#threat of stab vs threat of burn

[lord-prey]

Compiled stuff

[jinjeriffic]

Dan Phantom vs. the Justice League

Most DCxDP fanworks gloss over how Dark Danny/Phantom kills the JL, or argue that TUE wouldn't play out the same way in the DC universe, since there are tons of superheroes and some would have a way of beating Dan. So let us dig into this with a shovel!

I would like to point out that we have seen plenty of apocalyptic/dark futures in DC. Even without Dan, that superhero multiverse is constantly teetering on the knife's edge of catastrophe! It feels like every couple of months someone has to stop the end of the world. Dan is just one more possible future to avert.

Dan is not a mindless monster, he is capable of planning, subterfuge and working with/coercing others to work with him (i.e. Fright Knight). He has both Danny and Vlad's memories, so in a crossover setting there is no way he wouldn't know about the public superheroes and villains at least.

Speaking of, DC is obviously crawling with supervillains and world destroying entities. Nobody said Dan had to conquer the world alone! I can totally see him working with and manipulating other villains to achieve his goals, only to stab them in the back later (ho-ho).

Dan's powers of invisibility, intangibility, duplication, overshadowing etc. make him an ideal candidate for infiltration, espionage and sabotage. Unless a person or location is specifically shielded against ghosts with tech or magic, he can get in and out without anybody noticing. Sure, someone like Batman probably had his home proofed against supernatural attacks, but surely not most of them! I envision him taking down Earth's heroes by extensively spying on them first.

Consider: Dan causes a major disaster that requires superhero intervention (runaway train, high-rise fire, sinking oil tanker etc.) and waits for someone to show up. When they do, Dan uses his duplicates to follow the hero(es) home/to work etc. Learn their identity, their weaknesses, their loved ones etc.

Dan could strategically leak hero identities to villains with a grudge who have no problem going after their civilian lives. This could also act as a smoke screen so the heroes don't immediately realize someone is targeting all of them.

Overshadow a loved one and use them to kill the hero - "Oh, Hero X got in an argument with their SO and their SO shot them in a fit of passion? Their SO claims having blacked out just before they picked up the gun? Trauma will do that."

Use intangibility to plant bombs, nerve gas, radioactive materials, etc. in the homes of various heroes and set them off in a coordinated strike.

Probably the biggest threat to Dan would be magic based heroes or supernatural entities (Captain Marvel, Doctor Fate, the JLD, etc.). They would also be the most likely to have countermeasures in place against ghosts, or a way to detect him. But they're also mostly suited for fighting the supernatural. I admittedly don't know enough about a lot of these characters - would say, Zatanna think to have a shield in place against sudden sniper attacks? Dan could steal some money and hire Deathstroke/Deadshot etc to blow their head off when they're out in the open.

Have I mentioned what a nightmare Dan would be in terms of security? I can totally see him say, breaking into the CDC and unleashing smallpox, ebola and any number of virulent diseases on the world. Cause some nuclear meltdowns. Knock down a dam. Steal some highly radioactive isotopes! Would the magic heroes be protected against something that can give you a lethal dose of radiation within minutes?

What I'm saying is, a clever and ruthless villain like Dan could unleash enough chaos with his OP powerset to overwhelm the heroes and then pick a lot of them off. He's pretty much the definition of someone who just wants to see the world burn!

[carrymelikeimcute]

I'm in my feels again so lets talk about Izzy Hands and violence.

I read a novel ages ago, where an older guy takes a young orphan boy under his wing and teaches him a trade - it's medieval times and said boy becomes a young adult and wants a sword, but his pseudo-father/boss/friend tells him he can't have one, because if he has one, he'll draw it and if he draws it, he could be killed. The safest thing is, paradoxically, to carry no weapons. To learn control of one's temper and control over your surroundings.

The scenes of Izzy and Stede in ep.7 at Jackie's reminded me of that novel.

Obviously Izzy has weapons, tends to put his hand on his sword during arguments and we do see him fighting and killing people. HOWEVER, I think it's really interesting that, given how often we talk about Izzy being repressed (emotionally/sexually/gender-ly) and how controlled he attempts to be, we don't often talk about his controlled approach to violence.

A lot of fic characterises him as someone who is hot tempered and violent, but looking at s1 with fresh eyes, between him and Ed, he's definitely not just the cooler head when it comes to instigating violence, but the one who takes less interest in violence for its own sake as a performance - e.g. Ed's very creative instructions with the tiny fork, the toe thing etc vs Izzy just stabbing Stede. It's a means to an end.

Don't think I'm not saying he has a fucking temper and a half, because he obviously does, but that seems to mostly be vented non-violently through yelling - not yelling at strangers either, but at people he knows and can (usually) judge where the line is.

Until he puts a toe over that line and...oops.

On first meeting Stede, Izzy cuts up his shirt without actually hurting him. It's a threat, but he hasn't drawn blood, hasn't started anything violent...yet. It's almost a display intended to dissuade actual fighting, by showing your potential opponent that they're probably going to lose.

I think one of the reasons Izzy's so annoyed about their losses in the battle with the Spanish is that it's not their fight. They didn't get anything from it - it was pointless (to him, not to Ed obvs). He wants to avoid facing the Spanish again in the following episode, because they stand to lose more than they will gain.

Even when he's actively calling for Ed to kill Stede, he isn't fussy about how. (And he uses manipulation to keep his hands clean - something he does again when selling Ed out to the navy.) Stede needs to be gone, and this is the easiest way to do that. And when he does finally lose it he doesn't just attack Stede without warning - it's within the controlled setting of a duel, which, when Stede starts improvising, breaks down Izzy's control and leads to him becoming emotional, making a mistake and getting his sword broken.

In s2 the pointlessness of the raids is obviously getting to him, disrupting a wedding for no real gain. Losing Ivan for nothing. I don't think the violence is what bothers him, he's a very active participant, but the fact that it's not for anything - it's not enough of a reward in and of itself. (It's like not really caring one way or the other about being a barista, it's just what you do and it's fine, but then suddenly you're not being paid and also your boss keeps burning you with the steam wand on purpose and you just sort of wish you could just get on with your job and make rent like before.)

S1 Izzy seems to lack the whimsy and imagination that Ed/Stede bring to piracy and to violence, but that doesn't make him stupid. They're playing some kind of made-up game that only they know the rules for, and he's trying to play chess with everyone, even when the rules are only a burden to him.

When we see him training, he's being a dramatic candlelit bitch, but he's also measuring his movements, focusing intently and not just hacking away at everything. Even the candles are interesting to me in this context - we see him playing with candles several times in S1/2 and while yes, there is a certain amount of 'Izzy likes pain' in there to unpick, it's also kind of a metaphor for control - fire is one of the most dangerous things to have on a 'wooden vessel' but a candle is like a tiny pet fire that you control - so long as you're careful and respectful. It's all about risk management, respecting dangerous forces and being aware.

When Stede kills Ned, Izzy looks impressed, even seems to smile for a second, but then he looks more subdued and tells Ed that the first kill is a head-fuck. It's like he's proud of Stede being ABLE to kill, but regretful that Stede CHOSE to kill in a situation where it wasn't necessary at all.

I don't think for a moment that Izzy regrets killing most of the people he kills as part of pirate life, but I think he would regret killing someone he didn't have to. Most people wouldn't want to carry that around with them.

We see in ep7. that Izzy is well respected at Jackie's. He tells bigger guys than him to fuck off and just takes people's chairs. He gets called 'Mr. Hands' instead of by his first name. There's a lot of respect there and I think some of it comes from his reputation with Ed, but also, from people knowing that he's not insane - he can be treated respectfully and everything will be fine for all involved. He's not some menace that's going to stab you as likely as pat you on the back.

For all that people are afraid of Blackbeard (and maybe slightly in awe of Stede as of the Ned thing) for their unpredictable natures and occasional violent outbursts, people are still attacking them or pandering to them, actual respect is something else entirely.

Later, Izzy doesn't pull a weapon and tries to discourage Stede from doing so, even tries to get him to leave to prevent a fight from starting. In the fight, he smashes a stool over someone and doesn't just start killing people - it's an appropriate level of violence for the situation, not an escalation.

It feels like Izzy is very much in that place of controlling himself, being aware and knowing when and how to use force practically, proportionally and effectively. This might be age related, but it's also a big part of his personality. I think that's also why he looks impressed by what Zheng does to Steak Knife (rip) because it's so precise, bloodless and quick. She's basically the best captain for him - she's efficient and controlled.

It's easy to confuse 'is willing to kill' with 'is eager to kill'. I don't think Izzy necessarily loathes that part of his job, he seems ambivalent, but it is still a job to him. It's what pirates do, much as the crew of the Revenge do still kill people, it's just part of their life and not some kind of performance or fun activity. It's work, and it's hard and it's unpleasant and if something can be done an easier way - a smarter way - then that's probably the best way.

[enemyoflactose]

I finished Battle City

So for my redemption arc, I have finished both Duelist Kingdom and Battle City.

I think I may have gotten worse.

I'll start by talking about voice acting and which one I prefer:

Bakurae: I like both Ted Lewis and Rica Matsumoto's performances. They both did amazing and I am so bi for their voices.

Marik: His goofy ass skeletor voice is not it. It's funny as hell, but he just sounds better in the sub.

Odion: I like both

Ishizu: I like both

Everyone else: could go either way

Characters:

Yugi didn't really do a lot at the start, and everything I want to say about him happens in his duel with Joey. Honestly, I don't like how in the anime he doesn't play much of a role.

Yami Yugi: this man... This man.

Téa: I love her. Honestly. She gave like zero friendship speeches this season and didn't really do much except help Yami find Ishizu.

Joey: I LOVE JOEY WHEELER.

Tristan: he's there. I don't like how he treats Serenity.

Serenity: I actually really like her. She's not the most realistic sister character, but I still like her.

Duke: my guy, leave the girl alone.

Marik: I can't take him seriously. I just can't. He sounds like Skeletor, his plans are stupid, he can barely duel, he's a coward, he dresses ugly, mother fucker uses Revival Jam, this happened

How am I supposed to take him seriously?! Also, his backstory didn't do anything for me. Like, yeah what he went through was awful, but it just feels like an excuse. It felt like Ishizu and Odion were trying to justify Marik's behavior and say he did nothing wrong and should be forgiven. (Also, I saw a post about how Joey should have showed Marik sympathy. They blocked me when I said that was stupid)

Ishizu: she's such a great character. Her love for her siblings feels real, she's a snarky dork, her duel with Kaiba is fantastic, and she's pretty.

Odion: Am I supposed to feel bad for him? Not because he was horrifically abused I do feel bad about that, but with the way he was treating Marik... My guy was an enabler. Of course Marik is still evil under your care, you haven't done anything to help him be good. He just rolls over and lets Marik do what he wants because he doesn't want to betray his oath or something.

Mai: literally so cool. I'll actually get to talking about her in a bit.

Kaiba: iconic.

Mokuba: he takes his duel commissioner job so seriously it's adorable. He just pops up out of nowhere to catch people cheating and then Kaiba comes along to scare the cheater when they don't listen to Mokuba.

Regular Bakura: B-baby boy???

