#you might have questions regarding some things that happen later in the series but

[radishwizard]

it's time for my biennial reread of the thief

[flufftober]

🍂 🍃 Hello and welcome to our third annual Flufftober 🍂 🍃

We’re so excited to be back and to once again have you here!

As always, let’s fill the month of October with as much fluff as possible 🥰 and for that to happen, we not only have 31 prompts for you, no; we also have something special this year...

Prompt Extras

Last year's Prompt Substitutes were very well-loved and a lot of you used them to replace some prompts from the original list. You're more than welcome to do this again if there's a prompt that doesn't work for you for whatever reason - no explanation needed.

Once again, we offer you last year's top five fan favorites (as voted in the end survey). In addition to that, we also offer five scenario prompts.

If you don't want to replace any prompt from the original list but still love the additional ones - or you simply want to challenge yourself - you can also mix them all together!

So in whichever way you use these Prompt Extras, have fun with them and go wild 💚

Below the cut you'll find all our rules, posting info, all the prompts in writing, as well as some explanation for prompts we feel might need clarification. If you have any more questions, please feel free to send us an ask 🥰

We hope you like these prompts, and now

Happy Creating 🥳

Standard Blog Rules & FAQ

No inc*st or p*dophilia - we can’t keep you from writing it or creating art for it but it won’t be reblogged. See further down for clarification.

No hate or ship bashing - we’re all different and we all love different things. As long as it doesn’t go against rule #1, it’s allowed.

Tag correctly! Trigger warnings (including cheating!), ships, ratings, (pure) smut, etc - it’s all fine as long as you tag it.

There’s absolutely no word count restriction, write as little or as much as you like.

In regards to art, anything goes: drawings, paintings, collages, mood boards, gifsets, videos, playlists… the sky’s the limit (though not really…)

While we can’t force you to write fluff or create fluffy art, please try to keep in mind that this is a fluff event 😉

You can start writing and/or arting as soon as you see this - but please refrain from posting before the respective day.

You can participate on as many days as you like, even if it’s just one; you can also create multiple entries for the same day.

You can replace prompts from the original list with either or all of our prompt extras; you can also mix them with the original prompts or create for them in addition to the 31 original prompts, that's completely up to you.

It’s okay to write one story/a series for all the prompts as long as it’s separated into chapters and the respective chapter/work is posted on the given day.

You do not have to stick to one ship or even one fandom - switch as often as you like to or even write for multiple ships for one day.

The ship does not have to be a romantic one! Friendship and family feels are more than welcome (but this is not a way to get around rule #1!)

This event can be combined with other events as long as the other event allows it.

Late entries are always welcome, even if it is months later.

All fandoms and ships are welcome - fanon and canon - as long as they’re of age (in case you want to add smut) and not related.

Since this has often been asked in previous years, please let us clarify the no inc*st or p*dophilia rule:

No inc*st: This rule does not apply to distant cousins and such, as you might find in the LotR fandom (or basically in all of European Monarchy). The line we draw is at direct blood relations (siblings, parents, kids) and/or legal guardianship.

No p*dophilia: This rule does not rule out fandoms that feature teenagers such as Harry Potter, Heartstoppers, Hunger Games, etc. It also doesn't mean you can't write about their time together as teenagers! It was mostly aimed at ships in which one is a minor and the other is not - but since even that got complicated over time, the rule is now this: if you keep it SFW, all is good and allowed, we don't care; if it turns NSFW, be mindful of the legalaties of the world/society/times your characters live in.

Posting

Posting to tumblr

Please use the tag #flufftober2023

Since tags are sometimes wonky, make sure to also add @flufftober in your post

We will try to catch them all, but please don't be mad if we miss a post or if it gets reblogged a bit late

If you're absolutely certain a post has slipped past us, feel free to send an ask with the link to your post

To make reblogging easier for us, make sure to add the following tags: #flufftober2023 #day [xy] #[fandom] #[ship and/or main character(s)]

If you're using a prompt extra tag it as #alt [number]

Posting to ao3

You can add your creation to the collection flufftober2023 or flufftober_2023 (yes, we've once again claimed both)

Late entries are always welcome, on tumblr as well as the ao3 collection! Neither will close - but like always, reblogs will become less regular the more months have passed...

Prompts (and explanations)

1. “I’ve got you”

2. Family, Friends, Loved Ones

3. “Wait you love me?” - “I always have”

4. Cinderella Moment (the "ugly duckling" gets their moment to shine)

5. x + 1 (can be a classic "5+1 things" [or any number you want] creation or literally a plus one for an event or really anything else you can think of)

6. Corn Maze

7. Porch Swing

8. Rainy Day

9. (...) at first sight (think "love at first sight", "enemies at first sight"...)

10. Love of my Life (even this does not have to be romantic 😉)

11. Sweet Tooth

12. Fire & Ice

13. Wrong (...) (think "wrong number", "wrong train", "wrong person"...)

14. “I hate it” - “No, you don't”

15. Emergency, Confession, Adventure

16. Singing one another to sleep

17. Encouraging someone to achieve a goal

18. “Did you plan for this to happen?”

19. Keeping someone safe

20. Pumpkin

21. Swoon

22. Picking (think "picking flowers", "picking up someone", "picking out a dress", "picking a song for the wedding"...)

23. Trinket

24. [melting emoji] (does anyone even know what this emoji stands for? No? We neither but we would love for you to get creative with it 😉 but also, think "melting in the heat", "melting from embarrassment"... also, I would've loved to add it here but tumblr doesn't have this emoji yet)

25. Nook

26. Fireplace

27. Outdoor Event (think "hiking tour", "concert", "picnic"...)

28. Soothing Touch

29. “Hey, wake up!”

30. Self-Worth / Self-Love

31. Dreams Do Come True

Prompt Extras

Last Year's Favorites

Alt 1: Hot Chocolate

Alt 2: “You’ve told your parents?”

Alt 3: Wearing Each Other’s Clothes

Alt 4: Candles, Lanterns, Fairy Lights

Alt 5: “Oh no, you’re a Morning Person!”

Scenarios

Alt 6: Reverse all the Roles

Alt 7: Create a Fairytale Retelling

Alt 8: Give your character a new occupation

Alt 9: Create a crossover of two or more fandoms

Alt 10: Have your characters share the last table at a café

[sgiandubh]

Machiavelli took a day off

... when the Telegraph article was written in great haste, by someone blatantly given a last minute task, who had no fucking idea to whom she was talking and what exactly meant the PR vetted or even prompted questions.

Instead of a line-by-line analysis, we'll take things differently, on this page, using the '5 W rule of journalism' (or even non-fiction writing, in general, if you ask me):

Who? SRH, EP of the OL series and one of the two male leads of the TCND series, which will be shortly broadcast by Channel 4, in the UK and IE only (and Movistar in ES). The rest of the world is not concerned.

What? A promotional article, focused on the actor's personality, CV and projects.

When? At a particular moment in time, just after the SAG-AFTRA strike and before shooting OL's eighth and last season.

Where? Crucial to place it in LHR (to imply he is 'just visiting') and God forbid it would be in GLA, which (for some curious reasons) seems to be off-limits.

Why? An actor with solid credentials hopes to keep agents and employers interested, after above OL project is done, which is rather sooner than later. Also addressing (as per the actor's PR agent specific requirements) three particular issues: the Palestine letter, the Bond project and his 'private life'.

Onwards to the three issues at stake, which probably prompted the article. In chronological order, this time. And no, I am not going to address the Scottish independence mention, because this is a sincere, well-known position of his and this page never bitches about people's convictions - also because I educated myself on it and I agree with S.

Palestine:

It was important, for obvious reasons, to push damage control a tad further. Also, strictly from a hypothetical POV, I would be very curious to read your compare and discuss thoughts with regard to this particular post on this page:

A sort of answer came in the Telegraph paper, too. Not only to me (I am less than nobody), but to all the people (of which we were many) who thought he should not get involved in this type of debate:

This is not the first time he uses this specific talking point. Last time known to me was on the day the Queen died, on X (I looked for that post, but can't find it, because I am just a filthy lurker, like that: but it is there).

The really interesting question, therefore, is: does he/somebody monitor what is being said on Tumblr? The answer is, I think, yes, and it shows. Will it stop me talking in here? Nope, as I trust my discerning abilities, for the moment. Other than that, his damage control op does not bring anything new to the table.

Bond:

What can I say, Sir? While there's life, there's apparently hope. But that doesn't translate well, given the context of your interview. That spells desperate and it's not a great picture. Also, let us keep a pious moment of silence in fond memory of a 25 year old who had a dream and the dream went to Daniel Craig (who I detested as Bond, because every girl has her Bond and mine is Pierce Brosnan, amen).

I know people still speculate about it. I have very high reservations and I cannot, for the life of me, seriously consider even thinking about the possibility. He could do it with flying colors, no doubt. Does he stand a chance? I prefer to have zero expectations on it and be floored if it happens. If he naively still yearns/pushes for it, this interview could very well be as abysmal as C's VF tantrum.

'Private life':

Ugh. Slippery when wet. I have already touched the subject in a reactive re-blog of @samheughanswife's post about it and I will not get back to what I said even without reading the article.

