#this is one of the characters from it their name is Elan and I am delighted by them entirely

[tracle0]

Elan :)

[winged-void]

Here's the story yall asked me to post

Hello! I am posting this short little story, which is the first of a number of short stories I have written about these two characters, a delusional noblewoman and her deranged maid. By clicking the readmore you agree that both characters contained within, regardless of what the text says, are girls.

In some forgotten corner of some forgotten city, a forgotten noble of a forgotten family sits in petty agony. 

Protected from the onslaught of acidic rain only by a hastily constructed sheet metal roof, he imagines Mother's pain at the tears in his coat, and the scion of the Branche family considers weeping. 

What would it cost? 

Too much. 

Elan Branche pushes it down. At twelve, one puts such childishness behind them. 

Back straight. Assess the damage. Find the solution. 

The coat was heavy. Too large, and far too decorated with old and meaningless signifiers of unearned and forgotten glory, weighed down further still by the damp of rain and blood (hidden at least by the deep red color of the fabric), he takes it off and hangs it on a bit of exposed rebar. 

It was old and beautiful; burgundy and torn to shreds. The sleeves and the tail had cuts and rips that Elan knew he could never fix. He thought of a picture he'd found of the family's old staff, and the dedicated tailor among them. All gone now, gone since before his birth. This burden, like all before it, must be borne alone. 

Put it out of mind for now. 

He turned away from the coat to inspect his blade. Sharpening the noble edge sharpens the noble mind, he thought, and began to clean. His adventures to these parts were proving more expensive than he thought, but the rabble must know the Branche Family. Their petty vassals and pettier commoners had forgotten and darkness had come to them. 

By sword and torch and pistol he would bring light and flame back. He would polish the old blazonry with the blood of those foolish and cruel enough to have taken advantage of the weakness of his family. No longer would commoner merchant thugs an-

Hold. A sound. 

Elan jumped and turned, blade pointed at his empty coat, hanged and swinging in the breeze. 

Foolish. Too easily startled. Undignified. Waving your sword around at an empty coat. 

But then another sound, like the whimper of a kicked dog. 

“N-Nothing gets by you, milord….”

A hunched and crouching pathetic figure emerged from behind the rebar, raising its hands, but holding onto what seemed to be an especially short thin piece of scrap metal, bent at the end such that a thread could pass through it. 

Elan's mind raced. First, relief, then recognition. Figure was a boy. No older than thirteen or fourteen. Thin, so thin, tall and dressed in rags. 

“You. You're that kid from the other day. The mugging victim, yes?”

Wasn't that mugging four towns over? 

He left it unsaid. He continued. 

“What are you doing with my coat?”

The figure squirmed, and tried to stand up straight. 

“I-I-I saw. The state of your coat. And I thought I might be useful, milord…” It paused, and jumped as though shocked, “My lord.”

It gestured towards the left sleeve, and Elan's eyes traced the crimson thread from the needle in its scarred hand to the sleeve of the coat, partially sewed with baffling skill. 

Elan considered the boy. His hair gray (common in these chemically stained regions), his form clearly starved, his body shaking but his hands so very steady. 

Potential and possibility, all of it. Solutions to problems named and those he refused to name. 

“How useful,” Elan lowered his sword and allowed himself to smile, “would you like to be?”

[unsoundedcomic]

Am I wrong that Flann, much like Elan, originally had a much smaller role in the story? But they've expanded past that original intention and became some of the most compelling characters in the story so far! Regardless if that is the case with Flann, I would've said that the story remained largely unaffected by these interlopers HOWEVER it would seem that Elan's badge caught The Lady's eye and is now integral to the story. How do you incorporate these characters that expand past their outline?

Elan did get beefed up but Flann is sticking pretty close to the script. I think the only change is he never had a name in there (all his lines are labeled BLUE). I gave him a really distinct design so he wouldn't need one, but when someone on Discord threw a name out there I went with it! Felt appropriate.

Elan was pretty easy to beef up and he benefited the story a fair bit by giving Toma and Elka someone to play off of when the other one wasn't around. Originally Bastion killed the poor kid, but I couldn't let that happen when people started liking Elan 'cause then damn, they would have (rightly) hated Bastion! Which is okay to doooo but Bastion plays better if you have the slightest bit of sympathy for him - or at least give him the benefit of the doubt.

So really it was my fault for not making Elan more of a sniveling toady sort. He's just kinda desperate and sad and pathetic.

There's always been a core plot that I can't tinker with, but there's also been enough flexibility to insert cameo characters or expand characters like Elan. That's part of what keeps me entertained as we go! Sometimes the things surprise even me, and it's a joy :)

And writing is a different muscle from drawing, I should add. There is so much character and so many gags that are not in the script; that don't come into being until I'm laying out the page. This entire scene ends with... not a gag, but an unconventional action... that is very final, not in the script, but came to me while drawing the page. And it's perfect.

[aftergloom]

I would very much like to hear about ur dark side cult and am willing to trade the information given with random songs but they're in binary

I spent years in the rave scene listening to beepy clicky music that you can't really dance to so I'd probably be into that, ngl.

So the thing about the Bando Gora is that you can't talk about it without discussing a couple of characters, so I'll try to keep this fairly high-level, but some spoilers may follow for a couple of the Legends books. (And since we're getting a new new canon Dark Side cult with Darth Maul: Red, White, and Black in May, maybe we'll see some similarities. Canon likes to nod back to Legends once in a while, and I'm all for it.)

The Bando Gora appears in only a handful of places, namely Darth Maul: Lockdown, Darth Plagueis, a couple of comics, an RPG, and a videogame called Star Wars Bounty Hunter featuring Jango Fett.

It served as a terrorist organization and dark side cult that operated primarily in the outer rim, gaining power over a couple of decades before culminating in the death of its last High Priestess, a former Jedi and the lost padawan of Count Dooku, Komari Vosa -- one part femme fatale, one part pain in Sidious' ass, and the very same Komari Vosa that shows up in Darth Maul: Lockdown on Cog Hive Seven.

She was captured and indoctrinated into the Bando Gora following the battle at Galidraan along with twenty of her cohorts (whom she later killed while in captivity), and rose through the ranks rapidly to helm it as its leader.

She died in 32 BBY when a bounty was set on her head because the cult had amassed entirely too much power and Sidious was getting a little shifty about it. Jango Fett won the bounty along with the prestige of becoming the pattern for the Clone army, but it was Vosa's former Jedi Master (now Darth Tyranus) that snapped her neck, ending her life, and decapitating the cult. Vosa was completely relegated to Legends as of The Secrets of the Sith, but as the story goes, once Dooku snuffed her out, he took her curved lightsaber hilts and gave them to his sparkly new apprentice, Asajj Ventress.

As indoctrination goes, cult members were subjected to neurotoxin poisoning and tortured to open their minds to the Dark Side of the Force, the physical results of those rituals manifesting in glowing blue eyes, and blackened and mottled skin. "The Force shall free me" was taken to the letter, because Bando Gora Thrall emerged from the indoctrination process free of pain, free of fear, and relentless -- and without a will of their own. Thrall often wore Nemoidean skin masks --- possibly another aspect of the depersonalization process -- and Captains looked like this snazzy dude:

The cult had ties to the Hutts and Sebolto's drug cartel on Malastare, a notable tidbit because one of its last remaining ties to canon exists in one little scene where Obi-Wan Kenobi is offered Death Sticks -- the primary means of luring in new recruits to the cult by altering their minds, and reducing their resistance to indoctrination by creating a narcotic dependency with the "Death Sticks." As if calling them "Death Sticks" to begin with wasn't wildly enticing. /s

"You wanna buy some death sticks?""You don't want to sell me death sticks.""I don't wanna sell you death sticks.""You want to go home and rethink your life.""I wanna go home and rethink my life."

―Elan Sel'Sabagano and Obi-Wan Kenobi

Other points of interest (if you're considering a vacation) involve the spot where the Bando Gora set up shop -- a lovely little place in the inner rim in Bogden's orbit: Kohlma.

Named after Colma (in California), the burial moon was covered pole to pole in tombstones and suffered Bogden's frequent gravitational shifts. A lot of the early concept art lends itself to horror (hi I love it!), which is probably why, at the first mention of a "burial moon" in Darth Maul: Lockdown, I went absolutely feral and started collecting every tidbit I could get my hands on.

The Bando Gora had a citadel out there, which ultimately became Vosa's tomb, and the memorial moon was a fitting choice because the first members of the cult were said to be graverobbers, thieves, and assassins. 💀💀💀

Thank you for the ask. Revisiting this stuff right before Camp NaNoWriMo is always a good refresher for me, since I'll be journeying right back here on April 1st. 😊

[fervency-if]

How would the ROs react to MC who could wear very thin clothes in winter without shivering? 🌨️

The Physician would (with some amusement to her voice, since she would feel that she was being a tad dramatic saying this to them) tell them to be careful - as practical as it must be not to feel cold easily, they wouldn't want to get a frostbite, would they? Please, be careful when it's snowy...

