#while never talking about what happened before during or after those scenes

[cy-cyborg]

It's been confirmed that there are 3 amputees in the main cast of Dragon Age: the veilguard - Neve (leg amputee), Bellara (arm amputee) and your inquisitor (arm amputee). So as an amputee myself, here are some things I'd like to see.

Note: these aren't predictions, just things I'd really like to be included.

The inquisitor doesn't use a prosthetic (I already talked about this in its own post but with 3 amputees, and 2 of them already being shown to use prosthetics that, lets be honest, do look like "perfect replacement" prosthetics, it would be nice to see at least one who doesn't)

We will get to customise our inquisitor in chatacter creation, so I would love, if they do use a prosthetic, for there to be some customisability to it (im not holding my breath there but still).

Neve and Bellara's prosthetics aren't perfect prosthetics, and they are actually acknowledged as being disabled while still being active members of your party.

There's some kind of party banter between Neve and Bellara about some of the downsides/problems with their prosthetics, not necessarily in a "poor them" way, but in a "ugh, don't you just hate it when you can't get the stupid thing on in the morning" kind of way.

I get a kind of jokey/adventurous vibe from Bellara, I hope they aren't affraid to let her use her prosthetic for pranks or jokes. I don't think neve would, but I can see bellara having a blast with it.

I hope the prosthetics come off during down time. No amputee wears their prosthetics 24/7, it's uncomfortable, and they get heavy and sore after using them all day.

I hope we see Neve express some frustration or see her alter her walk animation on rough terrain. It's hard to get a clear look because the trailers she's been shown in are so dark, but her foot doesn't look articulated, which is going to change how she walks, even just a little bit.

I hope the prosthetics don't break - this is a trope I'm starting to notice more and more, where someone has a perfect prosthetic that is only not a perfect replacement when it breaks, usually for plot reasons, at which point the character in question is forced out of the action until its fixed. DA has forced companions out of your party for story reasons before (e.g. solas after you free his spirit friend and he needs to cool off) so I can see this being used for plot, and I really hope it's not.

The inquisitor, Neve and Bellara compair prosthetists (the maker of the prosthetic) and maker techniques.

I really doubt they'll do this but I'd love it if random NPC's approach you if you have any of the amputees in your party to ask what happened and/or make weird comments at them ("but cy, that would be so annoying and inconvenient!" That's the point. So many people do that to irl amputees, and it's never at a convenient or even safe time, and I've never seen it happen in media. A game is arguably the best place to have it happen, in, say, a random event similar to the ones that could happen in origins)

In that same vein, I'd love to see a scene where someone approaches the inquisitor to call them an inspiration- you and the inquisitor assume it's for, you know, beating corripheus (I know I spelled it wrong lol) and saving the world, but it's revealed the chatacter has no idea who the hell the inquisitor is and just means it's inspiring that they're out in public "like that" - referring to their arm. This also happens to me all the time, and you can't tell me some snooty orlesean or tevinter noble wouldn't make those back-handed compliments, lol. You also can't convince me that any version of the inquisitor would just accept that

I hope none of the chatacters are used as inspiration porn ("don't you worry Rook! I can still pull my own weight on the team despite being an amputee, you just have to give me a chance to prove myself!")

At least one of the chatacter's stories of how they lost their limb is left untold in game (we don't always need to know how it happened if it's not relevent to the plot).

Like I said, these aren't predictions, just my hopes. I wouldn't hold my breath for any of these to be honest (bioware has not been the best in term of disability rep in the past) but A lot of them wouldn't be hard to implement and could take the representation from hardly even acknowledging their disability to something actually pretty decent disability rep-wise. It's also pretty rare to have so many characters with the same kind of disability in the cast of such a mainstream piece of media, and I really, really hope they do something with that because you can have a lot of fun with that.

[avonne-writes]

Your hs au college head canons sound sooooo angsty and good! I can’t wait to see what you do with them! While I was reading them, I couldn’t help but picturing like a scene where they each separately are talking with their new fiends who basically say something like “I’m surprised you two are together, you don’t seem like you are right for each other” which would add doubts for both of them because they are so used to people thinking they are such a perfect and sweet couple. And of course feeling those doubts causes more tension. And of course these friends only feel this way because they haven’t truly seen their relationship, only the way it’s been during this transition time. Ugh I love this kind of angst! Of course, only if it has a happy ending!

Hi dear! Thank you, I’m glad you like the headcanons.

Great addition, this 100% happens. Gale's friends would phrase it similarly to how you did, politely. They would go on to tell Gale that this happens to most high school sweethearts, and that a break-up doesn’t mean that the previous ~4 years were not meaningful or that they're bad memories. They try to comfort Gale. But they're not without fault either, because like you said, they don't know John and Gale's relationship super well and they see mostly the struggles in that first semester, so they encourage Gale to break up. They try to talk him down from investing more effort into the relationship.

But Bucky gets the short end of the stick here.

His social circle is made up mostly of his teammates. As you can imagine, some of those can be rude and extremely crass, boasting about their conquests and being hurtful out of mere ignorance. These guys would regularly poke fun at Bucky for the fact that he has never had sex with anyone but Gale. They'd say things like "don’t you wanna dip it somewhere else" and "how do you even know you're bi when you haven't even tried pussy". If he wants to skip a party, they whistle and boo at him that the missus has him whipped (this isn’t exclusive to him, they do it with everyone who goes home). Some might even try to comment on Gale, about his prettiness and how they'd tap that too. They think this is being inclusive but Bucky snaps and there's an altercation, and it takes a few days before the team dynamics reset again.

These are not Bucky's friends, just teammates. His actual friends within the team are much nicer, but they also echo some of the same sentiments. "Don’t you feel like you're missing out on something?" Bucky tries to keep most of this from Gale and he's not comfortable discussing his sex life with his mom, so the whole thing builds up in him. It doesn’t help that due to their issues, he and Gale don’t have sex that often or it just feels a bit off.

When he and Gale make up after their big fight, he tells Gale everything. Since this is exactly Gale's insecurity, Gale - much more gently this time than during the fight - tells him that he doesn’t want to hold Bucky back. It clearly pains him, but he even offers to do an open relationship for a while. But Bucky doesn’t want that, and he says it too. He snuggles close to Gale and basically just asks him to reassure him that it's okay not to want that. That it's okay to be with only one person and that they'll work on making sure neither of them regrets it in the future.

Gale is very pessimistic and thinks that's impossible, but at that point, he wants to help Bucky relax and he has the selfish desire to say yes too, so he tells Bucky that it's okay and that they will figure everything out. Ultimately, they do figure it out every time they struggle with something related to this, so Gale’s pessimistic fears don’t come true. And their sex life improves drastically after the fight. It’s the best it has ever been.

[lord-squiggletits]

Mmm one of the amazing things about IDW Optimus is that he feels like a real person to me. And imo, that's because instead of being portrayed as this universally benevolent and kind leader who always has a noble response to everything... He actually reacts to stress and makes bad decisions and loses his cool a lot of the time. It's just sad because almost, if not every time IDW OP does something "jerkish," there's literally a perfectly logical reason behind why he would feel/react the way he did, except the fandom either simplifies it to "he's an asshole" or straight up repeats/believes in outright misinterpretation or ignorance of the actual facts of the story. :/

But annoying fandom takes aside, I do just feel like... It's not that the "quietly sad, forlorn, lonely Optimus" characterization is bad, because IDW OP is very much like that too. I just think that his anger and righteousness and fuck-ups make him much more endearing because... I feel like I'm stating the obvious, but it's because real people are complicated. Real people aren't always diplomatic and kind. Real people snap under stress and lash out. Real people get into arguments with others about how far they're willing to go for their beliefs. Real people make mistakes and/or have backgrounds that haunt them for the rest of their lives.

And quite frankly, I think it's cool as fuck how IDW Optimus has some bite to him when he interacts with others. For example, I like it when IDW OP gets pissed at Dai Atlas for leaving Cybertron and abandoning the war (Monstrosity) because his anger and frustration reveals things about him. How much he cares about Cybertron as their homeland. How much pressure he feels to be a perfect leader and protect everyone. His bravery and responsibility making him feel that the right thing to do is fight for what's left, not cut their losses and leave. Also Dai Atlas is a hypocritical cunt and I will stand by this as far as his actions during the Metzen trilogy lmao, but that's besides the point.

But what I'm saying is that that conflict with other characters reveals things about Optimus' character: his history, regrets, values, goals. And if you reduce those complicated actions to just "he's an asshole", or outright ignore/remove them as fandom tends to do, what you end up with is a flattened character. A character having a strong personality/motivations/beliefs/etc necessarily means that they have conflict with others. Conflict is what makes stories interesting. IDW Optimus has conflicts with others and with himself and that's why he's cool as fuck. Because I came into IDW expecting just, "oh Optimus is the cool leader guy, he's iconic, he's heroic" and what I actually got was a character who's all of those things, but also conflicted, tragic, and controversial in relation to the people and environments he's surrounded by.

Because what some people think is "being an asshole" is what I'd rather call "having perfectly understandable emotional reactions under the given circumstances and ending up conflicting with people because that's how life works."

[mylonelylittlestar]

My little star

Characters: Xavier Summary: random relationship headcanons with Xavier Warnings: None A/N: I've completely fallen in love with Love and Deepspace, especially with Xavier. It's truly hopeless

the type of boyfriend to get you matching pyjamas

he gets you so many that they slowly start to replace all of your own

likes to match with you even if you don't live together, so sometimes he just texts you to ask which pyjamas you're wearing so he can change into the matching one after he showered

if you ever gift him slippers, blankets, or pillows, he will keep them forever (even if it's something goofy like those big fluffy bunny slippers)

the best person to ask for good midnight snacks. He can recommend fantastic instant noodles, chips, crackers, or other snacks that are light and won't give you stomach aches late at night or negatively impact your sleep in any other way

very interested in your skincare routine (if you have one) and will try out any mask or cream that you give him

if you come up with a routine for him (a simple one, maybe, like the basic cleanser > toner > moisturizer), he will follow it diligently, dragging himself out of bed before he sleeps every day to do it because you were the one to pick those products for him and he doesn't want to waste that

he feels like it connects you to him, even if your routine is completely different and a bit more complicated

never cries during movies, no matter how sad they might be, but he does (on very rare occasions) get a bit teary-eyed

he will hold you if you cry during a movie, and he would never even think about making fun of you for it

he does secretly think that it's cute that you get so worked up about a movie

can sleep through anything. a bomb could go off in his house and he wouldn't know that it happened until he woke up

has seen every single episode of any shitty sitcom you can think of at least three times because he occasionally watches them while he sleeps

sometimes he quotes them but because he knows each of these shows so well now he always quotes the lesser known scenes and no one gets what he's talking about

you start to understand his references after a while, so sometimes he will quote some obscure scene from a super unpopular sitcom that got cancelled after one season and you're the only one laughing

secretly sneaks to the arcade sometimes to practice the claw machine game because he wants to get you the plushies you don't have yet (and to impress you)

he ends up getting dozens of repeats of plushies that you already own. he collects in a small storage room in his apartment that used to be empty

he ends up giving them away when the collection gets out of control, donating them to a children's hospital nearby

gets all shy when you find out about it, blushing bright red like a tomato (or a wasabi octopus)

knows about every single 24 hour store in the city because of his odd sleeping habits and always knows what to do no matter what time it is

you can't sleep and want to go on a date at 3:27 am? he knows a place

if someone is mean to you he will try his hardest to deescalate the situation, but he's also fully willing to fight the person if that doesn't work

I mean have you read his Anecdotes 2? He doesn't give a fuck. He'd prefer not to fight, sure, but if it's unavoidable? What is he gonna do? Not fight and defend you? Ridiculous.