Some more extraordinary wording, in here: 'there might even be space for a personal life' - begs the question 'when?' In general? (in general, all men are created equal, too - it's practice that kills the theory) Now? (it is my staunch belief the answer is yes). After OL? (then and now and after Hiroshima, too). Can you program these things? (nope, stars simply aligned) Heh. Enough said. Also, 'might' spells cheap insinuation to me. But that's just me, a blonde voice in the audience.

Now, onwards to the daughter thing. I believe this specifically addresses the cheap, abundant clickbait content on You Tube, hence the vague 'online' reference (not Tumblr, not fans, not blogs - he is not C, he kept it clean). Such as this very recent one (last 'clip' on the topic was five days ago):

The two I chose to share here, which are very conspicuous FAKES, are originating from the same 'source', an account that seems obsessed with S&C and has no problem changing its narrative three times a week, if needed. My opinion? PR induced shite, to prod numbers/interest and see what sticks.

No newborn daughter? I hear no lies.

As for OL leaving 'no time for relationships', ahem. *urv will be thrilled to read that, I bet the farm. As will Flukenzie Floozy, at least her - damn, she was persistent! Also, hello, back to 2014-2016 playbook, aren't we?

No new relationships? Whatever for, when IYKYK? I hear no lies.

'I want a cat' ('because she's great', says my shipper brain on autopilot), 'but I am too scared even for that'. Humph. A very poor lie. But admitting you wanted and got a Ca(i)t scares the bejesus out of you, since 2016. I hear no lies. Yes, I am being tongue in cheek and damn the consequences.

Morality of it?

The easiest solution is never to take personal questions in interviews or panels. Why These Two still do it completely mystifies me.

[chaifootsteps]

Regarding the anon's question about Hazbin getting rebooted in the future and hoping someone does... that's actually one of my personal goals.

Eventually. A few decades down the line when a reboot becomes feasible, plus after I hopefully launch one of the three main series I'm working on pitching (one of which is Hazbin-inspired, the other two drawing elements from other things I love).

Can't say for sure if it will ever come to that point, but in the hypothetical scenario that it ever does get to that point I have a few plans I'm swearing by if that does happen in the future:

Get as many of the original pilot cast as possible, providing they want to be part of the reboot and can still do the voices. If for some reason studio heads deem I can only pick two from the original pilot, Michael and Ed. If for some reason only one, Ed at the bare minimum and I will fight tooth-and-nail for that.

Make sure every character talks differently. Of the main cast, limit the swears to Husk and Angel as regular parts of their vernacular (Husk moreso than Angel, Angel gets the sex jokes). Have Charlie swear on a few occasions but be a bit nervous when she does except when the chips are down. Have Alastor only swear when the chips are down. And give him 1920's/30's slang (mostly 20's since if I recall he died in 1933).

Give Charlie her pilot spine back.

Depending on the episode length, have 1 song per episode, except on the scant few episodes that are musical episodes in themselves (think the A Canterlot Wedding 2-parter in Friendship is Magic). And only have the songs when the characters' emotions are at the height, for good or bad.

Properly showcase the worldbuilding. Make the hierarchy and the nature of contracts clear. Give Lucifer a bit of his "powerful King of Hell" persona back. Showcase the contrast between Heaven and Hell. Make them feel like fleshed-out places.

Don't have Hell just look like LA but red. It's a place that combines sinners from all different locations, times, and backgrounds with eldritch horrors who live there. Lean into that, have fun!

Slow down the pacing. Have the redemption plotline not be rushed. Take time to get to know the characters. While it would suck if the story was cancelled due to not having later season's greenlit, it's infinitely better for a series' longevity with its fandom to have them wanting more rather than looking back at a show and thinking the pacing was incredibly rushed. Don't ruin what you can tell because you worry about what you might not be able to.

That's an awesome goal. My crusty old ass will be watching eagerly!

[eluxcastar]

The little brotherfication of Pierro

── ୨୧：pierro & reader

୨୧﹑synopsis :: little siblingfication second last instalment lets gooooo

୨୧﹑genre :: fluff

୨୧﹑content :: gn reader, child pierro, back to fluff this time guys it's ok, not proofread

୨୧﹑words :: 1.1k

there has been interest in regards to either expansions of these or a sister series of older siblingfications after this concludes and I think that would be interesting. I would love to do an older siblingfication series. I don't know the order of those posts yet maybe I'll do a poll later or just leave it to people in my inbox and I'll do them in order of whose shows up first

all little siblingification posts

Life was never easy in Khaenri'ah, a nation devoid of a god and built on flesh and blood, but such was the way of the world when no alternative existed in his mind. It is strange how something so constant could so quickly become foreign once the world became bigger. Teyvat was a continent fought for by the gods rather than the hands of humans and their machines.

The land was never to be tilled with farming tools but rather was to be fought for with iron and blood. That principle doesn't apply anywhere else.

It was not so violent when you spoke those words to him, despite having watched you try to tinker with one of those machines before. You got your hands on the first thing you saw and promptly took to tearing it apart in search of what makes it tick. Watching you is mesmerising.

First, it was alchemy, as you tried in vain to teach him the art. He just didn't have the touch for it, but you assured him it was fine and left it at that, allowing him to watch you fumble your way through whatever your latest interest happened to be. If not alchemy, then it became mechanics; if not mechanics, then it was life itself and its creation. Neither of you thought to question your childhood spent in a wasteland so long as you had life at your fingertips.

You were something he thought he might never be.

The future where he grew into being anything like you felt to him was a dream and nothing more. He'd calculate the years and imagine they'd never come because, at the time, they felt like they wouldn't.

More than anything, you sought to haul him up to the top with you. You were not by any means leaps and bounds ahead of him, a comfortable gap of power between you; however, you saw merit in teaching him anything you learned. Wherever you were going in life, you were going to make sure your little brother got there with you, and to such end, Pierro spent his years as a toddler being carried on your shoulders when he didn't want to walk to see the husk of a field tiller you found, or up the hill that was so high he could see the palace over the rooftops.

At the time, it was, to you, the consequence of your parents forcing you to watch him when he wanted to play outside. To him, the forming of cherished memories that would lead him to linger at your side for as long as they were at the forefront of his mind.

The luxury of being carried around on your shoulder died as he outgrew it. He was too heavy for you not to tire yourself out in the first minute of walking, and it hurt more than it used to. It didn't stop him from fussing until you'd flick his forehead and call him some mean name.

He found his calling in the idea of becoming a mage. He's not sure where it came from, perhaps something you'd shown him sparking as thought that settled in his brain and never got around to leaving. Either way, it seems to be the one thing that doesn't absorb your undivided attention through your ever-changing interests. Nonetheless, through enough begging, whining and irritating you, he managed to convince you to at least try to learn with him.

Someone was always better than him, and you were no exception. You could easily outclass him in many facets of life, yet you preferred to help him despite it all, even in this which bored you to tears. He supposes it came from the fact that you had grown up with your parents shoving him at you and telling you both to work it out.

You were older than him, stronger than him, wiser than him—though only barely—and had more expectations than him. Your parents asked things of you because you were the oldest and the one who would be their legacy. He had less responsibility regarding the things they wanted, though it never kept him from yearning for approval. Yours, theirs, he wanted what felt like the greatest gift—the chance to make you happy.

If you could look at him and smile and tell him that you were proud of him and liked what he could do, then it didn't matter who was better than him. There would always be someone, but your shows of admiration could make him feel like the strongest boy Khaenri'ah could offer.

You should have resented him for being forced to tolerate him as a child, but there remained a soft spot for him all your life that you couldn't shake no matter how willing you were to fight with him. It makes it easier for him to practically dangle off you in search of the things he wants, down to asking you to go scare some kids he didn't get along with or read him bedtime stories under a blanket on his bed well past the time both of you were supposed to be asleep.

You make exceptions for him in his eyes because you love him enough.

At some point, you convinced yourself that the only reason you were willing to keep doing the things he begged of you was because Pierro was annoying and needy, but you were unable to say no to him. It was not for a lack of trying. You tried over and over to shake him off when he'd run up behind you and beg for you to carry him home or shove him away and shoo him to bed when he shook you in the night with a book in his hands.

On nights he was emboldened by disregard, he'd try to sleaze his way into your bed and wriggle under the covers to sleep soundly by your side. Pierro was convinced that no matter what existed out there, you could somehow protect him from all of that, and the safest place available was asleep under your arm.

You drew the line at his audacity to try and crawl into your bed and threw him out.

You had not fallen asleep by his side since winter when you agreed to read stories to him when the cold kept him restless, though your eyes would try to close, and he would feel your head relaxing beside him. It wasn't uncommon for him to witness and take advantage of your exhaustion rather than wake you, snuggling by your side and under your arm. It was more comfortable there than anywhere else.

He spent his youth by your side like you were salvation.

He wants nothing more than to find his way back to your loving arms, where you will spoil him with the luxury of ignorance.

