#perhaps excalibur can

[captainfairygodmother]

Well now I need OP's opinions on the Immortal Sir Leon theory

on the topic of widely accepted fandom headcanons that aren’t actually canon i have to be so annoying here but immortal merlin is not canon... i admit the theory has relatively strong supporting arguments in the show like his near death experiences that arguably could be interpreted as him dying and coming back alive or his name “emrys” or the fact that in the finale he was shown to still be alive in the present day. But none of this confirms his immortality at all.

- he is a very powerful magical being and is very hard to kill, yet so are many other powerful magical creatures in the show, as well as the high priestesses, and they were all still ultimately killable. even in the mortaeus poison episode where his heart briefly stopped, it didn’t stop long enough for him to definitively be dead; real people in real life without magic have gone longer without a heartbeat and still survived… the best argument for his immortality is maybe him surviving the dorocha’s touch when gaius said no mortal man could, but even that isn’t definitive proof, bc emrys’ power is unprecedented and he could very well be the first and only mortal to ever survive the dorocha’s touch, he is after all the exception to so many rules. it proves that he is harder to kill than anyone else, due to his powerful magic protecting him, but not that he is unable to die.

- he canonically grows very very old but this too can be attributed to his abundance of magic. nimueh grew unnaturally old too.

- his name “emrys” meaning immortal also doesn’t prove anything as this usually isn’t interpreted so literally in the legends. it’s usually understood as his legacy staying alive forever through tales of his power and influence…

and as for my personal reasons for being kind of opposed to this immortal merlin theory. it’s first of all mostly the fact that it really just cheapens everything he goes through in the show lol. his own survival despite the dangers he faces is due to his determination to stay alive to fulfill his destiny, it’s thanks to his own stubborn perseverance and skill and yes, often luck. but not his literal inability to die. i feel like this theory really devalues his extreme struggle and the fact that he really was on the brink of death sometimes…

it’s infinitely more compelling to me that he’s ultimately still a mortal man. i prefer to think of his continued survival as hard-earned, and as a genuine wonder! he could have genuinely died so many times but he didn’t and he deserves most of the credit for it!

and on top of that, the complete inability to die is so deeply fucking depressing? never being able to die? i love a good tragic story but him outliving everyone else and staying behind alone (which is canon) is heartbreaking enough, i feel like the least i could do is allow him to die and rest at Some point…

so basically to me he’s only immortal in the sense that old age probably won’t kill him, but mortal in the sense that other things could. if not regular means then definitely excalibur.

[liketwoswansinbalance]

what wouldve happened if the Saders (especially Marialena) didn't foretell the prophecy? What wouldve happened if Rafal didn't leave?

This has been in my ask box for months. I hope anon is still around if they still wanted the answer.

@fourleafclovxr Feel free to ignore this, but if you're interested, do you have any thoughts about this question—since it deals with seers and Saders?

⸻

If the neither brother had knowledge of the prophecy then there's a slight chance it may not have happened in a self-fulfilling way with their attempts to prevent it from coming true only furthering its completion. They might've been able to maintain peace.

Yet, even if the prophecy were not told, well, their world is still governed by fate, and considering how much of an inescapable grip that predestination has over everyone's lives, how fates that can't be circumvented—I'm not sure if the innate genre they lived in could have changed from "tragedy."

Even if fates can be subverted by being fulfilled in unconventional ways (as any room for interpretation could be exploited by participants) I don't see how fratricide and there being just One left standing(?) could contain some kind of exceptional clause.

Regardless, this possibility would mean that some sort of "user-friendly" loopholes could exist in their world, like how Chaddick's blood on the handkerchief allowed Rhian II to pull Excalibur when he otherwise wouldn't have been able to.

That instance of cheating is the best example I have at the moment. The rightful son didn't pull the sword, but the event itself, of the sword being pulled, still was able to happen given situational factors. The rightful heir's blood still came into contact with the sword, the sword was pulled (by someone), and the "right" candidate became king by the end. What happened between seminal events may not have mattered in the grand scheme of things.

Thus, prophecies may well work in a top-down way, only going as small-scale as they need to, to ensure outcomes.

So, from this, we could take away that the endings may be predetermined, but that the path to such endings could be open to interference—only to the degree that the ending wouldn't change as the result of any meddling, even if unanticipated third parties involve themselves.

The parties not affected by the prophecy, outside its bounds, could plausibly do whatever they wanted, and have free will (ostensibly, everyone has free will though), but I could venture to say that the consequences of said, seemingly free actions could be manipulated by the hand of fate, to produce those certain outcomes.

Basically, in the Woods, no matter what you try, since you at least have the freedom to try, you won't change a thing with your actions. All those actions would still snowball to produce the exact outcome that's set to happen. (And, if this were true, trying to change your fate would be futile. E.g., think of how Sophie and Agatha were locked into their true natures. They couldn't switch sides.)

(Keep in mind that this post just represents my view of things. We don't necessarily have canon confirmation of anything I'm speculating about.)

Applied to the prequels, if Midas' or the Pan's presences/roles were never predetermined, then they just helped the inevitable end along. If neither of them had been there, perhaps the prophecy still could have reached the same ending by other equally-as-effective means. (Different potential plot(s), one outcome.)

We could also argue that Adela's wording was vague enough to exploit.

So, the same thing could apply to the twins: the prophecy of the One and Adela's betrayal, war, death could happen, and lead to the same outcomes, but the specifics could unfold differently. Or, the events could all happen in the same way but hold different meaning/implications for the future (no 200 year curse despite fratricide or death of another form for Rafal?). Or, none of the events could happen in the same way, but the final ending would be fixed, like I proposed before. I guess we don't really know how malleable or interpretable prophecies or visions are.

And seeing that it's Marialena, I wouldn't put it past her to use red-herrings or mislead, even without saying a word of prophecy. Lying, other methods, or other dialogue/persuasion could produce the same results.

It's hard to separate out the cause and effect to me. We should ask: did (early) knowledge of the prophecy affect how it played out? Or was it set in stone? Or was it inevitable that Rafal's particular combination of character traits (the extorting, the threats, etc.) and the situation (in Monrovia) would have led him to finding out about the prophecy and that that very moment was also a part of the prophecy in action, happening or beginning?

⸻

Second, if Rafal hadn't left, I think the characterization that would hold true was the bit of internal monologue we saw in Fall, that he intentionally cedes some minor(?) arguments to keep the peace with Rhian.

Rhian might not even realize anything were wrong or that Rafal were (probably) hurt by his side being devalued.

I would suspect if Rhian were aware, not much would change. Rhian is prone to burying conflict and truth after all. But, I couldn't see him dwelling on the conflict Rafal lay to rest, unless he had good reason to, or lasting guilt/shame over it.

Rafal on the other hand holds grudges, and while we know he isn't the Evil brother now, he has Evil tendencies, of course, so he could easily let his resentment accumulate and fester inside until he found it in himself to do something: either leave, like he did, or perhaps, display passive aggression?

Outright anger against his brother would not be productive, but if his resentment became that severe, he could potentially lash out, and Rhian would see Rafal's "unprovoked" response as coming out of nowhere. Then, Rhian could accuse him of being irrationally antagonistic, like a villain without motive, or Evil that "always" (often, as of late) loses and that has to deprive Good of an ending to gain one for itself, as we would see the beginning hints of Evil's losing streak no matter what.

By that point, Rafal might either drop the issue, but secretly continue to hold the grudge for the rest of time, a reasonably moderate and functional if not flawless happy ending for the both of them. (Would it last? I'm doubtful.)

Or, Rafal could argue back, setting off the prophecy, even if it had a delayed start this time since I suspect any major enough argument could have set the brothers down the wrong path, no matter what the argument was about, Aladdin or someone/something else, if their bond had weakened over the decades, like it might've been implied to have done in canon.

[sugar-coated-prat-dragon]

Title: Merlin is so powerful he can slow down time without even realizing it

@tansyuduri @thenerdyalien @samwinjester @cereamicwastelands @himegimiki

- Merlin slowed down during the Black Knight episode and didn’t even realize it. Which is why he was the only one to see Sir Owain stab the knight.

- Merlin used this ability again when the assassin Myror tried to use a spiked lance to stab Arthur during the joust.

- Merlin also likely used it a third time… when he followed Aulfric Tirmawr to the lake of Avalon and allowed his magic to slow down time so he could see the fast moving Sidhe.

One of the things that I find most interesting about this ability and it’s not talked about enough in the fandom… is the different ways in which Merlin can slow down time without a spell.

Most people would think of Merlin slowing down time in the pilot episode, when he slowed Gaius’s descent from the railing after his fall or perhaps when he slowed down the blade thrown at Arthur?

But those are only the beginning.

In the episode, “Excalibur” Merlin accidentally slowed down time during the fight between Sir Owain and the Black knight without even realizing it. He didn’t know he’d done it, until he realized no one had seen the fatal stab wound except him.

In the episode, “The Once and Future Queen” Merlin lets out his magic sweep across the arena and slowed down time in order to see the assassins lance with the deadly spike that slides out.