Yami Bakura: I'd literally bend over for him. He can have all of my possessions. Anyway I feel like he went through some character assassination this season. He just doesn't seem like a threat, but I guess that's how abusers get ya because he stabs Regular Bakura.

Arkana: I've said it once and I'll say it again, I am a sap. I felt so bad for this guy. First his magic show goes wrong, then his face gets mangled, then his wife leaves him, then he gets indoctrinated into Marik's cult, then he almost dies by saw blade, then he actually dies.

Lumis and Umbra: these two are gay and dating.

Strings: there is nothing there.

Mako and Weevil are pretty much the same.

Espa Roba: he's a cheater.

Duels:

Bandit Keith vs Yugi Moto (Duel 1)

The first duel of the season introduces us to Marik. We learn that he wants the puzzle and has a magic rod that can mind control people.

This duel shows off that Yugi is not yet as good a duelist as Yami because this loser gets fucking cooked.

Yami Bakura shows up and breaks Keith free. This makes Marik a little annoyed.

Marik makes Keith break the puzzle.

Bakura comes in and helps Yugi fix it, but he puts a little piece of his soul in the puzzle because of reasons that are never explained.

Bakura leaves and Keith burns the building down.

Joey and Tristan save Keith and Yugi.

Yami Yugi vs Jonny Steps (Duel 2)

I am not talking about the duel you suckers. I'm talking about what happened before the duel!

Yami and Téa go on a date. During this date they go on wacky high jinks and Yami gets Light Force Sword.

After dueling Jonny Steps, they go to the museum and meet Ishizu. She tells them that Yami is actually an ancient Egyptian pharaoh and he needs to save the world by joining Kaiba's tournament and winning it. Also he needs three Egyptian God Cards.

Joey vs That one guy (duel 3)

Joey gets Exodiad and feels so bad that he doesn't go and visit his sister in the hospital.

He also lost his Red Eyes Black Dragon.

Tristan finds him on the beach and shows Yugi and Téa who he found (fuck you 4kids)

Kaiba vs the machine (duel 4)

OBELISK, FIST OF FATE!!!!!

Yami vs the one guy(duel 5)

Yami beats Exodia and wins back Joey's Red Eyes.

Joey declined it.

Joey vs Espa Roba (duel 6)

In this duel Joey faces an alleged psychic who had already defeated Rex Raptor.

Rex tries to help Joey for a little bit, but stops like half way through the duel.

During this duel, Espa is talking about the universe and how he can't lose and shit like that and Joey's just clowning on him.

Espa Roba has his brothers up on a building helping him win duels.

Joey figures this out.

Joey wins the duel.

Some guy in the audience says "Espa couldn't predict he'd be a loser", and I think that's funny.

Joey got a Jinzo!! The only good card he'll get this whole tournament.

Yami vs Arkana (duel 7)

Yami faces a magician who's all like "Aren't you SO sad that your precious Dark Magician is in the deck of another duelist???!"

Some bullshit happens, Dark Magician is sentient and saves Yami, Dark Magician Girl is summoned by Dark Magic Curtain, there's shadow blades, guillotine-chan is here, apparently there's no service in the tent.

Yami wins.

Arkana dies or something it was really unclear.

Joey vs Weevil Underwood (duel 8)

Joey got his deck and Duel Disk stolen by some mustache and had a card put In it.

Joey and Weevil duel ata fountain.

During this duel Weevil calls out to the Parasite Paracide card in Joey's deck and turns all of Joey's monsters into insect cards.

Weevil brings out Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth. Joey destroys it.

Weevil brings out his Insect Queen and talks about how much he wants to fuck it. Joey destroys the Insect Queen and wins it.

Joey gained the worst card of the season.

Yami and Kaiba vs some guys (duel 10)

Kaiba uses Lord of D and two Flute of Summoning Dragon to summon three dragons and then he summons Obelisk and then he wins the duel and takes some locator cards.

Joey Wheeler vs Mako (duel 11) ft. Marik falling for the Bakura sham.

Joey and Mako duel.

Joey is putting on the world's greatest show, and is told to stop because it's "embarrassing and taking to long"

Joey tries to use Parasite Paracide, but flip monsters haven't been invented yet.

MEANWHILE

Marik almost runs over Bakura.

BACK TO THE DUEL

Mako is telling a son story about his dad and how Legendary Fisherman is his dad and he loves his dad so he has to win the duel for his dad because he loves him ever so much.

MEANWHILE

Yami Bakura is talking mad shit and Marik's all like "This idiot has NO idea that to open the door to darkness he needs the Egyptian God Cards."

What if my guy was talking 'bout Kingdom Hearts?

BACK TO THE DUEL

Mako used a ritual card 🤮

Now Joey has to find the fisherman and attack.

Joey finds the fisherman and attacks. Mako gets sad. Loser deserved it tho for using rituals.

Joey uses some gambling cards and oh no

MEANWHILE

Bakura puts his scam into action and says he's a strong duelist (He's aight.)

Marik doesn't even fact check this and makes a deal with him.

The rod for a god card.

BACK TO THE DUEL

Joey uses Panther Warrior to wipe out the ritual card 🤮, and wins the duel.

Joey has gained Legendary Fisherman! Not as bad as the last card, but Joey you have a shitty deck how do you keep winning???

Seto and Yami vs Lumis and Umbra (duel 12)

THERE'S ANOTHER FUCKING RITUAL CARD!!!! AND IT'S NOT EVEN A GOOD ONE!

It's awful, it sucks, it's worthless, they should have just used level cards

This duel is not worth my time.

Yami and Seto win.

We interrupt this essay to talk about important stuff that happened out of duels:

Bakura got stabbed

Mokuba, Téa, and Joey got kidnapped

Tristan ran for an hour with a teenage girl on his back

Duke hit some guy with dice

Mai met Serenity

Joey got mind controlled

Téa girl mind controlled

Joey vs Yugi/Yami (duel 13)

I cried during this duel

Joey got mind controlled by Marik and is evil and dueling Yugi for the puzzle and they're also strapped to this anchor that's gonna drag them to the bottom of the ocean in an hour and oh my God this duel

Téa's life is also being threatened but she's a badass who doesn't care.

Kaiba can't help because then Téa will die.

Joey was given all these rare cards and is using them against Yugi.

Yugi is so scared to attack because he doesn't wanna hurt Joey.

Yugi is so fucking sweet I love him so much.

Yami is just in the corner like "you good Yugi?" And "Oh no!!! Joey!!" I love them so much

Yugi ends up giving the puzzle to Joey so he can fight Marik better, he summons R d eyes black dragon to get through to him, this shit is just barely working I HATE THIS DUEL

Marik is being a whiny little bitch ass loser because his mind control is failing

Joey breaks free after attacking Yugi then he uses the effect of some mirror card to attack himsefl

Joey and Yugi both plummet to the ocean, Yugi is saved by Joey and Joey is saved by serenity.

I LOVE JOEY WHEELER

Meanwhile at the hospital

Yami Bakura vs Bonz (duel 14)

This episode is so fucking good. The animation, the duel, BONZ IS HERE

This duel starts off with Yami Bakura already being kinda annoyed. He just got jumped so it makes sense.

He summons a headless knight and it gets destroyed.

He destroys Bonz's cards.

Bonz fuses Medusa and crawling dragon to get... An elephant?

Then Bonz activates that one card that makes you lose life points for every card sent to the graveyard. Yami Bakura responded by fucking cheating and just tossing his hand to the graveyard.

Then he summons Earl of Demise and Bonz puts him in a cage.

Then Yami Bakura uses ectoplasmer and wipes out Bonz's life points and sends him to hell the Shadow Realm.

Mai vs Jean Clawed Magnum (duel 19)

I am not talking about this duel other than

Joey x Mai supremacy

We love polarshipping

Stuff that happens before the finals

The gang is shocked at the idea of Regular Bakura dueling (rude)

Tristan can't flirt

The gang raid Joey's pantry

A bingo machine

Yami Bakura pretends to be Regular Bakura and messes with Joey by saying shit like "Cheerio" and "fellows"

Marik does stuff

Odion gets threatened a few times

Ishizu shows up late

Mai drinks censored wine

Yami Bakura vs Yami (duel 15)

This shit is so hype

It starts off with Yami Bakura being dog shit and summoning weak cards (it's for a plan), and Yami and the gang just ragging on him and insulting him.

Then Bakura summons Dark Necrofear, but he doesn't attack because he's scared that Yami's face down card is a trap (reasonable)

Dark Necrofear gets destroyed by a buffed Dark Magician Girl, but this was all part of the an because now Yami Bakura can use not only his Destiny Board (worst win strat ever), but he can also use Dark Sanctuary.

At this point in the duel, Yami Bakura is cooking. He is dominating.

He got out his Dark door, Yami can't attack more than once. He got his spirit redirecting attacks at Yami. He's cooking something delicious.

Then Yami special summons Dark Necrofear and now Yami Bakura can't use his strategy.

Unless he summons Jougen the Spiritualist!

Now the sanctuary is back and he can keep up with his shitty win strat.

Then Yami summons Slifer and he contemplates death.

Marik makes Odion walk over and go "I release Bakura from the spirit" and Bakura starts dying and at this point my shipping senses start going nuts.

This duel has become a love triangle between Regular Bakura, Yami Bakura, And Yami Yugi.

But that's not important.

Bakura doesn't like this strategy because it's for cowards and he's worried Yami will attack his host. (Reasonable. The Yami he knows probably would've)

Yami meanwhile doesn't wanna attack Regular Bakura because that's his friend.

No one has told this boy to just surrender.

Yami Bakura takes control of Regular Bakura again and tells Yami to attack him

Then Yugi tells Yami that he did that because he needs Bakura, not because he liked him. (This is untrue if I believe hard enough)

Regular Bakura is knocked out and the ring is gone.

Joey vs Odion (duel 16)

Joey is talking shit.

Odion keeps setting and passing

And oh what's this?? FLASHBACK

Odion was abandoned on the door step of Marik's and Ishizu's parents. He was raised by them but never truly accepted.

He wanted the tomb keeper initiation to become accepted, but he was adopted. So that didn't happen.

DUEL

Joey's losing

FLASHBACKS

Odion was Marik's best friend and watched their mother die immediately after Marik was born.

He vowed to protect Marik.

DUEL

Odion has trap monsters and Joey is surprised by this.

A massive scorpion monster thing is summoned and Joey says

"Are you really Marik?"

Then Marik has a temper tantrum and tells Odion to summon Ra. Odion summons Ra and fucking dies.

Then Joey dies.

FLASHBACK

Odion watched as Marik got his tomb keeper initiation and afterwards he did his own initiation.

DUEL

Odion tries to get up, but he doesn't.

MEANWHILE IN JOEY DREAMLAND

Joey is having a dream about his friends helping him get ready for a tournament and he can't get up.

DUEL

Joey gets up and wins the duel.

Marik is having a migraine and then becomes Yami Marik.

Mai vs Marik (duel whatever I don't wanna check)

Marik got a fashion upgrade and looks better!!

During this duel Kaiba is edging himself waiting for Ra to be summoned.

Marik makes the duel a shadow duel and starts to erase Mai's mind.

Mai loses one memory and almost gives up immediately.

Marik continues his mind games while Joey and the gang try to help Mai out.

Mai is having non of this.

