#when they finally get to the arc itself they HAVE to include You Are Always Like This Kim Dokja Do You Think I'm An Emotionless Monster. hs

[anthyies]

happy incarnation kim dokja will die at the hands of the person he loves the most tuesday

[welcometothejianghu]

Welcome to another round of W2 Tells You What You Should See, where W2 (me) tries to sell you (you) on something you should be watching. Today's choice: 少年歌行/The Blood of Youth

The Blood of Youth is a 2022 live-action adaptation of the tale of a deposed, disabled, and incredibly cunty prince who's on his way back to settle the score with his asshole father, and the rag-tag band of weirdos he accumulates along the way, including Spear Girl, Bad Monk, and Fire Puppy (pictured above).

I hope you like shounen anime, because this is the most shounen anime something is allowed to be without actually being based on something running weekly in Shounen Jump. What if Nirvana in Fire were also Naruto? It would be the Blood of Youth.

This show is an underrated gem of action-packed fun that not nearly enough people in English-speaking fandom have seen. In an attempt to correct that -- and ahead of an announced second season and prequel in progress -- I'm here with five reasons you should try it out.

1. Zero thoughts head empty

You do not have to pay an enormous amount of attention to this show to understand what's going on. The show itself does not always know what's going on. It got distracted by a shiny object over there, and now we're all gearing up to go punch the shiny object. We'll get back to the main plot when we're done with the punching.

It has a million billion plot threads going on at any given moment. Bad guys roll in from sects you've never heard of before, using superpowers with stupid names, only to get kicked into next week. There's approximately eleventy thousand characters -- so many, in fact, that I ran into problems several times while making this rec post, because there aren't readily available photos of everyone I want to talk about. Just look at the DramaWiki cast list. See how it goes on for like fifty screens? That's a little what the show feels like.

Except I'm not saying that like it's a bad thing, because the show knows it's doing this, and it acts accordingly. It telegraphs pretty well who's important and who isn't (and then it goes out of its way to color-code the latter, which is handy). What you're left with is absolutely a manga-style plot, complete with training arcs and semi-relevant sidequests, all working up to the final boss match.

It is an extremely self-aware show. On multiple occasions, something would happen, I would crack a joke about it, and then a beat later the show itself would make the exact same joke. I wouldn't call it an outright comedy, but it's still very funny, and on purpose. It has no illusions about being some kind of profound, meaningful epic. Mostly it's just here for a good time.

Yet this lightheartedness is what makes the powerful emotional parts really powerful by contrast. The show is not stupid; it's just goofing around most of the time. When it knuckles down, it can be devastating. And you know what? It does wind up being profound and meaningful about some stuff. How about that.

So yeah, if you're up for something that bops merrily right along and only occasionally rips your heart out, here you go!

2. Putting the poly in polycule

Bisexuals, rejoice! It's representin' time!

Here you go, I made a relationship chart of about 40% of the show's potential and canonical ships. I could have included so many more, but I only had so much space on the image, so I had to leave out some amazing ones, like the sword hedgehog who's real into this one cougar who could easily wipe the floor with him, or the rich nerd who thinks he has a chance with the aforementioned hot butch, or the fancy MILF who cheated on the emperor with a dreamy jianghu man and is trying not to cheat on him again with a different, slightly less dreamy jianghu man. See? There's just so much.

I would also say these are not exclusive ships. They are extremely inclusive ships. I am a fan of most (though admittedly not all) of the pairings listed here, and in fact of many of the three-and-more-somes indicated by these lines. They're such a cuddle puddle of shared intense feelings that it's hard to imagine anyone getting more than mildly jealous. Moreover, the potential for romance does not get in the way of hetero friendships; a boy and a girl who are each dating other people can go do adventures together, and (mostly) nobody gets weird about it, which is nice. If anything, what makes the overall dynamic so polycule-like is how equally friends and love interests get treated, meaning that it's not difficult to see a lot of crossover potential between those two categories.

If you're like me, you're hesitant about canonical romance, especially when it's straight, mostly because so many straight love stories wind up being tiresome, gross, and/or skull-poundingly boring. You will then be pleasantly surprised by how the canon pairings with members of the main cast are not like this at all!

Xiao Se and Sikong Qianluo are the main textual romance, and golly gee, they're just cute as heck. As the chart above indicates, I like interpreting them as two Kinsey 6's who have found their single exceptions, Mulder-and-Scully-style. Maybe one of the best things about their relationship is that it gets sidelined all the time for the plot. They're not so busy being in love that they forget to get shit done. Then they get a bit of downtime and get to go on a date, and you're like, aww, those sweet gay disaster babies are gonna do a little bit of heterosexuality. Just precious.

Tang Lian and Fairy Rui are right up there with the cuteness. She's a sex-positive dancing beauty who wants to ride that pretty boy like she stole him, and he's a shy sword boy so tightly bottled up that he'll explode if he sees a bare ankle. Avoiding spoilers, I will simply say that this is a pairing of two relatively soft people, until a bad thing happens to one of them and the other hardens up about it. If that's your jam, they're here for you.

Lei Wujie and Ye Ruoye are probably the most magical and the most practical of the bunch. They have a beautiful, super-dreamy, really horny sword-dance meet-cute, complete with its own pop song ... and then that's it, they're basically just together. She likes him, he likes her, good for them. In-laws aside, it's a refreshingly low-drama situation. Besides, I always love it when the hypercompetent woman gets the sweet, devoted himbo who'd do anything for her. Ruoye's had a hard life, and she deserves someone who can dick her down good at night and make her a nourishing breakfast the next morning.

And then there is, of course, The Ship:

Xiao Se and Wuxin are canonical, textual soulmates. The show treats their dynamic as more important than any other. It's so important, in fact, that the show has to sideline Wuxin for huge parts of the drama, lest everything get too damn gay. They each get a boyfriend catch on the other. They both do fairly reckless things when the other is in trouble. They are the secret hidden happy ending to the series. They share the kind of ride-or-die relationship built on mutually being the hugest bitches in any given room. Whether or not you think this is romance, it is extremely romantic, and the series agrees as much as it can, all things considered.

And if none of those flavors of love float your boat? Well, have you considered ... eunuchs?

3. She likes e4e

So I'm on record as being real into eunuch characters, right? Well, if you're with me on that, you are in for a treat here, because these are some absolutely buck-wild eunuchs.

There's five main ones, and I can't even begin to scratch the surface of what's going there. Like, really, I don't even think I understood all of what was happening with them. They're kind of the bad guys, but then they're kind of the good guys, but then some of them are the bad guys, but then they're just working for the bad guys, but then they screw over the bad guys, and ... it's just a lot, okay? It's a lot, and it's all happening with this bunch of catty bitches.

Also, you would not believe the difficult time I had finding any images for this section. I guess for some reason, fandom isn't way into a bunch of canonically dickless color-coordinated middle-aged men in weird hats? Whatever, man, they are missing out. If, however, you have the good sense to be into the intense and complicated (semi-romantic??) relationships among colleagues who also professionally just happen to be missing their external genitalia, buddy, strap in (and maybe strap on, depending).

Don't let me oversell how much these guys are in the show. They're not. They're vaguely important at points throughout, and they become incredibly important near the end, but they're hardly main characters. They're mostly back at the palace, doing their various schemes and looking absolutely fantastic.

So if they're such a minor part of the story, why do they get their own selling point? Well, I think their presence is a good example of two specific things about the show:

Specific thing the first: It's so queer -- not gay, but queer. Thinking back to my last selling point, you will notice how many of those straight pairings may look normie on the outside, but once you get down to it are not playing by cishet rules. (For instance, I've seen a lot of people read Tang Lian's resistance to sexual advances as asexuality, which, sure!) Likewise, there are lots of incredibly important, intimate relationships that don't conform to standard romantic pair dynamics. Add to that a lot of bodies with unusual characteristics and conditions, and you've got the makings of plenty of delightful non-normative love stories.

Specific thing the second: There are so many things going on with so many side characters that there's a kink here for everyone. Don't care for eunuchs? How about slinky villains with mind-control powers? Devoted servants who would do anything for their masters? Former bad guys who owe life-debts to the good guys who saved them? Bonded pairs traipsing around the jianghu together? Sons nursing legitimate grudges against the men who killed their fathers? Alcoholic widowers with incredibly slutty necklines? Mysterious cross-dressers with unconvincing moustaches? Vengeful brides? Martial siblings? Murderous royals? Guilt-ridden half-siblings? Boring star-crossed lovers? All these and more! It's a smorgasbord of rarepair fuel!

Also, I just love these toxic drama queens. It's like if RuPaul's Drag Race had the authority to have you executed.

4. The most intriguing outfits I've ever seen in anything (and yes, I'm including Winter Begonia)

Time for a fashion show!

The asymmetrical fits, the detailed embroidery on everything, the brilliant colors -- everybody just looks so good. And yet everything still looks ... eh, I don't know if "practical" is the word I want, but at least wearable. Nobody's dragging ten-foot trains of fabric behind them or wrapped in eighty floofy layers of gauze (except Rui, but she's special). Their outfits are strange and elaborate, but they don't defy physics.

What's truly stunning is how often they get new outfits. Xiao Se alone changes clothes about once every other episode, and more if he's getting a flashback. He is the fashion plate of the whole series, and every look he serves is pitch-perfect.

They're not outright color-coded, but the main characters do have certain colors associated with them -- which is extra-fun when you watch those colors bleeding into their friends' clothes as their relationships get stronger. I also think -- and I'm willing to be proven wrong on this point, but I think I'm right -- that they recycle some characters' outfits into parts of other characters' outfits. On more than one occasion, I'd swear that Lei Wujie shows up wearing the left half of something Xiao Se was wearing a few episodes back (tailored to fit him, of course, because that dumb ponytail boy is tall).

Where I think the costume design gets massive points, though, is that the costumes are themselves adaptations.

Before the live-action series, there was a 2018 3D animated donghua. I have never watched the latter, but apparently the drama is intensely faithful to the animated visuals, to the point where some fights are shot-for-shot remakes.

Of course, you can do a lot more with unreal clothing and bodies in animation -- and you can show a lot more skin, at least according to Chinese content laws. The live-action costumers chose to preserve about as many of the appearance beats from the donghua as they could manage, while still accepting the limitations of real-life bodies and materials. You can see some side-by-side comparisons here. The live-action outfits manage to be instantly recognizable without being slavishly devoted recreating to their inspirations.

So if you're sick and tired of dreary, ill-lit shows with bland palettes, this vibrant, colorful drama may be just the thing for you. It's a rainbow from start to finish.

5. Actually a good central plot?

Despite all the wacky delightful shounen nonsense that this show has -- and it has a lot -- the core of the whole narrative, which is Xiao Se's story, is surprisingly great and cohesive.

The short version is this: Xiao Se used to be Xiao Chuhe, sixth prince and somewhat heir apparent. Then he and his jerk-ass dad had a falling-out that resulted in the prince's having his martial arts abilities all but taken from him. He's been living the life of a very well-dressed innkeeper for several years, trying to avoid all of that palace garbage. But now his jerk-ass dad is dying, which means that a lot of horrible decisions are finally having unfortunate consequences for everyone, and Xiao Se's got to get back in there to make sure everything does not go to shit and land someone terrible on the throne -- even if it has to mean taking it himself.

His central conflict is between what he used to be and what he's become. Does he miss being Xiao Chuhe, high-ranked martial artist and future emperor? Or is he happier being Xiao Se, long-suffering nobody who can barely run a business, much less hold his own in a fight? What would he be willing to do to get back what he's lost? What are his obligations to himself versus his obligations to everyone else? How much is he responsible for his father's bullshit? And why has he wound up having to babysit this stupid Fire Puppy?

