#Transition Stroud

[wellgoslowly]

if you had told me 2 or 3 years ago that i’d become obsessed with a random series called lockwood and co and spend every day thinking about it, i would’ve looked at you and asked “what’s lockwood and co?”.

and now here i am. 20 years old, about to officially be a junior in college and spending my second birthday apart of this fandom. throughout my transition from 18 to 19 and now 19 to 20, i have met some of the most amazing and talented people i’ve ever had the privilege to meet. i have made some of my most beloved memories and i have grown so deeply in love with this tv show/book series that had been unknown to me just years prior. i can’t imagine my life now without lockwood and co or the friends and memories i’ve made as a result of lco. yall are truly the most amazing group of fans that a silly little audhd person like me could’ve ever asked for.

thank you to locknation for creating a space and a home for me here, thank you to jonathan stroud for creating this beautiful series and thank you to the characters themselves for becoming such a big part of me.

lucy carlyle you will always be my girl. you will always be the curvy girl rep i wish i could’ve seen when i was younger. you will always be the loveable but at times unlikable girl who is still teaching me that i don’t need people to like me to be worthy of love. you will always be the representation of a teenage girl just trying her best that i needed when i was younger. you will always be apart of me and my soul.

thank you locknation for the amazing birthday wishes. i can’t wait to spend another year around the sun with you 🫶

[mellkellyismyhero]

Jonathan Stroud and Kipps

You know, as a kid reading Lockwood and Co., I LOVED Lucy, George, Lockwood, and Holly. They were all my age! Every time a new book came out I’d imagine Lucy was growing up with me.

But that meant that I didn’t have much of a connection with Kipps, who was kind of L&Co.’s punching bag (affectionate). I liked him, but I never loved him the way I loved everyone else.

Now, I’m older than L&Co. Reading the books and watching the show feels like revisiting my younger self. I was expecting to love the L&Co. trio dynamic- and I did! But one thing I really wasn’t expecting was my newfound appreciation for Kipps.

Jonathan Stroud’s decision to focus on Kipps’ transition from brilliant teen agent to terrified, washed-up adult... It didn’t speak to me as a kid because I was too busy identifying with how cool Lucy’s Talent was. But now that I’m in Kipps’ age range, I identify with Kipps a lot more over Lucy. I can’t really put it in words- this is probably going to be the first of many posts of me spewing emotions and love for Jonathan Stroud’s writing skill- but I’m going to try.

Minor Kipps-related spoilers for L&Co. books under the cut.

Kipps, in the show and books, is 20-22 years old. He’s college-aged. And he cannot do the one thing that he has trained his entire life for, and needs to adjust to that. As a kid, I just kind of saw that as the same kind of “kids rule, adults drool” thing that happens in all kids adventure stories. Can’t have the responsible adults ruining the kids’ fun!

But Kipps was unusual in that you get to SEE him go from ‘competent rival agent’ to ‘technically a useless adult’. He’s straddling the line in the way that other series, where kids get to have magic because they’re good and pure or whatever don’t.

The thing is, it would’ve been easy for Kipps to be forgotten. Just let him fade into the background and never be mentioned again after book 2. But he’s there in book 3, and 4, and 5, still doing his best to fight ghosts even if he can’t see them. As a kid, I was just like ‘huh, okay, that’s a choice’ and kind of ignored him. Who cares what Kipps is doing when Lucy and Holly are having an epic argument that’s going to bring a million ghosts down on their heads?

As an adult, I LOVE that Stroud chose to keep Kipps around. I love that Kipps found a new way to keep fighting (the goggles). I love that Kipps kind of became a member of Lockwood and Co. I love that Stroud made the readers and the characters confront the reality that one day our beloved main characters would lose their Talents too, that even Lucy would go deaf one day, instead of just ignoring the generous but very real time limit the characters had hanging over their heads.

(Side note: part of my love for this series might be stemming from my complicated feelings about the Seven Wonders book series, where a kid is told he has less than a year to live and will likely spend months in debilitating pain and then... spends that year fucking around looking for magical artifacts and not actually having any kind of physical consequences for LITERALLY HAVING A DEADLY ILLNESS-)

Anyway.

Kipps is fantastic. The way he represents the inevitable future of Lockwood and Co... the way he represents the thousands of other agents who grew too old to sense ghosts and couldn’t keep fighting even if they wanted to... the way that he tries so hard to keep the kids he’s in charge of alive but can’t because he’s only one person and he’s losing his Talent...

He’s going through such a major transition and doesn’t know what his place in the world is anymore, and honestly, what early-twenties person does? There’s something there about Talents and childhood trauma and taking your first few steps into adulthood without the tools that saved your life as a child because they don’t work anymore...

In conclusion: Kipps was an amazing character, and I’m sorry I didn’t appreciate him sooner.

[onenettvchannel]

#K5NewsFMExclusive: A Dark and Dramatic Conclusion as the 4th Season of Wakfu will be the Last Season of its historic French cartoon series (updated as FINAL!!!)

(Written by Rhayniel Saldasal Calimpong / Freelanced News Reporter and Presenter of OneNETnews)

ROUBAIX, FRANCE -- The upcoming Season Premiere of Wakfu, which will air on the 'Okoo' kids and teens programming block through French public broadcaster 'France Televisions' is set to be a dramatic heartstopping conclusion. This will mark the beginning of the show's 4th and Final Season, scheduled to debut in early mid-February 2024. It is worth mentioning to recall that the entire production at Ankama Studios in France has been successfully concluded, thanks to the global campaign fund of Kickstarter that took place in late-June 2020.

(PRESS RELEASE OBTAINED by K5 News FM Dumaguete)

Per the press release exclusively obtained through DWFH-FM 97.7mhz's K5 News FM, the latest synopsis for the final season of a French cartoon show portrays intense and potentially darker scenes that comes up a bit close to happen: "After their destructive battle with Oropo, but also with their own demons, Yugo the Eliatrope and his friends find themselves at the gates of Ingloriom, the realm of the Gods. The Tofu Brotherhood (TFB) has no time to wonder what fate the 12 Divinities have in store for them for this sacrilege: the floating territory is devastated!".

(SCREENGRAB COURTESY: FranceTVPro website)

(PHOTO COURTESY: Google Images)

Before an actual final season premiere on a national French television, a sneak preview in the panel is yet to be shown in-person at the Angoulême International Comics Festival (AICF) on Thursday late-afternoon (January 25th, 2024 at 5:30pm -- France local time).

(PHOTO COURTESY: AICF via X Network's FranceTVPro)

Inside a panel in Angoulême City, the said country, will discuss about the upcoming 4th and Final Season of the show, in the presence of Wakfu show creator named Anthony "Tot" Roux, one of the authors with French YouTuber personality (Malec) and Wakfu's historical Character Designer (Sonia Demechlis).

(SCREENGRAB COURTESY: Okoo / France Televisions / Ankama Animation via The X Network)

In a televised trailer 'X Network' (formerly Twitter) released Tuesday afternoon (January 16th, 2024), the heroes of the Brotherhood of the Tofu, Yugo the Eliatrope, Prncs. Amalia Sheran Sharm, Ms. Evangelyne the Cra, Mr. Ruel Stroud and among others have fought against formidable enemies and ancient evils. But sadly, things are gone crazier and darker situations as the fate of 'The World of 12' rests on their shoulders.

K5 News FM learns exclusively that the runtime for this 4th Season of Wakfu is 22 minutes long, with a final 13 new episodes.

(FILE SCREENGRAB COURTESY: Generation TV_FR via YT VIDEO)

French cartoon show of Wakfu was started in the late-October 2008 during France 3's kids programming block "Toowam", before transitioning to Ludo (home of between Wakfu on the said date of 2008 and LoliRock in the late mid-October 2014).

(FILE PHOTO COURTESY for REPRESENTATION: Zodiak Kids and Family for Banijay & Ankama Studios / Editing Provided by the Anonymous Artists, and from the top left to the bottom right: Lyna, Carrisa, Talia, Iris, Aurianna, Evangelyne, Yugo the Eliatrope, Prncs. Amalia Sheran Sharm)

At the time of the writing with a confirmation from Ankama Studios and Zodiak Kids & Family (part of Banijay Group), theories in French kids cartoon suggest between LoliRock and Wakfu will not be planning to do a crossover episode for now, in and outside of this same public broadcasting network on Wakfu's final season for France Televisions.

As reported exclusively between AnimeTVFrance news bureau (via The X Network) and Ankama News (also via the press release division of Wakfu), we do know that the new episodes to be aired back-2-back on primetime until early mid-March 2024.

