#once upon a time sdcc

[athena-xox]

Why you are wrong 😁😁

aka copy paste this to whoever starts acting like these misconceptions are canon so you don’t have to lose brain cells attempting to argue with idiots or to just clear up someone who simply didn’t know

Daring and Apple are not siblings

A lot of people think this because of Prince Charmings being both of their parents however, this is very much NOT canon. The last name Charming is like the last name Smith. Very common. Except of course the last name comes with being royalty. I’d look at it more like a title. Anyways here’s proof from Dexter and Darling’s chapters in once upon a time. There is also a slight explanation in Blondie Branches Out.

Daring’s only siblings are Darling and Dexter not Ashlynn or Briar or Holly or whatever other royal you might think. Only the canon love interests are canonically unrelated (Apple, Raven, Rosa) so technically some of the other royals could be cousins with them. But not first cousins since we meet all of them in Once Upon a Time.

Raven is not Apple’s aunt

I had a whole explanation here with quotes from tsbol, tuota and ravens sdcc letter .. but we don’t need it because this is literally official

Anyways hope this helps whoever didn’t know and this will save future me a headache trying to reexplain once a week. I’m sure there’s more misconceptions, I just added the biggest ones but if there’s another you want me to clarify lmk and I’ll add it to this post

[whcwashe]

Hello, Welcome, Hi --

So given that this blog has been around since .... like, literally before the premier of the NBC show because I'm a maniac who saw it at SDCC - Liv has gone through a long, long evolution. Some of you (most of you) have been here throughout that time, but if you haven't - I figured I'd list out some of the more important bits of world building that I've done. Eventually I'll make sure I link this in some kind of searchable fashion, but for now - take a peak under the cut for your basic Liv related facts. Also bear in mind that I can flex this to fit her into non-show canon, and the whole thing is a mesh of research and script reading, as well as bits pulled from the initial comic inspiration.

There is no organization here really, apologies in advance.

AGE: 27 at the time of the pilot episode.

Parents: Georgia Aberdine and Jasper Winters. As best as I can tell, Liv was likely born when they were young, likely around 20-22. Jasper panicked and took off before she was born in an attempt to keep Liv safe, but he stayed close by. The pilot script mentions that he had all of her school pictures hidden in the mill house, so he was keeping an active eye on her - it's why the mill house was build in Atlanta.

We can guess - from info pulled from the pilot - that it's likely that Jasper attempted to block the development of Liv's abilities through magic. My assumption is that Jasper likely died within 6 months of the pilot episode, which is why her abilities suddenly start to appear. Without Jasper keeping that magic active, the block dissolved - hence why she suddenly 'wakes up' as John puts it. It is also possible that Manny put the entire thing into action himself, and found a way to dissolve the block and 'wake' liv up, simply for the purpose of kicking John back into action. This is unresolved by the pilot, but regardless - her abilities are unlikely to go back to sleep just because she's out of the picture.

Liv's abilities: While the pilot puts a heavy emphasis on Jasper's amulet - which Liv leaves behind - the amulet is not the source of her abilities. It simply focuses it. It's likely that leaving the amulet behind slowed things down some, as she's got no one to teach her how to harness the abilities once she leaves Georgia. But the scripts seem to indicate that Jasper was likely the most powerful psychic on earth prior to his death, which means none of that's going to go away just because she left some jewelry behind. Her abilities continue to develop regardless, and likely in a much more confusing fashion. If she goes back to Atlanta, and reclaims the mill house - it's likely she'd learn how to properly use them. If not -- well, god speed to her.

Her abilities seem to vary quite a bit, but I've always boiled it down to:

A. the abilities to see each layer of the universe - ghosts, demons, the worlds underneath ours, above ours, hidden from ours, etc. As viewed in the pilot - the more her abilities develop, the weirder color gets - it seems likely that she loses the ability to see color the way we see it. Things become much more gray toned if she's fully locked in. B. the ability to track and predict trouble via scrying, mostly by using her own blood to pinpoint magical occurrences. This does, unfortunately, require opening a vein. Or many. Magic always comes at a cost, her cost is unfortunately blood. C. She's likely to be a strong magic user - if anyone teaches her how to harness it.

The Mill House/Jasper: Jasper is heavily based upon Baron Winters from Night Force. Baron Winters is .... well, a complicated dude. Possibly connected to Adam and Eve, as well as Lillith and the serpent. His job, more or less, is to balance the forces between Good and Evil (Which is likely a job that Liv would have had to inherit from him). He has an immortal pet leopard named Merlin. Who may actually be Merlin, it's hard to say.

Does this mean that there might be a leopard wandering the Mill House?

Yes. At least if we're playing around in a more comic oriented universe. OR MAYBE HE'S THERE JUST FOR FUNSIES, WHY NOT.

The Mill House is also heavily based upon Wintersgate Manor. The Manor in itself is .... crazy. It serves as a gateway to different locations, time periods, and dimensions. It literally has a doorway to the Garden of Eden in it. If we combine our information, basically this means the house can be anywhere, at any time, in any dimension. It changes as it sees fit, and per the script - holds the largest stock of magical items on earth. It seems likely that Jasper was collecting items for safekeeping and holding them in the house. It has anything and everything you can think of, including a room that you can change to .... well, whatever you desire most at that moment.

