#I AM HERE FOR GRAILED POSITIVITY

[foone]

weird thought: I think if I was a teenager now (or anytime in the last decade or so) I think I would have written (and read!) a lot more fanfic than I did in reality, where I was a teenager in the 90s.

See, I've never been hugely into fanfic. Never had anything against it exactly, but it just wasn't something I was into. But I think that has to do with an interesting combination of how my brain works and what time I was first really getting into being a fan.

I've got a "librarian" brain (I'm literally typing this from within a library, WHERE I WORK). It wants to know things like "what are all the works in this series/by this creator?" and "are they all accessible?" and "what info is available about how it was made?"

I'm the kind of person who will watch a show then go look it up on wikipedia to see how many seasons it has, who made it, if they're still making it, check tvtropes for any more info, etc. Or I hear a song I like by a band I've never heard of, so I go listen to their entire discography while researching them. I just focus on things I'm into that way, you know? I don't half-ass my interest. (this is probably related to my autism, of course)

So what does this have to do with fanfic? like, do I go read some fanfics as part of this process? No, and I think the reason for it is when I specifically first got into fandom, as a teen.

See, this sort of fandom-librarian was harder to do in 1997, you know? You couldn't just pull up the wikipedia for that new show and see how many episodes it had. You also couldn't just listen to the whole discography of that band! Forget Spotify or Google Music, even Napster didn't exist yet.

So my interest in fandom focused a lot more on very basic questions: How many episodes/albums/books/whatever are there? Where can I see/hear them all? Like, I remember getting excited because I found some fan magazine that had a list of all the Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes. Just a list! Not even descriptions or anything. I finally could take that list and see how many I'd seen, so I'd know when I saw them all in late-night reruns.

So I'm focusing on these very basic parts of being a fandom-librarian and I stumble across some fanfic. I'm like "oh, is this a transcript of an episode I haven't seen yet?" and I realize it's not, it's a story written by a fan, and I get a knee-jerk reaction of "that's not helpful to my quest to know and find all the episodes". It's like I am on a quest for the holy grail and I found a fake cup. It's not helpful to me, and at worst it's a distraction from my goal.

And the thing is, I think the fact I had that reaction is entirely due to the time and situation in which I first encountered fanfic. It was in that environment of "I can't even find a list of the episodes, let alone a way to watch them all!" and that anxiety that colored my response to finding fanfic.

I think if I instead was first introduced to fanfic NOW, where those fandom-librarian drives aren't so difficult to fulfill, I'd be way more positive about fanfic. If I could get a list of episodes with a quick google search, and watch them easily on netflix/prime/whatever, I'd be less "THIS DOESN'T HELP! I AM STRUGGLING WITH THE BASICS HERE!" and more "yay, more content for the fandom I'm obsessed with!"

Like I said, I'm not anti-fanfic, I never have been, I just never got into it. From the beginning I had this reaction that was "this is not useful" and I never developed any real interest in it. Which is a shame, honestly. Fanfic is great. It just never became one of my interests, and while I've written it and read it from time to time, I imagine I'd be way more into it if I didn't have the weird reaction to it due to the worries of the time in which I first encountered it.

I don't know how many other people have brains that work anything like mine, but if they exist, I'm glad they're now growing up in a world where they won't have these problems. They can get into fanfic without this weird baggage caused by a lack of information.

[ash-says]

Cheating Anxiety With Me

Seatbelts tight? Hands Steady? Are you still shaking? No, then lets rideeeee.

Anxiety the feeling of dread, uneasiness, fear, shaking, restless, heart beating rapidly, etc

Coping with anxiety is difficult especially for the mentally deranged girlies. No hate I love you all. You are just so my type of people.

Today I am going to tell you how to deal with it because you know what I say, "Kill or get killed."

The classic deep breathing technique: Start from 1 breathe in to the count of 4 then hold at 5 and breathe out from 6 to 10. This will help in evening out your breathing and slow down your heart beats.

Move, Sway and twirl: You feel an anxiety attack taking over you the best way to tackle all that excess energy released through FFF hormone is by MOVING YOUR BODY. Exercise. Dance. Run. Anything just move.

Sleep: Yeah, you read it right. Just shut down your system and sleep. This is my personal go to. Overwhelming anxious thoughts, feelings, anything we let it marinate over a nap. Works wonders for me.

Talk to a friend: Another personal go to. Sometimes the feelings are so loud, disturbing and dark that sleep is no longer an option. At such times talk it out. Seek a friend. Best if they are physically present with you. Ask for a hug. Loving touch. Don't be embarrassed. It does wonders. Trust me.

Nature therapy: One of the ways I accidentally discovered was that trees, plants and flowers can be extremely calming. No one to rely on. Go and hug a tree. I promise you it works. Social anxiety? Okay I got you also covered. Buy some fresh flowers or if you have house plants touch them. Inhale their scent. Graze the petals or leaves lovingly and tenderly. Feel them. It will calm you down.

Sugar saves the day: Okay some people might come at me for this one but honestly anything sweet is the holy grail for dealing with it. Now the trick here is not eating desserts and chocolates but rather fruits like grapes, banana, watermelons, etc. Basically eat healthy things. We don't want diabetes now, do we?

The 333 rule: This one goes like name 3 things in your surroundings, identify 3 sounds and touch 3 things. This helps in distracting your brain and calming down your wreck of a system.

Positive self talk: Keep on repeating like a broken record that it is going to be okay and you will get through it. As loud as your inner thoughts get that much loud this self talk gets. Basically overpower that annoying bitch inside you. Winning is the only option.

Identify the triggers and face them: Literally be a detective and find out your triggers and then put yourself through it by yourself until it becomes a normal thing for you. I am not advising this for dangerous things but you can try this on smaller triggers. Example: A song, a scent, a topic is a trigger to you. So now listen to that song, inhale that scent, read things around that topic willingly and train your brain and body to tackle it so that when it comes up suddenly your brain doesn't go in survival mode.

No to drugs, alcohol and risky behaviors: You should be going to them over your dead body. Please I am begging you don't indulge in them. Yes I am asking you lovingly, with teary eyes please don't do this to yourself. Don't punish yourself more. The world is already a harsh place if you won't be kind to yourself, who will be then?

Bonus one: Find a strict no bullshit friend who isn't afraid to call you out on your toxic behavior, put you in your place and is ready to be the pillar on which you can rely on. Because we are not able to differentiate in right and wrong during those times. Its really difficult to maintain the moral compass. That's why you need a community of trusted people to hold you down.

Fight your way back. Because this world is a cruel place babygirl. You do anything to survive. If you are still dreaming of a saviour. Dream on.

[r-2-peepoo]

Do you have any good Codywan fics to recommend? Preferably on AO3, preferably not too spicy, and preferably ones that will leave me happy inside and not drowning in a post-Order 66 pit of despair. If you don’t feel like answering this, that’s fine, I hope you have a good day! :)

First of all, I am so sorry for not replying to this sooner. I didn’t see the notification and also I really wanted to make sure I gave you a good list. I love getting asked this so thank you for giving me an excuse to make another one of these posts. Here is a link to the first one I made.

These are all masterpieces in my mind. I have like twenty bookmarks in total even though I read fics all the time so here are some of my holy grails:

AUs

Oh, the weather outside is frightful by Celaestis (Christmas fluff modern au)

 I wish there were more Christmas fics because I just love them and it certainly doesn’t hurt that the writing quality of this one is nothing short of breathtaking. This is ever so slightly spicy but its mostly fluff. Just a line or two of spice and it’s implied too. This writer has a way of describing things that is so intricate and intimate and I am just obsessed with their writing style.

love me long, be my sunlight by ricken (love island au)

I have never been able to sit through an entire episode of Love Island but when I tell you I screamed when I first saw this au. It is the most fun I have had with a fic in so long but it’s also actually incredibly heartwarming too. And what a creative idea as well. This is one of the fics I reread a lot and if you give it a go, you’ll understand why. It’s positively delightful and is such an original concept too. 

Probably the spiciest fic on the list but there’s nothing crazy. It’s mostly just dialogue and references (it is a dating show after all) and the spiciest scene is interrupted. I had such a blast with this one and I really wish more fics were like this.

hunger + dreams by catboydogma (hockey/figure skating au)

Tell me why Codywan suit every genre. The very concept of a Codywan figure skating au is enough to make me screech but this one!!! It’s just so cute. Truly the most adorable little getting together fic and it does such a good job characterising everyone too. The interactions Obi Wan has with Anakin and Ahsoka are so much fun and Codywan deserve to be happy above all else and this fic absolutely delivers that. I would read a thousand chapters of this if I could.

Silver Lining by Wixiany (skiing au)

This fic!!!! Oh my god!!!! I have always believed that Codywan have suffered too much in canon that every au they are place in should be a romcom and that is precisely what this fic is. The sweetest little romcom ever. This fic has everything. A ski-slope accident meet cute. A Cody’s scar origin story. An Omega cameo (if you know me, you know that my opinion of any Codywan fic skyrockets if my fave Star Wars girl makes an appearance). Basically no angst!!!! I think this fic cured all of my problems ngl. I cannot recommend it enough. I genuinely just found this like thirty minutes ago and it has instantly become one of my favourite Codywan fics ever.

