#star crossed myth spoilers

[fateinthestars]

Hmm how about a ramble about the SCM Gods' unique divine powers?

Spoilers under cut, obviously.

WISHES

LEON

I think my biggest question with Leon is how did he first realise his special divine power was being able to give pleasure like that? Word obviously spread pretty quickly too.

Also, Karno hun, you're beating yourself down for your skill not being very useful? In what capacity would Leon's ability ever help work wise?

Actually... don't answer that, I don't want to know. 😂

KARNO

The ability to increase the states of something may not seem that grand but we have seen how it can be applied and be useful. I mean sure if there's danger you need to get immediately out of then Teorus' ability to stop time or Zyglavis Shadow able to intercept the danger or you are gonna be more useful - heck Dui warning you in your mind would be too and if it's a full on confrontation you probably need Tauxolouve's arrows - but that isn't always the issue.

In the special story a divine trip for two, how MC and Karno solved the problem would not have been possible without Karno's ability.

HUEDHAUT

Ow. Thinking about it Hue and Scorpio are the only ones who can't turn their unique divine power off aren't they? Like Scorpio has to be touching the person to hear their thoughts and (unless an emergency has increased his powers or the powers of nature) Hue has to have his forehead against someone else's in order to see the future, but they seemingly able to deliberately turn it off like Leon does, and everyone else has to want to use their special ability for it to come into play.

What's interesting about Huedhaut's power is the specifics of Near Future and Nothing Pertaining to Death. Near Future at least means he can make at least some educated guess as to when abouts the event will happen, but without death visions I wonder whether he worries whether anyone is in more danger than he thinks? (I mean it shouldn't be that much of a problem in the Heavens, but seeing as he's already lost someone himself...)

TEORUS

The odd thing about Teo's power is the fact it only works for five minutes on Earth. The Earth's atmosphere affects the others but as far as I recall it's only Teo's power that seems to work differently whilst on Earth.

The other thing is this is one of two unique powers that we know were inherited (the other being Tauxolouve's arrows looking like Kronos'), and in this case it is only once Thanassiss is no longer around that Teo has control of all the time stuff in the heavens. That does seem rather a large responsibility to put onto Teo's shoulders, really. (I would say maybe it only happens in his own path but I don't think that's right - judging by the King's comments in Ichthys' Musings on Love story I think Teo has the full time control there too).

There does seem to be some oddities that occur with the ability to alter the flow of time though - like there's at least two occassions where he's accidentally travelled through time.

He does also seem to have some form of time manipulation as opposed to just freezing it, at least whilst in the Heavens, as in Karno's route he resets the day for MC. I wonder whether he normally just chooses not to use that kind of thing cos here it only happens cos of Leon. Certainly the implication in Ichthys' Musings of Love story is if their historical department has altered someone's past he is supposed to make sure no remnenants of said erased path remain.

Maybe before he takes over his father's position the stopping time is the only part of the unique divine power he has and the time travel glitches are just that, glitches, but when he has that position it unlocks a more generic control over time that he didn't have before.

TAUXOLOUVE

We don't have that much detail about Lou's unique divine power but it's one of the very few that can actually be described as a weapon: Krioff is probably the only other one with a divine power you could definitely describe as such, though there's probably an argument that Zyglavis' shadow can at least be used in that manner.

Lou's other power though? He calls it his cross to bear for being a demigod but that seems to be an assumption on his part. That the ability to see death is because he's a demigod.

It certainly acts like a divine power if nothing else, as it also reacted to Heaven's Rift.

AIGONORUS

I know Aigo prefers goats divine heralds but I'd kinda like to see him use his powers with other animals.

There's a bit in one of Leon's stories (I think it's even in his main path) where MC was led to him by a bird. Considering how close Leon and Aigo are I wonder whether Aigo was actually somehow behind that?

PUNISHMENTS

ZYGLAVIS

I think the most interesting thing that has been revealed about Zig's power is that he can switch places with his shadow.

Even leaving that aside his shadow seems like a completely seperate entity that he can command.

It's probably not a good idea to do something that will raise Zyglavis' suspicions cos he'll just leave his shadow to see what is going on. He does so in one of the special stories even to find out exactly what Ichthys is up to.

SCORPIO

No wonder poor Scorpio is so annoyed with people if his unique power is hearing internal thoughts and only the negative ones at that until his love for MC fixes that in his route.

I guess this may be another reason why the King uses him for those awkward missions in the Heavens though cos he's gonna know for sure if someone really is plotting something.

ICHTHYS

I wonder how often Ichthys would need to use his healing power if he could use it without it causing his lifespan to diminish? Like if there was a story set after his main path where he's no longer mortal and MC is a Goddess, how often would a situation arise that would require a healing injuries ability?

It is pretty clear that the Heavens are far from perfect though, and if the under-realm ever gathers poweer to affect the Heavens again there's that too.

Hmm maybe I can think of something... (great, Ichthys, I don't need more fic ideas in my head right now 😂 )

DUI

I think the main question I have for Dui's power is how far away can he do it from?

That aside, the main complication with Dui's power is how he can't hear anyone reply. It's likely a good way to try and persaude someone not to do something or chanhe their ways, and at least a way to try and warn someone about impending danger but it's not like he ever even knows if it has worked or not.

KRIOFF

Considering how things go at times in his path if there's any of the department Gods you hope never turn to the dark side then Krioff would likely top that list.

What's odd is I've seen mentioned on posts on here (and I think it was hinted at a bit during his path) that he has ice powers as well, yet so far of the stuff I've read it's only his anniversary story that utilises it.

His feels more like a generic manipulation of elements power, in this case both fire and ice.

If the departments really did have to fight something for some reason, he and Tauxolouve likely have the best offence.

I mean they all have some form of attack, especially in their divine forms, but when talking about unique powers specifically it feels like these two who are at the front (though I suspect in reality sheer power puts Leon ahead and likely Zig as well).

PARTHENO

Kinda hard to talk about Partheno's actual divine power (as opposed to what he was using before he was a God) due to it being so recent, but it seems to be a form of protection as he's able to utilise them to save his and MC's unborn child but as it happens in his promise of infinity story it's not built up as much as some of the other powers are.

I might edit in some more thoughts about Partheno later, trying to think of things to say in this post has made me realise I could probably do with re-reading this bit to make sure I haven't missed anything.

Okay then how to finish this? I guess an attempted ranking of how useful I feel the powers would be? Not sure how this will go cos they all have different things they'd be useful for but let's see...

Zyglavis (His shadow can stay with other people and can even interact with people and objects (in one of the special stories his shadow stops MC's ice cream falling to the floor. Now Zyglavis is present too but it feels more like he gave his shadow a command at the start to not let anything bother MC and this is a part of that, although it probably can be argued that he is puppetering his shadow the whole time... I think the more important thing is that it can tangeably interact with its surroundings) and the fact he can switch places with his shadow (presumably there's a distance limit to this though) makes it feel like a lot could be achieved with Zig's power.

Teorus (If the time control wasn't limited on the Earth I'd almost be tempted to put him top. Cos, well, it's stopping everything. Also time travel).

Huedhaut (I said useful, I didn't say it'd be good for your mental wellbeing. Any glimpse of the future that could potentially enable you to act has surely got to be a good thing? Though the major risk is such visions can be open to misinterpritation and what you do about it might actually make things worse. Poor Hue)

Ichthys (If there is a reason why a God was hurt enough to need healing then yeah Ichthys' power is gonna be massively useful. It does feel like one of the ones that'd arguably have more use on Earth though)

Partheno (Seemingly a form of protection which could come in handy)

Aigonorus (Look he can control animals. That's gotta be worth something).

Krioff (I'd possibly put Krioff higher up if we're talking later in his route where he has more control over his powers (other than Heaven's Rift sending them haywire) but it'd depend on how often you'd need something that feels like a mostly offensive thing anyway)

Tauxolouve (I'm talking his actual divine power here as in the arrows which again is more a defensive/offensive thing which may not be needed that often)

Scorpio (I'm torn on where I've put Scorpio actually. Arguably if he's in the state that he is at the end of the first bit of his main story and can read people's inner thoughts both positive and negative then you could argue that this is more useful than Hue's because it's more immediate and less open to interpretation. On the other hand just the negative thoughts could also lead to misinterpritation. The other thing is Scorpio sometimes has a go at MC for letting her thoughts leak out so I suspect some Gods have a way to block Scorpio's power from working on them)

Karno (it's already been proven that his power can work to help grant wishes. More importantly that same story has him help someone recover their memory quicker by amplifying the thoughts that are already filtering through. I think this low down is unfortunately still right despite that though because it likely requires a lot of thought as to how to utilise this to the best ability).

Dui (I can see uses for his power but the lack of feedback might make this a bit troublesome to deal with)

Leon (Maybe there's reasoning I'm missing but I can't see how exactly Leon would utilise this. All it really seems to achieve is get him lots of attention from Goddesses that he doesn't seem that interested in)

[voltage-vixen]

[dystopicjumpsuit]

Stars Beyond Number - Chapter 24

Lost Kingdoms

Rating: T (rating varies by chapter; mature content will be tagged; regardless of rating, minors DNI)

Pairings: Echo x Riyo Chuchi; Gregor x OFC Cerra Kilian

Wordcount: 2.5k

Warnings and tags: weapons; language; angst; minor spoilers for upcoming "Boil & Trouble" chapter.