Yet, on both occasions, no one realized time had slowed.

Even when Merlin slowed down time near the lake of Avalon, the Sidhe (some of the most powerful magical creatures) didn’t sense any change and never suspected his presence.

That’s extremely powerful.

Pages from the book, “Sword and Sorcery”

As Merlin watched, the young knight seized his chance. 'One well-aimed blow!' Arthur called from the stands, and there it was - Owain ran his sword through the Black Knight's chest.

Merlin cheered. But to his amazement, no one else took up the cry. What was wrong?

Hadn't they seen what had happened? And why hadn't the Black Knight fallen?

'Should we tend to his wounds?' Merlin said to Gaius as the Black Knight passed them. It wasn't that he cared if the knight was hurt - but it was part of the rules.

Gaius looked surprised, though. 'Owain didn't land a blow?

'He did, Merlin insisted. 'I saw it - Owain's sword definitely pierced him' He wondered then if he had only seen the blow because of his magical abilities - for him, time could slow down. Usually it was deliberate and he could control it, but perhaps as he had been concentrating so hard it had happened all by itself. Anyway, he knew that he hadn't imagined it.

Pages from the book, “The Sorcerers Curse”

Merlin let the power climb inside him, filling him with fire. The heat rose behind his eyes, giving them a golden glow. Everything slowed as the magic swept across the arena. He saw the spike slide out of the end of the assassin's lance.

Time returned to normal for Merlin. He hurried over to Arthur, catching the prince as he almost fell off his horse, and together they staggered towards the tent.

[plantyberry]

Cloudcuckoolander Tally Masterlist

Well, gee, already 2 posts about it, I guess I'll have to do a master list-ahem.

THE APOCALYPSE!!! (Capitals required)!

A VERY SERIOUS topic!

People dying left and right, monsters escaped from literaly hell to kill you (or worse), an unlikely crew of untrustworthy teammates, a mentor figure who may or may not want to start up another apocalypse…

Indeed, the Apocalypse is very doomy. And Gloomy.

But it needs not be always so, for there is One MC who resists again and again against the forces of angst and depression!

Have you ever wanted to roleplay as a masochistic fairy obsessed with their iron lamp?

Do you have the itch to summon the Great Old Ones to try and start a massive kaiju battle?

Are you perhaps interested in escaping deadly monsters though the power of tango?

If you have answered yes to any of those questions, congratulations, for we present to you the archetype of the…

Part 1: Prologue + Chapter 1: 'My little poltergeist can't sound this sexy!' Part 2: Chapter 1-2 and 1-2-2: The Polo Club, or, 'Carrots save lives, but have you tried the apples yet?' Part 3: Chapter 1-3 and 1-3-2: The Fencing Club, or, 'If I swallow Excalibur, does that mean I'll become invulnerable?' Part 5: Chapters 1-5, 1-5-2 and 1-5-3: the Time Bubble incident, or, 'My Magic 8-Ball is on the fritz!' Part 6: Chapter 1-6, or, 'Can't I be Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Film instead? Part 7: Chapter 1-7, or, 'An apartment on fire can be more useful than you think' Part 8: Chapter 2, or, 'We dine well here in Camelot. We eat ham and jam and spam a lot!' Part 9: Chapter 2-2, or, "But I'm not a serial killer and I don't have a gun, so what now?!" Part 10: Chapter 2-3, or, 'I cast: Summon soulmate!'

[slayerdurge]

Sunday Snippet (or Another Day or Such)

Tagged by @shadows-aflame! Thank you! :D

I'm going to overshare, as I always do.

First, here's a bit from the upcoming chapter of "Secure Your Soul," which is my Cyberpunk 2077 AU where Corpo!V never leaves Arasaka. It's from Chapter 10, which is called "A Good Idea at the Time." Jackie and V are in her Rayfield Excalibur, flying away from Konpeki Plaza and they've just parked at the No-Tell Motel so Jackie can meet Dexter DeShawn.

“What’s your point, V?” he asked, matching her skeptical expression. “You didn’t bring me here just to try to talk me out of it at the last minute.” “No, I didn’t.” V reached over her seat, pressing the proper spot to open the AV’s hidden storage compartment. Her weapons stash was ample—perhaps excessively so, but she always felt it was better to have too much firepower than not enough. She selected a high-quality but inconspicuous power pistol and held it out to him. “My point is you could benefit from the proper tools and the proper backup.” He picked up the pistol and held it in his hand as if to shoot, testing the weight and balance. Evidently satisfied, he placed it in the empty holster at his belt. “Thanks,” he said. “But you can’t come with me, V. They don’t know you. You’ll make ‘em nervous.”   “I can talk them down,” V insisted. “You know how good I am at that.”  He chuckled. “Yeah, I know. Where do you think I learned it?” She raised her eyebrows in genuine surprise. Perhaps because their general approaches were so different, she’d never before considered the idea of Jackie watching and learning from her methods. “I really need to stop underestimating you,” she said, more to herself than to him.  “I keep tellin’ ya.” Jackie smiled at her briefly, then his face shifted to a more serious expression. He looked at her searchingly, and she suddenly felt a closer sense of kinship to him than she had in months. She wasn’t sure what exactly he read in her eyes, but he nodded at her. “All right,” he said. “We go in together.”  

Next, here's a bit from Meetings with Meredith, which is a Dragon Age II fic I'm working on about my pro-templar mage Hawke with a blue/diplomatic dominant personality. She's in Meredith's office, discussing an offer she's made to her. This takes place during Act III. It's from Chapter Two, which is called "Like A Moth to Flame."

“I see no reason for him to be aware of it.” “You would have me lie to him?” Meredith asked, voice measured but edged with quiet reproach. “Of course not,” Marian said, still unflinching. “There’s simply no reason to mention anything to him at all. I’m not asking for information with any degree of security surrounding it.” “There is but one Truth,” Meredith said. “All things are known to our Maker,” Marian continued. “And He shall judge their lies. Canticle of Transfigurations, first verse, fourth stanza. I’m familiar with it, of course. It’s one of my favorites.”  Meredith leaned back slightly. “I’m glad to see your father chose to raise you in the Maker’s light, whatever his opinions of the Chantry and the Templar Order might have been.” “I’ve always been faithful,” Marian said, quite truthfully. “My sister and I both.” She smiled softly at the memory. “We used to visit the Lothering chantry quite often. To spend time in meditation or to speak to the sisters and brothers who lived there. It was actually Carver who didn’t show up as often. He didn’t lack faith, but he prioritized swordsmanship practice.” “That's understandable,” Meredith said. “He had a family to protect.”  “You keep saying that,” Marian replied, resisting the urge to allow her irritation to seep into her voice. “But it wasn’t that simple. I was the eldest by five years. That’s quite a gap. And when the twins were born, we’d just moved to a new village and…. I’d just discovered my magical aptitude.” She did not mention that those two events were related. Meredith surely guessed it already. “My parents were overwhelmed. I had to step in to help. And as we grew, well…” She trailed off briefly, looking at Meredith, who was watching her silently and impassively. “I loved my siblings like they were my own children, Knight-Commander. It was my duty to protect them.” It was my failure. She did not say her final thought aloud. 

Finally, I'm going to share a bit from "Warpath" (formerly titled Durge Dribbles) which is my rewrite of the plot of bg3 with my lawful evil future Banite dictator Durge Carissa Tennebraum. The gimmick of the fic is that Durge never narrates, even though she's the main character. The POV rotates between various companions and other notable NPCs. This is from an Astarion POV chapter. It's the third chapter, and it's called "Sunlight."

Once he saw that Shadowheart was out of hearing range, he turned back to Durge. “Is there something more to what happened? Something you don’t want Shadowheart to know?” She narrowed her eyes at him, and he decided to try turning up the charm. He smiled at her mischievously. “Come now. I saw the way you looked after you severed that hand. Like you were finally alive. You enjoyed it, didn’t you?”  Her eyes widened, and a smile crept onto her face. “Yes,” she admitted quietly. He kept his own smile in place, even as the nerves edged in. “I knew it. And it wasn’t a wild magic surge either, was it?” “No,” she said, quietly but with a completely level voice. “There’s something else. Some impulse in my mind, urging me towards darker deeds.” How quickly he’d gotten her to admit it. He was good at this. Always had been. Cazador had reaped the rewards of that effort for centuries. A part of him instinctively recoiled from the idea of using the same tactics now that he was free, but it was clear to him he’d be far safer with Durge as his friend than his enemy.  “The norm is to keep those kinds of thoughts to ourselves, darling,” he said, thinking she’d appreciate his making light of the situation. “But your way is fun too.” “I really didn’t do it on purpose,” she insisted, subtle frustration lining her voice. Then she laughed softly and shook her head as though to clear it. “Not that I wouldn’t, of course, given the proper circumstances. I am aware of my capabilities, you know. I don't suffer from that particular brand of delusion.” “I know,” he reassured her. “I can tell.” It was a calculated response, but also a true one. Other than her brief descent into madness—which, admittedly, had been catastrophic for the man in the portal—she struck him as quick-thinking and composed, if also more than just a tad prone to flights of morbid fancy.  “But that didn’t make sense! I’ve no idea who that even was, and…” Her face darkened again. “I don’t like not being in control.” “I understand.” He didn’t have to dig hard to find empathy to slip into his tone.  She cocked her head at him questioningly.  He sighed, almost unconsciously. “Look,” he said. “It seems to me like you’ve been dealt a vile hand…” He felt a familiar emotion rising within him—anger, born of injustice. “I say: play it.” Born of injustice, yes, but since grown into something harder. “Play it for all it’s worth.”

