#can i be a powerpuff country now?

[aryxchse]

I just read the Turkish delight fic of yours.... I NEED one for Percy. Like I don’t know what. Headcannons maybe? Just anything please I am begging you as your Türk sister

ares' favorite. | percy jackson x daughter of ares! turkish! reader

a / n : i am so fucking happy to be able to write about my own country, and this woman right here helped me about this fic!! seviyorum seni beybi 🫶🏻🫶🏻

warnings : cursing probably, my girl annabeth third wheeling :(

as you and percy entered the big house, you hands started sweating. it could be anything; cleaning duty, losing dessert for a week or something the couple did without noticing.

"what do you think it's about?" you whispered to percy, who was walking confidently.

"dunno, don't care too." he said, shrugging. you rolled your eyes at the boy but your smile betrayed you.

it was the reason why you fell in love with him to be honest, his confident in troublemaking.

mr d and chiron were playing cards as usual when you arrived. chiron smiled the moment he saw you and you knew it wasn't something shitty. "hello dear." chiron said, softly.

"hello chiron." you replied.

"yo!" percy said, smiling back at chiron. you both didn't said hi to mr d, since he never replied.

"i called you here because i have a special quest for the daughter of ares." chiron said, now stooding up. you shared a look with percy, but he just winked at you.

"your father's shield is lost somewhere in turkey. and as his daughter, also being turkish, we thought we could send you." he explained. "well, your father wanted especially you, actually."

your eyes shined. returning back to your home country for a quest? both adventurous and fun? this was a whole package! you immediatly smiled and nod. "i'd love to go chiron!" you said.

"and, i'm here because?" percy asked next to you, even though he was smiling at your joy.

"well, we thought you could go with her, since you always do quests together." chiron said. and you nodded again. "yes yes, that would be great."

"who do you want as the third powerpuff girl?" mr d asked, not looking away from his card game, even though chiron wasn't playing at the moment.

"annabeth chase, please." you said your best friends name almost too quickly. her wisdom helped you through most of your quests and you loved her dearly.

chiron nodded. "i'll let her know. please go and pack, you'll leave tomorrow. we'll make sure you guys have anything you need." you and percy thanked him as you left the big house. you jumped from excitement as percy started chuckling at you.

"we're going to my home country percy! i could show you the places i've talke about so many times!" you said, smiling and laughing as you did. percy looked at you with pure adoration in his eyes as he held your hands. "i know baby, i'm so happy too."

"heard we we're going to your country sweetheart!" annabeth cheered behind you and you laughed, rushing and hugging her.

"annie you're going to love it! the vintage buildings and historical places are so your thing!" you cheered and annabeth nodded.

"oh please i love turkey! your history are the best, for real." she said, smiling at your excitement. you nodded.

"i'll go packing, oh my gods how am i going to sleep?" you said before heading towards your cabin, jumping. annabeth and percy shared a look as they both started laughing.

"man i love her." percy said.

"me too." annabeth agreed.

- welcome to the headcanon place!

- i didn't want the fic to be too long because i wouldn't be able to shut up about it

- anyways, moving on to the leaving day

- clarisse was so proud of you as she helped you pack, patting your head and hugging you once a while

- all of the ares cabin knew turks were their dads favorite people, that's why you always had that some sort of red glowing aura around you, you were his favorite kid

- and they were so happy for you!! who can get this chance anyway??

- as you stepped outside your cabin, you saw annabeth and percy already waiting for you, smiling

- the prophecy was simple, get the shield bla bla bla

- and with that, you left the camp half blood to go your home country

- the road was fun since it was the three of you, the iconic trio

- as all of you arrived, you started talking in your mother language more often and it was soo hot to percy

- even a simple 'thank you' you said made his knees weak

- turkey was the middle of everywhere according to the geogrophy (?) and annabeth adored here

- the historical places, the greek temples

- you wanted to take them everywhere but the shield was lost in istanbul, the perfect place for the greek kids

- you loved the greek vs turkey history fr-

- anywayyys

- as you searched for the shield, you couldn't help but take them to the places you loved as a kid

- wonderful cafe's, aesthetic libraries and historical buildings near the sea

- percy loved how istanbul was all about sea

- and how you used a ship to go somewhere else

- you guys find the shield in the middle of the galata tower where ares probably lost it while he was on a date here

- you took the shield and it was quicker then you expected so you wanted to give them a tour for a while

- percy and you had the perfect dates as annabeth went to the museums

- drinking tea together, teaching him words, the turkish coffee (which annabeth was obsessed with it now), sitting near the sea

- you both obviously went to galata tower because of the myth

- if you arrive there with your lover for the first time, you get married

- percy also loved how warm the people was

- how the old ladies said you both looked so cute together (you translated ofc), and how they loved annabeth's golden yellow hair

- percy was so happy to learn about your culture more and he loved you even more

- you shared him everything you knew

- also shared with annabeth too

- annabeth was already obsessed with here let me tell you-

- turkey didn't had many monsters since the demigod's lived near the camp

- and you three were so happy to be on a quest this comfortable

- the goodbye was hard but when you finished the mission successfully, your dad camed to congratulate you himself

- the ares cabin was so happy fr

- except that one time in house of hades were that one giant was from turkey, i wish we could've seen more of it

- because the greek and turkey beef is real lmao

- hope you'll like it babe!!

[gunkreads]

Wheel of Time: what’s the deal with sniffing (e.g. Hurin)? Is it a Talent that doesn’t rely on being able to channel?

I'm far from a lore expert for Wheel of Time, so I can't really give you an actual explanation. My milieu is less "How does the world of WoT work?" and more "Why is the world of WoT written the way it's written?"

The short version is that I don't know the answer. The (incredibly) long version, hidden under a cut so anyone who knows for sure and wants to answer doesn't have to reblog misinfo, is:

I'm not an expert in historical folklore, but one thing I do know from learning a very small bit about things like Arthuriana and the Edda (Scandanavian written folklore) is that sometimes, there's a Guy Who Can Do That. Frequently, there are a lot of Guys Who Can Do That, "that" being some special talent (or Talent, in the case of WoT) that's unique to them. Sometimes it's a hunter being able to completely, literally disappear in an empty field in broad daylight; sometimes it's a fisherman being able to pilot a dinghy through 12-foot seas; sometimes it's a farmer being able to snap his fingers at a pack of wolves and send them running. A lot of these talents are related to trade, with the heavy implication that the person was born with a bit of talent and has honed that talent to a superhuman degree over a lifetime's experience.

Sound familiar? The general concept behind Hurin's sniffing talent is the same. This guy was presumably born with (or developed at an early age) an exceptionally good sense of smell. Maybe he could tell when his baby sibling was about to get sick by the smell of their breath; maybe he could tell what was for dinner before he got home. Something like that.

Jordan pulled a lot of the main continent's cultures from real-life European folklore and history. Part of the world's strength is the way Jordan mixes-and-matches different cultures such that no WoT country is really equivalent to any real-life country. However, the streak of European-centric mythology present in the story is hard to ignore and foolish to downplay.

Now that I've established that, I'll start "answering" you, as much as this is a non-answer.

Channeling is MAGIC magic. It's something from nothing, ignores the first law of thermodynamics, allows for control of physical forces through supernatural means. Sure, there's a strong basis of physics themes suffusing the magic system, but it's fundamentally still magic.

Hurin's sniffing is a talent. Sure, it's a Talent, too, but fundamentally, it's just a talent. Something he's naturally good at that he's honed. Some people just have more sensitive noses than others. Remember, now, that this world is not our own, however much effort Jordan made to make that plausible. The talent of "having a good nose" can be elevated above its maximum capacity in real life. Did you ever watch action cartoons as a kid? Like Teen Titans, PowerPuff Girls, Samurai Jack? You know how they can kind of just jump off 5-story buildings with no problem? Sure, it's a conceit of the genre, but it's not explicitly magical, they're just very special.

Hurin falls into that category of "just very special". For the purposes of the story, he's "a very skilled tracker" and "an impetus for Perrin to further question his identity". The mechanism by which he tracks--superhuman ability to smell--is not a magical thing. It's just WoT's version of Batman surviving getting thrown into asphalt hard enough to crater it. Some people can do that in this world. Most people can't, but some people can.

It's also important to juxtapose Hurin's talent within the Borderlander, and specifically Shienaran, social system. The Borderlanders are all about utility and vigilance. Hurin is practically a walking, talking early-warning system. If the wind is bearing southwest, he can probably smell Trollocs before they hit Tarwin's Gap. He is valued at such a high level, and his talents are held up on such a pedestal, because he's part of a culture that values individual utility above all else. If you can do something that nobody else can, you're doing it as much as possible, full stop. He isn't forced to do this--he's just a member of a culture that's defined by hard work and individual contribution to the cause (of safety and being a bulwark against the Blight). He'd be a rebel, and in Shienaran eyes a coward, if he didn't dedicate his life to honing this talent that can be used to aid his countrymen.