Suggested Listening:

Summary: News arrives from an unexpected source.

A/N: This story shares continuity with Martyrs and Kings, "Double, Double Boil and Trouble" (part 2 here) and "Do It Again," but all the fics can be read as stand-alones.

Start here | Previous chapter | Next chapter | Masterlist | Sign up for my tag list | Read on AO3

In this hollow valley

This broken jaw of our lost kingdoms

—T. S. Eliot, “The Hollow Men”

The second Cerra drew her blaster, every clone in the garage followed suit—except Rex. The newcomer’s face twisted contemptuously. He leaned casually against the door jamb, arms crossed over his chest, not making a move for the dual blasters holstered to his thighs.

 “Nice to see you, too, Cerra,” he said. 

“Stand down,” Rex commanded.

Cerra growled. “How the hell did he find us?”

“I told him we were here,” Rex replied. 

“What the kriff?” she asked, shocked. “You?” 

“I’m as surprised as you are, trust me,” Rex said. “But he said he had urgent intel. Now stand down. That’s an order.”

The rest of the clones lowered their blasters, but Cerra refused, clenching her jaw stubbornly as she kept her weapon aimed at the intruder. Her pulse hammered, adrenaline coursing through her veins. 

“Didn’t realize you needed an attack dog, Rex,” the clone said.

“Who says this is about Rex?” Cerra snarled. “I’ll blast you just for my own satisfaction.” 

“Same old Cerra,” the clone said. “You’re loyal, I’ll give you that.”

Rex reached out and rested his hand gently on Cerra’s shoulder until at last she complied and holstered her blaster. Gregor and the rest of the clones stared alternately between Cerra and the newcomer, confused and unsure of the situation but trusting Rex’s orders.

“What’s going on?” Fireball asked. “Who is this?”

“GAR’s biggest dickhole,” Cerra replied.

Rex sighed. “Everyone, this is Captain Hart.”

Judging by the blank expressions on the clones’ faces, the name meant nothing to any of them—except Nemec, whose eyebrows shot up. “The Captain Hart? I thought you were just a myth the shinies made up to give themselves hope after their first battle.”

“Oh, I’m real.” Hart glanced around the garage. “Quite the operation you have here, Rex, old man. Aren’t you worried a repair shop full of clone troopers is going to attract attention?”

“This deep in the lower levels?” Cerra asked. “Nobody cares what happens down here.”

“You might be surprised,” Hart replied, sauntering closer to the group. “I’ve stayed off the scopes of the Empire and the Republic for a long time, and I didn’t do it by being this careless or stupid.”

“You always this charmin’?” Gregor asked, arching an eyebrow.

“This is him at his most charming,” Cerra cut in. 

“Why are you here, Hart?” Rex asked. “You’re making me regret agreeing to this meeting.”

“Hospitable crowd,” Hart replied sardonically.

“You got a bounty on your head yet?” Cerra asked, quickly running out of patience. “I could use the credits.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” he shrugged. “You definitely do, though. Congratulations, Cerra. You’re wanted for murder and treason.”

Shocked silence descended abruptly on the garage as every gaze snapped toward Hart. Cerra’s breath stuttered to a halt, her mouth feeling suddenly very dry.

“What are you talking about?” Rex demanded. “Where did you learn that?”

“Got a lead on a new agency—Imperial Security Bureau, they’re calling it,” Hart replied. “Doesn’t matter how I know, and I’m not revealing my source, so don’t bother asking. They sent me this.”

He tossed a datachip to Rex, who plugged it into the holotable. A datafile flickered into view. Cerra stared into a hologram of her own face, accompanied by a brief but damning wall of text.

IMPERIAL SECURITY BUREAU Case #21118378 Suspect Identification Name: CERRA KILIAN Chain Code: NONE Occupation: SOLDIER - DESERTED Wanted for: MURDER; TERRORISM; TREASON Status: AT LARGE Criminal Profile Criminal Activity:  Abandonment of post; murder of Imperial officer; impersonation of an Imperial officer; destruction of Imperial property; theft of Imperial property; aiding and abetting a Jedi fugitive; seditious activities; spice running Arrest Record: ISB #4212187 - DAIYU Known Associates:  Admiral (retired) Shoan Kilian - uncle, estranged (see interrogation record #57047195) CT-7567, Clone Captain "Rex" - DECEASED (disputed, see casefile #5127066) CT-5555, ARC Trooper "Fives" - DECEASED CT-5385, Clone Trooper "Tup" - DECEASED CT-5597, ARC Trooper "Jesse" - DECEASED CT -6116, Clone Medic "Kix" - MISSING IN ACTION Remarks:  Suspect has extensive combat training and experience. Consider armed and extremely dangerous. Escaped custody after killing an ISB interrogating officer and stealing an Imperial shuttle. Linked to suspected terrorist organization - if possible, apprehend alive for further interrogation. Current Location: UNKNOWN

Cerra’s heart stood still as she read “Shoan Kilian - uncle, estranged (see interrogation record #57047195).” Please, Maker, no. She couldn’t bear the thought of Shoan being subjected to the ISB’s interrogation methods. He was a tough old man, but for kriff’s sake, he’d suffered enough.

“Not a half-bad holo of me,” she said with a forced laugh. “You know, for being taken in a holding cell.”

“Karabast,” Rex said grimly. “I guess this confirms our intel about the secret intelligence agency.”

“Oh, I got confirmation firsthand,” Cerra replied, gesturing toward her bruised, battered face. “Just hadn’t had a chance to tell you yet.”

“Anything in that datafile true?” Hart asked.

The group fell silent as they all turned to Cerra, awaiting her response.

“They’re half right,” she replied uneasily. “It’s not murder when it’s self-defense, though I doubt the Empire would agree. Can’t say they’re wrong about the treason part, though.”

“And the rest?” Hart pressed. “Terrorism? The Jedi?”

“No idea what they’re talking about,” she lied. “Making kark up for propaganda.”

“What propaganda?” Hart demanded. “This is an internal ISB datafile. Nobody is supposed to see it.”

“I don’t kriffin’ know,” she snapped. “Maybe they think I’m someone else. Or maybe somebody with a grudge is finding a way to justify the resources to hunt me down. Or—or—I don’t kriffin’ know!”

No way in hell was she revealing to Hart what Yularen had told her about Ahsoka Tano. Rex might trust him—Maker alone knew why after the shit Hart had pulled—but Cerra wasn’t taking a chance. Particularly not before she told Rex; he’d been close to the young Jedi, and he would want to know she had survived the carnage of Order 66. How the hell did everything fall apart so quickly? What the kriff am I supposed to do now?

“It doesn’t matter. The question we should be asking is what we’re going to do about it,” Rex said, as if he’d read her mind.

Cerra licked her dry, chapped lips as she considered. Rex was right. This changed things. With the ISB hunting her, she’d be putting the rest of the team at risk if she stayed at the garage. They couldn’t take that kind of heat. Her heart gave a painfully hard thump as she realized what this meant.

“It’s not like this is a surprise,” Gregor said, meeting Cerra’s eyes. “The Empire was never going to just let you walk away. Besides, you’ve been wanted for years.”

“This is different,” she argued. “Nobody was that interested in tracking down a nat-born deserter. But with these charges? They’re interested now.”

“They’re offering a bounty,” Hart interjected. “Sixty thousand credits.”

“Fierfek,” Nemec muttered.

“We can handle a bounty hunter or two,” Gregor said.

“It’s not going to be that easy, and you know it,” Cerra replied. 

“There are options,” Hart said quietly, and if Cerra hadn’t known what an absolute dickbag he was, she would have thought his voice held a sympathetic note.

Nemec jerked his head toward Hart, his eyes growing hard. Cerra forced herself to keep her breath at an even pace even as her palms grew damp and her heart raced so fast she could hear it thundering in her head. She fought down the rising tide of panic as she silently ordered herself to hold it together. 

“No.” Rex’s voice was firm. “Not a chance.”

“Hart is right,” Cerra said hollowly. “I’m endangering everyone else by staying.”

Her eyes stung and her vision blurred. She inhaled carefully through her nose to try to force the tears back down.

“Cerra?” Fireball stared at her, distress and confusion in his eyes. “What are you saying?”

She turned to Rex, her eyes begging him to give the explanation that she couldn’t bring herself to speak aloud.

“Hart has… connections,” Rex said slowly. “He’s been helping clones disappear from the GAR and the Empire for years.”

“What do you mean, ‘disappear’?” Gregor asked. “Go AWOL like us?”

“Not exactly,” Rex replied.

“I’m not that sloppy,” Hart cut in.

“Kriff me, you really are a dickhole,” Gregor said without heat.

“Call me whatever you want,” Hart shrugged. “Doesn’t make me wrong.”

