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flickynightdarkness · 5 months

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Info about my Disney's House Of Mouse OCs

Lady Iris

Staff member – works as guest supervisor

Human

Spark

Guest

Steampunk themed OC

Wears a pair of his mechanical boots, in which to gain boost

Freeze

Guest

Russian-American

Explorer

Presumed dead from hypothermia when she is going to explore Antarctica

June

Guest

Therapy cat

Acts like a supportive therapist

Magma

Guest

Human

Irish

Suffers from burn marks after he fell into lava

Halo

Goat

Christian

Non-binary

Respectful to everyone's religions

Some of their personality is shared by Claude Frollo

Scythe

Guest

Halloween themed

Scarecrow

Male

Raises three kids(Pumpkin, Reese and Dove)

Despite being annoyed by their antics, he deeply cares about them

Paw

Guest

Inspired by Needlem0use

Cat

Unlike Needlem0use, Paw doesn't possess a human

Pumpkin and Reese

Guests

Cats

Halloween themed

They both love Halloween and candy

Pumpkin is a female

Reese is a demiboy

Both raised by Scythe

Dove

Guest

Goat skeleton

She's a child

Raised by Scythe

Carefree personality

Roams around the club, speaking out creepy stuff at the club's staff, despite being very young to know that

Gore

Guest

Wendigo

Obsessed with death

Pure evil

Polka

Clowncore

Clown

Guest

Performer

Venom's friend

Venom

Perfomer

Guest

Spider

Polka's friend

Fawn

Deer

Guest

Quiet

Is very calm around Disney's animal characters and even understands them well

Tam

Mute

Guest

Rabbit

Uses signs and their feelings to communicate with others

Heart and Vorce

Conjoined twins

Heart represents the sin of lust

Vorce represents the sin of wrath

Guests

Demons

Heart has a heart pupil on his left eye

Vorce has a x pupil on his right eye

Lady Clover

Staff member – works as guest supervisor

Human

Mocha

Guest

Wonderland and coffee aesthetic

Tak

Inspired by Needlem0use

Guest

Fox

Swirly

Guest

Hypnosis demon

Has swirls for eyes

Sapphire

Steampunk themed

Wears goggles and a jetpack with mechanical wings

Guest

Sunstone

Pirate themed

Interests in gems

Guest

Noon

Guest

Dream demon

Sleeps throughout the entire club

Opal

Guest

Goat

Christian

Female

Dislikes sorcery

Rose

Guest

Ventriloquist

Hallow

Halloween themed

Scarecrow

Guest

Spotty

Clowncore

Performer working both the club and their own circus

Clown

Moonlight

Guest

Goat demon

Wears a ghost costume to hide their identity

Roams around the club, speaking out creepy facts at the club's staff

Vein

Vampire

Guest

Cell

Spider demon

Inspired by Angel Dust from Hazbin Hotel

Guest supervisor in Vanity's villains only clubs

Rival and an opposite to Celina

Celina

Sheep like angel

Guest supervisor (mostly for the heroes)

Rivals with Cell

Soul

Wendigo

Guest

Obsessed with death

Muff

Guest

Soft aesthetic

Wuzz

Staff member - works as apprentice of supervising guests

Right hand and close friend to Clover

Choc

Guest

Dessert themed

Has an ability to create any dessert

Sal

Staff member - works as props handler

Imp

Jingles

New guest of Lord Humility's heroes only club

Angel

Jangles

New guest of Lord Vanity's villains clubs

Imp

Jingle

Christmas themed

Guest

Lan and Jin

Lan is Halloween themed

Jin is Christmas themed

Guests

Lan as sprit of Halloween

Jin as spirit of Christmas

Wei and Lui

Conjoined twins

Wei represents sin of wrath

Lui represents sin of lust

Guests

Feather

Guest

Helpful with the club's staff

Kig

Rabbit

Inspired by Needlem0use

Enemies with Tak since they torture them a lot

Guest

Mac

Dog

Inspired by Needlem0use

Guest

Enemies with Paw

Lord Humility

Arch angel

Runs clubs only for all heroes

Host

Lord Vanity

Faun demon hybrid

Runs clubs only for all villains

Host

Lord Hubris

Inspired by the exorcist angels and Adam from Hazbin Hotel

Leader of his group of exorcist angels in order to wipe out the villain population

Hates villains with a burning passion

Vanity's Imps

Minions to the Lord

They treat their lord with respect

Inspired by the imps from Helluva Boss

Some have wings

Have the height of a child

Staff members

Humility's Cherubs

Helpers to the Lord and the club

Always supportive to their leader

Have the height of a child

Staff members

Hubris' Exorcists

Inspired by the exorcist angels from Hazbin Hotel

Most are females, although some are males

Lord Marine VI

Leader of Envy City

Fish demon

Has fish demon as minions

Lord Cotton VII

Leader of Sloth City

Goat demon

Has sheep and goat demons as minions

Lord Rage II

Leader of Wrath City

Dragon

Has dragons and imps as minions

Lord Crimson I

Leader of Pride City

Demon

Has imps as his minions

Lord Alexandre V

Demon

Leader of Lustville

Has succubi and incubi as his minions

Lady Sweet III

Leader of Glutton City

Arachnid demon

Has animal demons and animal hybrids as minions

Lord Jade IV

Leader of Greed City

Centaur demon

Has clown demons, snake demons, centaurs and sharks as minions

Sin Spiders

7 of them named after seven deadly sins – Pride, Wrath, Glutton, Greed, Lust, Envy, and Sloth

Loyal apprentices of the deadly sin lords

Cousins of Cell

Spider demons

Tune

Spider demon

Friend of Cell

Music themed

Has music notes as pupils

Ares

Sheep

Leads a bed of lambs who he treats them dearly with care and support

Father figure to his bed of lambs

Ares' Lambs

Lambs

Inspired by Egg Boiz from Hazbin Hotel

Lady Humble I

Ruler of Humility City

Goat angel hybrid

Opposite counterpart and mortal enemy to Lord Crimson I

Lord Patience II

Ruler of Patience City

Sea dragon angel hybrid

Opposite counterpart and mortal enemy to Lord Rage II

Lord Temperance III

Ruler of Temperance City

Mixed hybrid of a coyote, a butterfly and an angel

Opposite counterpart and mortal enemy to Lady Sweet III

Lord Generous IV

Ruler of Generosity City

Spider angel hybrid

Opposite counterpart and mortal enemy to Lord Jade IV

Lord Chastity V

Ruler of Chastity City

Mixed hybrid of a faun and a seraphim angel

Opposite counterpart and mortal enemy to Lord Alexandre V

Lady Kindness VI

Ruler of Kindness City

Bird angel hybrid

Opposite counterpart and mortal enemy to Lord Marine VI

Lady Diligence VII

Ruler of Diligence Town

Sheep angel hybrid

Opposite counterpart and mortal enemy to Lady Cotton VII

Van and Bris

Hench-twins to Lord Crimson I

Residents of Pride City

Van represents Vanity

Bris represents Hubris

Destiny, Humble and Meek

Hench-triplets to Lady Humility I

Residents of Humility City

Destiny represents modesty

Humble represents humbleness

Meek represents meekness

Cherubs

#ocs #oc info #about my ocs #oc #my ocs #my oc #disney ocs #disney oc #house of mouse #house of mouse ocs #house of mouse oc #disney

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kuwdora · 10 months

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for the ao3 wrapped writers ask game: 17 and/or 29 pretty please!

17. Your favorite character to write this year?

Mmmm, this year?? Vilgefortz. I had a very Specific Itch to scratch and golly, I sure did indulge myself—and @reinvent-and-believe and @sidprescot too, mwahahaha. The TWN Thanedd episode came and went with Vilgefortz. His scenes with Geralt worked me into a froth because I absolutely needed more because how much I loved their book scenes. And honestly it’s not right how truncated Vilgefortz' dialogue is in the show. And thus my brain overheated and Ouroboros happened. It really was that saying—write for that group of like 3 or 5 people who are gonna lose their minds. And they did. I think @littlestsnicket's brain melted and I'm not sure @sidprescot will be the same lol. It was great. I winked so hard at my readers that my eye fell out and @reinvent-and-believe picked up my eye, cleaned it off and handed it back to me and @sidprescot is just foaming at the mouth and brain the whole fucking time (ilu all). I also managed to post more about writing/drafting this fic than anything else I��ve written in the last few years, lol god. I have 15 million witcher thoughts at any given time (mostly about yennefer and yennskier and geraskier) but this is what i manage to post the most about, sdflakjsdf. I love Witcher canon blending and riffing on themes, okay. My blending is not to everyone's tastes, but yeaaahhh I had quite the time writing Vilgefortz this year. All the Continental art history was so much fun to weave throughout the story.

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

Here’s my favorite passage from chapter 1 of Ouroboros, it’s about 900 words. I loved starting the fic off with the TWN characterizations and then running with it back to some book vibes and all my feelings about all the canons and aaaand and…lots of things. Love this whole passage. Indulgent.

“Doesn’t appear to be much glory in this gallery,” Geralt said, gesturing at the vertical diptych he was studying.

Vilgefortz nodded and strode closer to point out the relevant details. There was a curious furrow to Geralt’s brow that made Vilgefortz more confident in encouraging Geralt to voice his thoughts.

“This one is called Ships in a Desert and it’s a very controversial piece with multiple meanings. Each canvas represents a different interpretation of First Landing and encourages the viewer to engage with different possibilities. This bottom artwork is clearly not historically accurate because as you can see the ship and its wreckage is strewn across a desert landscape rather than the coast of Redania. The artist Yona Skanfall also intended this scene to subvert Ithlinne’s Prophecy.

“You can see in the foreground a future where the Continent’s water has dried up and its inhabitants are boiling their own skin as a direct result of humanity wielding Chaos. People did not take kindly to this kind of heresy against the prevailing narrative about the White Frost. But there were those who were ardent defenders of this piece because it held true to the original prophecy’s themes of a calamitous end by humanity’s hubris. But Aen Ithlinnespeath was a sacred elven prophecy and any minute deviations from the story caused an uproar. Yona certainly made no friends by implying the Hen Ichaer died before they could save the world—note the desiccated seed pod in this dune. If this scene alone had not gotten Yona banned from two kingdoms for smearing elven canon and laying waste to the kings of her day—see the scattered crowns in the sand here and here—her choice to depict Jan Bekker as a woman gave others all the more reason to ostracize her.”

“Why were people offended by Jan Bekker as a woman?” Geralt asked.

“Why indeed? Vanity. Sexism. Most primary sources and historical records suggested that Jan Bekker was actually quite a hideous man. In the early days of the Brotherhood mages had not yet mastered the art of cosmetic transformation. Many saw their ugliness as intrinsic to their character, especially those first survivors who bore the scars of scurvy from their journey. To remove that element and depict Jana Bekker as a buxom heroine was antithetical to their view of history.”

