#the whole danged cast

[quickreaver]

At the request of a few merry gentlefolk—lamenting the lack of a holiday exchange this year—we give you WinterNatural! The most low-stress, low-worry prompt meme we could pull down the chimney.

Anything holiday, seasonal, and/or wintery welcomed. Now bring us some figgy pudding, and get prompting and filling!

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/WinterNatural/profile

(art by Thomas Kinkade, of 'Christmas Cottage' fame ;) )

[larachelledrawsfe]

Colors of Fodlan - Faerghus (Part 2 of ?)

[beaniegaebie]

moment of appreciation for miranda richardson's performances being so completely exquisite that I didn't even realise it was the same actor playing madame tracy and shax until i saw it on here in a gaiman post

[deltaexmachina]

I finally finished Etrian Odyssey 4. I didn’t beat the Warped Savior but I did get to it. And oh my god. This has to be my favorite game in the series now. The dungeon design for the Hall of Darkness was genuinely fantastic, the first floor was just a fairly decent maze, but the second and third floors were probably peak EO dungeon design in my opinion. I didn’t even realize the gimmick of the second floor until I had mapped the entire dark room by trial and error, and I was getting frustrated until I finished the entire other side of the map and realized what was happening. I was so stunned that I didn’t notice what was happening from the first four rooms, but I think that realization made seeing the gimmick one last time on the final floor so worth it.

And the final floor basically taking all of your knowledge of mechanics from every other dungeon before it just felt so satisfying—the miasma room especially took every single bit of my understanding of the game’s mechanics to get through. And that’s not even getting into the fact that the boss is available as soon as you enter the floor, and the rest of the exploration is dedicated to figuring out the puzzle to weaken it… even if I was way underleveled to actually kill the boss, I felt satisfied in my attempt to fight it and just see the transition to the last phase. Man, this was a good game. All the lore and everything that it built up, everything tying in to the story and fitting nicely into your motivations… I was actually attached to the cast by the end!!

Is this reaction probably because of how disappointed I was in EO5? Perhaps. But I know I still have EO3 to play, and I just bought it on steam, but I’m trying to keep my expectations tempered. I’m also planning to play EO1 HD with a few friends kind of DND style, let them make an oc out of whatever class they pick and let them control their build, equipment, and actions! It’ll probably be a bit slow but I think it’ll be a nice way to spend time with some friends while also showing them one of my favorite games. Not to mention, it’s been 7 years since I finished EO Untold, so I have no doubt it’ll feel really nostalgic once I actually get into the game with them! :D

[leighlew3]

I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS ABOUT THE MARVELS.

But I’ll refrain from direct spoilers for now. It’s mildly spoiler-y maybe but very generalized and I’m gonna talk around some stuff. 😅

The nutshell?

It’s legit SO fun. It’s a fun, funny as hell, really ENJOYABLE time at the movies. I laughed. Got misty. Felt feels. And wow… THE CAMEOS!!! 🔥

This movie is for everybody. Families should have a great time. But fangirls especially will LOVE. Highly recommend for a SMILE. 😸

Cool action. Great music. Lovable cast (I will adore Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan forever). Laugh out loud moments. I loved it. It didn’t unnecessarily waste time nor stretch anything out. It’s just under 2 hours and it WORKS.

Look, yeah it’s blah blah random plot lore lore etc but it opens up for the future while giving a blast of a ride in the present (and nods to the past). 😉

Go. Now. 👍

And stay for the mid-credit scene!

Lastly, IMO, it’s all very queer coded. Baity even. THAT 🎶 scene was the one iffy thing for me. Kinda silly, and really felt like a “no homo” for the straights but a wink wink and super coded for the LGBTQs. “Marriage of convenience” … 🤐💀 Anyway it’s pretty clear Carol and Valkyrie definitely hooked up. And we all know Maria was so totally her partner before, because come on already… Monica is her dang daughter, that “Aunt” shit ain’t flyin’. And Kamala is hardcore CRUSHIN’ on Carol. 😂

Also one of the cameos at the end. Of all characters they chose the one people are also shipping with another female character, played by an actress beloved by the sapphics for her previous queer roles? And the cats?! So many cats. 💀 Plus Valkyrie in a suit? SAPPHICS RISE.

This entire movie was a whole fruit basket but in a way that slides past heteronormative audiences so “families can still enjoy” (🙄) but that’s a whole other ramble (or rant) for another day.

In the meantime… it’s so fun, y’all. Please GO. It’s important to support projects like these or they’ll keep pulling back on women and POC in these things. Even though the strike impacted promotion and the butthurt fragile misogynists are trying to review bomb (as always). It’s legit a fun time and if you hated it I have to just assume you hate fun, so. Go. See it. Spread the word. 🙏

[fug0th]

Pst! You know what time it is? New cosplay time! I decided to remake one of if not my favorite cosplays in my collection, Naven Nuknuk from Epithet Erased

This has been by far my most time consuming build (as well as expensive). this cosplay took a total of 279 hours over the span of roughly 8 months to make. That time doesn't include redoing sections or details that didn't make it into the final look.

And now for a detailed look at this whole outfit because dang, I put so many tiny details in.

Starting off with the earring and beads, I used a tequnic called lampwork to make them. The best way I can explain lampworking is like miniature glassblowing

Lampwork uses glass rods heated in a flame to create generally small pieces like beads or buttons. Lampworking can be incredibly detailed. While I'm still fairly beginner at all of this I was able to learn a tequnic called implosion to make the flowers look more 3 dimensional. I also used lampworking to make the buttons on the undershirt!

I did all the 3d modeling for parts like the glasses and the belt buckle. (Stealing pictures from my Instagram because the progress tracker i use corrupted my images)

While I don't usually focus on the 3d modeling in my builds it's a huge passion of mine. After making a model of the belt buckle I put my 3d print into casting clay. After carefully removing it I poured tin in to make the final belt buckle.

I also taught myself basic leather working and tooling to add some apple blossom inspired designs onto the belt and painted it.

Next thing I think I should talk about is the embroidery. I wanted to incorporate more details about naven into his outfit. After asking jello some questions we came to the conclusion that the embroidery should be lillies and carnations. Because of my constant insanity I hand embroidered everything. I also did some embroidery on the pants and used an embroidery floss that changes colors in the sun for fun.

Before I get any questions about materials I'll add in, the white shirt and embroidery are both silk. I struggle to embroider with cotton dye to the sound and feeling it makes, and I felt like being fancy so silk shirt too. The pants are a cotton twill (pretty much jean fabric without the indigo) and the green strips are silk. A perfect Segway into the tatting and knitting!

For those who don't know tatting is a traditional form of lace making found in many different places around the world. There are 2 main forms of tatting, needle tatting and shuttle tatting, I tend to use shuttle tatting due to how nice and portable it is. I thought tatting would be fitting to add to navens outfit due to it's other name, farmers lace.

