Oumota: tarot reading edition! I had this idea during Oumota Week and just got around to finishing it now 😔. At first I thought about giving Sun to Kaito and Moon to Kokichi (a la Reversed Sun by grayimperia), but I think it works better to have them both in each card, to highlight the parallels. (If you want more explanation of my design thoughts, I'll put it under a cut at the end.)
General tarot meanings:
The Sun: happiness, confidence, success, optimism, innocence/childhood, inspiring others, internal motivation, truth
The Star: hope, regaining inspiration, renewal, healing, moving on, new purpose, calm after the storm
(Reversed Star: despair, lack of faith, pessimism, boredom, anxiety, being overwhelmed by past problems)
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I feel like while Kaito is naturally more Sun coded and Kokichi more Moon coded, they have some qualities of both cards. And Star vs Reversed Star is so temping to bring in for DR.
I was thinking of it as a past, present, future kind of reading, but also maybe situation, action, outcome. Starting out with high self confidence and some childish black and white thinking. (Maybe a little over confident and childish to the point of egotism and inflexibility, shades of reversed sun...). Covering for insecurities by projecting a fake persona to everyone around, doubling down on the lies and self-deception a la chapter 5. Finally, either coming through everything stronger, with renewed hope, or else crashing and burning, overwhelmed by unacknowledged issues that have built up.
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As for the specific imagery...
Sun: I stuck pretty close to the traditional imagery here. The flag/banner has their respective prints on it, and I put Kaito on Mars while Kokichi remains on Earth. It's also sundown or sunset for Kokichi; is he moving towards the Moon or away? The horse is obv. very chess piece inspired. Kokichi gets his King Horse a la the mask on his bed, and I gave Kaito a pegasus because flying.
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Moon: Moving a little bit away from traditional imagery as more of the canon situation seeps in, but still pretty close. The moon floats "outside" the cage, wearing their respective false faces. (We know from the ending that the skyline on those glass panels isn't real...) They both have an Exisal in the background in place of one of the towers, but Kaito has a bamboo grove a la Princess Kaguya; Kaguya came from the moon and she will go back, no matter how much people on Earth love her. Kokichi has one of the racks that sits beside shrines where you're supposed to tie bad/unlucky omikuji (paper fortunes) so that the bad luck doesn't follow you; living in purposeful denial of bad things, but they lurk there on the horizon.
They both still have at least one dog/wolf, but I gave Kokichi a fox because of their association with being tricksters. Also, wolves and foxes, as predators, are framed as villains in stories, but at the same time it's also not uncommon to see them as heroes (stereotype of predator/hunter vs stereotype of bravery/nobility and cleverness). Also, contrast of fox and hound, like the clash of Kokichi presenting himself as childish + annoying vs a genuine threat. Kaito has the dog, monkey, and pheasant that accompanied Momotaro, continuing his fairytale theme.
Everyone seems to argue over what the crawfish means in the original, but I went with the interpretation of moving from water to land, evolution, things coming to the surface. So, Kaito has a koi. I think most people know about the "koi climbs a waterfall and becomes a dragon" thing because of Magikarp, but here it is again just in case! Kaito's got an aquatic creature struggling against its nature in hopes of someday actually transforming into something grander. Kokichi has a poison dart frog. Already amphibious, so it can go between water and land freely, but visibly harmful to anyone who tries to get close.
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Star: The least traditional imagery and the most V3 canon imagery. There's still a tree, but it's a pine tree. ...I dunno, no explanation for that, it just looked nice 🤷♀️The two jugs are replaced with the poison and antidote bottles. Originally, they're supposed to represent the conscious and subconscious and pour in two different places, but here they're mixing together directly. V3 resolves the "truth vs lies" theme by arguing you have to accept ambiguity. Also, Kaito and Kokichi's whole plan rests on them managing to work together to obscure exactly who is in the Exisal in the end.
There's a figure in the foreground in Kaito's jacket, but they're just a silhouette (a la the culprit); it's not either of them, it's both, and they're reaching beyond the bounds of the game. The star in the sky is ringed by the trial podiums, since all of their hope for the future rests in derailing the next trial. Can they win? Well, Shuichi and Kiibo are at the top, the two people they (or at least Kokichi...) know can be problems, but Tsumugi is specifically blocked from view, always overlooked...
So, I've noticed that the Stellaron Hunters are basically a darker, murdery, and morally grey parallel version of the more heroic Astral Express, with every member mirroring another from the other group. Two sides of the same coin, if you will. First thing I'd like to point out, both factions don't really follow any current aeon. They "follow" (very loose term here) the missing-in action Akivili and the "Destiny" that Elio forsees. Both factions also are deeply involved with Stellarons(we encounter a stellaron on every planet, the Stellaron Hunters hunt them. Obviously) Here's some similarities I've thought of between the members and some theories based off each other: !!SPOILERS AHEAD!!
Dan Heng and Blade:
Both from Xianzhou,
Immortal in some way(Blade's self-regenerating and Dan Heng's reincarnations)
Same gender
Dan heng's five star form enhances his basic attack, like Blade, who I BET was ALSO a four star before the mara and Jing Liu incident
Similar age? Don't really know exact timeline between them
Both feature flowers in their gameplay(lotus flowers and spider lilies)
Himeko and Kafka:
Both intelligent women
The pseudo-moms of their faction.
I might be pulling out of my ass here, but I'd like to point out that both of them use both a ranged weapon(Himeko's laser and Kafka's gun) and also a melee weapon(Kafka's katana and Himeko's grator).
Since they are each others parallel, I'd like to make the assumption that since Himeko was the first one to join the Astral Express, that Kafka was the first one to join Elio. It just fits with the known info we have and clears up any ambiguity, but you don't have to strictly adhere by it lol.
Pom Pom and Elio
"Animals" yeah right
The being who leads their group in the direction wanted(conducter, scriptwriter, best destiny, best path to blaze)
You assume they are the cute mascot at first, but then there is something...exceptional about them, that you can't quite pin down.
Both are sentient and can presumably talk(Elio might just write to communicate, how would that work though? Toe beans? Meow to text? Lmao)
Wait....with synestheia beacons that's actually very possible. Oh god
March 7th and Silver Wolf(HEAR ME OUT)
The trendy, youthful girl of the group
....Use of technology?
yeah i got nothing BUTBUTBUT
March 7th's mysterious pasttttt. Like, the similarities between Danheng and Blade weren't revealed until his five star form was revealed and I'm making the theory that when March 7th's mysterious past is revealed, the similarities between her and Silver Wolf will appear!!!!
So Silver Wolf is from Punklord, is extremely accomplished and powerful, chaotic neutral with a sense of wanderlust. I don't know much about her(don't have her character/character story) so I can't say much more, but what I do know seems pretty plausible for March's former self.