With this, you can catch LIVE new episodes of the final 4th Season of Wakfu, premieres February 9th, 2024 at 1:30pm Eastern / 12:30pm Central (in the United States) / 7:30pm in France -- only on France 4's Okoo programming block and streaming LIVE via the France TV website, Animation Digital Network (ADN) and on the Okoo app for Google Play and Apple App Stores in France.

PHOTO COURTESY: Ankama Animations

SOURCE: *https://www.francetvpro.fr/contenu-de-presse/64569626 [Referenced Event Listings via FranceTVPro] *https://www.youtube.com/@malec3821 [Referenced YT Home Page via Malec] *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angoul%C3%AAme_International_Comics_Festival *https://www.francetvpro.fr/contenu-de-presse/64684101 [Referenced PR News Article via FranceTVPro] *https://twitter.com/Totankama/status/1736789152455131477 [Referenced X Network Captioned VIDEO via Totankama] *https://twitter.com/francetvslash/status/1744403591736050165 [Referenced X Network Captioned VIDEO #1 via FranceTVSlash] *https://twitter.com/francetvslash/status/1747280767598641312 [Referenced X Network Captioned VIDEO #2f via FranceTVSlash] *https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toowam *https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/LoliRock *https://www.banijaykidsandfamily.com/shows/lolirock/ [Referenced Show Biography via Banijay Kids and Family website] *https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saison_4_de_Wakfu *https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wakfu_(s%C3%A9rie_t%C3%A9l%C3%A9vis%C3%A9e_d%27animation) *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjWsaz7gxI4 [Referenced YT VIDEO via Kass Koui] *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_7yLJQZ6JA [Referenced Classic YT Video via Generation TV_FR] *https://twitter.com/francetvpro/status/1750584660021666155 [Referenced X Network Captioned PHOTO via FranceTVPro] *https://www.wakfu.com/en/mmorpg/news/announcements/1680321-wakfu-s4-soon-available-viewing [Referenced News Article via Ankama News for Wakfu PR Division] *https://www.france.tv/france-3/wakfu/saison-4/5698308-wakfu-saison-4-des-le-9-fevrier-sur-okoo-et-france-tv.html [Reference News Article via France 3 Info] and *https://twitter.com/animetv_fr/status/1754591809651507421 [Referenced X Network Post via AnimeTVFrance News Bureau]

-- OneNETnews Team

[writeradamanteve]

Lucy Carlyle & Holly Munro

I want to talk about this dynamic as it’s truly one of the most polarizing relationships in the book, for various reasons, and yet it’s really one of the best written ones, also for many reasons.

So, sit down and grab a cup of tea. This will take a while, and Reader, I don’t plan on holding back.

Race and Diversity

Let’s talk about diversity for a moment. For those of you who’ve read the books, you know that until Holly made an appearance in the series, the Lockwood & Co. books were lily white. It was so white. There wasn’t a whisper of there being any people of color.

I cannot claim to know Jonathan Stroud’s values, but having watched the show before reading the books, it was clear to me that Stroud, at least, wasn’t consciously or maliciously being racist when he first wrote these books, and that he did, in fact, acknowledge the lack of diversity by Doing Better, first by introducing Holly in The Hollow Boy, and then ultimately, while collaborating on the TV series, readily allowing for a wealth of diversity, even going so far as giving one of the lead roles, which was canonically white, to a man of Iranian ethnicity.

So whatever prompted Stroud to introduce a person of color in the Lockwood & Co. book series, he clearly wanted to do it right. He didn’t retcon existing characters like other writers I know (looking at She Who Must Not Be Named “He’s Actually Totally Gay! Even If It’s Not In The Books!” ~ugh~), nor did he tokenize them like Ms. Voldemort over there (“All The People Of Color in My Books Are Sidelined and If They Have a Speaking Part, Either Stereotyped or Tends to Be Mostly Unbearable.” ~what a cunt-). Holly was a real, fully fleshed out character, who had a positive, and/or complicated, impact in the story.

Now, if I didn’t read the books and just went by all the posts about Holly’s relationship with Lucy in my Tumblr stream, it would seem like a simple case of opposite personalities clashing, at best--jealousy at it worst, but this relationship is not simple like that. I don't want to call it complicated, either. What it is, is nuanced. There is a lot of nuance to Holly & Lucy.

"Welcome, Holly!" Said Lucy, Never

With Lockwood & Co. all narrated from Lucy’s POV, we are introduced to Holly with Lucy’s reactions, perceptions, and biases.

It is clear, then, that Holly’s sudden appearance in what Lucy considered her Safe Space was jarring and intrusive. Lucy was neither consulted on this nor forewarned, but in a world of landlines, archives, and dewey decimal shelving, there is no way to contact a person in transit, there is no instant messaging, and I don't even know if there are answering machines. In this case, Lucy was traveling to her rural hometown which was hours away, for a couple of days, for the obligatory visit to the family she had left behind.

Consider for a moment: Lucy’s trip home was not a leisure vacation by any means. In fact, it only cemented Lucy’s resolve that she belonged in London, and that she missed being in 35 Portland Row, her found family (a.k.a. Lockwood and George), and her independence—all of which Lucy fought HARD to attain and preserve. None of these things came easy for her, but she did earn it, and she was assured enough in her accomplishments to pay a visit to her hometown voluntarily. We all know how it is--when we're not in a good spot in life, we generally don't feel like reconnecting with people like former classmates or family we left behind. It's too humiliating to tell them that we aren't doing so well, but if we've been successful in our pursuits, those class and family reunions are So Welcome, like--"Sure! I'd love to see you all!" In Lucy's case, she wasn't terribly enthused to see her family again, but she felt strong enough to weather the doldrums of it, knowing full-well that she could tell her mother to Shove It.

So given all that background, Lucy is understandably pissed that Holly comes sashaying into Lockwood & Co., highly recommended, with Lockwood hastily making space for her and keeping her comfortable. Not to mention George instantly liking her.

Holly seemed to have effortlessly settled into Lockwood & Co. without the trials and tribulations Lucy had to endure. It probably didn’t help that by all appearances, Holly’s had it easy most of her life.

Holly was beautiful, refined, classy, and educated. We don’t know much about Holly at this point, but it is implied she is possessed of a pedigree equal to Lockwood, except that she wasn’t orphaned at a young age and that her parents were there to nurture her talents.

It absolutely did not help either that Lucy, as a person, has zero social skills. She, with her Blue Collar upbringing, was not raised to make nice or be diplomatic. We hear her thoughts because she is the narrator, and we think her thoughts judgmental, but thoughts, by their nature, are unguarded. If we’re being completely honest, we all make snap judgements about the people we meet. Some of us may be snarkier about it than others, but a lot of our thoughts are not always positive. I wouldn’t call non-positive thoughts negative, just stripped of the diplomacy and niceties we were taught worked best in social settings.

So Lucy does tend to sound a bit nasty sometimes, but is she, really? Or is it just that we see into her mind without the filter of social norms. The show portrayed it perfectly--Lucy is an observer, and some of those snap judgments make their appearance in her words and actions, but is it more extraordinary than some of ours?

So Lucy, for her part in the introduction of Holly, did pretty well, and her thoughts were quite straightforward: She was pissed about the whole situation with Holly, hired without a proper heads-up to her, without the hoops that Lucy had to jump through, and both Lockwood and George appeared to like Holly better than they ever did Lucy. That was Lucy’s knee-jerk reaction.

In the coming weeks, we see how Lucy fully acknowledges how beautiful and fashionable Holly was, and how efficient, doing exactly what she was hired to do with breezy, confident ease. She cleaned their disaster house, organized their schedule, fielded nuisance inquiries, and booked them profitable, resume-padding jobs. Oh, she can be a field agent, too, but she was a bit rusty, so it was the least of her talents.

Lucy clung to that last bit as her security blanket—something she had over Holly, who otherwise seemed so aggravatingly perfect. So when Lockwood, like the good boss he was, was very much willing to reignite Holly’s skills on the field with gentle support and enthusiasm, this again, made Lucy simmer in resentment.

Keep in mind that while all this was happening, Lucy was trying her best to make it work. She hated that Holly was trotting around like a responsible adult, cleaning and trying to make everyone eat healthy. But Lucy was mostly civil.

The tension between Lucy and Holly was palpable, but you can tell that Holly wasn’t trying to annoy her. They were both trying to make it work, and that Holly was sensitive to Lucy’s triggers.