So my short answer is "Hurin's sense of smell has nothing to do with channeling". Having superhuman abilities and being able to touch the True Source are two separate things. There's a lot of overlap, sure, but there are people (like Hurin and Perrin, to different degrees) who are just Guys Who Can Do That. This is one of Jordan's ways of illustrating that there's "special" and there's "SPECIAL"; Hurin is the former, while most of the protagonists are the latter. Hurin could be the protagonist of a less-expansive fantasy story. He's got one single talent that fundamentally sets him apart from his companions.

The purpose this serves in the story is twofold. For one, it's using Jordan's favorite way of deepening his world: creating unsolvable or incompletely-solvable mysteries. For two, it creates an important contrast against the main characters, who are special in much more extensive and concrete ways. It shrinks the gap between the main cast and the average person by establishing that, before the Emond's Field kids were released into the world, there were people who were already special or skilled beyond the average. Shit, look at Juilin! Look at Bayle! Look at Aludra! Look at Thom! These people are exceptional in some way before they meet the protagonist; it's pretty clearly established that that's why the ta'veren pull reels them in. These are people for whom there is a right place and right time, because they're exceptional. There are problems they're uniquely (or at least especially) equipped to solve. It doesn't make much sense for a ta'veren to have a one-in-a-million chance run-in with a thoroughly average person that has zero meaningful effect on their life. By god this is making me think about Gawyn so fucking hard. I won't digress that hard.

So Hurin exists in the story because he's a little bit special, and he only exists to be a little bit special.

The hole in this is that you could argue that literally everything in the WoT universe is channeling. The Wheel of Time is turned by the power from the True Source, so literally everything in the Pattern is fueled by the True Source and is therefore a result of some application of the Source. Of course, that's not what Channeling means--it's specifically a person accessing and manipulating the True Source--but there's still a connection, sorta.

JUST LIKE THE FUCKING PIPE

Again, I don't actually know this. I'm just putting together some conclusions based on what I remember and focusing more on the "why" than the "how".

[cleoluvrr]

The Last Days of Summer I (Rafe Cameron x Heyward!OC)

Warnings: violence, underage drinking, drug use, verbal abuse, jealousy, forbidden relationship, enemies to lovers, gaslighting + manipulation

Synopsis: Stuck in a situation she never dreamed of, Neriah Heyward blurs the line between Kook and Pogue; Rafe Cameron a witness.

masterlist

word count: 3k+

↠━ღ◆ღ━↞

I stand next to the shop, watching as my brother hops into a small, rinky-dink boat, profusely apologizing to our father as he drifts off with his friends up the canal. My father yells after him from the dock, assigning him with the unfavorable chore of cleaning the week’s catch. I shake my head and chuckle humorlessly, unamused by their antics once again. 

“What’s up, Riah?” I hear a voice call out from the boat. The disheveled looking blonde waves at me, smiling brightly as he looks in my direction. 

I tilt my head, pushing off the wall I was leaning against to step closer to the three boys attempting to avoid the wrath of my father.

“Hi, JJ.” I say sweetly, laughing as my sibling swats at the back of his friend’s head and my father curses at him.

“Don’t flirt with my sister-” “Don’t talk to my daughter you little bastard!” The two of them say simultaneously.

The group speeds off into the distance, John B. cackling at JJ getting chewed out by Pope and narrowly missing his barrage of hits. I turn back towards the shop, shaking my head as my father grumbles out his disdain for his son’s friends. I freeze in my place as my dad yells out my name from the dock.

“I don’t want you hanging around them kids. Ever.” He says, wagging his finger at me. “You understand me, Neriah Heyward?” 

 “I understand.” I reply, nodding my head as I continue the journey to my bedroom. “Wasn’t planning on it.” I add under my breath.

“Londyn, let’s be so forreal right now.” I deadpanned, staring across the table at my friend. “Kelce is an asshole.” 

I’m seated on the balcony of the country club, deep inside the Figure 8. I wore a white tennis skirt, the bottoms paired with a cropped, pink sweater I ordered from an inexpensive store online. My friends are dressed similarly, our attire reminding me somewhat of the Powerpuff Girls. The club is a common hangout spot for my friends and I, people watching and gossiping to fill our free time over the summer. 

While my brother runs around with the Pogues, likely doing something illegal, I spend my time on the high side of the island with the Kooks. Although we are siblings, the only thing we have in common is that. Our blood.

This didn’t happen out of nowhere, nor did it happen easily.

Pope and I are both very hardworking and intelligent, that I will admit we also have in common. We were always the smartest in our classes, envied for our perfect grades and work ethic. Not that we had much of a choice if we wanted a shot of getting off this island one day. 

Where we differ once again is our ability to make friends. Pope had his Pogue friends. JJ, Kie, and John B. They’re practically inseparable and have been for as long as I can remember. I, however, didn’t have that same luck.

I had a hard time making friends as a kid. I was shy, a bit abrasive, and a know-it-all. I made it a point to show everyone that I was better than them, and I’m sure that didn’t help my likeability amongst my classmates. I was a loner for 8 years of my schooling, many of my pre-teen years spent eating lunch alone and helping my parents at the shop while my brother was out enjoying life.

You can imagine why I jumped at the chance to go to the Kook academy in ninth grade. 

My brother was smarter than me by miles, I will also admit. However, his attendance was not so great, nor the reputation of his friends. Which is why when the scholarship offer came, it was my name on the letter instead of his. I’m sure he would have flat out rejected the offer, anyway, refusing to be separated from his best friends.

I started at the Kook academy my freshman year of high school, wide-eyed and innocent. Not so surprisingly, I was often picked on in the first semester of my time there. My scholarship student status, being a Pogue, being larger than the rest of the girls my age, both in height and weight. I was never bullied at my old school, despite being widely disliked, so this was something I had not been prepared for.

Once again, I spent my days in the back of the class and eating my lunches alone for months. The emotional torture was worth it if it meant I would get the hell off Kildare Island. Sometime in my second semester there, I met one of my closest friends. Practically my savior.

Londyn Woods. Youngest daughter of a Neurosurgeon and former runway model, sister to a lawyer brother living on the mainland, and my lifeline. 

She was loved by many and envied by many; her beauty could not be rivaled by anyone but her own mother. Despite her looks, status, and popularity, she was the farthest thing from shallow. Even knowing that, I wondered what drew her to me, why she would want to be friends with me.

The only things we have in common look wise are our heights, though she still stood three inches taller than me at five-eleven. The dark brown of my skin contrasted against her toffee-colored complexion. Her slim frame looked even smaller when next to me, dwarfed by my broad shoulders and thick thighs. Her face was chiseled, mine was round. She is so very headstrong, and I am so very not. I can’t help but wonder what the appeal was. However, we have everything else in common. Music taste, style, hobbies, future careers. If you know everything about me, you know everything about her.

She is my person, my protector in a way, and I suppose I am hers as well.

Eventually the Kooks began accepting me, not only because I was harmless but because Londyn began airing the dirty laundry of everyone that tried to pick on me. Everywhere I went, she went. Except the Cut. Not that she hasn’t tried, because she has, many times. But because it’s not safe for a girl like her to be there. Since she can’t come there, she drags me around Figure 8 with her like a puppy in a handbag. 

Which is exactly why I’m at the country club now, begging my friend to listen to my boy advice for once.

“Okay, but he’s so cute!” Londyn whines, stomping her feet like a young child. “And whenever he sees me, he smiles at me so sweetly, and he holds the door open for me, and I need you to please hear me out.” she pouts at me.

“I am hearing you out, and I’m not liking what I’m hearing.” I rub my temples, the effort of talking my hard-headed best friend out of making bad decisions draining my energy. “When has Kelce ever been nice to anyone?”

“He’s nice to me! And you!” She exclaims. I raise an eyebrow at that, looking at her skeptically. “Okay…well he’s never been mean to you. Please, Neriah. I beg of you!” She stands out of her seat, walking to my side of the table.

“Girl, don’t beg me for anything.” I say, rolling my eyes and taking a sip of the iced tea in front of me. 

“Do you promise to be nice to him? For me?”

“No.” I snort, shaking my head.

I watch as my friend gets down, her bare knees on the wooden floor of the balcony. She begins repeating the word ‘please’ numerous times, ignoring my pleas for her to get off the ground. Her antics draw the attention of the older people around us; their faces wearing looks of disapproval as they watch the two of us on the deck. I stood up, grabbing her hands away from my knees and tugging her upwards as heat took over my face.

“Okay, fine! I’ll be nice.” I speak. “Get your ass off the floor.” I whispered harshly.

“Yay! I love you so much.” She jumps up, wrapping her arms around me in a tight embrace. I grumble, pushing her off me gently and sitting back down. She plops down in my lap, stealing my drink for herself despite my protests.

