#power 3x01

[powerfashionblog]

Who: Gianni Paolo as Brayden Weston What: Burberry Check Down Puffer Vest - Sold Out Where: 3x01 “Your Perception, Your Reality"

[nachosncheeze]

Blindspot 3x01 - A TANK

A freaking tank!!!

(They have a TANK!)

[raayllum]

Also the eye of Ziard’s self made purple hurricane looks uncomfortably like storm magic (which wasn’t the case of Viren’s version in 3x09) and I don’t like that

[tvshowcloset]

Who: LaToya Tonodeo as Diana Tejada What: Dion Lee Stirrup Crochet Top - Sold Out Where: Power Book II: Ghost 3x01 "Your Perception, Your Reality" 

[lildark1]

Oh Lord, my God when I, an awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds thy hands have made

I see the stars

My stranger gods than thee

How great thou heart?

How great thou heart

I suppose it’s a little late for me.

[itachi86]

i like pandora’s character design

[scattergoriesofevil]

Spoilers for the most recent episode (3x01)

Something I ponder quietly at times during certain scenes and especially at the end of the most recent episode:

Why did the wizards of the Kehmsarazan Empire need to create a completely sterile desert for their seat of power? What about nature itself is a threat to them? They built a fortress for magic and kept nature out.

I increasingly pair that with:

What has happened to all of the witches? Who have been diminishing in number just as the Citadel has been establishing new depths or magic?

And now that we know Eursulon is one of many waygated spirits:

Why is the Kehmsarazan Empire hostile to spirits?

There are the expected physical wars of an empire, but this Empire seems to really be about claiming all magic by removing all other magical parties from the map (witches, spirits, the sorcerors of Goathmai).

There’s also the constraint the Citadel has taught their own wizards to limit the number of times they write any spell down, and an unnecessary practice they all seem to be taught for casting? The indicative reflexive, from Soft’s research.

And then there’s Stone’s letter and her accusations that the Wizard Sleep committed “treason against magic itself”.

Of the three metaphysical axioms put forward to the mages of this Citadel, the Axiom of Interpolation, the Axiom of Mediation, and the Axiom of Proliferation, this third axiom does not describe any actual truth of the lingua arcana, nor does it more broadly describe any facet of the greater binding. Rather, this axiom is pure intellectual technology that serves a political purpose within the Citadel. Given as magical writ for the expedition of a Citadel convenience, the ramifications of this being made magical law sully every instance of the lingua arcana that it touches. Its danger to the future of wizardry, when the convenience of its acceptance has long since passed, the ripples of its effect on magic itself will still be felt. Should the Archmagi see it in their wisdom to reverse my dismissal, I will be happy to walk them through how I discovered this stain on the face of magic itself. Good day. The wizard Chandri.

Monopolizing magic seems to be the end goal of everything. Possibly destroying magic altogether.

And now the Sword of the Citadel has sent Suvi into a witch’s stronghold to do… something. It sounds like the magic box either activates and leaves something there. Or captures something and brings it back.

[fazedlight]

Kara was supposed to be a Worldkiller.

Let me explain why I wrote Darkness in All Things.

The crux of it really starts with this canon line. In 3x11, Kara ventures to Fort Rozz to find Jindah Kol Rozz - the priestess witch who might know how to defeat Reign.

It's there that Jindah - who emphasizes that there is "darkness in all things, in every soul you know" - reveals that Reign is not the only worldkiller. The others will awake, and unite beneath the banner of Reign.

The Power. The Pestilence. The Purity.

But who is Power?

To answer who is Power, we may need to start with who are the worldkillers.

In the comics, the worldkillers were created by Zor-El (who also experimented on his daughter). There were actually many worldkillers before Krypton's destruction, including Reign and her three followers.

This show has a way of reinventing comic plots. The black mercy plot, Red Son, World's Finest - all comic lore that was reimagined for Arrowverse Kara.

In season 3, we see Erica Durance (famous for Smallville's Lois Lane) take on the role of Alura. This in itself implies something big for Alura. It's not too much of a stretch to think that maybe she would take Zor-El's place as creator of the worldkillers.

And it would sure explain Sam's nightmare above, which we see at the very end of 3x01, and is never addressed again.

So we have a hint that there may be a fourth worldkiller named Power, and that perhaps Alura would take Zor-El's role in the comic of having created them. Why Kara?

Kara dreams of the worldkillers - for reasons she doesn't quite understand. But she only dreams of three. If Jindah says there are four, why don't we see the fourth in Kara's dream?

I've spoiled it already, of course: the dreamer is one.

So why didn't we see Worldkiller Kara?

It's important to note that an abusive showrunner was fired in the middle of the season - prompting rewrites & the odd midspring break.

It explains why the nightmare with Alura was never revisited, why Lena wasn't made evil despite the showrunner saying otherwise, and why Sam survived when the plot & casting call hinted at Sam's death & Ruby being adopted by Alex. It also explains why the show emphasized Alura's line from the pilot - you will do extraordinary things - 3x02 Triggers.