It supports my theory that March 7th's five star form will be Nihility. Imbibiter Lunae was Destruction, like Blade. The memokeeper in March's quest said her past would "only bring her pain". How nihilistic is that? Either way, I'm definitely pulling xD
Stelle/Caleus and Firefly/Sam(the best for last ;)
So this is the one that really cemented this theory into my mind. So far, you might have noticed that every member's mirror image is the same gender(with the exception of Catlio and PomPom, I'll talk about it in the comments). But Trailblazer has TWO genders/personas. You know who ALSO has two genders/personas?FIREFLY/SAMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some theory and more similarities between them
They both are the explosive power powerhouse of their group(Stellaron and Sam's firepower)
Both pretty smart(dubious) and funny(hilarious, the both of them)
They both eat questionable things...Trailblazer's trash consumables and Firefly's woodchip Oak Cake(seriously, read the description, do they have iron stomachs or something??)
...So they might have iron stomachs.
Both were presumably artificially made. We know Firefly/Sam is(born to fight in a war) and the Trailblazer is a vessel of a Stellaron. There has to be some funky, wonky, genetic/biological makeup for that.
Welt Yang and no one lmao
Lonely ass old man, no ship?(making the no bitches face)
Anyway, I presume he doesn't have any parallel bc he's from another universe. I don't know much cause I haven't played Honkai Impact. Something about a comic and "herscherr"? Idrk but. I suppose Luocha could join the Stellaron Hunters. That would be crazy as hell and if it happens I CALLED IT, but it probably won't. Probably.
There is also the theory Sunday joined the Stellaron Hunters. It's honestly really interesting and if that's true.....Welt Yang and Sunday don't have any similarities so that's tossed out the window. So, that only leaves the possibilty that we will have a mirrored someone of Sunday joining the Astral Express in the future. That would be INSANE but fun as hell like, can you imagine?
On another, slightly less speculative note, I'd like to point out that the five stars of the Astral Express have the same paths as the Stellaron Hunters. DHIL and Blade, are both Destruction. The Trailblazer started off as Destruction and Firefly/Sam is Destruction. As I theorized above, March 7th's five star form is likely Nihility, just like Silver Wolf. Except for Himeko and Kafka. Hmmmm
It is also my theory that Kafka was supposed to be Erudition, like Himeko, but the Stellaron Disaster on her homeplanet altered her path to Nihility. We know how smart Kafka is and we've seen paths change, Dan Heng changed to Hunt after doing away his vidyadhara features, and we have switched paths multiple times now. But we know we and Dan Heng can switch between paths anytime. I think Kafka's case is different, in that she can't switch and the Stellaron permanently altered her, removing her fear and switching her Path.
So this concludes my rant, are you convinced yet ;)? It's really interesting that the two factions mirror each other so deeply. I am getting the message that, whatever our fates are, they are deeply intertwined.
Thanks a bunch for reading this far and please, let me know what you think! May the Trailblaze be with you....or something lol
Edit: AAAAAA, Firefly's pool cutscene!!! She said, and I quote "The Astral Express and the Stellaron Hunters are like light and shadow. We walk on different paths, intertwined, moving forward and growing together...Maybe the end is predestined, but, it is not today."
Idgaf, I'm taking this as confirmation!! My theories are becoming true!!!!! *high pitched squealing* Show me more, Honkai Star Rail!!!!
Random thought: Silver Wolf's virtual companions seem to loosely correspond to the other Stellaron Hunters (+ a bonus)
Warning: Long post
For those not in the know, SW's weapon holds an A.I of her creation, which she calls Prometheus (hmmm). Prometheus comes with five modules -the chibis pointed out above- each of which has its own special name: Friend, Demon Lord, Whitecollar, Servant, and Preschool Classmate.
I'm unsure if they all look and act the same as they did upon creation, so the theory here is that she based or modified them using her colleagues as inspiration after joining the Hunters. Now, here are the parallels I think make the most sense:
1) Friend -> Kafka. Most of SW's appearances are on joint missions with Kafka specifically, and that -along with the banter they exchange all the time- leads me to assume she's the closest colleague to our tiny hacker. Friend is also the first and currently only companion that actually talks to us ingame and outside of the game (she shows up in one of SW's lines and in her Keeping Up With Star Rail video), and who was the first Hunter we encountered in the story?
Yeah.
2) Demon Lord -> Ren. According to SW's second character story, the companion is inspired by a poster she saw one time, and she based it off the idea of a veteran who lost the ability to speak. Ren isn't perpetually silent, of course, but he's a man of very few words, and is strongly associated with demon imagery as well (that one vidyadhara elegy, the kit icons, the clothing design, etc.). I also think Demon Lord is the chibi on the top left with the sword, right next to Friend, and what would you know- there's only one Hunter we know whose signature weapon is a sword!
(That and he's also seen a lot alongside Kafka. Neat.)
3) Whitecollar -> Sam. Admittedly there's pretty much nothing to go on in regards to Sam, and that makes him a weak link in this theory, so I hope for some future crumbs that can clarify things. All we know about him so far is that he's a more straightforward and efficient sort of guy who doesn't fool around on the job- if SW's express visit line is anything to go by. That makes for a veeeery threadbare argument that he'd make a good whitecollar with these qualities, but honestly they apply to any job, and Sam obviously doesn't sit around in an office all day...
4) Servant -> Elio. This is a pretty simple one: Elio is literally called Destiny's Slave. If that's not Servant, then who is? More crumbs are always welcome to give further proof or contradict this assumption, but for now it seems pretty reasonable to me.
Bonus:
5) Preschool Classmate -> Trailblazer. This one is the most interesting to me because, here's a fun fact: Preschool Classmate was actually deleted soon after its creation. This parallels the Trailblazer being left behind to join the Express and set the script in motion, in a way, and might explain SW leaving alongside Kafka without talking to them at all. But then this raises the question of why she personally visits them at the express, and why she became their gamer buddy.... hmmmmmm.....
Overall, I think this is a pretty nice design element, and while my theory has little substance to go on, I think it would be better if this wasn't a mere coincidence. If anyone has anything more to share on the topic, then by all means, go ahead! I love hearing about small tidbits and trivia and fuel for the found family agenda!
Hey radical spicy hot take but Trapdoor is 100% a ruby song. And. Trapdoor is 100% a oscar song. They are a mirror to each other. They are put on the same pedestal. They bear the same weight. They occupy the same space, simultaneously, impossibly. Do you see my vision?
anono... how does it feel to have such a big brain. all songs are rg songs if you try hard enough. 😤
Yes, Trapdoor is first and foremost a Ruby song, but her and Oscar are 100% mirrors living such similar character arcs. I could talk about all those parallels in a post all their own (one day), but for now a really good example is actually comparing Trapdoor to Sky is Falling (thank you @greenteaandtattoos for pointing it out first).
