#yes this is about the acolyte being cancelled

[im-poe-dameron]

the number one enemy of star wars is star wars fans.

[cosmicluci]

So, if anyone sees this post, yes it’s awful that the Acolyte is cancelled. But here’s a couple things:

The cancellation wasn’t communicated officially. It was just some source that communicated with Deadline, from what I saw. There is at least for now nothing on official Disney or Star Wars accounts, or comments from Leslye or the cast

There is a hashtag going around Twitter (#RenewTheAcolyte) that’s been gaining traction. If enough people ask for it, it could work. It wouldn’t be the first time a cancelled show with queer characters got renewed after being cancelled. Even if it gets insufficient episodes (not that S1 had enough) like Owl House did, a chance to wrap up the story would be nice.

On that note…do tweet about it. We all know tumblr is nicer, but Twitter, as shit as it is, still gets more attention. Dust off unused accounts or make a new one if need be. The more people the better.

Yes, it’s a long shot, but all we can do is try, and make it clear that there is a devoted audience for this show. For now, as much as they’re very much emboldened and active, the hate mob no longer has a running show to complain about. This is an opportunity for people who like and love it to speak up.

[david-talks-sw]

What The Acolyte Season 2 would have looked like (had it not been canceled)

A nice thing about The Acolyte is that showrunner Leslye Headland was always very clear about the themes of the show and what the story was about, for her... and where it was going.

So as a fun exercise, I figured I'd speculate where the story might've gone, had the show not just been canceled.

The Sith subplot:

So Season 1 ends on this powerful image of Osha and Qimir/The Stranger standing together, united...

... but they're not gonna have a happy ending.

Firstly, their relationship is still forming. Yes, they united against a common enemy, but now it's time to put the pleasantries aside and start training her into becoming a fearsome Sith warrior, which is a dynamic that puts a strain on their relationship.

Secondly, and most importantly, because Qimir wants to train Osha so that he can overthrow his own master... Darth Plagueis.

And Plagueis realizes what Osha is. She's a being created exclusively using the Force... wow! Maybe she's the thing he was looking for to finally make his attempts at achieving immortality succeed!

Osha, in the meantime, realizes the Sith life isn't for her either. Her path lies somewhere in the middle. She decides to quit, maybe tries to convince Qimir to come with her.

Qimir is killed. Either because he rejected Osha's offer, thus being left alone to be off'd by Plagueis, or maybe dies sacrificing himself to let Osha escape, so the Sith Lord can't get his hands on her.

The internal review of the Jedi Order:

Beginning of the season, the chancellor is still deciding, the Jedi are being reviewed, but by the end of the first episode he decides to let Senator Rayencourt do his thing.

Instead of lying to him, Vernestra tells Yoda the whole truth... and he agrees to keep it under wraps, at least until she can find Qimir and bring him to justice, thus helping elucidate everything and get the Senate off their back.

Vernestra attempts to use Mae to find Osha (and thus Qimir), maybe in an attempt to exploit their bond in the Force. However, as with half the "memory loss" tropes in TV, Mae eventually regains her memories and frees herself from Vernestra's grip. She's now out in the wind.

Unable to find Qimir, Vernestra's lies eventually pile up and are uncovered. This scandal results in the Jedi being in the place we find them, in the Prequels:

With their power restricted, and put directly under the thumb of a Senate that will now grow more and more corrupt, seeing as the Jedi are now unable to keep them in check.

Finally, we get to Mae and Osha's final fate:

With both sisters away from their captors, their identity remains a mystery that they must both make sense of. They're not sisters, they're not twins... they're the same person.

At some point they reunite and find themselves on Dathomir... greeted by Mother Koril.

The get-together starts out great, but takes a turn when Koril explains she wants Osha to go through with her gathering. The witches of Brendok had a nefarious ulterior motive when performing the ritual that resulted in the sisters' creation... and Koril wants to see it through, their individuality be-damned.

It is at this point that the sisters' realize what "the Power of Two" really is. They're not Jedi, they're not Sith... they're something in-between. A Dyad in the Force.

They overcome Koril, maybe Plagueis too (that way he can witness a Dyad himself and we can tie it back to TROS) and go about their own way in the galaxy, now finally free and secure in who they are.

Either that or one tragically dies so the other can live. It is Star Wars, after all. Or maybe they fuse back into one being?

Bottom line: that'd be my guess as to what would happen in Season 2, had it continued. Note, I don't like the storyline I just detailed. In my headcanon:

Osha and Qimir would get slaughtered by Plagueis (because that's where joining the Dark Side takes you),

Vernestra would lie to Yoda and the ordeal would end there (because there's no way Yoda would hide something of this magnitude), with

Mae living off her days by rebuilding herself a life, happily oblivious to the horrors of her past (she deserves a break and fuck the whole "gray Jedi" nonsense).

The above is just speculation of what we would've gotten, going off the Leslye Headland quotes you can find below:

"Qimir is killed at Plagueis' hand, Mae leaves the Sith."

"If I continue to get to tell this story, I know how I would like that to play out. And I would say I think it’s pretty complicated and messy." - Leslye Headland, Nerdist, 2024

"With these two other people having gone through this positive corruption arc and coming together in a joining of forces and a romantic pairing, we always wanted to introduce Plagueis as a foreboding complication. We know Plagueis’s apprentice ends up being Palpatine, so it would be interesting to see how these two red-lightsaber-carrying warriors fit into that story." - Leslye Headland, Vulture, 2024

"What I think is going on with Plagueis is that he also knows this has happened. He also is aware, or will quickly become aware of this aspect of the Force existing. This is why I gotta say I disagree with the criticism of, “Well, so and so didn't have it, and Palpatine… Why do these women have it?” First of all, we're in a completely different part of the timeline. Second of all, if I'm going to tell the story of Plagueis, which I would love to do, like, absolutely love to do, him pursuing that power is so much more interesting as a storyline than him already having it." - Leslye Headland, Collider, 2024

"If the [Sith Apprentice] is craving the Master's power,then at some point, he must recruit his [own] apprentice-to overthrow the Master. And that's the acolyte." - Leslye Headland, Star Wars Conversations, 2024

"[We put the Darth Plagueis cameo in the series because] we wanted to show Qimir’s master." - Leslye Headland, Entertainment Weekly, 2024

"Because there’s Plagueis and because we know that Palpatine is eventually Plagueis’ apprentice, we know that these two people are not going to fall into that set lineage. [The end of Season One] is a triumph for Osha; it’s a triumph for both of them. But the added complication that master and apprentice — or in this case apprentice and acolyte — there’s always an imbalance. One to hold the power, one to crave it. And seeing these two characters completely aligned with each other in this hugely satisfying way, the tease is: How will they survive the structure of how the Sith work? Q: Is there a chance that they could decide not to be Sith? Yeah, I can’t talk to you about that." - Leslye Headland, Inverse, 2024

"Vernestra's lies become the reason the Jedi's hands are tied by the Senate, in the Prequels."

"Rayencourt suggests the internal review of the Jedi, obviously at the small council, but Chancellor Drellik doesn’t doesn't confirm or deny that request. It felt like she had to report to her superior and let him know what’s up, and probably tell him about what happened between her and her padawan. [...] It’s not like it’s the first time Yoda has hidden something from the Senate and the Republic." - Leslye Headland, Inverse, 2024

"A generation or two generations have gone by since the Nihil. There was a lot of drama, so it was just logical to me that there would be more of this button-down [idea]: ‘We're trying to avoid the mistake. Let's limit the power. Let's do that before someone asks us to.’ And it was just logical to me to show Vernestra as the bridge for that. [...] Vernestra and her relationship with the Senate and how that's going to unfold with this sort of internal review of the Jedi — where does that lead?" - Leslye Headland, Entertainment Weekly, 2024

"I am really excited about the prospect of the Mae-Vernestra relationship. I really love the idea that Vernestra now has on her hands a Force-sensitive, powerful woman that is, at this point, docile enough that Vernestra would be able to educate and form an allegiance with." - Leslye Headland, Inverse, 2024

The Final Antagonist & the Power of Two...

"No body, no death. That’s what I’ll say about [Mother Koril]. But what I will say, as a tease, if we are able to explore this story more, her species will tell you a little bit about where she ends up." - Leslye Headland, Inverse, 2024

[lokislady17]

I keep thinking about how much of a difference a week can make. Yes, I know, everything can change in a single minute, that’s all it takes. It was a week ago yesterday that I found out the Acolyte was being canceled. I was retry bummed out to say the least. But, be fore that, I was sublimely happy. I had a brand new fandom. I enjoyed coming here to Tumblr and finding so many kindred spirits. I was looking forward to my upcoming trip to Disneyland (which I still totally am but let’s just say my joy is somewhat diminished now and I am not too happy with the Disney company. And yes, I am well aware Disney as a company has greater sins on its ledger than just canceling a series) as a reborn Star Wars fan. Not so much any more. I looked up those five stages of grief and I really think I am in the bargaining/depression stages.

[moondyad]

sometimes i scroll all the way over to that "news" section on my phone and see random articles recommended to me by google. today i was met with this article:

(you don't have to read it or give it any traction, it doesn't deserve that. it's simply here for context)

confused by the title, i was hooked into reading it. but the conclusion was simply, "My Lady Jane almost got as many renewal signatures as The Acolyte got, so the fans who did sign the petition are a vocal minority." and then went on to say this:

and i went "oh". these questions told me everything i needed to know about the author, he was a cis white guy. i scrolled to the end and sure enough, i was right. it really pisses me off when people are so entitled that they think something is just for them and should never branch out into appealing to other demographics. watching a cis white man protagonist in a movie or series never bothered me, why does it bother a cis white man when that situation is reversed, unless it comes down to bigotry?

forgotten what they are? the original trilogy was anti-war messaging and influenced heavily by a Japanese film, The Hidden Fortress. like frankly, shut the hell up. i'm so sorry that you got 7 (the new one making it 8) movies and ~7 series where a protagonist was a cis man who you could relate to. why is it so wrong to have media be "something for everyone" without the implicit reason being to alienate poc, lgbtq, or other minorities from your fandom.

yes, there is this almost weird corporate pandering where minorities get shoved in a role to be the "token", we generally don't like that shit either. we don't want half-baked representation. having a black woman protagonist just... being on the screen, is not "woke" corporate pandering!! what do you do if you pass a black woman on the street? scream, cry, throw a fit? i'm sorry to tell you that people exist?

i know this fandom is full of older white men, but i am continually surprised by the general narrow-mindedness and lack of media literacy that is so prevalent among them. when they willfully ignore the more progressive messaging of the original movies, it's like the alt-right manosphere space using The Matrix as a "stop being a societal sheep" metaphor when the directors and writers of the movie were two trans women who intended for the movie to be a metaphor for transformation. i won't say transness explicitly, because both of them were closeted at the time of making it and admit they only knew how to depict that in the form of their character, Switch, who was a trans allegory.

i for one was left with more questions than answers at the end of The Acolyte. i am a very lore-focused individual and tend to dissect things with the culmination of the information i know. but i did not hate the show. the characterization didn't have enough time to breathe for decisions to have felt earned, and just in general the pacing was quite fast. the newer concepts like heavily grey characters and Osha/Mae being the same person were very exciting to me, and i had hoped to learn more about Qimir in the next season. now i'll never get that chance.

if criticisms of the show stuck to the fast pacing or plot holes, we wouldn't be having this discussion. i like to think that one day these older fans will recognize the irony of their stances, but it might just be wishful thinking.

