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tennessoui · 3 years

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18 obikin!! Amnesia fics are super fun 🍆

18. One of them wakes up with amnesia (Option A because two people sent in this prompt number and I liked both ideas I saw for it enough to not want to pick) this involves an Obi-Wan that got deaged as well as lost his memories so he's Phantom Menace Obi-Wan. no i will not be explaining. hand wavey drabble fic writing.

The man has not stopped staring, but something in his intense gaze makes Obi-Wan feel safe. Almost. Well. On edge, yes, but. Protected. He has the strange feeling that he’d rather be under this man’s stare than anywhere else in the entire galaxy.

But he knows he’s never seen this man before in his life, the same way that he knows he’s twenty-five and that Qui-Gon Jinn is his Master, that he’s a Jedi knight-in-training, that he hates teas with mint leaves in them, that he’ll never say no to a drink with Quinlan, that--well.

He supposes none of that stuff could be true anymore. Vokra Che, who’s a grown and certified healer master now, had told him what had happened. An older version of himself had touched something he wasn’t supposed to. The closest translation they could find to the runes on the object was that it would transform the user back to their most balanced state. Obi-Wan’s had, apparently, been at the age of twenty-five. He hadn’t recognized the name Anakin Skywalker. He had never been to Naboo.

He throws the rest of his drink back and waves to the bartender to pour him another. He’d gone straight here from the Halls of Healing. He’d had a shadow the entire way, but the man has yet to try to talk to him at all. It’s infuriating.

His Padawan braid swings into his field of vision for a second. He tosses it over his shoulder. He’d been told. Qui-Gon had died. Obi-Wan wants to not think about it at all.

There’s a brush of a Force presence that’s both familiar and completely foreign next to him. The man has finally moved to his side. Obi-Wan’s jaw ticks at his continued reticence, the way he’s observing him but not talking to him. It just simply won’t do, but Obi-Wan isn’t feeling his kindest. He doesn’t want whatever this man is offering him with his silent, dour stares and his suffocating Force signature that keeps trying to tangle itself with Obi-Wan’s own. It’s rude is what it is.

He waves down the bartender and orders a drink for the man. “If you got mint, put it in,” he tells the woman who raises an eyebrow but shrugs, one pair of her arms busy with the drink. When she gives it to him he slides it to the man next to him without even looking at him.

“What--” the man asks. “I don’t--”

“You do tonight,” Obi-Wan says bracingly, throwing back half of his own drink. “We’ve both just lost our Masters, haven’t we?”

The man beside him flinches as if Obi-Wan had skewered him with his lightsaber.

“You are him, aren’t you?” Obi-Wan lolls his head to the side to look at the man threw half-closed eyes. “My padawan.”

“Anakin,” the man says so quietly it’s almost lost to the noise of the bar. “I’m Anakin Skywalker, yeah.”

Obi-Wan takes a drink reflexively, humming in disbelief. “You don’t look like it,” he says consideringly. At Anakin’s confused look, he elaborates. “You don’t look like you could have ever been a Padawan.”

The man pulls himself up, face darkening at the perceived slight. It’s almost too easy to rile him up, but now that he has, Obi-Wan finds he has no interest in fighting this man. Quite the opposite, really. That’s...something. He can’t tell if that emotion comes from him now or the older version of him.

Either way, Obi-Wan has no desire to stand in the way of whatever storm this Anakin is building up in his head, so he turns to face him completely and pushes both hands into his blond hair, raking down the scalp gently before collecting the strands into a poor imitation of the Padawan ponytail. “That’s better, I suppose. The hair threw me off.” He lets go slowly, making sure to tug at one of the strands at the last second.

Anakin has a very strange look on his face, but he’s definitely not angry anymore. He’s even shielding much more tightly now. Obi-Wan smirks into his glass as he takes a sip. He definitely remembers that trick.

“Do you know who cut it?” he asks, catching sight of the end of his braid again. The drinks are going to his head much more quickly than he had intended. Must be all the trauma his body has gone through in the past few days. “My braid.”

“I.” Anakin stutters, caught off guard. “You did.”

Obi-Wan feels like laughing but also a bit like crying. There’s a terrifying emotion rearing its head in his chest. It threatens to swallow him whole. “Well, I suppose I never liked to stand on ceremony.”

“You cut your braid in the fresher and then called me in and braided mine,” Anakin says distantly, as if caught up in the memory. “You wouldn’t let me hold it. I thought you were so mean. But I understood at my Knighting Ceremony. It was a part of me in my hand, a...starmap of all the places I’d been and the things I’d learned during my training. And there was only one person I wanted to give it to in the whole galaxy.”

“Did you?” He asks, taking a sip to hide how important the question is, how devastating the answer could be.

“Well. Yeah. But I guess I don’t know if you kept it,” Anakin cuts his eyes away from Obi-Wan’s and runs his fingers up the long stem of his drink.

Obi-Wan chokes on a laugh. “He definitely did.”

The other man’s face settles into a frown. “You don’t know that. You’re not him.”

“I’m enough of him. I’ve got--some feelings. In my head. Impressions.”

“Of me?”

“Of how he felt about you.”

Anakin’s eyes widen and then narrow with a sudden intensity that makes Obi-Wan want to shiver. It’s like being in the eye of a storm. His hold on the delicate glass in his hand becomes dangerously tight as he leans forward into Obi-Wan’s space, as if he can’t get close enough to him.

“What do you feel when you look at me?” he asks almost breathlessly. Obi-Wan blinks, trying to figure out if he’s being seduced or not. It’s sort of working. It’s all that focus, directly on him. Obi-Wan wouldn’t mind if that’s how the night ended. But sleeping with his former padawan who he can’t remember right now doesn’t seem like the best decision he could make.

But Anakin had liked it when Obi-Wan tugged at his hair. He’d arched closer to him. And now, the distance between them has been eaten away until they’re almost pressed chest to shoulder.

“Safe,” he decides to say, even though the word feels too small. “Sad,” which is mostly true but also an oversimplification. It’s a sort of nostalgia mixed with sadness, mixed with acceptance and resignation. “Warm,” because even after being denied entry to Obi-Wan’s mind, Anakin’s force presence has curled around Obi-Wan’s like some sort of krayt dragon, content to wait and guard and treasure. He leans forward, just until his mouth brushes against the skin of Anakin’s ear. “Coveted.”

Anakin definitely shifts at that, and when Obi-Wan pulls back enough to see his face, his pupils are blown wide.

Swallowing a grin, Obi-Wan swallows the rest of his drink in one go. “Drink up,” he tells Anakin in his most demanding tone, reaching into his pockets to pull out his older self’s credits to settle the tab. “I want to go.”

Anakin obeys immediately, making a face at the taste.

They’re out in the street within a few minutes, Anakin smacking his lips as if still trying to rid himself of the flavor. “I just don’t know why you had to order me that,” he complains, falling into step on Obi-Wan’s right.

Obi-Wan pauses and leans against the very unsanitary wall of the building, spreading his legs wide enough so that Anakin can come in between them. The man doesn’t seem to notice anything different, just steps a bit closer as a crowd of loud party-goers makes their way past them.

“I wanted to see if I liked mint,” Obi-Wan shrugs, raising his hand to rest on the skin of Anakin’s neck. He can feel the way his pulse is beating incredibly fast.

“Why would my drink help you with--”

Obi-Wan rolls his eyes. He commends his older self for being able to teach this idiot anything, even though he seems to have skipped over important lessons like Recognizing When You’re Being Flirted With.

Before Anakin can finish the thought, Obi-Wan twists his other hand in Anakin’s robes and pulls him forward until their lips are a hair’s breadth apart. “May I kiss you?” he asks because it’s only polite to.

Anakin’s eyes widen and then fall shut as he gives a little nod, finally stepping forward until their bodies are pressed completely together.

At least someone, although he doubts it was the older Obi-Wan, taught Anakin how to kiss. Obi-Wan’s toes curl in his boots as Anakin takes control of the action, moving his hands so one’s pressing against the wall behind them and one’s running up his scalp. Obi-Wan takes his time licking into Anakin’s mouth, allowing Anakin to explore him in return. One of them moans, which seems like as good a time as any to break the kiss.

“Well?” Anakin pants, diving in to place a short kiss onto Obi-Wan’s lips. “What do you think?”

The short answer is that Obi-Wan isn’t. He noses back towards Anakin’s mouth hopefully, sliding his hand down from his neck to rest on his hip.

“About mint,” Anakin elaborates when Obi-Wan doesn’t respond immediately.

“Inconclusive. Need more data,” Obi-Wan tries to kiss him but Anakin’s smiling too hard.

“Then next time you can get the awful drink, and you can get me the Alderaan Sunset,” Anakin is complaining, but he’s laughing too and that’s nice. Obi-Wan thinks that making Anakin Skywalker laugh is one of the best feelings in the galaxy, and he thinks his older self would agree, if the warmth sparking up in his very soul means anything at all.

#asks #my fics #writing #tarantasina #i'm sure eventually they get obi-wan back to normal and he's just sooooo embarrassed that he got drunk and decided to seduce anakin #but like it worked out #anakin makes fun of him too until obi-wan remembers that he kissed back #prompt fill

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kylo-renakin · 4 years

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Death in Star Wars, and How Ben Solo Was Shafted: A Mini Meta

Something has been bothering me about Ben’s death in The Rise of Skywalker. While I’m upset that he died, I echo the sentiments of other fans that just as offensive was the way that he died and how his death was treated in the context of the film. It bothered me because death has always been a part of Star Wars, but usually handled much better.

And so this meta was born.

I will be doing a brief analysis of significant character deaths from the Star Wars movies. I don’t want to touch on all of them because there are simply too many, so I’ll focus on the ones that were either major characters (i.e. trio billing or main villain) or narratively important (i.e. Shmi Skywalker).

This list will be approached chronologically within the Star Wars universe, beginning with:

Qui-Gon Jinn; portrayed by Liam Neeson

Personal feelings: I cried like a baby. Qui-gon holds a special place in my heart. His death was both epic and sombre. It hurt to watch other main cast celebrating their victory after defeating their respective challenges and then cut to Obi-wan cradling his master’s head in his lap, crying.

Mode of death: Killed by Darth Maul at the end of The Phantom Menace. His actual death takes a few minutes of screen time, an outburst/scream from another main character (Obi-wan). He has last words to say to the person he has the closest on screen relationship with.

Aftermath: Held by a visibly devastated Obi-wan while he died. Sombre funeral pyre. Death discussed on screen by the council and Obi-wan.

Narrative purpose: To enable Anakin’s training under Obi-wan, which is pivotal to the overall arc of this trilogy. To provide a tangible loss and character growth for Obi-wan, who failed to save his master from a Sith--later mirrored by Obi-wan’s inability to save Anakin from becoming a Sith in Episode III, thereby providing a narrative ‘tail-end’ to Obi-wan’s journey in the trilogy. To cement the master/apprentice relationship as loving, emotional, familial, which then adds narrative depth to the bond between Obi-wan and Anakin. To introduce a cohesive theme of death, failure, and loss at the hands of the dark side that would pervade this trilogy.

Overall response: This death is both emotional and narratively important. It’s given the weight and time it deserves to have an impact on the characters.

Shmi Skywalker; portrayed by Pernilla August

Personal feelings: Rough acting aside, watching a person die in their family member’s arms is always sad. It’s an extremely dark moment in a film that otherwise leans heavily into romance, action, and detective-mystery storytelling.

Mode of death: Tortured by Tusken Raiders. Died from her injuries. Again, her actual death takes a couple of minutes of screen time. She is able to say some last words to her son, the most important character relationship for this character.

Aftermath: Dies in the arms of her visibly devastated son. Anakin murders the Tuskens for revenge. On screen funeral where she is mourned and memorialized by her family/loved ones.

Narrative purpose: To drive Anakin further to the dark side by taking advantage of his love and compassion and turning this into anger and hate (revenge against the Tuskens). To plant the seeds of Anakin’s inability to save the ones he love. To emphasize his failure to keep his promise to return to his mother and free her. (Despite being freed off screen, she essentially died in captivity anyway, and Anakin was not the one to free her.) To further the cohesive themes of the trilogy: death, failure, loss, the power of the dark side.

Overall response: While not as moving for me personally as Qui-gon’s death, it has a very relevant thematic purpose and furthers the story. Shmi’s death is given adequate time on screen and we are able to observe the responses and aftermath of that loss.

Padme Amidala; portrayed by Natalie Portman

Personal feelings: We make jokes about how she lost the will to live, but her funeral was beautiful and Natalie’s delivery of the line “you’re going down a path I can’t follow” feels extremely important in this story.

Mode of death: Up for debate. She has lost the will to live after giving birth to Luke and Leia in the wake of Anakin’s fall to the dark side. Some have theorized that her life force was taken (or given?) to keep Anakin alive, but this is not made explicit in the movies. She dies beside Obi-wan Kenobi, and has the time to say last words--words of hope for Anakin’s eventual redemption. Her death itself takes several minutes and is followed up with screen time for a funeral where characters acknowledge her death.

Aftermath: The gorgeous and enormous funeral, mourned as a queen and a senator and a good woman. Anakin (as Darth Vader) mourns with a devastated and poorly acted “nooooo”.

Narrative purpose: To fulfill the themes of death, loss, and failure (Anakin’s failure to keep her alive) at the hands of the dark side. To provide a character loss that mimics the loss of democracy, freedom, and goodness that has fallen to Palpatine’s control. To provide a visual and narrative parallel between the death of Anakin (through the death of his love) and the birth of Darth Vader.

Overall response: While this death was definitely poorly handled it did have narrative significance and it was arguably necessitated by having to have this trilogy line up with the original trilogy. Her short funeral was one of my favorites in the series.

Obi-wan Kenobi; portrayed by Sir Alec Guinness/Ewan McGregor

Personal feelings: I feel weird having an opinion about this one because this movie was made well before I was born, and so I didn’t feel a real connection to/nostalgia from these characters the way I did with the prequels and sequels. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan was a huge part of my childhood, so watching A New Hope in retrospect makes this death sad for me.

Mode of death: Killed by Darth Vader/becomes one with the Force. Essentially sacrifices himself so that Luke doesn’t try to come after him.

Aftermath: Luke shouts “no!”. In a later scene, Luke further acknowledges his death--”I only wish Ben were here”. Ben is later seen as a Force ghost in Episodes V and VI, continuing to acknowledge his character’s death and ongoing influence on, importance to, and relationship with Luke.

Narrative purpose: To provide growth for Luke’s character as he grapples with losing a mentor and surrogate father figure who was also the last person (he believed) who was a link to Luke’s (supposedly) dead hero father that Luke looked up to--and setting us up for this narrative complication in VI. To demonstrate that the Jedi/good guys of the film win through self-sacrifice and not through anger, hate, or fear, which is very thematically resonant in this trilogy.

Overall response: Narratively meaningful, and the character’s death is immediately recognized. We get to see the response of the characters who he has the closest relationships with.

Yoda; portrayed by Frank Oz

(I just love The Last Jedi, okay??)

Personal feelings: It was kind of sad, in the way any person dying of old age is. It did feel more overtly spiritual than Obi-wan’s death.

Mode of death: Dies of old age, in his own home, in his own bed, with Luke beside him. His death scene lasts a few minutes and he has some last words.

Aftermath: We see Yoda again as a force ghost, which we are expecting as an audience since his body fades like Obi-wan’s did. There is sufficient closure. Luke is present for Yoda’s death and, at this point in the films, is the only character relationship Yoda has left alive--therefore this is the most significant his death can be to someone. Luke doesn’t look overly upset but this is not painted to be a sad death, as death by old age is usually more a fact of life and a nice reprieve from untimely losses.

Narrative purpose: Honestly, it’s been a long time since I watched the original trilogy so I’m kind of stretching here. I’m going to borrow from The Last Jedi and say that Yoda’s death allows Luke to grow beyond his master and stand on his own two feet as a fully autonomous agent of goodness. He no longer has the crutch of wise older men to lean on and must make his decisions on his own. Yoda’s death frees Luke to be the master of his own destiny, now knowing the truth of his parentage and no longer being guided by others to do what they think is best (kill Vader).

Overall response: One of the less impactful deaths in the series, but I do appreciate how it adds to Luke’s growth as a character and transition into Jedi Master.

Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader; portrayed by James Earl Jones, Hayden Christensen, and Jake Lloyd

Personal feelings: This is the big one™ of the trilogy, and it shows. Watching Luke trying to literally drag his father to safety is raw and heartbreaking. Seeing him unmasked for his son is chilling. The funeral pyre is beautiful. This definitely made me feel the feelings.

Mode of death: Sacrificed himself to kill Palpatine. Death lasts several minutes. Dies in Luke’s arms and Luke cries as he dies.

Aftermath: Funeral pyre. Force ghost Anakin bringing peace to Luke and cementing his redemption.

Narrative purpose: Too much to list! Reinforcing that good guys sacrifice themselves to protect the people they love. Bringing balance to the Force by killing the Emperor (thanks JJ for messing that up by the way). Finding peace with Obi-wan as a force ghost. Showing that the belief that people can be saved from themselves is validated. I’m sure there’s plenty more besides but this one is so narratively rich that it would take forever to mine.

Overall response: Extreme narrative importance. Basically ties together six movies. Emotional, beautiful, resonant.

Han Solo; portrayed by Harrison Ford

Personal feelings: Ouch, ouch, ouch! This was... this was angsty. I love angsty. I cannot possibly find adequate words to describe how well done this scene and this death was. One of my top three moments of The Force Awakens.

Mode of death: Struck through the chest with a lightsaber by his son, Ben Solo (under the alias of Kylo Ren), after an attempt to save him from the dark side and bring him home. His body falls into the pit on Starkiller Base.

