#and feeling incomplete without direction is canon

[nonamvi]

YHS Divided AU characters and their fears because why not

Funneh: Having no sense of purpose and losing everything she cares about.

Evelyn: That everything she's worked hard for, all the time and effort she sacrificed, will all be for naught.

Gold: Being seen as incapable and forgettable, a pushover.

Valerie: Not being able to see her loved ones ever again.

Yumi: Not being in control, and never being good enough.

Kyran: Getting attached to anyone besides his family. Abandonment. (Y'all know why)

Alec: That one day Aly will end up just like him. All alone, and silently grieving the time he had lost.

If anyone wants to know more about this AU drop me an ask because I'd love to answer them!!

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Since you've mentioned Scarlet Lady in one of your posts, what's your opinion on it?

I've mentioned before that I'm a big Scarlet Lady fan, which is the only reason that I'm comfortable answering asks like this one. I don't publicly criticize the content of hobby creators. That's wildly inappropriate! Punch up, not down.

The linked post was a general discussion of the adaptation process and how @zoe-oneesama did a fantastic job, so for this one, I'm just going to do some general gushing because I do actually like praising and enjoying things!

Scarlet Lady's chosen format (comic) allows it to have this wonderful conversation with canon where it can rely on the framework of canon to tell it's own story while also using canon for jokes and meta commentary. This means that Scarlet Lady is about as close as fan content can get to a direct reboot because it's able to have moments like this one from the comic's first post:

[Image description: Adrien standing in his room after transforming into Chat Noir for the first time. He is beaming and his eyes are shining with excitement as he exclaims, "This is gonna be awesome!"]

A single picture that communicates everything we need to know about Adrien getting his miraculous. When I've done this same thing in fanfic, I had to write out the full scene because that's how novels work. You have to give the full picture. With a comic, you can just quickly acknowledge this thing that we all already know and then move on to the new stuff. A picture really is worth a thousand words! (Or, in my case, more like two thousand...)

This allows Zoe to keep the same akumas that we get in canon without her story feeling like a boring rehash because she can focus on what's different in her version. A novelization of the same content would have to show both the stuff that stays the same and the stuff that changes for it to be coherent. That's a lot less fun to read and write. It's why I basically never revisit canon akumas in my own stuff. It's just too derivative for the written word.

This is one of the big reasons that I loved Scarlet Lady. Because it was able to have that more directly conversation with canon, it was able to take canon and say, "hey, why don't we embrace the tone that you established in season one and retell the story with that vibe?" That's something that I desperately wanted to see, but that is totally unsuited to my chosen artistic form. It couldn't be a novel. It had to be a comic.

If you want to know what a true formula show version of Miraculous would look like, Scarlet Lady is it. It does everything that Miraculous should have done:

Sticks to a lighthearted tone where nothing is ever super serious

Keeps Gabriel entirely unsympathetic

Has slow character development and background hints at a bigger plot as the only serial elements, allowing the individual episodes to be their own story while never feeling incomplete or rushed

Allows characters other than Marinette to shine while keeping Marinette as the clear main character

Makes Adrien narratively important

MAKES THE LOVE SQUARE CUTE SO I CAN ACTUALLY SHIP IT

Understands that Lila and Chloe can't coexist as antagonists

Reverses the love square, which is the best way to tell their story. Yes, I will die on my "love diamond" hill. It's a good hill. Come join me. I'll bring cookies.

I could keep going, but you hopefully get my point. While Scarlet Lady is certainly not the only way to do a formula version of canon, it's proof that a formula version does work! You don't have to go the serious route for Miraculous to be successful.

I want to take some time to gush about the ending, but I don't want to spoil it, so I'll put that gushing under a "read more" in case anyone hasn't seen it. I'll finish out this less spoilerish section with this:

I feel like some people are surprised when they learn that I love Scarlet Lady because - as some of you have probably picked up - it is quite different from my ideal version of canon. I'm not sure why that would stop me from enjoying a thing, though. It's important to remember that our personal ideals are not the only way to tell a good story. There are lots of ways to take what canon gave us and make something wonderful! It's part of the reason that I enjoy being in a fandom.

If I only wanted to see my ideal take on canon, then I'd stick to writing/imagining my own stories. But I don't want that! I like seeing alternate takes, too. Scarlet Lady is one of my personal favorites. It's completely different from anything that I'd ever think to write and that's why I'm so glad that it exists! I like being entertained just as much as I like creating my own entertainment and I don't want to only read stories that look like something I'd write. That's boring!

Spoilers below:

I've mentioned before that there are many, many ways to properly handle Chloe's character and Zoe did such a good job with her take on that! Chloe isn't absolved of all the things she did wrong, but she's also treated as a young woman with the ability to change.

While the comic bares the name of Chloe's alter ego, she was the never the main character. She never went on a journey. The story kept her to her shallow season-one self: a petty brat who just wanted attention. It did this because that's who Chloe was in canon and who Chloe needed to be for the comic to work.

The first time we see any complexity from Chloe is in the comic's final few episodes, which was absolutely the right call for Zoe to make! In a recent post, I talked about how the end of a formula show is the only time when you can break the formula in catastrophic ways and that's what Zoe did. She kept Chloe static until it was time to end the story and that's when the formula breaks. That's when Chloe gets depth because, once she has depth, the formula doesn't work.

That depth is not used to redeem Chloe, but to show us that there's hope for Chloe. That this petty brat who we've been dealing with has some serious issues and needs help. Help that she's going to get far away from the people that she's hurt because her issues aren't an excuse for what she's done. They don't erase the harm that she caused. At the same time, understanding her issues makes us hope that she can be better now and Scarlet Lady took a moment to give us that hope. To show us the START of Chloe's true story.

That is the kind of ending that I have wanted to see in so many properties!!! It was so wonderful to finally get one that did this right. A story that understood that full redemption to the team and damnation to death/suffering are extremes on a scale of possibilities. You don't have to go to extremes! You can fall in the middle and the middle is a perfect, natural place for Chloe to land in this kind of story. Fully redeeming or even fully damning Chloe simply doesn't work in lighthearted formula content. It's too big a lift as canon has already demonstrated.

I also loved Zoe's take on Emilie. I've mentioned that I don't like evil Emilie in part because it makes her revival feel like the start of a new story. She's back and she'd bad, so we have to take her down now! But I don't want that. I want the story to end when Gabriel is stopped. Zoe does this by giving us an Emilie that is another perfect middle ground. She matches canon's uncomfortable implications without feeling like a true villain who is a threat to society.

[danielmolloyshole]

@ahubofreadersandmagicians:

Why would Daniel hate Marius? He’s already read the “forced prostitution” and “Marius de Romanus” folders from the Talamasca’s Armand file, we’ve seen them. His only response was to shame Armand for talking abt the Arun/Amadeo days and imply he was lying. Even knowing Armand was telling the truth. Daniel’s bad w/abuse victims generally and hates Armand. Sadly, I think he’ll be ok with Marius.

This got stupid long and also needs to broken into parts to try to minimize how all over the place I am so let's gooo. Friendly disclaimer that this is my opinion but I am literally trained in media analysis like this so I promise I am coming from a place of knowledge. I'm gonna start with my interpretation of Daniel's character and go from there.

RE; Daniel is bad with abuse victims

I'm assuming you are saying this because of how Daniel talks to Luis about his abuse. The way Daniel approaches this topic is, frankly, awful. Daniel is not good at it. However, he is not supportive of it. He calls Lestat out on how badly he was treating Luis, the racial dynamic (again, said in a really bad way but later we do see Lestat minimizing Luis's feelings about how he is treated as a black man so he wasn't wrong). I also think about the rent boy line, which to me was more directed as a snide remark at Luis and his assumption of what their relationship is. Not saying it wasn't also supposed to be a jab at Fake Rashid (by this point he is suspicious and annoyed and staring all the time and in general does not know what to make of him, which Daniel doesn't like), but Daniel was in active conversation with Luis and not Fake Rashid. Daniel is mean, this is not in contention. He is not a good person. But he does not ignore or get down with abuse and instead calls it out into the room, both explicitly and implied.

RE; Daniel's Past & Hating Armand

Now, what informs the fact that Daniel is such a bitch, especially when he is chasing the high of bringing out the truth? Working under the assumption of my previous post, Devil's Minion has happened. The evidence of such is, in my opinion, scattered throughout both seasons and would be a whole other post to detail. This, in my opinion, is supported by comments made by the actors and show runners that imply they have purposefully planted seeds. All I have to work with in terms of analysis right now is the book and these seeds and my last post stated that we are treating the Devil's Minion chapter as canon up until Daniel's turning, at which point Armand would have erased his memories. This implies that from 1973 until 1985, the ages of 20 and 35, Daniel's memories are incomplete. Imagine your most developmental years as an adult are now so full of holes that you wrote a memoir about how inconsistent your memory is. Your first love, your first heartbreak, the first time you debased yourself for someone's love, the first time you really fucked up with someone, countless mistakes now altered. Any self-actualization that would have made Daniel a better person is now incomplete. This includes the memory of Daniel fucking a girl with a bag on her head. It is a shameful memory, that's why Armand brings it out, but as a twenty year-old shitty kid from Modesto, Daniel might not have fully conceptualized how ashamed he is of it until it is used as weapon against him. Assuming the memories begin to return next season, either in partial or in full, this would mean that Daniel would suddenly have a much fuller context of his trauma and why he does what he does. Eric Bogosian mentioned in an interview that both he and Daniel have forgotten trauma and I do not believe San Francisco is the end of that trauma. A relationship as volatile as Armand and Daniel's, influenced by drugs and blood and danger, would hold just as much trauma if not more than the six days spent in that apartment. Bogosian went on to say that those traumas influence how someone acts and interacts without even being aware of it. I believe a lot of the development we're gonna see in Daniel is him reconciling the mean, tear-it-all-down journalist with the man he was at the height of his affair with Armand. We've already seen heightened emotion from his Paris memory (another tangent but I do not believe Alice is Armand but rather that this specific memory was altered. Daniel cares a lot less about the memory of Alice telling him she's pregnant so the inconsistency is odd).  Daniel is going to need character development moving forward. Does this mean he's going to stop being an asshole? No. He's still an asshole. I just think he'll be a different kind of asshole.