I could be wrong, of course - but it's still an idea that ate at me. What would it look like for Kara have to wrestle with a destructive purpose? How would the team defeat the worldkillers if their strongest fighter was one of them? What would that mean for the rift that was developing between Lena and Kara with the kryptonite and spying?

... which is why I wrote Darkness in All Things.

[wumiings]

The thing that really gets me about Merlin and Arthur’s dynamic re: being simultaneously friends (implies equality) and master/servant (unequal) is the way they both understand what this means so differently.

Like, Arthur is not deliberately cruel as a person. He sometimes lashes out in anger— particularly to cover hurt, fear, or insecurity— and is not above using his and Merlin’s relative stations to his advantage in the moment. But while this is certainly not okay, it does not characterize most of their interactions.

Most of the time, when Arthur insults Merlin, or roughhouses with him, or assigns him too many chores just to be petty, he clearly seems to think of it as friendly banter/play. And when Merlin insults him right back, or complains without real heat, or half-asses the chores, Arthur takes it as confirmation that they’re on the same page.

Because here’s the thing: when Arthur says, “You’re my servant, so we can’t be friends [paraphrase: but under other circumstances, we might be],” what he means is that they are obviously friends but they’re not allowed to call each other that, or act like it. It’s against the social rules of their environment to acknowledge their friendship.

But that is not what those words mean to Merlin. He does see Arthur as a friend, but not in the sense that they’re just playing along with the roles of servant and master. Because unlike Arthur, there is an inherent threat to Merlin’s safety and well-being implied by any reminder of those roles.

“You’re almost like a friend [except you’re my servant]” doesn’t just mean they can’t use the word. It means “I have power over you, and in moments when it’s inconvenient to treat you as a friend (see: the anger), I can and will use that power to put you back in your place.”

It’s a reminder that Arthur has fired, overworked, struck, imprisoned, threatened with exile, and held a sword to Merlin’s throat before, and so long as Merlin needs to keep his magic a secret for the sake of staying by Arthur’s side, he is powerless to do anything about it. It could happen again.

Merlin insults Arthur because he knows he can get away with it (as long as he stops when more serious threats are invoked). He complains but allows those complaints to be taken as jokes/exaggerations, because he doesn’t expect his hurts to be taken seriously and doesn’t feel comfortable making himself vulnerable to Arthur about how his actions affect him.

The chores situation in particular aggravates me to no end, because Merlin is routinely expected to do things that do not by any means fall under the purview of a personal servant. Why would he be mucking out the stables?? Surely there are stable hands who are paid to do that. And why does he do the laundry himself instead of delivering it to the laundress?

All this in addition to apprenticing with Gaius (or working as a fully qualified physician post-4x08) and going along on patrols/missions/etc. doing what I’m pretty sure would normally be a squire’s duties? As none of the knights seem to have one??

Admittedly, Merlin sometimes insists on going along on missions for Protecting Arthur Reasons, which is not Arthur’s fault, but still. Arthur knows the kind of hours Merlin is putting in. Which makes moments like in 3x01, when he undervalues, belittles, and then intentionally undoes Merlin’s hard work (cleaning the floor) so frustrating to watch.

But again, Arthur is not cruel! I never get the sense that he truly enjoys causing Merlin real emotional distress. The problem is that he consistently underestimates the amount of distress that Merlin is actually in — partly because (as previously stated) Merlin often undersells his own feelings.

TL;DR - Merlin is Arthur’s friend! His only/closest friend!! Arthur looks at Merlin and sees someone brave and loyal and absolutely worth risking his life for. But his privilege blinds him to the ways in which he fails to treat Merlin like a friend should. Outside of life-or-death situations, he doesn’t often behave as though he values Merlin (his time, his effort, his capabilities, or his friendship) particularly much. And that’s a fucking tragedy.

[imminent-danger-came]

What the Legos Want

MK: "I just- I don't want to let my friends down, you know? It's like, I want to help out in the store, do arts and crafts with Sandy, and party with M-m-m-Mei! Mei! But it's to hard, I'm just one guy!"

(1x02 Duplicatnation)

-

MK: "Okay! I did bad, I just- I really wanted that peach, and I guess I got carried away."

(1x06 The Great Wall Race)

-

Sun Wukong: "Take in everything! Choose what you want to do, and then do it! That is focus."

(1x07 Impossible Delivery)

-

MK: "I just wanted to be good enough—like you."

(1x09 Macaque)

-

MK: "It's like- I want to be strong, and I'm trying to be! But it- it's like Monkey King isn't giving me a chance! *sigh* What if- what if he knows he made a mistake—chose wrong, chose the wrong successor?"

(2x07 Shadow Play)

-

Sandy: "Hurting others isn't a measure of one's strength—took me a really long time to realize that. As long as I'm doing something to help out a friend, I don't mind what it is! I just want to be there for 'em when they need me."

(2x08 To Catch a Leaf)

-

Sun Wukong: "You want me to leave it, and I want me to take it! Eh, it's toughy." Ne Zha: "What!? Don't do this! Sun Wukong: "I'm sorry—it's the only way!"

(3x01 On The Run)

-

MK: “Why are you helping her—Lady Bone Demon—like, look, I get that you’re a bad guy, but you know that she wants to destroy everything, right?”

