#slug prophet

[artstationable]

John Patrick Gañas • "Tetrahelix, the Snail Maidens"

Concept Artist and Illustrator

artstation instagram

More from «Artstation» here

[lazarrusrising]

They did not treat Kevin right and its devastating that Dean considered that kid family and had to watch him die because of his mistakes... But in a funny way that just solidifies his role as family because they literally do that to each other every season

[geesegoose6969]

theres 2 (TWO) geese inside me

there are 2 (COUNT EM: TWO) geese inside me. this is not nearly enough to control the slug population. in an attempt to deal with the slug snag i have released more geese. now there are too many geese. they have started to militarize–kevin is their leader (bless his soul). in another attempt to protect the delicate ecology of worms in my brain (which both the geese and slugs consume) i have released eagles. this wouldve worked but the american nationalism this implies has inspired kevin and his militia. they are now performing trench warfare in the crevices of my worm brain. the worms are not pleased with this. the worms are now militarizing as well (a leader has not yet been named)(i believe they function under a vanguard party as they have only suckled on the teet of russian history) the worms and geese are fighting. the eagles dont appreciate the stereotyping that commenced this conflict. the eagles are demanding a nation state as compensation for the forced inhabitance of my fleshy vessel–problem being all current territory is occupied by the worm-goose war (except for the uninhabitable hippocampus--the slugs have implemented a dictatorship there and do not let anyone in. not sure how they're achieving this feat) the eagles have become resentful and start militarizing too. they target the geese. geese are eagle food so this is nutritionally convenient for them. the geese are now fighting a 2-front war and are promptly taken down. the eagles are not nearly as organized as the worms–the eagles perish. now only the worms reside (and the slug dictatorship)–there are no longer ANY geese inside me. so i introduce more geese; 2 of them (specifically TWO) this is not enough to deal with the exponential growth of slugs that occurred in my hippocampus during the war. the only option is to release more geese. they yearn to vindicate their ancestors and resurrect kevin. they also demand a nation state. they are immediately denied this by slug dictatorship...

[moderndayamymarch]

harry potter characters as tarot

the fool: ron weasley

unlimited potential, loyalty & protection, the fool in literature (like king lear) offers wisdom and difficult truths with humor. ron is a character whose comic relief lines disguise his wisdom and somewhat prophetic remarks.

the magician: fred & george weasley

associated with the gemini (twin) sign, willpower, resourcefulness, skill, trickery. they are the magicians to end all magicians. they run a clever joke shop and are nothing if not the most resourceful characters in the series (where did all the money come from to buy/experiment with joke stuff come from pre-gof?)

the high priestess: minerva mcgonagall

can be silence, tenacity, wisdom, science. it can also mean a connection to the spiritual realm (which I’m sure she’d love) but like the high priestess, mcgonagall is a respected woman in a position of power who is looked to for wisdom and guidance

the empress: molly weasley

this card represents motherhood, a nurturing spirit, and feminine energy. the perfect card for the mother who yelled “not my daughter, you bitch”

the emperor: vernon and petunia dursley

this card represents structure and authority and reversed, represents tyranny, immaturity, and rigidity. they could’ve and should’ve been the parents that stepped up for harry, but instead, the forced their strict worldview and operated like tyrants.

the hierophant: horace slughorn

this card represents the social order, tradition, mentorship, and education. all great description for slughorn’s aims with the slug club!

james & lily potter: the lovers

their love for each other, their friends, and (most importantly) their son made defeating voldemort possible. they are the definition of strength in love. the card often represents a crossroads where you make a choice that shows your true values and morals. james’ choice to save snape and his choice to redeem himself. and lily’s choice to sacrifice herself for her son.

the chariot: victor krum

student athlete.

justice: hermione granger

hermione is a girl full of righteousness. from spew to helping hagrid save buckbeak, she is a character with a high sense of what is wrong and right. however, she does believe in consequences for those in the wrong… whether it be spelling out SNEAK in pimples on a girl’s forehead or trapping someone as a beetle in a jar- hermione seeks justice

rubeus hagrid: the hermit

a card that depicts a man standing alone holding a lantern and a staff. it represents introspection and non-conformity.

draco malfoy: wheel of fortune

the wheel is often used to talk about the rise and fall of a prince or noble man. draco is a wizard of prince brought low by his and his father’s hubris and selfishness. but… it is a wheel and it keeps turning so maybe draco will learn from the fall and rise again…

neville longbottom: strength

the boy is the picture of strength! from standing up to bullies (and friends) to cutting the head off a snake, neville shows strength of character, spirit, and person.

the hanged man: harry potter

the card represents willing sacrifice, trials, prophecy, intuition, and enlightenment. it can reference the martyrdom of st. peter and the state in between life and death. it fits harry 10/10. he exists in a state between life and death because of the prophecy/horcrux (eventually literally ending up in limbo briefly). he does sacrifice himself and through that sacrifice and limbo conversation with dumbledore, gains a type of spiritual enlightenment.

death: albus dumbledore

for a man who ultimately becomes the personification of death in tdh, there is no other card. the card represents rebirth, transformation, and endings. dumbledore whose patronus was a phoenix, understands the concept of rebirth and transformation- from a former blood purist to a champion of muggles. he is also the omnipresent, all powerful figure of death in the series. who like, the eyes of dr tj eckleberg, watches over harry without intervening.

temperance: percy weasley

he is the serious weasley brother and the one who encourages moderation and steadiness

the devil: tom riddle

ambition, power, dominion, obsession, materialism, fear, charm, lucifer is often depicted as being resentful and angry at his father. i mean this one is kinda obvious. riddle is the figure of the devil: handsome, clever, cunning, father issues, etc. he also places value in material items.

the tower: sirius black

distress, disgrace, chaos, deception. unfortunately sirius was born under a bad sign, his life is full of calamity. he also ends up trapped in a tower in poa and trapped in his family home in ootp.

the star: luna lovegood

it can be loss and theft OR it can be hope and bright prospects. and that’s very luna. she takes a shitty situation and makes lemonade. by letting her uniqueness and kindness shine.

the moon: remus lupin

self-explanatory sadly. there is literally a wolf on the card

the sun: ginny weasley

ginny is the sun in harry’s bleak life! she represents a chance at happiness, marriage, and contentment. ginny is also a sunny person: she is outgoing, social, and kind despite the trauma she endured

judgement: severus snape

rebirth, absolution, second chances. the card is revelations/judgement day and snape is a figure desperately seeking judgement for his sins. he’s been committing life long penance and hopes for absolution (you can decide how good he was at this penance). but his whole story is one of a second chance to do right (rip snape you would’ve loved the muggle catholic church and a hail mary)

the world: hedwig

flight, voyage, route, an ending to a cycle of life. hedwig’s death represents the complete death of harry’s childhood. she is also the best girl and deserves the world <3

[grossdyke]

Jen!! I need all your lunarry thoughts pls I'm so captivated already

ok so… lunarry was my first ever rarepair before i even knew that rarepairs were a thing…

so like. what made me so compelled with them is the scene with the thestrals. they’re the only two people who can see them, because they both watched their mothers die.. and then they just form this very sweet and unlikely friendship. ’i’ll ask someone i like, someone cool’ <- harry about asking luna to the slug club thing. he’s just so charmed by her <3

she’s the only one who treats him as just a Regular Guy. he’s never just a regular guy with anyone, not even his two best friends because the three of them are always roped into quests and boy who lived-missions. i love the golden trio more than anything, and harry loves his best friends more than anything, but luna is the only one who treats him as just some guy and he’s constantly drawn to her because of it … they’re so autistic4autistic social weirdos <3

here are some hc’s i have for them post war:

harry becomes a recluse after the war, hiding himself away at grimmauld place and avoiding everyone. his best friends can’t get through to him either because they’re just too close and he’s too traumatized. he’s not going to weasley sunday brunches, not talking to anyone, nearly becomes agoraphobic because whenever he does leave the house there’s always someone there who wants to personally thank him OR someone who blames him

but eventually luna finds him, whether she tracks him down with purpose or just because she felt like spending time with him, and he lets her in. she doesn’t talk about the war, doesn’t treat him like he’s breakable or traumatized, doesn’t treat him like she owes him anything. just continues to treat him like any other guy, talking to him about magical creatures and looking around for nargles, doing silly magic together and drinking tea and watching films and slowly but surely harry starts becoming himself again, starts smiling again, starts respondint to his friends letters, starts actively inviting luna over, starts visiting her instead, coming with her on the avdentures she goes on

i always see them stumbling into a relationship rather than actively asking each other out. harry asks luna if she’s seeing someone and she says ’yeah, im seeing you?’ and that’s that. it’s such a gradual thing, months or maybe a few years of slowburn. neither of them in a hurry to get anywhere because they’re always been friends first. they’ll always be friends first . the foundation of their relationship will always be FRIENDSHIP !!