CROSSPOSTED ON AO3

[deathsbestgirl]

txf mytharc: pilot

preface: what you can expect from this series of mine.

i’m likely going to talk about each mytharc episode in full (at least nearly). the point of this isn’t to focus on mulder and scully, but there will still be a lot about them. we mostly see the mytharc through their eyes, and their partnership & experiences are a major part of that (and i think at this point, it’s clear i never shut up about them!). so for those that don’t really care about the mytharc, you might still find things to enjoy. at the end of each post, i’ll do a little summary of episode connections. i’m doing this as i rewatch so i will not have watched the future episodes yet – so please forgive any mistakes in details! i’m also pairing this with reading myth x: one fan’s interpretation of the the x files mytharc, and i’ll include some pieces that helped me unravel certain things, or that i’m simply keeping in mind as i rewatch! but mostly, this is just me enjoying the show. it’s what i think about when i watch. if it’s not your cup of tea, i completely understand. i do welcome discussion, but i make no promises to engage. i’m just sharing my little thoughts on this show that i really, really love.

sharing has gotten more difficult for me, but i truly enjoy it. just asking everyone to be kind & thoughtful, because i’m putting a lot of my time into this and i’m sensitive about it lol

something i get caught up in every time i watch the pilot is what csm & the syndicate were thinking (specifically in regards to assigning scully to the x files with mulder — i will probably talk about this over & over).

in the pilot we don’t even know about the syndicate. we meet section chief blevins, and other men with no names. including csm, who doesn’t even speak. he stands there looking stressed and smoking, observing scully and listening intently to the whole exchange. at the beginning, it’s hard to imagine how deep this goes, how widespread the government conspiracy is and it’s what makes it so fun for me to go back. we have so much more information later on, and we can take it back when we rewatch. there are so many connections to be made and although a lot of it doesn’t line up perfectly, i think it’s way more in line than people say. for me, there are several reasons that fit in with the world of the x files. first, there are so many unreliable narrators, people dealing in lies and coverups, only letting mulder & scully and whomever see what they want them to see. they purposely feed certain beliefs, and stifle them at other times. csm’s goals are muddled: he wants mulder on his side, he’s trying to save the human race/shape it into his own creation. he pretends to be a chess master, but as he says in sixth extinction/amor fati: he is one man.

the pilot starts with a cold open, a young woman running through the woods in her pajamas. we see a male figure and a bright white light. next thing, the young woman is lying dead on the forest floor as a team documents the scene and tries to identify her. detective miles identifies here as karen swanson and walks away, as the other investigator shouts “it’s happening again, isn’t it?”

next we follow special agent dana scully into the hoover building and to blevins office. he peppers her with questions about her fbi experience, if she’s heard of fox mulder and the x files. she’s young and open and maybe a little too honest. every time i try to write about the pilot something i always end up writing: scully understood what these men wanted her to. i don’t think it’s what csm wanted, but it might be what the syndicate wanted. scully was expected to debunk the x files, and if she did, they would probably reward her with whatever promotion or job she wanted within the fbi (or better, recruit her to the syndicate?). but as will consistently happen, they underestimated her. i’m not sure any of these men could have predicted what her & mulder would come to mean to each other. i don't think they could grasp her honesty or goodness, her ethics & morals, her complex beliefs & sense of justice. they live in a world where everyone is selfish & cruel, where they do what is “necessary” or what they're ordered to, where people will always choose themselves above others, but that is not scully. and it isn’t mulder.

(aside that maybe isn’t necessarily relevant but the thought always pops into my mind: it’s very interesting to me that they have this meeting with her and just send her down to mulder’s office. there’s no meeting with mulder, scully and their superiors together. all of it strikes me as a punishment for mulder, and a test for scully. i really think there’s something of interest to them in scully’s background. scientist, medical doctor, navy captain’s daughter, semi practicing/lapsed catholic. in theory, she could have been a perfect fit for the syndicate. but i really think most of them lack an understanding of people, of humanity. they deal in the worst of humanity – and mulder & scully are the best of humanity.)

initially when i started this (my little notebook) i was going to focus on just csm. but lately, the mytharc has gripped me. i don’t typically rewatch those episodes, unless i’m watching the entire series or a season in full. or a specific arc (like the cancer arc of course). but i’ve been slowly watching the mytharc episodes and they all connect, intricately, weaving a complicated web of truths & untruths & half truths. it’s so detailed and convoluted and maybe confusing. and so i wanted to go piece by piece. as i’ve said before, i don’t think everything lines up perfectly, and it isn’t supposed to. this is a global conspiracy, we learn things as mulder & scully do. they are largely on the outside of it, trying to break in to expose the truth & hopefully dismantle it. they are continuously misled, misdirected, stonewalled. there are many different projects with experimental science developing different defenses/giruses/andmtidotes, with different goals. evidence destroyed or stolen, tampered with. they are manipulated and used and discarded and returned and nearly killed as the syndicate sees fit at the current time. but so many things connect back to the pilot. the writers may not have had a show bible, but they most certainly looked back to pick up different threads and carry them through.

after scully’s meeting, we follow her down into mulder’s basement office. scully knocks on the door, opens it when he responds and takes in the whole atmosphere. he jumps right into it, letting scully know he’s aware of what her assignment is, that he looked into her background, and starting in on the case. in mulder’s way, he starts testing scully too, and i think she passes every single one. even if she’s saying things he doesn’t really want to hear. at the least, she takes him seriously (enough) to give rebuttals and show she cares. i’m not sure mulder has ever distrusted a single soul, but at least scully earns it.

the few things we learn about the case, what makes it an x file: the marks on the girl’s back, the compound in the surrounding tissue, no clear cause of death. and the fact that there’s a string of these killings in bellefleur, oregon with similarities to other cases in shamrock, texas and sturgis, south dakota.

mulder poses two questions, the first:

maybe what you can explain to me is why it’s bureau policy to label these cases “unexplained phenomenon” and ignore them.

scully has no answer, but i do think this starts her mind rolling. right here she’s put on the path of radicalization, in her scully way. the second:

when convention and science offer us no answer, might we not finally turn to the fantastic as a plausibility?

and i think this moment sets up their roles. scully responds with “the girl obviously died of something. if it was natural causes, it’s plausible that there was something missed in the post-mortem. if she was murdered, it’s plausible there was a sloppy investigation. what i find fantastic is any notion that there are answers beyond the realm of science. the answers are there. you just have to know where to look.” mulder, the believer, turning to the fantastic. scully, the skeptic, turning to science. this is my favorite thing about them, it builds the way they communicate and is a huge part of building trust between them. it’s also a major part in how they get to know each other. it’s always been one of my favorite things about them. it’s built on listening, not just pushing their beliefs or agenda. they always incorporate what the other says – as in, scully tends to shape the science & investigation around his theories. it gives her a place to start and build from. and scully’s science refines mulder’s theories and gets them closer to the truth.

it very quickly becomes one of the ways they depend on each other, setting up expectations they don’t yet understand the implications of and will take them years to rewrite (still built on the trust blooming from this first scene).

as soon as they’re in oregon, even still on the plane, the weirdness starts. unexpected turbulence, radio interference, inhuman like corpse unburied, the metal implant in the nasal cavity. mulder isn’t surprised by the turbulence or radio static, he marks the spot with an x. scully is just confused and baffled by his behavior (i love it). during the autopsy, they’re a little combative. my favorite moment is when mulder tells her:

i’m not crazy, scully. i have the same doubts you do.

this is an important moment for scully. he cares what she thinks, and she does take him seriously. i think it’s easy to think that she doesn’t, she does dismiss his ideas initially. but she’s still following him, peppering him with questions. they talk it through every time, and that’s special. it only gets stronger.

when mulder lifts peggy o’dell’s shirt to find the marks on her back, scully is so angry (she’s afraid) and she storms out of the building – mulder immediately follows her. she doesn’t believe these are alien abductions, she doesn’t know yet what the marks are, what the experience is. she has questions and she wants answers, she wants the truth. scully doesn’t believe his theory of alien abductions, and he asks her “do you have a better explanation?” and this is the first time he directly asks what she thinks. to me, this is the scene that really determines their dynamic. what mulder takes from this conversation is scully really does want the truth, she cares. and that’s important. and scully asks: “what were they doing in the forest?” cut to mulder and scully in the forest, scully pocketing dirt, detective miles coming upon them. (he listened to her, and the next step in their investigation becomes trying to answer that question!)

in the car, she shows mulder the dirt. he asks if it’s a campfire (it does look a lot like ash). but scully tells him it was all over the ground. right after, the car loses power and they lose nine minutes. scully doesn’t witness the time change but mulder is ecstatic.

this all leads to the motel room scene. scully has marks on her back and she can’t see them and the marks on peggy o’dell scared her. you could see it in her face, even through her anger & annoyance with mulder. the fact that she goes running to mulder, clearly afraid and vulnerable…it showed something else to mulder. this moment lets him see beyond ‘scully’s a spy” and her disbelief/skepticism. mulder cares about people, and he cares about scully despite himself. so when she turns into his chest, he puts his arm on her shoulder. shocked at her vulnerability, the way she seeks comfort from him. mulder lets her stay in his room, gives her a blanket to curl up on his bed as he sits below her and tells her about samantha.

usually this scene is discussed because of the intimacy between mulder & scully, but we learn a lot about the mytharc here too. samantha “disappeared from her bed one night” and there was no evidence, no contact, and no one would talk about it. he went to oxford, got recruited by the bureau. (while they’re having this conversation, someone is lurking outside the motel room.) he finds the x files and he was allowed to indulge because of his success and connections. mulder tells scully:

i’m telling you this, scully, because you need to know, because of what you’ve seen. in my research, i’ve worked very closely with a man named dr. heitz werber and he’s taken me through deep regression hypnosis. i’ve been able to go into my own repressed memories to the night my sister disappeared. i can recall a bright light outside and a presence in the room. i was paralyzed, unable to respond to my sister’s calls for help…listen to me, scully, this thing exists…the government knows about it, and i gotta know what they’re protecting. nothing else matters to me, and this is as close as i’ve ever gotten to it.

