#spark mag

[whenthewallfell]

Catch me picturing Mags in your band au as a retired legend, like I'm talking Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Elvis level legend, she's the queen of rock and has been since the 50s.

Oh dang how would Plutarch fit in there??

Omg yes, and even now when she hasn't got her teeth in she can still croon like nobody's business! Finnick probably grew up idolising her - I imagine that's how he gets into music, playing along to his parents' records and improvising riffs to try and match her singing. When he finally gets to meet her at an awards ceremony he panics, drops his champagne, and runs away - Annie has to drag him back and explain that Mags was his first love and he's not always like this, honest. They're besties now and he helps babysit her great grandchildren sometimes.

Plutarch is a producer the record label Vox Thirteen tries to hire for FOV after their first hiatus and break with Capitol Records. He's constantly suggesting changes to make their work more radio-friendly and commercialised, and trying to get Katniss to glam herself up a bit more - basically, he's a slightly nicer version of Capitol Records' Seneca, and Effie and Haymitch have to break up multiple fights a day. (They go independent as soon as the contract finishes and never look back)

[opal-owl-flight]

More late Kirbtober! Skipped a couple of prompts bc I cant find a way to make them fit within the early Allyship/post rtdl narrative Im going for with these...

[moonimii]

SOBBING CRYING GAGGING THROWING UP. Any Ways!!!! Various silly guffaws and doodles I’ve drawn while trying to figure out how to go about drawing tgis new batch of silly guys…

[goatsludge]

Milt Sparks Double 1911 Mag Pouch

This may seem like a boring duty belt accessory for your average early 2000's cop, but make no mistake - these were a significant part of Delta Force belt kit and are incredibly scarce today.

At least everyone says these were made by Milt Sparks, there's effectively zero information on them outside of operator testimony.

They're also actually a very effective retention system, especially for the late 90's/early 2000's before kydex was the universal standard. I can see why Delta liked these.

I'm more than likely going to pick up the TangoDown Vickers Mag Pouches, seeing as those are a direct clone of these but for 9mm/.40 Glock Mags.

[sirensquadron]

If I ever write Mag Flight I don't think I'll reveal this in the text but I do imagine Coot had a daughter who he had really young and who was killed by the Empire. Spark is... a little older than she would have been. Not much.

[luck-13]

Except in Muriel Spark's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, I've never heard this "term." ↓

"Little girls, I'm in the business of putting old heads on young shoulders. And all my pupils are the créme de la créme. Give me a girl in impressionable age, and she's mine for life." — Jean Brodie (Scottish, played by half-Scottish Maggie Smith (Edinburgh accent!) in 1969 film for which she won Oscar.)

is "oldhead" a derogatory term?

[graymalkinrogue]

It gets to me how much love is found throughout Sunrise on the Reaping. Haymitch loved his mother and Sid and Lenore and Louella and they loved him. Mags loved every tribute she mentored, she wanted them to create their own fates, even in the games. Beetee loved Ampert so much that he would rather take his own life than see him harmed. The tragedy is that the love didn't stop all the deaths. But in the end, the point was that the fight must continue. Even if the spark flickers out, persevering means the legacies of all those gone won't be forgotten. And that theme echos across the entire franchise. In the end, just like with the book of memories, it's about not forgetting those who fought for a better future they didn't get to see.

[lostmagic]

seeing a lot of “haymitch was a spark that didn’t catch fire” and while I respect that interpretation, I see it more as haymitch was the flint

he was used during the 50th by plutarch and beetee (and even mags and wiress) to lay the groundwork for everything to come during the 75th. he believed in what he was doing, but he was still just a 16 year old kid being used as a tool to spark a revolution no one was ready for yet

during the 75th he is still a tool but he can take control this time using what he learned from his games, working in the dark to gather the kindling in other allies and make sure that this time the spark WILL catch. ampert and beetee laid the foundation for him last time, but he learned from them and is ready

he has someone luckier and the timing is right so when plutarch uses him to strike this time, SHE can be the spark that fire catches

[jasontodding]

sotr is such a beautifully tragic book like-

haymitch thinking to himself that he can't even be considered a proper rebel

the 50th hunger games being re-edited into a neat little package, and haymitch’s lived experience literally becoming more pro-capitol propaganda

haymitch getting sent home with the bodies of his fellow tributes, haymitch saying that after the games there’s no shame or indignity too great for him to bear after he lost everything

all the times haymitch physically held katniss back, the way burdock everdeen did for him when the abernathy house was on fire

our first introduction of haymitch in thg is katniss thinking he’s this lone wolf figure, that he doesn’t care about anyone or anything, that he has no one and doesn’t want anyone in his life, when really it’s that he cared so much about so many people, but he lost them all and had to push the remainder away

“Our way of saying good-bye to those we cherished. I follow suit, raising my hand high, because I have so many to honor.”

the continuation of the “history gets rewritten” concept introduced in tbosas, and the overall theme of propaganda- maysilee and haymitch talking about symbolically painting posters, the arena being shaped like an eye, snow somehow knowing to use the gumdrops to kill lenore just to show haymitch that he’s always watching, “I guess Snow lands on top”

katniss being surprised in cf that haymitch actually knows people in the capitol, and realizing that he must’ve known other victors like beetee, mags, and wiress through his games

“Trying to forget is my full-time job now.”