“You’re telling me mages are superficial in more ways than one? Color me surprised.”

Vilgefortz laughed and found himself warming even more to the witcher. He bit the inside of his lip and stepped closer, brushing against Geralt’s elbow.

“There have been other interpretations of Jana over the years. I myself have collected several woodcuts of her and Nina Fioravanti in mid-coitus from a series called Ars Orgasmica. I could show them to you, if you’d like.”

Geralt didn’t verbalize a witty retort, though Vilgefortz could sense the words propositions and pornography floating on the surface of his mind. Geralt turned his attention on the other painting from Ships in a Desert. He gestured. “Tell me about this one.”

Vilgefortz tore his gaze away from Geralt, carefully gathering his words. “This painting depicts a slightly different interpretation of her original interpretation. The wreckage of First Landing is in the foreground and the bodies of the ship's crew are barely visible in the sand. The emphasis here is on the future that was lost. Notice the verdant hills in the background, never to be discovered by the first mages. Perhaps if there was a lighthouse in this desert sea, these two ships would not have crashed and fallen to the dunes and become lost to memory. Perhaps they could have met, shared resources, and survived in spite of the hardship. They could have thrived and built a new world together.”

“The hills are better off without the mages,” Geralt murmured.

Vilgefortz turned back to Geralt and nodded solemnly. “A solid interpretation. The commonality amongst these pieces is suffering. Yona depicted it well.”

“Your lot is notorious for causing suffering.”

“Truer words have never been spoken.”

“Truth is something this ball is in short supply of.”

“Tonight there’s so much more on offer,” Vilgefortz said.

“If I wanted to have my fill of lies and subterfuge, I would have stayed downstairs eating from the bottomless pit of illusory caviar.”

Every one of Geralt’s conversational parries aroused more desire in Vilgefortz’s chest. He’d hoped to keep the witcher’s attention for more serious matters tonight, but the wry humor was an unexpected delight. Enticing and novel in a way that Vilgefortz had known others had been charmed by, but never believed he would also find so alluring. He wanted more of Geralt.

“I agree. Stay with me. At my table we would feast upon spiced boar and toast to our communion. No illusions, only the boundless companionship of two men appreciating art and history together.”

A grimace passed across Geralt’s features, like Vilgefortz’s words were little more than indigestion. The firelight from the braziers cast a warm glow upon Geralt’s face, and there Vilgefortz saw a world beyond the staid neutrality that Geralt wore like a tattered cape. A place where two outcasts would be respected and admired. A time where Vilgefortz could lose himself beneath the witcher’s broad hands and taste Geralt’s scars for the first time.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to go take a shit. Must be the caviar.”

read on ao3

ask game - ao3 wrapped

#lmao i have favorite passages from every chapter of this fic god i am in love with my fic so much and it exists and i finished it. love #i am unhinged about this fic ok #answerdora #ao3 wrapped #ao3 wrapped 2023 #writing #writing meme #fic meme #vilgywank

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necromatador · 1 year

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16 (especially the last parts), 24, 29, and 41 for Jaz and Alkimos!

16. What does your character do for a living? How do they see their profession? What do they like about it? Dislike?

Jaz is the owner and head enchanter of The Spell Counter, a major magical supply store that sells a variety of items such as enchanted tools, magical accessories and clothes, potions and charms, and ingredients for at-home witchery. He loves doing this, to be honest. Enchanting and doing so creatively is Enrichment to him. It gives him puzzles to pick at and problems to solve. He just hates that there are so many rules and laws to creating enchantments (though he understands why some exist). Jaz is also the head of the largest illegal enchantments and potions supply ring in Gallecross, the Hellebore Council. He sees it as a necessary evil but also takes a good deal of pleasure in working from the shadows like this and the power and influence it affords him. Alkimos is Jaz's second-in-command and bodyguard in their work running the Hellebore Council, and he is also the co-owner and head alchemist at The Spell Counter. He views potion-brewing similarly to the way Jaz views enchanting: puzzles and problems to work at and solve that keep his mind and hands busy in a productive and pleasant manner. He also, like Jaz, takes some pleasure in working on the Hellebore Council; it feels like a place he fits in more than general society does. He can be himself and he doesn't have to abide by rules he finds pointless.

24. What social groups and activities does your character attend? What role do they like to play? What role do they actually play, usually?

Jaz likes to attend higher-class parties and Alkimos, as Jaz's bodyguard, usually attends as well. Jaz likes to socialize and enjoys networking at such things, as well as gossiping. Alkimos like to eat funny little snacks and have the occasional wine or champagne while making sure nobody tries to kill Jaz and that Jaz doesn't get too drunk and makes it home okay. Jaz belongs essentially to at least one country club as well (again, he mostly uses it as networking with Gullible Rich People or Politicians He Can Blackmail) where he plays the semi-truthful role of a self-made rich 'playboy' with a philanthropic streak. He plays the law-abiding and good-hearted merchant prince, a shining beacon for his kind. All the roles that he and Alkimos play to survive in Gallecross are at least partially based in truth. They are self-made business-folk. They do have philanthropic goals and initiatives in progress to pursue them. Jaz fucking loves gossip. Alkimos enjoys eating all of the snooty rich people's silly but tasty little snacks.

29. What is your character’s weaknesses? Hubris? Pride? Controlling?

Jaz's weaknesses are: - his temper - his pride/hubris - his ego/vanity - his attachment to Alkimos - his desire for vengeance Alkimos' weaknesses are: - his pessimism/cynical nature - his stubbornness - his attachment to Jaz - his bluntness - his hubris (about different things than Jaz)

41. Is your character aware of who they are? Strengths? Weaknesses? Idiosyncrasies? Capable of self-irony?

They both have at least some self-awareness and use it, at times, to be self-deprecating to each other when they feel bad or when things go wrong. It's like that case where you know your flaws but cannot fix them alone so whenever they cause a problem you go quietly to your friends and go "hey hi i'm the worst" and they go "yeah that wasn't the best idea but you aren't the worst you're just a dumbass who we love". Jaz takes himself less seriously than Alkimos takes himself because he secretly feels like everything about him is fake (which is why he reacts so negatively to being told he's fake like to his face) and it gives him a certain ironic detachment sometimes.

#character building #oc asks #oc ask meme #ask meme #jazakhza the manticore #alkimos the sphinx #the walled city of gallecross

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a-little-bit-of-ravioli · 2 years

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What's your song for Warriors, Rav? I am intrigued.

Oh man, I don't even have to think for this one.

It is absolutely, and indisputably aLIEz, specifically this version by AmaLee.

This entire song is about war, and the challenges it puts on both the leaders and their people. It's less to do with the situation during LU, but back during HW, and that's mostly how I interpret it. I could really just copy and paste most of the lyrics and tell you exactly why and how I think they relate to Wars specifically, but I'll try to keep it to specific sections because this would be looong otherwise. And I still need to put it under a read later because it got too long, who would've guessed fjhdsglkgf -

The first verse already starts off with a very prominent,

Head to toe in vanity When those eyes in the mirror stare back at me I'm reminded that the ghost of pride is clear to see

which just screams post-Temple of Souls to me. The 'Ghost of Pride' looking back each time he looks at himself after being too cocky, after thinking he could take Cia on alone. At the same time, 'those eyes in the mirror' can also be Dark Link staying a constant fear in the back of his mind - being attacked by a mirror image of yourself is bad enough, even without being told it was born of your hubris and overconfidence. But all this is then followed up by

Wipe away the weakness Will you let those scars define you? Or will they adorn you as we carve our way to victory?

and I love the constant back and forth that keeps coming between the reminders of old mistakes but trying to move forward at the same time. That there's no point in wallowing in the past, you need to press on, keep fighting, because war doesn't stop and wait for you.

I SAY CRIER I SAY LIAR I SAY RISE IN HELL I am just about to BURST as they say... WAR I'LL WAGE WAR I HATE WAR

I need to point out how hard this chorus hits for me. Crier, Liar - The people who weep for their losses, the turncoats that betrayed their fellow soldiers. And the resignation of 'I'll fight this war because it's my duty, but I can barely keep myself together' is something I always thought leads to an interesting perspective - Warriors' duty as the Hero is so different from all the others'. Where they had to learn to survive on their own on a perilous journey, Warriors had to fight a war. An actual, full-fledged war. I don't think this is talked about enough. I'm not trying to make light of anything the others did, because Hylia knows they suffered through terrible hardships. But there's something different about war and all it brings. Different horrors. And this song is melodic but also hard-hitting enough for most of that to come across, and it's why I can't help but connect it with him.

Hold my ground, all I got now But I'm defenseless, all but helpless if it gives beneath my feet I turn from the mirror - that desperate plea I refuse and can't believe those eyes belong to me

Again, more mirror symbolism, but this time it comes after the admission that whatever they gain is uncertain. Just, ugh, I love so many of these lyrics and my heart weeps whenever I connect them to our favourite pretty boy. I'm sure he's had to do things he's not proud of during the war, things he might or might not ever admit to the rest of the Chain. This is what I mean when I say it's different - there aren't really any other heroes that can directly relate (unless you put Mask into HW continuity, but even then it wasn't Mask's adventure, he wasn't the figurehead, or the one leading the efforts).

I come back to this song every time I want to get into the headspace of Warriors' experiences during the war. It was a constant companion while I wrote Iconoclasm, and probably will be for future fics as well.

Thank you so much for enabling me to rant about this song Wolf jkfshgklf I. Probably could say so much more but these are the core things I needed to explain to hopefully make you understand just a little bit of my obsession with it

#ask #song ask game #wolfwarden #this was a lot of fun!!#god I love this song #I'm gonna go listen to it some more #rav rambles

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miruka-cioccolata · 5 years

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What about La Squadra with a female s/o with a stand that can bring out the deadly seven sins in someone? Like, it goes with whichever sin comes natural to whoever she’s using it on so you can know what their deepest darkest temptation is. What sin would be more prevalent in what La Squadra member??

(YES!! the seven deadly sins have fascinated me ever since I saw the movie “Seven” as a kid! I even drew something with La Squadra and the 7 sins once many, many months ago:

my absolute favourite ask up until now, thank you!!)

Risotto Nero: Greed (If it wasn't limited to seven, I'd have assigned Greed to Sorbet & Gelato, it would have fit them much better than Risotto imo, but weeeell. Greed isn't limited to money, it also expresses a hunger for high status. Since Risotto wanted more territory and wealth for his team and in turn also more power, I think this sin is pretty fitting for him. Also his later motif of revenge and overthrowing the boss falls nicely under Greed.)