-

Sandy: "I don't want to fight, but I can't let you hurt my friends!"

(3x04 The Winning Side)

-

Sun Wukong: "What? You got what you wanted didn't you? Not gonna gloat? Monologue a little before scurrying off to your master? Go on! The Lady Bone Demon is waiting." Macaque: "I couldn't care less about what the Lady Bone Demon wants!"

(3x09 The King, the Prince, and the Shadow)

-

Mei: "I can't! I don't want to hurt you—any of you! I'm sorry."

-

Mei: "No! Stay back! I- I don't want to hurt you!"

(3x10 The Samadhi Fire)

-

The Mayor: "All my lady ever desired was a world no longer plagued by pain—until the Monkey King and his companions got in the way. Fate however has gifted her a second chance!"

(3x13 Time to be Warriors) (Desired, wanted, same thing.)

-

Lady Bone Demon: "Save your hero speech child—I've existed long enough to know when it's over. MK: "You still think that the universe really wants anything, from any of us?" Lady Bone Demon: "Don't you?"

(3x14 Destiny Fulfilled)

-

Macaque: "Still the same Wukong, doing whatever he wants with no regard for others!"

(3x14 Destiny Fulfilled)

-

Sun Wukong: "It's actually amazing how quickly you're mastering your powers—when I was your age-"

MK: "-You were fighting the celestial armies and generally swinging your big ol' tail around to get what you wanted?" Sun Wukong: "Well I was going to say making regrettable life choices but yeah, thanks for laying out. I'm embarrassed to admit it but—you might have actually already done more for this world that I ever have!"

(4x01 Familiar Tales)

-

Mei: “What’s the point of having power if you won’t use it? Don’t you have people you want to protect?”

(4x05 Court of the Yellow Robed Demon)

-

Sandy: “But you were too WEAK to be who you truly are! I am a monster! That’s what the world wants me to be, so that’s what I’m gonna give ‘em!”

(4x06 Show Me the Monster)

-

Curse MK: "Hey no no no- I get it man. You want to get back to our monster of the week adventures, get back to our simple missions with Mei, mastering all of Monkey King's powers and delivering noodles for pigsy. Right?" MK: "Yeah...yeah actually that's exactly what I wanna-" Curse MK: "But we can't! Not after all we've seen! All we know and all we don't? *sigh* Right friend?"

(4x07 Pitiful Creatures)

-

Azure Lion: "No no—this isn't what I wanted! All you had to do was wait, after this was all over I was going to release Sun Wukong, help him see reason! That is now impossible—not after what you've done!"

-

MK: “No matter what I do, it’s going to lead to pain. It’s like the Lady Bone Demon said—it doesn’t matter if I want to help people or not! Everything I do just- it just makes things worse!”

(4x08 The Brotherhood)

-

Macaque: "Point is, it’s time to start making your own choices—something I wish I would have learned a lot sooner than I did. You don’t want to fight Azure because people might get hurt, you don’t want to not fight him because people might get hurt–so do something else! Only you get to decide who you are kiddo.”

(4x10 The Jade Emperor)

-

Sun Wukong: "Ah, don't be like that! Eat some fruit, soak up the sun—that's why I've been training so hard!" Macaque: "What, so you can be the strongest?" Sun Wukong: "Nooo! Well, maybe a little bit—but that's not the point! It's so we don't have to worry about anything or anyone ever again! Just living a lazy life, sitting in the sun, eatin' fruit, and doing whatever we want!"

-

Sun Wukong: "I just wanted to protect the people I cared about—to be strong enough. I lost sight of why I was doing any of it."

-

Macaque: "You did it for yourself! You've become this like, obsessive demon! I told you going against the Jade Emperor was a bad idea, but no, Wukong doesn't listen to anyone, he just does whatever he wants!"

(4x11 A Lifetime of Mistakes)

-

MK: "That's what you were pretending to be right? To be my friend? To care about me? When really you were just using me to get what you wanted! To turn me against my own mentor! Put your hand in the monkey cage, and expect to get bit son!"

(4x13 Rip and Tear)

-

Sun Wukong: "Azure just stop, okay? You've won—you're going to destroy us just like you wanted! Us an the entire universe." Azure Lion: "Huh? No. This is not what I wanted! I can still fix this, it's- it's the whole reason I'm here at all!" Sun Wukong: "Wait, how are you here!?" Azure Lion: "What? What kind of a question is that you know exactly how I'm-" Sun Wukong: "-No! Here and now! I put you in the underworld myself. How'd you get out, how'd you get the scroll? I know for sure you didn't steal it—you couldn't have! Azure, who gave you that scroll? Because whoever it was they must have known this would happen, wanted this to happen! And they used you to do it."

Azure Lion: "I just wanted to make the world a better place!" MK: "You still can—you're the only one who can."

(4x14 Better Than We Found It)

-

Welcome viewers, to a shadow play the likes of which have never been seen! It follows the tragic tale of a legendary warrior, and how those who bring light into this world inevitably bring darkness to those they hold dear whether they want to or not.

