#Iron fist meta

[tremorsmackenzie]

I just gotta point out that marvel television is actually really really good in the diversity department, cause ive heard it get a bad rep on that in the past for some reason.

i mean you have agents of shield, where over half the cast is either female, people of color, or middle-aged with tons of overlap between them, all with their own deep and layered backstories, interests, and issues,

jessica jones, which has a female mc who is also one of the best representations for mental health issues ive seen,

luke cage, who is a black man tackling issues in a black neigborhood,

daredevil, which is about a blind man,

agent carter, which has a female main character and tackles issues of sexism in the 50ies,

and then runaways and cloak and dagger, which also feature very diverse casts and queer representation. and throughout all of these shows you also have various different nationalities for the characters.

the only show where they really missed the mark is ironfist, but even there you have colleen wing. so yeah, just to throw that out there. marvel tv actually slaps, even if there are issues in execution sometimes.

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Ranting about the old Netflix Marvel shows:

Looking back at the original NMCU as a whole, while I think the general consensus is that this side of the MCU fell off when “Iron Fist” premiered, I think the real issue is more complicated then that. I think that the Netflix shows started off strong, but couldn’t implement their long-term plans for their side of the universe due to mismanagement/lack of collaboration. Oddly enough, the NMCU sorta reflects the current issues with Phases 4 and 5 of the mainstream MCU.

When you look at the shows overall, it feels like a bunch of creators were given free reign with these characters, and it shows. All of them had their own distinct identity, as well as what audience they were targeting. The problems started occurring when the shows had to start connecting.

I can’t say this for sure, but it really feels like no one was put in a Kevin Feige-like position to direct the overall journey. Instead, it feels like Jeph Loeb and Marvel Television (which was its own thing before being absorbed by Marvel Studios) just sorta mandated that the shows need to have a big crossover event. It made sense, especially since the Arrowverse was pulling this off as an annual thing with their shows. While it sounds good on paper, I feel like none of the teams behind each show were in sync with each other:

1) Daredevil didn’t really find a good way to balance the needs of the show and the needs of the crossover. Rewatch season 2 and you’ll notice that while the Punisher storyline feels more thought-out, the Elektra storyline feels jumbled and incomplete. In fact, the first 4 episodes are focused on Frank, and then all of a sudden, Elektra is pushed into the story. I can’t prove this but it feels like the original idea was to focus on Frank Castle, but then Elektra had to be introduced in order to set up “The Defenders”. Which was premiering the following year.

2) Jessica Jones didn’t even bother building up into “The Defenders”.

3) Neither did “Luke Cage”.

4) Although I have a ton of separate issues with “Iron Fist”, I do feel sorry for the production team. This show had the unfortunate burden of having to introduce its hero while also doing most of the build-up for the crossover. To make matters worse, if you read up on the behind-the-scenes development, you would know that the show was rushed out. Finn Jones was literally learning the fight choreography minutes before filming.

I have this funny feeling that Marvel Television set up the schedule for each show and refused to change it. Given more time, Netflix could’ve made it work. I can easily imagine the Elektra storyline being its own season of “Daredevil”, “Jessica Jones” and “Luke Cage” each having a season focused on the Hand, and “Iron Fist” being given more breathing room to introduce Danny Rand before diving into the crossover.

But let’s say Marvel Television didn’t want to make people wait that long for a crossover. Then they still failed to move the storyline of the shows in a way that could naturally lead into “The Defenders”. You’re telling me Jessica and Luke couldn’t have at least had a 1-2 episode subplot about the Hand? Or that the Daredevil team couldn’t have introduced Frank Castle later on in order to prioritize Elektra, who is arguably the most important character in the crossover? “Iron Fist”, while not a good show, at least tried to lead into the crossover.

(Side note: Just as a reminder, a common problem people had with the NMCU was that each season was too long at 13 episodes and that the shows didn’t have enough story to squeeze in. Jessica and Luke could’ve definitely worked in a 1-2 episode Hand stand-alone subplot to offset these issues)

I don’t mean for this post to take away from any of these shows. I still am fond of the NMCU. But looking back at it, I can’t help but feel that they were mismanaged. Good on their own, but since they had a crossover miniseries set up, there needed to be stronger collaboration between each show. Or, at least move the damn crossover if the shows weren’t ready for one.

[wickedlyfrozenandstuff]

Wraith 13

thinking about the fact that Thirteen, Kell Tainer's astromech, was named 'Thirteen' because of an unintentional glitch in his programming wherein his random number generator would only spit out the number '13.'

thinking about how Thirteen liked this name, because it meant that it was Wraith 13, the 13th member of the Squadron. how this unintentional glitch in its programming made it a part of the team.

thinking about how after Thirteen is destroyed, Lara Notsil joins the squadron as the official Wraith 13. how Lara Notsil, who is really Gara Petothel, finds that her indoctrinated Imperial ideals can't hold up against the trust and support of Wraith Squadron. thinking about how an unintentional glitch in her programming makes her a part of the team.

and of course, I'm always thinking about this:

[whumpfish]

It has come to this. I have content blocked the word Caretaker.

This has been a slow spiral into doneness for a while. At first I content blocked just the main phrase present in the most egregious ableist woobery, "Caretaker's heart breaks." Then I blocked "Caretaker raises their voice." Then I blocked "Whumpee cowers" because sometimes woobie "Whumpees" confused their trusted Caretaker for their evil Whumper over something similarly trivial and unrealistic but not exactly. Then I had to block "cowers" because sometimes it was "Whumpee just cowers" and it wound up on my dash anyway. Then I thought if I blocked "all the things the whumper did" I would remove whumpless "whump" from my dash. That would take care of the people who want to write after but can't handle their own before, right? Spare me that, at least? Nope.

I'm not the only one who has asked for this woobie shit to be tagged. For it to at least be tagged as "infantilization" if you don't self-identify as woobie. But it hasn't been. Not once, that I've seen. And I've been watching for it, hoping.

And that tells me something depressing about the state of the community. It tells me that a lot of folks don't see infantilization and ableism as a problem. It tells me that a lot of folks don't care as long as their soft blanket power fantasy is satisfied. It tells me that a lot of folks have no intent to afford the same courtesy to others that they insist others afford them. It tells me that this community is no longer the one I joined years ago, that was my literal salvation when I was bedridden.

One where "Caretakers" were optional because it was the whumpees who were the focus of the narrative because we were here to explore pain and vulnerability in a place where it isn't sanitized with blankets and soup. One where we could confront the reality that such "Caretakers" as have become popular do not exist, and have that acknowledged in a space that was ours, away from a mainstream fiction culture that likes to imagine itself in that role... right up until the moment they'd actually have to do it. One where we could get away from that self-fellating performative sympathy.

I hate making these posts. I hate feeling like I'm "being negative" when I'm asking for basic genre parameters to be respected... which is what this makes me feel like because I've been - wait for it - conditioned to think that I'm an annoyance and a burden on Normal People in Normal Society, and that standing my ground is unreasonable, impolite, dragging people down, and just overall Killing The Mood.