All right! Thank you for indulging my oversharing tendencies! Now for my tags...

@owlgirl18, @aureliaen, @knight-commander, @judithofcerberus, @andrewknightley, @merge-conflict, @illusivesoul, @luvwich and @ghostoffuturespast!

No pressure ofc! And it doesn't have to be writing specifically you share! Can be anything!

[vintagerpg]

The Vorpal Almanac (2023) is also not what I would call a traditional monster book, but in the spirit of deconstruction and recontexualization that has run through this week’s posts, I think we can extend it some leeway.

It’s a collaboration between Levi Combs (words) and Sally Cantirino (art) and I love it a lot. It is unambiguous: a collection of 22 unique swords, an illustration (a portrait of the weapon and a previous owner) and flavorful quote on one half of the spread, a brief history and mechanical notation on the other half. An appendix consisting of a few tables allows for customization or the creation of new blades. Elegant. There are a lot of interesting weapons here (and skeletal owners, worth noting) but I think my favorite is Stormclaw, which can sometimes shoot out a bolt of lightning and acts as a lightning rod protecting the wielder from electrical attacks. There are probably more interesting blades in the book, but I like how Stormclaw feels unique and storied through the combination of a name, unusual magical properties and a brief and somewhat unremarkable history. More (all?) magic items should have at least this much individuality.

Monsters, though? Sure. Named swords of special history go back probably as far as swords themselves. Excalibur is probably the most famous, but there are heaps of them, every hero owning at least one (I have to say, though, one of my favorite things about Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser is that their named weapons aren’t special, to the extent that Fafhrd’s “Graywand” is whatever sword Fafhrd happens to be holding at a given moment). Tyrfing is perhaps my favorite legendary sword, forged under duress and cursed to kill a man whenever it was drawn. It’s one of several that inspired Michael Moorcock’s demonsword Stormbringer, and I think we can all agree that Stormbringer was a monster. I’m happy to call Netherfang and Nygotha from The Vorpal Almanac the same.

[onpointedfeetandbrokendreams]

Day 2 - Painland Week

Day 2 of Painland Week 2024: August 5th - August 11th by @painlandweek

Prompt: Myths / Legends

Tags:  Post-canon, Case-fic

TW: None

Edwin stopped writing mid-word - which, in hindsight, should have been the first evidence that something was wrong, if Charles hadn’t been distracted - and he asked:

“Sorry, wait a tick, you said you are trying to retrieve a lost sword from a lake, and the sword’s name is?” 

“Excalibur, yes,” finished the client.

Edwin tapped the pen over his notebook twice, not even pretending to go back to taking notes - second evidence - and threw the universal ‘closet, now’ look at Charles. For his part, Charles had been listening to the conversation like it was something happening inside a bubble, or on the television, something he wasn’t a part of. His brain had been stuck on a very different train of thought ever since the client entered their office, because the first thing Charles’ mind supplied him with was ‘wow, he’s hot,’ immediately followed by ‘uh, that’s new, since when do I find random boys hot’ and ‘wait, does that mean I can finally be not straight and return Edwin’s feelings?’ - all in all, very confusing thoughts to have in the middle of a potential case.

He did follow Edwin to the closet, though, because it was muscle memory to follow Edwin anywhere without question.

“So what do you think?” Edwin asked, “a curse?”

“It could be, if the missing sword is cursed that would explain why he can’t find it in the lake,” Charles replied, trying to cut through the haze enough to form a sensible thought.

Edwin raised his eyebrows in confusion. It was unusual for them to not be on the same wavelength, they rarely needed to explain themselves further during conversations on almost any topic. It made Charles feel like he had failed some kind of test. “Mr. Rowland, the reading assignments are mandatory to every student.”

“What are you talking about, Charles? There is no sword.”

‘What?’ Charles didn’t say, not eager to repeat the experience. 

Edwin apparently could see right through his desperation, because he sighed with that ever-present hint of fondness and explained:

“This man thinks he is Arthur Pendragon, the once and future King of Britain, on a quest to find his missing sword Excalibur. There is absolutely no way that it is true, hence the hypothesis that he might be cursed. It is not unheard of for ghosts to develop mental illnesses, but it usually involves more rage and screaming, thinking you are the long lost King of Britain seems too specific for that.”

Taking a breath he didn’t really need, Charles focused back to the present to catch up with Edwin’s reasoning. “I think we should play along, if he has been cursed, there has to be a reason, maybe he will lead us to the artefact, or the person who cast the spell on him.”

“That is a brilliant idea, Charles,” Edwin agreed with a smile, more to tell him that they were back on the same track than anything. It sent that shiver up his spine that happened every time Edwin looked proud of him.

“We have decided to take your case, sir Pendragon,” Edwin declared as they returned to the office.

“Thank you, my kind subjects,” Arthur replied, and Charles, who was now in control of his mental faculties, had to fight to suppress a snort. He pushed all the ‘men are hot’ thoughts in one of those carefully locked boxes he had started collecting after Port Townsend to consider at a later date, or maybe never.

--

The hike to the lake where the magic sword was supposed to be was incredibly nice.

“We should do this more often, mate. I mean, mirror travel is cool and all, but look at the view!” He pointed to the mountains in the distance, the clear sky, and he felt excited like that one time he went camping with his friends when he was fifteen - before those same “friends” ended up murdering him.

Edwin put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “That is a good idea, perhaps we could take a small vacation after this case is closed.”

It was nice to see Edwin like that, more open, more relaxed. Not having to fear Death separating them, or Hell coming back to take him had done wonders in improving his well-being, which made a lot of sense if Charles was honest. Now that he had seen Hell himself, he had no idea how Edwin had kept it together as well as he did for over thirty years after he escaped.

“I will have you two executed if you do not find my sword right now,” the client declared.

Charles was quick to bow, not trusting Edwin’s bedside manners enough. “We are sorry, sire, we promise we are doing everything we can.”

--

They looked everywhere on the lake and around it, Edwin even tried different spells to reveal hidden magic, but they found nothing. 

“There must be something we are missing, he does not have the object binding the curse on his person, and I can’t find anything of worth in this place,” Edwin said, moving a bit further from where Arthur was looking longingly at the middle of the lake.

“You know that sentence you wanted to write on the wall of the office? ‘When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth’, maybe he really is what he says.”

Edwin looked a very balanced mix between flustered and impressed. “While I appreciate you remembering my favourite quote, I think if King Arthur existed, we would have heard about it before.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” Charles conceded.

While they were going over their notes again, trying to notice something they might have overlooked, or a different spell they could use, an eerie figure appeared next to their client. It was a very pale man, all dressed in black.

The next moment, they were sprinting towards him at full speed.

“Who are you?” asked Edwin, while Charles retrieved his brand new cricket bat from the pocket universe he carried in his backpack.

The man, or being, or whatever he was, smirked, which was an odder sight than if he had manifested eyes all over his body, or a flaming wall behind him. “You must be the ghost detectives my sister is so fond of.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I am Dream of the Endless, I apologise for the inconvenience my escapee might have caused you,” he continued, ignoring Edwin’s disbelief.

“Dream of the Endless,” Charles repeated under his breath, trying to make sense of the words. “So your sister, who is fond of us is…”

“Death,” he said, matter-of-factly. “She wishes you would stay and say hi, sometimes. For now, I thank you for your service.”

He turned to keep talking to Arthur then, and after a while the two of them disappeared in a whirlwind of sand, leaving Charles and Edwin to gape at the empty space where they had been. 

“Well that was an experience,” said Charles. “So he was, what? A dream?”

“What a thought, to stop and say hi to Death,” Edwin exhaled at the same time. He was smiling his relaxed smile again, and Charles found his eyes stuck on the curve of his lips, the hint of tongue and teeth peeking from them.

“So, you fancied the once and future king?” the lips moved to form the words, before going back to that beautiful smile. 

Only when the meaning registered, Charles blinked. “What? No, of course, I-” he started, before remembering that they did promise each other no more lies, “maybe a little. Didn’t you? He looked like, I don’t know, the perfect example of man, the one you would expect to see on an advertisement for the entire species?”

Edwin pursed his lips, in that expression he made when he was trying not to laugh. “I can admit that he was objectively good looking, but, you know, blond hair and blue eyes is not really my type.”

He said it in his prim tone, the same way he would say ‘pass me that green book on supernatural diseases’, but there was no mistaking the flirtatious glint in his eyes.

Charles stopped. For a moment, it almost seemed like Edwin knew something that he didn’t even fully know himself, something carefully hidden in one of those boxes “to consider at a later date or maybe never” that he had been collecting. But flirting was like a second nature to him, so he couldn’t help but replying:

“Yeah, and what is your type?”