We sat like that for a while, me scrolling through my phone and Londyn toying with my braids in between her fingers while she watched me scroll through the device mindlessly. We hear multiple footsteps walking onto the balcony, neither of us looking up at the sound.

“Aw, how cute.” A familiar voice comments dryly. I lift my head slowly, something nasty itching to leave my tongue when I see the tall, blonde standing by our table, Kelce and Topper not too far away. 

“Rafe.” I say, just as dryly. “How are you? Laying off the coke?” I ask disinterestedly. Londyn tries to keep a straight face, turning her head away to hide her smile. Rafe chuckles humorlessly, tongue poking against his cheek.

“You should try it, Neriah. Maybe you’d lose a few.” He retorts, Thing #1 and Thing #2 laughing at his jab towards my weight. 

“Nice one, Rafe! You should apply for a job at the laugh factory, I know you need one.” I say. “Do you think they employ deadbeat drug addicts?” I ask Londyn who is now standing behind me, hands resting on the back of my chair. She shrugs, failing to stop the laugh crawling up her throat. She coughs and clears her throat, covering up the sound.

Rafe relents, scoffing as he walks to the other end of the deck, sitting at a table with his minions close behind. A small victory for me.

Rafe and I met at the Kook academy a few years ago, when I was a mere freshman and he was a junior. At first I was entranced by him, blinded by his charming smile and powerful aura. Everyone loved him or wanted to be him. I always kept my distance, knowing better than to ever let myself get anywhere near him to save myself the embarrassment of saying something stupid.

That didn’t last very long.

The summer of my freshman year, Londyn dragged me along with her to Midsummers despite my refusal. She actually sat outside my house with her driver and wouldn’t leave until I came out, all dolled up in the pink Selkie dress gifted to me by Londyn for Valentine’s Day. 

“You look so beautiful!” My friend says when I entered the vehicle, clunky, platform sandals banging against the side of the car as I climbed in. I felt strange, wearing clothes someone else bought for me and on the way to a place where only one person wants me.

We arrive at the venue, Londyn trying to hype me up the entire ride there with no results. The taller girl is handed two flower crowns as we walk through the country club, placing one of them on my head gently with the biggest grin on her face. She grabs my hand, pulling me through the crowd of people to the outdoor space where everyone else is mingling. She takes me to her parents, the two figures towering over the rest of the Kooks.

“Neriah! You look absolutely stunning.” Her mother greets, embracing me in a tight hug. “How have you been?” 

“Thank you, Mrs. Woods! You look gorgeous, as always.” I say sweetly, the model pulls away, patting my head endearingly. “I’ve been well, thank you for asking.”

“We haven’t seen you around lately. I’m sure we miss you just as much as our daughter has.” Mr. Woods says, giving me a welcoming side hug.

“It’s really busy at the shop this time of year, my parents have been working me to the bone.” I tell them dramatically, the three of them laughing at my demeanor. “Speaking of parents…if my father asks, you never saw me.” And with that, Londyn drags me off again to hang with other teenagers.

For a moment, I let myself forget about the ongoing class war. I let my guard down and had just as much fun as everyone else. I was just a normal teenager doing normal teen things. I got to dress up nice and be a Kook for a day. I stopped worrying about being careful.

That is where I went wrong. That is when the Devil struck.

I snuck off to the restroom, leaving my friend alone to mingle with the Kook kids. The halls were practically empty, most people outside on the patio. I walk around mindlessly, the music of the gathering outside leaking into the otherwise quiet building. I hear a door open, but ignore it, thinking it was a staff member or something. I continue, the restroom sign in my sight at the end of the hallway.

I was very mistaken.

A hand reached out and grabbed my forearm, dragging me into the door that had just opened. The door shut loudly behind us; my writhing frame roughly shoved against the wall. I try to scream, but a large, warm hand covers my mouth and nose. A body presses up against mine in the dark room, chuckling over my muffled screams. As my eyes adjust to the dark, I notice who it is that has caught me off guard.

Rafe Cameron. The Kook prince himself.

I stop fighting, my own hands grabbing at the one covering my only source of air. Rafe watches me struggle, pressing his hand harder against my face with a look of morbid curiosity. As if he wanted to see how long I could go without properly breathing. He turns on the light with his free hand, wanting a clearer look at my pleading frame and watering eyes. He tilts his head, finally releasing my mouth and nose. 

He doesn’t move, still standing close as my chest heaves and I take in more air than I’ve breathed in my entire life. He looks at me strangely, a mixture of wonder, disgust, and curiosity. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you!” I exclaim, shoving against his chest harshly. He doesn’t really move, my assault barely affecting him. 

“I think I should be the one asking you that.” He says, squinting at me. “What do you think you’re doing here?” 

“That’s literally none of your business.” I look up at him in disgust and confusion. “Are you insane?” All positive feelings I had for him were gone.

“You see,” He starts, running a hand through his blonde hair. “Everything that happens is my business, because I make it my business. Especially when it comes to rats running around on Figure 8 like they own it.”

“Wow, you are a fucking psycho.” I comment. “Why am I surprised?” He laughs dryly at my words, shaking his head. 

He grabs my face again, fingers tightly gripping my chin. My cheeks squish under his hold, lips forced into a pout. I swipe at his hand again, and he only grips me tighter. I wince, dropping my hands and looking up at him in frustration. He tuts at me, moving my head side to side with disappointment adorning his face.

“Poor little Pogue girl can’t remember her place and needs someone to remind her…” He brings his face closer to mine and I flinch back, my movements halted by the grip Rafe has on my jaw. “That’s okay, I can show you.”

“Rafe, you are fucking insane.” I say, words slurred together out of my forcefully parted lips. He jerks my head roughly, releasing a sound of disapproval. He shushes me, bringing a slender finger to his mouth.

“It’s my turn to talk, Okay?” I don’t respond, eying him warily. “Good girl. You see, life is just so much easier when you follow the rules. When you follow the status quo. But you? You simply refuse to do that. And I don’t like that. I don’t know what your little friend has told you, but you aren’t one of us. You never will be. It doesn’t matter if you go to the Kook school, if you have Kook friends, if you put on a pretty little dress and party with Kooks. You are always gonna be a disgusting gutter rat. Getting all dolled up won’t make me forget that. Make anyone forget that. Do you understand that?” He spits at me.

I nodded, just wanting to get out of that room as quickly as possible.

“I’m glad. Now, I don’t want to have to have this conversation with you again. I won’t be as nice.” He smiles at me, the look making my skin crawl. “Now run along.” He releases me and I shove him away, yanking at the door handle next to me furiously.

“You’re a piece of shit, Rafe. I won’t forget that either.” I say, turning around to face him as I exit the room.

“You look beautiful tonight.” He says, the compliment throwing me for a loop. “I wouldn’t want to have to change that.” At that, I storm out of the room and back to the party. The threat sat heavy on my mind for the rest of the night, spending my time watching over my shoulder to keep an eye out for the older guy.

It was that moment I no longer felt admiration for Rafe Cameron.

I didn’t fear him either, though I did that night. The most emotion I feel for him nowadays is disdain and annoyance. Occasionally anger, but I never show it because that’s exactly what he wants. I never told Londyn about our little confrontation, so it’s been a secret between the boy and I since then.

“God, Rafe is such a creep.” Londyn says annoyedly. I give no reaction other than raising my eyebrows slightly. “He’s been staring over here for, like, five minutes.”

 “Let him. He won’t do anything.”

I glance over in his direction, the two of us locking eyes. He mimics my raised eyebrows, waiting for me to give him a reaction. I keep a disinterested look on my face and look back at my friend, once again ignoring his presence. Everything he does is to get a reaction out of me so he can somehow use it as evidence to prove that I’m some kind of menace to Figure 8.

Londyn and I leave a short time later, the club becoming far too stuffy for the both of us.

[sam-loves-seb]

weekly tag wednesday

thanks for the tag @roryonic

name: sam(antha)

age: six and twenty

location: boston, mass

and now…

If you could hang out with any cartoon character, who would you choose and why? buttercup from the powerpuff girls. i feel this needs no explanation.

If you could bring back any fashion trend, what would it be? i have no idea dude, i don't think any trends really go away enough to be "brought back" i just wear what i wanna wear yk

What sport would you compete in if you were in the Olympics? women's soccer (summer) or women's slalom racing (winter). both i did competitively for a number of years.

Which actor would you want to play you in the movie about your life? zoey deutch

If you were the captain of a pirate ship, what would be the name of your ship? the enchantress

If you could see one movie again for the first time, what would it be and why? dead poets society

What’s one thing on your bucket list that you really want to do? skydiving or publishing a novel

If you could have any animal, real or imaginary, as a pet, what would it be and why? as a pet, probably a cat. they have it made.

If you could invent a holiday, what would it be, and how would people celebrate it? i would invent a holiday where people stay up all night just to celebrate. celebrate what? who knows, but they do. they could gather with friends, or just chill out at home, doesn't matter, they just can't go to sleep. they have to enjoy the nighttime. and nobody has work the next day so everyone can sleep the day away after.