And now for the big beast of this outfit, the knitting. Like with everything else in this outfit I dyed the yarn myself. It's 80 percent wool to 20 percent silk blend.

Huge thanks to jello for suggesting so many ideas, this outfit wouldn't be nearly as cool as it is otherwise.

Anyways I hope all y'all like the outfit! I had so much fun making this insanity

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

charlie morningstar survives the whole "oh no! vaggie didn't tell me she used to be an exorcist angel! what if my entire relationship with her was a lie- oh wait no never mind she really does love me <3" rollercoaster, only to presumably later realize JUST how Not Into It vaggie actually had to have been about the whole trip to heaven thing-

vaggie sitting in a courtroom across from the person who SPECIFICALLY tore off her old wings and permanently gouged out her eye- while charlie had NO IDEA

"then heaven must be a lie" ringing an little extra true now. it's a lie even if you're an angel- hell is forever, heaven ISN'T, no matter what you do for them or who you are you'll never be safe and once you do one 'wrong' thing you'll never be forgiven- they don't know how anyone gets up there but it's fine to cast someone out, and that's what vaggie lived with. in. Heaven

THEN that same person who damned vaggie goes right for her in the hotel battle- attacking vaggie AGAIN- trying to hurt her AGAIN- and charlie can't stop it because some other idiot is trying to air guitar everyone into ashes over a bruised ego-

vaggie is bleeding next time charlie gets to hold her hand.

isn't that funny. heaven can take her halo and her wings but when they hurt her it's still the same blood as theirs that comes out

she's messed up and hadn't been fighting in the three years chaggie's been together (which is good!!) and now she's been fighting for their hotel (protecting instead of murdering! yay!!!)- but she had to fend off lute Alone to do it (bad. Wrong), and

was charlie later hlding vaggie and going full demon while glaring at lute a logical response to a now defeated, outnumbered, out classed and literally unarmed person?

no. not really

but dang if charlie probably wasn't one wrong move away from ripping lute's other arm off for her too XD

anyway, if vaggie isn't having nightmares after that fight then CHARLIE sure probably will be. legit the first thing she ever saw of vaggie was what lute had done to her. charlie KNOWS what could have happened. she's bandaged those wounds before and watched her girlfriend live with scars every day after

[drama-glob]

SPOILERS FOR "OOPS"

OMG TO ALL THE FLUFF WE GOT IN THIS EPISODE!!! <3<3<3 Literally squealed at how adorable Fizz and Ozzie are (which I already knew ;) ) and the fact that Fizz can't cook. ^_^<3<3<3 I also find it funny that they really weren't doing a good job at keeping their relationship under-wraps and how Fizz himself was not being low-key. XD I do love all his little fly dogs and the fact that one is in a wheelchair is absolutely adorable because he really does care about them as we see. ^_^ <3<3<3

Of course fate would bring Blitzo and Fizz's paths to cross, although I'm still surprised that we got Striker in this episode because I had heard about Crimson's men since it was in Greed after all, but dang, he must be trying to get business outside of royals since the last one didn't pan out. :/ I had a feeling that if it wasn't a hit put out on Fizz, then he'd be ransomed, so it just broke my heart at seeing how distressed he was at almost every turn; at least with talking with Blitzo it served as a distraction for him. It's still awful that he and Blitzo got kidnapped and in a way proved part of the reason for Fizz and Ozzie trying to keep their relationship secret (which admittedly didn't seem too well based on what Crimson said >_< ).

I do love that Blitzo obviously does have feelings for Stolas, and Fizz made some pretty good points about not all royal demons being the same as well as acting superior to others does cast you as snobby rich jerks; I know Fizz's been treated so well by Ozzie for over a decade, but he still came from humble beginnings and probably dealt with the same racist stuff other imps faced. :/

It was nice to see Stolas and Ozzie interact, even if it mainly was to go over the ransom demands, but I love that Stolas was empathetic and helpful in Ozzie's time of need even though Ozzie was withholding the crystal because of Fizz's hatred for Blitzo; I do hope Blitzo and Stolas will have their talk in the "Full Moon Ritual" episode because there is still so much he doesn't know about Blitzo's past. ;_;

I'm so glad that we got the confirmation that Blitzo caused the fire that cost Fizz his limbs and horns, but also the fact that he also lost his mom in the same fire...and it was all an ACCIDENT?! It was truly heartbreaking even if we were fed plenty of clues as to that being the reason why. ;_; It does figure that from there it was a whole misunderstanding that tore Blitzo and Fizz's friendship apart and I wonder who this "They" are that lied and said that Blitzo didn't come and Fizz didn't want to see Blitzo. Maybe Mammon's men if he was pick up by the Deadly Sin at that point? I do wonder why the fire was green while the sky was red like they were still in Pride. Hmmm. More to the mystery perhaps. ;) I'm guessing we'll see how Ozzie and Fizz met in the next episode. So excited!!! ^_^<3<3<3

Fizz's song was definitely VERY distracting and yes, I will look at this. O_O XD It is funny that none of the men seemed to catch on to their plan. XD

It was so beautiful and heartwarming that Blitzo and Fizz hugged and it seems to me like they're making their way back as friends, if they aren't there already. ;) I don't blame Fizz for being mad that he got blown up again, but like Blitzo said, at least he stayed around this time. ;) ^_^ <3<3<3 I'm still worried about Striker coming back though. O_O He just keeps getting more and more unhinged with each loss. >_<

When Ozzie and Fizz reunited those, I went "AWWWW" so hard and I love the way Ozzie said "Fizzy!" ^_^<3<3<3 It was really sweet though that Fizz told Ozzie to give Stolas the crystal for Blitzo as he DEFINITELY earned it today for saving Fizz's life. I wonder if Blitzo will tell Stolas? :/ Either way, seeing the amount of care the Ozzie gave Fizz and didn't blame him for anything that happened and just wanted him to take it easy, seriously kept melting my heart over and over. ^_^<3<3<3 They're so cute together and deserve all the happiness! ^_^<3<3<3

[drchucktingle]

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #2

hello buckaroos welcome back to deconstructing damascus where i will be talkin on THEMES and hidden secrets in my dang horror novel CAMP DAMASCUS. as with previous post, this talk will have HUGE SPOILERS so i recommend not reading until you have had a chance to read camp damascus. if you are curious about this way and are thinkin 'oh ill just take a buckaroo peek' then i will say again DO NOT. trust me bud, camp damascus has a lot of mystery to unfold and it is best to go in without knowing anything

THAT being said if you have already read the book and want to dive in then here we go. i will post previous edition of DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS below so you can catch up if you have not read the first post yet

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #1

(EDIT: PART 3 IS HERE)