And I can literally feel the vagueposts forming in the aether. About "whump" that contains no actual whump ever being ValidTM and don't let people make you feel bad if you mislabel your posts. I hate having to make these posts and I hate how often I'm driven to it, because the thing is, I'm not asking a lot.

If I labeled my dead dove shit #angst, y'all would lose your shit. If I tagged my caretakerless whump #hurt/comfort, y'all would lose your shit. It would be the end of the goddamn world. I would be a pariah--and rightly so, because dead dove isn't angst and hurt/comfort is literally the only genre extant where comfort is mandatory. Whump is a genre about pain, and as such, pain is explicitly necessary for something to belong to that genre. It's not personal. It's categorization. It's being able to find what you're looking for and avoid what you're not.

I don't put my watermelon in your casserole. Don't put your broccoli in my fruit salad. That's just basic courtesy. I don't hate casserole, I like me a good casserole every once in a while. I just get aggravated when I find broccoli in my fruit salad, because the whole reason I opened the container of fruit salad in the first place was that I wanted fruit, not greens. My goal when I write these things is not to make anyone feel bad, it's to make people be aware.

I am just. So tired. I want my community back. Maybe this latest measure will allow me to have that again... I'm just aggravated that I had to take it.

[youcantcallmethat]

So I just watched the first season of Iron Fist and I have some Thoughts about the finale.

First of all, Colleen Wing is amazing and should have always been the protagonist of this show. I only watched the show for her and Claire, and they both kept me going through it, but early on it was a struggle.

The last 6 episodes before the finale? Great. Loved Colleen's arc, loved Davos (which was a surprise), and even started liking the Meachums (Ward, mostly, became a more interesting character and was written better).

So in Episode 12, Colleen completes her arc by defeating Bakuto. Fantastic. It ends with a weird almost dance number and I actually thought that was the season end, and that Harold was set up for season 2. Then they're on the run, but I thought perhaps that will lead into Defenders.

No. There's an entire episode left???

And it was the worst episode.

First of all, even when going to Bakuto's compound, Danny and Colleen don't even really care about the fact that Bakuto's body is missing (even though Danny points out in episode 12 that Harold came back from the dead) or that the compound is empty, which surely means that the Hand has just moved on. But neither of them suggest they're even going to address that in the future, and they leave Gao there to be found by her faction of the Hand, again without considering that the Hand will just regroup and continue doing anything. And it's not brought up in the rest of the episode?

Sure, emotionally Danny is fixated on Harold, but at the end of the finale they're shocked that the Hand attacked K'un-Lun, and before that they decide to just leave NYC for an unspecified amount of time without addressing Gao still.

Then, Danny barely uses kung fu when fighting Harold and gets beaten by a metal pole, while Colleen (having just defeated Bakuto, her hardest battle) has to be nerfed against Harold's mercenaries? After saying that she needs to kill Harold for Danny, she doesn't even make it to the final fight, and when Harold shoots Danny she shouts his name but stops instead of running forwards?

I'm not surprised that Iron Fist is bad, I was well-aware of it going in, but I can't believe episode 13 followed episode 12, which was a really satisfying conclusion to Colleen and Davos's arcs for the time being, and even Danny's arc felt wrapped up with just enough of something to continue in Defenders and season 2.

Anyway I love Colleen and I'm so disappointed that she's not one of the main Defenders given she's got more personality and better fighting skills and a stronger connection to the Hand compared to Danny fucking Rand.

[ririblogsss]

Danny the park crazy guy

Ok this follows Danny with him deciding he needs to get out of Amity Park cause he's parents are getting more and more obsessed with catching Phantom. And the plans he'd over heard were sending him into panic attacks. Not only that a new management was placed for the GIW, and with that they had become more brutal and accurate with their capturing. Danny couldn't make sure ghosts were safe and protect civilians, so Danny made a deal with Technus in exchange for most of the tech Danny has made in the past 6 months Technus has to hack into the portals that his parents and Vlad owned and permanently destroy them. Technus also made sure to wipe all the information on how to re-build the portal and planted a bug that will corrupt any file trying to mimic the portals code/mechanics. 

At first Dannys plan was to play the part of the defenseless boy who just witnessed his parents whole life work go down the drain, and pretend that ghost never happened. He's parents were sad (understatement of the century) but they soon found something to hyper focus on, before becoming ecto-biologist, they were trying to find ways to make liquid that would dissolve plastic in a non-lethal and non-toxic way. So after 2 months of not doing anything and only staying in bed eating ice-cream and fudge its like a light bulb turned on onto of their heads, and Madeline and Jack went back to their old selves. They still had moments were they would gaze back at their projects with heartbroken eyes, and Danny could help but blame himself for his parents suffering. 

Its like one day everything was close to normality (as normal as amity park could be) people weren't mentioning ghost in fear that one would appear out of spite. Classes went uninterrupted people were actually happy for that. 

But then the GIW started making moves, as they were getting more and more restless with no ghost sightings in the last 6 months. 

Then 3 months ago everything went to shit......

Danny could only explain it as if the Salem witch trials had started. But instead it was the 21st century and people were being accused of being / cooperating / aiding ghosts. The GIW had stormed into the town hall and had claimed that Amity park was in full quarantine. No one in no one out. Vlad was taken in for 'investigation' accused of working with the ghost because he never helped the GIW or offered funds, hence committing treason the US government. 

After that People would be taken out of their homes and obligated to take tests to prove they weren't with the enemy, if they passed they went back to their homes traumatized. if they failed.... Well no one really knows, but one might guess from all the screaming. 

Ironically. Dannys parents were the fist accused of cooperating with the enemy. The GIW stated that they seemed suspicious from the start as they never truly caught anything. he hadn't seen them since they were drugged and stuffed into the back of a van. Danny was thankful that Jazz (for collage) and Dani (traveling in Bangladesh) were out of Amity, but it wasn't like he could contact them and tell them what was happening. 

The GIW had cut all contact to the rest of the word from Amity Park probably because what they were doing was considered illegal and definitely were crossing human rights. 

Luckily Sams and Tuckers family were able to come to an agreement with the GIW so they could be exempted from the quarentine (buy themselves a way out). Unluckily Danny like most families didn't have those types of resources. 

But Danny isn't a Fenton for nothing, craziness, gull and genius ran through his veins. So every morning when they were obligated out of their homes and made to sit on the grass of the park square while the agents searched for any 'evidence' in their homes. Danny would use his core to emit a frequency that only other ghost and some metas could hear. But that wasn't what Danny was communicating to no. 

He was sending commands to all the animals he had befriended the last 15 years of his life. You see ever since Danny was a kid he loved how one could be able to domesticate any animal as long as you had food. So Danny when he was a kid applied The Operant conditioning to all the animals he crossed paths with. 

A few weeks after his accident (death) when Danny was making his daily feeding times for the animals in exchange for trinkets and money he realized something. He could understand what the animals 'spoke' and the animals could understand him through the vibrations of his core. When he asked CW about it he only told him that ghost speak allowed him to communicate with anything and anyone if he had a close enough relationship towards them. 