The fandom has already started turning him into this soft uwu stereotype, but the thing is that that's... just not him? He's sweet and kind, yes, but that's not all he is. He's complicated! He has layers!

if he ever falls asleep during a date he would feel awful about it for days, even if you reassure him that it's fine and that you're glad that he feels safe enough around you to fall asleep

he tries to make it up to you with a different date and he falls asleep again, which starts a vicious, endless cycle

when he finally does get over his guilt it's only because you fall asleep during a date after you had a long day at work

knows when you cheat in kitty cards, but sometimes he just lets you get away with it, especially if he knows you had a stressful day at work. He hopes that the win will cheer you up

his good night kisses are forehead kisses while his good morning kisses are on top of your head if you didn't sleep over or on the cheek if you did

[luckybyler]

My observations on the VR game re: Byler, including a couple of things I haven’t seen mentioned yet

I just saw part of a game walk through on YouTube (I can’t afford VR), and hoo boy!

1. The Mike that says El is so amazing and Will wouldn’t get it isn’t the real Mike, it’s the Mike that Vecna shows Will to terrorize him: In Chapter 3, Vecna possesses Will. Will resorts to a happy memory (Mike and him in Castle Byers), where Mike gives him a a ViewMaster. Will starts playing it, but Vecna makes every memory awful, full of spiders and particles. He distorts scenes, showing things like everyone ditching Will after calling him weird and other things that blatantly didn’t happen. Then he tells him he’ll show him suffering and shows that scene where Mike talks about El while particles fall down.

2. Will is confirmed to be a human being with wants and needs of his own: During that scene, Vecna goads him to tell Mike how he feels, and that he doesn’t want to meet El at all. At this point Will and El hadn’t met in the real world, and Will didn’t wish harm on her or anything, he just didn’t want her to be there, which is a normal and natural thing to feel about your crush’s hypothetical crush.

3. Vecna’s full of shit: In chapter four, Vecna tries to possess the four boys from the Party, and fails. He tells Dustin he puts double the effort into the friendship than the other three boys do, but Dustin turns him off with the TV remote (is Dustin’s happy memory watching tv?). Then he basically tells Lucas “you’re black and people judge you for it”, but he’s in a memory of a movie date with Max (at a drive-in theatre somehow) watching happy memories of the Party. Lucas does see the monster (so it somewhat hits?), but Max says it can’t do anything and they easily shut Vecna down. He also taunts Mike by telling him he’ll never see the most awesome person he’s ever met (El) and it’s his fault because he didn’t try hard enough, but he’s in the middle of a DnD battle with the boys and doesn’t even pay attention. A couple of dice bring Vecna down no problem.

4. Mike lovingly tends to Will’s nosebleed: Vecna does almost succeed in possessing Will, but he’s with the boys playing DnD, and Mike soon realizes Will’s nose is bleeding. He takes Nancy’s shirt and uses it to clean the blood/attempt to stop the bleeding, and admonishes Lucas and Dustin for not going to get a towel. Notice that in season 1 the boys saw El have nosebleeds and Mike was never as precious about it, unless she passed out of something and then they all helped. Lucas and Dustin are even heard in the background pointing out that nobody dies from a nosebleed. There’s a funny moment when Vecna tells Will he will always be alone right as Mike sweetly asks him if he’s ok while holding his face.

5. Brenner is training Vecna (???) and points out that he’s full of shit: I don’t know if this means anything for the show’s canon, but it’s interesting. Before Vecna tries to possess the boys, Brenner points out that they’re too young and untroubled, and afterwards he makes fun of Vecna for losing against children, again.

6. Will isn’t the weakest link, he’s the link Vecna knows best: Brenner points out to Vecna that the reason he could possess Will easier is because he already knew him (from the Upside Down) and knows the nature of his fear. When Vecna tries to possess Will, he does tell him to help him find out about Lucas’, Dustin’s and Mike’s fears, and actually asks him “what is Mike afraid of?”, indicating that he knows jack shit about them. Which leads us to:

WHERE THE LEDE IS BURIED:

7. LOSING EL ISN’T MIKE’S BIGGEST FEAR. OR SOURCE OF GUILT.

It might be a fear or regret of Mike, but it’s not THE fear.

Turns out Vecna was attacking Lucas, Dustin and Mike based on superficial knowledge, suppositions and stereotypes (Dustin’s the newest of the group, Lucas is black, Mike met El), not an actual, deep knowledge of their minds. Yes, good memories helped them keep Vecna at bay. Yes, those things Vecna told them might bother them. No, those aren’t the things that are at the core of their fear and guilt, or the right angle to drive them to either the dark side or suicide if pushed about them enough.

P.S.: At some point (that I haven’t seen yet, Max tells El that she doesn’t need to be a superhero all the time, that she’s more than fine as Jane, her friend. I think this might be literal, as in, superpowers are not the key to defeating Vecna. This is a psychological thriller disguised as supernatural horror, therefore the weapons to defeat him might be more psychological.

TL; DR: Vecna will be defeated with the power of Cognitive Behavioral TherapyLove and Friendship.

[toriangeli]

I will spend my life making it up to you

OKAY. The thoughts I've had since that new teaser last night.

More than one person has called what happens between Louis and Armand in 2.04 a "dynamic shift." This wouldn't be that important if all they meant was that the two of them formed a cathartic new BDSM roleplay (which Jacob has alluded to, for sure, and on rewatch, you very much see it in the "You summoned me?"/"I felt your panic" exchange). If that was all it was, Assad wouldn't be calling it "the tipping point" of the season.

So what does it mean?

I think it means we've been reading this entire relationship wrong this whole time.

Book/movie spoilers ahead.

What we've seen: Armand does everything. He seems to be the gatekeeper to everything. He's the only one who can reach the bookshelves on the ceiling. He controls the lights and the windows. Louis asks him for the missing pages of Claudia's diaries. He lingers nearby during the interview, always ready to jump in if they venture near a subject that could be upsetting for Louis. With every new piece of information, confirmation bias has worked toward this idea that Armand is pulling all the strings.

Then Hannah Moscovitch said something in the Autumn Brown interview: that Armand wouldn't do something without Louis' permission because he is entirely Louis' creature. This seemed contradictory.

Jacob said Louis had become "the Lestat" of the Loumand relationship.

We had yesterday's episode's "dynamic shift."

Then last night, we got a new teaser where Armand and Louis have the following exchange:

Armand: I will spend my life making it up to you.

Louis: You'll never make it up to me.

Armand: I know.

My immediate thought was, naturally, that they are talking about Claudia's death. Look, if Armand can put the coven to sleep in an instant, he could have done it again long enough for Claudia to escape. He could have prevented it. He knows it, both in the book and in the show. And in the books, he is miserable about it. Louis notes how much so when they talk about it.

Later, we find out the real reason for Armand's extreme guilt. While he says he didn't plot to kill her, he admits to something even worse: he cut off Claudia's head and sewed it to an adult vampiress' body to give her a woman's body for once before her execution. He didn't do it out of charity, mind you--he just wanted to see what would happen. He says he's been haunted by it ever since, even having nightmares. Yes, Armand did something so horrible he traumatized himself.

Now, whether they include this experiment on the show (it would have to get past the network), I think simply failing to save Claudia is a good enough reason for this exchange in the teaser to take place.

And now, I'm looking at all those signs of Armand's controlling nature with new eyes.

See, Armand in the books can be controlling, but there's no evidence he ever is so with Louis. In fact, he's almost the opposite with Louis as he is with Daniel. Part of it is guilt, and part of it is desperation for love. After the vaguest of hints from the writers, people assumed their relationship on the show would be more regimental.

But I thought of the moment where Louis has Armand open his umbrella for him and light his cigarette, even going so far as to throw away his own lighter. And all those signs of control are starting to look like acts of servitude.

Bookshelves on the ceiling: any time Louis wants a book, Armand has to go fetch it for him. He can't get exasperated and tell him to get it for himself.

Turning lights and UV filters on and off: menial tasks demeaning to a partner rather than household staff.

Arranging for the missing pages of Claudia's diaries: Notice he doesn't say no, and in fact looks very nervous when asked. His only objection is that there is stuff about him on those pages he doesn't want made public, and he still agrees to it. It's like he is Louis' personal secretary.

Then there's the scene from last episode where the photos are mixed up. As soon as Armand clocks that Louis is accusing him of mixing things up on purpose, he starts stimming. He knows an argument he wants to avoid is coming, so he immediately tries to throw Rashid under the bus. Later, Louis is yelling at him for "embarrassing" him in front of Daniel, which is one of those textbook accusations toxic people use.

I think Louis is making Armand make it up to him.

There's something else Louis says: he accuses Armand of thinking he needs to be coddled. As if Armand pathologically placating him has been a thing in the past.

I want to be clear: this is not a "poor Armand" post. I think when the audience knows the full story, they will feel Armand got off easy. Because he did. I'd be tempted to do the same in Louis' shoes (but ultimately wouldn't want to see his face, so I don't think I'd go through with it). One of the reasons Armand is staying is because he knows he's getting off easy. If you tell me you would blame Louis for treating Armand this way, I wouldn't believe you. Armand deserves love, but he doesn't deserve to get it from Louis (I still ship it tho, I ship everything).

Now, there's no indication that Armand is afraid of Louis hurting him. The fact of him being stressed out about an incoming argument, and changing his behavior to avoid it, isn't the best sign--toxic partners will often use this tactic to gain capitulation--but by no means is this anywhere near his worst relationship.

It would all make his actions make much more sense: he's this jumpy about Daniel's intervention because his relationship with Louis is permanently on thin ice. He doesn't desire control over Louis for its own sake--that's not really an Armand thing, as much as people attribute it to him--he just wants to keep this man from ruining years of his hard work and effort put into this partnership. It's a sunk cost fallacy.

[astrophileous]

DEREK TALKING TO LITTLE BUG WAS ADORABLE I'M NOT DOING WELL (i might just be touch starved idk)

also derek's definitely suuuper overprotective like even more when bug is pregnant, it's Bad

You're touch-starved, I'm touch-starved, we're all touch-starved boo. Isn't that why we're here fantasizing about fictional men :")

but omg yeah yeah yeah I see your vision. I think bcs of what happened to her, the doctor would recommend Extra Maternity Care for Bug. like Derek would've already been bad if it was a normal pregnancy, but as soon as he heard the word "risky" from the doctor's mouth, it was as if all sense flew out of the window

btw this turned out to be more emotional than I planned KJKJAASSJ I'M SO SORRY I GOT CARRIED AWAY

Love Bugs Masterlist / Criminal Minds Masterlist

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

Derek's voice boomed in the middle of the HQ bullpen, attracting the attentions of fellow agents nearby including those of your team who were still in the office.

