#shades of magic meta

[purplebass]

Thought about Lila's trauma and drinking as her copying mechanism to deal with her emotions (in relation to her relationship with Kell but also with Alucard) so I wrote a post because I had so much to say :)

Special mention to @bluecichlid because your comment under my Lila meets her father again fanfic inspired part of this post so thank you lol

tw: alcohol mention, tw: trauma mention, tw: anxiety mention

We know from bits here and there that Lila's father was an alcoholic and she often ran away from home and he didn't even notice. This forced Lila grow up fast and her needs were never met. Lila using her father's copying mechanism to avoid dealing with things (mostly emotionally related) is not surprising. No one taught her what in psychology is defined as "emotional literacy", which is the skill to understand/deal with emotions related to oneself and the outside world. She learned that by herself by trial and error and observation, but of course this human skill is also sharpened by interactions a person has with their caregiver(s) and with their peers, which help us regulate our emotions and act according to what society expects us to do. From the look of it, Lila doesn't seem to have had any meaningful relationships after she left her father for good. Barron was a fatherly figure to her but she never truly let him in. Then she met Kell, and her life began to change because he was the first person with whom she was able to make a deeper connection. Then came Alucard, with whom she equally shares a deep connection which is different from the one she has with Kell, and many many more. I only mention them because they are important for the discourse I'm making in this post.

Lila likes to drink as a way not to process her emotions and numb them, because she is avoidant and dismissive just like her caregiver used to be. Drinking is her response to trauma. It's Lila's favorite copying mechanism along with fighting (both physical and magical) to blow off steam. It's the quickest way to kick her emotions to the curb because they are too much and she isn't sure she can control them. She doesn't want to be crushed by them, which scares her (hence avoidant but she also wants to feel). But canon hints that Lila prefers to drink alone rather than with someone. She doesn't feel safe drinking with others because she doesn't want to lose control, so she tries not to exaggerate.

Lila's drinking in relation to Kell: trying not to think about him hurting in tftop + Kell rewiring Lila's past trauma into a good one

Her drinking is often emphasized after she goes or someone is going through something. For example in tftop, she goes with the crew to drink after the fight on the vessel where Kell gets hurt by his magic and she knows he needs to be alone. She tries to divert her feelings (being worried about Kell and wanting to comfort him but being unable to do so) by celebrating the mission the crew accomplished, but she ends up thinking about him anyway while she drinks by herself.

I mentioned this moment specifically because this is one of the moments in the series where Lila has a positive outcome linked to her drinking, and it rewires her past traumatic experience. When she returns to the ship after drinking, Kell is waiting for her. He pretends to be sleeping because he doesn't want to appear anxious when she's out at night, since she prides of her independence and knows how to take care of herself. But Lila knows that he is waiting and she has an ambivalent reaction to it. She is glad but she also thinks he doesn't need to do that because she doesn't need to be looked after. So Kell tries to meet her in between by pretending to sleep, knowing that he needs to trust her or his anxiety will eat him. Kell fears abandonment as much as Lila does, and by doing what her father never did, he gives her the safety she needs and whom she doesn't dare to ask for from him. She equally gives him the safety he needs when she returns safely into his arms at night.

The same happens in acol while they are on the Ghost. Lila drinks while she plays and loses her boots to Jasta, and Kell gives her his so she can have her boots back. They have a moment before the ship is attacked and Kell asks how much did she drink. Liquid courage makes her honest and she confesses she rarely drinks in company because she doesn't want to be caught unawares.

Drinking and having fun is a way to deal with everything happening (risking to die because of Osaron, Lila finally accepting her feelings for Kell/his feelings for her, dealing with her new identity as an antari). But she instantly sobers up once she realizes that they are all in danger and we see how quickly the adrenaline makes her react to the new situation.

Kell tries to help Lila relax after a bad drinking experience

Another moment I want to point out in relation to Lila, Kell and drinking is when Hastra gives Lila the tonic to make her sleep. Kell gets mad at Hastra for spiking her drink because he knows how much she would hate that because it was done against her consent. When they are in Verose in tftop, in fact, Lila doesn't seem to want to drink at first, but Kell encourages her by saying: "not everything is a trap," and she decides to trust him and tries to relax. It tugs at her heartstrings that he sees her and is learning and trying to silently support her when she doesn't even know she needs support. This is love.

Lila's drinking in relation to Alucard: he wants to get information out of her + he's also a sort of confidante to her

There are other moments where she drinks while she is with Alucard in agos and he's trying to find things about her while teaching her magic. However, when she drinks with him and the crew she is guarded, and she never drinks enough to lose control and never does things she would regret. Her drinking is calculated.

Lila also drinks with Alucard in tftop. Alucard jokes and says "I'm far more fun than Kell," when he asks Lila why she's there to drink. She agrees, but her mask slips because it's easier to show Alucard (who I consider Lila's bff) how she really feels. Lila doesn't openly say that she's worried about Kell but Alucard understands because he is good at observing people just like Lila. She also lets him in her plans to catch the Hand. Alucard was the only one who knew about Kosika, about the Hand meeting and more - things Lila didn't tell Kell. That's not casual. Lila confides in Alucard because he is a friend and because it's easier to talk to him than to confide in Kell, with whom she's romantically involved and was in a difficult moment at that point of the story. She precisely avoids to talk to him about this because she loves him too much and she doesn't want to burden him. She knows he would worry too much if she did, and she doesn't want to add that burden to the emotional baggage he's been carrying for years. It's Lila's way to protect Kell from potential harm.

I wanted to say more things but I said enough lmao. Thank you if you read so far and if you have thoughts, feel free to interact <3

[ravencromwell]

Ros Vortalis trans headcanons

There are some remarkable trans Holland fics and headcanons, but can we talk about Ros Vortalis, whom all of his friends simply call Vor? Who, even when he’s _dying Holland calls Vor, to be expected, but also Vortalis which’s so much longer than Ros.

A bit of googling informs me Ros is “protector” in German, which’s chef’s kiss one hundred/ten no notes V.E. But it’s also, more frequently, a diminutive of Rosalind. Disclaimer before I start these that I respect and love! the headcanons of Makt as fairly gender nonrestrictive, with power being more of a defining factor of treatment. My Makt, however, is more complicated, with gender and gender transitions being imperfect but still a site where joy can be created, much like the rest of White London existence. Putting the rest of these beneath a cut with that in mind because as a trans person, I know some days I can’t handle transness as careful complication to be navigated and don’t want to inflict it on anyone unprepared. (Though, I promise! there’re fluffy as fuck nsfw Vor/Holland and Vor/friends headcanons in here to cut the angst.)

Ros retains a shortened form of his given namefor business purposes within the Shal—we know Shal means “market” in Red London, and I tend to think it means the same in White, such that when Holland calls him a “thug from the Shal” he’s referring to Vor being in the merchant/smuggling business. When he transitions, he’s relatively young and honestly to flagrantly demand a name change would be seen by too many as blood in the water. His greatest focus, always, is Makt rather than his personal happiness and he’d rather be burdened with the “nickname” Ros and be capable of rising in the Shal in service of becoming king.

There’re two ways of transitioning: the easiest and least painful is utilizing a spell similar to Astrid’s with Lila and stealing a face and voice. But that spell fades with death and though Vor understands that his body is likely destined for desecration once he’s gone as Makt’s people drain its blood and magic, there’s still this stubborn demand that they destroy a body without the face that made him shudder every time his child self caught a glimpse (he is so grateful for a lack of mirrors in Makt for much of his young adulthood.)

So he chooses the harder, excruciating method: finds a bone magician to permanently reshape his body. Session after session, over months traveling abroad on a ship with only the open sea and crew to hear him scream himself hoarse.

The first time they share a bed, Holland strokes along the broadened shoulders, runs fingers along the scars on his chest—eyes fixed on Vor’s all the while— and murmurs: “If they did not believe you would hold the throne, they were fools.”

“I’m flattered.” He’s bright-eyed, with that deep, rolling-sea laugh.

“After this, very little would stop you.” Fools have marveled at the extent of spells across his body, and inwardly he howls in hysterical laughter because there is very little to dull pain in Makt, and the shipboard pain was so vast it made everything else feel like pinpricks by comparison. He’s never bedded someone who would know that as intimately as the man who had done his damndest to use that same magic in stopping Vor’s fist before it connected with his face, and the admiration uncoils something deep in his chest. “Sometimes I’m certain I can’t keep it. One moment it will be there and then not.” He manages a farse of a smile “Foolish, after all these decades, but such is the weakness of your future king, Holland.”

“Lucky you would have an Antari to put it back, then.”

By the time he returned to London, voice rumbling deep from an expanded chest, people understood quickly to use “Ros” with the proper pronouns or see just how effective the runes on his hands were. But well…Ros is an easier shirt than Rosalind to slip into, but it will never sit comfortably. As he develops allies, he finds that Vor and Vortalis fit easier. And it becomes a good gauge for trust. Those who understand implicitly how painful his given name is and respect that, are people worth keeping. It becomes easier, as fewer and fewer people survive who remember Rosalind.

There are far too many moments to count when former friends or lovers try to use “Ros” as a weapon, with a little smirk that says: “You never said we _couldn’t call you that.” And he’s deeply glad he made a relatively small name fuss and provided only a small chink in his armor. (Those sorts of people tend, inevitably, to cause the use of his knives. As though letting them close and showing kindness is an invitation for open season. But such are the risks in Makt, and he is a man who craves touch and closeness. What good to craft the ideal body only to never have it appreciated. The way Holland simply…withdrew from people after Talya is something almost unfathomable. Whether they’re the closest of friends or both king and night and! king and beloved—which’s pretty much always in my head—there’s a deep, profound ache that he could never touch Holland enough to make up for too many years alone.

It’s the dimmest flicker every time he sees the “knight” and “Antari” masks slip, when Holland leans against his shoulder or puts his head in Vor’s lap, eyes half-closing at fingers in his hair. But, simply because the task is nigh on impossible, doesn’t mean he won’t do his best. Vor touches Holland Vosijk a hundred thousand times in those two years of rule—and so, so many more if they both survive—and is so very, very grateful he could take the touches the best of his lovers and allies offered over the last thirty years. (On a slashy front, can we also just talk about how, as a couple, there’s an incomparable way arousal and awe intertwine for Vor _every time Holland reaches out and shows affection: a kiss against his temple as Vor lets their foreheads rest together; a hand moving slow and easy down his back. To be trusted enough for the most guarded man he’s ever met—it took Vor _months to convince him to kill Gorst and he’s never had to work so hard or wanted so desperately for someone to say yes in his life—to touch him is such a valuable thing that he has immense responsibility not to break.)

Also in couple’s verse: If Vor has a small regret, it’s that the bone magicians are far more skilled with outward, above-the-waist presentation—because the best of them have not only done this for trans people, but for criminals etc. seeking a disguise. Thankfully, they had no trouble cutting him open to ensure he would never be with child—he doesn’t have the vocabulary for dysphoria, but the idea of his stomach rounded and heavy is one of the few things that can make him viciously soul-deep terrified. But the below the waist equipment well, it’s not a magic Makt has the luxury of learning.

By the time he meets Holland, it’s the very faintest of regrets: he has a collection of strap-ons for when he and a lover want to indulge in that particular fantasy—and is comfortable enough in his skin it’s an indulgence and not a requirement. It’s beautiful to watch lovers slide to their knees and take them in their hands or mouths or slide inside and watch them arch with pleasure. But oh, oh he wishes he could _feel it. It’s not a complaint worth voicing, and honestly after he becomes king, there’s very little time to indulge.

But one day, Holland comes back, smelling of flowers holding a box, tells the guards to wait at the end of the hall because he has crucial business from “the other London” for the king’s ears alone, which has Vor intrigued and concerned because he hasn’t come close to asking Holand to send a message. But before the concern can swell to anything beyond a flicker, he sees a flush so faint anyone would miss it who wasn’t watching. (Even before the Danes, Holland held his feelings and desires in an iron grip; Vor learned early in sharing a bed that Holland loathed the idea of being heard by those not his lovers when losing control: not merely a discomfort that could add spice to an evening, but viscerally, the way it would take everything Vor had to turn his back on an armed opponent.) This is pleasure, not business and he flicks his fingers in a silent command before they can even turn to look.

"Go get yourselves some dinner,“ he says for good measure, "If there is a foe Holland cannot protect me from, there’s little more bodies can do.”

When he opens the box…there are the usual straps but the cock. The cock feels like _skin. “The Arnesians-” and oh, there’s still so much contempt in those words “With their infinite supply of magic have learned to transmute. From earth to bone, and then something softer. There is an illusion for the Arnesians who want to forget the straps.” There were layers upon layers beneath that statement: neither of them wished, at least then, to go begging for scraps, but to _take a little of the bounty Arnes had hoarded,

“_Yes!”

Neither of them know how the illusion works: it is as mysterious as the fireworks Holland has seen that fool his eyes into certainty dragons fly across the unbearably vivid Arnesian sky. It does not matter; in those moments when Holland’s mouth is hot on skin, Vor is utterly, entirely certain Holland is swallowing down the cock he has always had.

It’s almost too much, leaves him speechless for the first time in decades, has Holland scrambling up and onto the bed even as his eyes are still glassy from watching the king come undone to wrap himself around Vor’s back until the world comes into focus again. “Is it only good once or-” he asks, finally and Holland’s smirk is wicked.

When he’s upending the Ost table and coughing up blood—, so much, too much kajt I hope Holland can take the throne because whoever these bastards are they can’t rule, the thing he clings to: more than “Stay with me"—though he _tries—, more than the raw panic in Holland _swearing—is the name. _Vortalis, he says when the table overturns—though it would be such a forgivable mistake to use Ros. Vor, he says while chanting stay and one of his blood spells. He will die as who he made himself, not as he was born.

The three threads of coherence for Holland are the blood spell. That Vor _has to stay. And that if he cannot be enough to stop this, he _will not let Vor die hearing him use the wrong name.

In verses where Vor lives, they both know the "thank you” when he wakes is not for the healing, though to be alive is a joy.

[bluecichlid]

Threads of Power: Who Is the Master of the Veil?

I have three theories: one obvious, one fun but no real evidence, and one that IMO would be amazing but is probably bat-shit crazy.

Spoilers ...

Oren Rosec

This one feels obvious. Maybe a bit too obvious.

The narrative introduces Oren Rosec when Alucard meets him in the pleasure garden right before his rendezvous with the White Rose.  The White Rose meets the Master of the Veil right after Alucard leaves.  So, same place, same time.  

And the narrative spends too much time on Oren for him not to be a player in some way.  The bit about his sister possibly being dead (“was”) is clearly setting something up.  

The Master of the Veil is an Ostra or a Vestra.  In the meeting with Berras and Ezril, the Master is described as having “burnished” hair.  (Ciara says dark at one point in her POV, not sure what that means).  Oren is blond.  In both the Master’s appearances, there is a lot of emphasis on the eyes not being visible, implying it is significant.  Oren has distinctive all black eyes.  Alucard sees a blue thread by Oren, signifying water powers.  The Master uses ice.  Berras describes the Master as being young.  Oren is young.

So, lots of signs pointing to Oren, but so far he’s not a very interesting choice.  Of course, we may get a lot more of him in the next books and if he is the Master, I’m sure Schwab will make him great.  

But there are a couple of more speculative possibilities:

2. Kell’s identical twin brother

Pure speculation and there isn’t much to support this. 

The biggest reason for it is the narrative - it opens up so many possibilities.  Lots of opportunity for “the man in the iron mask” swashbuckling and identity theft fun.   Someone from Kell’s family would be a lot more interesting in terms of the plot than a random Vestra we aren’t yet invested in.  Kell’s biological family is major unfinished business from the first trilogy.  Plus, the Master seems to hold a grudge against the royal family.  If the Master is Oren, why would he?  Whereas a brother of Kell could have plenty of reason to hate Rhy and the royals.  

Physically, there is nothing much to exclude a brother of Kell’s, but nothing much pointing to it.  “Burnished” hair could mean red, but much more likely blond.  If the hair is “burnished” and dark, it could be auburn.  

The use of the mask is interesting.  Kell’s identical twin would need to conceal his face, not just his identity.  

Reasons against: if Ciara is right that the Master is nobility, Kell would have had to have been born at least an Ostra.  That seems like a stretch.  Kell’s parents could have been anyone, but in A Life Erased, they certainly don’t act like nobility and they obviously aren’t rich.  And if his family was powerful enough to have ambitions for the throne and to be accepted by chummy with Ezril and Berras, it is hard to imagine them voluntarily giving up Kell.

Minor point, but the Master speaks Veskan, but like someone taught the language, not like a native speaker.  Kell’s father was at least part Veskan, so the family would be more likely to be native speakers. 

Also, the Master shows no real concern for Kell dying.  He’s back at the palace at that point, so if Berras’s plan works, Kell would be targeted along with Rhy and his family.  “I take it no one should be spared.”  There is really no mention of Kell at all, and if the Master was motivated by revenge for the loss of his brother, you’d think there would be something. So family of Kell is a stretch.

The last is the one that is really out there.

