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redhoodinternaldialectical · 11 days

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Chapter 21 of Chained: To Wield The Blade We Have Forged

A/N: This chapter is stephcass focused enough that I think people might enjoy this as a standalone thing, so I'll be posting the chapter both on AO3 as usual, and right here in this post! This also connects to the reblog I wrote up the other night gushing about Batgirl (2000) #19 and the potential in a Cass vs Jason confrontation!

For this chapter only, NOT the whole fic: Rated T for Teen Ships are Stephanie Brown/Cassandra Cain and vaguely hinted at Jason Todd/Tim Drake There's gonna be a LOT of plot points that don't seem to go anywhere, cause they're parts of much bigger arcs, but there's some really sweet talk about deep stuff towards the end and the start is Steph handling a deescalation scenario Hope you enjoy ^w^ !

Dear War Diary,

You know, some days I don't even think Ivy should be in Arkham. Logging, pollution, hair spray tearing a hole in the ozone layer, pesticides - if I could feel plants' pain as they were broken apart, I'd want to feed people to ambulatory venus fly traps too. Heck, back in high school I was sure tempted to let her have at some of my more obnoxious classmates.

Unfortunately, today was not one of those days.

We knew something was weird this time around when the docs at Arkham called warning us that she woke up screaming and her powers went out of control. Usually when this sort of thing happens she goes towards a clear goal. Like, there'll be a construction site or a factory or something damaging the land and drawing her out.

Thing is though, the more we chased her, the clearer it became that she wasn't running towards anything.

She was fleeing, and seemingly had no clear place to bolt to. First she fled to the meat packing district. Then she ran down to the water, and like, we expected her to follow the coast? But she just swam right in! Left huge algal blooms in her wake too; like the lacy train of a queen's dress. She even left Gotham altogether for a hot minute only to turn back again for no reason. She was very obviously out of her mind frightened of something, but we had no idea what it was, and frankly, we still don't.

Tonight had real big 'predator running from the wildfire' energy, is what I'm saying.

It took several days, but eventually she gave up on running and bunkered down in one of the parks. The concrete storage shed she picked as her new home was so overgrown by the time we got to it that it was impossible to see a single square inch of the structure. The hardwood and thorn vines covering it had to have been at least a meter thick.

And that little backstory finally brings us to tonight's patrol.

I tapped my earpiece, "We getting anything on the seismic, O?"

"Nope. If she's digging she's doing it slow enough we're not gonna get any warning. Good news though, I finally got an answer back from Waller. Harley Quinn can be on the line within ten minutes notice."

"Awesome. Speedy, you good to cover me?"

"Yup! Got a whole quiver full of tranquilizers and frog crotch arrows ready for her."

I snort-laughed, "God, what a name!"

"I know right?! But yeah, you're good to go. I'll be aiming from the East, so gimmie a sign if you think you'll need me at a different angle."

"Got it. Alright O, give that ten minute notice and I'll start the approach."

Step one: Get the cops to back up the perimeter by at least ten feet all around. Frankly they were gonna be useless in a fight if it came to that, and the whole goal here was to get this done without bloodshed.

This part was pretty damn easy. I knew one of the cops there by name and she was more than happy to back her fellow officers out of the negotiation zone.

Step two: Establish a desire for peaceful communication.

I spoke through a megaphone into the general direction of the tree-bunker, "Doctor Isley? Would you be willing to come out and talk?"

The woods creaked and groaned, shifting minutely. My heart pounded in my chest, waiting, watching, every leaf bud an acid spitting behemoth in the making.

Nothing came out.

I called out to her again, "Okay. Doctor Isley, you seem really upset, and we don't understand why, but you haven't hurt anyone yet so we're not going to hurt you."

I glanced around surreptitiously at the cops. Lucky for me they all seem to be on their best behavior tonight. No one was grumbling about wanting to hurt her loud enough for me to hear, and I just had to trust that meant the grass couldn't hear them either.

"If you don't want to talk to me, that's okay. We want to get you some help, so we're going to try and get Harley on the phone so you can talk to her."

Against my ear, the phone crackled to life.

Time for step three: Get negotiation partner on board.

"Which bat-brat do I have the displeasure of speakin to today!?"

"It's Batgirl; we need your help getting through to Ivy."

"HAH! Well fat fuckin chance, asshole! I ain't talkin her inta anythin she don't wanna do!"

"And we're not asking you to! She hasn't even hurt anybody, and she's not making any threats, but she is clearly terrified. We think there's something or someone after her, and it's not us."

I gave her a moment to think it over. She's got to know we wouldn't let Ivy die, but there's always the chance we're just lying.

"Fine. Alright, what's the plan here?"

"Thank you! I'm gonna hold the speaker up to the megaphone, and you let her know you want to talk, then I'll slowly approach and once in speaking range I'll take the megaphone off of the phone to give the two of you some privacy."

"An you'll still be listinen the whole damn time of course."

"Yeah, sorry about that, but at least the cops won't be."

Harley sighs, "Turn the lights down in the house and start the music then. Lets get this show rollin an' over with."

Step four: Negotiate and deescalate.

Through the phone megaphone combo she said, "Hey Sweetpea, mind lettin me hear yer pretty voice again?"

The protective wall started growing again, getting thicker. I chance a few slow steps forwards anyway, since nothing offensive starts growing either. Or at least I hoped there wasn't something offensive in there.

"I've missed ya. Not the same kickin ass with these bozos in here, ya'know?"

As I got closer, the smell of ozone got stronger, breathing started to feel weird, and every drop of sweat evaporated off of me, leaving me parched. Her hypergrowth vegetation was stripping the carbon dioxide and water out of the air so fast that the atmosphere around it was going haywire.

Just as I thought she was waiting for me to get close enough for her tree's roots to just use me as a nutrient bag, an opening formed over the doorway to the storage unit, and she shakily poked her head out, calling for Harleen.

She was messed up. She clearly hadn't been able to take care of herself and

I'm not writing the next part down verbatim. Just seems too... invasive. They said a lot of sweet an

I don't feel great about this, but just in case I need it, I am going to record what I remember of how Harley talked her down.

Harley said, "Pumpkin, I'm so sorr

Okay. Third time's the charm?

This was not a criminal wrecking havok for profit. This was not a terrorist making demands. This was someone having a breakdown due to forces outside her control and her girlfriend comforting her as best she could. I shouldn't even have been hearing it, really, so yeah I think I'd feel too skeezy to keep dinner down if I wrote it all out 'just in case'.

Informationally speaking, hopefully the only part of their conversation I'll ever need to know again is that Ivy said "The green is dying" and "She's made the world barren; the flowers will never bloom again" and basically made it really clear that the damage was already done and no one was after her.

If you're reading this Future Me and you desperately need to know exactly what happened, sorry not sorry, get a time machine or something.

Anyways, after it became clear that there was nothing we could do for her other than get her back to mental help, I gave Speedy the signal to take the shot. The tranqs hit her before she realized anything was up, and there were only a few seconds of scuffle, then she was down for the count.

I picked up the phone again to cut the line and Harley said, "So that's it, huh? I talk her into openin' the treeline, you drug her up, and that's curtains?"

"There clearly wasn't anything else we could do for-"

"Fuck off you insufferable, controlling, shitty, furry knock off cops! I shoulda told her ta mulch ya!"

There were the muffled sounds of the phone being taken out of her hand, and then a voice I didn't recognize, "Well, I hope that clown to plant heart to heart was worth the favor."

"Zero injuries, zero deaths, zero horrifying poison scares: I'd say it was."

She, whoever she was (I assume it was Waller) chuckled, "Well you aren't the one picking up the tab. Tell Oracle it was a pleasure doing business again."

The line went dead.

"You get that O?"

"Loud and clear. And hey, don't let what Quinn said get to you. You did great."

"Thanks," I kinda didn't feel it, but the sentiment was nice.

The rest of patrol was a long and boring ride on the top of a police van, making sure that no one ambushed her on her way back to Arkham, and then a short conversation about what they're going to do to keep her there this time.

They've had a couple different ways to cut her off from whatever The Green is for a while now. Every method has nasty side effects, and half her breakout attempts were in direct opposition to using them. At this point their policy is to just help her manage being connected. Considering what I saw that connection putting her through tonight? The docs rubber stamped cutting her off from The Green again, at least temporarily, and I'm pretty okay that.

So yeah. We won. Yippee. And all it took was arm twisting a woman held prisoner by a shadowy government agency in order to trick the love of her life into making herself vulnerable to us...

God this job sucks sometimes.

And the suck was not over yet, not by a long shot! And the suck was not only reserved for me either. Uh, okay obviously since Harley and Ivy, but also!

Oracle called to tell me this: "I need to give you a heads up before you return to base, and Speedy needs some time to handle a private phone call so I'm telling you this now. Black Bat got into a fight that upset her pretty bad. She's been on the training sims and dummies for over three hours, and I'm kinda worried she's not gonna sleep unless someone helps her untangle her head."

"I thought everything went smooth on her end, what the heck happened?"

"Easier if I just show you," Oracle said and fed a video taken by one of the Bat-House's internal cameras into my HUD.

It showed Ca (gah trying not to write anyone's names is a mess) Black Bat in civilian clothes, standing in a doorway. She's staring at the Red Hood from across the room with an expression of frustrated determination.

