#but probably to the extent to how he was in labyrinth runners

[lollytea]

ok but moving on to other things we wanna see in season 3: WHAT ABOUT GUSTHOLOMULE?!??!?! they haven't interacted on screen since TTLGR ( over a year ago) and tbh i'm just starved of them

It pains me to say this but we are never seeing that shrivelled up raisin of a man ever again

[eternalera]

one thing that I think doesn't get enough attention in reguards to hunters trauma with belos is that belos wasn't always shit with him like yes

he always planned to kill him

he hated him

abused him

and yes he was shit with him but he wasnt like that all the time the thing that doesnt get enough attention in relationships like this which toh did well (in that one line which basically said it all) is that they still make you feel like theyre on your side and that no matter what that they do care for you

thats what belos was doing when he said that their family was killed by wild magic and that he didnt want to lose hunter too which we all know was bs since he gave hunter a FUCKING SIGIL

yet there had to be moments when he wasnt completely shit with him and we do see that when he says 'omg i didnt mean to hurt you i just lost my temper since my curse and all haha' (i wanna punt him so bad and not in a haha funny way) and we know that this is fake but hunter doesnt think it is

so there had to be a point in hunters life (most likely when he was younger) that belos acted like he cared about him and didnt abuse tf out of him or smth. bc hunter isnt an idiot like lets be honest he reads a bunch and even if he isnt the best in terms of relationships it seems like he knows when smths up (when he realized willow wasnt acting like willow in labyrinth runners or whatever).

and yes he doesnt know how a proper relationship is supposed to work but he most likely knows when hes getting treated like absolute shit. not to mention he wants to help belos. you wouldnt want to help someone even if theyre your family who treats you like shit

he feels obligated to help belos. he feels like he has to and most likely not just because of brute force because lets be honest he couldve just ran tf away in eclipse lake, would belos have found him? probably but he also runs away in hollow mind so if he really was terrified of belos and thought that he would kill him (he just says replaced which could pertain to killed or just and this probably isnt right, replaced).

but he would most likely still go back because he cares for belos, he even offers to help his curse and he starts mentioning stuff like wild magic in order to help him (this was before eclipse lake but whatever)

point being he was willing to go back because he thought belos most likely cared for him to some extent only in hollow mind to be shown that that isnt true

[random-dragon-exe]

OK hot take, (probably) but I think that Adrian Graye is actually a powerful witch just like the rest of the covenheads.

I say this because there's a lot of people who think that Adrian is a lot weaker than the rest of the Covenheads because of Gus beating him in Labyrinth Runners.

I will say that granted, his magic is illusions and yeah illusions have no physical aspect to them, but there's two things I'd like to add here:

Even though illusions aren't a physical magic, they're more about deceptive measures and at most psychological in nature.

Adrian finds a way around the lack of the physical aspect by hiding the scouts he has under his illusions to have them interact with people. (So when you think about it, he's quite clever for doing that since he could focus on keeping up the illusion and keeping himself safe)

Technically a third but when you think about it, if Gus can make it look like a witch's powers aren't working, as shown in Through the Looking Glass Ruins:

Then, Adrian could do that too however, with way more ease than Gus as he said it took him a lot of concentration to maintain it.

Of course, since Gus has the ability to force people to see their worst memories, so can Adrian.

If we want to go further with it, Adrian can totally make an entire illusion labyrinth just like Gus too but it'd be more controlled since he's more experienced than Gus.

Yes there's the scene where he asks Gus "how" is he making the labyrinth, but this could just be him being surprised that an illusion that powerful is coming from a 12 year old as younger witches shouldn't be able to make complicated spells. (Gus is an extreme outlier in this)

(Not only that but Gus’s labyrinth was induced by his emotions getting out of hand and was therefore accidental)

Also real fast, I'm pretty sure being forced to see your worst/darkest memories would render anyone in the state that we see Adrian in last. So I don't think it's just "a him" thing.

Moving on and going further with this, Adrian could go full on Mysterio on his enemies asses. Anyone seen Spider-Man: Far From Home?

From tricking the target to using the real (unillusioned) environment against them:

To using psychological horror and using their emotions against them about a beloved person's death:

To faking his own death:

To making it look like someone close to the target is in danger:

To altering the entire perception of the playing field at a massive scale:

The person won't be able to figure out what's an illusion and what's reality until it's too late:

This is also not to mention the other post I have about the extensions of illusion magic and its effects (which I think both Gus and Adrian can do to varying extents based on their experience with illusions).

What I'm getting at is that Adrian is definitely powerful in his own right at illusion magic (and can very well do these things).