What’s the most interesting place you’ve ever visited in your country? god idk, fucking nowhere. maybe philadelphia. went to a bunch of museums and historical sights on my trip there, so that was kinda cool.

tagging: @mybrainismelted @deathclassic @gallawitchxx @suchagallabitch @svltburn @transsexual-dandelions @transmurderbug @deedala @suzy-queued and anyone else who wants to play

[dawnanddorisqna]

I'm curious about redraws/recreates of characters. Like Dawn is sort of a reboot/recreate of Doris of sorts. For lack of better way of saying it, a new version of Doris running around even though she is a person of her own right. But like, with Mickey and Minnie, there are SO MANY versions of those two out there in media. The day at Disney with the throat punch seems to suggest that Mickey was specifically Steamboat Willie, not the other Mickeys. Seems to strike me sad if there are multiple versions and like, they see the Cratchet version and their child Tiny Tim Cratchet out and about while the rest aren't allowed... and oddly seems also a very Di$ney thing to do.

There's always been one Mickey. Though there was that weird moment in the early days of Termite Terrace studios where they made a few familiar looking mice to torture on screen. But disney toons rarely have multiples. It's a cost cutting thing. So like an actor who puts on layers of makeup each day for a role, a toon can go through multiple changes in a day to film different things. It's all according to their contract. You have to look however the copyright holder wants. The footage of steam boat Willie is now out there for everyone to use. And new mice characters will come from it. And as to how Mickey is dealing with the idea of anyone making a new version of his younger self? I'm not sure. Disney keeps their characters and their lives very private.

So when do multiple characters get made? Usually it's when someone has a separate ownership of a toon. Or sells rights of an image to be made in another country (like powerpuff girls z). Or when someone wants to take a character into an extreme direction while keeping the original going and not having any identity issues (like loonatics unleashes). I was fortunate enough to be an independent character. My studio contract ran out years ago and the school I was drawn in didn't place a copyright ownership on me because i was just a graduate film trst. Not important after graduation. I was able to roam free. Really unheard of now.

On Mickey and Minnie running into the toon who played Tiny Tim. He does! All the time. Tiny Tim was played by one of his nephews. Felicity Mouse's kids. They've appeared in a few of his cartoons.

Thank you so much for the question,

Doris

[thelador-s-mclargehuge]

Episode 5

Before we get to The Mantis Lords, there isn't a lot to go into but I think this is the funniest episode I'd done so far. Editing is still a little jank but I was still in the Early Stages of figuring shit out, and I was writing, getting the game footage, doing voice direction, and editing these videos AND trying to keep on a 'one video every two weeks' timeline Needless to say. Extremely not sustainable and the editing kinda suffered from it. But that said. Ultimately I'm still pretty proud of how it turned out, timing jank or no. But the Mantis Lords themselves I'm reeally proud of. They may be my favorite characters to write, as you can see going forward I just keep putting them in episodes because I really like them. So I assume everyone reading this is, like, familiar with the Mantis Lords from the game. Needless to say I had to give them... uh... any level of character so that they could interact with things. This was around the time that Live Action CW Power Puff Girls Where They're 20 And Upset About It, was making the waves in the Complaining About Cartoons circut.

Y'all remember this.

Just an absolute bad idea from all angles. The Cartoon Grognard Complainers had several years to bitch about the Powerpuff Girls Reboot where bubbles twerks. And with this on the horizon, and the script leaking from it. Everyone was having a field day with it because... ...I mean it was gonna be real bad. I sound like I'm decrying the grognards, but that's because, as a grognard, it's my sworn duty to decry my own actions. The leaked script was charitably not very good. But the studio was thanking it's lucky stars for The Pandemic because they could just say "We're reworking it" and then quietly move it from the shelf to the trash, and no one needs to think about it again.

But being in the middle of this discourse I was thinking to myself Making the PPGs 20 somethings who are struggling to find their way through life is kinda passé. Boring shit. Seen it a million times. A child could come up with that, and has!

So... what if they were in their mid forties and struggling to run a country? Now THAT has some legs!

And that's how we get Rial, Sarose, and Gelnin!

Rial being the buttercup, Sarose being the blossom, and Gelnin being bubbles.

This also let me give each of them a sort of Domain that they oversee. Rial being the tactical and military strategist (With longstanding connections to their neighbors and allies Deepnest) Sarose being essentially the Overseer, the Leader Leader for when a quick decisions needs to get made, and someone to guide the general direction of policy. And Gelnin is in charge of the nitty-gritty of the economics and infrastructure, something she is incredibly passionate about, to the point of boring everyone to tears. (This also let me envision an episode of PPG where the professor buys Blossom a copy of TTD, that she gets bored of relatively quickly, leaving bubbles to give it a try and she becomes completely addicted.)

Thankfully I've found everyone else loves these mantis lords as much as I do. I think they're good characters, and at least the people commenting on my videos seem to agree. And yeah, they are fun as fuck to write. The line from this episode "My beautiful, wonderful sisters, I am moments away from rejoining the battle ON HIS SIDE!" is one of my favorite lines I ever done which is why it's in all of the promotional material. I just think it's really funny.

[haru-kuneko]

If DunMesh was on Cartoon Network (or Adult Swim) ...

I can finally post art on Tumblr now that the Internet connection in our country is fixed so here’s a Y2K cartoon-inspired art of Kabru. I had to change some doodles as they might be too violent to post online. I imagine it'd be rated TV-PG.

I first shared this on my Webtoon profile page yesterday.

NOTE: To those wondering what the heck this Y2K art style really is, it is simply characterized by simpler designs and thick black outlines (sometimes pointy). A good example of this is the OG "Powerpuff Girls" and "My Life As A Teenage Robot."

[digitalcactusblog]

oh man finally gotten to bed after packing hell so IT'S TIME FOR OPAL

opal. is my most MOST dnd pc. by a massive margin. my god. i love them to bits, but they are so much in every possible direction at all times

to summarize them in one quick phrase, you can think of opal as a barbie sephiroth powerpuff girl winter soldier. none of these words belong in one phrase together, yet we've gotten it there anyway!!!!

under the cut bc i expect this to get quite long 😂

god, where do i even start with opal. imagine the platonic ideal of a manic pixie dream girl, add in a touch of airheadedness, then give the entire creation the attention span of a magpie on crack.

that's what opal is like.

opal is also the clone of the princess of the enemy country to the country the party is currently traveling through.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!!

opal is a top secret government project created as a gift to the royals of that country, a tribute to wizard hubris, and a proof of concept for a devastating military weapon that will win this country the war.

because opal isn't just a clone of the princess (her name is vasya). opal is a marble statue of the princess, carved into shape, then engraved with the magical principles and equations to bring that statue to life. opal wasn't just made to be a genetic clone of vasya. opal was made to be vasya. a complete clone, down to the skills and memories of the original vasya.

imagine, if you will, an army. there are people in it. and people die. people have families they'll never return to, loved ones who'll miss them, and, quite frankly, they're pretty freaking expensive to keep as functional soldiers!

now, i must copy paste the description block for the spell True Polymorph.

"Choose one creature with at least 1 hit point or nonmagical object that you can see within range. You transform the creature into a different creature, the creature into an object, or the object into a creature (the object must be neither worn nor carried by another creature). The transformation lasts for the duration, or until the target drops to 0 hit points or dies. If you concentrate on this spell for the full duration, the transformation becomes permanent."

imagine, if you will. a quick, easy, and cheap way to mass produce True Polymorph, without the need for a high leveled wizard to cast a level 9 spell every time. all you need are a handful of pebbles, and boom, you have sentient, sapient, competent soldiers.

this is what opal was a proof of concept for.

SO, to summarize so far:

peppy, sunny attitude! that's the barbie part

devastating military superweapon person: sephiroth

entirely artificial being, yet extremely cheerful about it: powerpuff girl

devastating SECRET military superweapon. is also from a russian empire-inspired fantasy country: winter soldier

also we named opal's creator after rasputin. yeah, that rasputin. yeah, like ra ra, russia's greatest love machine? yeah, we thought it'd be funny. her name is grigori and she has a lot of problems (opal is the cause of most of them 😊)

anyways, so opal gets created, and is, for all intents and purposes, a carbon copy of vasya. but as a prototype for this weapon, there are still some kinks to work out, one of being that, to maintain the same memories and whatnot as vasya, they need to essentially get regular software updates. but otherwise, perfect vasya clone!

except grigori starts noticing little discrepancies. little anomalies. the clone isn't a perfect vasya clone. the clone is developing a nascent personality—a nascent personality that keeps getting overwritten with every download.

the clone isn't a hollow clone.

the clone is alive.

"my god," grigori says, horrified, "what have i done? i have created life; not in the mundane, mortal way. i once posited myself on par with the gods, and now i have created life, just like they do.