He ignores her for a while, continuing to read, curled up on the couch in a posture so terrible I have to wonder if he's trying to give himself back problems.

She just... kept staring. And staring.

Finally he asked, sounding very snarky and annoyed, "Can I help you?"

"Why did you pull the trigger again? You were better. You did better for so long. Why?"

"I don't owe you that shit," He narrowed his eyes at her, "And you don't get to decide I was better just cause you liked it more when I was docile."

She marches over to him, "I know how it hurts. I see it hurt you! I want to help. I want to know why."

"No," He said, standing up to loom over her, as though she couldn't kick his ass five ways from Sunday with a hand tied behind her back, "You want me to get on my knees and sob and beg for forgiveness. As though any of you shitheads ever even deserved my forgiveness!"

"No! I want to see you get better! I wanted another little brother!"

"Well congratu-fucking-lations, you got one! Don't worry, Dickie hates it just as much. I'm sure he can give you some pointers on how to go fuck yourself about it."

My jaw started hurting from how tight I had my teeth clenched as I watched her face twist in open rage-hurt-sorrow, "Why won't you stop burning our house down!? You're in it!"

"I. Don't. Owe. You. That."

She glared up at him defiantly, "You owe someone."

"No. I don't."

"Sheezus!" Black Canary said as she entered the room, "I leave you alone for five minutes and you're already picking a fight with her? Seriously?"

Black Bat's anger simmered below the boiling point again, "Not a fight."

"That sure looked like-"

"Not a fight." She declared bitterly, storming out of the room.

BC raised an eyebrow at Hood.

He smiled all teeth and irritation, "Not a fight!"

She rolled her eyes and took her post back up as the video ended.

I sighed, "Well. That'd do it. Thanks for the warning, I'll see if I can talk to her, take her mind off it."

"Appreciated. I tried but... I dunno. You'll probably have more luck."

"We'll see I guess! So, am I good to check in with Speedy, or is she still on her phone call?"

"You're good."

When I grappled up to the roof she was on, Speedy looked pretty damn unhappy. So, like, clearly tonight was sucking complete ass for everyone. Mercury in retrograde or some shit, idk.

"You got news I take it?" I asked.

"Mhm, great news! By which I mean totally shit news. Apparently the lab I get my bloodwork done at broke, as in everything is giving false negatives. So yeah, all my bloodwork for the past who knows how long might have been wrong!"

"Oh shit. You want us to test you in the Batcave? Guarantee the lab down there could handle whatever you need!"

"I appreciate the offer, but I'll need to fast for twelve hours beforehand no matter what, so it wouldn't really be any quicker. Also my civilian GP would be pretty leery of a Bat-Diagnostic, especially since they already got me an appointment with the closest available people."

O cut in over comms, "That is suspiciously fast..."

Speedy shrugged, "I've got a feeling Green Arrow might have pushed me up the list somehow. He might not be (secret identity stuff I can't write down here :P ) anymore, but he's still got some pull."

"Hmm, well, both of you get back to base and we can figure out the logistics once you're here."

"Roger."

"Aye Aye Captain."

Once she cut off I offered, "Grapple line tag on the way there to take your mind off it?"

"You know what? I could use something to stretch my legs out after all that sniper crouching. Fuck it, let's do this."

Swingy swingy swingy over the buildings, across the bridge, to grandmother's imposing, minefield-surrounded cave we went!

We got into the cave, changed out of our gear, and sure enough, Black Bat was still in the training section, running herself ragged. Speedy went up to get some sleep since she couldn't eat dinner now anyways (do NOT envy that). So I went straight into an attempt to pry Black Bat off the training mats.

"Heads up!" I called out and tossed a bottle of water at her head.

She caught it without even looking, swapping to kicks and using her other hand to demolish her sandbag opponents, "Been drinking enough just fine."

"Sure. What'll it take to convince you to take a break and drink it with me anyways?"

She paused, leg still raised to kick, perfectly poised like gravity wasn't even a factor. It always makes my legs hurt looking her like that. Makes the rest of me swoon too.

"Would um..." She frowned, like she expected me to think less of her for making the request, "You bring dinner down here? For us both?"

I gave her a smile, "Yeah, of course. Mind saying how come?"

"Because Hood's up there and I want to fight him more. If I fight him, have to look at him. Have to watch him feeling and thinking and..." She finally put her leg down, and fidgeted with the cap of her water, "And I just don't want to."

"Didn't realize you hated him that bad."

"Not sure I do? Messy."

"Yeah, messy for me too."

Translation: I still don't know how to feel about him taking grisly revenge against Black Mask 'in my honor'. Still also super don't know how to feel about his welcome home gifts of a gun and an offer to come murder criminals with him.

Then I add, "But I'll have you know I'm a first class mess messer with-er! So if you want to talk about it, I'd be happy to."

She very briefly smiled, then her face feel again and somber moment passed before she said quietly, "Yeah, okay. Bring food down and... we can talk."

"On it."

"Um, wait!"

"Huh?"

She caught my arm and reeled me in for a kiss on the cheek, "There."

I laughed and gave her a proper kiss, "There! Love you."

Diary, have I ever told you about how she looks when she blushes? Because I seriously think I'll need to pull out the old poetry textbooks in order to do it justice.

Upstairs took me passed the dining room, where Red Hood and Red Robin were talking.

"The fuck is that?" Hood asked, leaning over his shoulder.

"Blueprints. I'm having a section of my house renovated while I'm stuck here."

"Wwwwhy?"

"I am swiftly being driven mad by boredom and saw a really neat indoor garden set-up on pinterest."

"An indoor garden? In Gotham? Do you fuckin want to get strangled to death in your sleep by vines?"

RR does the little 'tch' thing he picked up from Robin, "Whatever, it'll be fine, these are tiny little arboreals and I'll have reinforced airlocks leading in and out."

"That does fucking nothing for attacks in your sleep."

"Which is why I'll have the whole lockdown system automated. I was already going to do automation for the plant care stuff anyways, cause lets be honest here, there was no way I was ever going to keep them alive on my own."

"...The speed and ease with which you oscillate between self depreciating paranoia and megalomaniacal hubris is fascinating."

And even as pissed off as I am with both of them, that still almost made me friggin lose it laughing, RR seemed so offended too, it was great!

And speaking of pissed off? Yeah, seeing RR acting so chummy with Hood was kinda making my blood boil! Like, maybe he didn't even know they fought. But he's supposed to be her friend too, and it's still sticking in my craw, and I'm busy with the whole damn city needing patroled, and so bottom line: I didn't talk to him tonight, and I'm probably not gonna talk to him tomorrow night either!!

Agent A had several plates set to the side already when I got into the kitchen. I think he assumed at least a few of us were gonna go off in our separate corners after the argument. Made it nice and easy to snag two and bring it down.

She had clearly been pacing, waiting for me, back down in the cave.

We sat together and she held my hand while we ate - pretty awkward, but super worth it. We stayed quiet, me cause I wanted to give her the space to start talking, and her probably because she wasn't sure where to start.

Once all the peas and mash were gone and she was pushing her drumstick around the plate she asked, "Ready?"

"Go for it. All ears."

"It's a guilt thing I think? Least a little?"

"Kinda always figured you were uh, how to put it, I guess invested in him, cause of that sort of parallel between you two?"

She nodded, "Not all of it's that, though. Different guilt," She gives me a rueful smile, "I'm layered in it, huh?"

"Like a lasagna of angst," I told her solemnly.

She huffed a quiet laugh, fidgeting with my hand, "Am I um. A tasty lasagna?"

"Oh yeah, you're delicious," I said with a cheesy wink.

"Terrible," She laughed a bit more, running her thumb over the back of my hand, and the nervous sad crept right back in, "You know about um... One day, I rescued a man? Murderer. From the gas chamber?"

"Yeah. Not well, you've never said much, but I've read a bit about it. Was kind of a big news thing."

"On the way out I met the mother of his victim. She demanded justice. She demanded his death. I didn't know how to- to reconcile her grief. Still don't. But back then... I put him back in the gas chamber. I look at Hood. Wonder if he's the murderer or the mother or the executioner. Wonder what the mother was. Wonder what I was. Wonder if the distinction matters at all."

"Hood's trying to cut all the bad people out, trying to bleed the world better. You're trying to keep it all alive, trying to keep everyone growing. Maybe the other distinctions don't matter, but I think this one has to."

She squeezed my hand tight and kissed every one of my knuckles delicately, "I hope so. Trying to believe so."

"I kinda think you already do. You may be an angst lasagna, but you don't do what you do just out of guilt, yeah?"

"Guess so... I wanted so bad to find out that they'd been replaced by aliens or something. Find out that wasn't him. Not now and um. Not on TV all those months ago. At the very least I was hoping to find regret."

"I really wish I had something better to say than, you know, his determination to be an asshole isn't something we can fix. Just gotta keep growing our garden and hope he decides to join us for real sometime."

"Yeah..." Another round of knuckle kisses, "Yeah, you're right," She wrinkles her nose, "Sucks you're right."

"Yup."

She pressed her forehead against our intertwined hands for a while.

Then she asked, "Tell me about one of your shows?"