he covers sam’s abduction, how he found the x files, why he’s allowed to work on them, and the first inkling (for the audience) of a government conspiracy.

this is when mulder gets the call about peggy o’dell. (scully’s jump at the phone ringing is striking. she was so focused on mulder and what he was telling her, everything else faded away.) they go to the scene and mulder is shocked to hear peggy was running – “on foot?” just really cracks me up. as he’s focused on talking to the man driving, scully is taking a look at peggy’s body and makes note of the time on her watch, which is stopped. but just then, mulder learns ray soames’ corpse is missing. when they get back to the motel, it’s on fire with scully’s laptop, pictures and evidence inside.

theresa nemman approaches them in the chaos, they take her to a diner to hear what she has to say. she talks about finding herself in the woods, not knowing how she got there. she tells them she has the marks on her back too. she’s afraid she’s going to die too. her nose starts to bleed, like peggy’s did earlier, and as scully jumps up to grab napkins for her, theresa’s father, dr. nemman shows up with detective miles to take her home. this is when they realize det. miles’ is billy’s father.

mulder & scully have a brief conversation, brimming with their frustrations of losing their files & evidence, being denied access to a girl who needs help and wanted to talk, realizing how much these men are concealing. scully’s putting together dr. nemman’s & det. miles’ involvement. “they know” vs “they know something” – leading to mulder’s ultimate question (at this moment lol) of what’s in the other graves. when they go to check, the graves have already been dug up. the only other bodies already taken. at the graves, mulder puts together that billy miles is responsible. scully starts to follow his thoughts. he talks about time being stopped, he pauses “you think i’m crazy” and scully…she’s silent for a moment before telling him about peggy o’dell’s watch. another huge moment to me. she doesn’t believe it’s alien abduction, but she starts to understand the way mulder’s mind works, the connections he makes and the subsequent leaps. she doesn't keep this information from him despite it feeding a theory she doesn't agree with.

they head over to see billy miles. mulder talks to the nurse and scully starts to examine billy, finding his feet dirty, covered in the same dirt she found in the forest. a boy, who has been in a coma for years, completely bedridden and seemingly unaware of what’s happening around him. and scully is ready to run with this. he was out in the woods!!! and another important moment, mulder grounds her. reminds her of what she needs to do, her reports, procedure. and i think this is the moment that cements their roles – but shows they can also switch as need arises. mulder didn't understand how much he needed the science & evidence until he had someone ready to find it. so they go back out to the woods to get another sample of the dirt. that’s when they hear theresa scream and they go running. det. miles hits scully over the head and goes running after mulder, holding him at gunpoint as theresa continues to scream. and i love this moment too, because mulder appeals to this man’s better nature, urging him not to let billy kill another person. mulder stops him from shooting his son too. we see the marks on billy’s back, as a white light starts to overtake the scene with leaves blowing like a cyclone around billy & theresa. when the light finally fades, billy is conscious again, theresa is safe and the marks are gone from billy’s back. instantaneously.

the ending scenes are billy under hypnotic regression with dr. werber. mulder in the room with them. scully, blevins, the other man from scully’s meeting, and csm observing. billy talks about the aliens, the tests, the implant. the tests didn’t work, and the aliens were destroying the evidence. killing the abductees…mulder and scully make eye contact through the glass. cut to scully reporting to blevins. she can’t substantiate anything, they have no evidence, how do you prosecute?? this is what blevins & company care about. but scully held onto one piece of evidence: the implant, made of a metal that could not be identified, the implant billy miles claimed was controlling him. she leaves it with blevins, and when she exits, she watches csm enter blevins’ office. she has no idea who this man is, but he has been present at crucial moments and she took notice. she doesn’t understand yet but she won’t forget him.

in the end, mulder calls scully late at night to tell her the case file on billy miles has disappeared. csm is walking into the pentagon storage facility, filing away the metal implant with others just like it.

the pilot really lays a lot of groundwork. the implants, the marks/scars. the abduction experience, time loss, electronic interference, hypnotic regression. deformed corpses. government connections. disappearing evidence, constant interference. samantha’s abduction.

episode connections (before i watch future episodes):

conduit: small detail, but the ash-like dirt reminds me of the sand & glass at lake okobogee.

duane barry: he has an implant in his nasal cavity, much like the one they find. later on, in the anasazi trilogy, we learn scully has a chip in her neck which later connects her to other female abductees and carries through to cassandra in patient x/the red and the black.

cancer arc: billy miles indicates the exact place scully gets cancer.

reduxes: blevins is exposed as the mole. for the first part of the first season, scully reports to him until the x files is reassigned to skinner’s jurisdiction. his involvement isn’t fully explored, but he doesn’t completely disappear.

deadalive: ray soames’ transformation – possibly a failed attempt of what happens to billy miles & others, and nearly happens to mulder. also similar to the bodies mulder finds in anasazi.

csm: he’s there for scully’s meeting with blevins, he is there at the end for billy miles’ hypnotic regression. he is the most prominent figure in the conspiracy, as far as what we see, with a direct hand in scully’s & mulder’s experiences.

samantha’s abduction: there are two different versions of her abduction. truthfully, i think they just changed the story to work better for them. BUT (as i’ve mentioned before) i think it fits well into the mytharc later on – within the framework of the show, i think it’s possible samantha was abducted twice. conduit, paper hearts, demons, and another episode.

myth x:

one thing i really do like about this book is that it breaks down all the players. each group of aliens are given a clear name (which appear in the show but was never completely clear to me until this time around). michelle bush purports that the aliens abducting the oregon teens are walk-ins, representing the divine. they’re supposedly good but don’t know how to go about their goals. in some ways, this rings true. it’s the walk-ins that “save” samantha from more suffering. it’s like the walk-ins cassandra spender believes are trying to help them. bush describes their goal as “reintegration of both halves of the whole (alien and human) using natural means; this results in a single sentience allowing a return to physical and spiritual harmony.” which on paper, doesn’t sound bad. but their methods are as harmful as any of the others (alien and human alike).

[cbrownjc]

The first part of my next fanfic in The Forgotten Years series, which I am writing with @faerywhimsy, is now done. Please check it out over on AO3.

Title: Half-Forgotten Dreams

Pairings: Armand/Daniel, Daniel/Louis (past), Armand/Louis (past), Armand/Daniel/Louis (past), Lestat/Louis (past)

Summary: Though his interview with Louis is now at its end, Daniel continues to regain memories of his past that reveal things he’s not prepared to face.

End of Season Two — Show Canon with Book Canon Elements — Daniel’s POV

ACT I (of II) —  14,443 words — Mature

Warning: This story might contain possible spoilers for the end of Season Two (as it references later books in the series). If that is something you may want to avoid, please wait to read this story later. 

* * *

Excerpt:

Al Shafar Tower, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, June 30, 2022, 1:08 a.m.

“And so now? The only thing before me now is to go on, night after night. Detached. Unchangeable. Empty.” 

Once again, Daniel listened to the recording of the final words spoken by Louis just a few hours before.

After all the drama, twists and turns, and painful remembrances and revelations, Daniel Molloy’s interview with the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac was now over. Finished. 

Once he had spoken those final words, Louis had quietly risen from his chair in the sitting room and disappeared down a hallway, without so much as another word to Daniel. 

The Vampire Armand, too, had only paused for a few moments after Louis had departed before taking his leave as well, also without a word to Daniel.  

It was late, and Daniel was already way past when he should have already gone to bed. He was feeling drowsy and his Parkinson’s tremors were always worse at night when he was tired and still awake at such an hour. 

However, the fact that the interview was now, officially over, didn’t feel like a relief. Or even some great unfinished accomplishment that he’d finally finished, and could cross off a bucket list. 

No. What Daniel mostly felt about it all, at the moment, was a strange sort of . . . sorrow. 

He didn’t feel celebratory about having uncovered all the hidden truths and obfuscation that had been thrown his way since the moment he walked through the door of the Dubai Penthouse. Usually when catching an interview subject trying to do such things, Daniel took an almost sadistic delight in upending the person in question, trapping them into at least facing the truth — a truth Daniel always made sure he knew as well, with facts on hand to back it up, before he did so — even if they remained loathed to admit that truth to him or themselves.

However, after all the truths that were finally revealed during Louis de Pointe du Lac’s interview, all Daniel felt about it now, was melancholy. 

Daniel Molloy wouldn’t have believed it of himself just two weeks ago but after this interview, with Louis’ final words, Daniel felt himself almost wishing he’d just let Louis hold onto the illusions he’d built around himself about everything that had happened.

Especially regarding Claudia, his never-sister and forever-daughter. Claudia, who had broken Louis’ heart, (maybe even more than Lestat had), and who was now gone forever.      

It was strange how, after everything, Daniel now felt a kind of kinship toward Louis. Even a real sense of trust now. He couldn’t say how or when it had come about, but it was there.  