3. Astrid Dane.

She died at the end of the first book - or did she?  Astrid was possessing someone in the Red London palace right before her death.  She seems to have been wearing the possession pendant with Holland’s blood on it when she died.  She carried on a conversation with Kell early in the book while still in control of Rhy.  If she was controlling someone when she died, part of her could still be alive in that person.  And that person could have been Oren Rosec, in the palace as a guest at Rhy’s twentieth birthday party.

The big argument against would be that Alucard didn't see any suspicious magic threads on Oren. But there are ways to get around that. Maybe possession wouldn't be obvious if there is no link to a living person.

If Oren was possessed, his sister’s death makes sense.  They live away from the capital.  Their father was dying at Rhy’s wedding.  Nobody would be left who knew the original Oren well.

There is a sadistic element to the Master:

She flinched, but his grip tightened, seeming to enjoy her discomfort.  She’d handled enough patrons to recognize the ones who took pleasure in another’s pain.

And when discussing the killing of the royal family:

The humor in his voice was clear.  “I do wish I could be there. It is only so much fun to watch.”

Looking at Astrid’s first appearance in Kell’s POV in DSOM:  Astrid had draped herself over one of the two thrones… “  There are parallels to the Master’s first appearance in Ciara’s POV in FTOP: She noticed the way he draped himself across the chair …

Kell in DSOM: ..her hand slid past the paper and closed around his wrist … lightning danced up Kell’s arm, followed almost instantly by pain.  Ciara in FTOP: ... his hand closed around her wrist, his fingers burning cold.

Kell in DSOM: Kell did not realize she had risen from her seat until he felt her there beside him, running a finger down the silver buttons of his coat.  Ciara in FTOP: …the Master of the Veil was right there, no longer behind the desk but in front of it, in front of her … and later It left an awful, eerie feeling, like his fingers sliding over her skin.

Finally, on the narrative, Astrid as a villain draws Red and White London together, and has plenty of unfinished business with the MCs, particularly Holland.  

None of this is the smoking gun, and who knows what Schwab is really planning.  Whatever it is, I’m sure it will be great. 

[stealingyourbones]

Hi! So I was into DP years ago, then earlier this year got into Batfam fics, then saw my first DC x DP crossover and just 💥

So now I’m on a new obsession that has me reading every one of your prompts and any stories that come from it and I just had this one flood my brain:

Presumed Alien Danny

So for [insert reason here] Danny has to flea Amity and the living world to stay in the Zone. He’s injured, and therefore forced to use the Fenton Specter Speeder, and flies it into the portal. Only, whether due to a malfunction, Clockwork, or something else, instead of the Ghost Zone, the Speeder gets spat out of a portal in the DC universe.

So, on the other side, the Watchtower gives an alert that an unknown energy is spiking nearby, and then a spaceship/pod looking thing comes flying out of a flash of green. It’s spinning out of control, and headed for a desert on Earth. A team is dispatched, I’m thinking Superman (alien), Green Lantern (alien law enforcement) and Batman (obvious. Kid bait).

So they get there within moments of the crash, find the thing totaled, Superman hears a strange, humming/thrumming accompanied by groans, and he cracks what’s left of it open to see this green-eyed, white-haired kid with very bad injuries and green blood covering what looks like it could have been some kind of space suit. He grabs the kid, gets him out, and Lantern makes a shield that contains the massive explosion that leaves the ship/pod nothing but charred bits lying scattered across the sand.

They get the clearly alien child to the watchtower for medical help, and though they heal very quickly they still need a lot of stitches, mainly because the first set melted and they had to use ones designed for metas with corrosive abilities.

Then, a day or so later, still healing but not in danger, the kid wakes up, stares wide-eyed at the people around him, and exclaims something I a strange language.

Yeah, definitely alien.

Danny wakes up, sees a bunch of weird, costumed people all around him, and tries to ask what the heck is going on. They all stare in confusion. One guys, who’s glowing green but a different shade, had a ring that starts speaking in a different language.

So, I figure, in an alternate dimension, the English language developed differently, so Danny’s English and the DCU’s English aren’t the same. Hence more Misunderstandings.

Also, if Connor is in this, it’s not until after Danny’s been found. 😎

So Danny gets introduced via the Green Guys magic translating ring, finds out they think he’s an alien, thinks he’s still in his world, where the Anti-Ecto Acts are a thing, and goes with it. They introduce him to the younger hero’s his age, and once he’s better they set him up in their base to live, since obviously he can’t stay on the watchtower or blend in. A few weeks in is enough for Danny to get confused by all the differences and look into it, and realize he’s in a new dimension. But he’s already knee-deep in this, so he just doesn’t ever mention it, and just refers to his ‘home planet’ as Amity.

Meanwhile, the alien kid, Danny, seems to be adjusting well, if a bit confused by the strangest things at times. The planet he mentioned as home was listed by the Lantern Corps as one destroyed by a black hole a few days before Danny’s pod showed up, so they avoid asking about the clearly painful and traumatizing experience. Superman, upon learning about the boys skill set, takes him under his wing.

TLDR-

Through a series of misunderstandings and coincidences Danny is premised to be an alien child by the Justice League and taken in as Superman’s apprentice/son. He does not correct this assumption, either ever or until he is outed by something/one else.

homie I am in love with this idea. Presumed Alien Danny makes me so happy.

I will like to add: The not-quite-english that Danny is speaking is akin to old English.

[ineffable-suffering]

The Jane Austen Ball and why it was never about Nina and Maggie

Otherwise known as (*takes a deep breath*): A completely inflated close-up look at various dialogues and events of Season 2 that prove that the Whickber Street Traders and Shopkeeper's Association Meeting Cotillion Ball was supposed to be Aziraphale's confession to Crowley

Look, the point's been made before but that's never kept me from making it myself again, still. In fact, even I made it before, at the end of one of my other metas. But I feel like it's absolutely worthy enough to get its own soppy, way-too-long post. And I do love it so very much to write ridiculously long essays on something that could easily be condensed into a short paragraph.

So, here we go! Snuggle up, get cozy, settle in and, most importantly:

(Word count: 3.177 | Reading time: ~13 minutes)

As I already said above, I laid out a similar case in my meta about why Aziraphale is somewhat of an unreliable narrator. I'll try and recycle it here briefly, so I can further make my point.

When Aziraphale arrives back in London from his Edinburgh journey, he seems oddly happy and giddy for the fact that he just had a rather odd and threatening encounter with Shax. I explain in my other meta that this is because he just spent the last hours of his drive reminiscing on the thrilling and romantic magic show adventure of 1941 and also the fact that he just found out that Crowley has been replaced by Shax and no longer works for Hell.

Ergo: We have a hopelessly lovesick Principality at our hands, who's practically swooning over his serpent who saved him, his books and his magic show all those years ago.

Ergo:

✨This✨

Realistically, Aziraphale should probably be a tad worried about the eery encounter with Shax, in which she definitely had the upper hand on him. But well, if you spend many-a hours driving across the serene countryside (Edinburgh is about an 8-hour drive from London), pondering on one of the craziest, sticky-sweet romantic adventures of your not-life life, well ... things tend to turn a little rosy around the edges. Head in the clouds and all that. Light shades of grey!

Alright, onwards: Once the angel, filled to the very brim with fond memories and butterflies, gets out of the Bentley, he's kindly met with a face full of verdant plants and a very in-character-grumpy Crowley.

Fhwack! Way to burst the rosy bubble.

Seriously, the absolute lightning speed with which Crowley storms out to vacate the bookshop the very second Aziraphale arrives makes me giggle every time.

Let's make a first small (who am I kidding) diversion into analysing the following conversation in unnecessary detail ...

... simply because I enjoy quoting dialogue as an accurate reference in my metas. I'll also highlight certain passages I want to comment on in individual colours so I can back up my thoughts with them below. Alright, their little chinwag goes as follows:

Crowley: "They you are! I was worried something might have happened to you." Aziraphale: "No, nothing happened to me. Very uneventful journey indeed. No strange things at all." Crowley: "Good. That's what we wanna hear." Aziraphale: "Um .. everything okay with- ah.." *nods to the bookshop* Crowley: "Oh, yeah, fine. He's singing to himself. I think he must have been asleep. I heard snoring coming from his bedroom–" Crowley, to the Bentley: "Did you miss me? I bet you did." Aziraphale: "... I'm sure it did." Crowley: "So, any more clues from the mystery of the missing archangel?" Aziraphale: "Not exactly. Or, if there are, I haven't yet cracked the case. But I'm certainly hot on the trail of something." Crowley: "I'm sure you are. Oh, by the way, the whole sudden rain and awning thing was a complete washout." Aziraphale: "Sorry?" Crowley: "You know, project making Nina fall in love with Maggie. I failed, it's your go." Aziraphale: "I see. Well then, Whickber Street Traders and Shopkeeper's Association Monthly Meeting, here we come!" Crowley: "You're really hosting the meeting?" Aziraphale: "Absolutely! And I can guarantee you, it will be a night to remember."

At first glance, this has little to do with the plot of this meta but actually, it folds into my point very nicely! However, it's not time for that yet, so we'll just state the facts as they are for now and then bring them back 'round later when we need them. That being said: For the love of Someone, will these two ever manage to simply tell each other the truth of what happened instead of thinking they can protect each other by lying about it all the time? Hrmpf. As a big fan of open communication myself, I'm close to developing a stomach ulcer with the amount of false truths being spewed here. (Then again – and yes, that is another, way larger meta I'm currently cooking up – it plays so very perfectly into the whole Jane-Austen-Pride-and-Prejudice tragic miscommunication theme that this entire Season has, so I understand the point of it.)

Very uneventful journey indeed, Aziraphale, except for the fact that you were ambushed by a demon who told you she was Crowley's successor, knows about the rumors of the two of you being an item as well as what went down in 1941 (that almost had both of you exposed) and also seems to have figured out where you and your demon boyfriend are hiding Gabriel, all in the span of about a minute. No strange things at all, nooo!

And Crowley's "Oh yeah, fine" is a total lie too. Again, we see him make an absolute run for it before Aziraphale can even enter the bookshop. After all, he just once again witnessed Jim have a Gabriel-flashback, speaking of the Second Coming, while Crowley was alone with him. As fumingly angry he is with the amnesiac archangel – he's also absolutely terrified of what might happen (to him and Aziraphale) should Jim regain his memories. So, no wonder he's quick to vacate the premises after witnessing Jim's rather eery memory flashback (and was, just like Aziraphale, threatened by Shax mere moments later, lol).

But no, nothing out of the ordinary happened to either of them. Tip-top. Absolutely tickety-fucking-boo.

Alright, let's get back on track with the actual topic of this meta. Certainly hot on the trail of something, hm? At first glance, it might seem like Aziraphale is talking about the fact that Gabriel was in company of someone whenever he went to the Resurrectionist Pub. (The clue!) However, I don't actually think he is talking about that. Why? Because, and this slipped my mind too at first, he never actually follows any of this information up, does he? Yes, sure, he went to Edinburgh, found the capital-c Clue and then returned to London. But what does he do with it? Nothing. He doesn't keep investigating this hot trail because that's not the important thing he realized during his journey. No, the more important clue Aziraphale found during his trip, is that Crowley no longer works for Hell and that he is also very much irrevocably in love with him and must confess this at the earliest given chance. (The latter part isn't necessarily a new discovery for Aziraphale, but it surely is fuelled by the fact that he just realized Crowley's out of a Hellish job and simply hasn't told him yet.)

This exchange just the perfect indicator for the fact that Aziraphale, at no point during his drive back, was thinking about the Maggie and Nina mission. He has no idea what Crowley is talking about once he mentions it and seems surprised, even, that he would. Even though they just talked about it on the phone when Aziraphale was still at the graveyard. Which is another important piece of evidence because it means that the last status update Aziraphale got of Mission Lovebirds, was that Crowley had sensed an opportunity to make them fall in love – and had then hung up on him. Why is this important? Because it means that until that very point of their conversation, Aziraphale did not know that Crowley's attempt had failed! There would have been just as much of a chance of Crowley's weather miracle actually working out and Maggie and Nina already having skipped into the sunset happily ever after.

So, riddle me this:

Why would Aziraphale spend the entire ride back from Edinburgh plotting "a night to remember" (because clearly, he already had the entire Ball planned out down to a T in his head since he goes into action right away after arriving) if he didn't even know yet that Crowley's attempt had failed?

To be very clear here: We're not talking about Aziraphale driving on the M1 to London, having a silly little idea for putting on some good music, miracle-ing Nina and Maggie to dance to it and watch them confess their love–

No.

He planned an entire actual Cotillion Ball with very particular location design that involves re-arranging the entire bookshop, specifically designed individual outfits for (almost) every single attendee, topped off with a live band, hors-d'œuvre, drinks and an actual choreographed group dance.

During one car ride.

Where's the party planner Aziraphale AU? I'm waiting!

Now, sure, we know that it's still quite important for Aziraphale to convince Heaven of the faux-reason they gave for their accidental ✨25-Lazarii miracle✨. But if we're all honest, this all seems to be a tad much just to make two random humans fall in love, even for that.

Glittery ball gowns and suits? Red and gold wall curtains? A modified language filter? Bloody vol-au-vents?

Talk about over the top ...

Once we start S2E5, Crowley is still surprised at the mere fact that Aziraphale is actually planning to organize the Monthly Meeting – and he doesn't even know yet that it's gonna be the most extravagant ball-boogaloo that the Whickber Street Community has ever seen! Aziraphale wanting to organize the meeting alone, is enough to render Crowley incredulous, because Aziraphale never mingles with the other shopkeepers. He usually actively avoids them and any sort of social encounters as much as he can because he doesn't care about the bloody Christmas lights, alright?

These things seem mundane and uninteresting to him, obviously, since all he really cares about is hoarding his book collection in peace like the little hedonist he is and drawing as little attention as possible to his none-business business.

Oh, right, speaking of books:

Let's take another unnecessarily detailed look at the whole Whickber Street invitation scene:

Aziraphale realizes very quickly that he's not the only one who's quite unenthusiastic about the blessed Chritsmas lights. And despite his very persuasive methods of temptation ...

... he has to take some more drastic measurements. And those are?

That's right: Giving away his books.

I'll repeat it again, slowly: Aziraphale is willingly (!) giving away or lending his books to pretty much complete strangers to, allegedly, make two other humans strangers fall in love.

Seriously, who is that angel and what has he done with our prim, fussy, hedonistic Aziraphale that protects his books with the vice grip of an eagle carrying his precious prey?

Believe in the importance of Mission Lovebirds as much as you will, but we're talking about Mr. A.Z. Fell here who, over the past millennia, has pretty much spent every day actively working out methods to stop people from purchasing as much as a single paperback from his holy shelves.

And yet: the 1965 September Dr. Who Annual? Given away. The first edition of Expert at the Card Table that was S. W. Erdnase's personal copy? Lent away to grubby human hands to fondle around with.

Let's do another coloured dialogue diversion (don't worry, it's not as extensive as the last one):

Crowley: "You just did what I think you did?" Aziraphale: "I'm not prepared to talk about it." Crowley: "You gave away a book." Aziraphale: "I had to! Maggie and Nina are depending on me. They just don't know it yet."

Crowley backs up my point: This is a huge deal. Aziraphale does not sell his books – let alone give them away for free. We're all shocked! Flabbergasted!

And the explanation Crowley and us get just ... doesn't satisfy. Something and someone sure is depending on this Ball and doesn't know it yet. But it's most definitely not Maggie and Nina, folks.

You know for whom Aziraphale would give away his books in the blink of an eye, though?

Mhm, that's right.

This pretty old serpent.

I want to take a minute to show you the reaction again that Aziraphale has upon entering the very same magic shop him and Crowley went to in 1941 to acquire the Bullet Catch:

You ... you need a minute there, angel? You're sure looking a little ... affected.

And I mean, well, no wonder. He reminisced about that very memory four hours last night. To him, this shop is where the most turbulent, ecstatic, adrenaline-fuelled and romantic night of his life began. And it shows.

I've made my point in my other meta series about how Aziraphale is an incredibly nostalgic character. He romanticizes so many things in his memories – especially the parts that feature Crowley. So, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that he's once again willing to loosen the tight grip he has on his book collection to get the successor of Will Goldstone's Magic Shop, the shop that started it all for him, to come to his fancy Ball.

As we watch Aziraphale and his little lap dog demon pat around Soho, I'd like to take another second to point out that he goes to seven or more establishments before he even invites Nina.

... and he only does so because she starts talking to them on the street. Almost like he'd forgotten about it. Why not ask her at the very beginning? To establish whether or not he'd have to book-blackmail her too?

"Perfectly ordinary invitation with no hidden agenda of any kind", except that he's using you and Maggie as a pretence to resolve his own clusterfuck of a relationship-miscommunication Jane-Austen-style so that he can then hopefully confess his undying love to his demon not-boyfriend boyfriend.

Marvellous!

You'll forgive me another short diversion but my God, the whole exchange at the Marguerite's restaurant with Crowley literally cat-call-whistling Aziraphale over to him (and Aziraphale checking if he meant someone else first, I–)? I am weak. So, so weak and

However, this is also when we get a snippet of Crowley finally revealing the truth in place of his "Oh, he's fine"-lie earlier and telling Aziraphale that he's actually pretty scared Jim might turn back into Gabriel and smite him altogether. And Aziraphale's response is, in a cosmic sense, (remember the pink paragraph now) so hilarious:

"Have you thought of just talking to him?"