RE; Daniel Shaming Armand

I don't interpret that Arun/Amadeo line as shaming him, exactly. Asking where the lies start, implying the Arun dynamic was something of a sham (master when it's hot and convenient, etc), yeah. He's in the throes of bringing down the castle of lies, he's gotten his hit, he's basically high on exposing the truth. To me, especially given how he looks at Armand while he's on the floor, I don't think Daniel hates Armand. In book canon, it's said that he could only feel ravening desire and it is my opinion that that remains true. Daniel was gloating until the high wore off and then he was at the very least incredibly shook and definitely not making a move to rub it in Armand's face that he won.

RE; Daniel hating Marius

The show has set Marius up to be a pedophilic groomer. I don't even know if grooming was a widely-used term in the seventies but they dropped it in there and modern sensibilities make that very purposeful writing. Daniel, as stated before, does call out abusive behavior. Is he doing it in a way that reduces harm? Fuck no. Is he hurting everyone in the way he does it? Absolutely. But he has shown no evidence of being supportive of abusers and Marius has been set up explicitly as an abuser.

RE; Conclusion

Daniel Molloy is not a good person but he is not an abuser and there is no evidence that suggests he would love Marius or be in any way supportive of his actions. This is true in particular with Armand, since it is now well-established that they will have a romantic relationship in the future.

[classygreydove]

5 JYL-centric fic recs for her birthday

I love a good JYL-centric fic, so here's some recs for her birthday! (I'll be excluding most of my favorite YanQing fics, as I have enough to make a separate rec list for the pairing.)

thunderstorms by antebunny - T, No Archive Warnings Apply, Gen, 11k words, COMPLETE

Tags: Jiang Yanli & Wei Wuxian, Jiang Yanli & Jiang Wanyin, Jiang Yanli & Yu Ziyuan, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Character Study, BAMF Jiang Yanli, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, OOC Jiāng Yànlí

Warnings: Yu Ziyuan's A+ Parenting, Child Abuse

Summary:

Jiang Yanli cannot recall a time in which she was not angry.

[Dove's Notes: Personally, I did not find this fic OOC at all, though it is tagged as such - merely developing and exploring the potential of JYL's character. And what a great job the author did at that! I have read this fic multiple times; it's so good.]

from the top, this time with personality by thunderwear - G, NAW, F/M + M/M, 17k, ONGOING

Tags: Jiang Yanli/Jin Zixuan, Wangxian, Time Travel Fix-It, cloud recesses days, Canon Divergence, Family Feels

Summary:

Jiang Yanli hadn’t heard that arrogant tone from him in years and it irked her to hear it now, directed at her. She didn’t have to take that. Jin Zixuan was reeling back with a hand cradling his nose before she even realized that she’d punched him.

[Dove's Notes: fun and heartwarming, a great fic if you enjoy time travel fix-its and a confident JYL out to make many friends.]

for want of a doctor by Fleetling, Fensandmarshes - T, NAW, F/F + F/M + Multi, 14k words, COMPLETE

Tags: Jiang Yanli/Nie Mingjue/Wen Qing, Jiang Cheng & Jiang Yanli & Wei Ying, Everybody Lives, Canon-Divergence, Fix-It, Arranged Marriage

Summary:

"Jiang Yanli has spent years learning how to be quiet like a flower: a lotus on the still water, beautiful and invisible and all-hearing. Wen Qing, though, is quiet like a knife." Jiang Yanli learns the truth of Dafan during her time at the Cloud Recesses. Things go a little differently from there.

[Dove's Notes: Fantastic and fun fic. I've reread it multiple times. Jiang Yanli and Wen Qing are both so well developed and well-written, and the rarepair is executed well.]

Home to Lotus Pier by hornkerling - M, MCD, M/M + Multi + F/F, 15k words, ONGOING

Tags: Jiang Cheng & Jiang Yanli & Wei Ying, WangXian, Jiang Yanli & Lan Wangji, Jiang Yanli/Jin Zixuan, Jiang Yanli/Mianmian, Character Study, Canon Divergence, Jiang Yanli Lives, BAMF Jiang Yanli, Sect Leader Jiang Yanli, Jiang Yanli & Lan Wangji Friendship, Good Sibling Jiang Cheng, Clan Politics, Lotus Pier, Cloud Recesses Rabbits

Warnings: Grief/Mourning

Summary:

Jiang Yanli, on grief and friendship and the weight of personal names, six months after Wei Wuxian dies from a cut aimed at her back. Lan Wangji, on love and exile, trying to make his way with a new family. Luo Qingyang, on loyalty and survival and slow, new attraction. Jiang Cheng, on care and cost and old fears, trying to keep his family safe even when he wants to kill them.

[Dove's Notes: Not just JYL-centric, but there's a lot of focus on her character and her relationship with Mianmian. There's also illustrations! It is sadly incomplete.]

do not wilt alone by Anonymous - T, NAW, Gen, 7k words, COMPLETE

Tags: Jiang Yanli & Wei Wuxian, Wangxian, Canon-Divergence, No Golden Core Transfer, Character Study

Warnings: Past Child Abuse, Homophobia, Homophobic JC, Bad Parent Yu Ziyuan, Not Jiāng Chéng Friendly

Summary:

It’s easy to fall into old patterns, to use what once had a hope of working in the face of a familiar wrath. Her mother could be distracted on occasion, her attention diverted towards Jiang Cheng’s accomplishments or whatever small matter Jiang Yanli could think to bring to her notice swiftly enough. “The disciples will be finished with their training soon, won’t they?” She knows they will, the rhythms of Lotus Pier deeply ingrained in her. They may not be as structured as Gusu Lan, but that does not mean they are completely without it. “In this heat, it will be nice for them to have something refreshing. A-Xian, why don’t you come help me in the kitchen?” For a few beats of her heart, she believes it has worked. “Hold on,” Jiang Cheng calls, his gaze not once leaving Wei Wuxian. “I’d like to hear about this nighthunt. It must have been important for you to be away from Lotus Pier for so long.”

[Dove's Notes: I adored how Jiang Yanli's perspective was written. So much of her character in the details. Not a fic for Jiang Cheng fans, unfortunately. He's Not Nice in this one.]

[aheckinmess]

Shut In

(Part 1 of Kitten Down to Business.)

Read on AO3.

Tags: Loki, Loki Odinson, Loki Laufeyson, Marvel Cinematic Universe, MCU, Canon Divergence, Original Female Character(s), Original Animal Character(s), Loki Adopts a Cat, Thor Adopts a Dog, Cat Was Previously Abused, Loki Offers Her a Better Life, Thor Offers Her an Annoying Dog Companion, But It's Okay, They All Become One Big Happy Family, Found Family, Loki is Trying His Best, Thor is Not Stupid, Protective Thor, Loki & Thor Bro Adventures, I Originally Wrote This When I Was a Teen, Back In High School, Here's To Adult Me Trying to Unravel Whatever Crack Plot Smaller Me Had in Mind, Cheers to That

Word Count: 1,237 words

Summary: To one young Norwegian forest cat, life is a cage. Abused and abandoned by her owners, Sage now spends her days locked in the confines of the cage within a local animal shelter - not that she's entirely opposed. Though she dares not trust any potential adoption prospects, her outlook on life drastically changes when one dazzling pair of green eyes meets hers. What starts as the two Odinson brothers' hope of securing a pet companion becomes the beginning of their greatest adventure yet.

Author's Note: Welcome! I hope you enjoy this story, as it was originally posted on deviantArt when I was much younger (about 15 or so) and I've now decided to revive it for fun. That being said, all I remember about this story was that it's divergent from canon. If I had to pick the closest timeline for it, I'd probably say after the Thor movie, but Loki doesn't die and they both get matters settled cordially (or as cordially as they can) on Asgard. It's mainly meant to be a slice of life piece, so happy reading!

Chapter 1: Shut In

Life is a cage and I want nothing more than to break out and feel the earth between my toe pads. What I wouldn’t give to stretch my legs without fear that every step might come at the cost of immeasurable pain and bristled fur.

My head snaps towards the door at the sound of tinkling bells and heavy footsteps.

“Hello, welcome to the animal shelter!” Cindy calls from the front. 

Steel bars mar my vision as I crawl backwards to lay flush against the cold metal trapping me inside. Humans come in, day in and day out, looking for another play thing to take home and abuse.

Please don’t come here. Please don’t come here. My dark fur usually keeps me hidden from the wandering, ugly eyes of searching tormentors leering into my private abode. 

Pick me! The fat tabby screeches from the cage below me; I can hear her fur rubbing against the cage.