Prosciutto: Pride (This was a little tough since Pride is said to be the original sin and initially I had thought it would most likely suit Risotto as the leader, but honestly, Prosciutto just seems more prideful too me than the others: His neat and tidy appearance could indicate that he's prone to vanity and his self-confident and strong-willed attitude also points to his sin being Pride.

a little note on the side: I personally like to headcanon that Prosciutto's somewhat of a brat and the only one of the group who can be eye to eye with Squadra's leader (think of hubris, which is another represent of sinful Pride).

Pesci: Sloth (Actually a tie with Gluttony here, but I think Sloth fits him better: Pesci is quite hesitant and not self-confident at first during the GD arc and he only truly steps into action after Prosciutto's death. While Sloth is more about laziness and apathy, it could also be seen as passiveness and lack of willpower, two things you could use to describe Pesci before he finds his determination.)

Formaggio: Gluttony (So, Gluttony is more about eating a lot and while (mostly) all of them are named after food, I went with the cheese man for this one. It's a bit of a stretch here since he isn't ever shown eating or such, but I guess we can assume he likes drinking, judging from the bottle he uses in the fight(?). Gluttony not only represents over-indulgence and overconsumption, but also selfishness. As I said before it's a little far-fetched, but he just seems like a laid-back guy to me, someone who enjoys life and would easily give in to temptation such as good food.)

Illuso: Envy (For him I was reminded of the Evil Stepmother and her mirror from Snow White lol. Envy is expressed in the desire to deprive others off their traits, possessions, status, etc and being jealous because someone is supposedly better or has more than oneself. Illuso doesn't show any obvious signs of envy or jealousy during his arc, but his ability just strikes me as fitting for the sin: He operates from the shadows, cunningly robbing (!) his victims from their Stands when they enter the mirror world. Could also be argued that his ability isn't necessarily good for melee and that he too – similar to Formaggio – is jealous of other more combat-oriented Stands, but that's just a loose thought.)

Melone: Lust (This was the most obvious one together with Ghia. I mean...everything about this dude screams “Lust”, starting with his weird Stand computer thing that impregnates random women, him always being on the hunt for potential new mothers and his trademark tongue actions. His design also gives off that particular vibe, I see pink/lavender as very fitting colors for Lust. )

Ghiaccio: Wrath (Pretty clear, isn't it? He is by far the most aggressive of the bunch, constantly shouting and behaving impulsively. Wrath is about anger, rage, destruction and impatience and I think nobody of La Squadra represents those sentiments better than Ghiaccio.)

the female S/O scenario is under the read more!

Risotto Nero:

Risotto has done and seen countless awful things in his life, but what great sin is his biggest driving force? Curiosity overcomes his girlfriend as she waits until Risotto is wavered in safety and dozes off, head rested in her lap and letting his guard down under her gentle touch. That's when she gets out her Stand. The intensity of Greed's grip on her boyfriend stuns her for a moment. Risotto is always so calm and collected, so seeing his darkest desires so vividly and so intense is enough to make her gasp. Ever the light sleeper he wakes up from her hasty motion and asks her what's wrong, but she keeps quiet about her discovery.

Prosciutto:

There's nothing wrong in taking pride in one's actions, but Prosciutto seems a little too prideful at times. His girlfriend notices the purple mist which follows him with every step, indicating the vigor of the deadly sin Pride within him.

Prosciutto had told her at the start of their dating that he isn't exactly an innocent man and she can second that with the sin-sensing vision her Stand grants her, but she decided to stick with him nevertheless.

Pesci:

Her boyfriend never struck her as someone who would have dark desires, Pesci seems far too nice and gentle as to have any sort of sinful wishes, however, the light blue gleam of Sloth is undeniable. When he first gains knowledge about her Stand ability, he is worried that she might dump him since she is able to take a peek into his heart. Being able to see other's sins can be a burden at times – especially in a romantic relationship - but she assures Pesci that she'd never leave him because of that.

Formaggio:

She told him what his strongest sin is, because he just wouldn't stop asking. Formaggio is sure that if he knows where his weakness lies, he can work on it and become a better version of himself for his girlfriend's sake. Yeah, that idea doesn't last very long, especially not when he forgets about his ambitious resolutions after the fifth beer. However, she is fine with the yellow aura of Gluttony circling around her boyfriend, willing to accept him how he is, all of his flaws and quirks included.

Illuso:

“You can really see people's sins?”

Illuso is still wondering about his girlfriend's ability. He notices her eyes lingering on certain people when they walk around the city, it's like she can see ghosts in the open daylight.

“Yeah. That guy over there for example”, she says, pointing at a passerby”, he is probably going to cheat on his wife tonight. You see that woman? She is extremely greedy, I guess she would even kill for some cash.”

Illuso is amazed at her unique perception. “Now tell me, which sin do you see in me?”

She takes a long look at her boyfriend, but what for exactly? She already knows the acid green veil of Envy that surrounds Illuso well enough. Her answer is a mere shrug.

“I...don't think you need to know. Some things are better left unsaid.”

Melone:

He is convinced that his lovely girlfriend's ability is wonderfully compatible with his Babyface: He'd know exactly each potential mother's secret desires and could thus better teach his evolving homunculus-like Stand.

Whenever Melone talks about his missions and gets passionate about it, she can see the sin of Lust flaring up in a bright pink light around him. She knows he is a sinful man, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't love him with all of her heart. Ghiaccio:

Frankly, she has never seen a person with such a persistent red aura of Wrath ever since she passed Polpo's entrance test and became a Stand user. It's almost concerning how the aura never seems to lessen, the tension being almost tangible like a shaken bottle of sparkling water ready to burst at any moment. Even though she is aware of Ghiaccio's sins, she is willing to put up with it, she had just hopelessly fallen for him.

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clairen45 · 5 years

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Luke Skywalker: Biblical Hero?

While reviewing the photographs from TROS published in Vanity Fair, I stopped on the one featuring Luke with R2D2.

At first glance, I honestly thought it was teasing about finally getting the true story behind the infamous Jedi Temple massacre, that one fatal night that tipped the scale into the birth of Kylo Ren. But as was kindly reminded to me by @tricaurelie, nope, because this is “old Luke”, the one that Rey got to meet on Ahch-To. The picture can sure be misleading as it reprises key elements from the Jedi Temple massacre, mostly R2 and fire. And the planet where Luke decided to establish his temple does exhibit some traces of vegetation, as seen here:

But, nope, this shot is not supposed to be about a flashback that finally tells us all about what and how it all went down, something that is important about the premices of Kylo Ren. Even though, you could very well imagine Force Ghost Luke (in his old form as recorded) coming to tell the story all over again. I don’t really believe in that theory as I enounce it. It’s possible, but meh... How Luke will play out, and this particular scene, who knows, but still, I want to come back to the way Luke is portrayed here and the symbolism behind it. This is very obviously a Moses display. The bearded patriarch. The burning bush. Alright. Let’s pause. Come to think of it, there is more than one biblical figure that can be related to Luke Skywalker.

Some Luke’s superfans would vehemently argue the case for Luke as a Christ figure. Savior. Super powers. The son. The Force is with him... And maybe the EU pushed forward this notion of superhuman, godlike Luke Skywalker. Though, let’s be honest, the only one clearly designed to look like people’s most popular mental picture of what JC may look like is obviously young Obi Wan. Like come on. To the point that you find countless stories and memes of Obi Wan honestly mistaken by people for Jesus. Obi Wan, you will always be the one and only Space Jesus! For real.

Fun fact is the same people who will shout that TLJ was #notmyLuke! should ironically rejoice in the fact that, in a way, Luke achieved some Christlike dimension by sacrificing himself to “atone” for others’ sins and redeem the lost sheep, aka Kylo. And when I say atone for others’ sins, no, this is not solely for Kylo Ren’s sake. He says it very clearly when he tells Rey about the Jedi:

the legacy of the Jedi is failure. Hypocrisy. Hubris. At the height of their power they allowed Darth Sidious to rise, create the Empire, and wipe them out. It was a Jedi Master who was responsible for the training and creation of Darth Vader.

He is atoning, through his penance and death, not only for his own hubris and failures (his pride in the mighty Skywalker blood), not only for the sins of his father, but also for the sins of thousands of generations of Jedi teaching, that eventually failed. That’s a pretty big plate. Yet, I don’t think this is completely fair to see Luke as just straight Christlike figure. There are lots of other major biblical figures that ring truer to his personal arc, such as:

1.DAVID

As in David and Goliath. Why? obviously the shepherd/farmboy that gets to be God/The Force’s agent against an enemy so massive that the fight initially seems like a joke, and who eventually delivers the lucky strike that takes the enemy down.

Bonus point: the severed head from Goliath is evoked in ESB when Luke cuts off Vader’s head...

Also David is a key figure into the lineage that brings forth the Messiah, as exemplified through the symbolic of the tree of Jesse. Out of the house of David, a Savior is supposed to come that will usher in a new kingdom. Hence why it was paramount in the New Testament to have Jesus Christ being a descendant of David to establish his legitimacy as the Messiah.

In SW, the “mighty Skywalker blood” is also supposed to create a chosen one who will bring balance back into the Force. A prophecy that was at the core of the second draft script for ANH, in the piece that Lucas referred to as The Journal of the Whills: “ …And in the time of greatest despair, there shall come a savior, and he shall be known as THE SON OF THE SUNS." If Lucas had clearly originally thought that Luke could be this one (binary sunset, the son), the OT does not totally play that out. It was even totally dropped out of the storyline. Luke is not Obi Wan and Yoda’s “only hope” after all... and there was no reference whatsoever to a prophecy, or a savior, in the OT. Though, of course, Lucas decided to come back to his initial idea in the PT, with the prophecy becoming the leitmotiv of Anakin’s rise to the status of Jedi and eventual demise into Lord of the Sith. Remains in the ST the mighty Skywalker blood and lineage, with Kylo at the seeming end of the line... (seeming because, eventually, more babies will be on the way). Thus the title, The Rise of Skywalker, could not be more clear, like the tree of Jesse rising high into the sky to bring forth a savior...

2.ST LUKE

Easy one. Don’t think names have no meaning, they do. And writers pick out names for their characters for very good reasons, though not always totally conscious. Case in point, Luke. Lucas may have been drawn to the moniker for obvious homophonic reasons: Luke/Lucas. Luke means light. Sure, son/sun, binary suns, only hope, yadi yada. Comes the ST. Very clever thing happens. St Luke becomes handy. As one of the Evangelist, he is thus entrusted with “recording” precious testimonies about Jesus’s life and God’s message to mankind. Cool thing for old Luke is that he plays the same role, kind of. He is the custodian of the Jedi teaching. He is the last custodian of their legacy. He is also very literally custodian of books. And also, as I pointed out many times in my metas, like this one, the way Kylo Ren is always portrayed as a bull, well, guess what animal is symbolic of St Luke’s? Would you? Right!