Aftermath: So. Much. Rey screams “no!” Finn is visibly upset, too. Chewie roars in agony and shoots Kylo Ren with his bowcaster. Leia can be seen feeling Han’s death and cannot find the strength to keep standing. Kylo/Ben looks immediately shaken by what he has done. Rey and Leia share a sad hug at the end of the film. In The Last Jedi, reactions continue. Luke is shaken by the revelation of Han’s death and spends a quiet moment in the Falcon mourning him. Kylo/Ben’s reaction continues to spiral. Snoke, in one of my favorite lines in the film, announces that “the deed split [his] spirit to the bone”. Rey grieves Han and accuses Ben of hating him. Luke warns Kylo that he will always be with him, “just like [his] father”. Han’s shadow is felt all over The Last Jedi without him being present. Even without the further reactions in The Rise of Skywalker (Rey saying Ben is haunted by him, the literal memory scene on the Death Star), the impacts of Han Solo’s death are the most significant in the entire franchise.

Narrative purpose: To advance both internal and external character conflicts. Kylo killing Han provides an external conflict between him and the heroes--particularly between him and Rey as Rey yearns for parents who love her and Ben (seemingly) rejects/kills his that do. It also provides a meaty internal conflict for Kylo Ren/Ben Solo, who is the most nuanced villain I have ever seen in film. While Han’s death doesn’t seem to serve a main theme in The Force Awakens (it is my perspective that JJ does not have cohesive overarching themes in his two entries in the saga), it does blend in pretty well with The Last Jedi’s preoccupation with killing the past. The thematic takeaway from The Last Jedi is that you can’t and shouldn’t kill the past, you should learn from it and move on--and Kylo killing Han neatly fits into this theme by showing that Kylo tried to kill his past by killing his father, and yet he was unable to move on because of it.

Overall response: Poignant. Purposeful. Well-crafted. The effects are long lasting and felt throughout the trilogy. This is not a meaningless death. Of the entire saga, this is the death that is given the most acknowledgement.

Supreme Leader Snoke; portrayed by Andy Serkis

Personal feelings: I was on the edge of my fucking seat. This is not emotionally resonant because we don’t care about Snoke but it was huge and shocking and had these enormous narrative implications moving forward.

Mode of death: Cut in half by Kylo Ren while he narrates his own death.

Aftermath: The Praetorian guards spring into action to avenge their master. In a later scene, we see Snoke’s severed legs topple to the floor. Hux is visibly shaken and angry. Kylo Ren acknowledges the death (by blaming it on Rey) and takes Snoke’s position as Supreme Leader (”the Supreme Leader is dead”, “long live the Supreme Leader”). I’m... going to ignore how The Rise of Skywalker handled Snoke. It was unnecessary to have Snoke clones from a storytelling perspective. It added nothing to the narrative, just used as a clumsy way to justify that Palpatine was really pulling the strings all along.

Narrative purpose: To deepen the perceived conflict within Kylo Ren and showing his unwillingness to kill Rey. This further complicates their relationship moving forward as we’ve established that the new head honcho powerful villain has no real desire to hurt the hero. The narrative implications of this moving forward were so rich. Pity JJ ignored them. Additionally: To show Kylo Ren symbolically surpassing Darth Vader. In Episode III Anakin claims he will overthrow the Emperor and rule the galaxy with Padme. He never achieves this. But Kylo Ren does (minus the Empress by his side). To deepen the theme of Kylo Ren trying to kill/bury the past in order to become stronger (and ultimately failing). To add Snoke to the list of characters in the movie who embody the theme of failure. To shake up an expected narrative trajectory and provide new pathways for future storytelling. (Again, JJ, looking at you.)

Overall response: Loved it. Loved it. Not as resonant as some of the other deaths but by far to me the most shocking.

Luke Skywalker; portrayed by Mark Hamill

Personal feelings: Okay, this is a big one. Here’s the thing. I did not grow up with the original trilogy. I never really cared for Luke (didn’t dislike him either, just ‘meh’). But this movie. This movie. I went on a journey with Luke. I saw him as fallible. As human. Making mistakes. Failing. Falling into depression. And overcoming it. I cried when Luke Skywalker died. I did not think that would happen. I did not think I would ever love Luke so much.

Mode of death: Force projects himself across the galaxy to face his nephew and save the Resistance; the effort kills him. Luke’s death takes a couple of minutes of screentime, and it is gorgeous. Hamill acts his ass off. The music, the visuals, everything combines to make this the most emotional death in Star Wars--a fitting end for its first hero.

Aftermath: Leia and Rey feel his death in the Force. They speak to each other quietly about it. They know it was peaceful. Luke, knowing he was going to die, came and saw his sister first and gave them beautiful closure and a message of hope. Just before Luke dies, he warns Kylo/Ben that he’ll always be with him. Just like his father. Luke fades into the Force and we know we will see him again as a force ghost (which we do, but JJ managed to trash even that). The boy on Canto Bight and his friends are inspired by the legend of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. He ignites hope throughout the galaxy once more.

Narrative purpose: Multiple. As above, inspiring hope throughout the galaxy once more. To serve the theme of self-sacrifice. Achieving victory without violence (pacifistic). Preventing Kylo Ren from killing more people he cares about (Rey, Leia, Luke) and thereby protecting him, at least a little, from himself. Also serves a similar purpose to Yoda’s death--with both Luke and Snoke dying, Rey and Kylo Ren are without masters, the arbiters of their own destiny (thanks again JJ for fucking that up too).

Overall response: I can’t decide if this or Han Solo’s death is more emotionally impactful to me. They are both so, so moving, and so essential to the narrative.

Leia Organa; portrayed by Carrie Fisher

Personal feelings: This is hard. I don’t think her scenes in The Rise of Skywalker worked. They were cut from The Force Awakens for a reason--and then cobbled together like some kind of Frankenstein’s Monster for this movie. As much as I love Leia and Carrie, I couldn’t feel emotion for her death because it was so wooden and artificial.

Mode of death: Uses the last of her energy to reach her son (it is unclear exactly how she is reaching him. Force projection? Did she create the Han memory? Who knows.) Even with so little to work with, they still managed to focus on her death with her lying down, her hand falling to the side--trying to give this some weight.

Aftermath: Chewie mourns. Ben and Rey both feel her death and are clearly devastated. The Resistance gather around her body in mourning. Her body fades at the same time as Ben’s (wtf, JJ) and then we see her as a force ghost with Luke (but not Ben because fuck him apparently).

Narrative purpose: To bring her son back to the light, something that has been a central struggle of this trilogy. Sacrificing yourself to save that which you love.

Overall response: It has a purpose, but I can’t help but think it wouldn’t have gone this way if Carrie hadn’t died. It doesn’t seem as organic as the deaths of Han and Luke.

NB: I’m skipping Palpatine because his death was literally nothing else than “defeat the big bad”. It wasn’t even fulfilling a prophecy, it had no significant narrative weight for Rey, it was a nothing burger.

Ben Solo/Kylo Ren; portrayed by Adam Driver

Personal feelings: Twofold. In the cinema, I felt nothing. Nothing. I actually laughed in surprise. Like, “what was that”? The next day, at home, I cried. I don’t think I cried because he died. I was open to that possibility. I cried because I was so, so angry at how poorly his arc and death was handled. Like he was a footnote in his own fucking story. I think him living was a much more interesting story, narratively and thematically, but I wasn’t necessarily opposed to his death if it was done well. And it wasn’t.

Mode of death: Uses the last of his life energy to resurrect Rey. Falls over. (Plop, there he goes.) Fades into the force.

Aftermath: Like, none? Rey looks kind of surprised and blinks for a couple of seconds. No words are exchanged. He just tips over and dies. Cool.

Narrative purpose (or failure thereof): I am fucking reaching here because all of the previously established trajectories and themes are dashed by this ending. We could argue that this is a self-sacrifice to save what you love theme point. Which is fine, but like, no one mourns. He doesn’t become a Force Ghost. No one acknowledges his death. Ben fading into the Force is a metaphor for him fading from people’s minds. It’s like he doesn’t even exist in the context of the story anymore. Which is insanely baffling because all three of the original trilogy heroes sacrificed their lives, at least in part, to save Ben Solo. So that he could in turn save Rey? So he’s just another cog in the machine? This was always about Rey and never about the love Han and Leia had for their son, or that Luke had for his nephew? If you think about it, the only other ‘main’ characters to die during the course of their trilogy were Qui-gon and Padme. And both of those characters had funerals, and people mourning, and huge narrative implications. The death of Ben Solo reads like the death of a minor character. It serves one very narrow and already over-represented theme. The death of all of the rest of the Skywalkers had huge emotional ramifications for the other characters in the films. With Ben Solo, the Skywalker legacy fades as well, as if JJ is telling us that this saga was not about this family at all, but their whole story existed only for the point of saving Palpatine’s granddaughter. How fucked up is that?

Overall response: Narratively, this just doesn’t make sense. It’s lazy and not impactful. When a character dies in films, you want the audience to feel something, so you show other characters reacting to it. Are they sad? Then we should feel sad too! Are they elated? We should be celebrating! No one reacts to Ben’s death, so we’re not sure how we’re supposed to feel, either. The people who are devastated by this death are the ones who love the character itself and are upset that he got treated this way--the death itself was hollow and emotionless.

So, there you have it. Ben Solo was shafted. Death is extremely prevalent in these movies, and yet, being the only new Skywalker of the sequels and half the protagonist (thank you Rian), Ben Solo has arguably the least emotional or narratively impactful death in the franchise.

Rian Johnson would never do this to Ben Solo.

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owl-with-a-pen · 3 years

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Brainy getting Kara a cat that looks like Streaky after she gets out of the Phantom Zone

- Cute! Of course! x

Adjusting to life back in National City had been far harder than Kara had anticipated.

Never was that more apparent than when she found herself alone.

Not that she’d been alone very much. Since her family had come to her rescue, Kara hadn’t really been permitted that much time to herself. Alex had been bringing over care packages that she and Kelly had put together almost three times daily, and that was only during the hours Kara was home. At work, it appeared it was Nia’s turn to play the role of overbearing minder. She’d been sticking to Kara’s side for just about every second of the workday. Kara thought it was kind of sweet, all things considered, it was just… Nia was about as subtle about it as a brick through the window - or Brainy when he’d turned up in CatCo’s elevator last year.

Speaking of Brainy, he was just about the only friend Kara hadn’t been seeing on a daily basis. Even Lena was making her rounds, trying to find any excuse to get Kara out of the apartment or – failing that – inviting herself over unprompted.

Kara appreciated everyone’s attention, she really did, but as she sat there on her couch, curled up in her comfiest cardigan and sweats combo on the first day off she’d had all week… she couldn’t help but feel some semblance of relief.

As much as she loved her family, she hated hurting them, and when her mask finally came crumbling down after days of keeping it plastered to her face, Kara knew that was exactly what she would have inadvertently caused.

Alex may have let her cry in her arms for a solid thirty minutes after she’d stumbled into J’onn’s Tower-turned-ship, and even seen her at her worst on the days that followed when she’d slept over for those first few terrifying nights… but Kara couldn’t bear to let her sister hold onto that weight for longer than it felt necessary. She was Supergirl, the hero National City looked up to, that even her friends looked up to, and she hated causing any of them the same kind of heartache that they’d felt in her absence.

So, yes, maybe the stillness of her apartment was kind of stifling. Maybe every shadow that jutted across her walls reminded her of the Phantoms that had loomed overhead in that awful alien dimension, but at least when she was alone, jumping at something so fiercely she scorched a wall, or grabbing a pillow so hard it exploded into feathers in her hands could be hidden from any prying eyes.

She would get through this eventually. She just needed time to sort out her head, to focus on the positives, to…

Kara was thrown from her thoughts somewhat abruptly when she heard three quick knocks at her apartment door.

She frowned, lowering the TV’s volume as she heaved herself from the blanket and pillow nest she’d made at the couch corner. She padded over to the door curiously, relaxing into her heightened sense of hearing just enough to pick up on two distinct heartbeats on the other side. Although, one was… far less human in nature than she had expected, which certainly raised a big question.

When she opened the door to find Brainy holding a cat out to her much in the same way someone might offer flowers, she got her answer.

The cat, at least, seemed perfectly content to hang from Brainy’s outstretched hands, its back legs kicked up towards her, large amber eyes wide and unblinking.

It opened its mouth to yawn, as though it had grown used – if not bored – to this kind of behaviour.

“Hey Brainy,” Kara said, her eyes about as wide as the cat’s. “Um, what’s going on?”

“I brought you a gift!” Brainy announced, lifting the cat higher as though to emphasise his point. The cat, to its credit, didn’t appear to find this perplexing at all.

That made one person, at least.

Kara blinked in stunned silence, rubbing at the side of her head. “You got me a cat?” she asked, posing the question in a half joking manner. When Brainy’s eager smile only widened, realisation finally set in. Kara’s mouth fell open. “Wait. You got me a cat?”

“Indeed,” Brainy said enthusiastically, striding past Kara into the room, cat in tow.

Kara could only stare at the space he’d left behind. She shook her head, quickly turning towards him. “Why…?”

Brainy brought the cat closer to his chest, almost contemplatively, though he continued to hold it at that same awkward angle.

The cat licked its nose in disgruntled acceptance.

“Well, since you asked,” Brainy began, “I have been studying… both the medical and psychological benefits of having pets recently. Cats offer companionship, but did you also know that their purrs have curative properties, and petting them has been proven to work against stress and anxiety?” Brainy’s expression turned serious suddenly and he swivelled towards her, thrusting the cat out at her with not even a word of warning. “With that in mind, I present to you, Streaky 2.0!”

Kara reached for the cat instinctively, hastily taking it beneath the shoulders before transferring it into her own arms. Old habit kicked in almost immediately, and she found herself pulling the cat towards her shoulder with all the gentleness she’d put into practice holding this particular cat’s namesake. The cat sagged into her arms in seconds, kicking up a fuss as its whiskers tickled curiously beneath her chin.

“Streaky two point-” Kara began, only to be interrupted when the cat began to purr in soft breathy beats against her chest. Its damp nose probed her neck, tracking her scent. “Oh… oh.” Animals had always seemed to take a liking to Kara, that was true, but this was strange even for her.

Kara squinted at Brainy suspiciously. “This is a real cat, right?”

Brainy scoffed. “Why, do you think I would build one?” His eyebrows drew together suddenly, a deadly serious expression. “I did consider it. A cat as indestructible as Supergirl would be an incredible feat of science. But, no. This is a regular cat. I retrieved him from a shelter.” He leaned in, nearly conspiratorially. “Would you like to see the adoption paperwork?”

Kara snorted. “Y’know, I think I’ll take your word for it.” Her smile sobered as the cat continued to purr up a storm in her arms, closing his eyes into a half squint in total feline bliss. “You really got him for me?”

“Of course.” Brainy softened suddenly, folding his arms. He bit his lip, as though searching for the right words. After a moment’s consideration, he smiled awkwardly. “You were… in pain. Struggling with life back from the Phantom Zone. Additionally,” he gestured bluntly around the room, “you currently live alone.”

Kara laughed bleakly. “Thanks for the reminder.”

“What I mean to say,” Brainy hastened, “is that cats make people happy, and Streaky made you very happy. You felt more grounded learning to care for him, however, I believe this time it is time for your companion to take care of you.” When Brainy smiled again, it was far more relaxed. “I spent many days at the shelter making note of every cat’s characteristics, vocal patterns, requirements of other’s attention, and this cat surpassed all of my expectations.” He nodded succinctly. “He is loyal, I am certain of that.”

Kara grinned. “Well, he certainly let you carry him around like a crazy person.”

“Nia tells me cats are resilient creatures,” Brainy said with a shrug, “this one especially so. I think he will make an excellent fit.”

Kara’s smile widened further. “Brainy… this is incredibly sweet. I don’t know what to-” Her eyes widened. “Oh, I don’t have any supplies.”

“Fear not!” Brainy said, finger raised. “I have come prepared with the basics, although I am sure you would prefer to personalise your pet’s belongings in the long term.”

Kara rolled her eyes. Of course Brainy would have come bearing all the necessities for pet care. He was never one to do anything inefficiently. She pressed her lips into the cat’s warm fur, just between his ears. He was a little softer than her old Streaky, although she liked those small differences. It made this cat symbolise more to her than just the nostalgia she knew Brainy was hoping to achieve, but also the sense of a new beginning.

In truth, Kara hadn’t been considering getting a pet any time soon, not when she had so little time even for herself. As Supergirl, it felt wrong, somehow, to have another living thing rely on her as its sole care giver.

But, Brainy was right. Cats had always been her soft spot, and this one already felt like it was healing something deep inside of her, stitching an old wound that wasn’t even visible on the surface. Maybe having a pet around wasn’t such a bad idea, after all, especially when this cat was as perfect as Brainy had insinuated.

Besides, it got awfully lonely here at night…

Kara glanced up at Brainy suddenly. “Wait, is this why you haven’t been around the last few days? You were out scouting for the perfect cat?”

Brainy grimaced. “Busted.”

Kara laughed, she couldn’t help it. Brainy might have changed a lot over the last few months, but he was still as candid as he’d ever been, maybe now even more-so without all the secrets he’d had weighing him down.

She knew, deep down, that a part of her had changed, too. And maybe, maybe it was time she let down some of her walls, enough that she could let her family see her for every change the Phantom Zone had brought on – good or bad.

And, Brainy? Well, he seemed like the perfect start. After all, there was so much more she wanted to learn about him, too.

So, with Streaky 2.0 still snuggled contently in her arms, Kara smiled, taking Brainy’s arm with her free hand. “I think you’re right. I do want to personalise my pet supplies." She brightened. "Hey, maybe we can go to the pet store tomorrow!”

“But, I was just there,” Brainy pointed out.

Kara rolled her eyes. “Yes, but you put in the study-time. You know this cat better than I do, right now. I’m gonna need your expertise to find the best stuff to truly pamper him. Besides,” Kara squeezed his arm, “I want to spend some time with my friend.”

When Brainy’s eyes sparked and he grinned his affirmation, Kara was so, so grateful to see it.