Aubrey would shiver just by looking at them, imagining how he would feel if he wore as thin clothes right now! 'You know, I'm quite envious, [name of the main character]! I'm certainly a delicate flower, now, am I not? Ah, it's no use! I have to avert my eyes not to break down in a pile of shudders!'

Vesa would be a bit envious as well - that must be practical, and since she is a bit easily distracted from time to time, it would be less of a bother if she accidentally put on the wrong coat in winter.

Narciso would frown; 'how did you learn how to handle the cold that well, or did it come naturally to you? Is it something one can practice, perhaps? I am terrible with the chill of winter, myself...'

Roswhen would joke around a bit - they don't get cold very easily themselves, but the main character definitely seems to be the winner in this case even so! How typical!

If they were in a romantic relationship, or a physically affectionate platonic relationship, Elan would tell them that if they ever got cold from that, they shouldn't hesitate to ask him to warm them up a bit. Otherwise, he would frown a bit; 'are you certain that you're not freezing right now...?'

[the-stray-liger]

I didn't think I could genuinely feel so bad for Elan 5, but this episode just kicked me in the gut. Dude found a kindred spirit in Norea, and any notion they could go on the run and be free together was cruelly shot down, both metaphorically, and then quite literally when one of Cathedra's pilots sniped her Gundam's cockpit.

Suletta bonding with Petra, the pair of them working so hard to help evacuate Asticassia, and then Suletta seeing Petra being crushed by rubble... our girl is NOT okay.

THEN WE HAVE LAUDA. He still doesn't know what the fuck is up with the Schwarzette, and not only does he hear Shaddiq talk about how Guel was the one to kill their father, and Guel indirectly confirming that fact, and THEN being informed about what happened to Petra. There is so much goddamn pain in this episode holy shit.

I honestly have liked El5n for a while now. As douchey as he is he is literally the same was El4n-a tool that was modified and twisted for a purpose and could be discarded at any time. And he was so afraid to die and so desperate, and that's why he found a twin soul in Norea who was also another child who was only a tool kept around for the purpose of piloting a gundam until she died and was terrified of dying. I knew Norea's death was coming for a while, but I never expected it to be such a heartbreaking moment in which we also saw El5n say his first honest words from the heart ever. Him telling Norea was the landscapes in her sketchbook made me tear up. He understood her in a way he'd never tried to understand anyone else. A spacian who understood an earthian. And it was all in vain because Norea was killed before he could even answer the only question Norea had for him-what his real name was. I'm absolutely destroyed

Suletta bonding with Petra was such a sweet moment that illustrates the delightful complexity of gwitch characters-bullies who are more than that and who can actually bond with main characters and show kindness and hope. And then she died. Without being able to see Lauda. After asking Suletta what she was looking forward to do after she survived. Ouchie. I'd really come to appreciate Petra because of how much she cared for the Jeturk siblings and this was really painful. And Suletta who apparently isn't traumatized enough gets to destroy her own hands trying to rescue people out of the rubble. Because what else can she do now that her entire world is broken besides trying to help others.

(Side note: Secelia showing again that beyond being a bitch she's willing to collaborate with the earth house by lending Chuchu an ms. Perfect. And Chuchu and Felsi getting together to fight the Gundvolvas, outstanding, marvelous, showstopping, etc etc etc. And the most important part for me was that they managed to save the animals. Tico is okay y'all)

I am SO CONCERNED FOR LAUDA. My man hasn't known a moment of peace since his brother lost that duel to Suletta in s1. His brother disappeared, his dad was killed, he had to control the sinking ship that was the company without even having time to mourn his father and now THIS. He finds out his brother killed his father from Shaddiq in the middle of a terrifying battle. Literally what is gonna happen why do the writers keep torturing these boys. I'm so stressed out. At least Guel managed to defeat Shaddiq but I wonder when will Guel actually win a fight without getting into more trouble

Overall an incredible episode that crippled me emotionally and left me unable to continue with my html homework 20/10

[byneddiedingo]

Neptune Frost (Anisia Uzeyman, Saul Williams, 2021)

Cast: Cheryl Isheija, Elvis Ngabo, Bertrand Ninteretse, Elane Umuhire, Dorcy Rugamba, Rebecca Uwamahoro, Trésor Niyongabo, Eric Ngangare, Natacha Muziramakenga, Cécile Kayirebwa, Diogène Ntarindwa. Screenplay: Saul Williams. Cinematography: Anisia Uzeyman. Production design: Cedric Mizero, Antoine Nshimiyimana. Film editing: Anisha Achyara. Music: Saul Williams. Costume design: Cedric Mizero.

Neptune Frost is ... well, what is it? An American-Rwandan anti-colonialist, anti-capitalist queer sci-fi musical about the confluence of the autochthonic and technology? If you go looking for more descriptives, you'll encounter concepts like "cyberpunk" and "Afrofuturist" that seem appropriate but also insufficient to characterize the film. And don't expect any spoilers here; I couldn't go into particulars on the plot if you forced me to. It starts in a coltan mine: That's the ore from which the stuff that helps run our computers and cell phones and whatnot is refined. It's a "conflict mineral": Wars, trade and otherwise, are fought over it. And then the story moves, through the peregrinations of our protagonists, Neptune, played by both Cheryl Isheija and Elvis Ngabo (the character is intersex), and Matalusa (Bertrand Ninteretse, aka Kaya Free), to an e-waste dump that becomes a hacker community that takes over the world's computers. Confused? Just go with it: This is an extraordinary movie, both in the watching and in the backstory of how it was made. There is poetry and wit here that needs more than one viewing to assimilate. For example, the name Matalusa is a Joycean pun: "martyr and loser," and by the end of the film it becomes Matalusa King -- Martin Luther King. There is music and color here -- a special nod to Cedric Mizero's costume design. So maybe it's not a film for everyone, but I am dazzled and baffled by it. 

[nenestansunsthings]

HOLY SHIT THE NEW EPISODE????

the whole gundam thing has FINALLY been openly revealed holy fuck

(also, occupying less space in my mind but still there- og elan is doing SO fucking bad at pretending to our beloved el4n. i hate him a normal amount. he was so out of character i am honestly stunned suletta didnt notice)

eyeing nika and shaddiq and whatever was going on in their scene. hey man are you good. what are you thankful to nika for will we need to be worried

anyway i was terrified when they got suletta up on that stage and i was RIGHT to be. the sheer balls the peil and whatever the jeturk companys name is had to a) reveal they had actually made a gundam and b) USE THAT TO TRAP SHIN SEI AND SULETTA, with no fear of repercussion???? and to keep prospera outside too, so she couldnt explain herself

what confuses me most, though, is like- in the end, we can see that she could hear them from outside. she definitely heard miorines declaration of the new company and her getting the funding. why would she not have heard suletta? it looks like she was in the same place both times. did she just ignore her girl???? prospera if you ignored your girl begging for you to help her im going to fucking kill you

MIORINE THANK YOU FOR EXISTING HOLY SHIT. she saw her wife in danger and IMMEDIATELY acted to save her when no one else would. the sudden act of starting a company on stage right then and there to actively fund gundam production, in front of the guys who literally locked suletta in prison for being SUSPECTED of owning a gundam and her father who is called a hero for DESTROYING gundams, took insane levels of courage. im so proud of her. and to ask for his help in the end regardless because she needed it to act anyway, and delling granting it... god. what is wrong with their family (/pos but also im shaking them)

also HELLO???? FIRST OFF, PROSPERA CANONICALLY SAYING SHE THINKS HER DAUGHTERS, PLURAL, ARE IN GOOD HANDS WITH MIORINE???? SO ERI IS LIKE DEFINITELY 100 PERCENT IN THERE RIGHT????

im so worried for miorines new company now. girl does not actually know how aerial works and i dont fucking think prospera is gonna explain it to her.

also suletta.... oh my dear girl suletta... im so sorry

she is going to be REELING at finding out her mom was lying to her for her whole life about her own sister, and ALSO possibly putting her in danger, because the gundams HAVE killed people. like. how do you react to that. im going to kill prospera again a second time for this. she really did believe her mom was an amazing parent who trusted her and loved her- finding out she was being manipulated all her life??? is NOT going to go well. i hope this leads to her bonding with like miorine or guel or something about this but also dear god

suletta deserves better at all times

im so interested in how the next episode is going to go now

[faneposting-my-beloved]

Faneposter Fanfiction Tangents pt 2 (written on a phone in a train to distract myself from the horrors of destination)

I talked about Elane fairly extensively, and in close future, I ought to talk just as extensively about Vermil too, but for now we'll just lick the glacier instead of digging in since his arc is not yet fully set. So instead, let us discuss the overall, what I'd call in Polish, storytelling tissue those characters exist in.