Mai steals Ra

Marik is cooking

Mai summons Ra, but Marik broke a rule because Ra is written in a foreign language without a translation.

Mai loses because she can't summon Ra and Marik attacked her, Joey, and Yami.

Final duel, Kaiba vs Ishizu

Ishizu should have won

Kaiba and Ishizu keep milling each other's deck.

Ishizu has a plan though. She saw it in her visions

Kaiba defys those visions tho and instead of summoning Obelisk, he summons the Blue Eyes White Dragon and wipes out Ishizu.

I forgot to talk about the Yami vs Strings duel

Marik is a pussy so he uses some murderer to duel

During this duel Marik is using cards like Revival Jam and Jam Breeding Machine.

He uses them to summon Slifer.

Yami is trapped in a cage.

Yami uses Revival Jam against Marik and uses it to cause Marik to lose by DECK OUT.

DECK OUT

That's embarrassing.

So yeah, I think this journey of redemption is becoming a journey of derailment instead. Wish me luck and health.

[faun-the-hound]

so...

About the War of the Magi

Gonna be entirely honest here: I don't remember any of the information about this thing other than it was a war between witches/warlocks and Magick users? I'm around fifty-odd episodes through season 2 and only vaguely remember it being mentioned once- between Nana/KC and Lucinda I think- despite it being the title of the second season.

Yet, it seems to be an important part of Ru'aun's history, so I'll make my own shit for it.

Magi, in Daybreak, refers to humanoid non-human beings with access to unique Magicks I've referred to as 'innate Magick' a few times.

Ru'aun's native magi are: sirens(70:30 ratio of fish-like to bird-like), witches, vampires, demons(rarely), elves and faeries(rarely).

The War of the Magi then would, presumably, be against or between magi in some way. So, here's the story: (plus bonus Irene lore)

Circa 500 ADW (After Divine War), Ru'aun was at peace, living in the new ways introduced to them by The Matron, now a revered religious figure across the region. The other Divine Warriors had long passed away by now, their family lines continuing, though in constant danger from Shadow Knights, hunters, slavers and assassins.

Magi had long been a part of the Ru'aunic populace, they were there long before the human settlers came from other regions and started their kingdom hundreds of years prior, a kingdom now dissolved in exchange for the Lordship system currently in place.

There were human towns who openly despised magi, and magi towns who hated humans just the same, though the Lords and leaders of all villages tried to keep the peace.

Until the Lord of O'khasis was killed. Every year, on the day of Irene's presumed death, the day the Divine War ended and both The Empty and The Matron were killed, a meeting was held between all Lords of established villages, towns and cites in the O'khasian palace, the Lords Gala, a chance to establish trade routes, wares, alliances, to settle disputes and meet your fellow nobles.

534 ADW, as the Lords gathered in the grand hall of the palace, a cry rang out above the noise of their conversations. O'khasian guards ran through the door, calling out for their Lord- his son was dead.

Killed in his bedroom by a hooded figure they were seconds too late to catch before they dropped out of the window and vanished. The prince had been killed with Magick, and the only way the murderer could have escaped, or even survived the fall, was with Magick as well.

Accusations were thrown out against the Magi Lords presents, each of them blaming another, denying their own guilt- "how could it have been me?" "I've been with you all day!" How dare you accuse me of such treachery!" "He was missing for hours earlier!" and such.

The gala descended into chaos and anger, when suddenly, a body hit the ground. The Lord of a siren village just a few days north of O'khasis, stabbed through the heart by a human Lord whose village was just three days east of his. The human Lord looked shocked- surprised somehow that he'd killed someone- throwing down his blade and trying to claim he hadn't done that-

But the evidence said otherwise, and another magi- a vampire- leapt forwards and punched him across the face, knocking him to the ground and screaming that he was a racist- he'd always had it out for Golden Cove- another human leapt to the first's defence, attacking the vampire, who retaliated by smashing a glass over his assailant's head before a Jury member present separated them.

Attacks started off small enough, a raid or an assassination or threats and vandalism between smaller towns and villages- at first it was humans vs magi, then a werewolf pack was targeted just for living near a human town, and then the attacks got bigger.

The werewolves burned their attackers' village to the ground. Then a different magi town attacked and slaughtered the wolves' human allies. Then rumours came of a magi Lord being hung up in his town square with the sigil of a human city branded on his chest.

And it only escalated- werewolves and humans versus half the Magi population. Travellers were attacked on the Golden Roads, merchants were robbed and mauled, people simply disappeared to wood elf bandits. The powerhouse cities had their own stands on the war- O'khasis kept its gates firmly closed, Scaleswind sent soldiers to occupy magi lands and raid villages, and Drakesvale in the north-east simply stayed out of it, defended its land and alliance, but refused a hand to anyone outside of their borders.

The war went on for six years before rumours started spreading of a mysterious sage, a healer woman who placated entire battalions with a simple wave of her hand. She went by the name Irena, named after the legendary Irene, dressing in a very simple white gown and lavender shawl that completely concealed her face.

She journeyed from village to village, healing injuries and illnesses that not even the most trained Magick users could repair, calming tensions and settling the disputes without so much as raising her voice. Her very presence was enough to stop the fighting, her odd clothes drawing attention and curiosity.

She convinced the Lord of O'khasis to open his gates once more two years after her first appearance, after sweeping across Ru'aun and calming the conflict that drove half the region to near ruin. She called together, for the first time in eight years, a Lords Gala, summoning the nobility of all remaining towns, cities and settlements, including the werewolf alphas who had never attended any previous Gala.

It was there, in front of every remaining noble, that Irena revealed herself to be Irene. Explaining that their fighting had been started by a true monster- a Shadow Knight- one she herself had fought many, many years ago- one who called themself Heretic.

The fighting had accomplished nothing but pain, misery and loss, and it needed to cease. It pained the Divine to see the people they love so dearly at each others' throats, and Irene pleaded with them to find peace- find solace in knowing the real threat has been stopped, trapped within the Nether, and not in their homes.

Conflict, hatred and bitterness still remained, even to modern day, but Irene's words quelled the war, ending the majority of the violence and bloodshed. Soldiers were recalled, trade routes were re-opened, and the rebuilding process began.

Irene did not die in her battle with Noctis. Seeing him die in front of her hurt far more than anything she had even experienced, more than she could have imagined herself hurting. Shattering the corrupted Relic of Glory made an explosion that should have killed her, but it didn't. She refused to let herself die yet, disappearing into her realm, where he then remained for nearly three hundred years.

She emerged again as a simple traveller under the pseudonym Renee, a travelling healer, as Magick users seemed to have become quite common by the time she returned. She journeyed as Renee for a few years before setting away one of her two Relics, the Relic of Love, hiding it in the ruins of Sun's Heart, where she and her allies had received their Relics hundreds of years before.

She remained in her realm for another two-hundred overworld years, returning at the height of the Magi War, devastated to find her homeland in such ruin and disarray. She discovered on her travels a number of Nether Portals and portal frames scattered across the land, using her Divine Magick from the Relic of Hope to calm the fighting as she journeyed.

She closed the Nether Portals, killed the Shadow Knights she found (killing an immortal Knight sends their souls back to the Nether to have a new body formed from the realm's Magick, burning their bodies to ash within twelve hours of killing them prevents this, ending them permanently (this is what happened to most of the Primal Knights)), and did her best to calm down the rampant anger, fear and hatred that had runed so much of her home.

After ending the war, she remained on Ru'aun for the rest of her young adult and middle-aged life, travelling as she had done as Renee, healing those who needed it, performing blessing rituals (that really did nothing, but the placebo was enough for most people) and telling stories of her friends to all those who wished to listen.

She returned to her realm one last time, placing her remaining Relic, the other half of her power, upon the altar in her church, before returning to the overworld, the mortals' realm, to live the rest of her life in Sun's Heart with Hyria and her young apprentice, Caspian.

Irene died age ninety-seven and was buried in Sun's Heart, the resting place of the Gods, and creation grounds of the Divine Relics. ----------

yeesh this got long. my b.

so, yeah, a war between magi and humans/werewolves started by Primal Shadow Knights, specifically Heretic, who I've mention before. Heretic is the one who gives Zane the piece of the Relic of Glory, they were The Empty's right-hand during the Divine War, and continued guarding the one shard of his Relic they managed to steal after his death.

The purpose of the War was very simple: to make more Shadow Knights, and destroy the region in general. Make Shadow Knights from the corpses of fallen soldiers- it didn't matter if they were awakened or not, just that they could fight. And just generally ruin the integrity of Ru'aun, revenge on the Divine Warriors.

Also this is the in-universe reason Irene is sometimes called Irena, it was a pseudonym she used for a good while during the War of the Magi.

Names like Irena, Renee, Ira, Rena, etc, were quite common, as they (in-universe) were all derived from Irene. Naming a child after a Divine Warrior was supposedly a blessing, typically given to weak or sickly children in a hopes of giving them strength to survive, so they were relatively common in ye olden days. Not so much by the time Avira/Aphmau is around, but still believed to be a blessing.

Actually naming a child Irene, Esmund, Enki, or any of the names directly however is extremely taboo, as you're essentially saying "my child is as important and perfect as a Divine Warrior" which just isn't true. They're basically Gods. No one is on-par with Gods except other Gods. Nobles can generally get away with it, but the child will never be called by their full name by anyone else.

[soulfairre-slamamancer]

If you are a Zionist, i do not like you!!

Zionism has brought about the modern "state" of israel, a european controlled war colony.

The israeli occupation is a colonizing force meant to stake claim to land and give control to european countries.

Jews do not need a country for our people, what we need is to be seen and treated as equal.

Jews are indigenous to the land of Palestine, and while what you think of when you hear Palestinian may not be all the same as Jews, they are an arabized population, largely assimilated into a culture from the Arabian peninsula-they are our sister people.

They may not be as born from the land as we were, but they belong to it too.

Zionism is the belief that the jewish diaspora can only be safe through the occupation of the homeland.

Jews can be safe, but only once our sistering people are safe too.

As an american jew, i had to stop going to temple as a kid because my mom was so worried due to bomb threats, shooting threats, stabbing threats, so on and so forth. The cementation of the state of israel would not fix this.

The existence of the state of israel implies that we are something else. that we are something different meant to be kept separate.

What we need is an end to the war. What we need is peace back in our homelands, to be able to live there with our sister people, or even just visit, in safety.

Our lands are not safe, not while the modern israel is as it is now.

Just because jews have a right to our homeland doesnt mean Palestinian claims to indigenity are null, it doesn't mean that the Palestinian people do not belong. They have lived there for hundreds of years alongside us, they do not need to be pushed out so that we may have peace.

Israel is killing more of its own people than Hamas is.

Israel is killing hundreds more palestinians than palestinians are killing israelis.

Hamas is a terrorist group.

So is the current Israeli government.

Both are committing atrocities. BOTH NEED TO BE STOPPED.

If Israel dropped their guns today, Hamas would keep attacking until international forces stopped them, and they could let palestinians return to what's left of their homes.

If Hamas dropped their guns today, Israel would continue their slaughter of innocent palestinians, and jews would still not be safe.

Both the Israeli government and Hamas are horrible and are run by horrible people, both are in the wrong.

Nobody wins in war, but Israel is the greatest of the two evils in this.

