#but she is intrigued and also confused since she doesn't believe in a lot of the supernatural

[nikito0x]

RadioApple AU - Forget me not

I am too lazy to write a whole fic of it, but I can't get this plot bunny out of my head so here we go:

This is so AU it will never be canon (obviously) but it's ridiculous enough to be believable.

To start off: We all know the age old story of Lucifer's fall and the way he and Lilith got together. Right? Well forget all about it. In this AU it's all a lie. Let me explain.

The first humans to have ever been created were Alastor and Lilith. They were acquaintances and simply live peacefully in the Garden of Eden for a while. There is nothing romantic between them.

Lucifer gets assigned to watch over them and at some point witnesses Alastor interacting with some of his creations. So he decides to ask him about his opinion of them.

They start a conversation about Lucifer's other, weirder, creations. Some of which were rejected by the elder angels.

Alastor, as someone who gets easily bored, finds Lucifer's ideas amusing and intriguing. So they become friends, partially thanks to Alastor's pure fascination with Lucifer's mind, and partially thanks to Lucifer having finally found someone who would listen to his ideas and even like them. Not to mention add some of their own to his to create something even greater.

So they become friends. Lucifer starts visiting Alastor more and more often as time passes.

Alastor witnesses how Lucifer isn't exactly treated great by his siblings a lot of the time and tries to soothe the angel or distract him with a new invention that may never be allowed to be created, but would be fun to think about anyway.

Lucifer gets isolated from his siblings because of his "shortcomings" and at some point ends up in a situation where he has to ask for Alastor's help with preening his wings as no one else would.

Alastor notices Lucifer being uncomfortable and asks about it. Lucifer tries to deflect and ignore the problem but Alastor convinces him to trust him with whatever issue he has. And so - wing grooming happens.

Insert typical Wing Fic tropes here.

This becomes a regular occurrence.

Meanwhile Lilith is just chilling and exploring the garden. Nothing much to see here 👀

Michael is going to be sort of a villain in here.

Michael sees the bond forming between his brother and this inferior creature his father has created and disapproves of it. So he decides he will have to seperate them for the good of everybody.

Michael goes to Lilith and convinces her to help him with that task. Lilith would try talking to Alastor and Michael would talk to Lucifer.

Lilith is confused and uncertain about that. She tries asking questions but he rebuffs her and simply reassures her that it's all for the greater good.

In the end Lilith just asks something like: "What if I can't? What if I don't succeed?" And Michael implies that her existence is at stake if this doesn't work.

Remember: Alastor and Lilith are the first ever humans. They haven't eaten the fruit and know very little of the world, only what they've been told and found out for themselves. And since they have committed no sin yet, they are basically immortal as long as they don't injure themselves to a point of no return. And so they don't know pain like a regular human does.

Lilith becomes fearful of Michael's warning and tries explaining to Alastor the importance of not associating with Lucifer anymore. Alastor is confused and doesn't understand her worry, so he doesn't listen. Lucifer is too much fun for him to just abandon him like that. Besides, he's started to care some for the angel. He won't just do something without a good reason for it.

Alastor, in this sense, knows more than Lilith since he's been in contact with Lucifer (who's been explaining things to him) for a while now. Alastor would know more of the world than Lilith and wouldn't just make a rash decision to follow any order he is given like she does.

Michael also fails in convincing Lucifer that Alastor isn't worth his time. The conversation does rather the opposite of what he wanted, as Lucifer is reminded of all the things Michael and the other angels didn't do for him, that Alastor did in their stead.

Alastor and Lucifer talk about it and simply decide to ignore them and continue as they have.

At some point Michael gets frustrated and gives Lilith an ultimatum. Get this done by the end of the week or God will be informed.

"Remember, your existence might be at stake." And so Lilith panics.

Nearing the end of the week, Michael becomes impatient and introduces Lilith to something no human at that point has ever experienced. Pain.

He cuts her hand with an angelic weapon to prove to her what she could feel (if not a 100 times worse) if she doesn't comply. The cut is shallow, barely there and Michael heals it afterwards, but Lilith has never experienced such a horrible thing before. This was pain? And it can be a lot worse?? No, she has to separate Lucifer and Alastor at any cost.

Michael stays in the shadows and observes, satisfied.

Lilith, out of desperation, reaches the conclusion that it would be better for Alastor to get hurt than her, since he is the one who doesn't wish to listen to God's will. And so, in a frantic state of panic, Lilith attacks him.

She doesn't really know what would happen if she hits him hard enough with a rock or sth, since neither of them have ever truly witnessed death at that point; so she tries hurting him to show him the consequences of his actions if he doesn't listen to her.

Alastor ends up accidentally killing her in self defense. Alastor pushes Lilith away but as she rolls away from him she hits her head on a rock and dies that way.

Alastor explains everything to Lucifer and Lucifer goes to find Michael because this situation stinks of his interference.

God finds out about the situation and sends both Lilith and Alastor's souls to Hell.

Lilith starts hating Alastor and Lucifer from then on. So when she and Alastor meet in Hell, she screams at him that if he'd just listened to her, they wouldn't be in this situation. He tries reasoning with her, even as much as he's angry with her, but she just storms off away from him.

The first residents of Hell have been added.

Alastor still gets his deer like characteristics as he spent a lot of time in their presence at the Garden of Eden.

Meanwhile, Lucifer finds out where Alastor has ended up and tries to convince God to change his mind. He doesn't.

So he makes a plan. The new humans have been created. They're supposed to be better than the last ones. Lucifer tries to prove God wrong by getting Adam and Eve in trouble. He tries to prove that just sending every human who has made a mistake in Hell without a chance to redeem themselves gets you nowhere. But his plan doesn't work the way he wished, as Adam and Eve are turned mortal and Lucifer gets sent to Hell as well.

Michael is the last person Lucifer sees as he falls, wings cut off, betrayed and in pain.

Alastor finds him and helps him heal mentally and physically. They end up actually getting together there and they are the most disgustingly adorable couple ever.

They build Hell up and create Pentagram City. They're happy and the people of Hell respect them and appreciate their presence.

Lilith's POV meanwhile: she starts asking questions like: Okay but what if nothing bad would have happened if Lucifer and Alastor stayed together? What if Michael lied to me? Well, he could still have hurt me (for his own agenda) when I was alone, since Alastor spent all of his time with Lucifer. And I don't have anyone else. Well, if I have to be miserable and alone, then I'll make sure they are as well. And I'll take Hell for my own in the meantime.

So now she hates all three of them. Yes, she's a victim but she chooses to deal with the anger and grief she has in a toxic way.

Charlie will still exist in this universe, but for now, she'll be a creation of Lucifer's who somehow combines his and Alastor's energies, and uses whatever powers of creation he has as an angel, to create her.

Even with the depressing circumstances of only being able to see the worst of humanity, Lucifer doesn't fall into depression like in canon, not to that extent at the very least; Alastor an Charlie would be there for him after all.

He ends up ruling hell well, having Alastor's help doing so as he is the more politically savvy between the two of them.

( Spark of Redemption: After being cast down, Lucifer could create Charlie as a symbol of hope. Her creation could combine his angelic power with Alastor's understanding of humanity, creating a being with the potential for good even in Hell. Balancing Darkness: Charlie could be born as a counterpoint to the growing darkness in Hell. Her presence, filled with Lucifer and Alastor's love, could offer a glimmer of light for lost souls.)

( Showcasing the respect Hell's residents have for Lucifer and Alastor can be done through small details: demons seeking their counsel, celebrations held in their honor, or acts of loyalty in times of trouble.)

The Morningstar family is as wholesome as it can get in a place like Hell.

Shared Responsibilities: Charlie, with her inherent compassion, focuses on rehabilitation efforts in Hell, while Alastor manages the day-to-day operations and Lucifer acts as the final authority figure. They respect each other's strengths and work together for the good of Hell.

After a few decades in hell, Lilith disappears. No one knows where she went. She's gone for a long while until she pops up again, more powerful than ever.

In reality, Lilith made a deal with Roo. It is in Roo's interest that Lilith uses her concerts to spread sin and rebellion in order to turn Hell into a domain of evilness to fuel her power. Roo in return gifts Lilith power, she becomes strong enough to affect most with her voice and words, even someone as powerful as Lucifer himself.

No one but the two of them are aware of this deal being made. The deal was made some time after hell establishes a proper society with its own system.

Lilith decides to build her power, by making deals with other demons for their souls, her deal with Roo enhances those deals and gives her a larger boost than it would have given her otherwise.

Lilith decides it's time to enact her revenge.

She targets Alastor, knowing that without him, Lucifer will crumble under the pressure like what happened in canon with his depression. This would cause Hell to go in chaos once their powerful leader seems to have lost any care for the souls in his domain. This would spread sin and rebellion in Hell even further.

Lilith holds Charlie hostage as she makes a deal with Alastor for both Lucifer and Charlie's safety. She uses her voice/songs to brainwash them into forgetting Alastor's very existence. She does the same to the whole of hell.

Instead, she replaces Alastor with herself in those memories and convinces everyone that she's been the one by Lucifer's side all along. For the safety of his loved ones, Alastor signs away his soul to her. Lilith forbids him from approaching Lucifer, and from telling him anything about the truth of what actually happened between the three of them (Lilith, Lucifer and Alastor).

In the meantime Alastor's powers are severely restricted and he is not allowed to make deals for other demons' souls in an attempt to increase his strength.

Lilith goes to Heaven, making sure that Roo's plans for the yearly exterminations are going well and that her hidden seeds of sin in Heaven continue to grow. Lilith is strong but not strong enough to defeat Lucifer in battle. Replacing his memories of someone with another wasn't easy, but was simple enough to trick the mind to do.

She knows she can't convince him to give her his crown, not now anyway. She is convinced she would rule Hell eventually. As Roo's powers from the spread sin and chaos grow, so would hers - a nice gift from Roo to her, as she's doing such a fine job on their deal. Lilith disappears for seven years.

After all that Alastor tries his best to regain any power he can. He looks for loopholes in his deal with Lilith and realizes that Lilith didn't forbid him from approaching Charlie, so once he feels he can be of help to her in any way, he would approach her.

Lilith didn't forbid him all interaction with Lucifer. Lucifer can still approach him himself and they can talk about other things that don't include the contents of Alastor's deal.

Alastor also figures out that Lilith had made a deal with someone powerful, he doesn't know who, but he knows she can't have gained abilities strong enough to manipulate an angel from just deals for others' souls.

Alastor is convinced, however, that given time and some reminders Lucifer will be able to break through Lilith's deception, as he is still more powerful than she is. (he is right).

For now Alastor has a new goal: Get stronger and get noticed by the king of Hell somehow. That's how he becomes an overlord.

Once radio was brought in hell, he makes it a part of his brand (as it is in canon);

That's how he meets Vox. Here is why they don't get along in this AU. For one, Vox is a clout chaser while Alastor does radio mainly for himself and his own enjoyment; and other such character differences that get in the way of them being truly close.

Alastor one day approaches Vox with an idea: bring others' memories to the screens of their TVs. Vox loves the idea, he imagines he could make a whole lot of profit by exploiting sinners' longing for home by bringing their memories of Earth to their screens.

