#he's altogether a horrifying figure in this

[dusty-daydreams]

Agatha all along theories

Theory 1: Unlike what was said during production Teen is actually Agatha’s son the one she “sacrificed” but it wasn’t her that sacrificed him but someone else, someone from her previous coven perhaps?

Evidence: a) Agatha seems to be instinctively protective of him, unusually so for how fundamentally selfish she can be. She puts herself bodily between him and the rest of the coven when they start trying to figure out the sigil and the thing that finally gets her to drink the poison is him threatening to do it. Then when they escape the flooding house, she lets him escape before she does.

b) Agatha seems genuinely upset and then horrified during her hallucination of the crying baby in a cradle that turns into the book of the damned. Plus in her hallucination tv show, the loss of her son seems to be a genuine burden on her.

c) Teen first appears having broken into Agatha’s son’s “room”

Non-evidence: I just think it would be more interesting if Agatha is the mother

Theory 2: Teen is Agatha’s son, and she did sacrifice him to get the book of the damned

She regrets it now (because she is horrified and feels her son’s absence as a loss) but still did it.

This will be revealed to Teen at the end of the show, leading to him feeling betrayed by the witch he idolised to go down a typical Marvel™️ anti-hero revenge arc, because while we would all love the end of this story to be a strong found family coven story, Marvel doesn’t ever give us Found Families that last, and I think it would be both interesting and on brand for Marvel to make it seem like we are going to get found family and redeemed Agatha, only for the rug to be pulled and Teen to realise that his found mother (who is his actual mother) sacrificed him for power.

Theory 2a: Agatha is Teen’s mother, and she didn’t sacrifice him for the book of the damned but he thinks she did, so that we get the tired tropes of miscommunication and betrayal altogether, and Marvel gets their typical “found family disrupted by betrayal” story without any of these protagonists being the villain.

[ladybirdswritings]

Pretty Thing - Cooper Howard (Ghoul) x Reader

Summary: You’re a shiny, pretty prize worth more caps than can be counted on ten hands altogether. There’s something special about you, and the Ghoul is determined to figure out just what it is.

Notes: I’ve been wanting to write for this cowboy for days now and I’ve finally come around to it. Cowboys are my specialty lately <3. Lmk if u love this and I’ll write more (feel free to leave me lots of comments and interactions, I love those!!)

A03 | masterlist | next chap

pretty thing…

“Well lookie here, seems you vaulties ain’t as perfect as you promise to be, huh?”

A furrow of chocolate brows, offense and confusion from sweet Lucy MacLean. This vault promised development in weaponry that the new world had never seen before. It was a thing of storybooks, the kind of thing her dad told her right before her head hit the pillow.

Now, here she was; and it wasn’t a caged weapon she was staring at… no, but rather a caged person.

“This violates all of our policies…” she muttered softly, worry stitched in her soft features as she looked on at the mangled cowboy beside her.

“Tsk tsk, sweetheart. You oughta be more careful with trustin’ these shit-eating freaks. Ain’t you learned your lesson first time round?”

Lucy sighed, falling to her knees and grazing a warm hand against the metal. She looked on at you with pity. Weak, hazy you.

How did you end up in this predicament? You didn’t know. You didn’t remember.

It was as if the entirety of everything you’d ever known was only stitched within your brain in jagged, disorderly flashes. This had to be one too. A flash.

A vault dweller and a ghoul, side by side.

It was most certainly a flash.

“What do we do, coop?” The brunette wondered, doe eyes gazing up at the mangled creature. He only smirked.

“We split. You find your precious tin-man you can’t stop yappin’ bout… and I’ll snatch up this dyin’ cargo. Comprende?”

Lucy had come to trust him, and maybe it was a stupid thing to do. Reality was, though, he’d kept her alive this far. Maybe she owed it to him to follow orders. With a huff, she parted— and then?

It was just you and the ghoul.

Heavy footsteps circled your metal cage, like shark to labored minnow. You were far too exhausted to pick up those pretty eyes of yours from the ground they gazed at.

Chains wrapped round your wrists and ankles, cold metal burned against your spine and cheek. There were two ghouls in your peripheral vision, and each one was the same amount of horrifying.

The footsteps halted, and suddenly the mangled, noseless blur was clear as day before you. Kneeled to your level, observant— cold.

“Well well— look at you, huh? Pretty thing. Now I understand takin’ precautions but damn, sweetie. That’s a lotta chains, hm? What’s so scary bout’ you?” He whispered the last part, thread laced finger lifting to slowly push a loose locket of hair from your dampened face through the cage.

You blinked, forcing your gaze upward so to try and meet his eyes. It was exhausting.

He observed you like you were a foreign object, a diamond in the radiated rough.

“I’d wager to say that you’re just the weapon we was lookin’ for, ain’t you?”

God, he didn’t know just how right he was.

If there was one certain thing you could remember clear as day, laced through the flashes, it was your powers. Each and every one of them, laying dormant now.

You were far too poked and prodded, too drained to even think of lifting a finger.

“Been doin’ this for centuries, pretty thing. Centuries and I ain’t ever seen this kinda experimentation on a little fawn. Hm. Guess you was just unlucky.” His breath was warm as it hit your face. Musing and eyeing your exhausted, slumped figure. Observant, taking his time. Your keepers would be coming soon— he didn’t seem worried.

“Tell you what. You look like you gon’ make me lots of money. So you’re comin’ with me. Don’t you worry, I prefer ropes stead’ of chains, sweetie. You’ll be nice n’ comfortable.”

The more he spoke, the farther away he sounded. You were aware he was a ghoul, that much was certain. Yet even so, no part of his voice, no part of his fading threats were even a little bit startling. No.

His voice was a soft yet strong southern drawl and god— it was far more comforting than the chains and cement floor you’d always known. Perhaps that’s why you let the exhaustion overtake you. Perhaps that’s why you closed your eyes.

Did it matter why? No. All that mattered was that you did.

The rest was a blur. The last thing you remember? Frayed ropes being wrapped round you tight as you were freed from your chains. Mangled, coat covered arms lifting you from the cement and golden teeth pressed against your aching ear to whisper:

“C’mon now, pretty thing…”

Then?

Slumber…

¿to be continued?

[sahkuna]

SUMMER FLING — TOJI FUSHIGURO

a request from @loves4ge for my summer fling event! tysm for sending it in!

Stepping out of your assigned fitting room, you leave the door wide open and give a whole 360° to the man who’s been waiting a good 10 minutes on the other side for you as you tried on clothes.

“So…” you drawl, smoothing your hands down your sides when you face him again, “What d’you think of this one?”

Sitting on one of the complimentary benches in a particularly vacant retail store, Toji stares (more like glares) long and hard at you.

“What do I think?” he asks, repeating your question, to which you give him a simple nod in response.

Tired eyes slowly skim down your figure.

When you twirl around so you may look at yourself in the mirror, Toji uses this as an opportunity to greedily drink in the sight of how the floral printed sundress cinches at your waist, hugging you juuust right and flows down the rest of your body, only stopping a couple of inches before your bare knees.

Ah, so it was that kind of dress.

When it comes to women’s fashion, Toji could give less of a damn about it altogether.

But one thing about sundresses, especially the kind that were mid-thigh was that he loved the easy access they brought. Loved not being troubled with consistently having to lift the fabric of your clothing so that he could get at you and what’s hidden underneath all those layers of clothes.

All it took was one flick of the material and a simple tug at your underwear and he would slip inside of you no problem.

Simply put, Toji’s a big fan of what you’re wearing right now.

You seem to notice this because before Toji can commit any more of your ass to memory, you swiftly turn on your heel and snap your fingers in front of his face, yanking him from his daze. “Hey!”

Snapping his eyes away from the lower half of your body with reluctance, Toji meets your unimpressed gaze.

“What? ’m suddenly not allowed to look at you?”

His feigned oblivious act isn’t gonna get him anywhere, especially when you raise a questioning brow at the man.

“You can look,” you start, “But don’t be—” You wave your hand aimlessly in the air as you try to find the right words to say. “Don’t get so worked up over it! We’re in public.”

Rising to his feet Toji walks up to you, to which you find yourself backing up a little. It’s only when he nudges the door shut with his foot behind, that you realized what he’s trying to do.

“Can’t help it if seeing you in something like that gets me going,” he says, ignoring your yelp for him to keep his voice down.

Once Toji’s crowded you into a corner you find yourself instinctively raising your hands to press them against his chest. “It’s just a dress,” you say.

Yeah, just a dress. A dress that had him wondering what it would look like bunched up around your hips, or slipping off your shoulders by his hand.

If you were trying to keep Toji at bay, to push him out and away from your vicinity, you were doing a pisspoor job at it.

“C’mon, one or two minutes with me here won’t hurt you,” his voice rasps into your ear. “Right?”

And maybe he is right, but you really can’t think straight with the way his hands keep sliding up and down the expanse of your thighs.

As the palms of Toji’s hands bunch around the flowy material of your sundress, three hesitant knocks rap against your changing room door.

“E-excuse me, sir?!” A frantic voice calls out from the other side of the door.

To say you’re mortified would be an understatement. You recognize it as one of the sales associate that helped you into the rooms.

You’re sure they must be nothing short of horrified, thinking two customers are getting down and dirty in their establishment.

“I’m afraid we only limit the change rooms to one customer at a time! So, if you could please…”

“Yeah, sir,” you tease under your breath, shoving the grumbling man off you and out of the fitting room.

Before you close the door on him, you poke your head out one last time and give him a provoking once-over. “Show some restraint.”

The harsh click of the door slamming shut is what has Toji standing still.

It’s only when he spots the employee from the corner of his peripheral that prompts Toji to breathe an irritated sigh, slumping back onto the bench disappointed with the turn of events. It sends them scrambling back into the store.

That sundress is most definitely coming home with you two.

there are still slots open to send a req. for the summer fling event!

[iska-nars]

Oikawa: an alien enthusiast/conspiracist that absolutely cannot bear to watch the Alien movie franchise

i recently watched Alien: Romulus and although it was a good movie, I’d forgotten how gross the sci-fi horror aspect can be so take these headcanons/scenario of reader & oikawa in the getting to know each other phase of dating, going to see the movie

—

You’ve gone on a few dates with Oikawa, and through some of your conversations you became acquainted with his interest in aliens

He sometimes brings up alien documentaries he’s watched recently and while you’re not completely sold on his theories, you love hearing him talk about it, enraptured in how enthusiastic he is about something aside from volleyball

So it completely went over your head that perhaps there were aspects about aliens that he didn’t like

You assumed that as an alien lover, he’d love the Alien movie series as well

Wrong

Unfortunately, despite all his talk and knowledge about aliens, Oikawa hates the Alien series - it makes him squeamish

All the body horror is just too much for him

He has watched some of the earlier movies with Iwaizumi, who had dragged him along, but could never finish them

It either ended up with Oikawa abandoning the movie altogether and fleeing the cinema, or Iwaizumi holding him by the hem of his shirt to sit the hell down and finish the goddamn movie they paid tickets for

But he just likes you so much that when you surprised him with movie tickets for the newest installment of the franchise, he goes along with it and tries to hype himself up, determined to show you his cool side

Completely ignoring the fact that a little part of him just died inside

And so, the day of your movie date comes and the first part of your date goes reasonably well

He gallantly buys the two of you a bucket of your preferred flavor of popcorn, and when he confirms with the ticket guy that you have two tickets to Alien: Romulus, his voice only falters once!