It's okay, they're best friends now. Lei Wujie decided.

No spoilers, but I liked Xiao Se's ending a lot. I feel it's very true to the character and shows a real understanding of who he is and what he values. And really, at the end of the day, sometimes all you need for a happy ending is your girlfriend, your girlfriend's girlfriend, your girlfriend's girlfriend's boyfriend who's also your boyfriend, your other boyfriend, his girlfriend, and your long-distance for-real soulmate.

Feel like giving the youths a try?

You can find them on YouTube or on Viki. But be absolutely sure that no matter where you watch it, you make sure to go watch the epilogue as well. (And if you get real into the story, well, here's a link to information about all the other adaptations.)

You are also welcome for how I did not spend this post going off for five hundred years on how much I love Wuxin and his funky relationship to Buddhism. I figured that's way too niche of a selling point for most people, and might indeed have even been counterproductive. But know that I could have.

Also, I'm very happy about the announcement of a second season, because that's going to mean Liu Xueyi has to shave his head again, and he looks unbearably good with a shaved head.

Oh yeah, did I forget to mention the whole motorcycle photoshoot?

In case you hadn't noticed, the whole cast is stupidly hot. Hachi machi.

[flower-boi16]

The Problems With Charlie As The Main Protagonist

I've spoken about my thoughts on Charlie as a character before a few times on this blog, but I think it's finally time to discuss why Charlie isn't exactly the best protagonist. On the surface, there doesn't seem to be much wrong with her, she's likable and endearing enough and she's easy to root for. But...once you look deeper, the problems begin to rear their ugly head.

1. Charlie Never Grows

The first major issue with Charlie as a character is how she never really grows over the course of the first season. The show never really gives her much of an arc...? Like, by the end of the season, what does Charlie really learn by the end? The only thing I can think of is that she was right about sinners being redeemed and...that's it.

And it doesn't really make Charlie that particularly compelling as a character, she's entirely stagnant. She does have a conflict with her father, which, while executed fine, isn't enough to make her a developed character. She only gets small tinges of development and that isn't really enough for me.

Charlie doesn't learn anything or grow as a character, which makes her pretty underdeveloped as a character. The show never really gives her any real character flaws to grow from and become a better person, she's always portrayed as in the right anyway and never challenged once. Speaking of that...

2. Charlie is Always Right

This more or less ties back into the "Charlie never grows" point I've said before and I've talked about this several times before, but it's still an issue with Charlie's character; she is ALWAYS in the right. Charlie's "everyone can be redeemed" mentality is never once challenged by the narrative, and anybody who does oppose Charlie in any way is considered as wrong by the narrative.

The reason why this is a problem is because Hazbin Hotel heavily preaches about being against black-and-white moralities, as seen with Heaven and especially Adam. Heaven is meant to be seen as bad because of its black-and-white mindset of "Sinners can't be redeemed and never will". This is put on full display with Adam, and his song Hell is Forever, to the point it literally includes lyrics like "the rules are black and white there's no use in trying to fight it".

You Didn't Know further pushes this with this line "the rules are shades of gray when you don't do as you say and you make the wretched suffer just to kill them again".

So the show wants to push a message of "black and white morals are bad", but...it's rendered moot by the fact that Charlie is purely portrayed as in the right. Charlie is completely correct, everybody can be redeemed, everyone even the most evil people who did the worst possible things can still be good, and anyone who opposes her is wrong cuz she's completely in the right...gee, for a show so heavily against black-and-white moralities...doesn't this all seem very black and white in it of itself?

Charlie's "everyone can be redeemed" mentality is just as black and white as Adam's "nobody can be redeemed", they are both extremes leaning in opposite directions, that are also both wrong in their own ways, yet the show portrays Charlie's extreme as the right one and Adam's as the wrong one.

I've already talked about this before but Adam is a pure straw character; he only exists so Charlie can prove him wrong, he cant have any real character depth beyond being a generic asshole or have a real point because the show is so dead-set on making Charlie purely in the right no matter what; the narrative never challenges her and anyone who opposes her is portrayed as automatically in the wrong.

This is not the only time this happens btw. In episode 5, Lucifer is also portrayed as automatically wrong for opposing his daughter’s goals. He himself says that “Our people are AWFUL. They got gifted free will and look what they did with it!”, and the show…never counters this, despite what Lucifer is saying…being true. The people in Hell ARE awful and it's their own fault, many of them ARE deserving of death because…well, their shitty people.

Charlie is never challenged once throughout the show and its a problem because not only does it fly in the face of the show being so anti black and white, it also wastes an opportunity for the show to develop Charlie as a character; with her learning that some people can't be redeemed because they either are incapable or uninterested in changing.

That would fit more with the show’s anti-black-and-white themes and also have Charlie go through real growth as a character as she learns that not everything is all sunshine and rainbows. But sadly, we can't really have that.

So Charlie's ideals are never challenged by the narrative and thus it not only flies in the face of the show's themes it also wastes an opportunity for Charlie to grow as a character. Now it's best to get into the next issue with her...

3. Charlie is Barely Focused On

Another big issue with Charlie as the show's main protagonist is that the show doesn't really focus on her that much, especially the first half. Now, shows don't need to focus on the main protagonist at all times, obviously giving some screen time to other characters is definitely something shows should do.

But the problem is that Charlie gets very LITTLE focus in the series despite being the main protagonist, and this contributes to the problem of her being underdeveloped. The first half of the show is especially bad at this; episode 1 Is the only episode in the first half that focuses on Charlie, but even then it's overtaken by the B-plot involving the other characters trying to film a commercial.

Episodes 2&3 are entirely dedicated to what characters like Alastor or Angel Dust are doing and episode 4 is completely focused on Angel and his arc. It contributes to the issue of the show not being able to develop Charlie that much as a character because she's constantly being overshadowed by other characters. The second half is better in this regard for focusing more on Charlie but still, for the first half of the show, it feels like Charlie is overshadowed by other characters which is embarrassing because, well, she's the main character, yet she feels like she's barely gotten any actual spotlight.

4. Conclusion

I want to love Charlie as a character. I really do. I mean, she's a part of one of my favorite character archetypes. I always LOVE over joyful optimistic characters because I just find them a joy to watch on screen, but sadly, Charlie doesn't have much depth beyond that archetype. She isn't that developed making her fail to be much of a compelling protagonist, her ideology is never challenged by the narrative wasting an opportunity for her to grow and contradicting the show's themes, and she's heavily overshadowed by other characters despite being the main protagonist.

So ya, that's why Charlie isn't that great of a protagonist...bye.

[heaven-s-black-box]

Blurred Lines- Sunday x fem!Reader

Return to File

Recovery date: February 9th, 2024

Description: A personal entry for the Valentine's event, location: Hotel!

Includes- slight plot, not much smut (sorry), office sex, fem receiving oral

Notes: Not Beta read, also there's so little content/info on Sunday that is is probably ooc. Link to the Valentine's event is HERE, it's still ongoing and I have no requests rn!

Word count: 1 009

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Penacony is the land of dreams. 

Is a land of dreams. It exists beyond the border of consciousness, tethered to reality by only a single building– a hotel that stands as the only line between dream and reality. 

The Reverie.

As a native and current resident in this land of dreams, Sunday prides himself in being able to confidently distinguish between these two faces of his homeland. The hotel in reality is always occupied with people milling about and guests checking in or out. It has an artificial brightness cast upon it by the lights, and despite what guests claim, it’s rather dull. At least compared to the Reverie in the dreamscape. Only there can he see the hotel from the guests point of view, where the hotel itself glows and the lights cast a golden haze. 

Also, his office, where he frankly spends most of his time, does not exist in the dreamscape. It doesn’t need to, but if he were to explain to someone how he can tell the difference between the two Reverie’s, that’s what he’d say. The absence of his office gives away the dream and separates it from reality.

If he’s in his office, he’s in reality.

“Sundaaay,” Y/n drags out as she wraps her arms around his shoulders and nuzzles against the side of his face.

His wings flutter against her cheek, making her giggle and place a gentle kiss on the feathery appendage. This earns her a shaky sigh from the leader of the Oak family as he relaxes into her hold, setting his pen down and raising a hand to hold her arm.

“Yes?”

Out of the corner of his eye, Sunday watched Y/n gnaw on her lip as she considered what she wanted to say next. He knew it was getting late, he was expecting her to usher him to bed and perhaps into a date somewhere in the dreamscape, so as she mulled over her words he began to stack the papers he’d been signing. His movements were slow so as not to disrupt her, but when he finished and she still hadn’t moved he turned his chair around and forced her to let go.

He ducked forward as his chair swiveled, narrowly avoiding knocking their faces together, and came to a stop when they were face to face.

“Have you come to usher me to bed?” He prompted upon further silence, settling his hands on her waist. Y/n was still awkwardly leaning over him, but the second his hands touched her waist she straightened up as if snapped from her daze.

“Sorry,” she sighed, letting him drag her into his lap. She took a seat on one of his thighs and threw her legs over the other arm of his desk chair. Sunday ducked his head and began to litter gentle kisses along her neck, nipping gently when Y/n’s hands wrapped around his neck and began to scratch gently at his wings. “I really just came to remind you to eat,” Y/n sighed contently as Sunday kissed up to her jaw, then he pulled away to look into her eyes, “but maybe going to bed is a good idea.”

Sunday’s thumb began to rub gentle arcs against her hip as he leaned in closer, eyes half lidded before they slid shut and his lips connected to Y/n’s. The kiss was slow and lazy, the day’s exhaustion weighing on them both as they finally found themselves in eachother’s warm hold.

Lazy kisses turned into lazily roaming hands as Y/n brought one hand down Sunday’s chest to undo his vest and Sunday’s hand began to bunch her dress up at her waist. The silky fabric of his glove scraped against the skin of her thigh, making the muscles clench up. With a soft chuckle, Sunday spun the chair back around and rapped his knuckles twice against the desk before helping Y/n up.

He took a moment to move the papers he’d been working on into a drawer, and then placed his hands on either side of her hips.

“Well I think I should thank you for taking such good care of me.”

“The door’s not locked.”

“Do you really think someone would have the gall to enter my office without permission?” He whispered against the shell of her ear before kneeling down between her legs.

Y/n dragged her nails against his scalp, tangling the soft gray hair near his wings around her fingers while he kissed up her thigh and helped her out of her underwear.

Sunday prided himself in the ease with which he could distinguish the dreamscape Reverie from its counterpart in reality. His office was a safe space in that way, being tangible proof that he was in reality.

His office was located in reality. 

The words floated aimlessly in his head as he licked a wide strip through Y/n’s folds. Her thighs snapped closed around his head, pinning his wings down. Everytime they tried to flutter, a small shudder would wrack Y/n’s body as they tickled her and the shudder would cause her to roll against his tongue making her sigh. Y/n leaned back, resting her weight on her hands, and smoothing her bunched up dress enough to see Sunday’s eyes.

This was reality. 

The words faded into the wet slurping as he tongue fucked Y/n, looking up at her through his lashes as he moved a hand from her thigh to her clit. Her eyes screwed shut as the tension in her abdomen grew and she began rolling her hips forward to match his rhythm.

Was he sure this was reality? 

The thought grazed the edge of his consciousness as Y/n’s thighs practically crushed his head and he pressed himself further against her cunt. Maybe it was the limited oxygen that had made his mind grow hazy, or maybe it was the pleasured noises coming from the women above him, but…

The lines between dream and reality were starting to blur.

[bonefall]

Is Crowfeather's parenting and abuse of Breeze going to be any different and/or handled differently by other cats in BB? Thinking about his honor title being for Feathertail and... ugh this poor woman having to watch a cat who named himself for his love for her be so horrible to his own kin after she's torn from hers so soon. She should get to come down and knock some sense into him, if that's even possible

I haven't been able to get into BB!Feathertail yet, but she's fascinating honestly. I like the vibe that Feather x Crow is like this cosmically doomed ship, destined to torpedo itself time and time again for various reasons, and that's the foundation of them in BB.