[goodwhump-temp]

William Riker Whump | Star Trek: The Next Generation

His rizz is too good for his own good

SEASON 1 1x01 Encounter at Farpoint pt2 - Briefly unconscious, evaporated 1x02 The Naked Now - Knees buckle, becoming infected with the silly virus 1x04 The Last Outpost - Stunned, electrocuted unconscious, punched, threatened 1x06 Lonely AMONGUS - Betrayed, stunned/blinded 1x08 The Battle - Worried for Picard 1x09 Hide and Q - Forced to play Qs game, tempted, makes Picard worry 1x14 11001001 - Seduced/distracted, heartbroken 1x18 Coming of Age - Interrogated 1x20 The Arsenal of Freedom - Trapped in stasis, weak 1x21 Symbiosis - Electrocuted hostage, collapses 1x22 The Skin of Evil - Dragged, drowning 1x24 Conspiracy - Restrained, pain, pushed, kicked to the ground, punched multiple times, falls on glass table, unconscious, held, mind controlled, nerve pinched

SEASON 2 2x02 Where Silence Has Lease - Being hunted, trapped, aggravated 2x08 A Matter of Honor - Bullied by Klingon crewmates, bitch slapped/trips 2x12 The Royale - Trapped 2x13 Time Squared - Talks about depressing childhood 2x14 The Icarus Factor - Sees dad for the first time in 15 years, depressed, avoiding, fighting his dad, knocked down multiple times 2x18 Up the Long Ladder - Injected, memory loss, missing cells, cloned 2x21 Peak Performance - Badass, battle simulation turned into a real attack 2x22 Shades of Gray - Calf punctured, nervous system being attacked, passes out, brain stabbed/stimulated, induced sadness and pain (all in one whump episode)

SEASON 3 3x01 Evolution - Inhales toxic nitrogen oxide 3x03 The Survivors - Caught in a trap, hanging upside-down 3x09 The Vengeance Factor - Rizzler, heartbroken/sad 3x14 A Matter of Perspective - Thought dead, acting strange, arrested, guilty until proved innocent, punched multiple times 3x16 The Offspring - Sexually harassed/flustered 3x17 Sins of the Father - Confrontation, annoyed 3x18 Allegiance - Worried, confrontation, gaslighted 3x20 Tin Man - Annoyed 3x21 Hollow Pursuits - Confronts Mad Murdock (🤓), choked, feels insulted 3x23 Sarek - Punched, intense argument 3x24 Menage a Troi - Captured, unconscious, imprisoned, held at gunpoint 3x26 The Best of Both Worlds pt.1 - Annoyed (same), undermined/insulted, knocked down, unconscious

SEASON 4 4x01 The Best of Both Worlds Pt.2 - Sad the whole episode 4x03 Brothers - Trapped 4x08 Future Imperfect - Inhaling toxic fumes, coughing/choking, passes out, wakes from coma, aggravated, captured, imprisoned 4x10 The Loss - Worried 4x14 Clues - Stunned unconscious twice 4x15 First Contact - Hospitalized, severely injured, unconscious, punched multiple times/beaten unconscious, internal bleeding, injected dangerous drugs, weak, forced to kill, passes out, dying 4x17 Night Terrors - Aggravated, paranoid, tired/insomnia, scary hallucination 4x23 The Host - Shuttle shot at, awake during symbiote implantation surgery, erratic vital signs/blood pressure, slowly passing out, dizzy/stumbles/caught, weak, lightheaded, overwhelming pain, symbiote being rejected, sickness/pain worsening, collapses

SEASON 5 5x04 Silicon Avatar - Caught in storm, watches friend die, glum 5x06 The Game - Mind controlled 5x10 New Ground - Smoke inhalation, coughing 5x12 Violations - Paralyzed, traumatic flashback, passes out, noticed missing, comatose 5x14 Conundrum - Amnesia/identity erased, rizzler at maximum potential 5x15 Power Play - Shuttle crash landed, struck by lightning, unconscious, pain, broken arm, punched, shot/stunned 5x16 Ethics - Emotional 5x17 The Outcast - RIZZ ALL DAY ALL NIGHT BROTHER, emotional, brutally heartbroken 5x18 Cause and Effect - Falls to the ground, dies multiple times 5x20 Cost of Living - Life support failing, difficulty breathing, sweating profusely, passes out 5x21 The Perfect Mate - Rizz noticed, victim of rizz 5x24 The Next Phase - Thinks friends are dead 5x25 The Inner Light - Worried

SEASON 6 6x01 Time's Arrow Pt.2 - Worried 6x03 Man of the people - Forced on, scratched/pain, bleeding, worried 6x05 Schisms - Insomnia, agitated, dazed, felt trapped, abducted, restrained 6x07 Rascals - Held at fazerpoint, held hostage, threatened 6x09 The Quality of Life - Beard insulted 6x10 Chain of Command, Pt.1 - Stressed 6x11 Chain of Command, Pt.2 - Angry, confronts commanding officer twice 6x15 Tapestry - Forehead laceration 6x18 Starship Mine - Hostage, punched to the ground, almost passes out, mouth and nose bleeding, knocked out from loud noise 6x19 Lessons - Weak 6x21 Frame of Mind - Forehead sliced, (some of these are repeated multiple times), shaking, anxious, reoccuring head pain, paranoid, hallucinating, memory loss, stitutionalized, injection, increasingly agitated, intense stress/fatigue, scared, captured, parietal lobe damaged, 'neuroshock,' reoccuring bleeding, 'shoots' himself, surgery 6x24 Second Chances - Nervous, copied, twin heartbroken, hanging 6x25 Timescape - Clawed forehead, knocked down, frozen 6x26 Descent - Shot at