Rex steered the conversation back to the point. “When Hart extracts someone, he sets it up so no one will ever come looking for them. If they were on active duty, they’d go MIA during a battle, or they’d end up listed as killed in action.”

“And then?” Gregor asked.

“Then, nobody would ever see them again,” Nemec said. “So the rumors really are true.”

Gregor glanced back and forth between Rex and Cerra. “How long have you two known about his little operation?”

Rex hesitated, so Cerra replied, her voice coming out in a hoarse croak. “A while.”

Gregor was silent for a moment. “You’ve used him before, haven’t you?”

“Believe me, we wouldn’t have if there’d been any other way,” Rex said.

Gregor waited expectantly, and when none of the three seemed inclined to elaborate, he asked, “Are you going to tell us—”

“No.” Three voices snapped simultaneously.

The commando shrugged. “Worth a try.”

A tense, uncomfortable silence descended. Nobody seemed eager to break it, but inevitably, Rex turned to Cerra.

“I can’t order you to stay,” he said slowly. “But, Cerra, you don’t have to go.”

“It’s the smart move,” she said quietly.

“Banthashit,” Gregor snapped. “Everyone in this garage is either wanted or presumed dead. What makes you think you’re so special that you should be the one to leave?”

Cerra stared at the floor, refusing to meet his eyes. Her stomach churned, and for a moment, she thought she might actually throw up.

“It’s a little harder to fade into the crowd when there aren’t millions of people walking around with the same face as you,” Hart pointed out.

“Are you really going to stand there and pretend you need to sacrifice yourself to protect the rest of us?” Gregor continued inexorably, ignoring Hart’s interruption and stepping closer to Cerra. “We’re soldiers, for kark’s sake. We can take care of ourselves. And there isn’t a clone in this room who’ll agree to this.”

“Gregor—” Cerra began, still refusing to look him in the eyes.

“Ask them!” he exclaimed. “You think Fireball is just going to let you walk away? Nemec? Fuck, Cerra, do you think I’m going to let you go?”

She looked up, and the abrupt motion finally caused her tears to overflow. She inhaled shakily. “I—”

Gregor rested his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. “I know your head is all twisted up because your family rejected you when you needed them most, but we’re not them. We’re not going to turn our backs on you.”

Her chest felt tight; her throat too tense to speak. Her head ached with the effort of holding herself together when the galaxy was falling apart around her.

“Can someone make a Force-damned decision soon?” Hart demanded. “I don’t have all day to stand around watching a holodrama.”

“Leave, then,” Gregor replied, not taking his eyes from Cerra’s. “Nobody here needs you.”

Hart looked impatiently at Rex, who frowned. “It’s her call.”

“The hell it is,” Fireball blurted. “She belongs here.”

“She’s not going anywhere,” Nemec added.

Something deep inside Cerra’s chest cracked and crumbled, and she gave a pained gasp, her eyes darting around the group as she realized something she should have known from the very beginning: she wasn’t alone, and she never had been.

“Well?” Hart asked impatiently.

She turned to him, her gasping desperately as she tried to formulate a response.

“You’re not—” Fireball swallowed hard. “You’re not going with him, are you, Cerra?”

She wiped her tears ruthlessly away with her clenched fist, and at last, she spoke. “No, Fireball. Not today.” 

“Not ever,” Gregor said firmly. 

“Don’t say I didn’t try,” Hart muttered with a resigned expression. He rummaged through his pockets and eventually pulled out a scrap of flimsi, which he handed to Cerra. “If you change your mind.”

She glanced at the card. “A fortune teller?”

Hart nodded shortly. “Ask for Tas. Tell her I sent you. She’ll know what to do.”

Cerra tucked the card into her pocket and finally asked the question that had been bothering her since Hart had shown them the datafile. “Why are you helping me?”

He almost smiled. Almost. “We used to be friends.”

“So this is, what, nostalgia?” she asked. “Seriously, why did you come here? You could have just sent us the datafile. Why risk it?”

He observed her for a moment, considering his words before he replied. “In case you hadn’t noticed, it's a damned time bomb out there. We don’t stand a chance on our own. Kriff, we might not stand a chance together, either. But it’s worth a shot, don’t you think?”

“You want to be allies now?” Rex asked. “After everything?”

“Wouldn’t be the first time we’ve put aside our differences for the greater good,” Hart said pointedly. “Look, I don’t expect you to trust me, at least not any time soon. But the time might come when some of you will need to escape the Empire’s attention for good. When it does, you know how to reach me.”

With that, he turned and stalked toward the exit. Rex walked with him, and as they reached the landing platform, he drew a deep breath.

“Spit it out,” Hart ordered.

“How is she?” Rex asked quietly.

Hart froze, then turned to Rex with an icy glare. “She is none of your business any more, and she never will be.”

Rex clenched his jaw and looked away. Hart stared at him for a moment before he sighed and relented.

“She’s fine. She’s… with our mutual friend at the moment.”

Rex’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You mean—”

Hart grunted, mounted his speeder bike, and without another word, he was gone.

Inside the garage, the group relaxed slightly. Howzer and his men milled about somewhat awkwardly, while Fireball and Nemec showed signs of wanting to celebrate Cerra’s return at last. She cast a longing glance toward the refresher, fantasizing about the shower that she still hadn’t gotten, but before she could excuse herself to go get cleaned up, Gregor tugged her behind a stack of crates for privacy. 

He traced his fingertips along her jaw, tilting her head to meet his gaze. “You all right? That was a hell of a welcome home.”

Home. The word echoed in her mind, and she leaned close to Gregor, burying her face into the nook where his neck met his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her and held her in a comforting embrace.

“Your fight isn’t over yet, Cerra Kilian,” he murmured. 

She shook her head slightly. “It’s a big fight, Gregor.”

He kissed the side of her head softly. “Good thing I’m here to watch your back.”

---

Next chapter

Thank you so much to @nika6q for the stunning mugshot of Cerra! I appreciate you more than words can say.

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 10/24/2023

this post and this series not sponsored by hellofresh

listening

caravan palace's new single MAD. genuinely the song i've had on loop while working but i had a very strong "ugh can't use that one it's cringe" reaction while drafting this entry and am trying to sort of sit with myself for a bit and go okay WHY is it cringe? how can we talk about it being cringe other than the fact that steampunk and electroswing are no longer fashionable? some weeks the policy of No Such Thing As A Guilty Pleasure is easier than others

i would not classify this song as electro or swing, and it's considerably jazzier than their more recent dancey pop stuff. more of a languid stroll with enough brass to keep my brain interested while i peer at spreadsheets? spotify

-

reading

Alexis Hall's A Lady for a Duke. i liked this quite a bit but i have some longer form thoughts percolating that require a reread. it was a tense but fun read, i do not know that mr hall achieved the goal he set forth below. in a broad initial stroke, there is certainly a great deal of internal conflict not helped by our trans lead’s difficulty seeing her trans self in a loving relationship.

how this conflict resolves did genuinely keep me on the edge of my seat bc i could not fucking figure out how she was going to do it

-

watching

Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951, dir Lewin). this is a movie where (in the immortal words of the switchblade sisters podcast) it’s not what happens, but how it happens. the movie opens with fishermen dredging up two star-crossed lovers. i will not be particularly concerned with spoilers here or in my letterboxd review.

age and a deft scorsese-backed restoration have been very kind to this sea-mist movie. cinnamon fucking topography, technicolor at some of its prettiest and best used. jack cardiff (also did Black Narcissius, The Red Shoes, The African Queen) you've fucking done it again. the restored version is on american tubi and it's so so lush and dreamy. the very first handful of scenes contains a church bell ringing wildly, giving you glimpses of commotion on the beach, and it just keeps getting better from there. the beach party, full of dutch angles and toppled statuary and debauchery and no one dancing the same, is exactly the same as every beach party i have ever been to.

james mason is at his hottest, wettest, and most brooding. not all of our main characters are as openly debauched as pandora, but all of them are just as selfish. i have a lot of fucking beef with some of the letterboxd reviewers, who are simply wrong. pandora is not supposed to be a likeable or redeemable character. i think one of the questions for YOU to answer is whether or not a flighty, homewrecking, irresponsible woman like pandora is redeemed through her willingness to die for true love-- this is generally an admirable quality in myths and fairy tales, but is it cancelled out as just another flight of her fancies that ultimately kills her?

also the people who don't "get" what the film's about and complain it's too slow. it's about insanity and the sea what's not to get!!!

thank u @dying-suffering-french-stalkers

-

playing

so we are mostly through the genshin 4.1 part 2 events. i am so tired of the past few battle events cycling through the same arenas; however, this is the first event where i read the directions and was like "augh that's too complicated we'll do that later" and did all my weekly bounties instead. speaking of bounties, i finally did enough to unlock the treasure chest locator and confirmed my suspicions that i have in fact picked over the region pretty well in the last ~two months. the liffey and research institute were at 85% and 95% respectively before i unlocked this thing, but i did almost immediately find two remarkable chests in the far south by the port. augh. would have bit me if they had teeth etc. i would prefer if the regions showed 100% when i have actually 100%ed them instead of whatever margin they have going now, but i recognize that i have brain problems.

