#but like. i find this interpretation more interesting because there are ELEMENTS of The Captain that aren’t wholly bad. it seems more like +

[worstqueerbaittournament]

Submission messagefor Merlin and Arthur: merthur (merlin and Arthur from the BBC show merlin

Submission message for Steve and Bucky: Does Stucky count? Steve and Bucky from Captain America

Additional propaganda: I refuse to shut up about this. Merlin is not queerbait!! At no point during the show is there a genuine possibility of Arthur and Merlin to be in a romantic relationship. They are queer coded but they do not create a false impression of their relationship. See Sherlock for good example: they constantly bring it up in the show itself and dangle it in front of the viewers, only to not follow through. The show Merlin does not set them up. There are no offhanded remarks, comments, or jokes that they’re more than friends. There is simply no chance in the show that they will get together. They are queer coded, which is not the same. Coding says: this character displays some traits and characteristics that ___ people may relate to. Baiting says: oh you want these two together? hmm, you wanna see that? wouldn’t that be nifty? what if they talk about it and act like it? aren’t you gonna keep watching to find out if they really do? Then follows up with: SIKE! Wow we got you, of course they’re not together! All of that was meaningless! Let’s please stop confusing these two entirely separate concepts!

Merthur is just gay I don’t have to explain merthur on the merthur site. They’re talking to each other at night and giving each other flowers and shit— things Arthur NEVER does with his canon romantic love interest and if I’m not mistaken I think Arthur like goes to sleep for a hundred years and Merlin is like. Still waiting for him? Let them kiss, damn!

Stucky: "Of course, this is still a rollicking adventure tale and no adventure is complete without a love story.....the longest, most tortured one in Marvel history" - Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (writers of Captain America movies + Avengers Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame)

"from the meet cute to the tragic separation, their bond has all the elements of a classic romance." - Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely

"Just as Jeph and Tim’’s earlier Daredevil: Yellow, Spider-Man: Blue, and Hulk: Gray all dealt with the major love interests in, the heroes’ lives, so too does Captain America: White. Steve and Bucky are each other’s soulmate." - Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely

“So you have a character in Captain America who is searching for the only thing that he has left from his past that has any meaning to him, and that’s Bucky; and people have interpreted that relationship all kinds of ways and it’s great...we will never define it, as filmmakers, explicitly." - The Russos (Captain America: Civil War press)

"You mean, aside from Cap and Bucky?" - Anthony Russo (co-director of Cap 2 and 3 and Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame) when asked about romance in Captain Amierca: Civil War

"Moderator: But you already had a romantic B story with Cap and Bucky, right?

Anthony: We sure do

Joe: We still do

Moderator: Did you ever had to dial down the sexual tension on set?

Joe: Why would we?" - Anthony and Joe Russo (directors of Cap 2 and 3 and Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame) at a screening of Captain America: Civil War

Just a few examples directly from Marvel and the writers and directors.

merthur totally should win for so many reasons but mostly. most because the show writer, when advertising the last episode, said it was “a love story between two men” and then arthur just died in merlin’s arms for 42 minutes. on the day before christmas.

I put the first episode of Merlin, because I heard it was such a great show. I knew nothing about the ship at that point. I only put it on because i love shows like that. Before the first episode was over I was like OMG those two are gayer than later seasons Destiel. There is no way it was not intentional. NONE. Big time homoerotic vibes. It was great

I get the coding critique, but I think I disagree with the person who said they never teased a relationship with Merthur. If we’re talking “offhanded jokes that they’re more than friends” (or that other characters thought they were together a la Sherlock), I think the poetry and pants scenes fit that.

#merthur #merlin x arthur #merlin bbc #merlin #stucky #steve x bucky #captain america #tournament

[ao3feed-crimeboys]

Simon Says: No Evil

by Nameling, QueenSibo

Tommy looked up from what had been his apartment bedroom to see a dark forest stretched around him. Between his anxious breaths and the whispering wind, the blond heard a familiar yet deceptive brotherly voice call to him.

"Let's play Simon Says again, Toms," the voice cooed. "It'll be just like when we first met."

---

Who's Lila is a psychological horror game by Garage Heathen, and the Dream SMP is a Minecraft server that's also a roleplay server. Author enjoys Dream SMP content (especially Crimeboys) and WL's horror elements so I fused the universes and started writing this. I'm one of those authors that likes to find beauty in tragedy, but also it's important to remember that it *is* tragedy and should by no means be seen as a good thing. I just find more comfort in darker writing. (This is starting with just a small prologue but the chapters will be much, much longer!) Anyway. Enjoy this hellspawn! :)

Words: 251, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Simon Says: A DSMP "Who's Lila?" AU

Fandoms: Dream SMP, Who's Lila? (Video Game)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Characters: TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot, Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Eret (Video Blogging RPF), Niki | Nihachu, Toby Smith | Tubbo, Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Jack Manifold, Charlie Dalgleish | Slimecicle, Alexis | Quackity, Phil Watson | Philza, Kristin Rosales Watson, Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF), Karl Jacobs

Relationships: Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit, Clay | Dream & Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit, Dream SMP Ensemble & TommyInnit, Clay | Dream & Tommyinnit & Phil Watson | Philza, Niki | Nihachu & Technoblade, Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Ranboo & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Jack Manifold & Niki | Nihachu & Original Character(s)

