#I had all of them but Morgan at the time I got Oberon so this is pretty accurate actuallt

[trashybugs]

i rarely ramble here, but i want to talk a bit about Abyssal Insect/Abyssal Wrym

the identity and origin of Abyssal Insect have always fascinated me. what is it? is it the same kind of dragon as PHH Vorti's dragon, has it existence preceded Vortigern? is it really the white dragon of Britain when Albion is actually both red and white?

Abyssal Insect was a concept that got introduced in Lostbelt Britain. it is referred to as "the evil dragon Vortigern" in Oberon's profile, it seems to be a primordial creature, a concept of every hole in the world that had lived long ever since or before Britain was at its conception and is said to exist in PHH but being more tamer.

it makes me question the chicken and egg. was this primordial being that had exist since ancient times only got its name as Vortigern from the influence of PHH concepts that slipped into Lostbelt Britain during Morgan's reign, or was its identity had been Vortigern since the very beginning, making him also preceded the existence Vile King Vortigern in PHH.

see, the thing is, i think have been looking way too hard. i always thought the reason why both LB Vorti and PHH Vorti share the same concept and weakness (being a hole in the world, can absorb holy light but is also hurt by it, etc) is because of them sharing the same name and title. as Vortigerns, Britain's will, and device.

and Abyssal Insect was its own separate thing, an embodiment of the world's holes that reside in LB Britain, because its the only land that exist in that timeline, eventually becoming its will and legend, after all it seems to be different from the dragon PHH Vortigern was described in. he looks like a worm insect instead of a traditional western dragon you expect. so maybe it was a separate being than PHH Vortigern.

but i think Abyssal Insect IS Vortigern the dragon. and both LB Vorti and PHH Vorti are its human terminals. it was the white dragon but a far more older being than Merlin's red and white dragon prophecy.

there was a misconception in TM wiki for the longest time that Oberon was born from Albion, making him and Melusine technically siblings, but recently they changed it to Britain. proving while they're both white dragons, they're born from different origins

Vortigern the dragon (Abyssal Insect) is Britain.

in Melusine's dialogue upon seeing Abyssal Insect is that he is a dragon that shares the same white dragon name as her, not that they're the same.

it seems even in Lostbelt, it used to have a more traditional dragon look, as can be seen in the mural prophecy

it changing into a more insect-worm appearance might be because of Oberon's identity influence, or its capability to adapt after knowing Morgan's fear of insects.

LB Vortigern's terminal had been proven to be able to change and adapt to different strategies for the sake of destroying Britain, i wouldn't put it past it to change form into its enemy's literal nightmare lol

which makes the NA localization of Naraku no mushi (Insect of Abyss/hell) into Abyssal Wyrm, makes more sense since its possible that in Japan, no etymology could convey worm-like dragon as well as the word "wyrm" (I think its proven cause I saw a lot of JP fans praising the localization of it, and thinks its a more suitable word than Abyssal Insect). Abyssal Wyrm wasn't necessarily an insect, its a wyrm and the same dragon as PHH Vortigern's

its also the reason why i got stuck so much trying to make both connections, cause I was a fan translation reader so the Abyssal Insect word stuck with me more, and its very hard imagining that PHH Vortigern also have the same insect dragon form when he doesn't have any insect motifs

but how come PHH Vorti be an Abyssal Wyrm terminal too, when Nasu said that Abyssal Wyrm wasn't hostile in PHH and will never manifest

maybe this is a reach, but i think its because PHH Abyssal Wyrm/PHH Vortigern isn't on the same level of aggressiveness as LB Vortigern. his goal was essentially to preserve the mystics of Britain instead of destroying it similar to Morgan who wants to keep the land alive despite it all.

Obevort's reasoning in that PHH Vorti wants to destroy humanity but is unable to destroy the world itself. in his eyes it looks like PHH Vorti is a coward who won't go far, not realizing they are both functionally different as Britain's terminal.

so yeah, technically that vicious side of it will never manifest there, he still want to turn Britain into a living hell so humans won't be able to live there. but at its core its not as destructive as LB Vortigern's goal.

its also adds to my reasoning on how PHH Vorti must drunk a dragon's blood and become a dragon himself, because his true body unable to manifest. (a parallel to LB Abyssal Wyrm who's stuck under Cerny) when the way Abyssal Wyrm and LB Vortigern works is that both of them are separate bodies that can't control each other (they able to become one in NP which seems to happen only after he became summonable)

keep in mind it is not clear what dragon blood old man Vorti was drinking tho. is it just a random dragon or a white dragon? but which white dragon cause Albion wasn't killed by him. there's a lot of blank space in here...

but anyway, drinking a random dragon's blood is enough to turn him into a dragon. not necessarily his true Abyssal Wyrm body since it won't manifest. but its close enough to make him have a similar characteristic in being the size of the isle and having the black hole power to absorb Excalibur's light

Albion is said to be the last dragon so either the primordial dragon Abyssal Wyrm dies when his Vile King form is killed because Rhongo was that strong it kill him down to its core, or he doesn't get categorized as a true dragon since well, he's a wyrm

so my conclusion, is that Abyssal Wyrm was Britain's itself or one of the aspect of Britain's will. its original function in PHH was the will to preserve, and it manifested into Vile king Vortigern. but in LB, Britain had died and is essentially just a rotting corpse, its beyond saving, so his function transforms into the will of self destruction, manifesting multiple times as Mors king and then Oberon.

both PHH and LB Vorti were from the same dragon in different timeline with different functions that's why they're able to share similar weaknesses and hole powers

just a game theory tho, and i think its a theory that satisfies my curiosity on which Vortigern came first cause I just thinks its funny that you got this crazy concept of hole worm dragon in LB but in PHH, Vortigern seems to be a name of a person who turns into a dragon also LB6 is special in that the LB gains a lot of PHH influences

[strangefellows]

Alrighty then! As I finished LB6 at....oh, 5am this morning -- because I got stuck on Cernunnos and went to bed early, and then couldn't sleep because I was stressing about finishing the LB before the Oberon banner -- it is time to once again sit my ass down and babble about my (possibly unusual? idk) take on Oberon Vortigern.

I'm gonna put my full thoughts beyond a cut but TL;DR -- I'm far, far more interested in the Vortigern part of him, and so my take and interpretation tends to focus on that side of him, and on looking at PHH Vortigern as well. (Not that Oberon isn't an intrinsic part of him as well; it's just that I tend to look at him as more "Vortigern wearing Oberon" more than "Oberon who is also Vortigern".)

So when I was....oh god. Very young. Four? Five? An incredibly small child, I know that much. I was given a picture book. See, my mom is a huge, huge, huge fan of Arthuriana, I cannot count how many books she's got on the topic. That's one of her two big loves, Arthuriana and Robin Hood (which is a whole other kettle of FGO fish, me and my dear outlaw, for another time). Anyway, she got me a book. Merlin and the Dragons by Jane Yolen -- I'll link you guys to an audiobook version on youtube, it's of course a kid's book and very short, and gorgeously illustrated, but that's not the important part. The important part is, well, the story. The story of little Emrys, King Vortigern and his tower, and the two dragons. That was, I think, my very first exposure to Arthuriana, and I was immediately in love. That story in particular captured my attention, and ever since then I've been extremely obsessed with interested in Vortigern. The Charlie Hunnam/Guy Ritchie King Arthur movie is my favorite King Arthur movie I've ever seen solely because Vortigern is there (and Jude Law kills it, ok?). So, of course, two years ago when Oberon first dropped and I saw him on the FGO Wiki, I was mildly interested -- until I saw his full True Name, and then I was immediately sold. Oberon is one thing, but Oberon Vortigern? Yes, please, give me all the details.

And as I read more about FGO's Vortigern, especially the retcons they gave in FGO about what he is (compared to the very old Garden of Avalon LN) -- that he was born of Britain's will of self-destruction to preserve the Age of Magic and prevent the dying out of Mystics, that he was born both human and not -- I was so fascinated, especially when I read more about Oberon Vortigern, and I drew parallels between their situations.

In essence, both of them -- PHH and Lostbelt Vortigerns -- are an exercise in contradictions. Two diametrically opposed things inside one being.

For PHH Vortigern, he was born as a human, Uther's brother and Artoria's uncle -- but he was also born as the avatar of Britain's will, the White Dragon. Unlike Artoria as the Red Dragon, who was meant to protect humanity, Vortigern was supposed to protect Mystics and the Age of Magic, to destroy humanity...but at the same time, he was in part human. Holmes, in the introduction to LB6 Part 2, says it best despite talking about Morgan:

It's unclear if PHH Vortigern had a faerie aspect (and admittedly, quite frankly the fact that his successor Morgan did makes me look at Oberon and go hmmm in that regard), but even so the same comment still applies: his human aspect and his aspect that was Britain's avatar were irreconcilable. And unlike Morgan, it seems as if he didn't partition them off (or couldn't?) and...well, we know how that went, if that part of the LN is any indication. Or hell, looking at Salter or Lalter. Man probably went a little crazy.

And by the same token, Lostbelt Vortigern is the same way-- but rather than 'man vs mystic' it's a matter of 'truth vs lies'. His identity as Vortigern is intrinsically altered and changed by the aspect of Oberon placed on top of it. And while I absolutely agree that the Welsh faeries did not, as some people think, 'brainwash' him, and he was both from the start...they absolutely were the reason he is Oberon Vortigern.

Now it's not explicitly stated, but more or less to me this implies that the chrysalis, when it got up, had been shaped by the desires and wishes of the Welsh faeries who had been awaiting a 'perfect fairy tale king' -- Oberon Vortigern even mentions the flotsam that Morgan let wash up as likely the source of that particular notion.

After all, if he was truly 100% a 'Lostbelt Faerie King Oberon', he wouldn't be affected by either Titania's (non)existence or the lying Thing brought on by the circumstances of the play.

I think the distinction I make, like I said above the cut, is that he's not "Oberon who is also Vortigern" so much as he's "Vortigern who was given the mask of Oberon". The White Dragon, the Abyssal Wyrm (they used that spelling once they should have kept it, it makes perfect sense!) at his core, but rather than wearing the face of a human King of the Saxons, he's wearing the face of a faerie King of Wales. Oberon Vortigern rather than Vortigern Pendragon. Oberon is the type of Vortigern he is, shaped by nurture/environment at birth, rather than the nature of what he is at the core.

That's why he's a Pretender -- he's Vortigern pretending to be the Faerie King so hard it's impossible to tell anymore what's a lie and what's not, rather than the other way around.

EDIT TO ADD: I was going through my screenshots again (because a bitch literally screencapped every line of dialogue in the finale) and:

Forgot he'd just, uh, said it outright. "I am Vortigern using the face of Oberon the Faerie King from Proper Human History," huh. Granted, man's a liar by nature, but... (not to mention, I notice, that the way he phrases his description of Vortigern doesn't match the LB, because in the LB the Age of Mystics never ended. One wonders, then, if Vortigern himself is -- to borrow computer metaphors from Nasu -- basically a 'universal program' from the inner sea reused with different shells depending on the situation, given Albion itself sits in on the border of all realities, and he is also the same Vortigern as PHH, just in a different form for this particular usage.)

Either way and in any case, as he's said, Oberon Vortigern is also a contradiction: Vortigern wants -- no, is born to -- destroy the Lostbelt, while Oberon wants to destroy PHH for Titania. That's the contradiction. The object truth of PHH over the lies, the story of the Lostbelt. And, as with 'Man vs Mystic', that's irreconcilable. And thus, his misery, his pain, his disgust at his own existence and everything else.

I'm sure approaching it from the Oberon side has similar conclusions to be drawn, but it's fascinating to me taking it from the Vortigern side and looking at PHH Vortigern, especially given the discussion of him in the early parts of LB6 and the presence of Melusine/Albion. As well as Oberon Vortigern's relationship with Merlin, given PHH Vortigern absolutely has to have ties with him given the main myth Vortigern comes up in. (Points emphatically at Dinas Emrys in Wales.)

Anyway! I would kill a man for a PHH Vortigern alt Servant (Ruler or Avenger calling it now), and I have a lot of personal headcanons for my own Master OC's specific in-universe version of Oberon Vortigern, but in general, I love looking at him from this perspective.

....

And really, though, they should've kept it as Abyssal Wyrm.

GO BACK AND MAKE IT WYRM AGAIN, LASENGLE. WYRMS ARE LIMBLESS DRAGONS, IT'S LITERALLY A WORM-WYRM, IT MAKES SENSE, IT FITS, IT'S PERFECT DOUBLE MEANINGS. [riots, coughs]

[kaibutsushidousha]

Can you rate all 2021 & 2022 silhouette Servants?

1) Morgan is my 3rd favorite Servant in the whole game and pretty sure she already has her own post explaining why. The Morgan-Arthuria-Fujimaru-Oberon quartet parallels are really the best part of Avalon le Fae.

2) Another member of my level 100 crew. Taigong was my most requested Servant at the time of his release and what we got of him is certainly in line with what I wanted. Goofy but capable. Thoughtful except when his fear of disappointing gets the better of him. Great taste in waifus. All in all, I can proudly say that's the tactician I asked for.

3) Jue was one of the big stars of Traum along with Roland and Xu Fu. He's as pragmatic and ruthless as he can get but the narrative is no less sympathetic to his motives, ideals, and lifetime failures. Regardless of whether or not the Master he's so devoted to turns out to be an Olga Marie piece in some way, Zhang Jue still has a very important place in the overall narrative as someone whose story and character reflects Olga's own perhaps even better than Douman does.

4) Kagekiyo is perhaps the most successful example of a mixed Servant because Heian gave them a very emotionally powerful character moment as Yoshitsune (Kintoki's best opponent in Heian) while the Kamakura event gave them an equally powerful moment as Kagekiyo proper. Both sides are covered evenly and covered well. Kagekiyo proper is my favorite character in the Ushiwakamaru circle of characters (low bar, but I do like them a lot).