"...i am so fucked."

and so, with that religious and moral crisis in her pocket, grigori decides to steal the clone and scram.

it's time to be fugitives!!!!!

grigori is a genius, if, at this point, a genius with extreme anxiety. and so, grigori has several contingencies ready, on the off chance she needs to bail. the one she goes with now is a classic wizard tower, hidden from prying eyes by magic and a beautiful grotto where no one goes. think tangled, the tower in the grotto that rapunzel lived for most of her life

and during this entire fugitive road trip, without regular downloads from the og vasya herself, the clone's vasya memories start to fade, but their new mannerisms start to stick. and now we have opal, who could not be more different from vasya in demeanour if they fuckin tried

also now, after much work on grigori's part, opal has been true polymorphed (even more) to look like someone entirely different! vasya is a magenta-y purple-y tiefling with tall horns, whereas opal is now a lanky purple drow around the height of vasya's horns. they got to customize their Look heavily (perks of having a high level wizard who can cast ninth level spells regularly).

oh also, chronologically, opal is only 6 years old 😊 when they were 'born,' they were created as the then-teenaged vasya, and while the memories of being vasya has mostly faded (not everything), the rough mental age and whatnot remained the same, so technically opal is like 22? but chronologically 6, so you bet your ass i'm so ready for the day i get to drop that bombshell 😂

OH YEAH and most recently, much to grigori's distress, opal has broken out of the secret wizard tower to go explore the world. it'll be fine grigori i'll be so careful!!!!!!!!!!

(they were not, in fact, careful)

mechanics-wise, opal is an echo knight, and while i'm not yet privy to all the deets (there are discoveries to discover and i can't wait :3) their echoes are like, something something potential versions of opal? mechanically, this just means that every time i summon an echo, i roll on a random table to see what form the echo takes, with some dnd species having higher probabilities to show up. and yes, if i roll tiefling, i then roll a d4 to see if vasya herself shows up. EXTREMELY NERVEWRACKING AND WONDERFUL!!!

also the first time i described how opal looked to the entire party, and that they were wearing a long, black coat with silver buckles all up the front, everyone was like "..............hey olive? is this sephiroth?"

and that was the first time i realized that opal dresses like pirate sephiroth. they even have a scarlet macaw familiar. shoulda named it genesis, methinks. (her name is actually ariadnoula)

GOD WHAT ELSE THERE'S ALREADY SO MUCH

opal is so freaking much i love them. last session they gave the other pc (vae) a minor religious crisis by asking too many questions about the logistics behind death rites. they tried to ambush-slam a flower crown on vae's head and ate shit when he dodged. they impulse-held a woman's hands as she went nuclear and died because they didn't want her to die alone and afraid. one of their life dreams is to swing on a chandelier.

oh also opal may have just started ww2. maybe.

[winxwiki]

"Hopes and Regrets from Winx Club's father" Iginio Straffi interview from 29/10/2010 translated

This interview came out during Magical Adventure 3D's italian press tour. There's a few interesting tidbits in here and it's a bit funny to read in hindsight now. How things change...

More under the cut!

What were your references for this film and, in general, for the creation of its protagonists?

Iginio Straffi: Here we wanted to take up the Shakespearean theme of Romeo and Juliet, and therefore a love thwarted by families, but without that tragic aspect. For Winx, I was vaguely inspired by Sailor Moon, but what I had noticed was that there was not, at the time, a cartoon with really badass protagonists who were not just ballerinas (translator's note: I think he means 80s magical girls like Creamy Mami). For boys there were a lot of interesting heroes, for example Spider-Man, but no super heroines for girls. (translator's note: Wedding Peach, PowerPuff Girls, Corrector Yui, SuperDoll Licca Chan and CardCaptor Sakura all came out after Sailor Moon in Italy and before Winx Club ever broadcasted)

Having started out as a comic book artist, then, was the American scene also an inspiration? And what were your favorite comic books?

Iginio Straffi: Sure, as a child I loved Mickey Mouse (translator's note: he specifically means the Topolino weekly comicbook magazine in Italy. Disney Comics industry in the country is huge!), then at the time there was also Corriere dei Ragazzi (translator's note: short ran comicbook magazine focused on western comics), then all the Bonelli comics, from Zagor to Ken Parker. Growing up I discovered Hugo Pratt and then all the French cartoonists, who are real masters.

In many scenes in the film the 3D aspect is not particularly evident, was that a specific choice?

Iginio Straffi: Yes, we calibrated this aspect scientifically so that it would not be dangerous for young children to watch the film. With 3D you can "push" more or less: it is clear that in a four-minute film you can create much more spectacularity, but here we had the responsibility of an entire film, which had to be suitable for everyone.

Since the television market is also moving toward 3D content, could future Winx series also go in this direction?

Iginio Straffi: We are thinking about it, because as it is also for cinema, 3D means a much higher cost for TV animation, about 30% more than for a standard series. We will have to consider whether in two or three years there will be a sales boom big enough to justify the investment, and also we will have to understand whether this 3D TV animation will be used only for movies or there will be a way to implement a more interactive experience. Perhaps for the fifth season it is still early, but maybe for the sixth season it can be considered (translator's note: lmao).

His future plans include talk of a film set in an academy for young gladiators. Is this a choice aimed at pleasing a male audience?

Iginio Straffi: That movie is really for everyone, it's a comedy about these goofy gladiators, but mainly it's also a love story, again with very badass female protagonists. We think it's going to be a movie for everyone, as they say in America, although still in 3D animation. (translator's note: this is about Gladiators of Rome, which later flopped)

Is there any project you gave up to make room for the Winx that you regret?

Iginio Straffi: Yes, there is one that I really care about and that I hope to be able to realize, sooner or later. It used to be in a drawer, now it's in a hard drive, but I have to slow down the pace if I want to have time for that as well. It is, however, a story not for children, as wonderful an audience as children are, and always able to win you over. (translator's note: could refer to the cancelled adult cartoon he's talked about other times)

[piracytheorist]

Here's your three anonymous questions:

1. In fanfic (reading preference), enemies to lovers or found family?

2. What was your first anime?

3. One fictional character you got obsessed with for an unhealthily long amount of time (you could still be obsessed with them).

I don't really have an answer to that, as I don't usually choose fanfic based on its tropes. If they happen to have one that's fine, but they're not the reason I may choose to read it. That said, I'd rather read a found family story. Enemies to lovers has to be written in a very specific way and very not sexy (I am that kind of asexual, after all) and, considering that one of the most common writing tools used in such stories is the sexual tension between the characters (understandably so)... it doesn't do it for me XD

Technically, Pokemon when I was about six. Though I invested much more in Digimon which came a year later in my country. However, at the age I first watched them, they were just "animated shows" in my eyes, much like shows like Powerpuff Girls or the like. The first anime I watched when I was fully aware what anime is was CardCaptor Sakura, when I was about 13, so in my view that's what I'd call my first anime.

I started getting into Killian Jones from Once Upon a Time somewhere in late 2013, realizing I was full-blown obsessed with him around mid-April 2014 (it was season 3 episode 17 that solidified it for me). The show ended in 2018 and my obsession lived on for about a year or so after that, so that was more than five years of almost continuous obsession. He's still my top blorbo, don't get me wrong (though... I'm leaving room for change. I'm only holding back because SxF is not over. I'm not making any promises Killian will stay the top blorbo after that show is over...), but at least he's kind enough to have given my mind a rest in the past years, so that other characters can take over instead. No matter what, though, he's still the character that brought me to tumblr, which eventually encouraged me into writing meta analysis, actually write and publish my first fanfiction, and he eventually was the reason I connected with many beautiful people over the world, both online and face to face, made me realize and accept things about myself, experience the mental meltdown of meeting your favourite celebrity and hugging for a photoshoot, so no matter what, no matter how much time passes, no matter how many flaws I see now in the way he (and the entire show he was in) was written, no matter if someone surpasses him as top blorbo, he'll always have a special place in my heart.

[ginuki-mga2023mi5014]

World Lore and Inspirations

The story is set in a world where the life that inhabit it are food/beverage-based beings, which was influenced by Cookie run kingdom and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

However unlike my 2 inpirations the chracaters themselves will be more humanized with their designs, stories and personailities.

The world itself is very similar to our own where separate countries exist with all sorts of ethnicities coexisting together in one planet.

My concept however would take place in an East asian-influenced country as I do not want this world to be heavily influenced by our own. I want to have leeway in having fusion dishes that are heavily inspired by similar cultures, similar to Avatar the Last Airbender. The Creators of avatar the Last Airbender, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko have stated that the characters do not have a specific ethnicity matching our world, However, they are inspired by cultures.

Such as the water tribe, they are heavily influenced by Inuit culture whilst retaining aspects of Southeast Asian cultures. I want to apply this similar logic to my own world.

Additionally, I wanted to include the underlying tone of discrimination in my world so as to adhere to the brief where the lodger is meant to be the anthesis of the homeowner.