3.ABRAHAM

Note that Luke did not end up in an inverted scenario where he could have been Isaac to Vader’s Abraham if Satan, instead of God, had demanded the head of Abraham’s son. Palpatine did not specifically request the death of Luke. It was never expected of Vader. The Emperor wanted to have Luke and possibly turn him. No sacrifice was required. And when Luke refused to bow down, Palpatine did not ask of Vader to put him down. He just took matters into his own hand.

In the ST, though, the way we get to see Luke’s temptation to kill sleepy Kylo is very evocative of Abraham raising his knife to strike down his son.

Debating the will of the Force over Kylo’s dreams was pretty much akin to Abraham listening to God’s voice putting him to the test... With more dramatic consequences in Luke’s case...

4.MOSES

Ok, so that’s the first one I mentioned when bringing up that VF photoshoot. Moses is a good one for Luke. The burning bush is obviously a symbolic they had fun with on TLJ with the whole burning of the Jedi library tree, with Yoda playing the voice that talks Luke back into reason and send him onto completing his mission.

Moses is mostly about guiding people to a better world that you will never reach. Thus, in SW lingo, balance of the Force. Peace to the galaxy. Happy end in IX, right? You betcha!

5.ST JOHN OF PATMOS

That one is a great one. St John is the famed author of the Book of Revelation, the final book of the New Testament, and thus, one could say, the last apostle (wink wink). The Book of Revelation is of course better known as the book of the Apocalypse, which is not only about the myriads of horrible things likely to shower upon mankind and the world (like, the end of the world) but also about the promise of a new world ushered in, the new coming of Christ and a new Heaven and Earth coming to replace our current ones. No more suffering and death. And no more sin. Interesting piece of information about this revelation is that it came to St John on the island of Patmos where he was sent into exile....

Ummmm.... Exile on an island? Where have I ever seen that? I also love the way that St John is always represented with a bird...

And that, in fine, the Luke we get at the end of TLJ, is about to deliver a prophecy of sorts: “The Rebellion is reborn today, the war is just beginning and I will not be the last Jedi.” One that is about death and destruction (war is beginning) but also mostly about hope. Luke,the prophet, is also the first voice we hear in the teaser for episode IX. One that is very much about hope. And also very much reminiscent of the tree of Jesse:

A thousand generations live in you now. But this is your fight

Mind you then who the son of suns is at this point...

#reylo #reylo fandom #star wars fandom #luke fandom #luke skywalker #symbolism in star wars #bible and star wars

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runespoor7 · 6 years

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My non-F2P red sword infantry, aka the Land Of Units I Don’t Use Except For Ike

Ike: +Atk -Spd. -Spd isn’t a bad bane for him, as he can heal himself pretty easily. Swordbreaker takes care of the issue of fast swords so they become tasty tasty HP snacks for Ike. He’s part of my arena core, and as the only physical wall in that (aside from the possible bonus unit), it’s important he can take a sword to the face if necessary (and what with Zelgius/Ayra, he needs to be able to prevent them from doubling him). He has Hone Atk for Soren, mostly. Arena season means he now gets the DD seal.

Ayra: +Res -Def. Yet Another Red Infantry I Don’t Use. I don’t much like player phase melee, and with -Def, her EP is a bit shaky. I gave her Reposition in an attempt to correct my not using her but it’s not working great. Aside from that, I’m not married to her C-skill but it was easy to acquire with Repo.

Eirika: +Spd -Def. One of the rare red swords I actually promoted, because I like her character. I totally have enough Dew to give her her refine, but I just... don’t... She has TA3, but it didn’t help her enough, so I gave her Budget Fury in an attempt to give her a bit more oomph. It’s debatable how well it worked, as I don’t use her.

M!Corrin: has no fodder potential, so he’s a prime merge candidate! In a fit of hubris bias toward budget merges I gave him the Swordbreaker Tobin would have been able to use. He’s +Atk -Res, which seemed useful-ish. Of course, he rarely sees the light of day, being held back by his weapon. I’m not that far gone that I’d promote someone to give him a better one, though, and I’m definitely not spending Dew on him, so he might stay like for a while.

Soleil: +Atk -Def. I had a spare Brave Sword, and I gave her Desperation and she’s supposed to have the Brash Assault seal. The idea is simple, but I never once managed to do it, because the Brave Sword slows her down so I get scared she’s going to get killed if I make her bait someone, and I still don’t like player phase melee infantry. I haven’t tried using her with her Firesweep set.

Each of these are basically vanity projects, and I didn’t pull specifically for any of them aside from the first Ike, because there are enough F2P infantry swords for my purposes and I never use these. I’m only tempted to pull for infantry red when I like the character, and generally the reminder that no matter how lovely their art I’m not going to use them serves as a deterrent to prevent myself from hunting them. Leif was the notable exception. I’d have used Leif... probably

Also it’s worth keeping in mind that the less a character requires building the less I’m likely to use them a lot, I feel. That’s probably the FEH equivalent of being more invested in units that need babying in normal FE games.

#fire emblem heroes #showing off my barracks #too many damn swords

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millicentthecat · 7 years

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Leaders, Not Heroes: Some Meta about Kylo and Snoke in TLJ

This post contains spoilers for The Last Jedi. It is also a Dark Side Positive post. It was posted on 12/17/2017 after seeing the film twice, so there may be errors.

In their first scene together Snoke acts as if he feels betrayed by Kylo. I didn't transcribe the dialogue, but it communicated something very much like... "I had faith in you to be more like Vader. I know some part of you isn't really in this. You failed me, and I'm angry, but I'm giving you pretty much infinite second chances, so...pull it together?" It's like a tough-love pep talk. And also some amount of "damnit Tiffany, I believed in you!"

Snoke uses force to discipline his right-hands. I compare that to the moment when Rose stuns Finn. To prevent him deserting? Or when Leia shoots Poe for disobedience? Snoke challenged his people and pushed them in a way that was definitely controlling and high-pressure. He was a leader. Snoke was the leader of the First Order. I know I'm eulogizing. If you don't want to read a eulogy, please scroll by.

Instead of responding to Snoke's pressure / pep-talk by committing himself, Kylo breaks. He snaps in half under the pressure. Kylo is very distressed by two forces: his desire to please others and his desire to protect himself. Those things shouldn't have to be mutually exclusive, but they are, and they have been ever since his mom and dad left him in an unsafe place. Maybe even before he was born. Because Star Wars isn't a safe world. It's an extreme, competitive world where you fight for your life unless somebody loves you and you're willing to die for them. If you're willing to die for someone, you do. That's what really happened to Kylo Ren. He grasped this conflict, probably at a very young age.

When Snoke confronts Kylo in that first scene, Kylo shifts hard into self-protect mode. He spends the whole rest of the movie there, with his fear. The Kylo who's committing all that violence against everyone, all that violation, is acting in defense and in fear. Even his interactions with Rey are geared towards turning her and neutralizing her. What he's doing is reasonable for someone whose priority is to stay alive--but only half of Kylo wants to be alive. The other half wants to do what others' want him to do. And people want him to die. For Kylo, loving others, giving them what they need, that means death. Luke Skywalker looked at him and wanted him to die. THE Luke Skywalker! Kylo can't be in a mutually loving, mutually trusting relationship because nobody is looking out for him and what he needs. (What does he need to be safe? No Jedi or Sith. No Leaders, No Gods, No Masters.)

Which brings me to Snoke. Overall I think Snoke trusted himself and his people kind of a lot. He didn't mind telling people his plans. He could listen to dissent. He could tell his people everything in a grand monologue and then hear them and respond and say, "hmm, your ideas are shitty and you're wrong." Or, "hey that's actually an amazing idea." I think this is very much the Snoke we saw. He was honest about his plans and clear about his feelings. He announced them. He gave praise and admiration when he saw something he respected (a lot!!!!) and he expressed displeasure and disappointment in things he didn't. When you look past his scars and his “creepy” tone and diction, that’s what’s there. The awkward metaphor about “rabid curs?” It literally communicates, “weak and damaged people are still useful, necessary, and important.”

Snoke builds a bridge in the Force between Kylo and Rey and manipulates Kylo's emotions surrounding Rey. This, he confesses to. It was part of his plan to draw Rey in. Now, there isn't a single good goddamn reason why Kylo would have killed his Master AT THE PARTICULAR MOMENT HE DID if it weren't for hopes of building something with Rey. Snoke nursed those hopes (not secretly!!! from "bring her to me" in TFA, we know what he's about). "Snoke ships it" is usually a Kylux tag, not a Reylo tag, but I remember writing about Tempest AU and mentioning that Snoke, like Prospero, might bewitch his apprentice into loving an adversary for political reasons. If I knew Snoke was capable of that, Kylo almost certainly knew. I think the part of Kylo that wants to love and help others was probably very willing to be a part of such a plan.

But TLJ Kylo is self-defending Kylo. So rather than go along with Snoke's "bring the girl to me" plan, he makes his own. "Renperor" actually turns out to be a pretty effective plan for him--if his goals are to self-preserve. I don't blame him for going that way and I definitely don't blame him for resisting a favored cultural narrative that demands he submit to people who don't respect him and don't treat him how he needs to be treated.

I also don't blame Snoke for failing to give him the support he needs. I'm not sure anyone could. I think Snoke did his best as a leader and I don't blame someone who trusts his allies for their betrayal. His plan was ambitious. The monologues the movie gives him--"I know everything my apprentice thinks! I cannot be betrayed!"--approximately--are self-confident and invoke the idea of hubris. "Hubris" is a religious concept which, like vanity, is mostly used for victim-blaming anyone with aspirations. Because really: Icarus flew too close to the ground.

Conclusion: Snoke's death hurts me. It hurts me even when the movie tries to make betrayal seem silly and casual. I understand Johnson's desire to subvert tropes, but sometimes you have to stop seeing tropes and patterns and see people. Vader destroying Palpatine was intense for a reason.

Snoke’s death also hurts because I feel the story tries to blame Snoke for it. And like. Nobody can control everything. Trusting your team means giving them rope to hang themselves--or YOU. And nobody's a perfect leader. The whole movie is full of "how to deal with failure" type stories. Luke, Rey, Finn, Poe... they all have these stories like "it's ok to be wrong sometimes! you can fix it!" But Snoke screws up with Kylo and Kylo kills him. He makes mistakes--building a bridge in the Force, manipulating Kylo's feelings about Rey, presuming he has any idea how those feelings work--essentially, failing to anticipate needs--and that's it. That's the ballgame.

I have feelings about that. I feel The Pressure. The "don't screw up or you'll die" pressure. The victim-blamey "don't screw up or you'll die and it'll be your fault for being too vain and proud and flying too close to the sun" pressure. Demonstrations like that just strike the chord in me that's mortally insecure about taking charge or using my voice to try and help. But failure doesn't make you a bad leader and Snoke's not a bad leader. He just failed to anticipate how Kylo would react. Sometimes people need things you can't expect.