-

making

im MAD bc i was given a singular hellofresh dinner by a friend going on vacation and it was fairly easy to make and tasted good and everything WORKED. and it was like a fun little after work project!!! and the directions said “here’s what to do to the peppers if you don’t want it super spicy” and it most importantly it all WORKED. this is a very expensive thing to have a sudden interest in. i feel like i fuck up most of the food i make and i know that's part of the learning curve but it's SO fucking expensive to fuck up food and i have such a limited amount of energy :<

[hellcatinnc]

Star Crossed Myth Dep. Of Punishment Game Review

Includes Spoilers for Partheno, Ichthys, Scorpio, & Zyglavis

So I will update this later with Dui & Krioff because I never got around to them and they are the least interesting to me so might be awhile I will update when I do but for now these are my favorite gods in order for the punishment side.

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Partheno

This man I swear I had so many emotions with him I smiled, laughed, was in awe, and even think I fell in love with him a bit but I also cried. He has such a sad lonely story its not hard to see why darkness consumes him. I'm a virgo and at the end of his story I'm proud to have him be a god of my sign. He became my favorite pretty fast and I didn't see that coming at all. He has so many emotions and I loved falling in love with him in the story as much as my girl did. That being said I look forward to all his chapters because I think I could easily get lost in him. His flirting and his personality is contagious and even though you find its from his darker self I don't think thats fully true cause in the end you see he will do anything for you and the way he admits he is in love he is so romantic.

I didn't think he would become my favorite but I'm actually glad he is. He is the god of love and beauty and it fits him in the end. Although he doesn't fully stand for everything the virgo sign is when you find out how he gets labeled as virgo you see why however the roll was perfect for him. I loved how he was willing to do anything to be with the love of his the only woman who has ever loved him. I honestly believe in the end after all the darkness and bloodshed he would walk through hell again if not give his life to you save you in the end because you are his love. I love how he even tells you in the end please take ownership of his heart more the less because he will never love another if men were more like this I swear it would be a better world.

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Ichthys

This man has so much heart and although I reviewed him by himself I honestly couldn't see leaving his explanation of his character to one post like this. Feel free to read the rest of my review on him. That being said he had me smiling most of the story and I truly felt his pain and his passion. When he loves you he truly can love you with everything his heart can handle and more. His story had me in tears and the love this man has for you by the end of this he is willing to give up everything for you, everything to save your life. You can find his full review HERE.

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Scorpio

I honestly thought what a asshole from the start and I honestly thought he was a tsundere don't get me wrong he is a tsundere but you learn why. He is cold because he knows what being human is like and he had such a hard life as human he couldn't imagine one human being good. However after you annoy him and he says bitter things all the time when push comes to shove he was willing to burn the world down to protect you. This mans passion is intense and although his story didn't have me in tears it did however I did love watching him changer and become a better man. In the end his words about wanting you to love him more so that he can show that love back to you that was the sweetest thing. Not gonna lie his one picture he was smoking hot in and as a god as well. I can say I think not only is this man a tsundere but pretty damn dominant in the bedroom too.

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Zyglavis

I wanted to play this guys route because damn he is just so pretty however I got bored really quick. He really isn't even a tsundere in my book he is like a squeaky clean gotta do shit by the books sometimes comes off cold so maybe swings more towards kuuderes. Now with kuuderes I can take or leave some are adorable others like Zyglavis aka Zig not so much. Even when he realizes he is in love with you the first thing out of his mouth is you cry alot for anything from now on I want you to cry just for me no other... LIKE WHAT?? Where does that sound like something romantic to tell a woman? Even when he admits he is in love it was cute but that was it. He was teased by the other gods and instead of being cute about it or yeah I love her kinda thing he decided to scold them. I don't know even when he gives like this smirk he has its a bit creepy. Little to say he was not a favorite of mine at all he just needs to stand there look pretty and say nothing.

[infinitestarsdev]

Devlog 2023-06-02

It's Friday, and not just any Friday, it's a PUBLIC RELEASE Friday! That means that EVERYONE gets to play the new public release!

If that wasn't exciting enough, we're also running a cross promotion with Llamagirl's Bastard of Camelot. We've added a new unique portrait of Galahad, one of the LI's in Bastard of Camelot and Llamagirl also created a small little short story for her fans where Merlin speaks of the things he sees in the future. (Spoiler Alert: He sees Infinite Stars!)

If you love the lore and interactions in Infinite Stars, you'll love the story of Bastard of Camelot. If you like what Llamagirl is doing, please consider supporting her on Patreon. <3

The Bastard of Camelot is a text-based interactive story wherein you play the infamous Mordred of Arthurian myths, born under an ominous prophecy heralding them as the undoing of Camelot. The player has the opportunity to shape Mordred - from personality to gender to appearance - as they grow up as a squire and become a Knight of the Round Table at King Arthur's Court. Embrace the prophecy, or try to defy it!

In addition to the cross promotion, I've also switched the Patreon billing service to subscription based, meaning if you sign up on the 15th, you get billed on the 15th of each month! That means you can now sign up to be a Patreon on the 29th of the month without worrying about being billed again on the 1st! (Existing Patrons aren't affected <3)

I've also enabled Patreon Trials for our promotion with Llamagirl, meaning you can now try 7 days of patronage for free! It's currently on the Lieutenant tier, and depending on the results we'll either discontinue the trial entirely or downgrade the access to the Ensign tier once the promotion concludes.

Now, on to Infinite Stars! We've been hard at work, with a lot of new story content dropping soon. Sadly, there isn't too much new Patreon content from last week's update to show yet, but stick around! The new build does however include three new portraits for your MC, and we can share a small teaser of some of the new crew members you'll meet soon! (The new Public build has a lot more content that Patrons have already seen, with more coming soon!)

[The image in the header is the spoiler <3]

Our Patrons have voted and the polls have closed, with a new NSFW shower scene with Commander Lochem being added to the game soon. The new poll cycle will start on Monday, where you can choose which scene we should work on next! As a side note, this is in addition to the usual content we're adding each month.

We'll also share the newest surprise pinup next week. (Alright, it's Khalil. A very VERY sexy Khalil! So don't go anywhere!)

All of you can get the latest version on Itchio.io or on Steam, and Patrons can get the latest Patreon build here: Win|Linux|Mac or Android.

Have a fantastic weekend, stay safe, and be kind to each other.

[lightthewaybackhome]

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke My rating: 5 of 5 stars 2024 Reread: (Spoilers) Somewhere in early January, I got the hankering to read this book again. It is the absolute best January read since so much of the book takes place in winter. I indulged my need to underline things to my heart's content. I flagged passages, annotated sections, and just gleefully delighted in the amazing crafting that went into this tome. I was able to see many more of the connecting lines flowing through this book, the prophecies, the foreshadowing, and I actually feel like I'm understanding the whole instead of parts. This time through I picked up on the way Strange and Norrell were Arrogance and Fearfulness, and how they each had to overcome that. I better understood Flora's part. I finally caught that both magicians had to fail, and I think I see why the darkness didn't dissipate with the death of the gentleman, for darkness is John Uskglass' realm. As always, I adore Childermass to the very end. I think he is simply the best. I am happiest when he is on the page. There are moments with him that absolutely give me chills. I also adore Wellington. I think Susanna Clarke must like writing about winter as much as I do. Now, I shall try to practice some self-control and not read it again until next January. 2023 reading: Ahhhhhhhh! Finished, but I don't want to be finished. I want to start it again immediately. And seeing as it's Monday morning, there is nothing but my own will-power to stop me. Help. I'm in danger. So I read this book sometime in the 2000s. It had been described as a cross between Pride and Prejudice and Harry Potter. It is absolutely nothing like that. Nothing. Not at all. And I hated it that first time. Hated it and didn't get it at all. It's much more accurate to describe this book as Dickens if he written a fantasy novel. That's what this book is. And this time, I loved it. I read it in about 4 full-days-of-reading. It is beautifully written, covers a huge swath of history, has fairy tales, myth, prophecy, the 95th Rifles!!! magic, lost Kings. Nothing about this book wasn't awesome, all while being written in a very Dickens-esque styled descriptions and observations of every day life. Childermass was my favorite character. Strange fighting through the Napoleonic wars was great after reading so many Sharpe's Rifles. I marked all over in this book. There were beautiful descriptions, moments were themes were repeated, questions about hidden identities, and meanings of prophecies. And just like Dickens everything was important. I lived in great fear that I was going to miss something by not reading this huge book in one sitting. Which is why I now want to read it again. So tempting. View all my reviews

[commenter2]

"Dad Beat Dad" episode review

Charlie and the gang meet Lucifer. Spoilers!

It’s cute getting confirmation that Charlie and Vaggie sleep in the same bed. You think since this is Charlie, they’d sleep in separate rooms or beds…only for Charlie to feel lonely and ask Vaggie if she could sleep with her XD.