Post Pilot: I look at it as two separate universes, one in which she stays put (because lbr, she almost certainly would have had they not decided to write her off) and one in which she flees to California. If she stays, well .... the mill house is hers, and hopefully John gives in and actually teaches her how to use her abilities.

If she flees .... well, it's almost inevitable that she eventually comes back. The pull would likely be too strong, paired with the guilt of leaving, and the fact that she can't contain her abilities even if she wants to. If she DOES go to California, the bottom line is that she'd likely be diagnosed with schizophrenia and medically institutionalized. And even if she's not -- well, there's a heavy dose of PTSD that comes with watching 5+ people die in rapid succession around you just because they happened to be near her. Furthermore, the survivors guilt would pack a wallop, and the pull to finally figure out who she is, and where she came from.

At the end of the day, her destiny is probably inevitable. She'll end up back at the Mill House one way or another. It's just a matter of time.

[nalyra-dreaming]

I was watching a YT video breaking down the trailer and the person mentioned that before the show, the online fandom was quite small. Is that true? And if so, what has it been like seeing it explode? The first fandom I ever got into was for a little Australian period detective show and it was so nice. It was very small and there was literally zero drama. I would imagine it would be annoying as hell to be in a nice little “coven” (if you will) enjoying all the many and varied canonical relationships within the series only for the show to open it up to people with zero media literacy screaming their fav ship is the only one true ship and this vampire character is a bad person while this other vampire is baby boi.

Well, to be frank, I wasn't "in" the VC fandom before the show, though I heard that while enduring it wasn't too big.

I had been, kinda, once upon a time. I had been around before Anne's wrath came down. (She literally had fanfictions removed, sites closed down, threatened to sue, etc etc). That was... back then. I used to be in forums, and mailing list before that. I still have fanfiction of 20 years back printed out.

Her coming down hard on the fandom threw me back, so to speak, and also reading the end of "Memnoch the Devil", which, at the time was meant to be the end to it all... broke my heart.

I stepped back from it then, for a while. You know, real life, playing WoW, studying, starting to work^^. Had a daughter :)

The love for it stayed though, I kept all my stuff.

When I heard about the show I wasn't overly impressed by the head shots (lol, I stand corrected, but I mean given Rolin's comments in the podcast at least I'm in good company^^), nor the shifts in the story that were published - because who could anticipated it being THIS?! :))))

And so I tuned in for Jacob Anderson, who I'd loved in GoT. And I was actually sold after the SDCC 2022 trailer. That trailer... hit it.

I cannot describe it.

And yes, from what I saw the fandom then exploded.

The changes to the narrative in the show however split what had already been there and what was coming in up a bit, let's put it that way. For ME this is an ingenious adaptation. They "get" it, imho. They focus on the important bits, and they dare. Just... brilliant.

For some the changes were reason to withdraw though.

It is a bit... annoying to see all the "ship wars" in this content, yes. But I get it, I've spoken about it the other day. I don't think "we" (as in most of the audience) are used to a show like this.

We are not used (anymore) to be challenged as much while watching, we are not used to a show daring to put its fingers into wounds like that. We are not used to a show going full mess wrt relationships.

We are not used to a show that dares, and does so on a level I have seldom seen.

I call this show the "show of the decade" and I stand by that. In quality and approach it is and will be.

But yeah... moralizing these characters... will fail *laughs*

They're all terrible. Killers, murderers.

I currently see none of the drama (if there is any?!), my timeline is utterly peaceful, and I do want it to stay that way. I've had my say on that. That subset can keep it.

I'm here for the brilliant mess that will be the upcoming seasons :)))

[thessalian]

Thess vs Autographs

I don't have a lot of autographs, all told. I mean, I don't have few, either. I added to the list today, so the list is as follows:

Raphael Sbarge

Mark Meer

Courtenay Taylor

Ali Hillis

Alix Wilton Regan

Troy Baker

Bryan Talbot

Matt Mercer

Marisha Ray

Laura Bailey

Travis Willingham

Sam Riegel

Liam O'Brien

Taliesin Jaffe

Amal El-Mohtar

They all mean something to me, these. I remember there weren't a lot of people at Sbarge's table - like, any, practically - and he was expecting attention for Once Upon a Time or Mass Effect and was touched that I remembered Carth Onasi. (You should have seen the look on his face when I told him that Carth was a lot of people's first video game boyfriend.) I remember Courtenay Taylor knocking over her chair to get up and hug me because one of y'all introduced her to the Subject Zero scent I blended when you saw her at SDCC and she tracked me down on Twitter to say how impressed she was, and how she had major squee not only for her own bottle of Subject Zero, but for the special limited edition one-person-only-has-ever-had-it Ada Wong blend I made for her personally. I remember Alix Wilton Regan's face when I told her that the Ser Cauthrien blend was the first NPC blend anyone ever asked for. Troy Baker calling me "Rebel scum". Bryan Talbot not only being nice about me getting him to sign a copy of The Tale of One Bad Rat instead of the book he was promoting, but him drawing a little rat on the page for me as well as the signature. Matt Mercer giving me the impressed approving nod at some of my DM decisions. "New Jersey Breeds Vengeance". That kind of thing.