they move somewhere together, some cottage somewhere away from the wizarding world. just the two of them in a house and lots of land. harry keeps grimmauld place, stays thete sometimes when he needs to, and because he doesn’t want people to know where he actually lives. the only two people he tells is ron and hermione obviously, but other than that no one knows where he is or where he lives. his letters gets sent to grimmauld, etc

’WHERES THE BOY WHO LIVED ?????’ the daily prophet says <- no one has seen him in YEARS. wel!!!!! he’s out counting stars with his dreamer girlfriend and tending to the thestrals they own together. they’re domestic and love working with their hands, growing their own foods, taking care of magical creatures, doing magical experiments, painting and repainting their walls, cooking, etc etc etc. they love their solitude and can be quiet with each other, but they also make each other laugh <3

they’re so deeply special to me…. 🤍

[nataliescatorccioapologist]

I visited the WGA library to read Yellowjackets scripts and wanted to share some of my findings! (Pt. 3)

Here are my notes for 1x04! Quotation marks indicate direct lines from the script, whereas everything else is me paraphrasing.

Note: You can find an early version of 1x04 on Script Slug, but this must have been a very early version because many things are different. The notes I have here are not on that version of the script, rather they are on the final version of the script that ended up being used for the episode, so there will just be some new details and deleted scenes but no major plot differences between the script here and what we saw in the episode.

1x04 “Bear Down”

A lot of this is going to be about Nat because this is kind of her episode!

•During Nat’s plane crash nightmare in the opening scene, the script says that Adult Nat briefly appears in the seat next to her father before being replaced by Teen Nat again. I thought this was interesting, I wonder what the writers are trying to say by having a flash of Adult Nat here, does it contribute to the whole “We’ve been here for years” line when Nat dies? A representation of how Nat is essentially stuck in this place even 25 years later?

But also, the dream is Teen Nat’s dream, not Adult Nat’s, so is this would mean the dream is prophetic in a sense because Nat is seeing her future self for a moment. Maybe that’s why they cut it out? Or was it just because Juliette wasn’t available for such a small scene?

•Also in the dream sequence, the rifle Nat sees on her lap is noted by the script to be the same one she eventually uses to hunt in the wilderness. Another prophetic piece to Nat’s dream.

All of that combined with Nat’s dad’s line of “It’s been waiting for us” shows that, even though Nat is the biggest skeptic in the wilderness, she is one of the first people the wilderness speaks to and gives prophetic visions to.

•Nat is said to be 14 years-old when her father dies. The script says she and Kevyn are 14 in that scene and the year is specified as 1993. I have always wondered how old she was supposed to be in that scene!

(But it’s worth noting that they might have aged her up a year in the final product because, in the script, the cassette she pops into her boom box when her and Kevyn enter her room is the album Where You Been by Dinosaur Jr., which came out in 1993. However, in the actual episode, Nat puts in the song “Feel the Pain” by Dinosaur Jr. instead, which came out in 1994. So this scene might actually be in 1994 in the final product despite what the script says.)

•Teen Kevyn Tan is absolutely hopelessly in love with Nat in the flashback scene. He’s described as “clearly nervous to be in the bedroom of his crush” and starts coloring his nails with Sharpie just to distract himself from his anxiety.

Then Nat pats the bed for him to sit next to her and Kevyn is “thrumming with hormones and anxiety.” When Nat takes Kevyn’s hand to start painting his nails, we get this description:

“For Kevyn, her gentle touch, her careful attention…he’s in heaven. And simultaneously deep inside the hell of his own desire. Should he kiss her? Would she hate that?”

Nat is described as “oblivious” to Kevyn’s feelings in this moment.

I think these descriptions help us understand how much Kevyn idealizes Natalie in his head. He has this unrealistic, romanticized view of her even 25 years later when they meet again as adults. He likes the idea of her, but when he actually sees her trauma (and sees her as an actual person) he distances himself.

•There are some…interesting descriptions of Shauna and Adam getting freaky in the script. This girl is scratching him hard enough to draw blood, choking him, putting her fingers in his mouth, etc. This shows how Shauna is using Adam to relive the adrenaline she felt in the wilderness.

•When Travis points the gun at Nat, the rest of the girls scatter and run away in fear, but Nat stays perfectly still, staring him down.

•While Taissa is talking to Diane about her political campaign and Diane asks her what “really happened out there,” Tai hears wolves howling in the distance. Poor Tai is more traumatized by Van’s wolf attack than Van is.

•When Kevyn and Nat meet for dinner as adults, they reminisce about breaking into the chem lab at school and stealing equipment to make bongs. My fun little headcanon is that Nat got caught during this incident and the principal put her on the soccer team to set her on the right path.

•Also in this scene, Kevyn notes that he last saw Nat “twenty-two years ago,” which means he and Nat were in contact for a year or two after the rescue. I’m thinking Nat probably stayed in Wiskayok for a year after they were rescued and just decided to cut all ties at some point and leave town, ghosting everyone she knew there.

There’s this line as well:

“Kevyn: You were my best friend and you just…

You fucking ghosted me.”

•There’s another deleted scene (which they did film and we actually got to briefly see it in the trailer for the episode but they took it out of the final product for some reason!) where Adult Nat is looking in the mirror after her date with Kevyn, having mixed feelings about her grief over Travis and her new feelings for Kevyn, and she sees her Teen self behind her in the mirror imitating her movements. A little trauma regression moment and I’m not sure why it was cut. I’m just salty because I love when Sophie Thatcher and Juliette Lewis are in a room together. But here’s a photo of it:

•There’s an interesting part where Shauna finds Javi’s journal and looks through it. The journal has a bunch of drawings in it (wildlife sketches, comic book characters, etc.) that are described as really good; Javi’s talent as an artist is emphasized by the script.

I think this some subtle proof that the writers initially intended for Adam to be Adult Javi, with the obvious nod to the artist talent and I feel like the scripts for these early episodes highlight the closeness between Javi and Shauna in the wilderness more. The writers did confirm that they originally wanted Javi to be Adam, so I think you can see some details that support that in the scripts.

•Before Nat pulls the trigger on her dad, she feels “years of humiliation and thwarted rage” and she automatically “stiffens” when he steps towards her. Just a reminder of how much this man traumatized her!

•When Shauna butchers the deer for the first time, she is described as feeling a “thrill she’s never felt before.” This goes back to her sexual relationship with Adam in the adult timeline, that adrenaline from her role as the butcher that she misses and is trying to recreate.

•When Shauna returns home from her antics with Adam, Jeff asks, “How was book club?” and Shauna immediately vomits all over the floor🫢

[siriuslychessi]

Day 03 - No

For @jilymicrofics April prompt list: Affectionate April.

Read in AO3 and FF.net

No. 

Just a word that was getting too much power for James’ liking. 

Usually words could be helpful, they could help him build a map, help his friend with his Furry Little Problem, explain how a broom could move to get a better hold on it and learn a manoeuvre. 

Yet ‘No’ had James in shambles for longer than any other word had.

And the word had not even been uttered last time he tried to ask Lily Evans out.

Yes, he knew, logically, that a few years had been since the time he had been an idiot and hanged her best mate from his ankle. Not that Snape hadn’t deserved it at the time, but that was a weird way to ask someone out on a date. He supposed he was dreading the “no” as much as he was now.

But James was in Gryffindor. He was supposed to be brave, wasn’t he?

He was sure that if Godric Gryffindor had met Lily Evans he would have been terrified too. She was gorgeous, yes, but she was smart, funny, and had a mean slug hex that would make anyone reconsider getting on her bad side. 

Which was why James was dreading going up and asking the redhead for the next Hogsmeade Weekend. 

‘No’ felt devastating, more so than the prospect of a hex or jinx. It felt like it would make everything good in the world disappear. 

If his mother was around she would remind him that he was 16 and that probably that was why he felt like everything was so daunting. 

“If you don’t go over there and ask her, I will.” James heard a voice next to him say. 