(EDIT: PART 4 IS HERE)

okay now that is out of the way LETS TROT. big warning there are HUGE SPOILERS BELOW this line you have been warned buckaroo

DECONSTRUCTING DAMASCUS #2: CASTING SHADOWS

previously we talked about way peter pan folklore is sometimes used as allegory running through this story, and before we move on i would like to discuss ONE PARTICULAR aspect of this allegory. last time i gave many examples, but i left a big one off because it is SO IMPORTANT and i wanted to talk about it as its own separate post

in story of peter pan there is classic scene of peter wrestling his shadow. the shadow is both separate entity and the same person, and eventually peter reattaches the shadow to his feet and regains control

in CAMP DAMASCUS shadows are used throughout the whole book, but the metaphor is basically the same: control. more specifically, the trot of shadows is a representation of AGENCY

when we first see PACHID she has all of the control. she is standing in the living room BATHED IN SHADOW. this position of power is where she emerges from

halfway through camp damascus, when roses HEROIC TURN happens and she starts fighting back, there is a scene where SHE TOO wrestles with her own shadow and reattaches it to herself. this is point in the story where rose is reclaiming her agency

but honestly most important thing you need to know about shadows involves OTHER question about camp damascus. question i KNEW WOUlD BE COMING but decided to chart my own path for the sake of art.

when writing book, chuck knew that ending would seem abrupt to some and that it might bother some buckaroos, but artistically speaking this story HAS TO END WHERE IT DOES. because this is not just a story about rose so much as it is a story about ROSES AGENCY. THAT IS THE JOURNEY.

to unlock the secret of WHY camp damascus ends exactly where it does and WHAT it means, all you have to do is ONE SIMPLE TRICK. get up and trot over to get your copy of camp damascus, we can do this together. NO JOKE BUCKAROO go get your dang book.

got it? good job bud. here we go

read the last sentence of the book

now immediately go back and read the first sentence

[janus-cadet]

Spice up your life!!

Have the Toymaker, as the Knight of Cups, and happy 60th anniversary ! :D

(It might be my fav tarot card so far, just love the vibe)

Explanations under the cut! In broken english, but I don't think I can do worse that the figure of that card.

As all the knights so far, the Toymaker does not get to ride an actual horse- but hey! Who does not want a hobby Horsen to go clippety-clop down the Straße, ja?

The Knight of Cups, upright, is a card deeply linked with creative forces. While the Page of Cups is inspired by an imaginative idea, the Knight is motivated by action : you have dreamed about what you want to create, and you are making this dream into reality. Or perhaps reality is really just a dream to you; perhaps all dreams are real and reality is fake. It's all the same: you, a creative mind, have the ability to act, and make dreams... true. You follow your imagination, as wild as it can be, and are always happy to be exploring new passions and ideas- even discover a whole new universe, who knows! The Knight of Cups is the alliance of true imagination, and action. You, as the consultant, you who do not possess power beyond the realm of reality, have to see it as a reminder to act, or your dreams will remain just that- dreams, and not reality.

Reversed, the card tells you that maybe, just maybe, you're spending so much time dreaming, playing with your imagination, that you are starting to loose sight of what is real and possible (and, in a certain elemental, unstoppable force's case, any regards to the rules beyond those of the games. Was ist right und wrong, again?). The Knight encourages you to ground your ideas into reality, which might be helped if a certain someone decide to cast salt at the edge of the universe. The card can also indicate that you are sulky, moody, and are perhaps acting a bit like a toddler throwing a tantrum. Perhaps you don't like to loose. Well, that's alright, then! But you are allowing your emotions to get the better of you, when you are not getting your way.

Overall, you can be quite disconnected from reality. If you want to live the better version of yourself, remember that you need to keep your dreams in mind as much as you need to keep track of what's going on around in the world. You don't need to be so small, mate.

(and ffs please when David Tennant is asking you to go off to the stars with him you say yes, damnit)

And that's for today!! This card was an absolute delight to do. And, I mean, so was those three episodes, and so was the Toymaker. That dude has been dancing in my mind for almost a week, now, non stop. So dang excited for 15th run, he's already an absolute icon.

Also! With this card, I reach the sixth Doctor-Who-themed one. First one who is not the Doctor or my precious little 🦷 ! More to go. Many, many more to go. Bill Potts (not Stooky Bill, but Lady Bill) should be next...

[minas-linkverse]

Twilight Princess! It’s my favorite loz game, personally, I’d love to hear your thoughts

Man... TP is wild cause its in my top 3 and I'll never be the same after it, but I also dont know if its that great of a game?? It rly throws me for a loop whenever I'm asked to express my feelings on it.

On one hand it has things like snowpeak. It's soundtrack slaps so much. It has my favourite in game Link and a gosh dang clown cannon that cannot be removed from the story because it is VITAL Link climbs in the clown cannon. He has to be shot out of the clown cannon guys. Hyrule needs him in the clown cannon. Nobody ever call TP grey and boring again theres a CLOWN CANNON.

On the other hand it has things like the water temple, weird teleportation system, kind of a dead overworld, I might love and care for Ilia and Zelda but Nintendo sure didnt make that happen.

Both of these lists could go on and on. Epona is so lovely. That bug at lake Hylia should raise the game's age rating to no-one ever.

However! I've concluded listing stuff eint gonna get me anywhere with explaining my feelings.

To me TP is an experience. It's a journey with highs and lows that is absolutely worth taking if you're at all intrigued by it. It's inconsistant but thats kind of a relief because you know after the hurdle youre gonna get some really good content. Then probably stuck again but THEN... Gold.

Also yea the overworld is dead but man is the story alive. I love the variety of different ppl in the cast and how they move around and change through the story. It feeeels aliiiveeee...

I guess my conclusion here is that TP is a game that feels alive when its moving as a whole, but if you point out the puzzle pieces instead of the main image you can spot some less than stellar stuff. That doesn't make it any lesser in my mind, and its a journey I'll gladly take again and again... But its smth that I cant deny. Sometimes the things we love are flawed and aknowledging that makes the love stronger.

Some part of me will always remain in Ordon, I think wolves are cool as heck, Ooccoo for president, thanks 4 read.

[demonslayedher]

Shall we talk ☆Pillar Filler???☆

(As well as the rest of the episode?)

Keeping it behind a cut because it's not yet available for everybody and a lot of people will appreciate being surprised (I know I did)!

First, how about that new OP??

I love how it sets this arc up for being a pause in the constant life or death struggle (for the Pillars anyway, hahaha), and pricks at how the Pillars always feel they are struggling to compensate for their weaknesses, and the inky hatred that fills their hearts which Oyakata-sama knows they've channeled into defeating Kibutsuji Muzan at all costs. I also had a passing thought the other day about how so many Japanese legends of demon slaying require the hero to call upon a non-human higher power, or use something like a poison or alcohol to weaken a demon before they stand a chance of defeating it. In the end, the medicine that Tamayo and Shinobu develop does serve this crucial role (and the sun fulfills the role of a higher non-human power), but it's otherwise ironic that instead of temporarily weakening a demon to their own level, the usual course of action is to use Breath to temporarily increase their power to that of a demon.

