#but there's something I really really love about kingsley's story

[the-kaedageist]

In light of what we’ve now seen of Kingsley, I keep wondering what Mollymauk would have been like had they managed to resurrect him after episode 26. Would we have had new purple tiefling after new purple tiefling with every in-game death, each one insisting that they don’t know the others and are nothing like them, all the while remaining startlingly in character??

The whole idea is fascinating and brilliant. I loved Mollymauk, I love Kingsley, I’ve even grown a sort of exasperated fondness for Lucien. I love the concept that at his core, he’s the same person, but that same personality expresses in such varied ways.

Regardless, his friends always recognize him. There’s something so heartwarming about that.

[magpiefngrl]

writing patterns: last lines

I love the first lines meme, but what about last lines? I find them as vital as first lines, if not more. A first line should do a lot of things (indicate POV, tone, voice) while also catching the attention of the reader and inviting them to read on. But it can be invisible, just a way into the story, and that's perfectly fine because the story is what will amaze/impress/entertain the reader.

The last line, however, is the last impression: it can be a powerful punch, or it can be underwhelming. It's the vibe, the feeling, the aftertaste that the reader will carry with her when she closes the tab/book. It doesn't do as much work as the opening, but a really strong (or really weak) last line might colour what has come before.

For this game, instead of recent fics, I decided to check my longer fics; the last line of a longer piece of work sort of carries more weight, in my mind, idk.

Rules: write the last line of your 10 longest fics. What patterns can you see, if any? Which ones are your favourites?

Something I noticed: in my longer fics, I often have a short epilogue at the end of the story. Like a post-credits scene. I'm including both last lines for pattern-seeking. Also, a while ago, I'd done a before-during-after ask thing and posted some sequels at the end of a few fics. I debated using only the original ending here, but the sequel's last line is what will stay with readers, so I added both. Finally, The Boy Who Died has a coda but it's so long I'm treating it as a chapter.

I. 9 ½ Days (drarry, E, ~70k)

(story) Harry burrowed closer to him, eyes fluttering open. ‘You’re real.’ ‘I am.’ Draco tangled their legs together. It was snug under the covers. ‘Touch me and see.’

(epilogue) Harry took his hand and together they stepped forward into the green, living wood.

II. dirtynumbangelboy (drarry, E, 39.4k)

(story) ‘Home,’ Harry says, nuzzling Draco’s hair. ‘Take us home.’

(epilogue) He wants them to look smashing at the betrothal.

III. The Miseducation of Draco Malfoy (drarry, E, ~38k)

(story) Draco decided he would be happy to spend his life making Harry laugh, and thrust in.

(epilogue) “Let’s give them something good to talk about then,” Draco suggested, and Harry smiled, bent him backwards, and gave him a proper kiss, tongue and all.

IV. The Boy Who Died (drarry, E, ~27k)

Overthrowing the regime will take a miracle, Kingsley had said in the dark Edwardian manor. Draco had smiled at that and gazed at Harry. Indeed. Which is why we’ll win.

V. The Gift (drarry, E, ~26k)

Before [Draco] casts Nox, he takes a last look at his packed trunk, and then, in the whispering night, he allows himself to dream.

VI. Hush, darling (drarry, E, 23.6k)

But Draco holds Harry tighter — and doesn’t let go.

VII. The Unquiet Grave (drarry, E, 21.5k)

Draco glanced at Harry and smiled. ‘I’ll be fine. I have a bodyguard.’

VIII. Through the Looking Glass and What Draco Found There (drarry, E, 17.5k)

(original) This world was fucked up. It had pain and grief and sick people and dead people and stupid decisions and bad hair days and fear and regret—although it didn’t have Smith in leather gear, which was something. It also had Harry Potter, who buried his face in the crook of Draco’s neck, and who liked this Draco, the Death Eater Draco, and that made everything worth it.

(sequel) ‘Pull them down yourself,’ Draco said and kissed him.

IX. The Full Monty (drarry, E, 10k)

First, he goes to the kitchen to make sure Arthur is indeed alive — he is, nibbling at some seeds on the counter — but after that, yes, he goes straight to where Potter is waiting, hopefully all soapy and wet.

X. How to Court your Husband (drarry, E, 5,5k)

(original) Their escorts maintained a discreet distance when they arrived and saw what the princes were up to, and twenty minutes later in the palace courtyard, the Fountain spurted a jet of water the likes of which had never been seen before.

(sequel) Harry smiled and stroked Draco’s face. ‘We’re in no hurry, husband.’

Patterns

JFC. I like my epilogues and codas and sequels, don't I? Lord. I don't think I'd noticed it before as clearly as I do now. This isn't even everything: I actually started a coda for The Gift a while back, and I have a half-finished sequel scene for dirtynumb in my folders. I can just never leave off. But it's true: I do love epilogues.

I end with dialogue A LOT more than I start with it. First lines, I estimated a third of them are dialogue, but a good half of the endings are.

A large majority of my endings involve kissing or cuddling or touching in some way. Love language touch anyone?

There's a fair bit of Draco glancing at Harry and smiling.

In the two fics that have a sequel scene, the original ending is, imo, vastly superior to the sequel's. Hm.

Faves

I like the epilogue ending of 9 1/2 Days; the ending of Unquiet Grave, which works better I think in context; the rather poetic ending of The Gift; the original ending of Through the Looking Glass, which, imo, perfectly captures the theme; and the original ending of How To Court Your Husband, which is hilarious in context. Several readers commented on that one.

Tagging

I'll no-pressure tag @lettersbyelise @lqtraintracks @the-starryknight @skeptiquex @etalice @coriesocks @gracerene @citrusses @lower-east-side @hogwartsfirebolt @queenofthyme @writcraft @shealwaysreads @phdmama @stripedroseandsketchpads @sixappleseeds to get the ball rolling-- and of course YOU, reading this! Feel free to tag me so I can read your last lines, I'm ever so curious x

[pennamenotfound]

I feel like one of the reasons that the Bells Hells are so interesting and compelling to me is that they’re all so angry. Anger is so interesting to me because of its volatility. The way it can, more than any other emotion, be twisted. Think of how much more volatile Percy was in campaign one because of his revenge boner than Caleb in campaign two with his deepset guilt and grief.  

And like, sure, we had anger before in the other campaigns.

Like Percy was super angry obviously, and Vex had her rage, and Scanlan had his moment (what’s my mother’s name) in Campaign one, and you could probably pull moments for the rest of Vox Machina. Grog’s a barbarian, he rages all the time. Plus with his herd. Okay, sure. Vax certainly had his moments. Keyleth at Raishan. (I don’t think Pike realy had any real anger moments in her arc.) But their stories don’t rely on their anger as much as Percy and Vex, and not nearly as much as Bells Hells. 

In the Mighty Nein, there’s Beau who is super angry at the world, justifiably so, but the rest of the party not so much. Caleb and Yasha are guilt and grief. Cad’s faith. Jester definitely had her problems with emotion, but anger wasn’t really part of it so much as learning to let herself feel something other than happy. Fjord’s journey to Melora was much more about introspection, Veth’s journey back to herself was certainly emotionally taxing for her, but it’s back to greif and loss for her. Kingsley is all about discovery, and Essek was about finding friendship. 

But Bells Hells. They’re all so angry. With maybe the exception of Chetney, but he’s also a werewolf which is its own sort of instability. 

Ashton’s a given---Tal’s so good at anger in his characters. Perfect punk, angry at the world, angry at their situation. *chef’s kiss* perfect barbarian

Imogen has such rage bubbling. “We’re gonna sunder you, Delilah Briarwood” for one, but also, with her mother. With her powers. 

Fearne with her parents. The way she was discovering her anger had so much potential, and I really wanted to see her actually throw some fireballs or something.

Orym. I saw the look on Liam’s face when he had that insight check whisper from Tuldus. Dude, Otohan and the Ruby Vanguard killed his husband and his dad (I know, father in law, but Orym says dad.) He’s the nice one, he’s said it before himself, but... under the surface, i think he’s got some rage in him. 

FCG. Oh, FCG, with their unpredictable rage mode. Trying so desperately to be the caretaker when they don’t even know what they are. The professor in Yios gave him a lot of good information, but there’s a lot they don’t know. 

For me, with FCG and Orym both, it’s a lot of aren’t you tired of being nice? Don’t you want to go apeshit?

And then Laudna. Laudna, with the most to be angry about. She was murdered by the Briarwoods, and spent the next thirty years with her murderer in her head. Looking like a corpse. Not knowing if she was dead or alive. Being chased out of towns all over Tal’Dorei until she ran all the way to Marquet. No friends, even before she died, before Imogen. And she’s really the most interesting to me. Because we don’t see a lot of rage with her. Even with Percy in Whitestone, it’s forgiveness. It’s understanding. The only time I remember in the campaign her really being angry was when FCG turned on the party that time, and that was related to Delilah’s manipulations. 