SEASON 7 7x03 Interface - Talks about mothers death 7x04 Gambit Pt.1 - Close friend dies, denial/avoidant, angry, emotional pain, physically aggressive, knocked down, captured, nervous system painfully electrocuted multiple times, slapped, kicked 7x05 Gambit Pt.2 - Shot unconscious, presumed dead 7x06 Phantasms - Tube sticking out of head (datas nightmare), attacked, infected 7x12 The Pegasus - Worsening guilt, stressed, broken rib, badly bruised, past revealed, confronted, part of large conspiracy, job threatened, confrontation, arrested 7x15 Lower Decks - Tired 7x18 Eye of the Beholder - Watches somebody die, guilt 7x19 Genesis - Spikes stabbed on his back, pain, worsening memory loss, transformed to beast, agitated, shot unconscious 7x24 Preemptive Strike - Held at fazerpoint, betrayed

[powerfashionblog]

Who: Michael Rainey Jr. as Tariq St Patrick What: Amiri Always On Point Varsity Bomber Jacket - Sold Out Where: 3x01 “Your Perception, Your Reality"

[chick-with-wifi]

Meta: Root as the Chosen One

One thing I love about Root's arc is that it's a subversion of the traditional 'Chosen One' narrative.

The Chosen One is usually born with special powers or featured in a prophecy, making them the only one capable of saving the world. Root, however, strong-arms her way into it as an adult by seeking out the Machine for a chance to serve Her ("I don't want to control your Machine. [...] I just want to set it free." 2x01). 

The Machine then chooses her as Analog Interface, likely both because of the abilities and loyalty she demonstrated and out of a desire to help her, which Root eagerly accepts ("The Machine offered me a job. She never said it would be easy." 3x17).

This position gives Root special powers through access to the Machine's omniscience. Including real-time updates about her surroundings ("Twelve US Marshals guard the building, plus our friend over there who was scouting the perimeter that we're now inside. Air support is ten minutes out." 3x10), information about people posing a danger to her ("2 O'CLOCK. 2007 ANTERIOR CRUCIATE LIGAMENT TORN." 3x12, via Morse Code) and being told where to aim when shooting people, which she demonstrates to great effect in 3x10 and 3x17.

Being the Analog Interface comes with the job of "trying to save the world, of course. By preventing the emergence of a second machine." (3x17), then later ensuring their survival when Samaritan comes online ("We had to settle for protecting the seven people who might be able to take it back." 3x23) and working to defeat it ("Because this is war. And the thing we're up against, it has virtually unlimited resources." 4x01). Which, as the one person the Machine speaks to directly, only Root can do.

The typical Chosen One is a reluctant hero, who struggles with the pressure thrust upon them or the idea that they are special. Root steps into the role with ease and enthusiasm, immediately considering herself one of the heroes ("I know it seems weird, but I'm one of the good guys now." 3x17). She feels secure in the idea that she's special ("The truth is that She's chosen me." 3x01) and carrying out her job brings her fulfillment, as demonstrated by her blissful expression when being retasked in 3x19.

She has no problem accepting that this mission, which she takes very seriously, means that her fate is no longer hers alone:

Shaw: Wait, Root, is that all? Where are you?

Root: Right where I'm supposed to be. (3x23)

Despite their doubts, the Chosen One is committed to defeating the Big Bad because they want to save the world. Root is immediately dedicated to the cause ("Like I said, we have a larger fight ahead of us. I think we should be together when that begins. Don't you?" 3x10) and willing to do anything, even give her life in service to it ("If I don't see you, Harold, it's been a fun ride." 4x05). However, this hinges on her desire to serve the Machine and protect Shaw and Finch, rather than any concern about the world as a whole:

Root: In the first thirty minutes after Samaritan comes online, a lot of people are gonna be killed. But they're gonna start with four: you, me, your helper monkey, and Shaw. And there won't be a damn thing anyone, including your Machine, can do to stop it. You think I don't care about people, Harold? I'm doing all of this to save you. (3x17)

Therefore, it is only when she loses these three tethers that her doubts show themselves. After Samaritan comes online and her contact with the Machine is severely limited, she begins to struggle ("She was supposed to remake the world. Now God's on the run. I have to keep going. [...] Even without Her, I can still see the edges of the tapestry." 4x05). She sought out this position because she wanted to be the Machine's Chosen One, now she has all but lost that connection yet remains a key player in the fight.