Basically this meant that Danny had hundreds if not thousands of animals (rats, street dogs and cats, pigeons, squirrels ect.. ) at his disposal. The only reason he never used them when fighting Ghosts was obvious he wasn't going to risk the life of his friends. 

And right now his friends were making underground escape routes for all of the Amity Parkers. The plan was already being set in motion. Everyone knew their part. 

One group would be distraction, a group of kids would scream and point in the opposite direction of the escape route and say they had seen a ghost and it was trying to hurt them. The GIW would be guided into a wooded area were they would be attacked by the more predatorial animals. Making them call for back up. 

One group would composed of the most athletic adults / young adults would go into the main base of the GIW (check for survivors and help them get out). 

Another group (the elderly) was in charge of checking that everyone was accounted for. 

Mothers, would be evacuated first with their children, they would be the get away drivers. Different drivers would take different routs. Some left the country other the continent itself. Some when to larger cities for hiding amongst the crowd. But the main goal was stick to your family and preferably if you can go alone. The less people the less likely you are to getting caught. 

And the teenagers from casper high, would ensure all their traces were lost making sure all phones and gadgets were left behind, as to avoid getting tracked down. 

And that's how Amity Park became a dead town (pun intended) in less than 60 minutes. 

This leads us to the present. 

It had been 7 months since Danny had left Amity park. he hadn't seen anyone or contacted anyone from there since. The over all consensus was that everyone had to go no contact with one another as to not raise awareness as to why so many people from different places were constantly calling one another. Danny was certain that Jazz and Dani had been contacted by Sam and Tucker about the situation in Amity. What he wasn't sure of is if they knew he was out of Amity or even alive for that matter. 

Danny was not dealing with what happened well. One of the guys who went into the Town Hall pulled him a aside for a second when they were evacuating to tell him. That he had seen both his parents bodies. They had not survived. Not many who were taken against their will into the Hall came out spared. 

Danny was devastated with his parent untimely death, he only hoped they had a humane one. 

So no Danny was not ok. he knew Jazz would criticize his copping methods. But if taking over a park in the middle of a crime riddled city was sooooo bad then why did he have the support of the Bats. (not the vigilantes the actual cave bats). 

Danny had gotten to Gotham not too long ago (about 4 1/2) months, and decided that the GIW wouldn't dare on their life go into a city were the 'wolds greatest detective and most feared man live'. Danny made an abandoned building overlooking the park his own. he quickly became allies with the fauna there and soon his rein over the part began. 

---

It started slowly, honest to god not a single local though anything of the bony kid laughing his ass off as he oversaw birds and other critters alike help him build what looked like a greenhouse. They did what any Gothamite would do mind their own damn business and go on with their day. 

It wasn't unlit the trees and torn plants started to build a wall like structure around the park that they started to think that the kid was going to be the next Poison Ivy. Worst of all they some have speculated seeing Pamela and Harley go in and out of the park... both smiling like proud parents. Some say that the kid was an ex Wayne kid that was sent into an asylum, and was kept quiet. Some speculate that the kids a meta that controls all animals. Some state they saw the kid talk to the animals and the animals actually listened and did word for word what he asked. 

But Gothamites weren't that worried if they were honest. The kid (Danny as he was now known) brought more entertainment (of the good kind) to Gotham he fit right in. The only thing that made him stand out was his mid-western accent. When asked where he was from he would only stare at you while an animal (different every time mostly racoons) would chase you away. Other than that the kid was a sweetheart he would often bring the veggies and fruits he cultivates in the park to homeless shelters so that the residents would have a 'more nutritious and full diet'. 

The kid would send animals to keep watch on kids and be alerted if any were at risk he would drop in and help in a very unusual way. And he always traded money for little things and bottle caps anything handmade (especially by kids) was infinitely rewarded with money and an automatic meal. 

Danny was known as the Gotham parks crazy. But he was their crazy and no government (illegal) agency of a brigade of bats and birds was going to take him away from them. 

(waaa this was way longer that expected I only wanted to write a sentence of local crazy Danny, and I just ended up writting mostly art other stuff)

[vivacissimx]

Theon's choice not to visit Alannys was not a choice

Cannot believe it took this long for me to get around to this meta—also, feel free to read my whole spiel about Theon's father figures in Ned, Balon, and Roose here, because it does inform my view.

OK, Alannys Harlaw hours.

The conception of Theon's motivations in the situation where he does not go to see his mother when he returns to the Islands is a bit harsh on Theon. It ignores that Theon has not been avoiding Alannys all these years: he has been kept from her. Theon's access to her has always been controlled by the NedBalons in his life.

I want to get into the idea that this is not happenstance. That Theon's father figures control his access to his mother, which is not even a novel concept in ASOIAF. Jon Snow, who is Theon's foil, also has access to his mother restricted by—woah! Ned Stark as well!! (And both Jon and Theon are expected to be grateful for this too.)

Theon's homecoming to Pyke does not result in him rushing triumphant as the prodigal son into his loving mother's arms because in fact Alannys is not even on Pyke (though Theon thought she would be). Nope, it's Theon's suspicious, resentful, and yes "homophobic" uncle as well as father who Theon meets. From here it is just assumed that Theon has perfect access to Alannys, and that him not hopskipping over to Harlaw is purely his preference. (Are you catching on to the idea that I disagree with this, yet?)

Getting into Theon as a character & how he acts under suspicious/mistrustful eyes:

As a boy, he had lived in fear of Stark's stern face and great dark sword. His wife was, if anything, even more distant and suspicious. [ACOK, Theon I]

-

“What I am about to tell you must not leave this room,” she told them. “I want your oaths on that. If even part of what I suspect is true, Ned and my girls have ridden into deadly danger, and a word in the wrong ears could mean their lives.” “Lord Eddard is a second father to me,” said Theon Greyjoy. “I do so swear.” [AGOT, Catelyn III]

-

Ned turned back to his wife. “Once you are home, send word to Helman Tallhart and Galbart Glover under my seal. They are to raise a hundred bowmen each and fortify Moat Cailin. Two hundred determined archers can hold the Neck against an army. Instruct Lord Manderly that he is to strengthen and repair all his defenses at WhiteHarbor, and see that they are well manned. And from this day on, I want a careful watch kept over Theon Greyjoy. If there is war, we shall have sore need of his father’s fleet.” [AGOT, Eddard IV]

Theon knows he is not trusted in Winterfell. Catelyn including Theon in this circle of ooh secrets is mostly due to the fact that Robb physically brought him & also because she knows that Theon does not really even have the ability to betray her on this front. He definitely knows that. Ned does not have a paternal relationship with Theon & does not perceive himself as Theon's father any more than Theon believes he is Ned's son (in the manner that Robb or Bran or even Jon is), so why does Theon lie here?

HE IS OVERPERFORMING HIS COMMITMENT TO THE PATRIARCH FIGURE IN WHOSE HANDS HIS LIFE/FUTURE LIES.

Theon predicates his vow to Catelyn with an affirmation of his willingness to do service to Ned, and in fact that's what his access to her relies on. That's probably why he makes such a production of incessantly flirting with her too; because of how it implies he is in Ned and later Robb's good graces! Of course AGOT Theon is also just a flirt for the purposes of producing his masculinity in general. But does anyone really disagree? Moving on.