Orym said once something like she had the worst thing out of all of them happen, and yet she’s the happiest, and how is that? And she goes, well, because the worst thing that’s happened to me already happened. 

And it’s so interesting to me because we could, in another universe, have another Ashton in Laudna. Because, really, very similar things happened to them. Both died. Both put back together not quite right, not quite in control of their situation. Feared, even. 

But she’s so loving, caring, and not wrathful, and honestly, I’d kind of love to see some anger from her. And I think we might see it if Imogen gets hurt.

Anyway i’m unhinged about bells hells. I love vox machina and mighty nein but I’ve connected most to bells hells because I’ve been watching CR since CR3 started, and I love my angy bois. 

[critter-rarepair-reccs]

Hello all! Hope your Wednesday is going well. Today we have nine Pre-Relationship fics for you to enjoy! As always, you can find them below the cut and if you check any of them out, I encourage you to leave kudoes and comments to spread the rarepair love 🩷

gravity-bound by hanap (7,591 words, Teen) Pairing: Jester Lavorre/Essek Thelyss (Jessek) Warnings: None

Essek writes poetry under a pen name, Jester is a fan, she writes to him and they start to exchange letters over many years.

Reccer Says: I love epistolary fic, and also its so cute. There's a lot of background details of canon events we can fill in the background through the letters contents, which is very fun.

in the pieces of what's left or what we've found by SeaWitchDreams (14,620 words, Teen) Pairing: Astrid Beck/Eadwulf Grieve/Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast (Blumenshadow) Warnings: None

Post canon, Astrid decides what to do with Ikithon's tower, and her life.

Reccer Says: Its a nice long read, and the character beats are complex and nuanced, bc that's what Astrid deserves <3

That Lucidian Glow by fjorests_of_wildemount (455 words, General) Pairing: Kingsley Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss (Shadowking) Warnings: None

Essek needs to put on sunscreen, Kingsley volunteers.

Reccer Says: It's fun and cute moment <3

to be in someone else's coat by jaskofalltrades (1,369 words, General) Pairing: Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast (Shadowidomauk) Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

After Essek's dinner with the Nein at the Xhorhaus, Molly and Caleb walk him home. Flirting, of course, ensues.

Reccer Says: It's so fun to see how Essek responds to Molly's relentless flirting, filtering through Caleb's observations on how new Essek is to friendship. And how he can tell that Essek wants that companionship so badly! It's very sweet.

though we're tethered to the story we must tell (when I saw you, well, I knew we'd tell it well). by exhaustedwerewolf (4,535 words, Teen) Pairing: Polymachina Warnings: Mentions of backstory typical violence and character death

On one wrist is your greatest love. On your other, your greatest adversary. And for a certain group of fated adventurers, one of these follows a pattern.

Reccer Says: I'm always a sucker for a good soulmate AU and I *love* ones of this flavor. The angst of not knowing which name is which is delicious and the way this fic plays with that for each member of VM is so good! Also love that the love-bonds don't Have to be romantic, I always appreciate that when it comes to soulmate AUs. And the way it all comes together in the end for VM is just... so good. Also the character voices in the narration? Spot on.

know no shame by hanap (4,453 words, Teen) Pairing: Adeen Tasithar/Essek Thelyss Warnings: None

What if Essek and Adeen had crushes on each other as teenagers and were adorable, messy disaster about it?

Reccer Says: It's so cute. Like oh-my-god so cute. They're adorable with each other and baby wizard Essek trying to join the Aurora Watch so he can spend more time with Adeen has my WHOLE heart. The messy teenage feelings! The circumstances keeping them apart! Deirta and Dad Thelyss's reactions to them!!! It's all so so good.

The Sunny Side by dracoqueen22 (1,767 words, General) Pairing: Jester Lavorre/Beauregard Lionett (Beaujes) Warnings: None

There’s nothing Beau won't do if it’ll make Jester smile, even if it means fixing something as minor as a sunburn.

Reccer Says: Cutteee <3 Beau is just so smitten. Plus Cad being his odd self in the first half <3

Today I Love You Even More by wtgw (5,687 words, Teen) Pairing: Yeza Brenatto/Veth Brenatto/Caleb Widogast Warnings: None

Yeza Brenatto is a creature of infinite anxiety, but he’s not blind. He can see how much Veth loves Caleb. He can see how much Caleb loves her back. And he can also see that Caleb is really attractive. But it’s not like he’s not going to do anything about that…

Reccer Says: Yeza Brenatto is just a perfect sweetheart always and there's this scene where the three of them are sitting around drunk complementing each other that is just too cute

Just Between Friends by biorusted (3,624 words, Explicit) Pairing: Ashton Greymoore/Orym/Dorian Storm (Dashrym) Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Aspec Dorian talks with Ashton and Orym about how sex has always felt to him and they share their feelings in return. Things escalate from there. Just as friends, of course.

Reccer Says: Aspec Dorian my beloved <3 always love the dynamics between these three, they fit together so well.

Thank you for joining us this week’s recc list! All the love to everyone who submitted a fic 🩷 All enclosed recommendations were submitted by the community via our submissions form, which you can find here. All fic information is as it was provided by the reccer, so it may not be accurate to the author’s intent or the precise contents of the fic itself. Please assume good intent from all parties 🩷

Submissions for next week’s list are already open! We’ll be featuring Canon Divergent fics. If you have any you’d like to highlight, you can send them in here. The week after that, the theme is Keyleth Rarepairs and the weeks after that we’re taking recommendations for Polyamorous Ships and Enemies to Lovers fic! Submissions for all of these themes are currently open.

If you want more rarepair fic, check out @cr-summer-wildflowers and their event collections on ao3! If you want some friendship after all this romance, take a look at @critter-genfic-events and their recc lists! And if you’re interested in everyone’s favorite wizards, you can’t go wrong with the lists at @aeor-is-for-reccing !

Thanks all and have a lovely day/night/timezone! 🩷

[voidnoidoid]

Thoughts on Weak Hero's Ending

Weak Hero ended a few weeks ago, and I took some time to process the ending after I read it. Overall, I think it was a great ending to such a wonderfully written series.

I like how things were mostly wrapped up, but left as an open ending. I appreciate how the Union, although mostly defunct, is being kept somewhat alive by Kingsley, who can't accept that Donald is truly gone and that the Union is over. I might write a more detailed Kingsley analysis, but it's interesting how Kingsley, as Donald's right hand man, never fully understood Donald. He placed him on a pedestal and deified him. He did care about him, the most out of everyone, but it is still sad how he got so caught up in making Donald king that he failed to recognise how Donald's rapid ascension and ceaseless violence was a cry for help.

Jake being the one to recognise Donald's true feelings is rather apt. I haven't thought much about his character (as is not fully analysed) but I think he's much more complex than he lets on. He's in a similar situation to both Ben and Donald I think, that being both Ben and Jake are the leaders of their schools, they just want to hang out with their friends and have fun, both shoulder the burden of being the strongest of their schools alone... It's just that Jake has a darkness within him that led him to join the Union. He has an inner bloodlust, one that he recognises in Gray. Jake is very perceptive of others emotional state, so it's no wonder he could correctly guess how Donald was feeling, given that he's one of Donald's most reliable officers.

I'll have to update my Donald analysis soon, because of the revelation that Donald willingly put himself in danger, running in the road screaming for Gray to fight him again. I think on one hand, Donald wanted that connection he felt with Gray again, as well as desiring gray to defeat him. But also I think he felt like death was the only escape left, hence the panel where he had a resigned and accepting expression as the truck neared him. As if he was waiting for his end.

I'm sure the Union will dissolve soon despite Kingsley's efforts. Wolf and Jake have left, and maybe Forrest and Jimmy too. I also like how Jimmy's character arc closed off, with him admitting that all he wanted was to be acknowledged by Donald.

Now then, let's go over to the Eunjang kids!

Although they lost the fight, they won the war. Losing meant they didn't have to bear the burden of being the strongest. Though they may face some fights in the future due to the resulting power gap left in Donald's wake. But that's a story for another time.

Eugene woke up and is happy and well! I really love how despite Eugene thinking he didn't contribute much to the fight, all his friends comforted him and reassured him of his major role thanks to his light controlling device! Yay Eugene appreciation!

Unfortunately Gray was deeply affected by Donald's death and entered a spiral of self guilt... the scene with his reflection mocking him hurt to read. Thankfully his friends were by his side to ground him. Gray really does have a kind heart after all.

Finally, Stephen and Gray meet again! I like the reintroduction of Jeremy, and that he remains a good friend of Gray by telling him Stephen is okay! His reactions to Gray being the White Mamba was so funny to read. I can't express how happy I was to see that not only was Stephen still alive, also that he's all better and working part time at a cafe! Gray's monologue at the end was so touching, and im glad he was able to greet his most treasured friend with a big smile.