"Sure."

So I chattered about some light stuff she nodded along to until we were both ready for bed. It was honestly really nice, and I think I needed it too, a lot more than I realized.

So yeah, here's hoping tomorrow is less of a complete shit show from start to finish.

- Batgirl IV

#jaytim #stephcass #cassandra cain #stephanie brown #damian's tomfoolery #chained fanfic #chained: to wield the blade we have forged #jason todd #tim drake

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blues-valentine · 1 year

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I am not surprised the Gossip Girl Reboot got cancelled because it was boring and I couldn’t finish season 1. I think the creators thought having that property would be enough for the show to be successful and focused all of their energy on those outfits and soundtracks but did nothing for the show to actually work. My opinion on why the reboot failed to impact audiences that no one asked for:

It’s not like the original GG was a writing masterpiece but it came out at the right time. In 2007, while there were a lot of successful shows, a lot of the teen shows like The OC, One Tree Hill, Gilmore Girls etc were tame in comparation to the format GG was presenting. Aside from the UK (Skins), it was unusual for American TV to exploit sex and drugs on teens the way Gossip Girl did. They turned the negative reviews into promotional banners. That was A+ marketing. They wanted to be problematic. That was their selling point. So in theory, the idea of a group of wealthy teens from NYC doing all sort of awful stuff was appealing. The show wasn’t trying to be apologetic. Yeah, some issues were too much not just Chuck but so many other things but the point stands with the show not wanting to fix it. This with a really good fashion sense — GG really pushed the boundaries on fashion during late 2000’s. It was meant to be a hit ahead of its time. The problem with the reboot is that is not new or original. Euphoria already exists. Teens doing alcohol and sleeping around has been in media for a while and people crave something new. If they wanted to stand out they need so much more than just a known intellectual property but most importantly create characters with personality and sadly, that wasn’t the case.

The characters for the reboot lack distinctive personalities and it was difficult to buy why they were even friends. Like, the group on the OG worked because there was an established dynamic but every character in the new one felt like a parody. The initial conflict was them being mad Julien had a sister. For the OG, the initial conflict worked because at first Serena presented herself as a mystery – as the IT girl that ran away and no one knew why. That increased her mysterious persona and her popularity. She ran away because she slept with Nate (Blair’s boyfriend) and while she was away Blair managed to establish herself as the IT girl. That made the rivalry between Blair and Serena more believable and so Serena's dynamic with Nate. Blair had reasons to feel insecure over Serena because she had the influence and wealth to out power her. They tried to recreate that with Zoya and Julien but failed miserably.

I think every character in the OG group had a very established dynamic and propose. Serena was the mysterious girl that created the rivalry with Blair and also presented herself as a bridge outside of the Upper East Side because of her relationship with Dan. Blair was the "mean girl" — the one ready to create chaos if she feels like she is being displaced from her status. Julien never gave me that energy. Neither did Audrey. None of them were able to go the lengths Blair would go for a little drama. The closest thing to Blair they had was Monet and they didn’t give her enough to shine but that’s also the thing. Teen media keeps trying to recreate their very own version of Blair Waldorf but fails everytime. Every teen show after GG now has their sophisticated "mean girl" that is able to quote books and movies (aka Veronica Lodge or Cheryl Blossom) and it fails every single time. Blair worked because of what Leighton Meester brought to the table but also because Blair was actually really mean and unapologetic about it. She wasn't meant to be taken as a parody with some mean one liners. Her only characteristic wasn’t just being mean, it had realistic layers. And even when I feel she became a bit of a parody the later seasons because the show not longer needed her to be mean, I think she remained charming mostly because of Meester.

Serena worked on early seasons then she became unnecessary and boring. Her character only worked because of Blake Lively's charisma which I feel a lot of the new ones lacked. Then there was Nate. He was like, just there. He wasn’t that problematic until that season they made him date a minor for zero reason. I would assume GGRBs version of Nate was Obie (?) and that was such a boring character. Now, Dan was a good character until they needed to use him as a plot twist because they didn't know who GG was and needed a finale. Dan was the one that was inside the elite but hated it and brought interesting points about their privilege and had not problem in checking them once in a while because he was like the impartial one. Again, they tried to make Zoya the one that wasn’t in their circle but her character was just boring, the actress did good with the material.

And Chuck, he was introduced as a rapist from the get go and didn’t deserve to get as far as it got or even a "redemption". Blair deserved better and I will never go down with the Chuck and Blair train. Blair coming back to him on season 6 after learning her own value and worth outside of Chuck's shadow and toxicity only to make her regret it was character assassination. Chuck should’ve died on Season 4. Now, here's the thing. It was clear Max was supposed to be their unproblematic version of Chuck and it's a shame because Thomas Doherty was giving THE perfomance. I wish him luck in his career. Also, Savannah Smith as Monet did good when given good dialogue and stuff to deliver.

Jenny was an interesting character. It gave the show the outside drama it needed. Georgina was an amazing villain. Even Rufus and Lily served. GGRB had potential but didn't give anything interesting. OG GG embraced being problematic and the reboot tried too hard to be "woke". There's nothing woke about a group of wealthy kids (and not just any money but generational wealth for some of them) that don't need to worry about paying the bills. Maybe if they didn't take themselves so seriously it would've worked a lot better. They should've allowed Monet to be the mean girl she was clearly destined to be. Luna also deserved her own plot not just a sidekick.

Lastly, their biggest problem: GG being the teachers. The teachers story line made me cringe. It was so weird and unrealistic. The thing about GG is that it could be anyone. It was the anonymity that made it fun. GGRB fumble by giving GG a face and an underwhelming one too. In conclusion, while I loved the diversity of the new cast, none of them had the charisma on screen except for one or two on occasions and charisma is what carried the original series until a season 6.

#gossip girl #gg #gossip girl reboot #tv shows #text post #ggrb #gg reboot #blair waldorf #serena van der woodsen #dan humphrey #nate archibald #monet de haan #max wolfe #audrey hope #aki menzies #julien calloway #zoya lott #luna la

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greenerteacups · 10 months

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have a few questions for u! i loved your latest chapter, i believe it’s my favourite one to date together with the yule ball special :)

01. since u’re writing a (very intense) re-write of book 1 to 7 canon, how happy/sad were you about draco’s arc in the books and films? it always bugged me that him and the slytherins didn’t get to shine that much in both aspects, and that’s why we never really got to appreciate them a lot when the books and films came out. would love to hear your take on this!

02. not sure if this has been asked before, but what thing/s inspired you to write lionheart? i recall reading it was because of your love for to all the young dudes, but i’d love to hear you talk about this more

03. if j* r****** weren’t as awful a person as she was (and so terribly closed minded too) do you think there would have been a way for draco and hermione to be together in canon, or at least be some level of friends, if not together romantically?

04. i’m a narcissa black-malfoy apologist and stan, and can i just say, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for writing her in such a beautiful and heartbreaking way. i cannot wait to see how you write her arc in books 5-7.

05. an absolute, absolute shot in the dark - but since friday’s last update was sort of a cliff hanger - would you be open to a double update or an earlier than usual update this week? we aren’t entitled to anything but i swear to you, i was biting my nails and at the edge of my seat fr the minute i ran to the friday update. draco and sirius’s conversation was too real and too beautiful i sobbed so much.

i love you!!! may the universe bless you with all the good karma (is my boyfriend, is a god, is the breeze in my hair on the weekend)!!!

hello! thank you for all the questions, wow!! will probably answer some in separate posts because tumblr usually censors my craft glitches out when i write long asks BUT

how happy/sad were you about draco’s arc in the books and films?

[looks at 400,000 words of AU fic about draco's arc] oh yeah i feel normal and care a regular amount about it

Man, it makes me sad. It makes me sad that almost all the Death Eaters are also children of Death Eaters, establishing this as a familial cycle of violence and hatred, and that's just... left to sit there in the narrative, implicating.