“Let me see,” Edwin said, slowly, carefully, stepping closer with every word. “Tall, athletic, big dark eyes, unruly hair,” he was right in front of him now, “likes to throw himself into danger to protect others, what else? Insanely clever and perceptive. Shall I continue?”

Charles took a deep breath, his eyes were fixed on the small space between them. “I think I should tell you something.”

If it was on anyone else, the fake surprised expression would have fooled him, but he knew Edwin’s eyes and smiles better than his own. He had to struggle to remain serious, even if he appreciated it for what it was: a way to give him the time to set the pace of the conversation and to take the lead.

“I have never allowed myself to think about it before, you know, with my dad being the way he was, but lately I have been noticing that I am attracted to guys as well. At first it was only one specific guy, but-” he stopped, cringing at the way it sounded, “What I mean is, I didn’t say anything because it was something too important, I had to be sure, and it’s easier to admit you can like someone when you have nothing to lose from it.”

The flirty smile turned into a soft one as Edwin said:

“You have every right to take your time and experiment, you don’t have to say anything, I apologise if-”

Charles stopped him very effectively by cupping his face with his hands. “I don’t want to experiment with anyone else, I think I’ve locked up these feelings for long enough.”

Edwin’s eyes widened, he looked like every ounce of confidence he had mustered up until then had left his body. “As much as I pride myself in my detective abilities, I need you to please say it out loud at least once. It’s been quite difficult for me to believe it, even when you were not at all subtle.”

“I like you,” Charles said immediately, wanting to erase the insecurity from his face. “I haven’t stopped thinking about your confession and what it could mean for our future, and I think I am finally ready to take you out on an official date, if you still want that.”

It was Edwin who leaned in first after that, but like it happened many other times, they met in the middle, instantly on the same wavelength again.

Distantly, almost completely hidden behind the all-encompassing sensation of Edwin holding him and their lips pressed together, Charles thought about how absurd it was that he had to thank the fucking King of Britain for finally managing to have this conversation. Edwin would tease him for all eternity.

[kivaember]

okay a sneak peek into start of the "umbra in 1999" fic im planning. it's a sliiiight AU in that 1999 kicks off differently since instead of a vanilla Excalibur getting spat out it was Umbra, BUT while things go a little differently the end result is the same for the first run of the quest: everyone dies :)

anyways, hope you enjoy the sneak peek~

-

SANCTUM ANATOMICA REACTOR INCIDENT IN - ú �å � �‡² � � æ

“Okay, this is the plan: we get there, get Entrati, and keep the Hex alive.”

“…”

“I know it’s loose on details, but there’s no point making anything more solid than this. Wally will derail it, otherwise.”

“…”

“What if we get split up? Good question…”

“…”

“Priority? Well, it seems like Fate is dogging the Hex, and they’re linked with Entrati, so…”

“…”

“Yeah. So, if we get split up once we’re in 1999, then whoever’s with the Hex will stick with them, and the other will go after Entrati.”

“…”

“Hey, you don’t need to worry about me, Umbra. I can take care of myself.”

“…”

“Yeah, yeah, you too.”

“…”

“Yup, it’s time.”

“…”

“It doesn’t look like it’s gonna be a fun journey, but… I trust Loid’s work. I kinda have to, y’know?”

“…”

“I’m glad you’re coming with me, even though I know it’s on the kid’s orders. You don’t- you know, you don’t have to-”

“…”

“You sure?”

“…”

“Okay… well. If you’re ready…”

“…”

“Then I’ll see you on the other side. Hopefully thing's will go according to plan...”

-

Of course, things didn’t go to plan.

-

ENTRATI BACKROOM REACTOR INCIDENT IN 4HRS 55MINS

Umbra lurked in the shadowed corner of the backroom, arms crossed, as the Hex solemnly listened to Entrati’s video message. It didn’t move when the video message concluded, and it didn’t move when the first of the group caved to self-preservation instinct, slinking away with their tail between their legs. Entrati’s face stared down at them all from multiple monitors, haggard and stern - and out of their reach.

“But this half-assed plan’s gone full-guano,” the Trinity protoframe said bluntly.

Umbra couldn’t agree more. It shifted its focus from Entrati’s stern faces to the remaining Hex. Frantically trying to salvage their plans, or what barebones of a plan they had in the first place, all still determined to do the Right Thing even if one of their own realised the futility of their mission. Umbra passed no judgement on them, though - it wasn’t here to judge. It was here to support, as it and Drifter had agreed, because in the end…

“Five of us,” the Mag protoframe sighed. “Arthur, maybe-”

“Six,” the Excalibur protoframe interrupted. He was looking right at Umbra, and as if only just remembering its presence, the rest of the Hex turned to stare at it too. “Since he’s followed us here, I’m assuming he’s still willing to help.”

“Uh, do we know how…” the Mag protoframe wobbled her hand in a gesture Umbra could not parse, her face creasing into a grimace. “Uh, how many bolts are rattling in his skull? Marty was piloting him around like a mecha, so I assumed he just followed us like, you know, a lost dog would?”

“We don’t know if we can trust it, either,” the Trinity protoframe said, giving Umbra a distrustful look. “It’s fully Infested, isn’t it? Just a more sophisticated Techrot cabron with a short leash.”

A brief silence lapsed, gloomy and tense. Umbra did nothing to alleviate it. They may trust it, or not, but Umbra’s priority was clear: keeping them alive, even if they were determined to kill themselves in a suicide mission. It wasn’t sure what to do if they attacked it out of misguided suspicion it was a “Techrot cabron”, whatever that was, but Umbra was confident it could take them all on at once and win - it would just be counter-productive. How would they find Entrati and close the loop if Umbra thrashed them senseless?

Or perhaps that would be more productive? They couldn’t die if they were knocked unconscious and left here, after all. Umbra knew little and less about nuclear reactors, but it had access to a Parazon. It could infiltrate the reactor and disable it itself. It could take on an army if need be. It will succeed where they would fail.

Umbra considered it. Should they attack the Hex to save them?

[tgrailwar-zero]

RICHARD: "Now-- let's see about this monster hunt!"

He started walking off.

GIL: "Hey, do you even know where you're going?!"

Figuring there wasn't much stopping him, you followed behind.

You went around, passing the central terminal, and taking the leftmost path this time. You found yourself in a large, industrial-seeming room. As soon as you passed the threshold of the doorway, there was a beep as the door slammed shut behind you with a heavy, mechanical thud.

[ This is your first test. ]

There was that voice again.

[ You recall the Countess, yes? Perhaps you do not. If you do not, then this may be good for jogging your memory. ]

You figured this was prerecorded. With how stilted her voice sounded, you couldn't tell one way or the other.

[ She and that warrior woman brought you back in the worst shape. At least the warrior was attempting to train you, the Countess seemed to just enjoy breaking things and handing them back to me to fix. ]

[ 'My stuffed piggy broke, can you fix it? Oh, and lower its pain tolerance, it's starting to get a bit too tough,' she would say-- as if that was not the point. Your precious body splintered, but not bloodied. No. She took good care of your blood. ]

[ … ]

[ I digress. ]

[ This is a prototype design. Taking it down should be a simple task. ]

You looked around the room. It was empty-- before you heard the sound of rumbling metal.

You heard a sound. A call, distant- mechanical, yet ephemeral.

A massive mechanical form dropped from the high ceiling, crashing to the ground and kicking up smoke, billowing pillars swirling around it.

You heard the sound of mechanisms whirring, pistons and gears firing, as a large automata rose from the smoke. It was at least 25 feet tall, with massive wings and a large, trashing tail.

A dragon?

RICHARD: "A dragon?!"

The smoke cleared, revealing something more… humanoid.

RICHARD: "Oh-ho! A giantess, then? A fitting first foe!"

GIL: "Stand on guard! That thing looks stupid, but I can tell it's packing a lot of firepower!"

The giant mechanical woman turned, looking down at the Servants.

RICHARD: "Now then... shall we begin?"

ENDURANCE GAUGE: [X/X/X/X/X/X]

MANA CHARGES: [ X / X / X / X / - ]

COMMAND SPELLS: [ X | X | X ]

HEAT: { - | - | - | - | - }

HEAT is required for RICHARD's 'FURY SHIFT':

A unique trigger possessed by Richard due to belonging to a multifaceted Master-- some of which that may have been more attuned to Richard's aspects as a 'warlord'. Richard can take 'Brave Actions', which have a higher chance of causing Richard harm, but increase his 'Heat'. When his 'Heat' is fully maxxed out, the Masters can temporarily shift him into a destructive state surrounded by raging flames-- a true manifestation of 'Lionheart'. Richard's Endurance Gauge will continuously decrease each action, however his destructive power increases immensely.

COMBO ATTACKS:

SWORD OF GILDED VICTORY

{REQUIRES: YOUNG GIL + RICHARD I, -3 MP EACH} --

Gil passes Richard a blade from the Age of Gods from his treasury, allowing him to use 'Excalibur' in a massively powered up fashion, unleashing a barrage of super-powered beams. The blade is destroyed once the technique is completed.