The door was grey wood studded with iron, and Theon found it barred from the inside. He hammered on it with a fist, and cursed when a splinter snagged the fabric of his glove. The wood was damp and moldy, the iron studs rusted. After a moment the door was opened from within by a guard in a black iron breastplate and pothelm. "You are the son?" "Out of my way, or you'll learn who I am." [ACOK, Theon I]

(Even the damn door is in on it LOL)

Theon knelt. He had a purpose here, and might need Aeron's help to achieve it. A crown was worth a little mud and horseshit on his breeches, he supposed.

-

He was playing the part of a dutiful young prince for the moment, while he waited for Lord Balon to reveal the fullness of his plans. [ACOK, Theon II]

-

"My father gave me the command here, Uncle." "And sent me to counsel you." And to watch me. Theon dare not push matters too far with his uncle. The command was his, yes, but his men had a faith in the Drowned God that they did not have in him, and they were terrified of Aeron Damphair. [ACOK, Theon III]

THEON IS PERFORMING FOR BALON. His father doesn't approve of him and Theon is playing the part. He is making every overture and concession to obedience, or piety, that is asked of him. Balon, Aeron, Asha, even Victarion make sure he knows when he's failing—whether it's with an express disapproval or just a knowing laugh. Theon notes all of this because due to how he was raised he's extremely perceptive of how those with power over him regard him.

And Balon does not criticize Theon for not visiting Alannys.

"Will I find my sister and my lady mother at Pyke?" "You will not. [ACOK, Theon I]

-

Harlaw is only a day’s sail, and surely Lady Greyjoy yearns for a last sight of her son.” “Would that I could. I am kept too busy here. My father relies on me, now that I am returned. Come peace, perhaps...” [ACOK, Theon II]

Theon visiting his mother is not reliant on his own self-motivation, but on whether or not Balon grants him access to her. This is not to say Balon expressly forbade it or that there would have been any direct consequences if Theon had gone over... but it's about goodwill, not permission! What else changes between Theon asking about Alannys when he returns to Pyke and when he explicitly tells Asha that he can't go see her because Balon, because war? Simple: he needs to prove himself to his father as loyal and strong first. To make it explicit, Ned & Robb allowed Theon access to Catelyn in the same manner that Balon refuses (or, at the least, disapproves of) Theon's access to Alannys. Theon is sensitive to this disapproval and does not push the matter.

The only person who pushes Theon to go to Alannys is Asha. Asha obviously has Balon's trust, though, and it could be said she takes it for granted. Asha's level of understanding of Theon is complex; she recognizes him but she doesn't know him. When she says this:

You are blood of my blood, Theon, whatever else you may be. For the sake of the mother who bore us both, return to Deepwood Motte with me. [ACOK, Theon V]

it's actually wild how much is packed in here. For the sake of the mother who bore us both: Theon doesn't yet have the right to Alannys or even know how she'd receive him, given his other receptions on Pyke. Return to Deepwood Motte: the castle Theon believes he should have been tasked with taking above Asha, a concrete proof of his father's mistrust in him, which amongst other reasons spurs on his taking on Winterfell to begin with.

Personally I think Theon as a symbol of Balon's failed rebellion does make him, in Balon's eyes, also a symbol of his failed marriage. Theon does not confirm Baelon's masculinity as a son should, as Asha does. He is a reminder of the ways in which Balon lacks.

I also believe that Theon ~misses his mother, FWIW. He thinks back to his childhood sleeping in the Sea Tower while on his way to Pyke which is a mommy-coded memory; he expects to sleep in his old chambers again when he returns to Pyke—both that and his expectation of seeing Alannys are swiftly disabused. He will not be slipping into his old roles, Theon learns through the reunion with Balon which is violent in more ways than one. It's interesting because Theon actually expects to have to prove himself to his father (which is why he comes armed with a plan for taking Casterly Rock) but he doesn't expect to be punished for having been held hostage all these years.

If we are indulging in symbolism, though:

Above the Sea Tower snapped his father's banner. The Myraham was too far off for Theon to see more than the cloth itself, but he knew the device it bore: the golden kraken of House Greyjoy, arms writhing and reaching against a black field. The banner streamed from an iron mast, shivering and twisting as the wind gusted, like a bird struggling to take flight. And here at least the direwolf of Stark did not fly above, casting its shadow down upon the Greyjoy kraken. [ACOK, Theon I]

The Sea Tower where Theon's childhood memories & hopes for return to his family lie is dominated by his father's banner. At least it's Balon Greyjoy and not Ned Stark, Theon tells himself. Yet the result is the paralleled, mirrored, as Balon and Ned often are with Theon: under Ned's control Theon can't see Alannys because he is Balon Greyjoy's son, while under Balon's control Theon is discouraged from seeing Alannys because he isn't son enough. Perhaps Theon does prioritize the goodwill of his patriarch because he views it as an essential ingredient to his survival and success... but he's also absolutely aware of the role the wife/mother/lady/queen plays in the whole arena too. As power, as leverage. It's pretty plain when you consider that he tells Barbrey she could claim leadership over the North if she so desired. He took such pleasure in being relatively intimate with Catelyn as well.

So, he knows. Yet they're still all held above his head like a little treat. Delicious.

[indigovigilance]

Why Crowley Rescues Aziraphale

Okay, yes: it's flirtatious, it's cute, it's Anthony J. "Acts of Service" Crowley showing love in the only way he knows how because God forbid he use his words.

But what if there's more to it than that? What if there is a much darker explanation that portends major events in S3?

Allow me to convince you below the cut:

Evidence of Repetition Compulsion

But before we talk about the rescue motif, let's examine a more transparent aspect of Crowley's behavior that will provide a scaffold for the discussion of his Princess Peach obsession.

The Plants

Sure, Crowley is a hobby horticulturalist, but he doesn't do it because he loves plants. He does it because the plants are a representation of himself, and how he treats the plants tells us how he feels about himself. Importantly, how he treats the plants changes over time.

Season 1

He puts the fear of Crowley into them, destroying any specimen with a blemish and making an example out of it to threaten those that remain.

You know, just like God did to him.

This scene is jam-packed with symbolism, and we can simmer on whether his punishment of the plants is simply externalized self-flagellation, or reflects internalized standards of perfectionism, or if he feels so powerless that he creates a new relationship in which he is the one that has the power... We could simmer, but that's not the point of this meta, so let's keep going.

Season 2

In 2023, Crowley is no longer a domineering monarch, ruling over his houseplants with an iron fist; of all the memorabilia he has in his flat (the statue from the church, the original Mona Lisa), the only things he brings with him are his plants.

And for someone living in his car, he's taking pretty good care of them:

Someone else even noted that one of the plants appears to have spots, and clearly he hasn't thrown it in the garbage disposal for its transgressions. I wasn't able to see it myself, but I headcanon it because it fits with the observation that:

Crowley's attitude towards himself is changing.