He tries to put up a brave front, and informs you that if you’re scared, you can hold his hand.

When the movie starts, he figures from the admittedly slow beginning and exposition that perhaps the movie isn’t that bad - maybe they toned it down for this latest release

Oh how he wished he was right

He ends up screaming his lungs out, utterly horrified and white as a sheet at what he witnesses on screen

You face him as fully as you can in your seat, concerned. “Are you alright, Oikawa? Do you maybe want to step out-“

“It-it’s fine!” He stammers out, despite his sweaty, clammy hand holding yours in terror hinting at the fact that he most definitely wants to bolt. “I want to stay here with you!”

Because past his terror he can tell that you’re actually enjoying the movie.

And he’s determined to toughen it out for you

Which he impressively does

By burying his face in your shoulder for the remainder of the movie, whimpering in fear during the times he elects to open his eyes and see if he can handle what’s on the screen

Just his luck that when he decides to look that there’s something gruesome ongoing which makes him want to retch, but he holds himself back

In response, you grasp his hand tighter and use your other to slowly guide his head back to your shoulder, lightly petting his hair to help him calm down

If he wasn’t so frazzled from the movie, he could’ve probably been really enjoying the experience

When the final scene fades and the movie credits play, you coax him out of your hold and lead him out of the theater

As soon as you’re out you apologize profusely, and are confused to see him doing the same

“I probably should’ve told you that for all my interest in aliens, I could never get into the movie frachise.” Oikawa says, chuckling nervously. “I suppose this means you wouldn’t want to go on another movie date…”

You grasp his hand and he looks up at you with doubt in his eyes

You soothingly rub circles into his palm. “Or,” you start with a reproachful tone, “You can be the one to choose the movie for us next time.”

Oikawa immediately perks up and for the first time on your date he starts to crack a smile

“Alright. I’d love that.”

“I’ll even let you hold my hand again!” You say, a mischievous smile creeping onto your face. “Even if it is kinda sweaty.”

His jaw drops at your jest, and you take the opportunity to skip ahead, unable to keep your laughter from bubbling over.

Oikawa whines your name as he chases after you. “I’m sorryyy!!” He wails. “I’ll make it up to you next time.”

[synergysilhouette]

An alternate take on "Wish" (2023)

I was hoping I wouldn't have to make something like this. I've already done remakes for movies I liked, and I wasn't expecting to make one on this so soon. I heard a lot of discourse about this movie, as well as a lot of praise, and sadly, the negative feelings for the movie are what I aligned with more. It felt like it was rushed and missing important pieces--weird for a movie that's an hour and a half--as well as unrealized concepts altogether.

Human Star--We all know what I'm talking about. At one point, Star was supposed to be a human who romanced Asha, but this was never realized. Some people surmise it's because Star was confirmed to have (at one stage) been modeled after Asha's grandfather Sabino, who would've been dead. However, in my version, Star is Asha's love interest, sans-Sabino inspiration. He (or whatever pronouns you'd like to use, since Star is nonbinary) would've appeared as a Star at first, helping Asha before taking the form of an ethereal young man after hanging out with Safi, Gabo, and Dario. His fashion would be standout from the get-go, very ethereal and vibrant like a walking ball of light--or a peacock, if you will. In contrast to the yellow aesthetic in the concept art, I'd like a rainbow look or a silver and blue appearance, bringing to mind "Colors of the Wind" and "The Soreceror's Apprentice." He wouldn't speak, instead miming and using sign language to communicate, forming close bonds not only with Asha, but Bazeema and Dario. He's funny and silly, but knows when to be serious and empathetic, like a slightly more serious and wiser version of Sisu. When Magnifico sucks the magic out of him, he falls and starts to flicker, similar to Tinker Bell when losing her magic. This is when the reprise of "This Wish" begins.

2. Asha's personality--You know, she wasn't as cringey as I was expecting since she was supposed to be adorakale, but I do prefer her being a bit more mature. I'd make her in her early 20s and give her a personality similar to Mulan and Pocahontas--athletic, determined, and heartfelt, while still being vulnerable without feeling like she tries too hard to be relateable (I swear, the scene with her grandfather and mother reminded me of Mulan being told to learn her place). I'd also give her (and Magnifico) a different design, but I've already made two posts about that. And I'd make her a bit less perfect with her ideals; she cares about others, but she's somewhat of a social climber, wanting to be Magnifico's apprentice specifically so he can grant her and her family's wishes. Magnifico appreciates her for her moment of cynicism, stating how Rosas has only grown in size because people want to use Magnifico's powers and leave.

3. Asha gets the job--Asha gets recommended by Simon to be Magnifico's apprentice, as he's a knight for the king and he trusts his imput. Impressed by how (unintentionally) translucent Asha is, Magnifico decides to make her his apprentice, giving her the power to use magic like he can. As such, she's his apprentice for a bit before running away.

4. Sakina's wish--Since Asha is over the age of 18, she has already given her wish to Magnifico. She's fine with not achieving her wish, but finds out that her mother wished that her father were alive, as she desperately misses him (it's been about a decade by now). Magnifico becomes something like father figure to Asha, but when she realizes he destroyed Sakina's wish in order to give her magic, she's horrified (she actually finds this out by accident, having overheard Amaya and Magnifico) at his disregard for others' dreams and runs away from Rosas. Magnifico sends people to find her and return her, unharmed, but her magic and her pain summons down Star to help her. Magnifico reveals that bringing Asha's father back from the dead is something he can do--but shouldn't, as it would create unforeseeable harm.

5. Magnifico and Amaya's Past--It's weird how a film's villain gets such a short and not-so-sweet backstory despite this fueling their whole ideology, huh? Deciding to pay homage to Disney, I decided to change his backstory, making it so that he is a genie--or, he was. He spent centuries being used and abused by mortals who wanted his wish-granting power, until Amaya found him and they fell in love. She wished him free, but only with the condition that he stay by her side forever, for while Amaya loved him, she loved power as well. It's revealed that she's a sorceress, but her power is much more limited than Magnifico's (see 1992's "Aladdin" for the power dynamic between sorcerers and genies). Similar to the Evil Queen, Amaya keeps a magic mirror that allows her to see anywhere in the realm she desires, as well as transferring her image to any location, and she is able to shapeshift. She is shocked when she discovers that Magnifico can gift others powers on his level, but that he never offered it to her.

6. "At All Costs" and "I'm a Star" are changed for different situations--It's revealed that Amaya is also a villain, and while she loves Magnifico, she has difficulty expressing it, as she frequently emotionally manipulates him in order to control him, as he's never learned the limits of his powers, and believes in maintaining the wishes of Rosas in order to maintain balance and keep bad wishes from being fufilled, which suits his wife just fine, since it makes her subjects more compliant. As a result, "At All Costs" is sung between the two in a powerful, rumbling, vibrant number that shows their twisted love for each other and their subjects. "I'm a Star," on the other hand, is a power ballad Star uses for Asha and the Teens to gain confidence in themselves, using the animals (and having Asha sing) in order to convey the message to her.

7. The Teens are more present and have lives--Simon is already a knight for Magnifico, Dahlia being a cook for Magnifico is more promiment, Safi comes from an affluent family, Hal and Bazeema are dating (just got the vibe; I'm not saying anything is canon), Dario is a farmer's boy with dreams of being a performer, and Gabo is still figuring himself out, fueling his bitterness in the group since everyone else has stuff going on in their personal or professional lives. As such, no one bretrays or turns their back on Asha--at least, not deliberately; Safi and Bazeema are quick to submit when their families are threatened, while Simon is manipulated into thinking that getting Asha back is solely for altruistic reasons.

8. Amaya's deceit--Intending to get Asha back when she realizes she's summoned Star, Amaya shapeshifts into her father (who we'll call Ignacio for now) and says that Magnifico brought him back in order to have her return. Star attempts to alert her of the ruse, but they have a falling out over it, and Asha and "Ignacio" sing a reprise of "At All Costs." However, once they return to Rosas, Amaya reveals her deceit, torturing Asha with depictions of a violently bruised and battered Ignacio before stripping her of her powers and throwing her, Dahlia, Safi, and Bazeema in the dungeons. As such, Star must rally Gabo, Dario, and Hal to help them escape. During this time, "Knowing What I Know Now" starts off on a sad note, as Asha reflects on the complexity of wishes and how Magnifico was somewhat right.

9. Magnifico's Carnage--I want Notre Dame-levels of mass hysteria and destruction; houses are being raided, people are being injured (maybe even killed? Too much?), all because Magnifico is unraveling; after being abused for so long and even learning that his own wife has been secretly using some of his captive wishes and using it to increase her own power, he goes on a rampage, showing the kingdom how selfish they are, and how despite his best efforts to please them, they always wanted more. As such, the kingdom is left in ruins, and Amaya battles him, enraged that she has no one to rule over. Magnifico, not holding back any longer, takes away her own natural powers, leaving her a helpless queen, and during a battle in the throne room, Asha and the gang uses the magic mirror to repel Magnifico's attacks until one of them hits him and Amaya, turning them into a statue of silver and gold.

10. Lessons learned--While Star doesn't come back (kinda want a "If I Never Knew You" song for this generation), his magic is infused into Asha due to his love for her, allowing her to regain her powers and become a fairy godmother. Asha takes this seriously, seeing how her last experiences with wishes taught her so much and cost so many lives. The people of Rosas are humbled by the experience, and the citizens leave the land as night falls, a shooting star pointing to a distant land for them to inhabit. In the end, everyone wonders what future awaits them, and Asha vows to use her magic to help make it a home--though she asks them to be patient with her, since "even miracles take a little time."

11. We get more vibrant colors! SO much looks like they've been watered down instead of colorful and vibrant like "Sleeping Beauty" (the visual inspiration for the film) was.

Lemme know what you think! Keep in mind, I only recently saw this film, so as time passes, I may edit this--or delete this and make a brand new remake post altogether.

[phoenix-kite]

Reverse Robins AU - Outline

Sorry but this is a long one and a sum of my current ideas. A lot has changed from my first post.

Batman = Battinson or Brucie (either way Bruce is a good if not mid dad because I said so and I get to decide)

Damian starts off with the League until the recently formed Justice League makes a move against them. The mission is barely successful and Damian gets hit in the crossfire. The JL is horrified that the League would have a kid there and they take him to be fixed up. DNA tests are run to figure out who this kid’s parents are and they learn he’s Bruce and Talia’s son. Bruce has to step up and be a father for this small, violent, traumatized child and does so by letting him be his sidekick. Damian decides to go by Nighthawk. Eventually Dami wants to become his own hero and he becomes JadeWing. When Batman dies he takes up the cowl as a sense of duty but is seen constantly shirking his responsibilities. 

Duke (he does not have meta powers) sees that Riddler has control of the city so he decides to study up on riddles to free them. This is how he meets Bruce for the first time. Duke’s parents have recently been jokerified and Bruce feels bad because he should have defeated Joker ages ago. Bruce decides to foster Duke until he grows close to the boy and adopts him. Bruce lets him be Nighthawk which angers Dami and Dami tries to kill him. Joker kidnaps his parents and Duke dies. He comes back to life to find out he’s been replaced and Joker is still around so he becomes Blue Veil. (I need more suggestions to flesh this out more.)