REGARDING COMBO ATTACKS:

All involved parties have to agree to do the Combo Attack, or else it falls through! Pay close attention to poll results!

[theamateurreviewer]

Review: Star Trek: The Original Series Season Two

Rating: 9/10

Fantastic! Absolutely fantastic! So many different Star Trek classics in this season, and it was truly the peak of the show. The cast pairings became solidified, and the synergy was at an all-time high. When I think classic Kirk-Bones-Spock moments, I think Season Two.

What follows are spoilers for a handful of great (and one or two bad) episodes of the season. Logically, I would avoid these spoilers until watching the episodes, but humans are rarely logical creatures, Captain.

Hands down, my two favorite episodes of Season Two (and even in the top 5 for the entire show) are The Doomsday Machine and The Ultimate Computer, both for similar reasons.

Strengths:

While The Doomsday Machine (S2E6) is a fairly standard retelling of a classic story in a new and interesting setting, this one being Moby Dick, the impact of the story is not lessened by this knowledge. The story begins as the Enterprise discovers the wreck of the USS Constellation, NCC-1017, and Captain Decker as her only survivor. It was destroyed by the Planet Crusher, an enormous Bugle chip that can destroy entire planets in a single pass. Decker's crew beamed down to a planet in order to escape the crippled ship, but were instead killed by that weapon. The acting, while hammy, is never disingenuous, and the madness in Decker wanting at all costs to destroy the Planet Crusher, even at the risk of loosing the Enterprise, is palpable and downright big screen worthy. Kirk uses the barely space-worthy Constellation as a makeshift weapon, arming the impulse reactors as a makeshift nuclear weapon. The climactic destruction of the Constellation, the last second escape of Kirk, and the message that 'this was the only time when nuclear weapons have been used to save,' was nothing if not timely, given the original air date in autumn of '67.

And, of course, The Ultimate Computer (S2E24) is no different in quality. The Enterprise was selected to test the M-5 Computer as a replacement for human operators aboard a starship. Of course, Kirk and the gang, with the exception of Spock, are dubious in their belief that the M-5 can replace them. Dr. Daystrom (played by the excellent William Marshall, an African-American playing a doctor in 1967) assures them that the computer is completely safe, and will ensure future crews won't perish to the unlimited dangers of space. The computer, however, begins to take full control of the ship, not listening to override codes or commands. All of this as she is to participate in a non-lethal wargame with four other Constitution-class ships, the Lexington, Excalibur, Potemkin, and Hood. En route, the M-5 destroys an unmanned freighter, hinting at the carnage to come if they cannot disable the computer. Without being able to warn the fleet, or stop it from operating, the Enterprise opens fire with full-powered phasers, killing 53 aboard the Lexington and all aboard the Excalibur. The palpable horror, even with the original cheesy special effects, is not diminished, as we watch the Chekhov, Sulu, Uhura, and the rest of the gang as they destroy an entire vessel. Kirk flies off the handle, and, after Spock neutralizes Dr. Daystrom, he convinces the M-5 that it violated its programming, the preservation of life, and that it needed to be punished. Absolutely A+ acting.

Of course, any discussion of Season Two would be incomplete if it failed to mention either The Trouble with Tribbles or Mirror, Mirror. The first of these is perhaps the most famous of all episodes, due just to how silly but endearing it is. Truly an episode where it's not trying to make an important point or be profound, but one of the greatest episodes of the original show. Mirror, Mirror (S2E4) has been so important that it has been referenced or outright continued in nearly every subsequent production of the Star Trek universe. Deep Space Nine, Enterprise, Discovery, and Prodigy all explicitly mention or visit the Mirror universe, and the concept of our heroes acting in exactly the opposite way as they normally do, and becoming the worst version of themselves, is such an interesting and thought-provoking story. Of course, while most of our heroes are evil in the Mirror universe, nothing can stop Miles Edward O'Brien from being just the greatest man.

There are plenty of other banger episodes, like Journey to Babel (our first look at other Federation member races like the Andorians and the Tellarites), Obsession, A Piece of the Action, Immunity Syndrome, Private Little War, and Patterns of Force. Just watch it already!

Weaknesses:

Season Two has less in the way of weak episodes than Season One, that's for certain, but there is one absolute garbage episode, truly keeping Season Two from a 10/10 for me. It's The Omega Glory. The episode starts of normal and intriguing. The Enterprise discovers the Exeter in orbit of a planet, completely abandoned. Upon boarding the ship, we discover that the crew have been reduced to salt crystals for an unknown reason. Alright, we've got our hook! It's good, even. They beam to the planet to find a very 19th century humanoid culture, known as the Kohms. They have the appearance of Asians, a key part of this story. The former captain of the Exeter is here, and in control of these Kohms. According to him, they have secured the fountain of youth, and that leaving this planet will reduce the away team to the crystalline residue left aboard the Exeter.

Okay, to me we're starting to loose the plot, but I'll let it cook.

The Captain of the Exeter warns that the Kohms are under attack by a group of savage barbarians known as the Yangs. These savages are white, with blond hair. To me, this was an interesting reversal of the traditional Civilized and Savage stereotypes. Having the white men and women reduced to this stereotype usually reserved for non-whites was thought provoking. However, it soon lost any respect I had for it.

Shortly after, we learn that the Yangs were forcibly removed from their birthright lands long ago. Kirk learns that Kohms and Yangs are corruptions of Communists and Yankees (a very stupid plot point, I may add), postulating that this is Earth if it took a very different course of history. And, the cherry on the cringe cake was the Yang reverently appearing with an American flag, and bearing the Constitution. The cheesy studio orchestra rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner nearly made me click the episode off in second-hand embarrassment. Nothing, not even Spock's Brain is worse than The Omega Glory.

In summation, Season Two of TOS is perhaps the best Trek there is with the original crew, with perhaps the exception of a couple of the films. If you haven't seen it, there's so much more that I haven't spoiled that will make it worth while.

[galactic-pirates]

Librarians: The Next Chapter

So anyone that knows me knows how much I absolutely LOVE The Librarians. It's my comfort show. I have no idea how many times I have rewatched it because it's something I do constantly.

Anyway! I was apprehensive when they announced this sequel because how could it ever live up to the OG show?

I've seen the first two episodes now and I have thoughts. Spoilers under the cut :)

General show stuff There's a fan event for The Librarians (prompt month) and I think most years I submitted some variation of "what about the other annexes?" because that is a really good question - enquiring minds want to know! So the show is off to a flier straight away by picking that up.

My headcanon was always that there used to be lots of annexes because in the words of Jenkins "if the Librarian needed to consult the resources of the library but was far from the main door" and the days before jet travel, then it took weeks/months to cross the world. I figured those annexes got shuttered when planes became prevalent except for the Portland annex because Jenkins lived there.

I also had another headcanon that said that Judson, Charlene and Jenkins were NOT the only immortals tethered to the library. The candle room seemed to prove that because there were far more candles lit than for the people we knew about. Sure some of them could be for 'librarians out of time' like Teddy Chislington etc. but there was too many for that to be the only reason. Throw in Jenkins' line of "immortals prefer the south of france this time of year" and the "sides in a very complex war" re: Judson vs Dulaque (in terms of figureheads) or Library vs Serpent Brotherhood (to put it another way). I headcanoned that Judson's side had founded the library but over the centuries most of them had drifted away from the library. Jenkins himself said he had taken breaks (like during Shakespeare's time) so another immortal caretaker is right in line with all of this - makes perfect sense!

I absolutely love when shows use their own lore. It feels deep and engaging.

BUT (and I know I probably shouldn't do a but because the show hasn't been out a week and if we want more Librarians, it's best to be positive, but I have feelings ok). So yes BUT

I deeply dislike and still do not really understand this whole "magic well bringing back the annex and then spilling magic out in Belarus" origin for this show.

I can try and make sense of it by thinking it through. The annex in Belarus was established where it was precisely because of it's proximity to this well. Maybe the well of magic is a nexus point of ley lines that are much closer to the 'surface' (due to how deep the well is). I complained bitterly when the show was first announced that it didn't make sense that the premise was "magic escaping back into the world" because that had already happened. Dormant ley lines got juiced to kickstart the Librarians show and they never got unjuiced, that's why they had a new artifact wing starting in season 3, and were finding new artifacts in season 4. So how could magic therefore escape again. But perhaps it's less magic itself, and more wild magic or concentration of magic. It seemed to be a local phenomenon based on the map, like a supercharge for the area. The issue with that is if there is a greater level of wild magic, then why does technology still work?

As a side note on the location did they film in Serbia? I remember reading that Miss Scarlet moved filming there from England because it was so much cheaper. I'm not complaining because it's nice not to be US-centric for a change. I just figured having adventures in Belarus probably had a reason, as it's probably not the most well known of cities to a US audience.