5) Homietrot is my friend. Homietrot is your friend. She's always there being devoted and positive when Morgan and Mash need her. I'm extremely glad she became a permanent addition to the main cast.

6) Miss Crane's event is very rightfully criticized for being a mishmash of idol fandom memes, but Crane herself is one part that's undeniably written with a heart. Also, her design is gorgeous, her less dignified expressions are excellent, her relationships to both her original Master and Romani made me feel things, and her Noble Phantasm is one of my favorites.

7) Quixote and Sancho have their bad jokes along the way but are overall a fun comedy duo with poignant character moments for both of them individually, a neat role in the narrative, insightful commentary about their own nature and how it reflects on other characters, and one of the most soulful profiles in the whole game. Sancho was all in all one of the best ideas possible for this character.

8) Kriemhild already has her own post about her part in Traum, so I'll just add that she's being pretty well-used in interludes and events.

9) Kiichi has a fun personality, is easy to mock as every Sakurai fetish combined, and provided the tengu lore that made me go insane at least twice, but the star of her debut is clearly Kagekiyo so she's a bit on the forgettable side as her own character (as opposed to as the representative of tengus).

10) Bakin speaks funny, had meaningful things to say about Chaldea's role in part 2, and rightfully calls Hokusai a shithead. He's a character I could love if he was a less boring event.

11) Feihu is an always welcome addition to the Investiture of the Gods crew but they kinda did nothing with him beyond "dad" and the stupidest questions about loyalty. It's a shame they sacrificed Tianhua's chances for a solo Servant debut, but the family gimmick was imo worth it.

12) Caren is Caren. Not even her memes are new. Welcome presence as a new member of the NagiKama friend circle, but it was it is.

13) Lostbelt Percival is one of those Avalon le Fae cast members I paid the least attention to. His opinion on fae is a thing I agree with, though. Can't comment on Pan-Human Percival because I'll only buy the first Aslaug novel next month.

14) Constantine had a charming relationship and an excellent death scene in Traum, but in both cases, Joan was the better side of it. Likewise in his epic duel, Quixote was the better side of it for such a wide margin it ain't even funny.

15) The Trung sisters certainly existed but not nearly as much as the Cons existed (and still constantly exist in merch). All I can say is congratulations to the Vietnamese fans.

16) Tametomo was a minor character in Traum, then he got a main part in his debut event and I still feel Traum did more for his character than the event did.

17) Galatea has cool pants, which are great but not great enough to compensate for her coming in and out of her debut event completely unaware of what was going on with Aphrodite. If she's going to be a side dish to an Olympian we'll never have, at least let her be emotionally involved with it.

18) Baobhan Sith's Eliza-like visuals are very significant: her whole character concept is "what if Eliza's character arc simply ended in CCC chapter 2 instead of evolving into the perfect redemption arc presented in chapters 5 and 7". Unfortunately, I can't care much about an undercooked version of a great character. At least she's good as an example of how Beryl works.

19) Huyan Zhuo is impressively obnoxious and about the most gratuitous and undignified FGO has gotten with waifubait. She's a good fit for her role of less mature foil for the baby version of Elizabeth Bathory but still solid placed on my bottom 5 Servants.

[kob131]

"Roast: Avalon Le Fay and Morgan’s whole set up. Like, civilization wise. Put as much plot related stuff in as you like at least." you got this ask before but you didnt know much about the plot so I would like to here it again know that you do know

Well I forgot about that ask before so very well.

You know, it's a personal theory of mine that Mordred picked up her administrative talents from Le Fay. I mean, it makes some kind of sense. Le Fay, or at least one of her personalities, grew up under Gorlois, the Duke of Cornwall, then Uther alongside Igraine. Naturally at some point, she must have picked up some level of ruling know-how. And Mordred knowing these kind of skills despite having never been raised like an heir by Arturia kind of knocks it down to Le Fay passing it on, if only to try and trick her into thinking she'd actually get the throne.

The reason why I bring this up is because it kind of puts into perspective just how much a fuck up LB Morgan really is in the ruling department. Yeah, the Fae are nothing but selfish, entitled bastards who do nothing but take the most dickish route possible to their goals but that's in their nature- they lack human morals as well as human pragmatism to know that all this backstabbing would kill them off. But at the point that Morgan showed up- She knew all this. She knew the Fae were effectively ungovernable creatures, down to their very nature. She knows that everything about them yearns for death and the end of their world for the sins they committed, to the point of incarnating a version of VORTIGERN to kill them all. And yet she still decided to rule over them.

Not out of ideals or beliefs mind you. She abandoned her ideals and beliefs as a person when she became a tyrant. Morgan gets next to NOTHING out of this situation except some vague love for Britan that Le Fay had and passed on. But the thing is- Britan WANTS the Fae to die. Britan WANTS them to all die off and for the Fairy Isle to crumple for their sins. The aforementioned Vortigern is an INCARNATION of its will to die- she is going against the wishes of the very thing she supposedly loved. And all for what at that point? Not her happiness, not the Fae's happiness and certainly not Sith's. She went through all that pain and effort for...what in the end? Instinct? Routine? Proving a point to Arturia? Nothing. She got nothing in the end.

And the saddest thing? It didn't NEED to be that way. By the time Sith came around- it was a Lostworld. Morgan along with whoever she wanted could have just crossed the barrier of light and escaped that accursed land and lived outside of it. Yeah, the world is barren but Chaldea still exists. Morgan could have helped them unbleach the planet and give Sith a place to live in peace. She could have taken the child she supposedly cared for, given up her foolish dream and give her a better life. And not, I dunno, ignore her 99% of the time, bitch at her when the child SHE raised screwed up and do nothing to help her. For fuck's sake, MORDRED has a better sense of self and self esteem than Sith. And Mordred bases her identity in no small part on Arturia with about as much self esteem as her dad.

You wanna know what the one thing that really proves how foolish Morgan was at the end? Even assuming Morgan survived killing Cerennous, which considering Arturia Caster's end is unlikely- She would have STILL needed to deal with Oberon. Or rather, Oberon-Vortigern, someone commanding what is basically a mobile black hole that Morgan has shown no counters against. And even if she did- Oberon could easily just summon some catepillars to fuck with her and then have her fall into the damn thing. And all because she ordered Barghest to burn the Welsh forest to the ground, killing all the insect fae...who were keeping Vortigern in check under the guise of Oberon. Morgan's own actions KILLED her country.

She worked for nothing and then killed her own chances at any meaning. And it's all her fault.

[illusoryair]

My thoughts on LB6.1 (spoilers below)

Okay, I actually finished up to the current time lock a whole week ago but I didn’t bother doing a write up until now.

Firstly, I really enjoy the story! Nasu’s thematic writing is always great. Even though it was a lot of reading, it didn’t feel like as much of a labour to get through (compared to, say, Olympus).

I went into this with some spoilers, because fanartists latched onto some characters in particular (**ahem**Oberon**ahem**I am also extremely excited for the reveal**ahem**) but other than that, I didn’t know much.

This whole lostbelt had me going “Yep, sounds like fairies alright.”  Fairies viewing humans as curiosities and imitating human culture out of interest rather than actual need. Wonder if this would have been how Morgan wanted to rule Britain had she won over Arthur in PHH? To create a world where fairies are the dominant kind and humans are subservient?

Castoria is quite a different person to Artoria. (Basing on what I have read in the VN and Garden of Avalon story.) While Artoria had strong conviction in her path as the king, Castoria is wavering and unconfident. It doesn’t feel right to treat them as the same person. I wish people would stop treating them as the same person. (Same with Muramasa and Shirou. Muramasa is an old crabby man. He acts nothing like Shirou. Stop treating him as interchangeable with Shirou.)

Tristan’s interactions with Castoria were quite sweet. While she resembles his king, he realises that she is still an immature and weak child who is still on the path to be the Chosen One. He was encouraging of her even if she felt like she was disappointing. I’m sad he had to leave the story early.

The whole confusion over the Child of the Prophecy was hilarious. There are three suspected Child of the Prophecy running around at this exact moment and one of them is trying to buy another one.

Mash, while she lost her memory, still retains her values. It was quite interesting having her story read alongside ours. I saw a theory from Discord that her claiming the name Galahad was what gave her the power up. Which seems possible, seeing as the Tam Lin/Fairy Knights are also using the names of famed knights, and how, for fairies, names are tied to purpose. (But does it work the other way round? Can you just grab a name and get the purpose as well?) We got separated from her too soon though. Wonder how she’s processing everything that has happened since, with the implication that she was captured into slavery, forced into a marriage (even if she managed to stop it, uh, being consummated), then failing to protect the city where she had found a home and friends. Yeah, heavy stuff.

The side characters in Mash’s story were quite interesting. Winky, Rob and Wag told a story of people who did dishonest work because they had no other choice, it was all they could do to survive. Winky chose to go after money while Rob and Wag were moved by Mash’s selflessness and desired to do what was right. They all ended up dying, but we can see who could face their death proudly. (I did not expect these characters to give me feelings.) Boggart wanted power to defy the queen, but in the end what he really desired was to be able to protect the home that he treasured.

What is up with Cu (Grimr?) He had 2 minutes of screen time before announcing he might not make it out of the fight. I’m so curious about his presence and then he doesn’t give any answers. Please tell me he still has a role in the story.

Moving onto theories...

What was the divergence point of the lostbelt? I feel like it must have diverged really far back (well, the timeline gives us 12000 fairy years “BC”). It could be as result of messing around with the natural order of the world, to make fairies on top rather than humans, despite the fact that it’s impossible for fairies to make progress since they lack creativity. The fact that not many fairies remember or know the history very far back isn’t helpful. 

What are calamities? If we follow with natural order of the world being messed with, it could be the World’s (capital W) natural reaction to it. There are no heroic spirits to act as a natural defense so it takes this shape instead. Or, the calamity is just a collection of mors, which are dead spirits of fairies which are unable to return to nature, that reaches critical mass every 100 years.

How is Morgan dealing with the calamity? I don’t know what powers her mirror has aside from teleportation, so I can only guess that she straight up teleports the calamity outside of Britain. It’s France’s problem now or something.

We had some name drops: Aesc and Queen Mab and some others which I forgot. There’s not enough information on them for me to speculate, but I’m going to guess Mab is the lostbelt version of Medb simply because their names are similar.

Why is Morgan forcing everyone to imitate humans and pay massive taxes? Could be to do with the unnatural order of the world. Fairies still have purpose which is intrinsically tied to what humans do. A fairy society would never be possible, so they need to imitate human society as much as possible to even continue to exist. For taxes, the easy answer would be it adds to her lifespan or it’s for power to continue her rule. We also don’t have much info on Morgan so I can’t come up with anything else.

Might add more if something pops up in my head, but I’ll probably just wait to play when the next section drops next week.

[ac-liveblogs]

My Lostbelt 6 Mental Breakdown

you ever know something's gonna be a doozy before you even engage with it, but it turns out to be even doozier than you could've ever anticipated?

yeah, that's this. anyway, lb6 good

The Parts I Didn't Like

I am starting with this because it’s the shortest.

It's very draining to play all at once. LB6 is extremely long, so playing it for extended periods of time can burn you out. However, it was released in 3 parts over 3 months for a reason, so I fully recognise this is a me problem.

I felt Knocknarea's feelings for Ritsuka came about quite suddenly, given how little time they spent together. Most interactions were on either side of Castoria, anyway. I would’ve bought her having feelings for Artoria, but not Ritsuka.

Fairy Knight Lancelot and Artoria Caster have not had a rerun. Percival has not been summoned to my Chaldea. FK Lancelot and Percival are having their re-run right now! I’m in my Galahad/Solomon saving period, can you jackasses come back later?!

Morgan's boss fight was a bitch. Especially part 2. I fought so hard, and the game slapped me with a "well, we didn't expect you to win anyway!" fuck you. Cernunnos was tough, but Morgan was just plain unfair. (Yes, she was unwinnable- SHUT UP I KNOW THAT NOW)

Beryl Gut's inclusion was strange, and I'm a lot less interested in him as a character than I was the other Crypters. I appreciated how Mash's development was shown through her relationship with him and he sure was a fun, love-to-hate hammy bastard I thoroughly enjoyed killing, but he didn't feel super relevant to the Lostbelt as a whole. I'm not really sure how to feel about him, besides glad that Mash got to beat him to death with her shield. 

The Writing

A lot happens in Avalon le Fae. While most Lostbelts do just feel like a chapter of something, Lostbelt 6 could be a standalone game on its own - it has the plot  points, script and lore for it. 

It’s a coming of age for the chosen one and her companions. It’s also really long, and juggles a lot of indepedant groups with conflicting motivations for the entire run. Even setting aside Chaldea, the  Crypters, the Alien God’s Disciples, Morgan, the Round Table Army and the Child of Prophecy, you have 6 other clans with their own goals and motivations. It can get difficult to keep up with everything, but while there are a lot of characters none of them feel wasted. Every single one contributes towards something - the fall of Fairy Britain is a jigsaw puzzle, and everyone is a unique little piece. 

It’s a lot of fun comparing Castoria’s journey to Arthurian myth - if you recognise what’s happening, it’s a really cool game of spot the difference. As much is as different as it is the same, with Vortigern, Morgan and Arthur all playing pass the parcel with their roles at any given time and the goal being to kill Britain, not save it.

Returning Characters

Lostbelt 5 really started fleshing out Ritsuka’s character, but Lostbelt 6 kicks it into overdrive. I guess Nasu got bored of writing a self insert... while Ritsuka isn’t especially complex, character traits are becoming very clear and consistent with him - his sense of humour, his relationships, his personality, his fears and insecurities. It all adds up to a very clear image of Ritsuka - which works out well for me, because I don’t like headcanoning too much if I don’t have to. Ritsuka spends a lot of time without Mash, so watching him develop without her was very interesting. His relationships with Artoria and Oberon are standout - especially Oberon, where it can get quite intense depending on the dialogue choices you make. I quite like Ritsuka nowadays.