The line between them is not very thick, but the Israeli government can afford much more dangerous weapons in much greater quantities than Hamas currently can.

A lot of anti-zionists take it too far and speak with antisemitism, but the state of Israel needs to be put to an end, and either disbanded or restructured.

Israel is not just killing Palestinians.

Thats why I'm against the modern state of Israel.

It is not just killing the group it demonized, not just the "them" they have singled out and attempted to make the world's enemy, but its own people.

Israel is killing its own people at nearly the same rate it is killing Palestinians.

That's why i want to free Palestine.

Because to free palestine, the war must be stopped.

For the war to stop, both the Israeli government and Hamas must be handled.

The Zionist/Anti-Zionist and the Pro-Palestine/Anti-Palestine makes it seem so cut and dry.

It is messy and crumbling, if you were to grab it, it would fall from between your fingers like bloody sand.

It is cold and melting, frigid and unstable.

It is hot and wilting, it burns and is crushed in your hand.

It has never been as simple as good vs bad.

No one party is in the right and no one party is in the wrong.

Both sides are groups of innocent people drowned in a messy blanket of the monsters they are lead by.

It takes nuance, understanding, you must always be willing. Read as much as you can from all sides.

It had been simplified beyond sense;

To say you support Israel, you are supporting the slaughter.

To say you support Palestine, you want to free the people and stop the bloodshed.

If you want to support Israel because the people are dying, you cannot support Israel itself.

If you want the want to support Palestine, you have to denounce Hamas.

If you are a human being, you should want to stop Israel's military action. Once it's stopped, almost all damage being done to both Palestinians and Israelis will cease, and once Hamas is dealt with, then is a possibility for peace, for an end to the bloodshed.

If you think it is as simple as "this side all wrong/this side completely right" you are too comfortable. In your privilege and greed you have become blind.

Listen to the people in need. Those in refugee camps do not beg for vengeance, they beg for peace.

[eway]

So um...I was listening to this

And I thought of a one shot to write. So I did. Here it is. It'll go on fanfiction.net tonight. I literally wrote it as I was thinking it up so sorry if it's bad

My name is Link. Though most here call me Young Link. I am 11 years old, and have gone through enough for grown adults to freak out. I'm not the only kid here though. There's quite a few. I consider them my friends. But they all have their scars…some worse than others. The only kid whose got near as many as me is Lucas. Most adults know this, they call us brave, strong. But they don't quite understand. The only ones who DO understand the trauma were there for it. Well, there are two adults I'd say understand. Samus and Lucina. Samus is in her late 20s, Lucina is 20. Neither had a childhood. Lucina grew up in an apocalypse. And Samus, well, she had her biological family taken from her, and later her adoptive one.

I don't want these kids getting more scars. I feel their pain. It's why I often go to them during their nightmares…

"What's going on? Stop stop stop I can't grasp whats going on!"

"NO! PLEASE CLAUS YOU DON'T NEED TO DIE!"

"HOLD ON NANA DON'T FALL!"

"POPO I'M SLIPPING!"

"NO! SNAP OUT OF IT! ITS DARK MATTER!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA LADY PALUTENA! VIRIDI! PITTOO! SOMEONE ANYONE! MY WINGS THEY WON'T STOP BURNING!"

"I…I don't want to…die like this…let go you…you stupid bug…it's all going dark…help me…"

"NO PLEASE! I NEED TO GET THE POKÉMON CENTER! NO NO!"

"ARYLL! NOOOOOO!"

"PAPA PLEASE CALM DOWN!"

"WILY! WHY ARE…WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!? PLEASE!"

"NO STOP GET THAT GOOP AWAY I NEED TO HELP 8 NO-"

"The darkness! I-I need to fight it!"

I always go to comfort them when the nightmares come. No one should have gone through what we did. As for those women, they hide things better. Lucina generally takes walks after waking up from a nightmare, and goes to train. Pikachu has to tell me when Samus had a nightmare.

Usually to calm everyone down, I get someone they trust from their universe who went on whatever "adventure" caused this. For some this isn't an option. So I stay with them as long as they need. Not to say I don't help the others. I usually calm them down until they can get to someone they know.

Villager is interesting. He seems to crave an adventure, we're like heroes to him. I envy his innocence. Still, just because I'm scarred doesn't mean he should be. As with the others, I try to protect him.

Their are many threats in smash. Most don't have their enemies in smash though, so that's good. But that doesn't mean their aren't problems.

Ness' cousin Ninten apparently told him about Gigyas' original form, Giegue. So when the Melee tournament happened, and Ness met MewTwo…the nightmares were unintentionally projected to everyone nearby…I can say that Gigyas may be more terrifying than Majora…

Lucas fighting MegaMan is never good. He freezes, unable to attack. He always looks so…broken

Lucina had a panic attack seeing Zombie for the first time. She kept it hidden, but I could tell. Shaky hands, a more brutal fighting style, shaky breath.

Samus was a wreck after Ridley joined. She wouldn't leave her room, even when we had to go to another Hotel.

When Kirby heard his fan wrote a story about him, he was happy. When everyone died in the story, he was a mess. The idea of everyone dying and him needing to save them…that much pressure. Pointing out plotholes in the fic helped, but not much. He was practically attached to Meta Knight

And let's not forget the Heroes vs. Villains Splatfest. Each group was stuck with their group until it ended. Whoever decided Dark Pit was a villain…has my hatred. Especially when there was a fight the splatfest, since they now had leverage over a goddess. I shouldn't enjoy stabbing Ganondorf so much haha. Poor Dark Pit was hurt though, pretty badly too. Guess that's what happens when someone with morals is stuck with villains and unable to escape, and severely weakened because in this realm, we have to be weaker for the fights to be somewhat fair.

I'm still a kid. And I frequently have my trauma resurface. But I guess, if there's one thing I've learned, what goes around comes around. Whenever I have a nightmare, I wake up to my friends, all there to comfort me…they all also like to spend time with me. Everything I do for them, they do for me, even Bowser Jr! I guess I just…wasn't prepared for that. Things are way less doom and gloom. We can do…semi normal kid stuff. We can…kinda…have childhoods!

I'd give up my life to protect any of them. Is that normal? Maybe it is when you lose everyone you've ever cared about. I cannot see Saria anymore, The Great Deku Tree died, Navi left. Only Zelda remains. I gotta admit, I maaaay have a thing for her. But that's off topic. My point is, as long as I am around, I will protect my friends. I won't let them suffer as much as me…

[raleighrador]

All the witches died because Indara forced them out of Kelnaca’s mind, not because of the fire?

If the Jedi hadn’t been there surely that plays out as “mama help I started a fire” and then “ok honey the 50 adults will now either put it out or evacuate because we aren’t distracted by fighting Jedi”?

Hell even if the Jedi were there, Sol stabbing Aniseya still stopped her from helping Mae and Osha (and plausibly putting out the fire or evacuating the coven).

Jedi are supposed to deescalate. A child is screaming “mama help” and his reaction was to stab the mother. The only sympathetic defence is he didn’t know what she was doing, it was sudden and unexpected, he acted on instinct. That is still what escalated the conflict further. It’s also a very… self centered reaction? In that he literally wasn’t thinking about what any of these words or actions meant to other people, only himself.

The structure is still standing, in pretty good condition, 16 years later. It’s not like the fire burned super hot and fast and destroyed the whole structure.

I don’t think Mae was washed of all blame, but she was specifically washed of the blame for Aniseya’s death. And it’s that death - and the blame for it - that drives Osha’s decisions.

There is also a qualitative difference between armed Jedi being killed in battle with an armed Sith vs unarmed witches (or at most armed with weapons that pose literally 0 threat to a Jedi) being killed by armed Jedi.

That’s not murder, that’s a battle. It’s also a battle that effectively occurs (or at least plausibly so from Osha’s new post revelation perspective) under false pretences. And the falsehood is driven by the Jedi.

All that said - I agree Osha’s thinking and decision making is very binary and simplistic but tbh I don’t have an issue with that. Is it limited writing. Maybe? I think it’s also consistent with her character in the rest of the show AND with the twins/binary/one soul in 2 aspects imagery.

What I haven’t seen as much discussion of his Mae also has a pretty abrupt character turn. She goes from “REVENGE!!!!” To “my sister! I have a sister! :D” to “I want him to face formal justice and I’m willing to give my sister up and set her free”.

Again I actually quite like that and can make it work for me, but I think it’s worth discussing.

Spoilers for Acolyte finale

Come on, we get to see Osha bleed a Kyber crystal? That's sick! This show is so good!

I think my problem with the finale is because Sol killed Mother Aniseya, Mae is immediately washed of all blame. Like honey you still killed everyone else, Sol may have gotten one but it was still largely you.

Consider the fact that even if Sol hadn't killed Mother Aniseya, Mae would've still started the fire, it would've had the same outcome. Also, I suppose it's fine to leave some things a mystery, but why when Mae came running for help, Aniseya immediately started vaporizing the both of them? What was she doing? Was it a force teleport?

I also didn't like how quickly Osha sided with Qimir. Yeah Sol turned out to have rough morals, but Qimir still murdered your friends. Like, did Osha just forget her sense of morality? Qimir's not any better than Sol.

[oak1985]

Ed, Blackbeard, the Kraken, and violence

 So I’m going to join the myriad of people trying to sort out the mystery of Ed Teach, how much of him identifies as Ed vs. Blackbeard vs. the Kraken, and their relationship to violence.  Let me say at the outset that I don’t actually think there’s a right or wrong answer here.  We have less than 300 minutes of footage to work from and Ed himself is in the process of figuring out who he is and what he wants.  Episodes 9 and 10 are very clear about this: Ed is trying to figure out what makes him happy and that process is interrupted by Izzy telling him that Ed is endangered and Blackbeard is the only acceptable presence.  So, with that caveat....

Under a cut because this got long!

We know from the beginning that Ed is sick of Blackbeard.  He tells Izzy and Stede that there’s no challenge left in being Blackbeard because all of his plans work, crews surrender upon seeing his flag, and “I don’t even have to be there.”  He’s so bored with this existence, he’s even considering death as an alternative.  

However, teaching Stede seems to bring back some measure of entertainment to the Blackbeard persona for Ed.  He enjoys showing Stede how to threaten with “oomph” on the French naval ship, he’s impressed by Stede’s burning the fancy party ship down, and he encourages both stabbing and being stabbed when he’s teaching Stede how to fence.  Of these, the first one is clearly Blackbeard since it’s explicitly a performance designed to intimidate.  The other two reactions could be either Ed or Blackbeard.  Either way, teaching Stede how to be a “bloodthirsty pirate” holds enough novelty to be worth at least pretending to be Blackbeard.  It’s also clear that Ed is more than comfortable with violence, even enjoys it in a good cause.  These forms of violence all have a purpose (destroying French imperial power, punishing rich snobs, showing Stede how to protect himself).  They are also, however, all performative to some degree; they’re designed to impress and impressing people is something that Ed/Blackbeard clearly enjoys.  