Though small, it’s nice to see Charlie admit that she isn’t okay with something, instead of trying to make it sound like she isn’t and everything is fine like she usually does.

The string on Charlie’s wall is shaped like a star. Fun symbolism or more?

He, Charlie drew Angel as an actual spider.

Another new power for Charlie, when she gets emotional she can make the ground shake. Could this be another thing related to that Hellquake Blitzo felt in the Cherub episode!

Fingers crossed that there is more to Lucifer allowing the Exterminations to happen.

Again fun to hear Charlie curse, and I think we saw a bit of her mom’s side there.

I’m liking Charlie’s thinking about asking the other higher ups of Heaven for a meeting. Shows she can find alternate ways to things and goes back to my thing about how Adam could do this so quickly and my “Charlie is being tested” theory.

I hope your right Charlie about angels wanting to help, or at least will LATER in the series. Again I think it be cool if Jesus Christ allied with Charlie later on.

On Charlie’s phone you can see several contacts like 2 demons like Amon (a marquis goetia of life and reproduction) and Azazel (which was a place people left scapegoats representing their sins before becoming a demon who gave humans forbidden knowledge) and Cyhyraeth, a thing from Welsh mythology, adding more to my “Heaven/Hell inspiring other myths” :)

Wait split? LIKE DIVORCED? DAMMMIT WHY WRITERS! Or by split could Charlie have meant Lilith’s 7 years of being missing? I’m kind of hoping that this isn’t the first time Lucifer and Lilith have gotten “divorced”, and it’s a healthy thing for their kind of relationship, and Charlie doesn’t realize this because she is still “young”.

So Charlie has daddy issues in that she just wants some actual father/daughter time with her father. Hopefully she does here.

Good call on taking away Niffty’s knife Angel.

CHARLIE HAD A GOTH PHASE! :3 XD

So it looked like Lucifer, Lilith, and Charlie were a happy family back then. I’m hoping Charlie wasn’t the reason her parents split, nor anything similar to what Stolas and Stella had.

I’ve talked about the VAs for the show previously, but it was only because it was the beginning of the show and I don’t usually mind such stuff (in fact Angel’s voice has gotten better since the first episode and I bet Jeremy Jordan will to) but out of all the thoughts I have about them, the biggest one that I will always defend is that Lucifer SHOULD have had a Mark Hamill’s Joker like voice. I mean that is PERFECT for this character as Lucifer looks both scary AND funny and who fits that more than the DCAU Joker. It likely would have helped with the fandom too as apparently a lot of people don’t like HH’s Lucifer because he is so goofy. What if as a compromise, Lucifer’s full demon form sounds Joker like? Would you have liked for him to have such a voice?

Baby pic of Charlie!

Also a pic of Fredrick von Eldritch, and you can see a glimpse of Charlie’s prom pic with Seviathan, likely hinting that we could see the von Eldritch family next season.

Lucifer got sad when looking at the pic, meaning he misses Lilith, Charlie, or both. Please let it be both. WAIT HE STILL HAS HIS WEDDING RING!

YES LUCIFER’S A GOOD DAD!

Though he’s probably doing it out of nervousness, I feel like Lucifer’s attitude about not wanting Charlie to see Heaven is a bit related to my headcanon of him not wanting his daughter to become a target.

I like how Angel smiled when Charlie said her redemption dream meant a lot to her, showing that he is valuing that she cares for him. Also points for Vaggie for comforting Charlie during the call :)

That look of pain Lucifer had when Charlie said Heaven would listen if she talked to them, reminds me of a thing I said in a previous review about how Lucifer was in Charlie shoes millennia ago and knowing what Heaven will do, doesn’t want Charlie to go through it.

Vaggie entering Exorcist Warrior mode!

Razzle and Dazzle cameo. I’m guessing the sign they’re carrying was made by Angel.

(See’s Alastor looking at sign) Uh oh trouble is here XD.

That scene of Niffty scaring Angel got me thinking, you think Angel ever gives her makeup tips? I could see that leading to them getting on friendlier terms.

Really glad to see Lucifer being a nice and supportive dad, even if he has no idea what Charlie is trying to do.

The fact Lucifer didn’t instantly destroy Alastor shows he has restraint, that or he is doing it for his daughter. Either way cool.

Oh Lucifer’s jealous XD. Alastor can't help but cause trouble, can he XD.

Someone pointed it out, but I am surprised that there haven’t been that many big moments between Charlie and Vaggie being a couple. At least there are to make it clear that they are together, and its better then how Helluva Boss hammers in the eventually Blitzo and Stolas relationship, no offense to Stolitz fans.

While the “not knowing Charlie’s bi” thing did worry me for a second, mostly because of what I said in my Charlie and Vaggie trailer breakdown, it would have been worse if Lucifer was a bad dad. Luckily he isn’t and it is great knowing that it didn’t affect how much he really loves Charlie, doesn’t hate humans/sinners, and instantly likes Vaggie.

Illusion of mini Lucifer’s. Chibi Lucifers? Does this mean my Chibi Lilith idea could happen!

Iconic Golden fiddACORDIAN!

MIMZY! YES WE WERE WAITING FOR YOU!

They got the voice of Spinel for her cool. It also sounds a lot like I was imagining, very DCAU Harley Quinn meets 1920sesque stereotypical voice. Small note but I hope we hear her call Alastor puddin one day XD.

It was always a known that she loved money and such, but the Mammon tattoo on her back is a bit concerning. Then there is that look Mimzy gave about “dropping by”.

For a minute there I thought Mimzy was going to try and flirt with Lucifer. That would have ended badly, though I would mind seeing someone else try and do it. A bit off topic but I’m kind of hoping such a thing happens when Lilith is also in the room and a jealous Lilith embarrasses the lady XD.

Got some interesting character designs in Mimzy’s story like a sinner as a couch, one with a mirror for a face (likely symbolizing she was a copycat or very vain about her looks, an Anubis guy (remind me of the female mummy/pharaoh from pilot) and one that looks like Sally from Nightmare Before Christmas. I also feel some of those Overlords Alastor took out are refences like that girl in the alleyway gives off Penumbra from “Villainous vibes, that one aquatic demon reminds me of the Von Eldritch family with a mix of Baxter/Glitz and Glam (maybe she was Fredrick or Bethesda’s great aunt), the doctor looking like Invader Zim’s Professor Membrane, and that long hair demon looks familiar too.

So Mimzy is there for selfish reasons.

“Guy showing a sample of how powerful he really is” trope.

In Charlie’s defense Lucifer, those are hellborn demons attacking so it is different. Again they really should consider not clumping sinners and hellborn demons together in the same category.

I think Lucifer’s speech to Charlie is also him complaining about something else.

Alastor is GIGANTIFIED! At least my idea of my OC Astro having a Megazord form isn’t as crazy as it sounds now.

I’m also surprised that Lucifer didn’t try fighting the Loan Sharks to impress Charlie.

Ooo I sense some big Charlie and Lucifer moments coming up.

I really hope the writers use Alastor’s offer of Mimzy returning to change as a way to make her a main character later on.

Heh look at Mimzy storming off, cute and hilarious.

Baby Charlie with baby crown :3

Lilith! Did they really have to not show her face at this point? Could it be related to the “Lilith imposter” theory?

Ugh it looks like Lilith and Lucifer ARE divorced and have been for a long time. Again WHY WRITERS. At least they seem to be on good terms. Plus again “Lilith imposter” theory.

It’s nice to know that Charlie did learn something from her father despite them not being so close.

This song, so pure, so beautiful!

Are they in an actual place in hell, or does Lucifer have access to small dimensions to do stuff like this?

Looks like Charlie no longer has daddy issues :)

WAIT so does this mean the popular fan theory of “Lucifer creating the Extermination so Heaven would be okay with him and Lilith having Charlie” is wrong? Knowing these kinds of shows, maybe Lucifer is hiding that info from Charlie and when she does find out, it makes her mad at him and strains their relationship once again…for a short time.

We’re going to see what Heaven is like! At least in ways not seen in those early released HH trading cards.

Okay Vaggie being nervous about going to Heaven definitely confirms that she is a former Exorcist.

THIS WAS THE BEST HAZBIN HOTEL EPISODE YET!

I’m SOOOO glad Lucifer while flawed, isn’t a bad father like those we’ve seen in Helluva Boss. I’d say he outranks them all. It’s also great to know that while he can be goofy, he can still have more personality and serious emotion, like not wanting Charlie to go through the same pain he went through with Heaven. Now let’s hope Lilith (the TRUE Lilith) is just as good as a parent too.

It was also great to see Mimzy in the episode, which I think we all expected since I recall Vivzie saying she was going to be in a big episode and I’m glad she was, especially before spoilers started appearing on YouTube. From the voice to her attitude, she is a lot like I was expecting and I hope she gets a bigger role in the future. I can also now work on posting this funny pic I’ve had related to her that I’ve been holding onto for some time so stay tuned for that.