It's just that we don't get to see the full potential because of how the writing favored Gus's powers over Adrian's in Labyrinth Runners due to the shortening.

I'm not trying to diminish Gus’s abilities as an illusionist, I'm just saying both of them are powerful in their own ways (Gus having raw power for his age, yet needs to refine and control his powers and Adrian having experience and control with his magic yet his ego gets the best of him and he underestimates his opponents)

Not to mention his vague feedback to the scouts often works against him unknowingly.

Like honestly, if the show wasn't shortened there'd be more time allowed for him to be a more terrifying threat in Labyrinth Runners or other episodes with him.

TLDR: Ya'll are sleeping on what could've been an even more epic version of Labyrinth Runners and Adrian's powers. Like yes, we can still make fun of him being beaten by Gus, but let's just acknowledge that it would've been really cool to see two skilled illusionists fighting 1v1.

[jenniferdiazisatransgirl]

“Labyrinth Runners” Thoughts (Spoilers)

So I am finally rewatching “Labyrinth Runners” and I think it is good I did it when I’m in a better place mentally. Firstly, it didn’t quite click with me that the first scene was when Willow and Gus first met. It awesome to get a glimpse of when they first became friends.

I love that when Amity is explaining the stuff she got from Luz she is just like, “Those are for me.” In reference to the hearts while blushing. That is adorable.

I know this is a Gus/Hunter-centric episode but I’ll be honest that I don’t have much to say at this point. It is interesting to once again get to have a look at just how powerful Gus is as a witch and how he is able to relate to Hunter and Hunter is able to relate to him. That they are able to help one another with their struggles. As their friendship builds I’ll probably have more to say. Hunter’s fear of Emperor Belos in this episode is just so extremely palpable though and honestly, I can’t blame him given we know Belos wants him dead.

The part of the episode that has really struck me though is Amity and Willow’s friendship. I have been wanting to see an episode that explores Amity and Willow’s relationship now they are friends again and how that is going. Something I firmly believe about Amity, is that she has ALWAYS been trying to protect Willow. I mean from early on Amity has viewed Willow as not being that talented a witch. She ended her friendship with Willow to protect Willow from the wrath of her parents. She always used to backhandedly speak out when Boscha bullied Willow, “Leave her alone. It’s not her fault she was born without talent.” She patronisingly encourages Willow in “I Was A Teenage Abomination”. She tries to erase herself from Willow’s memory to remove the hurt she caused Willow.

And now they are friends once again, we can see Amity is still holding onto this need to protect Willow. I think on some level she still views Willow as being merely half a witch and so feels this need to protect her. She even says, “Why won’t you let me protect you?” Not realising Willow has since grown into her powers and especially on the Plant Track, Willow is more than capable of defending herself.

I’m glad we get to a point where Willow finally snaps and is just like, “I want you to see me for who I really am.”

I mean while it is good that Amity wants to protect Willow, she does it to an extent where she is infantilising Willow. It is good to see by the end of this episode they finally are seeing each other on equal footing and having Amity finally realising she doesn’t always need to protect Willow. I mean, some of the ways in which Amity has tried to protect Willow have caused Willow deep hurt. For example, ending her friendship with Willow definitely hurt Willow deeply. Her passive role in Willow’s bullying. I think it is important that Amity now realises that Willow can defend herself.

[daikon1]

20 Questions Writer’s Edition

Thanks for the tag, @tinacentury!! I love talking about my writing, so thanks for the excuse 😉

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

13, though I’m hoping to get to at least 14 by the end of the year. Also, I uploaded a handful of older fics that I then orphaned, so it should technically be a couple works higher.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

Great question (and this helps me get a jump on my end-of-year writing wrap-up LOL)!

220,744 (that is definitely more than I thought 😱)

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Of extant works that are actually on my AO3, I’ve written for 4 fandoms: Labyrinth, Kingdom Hearts, Skip Beat!, and Sailor Moon. I’ve also technically written for Pirates of the Caribbean and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but no one needs to talk about those.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

1. R is for Reverse (I mean, it’s my longest work so it makes sense)

2. Swipe Right: A Tinder Tale

3. The Runner-Up

4. All I Ever Think About Is You

5. Teammates Don’t Kiss

And Five Times Chiba Mamoru Hung on to Usako (and one he didn’t), surprisingly edged out Tequila, Salt, Lemons for the runner-up spot 😂

5. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Mostly! If you say something that I just can’t even come up with a response to (or something that is borderline rude), then I won’t answer to preserve my own comfort, but in an ideal world, I try to answer all comments before posting a new chapter (this does not always happen).