The project is going well and Alastor finally decides to share his reasons for coming up with such an idea. He tells Vox that someone he loves was attacked by another with the ability to erase his loved one's memory of him. And he wants that person to remember him again.

Vox becomes angry with Alastor, since he has a crush on the Radio Demon and doesn't want to help him reunite with his love. Vox puts an end to that project. Vox and Alastor fight and Alastor manages to win even with the restriction placed over his powers.

Alastor was really powerful before it. Even now, restricted, he will be above average in regards to power even compared to the other overlords.

After that Alastor disappears for 7 years - like in canon. Maybe he's looking for alternative ways to get more powerful. Maybe he finds out that cannibals have just that little bit more power to them than regular demons and joins them as he has nothing left to lose. Maybe he's looking for other demons with the power to affect the mind. Maybe he tries making deals for favors instead of souls. Maybe he gathers allies to fight alongside him against Lilith for the future. Idk.

Alastor uses his weakened powers to subtly manipulate events around the developing hotel, guiding Charlie's path with anonymous warnings or nudges to ensure her safety.

After he comes back, the events in canon from season 1 proceed to happen as they originally did. The only difference being that Alastor cares about the residents of the hotel more than in canon.

He sort of becomes "the dad" of the group, before Lucifer shows up.

Lucifer and Alastor still have their fight in "Hell's greatest dad" with their song. The difference is that Alastor has different motivations for being angry with Lucifer. He intentionally calls Lucifer a dud in their song, because he is angry with how neglectful he had become to Charlie in the 7 years he was gone.

Canon events happen as they originally did until the end of season 1. Alastor still makes a deal with Charlie for a favor. The difference is that this time he plans to use it in a situation like this- example: Charlie's loyalty to her friends might threaten her safety and Alastor plans to use his favor to make her run if needed.

Alastor uses his fight with Adam to test his strength and see if he has managed to get any stronger despite the restrictions he is under. He still loses that fight. Even if some of his strength was returned it isn't anything significant. Alastor learns to use whatever little powers he has as efficiently as possible. Low effort maximum efficiency.

After that first season Alastor and Lucifer start getting along better. Lucifer realizes Alastor was angry with him for his absence in Charlie's life even when he doesn't know where that anger stems from and resolves himself to be better for her in the future. He tells Alastor so and they forgive each other for whatever wrongs were inflicted. They still tease each other often, but that's just a part of their dynamic.

Eventually Lucifer will start getting dreams of things that look like memories but can't be because he doesn't remember ever having done those things with Alastor. He ignores the dreams, dismissing them as wishful thinking as he had started to view Alastor as a close friend after they forgave each other.

Lucifer slowly falls in love with Alastor, and those dreams continue to haunt him.

Alastor never fell out of love with Lucifer to begin with.

There will be a whole lotta angst in regards to Alastor. He will have to realize that during the time him and Lucifer were separated they have become different people entirely and he will have to let go of the past and maybe get used to Lucifer and him being friends because he doesn't know if they'll ever be anything more.

And with how much he's changed - becoming an overlord and a cannibal to boot, he doesn't know if Lucifer could ever accept him. Especially since at the time he just sees him as just another terrible sinner.

Alastor falls in love with that new version of his husband and Lucifer does the same.

Eventually Lucifer breaks through Lilith's enchantment and him and Alastor have a proper reunion. Lucifer will break the enchantment on Charlie soon after.

Alastor writes down what happened and explains why he made the deal with Lilith (he can't tell anyone anything, but he can write it down)

Lucifer will be able to get him out of it with some time.

Eventually they will fight and win against Heaven.

Maybe they'll cause a rebellion in Heaven by it's residents by using both Lucifer's angelic power and Alastor's radio show to broadcast the truth of their pure leaders. The ones that take pleasure in killing and hunting those who are already down.

Whew! Done! Finally! Whoop!

It turned out far longer than I thought it would but here you go ig.

[portablegoose]

Woooo so the Magnus Protocol premiered and I have things to say and things to overanalyse!

As we know, 'Chester', 'Neil' and 'Augustus' are, maybe?, Jon, Martin, and Jonah, respectively. Hence this:

And, of course, there's 'J1', 'M1' and 'J2' in the trailer.

However, I've seen confusion over the fact that the third 'Error' is voiced by Tim Fearon, who as far as I'm aware has not previously voiced any characters in the Magnus universe. Even though the name is distorted, I can make out what looks to be an H at the end of the name, so this very well may be Jonah.

My theory is this: 'Augustus' is Jonah (or just his voice). However, since the body of Elias was killed in the Panopticon, Jonah does not use Elias' voice anymore. Jon, Martin, and Jonah are all disembodied, if we are to believe they are somehow inside the computer/other technology (ie Alice/Sam's phone in the pub scene) or in some way somewhere adjacent to the world of Protocol. So it could, in a dream-logicy eldritch sense, follow that Jonah is able to survive in his own creepy old ass man way, and use his original voice. Obviously, I cannot corroborate this claim in any meaningful way. We have not heard Augustus speak yet, but I think it is a possibility nonetheless.

The fact that Augustus supposedly shows up to read cases aloud significantly less than Chester and Neil could also be a clue. Maybe Jonah is weaker than Jon and Martin due to his injuries, and is therefore unable to materialise as often as Jon and Martin. Maybe the voice that speaks the true cases (because, similarly to how true statements were identified using the tape recorder in TMA, I imagine true cases will be singled out using the text to speech system) is relevant to the case itself - ie, Jonah only speaks when a case is heavily linked to the Eye, etc.

Furthermore, there's the question of who is spying on who and when/why. By this I mean that we hear our perspective switch between devices (the phone, the computer, the security camera during Colin and Sam's interaction, etc), and I believe that this happens because one or more of the 'Errors' (as I am going to refer to them henceforth) is travelling between devices to spy on the characters' conversations. What we hear is dictated by what the Errors, characters who have prior knowledge of the Fears, deem important. This is backed up by the episode's closing scene: Colin's paranoid closing lines. It is clear that Colin believes someone is listening to them, and it is implied that he has made a connection between this and the Errors. What intrigues me is the Errors' motivation for doing this at all. If what they deem important is what we hear, and this is the first that we are hearing, then it seems to me that it is Sam's arrival that has given them cause for concern, or (in Jonah's case) hope (if he is plotting to return, or something, I don't put it past the scheming weasel). So, why are they listening? And how can we really tell if what we are hearing is the spying of Jonah, or of Jon and Martin?

Another thing. Jonny makes a point of letting us know that Alice does not think the work they do is of any significance, or is checked by anyone. She constantly mentions it in passing and is very casual in her attitude towards work. We obviously have the foresight to know this isn't true. The reason I point this out is because of what Sam does when filling out his paperwork: he ticks the 'Response' box, to which Alice responds that it doesn't matter. This could be nothing, it probably is nothing, but I feel like the fact that Sam has ticked the onboarding box of a mysterious department of an already mysertious organisation might come up later...

Yes I know I am jumping to a lot of conclusions, especially where the Errors are concerned. Please take every theory you hear, from me or anyone else, with a grain of salt, this is all speculative. From a writer's perspective, I honestly think it's pretty likely that Chester and Neil aren't actually Jon and Martin, and just their voices taken by the Web or something, but shh I can dream.

Edit: oh my god they changed his name to Norris that is even worse. Jonny and Alex were fr like 'neil is too kind, we need the name to be Chester levels of horrific'

[scribbledghost]

I don't know if you're still taking requests for fem!simon, but if so, I was wondering what she'd think if she had a partner who is pagan and a witch. I work with tarot cards, study deity work, and made an alter for my native ancestors and planning one for Apollo soon. I have a lot of family members who are a bit skeptical or close-minded about this stuff, so I always appreciate the moments spent where people are genuinely accepting and/or interested in understanding. :)

To be honest, I wasn't planning on taking requests for fem!Simon at the moment (not saying i never will again - you know I love my girl), but since I'm also a pagan and a witch, I had to drop everything to do this one lol. Granted, my own work is mostly deity-based (along with tarot and rune work), but a lot of what you described sounds like my own experiences. My own family doesn't know I'm pagan, and I'll likely never tell them.

Buuuut as for Fem!Simon:

I think at first, she doesn't quite know what to think. Growing up, her family wasn't particularly religious in any sense of the word, and she was never really interested in changing that later.

So when you come along and she spots your tarot cards, altar, etc., she kind of does a double-take. Like an "uhh. Yeah. Sure. This is a thing you're interested in. Why not."

But when you start explaining the ins and outs of your own practice to her, she finds herself incredibly interested.

I think she finds particular interest in the tarot cards. Especially the Death one after you explain that it's typically less of a bad omen and more of a signal of cycles ending. She may very well get a tattoo of the original Rider–Waite design or one inspired by it.

She might have you start doing readings for her before she leaves for deployment, just to see what sorts of messages she gets. Good or bad, she wants any sort of help she can get.

(reminds me of the first time my sister let me do an oracle card reading for her and her message was essentially "stop being an asshole" lmao. Can't say she disagreed with that assessment though)

Any time you want to talk to her about your deity work or your ancestors, she is incredibly down to just sit and listen. Truthfully, I'm not sure I'd say she 100% believes every part of it (at least the deity work portion), but that doesn't matter - it's something you're interested in, so she's going to sit down and hang on your every word.

She knows next to nothing about her ancestors past her grandparents, so she's very intrigued by the idea of ancestor work and wants to know more.

Starts bringing you pretty rocks she finds while she's away. Is it a legit type of crystal? Most likely not. Sometimes she'll get lucky and find some agate or even a geode, but it's mostly just standard rocks. But to her credit, they are very pretty, and they remind her of you. She's a little confused, but she's got the spirit.

I also headcanon that she's into building things, so she'll definitely offer to make you a new altar space for either the one you already have for your ancestors or for the one you're planning for Apollo. Whether you'd prefer a shelf or a full table, she'd be more than happy to make it for you.

Simon is also more than happy to go along with any sort of routine/rituals/celebrations you do. If you celebrate certain pagan holidays, she's participating. She'll help you make certain foods, do certain rituals, etc. Honestly, she just really likes seeing you in your element.

[friendship-ditch]

By My Hands

(Arwen Undómiel x Fem Reader) ❀

Summary: You convince Arwen to practice sword fighting with you, but it doesn't go as planned.

Warnings/Notes: Little blood/wound descriptions but that's it

Word Count: 2272

  It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for the elves of Rivendell to be specialized in multiple hobbies and activities; being thousands of years old, they had more than enough time to learn practically anything they wanted. Lots of elves had mastered both painting and sword fighting, or pottery and archery, while others knew more or less.

  Arwen was no different. As the daughter of Lord Elrond himself, Arwen had practically every option available at her feet, and was more than willing to learn them all. She was like a sponge for knowledge; making it a goal to read every book in the library (she spent hours pouring over them each in her freetime,) learning how to cook and bake just about everything (you’d traveled long distances to find new recipes for her when she’d run out of new ones, and she mastered them alarmingly quickly), even memorizing general knowledge about the world (she was a very avid birdwatcher and made sure to teach you the name of every bird you came across).  

  For some reason, you’d only ever seen her hone her more domestic abilities–one of her beautiful paintings of the Rivendell valley hanging on your wall, right beside the blanket she’d sewn for you–but she was capable of far more than that. When you found an old sword that she’d trained with many years ago and held it up in confusion, Arwen was more than happy to tell you that she was rather well trained in fighting.