There is also violence in these episodes that Ed/Blackbeard initiate but doesn’t particularly enjoy.  The skinning of the French captain is the most extreme example.  Ed has calmed down from his initial fury in response to the French captain’s racist insults; he’s no longer shouting or standing over him, but punishment is still called for.  However, Ed outsources this violence to Fang and his emotions in this scene are under wraps as he revisits the childhood memory of being told that fine things aren’t for them.  Torturing and killing the captain isn’t pleasurable for Ed; he not only doesn’t do it himself, he also doesn’t observe it and his emotional focus is inwards, rather than on the captain or his punishment.  It’s unclear to me how much in this moment is Ed and how much is Blackbeard, or if that’s even a useful distinction to make in this scene.  The punishment for insulting Blackbeard must be public, but insult clearly hurt Ed.  What’s most significant, though, is that Ed/Blackbeard distances himself from this violence.  A much less intense example is Ed’s reaction to the snake while on the hike with Stede and Lucius.  Ed responds with much more violence than is necessary, beating the snake for a long time before stabbing it.  This is clearly a reactive Ed response and again Ed doesn’t enjoy this violence.  It’s necessary to eliminate a threat, but it’s not entertaining (to Ed; it’s hilarious for the audience).  

So far, these forms of violence have been necessary to survival, even though they may also be performative.  

Calico Jack shows us a side of Blackbeard who (seems to) enjoys violence for its own sake.  “Blackie”’s violence is less concerned with protection or with the performance of power than with chaotic destruction for destruction’s sake.  Ed might have been going by Blackbeard when he knew Calico Jack, but he was younger and not yet in to be enforcing his own power.  This diminutive version of Blackbeard, who went by Blackie, is playing with violence instead as a mode of bonding with his peers.  This Blackie burns down ships, pits turtles and crabs against each other and kills the winner, gets his balls whipped, jumps off yardarms, and gets hit with coconuts, all while encouraging others to do the same.  And he seems to find it entertaining and pleasurable.

I’m not convinced that he actually does, though, or not entirely.  Like other aspects of Blackbeard, this one could be performative.  @dancing-with-the-madmen talks here about Ed’s tendency to be a chameleon who adapts to the personality of whomever he’s around in order to meet their needs and desires and suggests that he’s doing with this Calico Jack as well.  Remember that Calico Jack saved Ed’s life.  At some point, even if not in the current moment, Ed needed Calico Jack for protection.  Pretending to enjoy these games or even simply exaggerating the amount to which he does would be a smart move for a young pirate just escaping parental abuse and on the lam for murder.  Even if he did enjoy it when he was younger, Ed says after Calico Jack is gone that he finds them boring now, like the rest of the Blackbeard experience.  Just before after expressing that “it’s kinda nice...just to be Edward” and just before  saying, “I just want to do what makes Ed happy,” he admits, “I don’t know if I wanna go back to the old days...biting the heads off turtles or making some bloke eat his own toes as a laugh.”  Even if he once enjoyed those violent activities, he’s not sure he does now.  And, crucially, he’s not sure that Edward enjoys them.  Perhaps it was always Blackbeard.  Now, it is possible that he’s chameleoning here to match Stede.  He might still enjoy at least some of these forms of pointless entertainment violence but be hiding it since Stede explicitly told Ed that he doesn’t like Ed when he’s acting like Calico Jack.  However, it’s worth noting that Ed seems to be rethinking his earlier violent practices even before falling in love with Stede.  When Ivan smacks Black Pete on the head (behavior he presumably learned on Ed’s ship, if not from Ed directly), before Ed has even talked to Stede, he  says, “Let’s not brutalize our guests.”  Ed’s already rethinking some of Blackbeard’s violence, those forms that don’t punch up.

Then, there’s the violence that Ed actively does not want to enact and that requires, not Blackbeard, but the Kraken. Ed only calls himself the Kraken twice: after telling Stede about murdering his own father and after he throws Lucius overboard. I’ve written about this here, but basically, my theory is that the Kraken is a dissociative technique Ed used to protect himself from the trauma of killing his father.  In 2 of the 3 flashbacks of Ed’s murder of his father, we see a literal sea monster rather than teenage Ed, suggesting that Ed’s memories of that event are at times distorted by the dissociation he’s created to distance himself from that moment.  When Ed becomes the Kraken again in episode 10, he has a dead-eyed look that makes him look not entirely present or conscious (dissociation is designed to distance the person experiencing trauma from the event itself by taking them out of it in some way).  

So let’s look at killing and the types of violence Ed definitely doesn’t want to engage in.  Ed, even in his Blackbeard persona, doesn’t kill.  He requires the Kraken for that.  Killing Stede is Ed’s idea, initially, but you can see from his dead-eyed expression after Izzy tells him “You still got it” that he’s not excited about this plan from the beginning.  He’ll do it in order to achieve retirement, but again, it’s at least reinforcing the boredom of Blackbeard always having the answer and at worst, destroying the pleasure of this newfound relationship.  Sure enough, two episodes later, Ed has to be pressured into killing Stede and has to psych himself up to do it by repeating “You’re a killer, bro” to himself.  Ultimately, he can’t bring himself to do it and the trauma of having to try, combined with Stede’s fuckery of the kraken, brings to light Ed’s worst memories, which are inextricably linked to murder.  Ed, even in his Blackbeard persona, canonically does not kill and does not enjoy killing, at least “personally.”  Only the Kraken kills.  It’s noteworthy that the Kraken’s initial kill was to necessary protect Ed and his mom from domestic violence and arguably, the Kraken’s killing of Lucius was (at least in Ed’s mind) necessary to protect Ed from Izzy’s threats.  Ed didn’t need to kill Stede and so, ultimately, he doesn’t.  Yes, Izzy pressured him to follow through, but Izzy also at this point was still loyal enough to Ed to offer to kill Stede for Ed.  After Izzy’s betrayal of Ed to the English, his taking over of Ed’s ship and crew, and his telling Ed that “Edward better watch his fuckin’ step,” Ed needed to retreat to the Kraken in order to protect himself.  Lucius, who saw Ed’s vulnerability most intimately, had to be killed first and foremost.  It’s striking, though, that even here, Ed tosses Lucius overboard rather than killing him directly (this is a stark contrast with Ed’s murder of his father, where he holds the rope tight for a long time in order to strangle him completely).  One can see Blackbeard’s more indirect forms of killing both with Lucius and even more so when he strands Stede’s crew on the island.  Drowning and starvation will kill them, not Ed.  Not personally.  

In episode 10, the lines between Blackbeard and the Kraken get blurry for the first time.  It’s clear in the examples given above (is the killing of Lucius and the crew a Blackbeard technique of indirect murder or did the Kraken kill Lucius, given how dead-eyed Ed was in that scene, the smile afterwards, and that Ed declares himself the Kraken in the scene immediately following?).  Ed’s personal presentation changes here, too.  He models himself on the image of Blackbeard from Stede’s book.  It’s notable that while Ed told us in episode 4 that this isn’t an accurate depiction of Blackbeard, Izzy told Ed earlier in episode 10 that “This [image] is Blackbeard!” and that Ed himself isn’t being the real Blackbeard anymore.  So Ed suits up as Blackbeard 2.0/the Kraken in order to protect himself from Izzy’s threats.  Again, the line between Blackbeard and the Kraken gets tricky here.  Ed dresses up as Blackbeard, but he adds to his earlier ensemble regular gloves rather than fingerless gloves and the makeup to cover his eyes and simulate a beard.  But, while he started with the image of Blackbeard as his model, when Ed is done, he uses his knife as a mirror to reflect on himself and says, “I am the Kraken.”  Immediately following this, Ed cuts off Izzy’s toe and feeds it to him.  Again, I’m not entirely clear on whether this is an action of Blackbeard or the Kraken.  It’s just after Ed has identified himself as the Kraken.  And yet, when talking to Stede on the beach, Ed talked about making people eat their own toes as part of “the old days,” something that Blackbeard, but not Ed, would enjoy.  It’s also worth noting that Ed’s describing making people eat their own toes “as a laugh,” which suggests an extreme version of the Calico Jack type of violence.  And Ed is definitely not laughing or enjoying himself at all, when he feeds Izzy his toe.  This suggests to me that it’s more the Kraken than Blackbeard.  

So, conclusions?  Mine are definitely biased by the fact that I’m squeamish and don’t love the idea of loving a character who’s into gratuitous violence.  I’m also inspired by what others have argued here and here and here (and let’s be real, probably other posts I’ve missed; this fandom is so awesome) about how OFMD proposes that violence against oppressors is necessary and good.   But I also think there’s textual evidence that 

a) Ed uses Blackbeard as a persona, one that he sometimes enjoys and sometimes is sick of, but who is a very edited version of himself who he performs at work.  In contrast Edward/Ed is a fuller expression of Ed’s person, although both we the audience and Ed himself are still very much figuring out who that person is.

b) The Kraken is distinct from both Ed and Blackbeard and only appears when Ed is deeply traumatized.  The Kraken is more violent that either Ed or Blackbeard in that the Kraken will kill.  The Kraken’s violence is necessary (or what Ed deems necessary) and never entertaining or pleasurable.

c) Ed enjoys those forms of violence that are creative, retributive, and innovative in some way. Ed is willing to do violence that is protective of himself or others, but doesn’t necessarily enjoy it.  

d) Ed’s violence is always protective, and the majority of the violence he enacts, whether as himself, Blackbeard, or the Kraken, is directed against people in positions of power or people who are threatening his power

e) Blackbeard, when with Calico Jack as “Blackie” seems to be the only one who enjoys violence purely for entertainment’s sake.  And Ed indicates that he’s ready to retire that part of Blackbeard.  He does, however, enjoy performing violence when its paired with retributive justice.  

I’m fascinated to see how Ed’s relationship with violence and with his different senses of self evolve over the next season.  If you have more evidence that I’ve missed or counterarguments or amendments, please reblog!  I love the way that this season left so much of the characters open to this kind of rich, multifaceted interpretation.  

[astradrifting]

Dany was attacked by manticore used by Sorrowful man who was sent by Pyat Pree. Qyburn deducted that Oberyn used manticore venom to kill Gregor. Euron is plundering throughout Essos including jade manticore. Do you think it's foreshadowing for Euron attacking Dany? Seems like Dany had three times escaped poisoning attempts. Sweetwine, Honey locusts and Manticore.

I think there’s a high chance Dæny will be poisoned again, possibly successfully this time, but I think it’s more likely to be Arya behind that particular attempt than Euron. Euron’s conflict with Dæny is more likely to be of the loud, flashy, near-apocalyptic variety than anything subtle like poison. Their combined egos couldn’t accept anything less.

In the first two books, manticores only appear in Arya and Dæny’s chapters, through Amory Lorch’s sigil for Arya. Manticores stinging brings to mind Needle and Arya’s particular fighting style, the core of which is always going to be “stick them with the pointy end”.

Plus there’s the whole “poison is a woman’s weapon” trope that’s been in play since Lysa. While I hope that Arya’s arc will involve learning the value of mercy and moving past the need for revenge that’s been driving her since King’s Landing, there has to be some payoff to Arya’s training in the House of Black and White, which specifically involves learning how to use poisons. There’s no Night King for Arya to stab in the books (and IMO it’s too late in the story to introduce a brand new figure like that, thank god, because I hate this plot point. Way to flatten down the whole threat of the Others into the most basic “good vs evil” fight possible, complete with Big Bad) so it’s possible that Arya will be the one to kill D after KL burns, maybe as justice instead of purely selfish revenge.