Anyway! Levels of magic in the world is a curious thing. The way Flynn explained it is that magic in the ley lines got drained off into artifacts over time and then there was very little left. When Excalibur did the whole stone thing (kickstarting the Librarians show) that woke up the ley lines. However, it was obvious that the very low levels of magic was a relatively new phenomena anyway. Jenkins said about how London was a "hotbed of magic" during the 19th century when they dealt with Dorian Grey. Perhaps it goes back to what Lamia said about bringing magic back "magic returns, technology ends" - maybe the rise in technology is what smothered magic? Which still begs the question of levels of magic and how technology is still working and I also need to return to the Well. I said perhaps it was a nexus of ley lines close to the surface that the Belarus annex watched over. Maybe twenty years ago if Vik had opened the Well nothing much would have happened, as the ley lines went dark with the rise of technology (after his time), and stayed that way until Excalibur. So it was just unfortunate timing.

I still don't get why the Well made the annex reappear. It was completely unstructured wild magic - except for Vik's intent and also his connection to the library. We saw the library 'manifest' because it lived in the librarians in the season 4 finale. So maybe it was something like that.

I still don't really like it as a plot point. I feel like it was unnecessary. The OG Librarians show established that magic was back in the world and creating new artifacts. Kickstarting this show with a new librarian and satellite annex was more than enough of a reason. The extra magic spill I can try and headcanon but they didn't need it.

One remaining quibble is the look of the annex itself. I know logically 'out of universe' the new annex doesn't look like the OG annex because that set would have been dismantled years ago. The issue is that we saw the Portland annex was identical to the main library office. So why is the Belarus annex not like that? Either all the annexes are different fitting the locations/time periods they were established, or they should all be the same. I realise two annexes isn't much of a data point and also that 'out of universe' the Portland annex and main library office was the same to use the same set, but ehhh it bothers me.

A return to the positive! I adore that they are using the same title scheme and a different, but the same style type of title card - so cool!

Episode ONE - and the Deadly Drekavac The monster looked like a demented gorilla so that was at least understandable how they could cover it up jumping around the center of town.

There were some good moments like the "back beast" as Vik encountered a truck for the first time but ehhh. Some of this is contrast because I was immediately entranced from the moment I started the first episode of the OG Librarians. Rebecca Romijin captured my attention from the start and the chemistry she had with Noah Wyle in those steam tunnels had sparks flying. It was magnetic viewing. The show was instantly iconic to me and yes it's hard to think about it objectively now. I've seen 'and the Crown of King Arthur' dozens of times, but I prefer to 'try before I buy'. I think I was only about 10 minutes into the episode when I bought the complete set on DVD. I just knew I was going to love it.

Now as Flynn helped ground and kick off the OG show, they brought in Jacob Stone to do the same for Next Chapter.

Side note I reckon he kept his beanie on the entire time because he had Eliot Spencer length hair, and couldn't cut it for the cameo due to Leverage filming commitments.

Anyway! No complaints at all about how they picked up with the OG stuff. They name-dropped Jenkins, Cassandra and Ezekiel. I feel like they respected the OG crew, so it's all good there.

However, truthfully I felt like the first episode of Next Chapter was a bit lackluster. The plot wasn't very good and the overly Christian-centric religious nature was uncomfortable. They clumsily explained it in the end about the power of belief so it wasn't lacking baptism that made the child lost/turn into a monster, it was the stories they'd been told and internalised that had done it. I was also less than entranced by most of the characters but I'll come back to them in a bit.

Episode TWO - and the Dance of Doom Now this was a Librarians episode!

Night and day really in terms of vibes from the first episode. I went from being apprehensive to hopeful. This was a much better case, the interactions between the characters felt natural. There was banter and they also introduced properly Elaine Astalot (the immortal caretaker).

I have a few quibbles. Someone in the Librarian discord said "why didn't they just pull the fire alarm?" to wreck the performance and that was a good question. However, I am prepared to overlook that. What I do question a bit is why Charlie danced when she was on stage. I feel like it must have been some kind of compulsion and she had no choice because otherwise it doesn't make sense. Her dancing made it look like part of the performance as she was trying to get to the witch. If she'd sprinted across the stage, throwing elbows into faces, that would have been a lot more disruptive. Anyway, it's easy enough to explain that the 'dust everywhere' made for a compulsion and the episode was so good otherwise that I'm willing to overlook the fire alarm thing. I don't mind suspending disbelief if everything else works well enough to warrant it.

Side note it's interesting looking at IMDB in that apparently Elaine is only credited in 5/12 episodes? Jenkins was in all of the OG episodes I believe. I wonder why it worked out like that. Just from Elaine in this episode I already think that she will elevate any episode she's in - utterly fabulous character.

Speaking of characters...

Vikram Chamberlain

I feel like this sentence should maybe start with 'unpopular opinion' buuuut. It's like tropes are good, I don't knock tropes, but I also kinda feel like I have seen this done and done better :/

The whole 'man out of time', 'lost love in the past' - seen it. Ichabod Crane from Sleepy Hollow instantly popped to mind and I'm sorry to Callum McGowan but he doesn't have an ounce of the charisma that Tom Mison had. My general feeling on Vik is very meh. He feels flat to me. Like his story should be compelling but I just don't feel it.

There are some very good moments. I laughed at the whole cat video thing in the first episode. I also appreciate where they seem to be taking his arc. With how Vik was all "I don't need a guardian, never had one" etc. and wanting to be a lone wolf that did feel like they were mimicking Flynn a bit. The first episode was a bit clunky but I suppose it was trying to introduce/set everything up in a single episode, whereas the OG show did a two-parter opener. Maybe that explains it I don't know. Anyway there was the quite powerful line from the Guardian saying that the biggest threat to Vik is himself, that he is far too comfortable using magic and this got picked up in an incredibly good way in the second episode.

Vik brazenly squared up against the villain showing off his magical trinkets and boasting that no spell could touch him - the witch then tazered him. Librarians don't win with magic, they win with their minds. I do look forward to seeing where they take this arc. The first season of the OG show was quite tightly plotted to sort of 'come full circle' and I hope they do the same with Next Chapter. Which means in the finale Vik will need to be faced with a choice and show he has changed by not taking the easy road of a magical solution.

Lysa Pascal

My initial impression wasn't the best. I felt like they were trying to hard to make her like Cassandra but she didn't have any of her charm. I'm also side-eyeing the whole "looking just like Anya (Vik's lost love)". I am intrigued as to who she inherited this castle from. I also feel like they are building towards a potential betrayal with her selling magic out (and who are her investors?). I would scream so loud if it's The Lake making a reappearance as that plotline never got resolved in the OG show. However, I doubt it will be anything like that - can hope though!

BUT like the show in general she did much better in episode two. The banter between Lysa and Connor was great.

Charlie Cornwall

Her intro on the bike was great. Reminded me actually of the first Librarians movie and how Nicole picked Flynn up on the bike at the end. However, I got to be honest the moment she took her helmet off I got distracted.

Eve Baird was military, she could be as hard as the situation needed and yet just in how she held herself, the look in her eyes, she could turn soft and show emotion. True top tier A+ character of all time.

I feel like this is less a character fault of Charlie and more a fault of the director because her hair is killing me. Eve's hair was regulation for a long time, and even when it wasn't she kept it practical. When she was working it was often tied back and never in the way. When Charlie was fighting her hair was completely in her face, the way her bangs came down I was wondering how she could even see. Now I think Charlie is supposed to have a military background? Although we don't get any details in the first two episodes. It just feels like they wanted the actress to 'look pretty' and didn't think about reality which annoys me.

Also Charlie kicked the monster butt when she was fighting alone during her first scene, but when both she and Vik attacked the monster together at the end she was quickly beaten. I get this was so Lysa and Connor could come in with the 'holy water' but that was just badly choreographed IMO. There's no reason to make one character look stupid, to elevate another.

Like the others she came across better in the second episode. She is still a bit too "yes sir" for me at the moment. I am curious as to how she is on her second chance with the library but that's what the rest of the season will develop.

Anyway, I have rambled quite a lot because ordinarily Charlie would have been my favourite character, but I am quite meh over her at the moment. I want to like her but I'm not there yet.

Connor Green

I love him!

That is all haha :) :)

No ok I'll get specific. He has so much charm. He's funny, he's real. I love his backstory. It's very Daniel Jackson coded of "lost his job trying to prove aliens magic was real"

One question I always have for shows like The Librarians (or Warehouse 13) is how it works with the rest of the world. Who knows? What do they know? How do they cover magical events up? Etc. And so Connor's very existence is like a little glimpse of that.

They had it a bit in the OG show with Lucy Lyons "there are magic hunters now" and then later on DOSA. There was still a lot unexplored. So much potential.

Anyway, Connor is so smart with his knowledge of history, but in an accessible way. Possibly because of the very modern angle of having a YouTube/Tik Tok (they weren't specific) in which he explains his theories. He's just COOL.

Conclusion Well first off I can't really make one. I have seen only two episodes. To really make a judgement I'd need to see at least a couple more. First episodes are often a bit janky so it's important to see a few 'standard' episodes to get a real feel for things.