Today, though ... that was a little different. See, Amal El-Mohtar ... I met her when she was still studying, and digging herself her own plot in the auctorial garden. And I didn't know her as that name originally. We played WoD - Mage and Changeling, mostly - on one of those chat-and-forum sites. We kind of lost touch when she got busier and busier, and then the site kind of collapsed, but I've been keeping an eye. She was always one of my favourite RP partners, so I wasn't surprised when she got published, won the Hugo, all that. So when I found out that she was doing a signing at Forbidden Planet this afternoon? Yeah, I had to take the day off just to have enough time to get there, and yeah, it hurt, but I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to see her again.

When we first met in person, she gave me this little plush camel keychain. Well, I say little - it is for a plushie, but it's big for a keychain. I use it anyway. It has been on every ring of keys I've carried since. And while it took her a minute to recognise me (my hair was longer when we first met in person), she very much remembered that big ol' camel keychain. She was touched that I was still using it.

So the talk about her current book (The River Has Roots - I read it on the commute home and highly recommend it) was good, as was the Q&A. I got to chat with her a bit during the signing, but she looked like she was focusing on what to write as a message. I did tell her that we should keep in touch, if only because I had scent blends of various characters of hers and it was all her fault because she got me into BPAL lo these many years ago, and off I went. I figured out why she was so focused on the message with the autograph on the way home. It made mention of the stories we made together, back in our WoD days. She still remembers them, apparently still reads them, and they still bring her joy.

I cannot ask for better.

...I did get better, though. Turns out that @seananmcguire - in her Mira Grant mode - is doing a book signing for Overgrowth in late June! I HAVE TO BE THERE. Her autograph tops the list! It even topped the list before I got the Critical Role cast! And I wouldn't have even known about it if it weren't for me going to that signing.

So I'm tired, and sore, and too many tourists. But I got to see an old friend, I have a new treasured autograph and the promise of another treasured autograph to come, and I have new books. So probably worth it. Even if the workload is going to be a mess when I log in tomorrow.

[tonydaddingham]

wow so in the championships of fucked up batshit posts written by rhi✨, i do think this takes the title but i am really concerned that this might be the case... so,, hear me out

s2 = possibly clue? like, for real???? like alternative EP1 ENDINGS/SCENES???

so laure @theeminentlyimpractical and i had basically noticed at the same time that crowley's sideburns drastically change clip to clip, promo to promo, throughout the stuff we have of s2 so far, and this led us to have the, i guess, fairly insignificant theory that there is a falling out and a timeskip. now obvs this theory is quite old, very much in its infancy, and probably very inaccurate, but like 2500 people have at least seen it and we have reputations to maintain so we looked into it further

now pretty much ALL content released to us is either ep1 or ep2, or minisodes, or maybe the odd photo (e.g. i think the aziraphale/clipboard one is firmly ep5). but most stuff we have tbh can almost be chronologically traced and plotted. well - all except this:

the scene where crowley finds out about the naked man friend? short sideburns:

in the shop, finding out that it's gabriel?

long sideburns.

(not to mention that crowley's glasses change between ep1 and ep2 somewhere but that's a different story)

now i know that this could be an error with make up, or additional photography etc blah blah blah but one appears to be forgetting that this is amazon, and id put my money on every single person on that set wanting s2 to be nothing short of loophole free, continuity error-less perfection *😘👌*

so my Occam's razor is there is something we are missing between these two scenes in particular, or one of the scenes is not as it seems. from what we have worked out (and save this post because ill hopefully link in a sideburn timeline once laure and i have got our shit together and are operating on the same timezone again) most of ep1 and ep2 plot seems to feature crowley with short sideburns and predominantly the silver (not grey) sunglasses

whilst we have spotted a couple of confusing possible exceptions to this (example is below), it feels like overall that's basically right. bearing in mind that stuff that might say it's an official promo from e.g. ep4 may actually refer to events in ep2 --- there is nothing to say that the story has to be told in chronological, linear order!!!

so yeah overall; everything with crowley, present day, for ep1/2 is shortburns. now an interesting tidbit ive found from accounts of the nycc screening (and speaking to lovely people who gave me more info, not sure if they want to be named!!!) is that the screening

did not show an ending for episode 1.

that it basically ran straight through to the job minisode cold open, and then into the ep2 opening credits. for clarification, there was no ending credit for ep1, and apparently nothing to show that there was an end (e.g. no big gutsy 'well then... welcome to the end times' scene) ***and this is where i need input from sdcc people!!!

so apparently (and this may need further input), the last scene that took place before the job minisode is crowley returning to help with the miracle on gabriel to hide him... now im not sure if this is the same scene as the "I'm back"/apology dance scene (which btw we think is a shortburn/silver glasses scene, which is even weirder) but if someone could let me know that would be great ✨EDIT: CONFIRMED✨

👀 at sdcc viewers that only saw ep1 - WHERE DID IT END???

so in summary: the first sideburn loophole we have is the "ah gabriel!!" scene. obvs people have seen it so it's not a flashback, but i think potentially there will be additional scenes added to ep1 + an official ending upon the full release... or potentially scenes are replaced altogether to prevent spoilers from the screening? hmmm

does this remind anyone of clue lmaooooo wink wink

second, this is also an issue: so the first screenshot im pretty sure is late ep2 after aziraphale is talking to a rug salesman...? but features les longburns and possibly grey glasses:

but then this ep3 interaction with muriel? them burns are definitely short, which could obvs mean it is posed as a flashback, but those are DEFINITELY crowley's new grey glasses?

so yeah I'll be honest I'm not sure how far ill swing with this but ill keep updating with more info and link to the timeline etc etc, but yeah i think someone might have been writing a love letter to clue rather than writing s2 hahaha✨✨✨

but all nycc screening viewers pls come scream at me about this!!! and sdcc please tell us where ep1 ended??????