#snoke #kylo ren #reylo #the last jedi #tlj spoilers #dark side positive #dark side positivity #meta #supreme leader of my heart #kylux mention #general hux mention #i changed the title for spoiler reasons

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tiamat-zx · 8 years

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Charred (Revisited)

I updated my most recent fic to include references to Episode 83, so if you want to leave kudos and comments, click the link to the story on ao3 here.

Otherwise, you could do so here as well.

To refresh people’s memory, this is a re-enactment and expansion of the final scene from Episode 81. There are spoilers, so read at your own risk.

And yes, I reposted this because readers sometimes are unaware of updates to stories unless they check them often.

Once again, I wanted to thank the likes of @onceandfuturekiki, @rovingromy, @ordainedcrown, @duskmeadows, @dancer4813, @a-heart-of-kyber, and many others for being awesome inspiration, awesome writers, awesome friends, and just plain awesome.

It was a horribly exhausting day, a day spent within the sulfurous and volcanic city that used to be Emon. A day spent fighting for survival against the Cinder King and the dangers that loomed within the Cloudtop District. But even though Thordak had fallen, there was still an even greater danger on the horizon.

In her room in Castle Whitestone, standing in front of the mirror of the vanity table in her nightgown, Keyleth holds the Spire of Conflux in her hands and stares at her circlet on the table, lamenting over the day’s events. The Cinder King had proven to be an even more terrifying and dangerous opponent than they thought, but at the very least they had two months to prepare for this endeavor, which included gathering allies and the Vestiges of the Divergence. After a long, harrowing two months—and many, many near-misses along the way—their preparations were complete... or so they thought.

They did not win the battle by their combined might alone because while they had the assistance of Zahra, Kashaw, Kima, Gilmore, and Jarett, there was another individual that they had forged an alliance with. And that individual was the one who released Thordak from the Plane of Fire in the first place which caused the destruction of Pyrah and most of the Fire Ashari to be exterminated. The one who attacked them first in Emon and forced them to flee because her might was too great. The one who used Whitestone and Vox Machina’s beleaguered state as leverage to ensure their allegiance in destroying Thordak. The one who ultimately turned on them all once the battle was won and Vax chose to attack her, to try to stop her from achieving her own goals.

The one who called herself the Diseased Deceiver, Raishan.

Keyleth’s eyes begin to water as she thinks back to that horrible confrontation. They were wounded and spent, most of their strength expended on Thordak. And yet, even though she told Vax to wait for her before attacking, Vax had interpreted her words differently from what their intent was and chose to strike first. And then when she flew even further into the tunnel and Keyleth and the twins chose to pursue, that was when everything began to go wrong starting with the impact of those meteors.

They clearly underestimated Raishan’s power as she used her magic to disappear and systematically remove the protection of the Heroes’ Feast that would’ve shielded them from her poisonous breath. And even after the rest of the group—sans Kash and Zahra who stayed behind to stop the fire giants from interfering—managed to catch up and Devo’ssa was finally summoned by Scanlan, she had then proceeded to lay waste to them all, unleashing spell after powerful spell on them. They struggled to keep each other alive, but despite their best efforts Raishan had slain both Vex and Scanlan temporarily before Pike managed to revive them. She nearly killed Vax as well and would have if Keyleth hadn’t managed to save him from the burning lava. And when Raishan attempted to flee while clutching two dragon eggs, Keyleth tried to follow to give chase and aid the party best she could... only to have the ground break beneath her and have her plummet into a river of lava below her.

Keyleth could still feel the horrible pain that she endured from that fluke of a circumstance. She had managed to crawl out of the river but not without suffering some severe damage that was fortunately lessened by the fire resistance potion she drank earlier. And to make matters worse, they were repelled by an invisible wall. And by the time they figured out how to make the wall vanish, Raishan and Thordak’s corpse were already gone. The Diseased Deceiver had escaped with her prizes in tow. Keyleth had stood there in silence upon witnessing the absence of both, her vengeance having been ripped from her fingers when she was so close to achieving it. Burned and spent, she tried so hard to remain strong and not break down, to try to focus on their next course of action. It was only when Vax and Kerr—the blacksmith who acted as a mentor to her in Westruun—tried to comfort her did she allow herself to cry from the pain and exhaustion.

Keyleth stands there in front of the vanity table mirror, still clutching onto the staff as she stares at her reflection and the state she was in. Parts of her body were still burned by her sudden lava bath, though most of the burns were fortunately healed by Vax and Kerr’s healing magic. Her beautiful red hair, once long, was scorched and mostly gone, the blackened ends reaching down to her shoulders. Keyleth sighs, knowing that this was karma at work, punishing her for her own hubris. At the very least, she was still alive for the moment before they would all head out to fight Raishan once more the next day. She sighs again, tired and exhausted from the events of the day, all of her remaining willpower spent towards standing tall and not collapsing, to remain focused on the task at hand.

She and her allies were presented with a very difficult choice: to either pursue Raishan straight away while both sides were depleted but with a higher risk of someone dying permanently, or pursue her after resting in the hopes that they manage to catch her before she fully recovers. Keyleth herself had to make the call, and as far as she was concerned, she made the right choice; nearly dying in Thordak’s lair made her more cautious and wary of what was to come, especially after witnessing Raishan’s magical prowess even though she was diseased. She underestimated her once before, but not again.

But did I truly make the right call?

She continues to stand in front of the mirror, lost in her own thoughts. She had been desperately trying to hold back her rage towards the Diseased Deceiver for weeks now, knowing that Grog was right about there being a proper time for her to let loose her fury. But then, in the back of her mind, a thought occurs to her.

Is this how Percy felt when it came to the Briarwoods? Is this what he felt when he wanted vengeance so badly? When he came so close to becoming like the very monsters he vowed to destroy?

Am... Am I that close to feeling that same sensation?

Keyleth’s eyes widen as she looks at herself in the mirror once more. Thinking back, she was acting no different from the gunslinger when she wanted to lash out at Raishan and wanted to kill her right then and there. But then Percy calmed her down, telling her that she had fared better compared to him. Deep down, she knew that he was wrong; her rage was far greater than his back then. She wanted that dragon bitch dead, no matter the cost. And it is only now, in this moment alone in her room, that she begins to understand the feelings her best friend felt.

Another thought occurs to her. While it was true that she desired revenge, she realizes that that desire was rather selfish of her. After all, she wasn’t the only one who suffered from Raishan’s actions. There were many other countless pockets of civilization that suffered as well, not just the people of Emon and the Fire Ashari. Countless others died because of the dragon’s machinations.

Keyleth, still clutching the staff, comes to an understanding that it is not revenge that matters, but rather that Raishan needs to answer for her crimes. It is not revenge, but justice that she yearns for.

For the first time since she learned about Raishan’s involvement in this whole ordeal, she understands.

If I kill Raishan out of need for vengeance, I’m no better than her. No, she needs to be brought to justice. She’s a very real danger to the rest of Exandria. And if we can’t stop her, who will?

A soft knock sounds out from her door, distracting her from her inner thoughts.

“Come in,” she calls out. The door soon opens, and in the mirror she sees Vax walking in, out of his armor and looking equally exhausted.

“Hi,” is all Vax says as he approaches her.

“Hi,” she replies, not even needing to look back due to his reflection.

Keyleth soon notices that Vax was clutching a bottle in his hand which he soon places on the table. He then pulls out of his pocket the familiar shape of a certain dagger: Whisper. As soon as the blade comes into view she shudders briefly, thinking back to when that weapon was plunged into her back by Kynan at Glintshore. That small, legendary dagger had nearly stolen her life, but now it is in the hands of the man she loved with all her heart. Knowing that makes her relax a little more.

Vax’s other hand soon caresses the remnants of her charred locks as he says softly, “Have a seat.”

“Okay,” she replies just as softly. She does as she is told and sits down on the chair next to her, placing the staff aside. She continues to stare at herself in the mirror as Vax holds both Whisper and the ends of her hair in his hands. And then, to her surprise, he starts to grab hold of the edges and uses the Vestige to slowly cut the charred and burnt edges away. Keyleth sees Vax’s pained expression as he works, the thought of having to cut her hair that was beautiful to him no doubt hurting him.

“Do you like it shorter?” she asks as he continues his work. In all honesty, she never felt so self-conscious about her hair before. Fashion was never really a priority for her in the past. The only time she thought about it was the time where she went shopping for clothes with Vax so they could infiltrate the Velvet Cabaret in Vasselheim.

The memory brings a smile to her face, as does the moment when Vax had “proposed” to her. It was so silly at the time, yet it felt... right. She knew it was merely a ruse, but still, it made her feel happy that Vax wanted to do it. And she had accepted without much difficulty.

Vax thinks for a moment, considering how to answer her question, and then replies, “I like you.”

Keyleth smiles again at his thoughtfulness. But then her smile fades as she notices his furrowed brow, a constant for Vax that she had noticed having traveled with him for this long now. It was something that he usually did when he had a lot on his mind or wanted to keep his thoughts to himself.

“You know, I see you doubting yourself,” Vax tells her as he keeps cutting, his tone soft and soothing. “I see it, Kiki. But I’ve no doubts in you. I’ve known you for a long time now. And I have seen the strength in you growing. And I’m a fan. You’re going to make a great leader someday.”

Keyleth could feel herself shrinking ever so slightly into herself. It was always flattering and so sweet of Vax to think that highly of her. But at the same time, she feels as if she still isn’t worthy enough to be a leader just yet, not after her desire to want to kill Raishan ended up costing so many people their lives, including Vex and Scanlan. And despite Vax’s and Kerr’s words to her, she still feels so much guilt.

“I just feel like there’s so many people I can easily disappoint, and I don’t want to,” she admits quietly and reluctantly.

She was going to be the leader of her tribe once her Aramente was complete. All she had left to do was to go to the Water Ashari and complete her training. And after that, she wasn’t sure what would happen. She would probably have to part ways with Vox Machina, a thought that often frightened her. They were her family for the better part of two years now, and despite the arguments and infighting they occasionally got into, they were still tied to the hip. But thinking of the possibility that she would eventually have to leave them all to return to Zephra to continue where her father left off always made Keyleth feel very unsure of herself.

I’m not ready to go back, I can feel it. I don’t want to leave any of them. And yet, I will have to eventually once there’s no reason for any of us to stick together.

Vax pauses for a moment, still gripping her burnt hair, and soon says back to her as he continues cutting, “You’re doing the very best you can with what you’ve been given. And I have seen you rise again and again and not stop and not back down. And you fucking blow me away with the things you can do out there. You are beautiful, you are talented, and you are strong as fuck.”

Keyleth smiles a little, feeling the conviction behind Vax’s words, the meaning behind them. He has faith in her. They all have faith in her, a young woman who is easily prone to making rash decisions and having occasionally poor judgment. A woman who is led by what her heart tells her and not her mind. And yet... they all have faith in her. It made her want to cry.