No way! Everyone wants you, Jewel. Pick me! Crystal hisses, claws jingling on her own door. 

“My brother would like to inquire about your selection of feline companions.” A blonde and burly human steps up to the counter with a loud voice that prompts me to curl up into a tight, defensive little ball. Can’t let them see me. 

“Of course!” There’s a flurry of movement as Cindy leads the two, much taller humans in our direction. “Jewel has been a fan favorite among cat lovers. She’s a little older, but she’s very cuddly and well-mannered. Crystal is a good lap cat and likes to play outside. Frankie is skittish, but once he warms up to you, he’s quite talkative.”

Two voices clash as the two large men discuss the different options presented to them. The blonde is easy enough to distinguish, even from miles away, if only because of his boisterous outbursts. His companion, a man with a black mane, appears thoroughly unimpressed with each feline presented to him.

Then his green eyes meet mine.

“What about this one? What’s her name? The information on the cage appears incomplete.” His voice soothes me, soft like velvet and allowing me to relax my body briefly.

When I realize I’ve let my guard down, I contract all my muscles again. I watch him, not even daring to blink as he coos soft assurances at me.

“Oh! That’s Sage.” Cindy looks at him and then me, her eyes painted with pity. A growl rumbles in my chest as a warning for both of them. “We found her outside, neglected and alone. She showed signs of abuse and most people have found they’re not interested in her because it takes her a long time to engage with anyone. When we first got her, she reacted more violently when provoked. Now, she settles for growling to let you know she wants space.”

Green Eyes stares at me for a while, and I stare back.

You don’t have to be afraid. His body language says.

Fear keeps me alive. I hiss, before loosening up a bit. But…I don’t want to be afraid anymore.

“...I want her.” He breathes.

My old masters used to torture me in every way possible, the shadow of their presence domineering and filling me with uncertainty and trepidation. Green Eyes casts a shadow that’s warm and blankets me with safety and security.

I can’t trust it.

I growl louder as instincts take over and I try digging my claws into the floor. It serves as a harsh reminder of their removal years prior.

“She may take a while to come around. She’s been here for four months and still hides whenever I reach in to pet her. She was declawed when we found her.” Cindy explains, before cooing softly and stretching her hands into the outskirts of my reach. “Sage? Sage, you have a visitor.” 

My cell door rattles as her arm pries further in – I don’t move.

“Maybe if we give her a little time with the door open. Were you looking for any other animals today?” Cindy compromises, retracting her hand but leaving the door ajar.

“Yes! May I look at your selection of dog breeds?” The loud one grins.

“Certainly. If you’d like to stay here, sir, I’ll lead your friend back this way.” Cindy says, before Green Eyes nods and the other two depart.

Shortly after they leave, the sound of barking dogs echoes down the hallway.

“Loud bunch, aren’t they, Sage?” Green Eyes coos, never taking his eyes off of me. “I’m Loki. My brother is the one that just went looking for a dog. His name’s Thor.”

Why is he telling me this? I wonder. I just want everyone to go away. Can’t he see that? I don’t want to be hurt anymore.

“I’m sure you’ve been through quite the ordeal. I wouldn’t blame you for withholding your trust for a measured time, Sage.” He continues, as though he can hear my every thought. “But I assure you, I will not harm you. I will give you a home that you can learn to walk in without fear, and protect you from all dangers.”

Several quiet moments pass as I gauge his words. Two more humans walk in and flock to the small rodents in the room adjacent. No one’s ever told me that before. I want to believe him, desperately.

I want to know warmth and good food. I want to know soft voices and gentle touches. I want the earth to feel sure beneath my feet and stand by a master that treats me like an equal, who will praise me for what I’ve done right. 

Loki reaches his hand into my cage and sets it at the edge, still as stone.

With agonizing slowness, I uncurl my limbs and move closer to sniff his hand and glean his intention from his scent. He smells like sandalwood and petrichor, like mischief and a playful spirit. Beyond that, there’s a subtle whiff of something like sparkling fire.

I pull my head back as a preventative, but he remains unbothered. His expression doesn’t change, inviting and safe.

“It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere, and I’m not going to hurt you.” He promises.

Poking my head closer to him, I move into his orbit and rub my head against his hand to judge his level of trustworthiness. Delicate hands stroke my fur down to the base of my neck before coming back up to my head. He seems to understand my need for space just as much as I understand our mutual need for warmth.

This is what I’ve always wanted.

Thor returns with a large, excitable dog on his heels when I finally opt to seek refuge in Loki’s arms. My head tucks into the crook of Loki’s elbow to dampen the sound of their arrival.

“Brother! You’ve managed to sway the young creature – you always did have a way with animals.” Thor chuckles. “I’ve found a companion of my own!”

There’s a fair amount of shuffling as pleasantries are exchanged with Cindy. A white sheet of paper with writing can be seen when Loki shifts me around in his arms, gentle and lithe in his movements. 

“Thanks for offering these two a loving new home. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to contact us!” Cindy smiles.

Then, the wide open world lays open before me as we all step into the crisp, cool air.

[purplemninja]

I kinda hate myself for letting these ideas get into my mind because I wanted to be finished with making Solarcards but I'm pretty sure that they wouldn't leave me alone until I do it, so I did.

I felt that Metis deserved to get a Solarcard given her role in the race against Planet X and her current role as a speedy scout for the Moon Club.

As for making a Solarcard for Pan, you may not like my reason and it's lengthy but I previously spoke of a 'What if' scenario of the Planet X arc where Saturn was banished instead of Jupiter and having it set when the 128 newest Saturnian moons where discovered for extra angst.

Well, in my 'What if' scenario, I also have it so that after the group of moons get some information from Saturn to get an idea of what's causing the instability with X in Saturn's place (And like Jupiter in the canon arc, Saturn believes that they're hallucinations and eventually blasts off deeper into the void beyond the Kuiper Belt after Rhea and Tethys try to protest that their 128 youngest siblings are miserable without him and that he was improving when the two of them couldn't bare hearing Saturn verbally tear himself apart anymore).

The 128 youngest moons had a better start with Saturn than the older 146 ones because they were discovered after Saturn started finally treating his moons more equally, so they didn't have the neglectful Saturn like their 146 older siblings did. They and Saturn were bonding and imprinting on each other and Saturn attached a second notepad to the coil binding of the original one he used to write their names down in because the pages of the first one were all filled up for the 146 older ones, and the second notepad for the names of the 128 youngest moons is incomplete because Planet X returned while Saturn and his 128 youngest moons were getting to know each other, so the interruption of their bonding with Saturn is why they're miserable without him and his banishment is why he wasn't able to complete the list of the 128 newest moons' names as he wasn't able to learn all of them by then. And Saturn tosses the fused notepads in their direction (but he still believed that they were hallucinations) in the middle of answering their questions and one of them catches it, allowing the Saturnian moons that were present (the 7 major moons and Hyperion) to finally see for themselves the effort that Saturn was putting in to remember their names to prove his love.

I think this next part is what people probably won't like this 'What if' but the challenges against X didn't start immediately after the moons brought the information from Saturn to the rest of solar system because the Sun was still conflicted and feeling betrayed by the two gas giants, and X saw the 8 Saturnian moons as a threat to his place back in the solar system, and the 128 youngest moons rejected him because he clearly had no love for them or their siblings, so when no one (except Jupiter) was looking, X started pulling the Saturnian towards himself with his gravity to try and destroy them with his Roche Limit. However, Saturn gets a bad feeling in his core about his moons and could tell that this feeling was real so he rushes back to the solar system in time to see X pulling his moons towards his Roche Limit. But Saturn manages to ambush X and throw him away before he could kill any of them and Saturn quickly scoops up all 274 of his moons and manages to run back out of the solar system before anyone besides X and Jupiter could notice that he violated his banishment and took his moons back.

After an emotional moment where Saturn sees that he finally did something right for his moons by saving them and relieved that he saved all 274 of them (the 7 major ones helped speed up the head count to check that all of them were there), the 128 youngest moons cuddle up to Saturn and fall asleep, happy to have their original planet back, and the 7 major moons tell Saturn that he should sleep too, as he's done enough by then to prove his love, so Saturn also goes to sleep with his 128 youngest nestled around him. Meanwhile, the 146 older moons discuss that they needed to know what's happening in the solar system but knew that it's too risky for all of them to go back, so they choose Pan to be a spy for them since he's one of the fastest moons of Saturn, which Pan accepts.

I don't quite know how the rest of this could go, but this idea of Pan's role stuck with me, and someone said that a moon called S1/2009 S1 is the actual fastest Saturnian moon, and when I check online the results were conflicting so I had to change the trivia text of Pan's card to accommodate for several different possibilities.

So that, along with his vague resemblance to Saturn, is why I made a Solarcard for Pan as well, even if he hasn't made a full appearance in the show.

[tonguetiedraven]

Analysis of Amaimon showing up to fight Rin at the Amusement Park, and then in the Forest Exwire Exam? In terms of character growth and development, what did it mean for Rin in your opinion? Do you think it also meant something for Yukio? Like, that despite his best efforts at trying to protect his brother, Mephisto is the one in control? The early Arcs where Amaimon and Rin fight always seemed to signify that to an extent, but I'm curious to hear your perspective.

For a person who writes almost nothing but Ryuuji fanfiction and writes a lot of Yukio analysis, I get a bunch of Amaimon asks xD I enjoy the challenge!