Mash also really shone in this Lostbelt. Between her amnesia and being separated from Ritsuka, she was really forced to grow and re-evaluate herself and what kind of person she wants to be, and start striving towards it. She formed a lot of new relationships in this Lostbelt, and really started to grow up - her growth was thrown into sharp contrast with the snippets of her past that we learnt about via Beryl. I‘m very curious to see where her trajectory from here will be on out. Honestly, the longer the game goes on and the more defined Mash and Ritsuka become, the more I really love them.

Goredolf has grown up so damn much. I’m proud of him. Though if they could stop calling him dad, that’d be great. It makes me feel old.

I found myself really enjoying my time with Muramasa - I was genuinely distressed when he died, though given he’s part Shirou I really should’ve expected it. The contrast between Castoria and Muramasa, and Saber and Shirou, was equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming (Chaldea’s Holy Sword will certainly be a katana) and he and Grimm were... really funny. Oh, of course I spent so long waxing poetic about Alter Ego Muramasa when he had to win a boss battle with Cascu of all people against a damn Lancer! One final kick in the teeth, huh!

Crypter presence wasn’t huge in this chapter. Beryl I’m very mixed about - he’s mostly a measuring stick for Mash’s growth, it seems - and Pepe went out like a king, but they definitely weren’t large presences the way they were in previous chapters. I’m super curious about Kadoc and Daybit’s upcoming roles, though....

Koyanskaya made a friend? I didn’t know she could do that.

New Characters

It’s extraordinarily rare that I love almost every single character in... anything, really. Usually, I latch onto a handful at the most, and everyone else is kind of tertiary at best. Anyway, Avalon le Fae’s cast fuckin slaps

I am ambivalent towards Red Rab-bit (I’ll be forgiven, I’m sure) and Beryl Gut (explained above.) Everyone else? Holy shit.

My first Fate property was Fate/Zero, which was a painful slog of an anime that barely endeared itself to me, let alone Saber, who I spent a really long time finding boring and overhyped. I wasn’t interested in reading the Fate route as a result - it’s not like she interested me in UBW. Meeting Castoria... kind of made me realise I’d misinterpreted Saber, and  I should read Fate route. Setting Saber aside, I love Castoria. LB6 is very much her story, and there wasn’t a single part of it that I wasn’t 100% engaged in. She’s quite easily my favourite companion character so far, though Jason is a very close second. 

Oberon Vortigern drove me feral. There’s no other words for what he did to me beyond drive me into a frothing rage and exacerbate my mental breakdown even faster. He hit all my buttons, even ones I didn’t know I had. I downloaded JP for him, and then refused to even let support Oberons enter stage 3 til I beat LB6 so I could save the best for last. Characterisation, design, lore, relationships - he’s tragic and funny, beautiful and pathetic, terrifying and an absolute fucking moron. He raided the fridge before the boss fight. Why did no-one tell me he did that? Also why did no one tell me we could bully him during his own villain monologue? Oberon is wonderful no matter who he’s talking to (ESPECIALLY Artoria), but it’s really interesting that one of his best relationships is with Ritsuka. He’s so stupid. I want to beat him up with a rolled up newspaper. 

Ahhhh,  Morgan. She’s such a cool villain. I was really unsure about  her given her.... confusing lore, but happily Nasu didn’t waste too much time on it. Instead, the segments with Tonelico were haunting - as a foil to Castoria, Oberon, Artoria and the Lion King, she’s really interesting to think about. The finale of part 2 was really intense. Morgan’s death, as a sum of many parts set into motion well before we arrived in Fairy Brtain, was sad, brutal, and exactly what she deserved. But on the other hand, she gave me 100mil QP, so really, we have no choice but to stan. You go girl, genocide those fairies! Even I wanted to do that in the end! 

“What if Lancelot was a dragon... and a lesbian?” ten million fucking dollars, excellent idea, let’s go. Melusine was the Fairy Knight I was most unsure about, but I think I ended up loving her most. She’s the closest FGO comes to having Lancelot as he was in lore - Berserkerlot comes close, but in a very... after the fact kind of way, and Saberlot isn’t even close, but Melusine is Lancelot as I remember him. I adore her.  Also, Morgan naming her Lancelot is fucking hilarious once you’ve read her mental monologues about evil girlboss Guinevere Aurora.

I also really like Barghest (I think it’s impossible not to), and Baobhan Sith (Bavaan Shee, you’re welcome) is both an excellent unit and fun rival for Artoria. Comparing Morgan’s relationships with Baobhan Sith and Mordred is really sad, you should do it.

I’m also just delighted Habetrot is a canon member of Chaldea now. 

Misc.

As someone who doesn’t like Ritsuka x Random Servant, I was surprised by how much I enjoy him and Oberon as a pair. The two have a really complex and involved relationship... well, I barely like Ritsuka having a million Servants, so I headcanon’d him down to three. Since Oberon isn’t dead, I wonder if we’ll see him again later... I can only hope so.

Due to certain piece of dialogue from Morgan, I wonder if that theory about us Rayshifting back to 2004 Fuyuki to prevent the Grand Order altogether really is true. It would make sense, I have no idea how else we’re going to fix this mess.

I really, really doubt Mash will be ditching Galahad girlboss style, no matter much fandom hates him and wishes she would - given the tone of her development in this chapter and certain plot revelations/developments, I believe a formchange like FK Lancelot’s is more likely than her rejecting either Galahad or the Black Barrel now that she has both. We’ll just have to wait and see, though. Anyway, every theory I’ve had about Galahad so far has seemingly turned out in some way correct, right up to and including a Mash/Galahad identity crisis, so while I don’t want  to get too cocky I am feeling pretty high on life right now

it’s really funny how much LB6 has in common with Inazuma, and how much it absolutely dunks on it. If I were  Mihoyo I’d be absolutely fucking humiliated right now

[orihime00sama]

FGO Part 2 Opening 2 Theories - Characters (2/2)

Fairy

If we go with a “what if Prototype” perspective, this fairy looks a lot like Manaka due to the seemingly short blonde hair, blue eyes and overall blue colour scheme. So it could be Manaka acting as someone’s vessel.

If we don’t go with that, this fairy could be Titania, as she looks quite regal.

Some think that she’s Morgan Le Fay, since Morgan has always been called “fairy princess” in Fate, with Tristan’s interlude being the more recent example. She’s also standing near a body of water, and Morgan is also a fairy of the lake (Salter’s profile describes her as Vivian’s dark counterpart). I don’t think that might be the case because she doesn’t really look that much like Morgan to me. There might be Lostbelt shenanigans involved that make her look different or maybe this is a different ascension or something, but in Apocrypha, Morgan’s hair was much straighter and paler.

A wild theory is that this fairy is actually Oberon, who is either just super pretty or maybe a genderbend. Something noteworthy about Oberon is that he’s usually is the son Morgan le Fay and Julius Caesar... Which is kinda weird due to the time periods they lived in but never mind that.

Someone pointed out that it looks like the fairy is missing a tooth...?

Blondie with Merlin’s staff

If we went with “what if Prototype”, this could easily be Proto Merlin. However, she looks very different from regular Merlin, which isn’t the case for almost every Prototype Servant, with Perseus being the sole exception (compare Proto to Hollow Ataraxia, both versions are datamined btw), even the ones who are different people like Artoria and Arthur. Honestly, if this does end up being Proto Merlin, I’ll be super disappointed because we got robbed of a fabulous fluffy female Merlin for another Saberface.

My two main ideas were that this could be either Vivian or Melissa.

Vivian, the Lady of the Lake, was Merlin’s apprentice and had some kind of relationship with him until things turned sour and she trapped in the Tower, so it would make sense for her to have a similar staff. Though, her outfit makes her look very young.

Melissa actually isn’t a pure Arthurian character, but she comes from Orlando Furioso, where she was the Paladins’ guide and helped Bradamante get to her hubby Rogero. Melissa came to mind because she was also Merlin’s apprentice and even watched over his tomb, so her relationship with him wasn’t as bad as with Vivian and it would justify her carrying a similar staff. Her outfit also reminds me a lot of Bradamante, who actually mentions being helped by “Merlin’s apprentice” in her lines and profile.

A wild theory is that she’s actually the awaited Caster Artoria due to the hair and the sword at her back. If Artoria took to magecraft and never became the king, then maybe that would explain how things ended so badly for the world of LB6.

Three Gals

These ones confuse me the most. The one in the middle I don't even know where to start, all I know is that armour gives me Saber Alter vibes and the visor seems to have a flower? They all have some form of headgear, but Morgan's crown is a lot bigger and more elaborate.

If we follow the idea that the blonde girl with Merlin's staff is Melissa, then the giant lady might be Marfisa (Rogero's badass twin sister who was separated from him at birth) and the girl with the half-crown might be Alcina (their story’s equivalent of Circe, something that the actual Circe mentions in her profile lines for the Paladins). Alcina in particular is interesting because she is Morgan's sister in Orlando Furioso. Together they were the evil sisters to Logistilla's good.

A very crazy theory is that they're all supposed to represent Morgan or maybe The Morrigan (maybe even both because Case Files brings up a connection between the two). The Morrigan are a triad while in Garden of Avalon, Sir Kay described Morgan as if she "had three women in her" due to how she changed. He mentioned her being "innocent like a fairy, then magnificent like a warrior maiden and then gaining the brutality of a witch."

In Case Files there was also a dagger called "Erosion" that had the ability to split the soul from the body and put it elsewhere. It was going to be used by the King Arthur Revival cult to remove Gray's soul from her body so she could become Artoria's vessel. That dagger belonged to Morgan, so it's possible she removed those different parts from herself and made them into homunculi bodies or something, assuming they weren't already split.

Knight

My first thought was Sir Kay. Sir Kay came to mind because I really want him in the game already. Okay, but on a serious note, thanks to Add in Case Files (Morgan modeled Add’s personality after Kay’s), Kay has a connection to Rhongomyniad, a major element teased for LB6. I’ve also seen some pictures comparing the top of the knight’s armour to the little peek we got at Kay, though it’s hard to tell because in the one shot we got, Kay’s right side had a tattoo while the knight only showed his left side. His hair also looks a lot more spiky and messier than Kay’s.

My second thought was Sir Percival, mostly because of the stabby spear weapon, and because as another candidate to the Grail Quest (confirmed by Gareth in her My Room line for the Grail), he’d be a good foil to Mr. “Not Appearing in this Opening” Galahad, who went out to for cigarettes ever since the events of the Temple of Time.

A wild theory would be Sir Galehaut, who in some stories was famous for being Arthur’s equal in power and only surrendered because he was really into Lancelot. Unfortunately, this epic bromance didn’t last both because Galehaut understood that Lancelot loved Guinevere and because Morgan was a jealous bitch who made Galehaut die of a broken heart after sending him fake news about Lancelot dying. The main thing that ties this knight to Galehaut is the fact that the knight looks like a big dude and Galehaut was half-giant. However, Galehaut is mentioned in Gareth’s profile as one of the knights she defeated, so it’s possible that they’re going for a different version of the story.

[tisfan]

Lost Boys and Girls

Square: T5 - lost their powers Warning: fairies, magic, alternate history, dad!Tony Pairing: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange Summary: The queen of the fairies wants to meet Iron Man. Why does this sound like a really bad idea? Word Count: 1690 Link: A03 For the @tonystarkbingo

A/n I’m totally blaming @monobuu for this...

“You’re kidding me, right?”

“Uh, no?” Stephen rubbed absently at his wrist, like his fingers were aching.

“You want me, me, Iron Man, me,” Tony said, thumping his chest a few times to make his point better known, “to, and I quote, strip down all tech, and walk unarmed into what, exactly, did you say?”

“A court of faeries,” Stephen repeated. “It’s the summer court, if that helps any.”

“It does not help any, how does it help any, you do know that the arc reactor is the thing keeping a buttload of shrapnel from reaching my heart, right?”

“The Summer Queen has promised you safe passage,” Stephen said.

“Does she understand that I will die if--”

“The land of the Fey will keep you alive, until you return,” Stephen said. “I have it on good authority.”

“Whose, exactly?”

“Titania’s,” Stephen said. “She’s the queen of the summerlands, and more powerful than you can comprehend. Offending her, under these circumstances…”

“I want to know exactly how these circumstances ended up with my having to walk naked through fairyland. That sounds like a bad porno, Stephen. I don’t like that it sounds like a bad porno, I want good quality porn, with active consent and --”

“I don’t know the circumstances,” Stephen said. “That’s why we have to go to Titania’s court in the first place. To find out.”

“I love how you’re the one who has a magical fairy dust curse put on you, and I’m the one who has to go bargain on your behalf, with a magical fairy dust princess--”

“--queen--”

“Princess,” Tony said again, loftily, “to get it removed. How did that happen, Stephen, tell me that part, if you can’t explain the rest of it.”

(more below the cut)

“Part of the etiquette of the fairy court is stating your important connections,” Stephen said. “Name-dropping, if you will, to impress on the fairy you’re dealing with that you are, in fact, a person worth speaking with. If I didn’t have enough connections to impress, then I wouldn’t get a hearing at all.”

“I have a reputation, even in the fairy lands?” Tony wondered, scratching absently at his beard.

“Tony,” Stephen said, gently, “you wielded the infinity gauntlet and brought half the universe back from oblivion. Including Titania’s husband, Oberon. You’re quite literally the best known person alive in the universe. In any multitude of universes.”

“That’s… unhealthy for my ego,” Tony said. “I prefer just being the guy who did what needed to be done. And I don’t have the gauntlet anymore, I destroyed it.” He had wanted to destroy the stones, too, but they were too powerful for that. The best he could have done in those circumstances, he did. Returning them to vastly well-protected hiding places.

Even now, years later, he could feel the one in Stephen’s necklace, the time stone, and the way it called to him.

He couldn’t be trusted with that power. Not for long, and he knew it.

“She wants to thank you, and in exchange for your notice, she’s agreed to aid me with my… issue.”

“Your issue where your skin changes colors with the season and I might add, you’re growing leaves out of your hair.”