“Very well, then,” Brainy agreed. “Tomorrow it is!”

#supergirl #supergirl fanfiction #brainiac 5 #kara danvers #kara zor el #kara & brainy #my prompts #anon #my writing #i didn't actually describe the cat's fur colour because .. the show and the comics are both different so like.. decide for yourselves xD #i hope this is okay it's 3am i've had a lot of coffee and i'm flagging

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lady-star-strings · 3 years

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DNF/Georgebur PotO & LND AU

Okay, to begin with, thank you so so much for giving me the chance to blab about this @dtvibez because I’ve always wanted to work with this AU, but I’ve just never had the characters to do it with and my musical nerd heart is thriving right now. Alright, anywhodilydo, geek-out over, let’s get into it - just a warning kiddos, this is gonna be a long one so strap in and hold on...

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Roles

To start off, let’s address the roles here for how I believe these plots would fit best with the characters involved - it’s purely up to individual interpretation, but these are my thoughts as an in-depth lover of these musicals.

Obviously, our dear George is the leading lady Christine Daae in this story, that was pretty much a given - let’s just be honest here guys, he’s the simp-bait through and through and if that wasn’t Christine, I don’t know what was. Meg - Christine’s friend - and her mother Madame Giry I’m going to combine and make Fundy for reasons I shall disclose later in this post, and Sapnap will have a role to discuss later down the line too, just lemme get there. Now as for the love interests, I can easily say that Eric/The Phantom is Dream and Raoul is Wilbur in this situation. Some of you might be questioning why it wouldn’t be switched because Raoul was her childhood friend and Eric was a gifted musician, but I have answers for you ahead on that, don’t you worry~ ;)

Phantom of the Opera Arc

After studying under Dream - or the Nightmare of the Opera as people prefer to call him - for years to be the star singer he was always destined to be, George is finally granted the chance to do so when some strings are pulled behind the scenes to give him a leading role in an opera. There isn’t anything George wouldn’t do for his Angel of Music after giving him such a chance at success, and Dream is practically preening with pride over how astounding his Georgie has turned out to be. Before Dream can whisk George away in triumph, however, his childhood friend Wilbur shows up out of the blue to shower him in praise and remind him of the puppy love they shared as children before George moved to the opera house. George is smitten with nostalgia, to say the least - it’s nice to put a face to the affection for once.

Needless to say, Dream is hardly pleased with this turn of events and actively tries to keep George not only away from Wilbur, but also to himself because George is quite literally all he has in the world - not even his music can compare to how much George means to him. Of course, the way he goes about this is hardly morally right and only serves to drive George further and further away from him and into Wilbur’s arms as a safe haven from all of the horrors. In the end, though, even after so much heartbreak and all the terrible things Dream’s done to keep him hostage as his muse and love, George finds it in his heart to forgive him for being how the world made him to be and genuinely offers to give up his freedom if it means he won’t be alone in that darkness anymore and Wilbur won’t die.

As expected, Dream realizes he really can’t do that George when it comes down to it - he simply loves him too much to force him to stay if it means he’d wind up hating him for it in the end. He’d rather let him be free and live the life he’s been dreaming of with Wilbur than have him stay and live the rest of his life resenting him. Even so, George is surprisingly hesitant to leave and can only offer to return the wedding ring Dream gifted him as a final goodbye and a silent show of his remaining love for him before he let’s him go in return and goes off with Wilbur. Following that night, Dream disappears from the opera house altogether, never to be heard from again...

Love Never Dies Arc - *SPOILERS*

...Or so the story goes in Paris 10 years ago. Little did anyone know, Fundy actually helped Dream steal away from the opera house when the mobs came searching for him and was unyieldingly by his side as they made their way to America for a fresh start. Once there, Dream - with a little seedy behind-the-scenes help from Fundy - founded a successful side show on Coney Island where he and others like him such as Sapnap and Punz - Miss Fleck and Dr. Gangle - are able to live freely and are treated with respect for their unique traits. Fundy has actually taken to training under Dream to be a successful singer in his own right with a well-known show in the attraction, his only goal to gain Dream’s favor and hopefully prove he’s able to replace George in his life. Dream unsurprisingly has no interest in anything of the sort and still actively mourns the loss of his muse - not even his music brings him joy anymore because it only reminds him of what could’ve been, and Fundy will never be his Georgie despite how much he insists otherwise.

But Dream is a clever thing, and he winds up securing a contract for George - who is now married to Wilbur and is raising a 10-year-old son with him - to come perform at the side show for one last performance. George takes the contract with little to no thought as to the odd pseudonym on the paperwork because Wilbur has lost himself to gambling and alcohol over the years, and they’re desperate for money to survive. At first, George is irate and somewhat heartbroken to learn that Dream’s been alive after all these years, especially after how their lives have turned out following the one night of passion they shared before he disappeared. He admits he still loved Dream when he left and would’ve gone with him, but because he thought they couldn’t be happy and left without him, that ship has long since sailed. They both wish things could have been different, but also accept that what happened happened and all they can do now is move forward with the choices they’ve made.

Much to everyone’s immense shock, though, George’s son is actually Dream’s and not Wilbur’s - a fact which Dream deduces on his own after connecting the dots between his age and musical prowess. Unfortunately, the child is terrified of Dream’s true face just as George once was and after getting the truth confirmed about the child’s real parentage, he begs for him to never know. George ultimately blames himself for what’s happened, and although he can’t take back not telling Dream of their child and the fear said child feels toward him, he swears to perform for him one last time to make up for it before they return to Paris to avoid hurting him further. Meanwhile, Dream vows everything he’s worth in the world to be the child’s once he’s gone even if he can’t be his father, and Fundy isn’t happy to hear that in the slightest because he will have nothing after all the sacrifice he’s made for Dream. All of the sleazy deals and late nights in his dressing room plying people for Dream’s success, and he will get nothing - his mind is just too fragile to face that reality at this point without doing something rash.

Naturally, Wilbur has no clue about any of this at first and makes a drunken deal with Dream regarding George - if George sings for him, he and the child will stay with Dream and Wilbur will leave. If George doesn’t sing, he and the child will leave with Wilbur with all of their debts wiped away as not to burden their family further with his problems. Wilbur then proceeds to try his best to convince George to stay with him by using nostalgia yet again since he now knows who the child belongs to as well, but in the end, George realizes that although he may have loved Wilbur at one time, his love for Dream transcends all that and has never once wavered despite everything they’ve been through. Throughout everything, Dream has always been there waiting for him and wants nothing more than for George and their child to have the life they deserve - Wilbur lost all of that a long time ago. George makes his choice, and Wilbur leaves as promised with the acceptance that he while no longer makes George happy, Dream does and he’ll take care of him - but the child, however, leaves with a distraught Fundy seeking to “right his problems.”

They manage to catch up to Fundy in time to avoid disaster, but not completely as he still views George as the reason he could never be happy with Dream and winds up fatally shooting him in the midst of a mental breakdown. Dream can do nothing but hold George - the man he loved and was finally loved by in return - as it’s revealed to the child who his real father is, only for him to flee the scene in horror of the truth. For once, Dream is at a loss for what to do because there isn’t any more time for them to have their happy ending and he hasn’t any idea what to do about their child without George. In his dying moments, George soothingly reminds him of one simple fact: Love never dies, and the best thing he can do is just live and give everything he can for both himself and the child now as all they have is each other. With a final kiss, George slips away and a sobbing Dream is left cradling his body when the child and Wilbur - who he ran to find to help George after he was shot - arrive on the scene.

Dream isn’t cruel. He understands how Wilbur must feel in the same situation, so he allows him to mourn the loss of George in his own way with the child as he contemplates whether or not he can continue on. While he debates what to do with himself, the child slowly comes to him unafraid and willing to face the man he now knows to be his father in a new light. In his eyes, Dream can see George, and that’s more than enough for him to stay just a little longer in the world.

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Sorry if that’s a lot to process and read through, but it was a lot to get out and I wanted to be crystal clear on things as not to confuse people. This is for the most part just hitting the main plot points of the musicals, however, tweaking and adjustments and further deep-dive analyses can be done now that I’ve gotten the main idea out of the way. I definitely don’t want to stick too strictly to it myself and want to tailor it more to the SMP events and characters, but I’ll save that for later since it’s already super late and I should be writing my fic instead.

Happy writing kiddos, thank you for letting me indulge myself with this concept and I hope you enjoyed it~ <3

#don't sleep won't sleep #sleep is for the living #poto & lnd AU #dreamnotfound #georgebur #phantom of the opera #love never dies #dream #dreamwastaken #georgenotfound #wilbur soot #fundylive #fundywastaken #sapnap #punz #you don't know how happy i am to finally mess with more musical junk #this is honestly one of my favorite ideas surrounding them

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lattewithatwistoflemon · 3 years

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Gundam Wing Essay

January 25, 2021

Gundam Wing has this powerful nostalgia for me, even though I didn’t actually watch the show when it came on television when I was little. I just shrugged it off and said I didn’t like Gundams. Yet I’m finding myself drawn to these characters and wondering if, in some subconscious way, this show influenced who I’ve become. From my love of damaged, traumatized bishounen to my inclination to dress exactly like Relena, despite never consciously thinking about her in all these years... I feel like maybe aspects of this anime molded me into who I am today.

Every time I heard one of my favorite songs, “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None The Richer, there was a couple there in my head, and I couldn’t pinpoint who they were... But after looking at the Gundam manga issue I got when I was 7, where Heero and Relena are in a romantic garden together, and seeing the ending sequence of the anime, where Relena stands in a field wearing that dress and that hat, I can’t help but think “it’s them”. It’s been Heero and Relena in my head all along, as this idealized fairy tale couple, every time I heard that song. Thinking back on my childhood impression of them, I realized I always imagined them as being like Romeo and Juliet, talking to each other over a balcony, over a courtyard garden, in a star-crossed, Shakespearean romance. In my head, they were always so deeply in love. Perhaps they were a symbol of romance itself. I don’t remember if I had seen a specific scene in the anime as a child that made me see them as a couple, or if my memory is just based on that one chapter of the Ground Zero manga, but either way, they were imprinted on my mind as the most quintessential, devoted lovers. She was a fairy tale princess, and he was the gallant knight who would come rescue her.

Zechs feels like an ideal fairy tale prince... the kind that will kiss my hand, give me roses, and carry me bridal style through a beautiful European garden, to a sweet little white outdoor table, where we drink tea out of fine China teacups, while the sun shines brightly, and the leaves of the trees around us cast shadows upon us that sway with the breeze. Yet Zechs also possesses that same dark, seductive quality of the Phantom of the Opera, whispering in my ear with that voice that’s both sinister and incredibly romantic at the same time, as if luring me into his embrace. Zechs has this beautiful duality to him. He goes down a dark path on multiple occasions, but even so, he feels terrible guilt for what he does. Because of this, he still comes across as honorable and chivalrous to me. Other anime characters that I’ve seen since then have had a similar feel, such as Yue from Cardcaptor Sakura and Griffith from Berserk. I’ve even created original characters for my own stories who are long haired, princely men with ambiguous morals, who I now wonder if they were subconsciously inspired by this one, long-forgotten figure that I had briefly seen as a 7-year-old. I tended to like blonde characters when I was little, and like most little girls, I loved the idea of a perfect, gentlemanly prince charming. I’m genuinely surprised that I didn’t remember him from when I was a child. Perhaps if I had seen those gentle blue eyes beneath the mask, I would’ve fallen in love.

Duo has a much different quality from Zechs. He feels familiar in a way that’s hard to pinpoint. He’s brash, energetic, and laid-back at the same time. He has this friendly, approachable quality to him that the other characters don’t possess. It feels like I can actually get close to him, while all the others feel like they’d push me away. I’ve realized Duo reminds me of various other characters, most of which are from video games, such as Sonic, Dante, and most importantly… Link. Link was my very first crush. My attachment to Link stemmed from the Ocarina of Time game. It wasn’t until many years later that I watched the animated Zelda series, in which Link is very much like Duo. I never thought of myself as being particularly attracted to that version of Link, yet now, when seeing an actual anime character who resembles him in appearance and personality, I find myself incredibly drawn to him. I can’t say for sure whether my attraction to Duo is due to his similarity to Link or to any other character or if it’s simply because of how warm and approachable he feels compared to the other gundam pilots. I remember that Duo’s design always stuck out to me the most, as the cute one with the braid.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been interested in angry, angsty characters who have traumatic backstories. For the longest time, I was under the assumption that Heero would be a basic, friendly protagonist. So when I finally started watching this show 20 years later, I was surprised by him being the type of angst-ridden anti-hero that I love nowadays. When I was 13, I discovered Saiyuki, and instantly obsessed over Genjo Sanzo, who’s exactly like Heero in that sense. His past trauma turned him into a cold, ruthless killer, who, despite his self-loathing, came to the decision that he must continue killing in order to live. While watching Gundam Wing, I saw these same qualities in Heero. Whatever he’s experienced before the start of the anime must have damaged him so badly that he’s become this cold-blooded killer. Judging from how quick he is to throw away his life for his mission, I conclude that he despises himself for all the people he’s killed. Just like Sanzo, he pushes aside that self-loathing to live on and continues fighting for what he believes is right. In addition to Sanzo, another character that I love with a similar personality type is Kai from Beyblade. Although his circumstances aren’t as extreme as Heero’s and Sanzo’s, since he hasn’t killed anyone, he also has a chip on his shoulder from his past trauma that causes him to be cold and put up a wall between himself and the people around him. Out of the characters that I know of who have this personality type, Heero would have been the first one I had seen. Even though I don’t remember knowing that Heero was like this, since I had assumed he was completely different all along, part of me gets this feeling of “what if he was the start of this? What if he’s the reason I love this type of character?” I wonder if it’s possible for him to have influenced my inclination towards these characters without me having any memory of it.

Adding to this topic of traumatized characters, Trowa also fits the bill. His trauma isn’t portrayed as anger against the world, as with the characters listed above. Instead, he’s often depicted as depressed and sometimes frightened, in a way that makes Catherine and myself feel pity for him. When he loses his memory and holds himself, shivering, that is a perfect illustration of the type of characters that I like, due to their vulnerability and need for protection. My very first favorite anime character was Hotaru from Sailor Moon, who very frequently displayed these same actions, which made me instantly love her. Also, Trowa reminds me a lot of Hakkai from Saiyuki.

Both Heero and Trowa are suicidal. Trowa had one or two moments highlighting this, but Heero has had at least 5 instances where it looked to me like he was trying to kill himself. He would often do something incredibly dangerous, without any regard to his own life. In one instance, he very nearly blew himself up, which resulted in him being bed-ridden and covered in bandages. I’ve always had a strong interest in suicidal and self-loathing characters like this. Whether this is from some sort of motherly instinct that makes me want to protect them or some sort of sadistic interest that I have with fictional characters, I’m not entirely sure. But either way, these two Gundam Wing characters stuck out to me very strongly due to their trauma and suicidal intent. Since Heero had always given me the impression of being the epitome of a shounen hero, him being suicidal struck me especially hard, and this just made me like him all the more. Even when I watch more lighthearted shows, I like to headcanon these kinds of things. For instance, I headcanon multiple Beyblade characters to be abused, suicidal child soldiers, so it was interesting to see that these things were canon in Gundam Wing. It’s rare for me to find an anime that focuses on traumatized bishounen characters similar to Saiyuki, so when I realized Gundam Wing was like this, I felt like it was written for me. I’ve come to call this the “pretty boys in need” genre.

Another reason this anime speaks to me is that, whenever I see Relena, I feel like I’m looking at myself as an anime character. Over the years, from high school to college especially, I’d developed my own fashion sense and aesthetic. This consisted of me wanting to wear ruffled blouses and long skirts. I loved feeling like a proper Victorian lady. I wore puffy sleeves, bows, and frills. My favorite colors to wear, which people have said look the best on me, were shades of red, pink, or maroon. I’d also wear a lot of white. My favorite hairstyle has always been straight cut bangs with my hair partly tied back, just like Relena’s. The hairstyle was consciously inspired by Gabrielle from Xena Warrior Princess, but I can’t help but wonder if Relena had some subconscious influence on it as well. My hair is naturally brown, but I was born blonde, and I often bleach my hair, so it’s usually somewhere close to her dark blond/light brown hair. My eyes are also dark teal, like Relena’s. Although I’ve lately been working a lot and hardly have the chance to dress up, I still see this Victorian princess image as my ideal appearance, which makes Relena feel like an idealized anime version of myself. I feel like I’ve grown to become her. Although, this comparison is almost strictly appearance-based. Some people say I’m serious, but in general, I don’t feel like I’m nearly as serious as she is. My life revolves around anime (certainly not politics), and I’m known to be very giggly. Although Relena and I do share an interest in angsty bad boys. I can’t help but wonder if maybe, somewhere deep down in my subconscious, I always wanted to be like her?

Lastly, the entire aesthetic and feel of this show feels incredibly nostalgic to me. There’s a scene in the second opening, where Heero suddenly looks up at the camera in a way that makes my heart skip a beat. I’ve been having trouble figuring out exactly what the feeling is that this evokes for me. I’ll say it’s a mix of sweet nostalgia and perhaps guilt. The characters’ faces and art style are so incredibly familiar to me. I’ve known of them since I was 7, but I never gave the show a chance by trying to watch it. I told myself I didn’t like it, after seeing a couple minutes, because I very quickly came to the conclusion that I didn’t like mecha anime. I was only 7, yet this opinion stuck with me for 20 years, without me ever trying to change it. Over the years, I had almost completely forgotten about Gundam Wing. I shunned the show. Perhaps I shunned Heero most of all, with my assumption that he’s a normal, cliche shounen protagonist. So when he looks directly at the screen like that, while I’m captivated by the familiar beauty of the art style, I also feel a pang of guilt for neglecting him all these years.