You rotated your head left and right, searching for the object of Derek's sudden vexation, only to realize a few seconds later that his eyes had been staring straight at you.

"You're talking to me?"

Instead of answering, Derek marched the few feet of distance separating you from him. "What are you doing, Bug?"

You raised your eyebrows in genuine confusion. "Um, strapping my gun to its holster?"

"You're not going out there."

"Excuse me?"

It had been a few weeks since the whole fiasco of your abduction. After a few days of staying in the hospital and a couple more weeks of bedrest, your doctor had finally cleared you back for duty. You were beginning to get antsy about going back to work, but your doctor's note was clear: you needed to take it easy once you were back, considering that the rough start to your pregnancy meant more risks looming overhead.

It wasn't an ideal situation, but for the sake of your baby, you swallowed the hard pill without a fight. Hotch couldn't be more understanding when you explained what was going on to him. He promised you that you could sit out any strenuous and potentially harming activities during the course of any investigation that might have fallen on the BAU's lap. Your fellow teammates were just as considerate, vowing to cover your ass at any instance you might need.

All and all, everyone around you was pretty clear-headed about the whole situation.

Except for Derek.

Since your last doctor visit, Derek had been driving you nuts with his overprotective streak. It was adorable, at first. The fact that he was extremely worried something might happen to you and the baby that he kept refusing to leave your side even when you were only stepping out to grab the mail or pay for takeout. But then, it got worse.

While his overprotectiveness seemed to have infiltrated every aspect of your life, it previously never affected your job at any capacity. Until now. You were seething internally over the fact that Derek had chosen to do this--to speak to you like this--at your place of work, where your coworkers could listen in to every word exchanged between the two of you.

Not wanting to cause a scene, you took a deep breath to press down the frustration, before your leveled voice spoke, "It's just a routine questioning, Derek. I'll be fine."

"You're not going out on the field, Bug."

"Derek." His name sounded like a threat through your teeth. "I'm not going out there to see a suspect, or to insert myself in a dangerous situation. Emily and I are just going to take a quick drive down to Woodbridge to interview the victim's family. Nothing is going to happen."

"Yeah, Morgan," Emily's voice chimed in from somewhere to your left. "It's gonna be fine. It's just routine questioning. I'm sure we can ma--"

Emily stopped talking and threw her hands in surrender once she noticed the daggers in Derek's eyes. You watched as she scurried off, as far away from the two of you as possible.

"You promised you'll take it easy," Derek said.

"I am taking it easy! I told you, it's just a normal questioning!"

Your own anger was threatening to burst by this point. Before one or the two of you could say something further--something that would warrant a lengthy call from the HR department--Derek tugged you towards the vacant pantry in the corner. Once inside, he closed the door behind him to shut out the rest of the floor from your private conversation.

"Do you realize how insane you've been acting?" Your voice dripped with anger. "I know you're worried, I get it. I appreciate it. But jeez, Derek, you aren't letting me breathe here. I can't do anything without you lurking around my fucking neck!"

The last echo of your voice dissipated into thin air, and yet, Derek still seemed to be rooted in the same spot he had been standing on since the two of you entered this pantry. He pinched the bridge of his nose for a second before that intense gaze was back to lighting fire on your skin.

"Do you know you were dead?"

"What?"

"In that basement. You were dead when I found you."

The frown between your eyebrows cleared once you realized Derek was talking about the abduction.

He had been refusing to talk about that ever since you came back home.

"I couldn't find a pulse when I got to you. I was the one who did the chest compressions before the paramedics arrived. I saw the heart monitor, Bug. You flatlined." Derek took a large step forward. "You were dead, and I held you in my arms. So forgive me if you think I'm being crazy with all of this, but the sight of you not breathing isn't exactly something I wanna see twice in my life."

The weight of Derek's admission settled heavily in the center of the room. Little by little, the ice that had hardened inside your chest was starting to melt. You looked deeper into Derek's unrelenting gaze, realizing that beneath the irrational protectiveness actually lay a justifiable fear he was trying to hide.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Derek," you offered sincerely. "But you can't keep me on a leash just because you're scared of hypothetical scenarios. The past is just that: the past. I'm safe now. Me and the baby are safe and we're here with you."

Derek closed his eyes and sighed. "I just don't want to lose you."

"And you won't. But you will drive me away if you keep this up," you told him. "Tell you what, I'll sit this one out for now. Just don't expect much from me for next time, yeah?"

"Thank you," Derek breathed out in relief. He closed the few feet of distance between the two of you in two long strides before securing you in his arms, pressing a grateful kiss to your hairline. "Thank you."

"Remember, this is a two-way street, Mister," you said as you looked straight into his eyes. "I'm expecting compromises to be made."

Derek flashed you a charming grin before answering, "Yes, ma'am."

When he pulled you in for a kiss, it was as if every remaining frustration in your bones dissolved into thin air.

The next few weeks managed to transpire in a mutual compromise. You tried to appease Derek's mind by choosing your responsibilities accordingly, while Derek tried reining in his protective instinct, even if miserably.

Still, even with the intensity lessened, sometimes Derek's antics were just too outrageous to excuse.

"Derek, you know this is absolute crazy, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Derek shrugged before adjusting the hold he had around your body.

It was the day of the earthquake drill at Quantico. Just thirty minutes prior, everyone in the building had been directed to evacuate from the emergency exit in a single file. Though it did explain the reason why you found yourself stuck in the middle of a barely moving line on the staircase, it didn't, however, explain the reason why you found yourself being carried in Derek's arms, bridal style.

"This is completely ridiculous," you grumbled once the line started moving again. "Everyone is staring."

"That's just 'cause you're pretty, Bug."

A few steps down, you could see JJ and Spencer stealing glances towards where you and Derek were standing. Your pleading eyes caught JJ's at one point, but the blonde woman only raised her thumbs up before the moving line made her disappear from view.

"You do know I'm still able to support myself on my own two feet, right?"

"Of course I do, Bug," Derek replied. "But why would you have to when I'm strong enough to carry you?"

Derek's answer made you groan in annoyance. A series of laughter from above compelled you to look up at the source, seeing two women whispering among themselves while openly pointing at your direction. You buried your face in the column of Derek's neck to escape their scrutiny, feeling the embarrassment traveled up your neck in a flaming red heat.

You were so never going to live this down.

[embracing-the-ineffable]

Ineffable discontinuity and the Bentley's roadtrip transformation: new back doors and other changes (after it was yellow), and Crowley... didn't notice?!*

*Also, as a side observation, did he leave the Bentley window open during the ball and everything that happened after? Why?

Have you been longing to be even more perplexed by the ineffable discontinuity of Good Omens season 2? Do you love endless data in the form of screencaps? If so, then please join me on this wild ride! Here are some highlights:

Top photos: Season 1, episode 6, after Adam reboots reality; S2e2, before Aziraphale's e3 road trip. The Bentley is a gray and black 2-tone car with 2 doors (only 1 handle is visible on each side).

And on the bottom is s2e5, while Crowley is driving, it's a solid black car with 4 doors and smaller silver hubcaps.

(edit: For those of you thinking about the different Bentley models used in s1 vs s2 (discussed in detail below), or the difference between the full car and half car set, just those three full car pictures above demonstrate that the new s2 Bentley model is NOT the reason for this mid-season shift. For more details about the half car set plus other ways to tell the Bentleys apart - without talking about color - see my newer post with handy diagrams, here.)

And the s2 interior?

Here's e1, after Crowley talks to Shax, and e3, as Aziraphale arrives in Edinburgh (which is also when the Bentley debuts as a 4-door). And look at this blocking - how both characters are posed so similarly with their backs to us in these shots!! It's so deliberate! :

And look at the seats! In e2, Crowley is talking to Shax again, and in e5, Crowley just parked the Bentley before the ball:

When Crowley, who is so tuned in that he senses the car is yellow and driving too slow even from a distance, sees the "new" Bentley in e4, he doesn't act as though anything has changed, he just happily and purposefully walks up and opens the back door that was never there to put his plants inside.

THE BACK DOOR THAT WAS NEVER THERE

For that matter, Crowley and Aziraphale both seem to be unaware of the changes! This feels like both a metaphor and a functional plot device for season 3. There's more discussion at the end of this post!

Thanks to comments and observations awhile back from @bbbitchvibbbez , I did some careful searching for s2 scenes featuring the Bentley, and this post is the labor of love and irrational obsession result!

If you want to see lots more Bentley screencaps and discussion, including Crowley nonchalantly using the new back door, and possibly also leaving the Bentley window open during the ball and everything that followed, please keep reading:

Some background and context:

Ok, so there was a different Bentley "actor" for s2. The s1 actor was a 2-door, the s2 actor is a 4-door. If you look carefully, you'll see that in s1 the backseat side windows are smaller than the front side windows. In s2, they're the same size. I talk more about the windows - with handy diagrams! - in my newer Bentley post, here.

There's also been some controversy about the interior color of the s2 Bentley, black vs brown, and how that could relate to the s2 body swap theory; here are details about that from @lonicera-caprifolium and @picturesque-about-it. I don't think my findings support (or disprove) that theory, but take a look at what I found and see what you think!

(*Please don't ask Neil about any of this, he's already given us the answers he wants to give, and he's not going to spoil the surprises in s3 now by telling us what's really going on!*)

Here's the episode/scene breakdown:

S2e1 on the street with Shax - gray, two toned, two doors (one visible door handle on a side), brown interior - both the seats and the inside panel of the door. Notice how the door is hinged at the back, and opens opposite the way most modern cars do (this is called a suicide door):

More s2e1 photos, the Bentley is in a lot of scenes this episode and as far as I can tell it stays the same gray 2-door for the whole episode, but it's frequently in dark lighting to make it harder to tell it isn't actually black (I've brightened most of these shots). It also has larger silver hubcaps, and I notice consistent brown seats (these interior pics are from three different scenes):

In s2e2, the Bentley is only in two scenes, and it's the same as s2e1. Now, you can see in the larger photo below that it's obviously not the SAME as s1 - the backseat side windows are too long - but the production team DID try to make the new Bentley "actor" look the same as in season 1. It's a gray 2-tone car with 2 doors (1 handle visible on each side) with larger silver hubcaps. As an aside, what's with the red lights on the car in this shot?? I mean, yes, it's a reflection of another car's brake lights, but why put that onscreen?