He is evolving from internalized guilt and sense of inferiority to believing that he deserves care, even if he is a little blemished. It is this shift that brings it within the realm of possibility that he can admit his feelings to Aziraphale.

In both seasons, the unifying theme is that Crowley is reliving his trauma over and over, and then reliving his healing over and over. This cyclical behavior is, to my knowledge, incredibly characteristic of PTSD and CPTSD. In a phenomenon clinically referred to as Repetition Compulsion, the subject recreates and relives events of a traumatic past over and over in their present life, seeking resolution for something that has already happened, where the opportunity for true, satisfying closure is forever lost to the past. A huge part of therapeutic treatment is breaking these maladaptive cycles [citations]. But to our knowledge, Crowley doesn't have a therapist.

If this is how Crowley's CPTSD manifests in his relationship with inanimate objects semi-sentient dependents, how might it manifest in his relationship with his angel?

The Rescue Motif

The cycle of Aziraphale's self-endangerment and Crowley's nick-of-time rescues might look like just a cute part of their flirtationship, a necessary cover for their continued association, but I argue that it something much darker.

Crowley rescues Aziraphale over and over throughout history to try to absolve himself for the one time he couldn't.

But clearly, Aziraphale doesn't know that.

It only took one rescue for Aziraphale to realize that this kind of behavior brings them closer together - and he desperately wants to get close to Crowley. Please forgive the crudeness of the metaphor, but: when you need to drive a screw into a board and all you have is a hammer, you're gonna smack that thing on the head over and over with the only tool you've got. The problem is, this is really bad for the screw.

Aziraphale, by leveraging the damsel-in-distress motif, over and over again, is inadvertently triggering a trauma response from Crowley because he likes what he gets out of it, which is spending time with the demon he loves and growing intimacy. If he knew that this is what he was doing, it would be sick and twisted and go against everything he believes about himself as an angel, let alone being mortified that he was hurting Crowley.

So the only possible conclusion (given we take the above conjectures as fact (see @queerfables, I listen to you <3)) is that:

Aziraphale Doesn't Know About His Own Jimmification

What is it that Crowley could have failed to rescue Aziraphale from that Aziraphale himself is unaware of? Well, at the least, it would have to involve a mind-wipe.

We know, canonically, that the Metatron can and will mind-wipe angels without actually casting them out of Heaven. Just because Aziraphale is an angel does not mean we can assume that this ability was never leveraged against him.

If Crowley knew that they were going to do this to his friend, he would have tried to stop it. The repeating damsel-rescue motif (in context of the existing, plant-based evidence of Repetition Compulsion) is a strong indicator that his mission to protect Aziraphale from the memory-wipe failed, and he is living in an endless loop of rescue behavior to try to resolve his guilt about that.

So why wouldn't Crowley tell Aziraphale that his mind was erased?

To properly address that I will need time to write a part 2. But others are welcome to use this as a jumping-off point, please just cite the inspo; it's a little thing that brings me joy ^_^

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the meantime, if you enjoyed this, you may also like:

Why Crowley is Blind to his Yellow Eyes

A Nightingale Sang in 1941

Baraqiel and Azazel

The Erasure of Human!Metatron

[besttvshowbracket]

ROUND 1A MATCH 13

Propaganda

The Owl House: gay. that was all that was submitted. my friend wrote the rest of this: the owl house is possibly one of the greatest modern cartoons of today. while it's mainly known for its incredible queer representation, it doesn't stop at simple surface level representation, but it dives deeper into it through the setting of the boiling isles, which, while it is queer-friendly, has fascism deeply entrenched into it, restricting its people into boxes of magic, limiting them to keep them under the emperor's iron fist. it's queer allegory at its finest, not simply pushing down homophobia, but rather deconstructing the very systems of box-building that keep queer people pushed to the margins of society for simply daring to be different. and that's only the beginning. the show is often praised for its representation outside of queerness, such as representation of different body types and races, and especially disabilities and family structures. overall, the show is simply a celebration of being different, and rising up against the systems that punish you for being different. this message spread to the meta too, with disney cancelling the queerest show it had ever had for not being appropriate for its brand, but the show making the most of its limited circumstances and delivering an incredibly beautiful story anyhow. the owl house is amazing and you should watch it. also gay

Community: Truly the sitcom of all time. It's genuinely really well written and funny, while also having amazing characters that actually grow as people. It managed to survive having it's original writer leave the show, nearly being cancelled multiple times, and going to yahoo tv, all while still being funnier than most sitcoms I've seen. It's incredibly creative, and I can genuinely count on one hand the number of flop episodes over six seasons. Community forever!!!, oh my god. oh my fucking god. this show. it’s the best. ever. of all time

[cherry-blossom-qf]

I have redesigned Promised Magolor and Oakley (slightly), just cuz they deserve it!

I'm kinda proud of myself for doing this, so I hope y'all like it as much as I do.

And just so I can link this post to future Promised Prince Magolor AU posts, I'm gonna share an updated lore dump about this AU under the cut

↓↓ Long Lore Dump ↓↓

In this AU, Magolor lost the fight to Mistilteinn by taking too many hits and nearly bleeding to death when he failed to cut the tree down. As Magolor pleaded for his life before fainting, Mistilteinn decided to spare him and take care of his wounds.

You see, the poor crown, filled with dark matter due to their previous kings' selfish desires, was tired of all the negativity that his power brings. He wanted something new, something different, something positive for once. And since Magolor is the only "king" that survived his corruption, he decided to take the chance and become his partner in life (think Meta and Galaxia but it gets weirdly romantic)

The crown tree, using the Gem Apple Seed as his host for his new body, proposes an offer to Magolor. A proposal that the crown will exchange his loyal onto Magolor if Magolor does the same for him. Which.... is basically a marriage proposal.

Magolor, fearing for his life at the time, took his offer. At first it was terrifying, having to be partnered up with something that nearly killed him. But the more they spend time together, the more they fell for each other (mostly like the plot of Beauty and the Beast).

When they officially tied the knot (crown boi wanted to wait until Magolor and him were seen as equals before they did the wedding), Magolor was crowned "The Promised Prince of The Void" and now raines over the dimension that once claimed him has a prisoner. And once Magolor's injuries were fully healed, he was able to the stuff he did canonically in the games (Kirby Clash stuff, Star Allies stuff, you get the idea). Tho Magolor has to keep his relationship a secret for a while, cuz if anyone like Meta Knight or Susie knows about this out of context, it's definitely gonna turn out bad.

As for the crown, he now goes by the name "Oakley", a name given to him by Magolor that he now wears proudly as king. Despite his background, he's actually a really big sweetheart and an old soul. He devoted himself to never bring his prince to harm in any circumstances. (in my words: he is a golden retriever with gentlemen vibes)

Idk how to finish this lore dump, so gonna try to sum it up to this: Theses two of are the biggest (and surprisingly healthiest) power couple in the Kirby galaxy, and rule over their little kingdom with an iron fist.

So yeah, that it! Thanks for reading all this! Get yourself a cookie! You deserve it!