I'm gonna ramble a bit
Trapdoor is a song about the weight Ruby has been carrying. How she has tried so hard and how it's seemingly done more harm than good. It talks about how she doesn't feel seen or heard or needed, let alone wanted. How she's losing herself. How she feels like a trapdoor, part of the floorboards being walked on and unnoticeable. How one more step is all it might take for her to break and fall further into the depths below. And simultaneously like a trap that will lead all her friends to ruin.
And Sky is Falling (in my opinion) is a song about the weight Oscar has been carrying. How he's struggling with moving forward in light of everything he's been through and everything they've lost. The song itself is cited as referencing the original Henny Penny (aka Chicken Little) fairytale since it's a story that uses the song's title as a cry wolf for fearing the end of the world. But that feels a bit like a red herring to me. Or at least not like the whole picture.
The original myth of Atlas and the weight of the world isn't actually about the god holding the world on his shoulders. It's about him holding up the sky. So whether you read it as Oscar struggling with what to do given Atlas is falling... or struggling with how to move after Ruby falls, (Ruby, who was holding Atlas on her shoulders. So when she fell, so to did the city in the sky) is up to interpretation.
Some examples of how the songs mirror each other a bit tho:
Trapdoor
Though I try to keep the hope alive
Sky is Falling
Lost all my hopes and dreams
Trapdoor
Watch it all
Unfold
As I
Cascade below
Frozen
In the darkest moment
I can't bear the weight I hold
Sky is Falling
Starin' at the casket, hopin' to move past it
Knowin' things will never be the same, and that's it
Cold soaked as I'm standin' in rain
Feelin' nothin' but pain until I see you again
Both of them struggling to hold onto hope. Both of them struggling with the cold of grief. The water imagery in "cascading" and "rain". The feeling of drowning. How to keep moving in the face of it all.
Also just on the topic of them being mirrors, it's interesting how many of these songs can so easily link back together. Trust Love's "open up your eyes" to Sky is Falling's "cover up your eyes". Then Sky is Falling's direct parallel, Touch the Sky.
In my opinion, this song talks about both of them. The first verse is very Oscar "Little Prince" Pine, but especially this part:
I'm soarin' like I never have before
Flying self-assured and free
And I somehow feel I finally feel like me
I looked in the mirror and I gotta say
It's been a long, long time since I felt this way
Right now, I'm just a bit surprised
'Cause I feel just fine and I might just touch the sky
And then directly towards Ruby's ascension in the second verse:
Open doors and so much hope in front of me
Full of confidence, every challenge crushed
My heart's electric, racing endlessly
Feeling like the stars have all aligned
Illuminate the darkness that was blinding me
Now I'm positive that it's my time to shineI will explode, you'll see me rise
You may not even recognize
I just can't wait for this reveal
But also... very strong argument can be made that both verses apply to both of them. Finally feeling like themselves, the people they've wanted to be, the ones they're meant to be. These kids and their identity issues...
But especially cause, um, Ruby isn't the only one that explodes.
So to summarize, Oscar looked in the mirror - not the mirror that showed Oz's reflection, but the mirror he sees in Ruby - and he became more like himself. Influenced by the hope she inspires.
And Ruby, like Alice, fell through the looking glass. But in the Ever After the only Oscar that was there to stare back at her wasn't a reflection of hope, it was was one of fear.
So she had no choice but to fall further and looked inward. Until she found the hope that was always inside her. The hope Oscar always knew was there because he sees her.
And the fact that Ruby's hope, her motivation, has always been "the people she hasn't lost yet". And how Oscar is the only living companion Neo 'kills' to hurt her. I'm getting so off track here but...
The Parallels. It's CINEMA.
They make me UNWELL.
Edit: I ended up just talking a bit about how they're mirrors through song and not so much Trapdoor from an Oscar lens. It is so strongly a Ruby song to me that it's hard to apply to him, even if it does fit him in some ways as well. All alone in crowded rooms and all that.
feel free to give your opinions and ask questions!
-> CURRENT PROJECT: summer go loco
𝐎𝐍𝐄-𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐒.
title: the case of the missing boyfriends
pairing: poly!stray kids x gn!reader
Last time, your cookies were missing. Now six of your boyfriends are. Or would it be more accurate to say that they are hostages to evil clowns? Or not? What is the truth?
genre: mistery
warnings: mentions of kidnapping, anxiety, evil clowns, horror house
status: writing
progress: ▓▓▓░░░░░░░ 30%
a/n: takes place in "the case of the missing cookie" universe, but can be read as a stand alone.
Sometimes the stars are like genies. If you don't say exactly what you want, they interpret it freely. Do you wish for an exciting day? You got it! There's just going to be some big changes…
warnings: gender switch (fem!minho, fem!jeongin, fem!felix, fem!hyunjin), family drama
status: outlining
progress: ▓░░░░░░░░░ 10%
a/n: basically the boys turn into their skz family personas from that lil series because i NEED to write with auntie lina and hyunjin or else i'm going mad
𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒.
title: hybridz
pairing: hybrid! poly!stray kids x hybrid!reader
Desert fox hybrids believe that there is a road ahead for everyone. If they follow it, they will reach the oasis. But the path is not always straight. It's full of twists and turns, tempting obstacles that drop you into the sand. You have to wade through the branches, back on the right path, to get what you want.
Jisung wants to go unnoticed, to keep his secret in his desk drawer but his colleague finds it out.
You want independence, then an unexpected relationship to get over your unrequited feelings for Jeongin.
Jeongin agrees to accompany Seungmin to a predator therapy meeting and realizes what he really wants: you.
Seungmin wants to help Chan and find him a job where he will be treated properly despite being a wolf hybrid.
Chan doesn't want to be a wolf hybrid.
Minho wants Seungmin, but only in bed.
Changbin would prefer to hide the fact that he's a rabbit. Or to gain more confidence. Or both?
Hyunjin wants a super video series for his YouTube channel.
Felix doesn't want to be any less important than a video series.
It could also be, the foxes say, that by the time you reach the oasis, you realize you didn't get what you wanted, but what you really needed. As your paths cross at more and more points, this statement becomes more and more true.
a few tropes: meet-cutes, mutual pining, friends to lovers, fuckbuddies to lovers, strangers to lovers, enemies to friends to lovers, unrequited love, exes to lovers, fated mates (i am fate so i know it) ... and a lot more!
warnings: blackmail, trauma, panic attack, hybrid religion & lore, racism against predators, prejudices, emotional infidelity, many povs
status: outlining & writing
progress: ▓▓▓▓▓░░░░░ 50%
a/n: this story is in many ways a first for me. the first i've done for nanowrimo, the first to develop a diversified polyamory relationship, the first to exceed 50k words. it also contains my longest smut ever. although, as hybridz stands at the moment, i may even beat that :3
title: a melody of daggers and scales
pairing: pirate!san x merfolk! gn!reader
Mama Tulla finally declares you a mature savior. You can go out on the open sea to guide sailors and help castaways like the other golden finned mermaids, not just help wounded dolphins. And almost immediately, the opportunity falls right into your fin when a boat breaks up on a rock near the island right in front of you. You dive in to save them.