Additional Tags: Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Angst and Tragedy, Canon-Typical Violence, Religious Cults, Religious Guilt, Childhood Trauma, Supernatural Elements, Psychological Horror, Mild Gore, except it depends on authors' mood, Brutal Murder, Tarot Card Symbolism, Existential Dread, Tulpamancy, DSMP AU of Who's Lila by Garage Heathen, Definitely spooky, Self-Indulgent Fic (i fused two of my interests for this), Disturbing Themes, disturbing imagery, TommyInnit-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Unhealthy Relationships, Author is a cWilbur Soot Apologist, but Wilbur in this fic is not good whatsoever, Twins Wilbur Soot & Technoblade but with a twist, characters' surnames are weird because i fused them with who's lila character names, Author Is Sleep Deprived, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, crimeboys in this is a bit fucked up, Word Choice Is Important, Pay Attention To Narration, sometimes there's illustrations for this fic series, and yes it'll be a series, Emotional Manipulation, There's a lot of that, TommyInnit Angst (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Traumatized TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Captain Sparkles & Schlatt are detectives, Technoblade is missing, [ominous voice] Father Philza, vague symbolism is up for interpretation, This fic is dark in general, Betaed, DD:DNE pt2, im serious (please take care while reading this), Time loop?, I Tried, Dark Wilbur Soot, also Tommy is called Thomas Simone, (the e in Simone is silent i swear its pronounced like Simon)

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/40529499

#IFTTT #ao3feed #wilbur soot #tommyinnit #crimeboys #crime boys #crimebois #crime bois #mcyt #This is

[heartslobbf]

anyway i was thinking the other night about like. the importance and formative nature of one’s queer identity and how that shapes our perceptions etc of the world. additionally, how fluctuation and change in identity can impact us. i feel like The Captain is an identity that has thoroughly shaped cap as a person, and it’s going to be so hard for him to let go of that image of himself; just like, say, a queer person going through the motions of changing the language they use to describe their gender or sexuality. that’s a really difficult thing to go through, coming from my own experience lol. like, unlearning the whole thing of ‘this is who i am and how people see me and a thing i understand so intimately’. and then you realise, oh god, i’m not that, and it feels a bit like everything is falling apart because that was a place you belonged, and your sense of self. The Captain is cap’s sense of self even though it is inauthentic to his true self, and the military is a place he wants to belong despite his ostracisation in life, and going through that is a personal, complicated journey that i just delight in seeing portrayed this way. it’s fucking astounding writing and not only is it an important story in its own right, i think it’s a neat metaphor for queer people navigating self-actualisation and discovering labels (or the lack of labels) that make them feel like them :)

#i mean The Captain is probably more obvious to compare to the suffocating nature of toxic masculinity n cis heteronormativity #but like. i find this interpretation more interesting because there are ELEMENTS of The Captain that aren’t wholly bad. it seems more like + #a role he fills well but behaviours and ideals along with it that r harmful. idk. it’s more complicated than just Straight Up Bad #and that makes this interpretation interesting. there is comfort and affirmation in The Captain— look at his leadership etc #but then it just doesn’t quite click for whatever reason— because The Captain is ultimately a tool to prevent cap from ever recognising his+ #queerness. it’s fascinating i find it so so so interesting #it’s like. god yeah metaphor for the journey of gender + sexuality exploration and . iding one way for a long time then realising you have + #to move on for whatever reason #very very interesting stuff ive probably overanalysed but fuck you #shut up daisy #bbc ghosts #the captain

[wenellyb]

Is Sambucky Canon or Not?

TL;DR: Yes, it is

I've seen some people saying that they only see friendship between Sam and Bucky, and I can understand that. Because depending on your education, the environment you grew up and the kind of media you’re usually exposed to, you will have a different interpretation of different situations, in real life or in TV. Just let me insert a short story before I dive into the Sambucky topic:

My best friend's uncle is in his fifties and has been living with his roommate (a man) for more than 10 years. They lived together, went on holidays together but officially were just roommates. My best friend wondered if they were a couple, but never talked about it to her parents because it wasn't her business. Two years ago, they decided to come out and get married. My best friend's parents and his parents were genuinely surprised, they were not expecting that, at all, not even a little bit. Let me tell you that it didn’t even cross their mind that it was a possibility, at all. For them, it had always just been two men who had decided to live together because they were single. And preferred to have a roommate rather than living alone.

What I want to say with this story is that people will see what they want to see, or what they're used to see, or what they were raised to see. It’s human.

What I mean is that you will have different perception of a same event, depending on your own circumstances. And I think the writers of TFATWS were counting on that a little bit when it came to Sam and Bucky’s relationship. They obviously didn't want to make some big announcement or big love declaration.

And yes, of course, I have my own circumstances as well, influencing the way I see things. I have shipped SamBucky since Civil War, when they were supposedly enemies. I never expected anything to happen between them on screen. But then they got a show together and I was so so happy about it but I didn't expect anything other than friendship between them.

I was perfectly fine with that because a show was already more than enough: my man Sam Wilson was becoming Captain America, the show was great, the characters were great, their interactions were great, and this wasn't a love story anyway but a superhero show. I thought that here was no way the showrunners would ever go there. I changed my mind after episode 5. I tried to stay objective, but it was clear to me that the writers were hinting at a relationship that went beyond friendship between Sam and Bucky. In some of my previous posts, I explained that there are some scenes and writing choices that make absolutely no sense if you read them as a scene between two friends. I can link them if anyone’s interested.

Side note: I would like to know if one person on this website can tell me what was up with Bucky's behavior with Torres (in episode 5)? What other explanation is there, if not jealousy? It's a scene they chose to keep, so it was probably written this way, there must be a reason. Please I’m begging someone explain it to me. I'm genuinely asking, because otherwise that scene alone is canon Sambucky.