I am Polish, and so my first real contact with literary works had been through the Polish education - that surely likes its (emphasis on alienating its) classics. To also add to this, Poland has quite unfavourable opinion on anything fantasy - schools especially seeing it as inferior to any of other genre.

With that in mind, I must admit I used to be the class weirdo who generally enjoyed the assigned reading list, especially anything revolving round Polish romanticism.

With biases and starting points out of the way, let's look at the fundamentals upon which I built 'Song of Infinity' (and partially Gold Tarnishes Quickly tbh)

To paint the picture roughly; the themes of SoI revolve around themes I fear the most and clash them with stances I admire.

1. The World - The Fatum

Starting with the classics. When I read Oedipus and Antigone, as well as snippets of Troy and Oddysey - the god-centric chain of events filled me with a sense of dread. With Oedipus or Edyp in Polish (let me stick to this version, it's easier to type) the events are very much set in stone from the very beginning according to the in-world chronology. The prophecy had rang out ages ago - and unknowingly, terrifyingly has fulfilled itself. Fatum is the fate spun by gods, and mortals are helplessly doomed to follow it. It leads one on like a curse that there is no saving from - it's your fate. Antigone's fate was cruel, yet needless, yet just, yet heartless, yet lawful. The tragedy of it all is the inability to outrun one's destiny, digging into deadly truths against all reason, but in accordance with conscience. A gradual self-inflicted self-destruction.

In the longer texts like Troy or Odyssey, Gods sit above on their golden thrones and dictate mortal or immortal lives on a whim or principle. The motif of Theatrum Mundi is beautiful and terrifying in and of itself. World is Gods' theatre (they themselves had built for amusement). A hand pulls on a string, and all ought to follow. On the same note, Gods offer advice, weaponry and armour to keep the conflict going in their favour. It ties into the Fatum, everything is set, yet one can live the hope that with luck/help/divinity - they will be the one to write their own history. History that is nothing more than a page in a grand screenplay.

Seven are the puppeteers and Rivellon is their scene...but are they really? It was not Seven who set the Veil in place between the Void and the World. The curtain raises. The real screenwriters are yet to show themselves.

So yes, I had painted a rather bleak picture where mortals, demigods, ancient dragons even (!) are actors - puppets - thrown out of their sack and into a spectacle where they are led to believe their choices matter - whilst they follow a static or altering script. But the changes are not the result of their own agenda.

So, would that be all? We did discuss Gods and Fate, but what of their subjects?

Unde malum is a Latin phrase wondering where did evil come from. Albert Camus in his 'The Plague', or my vastly preferred native title Dżuma (mostly because it sounds more ominous, and is the actual common name for the Black Death) puts a grain; a speckle; a bacteria of evil/plague in everyone. Fundamentally and regardless of symptoms everyone bears the Dżuma within. One can either succumb to it(the innate evil) or oppose it, never let it manifest. This is explained quite late in the book proper but once it properly sits within the given context and beyond, it proves horribly correct.

So we face what is an eldritch, uncontrollable and antagonistic world with rotten, power-hungry, sinful Gods and their choices - and who stand against them?

The Valiant - Winkelried and Wallenrod

Your usual knight in shining armour...on the inside. His motives are noble; his actions more than often not as much. I've based my second custom origin on chosen romantic tropes in Polish literature - Kordian and Konrad Wallenrod. Those two are proactive heroes, fighting for what they consider to be right with swords and schemes, even if they sometimes fail to execute their plans till the end. Cordian - a young man seeking a way to free his country from under the tsar's shoe (period of 100-year-old Russian occupation in Poland) adapts the position of Arnold von Winkelried in a schemed coup - one of self-sacrifice leading to the long overdue tipping of the scales. Konrad Wallenrod - a Lithuanian boy kidnapped during one of the Teutonic raids on Lithuania - becomes a Teutonic knight, while still being taught about his origin by a bard residing by the knight that took care of Konrad. Fast forward, Teutons are threatening to overcome Lithuanian forces completely, so Konrad (not his real name) returns to the Order after a few years of absence and gains the title of the Grand Master - solely to wreck confusion in Teutonic forces. He succeeds at the cost of his life, and a crucial battle is lost for the Teutonic Order.

Vermil encapsulates both of these approaches, a man with a good heart and blood on his hands, spilled in the name of a better tomorrow.

2. The Mad, The Rebel - Dziady and Balladyna

I spoke of inspirations for Elane already, but what is important to note, I do paint her actions through the lenses of (Polish) romantic Rebellion. There's not as much Werther in her as there is Konrad (but the one from Dziady pt. 3 not Wallenrod). Polish romantics are megalomaniacs, of noble intentions but with heads so high up in the clouds that they;ve completely lost the plot. Konrad is a hair's breadth away from heresy (in a heavily catholic environment) during his solitary monologue where he calls God indifferent for the miserable fate of his people and argues that he, Konrad - an artist- is an equal to the God in the act of creation. Megalomania meets God Syndrome - with no muscles to pull any ultimately - because Konrad's Great Improvisation is spoken inside a cold prison cell and his body faints before he gets the chance to even finish it. In the end, nothing is changed and nothing is gained.

Elane follows in the mindset of no gods and masters but myself, and yet she struggles in the bonds set by the world. She's set on challenging the status quo by any means necessary. She did commit the Wertheran suicide that ultimately was a rebellion from unwanted existence - just that this was not the end for her. For her - the scene gets reset; the curtain raises again, and the show must go on. There is also a speckle of Balladyna in her; as she is willing to line her way with corpses if it means she can achieve her goal later on - and her goal she must achieve because of the oedipean self-destructive urge to know. I just noticed that even appearance-wise the two women are unsettlingly similar.

Aaand with that we'll put a stop to this ....... flood of words, both familiar and unfamiliar to you. I, eh, hope that at least you learnt something new? Or that it at least was an interesting read. Polish literature class to boot. Faneposter, if you will, out.

[carters-blender]

Hello, hi, welcome to the blender!

I am talking about my writing too much to my in person friends so I'm making this solely for ranting about my current projects lol. I am full of characters and projects but limited on artistic talent so I just keep yapping instead

About Me:

Hi, I go by Carter!

I am a-spec and nonbinary (please use they/them for me)

I am traveling and working and writing on the side, I have been writing for fun most of my life but now I'm trying to actually write

I am a yapper so I can almost guarantee any questions will get a full response lol, I am also happy to participate in ask/tag games

I am neurodivergent (I am comfortable talking about it if asked, but mostly I am focused on my writing here)

Most of my WIPs fall into fantasy/sci-fi, there are some darker elements or topics touched on in a few of them but everything will be tagged to the best of my ability (I will always add tags/TWs/CWs if told I missed one, no judgement)

My inbox is always open, even for silly things! Feel free to ask me anything!

My WIPs:

Winter's Army (current WIP)

dark fantasy, military story

multiple POVs

Queer-friendly world (can give more details)

soft magic system

under the tags #winters army - carter #cartersblender

Quick about: A strike force unit is set as an advance guard into "unclaimed land" during a war with an enemy empire. They discover that their enemy has created monsters and that their side is too willing to accept casualties. One of the soldiers is a wooden construct named Elan who their side treats as a weapon, spurring further questions about humanity and how someone can know what the truth actually is! It's super lighthearted and fun!

General TW/CWs for death, militarization, dehumanization, injury

Rifle and Pony

fantasy cowboys; werewolves, witches, and vampires

multiple POVs

Queer characters, neutral world

soft magic (wild, called on but not wielded by people)

under the tags #rifle and pony - carter #cartersblender

Quick about: A cowboy who had been turned into a vampire is strong armed into helping a monster hunter (who is secretly a werewolf) in order to protect his found family. They learn more about each other and grow to care for the other despite everything that tells them they probably shouldn't.

General TW/CWs for death, injury, marginalization

A Knife in Your Boot

fantasy, romance

Dual POVs

Queer characters, complicated world

no magic (as of right now anyways)

under the tags #knife in boot - carter #arranged - carter #carters blender

Quick about: Two warring nations agree to an arranged marriage for an attempt at peace. The pair is made up of Vannes- a peace-minded spare prince who holds little power in his family- and Kaj- a trans man whose parents refuse to recognize his gender and who has been training to be a fighter for years. Their pairing is a disjointed one to say the least.