He didn’t need to turn to see his best mate, Sirius, resting on the sofa, legs on top of the coffee table as he wrote someone on the Evening Prophet, probably solving the crossword puzzle. 

“It would be embarrassing for my best mate to ask someone on a date for me.” James replied. 

“That’s not how I meant it, and you know it.” Sirius answered without skipping a beat, “You have two more words before I make my move.”

James knew Sirius’ threat wouldn’t be empty, but he wanted to banter a bit, make more time, delay the (literal or not) upcoming punch. But Sirius could see through his bullshit. He always could.

Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair nervously and stood up, “Wish me luck.” he mumbled, more to himself than to his mate.

“Don’t forget your wand, you could at least use Protego if needed.” Sirius said, not taking his eyes from the paper. James always forgot his wand when he was nervous or tired.

James rolled his eyes and turned to grab his wand from the sofa, “Always so supportive.”

“That’s what I’m here for.” James heard Sirius reply as he made his way towards Lily Evans.

Once Sirius knew James’ focus was not on him he put the paper down. He wanted to see how it would all develop, he wasn’t sure Evans would reject James, but his best mate was so nervous he might have fallen on his face before getting to the redhead. 

James' body felt restless as the horrible word kept playing in his head, he was sure he was walking the plank towards rejection. His hand wanted to ruffle his hair one more time, he remembered Lily not exactly liking that particular quirk of his, so the hand stayed put.

His palms were sweating, it was the middle of winter, yet his body reacted oddly. Quidditch never made him so nervous, he was not sure why Lily had him react like that.

On the other side of the room was Lily Evans, sitting on a table with Mary MacDonald, both doing homework and chatting. It was good that Lily was not surrounded by half of the Common Room, James was not sure she would like another public asking. And he knew the No would come with a hex due to public displays.

Mary was nice, she sort of liked James enough to not make him more nervous. 

Arriving to the table he cleared his throat, both girls turned to see him.

“Evans, MacDonald.” he greeted.

“Potter,” Lily replied with a kind smile. Lately she did not seem to dislike him as much. 

“Can we help you with anything?” Mary asked.

James blushed a bit, he hoped that they wouldn’t see it. “Actually, I wanted to talk to Evans for a moment. Would you mind?”

Lily seemed to be about to protest but Mary was quicker. “Not at all, I need to stretch my legs for a bit and grab the Herbology book. I’ll be back to finish the assignments.” she told this last to Lily who seemed to want to convey something with her eyes that Mary ignored.

James just swallowed hard, because he knew that this was already going terribly wrong.

“So… Evans, do you have any plans for the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend?” James said quickly, hoping to soften the blow of the rejection.

“Why are you asking?”

“I… eh…” James swallowed hard, Sirius’ threat in the back of his mind, his heart racing as he thought of the upcoming rejection. “I was wondering if you would like to go with me?” he said almost too quietly.

“With you, alone?” Lily asked. James felt the cold sweat down his spine.”

“Yes…?” he answered tentatively.

The redhead took a good look at him, James’ heart wouldn’t last much longer under the green gaze. 

She folded her arms over her parchment, leaning forward towards James, a tiny amused smile on her lips. “Ask me properly.”

“I… what?” James blinked, not sure if he was about to be humiliated or not, but he was surprised that he was not outright rejected.

“Ask me properly. If I’m going to say yes I need a proper question.” a faint blush could be seen on her cheeks, but she didn’t want to give much more than that away.

‘Yes’, a word of hope resonated in James' mind. Of course Evans wouldn’t play with him, she was better than that, he was an idiot to even consider it.

“Lily Evans, would you like to go on a date with me to Hogsmeade this weekend?” James asked, properly, no stuttering or quietly, just loud enough for her to hear.

“I would love to, does 12 sound good? I would like to sleep in.” she offered with a smile on her face, the blush on her cheeks more prominent, but James was just focusing on her answer, how she was so confident and affirmative, and… they were going out!

“Perfect.” James replied with a smile. 

“It’s a date.” she declared, as Mary came back from the dorms. 

James nodded, and said bye to the girls, leaving them to giggles and gossip. He should have learned a long time ago that when he asked Lily Evans out, a simple “no” was never an option for an answer.

[little-pondhead]

@vala-dreams :)

love is forcing your friends to beta read your horrible fanfiction in the middle of a work day cause you can’t be sure what kind of insane you were when writing it.

[drarry-reccage]

The Words that Pass Between Us by overwatched (10k, T)

Tags: draco centric, eighth year, classism, invasion of privacy, unredeemed draco malfoy

Sometimes, Draco draws pictures of what could have been, had he made all the right choices: Draco in the Slug Club; Draco holding the Quidditch World Cup; Draco holding hands with some nameless, faceless person whose become some sick, secret sort of friend. He’s on every page Draco has touched. He flies with him, sleeps with him, laughs with him. And sometimes, if he pretends hard enough, Draco swears he can feel this person’s breath against his neck; a whispered I love you that has him pressing into the mattress, only to wake up alone wishing it were real. If he could just feel something, anything, other than this… He tears a page out of his notebook, feeling pathetic as the quill-tip touches the page. Potter, he writes. I wish to return to Hogwarts. I expect a visit, so we can discuss. – D. Malfoy After a brief moment of hesitation, Draco folds the letter and calls for Moopy. “Go on then,” he hisses, frowning as the elf’s eyes widen significantly at the name scribbled across the envelope. “You’re not getting paid to stand around, doing nothing.” For a few agonizing seconds, he and Moopy scowl at one another, until Draco stomps his foot like a petulant child and the elf Disapparates. It is pathetic how much relief Moopy’s absence brings. He’s never been fond of house elves. Their droopy, wrinkly skin and wide, glassy eyes give him the creeps. There was only one house elf Draco ever tolerated, just, and it’s long since died. He read about it in the Prophet, shortly before his arrest. Dobby, a Free Elf.  One name amongst many; a list of lives lost during the war, written by the Savior, himself. Draco knew then, without question, that Potter was a better man than he could ever hope to be."

(rec by @mallstars)

[sallowsoul]

idk what i did to make her face look so squished but considering this corrupted on me twice im not gonna play w/ it anymore... anyways

just wanted to do a lil doodle of savina and some things she enjoys / keeps with her / etc. finally designed her wand too! a little explanation for everything and some bonus info not pictured bc i ran out of layers:

point and laugh at her for being short. granted, the heels on her boots do help. i wanted to draw her looking a little more shy/quiet/tired. beneath the veneer she tries to present to others, she's struggling a lot and is really quite bashful. avoids sleep often or just can't sleep due to nightmares - sometimes ones that are prophetic or generally ominous, though she never knows what is and what isn't, and it makes her paranoid. her wand is made of hawthorn { i have my own lore for this oops } with a dragon heartstring core, 11 3/4", and has a handle made of marble, mother of pearl, and silver. { the flexibility thing still confuses me lol so i haven't picked one! } her sketchbook goes with her everywhere and was a birthday gift from her father, and the cover is embossed with her initials. just above it is a note she always keeps in her bag, the first little love note she ever received from sebastian. { it's proudly signed Bast, her nickname for him, and it is the first of what becomes Very Many } okay the rest is going under a read more so i don't clog anyone's dash!

she may not always carry the set of runes with her, but they were inherited from her mother. her mama is from norway and knows old norse and the elder and younger futharks, but pictured here is the elder futhark. something else she's very careful with is her mourning locket; it contains a small cutting of her twin sister's hair, along with a pressed forget-me-not. she's very careful about wearing it around & outside of hogwarts as she doesn't want to risk damaging or tarnishing it. she may not carry a full unicorn skull with her everywhere - though could you imagine - but she is very interested in the macabre and occult; she loves oddities and collects them herself, along with involvement with things like muggle spiritualism/contacting the dead/etc. her sketchbook also has a lot of drawings of the various specimens throughout hogwarts. perfume is something she'll always keep with her - her signature scent is a mix of almond, anise, candle smoke, a pinch of vanilla, and a touch of lavender. wispy, somewhat haunting, but with a lingering sweetness. some of her favorite treats are jelly slugs and skeletal sweets - i know skeletal sweets have been shown to be some sort of chocolate, i believe? but i liked the idea of them being gingerbread-y! each bite sounds like bones crunching. delightful! she is a lefty!! her patronus is a lamb, but later on when she becomes an animagus, her form takes that of a wolf. many a connotation here............ can't wait to explore it in fic and lore posting. i'm always happy to yap in dms or through asks too!

[indieblueart]

Slugcation (slug vacation!)