After episode 5, I was convinced they would make Sambucky canon, one way or the other and I started speculating about the ways they could do it. What I said was that if they did make Sambucky canon, they would do it in a very subtle way, in order not to make it too obvious because that’s generally how Marvel movies deal with love stories. And also because they wouldn’t want to scare away their homophobic audience ( I guess Disney needs their money...who knows)

So here are the scenes of how I imagined SamBucky becoming canon and the comparison with reality:

1.

- What I thought we could get : AJ and Cass calling Bucky "Uncle Bucky" - What we got: AJ and Cass running up to Bucky and playing with him. This point is interesting because it’s also related to the point I made about how the environment you grew up in influences your perception of things. I grew up in a big family and I know that, at least in my family, kids don't run up to an adult like that just because it's their uncle’s friend or just because he's nice... There's a real bond there. They haven't seen Bucky just that one time when he slept on the couch. They're obviously close. But some people might just see this as kids being kids. Also, if you watch at how the kids were fake punching him, they were really coordinated with Bucky. They have done this plenty of times. 2.

What I thought we could see: A non-explicit scene where we were supposed to draw our own conclusions. I thought they could show us Bucky staying over for the night, and the last scene would be an empty couch, meaning we would have to understand that Bucky slept in Sam's room this time.

-What we got: Bucky arriving in Sam's car ( A few people on Tumblr pointed out that it was the car Sam was driving in episode 1) So here again we have a scene that a lot of people will not notice. But they still chose to put it there. 3.

What I thought could happen: Sam asking Bucky to stay in Delacroix

What we got: Bucky wrapping things up in New York, as if he was leaving the city for good and coming to Sam's party as if he already knew everyone there. You can read my take on this here. 4. What I thought could happen: The scene in the trailer where we see them looking in the same direction and then we get a shot from very far away where they're holding hands but it’s not so obvious because they are being filmed from a disctance. -What we got: The scene in trailer and then a blurry shot of Sam holding Bucky and then fondling with his neck to find the best spot to rest his hand on. So none of the scenes I was imagining happened exactly like I had imagined, but it felt like all of them happened but in a different versions, which is still crazy to me. If it had been only one scene. I could probably understand the people who see them as just friends. Actually, I still do understand the people who see them as just friends, because everyone has their own interpretation. What I am saying is that they are NOT being portrayed as just friends. There are TOO many scenes in the 6 episodes for it to be a coincidence. One or 2 would be ok but friendship doesn’t explain everything:

The therapy scene (not the therapy scene itself since it was improvised) but the therapist saying she had heard a lot about Sam and wanting them to do a couples’ therapy

Bucky following Sam no matter what

Sam saying ok as soon as Bucky says "do it for me"

Sam asking "what about Bucky?"

Bucky starting to touch Sam whenever he has the chance

Bucky being the one to bringing the suit for Sam

The boat repairing montage

Bucky wanting to stay at Sam's place, when a hotel room would have been more comfortable than a couch

The second day of boat repair in closed quarters with an intense staring scene.

And there are so many other scenes, soft touches, looks,...

These writing choices are not a coincidence, it’s not involuntary, and it’s not fan service ( Fan service is the roll in the flower field scene, or the therapy session). This is them telling a story.

Let’s not even talk about the scenes in Endgame:

Sam comforting bucky at Tony’s funeral

Sam looking up to Bucky for approval before accepting the shield from Steve.

So yes, Sam and Bucky are canon in the sense that Peter and Gamora were canon in the first movie, or Wanda and Vision were canon in Captain Civil War. Meaning that there was no big moment, kiss or anything, but the show is consistently throwing elements clearly showing Sam and Bucky as a romantic item and hinting at a lot more than friendship between them.

It is normal that some people have a different opinion. Because it is extremely rare, in big productions like this to have two male leads with romantic feelings towards each other, so not a lot people who see it will interpret it as such (I don't think it ever happened). You’ll see what you’re used to seeing.

I guess it also depends on what you expect from a love story. For me, the storyline between the characters, their scenes, their chemistry, the way their feelings towards each other are described, are the most important. The kiss scene is just there as a bonus, but I don't need it when the love story is told perfectly. If you’re used to seeing love stories with many kissing scenes, that’s what you will be expecting to see in most love stories.

If you're only used to seeing male friendships in superhero or action movies. The 1000th time you see men interacting in that type of movie or show, you are more likely to assume it is a friendship and nothing more, no matter how many codes and tropes usually associated with romantic movies, the writers and show makers are using.

Add to that the conviction that Disney would never approve Sambucky in a million years, and there you go, I can understand the people who see only friendship.

But, just think about it, if we had the same show, same scenes, same dialogues, but minus the action scenes and the project was being marketed as an Indie movie, would you think they were just friends or a blossoming couple?

If you read Sambucky’s relationship like a friendship: some scenes don't make sense. If you read it like a developing romantic relationship: it all makes sense. "When you hear hoofs, think horse, not zebra" If a writer or a film director chooses a last scene with a romantic setting and the two leads are staring at a sunset, smiling repeatedly at each other and then walking away together with one of them touching the other's neck, with a love song in the background, maybe friendship isn't the first thought they had in mind.

Some people may say “I see them as just friends” and other people may say “ I see them as lovers” and both are fine, because people have different perceptions, and that’s ok.

What I am saying is this post is that the show and the writers are portraying them as more than just friends, they’re portraying them as two characters who are romantically involved.