Yeah, have you? Have any of the two of you? Just thought about talking? To each other? About anything?

'pparently not. But hey, it's all good because remember what the ultimate remedy for star-crossed lovers simply misunderstanding each other is?

Bish, bash, bosh, problem solved!

Back at the ballroom bookshop, Aziraphale sends Crowley to invite Maggie in order to, in my opinion, not spoil the Ball-y surprise for him. (Inviting Maggie only now?! Wouldn't she be one of the only two guests who really should attend? Why the short notice? If she's really that important for the Ball you're planning, hm?)

On top of this, we see Nina almost not attending the Ball meeting after her partner broke up with her and Crowley being the one who coincidentally runs into her and ushers her into the bookshop before Shax and her "legion" of demons start creeping up on them. Again, if this hadn't happened by pure coincidence, Nina would have left to go home and this whole Ball would have taken place without her, rendering the apparent sole purpose of making her fall in love with Maggie useless.

Why doesn't Aziraphale care more for both of them to attend and be there? Why is he instead busy fussing over everything looking perfect and wonderful and doesn't even seem to notice that both Nina and Maggie are really late to the meeting?

Well. Well.

The answer's in the title, babes.

Alas, Crowley safely gets Maggie and Nina to join them, Mr. Brown is the only one who doesn't get a miracled outfit (fussy, petty angel, you just don't like him, do you?), Jimbriel stuns with glamour and flirt (and whatever sexually suggestive thing he does with his cheeks) and the Whickber Street Ball is a-go!

Sorry, I just had to chuck this in again because Crowley's face here absolutely kills me every time. He looks so confused, I am hollering.

And the heart eyes Aziraphale is making at Nina and Maggie now that they're actually here?

Oh, bless it, angel.

He's all like "Oh look, it's working! Jane was right! It's all going to be resolved, all the misunderstanding and quarrels! Crowley, where's Crowley–"

Ah yes, there he is.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is an angel who is not listening to a single word being said right now. No, in his head, Aziraphale is already down on one knee, pouring his heart out to Crowley after they just danced the night away.

Oh, yes, right. The dancing.

Parallel much?

But well, as marvellous and beautifully romantic as her stories tend to be, it turns out that Jane Austen isn't always right after all. Because before we know it, the perfect night shatters into many-a tiny pieces (literally).

And once again, fhwack:

... the rosy bubble bursts.

Let's take one more deep breath so I can make my final point:

In S2E2, Aziraphale explains to us very exactly what Jane's Balls (hrhr) used to be about: Solving miscommunication and confessing love to one another.

During his car journey back from Edinburgh, Aziraphale:

doesn't know Crowley's Mission Lovebirds had failed

remembers 1941 and just how badly he's in love with Crowley

and also realizes that they seem to have been wildly miscommunicating for quite some time now. (Crowley didn't even tell him he basically got let go!)

So, what does maddeningly strong love plus a want to resolve all the miscommunication equal? That's right: A night to remember! A Ball to change it all! A dance, a vol-au-vent, a confession. And, ideally, a happy ever after. Because:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man angel in possession of a good fortune Jane Austen collection, must be in want of a wife demon husband.”

The Ball was never for Nina and Maggie. As a byproduct, maybe, yes. But the whole rest of the glimmer and glamour, the careful, romantic planning and set up of it all, the book-bating the other shopkeepers– that was for Crowley and Crowley only.

And oh, if only it were as easy as in the books.

*whispers* I'm sorry, I had to.

***

Your honour, the tinfoil-hat crackpot defence rests. Feel free to share thoughts (and prayers) if you want to!

Au revoir! 💗

[gffa]

You would think, after a month of voracious reading of BATFAMILY fic, that I would at least begin to slow down, because I still primarily read I’m Having Dick Grayson Feelings And I’m Making That Everyone Else’s Problem, but I have also discovered that I have Jason feelings, I have Tim feelings, and I have Damian feelings. Which of course I knew before, but what I really learned is that other people have made this my problem now, too. And by that I mean that there’s amazing fic on all of the Bat babies and I am not immune. So, you may still have to scroll a bit, but if there’s an idiot badass with black hair and blue eyes, you’ll hopefully find something here to cry about with me, because what are any of us even in this fandom for, if not for the Feelings Hell About Vigilantes With Emotional Problems? BATFAM FIC RECS - BABY DICK IS THE CUTEST FERAL ROBIN I’M NOT HEARING ANY ARGUMENTS: ✦ it is with my whole life by dustorange, dick & bruce, 2.2k      Nine-year-old Dick’s been kidnapped. Bruce tries not to fall apart. ✦ World’s Finest: Lake Weekend by WingFeathers, dick & bruce & clark (& clark/bruce), 10.3k      Bruce and Dick invite Clark to the lakehouse for a long weekend around Rosh Hashanah, but Dick has trouble sleeping outside the Manor, and Bruce isn’t as available as he should be. And all of this brings up a question: what exactly are the three of them, a bat-vigilante and his ward and his superhero boyfriend? Could they be something like a family? (And how will they eat with Alfred not taking care of them?) ✦ Revision by takadainmate, dick & bruce, 3.8k      New to Bruce Wayne, new to being Robin, new to being alone, Dick didn’t believe there would ever be anyone there for him again. ✦ count the stars by emavee, dick & bruce, 3.7k      He doesn’t know what to do. It’s not like he can stop the storm. If he could wave a magic wand and make the sky clear—or even if he could call up someone from his large contact list full of metas who could control the weather—he would. He would honestly disrupt Gotham’s weather patterns if it meant Dick would stop crying. Or: Dick doesn’t like thunderstorms, so Bruce takes him somewhere where they can’t touch him. ✦ cautionary tale by drakefeathers, dick & bruce & young justice, 11.4k      Q: “Why did Queen Bee want Robin taken in alive in Bereft?” A: “Think of Speedy as a cautionary tale.” ✦ batman & robin by chickenmuffinsoup55555, dick & bruce, 4.8k      The Batman has a shadow. A shadow clad in reds and greens with a smile like sunshine. Bruce is adjusting. ✦ five times someone told Bruce he was a good dad… by emavee, dick & bruce & clark & selina & cast, 10.3k      …and one time it mattered ✦ Phobias by RascalJoy (DarkQuill), dick & bruce & alfred, 18.4k wip      It was stupid. It was irrational. Dick knew that. There was no good reason for him to be afraid; he had been doing this for most of his young life. And yet… Five times Dick fell, and the one time Robin didn’t. ✦ I Hate Dick by JeanjacketCarf, dick & bruce & talia, 3.7k      “Robin wrapped his legs around the Bats’ neck and rested his head on top of the cowl. Then he stuck his tongue out at Talia. Talia felt her face growing hot with anger. She tried to restrain it. The Bat loved this child for some unholy reason.” ✦ shades of blue by thatsveryambitiousofyou, dick & bruce, 2.4k      Dick Grayson has blue eyes. Or the one where Bruce tries harder BATFAM FIC RECS - ADULT BATSON AND BATDAD ARE MY KRYPTONITE, I FOLD LIKE WET CARDBOARD FOR THEM: ✦ Withdrawal by Sohotthateveryonedied, dick & bruce & cast, 1.8k      It’s been six hours since he got dosed. The green ring around his eyes has been faded since dawn. It won’t be long before the withdrawal hits him in full force. ✦ The Post-Mission Ponderings of Brucerman and NightBunny by Ptelea, dick & bruce, 4.8k      This is just sheer (metaphorical) fluff to follow up on the (somewhat more literal) fluff of Wayne Family Adventures, season 2, episode 54, S'tel ees a cigam wohs! Heavy on the puns, even heavier on Bruce being struck by amazement at how much he loves his oldest son. ✦ gotta make a stand (but I am just a man) by CaptainOzone, dick & bruce & alfred, 2.3k      Bruce makes it back to the Cave, injured and exhausted, but remarkably alive. He expects Alfred to meet him. He meets someone else. Or: a third credit scene in which Nightwing makes an appearance. ✦ The Hand in My Hand by audreycritter, dick & bruce, 4.4k      Dick offers himself in exchange for some hostages and it does not go as planned. ✦ Yesterday by I_Have_To_Get_Off_This_Planet, dick & bruce, 1.5k      Dick was pretty sure this was what dying felt like. He was curled up, almost in fetal position, on his bed in the Manor. He was there for the holidays, and he had been looking forward to their entire family being together for once. Even Jason had agreed to come. And now he was gonna die before Christmas even arrived. ✦ I Bet On Losing Dogs by Anonymous, dick & bruce, 2.5k      (Or; Bruce’s relationship with his oldest and how it slowly starts to mend, with only a little push from his friends.) ✦ You can pick your battles but you can’t pick your poison by woodenwashbucket, dick & bruce, 1.8k      “Hey, am I bleeding a lot somewhere?” Nightwing asked. Batman gave him an unimpressed look, but Nightwing shook his head. “Seriously. I feel off.” Nightwing wobbled. Batman grabbed him by the shoulders before they could find out if he would have fallen, and Nightwing met his eyes with undisguised alarm. “Ok, maybe worse than off,” he said. BATFAM FIC RECS - EVERYBODY LOVES DICK: ✦ what’s past is prologue by Icestorm238, dick & bruce & jason & damian, time travel, 18.1k      Dick Grayson, bestowed with the memories of an alternate life, decides that things are going to go better this time. Priority number one: preventing Jason’s death. ✦ exactly how this grace thing works by irnan, dick & bruce & barbara & jason & cast, de-aged!dick, 22.7k      Dick gets de-aged. You’d think this would be a routine thing. ✦ sick day by daringyounggrayson, dick & roy & titans, 1.2k      Dick tries to power through a cold and lead a training session with the Teen Titans. It doesn’t exactly work out. ✦ The Gravity of Tempered Grace by CamsthiSky, dick & bruce & jason & tim & damian & selina, 10k      He’s sick, he finally catches on, and at that moment, a cough builds up in his chest, and he barely has enough energy to sit up enough to let his lungs work properly. A coughing fit later, and Dick’s breaths are making a horrible wheezing sound that makes him sound like one of Titus’ chew toys. That’s bad. He’s pretty sure that’s bad. ✦ you swallowing matches by torielle, roy/dick & bruce, NSFW, 8.2k      A month after being fired as Robin, Dick is forced to attend a Wayne gala, and is grateful for a particular friendly face. ✦ The Shape Of You (Was Jagged And Weak) by WinterSky101, dick & bruce & slade & jason & tim & damian & batfam, 40.6k      Six months ago, Nightwing died. They never found the body. Last week, Deathstroke arrived in Gotham. He brought a partner with him. ✦ You say you wanna stay by my side (Darling, your head’s not right) by wlwintersoldier, roy/dick & lian & donna, 2.5k      Dick is stupid and reckless on a mission, whats new, and Roy deals with the fallout ✦ Laundry Mishaps by JeanjacketCarf, dick/babs & jason & tim & damian & cass & steph & duke, 3.5k      Dick’s siblings often show up unannounced and take his stuff without asking. It’s how they show their love. Or Dick’s washing machine is commandeered for Steph’s laundry, his clothes disappear, he goes to girl’s night, has brunch, gets a little shot, and picks his baby brother up from school in about a week and a half while the secret group chat has a grand old time. BATFAM FIC RECS - JASON TODD IS AN ASSHOLE CAT, I’M GONNA THROW HIM AT DICK BECAUSE IT’S FUNNY (AND MAYBE SOME OF HIS OTHER SIBLINGS TOO): ✦ Two Dead Birds by InsaneTrollLogic, jason & dick & tim, time travel, 29k      There’s some lunatic in a red helmet running through Jason’s territory. He wants to think it’s a copycat. He’s wrong. BATFAM FIC RECS - DICK AND DAMIAN WERE THE BEST BATMAN & ROBIN, I’M NOT HEARING ARGUMENTS ABOUT THAT EITHER: ✦ Won’t You Stay A While? by fishfingersandjellybabies, dick & damian & cast, 2.8k      Ric did not expect to find a child sitting on the hood of his cab. Damian did expect to get his brother back. ✦ birdgrief by windupclock, dick & bruce & damian, 1.5k      How could you? Dick doesn’t say. Get out of my sight, Dick doesn’t say. What the hell is wrong with you? Dick doesn’t say. Tim storms out. Dick is left to deal with Damian. ✦ we’re like long lost brothers who found each other (and love each other like family) by drakefeathers, dick & damian, 9.3k      ongoing collection of scenes set when Dick is Batman and Damian is his Robin, ranging from cute to sad (hopefully not too sad). not chronological. ✦ I’ll Carry You by BrickSheep, dick & damian & bruce & tim, 2.1k      Dick Grayson will take every opportunity he can just to carry Damian in his arms. ✦ in my own imperfect way by notquiteaghost, dick & damian & bruce, 1.8k      Dick jokes, a lot, about being the only reason Bruce still remembers how to talk to people. About breaking him in for everyone else. He was Robin first, and he was Robin longest, and he’s why Bruce took in the others, he’s why Bruce isn’t dead in a ditch somewhere. And the jokes are funny! He’s never trying to be passive aggressive, or guilt trip, or whatever else. He and Bruce have spent enough time, now, pointedly not actually looking at each other, pulling words out in painful fits and starts. Dick knows where they stand. They’re good. But. ✦ (Un)Fortunate Son by Syl, dick & damian & bruce & cast, 26.1k wip      Bruce reaches a decision about Damian. Dick disagrees and decides to do something about it. BATFAM FIC RECS - BATKIDS ALL HAVE MANY SIBLINGS AND THEY’RE ALL PETTY ASSHOLES AND/OR WONDERFUL BABIES AND I LOVE THEM WITH MY WHOLE BEING: ✦ Overcoming Our Antecedents by Batbirdies, jason & bruce & dick, 31.4k      Bruce swallows, closing his eyes for a brief moment before he takes another, steadying breath and presses both hands to his face. He just needs a moment. Needs to remember where he is, what year it is, that Jason is not actually fifteen, he only looks like he is. This is temporary. This is just a temporary problem that needs to be contained until they can change Jason back. This is not a repeat of events already passed. This is not a second chance. ✦ what’s past is prologue by Icestorm238, dick & bruce & jason & tim & damian & barbara & steph & cast, time travel, 84.9k      Dick Grayson, bestowed with the memories of an alternate life, decides that things are going to go better this time. Things take a few unintended turns, and the consequences of his actions ripple through his family. ✦ And the Scene Slips Away (To the Evenness I Fake) by Kirazalea, bruce & dick & jason & tim & damian & cass & duke & alfred & cast, rape aftermath/read the tags, 37k      One mistake is all it took to force Jason back into the wonderful world of the Wayne family. Now publicly and legally alive once more, he’s forced to spend the next two weeks of his life stuck in the Manor with the whole family. This leads to several strengthened relationships and the realization that maybe he’s missed a few things over the years. Things that he’s now determined to get to the bottom of. ✦ now the clock is melting (so’s my mouth and so’s my mind) by SilverSkiesAtMidnight, tim & bruce & dick & cast, 4.1k      The League’s base is not built to welcome strangers. Bruce is not a stranger. ✦ what catches and who holds by victoria_p (musesfool), dick & cass, 3k      Dick never wanted to be Batman. Cass always did. ✦ Bet on it by Lysical, jason & damian & jon, 2.4k      Even Damian could admit that his older siblings occasionally had their uses. “I need your assistance,” Damian said, voice low and tense. “No,” Jason replied, and hung up. ✦ a soft place to land by unchosenone, dick & tim, 3k      Tim rubs the back of his head, trying to affect a joking tone. “I knew I should’ve just gone for the new escrima sticks.” Dick is ready to be a good big brother to his grieving little bro. Tim flips the script. ✦ Consanguineous Ministrations by Briarwitched, bruce & kon-el & clark & dick, 23.9k      “Who gave you a baby?” Dick demanded, the instant Bruce opened the front door, eyes drawn immediately to the sobbing infant on Bruce’s hip that he gently bounced to no avail. At the same time, Bruce muttered, “I told you, it’s fine, you didn’t have to come.” Alternatively titled, “Let’s give Batfleck alien baby problems”. ✦ The League of Extraordinary Bowling Bats by chibi_nightowl, dick & jason & tim & damian & bruce & alfred & cassandra & stephanie, 5k      “What did Dickiebird do? Steal all your other shirts?” The shirt is bright green with wide yellow stripes pretending to be a pin stripe running vertically across it. On the back, in bright red letters, “Timmy” is spelled out. “You’re next,” he spits out, shooting Jason the worst glare he could muster. “He’s got one for you too.” ✦ a cheese raspberry flavored void (except not really) by dottie_dc (dottie_wan_kenobi), Marzue, SilverSkiesAtMidnight, Squintyfist (ErzasCake), dick & jason & tim & damian & bruce & alfred & cast, 3k      “Jason.” Dick walks up to the desk, suspiciously peering around. Jason jerks and attempts to get in his way, but Dick is quick and fully willing to vault over his brother. Only, Jason immediately latches onto him, and the momentum sends them stumbling back, knocking into the desk. It’s a good thing Jason stopped him, for right behind the desk, where Dick would’ve landed, is a swirling void. ✦ The Talk by InsaneTrollLogic, dick & bruce & jason & tim & damian, 2k      Bruce never gave Dick the Talk. Dick was grateful for that right up until the time Damian sat through his first health class and started asking questions. ✦ Brothers in War by IaMcHrIsSi, jason & dick & cast, 3.2k      Jason, Cass and Damian ran from the League. In Bludhaven, they run into Dick. Literally. Dick just wanted to get breakfast. ✦ Baby I’m Bi Bi Bi by Sohotthateveryonedied, dick & steph, 1.5k      Dick catches her staring. “Oh, yeah. Forgot I had that. I bought it for when Wally, Donna and I were planning to go to Gotham Pride last year but a Joker thing came up and I didn’t get to go. You can just toss it. I have a ton of other bi merch and I only bought that one because Donna pressured me into it, anyway.” Steph looks down at the t-shirt and bites her lip. “Actually…I think I’ll keep it, if you don’t mind.” ✦ two attempted robberies too many by tsuchann, dick & bruce & jason, 2.2k      Dick could have knocked out the man before he had the chance to blink let alone pull the trigger, but he wasn’t dumb, and he worried his reaction would have caused the other robbers to shoot, because in the bank, at the middle of it all, with a gun pressed to his head, was Dick’s little brother. ✦ That the Ripest Might Fall by Ellegrine, TheFightingBull, dick & jason & tim & damian & bruce, reverse robins, 2.4k      Jason stared at the fallen chandelier. The priceless, fallen chandelier. They were dead. They were so, so dead! ✦ the butler’s neighbor by deargalileo, tim & alfred & bruce, 16.6k      it starts with a baseball, thrown onto the wayne’s property. it’s alfred’s job to deal with such happenings, of course. but over tea and galas, it turns into so much more. after all, why should bruce be the only one allowed to adopt any child that he finds? ✦ the straw drawer by deargalileo, dick & bruce & jason & tim & alfred, 7.4k      sometimes, love is stored in the straws. a story about family, traditions, and gifts, through the medium of crazy straws. (a companion piece to the butler’s neighbor, so i would suggest reading that first) ✦ you gotta push all the doubt to the side of your mouth by danishsweethearts, dick & stephanie & cast, 1.7k      Steph practices mindfulness. BATFAM FIC RECS - DICK/BABS FOREVER AND YOU CAN SHUT IT IF YOU DISAGREE, THEY’RE ADORABLE TOGETHER: ✦ Crime and… by Ladymercury_10, dick/babs, 1.7k      “Are you punishing me with glitter? That’s not a very good punishment, Babs.” ✦ the dickbabs baby au. by thychesters, dick/babs & batfam, 49.1k wip      Telling Dick she’s pregnant is much more stressful than she was hoping it would be. Them telling the rest of their families and friends? Yeah, easier said than done. BATFAM FIC RECS - I WILL DIE ON THE HILL THAT TIM DRAKE’S TRUE LOVE INTEREST IS CONNER KENT AND NOBODY CAN STOP ME, NOT EVEN GOD: ✦ buy back the secrets by sundiscus, tim/kon & bruce & clark & jason & cast, 48.1k wip      He takes a long, slow breath. Ignores the glares from the other students. “Superboy,” he murmurs. “It’s me. If you’re listening, I could use some help.” Or: 5 times Superboy saves Tim Drake, and one time Tim Drake saves Superboy. ✦ Grevious Misuse of TTK (or, Alternate Uses for TTK) by Cfae8, tim/kon, NSFW, 1.4k      Tim wakes up to someone touching him. But Kon’s hands haven’t moved. ✦ The Lost Art of Minding Your Goddamn Business by JpegDotJpeg, tim/kon & jason, 2k      Tim just sputtered, looking thoroughly scandalized for someone standing in the middle of the irrefutable evidence of his own fornication. If the furniture looked this bad, Jason couldn’t imagine that little Timmy had escaped Superboy’s super cock completely unscathed. “It’s not that bad,” Tim said, gesturing to the carnage, but he didn’t even sound convinced of his own words. “It looks like the fucking honeymoon scene from Twilight in here.” ✦ Practice Makes Perfect by rotasha, tim/kon & jason, NSFW, 18.3k      Kon is trying to seduce someone – he won’t tell Tim who – and he enlists Tim’s help to try to hone his flirtation skills. This surely won’t end in disaster for Tim, who’s had a thing for Kon practically since they met. BATFAM FIC RECS - TAKE THE ANGST DIAL, TURN IT UP TO ELEVEN, AND BREAK THE KNOB OFF, THAT’S WHAT I’M HERE FOR: ✦ Wait, What? by PandasandDucks13, dick & bruce & titans, 2.4k      Dick Grayson finds something interesting while applying for college. On a side note: He should really evaluate how many felonies he commits on a regular basis ✦ Dawn Breaks Through the Window by sElkieNight60, dick & bruce & jason & tim & damian, depression/read the tags, 14.7k      Without realizing it, Dick has fallen into a listless apathy, but when an incident cuts a little too close, Bruce and his brothers are there to remind him just how loved he is. ✦ Wisdom Always Chooses These Black Eyes and These Bruises by audreycritter, dick & bruce, 3.2k      After a severe, life-changing injury, Dick and Bruce have an epic fight and then fall back together. Sometimes, family hurts you the most, but that doesn’t stop how much you need them. ✦ your continental divides by isawet, reisling, dick & bruce & damian & barbara & cassandra & stephanie & donna & roy & wally & artemis & cast, rape aftermath/read the tags, 26.7k      When running doesn’t work and working doesn’t work, home is the place you go where they have to take you in. Dick’s home has never been Gotham; it’s always been the people.