General TW/CWs for injury, some transphobia (from a few side characters, not the whole society), lack of autonomy

What You'll See Here:

Writing update posts

Mood boards

World building/character info-dumps

Rare attempts at character art

Reblogs about writing

Reblogs of OC art

Tag/ask games

No NSFW

This is kind of just another void for me to scream into, but if you are a real person and here then: OMG Hello Hi!!!! Feel free to ask/interact as much or as little as you want, I will always be happy to interact back

[tracle0]

hi hi Trade, I am here because I simply Must know more about Elan immediately please and thank you (also do you have any tunes for him? just by the look of him n his vibe I feel like he'd have some bangers) mwah ok bye

:D HELLO

I'm tagging @khufiya-khaufnak-antariksh here as well cause you both asked about Elan and I figured I'd just babble a lil about them to both of you here, hello, thank you for your interest!!!

Okay okay okay Elan issssss yeah! A fucking mess, basically! They, they, they. Hmm. HMMM!

They're basically the result of a fun kidnapping and testing that was executed on a wide number of colour mages. Elan semi-volunteered for it, with zero intention of actually taking part, and then took part anyway. Sucks to be them.

I don't know an awful lot about the actual process, but the general aim of it was to see how much colour could be taken from a mage before they. Yknow. Fucking died. Which for most people was alarmingly far! Strip magic away and see how deep this colourlessness can go.

Alas, most of the people fucking died before anything truly interesting could happen. But but but! Elan did! Not! For various reasons I'm keeping disclosed, they were full of spite and rage and Vengence and decided actually, you know, I'm not gonna die, I'm gonna take this white you're pumping me full of and just. Harness that, thank you very much. Reject the magic you were born with and embrace this synthetic model instead.

Basically, edge 14-year-old brain went 'teehee evil science experiment character :)))?' and I went oh HELL yeah!

Elan is the kinda guy who likes gardening :)! Lil gardener fella! They've got a section of BigBad's base wardened off for Just Them, where they have a little living area and a big garden, where they spend most of their time, chilling out, feeling At Peace, crushing any sliver of green that starts to edge into any stalks or leaves. It is a petrified garden. It could not survive without them. They love it dearly. Sometimes, when they get overwhelmed or frustrated, they smash it and sob in its remains until it's replaced and they start the cycle over again.

They also stand as one of the first characters of mine where I looked at them and decided they wanted to be in a lil relationship, which is nice and good for them! Less good for them that it's, uh, with the. BigBad. The woman who funded and dictated the research that made them Like This.

The relationship is very much a. Toxic one. Power struggles between the two, knowing full well they've hurt each other badly and still coming back for more. By the end of the first book, they quite literally stab her in the back and ease her into her death, all romantic style.

Mmmm despite how things have been phrased, I think Elan does quite like being a White. They want more people to be White so they can understand how things are, how they should be. Very obsessed with perfection and cleanliness and purity. Bleached as many pigments out of themselves as they possibly could, and still finds the red of their blood to be grating.

I have exactly one (2) songs that vibes for them at the moment which I think you know both of, Monday? Tis 'The Quittin' Kind' by Eleisha Eagle and 'Pretty Little Head' by Eliza Rickman. Both vibe with the more toxic part of their relationship with the BigBad. Who has no name. Pretend she does.

Okay that's it! Bye! Thank you!

[feysandfeels]

ACOTAR 5 or 6?? (I don’t know which book is next)

Did someone ask for this? No, not really. Am I still going to theorize how the next book is going to go in length? Yes, yes I will. Also I’m doing a facemask that needs 20min to set in so like, I have time to kill. 

I have seen many saying that Azriel’s book is next because through him we will get Illyria, which still needs to be dealt with. Also through him we get Gwynriel and that. Even though I can definitely see the logic behind that, I thought I might throw in another option just for shits and giggles. 

This is more like a fever dream than anything. Don’t hold me to it, because I haven’t read these books with the academic rigorosity to come up with counter arguments as to why it’s Az’s and not Elain’s book that will come next. But, that being said, if I’m right I will say I told you so (lol). 

Also this will further my Elucien agenda so like... yeah you’ve been warned.

Why Elain?

Because I think it makes more sense to go have a book deal with one villain working up to Koshei, than to have Beron+Koshei as the big baddies in one final book. So like ACOSF was the human queen, ACOTAR 5 is Beron and then ACOTAR 6 ultimate baddie Koshei. And who is character that has ties to Beron? Lucien and who would Lucien’s book be with? exactly, Azriel. no I’m kidding, of course Elain. 

I also think Elain was a character that had a huge presence in this ACOSF despite having like three sentences. You could see her impact in the book and to me that was quite telling. 

ACOTAR 5: 

Right so we all can agree on a few things after being in this fandom for a couple of years or at least since the end of ACOSF: first, Elain and Lucien will deliver a Jane Austen type romance; second, it will entail a lot of court politics; and third, Elain is up to something and no one knows what it is. Yes? 

First Act:

Elain doing her suspicious stuff and we as the reader find out what it is and can already see the negative implications

Lucien still taking the brunt of the work in the SC, which is still utter chaos.

BoE content: Vassa is agitated because her curse is nowhere near close to being broken and time is running out. 

The IC finds out what Elain is been up to. I do think it has something to do with her wanting to go back to her human self. Cue the confrontation.

Meanwhile with Lucien: Vassa might attempt something it triggers a magical response from Koshei, an attack or something. Maybe Beron decides to make a move to the SC given that Tamlin is absent as a ruler. I don’t know, the point is we get a confrontation scene that sees Tamlin die to protect Lucien. Everyone is in shock because the HL of Spring just died, without heirs and close relatives. Where did the power go?

Lucien starts to feel it, but then he realizes that it’s not because it is happening to him.

Cue to Elain having her “i want to be human again I don’t care the cost” rant at the IC. Amren will call her a stupid girl, because that’s what she does. Then the power flows to her and she’s going to be hella confused, everyone in the IC is stunned and when Elain asks wtf just happened, Feyre will say: Tamlin died (because she can feel the shift of power of spring due to the kernel of power of spring that she has), so that means and Rhysand finishes the thought by saying that Elain is the new High Lady of the Spring Court (and the first cauldron-chosen high lady)

This means that now she has more ties to this fae world and can’t simply abandon them.

We will have some discussion about what to do next and Elain is all like “I don’t want to be High Lady I didn’t even want to be fae”. Trust someone in the IC, maybe Amren (since she has no problem with saying what everyone else is thinking in the bluntest-maybe even rudest way), to say that having Elain be HL of Spring would make everyone’s life easier given the unified Prythian front they must once again have because of the Koshei threat. Maybe it will even be Azriel and they will have the E/lriel fallout...

Lucien arrives at the NC to talk to Elain or well something. 

News spread about what happened and they know that Elain’s claim (if she chooses to make it) to the SC is a tad shaky and not everyone will accept it. Beron is like the fuck if you think I will accept this human-turned fae claim. The SC is an strategic location and I will take it for myself because it will be useful fo my Koshei-agenda.

Eris arrives like hello my dad is about to move his army to the SC so now is the time to kill him

And Elain is still like “i don’t want it”. Think Jon Snow in GoT.

Cue an Archeron confrontation of “you can’t run away from your responsabilities// life is not neat and sometimes it will throw at you things you thought you wouldn’t have thought you’d needed to take on// take a stance for once and think beyond your own plants”.

Details are blurry but she is like I need to leave here (the NC) because no one has my best interest at heart they are just doing what it’s politically best. But who might have my best interest at heart? That’s right, Lucien. She asks him for help or to leave or whatever.

Lucien is a politician and a courtier but for once, for fucking once he will do something that’s not for political gain (for the court he represents). He will help her because he wants to see her at peace. They go to the human lands with BoE.

The first act ends with one dead Tamlin, one unsure Elain, one willing to help regardless of the decision Lucien, and one war focused Beron. 

Second act:

The BoE content we have all been waiting for 

Vassa might be weak from whatever happened and Jurian is all worried. 

They see Elucien arrive and are like 👀👀👀👀. Lucien glares at them in a “say anything and i will in fact kill you” way. 

Elain starts to open up and mentions that if anything it should be Lucien who’s the HL and not her because he knows the territory and it suits his skillset. All she wanted to do was have a quiet life and see the world. 

Lucien says that if he were to make a claim he would need even more support from other courts, because if Elain’s claim is shaky at best, then his is like ... not great.

They agree that Lucien should travel to other courts to gather support because regardless whether it’s Elain or Lucien who will ascend to the Spring throne, they will need it. Elain asks if she can go with him because, as she said, she wanted to see more of the world. 

We also get an Eris Vanserra visit - or several - and Lucien starts to realize that Eris knows waaaaaaaaaaaay more than he has lead on. And that they need to work together because again, regardless of who takes the throne, Beron will fight it, but if Eris is on the Autumn throne he would offer support to either. 

Cue the Lads tour of Prythian ft. Politics-courtier plotline and the “how the fuck are we going to help Vassa” side quest.