Cass had recently met Dami when the JL attacked the League base. She had become very protective of the boy and she snuck on Diana’s invisible jet to make sure he was taken care of. Once she realized he was safe, she tried to leave but she had nowhere to go and ended up roaming Gotham’s streets until she was put into the foster system. She ends up running into Nighthawk and sees him perform a move only Damian knew how to do (using katannas of course) and she figures out their secret identities. Damian leaves and Duke dies so Bruce becomes more violent. Cass hates this so she steals the Nighthawk costume and just shows up to a fight that Batman’s losing. Bruce is appalled by this and tries to get rid of her but she just keeps on showing up. Eventually Cass is made Nighthawk and later adopted. Duke shows up and is upset that he was replaced but he’s not angry at Cass so he really just breaks in (I don’t know where he’s breaking into because I have yet to do my superhero team research. I am begging for an assist). They end up having a heart to heart. Bruce dies (gets lost in the time stream???) and Cass tries to convince Damian to search for him but Damian quits being a hero altogether during this time. Cass single handedly brings Bruce back and stays nighthawk until Spoiler starts showing up. Cass feels betrayed by her family since they didn’t believe her about Bruce but she’s also concerned they just didn’t understand her. She decides to seek help to be fluent in more than body language. (It might be unrealistic that she never picked up English since she was only five years old at the time she left the League but I’m struggling. Either cut me some slack or offer me a solution at this point. Also this reason for her abandoning nighthawk doesn’t seem to fit well so please help.) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyway, she ends up returning as Nightingale (for now because I do want to expand on this. She will end up becoming her own separate hero.)

Tim has been stalking the vigilantes for a while. He figured out their secret identities because he followed them back to the cave and hacked his way into not being picked up by scanners and not setting off the boundary alarm (RIP quadruple flip or whatever it was). A couple years later he finds out his parents run one of the largest child trafficking rings in the world. He tells Batman and Janet and Jake lose all of their work and are supposed to go to jail (they're not insane so not to Arkham) but they pay their way out of it. They trace a call Tim made to the Oracle hotline and he gets beaten near death because of it. Tim realizes Batman will never truly defeat his parents as they were already rebuilding their empire. Tim becomes Spoiler (I am in desperate need of a better name) to spoil his parents’ nefarious plans. Batman only sees Tim as the spoiled kid from next door. A rich kid with a cushy life that’s trying to play at being a hero. Batman tries to tell Tim he’s not allowed to fight. Tim says he’s going to fight anyway so Batman decides to make him Nighthawk and train him while Cass is gone. Tim’s father finds out that Tim is Nighthawk so he kills him. Or did he? Tim is not dead but was recovering far away from his father. When he comes back to Gotham he tries to kill his parents. Steph understands his anger and offers to train him to be batlad. Eventually Tim does kill his parents and he abandons batlad for his own anti-hero persona (stray tim mayhaps and possible catwoman adoption).

Steph (I know that canonically she is the C-list villain Cluemasters child but that’s not going to work here partially because it’s not angsty enough) is the Joker and Harley’s child but Harley put her up for adoption. Somehow (please give me ideas for how) the Joker finds out that Steph is his kid so he, in a stroke of genius rather unlike him (possibly someone else's idea???), he hires some thugs to kidnap her and make it look like a random kidnapping gone wrong (as in fake her death). He sends her off to learn how to fight as well as Batman but also to keep Harley from knowing about her. She grew up with villains but the Joker only visited occasionally. Joker thought Batman was too concerned with the Penguin and thought that Bruce ought to be paying him more attention so he decided to test out Steph by sending her to kill Penguin. Steph succeeds but she is so disgusted by what she did that she runs away and Joker isn’t able to find her (again I could really use reasons why). Joker decides to draw her out by threatening to kill Commissioner Gordon. Joker decides to kill two birds with one stone by having Batman bring Steph to him. Steph saves Gordon’s life so Oracle and Batman decide to make her Batgirl.(I need ideas for a big reveal where Steph realizes Bruce is Batman.) After Batman dies Steph slowly distances herself from being Batgirl and focuses more on trying to meet her bio mom and getting back with the Browns (her adoptive family). Steph decided to pass the title on to Tim (as batboy or batlad) so he’d be taken more seriously by the bats. She finds out her adoptive father, Arthur Brown, is Cluemaster so she runs away and decides to become Black Bat. She uses this name until Joker is killed (by Duke or a joint effort. She finally settles on the name Orphan.

Jason discovers he’s a meta at age 10. He decides to hide this information because his dad is desperate to save Catherine from cancer but he can’t afford chemo. (I would greatly appreciate it if someone could tell me more about Jason’s parents.) Jason’s worried his dad would use him to aid his goon life. Catherine dies and Willis becomes a raging drunk to cope with the loss. Willis neglects his work for two-face so he’s killed. Cue tiny tire thief Jason. Batman finds out Jason is an orphan and he means to adopt him but he dies before that can happen. Jason joins We Are Nighthawk to help the city and escape Sheila. Sheila wants the Joker to leave her alone so she tells him about her meta son (I don’t know how she knows). The Joker wants to make Jason his Joker Junior. We Are Nighthawk offers both family and protection for Jason. When Bruce comes back he doesn’t want to be Batman anymore but a talk with Jason convinced him otherwise. Bruce then adopts Jason who decides he doesn’t want to be Nighthawk. He becomes Daybreak (unless someone gives me a different idea for his meta powers).

Dick’s parents’ die and he decides to go after Tony Zucco. Bruce was not there the night of their death. Instead he runs into Dick while he’s on the hunt for Zucco. Bruce decides to adopt Dick and help him move on from his revenge. (I can’t decide if I want Dick to kill Zucco anyway or not.) Dick ends up becoming Nighthawk.

Also if you can't tell I am desperate for help so please answer my many questions in the comments. (Yes I did make one tiny edit. Try to find it. :D)

[stingynugget]

Lost Kingdom Bowuigi Prompt

An idea I had for Bowuigi, though I'm not sure how to flesh it out (so any ideas are welcome lol):

Luigi is in the Lost Kingdom from Mario Odyssey, looking for a balloon his brother hid. He gets caught in an acid rain storm, so he goes to a cave to hide... only to find Bowser already there. However, Bowser is acting strange. He won't open his eyes, and he doesn't get up when he hears Luigi enter the cave. (Maybe somehow a poison film covered his eyes, and one of his legs got dipped in a poison pool and got eaten down to the bone.) Cue injured Bowser x Luigi story, but one where Bowser doesn't recognize Luigi for either a while or until he's healed and is at the Mushroom Kingdom for a party. Could have some Cinderella/Little Mermaid elements as Bowser looks for the man who saved his life, but he has no idea what he looks like.

I started this idea off, but I lost motivation haha:

Luigi pushed aside a particularly dense area of vegetation and breathed in the earthy scent of the Lost Kingdom. Tropical trees and plants surrounded him, along with stretchy wigglers and klepto birds. He was looking for a hidden balloon, as part of a hide-and-seek game between him and his older brother Mario. 

His compass, which told him what direction the balloon was, pointed down into a nearby pool of poison. He’d been trying to figure out if Mario actually hid the balloon in the poison or some nearby location for the past hour, but he still couldn’t find it.

To make matters worse, clouds were starting to form overhead. The Lost Kingdom was notorious for its horrifying poisonous rain. 

Luigi sighed. Did he just give up and try again tomorrow? But Mario was already at Blue Balloon rank, and Luigi was still stuck at Yellow Balloon. He needed to catch up soon, before he lost the month-long game altogether.

He felt a sizzling pain on his arm. Crying out, Luigi looked up to see the rain had already started to fall. Luigi frantically looked around, until he spotted a path that he knew led to a large, dry cave. He made a dash for it.

As he rounded the corner, the cave came into view. However, the last being he expected to see was sleeping there: the King of the Koopas himself. 

Bowser deeply snored, his head resting on his arms as he curled up in the cave. His spiky shell nearly touched the top of the cave, though the cave was deep enough for the rest of his body. He wore his usual spiked armbands and choker.

Luigi froze. He glanced behind him, at the sprinkle of acid rain that was now a downpour, and back at Bowser. Maybe… he could just sneak in quietly, and Bowser wouldn’t even know he was there. Just until the rain stopped.

Luigi took a small step forward and immediately tripped on a protruding rock. The sound of his shoe scuffling and his body thumping on the ground resounded throughout the cave. 

Bowser stirred and sniffed the air. “Who’s there?” he growled. 

Luigi’s heart hammered in his chest. He tried taking a small step backwards, but he didn’t get far without nearly getting poison on him. Right. The whole reason he was in this cave was to get out of the rain. But now he was stuck with Bowser. Which option was worse?

Bowser chuckled lowly. “I know you’re there. I can smell the sweat on you.” His eyes remained closed, which Luigi thought was strange.

Luigi squeezed his hands and desperately tried not to panic. But he was panicking. What should he do? Say “hello” to the Mushroom Kingdom’s biggest problem? Or just wait it out? More sweat dripped from under his hat and onto the tip of his round nose.

“You have three seconds to say something before I fry you.”

Luigi gulped. “Um!” His mouth chattered. “S-sorry to bother you. I was trying to g-get out of the r-rain.” He waited for the inevitable plume of flame that would be headed his way.

Bowser smiled. “There. Was that so hard?”

Luigi blinked in surprise. What was Bowser playing at? And why was he keeping his eyes shut? Did he just want to go back to sleep? Because Luigi would really like that.

“I w-won’t be a b-bother,” Luigi said. “Once the rain stops, I’ll be out of your hair.” Red hair, to be specific.

Bowser hummed. “Or… I throw you into the rain right now.”

“W-what!?” 

Bowser chuckled darkly. He didn’t move from his spot, though. “In exchange for letting you stay here, you will become my servant. Being an underling of the King of the Koopas is quite the honor.”

“B-but—”

“Just until I’m out of this awful kingdom. Though, if you do well, I’m actually recruiting right now. Lost a lot of minions from my last escapade. That's why I’m here in the first place.”

Luigi had a feeling that by “last escapade,” Bowser meant the last time he tried to kidnap Princess Peach. Mario and Bowser had a huge battle in the Moon Kingdom, with Mario winning of course. Luigi was just glad Mario hadn’t dragged him on this adventure. Flying in The Odyssey sounded like a nightmare, especially since he had acrophobia.

And wait, Luigi thought about the other thing Bowser said. “You… want me to join your team?”

“Were you even listening? That’s if you serve me well.”

Luigi frowned. He studied Bowser, who was still curled up on the floor of the cave. Bowser’s eyes, now that he looked at them closer, seemed to have a thin purple film covering them. 

Luigi tiptoed to the other end of the cave, but Bowser’s head didn’t follow the movement. He waved his hand, and Bowser just continued to “stare” at the rain falling outside.

“The pay’s good. Same with paid time off,” Bowser continued, when Luigi didn’t say anything.

Luigi shivered at the thought of working for Bowser. “I’ll, uh, consider it.” 

“Now, servant, what is your name?”

Luigi flinched. “Uh…” Shoot. He definitely shouldn’t give Bowser his real name. “L… Luis.” This was never going to work. He was so bad at lying.

“Luis… Sounds kind of familiar…”

“Er, it’s a common name.”

“Hmm… I see. Well, servant, your first action will be seeing what you can do about my leg.”

Why did Bowser even bother asking for his name? “Your leg?”

Bowser growled. “You think I’d be in this cave if I could help it?” He gestured behind him with his chin. “Get to it. And if you cause me any pain, I’ll fry you.”

“B-but—” He wasn’t a doctor! How was he supposed to know what would or wouldn’t cause pain?

“Stop dilly-dallying and get to work!” Bowser roared.