An Officer and a Gentleman by jimmytiberius  (regency au)

I read this one last year and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. This is a Codywan regency au and regency era literature may be the only thing I love as much as Codywan so naturally the being combined is immaculate. This fic does a fantastic job of capturing the delicate romanticism of the time period and it’s a style that suits Codywan down to the ground. It just makes sense for them. I mean a Sense and Sensibility au??? Are you serious??? What an amazing concept. If you’re familiar with Jane Austen at all, you’ll feel right at home with this fic because it is just so incredibly sweet.

Rhapsody in Blue by KCKenobi (orchestra/mystery au)

Now I know I mentioned it on my last post but I have vowed to always recommend this fic whenever anyone asks. It is truly my favourite fic of all time and I’ve read it multiple times now. How many fanfics can you say have their own soundtrack? I think this is the third time I have recommended this fic in a post but it really is that good. This is a warning for some angst but I would never recommend a fic with an unhappy ending unless specifically asked so you can rest easy knowing that everything resolves well in this story. 

What I also adore about this fic is that it does brilliantly what so few others do, which is that it doesn’t ignore its side characters. They are not just props in Obi Wan’s story. Each person, no matter how small their appearance, feels like a real person. They’re so believable and every relationship, platonic, romantic or otherwise, is completely fleshed out.

There's also a very sweet Codywan oneshot here but it is set during the pandemic and is a bit of a heavy read depending on how much that topic affects so be careful.

I would also like to say that, while this author doesn’t generally write Codywan, first of all when she does it is magical. Secondly, she is absolutely fantastic if you like platonic fics. There’s so many to read and every single one I have read so far has been wonderful. 

Canonverse fics

Incognizant by marshMeister (5+1 fic)

It wouldn’t be a true list of recommendations if I didn’t mention a fic by one of my favourite humans @legobenkenobi. When I say he is one of my favourite writers ever, I am not just saying it because I talk to him basically everyday. I cannot think of a single other person I would trust more to characterise both Cody and Obi Wan. It’s perfect every single time, whether its just in a post or in a full fanfiction, and this fic is such a good example. It’s that classic 5+1 format but it’s so sweet and so in character. 

What’s the one thing that could improve a Codywan fic though? Anakin being completely oblivious and (lovingly) made fun of for it. He has absolutely no clue how Codywan feel about each other even though basically the rest of the galaxy knows so this fic is him figuring that out and it is joy to read (and then reread like six times).

Also if I could make it required by law to read everything Ben has ever written, I would. So definitely check out literally all of his other fics.

if i don’t make it back from where i’ve gone (just know i’ve loved you all along) by thebitterbeast (featuring art from thegreencarousel) (time travel, non linear fic)

This fic does have some angst but rest assured everything works out eventually. It’s such a unique take on the events in canon and I already enjoy a time loop/ time travel fic. But the part I love the most about this fic is that it’s pro-Jedi. Too many Codywan fics find it necessary to disparage or misrepresent the Jedi and their beliefs in order to make the relationship work but Jedi are allowed to love! And this fic is such a beautiful reminder of that. It also captures the gentleness that Cody and Obi Wan have in their relationship with each other in such a lovely way. I fully accept this as the new canon.

Ghosts of the Dead by Just_Here_To_Procrastinate (zombie au)

This is definitely the heaviest fic on the list but trust me. It’s a masterpiece. Also happy ending too, so don’t worry. Just be cautious for mentions of blood and gore if that isn’t your thing. It doesn’t go overboard with it at all but better safe than sorry.

This is a zombie au and I understand that genre isn’t for everyone, but when people say that they’ve read fanfictions that are better than traditionally published novels, this is the kind of this they’re talking about. There’s a section of this fic which is maybe one of the most beautifully written things I’ve ever read. I wish I could give more context but it happens to be at the most pivotal moment of the entire story and I don’t want to spoil anything so you’re going to have to trust me. This fic is insanely good. It’s quite a long one and worth every single second you spend reading it. I love the narrative style and how it fits into the actual plot of TCW too. The characterization is fantastic too.

[beebopboom]

Words of a Wise Angel

(Intro, part 1, part 2, part 3)

Finally made it to the end - four post later for a character that only has around 10 minutes of screen time - and there was going to be more

Originally this was going to be how the Metatron fashioned himself the king in God's game of chess and was going to relate it to Shakespearean Kings heck we were even going to go into Monty Python and the Holy Grail - but honestly I kind of just lost the motivation……maybe in the future I'll revisit.

However I still got shit to say.

(oh my god how did this get so long - I promise I’m a little sane over here)

So let's look into his actions in the show and maybe fill in some blanks

Disclaimer: just want to say I am focusing on The Metatron (obviously), his pov, and how he twist things - not what happened between Aziraphale and Crowley in the final 15, besides like one thing - just heavy emphasis on that

The Judge

(Of a very weird courtroom)

The trial itself seems to mirror Hell's trial in the way there is no true defense - I’m sensing a pattern

In the trial of Gabriel he is centered in the middle - at this moment neither left or right

He doesn't cut in until Gabriel starts going on about what an angel just gotta do sometimes- and brings up a reminder of what happened to the last angel of his position that started with this way of thinking - it after all is a great story for controlling and best not be repeated because then it looks bad on Heaven's part

This establishes The Metatron as a character whose main concern is the reputation of Heaven - that even though this is an action that is casting out worthy he won’t can’t do it because then it would be an upheaval.

But he frames it as a kindness, as if he was doing a favor - it's manipulative, it keeps the "Heaven is all good, here look we are doing a special favor just for you” narrative going

After Gabriel leaves he moves to the side and brings up that it is taking him a while to come back but for the most part takes a backseat to the happenings around him until they start talking about ringing the alarm bells -

He tells them they are just going to have to find him and he is amused about it. Which tells me a few things

that he doesn't want this getting out yet- fewer that know the better

he didn't actually care about what happened to Gabriel - in fact this might even be a better outcome for him in the way he just doesn't have to deal with him any more

he doesn't actually think they will find him

this might just be a great story - let’s just let it play out

Now this is all happening right before episode 1 perhaps bleeding into the time where Crowley and Shax are talking (which begs the question of how does Shax know) - so it is days before we see him again, a very eventful few days

The First move

When he does show back up he’s in a corporation and getting coffee - second in line behind Mrs. Sandwich.

And his eye is on Crowley - he watches Crowley converse with these two humans and bring Mr. Brown back

Now the coffee shop - I lied I do have something to add

So before even ordering what is he witnessing? Maggie and Nina having a moment - where Nina accepts Maggie's offer of help and asks her to go get milk for her and we as an audience can see this is a big moment for Nina.

Now imagine what it is to a staple of Whickber St. and someone who is not hesitant to tell her opinion about Nina's relationship and just so happens to be first in line, Mrs. Sandwich. I would not be surprised at all if she made a remark to Nina - a remark The Metatron overheard, so now he has the following information

they are friendly with Crowley

something is up with their relationship

But now it's his turn to order - and Maggie is back how long did your order take Sandwich!? - and asks for his oatmilk latte with almond syrup and his whole human picking coffee over death being predictable thing - and yet this isn't the end of their conversation

The next time we see Maggie and Nina they are getting ready to head back over to the bookshop but what got them on this conversation in the first place? That's right I'm suggesting the Metatron said or did something. Nothing to overt but something that got them thinking, talking, and maybe wanting to confront a certain duo about it

But back to the Metatron - he has entered the bookshop and interrupted Michael

Now the Metatron has always been a character that uses human expressions and his funny little words. But he comes right out the gate with balderdash and piffle so lets talk about them

They mean practically the same thing and yet he repeats it twice so why? I think it has something to do with their origins

Balderdash - although it is not certain it is said to originate during Shakespearean times, around this time though would have been used to describe a mixed drink

Piffle - started to appear 1860 - 1870ish

They are also both games and when you search them together it is a british show that goes into the origins of words - so yeah just keep those dates in mind

He uses Crowley to point out who he is - the demon who has a bad history with him, another subtle reminder of what going against Heaven gets you.

Then he starts up with the praise for Aziraphale who actually says his name, and we see a shift in tone from when he is addressing Aziraphale and then ordering the Archangels back to Heaven - which here is another one of the human phrases, spit spot

Spit spot - I don't know exactly when it was created but it is most commonly recognized as something Mary Poppins said, which the books where published between 1934 - 1988 with the movie coming out in 1964

But anyway (I promise there is a point to those) the Archangels reaction to him, Uriel's specifically. They are nervous, they are stuttering, they are praising him - they are groveling in front of him as if he were a king, and it reminds me of the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz. But the Metatron has no time for them and dismisses them. (Lord I talk about this moment a lot)

Ah, just him and Aziraphale now (not really) and they need to have a chinwag

Chinwag - around the 1870s

In response to Aziraphale saying he has made his position quite clear he offers him the coffee - which we know is not something Aziraphale prefers to drink - he offers another option that Aziraphale would not normally take, foreshadowing much?

well I say offered but really it’s kinda shoved in his face.