I think the best way for me to conclude what it is about this series that makes me feel so strongly is that this space opera genre possesses the feeling of an Arthurian romance or a Shakespearean tragedy. While watching this show, my mind isn’t focused on the battles or the gundams. What draws me to this show are the characters’ relationships, emotional trauma, and the visual allusions to times long ago. Because of this, the small, barely remembered bits that I had seen as a small child had left such a big impact on me that, now, when I watch it for the first time, it feels like it’s been living inside my soul all along. When I watch this anime, I get this feeling that I can’t believe I’m actually watching it. As something from a bygone era that I had quickly discarded and never thought I would ever get back, it feels like some sort of miracle, as if I had gone back in time to watch this long-forgotten relic of my past.

Leah Marie

#if anyone takes time out of their day to read this... thank you so much!#i wanted to write something small but #it turned into a 2k word essay #i wasn't sure if i was going to like this anime but #it's safe to say i do #gundam wing #mobile suit gundam wing #gundam wing essay

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explodingsynapses · 4 years

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fytheuntamed's Untamed Fall Fest: Day 2- Family

Go under and come up again

Nightless City, if it could be called a settlement anymore, did not rankle any memories.Ning Shushu tells him that it is not surprising. A Yuan had never been here.But Wen blood runs through his veins, this was the seat of his family; A Yuan feels that it at least ought to tickle a little something.

Read below or on ao3.

Go under and come up again

A Yuan has always nursed a phantom ache in his heart. Or at least, he thought it was phantom until recently.

His heart would constrict, his days drowned in emptiness. He had always thought that the ache was to align with his Baba’s anguish. Hanguang Jun was always present, always kind, always righteous, always around for A Yuan.

He made A Yuan food, he snuck him candies, he buried him in piles of bunnies. He would let A Yuan sit on his lap for hours and let him test his fingers across Wangji.

His practice sword was fashioned by his baba. His first guqin string was tuned by his Baba.

When he moved into disciple quarters, it was with an easy assurance that he could walk into Jingshi anytime. His father packed his things, talisman papers, and ink brushes, and his grass toys.

By all means, Hanguang Jun’s steadfastness surprised other disciples his age. Even having both, a set of parents instead of just Baba, some of them were always a little taken aback by the bond that tied A Yuan and Hanguang Jun.

And yet, A Yuan had never needed his courtesy name to realize that his father hurt constantly. Not from the wounds in the back, but from inside.

So, when A Yuan hurt, and when he looked hard for the shadows that came to engulf him and grasped at nothing, or maybe something phantom; he had wondered if you could inherit sadness.

*****

Nightless City, if it could be called a settlement anymore, did not rankle any memories.

Ning Shushu tells him that it is not surprising. A Yuan had never been here.

But Wen blood runs through his veins, this was the seat of his family; A Yuan feels that it at least ought to tickle a little something.

Everything about the place is alien. The residence of his family is intact, if overgrown weeds and crumbling walls are overlooked.

Ning Shushu points things out.

They search for spaces where a cenotaph could go, or a memorial would make sense. A Yuan feels very little. He has not walked these corridors. And as much as Ning shushu is guiding him through the old walls, his stories sound like their family regretted any walk through these corridors too.

His family healed people. A Yuan has never been inclined towards the healing arts. He does not know what he wanted to be, as a child, or even when he grew up.

He knew he wanted to be something that would temper the anguish his father carried. He wanted to be something that mirrored his father in his righteousness. He wanted to be motley of things that didn’t mirror his father but always brought a tint of warm nostalgia in his father’s eyes. The eyes would get wet, but they appeared less wilted.

****

A Yuan had not inherited sadness. He had drowned in it as a child. Ducked and tried to gasp up for air, and the only thing that held on, that had delayed the drowning had come in the form of Xian Gege, the lotus trying to not sink as he held on to A Yuan.

Xian Gege had held onto him for as long as he could. He had held others, family of A Yuan above everything even as the world was pushing them down to the abyss.

But he knows he went under and came up again. He did not come whole, shedding pieces of himself, memories behind. He does not know their count, to be able to find them all again.

He wondered how many people willingly drowned themselves in the hopes that he would not drown. He does not know their names. He does not even remember those faces well. He had not recognized Xian Gege or mourned Qing gugu or known that Ning Shushu had been killed trying to protect…He remembers a bit of Granny now. But he cannot complete a picture.

*******

Nightless City leaves them both more restless. That is not the outcome they envisioned. In the end, they leave the city without leaving a mark.

A Yuan does not think it’s even his place to demand things. As eager as he has been to rejuvenate a connection, he knows that he does not have the same rights on the family as Ning Shushu does.

They make camp in the woods.

“Did it bring bad memories?” Ning Shushu gently asks after the quiet goes on for too long.

He is perceptive and A Yuan does not like to lie.

“No,” He pipes out despondently, “It did not bring any memories.”

Ning Shushu blinks, “and that upsets you.”

It is not a question. In fact, his gentleness always reminds him of Baba. But while A Yuan knows the iron, the ice, the fury his father guises in himself, he thinks Ning Shushu is an endless pool of tender patience.

“It does not upset you? The last blood heir of Wens does not know anything. Does not remember most things. Don’t I owe that to my family, my blood? They all tried so hard to make me live.” A Yuan has rarely had meltdowns. He was always precocious, well-adjusted.

“It does not,” Comes back softly.

A Yuan just stares. He knows he is on the cusp of being considered a grown-up, but he feels like a little child, with eyes wide open, and tears pooling in his eyes.

“No one sacrificed things for you because you had the wen blood running in your veins. They did it because you were a child that they cherished and loved. Blood does not make family, A Yuan.”

A Yuan just kept looking at him intently.

“Wei Gongzi always looked out for me. He knew my sister and I were sent to spy. He knew the things our uncle was getting up to. He did not hold it against us. In fact, he was kinder and affectionate than anyone I know. Even JieJie would sometime doubt my abilities, fret about me, but it was Wei gongzi who believed in me. He went against Wen Chao to defend my archery skills. One of them was my blood, the other is the man who has taught me the most about family. “

“Wei Gongzi does not share his blood with anyone. The Jiangs were not his blood. We were never his blood. It did not stop him from loving them as he did. It did not stop him from loving and protecting us. He had not even met your parents. Yet Granny told me a few days with you, he went around telling people that he had birthed you. He simply cared and gave love. We never wanted, none of us ever wanted you to feel this way.”

Ning shushu’s voice is soft, patient.

A Yuan manages to croak out through the streams of tears down his cheeks, “What did you want for me? I am no healer. I am not…”

“We wanted you to live. We wanted you to be loved. We wanted, we hoped that you would get to live your life.”

A Yuan looks on in confusion.

“None of us were under any misconception that we were living on borrowed time. JieJie and I had taken part in the war. The others were old, crippled by the war. They did not hope to live longer. Their only wishes towards the end were for you to be able to live a happy life, and for Wei Gongzi to not suffer for the choices he made to protect us.”

A Yuan lets out a strangled sob. He does not know what he is crying for. He still cannot picture their faces, but something is crushing his heart. How can he be so loved by people he does not even remember?

“This is beyond what we imagined. Hanguang Jun raising you, for you to be so loved, so gentle, so accepting. Wei Gongzi and I thought you dead. We probably held out a little kindle of hope of you being alive. Wei Gongzi blamed himself. You being alive is a miracle. We would have been happy if you were raising chickens in a farm if you were doing it with a smile. Now, you are the first Disciple of Gusu Lan, so well-liked by your peers, so gracious…I know everyone who fought for your life is smiling from above. ”

“I do not know anything about being a Wen,” A Yuan cries out.

“I was never much of a Wen. Wei Gongzi is not a Wen. Your Baba is not a Wen. They are two of the best people I know. It is fortuitous that you resemble them and not our cousins.” Ning Shushu tells patiently.

“I miss them,” He croaks out without meaning to.

“Your fathers miss you too.” Ning Shushu said kindly, “We can start our journey towards them at dawn.”

“But the memorial?” A Yuan protests. He will not be so self-centered.

“Your happiness was always our primary concern, A Yuan. They have waited for a few years for a memorial, they can wait for some more time.” There was a smile there.

A Yuan just sniffled, letting himself wonder a bit.

Ning shushu continued “And it has taken coming back to this city to make me realize that this was never home. This was prison. We were not Qishan Wen. We always hoped to leave and be happier in our mountain, and that is on the way to Gusu.”

“Dafan mountain, the dancing goddess?” A Yuan asks.

Ning Shushu nods.

“I don’t remember their faces.” A Yuan blurts out, “I mean could you tell me about them?”

Ning Shushu nods happily before launching into a story.

It is when A Yuan is almost asleep, that Ning shushu said, “We should ask Wei Gongzi to come too. He was their family too, he should be able to mourn. And he is a better artist than either of us. He could paint their faces for you.”

“Why did you not ask him earlier?” A Yuan asks, only curious.

“He has spent a lifetime going away from your Baba. And your Baba has lived without him long enough. The thing about Wei Gongzi is he always thinks of everyone else’s happiness before his own. And just this once, I thought I would not give him any choice besides Hanguang Jun.” Ning Shushu said.

A Yuan lets out a snort in the middle of his yawn, “He was wearing Baba’s inner robe…”

“Ah nephew, you need to know their sordid history for the context. You did not spend your teenage years watching them moon after each other and as JieJie said ‘be sanctimonious idiots’. But well, I tried,” Ning Shushu mumbles, or maybe A Yuan is already halfway to sleep.

It’s fine. They have time.

*******

FIN

#fytheuntamed #day2 #family #untamedfics #untamed fall fest #a yuan #wen ning #grief #mourning #healing #emotional comfort

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werewolfbarbie · 4 years

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Halloween Top 5′s

Thought I would start reviewing again! Just not on camera:p for one I want to wait to get back to the review show on Youtube with @breakfast-owl when our new plans come into place and for another I really need to start writing again! So what better time to get my creative juices flowing again then Halloween?

So for the first week I’m gonna do a Halloween Top 5 List with different categories!

Today is Top 5 Favorite Cartoons to watch during Halloween. And this won’t be listed favorite to least it’s just my favorite top 5 lol

So here we go!

Top 5 Favorite Cartoons:

1. Danny Phantom: A teenager enters his ghost hunting dad’s Ghost Portal and is fused with Ghost DNA, while unleashing all the ghosts into his town. Now as a half boy half ghost, he uses his new powers to protect the town of Amity Park while surviving high school at Casper High.

Oh my word I LOVE this show. I remember the day I discovered it. Or when I was introduced to it. I was a little girl hanging out with my cousin and my older brother at Papa and Grandmas. Being that my cousin was older it meant one very crucial thing, HE was in charge of the remote. I really wanted to watch Boy Meets World but he didn’t like the episode that was on. I was about ready to pout (my go to reaction as little Janny, which NEVER worked), when he turned to Nick. Danny Phantom was on and he was so excited. He started telling me the plot and I was soon joining in on the excitement. I would later find out that the episode we were watching was the pilot “Mystery Meat”. As soon as it was over I wanted more! I went home and waited for the next episode to air. It has been part of my life since and every Halloween I can’t wait to watch it with my friends.

2. Scooby Doo: Three teens and a talking Great Dane travel the world and solve crimes. Crimes that usually include masked villains pretending to be ghosts vampires and other creatures.

I’ll be covering this show more with my Movies to watch, to my gosh how can I NOT include Scooby Doo on here?! I don’t even know when I first saw this show. It’s just been in my life that whole time. Turn on the TV, no matter what time, and you’ll probably find it. It’s be rebooted and remade many times and most of the reboots have been pretty good! I watch all of them cuz they always get me pumped for the October celebrations. The best memory I have with Scooby Doo is pretty recent. I was working at a video store (BEST. JOB. EVER.) and it was a brisk Autumn week. I was by myself at the store and no customers. As I was cleaning the place, I put in the dvd’s of Scooby Doo and just felt so excited! I got off work one day and headed over to my friend Kayla’s where we watched more Scooby Doo. This show is just so fun and will never end.

3. Beetlejuice: A ghost from the Neitherworld and his best friend a teenage girl named Lydia journey between the real world and Neitherworld and numerous adventures. That’s..that’s it that’s the plot.

Now with the show whenever I talk to people about it, the usual response I get is, “There’s a show?” Beetlejuice the Animated Series is based on the famous film Beetlejuice, with few minor tweaks. For one thing, Beetlejuice (the antagonist of the film) is now the protag of the show and he’s best friends with Lydia from the movie. The Maitlands are not in it and I’m pretty sure Delia is her birth mom instead of step mom. I didn’t watch the movie until recently, (sorry @breakfast-owl I tried to wait but it was on at work!) but I LOVED the musical and got the gist of the film. I love this show. It is so funny, so creative, and so nostalgic! I own the entire show on DVD. In fact to show you my love for this show, I was at Walmart where I had to choose between Danny Phantom and Beetlejuice and I chose that one!! (I love you Danny but it’s BJ! The ghost with the most!!)

4. Darkwing Duck: By night he’s Darkwing Duck, protecting the city of St. Canard from evil doers. By day he’s Drake Mallard, single father raising his adopted daughter Gosalyn. Night and day he’s 100% awesome.

Okay this one is not a Halloweenie type show per se.. but this show is so much fun to watch during Halloween!! I don’t know if it’s the nostalgia of the show, the way it mostly takes place in the night, the masked crusader and his masked villains, or just cuz I darn well want to! I’ve talked ALOT about this show on my blog and I plan on reviewing it at the end of season 3 of the reboot of Ducktales once I see where the writers are going with him, but for now it’s on this list. It’s just such a good show guys. SO GOOD.

5. Casper the Friendly Ghost: A friendly little ghost named Casper searches the world for a friend.

I watch this classic show every Halloween. I love the theme song (yeah the famous one is “Casper” but I love the instrumental one from the old show). It’s a pretty straight forward plot but I just love the mood it puts me in. The artwork is haunting and the characters that Casper interacts in are so entertaining. Despite them being popular, we don’t really see the uncles til later in the show and they aren’t all that mean to Casper. They just wanna make him scary. Wendy is one of Casper’s best friends so I’m glad he got a movie with her later on. Casper is another character that he continued to be remade and rebooted. I’m ready for another!

So that’s my top five favorite Cartoons to watch during Halloween! Next is my favorite movies. I would love to hear your favorite cartoons!! Feel free to reblog with your response or message me!

#casper the friendly ghost #danny phantom #scooby doo #darkwing duck #beetlejuice the animated series #favorite halloween cartoons

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ivy-miranda-2390 · 4 years

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In Defense of Anakin Skywalker (and Hayden Christensen)

I grew up with Star Wars, my whole family loves Star Wars. I was 8 when I saw Episode I and afterwards, I was completely immersed in the Star Wars universe. Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi was probably my first fictional boyfriend and I'm unashamedly still in love with him too.

Episode II: The Attack of the Clones came out when I was 11 and so naturally I was excited to see the continuation of the Star Wars prequel universe. However, nothing could have prepared me for the absolute utter gorgeousness of Canadian actor, Hayden Christensen who was cast to play the adolescent Anakin Skywalker.

My memories of first seeing Episode II are fond because I got to see the movies with my older siblings while on vacation in Myrtle Beach. It was probably my first experience of being accepted among my older adult brothers and sisters or the feeling of 'grownupness' as I like to call it.

So Attack of the Clones has always been an special film to me because I saw it at a time when I was no longer being viewed as a child, but as a growing teenager.

It's also why I've always been rather defensive of the film too. While the film was titled Attack of the Clones, it may as well have been re-titled, "Attack of Anakin Skywalker (and subsequently, Hayden Christensen)". For over 20 years, there has been an absolute and indescribable hatred of Anakin Skywalker and many people blamed both Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen's supposed poor acting as the result of a badly done Anakin.

And to be honest even though I had a massive crush on Hayden Christensen and was hardly a movie critic at the time, I felt that at times that Anakin could have been better acted. However, I was young and didn't care about the script or the acting. Yet, for years I constantly defended, Attack of the Clones, Anakin Skywalker and Hayden Christensen. Partly due to nostalgia, partly to being a teenage girl and most of all partly to do with understanding the character of Anakin as being misunderstood, misinterpreted and not being treated as an adult by the elders in his life.

Did Anakin have problems? Yes.

Were most of these problems his fault? No.

Did Anakin ever try to fix these problems and better himself? Everyday of his life.

He had nothing, but he gave everything

The prequels were written as a timeline of a boy's journey from goodness into darkness. Anakin's life is a story arch of sacrifice and redemption. Life has not always been good to Anakin. He was born a slave with no father. He was raised in the strong love of wonderful mother Shmi Skywalker. While Shmi may have been scared and confused as to how she conceived a child without a man, she raised her son in love and simple contentment.

Chances are Anakin and his mother probably faced terrible abuse in their time as slaves and more than once, Anakin may have been separated from Shmi as leverage for greedy slave owners. Although a slave, Anakin was never a victim. He may have been physically owned, but his heart and mind were free. He was his own person, always thinking outside of the box, building, creating, questioning everything and everyone. Not to mention a little wild and rather reckless.

Even as a child Anakin was a little strange to people. For a slave to have such a hopeful and positive attitude may have seemed bizarre to outsiders, but that was just the norm for him. Shmi once remarked that her son knew nothing of greed. For a boy raised with nothing, all he had were his talents as an inventor and growing pilot. And he used his talents for other people. He built C-3PO to help his mom, he entered the podrace to help Qui-Gon Jinn, he always gave without any expectation of being thanked.

A spirit that refused to surrender

After Anakin is freed and sent to train as a Jedi, that wild spirit was still intact. Much to his by-the-book master's dismay. Anakin didn't have the opportunity to grow up in the strict Jedi Temple that was built on order, rules and tradition. As a child, Anakin was use to being himself and not fitting into anyone's mold. His original dream was to be a pilot, not a Jedi. No one asked him if he wanted to be a Jedi, no one asked him if he wanted to be trained by Obi-Wan Kenobi.