Lockwood & George

Most of Lucy’s resentment stemmed from how much better Lockwood and George treated Holly than they did Lucy—at least from Lucy’s perception.

So I examined that. Is that true? Did they treat her so much better?

The immediate thought is that yes, they do treat Holly with a level of reverence and care that wasn’t exactly there with Lucy, but if Lucy thinks it’s because they liked Holly better, that would be an oversimplification of how Lockwood and George regards Lucy.

First of all, Lucy and George butted heads immediately. Lucy’s lack of social skills and George’s lack of filter was just an inevitably tumultos brew. They did eventually grow to appreciate one another, deeply and sincerely, but that's because they both saved each other's lives. That's what it took. They love one another now, but they had to go through a lot to get to that point. Also, they never stopped being snarky to each other, so there's that.

Lockwood, however, treated Lucy with respect. He was confident of her abilities and he made space for her, too. He offered her his room, for God's sake, and he didn't think twice about her missing 4th levels. He trusted in her skills well enough to bring her along for jobs, immediately. He was impressed by her Listening talent, and was even excited by how, with her, the agency would thrive.

So it wasn't that Holly was treated better; she was treated differently. Lucy is an field agent. By all appearances--her short brown, low-maintenance hair, her practical clothes, and the rapier at her hip, she was ready for action. She did not sweat details. She did not bother with the tidiness of her room. She certainly wasn't the type to pick up after the boys. Why the hell would she? She wasn't their mother. And she gave as good as she got. She didn't appear shocked or stymied by course language or behavior. She was not a delicate flower, so George and Lockwood treated her like the tough cookie that she was.

Lockwood and George respected Lucy this way, just as they respected Holly that way.

So while we understand Lucy's resentment, we have to keep things in perspective here.

Lucy vs. Holly

Lucy felt that Holly was patronizing, that she looked down on Lucy, and that Holly could do no wrong. It did not help that Lockwood was not acknowledging Lucy's feelings.

To Lockwood's mind, Holly was a godsend (she was), and that Lucy can try a little harder (she couldn't--that was truly the best she could do), and he seriously had very little time to make Lucy feel better about the entire thing. His patience was wearing thin.

Was it all Lucy's fault? No. Was it Holly's? No, but while Lockwood was making all the right moves for the agency as its founder and CEO, Lucy was not only doing her best to make her relationship with Holly work, but she was also grappling with her growing Talent and the use of it. Lockwood did not approve of what Lucy was trying to achieve with her Listening talents. It was dangerous to both Lucy and the rest of them--so much so that he threatened to fire her if she didn't stop.

We all know that Lockwood's threats of termination were empty, because in The Creeping Shadow, we were told that Lockwood did not want Lucy to leave and that he did everything to get her back. This threat was more a desperate attempt to curb Lucy. He is perfectly aware that Lucy cannot be stopped by normal means, but he needed her to stop, because what she was doing was risking her safety, and he would not have her killed because of it. Lockwood believed that by withholding his warmth, Lucy would realize how serious he was and come to her senses.

Because of all this, Lockwood grew distant and Lucy felt that keenly. That Lucy was turning to Skull as her confidante showed how lonely she grew in the midst of it all.

As we come back to Holly and Lucy's relationship, we begin to see that whatever Lucy's feelings for Holly were, they were being processed amidst all this upheaval, so Lucy was not having an easy time of it.

When we truly look at Lucy's and Holly's interactions, both of them were really doing their best, and they carried on well enough, but there was an inevitable breaking point.

Things would eventually come to a head at Aickmere's, brought there by the Chelsea Outbreak. Lucy and Holly would have it out, stirring the poltergeist.

From their argument, we find out that Holly was just as insecure about Lucy's gifts as Lucy was of Holly's. They both thought the other was being patronizing, and that neither of them actually looked down on the other. They picked a bad time to have this discussion, but it was had, and while it stirred the haunting to disastrous levels, it DID give Lucy and Holly a better understanding of one another. It was Growth at a Time of Poltergeist.

In Lucy and Holly's brief time working together to stay alive, we saw exactly how they would get along, how intuitive they were of each other's strengths and weaknesses, and how amidst the arguing, it was totally conceivable that they could come to like one another.

At the end of The Hollow Boy, when Lucy comes to the decision to leave Lockwood & Co., we know for sure it isn't because of Holly, even if everyone thinks it is.

Holly & Lucy

I am still absolutely tickled by the fact that Holly actually tells Lucy in The Creeping Shadow that she misses her, and that Holly wished Lucy had stuck around so that she would have someone to talk to. I did briefly, actually think that Holly might have had a crush on Lucy, because Lucy gives out bi-vibes (or maybe that's just me, Idon'tknow), but as I thought about it more, that would be a pretty annoying trope, where everyone falls in love with the heroine, so no. I think Holly was actually setting her sights on someone else, though Holly absolutely did miss Lucy, and she genuinely wanted to be besties with Lucy, especially because Holly thought Lockwood and George were so hard to crack (and by the way, this is so telling. Again, more proof of how differently George and Lockwood treats Lucy and Holly--not better, but differently. They are at their best behavior with Holly and as a result, they aren't vulnerable with her. The boys, however, treat Lucy like one of them, so she knows them the way Holly couldn't).

Holly's contributions to the narrative of The Hollow Boy were significant, in the same way that Kipps's contributions were significant in The Creeping Shadow. The Empty Grave treated us to the dynamic of having Kipps and Holly round out Lockwood & Co., fully entrenched into its maverick ways and the secret of the Whispering Skull.

Lucy and Holly's relationship found an easy cadence, and I especially loved how Lucy and Holly banded together instinctively to comandeer the two-bed room at the inn, leaving the boys to grapple with the second bedroom arrangements.

I cannot stress enough how well Holly and Lucy's relationship turned out, and how I will marvel at its development. I will always think of this relationship as well-earned. It was a journey, human and interesting. Stroud did a marvelous job forming it.

[ihavetoomanythoughts3]

Okay, since it has come to my attention that it has been 10 years of Lockwood and Co., (Thank you @wellgoslowly) I want to talk about the effect Lockwood & Co. has had on me.

I did not find Lockwood & Co. until a few months after the show’s release, but that did not stop me from quickly becoming obsessed with this world. Well. Obsessed conjures up a more negative image.

I fell in love with Lockwood & Co.

Very quickly, I found that 35 Portland Row would bring a sense of home that my house, no matter how full, could not generate. Every little detail was perfect, and I can not honestly tell you of a more homey house. I want to live, if not in the world of Lockwood & Co., then at least in their house. The little things in 35 Portland Row brought the house to life. The house itself had so much character, there was a feeling that it was not just lived in but lived in, you know? It felt like our characters weren’t just on a set, or in a museum, but a place where they could relax and just be kids in a world where that wasn’t allowed.

Now, the only thing better than living in a home like 35 Portland Row, in my opinion, would be to have people like our Iron Trio. Everything, and I mean everything, about Lockwood & Co. makes me feel a bigger sense of belonging, just being a reader, than I feel in my own life. But I’ll talk about that later. What I want to talk about now is Lockwood, Lucy, and George.

Each of them are perfect, beautifully flawed, and human. I work so hard at being a “perfect” person that seeing these people be flawed and broken, and be accepted, not despite of, but regardless? Seeing these teenagers mess up, ruin something (admittedly to a much larger scale than mine) but still have friends to turn to? It felt like a wake up call. A reminder that I don’t have to be some society-defined standard for what is “normal” or “perfect”. More than anything, the Iron Trio more or less looked me in the eye and told me that I can be myself, and my true friends, my true family, will accept me for me.

I see a bit of myself in each of the Iron Trio. I have Lucy’s insecurity, her anger. I have Lockwood’s need to win, because who will pick up the pieces for me if I fail? I have George’s social awkwardness, his tendency to prefer books over people. That might be why these characters are so beloved. Whether it be their strengths or their weaknesses, almost everyone can find something to relate to in them.

I think Netflix did an amazing job with the Lockwood & Co. adaptation. I am not saying that because I found the show first. I have read the books as well. The casting is top-tier, especially for our beloved Iron Trio. But it’s not just the actors I am praising here, although they deserve all the praise in the world and more. Everyone behind the scenes, from the big names in the intro to the assistant to the assistant of somebody, made this masterpiece of a book-to-screen adaptation possible. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to all involved in the slightest in the transition from beloved book to screen.