Draco’s arc in particular is a flat downward descent from schoolyard bully into a fascist death cult, and it’s bleak as fuck. like, if these books are written from Draco’s POV, it is some gruesome and deeply cynical stuff, guaranteed. which is a shame, because I think “reluctant and begrudging reformed villain” is an amazing character type that he could have fulfilled perfectly. doesn’t even have to go on tour with the Golden Trio, either; because I lost hope for Redemption Arc after the end of book 6, my ideal world going into book 7 was just having Draco stuck in Grimmauld Place, being bitchy and ill-tempered about the Order’s witness-protection equivalent, while the others treat him like a house-elf. “oh, yeah, that’s Draco, he used to bully us but now he has to ask us to buy the tea he likes at the grocer’s,” etc. I mean, full redemption would have been great, and by far the most rewarding for him/me personally as a reader, but I kind of figured by the end of HBP that it wasn’t in the cards. JKR writes characters in a particular way when she’s interested in them as people, and Draco was just never written with that level of attention or care.

he’s not even given a particularly rewarding antagonist arc. he doesn’t follow through and kill Dumbledore, thus giving him something irrevocable and life-scarring to repent for; but neither does he join the Order (e.g., Disappearance), meaning his ultimate contribution to the war effort is just this listless, choiceless trend of enabling. he’s forced into the plot with the Vanishing Cabinet, but can't kill Dumbledore; he tries to hide Harry’s identity from Bellatrix in Book 7, but it doesn’t work; he tries to catch Harry in the Room of Requirement and fails, then has to be saved by Harry from fiendfyre his own incompetent sidekick conjured. cringe failson. it’s also hilarious put in contrast with this fanon we have of hypercompetent draco — it’s like we all saw him and were like god bless can we please get this man a skillset. jesus christ he is getting killed out here.

but anyway tbh I think the most character development we see from him in all 7 novels is when Hermione slaps the shit out of him in POA (call that spell of Shutting the Fuck Up the way he doesn't even try to retaliate). The bathroom scene in book 6 is huge, because it’s the first time we get a modicum of sympathy for him, but that’s not followed up on — we just sort of leave him with “yeah, that’s tough.” we don’t even know why the Malfoys go back to Voldemort, because by all accounts, they seem miserable. Lucius seems miserable even before he hits his Flop Era in book 6-7, but he’s also broadly miserable all the time when we see him (likely bc we only see him when he’s plotting/scheming/exploding in rage when Harry manages to yet again Scooby Doo one of his plots, but who knows). I think the seventh book subtly implies the Malfoys are so close with Voldemort because of Bellatrix, and [spoilers incoming] I myself lean heavily on that thread in later sequences in Lionheart, but in the books it’s up to the reader as to how much the Malfoys really believe in the Dark Lord versus just comply with his orders from fear.

#greenteacup asks #draco malfoy #lionheart #thank you! i hope karma is a relaxing thought <3 #sweet like honey etc etc

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the-friendly-warden · 9 months

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I dunno if these guys will eventually get their own blog or not, but I got the idea of a necromancer becoming allies with a warden, then I remembered a character I created in high school, Mezrith, a melanistic deep elf necromancer who was also a vampire and his familiar a white cat he creatively named "Cat". So he's been reborn, and has been adopted into a warden pride.

You can interact with them and ask them questions if you want!

Voryth is actually Zylarath's sire.

Seraphis: Usually fairly lazy, but can be very aggressive and territorial like a normal warden. His colors are more towards greens. He will sometimes try to challenge Ophelion for leadership of the pride, but always fails. The big, powerful old warden can easily kick his ass to the surface and back again any time he tries. This never seems serious, and they always get along just fine after one of these noisy spats

Ophelion: Incredibly old and powerful. Thick in build, tall and muscular. The long bone growths denote his age and power. Ophelion is surprisingly patient, especially with Seraphis. His power is immense. Ophelion can flatten most other wardens simply due to age, experience, and size. His territory is vast and well established, and very healthy. He's a good pride leader, looking after Seraphis and Voryth and keeping them safe. He's sired cubs with both of the smaller wardens, though the pride doesn't have any cubs currently.

Voryth: Fairly chill. They may be where Zylarath got their friendly demeanor from. Voryth does have the natural territorial nature of a warden, but they generally don't really care too much. They leave all that stuff up to Ophelion. They very much look up to the big warden.

Mezrith: A deep elf who grew up in a viciously abusive home, seen as cursed due to a birth mark on his chest (Not shown, he keeps it covered). He was seen as a bane on the family he was born to, and his brother, Triew, was especially nasty to him. He ran away from home and took up studying necromancy when he was around 12 years old. He learned a lot as he grew, but he ended up getting exposed to the blood of a vampire, which caused him to turn. This angered him because it made necromancy MUCH harder. He found notes about wardens, and decided to try to seek out the sculk, to see if he could learn how their sentinels worked. If he could figure out how to harness sculk spores to animate corpses, it would take far less energy and he could get his vengeance. He eventually encountered Ophelion, who sensed that the deep elf was hurting and had been through a lot of pain and strife in his life. The big warden decided to adopt the elf into his pride, despite Mezrith being in the equivalent of his 30's. While he wasn't so sure at first, having a found family that treated him well made him feel a lot better. He ended up deciding against seeking vengeance because he realized it wasn't worth it. His family was cruel and chaotic, they'd have their own downfall given enough time and he would be thriving with his familiar and his new family. He's generally quiet, cranky, is not fond of people at all. He gets along well with the three wardens, though has a special bond with Ophelion.

"Cat": This is not her real name. Cat is a grimalkin, a creature that can be compared to a sort of fae cat. They are shapeshifters, able to take a human form, highly intelligent. They always have split tails and are poly-dactyl. Cat, of course, is not her real name. She posed as a normal cat to give Mezrith comfort when he was with his abusive family, and once he was away from them she revealed her true nature, shaking off the glamour spell that cloaked her. She decided to keep the name "Cat" because she found it amusing just how "creative" Mezrith was at naming. She's spoiled, can be sassy, confident, and not at all afraid of the wardens. Grimalkin are fierce and proud creatures, and incredibly powerful in their own right. She has a special bond with Voryth, often sitting on their shoulder. She is known to sometimes flirt with the warden in her human form, because seeing them get flustered amuses her. She's a bit of a trickster. She loves food.

#Warden #Minecraft #Deep Elf #OC #Cat #Grimalkin #I made Mezrith when I was in high school xD #It's really nice to be able to breathe new life into an old character I adored back in the day #Cat underwent the biggest change #She went from just a normal pet cat that got turned into a vampire to keep her alive #And became one of my Grimalkin species #Magical fae cats that can shapeshift into a humanoid shape with human intelligence #It makes her a lot more fun and can give rise to some really amusing dynamics between the two #as well as between her and the warden pride!

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mdhwrites · 1 year

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You mentioned knight Boscha once and it got me into shipping mood for real, I thought a fic idea in milliseconds. Royal Amity having Boscha as knight who's trying to get her attention so hard, add childhood friends to that and it gets even better! And Luz getting into the picture later on, making Boscha jealous for drama points ☕

Luz could be a merchant? Or from a different kingdom.

Also I'm so into the trope of Boscha having a secret crush on Amity even if it's just fanon sadly. Me being a BoschaxAmity shipper just getting excited for little content that I can find with them that's not toxic bs or another mock at Boscha for being a mEan bUlly for the hundredth time 🙄

Seriously people can't see more into a character beyond canon establishment and it's gets boring and lazy, and Boscha has all that potential still intact somehow sitting there not taken advantage of by the fandom. In a perfect world I can imagine L/mity not being rushed and have my bochamity moments beforehand so I can get good fanship content at least. (I don't really ship l/mity, not as much anymore, sucks that Amity doesn't get content beyond that tho)

Well I just felt like rambling about ships 😅 I got no asks about the show rn

As I posted last night, this was the post that for whatever reason made my brain buzz and make a brief AU one off about a Blighted princess, Bosched Knight and Luckless Luzer. If you think this is all the Amischa content I have... Well, I focus a lot on Rich Witch and Power of Love for what I promote here because they're the easiest and tie directly back into themes of TOH because they are the ones that took TOH's ideas and ran with them the furthest. The ones started when TOH was full of possibility and such an open space that I feel it COULD inspire a billion stories, while honestly I feel like each special actually shrinks the potential of it and S2 had already done plenty of damage to the world and characters. Got a bit sidetracked but the point is that I do have a LOT more out there (I have literally 43 different TOH stories and 18 of them feature Amity and Boscha in them) so I thought I'd use this post to share some positivity towards Amischa because I think the ship is great. I think the two's relationship in general is fascinating. Though I actually want to say first that I don't think it was ever something the show really should have explored. Not once the first season came out. Hell, I commonly argued between S1 and S2 that the show had so many other things going on, and Winging it Like Witches felt like such a good climax to Hexide elements, that if we never saw Boscha again I wouldn't be surprised. The show was simply past dealing with bullies at that point as it turned its attention towards bigger threats so now that Amity was a friend... Why not move on? BOY WAS I PROVEN WRONG! *eye twitches at the first half of S2 which just kicks its feet as it focuses on not moving the plot at all* Anyways, let's ignore all that and let me flood your timeline with story pitches, hmm? Oh, I will be linking the Lumischa stuff too because I've also done lots of that because... I mean, when I write Lumity, I'm effectively writing S1 Lumity rather than S2 and I still love those two together. They fundamentally changed what I wrote going forward. Boscha just later kicked down the door, took a seat and demanded she was staying. XD Joro Rigged Pets: The barely fanfiction Lumischa story I really need to keep working on since I actually have the cover already commissioned for when I convert it to original fiction. This one features a non-binary Luz who inherits a pair of spiders who aren't spiders but actually the Jorogumo Boscha and the spider she has been incubating for a thousand years, Amity. And that time of transformation is quite close at hand and with it will come complications, love, fears and hungers the sort that no human can understand. Also has LOTS of identity themes in general.

The Crow House: I won't do a hard sell on this one because it died far earlier than I wish it had. A Swap AU is going to feel more like a fix it fic if you're not happy with the source material and that's not what I want to write. As for who was swapped? So many people. Amity and Luz, Lilith and Eda, Kiki and King, etc. Boscha's swap was with Willow where she actually had so much corrupted physical strength as to not be able to safely TOUCH PEOPLE. She literally couldn't control it so a light tap might accidentally come out as a hard jab. She literally shatters multiple of Hunter's bones in her first appearance while trying to apply only a little pressure back. Not that Amity gives a damn. She'll still grab the demon because while Boscha won't touch her, Amity can still touch her hero, regardless of Boscha's protests. A Player, A Scout and a Lich Walk Into An Evil Resident: Technically a future AU with adult Amity and Boscha already in a relationship doing a mission for the Emperor's Coven that ends up not going the way either expected. Fraught With Emotions: Not an AU! Finally. This one has me having Amity, Boscha and Luz go to the Emotionarium, a place where you can have your emotions soothed, twisted, enhanced or even removed. Now why might two old friends want to be in a place like that?