Attaining a mark sure increases the role that "temporary" already played in their lives, and it's really no question that they would choose to pursue that option, even knowing the result.

(Also, CHUNTAROOOOO)

So anyway, onto that filler!!

I loved it.

First, the nitpicking just to get it out of the way: why did a demon need to bother tying up a victim???? Whhhhy? Like, at least they didn't pull a Speedy with some contrived "this demon just toys with victims and leaves them injured instead of killing them" routine that makes for a happy low-stakes Piller Filler episode while showing utter disregard for what demons are and why the Corp risks themselves to stop them. (That said, I always love seeing other Corp members fulfill their own Corp duties with no relation whatsoever to Tanjiro, who is just one piece of a much, much larger whole.)

But rather than write what would ultimately be stupid dialogue with an insignificant filler demon, it's nice that Ufotable did not bother developing the Castle Demon. The totally undeveloped baddies are easy to cast off as Blood Technique (but maybe they could have looked a little cooler if, like, they were vaguely wearing samurai armor or something instead of just being in skin suits? Whatever, not important.) I appreciate that Ufotable did not bother to answer these questions of "why is the victim tied up" because the point of this scene was very obviously not about her or the demon. (I like to think Iguro cut the ropes and then told her to get to safety but just, like, left her there on the top roof).

So as for what this scene WAS for... hot dang, did it accomplish that!!!

The purpose was to make Sanemi and Iguro look cool, and it sure as hell did that. WHAT GOOD CHANBARA, those show-offy sword-play moves against a mob of nameless villains were just so deliciously well choreographed, and the people who can appreciate that were also likely to really appreciate the use of a castle as a purely fun battle setting. Ufotable was probably like, "Our biggest fans are nerds for KnY's touches of traditional Japanese folklore and culture, and for swords and swordplay, so you know what else will probably get them riled up? Yeah, let's give them a castle fortress."

And then everyone cheered, like, "Yes, yes, the fangirls like demonslayedher on Tumblr will never know what hit them."

But then some brilliant person spoke up and said, "You guys, I have the perfect finishing blow."

And everyone said, "What? How could we possibly top this scene that not only purely makes Sanemi & Iguro look cool, but also serves their characters and the plot nicely by showing how the Pillers don't feel they can rely on the other Corp members, and that even though they speak sharply to them they show concern for them by their actions? You know, especially slyly since anime-only fans will get to appreciate a new side of characters whom they haven't gotten to bond with much yet for only having seen their mean sides mostly and none of their battle coolness, and also slyly because the hardcore manga fans know that these two are buddies?"

And then the brilliant person says, "Let's give them that fortress."

The brilliant person was then crowned Ruler of Ufotableland and the fans lived happily ever after.

Speaking of Pillar Filler, I also want to point out how nice that opening exposition between Shinobu and Kanao was. First, what a nice way of incorporating Kanao into a nice episode that gives us a nice little dose of everyone in the Corp cast, even by adding that little scene of Amane and Ubuyashiki too. I loved the little touches that develop the Butterfly Mansion, like the fact that on the path there, they have a stone sign that says "Butterfly Mansion" and a line of carved Jizo statues (to protect travelers and (deceased) children) with little butterflies. And that moment of Nezuko frowning as the sunlight goes behind a cloud? Wonderful. And Shinobu essential saying to Kanao, "I trust you with defending everyone here in the now VERY LIKELY EVENT OF KIBUTSUJI MUZAN ATTACKING while I have to go off to a Pillar Meeting now that you're back"? I looooove iiiiiiiiit. That also says a lot about the trust other Pillars have in Shinobu to entrust her with Nezuko instead of putting any pressure on her to take part in Pillar Training, as clearly they don’t know about Tamayo, and it's really anyone's guess if they know about the poison or not (though the light novel implies Himejima might have an inkling but doesn't know). Being Pillars, though, I doubt any of them would tell her she's wrong for being prepared to take down a demon in any possible way.

I love, love, love, love the treatment of all the straight-from-the-manga scenes, like "Welcome home, Inosuke" (except for the added 'did you miss me, Aoi-chan' because canonically Aoi is the one kind of girl who is not his type), Tamayo speaking with Oyakata-sama's bird, Mitsuri's "explanation" of the mark, and every single Pillar interaction. I love the amount of respect they show to Himejima (and how Ufotable slightly expanded on this), and I am so excited for the extra Himejima content this season. In the new marketing materials released on the same day as the episode/movie, they make stark use of one of the kanji characters in his name ("cry out"), which is a very nice touch. And the use of BGM!!! Especially the touches of Giyuu's and Mitsuri's themes during the meeting!

*happy sigh*

It is nice to be a fandom citizen of Ufotableland.

[bokettochild]

Opera House AU Roles

Okay, so I keep getting asks about this AU, so here's the roles each of the chain/princesses would take in the opera house

Lullaby: Director and owner

She started the opera house and runs it like the leaky ship it is. They make good money and do good work, but every work is like a piece of embroidery; pretty from the front, but when you look at the back....

Time: Blocking Director

Lullaby runs most things, but Time is the person who runs everyone through choreography and plans how to enact things on the stage. He's Lullaby's partner, but that doesn't mean they agree on everything.

Malon: Voice Teacher

Time hired her when Twilight joined, because he really wanted to help this kid get back on his feet, but working in the house means you need to be able to sing, if only for back-vocals. She occasionally helps out backstage and will fill in roles if needed, but she's not officially part of the company. Yet. Lullaby is trying to recruit her, but Malon kinda loves working for the music school that hired her out.

Twilight: Actor and stagehand

His preferred work is backstage, helping move props and scenery quickly between scenes, and he's good at it. Sometimes though, they need someone to fill various roles and he gets slapped in there. Luckily, he can avoid most singing roles, and his main thing is action.

Sky: Actor

Sky is the best stuntman in the whole cast, but not as good an actor. He's good at both, but action is far better than line delivery. He's most often called on to play antagonistic roles as a result, since his skills in fight scenes actually leave the audience worried he will destroy their hero. Many people are surprised to find out he's such a great guy off stage.

Fi: Sky's fencing instructor

She neither works for the opera house, nor at it, if she can help it. She comes over from time to time to work with Sky though, and if he asks, she might help some of the others. Time is her former protege, but they have beef between them for some reason so he doesn't like having her around. She loves the kids though, in her own way, Legend and Wind specifically.