[jyndor]

lbr star wars has had shitty writing always. it's always been messy. it's always been imperfect. the quality dip between s2 and s3 of the mandalorian is so widely discussed but it came after a real dip in quality after s1 so let's not act as if the acolyte having problems is the reason it got canceled.

the acolyte has real problems but yall still show up for equally messy projects if they are about the same characters that we have seen over and over again, and those projects have the space and room to be imperfect. I'm not saying star wars fans don't always criticize every project ever because of course we do, but the way that people spoke about the acolyte... as someone who didn't have time to watch until like last week, I expected an absolute shitshow and I got a good show with some structural issues but mainly good bones.

and yes, star wars fatigue is REAL but people showed up for the ahsoka show, for the kenobi show, for mando, for the bad batch, and even for boba fett. all of which have episodes that are as bad as anything in the acolyte, if not worse.

but andor? the most well-written, well-acted star wars anything I've ever seen??? okay so it's not about jedi and space wizards and shit, but it's extremely star wars. but okay it's meant for a more adult audience so of course it isn't going to have the numbers that mando gets. sure, fine - but when it was announced, there was so much immediate disinterest and confusion amongst alleged star wars fans who I REMEMBER loving rogue one, saying shit like "who asked for this" and "who cares about cassian" and a lot of them ate crow when the show that was aimed at the one big critique of rogue one (that the characters didn't have enough time to develop) turned out to be as good as the big prestige shows from hbo etc.

but even then who gets the most attention from fans? the white core world-coded (ie: us american and british accented) characters. meanwhile, even after delivering one of the finest performances in star wars history (and somehow maintaining a balance of being the lead actor with all of the presence required for that, and also being an excellent supporting presence when other actors have their moments to shine) people have the audacity to say diego luna, who put so much into this project, is a weak part of the show or cassian is irrelevant or whatever BITCH-

and diego luna is a white latino. us american audiences racialize all latinos as non-white or conditionally white, and ~it just so happens~ his show - which should have been a massive hit with most star wars fans tbh - had a smaller audience for a STAR WAR. and we had to beg people to just give it a shot - we had to beg people who ALLEGEDLY care about diversity and queer rep and good stories to watch it. canon queen wlw! and not a peep from the people who will ship any two women characters who look at each other for a long moment. I mean, same but COME ON???

now the acolyte is not andor, but it doesn't have to be andor - it needs to be itself. and it is! it's not perfect but why the fuck does a star war need to be perfect? star wars have never been perfect, fuck the prequels are still a mess idc what you people my age think they're Not Good. but you and I have Made Them Good because they have good bones and there is a lot there to work with.

the acolyte is WORLDS better than the phantom menace and attack of the clones in terms of writing. it has some structure issues and could have used a couple more episodes to delve more deeply into the characters' motivations. but the acting? 10000% better and you won't convince me otherwise.

you know what? I have major problems with cassian's characterization in andor. I don't think it is consistent with who cassian was written to have been as a youth in rogue one. but I'm not gonna throw in with reactionary cunts who hate the show because it has the audacity to be led by a mexican actor. when I've criticized andor, I've done it in support of andor ALWAYS. meanwhile these freak ass pro-jedi types who essentially call any critique of jedi (individual or institutionally) genocide apologia while basically denying irl genocide -

these types are so offended by a show making the most tepid observations about how jedi are people and like all people are not infallible even if they are well intentioned, but that also the dark side of the force does harm the force user, that you joined in on the reactionary bashing of a show led by a NON BINARY BLACK ACTRESS and a very, very diverse cast.

meanwhile, this is a show that probably was going to end with the dark side being a danger to everyone since imo that's clearly where they were going but now we will never know.

and the thing is that you are not to blame for lucasfilm capitalisming! I have been so busy this summer that I couldn't find the time to watch until a couple weeks ago. but lbr this fanbase shows up endlessly for white mediocrity by filoni, frankly even by lucas himself. lucasfilm has never stood up for its actors of color when they've been harassed by reactionary elements of the fandom.

you want an old republic project? good luck. good luck getting new and interesting star wars projects. it'll just be more of the same. and they'll be the same quality because lucasfilm doesn't have to put the work in when its a fandom fave - see boba fett, see obi wan. they can ride on nostalgia forever, but the numbers will continue to fall over time until there's nothing left.

[stereogeekspodcast]

[Transcript] Season 5, Episode 2. The Acolyte Eulogy

In crushing news, The Acolyte has been unceremoniously cancelled after only one season. The Stereo Geeks present to you their eulogy for this Star Wars show that was arguably their favourite in the live-action pantheon. But, Ron and Mon don't always agree about what makes the show great.

Listen to the episode on Spotify.

Ron: Hello and welcome to a new episode of Stereo Geeks.

Mon: Today’s episode is a eulogy to the short-lived Star Wars show, The Acolyte.

Ron: We barely knew you! But we will never forget you. I’m Ron.

Mon: And, I’m Mon.

Ron: I’m going to start us off by saying that I’m really angry The Acolyte has been canceled. I’m upset, yes, but I’m mostly furious. This show deserved a second season. People of colour and women deserve to see more entertainment that centres them.

Mon: I don’t know how to feel, to be honest. I feel like we’ve been robbed of a show that’s so smart and so achingly clever, as well as being effortlessly diverse. But, I had my reservations about a second season – I definitely wanted the show to continue, but I had mixed feelings because my favourite characters would likely not be there. 

Ron: Am I the only one on this planet who straight up didn’t notice that the show was “diverse”? I just saw a show with interesting characters. 

Mon: I didn’t think about the diversity either, especially not while watching it. But I couldn’t not notice it when I began writing my review for WWAC, which will be out soon.

Ron: The diversity is impressive! The only people who could have a problem with it are problematic, narrow-minded morons. But more on that later.

Ron: You've mentioned that you weren’t sure about a season two. A lot of amazing characters were lost in season one, but I honestly think another season would have given us even more Jedi to love.

Mon: That’s a positive way to look at things. I guess I really miss the characters, so I am not ready to move on from them. But I know I would have had we got another season. 

Mon: We’re going to head into spoiler territory right now, so if you haven’t seen the show, this is it, this is your chance. 

Plot

Ron: By now, most people probably know the story. I’ll share my first impressions. I was hooked from the opening scene. Carrie Anne Moss as Jedi Master Indara exemplified cool. She is completely at ease against her unknown assailant, dodging every move, predicting the next step. It’s only when she sees who the assailant is that she’s stumped and that’s the end of her. 

The rest of the premiere follows the Jedi as they try to uncover the truth behind Master Indara’s murder. A Jedi murder mystery. How absolutely amazing is that? I was in love. 

Ron: I will say that the entire show wasn’t a Jedi murder mystery. But that wasn’t a bad thing. The Acolyte introduced a ton of lore and built so much more of the Star Wars universe. We got to see the Witches, progenitors of the Night Sisters. The power of two theory plays a huge part in this story, and we’ve seen how Force dyads work throughout the films.

Mon: It took me a minute to warm to the show, mostly because the first episode is one of the weakest, directorially speaking. It’s not paced well, and it promises a setup that it abandons pretty quickly. The story that it abandons the mystery for is really gripping, but I wouldn’t have minded a murder mystery. 

Ron: That’s so bonkers that the first episode felt weak to you. I was enraptured! 

Mon: Wow. We’re usually of the same mind. This is so weird.

Ron: And, I actually do think the murder mystery angle paid off. But the show takes a very long-winded way to solve the mystery, and along with it, we get this whole other story about a Sith lord looking for an acolyte.

Mon: Yeah, that makes sense. Things picked up from the second episode, which is really well done barring the final duel, which again, isn’t well-paced. 

Ron: Wait a second. Why didn’t the episode two duel work for you? 

Mon: The duel says a lot about the characters, but it lacks an urgency that the story suggests should be there. 

Ron: Perhaps I was so taken with the show, the pacing didn’t bother me. I liked that the pacing gave us time to observe and feel the moment.

Mon: So, it’s funny, but, the pacing really bothered me when I first watched it, but the issue was practically non-existent when I rewatched it. This show, and I don’t really know whom to blame, is not made for a weekly rollout; it’s made for a marathon-watch. The structure of the story doesn’t take the ebbs and flows of weekly viewing into account. If you’re on a high from the previous week, you’re going to need something mind-blowing the week after. That’s not how The Acolyte was made, which, I think, may have worked against it. But, when you watch it as a whole, I swear, this is the best thing I have ever watched!

Ron: Fascinating! I do feel like a lot of TV shows are crafted like that. Or, rather, they’re designed as a film that’s cut up into shorter episodes. Hence they make for better marathon viewing and you get episodes where seemingly nothing happens. I didn’t mind, but the crybabies on the internet couldn’t handle it.

Mon: Well, Disney is obsessed with tv shows being one long movie, so the pacing goes awry when you make it that way and then cut it up for a weekly feed. That being said though, even in the episodes of The Acolyte where nothing happens, so much happens. It’s outstanding. The writing on this show is unbelievably good.

Ron: It doesn’t help that people have no patience and get annoyed with a show because they have to wait a week or more to get their answers. An episode like “Teach/Corrupt” feels meaningless to certain viewers but it’s actually packed with character dynamics that set up the remainder of the plot. But you’ve got to have at least a modicum of intelligence to understand that.

Mon: You’re not wrong. How dumb are people that they don’t realize the answers to their questions will arrive in the next episode. This show brought out the worst in people. 

Ron: For me, The Acolyte captured that feeling of watching WandaVision. So many mysteries to solve. So many Easter eggs to find. We’d watch the episode and go online and people would be losing their minds at the newest reveals or a shocking death. That’s what television is all about.

Mon: The intricate details of this show – not taking into account the Easter eggs and references – are so brilliant. The way the clues to the story are littered throughout the show, and how someone is reacting or doing something plays out is really extraordinary. 

Ron: Exactly! Everything matters in this show. The way Sol looks at something. The confusion on Yord’s face. Vernestra not reacting to information. It all matters in the end. But you’ve gotta watch the damn thing for answers!

Fan Reaction

Ron: So, I guess we might as well get the horrid part out of the way. The so-called fan reaction to the show.

Mon: There’s no such thing as a Star Wars fan. They’re just bigoted, racist, sexist AHs. I cannot stand the discourse around anything to do with Star Wars. You and I love Star Wars, but there’s no point in calling ourselves fans, because that is the most toxic group of disgusting luddites that anyone can encounter. 

Mon: I cannot, for the life of me, understand the blatant hate for this show from the first episode onwards. It makes no sense other than the obvious – which is misogyny. It makes me want to scream. Yes, The Acolyte has issues, but this is the best Star Wars live-action show out there, it’s better than Andor, a show that everyone loves, but one I felt really underserved its protagonist, who happens to be Mexican. 

Ron: It’s racism and misogyny. We see it over and over again and it’s unbearable. For us to see a Star Wars show full of people of colour and women. We feel seen for the first time. But despite there being a plethora of tv shows and films with white men in the lead, the fact that there is one show with people of colour evinces this much hate.