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

how do you feel about march eridan?

Ok disclaimer before I get into it, trolls wearing dresses = great and fantastic; in fact, given that the gender differences in troll culture are so much less significant, ALL the male trolls should own some femme-ass clothes, even if it's as simple as just having a skirt version of their pants, and it's a little lame that we didn't get that.

That said, March Eridan specifically kind of annoys me because it has 0 basis in canon (aside from some shoutouts in things like ministrife sprites) but has taken over Eridan discussions so wholly that it's become widely accepted as part of his character that he's really into femme stuff when the opposite is true, and he's got some pretty major characterization tied up in the fact that he does lean so masc, and what specific type of masc he tends to present as.

So first of all, Eridan dresses up to emulate Dualscar, and this is very obvious and straightforward; if you've read the big essay I have pinned to my blog, you know that this is all a part of his basic "I have to be a big bad sea dweller or Something Bad Will Happen" suite of issues.

Thus, we can ALSO assume that the choices he made that aren't made to emulate Dualscar are reflective of his ACTUAL taste in clothing. For example, blue pants instead of purple and black - I believe that this is because Eridan likes to dress up in the blood colors of his dates; he wears a lot of blue because he's hatedating Vriska (and never quite seems to get 100% over her), and we also see this in the rings on his fingers - half of which are fuchsia, for Feferi.

So that leaves us with the glasses, shoes, and scarf. And we know why he dresses like that! It's because he's a hipster. (The scarf has an added benefit of being associated with harry potter-style wizards).

CCG: PAST YOU, PRESENT YOU, FUTURE YOU CCG: AND ABOVE ALL, UGLY SCARFNECKED DOUCHEBAG HIPSTER YOU CCG: WAIT I FORGOT, ALL OF THE YOUS ARE THAT YOU

And very specifically, a masc hipster from the era - the glasses and the ugly-ass shoes are dead giveaways. The slicked-back hair is reminiscent of that fashion style, too. He is also a douchebag. This too is important. He draws from character archetypes of the time that were generally agreed upon to be the most punchable people in existence; his introduction calls him "KIND OF A TOOL" and he consistently acts according to that. Like, I mean, just LOOK at those shades. Those are not the shades of somebody you want to be trapped in a conversation with.

A fairly accurate Eridan fashion board would look something like this:

And, like, it kind of matters that he dresses like this specific breed of pretentious male douchebag; on a meta level, that's the impression he's supposed to give the audience, and on a diegetic level, he CHOOSES to look like this because he has these kinds of interests, but is relegating them to secondary accessories.

We never hear him talk about liking hipster shit; we have to hear it from Karkat and glean it from his design. This is because, as I've talked about before, he actively distances himself from things that make him happy, things that he'd enjoy. The constant push-pull between his ACTUAL interests, and the ones he thinks he has to have because he's supposed to be a big nasty sea dweller, is a huge part of his characterization - for example, the way he keeps claiming that magic and wizards are fake and shitty, but has no less than 6 wizard statues in his respiteblock alone, and cared about his crappy wands enough to bring them onto the meteor.

So that's one of my other issues with March Eridan and the general fanon that he'd be really into femme clothes (and, by extension, fashion) - he wouldn't be forthcoming about it, even if it was true. He has a deep sense of shame and insecurity surrounding what few interests he actually has, because they feel stupid, ridiculous, and frivolous, next to the intense anxiety he has about playing the role society gave him. He's got a very strong sense of duty that makes it very difficult for him to relax and actually enjoy something. Which, you know, probably feeds into his hipster-ness - a movement often defined more by what it doesn't approve of than what it does.

Canon Eridan, when he has a choice of what to wear, overwhelmingly chooses masculine clothing with hipster connotations. And this matters, it's part of his characterization, it says something about him, the same way that it's important that Karkat dresses very simply and baggily (we all know how many insecurities Karkat has about his body) or that Sollux's bifurcation is shown in his clothes. So please please please don't misunderstand my dislike of March Eridan as me saying I don't want him in dresses; I purely dislike it because it's usually SUCH a misread of his character.

And to prove it, here's my other gripe with March Eridan stuff: all the dresses shown in the not-canon "official" artworks don't even flatter his bodytype. Why do his custom mannequins in Pesterquest have CURVES when his Pesterquest sprite doesn't?????

Please, I'm begging you, there are guides for dressing this body type, and even historical fashions that deliberately try to emulate this body type, please if you're going to dress him femme and HC that he enjoys fashion, please put him in clothes that flatter him please

I think Eridan should own some femme clothes, because on Alternia, there are very few differences between the genders, he's rich enough to afford it, and he clearly has more of an interest in fashion in general - but I think the fact that he has a clear canon preference for masculine styles is significant, and I'm really annoying, so it kind of does bothers me that this is a controversial opinion. That being said, I don't want to tell people what they Should and Should Not do, because that's lame. Who cares. He's a fictional character, let people draw him in dresses. Would be very happy if this post causes people to draw him in different styles of dresses though :pray:

[mightymizora]

hello new followers!

I've had a lot of new followers recently and I'm going to take this opportunity to plug my fics, because that's why I am here (between shitposts and rushed meta.) So! I'm going to do a game I've been threatening to do for a LONG time, and I'm going to invite other writers to do the same.

Rules are that you plug a handful of your fics from your current fandom(s), give a quick summary, and then put in 1-2 lines from comments as reviews. Because fuck it, self-promotion is fine actually.

The Portrait

BG3. 6.5k one shot, Enver Gortash/The Dark Urge. Lord Gortash requests a portrait of his paramour. The pay is good, the contract legitimate. It seems almost too good to be true... In pre-canon, a young artist takes a job from an upcoming player in Baldur's Gate society. "The voice was amazing, the descriptions are poignant without getting too far in the weeds, you show so much without telling explicitly." "if i could frame this fic and put it up on my wall, i would in a heartbeat! literally the definition of perfection"

Monster, Mine

BG3, 7k one shot. Enver Gortash/The Dark Urge. There is a beast haunting the city, and there is a tentative reaching of hands across the table. In pre-canon, Enver Gortash tries to find the truth of the Slayer. "This is a genuinely stunning piece of fiction." "Their poisonous codependency and joint descent into it is the absolute delight to read!"

Even if Love

BG3, 8k, short chapters. Multiple. Shades of love for The Dark Urge, Orin The Red, Enver Gortash, Wisteria Jannath, Sceleritas Fel, Kressa Bonedaughter, Lae'zel, Minthara Baenre, Sarevok Anchev and Araj Oblodra. Can be read individually, but they do build a narrative together. "it is a crime that AO3 only allows one kudos for a whole fic" "All so distinct and sharply observed, and such gorgeous writing throughout!"

Blood and Bone, Bone and Blood

BG3. 3.5K one shot. Ketheric Thorm/The Dark Urge A collection of moments between Bhaal and Myrkul’s chosen as they are bound together with Gortash as the chosen of the Dead Three. "It simply drips with style. Gorgeous prose." "Feral about this fic"

The First Leaf on the Tree after Winter

BG3. 9k, multi-chapter. Halsin/Jaheira. Background Wyll/Karlach. Their time was a century before, she thinks. What can they be, these old souls rooted in their ways, these observers of the world, these failed heroes? "All the kudos here. The ultimate kudos. Oh I really loved this." "I reached the end with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes. so bittersweet and beautiful. I adore every word."

Breath and Rosewater

BG3, 20k, multi-chapter ongoing. Gale/Tav She has always loved music for many reasons; the patterns that present themselves, and the sheer joy of playing. Working out the fingering, and bringing joy to others. The breath before the first note. The freedom that comes from following your heart and letting it soar. He has always loved magic for every reason; the study of it, the power in it. The quiet contemplation of hours of learning, the thrill of application on the battlefield, and off of it. The understanding that comes from complete control of your craft. "most well-constructed intro paragraph that i've read in awhile—we get such a strong sense of glim, her expertise, her pride in her art, in just four sentences." "Oh this whole thing is so beautiful. i adore your prose."

[gatorbites-imagines]

Hi, I saw you did a request for Tim Drake during your kinktober list, but like nothing after that.

I was wondering if you could do one where Tim has a crush on the reader, him (the reader) having a demon like mutation. (Basically a Teifling from DND)

The reader looks all intimidating and aloof, however he is very affectionate towards people how are close to him.

I think it would great if Tim tries flirt, but he's so awkward he fucks it up everytime.

I'm sorry if you don't like writing for Tim, you don't have to if that's the case. I just really love the caffeine addicted anxiety bird.

Tim Drake x “Tiefling” male reader

Headcanons

I wish I could say I knew more about Tieflings, but I’ve only played DND very few times, and only had one character who was a Tiefling, so I’m just gonna try my best, hehe.

I was also somewhat inspired by nightcrawler from x-men for this reader :)

I also love Tim, I just haven’t gotten any requests for him before, but he is very much on my list of characters I write fore ^^

You had originally not been a part of the justice league, not even close. You had worked alone most of your life, though to had partnered up his magic users in the past, most notably John Constantine, who after having run-ins with your parents became a common figure in your life.

You were what most called a meta, but in reality, you were actually the child of two very powerful hellish beings. You had been born a human but on your 6th birthday you had mutated into a figure that fit your parentage most.

In the beginning you didn’t know your origin and your birth parents had shunned you. Turns out your hell parents couldn’t carry a child of their own, so they had used magic to have you be born by a couple on earth.

Your earth parents had not been kind when you one day turned blue, grew horns, a tail and other non-human features. They had actually tried to get rid of you because they thought you were cursed.

That was your first meeting with Constantine, after your earth parents had sold you to some less than friendly people who wanted nothing but bad things for you and other meta kids they had stolen or bought.

Apparently multiple kids there had been magic or not even human but of otherworldly descent, so Constantine was the ones to find you.

Apparently, he had recognized some of your features, the curve of your horns, the shade of your blue, the yellow of your eyes and the curve of your tail. He had offered to bring you to your hell parents.

You didn’t understand at the time, but when he brought you to hell and to the two people who had been your less than human parents you couldn’t help but feel relief to some point. You weren’t a monster or a curse and had parents who loved you.

Your hell parents wanted you to be cut off from the human world, but you treasured it even though you had only lived in it for 6 years, so Constantine kept coming around to work as some kind of anchor between you and earth.

He taught you magic and called you Tiefling as a nickname. He even taught you spells that could help you change your appearance to be more human, though your eyes stayed yellow, your ears pointed, and you had sharper canines.

Constantine and your hell parents taught you many things you needed to survive, and you had become very interested in seals, runes and anything like it, becoming quite the expert at a young age.

You were able to create large and confusing seals and summoning circles, and read ancient texts even the older demons couldn’t understand. Your hell parents and Constantine had been quite proud when you one-upped a cocky elder demon in reading and deciphering runes.

Along with runes you had pretty much coined teleportation as one of your quirks. You’d always disappear in a cloud of black smoke, even though you could do it without the effects, it was just funnier this way.

It was because of your extreme skill with runes that you were called to help the Justice League. Apparently, their magisters Zatanna and Dr Fate had found a very extreme summoning circle, the world ending kind, but they couldn’t figure it out.

They had even roped Constantine into trying to decipher it, but they all feared that poking at it would end badly and summon whatever it was made to summon.

In the end Constantine admitted to knowing an expert, and though he hated working with the League he knew this kinda seal couldn’t be left alone, so he contacted you.

The League didn’t really know how to react when Constantine’s contact was someone as young as you, you couldn’t be much older than Red Robin, so anywhere between 18 to your early 20s, if they went off human ages.

Some of course wanted to ask you questions immediately, feeling on edge about a meta or if Constantine was to be believed, demon, in front of them.

Most seemed cautious, and nobody noticed how Tim was having a moment. The moment you stepped out of the portal his heart started doing flips, and if he hadn’t mastered a poker face, he knew he would have been bright red and stuttering already.