I had mixed feelings going into the show based on the summary of "man out of time, magic leak" etc. and truthfully I still have mixed feelings about that. What I am feeling more hopeful/confident about from the second episode is that I'm going to enjoy this show. I don't expect that it will reach the heights of the OG show, that is so beloved to me that was always unrealistic. However, I think it's going to be fun for what it is and we could all use a bit more fun.

Connor and Elaine are my favourite characters at the moment hands down which is a good sign. I sometimes have mixed feelings about Leverage: Redemption but I adore Breanna so much, and so I can't ever think too badly on Redemption because otherwise there'd be no Breanna. I do hope that I bond more with the rest of the characters, especially Vik who is the one I'm least enthusiastic about at the moment (it feels like he's the 'main' character and so it'll be annoying if I'm meh over him).

What I hope to see moving forward is more stuff like in Episode Two. I want chemistry between the characters. Give me banter, give me humour, show me that these people are friends/becoming friends. Give me interesting and compelling cases. Also I'm a simple creature and I'm not immune to nostalgia. Slip in some easter eggs and callbacks to the OG - let the show use it's own lore, and I will be very happy.

Looking forward to next week and episode THREE!

[domesticshe-wolf]

Fear the Djinn!

The Djinn x Fem!Waker

My headcanons of the Djinn and his relationships between his waker. Sooo... Let's begin!

Narcissism. The ego of these beings reaches simply universal proportions! It is so huge that there is not enough space in any black hole in the entire outer space to fit it. Just imagine, if there is barely enough space in the void for one Genie, then what discomfort others are experiencing. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why he so zealously wants to take over the Earth. Who knows?

Let's talk a little bit about horns. They are somewhat similar in function to antennas. Only instead of a radio or television signal, they catch energy frequencies of a subtle plane. So if you want to ask, "Do Djinn have headaches?" then, most likely, you will receive an answer in the manner of: "Of course, the dearest Awakener, if you could feel so many whirlwinds of emotions that circle in the constancy of eternity." And you wanted to feel. Totally by accident! (or rather, out of curiosity, like all people). Well, now you know the full range of sensations of a traumatic brain injury from decompression. And yes, they are sensitive. That's why your mystical "friend" has a stupid habit of twirling them between his fingers. And at some moments they become especially sensitive. If you know what I mean. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

"Nails or claws?" You know that besides the rings, he has his own natural nails, which are very long. While living with you, he watched you take care of your body: masks for everything, serums, massages, and manicures. Your cousin infected you with these beauty rituals. Gradually, you began to notice that your nail files began to thin out very often. And now, having already bought the eighth one during this period, you see this: your Persian Devil is sitting on the couch as if nothing had happened, with his feet up on the coffee table, and polishing his nails! With your file! You couldn't help yourself, and indignation burst out of you: "Maybe give you a construction file!? With diamond-coat!?" To which he replied without a doubt: "The Awakener said it, and the Djinn did it." And now, you're on the knees in front of him with your head down and holding a construction tool, like a damn Excalibur until the Genie takes it away.

Food preferences. Honestly, your cooking skills leave much to be desired because before you met him, you ate only fast food. He can "cook" any dish from any era. Literally. But don't worry, he's not going to poison you - so human flesh and those poisonous berries, from which some of the hominids died, are excluded from the menu. But that doesn't mean that the rest of the cousine will be familiar to you. Don't forget, he's a Genie - he likes to shock. One day, when you came home from an evening jog, you felt a wonderful odor that spread throughout the apartment. It's beckoning you. And now you've discovered how beautifully the small round table in your kitchen is set. In the middle was a porcelain dish with some glazed carcasses of a small bird, and next to it was a note: "I found this beautiful set of dishes in your cupboard. I hope you don't mind. Enjoy it." The bird was really just great, until you found out WHAT KIND of bird IT was! He appeared as usual - unexpectedly, and stood in the doorway leaning against the jamb: "A lot of Roman senators just loved fried blue parrots for dinner". He watched as your eyes widened in eerie realization of what you were eating right now. You stopped chewing abruptly. He slowly approaching the table, and dipped his finger into a small bowl containing sauce as red as fresh blood, and then vulgarly licked it, slightly exposing his forked tongue. You abruptly got up from the table and ran into the bathroom while he was laughing and talking after you: "You ate not one, but two pieces!" The next morning, you were woken up by a smell no less wonderful than yesterday's - coffee and some kind of pastries. And now you see the luxurious table again, as if you came to a five-star hotel in Dubai for breakfast. No matter how much you liked the fragrance, you looked at this feast with suspicion. "Don't worry. The usual breakfast of the sheikhs. Boring" - now he was standing by the stove and drinking coffee. The small cup that he holds was in stark contrast to his appearance. To tell the truth, you felt very uncomfortable, even guilty about yesterday: "I am... I'm so sorry. I was rude yesterday". "I thought you didn't like the parrot," the Genie said mockingly. "Did I say that? Everything was just great", - you told him that so sincerely that he immediately replied: "Good" with that creepy smile. The toast with hollandaise sauce was so delicious that you accidentally bit the tip of your tongue and then heard a rude chuckle. For him, it was the best compliment to his cooking skills.

[albinodino]

i'm getting through oathbound so quickly and i don't want it to be over, so i took a little break to write some of my theories as of p470:

nick sees the visions when he touches bree, which is why it's hard for him. the visions are of her dying? or something at camlann

nick is going to betray bree because he thinks her mind has been poisoned by the shadow king (this is more of a hope please it would be so good)

the book will end at an all is lost point. maybe the king getting his crown back?

morgaine the original is absolutely alive

zoelle is up to something, she knows things bree doesn't and says 'you missed it in the presentation' but we know the shadow king has been manipulating bree and i think zoe is too. since she knows about penumbra, she might be working with michaelaz. i don't think she wants to harm bree, but she's in a deal and/or is protecting elijah

excalibur will be at the auction

i can't think of any warlocks relevant enough to steal the crown, so unless it's a new character i think it could've been sel in one of his escapes from natasia and they mistook him for a warlock because his magic is green

i don't think this one is right but the missing rootcrafters are going to sel and he's feeding on their root

not a theory but did we just forget about alice?!?! FREE HER FROM THE HELL DIMENSION SHE CREATED FOR HERSELF

that's all for now i can only stay away from it for so long, i need to know who the third theif is!! (the lights went out so the shadow king? perhaps disguised as someone we don't yet know to be dead?)

[semi-sketchy]

Alright, since I'm at that episode, I'm gonna elaborate on my actual problem with Dark Sonic:

To be honest, I don't think there's anything really wrong with Sonic during the episode. He's angry his friends have been hurt by a villain, so he harnesses the power of the fake Emeralds (which he has a physical negative reaction to) and smashes said villain's testing robots to pieces.

I never really considered this a problem. Sonic can get angry, be antagonized, the SA2 Shadow fight in Green Forest springs to mind.

Plus, Secret Rings has Darkspine Sonic, which is about as close to Dark Sonic as it gets. Sharha just died, trading her life for his, he absorbs the Rage, Sadness and Hatred Rings and transforms.

Even after he leaves the transformation, he still seems pretty pissed at Erazor Djinn, with killing Sharha at the top of the list.

So, yeah. It's not 1:1 and I'm not claiming these are the same, X is obviously more exaggerated, but I don't really have a problem with the concept. We can talk about how Eggman comes in, tells Sonic he needs to be better and not let his emotions overwhelm him, but frankly I think that's more of an X!Eggman issue than the transformation itself.

No, my real problem is, and always has been, how the fandom interpreted it. That's it. I've read so many fics, seen so many posts about Sonic just "turning dark" when angry, as if any transformations have ever been purely emotion without an external power-source. (Super requires the Chaos Emeralds, Hyper the Super Emeralds, Darkspine was 3 of the World Rings, Werehog was Dark Gaia energy, Excalibur Sonic was the sacred swords, Wisp transformations needed the Wisps, Super Sonic 2 was Chaos Emeralds + Cyber energy....you get it.)

The way I've always saw it, is yes, Sonic is upset, but he also is being affected by the fake Emeralds.

This is the Discotek translation, I don't know enough Japanese to say how accurate it is, all I know know is "warui" means bad/sick depending on the sentence. An older translation (and the English dub) points to him feeling physically sick around them.

Far as I can tell, he's already reacting bad to these Emeralds on top of being antagonized, so he uses power that's at his disposal does what the villain wants: fuck up his shit.

If the fake Emeralds didn't exist, this transformation wouldn't have happened. Additionally, since X ended and the only fake Emerald in the games was blown up in SA2, it can't happen again. (Unless you write scenario where someone makes fake Emeralds, but that requires writing for the form instead of just slapping it in à la characters in IDW.)

Perhaps I'm being too hard on a lot of kids that never really interacted with the source material and just wanted to write Sonic fanfics. I've read so many that made it quite obvious that the author didn't know anything about Sonic besides he's fast and I'm not really out here trying to say Sonic shouldn't inspire people to create. Never said I hated reading those fics, I got a good deal of entertainment out of them. It's simply this misconception has stretched so far, it's like the original context has been entirely erased.

And that's the part of Dark Sonic that bothers me.