  The idea intrigued you for two reasons: One;  just the image of Arwen fighting with a sword filled your stomach with butterflies. And two; you were rather fond of sword-fighting (as well as other weapons) and the idea that you now had a new hobby you could practice with your girlfriend was very exciting.

  “We should train together.” You blurted out upon seeing Arwen’s fingers curl around the handle of her sword, the metal glinting in the soft firelight. You were both supposed to be asleep, having gone to bed hours ago but rest was rather hard for either of you to find, so you were going through her things while she watched affectionately from the bed.

  At the suggestion, Arwen laughed, gently swinging her sword as to not cut the canopy above her bed. “Should we now?” She mused, finger tracing over the blunt blade. Her preferred sword Hadhafang was kept in another room, it had been a while since she’d seen it, she’d been rather busy with you. But the idea was tempting…

  “Yes!” You gleamed. “Are you as talented with a sword as you are with everything else? I’ve longed for a worthy opponent…”

  This drew another laugh from Arwen’s lips as the dark-haired elf hauled herself gracefully from her bed, lifting her sword towards the wall in a fighting stance. “Yes… I trained for many years. Had I not decided against it, half per the will of my father, I believe I would’ve been a soldier.” She sounded half wistful, half relieved, as if the idea was a fond one of hers but she also knew she made the right choice. If she was a soldier, she wouldn’t have met you.

  You continued digging through her things, pulling out an even blunter blade that hadn’t seen the light of day for hundreds of years. It clashed against hers with a metallic clang as you playfully bumped her weapon.

  “We shall meet in friendly battle, swords drawn for nothing but entertainment, and then we shall gingerly lash at each other until exhaustion weighs our bodies.” You giggled eagerly. “Please?”

  Arwen twisted her sword, pretending to aim for your leg like a child, but drawing back at the last second. The same look was in her eyes, a desire to use her sword again, as well as to bond with you. At the same time..  she was wary of the risks.  

  “I’m rather rusty.” Carefully, she pulled the sword away and hung it at her side, blue eyes glazing over the blade. A shudder wracked her body as if she was imagining herself accidentally hurting you, and her smile turned to a frown. “I don’t know. I might hurt you, or the other way around. I don’t want to injure you..”

  “We could use the bluntest blades.” You offered, holding up the sword in your hand as an example. “Or we could go slow, if that would ease your fears. Please?”

  Your puppy dog eyes and pleading tone was more than enough to sway Arwen towards agreement, and she let out a heavy sigh, though a smile was present on her lips. She dropped her sword and it landed on her carpet softly, then she reached her hands out and gently grabbed your arm, seeking your warmth and presence.

  “Blunt blades….” she murmured softly in agreement, resting her chin on your shoulder as she gazed up at you. “Alright..”

  And that’s how the two of you ended up in a small field, one often used for the training between a mentor and new soldier, or two rowdy soldiers sneaking off, or rarely the occasional romantic excursion… Arwen had sent another elf to make sure the place was clear before the two of you arrived.

  You’d found some clothing without flowy, long fabrics and tied your hair back. Arwen had done the same, and now you both stood across each other, holding unsharpened swords.

  “Do we have a plan?” You asked, your gloves fitting snug as you clutched the handle of your sword, blade glistening in the golden morning sun, and heart racing with excitement. “Or shall we just go for it?”

  “Go for it.” Arwen smiled. She looked beautiful in the radiant light, two long strands of hair hanging in the front and the rest pulled back into a voluminous ponytail. She must’ve come to terms with the excitement of the idea as she was no longer as uneasy.

  You took the first move, stepping forward with one foot and swinging your sword at her. There was a loud clang as her sword met yours, and the two of you began to go at it.

  It must’ve been an hour that the two of you fought and trained, maybe two. Arwen was nowhere near as rusty as she looked to be, and to your pleasant surprise, was really getting into it. She’d answer your mocking calls with ones of her own, being a little more daring in her lashes as she felt more comfortable training with you.

  Before this you probably would’ve labeled yourself a good fighter, maybe even a great one, but now you’d been demoted to hardly even an apprentice. Fighting was just another one of the many masteries under Arwen’s belt.

  “Are you tiring?” She called, dodging a few of  your swings and coming back with some of her own. There was nothing but pure glee on her face, and a bit of determination in her eyes. 

  You laughed softly, not willing to admit it, but you were tiring out. You were drenched in sweat and had shed some of the protective coverings Arwen had lovingly forced you to wear, just in case.

  “Never! My heart would have to have stopped for me to give up!” You declared, swinging again, though your aim was a little off. Your lungs were heaving for air and you winced, lowering your sword for just a second.

  Arwen hadn’t noticed though, and swung again. 

  You didn’t get the chance to react as her sword suddenly lashed at your arm, the blade cutting your skin as well as the shirt you had on. You dropped your sword with a clatter and stepped back, throwing a hand over the cut.

  Arwen paled almost immediately, dropping her sword as well. “Y/n! I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” She asked you frantically, stopping a few feet away as she realized where she’d cut you. “Did it hit the arm guard? These swords aren’t nearly sharp enough to go through them.”

  Damn it. You should’ve kept the protection on… you couldn’t bear telling her that you took it off, so you forced a smile through the pain and nodded. 

  “I’m alright, it just sliced my shirt.” You assured her with a little grimace, pulling your hand away to wipe sweat off of your forehead.

  The cut was worse than you thought. When you finished, you noticed Arwen’s wide-eyed, teary stare. Blood was blossoming on your shirt, staining it until it clung to your skin and was dyed red.

  “Y/n…” Arwen breathed, voice catching in her slowly choking up throat. Tears were brimming in her eyes rather quickly and her lips were quivering. “I-I didn’t mean… Oh, meleth nîn, I’ve hurt you.”

  Her fingers tugged your sleeve gently, prying apart the already slit fabric and revealing the bloody cut in your skin. Your blood tainted her dainty fingertips as she opened your wound to the world.

  It wasn’t truly as bad as it looked, there was lots of blood, yes, but it wasn’t very deep nor long, just in a thin area. If anything, you were more worried about Arwen who looked like she was about to burst into tears.

  “It’s okay…” You shakily whispered, trying to bring her some comfort. “It doesn’t hurt…” You gently tilted her chin up to look into her eyes, smiling softly. “It’s just a cut.”

  “A cut caused by my blade… by my hands.” Arwen fought your smile with a deep frown of guilt. “I knew this would happen, I should’ve been more careful.” She was distraught, her calm walls breaking down into fear, her words soft and frantic rather than cool and steady. Her hands were shaking, smearing your blood further over your shirt.

  “Arwen.” You murmured, grabbing her arm. She looked at you in shock. She would’ve thought you’d never touch her again by the way she was staring at you, and your heart ached. “It’s okay, really. It’s just a little knick… it’ll heal.”

  Your words brought her a little relief, but not much. She wiped her face with her sleeve and took a big breath, trying to still her tears for the moment.

  “We have to get you to my father.”

  You glanced at the cut again. It really wasn’t necessary of healing from one of the most powerful elves… but if it would make her feel better then you’d go along with it.

  Elrond healed your cut rather easily, giving you a knowing look. He knew you were just doing this to try to ease his daughter's worries, which he appreciated enough to stay quiet.

  After that, you’d had your arm wrapped up despite the fact there was hardly a cut left, and then Arwen sent you to bathe. If this were any normal circumstance, she would’ve come with you and watched you with loving eyes as the water dampened your hair, and she probably would’ve gladly washed you off too, but you bathed alone and Arwen was nowhere to be seen.

  It was sunset by the time you finally found her. She was sitting on one of the more secluded balconies, her elbows resting on the table and her chin in her hands as her eyes stayed downcast. She’d been crying, her nose and eyes a soft red, but she’d stopped before you’d gotten there.

  “They said it would heal by the first light of morning.” You spoke softly as you stepped onto the balcony, arm now wrapped snug under elven bandages.

  The same golden light from this morning bathed Arwen, though it was now of the sun's farewell rather than welcome, and the joy on her face had turned sour into guilt and shame. Her eyes refused to meet yours, but she mumbled softly.

  “That’s.. That’s good.”

  “Yes…” 

  You took a seat across from her at the table, reaching and setting your hand over hers. Your thumb brushed in gentle circles over the back of her hand and you gave it a gentle squeeze.

  “I would never dream of hurting you.” Arwen whispered sadly. “Only in my nightmares do I see it… and now they’ve come true. I am supposed to love and care for you, not be the cause of your grief.”

  “You’ve done none of the such. It was only a little cut… it hardly hurt.”

  “I still drew your blood.”

  “And you’ve apologized more than enough for it.” You murmured kindly, squeezing her hand tightly again. When she wouldn’t look at you, you carefully tilted her chin up, her teary eyes meeting yours. “It’s okay, Arwen.”

  “Are you certain…?” Her voice trembled, a single tear dripping down her porcelain face. Seeing her cry was like taking an arrow to the heart.

  You wiped the tear with your thumb, leaning to gently press your forehead into hers. “I’m certain.” 

  She slowly nodded, inhaling deeply to try and calm down. A watery smile spread across her pink lips and she nodded. Her soft hands cupped your face to hold you steady as she pressed a kiss to your forehead. Your eyes fluttered closed.

  “Next time… we must fight with sticks.” She whispered. “Sticks… and armor, that stays on.”

  “Sticks? Really..?”

  Arwen pressed a soft kiss to your nose, and then an even softer one to your lips. When she pulled away, she nodded. “Until I know you won’t shed your armor… we will fight with sticks.”

  You opened your eyes, expecting to see utter seriousness in her eyes, but instead you found a twinkle of humor, and a smile spread across your lips. “Okay.” You agreed with a little giggle, and Arwen soon followed.

[chirpsythismorning]

Crack Theory: Will Byers is Twelve (12) - Part 1

Hear me out!

With all the theories swirling around about Will potentially being connected to the lab pre-season 1, maybe even a lab kid himself, I had to go back and rewatch the lab scenes from s4.

I honestly thought I wouldn't find anything. I think a lot of people assume it's not possible for Will to have been a lab kid, or at least not to have been a lab kid present at the same time as El.

However, upon rewatching those scenes in particular, I noticed something. Suddenly, all the puzzle pieces began falling into place.

The first time we ever see Twelve on screen, we focus in on him picking out a couple of boxes of crayons to play with...

Now, I know you might be thinking this isn't anything substantial, especially seeing as a lot of the kids at Hawkins Lab utilize drawing as a technique to test out their abilities... but honestly, it only get's more interesting from here.

Let me start by acknowledging that the lab kids tend to rank in age. One (Henry) for example, was the oldest. Two appeared to be the second oldest, and so on and so forth.

And so hypothetically speaking, if Will were to be an og lab kid, it seems he would really only fit into the spots near El since they are believed to be roughly the same age; one year apart, more or less. Which would make Will most likely Ten, Twelve, or Thirteen.

Twelve in particular though, fits the bill because of a few key details.

Lets start at the beginning of season 4:

4x01: The Hellfire Club

For reference, on this date, Will would've been 8 years old.

First, we open to the Rainbow Room in Hawkins Lab.