They were NEVER going to work. Crowfoot has a ton of issues he's working through. Feathertail values herself too much to allow him to mistreat her in the meanwhile. If Feathertail never died, the breakup would have been good for him. He REALLY needed it, actually. Calm, funny, easygoing Feathertail just laying their problems on the table, why she doesn't want a relationship, but still spinning it in that way-of-hers that softens a hard blow.

It wouldn't have fixed him overnight, of course. It just would have been a spark. Paws on a better, happier path. Not a lover in another Clan, but a friend, if he took her words to heart.

But she's dead. She died horribly. And her memory is this perfect fantasy for the magical, flawless love they could have had, an impossible standard Crowfeather viciously holds all of his future lovers to. So as a spirit guide, with all her eloquence, she'd say to him, "That's not very cash money of you."

But anyway, on Breeze's abuse.

For one, I absolutely would want to make sure to stress Breeze's good qualities sooner and harder, and explicitly make them friends at certain points.

The Tribe Journey in particular, where there's a lot of opportunities to get him away from Crowfeather. By the end of it, I would want to include a poignant moment where they have one final nice moment together, before Crowfeather barks for him, and it's gone.

(and, also, add a couple of cats who help The Three discuss their complicated emotions towards seeing their bully being abused.)

I would also actually remove the way that the cats of WindClan "look to" Crowfeather on how Breezepelt should be treated, particularly from Crowfeather's Trial. I feel it misses the point and ends up saying that Breezepelt could NEVER get the social approval he craves unless his abusive dad CHOSE to stop mistreating him.

Like!! FUCK no!!! You do NOT need the approval of a guy who NEVER would have given it without 3 different women and Onestar screaming it into his ear!

Instead, I'd stress how the Clan was beginning to turn on him as soon as his problems escalated into active reckless endangerment. His abuse was causing his social alienation by making his behavior worse and worse.

That seems like a minor change, but it's one of my bigger complaints. ALL of WindClan shouldn't be looking to an abusive parent to model how they'll react to his son. PLEASE let the cats have their own unique social opinions.

One of Breezepelt's adult defenders is Brushblaze. I will be picking more-- but there's always going to be some cats in his corner besides Nightcloud and Heathertail (and Harestar of course who is poly with Heather and Breeze in BB.)

(though Pro-Breeze cats are in the minority unfortunately.)

MOST of the Dark Forest trainees from WindClan were personal friends of Breezepelt. Harespring, Sunstrike, Furzepelt, and Antpelt all came into the training because of him.

All that said, not much else is different about the setup of Breezepelt's childhood abuse! It's a part of canon I think is good and I would like to stay relatively faithful to it.

His arc also continues into BB!AVoS. Continued distrust of him after fighting for the Dark Forest, misplacing his anger onto Harespring when he manages to take deputyship, and Dishonor Titles from Onestar end up causing him and his friends to feel so rejected that they join The Kin.

Its message, that they are "The Kin that the Clans abandoned" appeals to over a dozen cats from other Clans who are shunned for various reasons. HalfClan cats, codebreakers, and Dark Forest trainees alike all come together, because BB!The Kin is mostly comprised of Clan cats, particularly ones from SkyClan, NOT rogues.

There's about 6 or so non-Clanborn cats in The Kin; Rain, Raven, Flame, Dragonfly, Roach, Nettle. If I end up keeping Silt, Thistle, or any of the 7-10 unnamed cats, they'll get shuffled to be Clanborn.

(Max, Loki, and Zelda are cut. Many of Zelda's roles are being absorbed by Dragonfly, who is remaining with Violetshine after The Kin disbands)

[nokay08]

FULL OPINION ABOUT MOOMINVALLEY 4 SPOILERS FOR MOOMINVALLEY SEASON 4 ⚠️⚠️⚠️

THE CHARACTERS:

There were some new characters introduced (like Joxter and Aunt Jane) that I thought were really great, along with others we've seen shine this season (Snork and the Groke), which I’ve been very pleased about. I know some people have complained about Sniff, but I thought he was rather cute, even if a bit annoying.

I particularly loved seeing Moomintroll more mature compared to his season 1 arc, where he would cry to his mamma (lol) and instead actually take charge of "operations." Moominmamma was great as always, and Moominpappa was really funny this season. Snorkmaiden also seemed more mature than at the beginning.

Some characters were definitely more discreet (COUGHCOUGH Snufkin COUGH), but overall, each had their moments.

NEGATIVE POINTS:

As I mentioned, some characters were left out, like Snufkin. I think it's odd that he didn’t get any episodes focused on him, especially since (correct me if I’m wrong) it seems like most characters had their own episode in this final season. It feels like he was barely present, even at times when he could have easily been included (like the Midsummer bonfire).

Another point, which ties into my last, is the weird getting back together of Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden. While I love the pair, we’d already established in previous seasons that this couple was not working out. For example, in the episode where they have their own house, or in the last episode of season 3, where Moomintroll is said not to be Snorkmaiden's soulmate. I love seeing them together as platonic friends, but not as a couple—it feels weird and rushed that they’re back together in a single episode.

And this leads to the final, and maybe most problematic, issue: the Moomintroll and Snufkin dynamic. In previous seasons, their relationship seemed to be gradually leaning toward something more romantic, especially in season 3 with the "Lonely Mountains" arc. Even as someone skeptical of ships, I thought the show was hinting at a romantic pairing. So, for season 4, I had expectations, but we ended up getting less than nothing. While there were some sweet moments, the lack of Snufkin this season makes me feel like they were avoiding any development of that buildup.

I'm genuinely disappointed. Not because Moomin and Snorkmaiden got together—good for them, I guess! ���😭✋ But it just feels like they completely disregarded the whole Snufmin relationship here. It really sucks that the representation ended up feeling fake, especially from a show with an openly queer creator.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time (looking at you, BBC Sherlock 🫵😡), but it really can't keep happening. I wouldn’t have minded if Snufkin and Moomin weren't hinted at by the show itself, only to give false hope and, I guess, use those hopes for economic reasons.

CONCLUSION:

Okay ! It seems like there’s ton of negative points there but I swear I love that show 😭 It’s just that I feel like queerbaiting is not talked about enough and I hate that it keeps happening even in 2024!

but anyways, the show was great, and kudos to the animation crew for that great looking show 🙌💙

[kradogsrats]

I'll be doing a scene-by-scene breakdown of Viren's dark magic fever dreams at some point, but I just want to get out the part making me go absolutely feral:

In the first sequence with the mirror, he says, also for the first time:

We meet again. Only this time, here I am on the other side. The path of fate is already chosen. Every step I took, I took because I had to.

Now, who is he speaking to? His reflection? Well, maybe... but at literally no point in this sequence is the shot angled to see the face of the mirror:

He seems much more to be addressing the mirror itself, as a symbol of where everything went horribly wrong pivoted to the events that brought him to this point. He's on the other side of a whole bunch of things: history, death, several moral event horizons—but, figuratively, he's also implying that he's on the other side of the mirror. Which, you may recall, is a literal prison.

Now, just to quickly summarize the thesis of the eventual big meta on this: every single thing in this entire dream sequence is about choice and free will. Yes, including the Twin Peaks section. Exactly like Callum's was.

The second time we see the mirror, we do get to see Viren's reflection, as it changes from showing his younger self to his corrupted self. This is much more explicitly referencing a crucial pivot point in his past—immediately before this we had the section with Soren, at the end of which Viren protests, "I had to do something. I had to save him. I had no choice!"

Then we have the final mirror sequence, also the final sequence in the dream:

Viren again stands before the mirror, and delivers the exact same monologue... but this time addresses his younger self, seen on the other side of the mirror.

I think, because of the shot framing and various other things, this is almost definitely what Viren saw when he had his first dark magic vision, years earlier. The mirror, and himself—older, more powerful, but also ravaged by corruption and regret—delivering this warning. That's why the monologue sounds weirdly rehearsed, he's literally delivering the lines he heard years earlier. As he must.

And this is again a pivotal moment in the path Viren took—the first time he did dark magic—but it's also a pivotal moment now. Because, like younger Viren says:

No matter where you are on the path, no matter what you've done before, every step forward is a choice.

So why does he apparently not remember his own reaction? Well, Viren is quite possibly the only person to ever have two of these visions, which we now know occur only the first time a person does dark magic, so we're already deep into some weirdness. Maybe he remembers it happening differently. Maybe he didn't remember it at all, until now. Maybe he remembers it clearly, but years of poisoning himself with pragmatic bitterness have twisted it in his mind into something he could dismiss as naivete, and only now is it suddenly hitting different. (It's that one.)

But ultimately what we have here is young Viren asserting to himself and to current Viren that no, he has a choice, and always will have a choice. That is, in and of itself, a choice he is making—he's choosing to reject the excuse that his older self made the foundation of his life, I had no choice. He also extends the same choice to current Viren—I am free, and so are you. And current Viren, having now been given that choice, chooses to take it. It's an absolutely crazy time ouroboros of choices, and I fucking love it because the absolute crux of Viren's arc here, at the end of this season, is knowing he still has a choice.

[graciereadshannigram]

hey fam, my spreadsheet is FINALLY up to date so i am FINALLY getting back to the monthly rec lists! here's the cream of the crop from July :)

as a reminder: the ingredients for a five star rating typically (but not always!!) include some combination of a.) believable characterizations of both Hannibal and Will, b.) compelling plot and/or character arcs, and c.) high quality smut.

that being said, my judgment of the aforementioned ingredients is powered almost exclusively by vibes and as such, is incredibly subjective.

you can find past recs below:

February March April May June

and if you have any recs of your own for me, PLEASE SHARE.

without further ado, let's go!

One Way Out of Many by hellotailor

Word Count: 59937 Summary: Hannibal planned to keep Will in the dark about his encephalitis so he could watch that brilliant mind burn itself up and become something new. In a world without daemons, he might have got away with it.An AU incorporating elements of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, beginning partway through the first season of Hannibal. Due to the existence of daemons, the course of the Chesapeake Ripper case is drastically altered — and so too is the relationship between Hannibal and Will.

Everybody say "Thank you, Serri" because this fic was SO GOOD. I didn't know how I'd feel about the mortal instruments crossover, but it was highly enjoyable.

Long Flights Can Be Torture by ThisIsMyDesignHannibal

Word Count: 6334 Summary: Will and Hannibal are finally flying to somewhere they hope to settle down. Will’s nerves are making him restless…but how better to entertain himself then by toying mercilessly with the man he loves? Will wants to see just how far he can coax Hannibal out from behind that impeccable person-suit, preying on his insatiable attraction, and pushing him as far as he can…just, you know, for fun. Hey, long flights can be torture!

Will flirting with the stewardess?? Secret butt plugs???

certain dark things by multifandom_fanfic_writer

Word Count: 28090 Summary: “Now, you will kneel.”Will opens his mouth and issues his Command. And Hannibal, who has spent forty-four years defying his dynamic, who has never once in his life followed anyone’s commands--falls to his knees.

Blood Will Have Blood by idonthaveyourappetite

Word Count: 13481 Summary: Will and Hannibal are living in a post WotL limbo, a sexless pretense at domesticity full of tension and frustration. Will, unable to get over his guilt and complicity in their new life together, has been holding that part of himself back, but subconsciously hopes that Hannibal will push him, HARD, to take that next step. Hannibal, although increasingly frustrated, has been infuriatingly patient with him. Finally realizing that patience isn’t helping either of them, Hannibal forces Will to confront and accept his desire, giving him exactly what he needs. Their first time is exactly how they both need it to be.