I try to do this because I know how meaningful it was when I first started reviewing and having authors who I looked up to respond to my comments. Frankly, it encouraged me to comment more (which is a win all around, I think) and is also the reason I fell in with my group of fandom friends and ended up writing myself. So, if responding to comments might help connect some other people into the fandom, I’m all for it. Be warned, I’m also shy, so I don’t always promise the deepest engagement 😅

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Oh, that’s easy: ‘I Want’ Doesn’t Get.

It’s older and off-brand, but it’s horrifying, and no one really gets out of it unscathed. (Note: multiple content warnings, read at your own risk)

7. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Gotta be R is for Reverse. It’s fluffy and warm with implications of things continuing on and being just as happy.

8. Do you write crossovers? If yes, what’s the craziest thing you’ve written?

Just one! How I Met Your Goblin King is a very silly semi-crossover, but that’s the extent of it.

9. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I’ve received a handful of less-than-kind comments (e.g., this is boring, this was confusing) but definitely no hate. If I did receive any actual hate, I would probably stop writing for a bit while I processed, so…

10. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Uh… honestly not sure what you mean by “what kind” of smut. I do write smut, and it is… Educational and sex-positive smut, I guess?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don’t think so! I’m weirdly paranoid about getting my FFN hacked and a new chapter leaked somewhere so I wait to upload them until just before posting LOL

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

I have not; I might be open to it with a VERY FEW SELECT PEOPLE who I know and trust and feel confident I could collaborate well with, but for the most part I’m way too anxious and neurotic for anything like that.

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

I have a handful of OTPs, but Usagi and Mamoru from Sailor Moon is probably the one I come back to the most.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I don’t have any!! I’m pretty good about holding off on sharing/posting any detail about a WIP idea until it will for sure be a reality and I usually keep my list of in-progress works pretty short.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think my general acerbic British dryness translates really well into humor in my fics. Rarely is it laugh-out-loud, but I like the tone that I am usually able to hit in my writing.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

This is perhaps getting into the too-personal, but as a human being, I struggle with bodily awareness. I’m bad at being aware of where my body is in space, as well as where feelings and emotions might show up in my (or my character’s) body. Fortunately, my beta is great about reminding me to include these, and honestly it’s starting to translate into a better bodily awareness in my actual life, so that’s a win-win.

18. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in fic?

I don’t love it, for one very simple (and probably shallow) reason: I only speak English! It’s less annoying in fanfic, where I can easily run the offending bit of dialogue through an online translator, but it’s a pain in the neck when a book has characters suddenly inexplicably speak in French for a paragraph without them translating or paraphrasing the conversation. I don’t understand why authors do this, other than to show off that they know French. If it’s grounded in the story and the universe, or if it’s such common language to the universe or ours that it’s easy to understand or recognize (think: baka, Japanese honorifics, Odango atama), that’s one thing. But if you write a scene where Ami and Mamoru suddenly randomly speak to each other in Spanish, I’m going to be annoyed with you.

19. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, though thank god the site that I posted it on went down and I can pretend it never existed 😅

20. What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

Definitely R is for Reverse. I’m just so stupidly proud of it, tbh. It was a major labor of love, a months-long obsession, and it came out so good.

X

I tag @beej88, @brownsugarheartattack, @tinysagi, @sailormoonandme, @moonchildoh8, and anyone else who wants to play :)

[feynites]

More Reverse Newly Formed AU!

“Des says he wants a body,” Selene explains to him, two months into the disaster that is her still-as-yet-unclarified presence in his palace. She is sitting in his lap. His Chief Administrator of Minor Settlement Affairs had concluded their meeting early, when Selene arrived, despite her assurances that he could continue. Dirthamen will probably have to reschedule their appointment, but it was a fairly routine update on territory management.

 “I told him he should just figure out how to manifest his own, but he says it is too hard. Which is rich, considering that he has told me that there is no such thing as ‘too hard’, but he is being entirely too whiny about it and says you should make him a body instead. He would not shut up about it until I promised to ask you.”

 Selene wriggles her hands more firmly underneath his robe.

 Dirthamen considers the prospect of a second spirit manifesting a physical form in his territories, and makes his decision.

 “I will have a body created for Des,” he determines. It may be wise to give Selene more physical companions anyway. She seems to enjoy tactile contact a great deal, to the point where he, Fear, and Deceit are not always sufficient to her requirements. Particularly when they are busy with matters of the empire, and the continued dispute between his brother and the other leaders. Mother has been sending increasingly strong-worded messages to him. He suspects she is unhappy that she has not discovered a means past his protections yet, but Dirthamen has been amplifying them quite a bit over the best several years, in preparation for a fiasco of this magnitude.