[reelvibes91]

Thoughts on DC Post SDCC

Obviously, there is a winner in terms of what created the most buzz at SDCC this past weekend. Once that news broke it was so easy to almost forget the rest of the weekend even happened. However, despite all of that the newly formed DC studios did have a really interesting weekend as well.

The biggest thing was the logo. Personally, I always think to usher in a new era that something original is always better. The transition within the logo is great, showcasing the past and the present colliding into the future. It works from a technical standpoint and will likely become a recognizable symbol if the studio finds success.

Let's talk about that. The projects that are coming out of DC Studios in the foreseeable future. We had our first look at Creature Commandos, which, upon first glance, has my attention but does not immediately strike me as a masterpiece. It is an odd place to begin a brand new take on the universe. The first thing to launch this universe should have featured Superman. DC really needs the soiled reputation of the character to be redeemed.

Superman is the key to DC's future we all know that. James Gunn has clearly seen the success of another brand, though, which brought DC success, and that is Matt Reeves' The Batman. We got the first look at The Penguin series premiering in September, and what a look it was. Colin Farrell is reprising his role of Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin from The Batman and new characters are joining the fray. This looks to be a violent and gritty crime drama, and that has my attention right away.

Matt Reeves has definitely become a voice to trust within the industry. His Batman movie is definitely a very dark take on the character and the people of Gotham. As indicated The Batman 2 is expected to start filming in 2025. With this project, I am absolutely on board with him, taking the time he needs to craft the most amazing story possible. Matt Reeves seems like the type of writer that I could easily speak with all day about the process and characters.

DC absolutely quietly crushed this weekend with various things. It was nothing grandiose or over the top. Which was great. It was news we needed, first looks at new comic lines, confirmation that Matt Reeves is still a big factor in DC's future. With everything they had this year, for once, it may be safe to say that DC's future is less muddy than in the past. They are definitely not in the clear yet, but taking small steps like this to create a more trustworthy image among the public is huge.

[magicalhideoutengineer]

Newt & Leta

Leta is now engaged to Newt's, older brother, Theseus Scamander, which Rowling calls "A twist neither of them would ever have seen coming. It creates some awkwardness in their current relationship because Newt once had strong feelings for the woman who is about to become his sister in-law."

- Crimes of Grindelwald production notes

While Redmayne says It’s one of those relationships where there was definitely great love there, there was also romance, but was it ever a full blown relationship? I don’t know. But certainly she’s somebody who has touched [Newt] hugely and at the beginning of this film you realize she’s in a relationship with his brother so, of course, that comes with great complications.”

- Entertainment Weekly

Eddie Redmayne: This one [Leta] was like, I think, love of Newt's life when they were at school. But actually Newt's all like in love with Tina. He's desperately trying to get back to New York. But he cares. He massively cares about Leta.

- Extra TV

Eddie Redmayne: I mean, his brother is engaged to this girl who he had a huge affection for growing up, so there’s obviously a real tension there.

- Buzzfeed

Eddie Redmayne: It's complicated. It's all I have to say. He's kept like this girl in his heart all this time. He comes back and she's engaged to his brother. I mean, that is complicated family stuff right there.

- Entertainment Weekly SDCC

Eddie Redmayne: At the beginning of the film, Newt kind of has found out that his brother's engaged to this girl, Leta, who was kind of one of his closest friends, and perhaps they... He definitely had a crush on her when he was younger, but like that's now in the past.

- E! Insider

Why awkward? Were Newt and Leta actually romantically involved?

Zoë Kravitz: I don’t think it ever went to that place, but Newt has so few friends and connections in his childhood, maybe in his mind it might have gone there? I don’t think it was ever acted upon. But it still feels like a betrayal when she ends up with Theseus.

- Entertainment Weekly

"It's unclear whether Newt and Leta's relationship was romantic or confusing," Kravitz says. "They were both so young when they met."

- Entertainment Weekly: The Ultimate Guide to Fantastic Beasts

Callum Turner: You get the fact that there’s a deep love between [Theseus and Leta] and a connection in a completely different way than how Newt and Leta love. Theseus and Leta are opposites, whereas Newt and Leta are very similar. Theseus offers her support and love and acceptance and stability in a way that Newt was never able to; theirs was always more of a companionship rather than being in love.

- Fandom Interview

Callum Turner: It is complicated, but I think that the important thing to realise is that it wasn’t a full relationship, right? It was a companionship at school and I think he[Theseus]’s of the understanding that it wasn’t as severe as it’s being made out now.

- Futurepreviewsllc

David Yates: We have a character called Leta Lestrange and she used to be Newt's girlfriend.

- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them interview

David Yates: She [Leta] used to be Newt Scamander's love and now is this sort of very mixed-up, quite conflicted, intriguing, beautiful ex-lover of Newt Scamander. 