The country in which the story is being based is a friendly and peaceful nation, which became that way after years and years of violence and wars.

As such the people of said country despise conflict and violence and will discriminate against even soldiers of their own country as they are deemed as instigators of cruelty. Despite fighting for their people and protecting it they are passively hated, The ways that citizens can tell that a character is a soldier is through their physical appearance, basically stereotyping the character based on how they look. Thus because of the passive racism their is still internal conflict in the country despite it now being free from wars and attempts to be a peacul and friendly nation.

My influence for this was "Zootopia" a 3d animated Disney film, as zootopia is seen as a utopia where prey and predator perfectly coexist without any discourse. However, that is not the case as we see throughout the movie that the ignorance and normalisation of the casual racism and discrimination of predators ultimately became a huge problem which lead to the rest of the movies conflict.

Moreover, the way in which a being is born in this world is similar to the 3d animated 2005 movie called the Robots.

For nonconsumable materials a character is made of , they are simply assembled and for the consumable materials, the characters are cooked and born with a chemical component of Z, which was inspired by Powerpuff girls.

Finally, the characters are cannibals as they do eat and drink as regular people in our present-day world do as well. However, the only reason it is not considered cannibalism is because component z must be added when assembling the child, if it is not added it is simply a consumable food.

[glapplebloom]

Super Cereal, don’t expect pictures...

Let’s start with the obvious: I’m a fan of the 2016 Powerpuff Girls Reboot. Despite this, I know its not better than the original and it has its own problems even if it was its own thing (DONNY), but as much as it bugs me that the slightest mention of it creates pages of people replying to hating the series with some most likely not even seeing it for themselves. It’s disheartening but despite that I do not go out and try to defend it because quite frankly, they don’t care if I defend it.

As much as you can be loyal to a brand, they’re not loyal to you in the end. The 2016 one has a few fans, but that won’t stop Cartoon Network from rebooting the series again with the original creator and likely ignoring what the 2016 series brought. They’ll ignore the idea of Craig having 16 different new ideas for a series that could likely be better than his previous series and make new franchises to milk the ones they want to push. And if the original fans somehow don’t like that or the Live Action Reboot but it does amazing with the new fans they’ll ignore those originals to focus on where the money is now.

You can probably think of numerous situations like these, but for me the biggest one that I notice is Wrestling. Specifically those who are loyal to either the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) or All Elite Wrestling (AEW). If you see wrestling circles, you’ll see them calling anyone who criticizes their product as a “Mark” of the other brand while at the same time criticizing the other brand for similar reasons. It's a vicious cycle trying to recreate something that can’t be replicated anymore: the Monday Night Wars.

For those who do not know what this is, the Monday Night Wars was the rivalry between Monday Night Raw from the WWE and Monday Night Nitro from WCW. They both share a similar time slot and have a similar product. And since this was in the 90s, there was no such thing as DVRs. So unless you had access to a second TV and a VHS Recorder to record the other show, you’re usually stuck with one brand over the other depending on who they got and what they’re producing. This can not happen anymore.

In this Digital Age, the need to follow a schedule is pointless. You could DVR one show while watching the other live. You can keep track of one show via social media networks and jump ship when they are about to do something. You can just wait till the next day to watch them on your leisure since you recorded them digitally and fast forward to the parts you heard about on Social Media. Of all the times to be a wrestling fan this is the most perfect time for all the ease you can get into it. Follow some obscure show on youtube or find old matches from long gone promotions or even matches from other countries. 

But these “marks” don’t care about that. They just want to relive a moment that they can never experience again. They think doing so will help their brand when in the end their brand will likely push them aside to make moves that will be more financially beneficial for them. Do you think Logan Paul facing Roman Reigns was for the fans who were loyal to WWE? Do you think AEW hiring new talent while leaving others to be on Dark is for the fans who were with them since Day One? In the end, all they see are numbers. And they’ll chase whatever gives them the higher ones.

[what-if-nct]

NCT's High Thoughts

Taeil: 1, 2, 3, 4, wait where's my pointy tooth. there it is 5,6,7...

Johnny: Hey it's Franklin, comin over to play. Growing a little everyday, here he comes, somewhere deep in bear country...wait.

Yuta: If I had a clone of myself I'd totally have sex with my clone, no one knows Yuta's body better then Yuta.

Taeyong: I wonder if I can put my foot in my mouth *lifts foot* No everyone will think I'm weird.

Kun: I could send them to military school. Who would blame me.

Doyoung: Taeyong has weird ass toes.

Ten: I miss louis and Leon I should call them. I hope they answer the phone this time

Jaehyun: *mentally batting at a cat toy and giggling to himself*

Winwin: *pulling at the yarn of his sweater* Why isn't it stopping? Why am I still pulling it?

Jungwoo: Oooh a piece of candy *picks up candy from the floor and eats it.*

Lucas: I wonder if there's more floor candy. There is *puts it in his mouth but spits it out* That was not candy.

Mark: Vestibule. Veeestiibuuuule. What even is that?

Xiaojun: I want cake, I can just eat a whole cake face first.

Hendery: *rocks back and forth* WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Renjun: How cool would it be to have a pet dragon. I could take over the world with a dragon.

Jeno: Why is Jaemin looking at me like that?

Haechan: Bitches all of you are my bitches. I rule over you.

Jaemin: *squints at Jeno* Bacon stealer.

Yangyang: No I will not poison everyone leave me alone. I have to stop playing with that Ouija board.

Shotaro: I wonder what Megan Thee Stallion is doing right now.

Sungchan: Why are my nails pink? Did Taeyong paint them in my sleep again?

Chenle: I'm blue Da ba dee da ba di Da ba dee da ba di

Jisung: I want to watch the powerpuff girls. Don't tell anyone I watch the powerpuff girls. Of course I won't Jisung. Thanks Jisung. I love you Jisung. I love you too Jisung.

[aclosetfan]

are u still doing the ask game? can i ask for 19 or 20?

for you anon, of course! 20 is actually a really lame two-sentence note that isn't worth anyone's time, so I'll do 19!

19 is a really sad story tbh. I've always really liked the character Sedusa and it kills me that the writers never did more with her. I believe they said the reason why was because they couldn't think of many kid-friendly scenarios to put her in, which is fair lmao.

lol one of my notes for this outline is "this is my dark manifesto to [Sedusa] and it comes off like a bad CW remake," which was written way before the CW show announcement. so not to get a big ego about things, but I totally beat them to the punch. This fic is my only rated M fic (though arguably Acting Normal may also change into M just for its dark themes as well).

This story is adequately tilted "Sedusa" and it follows how a plain jane named Sara became one of Townsville's most notorious villains. The plot's below, though content warning, please don’t read if your triggered by abusive relationships, domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault/harassment, or gore. The outline won't be detailed (and tbh the actual story won't be heavily detailed either) but i believe that everyone still deserves a fair warning :)

The outline doesn't do the plot justice, but it's all I got so hopefully people just Get It.

CHARACTER NOTES:

Canonically, I believe the Sedusa's character was supposed to represent envy and lust. So, one of the main themes I try to stick with when writing her character is the definition of envy, which is a "feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck."

PLOT:

Sara is a sweet and mousy little girl, who tries her best to stay invisible. She's rather plain-looking except for her really beautiful long dark hair. Originally, she's not from Townsville, but somewhere in the "country" where a person could be considered a bumpkin. Sara's a smart young girl, but her intelligence is rather unrefined. She spends most of her time obsessing over greek and Egyptian mythology.

She's from a rather big family, but she's the baby. Her father is abusive. Her mother is neglectful and Sara resents her mother for just standing by while abuse is occurring. To cope, Sara dreams of running away and falls deeper into her mythology obsession--specifically Medusa. Sara feels like Medusa would understand her.

At 16, she runs away to Townsville where she tries to be a hairdresser. With no money, she ends up in a really seedy part of town and the beauty parlor she works for ends up being a front for more illicit activities. She still does hair, but really makes her money as a call-girl of sorts. Just one of those girls who gives handjobs in the back to sad old men. It's easy money (I'm pro-sex work lol so I don't make this a big deal, but she's still a minor and it's wrong), but she's disgusted with herself (and men). At this time, she isn't very good at manipulating men--it's more like they have power over her and it reminds her of her father, only making her angrier and angrier.

It is also of note that while she's working at the Parlor, she encounters Sarah Bellum via tv (Ms. Bellum is just an intern with the Mayor at this point). She's instantly fascinated by this other Sarah and forms an odd (slightly toxic) parasocial relationship with her. Sara thinks it's amazing that Sarah went to school and is just so glamourous. Ms. Bellum is really everything Sara wants to be.

*time skip*

Sara falls in love with some jackass. Still slightly obsessed with Sarah Bellum. Still working at the parlor. Sara feels stagnant and worthless. Her jackass boyfriend and a few of his shitty friends end up attacking Sara and cutting off her hair (which was her prized possession). She gets away, but not totally unscathed.