“More than likely, I accidentally annoyed a dryad, but as I cannot cure myself, I need to know to whom I owe amends. Will you please assist?”

“If the alternative is that my boyfriend turns into a tree, yes, I’ll help. I just don’t like these conditions.”

“I know,” Stephen said. “But I’ll be with you the whole time.”

“I’m comforted,” Tony said, as dryly as he could manage. Even if it was true, he didn’t need to scrape his face raw and present his sincerity to the world.

Tony pressed his hand over the arc reactor, feeling the dull ache where his sternum used to be. “All right, open up,” Tony told the suit. He slid his shirt up, twisted the reactor and removed it from its casing.

The pain was… well, he’d had worse. But not lots worse. His heart stuttered and slammed around in his ribcage like it was trying to escape. He gave the reactor core over to the suit and let it close up, sealing itself around the precious device.

“Come on--” Stephen held out his hand. Tony took it, and they stepped over the circle of mushrooms, from reality, to somewhere else.

It was cold, for somewhere called the Summer Lands. Like the day after an ice storm. Everything was bright and sunny, even if he couldn’t see the sun, but also frozen.

Flowers in bloom were encased in ice. Fruits were perfect glass globes. There was at least a foot of snow on the ground, and the crust of ice didn’t break beneath their feet.

Tony took a deep breath, and then another, before he realized that he wasn’t in pain. That nothing hurt, at all. He stared.

“We’re frozen in time,” Stephen said. “Like everything else here. The shrapnel won’t reach your heart, because no time at all will actually pass.”

“Magic sucks,” Tony said.

“That’s not what you said last night,” Stephen joked.

“Great one,” a voice said, and Tony had to turn all the way around before he saw the speck of light that addressed them.

If a lense flare could come to life, that was what Tony was looking at. A tiny little… person that existed inside a ball of light. That flew. And talked, apparently.

“If you’ll come this way, the Queen awaits.”

“After you,” Tony said, waving dramatically.

“At the same time as me,” the JJ Abrams special effects critter said. “Or you’ll be left behind.”

“Right,” Tony said. He wiggled his eyebrows, trying to express exasperation without actually expressing it.

He expected to be lead to a castle. An ice palace might have been nifty, and in keeping with the setting.

Instead, the little creature -- Tony couldn’t tell if it was a boy, or a girl, or even if it mattered at all -- lead them to what appeared to be a grove in the woods. Inside, the air was warm, the grass was green, and the trees were moving in the slight breeze. A girl sat there, in the grass, with red hair and a smart, watchful expression. She was playing with a puzzle, a dozen moving parts, and she changed it from a ball to a cage to a jacob’s ladder with seeming ease.

A woman, barely older than the girl, stood at their arrival.

She was beautiful. And deadly.

“Iron Man,” she said, and her voice was like singing crystal. “Welcome to the Summer lands.”

“A bit cold for that, but thanks,” Tony said.

“Ixnay on the arcasm-say,” Stephen muttered.

“And the good doctor, welcome.”

“I’m honored, your Majesty.”

“Quite the lover’s bond between you,” she said, and she reached out one long fingered hand -- Tony thought she had an extra joint in each finger, but she still looked graceful, perfect. Like his hand was the one deficient -- to touch something. Tony couldn’t see what she touched, but it played havoc with his feelings. He remembered everything, from that first moment when Stephen appeared, to the moment where Stephen promised the Time Stone in exchange for Tony. To the moment when Stephen returned and fell, weeping, into Tony’s embrace. And all the moments after, and the ones in between.

He looked at his lover with fresh eyes, seeing everything, everything between them, as the Queen must be seeing it, in that exact instant.

“You truly love him,” she murmured. “And he truly loves you.”

“It’s a chance not one in a thousand couples get, no matter what the storybooks say,” Tony said, unable to stop his mouth before it smarted off again.

“I like you, Tony Stark,” the Queen said.

“That’s good, I think,” Tony said.

“For the moment,” she said. “But I’ll warn you, I collect the things I like.. Falter in your devotion, and I may take it upon myself to claim you.”

“Not a chance, lady. You’re beautiful, and all that, but, Stephen is all I’m ever going to need,” Tony responded.

“Here, perhaps,” she said. “And now. In this world. But there are infinite worlds, as you well know. So, I will give you a gift.”

“I was told it was unwise to accept gifts, without something of equal value to exchange,” Tony said.

“Perhaps,” the Queen said. “But this is not mine to give you. She was entrusted to me in a universe that died. A last minute plea, from another Tony Stark, in another where, another when, who loved someone else. Morgan, darling?”

The woman held out her hand and the girl got up and came to her. “Yes, your Majesty?” She had a soft, reedy voice, and her eyes were deep brown and full of intelligence.

“This is Tony Stark,” the Queen said. “Tony Stark, this is the child of your counterpart, in a universe that no longer exists. She has no family, no friends, even the very molecules that formed her solar system are gone. She is truly, one of the orphans. And in that universe, the person that Tony Stark loved the most… was Pepper Potts. Morgan is their child.”

Tony looked down into a pair of eyes that were almost identical to his own.

“I cannot repay the Tony Stark of that universe for the favor he did me,” the Queen said, “but I can protect his child, and I can let her go into the hands of those that will love her, and cherish her. If you will accept this burden, I will consult with the good Doctor on the nature of the curse he is under.”

Morgan let go of the fairy queen’s hand and held out those tiny fingers to him. “Are you my daddy?”

Tony dropped to one knee, studying the child. In his world, Pepper had married Happy Hogan, had suffered through several miscarriages, and finally ended up adopting. She’d dated Tony briefly, but it hadn’t worked out.

Tony had never considered being a father.

But he saw that child, that little soul…

“I am now.”

[jasonfry]

More movies everyone’s seen but me!

Wuthering Heights (1939)

THE EMO!!!! IT GOES TO 11!!!!!

My wife was horrified that I watched this, muttering that it's neither very good nor a faithful adaptation of the book. Maybe so, but I had a blast anyway -- it’s all just so ridiculously over the top, from the lightning crashing and Merle Oberon being drowned with on-set rain to Laurence Olivier scowling and brooding at everything. To break the fourth wall, that included the director: the production was equally emo, with Olivier fighting with everyone and David Niven insisting (correctly) that his contract specified no crying scenes. Oh, and they shot it in southern California, which they made up to look not much like England, complete with tumbleweeds painted purple to resemble heather. It’s so thoroughly, completely absurd that it’s a lot of fun. I will now return to randomly warbling “Heathcliff!” every 30 seconds like a hideously transformed Kate Bush.

The Breaking Point (1950)

My reaction at the midpoint of this film noir was to ask who was the first choice to play the role that went to an underwhelming John Garfield. That was mean but not off the mark: turns out this was the second adaptation of the Hemingway novel To Have and Have Not. You probably know the first version better: it’s the one in which Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall have actual chemistry and a far better script. Garfield was a much-admired actor and man whose life was ruined by HUAC, but he’s at sea here (sorry) as boat captain Harry Morgan, who gets in over his head dealing with various ne’er-do-wells in Mexico. A potentially interesting storyline about Morgan’s troubles returning from war life is criminally undercooked, the script veers from sharp to soggy even within the same scene (check out when Patricia Neal and Phyllis Thaxter’s paths finally cross) and by the end no one’s actions, reactions or motivations make sense except to serve the demands of the story.

The Corn Is Green (1945)

This tale of a schoolteacher who devotes herself to the education of a rebellious Welsh youth never quite figures out what it wants to be: it’s utterly sentimental one moment and then ambushes us with a scene that’s brisk, mean and razor sharp. Bette Davis is wonderful as Miss Moffat, filleting adversaries with speeches that will make you laugh out loud, cheer or both. But Joan Lorring almost steals the picture as Bessie Watty, a dim, malevolent gold digger so repellent that her own mother confesses to disliking her from birth. The story is a fictionalization of the real life of Welsh writer Emlyn Williams, whom we’ll see again in a bit.

Jamaica Inn (1939)

This was Hitchcock’s last English production before heading for the U.S., and it’s a mess: the miniatures are an avert-your-eyes level of amateurish and the plot would collapse instantly if any character had peripheral vision. Charles Laughton made Hitchcock’s life a nightmare, but it’s worth it -- he’s magnificently evil as Sir Humphrey Pengallan, the local squire who’s also the secret boss of a gang of Cornish wreckers. Hitchcock wanted to keep this revelation a surprise until much later in the movie, which would have been wise, but Laughton scuttled the plan by insisting on more screen time. At least he makes the most of that screen time, chewing every bit of scenery to a tasty pulp. The wreckers, meanwhile, make for a convincing rogues’ gallery. The foppish wrecker with the distinctive hat is Emlyn Williams, an actor and playwright best known for The Corn Is Green.

Operation Crossbow (1965)

A hit-and-miss WWII thriller, but the hits make it worth watching or at least paying attention to until it goes off the rails. It has a nicely twisty story that keeps you guessing, it gives equal time to the Nazis’ research efforts (and has them actually speak German instead of just clicking heels and spraying glotalls) and George Peppard is equal parts dapper and desperate as the British agent forced to improvise in trying to foil a deadly rocket launch. But the endgame collapses, sunk by clumsy pacing, distracting black-and-white war footage, and really poor special effects. Inexplicably, those same bad effects were reportedly reused a decade later for the original Battlestar Galactica.

Taxi Driver (1976)

See? I told you I hadn’t seen anything.

Classics like this are hard to dig out from their own cultural baggage. I hadn’t seen Taxi Driver, but I could have given you an approximation of the plot and I’ve sat through innumerable homages, parodies and lame take-offs of Robert De Niro’s famous “you talkin’ to me” scene. (Which was supposedly based on some Bruce Springsteen stage patter.) When the real thing arrived, it was hard not to be pulled out of the picture.

Another oddity is that I live in the same city portrayed in Taxi Driver, but it’s utterly different -- New York may never have been safer in its history than it is now, making the stark neon dystopia presented by Martin Scorsese seem like some kind of hysterical dream of a Midwest tourist who never got farther than the airport. On the other hand, the world’s Travis Bickles seem to have multiplied and been amplified. Some of them may still drive cabs, but instead of writing crazy diaries they now infest Twitter and YouTube, shoving their way into our lives. I’m not sure that’s progress.

It’s De Niro’s performance that will stick in my mind. He makes Bickle terrifying, pitiable, and utterly believable. The scene in the coffee shop with Cybill Shepherd is particularly hard to watch: you can see Bickle trying to connect with another human being, but you can also see that he doesn’t have the slightest idea how to do that, and is desperately imitating everything the people around him do so routinely and offhandedly, from conversations to simple eye contact. De Niro conveys all that in his smile -- a frantic, dissembling and altogether wrong jab upwards with the corners of his mouth that never reaches his eyes. It’s amazing work, and somehow far scarier than when the bullets start flying.

[briangroth27]

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Review

I’ve always liked the original Jumanji and was pleasantly surprised by the sequel! The trailer sold me on the premise, but I wasn’t prepared for how much fun this movie would be. Both the young and adult casts were excellent, the adventure in this revamped Jumanji is exciting without feeling at all like a retread of the original, and the whole movie is a total blast!

Full Spoilers...

The young cast was solid, doing a great job of grounding their characters in the real world, while the adults adopted their characteristics and teen bewilderment at what was going on in the video game perfectly. The kids’ drama is fairly routine: Spencer Gilpin’s (Alex Wolff) a nerd being bullied into doing homework for his former friend (and current high school football star) Anthony “Fridge” Johnson (Ser’Darius Blain), Bethany Walker (Madison Iseman) is obsessed with her phone and her looks, and Martha Kaply (Morgan Turner) is a loner, refusing to conform to PE class. While the young actors definitely made these characters feel like real people instead of clichés, the writers could’ve added more depth to them, particularly with Spencer’s crush on Martha. I got the feeling that he’d liked her for a long time, but I’m not sure seeing her refuse to participate in PE was enough to fully sell that attraction (or her rebellious nature) and I would’ve liked to see more. Fridge also could’ve used a bit more depth in the writing.

Once the kids were trapped inside the game, the adult cast ran with what the teens established to incredible success. I’ve long thought Dwayne Johnson would be perfect as DC Comics’ Shazam/Captain Marvel—a ten year old boy who can turn into an adult superhero—and this movie’s premise is close enough to that to prove me right. He was hilarious as “Dr. Smolder Bravestone,” Spencer’s chosen character in the game, because even though he suddenly had an idealized body and was super-capable in this virtual world, he was still a kid. Things like trying to force himself not to cry in the face of their outlandish situation and the totally unattractive first kiss he shares with Martha’s avatar (Ruby Roundhouse, Karen Gillan) felt totally real and made for great comedy. I did think it was odd Bravestone didn’t have any weaknesses, but I liked that Spencer’s weaknesses showed through his virtual visage. His reluctance to go back to normality was understandable, given all he could do and be in Jumanji, and I liked that the movie gave Johnson a moment to play that uncertainty. Ruby’s “dance fighting” was a funny send-up of the current female action hero combat style and Martha’s reaction to the sexualized and scantily-clad video game character she found herself inhabiting felt realistic and appropriate. I also liked that she didn’t stand on the sidelines while the guys fought the villains. I do wish Martha had gained an appreciation for exercise from her adventure—physical activity is important, no matter how dumb kids might think it is or how awkward PE might be—but I liked the confidence she gained from her adventure and I also thought the moments of her bonding with Bethany in the game were well done.

It was great that they gave Bethany some depth in terms of explaining her addiction to her phone and Instagram. They did play her complaints and freak-outs about being in the jungle without her phone a little broadly, but it worked and Jack Black built on the foundation Iseman laid down to sell every ounce of her personality as Professor “Shelly” Oberon. Her reactions to suddenly having a penis were pretty hilarious too. I was pleasantly surprised that while she initially balked at being in this situation (and that body), she was quick to suggest solutions to the puzzles the gang had to get through to win the game and escape. She contributed instead of being a constant stuck-up stick in the mud like I thought she’d be, and that was a great choice on the part of everyone involved. I liked that she even got to solve the final puzzle too; that was a nice bit of redemption for the puzzles she didn’t solve. She also got a great selfless moment when it came to sacrificing one of her lives to save Nick Jonas’ Jefferson McDonough. I was really glad they didn’t have them kiss or let their attraction extend beyond longing gazes: even if he didn’t realize it, he was 20 years older than her and I think she was still a minor, which would’ve been gross.