HAYMITCH CARRYING AROUND A FLINT STRIKER AS HIS TOKEN, FEELING UTTERLY DEFEATED EVEN THOUGH HE’S THE VICTOR OF HIS GAMES, WHEN HE’S LITERALLY ONE OF THE MANY SMALL SPARKS THAT HELPED START THE REVOLUTION ALONG WITH EVERY TRIBUTE WHO WANTED BETTER, LUCY GRAY, LENORE DOVE, RUE, CINNA, PRIM, literally anyone who wanted a different future than year after year of watching kids slaughter each other !!!

“You were capable of imagining a different future. And maybe it won’t be realized today, maybe not in our lifetime. Maybe it will take generations. We’re all part of a continuum. Does that make it pointless?”

anyways i’m really emotional about this book everyone say thank you suzanne collins !!

[revelboo]

Maybe a one-shot on how some of the MTMTE bots would react to their human suddenly teleporting back home? My bones crave angst.

Oh. My one weakness… angst… How painful do I want to make this…

This is an alternate take scenario, not part of any of the stories

MTMTE What If Angst Scenarios: Just Gone

Megatron

• Rumbling out a laugh, he affectionately taps a servo under your chin and smiles when you lay a soft hand on him. “You’re quiet today,” he says, the contact with you soothing him. “Everything alright?” And you wrinkle your little nose at him. Know you think he’s worrying over nothing, but he can’t help it. You and the spark he’d created with you are everything to him. A second chance. A family he’d never dreamed possible. A gift that he’s not sure he can ever be truly worthy of after all he’s done.

• “Just a little off today.” There’s a faint feeling of disorientation, but it’s nothing major. Servos ghosting over your cheek, he’s frowning and you know he’s going to hover and worry unless you distract him. “Can I have some water?” Optics brightening slightly, he turns away and watching him, you still can’t believe he’s yours. That you’re here. Sometimes it all seems like a vivid dream. Heart aching as you watch him, that disorientation sharpens. Hooks into your middle to steal your breath and you recognize the pain. Remember it. Don’t even have time to cry out.

• Staggering, his hand catches the counter as sharp pain flares through the bond, almost crippling him as the tiny container of water slips from his servos. Turning, he stares at his berth. At where you should be and aren’t. Can’t sense you at all. You or his sparkling. Just gone. Legs giving out from under him as his knees hit the floor. Servos shaking uncontrollably as he roars out in pain.

Scavengers

• “Hey, move it you two, we don’t have time for-” Trailing off as Spinister just looks up at him, your blanket clutched in his servos, and Krok’s spark constricts. Knowing something is wrong, seeing it in the pain in Spinister’s optics as the big mech curls forward, rotor blades flaring as he hangs onto your favorite blanket. “Where’s Tiny? Spinister, what happened.”

• “Gone,” he manages, keeps turning the blanket over, twisting it like you should still be tangled in it and he’s just missing you somehow. You’d been in his hands, talking to him and your expression had gone strange. All you’d said was that you suddenly didn’t feel well. He’d had you. Safe. He’d been holding you and you’d just disappeared out of his servos. “Gone.” Looking helplessly up at Krok, because he always knows what to do. He can fix this. He has to fix this. Holding out your blanket in his shaking servos. Pleading for help.

Swerve

• Laughing, you push an empty glass across the bar top to him before jogging for the next one. Head turning when Nautica takes a seat, Swerve hears a clatter, a stool hitting the floor and he looks at Trailbreaker. The big mech pointing. And there’s nothing there. Overenergized already? “What is it, boy? Timmy down a well? Use your words,” he jokes, smile faltering when you don’t laugh. You always laugh. Trailbreaker is backing away from the bar gaping. Spark constricting when he can’t find you. You were right there. “Hey, that’s not funny.” Reaching to move glasses to see if you’re hiding behind one. You can’t have gotten down without help. ‘They just disappeared,’ Trailbreaker whispers. No. He’s had too much. He’s wrong. You’re not gone without a trace. You can’t be. He never got to tell you that he loved you. The moment had never felt right. You’re not gone.

Rodimus

• Entering his quarters, he sets down an energon cube and one of Ratchet’s nutrient bars for you. “You wouldn’t believe what Mags said to me,” he mutters, turning. And you’re not on his berth where he’d left you. Freezing, he shifts your blankets to check that you’re not buried under your nest of them. And immediately drops to his knees to look under the berth. Servos warming as his ability begins to flare. Terrified you’d fallen, but there’s no trace of you. It’s like you disappeared. Opening his door, he steps out into the hall and sees Chromedome looking lost. ‘I think the humans are all gone,’ the other bot says reaching for Rewind as the smaller bot grabs onto him. He’s wrong. He must be. His armor plating is popping, heating up. They’re wrong.