- HBO Asia

David Yates: Yes. Leta Lestrange comes into the second movie. She's quite complicated and damaged and confused and Newt is absolutely still in love with her, so she has a kind of power over him, and she, yeah, she's a kind of tragic figure, so we will see a bit more of her in the second movie.

- Cinemablend

Joshua Shea: When I first read the script, they [young Newt and Leta] were set to kiss in the script. We didn't [film it]. It was a decision that... I feel like I'm gonna be shot by Warner. bros snipers for saying this, but actually, yeah, basically what happened was I chatted to Eddie about it and it was actually Eddie's idea. I think he said that, "Even if there were..." I definitely think that there was a romantic relationship in some way, but I don't think it was hugely intimate. I think it was very much like a caring, loving friendship. It's that balance. I think, yes, maybe they did have a relationship, but I think it was very much... I don't think Newt is the kind of person who's very touchy-feely. I don't imagine him walking around kissing girls at school. So I'm glad we made the decision. Yeah, so I think that was why we made the decision. I think Eddie was like, "It feels too much, a kiss." And I think we decided on the sort of, if you look very carefully, it comes off like a hand touch, which I think that was enough to kind of convey a sense of like intimacy and a kind of connection.

- Speakbeasty

[c0rpseductor]

Fortunate adequate to grab an early duplicate at SDCC this year- and purchased a normal copy from here as well.

This whole Thrawn collection opens your eyes so much into the globe of the Realm as well as the hidden national politics and culture taking place.

These are rather simply the most effective Star Wars books around currently in the brand-new post-Disney purchase period.

The personality of Thrawn was mainly revealed and also discovered in books 1 and also 2, yet you get even deeper into his psyche with Treason. I’m excited and delighted each time one of Thrawn’s plans/strategies are revealed. Thrawn Audiobook Free. As a lead character, he has turned into one of my faves in fiction.

The expedition of the Chiss in this publication supplies a welcome makeover right into a much more “exotic” unusual race. I enjoyed how some things recognize standards with any militarized civilization, as well as some things are special to them.

Timothy Zahn’s “Celebrity Wars: Thrawn– Treason” happens a few weeks after the present-day occasions of the previous story, “Thrawn– Partnerships” (pg. 134). This job proceeds the story of that unique, with Admiral Thrawn once more dealing with Chiss Admiral Ar’alani against the Grysk, who have additional penetrated the Empire as well as appear to endanger Supervisor Orson Krennic’s Task Stardust. In a similar way, the Grysk have once more kidnapped a Chiss child that shows concealed Force capabilities. Zahn additionally locates this story within the present timeline by consisting of a reference to Hera Syndulla in the wardship of Governor Arihnda Pryce on Lothal, positioning this book sometime in between the occasions of “Rebel Assault” as well as “Jedi Knight” throughout the 4th season of “Celebrity Wars Rebels” (pg. 10).

The caption, “Treason,” shows the various separated commitments among the characters: Thrawn left the Chiss Ascendency to offer the Realm, yet stays an outsider in the humans-only Imperial Navy; Eli Vanto is serving aboard Admiral Ar’alani’s ship in order to aid defeat the Grysk, who Thrawn consider as a prospective danger to the Realm, even though a lot of in the Empire consider Vanto a traitor; Assistant Supervisor Ronan serves the Empire and Supervisor Krennic loyally, yet holds the Emperor and also the political elite in derision; and also various other Imperial pressures function to progress their very own reasons at each others’ cost, done in the name of the Empire. Zahn brilliantly engages with these complex commitments, imbuing his personalities with a great quantity of depth. Better, Zahn’s writing typically adds more scientific research to the science-fantasy world of “Star Wars” and also this book proceeds that fad as he draws upon his physics background in his description of the Grysk variety (pg. 244). Fans of Zahn as well as his most well-known personality will certainly find an amusing story with all the components they get out of a Thrawn novel in this book. So the first book was wonderful, the secondly was good, this set though; this one takes the cake. It’s short, yet not extremely so and also golly does it load a punch. The story is complex and outstanding and I can not give any information lest I spoil it, however allows simply say its Imperial naval as well as political politics with our favorite Grand Admiral versus a wonderful background problem (or four).

A recommendation though, if you anticipate this to answer lingering concerns about what takes place after completion of Rebels period 4, this book won’t do that. Unless your analysis in between the lines, after that it might do that (I assume perhaps it did, yet will not obtain my hopes up because well … one should not do that). Not like Thrawn, yet an action over Thrawn: Alliances, this is possibly the very best Star Battles publication since Leia, Princess of Alderaan.

Thrawn himself reaches beam in this story, displaying his wizard in some extremely rewarding methods, while remaining real to his principals. The recommendations to Rebels are fascinating, yet people that don’t enjoy that show will not really feel as well slowed down by them. Timothy Zahn – Thrawn Audio Book Online. The Grysk are slowly coming to be a worthy substitute for the Yuuzhaan Vong as hostile aliens from the unknown areas.

The return of Eli Vanto is welcome and also amusing.

The new characters, such as Assistant Director Ronan and Grand Admiral Savit, are well-constructed and also highly multi-dimensional even with different problems (something I never thought I ‘d locate myself stating concerning any person who almost venerates the likes of Orson Krennic) and I take my hat off to Timothy Zahn for giving them to us.