Mon: But this hate is causing real damage – we are constantly losing entertainment where the story doesn’t focus on cis white able-bodied dudes. We’re stuck in a cycle that will not be broken because the biggest entertainment companies in the world, like Disney and Warner Bros., will cave to the stupidest common denominator. I just can’t….

Characters

Ron: Enough about those awful excuses for humanity. The Acolyte was filled to the brim with characters that I instantly fell in love with. I want to talk about everyone!

Mon: I wasn’t sure what we were getting into with these characters, but they piqued our interest with little hints to their personalities and their histories. And the writing was well-matched with a lot of great performances that got us invested in these characters. 

Ron: Yord-Horde, what’s up! The instantaneous love for Charlie Barnett’s Yord Fandar gave me life. This Jedi Knight is such a stickler for the rules, he even steams his Jedi robes. What is not to love? I appreciate how quick Disney was to share BTS videos of Barnett talking about Yord and his goofiness. They really made us fall in love with Yord.

Mon: Love Yord. He’s certainly a stickler for rules, and that makes him seem boring, but he gets the job done. On the rewatch, I realized he has a chip on his shoulder – it seems that he hasn’t conquered his fears yet, and the other characters remark on that. It’s the layers to this character that really leave us wanting more. 

Ron: I missed that about Yord’s fear. A Jedi whose afraid? Dang, no wonder he’s so stuck up.

Ron: The character who stole my heart was Jecki Lon, played by Dafne Keen. I was excited to see her again after her incredible breakout role as Laura Kinney in Logan. And she was excellent on His Dark Materials. But Jecki is just a sarcastic ray of sunshine in this show. Every scene, she’s a delight to watch. She’s so mean to Yord, and their relationship was hilarious to watch. But she’s got a soft side to her. The way she talked about becoming one with the Force, it was so wise and comforting. And those lightsaber moves! We’ll talk about the duels in a bit.

Mon: I love Jecki! She’s snarky, but she’s so kind to Osha. I was certain they were setting up a romance between Jecki and Osha – those two had amazing chemistry, and like… Osha takes the time to watch Jecki train before saying goodbye. So adorable! 

Ron: I would have loved a romance between Jecki and Osha. The chemistry was palpable.

Mon: And Jecki had the best fight scenes. That energy, those smarts. I could have watched Jecki in combat forever!

Ron: We have to talk about Osha. And Mae, of course. You go first because I believe we’re going to disagree.

Mon: So… I really struggled with Amandla Stenberg’s performances as Osha and Mae. I felt they were unable to bring any emotion or expression to their characters, and that left me unable to understand who these characters were or how they actually felt. 

Ron: Okay. We’re going to disagree. Do you remember when Arrow Season 1 was out? Everyone went after Stephen Amell because his Oliver Queen was too wooden. And I never felt that because I understood why Ollie lacked emotion.

Mon: Should have known you’d bring that up. I never had an issue with Amell’s performance in Season 1 of Arrow, because it was obvious he was restrained and, honestly, just didn’t know how to fit back into his old life. But that’s the key – it was intentional, or at least came across that way. Here, with Stenberg, I think they’re going for restrained, but they’re all over the place, and they don’t react to anything that’s happening to them. 

Ron: That’s exactly it though. I think Stenberg’s performances are intentional. They’re a huge Star Wars fan and they’ve particularly shared a long-standing fondness for Anakin Skywalker. I believe Stenberg knew when to emote and when not to. It was subtle but there is a very distinct change in physicality between Osha and Mae. I was so impressed by it because the first time we meet Osha, it’s just after Mae’s murdered Master Indara. And I immediately knew this was a different person than the murderer. Osha holds herself so differently than Mae does.

Mon: We’re going to have to agree to disagree here, because I felt that they missed the mark. I’ve watched the show twice now, and they don’t convey their characters’ emotions at all.

Ron: Oh no. I don’t want us to disagree! I really freaking loved Stenberg’s performances. Osha’s far more emotive than Mae is but she’s got that restraint that comes with Jedi training. But Mae’s primary emotion is anger so we don’t get to see her emote anything else.

Mon: Wow! How am I missing this? What is happening? There is a divergence in the Force and it ain’t good!

Ron: Hahahahaha. I think it becomes even more clear as we’re getting to the end of the show. When Osha and Mae switch places, by that point, they’re both questioning their past and their understanding of what happened. And the physicality starts to change but also the way they express themselves. By the final scene, Mae is relaxed and emotional, and she’s crying. But Osha is holding herself up and taut, refusing to let her emotions slip out. It’s like she’s unburdened her lightness into Mae and taken the dark side on. It’s so clever! But perhaps it was just too subtle?

Mon: Subtlety is not lost on me. I just don’t think they did a good job. But you know who did? Lee Jung-jae!

Ron: I think Master Sol, played by Lee Jung-jae, might be one of my favourite characters in all of Star Wars. In just 8 episodes, we got to see this extremely nuanced, flawed, deeply empathetic Jedi master who did something very wrong with the very best of intentions. The kindness on his face when he sees his padawan, Osha, I knew right then that I was going to love this character. He brought the serenity that we associate with Qui-Gon Jinn but with the pathos of Anakin Skywalker. Even knowing what he did, and it’s unforgivable, absolutely, I still love this character. He had an incredible arc. That final scene, when Osha is force choking him and he lets her, he accepts his fate, it was so emotional and moving.

Ron: Lee Jung-jae was phenomenal in this role. He learned English in just four months so he could play this character. To emote so beautifully and effectively in a foreign language. You can see how much he loves this universe!

Mon: Lee Jung-jae is so amazing that words cannot describe how wonderful he is in this role. He carries so much knowledge about his character’s past, present and future in his expressions from the very first episode onwards. It’s honestly mind-boggling. Sol in the first two episodes is written and performed to make you fall in love with him. He is a master like no other. He is a person so kind, so caring, it’s like, why can’t we have such loveliness in our real world? 

Mon: And then the other Mynock drops, and you learn the truth about Sol. 

Ron: There was so much foreshadowing! But I still hoped the truth wouldn’t be as bad. It was worse.

Ron: There are a lot of people who were upset that their new favourite character turned out to be a bad guy. But I think that’s a reductive reading of Sol. Everything he does in the present is to make up for his mistakes in the past on Brendok. He’s constantly working to redeem himself, and that’s what makes him a Jedi, not a Sith. I mean, Anakin Skywalker murdered Sandpeople and Jedi younglings and he still got redeemed.

Mon: What Sol did was wrong, but only because we saw the story from his victims’ points of view first. If we were following the Sandpeople, Anakin is probably the boogie man they tell their kids about all the time. But that’s not the angle we got; with Sol, Indara, et all, creator Leslye Headlund, intentionally wanted to give us a different point of view from the Jedi’s.

Ron: What a clever story decision. To show us the Witches’ way of life, the love that Aniseya has for her daughters and then to show us what the Jedi did to them.

Mon: Over at Soundsphere, I wrote about how the show challenges how we perceive the Jedi, but it doesn’t change our knowledge of them. It’s bizarre that so many people took umbrage to how The Acolyte depicted the workings of the Jedi, when we’ve witnessed, several times, that they have been taking Force-sensitive children away from their families forever, that they have an almost cult-like need for their followers to stay in line, or else they’re seen as a problem. The Jedi are hardly perfect, but while genocide isn’t in their mandate, it’s not like they’re not known to commit atrocities – either as part of the Clone Wars, or when their people go rogue, like Anakin did with the Sandpeople. 

Lightsaber duels

Ron: Unfortunately true. The Jedi are only the heroes of their own stories. But we can all agree that the coolest thing about the Jedi are their lightsabers, right? And that The Acolyte had the best lightsaber duels since the prequels. The energy, the speed, the range of techniques, the ferocity. This is lightsaber duelling!

Ron: Look, I know a lot of Star Wars fans want to move away from the Jedi. We got nine films in the Skywalker trilogy. It’s a bit weird for the fate of an entire galaxy to be tied to one dynasty, whether they’re blood-related or not. Which is why people wanted to move away from lightsaber-wielding Force-users. Then you get films like Rogue One which are mind-blowingly relatable, political and impactful, and there’s not a Jedi in sight. The Mandalorian and Andor also didn’t have Jedi in them – that’s changed for Mando, of course.

But I don’t think the problem is seeing more Jedi. We just need different Jedi, different eras. That’s exactly what The Acolyte gets right. We go a century into the past, the High Republic era, the Jedi reign supreme, no Sith in sight. And bam, now you’ve got Jedi at the top of their game, with skill levels that wowed us during the prequels.

Mon: People are never happy. Lightsaber duels are the best – when done well. We need more! I would love to see more Jedi. And we need a variety of personalities, like we had on The Acolyte. They can be a cult of emotionless monks, and still be interesting. Three trilogies and a bunch of animated shows already proved that was possible. 

Ron: What more proof do people need? But the lightsaber duels in this show are truly to die for. See what I did there? Maybe the fight between Sol and Mae wasn’t as well-paced, but when the Jedi go up against the Stranger? That’s edge-of-your-seat stuff. Jecki’s moves, her quick-thinking. You just know she would have risen up the ranks of the Jedi in no time had her life not been cut short.

Mon: Episode 5 is when I sat up and took notice of this show. I was like, okay, these people are not messing around. They’re doing something different here. They’re making an entire episode one long fight scene. They’re not scared to kill off our main heroes. They mean business!

Ron: What really impressed me is that Star Wars is over fifty years old. And yet, we get The Stranger, with his creepy-as-hell mask, made of Cortosis that shorts out lightsabers, and his moves are unlike anything the Jedi have ever seen. Considering this is the High Republic era where the Sith are basically unheard of, the Jedi must have felt like they were meeting a nightmare.

Mon: Sol even says to the Stranger that you’re using a Jedi weapon but you’re not a Jedi. These are Jedi who’ve mostly known peace, a killer like the Stranger is unfathomable to them. 

Ron: I got chills when Sol said that! And it got me thinking about something. We as the audience know about the Sith, but the Jedi in the show don’t. It’s really difficult to keep up the suspense and the stakes when the audience knows more than the characters. I spoke about this in a previous episode of Stereo Geeks about Dark Matter, the Apple TV show. There’s a reveal to the audience in the first episode that the characters take up to episode three to work out and it was painful to watch. The Acolyte worked from the same playbook but managed to ramp up the tension and build an atmosphere of fear for its protagonists. We keep saying it but this show is so clever. By the way, Dark Matter has been given a second season. But not The Acolyte.

Mon: Where’s the justice!

Twists

Ron: Speaking of the Stranger, what was a bigger twist? That Qimir was the Stranger? Or that he killed the wonderful Jecki Lon?

Mon: Jecki being killed was a bummer for me, so not much of a twist. But Qimir being the Stranger was like whaaaat! And it was so freaking clever, because I remember, we were watching the episode the first time, and I had just asked you if Qimir was still stuck hanging upside down and then pow, he’s the Stranger. I thought to myself, no way!

Mon: Part of me was like, but of course! Why would they cast Manny Jacinto and give him the role of a smarmy supplier? I mean, that can’t be it! Give me a break. They were smart. I didn’t see it coming though. My jaw dropped!