He separates Aziraphale and Crowley - leaving Crowley behind with a glare and ominous music which really is the first blatant instance of us knowing that the something that is up - is bad

and guess who enters the bookshop - Maggie and Nina here to talk about relationships and interference - convenient timing almost like it was influenced by someone

We join back with the Metatron when he is telling Aziraphale he doesn’t have to make a decision yet and to go tell his friend the good news and then he blends back into the crowd to walk to Muriel at the coffee shop and encourages them to read books. He proceeds to stand up and look into the bookshop, watching

Now the bits of conversation we see from Aziraphale- I see this as a few possible different things

this is the actual conversation and Aziraphale is telling Crowley an edited version

this is the edited version that he is telling Crowley and something else happened

he didn’t edit it and this is actually what happened and what was told to Crowley

but all I know is we didn’t see this full conversation and it reminded me of the misunderstanding conversation between the Nuns last season - either way it's what we got to work with people

Before moving on there are a couple particular sentences I want to point out from this conversation - and I will get to these later

"It's why Gabriel came to you in the first place, I imagine. There are huge plans afoot, enormous projects, and I will need you to run them.”

"Yeah, I've been looking back over a number of your previous exploits, and I see that in quite a few of them you formed a de facto partnership with the demon, Crowley. Now, if you wanted to work with him again, that might be considered irregular, but it would certainly be within your jurisdiction to restore your friend, Crowley, to full angelic status”

The Aftermath

Upon entering the bookshop and getting Aziraphale to say what they both already know happened out loud - he immediately chimes in with the rhetoric of “this is how Crowley always was, he chose this and his actions are his own doing - you Aziraphale are making the right choice here, you can’t change those who don’t want to, those who are damned”

congratulations Metatron you got what you wanted - pls this is sarcastic I’m still salty

Now that he has basically taken care of everything in his way of getting Aziraphale to come with him - he asks if he is ready to go (at no point yet has Aziraphale actually said yes) and asks if he needs to bring anything with him, a dig and a probe to see if there is anything else. He then just starts walking, not waiting for Aziraphale - a manipulation tactic to pull him along

and on the walk to the lift and in waiting keeps giving Aziraphale praise and then finally revealing The Second Coming as he gets in the lift which makes Aziraphale have to choose - it’s the final one and he still has to make it seem as though he actually had a choice.

But what does this all mean? What was the point of doing all this? Why does he need Aziraphale?? What’s with the word choices?

What’s with your funny words, Magic Man?

some of the dates might have rang a little familiar - Shakespeare? the 1860s? Mary Poppins? They are all around the times Aziraphale and Crowley were meeting up - well duh they’ve been meeting up since practically forever

the Mary Poppins one you could look at two ways - the actual time period they were being released, which would have been the 1941 or 1967 dates, or the fact that Crowley inspired his Nanny look after her

Looking at past exploits indeed you were Metatron, or perhaps you were even there hmmmm…

EDIT

The Metatron just used words that are from some important times,

1601 - discussing their arrangement (them working together)

1862 - their holy water fight and then not talking to each other

1967 (or 1941) - they start working and meeting up again and the holy water disagreement is put to rest.

and then he eventually hits him with, "if you wanted to work with him again”

which interestingly enough seems to hit the insecurities that Aziraphale expressed in the coffee shop, on the head - that loss of structure and purpose.

Aziraphale and Crowley also just did some big moves on their own in the bookshop and heaven - ones they weren't working together on. “You came back” is starting to hit even harder

End Edit

But also The Metatron put emphasis on the word friend when referring to Crowley, for the most part he referred to him as “demon” until then, until he pulled his final card - such an interesting word that had such an impact on Aziraphale in 1941 - well played Metatron well played (I hate it)

Now this could have all been a coincidence - if Aziraphale hadn’t picked up on the same thing.

When he interrupts Crowley he says something along the lines, “what’s that lovely human expression, hold that thought”

Hold that thought - came into play around the 70s through 90s and gained popularity due to the rise of broadcast television, like the News. But there is one definition I want to point out as well - “Used to acknowledge that one's attention needs to be diverted from what a speaker was saying.”

or in other words, “remember all those human expressions the Metatron was saying, yeah those have meaning and so does the one I’m about to say - we are being watched don’t pay attention to my words” but well we aren’t gonna talk about it (pls I’m still coping)

The Metatron has certainly done his research - bringing up words and phrases from important times in their relationship - and The Metatron is certainly watching just like he was now

Why does he need Aziraphale?

Now if you remember back when I discussed who The Metatron was in scripture there is actually an interesting overlap between these two with Tree of Knowledge and The Tree of Life - The Beginning and The End. Aziraphale was always meant to have a special part in The Second Coming for the exact reasons The Metatron said - an angel of his talents, an angel who knows about humans - the angel that guards them

But even just ignoring all that - What literally just happened before he showed up

called for Heaven’s help in a time of trouble - the portal

discoporated a fuck ton of demons

declared War on Hell

took charge and was a mediator between Heaven and Hell

and he did this all on his own (I really doubt he counts Maggie and Nina)

Aziraphale did exactly what Heaven had planned - what Gabriel was meant to sign off on - he started back up the plan he put on pause with Crowley - he made that first move

but also the 25 Lazarii miracle - which set off alarms in Heaven - and the Halo - which also set off alarms in Heaven. That’s twice in one week. One would imagine The Metatron would take notice.

EDIT

Let's switch gears a little and talk about why The Metatron mentions Gabriel coming to Aziraphale in their little talk

Whatever other reason Gabriel may have had for going to Aziraphale, giving him something etc., it was all done under a baseline understanding.

That Aziraphale would get it, be a safe space with an understanding that they don't want everything to end for some similar reasons (their demon partners) - and Aziraphale did help him despite not knowing this exact baseline

He helped the Supreme Archangel hide from Heaven and escape punishment - who’s to say he wouldn't help other angels?

The reason The Metatron doesn't care about Gabriel and Beelzebub running off together is because they went off

Their relationship doesn't have the same level of connection to Earth and humans as Aziraphale and Crowley - they didn't want Armageddon to happen because they wanted to keep seeing each other, the Earth part was optional - a matter of circumstance as it was the easiest place to keep seeing each other. Now that they were gone and together - his reason for objecting is practically void.

That is not the same as Aziraphale and Crowley

But also it works in the Metatron favor - Beelzebub is out of Hell. The Grand Duke of Hell just up and left the same time Heaven is getting their replacement Supreme Archangel - it's now time for Hell to be in shambles.

All while The Metatron just came to snipped away the bud - that seed of safety on Earth if another Angel decided to go against Heaven’s plan.

If he gets the angel that put a stop to Armageddon- that chose the Earth over Heaven - that protected his executioner just at the hint he was on the run from Heaven. If he brought that angel back to Heaven he would not be able to be that anymore, do those things anymore - not with being closely monitored anyway. Keep your enemy close and all that.

And he pulled out all the stops to achieve this - the clothes, the words, the coffee

End Edit

But The Metatron also still needs the Bookshop for some reason - a bookshop he left in the care of an angel he just encouraged to read

So he gets the best of both worlds - The rogue angel back under his thumb and an angel that will listen to him going through the bookshop

What does this all mean? What’s the point?

Well he’s an angel in dark, an angel in reverse

When we went over the tarot cards he’s been linked to, but especially the King of Cups, he seems to represent the reverse side of them while trying to maintain the upright version- which is interesting

He’s an angel in trouble, an angel who needs a scapegoat

The Archangel Metatron is a controversial angel, his existence, his story, his position of power. He even has a story under his name where he is punished and demoted by God when someone assumes him to be another God in Heaven

The Metatron as a character that likes to be surrounded by fours, covered on all sides. And each and every one of those angels has done something to get them in trouble - meaning he has dirt.

After all every scribe needs their soldiers - however backhanded it is

and maybe he has something big he is hiding of his own - using the others faults to hide his - something concerning the Book of Life - either him not having it or at least not having all of it

But anyway he has set himself up to be protected from any fallout - he has not been seen, only heard for centuries probably. Sending angels in his place to do jobs (yes, I’m talking about the change to Gabriel being the one at the airbase - I’m giving it a reason)

Until now - until he walked into that bookshop and made himself known. He put himself in play thinking he knows the game, thinking he just brought in the perfect angel to blame things on if they all go wrong(which they will)

but really he just opened himself up to the start of his downfall. Double edged sword and all that

For the next season I imagine he is going to keep up the pleasantries, take up that backseat role, act as a guide, being subtle in his manipulations - he after all believes he got away with it - just all those things until it all comes crumbling down and he gets exposed, and at the center of it all is Aziraphale (and then Aziraphale gets offered his position which he turns down, saying no to Heaven and choosing to be with Crowley) what? I said nothing.

(I think that’d be funny and this is a comedy after all)

It’s the Punishment of an Angel, the Fall of a King

————————————————————————

and that’s all folks - that’s the end- for now. Hope you’ve enjoyed -I had to watch the final 15 so many times and I’m totally ok

[tgrailwar-zero]

…okay, hear me out (and I know this might sound crazy) but. Is it possible we could free Red Saber from the Wandering Star’s influence?