Read this book. It’s every a real Stars Battles follower can want.

[thedrunkenreadersreviews]

Beginnings & Endings: MCU Edition

Happy New Year's Eve friends! This evening, I thought it suitable to crack open some honey mead as I wiped the tears from my friend's face, watching her slip into a restless slumber.

I made her watch Loki and requested her to not watch the series finale on her own. Well, she listened. She came over. She watched and now I'm dealing with the aftermath as well as once again, facing my own demons. However, I find this oddly serendipitous given that it is New Year's Eve and we watched Loki.

Let me explain.

*Sip, sip*

This holiday season, I took it upon myself to rewatch the entire MCU leading up to Endgame. Mission accomplished, I finished up today with the Loki series finale, and after tending to my friend, taking a few sips of this beverage, and watching as the clock slowly ticks into the New Year, I take a breath.

*Sip, sip*

Marvel's Loki, in the comics, is very special to me. Not only did I start studying the Norse Pantheon at a young age and became fascinated by the God of Mischief, but when I discovered him in Marvel comics and quite enjoyed their take on him, I became hooked. Following the character's success, especially because of the phenomenal performance of Tom Hiddleston in all the movies, Loki seriously upgraded in the Marvel comics. He is now one of, if not the, most powerful characters in the comics, has an incredible redemption arch, and continues to be such an entertaining character.

*Sip, sip*

Simply put, Marvel's Loki was my discovery for my love of comic books. It started with Loki and expanded into something so much more.

*Sip, sip*

I had mentioned previously that when Thor (2011) came out, I did not go to see it in theaters---which I immensely regret---because I did not know who the hell Tom Hiddleston was and did not trust him with my favorite, my first comic book character. And I distinctly remember watching the Thor panel during the SDCC and noticed that Tom did not get asked a single question from the audience. Not one.

How foolish.

*Sip, sip*

Fast forward to after the release of Thor, the Avengers movie is creeping close. You have the entire Marvel cast on Hall H's stage: RDJ, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, and so many more. And then, there is Tom. And just as distinctly as I remember Tom not getting asked one question at the Thor panel, it came to the point that the host of the Avengers panel had to request that the audience STOPS asking Tom questions and address some of their queries to the rest of the cast.

*Smiles*

*Sip, sip*

You see, a nice chunk of the Avengers meet each other for the first time in the movie. The build-up to it, this idea of an intertwined MCU is found in Iron Man and Captain America: The First Avenger, The Incredible Hulk and Thor, but they are all sort of just ghosts to each other. Brief mentions like whispered easter eggs for the audience to catch. And then something changes. Something big changes.

Loki lets go.

Loki, distraught and heartbroken and so incredibly lost, allows himself to plummet into the abyss, uncertain of what is next. His entire life, a twisted lie. He, a monster that probably gave him nightmares in his youth, whispered to him by the tongue of his own father and brother.

So Loki lets go and he comes across a titan and they strike up a deal.

And the Avengers make that super awesome pose where they all stand back to back in a circle, getting ready to fight off the alien army that invaded New York at Loki's behest.

And so, Loki started the tying of the branches, the impossibility of an MCU now possible. Seeing all of these heroes, together, in one film all because Loki let go.

And I truly think that the writers, the producers, they don't understand just how much of an impact that single choice for that character had. Yes, it is Loki who serves as the Avengers' first villain in the comics as well. The one they have to all rally against. And I do appreciate the beauty in keeping the original villain the same, especially for a group of heroes so grand as this. But still, I get the sense of a lack of appreciation for the character (not the actor) that they may have inadvertently written into such an important role.

In essence, the 2012 Avengers film was a groundbreaking film, something unheard, unseen, and certainly not imagined before.

All brought together, all possible because of Loki. He started the MCU, he started the Infinity Saga, he started the Avengers storyline.

*Sip, sip*

And then, there's this. The new saga in the MCU: the Multiverse.

Loki started that too.

*Sip, sip*

Marvel never did favor releasing their films/shows in timeline order. Which is fair; some are in development, some are done before another, some were planned first, and so on. There are a plethora of reasons as to why it is not "in order." But the multiverse, as has been confirmed by several writers, producers, and in the timeline order of the MCU starts with, that's right, Loki.

Sylvie may have slain He Who Remains, but Loki had ways out: kill Sylvie, take He Who Remains' place, maybe keep time slipping. There were options. Not good ones, but available ones.

But he chose to let that go, too.

*Sip, sip*

The reason why I did not care for his end in Infinity War, I realized after having watched the show and now revisiting Infinity War, is because good writing is not giving a character who has lacked happiness for so long just a glimpse of it before ripping it away. It is not allowing that character to be so close that they might graze it with their fingertips just to be denied it moments later. No, good writing is letting them enjoy it.

Loki was so close ... and then his neck got snapped.

But the reason it works in the show as opposed to Infinity War is because Infinity War feels like such a cheap trick. It felt like such a typical case of "okay, we have this character, they served their purpose, we're not sure what to do with them anymore, so let's just kill them off." Talk about lazy writing. This character who built your MCU, who brought the Avengers together, who knows just how much of a threat Thanos is, who has such incredible powers ... and you have him killed within the first twenty minutes by having his neck snapped when he tried to stab said titan with a dagger?