Perceive what you want but that’s how they are being presented in the show.

Bucky’s therapist said that the exercise she gave them was for couples who want to figure out what kind of life they want to build together. Then, the show ends with Sam and Bucky, staring at a sunset together, looking in the same direction.

“Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction. “  - Antoine de Saint-Exupery

What else do you need???

This show had more romance than half of the Marvel projects out there. Not every love story needs a kiss (for now...)

We'll see in their next projects which direction the writers want to go with this. But since it was said that the writer on the movie is the same as the writer from episode 5, there's no doubt in my mind that we'll keep seeing this dynamic. I don't think they would have made the same choices if this had been a movie. But I won't complain that we got this. I hope they keep this going even if it stays subtle like in the show. Just hope they will add one explicit scene where one of the characters acknowledges their relationship. But even if we only ever get this show, it’s already a great love story. Let me know what you guys think and sorry for the typos and grammar mistakes, I was tired when I wrote the last part. I hope it still makes sense!

If you think they're only being portrayed as friends let me know why! I would also like to know about the way you see this!

#sambucky #sam wilson #bucky barnes #tfatws #the falcon and the winter soldier #tfatws spoilers #Please feel free to comment on this and tell me what you think #I'm genuinely interested in having other POVs

[azusawrites]

ISLE OF LAMENTATION THOUGHTS

This has been on my mind ever since the reveal of the Jupiter Conglomerate and its excessive amount of technologization, but I'm very curious to see if they go for a cyberpunk/futuristic look all the way, while also blending in elements of Ancient Greece.

I'm mostly considering this because Hercules (1997) had a very interesting mix of mythologies - both old and new. By this, I mean that the story they portray takes heavy reference from other franchises, like Superman and Star Wars, by having a farm boy discover his true origins and that the simple life he's been living until now isn't his "true" purpose. But these particular modern myths in turn also take heavy reference from the myth of Hercules and other Greek heroes themselves, which is something that Scott Jeffrey points out in his The Posthuman Body in Superhero Comics: Human, Superhuman, Transhuman, Post/Human where he states that the inspiration for such forms and bodies was mostly an echo that persisted since the dawn of humanity, perfected by the popularity of people like Charles Atlas. Hercules starts off as a skinny, unremarkable child who ends up bulking up and achieving success as a direct consequence of that, which is pretty much the exact story of Captain America in concept.

Hercules does also redirect its focus later on stories relating to the rise of athletes, taking an interesting stance on their commercialization before it eventually refocuses on its mythological origins. But that journey is an important part of "mythology" in that sense, as Roland Barthes said. Though his view of myths was extremely critical, seeing them as merely a means of 'perverting' the signifier, by attributing a second significance to it, it's interesting to note that he saw them as twisting concepts and such. I think Hercules does that as well - replacing the original story with an 'updated, modern' one in the popular consciousness and switching from ancient heroes to sports' stars and superhero-inspired heroes.

Why I wanted to point this out is because TWST seems to take a similar approach to updating the myths. The presence of a global conglomerate already shifts our understanding of power from something immaterial and conceptual to something more material. In the age of commercialism, money sets the stage and is the one true measure by which to exert control. That they made such an update makes sense.

Idia's fascination with mass media and the like is also a nice nod towards the emptiness of consumerism and how it provides little value in terms of personal growth, but a quick escape into a virtual reality that starts to influence his perspective on the real world too. Identity is established through 'branding' or in this case, exaggerated interest in hyper-specific subjects and that leaves room for a lot of interpretation, I think.

It elevates the symbolism of Greek gods to the rich and affluent level of a conglomerate whose control over the masses is just as vaguely direct as in the myths. S.T.Y.X. functioning as a type of containment agency in the sense of regulating magical disasters just proves the precise level of control that they have over the population. So, I'm curious to see just how far TWST might go with this possible theme.

Clearly, this is all speculation on my part and Yana might not have intended for any of this, but I find it interesting that the text lends itself to such a reading.

#meta #idia shroud #twst spoilers #ignihyde #twisted wonderland #twist #twisute #twst

[ohmyasmodeus]

𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘮 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 ❖

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

♡ 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘳 ; 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘵

✧   Sure, Lucifer is looking forward to appreciating art and the history behind each piece, but he finds himself much more excited to spend more time alone with you. History can be preserved, but every moment spent with you is simply irreplaceable; he ends up surprisingly spending more time gazing at you than admiring the artwork.

✧   You make him feel young again. In between displays, he sneaks kisses, mischievously pulling you away from the crowds just to hold you in his arms for a stolen moment. Lucifer adores the way you fall into his arms with soft laughter, and it makes him cradle your face between his gloved hands while he whispers about the way everyone looks at you like you’re a work of art.

“But do you?” You ask softly.

“I always do, ______.” Silhouetted by the gallery lights, he pulls you into a tender kiss full of emotion; a moment that no doubt belongs among the displays of beauty and immortality that surround you.

✧   Lucifer is the kind of person to actually read the little plaques beside the pieces that go into detail about the artist and the intentions behind their art. It takes a while for him to take it all in, but you don’t mind— it’s very cute to see him have to bend down and squint to read them.

✧   Your day hardly ends there. Even as he takes you home, he very much enjoys discussing your opinions on the works included in the gallery and the artists behind them. It’s Lucifer’s way of getting closer, trying to decipher how your mind works, how you view art pieces that are open to multiple interpretations. It’s his favourite part. He loves you and your brilliant mind.