But taking them to the island is not enough. A hungry siren lurks nearby, and the island is small and uninhabitable. You want to protect the sailors somehow.
Especially the prettiest one, the one they call Captain San.
genre: fantasy, forbidden love, enemies to lovers
warnings: graphic descriptions of violence, minor character death, merfolk & siren lore
this isn't technically a fic per se, it's almost like a half-fic half-meta kind of deal - essentially it's an outline of what could be a fic if i had more time and patience. i did this for the first tos movie here and had a lot of fun doing it, and then i also did a small rewrite of "tholian web" here, and i had SO MUCH FUN DOING THEM but then i got side tracked and haven't done anymore. my plans for other episodes/stid are vaguely as follows:
the enemy within - loved this one conceptually but the crass rape jokes left a real sour taste in my mouth. i'd have less of that (or, if i had it, take it seriously) and more shenanigans where someone can't tell the two kirks apart because. they're both the real kirk!! that's the real point of the episode, right?
the conscience of the king - frankly, there was too much shakespeare here, even though it will always be my fav trek episode of all time. i also thought the lenore thing, while a great twist, could have been a little less "but kirk really secretly loved this woman 20 years younger than him!" and more "man this is crazy fucked up that is trying to honeypot this very young woman and surprise she is doing it back to him." more foreshadowing and drama, you know? the tos version wouldn't have to be gambler's knife but it could be something more than what it was considering the huge effect it had on fandom - i always kinda wished it had the vibes that obsession did.
the galileo seven - i thought this episode treated spock like he was kind of stupid. "why is my first command failing when i've been an asshole to everybody?" he has a human mother! he knows how emotions work! he is not stupid! i also thought there was a missed opportunity: they all talked about how callous it was for him to be picking a man to leave behind to lighten the ship, and he was so obviously going to choose himself, but it never went anywhere. let's do him more justice!
metamorphosis - let's chill with the horrific misogyny and have more fun with the accidental parallel kirk made in his really cool speech. like fuck it this is my edit let's just do spirk
mirror, mirror - this one is actually perfect as it is but i wish we'd had more time to se what the mirror kirk & co were doing in the prime universe.
journey to babel - this one is great but i don't think it takes either of spock's parents to task enough for him turning out like that. also, they tricked us into thinking amanda was the good cop in aos and then have her slap him in tos but then acted like that was just fine? girl, let's get into it
the paradise syndrome - i just want this episode without the heinous racism. please please please. easily easily EASILY my biggest trek disappointment ever
requiem for methuselah/the enterprise incident - these two go together as part of a more complex story based partially on the fact that they originally wanted kirk's breakdown in the latter episode to be a real result of the various um things that happened to him in season 3 and partially by the fact that requiem for methuselah WAS my november 5th and i am being completely serious. i didn't think i would ever feel that way again but i did at the end of that episode. you can read about the general idea here at the end of @maulthots close encounters powerpoint which i helped a little bit with.
honorable mention to episode premises i would have loved in a different context - lights of zetar where spock is the possessed one and an episode totally unrelated to wolf in the fold, the funniest tos ep after tribbles, where an enemy who feeds on fear jumps around the ship possessing people. that could have been great had it been in a serious episode and not been played by piglet's voice actor
and finally, star trek into darkness...everything about this movie was bad, except the warp core thing which was accidentally very very VERY good. so i'd rewrite it from the ground up, starting with recasting khan, because that was just a hateful thing to do. i don't have very many concrete ideas on this yet except you'd HAVE to get assad zaman for khan, right? because he can do that thing where he makes his eyes shake? he would have rocked it.
let people send you an ask with the WIP title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it!
i used to have a twitter for liveblogging about webcomics but twitter is dying so i deleted it a few months back. that said, i miss having a webcomic posting account so badly, so webcomic Tumblr Sideblog now
main is @asexualzoro and i read smth like 200 comics week to week because i am normal
some favorite comics are Lavender Jack, Eleceed, Your Throne, Castoff, and Broccoli Soup!, but i’m reading way more
longer list of comics i like below cut (not the full list of ones im reading). in alphabetical order, w some more favorites bolded
[RI RajArjun]: “Greetings, Señor Lobo. I extend my profound gratitude for your hospitality on Earth.”
[Diego]: “Your Majesty, it es truly an honor to host your visit and a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
[Arjun]: “Señor Lobo, would you prefer to converse in your native language, or would you be comfortable speaking in Similish, the common form of speech here?”
[Diego]: “Similish will suffice, Your Majesty.”
[Arjun]: “I have long awaited this moment. The legacy of the Lone Wolves arrives to fruition.”
[Diego]: “Indeed, the Patriarchs finally meet. Despite my surname, I no longer identify with the 'lone wolf' lifestyle, as I left it behind when I fell in love with Ròzsa.”
[Arjun]: “You speak of our tribes — are you not the last remaining grey wolf from the sacred valley of the sun? Do you deny this as true?”
[Diego]: “Ah, you are referring to the literal meaning of my surname. Yes, aside from my child Maizie, I am the sole survivor of my family.”
[Diego]: “I see the parallels between us. Gyra is your only child, correct? It is fortuitous that our children have found one another.”
[Arjun]: “Indeed. Gyra is my only heir and successor to the Empire's throne to bestow to his future Queen to rule. His mother, my Colony Queen, tragically passed away.”
[Diego]: “My condolences to you and Gyra, Your Majesty.”
[Arjun]: “As Mynta declined her role as my chosen Heiress, I congratulate you on behalf of my Star tribe as the future heiress of your lineage embraces her royal duty to the Empire of Sixam.”
[Diego]: "Thank you. Maizie has always been fascinated with Sixam, thanks to Mynta, and has long dreamt of visiting. So, her relationship with Gyra and her proposal acceptance is no surprise."
[Diego]: "May I ask when Gyra proposed? He mentioned earlier that he had not yet done so. Maizie did not mention this either. Given our close relationship, I would expect her to tell me of such a significant event."
[Arjun]: “Gyra delays a formal proposal at the request of our royal heiress. This is a topic I would like to discuss with you further, given your close bond with her.”
CHARACTERS:
RI RAJARJUN ETA LUPI BOTOLPH of the LUPI STAR TRIBE, SIXAMI EMPEROR KING OF THE SIXAM EMPIRE — 9119135 — Earth alias: ‘ARJUN’
DIEGO LOBO
[ This chapter is a continuation of the 2O21 sci-fi story on my main Simstagram account @ SassmouthSimmer ]
⚠️ Friendly Reminder to Readers – If you are easily triggered by anything in this story, please don’t read or follow. Please review the disclaimers in this account’s Simstagram highlights as well as those listed on this blog.