Amity? is Your Baby Tonight: Inspired by a very good Whitney Houston song in my opinion, it's time for Amity, while still having green hair, to serenade and seduce the girl she loves. Where did she get such confidence though?

Amity's Many Misspellings: First just Amischa story with a coffee shop AU! And Amity of all people for some reason being unable to ever get Boscha's name right. Amity's Private Penstagram: Luz and Amity go on a trip down memory lane to pictures Amity had never shared with anyone else before. Especially the one who's picture she took most. Boscha's Best Bedside Manner: A bad night gets worse? when Boscha shows up out of the blue. How could someone as rough and blunt as Boscha ever help with a problem after all? Let alone one that seemed so entirely insurmountable to Amity? (This might easily be the best one off I have for showing why I think Boscha helps complete Lumity as a note). Under a Tree of Love: Two links on this one. This first one features a very short story about Amity growing up under a suspiciously alive tree while finding love with her best friend Boscha under its same branches. If you like it though, I actually expanded it into a full length novella, with a similar but more thorough structure, called Under the Boughs of Love that you can check out through the link on this paragraph. Chapters Left Behind: Amity and Luz sure did abandon their club stand in Sport in a Storm, didn't they? What happened to those books that were left behind? Discarded like Amity had once thrown away a large chapter of her life before? And was there still room for both in her life? I left out a couple AUs that hadn't ever gotten very far and two stories stories that I wrote for a friend that are more sad than anything else rather than hopeful like all of these. I do hope this shows JUST how much I've done with these characters though, especially when I remind you that The Power of Love is still over 300k words, The Eyes Beneath the Water (which has barely had the Amity and Boscha inspired characters even talk to each other, hence why it wasn't linked) is over 80k minimum (haven't done a word count check in a while for it) and Rich Witch is also over 80k words. And most of that writing was done back in 2021 when something about TOH and its community opened up my brain and just let me type. Type so much that in the span of 8 months, I wrote over five hundred THOUSAND words. And boy would I love to return to even a fraction of that strength again. *sigh*

#Amity #Boscha #Fanfiction #Amischa

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gra-sonas · 2 years

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When Roswell, New Mexico Season 4 Episode 8 came to a close, Liz found herself in a bad spot.

And she came to the spot by way of Shivani, her mentor, who was desperate to do anything to save her daughter.

We got to chat with Shivani's portrayer, Rekha Sharma, about everything from that cliffhanger, what it was like joining the series, and what the relationship between Shivani and Allie is like. Check out the interview, and let me know where you think things may go next in the comments!

So I wanted to start by asking you about the ending of episode eight. We've seen Shivani so in control. And in those final minutes with Liz, she really appears to be broken down. And I know that her brain is affected by the mist, but can you kind of walk us through what she's thinking in those moments as she talks to Liz?

I mean, there's so much on the line for both of them. And I think it's this point where she expected to be so much more seen and understood.

She didn't expect Liz to kind of take the perspective that she has. I think it's that thing where you feel so deeply, so strongly about the possibility of losing someone that it's hard to fathom that somebody else wouldn't understand and wouldn't want to fight for it the way that you do.

And yeah, so I'm just trying to convince her to get her to understand it.

Yeah. And it's interesting with Liz because she was kind of in that boat at one point. So it was interesting, like you said, that you think she's going to understand more, and she kind of fights back against it, which is really an interesting way to see Liz in that moment.

Yeah. It's really unexpected, which is, I think, a great job from the writers, but that's where it goes.

Yeah, I agree. So, Liz and Shivani bonded really quickly. What is it about Liz that you think Shivani connected with?

I think the part of it is that thing of when you're estranged from a person you love and there is a person that is representative of that connection that knows that person. There's sort of this immediate feeling of kinship. Do you know what I'm talking about?

Yes, I do.

Yeah. Like if your dad passed or something and you ran into an old friend of his that you'd never met before, but immediately you're like, "Oh, you knew my dad?" And so I think there's that immediate bond right there.

And just hearing about her over the years and stuff from the person I love and then just meeting another, honestly, I believe we had this as actors working together, just meeting another feisty woman of color who's smart and who I want as a slightly kind of older sister role, uplift and empower and lift each other up.

I feel like that's a big part of it.

I think that's a really good way of describing it. It seemed like you guys had a lot of similarities, and as you said, you were able to take something you had in common and build a foundation from that.

Yeah. And then it's also that thing of like when you're into something that a lot of people are not into, just to be understood. The fact that they can talk and get each other and have a similar sense of humor or whatever they click. There's a spark there.

So, Roswell was an established show before you joined this season. How did you find the experience of joining the series, and were you familiar with it?

I wasn't familiar with it. So it was a fun discovery for me. As soon as I read the part, I just loved the role and writing. It's really fun. And so I was excited to come on board and what I wasn't expecting was just the nicest people on that set—all of the crew, all the actors, all the producers, just lovely human beings.

It was such a great atmosphere to work in. And yeah, I feel really grateful having been part of it and not knowing that it wasn't even going to go any further. So lucky.

I know you touched on this a little bit, but I was curious, what attracted you to the role of Shivani?

I was just saying, I felt like she was kind of a female Tony stark.

Nice. I like that.

She's got all the money, she's got the smarts, she's not a scientist, but she's got the money to uplift and empower the people who are really smart and on a cutting edge. And she is a futurist and smart, witty, but still really caring and down to earth. And yeah, she's a feisty lady who wants to get things done. That's always fun.

Thank you. I'm glad you're seeing that.

Yes, for sure. Now, because it's Roswell, viewers are very much trained to be skeptical of new characters. Just because somebody comes in, and you don't know who to trust. So, with Shivani, I've always gotten a good read on her, but I was curious, how did you play it?

Is she complicated? Is she good? Is she bad? Is she a mixture? How did you see it?

I mean, I did see her as basically good, but also maybe in her futuristic way, willing to work outside of the parameters of maybe what's kosher and possibly getting herself into trouble. I think that's sort of the world that she lives in. Especially because with the mist, for instance, it's uncharted territory.

You have to be a risky person to play with something like that. And risky people can get into some trouble. I think she's kind of like that.

I did also think because some of the characters that I've played in the past, especially in the sci-fi world, are known as having turned sort of dark, I did wonder if just by virtue of them casting me for this role, if that's what they're saying.

I see her as being good. I like the way you described her as like a Tony Stark, she has the money and the influence, but it seemed like her heart was in the right place. That's the way I look at her.

Great!

We've heard about Allie, and through Shivani, we've learned some things about the relationship, but we haven't been able to see that for ourselves. So how do you imagine their dynamic is?

I mean, I think in some ways, it's similar to her dynamic with Liz. And I think that's part of why they get along so well. She knows how to deal with a mind that is so brilliant like that. She's fallen in love with a mind like that.

And I think being around people like Allie and Liz just absolutely lights her up with joy and possibility, and she is all about the future and what we can do as a species. And on this planet, she wants to go to the outer reaches and make the world a better place. And she believes deeply in science.

I think she's just excited by the possibilities of it. You have to be a really open-minded person, I think, to play in the world that she does and in the world that Liz and Allplay. So I think that's what she likes about it. I don't know if I quite answered your question. You said dynamic.

You did. No, you did, for sure.

Okay, good.

Without giving anything away, what can you tease for us about what's next for Shivani?

Well, I think just by virtue of the fact of what just happened, we're now out of the safe zone. I don't know how Liz is going to feel about what's just happened or where the chips are going to fall, but things have just gotten a lot messier.

I like it. Did you have a favorite scene that you got to shoot or something that you enjoyed doing during your time on the show?

Yeah, actually the stuff that just aired was really fun. It was exciting to do that scene with the mist with Jeanine. It was really emotionally heightened and taxing. And I think both of us left that scene feeling like, "Wow, we just had a nice little workout together." I think we really enjoyed it.

It was an exciting day. I would say that was definitely one of the highlights.

One of the other highlights for me was the scene on the rooftop. The first time we meet, it was really fun, like checking each other out. What can we do here? Like getting to know each other. The very first meeting is unexpected. I drop in on my own plane and all of that. It's pretty fun.

And in that vein, how was filming in Santa Fe?

I loved it. I can't wait to go back to Santa Fe. It's a beautiful place. And it did take some adjusting, though, for sure. The climate, high elevation. And it's very dry. I think, in fact, when I was shooting that scene on the rooftop, I was like, out of my mind.

I could barely remember my lines because I didn't realize how dizzy it can make you being in that high of elevation. I just felt kind of out of my body, but to pull it together, it took me a few days to adjust. I was like, "Okay, I need to drink a lot more water." Santa Fe and New Mexico, in general, also are just lovely people.