Luigi straightened his back and cried, “R-right!” As he crept around Bowser, he considered just running as far down into the cave as he could. Though… while Bowser couldn’t move, he still had his fire breath—and Luigi had plenty of experience to know that stuff had a wickedly long range. 

[thebibutterflyao3]

Day Twenty - Prompt: Brush @rosekiller-microfic

March Daily Series - 694 words

Tw: Piercing in progress - not graphic

<<<Previous Part OR Start Here

While Evan worked on his first customer, Barty strolled into the shop as though he didn’t have a care in the world. He joked casually with Emmeline in the waiting room while Evan seethed in his stall. Thankfully, the woman under his needle was either asleep or altogether unperturbed by his clenched jaw and hissed curses.

“You’re really going through with it? I figured you would back out,” Emmeline taunted. There was an edge to her voice that Evan appreciated. “It’s quite a commitment. You’ll have to abstain for at least a month, can you manage that?”

Barty snorted derisively. “I’ve gone longer. I’ll manage.”

Not recently, you haven’t.

Evan attempted to brush the thought aside before his overactive imagination started recreating scenarios. He was having enough trouble without a hard-on to hide. Especially while he was tattooing a woman’s chest. The last thing he needed was for a client to think that he couldn’t act like a fucking professional.

“Right,” Emmeline retorted with a laugh. “I reckon you can’t help but show it off to anyone who will have a look.”

“Don’t you dare.”

The threat slipped free before Evan could bite it back. He winced hard when their conversation halted abruptly. Adding to it would only make things worse, so he shut his mouth and focused on finishing the massive moth under this woman’s barely covered breasts.

Barty cleared his throat noisily. “I think I’ll keep this one to myself for a while, actually.”

“Probably best,” Emmeline agreed, sighing heavily. “Anyway, the boss is ready for you in the office.”

Evan kept his head down as Barty walked past. If he met his gaze now, the game was up. He was barely hanging onto his indignation as it was. Anger wasn’t the primary emotion that his mind associated with Barty, despite his best efforts to redirect it.

Emmeline stepped into his stall and leaned over his shoulder. “Smooth, Ev. Real smooth.”

“Shut it.”

“No, really. Why don’t you go on in and watch? I’m sure Barty wouldn’t mind.”

Evan huffed a laugh and shook his head. “Kingsley would kill me.”

She shrugged lightly, then leaned her chin against his temple for a brief moment. It grounded him more than he expected. Evan lifted the machine and closed his eyes as he soaked in Emmeline’s show of support. With Regulus and Pandora still in Wales, he was struggling to keep it together on his own.

A slew of curses burst from Kingsley’s closed office door. Simultaneously, a shudder of dread and a shiver of delight rushed down his spine. Evan felt Emmeline’s grin widen against his temple.

“Are you alright?” she whispered.

“Not even a little.”

“Understandable.” She patted his cheek fondly before stepping away. “May want to let her take a break and have a smoke.”

Evan nodded, then woke up his client and did just that. He left the door ajar and listened to the strained words that filtered through his boss’s door. It was equally horrifying and satisfying to hear Barty descend into hell over and over again. By his count, Kingsley was still on the third piercing.

“Need a breather?” Kingsley asked brusquely.

“N-No. Just get it –fuck!– over with.”

“If you say so. Hold onto the arms of the chair if you need to, but you have to remain still.”

“Tr-Trying.”

The sharp whine that followed twisted Evan’s gut in knots. He hated this. All of this bullshite was tearing him to shreds and now he was forcing himself to endure Barty’s agony too. It wasn’t healthy to be obsessed with a bloke, especially this one, and he knew that. It also wasn’t a choice.

“Crouch, if you can’t sit still, we’re done.”

“No! I just n-need…bloody hell! Evan!”

Evan didn’t hesitate. He dropped his cigarette and bolted inside. The panic in Barty’s voice drowned out every fibre of fury he’d clung to this past two weeks.

When he pulled open the office door, Kingsley shot a harsh glare at him, but didn’t say a word. Evan swallowed hard, then nodded as he slipped inside. He was in a world of shite, in more ways than one.

[whoopseydaisy]

On Witches, Wizards, and Wild Ones: A Conspiracy Board from the Walls of the Witch of the Wondering Path

Ahoohoo and crackle crackle!

This is an attempt of untangling some threads, stretching out their red yarn and connecting one thing to another or maybe to nothing at all. A series of notes and questions on what we know, what we may know so far, or at the very least what we have been told. The purpose is mostly to try and determine who might be behind the assassination attempt of the station of the Witch of the World’s Heart, before the Coven of Elders convenes, but also some other stuff, because these sorts of things balloon out quite quickly when one is combing through transcripts for clues. And also a dragon??

I shall analyze and speculate from what we have been told, knowing some inconsistencies may be characters concealing truths, interpreting them differently, or that some inconsistencies will be born of this beautiful improvisational medium. I will also do so knowing that Brennan is playing a long game, setting up characters and plot threads for a future he does not entirely know yet.

Settle in with your warm drinks and campfire blankets everyone, this is 12 page paper. 

THE CURSE(S)

There are several appearances of curses in both the Children’s Adventure and the first arc, often characterized by an exhalation of dark smoke. 

In the Children’s Adventure: While not confirmed as a curse, when Grandmother Wren leaves (to a meeting with friends that the wizards don’t know about, to see where the missing Eoighorain might be) to what is presumably a meeting with the Coven of Elders, she returns with a bandage tied around her forearm. But it does not look too horrifying and it is not soaked with blood. She describes the trip as eventful and necessary. (Possibly at the castle of Indri, the Witch of the Wind and Stars, as the conclave will be the second meeting there in a century.)

In episode 8, 2 days before Steel arrives to bring Suvi home, Grandmother Wren returns to the cottage after leaving to try and figure out why Soft and Stone have not come yet. She went to a place that they had told her was safe, and someone was there waiting to hurt her. Grandmother Wren tells Suvi “They’re gone now.”

Grandmother Wren looks ill; her hair is white and her hand is described as black and red and withered, burnt and cracking with blood streaming down from a wound that can’t set. Her breath is ragged, weak, and quick. The curse is described to Eursulon as not strong, but clever. He also learns that the curse uses her pain to keep the itself in place; that it gets stronger the more she tries to feel and deal with the pain. 

After the children work together to trap the curse and heal Grandmother Wren, Suvi recognizes the mist of wizardly teleportation magic outside. The girls just barely see Grandmother Wren’s footprints outside the door, but do not see anyone else’s, nor any other signs of entry. Suvi is able to tell that the magic is not Grandmother Wren’s. 

After investigating this caught curse, which Grandmother Wren at first believed was the work of the wizard, she determines the curse was expecting a wizard, and did not believe its origins were of this realm. She also says it should have killed her, but it didn’t, because they were expecting someone else. 

I was surprised re-listening that Grandmother Wren believed this portion of the curse expected a wizard. I think this curse may have been on an item capable of teleportation magic (no second set of footprints) perhaps meant for Soft and Stone, but when its target became Grandmother Wren, a contingent effect was triggered, or this is another curse altogether perhaps mingling with the larger curse on both her and Ame. Grandmother Wren thought Soft and Stone were spending the summer trying to find out who their true friends were - perhaps the Coven of Elders were also testing who they could trust. While “They’re gone now. Do you understand?” implies Grandma Wren whooping their ass 6 ft under the ground, she hadn’t figured out who cast it yet at that point, which leads me to believe that they were not present. The origin not being of this realm makes me think the origin of the curse is The Stranger.

In Ep 01: 

Here we discover the larger curse on both Grandmother Wren and Ame, when they realize a curse has robbed Ame of her memories and knowledge, of her station and of who she could trust and prevents Grandmother Wren from telling her about the Coven of Elders  or calling herself the Witch of the World’s Heart. Grandmother Wren breaks through the curse (but not breaking it proper) as it tries to “stop the coronation” by willing the house, and all that is hers to Ame. 

After, Brennan tells us “Grandmother Wren can no longer speak as she concentrates on magic, she has not fought off this curse”

Taro addresses the Granddaughters of Wren and tells them “The curse is powerful, but the secrets that Wren shared still live. You have been cursed too” and then, speaking of Wavebreaker, “But there is a key, a key to find where they are being kept, and a key to cut them free when found. There is a source with the power to disenchant and scry”

GrandaughterS of Wren - is Suvi afflicted by any part of the curse, or was Taro’s “you” only addressing Ame? Taro also says Wavebreaker has the power to find where the secrets are being kept, and the power to scry but this is not currently reflected in the statblock…but more on that later when we talk about the Stranger’s possible connection to Wavebreaker. 

We also learn in Episode 15, once Ame recovers her memories, that the Stranger had attacked Grandmother Wren at the Grove of the Well— a place sacred to the Coven of Elders, a month prior to her bed rest. She also tells Ame “For some time now, since you were a very little girl, in fact, he has been moving upon our world in a way that I cannot quite see.

Is part of the curse helping to obscure The Pilgrim Under the Stars, The Man in Black, The King of Night, The Stranger from Grandmother Wren? Did he start moving in such a way shortly after she took in Ame as her apprentice (which she was “cutting a bit close”) and the succession of her station was in the process of being secured, not going the way of either Scalvi, the Witch of the Watching Fire or Oruna, the Witch of the Wide Blue Sea? 

In Ep 14: 

In episode 14 when Eursulon breaks the curse on Ame we are told “Whatever entity placed this curse on Grandmother Wren and Ame put a spell so nasty that it was standing in front of successive contingent effects. That there’s like, a nested series of spells within Ame, and you’re excising all of them. But the big one that Ame was aware of was hiding some others” 

The curse afflicting Grandmother Wren at the end of summer, seems to be the larger curse affected both her and Ame. The children only excised and trapped one part of many of the curse. 

The curse is described as something sliding and clicking, liquid poison filled with a puzzle, turning from the inside, made of shadow. something that twists and rotates and expands and pierces. The curse is also holding onto something as it leaves - Ame is able to grab and safekeep the knowledge the curse attempts to steal from her on a Nat 20 wisdom save, and then collapses to the ground and expectorates black bile that smells of iron and blood, like Eoighorain, with a 9 on her constitution save. Her breathing remains strong, not ragged (unlike Grandmother Wren). We are told, through Suvi’s identify spell, that the bile is not the curse itself, but was behind the curse - something hidden there, meant to kill Ame if the curse were to be broken

Does the bile smell of Eoighorain because its a contribution he made to the curse (he is a known entity to the Coven of Elders), or a signifier of a power both he and Ame are affected by? We learn later, in Episode 16 when Steel discusses Eoighorain with Suvi, that this smell is not common amongst shapeshifter’s, but a scent she has only ever smelled from him. 

When Steel arrives she says that the longer Ame remains in her unconscious state, the more whoever created this spell would be able to track her. 

More on this in the next section- but is that why Indri, the Witch of the Wind and Stars was able to send a message to Ame in the Citadel so easily?

THE COVEN OF ELDERS

In Episode 23, Mr. Soup tells us that Grandmother Wren was at odds with the Coven for many years— there was a plan she did not want to go along with, and had been searching for a long time to find a way to convince her sisters to do something else. We also see glimpses of this in Episode 15 in Grandmother Wren’s conversation with Mirara, the Witch of the Waning Moon. It’s a safe guess that this disagreement has to do with Wizards and the Citadel. 

What Sly has divined regarding the upcoming Conclave (which we are told in glorious metatheatrical fashion in Episode 23 that “All things occurring as they have been seen. With perhaps one or two tricks, just to keep the story interesting.”)