The camera lingers on a few different kids, some very briefly, while others are given a bit more time on-screen. Though,Twelve is arguably given more focus than any of the other kids in this scene (besides Ten, followed by Eleven at the ending of this scene).

When we first see Twelve, we stumble across him picking up these crayons. Then we follow him as he finds a spot to presumably color.

Just to confirm the (pencil) crayons:

And as Twelve goes to sit down, that's when I realized... He's sits next to Eleven...

If this crack theory ends up being true, the framing/blocking of this shot might have been very, very intentional:

(above) El and Will sitting side by side over 8 years later, in the exact same episode

Even though I was intrigued, I was still mostly skeptical. And so I kept looking for more hints that might help support this as a possibility.

We don't get any more major Hawkins Lab scenes again (disregarding a couple intense quick flashback sequences El experiences) until 4x05.

4x05 : The Nina Project

As El walks into the Rainbow Room for the first time officially this season, we get a shot of her looking to the right to see Sixteen, Seventeen and Eighteen all playing together. The focus on them is brief, followed by a reaction shot from El, who just looks confused.

Then we get a shot of her looking to her right, and even though there are three people technically in this shot, the camera only really focuses on Twelve. And what he's doing doesn't just feel like a kid playing mindlessly, it feels like something else is going on here...

Why have El look at what Twelve is doing all cryptically? Is he just building a red tower and she's super intrigued? Or, could it be something else the Duffer's are trying to hint at?

I just think it's interesting, that despite Twelve's role being extremely minor, he's still focused on in a way that's more present than most of the other numbers. His scenes are nowhere near as major as Two for example, but they're also not as brief as the other younger kids.

What then follows is El getting stuck in the Henry time-loop.

As this is happening... besides Henry and El, look who else just so happens to be in the frame, with that peculiar red block tower:

TWELVE? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?

Like come on, isn't this standard Will Byers behavior? Will just lingering in the background? And this trend only continues.

But first, lets not forget what follows directly after this:

OKAY I have to make a part 2 because there's still a lot to go through and I don't want this to get too crowded! Meet you there!

Part 1, 2, 3, 4

[onceinawhilemoon]

The World Hinges on Small Details: Jon vs. Sherlock and The Hand-Me-Down Quest

This quest intrigues me so much. It not only raises questions about Jon's “nature”, but also gives us a glimpse of where Sherlock's focus on the small details, and therefore his struggle to see the big picture, came from.

If you're as intrigued by this quest as I am, read ahead, but before we continue, I highly encourage you to go read @spiteful-crow ‘s wonderful writeup on Jon and Sherlock and the Jungian concepts of “anima” and “persona” (here) if you haven't already. Not only does it explain a lot about them and what/who Jon is, but that analysis also serves as a pretty solid basis for most of this one, and it will help make it make sense, I hope!

Under the cut we go-

Quick recap of The Hand-Me-Down quest: Jon notices a first of three riddles engraved on top of a monument called “The Silver Hand” in Old City, and convinces Sherlock to solve them, saying that the riddles lead to a lost treasure. Sherlock is bewildered by how Jon was able to guess that something was on top of the monument in the first place but goes along with it. Eventually, instead of the treasure, they find a magnifying glass that belonged to Violet, buried under a rock. Sherlock is so confused by the discovery and has no clue as to how the glass made it there. Neither he nor Jon seem to remember ever burying it there.

The third riddle stands out the most here, as the last two lines of it read “you may find only one small detail, but that doesn't mean that you have failed.”

Upong finding this riddle, Jon commends Sherlock on his admirable ability to notice the details. This evokes Sherlock's memory of one of his mother’s core teachings:

S: “In such moments I often recall Mother's voice teaching us of the importance of the smaller details. The world hangs on small hinges, Jon.”

J: “Even the most chaotic miracle becomes sequential when you take a closer look. I remember.”

Sherlock’s keen eye for detail is something almost everyone he meets praises him for, and it's an inherited trait from his mother, who was an authenticator and a truth seeker, she taught him that "the truth lies in the details." Consequently, his struggle with seeing the big picture due to focusing too much on the details sometimes stems from his mother's teachings, which he clearly holds in very high regard. She was also the source of his strong moral stance against lies and obfuscation of truth. He was closer to his mother than his brother, even during her worst days. It's no surprise that Violet had a huge and deep influence on Sherlock-she shaped all of his moral views, many of which are being challenged by what he's discovering on Cordona.

The title of the quest, the quest being strongly tied to Violet and her teachings, specifically the third riddle, and of course the magnifying glass, all lead me to believe that Sherlock put the glass there and made up those riddles and the silver hand treasure, inspired by his mother, the monument, and the pirate it was erected in honor of.

Maybe it was also a ritual like burying Siger’s “skull” to help Sherlock process things and move on. Maybe it was to help him process and reconcile with the negative feelings associated with Violet's abusive nature or with her death, or maybe it was simply just child's play. But, as with everything else, after the pond incident™, his memories of Violet and most of his time on Cordona were suppressed and lost to time, including the magnifying glass and the “ritual”. And since Jon seems to remember or at least seems to have a gut feeling about the past and those lost memories, he recalled the riddles and the legend about the treasure, which, interestingly, can be considered as the “creative” aspects of the ritual. Jon may not have remembered the magnifying glass itself but remembered the steps to get there because Sherlock created them with his help. I do believe he is Sherlock's creativity and imagination personified. I've written a (much shorter, thankfully!) theory about that and how I think it's tied to Sherlock calling him his "anima" (here) if you're interested.

And maybe it was something more, if you think of Jon as a Tulpa or one of Carl Jung's thoughtforms (like Philemon, who Jung described as a "guru" possessing of transcendental knowledge and wisdom) this quest could be an example in which these concepts are explored. Jon does act as a guide in the game. He also seems to notice things before Sherlock does sometimes, and points out things that Sherlock has no way of knowing or verifying with empirical evidence at the time, sometimes even despite his physical limitations, like the “engraving” on top of the Silver Hand monument.

I personally don't think there was ever an engraving on top of the monument. I think the idea was for the first riddle to be memorized by Sherlock while the rest to be written down and hidden. This, I think, makes the whole “ritual” much more personal and special to Sherlock. Of course, after what happened, he forgot everything, and Jon was left to remember the first riddle and made it look like he read it on the monument to entice Sherlock to solve it and remember, just like how he invented the fiction that the skull belonged to Sherlock's father.

Then there's their conversation after discovering the glass, which I think perfectly captures the “rational” vs “irrational” parts of Sherlock, or the "persona" vs. the "anima" :

Jon, the “irrational” and creative part that wants to believe in magic and miracles, tells him that sometimes he just needs to let things happen, that some things can't be explained and we should let them be, and Sherlock, the "rational" part that strives for logic and objective truths, has a hard time accepting that, because to him, everything needs to have a logical explanation and a tangible root in reality.

J: “The whole world is one big unresolved chaotic miracle" - That's the part of Violet's teaching that Jon chooses to follow. Jon finds beauty in leaving mysteries unsolved, in the “who knows?” which leaves the door wide open for imagination, in non-linear thinking which leads to originality and uniqueness. He thrives in chaos.

S: “But they will become sequential if you take a closer look" - And that's the part that Sherlock wants to follow. He finds stability in order. He sees the need to investigate to uncover what's hidden and verify facts with evidence to restore structure into the world.

The two parts are both sides of the same coin. They shouldn't be separated because they balance each other out and make up one whole. Thanks to this balance, Sherlock eventually concedes and lets this particular mystery remain unsolved. It must have been freeing for him to just leave it to "fate" and focus on the beautiful feelings that this strange experience has evoked-him feeling closer to his mother by remembering her wisdom and honoring her legacy.

Which makes me wonder how differently Sherlock would have faced the horrors in The Awakened if Jon was still with him to hold his hand and remind him that it's okay if things didn't make sense, that sometimes you just need to let things happen and free your psyche from the weight of fervently searching for logical explanations. Some things are just meant to not make sense, just like that magnifying glass.

Then there's the title of the quest.

“The Hand-Me-Down” I think, refers either to the magnifying glass itself, being a precious heirloom inherited from Violet which later becomes Sherlock Holmes’ signature crime solving instrument, or the mindset of “the world hinges on small details“, also passed on from Violet and the reason why Sherlock is so keen on the details that he sometimes struggles to consider them within a broader perspective-the big picture-which can cause him to tunnel vision on isolated facts and possibly risk making ill-informed decisions. A notable example is concluding that “Richter tried to save my mother; therefore, he was an innocent man who was wrongly accused,” while disregarding the fact Richter and his medical malpractice caused his mother to deteriorate in the first place.

Finally, there's what Jon wrote in his diary after discovering the glass:

“But when Sherry looked at me through that glass, I was suddenly struck by terror. For a brief moment, it felt as if I weren't there at all, his gaze passing through me and over the horizon.”

Jon rarely gets “deep” in his journal, so this line stuck with me. Jon is pretty aware of his “non”-existence and even seems pretty in peace with it, so why would he be struck by terror at the idea of him “not being there at all”?

The choice of words in “his gaze passing through me and over the horizon” signifies the future; Jon is terrified of a future in which Sherlock doesn't see him anymore; when he favors his rational and mature side so much, that it ends up consuming him and severing Jon, his anima, his irrational and creative part that clings to his childhood, from the whole. If Sherlock stops seeing Jon, only then does Jon truly cease to exist.

I think this means that at this point in the story, deep down in his unconsciousness, Sherlock knew that when he leaves Cordona this time, he'll be leaving Jon with it, and this gut feeling, this terror at being fractured and fragmented, possibly with no way of ever getting mended, manifests through Jon as he constantly tries to alert Sherlock to the danger of the situation, that once he steps through the threshold, there's no turning back.

[leorawright]

Hi 👋 ! I was wondering if I please could request The junkers, Doomfist, sigma, echo, ramattra and platonic winston and wrecking ball with a reader that can transform into any kind of animal (think beast buy from teen titans) but prefer to stay as a fruit bat? Thank you!! <3

Huh sure!

Overwatch with reader who can transform into any animal

Junkrat

You'd definitely have to warn him about your powers because if he saw a bat in his workshop he'd likely throw something at it

He also decides to make you a special little place in the top corner of his workshop so he can remember that you're there

(It's also a safe distance away that any explosions won't harm you)

Roadhog

Honestly he's not even phased by your powers

Just tell him when you're changing and he'll make sure to be gentle as to not hurt you

He is impressed if you turn into a big animal like a bear or something

But when you normally stay as a fruit bat it's best if you stay on the ceiling or a top-shelf because sometimes he struggles to find you

Junker Queen

She's super impressed when she learns of your powers

Expect for her to ask you to transform into tons of different animals

Why you'd want to stay as a fruit bat she doesn't know but she won't judge you

Sometimes if she has to go out she'll carry you around when you're in your fruit bat form

Wrecking Ball (platonic)

A bit skeptical at first

Since you like being a fruit bat which is pretty small he'd ask for help on his mech

Sometimes he needs an extra pair of hands but human hands are too big but yours are perfect!