Granted, it took us… (actually, do we know how long it’s been) …uh, a couple trillion simulated grail wars where we repeatedly tore each other apart to achieve it, but we’re here now and (probably, mostly) free of hatred. Surely we could find a solution for Red Saber?

Then again, if it turns out he’s still cuckoo-crazy without it, we can just kill him

NERO: "Charlemagne… 'Carolus Magnus'… he is a man that inherited Rome and is thus my descendant in that sense, I should wish to help him if it is possible, but at the same time if he truly is an Imperator…"

SALIERI: "Then he may be stuck within his own ideals?"

NERO: "Mm. Right. We are often not dissuaded easily. To be an Imperator is to be god, or perhaps for his generation, to 'serve God'. None are more just, none are more righteous, none are more powerful. That is simply the nature of the world. If I was in his position, I would simply not believe I was wrong, and therefore I would be right. Of course, as I am opposed to him and I am Imperator, therefore I am right and he is not, and he is simply blind to that imperative truth."

You had seen shades of what she said through NERO and CONSTANTINE. They were strong personalities, one that believed heavily in their own ideals and wished to see them fulfilled to the fullest.

[multimystica]

Welcome!

I'm a Brazilian Tarot reader and Oraculist just trying to make a living to pay for college and help with house expenses, I work with the following divination methods:

Tarot (Rider Waite; Osho's Zen Tarot; Tarot of the Holy Grail)

Lenormand a.k.a. Petit Lenormand ( French Cartomancy, or Gypsy Deck if you're Brazilian)

Vera Sibilla Italiana (a.k.a. Italian Cartomancy)

Elder Futhark (a.k.a. Runes)

Very sporadically I use the pendulum and radiestesy & radionic graphics as well.

My main objective with this profile is to work professionally with divination and spirituality online. If you want to know more about myself before you book a reading or service feel free to ask, I'm an open book.

As this is a professional page and not only a hobby, I plan to charge for my readings, I take payments via Paypal or PicPay (if you're in Brazil, I take payments via pix as well).

However, I also intend to serve spirituality itself, so once a week I'll answer simple questions with 6 card Lenormand readings free of charge via Tumblr's ask function.

My rates in US Dollars:

$5 - 1 card reading using Osho's Zen Tarot Deck

$5 - 3 runes reading using Elder Futhark Runes

$10 - 6 card reading using the Lenormand Deck

$10 - 3 card reading using Rider Waite's Tarot Deck

$25 - Pack of three 6 card readings using Lenormand Deck

$25 - Pack of three 3 card readings using Rider Waite's Tarot Deck

$50 - Lenormand Grand Tableau reading + 3 clarifying questions.

$60 - 1 hour of unlimited questions using your oracles of choice (from those currently avaliable) + 1 Osho's Zen Tarot card advice.

Readings can be made online (texts or videocalls if the app of choice supports it, you choose) via Tumblr Chat, Discord, WhatsApp, or delivered on a PDF via e-mail. I'll always send pictures of the cards drawn and explain everything.

Other services I offer:

$30 - Spiritual Guidance and Advice Sessions ( 1 hour sessions via Discord or Whatsapp Messenger)

$60 - Tutorial on Energetically Cleansing Spellwork (delivered via Discord, E-mail or PDF)

$120 - 30 days of Spiritual Guidance and Advice + three 6 card readings with Lenormand (via Discord or Whatsapp Messenger)

On Spellwork:

I can perform certain types of spellwork, such as:

Abundance, prosperity & wealth rituals

Self-love, self-esteem & self-respect rituals

Peace and positivity rituals

Those don't have a fixed pricing, the price is to be discussed depending on the severity of the situation, on the pricing of the required materials to perform the ritual, and on the financial situation of the client.

I may as well prescribe baths and rituals which you'd have to do yourself. If you come to me just for the prescription of baths or rituals I just charge the symbolic value of $5 for said prescriptions; however, if you booked a reading or another service with me and I find it to be useful or necessary in your situation, I'll do it free of charge.

Onto the much necessary disclaimer:

I DON'T do binding or karmic return rituals. Do not even ask about it. It goes against my values as a light-worker. Divine justice is there for a reason. I'm not here to rip off anyone so if you really need a certain service and can't afford it just message me about it and I'll see what I can do to help for FREE.

Most importantly: I am not a scammer, I'd rather be scammed than be seen as a scammer so you don't even need to pay upfront, I don't care to work for free if it means I'll get to help people with my cards.

Payment info:

Paypal info: colorfulpurplerose@gmail.com

PicPay Info: @multimystica Pix (for Brazilians): visualkei138@gmail.com

I just want to make an honest living, if you don't want a reading at all yet want to make a difference, feel free to donate any value to either of the payment methods stated above. Thank you!

[woodsfae]

B5 s02e20 The Long, Twilight Struggle Table of Contents • previous episode

Wow, we're almost to the end of another season! It's been a really good one, despite my own rocky start with its beginning. It's been interesting how my perspective has shifted enough along the way that I had change of minds about my change of minds of some characters. In The Gathering I loved Garibaldi, then came to dislike him for his sexism, police brutality, abuse of position, stalking Talia, being a shit about his ex, and general cop-ness, but the writing really brought me around on him! Weirdly, I now believe he can and will be better.

Almost the same for Londo. I didn't really like him at all, came to like him a little, then was to be SO disappointed in him that now I'm just fascinated to see how far his moral depravity and Sunk Cost Fallacy-ing will go.

And on to the episode!

Their CGI planet is really lovely and colorful, and does look quite 3d! And it's Centauri Prime (presumably). Must be a Londo episode!

This guy is petting the throne. wtf Refa. Very blunt about the fetishization of power that's going on here.

Londo: "Lord Refa, I have come a long way, and I am tired. Is there a reason I have been summoned here, now?" Refa: "Indeed there is, I have good news. The war which began six months is about to end. Sooner than any of us could have hoped. And you, Londo Mollari, will be the architect of our victory."

ope, the Centauri are about to do some crazy war crimes, I see!

Finally, a sexy transparent glass silhouette showering scene! I've been waiting for this since the show started. Classy of them to make it be Sheridan.

Friendly Draal Planet!!! I hoped to see him again! How delightful! What a bad omen, though.

Delenn is becoming just…transcendently beautiful. The lighting and camera shots, her expressions and grace, are all just astonishing. I am glad she gets to see her friend again. Maybe some of the other serene characters will pop up for a reunion. I'd love to see the little telepath girl who went to Minbari, Janice the Healer, and Thomas Jinxo the Seeker of the Grail again, and I think they'd all get along well (or at least interestingly) together.

Draal, appearing before Sheridan fresh out of his shower: "I've been watching you for quite some time, Captain. And I thought it was time that I introduce myself. My name, is Draal. How do you do." *Minbari bow* Sheridan, damp and be-robed: "Uh, fine. I'm fine." Draal, who has no idea how to talk to humans: "Good. You don't have any idea who I am, do you?" Sheridan, who did his research on B5 tysvm: "Unless there's another Draal who can do what you just did, you're the Minbari who took custody of the planet we're orbiting." Draal: "Ah, Captain, you do not take custody of the planet, the planet takes custody of you!."

This made me laugh really hard. The planet really did take custody of Draal. Near-total isolation, but youth. idk if I'd go for that.

Details…details…lmao Draal.

The Narn…cannot catch a fucking break. Contact with an entire sector of colonies, lost. They're losing, although their official stance is that they're holding their own. I wish them and their counter attack well! One all-out strike with the majority of their forces is a hardcore strategy! They could lose everything.

G'Sten: "If we make them pay, for every inch of space, we can wear them down, prolonging the war beyond their capacity to fight it. Centauri want a quick victory: they don't have the stomach for prolonging the war."

He also says there will always be enough ships to defend their homeworld, but dang that still feels really risky. I am so excited to see a little of G'Kar's family. His uncle! And he's so kind, warm, and loving. The exact opposite of the way they were described by Delenn and the Centauri in season one. They both call the Narn cold, strange, impossible to empathize with. I hate to see anti Narn propaganda! They have risen highly in my estimation and I am rooting for them so hard.

The Centauri are going to bomb Narn from orbit with banned weapons and wipe out much of the entire population. To "save Centauri lives." War crimes, as I thought.

Everything depends on Londo. It's too late to back out. Bringing the pressure and the logical fallacies down on him! He bends, obviously, and is going to reach out to Morden for help carrying out the sick plan.

Londo: "All right. I will bring my assoociates into this, but this is that last time. We are Centauri. If we are to sieze our destiny, we must do it ourselves. After this, no more." What'shisface" "After this there will be no need! Thank you. Cheer up. By the time you return to Babylon 5 the war will be over, and the Narns will be at our feet. This time, we will keep them there."

Exactly. The Narns will not stop resisting, they will eventually gain their freedom again, and there will be another and another. You can't build an empire without horrifically violating sentients' rights, and those sentients are always going to resist.

Love Delenn's outfit today. I hope Draal won't be an ass about her hair.

Aw, so nice, Londo gets to go watch the Centauri genociding the Narns, live and in HD safe on a warship. How thoughtful. May he choke on the sight.