Also, in case it's relevant, Crowley is wearing his turtleneck throughout this episode, and still has the silver-sided glasses from e1:

Ok, now we have s2e3, and as Crowley meets Muriel and gives Aziraphale his car keys, we see he's no longer wearing the turtleneck, AND this is when his glasses change to black-sided ones:

Outside, we see the Bentley looks the same as the rest of s2 thus far, as Aziraphale sets off for Edinburgh. Gray 2-tone, brown interior (with window bullet hole decals very visible), with larger silver hubcaps. There's only one handle visible, so it's still meant to look like a 2-door:

Ok, here's where things start to change! Azi is driving and the Bentley is yellow. The seats might (?) be black, there's still only one door handle on the side, the silver hubcaps are still larger. But when he "changes it back", NOW it's black:

And by the time he pulls into Edinburgh, Transformation Complete. (Did Something Else Happen?? Or is this an effect of Aziraphale finally being welcome to take care of this extension of Crowley? More speculation at the end!) It's a black 4-door, two handles clearly visible on the side, with smaller silver hubcaps:

And the interior? The door panel, at least, is black now - and it has a texture that wasn't there when it was brown. Here's e1 next to e3 (and appreciate, again, this very intentional parallel blocking of the two actors!):

In s2e4, we see the Bentley in two scenes; at the beginning when Aziraphale meets Shax-as-hitchhiker, where we see the bullet holes and the black door lining, and at the end when the Bentley is reunited with Crowley:

When Aziraphale parks the Bentley back at the bookshop, we see the bullet hole decals and that it's still a black 4-door:

So he goes to meet Crowley, they come back with the plants. We can see that the camera is to the rear of the car, and the front of the car is to their left. They're standing on the left side of the car. If Crowley opens the door, we won't see the interior door panel, right? Because the Bentley doors are hinged on the back, instead of the front, so the door will open towards us:

WELL. Mx "I can feel when you drive below the speed limit" and "change it back!" Crowley very eagerly walks up to the BLACK car, greets it with some sweet baby talk, and then opens the suddenly-existing BACK door with a hinge on the front (so it opens away from us) as if this is All Perfectly Normal, and we can (barely) see the door lining and it's BLACK and textured:

A few more shots of Crowley, standing at the brand-new back door of the Bentley, still wearing those black-sided glasses:

And in case you're wondering, in s1e2 when Anathema gets a ride in the Bentley, she climbs into the backseat from the front driver door, and she climbs out through the front passenger door. There wasn't a back door on either side. Here she climbs into the Bentley, and you can see Crowley fold down the front seat, and there's clearly only one door on that side, and it's hinged at the back. (When she gets out on the passenger side, it's harder to see, but you can tell that door is also hinged at the back.) :

In s2e5, Crowley drives the Bentley to the bookshop, and then we only catch a few small glimpses of it while Aziraphale is recruiting shopkeepers to the meeting/ball. Here's Crowley driving the black 4-door Bentley with small silver hubcaps, and here he is getting out of the car with black seats. The front door is still hinged at the back, as it always has been. The window is open - his hand is reaching through to open the door - so we can't see the bullet hole decals:

The next time we see more than a hint of the Bentley, it's the end of s2e6 and Crowley is standing next to it, watching Azi leave with the Metatron. It's still black, with 4 doors and black seats and smaller hubcaps. We don't see the bullet hole decals, but perhaps the window is still open from when he parked it in e5? (And WHY would he leave the window open? Was someone supposed to come by after he parked it to deliver something to the Bentley, or take something out?) Emotional photos ahead:

I over exposed that last picture, to make the colors really easy to pick out. The seats are absolutely, definitely black.

So... what does it mean? Why did it happen, and why didn't Crowley notice or react?

I love the metaphor that Aziraphale subconsciously created a back door for - or into - Crowley, especially with all those references to the "back channels" of communication between heaven and hell. I'm thinking it could represent - or actually be - another way for them to communicate, or like another entrance to his heart; it's something that Aziraphale doesn't realize he changed or added and that Crowley hasn't noticed yet either, even if he's making use of those changes on some level. I'm sure other metaphors could also fit!

And I'm reminded of something @theeminentlyimpractical said, "Crowley, despite his whining, fully accepts the idea of "our car," which fundamentally transforms the Bentley". That post was liked by Neil, so there could definitely be something to this "our car" transformation line of thinking.

So, was the transformation a subconscious effect of Aziraphale finally being welcome by Crowley to drive the Bentley, and caring for and taking responsibility for this part of Crowley? Or did Aziraphale consciously do this, or did Crowley? Or maybe the Bentley is sentient, and it chose to be bigger/different now, to accommodate both of them. Or did the change happen in response to Something Else We Didn't See?

Is Crowley's (and Aziraphale's) apparent non-reaction another example of an unreliable narrator or some memory tampering? Is manipulation of the Book of Life involved? Are there multiple timelines? Is someone time traveling? Or is it just that Aziraphale and Crowley already discussed the changes off screen, before Aziraphale left Edinburgh?

If Crowley noticed the changes, I would have expected a comment about them. Either, "change it back!" or a reluctant, "those are changes I can live with", or... Something. But instead, the production team went to some trouble to make sure the hints are there, but hard to spot (you can review the similar, careful s1 hints about the appearance swap here, from @fuckyeahgoodomens); as opposed to, for one example, the way they very clearly pointed out Maggie's mysterious spelling mistake, both on screen and in the dialogue. So I feel reasonably certain the Bentley's transformation is a careful, subtle hint about a Secret Something Important That Will Be Revealed In Season 3. I think it's both a metaphor and a plot device*.

What are some of your favorite metaphors? Your most reasonable theories? What about some of your biggest, wildest, most improbable theories?

*And if you enjoy Good Omens metas, theories, clues, etc, I have a big pinned collection of those from the fandom, here!

[toastyrobos]

Never again (Rex X female reader one shot)

Word count: 2478

((You and Rex met early during the clone wars. Soon things turned romantic between the two of you. You were off world when order 66 happened. Panicking to find Rex, clone force 99 finds you, and having grown close to Echo, you went with them. When Rex unexpectedly shows up at Cid bar you nearly break at seeing him))

   "Twenty cases of those mantell mix things?! How long have those two been doing that?" Echo's loud voice carried as the four of us filed out of Cid's office into the narrow hall way.

   "I have surmised they have been partaking in this recreational activity for several rotations now". Tech configured, eyes never leaving his datapad.

You shrugged. "It's become a thing they do together after every mission".

Echo grumbled. "A costly one". He did have a point. Hunter wasn't too happy about it either from his narrowed brows and slightly clenched jaw. It was bad enough we owed Cid for basic rations, but now we owed her for this? You sighed.

Wrecker was just treating Omega to a harmless and delicious treat, but unfortunately that treat was racking up credits on your tab. That was exactly what you were trying to avoid.

Hunter let out a deep sigh. "I'll talk to them".

You knew how much he didn't enjoy seeing Omega upset, but maybe he could compromise with her. A way for her to still have the after mission snack while owing Cid a bit less. Frankly though, would you ever owe Cid less?

At this rate, it was doubtful.

Sounds of blaster fire and some sort of crash coming from the bar had your immediate attention. Hunter was the first of you to race ahead to the noises. You and Echo were not far behind, riding his heels. Reaching the bar all of you watched as the remaining species fled from the scene. Only individual left was a hooded figure, gripping on tightly to a singular blaster. The source of said blaster shots.

Something about his demeanor and cloaked face felt known to you. But you couldn't place it. Until your scanning gaze fell to his forearm armor.

White and and blue.

Your breathing paused. Unable to register what you were truly seeing.

It couldn't be.

It was not possible.

But it all became real when the hidden figure reached up and pulled back his hood. Revealing his familiar face to you.

You were stunned at the sight before you. At the person standing mere feet from you.

    "Rex". Hunter said surprised. He was just as shocked to see him here as the rest of you were.

You on the other hand forgot how to breath. Your eyes froze on his figure. Eyes roaming him up and down repeatedly to make sure that he was not a hallucination. A well of emotions came rushing into you. Like someone had punched you in the gut.

He was alive.

Rex was actually alive. Tears were beginning to swell in the corners of your eyes as you racked your brain for anything. But nothing.

Everything had left your head at just seeing him standing here. At the way he was looking at you. Surprised was not how he felt. No. If anything he was beyond thrilled to see you.

The second your name and where to find you left the sisters lips he plotted his course. He had to see you. Take you in his arms and never let you go. His chest rose and fell in rapidly succession at your presence.

It was as if everything and everyone around you two had faded into the backyard and you were the only two in existence. Just you and Rex. Your beating heart picked up speed the longer you stared at one another. The way he was looking at you. That smile painted across his lips, maker that smile. If not for the shock, you were certain your knees would buckle and give out from under you.

Even the way his essence was calling out to you. Beckoning you towards him.

You were hesitant, however.

Tech's earlier statements about the inhibitor chips coming to the front of your thoughts. Bracing yourself and taking a deep breath you pushed past Hunter.

Inch by inch you moved closer. Searching his face for proof that he wasn't here to hurt you, any of you. For any indication that he hadn't turned. All the while he continued to stare at you with that look that made your heart flutter and ache so desperately.

Being this close to him, even on edge, force, was he still himself. Still your Rex.

   "Starglow". The unshed tears filling your eyes, broke open. You instantly knew.

This was him.

Your Rex.

He wasn't going to hurt you. Not now. Not ever. Because of this you leapt into his awaiting arms. Crashing your body against his and tightly securing your arms around his neck. His arms found your waist and pulled you close. Orange blossoms. Oh how he had missed that smell of yours. How he had missed the feel of you.

    "Rex". Your voice cracked as you spoke his name for the first time out loud, in several rotations. "Y-your here".

   "I am mesh'la". He choked back his own sob. "And maker I've missed you". So had you. So much that it had ached like a festering wound. Neither of you dared nor wanted to pull away, but you did, reluctantly so.

You grasped his face between your hands, studying it closely. His piercing brown eyes staring into your green ones. How the came alive underneath the dim gray and blue lights of the bar.

The texture of his dirty blonde stubble underneath your fingers. The scratchy nature of how it felt. The barely visuals scars etched into his skin. The way his lips framed his face so beautifully. You had missed him. And you didn't know just how much until he was mere inches from your face. From your lips.

Both of you were aware of it. How you both longed to touch one another. Close the distance the feel the warmth of the others lips. Rex's eyes were the ones to make the first move. Gliding over how lush they appeared. Parted just so. And with the simple action of your tongue running over them in anticipation that's all it took for him to break.

Lips collided with yours in a desperate plea. Fighting to feel, to touch the other after thinking one another dead. The mere sensation of his lips molding into yours sent your body into overdrive. You always lost yourself in his kiss. In his embrace. No one else made you feel as alive as Rex did.

That smile of his, you knew the one, that gave you butterflies. And when it would change into a smirk, may the force have mercy on you. You heart couldn't take it. His infectious laughter that would echo off the walls of whatever environment he was in. Usually caused by one of his fellow 501st members telling a dreadful joke. Who would have thought you'd lose all of that in the blink of an eye. Only for it turn up weeks later. Safe and sound.

Thankful you were that those memories didn't have to become mournful ones. Instead they could continue to exist as they were. Ones that held promises for the future.

It had been a grueling time not knowing. Waiting and waiting for any signs, but now it was over.