Tarn

• Servos sliding idly along your spine as you laze on top of him, he softly sings for you. Relaxed and focused on the steady beat of your heart. Tucking his chin to see you watching him. Humming along even though you don’t know the words, your voice twining with his to make warmth spread through him. And you sit up suddenly with a shaky gasp. Hooking a servo around you as you look up at him, brow creasing. “What is it?” You look afraid suddenly, doubling over and he cups his palm around you. And you’re just gone like you’d never been. And his servos tremble as he stares at where you’d been. Where you should be.

Cyclonus and Tailgate

• Another panic attack? Feeling the fear and pain spark through his bond, Cylconus growls and staggers. Nearly crippled with it. Crossing the room as Tailgate bounces off a wall, backpedaling and yelling incoherently, he catches the smaller bot and drops to his knees. Trying to calm him before he hurts himself. Or you. Where are you? Usually you two are about inseparable. Feels Tailgate clutch at him, and there’s a ragged, aching wrongness that’s tearing at him. All jagged edges through his bonds with you and Tailgate. And Tailgate’s hysteria takes on a new meaning.

• Venting raggedly, he’s howling trying to get Cyclonus to understand and can’t calm down enough to tell him. So he’s screaming, panicking. One minute everything was fine, stretched out beside you as your mouth brushed his neck, lazily tangling in you. Snaring you with his spark to check on the fragile twin sparks you’re carrying and then you’d just been torn away. Lost you and the sparks. Just gone. And he can’t calm down, grieving and terrified and confused. Screaming.

Next

And kitten twins for poor Cyclonus is a thing now

[evermarch]

people often use snow’s experiences with lucy gray as an explanation for how he engages with katniss, but i think that the true story of his downfall lies not in how lucy gray and katniss are similar, but rather in how they are different.

snow knew that it was never him that made the games what they are. it was lucy gray, with her scrappy, passionate artistry, that put on the show that kept people watching. more importantly, it was lucy gray that put on the show that kept HIM watching. all he ever did was give her the stage.

ergo, snow recognizes that the person with the power to usurp him is his natural counterpart, someone like lucy gray, who possessed both the charisma and humanity that he sorely lacks. however, in his mind, those traits are not real; they’re performed in order to obtain power. how could he know better, when he’s never experienced them himself, and the only person he ever truly believed possessed them betrayed him?

so snow keeps his eye out for performers, people with gravitas who could capture the heart of the nation, and squashes their spark as soon as he can. people like haymitch. people like finnick.

and that’s where snow goes wrong. he doesn’t see katniss’ similarities to lucy gray from the start, because while they both demonstrate astonishing, intriguing bravery at their reapings, their actions and motivations are completely different. lucy gray is motivated to perform by anger for herself, and katniss is motivated to sacrifice herself by fear for her sister.

but then katniss starts to put on a show for the audience, kissing peeta and being willing to die with the berries at the end of the 74th games. snow starts to see an entirely different side of katniss that resembles lucy gray to a concerning degree. he sees how, with peeta at her side, she could beguile the nation the same way lucy gray had. and, even worse, she was using the poor, helpless boy who had the misfortune of falling in love with her to survive. the moment katniss started performing, he finally sees lucy gray within her. but it’s already too late.

by catching fire, katniss is the spark fanning the flames of the resistance, but snow fails to understand why. as far as he’s concerned, katniss’ star power comes from her connection to peeta. he tries to weaponize their “love” for his own gain, but it doesn’t work, not because people don’t believe that she loves peeta, but because, for the first time, a victor offers their winnings to the family of a fallen tribute.

snow is caught in a catch 22 of seneca crane’s making—if he kills katniss, she becomes a martyr. but if he lets her live, she’ll be a revolutionary icon. either way, she’s the spark. so he has no choice but to allow the spark to flicker, just for a little while. enter the 75th games. snow knows he needs katniss to die a tragic death in the games. more specifically, he needs it to be a brutal death at the hands of a tribute, not the gamemakers, because he understands that as long as the districts see the capitol as the one who ended the life of katniss everdeen, she’ll still be a martyr.

but snow still doesn’t get it. in the quarter quell, the prey does not become predator. katniss’ allies protect her, ensuring she survives until district 13 rescues her. why would they protect this girl, assuming such a steep personal risk? why would they put everything on the line for a revolution they personally stand to benefit little from? he doesn’t know. but he does know that lucy gray katniss is at the center of it all, so he tries to eliminate what makes her look best: peeta.

and that is snow’s fatal mistake. what he, coin, and everyone but haymitch fail to understand is that it was never peeta that made katniss look good—it was katniss, who befriended and put faith in rue. katniss, who recruited mags, wiress, and beetee as allies. she is the source of revolutionary inspiration. it isn’t her charisma or even her compassion, and it certainly isn’t how well she performed those virtues.

katniss becomes the mockingjay because of her solidarity.