Character credit under the cut

Bonnet: @ambassador-blip

Bananacat: @pansear-doodles

The Herbalist: GroveRelic

Alrik, Li, Glowurm: FluffyMothballs

The Courier (+ Snacks); @gloucester-carousel

Aequill: BlasphemyTheeWorm

Strawberry: Corvin-Ito

The Beetlecat: @FrigidCoast

The Revenant: Artist

Seita + Sploinky: LunaCantSpell

Perforator: @mossyflowers

The Mescaline: DD3182

The Abyssal: _Petri

The Fluffball: Sloine

The Wavemaster: @passsionfish

The Muldoze: Dava

Battery Acid: @zeooo-q

Bittersweet: @ayipdoodles

Calder: aryinewoul

The Guide (and co.): @focshi

Yellowleap: H2so4

Flicker + Nettle: @north-winds1

The Preserver: Sugaryveins

The Galaxy: @reveks

Orange + Iridescent: seyriix

Jetcat: Hammy4463

The Bounty Hunter: @grapejuicedragoon

The Gardener + The Firestarter: @caranoelle

The Seafarer: SolarXeno

The Siren: Bluemauller

The Aquatic: Boba_theartist

The Sticker: DiamondzQwQ

The Jolly: @gargecko

The Coward: MarineLaChatto

Dummy: Sadness_Factory

The Caustic + The Bluff: Whispurr

The Chimera: Lakewaltz

The Ruse + The Sightseer: The-Dictators-March

Popcorn: avisqon

Lush: @buggleburger

The Wader: @hiroshotreplica

The Clairvoyant: kaarne

TBN: fiznoodles

404: Waspbee

Sun Shade: @oleandy

The Fool: @stimming4dayz

The Marked: MxZepix

Kip: @dexaroth

Dragon Slayer: @slink-a-dink

The Chimera, the Merchant, The Prophet, The Guard, The Aviator: @ask-sparkling-sea AKA me!!

[timeagainreviews]

Bursting Your Bubble

Liam Lynch once said- “The internet is a glimpse into how rude people will be in the future.” At the time it felt like just another funny little line from his song “Internet Killed the Video Star,” (not to be confused with the Limousines’ song of the same name) but nowadays it feels prophetic. Just this morning I made the mistake of reading the comments section and it’s thrown my day off considerably. From the comforts of our keyboards, we can write horrendous things. Treat strangers with contempt. It’s sometimes easy to forget there are actual people on the other end of our glowing screens. Insularity breeds contempt for the different. We live in our little bubbles.

It would be easy to blame the posters, the content creators, the influencers. A few bad apples spoil the bunch. But as psychologist Philip Zimbardo would say- don’t blame the apples, don’t blame the barrel, blame the barrel makers. The people who put the apples into the barrel in the first place. Despite everything Russell T Davies’ “Dot and Bubble,” is trying to say, one question hangs over it and the rest of this season- who is the barrel maker? Things in Finetime are anything but fine, but by whose design? One might assume it’s Susan Twist’s character, but who is she? This is the overarching question of season one, but is the question beginning to feel a bit drawn out?

From the outset, “Dot and Bubble,” acts as a sort of Black Mirror version of “Blink.” We’re given a young blonde woman who finds herself in a dangerous situation that requires her to look at something she would usually ignore. All the while, the Doctor and his companion are forced to talk to the young woman through a screen. The difference here is that while Sally Sparrow had gumption, Lindy Pepper-Bean is about as useful as a wicker toilet. She lives in ���Finetime,” an actual bubbled world. Her “Dot,” device then creates yet another bubble around her head. It’s bubble inception. The bubble tells her when to wake up, how to walk, and even when to pee. (Shout out to my boy Dr Pee!) Because of this, Lindy lives an unobserved life where hard questions need not bother her.

Everything about Finetime is a hyper-realistic nightmare of overstimulation. It’s like “A Clockwork Orange,” meets “The Stepford Wives.” Lindy can ignore her problems when there’s always a new Ricky September video on the horizon. As Frank from Brad Neely’s “The Professor Brothers” said- “We danced like those people in the hyper-tight light of fried chicken commercials.” Lindy and her “friends,” can completely ignore the fact that their friends have slowly begun disappearing. They don’t even seem to notice when they’re the only ones in the room, how would they notice gigantic slugs eating each other?

With Ncuti Gatwa away filming season four of “Sex Education,” the show had to do a couple Doctor-lite episodes. These are usually hit-or-miss among fans, but as “Blink,” proved back in 2007, they can become fan favourites. The Doctor and Ruby’s roles are reduced, but this episode does a good job of making them feel like a recurring part of the story. Even though they spend the bulk of the episode in what looks like the intro to “The Brady Bunch,” it never feels like we’re being underserved.

Lindy’s friends float around her like talking heads in her holographic bubble. But she keeps getting interrupted by the Doctor and his bad vibes. Even though Ruby is also invading her privacy despite not being on her friend list, Lindy is willing to hear her out. We’re not told why up front, but there is a reason Lindy can believe Ruby might feasibly be tech support, but the Doctor could not. Due to Lindy’s impatience, Ruby is forced to talk to Lindy as if she were a child, but not so much that she catches on. Anyone who stops Lindy from either working or playing is a massive drag to her. She really just wants Ruby and the Doctor to go away. How do they not know how society works? Why are they asking such stupid questions when the answers have been drilled into everyone since they were children?

We learn that Lindy’s mother is Penny Pepper-Bean, but she’s actually another Susan Twist cameo, so she could be anyone. Thankfully, both the Doctor and Ruby recognise her this time, and it’s not in an aborted timeline. I saw someone mention on Facebook today that they felt the Doctor recognising her felt rushed, and I couldn’t disagree more. It was high time we got something from this storyline. While it has been nice to genuinely be curious about Doctor Who’s mysteries again, this one has felt like a lot of the same. With the Doctor and Ruby now clued in, we have somewhere else to go in the future. Maybe now Susan Twist will come out from behind the mask and we can learn something more about her. Maybe now the Doctor will start looking into her involvement.

I’m usually not interested in fan theories as they’re often filler content when YouTubers and bloggers don’t have anything else to talk about. But here I believe we’ve been given quite a lot to work with to formulate a theory or two. I know I said “It’s probably not the Rani because it’s never the Rani,” but at this point, if she’s not the Rani, they’ve wasted their biggest opportunity to reintroduce audiences to her that the show has ever had. At this point, it would be weird if she wasn’t the Rani. The things she’s been involved with have all of her usual hallmarks. We have genetic manipulation in “Space Babies,” humans are being treated like lab rats in “Dot and Bubble,” and then there’s the whole disguising yourself in plain sight aspect. At this point, the bigger question isn’t whether or not she’s the Rani. The bigger question is why wouldn’t she be? Why would the show come so close to revealing her and then pull back?

Ruby finally convinces Lindy to look beyond her bubble where she witnesses her co-worker being eaten by one of the Man-Traps. Usually Lindy could just ask her Dot to guide her to safety, but for some reason, it feels more than ready to direct her right into the open mouth of a Man-Trap. Lindy must walk without the aid of her Dot, and man does she suck at it. She quite literally cannot walk talk and chew bubblegum at the same time. Part of me was worried the episode was going to spend all of its time making fun of young people and their phones. It’s cliched and honestly, I’m tired of it. But within the context of the episode, Davies isn’t attempting a technophobic condescension toward the youth of today. Instead, the episode endeavours to highlight the danger of relinquishing your thoughts and actions to outside entities. If we let others tell us what to like, who to like, or how to live, you may as well become worm food.

Having narrowly escaped death by slug, Lindy is forced to bumble about outside while the Doctor and Ruby direct her like the most exasperated form of Google Maps ever. An interesting aspect of this scene that I’ve not heard anyone talk about is the greenish-blue blood seen from a body being dragged away. You may not know what I’m talking about, but I’ll post a picture below. You may look at that and say “That’s not blood, that’s slug goo.” But where else in the episode do we actually see the Man-Traps leave behind any kind of snail trail? I’m going to go out on a limb and say I think the people of Finetime are blue-blooded, and considering what we learn about them, it makes sense. Blue blood is often a symbol for aristocracy, but it can also be used as a way to imply an inbred nature. In this case, we could infer that the citizens have blue blood because they don’t “dilute,” it with the blood of non-white people. Oh did I not mention the Finetimers are racists? More on that in a bit.

