughts! Bullet points are potential prompt ideas. :)

--

🌃 Stargate Atlantis (John Sheppard/Elizabeth Weir, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard/Elizabeth Weir)

John Sheppard/Elizabeth Weir: I like her to be alive! I am equally fine with fic set in seasons 1-3, fics where “that just didn't happen,” and AUs where Elizabeth comes back. In post-season 3 AUs I’m fine with “came back wrong” or suffering along the way as long as at her core she's Elizabeth and it ends in a hopeful or happy way. I also like pre-ship fics set early in the show where they're just figuring each other out!

John and the challenge of giving/receiving affection and Having A Feeling in general

A little off-world surprise (telepathy, alien bonding rituals, strange alien booze, you know) could do everyone some good

Fix-it, hurt/comfort, recovery fic of any kind really is so good with this pairing

John/Rodney/Elizabeth: John and Rodney both love her so so much in canon and are people who really don't know how to deal with or express that, and it makes me want to see all of them figure that mess out... or make it messier. They don't all three always have to be together, but it's really important to me that she's a full and loved participant in this dynamic (rather than being a guest or a ghost in a McShep fic).

5 Times rain brings them together (or keeps them apart)

Friends who AMTDI together often enough will probably (eventually) have to talk about it

They rescue Elizabeth, but they can't come home right away

--

👽 Stargate SG-1 (Clone Sam/Jack; original flavor Sam/Jack; Daniel/Janet)

Clone Sam/Jack: I love this ship when they’re still themselves, but now with some understandable existential angst and alienation from both their past and new lives. I love exploring the tension between what they have lost and this new life they have, and the challenges of navigating a relationship when they spent so long NOT being in a relationship.

One of them gets injured or is somehow in danger. That used to be normal, but now it feels different…

A field trip.

What happens after high school? At what point does this life start to feel like their own?

(DNW exception: I usually DNW unplanned pregnancy, but for mini!otp an unplanned pregnancy or pregnancy scare is fine.)

Daniel/Janet:

Janet survives and is healing from her injuries – how does her brush with death affect her, Daniel, and Cassie? (Especially given everything Daniel & Cassie have already been through?)

5 Times they fail to go out on a date… and (maybe) one time they succeed

Sam/Jack: Perhaps more than with any other pairing I requested, I looove the penny-dropping oh moment with these two (and the oh no that follows for several years afterward). Anything that plays with the unstoppable force (pining) vs immutable object (professional dedication) is also a delight.

I always love episode-related fic, but especially for them! Pick the most random episode you like from seasons 1-7 and do a missing scene/canon divergence. :)

5 Things they don't talk about

or maybe: 5 Things they don't talk about to anyone else...

--

🖖 Star Trek: Enterprise (Trip/T'Pol, Hoshi/Travis, Hoshi & Travis)

Trip/T’Pol: I love the way their love is raw and not easy -- they struggle to figure out how to be together, how to communicate, how to admit they need things and then accept the things they need! I also really, really want them to give each other comfort and joy. Surely they'll figure it out eventually, right? I'd enjoy anywhere along their journey, from pre-ship to a happy future.

T’Pol lets Trip help her in her ongoing recovery.

Interspecies complications! What’s it like to be on Earth or Vulcan as a couple? If they are able to have a child/children, how do they negotiate parenting?

How about that touch telepathy Vulcans have… 😏

Hoshi/Travis or Hoshi & Travis: They are so sweet in the tiny moments they have alone together, and anything you have to offer for them as friends or lovers would be fun!

How does he help her recover from her experience on the Xindi weapon?

Five times Hoshi and Travis were left alone (or left in command) on the bridge

If you want to write mirror Hoshi/Travis that would also rock! I would LOVE to know what's going on there!!

--

🛰 Babylon 5 (Char: Talia Winters, Talia Winters/Susan Ivanova/Michael Garibaldi, Talia Winters /& Lyta Alexander, Talia Winters /& Michael Garibaldi, Catherine Sakai/Jeffrey Sinclair)

These are a lot of pairing options, so here are few thoughts that aren’t really prompts but might inspire you!