“And I can’t take the doubt away. I can’t do that,” Vax continues to say. “But mix in with that my faith in you. Percy’s faith in you. Grog’s faith in you. Kerr’s. Vex’ahlia’s. Scanlan’s. Allura’s. All of ours. We are all behind you and we all believe in you. And we all love you. And obviously I love you.”

It was then that Keyleth remembers a circumstance similar to this moment, the time when she talked about her distrust of Kima while they were in the Underdark and Vax spoke up, telling her that she was not alone. That she had a family with her. She remembers how understanding he was, and how supportive he was even long before he confessed his love to her.

And the moments they shared ever since he confessed, both large and small, were treasured moments in her heart. She remembers how it felt for her to love him and yet not have the courage to say it, to have her fear of losing him control her. It was not until after Tiberius had died that she had found that courage. And now she isn’t afraid to explore that love with him anymore.

“And I love you,” she replies. She then went on to say, “You know, um, everyone comes from these backgrounds, having all these well-ventured and traveled pasts. You were the first people that I knew and met.”

She smiles a little sheepishly. “So not only are you the longest, I don’t really have any other friends. You are my family. I’ll try not to let you down.”

Vax smiles at her in the mirror as he puts away Whisper and moves around the chair to kneel down in front of her, running a hand through her hair. She could see in her reflection that all of the burnt edges were now cut away, leaving the rest of what remained clean.

“I’ve no worries. Look at you,” Vax tells her, still running a hand through her hair. “Don’t you look like royalty?”

“I’m not a princess, remember?” Keyleth reminds him with a smirk on her face. She never really liked being called a “princess” as she didn’t think of herself as one. Still, that didn’t stop the others from treating her like one, especially Tiberius when he was still with the group.

“That’s kinda what I like about you,” Vax replies, which draws out a slight chuckle from Keyleth. He was always so sweet, and she feels so happy that out of all the people she met in her life, Vax was the one she fell in love with. The two of them, despite their vastly different backgrounds, were clearly alike in so many ways. In fact, perhaps too much alike. But still, it allowed them to relate to each other so well. She laments on how they could’ve had a lot more time to be happy if not for the dragons, the Raven Queen, and all the unfortunate events that transpired in-between. Despite those events, however, it allowed them to grow into the people they are now.

I might as well be honest with myself and admit that I would never take any of it back.

“Would you do me a favor?” Vax soon asks her. “Down the line, once all this is behind us... will you go back to the theater with me?”

His sudden and rather non-sequitur request catches Keyleth off-guard for a moment as she stares at him, utterly confused as to why he’d say that now of all times. “What is it with you and the theater? Why?”

Vax shrugs. “I don’t understand it, either.”

Keyleth scoffs a little as she brings her hand up to match his hand that is still caressing her hair, staring at him with longing eyes. “Just as long as you go back to Zephra with me. Maybe?”

Vax replies with a smile, “You don’t have to ask.”

Keyleth smiles back, happy at his decision to go back with her when they had the chance. Ever since she first showed him the village from a distance, and ever since their reunion with her father, she had wanted to show him everything. But now that promise was set, assuming they survived the coming battle first.

“Does my hair look okay?” Keyleth then asks Vax, still feeling self-conscious about it.

“You kidding me?” Vax asks with an incredulous look on his face, puzzled at her statement.

“The short thing kinda works? It works with my bone structure? The antlers aren’t overpowering it, right? The length kinda balanced out this, you know? Maybe bangs? Actually, no. No bangs.”

Keyleth continues to babble nervously about her uncertainty regarding her new look as Vax abruptly kisses her, silencing the thoughts in her head. She knows that she always had a tendency to talk too much, and a part of her is thankful that Vax found a rather direct way to calm her down.

Gods, I love him so much. I honest can’t believe it took me so long to realize it.

She eases into the kiss, eagerly matching the level of affection he gave. This feeling of intimacy between them always makes her feel at peace, that she feels safe with him around. Even their first kiss together months ago during their raid on the castle, unexpected as it was, somehow felt right. It was a feeling that overwhelmed her briefly as she found herself lost in the moment until Percy had interrupted it.

To be fair, he was a little angry at Vax for endangering Cassandra’s life. Any brother would react in such a manner. I know Vax does when it comes to Vex.

After a while, Vax breaks the kiss. “Kiki... I stand by what I said. We’re all behind you. We always will be.”

Keyleth nods. “I know. In fact, I’ve come to a realization.”

“What is it?”

She fidgets a little as she finds the words to say, and then replies, “I may have been going about this whole thing with Raishan the wrong way. I’ve realized that revenge is rather selfish, especially since I’m not the only one who suffered due to her actions.”

Vax nods understandably. “You’re right. That’s actually how I felt about Thordak recently. Still, a part of me feels pride for being the one to ultimately destroy him.”

“But pride can lead to ruin,” Keyleth replies. “We’ve seen it happen many times.”

“That being said,” Vax tells her, “I am glad you’re coming to that realization. It’s a sign that you’ve changed.”

She nods. “I have, haven’t I?”

“You have. I mean, look at the person you were years ago to who you are now. You’re much more understanding of the world around you, you’re not afraid of having to make the tough choices, and you’re no longer afraid of the path you’ve chosen to walk.”

Vax soon embraces her. “I’m proud of you, Keyleth.”

Keyleth looks at herself in the mirror and smiles.

He’s right. I have changed.

She returns the embrace. “Thank you, Vax’ildan. Thank you... for staying by my side. I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done with my life if I never met you or the rest of Vox Machina. I probably would’ve become such a self-righteous bitch.”

Vax chuckles. “Probably. I mean, you still tend to be sometimes. But at least you’re aware of it.”

She breaks the embrace and stares at him with a pouty look on her face. “Hey! That’s mean!”

“I’m just being honest,” he replies.

Keyleth rolls her eyes. She then finds herself yawning, overcome with weariness as the exhaustion of the day begins to finally catch up with her.

“Tired?” Vax asks.

“Yeah,” she mutters sleepily. “It’s been a very long day. I don’t think I can do much more before collapsing.”

“Come on, then. To bed you go,” he tells her as she feels herself being picked up by Vax and carried to her bed. She can barely keep her eyes open as Vax tucks her in and kneels down next to her, the look in his eyes so full of adoration for her that it made her smile.

“Rest well, love. We have a big day ahead of us,” Vax says with the gentlest of tones, running a hand through her hair. “And hopefully we’ll all make it out of this coming battle alive.”

“I hope so, too,” Keyleth replies as she finds herself drifting further and further into sleep. She then manages to pull Vax’s head close to her as she gives him one last kiss. “I love you, Vax.”

“I love you, too.”

Keyleth continues to smile as she finally surrenders to the exhaustion of the day, her eyes closing. And for the first time in a long while, her dreams are peaceful. She has no doubt that once he falls asleep as well, Vax would be dreaming the same dreams. Dreams of the two of them living a peaceful life free of dragons and death. Dreams of a future where they even raised a family together.

They were dreams worth making come true.

As Keyleth begins to sleep, Vax lets out a deep sigh that he had been holding for a long while. She looks so peaceful in her sleep, a gentle contrast to how she was several hours ago back in Emon. The look of defeat on her face when Raishan had escaped had broken his heart. In fact, it was just as heartbreaking as when he found himself awake and he found her sprawled on the ground with most of her hair burnt off, barely conscious, and her entire body scorched and burned. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that she fell into the lava and barely crawled out.

The entire confrontation was horrible. He knew that he did the right thing, that he had to try to stop Raishan. And yet, it was a personal failing on his part when his efforts were all for naught. In fact, he couldn’t even begin to imagine how horrible it was for everyone as he was unconscious for most of it. What he did see, however, was Scanlan lying there frozen solid. The sight of his dear friend dead inside the ice was more than he could bear, and he silently thanked the gods for Pike still being with them as she revived him.

Vax thinks back to the confrontation between Scanlan and himself, when the gnome started to blame him for everything going wrong. Vax had felt that he did what he had to do, that they all did so. But the look of hurt and hostility on Scanlan’s face wounded him deeply. He had pulled him aside and tried to explain things, even showing Scanlan the letter he had written in case he died. The bard’s words to him weeks ago, that everything was better compared to the beginning, were hard to believe in the early days of the Conclave’s occupation of several cities in Tal’Dorei. But over time, Vax started to believe in them. After all, he was not alone anymore. It wasn’t like the times he had shared with Vex’ahlia before they all became the S.H.I.Ts. He felt like he belonged with this ragtag group of misfits. He considered them all family.

Scanlan was right. Things were indeed better despite the tragedies that unfolded every day. And even more so once their dynamic began to change. For instance, after having gotten to know the group for a year, while he felt an attraction to Shaun and they seemed to hit it off right away, he never even considered the possibility that he would fall in love with someone else. And he never expected it to be with Keyleth, of all people. But over time, he developed a genuine emotional bond with her, something that he had only shared before with his twin. And then, that bond soon grew into something more, eventually culminating with him falling for her.

Despite his willingness to charge headlong into danger, a quality that the Raven Queen seemed to appreciate when she spoke with him in her temple, he was very patient when it came to Keyleth. He bided his time, never pushing, never forcing himself on her. When he came close to death against the Briarwoods, he had thought of her being beautiful and walking under the trees. He was so convinced that he was going to die at that moment and would have if not for Scanlan and Keyleth managing to give him the strength to get up and run to them. And when he was brought back from the brink of death during the siege of Castle Whitestone, he had the urge to admit his feelings for her, and in his muddled and dazed state did so and emphasized it with their first kiss. But realizing that he may have been a little too hasty, he decided to give her space and wait for her, to let her choose for herself.

And despite so much happening in the months since, despite almost losing Vex and his faith becoming inverted and now serving a goddess of death as opposed to a goddess of life, things truly began turning around for him, especially when Keyleth had summoned the courage to confess. He had started to believe that just being around her would ultimately be enough for him. But her coming forward with her feelings made him feel so happy. The last time Vax felt such happiness was when he spent the first ten years of his life with his sister and their mother. The last time he had allowed himself to be happy before the fates chose to make him their personal plaything, starting with Syldor taking them and Thordak killing his mother.

He sighs again, and stares at the charred edges of hair scattered on the floor. Her hair that he himself had cut. It had hurt for him to do such a thing, but he wanted what was best for his beloved. He then looks back at Keyleth’s sleeping face, and then to the hair on her head that remains. Even with her hair being shorter now, she was beautiful, every bit like a princess even though she always said she wasn’t. But she was indeed royalty in his eyes.

A princess like her honestly doesn’t deserve someone like me. But still, the fact that she chose me over others means a lot. She deserves to live to see everything come to fruition. Her desire to avenge her people and bring Raishan to justice, her Aramente, her wanting a future with me. All of it.