That jade manticore mention regarding Euron is interesting actually, because it’s surrounded by imagery of cats:

Euron had seduced them with his glib tongue and smiling eye and bound them to his cause with the plunder of half a hundred distant lands; gold and silver, ornate armor, curved swords with gilded pommels, daggers of Valyrian steel, striped tiger pelts and the skins of spotted cats, jade manticores and ancient Valyrian sphinxes…

Arya is closely linked to cats as well of course, but I realised halfway through writing this that I’d only been picturing manticores as scorpions, because of Dæny’s assassination attempt. In the world of ASOIAF it’s the name of a scorpion-like insect, but in real world mythology manticores are depicted as having the head of a man, the body of a lion, and the tail of a scorpion. In ADWD, the list of people that Dæny is warned against includes “lion and griffin”. This makes me wonder if Tyrion actually will be involved in her assassination attempt somehow like in the show, though I very much doubt it will be as “only sane man left who has to convince the Stark to kill their dearly beloved queen.”

[macgyvertape]

I have no interest in watching the new GoT show, but I realized that the exception to that would be if they had good White Walker & wights scenes, because that plotline was one I enjoyed the most in GoT (right up until 8x3).

The ASOIF/GoT version of zombies is probably my favorite kind; the White Walkers raise any dead that aren’t burned/destroyed into wights, and while the wights are unthinking the White Walkers are strategic and calculating. But there’s no virus/epidemic/disease where characters turn after being bitten or consuming something tainted, which is a nice break from disease horror. There’s also no zombie on human cannabalism that often makes visual media too gorey for me to enjoy.

IMO Hardhome battle is one of the best battles in the series, and it's certainly my favorite. It feels different than other long battles in that it's edited and paced like a horror movie. On first watch you think maybe the evacuation will be fine, but when the horror music cuts in after the dogs start barking the viewer knows shits fucked and it's become a question of who can get out alive. It's a little under 2 min of build up before you see the first wight, but cutting the tense music right as the begging and knocking to be let through the gate stops is :chef kiss:.

The 19 minutes from when the dogs start barking to the dead silence of Night King raising wights, is an excellent example of action scene pacing to keep the viewer engaged. It goes from screams of fear as people run from offscreen threat -> the wights trying to break down the gates -> change from large scrape battle to Jon 1v1ing a white walker -> Jon killed the white walker maybe things will be fine and the episode takes about 30 seconds to breathe -> the wights throw themselves off the cliffs above bypassing the wall and there is no hope left. The episode ends in silence and the credits continue that so the viewer can sit there and process how bad it is the Night King just resurrected every corpse there.

I rewatched all the White Walker fights this week, and watching Hardhome then 8x3 (Battle for Winterfell) make the s8 flaws stand out all the more. It isn't just the literal night and day difference in lighting (literally parts of 8x3 are too dark to see what's going on) but fight choreography, sound mixing, and writing logic are lacking as well. Compare and contrast; in Hardhome a character who is concerned for her child dies to child wights because she can't overcome the horror. In 8x3 all the non-combatants stay in the room filled with corpses when the dead can be resurrected for no good reason except Sansa vs Dany drama.

My notes show I was more positive about 8x3 first time I watched it, but on rewatch the obvious season 8 writing flaws stand out. The so called “end of the Dothraki” as they blindly charge makes no fucking sense, and the “triumphant” music that plays before they get destroyed in <30 seconds is all the more insulting. Jon abandons all strategic sense and tries to fight the Night King alone and surrounded by corpses, then spends the rest of the time screaming at the blue eyes wight dragon. Arya is somehow able to turn invisible and after multi year build up all it takes to end the White Walker threat is a 10 foot vertical leap and one stab. There’s a whole group of White Walkers at the battle and they don’t even attack anyone but stand around useless.

As a positive for 8x3 is great scenes of wights just swarming Winterfell, and you really get a scale of how there are so many of them the losses don’t matter. The scene of them lying down to extinguish the fire trench was chilling, as they continued on with enough bodies they could just pile up and over the walls. By the end it was basically raining wights as they quite literally overran the castle.

[jackoshadows]

So, some speculation on how Bran Stark can become King of Westeros.

The series is called A Song of Ice and Fire and not Game of Thrones as GRRM reminds us - “ And it is important that the individual books refer to the civil wars,  but the series title reminds us constantly that the real issue lies in  the North beyond the Wall. Stannis becomes one of the few characters   fully to understand that, which is why in spite of everything he is a   righteous man, and not just a version of Henry VII, Tiberius or Louis   XI.”

It is the fight against the Others - this existential apocalyptic threat to ALL mankind - that is more important than petty wars between humans over the Iron Throne. That is the central theme of the books unlike in the show. “When dead men come hunting in the night, do you think it matters who sits on the Iron Throne - Jeor Mormont”.

The Long Night is a horrendous event and Old Nan’s description of it sounds nightmarish.

“Oh, my sweet summer child," Old Nan said quietly, "what do you know of fear? Fear is for the winter, my little lord, when the snows fall a hundred feet deep and the ice wind comes howling out of the north. Fear is for the long night, when the sun hides its face for years at a time, and little children are born and live and die all in darkness while the direwolves grow gaunt and hungry, and the white walkers move through the woods”    

The Others … Thousands and thousands of years ago, a winter fell that was cold and hard and endless beyond all memory of man.  There came a night that lasted a generation, and kings shivered and  died in their castles even as the swineherds in their hovels. Women  smothered their children rather than see them starve, and cried, and  felt their tears freeze on their cheeks. In that darkness, the Others came for the first time … They were  cold things, dead things, that hated iron and fire and the touch of the  sun, and every creature with hot blood in its veins. They swept over  holdfasts and cities and kingdoms, felled heroes and armies by the  score, riding pale dead horses, and leading hosts of the slain. All the  swords of men could not stay their advance, and even maidens and  suckling babes, found no pity in them. They hunted the maids through the  frozen forests, and fed their dead servants on the flesh of human children.

tldr - this shit is scary.

Unlike in the show, the Long Night is not going to last for 10 minutes near Winterfell and solved by Arya jumping from behind a tree and stabbing the Night King. The Long Night will probably be the central story of the last book and cover several months of dark winter and affect the whole of Westeros. In the books, Winter has already come to the North - Snowstorms so bad that even armies in the North are finding it hard to move and Winterfell’s walls are no longer seen. No army is crossing the neck into the North. Winterfell will most likely fall and the fight against the Others will continue down south.

Dany dreams of fighting the Others at the Trident -

“That night she dreamt that she was Rhaegar, riding to the Trident. But  she was mounted on a dragon, not a horse. When she saw the Usurper’s   rebel host across the river they were armored all in ice, but she bathed  them in dragonfire and they melted away like dew and turned the Trident  into a torrent. Some small part of her knew that she was dreaming, but another part exulted. This is how it was meant to be. The other was a nightmare, and I have only now awakened.

The last time, the first men were only able to win with the help of the Children and it was the Last Hero - possibly Bran - who gets their help. Bran is the only character in the series heavily involved in this part of the story and he has already met the Children of the forest.

What if the only way the Others can be defeated is some kind of pact where Bran has to become the leader of Westeros for either the Children’s assistance or for the Others to retreat? We really need to know more about the Others and what they want - we probably get this in the next book - to get an inkling of why Bran could be king. We know absolutely nothing about them.

Similarly, the Children hate the Andals, faith of the seven, the lord of the seven kingdoms etc. considering the Andals burned down Weirwoods and destroyed them - what if they want Bran and the Old Gods in the south as a condition for help? 

Wouldn’t the whole of Westeros agree to this considering their very survival is what’s at stake? Again,  “When dead men come hunting in the night, do you think it matters who sits on the Iron Throne”.

I also very much doubt that the prophecies of Azor Ahai/PTWP are literal - they are about heroes who undertake great sacrifice to save the realm. The key being ‘sacrifice’ - for ex. Nissa Nissa. Giving up something they care about dearly. What if Dany has to give up the Iron Throne for the greater good? Wouldn’t she do it? This could be why Dany and Jon leave Westeros behind - sacrifice - and head for the lands beyond the wall.

Or it could be some kind of conflict between Bran Vs Jon/Dany?

I think Jon, Dany and Bran are the three heads of the dragon, three parts of the prophesied leader and each will play their part in humans winning the Battle for the Dawn. It would be a sacrifice for Bran as well to leave his home and the North for the south.

Will Bran as king undermine GRRM’s entire point about Aragorn and taxes? Yes, it does. Maybe this is where Tyrion comes into the picture. Without Jon and Dany, he’s the next best person to actually rule - and he does this for Bran, as Hand of the King. Maybe Bran is the figurehead and Tyrion the actual ruler - “ When he opened the door, the light from within threw his shadow clear  across the yard, and for just a moment Tyrion Lannister stood tall as a  king”. - AGoT Jon . 

We still have two books left and a lot of story to cover and I think Bran will be getting a lot of POV chapters as GRRM delves more into the fantasy aspect of the series.

So possible character endings: Arya plays an important role being a leader of her people against the Others and ends up being the Stark in Winterfell. Bran ends up as King on the Iron Throne as a condition for either defeating the Others or getting them to retreat, Tyrion ends up Hand of the King/Defacto person actually involved in adminstration and ruling, Jon/Dany leave for beyond the wall and the rest of Westeros assume the Targaryens are dead and gone.

So King Bran is possible - this is high fantasy after all - but how GRRM gets there and whether it makes sense is indeed important and I guess we will have to wait and see if the seeds are getting planted in the next book. According to GRRM’s editor, he told her Bran’s endpoint so they could edit and plan TWoW better:

George is a very secretive fellow, and guards his secrets well. I do  know a few things from AWOW, but mainly because we had to shorten a few  elements in the book as it was already getting too long, and he had to  reveal a few secrets so I could help him redirect parts of the plot a  bit. I do know the endpoint of Bran’s story line—and Daniel Abraham, who  has been adapting the graphic novel of AGOT for me, knows where Tyrion  ends up.  - Anne Groel.

[maximumcatfeels]

Random headcanon and world building notes for chapter 2: https://archiveofourown.org/works/39056136/chapters/97801569#workskin

For the purposes of humor in this fic, Beni is only good at making potato mochi. He burns everything else, including things can’t usually be burned.

When Cyllene told Professor Laventon to sit outside at the Wallflower, she was fully planning to eavesdrop. Sadly for her, she doesn’t get too much new information that way.

Abra is baby and we love baby.

Even though food is tight in the village, Cyllene’s stress eating is not stopped for a few reasons. 1.) she routinely misses meals and no one is willing to tell her no when she does eat for fear of her falling over or starving. 2.) Beni needs customers and besides the Professor, she’s his best customer. 3.) they chalk it up to her way of stress relief. 4.) they are honestly impressed that she can eat that much and it’s like watching a train wreck sometimes.

Cyllene has a lot of trouble recruiting and keeping numbers for the Survey Corps for several reasons. 1.) most people are terrified of Pokémon 2.) the ones that aren’t afraid aren’t always good at catching them 3.) literacy (or lack thereof) is also a problem, which makes finding people who can write notes difficult 4.) it’s a dangerous job overall

With all of those factors in mind, she keeps the entry test to the Survey Corps pretty easy generally speaking.