This is the main story taking place in the future of my #notsoberrychallenge inspired SCI-FI SERIES. If you’d want to know about its Origin story, you can read it on my origin Simstagram account – @ sass.berry.origin or the current blog version located here:
So no trailer this week with two and a half weeks to go, le sigh. We did see ads from local stations (using old promo photos), and we got what appears to be the Nancy Drew 4.01 title and description. Read on for that and a bunch more show and cast bits from the past week.
“The Dilemma of the Lover’s Curse.” They’re hitting the curse head on, which I like. Two different sites posted the title along with an episode description that came right from the season 4 description we got back in January.
Now that we’re so close, the reality of Nancy and Ace having potential love interests is sinking in. We know that Nancy will not risk Ace’s life as long as there’s no solution to the curse. I’m still hopeful for lots of Nace scenes, with plenty of delicious angst. Curious how this squares with Kennedy’s discussion of Nancy and Ace’s emotional openness with each other - I still expect Ace to figure out the curse quickly.
I’m also super hyped about the sins of the town’s past, the multiple supernatural mysteries, and the stories for the entire crew. May 31 is so close I can taste it.
Scott Wolf gave us some insight into S4’s resolution for our beloved characters in a new interview - it was a big deal for them to know it was the final season ahead of time, the season will cover the things that are most important to us, but “not every resolution is going to be satisfying for everyone.”
Glad to hear they planned real resolutions for everyone, terrified about them not all being satisfying. I’m absolutely expecting Nace endgame, but I want good things for all of our family. They’re keeping us on our toes…
We saw lots of our cast this week - Kennedy made a surprise appearance in an Arizona bookstore with her author parents (note this pic is with her mom and the bookseller, not McDad), Maddison was in Paris and England with her Versailles cast and her family, and Riley is appearing in another episode of Station 19 this week.
Alex has been on vacay in Italy and France (Hannah captioned the first photo “Alex doesn’t like PDA. So I fixed it” ☠️). Alex’s new show High Desert premieres this week on Apple TV. There’s a new in depth, spoilery review at AV Club. According to the article (spoiler alert), Peggy (Patricia Arquette) is “no longer speaking to her grown son.” We won’t see Alex until episode 6 - could he play Peggy’s son?
Leah’s show Matlock was picked up for the fall (watch the trailer), and she’s celebrating in Mexico with her bf.
Meanwhile Queen Charlotte is another huge hit with fantastic exposure for Tunji - check out the in depth Tatler profile on our favorite Scotsman, where he draws an interesting parallel between Charlotte & George’s and Harry & Meghan’s experiences - and admits he’s never watched Bridgerton.
In more show news, the Nancy Drew writers’ request for fan input has generated tons of great questions but only chaos from the writers so far - no real answers yet.
Speaking of chaos, Kennedy stepped into the fray to drop four songs from her S4 playlist. “The Winner Takes it All” (no more ace to play), “all my ghosts” (all my ghosts are with me), and “Thinking of You” (cause when I’m with him I am thinking of you) are killing me, the pain. “Big Poppa” has me thinking about Nancy under some kind of spell a la Burning Bride (as she described Episode 2) hitting on everyone in sight - “mackin’ hoes” while “my crew’s behind me.” Now in honor of “Big Poppa”, what if it’s Ryan!?
Finally, two more cast members were added to IMDB - Fred the car towing guy is back for 3 episodes (3, 5, and 13), and there’s a new security guard in Episode 9.
You get a gold star if you made it to the end. Another week, another wish for a trailer and new photos. I’m busy wrapping up The Space Between - expect the thrilling (I hope) conclusion before the season premiere. Also planning a fluffy epilogue, I at least can promise satisfying conclusions for everyone!
RTD doesn't care about making sense. I don't say this as a bad thing! I'm not sure I say it as a good thing either. Sometimes I like that attitude, sometimes I don't. His plots were always vibes based. Sometimes he bothers to entertain the nerds with some techobabble, sometimes he doesn't, but logic isn't his north star. If there's any structure to his process, it's something closer to poetry. Word association. Semantic games. And these can be fun! Magical even. In past seasons, they've gotten a couple tears outta me.
Plotpoints relying on the multiple meanings of "binary" or "bi" are about as silly as the "not-things", or YANA (god, YANA makes absolutely no sense, why would the chameleon circuited master in the future and the face of boe know anything at all about each other and why would they use that knowledge to make a silly cryptic acronym). Bad wolf doesn't make any sense either btw. But it's all in good fun.
The difference is this time he's playing with heavy toys. Words that carry weight. Whether you're on the (cool, sexy, smart) side that wants to see discourse around gender and sexuality well represented in mainstream media, or the (wrong, bad, stinky) side that wants to keep these ideas outside of media entirely, very few people are as neutral about it as they are about the mechanics of reversing polarities.
I liked the Bi-generation concept (cause hey, more story opportunities!). I'm not sure how I feel about the execution. Same with the metacrisis solution. I guess I'm trying to resonate with his value of thematic parallels and lack of concern about silly fictional mechanics as his artistic truth and not a personal offense. Approach it like a dialogue to an artist, not a bully. I like ridiculous sci-fi explanations, but I don't want to be someone who needs other artists to like them.
I wanna become someone who loves these wonderful stories about love, stories that love their characters too much to kill them even if it defies logic. I don't want to leave behind the part of me that gushes over fictional systems, but I want the freedom to fly away from it at will. I, too, want to be two.
I would like everyone to hear me out on my wonderful, totally accurate and not based in crack, copium or any other drug theory. (You will need basic knowledge on what the Honkai is and Welt’s background (though I explain a bit))
It sounds stupid on the surface, but entertain me for a moment.
We are aware that in Honkai Star Rail there are many parallel characters to Honkai 3rd’s- as it is a parallel universe. So it began with a question- where is Welt’s parallel? Not only Welt Yang, but what about Welt Joyce? (If you don’t know who this is please look it up I’m lazy but basically Mr Yang took his name and identity and may or may not be a little obsessed. You will need to know about him for this to make sense.)
We know very little about Elio, aside from the fact he’s the “scriptwriter”, known as “destiny’s slave” and may or may not be a cat or at least use it as some proxy. There’s other theories, like he’s the aeon of finality and so on, but I’m not including those here.
The most basic connection I can possibly make is that Elio is possibly a name originating from Alias, otherwise could be spelt as Elias. Alias being an alternate name- which makes sense. The original basis of this theory came from me asking where alternate Welt is, and stupidly making a connection between this fact about the name and Welt’s father, whose name was Elias, went by several names, and was government spy (its complicated).
It’s entirely possible to turn this the other direction and say Elio is Elias’ parallel instead, but there’s more.