While Anakin may have been grateful for both opportunities presented to him, overtime he may have seen this new life as not to different from the one he left. A life run by others. Telling him what to do, where to go, how to dress, how to behave. He survived as a slave because he dared to dream and imagine and refused to be defined by others.

Now he's thrown into a culture where individuality is looked down upon. He lived through the stifling Jedi order because he still held onto those qualities. He was going to be himself on his terms. He would nod his head and say yes when he needed to, but off the clock he would live by his own rules. Something that Obi-Wan and the Jedi order could not understand. And Anakin is getting frustrated by this.

So now we get to Attack of the Clones (and the Attack of Hayden Christensen). Critics came down hard on both Anakin and Hayden. Constantly complaining about Anakin's constant complaining, his tantrums, broodiness and being a crybaby about everything. Critics blamed the disaster of Anakin Skywalker on the terrible miscasting of Hayden Christensen. The only redeeming quality Hayden Christensen had that saved him was the fact he was so easy to look at.

For years, fans were desperate to know who Anakin Skywalker was. And so the pressure to deliver a good character that could measure up to the icon of Darth Vader may have seemed insurmountable. And so when people got this confused, overemotional 19 year old, who has no experience in love or sex, but is madly in love with a beautiful young women; and who wants to be respected in a highly established culture, without losing himself or conforming, well people were just disappointed. The disappointment can be explained in one of Anakin's most famous lines.

"HE'S HOLDING ME BACK!"

He, being George Lucas who was holding back Hayden's actual talent to create a good three dimensional character. Plus his bad script writing. Poor Hayden was just made to read lines on a page and somehow make this sad character somebody that people can root for. Unfortunately fans and critics ate him alive. It's only in recent years that people have begun to realize that they were blaming the wrong person. And by blaming Hayden, they were completely misunderstanding Anakin as a character.

His most beautiful gift, his most fatal flaw

Of all of Anakin's gifts, his ability to love deeply was probably his most profound and his most dangerous. The Jedi Temple forbade romantic attachments to others and for good reason. When you become attached to or love someone beyond the boundaries of platonic friendship you become afraid of losing them. The end of my review for the Star Wars prequels sums it up the best:

In The Phantom Menace, Yoda warns Anakin about the dangers of being afraid. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. Anakin's most beautiful attribute is also his most fatal flaw. His ability to love deeply. Yet, if you love someone you will always live in fear of losing them. Anakin was created by darkness, but raised in the light of his mother's love. His own love was made manifest by Padme and then by their unborn child/children. However, Love no matter how strong can be weakened and even be destroyed by the evil of fear. If the prequels taught anything about life, it taught how fear (even in its smallest form) can be be our most detrimental enemy. Living alone in fear and not seeking help is a signing of our own death warrants. What might have happened if Anakin had gone to Obi-Wan and seek his help? Would things have been different? The prequels were not meant to tell a happy story. They were written as a timeline of a boy's journey from goodness into darkness. No, they don't have the silliness or humor of the Originals, because there is nothing humorous about someone's self-destruction. Yet, the story of Anakin Skywalker's transformation had to be told in a way that was real and heartbreaking. To take Darth Vader and make him a human who could feel and understand and love could be an insurmountable task. Yet, you only need to watch his death scene at the end of Return of The Jedi to see that the humane part of Anakin Skywalker had always been there. The prequels were made to be built on that final scene of redemption and human love. A husband's love to save his wife became a father's love that could overcome darkness and hate. An extreme love that defied fear and held on to hope. That was the love of Anakin Skywalker.

Anakin could be a bratty and immature young adult. However, to only base a character by his few annoying flaws is overlooking the bigger and better picture. Anakin was an outsider his whole life and yet that never seemed to bother him. He never cared about fitting in. He was content being himself and he refused to let Obi-Wan or the Jedi Order or even Padme change him. He held onto who he was for as long as he was able to. Then the tragedy of losing his wife changed that. The indomitable spirit wasn't broken, it was destroyed. Anakin re-entered a life of slavery for over 20 years.

And he was ultimately freed by one person. An orphan who once had nothing but a talent as an inventor and dreams of being a pilot. A young Jedi with an unbreakable spirit that refused to surrender to evil or fear or pain or loss. A son who loved his father so deeply that he would fight to the death to free Anakin Skywalker forever.

#star wars #anakin skywalker #hayden christensen

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lifewithparanormal · 4 years

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Today is a very special day for me and for this blog.

Phantom Investigators is turning 18 today. Yes, may 25th in 2002 was the day the show premiered, and it’s already been 18 years. Man how time flies.

Lots of time have passed, we aged, we reached adulthood. This gang was 12 years old in 2002, 18 years later they would have been 30...

...But fictionnal characters have one advantage: they have the power to never age, staying as they are and continue to influence other generations.

.........Unless someone does a small alternate universe where the gang is now grown up and 30 years old in 2020...

...To tell the truth, this one-shot small fanfic wasn’t supposed to exist. But I fell lazy drawing the whole gang together as fanmade adults on the same sheet. I wanted to at least do something for this very specific birthday! So, did a small part AU/fanfic instead.

Click on keep reading to read the whole stuff and enjoy!

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The night was almost falling in San Francisco. In the nice season of fall, the weather was getting cold. But to one particular adult, that wasn't really important right now. In a house, a red-haired adult, named Daemona Prune, looked distressed. She was making calls, preparing food and tried her best to make the room presentable. She seemed to receive visit very soon. ...Well...in her head, they were supposed to arrive, but they seemed very late.

''What are they doing?'' she thought.

Sitting on her couch for some time, a souvenir picture was lying side to her. She looked at it with a very nostalgic feeling. A 12-year old kid, dressed with a green detective coat and a green mask, was standing along with her three friends: a black girl; a boy with glasses; and a orange-haired guy wearing fashion right out of the 2000 years.

On the back of the picture, the four names were written, in order of left to right. Casey, Kira, Daemona and Jericho.

''They're late! What are you doing? I hope you didn't forget me, cause I sure remembered you!'' she suddendly spoke.

It's been a few months since she found back this picture and that she remembered simpler times. Oh, sure, in her now-30 years old, she did see some of her friends again. But often alone, and not together. Now was going to be the first time, and boy there were some catching up to do.

But right now, Daemona was anxious, a lot happened in her life and she was scared to be forgotten. The more someone can grow up, the less time some people have to contribute to their friends. What if they didn't come? What if they only stayed for one hour after all the preparations she made?

A lot of these nervous questions quickly fade away as soon as she heard the doorbell. Waiting a few seconds to not look too awkward and impatient to herself, she then rushed into the entrance and opened the door. She went silent for some time....oh, it was not in the negative way, never was she more happy than now.

''...After all these years, you managed to all come at the same time!'' Daemona happily greeted. ''Yeah, for old time's sake, it's good to see you again Daemona!''

It was one of her old friends from the picture, Jericho, who was just saying that.

Meanwhile, Kira and Casey were transporting boxes out of the car. They were all wearing a coat for outside temperature. The gatherer looked at all her friends with admiration, they all grew into fine people. Jericho had longer hair, tied like a ponytail; Kira let her hair down; Casey, a little gain of weight, transported two boxes at once with great force.

The admiration changed slowly into question, Daemona wasn't really aware about all these boxes.

''Uuuuh...did you make a detour? I only asked you to come directly...'' ''We allowed ourselves to make a special stop.'' Kira explained, while transporting her box into the house. ''You will understand after dinner. You must be hungry after preparing everything.'' Casey added, entering the house. ''Well duh!'' Daemona added.

-----------------------

The dinner went along for some time. Not only eating, but talking about life in general: where the gang is at this point, their jobs, their family, their love life. Only Daemona seemed to be quiet about her own. Nobody seemed to know about that. ....At least not Jericho and Casey.

After dinner, the gang showed Daemona what was inside the boxes. What she found, was the surprise of her life.

''Oh by all the elementals of the netherworld, you brought the stuff from my parents's home at my old attic?'' She exclamed herself. ''Yes, we just thought it would be nice to bring some souvenirs.'' Kira explained. ''Just like old times, the more you grow up, the less you forget.'' Casey added.

If any of these objects in the box would be normal, Daemona would probably have taken this more likely, but what could she expect when she was leading the Phantom Investigators at 12 years old in an halloween costume?

Most of the adults Daemona knew in her childhood were likely oblivious to all that was paranormal or ghosts. And now, it was her and her friend's turns, it was to wonder if they still had their powers or thought about ghosts, due to their idea to bring full boxes of gadgets, books about paranormal and the netherrealm, added with souvenirs pictures of them as childs, along with Jinxie and Wad, monsters they have worked with.

''All these things? But don't you think that we're quite too old for this? I mean...we're thirty now and...'' Daemona quietly brought. ''Daemona, you're not fooling us, Kira told us about your job.'' Casey revealed, smugly smiling.

The women backed up from surprise. She directly stared at Kira.

''Wait! I told you to keep silent about this!'' Daemona frowned, pointing at her DJ friend. ''Hey, they're your friends too, they have the right to know!'' Kira shrugged.

Jericho, who was kind of silent since the dinner's end, had his eyes widened up from the realisation.

''Wait! It was really true? It wasn't a joke?'' Jericho shouted, out of surprise. ''Indeed, the books, the double identity, her cheesy rhymes about how her new book deserves the look, everything was true!'' Kira precised.

During the speeches, the mysterious job hider felt stuck in a corner. Oh well...what she did right now kind of had a close link to what she was doing as a children. It couldn't hurt to show to the same friends with which she founded the Phantom Investigators in 2002.

Warning that she'll be back in a minute. She ran into a closet right in her room. She opened it, inside was hanged a green detective coat along with green shades and a pile of books. She took one of the books, on it was written...

Putting the complete costume, she went out of the room and showed the book to her friends. Jericho was the most surprised of the gang, exclaiming himself.

''So it's really true! YOU'RE Monie! Now I recognise the outfit and the book title!'' ''She literally has the same haircut as before and it took you this long to figure this out?'' Kira weirdly gazed at his friend.

Daemona laughed, looking at all her friends.

''So, I see you're an avid fan of my teenager novels about paranormal!'' Daemona proudly boasted, playing with her hair. ''My kid loves your stories! But we never saw you in person! Do you think you could autograph one of his books now that I know it's you?'' Jericho asked.

The now-revealed author nodded, with a flattered smile.

''Sure, next time you visit my signature booth, bring your kid!'' she informed.

Kira was mocking Daemona a little, the simple look on her costume made her remember some hard, but good times.

''You know, in the end, you really haven't changed! Your excitement about supernatural and getting out with your weird outfits.'' ''You get a pass Kira, since you're one of my best friends...'' Daemona gazed.

Casey scratched his head.

''To be perfectly honest, I think my job doesn't fit with reading these kinds of books. But I guess I could shuffle some of them in my waiting room. Your stories are so light-hearted.'' ''Thank you, but you know, just because you're a vetenary and serious at your job doesn't mean you can't have feelings anymore...'' Daemona advised, putting his hand on Casey's shoulder. She seemed to know that he was hiding his true excitements. ''....I guess I... read them when I have free time.'' Casey blushed, a little shy to admit it.

Putting her hand out of her friend, Daemona sighed, looking at all the boxes of souvenirs.

''You know...I was kind of ashamed to admit my job to all of you, because I was scared that you would regret our childhood together, or that your forgot about all our trips to the netherworld.'' she revealed, out of worry. ''Seriously, how could we forget THAT?'' Jericho asked. ''I mean, we're adults now, obviously at first I thought you passed that age.'' Daemona said. ''Oh please girl friend, we're not like our parents or all the adults we knew. Being part of a team who investigates ghosts and almost got hurt everyday, it's really hard to forget. I'm an overbooked DJ, but deep down I still have the good memories of the PIs.'' Kira patted her friend's shoulder.

Daemona was really flattered about this small speech. 18 years have passed ever since she was the leader of Phantom Investigators with all her three friends present here. How surprising to her that in the end, they also kept their heart of child? Maybe less, but they were kind enough to visit her and bring her all these souvenirs.

With a wave of nostalgia, her eyebrows slowly changed of emotions, lowered down. She had a more serious voice.

''I wonder if right now, our mentor Navarro would be proud of us.'' ''Wherever he is right now, I'm sure he would be proud, same being said for your grandparents.'' Casey affirmed. ''How about Wad and Jinxie? They also were of use most of the time.'' Jericho added. ''They're monsters and eternal, I'm sure they haven't forget about us. At the very least, if there's children out here going through the same stuff as we did, I'm sure they're helping them....or scaring them.'' Daemona presumed.

Everyone looked at each other. This wasn't really an idea to throw out of the window. Maybe there was actually another team of children with powers, similar to the Phantom Investigators, seeing the same thing as they did.

Maybe this kind of mystery would be eluded one day. But right know, the memories were continuing....

''So Kira said you're still doing cheesy rhymes? ....Hey...how about one right now? For old time's sake?'' Jericho suddendly asked.

Daemona playfully rolled her eyes, fists on her hips.

''All right, just for you...''

Saying that, the costumed girl looked for a certain object in multiples boxes. Finally searching what she was looking for, she took it...

...A green phone straight out of the 2000 years. Acting like she was speaking, she held it close to her ear. Her friends started to get excited about what she would come it at that moment, so they could make jokes about it. It's after a few seconds that Daemona cleared her throat and finally said the following sentence...

''...Phantom Investigators, it's been a long time, describe us your slime!''

#phantom investigators #fanart #fanfiction #kids wb #teletoon #AU #alternate universe #fanfic #fanmade #headcanons #birthday

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nancywheelxr · 4 years

Text

Kate hadn’t grown up knowing a Superman.

Well, she had- in the Post-Crisis timeline, or so she heard, Superman and Batman started out at around the same time. Kal-El, or as he was known to the humans, Clark Kent, had pulled Kara’s pod open and set her free from it after she’d spent twenty-four years in the Phantom Zone, around when Batman had pulled Kate from her family’s car, the only survivor of-

One of the survivors of the crash that had killed her mother.

(That was still difficult to adjust to, even if Kate had found out about it before the Crisis)

But even if she did know who he was, before then he would still sound like a myth to her. Someone with too much power to exist on the Earth? Kate already knew about one person like that, and she was going to stick with hers.

It wasn’t like he would have ever gone to Gotham, anyway. Superman would be too good for her city, and however much he tried to clean it up, there would always be more criminals, and more crime.

Kind of like his own city, but without the pretense that everything was okay in the first place.

She knew, deep down, that she should also think the same of Supergirl. But by now she’d worked with her enough, been through enough with her, to know that Kara thought of her and Gotham the same- she hadn’t expected to go there, or meet her, but she had, and she still respected the city and its hero, flaws and all.

(Maybe a little more than respect, considering how right now, they were getting coffee together. But it was more than Kate got from a lot of people, status as the Paragon of Courage be damned)

“So… why Supergirl?”

Kara groans, dropping her head into her hands, propped up by her elbows resting on the high table that she and Kate are sitting at together.

“Oh, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Kate says, gently holding Kara’s wrist, making her look at her. “I was just wondering.”

“Right. Because I was too old to be called a girl when I started?” Kara asks. “I know. And I was just about to ask you, ‘why do you get to be Batwoman?’, but I couldn’t find a way of saying that that didn’t sound…”

“Condescending?”

“Weird. And that, yeah, actually.”

“Well, my feelings are fine, if that was what you were worried about. I understand.” Kate says, thinking of Vesper Fairchild, who has definitely said much worse things about Batwoman without knowing she’s saying them about Kate Kane.

“You do?”

Kate nods.

“Yeah, if it weren’t for-“

Kara’s chin is on her hands now, waiting for Kate to continue, but just thinking of Sophie right now makes her want to avoid the subject in front of Kara- it is the definition of complicated- so she puts it off for the moment.

“For there already being a Batgirl, before me, I’m sure I would’ve gotten that name instead.” She finishes. She doesn’t think about how she was jealous of the girl who had claim to that title when she was younger, that someone around her age was paid more attention to by Bruce than his own cousin was.

She doesn’t hate her now, whoever she was. She actually feels sorry for her, and all the shit she must’ve gone through.

“What about you? Was “Superwoman” taken?”

Kara laughs.

It seems so long ago, all of it- saving her sister and the plane she was on, making a costume with Winn, starting to work with the DEO, getting her superhero name. She’d thought, back then, that she might not even make it through her first year. But here she is, almost five years later, talking about it with her voice tinged with nostalgia. She nearly misses it when things weren’t as complicated, when she had to worry about Fort Rozz and its escapees, and her biggest threats were her aunt and uncle and their soldiers. Her universe is much bigger now, even with the merged Earths, and she’s grateful- that expansion did lead her to Kate, after all. But sometimes she still remembers her origin, and there’s no way she would erase any of that, even for what she has now.

“Not exactly.” She says. “I… really hated the name Supergirl at first, believe it or not.”

“Yeah, I believe it.” Kate answers. “Your groaning the second I asked gave you away.”

“Right.” Kara continues. “My boss at the time, Cat Grant, was the head of a media company. The same one I work at now- although back then, I was just her assistant. And after I got started, she decided to give me the name Supergirl.”

“But Kara Danvers had no say in it, I guess.”

“Exactly. I tried to tell her that I thought it was minimizing. But she didn’t want to hear me, and gave me a speech about how that name wasn’t minimizing at all.”

“Sounds like someone I know.” Kate says. “Or at least, I know her voice. If I saw her in public, I might just punch her.”

“Yeahhh… maybe don’t do that.” Kara answers, although she also considers the people she’s wanted to throw into the sun. “For what it’s worth, Cat became a mentor to me- as Kara and Supergirl. If you give her a chance, this-“

“Vesper.”

“Vesper could be the same. Or she might just be another critic, and you could decide not to listen to her.”

“Yeah, that possibility sounds way better.”

Kara smiles.

“Besides, I bet she hasn’t had to fight her twin sister, or survived the end of the multiverse.”

Kara looks down, suddenly, and her voice trails off after that, and Kate sees the solemn expression on her face, something in her eyes that makes her want to hug Kara, or sit down with her and a few drinks and let Kara share everything she’s feeling.