I just really, really, really want Talia to be saved. It’s very important to me.

It seems like Lyta would be the most qualified, and Garibaldi and Ivanova would be the most motivated, so really any combination of people can be involved. If any of them want to hook up in the process in any combination, that’s also fine. :)

A fic that takes place after she’s saved off-screen will also work!! Anything from “wow everything hurts and all these people are very fucked up in many interesting ways” to “everything is fine now and we’re having breakfast in bed.”

Talia and Lyta: they have the same backstory of having briefly trained with the Psi Cops before moving on to being commercial telepaths – could they have known each other in some way when they were young?

Talia and Garibaldi: this was a ship that rewired my id as a teenager. I'm fascinated by the cosmic-sewing-circle idea in "Soul Mates" where Talia and Garibaldi (et. al.) may be tied together somehow in this life or in others...

Sinclair/Sakai are actually good and pure and it was finally right!! They should have had the chance to be happy!! (Note: I did read “To Dream in the City of Sorrows,” a long time ago, so if you have also read that and want to include that canon in a story including Sinclair, feel free! Or make your own way.)

DNW exception: unplanned pregnancy is ok in B5 (resulting in baby, miscarriage, other?). Psi Corps tortures its people in all kinds of ways, including reproductive control, and I'm fine going as dark as you want for Psi Corps stories (noncon, torture, etc is all built into canon) as long as our characters come out alive and there's a little comfort and a hopeful ending!

--

Thank you again for writing for me! 🚀

[spinobsessed]

The “Switcharoo” Trope

I thought of this as I was going to sleep and the thoughts were too much for my brain to handle on its own, so I physically had to write all this down. It’s 3:42am it’s been an hour

Switcharoo episodes can be an amazing way of bonding between two or more characters while also giving them -and us- insight into a characters personal struggles

But they are incredibly infuriating when done wrong. I have 4 examples of Switcharoo episodes I can recall; “Switched” S1E07 from Teen Titans, “A Royal Problem” S7E10 from MLP: FiM, “The Cutie Mark Mix Up” S1E05 from MLP: A New Generation, and lastly “Once Upon a Swap” S1E08 from The Owl House. I will go in the order I listed them.

In “Switched” the puppet king stole the boy’s souls and almost got the girl’s too but Raven casted a spell that was supposed to counter it but ended up putting their souls in each other bodies, throughout the episode Starfire and Raven have to work together in each others bodies to save the boys before it’s too late. This is the best example of a switcharoo episode I can think of for multiple reasons. First, the set up makes sense, it didn’t feel rushed or too coincidental which is great considering this was the 7th episode of TT overall. Second, the way they handled Raven and Starfire switching was amazing. Both of their powers are based on emotions, but Starfire needs to let go to access hers while Raven must hold back or risks hurting people or herself. They’re both completely out of their element and even argue for a moment about their differences before Starfire suggests that Raven tells her about herself so she can get a better understanding of how Raven controls her powers. I really enjoyed how it was easier for Starfire to use Ravens powers than it was for Raven to use Starfires, it makes SO much sense that a person who normally holds back has trouble letting go while a person who’s always letting go can just tone it down a bit. My only single complaint abt this episode was that we never got to see Raven apologize for saying to Starfire that her happy thought was her not talking; as someone who kins Starfire that made my heart physically hurt. But this isn’t abt me, 9.9/10.