And Cure His Heart by ThisIsMyDesignHannibal

Word Count: 10460 Summary: Will’s irritability and frustration have been mounting since going on the run, and Hannibal has been bearing the brunt of it. Unconsciously craving one particular way Hannibal can help him quiet his whirring mind, it’s time for Will to face up to what he needs, swallow his pride, and ask for it. This time, however, actions speak more eloquently than words ever could. Relinquishing control can be its own form of therapy. Relief is often found in surrender.

Oh my God, Will not knowing how to ask Hannibal for what he needs? And the devastation when Hannibal realizes how he's been neglecting Will? Chefs kiss, perfection.

I'll Take Care of You by sourweather

Word Count: 6339 Summary: After an Acute Stress Reaction and continued trauma at work leave Will feeling desperate for release, Hannibal reveals that he has a very effective technique for Letting Go

Whoops, I like fics where Will is put into subspace as "therapy" SUE ME.

Cuisine Euphonique by thecountessolivia

Word Count: 35335 Summary: Nightmares brought on by a gruesome case lead Will to some unorthodox therapy in the form of a YouTube cooking channel.[Completed]

This fic was absolutely incredible and I desperately wish I could read it for the first time all over again.

Hannibal Lecter and the Great Cat-astrophy of 1812 by slut_arc

Word Count: 1582 Summary: If Will Graham knows one thing about owning dogs (and a cannibal), waking to complete silence is suspicious.Whatever could be distracting Hannibal and the dogs so greatly that they left the house without even eating breakfast?

cat dad Hannibal cat dad Hannibal!!!

the distance is quite simply much too far for me to row by softhan

Word Count: 15355 Summary: Hannibal is having a rough time recovering from his injuries post-fall, and retreats into himself to avoid confrontation with Will while he's still weak and ill. Having to play happy husbands hardly helps

Fake relationship AND vulnerable Hannibal??? it hurts, but it's worth it.

Consenting to Dream by emungere

Word Count: 32188 Summary: A seduction through physical objects. It starts with a scarf loaned to Will on a cold day, but Hannibal, as usual, isn't satisfied with anything small.

Possibly one of the sweetest sugar daddy fics I could imagine reading, oh my god, I love them so much. Will having to get comfortable with allowing someone to care for him? OUCH.

Conduit by mokuyoubi

Word Count: 9288 Summary: No one has ever known Will as well as Hannibal, and if only he could get over his reservations, he knows that they could be amazing together. Hannibal, happy to have Will in whatever capacity he is able, is only too willing to give Will anything he wants, even if it's someone other than himself.Or, Hannibal watches while Will has sex with a woman, and Will gets off on how much Hannibal gets off on it, and voila, sexuality crisis averted!

This was very hot, 10/10.

I Don't Even Like Lana Del Rey by perpetuallycaffeinated

Word Count: 4328 Summary: Will’s thoughts were going in a very inappropriate direction, and he had a growing suspicion that they were being led in that direction by a firm, determined hand. He gave another half-hearted bark of a laugh and threw back the remaining coffee like a shot. “Maybe Zeller and Price changed the wrong number’s ringtone. Jack’s not the one listening to me when I feel like I’m coming unhinged and feeding me the best damn food I’ve ever eaten in my life.”“No,” Hannibal agreed quietly, “he is not.”The tension and low thrum of arousal were making Will speak impulsively. He knew this, but he’d just finished his drink. There was nothing he could use to stop the question, blunt and presumptuous and rude.“So, what, you’re my daddy?”

Dancing with the Beast by proser

Word Count: 86347 Summary: In order to catch a mediocre serial killer, Will must pose as Hannibal's date for a series of pretentious social events.Hannibal is dramatic and jealous as ever, and Will is having a great time without the encephalitis. Of course, it's a love story.

FAKE RELATIONSHIP AND IT'S SO GOOD.

Never Conquered, Rarely Came by thisisthefamilybusiness

Word Count: 3242 Summary: Normally, this is the part where Will would pick up his cell phone and leave an anonymous tip on the police crime hotline, tell them there was a cannibalistic serial murderer lurking around the area code of the phone number given in the ad. But not today. Not when his very bones ache and all the raw and bruised places on his skin throb in time with his pulse. Not when exhaustion is slowly eating away at him in a way that has nothing to do with how little he slept last night.Not when these ink-stains on his fingertips and the man behind them are his last chance to get away.Fill for HannibalKink for this prompt: "Will is in an abusive relationship but can't see a way out - he's tried to leave before, but his partner is in law enforcement and always manages to track him down while pretending to be the understanding, forgiving, loving type. One day, Will stumbles across an ad in the Classifieds of the cleverly worded cannibal-seeking-fresh-meat-but-veiled-as-private-cooking-classes type, and decides to answer. Hannibal is pleased when his ad bears fruit, then surprised when his intended dinner apparently knows exactly what he's in for."

this starts off TOUGH, but it's such an interesting concept and it really is a happy ending.

[mswyrr]

"ready or not" - grace/daniel ship meta

It's a delightful Horror/dark comedy film about how rich people suck. Scary but not too scary (I am a 'fraidy cat about Horror movies) and just a romp really. It's paced well and has a great Final Girl and I'd recommend it.

But now I want to talk about my ship lol

SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

Hm, so, are they "in love" exactly? No. There's chemistry and ultimately they appreciate each other (as the only two people in that house "who [have] a soul" - Daniel is able to recognize and appreciate that Grace has one because he's still got one too, albeit tattered and buried deep). But the more important thing, for me, is the structural shift between the two brothers and how that strongly implies things would have turned out happier if Grace had fallen in love with Daniel.

Namely, Alex has a heel turn arc and Daniel has a face turn arc. And, the one who face turns acts on the promises the one who heel turns broke.

The film is a wedding night gone wrong, specifically a new spouse who proves untrue. Grace says her problem was "in-laws," but it's actually Alex breaking the vows he just made to her that comes closest to killing her. The in-laws themselves are not the most efficient threat ever. They're pretty bumbling. Alex keeps Grace in the dark and Alex turns on her, that is what brings her close to death. As well as a funny political satire, it's a satire of the tensions marriage brings into a family, over who your new spouse will be loyal to - you above all others, as they've promised, or the family that raised them, even if it's shitty.

Grace marries one man who promises to be good to her, care for and love and protect her. To be her family, when she is a foster kid who has no family. And then Alex proves false and the other brother, the "weak" one, poisons his family and puts himself between her and a bullet.

Daniel does what Alex promised to do.

Now, he largely thought he was doing this for Alex (not realizing Alex would have a heel turn), so it's not primarily about Grace - HOWEVER, Daniel independently recognizes and values Grace as a person as well as doing it for Alex. Loving his little brother and trying to protect him is how Daniel kept his soul; he's that kind of person at heart. And the structure lends itself to asking how well he and Grace would get along in other circumstances. If this is how he is when they barely know each other, what would he be like if he was the one who'd met and fallen in love with her? Or what if he survived?

The writing includes other elements that strength this as well: they both recognize each other. Early on, Daniel keeps saying "You don't belong in this family - I mean that as a compliment" and saying she "has a soul" so she'll never fit in. And Grace recognizes his soul too. She keeps reaching out to him and believed Daniel would help her before he knew it himself. ("I knew you'd help me." / "I didn't.")

A YouTube review was like talking about how Grace doesn't survive by her own wits because she trusts Alex and he turns on her, it's only "good luck" that saves her. That she has “plot armor.” And I was like wuuut lol Good luck is part of it, but not beyond belief - and Grace does keep herself alive with her grit and wits and then she reaches out to someone and that person poisons his family and takes a bullet for her.

Another point is that, despite it clearly not being a love match, Daniel warned his wife, Charity, about the family cult before their marriage and let her decide whether she wanted to take the risk. Alex hid the information from Grace because "If I told you, you would've left."

That's the key choice where Alex doesn't put Grace first. He puts what he wants (to keep her with him) first. And that foreshadows him putting what his family wants first. Subconsciously, Alex was always ready to betray Grace if she pulled the wrong card. He betrayed her by not warning her.

I think the final thing that makes it work for me is that Daniel and Alex were both children the last time someone pulled the Hide and Seek card. As much as the movie tries to make us not feel bad about the kids today, they're not to blame for the shitty way they've been raised, and Alex and Daniel weren’t to blame for what happened 30 years ago.They were kids.

It's *this* time that they're both adults and making decisions as full moral agents. It's this time that they both find out who they really are. And the decision Daniel makes is to put a stop to all the ritual murder bullshit.

It's also about the heroine's victory. What does Grace *want* from the very beginning of the story? A permanent family, people who will stick by her and love her.

In the canon movie ending, Grace survives, but she's still a foster kid with no family. Though she's legally filthy rich now, it's not the same. She doesn't actually get what she told us she wanted from the beginning of the movie. In fact, she loses the one person she was certain would be family to her, along with the hope her in-laws would be there for her. So there's that sadness to it, which makes the ship meaningful on her side. In this terrible circumstance, she found someone who has a good heart too and would prove true.

The story both provides us with a lack (Grace, the heroine, not getting her heart's desire) and someone who the story shows us could be that for her. Someone who has a soul, despite everything, and wants to do the right thing, to protect and love.

There's a reason why there's timeloop stories where Grace keeps playing the game until she can have a "complete victory" by saving Daniel and winning the family she wanted as well as getting away with her life and the money. The heroine's victory in the film itself is compromised.

The reason why there's a lovely bunch of gems of fanfic about Grace and Daniel on Ao3 is that the story itself provides that bitterness to the sweetness of Grace's survival, that she's still so alone, and a strong foundation for ways they could have been happier or worked out if they'd fallen in love instead of Grace and Alex or if Daniel had survived.

[pathologicalreid]

Hi, hope all is well, I have finally caught up on all the margotober fics after having been away from tumblr for a bit, and I have to say, words cannot not describe how much I love your style of writing. All of it, every single fic of yours I’ve read has been amazing. 💕

dad!spencer reid is so important to me for reasons I can’t fully explain. I love how you write him especially with your dilf agenda which I am completely here for. The fact that the cm writers never gave him a child is a crime in itself.

Speaking of the show, what seasons and/or episodes or areas in the series give off the most dad!spencer in your opinion. Like if he were to have a kid, where would it have made sense, yk? He goes through a lot of changes in the shower, including his trauma (some of which I don’t think was always necessary because though I am a sucker for dark stories, they need let the man be happy for once)

I have read and seen a lot of different stances on the matter. So I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts and opinions on the matter, especially since I love how well researched and realistic your fics are (truly you are an incredible writer).

Of course you do not need to answer if you don’t want to, no pressure.

okay so obviously there's no place in the show where he's like perfectly primed to become a father but i think there are some seasons that give more dad!Spencer than others.

i've kind of posited this idea that Spencer was never firm in his want to have kids until season four when he meets Henry for the first time, i think at that point he want from being ambiguous about it to forming an actual stance on wanting kids. i also think there are seasons where he'd be more interested in having children but he's not really in a good place to have children.

i think season 9 could have been good timing for him, and i think following the events of the season 9 finale he'd want to have children. nothing brings forward a want to continue your family line quite like a near death experience. but even though he wants kids at that time, it's not really right mentally for him because he just got shot in the neck. i could also make an argument for late s5 and early (pre-migraine arc) season 6. and then post prison i feel like he doesn't get to a point where having a first baby would make sense until like season 14.

for like individual episodes, i'm thinking about the end of season 11 where he's doing magic tricks with Jack and Henry at Rossi's. i also like to think that when Henry dresses up like him for Halloween he got crazy baby fever lol. same for in season 9 when he delivers that baby i think he got baby fever from that.