That if Ame does not go to the North Pole in 3 days, the Coven will meet without her and that they will try to destroy her and in doing so the stations of Witch of the World’s Heart

One of them will make an argument that Ame’s existence threatens the nature of magic in Umora. The majority of times Ame wins that argument, it is because magically if they were to get rid of her station they would probably have to get rid of another. 

If Suvi is not there as her advisor, Ame will die

We also know from Grandmother Wren that there is much the coven can do without full unanimity (but presumably would be far less powerful to do so), and the Coven is bound by laws of mutual respect and there will be tremendous repercussions if one insinuates that any of the other stations are not incredibly significant to the nature of magic itself. 

But which of the members of the Coven of Elders might want the station of the Witch of the World’s Heart gone the most? WHO IS IN CAHOOTS? Is The Stranger involved? Is Eoighorain? Who has the most against wizards?

Marara, the Witch of the Waning Moon (Mirara? The transcripts use both spellings.)

The death of light, the end of might, the all consuming dread of night. 

This is the obvious first suspect. 

If that’s not a witch well on the pathway to wickedness, I don’t know what is.

The Witch subclass says of The Coven of the Wicked: “Members of this coven like to paint themselves as misunderstood victims, but it’s not tragedy that turns a witch’s heart to darkness—it’s the inability to let go of their suffering. A wicked witch might claim to be an enemy to all the world, but they always have one kind of person in particular—usually related to their past self, and what soured their magic—that they despise above all else. When you become wicked, choose a virtue that is anathema to you: courage, fairness, generosity, innocence, loyalty, kindness, optimism, prudence, selflessness, or being in love. Beings that display this virtue are especially tempting targets for your ire.”

Like…you can’t have a piece of such juicy and gorgeous and cool design like the Coven of Wicked (and the rehabilitation therein) and not have a wicked witch in your story! 

Additionally, Marara’s domain is the Witch of the Waning Moon. The death of light, the end of might, the all consuming dread of night. The moon wanes as it goes from full to new. When Ame meets her on the road, to light her way to the cottage, the harbinger of her arrival is a candle on the verge of going out. 

Mirara’s domain speaks to cycles, to the fall of the mighty and to the fear of the unknown. It is also of the night, possibly putting her in natural cahoots with The King of Night who also hates wizards. The conversation he has with Eursulon and the conversation Ame sees in the water between Marara and Grandmother Wren, both in Episode 23, certainly mirror each other. 

She is also often accompanied by wind, which speaks to Indri’s domain, the Wind and Stars, another one of night.

Indri, the Witch of the Wind and Stars

Of frost and stone, of ice and throne, the ruler of the self alone.

Indri’s domain is the wind and stars, a domain that also overlaps with an appellation of the Pilgrim Under the Stars.  In the letter to Ame she tells her she knew Ame has assumed her station from how the stars aligned. She has an apprentice we know little of. She also did the most to reach out to Ame to arrange a meeting. 

Did she reach out to Ame so it was more likely she would attend the Conclave? 

The ice fairies say when they find Ame and Suvi in the bathroom, “long lancing spells and vexing hexes of old were made to pierce and plunder through the guises and guile of wizards”

Were they able to reach her because Ame was easier to track when she was unconscious under Indri’s spellwork? Is it because she does not like wizards and is practiced at secretly penetrating their defences? The ice fairies were particularly silly, one being evidently foolish. Were they perhaps sent by Indri by way of her apprentice, who is lonely and excited to meet another Great Apprentice? “Hexes of old” does imply that Indri may be practiced at getting through Citadel defences. 

Does Indri have any pull over celestial movements? When discussing that summer and Eoighorain with Suvi, Steel says “all of that changed as the celestial path shifted ever so slightly. And that slight slight shift meant that all of a sudden, you could teleport anywhere, pretty much unstoppable, very easily.” Grandma Wren also speaks of stars to Ame like they  have personalities. Could Indri have eased the way for the eras of easy teleportation? Did she ever go on long and friendly flights among the stars with Grandma Wren? Is her witchcraft more divinatory? I think Indri falls on the side of wanting to stop wizards, but something in my gut says she does not want to see Ame dead. 

Hacaea, the Witch of the Woodland Green

The holly branch, the towering oak, the limb and leaf an thorn her folk.

We know little of Hacaea so far, but I think she’s absolutely in cahoots mostly because she would have perhaps one of the greatest motives to hate wizards and want them gone, on account of the whole them turning a great forest into a huge snowy, mirror-y desert and a wizard tower who’s aerith depository is probably doing kind of fucked up stuff to the biome. We know she does not have an apprentice and I think Brennan singling her out as the one Ame could imagine hanging out with was in part was that it would hurt more when she’s in ASSASSINATION CAHOOTS. Might have sent Ame the letter on bark.

Grimoire, the Witch of the Wild Hunt

Where beasts have tread and monsters fed, the bloody fang and maw hath led. 

We also do not know much about Grimoire. We know she has an apprentice, and has so far been characterised as much more feral and concerned with catching and eating things. She might have also sent Ame a letter on bark. I think there is more with her connection to monsters and possibly to Gaothmai, and Eoighorain?? Certainly there is more to her than meets the ear. Again I think Brennan could have been trying to be tricky in his comments about her, trying to make her seem less important early on than she will be.

THE STRANGER

Who has held his breath since the dawn of time, the Pilgrim Under Stars, the Man in Black, the King of Night. Who attacked Grandmother Wren at the Grove of the Well and who has been moving across the world in a way Grandmother Wren could not see since Ame was a very little girl, who came to the cottage the moment after Grandmother Wren passed when the station was at its most vulnerable and requested entry, and who does not like wizards. 

The strings I am most interesting in detangling here, are his possible connection to Wavebreaker, and his connection to roads which we know are incredibly significant to Grandmother Wren’s wards.

In Episode 7 of Children’s Adventure after the cast each takes a turn describing a detail of Wavebreaker Brennan narrates “So you have this moment together in the hottest days of summer as this suit of armor hands you this thing”. The next scene, after taking a moment to roll some ability scores, is at night.

Suvi then rolls a 3 on a perception check, “So with a three in perception, you look and see that you were mistaken. You look deeper at the shadow and it's just a shadow. But it was a scary shape from one of the trees”

Ame investigates the spot the next day.

Taro had said back in Episode 01 “It will help you find whatever is keeping these secrets, and perhaps whoever took them.” What if that connection goes both ways for a powerful spirit with so many titles? One who has taken care to obscure himself from Grandmother Wren?

In Episode 23 once Eursulon entered the fire, eventually travelling from the Citadel to actual Gaothmai, the Stranger caught up to him enough to have a conversation real fast. 

As evidenced above (if that figure of shadow is indeed The Stranger, but the point still stands anyways) he is also connected to the motif of roads. 

The final line of Episode 01 (which as the last line from the first episode, carries extra emphasis):

From episode 21:

From episode 22:

But in speaking of roads we must remember,

The iron shoe of horses. 3 iron nails sprung out of a signpost. Could a connection to the Stranger cause Eoighorain’s blood to smell like iron?

EOIGHORAIN

In my folders of screenshots, within the one labelled conspiracy, this one is named “the unexplained Eoighorain fragment.” As I mentioned before, Brennan is playing the long game- placing pieces on the board, but he could not yet know all the ways they could move. Eoighorain is placed like a question mark, with great manoeuvrability. He could go one way or another. Too many NPCs think him untrustworthy and it makes me wonder if he is the flashy distraction of a magic trick so we don’t see what the other hand is doing. 

This one goes down a few rabbit holes. 

We learn much about Eoighorain in episode 16 from Suvi and Steel’s conversation but also, from the diagrams (which are 150 years old, made in the first 50 years of the Citadel) of garrans, which are a creature of the world of spirit. We learn that Eoighorain’s name means “Of Garran” or “Son of Garran” and that iron was always at the forefront of his smell, with the party speculating that the iron is perhaps used to bind him. 

In Episode 15 Grandmother Wren tells Ame she has doubts about how loyal Eoighorain ended up being. Steel tells Suvi in episode 16 that she discovered recently, in the weeks preceding the start of the campaign proper, that Eoighorain was alive, and this is why she sent the books including the diagrams made to smell like him to Grandmother Wren, in an act of admitting defeat and hoping she would be able to find him where she could not. 

She says she saw him at Fort Keiran, doubts herself, and then sounds sure.

Why was Eoighorain at Fort Keiran? Because the revolutionary forces of Gaothmai are fighting the Citadel? Because he is working with the Cauntaranacht now and perhaps always was? A secret third thing? Was it even him after all? Was Steel about to say that exact same scent? Was their revolution successful and so their forces hold much more power in Gaothmai now? Is that one of the reasons the war is spinning up again? 

We see Gaothmai ourselves only briefly, in Episode 23. Eursulon, after falling and landing in an unfamiliar deep forest, meets monsters caught somewhere between spirit and mortal, left to fester— simian feline monstrosities, somewhere between a baboon and a panther with diseased scaly and mottled hide. Brennan describes it like a yard with attack dogs in it, who attack because of his citadel badge and who eventually leads him to Kalaya. 

(And sidebar I think he sees a dragon?? Is the war spinning up again because of a dragon? Was part of the Coven’s plan raising a dragon to raze the Citadel and everyone else? Was that how the world burned before? I just realized now that Eursulon saw a dragon and I am spinning up about it for sure.)

But back to Eoighorain, and Steel thinking that he caused the death of Soft and Stone, who Steels tells us were prolific double agents with connections in both Rhuv and Gaothmai that pay dividends to this day. 

Grandmother Wren tells Ame in Episode 15 that Eoighorain was one of the outside members of the Citadel to alert the Acadator to the presence of agencies, jokingly referred to as the League of Whispers, which were dedicated to the downfall of the Citadel from within. She also says “When Steel came to collect Suvi at the end of that summer, the primary targets of their investigation were dead or missing.”

Additionally in the Children’s Adventure:

Steel tells us in Episode 16 that the mission Soft and Stone were on the summer that they died was searching for a dangerous sorceress named Nahani. This was the first time that instead of her and Eoighorain protecting Soft and Stone, he alone was charged with their safety. When Steel returned to collect Suvi she came back with scars on her face, and a new cloak. 

Why was Steel left behind? Was she needed by the Citadel elsewhere? A matter of trust? Is she telling the truth? Did Soft and Stone leave Steel behind so she would not know they were possibly acting against the Citadel? Because they knew she would not betray it? Was she really not there, or is that a cover up? Is guilt one of the forces that pulled her to be mother to Suvi? I don’t really think she killed them but I am not discounting that possibility.

I think Steel believes this wholeheartedly, but I don’t for a second.

Stone is a very prolific abjurer, who also studied divination. Just saying.

Additionally, 

This little nugget in Gaothmai perked my ears up the first time it was said. Ket, you say? Like Suvirin Kedberiket? Like Aman Kedberiket? THAT WAS A CHOICE BRENNAN. IN A WORLD WHERE NAMES ARE VERY IMPORTANT, IN A CULTURE WHERE NAMES ARE KEPT SECRET. IN A NATION SOFT WAS A DOUBLE AGENT FOR. WHO, 2 YEARS BEFORE SUVI WAS BORN, FREED A NUMBER OF SPIRITS, ONE OF WHOM WAS KALAYA, WHO THEN SETTLED DOWN IN GAOTHMAI. AND HE HAS A COLLEAGUE WHO IS THEORETICALLY A REVOLUTIONARY FROM THERE. A COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT. Anyways I think Soft is from Gaothmai. 