In “A Royal Problem” Starlight Glimmer is sent to Canterlot’s Castle (home to the two ruling sisters Celestia and Luna) to find and fix a friendship problem. She finds out that Celestia and Luna are actually the cause of the problem and that because they have a sort of lack of empathy and misunderstanding for each others jobs they end up being under-appreciative towards eachother. Starlight, in the moment, casts a spell to switch their cutie marks/magic for 24 hours and they have to live as each other. My problem with this episode is that it misunderstands what a switcharoo episode is meant to do, like I said earlier it’s meant to give us and the characters insight on another characters troubles. It’s definitely NOT supposed to be a way to say “oh you have a problem and I have a problem” in an equal way, Celestia comments on how her list of daily tasks is 3x as long as Lunas. Lunas actual sole responsibility, besides controlling the moon but that’s basic, is to help ponies in trouble in their DREAMS. We’ve seen her do this before it’s not very complex, especially when you’ve had practice at finding the issue and talking it out with someone. Celestia is effectively ruling the entire kingdom on her own, Luna may be there to assist but in the end it’s Celestias job alone it’s all on her list. Believe it or not keeping a civilization running is harder than talking ponies through their nightmares. Celestias only problem with Lunas job is that she had to do it alone, which I find absurd. We did not see Luna getting any help from anyone besides Starlight, who would not normally be there, so I don’t know what “help” Celestia is getting but they should’ve shown that. Their jobs are not equal and I wish that was addressed. 7/10, I would rate it a 5/10 but it gets some extra points for being semi-Celestia-oriented and having loads of editable clips

these last two I haven’t watched in a while so I’ll recall as best as I can

In “The Cutie Mark Mix Up” Sunny and Hitch get into a conflict about who’s job is harder which is already annoying me because OBVIOUSLY Hitch’s job is, like this isn’t even abt two ppl who have a similar task but have to do it differently. They’re just two completely separate occupations. Sunny was talking abt her making smoothies and then started bringing up how she’s the alicorn of Maritime Bay as if the other ponies even cared except for that one episode where they suddenly cared (Sidenote I hate it when shows pick and choose when to have logical scenes for their characters, if your MC is an alicorn or some other special person then they SHOULD have some kind of paparazzi or fan club. They did it right with Rainbow Dash, she was special enough to deserve a fan club but didn’t necessarily need cameras around her all the time like Twilight or another princess would, but I’m getting off topic). Sunny was mixing up her job, and her responsibility. She has the job of making smoothies but decided to take it upon herself to be a good role model as an alicorn, if you’re talking just from an employed job standpoint then Hitch has the harder one. Hitch’s problem with being a smoothie maker was that the ponies were too picky, asking for your smoothie to be chunkier is fine; but asking for “the usual” when it’s obviously not the usual person working and therefore they wouldn’t know what tf ur asking for is stupid. Being upset that someone would rather not chat while making a smoothie isn’t a valid complaint these ponies are just spoiled w/ Sunny’s treatmeant. For some reason they also switch personalities which is a cool twist ig but the episode just wasn’t that memorable to me. 7/10, unlike g4 I don’t expect as much from g5

In “Once Upon a Swap” Luz, Eda, and King all have misconceptions about each others lives. Unlike the previous examples, this doesn’t center the idea that someone has it easier (although that is what Eda thinks of King but that’s just one out of the three) King doesn’t understand why Luz doesn’t stand up for herself when she’s bullied by Boscha, Luz doesn’t understand why Eda is cautious abt breaking the law bc she thinks Eda can just use magic to solve her problems, and Eda doesn’t understand why King doesn’t like always being pampered like a baby. So they swap bodies while making a bet on whoever has the easiest day, loser has to wash hooty. I honestly don’t have much anything to say about this, it wasn’t memorable for me, it was a filler episode in a story driven series which I wasn’t very interested in, idk. I will say that these all feel pretty realistic for their characters though and I can appreciate that. Luz is a 14 yr old girl caught up in her witch fantasy and has barely scraped the surface of the true horrors in the Boiling Isles, of course she thinks Eda can just magic away her problems she’s done it before to save them. Eda has had it rough all her life and has to survive while being actively hunted to go to the conformitorium (is that how you spell it??) of course when she looks at King she sees a life of pampering and comfort she PROVIDED that for him, and King has taken advantage of his cuteness and it’s affect on people before. King is overconfident because of his cuteness and sees Luz as a cool older sister figure, of course he thinks she should just be able to stick up to her bullies and make friends with the cool kids easily he’s seen her stick up to the Warden who was in charge of the guards that hunted Eda. 6/10, basic but not bad characterization I suppose

[saltysaltdog]

I think you can (in part) meld dinobots existing with rescuebot dinos by virtue of two factors:

1. Rescue bots and Optimus are special.

In rescue bot academy Optimus brought in some fancy special t-cogs so that the students could become able to take on more forms/become triple changers because he thought it was necessary for them to become fully fledged rescue bots. Debating on functionalist rhetoric aside, the original rescue bots probably also had this ability which is why they were relatively rare and not easily replaced- Blades said he'd flunked space rescue class, and yet was still accepted into going on space patrol with his team. That means the criteria for becoming a rescue bot may not have been skill but rather innate ability.