Louis had never lied to him about things in the beginning with any malicious intent behind it. Once his true memories began to reveal themselves, Louis didn’t try to hide from them anymore. He faced them, despite the utter pain it caused him to do so. 

And Daniel couldn’t help but admire, and have his heart go out to Louis for that.

Which was very much not the same feelings Daniel held toward Louis’ erstwhile vampire companion Armand.

When the full truth about Armand’s role in Claudia’s fate had been revealed — specifically what acts he’d committed in the lead into her final fate — had been revealed, Daniel had listened to it all with the same cold and quiet dispassion Armand had displayed in his telling of it. 

However, underneath that, Daniel had also continued to be confused by the five-centuries-old immortal, just as he had been after both he and Louis had revealed Armand’s true identity to him after the Rashid subterfuge.     

Even before now, Daniel had wondered what Rashid’s true goal and endgame were regarding Louis — regarding all of this.

And now, after the interview was concluded, Daniel still didn’t know.

And not knowing, not having figured it out when he was now at the end of it all, continued to pick at his mind. None of it was helped by the fact that Armand had been playing a major role in all the lost memories Daniel had never known, until now, that he’d even forgotten. Events from after the failed first interview with Louis back in 1973. 

Every time Daniel closed his eyes, it wasn’t only his forever-reoccurring dream he saw behind them now. The reoccurring dream — or more accurately, nightmare —  he’d been having off and on since 2005. 

No. Now, along with that, it would also be some forgotten memory flooding back to him, returning to him, as well.

And he knew they were memories. They always felt more real, more tangible, than his dreams did. 

[ Read on AO3 ]

[el-moscorrofio-y-el-mercachifle]

As you recently posted that you are worried about the third series without Gaitan I would ask some questions. First, what did you thing of the second series *Ecomoda*? What would you want Betty, Armando, et al. to be up to decades later? Are there aspects of the original series you would like to see followed up?

Hiii thanks for the questions!🥰

Tbh, I never watched Ecomoda. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the cute Armando/Betty fluff, but I really saw no point in it (and it always looked so oversaturated with colors that it was unappealing to me lol). So some of the things I'd love to see might have been answered already in Ecomoda and I judt don't know lmao. Although That's also part of my issue with this new coming series!

Regarding what I would like to see, new and continued, and in no particular order, I'd love:

Tributes and/or mentiones of the original cast members that are no longer with us. Perhaps Hugo keeping a portrait of Inesita on his desk and occasionally making comments to it (("ay, Inés, ¿está viendo usted la porquería de puntadas que son estas? No, es que esta gente es alérgica al talento, de verdad" while he's in the middle of one of those tantrums or something before moving on. Just general and occasional comments in a way that leaves the viewer with the sure knowledge that Hugo loves and misses Inesita, and that for him she'll forever be his best friend and she is never forgotten but also not to an unhealthy degree you know??)). Bertha talking about her Gordito on the phone or to the Cuartel (just because the actor passed doesn't mean the character has to, too). Betty mentioning something like Catalina moved to another country or something but that they are still the best of friends and keep in contact often; or Camila saying she's planning to go on vacations with her Aunt Cata for the summer. Just in general, I'd love for this new part to not forget those who participated in the original, and for all the relationships and friendships that were so cute and strong to remain as such in the new one.

Betty and Armando still in love. I want them to be so in love and devoted to each other, but I also want to see them as a team working together in Ecomoda. I also want them to be respected. Maybe the Cuartel is not so aprovechado anymore? Lol

Flashbacks. I want some more details about their lives, things that we missed for the past 20+ years

Clues about the characters' pasts. I want to know Marcela and Armando's childhood. I want to know when Nicolás and Betty became besties. I don't need big full scenes, but a casual mention like, Armando going "oh, sí, yo tenía tu edad cuando...". Just to fill in gaps that the original left (although I'm also fearful of too much info considering Gaitan is no longer the one writing them)

Unfortunately, there are characters that aren't coming back even though the actors are still around. I want to know what happened to Daniel, to Sofia, to Jenny. I want to know what happened to Daniel after being so stupid as to invest every single penny he owned and put it in a proyect that led nowhere lmao. I want to know what happened to Jenny.

I'd love to see Freddy and Jimmy being good friends. Jimmy doesn't have to call him dad, but I want it to be super clear that Freddy basically is and they love each other as father and son (as seen in ysblf). Just imagine their bond now, after so many years! Hopefully Freddy and Aura María are still going strong

I don't remember if Mariana is coming back, but I'd loved to see her actually getting a modeling career like she wanted

I want to see the relationship between Betty and her in laws

I want to see how Marcela came back into their lives (which is honestly baffling and I'm still unsure about this decision, but I understand they had to bring back the iconic duo)

I REALLY don't want Patricia to be redeemed. I don't. She never seemed like she wanted to be redeemed. But if she is, they better give a super good explanation

I also don't want Mario redeemed lmao. I hope he still is the hedonistic womanizer with no sense of morality. Again, I don't think he wanted to be redeemed.

In general, my only three real expectations are: Betty and Armando still together, good and faithful characters, and a good story. I really don't see the need (besides money lmao) to bring it back, so I'm not having much hopes ((especially regarding the characters. I really hope they aren't further flanderized!))

Thank you for your question🥰🥰

[georgegraphys]

Warning : Unprofessional unverified talks as I am not Mercedes nor have 10 masters degrees. Fragile snowflakes that got their heart shattered by opinion differences are not welcomed. An opinionated talk.

I'm just gonna back track on what happens here. What started this all sudden China PR campaign of this douyin acc thing and my whole summary of thoughts. If you're new here and you haven't had the time to scroll through my PR talks regarding this whole 2024 George PR cooking class. Let me summarize you here (this lacks the recent targa florio updates, mercedes vision one eleven, etc. i haven't updated it further)

Again, I'd like to say. I am not a Mercedes Benz PR team member. I am not a professional. I am just someone who worked in a similar field who analyzes, plans, and strategizes PR agendas like this. Of course the very first time I posted about this whole theory it's just a goofy hypothetical tweet of "what IFs"

This was just minutes after George opened his douyin acc btw. Something just struck me like "Huh? Why bother opening an account for a race that lasts 2-3 days?". As someone who worked in PR myself, these things are not a good move. Like why the hell open a douyin account? If I were Mercedes, I'd open a tiktok account for George that could be used beyond China GP. That was my mindset back then until I watched the video again and I realized George saying things like his F1 journey throughout the season. And that's the part where it struck me.

Now why does it intrigue me? Douyin is a platform that is only available in China (or probably in Macau/HK/Taiwan too, idk sorry) and to sign up for Douyin you need a Chinese phone number or ID card verification. It makes me think that maybe Mercedes pulled some strings? To be able to get George in Douyin? But until then my thoughts are just goofy ahh what if lol. Then suddenly Douyin Sports starts posting about George on their account and George makes a specific video greeting for Douyin Sports. Now this kind of confirms my idea? Because douyin sports rarely post international athletes unless you are on the calibre of probably Marc Marquez or Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, other than that they just posted about the chinese athletes. Afterwards, there was the Mercedes Benz official account commenting here and there and I just went "maybe this isn't a joke"

For now, it seems that the douyin account is also posting personal things about George like his post with Carmen, his family and friends and more. Well surprising considering I thought they're going to be full racing and business because at first i thought that douyin acc pr move was solely for the company because they were promoting lots of 63 series that George will probably lead the promotions later. I didn't expect them to actually build something that is also personal to George? Like his brand image? As they also involve posts about his beloved ones and not pure business. Also Mercedes even invited a LOCAL press to directly interview George one-on-one??? I'm surprised by that. But this is honestly good for George!

I know i've seemingly been all positive about this but just to let you know, I had doubts lol. Like I thought this wasn't gonna last this long. I thought it was just to keep the China GP hype for 2 weeks and it's all gone and dusted. But it didn't. Turns out they even have these 3 days posting patterns which not only intrigues me but also intrigues the chinese audience. It brought them to pay attention to George and question things like "oh he is still posting??" "who posts for him??" "he's using douyin actively??". I honestly expect lower than this and thought that the account would be another vessel to promote Mercedes cars to the chinese audience but wow... also building his individual brand images? I did not expect that.

I might have been able to guess the purpose of the douyin account making but I could never know what they were cooking. It baffles me. You might not understand but in that one single douyin account, there's a social media team or at least one person handling it and a PR planning over it. The posts were planned, it has posting patterns and it shows that it was scheduled, the subtitles, the songs (even though it's shitty), and the editing. The editing specifically appeals to the chinese audience. And I cannot wrap my mind on the reason why. These have lots of efforts poured into it and the supportive Mercedes Benz account? Unusual. Because they usually gave 0 fucks in other platforms. You need to acknowledge that this is

a) A whole ass PR planning with the approval of the company because it represents George and even also builds his individual brand value and image to the chinese audience/target market

b) No doubt Mercedes pulled some string to get his account to douyin and have the app promote his account

c) This stretched out longer than i would ever expect. My expectations weren't low but it's realistic. This thing is a bucket full of effort and planning inside for it to stretch until this long.