In conclusion: ?????????????????? I’m really excited for arc 3 because I really love witches and I don’t really know what up with Eoighorain, and I adore but do not trust Steel (but what else is new) and I do think there’s a dragon in Gaothmai apparently?? And I think The Stranger has a connection to Wavebreaker and I think Soft is from Gaothmai and I really don’t know if I can trust Indri or not but I hope we meet her apprentice and some more ice fairies. 

[drarryspecificrecs]

2023.03 ~ Top 10 longest fics posted on AO3

1. Silver Lining by She_Who_Must_Not_Be_Named_0 [?, 386k]

►13 years have passed since Voldemort's defeat. In those 13 years, Harry has done his best to forget everything that happened during the Second Wizarding War. He is a professor at Hogwarts now. And so, as of the upcoming school year, will Draco Malfoy. They haven't seen each other in years, they haven't talked in over a decade. Nothing has changed since they were students at the school - and yet, so much has. And after a while, they begin to realise that, in the end, maybe they aren't so different after all.

2. Defying the odds by Ibbsterkisster [T, 213k]

►[...] There was only so much Draco Malfoy could take. He was intelligent, he could see what was happening, what he was fighting for, what he had to pay for a cause he didn't even believe in. He wasn't brave, he didn't rush into situations without thinking first. He wasn't a Gryffindor. Draco Malfoy was a Slytherin. And he was about to show the world and a certain green-eyed Saviour, how useful Slytherins could be. — Or: the one where the Houses reunite to kick Voldemorts ass while Harry and Draco are boyfriends

3. no need to panic by silverdragons33 [T, 158k]

►Apparently, in the wizarding world, having a predestined soulmate is completely normal. [...] When someone starts trying to murder Harry, Draco is assigned as his protection. And although neither of the two have any idea what awaits them on the path ahead, one thing’s for certain: This will either end in bloodshed, or something far, far worse. But, yeah, no need to panic.

4. His Only Love by Becstar7 [M, 148k]

►Harry is an incubus in the court of King Thomas II, where fae and crossbreeds are second-class citizens. When someone tries to assassinate his lord and husband, Draco, Harry leaves his home to find the one responsible. But all is not as it seems, and learning the truth about himself and the world around him leads to a conflict he could never have imagined, with forces far more powerful than himself.

5. Save the Date by @mallstars [E, 122k]

►In the twelve years after the war, Harry attends sixteen weddings. As his friends and acquaintances vow their lives to each other, he watches quietly from the sidelines. Step by step he pieces his life together and falls, slowly and thoroughly, for Draco Malfoy. /// Featuring Ron becoming an eBay enthusiast, Hermione refusing marriage altogether, Gilderoy Lockhart getting married in a fever dream of glitter and product placement, and Rita Skeeter spitting a steady stream of venom at Harry and Draco's every move.

6. With and Without You by @shewhomustnotbenamed [E, 117k]

►Harry and Draco realize that they’ve been living in the same building for the past five years, hiding from the Wizarding world in Muggle London for a variety of reasons. They grow unexpectedly close and Harry realizes that Draco’s relationship with his boyfriend is abusive, spiraling as he tries and fails to figure out how to help. In Harry’s rejection of the Wizarding world in general, he has fallen out of touch with his friends and his magical abilities, but has to reconnect with both in order to find himself again.

7. A Blanket Of Black Fur by DarkWizard [E, 78k]

►After being sequestrated in the Manor for months, Draco tries to escape. Comes a wolf.

8. The Practice of Everyday Life by @goblinmatriarch [M, 69k]

►After the War, Harry married Ginny, had three beautiful children, and remained best friends with Hermione and Ron, who had two children of their own, and they all were happily married until they weren't. Harry and Hermione are both struggling to navigate post-divorce parenting, Ministry careers, and then this fucking pandemic hits. If that wasn't bad enough, Draco Malfoy reappears out of nowhere with worrying information about magical wards falling and the future of magic itself at risk. Harry and Hermione will have to navigate horrifying bureaucracy, complex magical rituals, confusingly sexy Slytherins, and Having It All.

9. An Earlier Heaven by Relevant_Peach [T, 52k]

►An unexpected truce throws off Draco's sixth year plans to lay low and avoid taking the Dark Mark and being assigned a mission. He doesn't know why on earth Potter would want to gain Professor Snape's respect, but he's pretty sure it's impossible. Still, having a boon from the Chosen One could come in handy, and if nothing else, it will be entertaining to watch Potter try.

10. The Roles We Play by slytherin_heartstrings [?, 43k]

►Draco is content with living his life as Damian, at least until Harry Potter walks into his theatre and threatens to disturb Draco's hard-earned peace of mind. After all, Potter has always had a thing for ruining Draco’s life. /// Harry reckons he might have a premature midlife-crisis. Three years after the war he still doesn’t know what to do with his life, but maybe it doesn’t matter as long as he still has a house to renovate and a capybara in his shower.

※ HONOURABLE MENTIONS :

11. Winner Takes It All by @skeptiquewrites [E, 40k]

►As with all his friends’ wagers, it starts small. Fifty Galleons for one kiss from Harry Potter is easily done.

—

※ Word count: 1k ~ 15k

※ Word count: 15k ~ 40k

Diagnosis: Unresolved by @lekendall [T, 16k]

Down to the Wire by @bluesyquill [G, 16k]

Draco Malfoy's Entirely Justified and Very Official War on Trousers by Tophats_and_Teacups [E, 15k]

I Like to Believe You've Been Dreaming of Me by @professordrarry [M, 19k]

In Search of Redemption by mavieenlair [T, 31k]

It was a bad idea ('cause now I'm even more lost) by @all-drarry-to-me [T, 36k]

Rotten Luck: a Lesson in Slander and Self Control by enoby_w [T, 17k]

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream by @violenttulips [E, 24k]

—

Ongoing Fest/Exchange

※ Fics would be listed elsewhere.

Divorce Flash 2023

Salt and Pepper Fest 2023

[aroanthy]

thinking about kanae and her relationship with her parents and akio and his relationship with her parents and just like…. ideas about patriarchs and fathers and family in utena. and incest obviously. you know there’s something so horrifying about kanae’s situation, beyond the obvious fact that she’s not yet graduated high school and she’s being married off to a child predator who is using their relationship to levy more power over more children. and her mum. and the fact that we don’t ever SEE her dad. fathers in utena have, shall we say, the worst track record in the book. i have so many things that i want to say about representations of Adult Men in rgu and specifically representations of fathers but it all circles back to their absence and imitation.

like, okay. i think the only (non-silhouetted, ie Actual Flesh) father we see is miki’s, and even then we don’t see his face. similarly we don’t see kanae’s mum’ face though she too is a Flesh Parent. don’t even get me started on how the only two visual representation of utena’s parents are their coffins and graves. also don’t get me started on that One shot from episode 10 that i use in all of my amvs of the silhouetted kiryuu parents because as you can probably tell from my heavy use of it in my amvs, i find it a deeply fascinating shot. swagever. all of this is to say, dads are not In The Flesh in utena.

im excluding the movie from this discussion bc whilst im a diehard aou lover and would never normally eclipse it from my analysis like this, the choices it makes in representing touga’s father break with rgu’s typical stylistic choices in a way that i honestly think is less effective. that whole sequence is incredibly visually rich in every other way and includes symbology that is some of the most compelling in all of rgu, imho, but it’s like. gahhh. i know it’s an active choice to represent him as Just A Guy, and you could argue ‘well akio’s Just A Guy’ but it’s. it just irritates me. i don’t think it’s meaningful in the way that utena likes to be meaningful. id argue that seeing his face doesn’t contribute anything, but idk maybe i just don’t like looking at his horrible face. it’s probably just that but also im right it’s a lacking stylistic choice

rambling side note aside, i get to my actual point that i technically already alluded to: akio. akio’s not a dad but akio is positioned as a (pseudo?)father figure to (checks notes) anthy, utena, kanae (hey remember she’s what started this post lol), touga, id throw nanami in, you could probably make a tangential argument for miki and kozue, ruka’s an interesting one, and mikage (maybe??). this is for a couple of reasons. he’s the (acting) chairman of the school that all the characters i just listed attend, he’s the guardian/caregiver for three or four of them, and, fundamentally, he guides and governs their lives to the best of his ability (not in the sense that he’s trying really hard to raise these kids, in the sense that he’s trying to control them. lol). BUT. crucially. he is an approximation of a father, an imitation of the patriarch, even and especially to anthy.

why does this matter? well, funnily(?) enough it circles back to why i dislike aou’s choice to portray touga’s father as A Guy. the powerful men in ohtori— and when i say ‘powerful’ here, i specifically mean men who are not marginalised, men who are not racialised, men who come from money and have never had to reach the top of the tower, rather always resided at its summit— are not seen by us. akio is the acting chairman, the acting father, the stand-in who stood up for something that is altogether worse than him, that made him who he is in such an insidious way. and i just think that’s really fucking interesting to think about wrt his status as a brown man, being racialised, being The Thing That We See when everything else— the inappropriate vice principal, miki’s piano teacher, mr ohtori, mr kiryuu (anime version), even off-hand dialogue from shadow girls about adult men in positions of power like mr judge (papa! daddy! god!!)— is obfuscated and implied. and i don’t want to suggest that that’s an intentional commentary on the racist mythologising of brown and black men as innately sexually violent, because. It’s Not. and utena massively drops the ball wrt race, but because of that lack of explicit, intentional commentary, it creates this strange dynamic between akio, the only racialised man in the show, and Every Other Guy. and that’s a very long-winded way of saying ‘maybe poisoning mr ohtori was a good thing actually’

[seraphcelene]

IWTV S2E4 - I Want You More Than Anything in the World

There are games being played.

Let's talk about Louis -- how he's been transformed from the melancholy, self-flagellating moral mess to almost equal parts temper and angst, ever balanced between joy and hope and rage.

I can't compare this series to the books because it is a different beast altogether, and I LOVE the changes.

There is something sinister and beautiful in the way that IwtV has turned gender politics on its head. Queer love is centered and the vulnerability of emotion demanded of women in depictions of romantic relationships gets equal demand in the male leads. That is wildly true of the novels and makes for a welcome shift in the way that men are portrayed on screen. Armand's NEED oozes out of his eyes when he's with Louis. He is so in love. He also opens a vein describing his life before vampirism. It's a narrative that typically frames womanhood -- objectified, sexualized, enslaved and without agency. Then there's Louis grief, guilt, and unrequited love for Lestat, a force in every scene Jacob Anderson is in.

The commentary on how women fit and are objectified within society are there too. Madeline's shunning after her affair with a young German solider is explained in equally by "patriotism" and loose morals (she is slut shamed). Claudia's infantilization, at complete odds with how she sees herself and wants to be seen is horrifying. Her "maman" in the play makes a comment about Baby Lulu distracting her father so that he keeps his hands off her (the mother). It's coarse theater, of course, and it's meant to be a purple comment that suggests and titillates. It is also, to a modern audience, or at least this person as audience, horrifying. It reminded me immediately of how women are portrayed as objectified stand ins to attract the male gaze. Claudia's debasement, sexualized infant for the mortals and walking ridicule as blasphemy to the immortals, is a game, a show and a joke for everyone. That girl is going to break. Her developing relationship with Madeline is the closest depiction of normalcy and something she craves and has craved since she accidentally ate that boy back in Season 1.