Elain starts to learn more about what it takes to be a High Lady and about the territory of Spring and its people.

During visits to other courts one or two members of the IC will pop in and out.

Elucien slow burn + court romance begins (We have nice balls with tension because that’s how Jane Austen would have wanted it and this is nothing if not an austenian romance).

Elan will learn about Jessminda (that’s her name right?)

Lucien and Elain have a heart to heart one day and Lucien is like “I’ve never had a home that is mine, i’ve always owed it to someone else or it comes because they see me as a political pawn”.

Eventually another heart to heart about the complex grief (if you will) that Lucien must be feeling for Tamlin. 

When we get to the Day Court, we get the baby news. Not only are they trying to gather Helion’s support but also to figure out a spell to save Vassa. Doing something with a spell Lucien and Helion find out. I imagine that Feysand is in the DC because they are trying to keep tabs on how Elain is feeling regarding her High Lady position and they wanted to meet somewhere neutral; and so is Eris, because things are getting out of hand at the AC so they are trying to see what they should do. Also Feysand are nosy bitches so of course they would be there.

After the reveal, Lucien is shooketh and leaves, Elain leaves after him. It is raining. They get wet and he stops when he arrives at a temple (we love a good P&P reference) Lucien starts the monologue of what does this mean, who am i, I’ve always been alone and Elain cuts in and says that maybe in the past he’s been alone but that he will never be again; Lucien turns to face her and she walks up to him and kisses him like the Cauldron intended when it made them mates. 

We Eluciens are starting getting our well deserved smutt dishes. 

Third act:

Elain is still  a tad unsure about being a High Lady, because all she ever heard was that she was good at being pretty and an ornament, that she was meant to be the supporting role. Lucien is like “babes fuck what your mom said but no matter what you choose, I will choose you”. 

Finally shit hits the fan at the AC so that’s where Elucien go and Helion.. because LoA is there and he says fuck it imma go help her Beron can go fuck himself.

However they do not arrive at the palace or something like that but to another location where we can finally have visual proof of what Eris has been up to. LoA appears. Her and Helion have a nice tête-a-tête. 

Vassa and Jurian are there too beause #WereGoingToNeedAllTheHelpWeCanGet

Elucien formally arrive to Beron’s court, as is the plan. 

The tension is absurd, the coup is about to happen, something goes wrong, they need to think of their feet, somebody gets hurt.. you know the usual stuff. 

They use the spell to free Vassa and in such release of power Beron is confused and weakened

Lady of Autumn delivers the killing blow. Beron dies, power goes to Eris and everyone is like did we win??

Eris makes the joke that whichever half of Elucien will make the claim to the SC he will support it. By this moment is clear that Elain will take up the role so we all have a good laugh.

Archeron sister reunion, congratulations all around. Maybe a celebration in the SC??? or maybe that’s too tacky given that the whole court is still a mess,

Happy ending?? oh wait there’s something more uh-oh, when freeing Vassa you also freed Koshei. Oh you thought you had weakened Koshei by killing is Prythian ally? think again. Koshei is a god of death that now has full access to his powers. 

The end. 

[copperpieceharlot]

Bud I’m sorry to swing into your inbox uninvited like this but my soul is having an OOTS renaissance thanks to your content in the tag and did you say Leverage AU

haha holy SHIT this got Long. but yes. i’ve been. Thinking. (also literally Never feel like you have to apologize for sending me messages. i was Hoping someone would ask me about this. now i have an Excuse to share EVERYTHING ive written abt it :3)

Obviously, Roy is the leader/brains of the outfit. He grew up having some Strong Opinions abt what’s Legal versus what’s Right due to tragic backstory involving the death of his little brother which was definitely SOMEONE’S fault for negligence but since there technically wasn’t any illegal behavior, there were no consequences for it. Also he’s still angry at his dad bc he thinks his dad is also partly culpable (and also also just a dick). He’s the Moral Backbone of the team (alongside Durkon, more on that later) in basically the same way Nate was in og Leverage. He’s actually not the best at figuring out what people want (that’s Haley and, shockingly, occasionally Elan), but once he has that info, he is the absolute best at figuring out the ideal plan of attack to use in any given case.

Haley is still a thief. I mean she maps to Parker almost PERFECTLY. Her dad was a thief & a conman, her mom wasn’t but knew about it and mostly accepted it, but she died tragically in a mugging gone wrong or smth, which made Ian crank the paranoia WAY up and taught Haley to do the same in the name of “safety”. Let’s keep the “Ian is in Trouble and Haley needs money, Fast” which is why she signs on to the first job in the first place. She’s less acrobatic than Parker, tending towards finding (or making) weak spots in security, but she can still make a tumble check when she needs to.

Elan is the grifter who is somehow an Idiot but also not???? It baffles everyone. When he’s playing a part for a con, he’s FLAWLESS, but then the rest of the time he’s just. No Thoughts Head Empty. He probably gets lured in initially because he’s decided to try his hand at being part of a full team, rather than the two-man cons he’s been running that invariably end w his partner conning him as well and stealing half of his take. Also he likes the idea of being Crime Friends. He’s that tweet where it’s like, Roy: “after the heist is over, we split up and never communicate again” / Elan: [about to unveil his Crime Buddies Forever Friendship Quilt Puppets]: “never?”

Vaarsuvius is the hacker/gadget person. They have a Vaguely Snobby Yet Unidentifiable accent, dyed(?) purple hair (nobody has ever seen their roots) and nobody knows who they “really” are or where they came from, but they’re good at what they do so everyone just accepts the mystery. They probably got suckered into the team by their initial employer (who I’ll get to Eventually, lol) framing it as a challenge to their intellect, like, “oh, I see, you’re not smart enough to make this team work for you...” to which they were like Fucking Watch Me and also melted his computer. Anyways. They are joined (digitally) by their Intrepid Friend And Co-Conspirator (his words, not theirs), a fellow hacker known only as Blackwing, or, on certain forums, Blackwing_Bird. (In the first season, V only occasionally references him when saying they’re “calling in extra help” or smth for a particularly complex hack job. He starts showing up a little more in s2 and eventually by the start of s4 is a regular & established presence, but only appears as actions in a computer interface or output.) Elan is convinced he’s an AI, Belkar doesn’t think he actually exists, Haley pretends she doesn’t think he exists, and Durkon and Roy try not to think about it too hard, as long as B and V still get the job done.

Belkar is the hitter. He is on the team bc their initial employer got him out of jail for it. He doesn’t have a tragic backstory, he just likes doing violent crimes. As the series progresses, he grows some empathy & stuff, but really only for people who actually deserve it. Assholes still get decked. It’s all very touching. (Also he has dwarfism caused by achondroplasia. It doesn’t actually bother him and is useful in fights bc his opponents frequently have no fucking clue how to approach him, but he likes Pretending to take offense at stupid things just to see how far he can go with it.)

Aaaand last but not least, Durkon is the least involved member of the team. He’s actually a career criminal and Roy’s mentor, and wasn’t a member of the initial team that [redacted, I’ll tell you later, PROMISE] put together for a couple of reasons, the main one being that he’s Officially retired in order to spend more time with his family, which consists of his mom, his friend (not girlfriend) Hilgya, baby Kudzu, and a truly stunning number of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Roy frequently calls or visits him for advice and he Occasionally shows up to help out on local jobs, but generally he avoids doing crime if he can (as part of a deal with Hilgya, who is also a career criminal; basically, they’ve both cut back on the crime in order to provide a more stable home environment for Kudzu. But sometimes, you gotta do a little crime, and in those cases, Sigdi enjoys spending time w her grandson.)

NOW. THE BIG REVEAL YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR. Who got the team together in the first place?!

The answer: Lord Shojo (or whatever Normal Person Name you want to assign him). Now this is where it gets tricky: he had them do a thing that they thought was good, THEN they thought it was BAD, but then when they confronted him he revealed that it Appearing to be bad was actually a test of character and would they consider working as basically internal investigators for him? But then he had a heart attack, so, rip. But THEN it turned out that he’d left them a bunch of money anyway and they were all feeling kind of Inspired so they formed the Order of the Stick, LLC (which, no, i am not coming up with a new name, actually, because I just don’t care. someone else can come up w a justification for that name, tho, i’m sure it’s possible). Also Miko was there and was unhappy abt their actions, and also their general existence.

Moving on. Villains!

Redcloak is the Sterling replacement, because that DEEPLY amuses me.

Xykon is a season-long main villain, probably one that Redcloak finds himself working for but then “teams up with” (read: blackmails) the Order to bring him down bc even Redcloak finds Xykon distasteful. That’s season 3, let’s say.