I really wanted a Stephen and gray epilogue where they interact, but I do like the happy open ending. I think Stephen would be so happy for Gray and he'd fit right in with the eunjang kids! I guess that's what fan fiction is for lol. (sorry for the lack of weaktober writing... ill try to write something.)

I kinda wish some side characters had more cameos, like Toby, Lily and Julia, but their arcs were wrapped up relatively well too.

That sums up my overall thoughts on Weak Hero's conclusion!

Thank you to Seopass and Razen for creating a wonderful story!

[holdmytesseract]

Lil' Announcement...

It's nothing bad, I swear. Rather good. 😁

I have been struggling a bit with my writing - like you know. Now, I'd say I have it under control again. The smol writing department in my brain isn't misbehaving anymore - which makes me honestly very happy. I've been writing A LOT of Baby Fever fics lately and I decided that I need a break from it. Don't get me wrong. I love this AU with all my heart, but we need some distance, in order to work perfectly together again. Therefore, I'm postponing the wedding (again, as well as the requests in my askbox) and write some other stuff. I need a ✨change of scenery✨. I hope this helps, 'cause I want the wedding to be perfect.

To cut a long story short, I decided to open up requests again. 🥳 Not that long, though, 'cause I've still got a few left and if I have too much I feel under pressure quite fast. 🙈 Plus, I don't want y'all needing to wait so long. So, I thought about a 'new concept' for doing this...

Rules:

I will only leave them open for a few hours (12 max. Depends on how many requests I get... I think I won't take more than 15 😬)

Everything that gets send in after I close them again will be deleted. I know this sounds hard and I'm really sorry for that, but I need to draw a line. Every time I opened requests and got 10 (for expample), I ended up with 15 - long after I closed them again. I've always been so kind to still accept and write them, but this puts me off my stride. I don't close them without a reason. Closed means closed. I hope you all can understand that.

No nonnies anymore. I love nonny requests - don't get me wrong. But I had a lot of moments in the past, where I wished to talk to the person who sent me the request and I couldn't. If you don't want me to publish your blog name, no problem. Just tell me and I'll keep you anonymous.

There are things I'm not comfortable with to write. Please respect that and take a look at my Request Rules for that.

I can't promise you that I'll write your request. This is something that happens VERY rarely. Sometimes there's simply no inspiration for a certain request and it's neither cool for me to pressure me into writing it, nor for you who gets a shitty story to read in return. I hope you can understand that as well. Happens really not that often, though.

Please be patient. I'm not always the fastest writer.

Characters I'm going to write for:

Loki (No requests for the Baby Fever AU please.)

Tom Hiddleston

Will Ransome

Jonathan Pine

James Conrad

I wouldn't say no to a Magnus Martinsson request either... 👀

Well... I think that's it... 🥳

Let's get started! 🔥

Peeps, who might be interested in knowing this... @fictive-sl0th @muddyorbsblr @lokisgoodgirl @eleniblue @aagn360 @mochie85 @multifandom-worlds @lokiforever @anukulee @chennqingg @loz-3 @jennyggggrrr @lady-rose-moon @lou12346789 @evelyn-kingsley @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @smolvenger 🧡 Absolute NO pressure, though. Just thought you might be interested. ☺️

[creative-soul-22]

I watched all 3 Night at the Museum movies!

1. I liked all 3 movies, they were all good!

2. They were all really funny, I laughed a lot!

- Favourite movie:

Hard to tell, but I maybe the second one. Yeah I guess I liked that one best.

- Favourite Character(s):

Jedediah! He's such a cool cowboy and such a buddy you could hang out and really have a good time with him. He's def the one who invites his friends to the saloon (imagine him and Octavius at the Saloon). And of course, I know he hates it (sorry, Jed) he's tiny and cute and I would totally cuddle and kiss him and adore him because he's a small figurine! (@professional-termite would snatch him and run away because tinyyyyy boiiii)

Very close second is Akmenrah! He is a very distinguished, elegant son of a pharao and he is really kindhearted. I like him.

Teddy Rosewelt! He is so caring and such a father to everyone it's heartmelting. Robin Williams, may he rest in peace, was the perfect cast for him because, well, that's how I always saw Robin Williams. As a loving, caring father who encourages others and wants to make everyone feel special and who is there for others when they have a problem (maybe because he was always casted for these roles?).

- Favourite relationship(s):

Larry's and Jedediah's friendship! They are such bros and they really care for each other, it's so cute!

Jedediah's and Octavius' friendship! I know you ship them, and I totally understand why. I see it. But for me it's more like Jed and Octavius ARE a little in love with each other, and maybe would want to make out BUT also don't want to change their relationship so they decide to be bros. It's bromance. Brotherhood with a romantic touch (That's just how I see it please don't kill me!!!).

The exhibits and Larry growing to a big found family!

- What I liked:

The opening scene of Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

How natm 3 adressed the "returndiscussion" (as we call it in Germany). It might never went beneath the surface (which is indeed a bit of a pity but it's okay), but still it adressed and paid attention to it. And that's important because this has become a thing for museums nowadays (gonna put this in a seperate post for further discussion/explanation)

The whole lore/story arch about the tablet

Jed and Octavius in Pompeii (I just wish it wouldn't have been by the time it went down because they were finally in a place in the right size for them and they would have really enjoyed Roman citylife, especially Octavius, he almost felt home there)

The opening show for the new planetarium because it's magical (I just wish it wouldn't have been interrupted by the tablet loosing it's magic causing everyone to glitch)

Amelia Earheart's adventurous spirit (she's just an AU Giselle, not only, but mostly because it's Amy Adams)

Abraham Lincoln (I wish he and Teddy had met!)

Dick van Dyke! It's always a pleasure seeing him so this was a nice surprise. Pretty sure it was the best day of their life for the residents of the retirement home when Dick van Dyke came in to dance with them to "Shake your booty".

Everytime Dexter was cute with Larry or anyone else (hugs!!)

Akmenrah's mum, she is pretty

Ben Kingsley playing Akmenrah's dad (that wasn't the only time Ben played a pharao, right? He played a pharao in another movie? Can't put my finger on it rn)

Akmenrah being together with mumy and daddy after 4,000 (?) years

All 3 movies ending with a party - creates a full circle

The Night at the Museum main theme (epic!)

The little bird-thingy before the xiangliu (forgot it's name but it's cute)

Somebody listening to Abba's Dancing Queen on the bus

Jed and Octavius using the internet/phones (the machine for the comments! Commentmachine!)

- What I didn't like:

Everytime Dexter was peeing on somebody/something (Ewwww!)

Everytime Dexter was mischivious

The way the museum director was depicted (seriously, what was that? Messiest character arch ever - if there even WAS a character arch?)

The solution to the problem with the tablet (for real guys that thing looses it's magic and all it takes to fix is to put it in MOONLIGHT?! Okay then how about you put it on the roof of the museum like a solar panel so it can charge like a glow in the dark sticker everytime the moon shines on a starry night?)

The museum director holding the tablet at the end of natm 3 whilst grinning like Dexter (seriously, after what we've seen from him, he knows what the tablet can do - which is no longer in HIS museum - and you're telling me he's not up to SOMETHING?? I'm not buying it.)

The tablet staying in the British Museum (I know they want Akmenrah and his parents to be together and I really like it BUT how do you explain this to the Museum? "Oh, we're leaving the mummy and it's tablet here, you know, the mummy's their son so we think it's nice for the family to be united. They might be very precious artefacts but we'll present them to you. You can have them.")

The ceremony being interrupted by the corroding tablet which caused the exhibits to glitch (this was the ONLY! moment of glory for Larry and the exhibits in public and it turned into a disaster - heartless filmmakers!)

Tilly's and Larry's cringey talk when we first meet her (annoying! Also, her name is Tilly... Jennifer Tilly namedrop here!)

Jed being picked up like a kitten (ruuuude!! And humilliating!)

- What I found hilarious:

The notion of dinosaurs just being doggos who want to catch sticks might not be historically accurat but it's totally funny

The cuts everytime Jed and/or Octavius did something epic to demonstrate how small they actually are (although it's a bit rude)

Octavius in the pillory and Jed watching it like "ooh"😎 by the time the sun has come up so they stand there until the sun goes down

Abraham Lincoln snatching Kamunrah's army as if they were pigeons and them disapearing to where they came from just like "Nah. We're out."

Jed in the cage like a little birdy (although I feel sorry for him but he looks just like a little titmouse in there - yeah, @professional-termite : snatched again!!)

[blooming-violets]

Sorry this is gonna be a bit of a rant since it’s something I’ve had strong feelings about since joining the AG/TASM fanfic part of the internet, and you’ve provided me a great opportunity to talk about it.

As a trans person, I am BEGGING fanfic writers to stop writing Marauders stuff. I’ve seen so many people defend it with “separate art from the artist” but like it or not they are still supporting JKR. Separating art from the artist only really works when the artist can’t profit from it. She has done SO MUCH harm to trans people and particularly trans youth in the UK and it’s so fucking disheartening and gives me such an ick when I see TASM writers also write for Marauders because it truly comes across as “I love and support the trans community except when it comes to this because I like it.”.