In the process of running away, she bumps into a mysterious man who promises He can fix whatever is troubling her. The mysterious man manipulates an affirmative answer out of Sara and he "fixes" her problem. The man is HIM and he transforms her into the woman we all know as Sedusa (who goes by Ima when disguised).

“And what is it that you want?” HIM tsked, almost sounding bored.

She looked back at the mirror, at her broken reflection and lipstick smeared down her face. With a sore, croaking voice she sneered, “I want my fu-fucking hair back.”

Behind her, the entity smiled, Its facing splitting wide into two, “Oh, now that I can do.”

She watched through the shattered glass how It—HIM—snapped its odd monstrous claw. HIM’s smile grew more grotesque, as a thin bead of sweat began to break out on her forehead.

“This might hurt a little bit,” the entity giggled as she began to hyperventilate, “but what is that you little humans say?" HIM paused, watching her with a tilt of Its head as pain shot through her temples, "Oh, that’s right—”

She gasped and then screamed, dropping to her knees as she clutched at her head. Something wiggled underneath her scalp, pushing harder and harder to break against the resistance of her skin. It felt as if something was pressing against her brain, trying to carve away at her skull.

“—beauty is pain.” HIM growled, appearing next to her so Its voice—now low and baritone—was right in her ear, and It grasped her by the chin forcing her to watch the mirror as snake-like tendrils sprouted from her skull. She cried out at the sight and her body trembled with the pain.

One black, oily, twisted snake after another shot out of a bloody crater on her head. She tried her best through the pain to shake HIM off—to look away—but It held her still with a twisted laugh. She thrashed and howled in agony as the blood poured down her face in rivets. HIM didn't let go. Instead, HIM forced her still, grabbing her by the chin so she'd peer directly into the broken mirror.

Sara paled right before her very eyes, from a peachy skin tone to a white paste. She tried to blink away the tears that wouldn’t stop welling in her eyes—the green of them becoming more acidic with every passing second.

“The fun should be ending soon.” HIM giggled again, Its voice back to a soprano, but she was too forgone to hear him, as her eyes began to lull into the back of her head.

Eventually, when the transformation is complete, we see this:

Sara had stayed collapsed on her knees after HIM vanished into thin air. She stared with wide eyes as blood, sweat, and tears dripped onto and rolled off her thighs. She hardly paid attention to her surrounding, all she could do was listen. She listened to her hair. She listened to the constant moving, living, mass that slithered around her head, neck, and shoulders. The coils almost seemed to be cooing at her, comforting her through her pain, offering sweet apologies for what they had done. They promised her nothing bad would ever happen again. They were a dangerous shield forged from her own body to protect her.

Her body. A vessel for this odd new life.

“Heh.” A deranged giggle escaped her mouth, “Heh. Heh ha—hahaha!” She laughed until her throat burned and tightened, her tears finally drying.

It was instantaneous. It was powerful. Sara had never known love before, but she loved them. She loved every single one of them.

And here she had thought she'd never be a mother.

Sara becomes Sedusa--taking inspiration from Medusa, her childhood fascination. She wonders if HIM knew, but she wouldn't bother asking. She feels sexy, powerful, and unstoppable. Her hair has instilled a new confidence in her and she's finally able to stand up for herself. Soon, she realizes that she's an "exotic" beauty and has men eating out of her hand. She isn't someone who kills, but if she gets bored (or feels threaten) she will.

Things are going good until the PowerPuff Girls are finally created. When she sees them for the first time, she pities them, especially when they're run out of town. She relates to them for not being loved little girls, but is completely shocked when she finds out they've won the town over. This shock turns into resentment and she decides she'll get even with the girls

Then, cue canon. Sedusa seduces the Professor. We see what happens in that episode plus a little more. Sedusa takes out a lot of her repressed childhood trauma on the girls and is plain awful to them. By the time her stint with the Professor is over, she hates them all.

Then, there's the episode with Bellum. Bellum becomes the Athena to Sedusa's medusa. Bellum is still this elevated person in Sedusa's mind, and it only makes sense to Sedusa that she should become Bellum. To become Bellum, Sedusa seduces Bellum and they end up having a brief relationship. (Sedusa pretends to be an intern at City Hall and the two ladies bond over having the same first name). Eventually, Sedusa reveals her plot and the canon events happen. (Bellum is heartbroken over Sedusa).

I'd like to emphasize that Sedusa's relationship with Bellum almost turns her "good," but her hair coils (HIM's curse) prevents her from taking those steps. Her coils prevent close loving relationships--since they're supposed to be shield that keeps people out, preventing any chance that Sedusa's heart may be broken again. [coils represent her inability to heal from the past]

Then we run through a quick montage of her other appearances.

[throughout all of this, I would write how her hair coils are making her more and more insane]

*time skip to after the events of the og show*

This is where my plot can go anywhere. I think Sedusa becomes sloppy, maybe kills a politican. She's spirialing out of control and mad that she can't find any real happiness in her life. I think it'd be interesting to show her interacting with the rrb, not necessarily to show their relationship, but to show how Sedusa would be infuriated that HIM had sons, especially sons who hurt girls for fun ( i.e. the ppg) (a real 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' moment for her). She's also infuriated at HIM for turning her into a monster, so being mad about his "sons" is just an excuse to get even with the entity.

To hurt HIM, she decides to hurt the boys, but the girls interfere. They won't let innocent live be taken, no matter the person's moral alignment. This infuriates Sedusa even more than HIM ever could. Because again, despite all the shitty things that have happened to the Girls, they are still good as opposed to Sedusa, who ended up bad. She doesn't understand why she had to end up the way she did.

However, the girls aren't the people who finally "defeat" Sedusa. Instead, that honor is left to Ms. Bellum (Sedusa's "Athena"), who Sedusa still very much loves in her own sick twisted way. Paralleling the Sedusa/Bellum episode in the og show, the girls (while protecting the boys) are almost defeated by Sedusa until Bellum intervenes. It's revealed that Bellum had a shitty childhood too (again enforcing the parallels/differences between the two women) and believes that it's not too late for Sedusa to change her ways (it’s a real “I’m rotten work” “no it isn’t. Not if it’s you” moment) In a moment of mental clarity, where the coils (and by extension HIM) cannot affect her judgement, Sedusa releases the boys and the girls. Sedusa doesn't stay though, like Bellum pleads, she gets scared and runs away. (but does tell Bellum she’d always love her, whatever that’s good for)

[also I decide bellum to defeat sedusa to show that the girls are still to young and that adults should be the ones dealing with other adults] [and bellum has a good track record of doing just that]

Idk if she'd be gone forever, but it's implied that she hasn't been seen in Townsville for a long time. What she gets up to is left ambiguous. She can't be good because of her hair coils, but she doesn't want to be bad. idk I don't want it to have a sad ending, but I don't think it can really be happy.

-----

I try hard to play with the concept of beauty, womanhood, purity, love and how negative/positive responses to trauma affect these concepts. Idk it's really rough and needs to be thought out more, especially the end, but I think Sedusa deserves her own story.

[himbeaux-on-ice]

Who are your top five NHL teams and why?

Ooooo this is fun! Thanks anon!

Short list:

Habs ❤️🤍💙

Pens 🐧

Canucks 🌈🌊

Caps 🦅

Leafs 🟦🍁🟦 (no really! I know I don’t talk about them much but its true!)

Over-wordy explanations/backstory for my relationship to each of these teams below the cut for those interested!

Montreal Canadiens. My dearly beloved Nana, who half-raised me, is a lifelong diehard Habs fan who grew up listening to their games on the radio and then later as an adult watching them duel with the Leafs on Saturday nights on a black-and-white tv (also a BIG Carey Price stan). Needless to say she rubbed off on me immensely, and I remember saying to myself at some point “well, if that’s Nana’s team, that’s gonna be my team too” and it stuck for life. I also had a friend in middle school who was a RELIGIOUS Habs fan who also worshipped at the altar of Jesus Price in those early 2010’s, so I heard a LOT about all of that every lunch break as he argued with friends who were Pens and Bruins fans lol. We went on the Bell Centre tour during the annual 9th grade French class trip to Quebec, and while I was mostly focused on getting to the gift shop to buy Nana a souvenir, I swear my friend’s eyes were the size of quarters the whole time lmao. (Would LOVE to go back now that I care a lot). Basically the Habs are the closest thing to a local NHL team our region has bc we get their broadcasts (though people choose their own team allegiances for various random personal reasons), and I grew up absorbing through osmosis both the legends of yore and the latest updates on whatever Carey and PK and the lads were up to. (Also I’ve been quietly in love with Price myself since at least the 2014 Olympics lol. My first best fav ❤️) Bottom line the Habs are My Team, the “I’m gonna be here even when it sucks, even when players move on, this is attached to me in a way I can’t quite explain” team that every hockey fan has in their heart. GO HABS GO!