Tarquin is another season villain, say season 2. Nale probably shows up pretty early in s1, actually, as another recurring antagonist like Sterling but uh. Less good at it. Anyways the s2 final 3 eps deal with them (accidentally) discovering that Tarquin runs some Evil Empire Company, then trying to outplay him and take him down. Idk if Nale still dies in this version tbh.

Tsukiko is a one-off s1 villain who returns briefly in s4 alongside Miko, who has gone well and truly off the rails.

Season 1 finale has to do w Roy finally getting Vengeance for his little brother.

The vampire squad is the s4 finale villain who do smth terrible to Durkon and then get the Mother Of All Revenge served up to them by the Order.

I envision the show as being 5 seasons (like og Leverage) but I’m not going to sketch out s5 because I think it should be based off whatever happens in the current story arc, possibly involving some legacy of the OotSquiggle.

Other stuff!

The Order of the Squiggle is a legendary criminal team from the 60s who stole a BUNCH of famous shit & then proceeded to legendarily implode. This has no bearing on the plot I’ve sketched out, I just think it’s fun.

The Sapphire Guard members should probably be reworked as FBI. I don’t care about most of them but I do think that Lien and O-Chul could be like, FBI agents who Choose to look the other way while the Order does their very-much-not-legal-but-still-fair Justice Crime, and maybe even help them out on occasion.

So, the Final season-by-season outline, based on everything I’ve written so far:

s1 e1: getting the team together, doing a con for Shojo, then at the end he dies and the gang is like “dang what now?" and intend to split up except then they Don’t.

mid-s1: Nale shows up and tries to trick the Order, but then gets beat like a drum.

late s1: Tsukiko is an underling of the Villain Of The Week, winds up in police custody. But She’ll Be Back.

s1 finale: Roy’s Vengeance: The Vengeaning. also we meet Redcloak as an antagonist.

s2 e1: the truth abt Haley’s father comes out

early s2: The Two Live Crews Job but it’s the Order vs the Linear Guild and the Linear Guild ARE all bad guys.

mid-s2: Redcloak returns. ugh.

late s2: the sapphire guard FBI makes its first appearance, hello O-Chul and Lien.

s2 pre-finale: once again they’re in conflict w Nale over smth, he spends the whole episodes making Cryptic Remarks, they basically beat him (like a drum!) but then the stinger at the end is that Tarquin reveals himself and Elan is like “Dad?!”, roll credits.

s2 finale, part 1: Elan is hanging out w Tarquin bc he’s DEEP in Denial, the Rest of the team tries to take Tarquin down, but it doesn’t work.

s2 finale, part 2: Elan finally gets a clue and they manage to beat Tarquin. still haven’t decided if Nale dies or not, but I’m leaning towards yes. also they rescue Haley’s dad.

s3 e1: fuck dude idk.

early s3: Redcloak shows up, AGAIN, everyone groans. he has blackmail on them, he wants them to take Xykon down.

mid s3: The Rashomon Job but it’s about stealing the Talisman of Dorukan and it turns out that Nale was there too (“oh!” Elan says. “I was wondering why I looked so weird in all those mirrors! But it wasn’t my reflection, it was Nale’s!” “Sweetie, that wasn’t Nale’s reflection,” says Haley. “Huh,” says Elan, “so the mirrors were broken?”, cue eye rolling from everyone else.), and the Successful thief was Hilgya, who’d nabbed it from the owner before it even went on display.

s3 finale: they beat Xykon, actually factually, because he deserves to get his ass Thoroughly kicked, even if only in AU form. Lien and O-Chul are there, so are some other less helpful FBI people. There’s a bit where O-Chul Exact Wordses his way out of telling his superiors about the Order’s less legal activities without technically lying. King shit.

s4 e1: doesn’t really matter. maybe smth to do w some legacy of Tarquin’s company to set up the drama w Malack & Durkon later.

early s4: Durkon gets SENT TO PRISON. Malack approaches the Order abt this because sure they have Different Ethics but they’re still Friends. (Roy is surprised and a little hurt that he’s never heard of Malack, but he ignores that in favor of Let’s Get Whatever Fuckers Did This To Our Friend.)

immediately after that: Miko and Tsukiko return as a Team, preventing the Order from working on the Durkon situation

mid s4: Redcloak makes another unexpected & unwelcome appearance but he’s maybe a little less of a dick? the Order collaborates with Malack & his Crime Buddies (hello, Vector Legion) to pull one over on him tho, because “less of a dick” does not mean “a pleasant or decent person”, and also he was mean abt Durkon being in jail, so he totally deserved it. he still gets whatever he wanted tho, just takes a blow to his pride. also prevents the Order from helping Durkon. they’re having a LOT of setbacks wonder why that could be, not to make sure the season fills its whole length or anything, no sirree

s4 finale: something something taking down the organization, headed by Hel (yes that’s her real name), which framed Durkon for their Big Crime. Durkon goes free and Extra Firmly retires, For Good, He Swears, but says he “met someone new” who might be an asset.

s5 e1: minrah joins the team! and the episode is set in like, somewhere really snowy. that’s all i got.

the rest of s5: don’t know, don’t care, it’s open-ended until the comic finishes up.

[fervency-if]

Wow the revival ask is definitely touching and intense in a very good way, If the revived MC says ro the ROs, "I'm sorry that you had to sacrifice an important part of you for me. I'm sorry for everything. I love you... I will never left you alone again, I promise." How would the ROs answers and react? Especially if MC is crying.

It was a good question, and it was very interesting to me to answer it! It's fun how I got two different new asks about this situation, albeit one very sad, and one very cute!

The Physician wouldn't say anything else than 'I love you, too.' She wouldn't know what to say. She would wish that they didn't have a guilty conscience, though - it was her choice, after all. She could have turned it down, but she didn't. She would let them cry as much as they needed to - and on her shoulder, should they feel like that.

Aubrey would just laugh with relief at first - and it would be a bit unhinged. Very intense. He would be wholly unable to control his emotions, and that is how they would come out initially. Then he would say 'why in the name of Heaven and Hell would you apologise, my love? What are you apologising for? I have other parts of myself that I appreciate...' Then he would kiss them, if they were a couple, or embrace them, if they were platonic friends, and say 'I love you, too. ...yes, please. Promise.' He would tear up, too, I'm quite sure. Not that he does that often, but this situation is more than extreme. As I mentioned in previous asks about similar matters, he would be completely attached to the hip with them, like glue, almost insufferable so for a while, perhaps, only stopping if the main character sternly told him to knock it off.

Vesa would say 'oh, you're right, darling. Don't you dare leaving me alone again.' She would take the confusing situation with some humour, namely. Some levity. It wouldn't feel forced to her, it would genuinely make it feel easier for her. Therefore, she would pretend to be angry, but in a playful manner, to show the main character that she isn't cross for real. This, while hugging them tightly, tell them how much she loves them, too, and if they were crying, she would hug them even more intensely, since it would seem like they needed it especially bad.

Narciso would simply hush them gently, while, equally gently, wiping their tears for them. He would try to act calm, but a few things would shine through - how rattled he was. He would be a bit shaky. A bit out of breath. Lightheaded. 'Can we sit down and simply enjoy one another's company? I think we both sorely need it...'

Roswhen would give them their biggest, most wet eyes: 'I'm good... I'm just happy... I mean, overjoyed, to see you again. You're right. We will not leave one another alone. Don't cry... No, what am I saying? I'm about to cry... We can do that, can't we?' They would also tell them that they loved them, and ask to relax for a while lest they will both faint from sheer emotion and confusion.

Elan would cry, too. Very intensely, and if the main character was crying... Complete waterfall, basically. If someone he loves weeps, he has a tendency of doing so, too. He wouldn't be able to say anything other than 'don't apologise,' because he would want them to know that immediately. He doesn't care. All he wants to do right now is to hold them tight, and have them holding him, not letting go for hours.

[onthemeander]

ACOTAR Review

I have to start off by just mentioning that this book was heavily suggested to me. I only ever heard praise of the plot, characters, and the romantic message at its core. I feel this needs to be brought up because it was the fuel for the utter frustration I felt while reading this book. A frustration at my core that drove me to write my first ever review, so thanks for that.

Let’s start with the Pros of this book.

It is an easy read. I can inhale 300 pages in only two days. It is a good relaxing read if that’s what you are looking for. The kind of book you can curl up with on a rainy Sunday and just pass the free time if you're burned out on binging Netflix.

Okay, that’s it for the Pros. Now onto the Cons.

This book, a loose reimagining of Beauty and the Beast, feels like it has been written by a 50 shades of grey fan who hates Disney princess movies because the princesses are not “tough” enough. This novel comes off as the edgy version of a fantasy world that wants to include all the dark sides of life but doesn’t want to address the life long lasting implications of those dark actions. I am looking at you Ryhsand. Oh and I will go in on him later but first let's talk about our heroine.