I've sat on this one for a while to try and figure out how to explain all this without sounding rude. Because, if I'm being honest, I don't think Amaimon means much to either of the twins until much later. Amaimon was not and is not their primary focus or even the person/demon that stands out most to them in any of the fights he was involved in until a certain point. He is absolutely a crowd favorite character, but I think the plot device he accomplishes in those two fights could have been replaced easily with any powerful demon until a specific point.

Amaimon matters a lot more now, and he's much more tied into the plot and characters but that is mostly through his ties to Shiemi and her storyline more than for the fights he's been involved in with Rin.

My reasoning for that below.

As far as I can tell, the Amusement Park fight meant very little to Rin. Bless him, his memory seems to have the inability to hold onto anything that happened with Amaimon five minutes past it happening. Yamada being Shura and Shiemi's short skirt took up a much larger portion of his memories and thoughts and pushed Amaimon right on out of it.

Yukio largely seems to have not been made aware of Amaimon's presence or the full narrative of what happened. It would have been on either Shura or Rin to inform him and they have canonically been terrible at relaying useful information to him. When they do it is either incomplete or deliberately misleading. Rin usually from forgetfulness, Shura more from a desire to control the narrative and situations.

Yukio did not need Amaimon to feel a lack of control of his situation and environment. Neuhaus had already thoroughly done that in the earlier chapters by revealing: 1) he was working under Mephisto's directives just like Yukio. 2) he was given the opposite directive to push and accelerate Rin's use of his flames. A directive that was in direct conflict with Yukio's attempts to be the brakes and keep his twin from losing control. It already showed that Mephisto was playing a tremendously complicated game and Yukio couldn't possibly hope to figure out who all was playing against him.

Shura's appearance and reveal that she had been spying on them the entire time and was slipping into Neuhaus' now vacant spot was also a far bigger loss of control for Yukio than Amaimon would have been. That is an every day, every hour, every minute irritation he has to deal with. A higher ranking officer in his organization who knows Rin's secret, has Rin's heart-containing sword, and has the ability to reveal Rin at any second and thrives on frustrating and belittling Yukio. With how hostile their relationship starts, it would not be beyond reason for him to suspect she'd reveal Rin just to irritate him, and do not forget that Shura directly participates in Mephisto's plan to reveal Rin to the others and the organization. Yukio has a lot of reasons to stress and Amaimon himself would be lower on the list, in my opinion, than Shura, Neuhaus, and Mephisto most of all. At that point, Amaimon is mostly just a strong bully that Yukio needs to contend with when he's around (and when Yukio knows he's around) but who Yukio likely doesn't spend much time think about otherwise in favor of thinking about how to respond to the other pawns Mephisto has for the chess board Mephisto has stuck Yukio on that he's trying to manipulate into some kind of victory for himself and his twin.

The forest fight I also don't think meant a lot to Rin as a growth moment as far as Amaimon's interactions for a few reasons.

Rin largely seems to not know what occurred in it past the point of drawing his sword. It seems his demonic half took over and the more aggressive and violent he got the less he retained.

The reaction of his friends seemed far more important to him than the fact that he had fought a demon king (I think he's only really started to understand what those are past the Inari arc) and he displays no understanding that having lashed out at them is at least part of the reason they all stay back and look frightened.

He doesn't mention Amaimon and his flashbacks of that fight tend to focus almost exclusively on his friends being hurt and not Amaimon itself. The violence stuck with him, but even that seems to come up more with the others than it does Rin.

To me, Mephisto is the one that Yukio sees as the enemy and manipulator more than Amaimon. I think he'd see Amaimon as an irritant and a tool being used by Mephisto. Shura he saw more as a betrayal which is why she was the one he confronted directly about it. (And to relay that he was aware she had worked with Mephisto and wanted this outcome. Half of the the confrontations he has with others are to reaffirm that he is aware of their manipulations and will not always let them have their ways.)

For Rin, the way he operates, he rarely thinks about a fight or trauma past when it happens. To me, the growth happened with the aftermath of the fight, not the fights itself. The Shura interaction and conversation from the Amusement Park did far more for his character's emotional development and plot development than the Amaimon interaction did, and the forest fight itself seems to largely be missing from his memory where the struggle to reconnect with his friends reveals a lot of flaws within himself that he tries to work on and shows him how to build and maintain stronger friendships.

I do think what the fight itself represents is important. Rin being willing to embrace and confront his more violent side and confront it in front of the others, and of course, Mephisto needs Rin to reveal himself to get the rest of his plots moving. (*cough* Lucifer and the Illuminati *cough*)

I think of all the fights he's had with Amaimon that it's the third manga only fight that impacted him the most. Like all Amaimon fight to that point, it was Mephisto directed, but unlike the others there was not another event that was more dramatic after it. Rather, the fight itself was the lesson Mephisto wanted driven in. He unlocks as much of Amaimon's power as he can so that he can thoroughly and definitively kick Rin's ass because that is the point he wants made. That Rin is not the hot stuff the victory against the Impure King makes him think he is. (A victory made possible by friends and Ucchusma who did the actual purification and just used Rin's flames to help spread himself.)

That I think is the battle that helps Rin grow. It prepares him for the fact that there are immensely powerful beings out there (*cough* Lucifer *cough*) and that Rin has to fight smarter and work hard if he wants to actually accomplish any of his goals.

That is another fight I don't Yukio is properly informed about either. Rather I think the biggest problem he gets with Amaimon is when Amaimon joins the Cram school, and that because he is once again reminded that he has no say in this school and has to watch as Amaimon harasses Shiemi.

I do agree that Amaimon is yet another cog in Mephisto's wheel and yet another reminder to the twins that he is the one in control, but I don't think Amaimon's presence in them were the impactful thing at that point.

But that's just the way I see it. I do think they meant a lot more to Amaimon than they did to Rin or Yukio.

[dayseternal-blog]

Know any heartbreaking NH fics? I don't mean just angst, I mean soul-crushing pain. Like "In Another Life" by theGeneralissimo.

mmm okay, these are the ones I found the most painful:

Devastated to learn that Kid Crisis deleted their "Gilded Butterflies" fic 😭

Okay. Well, that's gone. Wayback Machine doesn't have it either.

��Common Side Effects” by katarinahime & “Medicated” by szajnie - Rated E for a lot of things, Crime/Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Naruto and Hinata, in a struggling relationship, must confront the pain inside before they can love each other.

“Consolation Prize: Through Her Distorted Mirror” by mysterious intentions - Rated T, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. From any angle, waiting one-and-a-half years for an answer wears the heart down. “It is going to be very hard for me to feel this way about anyone else, there’s only so many people that can flip your world upside down. However, I shouldn’t, no I can’t accept simply being a consolation prize. I have to be strong.”

“Mistake” by Cherry1315 - Rated T, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Naruto falls apart, and, unfortunately, Hinata has to pick up the pieces.

“Duplicity” by GoldKing - Rated T, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Uzumaki Sakura wants to know why Hinata’s children are blond.

“My Favorite Night” [Original] by peppercornpresses - Rated M, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Hinata harbors deeper feelings for Naruto after three years of being his roommate. When he starts dating Sakura, Hinata decides it’s in her heart’s best interest to turn the other way, and leaves Naruto for good with a heart-breaking secret in tow. IMO the rewrite is not as painful as this unfinished first wip.

"Girl No 10" by meeiwan - Rated M, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Incomplete. Naruto makes a mistake with a dancer one drunk night.  Years later when he meets her again, he begins realizing his perfect life is a lie, but he’s too late to fix it. 

"The End of Winter" by @happyocelot - Rated T, Canon-Divergent AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. He was always looking forward, seeing something beyond the big, wide sky. Seeing something no one else could see. Those morning rays of the sun, they hit him first. And maybe she wanted to see what he saw, so she started craning her neck in the same direction. Only now she had to do it without him by her side. Naruto dies. Hidden leaves bloom in Hinata's veins.

For anyone who hasn't yet read the one anon mentions:

“In Another Life” by theGeneralissimo - Rated T, Canon-Divergent, Multi-chapter, Complete. In which Naruto listens to his mother’s advice and marries a girl like her. And lives to regret it.

Well, I think that those others are more soul-crushing than "In Another Life" tbh. Anyone can feel free to add on the fic that crushes their soul the most here!

[chameleonspell]

HTDC commentary - 30: possible

[Looking back at HTDC after FULLY ten years: comments on lore, character notes, influences, art, whatever. May contain spoilers for later chapters.]

chapter text: 30: possible

Argh, I hate this clunky, sucky chapter. It took me a while to figure out how to incorporate scenes taken from the Julan mod, and even after rewrites, this part still isn't working. The dialogue doesn't feel right at all, and while at least I'm trying to write action, I still can't write action. Oh, well. I'll get a lot more practice writing action now that Julan's here, getting himself into every stupid fight possible.

The answer, by the way, as to how to incorporate scenes from the mod, is to never fucking do that. Just write a new conversation, or new scene, something specific to this story and these characters. The Ald'ruhn bar scene with Julan in chapter 11 was fine for that reason - it's not in the mod! Using mod stuff meant I was trying to wrangle dialogue I not only wrote many years earlier, when my writing skills were even less developed, but was written in conversation with the Morrowind Protagonist, i.e. a faceless could-be-anyone.