[sevensoulmates]

As always it's a delight to get to read your posts and meta, it's just as satisfactory and fun as it is watching the show. You're just awesome ❤️

You know after watching the last episode (and now that we know little bit more about Marisol) it made me feel really sorry for her, because I just know she'll be collateral damage while Eddie figures himself out and that's just so sad. And I wasn't really sure why those comments Eddie made about him/Marisol when they encountered Buck and Tommy at the restaurant and after having sex with her made me feel so uncomfortable, but then you pointed it out and I was like yeah that was kinda like locker room talk, Eddie was overcompensating here like trying to be a big macho man and that's why it felt so weird.

I'm baffled about Eddie's situation the most because I'm sure it's gonna be hell for him for a while since he will have to work through a lot of issues to finally be at peace with himself. And until stated otherwise my headcanon is the same as yours. I'm sure he is a gay repressed man (and not no get into the gay Eddie vs demisexual  Eddie discourse but I'm sure he may be both) I grew up in a Mexican household, I was raised catholic and although I wasn't in the army my dad was and he raised me and my siblings with an iron fist. So Eddie's background/storyline has always hit too close to home for me. I'm just dreading all the issues he's going to have to face.

Which brings me to this. To show his coming out arc and make it into completion do you think they will have to show us more about his childhood and upbringing, not just having Eddie talking about it but to have scenes like we did with Buck's childhood?

And why do you think the scene about Buck apologizing to Eddie for hurting him at the basketball court had to happen off screen?

Btw thanks for always replying to my questions.

Hi there!!! No problem!!! You always have super interesting questions to ask, so I am always delighted to answer them!

We all know how Eddie feels about "performance". I just feel like why would Eddie feel like the performance stops once he's actually made it past the dating phase and into the relationship phase? Maybe the external pressure from others is off (none of his family or the firefam questioning him, etc) but in order to KEEP the relationship, it really would require MORE performing.

It's fascinating to me, because we don't see Eddie acting this way with Shannon. You could make some arguments that their relationship was pretty fractured from the get-go and we didn't really see their dating/"honeymoon" phase but even when they were ~slightly~ back together in season 2b, Eddie wasn't acting like that with Shannon. Even when they were sleeping together, he wasn't. The most he did was make a couple of cringe comments about his "dashing good looks" or something, but that was more poking fun at himself. Even when Eddie was telling Buck about how "sex complicates things" with Shannon, he wasn't out here smirking or making comments about how good it feels to finally get some after two years of (apparent) celibacy. Say what you want about their relationship, but at least Eddie respected Shannon enough as a person to not start speaking about her that way. Their relationship was far too serious for that.

With Ana, it was so incredibly hard to watch because even though the storyline ITSELF wasn't about sex, a lot of their scenes had that edge to it? Like the sex-scene fake out in season 4, "grade me on a curve", "you really like to see me dressed up" "and the other thing" it was so ODD and FORCED. At the time of s4/5 airing you could maybe chalk it up to Eddie overcorrecting since it's his first real relationship after Shannon, but then he goes and does the same thing with Marisol which now makes it a pattern.

Once it clicked in my brain that the reason his relationships with women feel so fake is that he is literally putting on a show of hyper-heterosexuality (idk if that's a real term or not but roll with me here) it all made sense. I think seeing him "in a relationship" with Marisol for real was the final puzzle piece to seal this deal for me.

His extreme performances with these women, combined with their purposeful lack of development into full characters, all points to the fact that none of these relationships are going to work out. Eddie is not going to be able to actually settle down with his "endgame" partner until he actually finds someone he can be his true, real self with and "doesn't have to pretend with them" ;)

Is it bad that I actually enjoyed getting to know Marisol a little? Putting aside the actress, Marisol, the character, is interesting, because we're actually getting to know her a little bit more, far more than we got to with Ana. But I find both of these love interests fascinating in one mutual way: the fact that they put up with Eddie. Like I think about other characters and if they would've been okay being treated by their partners the way Eddie treats his girlfriends and I'm like.....hell no!

Oddly enough the only person I could see putting up with it was Buck before he finally started realizing that he doesn't have to be in a relationship with someone just because they want him. Only someone who also has deep insecurities, abandonment issues, and a general lack of self-respect would put up with Eddie's BS to his girlfriends. That's not to say that Eddie's a horrible person or abuses his partners or anything, but it's basically indisputable that he does not ever put in any emotional work to actually create meaningful relationships with his girlfriends. So why were Ana and now Marisol, so willing to accept that?

Ana resisted the break-up even though she could feel Eddie's whole heart wasn't in it. She was willing to keep trying in a dead relationship just in the hopes that something would work out. The same goes for Marisol. Idk about you, but if I was in a relationship with a man for going on 4-6 months and he knew NOTHING about me? I'd feel unloved, uncared for, and unappreciated, and I'd LEAVE.

We know that Marisol was scared of Eddie rejecting her or fetishizing her and that's why she didn't tell him about the nun thing, and I understand her reasoning and fear there. But gworlie, what else do we know about you? Can Eddie name a single hobby you have outside of loving Jesus and DIYing houses? Does Eddie even know your last name? It really makes me think that Marisol is unfortunately the type to just let things like this slide in the hopes that some man will accept her, any man. Since they rarely do because of the nun thing. And boy, do I understand that feeling, but that's NOT real love. I bet you anything once we get to the Eddiemarisol breakup she's gonna be very similar to Ana in that she knew Eddie's heart wasn't fully in it, but she just didn't want to be alone again.

I think that like attracts like, and Eddie's clutching onto this relationship for the same reason Marisol's clutching onto this relationship: because it's easier than being alone and being judged for it.

This is a tangent but I also want to point out that one thing that Eddie found uncomfortable about Marisol being a nun was the fact that nuns used to be his teachers....but was Ana also not a teacher? Just because she wasn't a nun, doesn't mean she couldn't have also been in a position of power that Eddie could've found uncomfortable. I find it interesting that even though Marisol's not a teacher, the show found a way to connect her to teachers and therefore to Ana.

As for Eddie's coming out arc, while I don't think it's entirely a necessity to have flashbacks to how he grew up, I certainly think it would help a lot of people who can't read between the lines if they had some. I especially would like to see scenes of young him + Shannon. Maybe seeing how the pressure from his family and church led him to believe men have to be a certain way, potentially microaggressions about being lgbt that he might've seen from his family/church (I don't necessarily mean full-on homophobia but possibly like little ways in which he was shown that there was no other "acceptable" option from his church other than heterosexuality. I think seeing scenes of how he and Shannon got together could be enlightening too, how their community reacted to them getting pregnant, etc. I think all of this, combined with a mirrored storyline in the present (similar to Buck Begins) would really drive home the point the show is trying to make, especially if they can finally be overt about Eddie's queerness. BUT all of this can still be done present day without the need for flashbacks either. I just think it would be a way to make the storytelling more rich and to spell it out more obviously for the people in the back.