I liked Kevin Hart as Fridge’s virtual alter ego “Mouse” Finbar, but I felt like he was the least developed in both his forms (despite both actors getting a lot of funny material and preforming what they were given well). Dramatically, his strongest moment came when arguing with Spencer on the edge of a cliff, but it felt like he and his insecurity about succeeding academically could’ve been explored a little deeper. Now that I think about it, however, his avatar’s encyclopedic knowledge of animals and his glee at being able to tame/command them during the climax is sort of an answer to that; I just wish we’d seen that inspire him to double-down on his studies in the real world. His fight with Spencer culminates in the weirdest choice in the movie for me, when Bravestone knocks him out of a helicopter to create a distraction. Mouse has the life to spare, so it was (coldly) logical, but Spencer never really has to answer for doing exactly what Fridge had nearly done to him earlier. I thought that should’ve had bigger consequences. Nick Jonas was well-cast as a daring pilot who was overwhelmed with fear of losing his last life and got some strong dramatic moments when he realized how long he’d been in the game and when he nearly died. I liked that he got a happy ending thanks to the teens changing time for the better by giving him his life back; this movie didn’t need a bittersweet ending of him exiting the game in the present, having missed such a huge chunk of his life. Bobby Cannavale’s Russel Van Pelt was menacing enough as the villain, but didn’t get much to do to put him over the top. Animals crawling throughout his body was a cool, creepy, and well-executed idea, though.

It was awesome that the kids had to work together as a team using both their strengths and weaknesses to win the game and none of them could just power through and do it alone. I loved the hidden treasure/classic jungle adventure vibe of the movie too. The filmmakers did a great job of making this feel like it belonged in the world of the original Jumanji (complete with a nice shout-out to Robin Williams’ Alan Parrish) while maintaining an entirely fresh feel with the video game concept. The video game format was translated exceptionally well, covering so many aspects like cutscene exposition, non-playable characters who repeat instructions and have limited ability to converse, the small number of lives players got in games of the 80s/90s (and co-op players sharing them), each character’s specific strengths/weaknesses, the ever-growing map as each level is beaten, the ease of dying with one hit from an enemy, and more. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the video game structure so accurately and perfectly translated as it was here (even Wreck-it Ralph gave its in-game characters minds of their own, making them more like actors than NPCs). The pace is quick, the jokes land much more often than not, the CGI animals look good, and the action is solid. I was also genuinely surprised that the movie actively fights the urge to set up a sequel, instead having the kids smash the game so no one else can get trapped in it (even if the extremely impressive box office success of the film means another one is inevitable).

Despite areas where they could’ve fleshed out the characters a bit more, this is an extremely fun and satisfying film! The chemistry of both casts and the comedic and adventure elements easily smoothed out any shortcomings for me. Welcome to the Jungle is an absolute blast and I definitely recommend it!

Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!

[mothermaidenclone-blog]

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle or Perhaps Not Such a Curse After All

I wrestled with whether or not to write about Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle - as it’s primarily about a curse, my heart told me that it’s a horror/fantasy, whilst the tone is obviously action/comedy, but the main plot point is that four teenagers get sucked into a video game, so here we go. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle falls into that wonderful category of films I had subterraneanly low expectations for, that I went to see because there was nothing else on that week, but actually it ended up being pretty fun.

*Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle spoilers follow*

The women in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle didn’t start off on the best foot. The first female character we see is Spencer’s Mum (Marin Hinkle), a paranoid, overprotective germaphobe. However, she is followed by Fridge’s Mum (Tracey Bonner) who seems to be a better example of a parent, firm but wanting the best for her son. Then we met Bethany (Madison Iseman), who is first seen agonising over the perfect, completely artificial selfie for Instagram. She is shown to be a social media addicted narcissist with very little empathy, who is obsessed with being noticed by a boy. The next character we meet is Martha (Morgan Turner), who is portrayed as a somewhat belligerent and self-important nerd, belittling her P.E. teacher’s life choices and becoming immediately confrontational with Bethany.

After this poor introduction, the girls quite quickly become amazing. They have a brief clash in which they point out each other’s flaws, but they honestly own up to them and work together from that point on. In contrast, the boys - Spencer (Alex Wolff) and Fridge (Ser’Darius Blain) - bicker continually, with Fridge actually pushing Spencer off a cliff at one point. Whilst they do make up eventually, I don’t think Fridge ever apologises to Spencer for saying it was his fault he got kicked off the team, when all Spencer did was white essays for him. So against this backdrop, the girls go from strength to strength. Martha agrees to go wildly out of her comfort zone for the sake of the team, and Bethany does what she can to help her. Bethany is continually supportive, defending Martha’s attempts from the boys’ criticism, “She’s never flirted before, give her a break,” and welcoming Martha back with wild praise, “You should be giving me lessons in kicking ass, give me a hug girlfriend!” This female support network is not something I was expecting to see in a dumb action movie.

Bethany’s character continues to develop extraordinarily, with her becoming willing to jeopardise herself to save her friends. She does not capitulate when captured and literally gives some of her in-game life to save fellow trapped teen, Alex (Mason Guccione), playing the character of Jefferson “Seaplane” McDonough (Nick Jonas). The latter is almost certainly because she fancies him, but as she does not know what he looks like in real life, this is still a progression from the image-obsessed Bethany we meet at the start.

Speaking of crushes, Martha does end up snogging Spencer, but I’m not too offended by the romance elements in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, as Martha isn’t really ending the film any less independent than she was at the start, as all that was professed was, “like like”. Also, teenagers are, scientifically speaking, the horniest people on the planet, so it makes sense really.

Within the game itself, Martha’s avatar, Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan), is the only character with a female body. As the vast majority of the film is set within this video game, this means that we only see one woman for a very long time. Her costume is ridiculous, which Martha immediately calls out, “Why am I wearing half a shirt and short shorts in a jungle?” Apparently, this is a homage to Lara Croft, but a pastiche and the character saying out loud that it’s bad doesn’t really make it any more acceptable. Ruby Roundhouse is exceptionally athletically capable and skilled in combat, but also possesses Martha’s intellect. Her first death is somewhat disappointing and seems arbitrary - she is shot off camera somewhere and dies suddenly of her wounds. However, she brings about her second death intentionally, using the knowledge of the in-game mechanics to willingly sacrifice one of her lives but ultimately save the day. Which was great, because when I saw her surrounded by snakes I was steeling myself for a gross, phallic, swarm death.

Ruby is the only physical female presence in the game because Bethany inhabits a male avatar, Professor Sheldon “Shelly” Oberon (Jack Black). I thought this was going to be a set up for Jack Black squealing about broken nails all the time, but I was pleasantly surprised. First of all, he played a teenage girl excellently and secondly, the film did actually address what it would be like for a girl to inhabit the body of a man. There was an extended scene where Bethany had to be taught how to pee, with her exclaiming in delight, “This is so much easier!” and in another instance she got an erection after hugging Alex, to which she responds, “Oh my god! These things are crazy!” As the physical signs of female arousal are so much more subtle than a man’s, I feel like it’s hardly ever acknowledged in cinema that teenage girls experience sexual lust as well as romantic love, whereas you can’t move in a coming-of-age comedy for boner jokes. So even though a male proxy was used, it was good to see a somewhat normalisation of female teenage sexual feelings. In all these circumstances, the boys were quite embarrassed, being obviously reticent about discussing it, whereas Bethany was very open, both in asking for the help she needed and just revelling in the experience. I can put together a small slideshow in my mind of body swaps where male characters instantly grab their new boobs and stare down their tops at their cleavages, but can’t conjure too many examples of the alternative, so thanks for this Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.

Overall, the female characters in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle really develop; they become not only better people but better friends, in a way that the boys just don’t. They achieve this through a combination of honesty and teamwork that I really wasn’t expecting. This being said, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is still a very, very stupid film. Fun, but super dumb.

And now for some asides:

I love the idea of respawning in a game giving your enemy an advantage, like when Fridge fell thought the bazaar roof, allowing the bad bird to see in. I think death being punished by physical, negative changes in your environment could be a cool mechanic.

When they turned from the torch-lit path I really thought they were going to attempt to reach their goal the same way that I do in every Bethesda game, by going stubbornly sideways up a mountain.

I related to an awkward, auburn-haired geek girl being shitty about having to do P.E. so much, except I would never have had the guts to actually confront a teacher, I would have just drawn rude comics about them behind their backs.                                                                                                                                                                    

[citizenscreen]

When the Harvard educated, classically trained stage actor Fred Gwynne heard that Yvonne De Carlo was to be his co-star in The Munsters he balked. Al Lewis, a showbiz veteran since the days of vaudeville, had the exact same reaction. The co-stars and friends went straight to the producers to complain, “She’ll never fit in. She’s a movie star!”

She was born Margaret (Peggy) Yvonne Middleton in Vancouver, British Columbia on September 1, 1922. “I was named Margaret Yvonne. Margaret because my mother was very fond of one of the derivatives of the name. She was fascinated at the time by the movie star Baby Peggy and I suppose she wanted a Baby Peggy of her own.” Peggy Middleton would later use her middle name, Yvonne coupled with her mother’s maiden name, De Carlo in her pursuit of a professional career in the movies. As Yvonne De Carlo the young woman would become one of filmdom’s great beauties, she would appear opposite some of Hollywood’s greatest stars, date some of the most famous men in the world and become a pop culture icon.

Yvonne De Carlo was raised by a single mother who dreamed of stardom and puritanical grandparents. Her father, a handsome, charismatic con man, ran from the law when Peggy was 3 and never returned. Hoping to shape a future star in the image of her own dreams, Peggy’s mother signed her up for dancing lessons early. Peggy, however, always wanted to be a singer and was blessed with a strong voice and a lively personality, both of which would serve her well throughout her life. After several years of ballet lessons Peggy’s mother announced that they were going to Hollywood for a chance at stardom. Her formal education was erratic at best, but Peggy continued to dance uninterrupted although she shifted from ballet to other forms of dance that fit her build much better. The first trip to Hollywood proved unsuccessful, but at the age of 17 Peggy became Yvonne De Carlo dancing in Vancouver nightclubs. Already a stand-out beauty, Yvonne returned to Hollywood with her mother and at the age of 18 and won the Miss Venice Beach beauty contest, which gave her the confidence for nightclub work in Hollywood and eventually opened the door to the movies.

Paramount Pictures signed De Carlo to a contract in August 1942. While there she appeared in bit parts in about 20 movies, which included uncredited roles in several notable productions like Frank Tuttle’s This Gun for Hire and David Butler’s Road to Morocco, in which she played Dorothy Lamour’s handmaiden. Both of those were released in 1942. As great as the movie parts were, however, they weren’t getting her any real attention. What got her attention were the USO shows she was a part of, which made her a favorite pin-up of the boys in uniform and she loved singing for them.

In 1944 Paramount let Yvonne De Carlo go, but producer Walter Wanger cast her in Charles Lamont’s Salome, Where She Danced (1945), which led to a $350 a week contract with Universal. The role of Salome catapulted De Carlo to stardom making her another one of those overnight successes after years of hard work and perseverance. Still, she’d made it…

“Yvonne De Carlo, a comparative newcomer, is starred in the title role. Miss De Carlo has an agreeable mezzo-soprano singing voice, all the “looks” one girl could ask for, and, moreover, she dances with a sensuousness which must have caused the Hays office some anguish.” – Bosley Crowther, NYT, May 3, 1945.

Publicity shot for Salome, Where She Danced

Moderately billed as “the most beautiful woman in the world” by Universal for Salome, questions about her looks were sure to surface. When asked in 1945, “Who else is beautiful like you in Hollywood,” she replied, “That’s a heck of a question to ask a lady! But if you insist – Merle Oberon and Hedy Lamarr.”

Before she knew it Yvonne De Carlo was Universal’s hottest property and the studio demanded she never be seen in public as anything less than a star. That was a demand De Carlo could meet easily. She was beautiful, confident, exotic, mysterious and excelled at getting the attention of the press. In fact, no studio could have asked for a more perfect personification of “movie star.” She relished the role and enjoyed every minute of it. It’s no surprise that billionaire producer Howard Hughes pursued her as he did many famous beauties of the golden age. The two dated for a time – until Yvonne mentioned marriage. She also had a serious relationship with Robert Stack who remained an admirer of hers his entire life. Although I’d like to I can’t name all of the men Yvonne De Carlo dated here because according to what she wrote in her autobiography, Yvonne: An Autobiography she went out with many men including Burt Lancaster, Robert Taylor and Billy Wilder. And, as she noted in a TV interview following the book’s release, “There were a few truck drivers in there too.”

In 1947 Yvonne made a splash with her seductive dancing in Walter Reisch’s Song of Scheherazade and appeared in Jules Dassin‘s highly regarded noir, Brute Force starring Burt Lancaster. De Carlo followed those with numerous pictures, mostly of the sword and sand variety that required little to no acting ability. That changed in 1949, however, when she made Criss Cross directed by Robert Siodmak starring opposite Lancaster and Dan Duryea. Yvonne considered this her first dramatic role and she delivered the goods in memorable fashion matching Lancaster’s considerable energy, which is no easy feat. Unfortunately, solid reviews as the dangerous dish in Siodmak’s picture didn’t yield better parts for her. De Carlo complained to Universal in 1950, but the studio refused to put her in more dramatic pictures so she didn’t renew her contract choosing independence instead. By the way, I’ll never understand why Universal never put De Carlo in a horror picture. She would have been fantastic as a villain.