lucy gray was charismatic, like peeta, and compassionate, like both peeta and katniss, but she did not demonstrate solidarity. she was never truly “district” in the way katniss is. she showed kindness to jessup, not because he was from 12, but because he showed kindness to her. lucy gray left behind everything and everyone she loved when she left coriolanus, because she was first and foremost a survivor.

katniss was a survivor her whole life, but she survives exclusively to ensure the people she loves are protected. she always does what she can for people more vulnerable than herself. lucy gray couldn’t have sparked a revolution on her own because she lacked the solidarity that makes a hope for a better future authentic to others. katniss is the human manifestation of solidarity, and to a people divided by a common enemy, that’s the most inspiring thing a person can be.

only in the end, when katniss shoots coin, does snow realize none of it was a performance. choking on the blood of his countless adversaries, snow’s final moments are consumed by what he got wrong. what made lucy gray and katniss different ends his reign, but ironically, the final nail in his coffin is an act that both lucy gray and katniss share in their last moments with snow. they both prove, unequivocally, that he is not the center of their worlds like they are his. lucy gray put her own survival before her love for him, and katniss puts the future of her nation before her hate for him. in the end, he simply doesn’t matter. and that’s greater justice than could have ever been achieved if katniss had fired her arrow into his heart.

the greatest enemy to coriolanus snow could only be the person who reignited the embers of a dying revolutionary fire, who demonstrated to a broken people that while one spark alone might not be enough, thousands of sparks uniting in solidarity is an unbeatable force.

and really, he should have known better. after all, even when snow lands on top, fire melts snow.

[teenagecriminalmastermind]

mags flanagan was the victor of the 11th hunger games. she is probably one of the last people we know of canonically in the games who directly, vividly, remembers lucy gray baird.

she remembers the girl from district 12, who dropped a snake down someone's dress, who sang a song the day of her reaping as a fuck you to the capitol. the girl who charmed an entire country and won the games using sheer ingenuity.

she probably remembers reports of the capitol boy who served as her mentor, remembers the blond boy who broke the rules and stayed in that zoo enclosure with her. probably remembers the reports of him doing everything he can to save this girl. coriolanus snow. she remembers that name, tucks it away, connecting it with decency and integrity.

she probably, as a young girl, thought that maybe there was some good left in this world. if a capitol boy would put his neck and life on the line for a lowly girl from district 12, who would defy every social rule for her, then maybe there was some hope.

she probably remembers the rumours that floated around after those games, remembers how they said that blond boy ran away to be with her. remembers how no one heard from or about lucy gray baird ever again, and then next year she goes on to compete and win the games.

and then when the victors are made to be mentors, she looks for that girl, lucy gray baird, wonders if she could ask her questions about her games, about her life now, about coriolanus snow, the blond boy who changed the games themselves for her. but she is nowhere to be found. lucy gray baird is now a legend, passed down in hushed tones amongst the ones who still remember her. the girl who charmed an entire arena of snakes, the girl with the guitar, the girl who said nothing they could take from her was worth keeping.

and then she returns year after year, and a decade or so passes until she hears a familiar name. a name she expected died away in district 12 in obscurity, because there is no way the capitol would let his impunity pass unpunished, would they?

but here he is, president coriolanus snow.

she wonders how he's still here, and how he betrayed her memory, betrayed what lucy gray baird stood for, what he once stood for. but there he stands, impassive, cursorily shaking her hand before she stops herself from asking about the girl with the rainbow skirt.

then comes another victor from district 12, and she turns the games on their head, much like her predecessor. mags watches her, wonders if president coriolanus snow is thinking the same thing she is. when the quarter quell rolls around and finnick tells her about the burgeoning spark of a rebellion and how the girl on fire might be the one who fully set it ablaze, she agrees wholeheartedly to return to that arena.

she thinks about telling him about lucy gray baird and her story, but doesn't think he would believe her if she did. when she sees snow again, knowing certain death lies ahead, she finally asks him the question that's rested on her lips for half a century.

she asks him about the girl in the rainbow skirt.

[goatsludge]

Picked up one of the TangoDown/Vickers Tactical Double Glock Mag Pouches

The Milt Sparks Double .45 ACP Mag Pouch it's based on is on the left (duh).

I honestly love these things tbh Someone should bully TangoDown to make a 1911 version too

[threeacttragedy]

Entry 17: The One About All the Hot Air

Oh, hey, hey, hey – what is that over there?

No, not that –

That!

Ah, fuck.

Is that what I think it is?

Yeah, yeah, it looks like some sort of hot air balloon.

Ugh, it’s that fucking wannabe Wizard! Get that manipulative shit-fuck outta here!

Seriously, don’t let it set foot on land. It’s not welcome on this side of Oz.

Someone release the flying monkeys! Like, now. Knock it out of the sky.

Wait, I thought the Wizard liked green. This weirdo has a red balloon.

Bitch, I didn’t say it was the Wizard; I said it was a wannabe Wizard.

Oh, no wonder it’s steering that balloon like a fucking clown.

Hell, I don’t even think we need the monkeys. That idiot is going to crash and burn itself straight into the glass walls of the Emerald Palace.