He stands up and walks to the charred strands of hair on the floor, taking the time to pick them all up. He holds them in his hands and, after some deliberation, chooses to weave them together. He had plenty of practice when it came to braiding Vex’s hair on a constant basis, so this was no difficult task. Within minutes, he comes up with a thin but sturdy chain of her blackened but still beautiful hair that he soon ties to his belt, a trinket to remember her by along with the mark of her hand on his back, still there after all this time. He knew that if he were to ever be apart from her, he'd only have to think back to when he asked her to do that. It was proof that no matter the distance, they would be inseparable.

Feeling satisfied, he removes his shirt and boots and soon goes under the covers on the other side of Keyleth’s bed, wisely choosing to give her space so that he doesn’t wake her. As he lays there, he mulls over what was to come. Their rematch with Raishan would happen the next day, and they all needed to be at their best so they could finish her off. They had to finish things, or else something far worse could occur.

She will pay for what she did, love. That’s a promise to you, to your people, and a promise to myself.

Vax smiles once more at Keyleth’s sleeping form, and joins her in slumber himself.

#critical role #vaxleth #keyleth #vax'ildan #cr episode spoilers #scene re-enactment #scene expansion #critfic #loved this scene so much #reposted this because some people may not be aware of the recent updates

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mina-goroshi-blog · 8 years

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Worst of the worst (of the worst): Battlefield Earth

As anyone who knows me can attest, I have a deep and abiding love for unpleasant experiences. I’ve been known to pull all-nighters when none are necessary, just because I don’t want to sleep. I seldom exercise, but when the mood strikes I’ll go on 40 km walks and return home with knees locking up and feet blistered. When I cook for myself, I make my food spicy to the point of pain. All of this is, of course, is insane. So why do I do this? Because pain provides context for pleasure. Because pain, on some level, is exciting. Because pain reminds you that you’re still alive.

Battlefield Earth is pain. In rough terms, it is the box that that one Bene Gesserit put Paul Atreides’ hand in. Battlefield Earth is the mind-killer. Battlefield Earth is the little-death that leads to total obliteration.

And I love it. It is wonderful, in its excruciation. Never before or since has a film aimed so high and fallen so low. It is a tale of ambition, hubris, greed, and failure. Battlefield Earth is a Calvinist meditation on the human condition. To watch the film is to experience the pain of Christ as he tread the Via Dolorosa, as John Travolta and Barry Pepper qua the Romans mock you and scourge you. The full weight of every cinematic sin which has ever been committed or will be committed weighs heavily on your shoulders.

And, like the suffering of Christ, Battlefield Earth has a redemptive purpose. There have been bad movies before, and there will be bad movies again; all are dwarfed by the enormity of suck that is Battlefield Earth. One feels oddly at peace, as the experience ends and the tension headache ebbs away. “The sun will rise in the morning,” you think. “There will come another day.” You might even learn a thing or two by watching it.

Join me, then, in finishing the Litany of Fear:

I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where Battlefield Earth has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

Shall we begin?

Battlefield Earth opens in the year 3000. For a thousand years, Earth has been under the brutal domination of the Psychlos, a cruel race of dreadlocked alien Nazis kitted out in early-2000s mall goth apparel. The majority of humanity has been enslaved by these raver Klingons. Only a few pockets survive in the wild, where they have been reduced to a stone-age existence. One such specimen of humanity is Jonnie Goodboy Tyler (Barry Pepper), our protagonist. As the film opens, Jonnie is leaving his home on a journey of exploration. The audience doesn’t know or care what he’s after; neither does the plot. In short order he is captured by the Psychlos and enslaved.

Terl (John Travolta) is a Psychlo with a problem. As the chief of security for the Earth, he looks forward to the end of his tour of duty, only for the board of directors to extend his deployment another fifty cycles, with endless options for renewal.

Terl hatches a scheme: he will force his enslaved humans to mine gold for him, so that he can buy his way back home. They seem to spend most of their time sitting around in cages and hitting rocks against other rocks, so honestly his plan seems pretty unimpeachable. Conveniently for the plot, Terl chooses Jonnie to carry out his scheme. He puts him through an advanced learning program, taught by a hologram of an alien with very low self-esteem. In a matter of minutes, Jonnie knows all that there is to know. It’s kind of like if the cast and crew of The Matrix spent a long night huffing gasoline before shooting the “I know kung fu” scene.

The training program, of course, also teaches Jonnie how to pilot spaceships, as well as the history of all the earth, the cosmos and the Psychlo race. Having been given a shuttle, the shiftless and workshy Jonnie decides to bring Terl gold from Fort Knox’s stash rather than going to the effort of mining it himself. Since the writers have basically given up at this point, Jonnie also happens to discover a subterranean US army base fully stocked with inexplicably functional and still-fueled warplanes. Within a week, he has trained all the remaining humans to be combat pilots. Terl suspects something is amiss, and to prove his point he shoots a few cows as the horrified humans look on - planting the seed of rebellion that will be his own undoing.

The humans put their plan into effect by launching a full-scale attack on the Psychlo base. In the course of the battle, the massive dome the Psychlos have built over Denver is destroyed, and the Psychlos inside suffocate, unable to breathe the Earth’s atmosphere. Since the plot has entirely stopped trying by now, Jonnie finds a teleportation device and transports an atom bomb to the Psychlo homeworld, Psychlo. It detonates in spectacular fashion, exterminating all life. The humans celebrate this act of genocidal planetary annihilation, Terl is locked in the vault of Fort Knox, and at long last the credits roll.

There is so much wrong with this garbage film that one hardly knows where to begin. Though it sounds like the fevered ramblings of a lunatic, I assure you that the plot summary above is 100% accurate. Narrative elements are introduced and then forgotten about in the space of a single scene. Part of this, I assume, was a perceived need to cram in details from the equally nonsensical 1000-page L. Ron Hubbard book the film was adapted from; this was very much a vanity project for the Church of Scientology (on which more later.) But the film is already vastly too long, while (paradoxically) far too short to deal with all the elements it tries to introduce. The dialogue and characters are no better - Jonnie could have been played to satisfaction by an upturned mop with a cutout of Barry Pepper’s face glued on. John Travolta’s performance is at least memorable in its insanity; every scene he’s in crackles with enthusiasm and Very Big Acting. Travolta was having the time of his life, bless his heart.

The film is notorious also for its horrible design. The lighting for most scenes has a queasy quality reminiscent of a laser tag arena after far too much greasy pizza, while virtually every shot is from an extreme Dutch angle. It’s supposed to make the audience feel uncomfortable and disoriented, I would guess, in which case it congratulations are in order because one does indeed feel rather sick after a while. The net effect reminds one of an uninspired nu-metal video. The special effects are mostly executed competently, for the time, and are of the late 90s school of CG where everything looks vaguely like it’s made of Plasticine. Presumably, some talented artists were involved, which is a real shame because the concept art they were tasked with interpreting puts one in mind of nothing so much as the cover art for a Mexican bootleg VHS of Alien. Even the scene transitions are overdesigned and dumb: there are no less than a dozen of those stupid barn door wipes, which were jarring and weird in Star Wars, when handled by a competent editor, and which are physically painful here. I’d recommend accompanying them with the sound of a slide whistle if you have one to hand.

The people to blame for this unspeakable blasphemy of a film are, of course, the Church of Scientology. L. Ron Hubbard considered the book from which the film was adapted as somewhat of a masterpiece, in clear distinction to the portion of humanity who are allowed to handle sharp objects without supervision, and Scientologists were reportedly ordered to buy multiple copies of it when it was released to help it reach the top of the sales charts. Hubbard apparently had Travolta in mind for the role of Terl from the beginning, and after Travolta’s career was revitalized after Pulp Fiction he threatened, cajoled and pleaded until he was able to secure funding for the film:

Battlefield Earth is the pinnacle of using my power for something. I told my manager, "If we can't do the things now that we want to do, what good is the power? Let's test it and try to get the things done that we believe in."

The Church of Scientology got in on the action, too, its members pestering 20th Century Fox to make the film until the studio heads got fed up and sold the rights to Franchise Pictures, a production studio specializing in untouchable vanity projects. With production costs spiraling to a reported $50 million, hype reached such a high that the Church of Scientology sent a giant inflatable Terl on a nationwide tour.

The success of this film rested on one crucial factor: that it didn’t turn out to be worse than an unanesthetized root canal. Oh, well.

There are reasons to watch this film. That a film like Plan 9 from Outer Space or Troll 2 should have been dreadful was a given: they were shot on a zero-dollar budget, with cardboard sets and props bought from the dollar store, “starring” actors who had never acted before and “directed” by people who had never directed before (and indeed still hadn’t by the end of production.) Battlefield Earth doesn’t have this excuse. A fleet of caterers arrived every morning on set to feed the production. Highly-skilled makeup artists, riggers and lighting technicians toiled away behind the scenes, while some of the biggest stars in Hollywood were in front of the camera. An army of tech artists produced CG assets for this picture, toiling away in obscurity for months in devotion to their art. The film shot was taken to a lab where it was treated by some of the best specialists on earth, meticulously assembled and given form and direction by a small cadre of editors. 50 million dollars were spent, and at the end of it all, Battlefield Earth was the result: a shining monument to failure. This film, which is everything that film shouldn’t be. It is failure. It is ugliness. It is pain.

And without pain, what is pleasure? You can’t afford to miss Battlefield Earth.

#battlefield earth #scientology #film review #bad movies #john travolta #pain

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tiamat-zx · 8 years

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Charred

Welp, I got inspiration from last week’s episode to write this one. It’s a re-enactment and expansion of that heartwarming final scene before the end.

Keep in mind that this is the first draft, and that I may need to expand on it further before posting this to ao3. But please let me know what you think of it, because feedback is what keeps me going as a Critter and as a writer.

Also, thank you Liam and Marisha for such a tender scene. I was so happy that it happened.

In her room in Castle Whitestone, standing in front of the mirror of the vanity table in her nightgown, Keyleth held her charred circlet in her hands, lamenting over the day’s events. The Cinder King had proven to be an even more terrifying and dangerous opponent than they thought, but at the very least they had two months to prepare for this endeavor, which included gathering allies and the Vestiges of the Divergence. After a long, harrowing two months—and many, many near-misses along the way—their preparations were complete... or so they thought.

The one who called herself the Diseased Deceiver, Raishan.

Keyleth’s eyes began to water, thinking back to that horrible confrontation. They were wounded and spent, most of their strength expended on Thordak. And yet, even though she told Vax to wait for her before attacking, even though her exact words were to not let Raishan touch the Cinder King’s corpse, Vax chose to strike first. And then when she flew even further into the tunnel and Keyleth and the twins chose to pursue, that was when everything began to go wrong starting with the impact of those meteors.