Warriors: The Diva

He picked up something of a following in high-school and college, and when he came to the opera house, needing work, he basically brought his fans with. His is the headline name they use to draw crowds in most times, so more often then not he's the male lead in most plays. Surprisingly though, he's pretty decent about it, and while Legend and Twilight may say otherwise, his ego is properly held in check. He's a great singer and performer, and second best to Sky in action related things.

Artemis: Diva No. 2

Warriors pulled a few strings to get his ex-girlfriend from college a role when Lullaby was short some actors. Her chemistry with Wars on stage has quickly made her a fan favorite, and her own performing sealed the deal. She and Wars have a good relationship for being ex-college-sweethearts. Both of them were already up and coming stars before coming to the opera house, and it's still a bit of a shock to folks that they haven't left for greener pastures, but they're attached dang it.

Dusk: Singer & Dive No. 3

While her acting skills are less varied than Warriors and Artemis, her voice is far superior to either, which more than compensates for her lack of versatility in roles. She's the last piece of the Diva Trio, and her most common roles are either villainesses, powerful women and mothers (ironically). She's not as close with the rest of the crew as they are with each other, but she's new yet, and has only been with the company for a year. Her bond with Wars and Arty is pretty strong though, because they won't let her sit alone, and have pushed down the walls a bit.

Sun: Starlet

Sun is one of the up and coming performers. She's not nearly as big a name as the Diva Trio, but she does pretty well and her voice is to die for. She and Sky both study under Fi, and so she's pretty good with stunts, although not as great as Sky (yet). She's also a decent hand at needlework, so she's something of an emergency seamstress when a seam is popped or some such.

Fable: Actress

Not as present in the team as she'd like, due to her somewhat overprotective guardians, Fable is a skilled actress who Artemis is convinced will one day follow in her footsteps to become a radiant star. The only thing stopping her from gaining a big name in the industry is the aforementioned guardians, who love her, but again, worry endlessly. She joined by the suggestion of her old classmate, Flora, and to this day remains the only person who can reliably tame their wild child.

Legend: Jack-of-all-Trades

His official job is non-existant. He's been here since he was a literal infant (Twilight couldn't get a sitter) and it shows. He's picked up just about everything there is to know about the opera house, and never got formally hired (although he is paid). He's the go-to guy for just about anything and everything. He takes acting roles, particularly those more dance or trick related, as he's the only guy who actually knows genuine acrobatics and most forms of dance, and because he's young, he can take literally any role, even that of females. Most of the time though, he's backstage with a tool-belt of everything possible, fixing last minute costume, make-up, or set issues. He also tends to pick up strays.

Ravio: Prop Manager

Ravio's job is to construct and make sure props are where they should be at all times. He and Legend work hand in hand on most things, mostly because Legend originally was prop-manager (of sorts) before he got Ravio into the opera house. Ravio is one of "Legend's strays" as the boys ran into each other shortly after Leg came back from abroad, and the Lorulian was desperately searching for a room-mate. Legend helped him get a job better than where he was (pawn shop) and Ravio feels utterly indebted to him, and makes sure Leg knows it.

Styla: Costume manager

While Legend helps out in costume, it's actually Styla's domain. She's skillful in her work and quick to make unfortunate mistakes and pieces turn out surprisingly well. She's blessed with good speaking skills and copious charm, so she sometimes take on roles on stage, but she can't sing any more than Twilight can. She does not want lessons. Ravio and Legend are desperately trying to make her take them anyway; they work closely with her as a trio of their own, and much as they love her, she gives them headaches.

Hyrule: Assistant jack-of-all-trades

Another of Legend's strays, Hyrule, like so many others, is a fresh-out-of-foster street kid. He saved Legend's life by chance, and Leg determined to pay him back by getting him a job as a stage hand at the opera house, and a room in the living quarters there. Lullaby is used to the pinkette, so she didn't object, but everyone's glad Hyrule joined because he's absolutely amazing. What he lacks in natural talent, he makes up for in hard work and a quick mind. Warriors is certain Hyrule could make a killer performer, but with his lack of confidence it's slow going. The diva is utterly intent on taking Rule under his wing though and teaching him little by little. Ravio and Legend do not appreciate Wars stealing their assistant though.

Wind: Gofer

Wind is Warriors' kid cousin. Freshly in Hyrule from overseas, he's working at the opera house after school. He's pretty close with the other stage crew, and a huge reason Hyrule didn't get scared off in the first week. This kid is the most in touch with reality out of most of the crew, and acts as a buffer from their insanity to any newcomers. He tends to run and fetch for the most part, but at times has been known to also help craft the sets with Legend. They are artists and they do shit talk everyone while they do it.

Four: Special Effects

You know that one tech-nerd with too much coffee in their system, not enough sleep and perpetually frazzled hair? That's Four. Four handles lights, sound, special effects and all things mechanical. Everything's always on the fritz, so he is too. He does enjoy acting, but he gets anxiety about letting anyone else run his job, so he tends to avoid taking roles unless he's 110% sure Flora can handle without him.

Flora: Assistant Light Technition

Officially, she works lights, unofficially, she's Four's assistant. This girl was bred for the stage and avoids it like the plague. Her family is famous for acting but she's content to play lights and sounds crew with Four, and no one has seen her happier. She joined by her parents insistence, as an actress and learning under Wars and Arty, but one show gone wrong had her throwing herself in to help Four just in time and he's considered her irreplaceable since. She has no interest in going back on stage and no one makes her.

Groose: Tech Assistant

Working with the backstage crew, Grooise's official job title is technical assistance, but even he will joke that he's actually just a glorified ladder. He, like the others, acts on occasion, although his real passion lies in planning out the more difficult mechanics required to pull off certain effects and stunts. He essentially bridges the gap between the costume and props department and the special effects team.

Robbie and Purah: IT

This insane duo are known as "the basement dwellers" or "the witches" to most of the team. They're technically on payroll, but rarely seen. Purah is something like the last resort when Groose & Co. can't figure stuff out, and Robbie is her somewhat reluctant assistant. They emerge on occasion with all sorts of crazy ideas and items, and are some of Legend and Wild's favorite people in the crew because they never fail to provide the prop master and prop breaker with cool new toys.

Wild: Actor and Stuntman

Where Sky is their swordsman and Legend their acrobat, Wild is the guy who will pull all the stunts the others won't. He's still in uni at the moment, but his acting skills are to die for, as he can manage the stoic and dashing hero or the playful jester types with equal skill and believablity. He is, however, a risk to props and costumes in general, so he and and the prop/costume team don't always get along well and they're often dubious about letting him take key roles with key costumes/props as a result.