Well, you know what they say when you start throwing stones in a glass house…

It is slightly amusing (and a tad concerning) to me that children are always led to believe that the villain of “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” is that bitch of a Witch of the West when the worst character traits are actually portrayed by the Wizard himself. And, by “worst character traits,” I mean that he was a master manipulator who conned an entire city into believing he held some form of great power.

Did you know that in the original story the Emerald City wasn’t really that green? Sure, it was made from green glass and emeralds, but the Wizard required everyone to wear green-colored glasses so that everything appeared greener than it actually was. Weird, that. And, even more weird, people bought it! “Here, put these glasses on and you’ll see everything exactly the way I want you to see it.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m fully aware “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” is a work of fiction, but the idea that people can be easily manipulated – especially by someone with “power” – is not fiction.

That’s what today’s piece of “hot air” is about – fandom manipulation and the power of suggestion. And who better to manipulate an entire fandom than the media? It’s unfortunate that I have to give the media power in this story – and even more unfortunate that I have to give it to rag-mags and social media – but the reality is information is power, regardless of whether it’s misinformation. In fact, MIT Sloan did a study in 2018 demonstrating how false information spreads through social media, namely, Twitter, six times faster than true information. Disturbing, right? I don’t even want to know what the going rate for misinformation is in 2025.

And, of course, since I opened today’s story with a visit to the Land of Oz, we may as well take a day trip over to Australia. Remember how I told you Australia deserved an entry of its own? Well, this is it. No, not really. I did say this was a day trip, not a sleep-over, so it’s not going to be chucked full of shiny bracelets or ways to “keep a good girl down.” It’s just our starting point today.

In my first entry, I briefly described what brought me into this fandom. It was something Luke said – and not really what he said, but how he said it – that left me intrigued. He was being interviewed on the Bowral red carpet by “Gretchen from the Philippines.” Yes, that’s literally how she introduced herself! Could I instead refer to the nice lady by her real name (Gretchen Fullido)? Sure, but “Gretchen from the Philippines” is far more fun. Plus, it sounds kind of whimsical. Any ways, Gretchen (from the Philippines) asked Luke if, “in real life,” he’d support friends-to-lovers. Luke’s response was, well, a bit jumbled, which was what sparked my curiosity because his previous answers that day were, for the most part, articulate: “I would – I would support friends – I feel like it’s not something that – that I have in my li – that I resonate with – that I’ve experienced. But, you know, if my – if my friends wanted to explore a relationship with one their friends, go for it. I’ll support it.”

Something in the way Luke answered that question was like suddenly being able to see the forest for the trees. At that moment, I was convinced Luke had always been in love with Nicola, and everything else that went on during that particular red-carpet event (and thereafter) simply christened the USS Lukola. However, that comment by Luke – and a subsequent one he made in New York – would result in the addition of a lot of trees to our enchanted forest.

Now – I apologize – we need to borrow a hot air balloon, preferably one that can travel through time, and jump forward to November 5, London-time. I promise, we will return to Oz momentarily.

Oh, fuck.

What now?

That ridiculous faux Wizard is right behind us. I thought I told you to send in the monkeys!

Dammit, you said we didn’t need them! I left those fuckers back in Oz.

Well, umm, I think we might need them now.

Why??

Uhh, do you see those four-legged beasts on the ground chasing our balloon?

Oh, you mean those coyote-like creatures?

Yeah, but we’re not in the Americas – and those ain’t coyotes…

Ah, here we are: November 5, Claridge’s, London. This was the evening Nicola attended the Harper’s Bazaar Women of the Year awards. We’re only stopping in real quick to steal a piece of the speech Nicola gave that evening. Okay, got it! Let’s get the fuck out of here!

The part of the speech I wanted to share was this: “I did a six-month press tour for Bridgerton, the show which I love, and I’m so proud of. The amount of inappropriate questions I got asked about my appearance, about my relationship…”

Hold up. Relationship? What relationship?

Did she say “relationship” or “relationships?”

Does it fucking matter?

Well, I guess not. But what does it mean?

I could tell you what I think it means… Wait a hot-air-balloon-minute – where the fuck have you taken us? I told you we needed to go back to April 21, Aussie-time. This looks like Soho in January.

Shit, sorry. Let me fix that. Here we go…

>>> 

Umm, hey, where’s that weird little red Wizard? I swear it was just behind us…

Eh, probably got stuck in Soho, hahaha. Guess it missed its exit.

Do you think that’s a good idea?

Yeah, sure. It’ll be fine…

We’ve returned to April 21, Bowral, Australia. Now, at this point in the timeline, World Tour interviews were already well underway. In fact, the first two parts of EmEdits on YouTube are entirely pre-Australia interviews, making up roughly 6 ½ hours of screen time. I’m not the least bit surprised that “Gretchen from the Philippines” asked Luke what his thoughts were on “real life” friends-to-lovers. The chemistry between Luke and Nicola was hard to ignore.