*Sip, sip*

Pathetic.

*Sip, sip*

In the show, Loki is once more so close to happiness. He has friends. A purpose for once. He's not alone and there are people there who believe in him, who see something in him. And for a moment---just a moment---he is allowed to be happy. Having O.B. help him learn to control his time slipping, reaching out to Casey upon his return, sharing pieces of pie and pep talks with Mobius, and Verity (oh, Verity) on his side and helping him through it all. Loki is allowed to smile and laugh and lean on his friends. He is allowed, if only for a moment, to be happy.

And then he chooses to let that go to save them. And it is not in a cheap trick "kill them because we don't know what to do with him now" type way.

Loki knows how important it is to his friends that those timelines, those universes get to live. And it even becomes important to him too. So he lets go of the possibility of happiness. He lets go of everything he ever wanted, finally within his reach. He lets go not to die but to do something far more tragic than that.

To be alone. Forever. To give the universes a chance. To make sure that every story gets told.

So that the universes can survive. So that the variants get a chance. So that the "what ifs?" become possible.

And so, Loki created the multiverse.

*Sip, sip*

It is an incredible thing what good storytelling and true character development can emotionally elicit from the audience. I still feel immense sorrow and joy. But ... I've only felt this once before.

*Sip, sip*

No matter how many times I rewatch Revenge of the Sith, I, like many others, think, "Maybe he won't, this time. Maybe he won't change."

But he does. He always does.

Anakin falls.

Loki lets go.

I always said that Anakin Skywalker had the best character story in the history of character stories. He was such a well-written character with incredible arcs, both good and bad. So tragic and heartbreaking yet hopeful. And if you had asked me last year who is the best-written character I would have said Anakin Skywalker without hesitation.

This year ... moving on ... the answer is no longer so simple. Because now, the answer isn't one.

The answer is two.

Anakin Skywalker, no doubt.

And Loki.

*Sip, sip*

The Chosen One who needed to be saved.

The villain who became the ultimate hero.

If anything good came out of 2023, it was these two.

Anakin giving Ahsoka one last lesson.

Loki creating a saga for the MCU one last time.

*Lifts glass*

Here's to your end, 2023. On to a new beginning, a new lesson, a new saga.

Excelsior!

[buffyfan145]

I'm loving all these SDCC panel announcements as already so many of my shows and fandoms are going to be there and we still have more to find out!!! 😀 This for sure if feeling like the pre-Covid days and even back when LOST & "Once Upon a Time" were out as even Marvel and DC will be back there too, as well as wrestling. So it's going to be a fun week.

[dubiousculturalartifact]

true story: it's 2017, i've just spent a long day at SDCC, and i'm getting some food at a restaurant on my way out, i happen to look over at another table, and it's: adam horowitz, showrunner of once upon a time so I walked up to him like 'excuse me, are you adam horowitz?' so when he confirmed his identity with a nod, I said in a very calm and measured tone of voice "I just wanted to say, as a queer fan of Once Upon a Time- we deserved so much better.' and then i spun heel and walked out. and THEN. two years later I get a selfie with a different writer at another con, and ADAM HOROWITZ tries to slander me on twitter to 'warn' the other writer, claiming i was a terrible person who had 'yelled at him' and 'frightened his children' like: first of all, i said two sentences to him. and was not even aware of any children at the table, the only person I'd noticed was another actor from the show. and did not yell, not even remotely. second of all: i was dressed as ms frizzle at the time, exactly how scary do you think i could have been

all lesbians on tumblr have at least one showrunner they consider their mortal enemy

[helmstone]

Time for the Enterprise crew to face the music as Strange New Worlds goes musical

Time for the Enterprise crew to face the music as Strange New Worlds goes musical

There was plenty of Star Trek news at this year’s SDCC, and this includes a surprise musical episode for Strange New Worlds. I’m always a little sceptical when a series goes all musical, and blame it all on Buffy. There were also memorable musical episodes for Lucifer and Once Upon a Time. Let’s see how this one fares. Subspace Rhapsody The special musical episode “Subspace Rhapsody” will…

[colinoeyebrows]

Throwback to Jennifer and Colin’s SDCC “head on shoulder” tradition

[allaboutjmo]

🎮 Happy National Video Games Day! 🎮

[athena-xox]

Ok abbreviations:

TLOSH: The legend of shadow high (mh cross over written by Shannon hale where Brooke is the narrator)

SU: spring unsprung

TC: Thronecoming

Ouap was indeed meant to be ouat for once upon a time (not pet I’m just running on two hours of sleep rn)

When I said unmaking lava that is a reference to the legend of shadow high and Ms. Direction. Just if the narrator in once upon a time is indeed bodiless then that could be a possible explanation…….?

Or you can just accept the retcon at face value. I'm not the kind of person to just roll with ret-cons and go "oh this thing I liked doesn't exist now," but it's fine if you prefer to do that for the sake of things making sense.

You are me I am you. Other ppl will try to just say it doesn’t have to be continuous but I. Will. Make. It.