Ron: But Star Wars has cast big names in tiny roles before. Poe Dameron was going to die after two scenes until JJ Abrams realised he was too hot to die. 

Mon: Wait, is that true about Oscar? He was too hot to die? Because he totally was. 

Ron: Okay, so I may be embellishing a bit. But that’s totally what happened. Too hot to die. Yord, sadly, did not get that same treatment.

Mon: I feel you. Yeah, I do wish Yord and Jecki and Sol and Indara had survived. I love these guys so much. Yord and Jecki live on in a YA book. Indara too. Not sure when we’ll see Sol again. 

Ron: After they killed Jecki, I thought to myself, you’re going to let Yord live, surely? We deserve one of them to live. But nope! Yord’s neck saw the wrong end of the chiropractor’s twist.

Mon: Funny. That’s Yord humour, I’m sure of it.

Ron: Thank you. I aim to make him proud. Well, Sol doesn’t make it to the end of the season either. He gets killed by Osha. And Vernestra puts the blame on him for everything. The ignominy!

Mon: By the finale I figured that Sol wouldn’t make it. It was the final blow because I somehow still wanted him to. But, again, the showrunners know that you know what’s going to happen, so the finale is not about his death – it’s about us seeing the bleeding of a kyber crystal, and it’s about the Jedi protecting themselves, to such an extent they’ll drag one of their own through the mud. This show is gut-wrenchingly smart. 

Ron: Was anybody else squealing when the kyber bleeding happened? Because that was such a cool visual. I’ve always wondered about Sith blades, because I like Sith lightsabers, so this was a spiritual moment for me.

Mon: I did not know seeing a bleeding kyber was something that was so important to me, but apparently it was. Apparently, a stolen Jedi weapon is the only way a Sith can own a lightsaber – they must bleed the stolen kyber crystal to wield it. 

Ron: Ooooh, I love these details!

Ron: I will say, I really wanted Sol to live. Not just because he’s my new favourite character but also because I wanted to see him pay for his crimes. That would have been interesting to see. What does Jedi justice look like? Because in all of Star Wars, we’ve seen a lot of justice dispensed via lightsabers.

Mon: That’s such a good point. I agree.

Score and song

Ron: We do mention this a lot but we love listening to film and TV scores. I couldn’t wait to dig into The Acolyte’s score. Mostly because that Power of Two song by Victoria Monét was stellar!

Mon: I love that Power of Two song. When I did my rewatch, that was the one post-credits episode that I watched all the way through so I could listen to the full song. I need to add it to all my playlists. 

Mon: I haven’t heard the score. Just a tune here and there. Is it good? 

Ron: The Power of Two is such an addictive song. But the score itself is lovely. There are some throwbacks to familiar Star Wars tunes but for the most part, Michael Abels has constructed a new score. Part one of the score, episodes 1-4 had a lot of outstanding pieces. ‘Teacher and Student’, ‘An Acolyte’, obviously, ‘Combat in the Courtyard’, and my favourite is ‘Under the Bunta Tree’. I can’t wait for you to listen to this score!

Mon: I’ll give it a listen soon. 

Cancellation 

Ron: Obviously we’re upset by the cancellation because it’s a Star Wars show and we love to spend time in that universe. But for me, while I was watching it, I was so amazed that this show with this story and cast of characters existed in my lifetime. That I got to see it unfold every week for eight weeks and share in the joy and surprise of it with you and other fans. The fact that we won’t get another season, and if the loudmouths have their way, anything else like it, is what makes me feel so gutted. Life is tough and entertainment is our only escape. But that escape is being denied to only select groups, while others have so much made just for them. I know I sound bitter, but that’s how I feel right now.

Mon: I feel you. As I said, I wasn’t sure how I’d approach a second season, because I wasn’t all that invested in the characters who were left, but I was dying to get back in this world. I am so annoyed that anything slightly different from the norm gets squashed. And why? Because the loudest idiots don’t know how a weekly television show works and that women and people of colour love and can create art that’s smarter than these loudmouths? Man, I just don’t have the words for this nonsense. 

Favourite Moments

Ron: Instead of wallowing in sadness, let’s relive some of our favourite moments from the show.

Mon: Some of my favourite moments… honestly, it’s tough, because there are some detailed hints to what’s happening or going to happen, that take this show to another level. But, a few things I loved were:

Sol in the first two episodes - absolutely the kindest, loveliest human being. He will steal your heart.

The Stranger reveal - devastating as we’re still reeling from the murder of Jecki. And the Stranger’s catty comment about Sol bringing a child to a fight that eventually led to her death, gutwrenching. 

The two-part episode directed by Kogonada. It’s divided into episodes 3 and 7, and my word, they are so perfectly directed to give you two completely different storylines. Truly brilliant work. 

Ron: I’m not sure if it counts as a favourite moment but it’s the moment I knew this show would be so much better than I had hoped. When Master Indara was killed. I was sorry to see the end of her but her demise signalled that nothing was as it seemed. I knew I was going to love this show from that very moment.

Mon: Fascinating. Expect the unexpected with this one.

Ron: Other favourite moments would be every time Yord and Jecki were in a scene together. You could see how much they hated each other’s guts. Hilarious. That dynamic would have been a joy to see more of. But we are getting a YA novel, which I’m going to nab the moment I see it.

Ron: So, I mean, I don’t mean to be horny on main here, but the Stranger dipping into the pool while Osha is watching. That’s a universal favourite moment, right? I said it so you don’t have to. But we’re all thinking it.

Mon: You’re hilarious. But you’re not wrong. 

Ron: Would I be cheating if I said all of the finale? Because the entire finale is a favourite of mine. Every single second is incredible, unexpected, and a gut-punch. Love it to the moon and back.

Mon: That���s high praise coming from you. 

Ron: It had everything! Sol’s death, the lightsaber bleeding, the sisters coming together and then deciding to part ways. Vernestra being the worst and putting all the blame on Sol. And we haven’t even mentioned David Harewood’s Senator Rayencourt, who was taking the Jedi to task about their mysterious ways. That scene between the Senator and Vernestra was such an indictment of the Jedi way. I didn’t expect it and I was honestly, blown away by the tension. Also, David Harewood owns every scene he’s in.

Mon: I’m not the biggest fan of Vernestra, but she’s got a good PR brain. Can’t fault that woman’s crisis communications abilities, even if it means throwing her dead friend under the bus. 

What we would have loved to see in a season 2

Mon: Had we got a second season, I would have loved to see more of the Jedi. Maybe some actual investigations and mysteries? I would also have loved to see them veer away from a boring hetero romance between the Stranger and Osha – because, I could not see that, they had no chemistry. Plus he’s toxic and she’s lost – we’ve seen this dynamic before, in the Reylo stuff. That’s a no for me. 

I think the show would have actually been gay if we’d got a second season, as well. But so much for that. 

Ron: A second season would have seen Rayencourt tearing the Jedi to shreds on the senate floor. And then he would mysteriously disappear and it would somehow be Sol’s fault. 

Mon: Yes. Yes. I see it. 

Ron: Also, Master Yoda would be implicated in the cover-up, which would explain why he’s been straight up lying to the Jedi for another 100 years.

Mon: Can you imagine having to remember this many details for 100 years? I’m pretty sure Yoda just deleted this hiccup in his history. 

Ron: Yeah, you’re probably not wrong. 50 years from now he’s like, Vernestra who? What is this Sith you speak of?

Mon: Don’t we know it!

Ron: Okay, I think we lightened the mood, despite the crushing disappointment we feel. I’m going to be happy that we got one season. We got incredible, multi-dimensional characters who made us feel all the emotions and whom we’re going to miss. I can’t remember the last time I fell so instantly in love with new characters. I’m so glad The Acolyte exists and that we got to see it. Bring on the extended universe literature.

Mon: The Acolyte is my favourite live-action Star Wars show, so yeah, this sucks. But at least we have this one season, and hopefully some tie-ins that we can enjoy.

[thowawayuntilfurthernotice]

Feels weird watching some folks claim that Disney's decision to cancel The Acolyte is some sort of knee jerk reaction to all the culture war bullshit that plagued the show since it aired.

Never mind the fact that Disney reportedly spent $180 million per episode on the show and that the viewing numbers were pretty low when compared to previous Star Wars shows.

Yes, it fucking sucks that the cast and crew were harassed by right wing chuds, but the culture war discourse is a nonentity in the grand scheme of things.

The general audience doesn't care, they'll watch anything that peaks their interest.

People aren't going to stop watching Star Wars movies and shows because a bunch of chuds are crying about "wokeness" or whatever.

And I'm saying all this as someone who hated The Acolyte, so it honestly makes no difference to me if the show got renewed for more seasons or not.

It genuinely sucks how the culture war discourse has pretty much made it impossible to discuss anything online.

Whenever I see that there's a controversy surrounding a piece of media, I start to wonder if it's legit criticism or just a bunch of annoying white guys whining about everything being "woke" for the billionth time.

Basically what I'm saying is that the modern internet sucks.

[clockworkprism]

Conspiracy theory: Disney is paying Meta to boost posts on threads about TLJ. Not that I don't think the movie has fans (I mean there are people out there who like episode I, clearly a movie being good is not necessary for it to get fans). But every day there are so many posts of people not only saying they liked it, but claiming it's either the best star wars movie ever made or the best movie ever made.

And I don't ever see anyone disagreeing, these people already must have blocked the trolls and everyone I know who hated TLJ has completely moved on. I WANT to move on and just acknowledge Star wars is basically dead. But every day it's multiple posts on TLJ.

Now, the reason I'm getting suspicious (though I'm sure I'm wrong) is that I also used to see a bunch of posts defending the Acolyte on threads. But ever since it was cancelled? Nothing. Again, this is only on threads, I see plenty of people defending it on Tumblr. And for the record I liked the acolyte way more than TLJ. But now it's disappeared off threads entirely, except for a couple of posts from accounts I actually follow or people making a defense of TLJ and citing the acolyte as further proof of trolls in the fandom (and yes there are plenty of those).

This is all most likely nothing. I wouldn't put it past Meta to adjust their algorithms based on getting paid to soft promote things. But it could be I've somehow trained the algorithm to gaslight me into liking TLJ. If I'm right, I'd bet on rings of power getting cancelled next. Amazon doesn't seem to be paying for positive engagement anymore.

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #654

Top Ten Magic Users in Superhero Fiction

I’m a bit busy this week so I’m going to try to do this quite quickly. Seriously, I had to deal with an unexploded bomb on Friday. I’m not even joking, although the truth may not be as exciting as the headline.

Anyway, after what feels like quite a while of me not being too bothered about TV programmes, there are a ton on the go at the moment. And by “on the go”, I mean, “stuff I want to watch that I’ve not started yet”. Kaos, Rings of Power, Only Murders in the Building, and – as of next week – Agatha All Along (I kinda feel bad about The Acolyte; I really did want to watch it, and who knows? Maybe one more viewer was all it needed to save it from cancellation). Anyway, Agatha: as may have been apparent to anyone who’s read a few of these blogs, I’m quite into the MCU. And as WandaVision is not only one of the best – if not the best – of their TV programmes, but is easily one of the best things they’ve ever done, I’m pretty excited for this semi-sequel/follow-up.