The Australian red carpet also introduced the hand holding, which – if we took another magical mystery tour over to May 9, Italy – Nicola and Luke agreed was a sign of “love.” I suppose I could buy the excuse that one or both had so much anxiety they needed the other’s hand to remain calm on the red carpet. But, nah, I wouldn’t buy that at all – for one very specific reason. When Luke and Nicola were seen leaving (I believe) the Milton Park Country House on April 23, Luke instinctively reached for Nicola’s hand as they were descending the steps. Why? This reflex by Cool Hand Luke was as natural as a pregnant woman touching her stomach. I ask again – why?

There’s only one answer.

It’s the answer that fits with the Claddagh ring. It’s the answer that fits with the side jaunt to Galway. It’s the answer that fits with their natural chemistry, the hand holding, the canned “shared experience” and “unique relationship” responses, the playful sexual innuendos. It’s the answer that fits with Luke’s “the best foundation for love is friendship” bracelet. It’s the answer that fits with Nicola’s remark about “[t]he amount of inappropriate questions I got asked…about my relationship…” It’s the only fucking answer that makes sense.

But, the real kicker is, why don’t people believe that is the answer?

Why is it so hard to believe that Luke and Nicola could be in a real-life relationship?

That’s easy – because the Man Behind the Curtain told us so.

Who is the Man Behind the Curtain? Well, that’s also easy. It’s collectively the rag-mags and the social media creators on the prowl for a following. It’s the spread of misinformation at its worst and it’s so incredibly easy to do with, say, a pair of green-colored glasses.

Like I said, “…put these glasses on and you’ll see everything exactly the way I want you to see it.”

There was one major plot twist that came out of the World Tour, and you already know what that is. The seed was planted with a New Year’s Eve kiss, fertilized with blurry pictures, a compulsory hallway hug, and copycat photos, and encouraged to grow with a bit of junk news and a lot of social media innuendo. Now, I’m not saying the video and photographic evidence that was presented was fabricated; I’m simply suggesting the narrative that came out that evidence was skewed. The media, namely, social media creators, pushed us to plant Lutonia trees while Luke’s actions (i.e., not acknowledging the existence of Lutonia) told us to “pay no attention to the Man Behind the Curtain.”

Uh, so, what you’re saying is we shouldn’t have left that wannabe Wizard in Soho?

Ah, shit! I forgot about that fucker!

The unfortunate thing about the Lutonia narrative was that it was bolstered by insinuation that Luke would never be interested in Nicola. Now, whether these remarks were deliberately planted, or they were simply seedpods carried away by a storm, they were not overlooked by Lukolas – or Nicola. In fact, Nicola herself brushed upon it in her Harper’s Bazaar speech: “The amount of inappropriate questions I got asked about my appearance…” Yes, I’m referring to the suggestion that Luke preferred “brunettes” over “blondes.” Somehow this narrative was conveniently supported by the existence of – lo and behold! – the brunette “friend of a friend” Antonia, who happened to be slender. Again, whether it was intentional or not, the push by, initially, social media creators (and later gossip rags) to link Luke to Antonia inadvertently called the blonde in our story – Nicola – fat. I refuse to dance around that word because it is exactly what this disgusting narrative implied when it chose to compare Antonia to Nicola. Regardless of whether these gossipmongers “corrected” themselves by replacing “thin” with “brunette” and “fat” with “blonde,” the implication was that Luke would never be interested in Nicola because she had thick blonde hair. This was incredibly upsetting and confusing to many Lukolas because it was contrary to Luke’s behavior towards Nicola throughout the World Tour (and in Bridgerton behind-the-scenes clips).

I decided months ago that Luke was incredibly transparent. And, by that, I mean he’s terrible at keeping secrets. Luke himself admitted his “tell” to this was pulling at his ear – now go watch the World Tour with that information in mind. It’ll give you something to do, at the very least. Luke’s sincerity is also why the blonde versus brunette nonsense just doesn’t take flight for me. Any ways, as I hinted at earlier, Luke’s comments on the Bowral red carpet and his later comments in New York City about friends-to-lovers would – again, unfortunately – give the Man Behind the Curtain ammunition to debunk any real-life relationship between Luke and Nicola. Luke was quickly labeled as being “…dismissive of something ever happening between him and Nicola…” Those are literally the words The Tab used in an article dated May 22 to explain Luke and Nicola’s differing commentary about real-life friends-to-lovers. In fact, the article is titled, “Luke Newton has revealed the reason he’d never date Bridgerton co-star Nicola Coughlan.” Oddly – but not really given the source – Luke never actually said he would never date Nicola. But that fact didn’t stop it from becoming a theme of the World Tour – Luke didn’t believe in friends-to-lovers therefore he would never date Nicola – even though, by the end of the tour, Luke’s stance on this had seemingly changed. That’s not to say the rag-mags misquoted Luke – they didn’t – but the narrative they coiled around his words attempted to shut down the idea that Luke and Nicola would ever date in real life because Luke wasn’t interested. But what Luke was saying was that he believed in love-at-first sight. “I actually don’t think friends-to-lovers is something that happens in my life. If I meet someone, I know immediately.” Now, take that statement with the fact that Luke has repeatedly stated he remembers everything about the moment he met Nicola.