Cyllene’s plan to accommodate Beni’s demands for witnesses will be discussed in the next chapter.

As much as other writers want to make the idea of people being banished from Jubilife being a common thing, I kind of feel like it’s a last resort/nuclear option in general. Most people want to stay in groups and just knowing there’s a threat of being forced out is usually enough to keep people in line.

However, Charm (of the Miss Fortunes) was definitely banished (for what, I’m not sure but I suspect it was something that was pretty bad. )

Yes, I know that they’re speaking/writing in Pokémon universe Japanese but I don’t know how to make that work in an English language fic and the idea of Cyllene buying time to formulate a response we AND piss off Beni by picking at Beni’s spelling mistakes was too funny to let go.

Overall notes for Cyllene and Beni’s work relationship (for this chapter anyway):

Beni and Cyllene don’t hate each other but they aren’t close either.

Part of this is the classic Ninja vs Ronin/Samurai trope, I feel. Beni is trained to kill people first and foremost, while Cyllene seems to always choose the nonviolent answer if it’s available, which probably chafes and annoys Beni to no end. Ronin/Samurai aren’t always good people, and he misjudges her non-violence for perceived moral superiority sometimes.

Cyllene on the other hand is tired of Beni bemoaning that his ninja ways will soon be resigned to history. They’re here to start a new peaceful life! What use is an assassin in times of peace? He should be happy that it’s going to be forgotten!

Beni is definitely a “stab first and ask questions later (if at all)” person, while Cyllene is a “I have a list of 100 questions which you will answer and then I’ll stab you if I don’t like the responses” person.

They also suffer from “I know you well enough to push your buttons but oh shit you also know me well enough to push my buttons”. All of the captains do, but Beni and Cyllene are paradoxically both too similar and too different at the same time. And so the button pushing is often perceived as slights or even attacks instead of just teasing.

Kamado tries to be impartial with them when they get into a rare full blown spat, but sadly he shares a lot of the same trauma as Beni so he ends up taking Beni’s side more often than not.

(Cyllene is not alone in her corner, though. Professor Laventon and Zisu often back her up, but sadly they just don’t hold the power that Kamado does.)

[bobbimorses]

I saw you mentioning that Clint's personality/portrayal in more recent works has been done poorly. What sort of things do you want to see acknowledged/come back in the modern Hawkeye portrayal?

ok, i’m gonna refrain from embedding panels since this will be so long. skip to the bold for what i’d like acknowledged again because i first try to analyze what recent misinterpretations stem from before getting to your point. whoops!

currently, people seem to overwhelmingly portray clint in only these terms: coffee, catchphrases, and clueless. now that’s not to say that the man doesn’t drink coffee, or that he’s an omniscient super-genius, but that people have taken traits from one portrayal they recognize and run so far with it that it seems like that’s all he is.

i think this is because a lot of people have either misinterpreted the circumstances at play in fraction’s hawkeye, or only know of clint from fanon or decontextualized panels from that run and subsequent appearances

here’s what was happening in fraction’s hawkeye: clint was in a state of depression. fraction’s run took a lot of inspiration from hawkeye’s first solo series (v1), by gruenwald, where clint’s also shown in a rut. in both runs, his depression partially stemmed from his lack of belief/confidence in himself. in v1, it’s a betrayal that makes him doubt he’s worthy of being loved. in fraction’s hawkeye (v4), it’s the amalgamation of all the beatings he’s recently taken in the avengers that makes him doubt he’s worthy of being an avenger.

v4 immediately follows from clint being burned to an absolute crisp (then healed...but not instantly) in a big event, avengers vs. x-men, while facing the phoenix-possessed x-men, aka god-like powered beings. issue 1 of v4 opens with clint being completely wrecked in a fall while avengering. he’d also been killed and thrown around a lot of other major marvel events in a short time prior to all this. basically, he’s been painfully reminded of just how human he is among a bunch of gods and super soldiers. he can handle the pain, but he can’t handle that all the breaks and burns are reminders of his fragility, his humanness; how was he unable to stop them from happening? he starts to question his place in the avengers.

so what you see in fraction’s hawkeye? the moping, the mess of an apartment, the subsistence on pizza, coffee, beer and cereal, long periods of just being on the couch and wanting to nap, the occasional apathy and bewilderment at things happening around him? that’s depression. clint’s not on his A-game, he’s at a low point. unfortunately, a side-effect of v4′s popularity (it’s a well-made comic!) is a lot of people only know this side of clint; they don’t have the image of clint on a good day to “compare” against, and think “this is it.” but that’s not it; i think v4 is meant to show that even the most heroic can slip into apathy when sinking into depression. v4 is about clint finally accepting help from his friends, his neighbors, overcoming his indifference, and believing that not only is he the one that has to stop the villains, but that he can and will. because he’s hawkeye.

now onto what’s lacking in portrayals that misinterpret/represent clint:

jumping off from that doubt in his capabilities, clint has previously been shown to suffer from insecurities. his outwardly overconfident attitude was, in his beginnings, a mask for his low self-esteem and total self-reliance. of course he knew he was the earth’s greatest marksman, but was this enough to take on all these world-ending threats? eventually, after proving himself time and time again, he shed a lot of these insecurities. his confidence was more than earned. his cockiness also threw enemies for a loop: “look at this dude with a bow saying he’s gonna annihilate us. as if he-OH NO.”

now, he’s being portrayed in an inversion of that same strategy: he’s written as getting enemies to underestimate him by acting dumb, bumbling, a klutz. the problem with writing this as clint’s consistent strategy instead of an occasional usage is uninformed readers, or decontextualization, will have people thinking he’s actually like that. that’s why i miss clint being brash and overly-boastful to throw enemies off. he’s already “just a guy with a bow,” why does he need an extra layer of feigned incompetence if everyone already sees him as that guy?

he does have that lingering thought of “am i really good enough to be an avenger?” but he responds to it by trying to be even better, and that drive is what makes him excel, one of the best, worthy of the rank. that drive should always be present. it also makes him kind of competitive (though that’s also just for fun)

snark & attitude: clint’s also always been snarky. i wouldn’t say he’s at the level of spider-man in terms of constant quipping, but when clint and pete have fought together, they’ve given each other a run for their money. clint’s humor also has a sort of lovable jerk quality to it at times, because he’s very light-hearted about it. he’s got a certain levity about him, because you have to when you’re aiming an arrow at a dude made of steel. i’ve seen this quality slowly return to the comics, i think. on that same note, his belligerence with authority, though obviously now more mellowed, can come in little doses like questioning aspects of a plan/order. clint is a confrontation magnet and can be a real loudmouth, even if he’s fiercely loyal to his team.

street smarts! clint has always been clever and had out-of-the-box thinking because he had to scrap by in an orphanage, then a travelling circus (and have you ever played a carnival game?). he’s used his smarts to gather intel, infiltrate (break into) places, trick people, and defeat many a villain. and he’s not above cheating to do it. he literally defeated an elder of the universe, saving the entire defeated roster of the avengers and the universe, by pulling an old carny trick.

trickshots: the first elder of the universe he defeated was with a combination of his cleverness and a trickshot. i want more trickshots again! ricocheting shots, shots where he’s had to determine all the involved angles almost instantaneously in his head, just ridiculously pulled off shots from a distance or at difficult targets all really demonstrate clint’s skill. he didn’t and doesn’t do all that training to not be the best archer. speaking of...

training: clint regularly trains to maintain and hone his skills daily. this isn’t really an issue with current comics writing per se but some people seem to think he just sits around all day (and not just for a vacation). literally his whole shtick is training a skill so much that he’s on par with superhumans. c’mon, guys. relatedly, he’s also skilled in combat because he trained with cap (ronin skills!)

acrobatics: clint spent his adolescence in a circus and was always trying to get in the show, so you know he brushed up on acrobatics. clint and cap even did some gymnastics training in the early days. i want more flips that clint didn’t necessarily have any business doing when he could’ve just leapt around with much less flare, like the typical showman he is (tales of suspense did have this)

accent: this one’s more nitpicky, but i’d maybe like a return of a little bit of a lilt on his dialogue again. i know marvel phased out overly-phoneticized accents, but clint, orphaned carny that he is, always had a casual way of speaking, and i enjoyed how that was reflected in his written dialogue. dropped g’s in gerunds, d’s in and, shortened word combos, etc. it doesn’t have to be over the top, just touches where needed. this is a thing that was kind of present in fraction’s hawkeye, actually.

leadership: though it’s not like marvel denies clint ever led multiple teams (editorial wouldn’t let that happen), lately he’s sometimes written as if he doesn’t have this experience to draw from, and sometimes not. it’s a bit inconsistent. this isn’t to say clint has to be the leader at all times, he works well in a team in any capacity--just don’t shrug off the development and coordinating abilities he gained from his leadership

disaster?: i don’t fault situations where clint's going about the motions and suddenly everything around him is a disaster because when isn’t it with clint’s luck, dude once got cornered by like 10 supervillains in a sewer. and the man can make some bad decisions. but just remember how he’d respond to a disaster: thinking up a plan (or trying to on the fly), using all the resources at his disposal to conquer the problem, maybe insulting 5 people in the process, trying to wink after he gets stabbed

i’m not trying to disparage some people’s interpretations of certain aspects of clint, i’m just advocating against a misunderstanding or persistent misconceptions of clint as a character. he’s a character rich in development because he’s been kicking around continuity for over 50 years now. he went from screaming at cap like a grounded teenager to being offered the shield and rejecting it out of utter respect. he’s complicated in his experiences, his relationships, and many facets of his character, though his motivations can sometimes be simple (help people, show off, prove i can be be that good by being better). to whittle hawkeye down to one note would be a disservice to clint barton’s journey and evolution.

actually, here’s a panel:

[majorxmaggiexboy]

idk if i’m actually going to attempt to participate but i still want to make a little list of Tober/Tember prompts and ideas of what to do with them. also tagging @f-ro-g bc New Pack. Every time i do one of these i start forgetting every media i’ve ever consumed so we’re going to see if i can at least get more than like three different fandoms on here. Might or might not come back through and flesh these out with actual details later on.

Whumptober Ideas

1) All Trussed Up and Nowhere to Go/”You have to let go”/Barbed Wire/Bound - Hadestown, full stop. The whole prompt is Hadestown. It’s in the lyrics, even. It is this post that makes me finally notice the “Keep on walking and don’t look back” line in Wait For Me and i’m so angry right now

2) Talking is Overrated/Garotte/Choking/Gagged - I’m thinking a rewrite of my first Three Musketeers fic just because it was funny the first time around and also wouldn’t take much Effort. Next.

3) Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones, But.../Taunting/Insults/”Who did this to you?”

The Bradmadge Brawl of S2E1 but with passion and malice next question

4) Trust Fall/”Do you trust me?”/Taken Hostage/Pushed

Nothing springs immediately to mind but i’m leaning toward Psych or The New Pack

5) Red In My Ledger/Betrayal/Misunderstanding/Broken Nose

*slams hand on table* New Pack. Mordaunt. It writes itself.

6) Touch and Go/Bruises/Touch-Starved/Hunger

On-Drakon we’re going to give Arman and Mira some love even if only two people on this website even know them.