I've seen plenty of arguments for why the transformation was a poor choice and I don't entirely disagree with them. For me, I could take it or leave it. It was a one-off short transformation in an anime where Sonic pretends to be Star Trek for a season, it just exists to me.

Although, it's been awhile since I last saw discussion of Dark Sonic, as a whole it seemed to be a bigger thing in the early 2010s. Possibly because now we have more recent Sonic shows and movies, it's not just X being the latest thing anymore. I certainly don't read fics like I used to, so I'd be surprised if it is still as heavily used as it used to be. Maybe if I get some time, I'll look up some fics and find out.

[r0ckstar00]

EXCALIBUR'S WRATH (Sonic and the Black Knight 2)

Everyone knew the tale.

The tale of a cobalt hedgehog, drifting in from another dimension, swooping down to rid the world of plague that had haunted them for years. The tale of a witch obsessed with immortality and afraid of the changes her kingdom may face. The tale of how the hero ended up the "bad guy", the opposition ending her delusion and restoring the world the way it should be.

Yes, everyone knows that tale. But there is one that no one ever speaks of - one far more significant than the former. One that changed the world for good.

This... is the tale of Excalibur's Wrath.

Do you dare to fight again?

When Camelot recovers from their gruesome battle with the Dark Queen, another sinister evil lurks from underneath. From the dark army reappearing from thin air to the disappearance of the all-powerful sword Excalibur (or Caliburn as he much rather prefer to be called), the Knights of the Round Table are at a loss.

Who is this enemy?

With no answers and far too many questions, they all decide to recall King Arthur otherwise known as the trusty cobalt hedgehog named Sonic the Hedgehog. Perhaps in their time of need might he shine the brightest.

But without the power of Excalibur, Sonic fears that he may not be able to stop the looming doom that taints the world with its dark color. With a dire situation lingering over his head, will he have the strength to push back? Or will he be overcome with powerlessness, unable to fight back?

A/N: Surprise. Sequel to Sonic and the Black Knight 2! This will be my home page for all the chapters and information you might need in order to understand some things in the book (and me too because I know NOTHING about old tales the sword in the stone).

This idea only came to me as a joke. I started saying like “what if I wrote a sequel to a game that doesn’t really need one?” and so then the gears in my brain started to turn and I came up with this.

And so, this idea has been nurtured so much that I would HONESTLY say that this could work as an actual game. I would put it on the switch for convenience (cause the Wii is a little outdated as of now lol), but it could so work. All it needs is Jason Griffith and a whole lot of coding.

Enough of me talking, though. I’m sure you want to know the cast. And might I say I’ve introduced nearly 5 new characters into the world of Camelot, a few you’d be surprised to see.

I also have a few more side notes; since this is basically fan-made there WILL be implied ships. Which ones? I’ll let you figure that out. ~

MAIN CAST (I’ll put descriptions for them later)

King Arthur / Sonic

The King of Camelot. Dubbed the Knight of the Wind in the past, this speedy hedgehog grew to take over the kingdom in a long, treacherous journey that involved various risks. Seeing his potential and bravery to fight for an unknown land, Caliburn - now Excalibur - had decided to grant him the title of King. However, nothing can keep this hedgehog in one spot for long, so he's unable to run his kingdom properly. Although he is the true King, Merlina manages everything he can't.

Merlina

The "co-ruler" of Camelot. Once a tyrant obsessed with the idea of immortality, she now spends her days rebuilding the kingdom that she almost destroyed. She makes decisions for the kingdom in King Arthur's absence and takes charge of the Knights of the Round Table. Merlina wishes to become the best mage in the world to protect her newfound kingdom from harm, and she will stop at nothing to do so.

Sir Lancelot / Shadow

The first Knight of the Round Table. He was the first knight that King Arthur faced, and perhaps even his most loyal follower. Sir Lancelot fights beside him chivalrously, ensuring that his King is not hurt in any way, shape or form. After Arthur's unfortunate departure, he finds himself introverted - perhaps longing for the battles he used to have. He takes it upon himself to fight for the kingdom, even if Arthur isn't around.

Sir Gawain / Knuckles

WIP

Sir Percival / Blaze

WIP

Sir Galahad / Silver

WIP

Sir Lamorak / Jet

WIP

Lady of the Lake | Nimue / Amy

A water deity residing in the Deep Woods, the adoptive mother of Sir Lancelot and Exalibur's original owner, Nimue has a lot of things going for her. She often guides newcomers, the Knights of the Round Table or even King Arthur himself with her words of wisdom, preferring that to the gruesome battles the others face. However, she is not unwilling to use her magic to protect the ones she loves.

Griffin / Tails

The townspeople's blacksmith. Although he's rather young and scrawny, Griffin has been known to be able to fix anything brought into his shop which often comes in handy when the Knights of the Round Table need it. He's known to have certain complex inferiority issues, though all that is pushed aside when he looks at his weapons and armor in action.

Orella / Rouge

A winemaker and a collector of fine jewels and rarities. She's independent, rather bossy, and knows just how to sweeten people over with only a few words and a certain look. She runs the largest wine business in Camelot and gets intel from every place on the map. Perhaps she'll share it with you... if you give her something in return.

Adelaide / Cream

A lonesome child wandering through the forest in search of her mother who she only has memories of. She's a master of the wilderness, knowing which berries are poisonous, knowing which plants you cannot touch under any circumstances, and she even knows how to survive on her own all at the tender age of six. There is also a secret she hides deep within her - one that she must not let anyone see, lest someone abuse it.

Raziel / Espio

Being a scribe and a poet isn't easy, especially when witnessing the downfall of both King Arthur and the Dark Queen. He has information about everything - whether it be the sacred legends of time, or even just about any place on the map. Any practical information he has, he's willing to share with anyone he deems acceptable and worthy. But if you also wanna listen to his poems too, that's acceptable.

Kazamir / Metal Sonic

An underling created by Mordred to keep the knights at bay. He was created with the speed and dexterity of Arthur, and to the naked eye, the two could even be mistaken as twins. It's only when they look up close do they realize that he's completely made out of painted metal - and remnants of dark magic.

Mordred

An ancient spirit set from decades ago, desperate to rule the kingdom that was selfishly taken from him by the original King Arthur. A master of dark magic, manipulation, and someone with a whole army by his side, he will stop at nothing to take back the kingdom that was rightfully his.

[alexistalkscomics]

Exceptional X-Men is the Kitty Pryde book that we need and deserve.

After more than 40 years since she first appeared in the classic Dark Phoenix Saga by Chris Claremont and John Byrne and decades of her queerness being relegated to subtext that was occasionally problematic or just outright erased by both Marvel’s editorial and writers who never outgrew their boyhood crushes on her (looking at you Whedon),…

…Kitty Pryde is now finally able to be explicitly bi and date a woman.

As a longtime fan of Kitty, I was cautiously excited when Eve Ewing and Carmen Carnero’s Exceptional X-Men was announced this year. The reasoning behind my cautious excitement was because whilst I was glad to see that Kitty would be having a prominent role in From The Ashes after being sidelined for much of Fall of X, I was also concerned that Kitty would once again have her bisexuality erased and some concept art that was shown with the announcement of the series lacked her Magen David which made me worried that her Jewishness would also be downplayed or erased.

Whilst it’s been a recurring piece of subtext and a source of speculation by fans for much of her history, Kitty’s bisexuality was only officially acknowledged and canonised for the first time in 2020’s Marauders #12, written and drawn by Gerry Duggan and Matteo Lolli, when Kitty was shown kissing a female tattoo artist in the aftermath of her resurrection.

Despite much rejoicing from fans that an important aspect of her character that had long been erased seemed to be finally be getting acknowledged, that rejoicing quickly turned to disillusionment and a feeling of betrayal when it became clear that at least for the duration of the Krakoan Era, Kitty’s queerness was never going to amount to anything more than a single kiss with a nameless woman and one line that specified that she seemingly has different tastes in men and women.

So after all of that, I’m sure that you can understand why I wasn’t initially too hopeful in regards to how Exceptional was going to be approaching the next stage in Kitty’s development.

But upon reading the first issue of Exceptional X-Men, I was pleasantly surprised when Kitty could be seen wearing her Magen David and referred to the date that she was intending to meet with she/her pronouns. Perhaps, this was finally going to be the Kitty Pryde book that I’ve been longing to read for years.

Thankfully, my hopes of finally having a Kitty Pryde book where she can finally unapologetically be the bisexual Jewish woman that Claremont intended her to be have been realised:

In issue 2 of Exceptional X-Men, Kitty is shown finally getting to meet her date who we learn is a woman called Nina.

Even though I personally identify as a trans-het woman, Kitty Pryde has long been a role model for me as a representation of a strong and proud queer Jewish woman so finally getting to see my favourite X-Men character be explicitly queer feels so overdue after decades of being treated as the embodiment of a disturbing adolescent cartoon crush by cishet male writers (read Warren Ellis’ Excalibur to see what I’m talking about).

And even though Exceptional has yet to touch on Kitty’s Jewishness in any meaningful way, I have faith that Ewing will treat that part of Kitty with the respect and importance it deserves but rarely receives from other writers.