Dr Franklin is a real and good friend and a great anti-fascist comrade. Gathering deets from his Narn patients to give G'Kar as up-to-date as information as he can, as quick as he can.

Draal Planet light hearted B Plot, yay! And Delenn is now experimenting with swearing She used the f-word even! Frag me, she's so great.

Delenn: "Draal? We're here." Draal: "Did you think I hadn't noticed, my old friend? You've changed. I like it."

I'm glad he's not racist to her! That makes two Minbari who have on-screen supported her: Lennier, and now her old mentor. I'm so glad!

But onto the meat of the visit. Draal has been using the planet's resources to gather information, including Sheridan's history and all the plotting Sheridan's been doing. Convenient, and awesome! Powerful allies are badly needed right now. Draal has been studying the universe and the planet, and he's ready for action! And I"m ready to see that action!

"In the long, twilight struggle which lies ahead of us, there is a possibility of hope."

That's a great message, and good repetition of the same sentiment from earlier with G'Kar and G'Sten. I'm afraid G'Sten is going to die, but I hope he lives. The Narns have faced enough tragedy.

Shadow ships coming for G'Sten and his fleet, the evil shits! The CGI has definitely improved from last season to a degree, although it's extremely obvious with the shadow ships. but I love the effect! They are all cgi and thus fake-looking, which I think enhances how out of sync with the normal dimensional bounds they are. I'd be fucking unnerved if I saw something that fake looking in real life.

goodbye G'Sten. :/

There's people on the Draal Planet! Wow, they must be weird.

LOVE this for Delenn. She's needed friends really badly, too!

Zathras!! Is in league with Draal! Cool!! I didn't think we'd see the Space Werewolf again, but this should be fun! JMS's spreadsheets must have been wild.

Narn is in a BAD position. Centauri have Narn surrounded, there's massive destruction and death, and the Narn fleet has been neutralized. An impromptu re-enactment between Narn and Centauri on B5 is underway. Of course.

Narn looks mostly brown and orange from orbit. I wonder what it looked like before the Centauri ever arrived. Bombs underway, Londo watching on while looking sick. Hope he feels even sicker than he looks!

Ineffective response from Minbari and Earth, of course. An atrocity! They condemn it! Really hard! Finger wag! Don't do it again!

:(

G'Kar. What a horrible horrible place to be. Narn plans to surrender. I hope they can snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, but knowing this show, it will be even more grim for them and the universe by the end of the episode. Horrific.

G'Kar is reduced to asking Sheridan for political asylum. If they hand him over to the Centauri…! fuck! That's the kind of dystopian universe this is, too. I hope that won't happen, though.

Ugh. A speech by Londo. What an awful piece of propaganda.

Londo: "A little over five standard hours ago, the conflict which began with the Narn declaration of war, came to and end. The Narn regime has offered complete and unconditional surrender. The terms imposed by the Centauri Republic are as follows. One: the ruling body known as the Kha'ri will be disbanded, and its members subject will be subject to arrest and trial for the commission of war crimes against the Centauri." Sheridan: "Earth requests the right to send observers to these hearings." Londo: "That request is denied. Two: to prevent further acts of terror by the Narn against our people, the penalty for the murder of any Centauri by any Narn will be the execution of five hundred Narns. Including the Perpetrator's own family. Three: a provisional ruling council appointed by my government will take up the responsibility of re-building a more civilized Narn government, as a colony of the great Centauri Republic." Sheridan: "Is there anything else." Londo: "Yes. Just, one thing. Because the Narn homeworld is now a protectorate of the Centauri Republic, we reserve the right to determine who can speak for Narn. As a result, Ambassador G'Kar may no longer represent the Narn in any official capacity whatsoever. His appointment ambassador to Babylon 5 is hereby withdrawn. And as the only member of the Kha'ri still at large, Citizen G'Kar will return to Narn for trial."

"No," quoth Sheridan. Minbari supports Earth and Babylon 5 in this, although Delenn does call him Citizen G'Kar like Londo did. Fuck him, man. He's fully a bootlicker channeling his frustration at his guilt over all the war crimes against the non-Centauri. My least favorite fictional war criminal.

The framing and character work through this scene is WILD. G'Kar, sitting, slumped, not meeting anyone's eyes. Londo, speaking with clear enunciation, racist and imperialist language framed as the ethical, sensible decisions the Narn have forced them to make. G'Kar rising and speaking calmly before leaving when Londo loses his temper and demands, screaming, that G'Kar leave the council room.

G'Kar: "No dictator, no invader can hold an imprisoned population by force of arms forever. There is no greater power in the universe than the need for freedom. Against that power, governments and tyrants and armies cannot stand. The Centauri learned this lesson once. We will teach it to them again. Though it take a thousand years…we will be free."

The Narn will not go quietly.

Centauri is celebrating, they are dancing in the streets on homeworld. Or so the propaganda news broadcast goes.

Sheridan has a very nice speech for G'Kar and offer of support of all his personal assets that can be put towards that aim.

G'Kar: "The last time I took someone's hand we were at war twenty-four hours later." *takes Sheridan's offered hand anyway*

Mad lad.

And now Sheridan's off to a super-secret meeting! Delenn presiding. She has gathered him allies to pledge to Sheridan. Ah, Sinclair's project! <3 Sinclair, good work, buddy. Kosh is there, too! Somehow I doubt he is there to swear TO Sheridan. Along with, benevolently, to help the ants win against the anteater, maybe.

This is an episode of speeches! G'Kar's was terrible and great. Sheridan's falls a little flat. His line has been drawn on the other side of a fascist empire re-enslaving an entire people.

Well. I can only hope for some great and wild successes on the other side of the season finale!

The balance of affection between G'Kar and G'Sten, and Delenn's joyful reunification with Draal and the hope that and Sinclair's rangers inspired were all a much-needed balance against the Narns' current plight, but this was still so heavy and dark. It went there, it did that! Man, the forces of the Light are just fucking crippled without the Narn and their previous resources. All destroyed, and mostly dead, to feed the appetite of the Centauri Empire.

next!

[zukadiary]

Oshidori Utagassen / GRAND MIRAGE! ~ Flower 2023

Ft. one of my ticket cases :D

If seeing Tsukigumi was like stepping through a portal, seeing Hanagumi was like seeing Takarazuka for the first time. My last live Hanagumi was (checks notes) uhhh... Casanova. And with the exception of a Nice Work stream that I half paid attention to, Casanova is kinda also the last Hanagumi I saw, period. Oshidori had exactly one person in common with the visible cast of Casanova, and it was Rei. So here's my unbelievably fresh eyes take!

OSHIDORI SPOILERS:

No one is evil and no one dies!! 😭 This is a rakugo-inspired comedy based on an old movie that is readily available with English subs on YouTube, and I'd recommend watching it!

Oharu (Hoshikaze Madoka) is the daughter of Shimura Kyousai (Kazumi Shou), a rōnin turned umbrella maker. She is in love with another rōnin, Asai Reisaburou (Yuzuka Rei), who lives next door and teaches sword work to the local children, but he is being pursued by two of the town beauties, Otomi (Hoshizora Misaki) and Fujio (Mihane Ai). To make things even more difficult for Oharu, her father is obsessed with antiques, buying them even though he has little money and even when most of them eventually turn out to be fakes. A mistake puts him deeply in debt to the local lord, Minezawa Tanba-no-kami (Towaki Sea), and he is confronted with having to sell Oharu in order to pay it off. It turns out that Reisaburou, who prefers Oharu to the other two, is in possession of an extremely valuable antique; he was found with it in his basket when he was abandoned as an infant, and this means he's also the long lost oldest son of the Minezawa noble family. Everyone lives happily ever after!

Koyanagi-sensei is really the holy grail of Takarazuka in-house directors right now, in my humble opinion. This was such a good choice of adaptation, and her nihonmono comedy are always so fun and accessible. I was, frankly, jealous watching this; since I'm currently the least familiar with Hanagumi, I coveted it for my faves. But poor Rei has had quite a marred top star run (mostly due to COVID), and I'm glad she got a nearly complete run of such a fun show.

That said, Asai was unfortunately the least exciting character. This is definitely personal preference, but I don't really get fired up by the cool, quiet, aloof, handsome type in a lighthearted show, unless he's also the butt of jokes a la Daimon in Bakumatsu Taiyouden. I find Rei the most appealing in dynamic, dance-heavy performances, and Asai as a character was just too one-note for me.

OHARU, on the other hand...

Madoka will retire from Takarazuka, probably into a prolific stage career (if she wants it), and be remembered for/cast based on her high profile roles like Tess Ocean, Anastasia, and Elisabeth (shinko but still). If I were queen of the world I'd insist she be remembered for Oharu. Sometimes you watch so much Takarazuka you get the performance equivalent of nose blindness, and then out of nowhere, something like a Western guest director will jolt you awake and make you ask yourself, "What's different about this??" Madoka made an atypical acting choice! She did a weird voice! She was funny! She was adorable and charming! She stole the whole show, honestly.