[episodeoftv]

Prelims, Vote 1 of 8

The top 4 finales will move on to be included in the main bracket

Propaganda is under the cut, may include spoilers

Agent Carter - 2.10 Hollywood Ending

Just as Peggysous became canon, just as Jack is about to start his redemption arc, they cancelled the show and left all of us on a massive cliffhanger for, let's see, almost 8 years at this point. We need ANSWERS.

Daybreak - 1.10 FWASH-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

It was written as a cliffhanger for a second season that would never come, but it just felt flat. The one objective that our leading lad (Josh) had been chasing (saving Sam) was rendered pointless, because the moment the big bad was defeated she effectively declared herself the new big bad and everyone who wasn't a major character went 'hmmm, okay!' And accepted it! They didn't even address this all that well, just ended with a shot of the MCs looking shocked.

Doctor Who - 12.10 The Timeless Children

this finale is shit!! absolute ass! nothing happens in it for it to justify having such a cool name. the master captures the doctor, shows her a slideshow that amounts to ‘‘you’re adopted!! :)" doctor breaks out of her matrix prison thing by overloading it with memories when the matrix is The Supercomputer and it’s used to hold all memories of all time lords ever? you know, the species whove been doing their thing for a billion years and live up to 10,000 years? the doctors new memories should either already be there or make nary a dent in it. the doctor’s like ‘‘why would they do that! why would they lie?’’ girl they have been lying to you since forever. they killed you once. theyve tried to kill you so many times. they turned you into a fucked up anti time monster that one time. one of the doctors past past selves even told her it doesnt really matter!! what was even the point

Loki - 1.06 For All Time. Always.

The series was going downhill past Episode 3 tbh, but it really just was a load of crap only interested in setting up the multiverse

Tales of Arcadia - Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans

This finale undoes everything the show worked for. In order to give itself stakes it kills off a few characters, but in a way that only indirectly impacts the MCs (such as Jim's Mom's fiancé getting killed). Then, at the end of the special, the main character uses time travel to go back to the start of S1E01 and changed history so he never becomes the trollhunter. Instead he makes his next friend the trollhunter instead. In terms of anticipation it was not at all what anyone was anticipating. (I had assumed he'd go to the start of the special and defeat the titans without any casualties). Having undone time only he remembers the previous timestream and he makes no effort to engage with it outside of accepting his changeling principal far sooner.

Ted Lasso - 3.12 So Long, Farewell

This trash ass finale undid three seasons of character development for every single person involved (except Nate!). A long-distance parent returned "home" despite having no attachments besides his child and leaving behind his entire found family, an abused and neglected woman was left behind by the person who taught her she didn't deserve abuse and neglect, and two characters who spent the whole show learning to cooperate and care for each other got into a fistfight over the girl they both dated.

Torchwood - 3.05 Day Five

No propaganda submitted

[canadachildvol2]

Wish rewrite ✨ Extra details

As I mentioned in the final part of my "Wish" rewrite, I was toying with the idea of creating a separate post that covers additional details and character descriptions that I couldn't organically include in the summaries. After spending some time away (my brain was pretty fried after all the planning and plotting of that rewrite lol), I eventually decided to go forward with that idea. So here it is :)

Below the cut are details concerning the key characters and the plot itself, including a few worldbuilding tidbits. I have also added some of my concept art (one of which I already showed in the rewrite, but I wanted to share again). <3

And because they asked me to, I'm tagging @signed-sapphire

CHARACTER DETAILS

Asha: The main protagonist of the story. Levelheaded, composed, a touch cynical; a realist. She is prone to being very blunt and not considering how this harsh honesty can hurt others before speaking. Despite this, at her core, she's a trustworthy and compassionate individual who cares a lot about her family, friends, and Rosas as a whole.

After being let down again and again throughout her life (her father's death when she was 12, no one in her family having their wishes granted, seeing the kingdom figuratively crumble bit by bit because of how exhausted and troublingly passive many citizens are, etc.), she eventually stopped being hopeful and always focuses on realistic outcomes and worst-case scenarios.

"[Papa] always said that hope gives you strength, but for me it brought so much pain. So by expecting and accepting the worst, it hurts less when the inevitable happens."

When it comes to Star, she is at first exasperated by his energetic and overly curious personality. However, during their time helping people with their wishes, she softens up to him and sees his good heart. Moreover, his ambitiousness and optimism rubs off on her and she gradually starts to feel bright and - more importantly - hopeful for the first time in years.

She works as a tour guide for visitors and potential new residents. While not a fan of the job, it "pays well" as she says to Dahlia at one point. In her spare time, she likes to read and draw. She is also a talented dancer, but she often keeps this skill under wraps (courtesy of her reserved nature).

~ I took some inspiration from Jane's character and arc in "Return to Neverland," but there are shades of Tiana and Raya present as well. Regardless, I really wanted this version of Asha to stand out from past Disney heroines. ~

Star: The deuteragonist of the story. Energetic, inquisitive, peppy, and (at first) doesn’t have much sense of personal space. He can be very easily distracted, but when things get serious, he knows to focus on what's important. He is an overall affable person who is eager to experience new things and make friends.

He is a young star who has reached the point where he is ready to advance into a proper wishing star. By helping Asha make her wish come true, he will accomplish that, so he is very much determined to make it happen. However, he finds himself conflicted when he grows fond of humans and their way of life, as well as falling in love with Asha. He wants more than anything to help her save Rosas and become a wishing star, but that will mean he'll have to leave her when the job is done.

He is mute and only communicates through body language and images created with his star dust. The sole exception to this is in the "At All Costs" scene when he used his magic to allow Asha to essentially hear his thoughts via human speech. This is temporary and only lasts a few minutes. Afterwards, he goes back to being mute.

"His fingers touch her lips, then his, then he runs them along her ears leaving a trail of star dust. Before she can question what he did, she hears a deep, soft voice: “Asha.” It’s him! It’s Star! “You can…?” “Not for long."

His powers include levitation, shape-shifting, making things grow, and changing the colours of flowers and other objects he sees. While he cannot actually grant wishes with his magic, he can inspire others and spread hope with it. In this sense, he is indirectly granting them by providing the tools others need to make them come true on their own. Animals are also drawn to him.

Magnifico: The current king of Rosas and the main villain of the story. A cunning and charismatic sorcerer whose knowledge of wish granting magic was passed down from the royals before him. When 18-year-olds and new residents approach him to give their wishes, he presents himself as a kind man. In reality, he is apathetic to his subjects' well-being and only cares about maintaining absolute control.

While this need to preserve his authority stems from having a bit of a God complex, it is also because he does not want to be the king responsible for a great empire's destruction.

The only person he genuinely cares about is Amaya, with whom he is madly in love. He is the more emotional of the two, in that he is quick to succumb to frustration in moments of stress and/or anger. However, he can just as easily be calmed down by his wife, be it through words of encouragement or simply a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Amaya: The current queen of Rosas and the other villain of the story. Even-tempered, regal, and equally as cunning as Magnifico. While not a magic-user like him, she is just as powerful due to her intelligence and tactful nature. She is just as in love with her husband as he is with her.

She is the calm to his storm. The left brain to his right brain. She can pull him back from his stressful outbursts and stop him from potentially ruining his "benevolent king" facade by keeping him grounded and focused on the present. Truth be told, Magnifico wouldn't be nearly as mighty or as beloved without her there to help him and provide new ideas to carry out his plans.

Dahlia: Asha's best friend and a young baker. Cheerful, idealistic, and tends to stumble over her words when excited or stressed (a nod to Doc from “Snow White” along with her character design). She works in her family's bakery, but dreams of one day becoming the castle baker. As such, she thinks her work needs to be perfect to get that position, so she has a tendency to slip into a perfectionist mindset when it comes to her baking. Despite others' insistence that her work is already amazing, she is determined to be even better.

Like the rest of Rosas, she thinks highly of the king and queen. While this adoration makes her initially distrustful of Asha's innocence when she was accused of destroying the wishes, she ultimately sides with her.

~ Design note: in this version, her ruby dress leans more towards a reddish-violet shade; basically something that contains a bit of purple. This ensures that the warm colour palette of Asha's outfit - mainly the orange part - makes her stand out from the rest of Rosas, as well as foreshadows Dahlia's future internal conflict of not knowing whether to side with Asha (red/warm) or the king and queen she adores (the purple colour that dominates Rosas, along with blue and grey). ~

Sakina: Asha's mother. She is a farmer who mainly grows fruit and also does a bit of weaving on the side. She is a kind and hardworking woman, but can also be stern when necessary. She and her husband used to work together as farmers, but since his death, she's been doing most of it herself (Asha often helps whenever she can). As such, she has become visibly exhausted, but refuses to admit it and doesn't let it get in the way of raising her daughter.

Her wish was to be fearless. She made this come true on her own in a roundabout way by being the first to stand up for Asha to the king when she was accused of destroying the wishes. While more "brave" than "fearless," such an act still took serious guts.

Sabino: Asha's grandfather and the father of Asha's late dad. He is a devoted family man with a creative mind and optimistic attitude. Like the rest of Rosas, he thinks highly of the king and queen and continues to hold out hope that his wish will be granted one day despite being repeatedly let down. In spite of this adoration of the royals, he loves his family first and foremost.

He worked for many years as a blacksmith, but eventually retired once it was clear that he was too old for the job. While skillful in this occupation, his lifelong passion has been painting, which he spent a lot of time doing following his retirement. He also assists Sakina in her farming any way he can, though his old age has taken a toll on how often he does this.

His wish was to be able to bring his paintings to life.

~ Design note: like Dahlia, the colour scheme of his outfit needs to be tweaked a little to match the purple/blue/grey palette of Rosas, showing his loyalty to the royals and to once again ensure that Asha's palette stands out. ~

Simon: An acquaintance of Asha's. Three years older than her. He works multiple jobs in the hope that his hard work will be noticed by the king and queen and they will grant his wish. As such, he is usually very tired; more than most older adults in Rosas even. While a decent man at his core, he is also prone to skepticism and his devotion to the royals often clouds his judgement.

It's not uncommon for his insecurities to take control and drive him to do some questionable things. This is what caused him to rat out Asha to Magnifico and Amaya. However, he feels genuine remorse afterwards and does what he can to make up for his mistakes.

His wish was to be a brave and honourable knight. Also, like in the movie, his tiredness and general design is a nod to Sleepy from "Snow White."

Asha’s father: I just found out his name is Tomás, so... Tomás was Asha's father and Sakina's husband. He died from an illness when Asha was 12 years old. He used to work as a blacksmith with Sabino, but after marrying Sakina, he decided to become a farmer like her.

He was a good man; very funny and an extrovert. He was also a doting father and used to tell Asha to look to the stars whenever she feels lost. His last birthday gift to her before his death was a silver bracelet with star designs engraved on it. Asha cherishes it very much and wears it every day.

Dario: A good friend of Asha's. He is five years older than her. Friendly, a little absentminded, and a bit of a goofball (a nod to Dopey from “Snow White” along with his character design). He and Asha have a sibling-like relationship, with her being a down-to-Earth force that keeps his head out of the clouds. In fact, you can sum-up their rapport with this bit of dialogue from 'The Wizard of Oz': "But someday they're going to erect a statue to me in this town, and-" "Well, don't start posing for it now."

His wish was to be super intelligent. The main reason why he wants this is so that he can become a great inventor. Through Star’s influence shortly after his arrival at Rosas, and with additional encouragement from Asha, Dario realizes that he just needs to apply himself and his preexisting strengths; those being his creativity and perseverance.

Bazeema: Another good friend of Asha's. She is one year older than her and gave her wish to Magnifico very recently. A sweet-natured young lady who doesn't have a mean bone in her body. Very shy and is rarely seen without blushing cheeks (a nod to Bashful from “Snow White” along with her character design). She works as a seamstress and shows a lot of promise as a dressmaker.