Most left you alone as you worked, but Tim couldn’t help but make his way over and try to start a conversation. Kon, Bart and Cassie would later tell him it had been a painful sight.

Tim had tried to casually lean up against the table nearby, but his arm had slipped so he ended up leaning up against the wall instead. Normally you would have been annoyed by being bothered when deciphering, but the flustered hero made your tail wriggle.

Tim stayed around as you worked, at some point becoming a bit more comfortable and the two of you fell into conversation. Though, Tim did still seem quite flustered as he tried to “shoot his shot” as Dick called it, and failed miserably each time.

You couldn’t help but find Red Robin quite charming in his own way though, it was pretty cute to watch him try to flirt even though he seemed to have absolutely no talent in doing so.

When you were finished deciphering and destroying the summoning circle you ended up giving red Robin your phone number, don’t question how it was possible for him to contact you in hell, you didn’t know yourself.

It had been so hard to keep yourself from snickering at how the bottom half of his face had gone beet red and he had started stuttering, clutching onto his phone that you had just put your name into.

After this you started hanging with Tim and his friends some more, also working closer to some of the younger heroes around your own age. You never became an official league member, not wanting to be mixed up in all the weird things they did.

Your hell parents also almost had a fit when they found out you were working with superheroes of the human world, not because they had anything against heroes but because it put you in danger.

All the way through this Tim had tried in different ways to flirt or ask you out, you almost pitied him because it never seemed to work out for him. He always got too flustered and would choke on his words and stutter. It was very cute, but you almost wanted him to be able to finish his request to ask you out.

The other friends of your group started placing bets on just how long it would take Tim to successfully ask you out, you even had some money in the pool.

You couldn’t say you didn’t want Tim to ask you out, as you had very quickly developed feelings for the hero, your tail even going as far as you wrap around the man as if it had a mind of its own.

You had been so embarrassed the first time it happened that you just teleported right back to hell, your face going a darker shade of blue as you blushed. It had ended up with you hiding away in your room, too embarrassed to look at anyone.

You almost threw your hands in the air and cheered as Tim finally seemed to have found a method that worked for him, at least in his own way.

Before, he had tried to go above and beyond to make a display or ask you out in romantic ways, like giving you flowers or something just as romantic, but he had always forgotten what he planned on saying or had started stuttering.

One day he just sat down beside you on the couch, and though he was bright red, simply asked if you would like to go on a date. Nothing complicated or extreme like you had a feeling many had told him to be, it just felt very Tim to just be upfront about it like this.

You had blushed but smiled, your tail coming up to wrap around his waist to pull him closer to you. You of course agreed, and you couldn’t keep you smile off your face for the rest of the week as your tail never seemed to stop wagging.

Tim had gone even redder when you pulled him close, but he had seemed almost over the moon when you agreed on the date, he had to use all his bat training to keep himself from jumping up and celebrating.

After months of failing to flirt and ask you out he had finally done it, now the problem was coming up with a date that wouldn’t leave him stuttering and stumbling like a fool, that was gonna be hard.

[drconstellation]

All The Colours of the GO Rainbow

Updated 11 Nov 2023

Edit note: I've done quite a big update on Red, Green and Blue, so if you read this before 11 Nov 2023 it might be worth reading it again.

I'm writing this meta about colours in the Good Omens AU in preparation for some future metas I'm planning, where colour will be important. And yes, I'm going to use "colour" as the spelling, as I'm an Australian and I use the UK English as my usual go-to version of English (that is what I was taught at school,) even though I am finding myself flicking between US and UK English here on Tumblr, leaving out u's here and there and putting in z's where I would normally put s's.

I also think its worth having another discussion about it as there are some colours I've have seen discussed here and there, but not at length, and some not at all that I think are important, and I just want to bring them all to one place.

I'm also going to be referring to @cobragardens excellent meta The Colors of Crowley quite a bit in this meta at various points, so you might want to pause and go read that first, then come back.

BLACK

Most people's initial reaction would be to class black as a colour of Hell. Crowley wears a lot of black, and usually a hidden accent of red (aaand something else. I'll discuss that at the end.) But the other demons are actually quite colourful when you get them into the light. They may tend towards the darker shades but there is quite a range of colours seen. Dagon, for example, is a very dark blue, as their avatar is a marine fish. Normally blue is associated with Heaven in GO. But this fits better if we think of black as being the colour of shadow, where the light does not reach, and the place of hidden things, of mystery

And it's worth noting that Aziraphale wears some black when he is trying to perform a magic show. He also wears white and gold at the same time but normally he does not wear these colours, unless he is performing human magic (see S1E1, Warlock's 11th birthday party, and the 1941 minisode S2E4) This should be striking enough for you to sit up and take note. You could say when Aziraphale dons black it is an expression of his act of "mysteriosity."

RED

Again, red is not necessarily a demonic colour, although we tend to associate it with demons, as Lord Beelzebub and Lord Dagon both wear red sashes as a mark of their rank in Hell. Think of it more as the colour of passion and romance in GO. Ooh, got you there! Makes you wonder what Shax is really up to (I know some of you have.) Perhaps they are just passionate about doing their job, or climbing their way to the top of the demonic ranking ladder?

Edit: After writing up a couple of other metas and some more reading maybe a better description is "devotional passion." Shax is devoted to climbing the power ladder in Hell (her red is usually a darker shade of red than Crowley's,) and the Red Team in the paintball fight at Tadfield Manor in S1E2 is devoted to following the rules of Management. Crowley is devoted to Aziraphale, of course.

In Christianity red has an association with the left-hand side, or the sinister side. In GO we tend to call this the "demon side" as there is a lot of shot blocking for shoulder-angels and shoulder-demons. Crowley is typically on Aziraphale's LHS because of this, so when he isn't, we take note. Actually you should take note of all the shot-blocking in GO because who is on the shoulder-right and who is on the shoulder-left of shot tells you so much about their moral stance in that scene! Anyway, in religious iconography it will often be Michael robed in red, with a sword, on the left of Jesus, representing the eccentric, the strange, the excessive, fire - and goats. (Hey, goats are a whole other meta, we are here to talk colour!)

Special mention to the 1941 minisode in S2E4 that is just soaked in red, everywhere you turn: in the sparks flying off the burning buildings as the sparks of love begin to fly, the inside of the book shop where Crowley encourages Aziraphale to think like a professional, the magic shop where danger and chaos lurks in every corner but magic is Aziraphale's personal passion, and the Windmill Theater where he finally gets to perform his magic passion on the stage. Several ops see this as a special memory of Aziraphale's so he colours it with the red of romance. We've got big hopes of seeing a third part to 1941 in S3. Some of this red is also used as a metaphor for flames and fire (there always seems to be something burning after a gun is fired) - we are fanning the flames of passion again!

GOLD

Gold is one the colours of Heaven. Nearly all the angels have some form of gold on them at some point. A gold ring, gold embroidery on their clothes, a golden brooch, gold on their face, Aziraphale's gold watch fob (he has a ring, too). We also see multiple golden lions in various places, which appear to have a connection to Heaven and Jesus. (I'm still planning to write a meta on the lions in the future, but I've got to find them all first! They keep turning up in surprising places...) The lions have a royal connection, one of two royal mentions in this meta, in that they represent the connection Jesus has to the Royal house of Judah, and are a symbol of his return in the Second Coming.

YELLOW

Yellow in GO is probably the hardest colour to interpret. We see a lot of it, because Aziraphale is so fond of it, being the colour of Crowley's eyes. The walls of the book shop are painted yellow, he gives Jimbriel a yellow feather duster to use and he turns the Bentley yellow on the trip up to Edinburgh, much to Crowley's disgust. (To be fair, Crowley's Mayfair flat in S1 was colour-coded to Aziraphale's eyes in return, in greys and subtle blues, but that's another discussion.)

But I think the important thing to emphasis here is that yellow is NOT the same as gold, and we shouldn't blend the two colours together.

While some point out that yellow can be seen as an imperial or royal colour, as it is the colour of the Sun, when you put this colour in context in the GO AU, it more clearly points to being the colour of fear, as Cobragarden's explains in The Colours of Crowley. I would expand on their words, and say that is why Crowley doesn't wear his sunglasses in front of Jimbriel when looking after him in the book shop - its a measure of how afraid he is that the the real Gabriel might reappear at any moment. And back in S1 when Crowley is trying to work out how to escape the burning Odegra sigil he inadvertently created Hastur appears in the front seat of the Bentley in pursuit of him and reaches out to remove his sunglasses. The shock on Crowley's face in the moment is palpable, because he realises he's in the shit unless he thinks quickly - which he bravely does!

GREEN

Green is the colour of chaos.

Originally I wrote that Green was Hell, but on after writing this and going on to write further metas (I think I’ve mentioned this elsewhere, and this is an evolving meta) and a brief discussion in the Notes at the bottom with noneorother, I decided I would re-write this for a better fit.

It still fits Hell, however, as Hell is chaos compared to Heaven. It’s overcrowded, its clogged with bundled paperwork that hasn’t been filed, there is old furniture everywhere. It’s still the overgrown suffocating swamp of decay, with the leaking pipes and the light struggling to find its way down through the mess. It’s still Furfur, with plans to unexpectedly disrupt our hero’s magic act. It’s still the colour of the fog outside the bookshop during the Eldritch Ball, signalling that things are not going to plan. Demons love chaos, its their purpose. It’s the opposite to Heaven, which is rigid and structured.

A recent post from @noneorother highlights that the intense green used for Hell in S2 is influenced by the the Powell & Pressburger movie The Tales of Hoffmann. They say:

Whenever something evil happens in "The automaton ball" sequence, the light changes to this sickly green. Colour is THE important symbolism in Hoffmann, so now we know green is evil.

But they wanted to add that evil is not necessarily Hell. And we would have to agree. Because Aziraphale also has a lot of green associated with him, and he has nothing to do with Hell - he's more an agent of chaos, if anything. He's unpredictable. Let us address this in it's own section below.

Veridian/Teal/Aquamarine

This is a special section to discuss the blue-green hues that Aziraphale wears. Heaven mixed with Hell. Lawful mixed with Chaos. He is one unique angel. The first sight of these colours is in 1601, when we find out that the Arrangement first proposed by Crowley in 537 is now in full swing, where he has some teal strips in his Elizabethan costume.

While I'm told its traditional to have a darker colour on the back panel of waistcoats, it's notable that the back of Aziraphale's waistcoat is a distinctly dark viridian green. Why not dark blue? Or a shade of brown to go with the other shades of brown and beige the angels tend to wear? But what's the meta-writer's motto in GO? There are no accidents...

He also wears a pale aquamarine shirt in the present day. (wearecrowley has posted a nice set of GIFs that highlight it here) No white for him since 1941 at least, although his 1821 shirt also looks green to me, but its hard to tell in the dim candlelight of night time Edinburgh (unless he is performing magic, then he is in white, gold, and mysterious black or being discorporated, then he is colourless white - back to his "native" state, like Muriel in her Earthly Inspector uniform.) The cape he wears in the 1941 minisode is also a fascinating colour. I am having trouble pinning down exactly what it would be called - Teal? A darker aquamarine? Perhaps turquoise. It's certainly part of his colour palette, and still indicating a lawful-chaos mix. A "dark horse" indeed!

[Edit: So i saw someone describe Heaven and Hell as Lawfulness and Chaos, and I thought that was a perfect fit for Aziraphale here with his blue-greens. Remember Crowley described him as "unpredictable" to Nina? Yeah...]

[Edit 2: I've made some changes above because I re-wrote the section on Green. This is an evolving meta!]

BLUE

Blue is a signal of Heaven, the colour of the sky, and a colour traditionally associated with the archangels Gabriel and Michael. We see it in a number of places, in both S1 and S2, where it is used with deliberate care.

Usually a primary shade of blue, this represents the rigid lawfulness and rules of Heaven, as compared to the chaos associated with Hell. In Christian iconography blue is what Gabriel wears as the right-hand-side shoulder angel to Jesus. It represents the Law, mercy, protection, water, sheep(!) and foundation. The "good" shoulder angel is always on the right shoulder in shot-blocking in the show.

Below are some examples of where we see it:

The blue paint on the back of Aziraphale's coat when he gets hit by a paintball at Tadfield Manor in S1E2.

The colour of Newt's car, Dick Turpin (which actually presents an interesting juxtaposition, as Newt is a Crowley parallel.)

The colour of the external walls of the coffee shop in S2, and some of the inside, which is also the same as the take-away cups, such as the one the Metatron offers to Aziraphale.

The colour of the gecko Jemima asks to be turned into in the Job minisode.

The colour of the suit Jimbriel wears at the eldritch ball, and the glorious ostrich feather jacket he dons when he exits the book shop to give himself up to the demons.

PURPLE

Purple has long been the colour of royalty, since ancient days. This was for good reason - there was only one natural source of the rich purple dye. That came from a small marine snail that was found on the coast of modern day Lebanon, near Tyre, and they held the monopoly on this trade for centuries. Only kings and emperor's could afford to have cloth dyed in this colour, known as Tyrian purple. It wasn't until the first synthetic purple dye was created in 1856 that the common man could afford to wear it as well.

In Good Omens we see Gabriel, the Prince of Heaven, wearing this colour in his ties, and also showing it in his irises in both S1 and S2. But only when he is Gabriel, not as Jim.

[Edit: So I only just found out that the colour he wears is lilac and is modeled after Elizabeth Taylor's famous eyes. But hey, she was a queen of the screen - movie royalty! And you still need to explain all the other purple below. Also, she was only born around 100 years ago and Gabriel has theoretically been around for...a lot longer, so I'd say Gabriel came first.]

There are a couple of other places we see it used. One is when angel Crowley starts up his nebula. The plume of miracle energy emanating from the book shop after the 25 lazurii miracle is also this colour.

Archangel Saraqael's chair is purple when she is on Earth. And Saraqael and Muriel both have purple in their tartan when in Heaven.

WHITE

White is the colour of the angels. It is the colour of Aziraphale's wings and the colour of his robes during ancient times from the Beginning up to Rome. Once the Arrangement starts, the white starts to be replaced with other colours, and the shades of teal and other blue-greens start to appear.

By the present day he has virtually lost all trace of white, except for his hair. He then only appears in all white when discorporated.

Muriel turns up in a conspicuously bright white police uniform on Earth, and the other angels all have some form of white on them.

Crowley sometimes has small accents of white as well. They can be easily missed, such as the white shirt cuff protruding from his sleek black Elizabethan costume in 1601. Remember they are discussing the Arrangement here - so they are both showing signs of taking on each other's colours at this point. On the other hand, I know quite a few people have commented on the white in his 1941 garb, on his tie, and his pocket handkerchief (and remember, he wears a grey shirt, not black, because he doesn't want to be mistaken for a black-shirted fascist during the war years.)

SILVER/GRAY

There are two colours I keep seeing that I'm going to group together as one, and that is silver and gray.

The senior archangels are notably dressed in what I've seen described as dove-gray, but an article on the costumes calls it pearl-gray, and it was meant to look a bit shimmery. I sometimes refer to this group of angels as the Archangels with the capital A, or the seraphim, the closest angels to God. This includes Gabriel, our current Prince of Heaven, Michael, Uriel. And I'm going to include Crowley in his trademark Tactical Turtleneck master spy disguise when he infiltrated Heaven with Muriel in S2E6. Hey, he could have worn white!

So where does this colour come from?

I've spent a bit of time banging on in the past about "traditional colours" of the archangels, in particular Gabriel and Michael's being blue, and the missing Raphael's being green. Part of the problem is, though, if you go looking online for who's colour is whose, you get a big variation in answers. Michael nearly always comes out with being associated with blue, and Raphael with green, so no problem there, but all the other traditionally named seraphim seem to get other colours put against them. For Gabriel, though, a commonly associated colour does appear to be white or silver.

Now my guess would be that sparkly silver would be too naff a look for the angels. I mean, look at what Crowley manifests as a blending-in "bees" disguise, a slightly shiny grayish suit, which kind of mocks the other Archangels (and you're overdoing the gold hints there a bit, Crowley) but it is curiously the same style as Saraqael's garb, and they did supposedly work together on the Horsehead Nebula. Hmmm. The Archangel's pearl-gray suits look very corporate and business-like, echoing a large soul-crushing business entity.

But this is not the only time Crowley wears this upper echelon colour; he has quite a habit of wearing it, particularly once the Arrangement kicks in.

The problem is, he nearly always wears near-solid black (unless he is trying not to get killed, like in 1793 Paris - Cobragarden's meta on the context why here - or 1941 London - see above,) so it stands out. I find this a far more interesting than the red accents, and should note that we don't always see it on him; its not there in 1967, for example.

One colour that is noticeably missing in the full GO rainbow is orange. We don't get it handed to us on a plate as much as the other colours do. Perhaps one exception is the sign for The Resurrectionist pub in Edinburgh, where Jesus is wearing an orange robe under a blue cloth. [Edit: It must be my screen colour, its been mentioned to me that the under-robe is actually crimson red.]

So now we have run through all the colours, it can be interesting to look at them in combination.