But right now, in public, isn’t exactly the right time for that, and so Kate goes with a different approach.

“Wouldn’t be surprised if her broadcasts did, though.”

Kara decides that she’s going to call in and give Vesper a piece of her mind, before Kate sets a hand on her arm and she can think of nothing else.

“For what it’s worth, I think Supergirl is a great name.” she says. “It suits you.”

Kara mirrors the gesture.

“Just like Batwoman suits you.” She says. “So, what else has been going on? Because let me tell you-“

“Oh, good luck trying to top this.” Kate answers, raising an eyebrow.

Kara raises her chin, in what she hopes is a challenging gesture.

“I’m certainly going to.”

“You’re on.”

Kara grew up knowing of Batman.

If it hadn’t been for the Danvers, maybe, she would have been adopted by Bruce Wayne- not that she wishes anything with her chosen family had gone differently, but it was an interesting possibility all the same. Just like the possibility of her arriving on time, and her relationships with everyone she knew changing, even if there were still a few constants in her life whom she would’ve met anyway.

But if she’d been taken in by Bruce at the age of thirteen, in this new Earth she now lived on, perhaps she would have made a friend, and found a kindred spirit.

Another cousin of a famous hero, who’d lost her world, and was putting the pieces back together even years afterwards, devoting herself to her city without her cousin’s presence and doing the best she could with a small group of people she held close to her.

Though she hadn’t known Kate Kane back then, she thought, she saw her blossoming friendship with her as a way of making up for lost time, and as they spent more time together, it would only grow and flourish, as they had on their own.

And now that they had each other, operating separately but finding common ground in concepts as big and nebulous as hope and courage and as common as coffee dates and favorite donuts, Kara could see them truly becoming a team- that Kate had once phrased as the “World’s Finest”.

Or, as Kara would say, they were stronger together. Truly exemplifying El Mayarah, in their personal and professional lives, and they both seemed to be happier for it.

Even if Kate was just a bit out of place in National City- as much as she was getting used to the aesthetic.

#hi hello this is the most wonderful thing ever???????#what do you do when one of your fave authors writes for one of your fave pairings???#this is so awesome #rachel you are the literal best #i love the parallels so much holy shit #i love this #submission #also can i just say i love kate being slightly bitter towards metropolis?#like thats so in character for the batfam

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requiem-wra · 4 years

Text

Conscience

One of the dawn’s newest recruits tries to put his head straight and winds up talking to the past.

CW: Hallucinations or ghosts, vague references to self-destructive tendencies, antagonistic friendship

Whatever D’lta’s projections, when it came down to it, he shook the eyes of his watchers easily. The surviving Pandaren villagers do their unwitting part to distract the Dawn, and he steps into the shadows and up. Not that his companions in arms seemed too interested in keeping track. He doesn’t think Basteala and Barnabas have let the majority of them in on his dirty laundry yet, though he still hasn’t determined why. Are they trying to limit the possibility Stormwind might find out they’re harboring a deserter, or do they mean to give him a fair chance? Jury’s still out on that one. He doesn’t know them well enough yet to be able to tell.

He lets his knees bend, bare wrists resting against them as he perches on the temple eaves. His gaze catches on the way skin seared by void magic shines dully in the moonlight. Looks a lot better than it felt when the rays of darkness plowed right through him. He thinks maybe he’s got the tall Draenei to thank for that, but the remainder still stings. A pile of bandages sits pooled over his lap, waiting for him to get his shit together and finish wrapping the minor wounds. He’ll get to it eventually. Just needs his head to stop racing first.

“Th’ fuck am I doing here?” He mumbles to himself, words jumbled in an exhale. Sure, they’ve got blackmail on him. Sure, they’ll alert Rena to his position if they make a fuss about his whereabouts, and yeah things would get a whole lot easier if he could get one of his names cleared, but…

But they’re a goddamn mess. Commanders running suicide marches as atonement, almost no tactics to speak of, low battlefield cohesion and a whole lot of people who fancy themselves heroes running at wild odds head first with their eyes to the ground—they’re a disaster zone waiting to happen and suddenly he understands how Raelenin fits right in. He doesn’t know why he stuck around after he left the damn boat. He should have turned right around the minute someone mentioned void tears in the Jade Forest and the whole thing be damned, but...

“You going back to your marsh, golden boy?” He hears that long-gone voice tease, and doesn’t turn to look. Bad enough to hallucinate his voice without the image to back it up—too many memories and his head already hurts enough.

“Nah,” he grouches back, “I’ve got too much to do.”

“Hmm…. and you’re still sticking around this place?” The hallucination settles in his awareness, kneeling on the eaves to rest at his side. “I’d have thought you’d leave before next sunrise. There’s nothing they can really offer you, is there?”

“Yeah, well…” He waives a hand through the air. His voice rings out to no one, and he knows it. He rants to a ghost only he can hear, but there’s no one else up here to see him now. He might as well. “Maybe that’s it. Maybe it’s not just about me.” However scrambled the Dawn might have shown itself, the Pandaren civilians don’t deserve to face the void alone. Maybe he just doesn’t want to be complicit in leaving them to a terrible fate.

His apparition fakes a gasp. He feels the memory of those hands pushing playfully against his shoulder.

“Aurelian Mistfury recognizes there’s something bigger than himself!? Truly we have reached the end of days.”

“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, asshole. My conscience might be more recent than yours, but it’s been stringing me along since you died. Not my fault you’ve missed out on all that.”

A beat of blessed silence follows. He tears his gaze away from damaged skin and presses his fingers to his eyes instead. The exhaustion must finally have caught up with him, to ring that damn voice so clearly through his head. “Not my fault either.” The illusion adds, quiet beneath the rushing in his ears.

He starts to wonder then… whether that voice only exists in his head, or whether Elune’s light has drawn something real of his squadmate from the afterlife to speak. He’s hallucinated before, but those phantoms never sound so—

His hands don’t shake as he lets them fall back down to his knees. He’s worked too hard to control himself for that, but Elune above do they want to. His head turns slowly, eyes widening as his gaze catches the hazy form of a shadow on the roof beside him.

“Quinn, if that’s really you and not just—” “Come on, dumbass. You know that’s not how this works.” He doesn’t know—never managed to figure out—how a man can sound so derisive and so damn fond at the same time. He doesn’t think his daydreams ever captured the effect so well… He has to swallow before he can speak again. His throat fights the motion, dry as the desert.

“I don’t know that, actually. Are there rules to being a ghost and or figment of my imagination?” The formless shadow of what might be a remnant of his friend, might not, just laughs. As he watches, shadowy substance fades and re-solidifies like a heartbeat. Golden eyes flick back to his knees. If this is a daydream, it’s a fucked up one, and if not—

Well. maybe he doesn’t want to see Quinn go.

“More rules than you’d ever follow.” He doesn’t actually feel the gentle smack on the back of his head, but he knows where it would have happened—a ghost of sensation that has his heart racing and his hair standing on end.

If this is real, and not some trick of the void and moonlight…

“There were a lot of things I never got to say to you.”

“You’ll have plenty of time to tell me later, golden boy. Not much left now though. Don’t get distracted.”

“Right, sorry.” His voice doesn’t waver, but something sharp scrapes up against his ribs when he exhales, buried feelings jagged enough to slice him up inside. “Please continue with your much more urgent message.”

“Did you already forget why you came up here? Didn’t realize your hard head was empty too.” He hates the nostalgia that threatens to choke him as much as he can’t stop the smile that forces its way onto his face.

“Asshole. Alright. Fine. Great and wise imaginary friend, what do you think? Would you split and leave these sanctimonius do-gooders to themselves as I plot ecoterrorism against the forces of the void?” He expects Quinn to say something about obligation or duty, or the need to protect those people in the Dawn who just want to do good in the world. He doesn’t expect—

“Take them up on their offer. Take them seriously, and get your stupid name cleared. You can do what you want after that.”

He blinks. He can’t help looking Quinn’s way, hair swinging in its braid with the speed at which he turns.

“The hell…? Not gonna lecture me about being in it for others?” Somehow, he gets the impression of familiar concern from that formless face.

“’Lian, you keep trying to do things the way I would want. You ever think maybe what I want is for you to do something that makes you happy?” Shadow pulses, fades pulses…. And blinks out. The sharp-edged knot in his chest digs deeper. He releases a wet exhale to the night sky, fingers clenching around the twisted mess of bandages in his lap.

Fucking hallucinations.

He should tear off this roof and run. He should leave this offer in the dust. He should—he should—

He should sit here and wrap his damn arm, and he should wait for the self-sacrificial commander to march back through the gate. And if the commander comes back mind-controlled he should get help. And when his self-imposed shift ends, he’ll haul off and find a hole to collapse into and sleep before he asks the boss lady for more orders.

He never had been good at denying Quinn anything.

“I’m doin’ it, but it’s not gonna make me happy, asshole!” He shouts to the moon, because Elune’s the best proxy he can think of to reach his dumbass squadmate. He feels the weight of someone’s gaze and looks down to find a temple initiate staring up. “Ah, sorry—" He calls down, waving with a grin until the confused initiate moves along.

Great. Now the Dawnsmen will think he’s mad AND a vicious murdering thief.

He smooths the bandages over his lap, finds an edge to start wrapping with and wonders whether the assumption doesn’t fit.

#quinn #roleplay #world of warcraft #firefly #writing

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simonjadis · 4 years

Photo

Anon, I’m NOT directing this at you, but my dear friend has a shirt that reads:

again, not directing that at you, but it made me think of this graphic, which made me smile

I love the prequels. We get to see people do interesting things with the Force in ways that we did not in the OT until Luke showed up in Sheev’s throne-away-from-throne on the death star

I have to say that my feeling was that the Sequels AND the backlash against them both originated (primarily) in nostalgia for the Original Trilogy. I personally cannot stand OT purists

I remember seeing a tweet that shook me to my core -- someone complaining about Rey and Kylo’s fight on Endor because they were using the Force to jump

apparently that person wishes that all lightsaber fights were just the one from A New Hope, where opponents take turns whacking the other’s lightsaber and then one of them gives up

there are a lot of very good lightsaber fights in star wars. this one is my personal favorite:

youtube

It’s hard to have a good lightsaber fight featuring Kylo because he’s not super good at it. Rey is using the light side of the Force (which I consider to be a disadvantage) and generally not even trying to kill him, but Kylo doesn’t really do anything impressive. Part of that is because his lightsaber is so fucky. He should really have found another kyber crystal to bleed and make his. Like ... it’s allowed, and it could be useful if he wants to do something other than Form I at some point

One of my biggest concerns in The Force Awakens was that, aside from Kylo’s impediment jinx, all of the Force Stuff seemed to hearken back to the OT, which I hoped would not continue. Eventually, we did get Cool Force Stuff (lots of it!) in IX, but if the rumors are true, that’s just a taste of what we could have had in JJ’s ALLEGED original concept that would have included the Son of Mortis

anyway, about the Prequels -- the best part of Star Wars canon is Clone Wars. the worst is Phantom Menace. both are Prequels, so I get why they’re polarizing, but I prefer the Prequel Trilogy to the OT because the Prequel Trilogy has cool Force stuff, a more complicated story, and also much more Palpatine . . . I love him

I agree that “Disney Killed Star Wars” is silliness. It’s huge in the culture right now. We’re getting more Clone Wars in one month. And also, like, no Star Wars movie, including TLJ, can “ruin star wars.” It’s one film out of many.

#Star Wars #anon #ask #anon ask

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monkey-network · 5 years

Text

Good Stuff: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

WARNING: Putting an onion in your sock before bed is pretty beneficial to your sinuses. Also, the title doesn’t have enough words. Thank you, take care out there, and enjoy.

Swing, Strike, and Stand True as a Princess

I’ll set this straight ⁽ᶦⁿᵇ⁴ ᵃⁿⁿᵒʸᶦⁿᵍ ᵀᵘᵐᵇˡʳ ʲᵒᵏᵉ⁾ while it ain’t late, never watched the original She-Ra or He-Man. I’m familiar with it but I never saw it and really, I don’t plan to, so consider this as fresh of a review as possible. Beforehand my interests in this admittedly went on a roller coaster from worried to (-_-) but now that it’s finally out, it’s safe to say that I’m impressed with it overall.

Especially Lorraine Toussaint’s voice that’s as strong as ever

Truthfully... there are some setbacks. First hand, I don’t like Bow. I don’t hate him, tho I’m not gonna explain myself, that’s just me. Character designs aside, the look of it all can range from good to noticeably bland or static; the coloring was good, and the animation can be expressive, but there wasn’t any location or background that stood out to me.

But really, and I figured this would happen, this series suffers from 1st Season Syndrome (see Voltron: LD and The Clone Wars series) where the setting up for later on gets in the way of just... having adventures. Doesn’t help that said princesses of power aren’t as present as they could’ve been. At the very least do what Sly 3 did and continuously increase the group so they can expand the character dynamic to eventual moments you might’ve never expected to come about while still giving focus to our treacherous trio instead of sandbagging them to one episode or a couple moments for each afterward.

That’s the power of an ensemble

And it also doesn’t help that this honestly simple prologue of a season has to add (some good) narrative complications to make it more grandiose in the inevitable long run, when it can be generally superfluous because you should figure out what’ll go down in the last episode from the get go. I mean, you’d think that with only 13 episodes, shows like this would make the most of their universe and the time, especially on their first crunch. I’ve grown tired of serialized stories so I enjoyed the episodes that amounted to a simple fetch quest, but the looming thought of “Hey, there’s an overarching plot to be had. Lore and stuff.” is present in almost every episode and it gets tiring. Hell, this makes Hordak kind of an afterthought because he’s basically the series big looming evil guy that contemplates in the shadows with machinations, subterfuge and then a big reveal where he’s like, “HA HA, Remember me?” and somebody’ll go like “NOOO!” Just saying, hopefully in the later seasons they’ll twist the story a bit without going off rails, with more episodic adventures, but needless to say I was given little reason to care about the bigger picture.

Then again, the characters were great and honestly what makes this series work. If anything, the one thing that stood out best in my eyes, one that many may agree, was Adora and Nyantra respectively. Or really...

The Johnathan and Dio of this series

Yeah, I figured a JOJO mention could fit well into this pretty weeb enough series, but the clash and story of Adora and Catrara I can say uniquely resembles what Phantom Blood was for its main rivals; two close people, born under the same house, part ways with different outlooks and yet are bound by a string of fate to clash until one stands victorious. One possessing a more valiant will to do good, the other with a domineering ambition to just come out on top after feeling stripped of an ideal life. One obviously way more interesting than the other. Like JOJO, their dichotomy is subtle, they are both a strength and a weakness to each other and themselves, and She Ra takes it a step above that by putting both characters under the same initial condition, making the tragedy of their battle pretty poignant and outstanding in my eyes. Wish the same could be said for most else in this season, but oh well.

Just kidding, guys, Glimmer too was an outstanding highlight of this season (like I knew best character would be)

So, as this series provided quite a bit of a divide, with the oldie fans crying for times of yore while tumblrites were on this like debt to a liberal arts major. As for me... this was an enjoyable series regardless of nostalgia goggles or the shipping bombardment. It is campy, colorful, kinda dumb, imaginative, much like an 80s cartoon was back then. It played out like a modern take on a cartoon based on a product from a time where the Rubix Cube got a show of its own. I can’t tout this as the best reboot I’ve seen in my life, not yet, but at the very least I say it did its job, fair and true. All in all, I wanted a series about fighting princesses and I got what I was hoping for.

3.5 out of 5, an uneven yet inviting & colorful romp of a time

#she ra #spop #she ra 2018 #cartoons #animation #reviews #Good Stuff #Roy Macintosh #ye #catradora #glimmer

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fearofaherobrine · 6 years

Text

Roleplay Server Log #375

"Swedish Furniture, Spar Redux, Robbing The Snake, Phantoms, and Drunken Herobrines”

[CP] Is in the bedroom, working on assembling the crib near Lie's side of the bed with his usual amount of frustration-

[Notch] Taps lightly on the door - Cp?

[CP] Very irritated- What?

[Notch] Sees the mess - Do you... need help?

[CP] - ... No

[Notch] Are you sure...? This looks complicated...

[CP] - It can't be that hard!

[Notch] Come on, I'm good at this stuff. - Picks up some pieces and the instructions.

[CP] - Because you're from Sweden?

[Notch] Eyebrow- You've seen my apartment. I put most of that stuff together.

[CP] Grumbles- So then what needs to be done oh master of building?

[Notch] Well, first I have something you might need later. - rustles around and pulls out the pink stuffed sheep-

[CP] Gives Notch a confused look- Why do I need this?

[Notch] So you can give it to your daughter yourself.

[CP] - You guys already gave her teddy bears?

[Notch] Yes, but this one can be special. Like Mr. Charlie is for Sally.

[CP] - Oooookay?

[Notch] Because you gave Lie Rosebud?

[CP] Looks at the small plush sheep in his hand- Ooooooh

[Notch] Nods - I knew you'd figure it out eventually. Same as the furniture.

[CP] Carefully puts it on the bed before turning back to the mess which is the crib-

[Notch] Quietly stands next to Cp and helps him -

-The next day-

[Doc] Whispers over chat- Hey Cp? Are you busy?

[CP] - ... No?- He totally is not trying to cram too much stuff into a chest

[Doc] Can you meet me on the desert side of the shrine?

[CP] - Do I have to?

[Doc] Please?

[CP] - Give me a minute- He quickly sends Notch a message letting him know to keep an eye on Lie

[Notch] Chats back- I'm all over it kiddo. -With an emoticon smiley-

[CP] - Don't do that

[Notch] chat- dawww -frowny face-

[CP] Growls but heads for the dessert-

[Doc] Is pacing a little bit. They've put their coat on an armor stand in the shade and are a little bit female today, with some small breasts under a yellow tank top.

[CP] Lands- What do you want?