Shaw is then taken by Samaritan (4x11) and Root's devotion to the cause falters for the first time. She begins to disregard what the Machine taught her by preparing to kill Control (4x12) and torturing Leslie Thompson (4x13). When the Machine tells her to stop looking for Shaw, she walks away both from the team and the job that has been her purpose for so long:

Finch: The Machine is asking us to stop looking for her. Perhaps the Machine does know, perhaps it has a plan. But for our own survival, our sanity, I believe we must reconcile ourselves with never knowing the truth. Otherwise, our pursuit of it will consume us entirely.

Root: Goodbye, Harold. (4x13)

The next time we see her, she saves Finch's life and smiles at a security camera, then tells Reese "there's a lot that's new." (4x15). This indicates that she and the Machine have renegotiated and, while Root is working with Her again, she no longer holds the same unwavering faith.

When Finch has a plan to strike a blow against Samaritan that will likely cost his life, Root directly disobeys the Machine:

Finch: My value to the Machine is irrelevant.

Root: You're too important to me.

Finch: The Machine didn't tell you to do this.

Root: She told me not to. I thought I could sacrifice everyone, I really did. Win some, lose some, right? It's for a good cause. But it turns out I can't lose you, Harold. Not you and Shaw. (4x18)

For the first time, she puts her own needs ahead of the 'good cause' she was willing to give everything for and sabotages a chance to defeat the Big Bad, because she found the one thing that matters more to her than her duty. Finch then tells her "I don't want to see you for a while." (4x18).

Despite all of this, she continues to carry out the Machine's instructions and comes to Reese's rescue in 4x19, then goes back to working with the team.

In 4x21 she gets a call appearing to be from Shaw and instantly regrets stopping her search when Shaw has been alive all this time. Prepared to walk into a trap for a chance to save her, Root uses her own life as a bargaining chip to manipulate the Machine into helping them. Once again, she prioritizes the life of her loved one over everything else.

While following this lead, Root learns that Samaritan is close to finding the Machine and her goal expands to protecting both Her and Shaw no matter what:

Root: They're close to finding you. I don't care what happens to me.

Finch: What did the Machine tell you?

Root: She says it's too dangerous.

Finch: I'm inclined to agree.

Root: This isn't just a rescue mission to save Shaw. The Machine needs our help too. If we don't save them, who will? (4x21)

When Samaritan threatens her to get the Machine to reveal Her location, Root begs the Machine not to do it ("Don't do it. Please. Don't give yourself up. Harold was right. We are interchangeable. You can replace us. You can keep fighting." 4x21). All she wants is to protect her loved ones.

The Machine agrees to Samaritan's bargain, then gives the team Her own number to warn them of an imminent system shutdown and directions for how to help Her. When it looks like they won't be able to get there in time, Root gives the Machine an ultimatum - "No more standing on the sidelines. You want us to save your skin? Get in the game." (4x22). Ever since becoming the Analog Interface, she has been helping with the Machine's mission. Now she wants the Machine to help with her mission.

Root and Finch then save the Machine and work tirelessly until they restore Her. Root is also focussed on protecting her loved ones, which has expanded to include Reese and Fusco ("John needs our help now. You have to give us something to work with." 5x05. "An exit strategy. For you and your son to disappear off the grid, just in case." 5x07).

The priority of finding Shaw never leaves Root's mind and eventually she once again forces the Machine to help her by threatening to withhold her cooperation ("I refuse to do one more mission until I know that what I'm doing is going to lead me to Sameen." 5x07). Together they send a message to Shaw, which gives her the motivation she needs to escape, and Root is so desperate to be reunited that she would have given herself up to Samaritan if Reese hadn't intervened.

Throughout all of this, Root remains dedicated to the war against Samaritan and vehemently advocates for them to take a more offensive stance ("We have to be willing to do whatever it takes now, or we've already lost." 5x03). She then adds to the Machine's code to give Her an edge in the fight ("What if I said I hard-coded a little something extra into the system before you closed it for good? I gave Her the capacity to defend Herself." 5x10), thus fulfilling her duty as the Chosen One by using the abilities and loyalty the Machine chose her for to ensure Samaritan's defeat - but for her own reasons: protecting the family this role led her to.

[raayllum]

I'm really wondering about the order of events we learn of in "The Midnight Star" (MS) poem if only because some pieces of language aren't quite meshing with what we've previously known / potentially assumed

Elarion, trembling seed, lay down to earth in icy night, and in the cold her roots took hold defying winter’s deathly bite. Elarion, fading bloom, afraid to wilt and dim and die, she searched the dark for but a spark and caught the dragons’ hungry eye.

We know Elarion was an early human settlement that eventually became the biggest in ancient Xadia (TOX). We know that this is happening prior to the stars leaving thanks to a later stanza. Moreover, this stanza indicates that the city was drawing the attention of the dragons, which is also hinted at in Ripples, "It happened long ago, when humans had only just learned to hold fire in their hands without burning. They nurtured their precious primal flames secretly—in the dark of night, beneath shadows and shrouds—as cultivating its glow drew the eyes and ire of monsters".