After I finished HTDC, I actually went and did a fresh editing pass on all Julan's mod dialogue, because so much of it had annoyed me during my Iriel playthrough. That, and the Bloodmoon content, is what ended up in the 3.0 beta I put out in 2018. (Yes, I dragged Iriel through Bloodmoon, and ran through all the quest branch possibilities, including making him a werewolf. He hated every second of it, and it is extremely not canon for him.) While I don't think there's much overlap, because of my new-conversations, new-scenes policy, I was aware that, in theory, someone could scrutinise dates, realise certain new lines appeared in HTDC before Julan 3.0, and either deduce my authorship of the fic, or accuse me of plagiarising myself. While that would have been funny, I was pretty sure my secret was safe with the internet's indifference.

clannfears, a minor variety of Daedra. Several of them, eating something.

This was intended to be a fic commentary, not a mod commentary, but it's inevitably going to end up being both: why clannfears? Why three? Seems unlikely, but I didn't want ash beasts on this side of the Fence, and it had to be something reasonably, but not seriously, dangerous. Please also bear in mind that I had never released a quest mod before, never thought anyone would play it, and was just throwing random stuff together, especially in these early stages. My main issue was that the battle needed to last a long time, because NPC/creature AI starts running when the player enters the cell, maybe the next-cell-but-one, if you're in an exterior? I forget. The point is, the player might wander around the foyadas for a good while, before they stumbled upon Julan getting minced. So the mod clannfears have a lot of HP, but don't actually do much damage.

The Dunmer had collapsed against a rock

It is intended to be balanced so that, without player intervention, Julan will always end up getting killed by them. Obviously, if you turn up and he's filing his nails over a pile of dead bodies, the conversation where he begs you for help is gonna fall a bit flat. 

His armour was battered, mismatched and incomplete: no greaves, only chitin boots and guarskin pants that the Daedra’s claws had torn through like tissue paper. No helm, only a scarf against the ash, long since fallen loose, and a netch leather cuirass that looked considerably older than he was.

I really dodged a bullet, here, because when I originally chose Julan's base outfit, I had no idea lots of people would go on to draw him in it, so I wasn't trying particularly hard to make it look aesthetically cool, coherent or pleasing. Thankfully, Morrowind art direction came through for me, and I still think it works! Picking items, I was just going for "deliberate mishmash" and "stuff an outcast Ashlander might plausibly have got his hands on".

This is some of the first fanart I can remember getting of Julan - so long ago, it was on DeviantArt! Thanks Plangkye, wherever you are, I'm still blown away by it, sorry if you hate me posting your really old art!

Typical outlander, barging in where you’re not wanted. Next time stay… out of–” The sentence was lost in a coughing fit, interspersed with whimpers of pain.

Iriel was in absolutely no mood to prop up someone else’s over-active machismo. “You’re bleeding to death,” he observed, neutrally.

So, I have an agenda, in this bit of commentary. Because, much later, Iriel will aggressively try to characterise Julan's reasons for travelling with him in a certain way. And some readers bought it! Which may be my fault, and I don't blame people for not remembering everything about this first meeting, but... look. Come on. Who has the power, here?

Ire pointed mutely to a large, freely-bleeding gash in the Dunmer’s thigh, and the elf’s expression changed. “Oh. Sheogorath, that’s… more blood than I…” He tried to get to his feet, but the moment he tried to put weight on the injured leg, his face turned pale, and he fell back with a sharp groan. “I can’t… nngh…”

Me, forcibly pointing later-Iriel's head at this scene. Who was weak, here again, Ire? Who was strong? Who was collapsed on the ground, torn apart, and who was literally standing over him, acting superior and indifferent?

“Wait! Please.” There was panic spilling into the Dunmer’s voice. “It’s… possible… I could use some help.”

Who's the strong one, Ire?

Ire had a splitting headache, and a fraction of his usual ability to tolerate fools, which was never high to begin with, especially those with more pride than sense. “Possible?” he said.

I want you to know that I rejected the idea of posting the Leo di Caprio pointing meme, every time the chapter word comes up. See, the things I spare you.

Anyway, Ire: who's making someone beg for his life, just because you caught him, in a moment of terrified panic, trying to use a tough, macho persona as a shield? And yes, that's set off all your resentment of men like that, and yes, you've had a rough day, and are feeling like death, but come on.

Iriel's reluctance to get involved has something else feeding into it - the whole Rabinna thing. Lots of Ire's brain still associates trying to help others with looming disaster and crippling guilt.

The Dunmer growled. “Fine! I need your help! Happy now? I’m not about to beg you, n'wah. I’d rather bleed to death. But if you won’t help me, then go away and let me die in peace.” 

As with Tsiya, don't let someone's surface rudeness combine with Iriel's personal biases and victim complex to blind you to the actual power dynamic.

He glared at Ire with the last vestiges of his defiance, until it all suddenly crumbled. “I’m sorry,” he gasped. “I’m sorry. You’re right. About everything. Nothing’s under control, everything’s…” He coughed again, and struggled to breathe.

Julan: I'm not about to beg you, n'wah [immediately starts begging]

Ire didn't even have to push him, to collapse the tough persona, because there was literally nothing left holding it up. Who's the weak one, Ire?

But let's keep interrogating this alleged strong/weak dichotomy I'm trying to push on you, here: certainly Julan's in a position of weakness on all levels, but how is Ire strong? He's able to stand, sure. He's found himself in a position of power over Julan, and is enjoying leaning into that. But earlier I implied we might cut Iriel some slack for his shitty behaviour because he's feeling rough. Doesn't it then follow that, just like Tsiya then (constantly), and Julan now (briefly) he's being an asshole because he doesn't have the strength to be kinder, more empathetic?

On the one hand, yes. On the other hand: yes, BUT: this is the same logic Iriel uses himself, to constantly frame himself as weak from both directions, as a helpless victim, both of other people, and his own brain. This is what his self-hatred uses to twist memories and situations, leading to his logically incoherent rants in the Ashlands later, that still might sound persuasive, because he's articulate and emotionally raw.

Let's get out of Iriel's tangle of a brain, and stick to the physical facts. Both later, outside the Urshilaku burial, and here at Ghostgate, Ire has all the power, and Julan's collapsed in the dirt, a mental and physical wreck.

His voice shook. “Please. I… I don’t want to die. Not here, not like this.”

Interesting bit of additional clarification by Julan, there.

Anyway, Ire, I thought you were into the thought of boys prostrating themselves before you, begging for your favour, last night? What's wrong? Reality too messy? Nasty rough Dunmer boys don't mesh with the fantasy? (Are you sure? He just said you were right about everything, which is one of your major kinks.)

Iriel rubbed his forehead. “Hold still. I’ll see what I can do.”

In Ire's defence, that's not what tipped the balance in favour of helping. Someone's hot-or-not rating isn't how he decides who deserves kindness, that's unfair to him. Anyway, to him, this isn't kindness. He just doesn't want more mess on his conscience.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve taken you to bed, you know.”

Although now Ire's flirting, so something about this situation clearly registered positively.

“What?!” “Never mind. I was joking, poorly.

The sort of flirting that can be immediately walked back as a joke, if someone reacts badly.

The Dunmer was looking at him with a confusion that teetered on the brink of epiphany. “Go back to the part about… about…” Ire couldn’t help pushing it slightly further. “You don’t remember when we slept together, back in Ald'ruhn?”

Iriel remembers their last meeting, but apparently Julan doesn't. Which means Ire's in control of the situation on an informational level, as well as physical. He finds this amusing and, leaning back into the plausibly-deniable-joke angle, deliberately tries to make Julan uncomfortable. He considers this fair play, because if Julan's not homophobic, he won't be made uncomfortable by it, right?

The Dunmer’s expression passed through various stages, from its starting point in confusion, through incredulity to horrified realisation. He swallowed. “I was in Ald'ruhn. And you do seem familiar, somehow… But I… I… don’t think… I mean, I’m not… I’m sure I would remember that.”

Iriel's not sure precisely what was about to come out of Julan's mouth after "I'm not...", only that he understands the meaning of it. Later, he will fill it in as "not a vassith". Which is both fair and unfair. Unfair, because the Velothi f-slur isn't a word that trips naturally off Julan's tongue. Fair, because Iriel's right about the general direction of the road Julan's brain was stumbling along. He didn't finish the sentence because he was biting back a slur, though. Just because he wasn't sure how to, and he didn't want to try.

Because what do you call it, when you're definitely into women, and, okay, maybe, sometimes have... confusing thoughts about certain men, but you've never done anything and you don't want to, because you don't need to, right, you like girls, so it's okay. Probably everyone gets these thoughts, it's just a stupid, random... thing. You don't have to think about it, because there's no point, so you don't, you just put it in the box of things you don't think about.

Julan has a lot of things he doesn't think about. He's really good at it, except when he's not, and that's what the alcohol is for.

He stared, blankly, obviously struggling to sort through his memories. “I… I was drinking a lot, and sometimes it’s all just a blank when I wake up, but…”

Except... what if his good friend alcohol betrayed him, this time? Drunk Julan does stupid things. Drunk Julan makes bad decisions. What if... what if drunk Julan did do something with the pretty Altmer scholar, who admittedly might be the sort of man he could find attractive, if he was into that, which he's not, but drunk Julan might do anything, he can't be sure! What if he did? (Chapter title: also refers to the word floating through Julan's head right now.)

The joke had already worn thin for Iriel, who decided to cut his losses before he heard something he would regret instigating. “We shared a room, not a bed,” he said crisply. “You were unconscious. Nothing else happened, so you can stop worrying.