With Dan Duryea in Criss Cross

Between 1950 and 1955 Yvonne De Carlo made nearly 20 pictures and dabbled in television. Formula Westerns were a specialty for her during that span, but none made a splash with the exception of Norman Foster‘s Sombrero (1953), which inadvertently led to the biggest movie of De Carlo’s career, “I had done a picture at Metro titled Sombrero, which wasn’t much of a hit. But I had portrayed a saintly type of woman similar to what DeMille had in mind for Sephora. He saw the picture, was very impressed, and promptly said, “You’re it.” The Cecil B. DeMille movie Yvonne referred to is, of course, The Ten Commandments wherein she plays Moses’ wife Sephora opposite Charlton Heston. The Ten Commandments was released amid a frenzy of publicity in 1956. De Carlo had been a movie star for years by this point, but DeMille’s picture took her to another plane. At the premiere Yvonne said, “Thanks to Mr. DeMille, I can get in some Class A pictures.”

Charlton Heston and Yvonne De Carlo in The Ten Commandments

The following year De Carlo starred opposite none other than Clark Gable in Raoul Walsh‘s Band of Angels. Unfortunately, that movie’s reception was warm at best leaving Yvonne no choice but to return to the B adventure pictures that had been her bread and butter. By the end of the 1950s, however, fantasies were on the way out making way for more serious fare. De Carlo found her niche on a nightclub stage once again and in television as a guest on many of the popular series of the time. She made a notable picture in 1963 thanks to John Wayne who hired her for Andrew V. McLaglen’s McLintock! opposite him and Maureen O’Hara. The movie was produced by Wayne’s Batjac Productions for United Artists. De Carlo is fun to watch as the attractive widow hired by Wayne’s character, McLintock as his cook and housekeeper. I particularly enjoy the scenes in which we see Maureen and Yvonne together – two classic, saucy beauties playing rivals. Anyway, despite the movie’s solid reviews and its impressive showing at the box office, Yvonne’s movie career saw no upswing. Her next big role would be on TV as an average wife and mother who resides at 1313 Mockingbird Lane.

Let me backtrack a bit to set the stage for Mockingbird Lane – In 1955 Yvonne married actor and stunt man, Bob Morgan. By all accounts it was instant attraction that brought the two together. The couple had two sons and the marriage lasted until their 1974 divorce, but the troubles had started much earlier. Bob had difficulties with Yvonne’s fame in comparison to his own. Regardless, the two tried to work things out and when Bob suffered a serious accident while working a stunt on How the West Was Won in 1961, Yvonne stopped working to help with his recovery. Morgan battled for his life and eventually lost a leg as a result of that accident, which happened when he was run over by a train. The accident and recovery left the Morgans in serious debt. It was under these difficult emotional and financial circumstances that John Wayne offered Yvonne De Carlo the role in McLintock! and the reason why she accepted the role of Lily Munster.

At a Hollywood premiere with Bob Morgan

1964 began dismally for Yvonne De Carlo. For the first time in three decades she had no movie prospects and was deeply in debt. When her old studio, Universal, called with an offer for her to star in a situation comedy about a family of monsters living in the suburbs she accepted. At first Yvonne was skeptical about taking the job, but her agents and her bank account forced her to accept.

The Munsters debuted on September 24, 1964 with Yvonne De Carlo as the matriarch of a an average family working toward the American dream – who just happen to be monsters. Alongside Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster, Al Lewis as Grandpa, Butch Patrick as Eddie and Pat Priest as Marilyn (she replaced Beverly Owen who played the character for the first 15 episodes of the series), Yvonne’s Lily charmed the pants off adults and children alike. The Munsters, which combined familiar, suburban sitcom comedy with memorable characters from Universal’s horror heyday, was a monster hit quelling De Carlo’s concerns about the show immediately. Not only did she enjoy working with the other cast members, she also loved the premise, the writing and the fun. It took Gwynn and Lewis no time at all to realize they’d been wrong about Yvonne De Carlo. She showed up to work with no movie star attitude whatsoever. A hard worker and a dedicated artist, Yvonne was marvelous as Lily and had comedic timing as good as anybody they’d ever worked with.

During a show retrospective, Pat Priest mentioned De Carlo’s style, how she’d use her hands to make Lily unique and her own. I didn’t realize how much that had to do with my enjoyment of the character until I heard Priest say the words. I rewatched a few episodes and sure enough Yvonne’s dance training is evident in every movement including the expressive hand gestures. Lily Munster is stylish and glamorous despite her 100-plus years and despite spending the day doing the cooking and cleaning. Or rather, uncleaning since she has to add cobwebs and dust instead of removing them. Every day when Herman gets home from work the house is in disorder and he’s welcomed with a warm embrace. Lily also manages to keep the romantic fires burning in her marriage as well as she and Herman are as much in love as the first day they met – right after he was created, I believe. When Lily strokes Herman’s cheeks and whispers, “you know, they just don’t make men like you anymore” you know she means it. But this woman is no pushover. When the occasion calls for it Lily is also the disciplinarian who keeps the peace between Herman and Grandpa who are prone to act like petulant children on occasion. As a mother she’s tops too. Donna Reed and June Cleaver have absolutely nothing on her.

All of that is believable thanks to De Carlo’s talent, which allowed for playing the instances of broad comedy and the warm moments with serious intent and gusto. From the original show opening, which features Lily at the entrance of the family home seeing every off for the day, Yvonne sets the tone and grounds the series.

The popularity of The Munsters hit the stratosphere almost immediately after its release. Universal took full advantage by producing everything from lunch boxes to puppets to models with the character’s images on them. There was The Official Munsters Magazine, an official Munsters Comic Book series and anything else you could think of. The Munsters were everywhere and the actors were sent on publicity tours all over the country. Yvonne De Carlo loved the renewed attention, “It meant security. It gave me a new, young audience I wouldn’t have had otherwise. It made me “hot” again, which I wasn’t for a while.” She also enjoyed walking around the Universal lot in full Lily make-up, which took a painstaking three hours a day and included a 20-plus pound wig.

It’s hard to believe The Munsters only lasted two seasons, its popularity waned as quickly as it had spiked. In order to try to revitalize interest Universal hired the same cast, with the exception of Pat Priest who was replaced by Debbie Watson, for a feature titled Munster, Go Home! in 1966. The movie, which represents the first time the Munsters appear in color, was not a box-office success and signaled the apparent end of the beloved family, but Gwynn, Lewis and De Carlo were summoned once again for a TV movie, The Munsters’ Revenge in 1981. While it was fun to revisit with the Munsters at that point, both movies failed to capture the charm of the original series.

I think The Munsters touched so many people, kids especially, because the actors played them seriously, as if they really were a regular family. In fact, the show’s comedy stemmed from the them thinking they were normal people and regular neighbors. The fact that they are monsters and the comedy that resulted from that are almost incidental. That is, as far as most of the storylines are concerned. I believe it was the ability of Gwynn and De Carlo (in particular) to find the right balance between heart and parody that makes The Munsters fresh and enjoyable today, decades and several generations after its initial broadcast.

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  Yvonne continued to work in movies and television through 1995. She never reached the same popularity as The Munsters in either medium, but she had a stage triumph in 1971 wowing audiences and critics as Carlotta Campion in Stephen Sondheim‘s Follies. Yvonne belted out Sondheim’s show-stopping number, “I’m Still Here,” which became not only her anthem, but that of numerous aging super stars through the years. The memorable number was written specifically for Yvonne De Carlo by Stephen Sondheim, which in itself speaks volumes about her singing talent.

In Follies

Yvonne De Carlo died on January 8, 2007 at the age of 84. As I looked back through her life and career for this tribute the one thing that kept coming to mind was guts. She was a gutsy lady, a fighter who, like a few other Hollywood greats who started their trek toward stardom early, had several lives worth of responsibility on her shoulders. Yet, she persevered. Yvonne De Carlo will always be remembered first and foremost as Lily Munster, which is ok in my book, but she was also a movie star and she fit both roles perfectly. As a result Yvonne left behind many memorable moments on film and on television – and millions of devoted fans.

“Particularly I loved Yvonne De Carlo – she was my favorite actress. I used to dream I was Yvonne De Carlo.” – Sophia Loren

Yvonne De Carlo, The Movie Star Munster When the Harvard educated, classically trained stage actor Fred Gwynne heard that Yvonne De Carlo was to be his co-star in 

[kob131]

Morgan Le Fay (Alter Ego) My Room Lines

Morgause

“Master~ Can we stay here please? A moment’s rest may bring you far after all!”

“Ah, you really like to work don’t you? No no, I’m not accusing you of anything. I know your drive after all...”

“No matter what, it doesn’t seem I’ll get use to fighting. I wonder if either of those two would-ah. nevermind!”

Bond 1 “...Oh, sorry Master! I was spacing out there for a moment. I’m...not really use to being...heh, nevermind me!”

Bond 2 “Your magecraft seems a little shaky lately. Are you sure you’re feeling well? You eating well? Maybe a nice plate of meat and potatoes will make you feel better? ...Wh-what do you mean that’s too heavy?!”

Bond 3 “How strange.  I’m still here. Usually I can’t remember where I’ve been or how I got where I am because...because...

...Well anyway, I can’t say it’s bad after all. I’d certainly be worried if one moment I was here with you and the next you left my sight. That-that can get rather scary...”

Bond 4 “... ... ... I can still feel them inside me, you know? ‘The Lady of The Lake’ and ‘The Fairy Witch’. My...other selves.

... Why? Why? WHY? Why do they have to exist? Why are they inside me? It’s not fair! I lost so much to them! So much of my life- Take, STOLEN from me by them! And even worst, they took my home away! I’m Morgause Pendragon, the daughter of Uther Pendragon! I am human! Not a fae! Not a witch! I. Am. HUMAN, ME! 

So why can’t they just leave me alone?!”

Bond 5 “... I won’t be here for long. Even if this body were to see the end of your journey, I-I might not be the one in it. I was the first to fade away after all. It’s simply my fate...to be used and discarded by everything I love. 

...Even so, I won’t run. As weak as I maybe in comparison to them...I won’t surrender a second of my time with you. With anyone. I’m here now. I am me.”

To Gawain “My son...my darling son. P-please don’t turn away! Please. I-I lost so much time with you. I can’t-I have to. Please, come embrace your mother. Before I’m gone.”

To Gareth “Gareth...my little pup. Look at you, you’ve grown up so much. I bet you had the lords at your beck and call. ... I wish I could have been there for you.”

To Agravain “Oh Agravain. It hurts to see you look at me so. And yet, it’s all my fault. If only I were stronger, if only I could overcome them. My little knight...I’m sorry.”

To Arturia “Arthur-no, Arturia isn’t it? To think I felt so bitter about what our father wanted...when there was so much to lose to that envy. I...I shall take my leave.”

To Mordred “Master, that knight over there?? That...wouldn’t happen to be Sir Mordred correct? ... Yes I assumed so, given her glares at me. Le Fay’s child with my own brother...There’s nothing I can do to help her, is there?”

To Morgan (Lostbelt) “You there, the witch. You have quite the nerve to show your face here. You, who abandoned her humanity for the sake of a kingdom. Your kingdom was a shame and deserved it’s fate. Glare at me all you wish, without the three of us you would be nothing.”

Likes “What do I like? Well, I always liked cooking. It was always such a treat to see my children’s faces light up when I cooked with all my heart!”

Dislikes “...Lake fae and evil witches.”

Holy Grail “Even if it is a heresy, I would like to wish upon it. Then maybe, I can finally be free.”

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Vivian

“Master, come. We have much to do still. ...I know you must be tired, I understand your weariness. But still, we must persist.”

“There’s no need to worry about me. An adventure like this-it is a simple matter. Compared to guiding those troublesome fae...”

“Quiet, quiet, quiet. ...Sorry Master, I was...having some difficulties with...the others. Le Fay especially...”

Bond 1 “So, you have stayed by my side? How strange, most humans simply leave the lakeside after so long.”

Bond 2 “Your heart is weary. There is no point in lying. I know that feeling well myself. Perhaps I have been pushing you too hard. Come, rest. All need reprieve after all.”

Bond 3 “It seems my time has not come yet. Good. I cannot-I will not fade like before. I refuse to let things end like before.”

Bond 4 “It is so tiring. To have their thoughts, their minds inside me. Always, always a reminder. That I am more than the fae ‘Vivian’. The human princess and the raging witch-

...No. No. NO! I am here now! I will be the one to fight! I will be the one to guard the Human Order! I will be the one protect the Age of Man that Father wished for! Not the human Morgause! Not the witch Le Fay! 

I am Me, Vivian, The Lady of the Lake!”

Bond 5 “Even though I am the fae Vivian, an existence incompatible with mankind. It was always the humans I loved most of all. The fae, so fickle and cruel. I guided and guarded them out of duty alone.

Why you may ask? Because it was mankind that my father Uther loved. He protected them to his last breath. And so shall I. Even if I may never see the Age of Man, I will protect and guide it. Especially you, my Master. I shall ensure your safety to death and beyond.”

To Lancelot (Berserker) “Master! Th-that figure cloaked in black! I-it can’t be! My son! This is what became of you? ... Who did this?”

To Lancelot (Saber) “I knew it. Of course my son would be here. There was no chance he wouldn’t answer the call to protect mankind. He grew into a splendid knight after all.”

To Mash “This feeling... You there, young lady with the shield. Come forward, let me take a good look. ...It really is, isn’t it? Don’t be scared young lady. I shall never hurt you. Now, come with me. I have much to discuss with you.”

To Fae Servants “*Sigh* It seems there are some troublemakers in this place isn’t there? Worry not Master, I know how to keep them on a tight leash.”

To Morgan (Lostbelt) “Ruler of the fae, huh? How pathetic. To have resorted to such evil. I do not care what your excuses are. I lead and guarded the fae myself. I sacrificed my place in the world. I expect no less of you.”

To Arturia (Archer) “How cute, thinking that little spruit is alike to my magic. Here, let me show you what a true Excalibur Vivian can accomplish.”

Likes “Besides mankind? ...I do enjoy watching the forest creatures prance about. The little bugs especially.”