You also get a special area in his smaller than normally workshop since you're now his friend and basically his co-worker

Doomfist

Incredibly intrigued by your powers

Whenever you stay as a fruit bat Akande will bring along a special bag so you can still go on the mission but not have to fly the entire time

Expect to get showered with praise whenever you save someone on a mission by transforming

He'd always so fascinated when he sees you transform

Sigma

Super interested in your powers

Please demonstrate them for him he'll get so excited

Definitely has a special and intricately designed space in his lab for when you're a fruit bat

He's got books upon books about your power with little notes that he's written down and he'd love to go over them with you if you want to

Echo

She can do that as well but it's not as simple as you can as she has to have the animal in front of her

So you two make it work because you'll turn into an animal and she'll use that as her reference to transform

Whenever you're a fruit bat you can feel how delicately she holds you when you land in her hand

Ramattra

He's super confused when you tell him you can just transform into any animal at will

Demands a demonstration before he'll believe you and you grant his wish

He believes you now

He'll ask you to help on Null Sector missions but respects your opinion if you decline

Winston (platonic)

He acts a lot like Sigma from a scientific point of view

He'd never force you to go on Overwatch missions because he doesn't want you to feel like he's taking advantage of you two's friendship

Whenever you're a fruit bat don't worry about being hurt in his lab it's surprisingly clean and Winston makes sure to know where you are at all times

[watchinglikeafangirl]

So, I watched XO, Kitty because why not? I liked "To all the boys I've loved before" and since Kitty and Dae met very briefly but stared at each other so intensely, I was curious how this spin-off is going to turn out. I would rate this an 8/10, it is bubbly and it is entertaining.

Kitty herself is more dramatic than any kdrama, I laughed a lot at what she did but I also rooted for her. She is an interesting character or I should say, the writing is interesting because she is such a drama queen but she stands up for herself. She doesn't cry easily and she confronts people until she knows or until she reached some closure. She is brave when it comes to her emotions and she doesn't look away from her feelings.

The set-up is...well it exists. It's not the best idea but it's fine. It doesn't take long until she is in Korea and the story starts, so I can excuse the lame beginning since it was quick. I am very impressed with the way Kitty reacts when she finds out Dae "cheated on her". Of course, she is heartbroken, shocked, disappointed and angry. She storms off but then she walks back in to confront Dae. I truly admire her for that, I was sitting here like "you go girl! Don't let him mess with you."

But since I rate this an 8/10, there has to be something that bothers me...and yes there was. The story is off and it is so off-putting in a few moments, I am still confused. I don't even know if it's the pacing or the writing but Kitty goes through many things off camera. She discovers she has a half-brother she didn't know about since he was adopted by Australian parents. This is some big news I would say and I believe some people would even be mad at their mom for never telling - even if she is dead. At least a short moment, just a second of utter shock and denial...but we never get any of it. She's just like "oh, I have a secret brother...unexpected but okay" and then continues to randomly find out who he is without even having proof. I am thankful for Q telling her exactly that lmao. This whole bother-thing starts silly, then it's not her brother but Yuri's (Dae's "girlfriend") and things get interesting from there. Because Kitty went to Korea because of her mom, because she wanted to have something from her mom's youth, but she got lost midway and the intentions of her visit started to blurr between "because of mom" and "because of a boy". So this whole Alex thing showed us all why Kitty is there and it brings her close to the past of her mom. Yuri and she are connected through their mothers and there is a very nice and wholesome scene when they all - meaning Yuri, her mom, Alex and prof Lee - figure it out and just talk about it. XO, Kitty definetly had some wholesome moments throughout the mess it sometimes was.

The plot surrounding Kitty's feelings for Yuri is very intriguing. Dae and Yuri were in a fake relationship because Yuri is gay. Kitty went to Korea and thought her boyfriend Dae was cheating on her. Then Yuri and Dae "break up" and Kitty can finally be with him but she's not happy. And then she discovers her feelings for Yuri and I find this triangle funny. I like how natural the show portrays this shift. Suddenly Yuri is there much more often than before, suddenly we see more and more of her life, suddenly the attention of the camera is on her BECAUSE Kitty pays so much attention. She sees the hard feelings and the lovely girl underneath. We suddenly see Yuri in a softer light which is why their fight on stage is painful. They don't look at each other, they can't because of the choreo and it feels so cold compared to the scenes we saw before when they were together.

Believe it or not, I like the break-up scene. I like how they handled Kitty's feelings. Since Dae is very sad and kind of angry, he wants to know why Kitty is breaking up, whom she has feelings for. He doesn't quite believe that it's Yuri but thankfully their break-up doesn't really focus on that. It's just Dae being hurt because his grilfriend Kitty is in love with somebody else (whoever that is). And he doesn't take her "it's so confusing" as an apology or whatever since she still hurt him, no matter if she is discovering her sexuality or not. The writers distiguish between the relationship and sexuality which I find interesting because yes, it's no apology and it doesn't make his heart break less but it's still heartbreaking for both parties.

And please, to all the people saying she should have chosen Minho: no she shouldn't have. I think she and Minho have great chemistry but we have seen too few of these two to actually know if they would work as a couple. So far, Minho is just a great character one just has to love. He cares so much and he's so soft. I just want to hug him and tell him he's not alone because oh, my boy is such a loner. Minho is honestly the best character but I kind of think not the best for Kitty. Kitty is too messy, it's too much drama for him.

But it's probably about him if this show ever gets a second season. It started with him at the airport in slow motion while "hot" was playing (so iconic) and it ends with him sitting next to her on the plane home. Will it be like "she went off with Minho and came back with him" because I kind of would love that too. But what about her feelings for Yuri? Because I think Yuri has some for Kitty as well...oh what a mess

[goldengashes]

Hi, just wanted to ask will you be watching season 4 and what were your thoughts on both portwell and r*na's development? What about all of them as characters? I personally was rooting for r*na in season 1. But after watching most of season 2, I prefer portwell and probably won't watch season 3 after the mess they made. I'd have been okay with r*na if the narrative made sense but sorry to say Gina has been a "maybe" to Ricky. She picked the guy she wanted since S1, but she seems to forget he's not really deserving of her attention at all after he's blown her off and asked her for relationship advice knowing she liked him. Like come on do better girl.

hey, thanks for the ask! hope you're well, anon.

i'll answer this as briefly and structured as i possibly can but i highly doubt it lmao. possible rant ahead (?)

okay so s4... i can't say that i won't tune in because essentially, i'm a huge sofia wylie fan. i've loved her since andi mack and everything she's ever put out with disney, i've watched (plus sge). and aside from that, the s4 plot (the whole og hsm movie reunion thing/wildcats being extras on the movie) is being hyped up a lot and i'm intrigued to see how that plays out. outside of the triangle, i love kourtney, carlos, ash, jet and maddox as characters. i'd probably just scroll thru hsmtmts twitter posts/tumblr tags to see the scenes/discourse/takes and use it to determine whether i'd watch or not. i've abandoned more shows (esp ongoing ones) than i have finished so... we'll see.

if you want me to be honest, gina is the reason i shipped portwell. in s1, the only person from the core four i truly rooted for was gina. i couldn't care less about ricky, nini and ej characters and plotlines (plus their weird 'love triangle'). i wouldn't call myself a rina in s1, but i was rooting for gina's character to be more vulnerable and possibly finding romance. she's this tough girl who's never really fit in because she had to move so much and i truly sympathized with her. in that homecoming scene with ricky, i actually did feel chemistry between them. now looking back, it's probably just sofia and joshua's acting that made that scene more that it actually was. but by the end of s1, it's clear rini was that season's endgame. i mean, the main plot of s1 was ricky being in the play to get nini back. i also believe they were going to be endgame if olivia hadn't left. and before anyone says s2 was filmed before driver's license and sour blew up, i know! but just think about it: with 'all i want' doing well and blowing up on tiktok the previous year and olivia working with a producer at interscope records (not under disney) for her new album since 2020, i think she was planning to move on to music before the script was written. hence ricky and nini's plotline for a 'final' breakup.

moving on to s2... in s2, i didn't like how in 2a gina's whole storyline was crying/pining over ricky who doesn't really reach out to her after the one exercise where gina rejects him. up to 205, i understood ricky might've been conflicted and confused about gina's feelings for him, he had his relatioship with nini and his family drama to worry about. but since that whole 'plane crash' scene pretty much checks out as a confession, it just didn't make sense for ricky to act the way he did in 205. after the whole "if you and i were dating..." thing he pulled, i could not ship rina at all. all the doors i had open for them, i shut. he was so out of line and so disrespectful. he only cared about nini in that scene (while also stepping over nini's boundaries about being in the play). and c'mon, this boy at least knows gina and him are at this weird stage where they aren't purely friends and there's feelings involved. so why would he say that? now, when i saw ej and gina's scene in the same episode, they got me immediately. and it all sort of aligned with their history and personalities—overconfident, 'anti-hero', ex-scheming partners. now that i think about it, i didn't like rina before i loved portwell. and portwell? well, i think they're neat. midgame ship this, plot device that, i don't really mind. i'm thankful for their development in 2b because it was a breath of fresh air for someone who loves and roots for gina. and ej grew on me, too. in s1 he was this straight up himbo disney villain for but in s2 he was given more dimension in his character, had relatable struggles and we were shown a more vulnerable and attentive side to him. my top reason for shipping pw is the fact they started becoming better people together and they got each other because of that. the whole 'new ej' and 'gina 2.0' thing was probably a happy accident, hence why tim didn't really dig further into that. but on the other hand, they're different in a lot of ways. gina wants to settle down in one place and ej doesn't know what he wants—we even find that he wants to break free from the mold his dad wants him to be. i wish that would be something they help each other out with—he is her constant and comfort and she's the person who grounds and challenges him. instead, it becomes a point where they fail (looking at you, s3!). and whether you are a rina/pw anti, there's no denying ej treated gina like a queen in s2. portwell in 205-210 will always have me by the neck. and even though 211 and 212 makes me recoil, i personally don't blame ej for tapping out from their date with the whole 'brother' thing. just like gina, he's scared of putting himself out there to get hurt.