Iriel doesn't know and, honestly, doesn't very much care whether Julan's homophobia is internalised or not. He knows that look of horror, and anything Julan says is going to twist the knife further. Worse, Ire realises his "joke", if taken seriously, implies Ire might have taken advantage of Julan while drunk, and the last thing he needs is the Predatory Gay phantom crawling out of the depths of the Pit to clutch at him. He's setting his self esteem up for another massacre, if he can't claw the situation back.

I assure you, passed-out-drunk vagrants are really not my type.

Julan also isn't Ire's type in several other ways, but he's trying to end the conversation, not pick a new fight by slinging personal insults about violent idiots. Julan mostly just hears the "not my type" part, which he registers with a large amount of relief, and a small amount of something odd that he's not going to think about.

The Dunmer nodded, sympathetically. “Drink?”

Let's get this relationship back to where everyone feels most comfortable with it: supported by alcohol.

next: 31: help previous: 29: pride

[llau-ren-ti-a]

I know, I know, people bawl their eyes out to this song, but it will forever be my Tech & Crosshair anthem.

Just oh my god I can’t even put it into words. Put this in any regular scenario, put this in any scenario in which Crosshair finally returns to the Bad Batch and does not fit in with them right away. Either another person is urging one to talk to the other or one of them takes initiative without any prodding from the outside.

“Oh brother, I can't, I can't get through

I've been trying hard to reach you 'cause I don' know what to do

Oh brother, I can't believe it's true

I'm so scared about the future, and I wanna talk to you.”

They are both SO BAD with changes and readjustments, I feel like the whole empire/Omega/Crosshair situation has taken such a tremendous toll on them and not even having each other simply breaks my heart for them.

“You can take a picture of something you see

In the future where will I be?

You can climb a ladder up to the sun

Or a write a song nobody has sung

Or do something that's never been done”

Tech’s hobby LITERALLY being recording things; Crosshair wondering how to fit back into the puzzle of his family, of his relationships. Both being amazed (and intimidated) by each other, still having this brotherly bond despite all of that happened, both unable to phrase how they feel.

“Are you lost or incomplete?

Do you feel like a puzzle, you can't find your missing piece?

Tell me, how do you feel?

Well, I feel like they're talking in a language I don't speak

And they’re talking it to me”

Tech canonically (and literally) being interested and proficient in languages and communicating cannot find the words to talk to his own brother. Everything that has happened has fundamentally disrupted their structures, their relationships, their beliefs, their perceptions of each other. Crosshair, feeling misunderstood, unable to convey, hell, even comprehend what happened, what he did to civilians, to his family - what has been done to him. Crosshair not finding a connection, a way back into his family. He’s with them, but not part of them.

“So you don't know where you're going and you wanna talk

And you feel like you're going where you've been before

You tell anyone who'll listen, but you feel ignored

Nothing's really making any sense at all, let's talk

Let's talk, let's talk, let's talk”

Crosshair having no idea how to cope, how to heal, how to deal with his situation; having no goals, no direction, simply getting by from one day to another, no structure, no future, nothing to look forward to, not knowing what the future will bring - he’s was floating in nothingness; meaninglessness before he escaped the empire, and now that he’s back with his brothers nothing has changed.

“You’re going where you’ve been before.”

His mind is going to all these dark places, to Kamino, to Onderon, to Bracca - he can’t detach him from those events, from the mistakes and wrong decisions he made himself and those forced upon him.

No one seems to understand, no one seems to care, no one seems to put an effort in to actually sit down and talk to him.

But Tech talks. Tech talks a whole lot. And he fills all this deafening silence that Crosshair once appreciated and now has come to resent. Tech’s seemingly never-ending chatter one day turns into a heart-to-heart that makes them discover how much they mean to each other - despite everything.

- - -

I could shit out an entire analysis about this song itself and at least five for the Tech & Crosshair context and I simply cannot stop thinking about it.

[eleanorfenyxwrites]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks for tagging me, @omgpurplefattie!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

78 😅

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

864,062 - this is apparently just a bit more than Gone With The Wind....twice. I don't know how to feel about this.

What fandoms do you write for?

The Untamed (I have also written a handful of fics for Word of Honor and a very tiny one-shot for Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, but I'm definitely a CQL/MDZS author lol)

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

You Need Tending - A very young, tiny Wangxian meet as children in Yunmeng and canon diverges sweetly from there.

Unexpected Solutions - LXC POV - What if the other sect leaders got to see the Burial Mounds instead of taking JGS's word for it that WWX was raising an army?

You Are Of Their Ilk - Sequel to You Need Tending, a LQR-centric fic examining what it's like to actually raise the Jades (and WWX) when he's got a Sect to run and parenting insecurities to overcome.

Plans To Make - A Wangxian-centric Time Travel Fix-it AU, technically the prequel fic to my first 3zun fic (in which the fixings-of-it have already been done and the post-canon, 5-years-in-seclusion Lan Xichen wakes up in the altered timeline wondering how the hell he has two husbands who are definitely not dead).

Professor Lan, Babysitter Extraordinaire - Modern AU Professor!LWJ spends an afternoon minding A-Yuan for Mature Student!WWX and is instantly charmed.

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Sometimes! I used to respond to every single comment I got when I first started posting, but then I just got really overwhelmed and had to stop, and I've never picked up the habit again. If I feel particularly strongly about a comment or have something specific to say I'll try to respond, but otherwise I bask in them all silently (sorry, and I love y'all, I really do read every single comment I swear).

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

The Shadow's Call - An extremely depressed Lan Xichen is violently dragged out of his seclusion in the Hanshi 8 years post-canon by fierce corpse NieYao, who definitely aren't sentient at all but still somehow feel incomplete without their third.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Aside from The Shadow's Call all of my fics end happily!! I just can't do the depressing ones most of the time 😅 I think some of my favorite happy endings for various reasons, though, are The Sculptor, After Each Midnight Begins A New Day, anything in the Orville Peck Cinematic Universe, and anything from the 90's Strip Mall AU, Tales From Jianghu Shopping Center. (Everything in the last two especially is just pure feel-good fluff, not only the endings haha)

Do you get hate on fics?

Not anymore! The XiYao troll must have found something better to do so we can now like JGY in peace 😌

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do! I don't know what kind though 😅 the smutty kind? I don't really delve too deeply into kink or BDSM, and I don't write omegaverse or tentacles or anything all that creative; I just write what I would consider bog standard 'I'm ace and I understand people like doing this, I really hope the allos find this enjoyable to read' kind of smut. (Usually for me it's more about the emotional impact/character development use of it rather than the porn-y-ness of it, if that helps??)

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Nope! I like writing AU's of my favorite ships blended with other media I like, but not direct crossovers.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Hope not!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have! Вони — це ми/ They Are Us is a Ukrainian translation by sandbranco of 'They Are Us', El escultor By Eleanor_Fenyx is a Spanish Translation by ellieffect and KabiBaali of 'The Sculptor', and another Spanish Translation of 'The Sculptor' by GabyObando13. I'm always so flattered when someone likes something of mine enough to do such an incredible labor of love as translating it ❤

What's your all-time favorite ship?

3zun, my beloveds

What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Plans To Make - In an ideal world I would finish this soon so I can stop being eaten up with low-simmering guilt about it (along with several other projects, let's be real), but the fact of the matter is that I never actually wanted to write the full fix-it for this universe in the first place. I started Lan Xichen's introduction into this universe after the fix-it has already happened partially because I find that dynamic of a depressed Lan Xichen suddenly partnered with a happily married NieYao really interesting, but also because I don't like all the tangled threads of a universe-wide fix-it and I knew I'd get way too bogged down in details to really enjoy it. That's exactly what's happened, and that's partially why the fic has been sitting so long without an update. I do really want to finish it one day, though.

What are your writing strengths?

I occasionally get comments praising my characterization/character voices, so hopefully that's one. I also like to think that I do a decent job with accurately communicating both relatable and not-quite-as-relatable experiences - queerness of various flavors, neurodivergence, strangely specific life experiences...I usually try to write what I know, and I'm always happy when it resonates with people in the ways that I'd hoped for while writing them.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I feel like I can get sooo long-winded, and I'm also kind of bad for setting up plotty bits in my longer fics that I never actually follow through on.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

The furthest I'll go is honorifics that I'm confident with using, I absolutely do not trust myself or any online translator to attempt whole lines of dialogue.

First fandom you wrote for?

BBC Sherlock - those fics are all orphaned now, though

Favorite fic you've written?

I'm going to choose three just because I can: After Each Midnight Begins A New Day (3zun), The Sculptor (Wangxian), and Main Objective : Destroy Yiling Laozu (Breath of the Wild AU, my beloved)

I'm going to tag: @little-smartass, @wei--wuxian, @scarlet-gryphon, @wishthatiwasnessiesgirl, @threephasebird, and anyone else who writes who wants to play!

[taichi-x-koushiro]

{D I G I M O N} Adventure/02/tri./Pre-Epilogue ~ A.M.V {Preview}/{Incomplete}/{Un-finished}/{Work in Progress} x "Lover I Don't HAVE TO Love" ~ Koushiro{u} x Taichi {KouTai}

Cover Version (C) Bettie Serveert (as featured in 'The O.C.') Original (C) Bright Eyes

Summary: "Do you LIKE to xxxx?