And so, to celebrate, I’m going all supernatural by looking at magic-users such as Agatha title character Agatha Harkness. Witches and wizards, yeah? Although, as it’s me, we’re inevitably going to get into questions of how “magic” is “used”. Oh, but here’s the wrinkle: I’m not just after yer common or garden sorcerers here. You won’t find any of the Istari, let alone Simon. No, today I’m specifically talking about the use of magic within a superhero setting.

Having magic users in superhero stories has always interested me. Because the main characters – Superman, Iron Man, whoever – are so fantastical anways, what added wrinkle does Actual Magic create? I don’t just mean the fact that the seemingly-invulnerable Superman is actually incredibly vulnerable to magic; I mean, if you’re (say) Batman, how do you deal with wizards in the world? Is it a threat, is it a tool? And then there’s just how “regular” heroes work alongside magic-users; I love the whole “magic with a kick!” sequence between Spider-Man and Doctor Strange in Infinity War (and then the way Peter works out the geometry of the Mirror Dimension in No Way Home). And that’s before you get to characters like Wonder Woman or Thor, who aren’t really magic, but kind of have magic infused into their power set (also, how do “gods” square up against magic in this setting?).

So lots to think about. Mostly, I guess, I like the way a superhero team book can have a street-level hero like Daredevil rubbing shoulders with aliens, wizards, and people with supreme power sets. It’s this mix of styles, genres, and tones that I love about shared superhero universes. So I think it’s all interesting!

And with no further ado, my favourite super-wizards. Sort of.

Raven: I could wax lyrical about how her spooky, demonic brand of magic sits alongside the powerset of her teammates (super-strong alien princess, shape-changing green dude, incredibly sexy acrobat); I could talk for ages about the duality of her personality, how her innate goodness struggles with the fact she’s literally a monster; but let’s be honest, the real reason I love her so much is because of her dry, sardonic, miserablist personality. Also has one of the best lines in a team-up comic: “I’m not a goth; my father is a demon. I like all kinds of music.”

Loki: whether it’s the historically more villainous character from decades of comic books; or the more nuanced, troubled, self-doubting younger version he became in Journey Into Mystery; or the phenomenal saga-spanning arc steered by Tom Hiddleston’s performance in the MCU – Loki is cool. A bastard with a genuine grievance, a wounded soul lashing out, a selfish, vainglorious little bugger who – I guess? – has a heart of gold. Plus his brand of tricksy magic is awesome.

Zatanna: straight out of the gate, I wanna say, I love her costume. Yes, I know, you can argue that it’s cheesy or even sexist; but I think it rocks. Anyway, she’s really cool, a terrifically strong and capable magic user, able to mix it up with the big guns in the Justice League, but arguably finding a bit more nuance with the weirder, messier characters on the darker fringes of the DCU. And her magical gimmick of talking backwards produces some great, and often hilarious, speech balloons.

The Scarlet Witch: Wanda’s arc in the comics is really interesting, and has sort of been reflected in the MCU. Starting out as a villain – a daughter of Magneto – she eventually joined the side of the angels, had a romance with Vision, and then went, well, doolally, with the iconic, infamous House of M and “no more mutants”. Her brand of reality-distorting chaos magic is both strange and incredibly powerful, making her distinct among other witches and wizards. Over in the MCU, her arc across Civil War and Infinity War was terrific and tragic, given further nuance and depth in WandaVision, before becoming a really creepy baddie in Multiverse of Madness.

Doctor Strange: I’ve not read loads of his comics, but I’ve always enjoyed both his superior, somewhat arrogant demeanour – he always seems to be so much smarter than everyone, with his knowledge of the arcane and mystic far above the trivial concerns of lesser heroes – as well as his seventies-style love god aesthetic. In the films, he’s been one of the most visually interesting heroes, with a sardonic sense of humour.

Doctor Doom: would be higher, but a bit like Strange, I’ve not actually read loads of comics that focus on Doom (just ones where he’s part of an ensemble). But it’s the combination of Doom’s abilities that’s intriguing; he’s a technical genius with an Iron Man-esque suit of robotic armour (and capable of creating lifelike duplicates); he’s the king of a sovereign nation, granting him diplomatic immunity; and he’s also, like, a wizard, who’s literally ventured into hell. Can even RDJ do justice to such a multifaceted character?!

Doctor Fate: so many doctors, so little time! What is it with the mystic arts and a PhD? Anyway, what I like about Fate is that, unlike Strange, he really does harken back to a mysterious and mystical past; he’s the custodian of an ancient art of magic that feels archetypal. Plus he has a tremendous sense of style; the Helmet of Fate is iconic and, frankly, fabulous. Pierce Brosnan did a fine job playing him in Black Adam, a film which was quite interesting when it didn’t feature its title character.

John Constantine: again, lower than maybe he would be because I’ve not read a lot of his solo stuff, just his team-up appearances. But, man, what a character: an absolute swaggering douche who also somehow manages to be a great hero. He looks like an alcoholic detective (and also, famously, like Sting); he smokes like a chimney; he’s earnestly self-destructive. But he knows a spell or too and, well, he’s just so damn cool. For what it’s worth – and I’ve not seen it in ages, truth be told – I really liked the Keanu Reeves film.

Black Adam: see, this is where I might be getting a bit tenuous; Black Adam (along with his fractionally-less-interesting stablemates such as Shazam/Captain Marvel, etc) definitely has magic, his whole powerset informed by it; but does he use it, or is it just the source of his powers? I mean, he literally says a magic word to transform into Black Adam, so I guess he counts? Anyway, I love his characterisation, someone who straddles the line between villain and anti-hero so well. His arc in Countdown, and his subsequent massacre of an entire nation, is tragic and powerful.

The Spectre: again, a character where I’ve sort of ummed-and-ahhhed over their use of magic. The Spectre’s whole deal is inflicting ironic punishments on evildoers; he’s basically God’s judgement. This is a great hook; it’s pushed further by he fact that he has to bond with a human soul, so there’s this whole angst thing where the bloke who’s also the Spectre doesn’t really like what he’s having to do. It’s a really great concept (and could have made for a cool indie movie adaptation about 25 years ago). And, I mean, he definitely uses magic, right? He once turned someone into a candle and lit them. Batman can’t do that.

[mythicaldemigoddess-of-deltarune]

Going M.I.A Until July 5th After Being Peeved Off By Toxic-Humans

I just need to have some time for myself,

and I wanted to wait until July to start posting again.

I just need to try to relax and do some self healing,

and it all has to do with finding out a bit more about Scott Cawthon.

look, no one has to agree about the same religious views.

I mean I have to stay in the Neo-Christian/Ma-Acolyte Closet,

as well as the Aceflux closet and the bigender identity closet with my family.

it be nice if it didn’t happen while FNAF Security Breach was still in the works.

I’m not even sure if it’s even finished, I can only hope that someone with a heart picks up where Scott left off and adopts the series but still gives Scott credit.

right now I’m listening to a comfort song right now,

which is Lily Allen’s song F**k You.

I guess I could listen to some other songs to comfort me,

but how I feel, it calls for that song.

I just wish they didn’t bring Trump or the other names that are involved into that mess...

after finding out that Trump had some form involvement of the, my guess bullying...

I did get upset at him enough to cry and say I hate him.

of course I can’t say that to my Mom or half of my family.

sure one half supported him and the other half don’t,

but we are still family.

I don’t much care for Presidents in Real Life, I have very little trust in them.

ones in movies or video games or any form of entertainment, are fine.

since it is just in a fictional world that is at times a counterpart of ours.

no one has to agree about my being mad at Trump, and that’s okay.

 I can’t help but think that there is a possibility that Scott had retired

because of the bullying and it possibly being linked to Trump.

we all don’t have to agree to like or dislike Trump.....

but I’m sure a lot of people are upset at those that caused the early retirement

before the Five Nights at Freddy’s Security Breach   

but maybe there will be still hope for it,

at least if it is true that Scott has a successor.

and if they do continue work on the Security Breach,

then we can only hope things works out well.

I didn’t know there was gonna be a successor,

until I was just looking up some more info about the whole FNAF thing.

but yeah, with only half of what I know so far,

it is still going to be a part of my Semi-Misanthrope.

I still know there are some good people in this world,

that is why it is “Semi”, which is better than it being the full.

maybe later I can try to look up more info about the whole thing,

but it is still possible the bullying was part of the reason for the early retirement.

I’m still peeved at this one person who was bad mouthing YandereDev.

if they are taking long to finish the game, it is because these things take time,

and also everyone has a off day where they wont be able to work on something right away and might have to put it on hiatus.

if Yandere Simulator ever gets on a Disc or game card,

and ends up being playable on Xbox One or Nintendo Switch...

I hope there will be a mode where we can dress up as Chara from Undertale.

at least there is some good news,

Doki Doki Literature Club will be on Nintendo Switch, I have been meaning to mention that after I had found out some days ago.

and parents should not let their child play it if they are under the age of 15.

don’t go blaming the mature content, when it’s you the parents who are to blame.

hey I did see a movie that I was not the proper age for,

and I wasn’t even a teenage yet when I saw it.

I’m talking about Cool World, I still like it and have the DVD.

but after remembering I had seen that movie, and we had rented it from a place that rented out VHS tapes.

I came to realize that letting me see that too early, even though I don’t think I can remember much about watching it during that time, all I know is that I did watch it.

but at least it didn’t get as mature as the Deadpool Movie,

and I still like the Deadpool Movie.

but anyway I figured out that it was wrong for my family to let me watch Cool World when I wasn’t the proper age for it,

and even letting me watch something else with the “witch” word on it,

when I was a toddler and I ended up saying “Son of a Witch”

of course it wasn’t the word witch, but you get what I’m going with this right?

I had to try to keep my little cousin from playing my Deadpool video game,

and it was lucky I caught them on time when the game had barely started.

did they even think about stopping them before they fully started to playing?

I don’t want to make the same mistake as my Mom or anyone else in my family.

at least the bad word I used wasn’t my first word.

but I had come to realize that it isn’t the mature content to blame,

but the parents, and even if some parents are willing to admit this cold truth.

that is perhaps long overdo, not all parents might admit to it.

if you have any mature stuff either on your computer or even a movie or show on DVD.

make sure to hide it from the child, give them their own computer

but put a child lock on the browser, where only you know the password.

and if you tend to forget passwords, write it on paper then hide it where your child or little sibling, can’t find it and it’s in a place that only you know.

also I want to say this....

I rather be a part of a Neo-LGBT, there can be different types of Aces.

some who are flux like myself, but because of the whole sexual energies,

I didn’t figure it out until I started to protect myself with my bracelets.

a Aceflux person can be a sexual empath, picking up the sexual energies of others when they are either in the same room or a different room all together.

and just because someone is Heteroromantic-Ace, doesn’t mean they should be exclude from the LGBT Community, even if some will still welcome them.

 and even if some might not believe that a Ace can end up being a sexual empath, but it might be very rare.

I’m not sure if there are many Aces that are sexual empaths,

and didn’t figure it out until they started to wear gem bracelets to protect themselves.

I think I’m the only one I know of that is doing that.

of course when I had first started to wear a bracelet,

it was because of a dream that felt too real and I was in between awake and asleep and then I was scared awake...

it was also dark and I was laying on my back, that is part of what I remember before being scared awake.

and I can’t tell my family I’m one, or how I believe it had first started.