Now this part gets a bit sensitive. So again WARNING that this is highly SPECULATIVE and we're PREDICTING not saying that this is true. "But ari you're so jobless for all of this guessing. No one does this except the obsessed ones" This is what I and some people who worked in the PR sectors do. We look at a company's PR planning and make a guess out of it. Why? To counter their PR strategy of course. For the sake of competitions. And it's a REAL PAID JOB. But anyways

My guess is that maybe in the future George will be used as some sort of representative or ambassador for the chinese market? As for now, Mercedes Benz's objective and target market is the Chinese market. Their collaboration with Denza and BAIC, Beijing Benz subsidiary making China specialized vehicles, joint cooperation with chinese universities like Tsinghua and more.

Not to mention that this whole Mercedes in China field trip is not just any other field trip. It is state backed. Germany and China seem to be building this whole bestie relationship when it comes to automotive, technology, engineering, etc. Judging by how it's state backed and which means things won't get "nahhh okay byeeee" just anytime, that means this would then be a long term thing?

I'm just connecting two points here. A) Mercedes strong ambitions on the venture in China (Not every automotive manufacturer is aboard on this idea btw. Stellantis doesn't) B) George's sudden PR campaign in China. I look at those two and suddenly 🧐🧐, maybe it might be related??? I understand that Mercedes could use chinese ambassadors to promote Mercedes in China. Of course they're more popular and relevant in China than George since he isn't Chinese. But to promote China and Beijing Benz outside, they need a guy too yk? And that guy MAY be George Russell with all this PR cooking up behind him.

Again this is just a silly goofy guess based on EVIDENCES and PROOFS shown. As much as I love to waffle, I don't lie about these things unlike Toto. But also, don't trust me on it and take my words seriously?? Because I ain't Mercedes 😁😁 🤷‍♀️

Lastly, George's linguistic journey is basic at its finest. ciao, bonjour, JEL-AND-WAGEN, adios, hola, konnichiwa. For him to suddenly be SITTING DOWN reading a written script of his introduction in Chinese??? To be seriously sat and memorizing "da jia hao, wo shi qiao zhi la sai er-" means something 😭😭😭 don't tell me someone did not write that down for him and tell him to memorize that like an asian parent would sign their kid to a mandarin course.

[crusherthedoctor]

More topics I need to think about for Paper Mario: Featuring Eggman From The Devil May Cry Series™ (title pending). There's not much practical reason to wonder all of this out loud in a post, but eh, I like to share my thought process on these things. :)

- Complimentary roles for the mainline characters. Bowser will be the hardest one, as Eggman will cause trouble for him as well (there's only room for one motherfucker in this world, and it's the one that doesn't even come from here, so says Eggy), but I don't want to cheaply shit on Bowser too much in order to artificially elevate my preferred villain, and as I said before, I also want to avoid the predictable route of having him team up with Mario in favor of a more original solution. Peach is another one that'll take some thinking: not that being kidnapped automatically makes her bad or useless, as PM64 and TTYD themselves prove otherwise, but I can't think of a sufficiently juicy reason for why Eggman would bother to kidnap her aside from maybe to piss off Mario and/or Bowser, and even then, I think I could come up with something more unique that achieves that reaction. Plus, Eggman kidnapping a princess would probably invite '06 comparisons, so y'know...

- Paper continuity. It's no secret that all the post-TTYD installments veered off into wildly different directions - and I don't just mean the gameplay - that regardless of whether you like them or not, you could say they're somewhat incompatible with the first two in terms of overall feel. Obviously, the intended feel for this fic is for it to be similar in spirit to PM64 and TTYD, so I'm wondering how to handle potential nods to games that have very little in common outside of the paper aesthetic, and making them coherent and in-line with the 64/TTYD world so to speak. (As a random side-note, not liking Super Paper Mario and its story - to the point where I actually prefer Origami King over it despite its Sticker Star/Colour Splash elements - might be my most controversial Mario opinion.)

- Characters that have inconsistent presence or no presence at all. Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings may be considered mainstays in the main franchise, but they never made an appearance in the Paper games until much later, so in order to preserve the PM64/TTYD feel, I might have to exclude them. It helps that I've never been too crazy over them anyway. The same applies to Kamek, as I'm likely to use Kammy instead for the same reasons. The real question is what to do with characters like Wario and Donkey Kong, who have had no presence in the Paper games whatsoever beyond some indirect nods, but are fun and distinct enough that it might be worth incorporating them in some way, assuming I can think of anything for them to do that can tie into the overarching Mario VS Eggman conflict.

- Partners. Since Vivian will be returning ("Oh look, a purple girl with pyrokinesis, never heard THAT one before"), do I make the rest of the partners brand new? Or do I take some from PM64 and some from TTYD to make it look slightly less biased? :^)

- References to other Mario works. This isn't much of a problem regarding the mainline titles and certain spinoffs like Mario Kart, since they're famously fast and loose with the idea of a consistent and ongoing narrative ("MARIO, HOW DARE YOU CALL IAN FLYNN A BAD WRITER ON MY FAMILY VACATION"), but since this is Paper Mario we're talking about, what I'm wondering is whether it would come off as jarring if there were some small references on occasion to, say, the Mario & Luigi games for example.

- Not going overboard with Sonic references. Eggman could occasionally make brief allusions to characters and other stuff that's happened in the Sonic-verse, but since this is 90% a Mario fic, Mario fans will be the most likely readers should there be any. Not all of them are guaranteed to be as knowledgeable about Sonic, and while I certainly wouldn't want to treat the readers as morons, at the same time, they shouldn't be forced to read up on all the lore of a different franchise that they might not even be into in order to understand what's going on. Plus, keeping the Sonic side of things intentionally mysterious in this fic compliments the Mario-verse's perspective, and lack of familiarity with Eggman.

- And of course, just like with my Sonic works, I want to maintain as much of the official flavor as possible, despite the inherent premise sounding like it came straight out of 2005. Eggman suddenly dropping into the Mario world, and Mario and Co being forced to take care of him without Sonic and Co being there to assist them, would obviously never happen, but if it did, how would it play out in a way that stays reasonably true to the spirit of the source material? How can this premise potentially say something about not just Eggman, but also the Mario cast? And so on.

...You know what else would never happen officially, but I'm still curious at trying my hand with it anyway for this fic? MarioXViv-*BANG*

[butchsophiewalten]

The title of the video, souvenir, really sticks out to me... Typically souvenirs are not just taken in remembrance of something, but they usually come from that something... How much of Bon's interior decoration is directly from the people they represent?

This could also give an explanation for the flowers. Maybe Rosemary had assembled that bouquet at some point? Or, considering how new they seem to look, maybe Bon took them from somewhere, like a grave or memorial of some kind?

That could also point to where he got the Venus de Milo, I could totally see Rosemary owning a replica of such a statue all things considered!

Yeah, stuff like this is a lot like what was racing through my head when I was making that post, I was just having a really hard time articulating everything I was thinking (That's part of the reason it's taken me a couple days to get to this ask, sorry!).

The tools and the bottles definitely feel like a self-evident example of Bon taking something that directly belonged to the person he may be associating them with, since neither of those are things that would be especially hard for him to get his hands on. But a fun question that brings up is if he's been collecting things like this since before Bon's Burgers shut down, or if this is a behavior that only emerged post-relocation to K-9. I definitely think he could've obtained either of those items on his own regardless of whether he was in K-9 or in Bon's Burgers, but it's something to think about.

The flower bouquet, the statue, and the baby doll are the things that I really can't help but call into question. And I do want to stress that I might be way overthinking it, but like, he has to have gotten those things somehow from somewhere, right? And I think that in and of itself implies that someone is either giving him things, or that he's been leaving K-9 on his own to collect things and bring back. And both of those are just really fascinating to think about.

Like, previously it was thought that he couldn't leave K-9 until Brian let him out on accident, right? And wouldn't happen until 1982. But I like that this introduces the idea of that maybe not necessarily being true. But otherwise, there exists the implication that somebody, most possibly Felix??? has been giving him things for him to hang up in K-9 because he gets restless otherwise, or something. And there's a compelling case to be made for that idea in the fact that Bon hung up Rocket, and we know that Felix had rocket. (It's definitely possible that Felix just put Rocket into K-9 unrelatedly, where they were later found by Bon, I just think there's a level of inherent interest to the idea that there absolutely was some kind of transference there between Felix and Bon).

That's not even really addressing most of what you said. I think the idea of Rosemary having a statue replica of the Venus de Milo is definitely possible, if not likely. There's just a lot to think about with regards to how something like that would have actually ended up in K-9. It wouldn't have been on the premises of Bon's Burgers, would it have been? And the idea of the flowers being from some kind of memorial is also a very strong one, I think I agree with that. An idea i keep coming back to is the thought of the flowers maybe being something that Rosemary's sister sent, if she ends up ever being mentioned in the series proper? But I think that would imply some other kind of internal meaning to those types of flowers beyond what they seem to represent in Rose's painting, like them maybe being Jack and Rose's favorite flowers, or something? That's all really speculative.

Though, now that I'm thinking of it actually, The Waltens' house fully cleared out just a few years after Rosemary's disappearance, and now I can't help but wonder if that is related to this?

I guess this doesn't necessarily say that the house was emptied of furniture and everything, but that's always what I've envisioned when reading this? It would be fucking crazy if any of these things that Bon has gotten a hold of came directly from the Walten family home, either because of Bon leaving K-9 to go back there or because of Felix taking things to bring back to Bon.