Back to what I was saying earlier, I genuinely feel like I belong more in Lockwood & Co. than in my own life. I’m not saying “I’m too good for this world” or “I hate my life” or anything like that. Maybe it’s not that I belong more in Lockwood & Co. but that I want to belong in something like Lockwood & Co. I want the found family. I want the people who care for me, not because they’re supposed to, but because they chose to. Reading from Lucy’s perspective, it is evident that Lucy feels as if she belongs, thus bringing the reader (at least in my case) along with her. Watching the show, I think Ruby, Cameron, and Ali did a phenomenal job of portraying this. This little family at 35 Portland Row will always be in my heart, getting me through even more than they already have.

To end this rant, I just want to say thank you. Thank you to Jonathan Stroud, for creating Lockwood & Co. and all that it has brought along with it. Thank you to Joe Cornish, for putting his all into the Lockwood & Co. tv show. Thank you to Ruby Stokes, Cameron Chapman, and Ali Hadji-Heshmati. All the actors were amazing, but these three truly brought the Iron Trio to life on screen in the best way possible. And thank you to everyone in between, who I didn’t name, but who were a part nonetheless in giving us this wonderful, wonderful world, Lockwood & Co. Thank you, thank you, thank you all for giving me, for giving us, a world to fall in love with. ❤️

[blackjackkent]

3, 4, 10, 11!

(Dragon Age: Veilguard Hype Q&A)

3. Do you usually play as a warrior, mage, or rogue? Which class are you planning to try first this time around? Which subclass?

I've played a pretty equal distribution of all the classes in the previous games. I haven't fully started solidifying a decision on which type of char I will play first for Veilguard but a Spellblade mage sounds pretty cool. Seems like it might be a good culmination of the worldstate I'm going to use first, which was a warrior Warden and Inquisitor and a mage Hawke.

4. What does your worldstate look like going into DAV?

Oh hey, perfect transition. :P

I have three different worldstates I could play with but the one I'm going to use for my initial playthrough was my second worldstate of the first three games. Past characters were:

Daniel Cousland - painfully earnest and sincere son of House Cousland, deeply devoted to his father's memories and the lessons Bryce instilled in him, became seneschal to King Alistair post-game but eventually disappeared to follow his love Morrigan into the Fade and raise their son together. Currently off to parts unknown investigating the Calling.

Elliot Hawke - Angry, grumpy, antisocial mage; a somniari like Feynriel and terribly afraid of his own powers. Dogged by a rage demon in his dreams. Deeply in love with Fenris and would be quite happy if he never had to interact with other people besides Fenris ever again. Survived the Fade at Stroud's expense. Last seen helping Varric rebuild in Kirkwall.

Dominic Trevelyan - Goofball golden retriever Inquisitor, raised as a Templar trainee but never actually took vows. Good man from the start but sheltered by his noble/Templar upbringing and has had his worldview opened up considerably during his time with the Inquisition. Devout Andrastean who suffered a bit of a crisis of faith over the course of the game but became more resolute (and older and much much more tired) in the end. Romanced Cassandra and was somewhat shattered by the fact that she ended up appointed Divine; the two of them have been carrying on a much more subtle love affair since then. Has (presumably) been orchestrating the development of the Veilguard.

Really hope something nice ends up happening to all of them because god they've earned it. XD

10. Which location are you most excited/hoping to explore in-game?

NGL I was really intrigued by the gameplay preview of Minrathous. It is NOT what I was expecting at all and feels like a neat departure from the areas we've seen in previous games. Smidge of scifi with the panopticon space station. XD So I'm pretty excited to see more of that and how we fit into it.

11. What's one thing you'd really like to see in this next game?

So far as I know we only are likely to actually see the Inquisitor as a character in Veilguard but I hope we continue to get references to the Warden and Hawke as well to see snippets of their story continued. And I hope that whatever we end up doing in fighting the Evanuris turns out to cure the Blight so that Daniel and Morrigan can go off and live long and happy lives together. XD

[dimensionhoppinghybrids]

Joseph immediately knew that the dream he was having wasn't a normal dream.

It was the smell. The smell of... Rot. Of decay. Of an old must that lingered in bogs. The smell was too sweet. Too sickly.

Joseph knew what he would find as he turned his head. His ears finding the splashing of water, and the horrible bloated carcases of the undead wearing nothing but simple garbs of rotten hemp and cloth. They streamed out of the waters, and by instinct in a dream of a memory, Joseph found his weapon already falling down on a squishy head, the skull bursting open with green ichor and remains. He heard the charge of his friends, Iron Bull coming at his side with a scream as he hewed an undead in two, and Joseph zipped to another undead as they all made their way to a town called Crestwood.

Joseph remembered this. He and his team of comrades had all come here to investigate a rift, and a way to get through to the other side of a dam if he remembered correctly.

Right that instant, the details of the why were fuzzy and unimportant. He just knew that there was a time to fight, and to hew and crush, and that is what he did. His yells of rage as he swung down ended in a fall down into a endless pit, and his scream of rage, became a scream of fear as he felt his body get flung by an eldrich dragon into what could only be described a well of infinite darkness.

The scene had transitioned so quickly into another nightmare dream, his limbs flailing as he felt himself try and find anything, something to slow his fall! He felt beams and walls crash against his back, the snap of bone and the horrible pain of a wing hidden by a glamor take the brunt of something. It knocked the wind out of him, made his chest tighten with pain and his back flare like a star in agony.

He remembered this pain, this agony. He had been saved, and by luck at that. But the ultimate outcome of the healers finding out what he was had been the price.

Yet he didn't fault them for it. He remembered stumbling out of a cave system, holding at his side at the rib that had cracked, feeling its jarring and creaking bones rub against each other, feeling the flare of agony that threatened to put him under from sheer agony.

Yet he had kept going.

The scene transitioned again, the smell of death pervaded his senses again, and he could hear the screams of troops and monsters, of things that made his head hurt and ears ring with clamor. He had been made to stay behind while his troops stormed the castle ahead. He had wanted to charge ahead, but he felt the tight leather grip of a glove as his comrade, Blackwall stopped him.

"No, you fool! Let them break down the doors for us first!" He said as he prevented his leader and comrade to go into the jaws of death like a fool.

"But I have to lead them!" Joseph screamed, his senses focusing on the fact that he had so many lives to save, to lead. To bring back home!

"You can't save them all boy! Let them die with duty and honor. Value their sacrifice as they make way for us to bring home survivors!"

That was always what it was about, wasn't it? In war, there weren't victors. Only survivors. And Joseph always felt so helpless when he sent his men to die.

Another memory, of him falling on his knees after trying to defeat the formless one. They had one chance to get back to the real world, but they would need to make a sacrifice. Hawke, or Stroud. Joseph wasn't sure on which one, as both were good men.

"We have to leave!" Stroud insisted to Joseph. The fox unable to really chose who to go, not wanting too. "Go, go. I can keep it busy." Joseph tried to insist, tried to push them. He could survive. He always got out. Always.. Right?

But Stroud gave Joseph a piercing glance, there was anger there, then acceptance, as if he had come to a decision on his own. "No, my good Inquisitor, you can't. You have too much left to do, too much yet to find out I suspect. Only you can save us now." Was all that Joseph heard, as there seemed to be a non-verbal agreement between the two men, and Hawke, a man he had more or less recently met as a friend of a friend, grabbed Joseph by the collar, and gave him a sharp yank, as Stroud with a cry of battle, and Joseph with a cry of anguish, because an impossible choice has been made for him, he reached out, desperately wanting to save people that had done their best already to help him.

Wasn't that what he was supposed to do? To save them? Hand reaching out, trying to fight back, he screamed, kicked and did his best to reach out as the arachnid horror of the formless one, descended gaping fangs of death down on a brave man, as he got swallowed whole.

And Joseph woke up, the scream of anguish, anger and desperation ringing in his ears as he reached out to a formless entity, only seen in his dreams.

He was heaving in deep breaths. His chest feeling tight, his limbs feeling shaky, and his whole being abuzz with adrenaline, his fight or fight responses at the ready.

He felt his tails, poofy and stiff and all around, ready to snap like snakes and help empower his magic like arrows.

He looked around, his face almost pale as old memories ran in his mind.

The scene of the black market had reminded him of too much of those days. Of seeing sick and starving people. Of people doing desperate things, or placed under the heels of those believing themselves superior than those they conquered.

All things Joseph had to see sometimes, again and again.

Things, he absolutely hated to see.