♡ 𝘮𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯 ; 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 / 𝘢𝘳𝘵

✧   Your demon is the definition of a kinaesthetic learner. Mammon fits right in with the kids that run around the place, tugging on your hand as he begs you to come play these games with him! He never wants to do anything without you and you end up being basically dragged around the museum. But it’s okay because he’s cute!

✧   While surrounded by so many people, it’s even easier for him to get flustered about affection. His cheeks flush red whenever he thinks too hard about holding your hand, whether it’s to bring you somewhere, or just to hold your hand for the sake of it. The back of his fingers brush against yours, making you smile.

“Hm? What do you want to show me?” you ask as you take his hand to intertwine your fingers with his.

Mammon fidgets with his free hand before shoving it into his jacket pocket, looking away with a brilliant blush. His voice is quiet as he mumbles, “N-nothing, I just… wanted to hold your hand. Or whatever.”

✧   He’s much smarter than people like to give him credit for at times, and surprises you with bits of information he picks up that you couldn’t understand. At the same time, it’s hard to stop him from gushing about how cool it was to see that chunk of sodium explode when dropped in water and how he wants to watch that over and over again.

✧   Mammon runs wild in the gift shop, especially at those little archaeology or mining kits that let you dig through hunks of sand that claim to contain a piece of gold. Of course, there are a million things the both of you want to buy for yourselves, but so little money to do so with. He settles for something small in the end, because he wants to be able to buy something small for his brothers too.

♡ 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 ; 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦

✧   From the beginning, Leviathan is absolutely fascinated. The calming atmosphere of the museum and being completely surrounded by his element makes Levi relax, even if he’d normally panic and try to hide from the people that walk along the exhibitions with you. But even then, you make sure to hold his hand just to reassure him a little more.

✧   Just like he rants about pretty much anything he has an interest in, Levi rants about the equipment on display and compares weapons or ships from different eras to each other, as if he’s talking about mere video game stats. It’s actually kind of hot to see him act like the Grand Admiral of hell’s navy is supposed to.

✧   Treat him like a Grand Admiral, actually. His brain totally short circuits when you lean into him and put a hand on his chest and gasp about how knowledgeable and strong he is.

“Oh captain, my captain!” you sing as you pepper his face in kisses, making him squirm in your arms. His face is beet red as he attempts to cover it with his hands.

“People are- they’re going to see us!” Levi whines.

You laugh and kiss him properly, arms wrapped around him tight. “That’s the point, baby! I like it when people know I’m yours.”

✧   He actually gets a little sad when he sees the bones of massive whales or the various preserved remains of sea life on display. They all feel like a part of him. At times, he feels like sea animals understand him much better than people do, and he has to give your hand a squeeze as the two of you through the section. At least he brightens up when you tell him that most of these specimens die a natural death or were cared for during their life.

♡ 𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯 ; 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺

✧   His choice of museum goes without explanation. Humans are frail creatures that are essentially doomed to make the same mistakes again and again, despite a new era or millennia, but Satan still finds their history remarkable. He’s fascinated with seeing the butterfly effect ripple through time, sparking wars and conflicts. It makes him wonder about the universe’s decisions— especially the ones that brought you to him.

✧   Satan has always been more fond of reading the ancient texts on display or translating archaic inscriptions on bronze age charms, but when he’s with you, he finds himself more drawn to the elegant gowns and elaborately crafted jewellery on display. You always find his emerald eyes lingering on you, imagining what you would look like in something so grand. Your beauty stuns him in every way, especially with the way you smile at him while framed by the display’s lights.

✧   “I thought you wanted to learn,” you mumble with a quiet laugh into the kiss that Satan pulls you into. The two of you are wrapped in each other’s arms in the back of a crowded amphitheatre, making an attempt to watch a historical film.

In the darkness, Satan’s blush goes unseen, but you feel it in the heat of his face as you kiss him back eagerly. “I’ve learned enough about humans, ______. I want to focus on my favourite one now.”

You close your eyes, and so does he. History couldn’t matter less, not when it feels like the two of you are the only beings to exist, the only people that matter.

✧   Despite wanting to learn, Satan finds himself getting dragged into shenanigans with you as you voice historical figures with the goofiest accents and clown around with some of the interactive props. He laughs along and snaps a million pictures of you to keep, and he supposes that humans aren’t the only ones that make recurring mistakes. After all, he lets you loosen him up and lets you force your way into his heart time and time again, but he still can’t force himself to complain about it.

♡ 𝘢𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘶𝘴 ; 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘰𝘯

✧   Beauty in its different forms has always mesmerised Asmodeus. Museums have never been his thing, but with a fashion museum, you might just be able to change his mind. He goes between gushing about the textures and layering of different pieces to gushing about you and how amazing you look today!

✧   Asmo is always on top of the latest trends, but there’s something that always brings him back to the ostentatious allure of baroque and rococo dresses. He loves reading about the rise of these styles, but he would rather pull you along into a waltz as the quiet ambient music plays around you, the both of you giggling and referring to each other as ‘lord’ and ‘lady’.

✧   Or ‘your majesty’ and ‘my consort’...

✧   You, as always, expect him to pull you away somewhere quiet to make out and be general public nuisances, but Asmodeus surprises you this time. He’s far too busy taking pictures of you together and of just you alone, his amber gaze so soft as he contemplates your beauty. He ends up leaning in serenely as the two of you find yourselves alone together in a gallery.