Hitoko, my love. Last time I was in Japan, PRxPrince was in bow hall while On the 20th Century was in Shibuya, and I opted for OTTC, thus missing out on Hitoko entirely during that trip. That makes the last time I saw her live on stage friggin' Gaisenmon. That seems SO IMPROBABLE, but it's true. In that time, we went from MUCH too long-awaited first solo bow lead to ripe and ready for top stardom. Hitoko has a chameleon power that I think is pretty unique in Takarazuka; not only does she disappear into roles (positive), but also I truly think she could thrive in any troupe with little difficulty, and seem like she was there forever. As salty as I still am that she was stolen out from under me, she's the weft to Hanagumi's warp. Tanba-no-Kami was so fun and silly. I love finding out which new and different Hitoko I'm going to get each time, and I hope there are many many more variations to come (can't wait for Gekijou).

Other highlights:

VERY juicy (albeit old man) taidan role for Kazumi Shou. Dad is a big supporting character and she has a lot of stage time.

Shimon's presence is healing

Last time I saw Hanagumi, Mihane Ai was an unnamed ken-2 and Hoshizora Misaki was an unsorted rockette in Ocean's 11. It was funny to see the two apparent contenders for next top musumeyaku competing with the current top musumeyaku for the top star's heart. Since Hoshizora snagged the tour lead it sure seems like she's the front runner, but I have to say I personally preferred Mihane!

GRAND MIRAGE SPOILERS

The curtain went up on those pastel dresses and oversized bonnets and I just giggled to myself. It was Okada-sensei alright! Especially after the fresh delight that was Kaleidoscope, it was disappointing to go back to yet another pandemic-era revue that left me struggling to remember what any of the scenes were. It was classic, and if you're both into that style and a Hanagumi fan I'm sure there were memorable moments. To me it felt like Citrus Breeze if you sucked all the nostalgia out of it.

[scribblecake]

Heyy! Hope you’re day is going well!☺️

F: Share a snippet from one of your favourite dialogue scenes you've written and explain why you're proud of it.

Hi! Thank you dear! It's going good so far! 💖

oooooooooh boooooyyyy, This was hard to answer! I had to do some digging, fr fr. 😅

But I found one! It's a bit long but I'm super proud of this dialogue. I pretty much just reenacted a scene from 'Monty Python and The Holy Grail' with Lady Dimitrescu and one of my demon OCs. It was 3 AM (as per usual) and I'd hit a wall on the series I was working on at the time. I had the movie playing in the background and the rest is history! It was a blast to write!

So here's an unprompted (mini)fic I guess?

Lady Dimitrescu opened her mouth to call the entity but stopped, narrowing her eyes as she studied its features. Even with its cute features, she wasn’t sure how to address it. Its face seemed both male and female. With a quick exhale she gathered her courage, calling out to the dark entity.

“Young man!” Alcina snipped as she gestured for the Hell-spawn to follow her.

“Woman.” The Hell creature responded curtly as they hurried to keep up with the lady.

Lady Dimitrescu blinked, taken aback. “What?”

“I’m a woman. Not a young man.” The demon corrected.

"Well, I can’t just call you ‘woman’.” 

“You could just say ‘Xentia’.” The creature deadpanned.

“I didn’t know you were called Xentia. And while I am sorry I assumed you were a man, I couldn't give a damn what your name is.” Alcina shot back, quickening her pace. In spite of her escalating annoyance, she couldn’t help but laugh at the small demon struggling to keep up with her long strides.

This seemed to strike a nerve in the Hell-creature, their face scrunching up in annoyance.

“Well you didn’t exactly bother to find out, did you? And what’s more, I object to you automatically treating me like an inferior!” The infernal woman exclaimed defensively.

At this she scoffed, her rouge lips quirking into a dangerous half smile. “Well, I am the Countess of this village.”

“Oh, Countess, eh? - very nice. And how'd you get that, then? By exploiting the villagers! By hanging on to outdated imperialist dogma which perpetuates the economic and social differences in your society. If you flesh bags ever want to see any progress…” The demon’s words droned as they prattled on about god knows what. They went on for what seemed like an eternity as they made their way to Castle Dimitrescu and by the time the gates were visible a dull ache had begun to throb at Alcina’s temples. 

“Be quiet! I order you to be quiet!" She snarled.

“Order, eh? Who does she think she is?” 

Lady Dimitrescu hissed as anger continued to build within her. “I am the Countess!”

“Well, I didn’t vote for you.” The infernal woman said matter of factly.

“Y-You don’t vote for a Countess!” Alcina seethed. This creature really knew how to try her patience. It took the Countess every ounce of self control she had not to rip the woman’s throat out.

“Well how’d you become Countess then?” The demon questioned with an incredulous look. 

Despite herself, the lady found the question amusing and her anger died down for the moment. 

“If you must know, beast, my family ruled over this village for centuries, only having lost ownership at some point after I had left our family home. I returned years later to find our lands empty. It was then that Mother Miranda found me and bestowed upon me her gift. She implanted me with a Cadou, an entity of her own creation that holds unimaginable power. It infused with my flesh and made me into something beyond humanity, and with its power I was able to reclaim my family’s land. That is why I am Countess.” Lady Dimitrescu explained. She made sure to position her body in such a way so that she towered proudly over the demon woman.

“Listen, strange bird women distributing parasites is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses! Not from some farcical implantation ceremony!” The demon argued back.

“Be quiet!” Lady Dimitrescu shot back as her anger began to reignite.

“But you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just 'cause some feathery tart threw a leech at you!” Xentia exclaimed with a dramatic arc of her arms.

“Shut up!” 

“I mean, if I went 'round saying I was an emperor just because some avian bint had lobbed a tapeworm at me, they'd put me away!” The infernal creature laughed.

“Shut up, will you? Shut up!” Alcina roared. It seemed her patience and self control had run out, and before she could stop it, her hand shot out, lifting the vile creature by the arm and giving it an angry shake.

“Ah, now we see the violence inherent in the system!” The demon exclaimed as a cheeky grin spread across her face between shakes. 

“Shut up !” 

Xentia hollered as she was violently dragged away to the castle. “Oh! Come and see the violence inherent in the system! Help! Help! I'm being r e p r e s s e d !” 

“Bloody peasant!” Lady Dimitrescu snarled as she wrapped her hands around the half-witted demon’s throat.

~***~

[mcl38]

you know what now I want to know about lancelando

lancelando is my rareship of choice... i first went nuts for it back in 2020 when they were like colliding with each other or accidentally ending up in each others way or blocking each other in pit stops or starting on the same row literally like every other week. i just found it so appealing how lando didnt (and still doesnt) make a Big Deal abt any of the other ppl on the grid, negative or positive - even his friends he avoids rly elaborating on how much he likes them / how tight they are (see the whole max debacle). BUT with lance hes unusually open (or used to be) about how much he fucking hates the guy and its just. intriguing to me. bc like whatever the feelings are they are Strong ykwim

and then lance hasn't expressed (afaik) any hostility towards lando but like he is also a blunt and emotionally volatile scorpio so like its not difficult to imagine... i think their energies r mismatched in a very fun way and also matched in a very fun way and therefore like what even is Chemistry. they interact once every couple years but the last time they did on camera lando asked him abt his dick. so, yk, make of that what u will

anyways if u wanna Know about lancelando here are the two fics that r literally my holy grails like. two of my fav f1 fics EVER:

a better way forward by ignismai (food critic x spy au absolutely incredible fantastic feel-good fic - i am told it's loosely a cars 2 au but i only ever saw 1 and 3 so idk)

(oh, could you just) give in by the_Orange_one aka my beloved @fullwets (soulmates au written for MEEEE for me its so so good)

unfortch i cant link u any of my own fics bc ive never published any lancelando (shameful). ive written a couple drabbles abt them including a ficlet i actually quite liked abt the netflix interaction, but i wrote it way too late for it to b relevant to the dts release FJDKFKFK so i never published it. rip

[gigamuffin]

Kaptein Sabeltann villains are as iconic and sometimes MORE iconic than some of the main crew. Below I’ll tell you about them, link to their songs and tell you about their dastardly plans.

[The Main crew] [Landlubbers] [Media links]

I have to start with some forewords, I am vague here about plot stuff as I want to save that primarily for the post about the plots. So you’ll have to forgive me if some of these are a bit vague, you’ll just have to wait and read more about that when the plot post comes out. However, there may still be light spoilers? I have to warn you even though I don’t think the majority of you care about that.

We start with the most infamous Sabeltann villain first. He terrified children, is the only thing our one and only Kaptein Sabeltann is truly afraid of, the one, the only

Grusomme Gabriel (Gory Gabriel) aka Havets Hevner (the sea’s revenge, if translated), is a vengeful spirit who is said to haunt anyone who dares seek his treasure. Grusomme Gabriel is- or WAS the most feared pirate before Kaptein Sabeltann, so much so he is Kaptein Sabeltann’s only fear. Grusomme Gabriel had an amazing treasure that he died protecting, and of course, Kaptein Sabeltann wants it. Long ago his ship sank with the treasure, not far away from the small village Kjuttaviga (Luna Bay), the only thing leading to his treasure is a torn-apart map with a riddle. The riddle hinges on the final line “To find the gold it will be tough, for no man can dig deep enough”. Grusomme Gabriel is most famous for his iconic entrance scene, where the ghost of Grusomme Gabriel rises from the sea and haunts Kaptein Sabeltann away from his treasure. However, of course, ghosts aren’t real in this universe silly! This is just Pinky in disguise. (more on that in ‘the plots’)

Ghosts may not be real in this universe but you know what is real? Magic.