This is kind of just like a fun question, but Shivani spends most of her time so far that we've seen her with Liz, so is there another character you would've liked her to share scenes with? Maybe she and Isobel could grab a drink at the Wild Pony or something fun like that?

Right. I barely saw Isobel at all. Definitely felt like, "Oh, she's in the very other part of the story." And yeah, Michael Vlamis's character too, would've been fun to work with him. We would chat a couple times in passing and just had a nice rapport. I'm sure everybody on that show would've been a blast to work with.

I’m sure. Last question for me here. As we're heading into the final stretch of episodes, can you give us a few words to describe the end of the season, whether it's related to Shivani or the show in general?

I think just it's going to get crazier, and not just my storyline, like all of them. I think it's a pretty fun ride from here on, just ramping up. So I hope the fans will be pleased with that. I know people are probably really sad that it's the final season, but I think we're at least ending on a bang.

Roswell, New Mexico airs Monday at 8/7c on The CW.

***This interview has been edited for length and clarity.***

#rekha sharma #rnm 4x08 #rnm spoilers #rnm cast interviews

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rpgadverts · 1 year

Photo

Name: Charmingly Splendid

Type: Based On/ Supernatural

Site link: https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php

Discord: https://discord.gg/HBxyFZWFJb

Thomas ❥ Original Canon ❥ Whitelighter ❥ Open Age ❥ Rival to Leo

https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=581&st=0&#entry1300

Thomas is a rival to Leo Wyatt for the position as a Charmed One's whitelighter. He is good at what he does, follow rules to the T, an Elders' pet, and as far as he's concern, he is more fitting to guide the Charmed Ones. As this character is predetermined by our site admin, if you're interested, I'd recommend you to contact our admin Ruby for more details! I personally would like this character for IC drama purposes! Suggested FC: Rege-Jean Page.

Glen Belland ❥ Canon ❥ Human ❥ 26/ 27 years old ❥ Open Profession

https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=53

Glen Belland is Paige's high school (and perhaps even current) on-and-off boyfriend, the best friend who knows Paige very well and vice versa. The plot goes that Glen has left for Australia sometimes when Paige was in college, and even though they are worlds apart, I'd assume they keep in contact still! I'd say, perhaps Paige still has feelings for him and hoping that when he returns they could pick up where they left off (and vice versa). However, when Glen returns, perhaps some supernatural stuffs happened around Paige, and they could find out that she's a whitelighter together or not. But regardless, Paige would love to has her buddy around. If they would end up being together or not, is up to the player to decide. Glen and Paige should be the same, or similar in age (hence 26/ 27 years old). And he should count as a canon. FC suggestion: Cody Christian, Booboo Stewart, Tom Holland, Logan Lerman, Colin Woodell

Kira ❥ Original ❥ Whitelighter ❥ Open Age ❥ Strength: Martial art and war tactics https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=881

This is who I'd like to call "Kira". Kira is a whitelighter who is skilled in martial art and perhaps also war tactics, she has been training with her father since young and died a hero protecting another, which was what gave her the chance to be a whitelighter. I like to imagine her to be fierce and kind, dedicated and at times naive. She joined the Rogue way Leo did and I'd like to envision them sharing some sort of friendship/ master-student relationship. I'd like Kira to be a Korean descent or at least part-Korean due to the FC choice. FC suggestion: Arden Cho

Isabela Harris ❥ Original ❥ A Harris Witch ❥ 51++ years old ❥ Open profession ❥ Vincent's Badass Mom https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=592&st=0&#entry1328

Isabela Harris is from a long line of Harris witch, but was outcast after she ran off with a warlock. The Harris witches pride themselves as one of the good witches who would never stray from white magic or marry the mortals. Isabela is fierce and protective, typical badass witch. She teaches Vincent all the good values growing up. She also teaches Vincent that magic aren't inherently good or evil, instead, it is one's actions and intentions that make a person good or evil. That being said, Isabela does practice darker arts herself. Two of her active powers are established, namely telepathy and suggestion. I'd like to see the rest of her powers being an expansion of the first two. FC suggestion: Rachel Weisz

#jcink #wanted ad #fandom rp #magic rp #multigenre rp

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rockinroleplay · 1 year

Photo

Name: Charmingly Splendid

Type: Based On/ Supernatural

Site link: https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php

Discord: https://discord.gg/HBxyFZWFJb

Thomas ❥ Original Canon ❥ Whitelighter ❥ Open Age ❥ Rival to Leo

https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=581&st=0&#entry1300

Glen Belland ❥ Canon ❥ Human ❥ 26/ 27 years old ❥ Open Profession

https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=53

Kira ❥ Original ❥ Whitelighter ❥ Open Age ❥ Strength: Martial art and war tactics https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=881

Isabela Harris ❥ Original ❥ A Harris Witch ❥ 51++ years old ❥ Open profession ❥ Vincent's Badass Mom https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=592&st=0&#entry1328

#jcink #jcink premium #wanted ad #based on #multi-genre #supernatural #new #submission

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jcinktinder · 1 year

Photo

Name: Charmingly Splendid

Type: Based On/ Supernatural

Site link: https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php

Discord: https://discord.gg/HBxyFZWFJb

Thomas ❥ Original Canon ❥ Whitelighter ❥ Open Age ❥ Rival to Leo

https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=581&st=0&#entry1300

Glen Belland ❥ Canon ❥ Human ❥ 26/ 27 years old ❥ Open Profession

https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=53

Kira ❥ Original ❥ Whitelighter ❥ Open Age ❥ Strength: Martial art and war tactics https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=881

Isabela Harris ❥ Original ❥ A Harris Witch ❥ 51++ years old ❥ Open profession ❥ Vincent's Badass Mom https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=592&st=0&#entry1328

#jcink #jcink premium #character request #supernatural rp #fantasy rp #fandom rp #new rp #6 months #ch: 18-24 #ch: 24-40 #ch: over 40 #ch: male #ch: female

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jcink-resource · 1 year

Photo

Name: Charmingly Splendid

Type: Based On/ Supernatural

Site link: https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php

Discord: https://discord.gg/HBxyFZWFJb

Thomas ❥ Original Canon ❥ Whitelighter ❥ Open Age ❥ Rival to Leo

https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=581&st=0&#entry1300

Glen Belland ❥ Canon ❥ Human ❥ 26/ 27 years old ❥ Open Profession

https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=53

Kira ❥ Original ❥ Whitelighter ❥ Open Age ❥ Strength: Martial art and war tactics https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=881

Isabela Harris ❥ Original ❥ A Harris Witch ❥ 51++ years old ❥ Open profession ❥ Vincent's Badass Mom https://ecs.jcink.net/index.php?showtopic=592&st=0&#entry1328

#jcink #jcink rp #jcink premium #character request #based on #supernatural #multi-genre #new site #3 months #6 months #submission

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jobey-wan-kenobi · 1 year

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I posted 5,224 times in 2022

That's 3,808 more posts than 2021!

75 posts created (1%)

5,149 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@youcandalekmyballs

@moonlightsdreaming

@jobey-wan-kenobi

@quasi-normalcy

@academicgangster

I tagged 3,759 of my posts in 2022

Only 28% of my posts had no tags

#q - 743 posts

#tweets - 185 posts

#revolutionary girl utena - 173 posts

#art - 142 posts

#the good place - 132 posts

#tropes are fun - 132 posts

#pokemon - 124 posts

#dracula daily - 114 posts

#nd - 109 posts

#tumblr moment - 95 posts

Longest Tag: 137 characters

#(turned out this card was completely useless in gameplay tho... took me way too long—and several ass-kickings—to accept this patent fact)

My Top Posts in 2022:

To continue the Larry=Dennis parallels, of course at some point there were calls for them to just replace the latest bozo pol with Dennis.

Now, this isn't quite as much of a joke as it is in real life, because, you know. The engines can talk and stuff. Isabella once ran for office, Trevor has served as an alderman, etc.

Sudrians have also, of course, been seriously talking about drafting railway vehicles into their government for years. For one thing, they have great name recognition. For another thing, Skarloey, Rheneas, Duke, Edward, and Toby have all been discussed, at various points, as perfectly reasonable candidates for mayors, MPs, etc.

Now, usually this gets no further than (at most) the Thin or Fat Controller feeling the need to make a statement reminding everyone that their respective railways could not possibly spare the potential candidates in question.

Dennis, though. After a memetic press conference photobombed and then taken over by the laziest diesel ever built, the island starts clowning about just replacing Exiting Disgraced Politician with Dennis.

And FC3 is all like, "Yes, we fully support Dennis if he chooses to pursue a career in government service. 🙃 Please. Do it. He'd be great."

27 notes - Posted July 10, 2022

"This engine is a Metropolitan-Vickers diesel-electric type two!"

'... lol I'm being so Normal™ right now.'

40 notes - Posted August 10, 2022

The Engines as Mentors

Okay but I'm eternally salty that TVS in particular—though it was RIGHT to expand the NWR fleet—failed to use the dynamic of the OG characters from the books all functioning as Mentors and Elder Statesmen to the newer and more obscure and younger engines.