[salarta]

Thoughts about Polaris and Fall of the House of X #1

This post will have SPOILERS SPOILERS YOUR MILK IS GOING TO SPOIL SPOILERS you've been given fair warning. I'm also not including pictures cause I figure you cool people have seen them already.

Background

First, some background leading up to this issue. Context matters.

Last time we saw Lorna before this issue, she was at the treehouse from Duggan's X-Men book, crying about her father's death. It took about a year after his death for readers to see that or any reaction from Lorna (which I have a very strong suspicion as to why, but will keep out of this post).

Shortly after this, Orchis burned down the treehouse. We didn't know at the time what happened to Lorna. Was she inside and burned alive? Was she out somewhere off the grid? It was a mystery. This issue answers some of those questions while leaving some gaps of what happened between then and now, which might be explained later in this series or by a future writer.

Thoughts on Issue

Throughout the issue, there's a few characters that Xavier directly contacts via telepathy asking them to leave a Cyclops break-out plan to take part in a different plan he has in mind that he says needs to be done right this moment. Lorna heads off to Knowhere before Kitty arrives to give her the go-ahead for pre-made plans.

Now, where we're at right now with this first issue, we actually don't know what prompted Lorna to head to Knowhere. The running theme of characters running off for Xavier's plan suggests Lorna may be playing a part in it, but we have no actual confirmation one way or another. No scene showing Xavier reaching out to Lorna, no scene of Lorna saying or thinking that it's something Xavier asked her to do, etc. Maybe those things happened in the background after all and Duggan just didn't waste panel time on it. Or, it could be that Lorna is simply doing this of her own accord, using what she knows to hit Orchis hard. We'll have to see in future issues as they unfold.

A second key and interesting detail is how Kitty goes to find Lorna on the island where Magneto originally operated the Brotherhood, Island M. As you can see from the wikia article, there's other interesting details (repurposing for Krakoa into Cradle Two, a history with the Ancients/Great Old Ones, etc), but I think the Magneto Brotherhood elements are the most interesting and most valuable for Lorna. We've spent the time since Magneto's death seeing Storm used as the focal character for just about everything regarding Magneto's death and legacy, including running the Brotherhood, while Lorna was shown with no reaction at all to her own father's death until the gala. So I think touches like this are a way to tell us in the gaps of the story that Lorna's been thinking about and dealing with these things in-universe even though the company wasn't properly addressing it until now.

Kitty also finding Lorna's minidress ensemble is a meaningful choice. They could've decided not to show that, but it's valuable for how it symbolically represents a change in attitude for her. From the laidback casual approach while on the X-Men book, to the warrior about to take on Orchis. Goes a long way to demonstrate Lorna as the multifaceted character she is.

Costume Thoughts

The costume change is the most visually and symbolically striking development, but I put it last because I think to put that front and center as the first (possibly only) discussion topic is a mistake.

The story is more important because keeping that focus improves Lorna's chances of doing meaningful things in future stories. Focusing TOO much on the costume runs the risk of certain people at Marvel thinking that she doesn't need anything more than a fresh coat of paint.

I think it's Lorna's best costume to date. Not that it's the best of her potential for costumes, as I think there's a lot of things they could do or change to make it better. But of what's been done so far, it's the best IMO.

Her headgear design is apparent with the helmet. The helmet itself is reminiscent of Magneto without being just a duplicate of his helmet. On repeated views, I've come to notice that it's a neat concept for a helmet - whereas Magneto's covers all, Lorna's leaves her ears exposed and allows her hair to come out the back. It feels like a meaningful evolution from her tiara that keeps her character identity intact.

The varying shades of green do a great job of mixing up her color without undermining her core of green. It retains her cape too, and I've said before that I think her headgear design and her cape are the two most important visual identifiers she has.

The one thing I can say right now that I wish it did differently is her bodysuit. Especially in this scenario, I wish it looked more like battle armor. She's going to war, and battle armor can be a powerful intimidation factor (aside from being greatly protective when augmented by her powers). But what's here is still good.

And that's all I've got for this round! I encourage buying and reading this one.

[agena87]

OK, gonna ramble and theorize a bit (I'm lying, it's gonna be A LOT) about Doctor Who - more precisely about the very end of The Giggle, and The Church on Ruby Road - so beware of spoilers!

But first a poll!

OK. So. I suppose most of you were kinda gobsmacked when this happened:

'Cause I sure was. I literally stopped breathing for a whole minute, just going:

Then, I was:

And obviously, since I'm such a simp for the Master, I was screaming about the Master being back and all (which I have been doing more or less since The Giggle), before I finally managed to calm down and think.

I mean, Mrs. Flood being a new incarnation of this classic villain is the most evident theory, especially after we had The Toymaker talk about how he had the Master imprisoned in his gold tooth, and we saw said tooth being the only physical remnant of the Toymaker. So yes, we know that the Master is bound to return sooner rather than later (as he - or sometimes she - is wont to do). But is it as "friendly neighbour" Mrs. Flood, as Anita Dobson described her character (who is a recurring one) in Doctor Who: Unleashed, while also telling that this is just one facet of Mrs. Floods. Interestingly, the actress signed a confidentiality clause regarding her character, which means that it is quite an important part she plays. RTD himself said that Mrs. Flood is a "mysterious character" and "a slow-burn", which means we'll have to wait (and not just for May - who is excited, btw?) to know more. I guess, it means there'll be a lot of clues hidden here and there in the future - and maybe past? meaning the Specials - episodes for us to find. If we go back to RTD's first tenure as showrunner for Doctor Who, we all remember how he hid The Master - or Harold Saxon - in plain sight since Love & Monsters, back in series 2, before him being finally (re-)introduced at the end of series 3. There even were some Saxon posters in Torchwood. So it's safe to assume that he will, once again, give us clues to solve the puzzle of Mrs. Flood true identity. Then, there is the obvious parallel between those two shots:

Which is the thing that makes me think that, despite me wanting her to, Mrs. Flood is not the Master. Because, would such a good storyteller as RTD is, use the same device twice? Of course, a remnant of the Master being picked up by a red nail-polished feminine hand twice doesn't mean that the outcome of the second picking will be the same, buuuuut, I think this is a red herring. I mean, there's literally some red in here. And we know RTD can be a bit of a troll if he wants.

So, if not the Master, then who is Mrs. Flood? The only thing we know so far is that she knows what a TARDIS is. Also, she somehow can break the fourth wall? Which I don't think has ever been done on the show? She also has been around Ruby for quite some time, if we can trust their interactions (she does know when Ruby's birthday is, they're friendly with each other, ...), which is an interesting point. So, whoever she is, might have chosen to live (or pretend to, she might have a TARDIS herself) next to Ruby, knowing that the Doctor would someday meet her and have her as his Companion. But why? Which raises the question: is she friend or foe? It also raised questions about Ruby's true identity, and maybe nature - are we even sure that she is human? Sure, her ADN has been tested, but who says the results haven't been altered to hide who/what she is? If her real identity wasn't that important, why even talk so much about it? Why not have her say "yeah, I'm adopted, my birth mother abandoned me, whatever, I have a great adopted one" and move to the next subject? I mean, I get it, it's - in part - to make a parallel with the Doctor, but why go to such lengths? Because, of course, it will be a major plot line of the next series; RTD said so.

But back to Mrs. Flood and her true identity. As I said, I don't think she's the Master, and we - for now - don't have a lot to go by to try and identify her. Which doesn't mean that we - I - can't have theories (and hopes, tbh).

My second thought after "She's the Master!" was "She's the Rani!". A thought I had had too many times since the first introduction of Missy (and then when Grace was announced as a recurring character, before we knew she was Ryan's gran; also probably Jo Martin's character, for a hot second). I keep hoping that the Rani will make her re-appearance someday, and I really hope that she just had as Mrs. Flood. And back to Ruby and the fact that we don't know who she really is, just for a minute. We know the Rani is an amazing biologist who has a tendency to experiment on lifeforms she considers inferior, humans for example. So, what if Ruby was the result of such an experiment? Wouldn't it be cool, that Ruby is not another 21st-century human being but something else? So, yes, the Rani is a possibility, and I really want her to be.

The next option that somehow makes sense to me, at least on some level, is Tecteun. Yes, I know, Swarm disintegrated her, but isn't the Master proof enough that if a Timelord wants to come back, they'll always find a way? Especially a villainous one? What makes me think of Tecteun for Mrs. Flood's real identity, is the similarities between Ruby (it always comes back to her) and the Doctor, regarding their origins: both were abandoned (well, we supposed, for the Doctor, for all we know, the Timeless Child might have just been lost) then adopted, and both ignore everything about their birth parents. If Mrs. Flood is Tecteun, she might have seen something reminding her of her adopted child in Ruby, then somehow found that the Doctor would meet her, even manipulated events so they would meet (like Missy did with Twelve and Clara - and isn't it an interesting coincidence that Ruby's mother is named Clara too? I mean, it's now two new characters sharing a name with a former companion), and decided to live next to her for some reason (she, like the Rani, is also a scientist, and might want to study Ruby some way or another).

Next - and last - theory I'll talk about is a regenerated Susan. I... don't really have anything to even explain why Mrs. Flood could be Susan. I just reaaaaally want her to come back. The Doctor needs her, I think. And he did promise to come back for her someday, yet, he still has to do so (they did meet again in The Five Doctors, but it wasn't because the Doctor chose to, so it doesn't count).