Greven av Gral (He doesn’t have an official english name yet, it literally translates to the count of grail), he is the count of the island Gral, ruling over everyone and everything on the island, turning it dark, cold and desolate. Greven av Gral is a wizard but is not that powerful in magic spells, instead his power comes mainly from his magical potion, which he keeps in his grail, which brainwashes anyone who drinks from it. He plans to make everyone in the world his unwilling subjects/slaves with this potion, and he is a very powerful adversary because of that. Greven av Gral also has a ship of his own “Grevinnen” and is currently in possession of a treasure that Kaptein Sabeltann once lost in an old shipwreck, “den gylne tiger” (the golden tiger).

And of course, Greven av Gral has his hench people:

Grevens Gribber (still no english names, literally Count’s Vultures) from left to right: Slu, Grisk and Grufull (Sly, Stingy, and Horrifying, if literally translated). They are as far as I can tell, not under the effect of the potion, they are just like that. They follow Greven av Gral’s every command and want a higher position in Greven’s hierarchy which they are willing to cheat their way up to. Slu (left) and Grufull (right) are very similar in character and are both routinely belittling towards Grisk (middle). 

Grevens Gribber didn’t always use to be Slu, Grisk and Grufull, in the original show they had completely different appearances and used to be named Lola, Lucifer and Piodor.

And did you know Greven av Gral also has a partner in crime?

Sibylla aka Grevinnen av Gral, an angry, rough woman. If Greven av Gral is a sneaky, manipulative villain she is the opposite. Sibylla will burn, yell, and hunt to get her way without hesitation. Sibylla is often away plundering the seven seas for treasures to bring back to Greven av Gral. Greven keeps her in check or she would be on a constant hunting spree. After Greven av Gral is defeated and Kaptein Sabeltann sails away with their treasure she is hellbent on revenge against him. We currently don't know what her and Greven av Gral's relationship is.

So ghosts aren’t real, but magic is. You know what else is real? Vampires.

Maga Kahn and Sirikit. Maga Kahn is ruler in the jungle and swamps of Shangri La (in the movie this is changed to his own island in the Marmalades named Maga Kahn’s island) and he’s a vampire. Sirikit is his queen (not a vampire). They are currently in possession of “Den magiske diamant” (The magic diamond), which can grant anyone one wish. Since Maga Kahn is a vampire, he is unable to exist in the sun, so his wish is to tolerate the sun and take over the world unhindered (at least in the movie).

Their appearances have changed a lot over the years, never being the same twice. Maga Kahn went from being a Ghengis Khan type but in recent years has turned into more of a punk. (and a buff influencer in the movie.)

Now we move on to last villains in this post,

Glade Gorm aka Flammenes Herre (Happy Jack). He is basically a watered-down Long John Silver. He gets a job onboard Den sorte dame pretending to be a gourmet chef, and Kaptein Sabeltann, absolutely disgusted by their current cook, Skalken's cooking, replaces him with Glade Gorm immediately. Glade Gorm is after Grusomme Gabriel’s treasure just like Kaptein Sabeltann, except unlike Kaptein Sabeltann he is not afraid to burn and pillage to find the treasure. He has henchmen of his own Tøge and Birk but they aren't that important to the story.

These are all the villains worth mentioning, but there’s also Bjørn Barsk (Bjørn the Brave) from “Skatten i Lama Rama” which also includes Prince Badal. And then there Jon Benløs, your typical bully kid from the TV show.

[besidesitstoowarm]

"The Fires of Pompeii" thoughts

this episode was fucking agonizing to me

it was actually really good but i can't take the "they didn't have a word for volcano" throughline of COURSE THEY DID!!! THEY EXPLODED ALL THE TIME MY FRIEND PLINY WENT THERE!!! absolutely intolerable. but it was the only part of the episode i didn't like

love the cheeky little shoutout when the doctor said he was in rome before "but that fire had nothing to do with me" i remember you slut. you flirted with nero and almost beat a man to death with a lyre. real hartnellheads know!! "cavorting with etruscans and christians and all sorts" god i wish i was cavorting with etruscans rn

have we heard about fixed points in time before? maybe pete's death, nothing as big as pompeii though. we get some excellent prophetic foreshadowing with "she is returning" and "you have something on your back" i really love the way the davies era sprinkles in these little bits to bring us to the finale, like bad wolf or harold saxon. you don't necessarily notice when they happen but it's so rewarding on a rewatch. and i much prefer it to the game of thrones style of either "no foreshadowing at all to make it surprising" or "mention something new 5 times in 2 episodes right before it happens". second episode in a row we here about a planet just disappearing, too. peter capaldi and karen gillan, again feeling like the doctor is facing his end and doesn't know it yet

the poor soothsayers all have greyscale. the doctor's "just us girls" in the temple is so gender. he tells donna about the time lord's burden and i am absolutely positive the scene where lucius and his guards are carrying the circuits to vesuvius is supposed to be a monty python reference cause it's shot like, identically to the killer rabbit scene in "holy grail"

and then of course the doctor has to get on his trolley problem bullshit "oh they're all gonna die anyway but i didn't want to be the one to do it" normally that attitude annoys me but to be fair this IS basically a repeat of gallifrey so he's allowed a lil ptsd about it. i think that's fair. and i like that donna was able to talk him into saving caecilius and his family. quintus was hardcore giving aegon ii btw SORRY to keep making this about hotd. catherine tate's acting in the final few scenes was soooo fucking good

next ep my friends THE OOD!!!!!

[chaoticsnowflake-ao3]

i wish to hear your thoughts about the alberich family tree (yes i saw that post about the sinners)

oh god. you’re going to regret sending this ask bc i am UNWELL. and this will be an ESSAY. but if you still wish to hear my thoughts, i’ll drop them under the cut bc there’s going to be a LOT of spoilers.

OKAY. SO. i’m gonna start by talking about anfortas.

so we know from hidden strife and the box kaeya hid on the roof of favonius headquarters that the alberich clan stepped in as regents when king irmin became indisposed, meaning they weren’t actually royalty by blood, but were high-ranking enough to warrant a position as what is essentially placeholder royalty. and then on one of the ledgers near the door to khaenri’ah, there’s a report of sorts stating that anfortas—who was a knight marshal and leader of the schwanenritter—stepped in as regent in king irmin’s place.

this lets us know that anfortas is an alberich, and once you tie that to kaeya’s myriad voicelines about himself being royalty (particularly his voiceline about fischl and the hangout ending where he taps into his theater kid roots), it can be assumed that anfortas is a very close relative of kaeya’s—i assume him to be kaeya’s father for reasons i will elaborate on next.

so in arthurian legend, anfortas is tasked as the bringer of the holy grail that will clear the wasteland and bring salvation. kaeya is heavily implied to be khaenri’ah’s holy grail, what with his being labeled as their “last hope” for reclaiming khaenri’ah’s former glory. i actually have an entire fic where i talk about this concept specifically—if you wanted to read more into it, it’s linked here. but anyway, seeing as he’s named after the bringer of the holy grail, it makes sense for anfortas to be kaeya’s—khaenri’ah’s holy grail’s—father.

now let’s get into chlothar and caribert. chlothar was able to circumvent the pure-blood immortality curse and die, which raises a question about the curse his ancestors would bear. caribert, being an illegitimate child, turned into a hilichurl, but we don’t know much about anfortas or kaeya’s heritage or their curse. this leads me to speculate that perhaps the alberich clan bears a different curse—maybe that is to produce a pawn capable of saving their homeland? i mean, kaeya has aged normally, meaning he isn’t immortal, but he has the eyes (or eye, rather) of a pure-blooded khaenri’ahn, so it suggests that his curse is something completely different.

caribert’s chosen appearance in the 4.7 archon quest was inspired by that of his father—however, he notably wore a hanging diamond earring on his left ear. obviously chlothar didn’t wear an earring, from what we saw, so this was a conscious choice on caribert’s part that raises a question of significance in my brain that perhaps the earring is some sort of hereditary thing, almost like an heirloom of sorts. i mean, kaeya has a diamond earring on that same ear—so does pierro, for that matter. and pierro was confirmed in wanderer’s voiceline to be a former sage of khaenri’ah, meaning he was highly ranked just as the rest of the alberich clan seemed to be. obviously there’s less of a foundation for these thoughts but i’m still sharing them because once i get started, i don’t stop.

another thing worth noting, while i’m still talking about caribert, is how what we see of his personality is so strikingly similar to kaeya’s. i mean, think about it—they both strive to forge connections with members of their society—whether it be vimara village or mondstadt—knowing they’ll never truly belong. and because of that lack of belonging, the people they loved got hurt in a way they didn’t understand—in caribert’s case, it was atossa, and in kaeya’s case, it was diluc. at their core, both of them are powered by love despite their circumstances and i just think that’s beautiful.

and now that i’m done typing all of this (i’m sorry it’s so long-winded), i’m going to go open a new notes doc and write a fic about all this, because i can.

i warned you this would happen, anon.