SO XXXX ME--"

Note: Contains discussion of R-18 Subject{s} in full version. (This version is 'safe' for now)

Happy A.S.A.W Week 2k25, Everyone!! (02/18)

This particular AMV preview is a preview, as it is mainly un-finished; However, it is planned to contain similar themes + discussion of implied orientations, namely Koushiro's. (Taichi's is Hinted, Meanwhile)

There is a tiny KouTai relevant moment, from mid-Kokuhaku {Tri} included near end. I've used it in many of my AMVs by now.

The specific implied headcanons are: AlloAro{spec}!Koushiro; Demi-romantic Pan-sexual Koushiro Pan-romantic Demi-sexual Taichi in semi canon compliancy or canon-implied verses; {Bi-romantic Demi-sexual Taichi if going very specifically by hard canon readings} where even the 02 epilogue, along with any of where Tri~The Beginning is left fully intact, (with Taichi {Demi} having a preference for Koushiro) Taichi doesn't like to separate Demi-sexual from Demi-romantic when it comes to Taichi's OWN feelings, so Taichi is extremely supportive of Koushiro in this, even if Koushiro doesn't completely KNOW at First.

A.M.V. by Hikari M. Productions @hikari-m​ / @izzyizumi / @koushirouizumi​ / @aph-japan {Do Not Repost} {Do Not Copy} {Do Not Remove Caption} {Do Not Re-produce My Work Under Any Circumstances Without My Permission Whatsoever!}

Digimon Adventure {Franchise} (C) Toei Animation (I Do NOT Own anything Digimon!) No $$$ is being made off this Fanwork

Notes: If the A.M.V. doesn't display properly in embed above, Please feel free to check out at the direct link here, and it should work! (If it doesn't, please feel free to ping me in tags or comment!)

[lighthouseborn]

If you could sum up your character with one sentence, what would it be?

Canon Questionnaire

Unpopular(?) opinion but I actually think this is an impossible task for any writer with any character — any character with even ankle deep depth, that isn't a function character, anyway.

Like you could describe function characters (the cabbage man from ATLA, Lt. Scarfield and the witch Shansa from DMTNT) with this method, because their identities are actually plot functions as far as the story being told is concerned. Sure they have names, sometimes, but even then they're likely to be there more to further something along than to have their inner worlds mapped out. (Pintel and Ragetti wobble on this line; they're almost one-sentence characters, but little bits poke through anyway). If a character is actually a part of things, has goals, gets to express nuance etc., I don't think it can be done. Or rather I think it can be done but it will always be an incomplete image. I know that's kind of the point, to cut to the 'most important' parts but I really think.. all the parts are important? Real people will have entire swathes of similarities and what makes them distinctly who they are is the little parts. I think people who lean on single-sentence type identifiers too hard end up losing sight of their characters anyway, in a different direction than what happens when they close their eyes to canon. Single sentencing too hard leads directly to flanderization. If they started flat to begin with, and don't need to be anything else, it's fine! If not, be careful.

With that in mind, I think the closest you can possibly get to a single-sentence for Henry is to simply take him at his own self evaluation (which the fact it was him who said it is in itself is an important part of things–), which is to say: “I'lll never stop, and if you throw me over, I'll come straight back.” This leaves a bunch of other things out but it does, also, cut to a really core drive of him, at any rate — a piece you couldn't remove without completely undoing the character. Arguably he doesn't have to be a storyteller, or even technically a pirate, but he does have to be confident, and persistent, and bold. And he has to be kind as well, and earnest; willing to listen, and to start causing problems if other people aren't listening, aren't paying attention. He has to be prepared to break things in order to fix them. (Running away to bring his family together; defying chain of command to (attempt to) prevent deaths.) He has to love so hard, all the way into it being a flaw. You take those and you've just... invented a different kid you're calling Henry. (Which, if you are just writing a different Henry, go ham! Do whatever! If you're calling him Henry though I feel like DMTNT should at least be on your radar a little bit though, and if you want to ignore it exists then maybe. Don't call him Henry. But that's a big fat fandom opinion on things that don't actually have any consequences or fallout s;dflkjg;wlrtkjg;sldkjfg) He cannot be resentful toward Will for his absence, I don't think. You'd have to be really really good at toeing a line for that one to work (and me personally I think that veers too far into just rehashing Will himself, which is boring. Parallels don't have to be carbon copies tyvm, let him love wildly and without anyone having had to 'earn' it.) And obviously I'm devolving into many many more than one sentence but I do think a lot of that that I just said can be, in some way, linked to his "I'll come straight back" which is why I think it's probably the closest a person can get to one-sentence'ing him. Or as close as I can get anyway, but I'm bad at it. (Kind of on purpose.)

For the ways I've written him I think the little epithets given at the top of the source material/divergences section of his bio page are also a good centering place? "Son of the Pirate King. Blood of a Turner, feathers of a Sparrow." It's more ... poetic? Ambiguous? Than a direct description, but nevertheless it tells you where I've focused him, what I'm pulling into it. Good short description only in that it evokes the entire complex history of three other characters that came before him in order to even get him on the page!

[fauxridium]

My bf and i finished sonic frontiers today and i've been having thoughts about it

So firstly I already knew the story and all that since it came out, my bf is a sonic newbie and we're going thru and playing a bunch of games rn and i am acting as his guide lmao (I'm a sonic autist and have been for the past 20 years), the only thing i didnt know going in was the alternate dlc ending, aside from super sonic 2 and cyber sonic, and like. So my thoughts on the story is that the main story is good, tho feels a little empty? I feel like they leaned a little Too far into the serious direction and could have used a bit more silliness, because one of the things about sonic stories that make them Good is the balance between telling a serious story while still maintaining the inharent silliness of sonic, without leaning too far in either direction and undermining the importance of both of those elements, i feel frontiers tried to overcorrect a bit when it comes to tone in response to forces and the absolute nightmare that was in terms of tone, thankfully frontiers is not as egregious as that and it still has some silly moments, but it still feels lacking and incomplete as a sonic story

that said I am So glad they decided to go back and add the alternate ending, and tbh its the canon ending in my mind, because the original ending was so just. Lackluster and anticlimactic, and i remember when it came out it made me like frontiers as a whole a lot less, because the climax of a sonic game should be grandiose, and the original ending was just. Not. However the alternate ending Absolutely is and did actually make me like the overall game more, super sonic 2 was hitting those hard ass poses like crazy I was losing my mind a bit, and i really really like the concept of cyber sonic, i just wish there was More of him like. Master king kinda talks it up to be this whole dangerous power, saying its not meant for sonic's body, that hes made sonic into his greatest weapon, and when we finally do see sonic go all out and go from 2 to cyber, its hype as fuck and he looks cool as hell, the sharp teeth and the crazy rings in his eyes, the way he darts around like he's frenzied and bouncing off walls that arent even there, like that's Cool, but we only see him for like. What? 5 seconds? And then once he crashes thru the end he powers down to 2 again and like, i get that they probably didnt want to make the alternate end Too long, but i feel like there was a lot of potential there for like. Idk a corrupted sonic that cant handle his own power and his friends + sage and eggman have to save him from it, maybe they could have even leaned into a bit of a fleetway super sonic angle with it, idk i just feel like theres a lot they could have done with cyber sonic that would have elevated the alt end a lot more and I'm disappointed that they didn't take the opportunity to do something more with it, but regardless of that it is still Much better than the original ending

I know a big point of contention for people with sonic media is characterisation, and tbh with frontiers i feel like they did a pretty good job with it? Sonic was appropriately witty tho maybe could have been a bit more Cocky, and i do like the conclusions everyone came to by the end of their stories (i will say, i absolutely Hhhate amy's modern characterisation and i could go on about how its doing her fundamental character a disservice more than its doing any good but that's a whole other post, but in frontiers she isn't Bad necessarily and i do like her conclusion of going off to share her love with the world, That i do feel is in character for her regardless of the otherwise mess they've made of modern amy), and i do really enjoy eggman and sage's father daughter dynamic, and like. I do Care about sage as a daughter figure to eggman but i found it difficult to care about Sage herself as a character, the game just didnt really do much to make you care for her organically and it felt more like. Ohh look shes sad guys you gotta care about her when shes sad come on, especially that whole flash back scene where its supposed to be all emotional but its all like. Flash backs to scenes that were not poignant in any way so it just fails spectacularly and kind of hilariously

From a gameplay and world buillding perspective tho I'm gonna be real. I kinda hate it FJSKG I'm sorry but i just do not think sonic works as an open world game, especially not in the way they did it with frontiers, everything feels out of place, with things thrown around that dont belong and are there without purpose, Sonic doesnt feel like he belongs because of how hyper realistic it is, i have yet to play sonadow generations and have been actively avoiding looking at stuff from it until my bf and i can play it, but i have heard that they do the open world Better in it so that does give me some hope, but in general i think sonic works best as a hub and spoke style game, i think unleashed is the best example of this however its done in 06 and sa1 as well, unleashed really perfected it and i think its what works best for sonic, to have a semi open world hub where you can kinda go around as you like where you like, but having areas you go to to progress the plot, rather than having the Main location of the game be an open world, i get that at the time everyone and their mother was creaming their pants still about botw, and sega wanted to capitalize on that, and honestly they wear that inspiration on their sleeve because so much of it is just painfully obvious that it was inspired by botw like. Portals = shrines, koco = koroks, seeds = spirit orbs, titans = divine beasts, even random mini bosses around the map, theres even sounds that almost sound like they came straight out of botw, and usually i am not one to say that a game copied botw just because its open world, but frontiers is really like. Hey can i copy your homework? Yeah but make sure its not obvious, which tbh was to its detriment more than anything else because again, the open world angle for sonic just does not work imo, especially not how it was done in frontiers

Uh anyways that's it

[source-of-support]

What gives.