[bowla-borscht]

so what is all this stuff about lockwood? I'm curious now /gen feel free to ramble ( also I accidentally unfollowed you sending this ask so I gave you an extra notification sorry)

Hdhshjd, accidentally unfollowing someone is such a mood😭

But anyways, hi!! Ok so Lockwood & Co is a new Netflix show that's an adaptation of one of my favourite book series, Lockwood & Co, written by one of my all time favourite authors, Jonathan Stroud <333

The story setting is basically that around 50 years ago The Problem appeared. The Problem is ghosts, of various power levels and hostility but if any of them touch you, you dead <3 unfortunately, only children can see them and as they transition into adulthood (~18-20) their powers fade until they're gone. The Problem effects everyone but adults can't do anything to fight it. So obviously it's time to throw child labour laws out the window! Though they still get adult supervision, not that it helps much. The Problem seems to only effect Britain, it's never really elaborated on or mentioned but this makes the most sense in story and I think that's hilarious.

The story centres on our protagonist, Lucy Carlyle, a no nonsense agent (ghost hunter) from the country who has run off to London after an Incident with her previous employer. Unable to find employment in any other agency, she stumbles upon a small company that's willing to take her in. The company, Lockwood & Co, is only run by two people, both of whom are Lucys age (~14-16) and very much not adults, but hey, who needs a childhood anyway?

The other members of L&C are the mysterious, stylish, kinda self centred owner deeply in need of a therapist, Anthony Lockwood, and his friend/employee the intially off putting brain of the group who is SO autism, George Karim (also known George Cubbins in the book, but the show decided to make him Iranian because honestly the books are. Very very white)

Together they try not to fall into debt, get killed on the job, get arrested for malpractice, and uncover a government conspiracy! Also there's a talking skull in there. He's a creep and I love him.

The show is an amazing adaptation of the book, keeping most of the good parts and improving others. It's a very sweet found family while also being an awesome and atmospheric supernatural mystery show. Also has the great message of Hey. Child Labour Is Kinda Bad

If you end up checking it out pls feel free to dm me so we can chat about it <33

[primonizuto]

ive been rereading the bartimaeus books recently and god they are so fucking good like it's insane how good they are and i am speaking mostly of nathaniel and kitty here despite the fact that bart is my fav character of all time like

nathaniel is the worst guy ever of all time and it rules. it is so difficult to write a character who you unequivocally feel sympathy with in the first book slowly turning into the absolute worst piece of shit imaginable by the third book but IT IS DONE HERE. and ofc the series itself as a whole was so carefully plotted and everything felt so tight and concisely written, and a lot of the impetus behind the events in the books were very clearly spelled out bc it's YA lit so things Have to be clear, but it kind of still amazes me that there's so much connecting the metaphor (identity closely linked with the name you have and the face you present to the world; 'nathaniel' linked with compassion and idealism and individuality and creativity but also trauma vs 'john mandrake' linked with power and control and the repression of that trauma) with the worldbuilding (true names are dangerous weaknesses and so magicians are supposed to be nameless until they are old enough to be given their magician name) - something as simple as nathaniel being nathaniel during Amulet and Golem's Eye and then suddenly by book 3, at his nadir, he is john mandrake and everybody including bartimaeus calls him that... oof !!! it makes it stick out even more in Golem's Eye when he's still being called nathaniel in the narrative but everyone around him is calling him mandrake as a point of transition

KITTY JONES IS THE BEST YA HEROINE EVER WRITTEN BAR NONE!! i was talking abt this a while ago but it is so fucking cool that kitty's magical special power that she has (her resilience) is NOT what ultimately makes her special and important to the narrative. what makes her important is her capacity for compassion and her determination to follow through on her convictions, in this case with ptolemy's gate. her resilience is mainly there to give her a backstory and place her in opposition to the magicians, it's not there to make her the chosen one

i swear these books legitimately radicalised me as a kid. i remember reading the descriptions of the british empire in the books when i was maybe 11 or 12 and being like 'gee, i sure am glad it wasn't like that in real life', but when i was older and returned to the books i could see that it wasn't 'what if', it was allegory, extrapolating real history and applying it to the book's universe

also i'm not jewish and please correct me if i'm wrong but i think GE is one of the only fantasy stories written by a non-jewish (i think) author which uses golems as a plot point in a way that retains their jewish origins - bart explicitly mentions in his world that the golems, in line with our world's jewish folklore, were first made to protect the jewish people from pogroms!! it's not some case of like 'oh yeah golems are in this also. where did they come from, you ask? it's not important'

anyway didn't mean for this post to be so long but if you like reading fantasy alt history YA which is also a really impressive trilogy-long takedown of indoctrination, abuse and the british empire then i present to you the bartimaeus trilogy by jonathan stroud

also the prequel novel is good too and functions in every way that a prequel novel should by 1) fleshing out a few offhanded references from the main books into a contained story of its own and 2) making sure that story deepens our understanding of the main character and allows us to see him in a totally different light before a key element of his backstory had even happened which makes that element itself even more tragic and profound

[hawkezone]

THE SEAT OF POWER: PT 2

In the wake of Fen'Harel's escape, former Inquisitor Angus Trevelyan handles his transition from being Ostwick's most finicky and least eligible bachelor to being on the arm of Minrathous's finest; while juggling the beginnings of an elven rebellion. A Trevelyan-Dorian & Fen(m!)hawke imagining of the events leading up to Dread Wolf, Part Two.

CHAPTERS: ♕ [1] [2] [3] [4]

♕

Chapter Two: Letters from Varric

“Broody.

I know you’re going to kill me when you get this, so be patient and maybe don’t go all out on that tear my heart out thing until you hear the whole story.

First off, Hawke is fine. I know you’re going to ask, so I’ll try to give you a play by play of how everything went over in Adamant Keep. Yes, Adamant. Wardens. Again, please reserve your murder of me for later.

You haven’t met Lucky, but he’s the Inquisitor. Nice guy. Real fancy type. You would hate him. Least of all because his paramour is an actual mage from Tevinter. No, not a magister. Not yet, anyway. He’s very insistent about that. They’re a good bunch, though. I imagine you’ll find that hard to believe.

This next part is the part you’re going to murder me for, so brace yourself. Apparently, in the heat of trying to chase down Warden-Commander Clarel, Lucky here tore open a passageway straight between our world and the Fade and - I shit you not - ended up walking bodily in the Fade itself. One of his lucky passengers was your man Chuckles, although he wasn’t too happy about it at the time.

You’re not going to believe this next part, but the thing that pulled Lucky out of the Fade in the first place, when he got saved from the Breach? The Divine Justinia herself, according to eye witness accounts. She couldn't save us in the end, though. Not from the giant thing that split the sky open and tried to keep us from leaving.

Your man tried to play the hero - or should I say, Champion - to distract the giant thing for long enough for the rest of us to scramble out of the Breach. I know, I know, if I’d have been there I would’ve thrown him through the Breach to stop him myself. You’ll be happy to know that Stroud took that last stand - and it was heroic by all accounts, from what Chuckles tells me. A real noble death for a real, noble Grey Warden. I guess Hawke was right about leaving without telling you, though - you two would have squabbled to the death over who gets to sacrifice themselves for who until you dissolved into a teary-eyed mess of sorrow and dramatic lingering kisses. We call you Broody for a reason, you know.

So the Warden trail doesn’t stop there, right? Hawke is en route to Weisshaupt, right as I’m penning this missive, which means that he should be there right about when you’re receiving it. He says he’s worried about you following him because he’s not sure about putting you in the eyeline of Corypheus, but you deserve to know. What you do with that is up to you. I’m guessing you two had a long, measured, very logical talk about what to do in this eventuality, and it wasn’t just a yelling match followed by several hours of slow yet tender lovemaking before Hawke disappeared in the middle of the night with a letter detailing how he would lay down his life for you and pine away every night in the absence of your presence. I assume. Liberties were taken.

He really would die for you, you know. And I can’t stop you from going to Weisshaupt. Just make sure you two keep each other alive instead of burning up in each other’s arms, okay?

See you there. When this is over. Or sooner.

Your friend,

Varric.”

Scanning the last few lines again - and again, and again - Fenris’s eyes grew wide. He could scarcely believe the gall of Varric to let Hawke wander headfirst into danger again. Taking the letter - and the heavy string and seal that came with it, and the inkpot next to the receiving desk, and the quill for good measure - Fenris slammed the stuff against the wall in an angry gesture of pure destruction, letting out an exasperated howl. The people downstairs, he had hoped, were used to some occasional angry screaming by now; the things Varric had sent in his letters hadn’t exactly been non-screaming material.