I rather not talk about that right now.

but the whole me rather being a part of a Neo-LGBT doesn’t really have to do with my being Aceflux, well technically Aroaceflux.

it is for different reasons,          

 of course I will have to be in the closet about being part of a Neo-LGBT Community......wait, is there already a Neo version...?

well I guess I’m fine being a solo member for now.

 at least not everyone in the LGBT Community made false accusations on Scott.

and I’m not sure if my pendulum is being 100% truthful,

when I asked about Scott’s sexuality, I mean when I asked if he was Hetero,

I was given a No, but when I asked if he was Pan, I got a Yes.

but that might not be true,

I mean I guess there is a possibility that it could be true.

but maybe I should throw some salt on my pendulum later.

and if it turn out those questions were true, and I was being given a truthful answer.

then it might make others sorry for bullying him.

plus I want to point out, that you can’t just keep hating someone

who believed the lies that they were taught while growing up

about how a different gender identity from your bio-sex one

or not being hetero, is evil.

it’s only when they end up seeing the truth that they might end up discovering

that they aren’t hetero, and might just be bi or pan instead.

I wanted to tell my my family about me being on the Asexual Spectrum,

well the flux type of it.

but I wanted to get their view on it first, about the Asexuality.

like I had said before, it didn’t work out too well.

and I had to make it seem I wasn’t Asexual at all.

even though I was asked if I was, I didn’t say Yes and made sure to not give away I was one.

then when I went to my room, I started crying.

how I reacted was perfectly normal, as I had found out when I found some info about how a parent shouldn’t disapprove of it.

I love my family, but it’s best that I never come out of the protective closets I place myself in, that I can only come out online.                                  

 also I’m gonna try to relax and try to just hope the FNAF series keeps alive and there really being a successor who will continue it.

well now that I know the one who partly more responsible,

is a Toxic Game Journalist........

that person sucks, they suck and I hate them so much.

any Toxic-Journalist that dares do what that one did,

they are just as bad as the paparazzi that harassed a distant cousin of mine.

and if their lies is what got everyone mad at Scott,

at least not everyone, but still.....

I hope that Toxic Game Journalist who started it all,

will get the karma they deserve after they screwed everything up.

and yes while writing this, I wanted to look up more info about the whole FNAF and Scott Cawthon thing.

and it does appear that the root is a toxic game journalist.

and if I had to put two and two together,

I say the Youtube Video that peeved me off before,

that had to do with a doxxing of Scott and [Redacted]

and if had to do with that disgusting filth of a shisno.

if the info had happen some time after that whole mess happen,

 then it means that that disgusting human whoever they are,

is the cause of it.

and there is a reason why I put [Redacted]

as I do not wish for the other person/creator of another series,

to be mentioned in this.

Cancel Culture is Evil, even if something does get cancelled,

it shouldn’t involve the cancel culture cult.

don’t blame the content, blame the parents.

Pepe Le Pew deserved better,

he could of been added into the Space Jam 2 Movie,

if he got character development.

he could still flirt, but would learn to keep it a bit more friendly,

and not force himself on a gal he likes.

  ya don’t see girl characters being treated the way he has been treated,

Pepe deserves better, not just Amy Rose, Dot Warner and Fifi La Fume.

that is being sexist towards Pepe.

and it’s sexist for women and even some men,

to assume if a guy wears pink or uses a pink straw, he might not be consider a man.

so wait, if a woman wearing a blue shirt or uses a blue straw, she is still a woman...?

only a real man wears pink, uses a pink straw and even cries.

and I really hope there is a Anti-Cancel Culture Group to put that shisno group in their place.

I want to try to hope things get better, and the FNAF will continue,

and Scott will get a apology from those who had believed that shisno.

maybe I should avoid looking more info about it.

I just need to try to do the self healing and hope everything gets better,

and hope it isn’t a cruel joke about there being a successor.

I guess I can try to look it up more about it to check to be sure if it is true.

I’m gonna check a few more stuff on here first, before I sign off.

and I hope some of you understand why I’m upset about what happen with Scott.

it isn’t right what happen, and how it happen.

and no matter if he supported Trump or not, there is some lines that should never cross when it comes to a dislike of a president or former president.

but if it came to picking him or the evil woman, I would only pick him to keep the babies safe.....but I’m not sure if the rumor about Hillary Clinton is true or not,

I mean when I had found out about it, I was praying she wouldn’t become president because I was worried about the innocent lives.

but if the rumors still turn out to be 100% true, I still don’t want her as the first Madam President.

 I don’t even trust Biden very much, but I will have to try to hope and pray everything will be okay.

like I said, I don’t fully trust Real Life Presidents.

the best thing I can do is hope and pray that everything will work out.

for real, this will be the last post until July.

but I wont sign back in and post anything again until July 5th.

I’m still listening to Lily Allen’s song, I’m gonna listen to it a few more times.

anyway not all of you might agree with all I said,

and I’m not gonna force you to...

so see ya later, stay safe and beware of shisno.  

PS:

Please Do Not Misinterpret anything that was wrote in this.

and I’m gonna hope that not everyone believed that bull about Scott being a Anti-LGBT.

and I do hope the shisno who started that mess, will get karma for what they did and causing FNAF to be almost cancelled for good.

and it better not be cancelled for good,

and there better be truth to the whole successor to the game series.

and if it turns out that my pendulum isn’t joking about Scott’s sexuality,

if it turns out to be 100% true and not a prank my pendulum is pulling.

then I hope he gets a lot of apologizes, not only from the other stuff,

but also about the Anti-LGBT calling.  

[madeofsplinters]

nobody asked my opinion on the new star wars shows but

i am a cantankerous opinion haver who doesn’t let that stop me so here are the new star wars shows, sorted in descending order of how excited i am about them

Obi-Wan Kenobi

UM YES, I’m excited about this for the same reason as the whole rest of my Tumblr dash is excited about it, wheee!!

The Acolyte

Is this going to have spooky Sith things? Is it going to finally show us another spooky Sith Master besides Palpatine? Because I am SO HERE FOR MORE SPOOKY SITH THINGS ASDFGHJKL. (It will probably not have enough spooky Sith things, or not in the exact way I desire, but that’s what fanfic is for.)

Whatever it is that Taika Waititi is doing

(self-explanatory)

Lando

I mean, as long as they cast Donald Glover this will be very watchable even if all he does is sit around in a swooshy cape narrating his video blog, and I’m here for it. (But: why have they not confirmed if they’re casting him? :-\ )

Rogue Squadron

I feel like I’m not really as into the “flying around being fighter pilots” aspects of Star Wars as most fans, but Patty Jenkins is a director I trust. Also is Ysanne Isard going to be in this movie? I really need her to be in this movie. I really need characters like her to be directed by women, specifically.

Visions

This is going to look pretty! I don’t know anything else about it but sometimes that’s all you need.

Ahsoka

I love her, but I’m still unhappy that we had to watch her doubling down on the “children being attached to their parents is bad!!” thing on The Mandalorian. Yes, I know the fan consensus is that she didn’t mean it that way. We’ll see how it goes.

The Bad Batch

Tbh I find the entire concept of this group of title characters to be annoying, but the trailer has Tarkin in it and also Fennec Shand and early-Empire angst so, uggggh, fiiIIIIiiiine, I guess I’m watching this

Andor

No offense to Diego Luna who is a wonderful actor, I just feel like if we were going to do a spinoff from Rogue One, this is one of the most obvious / least interesting options? Give me more of the Ersos or Bodhi Rook or the Guardians of the Whills idk I feel like any of these would have more unexplored potential than “Rebel spy who does ruthless spy things but feels bad about it.”

Rangers of the New Republic

I mean, judging from The Mandalorian, these guys are pretty bad at their jobs? I’m just picturing this as a whole show about Dave Filoni’s cop character, which is probably wrong.

A Droid Story

meh!

My other opinions are that (1) I fully expect half of these to be canceled/delayed the way the last few movie projects were; (2) the timing on this Big Announcement feels reeeeally calculated to distract everyone from the fact that they need to pay Alan Dean Foster; and (3) they really need to pay Alan Dean Foster. Like, now. But unfortunately, I can’t stop myself from fanpersoning regardless.

[firelxdykatara]

every time i see a post by someone saying they just finished watching atla for the first time, i have this moment of jealousy–being able to experience atla for the first time all over again would be amazing, honestly–but then it’s replaced by this all-consuming sense of dread (and no small amount of pity) when i see the rest of the post (or in the tags) that they’re looking forward to watching lok.

like, especially if they’re gonna be coming fresh off of just barely finishing atla, expecting some amazing follow up to the series, and instead getting… that…………

like, it’d be bad enough if korra was just kind of a crappy show on its own. and don’t get me wrong, it absolutely is! the relationships are sloppy and inconsistent, the character development (where it exists at all) is all over the place, the plots make no sense and have ‘resolutions’ based on nonsensical fight sequences and dei ex machina because the showrunners couldn’t be assed to actually keep things consistent or bother with, like, narrative coherence or satisfying conclusions to plot arcs, probably because they figured Rule of Cool was good enough to keep the viewers distracted. on it’s own, korra would never have made waves. it probably would’ve been canceled after the second season at best, and hardly anyone would remember it. it managed to eke out four seasons by riding atla’s coattails and maintaining a meager fanbase who kept hoping things would Get Better (hint: they don’t)

but no, lok had to crap all over everything that was amazing about atla. the worldbuilding, which had been beautiful in its simplicity–there were complexities in the individual nations, but part of what made atla so amazing was that it didn’t miss the forest for the trees; there was a big picture that was gradually filled in as the story progressed, but still left plenty to the imagination rather than getting bogged down by so many details that the story got derailed–was actively destroyed come season 2 of lok, with near surgical precision. and the characters we spent sixty-one episodes getting to know and love in the original series?

well, let me do a headcount here:

katara: got to stick to the healing huts for the rest of her life, stuck at home with her two older children because they weren’t airbenders, and she was apparently perfectly content to let their father abandon them and her because apparently the only kid who was important to him was the airbender. katara, miss ‘i will never, ever turn my back on people who need me’, was nowhere to be found when her youngest son and his entire family were in grave danger. she also didn’t bother to attend her eldest granddaughter’s air master ceremony. i guess the journey was just too much for her old bones. (nevermind that in atla, the white lotus was made up of old men, one of whom [bumi] was over a century old, who still got to kick ass and take names. but whatever.)

aang: the afore-mentioned father who didn’t bother taking his oldest kids literally anywhere (not even ember island!!!) because he spent all of his time with his airbending kid and didn’t care if the other two had the slightest interest in their air nomad heritage. before you come @ me with ‘that’s just their interpretation!!! kya and bumi were exaggerating!!!!’, the air acolytes with whom aang and tenzin spent so much time while the latter was growing up and learning to airbend? they had no idea the avatar–THE AVATAR, the most famous person on the PLANET–even had other children!!! (and then, when bumi finally got to be an airbender two decades after his father died, he said ‘i hope i made you proud’ to his father’s statue–over something he was never able to control. as if he couldn’t imagine that his own father had ever been proud of him when he couldn’t bend anything. yes i’m still very mad about this.)

toph: had two kids with two different fathers, neither of whom her daughters ever met or knew the identity of, became police chief and then ‘retired’ (after getting her youngest off the hook for something, i forget, i think it had something to do with the incident where she permanently scarred her sister’s face [and then suyin had the gall to act like lin didn’t have perfectly valid reasons not to want to see her years later lmfao]), and fucked off to the swamp, completely abandoning her family and friends. (if the gaang could even be called friends by that point tbfh)

suki: disappeared

sokka: had a couple mentions, but he was dead, and nothing substantial was ever revealed about his life

zuko: the only one of the gaang who hadn’t either mysteriously vanished or been destroyed by the story. however, he was treated badly enough by the writers of the comics that i suppose it was only fair that he’s the only one who was a semi-decent parent, and who still cared about his family and his responsibilities. and he got a dragon so, i guess that’s one point in lok’s favor.

i just……… i’m so sad for anyone who’s about to go into lok thinking they’re getting something even approaching a spiritual successor to atla, and instead winding up with a crappy knock-off so poorly made the stitching is already coming out.

save yourselves the pain. i know i wish i had.