You Practically slumped into his chest as he just held you close to his heart. The steady beating of it the only sound that could kept you grounded in this instant. The cold surface of his armored platting on your cheek was a welcomed sensation.

You needed this. To feel his heartbeat. To know that he was real. That he was right here, in this moment. Nearly losing him almost destroyed you.

You let out a shaky breath. "I though I lost you, Rex". Tears slid down your cheeks. "I though my —you—" you couldn't even finish that sentence. Rex knowing the pain you went through, as it was the same pain he experienced. He tightened his arms around you, nestling his head in the crock of your neck.

Feeling his arms around you, like a warm protective blanket you started to relax. The muscles in your body becoming less tense, Knowing that he was safe. That he was right in front of you.

His own muscles started to calm. Like a fleeting flame. He didn't have to worry or fret over searching for you anymore. He had found you.

As crazy as it sounded he would have gotten on his knees and physically thanked the force, to the stars and back again that he had you back.

He let out his own unsteady exhale. "I know".

He did not want to pull away from you, but like you he had the overwhelming urge to see your face. See all the marks and impressions he hadn't seen it what felt like a lifetime.

Needing something to anchor him, he sought out the one thing that could. You.

It was always you.

Bringing you closer, he touched his forehead to yours. Kissing you was so very intimate, but this. This was too. At least between the two of you.

"I'm here now, riduuar and I don't plan on going anywhere". He promised.

You shook your head, confused. "I don't understand. How—wh-what happened?"

Thousands of questions twisted around inside your head. How did this all happen? Why did it happen? Could no one have seen what had transpired? It was encompassing. Paired with Rex bring here. By the maker you were finally feeling the affects of todays mission catching up with you.

"I'll explain everything". He promised, seeing how exhausted you were becoming. "But right now, I just want to hold you". You simple nodded.

You wanted answers and you were certain that he'd tell you everything later, but right now his request, you could and would fulfill-it. As easy as breathing.

"Thank the f-force your safe". You whispered against his chest plate.

He ran his gloved fingers through your hair. Committing every moment he'd done this before to memory.

Kissing you was absolutely his favorite thing, without a doubt. But this. This was a close second. Something about it soothed him. Made any tense or stressful situation better.

Too engrossed in one another aura's, basking in it, you had forgotten that you had an audience. An audience that was rendered speechless by the affections exchanged between you and the now ex captain of the 501st Battalion.

All expect the ex arc trooper standing off to the side. Who had known the full extent and lengths of Rex's and yours relationship. He was present there that day. One of only a few who were witnesses to the pledge you both proclaimed.

It was undeniable, the love you two shared with each other. No doubt in Echo's mind that the both of you were meant to be together.

Wrecker was the first of the group to speak. "W-what...did I miss something?!"

Tech was the next one to speak, offering up an explanation, "Technically no. By my calculations Rex and Y/N have been in a committed romantic relationship for a standard 368 days".

His much larger brother simply stared at him in confusion.

"A standard year, Wrecker". Echo quickly explained. Understanding he formed an 'O' shape with his lips.

You and Rex both shook your heads. "Longer". Tech blinked. "It's actually been 2 standard years since we told one another how we felt". You locked eyes with Rex, your continued smile everything to him in that moment.

The Captain nodded. "It's been one since we said I do". That had their full attention.

Hunter took a step towards you. "Y-your married?"

You nodded. "Yes. Off record though. Only a few were able to know". You gestured to the former arc trooper. "Echo being one of them".

The Sergeant turned his eyes to the newest member of the group. "You were there?"

"Me and a few others were the only ones". He replied to which Hunter nodded. Satisfied. Knowing the full extent of the reprimand the Captain would receive if the Council found out the truth. That he was married to a princess.

The consequences for such an act could have cost him his position. Or worse. His life. Thus a secret their relationship needed to be. Unfortunately.

"Well then uhh congratulations to you both". Hunter replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

You nodded in acknowledgment to Hunter. When you thought you had lost Rex, he was the one to step up and comfort you. Reassuring you that you'd be okay. Even if in that moment you didn't feel as though you would.

All of them really made you feel welcomed. After all they were the ones who stumbled across you. Ushering you to come with them. Saying that they could protect you and guarantee your safety. You accepted. Thank the maker you had. If not, then maybe you would have never seen Rex again. And that left a bitter taste on your tongue.

"Thank you". You said at the same time as Rex slipped his hand into yours.

Love was a concept that Rex never thought was possible for him. He never dreamed of having it because it was instilled in him early on that clones were bred with one singular purpose. To fight for the Galactic Army of the Republic. Never had the thought nor idea of finding someone, in that regard, crossed his mind.

Until you came into his life. Changing everything for the better.

"Your here". You whispered into him. You were still in disbelief. Tears streaming down your cheeks like an endless river. Rex lifted his gloved fingers to swipe away your tears, that affectionate grin warming your body. "Your really here".

He was real, yet you still couldn't wrap your head around it, but that wasn't important. All that mattered was him. What this meant for you. For the life you promised to build together that day overlooking the lake when you swore an oath through vows. When you both said 'I do'.

"I am". He replied again. This time the power in which he uttered it, caused your body to shake. The weight those two words held. What they signified.

"I love you". Was your quick response. Even if Rex knew it deep down in his soul, to hear it again from your lips made him so beyond happy.

Another kiss found it's way to your lips. "I love you too".

Smiling, you pressed in closer to his chest. Wanting to be close to him for as long as physically possible. Rex was your everything. Your best friend. Your lifeline. To him, you were his entire world. All roads led you back to one another.

Determined he was that the force weld it so. And as far as the Captain was certain he wouldn't allow you to be parted from him ever again. Not while there was still blood flowing through his veins.

[nocreativityfornames]

I know it's late at this point but here's an idea: what if before hopping into the nightbringer timeline Solomon turned the brothers into seven rings and gave them for MC to wear?

Like, the brothers are stuck on those forms and can't change themselves back because Barbatos didn't want to risk them showing themselves in the past and fucking up that timeline so they're basically locked in those forms until MC comes back to the og Devildom

But they hear everything happening around MC while they're wearing them and can communicate with them inside their head

The comedy potential, like-- imagine them just cringing at the things their past selves do and say, giving MC little tips on how to handle them, etc

The brothers being pissed with themselves for the way they treated MC during their "being consumed by their sin" arcs and everyone (including Lucifer) ganging up to shit on past Lucifer for trying to keep MC in the nightbringer timeline

But also the brothers growing closer after hearing their past selves talk about their struggles with MC in a way they didn't open up to each other back then and finding out stuff they never knew about each other

Them growing a new-found respect for Solomon too, for sticking to MC's side and keeping them safe throughout the whole thing because they can't do it themselves since they're stuck on ring form (yes, I'm thinking about that scene where Solomon shows up right when Belphie tries to attack us. Like imagine the sheer panic the brothers all got into when they realized Belphie was about to strike and MC had frozen and couldn't do anything but then Solomon intervenes and they're just sooooo relieved and grateful to him because of it) plus them understanding him more after hearing him talk about his past and the reasons why he's so set on gaining more and more power

And the angst potential too, of course, them not being able to do anything when past Lucifer tries to kill MC at the fountain, and being worried sick when MC faints and is unconscious for days before they finally "wake up" in their paralyzed state where they're aware of what's happening but can't talk or open their eyes

I don't know, just a silly little thought

[hawkeykirsah]

50 Things I Love About Kaidan Alenko

I love that little smile he gives Shepard in the med bay after Eden Prime.

I love his slip of the tongue on the Citadel in ME1 when he indirectly tells Shepard he thinks she’s beautiful.

I love his dry comments when you take him along groundside in ME1 and his snarky remarks when you talk to him back on the Normandy.

I love how annoyed he looks when Joker interrupts that almost-first kiss in front of the lockers.

I love that tentative smile he gives Shepard at the beginning of ME3.

I love that strut when he comes to Shepard’s aid in the Citadel DLC together with that smirk and the “Looks like you’re having a bad day, Shepard.”, and his smirk after asking the volus to open the gates for them on the Cision Motors skycar lot.

I love the entire Citadel DLC dinner.

I love his “Next time … wake me.”

I love the love and admiration you can see in his eyes when he comes to Shepard’s quarters before the assault on Cerberus headquarters. 

I love his “I lied. I didn’t come here for a quick drink”, and the grin on his face when he carries Shepard toward the bed.

I love how his voice wavers but doesn’t break when you talk to him in London and how he doesn’t care that everybody can see them when he kisses Shepard good-bye. 

I love his “Don’t Kaidan me!” on Mars.

I love how he turns half around and looks over his shoulder when Liara asks Shepard how they manage.

I love his incredulous “Me?” after Shepard tells him he’s always been stubborn.

I love how his voice drops at “ … can be the difference between success and sitting at home in your PJs taking red sand” when you talk to him at Huerta. (I’m certain he’s speaking from experience.)

I love how he places his hand over Shepard’s briefly after they tell him they care about what happens to him.

I love the determination on his face in the elevator during the Coup before he encounters Shepard and their team.

I love that short laugh of relief when Shepard tells him they couldn’t imagine facing the Reapers without him.

I love the moment you walk into the Starboard observation after he rejoins the Normandy and you see him staring into space.

I love how nervous he is on that first date on the Citadel.

I love his “I love you, Shepard. I always have.”

I love how he takes Shepard’s hand and presses it against his cheek.

I love his banter with Tali aboard the geth dreadnought.

I love his worried “Shepard!” when they step on that first mine on Rannoch.

I love how concerned he is while Shepard is in the geth consensus.

I love how he places his hand on Shepard’s shoulder on Mahavid.

I love his “Let’s make sure we never let time just slip by us, okay?” after returning from the mining facility.

I love his “I’m not too crazy about this plan” on Despoina followed by that little nod he gives Shepard after Shepard tells him they’ll be fine.

I love his worried “Never do that again” in the shuttle after Shepard talked to Leviathan and his “You scare the hell out of me with those risky stunts …” back on the Normandy.

I love his “Nah” on Eden Prime after Liara realizes he was joking.

I love his enthusiasm back on the Normandy after finding Javik.

I love his level of snark on Thessia. (”Reaper convention”, all his “… looks like a Prothean” comments at the temple, etc.)

I love his comment about liking a challenge when Shepard tells him Joker has a terrible poker face.

I love his reaction to James “Flawed implant” comment during the party.

I love his “Wow, Shepard. Did you really just say that?” if you side with James at the party.

I love watching him and James doing push-ups (and that Kaidan wins even without Kasumi sitting on James’ back).

I love his “You’re the boss. Except when you’re not. And in that case … find me later”.

I love the wake up-scene after the party.

I love the once over with that predatory smirk he gives a male Shepard in the romance scene.

I love that he wants to be Shepard’s rock and soft place to land.

I love the look on his face when Shepard runs their fingers along his cheekbone and then down to his chest before gently placing them on his chin and giving him a kiss after waking from their nightmare.

I love his “Yeah, that’s not gonna happen” after getting injured during the run for the beam. (Stubborn, remember?)

I love his “I love you, too. Be careful.” (Just rip out my heart and stomp on it why don’t you?)