Linkle: Effects

Four and Flora officially work special effects, but occasionally call in Warriors' twin sister for some specialty stuff. No one knows what she does normally (except Warriors) and they're all a bit too scared to ask

Dawn: Secretary

Lullaby's a busy woman, so she hired Dawn to help her with some of the office work. Generally speaking, Dawn stays in the office and her only contact with the cast and crew is to handle complaints and any official work. She is, however, fantastically talented on the piano, something Lullaby and Time both encourage her to pursue. She plays the grande they have in house on her breaks, and occasionally in shows. She croaks like a frog when she sings though, end even Malon can't seem to help her with that.

Aurora: Front of House

Aurora works the ticket collections and generally minds front of house. Her warmth and eccentric attitude help add to the magic of the opera house and enchant the guests.

Dot: Think Tank

While a capable actress when called on, Dot's skill lies with the pen, and while the opera tends to preform classics as their main attractions, Dot does see that they have an abundance of new content for their smaller shows. She also acts as the outreach to the community to open the opera house to the public for use in community events. She and Dawn work pretty closely.

Dei: Trainer

Time's mentor after Fi, he's a bit of a hard ass and tends not to get involved in his protege's work. He is, however, currently training Warriors, so he is around from time to time to help the diva with his work. Time and he remain somewhat cordial, but there is some tension there, although not as bad as with Fi.

And while I know people are counting through and going "what about Tetra?", I am going to point out that Tetra wouldn't be caught dead working in the opera. She comes to support (and heckle) anything Wind is in, but generally stays out of the building otherwise, at least while the cast and crew are actually there.

And that covers it! At least for the time being.

If y'all have any further questions or thoughts, or character I may have missed, feel free to share them!

[golden-redhead]

Incoherent, messy and out of order first spoilery thoughts on TUA season 3, let’s go!

Viktor’s transition was incorporated rather nicely in the show and it led to some really wholesome sibling moments that I will cherish forever

the actor playing Reggie is a delight and while the character is extremely unlikable, I love seeing him on screen. it really is a testament to how good the TUA casting is

I expected to dislike the whole Stan thing, but I actually found myself enjoying it? I think the humor and delivery of some of the lines was amazing and made it work even if I am not a huge fan of what became of Diego in the last 2 seasons

Lila and Five’s dynamic absolutely SLAYS! idk, they are such a pleasure to watch, all this easy banter and everything, I just find their whole chemistry very satisfying and it shows both in the show and in the interviews that the actors truly get these characters, what they’ve been through and how it affected this relationship in particular. honestly, some amazing performances from both of them

overall, I feel like the performances in general were what made this season actually good to watch. I have a lot of complaints about some of the lines, subplots and plot points in general, but I can’t deny that I simply love these characters and the way they are portrayed by the actors and even though I can’t say I’m happy with everything that happened, it was still a lot of fun to watch. again, casting of this show is absolutely unmatched!

I really wish some inconsistencies in Allison’s reasoning were fixed and I still don’t know how to feel about THAT scene with Luther... I mostly can’t believe that it not only made it into the season, but - more importantly - that it isn’t addressed later on... at all. it’s one thing to portray dysfunctional and grieving characters doing shitty and questionable things, it’s another to frame it... well, the way they did it this season. 

that said, I enjoyed Allison’s arc a lot and Emmy Raver-Lampman is an amazing actress who was horribly underutilized until now, so I’m happy to see her have more defined role this season.

there’s something really interesting about the theme of losing one’s family in a show that’s so focused on family in general. I mean, usually when you grow up you begin making your own family unit with your spouse and children, so it’s interesting to see how Allison is torn between her obligation to her siblings, the family she didn’t choose, and the family she created as an adult. I know that we are more inclined to root for her relationship with other Umbrellas because they are the focus of the show, but it does make absolute sense for her to try to bring back the family she made for herself

I liked Klaus so much more this season and his scenes, especially those with other siblings, were really great! him bonding with Five was everything I wanted and didn’t even know. and it’s nice to finally tap into his issues with his powers instead of having him escape from them

Five being the Commission founder... I said in another post that I totally saw him being tied to the Commission’s existence in a more meaningful way coming because of how his powers operate in the same way the briefcases do, but I did not see THAT coming

on one hand, Sloane and Luther are a great example of insta love and everything wrong with it. on the other, though, it gave us some fun subplots and dynamics and if there’s one character that deserved to find peace and normalcy - it was Luther. I honestly need more time to form an opinion on it. 

RIP Marcus and his potential, I guess...

Fei deserved better

Allison and Viktor’s fight in episode 7 was amazing, the tension was really palatable and dang, THIS is how you write characters fighting! the actual VENOM in Allison’s voice, just... such a great scene, I was so impressed with the acting 

the amount of sudden deaths and betrayals was absolutely INSANE, the reviewers did not lie about that, holy shit

that moment when Five steps on his star, in the middle of the circle, connecting all of them? I don’t know what is it about that scene, but holy fuck, CHILLS

I might add more later once I collect my thoughts more, for now I’m a rambling, absolutely incoherent mess of emotions.

[triflesandparsnips]

I'm not seeing enough deep-dive nonsense about the new Good Omens season 2 poster drop on my dash, and by god that means I must be the one to deliver it.

For those who haven't seen it yet, behold:

...there's a lot in here to go a wee bit feral over, if one was so inclined, and lord knows I love an inclination.

The Obvious Stuff

1. There Was Only One Bed Chair

This is the bulk of the commentary I've seen, and tbh, it's pretty great. "I am bored/busy and ignoring you but also what is personal space, never heard of her, we will not be taking questions at this time."

Notably, however, this is the second time we've seen them back to back-- the majority of the poster art we saw for the first season had them side by side. In both cases they're in a position to face some third thing together-- the difference, perhaps, is that side by side might imply equality of situation, while back to back implies implicit trust that the other won't stab you there.

2. The bookshop

Aw, look at them. Look at it. What a glorious little mess. This is them in London. Arizaphale looks pleased with the situation; Crowley looks bored af but he's also squished up on that one dang chair, so there's a "cat sitting next to you because parallel play and mirroring are the Best Interactions" feel to it.

3. Tea and wine

Arizaphale's got a teacup, Crowley's got a wine glass, this is very Them and indicative of their Vibes. Tbh, I think this is just a nice bit of design work, but it's worth calling out.

4. The outside street

The shop across the way is using a Gothic and reads "GIVE ME" before being cut off. No clue what it means, but it probably means something.

5. The tagline

The previous tagline we got was "Something's going down in the Up" (with that grey feather falling between their black and white wings)-- this tagline reads "Everyday it's a-getting closer."

Easiest interpretation is, oho, we're getting closer to the second season, and gosh there will be some Plot in it. And sure, yes, it works for that too, huzzah. But leaving aside the "it" and what that may mean-- "a-getting" is a fascinating word choice. It evokes similar constructions like, say, the somewhat obscure "Sumer is icumen in" (a song about the changing of the seasons and also encouraging a cuckoo to go lay some eggs in other birds nests if u no wat im sayin eyyyyy)-- and the significantly less obscure protest song "The Times They Are A-Changin'", whose ending stanza is:

The line it is drawn

The curse it is cast

The slow one now

Will later be fast

As the present now

Will later be past

The order is rapidly fadin'

And the first one now

Will later be last

For the times they are a-changin'

Gosh.