If the legend of shadow high is canon (it does contradict all the books and the show but like we can work around that…) then Brooke having hands and stuff is explicitly canon because there’s a whole passage where she’s running and breaking the fourth wall and what not

Entering the realm of exposing myself as a psycho I have created a timeline of eah and the legend of shadow high goes at the very end. Basically the legend of shadow high references the books and the show (it references the og trio of Shannon hale books as well as referencing dragon games) while also contradicting both (says her parents narrated the og trilogy when it’s explicitly one narrator as well as having never met Maddie but referencing events from the show where she would have met Maddie..).

So kind of my theory of it all working is all the eah timeline continues as it is (books, shows, diaries, social media posts etc it’s all the same continuum to me) and so that’s our two years of canon legacy day-epic winter.

And then the next year (our main cast’s senior year) sometime first semester the puppeteer (random sdcc lore yay?) captures Maddie, Apple & Raven for the Evil Queen (who has escaped… again… what is it with EAH cause the amount of times EQ has escaped or almost escaped in canon is insane) and then she sends them into a labyrinth.

This is when the lost movie comes in. Basically if you don’t know what that is it’s the crossover movie between eah x mh that never happened. But on YouTube there’s storyboards for about half the movie (I have a link to the playlist in my pinned post).

And basically we get the main 3 from eah trapped in the labyrinth by EQ and Cleo, Clawdeen & Drac go into the labyrinth to find Drac’s childhood friend Euna.

The EAH and MH gang meet as well as find Euna. Obviously the movie was going to end with EQ defeated and the worlds combined, however since we don’t ever actually see the ending I like to think that Euna actually is the antagonist and wants to separate eah & mh (I’ve got another post about this somewhere going in depth on her motives) and so she uses some form of the unmaking lava, splits the worlds apart making everyone forget about the different worlds.

And she also makes Brooke forget about being a narrator (well not being a narrator but about having narrated before), because Brooke doesn’t care to follow the rules. She will do what she has to do to save the world.

So Euna makes her forget and thus Maddie forget. And then the legend of shadow high happens. Yay

Ok I hope that made sense lol

HELP LOL THATS EXACTLY WHAT I SAID

Oooh yeah my hc for how the narrators function is basically just what we see in the storybook of legends. Meaning the live in their own world inbetween the fourth wall and the margins. They also have bodies.

Brooke was just being so unserious in her mirror blog and wanted to mess with the readers.

And then my hc for the bodiless narrator was that they were affected by unmaking lava but also like you said, bodiless could just mean not having a body in ever after. Or maybe the narrator purposely said bodiless even though they weren’t, so kitty wouldn’t try to scratch them lol

…. Apologies for rambling this probably will end up being incomprehensible 😭😭

Some Fun Facts About the Wonderlandians from the EAH Books

Maddie and Kitty can hear the narrator, but Lizzie can't. This is because, as queen, it's Lizzie's job to be bossy and bring some order to the chaos of wonderland. She "reminds things what they are when they forget." No word one way or the other on the White Queen, but I'd assume she has a similar problem.

Kitty CAN hear the narrator but spends most of her time pretending not to because:

Kitty does not like being narrated. She actively conceals her thoughts and feelings from the narrator most of the time and they have to guess based on her actions. She does have some tells though, like how she's always thinking about cheese when she licks her lips and looks up. She's also far from infallible and leaves her thoughts exposed whenever she's distracted.

Kitty has also managed to scratch the narrator before, despite them being an invisible bodiless being.

When Kitty turns invisible, she goes to a place called "Between" which is some sort of shadowland behind reality. She describes it as "a little like running, a bit like dreaming, and a lot like swimming." There is no collision In Between---you can freely move through walls and objects---and no significant gravity, since you can float. It also enables you to fast travel (1 step In Between can equal around 50 steps in reality).

It does however, make you feel weird and sleepy if you stay there for too long, and Kitty has an uncle who actually spent so much time Between that he became a permanent shadow.

The Mad Hatter can see Kitty when she's In Between. Or rather, in the words of the narrator: "He's just mad enough to THINK he can, which turns out, is very nearly the same thing."

The White Queen has a poor understanding of linear time, since it isn't linear in Wonderland. Her voicemail message says "I'm busy, call back five minutes ago."

While all three wonderlandians experience intense culture shock, Maddie has it the worst. Kitty and Lizzie are both very aloof and don't really have friends (outside each other and perhaps Maddie), but Maddie is sweet and kind to everyone, and so she has the most chances to experience Ever After's very different idea of manners. For example, Maddie was convinced for years that everyone in Ever After had really bad table manners because nobody had ever started a food fight.

Lizzie has an incredible memory, especially for things she reads, and was able to memorize the entire script of a play within 24 hours.

Lizzie has a deck of playing cards that her mother gave her with advice on them instead of numbers. Lizzie lives or dies by this advice, even when it doesn't make much sense in context, until she goes through some character development.

Sleep magic doesn't work on Maddie because she's crazy enough that her brain assumes a) she is already asleep and reality is just her dreams or b) her dreams cause reality.

Lizzie can build anything out of cards. Literally anything, and almost immediately. It's magical. She's built an entire wall out of them before. I can't remember if she has, but she definitely could build a functional bridge out of them.

All 3 Wonderlandians consider Cedar Wood a friend (best friend in Maddie's case), and would fistfight people for her.

[shedontlovehuhself]

Ah yes. I very much remember this panel(not the name tho). And I remember the flirting, too.

Credit to @WXYNEKYLE on twitter