[Doc] Oh... you look really tired. Do you want a potion to perk you up?

[CP] - No, I want to be able to spend an entire night sleeping with my wife, but the baby wakes her up during the night

[Doc] Well... I can't do anything about that, unfortunately. Though, I would if I could. Family life can be annoying sometimes. I certainly didn't get laid while Yaunfen was sleeping between me and Deerheart. Heh.

[CP] - I don't even want to think about you fucking... Or fucking at all

[Doc] Okay, okay, I was just offering to comiserate for bit. Or perhaps, something more to your liking...

[CP] - What is it?

[Doc] Walks closer to Cp. Wanting a good at their face when the question they've been holding at bay for so long finally, finally, falls from hir lips. - Spar with me? I could use some hand to hand practice. I feel like we've come far enough that it might be safe to ask.

[CP] - You what?

[Doc] Smiles- You know I'm fast, but not particularly good with any given weapon. Maybe it's best if I just work on punches and kicks?

[CP] - Don't you have the punching bag for that?

[Doc] The punching bag doesn't have hands to block and can't get out of the way.

[CP] Sighs- Fine, whatever, let's just get this over with- He heads out into the hot sand, just waiting to watch Doc fail

[Doc] Squares up gamely against the bigger brine and takes a massive roundhouse that's almost too fast to see. They get up and try again, this time using their speed to punch at some unprotected spots. It's hard and xe has to move insanely fast to keep Cp from getting a grip on hir.

[CP] Just looks bored- I know you can move faster

[Doc] As a dragon yes, it's a little harder when I'm on two feet and not flying! - Gets grabbed and tossed in the sand again. They try a kick only to have their foot deflected and be thrown off balance. They push themselves to move faster, trying to strike at Cp's chin and knees.

[CP] - You are pathetic, I'm not even trying... I'm too tired too...

[Doc] Sweating and a bit tired hirself- I'm doing my best! - Their hands are flying as Cp's strikes and deflects their blows. They go for a sweep and Cp just vanishes and reappears behind them before shoving them in the sand again. - Dammit!

[CP] - How's that sand tasting?

[Doc] I asked you for help. Did you make fun of Stevie when you taught him? I wasn't lucky enough to have a sibling to even try with me.

[CP] - Stevie was before I became what I am... But afterwards I absolutely did talk to him like this

[Doc] Huffs and tries again, just a blur in the sunshine as they dart around the much larger Herobrine, just trying to get one good punch in at least-

[CP] Just vanishes-

[Doc] Quickly scoots into the shade so their back is to the wall of the shrine-

[CP] Appears floating above Doc- You're open

[Doc] Gasps and vanishes straight down into the sand-

[CP] Just rolls his eyes- Scared much?

[Doc] Climbs back out of the ground a short distance away. - Okay, I give. Are you happy? You just startled me.

[CP] - You still have a lot of work to do

[Doc] I know... Are you willing to help?

[CP] - Depends on if I have time

[Doc] Better then nothing I suppose. And you didn't kill me this time. So that makes me feel a lot better about things in general. - They pull out a bucket of water and splash themselves a little before shaking off the cold droplets-

[CP] - Are we done here?

[Doc] Well I was going to run an errand, and if you joined me, I'm sure it would take way less time then if I go alone.

[CP] - What kind of errand?

[Doc] I'm going to go steal a small item from a different game.

[CP] - What kind of item?

[Doc] It's a very small, but very special gun. It looks pretty normal at first glance. I thought I'd give it to Licht to replace the one you broke.

[CP] - So we get to annoy her?

[Doc] Putting hir coat back on- I don't know? But the game has guards you can beat up.

[CP] - ... Fine

[Doc] Great! Shall we? - Makes a gracious gesture-

[CP] - Lead the way

[Doc] Makes a hole out into the void and waits for him to follow before leading them to a series of nodes- not much to pick from as far as players, just a few nostalgia junkies taking a walk down memory lane... lets see... ah! Perfect! Someone on easy difficulty and still in the first few levels. We're going to come in from high up, I know it doesn't matter so much for you, but fair warning. - They make a hole and shift as they jump into it-

[CP] Activates his flight abilities-

[Doc] Does a tight turn to catch him if needed. The sky is bright blue with smears of pixelly clouds and the jungle beneath them is dense and low poly. A military helicopter is quickly speeding away from them as well.

[CP] - So where are the guards I get to beat up?

[Doc] Down there. There's a - does the quotes thing with hir claws- 'secret' base over there.

[CP] - Explode it?

[Doc] Well no... lets get down there at least so I don't have to yell. - Xe heads for a fairly clear spot near a stream and shifts back to hirself as hir boots touch the ground.

[CP] Follows and lands quietly-

[Doc] Okay, there's two ways to do this and I think I already know which you'd prefer. The first involves catching/killing all 28 animal types in the game, and collecting specimins of the 11 plant types, and getting 8 different random collectable items..... or - they're sensing Cp's annoyance- we can mug the main player character.

[CP] - Let's do that

[Doc] I thought so. So we just have to find a camoflaged guy in this mess and beat him up. There are also patroling guards with automatic weapons.

[CP] - He won't be camouflaged if everything is on fire

[Doc] Looks around- I guess? I don't want to destroy the item I'm trying to get too though. If you despawn the player entirely we'll have to find another node or hope they make a second attempt to play right away.

[CP] - Yeah yeah, whatever- His hands are now on fire and he places them on a tree

[Doc] Yikes... Is this one of those psychological need situations?

[CP] - Probably

[Doc] Okay then... You know how to track people right? Wouldn't that be more productive?

[CP] - This will flush them out faster

[Doc] -blink blink- They scramble around a bit looking for anything useful before Cp sets it all on fire -

-There's a weird noise and three guards run towards them with guns and cock to fir. They're very low poly with blurry faces-

[CP] Just punches them and then continues setting things on fire, searching for the player-

[Doc] Goes to move and then freezes before staggering forward- Cp! Stop with the fire! You're making everything lag!

[CP] Just laughs- Really? You're getting effected by THAT!?

[Doc] Yes! It's annoying as fuck! Cut it out!

-The fire spreads to a tree and disturbs a hornet nest, the angry little bugs go for Cp because he's closer-

[CP] - Oh fine!- He does set the hornets on fire though

[Doc] There! I see someone who looks different!

-A figure suddenly makes a break for it. His gear is camo but he's wearing a hat that looks like an alligator head and a big backpack.

[CP] Lunges at him, not effected by the lag and tackles him to the ground-

-Lots of squirming-

[Doc] Steal his backpack!

[CP] Rips the bag off his back-

[Player] Runs for it, or at least tries too as the lag from the fire slows him down-

[CP] Looks through the bag-

-There are a few strange looking plants, a packet of instant noodles, and a very small gun.

[Doc] Is it in there?

[CP] Pulls out the gun- Is this what we're looking for?

[Doc] That's it! It's the EZ gun.

[CP] Tosses it at Doc-

[Doc] Catches it neatly. - Bring the whole bag, it might be useful. Other then that, we can go. I'm starting to feel like toast anyway.

[CP] - Alright, do I need to make the portal back?

[Doc] Nope, I got it. - They stow the gun and hop up into the air with a little rumbly roar, making a portal back into the darkness without-

[CP] Follows quickly-

[Doc] Takes the bag from him with two claws and puts it away as well. Xe busks up against his shoulder in a friendly way. - Thanks for coming with me Cp.

[CP] - Whatever

[Locklear] Is in Yster's kitchen preparing food. He's got two fine steaks sizzling away on the stove as he chops up some vegetables to steam. He's borrowed one of Yster's hair ties and has his own hair pulled back as he works. He knows Yster had overtime today so he hopes he's timed dinner right-

[Yster] rolls in like she hasn't slept in days and stops short at the delicious smells- oh thank goodness. That's exactly what I need right now! - she gives Locklear a little kiss- you look good with a ponytail too. Very dapper.

[Locklear] Smiles a little- Go take your shower, the food should be just done by the time you get out

[Yster] Gets a wry smile and does a quick manuver before artfully pulling her bra off and through one of her sleeves. It's red and she flips it over one shoulder before scampering off mischeviously.

[Locklear] Watches her with a bit of amusement. He returns his focus to the food and starts plating it up, slicing the steaks artfully and arranging everything nicely before putting the plates on the table and letting his hair out of the ponytail-

[Yster] Comes back more comfortably dressed, just a nice pale violet T-shirt and small shorts. [She's still braless though]. She slides into a chair and sighs. - This looks wonderful. Did you get bored waiting for me?

[Locklear] - No, I did have to return to the manor briefly because Eyeless wanted a second opinion on something and I spent a bit of time shopping for dinner. I figured since you've been working so hard, you could use a good meal with no effort from you

[Yster] Eats dantily. - It's appreciated, absolutly. So was it anything interesting? Or do I not want to know?

[Locklear] He wanted a confirmation that one of his potential victims had a certain, genetic disorder

[Yster] Slightly troubled - That's a shame on several levels I suppose... I presume your bretheren aren't as choosy with whether their victims deserve their fates?

[Locklear] - No, unfortunately

[Yster] Does Eyeless have a mate?

[Locklear] - No, the only ones that have their mates are Judge Angel and Bloody Painter, Herobrine and his mate, BEN and his, and now you and I... Although I suppose technically Jeff counts as well, but his isn't as... Smooth as ours

[Yster] Well hopefully he'll find someone who might be a good influence on him like Lie has for Cp.

[Locklear] - Who knows, right now he's just usually angry

[Yster] Noms some vegetables - This is really good. Why is he angry?

[Locklear] - His digestive tract got messed up when Insanity was removed apparently. Makes it more difficult for him to eat what he's used to

[Yster] Oh dear... Does Doc already know? I'm suprised they haven't tried to fix it.

[Locklear] - They did try, I'm sure they can tell you much more accurate information than I can

[Yster] Ah... - She eats quietly, obviously considering something.

[Locklear] - What are you thinking of?

[Yster] Work actually. This damn mob that Jeb came up with is driving us all crazy.

[Locklear] - What is it?

[Yster] It's a flying thing that looks like a manta ray. But it's causing all kinds of stupid errors. It's an ongoing problem with flying mobs.

[Locklear] - I see, perhaps you should stay home tomorrow, you've been exhausted for days now

[Yster] No, they need my help. Everyone is in on this. The deadline is coming up too. We got the bats to stop hanging around the build limit and causing lag, we can figure this out.

[Locklear] - You could say it's doctors orders~

[Yster] -eyebrow- You could always ask Cp to help out. That might speed things up.

[Locklear] - He's busy enough as is with his wife being pregnant, but I'm talking about you love

[Yster] What about me? So I'm a bit tired? That's nothing some coffee couldn't fix.

[Locklear] - I just want you to be healthy

[Yster] Don't be such a worrywart. I'll be fine.

[Locklear] - And what if I make it so you can't even walk tomorrow from being weak in the knees?

[Yster] That's quite a claim... - She takes a dainty bite of steak and licks a bit of reddish juice from her lips.

[Locklear] - But if you don't wish to listen to the doctor...

[Yster] wryly- You're a bad influence.

[Locklear] - I am the most perfect example of a good influence

[Yster] Tiny smile- Then you should help. Besides, if you let Cp drag us both in you can examine the new creature if you like.

[Locklear] - You just want to spend days in there without wasting any time out here- Fake pout

[Yster] It's time you could spend with me as well...

[Locklear] - This is true...

[Yster] Cleans up the last morsels of her food while he thinks, and then gives him an expectant smile.

[Locklear] - Stop it

[Yster] We could take a nice walk, little boat ride, picnic someplace secluded...

[Locklear] - You do drive the hardest of bargains my dear

[Yster] Sweetly- And you cook a very good steak.

[Locklear] - Well I would hope so, it did cost me about sixty bucks, but I will always spend everything for you

[Yster] Then I'l be sure to make it up to you. Actually, if you call him now I can get a whole nights sleep in the wink of an eye as well.

[Locklear] Sighs- Very well- He pulls out his cell and dials CP. It isn't long before CP's yelling can be heard

[Yster] Let me get my laptop. - Gets up and goes to her room before coming back with the little computer in a bag.

[Locklear] - Just open a damn way!- He motions for Yster to grab his coat

[Yster] Grins and passes him the coat, his mask pops out of the pocket and she holds it expectantly-

-The laptop crackles to life and a portal opens-

[Yster] Slips through and changes to her MC skin, [monochrome- white skin, black hair and a long black dress] With a smile she puts Locklear's mask on her forehead like a hat.

[Locklear] Comes through as well- I hate coming here... I don't like the feeling of being like this

[Yster] Twirls her dress a little. - Is it really so bad? I already feel better. I had full health last time I played.

[Locklear] - Only for you will I suffer through being here

[Yster] Gives him a very passionate kiss. -Thank you for that. - Looks around curiously - I wonder if Cp literally opened a portal outside and then went back into the bar?

[Locklear] - Wouldn't surprise me

[Yster] Well lets go then silly! - She takes his hand and leads him into the bar-

[TLOT] waves brightly- Hey Yster!

[GK] Gives a little salute-

[CP] - Fuck off!- He's got a bottle of whiskey in front of him

[Locklear] - As elegant as always I see

[TLOT] It's a bit of an impromptu 'guys' party.

[Yster] Then my intentions are even more in line with the situation. Cp can't help me code drunk anyway. I'll just excuse myself for a little bit. - She heads towards the crash room- Please don't get my sweetheart painfully drunk again Cp.

[CP] - I'm not drunk yet and I absolutely will get him drunk

[TLOT] Be nice Cp. Besides, I got a sobering flower from Lie for emergencies.

[Locklear] - A... Sobering flower?

[Gk] It's fucking gross but wicked effective.

[TLOT] Flourishes the little curled up blossom long enough for Locklear to get a good look and then puts it away so Cp has no chance to destroy it.

[Sam] Just relaxed and leaning on the bar in case anyone wants anything.

[Locklear] - I'm not even going to question that at the moment- He takes a seat- So what is this gathering about?

[Gk] Our man here didn't get to party before he got hitched. So we decided to take him drinking at least before Lie has the baby.

[Locklear] - Ah, so your nearing the due date? How wonderful

[TLOT] Yep. Lie looks ready to pop, we don't think it will be long. I can't even imagine how hectic his house is gonna be.

[Gk] Yeah, the baby dragons were one thing, but this one's gonna have HIS blood.

[TLOT] It's almost a certainty that she'll be born with some kind of small glitch, and... - he blinks-

[CP] - What is it TLOT?

[TLOT] Slow smile. - She won't be the first. But she will be the native to some degree for having been conceived and born here. It should enhance any inherent powers.

[Gk] Whistles- Damn... Good luck buddy.

[CP] Face plants and groans-

[TLOT] Pats him on the shoulder- From what I've felt she'll be healthy, and you'll have your friends to help look after her.

[Gk] This is gonna be fun!

[CP] - I'm just ready for Lie to not be so moody

[Locklear] - Oh you'll be in for worse

[TLOT] Babies cry a lot don't they?

[Gk] Kids get emotional.

[Locklear] - This child will get upset over everything, including their own shadow

[Gk] It's hard being a kid. Everything is scary and new and you have adults constantly telling you you can't do this or that, and you're not mature enough to understand the reasoning behind the rules.

[TLOT] That's suprisingly insightful Gk...

[Gk] Shakes a shot glass at him- Hey, fuck you man. Do you have any idea how many fucking times I've had to completely grow up from scratch in a brand new body???

[TLOT] This is true... I was a child for a very, very brief time, and it was... not plesant.

[Locklear] - I don't really recall much from my childhood. You can thank the asylum for that

[TLOT] Asylum? I thought that had something to do with asking someone to protect you from someone else?

[Gk] Fetches Locklear a moderately strong drink- that's rough man...

[Locklear] Scoffs- Protection indeed, IF you mean protecting the rest of society from those deemed criminally insane. Which is what they called me for saving the life of a child

[CP] - Well to be fair you did murder a lot of people to save that child

[Locklear] - Those I killed deserved it

[TLOT] Little cough - I take it the ones sacrificed had displeased you in some way?

[Locklear] - They were the worst the human race had to offer, rapists, murderers, and low life thieves

[TLOT] Takes a swig of his drink and flicks his gaze to Cp. - I see.

[Gk] Fuck em then. I was ready to kill my Steve to get my real body back. I ain't judging you.

[TLOT] Curiously you seem to have won Doc over to an extent as well. They can be morally peculiar at times.

[Locklear] - Indeed, I still hunt those types to benefit the lives of children. I take their organs and deliver them to the children which need them

[Gk] Snorts- I got a little sis and I'd roast anyone who hurt Endrea's kids. I get it man.

[TLOT] I'm nervous about anyone passing final judgment on others, but... that also means I'm loathe to do it myself either.

[Locklear] Lifts his drink in a slight salute before taking a sip-

[CP] Finishes his bottle and motions for another-

[Sam] Obliges with his usual grin-

[TLOT] Raises a glass to him as well. - Good to see the relationship seems to be working out. She's rather fond of you.

[Locklear] - Yes, but she's been so stressed lately. That's why she wants CP's help, to finish something a bit faster and get it over with

[CP] Downs about half a bottle- So why is it that you guys give Locklear a pass on killing but not me?

[TLOT] Slowly - Yeeeesssss..... for the most part.

[Gk] That and the fact that he's real. What the fuck could either of us do? Scold him?

[CP] - Doesn't mean I couldn't harass him

[Locklear] - You interrupt my work and you'll find no internet at the manor

[TLOT] That just reinforces my point. Besides... he is kinda killing assholes to save innocent little kids...

[CP] - And making a crap ton of money from it

[TLOT] I would hope the money wasn't the motivating factor?

[Locklear] - Well it's certainly helpful

[TLOT] Just takes a slightly larger drink.

[CP] Is checking on Lie mentally-

[TLOT] Pokes him- Stop that! You know she's fine.

[CP] - I can't help it!

[Locklear] - Checking on your little wife?