The above examples of gossip and innuendo are simply par for the course. The media manipulates facts all the time – whether it be through social media chatter or rag-mags putting their own spin on ordinary commentary – but this type of manipulation is not what puts the fandom in danger of itself. In fact, most of the gossip and innuendo that took root during the World Tour would have dissipated almost immediately after it ended – if it hadn’t been for Papsmear.

Yeah. That was disastrous.

Come to think of it, it was awfully convenient, too, don’t you think?

Absolutely. And you know what else was convenient? That little wannabe Wizard was –

Oh, yeah, I heard that, too! That clown has been trying to hand out green-colored glasses ever since!

Yep. Tried to give me a pair and I told it to go fuck itself and its little glass cat, too. I mean, they weren’t even name brand glasses. Fake ass, bitch.

All jesting aside, if you haven’t noticed already, I do, on occasion, use my writing to call out the fandom, usually as a whole. I mean, we are in this together, right? Actually, no; we ceased being Collectively Delulu after a few unsavory characters were bitten by the Hunter’s Moon and followed Nicola through the streets of New York and London. There was a major – and rather unexpected – shift in the fandom when the rabid Jakolas appeared from the dark corners of our enchanted forest. And I’m sure you’ve realized at this point in my story that I have one particular – oh, shit, I just realized I don’t even know to which fandom our wannabe Wizard belongs. Ruh-roh. Regardless, that motherfucker is in my peep sight because it is a perfect example of how fandom manipulation has reached a new level of toxicity.

Typically, I don’t care what part of the fandom you’re on. My general attitude is, to each their own. If you’re a Jakola and you find yourself spending an average of 15 minutes each week reading my Lukola blog, I applaud you for peeking outside of the den hole. Best not let Alpha find out, though. It’s all in good fun, right? I often find myself getting a good laugh from Jakola stories, especially when they theorize on the Woman Behind the Curtain. Question, though – did you find her? In all seriousness, if I didn’t consider Jakola and Lutonia perspectives, I would be borderline Conscientiously Stupid, now, wouldn’t I? After all, the desire for knowledge is what ultimately gave our Scarecrow his brain.

However, what I don’t find “in good fun” is when social media creators prey on more than one side of the fandom under phony pretense, namely, that they “just want Nicola to be happy.” Oh, these Cowardly Lions may argue that they’re simply being “neutral” – and, yes, I’m sure some instances of this do exist – however, neutrality does not embrace openly ridiculing one fandom over another, especially on a platform that is touted by its owners as being a “safe space” for everyone. The problem with these so-called “neutral creators” is that they’re only here for social media engagement – the clicks and the giggles – and they defect to the other side when the going gets tough. If you, too, take issue with this kind of creator, be soothed in knowing that when you play two sides, you find yourself with two-times the number of enemies.

What makes these so-called “neutral creators” – actually, let’s just call them the “Defectors” – so poisonous to the fandom is that they are made from the grease drippings found at the bottom of the barrel of the Conscientiously Stupid. The Conscientiously Stupid are one thing – they are the ones using their platforms to spread misinformation because they choose to ignore exculpatory evidence (i.e., they’re headstrong in their beliefs) – but the Defectors are typically the ones creating the misinformation and feeding it to the Conscientiously Stupid and then hanging them out to dry when the information proves to be false. The Conscientiously Stupid who refuse to “lose the battle” then resort to bullying (more so than usual) the Sincerely Ignorant of an opposing fandom. And in defense of their Sincerely Ignorant comrades (or simply because they’re sick and tired of the Conscientiously Stupid preventing anyone from having nice things), the Fact Finders – unceremoniously, I might add – have taken their own place on the battlefield (oh, yes, they are absolutely your tactical commanders). Now, the entire fandom is at war with each other – all because some wannabe Wizard – a Defector – convinced people to look through a pair of shiny, green-colored glasses. More than once.

Is it appropriate – or perhaps a bit catty – to put “ceasefire” here?

Ah, yes, well, uh, we have found ourselves a bit far from Oz at this point, haven’t we?

I suppose – but we are trying to help Dorothy find her way back home, and at least we now have an idea as to how she got lost.

Maybe one day we will get her back to Kansas.

Yeah, maybe.

Oh, silly me! I forgot to sneak in a sly reference to Dorothy’s third companion – the Tin Man! He’s perfect for the end of our story. You know, in the book, the Wizard was just an ordinary man who stumbled into his Ozian existence on a magnificent hot air balloon and took advantage of the power that Emerald citizens bestowed upon him. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Wizard preyed on the naïve using deception and the power of suggestion and invoked fear in anyone who dared to question his authority –

Uh, where are you going with this?

Give me a minute!