Bonus points for noticing the white mugs for the S2 coffee shop (six-shots of espresso,) to go with the blue take-away cups. The shop is blue-white-gold themed. Truly meant to be a place where Heaven is obtainable on Earth! It also kind of reminds me of the sky - blue sky overhead, white clouds, and a golden Sun shining down (from the brass lamps.) [Edit: There is a paler green inside the coffee shop - its easy to miss, we are too busy watching the characters!]

The book shop also has a combination of colours - predominately red and yellow. Yellow for fear, and red for passion and romance. Ouch, what a combination!

Aziraphales's white, gold and black combination for performing magic also has me intrigued. It's not just the black, but so much golden colour in the form of a golden vest. And we get it both times in both 1941 and 2019. An angel from Heaven trying to hide what he really is.

I've added an extra section below as part of a reblog on the angel off-whites and shades of brown that also appear, as I realised I missed them, and do a character analysis of the Metatron, so make sure you read that as well.

If you are interested in my analysis on the tartan in GO I've one here at: What the Tartan Tells Us

For further meta reading on colour in GO try the following:

If you haven't read it yet, do go and read Cobragardens The Colours of Crowley, Red and Yellow can hurt a fellow: Colour Symbolism in 1941 Part 1 and Part 2 as it makes the colours more character specific, whereas I've tried to give the colours a more over-arching theme here.

And for the importance of the yellow colour Vavavoom! which is used on the book shop walls, (and matches Crowley's eyes) see Vidavalors post on The Vavoom: Or, when the show's hinting Crowley & Aziraphale first kissed

[purplebass]

X fell first, Y fell harder but with Lila and Kell. He fell first, gracefully. He dealt with his feelings as the story moved along and he fell harder and was already a simp by the end of adsom. Her unpredictability made him go insane but he was sure he didn't want to let her go. The magic set he gave her was his subtle confession: "I hope you think of me every time you see this. I hope you don't forget about me. I won't forget about you." Lila fell harder but the realization of how much she liked Kell was more like an epiphany. As if someone had thrown a bucket of ice water on her face unexpectedly and she had to run away before she would freeze, leaving Kell behind along with whatever connection she had felt with him. She stabbed a man after saying goodbye to Kell, lmao. Way to divert her attention somewhere else.

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Costume Meta 6x17

This has been an epic journey to get this meta written! my AuDHD did not want to play ball this week, the battle raged and I prevailed! Later than I’d intended but I hope you enjoy the penultimate costume meta of season 6!

What an Episode from a costume perspective! I was going to do my usual character by character breakdown for this episode but when I started writing it became obvious that this method wasn't going to work, so we have a hybrid thing going on here so forgive me if it appears a bit odd, but sometimes the colour use is more important!! 

Bobby

First up, we have Bobby wearing a light grey T-shirt and a black zip front Hoodie. The use of this light, grey and black combination is an interesting choice. When you consider how the only other person in the episode we see wearing black or grey is Eddie (Buck does wear a grey top at the end of the episode, and that’s relevant, but I want to focus on Eddie). This choice is signalling to us that Bobby will be more connected with Eddie story than any other characters in the episode. The light grey T-shirt is neutral on Bobby, but it also represents stability, reliability and insight. The black Hoody represents protection and also authority, the authority in the scene we see him where it is evident with his comment of filing forms on the next shift, but we also see Bobby in that position of authority when it comes to his conversation with Eddie in the sense that Bobby answers Eddie’s question from a position of prior experience.

The navy blue that Bobby wears to the hardware store is a nod to security, but also honesty and reliability. This is Bobby placed into a position of trust, Eddie is trusting Bobby to give him honest advice. Interestingly, the scene from 5x18 where Eddie visits Bobby at home, we get an almost reversal of colour-ways, Eddie is wearing black and dark brown while Bobby is wearing a blue shirt, not dissimilar to the Blue, Eddie is wearing in this scene. Obviously the black and brown Eddie wears is not the same as the navy Bobby is wearing. However, the choice of dark colours in both scenes and one character indicates which one has the knowledge to share. In 5×18. It is Eddie, whereas in 6×17 it’s Bobby, who has the knowledge.

Bobby wearing a maroon button up shirt with the sleeves fully down. I’ve spoken before about how the show has uses maroon in the past as a representation of fatherhood, especially in relation to Buck and Bobby. This shirt is not that because maroon can also be a colour of confidence and passion - the deepness of it as a shade of red speaks of an intensity of feeling - her in this scene it is all visual representation of Bobby’s love for Athena. When earlier in the episode we have had Bobby speaking to Eddie about how he and Athena found and built their second (or third if you’re Athena) chance at love, this shirt is showing us just how true and deep that love for Athena is.

Athena

Athenas only non uniform costume for this episode is this sparkly brown/gold button front cardigan worn over a black tee. we’ve seen her wearing earthy bronze toned and sparkly tops in connection with Bobby a couple of times this season and there is something about the bronze colour representing strength and support and staying grounded and how that ties into what Bobby said to Wendell about Athena making him feel like he was on solid ground. While the use of sparkle is a nod towards the idea that being or feeling grounded by something doesn’t mean boring - that it can still feel magical and ‘sparkly’. It says so much about not only Bobby and Athenas relationship, but also about the wider message of the episode - the idea that grounded love is better than love that is airy and floaty because it is built on a strong foundation. 

Athena also has a new necklace - which I've not yet been able to identify so I can't look into meaning if anyone figures it out please let me know - it looks to be either some form of compass or a cross of some sort, but its hard to be sure as we don’t get much time to look at it - I am leaning towards it being a cross rather than a compass because it only has 4 points and just generally looks more cross like to me but unless I can find it it is hard to be sure!

Hen

Hen was out there with her outfit choices this week - first up we have the lilac purple thick flannel shirt with the dark grey and maroon check. Obviously the first thing is the check pattern - so Hen in danger! This could be signalling the danger she comes up against in the episode - Maddie. Or it could be foreshadowing for 6x18 and whatever danger the 118 finds itself in because we know that Hen is trapped in the back of the ambulance somehow! The choice of lilac is a hint that its more likely connected to the conversation with Maddie because lilac is empathetic and compassionate, but it can also be easily offended - all things that connect into Hen through this Madney engagement arc.

We also get this amazing green and yellow cardigan that I can only describe as fizzy and sherbet-y! THis one actually follows on from the orange and brown one we saw her wear in Bucks hospital room - when Chris came to visit him. the yellow and green combination is really interesting and doing a lot of the work in this scene - yellow being communication, while the green is growth and renewal - the fundamentals of this scene - we seen Hen communicate with Maddie (the first tie they've actually had a scene together which is insane!!) as well as show her growth since the last episode - she owns up to her mistakes and her and Maddie are able to move forwards.

Maddie

The grey oversized hoodie worn open represent speaks of Maddies comfort in her own home and in her life more generally. The grey represents stability and compromise, it is a neutral colour and it is considered reliable. In combination with the purple tracksuit pants, purple meaning imagination, inspiration, enlightenment, and spiritual growth, hints of both Maddies initial uncertainty yet growing confidence and enlightenment when faced with the question of marriage, something she had been uncertain of prior to actually seeing the ring. 

The black tee is a representation of the power Maddie has - it is close to her chest so the power is with herself at this point in time - she needs to reckon with her own feelings on the matter. The fact that the black then transfers to a blazer means that the things Maddie has to confront are more external - Hen and Buck, but that power very much remains Maddies and ultimately it is her choice (which she has already made before she even puts the ring on).

Maddie in Pink when she puts on the engagement ring is so perfect because pink is the colour of unconditional love. It’s a blend of red and white and speaks to the love for oneself one’s family and one’s partner. It is also a colour of calm comfort in the face of any obstacles that may be ahead. it’s a positive colour and highlights perfectly where Maddie is whilst wearing this pink shirt, she is experiencing a range of emotions and feelings surrounding finding the engagement ring, but we see her taking positive steps, showing compassion and a sense of self confidence that we haven’t seen from Maddie in awhile.

Marisol

So Eddie runs into Marisol in the hardware store wearing a raglan sleeve top with a decal of strawberries and Seattle city with 'Dreamer' written above. So strawberries are considered a food of love and romance due to being heart shaped, not because they have any sort of impact or influence on love, but simply because they superficially look like hearts. The addition of the word dreamer written above it in blue (which makes the word stand out more) really plays into the theme the show has been weaving into the season - about reality v fantasy and or dreams. about how dreams don't live up to reality and about how dreams or fantasy are lacking in substance. To me this is saying that if Eddie were to pursue something with Marisol, it will be lacking in substance, that it won't ever compare to anything he had with Shannon (the thing Eddie has been comparing his relationships to) or anything he already has. The whole scene with Marisol was a sort of jinx Ana reintroduction redux, the tee is just confirming and adding weight to that for us - it is the same colour ways we saw Ana wearing in the Jinx scene - reenforcing all the other hints and signs we we given in this episode (and others) that Marisol isn't going to be endgame. 

I also loved the 8 pointed star necklace - 8 pointed stars are more commonly seen as compass roses or wind roses - they show the 4 cardinal and 4 inter-cardinal directions. Compass roses are considered symbols of the freedom to choose your own direction - free to choose the life you wish to lead. I think in this case it was a reminder to Eddie that it is he who is in control of his destiny and no one else. there is also the fact that a compass rose cannot point towards the wearer/ holder because it would mean heading backwards and not forwards.

Taylor

Sorry for the jump scare but the Bitch is back and bitchier than ever!!! Firstly the necklace - this is a Taylor regular necklace - we saw her wear it in several scenes, the first time being in 4x14 when she comes over to Bucks after he didn’t chase her - a pertinent and deliberate choice considering that Buck wears a navy vertical striped shirt in both that scene and in this episode!

Then we have the black top under the plum blazer - throw back to Buck's outfit in treasure hunt anyone??? so plum as a colour is a shade of reddish purple and generally is associated with power, ambition arrogance and magic. with the exception of magic, these are all things very definitely associated with Taylor and especially Taylor in this scene. it all plays into her true nature as someone for whom everything is a story and she will happily sell out for a pay-check and to further her career!

Natalia

The interesting outfit choices continue for Natalia as well. we have  the bright red top, generally a colour of passion and romance, but worn under a black jacket and with a black skirt which has flamingos, magnolias, lilies and eucalyptus branches. Flamingos symbolise balance, freedom and individuality. Lilies are most often associated with death and funeral (very on brand for a death doula)  while Magnolias are dinosaur plants they predate bees and are considered to be a symbol of stability but also history and  and we saw Ana wearing a dress with a magnolia flower pattern (I now cannot find the post I wrote on the subject!!) The foliage is eucalyptus, which is a symbol of strength and protection is also a symbol of purification. 

I made a post just after the episode airs about how the necklace she is wearing is Santa Muerte - the grim reaper and I want to go into this a little deeper here. Santa Muerte is a personification of death and is associated with both healing and the safe delivery of a person to the afterlife - the obvious inference here is that while initially her presence may seem healing, if Buck continues to pursue something with Natalia it will only end with her leading him to the afterlife rather than enabling him to live. 

The choice to continue the nods towards Natalia‘s job as a death doula is very deliberate. If they wanted to show her as more than a death doula, they would have put her in a necklace that was a nod towards other interests or aspects of her personality, putting her in a Santa Muerte necklace insures her connection with death remains central to her character and continues to emphasise the fact that she is a literal representation of death. Buck reckoning with death and the fact he’s walked side by side with it his entire life is one of the central themes of his story this season so this textual and visual manifestation of that reckoning through his attempts to form a relationship with Natalia and it ultimately only leading to healing for Buck and not a future with death because Buck still has so much life to live. death deals in dying not living and so Natalia has played a part in Bucks healing but she can go no further with him.

There’s also something in the fact that in this scene we get mention of three options for tipping and that it’s Natalia that points this out to Buck when his maths skills (gained through his temporary death) fail him, it continues the theme of three surrounding Buck this season and as this is his second date with Natalia hints that they’re being one further date before he figures it out makes changes which leads to him getting it right – we see the third date play out later in the episode - now all we have left to see is buck figuring it out, making the necessary changes and ultimately getting it right - whether we get that in 6x18 or are going to have to wait until season 7 remains to be seen!

The second date in the episode and the third date we see Natalia and Buck have, her in a denim jacket over a black dress with green foliage and a star jasmine floral design. The star jasmine is a symbol of spiritual Ascension, health and healing, and are commonly found in funeral bouquets across much of Asia. They can also be seen as a symbol of innocent love, and this is generally held mean I love that hasn’t developed into anything substantial or lasting. It’s also worth noting that, apart from the date in the previous episode, Natalia has always been wearing outfits with a large predominance of black, this maintains her ties to death as it is a colour most commonly associated with mourning.

We also have some different necklaces - and these are ones we've seen Taylor in before as well - just to further the necklace links between Bucks love interests and them meaning failure! I’m going to write a meta on the use of necklaces in the show - especially on Buck and Eddies love interests during hiatus as its actually a very interesting and telling topic!

Christopher

Only one Chris scene in this episode and my boy is back in the horizontal stripes - change is coming. The stripes are set agains a cream background and are 2 shades of blue and 2 shades of green as well as 1 shade of brown. The collar of the tee matches the henley Eddie is wearing, while the Hoodie mimics the one we saw Buck in at the beginning of the episode. We’ve seen Chris in blue and green stripes only one other time this season - in Bucks coma dream - when he was also wearing the same hoodie. There is something to be said about the fact that the costume team have chosen to draw a parallel between that moment in the coma dream when Chris is asking for help finding his father with all of its layered meanings and this scene where Chris has been engineering for a school project that requires constructing - a project that comes heaped with multiple layers of meaning as well.

The use of the hoodie to parallel with Buck in the episode itself is also interesting - both scenes involve conversations about Eddie dating - for Buck it revolves around Eddie downloading but not being able to bring himself to open a dating app while with Chris it’s more subtle - Eddie fending off Pepa’s attempts to set him up and a comment from Chris about what’s been distracting Eddie’s attention away from him and this project - ‘are you going to run errands again today?’ 

 Eddie

We start off with Eddie in his trademark olive khaki green jacket and with a black tee. Like I said about the use of Black on Maddie, the black tee is about  Eddie having the power in relation to his dating life. The wardrobe department have deliberately chosen to show us Eddie in an outfit which is familiar to the audience as a representation of who Eddie is. The reason for this is so that when we see Eddie out in his various attempts to meet someone the clothes he’s wearing stand out as not being the Eddie we know. It all helps to add to the storytelling of Eddie doing things that Eddie doesn’t normally do, it’s an additional layer that helps to reinforce the fact that his attempts at meeting someone are essentially more to get his Tia off his back than they are to genuinely meet someone.

All of the outfits we see Eddie wear on his attempt to meet someone - to engineer a meet cute if you will are in a limited colour palette - lots of grey with some black and a bit of yellow ochre. It was all very barbie/ken dollesque which had me giggling because Eddie dressing for his surroundings and not as himself screams of someone very much outside of their comfort zone and trying too hard!

First up we have coffee and magazine Eddie in the long sleeve dark grey top with very light grey trousers and a black gilet. This is the most un-Eddie out fit of all the outfits we see him wear in the montage. it is all monochrome and the padded gilet is essentially protective armour - both in terms of colour and the use of a gilet - which Eddie has zipped up pretty high.

Then we get the golfer Eddie - again its all grey and the top has a grey on grey weave that gives the effect of camouflage - someone who is trying to hide in plain sight. 

Then we get hiking Eddie in his grey and black tops with yellow ochre trousers. This outfit is probably the closest we see to real Eddie - but even here the yellow ochre trousers are out of character. He is also fully covered up and wearing a fleece and I’m sorry but out in the sun in LA it doesn’t get that cold in April/May (and we know it has to be around that time thanks to the calendar on the Diaz fridge from previous episodes) so the only reason to wear a fleece is if you are subconsciously making yourself cocooned or protected - essentially unapproachable. The yellow ochre trousers are an interesting choice considering the fact that we had coma Buck in the same colour of trousers and they are out of character for Eddie as well - much too bright normal Eddie is far more muted in his colour choices. These ones are actually even brighter than Bucks from his coma and are much closer to an orangey brown ochre than yellow. 

We also need to talk about watches - Eddie wears his work watch to both the coffee attempt and the hiking attempt while he wears his Christopher watch to the golf attempt. We can also figure out the timeline - coffee was indeed first, then he went hiking before attempting golf later on - he has the bandage on whilst playing golf (but no golf glove - another hint that golf is not something he does regularly or ever!!) There is something about the fact that Eddie wears his work watch in the two scenes where we do actually actively see him attempt to interact with some people and the work watch also representing a form of protection - its a piece of his uniform. Yet in the golf scene - the queerest of the 3 scenes we have him wearing his Christopher watch - the scene where Eddie gets actively checked out by a male character far more than the female ones do.

Eddie bumping into Marisol in the hardware store wearing a black top was a choice - I spoke in the Maddie section about black being a colour of power and how her black tee being closest to her skin represented the power of a decision being hers in relation to her engagement. Well the same logic applies here to Eddie - he is the one with the power in the scene - black can also mean aloofness and keeping people at arms length (because of its intimidating nature) and there is the fact that it is the colour of mourning (when worn without other colours as we see in this scene)  - we saw Eddie rocking out the black in the hospital during Bucks coma, so fact that we see Eddie walk away from Marisol whilst in this colour speaks volumes for the likelihood of any relationship between the two of them working!