Then there is, in my opinion, the episode's only but BIG FLAW of finding out that Lucifer and Lilith are no longer together. It’s another predictable plot point (at least to me), it’s another example of how Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss are TOO SIMILAR to each other, and just overall a really, REALLY big bummer to see and hear about, especially after all the pics and quotes from Vivziepop about how much Lucifer and Lilith love each other.

LUCKILY I have mentioned a dozen ideas in past works for how the writers could fix this/make this work AND be a good thing story wise, from how this is a natural cycle in Lucifer and Lilith's relationship to how it’s the equivalent of a night on the couch to Lucifer, my favorite so far would have to be the “Lilith imposter” theory that has been going around.

As the name implies, someone or something is pretending to be Lilith as part of an evil plan so what if to defend Charlie and Hell (also cause they feared the idea of Lucifer having a child with someone who isn’t his actual wife) Lilith (and maybe even Lucifer) got divorced so the imposter wouldn’t get their hands on some seriously big info about Hell and Heaven, and even though it PAINED BOTH OF THEM to do it, they realized it was the right call.

This could lead to a future story where when after the imposter is finally revealed and/or captured/killed, Lucifer and Lilith get REMARRIED! I have this idea somewhere about how Charlie always wanted to plan her parent’s wedding, and this could make such a thing happen. You have to agree that this would make for an awesome “just for fun” episode. Maybe one where they are safe enough to have another kid, THAT would be crazy and I LOVE IT! I’m hopeful that this could happen, and I hope there are other fans out there too. Until we find out more about what is going on, my only choice is to pull a Red vs. Blue Sarge and blame the few fans who liked the divorced idea before the episode came out XD.

Now we’re going to see Charlie and Vaggie go to Heaven. Let’s just hope they don’t screw things up too much then they could have.

What were your thoughts on the episode? I really want to know since this was a good episode to me.

[bethanythebogwitch]

Nobody asked, but I'm really excited about the lore of my homebrew D&D world and I can't infodump it to my group because of spoilers so fuck it, I'm doing it here.

For most of recorded history, the Lost World of Alvestra has consisted of two continents, north and south, connected by a land bridge. The people of Alvestra have known little else for thousands of years, but there was once more. The Alvestran continents were once part of a larger world, but few records persist of those times. In ancient times, the planet was visited by a group of beings who sailed the stars. What they called themsleves in unknown, but the lizardfolk, whose civilization grew up in their shadow, referred to them as the First People. These aliens blended together technology and magic to create unimaginable wonders and they were enemies of Atropus, the World Born Dead. Atropus was an undead being the size of a small moon that traveled the crystal spheres, visiting planets and stripping them of all life.

The First People did not have the power to destroy Atropus, so they came up with another plan. They would travel ahead of Atropus and visit planets on its path. On each planet, they would select a location and transport it to a sanctuary world, ensuring that something would survive. The sanctuary world was an uninhabited ocean planet. For the first world on their journey, the First People came to the world containing the Alvestran continents and set up their flying cities in the far south, where the scattered lizardfolk tribes were just starting to gather together in early cities. There, they built the Silver Towers, enormous machines that touched the clouds. At least a few members of the group took on an almost parental role to the lizardfolk (known to themselves as the Second People) and helped them build their own civilization.

Unfortunately, something went wrong and Atropus arrived ahead of schedule. The First People were forced to activate the Silver Towers before they were fully complete. In that moment, every conscious being on the Alvestran continents passed out and awoke to find the rest of the world missing and a different night sky. This event entered legend as the Day the World was Lost. The First People vanished during this event and have never been seen since. Their fate is unknown, but no other continents appeared on the sanctuary planet after that.

Time passed and eventually the majority of people forgot there ever was a world outside of Alvestra. The lizardfolk held the best records of the First People, but the vast majority were lost when the machinations of the demon lord Sess'innek robbed the majority of the species of their emotions. This even collapsed lizardfolk civilization and even amongst the few who retained their emotional capacity, the existence of the First People fell into myth. In the far southern jungles of Yuan, humanity emerged and built their own civilization. This would collpase when the majority of humanity turned to the worship of the evil god Sszyrix, being transformed into the yuan-ti. Those who were not corrupted fled north and eventually spread across most of South Alvestra. Few crossed the land bridge into North Alvestra due to the hazardous terrain. One group did, however, and founded their own civilization, the Jemedt Nasur.

The Jemedt Nasur began as a fairly small tribe in the north, a land ruled by elves to the east and dwarves to the west. They began to spread and grow, eventually becoming a great empire. This was largely thanks to their peculiar methods of magic and use of advanced technology made with the study of lost First People artifacts. Eventually, the Jemedt Nasur began to embark on their most ambitious project: the creation of a replica Silver Tower. Their intent was to transform their lands into a great ship that could sail the stars. Unfortunately, they overestimated their understanding of First People technology and their ability to control it. When the replica Tower was activated, disaster struck. Massive earthquakes struck the entirety of North Alvestra as wild and dead magic zones swept the land in an event known as the Shattering. Elvhenari, the elan of the elves collapsed into the sea, killing most of the elven population and resulting in the loss of most of their history and culture. The dwarves were also hit hard, with the earthquakes causing much of their territory to be cut off, crushed under rubble, or collapse into the underdark. The worst hit were the Jemedt Nasur themselves, being right at the epicenter of the cataclysm. A combination of the earthquakes and wild and dead magic causing their magical technology to go haywire resulted in their extinction. The damage of the Shattering reached beyond Alvestra.

At the same time the Jemedt Nasur activated their experiment, another planet in a distant crystal sphere was under attack by Atropus. The Jemedt Nasur's replica Silver Tower attempted to perform the function its kind had originally been designed for. It reached across the material plane to the planet under attack and ripped a piece of the continent of Rakada off its world, teleporting it to the ocean east of South Alvestra. The sudden appearance of a new continent came as a massive shock to the Alvestrans and has caused some scholars to suspect that the ancient legends of the Day the World was Lost may not be so legendary after all. What nobody yet nows is that the activation of the replica Silver Tower damaged the protections the First People placed on their sanctuary planet. Atropus is now aware of its existence and is slowly traveling to it, eager to end the lives that escaped it.

The Lost Worlds of Alvestra and Rakada are undergoing rapid change. In Rakada, the people are having to adapt to the loss of their world and the discovery of a new one. In South Alvestra, the young empire of the Imperium Draconis is expanding rapidly, but finding its expansion is being checked by rampaging hordes of goblinoids led by the hobgoblin visionary Klovoc the Chosen. In the wake of the Shattering, a massive migration of mostly humans travelled across the land bridge to North Alvestra, felling the rise of the Imperium Draconis and eager to found new nations in new land. The discovery of buoyant rocks created by the wild magic released in the Shattering has allowed for the creation of flying skyships, allowing for a new boom of trade and travel across the continents. It is a world where adventurers can shape the destiny of millions.

I'm going to make a follow-up to this featuring the history of Rakada.

[2-lines-and-a-circle]

What makes Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart a member of team caramel?

*all images belong to Cybird, slight spoilers ahead* 

*For more context check out: Team Caramel

I had contemplated between putting him into team caramel or team strawberry, but I’ve decided on putting him into the first. Seeing as he is a tsundere I thought it would be fitting, yet the more I reread and thought it over he fit team caramel a bit more. Then it boiled down to himself as a character and how he treated his relationship with the MC that made me choose team caramel as a final choice.

First off is jealousy, team strawberry aren’t prone to jealousy as often as team caramel. Mozart is someone who often gets jealous, and he doesn’t stand for it. We see this action as a common trope in his stories.

Following jealousy is the classic pushing away or rather running away from feelings. Both team strawberry and caramel follow this action, however it’s a matter of timing. Mozart does the major shove in the latter part of his story. Creating a contrast from a strawberry who does it in the beginning of their story.

Perhaps one of the most important aspects of his character is the conflict. I would say Mozart has an inner conflict rather than an external conflict. I won’t say what it is in his route, to prevent spoilers, but do take note. Having this inner conflict is a solid marking of what makes a caramel a caramel as they are thinking about such problems. This isn’t a problem that can be simply solved either, a caramel typically thinks about this for a long period of time.

To summarize, Mozart is a well-rounded team caramel member who matches all the highs and lows of his members. If you’re a fan of Mozart, then I suggest you take your shot at Scorpio from Star Crossed Myths. Scorpio has a route that will tug at your heart strings and make you fall head over heels for him. The two of them have a hard to break shell but once in love they melt you with their love.

[dudewhy3]

Hi, Cris! I'm here for For the Director's Cut: :)

Well, you know my enormous adoration for star-crossed lovers AU, don't you? So, heh, my questions are obvious:

- Red egg from "Perfect love"

- In general, was there any meaning behind choosing an Easter setting?

- the bridge

- the pie Annie baked for Armin on his birthday

I really want to ask about WPTS but the thing is, it may be difficult for you not to spoiler anything, so I'm going to keep it :)

Hi Anna!! I've been dying to talk about the symbolism in the star-crossed lovers au, thank you so much for asking!!