“You’re gorgeous,” Asmo mumbles with a smile, delicately tucking a lock of your hair behind your ear. “There’s just something so magnetic about you, I can’t look away…”

“I don’t have to say it back because you know you’re handsome and your ego is big enough... but there’s nothing that can compare to how lovely your soul is.” You chuckle softly, resting a hand affectionately on the side of his face. Asmo rests his forehead against yours, wrapping his arms around the back of his neck with a delighted giggle, delighted in knowing that you see him beyond his superficialities and flaws.

✧   He buys you a set of jewellery from the gift shop, and not one of the cheap ones either. He splurges on one of the most expensive professionally made vintage sets because he really wants to daydream about you dancing with him in those rococo dresses, the most gorgeous royal couple in the world…

♡ 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘻𝘦𝘣𝘶𝘣 ; 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘵

✧   Delighted by the more colourful and almost bizarre applications of mixed-media art (think Yayoi Kusama), Beelzebub enjoys contemporary art the most. He’s easily fascinated with the elaborately abstract displays, and quietly wraps his arm around your waist as the two of you gawk at stunning larger-than-life works that probably get him a little hungry.

✧   He’s a respectful visitor and likes to stay silent so he doesn’t disturb the quiet atmosphere for everyone else appreciating the art. It ends up in him having to lean down and murmur softly in your ear when he has something to tell you, his warm arms pulling you into an embrace that you never want to leave.

✧   Workshops! Please bring Beel to the workshops because they’re his favourite part of museums. No matter how hungry he gets while putting in so much effort, he’ll sit still and work hard to make you something you can treasure.

“Do you like it?” he asks with a smile as he presents you with a little figurine version of one of the sculptures featured in the exhibition, hand painted by him. It’s easy to notice how the colours he picked out match your features. “It’s yours.”

“I love it, Beel! Oh, it’s wearing my coat and everything!” you gasp. The elated smile he gives you is absolutely priceless, and you can’t help but tiptoe to kiss him in thanks for his hard work.

Beel lets out a soft laugh and nuzzles his cheek into yours. “I really liked the art, but it felt like something was missing… Maybe the exhibition would’ve been a lot more beautiful if you were an art piece on display too.”

✧   Bringing him to a museum like that just might inspire him to create art by himself. After creating something for you, he feels hooked on it! You find him doodling a lot more on his homework and giving you the most endearing drawings of things you like, or his own hilarious renditions of what Lucifer looks like when he’s about to burst a blood vessel. Beel definitely has a hidden talent for caricatures.

♡ 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘳 ; 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺

✧   Humans? Belphegor has had enough of them for a lifetime and can’t be bothered with learning more about them, but natural history is something that captivates him. There’s a kind of innocent wonder in his eye as you lead him around the exhibitions, marvelling at the displayed remains of the massive creatures that came before, wondering how they evolved into the tiny little animals of today. (But it’s probably also morbid curiosity with the way he looks at preserved carcasses and skeletons.)

✧   But you’re an exception to him. He's tired of humans but never of you, even if he jokes about it at times. Even if he knows about most of the things on display, Belphie is still asking you to tell him about them because he just loves hearing your voice. Coupled with the soothing silence of the museum, it almost puts him to sleep.

✧   “Don’t fall asleep! You paid to watch this!” you whisper when Belphie rests his head on your shoulder. You want to pay attention to the dinosaurs beating the shit out of each other in the surprisingly well-rendered 3D documentary, but you can’t help but gaze at your boyfriend instead, and the way he looks in those dumb 3D glasses.

“I won’t,” he mumbles, rolling his eyes. “You’re warm.”

“You’re a little leech, you know that?” Despite your snarky tone, you lift up the partition between the theatre’s seats to let Belphie snuggle into you. Just like a leech, he’s immediately all over you with his arms wrapped tight around your waist, chuckling as he buries his face in your neck.

✧   You wouldn’t expect it, but he’s also the kind to go wild in the gift shop, albeit in more subtle ways— like staring really hard at something or carrying something only to put it down for you to get the hint. He ends up getting the both of you a big plushy to cuddle and name on the way home.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me imagines #obey me headcanons #obey me x reader #swd lucifer #obey me lucifer #swd mammon #obey me mammon #swd leviathan #obey me leviathan #swd satan #obey me satan #swd asmodeus #obey me asmodeus #swd beelzebub #obey me beelzebub #swd belphegor #obey me belphegor #probably my last piece for a while; life has caught up and im burning out #mine #txt

[pbaintthetb]

Watership Down Rant pt.2/ How Hazel (Arguably) Misinterprets Bigwig

“Bigwig would certainly be a useful rabbit in a tight corner, he would also be a difficult one to get on with. He certainly would not want to do what he was told- or even asked- by an Outskirter.”~ Chapter 3, Hazel’s Decision.

As I briefly mentioned before, Hazel is the POV character, and while there is a narrator, it can sometimes be difficult to separate the two. My first time reading the novel I was much more inclined to go along with Hazel’s interpretation of Bigwig, but after finishing, seeing Bigwig’s whole character journey, and on a reread I don’t entirely agree. There are two main characters who Bigwig gets very angry at in the novel, Fiver, and Strawberry. Strawberry who Bigwig blames for leading to Bigwig’s almost death (and he forgives it soon enough), and Fiver who is continuously (at least in Bigwig’s  eyes) putting Hazel in danger- until the snare incident.