7) My Spidey-Sense is Tingling/Helplessness/Numbness/Blindness

TASM just for the sake of it? Undecided

8) Coughing Up a Lung/Pneumothorax/Exotic Illness/”Definitely Just a Cold”

Ben Tallmadge and the Delaware Dive next question

9) Rumors of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated/Presumed Dead/Blind Rage/Tears

Bucky it’s your turn babe

10) Oops, I Did It Again/Hospital/Flare-Up/Ice Chips

Ben you’re going back in the Delaware it’ll be so funny

11) Just Keep Swimming/Adrift/Drowning/Dehydration

Personally i think having a third Ben vs. Water fic would be the funniest possible move but Grimaud or Mordaunt could also work here

12) It’ll Be Fun, They Said/Torture/Made to Watch/Begging

Jean-Olivier comes to mind but hmmmmm there was also that one TURN S3 au that could work

13) That’s Gonna  Leave a Mark/This Is Gonna Suck/Burns/Cauterization

Hmmmmmm OH! OH! Raoul! The New Pack. Done.

14) Under Pressure/Crush Injuries/Beaten/Force

It says Force and Force is Star Wars so naturally this is Mando’s number.

15) Feed a Cold, Starve a Fever/Delirium/Fever Dream/Bees

Ben Tallmadge guess what....

16) On a Need-to-Know Basis/Recovery/Scars/Aftermath

I’m thinking the Psych Not-Ghost AU would work here but there are certainly other options.

17) Field-Care 101/”Please don’t move!”/Hemorrhage/Dread

Might go with something Leverage right here just because i just watched Leverage. Nothing’s jumping immediately to mind. Warm Bodies could also work though.

18) The Doctor is In/”Now smile for the camera!”/Doctor’s visit/CPR

I’m thinking Reid just because Dr. and i’ve never been able to write Doctor Who so. What other Doctor characters are there. McStuffins isn’t in the running here. Oh! We could do something MCU, Bruce is a Doctor isn’t he? God can you imagine Dr. Hulk trying to

19) Just a Scratch/Bitten/Bleeding/Stabbing

Didn’t ... d’Artagnan once utter the phrase “it’s just a scratch” in relation to someth.....first episode, i think? Great so we have a winner, good job everybody.

20) Lost & Found/Trunk/Trapped underwater/Solitary Confinement

Weirdly Mando is the first character to come to mind. Someone beat me to 80% of my other idea but there’s potential.

21) That’s Where the Blood’s Supposed to Be/Bleeding Through Bandages/Pressure/Blood-Matted Hair

Let’s be real the only two options for this one are Bucky or Eliot and they’re virtually the same character so where does that leave me

22) They Made Me Do It/Cursed/Demon/Obsession

*vague wave* Merlin ?

23) You Break It, You Buy It/Auction/Ransom/Pursuit

That one 3M au with Athos and the big mix-up and the Oops and all the...stuff, yeah. That works.

24) One Down, Two to Go/Self-Induced Injuries to Escape/Flashback/Revenge

Holy sh- i didn’t see this one initially. I mean? Jean? Ow.

25) Hide & Seek/Escape/Flight/Hiding

Psych? Orrrrr....TGM?

26) You Will Go Down With This Ship/Fallen/Waterfall/Trap Door

I’m trying to think of literally anything i’ve ever read or watched that’s got a ship in it ummmmmmm hey what if we interpret “ship” as yeaaaah let’s do another Mando one that’ll work

27) “I’m Fine, I Prom...”/Passing Out/Vertigo/Collapse

I mean..... .... ... is there a character this doesn’t work for though? Wait. No actually let’s do Childermass since he gets that what is it an allergic reaction to magic? I mean i know Segundus gets like that to so....ha let’s make it be Both of them.

28) It’s Not Just In Your Head/”Good, you’re finally awake”/Nightmares/Panic

First thought is New Pack but it might take some pondering.

29) All Work and No Play/”You’re still not dead?”/Too weak to move/overworked

it’s like Civil War but with Bucky and Jean-Olivier having an all-out brawl good lord it’s an either/or situation.

30) Digging Your Grave/Major Character Death/Left For Dead/Ghosts

*shot of choc milk* the exact TURN AU i was Just thinking about yesterday,,,

31) Hurt & Comfort/Disaster Zone/Trauma/Prisoner

I feel like i need to put Gwynplaine here just because he hasn’t had a turn yet

Alt. Prompts

1) Losing Control

Arman. Very obviously extramuch Arman definitely. Let’s have another one with the involuntary dragon himbo.

2) Threats

*chin hands* trying to think of a character who gets threatened a lot. will circle back. I’m actually thinking Psych again but idk.

3) Caning

Ro we’ve genuinely discussed about 16 different variations on this one i think it’s Time

4) Mercy

MORDAUNT MORDAUNT NEXT QUESTION

5) Forgotten

Is it time for Jack Frost of all people to make an appearance or is this just Bucky again

6) Head Injury

It would be real easy to just put the headbonk au here but i’m going to try to show some restraint and do a different headbonk story

7) Screaming

Going to assign Gwynplaine here just because he really has been neglected in this lineup and also it would probably be good for him to vent a little bit in this manner

8) Comfort

Someone’s going to get petted like a cat and i just haven’t decided whomst but when i do it’s over for everybody

9) Self-Sacrifice

What do i even say to that i Feels like another New Pack but it’s still up for grabs tbh

10) Trapped

Tempted to pour one out and just say Bucky but idk idk we’ll think of something this is very much a first draft stream of thought general idea planning session

11) Near Death Experience

It would be hilarious to just put something like Meet Joe Black for this one but WAIT NO NO GO BACK ACTUALLY WARM BODIES LET’S DO WARM BODIES

12) Regret

It’s gotta either be Psych or TURN

13) Tragedy

My first thought is to do a damn Hannibal fic without ever having actually watched the show just because i’m still angry about how i read it ended but considering that i only know the characters’ voices from tumblr chatposts i feel like that’s not the best venue to

heck we might just do New Pack

14) Battlefield

Either TURN or New Pack or....the song’s a little bit dramatic for a Bucky but actually....unless? no....but Maybe,

15) Anxiety

Every character i’ve ever cared about could potentially fit right here so :/ Arman could have 3rd ficlet but again, literally every character, i,,,,,they’ve all got anxiety X’D

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, November 15

Snyder: Well, it is quite a match between you two. On the one hand, Buffy hasn't stabbed a horticulture teacher with a trowel. Sheila: I didn't stab anyone with a trowel. They were pruning shears. Snyder: On the other hand, Sheila has never burned down a school building. Buffy: W-well, that was never proven. The Fire Marshall said i-it coulda been mice. Snyder: Mice. Buffy: M-mice that were smoking?

~~Buffy Episode #15: "School Hard"~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Pursuit of Happiness (Willow, T, Dresden Files xover) by madimpossibledreamer

Summers Romance (Buffy/Joyce/Dawn, E) by Kasaix

Who ya gonna call? (Spike/Xander, M) by Truley

The Dark At The End of The Tunnel (Buffy/Spike, T) by Joan963z

In the Middle With You (Buffy/Giles, M) by TheScholarlyStrumpet (equipoise)

Our Scars (Buffy/Giles, E) by ElleV

Sandalwood (Buffy/Giles, E) by froxyn

Ultimatum (Spike/Reader, T) by winifredsandersonsbitch

[Chaptered Fiction]

To Live In The World, Chapter 22: It Has To Have The Blood (Buffy/Faith, M) by IvorySteel92

Enemies with Benefits: Chapter 8: What Happens In The Alley… (Buffy/Spike, E) by

Proxy, Chapter 10 (Buffy/Spike, E) by VampyricRose

Damage Case, Chapter 8 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Axell

The Tiger is Out, Chapter 47 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Cosmic Tuesdays

Come on Dawn, Chapter 4 (Buffy/Spike, E) by MissLuci

A Slice of Spike's Unlife, Chapter 8 (Buffy/Spike, T) by Joan963z

Gray, Chapter 31 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Dusty

Love's Call Ch. 3 (Buffy/Spike, M) by TemariGrace

[Images, Audio & Video]

Manip:Just a little Spike edit I did () by makeupjunkie95

Artwork:Every Buffy Outfit - part 2 Xx () by whatshisfaceblogs

Artwork:Cordelia & Faith () by wlwsakura

Artwork:Jenny & GIles () by dreadfulcalendarwoman

Manip:walk through the fire - spuffy tarot cards () by thatcomesandstaysfire

[Reviews & Recaps]

PODCAST: S06E19 Seeing Red by Buffy Virgin

[Community Announcements]

calendiles secret santa is officially on! by calendiles-secret-santa

[Fandom Discussions]

Having thoughts about vampires being more alive than they should be. by gothic-buffy

Obsessed w the idea of spuffy fic that’s just Spike giving her rides places bc she can’t drive lmfao by thejgatsbykid

Willow and Tara as a duality of identity truth and identity performance. by impalementation

Joss Whedon has gone downhill as his feminist cred took hits by confusedguytoo

AND THE MIRRORING OUTFITS AND POSITIONS by bakasara

That’s two multiverses now by ifeveristoday

i’m a simple sentimental fool by williamthebloodied

A possessed Angel by oveliagirlhaditright

Boom Bangel by oveliagirlhaditright

I didn’t remember that Spike drew like Angel by oveliagirlhaditright

It’s interesting to me that Faith calls Wesley “lover” when she’s torturing him. by oveliagirlhaditright

It’s sad realizing via the comics, that neither Angel nor Spike are going to Shanshu. by oveliagirlhaditright

by oveliagirlhaditright

No but Rest In Peace really is such a banger by

This is one of those tiny moments that hurts me by herinsectreflection

Help….please :/ by rachaeljurassic

I'm very curious about your take on Giles' glasses. by dreadfulcalendarwoman

Why do people try to retcon Buffy's love confession to Spike by Multiple Authors

Discussion of Buffy the Vampire Slayer #31 - Released 11/17/21 (Boom! Studios) by Multiple Authors

BOOM! Buffy The Vampire Slayer # 31 by BAF

Faith character battle: Angel S4 vs Buffy S7 continued by multiple authors

How to police non vampiric supernatural human threats continued by American Aurora and Stoney

What are your top ten favourite fanfics continued by multiple authors

I'm on S2E15, thoughts on Willow in S2E14 by PersonWhoLikes2

Everyone complains about Kennedy… by tabularasa1996

Why isn't "Forever" highly rated as The Body is? by jdpm1991

Letting Vampires In by AntiSoCalite

Understanding Vampires in The Buffy Angel Universe by Halfeatenantelope

Why Angel is a Great Character by 0pal23

So... according to IMDB, Angel was better than Buffy. by FunetikPrugresiv

Are we supposed to like Giles? by CuriousSection

Buffy vs Angel by JoeM8041

Songs Buffy ruined for you? by AgentPeggyCarter

Cordy and Connor by MrPointy99

Interests you're surprised characters never showed by The810kid

Angel seemed really weak before he becomes Angelus. by ToShanshuInUK

Does season 7 look and feel...different? by sprucemoosegetin

Do you think it is in character for Buffy to feel attracted to Xander? by herinsectreflection

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