I love his “And I’m not leaving, either!” at the beginning of ME2. (*cough*stubborn*cough*) 

I love his integrity.

I love his friendship with Ash.

I love seeing him and Shepard remembering Ash’s sacrifice after disarming the bomb on Tuchanka.

I love his “Why can’t it be both? Ow, my heart!” before entering the casino and his disappointed “And here I had this good cop routine all planned” after finding Elijah Khan.

I love his apology for tripping at the Ardat-Yakshi monastery.

I love his shoulders. Seriously. They do things to me.

[matan4il]

Update post:

Yesterday, there were no less than two terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians, one in the morning, and one in the evening.

The first one happened in Beersheba, where the terrorist stabbed and injured two people before being neutralized. The terrorist was an Israeli Bedouin, who had been convicted of drug-related criminal charges. The prosecution asked for his arrest, but the court decided to be lenient, to aid in his rehabilitation, and instead only sentenced him to community service. He was due to start in two weeks, but instead he chose yesterday to attack innocent civilians.

The second terrorist attack took place in Gan Yavne. A Palestinian man, who used to have a work permit in Israel, but lost it and remained here illegally, carried out the attack. The Palestinian terrorist started stabbing people at a gym and then at a nearby cafe, wounding 3 people, all of them originally determined to be in serious condition, one is a teenager, the other two are reported to have life threatening head injuries. The terrorist was 19 years old, and he was neutralized at the scene. In investigating how he managed to stay inside Israel illegally after his work permit had expired, the police has arrested two people so far.

Israel has wrapped up its second operation at the Shifa hospital in Gaza City, with another soldier pronounced dead (20 years old Nada Cohen), bringing the IDF fatalities in the Gaza ground operation so far to 256, and the total number of killed Israeli soldiers in this war, including during the Hamas massacre (reminder that some of those soldiers were girls serving in non-combative posts, without combat training or even a weapon, and were slain while still in their pajamas) to 600.

The end of one operation in a Gaza hospital doesn't mean that's the end of Hamas abusing medical and humanitarian facilities, so there are and will be more such operations. That's why I'm also sharing this reminder that nothing is sacred or even just... off limits to Hamas, who moved kidnapped civilians in ambulances, as one of the released hostages testified.

I mentioned in a post expressing my frustration over foreigners' ignorance over the conflict, which doesn't stop them from acting like they know better than the people actually living it, the Hamas-Fatah "civil war," which erupted in 2007, when Hamas killed Fatah members in Gaza and took over the place. The two Palestinian factions have tried reconciliation several times over the years, but it never lasted long. Israel's war in Gaza against Hamas and its fellow terrorists organizations is not over yet, but already there's signs of that tension. This def bodes well for Palestinians if Hamas survives this war.

A city council meeting in California, which dealt with Holocaust remembrance, ended up being the scene of some despicable displays of antisemitism in its anti-Zionist form. IDK what was most distressing to hear about, the way they screamed "Lies! Lies!"' at a Holocaust survivor, or that they took and threw to the ground the phone of a Jewish man who came to speak about his grandma who had survived the Holocaust, or that they mocked a mother speaking of her child being harassed at school to the point he doesn't wanna be a Jew, because he doesn't want to be hated... Maybe that they made my friend, who attended the meeting, cry on what was supposed to be a very special day. I saw coverage on Israeli TV of the city council, which both told me how bad it was, if of all things, that's what they're talking about, and at the same time, it was nothing like hearing about it from her. So I'm glad that she shared some of her own impressions about this ugly demonstration of hatred (I'm also scheduling her post for a reblog). I just hope Jews all over the world know that we here in Israel care about you, we love you, we are standing by your side, and we wish we could do more for you. <3

Speaking of antisemitism, and an inability to recognize it as such, to call it out and condemn it, here's some recent examples from around the world. In Spain, the locals went out for an Easter drink, a tradition called, "to kill the Jews," but insisted it's not racist. Attacking and even killing Jews actually was customary in Europe on Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter. In fact, this specific nickname is derived from those old attacks.

In London, a policeman insisted that swastikas being displayed at an anti-Israel protest were not antisemitic, and should be taken "in context," despite admitting that a symbol that's abusive or would cause public distress would fall under his jurisdiction to act against.

In the Netherlands, a single mom of a Jewish girl was attacked for the daughter's choices (she decided to move to Israel and has served in the Israeli army) both at home and at her workplace, a hospital. The mother was so rattled after the attack at her home, that she wouldn't stay there. A Jewish hotel owner offered her a free stay at his hotel. In an interview with an Israeli reporter, the mom said she's considering moving to Israel, too (source in Hebrew).

This is 32 years old Celine ben David Nagar.

She worked as an office manager at a law firm, was married to Iddo, and they had a 6 months old baby together. On Oct 7, Celine was on her way with a friend to the Nova music festival, but they never made it there. The Hamas rocket attack started first. For 10 days, she was considered missing, and it took a while, but eventually they found her body. While her fate was still unknown, two days after the massacre, Iddo went on TV and talked about the fact that Celine was still breastfeeding. Following the interview, hundreds of Israel women volunteered to donate their mother's milk to the little baby girl. At Celine's funeral, Iddo asked said goodbye to his wife, and asked hr to watch over him and little Eli from above.

May her memory be a blessing.

(for all of my updates and ask replies regarding Israel, click here)

[shuenkio]

Pov: Tsundere 𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋ Enhypen ᯓᡣ𐭩

Genre: Fluffy

Pov: Tsundere enhypen

Paring: Enha X male!reader

Do not copy my works (⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠³⁠˘⁠)⁠♥

Heeseung: In the third pov, he's the type of secret admirer, who's possessive, very jealous, and wants you to look at him only. whenever a guy or girl is near you, he's always at the crime scene, standing towering behind you, giving your friends a free dead stare, watching you closely while you are talking to your bff, And you don't even know about his presence in your shadow. He likes to walk you home even when you don't need him to and often gives you a strange signal every time. When you ask him, did he has a feeling toward you he just replies with a simple "Nope" However his actions speak in a different language as away the next day after you ask him. "No one can have you when I'm still breathing yeobo :) "

Jay: The principal's son is a walking fire in the school. He's cocky, flirty, hot temper and loves bully to those who are bad talk about him, only an appropriate is a pass. As soon as you transfer to this school, you draw his attention very quickly, because as the bully he is, he already got bored with the same victims and decided to give you some warm love instead. On the other hand, he's walking to his trap, he realizes that the moment you greet him with a short "hello" his heart almost gets shattered by your soothing voice. Your energy just brings him inside out, even though you're a guy but just by your existence alone, cast an unknown spell on him. Which makes him look awkward-cack-handed handed everytime he sees your face. "S-shut up! You failed the experiment who said I like some poor thing like you...or did i? "

Jake: The nerd guy who likes sports might be talkative to his friends but for you, it's different. Sometimes he likes to give you a hard time while sometimes he gives you a butterfly in your stomach. So confused yet so adorable. Over time, when it's a sports exam day, your p.e teacher assigns you to his team since you're bad at sports. Luckily you know how to play basketball too but not very good at it that much. It's the last match of the basketball game, sweaty, hot, and exhausted but you still keep your head on. This is the only chance to prove to Jake that you're useful too. The ball then passes to you, and you quickly run to the other team's goal, aiming for the net, with a piece of blessed luck you make it but during that time you're knocked by the other team member accidentally. You fall to the ground, slightly nosebleed, before blacking out on the spot. Jake saw you're blackout on the floor, immediately ran to you before lifting you in a bridal style, and sprinted to the nurse's office. later on, when you're awake with a band-aid on your face, you see Jake sitting beside you, watching you sleep. You're about to ask him what happened but he cuts you with "Do not try to impress me again like that, you're weak and y'know it. Just show your face every day is e-enough >:( "

Sunghoon: Laterally he enemies with you, all you do is breathe, still he got those headaches whenever you stand in his shadow. Try to act all cool and mysterious every day so you'd think he doesn't want to talk to you and avoid it at all costs. However deep down, he's watching your every move, secretly taking care of you, giving you the answers during the exam on purpose, nevertheless, you never knew he was doing it on purpose, he's more than happy that you never found out about his suspicious behavior. One day when walking back home, you got bullied by some bunch of bullies, boy didn't spare more time before jumping on them one by one, leaving them on the ground, blacked out. You were scared, bleeding and scratching your face. He then leans closer on his knee to check on you. You asked, your voice is shaking. "Wh-what are you doing here?" - "Shhh everything is okay now, let me take you home!" He ruffles your hair gently before giving you a piggyback to take you home.

Sunoo: This boy is so bad at acting all tough and mean, you know he's just doing it because you thought he wanted to look cool. However, he's still didn't treat you the same as his friend. He hates it when you're in a group project with him, talking to his friends, Don't fear him, and treat him as one of your friends when he does it opposite which somehow makes him feel slightly guilty. This action of his got the best of him when you're not in the class he'd put a snack under your desk almost every single day because he was scared to talk to you, too scared to say sorry and wanna be your friend or even more than a friend? During one fine evening, he asked you to meet him at the school's garden for some serious discussion about a project you both needed to do, it's sound not like a joke to you so you went right away. Once you arrived, you asked him what was wrong. He turns to face you with his tears streaming down his cheeks. He got on his knee and asked for your forgiveness out of a sudden. "Please M/n, I can't take it anymore, let's be friends again no-- I want MORE THAN A FRIEND THIS TIME, I LIKE YOU ALL ALONG-- why don't you know about it?"

Jungwon: A really hot temper one, can't say if both of you are friends or not because sometimes he's sweet and sometimes he's harsh as hell. Randomly staring at you in class non-stop which makes you very uncomfortable. One time during lunch break, when you were going to buy the strawberry milk, it was out of stock the moment you were about to buy it. you've been craving for those the whole day but now it's out? Ruin your lunch mood for real. He saw you wanted that strawberry milk so bad, he decided to walk to you and give you by himself and leave the canteen unspoken any words. Give you a dumbfounded moment. Your friends started to tease you after this scene happened from this day. As the day went on, he started to act more nice and lovely to you, as if he never shouted at you back then. You were stressing out that it could burn your brain until you chose to ask him the moment you saw him somewhere. "Why did I act all nice to you? Are you dumb or an idiot? Do you think I put zero effort before I make you mine?"