now, s3. i like to joke about the fact that it didn't exist but honestly? minus the triangle, it was pretty entertaining and funny. i liked maddox's character a lot in particular, she reminds me of me. i loved that kourtney has a character arc. i love ej more after watching s3, he's become one of my fav characters. now, i don't know if i'll get booed for this by the pws but i wish pw would have not been a couple while gina is still in hs. not because of the whole age gap thing (which is ridiculous), but i genuinely think they'd suit that bff-to-lovers slow burn. thank god i have tsbu because the way tsbu!pw plays out is exactly how i imagined it would be. but alas, we see portwell deteriorate in s3. and ofc it was painful to witness but less so because they felt off to me. they weren't really the s2 pw i knew and loved. trust me i don't say this bc they broke up, i say it's the lack of banter and moments of vulnerability (which they should have more of bc they're a couple here!). also the ej caswell i know would've broken the rules and took gina as a date, honestly. like, he literally gave a girl food poisoning so he can star in a show with nini. now, i do believe that gina and ej being in different phases of their lives was a good reason for their breakup, she's got 2 years of hs left and his world is getting bigger than just hs. i mean, like i said before, i wished they'd have that two-year, slow-burn best friends-to-lovers arc. my biggest problem with ej and gina's story was the execution. there were hundreds of ways to write them being right person/wrong time and they'd still mean a lot to each other etc. i'd actually be okay with them ending. but with the whole 'i can't be a maybe anymore' and 'can it really be over, if it never got the chance to start?' rubs me the wrong way. it's like tim really wanted everyone to see that ej is at fault here (despite whatever tim's saying in interviews) when he's doing all of this so his girlfriend and his friends would 1) have a great summer in this place that's really important to him and 2) have this great opportunity to be on disney+, which is a huge deal. specifically, for gina, he wanted to make a good show bc we all know how much finally being casted as a lead is important to her. ej could've just walked away, given up and let this thing fall into shambles, but he didn't. it didn't just cost him time with gina, it costed him his whole summer. it was all weird writing for me. and as for rina? firstly, i find it odd that the rinas were rooting for gina emotionally cheating on ej. even sofia said that gina's not that type of girl and she genuinely wanted her and ej to work. personally, i didn't find ricky pining for gina cute at all. ik a lot of people see it as a parallel for season 2a when gina secretly pines over ricky while he's still with nini. but the context here is different now, isn't it? gina never received a confession (or any sort of sign ricky wanted to be around her) before she got with ej. in fact, ricky was busy with lily and was close enough with her to spend summer with her and her parents in florida?? like i don't know, it just feels like ricky's feelings stemmed out of nowhere which made it seem shallow and not the epic love tim is pushing it to be. again, sofia and josh are great actors, the wdykal scene had so much chemistry but it was just that. the context/history of rina is extremely shallow to me. they needed val to say 'yup, he's genuinely heartsick' instead of just letting josh's acting show it. another thing i should mention is the instances where ricky was so passive-aggressive about ej and gina. the part where jet ran off and they needed a hans to sing liaod with anna (gina), he was going to volunteer to step in because he had feelings for her and was visibly pissed off when cordon told ej to sub for jet. and there's ricky slapping ej, which was an ick moment bc it made him seem entitled rather than badass.

lastly, that one shot of him finding out nini was at camp? "nini's here?" yeah? that one scene had more emotional fuel than ricky spending the whole two weeks max crushing on gina. it sort of set back the whole rina development, i have to say it.

speaking of nini, her sendoff wasn't as satisfying as i expected it to be. in s3, i'd prefer it if she moved to california because she got a record deal or something? since s3 was already so meta, that would've been much better than her moving out to cali because her moms wanted to. back to s1, i feel like she was your stereotypical shy, main character with the usual 'gaining confidence' arc and that arc was sort of boring and overdone for me. but in s2 i really enjoyed her branching out to songwriting and stepping side to help out others. plus, i think people skip over how awful ricky was to her as well. first, he takes a break and feels entitled to get her back and second, he genuinely started suffocating the poor girl in s2. well, at least he realized it, though. again, when people say rini was toxic, it's really just ricky. nini did nothing wrong in s1-2. i don't think the rose song was even about ricky, he just made it into something it wasn't supposed to be. i sincerely hope ricky loses this behaviour in s4.

anyway! end of rant. these are just my thoughts. if anyone agrees or disagrees, it's up to them. i genuinely hope gina is happy next season, bc before i was a pw stan i was a gina stan (even though she was a little ooc in s3). if it means rina being happy, i won't be so mad. at the end of the day, this is just a silly disney show and it’s all for entertainment. i do love portwell but i rather tim never touch them again, honestly. canon pw is already ruined for me, though i wouldn't mind a proper portwell closure scene in s4.

that was a lot more words than i expected lmaoo, but if anyone read all of that, cool! if not, that's cool, too. it was very cathartic.

[idontwanttowhy]

Review: The Legend of the Blue Sea (2016)

Lots going on...in a good way!

Synopsis:

On vacation in Spain, con-artist Heo Joon-Jae encounters a mysterious woman sporting a precious bracelet. They spend two days together as he conspires to obtain the bracelet for profit. Meanwhile, modern-day bounty hunters have been sent to capture Joon-Jae as revenge for a past conning. He and the woman are eventually cornered at a lighthouse on a cliff, where she convinces him to jump into the sea to escape. Upon becoming a mermaid when they hit the water, she saves him from drowning while erasing his memories of her with a kiss, and promises to visit him in Seoul.

A few months later, Joon-Jae is tortured by gaps in his memory and a picture with a woman in Spain he doesn't recognize. He bumps into her in Seoul, and, determined to have her fill in the gaps, brings her to his home for interrogating. But she seems out of place, keeps mum, and claims she doesn't have a name. Her naïveté earns her the name Sim-Cheong (meaning: very stupid), and she is taken under the wings of Joon-Jae and his associates/roommates as she learns the ways of Seoul while pursuing her own personal mission.

At the same time, Joon-Jae has also been plagued with dreams about the life of a nobleman who looks just like him, from the Joseon era--Kim Dam-Ryeong. With the help of a neuropsychiatrist and a former classmate/forever friend-zoned admirer Cha Si-Ah, Joon-Jae uncovers more about Dam-Ryeong, and heeds his warnings to not let history repeat itself.

And with all this going on, Joon-Jae also navigates having been estranged from his now sickly father, looking for his birth mother, and fighting with his step-mother and step-brother for a seat at the chaebol table as the rightful heir.

AC Overall: 8.5/10, renewed hope in Lee Min-Ho

This drama had been on my list since forever, as it's a kdrama classic, but I'd been avoiding it since being traumatized by Lee Min-Ho's Boys Over Flowers performance (the beginning of it--I never even finished the show). That being said, I should've watched it sooner! A classic fated-love drama with resistance from the male lead at first, and a Lee Min-Ho redemption to boot. He played Joon-Jae so well it almost (...but not quite) made me want to take a second stab at watching The King: Eternal Monarch. His role as Joon-Jae called for a range of emotions, and he did that beautifully. I can't believe I'm saying this but, he was adorable? As a 6'2" man who doesn't fit the stereotype of a soft male lead?? The main couple was sooooo cute, with Sim-Cheong trying to seduce Joon-Jae and Joon-Jae (unsuccessfully) resisting and then actually fully falling into it and....UGH. MY HEART!

The side characters were great too, and the story developed organically, in a way that was intriguing and not too boring or redundant. I was loving this rollercoaster of a drama--until I realized there were 20 episodes instead of 16. Not sure if it was because I had prepared for 16, but those last 4 felt excessive and unnecessary. And still, some strings were left out of the final bow; questions remained unanswered and the overall ending wasn't as satisfying as the journey. First 3/4-ths is GOLD, just be prepared for a few odd last episodes and unfinished business sloppy put together.

AC Comments (spoilers)

There's much too much to go over in a complete way, so I'm just going to nitpick at characters and their actors by making comments rather than whole points:

Let's start with the female lead. Jun Ji-Hyun tried her best as Sim-Cheong; loved her from My Love From The Star (with my fav, Kim Soo-Hyun...I have a condition where I have to mention him whenever I can :), but her acting here was inconsistent. At times she played naive, fresh-out-of-the-water quite well and comically, but in other moments she'd be sage-like--knowledgeable "beyond her years" in a way that was incompatible with her "dumb blonde" persona at all other times. Which only added to my confusion throughout the series of whether she was the same mermaid from Dam-Ryeong's life in the Joseon era, or simply a reincarnation/descendant of that mermaid. They acknowledged that mermaids live longer than humans but never truly clarified much else about them. Which made it harder to understand her meeting Joon-Jae in the beginning, back in Spain. Did they just happen to bump into each other, and that set off history repeating itself, or was there something she already knew before meeting him? Wish they had explored mermaids a little more...

And the last conflict, where Sim-Cheong decides to take Joon-Jae's memories before she leaves on her little sabbatical in the sea was DUUUUMB. He EXPLICITLY said he wanted their memories, and what does she do? Robs him YET AGAIN of their time together. But then Sim-Cheong returns...for what? Just for fun-zies?? Knowing he shouldn't recognize her but that there would be a ~connection~ between them, WHYYYYY would she return to torture and confuse him??? Overall I'm glad Joon-Jae* (*the writers) did the journaling work-around...but the poor guy should've either been left alone again, or not had his memories erased. Preferably the latter.

Now, Lee Min-Ho. I never got the hype, but this drama did it for me. He was able to be both childlike with his schoolboy crush on Sim-Cheong, and a suave man with the way he approached everything else. Unlike his leading lady (sorry love), he was able to balance the two personas expected of him beautifully, and his character did nothing wrong. Which is unusual for me to say of a kdrama man but, here we are. And the emotion! The scene where he breaks into his father's house to get him out before it's too late--broke my heart! Joon-Jae PLEADED with his dad but was ultimately betrayed by his own past and reputation...almost had me in tears when watching, and I'm on the brink of tears writing this now...

And then the other characters; they were cool too. The step-brother Heo Chi-Hyun was a great villian-who-tries-not-to-be-a-villian, and the step-mother Kang Seo-Hee/Ji-Yeon was masterful as the puppeteer of Chi-Hyun and his biological dad Ma Dae-Young. Although, they really lost the plot when Ma Dae-Young lost his memories and thus himself. It's almost as if the writers wanted us to lose our memories of him too or something...;).

Joon-Jae's friends and fellow conmen were cool too, although Tae-Oh and Cha Si-Ah getting together at the end was very...weird. Yet again, it's like they needed to give Si-Ah a happy ending after being betrayed (but not really bc he was never actually yours, girl), and the only way to do that was to have her be in a relationship? Not to mention that Tae-Oh looks like a high schooler...but I digress. I could go on and on about Si-Ah being a puppy for a man who never wanted her but I'd rather not waste my energy. It is what it is.

And I admit, they really had me with the fake-out that Jo Nam-Doo, Joon-Jae's OG, was the ultimate betrayer...I honestly believed it after he was such a dick about Sim-Cheong being a mermaid the first (and second and third) time he found out. But his character was redeemed when it turned out he was only pretended to betray to ultimately save his BFF. PHEW!

There's sooo much more to talk about (loved how Joon-Jae was the only one to hear Sim-Cheong's thoughts--besides the grade-school bestie--, and Joon-Jae's mother played a cool role in the drama too, etc. etc.) but I'll end it here before I do too much (more than I already have). Just...give it a watch if you haven't already, truly is a gem worthy of being a classic.