Her wish was to have a brilliant and boundless imagination. She already had great talent in sewing and could create beautiful outfits, but only in accordance with what other people want. She finds it hard to come up with her own ideas. However, with Asha and Star's help, she learns that she can find inspiration for new designs from those around her. She gradually comes out of her shell and this leads to her conceiving more original ideas.

~ Design note: the yellow portions of her outfit will need to either be made less warm or be changed altogether so that Asha's outfit (i.e. the orange part of her dress) can stand out. ~

STORY DETAILS

- Hal, Gabo, and Safi are present in this version, but they have smaller roles. That said, they each have a part in the “Montage” song and they are among the townsfolk that side with Asha after she was accused of destroying the wishes. Like their movie counterparts, they are based on Happy, Grumpy, and Sneezy respectively. Additionally, they are all either 18 or over 18, like Simon, Dario, and Bazeema.

- Asha has a total of three outfits throughout the story; technically five if you count two other variations of her main outfit. 1) Her main dress. 2) Main dress with a blanket wrapped around her, which she wears at one point during the “Montage” song sequence where she and Star are bonding while sitting outside at night. 3) Main dress decorated with star dust during “At All Costs.” 4) The dress she wears after the time-skip near the end. 5) The dress she wears when she and Star reunite (the one Bazeema made for her).

- Celestial star beings age similarly to humans, but they live much longer. Furthermore, there are three stages in their life cycle: baby star (akin to Star in the movie), young star (where this version of Star is at most of the story), then full wishing star (where Star ends up).

- There are some references to Disney's past movies sprinkled throughout this version, but they would be much more subtle than how they are in the movie. Some would be blink-and-you'll-miss-it, others are more visual, whether it be a character's design or a shot composition (ex. when an awestruck Asha is wandering through the palace for the first time, I envision a moment where she looks at her reflection in the mirrors adorning the walls in such a way that's akin to Belle looking at her reflection in the cracked mirror in the West Wing).

- Much like how Star's personality and actions have an influence on Asha, her personality and actions have an influence on him. Not only does he learn to slow down and think things through, but as the story goes on, his movements become less erratic. He's still a ball of energy and demonstrates this when he's happy or excited, but he's a lot more composed by the end than he was when he first entered the story.

- Not sure if it would be mentioned at all during the story, but Tomás' wish was for his future child (he made this wish at age 18 before he and Sakina had Asha) to shine bright. He may not have lived to see it, but it did end up coming true.

- The wish granting era has been ongoing for over 200 years. Evidently there is no one left alive who truly remembers what Rosas was like before the wish system was established.

- Star's subsequent once-a-month visits are seven days long.

- Asha experiences two types of guilt: 1) the fact that despite her dad repeatedly reminding her of how important hope is, she wound up becoming someone who doesn't have any hope, and 2) her job as a tour guide means that she was responsible for luring several people into living in Rosas, thus trapping them in this exhaustive and cult-like lifestyle.

- Star's magic comes naturally. The magic Magnifico and the royals before him used basically comes from alchemy (potions, various tools and apparatuses, etc.). And for the record, this does not imply that alchemy-based magic is bad (except for the destroying wishes part). Magnifico and the royals before him simply used it for malicious purposes.

- The rules of Star's magic are more in-line with those of the three fairies from "Sleeping Beauty." Specifically, how his magic is mainly used to bring joy to people rather than cause pain. That said, when he's pissed off (like when Magnifico hurts Asha or even tries to hurt her), he can use his magic to attack, but it's not as strong in that department as Magnifico's magic is.

- After the time-skip, Rosas' colour palette is much more vibrant. It is no longer confined to primarily blues, purples, and greys.

Rewrite / "At All Costs" sequence / Asha & Star Character Tropes

[sebadztian]

So, uh, I'm sure that this must've been brought up before, but I don't know where to find the text.

I think, UT's final goal is to stuff o!Ciel's soul into r!Ciel's body.

At this point of time, we can safely assume that this Bizarre Dolls (BD) project has been going on for quite a number of years.

UT has salvaged r!Ciel's body from the fire three years ago, so he must've known then what he wanted to do with it.

Let's review the progression of the BD...

In the Campania arc, they were nothing but mindless zombie who craves brain soul.

But in the flashback, we were shown that r!Ciel was also on-board and he looked much more... advanced than those zombie-like creature. So, I think those zombies were created specially for the purpose of military experiment on unstoppable army, just like what he's told o!Ciel, Seb, Grell, and Ron.

Then there were Agares, Arden, and the other students in Public School arc (which will air next April! 😁). They were all BDs, but they were at different stages. Agares, clumsy as he was, has managed to perform day-to-day tasks, including leading several school ceremonies. I wonder why UT has made the others the way they were. If he'd made them like Agares, then the Queen wouldn't have been suspicious and she wouldn't have sent o!Ciel there.

(but then we wouldn't get to see Professor Michaelis, so I'm glad that UT has done it this way)

Back to the point...

During Bard's mini-arc, we learned that the BD has evolved even further than we thought. Layla has two souls stuffed inside one body. I don't know if "Al" has always been a part of her or if the other soul/personality had been stuffed into her body when she was 'revived', but this shows that it is possible to have two souls/'person' in one body.

Which brings me back to my initial point, about the twins.

UT has said it himself that he doesn't want to lose another Phantomhive. I don't know what his relationship is with the family, and I won't talk about that in this post. What I want to talk about is why he's salvaged r!Ciel's body and why it has to be done this way.

I mean, if you think about it, he could've just focused on protecting o!Ciel. He's shown that he's more than capable to match Seb in combat, or even defeat the demon. He could've just 'rescue' o!Ciel from Sebastian and be done with it. But why must he use r!Ciel's body?

It's about preservation.

He said that he's aged r!Ciel's body to match o!Ciel. It implies that he can also stop the ageing process, which, if you want to preserve a life, it would be the best way to go about it because a human body will eventually fail itself when it gets old & frail enough.

But a BD is different. They're strong, they can be aged when needed, or kept at their current age. If r!Ciel's physical form continues to be grown and aged until it reaches young adulthood and then UT stopped the ageing process, then potentially, that body could be immortal.

But it's still missing one key ingredient, the soul.

Now, I write this under the assumption that Seb has consumed r!Ciel's soul. Which makes this BD soulless.

This is where o!Ciel comes in. He still has his soul, so by combining the two (r!Ciel's body & o!Ciel's soul, UT can create a 'whole' person, strong & immortal).

But what if Sebastian has lied and he hasn't actually consumed r!Ciel's soul? Then that's when Layla situation would happen, that there would be two souls inside r!Ciel's body.

But Badz, why not just make o!Ciel a BD?

If some of you read my coffin post from months ago, I talked about how UT has prepared a special coffin for o!Ciel, one that he might use to preserve o!Ciel's body. So, why doesn't he just take him from Sebastian and keep him?

Because if r!Ciel's BD ever failed or stopped working, then UT would need a spare body to stuff the soul into.

At their current state, BD is still imperfect and he needs more time to work on r!Ciel's body and how to create the perfect BD. If he took o!Ciel prematurely, both bodies might fail him and he wouldn't have any Phantomhive left to work on.

UT has never been shy to express his dislike of the queen and what she's making o!Ciel do, what kind of danger she has put him in.

Which is another reason why he hasn't really tried to take the boy from Sebastian. Or to kill the demon.

What he didn't say was "... until the day that I'd take him from you."

He knows that as long as o!Ciel has Sebastian by his side, the boy will be safe because Sebastian is contractually bound to protect him. He actually trusts a demon to keep o!Ciel's soul safe because he knows of a demon's nature, how protective they could be of their 'meals'.

This is just my own take on UT and his end goal. Think of it as a headcanon or something like that. This is based on my own assumption.

At this point, all of us are in the dark of what could've been his motive. I'm just trying to have some fun while reading the manga, so please don't come to my post and attack me if you disagree with me.

Thank you!

[randomfoggytiger]

Collector's Edition: Bill Scully, MSR, and Pain (Part I)

How to melt the Abominable SnowBilly, Season 2 through Season 7 (IVF arc not included.)

**Note**: I had to eliminate fics not specifically related to an illness or injury because the word capacity on Tumblr is uncharitably short.

Loose chronological order below~

SammyLovesASOIAF's I Don't Want You Like A Best Friend

He chuckled to himself. The Scully siblings were a weird juxtaposition of different traits. Bill Jr. was strict, Melissa was carefree, Scully was careful, and Charles—well, he was always in absentia. 

AU-- Post One Breath Mulder is almost creamed by a firework before Bill Scully saves him.

@living-in-unreality/@television-overload/ContentsPriceless's beautiful (Ao3)

The pieces slowly come together in his mind, everything he knows about Fox Mulder. His mother must have seen it long ago, hence her willingness to help him this morning. And he would have stood in the way.

Bill Scully can see the love in Mulder's attempts to paint on Scully's makeup for her.

MldrItsMe's A Favor

“Should Dana be out of bed?” Bill grumbled.

Mulder involuntarily squeezed Scully a little closer to himself. “She asked me to,” he said. He thought better of adding “hold her” and just let the situation speak for itself.

AU-- Redux II Scully is suffering on her deathbed: 96 pounds and swiftly losing independence.

@scully-loves-ruthie's cancer arc: mulder sneaks a dying scully out

Bill will storm into her hospital room after, a firecracker beneath a teacup ready to explode sending the fine shards of his rage into the newlyweds.  He’ll find himself frozen his fuse stamped out at the sight of his sister’s frail and fading body wrapped like a puzzle piece inside Mulder’s arms, the couple sound asleep.

AU-- Redux II Bill doesn't rip Mulder's head off after finding out he and Scully were quickly married.

intrepidment's Bill and me

"You had talent for medicine, Dana, everyone admitted that. You would've had every right to be haughty, but you never flaunted your talent then. Then you changed your mind, you became an investigator, and suddenly you're this overconfident professional."

I opened my mouth to rebuke him, but I had to admit he was right. Somewhat. 

Post Redux II Bill and Scully have a siblings' semantics fight over Mulder's napping body.

amorfati3215/Amorfati32’s (FFN) Number 9 for the dialogue prompt.

Mulder hasn’t got very far when he hears Bill call out, stopping him in his tracks. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

Post Redux II Bill gives Mulder his version of a blessing.

@lotsoforangesoutside/@lotzzoforangezoutside‘s (Ao3) Seven Pound and Six Ounces (Ao3)

He’s never held a day-old baby before this one.

And now, Fox Mulder can proudly say that he has held one, changed his diaper, and napped with the tiny thing like a log in the cradle of his arm.

With his other arm held by one Dana Scully, his hand holding hers. On the sofa in her big brother’s living room.

Post Emily Bill lets Mulder and Scully be.

soverysesual's The Truth Not Considered

He frowned as he observed the scene in front of him: his sister was sitting up, her head resting in an awkward position as she dozed, the mug of tea precariously balanced in one of her hands, while Mulder held her other hand grasped between both of his, as if he was clinging to her for dear life.

Post Emily Bill (reluctantly) helps Scully get comfy next to Mulder.

Marguerite's (Ao3) When the Bough Broke

Bill is standing between us and the embers of last night's fire. Scully has not stirred; I still keep her within the circle of my arms. Her brother's face is unreadable. I make a helpless gesture with my hand, but he stops me and points to my face. It's still wet with tears.

Post Emily Bill finally understands and becomes comrade-in-arms.

pen-paper-aliens/theficisoutthere/aka PPA's 95 ❤️

She’s still holding that hand when we walk in, nobody notices, or if they do, they don’t care. Bill notices too, but even he doesn’t say anything. What do you say to a mother who lost a child she never knew? 