Hazel seems to imply that Bigwig is trying, whether maliciously or not, to create trouble. One of his fears when they leave Sandleford and Bigwig asks to join is that, Bigwig, as an Owsla and generally much larger and slightly short tempered rabbit is going to fight with him for position of leader. A position Hazel feels naturally falls to him. Hazel lets Bigwig come with them, mostly because he can’t really refuse him, but also because as much as Hazel doesn’t want a power struggle he’s aware that he needs strong fighters and someone who knows more about the wider world- aka, Bigwig. (More on Hazel’s pragmatism later.)

Bigwig’s two flaws that Hazel picks up on and I agree with are- he can be quite short tempered (though we’ll see, Bigwig is good at separating personal feelings from  non-personal matters), and specifically doesn’t take uncertainty particularly well.

However, these aren’t traits that make a particularly good Chief Rabbit, Bigwig can think on his feet- but not as well as Hazel, Fiver, or even Blackberry. I feel like Bigwig is somewhat aware of this fact (his reaction to being told he’s not suited for a task later in the novel due to his temperament is one of someone who doesn’t disagree, but doesn’t like the fact). Therefore, my basic point is that I don’t think Bigwig is gunning for Chief Rabbit, and I particularly don’t think he is at any point trying to usurp Hazel. As to whether he truly believes Hazel is their true/great Chief Rabbit  from the beginning… no. But, he does acknowledge him as leader of the group, he does seem to default to him, or at least treat him as equal, and his criticisms of Hazel seem to be more that he wants Hazel to be better than Bigwig thinking he, or anyone else, would make a better leader.

Bigwig has a basic level of respect for Hazel from the very beginning, seen when he allows Hazel to speak to the Threarah, even though Bigwig knows it will create trouble for him because he trusts Hazel has a decent reason. Who doesn’t Bigwig really respect? Five, at this point he’s entirely neutral, but he trusts Hazel to trust Fiver. There is still plenty of room for Bigwig’s respect of Hazel to grow- arguably culminating in Efrafa- but he never once treats Hazel as lesser or makes a bid for power. The closest he comes to a mutiny is actually against Fiver and specifically because he thinks Fiver is endangering Hazel and Hazel’s authority.

Now, Bigwig’s not perfect, he does feel he’s owed more respect than say, Blackberry or Dandelion (though he also respects their own skills and talents and gets pretty mad when Cowslip’s rabbits aren’t impressed by Dandelion’s story telling), but also like... eh, he’s not wrong. Bigwig is the most knowledgeable about the world (Blackberry is a mad genius, but he more theorises things than knows) and is often the one explaining crucial things- roads, snares, predators, and most importantly- how to stay safe. He and Silver (tldr Bigwig but calmer) often stay up to take watches- amd this, like most of the tasks Silver and Bigwig do together are clearly coordinated and arranged by Bigwig. Bigwig also takes charge of a lot that Hazel feels he should do as leader, but Hazel is not lazing about during these times, he’s taking care of other tasks that a leader needs. The most usurp thing Bigwig does is essentially take charge while Hazel is away, but he always hands it back. Bigwig works like a second in command- and Hazel doesn’t seem to see this. This is particularly funny but also a misunderstanding on Hazel’s part when considering some of the first things Hazel does is put Bigwig in this role. Additionally, Bigwig is more than happy to share is wider knowledge as a result of his experience, but mostly to Hazel- because teaching takes time and it’s not worth, for example, teaching Pipkin how to fight a cat. This is why I feel that Bigwig simply wants to improve Hazel, he’s very calm and polite when he teaches him about the road, and points out that as an Outskirter and not an Owsla there is no reason why Hazel should know these things when Hazel is embarrassed about the fact. Both the other two Chief rabbits we meet in the book are ex/current Owsla, Hazel is not, and thus it makes sense for Bigwig to catch him up to speed. Personally I think Hazel is paranoid about his own position and protecting that outwards.

Onto how Hazel views Bigwig and why I think he’s wrong- but with textual evidence. 

“Bigwig would certainly be a useful rabbit in a tight corner, he would also be a difficult one to get on with. He certainly would not want to do what he was told- or even asked- by an Outskirter.”

Hazel seems to think Bigwig wants to usurp him because he was more powerful than him before they left their home. And in Hazel’s mind this is justified by Bigwig’s bluster and the fact that Hazel keeps stumbling across him taking charge of the rabbits... because Hazel has been away/busy/doing another important task and someone needs to hold down the fort- so Bigwig steps up, and then quite calmly steps down once Hazel is back, who doesn’t seem to quite see this at first because he’s paranoid. No Hazel hate, just truth.

However, for all of Hazel’s fears, there’s little truth to them. I’m going to quickly run through all the supposed challenges Bigwig offers upto their arrival at the Warren of the Shining Wires. (I’m deliberately not calling it Cowslip’s warren- because it’s not, he’s not Chief- the human is, the rabbits just live there.)

“If you’ll take my advice-” began Bigwig. “If we stay here any longer I shan’t be able to,” answered Hazel.~ Chapter 4, The Departure (after Bigwig has bested Holly, immediately before they leave Sandleford.) See how respectfully Bigwig brings up his potential criticism? And there is no note of Bigwig being resentful, rude, or sulky that he was shut down. He acknowledges that now is not a time for discussion/democracy, it’s a time to pack up and follow Hazel- whereas you’d expect some kind of grudge if Hazel was right. At the very least you’d expect something the next time Bigwig “criticises” Hazel in chapter 5. However, Bigwig simply states that the group needs to stop, he lists out the reasons why he knows Hazel won’t want to, but also lists why they need to- simply put that Fiver and Pipkin physically can’t. At this point Bigwig doesn’t even know Pipkin’s name (he refers to him as “this half-sized fellow”), but he’s one of Hazel’s squad and Bigwig’s protective instincts are coming out. Hazel is reluctant, but listens. Also of note is that Bigwig doesn’t demand this in front of the group as if it were some power-play, he walks off away from the group to quietly talk to Hazel, and it’s still Hazel who announces they’re stopping. Bigwig is not trying to convince Hazel of this after the fact.