So, yeah, those are my main ideas about the true identity of the mysterious Mrs. Flood. All (well, except Susan's) have some kind of base, and all have some flaws, the main one being the ability to break the Fourth Wall, which I can't explain (yet?).

Now, what are your ideas about this mysterious new character?

[laf-outloud]

Did you see Jared talking about discussing things with writers for a reboot today? Do you think that will happen?

Since I received a few different asks (with varying degree of interest, lol), all about the reboot discussion from HonCon, I thought I'd combine them and share my thoughts about what Jensen and Jared shared.

Now, the main panel didn't really have anything substantative in regards to when a reboot might happen or what it might be about so I'm mostly basing my thoughts on the Gold panel (which you can view here.)

(Side note: The English teacher mention was just referencing the attendee who asked the last question because she actually was a student of Jared's mom.)

The question (starting at 29:31) was basically asking about how the scenes would play out between Sam and Dean in Heaven, post 15x20, when Sam tells Dean about Dean Jr., and then later Sam's anticipation and reunion (and meeting his Uncle) when Dean Jr. joins them in Heaven. Here's their response:

Jared: "I will say, un, not to try and dodge it, but I hope... I have some ideas, and I hope now that the writers are back, and actors are back, that we all get to see it together."

Jensen: "We get to see those scenes played out in real life?" shrug "Wait, what?... Yeah, (?) stay tuned on that."

Jared: "Yeah, yes."

Jensen: "There's some conversations regarding that conversation that are being had."

So, I know they've talked reboot before, and usually it's pretty vague... "putting the boots back on" kind of stuff. Here, Jared does dodge the question, which was very specific. If, what I'm thinking, actually sees fruition, @lol-jackles should ask for a writing credit, because he's shared this idea before!

Basically (and I'm not a mind-reader so this is just my opinion), I think they're looking at the possibility of doing a post-15x20 series that centers around Dean Jr. with Sam and Dean popping in as side characters. And I think that for a couple of different reasons. One, is, like I mentioned, Jared's dodge of a very specific post-15x20 question. The second, if you go earlier in the panel (around 9:40), Jared is still talking about hanging up the acting boots and moving behind the scenes to tell stories. I don't think he wants to go back to the grind of SPN as a lead. I think he knows that a successful reboot requires both Sam and Dean, but I imagine they would be there in a limited capacity as a way of handing over the baton to the next generation.

Now, you may say that Jensen already tried that and failed with The Winchesters so why would they do another series where Sam and Dean's roles were limited? Well, I think TW had other issues besides the lack of Sam that helped doom the show, not the least of which was an inexperienced production team. With Jared on board as an EP, which he's proven he can do successfully, he'd have power over the story, the casting, hiring the writers, etc. that could give a reboot a better chance.

Of course, it still sounds like they're in the earliest stages, even though they've had three years to think about it, and who knows what the industry will look like in the next few years. As Jared and Jensen shared in the main panel, if Supernatural had aired it's first season this last year, it would have been canceled because of all the changes the industry is going through.

Personally, I don't know if a reboot will ever see the light of day, regardless of how much Jared and Jensen may want it. There's so many obstacles they'd have to get through, including studio support. (And let's be honest, the WB is not in a good place right now.) Final answer... who knows! LOL!

Anyway, those are my thoughts. I hope you didn't mind waiting, but this was something that I wanted to respond to thoughtfully, instead of a quick glib answer. (Partly because the glib answers end up with tinhatters in my inbox, lol!)

[the---hermit]

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang

This is the third and final book of the poppy war series, and I cannot believe that I am finally done with it. It surely was an intense journey but I really enjoyed my time with these books. As usual with book reviews of sequels I don't feel like writing much about the actual plot because I don't want to spoil the whole story to people who might have not read the other books yet. For this reason I will focus a bit more on my reading experience with this book. This time I mostly read it with the audibook and only read a few chapters on my physical copy. I have been crocheting a lot and the audiobook of this novel was a great companion. Overall I enjoyed the book and the series as a whole, I would be lying if I said it's perfect. Don't get me wrong it's a great book series but there's a few elements that felt a bit repetitive to me (more in the spoilery section under the cut). I still don't know how I feel about the ending, it definitely makes sense and it works, but in my head it could have been different (again more in the spoilery section). But I understand why the author went with this option, and how my dream ending was a bit inplausible. As I have said in the reviews of the other novels of this book series the strongest point of this fantasy is its worldbuilding which is extremely layered and well structured. It's always very believable, and the author did a great job with a portrayal of war that is everything but glorified. War in these books is brutal, devastating and hopeless, which is refreshing compared to a lot of fantasy books in which war is usually this very epic battle between good and evil (don't get me wrong I do like lots of those fantasy too, but it's nice to have something different on my shelves that did an amazing job with these themes). I also particularly appreacited the fact that my edition ended with an additional chapter/short story from the perspective of Nezha, it was a lovely choice to add it. Overall I really recommend this book series, and if the size of the books intimidates you the audiobook are a very good opiton as well.

(more thoughts in the spoilery section below)

This section contains spoilers

The one thing I didn't like about this series is that there's a couple of elements that feel a bit repetitive in the plot. Rin fully embraces one side, gives her everything and believes to it blindly, untily she figures out how corrupt that side is and switches and starts the circle all over again. It's good to create this feeling that all sides in a war can be corrupted, and that people in power will try their everything to gain more power no matter what the cost, but after a while it felt a bit repetitive. I feel like Rin's character seems to never grow up a lot in this regard. The other element that felt incredibly repetitive is how every single time that Rin finds herfself face to face with whoever is her opponent at that time she takes so much time to strike and lets them talk eccessively. For the way the character is built I would find it more plausible for her to shoot first and ask questions later, I don't know if it makes sense. She is so resolute to kill whoever her enemy is and when she can she usually ends up letting them go or waste unnecessary time. One thing that weirded me out a bit was how quickly they got rid of the trifecta, because for some reason I expected it to be a bigger plot point, but honestly after it happened I didn't really asked myself too many questions. The one thing I am still questioning myself about is the ending. As I mentioned above I still don't know how I feel about it, and I personally would have preferred something a bit more drastic. Again the real ending makes sense and it works well with the story, but I was lowkey hoping Rin would go full corruption arc, completly embrace the phoenix and burn everything.

[sarcasticdolphin]

Hii, i wanted to ask your opinion :)

in sisi (2021) s2 when marie saved baby rudolf from the abusive nannys and franz misunderstood her of trying to hurt the baby and threatened to severely punish her, he later understood the truth but if he didn't get to know the truth do you think franz would have carried on with the threat, what do you think he would have done, would he merely send her away from court or do something more severe?

A quick caveat before I start - I have good access to season 1 but very poor access to season two, so this will reflect that.

Also a note on Sisi(2021) as a show - it's more of a show that values storytelling over historical accuracy, and in particular I have some gripes with how it sanitizes the misogyny of that time period in particular. As it takes more of a storytelling route as opposed to a historical accuracy one, I'm going to go with that to a degree.

First, the factors that need to be considered:

FJ's prior actions and general characterization: We see FJ punish Grunne for stopping him from striking a soldier who had disrespected FJ by having him beaten. Of note, Grunne is both a Count and one of very few people that FJ might just about call his friend. On the counterpoint though, the context was military.

FJ in general shows several times (starting with the executions that open episode one) that he's certainly not what one would call a lenient emperor and likes to project an image of strength. The show seems to be going the route of portraying FJ as a bit of a tyrant and then having him become a better ruler and less tyrannical under the influence of his wife.

Marie's Status: Marie seems to be somewhat based on Countess Marie Larsich, but with a few differences. The series' Marie is younger than Marie Larsich was when she became one of Sisi's ladies, and she's the daughter of a dead prostitute who was an accessory to treason. Marie Larsich was also the illegitimate daughter of one of Sisi's brothers. The series' Marie is very much utterly alone in the world - Sisi is basically all has.

The Crime: The Austro-Hungarian had a couple different versions of treason, but critically here the one that involved the Emperor was very specifically limited to trying to kill the Emperor himself. It didn't even cover the Empress. So there is no way this gets called treason, even if FJ thinks Marie is trying to kill Rudolf.

And now, onto some questions:

Would FJ let Marie explain? I don't think so. We've seem him be very quick to punish people (Grunne), and doing something that would harm the fragile and young Crown Prince, the Emperor's only son, seems to be the type of thing that would get a pretty quick reaction from FJ as opposed to anything else.

What would happen to Marie then? Well on the bright side she can't be charged with treason and Rudolf is fine. I'm not going to do a deep dive into Austro-Hungarian law regarding the age of criminal responsibility etc, but she's young enough that I think execution is off the table. What I would expect to happen is something along the lines of her being sent to a nunnery or the like, with any attempted intercession by Elisabeth only being able to change which nunnery rather than the fact that Marie is going to a nunnery. It is essentially a sentence of life in prison. I do think there would also be punishment for the people who were supposed to be supervising Rudolf as well.

All that being said, if word of it got out then FJ might do something harsher - I don't know if it would be harsher on Marie herself (mostly on account of her age), but I do think it would be harsher on those that should have been supervising Rudolf.