Even if you ignore the transphobia and holocaust denial (YES IM SERIOUS, she’s denied parts of the holocaust at LEAST twice and she literally did it a second time the other day), the original writing is so fucking problematic. Things just off the top of my head being;

The goblins being stereotypes of Jewish people

The fucking racism with characters like Cho Chang and Kingsley Shacklebolt

The last Fantastic Beasts movie’s plot literally being trying to make WW2 and the holocaust happen

This point needs to be taken with a grain of salt since this was some bullshit Joanne said after the books came out, but werewolves in the universe being meant to represent people with aids. Which is so fucking awful considering one of the two werewolves was attacked by the other as a CHILD

The most ironic part of this is that if Andrew is truly the person he presents himself as, he would probably fucking despise being associated with HP, even if it is just a fancast. But yeah all this to say fuck JKR, fuck Marauders fans but also thank you so much Katie for that last anon answer because I genuinely don’t see that enough in this corner of the internet.

Even Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter himself, has spoken out against her and continues to loudly support the LGBTQ+ communities. When your own beloved Harry doesn't even want to stand by your side, you should know you fucked up. Sadly, she does not, and instead leans harder into her bigotry and hatred.

I've always been someone who is very loud and opinionated when I see things that I disagree with, which I know can rub some people the wrong way, but fuck it. I don't like to whisper about my issues on the sidelines, I like to confront the problem head on by being very clear about where I stand and how I feel. I'm not gonna sit around and let someone align me with JKR just because I'm writing a stupid werewolf and Peter Parker fic that exactly 5 people are reading lol. It's not even a popular fic like get out of my asks jfc. Esp when I can tell this person has not read a single sentence of my story and is completely basing their judgements on my header image of AG's face next to a wolf gif.

In this past week I have seen both a Steven Harrington werewolf au and a Daredevil werewolf au cross my dash. Do we think they're getting called out for supporting HP?? No. Because their actors weren't "fan casted" as something years ago. Fan casts don't even mean anything! There was never a movie about them. AG was never casted or played this role. It's literally nothing but a bunch of fans agreeing that they like his look for a fictional character.

Anyway, I'm also ranting back at you haha. You can rant to me anytime. I love a good rant and I agree with you 100%.

Werewolves were not created by JKR. Andrew Garfield has nothing to do with Harry Potter. Don't make make snap judgments about a person's character based on a picture you saw. Support your trans community. Don't be dick.

And, if they actually read my werewolf au, they would see that it's literally about learning to overcome your own hatred and biases of people different from you and learning to love those you were taught to hate. Crazy concept, I know! 🙄😉

[lokidokieokie]

Fortune Favours the Mischievous

Summary: Despite your constant bad luck, Loki makes the your day a little bit brighter with his charm and wit

Pairing: Loki Laufeyson x Fem!Reader

Warning(s): none really; all fluffy :)

You couldn't remember a time when you hadn't been plagued by bad luck. It seemed like every step you took was met with some kind of misfortune, whether it was spilling your coffee on your shirt on your way to work or missing your bus by mere seconds. You had just come to accept that this was your lot in life.

That was until you met Loki.

You didn't quite know what to make of him at first. He was charming and witty, but there was always a sense of mischief lurking just beneath the surface. Despite that, you found yourself drawn to him. Maybe it was because he was the first person who didn't seem to mind your bad luck. In fact, he seemed to find it amusing.

"Another day, another disaster, eh?" he would say with a smirk whenever you spilled something or tripped over your own feet.

At first, you thought he was just mocking you, but as you got to know him better, you realised that he genuinely found your bad luck endearing. He loved to hear your stories of woe, and he always seemed to know just the right thing to say to make you feel better.

"Come on, love," he would say, offering you his arm after you'd slipped on a patch of ice. "Let's go get you a hot chocolate. That'll make everything better."

And it did. Just being around him made everything seem a little brighter, a little less daunting. You still had your fair share of mishaps, but they didn't seem to sting as much when you had Loki by your side.

One day, after you'd spilled an entire tray of drinks on a group of unsuspecting patrons at the coffee shop where you worked, you came home feeling defeated. You knew you were going to get fired, and the prospect of finding a new job felt overwhelming.

Loki was waiting for you in your apartment, a playful grin on his face. "What's got you so down, love?"

You told him about the disaster at work, and he just laughed. "That's nothing. You should have seen the time I accidentally set a giant serpent loose in Asgard's banquet hall."

He regaled you with the story of how he'd spent hours chasing the serpent around, narrowly avoiding its deadly fangs. By the time he was finished, you were laughing so hard your sides hurt.

"Thanks, Loki," you said when you'd caught your breath. "I needed that."

He just smiled, his eyes sparkling with mischief. "Anytime, love. Anytime."

As you curled up on the couch with him, you realised that maybe your bad luck wasn't such a curse after all. It had brought you to Loki, and he made every day just a little bit brighter.

A/N something little to make up for my lack of posting :)

🏷 @thewaithfuckingannoyme @evelyn-kingsley @moonlight-ee @dryyoursaltyoceantears

[bluebird990]

SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 256!!

Yo WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!?!?

Never in a million years could I have expected some shit like this...I don't know whether to laugh or cry rn...

No way I'm believing that Donald is dead. That'd be the most anticlimactic climax ever!! But if he is dead then this is just absolutely CRUEL

What do you mean that the moment Donald begins to question his entire life, he gets hit by a fucking truck of all things?!?!

Now let's look at this from Gray's perspective...

What would one even feel in a situation like this? Gray lost his best friend to the petty actions of some bullies. The same thing happened again to Eugene and now is happening to the person who is the definition of everything Gray hates.

Now gray is a good person inherently. Ain't no way he is holding anything against a person who just almost fucking died in front of him. Maybe this will end up creating a situation where these two will actually end up talking and becoming friends?!?! Understanding each other's situations and sympathizing with each other??

Maybe Gray will finally help Donald live a better life?? Defend him when Cheongang tries to attack again??

Of course all this is assuming that Donald isn't dead...or ends up in a coma like Stephan...which seems like the most probable outcome. There was so much blood around his head...

God this must be so conflicting from Gray's point of view!!! Gray would never wish something like this on his worst enemy and now that it's happening right in front of him...

I think that this is a really good way to get our protagonist to empathize with the antagonist. Unfortunate accidents can happen to the kindest and the cruelest of people. Fate doesn't discriminate. 'The only thing granted equally to everyone is an unfair reality'.

This accident will give gray a chance to realize that maybe Stephan and Donald's situations aren't that different.

They were both wronged by the society because they were exceptionally smart. The difference is that Stephan was also kind to a fault and chose to bear through the tough times whereas Donald lost his mind probably after his mother died or something like that and chose to fight against his oppressors and became the oppressor himself.

In both situations, Stephan and Donald ended up suffering in the worst way possible.

Gray was also in a similar situation to both of them and he was able to get out of it unscathed because gray had friends to guide him into believing that the world isn't pitch black. Donald didn't have that and Stephan was too much of a self sacrificing idiot to confide in gray.

So can gray really hate Donald after learning his story? I don't think so! And Donald also just wants a friend GODDAMMIT!! That is all he ever truly wanted!!! Someone who'd understand him!! Talk about nerdy shit with him!! NOT someone who'd encourage his actions (cough Kingsley cough)

I swear to God if someone doesn't tell gray about donny's past then I'm gonna revolt.

AHHHHHHHEUEJEJJDKEK THIS IS SO GOOD!! I LOVE where this this is going. Lmk what u think!!

[fruitzbat]

There is this bizarre mischaracterization problem with Kingsley in the CR fandom that I think shows a certain level of contempt for the character himself — and honestly, I think it’s really revealing about a troubling hallmark of conditional support of nonbinary people in real life, which I find beyond hypocritical given…well, let’s get into it.

For starters, I'm not bothering with leaving a disclaimer about how not all fans do xyz or why I think that anyone should listen to me over anyone else. We’re adults here, we should know that things are nuanced by now. I also think talking about my own qualifications here is silly and masturbatory given that this is fandom and I'm very much doing it for free along with almost everyone else, so I'm not gonna waste the space.

Getting into the exceptions and such is well beyond the scope of this post, and I frankly don't think anything I say in this will convince anyone of anything — I just need to get it out there. If any of does change your mind, great! Icing on the cake.

*eyes glowing* anyway,

Given the admittedly considerable amount of work I do relating to his character, I wade through Kingsley's character tag a lot, and in many different places. On here, on Twitter, on AO3, his tag is full to the gills of bits of people writing stories in which he steals up to a certain member of the Nein and showers them with gifts and forehead kisses and...for lack of a better term, 'Mollyisms', and lays there enraptured while they talk about their relationship with Molly — who, obviously, is him. He's called "circus man" and is unbothered by it; it's testimony to the fact that this person and Kingsley have a history that transcends silly things like death.