It all makes an interesting comment on power structure. Who has it, who doesn't, who wants it, who doesn't. Season 1 sets Louis as the beta to Lestat's alpha. It makes sense. Lestat is a natural born alpha, but Louis as a beta is a little sleight of hand. Yes with Lestat, but as is increasingly more obvious absolutely not with Armand. Louis even reminds us that he is good at running things.

I'd argue that Armand was never really an alpha vampire. He holds the coven because his dark gifts are strong enough to allow him to, but not because anyone is particularly afraid or in awe of him. It makes Louis and Armand as a coven of two an interesting question. @lynnenne has posited that Louis is the one in control. I find that idea deliciously fascinating and more likely as we're watching the events of the past. But because this is still a story of unreliable narrator's, I have to question the truth. Is he? or isn't he?

Louis dresses his disdain and his resistance to emotional intimacy in Lestat's figure. He holds on to him as armor to hold off real emotional attachment even as he stares lovingly into Armand's face in the present and declares that he loved him even back them. I don't know that him letting go of Lestat in the rain (SO FUCKING SAD AND OH!) was about him deciding to be in love so much as it is about him deciding to let go of guilt and fear so that he can move forward. Lestat was his past. Running the theater could be his future and it would be to protect Claudia as much as it would be to protect Armand.

But again … what of this story is real? Daniel's migraines, the reemerging memories of San Francisco that are very much centered around what looks like Armand playing mind games.

Little things I loved about this episode:

Madeline and Claudia in the shop and the way that Claudia is lamenting that she is a vampire and Madeline is dinner

"Go sit in your choice, sister." - That fight was epic and hurtful and real. Both of them abandoned in different ways.

Claudia calling Armand on his shit. She is Lestat's daughter for sure. She doesn't give a fuck about the rituals and the rules. Claudia is looking for a space to belong in, but it has to be shaped for her and according to her rules. Anything else will chafe.

"The wilderness that is our daughter."

Louis letting Lestat go is one of the saddest thing ever. The music is a slightly discordant, manipulative goodbye in this very constructed story reflecting a very constructed end between Louis and Lestat. I love the way that Louis makes Lestat say apple and then apple in French as proof that he is just a figment of his imagination because Lestat is never that accommodating. "There isn't going to be a hunt, is there?" And then he is washed away by the rain.

[miracles-and-butterflies]

Sixth part of Intertwining Threads of Gold, based on a prompt by @time-for-a-grandkid-round-up.

The one where Mirabel becomes matriarch.

Dolores’ confrontation plan and how the family react to the news.

Not really the “official” sixth part. More of a five and a half.

Previous part of ITOG.

Comments are always appreciated.

~~~~~~

Intertwining Threads of Gold VI

“I…” Mirabel took a breath, trying again. “I don’t want to be matriarch. I never did. I never will. But I don’t feel like I’m getting a choice in the matter. And the tapestry also symbolises my death and suffering, as likely a hummingbird would bleed out and not survive long enough to know the loss of freedom, though why am I adding that?” She rambled, as quickly as possible.

Dolores blinked.

That was a lot of information really fast.

“You might be worse than I am.”

“What do you— never mind, I don’t need to know. Where is Luisa?”

“Not yet. I’m not done with you.”

“But I did as you asked.” Mirabel argued.

“Why?” Dolores asked, ignoring her cousin. “You didn’t explain why you felt like you weren’t getting a choice. Or why you’ve not said any of this. I already know you don’t want to be matriarch, that information is useless to me.”

“I did as you asked! Please? I’m worried about Luisa.”

“Yes, and the longer you refuse to cooperate the more likely she will get hurt. Probably fall in a ditch and die.”

Mirabel looked horrified. Dolores leaned back a little from the anxious beating of Mirabel’s heart. “Why would you say that!?”

That’s when a figure poked their head through the doorway: Pepa.

“What are you two arguing about?” She asked.

“Don’t tell her, please.” Mirabel whispered.

When neither answered - Mirabel turned away and looked like she could keel over and die at any minute; Dolores just stared passively, hoping to catch her mother’s intrigue - Pepa just sighed, entering the room, taking a seat.

Her mother paled when she caught sight of the tapestry.

“This is… Where did this come from?” The woman inquired.

“Mirabel’s room,” Dolores answered.

“Sobrina, why would you make this? It… it is very disturbing.”

Thunder rumbled.

“What if Antonio happened to find it? What would he say? Ay, mi niño… he’d be terrified. And his poor animals.”

Mirabel was shaking in Dolores’ grasp, eyes locked on some spot on the wall in a poor attempt to avoid crying.

“Have you noticed the colours, Mama?” Dolores prompted. “Aren’t they familiar to you?”

There was a brief pause and then a gasp. “It’s us! That makes it so much worse… Mirabel? I’m not a mind reader, you need to talk.”

The girl in question made no move to answer.

“This is essentially Mirabel’s form of a diary, Mama.” Dolores explained. “There is probably more hiding in her room somewhere. But this one is about how she doesn’t want to be the matriarch and how she thinks she’s being forced into it.”

Her mother cursed, almost offended. “But we aren’t forcing you into anything! We would never do something this… this horrible! We aren’t monsters!”

Pepa continued ranting. Mirabel was hyperventilating at this point.

Dolores relented, letting go of Mirabel’s arm. “Luisa isn’t working. She’s just taking a walk. You can calm down, it’s fine.”

Mirabel paused. Momentarily.

She didn’t wait around too long before she then left Casita altogether.

~~~~~~

Isabela had only left her room to use the bathroom when she heard the commotion downstairs.

How could she not?

Everyone downstairs was screaming at each other.

She doesn’t think she’s ever heard the grown-ups all be so loud before.

She briefly caught sight of Félix guiding Camilo, Antonio and a collection of animals into Antonio’s room, clearly trying to keep them unaware of what was going on.

And Dolores walking along to Mirabel’s room, with a cloth hidden behind her back. Looking a little guilty.

God, she hates being grounded.