As for Buck apologizing to Eddie for the basketball scene...I would've liked to see it too, but at the end of the day, it's like Ryan said in his interview...Eddie was always going to forgive Buck because he loves him to his core, because he knew Buck didn't come at it from a place of truly wanting to hurt Eddie. All of it was a manifestation of Buck's own issues, and by this point (especially after the lawsuit arc and the deadbrother arc) Eddie is aware of that. We did see plenty of scenes where Buck was scolded and demonstrated he was aware his actions were shitty, and Eddie probably assumed that letting Buck stew in his own guilt was atonement enough. And so I think likely the writers felt that in the end, the sentiment got across. Separately--given all the switcheroo stuff that happened with 7x04 and 7x05, I wouldn't be surprised if there WAS an apology scene and it got cut for time.

[yudrein-aile]

I'm just on a meta run today so more thoughts on the political situation in Orr! I'm going to elaborate on this in my big meta essay someday but for now...

So, when Thais Yulman and Alik come to visit the Cavalry, Yuder makes the following observations:

Yuder had seen in his previous life how sensitive the court mages were to power. It was only natural since those who wanted to gain power rather than improving their magic skills often became court mages. On the surface, they professed loyalty to the emperor alone, but behind the scenes, they colluded with various nobles and engaged in dirty dealings. (64)

This is rather interesting as the two institutions the imperial power in the capital is based on are the Court Mages and the Imperial Knights. Of course we also have the Southern and Northern Army, but they are also filled with commoners, manpower for open conflict, not particularly for the intrigues of court. While the corrent Commander of the Imperial Knights is on good terms with, at the very least Kishiar, several of his subordinates are not subserviant to that - Kiolle being our best example, and how the Cavalry in general receives harsh treatment from them.

Similarly, we learn that Hellem Caspirl used to be the head of the Imperial Mage Division, aka the Court Mages (378). She treats Kishiar like her respected Lord and Nathan like relative - she supports them and has an amicable relationship to them. Kishiar went out of his way to hire her when she considered retiring. Now, I maight be reaching a little here, but...

'Thais Yulman must have known that the Emperor and Kishiar wouldn't completely trust the court mages, so he came running. (65)

... wonder what it says that she retired, but is still more than capable of working and, according to sensing-powerful-individuals-at-master-level Yuder, still is quite powerful.

All while the Court Mages apparently keep detoriating further. And, to make this about my most special babygirl again, this also says quite a bit about the Cavalry and Yuder's time as Commander. We know the Cavalry dominated and quickly put every other group out of a job - all while, apparently, being the only group you could consider fully loyal to the Emperor. Naturally, this was in part because Yuder very much ruled with an iron fist of violence that didn't tolerate disobedience, but also because the Cavalry essentially was the institution pushing for, well, let's call it Awakener Rights.

The Cavalry has to perform well, or, to quote Katchian, "Show me your worth, the reason I should keep the Cavalry around" (1031).

All other imperial institutions are riddled with corruption, which Katchian himself used to get into his position, and then the Cavalry itself is kept on a short leash, standing, IMO, represent for the wellbeing of Awakeners in the Empire in general.

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

How I would’ve handled the build-up to the Defenders:

1) Instead of rushing the miniseries out, the shows should’ve at least had an extra year or two to flesh the heroes and villains out.

2) Daredevil season 1 remains the same. Season 2 is only about the Punisher. Season 3 is only about Elektra Natchios. So, the original season 2 is now split in half.

3) Jessica Jones season 1 remains the same. Season 2 is about a season-long investigation that puts her in the crosshairs of Murakami, one of the Hand’s leaders.

4) Luke Cage season 1 is focused only on Cornell Stokes/Cottonmouth (so get rid of the mid-season death). Season 2 introduces Willis Stryker/Diamondback, who is revealed to be an agent of Sowande, one of the Hand’s leaders.

5) Iron Fist season 1 is only about Danny Rand and his feud with the Meachums. Season 2 is more about Colleen Wing and her feud with Bakuto and the Hand.

After all that, THEN we go into the Defenders. With this set-up, we don’t have to waste episodes on Luke and Jessica having to learn about the Hand. We could just go straight into the team being brought together. Also, we don’t have to wait for the Defenders miniseries to have them meet. A few ways this could be done:

* Luke and Danny can meet in their respective season 2s of their shows

* Jessica Jones can have a one-off meeting with Daredevil in one of their shows. And vice versa.

* Matt can have a run-in with Luke during his feud with Frank Castle. He can also run into Danny during the Elektra arc.

* Jessica Jones could be hired by Master Stick, which leads her to Murakami (so connecting Daredevil and Jessica Jones).

[stvlti]

love is the knife in your hand | a Dune fanmix

I finally put all my songs for FeydPaul (derogatory) onto a playlist. This started out as a shitpost which may explain some of the wack song choices. All bangers though, promise

► TRACKS

01. Gimme What I Want - Miley Cyrus /// 02. SIMP - Full Tac, Lil Mariko & Rico Nasty /// 03. Dictator - REI AMI /// 04. I Can See You - Taylor Swift /// 05. Personal Jesus - Depeche Mode /// 06. Burn the Witch - PVRIS, Tommy Genesis & Alice Longyu Gao /// 07. House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls - The Weeknd /// 08. ecstacy - SUICIDAL-IDOL /// 09. Tennessee - Kevin Abstract & Lil Nas X /// 10. Matador - Luvcat /// 11. I Come With Knives (Acoustic) - IAMX /// 12. Bells in Santa Fe - Halsey /// 13. Blood in the Cut - K.Flay /// 14. Kiss With A Fist - Florence + The Machine /// 15. Ultraviolence - Lana Del Rey.

Tracklist last updated on 15 July.

► META

I wasn't going to add a write-up to this one – it was supposed to be an ironic playlist – but then I couldn't resist coming back to add better and better song choices to the tracklist. It deserves a short explanation now, at the very least.

The tl;dr of it is that I was inspired by this fic and this fic and this fic. The different interpretations and dynamics of Feyd/Paul's relationship shown in those fics form the cornerstones for the relationships portrayed in these songs.

Some of these dynamics may seem contradictory to each other. That is by design. Many of the songs in this playlist are meant to go both ways: depending on your interpretation of Feyd's character and your specific flavour of canon divergence (which lbr is where 90% of FeydPaul scenarios play out), you could justifiably swap the dominant / submissive voices in the song lyrics between Feyd and Paul. Take "Dictator" by REI AMI for example:

The front part of the song is dominated by, well, a dominant persona:

I am not your queen, I'm your dictator

Bend the fucking knee, yeah bitch that was an order

Whatcha say to me? Huh? Bitch speak louder

You know I reign supreme, nah, you can't imitate her

The song takes a 180° turn in the back half, switching up the beat, the tempo, the instrumentation, the cadence; going from rap verses to singing; and going from braggadocio to a vulnerable confession in its lyrics. This forms, for all intents and purposes, a second distinct "voice":

You're so mean I'm scared to say "I wanna leave"

Cause every time I try, I get a tighter leash

You never know

Everything I do when I'm feeling low

Always about you, that's the way it goes

The way it goes, just the way it goes

Cold, why you gotta treat me so cold?