Thus, the general depiction of Kingsley within the fandom is one that is not unlike Molly's, if not a 1:1 replica: a fun-loving, carefree libertine whose sun often rises at a certain other member of the Nein's forehead and sets are their toenails. He's curious about his past lives, but sees minimal distinction between them and himself.

And that's utter motherfucking hogwash.

The thing is, Kingsley's not an act II of Molly. He’s arguably a very different person from Molly, and the drift in Molly’s canon and fanon depiction is an essay on its own (not to mention the shift in perception in-universe, also brilliant and fascinating in its own right).

And I sincerely want us to think about that oversight in the same vein as if there were a considerable amount of Critters making content about, say, Beauregard Lionett falling in love with a man when she's explicitly a lesbian. Like, to me, it is that dire. And I will explain why that is momentarily: once I finish talking about who he actually is, and one of the principal culprits that I blame for this schism.

"But fruitzbat," some people might cry. "But fruitzbat, we have so little to go on. He's hardly shown himself on stream and he does, in the end, come from Molly!"

To that I would reply "skill issue," because Kingsley very much has distinguished himself from his siblings. Fandoms have extrapolated way more about a character with far less in the past. I didn't live through Superwholock on this website for anyone to tell me that they can't pull a fully-fledged character out of one episode of something. With all due respect, git gud.

Kingsley is a hustler and a cutthroat. He's driven, micro-managey — like, PAINFULLY Type-A, and interested in staying alive and making a name for himself; but in contradiction with this sense of self-preservation, he’s also ready to impulsively give himself up for a greater good and/or "make new mistakes", which can be read as altruistic at its best and unhealthy and self-deprecating at its worst (a trait which he definitely shares with Molly). In commenting on his new outfit, I’ve shitposted in the past that Kingsley is frum, but it's really not that far off. He doesn't like to leave things to chance, and also strongly believes in taking care of his own — he notably takes excellent care of the Nein Heroez’s crew. He doesn't suffer fools, he's snarky (too many examples to list them all, but have a few of my favorites), and also thoughtful and analytical and a skeptic. And most of all, he’s eager to learn and curious — not just about Molly and Lucien, but in general.

He jokes about being Lucien at one point, but makes it very clear that it's not him when people in his life make that slip-up. He's also been making the point that he’s not either of them as early as the campaign finale. And within the special, too, it’s pretty unambiguous. And then there’s Taliesin himself, also making it very clear that he’s a separate animal and on top of that, that he’s an absolute fucking badass.

And as mentioned, it's true that there's overlap with some of Molly's business — he's theatrical and loves fashion, for instance. But honestly, this character has far more in common with Lucien than he does with Molly. Lucien, who spoke multiple languages and lead a mercenary group into Aeor and back multiple times. Lucien, who even the mere prospect of him being resurrected was enough to reassemble the Tombtakers. If that’s not the makings of a Plank King, I’m not sure what would be.

And here's another thing: "Kingsley came from Molly" in and of itself is a misnomer. Based on both the stream and the addendum from the Lucien novel, Kingsley is mostly the reforged soul of Lucien — Molly's soul fragment was reintegrated into the rest of Lucien's. Kingsley is what was born from that fusion. When interceding on the failed Raise Dead spell, Caduceus said "put it back...whoever it was." There's just as much potential to say that it was Lucien's soul returned to that purple body by Melora as it was Molly's.

In all candor, I think it has a good deal to do with how many vocal Molly fans wanted Widomauk to be canon or somehow endgame.

The inherent tragedy of the dynamic between Caleb and Molly is that there is a constant specter of what could have been. Neither encountered each other when they were at a point to pursue their attraction, and Molly was dead before anything could come to pass. As a passive observer, I think that this what could have been has bled into the fanon interpretation of all kinds of purple tiefling content, mostly because there's so little to analyze otherwise. One only has to glance at the tags for the Lucien novel or the Molly origin comic to see what I mean. And I think that this has also significantly impacted the fanon depiction of Kingsley.

I find that this fandom in particular has a huge problem with sacrificing characterization in the name of fanon archetypes and tropes, but due to the distinct nature of Kingsley’s character this can veer into…I mean, pretty ugly territory.

People love the reincarnated lovers trope, and I see that applied here the most, to which I always want to remind people that Kingsley is probably more like a joined Trill. He has these past lives and memories, but just like Ezri isn’t quite Jadzia isn’t quite Kurzon Dax, Kingsley isn’t Molly isn’t Lucien. Ezri didn’t hop up and get busy with Worf, even when Jadzia had been his wife. Far from it, actually. Similarly, Jadzia had an entire exploratory episode dedicated to encountering Kurzon’s spouse and deciding that she (regretfully for lesbians everywhere) felt differently.

It’s true that it’s not completely baseless; I’m genuinely not saying that. It’s true that one of the first things King did was flirt with Caleb when he woke up. And then when he’d come more into his own, there was all that wild talk they had during the…

Oh wait, that’s right. They didn’t speak one on one even once during the reunion. So the argument could easily be made that in the chunk of the stream that showed us the most about who King was as a person, he didn’t touch Caleb with a thirty-nine and a half foot pole. Meaning that at this point in time, the basis of the ship is predominately Caleb’s relationship to his elder siblings.

I don't have time and ultimately have no interest in unpacking that in terms of it being solid foundations for a romantic relationship — we all can read, baruch hashem — and will also assume that there’s content about that dynamic that explores that weirdness with all the complexity that it deserves. But my central point here is that I’m seeing vanishingly little of it, and far more of it being used in a way that denies Kingsley his own identity. The point isn't hating on a ship. Widoking in and of itself is fine, the point is that people aren't actually shipping Kingsley with Caleb. They're shipping him with someone wearing the skin of his dead older brother.

Which brings me to my next point...

I find this aspect to be incredible given the extraordinary way that this campaign explores trans identity and narrative. Plenty of other folks have written about the extent that campaign 2’s focus on identity as a theme has resulted In one of the most comprehensive studies of several different types of trans stories. Like, VETH?!?

BEAU?!?! Not to mention FJORD’S UNRELENTING T-BOY SWAG?!?!?!

And yet.

And, yes, it is that deep. Let me explain.

Molly and Lucien are canonically genderfluid. Kingsley hasn't come out as anything yet, so the jury is still out... though many people, myself included, headcanon that he's some flavor of not cis.

For me, this is because Kingsley’s narrative is arguably more a traditional trans one than Lucien or Molly's: being born with the expectation that he would be one thing, then coming to his family — who hold that expectation quite dearly — and asserting that he is someone and something else completely different from that. Lucien and Molly are trans characters, no doubt, but their stories are not about being transgender. And there is an intrinsic quality to King's that definitely is.

The notion of "trans narrative" is also something applied to someone like Nott/Veth, even in a world where transness is not stigmatized. So while transphobia is not a thing as we understand it in Exandria, that doesn't change that Kingsley “came out” and transitioned in a more recognizable way to us than Lucien or Molly ever had to — in the same light as Veth arguably struggling with her self-image in a way that many trans viewers find exceedingly familiar.

If we can apply the queer critical lens and think of Fjord being a trans guy deconstructing toxic ideas of masculinity, or of Beau being a trans girl dealing with transphobic parents that wanted a son, got one, and cast her aside, we can also use that same level of discernment when it comes to Kingsley. There's precedent.

I don’t mean to get personal here, but the flat out dismissal of Kingsley's identity as an individual and not as the sum of other parts reminds me so much of my own experience of having come out as non-binary and then telling people that I was going to start HRT. The support dried up almost immediately the minute I made it clear I wanted to switch pronouns again and pursue medical transition, though I still conceived of myself as effectively genderless.

So long as you’re fun and funky and trans in a way that isn’t obtrusive, it’s fine. Well, “fine” isn’t the right word, but people are so fucking terrified of you becoming one of “those” trans people and taking the scary hormones and changing your body and getting the surgeries. It's the cousin of that perennial TERF talking point of "why can't you just be a tomboy/effeminate gay guy". As if being a tomboy/fem guy is somehow easier, too!! But I digress. To a lot of folks, Kingsley can be whatever he wants..........so long as he doesn't reject Molly as a foundational part of him, if not the, and heaven help him if he diverges from the mold Molly left for him.

For this reason (and for other transgender reasons that I don't want to get into), that has made engaging with a lot of this faux-Kingsley content difficult. Because Kingsley came out! Kingsley has told everyone who he is and what he's about, and folks are ignoring that in favor of an interpretation that centers a different person's existence entirely. And with this coming from a group of fans that tends to trend towards being trans, too, that's quite the bitter pill.

Creatively, I firmly believe that people can do whatever they want forever. And everyone has the right to make content where their Barbies scissor. I, for one, also am 100% guilty of it in other contexts. That doesn't bother me.

What does bother me is a collective delusion where a significant chunk of the fandom, in missing their tragically dead non-binary character, effectively stuff a separate one that resembles him back into the closet without noticing the cruelty of doing so. In fact, relishing in it.