AU-- Post Emily Bill lets his sister find comfort in her partner.

Jen's (mulderscreek)

Christmas Eve & Airports and Christmas & Mrs. Scully's House

"He's upstairs," Dana said and could swear she heard Bill mutter something under his breath. 

AU-- S6 Scully convinces Mulder to join her and her family for Christmas and ends up nursing his unexpected strep throat.

@baronessblixen‘s (Ao3) 

Christmas With The Scullys (Tumblr)

“My bed,” she says, just to clarify. She hears a clatter from behind her and doesn’t need to turn around to know that Bill is there and listening.

S7 Bill and Scully battle it out after she brings an injured Mulder to the Scully family Christmas party.

O Holy No - Chapter 7 (Tumblr)

“Where’s the guy?” he asks, chewing with his mouth open.

“Do you mean Mulder?” Her brother nods, stuffing more chips into his mouth. It reminds her of when they were teenagers and Bill, towering over her and Melissa, would steal their snacks and interrogate them, claiming it was his duty when their father wasn’t home.

AU-- Mulder and Scully, newly minted couple that they are, both fly out to Bill's house for Christmas... and are greeted with unexpected shenanigans.

Shoshana's

Almost Home (4/4)

"Hey, wife," he said, approaching her from behind.

Mulder wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder.

"I don't think Bill suspects a thing," she told him gravely.

AU-- Post Requiem Mulder is returned with ongoing medical complications; but that doesn't stop the leftover Conspiracy or Bill Scully's lingering concerns.

And salliejohns's

Mr. Mulder, Mother Maggie, and Empty Place Settings

It was a big risk, but it paid off well. We were able to establish contact with our old boss and he came through for us, sending Bill Scully, Jr. a cryptic message about his dry cleaning.

AU-- S9 Bill is happy to find his sister and her partner alive in California; but that doesn't erase the pain of losing touch with his mother while Maggie raises baby William in hiding.

Hestia01‘s (Ao3) The Next Great Adventure Chapter 1 and Chapter 5

"Bill, they're here!"

Bill looks around, now looking concerned for his mother's grip on reality. "Who's here?"

"Dana's here! She brought Fox along, too! You can't see them, but they stayed!"

Giving his mother a pitying look, he nods indulgently. "Sure, Mom, whatever helps."

AU-- The crack adventures of Mulder and Scully after death (Skinner hoarding their poster and Bill getting his comeuppance included.)

@incidental-ao3/incidental's

Keep It All the Year

“Where’d he go?” she asked. He shrugged.

“Got in a cab,” he said. “I don’t know where to.” Scully groaned.

“Maybe one of you should stay put so the other can find them,” he said, but she wasn’t listening at all.

“He left his phone at the hotel, I bet he went back to get it,” she said, barreling passing Bill down the stairs and grabbing the keys.

AU-- S6 Mulder is dragged out to Scully's torturous family Christmas in San Diego, where the franchise becomes a complete disaster all the way 'round (Diana included.)

bluesamutra's una via - Chapter 4, Chapter 5 and Chapter 6

Dana had been at death’s door before he showed up at the hospital with a computer chip and a story straight out of a Michael Crichton book.  Bill had stood by in disbelief when she, a woman of science, trusted him enough to put it in her neck.

And yet.

And yet, he had watched from the shadows of her room, unseen, when Mulder crept into her room that same night and wept silently into her hand. 

AU-- Post Amor Fati Bill Scully's family reunion takes a serious turn when Matthew almost drowns and Mulder injures his shoulder during the rescue.

@scully-eats-sushi/ijustknew's

You're Not Alone and You're Not Alone II

She’d barely stepped inside their mother’s home before Bill had started inspecting her injuries, making her instantly regret not wearing a turtleneck. He went so far as to grasp her chin and tilt her head up to get a better look at them. Irritated, she’d shoved his hand away and declared “I’m fine” before stepping past him to embrace her mother.

Post Millennium Mulder and Scully are navigating their relationship post episode, with their own personal complications as well as her family, profiling, and on-the-job demands.

Red0313's Nothing Breaks Like a Heart

We make eye contact. He knows I am awake. I can’t even fake it. This should be good. Kick a man while he’s down, literally.

“Mister Mulder, I see you’re going to be just fine. That seems to make my sister very happy,” he huffs. Something’s eating him up.

S7 Bill observes his sister's pain and penance after Mulder takes a bullet for her.

Susan Proto’s Barbecue Series 14, The - Labor of Love

She must have picked up Matty, because all I hear from him now are soft whimpers instead of hysterical crying. And then I hear her ask, "What happened, Bill?"

"He got hit by the Harley. He ran into the street and got hit by the Harley."

A Harley?

AU-- Mulder has been bullied by Bill for years, and finally sets his foot down after the other throws away his engagement ring.

@tatooedlaura-blog/tatooedlaura/Laura Sprys​’s Always Been Yours

Mulder was out of the shower and in the kitchen helping Scully with a makeshift dinner when Charlie and Bill walked through the door. Scully's eyes swam again when she saw her older brother. Hugging her tightly, he looked over toward Mulder and nodded his head.

In shocked surprise, he walked over a shook Bill's hand, "hello again."

AU-- S7 Maggie is unexpectedly killed in a car accident; and Bill keeps to himself while Mulder prevents Scully from falling apart.

Thank you for reading~

Enjoy!

[safyresky]

Scrimbly Jacqueline 37/52: Diteline Donniline family portrait!

BOOM BABY! DITELINE KIDS! AKA DONNILINE KIDS! Because when Jacqueline and Dite have their kiddos, Dite has had her whole arc and goes by her true name, Hedone! (Which I know I have said a bunch of times already lol but since this is THE Donnieline fam post, it's here for posterity).

This one was by FAR my most intensive scrimble YET. Joy's wings nearly took me OUT. I have NO IDEA how to alt ID this as of yet, oh my GOD. The sketch was finished Friday, the lines Saturday, and the colours took all day Sunday on and off between Year 9 edits (and then drafting this post took most of my evening between episodes of Face Off lol :)

In terms of designs, Milfline is in her usual fit, Milfdone is in a casual fit based on this dress here. And as for the kids...well. I think it's time we officially meet them, shall we? I'll go oldest to youngest!

JOY

Meet Joy! She's the oldest of the bunch! Is about 8 (hundred) in this scrimble :) (on the right (our right), with the wings)

Was "born" on accident due to the HUGE amount of joy Jacqueline and Dite felt after being reunited when Venus did some BULLSHIT

(Including, but not limited to, misnaming Hedone for THOUSANDS of years, cursing Jacqueline into an eternal sleep and casting her into the underworld, and setting Hedone on the same journey Psyche went on for Cupid just before Dite was born)

She is the literal embodiment of Joy. Literally.

She has ALL the celestial/god powers!

She can do a little bit of fire and a bit of frost but not as much as her mom, her mom's fam, or her siblings

So she can conjure some flame and some snow/frost but that's about it sprite wise!

Is as talented a weapons master as her Mater

Has 0 (zero) castor magic abilities

Is the Cupid after Donnie (The Third Cupid. Cupid the Third).

Has butterfly wings like Psyche, her grandma!

They start small and grow with her. I based the pattern on monarch patterns and the shape on this clip art lol

The tips are vaguely heart shaped lmao (emphasis on VAGUELY)

In terms of wing pattern itself, it's not final? But the vibe/idea I was going for was a snowflake-esque motif for the top wings, and a combo of hearts and sparks/stars for the bottom wings! Also not sure about colours—I'm deffs gonna use her wings as like, a blank canvas every time!

Joy is just a bundle of Joy. She's an absolute sweetheart. Not a SINGLE PERSON dislikes her, she's just so sweet it's so hard to DISlike her

Seems kind of like a bit of an airhead because she's so full of joy and whimsy and such but she knows when to smarten up and is ALWAYS looking out for her siblings (despite what Bianca thinks)

Her heart pochette was so last minute but I LOVED IT SO MUCH!!

Hair I've always pictured strawberry blonde, but I think it's more orangey thanks to her summer sprite relatives!

Has Jacqueline's eyes!

Hair is fairly curly! Turns out when you constantly freeze your hair into curls, the curls become genetic ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

BIANCA

Meet Bianca! She's the middlest, and is about 7 (hundred) in this scrimble :) (on the left, with the C: face)

Joy really wanted a sibling and so, for funsies, Dite and Jacquie are like "Oh? What would they be like?" and build a snowman with her, to her specifications lol

They have a very fun time together but then things get...weird

The snowman seems to have a mind of its own. It moves around on them. It doesn't melt. Joy claims it talks to her.

It starts to look more little girl like. Knowing how sprites were originally made, Jacqueline's like hmm...

She talks to MN, who tells her to go to this very sacred section of the Springs and she does and she gets a life light and goes DAMN. OKAY. GUESS WE'VE GOT KID NUMBER TWO ON THE WAY!

She gets home that day, and finds the snowman, and gives it the light life and POOF! Suddenly, Bianca!

She's named after Winter's bio Mom :)

Bianca is FULL Winter sprite; she has 0 god things going on.

She CAN do some castor stuff! Dips into warlock lineage but I'm not sure she has a staff—she Blaises it: wandless magic FTW babieeeeee!

Is the Jack Frost after Jacqueline (The Third Jack Frost. Jack Frost the Third. As you can see I am workshopping how they refer to the latter Legendary Figures lmao)

She has this really cool talent where she can pull the most GORGEOUS colours out of the snow and ice

When she freeze dries, it is more icy looking like her Uncle Jack and she is CONSTANTLY changing the shades. Blues! Pinks! Purples! Sometimes she gets some ORANGE going! She's like YEAH BABY! FUCKIN. COLOURS!

She is a bookworm; of the 3 Donniline kids deffs the more sensible/down to earth/serious one

Which is saying something as she and Robyn do all sorts of shenanigans together lol. Wait until you see the VDay oneshot >:)

When THAWED, her hair is as dark as Jacqueline's and she tends to also put lil colourful streaks in that lol. I keep picturing it as a bit of a poofball? Idk where she got the poofball gene from. Humidity is her enemy lol

Has Dite's eyes!

She likes sweater vests a normal amount, she swears

ROBYN

It's ROBYN! They are the youngest, most hyper active, and the future governor of Crystal Springs (I am not joking. I am so serious. He is the person who finally defeats Blaise in an election)

They are about 6 (hundred) here and are smack dab in the middle of the scrimble

He was gonna give Joy bunny ears but then she got too excited and started hovering and now he's trying to save it with a wave lol

Robyn is genderfluid! Usually goes by he/they but has been known to have some she/her days and has dabbled in neopronouns, I'm sure

Robyn has the most chaotic birth story, because of COURSE he does

Gods started bragging one day and somehow. SOMEHOW Donnie got into it with Jupiter about how HE birthed Minerva from his HEAD, to which Donnie replied "YOU ATE HER MOM AND THEN ASKED VULCAN TO SMASH YOU WITH A HAMMER BECAUSE OF THE HEADACHE SHE GAVE YOU AND BOOM. AUNT MINERVA. THAT'S NOT THE SAME AS GIVING BIRTH. I'LL PROVE IT!"

And then she does. Well, sorta! She doesn't. Y'know. Eat Jacqueline after fucking her or anything like that, and I don't think they conceive traditionally. There's DEFFS some god magic involved.

But anyway, they have a spot of fun, and Dite takes care of the "pregnancy" bit, and Robyn bursts out of her BICEP nine months later lol.