[bonesandthebees]

that ties into the fact that we have no idea whatll happen to wilbur afterwards

I would love to believe that he wont be forced into any roles (maybe even get to figure out his relationship with clara, communicate it out with her in a way or something tho that is very hopeful and foolish) and get to live as a person if he wishes to (which im confident to say he does)

he has phil on his side (and surely also tommy, niki techno, some other deathlings too) and I would even dare to believe eret wouldnt force him into a strict role like that, plus he did agree to the plan but im not sure if that really accounts for any insurance

but does any of that really matter if he still keeps getting visions

at this point it doesnt feel like enough for wilbur to get to be a person while still getting and relaying vision, bc there is deep rooted trauma

I think he either ignores the visions or fixes his relationship with clara ig (idk how that could even happens but it would definitely be very interesting ngl)

not sure if that makes sense but in general im just praying for some closure and freedom for him, my boy deserves at least that

wilbur has made some insane progress lately and it can be seen, especially in the last chapter and I go over that in my comments but just trusting more in general, less afraid to break pythia rules, ... im so proud of him

what I do want to point out is how, despite the deathlings being his friends/family now, the good ones basically, and even kristin being more there than clara ever really was, wilbur still doesnt like kristin and doesnt want to be a deathling

like hes with them and hes one of them in a way, but hes not a deathling, he isnt switching to kristin just bc he hates clara

and I absolutely love that, bc while switching to being a deathling would make sense, his journey here is about discovering himself, without the influence of anyone else, especially not goddesses (I think if he werent chosen as the pythia he wouldve been an atheist, talking to q about it was very intriguing to him)

on completely different note I noticed that the kind of visions wilbur receives (or maybe how he perceives them) is relevant to how he feels about something rn, like the vision about escaping vs the new vision being confused bc hes confused

not sure if thats what's actually happening but it feels like it

and ofc I cant forget, THAT SANDDUO SCENE? WITH THE NAME REVEAL? BONES YOUR SANDDUO ARE EVERYTHING TO ME

so unbelievably proud of wilbur for how far hes come and prying this all goes well and he gets to live the life he deserves

and a mandatory "the pythia"/"wilbur" narration changes bc I dont think ill ever be normal about that, it just always gives every moment even more meaning, its genius

2/2

hm... while it would be great for wilbur not to be forced into any more roles he IS still clara's chosen. he is still going to receive visions of the future whether he wants them or not. and that means something even if he doesn't want it to.

guess you'll have to wait and see how that turns out :)

yeah the thing is I think a lot of readers expected wilbur to switch to kristin since she's the 'opposite' of clara in a sense, but that's not the route i wanted to go down. wilbur's trauma is so deeply ingrained, any kind of religious institution leaves a bad taste in his mouth now. the past ten years of his life have been dictated by the rules of the divine, but he doesn't want that anymore. he wants to step away from the divine entirely, and get the experience he's been denied for so long: just being a person.

aaa thank you I loved writing that sandduo scene so much. he's made SO much progress it's been so fun to write his slow character growth throughout this entire fic, and finally reap the rewards.

[measuringbliss]

Glee Rewatch 1x09, Becky's here!

Hey, things are going fine between Finn and Quinn! They both have an open top. Well, they aren't downright fighting. I think Quinn's a bit harsh in this scene but I also understand her point of view. She's a pregnant teenager who's trying to maintain her reputation, and her boyfriend doesn't seem to grasp the difficulty of the situation. Naturally, she's also lying to said boyfriend about him being the father (and Puck seems much more used to making money) and she can't do cheerleading anymore. She's stressed af! But Finn didn't exactly ask for all of that either.

(Are you confused? Here's an explanation!)

Mercedes's pendant is intriguing. I love the hot pink, and it fits fine with the black and the white, but does anyone have an idea of what it means?

I think it may be the first instance of Brittany saying something and everyone else instantly judging her (Matt should stick with her though, they're both part of the "I have very few lines" team... at least until Brittany slowly becomes part of the main cast).

I'll admit it: I'm not fond of Artie. His character has nice (or at least, well-meaning) moments but he never really evolves, or is given much to do aside from specific times. I'm also not fond of his voice but that's obviously incredibly subjective--and I do like it in some songs, like for example in Let's Stay a While. However I do appreciate his underlying anger at the world, it's something that I recognize in myself.

Also wow the Artina vibes are there pretty early. Still not a fan.

Kurt what is this. What is this? At least Matt's there to talk (!!!) and comfort him.

That's Jesse Heiman! He's an extra who's in a lot of things. I know him from Chuck where he appeared quite regularly but he's basically the most prolific extra ever. I was delighted to see him in Glee. Once you start recognizing the guy, you'll see him everywhere!

Will is actually a good teacher in this instance. To those kids, he's just a Spanish and a Glee Club teacher, but he's also one of the main educators for those kids. Making them empathize with Artie is a good thing.

Puck actually made Quinn laugh! I can... I can get behind this. I can get behind them being together after the show. I'm surprised they have so much chemistry. (Also props to the French dub in this scene, it's usually good but here's it's great thanks to the use of "Tu fais chier", approximatevely "Fuck you" in a way that people Quinn's age would absolutely say at the time. It feels real. It feels accurate in a way I've rarely seen!)

Actually the French dub is incredible in this episode (and that's something I remember thinking on my first viewing too!). When Kurt says "I'm full of ennui", he says in French "Je suis dans un spleen baudelairien" which is accurate, dramatic af and perfectly adapted because using "ennui" here wouldn't be reflective of that fact that Kurt has fancy expressions... just like me... It's not a surprise that I recognized a lot of myself in Kurt.

You know, season 1 (at least, 1A) really feels like each episode tries to bring something new. You had the Acafellas episode, you had the slushie POV episode, the Single Ladies episode... they each have their own identity and personality, whereas I believe the show became more complex--and thus, more homogenous later on because they no longer had the time to experiment.

As usual I love Rachel's wardrobe.

First appearance of Becky! Another controversial character (but then again, who isn't?). I love her. And I think it's also Lauren Zizes's first episode? I love her too.

Becky and Sue's bond has always been something I loved (and their last scene together in the show is heartwarming!). Is the way people with Down syndrome are used to humanize Sue... not great? Absolutely! I still love Becky and Jean, however. The show isn't perfect, we all know it, so I don't see much point in talking about that kind of stuff in this rewatch since everything has already been said.

Finn and Puck are pretty much boyfriends in this episode (and throughout the show). Why do you, as a man, seek to touch another man this much? Methinks there's something fruity going on here.

The juxtaposition of Kurt hitting the note and Burt answering the phone is also great! And once again, their relationship is very heartwarming.

[bang-bang-gang]

trying to sort out my thoughts about the women's division feud

first off, i think everyone agrees the fights have been repetitive and somewhat stagnant since after the first fights right after Revolution. Outcasts beat up a homegrown babyface and spray paint her, other faces or Jamie/Britt come out to make the save. i LOVE the different dynamics we get on the Team DMD side of this, huge mark for seeing Riho and Jamie together and Willow's little sideplot with Ruby gave me life. but now we get Jamie/Britt vs Toni/Ruby and by all means this match should have felt much bigger than it is, and had a much more prominent place in the feud.

i think one of the issues is that the Outcasts are only 3 people, while they're sorta fighting ALL of the faces in the company? the Outcasts have fleshed out much more as a proper group with a great look and cohesion, which is a lot of fun imo but it's also made their group less dynamic. i no longer feel the intrigue to speculate on whether people like Athena or Mercedes Moné may join (even though i think there's absolutely space for more women to join them!). it would be SO FUN for somebody like Jade or Nyla to join the Outcasts - they both may be homegrown, but they may have felt slighted by (the limits on the women's division's booking with only one match per televised show) the fans and the company, or maybe by Britt's high horse spotlight-grabbing antics. surely there's character motivation for them to join these new girls to give them a bigger and better platform!

so back to this week. first off, before any negativity, i know i'm thankful for bare crumbs here but god bless for two women's feud segments today. it makes sense for Britt to come out to save Adam Cole. they're in her hometown, they're the stars of the reality show, they are AEW's resident non-annoying couple (compared to Tay/Sammy). okay, so, Jamie was carried away by doctors after their match. i don't know if that's kayfabe or a real injury, and either way doesn't matter. Jamie should have come out to help Britt, and they could have used her injury as a reason for her to stay in the back. they could have had a quick update with her in the doctor's office, or even have a bare mention by Excalibur that she can't come out. Jamie and Britt are a unit, dammit! unless we're truly meant to believe Britt's cheating on Adam Cole with her, i don't get the point of not even mentioning her in this segment. (to be fair, they don't play up the injuries enough on commentary or otherwise in the Elite storyline either, but at least the boys get more promo time and have their Youtube show.)

so the Outcasts come to protect Jericho from Britt so AEW gets to stay safely away from intergender anything and so that Adam Cole's forced to watch Britt get hurt, right? again, it makes sense that the women Britt's already feuding with get their moment in the spotlight. and i'm GLAD to have a second women's segment and to see the feud further fleshed out. however, i'm so unsure if this truly fleshed out the feud? are the Outcasts aligned with Jericho now?

even with the weird intergender rules, Jericho HAS two women in his faction that are a big enough threat for Britt. Anna and Tay could have come out. and YES, that would make things confusing, because they are homegrowns (or at least, Anna is, and I think Tay counts? idk), but HELL, that could set up for interesting matches and stories in the future! Anna and Tay could be anti-Britt easily because of their history: Britt never wanted to be friends with them when they were good guys, so they became bad guys. Anna and Tay can join the Outcasts, and the Outcasts can play nice and turn on them and spray paint them or they can turn on them the other way around and we can get some more delightful tag matches out of my fav women's tag team. there's so much POTENTIAL with Anna and Tay getting involved in this feud.

and this goes without saying, but i don't trust Jericho to make the leap and get involved with the Outcasts feud properly. he knows this story does not fit in a 6 month Jericho feud hell. the Outcasts are not aligned with other men outside of those in the J.A.S. for Adam Cole to fight. i truly feel this thing was a one-off for dramatic effect in Brittsburgh and i wish they would have used Anna and Tay for it instead. the only hope i have for Jericho continuing to involve himself in this feud is that it will give more double women's segments on shows so we can have story progression in this women's feud during the men's matches and have other women's feuds involving Nyla or Jade or literally anybody else fleshed out properly as well.

overall, miss you Shida, idk if they're waiting for her to return to progress with anything specific here, i hope she's back soon. i'm not NOT a fan, love the women getting some time and a real story. and as usual i'm very uninterested in reading men's opinions on this feud so forgive me if i'm repeating what everybody's already saying.

[aylaaescar]

not pressuring you if you don't feel ready for The World to know but... your thoughts about Odelina/Blade? 👀

the way I STILL consider an AU w them sometimes literally just bc their particular opposites attract energy Intrigues me. like I love a good opposites attract pair in general, but there's something about Odelina's and Blade's that leads me to believe there's some romantic tension there?? you know this bc I've blabbed before lol.

anyway! I firmly believe that they'd both be a little bit "him/her?? really, brain?? why??" bc yeah, they're both friends, but they're still the vitriolic type of buddies who snark at each other, Blade in the dry way and Odelina in her typical "I will be a pain in the neck for fun" way. I feel like it'd be either that "WHY though" reaction @ themselves or just being confused bc... the other just isn't their usual type, haha. but it could be cute! I've always thought that affectionate, playful, mutual roasting in a relationship was kinda cute lol, and they seem like the type.

also genuinely supportive of each other?? they might bicker and poke sometimes, but their friendship is genuine and Odelina DOES actually respect Blade, and vice versa. she might give him a hard time, but she trusts his judgement and she listens to him, and Blade does the same (at least in my hc). Odelina knows that Blade's heart is in the right place, and Blade knows that Odelina is a lot more caring and compassionate than one might believe from the attitude. they've got a lot of similar priorities, I imagine? yeah.

TL;DR: their friendship is great and they've got some solid potential, but those two big hurdles vibe sm like deal breakers for a real relationship between them that they're not gonna be canon anytime soon. maybe an AU playthrough! but not canon. Briony seems like a better fit for Odelina, anyway.

buuuuut, as mentioned before in our chats - Blade being so fearful and protective in regards to Odelina's safety... like she'd understand where it's coming from, and appreciate it to a degree, but it'd also grind on her nerves and make her doubt how competent he thinks she is? I, Sierra, know full well that Blade trusts the MC and knows they can handle themself, he just worries bc his life has been like that. Odelina doesn't have that meta knowledge, and his protectiveness would genuinely frustrate her. it'd probably be a dealbreaker if they didn't talk about it??

likewise, Odelina is so headstrong and spiteful and does what she wants that I can't help but imagine this would clash w Blade and frustrate him. esp since the Ket value following orders and listening so much - this pops up enough when they're just platonic, can you imagine it in a romantic context? whew.