[CP] - You can shut up

[Gk] Snorts-

[TLOT] It's a little annoying at the moment, but mostly I'm just proud of you. I think you're gonna be a great dad.

[CP] Twitches a little at being called a dad-

[TLOT] I saw that. I mean it.

[Gk] This is gonna be fun...

[CP] - Shut up, both of you

[Locklear] - Ah yes, the daddy issues that he has

[TLOT] You say that in such a dismissive way. As if it were something trivial?

[Locklear] There was a bit of a game at the manor as to how angry we could get him, fastest way was to bring up his father

[TLOT] Hesitates- I was about to say 'that's not very nice' but then... it seems to be a running thing with everyone but Splender. I much prefer a calm household, where everyone makes an attempt to get along rather then infuriate eachother.

[Locklear] - I tend to keep to myself

[Gk] Works for me. Though I usually end up napping in the library since my house is so small. Can't be fucked to work on it since I'm hardly ever home.

[Locklear] - How small is your house if it's not comfortable for you to nap in?

[Gk] It's about the side of this room, no space for mah wings, yanno?

[Locklear] - Wings?

[CP] - He's a dragon

[TLOT] A rather large dragon at that. With tentacled wings and goat feet, curly horns and a tongue as long as your arm.

[Gk] Laughs-

[Locklear] - I see- He drinks some more

[CP] - Damnit, Sam, just give me the strong shit

[Sam] Brings the polish vodka with a little flourish and sets the small clear bottle innocently on the table.

[TLOT] Makes a quick copy just in case.

[Locklear] - And what is that?

[Gk] Says slightly reverently- Spirytus Rektyfikowany, it's 95% proof and burns like a punch to the gut.

[CP] - Only to you guys- Takes a swig

[Locklear] - So don't let him give it to me, understood

[Gk] I'm suprised it's even considered drinkable by humans.

[TLOT] It's too much. I feel like it doesn't even have a flavor. It's like drinking a mixture of lava and hot peppers.

[CP] - Wimps- He's starting to sway a little

[TLOT] Hey, I did find something nearly as strong that I like. It's better with a mixer though...

[CP] - Oh really?

[TLOT] Yep. Notch brought it from that trip he took out with you Lie and Flux. Sam, can I have the bottle? And some tea?

[Locklear] Watches carefully-

[Sam] Nods and comes back with a small brown bottle and a mug of tea-

[TLOT] Thank you. - He squints at the label. - Not sure how you say it, Stroh? It's apparently distilled from something like the Mooselassas my Testificates got from one of the variant touchie hives.

[Gk] Lemmie see- He takes the bottle and has a small swig before coughing a small whuff of flames- nice!

[CP] - Can I go back to my wife now?

[Locklear] - We still need your help with the coding...

[TLOT] Splashes some of the Stroh in his tea and warms his hands with it before taking a drink. - You want to try it cut a bit Locklear? I presume you don't have a huge tolerance like Cp.

[Locklear] - No, Yster would prefer I not be held up with a hangover again

[TLOT] Well there's always the flower if you change your mind. So what are you intending to do?

[Locklear] - Yster says they're having difficulty with a new mob

[Gk] What kind of mob?

[TLOT] Something new? Hostile or passive?

[Locklear] - Some sort of flying creature, I'm not sure if it will be hostile or not

[TLOT] And you weren't gonna take Doc??? I'm sure this is right up their ravine. -He sends out a mental message-

[Locklear] - I was not aware they would wish to come

[CP] - Take Doc instead

[TLOT] If it's a new mob, pretty sure they'd want to see it. Best to be prepared before updating the server to include new creatures. Annnnd.... they're headed this way.

-CP is getting drunker-

[Locklear] Finishes his drink- There's no rush

[TLOT] Smiles - They're just excited. Doc likes to examine new things. Do you think it'll be a monster or a sim of something out there?

[Locklear] - She said it would be similar to a manta ray, but those live in water...

[Gk] Weird.... welp, if they bug me when I'm flying, I'm gonna eat em.

[CP] - Endrea woulsh probably help you

[TLOT] For whatever reason I'm reminded of Pinwheel chasing my flitters....

[CP] Is just drunkenly mumbling now-

[Locklear] - My, it's not often that CP is like this

[Gk] Told you that shit was strong. Heh. Too bad his brother isn't here to join him.

[TLOT] That was adorable...

[CP] - Shush, no it washn't

[Locklear] - Brother?

[TLOT] He has a little brother. They're usually snippy with eachother, but if you get them both drunk they'll bond and reminicse.

[Gk] Stevie.

[Locklear] - How interesting

[Gk] Stevies a dork. Same as Steffan. He's just a bit luckier with the ladies.

[Locklear] - I see, and this Steffan is?

[TLOT] His Steve. And equally short. And- he pauses and smiles broadly- Doc is coming, and they brought someone somewhat relevant to your query.

-There's the sound of big paws hitting the turf outside and a soft laugh as TLOT stands in a wobbly way. After a moment the door opens and Doc comes in followed by Steve.

[Steve] Hops the booth behind them and leans way over to kiss his husband before licking his lips- Out for a night of drunken debuchery?

[TLOT] Perhaps later my lamb...

[GK] Thumbs at them- That's a Steve. We've got several.

[Doc] Hey Locklear, nice to see you joining us for a bit.

[Locklear] - I don't understand the significance of that, and greetings

[Gk] Steve is shorthand for this kind of human. They all look kinda the same.

[Steve] Mock offended - Hey!

[Locklear] - Ah, I see

[Lie] Mentally- Is CP drunk? He's trying to connect and it's just fuzzy

[TLOT] mentally- I'm sure he's trying Lie- And aloud- I can make it more clear. - He nods at his mate and they both remove their helms. The fact that they're nearly identical is much more obvious in the way. - If you looked at Cp and Stevie or Gk in his human shape and Steffan, it would be much the same. Except that Cp is brother to his, Gk is neighbor to his and mine is my loving mate.

[Steve] Smiles sweetly.

[Locklear] - How interesting. But the brine almost always matches the Steve?

[TLOT] It's the other way around actually. Steves are a common spawn, we Herobrines are a slightly glitched version of them.

[Doc] Sometimes! It's possible to become a brine too if you're digital. When a Herobrine spawns a NOTCH is also formed. So I've got a NOTCH, but no Steve.

[TLOT] And as for Cps, daddy issues, it's not his fault that another NOTCH battled his original one and then took their place. Most NOTCHs look pretty much alike.

[Locklear] - So there were multiple versions of his father? [CP] - I'd rather not talk about the asshole...- He looks down at the table

[Doc] They can vary a lot in temperment, but from a visual standpoint? Yes. Old gen NOTCHs are very uniform. The new ones have more variety.

[Gk] Lie's NOTCH is a little kid.

[Steve] Doc's is a huge muscly guy who's a little bigger then Cp!

[CP] - Fuck him with a rusty sword. He's way to happy

[Steve] Don't be like that Cp. He kinda wanted to come and we asked him not too since you hate him so much. As far as I know he's never had alcohol.

[Doc] He might refuse it just because it's unhealthy...

[CP] - Now that might be entertaining

[TLOT] I'll make a note then. Maybe for next time.

[CP] Wobbily stands up- I'm goin bacsh, too Lie...

[TLOT] If you try to leave I'm going to sober you up. Lie is fine. Your dad is keeping an eye on her.

[CP] - I'ds like to shee you try

[Locklear] - His father?

[Doc] The real Notch adopted him and his brother. He used to be real, now he's digital too. He's a nice guy. He's also dating Cp's sorta mom, Flux. She's the spirit of his orginal spawn server.

[TLOT] -sighs-

[Locklear] - That... Seems like a complicated situation

[Gk] Family is always complicated. Settle down big guy. No need to go upsetting Lie by being drunk and sloppy around her.

[CP] Growls at GK-

[Gk] Shows his own little teeth and then laughs -

[Yster] Comes back upstairs practically bouncing on her heels- That was perfect. I feel great!

[Doc] Oh, hey Yster. I heard you had something to show us?

[Locklear] Smiles at Yster a little-

[Yster] Yeah, but we'll have to go the the snapshot seed on my computer so I can get a spawn egg.

[Doc] Probably better to troubleshoot on an empty seed anyway....

[Locklear] - Spawn egg?

[Doc] Yep. If you want to have an animal and they're aren't any around, you can take an egg out of the creative menu and just make one. I think I have a mouse egg...? - They pull out the small speckled egg. - If I let it loose can you get it TLOT?

[TLOT] Mock offended. - I'm not the only cat here.

[Doc] Snorts- But you are the one who can change without help.

[TLOT] Yeah yeah, go for it.

[Doc] Taps the egg on the bar and a tiny mouse pops out and makes a break for it.

[Locklear] - Interesting. I used to keep a small mouse as a pet a very long time ago

[TLOT] Is just suddenly gone in a puff of fog and a small golden cat races out from under the booth and goes after the mouse.

[Sam] Is standing protectively in front of the bottles on the back of the bar-

[Doc] Do you want an egg? They do work out there. It won't age or die on you either.

[TLOT] Chases the mouse around the pool table.

[Yster] Is giggling-

[Locklear] - Not necessary, someone on the manor would probably harm it

[TLOT] Tears into the bathroom after the mouse and theres a tiny eek! as it despawns and a thump as he slides on the tile and bumps into the mirror on the back wall.

[CP] See's his chance to try and get away-

[Steve] Nervously gets in his way- Come on Cp, stay here.

[CP] - Move

[TLOT] Is behind him in a flash and puts a gentle hand on his wrist. - Are we done for the night Cp?

[CP] - Goin home

[TLOT] Pulls a petal off the sobering flower and tries to put it in his open mouth as he's speaking.

[CP] Jerks upwards and out of reach- No

[TLOT] Straining to reach since he's shorter. - Don't be a pill Cp.

[CP] - Fuck off

[TLOT] Do I have to press you?

[CP] - No

[TLOT] Then just take it.

[CP] - No

[Doc] Snags a petal as well and makes a very fast movement to stuff it in his mouth.

[CP] Tries to get out of the way-

[Steve] Quickly gets behind Cp on the floor and crouches down-

[TLOT] Gives Cp a push from the front-

[CP] Stumbles backwards over Steve-

[Doc] Jumps on his chest and stuffs the petal in his mouth-

[CP] Balks at the taste but does sober- FUCKER!

[Doc] Gets off him quickly- Well the alternative was poor Lie watching you barf about an hour from now.

[CP] Goes to punch Doc-

[Locklear] - And he's back to his usual violent self

[Doc] Is punched and ends up falling on Yster-

[Yster] Also ends up on the floor-

[Doc] Ow... Sorry Yster...

[Locklear] - Yster!

[Yster] Its okay. It wasn't even a tick on my hearts. You're lighter then I expected too. Is that normal?

[Locklear] - So long as you're alright

[Doc] Sometimes... I take bits out to work on them occasionally.

[Yster] That's odd... and I'm fine!

[CP] - I fucking hate all of you!

[Doc] We love you anyway Cp.

[CP] - Oh just fuck off

[TLOT] grins- Brother brines for life

[CP] Groans-

[Gk] Huzzah and some shit.

[CP] - Oh for fucks sake just shut up

[Doc] Well I'm ready to go when you guys are.

[Yster] Oh... Is there something I can plug my laptop into? The charge is lower then I thought.

[CP] - We don't need the laptop

[Doc] Give me a minute, I'll rig something up.

[Yster] But the seed is on it? The snapshot I'm editing.

[CP] - Which I can access from anywhere

[TLOT] Now who's showing off?

[CP] Flips TLOT off-

[Yster] Opens the laptop and puts it on the table.

[CP] Focus' a little and creates an opening next to him, not even remotely close to the laptop- Well? Do you want to go?

[Yster] You bet! Nice one Cp.

[Doc] Yeah, good job. You first.

[CP] Walks through- Fine, but this better be a quick trip

[Locklear] Stands and approaches Yster to walk through with her

[Doc] Snags the bottle of Stroh and follows -

-The seed is pretty empty and they come out on a narrow beach with a bunch of different contraptions scattered around. Someone obviously testing intereactions between different types of blocks.

[Yster] Scouts around until she finds a trunk with a torch next to it. -

[CP] - Ugh, I hate test seeds

[Doc] Is examining some of the devices- Any particular reason?

[CP] - To much unstable coding

[Locklear] See's that his mask is still on Yster's head and slides it down, the goggles set into them do contain night vision abilities-

[Yster] Hey... oh! That's neat!!! I didn't know it could do that.

[Locklear] - Makes stalking easier

[CP] Pulls up the code- Alright, what am I looking for?

[Yster] I've got it here- She holds up a checkered egg- We're still debating on the texture for the egg so this is just temporary. When I tap it, it's gonna fly, so you'll have to grab it. - She hits the egg and taps it twice accidently and one speeds upwards to fast to be grabbed.

[CP] Grabs one of them and draws up a copy of it's coding-

[Phantom] Flops around making garbled noises that are almost understandable to Cp-

[Doc] That's wild! - They're trying to get screenshots of the thing as it tries to get away from Cp-

[CP] - Do you have some sort of language program attached?

[Yster] No? They're just a type of undead mob.

[CP] - Hey Doc? Go grab Winston

[Doc] Sure, I'll just...- Their statement is cut off as the other phantom swoops down like an angry magpie and bites at Doc- OW SONOFA-

[CP] Snickers-

[Yster] Shit! When was the last time you slept?

[Doc] A few days? FUCK- dodging swoops-

[CP] - Is that important?

[Doc] Makes a hole and jumps through- I'll get Winston!

[Yster] Yes... they target players who haven't slept...

[CP] Just starts laughing- Oh that's going to become Doc's bane!

[Yster] I take it they pull a lot of all-nighters?

[Phantom] In Cp's hands- suddenly stops flopping and goes stiff in a T-pose.

[CP] - Well that's not right...

[Locklear] Is just keeping an eye out-

[Yster] Yeah! That's one thing. They get hung up on something and just... get stuck. They're also clipping into the extreme hills terrain. They're spazzing out over the boundries of different biomes too. Like they can't cross the edges?

[CP] Is scrutinizing the code- I can see the t-pose problem right here, give me a sec

[Doc] Comes back with a shield and Winston. They immediately hold it up like an umbrella.

[Winston] - Master? What do you need me for?

[CP] - Translation, this thing is trying to talk

[Doc] Is nearly knocked over by the second phantom as it thunks directly into the shield- Ha!

[Winston] Watches it- A new flying mob?

[CP] -Yeah- He fixes the T-pose problem and the one in his hand comes back to life

[Phantom] Is kind of muttering, it's mostly garbage but a bit is understandable- Fly high, bite deep! Seek the ones who run from sleep!

[Winston] - Riddles sir

[CP] - Let me hear

[Doc] Gets bonked again- This thing is annoying.

[Yster] Hello again Winston. You're looking artfully unwell. Sorry. It's supposed to be a challenge.

[CP] - It wants to bite those who run from sleep

[Yster] Well it's got the primary objective down then. They actually spawn above players who've been awake three days or more, rather then randomly like the other mobs.

[CP] - Found the chunk border error

[Doc] Ducks and transforms instead, snapping at the mob like a cat- Pest!

[Locklear] - They seem to really like you Doctor

[Doc] I haven't slept in some time! - They snap out suddenly and there's a pop as the phantom takes damage and despawns- PTU! YUCK. - They spit a small item at Ysters feet- That's nasty!

[Yster] It actually tastes like something???

[CP] - Everything does

[Phantom] Still flopping in Cp's hands a little- Fly! Fly! BITE!

[Doc] Tastes like greasy leather...

[Yster] Well it's not intentional.

[Winston] Finishes helping CP translate and he's updated his translation code-

[Yster] So what do you think? I'd consider you an expert.

[Doc] Has set up a command block and put the tip of the phantoms tail on it to examine it's internals.

[CP] - I'll need to give that to Lie

[Locklear] Tugs Yster out of the way of an arrow- CP? I think there are a few more pressing issues?

[CP] - Winston?

[Winston] - Yes sir- He goes to take care of it

[Doc] Hears an odd gurgly groan and looks back- There's a zombie in the water. Like underwater. Are they broken too?

[Yster] No, they're Drowned. They're kinda new. Have you not updated your server lately?

[Doc] Colors somewhat- Not in quite some time....

[CP] - Shit happens when we do

[Yster] Old server huh? Things bug out. The Aquatic update is rough on old seeds since we fixed the water physics.

[Doc] Fuuuuuck.

[CP] - We know how to fix stuff

[Doc] Nabs a Drowned zombie with one big paw and plops it next to Winston- Does this one have anything to say Winston?

[Drowned] Vaguely pirate-y nonsense.

[Winston] - Not much really, but these are new mobs, their sense of language could be only just developing

[Drowned] Pokes at Doc's foot with a pitchfork and gets shoved back a bit-

[Doc] Good point.

[Yster] Watching Cp work- Her thoughts are a bit plain, she's also wondering if Locklear would get any mileage from keeping the other mobs at bay, since he can just kill them.

[CP] - Looks like they have a problem over water too

[Yster] I know! It's annoying!- Pulls a bow out of the chest and takes careful aim before quickly putting three arrows in a creeper-

[Locklear] - That is an odd creature...

[Doc] They blow up if you let them get too close-

[Phantom] Swats at Cp with it's huge floppy wings- Let gooooooooo.

[CP] - Just a bit longer, I'm fixing you

[Phantom] !!!!!!

[Doc] Shoves the drowned zombie back in the water as it pokes hir again- I'll take that. - Xe sticks the pitchfork in the ground near Locklear.

[CP] - Oi! Anything else you want fixed?

[Yster] There's some little things,but I don't want to be a pest. Like the stupid Vindicators attacking armor stands, and the observer blocks are a complete mess.

[Doc] What's a Vindicator?

[Yster] Oh dear...

[CP] Shrugs and lets go of the Phantom-

[Phantom] Flops crazily and flops to get airborne again-

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