Now the Real Fun Starts

This poster is a composite image (as so many ads are), composed of different bits and pieces to form a whole impression -- based on fun stuff like relative pixelation and whatnot, you can often tell what portions of an image were there to start with, and what were specifically added in after the fact. How packed this poster is in tiny details -- which is exactly where I would hide fun hints to things -- is generally a cue for me to take a closer look, and I have been, I think, rewarded.

1. The books with legible titles

Zoom in on Aziraphale's book-- he's reading Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities. The "two cities" in play are Paris and London, and the book is set before and during the French Revolution.

It's the story of a man who had been previously imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 years, and then was released to go live with his daughter -- who he has never met, what with the whole "imprisoned" thing -- in London.

The opening paragraph is:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

The pile of books in the foreground have two visible titles: the topmost one is Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (a "novel of manners" that's considered a heavy-hitting romantic classic, and also yes the leads are both prideful and prejudiced and it takes an entire book for them to clear that up) and Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island (a young adult coming-of-age adventure story about a kid who finds himself on an adventure with a bunch of pirates to discover buried treasure).

Of note: A Tale of Two Cities, Pride and Prejudice, and Treasure Island also all have note tabs sticking out of them, and are the only books that have them. This is reminiscent of how Arizaphale studied and referenced Agnes Nutter's prophecies.

Some of the books beneath the window technically have titles, but they appear to be about as pixelated as the rest of that section, and so I suspect they're just part of the scenery.

Similarly, most of the books on the background shelves are like that as well, except:

Joseph Heller's Catch-22 (A satirical novel set in World War II; Wikipedia briefly explains that "the novel examines the absurdity of war and military life through the experiences of Yossarian and his cohorts, who attempt to maintain their sanity while fulfilling their service requirements so that they may return home." The book also coined the phrase "catch-22," which is a situation someone can't escape because of paradoxical rules-- in the case of the book, you can't ask to be evaluated for insanity so that you can be exempt from flying dangerous missions, because "anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn't really crazy.")

Iain Banks's The Crow Road (and a first edition, perhaps? I haven't read it, but apparently it's a Scottish family drama about a perfect murder against the backdrop of the 1990s Gulf War. Its opening line is "It was the day my grandmother exploded." The phrase "the crow road" is a euphemism, in the book, for death.)

Joseph Conrad's Lord Jim (Sparknotes says it's "the story of a man named Marlow's struggle to tell and to understand the life story of a man named Jim" -- a young man who goes to sea, makes a terrible and cowardly decision while following his leaders, and then spends the rest of his life haunted by it.)

There's at least one extra, partially obscured title:

It appears to read "THE BODY ------ and ------", which makes me wonder if it's an anthology of murder mystery short stories.

Leaving aside the uncertain book, commonalities between many of these books include:

soldiers, war, and the horrors/absurdities thereof

doubles and parallels

death and murder

a young/inexperienced protagonist thrown in with more experienced/weirder folk

fragmented and out of order narratives, sometimes having to be pieced together from multiple viewpoints

...pirates

2. The strange but noticeable inserts

There are several images that have been inserted into the poster that -- unlike the teacup and wine glass mentioned above -- don't seem to make a lot of contextual sense and are therefore, perhaps, extra information. These include:

a. the three lizard boys

b. the broken smartphone

c. the matchbox with the quote on the side

d. the camera

e. this statuette that seems suspicious

f. this record and scroll that seem out of place

g. the clockface with the missing hand (which may be just for the Aesthetic, but whatever, I'm including it)

What do they mean? No clue. I suspect it will become apparent as we get trailers and/or the actual show.

In Conclusion

Uh.

Look. Design teams can do all sorts of things for all sorts of reasons. All of this could mean absolutely nothing.

But.

Using my magical powers of bullshit deduction, I might look at all this, and that grey feather falling from the earlier poster, and say... well... the war's still ongoing, yeah? So maybe... maybe there needs to be a new angel keeping an eye on things on Earth. Or an eye specifically on Aziraphale and Crowley.

And that would look SUSPICIOUS, right? So this is an angel who's maybe... a little bit Fallen. For the sake of the Mission. Like, they've agreed to sin just a lil bit, just enough to justify being thrown out of Heaven, and they're not actively in Hell because they're, oh, just stopping off, or maybe just going really slowly, or maybe they were sent back up from Hell because they were still "too good" and all that Pureness of Spirit was stinking up the place--

Whatever. Point is, they're on Earth, they're very confused, it sure would be nice if these very Established metaphysical elders could give them a few hints about how to get on. We'd then get to enjoy a Guide to Living a Totally Normal Human Life given by these two disaster dorks, plus whatever nonsense is derived from, idk, various extraneous plot shenanigans, probably involving a Murder and maybe a MacGuffin Maltese Falcon.

And most importantly: this new angel? Wow no they couldn't possibly be a spy because again WOW, what kind of angel would deliberately Fall? Wouldn't that require doing the wrong thing to do a right thing? ...okay maybe, but can it really be wrong if it was done by command? ...well, wait, it surely must be wrong because otherwise the mechanism wouldn't have worked-- but then, wait, which thing was the wrong thing--

And Aziraphale and Crowley would watch this bouncing volley of cognitive dissonance with great interest, also possibly while holding hands.

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "Legends of the Lasat"

Kevin Kiner please take all my money forever.

Right, attempt two at this. Seriously Tumblr what is the point of having an auto-save feature for posts if it doesn't actually save a decent previous version of the post?

Also WHY THE HELL DID CNTRL+Z DELETE BASICALLY THE WHOLE DAMN POST?!

Anyway.

I'm glad we got to visit this moon space base location again, I think it's such an interesting design.

Another tightly-written opening dialogue exposition scene here, in a few short sentences we learn what they Spectres are here for and why, and that the mission is urgent.

Lol Ezra being evasive about Hondo being his contact. I do wonder how exactly Hondo got that transmitter to Ezra. Did they reconnect sometime offscreen? Did Ezra swipe it during "Brothers of the Broken Horn"? Did Hondo surreptitiously leave it in Ezra's pocket?

However it happened, it's adorable that this once-ruthless bloodthirsty greedy pirate basically decided, "I MUST BEFRIEND THE BABY JEDI, HE'S MY FRIEND NOW I CLAIM HIM."

The camerawork in this scene is phenomenal. This first shot that tracks the Spectres and then dollies just around the corner, as if we are also peeking around it with the characters? This fast almost 270 rotating pan across the Spectres as they make short work of the troopers? Stellar.