It would have been THE way to effectively integrate the newbies (looking especially hard at you, HIT era). Like, some of the best use of the new characters already are when they fall into a mentee dynamic with one of the established characters. But the TVS writers really only ever let this happen with, like, Thomas? To a degree? And Edward? A bit? And then the best and most beloved BWBA episodes (BWBA!) are when Gordon and, again, Edward get more of this sort of material. And then again, in fuckin' AEG, the most popular thing so far seems to be Gordon's whole Grumpy Dad shtick.

But I think canon and fan writers should have done this with all the classic characters. After decades as The Famous Eight—erm, Ten—(but not Eleven—to me Oliver is in that category of newbie that needs looking after. which is what the rest of the Little Western spends most of his one book doing!) they are all kinda old af and well-qualified and honestly just should be mentoring the diesels and younger steam engines and whatever wide-eyed newcomers are brought to the Island Where Fever Dreams Come True and Culture Shock Is Probably One Hell of a Bitch.

LIKE. Percy. Yes, absolutely Percy! He's inconsistent about standing up for himself or making good decisions in his own working life but honestly his instincts when it comes to others have always been completely on-point. And he never has any hesitation about acting on his instincts so there is a recipe here for big-brother success. He must be so wonderful with uncertain new engines. I think he would have been much better for taking Molly under his wing than Thomas, and he must be a god among many of the newer tank engines. Like the dynamic I tried to paint in my headcanon post about Harvey—Percy gives whiplash as your mentor because he will always support you 100% but sometimes he will suddenly make the most baffling decisions and if you are not, yourself, a natural chaos gremlin, you are just along for the ride and possibly dying of secondhand embarrassment. But again, you also get over it because no one will ever show up for you more consistently than Percy the Caterpillar Engine.

The BWBA era thing where Gordon winds up mentoring Rebecca is... like, fine, I guess. I don't have any complaints about it, but—as I tried to show in my ficlet with him and Derek—I think Gordon's most typical mentorships have two unmistakable characteristics:

it is insanely arbitrary as to whether or not he decides to take you on. if you wind up in his circle of trust you probably weren't trying or even remotely expecting. it is also hard for anyone else to understand why Gordon looked at a new engine and said to himself "Yes. That one." Because the way Gordon makes emotional decisions is utterly impenetrable—this is RWS canon. Why did Gordon one day go from being Pure Unadulterated Jackass Whose Only Thought So Far In His Life Has Been "Me! Me! Meeeee!" to the engine who (evidently? without?? snark???) suggested the Fat Controller let Henry out of the tunnel to take a turn on his train? Honestly we don't know but it remains Gordon's signature style. Why did Gordon do an about-face after James took the express and graciously decide James was his new buddy? Well, to save face of course, but Gordon is also not above a good grudge so it feels like a coin toss. Why did Gordon decide to be super gracious when he rescued Percy and Thomas from their RWS scrapes? No one knows but somehow these moments are so quintessentially him (even though showing up moaning and scolding would have also been quintessentially him). And—most relevantly of all—there is what I regard as his archetypal moment with BoCo. 'My dear engine! You SAVED MY LIFE.' 'I mean, you're welcome for getting rid of them but they were never actually going to kill you.' 'YES THEY WERE. THEY HAD MURDER IN THEIR HEARTS. YOU ARE A GOD AMONG DIESELS, STANDING STRONG AGAINST THE FORCES OF DARKNESS.' '... Sure.' Gordon logic is not the same as earth logic and his reasons for rejecting or accepting others seldom make much sense.

If he does take you on, you may not even notice. Gordon is very stuffy and kind of... emotionally remote. His mentorship style consists of long rambling bouts of relating/boasting about his own experiences and/or advising you, without you able to get much of a word in edgewise—but then, he does this with everyone who is ever stuck with him—and doing extraordinarily nice things for you such as pulling strings to get you the best assignments or upgrades but he'll do it all behind your back, so it might take a while before you realize. (But you'd better, because even though he deliberately decides to do these things in secret, he will also privately feel hurt and hard-done-by if you don't figure it out and thank him. Or at least exclaim happily in his presence and sing the praises of your unknown fairy godfather.)

So yes, mentor!Gordon is a lot like friend!Gordon and worker!Gordon. He is pretty damn high-maintenance but he is also genuinely quite worth it. What his relationships lack in... comprehensibility they make up for in loyalty and generosity. ALTHOUGH. It's worth laughing because I think most of the engines he takes on are decent, polite engines who perhaps have some self-confidence issues. Basically it's like any engine he meets afterwards who is in the Edward mould he is actually magnificent to, which is hysterical considering that one of the keynotes in early canon was Gordon bullying the shit out of Edward. (I still think that wasn't malicious though, and more Gordon did not yet have the remotest understanding of Himself, Theory of Mind, or How to Be a Friend.)

If you have self-confidence issues but you do not win Gordon's capricious favor, never fear! You have James. Who is even more capricious, but that's not to say he's never been the most faaaaaabulous mentor in the world, c'est ne pas? Look. I want to see James as the catalyst for shy newcomers having a glow up. In appearance and attitude. I don't think he does he often but it has definitely happened around twice. I somehow have never actually watched "Rosie is Red" or "The Fastest Red Engine on Sodor" while paying attention but I've been assuming that's exactly how Rosie's Confident Girl Arc went down. Maybe he could be a similar idol for Neville or Flora. Another thing that has happened twice is James just flat-out corrupting a couple of the Good, Buttoned-Down Boys and Girls. I still want to see James take, like, Porter or Arthur and teach 'em anger. Introduce them to the world of (tiny) rebellions. By the time James is done with them, they are starting to Display Behaviors, and Act In Certain Ways.

Henry, I firmly believe (sticking out my tongue at most of the TVS and magazine writing for him), is actually regarded very intimidating. Like Gordon and James are intimidating too, but they are also known jackasses and the universe is known to have slapped them around reliably when they get too far up their own tenders. Also Gordon usually puts on an air of affability—in RWS it's Henry who is the Grumpy One (and meanwhile James, though he has a foul temper, is just too ADHD to be properly intimidating). I suspect Henry's actually always had the reputation for being extremely snobbish. Which is silly because he's only mildly to moderately snobbish, but there you are. He also doesn't put himself out there socially, but of course if you put yourself out there to him he's perfectly friendly. Anyway newcomers and young engines wouldn't know this right away. I think Henry's specialty is mentees in the mold of Bear and my OC Laura and even Rebecca—extroverted, expressive engines who show him respect. In those cases you see his best side, all kindliness and unstinting support. And Henry's support is really valuable, for the usual reasons that all the OGs have a lot of pull on the railway but also because Henry is surprisingly sage and sensible. He doesn't have the reputation for it the way Edward does, due to some of his notoriously poor decision-making in his earlier years and the way he can still sometimes be a bit literal or naive. But even if he's had to learn most things the hard way, he hasn't lied to himself about it and therefore he's developed a very clear-eyed view on things. Refreshingly simple and sound. We see this already in the RWS Super Rescue—he's got Bear and Spamcan pretty well-pegged long before the story ends. He also values engine solidarity in a really consistent, utterly unpretentious way that shows you he doesn't even think about it, it's just become a part of who he is. I love it. And, of course, he's bold as brass. He once hissed steam at his boss and essentially told him to fuck off for no better reason than it was raining and he just wasn't feelin' it. He had the most horrid wreck in the series and after being rebuilt he just got right back on that horse, pulling Flying Kippers again for the next century without the slightest sign of trauma. So if you need him for something, he won't hesitate to move earth and heaven for a friend. He may be a bit of a hypochondriac and likes to predict doom and gloom but he is fundamentally pretty fearless when it comes time for action. (Cut him a break with the elephant thing—he's allowed to have tunnel-related trauma, okay?)

Of course there was one extroverted engine inclined to hero-worship that Henry rejected in canon as a mentee, and that was Philip. Which brings us to Edward, and I fully agree with the fandom consensus that he is the mentor ever, capable of and inclined to look out for, like, everyone. All I'm saying is that I think the others can also step up in this way... Anyway, Edward's specialty of course is engines who are in the mould of Thomas, engines who are excited and eager to work but who talk a lot and might have a streak of mischief and who are definitely considered Too Much by everyone else. Edward likes energetic gremlins. They've always kept him young at heart. And, more importantly, they trust him so completely. Probably because they can tell he's one of the few who genuinely doesn't mind them at what everyone else considers their Most Annoying. He never tells them to hold still or quiet down or make themselves smaller in any way, so they are incredibly receptive to whatever he does tell them.

But what if you're Too Much and you are not eager? If you are not susceptible to admiring Edward's stellar work ethic? I think this is where Thomas shines. Like I think HIT abbreviated and simplified the conflicts with Dennis and Billy too much but it was such a gold mine. Because Thomas, see. You get these little sneaky rotters who don't want to listen to anyone—and at first Thomas seems like the most out-of-touch engine on the rails. Coz Thomas is a tryhard. He also has that whole "corporate positivity" thing going on. Like, the way I resolve the way TVS massacring my boy is by supposing that, after all, Thomas might have really tried to adopt that persona, especially in the '80s when he was inducted into the National Collection and the, well, television series got underway and Thomas becomes damn near the most famous locomotive in the world, certainly he knows he is an icon for children, and he might have figured that, well, this means I have to be a Good Role Model and Teach Children Valuable Lessons. And so he really did try to do this whole pep-talk, moralizing, sugary sweet encouragement thing (and he has a Word of the Day calendar, lol).