[rpgchoices]

These are the games I added in the “soon to come out rpg in 2020″, so I just thought I would check them again and see what news were there! I will put in bold the games that are out.

USELESS RPGS RECS NOT REALLY RECS. UPCOMING RPGS FOR 2020 2022/2023 UPDATE

Pendula Swing: The Complete Journey = The game is out on steam! It has some extra (mostly aesthetic) bonus stuff compared to the episodic version of it. Definitely recommend it!

The Waylanders = an isometric rpg with time travelling, companions and romance. The game is out but it does not have good review, I will probably not check it out any time soon.

GameDec = cyberpunk rpg where you solve crimes. I recently played it and I definitely recommend it, it has an interesting storyline and some nice endings too. Probably my favourite of the new games in this list.

Zoria: Age of Shattering =  This is an isometric rpg, not a lot of info out. The date is set for 2023.

The Iron Oath = a pixel-arty isometric rpg, with turn based combat with the promise of party characters with personalities and banter! The game is out for Early Access and the review mentions that there are no characters at all, so I won't be checking this out and I will take this out of future updates unless something changes.

Project Witchstone = another isometric rpg with turn based combat, this one does not have a lot of story or plot information out, still no date yet.

Death Trash = pixel art, isometric rpg in a post apocalyptic world. The game is out for Early Access and it seems to have positive reviews.

Baldur’s Gate 3 = This game has been out in Early Access for about two years, no date for release yet.

Colony Ship = isometric and party based, 12 recruitable companions and turn based combat. The game is out, but the reviews don't really mention characters but mention combat-focused reviews, so I am not sure how much characterization there is. I will probably try it.

Dark Envoy =  I really enjoyed their previous rpg Tower of Time even if the ending was disappointing. It will come out in 2023.

Tainted Grail: Conquest = inspired and reimagining of arthurian legends, party based isometric rpg where you have to investigate what is happening to Avalon post-King Arthur. The game is out... but they also announced a future Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon. No review mention characters so I will probably not check this out and exclude this from future lists.

Gatewalkers = I added this game before realizing it’s an RPG Co-Op… so… ignore this, I suppose, unless you really love cooperative games. Planned release date is 2023.

Realms Beyond = This game is gone, people abandoned the project. More info here.

The Hand of Merlin = this arthurian inspired rpg has been in development for a long time, and is finally out. I will probably check this out.

The Way of Wrath = party based turn based rpg where you have to lead your people to safety! It seems to be very story heavy, and similar to Expeditions: Viking. No release date yet.

OTHER GAMES:

Black Geyser: The game is out! It is nice, very generic fantasy story, some characters but not too much.

Solasta: The game is out! I would not recommend it tho, the characters are very minimal and the world feels lifeless.

[tgrailwar-zero]

I believe you just got drafted Avenger. For what I am not really sure but I don't think arguing with Nero will stop anything from happening. Might be best to simply accept it.

...

Actually, what are we doing, we never really decided on what our next goal was and if we were going to destroy the solar cell or not. At least I don't think we did.

AVENGER: "…"

AVENGER: "Excuse me."

AVENGER: "Excuse me."

AVENGER: "What nonsense. 'Forced recruitment'. We're not simply going to brush by this. I haven't agreed on joining your little cortège."

MUSASHI: "Hm? Then why're you here?"

NERO: "I pretty definitively declared you as my musician. If you're simply being humble, there's no need."

AVENGER: "I was planning on searching for the council of Lord Sigurd. In recent events, I've both lost contact with my allies, and the Red Faction has consumed a large swath of territory. Encountering you all was simply chance."

CONSTANTINE: "There's more to this place than just the war, Avenger. I'm sure even you're curious."

AVENGER: "I couldn't care less. I am simply an Avenger of the Blue Faction. My purpose is the Grail War. The only reason I haven't tore you asunder is because you forfeited your position as a member of the Red Faction, Rider."

[neomedievalist]

Defending Shirou Emiya Being Sexist Mental Gymnastics

hi everyone. did you think i was going to post an extremely long analysis post defending my favourite character being a misogynist today? no? thats what you're getting! the reception to this post could genuinely either be "What the fuck are you actually talking about" or "i thought this was obvious?" i truly do think this is the intent behind all of this writing it just can be very easy to well...see it for what it is, which is incredibly fair.

first of all. fate is a product of its time. it is a 2004 japanese visual novel. it is astonishingly progressive in some aspects but it really, really isnt in others. so going in, the sort of. blatant Vn Protag Behavior from shirou really surprised me and made me uncomfortable and dissapointed at first. it felt out of character. until i thought about it a bit more.

its easy to get annoyed at him for being literally sexist because... he is. or rather, he is a character that exists in a sexist society, written by an author who also exists in a sexist society. but the one obvious thing about shirou is that all of his actions are based around projecting. forgive this text dump as i didnt screenshot it when i was first playing:

"That again? It is only natural for a Servant to fight. How about you, Shirou? Why are you, a Master, telling me not to fight?"

"Well, that's――" I unconsciously hesitate to reply. …Well, battles are inevitable as long as I've decided to fight as a Master. I know I'm contradicting myself by telling Saber not to fight. But still… I can't let something like that happen again.

"Then I would like to ask you instead. It seems that you dislike battles, but do you really expect to survive the Holy Grail War like that? It seems that we will only be defeated by other Masters if we follow your policy."

――Of course not. I will repel dangers that come at me, and I don't intend to get killed helplessly. But completely aside from that, I don't want Saber fighting.

"No. I don't hate the fighting. I just, um――" It must be much simpler than that. In short, I…

"――Um, girls can't get hurt. As a guy, I can't let that happen. So if I'm going to let you fight, I'm going to fight myself." "Wha――you are saying you will not let me fight because I am a woman…!?"

this entire conversation is blatantly because shirou has run out of excuses to throw himself into danger. if you only take the most surface level reading of this, he's just being obnoxious and sexist for literally no reason, but that's not what's actually going on here. note the parts i bolded. first of all, he's struggling to come up with something to deflect rin and saber's confrontation. keep asking yourself questions. okay, he doesn't want girls to get hurt. specifically, he doesn't want saber to get hurt. why does he not want saber to get hurt? he wants to protect her, as he wants to protect everyone, and in turn, make himself the target instead. he wants to be the one getting hurt protecting someone else because he sees himself in moral debt. this has nothing to do with gender, he's just using it as a cheap tactic to deflect, it makes saber and rin angry, which works because they're no longer talking about him being psychologically fucked up. right after, this conversation follows:

"…! Are you not the one getting worked up over insignificant things…!? Are you saying you do not want to be protected by a woman!? My body is that of a heroic spirit. Forget about such trivial aspects!"

"It's not trivial at all! Geez, it's not okay for me even if it's okay for you! It was a mistake from the beginning to have someone fight in my place. I can't――"

I can't allow someone to get hurt, In place of saving me. I should be the one doing the saving. I have been working hard to become a person who can help others like my father, so――

"doing the saving" here is interchangable with "getting hurt". i'll make a full post about this later but shirou views himself getting hurt protecting someone as inherently positive, as using his body as a meat shield is one of the only things he can actually do to "help". in other words, hes fighting against his own sense of worthlessness here.

"…I am saying that you are mistaken. I have never thought of myself as a woman, and I have never been treated as one.

Saber's comment stops the conversation. "―――――" As I use the kitchen knife, I feel irritated by Saber's comment.

"…I've been wondering for a while, but just what does she think she is?" For some reason, I'm getting annoyed.

shirou isn't getting mad here because of some misgivings about gender identity. he's hearing 'woman' and interpreting it as 'person'. frequently shirou will say things like "i'm a guy, so this is normal." this always felt to me like he was trying to reassure himself more than anything. he's trying to convince himself he's normal, just like any guy in his class, and still has normal emotions, just like any of his peers. just like he says right at the beginning. his body survived, but everything else about him burned up into ashes. to keep his body alive, his heart died. Can you still believe this post is about him being sexist? the POINT here is that "being a guy" and "being a girl" to him always has the invisible word "normal" before it. being a normal, ordinary guy, who goes to school and has friends and doesn't have something severely psychologically wrong with him. to him it means being young and innocent and having fun without all of the trauma he faced and the baggage he has. like an ordinary high schooler, having crushes, going on dates and stuff. he excludes himself from that, and yet he can't help but cling to it and insist he really is just like everyone else, especially in the prologue.

in the end, like everything else, it all comes back to him projecting on saber. because he sees her firmly deny being a woman, which is to say, being an ordinary person, like he does, and he sees it uncomfortably reflected back on himself, because he thinks he cant really live normally but at least SABER should be able to right? because that's what it means to protect someone. so when he gets upset that saber doesn't see herself as a woman, he's upset that she doesn't get to live as a person, and he's also upset at himself that he also doesn't have that.