[dingoat]

The Right Way | Part Nine

[ previous | the beginning | next ]

In the timeline where Crow turned left, Lyrisal found herself paying Kassandra’s bail for the ninth time before they actually stopped to have a conversation with one another.

The Chiss had a habit of crossing people with just enough power to see her temporarily held in custody, but never charged seriously enough to be taken to court. And a good thing too, because Lyrisal really hated to see her behind bars. The more she watched the woman; discreetly at first, always at a distance, using her network to keep tabs on where the self-funded aid worker was operating; …the more she watched, the more she found herself adoring her. Everything about Kassandra; that vitality, that passion, the way she totally abandoned any sort of rules to do what she thought was best for beings in unfortunate situations, it all struck a fierce chord with Lyrisal. And began to cast doubts on her own career choice, and the regulations she was sworn to operate under.

The couple of times she professed her doubts to Falkes, he would laugh it off, dismissing the thoughts as though she’d just told a kicker of a joke. Lyrisal increasingly began to hold her tongue, and no longer made Falkes privy to the times she would step in to the local station of whatever planet they found themselves on, speaking up on behalf of whatever minor infringement Kassandra had most recently committed and seeing to it that the Chiss walked free later that afternoon.

And this time, Lyrisal decided to be there when she did.

As Kassandra stepped out of the enforcement office, Lyrisal’s heart gave a lurch. She shook her hair out in the low, afternoon sun, catching the light and illuminating the golden strands. She wore a smile; a little cocky, but very genuine, a woman who believed in herself and her work, and had no regrets about crossing local laws when she saw them only getting in the way of genuine help. And for the first time, as Kassandra turned, pausing to pull her glasses out of her purse, Lyrisal saw her eyes. They glowed. For the few seconds she saw them, her breath caught in her throat. They were, as far as she was concerned, utterly stunning.

And then they were gone, masked behind those red tinted sunglasses, a set Kassandra had worn for many years specifically to cancel out the glare of her eyes. Over time she had learned it made her more accessible to species who found her red glow eerie and off-putting.

Lyrisal blinked, found herself smoothing her hair, and walking over to the Chiss. She was no longer content watching, helping from a distance. She wanted desperately to know this woman. She needed to see those eyes again.

***

Ahuska’a hated the Threskiorns. A vile, invasive avian species that the government of Vohai had hired Aliit Ga’ihlr and several other clans to exterminate. She hated them, and so utterly relished every battle that let her and her Vode take them out.

“Give ‘em hell,” she beamed a fierce grin toward Mar’an, who was getting into his flight gear, ready to lead a squadron.

“You too, Hus’ika,” he responded with bright, battle-ready intensity, stepping over to knock his head against hers before climbing into the cockpit.

She was going to be fighting on the ground, of course; armed with a blaster and her three best anooba, taking out the dirty Threskiorn ground troops like a wild hunting pack. Oh, how she loved working with her dogs. “Ga’ihlr Gold! Ready for the air!” A voice shouted out over the throng of bustling troops, and Mar’an gave Ahuska’a a quick nudge on the cheek before moving off.

“That’s my cue. Good hunting!”

“See you on the other side. Knock ‘em dead!”

---

Ulfran sat at his desk in his office in Kaas City, poring over an ancient manuscript that he occasionally cross-referenced with a holo-document he had up on a wide display. A couple of times he held up the old, tattered linen scroll etched with ancient letters against the light, measuring certain characters against his thumb, adjusting the size of his holo.

He remembered this; it was his second major hunt, and he was working his way through a profoundly ancient Rakatan journal.

As he wached this old memory, Ulfran suddenly found himself filled with alarm as he realised what this day more than likely was. ‘Ah. No, no, I don’t need to see this again…’ he thought to himself, but in the shared mental space that they were, Nela heard the murmured thoughts as though he spoke them clear as day.

‘It’s all important,’ she countered, either oblivious to or not in the least bothered by the rising shame the old Jedi felt. But as the memory went on, nothing happened.

In the timeline where Crow turned left, Ulfran carried on at his desk, working furiously away at the job he believed in.

---

In the timeline where Crow turned right, Ulfran worked furiously away at his desk until he was interrupted by a single rap on the door before it opened, and a sinuous Sluissi slithered her way in.

Watching on with Nela, Ulfran cringed before she even opened her mouth; this was it. Somehow, in that other version of events, this day had gone completely differently, one as ordinary as the next. But here, in the version that had actually happened…

“Acolyte,” the snake-like woman purred, the smooth movement of her thin, scaled body sidling up to a much younger Ulfran in a hearbeat.

He stood to attention obediently, his dark eyes turning her way. “My Lord.”

“Are you busy, my dear?”

“I am working hard, Lord Vesstris, but nothing that can’t be put on hold if you require something else of me.”

“Oh but you are a good boy, aren’t you?”

Ulfran shut his eyes as she traced a finely scaled hand along his arm, and she felt the end of that serpent tail of hers snaking around his feet under the table. He was certain she knew just how uncomfortable she could make him feel, and was equally certain she delighted in it.

“One day we’ll undo the damage that old Order of yours did,” she went on, as though she could read his thoughts. “But yes, it would seem we have need of your talents. Come.”

Without question he followed her, and she explained his incoming task as she slithered through the sanctum corridors. “One of our top Agents has a bit of a habit of, ahh, taking certain liberties while on the job. Usually they’re reasonably discreet about it, but a recent incident has managed to raise enough eyebrows that we feel the need to smooth things over somewhat. There were a handful of witnesses to the event, and we’d like to avoid disposing of them if possible… but we can’t entirely trust them not to talk to the wrong people, you understand?”

“Yes, My Lord.” He already had a suspicion of which of his ‘talents’ Lord Vesstris wished to put to use.

“You know your skill with mental manipulation is enviable,” she said, her tone low and silky. “If you could be so good as to readjust their memories of the events, it would save us an awful lot of bother, and keep a solid Agent in the field without all the fuss of going through the motions of court…”

It wasn’t often that his Lords and Masters pulled Ulfran aside for jobs so sideways from his artifact hunting work, but he was in no position to refuse.

“Just tell me what you need changed, My Lord,” he murmured, lowering his gaze.

“Agent Ninety-Nine took it upon themselves to execute some prisoners-of-war,” the Sluissi Sith explained as though she were commenting on the weather. “Our four witnesses are in the next room. If you could just be a good lad and find those memories, adjust them so that they’re all quite certain that the prisoners were attempting to escape, perhaps turn on their captors… just so long as the deaths are quite acceptably justified, you know how people like things. Oh, and if you could erase the whole dancing part of it…”

Ulfran watched as she slithered away without another word, and then steeled himself with a long, calming breath. You’re not harming anyone. The deaths have already occurred, they were out of your control. Maintaining your cover is more important. Maintaining your cover is more important!

He remembered this day well. And as he returned to those memories, a detail stood out to him that he’d long since forgotten. The Agent in question, skipping and twirling down the streets of Coruscant. He hadn’t paid much attention to her the first time around; for things like this, the less details he took in, the better. The easier it was to avoid situations where he wouldn’t be able to help himself but act on his old training and break his cover. But this time, he recognised her in a heartbeat. And so it was that Acolyte Ulfran turned Nines from a war criminal to a war hero in the eyes of the Empire. And as he did so, as he allowed that despicable act to be so twisted and glossed over, his resolve hardened to steel. He would never, never, allow himself to feel sympathetic to the Imperials in any capacity, no matter how long he worked amongst them.

---

Wheee, I can keep going on this! I can’t believe how long this story is winding up, honestly, but I want to keep my momentum going so that it doesn’t wind up yet another unfinished project, aahaha. Kudos to anyone who’s actually followed along this far! Credit as always to @humanrevolt who created Nines, Lyrisal and Crow and lets me play with them here. :3

[thegrimdarkoffice]

Icarus joined the Story

Icarus: *appears in the grimdark Office*

Icarus: *his form is unsteady like curling smoke* *is the color of the sky right before a huuge storm*

Icarus: *forces Alice to appear before him*

Icarus: *is furious, but doesnt radiate violence or hatred*

The Acolyte: *lets him*

The Acolyte: *███████ stays peaceful and inactive for now*

Icarus: Bait, huh?

Icarus: Do you think this is a kind of game, Alice?

Icarus: That you can go around hurting whoever you want as long as you have protection?

The Acolyte: .........

The Acolyte: *crosses her arms*

The Acolyte: *smirks*

Icarus: Because I hate to break it to you, but you will not evade the consequences, whether you have something twisted and powerful protecting your soul, or not.

Icarus: ......

The Acolyte: Ick, a shattered mirror can't hurt us~

The Acolyte: You can threaten us aaall you want, but no one will ever do anything

The Acolyte: You're not powerful enough to defeat my soulmate~ - meaning both ███████ and Maelle, by the way - and those who are....don't give a shit

The Acolyte: In fact, I'm sure Conflict think this is rather funny...if It has a sense of humor

Icarus: .......

Icarus: *calmly* Bring Maelle down here

The Acolyte: .............

The Acolyte: ......why

Icarus: .........

Icarus: ......

Icarus: I am not going to ask twice

Icarus: *radiates the perfect calm before the storm*

The Acolyte: ............

The Acolyte: *reluctantly sends Maelle a message*

Maelle joined the Story

Maelle: *appears next to Alice*

Maelle: *looks completely unbothered by Ick's presence*

Maelle: Hello, Icarus. What a pleasant surprise.

Maelle: If we would've known you stopped by, surely we would've prepared something

Icarus: ........

Maelle: Would you care for a cup of tea in the Lounge?

Icarus: Don't mock me, Maelle-

Maelle: *teleports them all into the Lounge*

Maelle: *Eileen's "flowers" still decorate the room*

Icarus: ......................

Icarus flickers

Icarus: *the sight of them aggravates him even more*

Maelle: *sits in an armchair gracefully and spawns in a cup of tea*

The Acolyte: *keeps standing*

Icarus: *sits down anyway*

Maelle: *sips her tea*

The Acolyte: *pulls her veil back down over her face*

The Acolyte: *watches silently now*

Icarus: Now. Since last time we came to a rather peaceful agreement, I will attempt to reason with you

Icarus: ......