And the Dennises and Billies of the world look at that and—understandably, I think—retch a little. But then they double down. And the thing is, when they push Thomas too far, Thomas forgets to be sweetness and light, and just becomes himself. First of all, a foul-mouthed little drill-sergeant wannabe ("Cinders and ashes!!!!" "Who's been late every afternoon this week?!" "You're too fat—you need exercise!" "IF YOU DIE? IF YOU DIE, MOTHERFUCKER? SO WHAT?! I WOULDN'T GIVE A SHIT COZ I'D BE TOO BUSY FINALLY RUNNING MY GODDAMN TRAIN TO TIME." - all direct quotes from Thomas the Tank Engine, ladies and gents) Secondly, an extremely experienced engine who really has done a bit of everything by this point (he even hitched a ride on the Wild Nor'wester that one time, lol) and who is pretty skeptical so he's hard to fool (Percy was the last engine to really ever get one over on him, during the Ghost Train incident, and that's ancient history by this point). If you try to get away with doing a shitty job he's bound to notice and he will be quite acid-tongued if you've pierced his PR Persona. Third, although he can be kinda self-involved and the last to "get" what's going on with newcomers, he is surrounded by his old friends, who are all pretty good about either clocking an engine's whole Deal, getting all the tea like the gossips they are, or both. So while he was still in his amiable-idiot stage of your acquaintance, you, poor rebellious fool, thought you had the run of things but all the while he was getting up to speed on your whole deal. Which means you won't be prepared, should you really commit to ongoing antisocial behavior, for Thomas the Beacon of Children Everywhere to abruptly cast up your entire life story to you and to read it for filth, telling you the merciless truth about yourself in a way that the other engines pieced together but with which they probably never hit you deadass between the eyes.

Of course, this doesn't mean the would-be punks and malcontents who get onto Sodor are instantly cured, lol (though it has gone down that way a few times—my alternate version of Billy's intro story would feature an end where he's just gobsmacked into submission). Sometimes it just means you are going to decide Thomas is your Hated Enemy for Life, but you know what? You will have to step up your game in order to compete with him or even to gain enough clout to try and sabotage him so you're still playing into his hand (if we accept TVS's idea that 'Devious Diesel' did become a part of the Sodor family, I think this is how he was successfully integrated. At some point Thomas unexpectedly read him the riot act and Diesel was like 'who the FUCK are you?? like i know i already had beef with all the main line engines but where the hell did YOU come from???' but then after decades of competition they are essentially frenemies). But mostly the thing is, you are shell-shocked for just long enough, and you'd probably shift to being a bigger asshole than before... but, during that period where you're still burned, you are also looking at all of Sodor and every engine on it with fresh eyes (because if Thomas the Merchandise Engine could ream you out like that, perhaps you underestimated everything about this place). And you are noticing something else. Once Thomas has scalded you with his bitchery, he's also your friend. It's almost his version of sharing his lunch with you on the playground. (Something something salt and vinegar.) For all he rode Henry so hard from some of the earliest days of canon, I bet you he also beat down any 'outsiders' who took shots at him. For all he and Percy squabble, they are the closest of friends (and they weren't! for decades! but the more they squabbled, the closer they got). Getting into a knock-down fistfight is alarmingly close to Thomas's love language, and by the time he's savaged you verbally he is also invested in you. Once he's told you what he really thinks of you, he's also going to start showing up for you genuinely.

And that's when the little shits see the final side of Thomas. The genuine good humor. Obviously it doesn't win over everyone but there is a real groundedness and humility that I am sure Thomas can show (I tried to show this in the fic I made with @shinygoku based off their artwork of Thomas and Daisy) that is hard to resist. He's also fucked up along the way in every way imaginable so even when he side-eyes you, he's not looking down at you. I can just see him showing screw-ups a lot of grace so long as they let down their guard even somewhat because he's been there. Hoo boy, has he been there. That's why kids actually love him (it's not your vocabulary lessons and beaming smile, Thom, though the effort is appreciated), and it's why young engines can wind up loving him too. He doesn't hold what you've done in the past against you; he genuinely believes in second chances (and third, and...). Plus he knows every engine needs some excitement and responsibility in their lives. He has never forgotten the insanity-inducing frustration of being tethered to Vicarstown station.

Basically, once you cut past Thomas's earnest (and bullshit) attempt to be Perfect Kids' Role Model, he's actually always been great at keeping it real. And that's where a genuine respect can often grow.

43 notes - Posted December 14, 2022

us, for ages now: lol ishmael was so gay and autistic, he woulda done numbers on tumblr

ishmael in the year of our lord 2022: doing numbers on tumblr

182 notes - Posted December 7, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

the absolute contrast between most of the dracula daily content and mina's entries...

renfield and seward: stuck with each other (we're sposed to feel sorry for seward i think? but renfield is just vibing in a damn lunatic asylum and seward is a self-important jackass, so, you know. fuck him. i hope renfield feeds his corpse to some flies.)

captain of the demeter: his men are disappearing and he's facing imminent mutiny

jonathan harker: literally battling the forces of hell for his life and soul

mina: ahhhhh holidaying at the yorkish seaside is so pleasant! 😊 the scenery fulfills the soul! 😊 i tried to get one of the old locals to tell me a spooky story but he preferred to go home for tea haha, so quaint

also mina: i met my darling lucy at the station 😊😊😊 and let me just tell you, diary, that girl of mine looking fine af

594 notes - Posted July 24, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #why did they not shorten the engines as mentors post???? 😭😭😭#3 out of 5 are ttte and then the top 2 are drac fml #very long post

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qqchurch · 2 years

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thinking about The Slavery Thing that keeps stalling me out of writing any Shield Hero fic

early in the series, it's a tool used to enforce how low Naofumi got as well as establishing the level of co-dependence he and Raphtalia achieved once both got past each other's emotional barriers

but as the series went on, slavery is more or less used as a gimmick to enable power-ups (the slave training boosts, exclusive buffs to slaves, etc) and basically... promote slavery

Naofumi's intentions are good, but it doesn't erase the fact that he works within the institution to further his goals such as the time he buys back the enslaved townspeople of Raphtalia's hometown (all the while loudly saying he's only doing this because he wants an army and it's totally not because he saw Raphtalia's reaction to her friends and family being enslaved). He's basically in the pocket of the slave masters due to how they were there at his lowest point and he can't help but feel indebted to them, then at some point it's just 'doing business' no matter how distasteful it is

that sort of thing makes me want to leap out of my own skin because wow it really does go like that once it's laid out like that

this is an obstacle in writing Shield Hero fics because it's shown how widespread slavery is in that world, and thus it means it needs to be addressed by my PoV char unless I want to make a point on how they're being willfully ignorant

any anti-slavery crusade would need to be thought carefully, as all large-scale efforts would, but even on a local level there would be things to consider

logically, straight up killing the slave master would probably have consequences like a deadman's switch where if he dies, all the slaves under him die from their crests. it could also be not available, maybe as a way of cutting costs or keeping the 'merchandise' untouched since it's possible for them to retrieve the freed slaves

there could also be guards, way higher level than what an intrepid early-game hero could even hope to defeat and so it turns into a short term goal to become strong enough to overcome them

this isn't even touching the main argument in canon to avoid this sort of effort: the world-ending Waves is more important than anything else

which is a pretty shit argument since there's large gaps of time to at least do small scale stuff in between getting hilariously stronger to the point where it's possible to take on a country and win

but that's the rub, isn't it?

the anti-slavery protagonist would have to grit their teeth and turn away from whatever they see because they need to get strong first before they can take on a worldwide institution. diplomacy is out of the question in Shield Hero's world, not if it's not backed by enough strength

this could be a point of conflict to press on, make it so that the protagonist can't just sit still and quietly grind. force them to make suboptimal actions because it's either their morals or their pride (or their life) on the line

stage a break out early on and hightail out of the city, maybe get out by the skin of their teeth as the freed slaves wreak havoc

...and then show that Raphtalia isn't even there, already on the run weeks ago with her friend after they killed the kid-killing duke and ran

(also probably tone down that 'accelerated aging' thing that demihumans have because despite the explanation how this is why humans view them as monsters, it's only ever used to make instant adults out of what should be children, and don't get me started at how squick it is that Raphtalia is like 6 and looks like in her 20s after 2 weeks and basically turned into a sex object for the fandom urgh. the canon ship is... problematic, but Naofumi and Raphtalia are basically joined at the hip after the first arc because of their shared trauma and they're both broken people so I'll give that a pass, doesn't mean I can't tweak things for fanfic reasons)

of course, it does mean going through the effort of staging a breakout in melromarc and likely adding lots of OCs since there's no named slaves in that slave tent apart from Raphtalia, but going through the Stations of Canon and being slave apologia? bleh, no thanks

#long post #i kind of do have a shield hero fic outlined but i keep looping back to the Slave Thing #it does work out as a starting arc before the second canon Wave hits #add a lot of chaos to melromarc even if itll likely alienate the protag with the queen #it's still pretty wild how casual isekai is with participating in slavery nowadays tho #its like part of the checklist now for 'generic isekai plot'

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