As the ink blotted downwards through the wood onto the straw-matted floor, Fenris sighed, and picked up the letter again. Weisshaupt. But of course Varric had intended for him to follow Hawke, all along; he wouldn’t have mentioned it otherwise. The dwarf, though one could argue he was sentimental, wasn’t so much so as to put his best friend in danger. Hawke, it was evident, needed him. And Varric was saying as much, in his way. No doubt the Lady Nightingale was reading each of his every word.

He was already furious with Hawke for stealing away in the night, though he knew why he had done so - they had, indeed, had a bombastically loud screaming match the night before he had slipped off to Skyhold, wherein Hawke refused to tell him where he had been summoned - by the dread Inquisition, no less - and, worst of all, why. For his safety, Hawke had said, and Fenris had never accepted Hawke placing his life above his own. It was true, though. Had he known where Hawke had gone, and where he would go, he would have gone with him, or, worse, tried to stop him from going. Hawke was never one to be stopped, though, and that was one of the things Fenris loved most dearly about him.

Nobody could have guessed that Hawke would end up physically walking in the Fade, however - Maker, but that would drive a man mad. Fenris, despite himself being still rather a bit mad at Hawke, crumpled the remains of the ink-splattered letter in his hand, wondering if Hawke was all right. To simply touch him and make sure he was whole again - that was worth everything in the world.

It wasn’t a matter on the table, then, it was decided: He was off to Weisshaupt. Once he was done being absolutely furious at both Varric and Hawke.

This was going to take a while.

-

“Aveline.

First things first. Is it true that Choir Boy led an army of Starkhaven crusaders in a misguided attempt to annex Kirkwall? In service of his feelings about Blondie? I don’t like the guy much either, but you know that’s an overstatement. Feels good to know you beat him back, though. Curly gave me the report. I’m proud of you. I bet you get that a lot, though.

How’s Donnic? You think I’m prying for inspiration, but I hope you two are doing all right. []”

-

“Dear Sunshine,

Your brother is fine, and he says hello. There! No need to worry.

Just kidding. I know you’ll have a million and one questions about what happened since I left you in Tantervale. How are Aveline and Donnic, by the way? If you get anything juicy pried out of her next time she visits, send it to me. No real secrets, though, just maybe enough spice to pepper into the next issue of Swords and Shields.

You’ve probably figured out Hawke was on his way to rendezvous with the Inquisition, and you’d be right. Don’t worry, I’ve been with him the entire time. He’s safe, and on his way to the next part of this whole twisted mystery. I let Fenris know where he went so they can keep each other company. Maybe mow down a few darkspawn and Red Templars along the way.

Apropos of nothing, you might want to consider taking an elongated vacation to the ancient Grey Warden fortress of Weisshaupt in the Anderfel Mountains sometime during the next few months. Maybe something of familial interest there.

Send my regards to the others in the Circle. Or what’s left of it, anyway.

Stay safe, and see you soon,

Your friend,

Varric.”

Bethany clutched the letter to her chest, and sighed wistfully out the window. The cold of the tower she had been staying in, with Aveline and Donnic’s occasional company when they rode up from Kirkwall, had been especially fraught these last few days, but she was well and truly glad to hear from Varric.

Taking a piece of bread and whipped, sweetcream butter from a tablet by her bedside, Bethany chewed thoughtfully, squinting at the sun rising beyond the walls of Tantervale. She was happy her brother was all right - after all this time, he was still truly her best friend, as they had been since birth. Together, they had weathered so much - the death of their father, brother, and then mother; the reuniting of their uncle with the rest of their family, and the ascent in reclaiming the Hawke name as one to be truly proud of. Though she knew he was out doing important business, he’d always be her brother, and he’d always be thinking of her. It made Bethany feel safe, in a way. They would always have each other - Bethany was sure of it, and, for once, she felt the fabric of the world agree with her. Nothing would tear them apart - though Hawke’s insistence on trying to fix all of Thedas’s problems might tear him apart physically, away from this life.

-

[stroudve]

Functional Vocational Assessment in Puerto Rico- Explained for Your Benefit!

When dealing with career transitions or disability claims, you might wonder how a functional vocational assessment can help. Understanding what this assessment entails and how it benefits individuals can make a big difference in your career planning or disability case.

Let’s explore the key aspects of functional vocational assessments in Puerto Rico and how they can support your journey.

1. What Is a Functional Vocational Assessment?

A functional vocational assessment is a comprehensive evaluation that helps determine a person’s ability to work. This process assesses various factors, including skills, limitations, and potential for different types of employment. The goal is to provide a clear picture of what types of work a person can perform given their current physical or mental health conditions. This assessment is crucial for individuals seeking new job opportunities or applying for disability benefits.

2. How Does It Work in Puerto Rico?

In Puerto Rico, a functional vocational assessment involves a detailed analysis of an individual’s vocational capabilities. Professionals conduct a series of tests and interviews to evaluate a person's skills, interests, and limitations. This process helps identify suitable job options and offers insights into how well a person’s current abilities match the demands of different occupations. The functional vocational assessment in Puerto Rico aims to provide accurate and actionable information tailored to the local job market.

3. Key Steps in the Assessment Process

Here are five essential steps typically involved in a functional vocational assessment:

Initial Consultation: The process begins with a meeting where the assessor gathers information about the individual’s background, work history, and current health conditions.

Skill and Interest Evaluation: The assessor uses various tools to measure skills and interests, helping to identify potential career paths that align with the individual's strengths.

Limitations Analysis: The assessment includes an evaluation of physical and mental limitations to understand what types of work are feasible.

Job Market Analysis: The professional reviews the local job market to identify available positions that match the individual's skills and limitations.

Report and Recommendations: The final step is a comprehensive report that outlines the findings and provides recommendations for suitable job opportunities or next steps for further assessments or training.

4. Why It Matters

A functional vocational assessment offers valuable insights into a person’s ability to work and provides a roadmap for career planning or disability claims. For those seeking employment, it helps in identifying suitable job options and setting realistic career goals. For disability claims, the assessment provides evidence that supports the need for benefits by showing how a person’s conditions impact their ability to work.

Why Choose Stroud Vocational Expert Services?

Stroud Vocational Expert Services stands out in providing detailed and reliable functional vocational assessments. Our team is experienced in conducting thorough evaluations that are tailored to the specific needs of each individual. We focus on delivering clear and actionable insights that can help you make informed decisions about your career or disability claims.

In Conclusion

What sets us apart is our commitment to accuracy and personalized service. We ensure that every assessment is comprehensive, addressing all relevant factors to provide a complete picture of your vocational potential. Our local expertise in Puerto Rico allows us to align our assessments with the job market and opportunities available in the region, giving you the best possible guidance.

[stroudtimes]

Slow cookers, a quick answer for many going hungry

Slow cookers, a quick answer for many going hungry

Community groups are launching a crowdfunding bid to help people in food poverty cope with the cost-of-living crisis. Transition Stroud is working with the Network of Stroud Hubs – Top of Town, Trinity Rooms, Middle of the Hill, Uplands, and Paganhill Community Group – to ensure Slow Cooker Packs reach the people who will get the best use from them. The Hubs will also provide recipe help and run…

[fandomn00blr]

Day 72

of @the-wip-project’s 100 Days of Writing

Do you have filler scenes in your WIPs? How do you fill them?

I tend to think of all my stories as filler, if we’re going by the ‘slice of life’ or ‘seemingly unimportant moments’ between the Big Events in people’s lives definition of that term. I like writing within the drudgery of everyday life, I guess? Like, cool...you saved the world. But who does the dishes? 

The things I’m less excited to write, that actually feel like filler to me, are the transitional ‘summary’ paragraphs to try and contextualize these interactions and to get me from one of these little moments or scenes to the next. The big epic events that allow my characters to eventually get to the issue of who will be doing the dishes...I just really struggle to sit down and write those kinds of things.

---

I got tagged by @blarrghe and @noire-pandora today for WIP Wednesday (thank you both!), and I’ve been feverishly trying to draft a quick one-shot after seeing this brilliant post cross my dash again and being suddenly inspired...to cry a little, I guess? 

So here’s some Loghain and Stroud* in the Deep Roads together again, 15 years after Inquisition I guess?, for one final Stroghainoff adventure:

"It's not really you, though, is it?” Loghain mutters, more to himself than to the very life-like apparition of Stroud standing before him, mustache and all. 

“Of course not.” Loghain answers his own question and turns away from the hallucination. “My mind has begun to go, it seems...I suppose it won't be long now..." 

He continues trudging along, muttering to himself and following Maker-knows-what sense of direction he’s got left down here. He hasn’t decided if he’s trying to avoid the Darkspawn and the inevitable for as long as he can, or rush headlong toward them for a quick and brutal end. But he can’t seem to pinpoint the direction the Archdemon’s song is calling him to, so he supposes it doesn’t matter, anyway.