I note that Welt Yang’s entire story is about being a slave to his name. He inherited Welt Joyce’s name, his power, his will, and he says himself that he died that day to become Welt (It’s in a manga panel somewhere maybe I’ll attach it later). Even after the war is over, he’s in a new goddamn dimension- he’s not fighting the Honkai anymore, he can start anew as himself again (still fighting, but not Welt anymore)- but he doesn’t. He could’ve given his name to Himeko, but instead he chose to continue being Welt.
(Kind of related but I’m not sure what it adds to the theory but in all the fake out endings where it’s presumably written by Elio, Welt’s real name gets doxxed in full)
“Destiny’s Slave” is such a vague (and menacing) title- is Elio a slave to his ability to seemingly predict the future? Is he a slave to something else- like a will passed down or imposed upon him?
(Additional notes include Elio being a “scriptwriter”. We know Welt Yang is an animator, writer and artist- it wouldn’t be too far a stretch to make a connection here right im not coping)
There are obvious parallels between Stellarons and the Honkai as well. And of course, Elio is a part of the Stellaron Hunters, collecting Stellarons and guiding the organization with his predictions. Welt was the leader of Anti-Entropy in his universe, an organization dedicated to stopping (fighting back and hopefully containing) the Honkai- all of which coming about because this was what Joyce wanted. And Welt would lead not just as a powerhouse as a Herrscher, but also in planning and guiding his group in winning fights that cannot be won with brute force.
While the parallels between Honkai 3 and Star Rail’s character’s aren’t identical, I note that many relationships seem to be the same, (Bronya and Seele are lesbians, Cocolia is a bitch towards Bronya, Raiden misses Kiana) and personalities are similar (though changed by the circumstances they live in).
(Bronya is Welt’s (kinda basically) adoptive daughter, and Silver Wolf is part of the Stellaron Hunters and the one who often recieves Elio's scripts..)
Elias and Welt Joyce die in Honkai 3. Upon his death, Joyce gives Welt his name and his powers.
Consider in this parallel, whatever Joyce is in this universe (if he exists at all), when he dies (or other incident), he gives Welt that power of foresight instead of the Core of Reason (as herrschers do not exist). And maybe, Welt would use his father’s name as his alias- because he’s a sucker for carrying names and wills.
He wishes to stop the Stellarons- the will passed down to him from Joyce that he now feels obliged to dedicate his life to stopping it in any way he can, done so through his newfound power to write the future in the form of his beloved animation storyboards and scripts.
(Complete stretch but Elio sends Silver Wolf the scripts and she’s a parallel of Bronya who is Welt’s adoptive daughter in 3rd)
This will probably not be canon but let me hopeium (Also where is parallel Welt though, he’s either an NPC or a major character there’s no inbetween)
A quick FYI: The comparisons between these two do not equal equating their actions, or them as people. Eclipse is a cruel, abusive person. Sun is not.
They...
☀️ Are sun-themed.
☀️ Have moon-themed brothers who did the show with them.
☀️ Possess self-control over themselves. Moon said Eclipse lacked this when it came to killing people, but he is not controlled by his programming a la Bloodmoon and Killcode. In Sun's case, he generally doesn't act on his violent thoughts. There was the moment where he told Monty that he would "beat them until they couldn't walk," but did not actually go through with it — even though Monty continued to annoy him.
☀️ Are angry individuals. Eclipse is just better than Sun at keeping his cool.
☀️ Dislike messes.
☀️ Had Roxanne Wolf on their minds, but for different reasons. Sun liked her. Eclipse hated her.
☀️ Imitated each other to fool the other's moon-themed brother.
☀️ "We don't have a mother."
☀️ Punched Lunar, who told them both that he "didn't feel any pain" after taking the blow. These moments occurred in almost the same exact spot, too!
Again, I'm not equating their actions here. Eclipse's behavior was abusive, whereas Sun was dealing with an enemy who had Moon trapped in his own head.
☀️ Lose their cool more easily than their moon-themed brothers.
Get trolled, Eclipse.
☀️ Mutter things under their breath when they're annoyed, angry, or they dislike someone.
☀️ Have both felt intense anger toward Lunar.
☀️ Lost their cool badly when someone's mockery hit a nerve, hard.
☀️ Their insults can get quite harsh when angry/annoyed with enemies (in video games), or people (story-wise) they see as a threat or hate. One a more serious note...
Sun to Evil!Moon: "What, you're suddenly bloodlust and that's it?! Is that your only trait and quality here?! You absolute moron!!"
Eclipse to Lunar: "Fine. Go enjoy your predictable stupid life, mistake."
☀️ Both destroyed a Moon variant made of nanomachines.
☀️ Barrel cannon wielders. Furthermore, they've both aimed said barrels at their own brothers.
☀️ Use "freak" as an insult.
☀️ Drop the F-bomb more than their moon-themed brothers.
☀️ Forced Lunar to do what they wanted by force.
☀️ "Say I'm... Say it." They both even had Moon trapped!
☀️ See Lunar as a kid, and have insulted that aspect of him.
"Who'd give a damn about a blithering brat like you?"
☀️ Are/were big brothers to Lunar; paternal-esque as well.
Eclipse is Lunar's creator, plus the person who taught him things before the moon-themed animatronic disowned him and became Sun's brother instead.
Sun teaching Lunar about romantic love was quite paternal of him. c:
☀️ Tend to insult people's intelligence a lot.
☀️ Have insulted Lunar's intelligence.
☀️ Have called Moon an idiot.
☀️ Underestimate the people they percieve as stupid.
☀️ Have hurt Lunar with their insults. Sun did not do it for abusive reasons, but he hurt his younger brother all the same.
☀️ Like spooky games. He may not have admitted it, but I believe Lunar over Eclipse here.
☀️ Ask the logical questions whilst playing horror games.
☀️ Played spooky games with Lunar. [Links to my favorite episodes with these two duos!]
☀️ "Not even an animatronic, barely a robot." "It's more robot than it is animatronic."
☀️ Treated Solar Flare (someone who'd gained some sentience) as an object, what with Eclipse taking full control of his body, and Sun deeming him a mere obstacle without a second thought.
☀️ Both want and need control.
Sun, desperate to protect his brother, and tired of feeling helpless, wanted control over his predicament by taking matters into his own hands and killing Eclipse himself.
Eclipse wants control in general. It was the driving factor behind his need to reset everything, after all.
☀️ "I might." "You know, I might have thought about agreeing to that if you'd given me that star sooner."
Sun's answer to Eclipse asking him if he was gonna kill "Solar Flare," it reminded me of the lies Eclipse told Moon: "Maybe I wouldn't have [let Moon live with Sun], maybe not, maybe I would've."
"I would have let you live, if you had given me that thing sooner."
We knew Eclipse wasn't going to be merciful.
Those lines came to mind because Sun made his response sound like a "maybe" ("maybe I'm gonna kill him, maybe not..."), but the fact of the matter was that he did not have any second thoughts about killing Solar Flare. After all, he was yet another threat to his brother.