Dislike “Lazy princesses and malevolent witches. That is all I’ll say.”

Holy Grail “It is a false wish granting device isn’t it? Still, if supplied with enough mana, it might just be enough to grant my wish To gain my freedom.”

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Morgan Le Fay

“Careful now, Master. One wrong step and things will certainly go wrong. I know how much fun it is to lose yourself in the throes of battle. Hehehe...But your goal must come first.”

“That fire...that determination. Very well, I’ll join you in the fray. After all, I haven’t nearly indulged enough myself.”

“Your magecraft is rather lackluster isn’t it? Hm, whatever you call your ‘talents’, that doesn’t matter. Practice, practice, practice. Experience breeds excellence. I didn’t match Merlin with pure talent after all.”

Bond 1 “I must say, staying this way at will without being subject to the fickle whims fate...it’s rather nice. Thanks Master.”

Bond 2 “Fate is cruel. I know your pain better than most. Forced into the impossible by the will of others. But don’t let your heart waver. Through will and guile, you will gain your freedom.”

Bond 3 “Don’t hesitate to give me tasks. I find myself with more time than i know what to do with. Preferably with you around...”

Bond 4 “I’m sure you’ve heard about this before but...My other selves are still here. Deep inside, I can still here them. Their woes, their uncertainty, their hatred. All mine...

...Bwahaha! What a joke! As if I would let them trend upon me. It was my loathing that struck fear into Camelot. It was my malice that twisted the Green Knight. It was my love for Britian that allowed me to stomach sharing a bed with that liar. I am no feeble princess or passive fae. I am me, Morgan, the witch that loved Britian!”

Bond 5 “So here we stand still. I’m sure you caught on but I hate the Age of Man. Tearing away all the work I put out, fading everything I’ve done into legend. Acting as though I was never here. For it’s sins, I will always spur it.

So why am I here? Because I would rather have an Age of Man with Britian than not. Be it the destruction of history or man, I will not stand for it. I will rage and hate and burn until all is done. So long as we stand on the same ground, I will be here. I can’t trust the other two to get the job done after all.”

To Mordred “Hm, that defect of a homonculus is here? Master, you are best off sending it away. It’s incapable of following orders or performing tasks sufficiently. I would love to fix it but that’s beyond my reach.”

To Arturia (Alter) “Tch, that liar dares to attach my name to something so weak. She preaches that the strong rule over the weak, shall I teach her who is truly strong then? Gwahaha!”

To Merlin “Ah, Teacher is here too. How unusual, that fickle asshole couldn’t be asked to cut a blade of grass, let alone save humanity. He’s not even really here is he?”

To Fairy Knight Tristan “Master, this annoying brat won’t leave me alone. Acting all familiar and friendly with me... Maybe I’ll teach her what it means to truly be sadistic. Perhaps by rending her limbs asunder...”

To Arturia “So the King of Liars has come as well. Maybe a trip into Hell will teach her the place where she belongs...but that will have to wait, won’t it? She still has her uses after all...”

To Oberon-Vortigern “That mana. Another embodiment of Britian is here?! It feels like that failure Vortigern...yet...it’s so different. I must dissect him, to know!”

To Morgan (Lostbelt) “Ah yes, that other me. Heh, what a fool she turned out to be, no? She rages against man, fae and knights, wasting all her efforts in the process. Focus, my dear. Focus is the key to victory. I did not waste my time with man or fae, I put my all into the slaying of Arturia. And which of us succeeded, hm?”

Likes “A rough night with a man below me, of course.”

Dislikes “My other selves. Unlike them, I will not hide the truth.”

Holy Grail “Hm, I have no need for such a thing. Unlike them, I will not cling to a false hope. It will be my hand that cuts them out like the parasites they are.”

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Bond 10 CE: I Am...?

One minute *I’m* home with my children One minute ^I’m^ guarding those troublesome fae One minute -I’m- cackling as I tear into his flesh

The next I’m not.

It is my duty to *lead*/^guard^/-destroy- my kin No, That is *my*/^my^/-my- duty. No, it’s *mine*/^mine^/-mine-!

...Is it?

No, I am a *princess*/^guardian^/-witch-! That is not what *I*/^I^/-I- am! Stop it! This is who *I*/^I^/-I- am!

I am *me*/^me^/-me-! I am *Me*/^Me^/-Me-! I AM *ME*/^ME^/-ME-!

I am... I...am... I...

....Who am I?

[myupostsheadcanons]

My loooooong rant about The Aen Elle: The Witcher

Book Spoilers, not so much Game Spoilers.

First off, my “elephant in the room” ... Eredin.

In the books he is nowhere near final-boss material like he was in the games. He’s the “That One Boss” rather than “The Big Bad”. Eredin has less of his shit together in the books tbh. He’s like Kylo Ren Evil rather than Voldemort Evil.  They both did extremely bad things and you can’t deny either of them being villainous characters, just different types of evil characters.

Book Eriden has no filter, literally, he says what’s on his mind and doesn’t hesitate to go after what he wants. He’s arrogant and too the point, and doesn’t know what discretion is.

Some of his semi.... alright.... ? qualities:

1. He accidentally insulted Ciri upon first meeting her and apologized right away, he even gave her a flower. 2. He was the only one to be upfront with Ciri that she was a prisoner and will never be released. Even though he did lie to her about her friends being dead and gone. (Unless he wasn’t in his POV and just didn’t understand that TIME means nothing to her).

3. He wasn’t a bad sport about loosing a horse race with her. While he was competitive while it happened, at the end praised her skill and her horse for winning. Note: Kelpie let him pet her on the muzzle. Kelpie, the super horse with a foul temper that Ciri had made sure to note that would bite.... Either this was to show that he is decent with animals or to prove some kind of point of rebuking the “animals hate them” trope that villain characters often get stuck with.

Side Note: Considering he is the commander of mounted combat shock troops for the past several hundred years, it would be logical enough to say that he has a healthy amount of knowledge on horses and their mannerisms and knew if it was safe to pet Kelpie or not.

4. He was honestly trying to help further their people’s common goal when he offered Ciri the aphrodisiac to give Auberon, enough so that he gave it to him himself anyways. And was surprised to learn that it killed Auberon. 

I highly doubt that Eredin’s skilled enough to make the potion properly 100% of the time, or making it more potent/concentrated turned it into a poison  OR, somebody else made it...... (Avallach???? hmmmm???) and gave it to him with instructions on what it does.

((Avallach making it would mean that him getting the hell out of dodge was intentional, that he wanted to be far-far away when Eredin put the puzzle pieces together.))

Auberon, Avallach, and Eredin had a Triumvirate going on. The Unicorns specifically called out all three of them as being dangerous and behind most of what the Aen Elle had been doing. Together they followed the Face/King (Auberon), Brain/Sage (Avallach), and Hand/General (Eredin) .

Just look at the nicknames the Unicorns gave the three of them: The King of the Alders, The Fox, and The Sparrowhawk. They mean something.

While Alder can be an alternative name for Elder, as in the elder blood, the Aen Elle themselves, an actual Alder is a kind of birch tree common in wet areas and used often in dying leather, charcoal/gunpowder, and for making structures that need to be held in wet areas without rotting. The Alder is also a sacred tree, the tree of Bran the Blessid, and was the inspiration for the Weirwood Trees in GRRM’s A Song of Ice and Fire, the insides of the Alder tree will turn red/brown/dark when it is cut (weirwoods are blood red on the inside).  Forests of Alder are considered “cursed” and to be avoided at all costs, those that go in unprepared or properly blessed will not be seen again (killed by monsters or taken by Fae, the Sidhe, to their realm (hmm, Aen Sidhe.... any one?). Though irl, it is because Alder Forests are in wetland and boggy areas, people just get stuck in the mud and drown.

(Note: another literary example, The Erl King from The Dresden Files. King of the Alders also refers to the character he is based off of: Erlkonig (Elf/Alder King). And in the Dresden series, The Erl King is a powerful wild-fae, the Goblin King (think: The Labyrinth) and King of the Wild Hunt (The Elk-Horned King). It is a also a common fan theory that he is /the/ Oberon, though he is called Lord Herne by name, another horned-crowned hunter of myth as well. As a lord of the wild-fae, he is neutral to winter and summer.   ((Yes, one character can have many identities. This is a word where Odin the All Father is also Santa Clause)).

Remember, Auberon wasn’t some aloof sassy king. He’s jaded and apathetic from being around for over 650 years. But he’s ordered the deaths and enslavement of millions of humans, a genocide, and Avallach and Eredin were right there carrying out these orders. He was polite to Ciri because they needed her, and that eventually went out the window when given an opening to do so.

The Aen Elle’s entire plan was based on re-opening the gates so they can continue this practice. They tricked the Unicorns into doing this once before, but they grew wise and are now at war with the Aen Elle. Lara was the culmination of the Aen Elle’s breeding efforts to create somebody powerful enough to accomplish this. There is a strong possibility she completely disagreed with her people’s ideals, be it that she knew she was being used and/or because she fell in love with a human and changed her ways. But she completely booked it and left them all to rot, while giving them two big middle fingers  (which were later mailed back to Avallach in an envelope...... bad joke).

IMO, Avallach, The Fox, was the more dangerous of the trio (not necessarily the most evil of them). With Eredin he didn’t hide who he was, but Avallach.... he had an agenda a mile long and lied through his non-pointed teeth.  He would present a kind and helpful facade, and when ever something underneath would slip through the cracks, it wasn’t very pleasant.  Foxes are depicted as tricksters, cunning and wily, an animal most frequently associated with being deceitful, or having ulterior motives. When Auberon threaten to give Ciri over to Avallach and his laboratory,  my mind went straight to Vilgafortz and his plans for Ciri... i don’t think this was unintentional.

There is several instances in the novels (The Lady of the Lake especially) where events parallel one another (like Auberon’s abhorrence to Ciri ended up mirroring itself with Emhyr rejecting his plans for Ciri in the end. The theme with Ciri escaping people associated with Birds of Prey (Cahir (his helmet), Tawny Owl, Eriden the Sparrowhawk.... Merlin better watch himself)). Vilgafortz was the obvious villain of the saga, the biggest threat at the time, but did not start out that way, he was first presented as a diplomat, somebody who should be respected and came off as being the reasonable authority figure compared to the decadence of the Sorcerers. Then was revealed to be a sick, twisted SOB doing science experiments on abducted women in order to perfect a technique he was to do on Ciri. Everything he did was in order to accomplish this end goal, to harness Ciri’s powers for himself, even his kind and diplomatic facade at the start and him spending decades gathering political influence in both the North and Nilfgaard under it. The disfigurement of his face was a physical representation of his madness, that the mask was removed and now showed on the outside the ugliness on the inside.

Emhyr’s plan for Ciri started out as Vilgafortz’s plan. Vilgafortz was the one that knew of the prophecy and was the person to find out whom Duny was really. He brought the prophecy to Emyhr and put the idea that the heir of Nilfgaard will be the chosen one.  When this was proposed, Ciri was a toddler at the time (keep in mind that Pevetta was only around 20/21 when she died, and wasn’t 15 yet when she met Emhyr/Duny. In perspective: Ciri was 16 by the end of Lady of the Lake).

Avallach was part of the original breeding plan with Lara, a multi-generational slow-burn magical science experiment. It was more than likely that it was arranged that the two of them become a couple. Avallach is a powerful Sorcerer, member of the Aen Saeherne, sages with specialized training and secretive knowledge about the “Lara Gene”.  When the actual Lara, also an Aen Saevherne, broke up with him and left their people he was very upset about it, something he’s still grudgingly bitter about centuries years later. This is one of the cracks in his facade, when people talk about Lara, and when he did snap at Ciri it was because she compared herself to Lara and in anger suggested that Avallach should be the one to knock her up. He pretty much told her that she disgusted him (maybe even more than Auberon was of her), that her human blood was an insult to their people, that a human took their gift away from them and Lara away from him.

Avallac’h isn’t even his actual name, it’s Creavan Espane aep Caomhan Macha. The root of the nickname also gives us the name to Avalon (the Isle of Apple Trees)... Avalon is were the faeries live, where Morgan La Fae learned her powers, /The/ Lady of the Lake lives there in some stories (she was the one to give Arthur Excalibur, the “sword in the stone” is Uthar Pendragon’s sword), and where King Arthur was taken after he was mortally wounded by Mordred. Geralt and Yennifer were basically taken to Avalon by Ciri and the Unicorn. Then sometime between that and showing up before Galahad, she got into a bloody fight (and won/escaped from that).... (If you believe that Avallach betrayed his people intentionally and ran off.... Ciri taking Yen and Geralt to Avallach for help would be quite the literal interpretation)

Eredin being the Sparrowhawk is one of the more straightforward meanings, its practically hanging a lampshade on what his reason is in the over all story. Like the character himself: to the point and doesn’t hide his motives or pretends to be something he is not. Sparrowhawks get their name because small birds are their most frequent prey. Cirillia’s name came from the Aen Elle word Zireael, a word that means Swallow, a type of small bird. Sparrow and Swallow are very similar words.  Book Eriden calls her Zireael instead of her name to put further emphasis that he sees her as prey.

Wiki Note: Falconers have utilized the Eurasian sparrowhawk since at least the 16th century; although the species has a reputation for being difficult to train, it is also praised for its courage.

Falconry is a practice of keeping birds of prey captive in order to hunt small game for sport or food. They are kept on a leash, hooded, and in cages/aviaries.

Who had Eredin’s leash and used him to hunt prey? Auberon, The Alder King. There was very  little indication that there was a conflict of interests between the two, Auberon even trusted him enough to take the vial from him on his word alone. And, again, Eredin seamed not to have expected it to kill Auberon.