He's always like FULLY FORMED AND READY TO SLAY and then Bianca goes NO YOU WERE A BABY. BABY SHAPED. I WAS THERE AND SAW to which they reply YOU WERE TWO (hundred), FUCK OFF

And then fisticuffs happen as Joy yells about the swear jar

It's deffs still a wip lol but tl;dr: Robyn comes out of Dite's bicep :)

He is full Summer sprite! Loves them some arson and fire. ALSO fully warlockian! Can cast like nobody's bizz! Has his Uncle Fino AND Grunkle Pyros AND Gramps AND Uncle Jack teaching him

Needless to say, he's a force to be reckoned with

Either wears a blazer or denim vest COVERED in buttons and pins. Depends on the plans they've got for the day! Business, or party?

Would probably wear the vest OVER the blazer if they felt so inclined lol

His satchel is bottomless. Got it from B-Man :) It is great for tomfoolery, shenanigans, snacks, and storage!

Has a trans bestie and I think the pair of them accidentally bring back PRE MONARCHY fae. It gets weird.

Was born with fully white hair; he looks full winter sprite but is a summer sprite

When his hair on fire it stays white. Very cool >:)

Also playing with the idea of his flames being blue and white or one or the other! Still thinking about it lol

I tried to see how I liked him with the summer sprite eyes and decided I don't!! So he'll also have the Jacqueline eyes :) Make people assume he's a winter sprite SO FAST until he sets something on fire with their bare hands

He is very proud that he is an enigma ALL OVER THE DAMN PLACE lol

And I think that about covers it for these goobers, for now! Bianca's hair is DEFFS very different in my head so I will DEFFS have to do proper doodles of them all to give you guys the full vibe. These guys have been CARTWHEELING in my head, let me tell you. I love them dearly. Have a snippet of their shenanigans:

“How do I look?” “Stunning, jaw-dropping, gorgeous—ready to kick ass, even!” “Oh, stop it,” Donnie said, playfully waving a hand. “Never.” Jacqueline fell back, her head hitting the pillow. “Check on the kids on your way out? Bianca was still awake when I got in.” “Still?!” “One more chapter, she said. You know. Like a liar,” Jacqueline huffed, snuggling into the covers. “Oh, boo! It’s already cold.” Donnie laughed, clipping her charm bracelet onto her wrist. “It’ll warm up. And if not, we’ll make short work of that later.” Donnie did not need to turn around to know that her wife had turned very red. The squeak that came out of the blankets was enough of a tell. Laughing quietly to herself she left the room, keeping the door slightly ajar. Across the hall, another door opened. “Did someone say they needed some WARM?!” Robyn asked, popping out of their room. He wore a throw blanket over his head, clasping it around their neck like a cape. “You know how your Mom is.” Donnie swooped over, giving Robyn a big old hug. “The moment I leave the bed she freezes.” “DUTY CALLS!” Robyn saluted, rushing across the hall and bursting through the door. “CHARGE!” “AH!” There was a poof, pillows hitting the ground as both Jacqueline and Robyn laughed. “Get over here you, I’m fucking freezing.” “MOM! SWEAR JAR!” The door beside Robyn’s burst open, Joy’s head popping out with a small frown. “PUT IT ON MY TAB!” Joy huffed, the stray hairs on her forehead briefly lifting. Donnie tilted her head. She frowned. “Joy.” “Mmmmyes?” “Are you dressed for work?” “Oh, this old thing?” she popped out of her room fully, clothed in Donnie’s old chiton from her Legate days. “YES. Absolutely I am! You said so yourself! Duty calls!” her eyes were wide, with a big old smile to match. She clasped her hands together excitedly, hovering off the ground, her wings fluttering rapidly. “I was just thinking, you know, it being THE day and all, that we’d better be ready to help you however we need!” “SHE DOESN’T SPEAK FOR ME!” Robyn shouted, Jacqueline laughing loudly. “Well, Bianca and I will—” “NO!”

There was a clatter from the room beside the main. Something fell with a hefty thunk; there was a scramble as Bianca’s door burst open. “FIRST of all, I don’t do the Cupid thing! I do the Jack Frost thing! SECONDLY, I’m not going ANYWHERE this morning cuz I’m almost done my book, and it’s a slow burn, and they only JUST admitted their love and I am like. Only one fifty pages in!! THERE’S STILL ONE HUNDRED MORE PAGES! So I’m booked today. Literally.” “Bianca! You should have been asleep hours ago.” “Okay, one more chapter, Mater, then I’ll sleep." “YOU SAID THAT AN HOUR AGO,” Jacqueline shouted from the bedroom. “I’M A SLOW READER,” Bianca shouted back. “THE FUCK YOU ARE!” “SWEAR JAR!” Joy shouted. “I saw her tank that really thick romance last week in like, an hour. It was fascinating,” Robyn continued unabashed, volume as normal as it got with the kids (which was still pretty loud). “It was really good! I was HOOKED! Their magic system was stupid but I couldn’t stop reading. I was like, enthralled with how unreal the mechanics are—HOLD UP. ROBYN.” “WHAT.” “DID YOU START A CUDDLE PUDDLE AND NOT TELL ME?” “…” “YOU BITCH!” "SWEAR JAR!"

From the Valentine's Day Donniline Special, Bedtime Stories, coming to a platform near you in February!

This is 4/5 of the @kscribbs suggestions! It was a simple prompt: a family portrait of Jacquie, Donnie and the kiddos. Did I go overboard? (squints at colours, bios, birth stories, AND the oneshot snippet) very much yes. But hey! Now's a good time as any to show you the lil' guys!!! AND I AM FINALLY CAUGHT UP ON THE SCRIMBLES! AH!

This week's scrimble will be ANOTHER cute one (I TOLD YA I'd have cute to compensate for the angst of #36) and then the week AFTER is an EVEN CUTER ONE I've been DYING to do—topical since that'll be my BIRTHDAY WEEK! YEAH!

Right! I think I've uh. Said enough. Too much, even. Oy vey. These tags are gonna be WILDIN. See y'all with the next scrimble Friday, and Frostmas Y9 before that! :D

[whumpy-wyrms]

UMMM… IT’S TIME TO GET WEIRD, OKAY? Bill Cipher and Anton meeting and getting silly is not leaving my head and it’s HIS FAULT. book of bill spoilers probably and some vague tllr spoilers that i’ve already talked about before

something something it is five years ago from present day tllr and Anton is depressed as fuck for reasons i cannot say (but you all can probably put the pieces together by now). he’s alone because Pierce left, he’s the most sad sopping pathetic wet cat he has ever been, and he decides to do a shit ton of horrible experiments on himself and clones of himself because he has nothing left and science is the only thing that he knows. but even still, he has no goal and no motive, his clones become horrible fucked up abominations that are an insult to life itself. he wallows away in his own misery and drinks glowing green science liquid to the ease the pain of reality and fucks with his own memories and he really doesn’t gaf anymore about what happens to him. this is all canon btw

ummm Bill fucking Cipher notices a genius scientist who’s alone and sad and has nothing to lose. you know what that means!

Anton’s a weirdo, Anton’s an outcast i mean he was created by a mad scientist and has lived isolated in a secret lab doing science all his life for fucks sake. he has no purpose anymore and Bill decides to give him one. Anton has never really considered the possibility of inter-dimensional travel because he and Pierce had always been focused on their goal of immortality and the limits of the human body. so this is something new and interesting and something that has absolutely nothing to do with Pierce so he jumps at the opportunity.

Anton is also. sad and alone! he wants a friend so bad and he is sooo easily manipulated! he hates humans (Pierce) and does not care if this weird floating triangle demon is a danger to humanity because every human he has ever known has either hurt so many people including him (Pierce) or left him (died).

they make a deal!!!! fuck yeah!!!! they shake hands and blue fire and shit!!!!!

so Anton finally finds his purpose again. and that purpose is helping this weird little muse in his head build a portal to other worlds. he does not know that Bill is only using him to create a gateway to the nightmare realm and cause the apocalypse so he can take over the universe. and if he did know that, he may or may not change his mind about all of this i mean he’s a bit fucked up too

Anton is kinda like Ford in this part, he sees Bill as a friend and likes hanging out with him and misses him when he leaves for months at a time. he lets Bill enter his mind whenever he wants and possess him (Banton) and thinks he’s the answer to everything. they have fun together. they get silly together.

um obviously this does not last forever as Bill is a sadistic manipulative freak who was only using Anton for his own personal gain and after Anton found meaning to life again he kinda realized that he DIDN’T want the world to end after all. Anton is scared as fuck of Bill now and tries to kill him just like Ford and that definitely drives him to the brink of madness. Anton whumpee arc am i right

OR maybeee not maybe he helped Bill do it and weirdmageddon happened and it was a fun and joyous time. Anton is weird!!!! he might have actually done it that son of a bitch!!!!

also debating if i want Anton to just move to Gravity Falls after Pierce leaves. maybe he is just like Ford and just wants to study the weirdness there and then comes across some stuff and summons Bill. but i also like the idea of Anton building that huge triangular portal in his own lab.

Dew sadly wouldn’t be in this au because it takes place five years before Anton decided to get his shit together and get another actual test subject. maybe this is a good thing. Basil is here though and hmmmm i dunno what her opinion on Bill would be honestly. i don’t know if Anton would actually tell her about Bill but i think he would. maybe they’re all friends

i don’t know what else to say ummmm i probably won’t actually Write this au but im definitely gonna draw stuff for it maybe in the form of tiny little comics and silly drawings. the idea of Bill possessing Anton is the silliest thing ever it fills me with so much joy. i’m not sure if they would fix each other or make each other worse. those two are just two silly guys looking for chaos and who cares if they’re a bit fucked up and evil honestly. my two favorite blorbos who make me the most insane are both rotating in my head at the same time and i’m interested to know how this will change me as a person

hold on a minute here i just thought of something ELSE! let’s say this au takes place years after Dew and Anton hypothetically go their separate ways. in this hypothetical scenario let’s say that after Basil died, Anton decided to let Dew go for real because he felt bad or something (actual au that has been a WIP for months lmao).

Anton meets Bill and weirdmageddon happens oopsie daisy. Anton’s regretting it and escapes Bill and is trying to survive the apocalypse while also trying to figure out a way to take Bill down. thennn he finds Dew :3 out in the wild. Dew is scared because he hasn’t seen Anton in years and he’s scared he’s gonna be taken back but um also the apocalypse is happening and Anton seems pretty fucked up and maybe this is his best chance at survival. maybe Anton came to Dew for help because he is literally the only other person he knows in the world because Anton is a little freak who doesn’t leave his forest and socialize with other human beings. maybe Dew realizes that Anton had literally nobody else to turn to. besides Pierce i guess but let’s say that when Anton first met Bill, they both killed Pierce together because he hates him.

the point is that this scenario is so wholesome and silly like yeah Dew hasn’t seen his tormentor in years and now he’s back and all sad and asking for help saving the world from the apocalypse that he caused!! Dew really doesn’t want anything to do with him but! he also doesn’t wanna die! and Anton is the only person who knows what he’s doing here

cue Bill using Dew against Anton like how he used Dipper and Mable and Stan against Ford. Anton cares about Dew and will do anything Bill wants just so he won’t hurt him. crazy shit guys my brain wow my brain

i probably have more stuff to say but this is everything so far. if this au is cringe and dumb do not tell me that alright my autism level is catastrophic and i’m thinking so much about this. i’m also gonna get a bill cipher tattoo once i get the money because i’ve wanted one since i was 12, that’s how much this weird triangle freak means to me. and yall already know how much Anton means to me so yeah… this au makes me a very happy camper

oh SHIT!!! WHAT ABOUT MAX??? well uhhhmmmm ummmm i’ll think of something! i’ll definitely think of something and post about it when i do! (or yall can throw more ideas at me and i will eat them up pls pls feed me i mean talk to me about this au i need enrichment in my enclosure)