 Selene sighs, and then shrugs.

 “He has a list of things he would like,” she informs him.

 “He may provide the body crafter with it,” Dirthamen decides, and then considers who he might assign to the task. Fervour will probably be the best choice. They are discreet, easily distracted, and very good at their job. He lifts Selene and deposits her into his chair, excusing himself for a moment to go and send a runner to inform Fervour of their new assignment, and also to find the required Desire Spirit. When he returns to Selene, she pulls him into her own lap instead.

 “I want to go see the city,” she tells him.

 This is not the first time she has made such a request. It has become her most popular one of late, and Dirthamen has found that most of his explanations for why this is a bad idea have fallen flat.

 “It is not secure enough,” he nevertheless reiterates.

 “Well then you should come with me, if you are so worried,” Selene decides.”You and Fear and Deceit. And Des can test out his new body, too. We will all go and look at things and meet people. I want to introduce myself to everyone!”

 This, of course, is the problem. If Selene wished to go to the city simply to see it, and would wear her cloak and not interact with people, then it might be permissible. But instead, she wishes to go and meet people. And Dirthamen cannot help but think that would be disastrous. The palace rumour mill is already talking almost exclusively about her, and the denizens of his population at-large are far less prone to keeping secrets relatively confined.

 “The more people who know about you, the more likely it is that my family will discover the truth about you,” Dirthamen tries to explain, again.

 Selene waves a hand.

 “I am not worried about your family. They are not good people,” she insists.

 “They are dangerous people, and they are powerful people,” Dirthamen replies, not bothering to refute her assessment. It is not incorrect.

 “Like me,” Selene determines.

 This, too, is not wholly incorrect. And yet, it also is.

 “Selene,” Dirthamen says, with enough severity that she meets his gaze, and does not fiddle with the edge of his mask. He considers his options. Options which he has been considering, at length, for some time now. She needs to understand. She needs to be aware of the truth of these circumstances, no matter what detriment it does to her opinion of him.

 “You are powerful. But I have killed many powerful beings, in my life, and of my family I have killed the least,” he explains. “You are powerful enough to cause them fear. But you would never be able to defeat any of us, not as you are now.”

 Selene frowns at him.

 “You do not know how powerful I am,” she says, her tone as serious as his own. “I have never shown any of you the real extent of it. How could you know what I am capable of?”

 Dirthamen inclines his head.

 “The reverse is true as well,” he points out. “You have not seen my strength, nor that of my kin.”

 For a long moment, Selene regards him. The emotions in the air are difficult to parse. Her expression is even more inscrutable. But at length, she lets out a breath, and then settles him back onto his feet. Dirthamen stands, and straightens his robe some. She follows him up.

 “Alright. Show me, then,” she decides.

 It takes Dirthamen a moment to follow her meaning.

 “Show you… my strength?” he surmises.

 Selene nods.

 “Yes. And I will show you mine,” she decides.

 After a moment, Dirthamen glances around the office they are in. It would not be a suitable space for any kind of demonstration. And as he considers it, there would really only be a limited number of places in his territories that would be. Far fewer still that would provide the necessary privacy.

 “I will have to think,” he determines.

 “What about?” Selene asks.

 “Where to do such a thing.”

 “Oh! Well… we could go to my tower,” she suggests, but Dirthamen must shake his head.

 “That is too far,” he admits. “I cannot be away from here for very long. There are too many matters requiring my presence. But, there is a solution. I only must consider it.”

 Selene shrugs, accepting this, and after a few moments acquiesces to leaving him to his contemplation as well. She goes to find Des, to make certain that he is adequately informed of his impending embodiment, and to help him prepare for it as well. This gives Dirthamen time to consider the best options, and the availability of them, and then begin to make the necessary preparations to access one of his old labyrinths. There is a suitable one located outside of the city, which has not yet been dismantled. It should be suitable for the task, given certain aspects of the design, but he cannot commit it to a task like without making some personal modifications to it either. There are some others which might prove more sufficient, but none close enough at hand.

 He sets to work.

 It takes several weeks to modify the labyrinth. Selene protests - but she also listens. She is bored, but the embodiment of her companion distracts her enough that she is willing to be patient. Dirthamen tasks Des with maintaining that level of distraction, which is something that the newly-embodied elf seems adept at. He assigns one of his personal guard as Des’ official mentor, but Des insists that she is ‘boring’ and otherwise inadequate, and at length Dirthamen finds Fear is needed to help keep everything in line so often, that doing so simply becomes the aspect’s primary occupation. It means he has fewer eyes to spare for his brother’s activities, but Falon’Din has chosen to read Dirthamen’s withdrawal as a sign of solidarity, so he is not being as aggressive with him as before.