And while these people are fictional and aren't real and can't feel pain aside from what we inflict on them narratively, it gives me pause about the way this trend mirrors common transphobic behavior I have experienced as a non-binary person myself. Thus, I cannot possibly watch it happen and not feel compelled to say something about it.

In essence, Kingsley has told us time and time again who he is and what he's about. If we say as fans that we respect the narrative integrity of Campaign 2, I think it's important that we listen and honor that.

[mallory-x]

*CRASHES IN* HELLOOOO! ALDRICH/SEBASTIAN PLS?? 🥹

I knew you’d ask for Aldrich/Sebastian as soon as you saw my post and I love you for it! For those who haven’t had the pleasure yet - Who is Aldrich Kemp? is a BBC podcast series about an elusive criminal mastermind played by the wonderful Ferdinand Kingsley (Hob Gadling in the Sandman, if you’ve been living under a rock /s). Aldrich is a charming narcissist and Sebastian is one of his team, the Themis Group.

This fic is my take on Sebastian’s backstory and how he ended up with Aldrich in his (headcanoned) role of ‘kept boy’.

Sorry Jani, I haven’t written the smut yet! But have a snippet of the team discovering that Aldrich has brought Sebastian back to Themis House for the first time.

CW age difference I guess? (Sebastian is early 20s, Aldrich mid 30s in this bit)

“So you’re collecting waifs and strays now, Aldrich?” Nakesha didn’t look impressed, hands planted on her hips and one brow raised in an incredulous manner.

“Nakesha,” said Aldrich, drawing out her name placatingly. “One boy hardly makes a collection.”

“Don’t be facetious, Aldrich.” Aunt Lily’s clipped tone spoke of her clear disapproval. “Are you going soft? I thought I could hand over the Themis Group knowing it would be in safe hands, but if this is what it’s going to become I wonder if I should change my mind before it’s too late.”

“Aunt Lily… Nakesha. Do you have so little faith in my judgement?”

“What judgement? You’ve brought some little finance kid into this house, and for what? Because he’s got pretty curls?” Nakesha stood over Aldrich, genuine anger in her eyes. “You can’t just act on impulse any more, Aldrich, you have to think of the rest of us and what it’s risking to bring an outsider here.”

“Nakesha is right, Aldrich.” Aunt Lily was calmer, but just as resolute. “You just killed this boy’s father. Destroyed his livelihood. Stripped his assets. What makes you think he won’t turn on you the minute he gets a chance?”

“I know you have your doubts, but there’s just… something about him. Not just his curls, thank you, Nakesha.” Aldrich gave a sarcastic little nod in her direction. “He has dreams. Ambitions. I can see so much potential in him.”

“Oh, I’m sure you can. But is it potential to be something useful to the Themis Group, or potential to be useful to you?”

“Nakesha. I won’t deny I think he’s attractive, I do have eyes, you know. But he’s also intelligent, hard working, and brave enough to stand up to two armed strangers who’d just killed his father. Did you know he went to Oxford? Not as good as Cambridge, obviously, but I think it was his father’s influence that pushed him to study there. Given the chance to start again, study something he’s actually interested in… I think we can mould him into someone who could be a real asset for Themis. Far beyond anything he would have had the chance to do if he’d stayed working for his father.”

“Really, Aldrich? It all sounds a bit far-fetched. Life isn’t a fairy story, you know,” said Aunt Lily.

“It might not be. But our parents believed in charity. They believed that we could help people. So let me help this one? My money, my responsibility?”

“You want him to be your pet project?” Nakesha smirked at him, in the way only siblings can.

“I don’t appreciate your tone, Nakesha,” said Aldrich, smirking back at her. “But yes, if you like. Sebastian can be my pet project, and if it doesn’t work out–”

“Then Mrs Boone can put a bullet in his head,” said Aunt Lily, decisively. “Well, that’s settled then. Now, I think it’s time for a spot of tea, don’t you?”

[romancomicsnews]

Marvel's Secret Invasion wastes potential & fantastic actors - REVIEW

I'll be honest, the announcement of Secret Invasion being adapted into a Marvel television series was somewhat disappointing. After seeing this story successfully adapted through Avenger's Earth Mightiest Heroes, and with the MCU's ever growing roster of heroes, it felt like a story well suited for the big screen.

None the less, when it was revealed to be an espionage thriller centered around Nick Fury, with the feel of Captain America the Winter Soldier, I was very excited.

As the cast grew, Ben Mendelson, Emilia Clarke, Cobie Smulders, Don Cheadle, Olivia Coleman, Kingsley Ben-Adir, I thought this show was going to be something very special.

Unfortunately, while most MCU shows have been a mixed bag, none have been more mixed baggier than Secret Invasion.

Before I get anymore deep into this rant, I must say:

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR ALL OF SECRET INVASION.

I will say a few nice things to start.

Excellent Actors

Although I think many of these actors were wasted as far as how much screen time they had, and their role within their show, the show is ridiculously stacked with talent and it's a delight to watch.

Olivia Colman, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Don Cheadle and Ben Mendelson are highlights to me, but Samuel L Jackson, Emilia Clarke, and others are also fantastic.

Colman as Sonya I think will leave this show as a fan favorite, and possible eventual successor to Fury. She has a good mix of fun energy and intimidation, and clearly is having a ball.

Don Cheadle's "Rhodey" is for once doing something interesting in this show. As a secondary antagonist, Cheadle is able to chew up scenery as a Skrull and be a sinister rival to Samuel L Jackson, for once using Cheadle's fantastic acting skills properly.

While Gravik is an ordinary Marvel villain by all means, Ben-Adir gives him an anger and viewpoint that feels fresh. His monologue facing Fury in the final episode really brings the pain out for me. I don't know if he'll work as a character for others, but for me, due to the performance, Gravik is a step above many others.

Solid Ending

Secret Invasion ends on some very interesting notes, and I think overall sticks the landing where other MCU shows fail.

Wrapping up the story of Gravik with a giant Super-Skrull fight (which was a lot of fun), it leaves the MCU in a very interesting place, with the President calling on all aliens to be considered enemies.

This leaves assassinations running rampant, Skrulls on the run, and people anxious and scared.

This leaves Sonya and a new super G'iah as uneasy allies to protect the Skrulls and mankind.

This also pushes Fury to keep his promise and go up to Saber to continue his mission with his wife.

Overall, I like this ending. It sets up good stakes for earth that aren't just multiversal stakes. We can feel the ramifications of this show for years to come, and seeing what Fury, Sonya, and G'iah do next does excite me.

Plus, who doesn't love a Super Skrull fight?

Excellent Complicated Love Story

I think often where reviews and reviewers fall short is complaining about what a show isn't as opposed to examining a show for what it is.

While part of me thinks this isn't the time for a Nick Fury love story, I also have to point out that this is a great love story.

Charlayne Woodard as Nick Fury's wife Varra/Priscilla Davis adds an excellent layer to Fury's character.

While the chemistry is there, the acting performance between these two were captivating. There is an excellent scene where you have no idea what each character might do, guns on the table, talking about their past mistakes.

This was by far my favorite scene of the show.

It also brings to light many of Fury's flaws and possible prejudices, and gives you a firsthand look at what Skrulls go through on a daily basis.

Overall, I loved the inclusion of Varra, and would love to see her pop up more often.

But now on to my problems with the show. Starting with:

Meaningless Deaths

While a story like this definitely needs death to carry weight, I'd argue two characters die for absolutely no reason.

First I'll talk about is Talos. This fan favorite character dies in my opinion the saddest death. At the end of Talos' life, he has lost his wife, his daughter has lost faith in him, he has been stripped of his seat at the table of the Council, he has lost the faith of his people, and he just dies.

Now, a death like that you think would impact our main characters in any sort of significant way. But Fury, like with most deaths, has no reaction. It does not change or effect Fury's view of himself, he does not reflect on his regrets. You'd assume he was a nothing soldier, not a brother in arms.

But at the very least we got more Talos this season before his fatal end.

Maria Hill and Cobie Smulders deserved so much more.

Besides her death being used as leverage for the world to be after Nick Fury, which truly doesn't affect him at all, Hill's role is simply to die to imply stakes.

Using Maria just to die in such an unheroic way is really insulting to the character. When they killed Coulson, at the very least they did it with him trying to protect one of our heroes. Here, she is tricked by Gravik, and dies doing nothing of importance in the series.

I think having another character to provide a view point between Talos and Fury's argument of the Skrulls could have been beneficial. And having a larger group of agents would've added to the drama of who you could trust, who is really a skrull.

Instead they wasted not one but two of Marvel's most underrated characters.

Twists we see Coming

Rhodey being a skrull, G'iah not being dead, even G'iah being Fury in the final battle were all rather predictable twists. While there were genuine moments of suspense and shock, none of these worked for me.