They clearly underestimated Raishan’s power as she used her magic to disappear and systematically remove the protection of the Heroes’ Feast that would’ve shielded them from her poisonous breath. And even after the rest of the group—sans Kash and Zahra who stayed behind to stop the fire giants from interfering—managed to catch up and Devo’ssa was finally summoned by Scanlan, she had then proceeded to lay waste to them all, unleashing spell after powerful spell on them. They struggled to keep each other alive, but despite their best efforts Raishan had managed to slay Vex and Scanlan temporarily before Pike managed to revive them. She nearly killed Vax as well and would have if Keyleth hadn’t managed to save him from the burning lava. And when Raishan attempted to flee while clutching two dragon eggs, Keyleth tried to follow to give chase and aid the party best she could... only to have the ground break beneath her and have her plummet into a river of lava below her.

Keyleth could still feel the horrible pain that she endured from that fluke of a circumstance. She had managed to crawl out of the river but not without suffering some severe damage that was fortunately lessened by the fire resistance potion she drank earlier. And to make matters worse, they were repelled by an invisible wall. And by the time they figured out how to make the wall vanish, Raishan and Thordak’s corpse were already gone. The Diseased Deceiver had escaped with her prizes in tow. Keyleth stood there in silence upon witnessing the absence of both, her vengeance having been ripped from her fingers when she was so close to achieving it. She tried so hard to remain strong and not break down, to try to focus on their next course of action, and it was only when Vax and Kerr—the blacksmith who acted as a mentor to her in Westruun—tried to comfort her did she allow herself to cry from the pain and exhaustion.

Keyleth stood there in front of the vanity table mirror, still clutching onto her circlet and staring at herself and the state she was in. She was still horribly burned by her sudden lava bath, though most of the burns were fortunately healed by Vax and Kerr’s healing magic. Her beautiful red hair, once long, was scorched and mostly gone, the blackened ends reaching down to her shoulders. Keyleth felt that this was karma at work, punishing her for her own hubris. At the very least, she was still alive for the moment before they would all head out to fight Raishan once more in the evening. She felt so tired and exhausted from the events of the day. It took all of her remaining willpower to stay standing and not collapse, to remain focused on the task at hand.

They had been presented with a very difficult choice: to either pursue Raishan straight away while both sides were depleted but with a higher risk of someone dying permanently, or pursue her after resting in the hopes that they manage to catch her before she fully recovers. Keyleth herself had to make the call, and as far as she was concerned, she made the right choice; nearly dying in Thordak’s lair made her more cautious and wary of what was to come, especially after witnessing Raishan’s magical prowess even though she was diseased. She underestimated her once before, but not again.

But did I truly make the right call?

She continued to stand in front of the mirror, lost in her own thoughts, when a soft knock sounded out from her door.

“Come in,” she called out. The door soon opened, and in the mirror she could see Vax walk in, out of his armor and looking equally exhausted.

“Hi,” was all Vax said as he approached her.

“Hi,” she replied, not even needing to look back due to his reflection.

Keyleth soon noticed that Vax was clutching a bottle in his hand which he soon placed on the table. He then pulled out Whisper and as soon as the blade came into view she shuddered briefly, thinking back to when that weapon was plunged into her back by Kynan at Glintshore. That small, legendary dagger had nearly stolen her life, but now it was in the hands of the man she loved with all her heart. Knowing that made her relax a little more.

Vax’s other hand soon caressed the remnants of her charred locks as he said softly, “Have a seat.”

“Okay,” she replied just as softly. She did as she was told and sat down on the chair next to her, placing the circlet on the table. She continued to stare at herself in the mirror as Vax held both Whisper and her locks in his hands. And then, to her surprise, he started to grab hold of the edges and used the dagger to slowly cut the charred and burnt locks away. Keyleth could see Vax’s pained expression as he worked, the thought of having to cut her beautiful hair no doubt hurting him.

“Do you like it shorter?” she asked as he continued his work. She had never felt so self-conscious about her hair before, as fashion wasn’t necessarily a priority for her in the past other than the time where she went shopping for clothes with Vax so they could infiltrate the Velvet Cabaret in Vasselheim. The memory brought a smile to her face, as did the moment when Vax “proposed” to her. It was so silly at the time, yet it felt... right. She knew it was merely a ruse, but still, it made her feel happy that Vax wanted to do it. And she had accepted without much difficulty.

Vax thought for a moment before answering her question, and then replied, “I like you.”

Keyleth smiled again at his thoughtfulness. But then her smile faded as she noticed his furrowed brow, a constant for Vax that she had noticed having traveled with him for the better part of two years now.

“You know, I see you doubting yourself,” Vax told her as he kept cutting, his tone soft and soothing. “I see it, Kiki. But I’ve no doubts in you. I’ve known you for a long time now. And I have seen the strength in you growing. And I’m a fan. You’re going to make a great leader someday.”

Keyleth could feel herself shrink ever so slightly into herself. It was flattering and so sweet of Vax to think that highly of her. But at the same time, she felt as if she still wasn’t worthy enough to be a leader just yet, not after her desire to want to kill Raishan ended up costing so many people their lives, including Vex and Scanlan. And despite Vax’s and Kerr’s words to her, she still felt so much guilt.

“I just feel like there’s so many people I can easily disappoint, and I don’t want to,” she admitted. She was going to be the leader of her tribe once her Aramente was complete. All she had left to do was to go to the Water Ashari and complete her training. And after that, she wasn’t sure what would happen. She would probably have to part ways with Vox Machina, a thought that frightened her. They were her family for the better part of two years now, and despite the arguments and infighting they occasionally got into, they were still tied to the hip. But thinking of the possibility that she would eventually have to leave them all to return to Zephra to continue where her father left off made Keyleth feel very unsure of herself.

I’m not ready to go back, I can feel it. I don’t want to leave any of them. And yet, I will have to eventually once there’s no reason for any of us to stick together.

Vax paused for a moment, still gripping her burnt hair, and soon said back to her as he continued cutting, “You’re doing the very best you can with what you’ve been given. And I have seen you rise again and again and not stop and not back down. And you fucking blow me away with the things you can do out there. You are beautiful, you are talented, and you are strong as fuck. And I can’t take the doubt away. I can’t do that. But mix in with that my faith in you. Percy’s faith in you. Grog’s faith in you. Kerr’s. Vex’ahlia’s. Scanlan’s. Allura’s. All of ours. We are all behind you and we all believe in you. And we all love you. And obviously I love you.”

Keyleth smiled faintly. She could easily feel the conviction behind Vax’s words, the meaning behind them. He had faith in her. They all had faith in her, a young woman who was easily prone to making rash decisions and having occasionally poor judgment. A woman who was led by what her heart was telling her and not her mind. And yet... they all had faith in her. It made her want to cry.

It was then that Keyleth thought of a circumstance similar to this moment, the time when she talked about her distrust of Kima while they were in the Underdark and Vax spoke up, telling her that she was not alone. That she had a family with her. She remembered how understanding he was, and how supportive he was even long before he confessed his love to her. And she remembered how it felt for her to love him and yet not have the courage to say it. It was not until after Tiberius had died that she found that courage. And now she wasn’t afraid to explore that love with him.

“And I love you,” she replied. She then went on to say, “You know, um, everyone comes from these backgrounds and having all these well-ventured and traveled pasts. You were the first people that I knew and met. So not only are you the longest, I don’t really have any other friends. You are my family. I’ll try not to let you down.”

Vax smiled at her in the mirror as he put away Whisper and moved around the chair to kneel down in front of her, running a hand through her hair. She could see in her reflection that the burnt locks were cut away, leaving the rest of what remained clean. It was a rather uneven cut, but she didn’t mind. Besides, wild and uneven suited her considering her status as a druid.

“I’ve no worries. Look at you. Don’t you look like royalty?”

“I’m not a princess, remember?” Keyleth reminded him. She really didn’t like being called a “princess” as she didn’t think of herself as one. Still, that didn’t stop the others from treating her like one, especially Tiberius when he was still with the group.

“That’s kinda what I like about you,” Vax replied with a smile. Keyleth couldn’t help but chuckle a little. He was so sweet, and she was so happy that out of all the people she met in her life, Vax was the one she fell in love with. They were clearly alike in so many ways. Perhaps they were too much alike. But still, it allowed them to relate to each other so well. She lamented on how they could’ve had a lot more time to be happy if not for the dragons, the Raven Queen, and all the unfortunate events that transpired in-between. Despite them, however, it allowed them all to grow into the people they are now.

“Would you do me a favor?” Vax soon asked. “Down the line, once all this is behind us... will you go back to the theater with me?”

His sudden and rather non-sequitur request caught Keyleth off-guard for a moment as she stared at him, utterly confused as to why he would say that now of all times. “What is it with you and the theater? Why?”

Vax shrugged. “I don’t understand it, either.”

Keyleth shrugged herself as she brought her hand up to match his hand that was still caressing her hair and stared at him with longing eyes. “Just as long as you go back to Zephra with me. Maybe?”

Vax replied with a smile, “You don’t have to ask.”

Keyleth smiled back, happy at his decision to go back with her when they had the chance. Ever since she first showed him the village from a distance, and ever since their reunion with her father, she had wanted to show him everything. But now that promise was set, assuming they survived the coming battle first.

“Does my hair look okay?” Keyleth then asked Vax, still feeling self-conscious about it.

“You kidding me?” Vax asked with an incredulous look on his face, puzzled at her statement.

“The short thing kinda works? It works with my bone structure? The antlers aren’t overpowering it, right? The length kinda balanced out this, you know? Maybe bangs? Actually, no. No bangs.”

Keyleth continued to babble nervously about her uncertainty regarding her new look as Vax abruptly kissed her, silencing the thoughts in her head. She knew she had a tendency to talk too much, and a part of her was thankful that Vax found a rather direct way to calm her down.

Vax broke the kiss and Keyleth soon found herself feeling really tired.

“Tired?” Vax asked.

“Yeah,” she muttered. “I’m exhausted.”

“Come on, then. To bed you go,” he told her as she could feel herself being picked up by Vax and carried to her bed. She could barely keep her eyes open as Vax tucked her in.

“Rest well, love. We have a big night ahead of us,” Vax said with the gentlest of tones. “And hopefully we’ll all make it out of this alive.”

“I hope so, too,” Keyleth replied as she found herself drifting further and further into sleep. She then managed to pull Vax’s head close to her as she gave him one last kiss before succumbing to slumber. “I love you, Vax.”

“I love you, too.”

Keyleth smiled as she finally surrendered to the exhaustion of the day, her eyes closing. Their rematch with Raishan was coming, and she needed to be at her best so they could finish her off. They had to finish things, or else something far worse could occur.

She will pay for what she did. That’s a promise to you, my brothers and sisters, and a promise to myself.

Keyleth soon fell asleep, and for the first time in a long while, her dreams were peaceful. She had no doubt that right beside her, Vax was dreaming the same dreams. Dreams of the two of them living a peaceful life free of dragons and death. Dreams of a future where they even raised a family together.

They were dreams worth making come true.

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