However, Elarion suffering and struggling to hold on doesn't quite make sense if it already had primal magic... unless the first stanza condenses these events, i.e. "she searched the dark for a spark" ("that secret becomes a spark, the tiniest flicker of a primal source inside you") and that's why the city initially caught negative attention from the dragons. But even then, that contradicts statements from Ripples, in which:

"he did not know the stars as I know them. He did not know their arrogance, how they had rejoiced to look down upon their newborn sea. Where once they’d watched errant flames burn with pride and undeserved power, there was now only stillness"

the Startouch / First Elves are the ones who — seemingly — cast Aaravos out and create the sea as an initial punishment for humanity because "humanity had been given something they were never meant to have."

But MS doubles down that it's the dragons threatening the city, and that humans are still assuming the First Elves might help them, only for the stars to refuse and leave:

Elarion, frightened waif, reached bone-white branches to the night, the stars she asked their light to cast and stop the dragons’ fiery might. Elarion, unworthy whelp, Wept as the stars turned black the sky, They donned their masks They turned their backs, And left Elarion to die.

So Elarion/humans have been given primal magic by someone, who is probably Leola, a unicorn who may or may also be a startouch elf even though the First Elves disapproved (TOX, book 1: novelization). This makes the other First Elves angry and also seems to anger the dragons. When Elarion asks for protection from the First Elves against the dragons, they're ignored/abandoned.

This is, however, where MS starts to get tricky.

Elarion, dying husk, did wilt and whimper in the dark, ‘till the last star Reached from afar His touch: a blaze, a gift, a spark.

Again, we see a spark, which has most been referred to in reference to primal magic, even seemingly earlier on in the poem. We also see gift, which seems like a blatant reference to dark magic: "So he gave us magic!" (4x07) and "Lay [the staff] down? But it was a gift" (3x01). We can also read it into this section from the Puzzle House in which Claudia quite explicitly uses magic that isn't primal, either:

He said it came from "a spark of fun" instead of primal sources, or...

And Kpp'Ar is a dark mage, and so is Claudia (in-training at this point), so it'd be within reason to assume this is some form of dark magic residue. But if it is... why not just call it that? Why make the distinction?

I think we can conclusively say there were at least two gifts given to humanity — the first was primal magic, and this seems to be more concrete. The second, assumedly, was dark magic at least in some form. But what if it was also more than that? I've talked before that as the Key of Aaravos seemingly functions now, it'd be most useful to a dark mage for categorizing spell parts/ingredients. The premonition dreams and weird blood connections between Star (Deep?) and dark magic are well known by now, even just looking at the sheer weirdness of whatever the fuck is going on with Ziard-Viren's relic staff.

The Midnight Star poem also does not help us much in figuring out the distinction between them, at least not at first glance.

Elarion, searing white, Embraced the great one’s night-black flame. And when she bowed, Her faith avowed, He whispered, “Aaravos,” his name.

Here, we get the dark-light motif pretty plainly. Fire fits with the primal flames that we're pretty sure humanity already had at this point, but we're not 100% sure. "Searing white" seems to match up with Aaravos' key, which could both relate to primal, dark, and deep magic all pretty easily.

And giving humans deep magic isn't necessarily all bad. Elarion is called "a beautiful white city" nestled in the mountains (Tales of Xadia). Leola's Last Wish star is a beautiful guiding light. This is probably the closest to a straightforward "this is when humans got primal magic or deep magic ('good' variant)" we can read into the poem, except...

It's immediately troubled by this implication and the following stanza (said connection between 2x06 and TOX found by @its-leethee).

The process marks its wielder, too: years of dark magic leave mages with pale complexions, bruise-like blemishes across the body, and blackened eyes. For better or for worse, dark magic became the key that unlocked a place of power in Xadia for all of humanity.

The closing stanza of the poem is why we all thought dark magic post-S2, for obvious reasons:

Elarion, black-eyed child, her twisted roots spread deep and far, The humans’ might sparked by the light of Aaravos, her midnight star.

Black eyes are found in dark magic use, twisted roots don't have a particularly good connotation, and we know thanks to S1 and S3 that many humans considered dark magic to make them powerful and level the playing field. Thus, the timeline would look something like this:

Elarion / humans eventually found primal magic (thanks to Leola + potentially others like Aaravos)

This drew the anger of the Stars/First elves and the dragons

Elarion asks the stars for help against the dragons, but they leave/reject it

Aaravos gives the humans deep magic (or something along those lines) through his cube ("searing white") which may or may not contain his chest piece / a quasar diamond

Through the cube, humans discovered/developed dark magic, thus "unlocking a place of great power"

[tvshowcloset]

Who: Gianni Paolo as Brayden Weston What: Burberry Check Down Puffer Vest - Sold Out Where: Power Book II: Ghost 3x01 “Your Perception, Your Reality"

[whumpystuffy]

Whump list - Grimm (2011-2017)

Main character Nick Burkhardt portrayed by David Giuntoli.

Season 1

1x01 Attacked, kicked. Night terrors. Fight, slammed against wall. Thrown to the ground. Injected with poison, collapses, unconscious.

1x02 In hospital, toxins in his blood. Loss of family member.