Pittsburgh Penguins. If you were an elementary school kid in Nova Scotia when Sidney Crosby was first released and up through the 2010’s, you had two options: love him, or hate him, but you better accept you’re gonna be hearing about him a LOT. I settled on “vague fondness” and followed Sid from a newspaper-scanning distance and vaguely rooted for him because when he brought the Cup home it felt like we all won. And like I said, lots of passionate Pens fans in my grade school classes to hear from (he’s also the only non-Habs player my Nana likes lol). Then I got into hockey properly last year and learned about Geno beyond just knowing his name, and my chronic affection for large loveable Russians got combined with my longstanding vague “I hope the Penguins win” feelings and my “time to get the full story on the Sidney Crosby’s Penguins narrative I only ever watched from a distance” research, in a manner not unlike the creation of the PowerPuff Girls ([chemical X] etc etc lol) to create a potent adoration for this team that rocketed them to second place in my heart. Also the fandom is just so damn fun and makes such great content, and that definitely feeds my level of engagement with the Pens!! Sometimes, when I want an emotional pick-me-up I watch one of their last 3 championship films just to remember what joy and optimism is — I would love to be present as a real-time fan for another adventure like that. With how much I know about them and how much I care, they’re my #2 for sure. I love those flightless fucks!!

Vancouver Canucks. So I started watching live NHL hockey games last summer around I think game 2 of the Habs’ first round series against the Flyers (I saw Price’s “Miracle Save” on twitter while following along bc I was intrigued by the fact that they made it through the play-ins, and was like “OKAY NOW I GOTTA SEE THIS SHIT LIVE”). That was really fun! Riiiight up until the Habs got eliminated. :/ And I was like “well, shit. I’m enjoying this hockey thing too much to stop now. who else is still around I can root for?” And the Canucks were the last Canadian team still in it, and there was buzz about their miraculous first-round win but also uncertainty I believe Markstrom had *just* got injured. So I started watching, ended up witnessing the Bubble Demko Miracle unfold live, had my heart charmed off me by “whatever the hell those two lil blonde bitches have going on” and a delightful underdog story, and here I am. Hitched to the Canuck wagon whether I enjoy it or not. Here for whatever happens! (Doesn’t hurt that I love me some Elton John too 😉)

Washington Capitals. I’m a person who is more likely to be really engaged with a team that has super interesting personalities, characters, and narratives around it — and my GOD are the Capitals good for that. I absolutely definitely started down this road with that mic’d up video from the 2018 final of Ovi telling Nicke “after me, I give it to you baby!” re: the Cup. Like I can pinpoint that there was a day I saw that for the first time in a gifset, squinted at the screen, said “you’re fucking with me...”, went to youtube, watched it be for reals, and was like “well. now I need to know more about ALL this.” After watching games and learning more about the team, I really enjoy the Caps’ “big dumb found family of stone-cold total weirdos” energy, their fun collective chemistry, their Cup story, etc. And oh BOY the fandom is fun during game lb’s! I love all the in-jokes and player nicknames, our delight with the quirks of our colourful wonderful broadcast crew (shoutout Wine Uncles & Co), the way we cheer for record-breaking milestones like they’re a first NHL goal! Being a fan of the Caps AND the Pens can be a bit awkward sometimes, and the team certainly has its blemishes, but my heart is big enough for two Metro teams for sure, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Toronto Maple Leafs. So like, as you can imagine from my previously described upbringing in Hab Land, “haha Leafs suck” is a punchline I have long been familiar with and trained to recite. I got a solid 3 days of laughter and entertainment out of the whole Zamboni Driver Saga last February, oh boy did I ever. But the thing is.... I have the Leafs to thank for the fact that I watch hockey now. See, the entire reason I started paying proper attention to the playoff bubble last summer was because one day, I happened to see the phrase “WHAT IS HAPPENING” trending at 16k tweets on twitter, and clicked on it like “huh?”. Turns out the Leafs were in the middle of their miraculous 3-minute comeback against Columbus and the country was losing its mind. And when they won, I was like “huh... the Zamboni Team is doing THIS??? I may have to start paying attention to this playoffs thing, because if they go All The Way I think that might be the only thing funnier than the Zamboni Incident”. Aaaaand when they immediately lost the next game and were eliminated I was like “lol, sounds about right” and was then immediately distracted by news of the Habs winning the play-in round. So then I spent several months watching playoffs and forgetting about the Leafs. And then one day in early October, looking on YouTube for more hockey to watch after the playoffs ended, I stumbled across something called a Hat Pick, and boy I actually enjoyed this shouty man’s sense of humour and takes on the game... and then when I ran out of Hat Picks and Dangits I watched some Trade Trees, which pulled back the curtain on the business side of the game... and then I discovered LFR’s, which were good background noise for doing tasks... and then I was recommended the episode of the Steve Dangle Podcast about Mitch Marner and The List... and next thing I knew I was listening to more of this podcast, because I found Steve and the guys to be insightful and funny and there was no hockey to watch, and I was trepidatious about accidentally stumbling into the more toxic corners of hockey fandom if I branched out for other content... and, well. If you spend enough hours listening to people passionately analyze every facet of a team, shout and cheer over a team, make fun of that team, nearly cry over that team... it’s really REALLY hard to not start to care about it. Leafs analysis was basically how I learned most of what I’ve learned about hockey this past year! And kudos to Steve and Adam and Jesse, their passionate investment in the Leafs and great content has got ME invested in the Leafs mainly because I want to see things go well for them. I want Charlie Brown to kick the football! I love a triumph over adversity story! Also, I think if the Leafs did Do The Thing it would basically be the combination of “Cubs win the World Series” and “Raptors are the champs” and I wanna watch the city of Toronto go fully apeshit from a safe distance. I don’t adore many their individual players as much as I do some other teams higher on this list, and I still laugh far too much when things go super comically impossibly badly for them, but I am actually pulling for the Leafs!! I want to see it all pay off for them. I want them to go all the way. Gimme that “LEAFS WIN!!!” (Unless it’s against someone above them on this list lol)

[jjongslight]

i wanna talk about taemin. Unfortunately most of my taemin thoughts are just incoherent screaming and yelling curse words.

He is just. SO !!!

But like rlly tho....how tf did he even happen?? What did all of us alive at the same time as him do to be allowed this?? We cant all have saved a country....

He is just so precious and so awful and i love him a lot. i want to open his head and eat his brain with a spoon. Cos how tf does he do everything that he does!?!? Like all of shinee just have too much everything right?? Its ridiculous for a person to have so much everything like they do but then to be allowed to group together and inflict it on everyone simultaneously?? No fuck you.

But then theres taem who literally doesnt bring his wallet places cos he just isnt ever anywhere without ppl that would literally sell their lungs to make sure he has whatever he wants. And then he is also just this powerhouse of fantastic and fantastical ideas and a work ethic that makes me sob on a disturbingly regular basis.

HOW DOES HE EXIST

i dont believe in gods or religion but if there were ppl like lee taemin around when everybody started making up gods and shit then i fully understand.

i actually had things to say about like his music and thought process and whatever but i got too distracted by his glory. i love this terrible little shit and ik you do too so i had to come yell about it.

First of all, you didn’t just say what I think you just said. Let start by the end of your ask: ‘’ i love this terrible little shit and ik you do too so i had to come yell about it.’’

EXCUSE FUCKING ME? What you do you mean you know I love this little shit too??? This is the utmost disrespect to me and to my legacy. I don’t love Taemin. I love to talk about the guy out of pure hatred and perverse fascination, but I have no ounce of love in my heart for this individual.

GOT IT???

Okay now that that’s clear. Ahem. I am glad my ask box is kind of a confessional or place to just let everything out, I love reading stuff like that haha

I definitely can relate to the cursing him out part. It’s part of my daily routine. He really is so ************* *********** *********.

We clearly are alive at the same time as him cause we did something bad in our past life. I mean the boy is out here to destroy lives and torture us to no end, so I think that’s just punishment for our sins. Contrary to Key, sounds like we didn’t pay for ours.

Now, your question is one that I ask myself every day. How the fuck do these boys have everything going for them??? Like if there is a higher power, did they really just decide to put in all the good ingredients in the pot like Powerpuff Girls?? What about the rest of us? I actually want a do over, cause this is highly unfair.

But I always think to myself how Lee Soo Man actually put those boys in the same group huh… Like he is fucking insane for that, cause that combination is just out of his world. I hope he knows they’re the epitome of his creation. It’s really unbelievable to think they are actually in the same fucking group. Like loving SHINee really boosts my self-esteem, cause I know I chose the best of the best.

Anyways, I’ll give to Taem the flowers he deserves – he is the worst human being ever while also being the best. I can’t stand him, but he is also God (like that’s the only time I’ll have that kind of faith), so like I have no choice to capitulate despite wanting to destroy him. That contradiction is what keeps me talking about him, again, not love.

There is an endless well of things to say about him, clearly.