All the while. My optimism must be marked by a sense of amusement. It is not as sincere as one might wish. so here is a guide to how I write. or how I read.

The sentence that follows seems dense. it will seem like a waste of time after. it may be. if you had to read the following to understand my shorthand which is my preferred method of writing. by shorthand.

A monolith as canon isn't a monolith worth knowing. the unyielding being the goal what rock would I place my foundation upon?

a deconstruction, or construction depending on which direction you want to go, follows:

a monolith being a thing that serves as a foundation. a unifying story. in this case anyway.

a unifying story is a story that I take to be a mythology of a time. it doesn't have to be by my measure alone.

a canon monolith - a cutesy way to say a monolith that's treated as standard. think of commercials. are lucky charms magically delicious? cheetoh fingers and what not. this is capitalistic bs. but it is only an example. any standard can be a canon monolith, as an old collection of stories or even categories themselves. one might go so far as saying that language has a center pillar, and for us, it is to question. always question. question what? this. why should I? why don't you I would ask the person asking why they should question this and everything else. so we see that monoliths are to be questioned.

this---

(wait what does the pronoun "this" refer to? what does it replace in the sentence as subject? what are we talking about?)

---isn't worth knowing because as follows in explanation, without a center, there ---

(pronouns again. leading with pronouns is a hard habit to break. tricksters use ambiguity in pronouns to beguile and insinuate to burden others while not needing to fully express themselves, expending less energy than their fair share.

"there" is revealed after the copula to be "no monoliths". We're talking about monoliths being worth or not worth knowing because of a purported lack of a center in them.)

---is no monolith to build upon let alone become standard. everything else is a cheap counterfeit; the kind even children know to stay away from.

(As an aside. I know no one will understand this. I can explain it to anyone who wishes. no one wishes it though. no one wishes to read anything I've written. It makes me parts angry at first at the obtuseness of others and sad at my impotent rage.)

the unyielding being the goal - is the journey's end now that we see the problem with our current life. a yielding to the before statement, the earth being inadequate for a foundation for a universal standard, it being but a rock in revolution. and further there being no center anywhere, where then? where is the center?

and it follows then from the language itself: what foundation is worthy of our goal of finding a standard, if there can be one. a monolith worth knowing and supporting.

an unyielding one would be a rock. something like what the earth was. imperishable. constant. self sustaining.

and thus it is that the construction is over. yet it feels incomplete. because the goal shifted.

I won't leave without context at least. the reading and writing interplay doesn't work well. it's my most potent weakness exploited by the beguiler in me asking wherefore now brown cow? giggling with a rising pitch to their voice

[jacquelinemerritt]

Star Wars – Exploring the Canon: The Clone Wars Saga – Part 2

An incomplete piece, never published before.

In which we look at the second half of the canonical works set in the Clone Wars: the final three seasons of the TV show, a comic following Darth Maul, and the novel that brings Asajj Ventress’.

This review is part of a series of pieces on the entirety of the Star Wars canon. See them all here!

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Season 4)

The fourth season of The Clone Wars wisely takes a step back from the rapid expansion of the mythos that defined the third season, and instead takes smaller steps forward with interesting, character focused stories that take the show in some unique directions. “A Friend in Need” for example, takes Ahsoka on an adventure with her previously established love interest, Lux Bonteri, posing as his “betrothed” as they infiltrate Deathwatch, a violent group of Mandalorian traditionalists, and it ends up being a fun action romp through a snowy planet (that also has Ahsoka casually decapitate four Mandalorians at once). There is also an entire arc dedicated to forcing Anakin to grapple with his history with slavery and face off against a people who still own and use slaves, and it’s not even one of the best arcs in the show!1  

Like before though, I’m just going to focus on the best two arcs of the season, and I am actually going to completely skip an arc here that I absolutely adore because as good as those episodes are, it doesn’t really add all that much to the overall story of Star Wars. If you’ve seen the show though, you might have guessed that the saga of General Krell would be one of my favorite parts of the season, and you would be entirely right. I don’t feel it would be right to spoil these episodes for anyone who hasn’t seen them however, and so once again, I am going to leave you with a Jacqueline Merritt guarantee that if you go and watch the four episodes of Season 4 starting with “Darkness on Umbara,” (so, Episodes 7-10 of Season 4), that you will not be disappointed. Well, unless you simply don’t care for Star Wars, in which case, why are you reading this?

The first arc we’re going to be focusing on here is the big one. The arc that if you have heard anything about The Clone Wars, you’ve heard about. Yes, that’s right everybody, we are finally going to talk about an arc that brings one of the most beloved Star Wars characters of all time back from the dead.

We’re going to talk about…

The arc where Obi-Wan fakes his own death and pretends to be a bounty hunter!

Wait, you thought I was gonna talk about Darth Maul, didn’t you?

Patience, young Padawan. We will speak of him soon.

The arc covered by “Deception,” “Friends and Enemies,” “The Box,” and “Crisis on Naboo” is really one of the most interesting things done in the show. The premise is pretty simple and straightforward: the Jedi Council learns of a threat to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine that they believe a bounty hunter named Moralo Eval (we get it Filoni, you like being on the nose) is orchestrating for the Separatists, and they decide that they need to send a Jedi Master undercover to try and stop this plot from the inside. Now, I’ll admit, it is really why the Council decides that it would be better of them to fake Obi-Wan’s death and send him rather than sending one of their less prominent Masters who is actually experienced in undercover work, like, say, I don’t know, Quinlan Vos, but given that the writers were never really able to develop Vos the way they would’ve liked in the show itself, I understand wanting to stick with a familiar character for this.

Where this arc gets fun though is in how they plan for Obi-Wan to actually go undercover. See, Obi-Wan is pretty well recognized across the galaxy as a general of the Clone Army and a Jedi Master, so there is no feasible way for him to go undercover without being recognized. That is, until he and Mace Windu steal the identity of the bounty hunter they hire to fake Obi-Wan’s death, put a voice modifying droid into Obi-Wan’s throat, and use a drug that radically alters Obi-Wan’s appearance, right down to changing the bone structure of his face. This sequence is presented with a wonderful dose of straight-up body horror, and it also serves to greatly expand the scope of the Jedi’s involvement in the galaxy, showing that they are not only diplomats and warriors, but also spies who are capable of deeply infiltrating their enemies if needed.

The rest of this arc plays out in a fairly straight-forward manner. Obi-Wan works to gain the trust of Moralo Eval and Cad Bane, and after helping them break out of a Republic prison,2 he, Cad Bane, and many other bounty hunters are put through a gauntlet of video game style challenges to prove themselves worthy to take part in the mission to capture Palpatine. “The Box” is about as fun and delightful an episode of this show as they come, as while the challenges posed to our characters are pretty ridiculous, they are still very fair and very compelling to watch as these anti-heroes are drawn to work together to conquer them thanks to Obi-Wan’s influence. This episode also confirms that the Selkath, an aquatic race of aliens introduced in the Knights of the Old Republic game, are a canonical race, with a nice little nod to their origins as pacifists that makes it just that little bit easier to view KotOR as canon (or at least canon-adjacent), and that is something I will never complain about.

Once we get to “Crisis on Naboo,” things proceed on basically as you might expect; Obi-Wan works to try and stop the kidnapping in the nick of time, and he manages to save Palpatine and place a couple of the other bounty hunters under arrest. There is a neat little twist near the end that spices things up a bit, but I won’t spoil that, mostly because as fun as it is, it’s just there to keep things lively, and doesn’t really change the story too significantly. The only thing I have left to say about this arc, actually, is that it is so weird to me that attempting to kidnap Palpatine is a thing that the Separatists do twice, and that they actually succeed and do better with their second attempt in Revenge of the Sith than they do here! It’s like, fine, I guess; the Separatists’ plan in Sith is definitely a much better plan and generally fits their desperation at the end of a long war, but the fact that we can pretty safely assume that the kidnapping won’t succeed until the Separatists actually try it in Sith really undercuts some of the tension in these episodes, and I am still disappointed that these episodes aren’t actually used as direct connective tissue to Sith, because that would actually be incredible.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Season 5)

I spent a lot of time in the last article hurling exclamations of praise at the third season of The Clone Wars, and while I certainly still stand by everything I said, one thing I very intentionally did not say was that the third season of Clone Wars was the best season of the entire show. Even though the third season does more to expand the Star Wars mythos than anything created by Lucas, the strongest season of Clone Wars is easily Season 5. Like Season 3, there isn’t a bad episode to be found, and the show, continuing to take inspiration from old serialized dramas and adventure films, now begins to draw upon classic noire to elevate the final arc of the series’ best character.

[This is where the draft of this article ends.]

Critical Eye Criticism is the work of Jacqueline Merritt, a trans woman, filmmaker, and critic. You can support her continued film criticism addiction on Patreon.

1For the curious, this arc is the episodes “Kidnapped,” “Slaves of the Republic,” and “Escape from Kadavo,” and I definitely recommend them, even if they aren’t quite as good as their premise might lead you to expect.

2There is also a throughline in these episodes of showing how Obi-Wan’s commitment to the Jedi Code puts him at risk and makes staying undercover quite difficult, but it doesn’t really go anywhere. Still definitely neat that they considered how Obi-Wan would actually fare as a spy though.