1x06 Attacked, thrown out of car, bleeding head wound, pain in shoulder. Pushed to the ground.

1x08 Attacked, slammed against wall, thrown to the ground, holds torso, bloody bruised face, multiple punches, weak. In hospital, 3 bruised ribs, dislocated shoulder and concision. Night terrors, in pain, troubled breathing, coughing.

1x10 Under gunfire. Attacked, on the ground, palm of hand sliced, bleeding.

1x12 Threatened, manhandled, forced to fight for entertainment. Kicked to the ground, slammed against cage, head butt, thrown across the ring.

1x13 Under gunfire. Attacked, fight.

1x14 Attacked, pinned down, taunted. Girlfriend kidnapped, pushed to the ground, punched multiple times.

1x16 Attacked, pushed. Under gunpoint. Crying.

1x17 Furious, slams hand into door. Big fight, punched multiple times, on the ground, bleeding head wound, bleeding lip.

1x19 Attacked, fight.

1x22 Attacked, big fight, punched multiple times, kicked, bleeding.

Season 2

2x01 Fight continued, kicked, manhandled, bleeding hand. Emotional, crying. Bruised face.

2x02 Bruises from previous episode, attacked, punched multiple times, slammed to the ground, more bruises in face.

2x03 Bruises from previous episode. Under gunfire.

2x05 Attacked, fight, slammed against car.

2x06 Attacked, rolling down hill, kicked, punched multiple times.

2x08 Attacked, kicked to the floor, punched.

2x09 Under water fight, held under.

2x10 Attacked, punched, head butt, black eye.

2x12 Fight, punched, kicked. Drinks potion, stomach pain, heavy breathing.

2x15 Blinded, needs support, in pain, bruised eyes. Fight.

2x20 Attacked, punched, bruised face, under spell, angry.

2x21 Bruises form previous episode.

2x22 Punched, slammed to the ground. Infected with poison, ‘dead’.

Season 3

3x01 Still ‘dead’. Fight, infected, not himself. Plane crash, bruises/cuts on face. Attacked, head butt.

3x02 Bruises from previous episode. Attacked, manhandled, hit in the head. Outnumbered, kicked/punched multiple times, antidote taken. Shivering, weak, handcuffed, headache, sore.

3x03 Attacked, punched, kicked, on the ground, thrown, bloody cut on face.

3x07 Colleague kidnapped, attacked, outnumbered, slammed against wall.

3x10 Attacked, slammed to the ground.

3x13 Attacked, outnumbered, slammed against wall, head butt, punched multiple times, thrown to the ground, bruised face, manhandled, strangled.

3x22 Loses his Grimm powers.

Season 4

4x02 Extreme headache, falls to the ground, in pain, screams, heavy breathing.

4x03 Aftermath of head ache, needs help walking.

4x06 Headache, in pain, grunting, heavy breathing. Grabbed, manhandled, dragged, hair pull, sweating, powers returned.

4x12 Bounty placed on him.

4x14 Kicked, fight, on the ground, crawling. Emotional, face grabbed.

4x18 Attacked, slammed against the wall, strangled, can’t breathe, on the floor, heavy breathing.

4x20 Magic forces him to point loaded gun on best friend, fear.

4x21 Heavy breathing. Screaming over loss of mother.

4x22 Crying, emotional, on the ground. Fight, punched multiple times. Thrown to the wall, thrown through window, punched.

Season 5

5x01 Manhandled, outnumbered, chloroformed, unconscious. Breaks down crying. Attacked, kicked. Kicked on the ground, punched multiple times.

5x06 Surrounded, outnumbered, fight. Attacked, on the ground, power play.

5x12 Falls down hole, dirty. Cuts finger on purpose, ritual.

5x13 Thrown to the ground and through door, struggling.

5x20 Son taken from him, furious, throws chair.

5x21 Fight, punched multiple times, thrown through window, bruised face, arrested, manhandled, thrown into cell.

5x22 Bruises from previous episode. Outnumbered, handcuffed, manhandled. Humiliated, taunted, interrogated, strangled with magic, tortured, screaming in pain, under gunfire. Shot in the back, crawling, big fight, shot multiple times, falls down, healed with magical stick.

Season 6

6x01 Bruises from previous episodes. Wanted by police, on the run.

6x03 Potion taken, in pain on the floor, body changes. In a fight but he’s a different person/character. Slammed across room, in pain, bruised face.

6x04 Dizzy, trembles. Fight, punched.

6x11 Attacked, ripped his arm, bleeding, being chased. Slammed with magic against stone wall.

6x12 Magic fight, pushed to the ground. Thrown out of portal, bleeding cut on hands. Magically healed. Slammed to the floor, thrown across room.

6x13 Unconscious. Loss of loved ones, emotional. Stabbed in hand for ritual, bleeding. Magic fight, loss of loved ones, strangled. Screams in emotional pain. Fight, punched multiple times. Bruised face, sad.

I really love the Grimm stories, not so whumpy but has some scenes. I didn’t include all the whump cause he has a fight in every freaking episode WITH NO CONSEQUENCES!? Thrown through a window? Nah not even a cut is shown.

Trailer for the series.