[elliepassmore]

A Study in Drowning review

4/5 stars Recommended if you like: dark academia, Gothic vibes, fairytales

This is my first Ava Reid, so I wasn't really sure what to expect going in. The writing style felt very mellow and the plot did feel like it moved pretty slowly. On the other hand, I really enjoyed the attention to detail Reid put into the language and culture of the book (Myrddin actually is a famous Welsh poet, and hiraeth is a Welsh word for a deep sense of longing/homesickness for a Wales that never was/is impossible to return to). I thought it was neat to see those little details sprinkled throughout the story.

I was definitely very surprised when I started this book because, even for the first handful of pages, I genuinely thought this was set in pre-Victorian/Industrial times...but then the characters mention telephones and radio and cars (and I'm pretty sure TV comes up at some point?!) and that really threw me off. It definitely seems as though Hiraeth, and Effy in particular, belong to one time period while the rest of the book's world belongs in another. It was a little jarring every time those things came up.

That being said, I liked how atmospheric this book was. Effy loves her college and the city it's in, and that love comes through the pages with her descriptions of the streets and the fog and the water she's able to see from the library. Hiraeth is in a totally different realm, far off in a rural landscape riddled with cliffs and stormy seas and fog. I liked this setting in a completely different way and think it was very fitting for the home of the writer of a fairy story.

This book is somewhat confusing for me, because there are so many great things in the book and there are so many things that have so much potential, but then there are moments like with the pacing and time periods and with the 'mystery' that leave me feeling meh about it.

The central 'mystery' is mostly Preston thinking Myrrdin didn't write Angharad and Effy thinking he did. Preston actually has some good points, even Effy has to agree, and the two of them end up on mostly the same side trying to figure out who actually wrote the book, even if it turns out to be Myrddin. I really like this concept and the path the two of them go down trying to determine authorship and the way it brings them closer together reminds me of Ship of Theseus , which I love. But....I also clocked who the author was from the first moment Effy begins thinking deeply about Angharad. Imo, the solution is very very obvious and neither Effy nor Preston even so much as consider it until the very end of the book. For a mystery that is otherwise so twisty and intriguing, I felt kind of let down by this.

Effy is a literary lover stuck in the architectural college due to the fact that she's a girl. She's desperate to take advantage of the opportunity to redesign Hiraeth to prove that she has what it takes to be in the literature college, but at the same time has to mitigate the anxiety she's had her whole life as she ventures away from her comfort zone. Effy definitely has a lot of passion to her, but she also holds a lot back and doesn't always entirely engage with what's around her. She has a troubled backstory (family and more recently) and the snippets we do get to see of that are interesting, but I'd've liked to have seen more of it.

Preston is a literary scholar who is working on his thesis, aka proposing Myrddin didn't write Angharad. Honestly there isn't a lot to say about him. He can be abrupt and rude sometimes, but overall he's not even that bad. Definitely not the rudest love interest I've come across. I do wish he was a bit more inclined to believe Effy about the magical stuff, but I also get why he isn't. I would've liked to see his character fleshed out a little more since I don't feel like we get to know him very well and he seems to go from 0 to 100 regarding Effy.

I have to say, I did....not like the xenophobia on display in this book. I get that Effy realizes she's wrong and gets over it, but it still really didn't sit right with me that she was immediately so against her neighboring country and the people that live there (which, based on our geography would be England, so fair for Wales, but in the book reads more like France so??). And then Preston just gets over how awful Effy was to him in the beginning and they get together at the end. Idk, I just don't like the dynamic and how quickly everything was brushed over since I think this book takes place over a relatively short period of time.

I would say this book is okay. There were some parts of it that I particularly enjoyed and then there were parts that I feel could've used a little more depth and nuance. The pacing of the plot is also a problem for me since it goes fairly slowly until the very end and everything seems to happen at once with little buildup.

[lilliths-httyd-blog]

stupid lil AU i thought of

Warning: I'm taking things that appeared in the third movie (Light Furies, Toothless's teleportation, etc) and making them canon in this AU. Also there are other Night Furies (this premise pains me but I'm doing it anyway for the lolz).

I'm probably not gonna write any proper fanfics about this or anything but I'll give y'all a detailed run-down:

Viggo Lives AU

Viggo comes to live on the Edge with his Skrill, called Beast - note that Beast is blind in her right eye from an injury sustained when she saved Viggo during an alternate Triple Cross, and wears an eyepatch handcrafted by Viggo to protect the wound during flight.

Toothless and Beast get along like lovers, they're always spending time together and they're super close

Seeing this makes Hiccup trust Viggo even more and they begin to become close friends

One day Beast helps Toothless discover that split-spine ability that he would normally get during the second movie

Beast also seems to be aware of Toothless's lightning-teleportation ability from the third movie - I refuse to believe the third movie is canon even more than I refuse to believe that Viggo died, but we're keeping that ability because a. I like it and b. the mental image of Beast redirecting lightning so Toothless can teleport is very sweet

Beast keeps trying to teach Toothless how to teleport, but he doesn't understand and since Beast is a Skrill, she can't show him

One night Viggo's doing his usual staying-up-way-too-late-thinking routine when he realises that Beast knows way more about Night Furies than she should, considering she's only just met Toothless

He asks Beast about it, asks her if there's anything she thinks he should see, and Beast seems to want to take him somewhere-

-so the next morning he asks Hiccup if he wants to go on a flight with him; there's something he wants to check out.

Hiccup trusts Viggo now, so he and Viggo fly off together, Hiccup and Toothless mostly following Viggo's lead and Viggo himself just letting Beast do the flying.

The flight gets longer and longer; it's further than they've ever flown before. Mist blankets the horizon and the surrounding land is getting pretty sketchy. It's getting dark.

Hiccup: "Viggo, where are we going?"

Viggo: "To tell you the truth, I have no idea."

Hiccup: "What?!"

Viggo: "Beast has been intent on showing me something, and I suspect it has something to do with Toothless. I'm trusting her to know what she's doing, but if you wish to turn back..."

Hiccup is confused but intrigued and dismisses Viggo's suggestion of turning back. He wants to find out what's going on as much as Viggo does, especially if it has something to do with Toothless.

And then they come across this huge natural fortress - whether it's similar to the Hidden World or Valka's Sanctuary or Dragon Island I haven't decided. All I know is that it's contained within some sort of rock formation, there's some form of lava and lots of crystals and plant-life, and it's very dark. Beast is very insistent on going inside, so they do-

-and inside there's hundreds of dragons; Skrill's, Light Furies, and oh fuck, that's another Night Fury.

Hiccup and Viggo are absolutely stunned to see this community of dragons living together, this community of Night Furies, the dragon they'd thought extinct.

Of course, Toothless and Beast are fucking ecstatic to meet all the new dragons and drop their guards entirely, so they can't react quickly enough when two Furies show up out of nowhere and pluck Hiccup and Viggo from their saddles, because apparently these endangered dragons understandably do not like humans.

Toothless tries to fly after Hiccup, but begins to fall out of the sky. Beast swoops down and grabs him in her talons, and they soar after the two riders. Beast starts redirecting lightning in order to attack the Furies, but Toothless's instincts kick in and he pulls off his first ever teleportation, dragging Beast with him.

They heroically appearing out of thin air to rescue Hiccup and Viggo right as the Furies are about to drop them into a lava pool.

They set their riders down on a nearby ledge and Viggo has what's basically a micro-panic attack due to his trauma from the previous volcano incident. Beast is in a bit of a frenzy trying to calm her rider down, which confuses the observing Skrills.

Meanwhile Toothless is roaring very aggressively at the Furies who tried to do away with Hiccup and Hiccup is trying to calm Toothless down while simultaneously geeking out because Oh my Thor, Toothless can teleport.

At which point three other Night Furies land nearby. They run over to Toothless and examine him, staring at his eyes and his tail. Then this huge fucking Night Fury the size of a Monstrous Nightmare lands nearby and sniffs Toothless, and it's quite clear that the large Night Fury recognises Toothless.

Hiccup looks around at all the other Night Furies in the fortress and sees that most of them have yellow eyes (a reference to those cursed McDonald's toys used to promote the first movie), though some of them have purple or blue eyes. The Night Furies surrounding them are the pretty much the only ones to have green eyes, and there's also some other distinguishing features such as similar scale patterns and the shape of their spines that make Hiccup realise that this is Toothless's family.

There's this adorable little scene where Toothless's brothers and sisters are all excited to see their long-lost brother and they're all nuzzling up against him and stuff, while Toothless is trying to make his way towards Hiccup,-

-who the large Night Fury is stalking. This is Toothless's mother, and she does not like Hiccup whatsoever. Toothless breaks away from his siblings and rushes over to defend Hiccup, roaring at his own damn mother in order to make his point clear. Toothless forces Hiccup into his saddle and Hiccup shows them how his prosthetic tail works, and how Toothless needs Hiccup in order to fly.

Toothless's mother stands down and lets Hiccup go, but never once does she take her eyes off of him.

Hiccup, Toothless, Viggo and Beast spend some time in the fortress, seeing all the different dragons that live there. There's Night Furies and Light Furies and Night-Lights, and Hiccup is absolutely captivated by them, almost as much as Toothless, who has resorted to "silly mode" now that Hiccup is no longer in danger.

Viggo, meanwhile, is absolutely captivated by the Skrill population, and he stumbles across Shadow Skrills and even a Titan Wing Skrill who has noticeable scarring. It sees Viggo's scarring and comes to take a liking to him.

More fun exploring shenanigans. Hiccup refuses to map any of it out - he doesn't want anyone to find this place. Viggo, too, swears to secrecy.

There's this buildup of tension between Hiccup and Toothless over time. Hiccup isn't sure if Toothless will stay with him or go back to live with his family. Hiccup comes to terms with the fact that he might have to let Toothless go, and even starts work on an auto-tail (like the one in Gift of the Night Fury). He's fully willing to let Toothless go if that's what Toothless wants to do. After all, he's been alone his whole life, and now he has a family, right?

Viggo and Beast also have a moment together, where Viggo encourages Beast to do what she wants, even if it means leaving him. Beast refuses to leave, taking Viggo's hand with her talon and placing it against her eyepatch, placing her other talon on his cheek. They're each other's eyes, and they need each other, both literally and metaphorically. She's too loyal to him to leave him.

Toothless sees the half-constructed tail and promptly destroys it, solidifying that he will not ever leave Hiccup, even if it means leaving the other Night Furies behind. After all, Hiccup is family too, more so than the Furies will ever be.

Toothless, Hiccup, Viggo and Beast leave. They just leave. Oh, trust me, they'll be back, they've still got studying to do, but they're leaving for now. It's time to go home. Toothless and Beast have made it clear that they are staying with Hiccup and Viggo. Toothless wasn't interested in finding other Night Furies anyway