 Instead, most of his efforts are focused on the rest of the family. Dirthamen would ordinarily feel guilty. But for some reason, he does not. Perhaps he is simply too distracted to dwell upon the matter, in the way that he ordinarily would.

 The modifications to the labyrinth would go much more quickly if he could assign others to the task. But discretion is paramount, and so Dirthamen handles it himself, when his duties allow. He reshapes the wall and takes advantage of several incorporated spatial distortions, and even pursues a few theoretical concepts to promising results, before ultimately putting them aside and focusing on what is needed for this particular venture. A large amount of shielded space, and targets, and sufficient precautions to ensure that their activities are not noteworthy or detrimental to the surrounding environs.

 Dirthamen is not wholly satisfied with his work, but it is suitable by the time he perceives Selene to be reaching some sort of breaking point with the situation.

 “I am going to the city,” she tells him, striding into his office one morning. Des is following behind her, and when Dirthamen looks at him, he simply shrugs.

 Dirthamen looks back at Selene.

 “Not today,” he tells her. “Today, we are going to the arena.”

 Selene opens her mouth, as it to argue, and then pauses. Her brow furrows slightly.

 “What arena?” she asks.

 “The arena I have prepared for our test of strength,” Dirthamen replies.

 This proves to be an acceptable response, because Selene’s expression immediately brightens.

 “It is ready?” she asks him.

 “It is,” he confirms. “I could do more, but it should prove adequate for the time being.”

 “Oooh,” Des says, lighting up as well. “This I have to see! Are you both going to whip out your dragons and measure?”

 Dirthamen blinks.

 “Size is irrelevant,” he explains. “And you cannot come. Only Selene and I will be present, for reasons of safety and security.”

 Des adopts a beseeching - and surprisingly effective - expression, but Dirthamen remains firm on that point. And after a moment, Selene seems to be in agreement with him. Or is perhaps so eager to go somewhere outside of the palace that she does not wish to risk the outing by arguing on behalf of Des. The newly-embodied elf eventually leaves, shutting several doors dramatically behind him and announcing that he is going to the city. Which makes Selene upset, but only for a moment.

 She takes Dirthamen’s arm as he leads her down through the palace corridors, to the eluvian which will bring them to the labyrinth. They earn several polite nods and bows along the way. The palace manager had, initially, appointed Selene the title of ‘honored guest’, but lately that has been amended to ‘consort’. Dirthamen does not suppose it is inaccurate, and any further clarifications on his part would only worsen the situation, so it has been permitted to stand. Many of his followers seem curious of it, but also eager to avoid irritating Selene, and so there have been no repeat instances of violence since her initial arrival.

 Des, he knows, has also been tentatively awarded a designation as ‘consort’. More than one of his advisors has inquired after the situation, but none have so far persisted past Dirthamen’s silent stare in response.

 Selene complains of the crossroads itching her scales, but the trip is only a short one, and then they are through to the labyrinth. Massive walls stretch up above them, capped with a shimmering magical dome. The local wildlife has become drawn to the energies of the place, and in the time since its creation, more than a few plants have begun to encroach upon its outer walls. The effect is visually striking, and it seems to resonate with Selene, who goes uncommonly silent and wide-eyed as she stares at it all.

 “This is it?” she asks.

 “Yes,” Dirthamen confirms.

 “You built this…?”

 “Yes,” he confirms again. “Though, the initial structure was assembled by a construction crew, and many of its functions were designed by craftsmen dedicated to such tasks.”

 Selene is quiet for a long moment. Dirthamen permits it. Watching her as she moves towards the walls, and examines the plants, and searches for something. After a few minutes, he guesses what she might be looking for, and with a raised hand, bids the entryway to appear. The door manifests in a rumbling of shifting tiles, and a brief flare of magic.

 After a moment more, Selene turns and looks at him. For the first time, she seems uncertain not only of their surroundings, but also of Dirthamen himself.

 It is reasonable. The labyrinths do not give off a welcoming atmosphere.

 But it still makes him unaccountably sad.

 “Shall we?” he asks. As more than a formality. If Selene would be willing to set aside the matter, and concede that she does not truly understand her situation, then this would not be necessary.

 She meets his gaze, however, and then nods resolutely.

 “I will show you,” she declares.

 One way or another, Dirthamen supposes that she will.