Why respond in that manner about his intentions? It made him sound like Eclipse.
☀️ Are perfectionists.
There's Sun with the Daycare.
Eclipse's idea of a "perfect world" is a place that he rebuilt from the ground up — where he rules as God. The current one is too much of a "chaotic mess" in his eyes, hence the reason he wanted to reset everything. And from his POV, nobody else but him can get it right.
Also, Lord Eclipse clearly punished Servant Sun to a severe degree for not properly organizing the books in the godlike animatronic's library one time. Another example of Eclipse's perfectionism.
As a final point, Eclipse wanted Lunar to follow the plan — i.e., be a push for Moon to give them the Star — to a T. He appreciated the results (finding out how to keep Sun and Moon trapped inside their heads) that came from Lunar's "escapade," but at the same time; "Next time, you follow the plan throughly. Because if you messed up, if you fully messed up, everything would be gone. Reduced to shreds, practically."
☀️ Have had fun messing with Moon.
We all know Eclipse has messed with Moon in worse ways, but I felt like choosing a less serious example for this point.
☀️ Have both been on the recieving end of Lunar's sassiness
☀️ Is this where (to some extent) Eclipse's desire to rule others came from? Lol
It doesn't seem to have been one of Moon's goals, since he hasn't shown interest in world domination or godhood.
☀️ Are lonely. In their own ways, of course, but still: Sun's love life is nonexistent. Plus, he plays D&D sessions by himself. The guy seriously needs more people in his life, not just family members.
"And if you don't find anybody, what's the big deal? I'm happy. I'm happy."
Eclipse's loneliness (which he won't admit directly) is obvious, even to people who don't know him — New Moon saw through him like glass. And like Sun, Eclipse tries to acts as if it doesn't affect him.
It explains why he would alter other people's memories of Sun and Moon for the worse: to isolate these two from everyone. Make them as lonely as him.
☀️ "Screw you losing your mind." "Screw you not remembering."
☀️ Have messed with someone's perception of reality for fun.
☀️ Can both hold strong grudges. Sun generally forgives people, but Eclipse was certainly not among them. Sun wanted him dead so badly.
Enough said on Eclipse and his grudges.
☀️ Their attempts at denial end up confirming what they're trying to deny.
☀️ Have both been threatened by Moon.
☀️ "You're a hypocrite. You're such a hypocrite." "You're a liar. You're a liar."
☀️ Had to sleep after pushing themselves too hard in order to accomplish their goals.
supernatural s1e2 wendigo (teleplay: eric kripke, story: ron milbauer, terri hughes burton)
(this is a rewatch, so spoilers abound)
quelled my irrational anxiety long enough to start the rewatch and recap what i have not yet recapped and thank fuck for that because not having my scheduled evening task was not going well. i am staunchly ignoring the not-so-distant future where i will again be out-of-task.
fun fact this is the first screenshot i took while watching this show, long before i considered doing these posts. brotherly chat at the fire, if i recall correctly. we'll soon see! thought it'd be a fun easy draw because it's almost entirely dark with the little kiss of light around his profile.
DEAN
You okay?
SAM
Yeah, I'm fine.
DEAN
Another nightmare?
You wanna drive for a while?
SAM
Dean, your whole life you never once asked me that.
DEAN
Just thought you might want to. Never mind.
SAM
Look, man, you're worried about me. I get it, and thank you, but I'm perfectly okay.
DEAN
Mm-hm.
now if that isn't love
SAM
What, are you cruising for a hookup or something?
DEAN
What do you mean?
SAM
The coordinates point to Blackwater Ridge, so what are we waiting for? Let's just go find Dad. I mean, why even talk to this girl?
DEAN
I don't know, maybe we should know what we're walking into before we actually walk into it?
SAM
What?
DEAN
Since when are you all shoot first ask questions later, anyway?
SAM
Since now.
little cheesy in execution (blaming some of this on the music honestly*) but whatever :p sammy's a new man, hardened by his loss and grief 😤
*guess who did the music this episode 🤪
was curious since this is the same director as the pilot, if he did more episodes this seasons - nope, just 1x01 and 1x02. but this little quote on his wiki page
David Nutter, even with his extensive experience in the industry, was impressed by Padalecki and Ackles' chemistry.
Never have I done a show where two actors clicked so well together. These guys had never met each other before and it was like they were instantly brothers.S1Com
we're all sending up our thanks for whatever led to them being cast, for real
HALEY
Our parents are gone. It's just my two brothers and me. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other.
coming in hot already with sibling parallels. even when john was alive, he wasn't around and dean's the father mother brother situation. and we've got a vulnerable lookin little brother here we're all gonna be fighting over to take care of
DEAN
Well, we'll find your brother. We're heading out to Blackwater Ridge first thing.
HALEY
Then maybe I'll see you there. Look, I can't sit around here anymore. So I hired a guy. I'm heading out in the morning, and I'm gonna find Tommy myself.
DEAN
I think I know how you feel.
looking for dad, looking for sam after dad is gone...
s1e2 / s5e14
oh, my dear old friend, untitled 1 and 2!! and what kind of background is this! lol my spn desktop background update tag for all my riveting screenshots of their laptop desktop backgrounds - apparently i called this their snazzy background when it was used in s5, but damn dude look at the coloring differences. how warm/red the s5 is in comparison. skateboard on a chest i guess is what's happening there
aw man, apparently the actress playing the sister, gina holden, was claudia stilinski in an episode of teen wolf but her scene got deleted. and little brother there alden ehrenreich was han solo in solo: a star wars story (which i haven't seen.)
i do know i know someone in this episode though, little surprised i didn't do a hey i know you post for it actually. not sure when the first one i did for spn was. s1e11 scarecrow apparently!
s1e2 callum keith rennie as roy / the killing s1e4 as rick felder / the x-files s1e15 as tommy / existenz (1999) as hugo carlaw
we got an xfiles and the killing alum, and he was in existenz! in fact i did a hey i know you for him when i was rewatching the xfiles a few years ago 😂
someone give this child a hug (and the actor was actually a kid, 16)
DEAN
Sam and I are brothers, and we're looking for our father. He might be here, we don't know. I just figured that you and me, we're in the same boat.
HALEY
Why didn't you just tell me that from the start?
DEAN
I'm telling you now. 'sides, it's probably the most honest I've ever been with a woman. ...ever. So we okay?
oh yeah, dean? what about spilling your guts about all the family secrets to cassie, huh?? lol. gotta maintain your asshole-man image
wonder if the peanut m&ms was the only actual brand placement they did, their production design people were always whipping up fun fake branded drinks and foodstuff
hey, it's one of the xfiles-y sounds (when she says "our packs!") i didn't notice this until way way later. grabbed a clip of it from 10x12 compared to the same effect used in the xf movie fight the future (because i happened to know where the sound was in that movie, it's def a standard xf score sound.) i think it was just a lot more forward in that s10 clip, maybe that's why it caught my ear and had slid by unnoticed before.
cannot get over him looking like the saddest teenaged baby brother in all the lands
DEAN
You wanna tell me what's going on in that freaky head of yours?