The first two points you made are interwined– there wouldn’t have been a red egg if it weren't Easter, and there wouldn’t be Easter without red eggs, nor would the story have happened if it weren't Easter. So, I will give you a tale:

Where I'm from, we dye red eggs each Easter. Easter always happens on a Sunday, and (at least in traditional comunities like the one described in the story), all of that Sunday is about sharing in the name of our lost ones. And whatever you give, you give red eggs with it.

Additionally, tradition says that giving your loved one flowers on Easter equals a love confession, and if the other gives you back a red egg, then it means it’s reciprocated.

Now, these are myths old as time, yet they somehow only reached my ears on Easter 2022. I was so excited to know that, I opened a document and started writing. It took around 3 hours to write and edit and polish the story, yet I couldn’t bring myself to share it with anyone until a whole year later, time in which I created a whole universe.

Anyway, that's why I set it on Easter, and that's the meaning behind the red egg.

The bridge is there to symbolise that, even if they live in the same village, they are not equal. It's there to emphasize the class difference between them, to show the inequalities happening in traditional comunities in that period of time: the poor, Armin's side, live in huts made of dirt, while the rich, Annie’s side, live in big houses that look rather western, with sophisticated architecture and great details. The rich wanted nothing to do with the poor despite being victims of the same rotten system so they built a bridge to keep them away. There’s a lot of political subtext in there.

And the last point, the pie Annie baked for Armin. There’s not much meaning behind that, it’s easy to make and accessible, and it was people’s go-to dessert during that time, since it doesn’t require much ingredients and most of said ingredients were produced in house anyway.

I think this is about it. Thank you so much for asking about it, I love talking about this au and the meaning behind it! I hope this answered your questions! ♡

and if you wanna ask about wpts, you absolutely can, i'll find a way to answer without being too spoilery :))

[fateinthestars]

(Sorry this post is now massively late)

Right then must be time for another SCM ramble/review post and of course there isn't any other choice than to cover the Valentine's Day stuff! (I already did three of the 'To The Victor Goes the Spoils' stories, I'll try to cover the other two of those soon).

So then, let's talk about the 'Cupid's Lovestruck Valentine' stories (oh and 'A Sweet Mission with You' (Why does Teo's story have a different name? It has the same prologue as the others. If anything it's Ichthys' that should have a different title because it's the only one that doesn't have the prologue and doesn't feature the King being a pain. I guess it's cos the others were for the Voltage Tournament 2016 but Ichthys' story really doesn't seem to fit in with the others.))

Covered under the cut:

Cupid's Lovestruck Valentine: Leon

Cupid's Lovestruck Valentine: Scorpio

Cupid's Lovestruck Valentine: Dui

Cupid's Lovestruck Valentine: Huedhaut

Cupid's Lovestruck Valentine: Ichthys

A Sweet Mission With You: Teorus

Cupid's Lovestruck Valentine: His PoV 1 (This is Leon and Hue's Point of View episode so I'll cover them under their stories)

Cupid's Lovestruck Valentine His PoV 2 (This is Scorpio, Dui, and Ichthys' Point of View episode so I'll cover them under their stories)

Spoilers under cut.

CUPID'S LOVESTRUCK VALENTINE: LEON

Leon's usually so confident and seemingly self-assured and yet when MC can no longer speak her thoughts it actually clearly worries him.

He does catch onto this being the King's trial pretty quickly though, even if he does initially suspect a certain prankster for his chocolate vanishing.

How MC solves her lack of voice is really sweet, as is Leon's words both before and after she does so.

The point of view stories for this lot are pretty short but it's refreshing to see Leon genuinely uncertain how to proceed for once, though his irritation at the King is here in spades too.

CUPID'S LOVESTRUCK VALENTINE: SCORPIO

Owwww. Yup reminded yet again that the King really doesn't like MC being with Scorpio because sheesh. To interfere with his mind reading as well as her words and make it look like she'd picked apples instead of chocolate up instead of just making it disappear like he did with the others...

But Scorpio is so sweet. How he is once everything has been explained... 🥰🥰

I love how Scorpio's point of view gives a reason as to why the King interfered in this instance, though I agree with Scorpio: accepting that kind of invite would have been worse.

CUPID'S LOVESTRUCK VALENTINE: DUI

Oh goody, now I can add Dui's route to the list of 'routes where I'm furious with the King' can I? Dui is so much happier in himself these days and his and MC's relationship is so strong that the initial test from the King doesn't rattle either of them. It's solved really quickly and Dui doesn't even mind about the chocolate.

Instead of the King being all "congrats you did well to pass so easily", he gets annoyed and does something worse.

Poor Dui is seriously upset here. He genuinely thinks that MC is upset with him.

Yes his mind wandered at work but to borrow Scorpio's words for a moment: "Damn that sparkly bastard!"

At least adding his Point of View story to this shows that the other Punishment Gods care about making sure their relationship continues.

Still though... *hugs Dui tightly* Don't even think for a moment that you don't deserve the comments MC is giving you. It's not your fault the King changed the rules.

CUPID'S LOVESTRUCK VALENTINE: HUEDHAUT

Talking of being angry with the King, when I think about it it was one thing to take MC's voice away from her in Leon's story but here she's saying the opposite of what she wants to and her expressions are gone on top of that..

I swear the King really has it in for Hue. Still at least he's determined to make sure he actually fixes this, even if MC has already given up.

Also the way Hue fixes this? Nope I'm not going to forget it Hue, sorry. I'm gonna cherish every damn thing you said and did in the sky.

Hue's POV story from the 'His POV 1' set might be rather short and only starts from once they're in the sky, but there's some interesting details in here about thoughts on Valentine's Day itself and stuff.

Also... I wonder how serious Hue was about his comment of if the King had eaten the chocolates he'd have gone on strike in the Heavens (considering he only says the latter part of that out loud seemingly accidentally I think he genuinely was thinking that! I dread to think what would happen if any of the Zodiac Gods actually attempted to strike... hmm... )

CUPID'S LOVESTRUCK VALENTINE: ICHTHYS

As I said before this is nothing like the other stories in this series. In all the other stories Valentine's Day and chocolates are initially cancelled by the King until a trial is passed. Ichthys' Valentine's story on the other hand would have just been a tale of surprising him with chocolates had it not been for Altair getting muddled after being roped in for one of Ichthys' pranks.

If you do ever read this one, I'd probably recc getting the 'his pov 2' set where you can see Ichthys' side of this one because his reaction at the end of it seems unusually annoyed for him, but his pov makes it clear that even he thinks he overreacted.

A Sweet Mission with You: Teorus

I actually picked this up after reading his 'Secret Blessings from the Gods: Wishes' story (which are set on White Day) as that references this story.

Of course poor Teo doesn't even realise anything is part of a trial from the King until Huedhaut comes to that conclusion. At least he figures it out in the end as to why MC isn't saying what she wants to though.

Also the sprite for how Teo gets affected in all this is really cute. Though it's caused by jealous sulky Teo so I'm not gonna particularly recc this story. There's far worse Teo stories. This one's fine but his White Day one I mentioned above might be one of my favourites of his so the main reason I can give for getting this one is for having the full backstory to what happens there.

Okay then, quick ranking attempt I guess:

Dui (I'm so pissed off at the King doing this to him I'm gonna try and cheer him up dammit)

Huedhaut

Scorpio (I'm kinda bemused that he thought MC was losing her mind from exhaustion. I actually kinda found this one funny)

Leon

Ichthys (The conclusion to this one is a little off, though his POV story does redeem that somewhat)

Teorus

The top four in this one are pretty close together mind you.

[voltage-vixen]

[yourreddancer]

J Bernard Jones The reason why The Little Mermaid casting has triggered so many (mostly) white people (the ones who are outraged) is that, beyond the garden variety recent racism that has plagued Black actors from Star Wars to Captain America to The Rings of Power to House of the Dragon, is simple: it’s their deep down fear of replacement. That’s right: replacement theory. On steroids. And the actual reason this particular casting has sent them over the rails is, beyond any other, in their mind it is a violation of America’s most treasured symbol of purity: the white woman. Literally replaced by a Black woman. 

Nevermind that Disney’s beloved 1989  “The Little Mermaid” is a cartoon. Nevermind that mermaids aren’t real. Nevermind that in the original Hans Christian Andersen tale, The Little Mermaid is green and basically dies in the end after being treated like an annoying pet by the prince (spoiler alert).  None of that matters to these folks whose least concern is whether or not Ms. Bailey is actually good or can sing as much as their Yosemite Sam foot stomping (wrong studio!) that Ariel must be a white woman since they apparently believe the ‘89 cartoon is a Ken Burns documentary.

There is historical context for all of this unhinged mass hysteria over a made up fish girl and the Black actress chosen to portray her. Epigenetic memory does not just exist in the souls of Black folk. The Middle Passage, slavery, and Jim Crow are our crosses. Epigenetic memory exists in the cells of many white people, too: having dominion over black people, white supremacy and anti-blackness itself dwells deeply within, literally imprinted on their eyeballs in the very first official blockbuster, 1915’s smash hit ultra-revisionist, ultra-racist “Birth of a Nation.”