Throughout most of this episode, only one of Lindy’s friends seems to be concerned with the fact that people are going missing, and that’s Gothic Paul. Gothic Paul was a nice little addition to the episode because a trans man plays him and they didn’t make a big deal about it. He wasn’t even killed for being trans. He was killed for being delicious and too dumb to notice. A diversity win! Compare this to Chibnall’s gay representation where a character says “By the way, I’m gay,” and then spiders eat her face. LGBTQ+ people are allowed to exist in such a manner that it doesn’t feel like “kill your gays,” when they kill our gays. Representation has been so good that it’s not even problematic that a drag queen made a child disappear. You know, the thing all of those conservatives are worried about with drag story hour? That’s just the Maestro’s schtick. 

After the battery in Lindy’s Dot goes dead, she’s basically a sitting duck. That is until she hears a familiar voice call out. A voice belonging to none other than the dreamy Ricky September. Maybe it’s the insular nature of being a pop star, but Ricky isn’t bogged down by his Dot. Instead, he’s learned to appreciate existing offline. Because of this, Ricky reads things about their people’s history. And even luckier for Lindy, Ricky can actually walk and move about in the world. After a bit of starstruck awe, Lindy takes his hand as he leads her away from danger. It’s almost sweet if you don’t suspect what’s coming.

Ricky leads Lindy to Plaza 55 where a door leading to the river flowing beneath the bubble can lead them out into the Wild Woods. Knowing a bit about coding, Ricky simply needs to type in two digits every five seconds and the door will come open eventually. With no Man-Traps about, Lindy needs only to sit tight and let Ricky work his magic. While she waits, Lindy is able to charge her Dot which enables the Doctor and Ruby to contact her again. The Doctor infers that the Dots can see the Man-Traps, but willfully encourage people to walk directly into their mouths. As it turns out, the Dot hates Lindy and her friends about as much as the audience does. The AI has gone rogue and it’s taking these airheads with it. Sadly, this is also when the episode starts to get bogged down by the season's overarching plot.

The Doctor deduces that the Man-Traps are eating the people in alphabetical order. This leads him to believe that the AI must have created the Man-Traps, otherwise they would eat whoever, whenever. The reason I feel this feels bogged down by the overarching plot is that I can’t imagine these golfball-sized Dots being capable of growing creatures in a laboratory. The most they can do against Ricky and Lindy is act as a projectile. They don’t even have thumbs. Because of this, it’s logical to imagine that there is a third party involved. It’s not hard to imagine who that third party is, considering Susan Twist’s cameo. But in the meantime, we as an audience are left in a state of limbo where this is either part of some greater plan, or an unsatisfying plothole. Albeit, not an incredibly episode-breaking one. After all, the Daleks manage quite a bit with only a plunger.

With Lindy’s Dot trying to bash their brains in and Lindy being next in line, alphabetically speaking, we are finally introduced to who Lindy actually is as person. Using her mega fan knowledge about Ricky September, she informs the Dot that Ricky’s name is a stage name and his real name is Coombes. Ricky can barely believe the betrayal from the woman he’s tried so very hard to save. But her gamble pays off as the Dot refocuses its attention on Ricky, giving Lindy enough time to escape to the river while the Dot strikes down poor Ricky. As face turns go, this is one of the worst in Doctor Who history. However, it’s not entirely without warning. Certain lines of dialogue have clued us in to Lindy’s true nature throughout the episode.

Before we leave him behind like Lindy so callously does, I’d like to take a moment to talk about Ricky September, as I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him. It was hard to tell what the Dot does to Ricky because the camera looks away, but he could have survived. Why I think this is because they spend a lot of time building Ricky up as a character. Both the Doctor and Ruby have shown a romantic interest in him. There have even been rumours that there would be a sort of love triangle between the Doctor, Ruby, and Ruby’s boyfriend. On top of that, we’ve got another blonde-haired blue-eyed person with RS for initials. Even further, the S in both names indicates a point in time- September and Sunday. And just because Ricky comes from a community of racists doesn’t mean he is one. Like he said, he does a lot of reading. Perhaps he’s learned better. Or I’m wrong and he has a Dot-sized hole in his head.

Finally, we get to see the Doctor and Ruby in the flesh. Even more finally, we get to see them both in the costumes they wore in their first costume reveal! Lindy gives the Doctor and Ruby some shitty excuse about Ricky turning back to save more people. She even gives a begrudging thank you to them, but ultimately can’t bring herself to let the Doctor help her or her friends. Lindy and her fellow survivors can’t bring themselves to interact with the Doctor because he’s black. It’s as heartbreaking for the Doctor as it is infuriating to Ruby who can only stand there and watch her friend experience this ugliness. But the Doctor is still the Doctor and he’s a bigger man than their small minds. He continues holding out a lifeline to some of the most undeserving group of spoiled narcissists to ever grace the screen of Doctor Who.

I’ve seen people complain that the Doctor does this. That it doesn’t mesh with the same character who once punched a man who was racist toward Bill. But that was the Doctor drawing a line and defending his friend’s honour. The Doctor’s compassion is so great that he’s willing to forego his sense of self-respect to save lives. This is the same man who tries to reason with racist genocidal aliens, he doesn’t stop just because they look human. I know I would have let them die, but the Doctor is a better person than me. That’s not to say any of this is easy for him. It very clearly cuts him to his core. Ncuti Gatwa gives an earth-shattering performance here, and when you consider this is the first scene he filmed after the Giggle, it’s fucking astounding. This is the exact type of range I was hoping they would bring to his character.

As a white member of the audience, I am left with a lot of uncomfortable realisations. Like, I barely batted an eye at the fact that Lindy’s friends were all white. I’m also left wondering how many people the Doctor has saved in the past who might have also treated a black Doctor differently. But I also feel like this ending took me by surprise for a different reason than my own ignorance. I simply never expected Doctor Who to go there. The topic of racism is not new to Doctor Who. Martha experiences quite a bit of it, especially in “Human Nature.” But even their more recent attempt with “Rosa,” fell short by implying that in 3000 years, no other black person would stand up for their rights. It was an oversimplification of the civil rights movement that left me wondering if Doctor Who was capable of tackling such heavy issues. I never felt like the show properly addressed the Doctor being a woman, so believe me when I say how much I appreciate them addressing the Doctor’s race. Even further, I loved that it ultimately isn’t the Doctor who will suffer from their racism. Their prejudice has doomed them without anyone else’s help.

It’s weird to look at this episode on the TARDIS wiki and see the Dots and Man-Traps listed as the main enemy. Because really, it’s Lindy who is the real monster. It’s Hoochy Pie and her wack-ass trumpet. Also, can we not come up with a better name than Man-Trap? What about Erascists? They erase e-racists. Just some good little sluggy bois taking out the trash. I stan a king. The Dots hate those evil trust fund dickweeds, and honestly, same. Evidently, the name Man-Trap was introduced in Doctor Who Unleashed, which for the 4th week in a row, I’ve forgotten to watch. One of the side-effects of Doctor Who’s screwy release schedule is that now I completely forget Doctor Who Unleashed even exists. One benefit, however, is that I often get to rewatch the episodes the next day with my partners who didn’t want to stay up late. The benefit is that I’ll notice things I missed the first time. It also allows me to experience the stories for what they are, as opposed to what I expected them to be.

Being able to watch “Dot and Bubble,” with hindsight has given me an even greater appreciation for this story. Over time, I feel people will eventually regard it as one of Davies’ best. Its tone and themes remind me of something you would find in the Seventh Doctor era, which is high praise coming from me. Ricky feels like the promise of a character like Pex from “Paradise Towers,” properly realised. Hopefully, like the graffiti says- “Pex lives.” Dylan Holmes Williams does a fabulous job directing as the episode wastes nothing. It’s a Doctor-lite episode that manages not to waste a moment of screen time with the Doctor. In less than five minutes, Gatwa manages to be the command performance in an episode of solid performances. But much like “The Fugitive of the Judoon,” this strong episode remains feeling unresolved due to the plotline still hanging over its head. Once we have the hindsight of knowing how it fits into the greater storyline, it could appreciate in value. One can only hope.

[theheartofone]

Steel in Her Veins, Chapter: Twenty-Seven

Read On: AO3 | Table of Contents | Next Chapter

Characters: Fem!Reader x Roronoa Zoro

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Alcohol. Love It or Hate It.