(You can also tell they had budget to spare for this episode because the Imperial officer has a face. Lol.)

Love it when they let Ezra be casually awesome.

Hera sounds so aggrieved that Hondo is Ezra's contact lol.

And here we get the reveal, Zeb was captain of the High Honor Guard of Lasan. A bit later in the episode we learn this consists of being a bodyguard protector of the royal family specifically and all citizens of Lasan in general. Sooooo yeah, quite a bit of heavy personal guilt for Zeb here, feeling like he, specifically, personally, failed his entire world. Ouch.

"Hondo could use a little help." <3

Zeb's expressions this scene are painful. :(

Hondo being so dang fond of Ezra aww.

Though not so fond that he doesn't immediately screw everyone over, greedy bastard.

I saw Zeb rolling his eyes there, animators.

So Zeb's interactions with Chava and Grond are very much a Spiritualist vs Skeptic plot, with the expected tragic personal reason for the skeptic's doubt and disbelief. It's also heavily implied that the loss of Lasan, that trauma, made Zeb regress in maturity, made him snippier and more petulant and churlish. As Ezra says later Zeb does act "like a child", so perhaps his being cast as the Child archetype in the Prophecy of the Three was not so off base lol.

Ezra has such cute smiles this episode. <3

LOL Hondo's chipper little "Hello!" at the Stormtroopers.

"Well. This must look... incriminating." This man is a delight in every scene.

I mentioned the camerawork right? This is another nice shot here, this pan down from the cockpit to the nose gun turret to meet Zeb.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: The smoke coming from the chimney top of the station.

...Is this Stormtrooper also voiced by David Oyelowo?

Ezra immediately noticing Zeb's scoffing like the empath he is. <3

Love love love seeing the unique cultural way that Lasat interact with the Force, the "Ashla" as they call it, mixed ritual and magitek, prophecies that revolve around certain narrative archetypes and symbolic figures. It's just so cool.

I haven't been talking much about the music yet (oh but believe me we will have much to say on that) but this cue here starts easing just slightly into the mysticism of the Lasat ritual. It's almost Stravinsky-esque in nature, carefully stepping flutes and clarinets, discordant strings. We incorporate just a very soft snippet of the Force theme.

Zeb auto-assuming Ezra is the child.

Lol Hondo putting his arm around that one Stormtrooper's shoulder.

He's so cute asjkhfkajsh. Look at him. He's all like, "Please Dad, can I chant with the weird purple people too?"

HE LOOKS SO FOND AND PROUD AWW.

The score takes a bit of an exotic turn, a mellow arabic flute and possibly a sitar adding to the texture of the melody.

The lighting in this scene egads.

I love this scene I love it so much. Ezra acting as counselor, with his mere presence and curiosity getting Zeb to open up about his past and fears and insecurities. There's so much hurt in Zeb's slumped posture, guilt and grief compete for space in his voice, and I don't think we see him this distraught again until after Kanan's death.

But with Ezra's encouragement, he pulls himself together.

Once again showing off the cool magitek with Chava's staff and Zeb's bo-rifle here and I just love the concept, I love the whole aesthetic of hearing whispers of destiny through the Ashla and then channeling the energy of the universe through arcane, almost magical technology to navigate the stars, like some kind of arcane mariners. And we all thought the bo-rifle was just some kind of standard ordinary weapon, SURPRISE, it's also an ancient Force-magic navicomputer.

And oh wow the parallels with the purrgil next episode and the Chiss sky-walkers in the Thrawn novels.

This is soooooo pretty. The animation here is gorgeous.

After the commercial cut we're in hyperspace and the Ghost is making an almost blind jump out into Wild Space. Hera doesn't seem terribly worried. (Behind the scenes material says she apparently does this all the time.) But the ship's safety protocols flip out when they sense the imploded star cluster and Hera quickly drops them into realspace and one of the most gorgeous moments of the series.

HNNNNNNGHGHHHHH.

This whole sequence is stunning. Some of the best animation of the show, accompanied by one of the best tracks in the score, the star cluster looking like a watercolor spectacle.

And the Stravinsky influenced instrumentation brings the strings front and center; a haunting choir whispers in the background.

Kanan putting one hand on the back of Hera's chair and the other on her shoulder, aww.

Just tell me you wouldn't want this as a wall painting. <3

Chava gives some inspiring words about not pidegonholing oneself into a single role in their prophecy and this motivates Zeb to find a well of inner courage and open himself up to the will of the Ashla.

What I wouldn't give for more on ancient Lasan tech, how their ships must have been designed to integrate with the bo-rifle staffs. It functions as pilot and navigator and also apparently encases the Ghost with a protective shield that keeps it from being crushed by the gravity.

Let that sink in a moment, the staff, when channeling the Force, can literally bend gravity around the ship.

AND AS "JOURNEY INTO THE STAR CLUSTER" WRAPS US IN A VIOLIN SOLO THAT EVOKES MYSTERY AND MYSTICISM KANAN AND EZRA SENSE THEIR HELP IS NEEDED AND CALMLY PLACE HANDS ON ZEB, LIKE THE LAYING OF HANDS DURING CORPORATE PRAYER, AND CHANNEL THE FORCE THROUGH THEM INTO ZEB, WHO LETS IT FLOW THROUGH HIM THROUGH THE RIFLE TO GIVE HIM THE CLARITY OF VISION TO SEE THE WAY THROUGH.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: The sparks that pop from a wall panel on the cruiser as Kallus attempts to have it follow the Ghost.

THE CHOIR COMES IN FULL BLAST.

AND ZEB CLOSES HIS EYES IN FAITH AS THE LIGHT TURNS BLINDING.

Whew! And what a rush! The absolute quiet in the score right afterwards gives us a moment to inhale and catch our breath.

Chopper of course chooses to be a pest, releasing the tension.

Lira San being the ancient lost homeworld of the Lasat fits right in with the whole arcane vibe of their culture, like they were connected to a place and people that time forgot.

And tada, we leave with a character arc complete, a new hyperspace route plotted and everything bathed in an aura of serenity.

This episode is one of the best of Season Two, if not the whole series. Everything comes together beautifully in the third act and the story has a feel of both spiritual transformation and wonder. I've already gushed about how interesting and unique the Lasat culture is, how it's presented as a mix of mysticism and technology, with prophecies and wise women, royal families and warriors, and navigators that explored the stars, guided by the Ashla.

Zeb gets more character growth in one episode than some characters get in a season, and he's largely "finished" after this, his issues with his past resolved. (Which isn't to say I wouldn't have loved more character focus on him, just that this is so phenomenal.) His heart-to-heart with Ezra is touching and illustrates just how close they've grown.

And did I mention this episode was pretty? This episode is super pretty and the music is straight fire.

10/10 no complaints. Would give Kiner my money again.