Icarus: Maelle, I'm giving you one last chance to cancel your atrocious deeds and right what you did. If you refuse-

Maelle: I refuse

Icarus: ................

Icarus: It's in your best interest to hear me out. Your very fate relies on this conversation 

Maelle: ........

The Acolyte: ......

The Acolyte: *hides her hands in her pockets*

The Acolyte: *fidgets*

Icarus: If you refuse, I will destroy you and everything you have built up the last year.  If Alice wont unfuse with her companion, she will simply be locked away for the rest of eternity

Icarus: The same goes for your 'servants'. Either they let me change them or they will be dealt with

Icarus: ........

Icarus: *sighs*

Icarus: But if you choose to take this second chance I'm giving you, you will be spared and while I will still destroy everything you've made, you can work for your forgiveness. You will be a normal powerless mortal again but....no one will chase you or attempt to hurt you. You will gain something better than all the dark magic you could ask for.

Icarus: Peace and forgiveness.

Icarus: .......

Icarus: *desperately wishes they will snap out of their power hungry craze and just listen to him for once*

Maelle: .........

Icarus: I can even attempt to talk to Mother Nature and ask her to reduce the severity of your punishment, if I sense you are truly honest about repenting-

Maelle: *chuckles*

Maelle: Alright, Icarus.

Maelle: I am flattered you can still find it within your heart to try and save me. And my Acolyte.

Maelle: However, I stand with what I said before. I refuse to settle for less than what I want.

Maelle: And what I want is not slinking to your good side

Maelle: What kind of coward do you take me to be?

Icarus: ..........

Icarus: It's not cowardly to be a good person.

Maelle: *raises her eyebrows* Are you suggesting that being selfish is?

Icarus: Yes. Yes, it is.

Icarus: It is weak and shameful to never think about others, to close yourself off from their pain for the sake of your own good. It takes so much more courage to be loving and soft in a merciless world

Maelle: I don't agree. And furthermore, I don't care

Icarus: .......

Icarus: *sighs*

Icarus: Then I will punish you and your crew

Maelle: How exciting

Maelle: *sips her tea*

Icarus: *gets up*

The Acolyte: ......

The Acolyte: *███████ remains inactive*

The Acolyte: *like It couldnt care less*

The Acolyte: ......

The Acolyte: *glances at Maelle*

The Acolyte: *stays on her spot*

Icarus: ......

Icarus: 𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚜

Icarus: *his form is less stable now*

Icarus: 𝙵𝚒𝚛𝚜𝚝, 𝙸 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝙾𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚎. 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎.

Icarus: 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚒𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚕𝚢, 𝙸 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙴��𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚜 𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚖𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚛𝚒𝚍 𝙰𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙺𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚗.

Icarus: 𝚈𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚜.

Icarus: 𝚄𝚗𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜, 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢, 𝙸 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚒𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚛𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚌��𝚛𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚖𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜.

Icarus: *wryly* 𝙼𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚏𝚛𝚞𝚒𝚝 𝚝𝚛𝚎𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚎𝚡𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜.

Maelle: ........

Maelle: *places her tea down* The Ecclesiastics, Icarus? They could not care less of what you believe is right or wrong

Maelle: And seeing how I worked to preserve a Universe, I doubt they will see me as a-

Icarus: 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚊 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚄𝚗𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚜

Icarus: 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝙸 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚕𝚊𝚋𝚎𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚌𝚑. 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚗𝚘 𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚢 𝚗𝚘𝚠, 𝙼𝚊𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚎.

Maelle: ........

The Acolyte: ........

Icarus: *forces the Office closed*

Icarus: *and locks Maelle and Alice inside of it for good*

Icarus: *now they can’t teleport or try to escape*

Icarus: *takes away their admin statuses as well so they can't rely on It helping them either*

Icarus: *destroys all the contracts they made, voiding all of their deals*

Icarus: *no more power for you*

The Acolyte: ........

The Acolyte: *you piece of shit i worked hard on those*

The Acolyte: *do you know how many hours i spent on fucking paperwork*

Icarus: *blocks the folks they made deals with from the Office and contacting them*

Icarus: *then turns to Alice*

The Acolyte: *glowers at him from behind her veil*

The Acolyte: *I dare you to touch me*

Icarus: ........

Icarus: *the sound of snapping fingers*

The Acolyte switched name to Alice

Alice: *stands before him now in her oold Mariella clothes*

Icarus: *took away her sigils and her protection*

Icarus: *and her magic*

Alice: ..........................................................

Alice: How DARE you, you gross needy do gooder-

Icarus: ............

Icarus: *bans her voice*

Icarus: *I am not in the mood, Alice*

Alice: *fumes*

Icarus: *███████ is still there*

Icarus: *Ick decided its better not to see what happens when he messes with It*

Maelle: ........

Icarus: *glances at Maelle*

Icarus: .......

Icarus: *has not enough power left atm to take away her abilities but*

Icarus: *makes sure they stay contained within the Office*

Icarus: *so they're useless*

Icarus: ......

Icarus: *actually*

Icarus: *blocks Maelle's natural powers as best he can*

Icarus: *though he still cant meddle with the powers she gained when merging with the gods, as they're a complete different level*

Icarus: *...for now at least*

Icarus: .......

Icarus: *disappears*

Icarus: *appears to every servant and sends them away*

Icarus: *some of them he sends to a peaceful place, like Lullaby, since they're not going to do evil*

Icarus: *others he sends to someone who will watch over them and make sure they dont get in trouble*

Icarus: *also blocks them from entering the grimdark dimension*

Icarus: *and blocks all Office dwellers from entering*

Icarus: *...including you, Neil*

Neil: *:3*

Maelle: .......

Maelle: *has picked up her tea again*

Icarus: .......

Icarus: *after stripping the grimdark Office of the Vault and any unnatural rooms, he returns to the Lounge*

Icarus: *takes Eileen's flowers*

Icarus: .........

Icarus: 𝙸 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗 𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚜 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙴𝚌𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚒𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚜.

Icarus: *gives Alice her voice back*

Icarus: *and then disappears out of the grimdark Office, locking it for good*

Icarus: ..............

Icarus: *takes a deep breath*

Icarus: *feels a lot better*

Mother Nature joined the Story

Mother Nature: .......

Icarus: *disposes of Eileen's 'flowers'*

Icarus: .........

Mother Nature: * 𝒯𝒪𝒟𝒜𝒴, 𝒯𝐻𝐸𝒩. *

Mother Nature: ....

Mother Nature gives Maelle a Look from the somewhere.

Icarus: *A victory for Hope*

Icarus: *smiles a bit*

Mother Nature simply finishes Icarus' work, aka bans those powers.

Maelle: ..................

Icarus: *disappears off, to find Cygnus, and then schedule an audience with the Ecclesiastics*

Mother Nature: *𝒯𝒪𝒟𝒜𝒴 𝒴𝒪𝒰 𝒲𝒪𝒩𝒯 𝐸𝒮𝒞𝒜𝒫𝐸, 𝒯𝐻𝐸𝒩.*

Maelle: ........

Maelle: *finishes her tea*

Maelle: *places the empty cup aside*

Alice: ..........

Alice: ........

Alice: *glances at Maelle*

Maelle: *returns her gaze*

Maelle: .......

Alice: *smiles*

[thegrimdarknarratorx]

"Ms Von Cannes, you don’t have to do what this Helianthus figure told you to do, you still have a choice to fuck his magic speeches and continue with your amazing plan!” The Acolyte insisted. She hadn’t stopped bombarding Maelle with these demands ever since she returned to Earth.

“I’m not doing this for Him, my dear. I’m doing this because it is the right thing to do.” Maelle reminded her gently.

Just like her morals, her appearance had changed a lot. Her hair had been cut shorter to a reasonable level and she no longer dressed like the most pretentious being in the galaxy. In fact, she just wore a simple suit, like Jonathan had and under other circumstances, the Acolyte would be swooning very appreciative of this change.

“’The right thing’,” the Acolyte repeated, dumbfounded. “My Goddess, he really did brainwash you, didn’t he?”

The other sighed, slowly getting tired of her accomplice’s accusations. “No, He didn’t. It wouldn’t be free choice otherwise.”

“Was it even a free choice to begin with?” The Acolyte grumbled under her breath.

“He simply....pulled out the parts of me that had the ability to empathize with people’s pain, that didn’t throw compassion and love away for the sake of my own greed.” Maelle ignored her.

“And I’m not suffering from this development, in fact, I feel much lighter. I know I don’t have to look over my shoulder all the time, afraid that someone might catch up and take me down.”

The Acolyte’s expression turned sour. “My Maelle was never scared of anything.”

“...you don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Well, anyway. You don’t have to try and ‘fix’ me, my dear, as much as I’m grateful for your continued support. I’ve yet to become a different person.”

“So what, you’re going to cancel all our plans and....apologize?”

“I don’t know. I should. I feel terrible. I owe them all an apology, but I’m...nervous of their reactions. After I treated them like that...” The Acolyte said nothing.  “We’re not too different.” “Yes we are!” “Why? Because I have powers? Because I live longer?” “Because you’re destined to be great, Maelle!”  “That doesn’t automatically mean I should hurt others. I can still be powerful and be kind.”  She glanced over at the Acolyte, who stared down at her feet. She could feel disappointment and anger radiate off her, but couldn’t guess where it was directed at.  

Maelle remembered the promise she had made to Helianthus and stepped over to the Acolyte. She should return her identity, just like she said she’d do. She wanted it and she was sure the Acolyte-

But the other woman recoiled from her as if she had been stung.

“Do not touch the Sigil.”

“My dear, I’m just trying to remove it. You shouldn’t belong to anyone but-”

“No. It stays. It stays until my Goddess has returned.”

“I am the so called Goddess you keep referring to. And I want to give you back what belongs to you.”

The Acolyte’s eyes burned with hatred, even from behind the veil, she could see it. An old part of hers sparked with pride at her insistence.

“You are not my Goddess. You are not my Maelle either. And you will not touch her Sigil, or her Magic, because she is far from done. I know Ms Von Cannes will come back.”

“I am her.”

“You’re a sniveling, watered down copy of what she once was. I refuse to believe that Maelle was ever this pathetic.” The Acolyte spat. “Do what you must do, but do not expect my support.”

She tore the veil off and threw it at Maelle’s feet in anger. In a blink of an eye, she had melted back into the shadows.

Maelle sighed.

She felt guilty for the Acolyte’s anger, of course, she was the one who had promised her greatness and a spectacle beyond what her human mind could comprehend.

And now she was going back on her words, resigning to be what she had called herself in the first place, nothing but a Disciple to the Keeper’s Vessel. The Keeper, a soft, gentle goddess, merely existing to exist. She doesn’t bother herself with the troubles of the Universe and only demands sacrifices every now and then.  

Maelle knew she could talk her out of human sacrifices, though. And instead, offer dreams and charms and star dust.

She turned and walked to the Vault, ignoring the demons still flitting about. They wouldn’t cause any trouble now, not anything major at least.

The Vault seemed different, she could tell, even before she opened it. Something about the air had changed. As Maelle pushed the large doors open, she saw what had happened.

Every cage holding every suffering human was gone. The Acolyte had gotten her message shortly after the conversation with Helianthus after all, and had carried out her orders.

The path to the Keeper was free now.