“Keee-kohh-kuuu,” you sing out loud, wriggling on a mattress you’ve managed to slug away from the front of the Sunny to the back – of course, it wasn’t an easy feat, what with having to shoo a stringy Luffy off its surface. But with an evil grin and a few deft fingers, you managed to throw the mattress spinning in the air, peeling your captain off it like a sticky toy.   

He fell flat on his face, his body only a rubbery plane of thin paper, and with a grinning “Good game, Captain!” you patted him on his squashed shoulder as you pranced away from the hubbub of the festivities. 

You kick your legs in the air, your belly pressing against the feeling of sweet victory of softness. Although your body springs softly upwards in response, your fingers are anything but reckless as they fumble over Law’s prized possession. 

‘Kikoku.’ A voice hisses in your head, clearly aggravated by the dizzying display of your giddiness. ‘If you’re trying to talk to me, then at least get my name right.’

“Ah, sorry…” your lips sheepishly form into a crazy grin from behind the beer bottle that rests against them. Meanwhile, you distractedly shuffle over and peer over the wall, observing the chaos of celebrations.

The party doesn’t seem to be slowing down by any means – and that makes your muscles unconsciously dig deeper into the mattress. You needed this – a break from real life, to drink and nerd out with your best friends... Your swords. 

And you couldn’t be more thankful to Luffy for coming up with the idea. To Luffy, it seemed perfectly natural to hold a mattress party – to Luffy, Law and his crew taking refuge on the Sunny equated to having a never-ending slumber party with his friends.

This party isn't being thrown only because he’s formed yet another alliance with Torao, no. Moreso, it was managing to hold him and his crew hostage, indefinitely, on his ship, that Luffy felt was definitely something worth celebrating.  

“Shut up, Mugiwara. We’re not friends!” Law had bitingly snapped back, glaring at the toast Luffy had just made on welcoming the new crew members aboard the Sunny. 

Regardless, the rest of Trafalgar’s crew roared consumingly after Luffy’s toast, throwing him in the air like some sort of prophet, and, somehow, you had a slight inkling it was because of the alcohol they were downing like water. With a stubborn growl, Law immediately jumped into his crew and took care of that, as expected... Or, well, at least he tried to before his own crew grabbed him by his arms and dragged him into the centre of the noise. 

Franky and Usopp did their absolute godsent best at decorating, as always. With hundreds of mattresses sprawling across every breathable space, you can’t even manage to see the wooden planks of the deck that rests underneath them. Nami brought her fluffiest pillows and Robin, her thickest blankets, and with a copious amount of candles and fairy lights you’d scrounged around in your storage, the whole place looked like an evening none of you’d ever forget. 

And trust me, you'll notedly never forget this one. 

Brook lays casually like a lounging cat across a mattress, strumming his bones thoughtlessly across his guitar with one of his newest melodies. You and Nami start downing shots, competing with each other’s tolerances as Robin smiles widely behind a glass of wine. 

And later on, something unexpected happens. Law comes stumbling and tripping over the springing ground towards you, his face scrambled with overcoming embarrassment, with Kikoku hanging in your face. You gape at him in surprise.  

He rolls his eyes, his arm unwavering. Somehow, he knew you hadn’t been able to have time to really inspect her, what with…circumstances eating up at your delicious time. True to his word and refusing to owe debts to anyone, he gifts her to you with a pointed warning flashing in his eyes and a slight twist of his lips. 

And you…well you’re quite fantastically drunk right now.  

‘How impetuous. How dare my wielder offer my body to the likes of you,’ Kikoku snaps, the metal humming furiously in your fingers. You raise an eyebrow and snap your neck down to the sword.

“I’ll have you know, you’ll never be wielded by someone like me again,” you mutter, taking a large swig of your beer. “Don’t come complaining to me when you’re all broken after battle.”

A raucous laughter erupts from the other end of the deck, drawing your attention away from your conversation with the sword. You spot Bepo attempting to teach Chopper how to fold his small arms into a heart, while Law and Sanji engage in a heated argument over who can cook the best barbecue.

You stroke the blade affectionately, relishing in the way it vibrates with energy beneath your touch, and despite Kikoku's protests, you can sense a begrudging acceptance of your presence from the sword.

“Tell me, what’s your wielder like?” You ask softly, rolling around so that your back lays against the mattress.

Kikoku hums sharply in the resemblance of a human scoff. ‘What do you think? He’s worthy to wield me.’  

“Gods, deflate your ego at once or I’ll start adoringly calling you Kiki,” you smile, a devilish grin stretching across your cheeks. 

Kikoku emits a low, disgruntled hum, clearly unamused by your joke.

‘You may jest, but my wielder is a formidable warrior,’ it retorts with a hint of pride seeping into its tone.

You chuckle, taking another swig of your beer before setting the bottle down beside you. "I don't doubt it," you concede, feeling a strange sense of excitement for the sentient blade. "But tell me, what's he like when he's not swinging you around in battle?"

Kikoku emits a low, contemplative hum as if considering your question carefully. “I… admire him. Burdens weigh on his heart - a lot of them. And he may not know this, but I have vowed to protect him until death parts us.’

You almost choke on the alcohol in your mouth, eyes brimming wide in shock. “You willingly protect him? Isn’t that, like… suicide in the sword realm?”

Kikoku hums in affirmation. ‘I must admit, I have not been as giving to my previous wielders as I am now. Before, I demanded to be protected. To be kept safe amidst battle - as would any other sword, with any other wielder. But with Law…well, he is worthy. He needs me.”

"He's lucky to have you," you murmur, a newfound respect for the swordsman blossoming within you. "And you're lucky to have him."

The metal vibrates softly in your hand. 'Indeed, we make quite the pair.'

And then, you hear heavy footsteps. 

RORONOA ZORO

Zoro’s drinking. A lot. 

A lot more than usual, actually. More than his already high tolerance can surprisingly handle. 

But really, can you blame him? 

Look, he knows this. Guilt and alcohol don’t mix well – and, normally, Zoro wouldn’t disagree. Being a swordsman meant being in control of your feelings, of the way you present yourself to yourself, of staying still and accepting the thoughts that come and go like a soft breeze that passes through hanging leaves. 

But this time, he couldn’t reign it in. He couldn’t keep himself under control. And so he drank – he drank until his jug went dry, and then some more. 

Anything to release the convulsing storm in his muscles, the tension in his brain. The thoughts of guilt and grief and swords and the swordsmith and the swordswoman and…

“Oi Zoro! Where ya goin’?” Luffy shouts from a few metres away, his eyes brimming with an unquenchable light amidst the dark sea. “Can I come?”

Zoro waves him off, a few fingers loosening from the jug of his sake. “Need to walk a bit. I’ll be back.”

Luffy stares at him, silently taking in his first mate, a resigned purse of his lips affirming his observation.

I’ve got you, Luffy’s eyes say as they meaningfully squint in a smile. All ya gotta do is ask. 

Zoro huffs out a short breath and nods. His captain really is something, isn’t he?

And with a spin on his heels, Zoro slips away from the buzz of the party. 

As he trudges along the deck of the Sunny, the weight of his heavy eyelids threatens to drag him into the depths of sleep – but, somehow, he fights against it, knowing that the demons lurking in the recesses of his mind will only torment him further in his dreams.

Each step feels like an eternity as he weaves his way through the maze of mattresses and bodies strewn across the deck. His muscles ache with fatigue, protesting against the relentless march of time and the burdens he carries upon his shoulders.

The alcohol coursing through his veins offers little respite, its numbing effects doing little to ease the turmoil within him; instead, it serves only to cloud his thoughts further, blurring the line between reality and the haunting memories that plague him. The rhythmic sway of the ship beneath his feet threatens to send him toppling overboard at any moment, but Zoro presses on, driven by a primal instinct to escape the suffocating confines of his own mind.

And then, like a spectre rising from the shadows, a stray mattress materializes before him, its presence a cruel reminder of the shitty obstacles that are always thrown in his path. He tries to manoeuvre around it, but his coordination’s too impaired by the haze of alcohol and exhaustion.

With a sudden jolt, he finds himself hurtling forward, his body careening uncontrollably towards an unseen obstacle. His heart lurches in his chest as he braces for impact, his mind racing with thoughts of surprise and confusion.

And then it happens.

KOZUKI RAYA

In an instant, time seems to slow as Zoro's body careens toward you, his form hurtling through the air like a falling boulder. With a gasp of shock, you brace yourself for the impact, instinctively raising your arms to shield yourself from the impending collision. But as Zoro slams into you with unexpected force, the realization of what happens strikes you like a bolt of lightning.