"Did you hear the one about the Grey Warden who packed up everything and moved to the Deep Roads?" the imaginary Stroud-ghost asks.

Loghain stops.

"He said it was his --"

"Don't," he whispers, shaking his head.

“That got a laugh out of you once.”

“The last thing I need down here is a Spirit -- or...or...whatever you are -- following me around and retelling his worst fucking jokes.”

"It's me, Old Man."

He finally turns back, peering at him again through the darkness. He seems more solid than before, but Loghain still doesn’t dare to reach out and try to touch him. 

"My brain could have easily just conjured you up with the same terrible sense of humor that the real you had," he sneers.

"So what difference does it make, then?”

“Well, one of you was real, for starters.” 

Stroud chuckles, and it’s perfectly infuriating, just as he remembers it. “A long time ago, I promised you that we'd do this together, didn’t I?"

"And you broke that promise when you decided to play the hero and stay behind in the Fade."

"You knew that I was already hearing my Calling then. I wouldn’t have been able to keep that promise, even if I hadn’t stayed behind." Stroud thoughtfully strokes his mustache. "But while I was there, I met some...spirits, I suppose. Justice. And he introduced me to Devotion...and Patience.”

Loghain watches him, looking for any kind of break in the illusion.

“How long has it taken you to catch up to me, Mac Tir?”

"Fifteen bloody years…" Loghain grumbles.

"Oh."

"Yes."

"And you've been alone this entire time?"

"Of course I have!"

"Loghain…” Stroud reaches for his hands, whispering, “I'm so sorry."

Loghain stares at his hands, being held by a ghost. A ghost whose thumbs rub circles into him the way Stroud always did whenever he had gotten lost in one of his many rants.

"I'd have taken care of you, you know?" Loghain blurts out.

Stroud smiles. "I know."

"I’d have held you through the nightmares. Force-fed you mush if I had to. And talked as much sense as I could into you for as long as you’d let me. And when the time came..."

"I know." He nods, pulling Loghain into the very real-feeling steadfast sturdiness of his embrace.

*This Stroud got left behind in the Fade, but like, IDK...who’s to say he, or at least some part of him, didn’t make it out of there somehow? Not me. I don’t know how any of this works.

The rest of this is just going to be them bickering and lots of bewildered letters from Orlesian Wardens regarding two old men seen fighting Darkspawn together before disappearing into a half-collapsed tunnel.

Tagging @serial-chillr, @pinkfadespirit, @paraparadigm, @cleverblackcat, @funkypoacher, @juniper-tree, @convenientcoma, and anyone else who has any art or writing or other WIPs you want to share!

[shanaraharlyah]

Since I've been sharing Dragon Age renders lately, I thought maybe I should share screenshots of each of my Inquisitors.

Tarwen Lavellan

Class: Rogue

Romance: Cullen - Married

I played her first on PS3 because I knew Cullen was romance-able and I couldn't get over how nervous and adorable he was when playing a fem mage in Origins (This is apparently a thing for me, Cullen, Yamcha, Laguna, etc). I always play blindly on my first run so she ended up tragically getting her clan killed in a war table mission. She denied being chosen by Andraste, allied with the mages, left Hawke in the Fade (sorry Anders) and rebuilt the Grey Wardens, made Leliana Divine, was betrayed by Iron Bull and vowed to redeem Solas. In the end, she disbanded the Inquisition so she could retire with her Cully-Wully and start a family.

Valiiranet Lavellan aka Crazy Mage

Class: Mage

Specialization: Knight Enchanter

Romance: Solas

Valiiranet was on trophy cleanup duty on PS3. I played her first as my mage origin in Origins (also for cleanup duty) where she became maker of crazy decisions (sided with the templars, werewolves, etc) and slinger of walking bombs. In Inquisition, she claimed to be chosen by Andraste, disbanded the templars and forced them to serve the Inquisition, left Hawke in the Fade and exiled the Wardens.  She made Cassandra Divine and preserved the Inquisition, swearing to stop Solas after begging him to take her with him.

Hellendil Lavellan

Class: Mage

Specialization: Knight Enchanter

Romance: Cassandra

Hellendil was my one shot platinum run on PS4. He accepted the claim of being chosen by Andraste, allied with the mages, left Stroud in the Fade and rebuilt the Wardens.  He decided Cassandra was best for Divine even if it meant losing her as his lover.  He was a little bi-curious as he flirted with Dorian a lot, though he chose Cassandra in the end. He was betrayed by Bull, preserved the Inquisition and vowed to stop Solas.

I was actually really happy with his look in game as it's pretty close to his original design, hair should just be flip-flopped (his 3D portrait is my current avatar). Fun fact about his design, I literally dreamt him up and woke up in the middle of the night to sketch him (he's the youngest sibling of my character Sarovanya).

Kartaelin Lavellan

Class: Warrior

Specialization: Champion

Romance: Dorian

You all probably know this guy by now.  :3  I played Kartaelin to get all the Trespasser trophies, clean up anything else I missed and to romance Dorian.   All my previous characters were friends with Dorian, (I mean, how can you not love him?) and these guys both deserve someone who is good for them (in his original story, Taelin goes 4 centuries before admitting his sexual orientation to anyone or truly falling for someone!).  I couldn’t give him his goatee, but I used a complexion with a 5 O’clock shadow for him.

He was best friends with Sera and Cassandra and also close with Solas, vowing to redeem him.  He allied with the mages, left Stroud in the Fade, rebuilt the Wardens, and made Leliana Divine.  He was a master of The Game and brokered peace between Celene, Gaspard and Briala.  In the end he agreed to join Sera and the Red Jennies while transitioning the Inquisition to a peacekeeping organization.

Haegana “Ladder McBack Getter” Cadash

Class: Rogue

I’ve just started playing Haegana so she hasn’t made many choices yet, but she’s already well on her way to a romance with Blackwall.  I also played her in the dwarf commoner origin in Origins, hence the nickname.

[trophywifejimgordon]

thank you @bastardlarusso for tagging me! ^_^

Nickname: well, my dad calls me “punk.” other than that i haven’t really had one since i stopped going by my deadname? i think? (watch me be forgetting something crucial)

Zodiac: cancer 😔✊

Height: 5′9″. ish. 

Last Thing I Googled: other than “fist emoji” to put into this post? “the power of love lyrics” sfdgfgdshfnddghf

Song Stuck In My Head: funnily enough, the power of love (huey lewis & the news)

Amount Of Sleep: hahahahahaHAHAHA next question

Lucky Numbers: 34 (and any permutations of that. 17. 68. 43. etc)

Dream Job: author.....

Wearing: cobra kai t-shirt (thanks maryonna <3), jeans, ufo socks babeyyyy

Favorite Author: oof. uhhh, depends on the genre? i’m a pretty big fan of stephen king, jonathan stroud, edgar cantero, john brunner.... OH, and lyda morehouse, definitely. again, i’m probably critically missing some important figures in my literary experience but that’s who’s popping to mind atm.

Favorite Instrument: piano. it’s the only one i even kind of know how to play, anyway....

Aesthetic: tacky 80′s sci-fi shit. you seen re-animator? like that. actually, just tacky things and 80′s things in general. i look like if an entire decade threw up on me.

Favorite Song: how fuckin embarrassing is it if i say “on top of the world” by imagine dragons? 

Favorite Animal Noises: anything my little spengy boy says when he’s using his words (spengs being my cat, not esteemed ghostbuster dr. egon spengler.)