Ni-ki: Can't describe this boy how much he hated you the moment you walked into the classroom and introduced yourself. What's worse is the teacher assigned you to sit next to him, he just wants to murder someone on the spot but he can't do anything about it. Time is walking, he hated you but now, after spending some time observing you, he realizes you're just a shy person, everything you do is so soft and gentle, making him wanna swallow you and hide you inside his pocket. It's a pepero day, the day everyone exchanges the chocolate-coated cookie sticks with their friends or loved ones. The whole school is full of students who exchange chocolate together, even the teachers do this. Ni-ki get this opportunity to tell you his true feelings today after he developed a crush on you for a long time, so he decided to give you one while you talking to your friend. "Aww the bad boy give me a pepero, what's makes you want to do this?" You asked while giggling in a good way ofc. He stays silent for a second before finally speaking his mind. "Be my boyfriend dumbass, I can't stand seeing everyone having a crush on you from now on"

🗣️ please mind my English! ><

Reblog and like is much appreciated ♥

Please do not copy my works (⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠³⁠˘⁠)

[vidavalor]

Before the Beginning and Crowley's memory

You know how Aziraphale is visibly paranoid about Crowley being overheard during Before the Beginning and warns him against asking questions? This being before Hell and demons, really, but Aziraphale being concerned for Crowley's safety means that there had to be some repercussion to challenging Heaven's authority that was known to Aziraphale and that most likely meant the stolen memories, since we also learn about those in S2, right? Maybe Aziraphale knew in Before the Beginning of angels who had had their identities taken from them for talking out of turn and he was worried that it could happen to Crowley but... what if the scene is suggesting that it already had?

I always took Crowley not introducing himself to Aziraphale as written to convey that this was the first time they met to the audience but, at the same time, to not tie themselves to any one idea about who Crowley was pre-Fall because Crowley is Crowley and it's not vitally important to know what his name was then. I'm wondering now if it might also be that Crowley had a name at this point in time but it was kind of like Muriel and their name. It's their name in the present but we don't know what they were called before. The show is really careful about that-- we don't get a name for Muriel in the Job minisode so it could have been something else at that point, before they got memory-zapped. Maybe Crowley had a name in Before the Beginning that was what he'd just been given after having already lost a bit of himself and he knew he had. He'd worked out he was missing parts of himself. As a result, the name he was called then didn't really feel like his and so he avoided using it. He just says "nice to meet you" to Aziraphale so he doesn't have to give him a name he doesn't really feel like is him... not that he can totally remember what he used to be called or how he used to be, entirely.

This is still early days in them taking memories from him so he still retains a lot of who he was but maybe he'd already asked enough for them to start chipping away at him a bit.

This was the sauntering vaguely downward?

He keeps asking questions. Always asking those damn fool questions, as The Metatron put it. Always going his own way. They kept taking his memory to try to reboot him a couple of times until they eventually threw him to Hell once it existed and when they realized every version of him is basically uncontrollable.

By the time he's Crawly, he's had a half-dozen different names.

On Earth, he decides after Job to take control of the trauma of it, in a sense, and changes his name to one of his own choosing-- Crowley. Something that means something to him and to Aziraphale. Something he chose for himself, and something he'd like hearing Aziraphale say and that Aziraphale would like to say. S2 opens with him not giving himself a name to Aziraphale in Before the Beginning and then gives us the story showing us how the name he eventually chooses for himself is one he created for the meaning it has to him and to Aziraphale.

It also might mean that Before the Beginning actually might not even be the first time Crowley and Aziraphale first met. There is the scene later in S2 wherein Aziraphale has just been recollecting the Job story-- which is to say that he's just been remembering Muriel-- and then Muriel arrives at his door to verify the miracle but they are dressed as an "Inspector Constable" and acting like they're undercover, which signals to Aziraphale that Muriel has, at some point, been memory-zapped because they do not remember that they've actually met Aziraphale before. Aziraphale never actually indicates to Muriel that they've already met and while it might be to his advantage not to at that point, it's also an act of kindness at that stage. To do so would be to spark an existential crisis in Muriel and he does not know them that well, not to mention that it would cause waves in Heaven that Aziraphale is trying not to cause at that point. Still, he looks at them with sympathy and pain when they don't want to try their cupperty and seem less knowledgeable and aware than they were when they first met during Job.

How many times did Aziraphale meet Crowley "for the first time" and just not tell him at the time that they already had? Is Before the Beginning really the first time they ever met? It could be. It feels like it is but, then again, so too did Eden. How many times did Aziraphale meet Crowley before the last time in Eden and how many of them does Crowley actually remember?

In S1, Aziraphale explains how he and Crowley met to the others as a story beginning with Eden. While it might make sense and be easier to start the story with Adam & Eve when explaining it to humans, Crowley is standing right there and this is a choice on Aziraphale's part, maybe one to try to make him feel more comfortable. S2 automatically invalidated this as being technically true with Before the Beginning so who is to say how untrue it really is? Eden isn't the first time they met; it's the last first time they met.

Imagine watching this brilliant, funny, creative being fight to retain a sense of himself, holes in his memory, the light getting dimmer and the feathers more grey each time, and being helpless to stop it because the same wild, imaginative spark you love in him is why they're doing this to him. Imagine watching him start to forget more and more things. He can't remember the gravity he invented, the stars he made. He can't remember that he knows you. It takes a handful of times of this before they invent Hell and the idea of demons and call him one and toss him to Satan and before that, you had to go to him two, three, four, five times and say

[rollforfelicity]

Why Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Didn't Use D&D Combat Rules (And Why They Were Right Not To)

The D&D movie was really fun, and since at this point most of my friends play D&D (or at the very least other TTRPGs), almost everyone I talk to on a regular basis has also seen it and liked it. The consensus is that even though there's no "meta" that the characters are controlled by players sitting around a table, or jokes about the DM, the movie feels like D&D. The jokes feel like jokes people would make while playing. The constant pivoting from Plan A to Plan B to Plan C feels familiar to anyone who has spent an hour at a table deciding what to do, only to have a roll go sideways and screw things up. Before I get too far, I should say this post contains some mild spoilers for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

What didn't feel like D&D were the fight scenes. In one scene, a Paladin quickly dispatches a group of enemies before any of the rest of the party even acts, showcasing that even though he's kind of a square, he's an incredible fighter. In another scene, the Barbarian grabs and wears a helmet in the middle of a fight, using it creatively to get the upper hand. During a fight against a gargoyle, the Bard blinds an enemy by throwing a blanket over their head, but gets pulled along with them when a loose rope wraps around his leg. These are all pretty big moments in the movie, and Rules as Written, would never happen at a D&D table, because D&D combat doesn't work like that.

Here's what I think is interesting. The vast majority of the rules of D&D revolve around combat. It's not all of the rules, but most class abilities, spells, items, and rules have a combat focus. So why does a movie that functions partially as advertisement for the game spend so little effort to replicate the bulk of the content of the base game?

In my opinion, it's because, Rules As Written (or RAW), combat in D&D is not, generally speaking, narratively satisfying. Let's look at a few reasons why.

D&D is a game where, RAW, things either happen, or they don't. If someone misses an attack, nothing happens. If someone misses a skill check, nothing happens. DMs can work with this, but in the base game, there isn't a lot of guidance for what to do when a player fails at something they're trying to do. This may seem trivial, but compare that to something like Powered By The Apocalypse, which is much more narratively focused. In those games, a full miss means the Game Master changes things up. The enemy gets the upper hand. A new danger surfaces. An NPC is put into peril. Not only does the player fail at what they're trying to do, but something else, bad for the Player Character (PC) but good for the story, happens. On a mixed success, the PC might get what they're after, but at a cost, or with a complication they weren't expecting.

This calls to mind the example of the Bard throwing a tarp over the gargoyle in the final fight of the D&D movie. That's a classic example of a mixed success. He succeeds at temporarily blinding the creature, but in the process, he gets caught up in the gargoyle's rope and is dragged along for a ride. This is a dynamic thing to happen in combat, but wouldn't happen in actual D&D. Instead, a PC would either succeed at what they're doing, and blind the creature, or fail and not blind them. You could argue that the Bard's action was the result of a Natural 1, but that also doesn't fit RAW, because the Bard does succeed as what he's trying to do, and with a Natural 1, he would have failed and been pulled along.

D&D doesn't really reward player creativity. Something like throwing a tarp over a creature wouldn't be likely to happen in a session at all, because in the actual game, it would take a full action to do that, and depending on the Difficulty Challenge (DC) the DM sets, there's a good chance of a wasted turn. Creative actions end up a huge gamble, and when you're playing a game where it could be 20+ minutes before you get to take another turn (more like an hour if you're playing with a Wizard, amirite), you're disincentivized from "wasting" your turn to do something less than optimal. You can describe what you're doing to add to the narrative, whether you succeed or fail, but that brings me to my next point.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this question from Rise Up Comus since I read it a month ago. In D&D, a player can describe all kinds of flavor to what they're doing, and there's no change to the mechanics of the game. You could read this as saying "Oh, well that means you have the freedom to do what you want!" but if you look at game design through the lens of "what kind of play does this game encourage or discourage" the takeaway I have is that description just...doesn't matter to D&D. In my experience, that can lead to a few different unsatisfactory outcomes.

Both players and DM treat combat as purely rolling, and describing only what is required. A DM announces, "The enemy wizard casts fireball, roll dexterity save, take 25 damage. Turn passes to the Rogue." Sometimes players who describe what they're doing are seen as showboating or taking up too much time. Worst case scenario, the DM penalizes descriptive players.

Some players like describing what they do, others don't. This has no mechanical effect on the game. Players who aren't descriptive might be frustrated that an already slow process is slowed down even more. Descriptive players may become frustrated because there's no mechanical benefit to what they're describing, and spend time fruitlessly arguing with the DM that focusing on a weak point of the enemy should give them advantage. I think most tables fall into this category. It's not a bad game by any means, but not everyone is there for the same reason when it comes to combat.

Rule of Cool Table! Everyone describes whatever they want, the dice rolls don't really matter! Combat is generally pretty easy because fuck the rules, if it's cool for the dragon to die based on how the fighter described the attack, even if it's only the first round of combat, hell yeah let's do it! For players who like being more strategic and enjoy the confines of the rule structure because it makes things challenging, these tables can be frustrating. (If you're familiar with Dungeons & Daddies, this is essentially how they play D&D).

Because there's no guideline in the rules, people come to the table with different expectations. Some people want combat to feel like a strategy game, where following the rules in the most optimal way (or combining rules elements in an unexpected way) is mechanically rewarding (usually measured by damage output). Some people want to describe themselves doing cool stuff! Some people don't care about their characters looking cool, but want the story to be compelling. If everyone isn't on the same page, this can lead to players ending combat feeling unfulfilled, and when combat is the bulk of a rules set, it feels strange to me that there's no guidance for DMs or players as to how to incentivize the kind of combat your table is interested in.

This leads to a situation where combat in D&D is the part of D&D that takes the longest, that the majority of spells and abilities are focused on, but it is, narratively, the least satisfying part of the game, unless the table alters the base rules significantly.

If you're not familiar with other TTRPGs, you might be thinking "Okay, but that's why the DM is allowed to do whatever they want and make up new rules! My DM gives inspiration when we describe something cool, that solves this problem!" My critique isn't necessarily of individual tables. DMs and players come up with all kinds of mechanics that aren't in the rules. My critique is that D&D is a role-playing game that essentially has no incentives, and many disincentives, for role-playing during combat. For example, RAW, characters don't really have time to communicate during their turns, as each round takes about 6 seconds. There's no time for banter or negotiation between PCs and enemies. You can see this disconnect by the way people talk about D&D. How many times have you heard people say "I love D&D but I don't like combat?" How could this rift be rectified? Let's take a look at some other TTRPGs.