Buck

So so much blue on Buck again in this episode - honestly the weighting towards blue on him this season has been insane and very intentional. I can’t wait to finish the season so I can tally it all up and show you the colour graphs (love a good graph to show all the data!!) for Bucks costuming throughout the 6 season!

I also want to talk about watches for a moment because Buck wears his watch the entire episode and its very deliberately on show, he always has his sleeves rolled or pulled up, he’s wearing short sleeves and the one long sleeved top he wears with the sleeves down the sleeve is tucked behind the watch so that the watch can be seen. There is something in the fact we’ve had such a prominant display of Bucks watch this season specifically and the idea of time - the idea of Buck being up against the clock in some way has been a theme throughout hte season - racing to be able donate his sperm - the race against time to get him to the hospital and get his heart started again - the coma dream was one big race against time and even several of the rescues this season have been about a race against time. 

We start off with the navy blue hoodie - a hoodie which it turns out is paralleling Buck and Christopher! The hoodie is over a blue top which is similar to the colour of the long sleeve polo we see him wear later in the episode - we can only see a tiny bit of it at the collar in the scene, but thanks to the BTS we got, we know it is a slightly lighter shade of blue, and that it its a long sleeved tee. So the Buck wearing blue theme continues, but now at the back end of the season we are getting an increasing amount of darker shades - all the blue tops he wears this episode are generally darker in tone than we’ve seen him in this season. This is telling me that the blue theme is heading towards its conclusion and I’m increasingly convinced that the use of blue is about water finding its level. I mentioned the parallel with Christopher, but there is also a less obvious one with Bobby as well - all three of them wearing hoodies - and the only ones to do so in the episode - there is something in the idea of them representing  their respective found father and son dynamics with these hoodies and in a season all about family and building a family more specifically and when we’ve had canon confirmation that Buck and Bobby have a father-son relationship, the choice to parallel Buck and Christopher in these hoodies only furthers the fact that Buck and Christopher also have a father-son relationship developing.

Next up is the yellow ochre broadcloth shirt over a black tee - Buck again wearing yellow ochre on his second date with Natalia sure is choice given what I wrote in my 6x15 costume meta about his yellow ochre shirt for the first date. The same dual meaning is in play once again, it is about communication, but it is also about loneliness and isolation. It is no coincidence that immediately after a conversation in the station about Eddie having downloaded a dating app and his Tia continuing to set him up on dates Buck calls Natalia and sets up another date. 

The ochre shirt also plays into the theme of Bucks mental health being in a vulnerable place - I think its telling that he made a comment to Eddie about Natalia ‘really seeing’ him and then we get the context that it has been (at least) a bit of time with her comment that she was surprised to get his call and she thought she had come on too strong. That is not the response of someone who really truly feels seen by another person in my book - he would’ve been keen to set up a second date, not holding off. The other aspect of his mental health being in a vulnerable place in this scene where he is wearing yellow ochre is the fact that his math skills appear to either be fading or gone completely. This  suggests that Buck is through that initial period of change - that the being different and not knowing what to do with that and that feeling of being all at sea is also fading and that he is now actually starting to find his level - something which we see come into play later with the third date outfit.

Much like with Maddie and Eddies black tee, this one on Buck also speaks about him being the one with the power - the power over his own heart and destiny. The universe throwing Lucy into his path to ‘fluster’ him also plays into the black and yellow ochre combination. Buck trying to pick the perfect place for a date and then picking a badge and ladder joint - somewhere ‘old Buck’ is familiar and comfortable with for a date with someone who supposedly sees him better than he sees himself is a Buck falling on his safety net and in many ways falling back on old habits

Navy blue vertical stripes - now where have we seen those before?!! I’m fascinated by the parallels we get between this episode and 4x14 centred around Buck , because there are a fair few especially in relation to events that occur and the use of colour in both episodes. So Buck in a navy shirt with white vertical stripes opens his door to an unexpected guest - Taylor in 4x14 and Maddie in 6x17. I’ve already spoken about Taylors necklace pendant being the same, but we also get the black and pink parallel as well - Taylor wearing pink over black in 4x14 and Maddie wearing black over pink here. Ew also get yellow ochre parallels in both episodes - Bucks jacket in this one and the yellow ochre jumper he wears when packing to go back to the Diaz house and when Taylor kisses him. We also get the parallel of Natalia running away and Buck not chasing her in the same way Taylor ran away in 4x14 and Buck didn’t go after her because he had family related things going on - foreshadowing through costumes at its finest!! its also similar to the Taylor I love you scene shirt as well. With the costumes paralleling to 4x14 and specifically scenes in Bucks loft from that episode, I think is a deliberate choice - it’s meant to indicate that Buck is at risk of repeating the same mistakes and going down the same road he did with Taylor.

Domestic housewife Buck my most beloved - put that man in an apron, slinging a tea-towel over his shoulder or wearing pink floral washing up gloves and I will melt!! I would like to point out that he wears the white trainers throughout the episode (although I don't know if he is for the bar scene as we don't see his feet!) and he actually has longer length trousers on in this scene too! The thing with the apron is the choice of horizontal stripes - not something we see on Buck ever and that is why this apron is interesting - it plays into my stripe theory so it represents change coming. Oliver spoke about Buck being in a place where if he's going to be in a relationship then  the other person is going to have to meet him where he is and accept him for who he is. 

The stripes are the perfect think for Buck in this scene - one where things play out in a similar way to the start of his romantic relationship with Taylor at the end of season 4 and one where Taylor herself is again part of the narrative with her appearance on the tv. In season 4 we had Taylor kissing him and running away and then berating him for not chasing after her when Eddie had woken up post surgery and Buck prioritising him (his family). 

This diner date scene plays out in a remarkably similar way - with Natalia running away and Buck not chasing her - prioritising Kameron's comfort and issues. Kameron is the representation of life to Natalia's death Buck choosing to allow Kameron to stay and to help her is less to do with the sperm donor arc and more to do with the representation of Buck choosing life over death - choosing to continue living life rather than flirting with his 'old friend' death. This is really really important for Buck - the person whose entire existence has revolved around death and his passively suicidal tendencies. The stripes mark the change - the moment he has learnt from dead Bobby in his coma dream  and the moment he essentially makes the choice to choose life rather than death. I'm not for one minute suggesting he's magically healed or anything - Buck still has a long road of healing ahead of him, more that this is a moment where he has made a big  step - now that there is some distance between the moment he died and was resurrected and where he is now.

Its going to be interesting to see how and why Natalia pops back up next episode, it would be a massive marker of growth for Buck to actively state to Natalia he's not interested (in whatever form that takes) as we would get to see him break the cycle of his past relationships - him recognising that he has the power of choice - of not going along with things and finding himself in the middle of a relationship without knowing how he got there. It’s an important step for him.

And then we have Buck in grey - there’s actually something really interesting that I’ve spotted in relation to Buck and the colour grey. We haven’t actually seen him wear it that often this season. In fact we don’t see him wear it in season six until after Kameron has become pregnant and all of the scenes we then see him wearing grey in are in someway connected to family, and more specifically children. So we see buck wear Grey for the first time at the end of 6×09 when he’s asleep on the bed. The next time is in 6×12 when he is seeking comfort and falls asleep on Eddie‘s sofa, then in 6×13 when he is cookie baking with Christopher. We can you add this grey knit top to the list, and once again it is connected to the family and children. I want to point out at this moment that Kameron sleeping on that side of the bed with her pregnant stomach positioned where it is is a deliberate choice because it throws back to that final scene from 6×09 when the camera pans to the onesie on the bedside table.

I’ve spoken before about Buck and, his wearing grey being tied to uncertainty and confusion and I think the added layer of family and children is an interesting combination. The fact that we getting these scenes which either directly or indirectly relate to Christopher, along with the impending parenthood of Connor and Cameron through Bucks sperm donation being linked through colour and colour related to uncertainty and confusion, speaks volumes about bucks journey this season, we are being given a visual connection that implies that buck, through his sperm donation is questioning and figuring out the parental nature of his relationship with Christopher. 

Whether or not we see this reach it’s full conclusion once Kameron has given birth remains to be seen, however I think whatever scenes we get with Buck talking to Connor about becoming a father in 6×18 may play some part in things clicking for Buck and his full acceptance that he is a parent. The sperm donation storyline is very much about Bucks recognition and acceptance of himself as a parent, we, as an audience might have balked at the idea of Buck donating his sperm because of him misunderstanding the assignment, but the reality is that the journey, this storyline has taken him on, actually leads him to understanding the assignment and if you remember the scene in season five, where he states, he misunderstood the assignment and drew a cartoon heart was a scene where Buck was wearing grey! In fact, in season, five since the misunderstood the assignment scene in 5×14 Buck only wore grey in one further scene – the one in 5×17 in Christopher‘s bedroom when Eddie was packing to go to Texas.

So having Buck in grey - connected to family in season 6 and then also having Eddie wearing blue and it also being connected to family (across all the seasons) in the same episode is making me feel a little bit insane.

I’ve saved it until last - and its why they are missing from the character by character breakdowns - but we need to talk about these specific blue costumes in this episode because boy were they telling a story all their own in this episode! Maddie and Chim’s engagement outfits, Bucks loft date night outfit and Eddies outfit in the hardware store with Bobby. 

Blue is a colour of loyalty and trust, security and it is confident, it can express persistence and wisdom, but it can also belie fragility, insecurity and uncertainty. These are all meanings that we see in play with these 4 blue outfits in varying degrees. 

Putting Madney - who have had to go through a huge amount of trauma together and separately to get to where they are now - who have had to fight for each other, fight for what they have and fight for happiness, being paralleled with Buck and Eddie - who have also been through a huge amount of trauma together and separately and have fought for each other and are seemingly fighting their way towards their own version of happiness and togetherness is a pretty telling and loud choice!

Maddie is in the brightest of the blues - her’s is the one that is slightly separate from the other three and I feel like that is deliberate (not only because having both her and Chim wearing the same shade of blue in a scene would look weird and matchy matchy!) Maddie is the one who proposes, she is the one who takes control of the situation presented to her, whereas the other 3 are all experiencing varying levels of doubt, confusion and uncertainty. For Maddie (and Chimney) we see the loyalty and trust play out very obviously, we also see wisdom. Maddie is secure and confident in these scenes and the blue being brighter than the others shows us that.

Chim talking through things with Gina - questioning everything related to his decision to propose - he is feeling uncertain and somewhat insecure in both himself and in his decisions. He is in a similar place to both Eddie and Buck in this colour although for obviously different reasons.

The other thing about Chimney being a similar colour to Maddie is that they wanted us to see them as being on the same page - as a unit and a pair. this is the moment we get them in harmony with one another after a few weeks of crossed wires. The use of colour and especially blue (which has its own marital connection - something blue) highlight the trust in their relationship as well as the confidence in it.

The blue top is in line with the many other blue tops we've seen him wearing this season - and so it continues the blue theme Buck has going on. I spoke earlier in the section about Bucks yellow ochre jacket about Buck wearing yellow for the first two dates and mentally being vulnerable etc in the aftermath of his experience with death. well this blue top is the other side of the coin - its about water finding its level. The choice to put Buck into the same shade of yellow for the first two dates - when he felt seen after the first one and then thought he could pick that feeling back up with Natalia, only to find that those things - those differences - are fading and he’s less certain of things and then follow it with blue - a blue that is very close to the blue of Eddie and Chim in the episode - for a scene where the reality of Bucks life - of his being very alive and living his life to the max is such an intentional choice. We have had the resurrection theming around Buck so very heavily in this season, but across the series as a whole and this change from yellow to blue also plays into that theme somewhat. I wrote about yellow representing Judas and therefore betrayal in the 6x15 meta and that concept of betrayal is very much in play here too - Buck betraying all the things he learnt in his coma by pursing someone who sees him for a specific and superficial thing. 

‘if what matters to you most is how other people see you than you haven’t learned a damn thing’ 

but the math skills have worn off and Buck begins to see more clearly and so he transitions to blue for date three - when more of who Buck is is revealed and he is not seen for who he actually is. Its interesting that Buck wears blue, yellow ochre and green in his coma - with the green being most prominent - the mix of blue and yellow with the yellow being the next most prominent colour and now we have him transitioning to blue from the yellow - almost like the coma being green was also about the mixing of who buck was - mixing his uncertainty and vulnerability of the yellow with the trust loyalty and confidence of blue. The blue being the trust in himself, the loyalty to who he is as a person and the confidence that that person is enough. it feels like the colour transition through these three dates is Buck figuring things out and his water finding its level. 

I answered an ask earlier in the week about what Eddie being in a blue henley meant and if it would be connected to the time we saw Buck wearing the same Henley in 2x01. I hedged my bets a little bit because we had zero context for the scene(s) the Henley would be appearing in but said I was inclined to come down on the side of it being more bout the fact it was blue than the connection to the scene from 2x01. It does feel good when I'm right and colour theory plays out for me! this Henley is very much connected to Eddie and family - you can read the answer to that ask here if you want a bit more detail, but essentially we don't see Eddie wearing blue all that often and when we do it has always been in connection with family moments be they with Shannon or with Buck or his wider family, and Chris is invariably involved. the shades of blue have varied, but the fact remains that Eddie wears blue in connection with key moments in his family life. 

The fact that we have a questioning somewhat fragile and insecure Eddie in blue - choosing to try and put himself back out into the world - asking Bobby for advice - for an outside and honest perspective - someone who is Eddies mirror and someone who he is loyal to and trusts (more blue colour meaning ties) not only connects Eddie to Chimney, Buck and (to a lesser extent) Maddie - because Madney is being paralleled and juxtaposed with Buddie through this episode - through the colour blue, blue but it also ties him to family - especially the concept of building/ rebuilding family and that is something I love - for him and for me!

Thanks as always for reading it means a lot to me and I hope you found it interesting and that it was worth the wait - I’m off to spiral about the finale now!!!

As always, tag list below! Until the next episode! 💜💜💜

@ryderdie​  @theladyyavilee​  @leothil​ @girldadbuddie​ @kitkatpancakestack​  @buckscurls​ @lemotmo​ @trashendence​ @elishareads​  @clipboardsandstethoscopes​ @comfortbuddie​ @fiona-fififi​  @callanee​ @calyssmarviss​ @pbandjeremiah​ @batgrldes​  @spotsandsocks​ @livingwherethesidewalkends​  @idontshitpostbuttheolympicpark​ @diazboysbuckley @sweettsubaki​ @shortsighted-owl​ @sherlocking-out-loud​ @wh0re-behavi0r  @favouritealias @hearteyesdiaz  @ktinastrikesback  @princesschez75 @bucksbuddie @oneawkwardcookie  @leatherati @moniquekatie @wanderingwomanwondering  @trickster-archangel  @asharadaine @ajunerose  @talespinner230 @pop-kam @swiftiebuckleys @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @butchjerry @mandzuking17 @yelenasbuddie @copyninjabuckley @name-code-black-widow @rogerzsteven @bi-moonlight @usercowboy @inthecarwithaboy @inandoutoffocus @toboldlynerd

[bluecichlid]

Lila’s Backstory Theory #2

Further to my talks with @luciehercndale and her excellent post here, we really know almost nothing about Lila’s history, and particularly about her mother.  She grew up in poverty with her alcoholic father but she doesn’t talk or act like a Georgian street kid.  She seems educated, particularly regarding the arts.  Her mother could have come from money/status.  But another possibility is that she came from the demi-monde.  

Around the time, there were actresses/courtesans like Dorothea Jordan and Emma Hamilton who were both Shakespearean stage actresses and the mistresses of wealthy and powerful men. An actress would be literate and familiar with poetry and be comfortable fraternizing with people from every level of society, right up to royalty.  At the same time, women of that class could easily end up back in poverty when they aged or if their patron died.   

Lila’s got that theatrical nature, and she moves easily between social classes. She ends up on the street, but adopts a flamboyant thief persona to steal.  She can mimic the speech of wealthy men enough to fool a police officer, like she does at the beginning of DSOM.  In Red London, she is mistaken for Ostra by the young noblewomen she meets.  When she needs to get into the palace, she has no hesitation about disguising herself as a an invited guest - she never has any doubt about her ability to pull off the deception.  She just has to find the right outfit.  In AGOS, she easily fools the pirates into thinking she is royalty.  It can’t just be the language.  

There is also her confidence with men.  She thinks about how Alucard assumes her to be noble:  A member of the court, taught to flash English words like jewels, intent on impressing a royal, claiming a title, a crown.  She pictured the prince, Rhy, with his easy charm and his flirtatious air.  She could probably have kept his attention, if she’d wanted to. If she was just a street kid from poverty, the confidence that she could land Rhy seems unlikely.  But it is less impossible if her mother was a former courtesan - and women of that class often raised their daughters to continue in their profession(s).  

There is also Lila’s dislike of dresses and femininity.  When she is tricking the pirates, she thinks “...even if she were trapped in an abominable dress.  A full-skirted, flimsy green contraption with too much gossamer and a waist so tight she could hardly breathe and why in god’s name must women do this to themselves?”  She has such a strong reaction to something that was very common at the time - it seems more than just about the impracticality.  If she knows (at some level) her mother came from that world and it didn’t end well it would explain the strength of her feelings.  