Like I said – shit, where was I? – Oh, yes, the Wizard was just an ordinary man, and ordinary people are flawed. We all make mistakes. This is where our Tin Man comes in as he represents love and empathy. Yes, empathy; the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, to understand and forgive, to take into consideration someone’s redeeming qualities –

You know that Wizard defected in his hot air balloon before taking Dorothy home, right?

Wait, what?

Okay, okay. It was Toto’s fault but the Wizard sure as shit didn’t come back for her!

Hmm, you’d almost think Toto knew the Wizard’s true colors all along…

“Au revoir, Wiz.”

[sirensquadron]

Okay so far I have

Mack Idared- main character, new girl on the Squadron, roughly 20 when she joins a few months after the battle of Hoth. Mack is her real name, at first she doesn't have a callsign because she's new but by the time they know her enough to give her one, they decide it would be best to keep calling her her real name. I'll elaborate on why later

Fish- Lieutenant and XO. Real name is Liddy Pursik. Correlian, from Gus Talon. Dating Midline to keep her dad off her back- I mean... because she's in love with him!!! Like 25 by the battle of Hoth, so about Wedge's age. They call her fish because she's crash landed into like three large bodies of water, and cause she wears big aviators off duty, hence "fish eyes"

Coot- Captain of the squadron. Sort of mysterious, all they really know about him is he's bisexual. He's only like 30ish but they call him Coot cause he's still the oldest. (Street-Cat: And he acts like an old man!!)

Street-Cat: she was raised on Ryloth (and is a twi'lek). They call her Cat quite a bit or Catty sometimes but not Kitty. She got the name because she says pursuit with a strong r sound that makes it sound a bit like a purr, but she certainly causes enough problems to keep up with the name.

Spark: you can't stop me from making 1 million Aldraanian OCs it's in my accommodations. Anyways, Spark is also about 20 and was about 16 or 17 when she joined the squadron. Fish and Coot are pretty protective over her for this reason even though she is an adult now. She's called Spark because her first week she tried to make a repair on her ship herself and caused an electrical fire. Oops.

Midline: Ah what to say about Midline. He's from Corellia proper, he's dating Fish. They're about the same age, but Midline is certainly not making Lieutenant any time soon. He got his name for being deeply mediocre, at more or less everything. He's not all that good or all that bad. He's a fine enough guy but well... he's just there

[coffeenonsense]

MASSIVE SPOILERS for SOTR but this book made me absolutely feral bc it's not a story just about implicit submission and propaganda, it's also one about the deeply personal cost of resistance and how that resistance is ALWAYS going to fail if you go in alone

haymitch's story isn't a tragedy because he failed to incite a rebellion or stop the games, it's a tragedy because he absolutely could have succeeded if different choices were made by the people around him

there are numerous ways this is illustrated throughout SOTR, but one of the most telling is through haymitch's interactions with plutarch heavensbee, particularly the last few conversations they have in the book, like this exchange during the victor's tour:

Here, both plutarch and haymitch are acknowledging that haymitch was unlucky, which he was, but it also showcases that the CRITICAL thing missing from haymitch's efforts at resistance was support.

(this isn't germane to this analysis but I would like to stress this is plutarch pitching resistance to haymitch pretty much immediately after the capital burned his family alive and poisoned his girlfriend, and I hope at some point during/after the mockingjay rebellion haymitch got to hit plutarch with a shovel)

after his reaping, haymitch is pulled into a plan for resistance by people who provide him with tools, and information, but then, crucially, step back entirely and wait to see if haymitch is successful. Like katniss, they pin the face of resistance (in the eyes of the capital) to haymitch, but make sure they themselves are out of the direct line of fire.

haymitch even points this out during another exchange with plutarch:

In keeping with the main theme, Plutarch's ability to create and distribute propaganda is thrown into the spotlight—as is his deliberate choice to create propaganda for the capital, and not the resistance. Not haymitch.

plutarch could have allowed footage of the true circumstances of haymitch's reaping, his protection of lenore dove, to be broadcast. He could have let the citizens of panem see haymitch lay louella's body at snow's feet, or haymitch running with lou lou's body, trying to protect ampert, or shown any of the other small acts of rebellion haymitch did throughout the book.

But he didn't.

Instead, he gave haymitch tiny hints, spun out just enough hope to ensure haymitch would try to disable the arena. Him and the other "conspirators" like beetee came up with a plan and instead of working alongside haymitch, chose to put the plan's success or failure entirely on the shoulders of a 16 year old kid, knowing full well the price of any failure, and in certain instances, not just failing to support his effort but actively taking steps to ensure nobody is ever going to know about it.

And when it fails, when the games end, haymitch is the one who pays the cost for what the capital sees as individual resistance. beetee and mags and wiress and the other district victors suffer alongside him.

Ultimately, though, as tragic as haymitch's story is, it's also a painful but crucial lesson in resistance. There is no katniss without haymitch. There is no girl on fire without the boy with the flint striker.

haymitch isn't a spark that failed to ignite. haymitch is a spark that people noticed, but nobody fed, and then snow stamped it out. and when katniss comes around, they know enough not to make that same mistake.