In 7th Sea, if you take the time to describe how your character is doing something, you get a bonus to your dice pool. In Thirsty Sword Lesbians, when you get a mixed success on a Fight roll, you and your opponent are given narrative prompts to build tension (like flirt with or provoke your opponent). In Kids on Bikes, you can fail or succeed rolls by different number ranks, which determines how significant the successes or failures are. In Wanderhome, you get a token when you "take a moment to bask in the grandeur of the world, and describe it to the table." In Good Society, each player gets a "monologue token" which they can spend to prompt another player to deliver their Main Character's internal monologue. I just played a bad-action-movie-themed game called Action 12 Cinema, where players can boost a roll if they call out the song that would be playing during this scene of the movie, and get an even FURTHER boost if anyone at the table sings it.

Each of those game mechanics gives you an instant understanding into the mood of the game, and the kind of stories its built for you to tell. Even if you've never heard of any of those games, I bet, based on the title and the move, that you could hazard a guess as to what playing the game is like. Dungeons & Dragons certainly has rules that add to the lore of the game, and prompt you to create characters that act a certain way. But when it comes to combat, players and DMs are left to their own devices. Some may see that as a strength of the game, but I see it as a source for a lot of disappointing play experiences.

And it seems as though, at the very least, the writers of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves thought the combat rules were narratively unsatisfying enough that they eschewed using any of them.

[centaurianthropology]

Oh man, I think the Circle of the Crimson Mirror might just be MY Candela circle. I enjoyed the goofy schlock horror with the Circle of the Vassal and the Veil, and really enjoyed the amping up of horror in The Circle of Needle and Thread (though the horrors of war theming was not specifically for me, it was still well done). I haven’t gotten to watch the Circle of Tide and Bone because life happened, but from what I’ve heard it was very good.

But I was laughing out loud with glee for the first episode of the Circle of the Crimson Mirror. All these characters are delightful. The setting is fascinating (starting out OUTSIDE of Newfaire and expanding the world was really fun), the theming of Irish folklore horror gives a folk horror mixed with cosmic horror vibe that I’m really excited for. And Liam is just the sort of ruthless DM that is perfect for a horror game. Because for me, keeping your players wrapped up in the horror, making them at least a little genuinely afraid (after talking through Lines and Veils of course) in a fun and contained way IS the heart of playing a horror game. It’s the same as watching a horror movie, in that you WANT to be scared, that’s part of the enjoyment, but in a horror game the fun is having it happen to you.

And both folk horror and cosmic horror are some of my favorite subgenres, so this is hitting all my favorite sorts of horror. And because it’s me, see below for my much longer thoughts about this first episode and the characters. Because I’ve never found a topic I enjoy that I can’t write an essay about.

Liam comes for everyone straight out of the gate, doesn’t he? While I found the train cold open in chapter 2 exciting, I found this even more harrowing. With NPCs we barely know constantly imperiled, all the investigators are really sketched so clearly right off the bat with their actions rather than their more open explanations later. I love that all of them lean heavily into being out of their depth, even sometimes making poor choices because of it. The players are aware they are in a horror game. The characters are not.

So let’s talk about those characters:

MALCOLM TRILLS

Imari Williams was the player at the table I had no prior experience with, and I love what he’s doing here. He puts his whole body into acting out the scene, even at the table. Even before we know he was a Sole Survivor of a massacre during the war (and I found it deeply entertaining that Imari couldn’t help but dump his backstory all over the floor. Liam’s gently encouraging everyone to hold it back for dramatic moments, and Imari is just so excited he’s like “NO! HERE IT IS!” not once but twice in the very first episode), we knew that. Because Imari is clearly dedicated to acting that out through what Malcolm chooses to do. He believes in saving others, especially after losing his entire squad. He has to do it, even (or maybe especially) for those civilians he doesn’t know. His entire point in being in Candela is saving people. So when Liam dunks two unnamed sailors in the ocean, Malcolm goes in. His friends are horrified. They love and value him, and they value him more than two randos. But to him, the randos are the point. Saving people is the point. So no matter how many disappointed dad-lectures he gets from Leo (and this is clearly not the first one he’s gotten), Malcolm is always going to be this way. He’s always going to try to play the hero in a horror setting, which is such a delicious choice for a horror player to make. Everyone at that table knows how perilous it is, but Imari is fully committed, and I love it.

We already know a lot of his background, but there are things we don’t know. We don’t know his relationship with his family, or why Leo is so disdainful of the Trills as a group. There seems to be an implication that the Trills are old money in Newfaire, perhaps, or at least a legendary family for other reasons. And apparently reckless heroism is a family trait. But what does Malcolm do in his day-to-day? He’s the one we don’t have a career or life for back in Newfaire yet, and I am interested to see who he is when he’s not playing the hero for Candela.

LEO AMICUS

I love the description of “I’m going to lie a little and say ‘early forties’” as an explanation for Leo’s age. It tells me a lot about his character right off the bat. We know he’s older (but not how much) and that he doesn’t want to admit he’s older. There’s just a touch of vanity already there, and given that he’s also a man in a dressing gown on a ship in a severe storm, who thinks that his presence is deeply inappropriate? Who asks if there’s a bar on a tramp steamer? We know so much about Leo already, and I love it all. Taliesin plays a dandy so well, his table reactions are so expressive, and it’s so clear that a setting like this is NOT where Leo shines. He shines in social situations, in parties and bars and places where his charms mean something beyond keeping a crewmember calm long enough that she can be knocked unconscious. But he’s so great in being totally overwhelmed and being useless in an action sequence.

And once the storm is over? We find out that Leo is very much the mother hen of the group (probably the oldest member). He knows Malcolm well, and treats Grimoria like a beloved niece. We haven’t gotten a lot of interactions between him and Edgar, but I’m excited to see what their relationship is like, as the two more cautious members of the group.

It was in his interactions with the other members of the circle that I realized how much like family this circle is. They are VERY close, despite ostensibly just being coworkers. There is such a deep care and concern for one another here and I love knowing how dangerous that also is in a horror game. And Leo is the one most open about his attachments here. We know he doesn’t have much blood family, and doesn’t talk to them. We know he looks at these people as his family.

And I love that, for that family, we see a REALLY different side of Leo. While he was overwhelmed and trying not to look at the blood on the boat, the second the Murphy girls (or whatever was masquerading as them) tried to murder Malcolm and the others, Leo was grabbing kitchen knives and trying to kill them. His perspective from his talk with Malcolm also remains consistent: you put your family first. When his family is threatened, meek Leo melts away and we have a man who will do whatever is necessary, kill whoever is necessary, or let anyone die to protect them. He seems to have few moral convictions, but an enormous amount of love, and that excites me for this character.

And I love that we actually know very little about him right now. We know he lives in Red Lamp (because of course he does) and that his apartment doubles as their chapterhouse. So he can be Team Dad at every meeting.

Also congrats to him for getting laid in the very first episode. Hot sailor dude propositions him, and Leo is all about that life. This Professional Man of Leisure is clearly gay catnip.

DR. EDGAR LYCORIS

I was so excited that Alex was finally going to be in a filmed Candela game (he was apparently one of the play-testers during its development, and it’s so clear he knows the rules). Dr. Lycoris is cool, calm, almost robotic in his presentation. He’s definitely a classic Alex character with his calm and his normal-guy-in-a-group-of-weirdos vibe (while secretly being very much a weirdo himself), and filled with casual competence and rudeness. But at the same time there are hints of how much he cares about this circle too. Him quietly calling Grimoria ‘Grim’ when she’s unconscious and he’s tending to her, telling her, “You can’t sleep forever, Grim,” in such a fond tone. The two of them clearly have some quiet history together, and there is a real softness between them that I’m excited to see them dig into as they get deeper into the game. There’s clearly a long-standing connection with Malcolm too, with both of them extremely aware of one another’s skills and weaknesses, working together seamlessly, especially in moments of extreme stress. I want to see more of these soft moments, these personal moments when his icy demeanor cracks, and I imagine we’re going to get plenty of them, given that THIS is how intense the first episode was.

He and Leo are the two characters we know the least about at this point. We know that Edgar is a surgeon working in the main hospital in Newfaire. We know that he is cool under pressure, and that he is both used to fighting (his immediate shift into using his scalpel as a precision weapon to go after arteries and tendons is such a nice touch for the character), but also can really be shocked by sudden violence (I love that he totally freezes after THAT happened to Declan’s mother). He states that he wears nice and fashionable clothing, but the clothing is almost wearing him rather than the other way around, like someone picked them out for him. I want to know who that other person is (is it Leo???). I want to know who he is when he’s not trying to wear what other people expect of him.

I am so excited to get to know Dr. Lycoris.

GRIMORIA

Likely a stage name, and I do wonder if we'll get her birth name, or if that even matters to her at this point. Mechanically, I am thrilled to see a Candela player try to homebrew a multiclass in this system. She’s essentially gone for a Medium/Magician hybrid. We know she works as a procurer of esoteric artifacts. She performs shows with smoke bombs, so likely is a stage magician, and that she has been able to channel spirits since she was a small child.

And we know that she’s 18. In a group in which consists of a man who is at least in his mid-forties, a man who is 32, and a man who is a surgeon (so has at least obtained advanced training, and is probably in his late twenties at minimum, and is likely in his thirties given the hints that he served as a battlefield surgeon during the war), Grimoria is YOUNG. Absurdly so. The guys care about her in a different way than they do one another. They look out for her in subtle ways, though are all very careful not to treat her as a child. The softness between her and Edgar is reflected in the overtly familial way that Leo talks to her, treating her like a very clever niece, but also the person he finds the most calming in the group. It’s fun to see that, even though he treats her as his relative, he doesn’t treat her as a child. She’s the one he goes to when he needs to clear his head. He just wants to listen to her read aloud. He finds talking with her soothing, and it’s clear why. She has a good head on her shoulders, and is rising to the occasion, so while he is caring for her, he also intrinsically understands her need to care for him as well. And Aimee really sells that in-between nature of being 18. It’s such a great portrayal of someone on the verge of being an adult, but not quite there yet. Someone her friends want to care for, but also want to treat like an adult and like any other member of the group. There is a tension in those relationships purely because of her age.

I also like that she’s the most pure investigator of the group. She’s the one who pushes for information, who has a burning desire to KNOW. And that’s a great flaw and danger for a character in a horror setting. The desire for knowledge in cosmic horror is so dangerous. Her willingness to channel spirits right off the bat is dangerous. She is, in her own quieter way, just as reckless as Malcolm and I love to see it. Aimee is throwing herself into this, playing a character who doesn’t know she has limits let, and is eager to push every boundary. I can’t wait to get to know her even more.

CONCLUSIONS

I love that we have two cautious characters and two reckless characters. I love that we have a balance, and we have a group that instantly portrays exactly how close they all are to one another. We’re not sure how these bonds were forged, but they are so well portrayed and so clear. These people love one another. They would do terrible things for one another, and I can’t wait to see what they go through together.

Count me very excited and very eager for next month’s addition to their story (and count me already sad we only get three episodes with them).