Eredin’s name doesn’t seam to have as much significance as Auberon (Oberon) and Avallac’h (Avalon). Eredin Breacc Glas  (fan nickname: break glass)  he’s literally the first thing that comes up, excluding “witcher” from the searches, you get results from League of Legends, Star Wars, and Final Fantasy :/

A shot in the dark is the Eridanos (river of Hades). AND I only thought of that one because of.... Homestuck’s Eridan Ampora being named after it.  It means “Amber” in Greek. And when i think of “Amber” I first think of Roger Zelazny’s Amber Chronicles. Another series based off of Arthur and Shakespeare Mythos (King Oberon, Avalon, Traveling through Time/Space (Shadow), Blood of the Unicorns, Merlin). Amber was written in the 70′s and 80′s, Zelazny died right around the same time the Witcher short-stories were being published.

Note: Ciri escaped while fighting him on a river, because it was the only path to get out of the loop... if that means anything. :/  (water is a common “ground” for magic, it disperses the energy needed in the spell. it is why Vampires can’t travel across moving water).

The mere presence of Ciri among them, her curse of destiny, ended up breaking open the below-surface cracks in their Triumvirate.   Auberon’s disgust, Avallach’s jealousy, Eriden being the unhelpful helper... Ciri’s insistent want to go home... the Unicorns.... Their plans just crumbled in their hands and resulted in the death of Auberon, Avallach possibly deserting them, and Ciri’s escape from Eredin.

Myu Recommends, Extra Reading Material:

Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files.... A Wizard for Hire, solving supernatural cases, and later gets tied up in wars with the Vampires, the Fairy Courts, Arch-Demons, and Ancient Horror Terrors. 

Roger Zelanzy’s Amber and Chaos Chronicles. (As Collected in The Great Book of Amber). Corwin of Amber wakes up with amnesia, discovers that his father Oberon, King of Amber, is missing or dead and he is now on the top of his siblings’ hit-lists. Those born of the unicorn and traversed the pattern can freely walk through time and space, The Shadow. (Chaos Courts have an older and more complex version of gaining the same ability, The Labyrinth/Logrus, The Serpent .... most people die before completing it)

King Arthur: Le Morte de Arthur, The Once and Future King, and (maybe) The Mists of Avalon. The Faery Realm, Galahad ascending into Heaven, Merlin being Trapped in a cavern for centuries, The Isle of Avalon.... The basis of many of the modern “alternate dimension” in fantasy stories, including The Witcher, Dresden, and Amber.

[eificopper]

Would-be Title: Among deities we live Series/Timeline: Twinkle – SO main storyline? Characters: Shira – Xerneas - Indigo (mentioned) - Citinea (mentioned) - Yveltal (mentioned) Length: 2556w

This is old as heck, supposed to be the direct continuation of “Extinguish the Light” and a very important part of the main story but a bunch of things changed in canon now.... Regardless, I REALLY loved how this was going even if I idn’t get to finish polishing it, who knows maybe I’ll use some of it for the new first meeting <w< extra bits included//hit

///

She had spent the night out and would be lying if she said she got a nice rest. Autumn was more or less approaching the Johto region, chilly winds were blowing and the trees’ leaves were gaining a gorgeous gradient of colors from yellow and golden to deep reds and rusty browns. Shira thought it was almost ironic, this is Yveltal’s reigning season after all.

And thus it brings forth another problem: She has no food, and out there it’s ball game. The Meercle sighed, once again this wasn’t a very thought out plan, but she outright refused to go back, not yet. Not until her anger had subsided, her head had stopped hurting and she could make sense of the mess that was her heart.  Even if only a bit.

The wilderness is nowhere near close to how stories in the media present it though, there are no trees filled with berries and fruits everywhere illuminated by clear sun rays and bright green hues, not at all. This was a real forest and all there was were rocks, tall trees, bugs, dirt and humidity. She started climbing along the steep rocky landscape at the east, her hooves moving nimbly as she searched higher grounds and greenery, mentally evaluating her options.  

She could eat some plants, true, but she wasn’t very used to it despite having resorted to that a few times before. She could just find a nice spot and curl there to catch sun, but the energy gotten from that would be minimal as soon as she started moving again, and it wasn’t enough to stop her rumbling stomach. Somehow this all reminded her of the first time she got to the SO headquarters as a prisoner, sighs. She jumped at the top of the hill to a clearing and stared at her surroundings.

Grazing it is…

As she absentmindedly searched around some low branches and leaves, her mind conjured up more conflicting thoughts, how would the others had reacted if they had known the Fall was partially her fault? That all the chaos they tried so hard to fix and all the tears they had shed and everything that was lost could have been avoided if she had fucking controlled herself? What would she have done? She remembered well those feelings…

She would take back anything if it could have prevented this.

She would do anything if she could take revenge for this.

Because they never forget.

She sighed resting her front hooves on the tree trunk and biting at the closer leaves. To think the answer had been herself all along.

-----

Route 34 was beautiful and quite pacific for being so near to such a populated district, the air was crisp and cold and with a hint of salt from the nearby sea that reminded her of home, yet she headed the opposite side, to the lush trees bordering Ubame forest.

In the end she hadn’t eaten much, and though she hated to admit it she was starting to get worried of drifting too far from SO’s headquarters and wondering if maybe she was making a mistake, but her pride was too big, and her heart still felt uneasy with a tight coil twisting around her chest making it hard to breathe.

Her stomach had begun to twist as well. Maybe it was the leaves.

She kept walking where her hooves took her, there was a certain feeling she couldn’t quite put her name on but she continued, deeper into the forest among dark trees and bird cries. Something was calling her, something…

Her hoof stepped on a patch of grass and she noticed something on it upon inspecting it closely, is that…a fair-type essense?

She stopped in place, ears perked up and eyes wide in surprise. Something was near.

Then the grass around her bloomed, flower buds suddenly opening to reveal their colors to the world, the cloudy skies cleared and a gust of fresh wind ruffled at Shira’s mane from a direction she didn’t exactly know of. The wind brought along with it the scent of growth, renewal, life.

And suddenly she knew why as her eyes caught sight of a radiant creature, with a mainly blue and black body and majestic antlers that shone in rainbow colors, seemingly exuding a regal aura. Its gaze was calm as it approached, standing before her in just a couple of airy strides.

A pokémon that easily tripled her size, walking with such elegance and confidence she could only dream of having. The Meercle lowered her ears staring up with wide eyes and crouched down her body closer to the ground in a mix of shock, respect, and even some fear.

She was in the presence of a god, and not just any god, her patron.

“L-L-Lord Xer-neas…” She felt her legs freeze on the spot, yet her heart was rattling on her chest. She lowered her head in respect, closing her eyes tightly not knowing very well what was going on.

She had never seen him with her own eyes, only in books, stained glasses and statues, and… a couple of dreams. She was one of his vessels right? Indigo had said so. Is that why he was here? What is he even doing here? This is Johto, very far from home. Oh gods it’s for her right? It has to be. How could she stand in front of him at a moment like… like this?! She didn’t understand anything, she hasn’t yet processed anything. Everything that happened, everything that’s happening now… she’s a failure, she’s a disgrace, she’s a-

“Calm down my child”

“…A-ah!” She let out a tiny gasp and opened her eyes again, hot tears were rolling down her cheeks, when did she start crying?

Xerneas’ voice was strict and clear yet not forceful; in fact it encompassed a certain warmth and calmness to it, and he also spoke in her native Kalosian which further soothed her down. She felt her hooves wobble, having regained some mobility.

She had heard and read alike the great tales of Xerneas. Duneyr had been strict but kind, he preferred his vessels to refer to him by name and was very protective of them, having saved quite a few form danger and death itself, for they all served a higher purpose under his eyes not to be taken away by Yveltal yet. Morgane had been motherly and a pacifist who talked to her vessels constantly even when they were small children, loved by all and self-sacrificing she had even been the one to make the peace treaty with Dispater. Dvalinn… Dvalinn had been a true hero, he led a couple of his vessels during the Fifth Elemental War and faced the aftermaths of it despite how much it drained him.

The current Xerneas had chosen Oberon as his regnal name and even the newest history books didn’t have much about him yet. A small part of her thought in amazement she was probably one of the few to collaborate writing that chapter, but a bigger, louder and obviously more nervous part of her could just wonder what he would be like …

“We need to talk…” He stated calmly and she looked down again in shame and self-disgust, she wasn’t worthy of his time and worry.

Regardless though, she followed in silence as they entered deep into Ubame forest.

---

The life pokémon was simply resting on a patch of grass, front and back legs tucked under him like a dainty Shikijika. Shira sat beside him in a similar position, thought still keeping some distance out of respect.

She had so many questions, yet she felt as if she couldn’t voice any so she just sat there In silence letting his fairy aura soothe and refresh her like a spring breeze.

“Why oh why do want to die so much? Do you not appreciate the gift of life?” He asked suddenly with a small sigh turning to her, his gaze looked serene as ever.

Shira was initially shocked for the suddenness and then looked away, feeling slightly ashamed. How could she disrespect the very essences he represented? “I do, my lord. But life is just so hard and complicated sometimes. Is not that I wish to die now but… back then, instead of that happening…” Her heart ached, hooves slightly scratching the grass under them.

“You mustn’t keep on blaming yourself. What happened, happened, and you can’t rewrite the past”

So easy to say it…but it’s been years and she’s still there. Feeling like she’ll never move on.

Xerneas sighed with a sound that carried sadness and… guilt? “I’ve never properly talked to you before, and I realize now that could have helped you since long ago. I am deeply sorry for that” He lowered his head to her in a small bow.

Shira was abashed! How could she have him apologizing to her like that? He is a deity! “I-It’s not your fault my lord” She looked down shyly, cheeks reddening “I’m the one who a-always takes things too personal and end up causing problems… its’ all on me” she murmured.

“Shira you’re an amazingly emotional being and that’s one of the many reasons why I chose you… you feel and react strongly and are sensitive to many things, and that is not a bad thing”

She knew to a very deep extent about vessels, specially those of the Kalosian deities, the roles they acted out an even fulfilled, but she couldn’t really see any of those redeeming or life-changing qualities in herself. She was not special all altruist and self-sacrificing like those renewed figures she’s read about and heard of so many times, she was just

Plain.

Mediocre.

“Why did you choose me my lord?” She asked suddenly with a serious face, putting clear emphasis on her rather than the why.

Xerneas let out a short laugh “‘why me?’ all of you vessels ask the same questions sooner or later, didn’t think you’d be in the former group, but seeing the circumstances…” He mused to himself. She looked confused for a moment, was she missing something obvious here or did he have a certain expectation from her she was not meeting? Was she being even more of a disappointment? Just great “You are a being of light, and you share and extend that light to others, you’re a harbinger of emotions, good wishes, growth… hope” He stated solemnly.

Shira frowned, that’s exactly what that asshole had told her.

“Yveltal has to choose those who work with reason, judgement, sacrifice and other qualities that counter up mine, but they’re just as necessary and none is inherently good or bad, it’s all part of balance and life” The lord of fairies explained “They work with shadows”

That line immediately struck the girl “But I work from the shadows as well” She mentioned, mentally recalling SO’s very motto.

Xerneas grinned knowingly, as if he could tell she’d say that “I said with not from, and you still spread light, even from there, and that’s what makes you a prime candidate for me. You take the burdens on your shoulders, carry them with you, but you cannot deny or go against your own kind nature and how you hand it to others”

Shira sighed and shifted a bit, now this was sounding like something Citinea’d say…

“Every hardship you’ve faced, small or big as they were, you kept going forward, even if unsure, even when you didn’t think you could. You stepped up, you took charge, you offered options to others, and helped them move forward” The meercle could recall vividly all those memories. Although…

“But there was a time when I didn’t…” She mumbled.

“So? My child you’re only a mon” He said soothingly “Ever-changing and growing. Being a vessel doesn’t mean you have to always be happy or right, or be ‘perfect’, such things doesn’t exist. And even so, it’s not like that was a mistake, and you need to stop telling yourself that and being so hard to yourself. Now, as for that Yveltal vessel-” He started changing his tone.

“Y-You know?”

“Of course! He’s a good one, that boy, Yveltal chose very very well. I cannot tell you to stop hating him my child, though you really shouldn’t, it’s only natural that you do. You come from and work with opposite sides but, try to understand, he probably has a hard time grasping and dealing with his role as well” He sighed with a small nod as if confirming something to himself. Shira just tried to hide a small grimace, apparently not too keen on agreeing with that idea.

/// extra 1

“You don’t see it now and there was no way I could’ve seen it before, but souls, lives, everything is intertwined… we change, we grow and… we restart again” He explained as his head looked up to the sky. Shira looked up too, as if searching what he was seeing.  

Upon seeing nothing more than treetops and the clear blue sky she lowered her eyes to him again “My Lord?”

“Do you believe in reincarnation my child?” He turned to her, a tiny smile barely visible.

She blinked in slight confusion and leaned in forward “Yes, very much so…”

“I am glad” He closed his eyes, smile broadening “You see Shira, a long time ago your soul was one of royalty, and even before that you had divinity. A time when my own soul, my past life, was a common one and you had been far superior: the empress of skies and fire and rainbows…”

“I… find that very hard to believe” Her gaze shifted somewhere else to the purple flowers that bloomed near them “Lord Xerneas is it really true then, that even deities leave this plane?”

“Yes” He nodded simply “All souls must rest at some point. One day I’ll be tired, so tired in fact, that I’ll revert to a tree form to sleep. But I will not wake up again in the same place. Another new soul shall take my place as the deity of life”

/// extra 2

There was a blinding flash of white pink-ish light and Shira had to close her eyes and look away for a moment. When she looked again in place of Xerneas stood a young handsome-looking man appearing to be in his late 20s. He was dressed elegantly yet simple in Shira’s opinion, with a black and dark blue attire.

The Meercle couldn’t help blushing a bit as several thoughts crossed her mind. She would have never guessed the lord of life would be so… good looking

She bit her tongue. I have a boyfriend already and this is a god, stop it.

/// extra 3

“My child”

There was a certain feeling she couldn’t quite put her finger on whenever he called her like that, that made her just feel special. It was entrancing. As if she really was under his special care… or as if she belonged to him.

She shook her head lightly.

Though at the same time she had to admit it was kind of weird now seeing him with the appearance of a handsome man only a few years older than her.