Feyre is a young girl whose family has fallen onto hard times and it is her single minded goal to keep them all alive. They live hand to mouth, off the game she manages to hunt in a rather inhospitable forest. One day while trying to kill a Doe she sees a massive wolf and decides to kill it as well, as it was making eyes at her doe and a girl is hungry.

She kills the massive creature and takes both animals home to skin and prepare for meals. The money and food ensuring that her family won’t starve for at least a few weeks if they ration properly. Days later another more terrifying monster comes to her cottage, a Fairy in beast form by the name of Tamlin, who says she killed his friend. Now, because she killed a fairy, she can either die or come live with him for the rest of her life. She takes the later… obviously.

Feyre is a fine enough protagonist, bland enough that you can imagine yourself in her position and fantasize about having two hot men chasing you. In my younger years, I would have happily daydreamed about being in her world, surrounded by magic but being personally skilled enough to not need the aid of magic.

A pet peeve, a totally personal bias, is that to her everything is just the worst. Her Sisters are awful, her dad useless, the cottage disgusting, hunting she hates it, the fairies vile, the Spring Court a prison, and so on. The issue isn’t so much that she has a negative mindset, that is human and that can make for an interesting shade of protagonist but in this novel, it is so one-note. Everything is described with the same level of disdain. Which makes moments where she talks about having to protect her family or Tamlin honestly confusing because with how little she seems to like them the reader is left wondering why? Because of a promise she made? To a mom she hates?

Listening, family relationships are complicated. The best line I’ve heard about a relationship similar to Feyre’s, comes from the movie Ladybird, where the titular character tells her mother “I know you love me but I don’t think you like me.” Maybe it’s the fact it’s a movie and the way it is said but it is hurt there. There is a pain in the girl’s voice that her mother and she are at odds.

Feyre at no point talks about the personal pain that comes from being so distant from her family. She just resents them. Even a short moment of remembering the better days, little memories of when her and Nestia playing together as kids or Elane showed her something in the garden. Something that shows that there is, even for the briefest moment love in these relationships.

Without those moments, Feyre’s flip-flopping between going home and staying at the Spring Court feels more like padding to extend a book that saved all of the interest for the last 3rd.My bigger issue with Feyre is she doesn’t seem to really think so much as exist and react in the world. For a series that many have commended for being about feminist agency, Feyre lacks more agency than a rock in a river. At least then the water has to move around the rock.

A story based around Beauty and Beast is always going to bring into question the nature of female agency. This French fairy tale was written in 1740, in a women's magazine, meant to help teach girls about their ultimate futures. In a society where women were the property of fathers and husbands. It urged girls to look at their “beastlike” husbands and try to find the good in them. To become okay with the fact that who they marry might treat them terribly but means well… maybe this book is a perfect adaption of that idea, but I digress.

Feyre is whisked away to this magical world and through her, we learn about the fairy world. A world of violence, court games, and so much sexual assault.

While in the spring court she is tricked by a mirage of her father, nearly eaten by Naga’s, threatened multiple times by basically everyone, sees a fairy die from its wings being ripped off, finds a severed head in the garden, and so on. Whenever she expresses confusion on what is happening there is always a Fairy there to monologue away the day with detailed pages long exposition.

She readily accepts any explanation of the fairy world a man, in particular, tells her. Its exposition for the readers but for a girl who has grown up in a world that believes fairies are violent and enslave humans she is so quick to accept everything they tell her. She doesn’t stop and questions intentions and if she does wonder about the intentions of a character she usually ends on the side of being favorable to them, l especially if they are attractive.

It's clear that Feyre isn’t there to be a character but a vehicle, an avatar for the reader to travel from point A to B. She never reacts to things in a way that a person of this world with such polarized groups would react to being forced to live in the enemy camp.

Then there is Tamlin. He is fine. Your standard brutish romantic interest that is cursed to be ugly forever, by way of the phantom of the opera mask. He is demanding and haughty and thinks he knows better than everyone. Your standard High Lord ego makes for the verbal back and forth that toes the line between sexual tension and toxic relationships.

He does that standard bodice-ripping shtick, while hopping up on fairy dust, he pins Feyre to the wall and bites her neck. She says no, he ignores and then runs off. With a lovely little moment later blaming her for leaving her room, therefore, he can't be held responsible.

While Feyre has probably never listened to a single rule in her life that is still a huge red flag.

Lucien, an interesting play on the Beast’s servants. He is torn between wanting Feyre around to break the curse but also hating her for killing a friend. Honestly, I think this could have been the most interesting relationship if there was more time devoted to it. That happens a lot in this book, interesting things happen too fast and a lot of time is just devoted to Feyres’ water bowels.

Finally Ryhsand, oh dear Rhy, how I wish I could cut you from my mind just as easily as you pop other Fairies brains. Rhys is not a bad character but his introduction into the book is right when this 400+ novel went from bland but inoffensive to outright infuriating. He is the triple threat of assault; Mental, Physical and Sexual.

We first meet the Lord of the Night Court at the Fire Festival (or in honor of Maas naming conventions Fyre) where he saves Feyre from a trio of Fairies that wanted to assault her. A fine enough intro, maybe a bit overused, but I liked the Howl’s moving castle vibes with the playboy swagger and not knowing why this guy is helping at all.

I was excited at first when he showed up, I couldn’t help but get online and see what fans had to say about the books and instantly noticed that the top pairing from the series was Feyre and Rhys. Not just a fan-loved pairing but an actual canonical couple. I was interested to see how the story went and how the author would hint at this future couple while the current story was still very much pointing to a Tamlin happy ending.

Imagine my surprise when the very next scene that Rhys pops up in, ends with him physically pinning Feyre and mentally assaulting her. I believe she refers to it as a talon in her mind ready to rip her consciousness into oblivion. What a great love interest.

To add insult to literal injury, he then mentally violates her and reveals all of her more adult desires that she has been thinking about Tamlin.

He blackmails them all, threatening to tell an evil queen, Aramantha, about Feyre’s existence unless Tamlin kneels and begs. Even then he demands Feyre’s name. She lies and gives him a girl’s name from her village.

Later we learn that the village girl, Claire, has her family burned alive in their home and is dragged to the Fairy world where she is brutally tortured, mutilated, and put on display like a bear pelt. This cruelty is all the result of Rhys not keeping his fat mouth shut about Feyre being in Tamlin’s court.

The author thinks it's okay to excuse this innocents girl's murder away and make Rhys seeming cunning, by saying that he knew that wasn’t Feyre and lied to protect her. A logic so backward I am surprised my spine didn’t snap in how far it had to bend to dodge the fact that he caused her endangerment by telling Aramantha about Feyre to begin with.

Things get darker than the night court once we enter under the mountain. There, while trying to survive Aramatha’s trials, Feyre breaks her arm to the point that the bone is exposed. A day later, bleeding out, in pain, and feverish from infection, Feyre has to talk to Rhys in her cell. He offers to heal her arm in exchange for her living with him every month for two weeks.

Feyre is not interested in his deal and tells him to leave several times. What does our future perfect mate decide to do then when denied what he wants? He grabs Feyre by her exposed arm bone and twists. This man. This sexy dream boy that so many people say is their model for relationships, grabs an injured woman’s exposed bone and tortures her. Just so she will promise to live with him. He is the little boy kicking the dog because it didn’t follow his orders.

After being physically assaulted in a way that is so painful I am sure most people would black out, Feyre agrees to his deal. However, she bargains the time down to one month. He agrees and seals the deal. Just like that Rhys becomes the male embodiment of a period, complete with all the emotional distress, muscle cramps, and blood.

So does the torture end there? Oh no. For several nights after that he makes servants strip her, paint her and dress her in fabric so thin that she is basically naked. Why paint you ask? Rhys claims it is so she and he knows if anyone touches her. Though I will say that while he states this he touches her shoulder and the paint magically fixes itself. So You know it will show if anyone but Rhys touches her.

He then parades her publicly in front of the entire court like a toy. She is forced to publicly expose her breasts and genitals to a crowd of people that from day one want to see her die. He reduces her to a sex object in a crowd that already does not see her humanity.

Then he drugs her. Not an exaggeration, he even admits to it later in the book. He forces her to drink wine that makes her blackout. The next morning she can barely remember anything and has to rely on Lucien to tell her what happened. While blacked out she is forced to dance practically naked, giving Rhys lap dances and just sitting in his lap. She is exposed so throughout that Lucien even comments that he has seen more than he ever wanted to.

All of this culminated in a moment where one-night Feyre gets a moment with Tamlin, the man she loves, and they kiss and touch each other. The paint is smeared and Rhys finds them. He tells Tamlin to leave and then pins Fyre again calling her a stupid human. Then shoves his own tongue down her throat against her will as she thrashes. Aramantha finds them then and makes sure everyone in the court gets a good laugh at Feyre’s “promiscuity”.