With a sickening crunch, the blade snaps in half, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the still night air

Kikoku.

For a moment, there is silence as you lay stunned on the ground, the weight of what has just happened sinking in like a heavy stone. You stare at the broken sword in disbelief, your mind racing as you try to comprehend the magnitude of the damage.

Kikoku, Law's prized possession, lies broken at your feet, its once formidable form now reduced to two jagged pieces. Panic grips you as you stare down at the shattered remains, the weight of what has transpired hitting you like a physical blow.

"Oh, fuck," you gasp, your voice barely a whisper as you reach out to touch the shattered remains of Kikoku. 

As Zoro staggers back to his feet, his eyes widen in shock as he takes in the scene before him. His gaze flickers from the broken pieces of Kikoku to your stunned expression, and a string of curses escapes his lips.

"What the hell did you do?" he growls, his voice thick with disbelief and anger as he glares down at you.

You bristle at his accusatory tone, your own frustration bubbling to the surface as you shoot him a glare of your own.

"Me? What about you, stumbling around like a drunken bull?" you snap back, your voice sharp with irritation.

"Shut up. This is your fault," he seethes, his voice low and dangerous as he gestures towards the broken sword.

“Last time I checked, you were the one tripping over your own feet," you retort, your tone dripping with disdain.

Zoro's nostrils flare with anger, his eyes flashing dangerously as he takes a menacing step forward. "Watch your mouth," he growls, his voice low and threatening.

“Watch your feet,” you retort. 

Zoro rolls his eyes, taking a huge swig of his sake. With a tired exhale, he rests himself against the banister, observing you sprawled over Kikoku like some sort of distraught mother. "S'not like you can't fix it," he mutters tipsily, his breath splintering against the cool air.

And that literally makes you growl.

You snap your neck upwards, pushing yourself up from the ground as you stumble towards Zoro.

"Fix it? In less than – what – a day?" You snap, getting in his face. You throw your finger in the direction of the sword. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to repair a sword like Kikoku?"

Zoro's growls impatiently, his jaw clenching. "You know that's not what I mean, woman."

You take a deep breath, trying to reign in your frustration as you survey the damage before you. The broken pieces of Kikoku lay scattered on the ground, the once formidable blade now reduced to a jagged mess. 

"I'll need a miracle to pull this off," you mutter. Your gaze hardens as you turn to face Zoro. "And you, Roronoa, are going to help me make it happen."

[caughtinthefireagain]

“I know what you’re thinking,” Slughorn declared with a sigh, his face flushed. “This is far too much for one person to handle, organizing this mess in one night.”

One person? Ginny was under the impression she’d be helping Slughorn organize a few shelves and files, not deep-cleaning the entirety of his musty, decrepit office by herself.

“But not to worry! Mr. Zabini here was kind enough to offer his help.” Slughorn smiled and swayed slightly, beaming at Blaise as if his presence was some fantastic thing. “Teamwork makes the dream work, as they say!” 

Ginny’s jaw tightened, realizing the old bastard was already drunk. She was tempted to tell Slughorn exactly what she thought of this ‘teamwork’ nonsense, but Blaise’s smirk caught her attention. He leaned against the doorframe, so tall his head nearly brushed the top, looking far too pleased with himself.

Red-faced, Slughorn wrapped an arm around Blaise’s much taller shoulders, leaning against the Slytherin for balance. “Now, you can’t use any magic–”

Ginny stifled a groan. How the bloody hell are we supposed to get anything done without magic? We’ll be here all night!

Her stomach dropped at the thought. Her gaze flickered to Zabini, who was already watching her with a wicked gleam in his eye, as if she were a gift he couldn’t wait to unwrap. 

She swallowed hard, forcing herself to look away. 

“–but I’m sure the two of you will manage just fine.” Slughorn grabbed the bottle of mead on his desk before pocketing an unopened box of crystallized pineapple on the coffee table. “If anyone can sort this mess out, it’s Hogwarts’ newest celebrities!”

Ginny’s lips flattened into a thin line. She focused on breathing through her nose to avoid pulling out her wand and hexing both of the men in front of her.

“I’m so looking forward to seeing the press conference coverage in Monday’s Prophet,” Slughorn gushed, oblivious to the growing tension in the air. “I was just itching to join you all yesterday morning, but Professor Dumbledore wanted the event to remain exclusive.” He sniffed, his nostrils flaring at the perceived slight. 

“But, sir,” Ginny interjected. “Didn’t Professor McGonagall tell you? I’m here to serve detention. Are you sure you want to leave us–” she hesitated, feeling the weight of Zabini’s heated gaze on her, “–unsupervised?”

“Of course!” Slughorn waved away her concerns with a sloppy grin. “I have complete faith that two of my favorite students will get the job done. I fully expect to arrive tomorrow morning to a pristine office–I can’t thank you enough for your help–and when I do, I’ll send word to Minerva that your detention is complete.” He turned to go, patting Blaise’s shoulder fondly. “I knew I’d made an excellent choice in inviting you both to join Slug Club. Can’t wait to see you at the next meeting!”

Ginny managed a short, halfhearted grunt in response.

“Of course, Professor,” Blaise said smoothly, stepping forward to escort the Potions Master out. “We’ll make sure the office is up to your standard by morning. Have a lovely evening.”

Slughorn nodded at them both before ambling out into the hallway, and with a final, knowing grin, Blaise shut the door behind him with a click.

.............................................................................................................................

Excerpt from Chapter 17 of Matched by Caughtinthefireagain on Ao3

[t00nyah]

For this

19 for all your slugs :]

oh my god all of them- okay /pos pos pos

19. What are the inspirations behind your slugcat, if any?

the friend's literally my sona, and is inspired by my first playthrough! their design's spots are meant to look like firecrackers bc that was the first thing that left a big impression in my mind, like actually amazed me. i felt sooo much joy when i found out a plant explodes. poppy is literally just the first pup i got when i installed a bunch of pup mods, my daughter.

for eleven stars bringing dawn i literally just wanted to make a bioluminescent slugcat. the timejumper is not really inspired by anything, i just thought 'it would be cool to make a time travelling slugcat. and of course design them after echo bc what else could be tied to time-fuckery.' and the symbol on their head is actually 'time' from my speculations on the language used in rain world!

lizard pack ... i just wanted to make lizard-looking slugcat bc i thought it was a cool idea.

the anemone was initially just my jolly co-op character, their design was actually inspired by my sapphic rivulet! because i am sapphic. and yeek's design is literally just anemone + yeeks' markings.

flashdrive is actually partially inspired by orcas! i had a phase when i was obsessed with orcas haha. and obviously the heart-shaped freckles come from my usual sona designs.

i don't know if that counts since they're actually different species but the chatter originally was just a leslie meyers (south park) inspired slugcat.

the empath and the colorist are obvious. fungi.

the prophets are just my pups from trying to beat drought, but neuron is also meant to remind a neuron fly!

the chromatic is a cuttlefish inspired slugcat.

phantom is inspired by flying fish for a large part, initially being just a pup i got in-game.

the troublemaker is meant to resemble the friend because...they're related! i dunno if anyone made this connection at this point, probably not, don't think anyone cared much.

and may i present to you: unislug.

[sshbpodcast]

Character Spotlight: Kira Nerys

By Ames

We’re moving on in our character spotlight series from our favorite war criminal captain to one of the most well developed characters from the onset, Colonel Kira Nerys. From the moment we meet her in “Emissary,” we know exactly who Kira is, and the show wisely sends her on a complex journey within that grey area between terrorist and resistance fighter. Get you a Bajoran who can do both.

Ensign Ro may have set the mold for the Bajorans, but Kira grew outside of it and we’re so glad to get her perspective. So pick up your Bajoran phaser and get ready to take aim at some fascists as we celebrate A Star to Steer Her By’s favorite crinkly-nosed, red jumpsuit-clad militia officer in our Best and Worst Moments list below and on this week’s podcast (jump to 56:47). Walk with the Prophets, my child.

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Best moments

What other show gives you a zombie space pope? There’s more going on for Kira in season one than for other characters because she really rocks it from the start. And Nana Visitor has the chops to give that special nuance to a character like this, especially in emotional scenes like her breakdown when she accidentally gets Kai Opaka killed in “Battle Lines,” and the moment she has with her reanimated corpse is nothing short of stunning.