She misses out on all the fun stuff.

~~~~~~

Luisa holds back a frustrated groan. Of course, that’s all they had gotten from the tapestry or whatever Dolores told them.

(Speaking of, her cousin best pray Luisa doesn’t find her. Because telling everyone else was definitely not part of the agreement).

They think Mirabel is just having doubts.

Each coming up one at a time to explain why they think Mirabel is good at this job and list her many qualities that make her a fitting matriarch. And even Mirabel, thoroughly overwhelmed, has a look of ‘that is not remotely true’ on her face.

“She doesn’t want to be the matriarch,” Luisa finally explodes, gently tugging Mirabel behind her. Still holding her hand. “Why the fuck any of you thought she would because of the past alone is beyond me.”

“Luisa, language,” Julieta chides.

Agustín glances down at Mirabel. “Is this true?”

Luisa protectively shifts Mirabel further around behind her. “What the fuck do you mean ‘is this true’? You didn't consider her PTSD at all when you made this plan? She hasn’t really been lying about her feelings either, which you’d all know if you paid her any amount of attention. She even told you all she didn’t want this when you first told her - several times! I wasn’t even there! That was a big step for her and you ruined it! She was saying ‘no’ and talking openly to you all, why would you just ignore her!?”

She took a breath, trying to calm her temper.

“You are her family, parents and guardians, and you have all failed her.”

The adults looked away in an uncomfortable silence.

Félix took the chance to leave, mumbling some excuse about how he was going to check on Antonio and Camilo.

Pepa quickly followed suit. “It has been a while since Dolores left,” she whispered. “She was probably very concerned after the tapestry incident. I’ll go see how she is.” And didn’t wait to see if anyone would attempt to stop her.

“Nobody has anything to say?” Luisa demanded to the remaining adults in the room.

Nothing.

Or, well, Abuela said nothing.

Her parents clearly wanted to say something, but couldn’t think of what.

Tío Bruno just looked off into the corner, as though it would make him invisible.

“I think… I think we should have a talk,” Agustín said. He slightly gestured to himself, Julieta and Mirabel. Before Luisa could say anything, he added, “Alone.”

Luisa turned expectantly to Mirabel; it was her choice. The girl still looked distressed and maybe even terrified now, but she let go of Luisa’s hand and followed after her parents into a different room.

Bruno tried to sneak for the other exit, while she watched her sister go.

“Where do you think you’re going, Tío?” Luisa snapped.

“Ah, well, you know.. someone really should tell Isabela—”

“I’m not finished.”

[curvedspace]

Lo-li-ta

So. I read Lolita.

Oddly enough, despite the numerous warnings about the sheer deviancy of the book, I found myself completely enthralled by it. I mean this in the most normal, morally-sound, anti-paedophilia manner. The fact that i have to add these assurances before jumping into my tirade is part of the reason i wrote this tirade, so.

Somehow, without a single sexually explicit paragraph (in the modern sense, of course), and without gratuitous usage (or, in some cases, any usage at all) of vocabulary that would aim to objectify and demean, the picture painted of Humbert, a pervert and scum of society, hidden behind the charming mask of a handsome, intellectual man, and Lolita, rash and abrasive and altogether a panicked child, painted from his perspective as not only an equal, as a lover, but also as a wanting party, was an absolute delight to read.

AND. I would end there. I would express my utter admiration of this book and go, BUT, it seems, my admiration for this book has been taken to mean, time and time again, as approval for Humbert's actions (insanity bc. why), so i will be expressing my rage here.

Breaking it down, Lolita is more than just a book. It's been written on paedophilia, on grooming and child sexual abuse and a wide array of horrifying topics, the sort polite society would wrinkle their noses at. And while a number of books discussing these topics do exist, none of them exist, as beautifully, from the abuser's perspective. Lolita is more than just a book, it is the psychological study of an offender.

Humbert is, without a doubt, an abhorrent, abhorrent man. and Lolita is, without a doubt, simply a child, awkward in her existence, growing into her body still, fumbling through adolescence and the venom of her mother in whatever way she knows best. She seeks respite in Humbert, a caring, paternal figure, and he simply takes advantage of her.

However, the real kick, the twist, the reason I worship this book on a daily basis mentally, is because of the fact that it expresses its duality gorgeously. There is Lolita, victim. There is Humbert, abuser. These are facts that remain constant throughout the book. But, since this book is from his perspective, there is Humbert, the sad, lonely, intellectual man, handsome and charming and an adolescent fantasy, and there is Lolita, temptress and nymph and magnetic.

While the common thread of criticism seems to be about a lack of condemnation of his actions, the fact that the book is from his perspective explains that well enough. He is, in his eyes, perfectly right in his stance. He is a bewitched sailor at sea, and she the siren.

She is painted as such, too, when seen from his eyes, but when analyzed rationally, for even a minute, her suffering comes into full-view. This is what's simply so addictive about the book, to me. This constant interplay of condemnation and approval.

In the background, Dolores sits, trying her best to escape the constant horrors of her life. In the background, Humbert, literal monster in the body of a man, preys on the little girl. In the foreground, however, his thoughts, his biases, blend into the narration. Beneath the elegantly crafted narrative, the flowery language and shimmering descriptions and multiple self-appraisals and, on the rare, horrifying occasion for the reader, moments of genuine appreciation of the character, for his wit or his wiles, before realizing who he is and what he's done and snapping out of the trance he's managed to put everybody under, lies a maggot-infested corpse, Dolores' innocence decaying at the bare bones of the book.

To expect a man to write a book from his perspective, justifying his crimes, and yet be shocked when he does not condemn himself would be idiocy. but to write a book of this sort, and simultaneously condemn and appraise him, to put him upon a pedestal and crush him beneath the (unfortunately) metaphorical heel would be GENIUS. there, i said it. nabokov is a genius.

BUT. i am not done. i will never be done. i need to personally thank vladimir nabokov (somehow) for having created this magnificent masterpiece, and i need to personally smack everyone whose selective hearing has allowed them to completely disregard his orders for the cover designs. Dolores, his child, being painted on the front cover was not what he wanted.

AND THE MOVIE. The infernal rage that fills me at its existence would be enough to fuel a continent's electricity through sheer combustion heat alone. but. a topic for another day.

[rillils]

what hurts me most is thinking abt people realizing just how YOUNG bucky actually is

it's so fucking unfair, it just breaks your heart to even think about it, doesn't it?

consider catfa. here you have a young man barely into his late 20s, when you're technically a fully grown adult, but really you're most likely still trying to get your shit together, you know, still figuring out how Adulting™ really works - and then it's one tragedy after the other for him

Bucky has his whole life ahead of him, and instead of getting to choose a path of his own, of building a life for himself, he is:

drafted into a war he never even wanted to be a part of

captured, forced into hard physical labor and ultimately experimented on against his will

kinda roped into going back to the front lines after being rescued (not against his will this time, but let's face it, there was no way in hell that he would have gone home while Steve was still out there putting his life on the line)

captured once more when his whole team thought him dead, tortured in every possible way, taken apart, experimented on some more, quite possibly put on god knows what kind of substances, either to further improve his physical performances or to aid in keeping him docile and easier to manipulate - or, well, for both of those reasons I guess

brutally stripped of his identity, his memories, his free will, his humanity, and reshaped into a killing machine, a weapon to be used whenever necessary, and, as they say, put away wet. and then rinse and repeat for sixty-nine years.

the truly horrifying part is that they didn't just hurt him, they also forced him to hurt other people. people whose lives were taken by his own hands, when he was barely even an unwilling passenger in his own body. so here he is, just… grieving,

both for himself - the years he lost to torture and brainwashing, and can never get back again; and the life he could have had, with all the people he loved, in the place he used to call home - and for all the victims of the Soldier and their respective families, left to mourn their loved ones, often without even knowing why.

he could have lived a normal, quiet, happy life, but all of that was taken away from him.

BUT but but butt butt

here's the thing.

actually, here's a couple of things.

you see, pieces of crap like Endgame will try to convince you that, if things didn't go exactly your way the first time around, you should just give up on your future altogether and fuck off to the past, where you can live out an unhealthy fantasy and have a creepy, dystopian-coded life as-- well, not even as yourself, just as somebody else wearing your own face.

don't listen to pieces of crap like Endgame, they give the shittiest kind of advice.

because! because even after everything he went through, Bucky's still alive! his life isn't over. and that's the beauty of it! he SO can still be happy, and do all the things he didn't get to do back in the day. sure, the timing might not be what he originally thought, back before the war, but just because his plans got derailed doesn't mean that he can't build his own life now. and that's exactly what he's going to do, one step at a time - and YES, with Steve by his side, if I get any say in this (and this being my answer to an ask on my blog, I get all the say lol)

so I hereby declare that Bucky gets to be as fucking happy as can be! like, SO MUCH FUCKING HAPPINESS, YOU CAN'T EVEN QUANTIFY IT. so much fucking happiness, you'd think he might get sick of it!!!! but he won't!!!!!!

I think he does find that calm he so desperately needed. I think he gets to find himself again, gets to meet all the parts of him he thought he'd lost, the ones even he had forgotten. I think, he even gets to meet some new sides of Bucky Barnes he hadn't had the chance to discover yet.

I think he learns that some days are worse than others, and on those days, he learns to show himself a little kindness, and a little forgiveness for not being who (he used to think) he was supposed to be, and a little love for who he is.

I think he also learns that, while there are some bad days, and there will always be, most of them are actually, surprisingly, good days. I think he learns that he has the right to have good days. I think he learns that he deserves to have good days. I think he learns that it's okay to feel good; that there's nothing silly or lazy in just sitting outside in the sun, and basking in its warmth like a happy little lizard, and wishing you never had to move from that spot at all.

I think he gets to be the nerd he always was deep down; science nerd, space nerd, book nerd, any sort of nerd flavor he can find the time and will to explore.

I think he gets to build a home for himself, with the man who always meant Home to him, more than any house ever could.

I think he gets to wake up to good-morning kisses, and to good-morning fingers carding tenderly through his hair, and good-morning playful groping under the sheets, and good-morning "sorry I just kneed you in the groin, lemme kiss it better for ya", and good-morning giggles because Steve's bedhead achieves epic levels of Bird's Nest first thing in the morning, and good-morning pretty eyes looking back at him from Steve's pillow, drinking him in like no sight in the world will ever be as heartrendingly beautiful as Bucky waking up next to him in their big, big bed, and good-morning "how do you want your eggs?", and good-morning "let's skip eggs and have french toast today", because today, today he's feeling good.

and that's only the start, honey 💕💕💕

[dalekofchaos]

Life Is Strange Scream au

So I've been thinking of doing an au where Scream happens in Arcadia Bay. LIS has a great cast of characters that could fit Scream so much!

Max has no powers. Warren is the Randy of this au. Victoria is a Gale like figure. David is the anti-Dewey. No one is safe.

"Opening kill". Rachel Amber. Rachel is waiting for Chloe. She gets a phone call and it's someone who is enamored by her. Rachel is the most popular girl in school and everyone in Arcadia Bay loves her. He calls her about her favorite scary movie. Rachel has good taste and says Twin Peaks or The Shining. This caller just wants to see what her insides are like.

The creepy stalker breaks into the Amber house and seemingly stabs her.

There is blood everywhere and when James and Rose Amber returns they are horrified. But the person who broke into their home and hurt their daughter sneaks behind them and kills them.

It's reported that Rachel Amber and her parents were butchered. But there is no trace of Rachel.

Max is horrified about the news about Rachel. Chloe doesn't believe she died and convinces Max to help her find Rachel.

Max is attacked in her dorm and is saved by Warren and Brooke.

In light of the news of Rachel's disappearance and Max's attack, the Vortex Club only gets meaner. Nathan threatens Max and her friends and then Chloe gets up and kicks Nathan in the balls.

Viral vid still happens and Max is unable to save Kate.

David treats everyone like a suspect. From the Vortex Club, to the teachers, to Max, to any student and to his own step-daughter.

Max, Chloe and Warren altogether investigate the killings.

They find Rachel's phone and find threatening and obsessive messages from Frank Bowers. Treating her like an object, demanding sex and one message from a private number threatening to kill her and her family if she doesn't reply.

The Vortex Club hosts a party. And it turns into a fucking bloodbath. The killers kill Hayden, Zach, Logan, Courtney, Taylor, and Courtney. and Stella, Dana, Juliet, Daniel, Luke, Justin and Trevor severely injured.

The last thing Max and Chloe can see before the cops get here is Nathan running away with blood all over his hands.

Max calls out Victoria for Kate's suicide. Victoria is defensive but remorseful. She didn't mean for Kate to die or any of her friends to die. Victoria decides to join Max to bring justice for everyone who died.

Joyce is working the graveyard shift and the Price household is empty. Chloe uses this opportunity to get Max, Warren, Victoria and Brooke to investigate and come up with a probable conclusion on who the killers are. Warren pulls a Randy and uses horror movie logic to help with the investigation.

All signs point to Nathan Prescott and Frank Bowers.

David is called away. Principal Wells discovers that Mark Jefferson is missing.

Max and Chloe confronts Frank. It does not go well. Frank shoots Chloe in the leg, but Chloe shoots him in the dick and lets him bleed out.

Brooke is attacked and Chloe goes to get help.

Max is attacked and chased by Ghostface.

Warren helps her and they barricade inside Chloe's house. In the heat of the moment, Max kisses Warren.

Chloe is begging for Max to let her in and Max does. and then Nathan forces himself in too.

Nathan insists he is not the killer. He ran because his friends were dead and had his blood on their hands but he did not kill them. No one believes him. "GODDAMN IT CAULFIELD, I DIDN'T KILL ANYONE!"

Chloe takes out her gun. "I know" and shoots Nathan.

"Welcome to the final act."

And then someone in a Ghostface costume comes down the stairs. They take the mask off. It's Rachel Amber. She shoots Warren(knocking him out, not killing him)

Chloe smirks as she kisses Rachel. "Surprised, Max?"

"Chloe...why"

"Because this town destroyed my life. My father died and YOU. LEFT. ME! Then my mom hops onto Step-Fucker, lets him abuse me and covers it up. Five years to the date where everything went wrong"

Rachel's turn.

"My father lied to me my entire life. Turns out my mother wasn't my real mother and he had my birth mother killed before I could even meet her. Oh and if that's not enough EVERYONE used me. The Vortex Club. Frank. Nathan and Jefferson. Speaking of"

Rachel brings out Jefferson and Frank and shoots them both.

"See Mark here raped me. He raped Kate and was gonna do the same to you. The perfect scapegoat, right Chloe?"

"That's right babe. Jefferson and Frank are predators and Nathan was found redhanded at the crime scene. They have me and you at their mercy and then Rachel heroically returns and stops the killers."

"We could've just killed David, Frank, Mark and Nathan, but we both decided. Why not make a movie out of this?"

"What's going to happen to me?"

"That all depends on you Max. Admit it. You wanted the Vortex Club dead. LOOK WHAT THEY DID TO KATE! I don't want to kill you Max, you and Warren can make it out as the sole survivors for all we care. All we're asking is look the other way and let us get away with it."

Ending 1. Max, Warren and David stops Chloe and Rachel.

Max starts by calling them out. They didn't just hurt their abusers and the Vortex Club, they hurt innocents. People not involved with their abuse or Kate's death and that she'd rather die than stop them. Victoria and David rushes in and Chloe has Max held hostage. David subdues Rachel and before Chloe can kill Max, Warren stops her and David subdues Chloe. It's all over.

Final scene is a callback to the cutscene from the Scream script. Randy asked Sidney out and Sidney says "Obly if it's a nice Meg Ryan film" in this au Warren asks Max out and Max says "Only of it's a nice cheesey sci-fi movie" "Let's Go Ape" "Let's go ape!"

Ending 2. Max plays along.

Max agrees, she doesn't want Chloe to get away with it, but she can't let her or Rachel die. They were justified in why they did it. Max also has one condition. Let her kill Victoria. It was her viral vid that got Kate killed. Victoria and David arrive, but they find Max and Warren knocked out while Rachel gives her and Chloe's stories. David seemingly believes it but is skeptical and when Victoria checks on Max, Max slits her throat. "that was for Kate." Before David can get his gun out. Chloe stabs him in the throat and repeatedly. Rachel cheers her on and after Chloe's finished, they embrace and kiss passionately.

The police arrive. Max tells them all that Mark Jefferson, Frank Bowers and Nathan Prescott are the killers. Their last victims were Victoria Chase and David Madsen and she and Warren would've died if it weren't for herself, Chloe and Rachel.

They got away with it.

Warren has trouble remembering what happened. Max tells him the story. That Nathan shot him, Jefferson was going to kill her and Chloe and then Rachel came to the rescue. Warren believes it and glad they are okay.

Max, Chloe, Rachel and Warren leave Arcadia Bay together with Rachel holding onto Chloe as they drive away and Max holding Warren's hand