The act is disgusting but what really made me want to burn this book was the scene directly after this. Where Rhys shows up and gives his “reasoning” for abusing her. He was just protecting her because Aramantah would be mad if she found Feyre and Tamlin kissing. He was using her nude dances to try and anger Tamlin so he would fight back when he can. He drugged Feyre so she wouldn’t have to remember the humiliation of being someone's harlot. He did all of it to help her and him.

It's okay that he abused her because it was all for a greater plan. It's okay cause he is hot.

This is the moment when I have to step away from the book review and talk about what I have seen surrounding this novel. I have heard several fans explain away Rhy’s abuse by saying “but it was in her best interest” and “that’s what war does'”. So, let's unpack that, first “in her best interest” is basically the catchphrase of every abusive partner at this point. There will always be a reason for the abuse, it’s a gaslighting tactic that ensures that abusers can deflect any blame from themselves and onto their victim. This creates complicated emotions that will paralysis the abused person from leaving the relationship altogether.

If you find yourself in a relationship where you are always rationalizing away mistreatment then please take a step back and question why there are so many excuses to begin with.

As for the but war does that. I would like these same people to say that while looking at photos of real war atrocities. To look at images from the Nanjing Massacre or the Wounded Knee Massacre and say the same thing. Those acts of violence against men, women, and children were done during the war. Does that make it okay then if the violence was done by an attractive soldier who was deep and brooding?

I have a tendency to write my own preferred scenarios which I know is kind of pointless for a published book but fix fit fiction is a thing so hear me out.  Or don’t, that’s fine you can stop reading here as the review is over. I just have one simple idea that could fix a lot of my problems with this series.

Separate Rhysand into two separate characters.

Make the man she meets at the Fyre Festival and the guy who threatens her in the mansion and under the mountain just different guys.

You can keep the dark cunning mystery man of the Fyre Festival, maybe not even name him until he shows up again in the court to help. Have him come to her cell and offer his help. Have her say no and instead of grabbing her exposed arm bone he just says it’s the only help she will get. Hell Feyre talks herself into anyways after he grabs her bone so let's just skip that violence. Have her agree just as he is about to leave and give her the stupid arm tattoo and save her life. Then that’s it. He shows up at the end to help her but that’s it.

The man who meets her in the cell does not need to be the same man who forces her to do stripteases in front of hundreds of people. Make it Attar or some other male henchman of Aramantha who makes her do the dancing and drinking and everything else.

You still want him to be cunning and calculating? Maybe have a little bit of the grey morality that makes us all squirm?  Great than keeping the scene with the forced kiss (not great but whatever). That is easier to overlook than drugging, sexual harassment, and assault.  He can be forcibly kissing her to protect her and hell let's throw in an apology for fun.

Then you set up a situation where you have this dark and mysterious figure who we still don’t know why he helps her.

I know people say wait till book two and I do plan to read it. I got to see what excuse the author comes up with that seems to explain away so much abuse. What could she possibly say that makes me sit back and say “You know yes he pimped her out and yes he pulled on an exposed bone but you know what he just suuuuuuch a good guy.” If she is that good of an author then she should become a PR writer who makes spin articles for R. Kelly and Harvey Weinstein.

[illusion-reality-steve]

Stress’ last 5 brain cells react to Steve Saga returning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFj1Z3UGt_I

Brain Cell #1:

BC 1: *hard at work writing the Mite Steve AU, building it on the foundations of the abandoned, broken season 2*

BC 1: Writing is so much fun :D Especially when you don’t need to stress about following canon anymore.

BC 1: *phew* *steps back and admires the Mite Steve AU so far* Great work!

*THUNDER*

God Steve: *appears* Hi.

God Steve:

God Steve: *pokes the Mite Steve AU*

The Mite Steve AU: *collapses, reduced to dust*

God Steve: Sorry, that AU is no longer possible thanks to my existence.

BC 1:

BC 1: :’)

(Lol, don’t worry. I’ll either continue with the Mite AU as it is, ignoring the new episodes, or make some adjustments to fit God Steve into it. I’ll think of something.)

Brain Cell #2:

BC 2: THE STEVE SAGA IS BACK. OUT OF ALL THE POSSIBILITIES. FIRST STEVE IN SMASH, AND NOW STEVE SAGA IS BACK. OCTOBER, YOU’RE AN ALRIGHT MONTH.

BC 2: STEVE SAGA SEROTONIN, YEEEEESSSS

BC 2: AAAAAAHHHHH

Brain Cell #3:

BC 3: *looking at every frame* WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS ILLUSION STEVE?! WHERE IS MY DISASTER SON?! AAAAAAHHHH

BC 3: AND WHAT THE HECK, GOD STEVE?! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!

BC 3: RESETTING THE WORLD?! BRINGING THE WORLD BACK TO ITS HAPPIEST STATE?! MAKING EVERYONE FORGET THE OLD WORLD SO THE NEW WORLD IS FUNCTIONAL?!

BC 3: YOU ARE RIPPING OF ILLUSION STEVE’S ARC. WHHHYYYYYYY

BC 3: *salty grumble* This is probably how the Hypno Steve stans felt when they saw Illusion Steve’s similarities to Hypno Steve :c

BC 3: But come on, man, another repeat of Illusion’s plan? With nothing unique added to it? Seriously, where did whatever God Steve had with Alex and Emerald Steve go? Why didn’t he even mention that? Why is he suddenly so chill?

(Edit: Whoops, I mistook God Steve as the same character who got mad at Sabre. I thought the episode confirmed that he was the one who attacked them with bedrock, but it didn’t. Sorry about that.)

Brain Cell #4:

Alright, Imma drop in instead of BC 4 for a real talk.

I’m....concerned about Sabre/Elan. The man behind the videos. I thought the Steve Saga was gone for good and Rainbow Quest was gonna take over. And this Steve Saga episode seems to be set up to be a semi-reboot. It’s literally a brand new timeline.

I’m worried that he made the Steve Saga return because of fandom pressure. Or may he’s having writer’s block and made this just to get the creative juices flowing.

I just hope Elan knows what he’s doing and won’t have as big of an issue with plot holes and characterization this time.

Who knows. Maybe he needed to take months off the Steve Saga so he could finally know how to continue it.

idk. This is just speculation. Please don’t take my word for it.

Brain Cell #5:

I’ll also be speaking here because I already got some theories.

I don’t have any evidence. I’m going based on my intuition, and the headcanons I’ve made in the past about what happened after the Ender Crystal explosion (Bedrock Steve, Sabre’s multiple egos, Mite Steve AU, etc)

Also, side note: I’m kinda scared that the continuation has some similarities to the setup of the Mite Steve AU, which takes place after season 2 XD Like, bruh.

Anyways, God Steve is very out of nowhere. He changes everything, including the assumption that Origin Steve was the original Steve.

So I have a theory: God Steve isn’t actually a Steve. He isn’t from this timeline. I think God Steve is Sabre/Elan.

God Steve created the Steve Saga and other universes like how Elan created the Steve Saga: by imagining a story idea and building it with his creativity. God Steve is scolding at Sabre, in frustration with himself of how much of a mess season 2 is. And he isn’t actually a Steve, but he names himself after them because he’s very fond of the Steve Saga and wants it to be a part of his identity.

How did God Steve become a separate entity? I think when Reality Steve separated Sabre from his account, God Steve was created. This is similar to how Light Steve was created when Sabre separated Rainbow Steve into the basic Color Steves. God Steve and Sabre are also similar to Galaxy and Void’s dynamic. So this is a nostalgic, classic Steve Saga trope.

This can be supported by the fact that God Steve is OP enough that he literally dragged Lucas, a player outside of the server, into the Steve Saga server.

Anyways, if God Steve turns out to be evil and Sabre feels immense guilt/responsibility over God Steve, it’ll be so nostalgic and heartwarming if Galaxy comes to the rescue. “Sabre, you didn’t give up on me when you realized Void Steve was a part of me. I’m not gonna give up on you either! You are better than God Steve. You can defeat him!!”

Overall:

I have very mixed feelings about this. This plot doesn’t feel fresh, and I’m worried that there is no plan. And this entire episode felt more like a fanfiction than an actual Steve Saga episode. However, I’ll follow the series if new episodes come. Because I am Steve Saga trasssssh. (And I don’t want to fall behind on episodes, like what happened to me with RQ :’) )

I’ll probably like it more if Illusion’s in it. And Alex. And Emerald Steve.

If Illusion’s in this and he meets God Steve, he better be salty that God Steve stole his evil plan and attempt to fight him. He might die if he tries that and I will cry a lot of that happens, but at least it will be in-character.

I also have a feeling that Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet Steves will be used in this continuation.