That film, originally titled “The Clansman”— to this day admired as much for its pioneering technical achievements and epic scope as it is criticized for its valorization of the Ku Klux Klan as heroes saving American society from the unfettered savagery of its made up out of control Blacks — formed the modern foundation for many core American stereotypes that endure to this day. And none of those stereotypes are more potent than that of The White Woman as the epitome of virtuous purity, the delicate flower whose innocence must be protected at all costs. In fact, in DW Griffith’s immortal film, that cost is extraordinarily high: the young heroine Elsie (played by Lillian Gish, America’s Sweetheart superstar no less) commits suicide rather than be raped by a vicious Black man (a cartoonish white actor in blackface), reinforcing and ingraining the stereotype that all Black men are dangerous, potential threats to white women from then until now.

Yet Elsie wasn’t just saving herself from the film’s Black rapist. She was saving herself from that film’s version of “blackness” itself. In the film, the freed ex-slaves are portrayed as lazy, out-of-control savages; they are cast in the role of destroyers of society, law & order, and are a literal threat to the survival of the white race. Elsie’s suicide was not simply to avoid having her white womanhood defiled by sexual assault by Griffith’s Black brute stereotype, but from the not thinly veiled “threat” of being impregnated.

Even then white audiences, who loved the film, understood it’s plain meaning:“they” will not replace us. And they made it plain by engaging in a series of race riots and massacres of Black people in many areas in the immediate aftermath of showings of the movie. Fast forward. 

Ariel, the little mermaid, isn’t real. She’s a character: a friggin’ mermaid. But catch this: Elsie wasn’t real, either. What both of these characters share is the idea of them: pure and true and virtuous. If Elsie was the prototype of the idealized myth of white womanhood, Disney’s first Ariel is that mythology’s idealized realization.

Animation requires a specific kind of suspension of disbelief. It allows us to “purely” imprint our ideas about who a character is and what the canonical version of that character should be, absent the physical presence of an actor to distract us: other than their voice — itself a powerful instrument —  we are able to absorb the “purest” version of the character both as intended and in our own imaginations. And in some cases as reflections of ourselves or at least what we think of ourselves, especially as kids and impressionable youth. That’s what we really mean when we say “They’ve destroyed my childhood!” when we feel the favorites of our youth have been altered, disrespected, or reimagined.

Out of the many, many reports of racist vitriol directed at Disney and this new film version — not solely by white people but also some Latinos & Hispanics and even a few Blacks (un-shockingly, Black dudes from the incel-ish manosphere) —this one strikes a more primal nerve than the rest. This hatred is not merely their version of the other “moving into the neighborhood and bringing the property values down” whenever a Black actor, woman, or gay person inhabits a role in their favorite sacred franchise. This time, as they see it, it is literal replacement theory come to celluloid life as if they can’t rent or buy the precious 1989 version that Disney will happily take their money for a 33 year-old film.The racist backlash against Halle Bailey’s casting is rooted in this foundational notion of a white supremacist fantasy of The IDEA of The Virtous White Woman being upended.

In fact, the most striking aspect of the racist reactions is that these people have no other recourse than to fall back on stereotypes and racist imagery going back to Griffith’s film: memes and Photoshopped Mammy-versions of Ariel are circulating aplenty, one egregious example with gargantuan lips and her riding atop a watermelon. “Woke” is being slung around as a synonym for the n-word with Klan-like abandon. The settings on their virtual tiki torches have been turned up to 11. It doesn’t matter how many bots are involved or if real people make up the majority of vitriol. At the heart of this madness is not merely hatred and not necessarily fear. Instead it’s the realization that the thread of one of the rugs of their own self-mythology has been yanked out from under them and they are unraveling as a consequence.

Black women, as much or even more so than Black men, have always represented an existential threat to the Confederate adjacent. Ms. Bailey, as she emerges from the shadows in the trailer, is that Black woman. The threat. The replacement. And many of these miscreants are deathly afraid that if their little cherubs fall in love with a beautiful mermaid played by a real Black actress with an angelic voice the way they did with the white cartoon version, their worst fears about ”critical race theory” will come true and, in their minds, be their undoing. The beginning of their end. If that is the case, in some ways even if this version of The Little Mermaid turns out to be a bad remake, it will most definitely be worth the price of admission.

[aeonianarchives]

Hey do You have any big projects / ideas / Au's you are flushing out going on, you seem really interesting given the stuff you write and come up with I want to study your brain in a lab.

TBW: To Be Written | My Bigger Fanfic Plans of 2023

Thank you Anon for thinking I am interesting but I don't know if I am comfortable with letting you put my brain under a microscope, I hope 2023 is the year I start writing bigger fics get a proper big multichapter fic going and so on, I have had quite a few new years resolutions; getting into more writing in more styles and tropes to broaden my writing palette is one of them so here is a sneak peak of some of my plans which I might not get around to some of them but want to plans for 2023 so in no particular order:

I have the Eagle shapeshifting and sky city AU which I am planning to do a fic around at some point fully based around some of my Oc's I have such as Aerdis and another Oc I have which I am going to Introduce in the AU fic.

I am currently writing my first big multichapter fic for my 1960s Space age AU set around Lindir which is Lindir x Glorfindel which I have started writing by the way 1.1K into it and planning to cross post on here and AO3. (Spoiler Alert (Not really) I make Gil-Galad own a ranch and is Lindir's father in it)

I have an Greek Mythos esque AU planned for my OC ship Winged Fire where my OC Aerdis is Apollo and My Oc Thalion is Icarus or based on the two characters.

I have a Norse Mythos based AU which is based around some of my favorite Norse Myths It would be a completion of short stories in a Norse esque setting but with OC's and Tolkien characters insted of Norse gods.

I have a Quilda in Wonderland fic in the planning based around my friends @eunoiaastralwings Oc Quildalótien and our oc's but it's really an if and a maybe to actually write and it's a one or the other between a Rapunzel Quilda fic which is also in the same stage of planning.

I Have also had recent brainrot where Lindir is Gil-Galad's kid and Gil is Fingon's kid and I may write a fic around it I'm not sure but it will be in my 1960s AU.

I am planning a Star Trek AU because my 1960s AU contains BTS of Star Trek TOS filming in it with Arwen.

Also some Valinor Oc crack is in the planning mostly evolving around short fics or incorrect quotes.

SIREN READER X LINDIR FIC i may of forgotten about maybe coming back.

A Rewrite of In my arms tonight but make it an OC x OC of you guessed it Quilda and Varya.

I also have a D&D AU which I probably won't write but I will probably write into my 1960s AU somehow but I am sorta planning to write modern d&d au at some point probably not this year though.

Time travel Lindir back to Gondolin Fic I have put off for to long

Top 3 priorities:

Requests: As always if a request comes through it is going to be my priority last year in November my request November failed as I grew busy so I ignored some requests till a month later three months since I started request gathering for it in October but I was doing an event so I pushed them off to the side.

Space Age AU: This will be my first proper multichapter fic, I really like my ideas for this fic and really like the AU so I wanna put effort into it for making it good

Eagle AU: I love my Eagle AU and yes it will be full of OC's but I think it will be interesting especially what I have planned out for it.

I haven't decided on a top five so if you want me to add two of my other plans into my top 5 priorities do let me know.

[hellcatinnc]

Star Crossed Myth - God Of Pisces Review

Will Include spoilers for Ichyths - God Of Pisces

Ichthys

Just wow this man I loved every moment of getting to know him. Not only is he attractive but he has the prettiest eyes that shift colors and a very nice smile. His story was heartwarming and star crossed in its own way. I was in tears by the end of the main story. He is so genuine and probably one of the better gods. He is good with kids and goes out of his way to make people smile when they are down. He has a sad story of saving his parents leaving him mortal and when his powers run out he will die. He tries not to fall for you but when he does he is head over heels. He has decided he has made good with his fate but after he falls in love the thought of leaving this world becomes painful. He has the I will die for you mentality but at the same time its sweet because he wants to protect the woman he loves but at the same time give up his life if need be so she will be happy even if not with him (however better not be with anyone he knows either like the other gods lol)

I went on to play his pov as well as some of his sequel and I really never get tired of this man. He is the perfect amount of sweet, romantic, funny, and naughty wrapped into one god. Like I haven't played any of the others but he stood out to me the moment I first saw him and knew he was the one I wanted to romance and I really am glad I did. Like he really is so humble and nothing like the other gods. He shows up in geeky glasses and dressed down in human clothing. He looks sexy still but you can tell he would rather be with you even if it means being more human than god. His story is nothing like the rest of them from what I got he really wasn't being punished he was given a second chance that ended up being what brought him to life after what was supposed to be his death.

He is very genuine and when he tells you he loves you he means it. He doesn't have alot of friends but the ones that are he is severely loyal to. He loves his parents and he even gave up his mortality when he was a child to save their life by healing them. That being said if the gods will allow it he could truly grow old with you have a full happy life that the other gods really can't offer. Anyways this is one of my favorite gods and I will review others as I do them but I doubt any if even many will bring my sweet Ichthys down from my number one go