Perhaps if they hinted strongly The President was a Skrull, and it was revealed it was actually Rhodey, that might've worked more for me, or hiding G'iah is alive for a few episodes. But instead none of them felt particularly hard to figure out.

Easy to figure out who you could trust

The point of a Secret Invasion storyline with many characters is to not trust anyone.

With the exception of Rhodey, Ross and Fury (ONE TIME), we don't get anyone impersonating our heroes. No one pretends to be Talos, or other MCU heroes, and Fury's crew is easy to trust throughout the entire show.

They do a half-hearted reason as to why Fury can't call other Avengers but really the best reason was right under their noses: he doesn't know who is real. That should've been the driving force of the show. Fury putting all his best mates to the test trying to figure out who he can trust and undo this invasion.

That's what a Secret Invasion story is.

All in all, Secret Invasion has just enough weight and great performances to warrant a watch and maybe even a future. It surprisingly sets up a second season very well, even with two protagonists who aren't Fury.

If this were to continue, it definitely needs to push the stakes, the conflict, and more than anything, the suspense. We should all be like Agent Prescod wondering desperately as it goes on, who do we trust?

If not, I'm afraid this show is destined to be forgotten in the middle of the road of the MCU.

Thank you for reading! If you'd like to support me, you can:

Follow me at www.facebook.com/romancomicsnews

Follow me on Twitter @diegoleonroman

Follow me on Threads @romanleondiego

Help me pay my student loans by donating!

[dent-de-leon]

OKAY BUT THE MOONWEAVER IS EXACTLY HOW I PICTURED HER I'M SO EXCITED!! Meeting with this tiefling's bright soul to give him tarot readings and try to offer some sort of cryptic comfort--setting the stage for pretty dreams and telling sweet stories that begin with the childhood wonder and fantasy of Once Upon a Time. Being equally amused and pleasantly surprised by this soul who finds his way to her door again and again.

There's also something I love about her bit of confusion at the final resurrection, her soft admission of, "What comes after thrice upon a time?" It feels like a 3 card set, past present and future, but now there's another card in the mix and she's never done a reading like that. But still so excited and happy and welcoming Molly and Lucien's shared souls like an old friend.

I don't know, I just absolutely adore the Moonweaver and this is always the kind of relationship between her and Molly I imagined. I especially love the implication that Sehanine is absolutely the beautiful woman Kingsley kept asking about, the one who gave him good dreams and told him secrets. It makes me really happy, that this Circus Man has found his way back to his moon goddess again.

And there's just something so perfectly beautiful about the Moonweaver drawing Love as Molly/King/Lucien's final card--and not just any depiction of it, but Mollymauk Tealeaf's own hand painted vision of Yasha. It says so much, that the Moonweaver lets him have this glimpse of the past, of what still anchors his heart back to the present, and when he wakes again the first word on his lips aside from his desperate cry of Empty is Love.

And it really cements to me that Molly's soul shard isn't gone; he's here, relearning the world around him and how the pieces of his and Lucien's lives can fit. It means something to me, that Mollymauk's heart is still there, still beats for Yasha and the rest of his loved ones. That him and Lucien joining together isn't someone taking away his body against his will, banishing him from the world--it's him willingly offering Lucien the chance to come back with him, to come back and try all over again. Molly's soul getting to live on with the Mighty Nein.

[burr-ell]

while I've been a cr fan for a while now, i've only recently started to interact more with the fanbase after completing campaign 2 and starting to go through campaign 3(i will hopefully catch up before it concludes but who knows lol) and man is the fandom strange. never have i seen a fandom have both a toxic positivity problem as well as a toxic criticism problem at the same time. people both viciously defend the show and attack it depending on the time of day it feels like lol. that being said I do want to know about what you enjoy about the show? I feel like most of the posts i've seen of yours are meta/takes about the fandom, which i do enjoy don't get me wrong, but i'd love to see things you like, especially if they're niche things! sorry if its a question you've been asked before! much love from another, what i would say, sane critical role fan ahhah

ah you want to see me be annoying. bless you anon <3

-mr lord percival de rolo and ms lady vex'ahlia de rolo and their sister/in-law ms lady cassandra de rolo and their bear son trinket de rolo and their baby quarter elf de rolos and their bear grandson charles de rolo and

-listen, i don't know what made me such a lunatic about perc'ahlia and their family but i am, that will never change, they've both suffered so much loss and they could have gone dark so many times but they didn't! they both chose the light and each other and chose the light because of each other and they have a FAMILY, whitestone is a city of rebirth and i want to gnaw on something every time i think about it

-i also just! love vox machina as a whole! it's classic, archetypal fantasy adventure stuff and that's why i love it. i love the chroma conclave arc especially, i really enjoy the stakes and the traveling across the world and the absolutely ridiculous moments that grew out of it. vox machina is, in the metanarrative, the living legend—the group that started it all and began breathing life into the world of exandria, and i've always enjoyed those kinds of stories.

-EXU CALAMITY. if you haven't seen it you absolutely should, i highly recommend it. it's an amazing story, the characters and setting feel so realized and alive in the four episodes they were around, and the actual players are incredible. i love the lore it introduced, i love the specter of vespin chloras over the narrative, i love how much presence asmodeus has and how well brennan plays such a master manipulator. and the INTRO??? why isn't the intro released as a single it's so good

-i've only had fy'ra rai and morrighan for a day and a half. if anything happened to them i'd kill everyone in the crown keepers

-i love the kinds of concepts and narratives that taliesin considers for his characters and how deeply he thinks through their presence in the world. he's thought so much about whitestone and both what it used to be like and how it's changed since C1, and while i've only watched the m9 twoshot, lucien/molly/kingsley is such an interesting idea (and i just really like kingsley). ashton is also an absolute joy to watch, and i'm so curious about their backstory and lore. taliesin has a knack for portraying characters who have very strong moral and personal beliefs but would rather coexist in a world with others' than enforce their own, which is probably why i like percy and ashton so much in particular. i also really enjoy his sense of humor; it's very dry and snarky with just the right amount of gothic whimsy.

-simply put. Travis Good. even back when he was playing grog, who is on paper a pretty simple character concept, he just couldn't help but give him a compelling and interesting backstory—and when he had to show off his acting chops, he DELIVERED. the depth that he gives his characters and the enthusiasm he has for the lore of the world are so burr-coded. cerrit in particular was an absolute tour de force and just watching travis go for whatever decisions he's going to make is incredible. he's also absolutely hilarious and his comedic timing is underrated. i mean, southerner to southerner, game recognize game.

-laura bailey!! i'm so fascinated by her consistent narratives about masks and coping mechanisms, and i love the fact that she's willing to make her PCs unlikable. she embraces their flaws and their virtues and just plays them so naturally. you have to read between the lines sometimes with her characters or you risk falling for the fronts they put up, and i love that kind of subtlety! she also doesn't feel the need to walk anyone through those choices, which i also appreciate; she simply plays them as they are, and however you react to that is up to you. i admit i'm interested in the alternate universe where laura played a character in calamity—marisha absolutely nailed it as patia, but i'm also interested in what laura would have done at that table.

-welcome to tal'dorei? oh my GODS that album is spectacular, especially the title track

-lastly, i genuinely enjoy the fandom experience! i've met some really cool people and made some really good friends here, and i love the creativity, especially of fanartists. i've learned so much about narrative and storytelling from reading different people's analyses, i've learned more about art from the fanart community, and overall i feel like the people i've met and the experiences i've had have helped me grow as a person.

anyway thank you for encouraging some positivity! i enjoy writing meta and critical analysis is really fun for me, but it's nice to take a step back and remember all the things i love. <3

[holdmytesseract]

Dangerous Paradise

James Conrad x fem!Reader

Request:

"Hello lovely writer👻

I saw you’re taking req's atm so I was wondering if you could maybe write something with James Conrad from the Skull Island film?

The plot is completely up to you but I’d love to read something about him with female reader :)

Thanksss" - Requested by a nonny! 😁

Summary: As a journalist, you join a expedition to a mysterious island called 'Skull Island' - which turns out to be a literal death trap. But with all the danger you are facing, there is at least one good thing... The incredibly hot tracker of the team, Captain James Conrad...

Warnings: THIRST! Skull Island things, giant spiders, bit of angst, mentions of injuries, swear words, fluff?