If I leave here, I’ll die Speaking of great moments from season one, Kira makes the hard decision in “Progress” to save Mullibok’s life by ruining said life. Over the episode, she bonds with the obstinate Jeraddo farmer by helping him build his kiln only to destroy it in the end and set fire to his house to force him to relocate, and it’s clear it tears her up inside. Bajorans really never win.

Enough good people have already died. I won’t help kill another. But perhaps the best thing to come out of the season (and to some, the whole show overall) is her character arc in the stunning “Duet.” Kira spends so much of the show battling her Cardassian demons (figuratively and literally), that seeing her grow to accept that some individuals may be redeemable is captivating, heart-breaking, and truly impressive (and have we mentioned it’s only season one?).

A new meaning to being selfish We would be remiss if we didn’t include at least a mention of the excellent and mesmerizing performance Visitor gives as Intendant Kira in episodes like “Crossover.” Say what you will about the mirror universe (and we have), but Kira is a wonder to behold and the chemistry between her and herself is like lightning in a bottle. Zap!

Cardassians LOVE cosmetic surgery Speaking of mirrors, imagine waking up and the face looking back at you in the mirror is the thing you hate most. Kira’s relationship with Cardassians continues to evolve in the wondrous “Second Skin,” in which she bonds with her fake daddy Tekeny Ghemor, foils a Cardassian plot, and discovers a resistance cell within Central Command – her favorite!

I was playing a married woman This is one of those cute little Kira moments from the show that tickles us, but in “The Way of the Warrior,” it is just too hilarious that her response to being wooed by Lancelot (assumably while playing Guenivere) in the holodeck is to slug him. It’s so in character that we have to applaud it. Kira is always the first to choose violence, after all, though sometimes that can be a downside.

Major, tell me another story Kira spends the second half of “Starship Down” tending to a badly concussed Sisko, and working through character conflict. As I harped on in the Sisko post, Ben is double-fisting roles as both space station commander and Emissary to the Prophets, and that comes with deep significance to Bajorans like Kira, and this is her chance to talk to him about it. Love that for her!

The life you’re choosing isn’t for her There are a ton of great moments between Kira and Ziyal, from saving her life in “Indiscretion” to encouraging her painting in “Sons and Daughters,” but the one we’re highlighting comes from “Return to Grace.” Kira sees that Ziyal is on a dangerous path if she stays with her father, and the bond they’ve established makes her advocate she move to DS9. There’s truly no safe space for the girl, but Kira does all she can.

The baby just had a change of address Thank the Prophets the show didn’t introduce yet another baby when Nana Visitor got IRL pregnant. That’d be way too many babies, so it was rather ingenious to move the O’Brien baby over to Kira in “Body Parts.” And it also highlights just how like family this crew has become. Kira really takes one for the team by agreeing to incubate Kirayoshi for Keiko. Now if only their characters talked more…

I owed it to my father to get it right this time Yet another great character-development episode for Kira comes in “Ties of Blood and Water” when she learns that Tekeny Ghemor – her fake dad and one of our favorite Cardassians! – was up to some shady stuff in his past. And while this alters the relationship between the two of them, Kira again accepts how he’s changed since then to be with him as he dies.

Romulans gotta scheme! Come season seven, the Romulans have gotten added to the mix thanks to some nefarious doings by Sisko and Garak. And Kira is left to deal with their constant scheming. Typical Romulans! Throughout “Image in the Sand” and “Shadows and Symbols,” Kira stares down Senator Cretak in a huge game of galactic chicken, and Cretak blinks first.

Don’t drink the Kool-Aid Our final great Kira moment is also the last time she ever sees Dukat. In “Covenant,” he’s leading his own little pah-wraith cult, and when the going gets tough, the tough gets really Jonestown-y. Kira literally leaps in and stops the whole assembly from ritual suicide, revealing that Dukat had a placebo pill for himself and he’d had them all charmed. Stupid sexy Dukat.

—

Worst moments

Maybe the ends justify the means? One of Kira’s strengths is also frequently one of her biggest faults, and that’s how very wide her ethical grey area is. She’s able to justify doing lots of pretty messed up things, like a certain captain I could name, and we see this pretty early on in “Babel” when she intentionally infects Surmak Ren with aphasia disease and holds him hostage to find a cure. That’s pretty brutal.

Bajor is not Kentanna For most of “Sanctuary,” it’s rather nice watching Kira befriending Haneek and the other Skrrean refugees. Until they express interest in immigrating to Bajor, and then Kira’s NIMBY side really comes out. It’s not a good look, Kira, especially for someone whose people were in a very similar plight until very recently. And frankly, Bajor could use the laborers.

It’s like stepping on ants, Odo Because of that wide ethical grey area, we’ve noticed that Kira is almost always the first person to advocate just killing whatever the danger of the week is, no matter the consequences. In “Playing God,” an episode about killing Cardassian voles, she’s quick to jump to the option of killing the tiny proto-universe, even when Dax expresses she’s found sentient life in it. Yikes.

The people have chosen Winn We know from “Battle Lines,” mentioned earlier, that Kira has a super soft spot for Kai Opaka, and also probably feels guilty for trapping her on zombie planet a little. But it’s just a bad idea to let Bareil take the fall for some shady doings in “The Collaborator” because it sets up Winn for the win (wow, I didn’t even try to do that) in the big kai election, lest she sully Opaka’s name.

The distant memory of a touch It would be an understatement to say Kira’s taste in men isn’t great (and that’s not even including the fascist she ends up with!). The first of her various men is Bareil, who’s fine but boring as hell. Certainly not worth forcing Julian to keep him alive against all his medical ethics in “Life Support.” But Kira’s into the vedek, so we’re forced to watch her push his existence to the edge of morality and cringe at what he’s becoming.

Do you like me? Check yes or no. Lucky for us, Bareil is a thing of the past by season four (for now), opening up the opportunity for Kira to make more bad dating decisions. While Odo weeps, she sets her sights on Shakaar in “Crossfire” and viewers at home roll our eyes at how high school the whole ordeal is. Why have these resistance cell leaders downgraded to petty relationship drama? It’s beneath them.

Kira’s edgy artist phase We’ve said it myriad times before, but Bajor is a cultural disaster. When Akorem shows up in “Accession” and declares he’s making Bajor great again by reinstating their rigid caste system, it’s clear that Kira is uncomfortable but still refuses to oppose it. This is a Sisko episode, after all. Even though she can’t sculpt worth a damn, she goes along with the d’jarras like a sheep.

A little lower While Kira is surrogating the O’Brien baby, she and Miles randomly develop feelings for each other only because of their constant proximity in “Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places.” That’s just gross and unnecessary. Nothing again Miles, but men and women are allowed to be friends without wanting to bone. Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones.

The phantom of Cardassia This one always bothered me. After several seasons of growth as a character, Kira seemed to have chilled out a little in her constant desire to murder Cardassians. So when “The Darkness and the Light” introduces a blast from the past whom Kira would otherwise have at least some empathy for, it strikes me as a character regression for her to fall back on thoughtlessly killing like she used to.

Same face, different universe Kira regesses again in “Resurrection” when a new Bareil is barking up her tree. Oh mirror universe, what have we done to deserve this? Sure, mirror Bareil is at least less bland than the original recipe, but who the hell is this Kira immediately falling for a boy in less than a day? That’s just not the character (that’s Jadzia, if anyone, whom we’ll discuss next week). Kira’d kick his ass.

That’s not what your mom said last night I may have given Sisko a little bit of guff for allowing this too, but I’ve got to give Kira even more. Whose first reaction when Dukat makes a yo mama joke in “Wrongs Darker than Death or Night” is to GO BACK IN TIME to check  on your mother’s sexual history??? What the hell, Kira??? Now the bigger debate is whether she should or shouldn’t have blown Dukat up. And fight.

Foul ball! Finally, I need to continue venting about “Take Me Out to the Holosuite.” Somehow, Ben held tryouts on a station full of beefy Bajorans, and still put Kira on his baseball team when she can’t even catch a ball. Kira plays springball in her spare time. She’s a resistance fighter. She was raised to have street smarts. How in the firecaves does she not know how to catch a freakin’ ball???

—

Praise be to the Prophets, that’s all! Keep your subspace communicator focused here for more character spotlights. We have someone who’s multiple characters in one next week when we discuss Dax! You can also go to warp five with us in our watchthrough of Enterprise over on SoundCloud or wherever you podcast, grab some hasperat with us on Facebook and Twitter, and maybe take up sculpting if it’s something you’re actually into.