Random: when i was in middle school (well before IT (2017) came out, essential fact), i wrote a ~10k fanfic shipping gamzee makara from homestuck with pennywise from IT, on the basis that they were both clowns. i wrote this (AS A JOKE!) for a friend of mine’s birthday, rushing through the whole thing in one excruciating all-nighter. for the first part of the night, my goal was to go out of my way to fit every word from the spelling bee list (which both of us were competing in.. .i think? i know i did) into the story, but being that there were like 400 words on the list and that it took me about a paragraph if not more to write each one in, i had to give up on that in favor of finishing the fucking thing around like 2 am. i made a cover with bad clip art (ok, to be fair it was SUPPOSED to be bad) and printed the whole thing (around 15-20 pages) on the school printer, which technically had a limit of printing 3 pages per person per day, but the librarian liked me. her mistake. to make this worse, i hit print twice and i had to stand there while my weird clown fic printed in purple comic sans two times in a row, while someone else was watching me indignantly as she waited for her paper to print... whoops. anyway so that would all be bad enough, but the next year i wrote a sequel (i remember this being the best/worst installation in the series), and the next year after THAT i finished it as a trilogy, but also, i figured that the gift had to continually escalate, so i enlisted two other friends, and we made a fucking musical. 

every song was just a parody of some other song, with absolutely no rhyme or reason to genre or theme. i wrote the lyrics to these, and we actually recorded them, with one of my friends playing the ukulele and all of us singing parts. there was a cover of bring me to life by evanescence that we had to record about one thousand times because we kept laughing. i ruined my voice doing a terezi pyrope impression over a bad “bet on it” parody. at one point “can’t help falling in love” transitioned directly into “soldier boy.” possibly the most notable part of this whole enterprise was the fact that one of the songs we chose to be a part of this was “angel of the morning,” which... appears in one memorable scene in it: chapter 2, a movie that came out three years AFTER we did this. still don’t know what that means, but i’m pretty sure it’s a sign. anyway, i haven’t actually talked to the dude we did all this for in YEARS, but i still have a copy of that cd in my car. funny how life works out, i guess.

tagging: @oathedkeeper @charlesbukkakeowski @acieumdiddle @airi-koizumi @dragonmomknits @04kenma @marsunlost and anyone else who would like to do it!

[moonlightmurder]

Favorite True Crime Books – part 2

John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster by Sam L. Amirante : “Sam, could you do me a favor?” Thus begins a story that has now become part of America’s true crime hall of fame. It is a gory, grotesque tale befitting a Stephen King novel. It is also a David and Goliath saga—the story of a young lawyer fresh from the Public Defender’s Office whose first client in private practice turns out to be the worst serial killer in our nation’s history.

Sam Amirante had just opened his first law practice when he got a phone call from his friend John Wayne Gacy, a well-known and well-liked community figure. Gacy was upset about what he called “police harassment” and asked Amirante for help. With the police following his every move in connection with the disappearance of a local teenager, Gacy eventually gives a drunken, dramatic, early morning confession—to his new lawyer. Gacy is eventually charged with murder and Amirante suddenly becomes the defense attorney for one of American’s most disturbing serial killers. It is his first case. This is a gripping narrative that reenacts the gruesome killings and the famous trial that shocked a nation.

American Legal Injustice: Behind the Scenes with an Expert Witness by Emanuel Tanay : Forensic psychiatrist Emanuel Tanay has testified in thousands of court cases as an expert witness, including such notorious cases as those of Jack Ruby, Sam Sheppard, and Theodore ‘Ted’ Bundy. Tanay walks the reader through his experiences in the courtroom, explaining the role of the forensic psychiatrist in the litigation process and providing a ‘behind-the-scenes’ view of our criminal justice system, including individual chapters on some of his most interesting and infamous cases. Tanay also provides clear examples of the rampant injustice that he has witnessed and argues that the potential for injustice is built into our legal system in the form of incompetent lawyers, the imbalance of resources between the pricey defense lawyers hired by large corporations in civil trials and the inexperienced lawyers often hired by plaintiffs, and the political concerns of elected judges and prosecutors. American Legal Injustice: Behind the Scenes with an Expert Witness is a must-read for Law & Order, Court TV, and true crime enthusiasts.

The Last Victim: A True-Life Journey into the Mind of the Serial Killer by Jason Moss : It started with a college course assignment, then escalated into a dangerous obsession. Eighteen-year-old honor student Jason Moss wrote to men whose body counts had made criminal history: men named Dahmer, Manson, Ramirez, and Gacy.

Posing as their ideal victim, Jason seduced them with his words. One by one they wrote him back, showering him with their madness and violent fantasies. Then the game spun out of control. John Wayne Gacy revealed all to Jason — and invited his pen pal to visit him in prison…

It was an offer Jason couldn’t turn down. Even if it made him…

The book that has riveted the attention of the national media, this may be the most revealing look at serial killers ever recorded and the most illuminating study of the dark places of the human mind ever attempted.

The Phantom Killer: Unlocking the Mystery of the Texarkana Serial Murders: The Story of a Town in Terror by James Presley : Set in the rowdy, often lawless town of Texarkana shortly after WWII, The Phantom Killer is the history of the most puzzling unsolved cases in the United States.

The salacious and scandalous murders of a series of couples on Texarkana’s “lovers lanes” in seemingly idyllic post-WWII America created a media maelstrom and cast a pall of fear over an entire region. What is even more surprising is that the case has remained cold for decades. Combining archival research and investigative journalism, Pulitzer Prize nominated historian James Presley reveals evidence that provides crucial keys to unlocking this decades-old puzzle.

Dubbed “the Phantom murders” by the press, these grisly crimes took place in an America before dial telephones, DNA science, and criminal profiling. Even pre-television, print and radio media stirred emotions to a fever pitch. The Phantom Killer, exhaustively researched, is the only definitive nonfiction book on the case, and includes details from an unpublished account by a survivor, and rare, never-before-published photographs.

Although the case lives on today on television, the Internet, a revived fictional movie and even an off-Broadway play, with so much of the investigation shrouded in mystery since 1946, rumors and fractured facts have distorted the reality. Now, for the first time, a careful examination of the archival record, personal interviews, and stubborn fact checking come together to produce new insights and revelations on the old slayings.

The Only Living Witness: The true story of serial sex killer Ted Bundy by Stephen Michaud and Hugh Aynesworth : Michaud and Aynesworth are a reporter and an investigator team who interviewed serial killer Ted Bundy while he was on death row in Florida. This volume chronicles his activities throughout several states but is at its best in a long section of transcripts from the interview in which, while he never admits his quilt, Bundy offers vivid details of the crimes and commentary on the mindset of a serial killer. This revised edition includes some additional information.

Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters by Peter Vronsky : In this unique book, Peter Vronsky documents the psychological, investigative, and cultural aspects of serial murder, beginning with its first recorded instance in Ancient Rome through fifteenth-century France on to such notorious contemporary cases as cannibal/necrophile Ed Kemper, the BTK killer, Henry Lee Lucas, Monte Ralph Rissell, Jerry Brudos, Richard Ramirez, “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski, Ed Gein, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, and the emergence of what he classifies as the “serial rampage killer” such as Andrew Cunanan, who murdered fashion designer Gianni Versace.

Vronsky not only offers sound theories on what makes a serial killer but also makes concrete suggestions on how to survive an encounter with one—from recognizing verbal warning signs to physical confrontational resistance. Exhaustively researched with transcripts of interviews with killers, and featuring up-to-date information on the apprehension and conviction of the Green River killer and the Beltway Snipers, Vronsky’s one-of-a-kind book covers every conceivable aspect of an endlessly riveting true crime phenomenon.

Escape from Alcatraz: The True Crime Classic by J. Campbell Bruce : In 1963, just weeks before the original publication of this book, the last prisoner was escorted off Devil’s Island and Alcatraz ceased to be a prison. Author J. Campbell Bruce chronicles in spellbinding detail the Rock’s transition from a Spanish fort to the maximum-security penitentiary that housed such infamous inmates as Robert Stroud, aka the Birdman of Alcatraz, and mobster Al “Scarface” Capone. The chapters describing the daring escape attempts by Frank Morris and two accomplices from this “inescapable” prison became the basis for the 1979 Clint Eastwood movie. Discover the intriguing and absorbing saga of Alcatraz, whose name is still synonymous with punitive isolation and deprivation, where America’s most violent and notorious prisoners resided in tortuous proximity to one of the world’s favorite cities.

Sins of the brother: The definitive story of Ivan Milat and the backpacker murders by Mark Whitaker and Les Kennedy : Seven young backpackers brutally murdered. A nationwide police hunt spanning three years and thousands of hours of forensic investigation. And finally, the capture and conviction of one man.Sins of the Brother tells the gripping story of road-worker Ivan Milat and the horrific Belanglo Forest murders that shocked the world and forever etched themselves into Australian criminal folklore. It explores a family culture so twisted and bizarre it would lead inexorably to a serial killing spree, scrutinises the police case – its successes and failures – and reveals the chilling mystery left behind.Told in novelistic style from interviews with the Milat family, key police investigators, Crown lawyers and the lucky souls who escaped with their lives, Sins of the Brother is a classic of crime literature – a psychological thriller come to life and a disturbing portrait of a man whose delusions became reality.’More than just the suspenseful story of some notoriously evil murders, this shocking and strangely seductive book is a painstaking examination of today’s society. This is Australia on the slab.’

[Part 1]