You say you love me but I don't know, don't know

The original song intends for both voices to reflect 2 sides of the same speaker, which could also work in the case of Paul (the first voice being the strongman leader he presents himself as in front of his followers, but also the dom persona he takes on to exploit Feyd's vulnerabilities in the bedroom; the second voice being the insecurities he has in his feelings for Feyd, which he can admit only to himself). But these 2 voices also work well as a dialogue between Paul and Feyd: Paul as the dominant voice and Feyd as the submissive, plaintive one, in a Feyd Lives AU / any AU where Paul holds all the bargaining chips; or Feyd as the dominant voice and Paul as the submissive, confessional one, in a Feyd wins the duel / Paul is captured by the Harkonnens AU. Ymmv.

There are a few songs where it only fits a specific interpretation of the dynamic though. The more fics I read, the more I think about the political positioning either of the boys take up in canon, the more obvious it is that any way you slice it, Feyd is at a disadvantage. He doesn't have Paul's prescience or the Voice, among other Bene Gesserit training, to say nothing about his Mentat abilities. (This is excluding the AUs that assume Feyd, being another prospect for the Kwisatz Haderach bloodline, has some level of prescient abilities akin to Paul's.) This is true even before Paul consumed the Water of Life and gained full access to his ancestral memories, and once he unlocked the Other Memory, Feyd is simply no match for him. So tracks like "Matador" and "Bells in Santa Fe" work better if you think of them as speaking from Feyd's POV:

Your cape is crimson

And you're waving it, snarling

The air is full of danger

I only wanted to put on a little skirt, a little show for you

...

I came crawling in on all fours

Knocking at your door, knocking at your door

I don't wanna bleed anymore

I just wanted love, but you wanted gore

You're my matador

While Feyd is the gladiator with a number of wins in the Geidi Prime arena under his belt, Paul is named after his grandfather who fought bulls for fun. Feyd is a Harkonnen, which is etymologically related to the "härka", Finnish for the bull. When they meet each other blade for blade, Paul is the metaphorical matador to Feyd's bull, not the other way around.

I'm also a fan of simp!Feyd, which is how we ended up with Lil Mariko & Rico Nasty on the track list (lol). But on a more serious note, I like my Feyd softer and besotted with Paul, with or without the context of Paul as Emperor ordering Feyd around. In that light, it's obvious who would be the one to come crawling, begging for love from the other man.

Leaving through the door without a word

You won't even notice, little bird

Better off dead so I reckon I'm headed to hell instead

So don't wait for me, don't wait for me, wait

It's not a happy ending

...

But, Jesus, you've got better lips than Judas

I could keep your bed warm, otherwise I'm useless

I don't really mean it, 'cause who the fuck would choose this?

Self loathing hours with Feyd lmao. I don't believe Feyd is capable of shame, but he bested Rabban in currying favours with the Baron and securing the na-Baron title. He must have a mind for politicking, and in a Feyd Lives AU, he would know full well that he is only useful to Paul's empire insofar as he amuses him and keeps his bed warm. It also really only makes sense for Feyd to call Paul "little bird" and not the other way around, seeing as Paul is the one who brings the Atreides hawk symbol to their union.

Speaking of union, I went back and forth on the inclusion of the Lana Del Rey track until I remembered that she wears a wedding dress in the music video. I've never paired "Ultraviolence" with my ships, not even for my most fucked up faves, for mainly 2 reasons: (1) I don't like to romanticise the domestic abuse detailed in the original context of that lyric. I prefer a dynamic where both parties retain a degree of control and reciprocity in the fucked up shit they do to each other. But in the case of FeydPaul the pain kinks just write themselves, and they would be fully reciprocal. I can see Feyd being the masochist to Paul's more violent tendencies as much as I can see Feyd enacting his learned sadism onto Paul. They would both enjoy it. Also, as every shipper knows, in another life these two would've been betrothed to each other according to the Bene Gesserits' breeding programme.

Heaven is on earth

I will do anything for you, babe

Blessed is this union

Crying tears of gold, like lemonade

It's literally a wedding song!

(2) I never included "Ultraviolence" in my ship playlists before because the lyrics are kinda cringe. "tears of gold like lemonade"? really? But then again, FeydPaul is largely a Romeo & Juliet type of pairing - they're star-crossed, they're madly in love, and they're teenagers! They would be the type to make cringey promises to each other.

[princess-of-the-corner]

I think that there is certain "Meta-irony" about Reflekta.

ML Writers have Reflekta be Villain of the Week so frequently, because Reflekta's "clones" are "easy way to get army of mooks, without need to make new character models for each of them"

They could just use D'Argencourt/Darkblade. You know, guy that have "can transform people into identical mooks" and could be akumatized as much times as you want, with reason each time being "I still don't have Paris under my Iron Fist rule", instead inventing more and more contrived reasons "Why Juleka got akumatized this time?"

True!

[otterronpas]

MALUS PUMILA AU

I started writing some things about Mistilor's world, and I thought I'd share it here as well! Info will be under the cut, as I did write a lot JSDH Feel free to ask me anything about the AU! I'm still developing it, but I've enjoyed working on it a lot!

What is the Malus Pumila AU?

In this AU, Magolor (who I often refer to as Mistilor) has been possessed by the Master Crown. During the fight with Mistilteinn, the crown planted a seed in Magolor’s head that allowed it to take control of his body and wreak havoc whenever it pleases. Think of it like a sort of Jekyll and Hyde situation, or like Dimentio and Mr. L in Super Paper Mario.

This is the basic gist of the AU, but the world of this AU is drastically different from the Popstar we know. This world’s Dreamland is a traditional Japanese-styled town, where yokai are known to live amongst the townspeople. Magolor was once an ordinary fox, but after putting on the Master Crown, he became a kitsune. In addition, this world’s Kirby is a Baku, who eats the dreams of others as a result of not being able to have dreams of their own.

So what about the rest of the Dream Team?

Dedede, rather than simply being the king, is actually the emperor of Dreamland! As laidback and carefree as he is, he’s pretty well-loved by the townsfolk. He tends to stay in his castle, but when he does make appearances in the town, he makes himself well-known and is happy to put on a show for the people.

The emperor, despite being the emperor, doesn’t actually hold any political power. Instead, he serves as a ruler chosen by the heavens. So that leaves the question: who holds the political power?

That power falls to Meta Knight, the shogun of Dreamland! As the military leader of Dreamland, he is very strict and hardworking in order to make sure no harm befalls the land. Some say he rules with an iron fist, but he really is just heavily devoted to protecting the land he loves dearly. However, sometimes his devotion ends up taking over his mind, and he’s unable to see how strict he is on others, especially those he cares about.. As a result, half the town respects him out of admiration, while the other half respects him out of fear. And that brings us to the last member of the Dream Team, Bandana Waddle Dee! Bandee is the right-hand man to the emperor, always found by his side and working hard to support him. While serving the emperor, he is also in training to become a ninja! He is heavily devoted to his training, so much that he has even taken a vow of silence in order to further dedicate himself to the work. When he’s not training or helping the emperor, he can often be found playing with Kirby and entertaining the townsfolk. As dedicated as he is to his work, he still finds time to enjoy his childhood to the fullest.

That's all I've got for right now, but more is soon to come! Be on the lookout!