Obviously all speculation, but fun to think about!

[raayllum]

So

The Viren Heart Theory

Yesterday in the process of making a post about TDP's stage motif I noticed that as shortly after dream Soren vanishes, Viren's spotlight and surroundings - which were previously white and is white in all other scenes - turn red, which led to another meta on the connections between star, dark, and for lack of a better term, blood magic.

Highly recommend you read the latter meta, as it will be referenced here, but for a short summary:

Dark magic and star magic are both, as far as we can assume in the latter's case, are represented by differing shades of purple (dark purple and magenta/more pink purple, respectively). However, red is also used to represent possible implied combinations of dark and star magic: Aaravos' key with the dark magic sigil glows red in Callum's own dreamscape; Claudia walks into a red sea in her father's nightmares, signalling her continued use of dark magic and as a pawn of Aaravos; old sigils for dark magic concept art wise used to be drops of blood.

The combination is what we're going to talk about today, along with some other theories regarding Aaravos, his missing chest piece, and the Key of Aaravos, as well as how the series treats/handles hearts as like, a thing. (And no, this actually won't be that long for once, I promise.)

First things first: we have five spells, presumably, that involve dark magic, primal magic, and blood as a key ingredient:

Kim'Dael's blood drinking rejuvenation (*the only one we know of thus far that involves zero star magic)

The revenge spell. It involves dark magic ingredients (last breath of the victim), star magic (unicorn horn), and (human) blood.

The little bug pal spell. Viren uses dark magic ingredients (the rock), human blood (again), and it permits the transfer of a star arcanum creature (assumedly the portal itself on Aaravos' end is star magic, compressing space if not also time).

The ressurection spell. Claudia used numerous dark magic ingredients to get her father walking again. To make it permanent, it needed (most interestingly) either star magic (Sir Sparklepuff) OR human blood (of his line).

The Soren cure spell. This is presumptive, but we know the spell required dark magic as it brought forth Viren's corrupted face for the first time (circa the novelizations). We have reason to believe it involved Star magic.

And we have reason to believe (the red, anyone?) that it involved blood. Specifically, blood / a piece or total sum of Viren's literal heart.

Given that it's a dream sequence, it wasn't clear at first what Viren's rebuttal may have been referring to, but we do see him notoriously say he had no choice in saving Soren either ("I had to do something. I had to save him! I had no choice") so the phrasing/justifications line up. Furthermore, what we've learned from the Puzzle House / the novelizations, as well as Amaya's concerns in 1x05, come to new light with the fact that we know Viren coined Kpp'Ar and that he inherited the position of High Mage after his mentor's "mysterious disappearance":

K: Ha! No choice? You made the same choice you've always made. The one that gives you power.

V: You're wrong. I've always done what protects my family. However dangerous. However vile.

Now, we've heard this line before (hi 4x04) but this is the first time it 1) appears in S5 and 2) appears in the dream sequences, even if Viren has expressed similar sentiments that appear to be linked ("The path of fate is already chosen. Every step I took, I took because I had to"). However, thanks to the Book Two novelization, we know that Viren is harkening back to his last conversation with Kpp'Ar that was 1) about wanting to save Soren at any cost, which Claudia seems to have a rough estimate of happening, and 2) that presumably led to Kpp'Ar being coined because well - Kpp'Ar got in his way.

She had snuck into Kpp'Ar's "puzzle house" and was hiding in one of the passages when she overheard the angry yelling. She could still hear her father shouting at Kpp'Ar, "I will do anything to protect my family—however dangerous! However vile!" Little Claudia was scared, but she knew her father loved them more than anything. Claudia opened her eyes again. Then she did what she had to do [and killed the fawn].

So why the heart? Well, Kpp'Ar points to it very purposefully, it would make sense if it indicated an old wound (given the episode title, and that everyone else in Viren's dream sequences reveal or receive injuries/wounds this episode).

Viren becoming a much colder, crueler person after turning on one loved one, losing another, and then also being distant from his children to a degree... The symbolism would track so hard. And there is, of course, precedent in hearts being attacked or taken in particular ("My heart for Xadia").

(Soren stabbing Viren in precisely the place his father partially or totally devastated in order to save him 10+ years prior? Ironic and heartbreaking, give it to me.) And of course, Mr. Startouch himself, with the subject of his (assumed) missing chest piece being the core of my "The key of Aaravos holds his heart" theory that I developed in tandem with Viren's plan to use the Magma Titan's heart accordingly.

These two theories would be complementary, mind you. Aaravos having his heart torn out, or tearing it out himself to save someone he loved only to lose them anyway, providing parallels to Viren. Making them both more and less powerful simultaneously, accordingly. This also ties back into other considerations of the Flowers of Elarion (a motif interwoven into the actual Elarion poem where Aaravos is called the Midnight Star) / Laisar the Insidious tale shared between Moonshadow elves and Katolis, in which an elven thief takes what you value most / see as most precious but leaves behind a beautiful flower, hoping it would be "a fair exchange of beloved for beloved". One Heart for another.

TLDR; if Viren cut out/used his own heart partially as dark magic spell parts the symbolism would be out of this world and it'd be tragic AF + bonus possible Aaravos parallels. Wonderstorm please 🙏

[hchollym]

Percy Weasley & Sansa Stark Parallels

This post is going to be more for me than anything else, because I doubt many people are interested in this very specific topic, but I couldn't resist.

Percy & Sansa are two of my favorite characters in literature, and the more I started to think about it, the more I realized how much they have in common. I know that sounds strange, and don't get me wrong, there are some key differences (Sansa was definitely more of an innocent victim - the poor girl was only 11 years old), but they do actually have a lot of similarities as well!

I'm going to link some posts/metas about Percy, just in case someone wants to see extra support for my claims, because I feel like Sansa is a little bit more obvious/self-explanatory in canon.

Basics

They are both tall redheads (which doesn't mean anything, but it is a fun coincidence). 🙂

They are both unfairly hated by fandom because of the POV trap (Harry & Arya).

Personality

They are both feminine (see this post about Percy).

They both love reading, and neither of them are very athletic.

They were both naïve and trusted the wrong people because they didn't know any better. Unfortunately, they were both raised by their fathers to trust in something that wasn't trustworthy (the Ministry of Magic - see this post about Percy - & the idea that most men/knights are honorable).

They are both romantic in nature (Percy writing love letters & Sansa reading love stories). Interestingly enough, both of them are the first siblings in their families to be given a storyline that involves a romantic relationship/betrothal & yet both of their oldest brothers end up getting married first (which is not a bad thing; it's just an observation).

Family/Background

They were both the "perfect" child who had high expectations placed on them from a young age ("Sansa was a lady at three, always so courteous and eager to please."), yet they were also ignored the most because they were "easy" compared to their siblings (see this post on Percy's relationship with his mother).

This is why their acts of "rebellion" (Percy disowning his family & Sansa going to Cersei) were so unexpected. They were always so well-behaved until they finally felt pushed over the edge:

“What do we want to be prefects for?” said George, looking revolted at the very idea. “It’d take all the fun out of life.”  Ginny giggled.  “You want to set a better example for your sister!” snapped Mrs. Weasley.  “Ginny’s got other brothers to set her an example, Mother,” said Percy loftily. 

suddenly changing to:

“He went completely berserk. He said — well, he said loads of terrible stuff... And he packed his bags the same night and left. He’s living here in London now.”

&

"It was for love," Sansa said in a rush. "Father wouldn't even give me leave to say farewell." She was the good girl, the obedient girl, but she had felt as wicked as Arya that morning, sneaking away from Septa Mordane, defying her lord father..."

They were both usually the odd one out with their siblings, who all had a closer bond with each other than with Percy/Sansa. Their siblings also looked down on their interests because they couldn't relate to them:

“We’re trying to standardize cauldron thickness. Some of these foreign imports are just a shade too thin — leakages have been increasing at a rate of almost three percent a year —” “That’ll change the world, that report will,” said Ron. “Front page of the Daily Prophet, I expect, cauldron leaks.” Percy went slightly pink.

&

Sansa would have sighed and shed a tear for true love, but Arya just thought it was stupid. 

They were also the target of their siblings' pranks/mischief:

“I shudder to think what the state of my in-tray would be if I was away from work for five days.” “Yeah, someone might slip dragon dung in it again, eh, Perce?” said Fred. “That was a sample of fertilizer from Norway!” said Percy, going very red in the face. “It was nothing personal!” “It was,” Fred whispered to Harry as they got up from the table. “We sent it.”

&

"Arya started it," Sansa said quickly, anxious to have the first word. "She called me a liar and threw an orange at me and spoiled my dress, the ivory silk, the one Queen Cersei gave me when I was betrothed to Prince Joffrey."

They were both resented by their younger sibling(s), who each happen to be about 2 years younger than them (Fred and George & Arya):

"...we never had trouble like this from Bill or Charlie or Percy —” “Perfect Percy,” muttered Fred.

&

Sansa had the grace to blush. She blushed prettily. She did everything prettily, Arya thought with dull resentment.

Ironically enough, their parents usually let those siblings get away with a lot more than Percy or Sansa would have been allowed to get away with (see this post on Molly & Arthur's lack of discipline with the twins):

None of which stopped Arya, of course. One day she came back grinning her horsey grin, her hair all tangled and her clothes covered in mud, clutching a raggedy bunch of purple and green flowers for Father. Sansa kept hoping he would tell Arya to behave herself and act like the highborn lady she was supposed to be, but he never did, he only hugged her and thanked her for the flowers. That just made her worse.

Circumstances/Storylines

Their fathers failed them (though not on purpose) when they needed them most (Arthur yelled at Percy and accused him of spying instead of calmly helping Percy see that he was being used & Ned refused to explain why Sansa's betrothal was being called off). This directly led to their acts of rebellion.

As a result, they were both taken advantage of by people in power (Fudge & Cersei) and separated from their family. Initially, this is what they both thought they wanted (Percy chose to leave & Sansa wanted to remain in King's Landing with Joffrey instead of returning home), but they both ended up regretting it (after losing their innocence and naivety) and wanting their family back.

They were both young, and yet they were judged for not knowing something that even the adults didn't know (Percy didn't notice that his boss, Barty Sr., who he barely knew, was under the Imperious Curse, while Dumbledore failed to notice that his old friend was actually a Death Eater using a Polyjuice potion & Sansa thought that she could trust Cersei while Ned believed that he could trust Cersei enough to warn her to leave town without her retaliating against him).

While they were separated/alone, their mothers were really the only ones doing anything to try and get them back (Molly visited Percy & Catelyn freed Jaime).

They both had to play their part in politics under a corrupt government. They both originally wanted to be a part of that system (eventually becoming the Minister of Magic & eventually becoming the queen). They ended up realizing that the people in charge were not as noble and well-intentioned as they thought.

They learned to be more careful about who they trusted, and they adapted to survive (Percy in a Ministry controlled by Voldemort & Sansa with the threat of Cersei, Jeffrey, and Littlefinger).

They both lost a brother. 😭

He and Ron had both grabbed Hermione and pulled her to the floor, but Percy lay across Fred’s body, shielding it from further harm.

&

Robb had died at a wedding feast as well. It was Robb she wept for. 

They both reconnected/made amends with the sibling(s) that initially resented them (Sansa and Arya will meet again and work things out in the books - fight me):

“I was a fool!” Percy roared, so loudly that Lupin nearly dropped his photograph. “I was an idiot, I was a pompous prat, I was a— a— ” “Ministry-loving, family-disowning, power-hungry moron.” said Fred. Percy swallowed. “Yes, I was!” “Well, you can’t say fairer that that,” said Fred, holding out his hand to Percy.

In Conclusion

I just found it interesting that two of my favorite characters - who seem very different - have so much in common. I'm sure that says something about me! 🤣😊

[dailycharacteroption]

Races Among the Stars 8: Kobolds

And we end off this week’s special with your, mine, and the internet’s favorite: Kobolds. Those delightful little draconic scamps that have wormed their way into our hearts (and other bodily organs) over the years.

Kobolds weren’t initially in Starfinder officially, partially because when the system first launched, the writers had trouble finding a niche for them in the setting that already had so many small-sized lovable scamp species in it, ranging from old classics like gnomes and halflings, to the recently promoted core option of the ysoki, and of course the Pathfinder staple of goblins, it’s hard to justify yet another such species, or so goes the claim. Personally the fact that there’s literally a planet in the Pact Worlds with an entire continent of dragon-ruled nation-states seemed like the perfect basis for me, but that is just my two cents.

In any case, kobolds are back, first appearing in the Alien Character Deck along with other Golarion staples, and later being expanded upon in Interstellar Species!

But kobolds have changed a bit in the millennia since the days of Pathfinder, so let’s go over that real quick-like!

When the Gap ended, kobolds were… conspicuously absent from the multiverse, and many assumed that they shared the same fate as the missing world of Golarion.

However, a century later (which is still several centuries before the current point in the timeline), the first experiments with witchwarping magic began, and while those first forays mostly brought into existence strange machines that seemed to be non-functional within the constraints of local physics and reality, with them came reptilian humanoids which were apparently, by all analysis and their own admission, the missing kobolds, leading to an entire population of them inhabiting Absalom Station and beyond.

Where things get especially strange, however, is the effect these first-generation kobolds had on reality. They had in their possession keys to empty apartments that somehow nobody had noticed before, credentials for jobs that seemed not to exist before. It was as if reality was bending to give the kobolds a place in the world. Whether this place was folded into the main reality when they arrived or existed before and was obscured is another mystery.

It seems apparent that during the Gap, kobold-kind, or at least some of it, saw whatever even the Gap obscures coming and use advanced reality warping technology and magic to shunt themselves off into a pocket reality somewhere between another universe and a demiplane, perhaps the border of the main one, until the event had past and further witchwarping events and experiments called them back. Of course, wherever they were, they did not escape the effects of the Gap itself, and have no memory of that time.

The result is an origin that is one part an excellent way to give kobolds a new refreshing backstory in this far-future age, as well as a funny meta-joke about literally injecting kobolds back into the setting.

However, it should be noted that while that first generation warped reality around themselves, kobolds born into the setting’s universe properly have not manifested nearly as many strange, reality warping events, though the secrets of witchwarping are now heavily associated with kobolds in the same way that draconic power and magic is.

Starfinder-era kobolds were introduced after Pathfinder Second Edition came out, meaning that they have the distinctive appearance from that edition, which I was not a fan of, but the design has grown on me over time.

Kobold are small reptiles with somewhat oversized craniums covered in scales that come in a variety of colors ranging across the rainbow and even rare metallic shades, reflecting the traditional colors of chromatic and metallic dragons and plenty in-between. Additionally, they also possess horns, most commonly two oversized backwards-sweeping ones, though some sport up to 8 smaller horns. They also possess sharp teeth and a long tail for counterbalancing their craniums, though their small size and unimpressive physiques usually make these unappealing options for self-defense.

It is also notable that most kobolds also go through rare periods of flux, their bodies changing as the witchwarping magic that infuses them makes changes. Usually these are benign, things like bouts of nausea, developing a new allergy or repelling pathogens, but others are more extreme, manifesting dramatic spell effects. The most disruptive are thankfully rare, but aspiring witchwarpers use them as the basis for their magic, developing and controlling these warps.

Kobolds are a communal species, and so they often seek to aid their communities whenever possible, and a kobold child can be expected to be raised not just by their parents but by the whole community. However, kobolds also have a deep pride as a people, stemming from the truth that they know in their heart of hearts: kobolds are dragons, and the fact that their forms a diminutive and weak is one of the universe’s great injustices. Plenty believe that in whatever reality they were in before returning, they wore the mighty shape of true dragons, while others believe that this is a convenient folktale. Either way, this has birthed several philosophies, including those that seek to unlock their draconic heritage, those that seek to reclaim the power and wealth they believe they deserve, and of course those that seek to ignore all that and just live their lives in the reality they find themselves in.

Kobolds are agile and passionate, but frail.

That being said, their scales provide some decent protection in a pinch.

With their keen minds, these tiny reptiles have a special knack for engineering and physics, true to their long history of trap and weapon building.

The colors of a kobold’s scales are not just for show. Indeed, that coloration indicates some genetic similarities with various forms of dragon, granting them resistance to acid, cold, electricity, of flame to match.

Kobolds have a lot of fun options as characters. Their charisma and association with the art makes them excellent witchwarpers, not to mention other charisma classes like solarian, envoy, and the like. Their agility also makes them good picks for operatives as well as most any ranged combat build, including ranged soldiers, evolutionists (particularly those seeking a draconic form), and so on. Their love of building and intricate devices also makes mechanic and technomancer thematic choices as well, and biohackers might seek to unlock the secrets of dragonhood in their genetics. They also have a history of magic, making mystic and especially precog good choices as well. Their only real weakness seems to be their con, making nanocyte, vanguard, and any especially tanky builds somewhat difficult, but not impossible. Additionally, beyond classes, the Interstellar Species book has lots of feats meant to represent kobolds unlocking their draconic potential, ranging from wings, a breath weapon, and outright gaining a draconic alternate form!

And that’s it for this week! Through a curious accident of how I’ve been picking which species to cover, this week has been mostly species that are relics of the fantasy origins of the setting, which is neat to point out. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed it, and look forward to more options next week!