Word Count: 2k

a/n: First time writing for James Conrad - but I quite enjoyed it! Hope you guys like it! 😄 Thank you so much for requesting, dear nonny! 😊

Tagging: @lokisgoodgirl @lovingchoices14 @evelyn-kingsley @jennyggggrrr @acefeather2002 @lulubelle814 @vbecker10 @fictive-sl0th

If you want to be added to my Tom taglist, please let me know! 😄

MASTERLIST

That was definitely not what you were expecting, when you got signed up for that expedition. A giant ape and creepy, dangerous wannabe dinosaurs? Come on... Not to mention the enormous other creepy creatures on 'Skull Island' - or the crazy soldier who got stuck here in freaking World War two! Ever since you flew with that helicopter through that earth shaking storm to get to the island and got attacked by Kong, you were positively done with this mission and cursed your boss on no end for convincing you to do this. "Please, Y/N! This is going to be one hell of a headline!" Sure! Thanks Maggie… Hell of a headline my ass, you thought. Okay, admittedly, the island was beautiful - without a doubt and you'd have definitely enjoyed it here - if you didn't have to fear for your life every damn second! One wrong step or wrong move could cost you your life. Skull Island was to 100 per cent not for vacation... You just wanted to go home, back into your office. You were a journalist - not a soldier, tracker or scientist! What were you even here for? Writing a report when you're no longer alive was quite difficult. You already missed your friends and family - and especially your bed. Well... Life just wasn't fair.

But despite all the bad things, coming with this mission, there was at least that one good thing - person, to say it right. Captain James Conrad. Former soldier, now tracker - and hotter than a 1200 degree volcano. You were sure that it was actually illegal to be this hot. Honestly, someone should've arrested him for giving you a heart attack when you first laid eyes upon this delicious specimen of a man.

He was incredulously tall and literally clattered with muscles. It wasn't just the effect of the tight, dark blue t-shirt he wore, oh no. The t-shirt just helped showing them off. With every move he made, every step he took, you could see the muscles on his shoulders, pecs or arms flex. His biceps were bulged, strained against the tight fabric. The black jeans he wore, displayed his thick, strong thighs and long legs and sat very snugly around his hips. And that damn shoulder holster he wore... Gods… You weren't really a fan of weapons - but that thing made him even sexier. James' hair was short, with brown hues in between the blonde curls. A slight stubble covered his chin and cheeks. Speaking of that man's face... He had a jawline to die for... And his cheekbones were as sharp as razor blades. Long story short, this man was literally walking eye candy. "Y/N?" And his voice... Oh his voice... "Y/N?" So deep and yet smooth like velvet. You could listen to him talk all day long. "Y/N?!" The moment said voice urged rather loudly to your ears, accompanied by James's strong hand gently shaking your shoulder, you snapped out of your daydream. "W-What?" You asked, dazed and blinking. "We need to keep moving. Don't stay behind, otherwise you'll lose the group. I know you're tired. We all are, but I can't have anybody just walking off. I don't want to lose more people." You quickly nodded, still trying to process his words. "Y-Yes, I'm sorry." James gave you a nod, then removed his hand from your shoulder again and stood up. With a sigh, you stood up from the stone you were sitting on as well.

Together, you caught up to the remaining people of the group, making your way further through the depths of this perilous jungle. You tried to distract yourself, not thinking about the opportunity to die - what wasn't exactly easy, because your brain reminded you of that every minute. Wordlessly, you trudged behind James, Mills, Mason, Slivko and the others, trying to match their quick pace. You tried to focus on your surroundings; tried to stay attentive. That worked out quite well - until Captain Conrad walked into your field of view again. You were very aware that you shouldn't let yourself be distracted by the attractive man - but you just couldn't help it... Your eyes got stuck on him once again... On the backside of his body, to be precise. The way he oh so graciously moved over the uneven, grown through jungle ground. Not only had you a nice view of the way the muscles in his shoulders flexed, no... You could also feast upon the bulging veins stretching over his ridiculously long, strong arms. What you would give to feel those firm, sculpted muscles underneath your fingertips - oh and that ass... You bit your lip, when your gaze travelled - hopefully unnoticed, downtown and landed on the tracker's bottom. Hot damn. You couldn't even fathom what was underneath those clothes... You bet he- A scream for help cut through the air, ripping you from your lustful, thirsting thoughts. Frantically your eyes looked around, searched for the origin of the scream. You quickly found it... It had come from one of the soldiers - in vain. He was dead, impaled by the leg of a... You looked up, your jaw slackening in shock; eyes widening. "Giant spider!" Another soldier yelled hysterically. And then everything happened very fast. You jumped from one spot to the other, panicky trying to avoid the gigantic animal's deadly legs. You guessed your body went into some kind of a survival mode. Unless you more than likely wouldn't have survived this. "Cut the legs!" You heard Conrad yell over the loud noise of gunshots and screams. "Cut it off at the legs!" The men listened to the tracker, did what he said and chopped off the creature's legs. Just as you thought you and the group were out of danger, things went south again - at least for you. When they brought the spider down, her enormous body fell to the ground and James had yelled for everybody to move aside, in order to not get squashed by it. You started to run for dear life – and made it. That wasn't the problem. But being on the fast pace you were, you didn't see the big stone on the ground. Neither the little, but quite steep hillside, nor the lake at the foot of the 'cliff'. So, it came how it had to come... You stumbled over the stone and with a yelp, fell down the hillside. Somewhere on the way down, you must've hit your head, 'cause you felt the throbbing pain on the back of your head. The moment your skin came into contact of the cold water, everything went blurry. The weight of your body pulled you underwater, but you were like paralyzed, couldn't move and at some point, everything went black.

You were going to die. Right here, right now - that had been your last thought. But then you heard a faint voice, calling out your name again and again. Then you heard the dull sound of water splashing around you. No ten seconds later, you could've sworn you felt how two strong arms wrapped themselves around your body and pulled you through the water, up to the surface and out of the death trap. "Y/N!" Once again you heard the voice, but it was still far away. "Y/N!" Then, two hands on your shoulders, shaking you. The voice got clearer and clearer. "Y/N! Wake up!" A hand skidded down to cup your cheek and lift your head gently. That seemed to do the trick. As if stung by an adder, you sat up, ripping open your eyes and coughing, spilling out the water, which had tried to drown you. Your hands tried to find something to hold onto - what they did. A broad shoulder. When you regained your full consciousness again, you looked up - straight in the oceanic blue eyes of James. He had a worried look upon his face, which faded into a small smile, when he noticed you were fully back again. He was sitting beside you, when you immediately felt his hands on your waist, steadying you. Before you could think about what you were doing, you launched forwards and hugged him. It took the Captain a second to realise and to wrap his arms securely around you as well. You took deep breaths, relishing in the fact that you were still alive. "T-Thank you." Only then you noticed, that he was soaking wet. He must've jumped after you and saved you. "I-I'm sorry, I-" You felt the tracker shaking his head. "It's fine." He stated and paused for a second, retreating from the hug. "Are you alright?" James scanned your body, looking for any injuries. "I-I don't know... My head hurts a bit and I-I think I twisted my ankle." You said, feeling a sharp pain shoot through your ankle. "Okay." James said, getting on his knees. "Can you stand up?" You tried to get up, but couldn't. You shook your head. "N-No, I, ahh!" "Alright, come on." James wrapped his arm around your back and helped you stand up. You tried to stand on the injured foot, but it was impossible. The man's hands flew up to steady you again immediately. "Lean on me, I'll help you walk." You nodded, tears brimming in your eyes. You certainly didn't want that to happen. You didn't want to become a burden for the group. Not when you all were already in this shitty situation, stuck on a lethal island. Slowly, the two of you walked along the shore. "W-Where are the others?" "I told them to set up a camp, about a mile southern from this lake. It's getting dark soon. We need to rest. Especially you."

It took you a while to reach the camp, giving the state you were in. But when you reached your destination, you were relieved. Everybody was immediately at your side, asking you how you were. You appreciated the kind gestures. James guided you to sit against the trunk of a fallen tree. "I'll have a look on your ankle, yes?" "Okay." You said, nodding and trying to ignore the fuzzy feeling in your stomach, when James's hands worked on shoving up your cargo pants and taking off your boots and sock. His warm, delicate fingers came into contact with your skin. He gently ran them over your injured ankle, examining the damage and causing you to shiver and to suppress a moan. He moved your ankle, turning your suppressed moan into a small scream of pain. "Sorry." James apologised immediately. "I think it's not broken, but definitely twisted." Then he looked around the camp. "Has somebody a rag, cloth or something similar?" Slivko was immediately at his side, handing him a dark blue cloth. James drenched it in cold water from his water bottle and wrapped it carefully around your ankle. You hissed at the sudden coldness. "Keeps the swelling down." "Thank you." You said again, blushing, when he gave you another small smile. "Of course. Rest now." You nodded and tried to make yourself comfortable. James stood up and turned his back, walked away to talk to Mason and Slivko. You tried to sleep, were already on the verge of dozing off, when the Captain thwarted your plans and relighted the thirsting flame inside of you again. You couldn't control your body and mind sometimes, could you? It was the Captain's fault after all. Not yours. How dare he took off his t-shirt, because it was still soaking wet, to dry it beside the campfire... You didn't ask him to do this, did you? Anyway, you had now even more to look at and drool over. His muscular back. The clearly visible abs and broad chest. Or the fine hair, which curled itself so perfectly over the expanse of his pecs. Yes... One thing was certain. If the island, its creatures or your own clumsiness wasn't going to kill you, then definitely James and his fucking good looks.