Optimus has the matrix, but even he needed to dedicate truckloads of time to meditation and refining his awareness of his own body to even make the attempt at having another form. Even then he wasn't able to handle a form that was so unnatural to him and went on a rampage. They needed to create medical patches to force-inject coding fixes to stabilise him, which they also gave to the rescuebots to ensure they wouldn't rampage either.

Even with the above, Blades found it very hard to scan and become a pterodactyl and even temporarily was unable to transform due to the strain it caused his t-cog.

2. Shockwave was working from scratch while the rescuebots had animatronics they were able to scan.

Shockwave never had an opportunity to study a real live dinosaur. He only had glimpses from the spacebridge and was never able to recreate them perfectly, neither in robotic or organic form. (In the comics he had organic dino clones but they couldn't survive for even a day on cybertron and dropped dead. It's uncertain if this was because of Cybertron being inhospitable for organic life or not, because Megatron didn't want to take the chance and kept the human children safe in jars. For now I'll just assume shockwave failed.) It's canon that you can surgically alter a tank to be a space craft, but Shockwave wanted to push the envelope and create entirely new beings that had never been seen on Cybertron before.

His torturous creation of them is (in part) because Shockwave thinks pain is relevant to functionality and the process of creating the most violent beasts he can. And of course that massive, invasive, experimental, surgery is going to be painful if you aren't using painkillers. I believe that Shockwave could have created the dinobots without torturing anyone, or at least not grimlock, but that he's so used to not administering anesthesia that he never even thinks to do so. The option to use painkillers may not have been unavailable to him under functionalism and he just got used to turning his audials off around subjects.

Meanwhile doc green's mechanical dinosaurs had bones and later live dinosaurs to model themselves after. They could run amok and had fully fleshed out designs that were available to scan.

We've established the rescuebots are special and able to just scan dinomodes, something a normal bot can't do, and hense why shockwave couldn't just make a robot dinosaur for people to scan.

Anyway, that's why I'm cool with rescue dinos. (Of course they were forced into making those episodes because of the soon to be released robot dino toy line, but that's neither here nor there)

As for the body swapping and mind control: that was canon BEFORE rescue bots because of the Titan comics. Mech was developing a way to put human minds in cybertronian bodies and managed to do so on a vehicon while Knockout used it on OP and some guy, which I think came out before silas was put in Breakdown's body to give it context. The mind control was because the decepticons found out what game Raf liked and forced subliminal messaging into the game to get Raf to leak the location of the base.

It's funny how many callbacks you can make between the comics and the cartoon because the comics also had an issue they solved by pretending cybertronians were just toys and the broadcast wasn't real.

Things that canonically exist in the same world as transformers prime because they also exist in rescue bots:

-fairies

-ghosts

-time travel

-still-living dinosaurs

-optimus's third mode, the fucking t-rex

-a machine that cheats death and reverses the aging process

-skyrim, if blades making the arrow to the knee joke is to be taken at face value.

-mass displacement tech the way the fandom's been portraying it for ages

-the exact same altmode-locking paralytic virus from beast machines

-full-on mind control, effective on both humans and bots

-lycanthropy inducing fake meat

-a hal-9000-esque rogue AI intent on turning the world comatose to keep humanity maximally safe

-freaky Friday mind swapping

-time loops

-machine that forces you to sing in full musical numbers

-Allspark day, which is basically cybertronian new years day

We need to start subjecting the prime bots to the weirdass facets of their world.