SAM
Dean—
DEAN
No, you're not fine. You're like a powder keg, man, it's not like you. I'm supposed to be the belligerent one, remember?
SAM
Dad's not here. I mean, that much we know for sure, right? He would have left us a message, a sign, right?
the brotherly chats *chef's kiss*
SAM
Then let's get these people back to town and let's hit the road. Go find Dad. I mean, why are we still even here?
DEAN
This is why. This book. This is Dad's single most valuable possession—everything he knows about every evil thing is in here. And he's passed it on to us. I think he wants us to pick up where he left off. You know, saving people, hunting things. The family business.
the tagline that never dies
SAM
That makes no sense. Why doesn't he just—call us? Why doesn't he—tell us what he wants, tell us where he is?
DEAN
I dunno. But the way I see it, Dad's giving us a job to do, and I intend to do it.
for real, sam. dad's an ass :p i think someone justified it to me that john couldn't contact them directly because of the demons watching him and he didn't want to lead them to the boys
SAM
Dean...no. I gotta find Dad. I gotta find Jessica's killer. It's the only thing I can think about.
DEAN
Okay, all right, Sam, we'll find them, I promise. Listen to me. You've gotta prepare yourself. I mean, this search could take a while, and all that anger, you can't keep it burning over the long haul. It's gonna kill you. You gotta have patience, man.
SAM
How do you do it? How does Dad do it?
oh, sam.
DEAN
Well for one, them. I mean, I figure our family's so screwed to hell, maybe we can help some others. Makes things a little bit more bearable.
I'll tell you what else helps. Killing as many evil sons of bitches as I possibly can.
it's this kind of thing that grabbed me by the throat early on. clear communication, sam has been deflecting but he opened up a crack after dean gently pushed again. and dean is honest and kind, trying to take care of sam. ugh. hurt/comfort my beloved.
buh, this action music when roy gets yoinked by the monster is not great.
SAM
So we've got half a chance in the daylight. And I for one want to kill this evil son of a bitch.
snorted. i swear sam got stuck with some cheesy lines back in the day. part of my hot take theory of why jackles's acting stood out more to me initially, i think he just got better dialogue. padalecki hit it out of the park with those moments with jackles, but same episode he had a lot of like... i'm taking charge of the situation moments that felt awkward
sammy brooding with dad's journal, dean staring at sam for a very long time, he's just a baby 🥺
we're all having a moment
this is why i reached the 30 image limit when i rewatched 1x01 :p
LOL. we can't swear really, but we're gonna use the hell out of the words we can say
baby brother clinging on to anyone at this point, sammy holding the line
kinda looks like the game of thrones night king lol
via wiki
Eric Kripke had long been critical of this episode, particularly because he felt the creature wasn't successfully scary. "He looked more like Gollum's tall, gangly cousin than anything else", he says in Supernatural: The Official Companion Season 2. However on February 11, 2018 he tweeted: "I have something shocking, even sacrilegious to say: I watched #Wendigo with my son for the first time in over 10 years. And it wasn't bad at all. 2005 effects were lame, but it was scary. Plus young Han Solo! I'm taking it off my shit list. #spnfamily @cw_spn"
inexplicably some sort of jaguar type roar as the wendigo is burning
HALEY
So I don't know how to thank you.
DEAN smirks lasciviously. HALEY smiles despite herself.
HALEY
Must you cheapen the moment?
DEAN
Yeah.
very cute. deflecting from dealing with the gratitude and lightening the moment
DEAN
Sam, you know we're gonna find Dad, right?
SAM
Yeah, I know. But in the meantime? I'm driving.
this scene obviously has been gif'd to death but i didn't really remember the context and it makes it all the better. sam gets to return the very long staring moment, and lets dean give him a little treat to take care of him and make him feel better that he declined earlier
and jared, you made a choice with that expression. I think that look could be enough to launch a thousand ships alone. the line feels like it should be kind of teasing mischievous little brother vibes, but his face says unbearable affection and something I'd expect more out of a romantic-dynamic teasing feel. wild
this is going to be rather chaotic so accept my apologies in advance but tonight I dreamt the gala scene of golden son with the circus by britney spears as the soundtrack, with “when I crack that whip, everybody gon' trip just like a circus” in the moment of the big reveal during the duel. while this is kind of wild and random (and iconic) I though that dance and music was a big part of darrow life as a red , like during the carving he got that instrument as a gift to feel better, and as far as i remember he never got into that with all that happened after. i don’t remember if in IG or DA there was somthing said on the matter, but if not do you think we will see him play music again?
second part is not really a question but i would love to hear your thoughts on it, especially if you will start the reread. when darrow learned gold moves, there was the parallel between dance and fight and the fact that gold danced/dueled in pair and of all colors only reds danced alone because that’s how one is in life. i loved how it was presented as a strength but over the course of the story darrow realised he was not alone and the main fight in the end was them fighting in group, like a wolf pack. i’ve never seen anyone talk about this so i’m curious of your take on this
Finally got around to answering this one, thank you for the long wait.
The instrument is called a zither, if I remember correctly and according to google, it looks like this:
I don't actually know if Darrow will ever play it again. He seems to value dancing, then singing and then making music in this specific order. Which is perfectly alright. He might do all of them in Red God, but maybe not. At this point I am just happy he solved some of the traumas he has (and gave me others lol, I love him so much).
As for Polemides - Child of War Dance - it resembles the Reaping Song, but it has a baton included instead of a slingBlade, I think. It does not mention if this dance must be executed in pairs, as Darrow performs it alone for Matteo.
However, Darrow is told Golds dance in pairs, while Reds are the only ones dancing alone. Weird, as Eo and Darrow dance as a pair for the Laurel celebration. Perhaps it just depends.
I think Darrow has finally learnt to rely on others in Morning Star and share the burden, though he still needs practice at times. It was hard on him to do so, because he felt guilty about dragging his friends in this war while deceiving them. Once they chose to follow him, he still had a hard time being reliant on them at times. We can discuss more about it for the tetralogy, but it would leave a bitter taste. Point is, it's good that Darrow found a new strength within himself and a bit more self-preservation so he can still rely on himself and delegate at the same time.
What I think works wonderfully and Pierce owrs it to us at this point is that Golds dance in pairs. And Darrow and Virginia are a very particular pair, a pair of opposites that just work together perfectly. They sort of exchanged roles in Light Bringer and it was supremely interesting (the editorial team can suck it) and I think an expansion and a reunion are LONG overdue. Basically, they should dance. And fuck. A lot.
Thank you again for your ask. I will keep an eye out for textual bits in my next re-read.