Chapters 7-8. When the Badger finds them it’s Bigwig who leads them away, however, this most seemingly obvious element of insubordination is not remarked on by Hazel- internally or otherwise. This is because Bigwig is the only one who knows what it is, how dangerous it is (it’s of the “lets not invite trouble” variety). And yes, it’s because he’s Owsla, but Silver is Owsla too- this is how Bigwig seems to view himself, not as Chief, but Captain of the Owsla for their group and sharing power with Hazel. Now, Hazel has not given this role- but as we’ll see later he kind of defaults to putting Bigwig in it and Bigwig has already won a fight for Hazel, it’s not an unreasonable assumption. Bigwig is very annoyed when they arrive at the river and takes it out on Hazel- who notes that Bigwig is only steady if he’s certain of their options. Hazel uses some flattery to calm Bigwig down (honestly, a great talent of Hazel’s in many situations).

Bigwig gets angry. So, in chapter 8 Bigwig starts to actually shout and rage, but it’s interesting to note that this is prompted by Fiver. Bigwig is clearly irritated at being led to a dead end- but it’s more the exhaustion and confusion than anything about Hazel. However when Fiver says they need to swim the river (noted to be impossible for exhausted rabbits by the narrator) that Bigwig starts to get annoyed- remember that Bigwig was the one who got them to stop earlier. Especially considering there are other options. Still, Bigwig lets it go. And again, when he comes to talk to Hazel about a potentially sensitive situation he talks to Hazel aside from the group, and comes to ask what Bigwig should tell the group- Bigwig very much asks for permission not forgiveness. It’s when Hazel says they should stay- clearly for the Benefit of Fiver Bigwig gets annoyed- probably because of his slightly more worldly nature- they are in a very open and vulnerable position and he’s smart enough to know that Hazel just wants him to cross the river. However, some flattery, and Bigwig happily swims across, alone, to scout. This, again is very telling. Bigwig is clearly able to swim the river and not altogether unwilling.  It also displays Bigwig’s protective instincts and why he’s such a good Captain. Bigwig’s issue is revealed- though Hazel doesn’t seem to realise- to not be crossing the river, but the fact that not all the rabbits are able to make it. This culminates in Bigwig screaming at Hazel, after BIgwig reveals there’s a dog in the woods. First, he gets all the other rabbits to swim across (Bigwig has returned) and then he shouts at Hazel to go over, and not to stay for Fiver and Pipkin saying they’ll all be killed. Even Hazel notes here, that he’s surprised, but admiring the fact that for all his talk, Bigwig isn’t running off to save himself. Bigwig is a captain and can’t leave his men to die, but Hazel is the leader and he can’t leave the survivors. Frankly I’m very interested to see if Bigwig would have stayed, fought Hazel, or dragged him had Blackberry not saved the day. The main point here is that Bigwig never challenges Hazel on the grounds of not trusting or respecting his authority, only occasionally his decisions, and primarily for the collective safety of the group. However Hazel is still viewing Bigwig as a fierce independent rabbit who is going to make trouble.

4. Hawkbit, Speedwell & Acorn challenging Hazel, Chapter 10, The Road and the Common.

Hawkbit, Acorn & Speedwell (HSA) start to challenge Hazel, first saying they’d like to stop (they’ve been having a very gruelling climb), and then it escalates to saying they’d like to go back because they believe Hazel is lying to them and full of it. Notably they bring up his lack of knowledge about the road- something Bigwig did talk to Hazel about in front of the whole group for once. Hazel starts trying to explain why this is stupid (if the rabbits go back they’ll be killed), and what they even expect him to do, likely in the hope that HSA will talk it out until they air their grievances until they realise they’re wrong. However HSA are cut off before this can happen by Fiver and Bigwig approaching, Fiver who wants to talk to Hazel, and Bigwig who- it’s not explained why he’s there- but he’s heard the whole thing (likely looking out for Hazel). Bigwig scowls and says he’s going to have a “few words” with HSA- which from the little we hear through Hazel’s POV is mostly insults with the purpose of reminding them their place. We hear what we’re told is likely the end of Bigwig’s speech though and-

“And now, you bunch of mole-snouted, muck-raking, hutch-hearted sheep ticks, get out of my sight sharp. Otherwise I’ll-” [then he’s cut off by the wind]. 

Once more evidence of Bigwig throwing his weight around doesn’t support him being a usurper, in fact he seems angry at the disrespect to Hazel, and is doing his best to make sure dissent and disorder doesn’t fester in the ranks. Whether Hazel or Bigwig’s approach is better is a different story and more to do with their different personalities and roles- Chief/Captain.

Hazel, upon returning asks Blackberry where HSA are and we’re told this:

 "There's been a fearful row. Bigwig told Hawkbit and Speedwell that he'd scratch them to pieces if they didn't obey him. And when Hawkbit said he wanted to know who was Chief Rabbit, Bigwig bit him. It seems a nasty business. Who is Chief Rabbit,anyway--you or Bigwig?" 

Bigwig, being Owsla manages discipline much firmer and through strength/power. Hazel notes that he doesn’t know who the Chief Rabbit is, merely that Bigwig’s stronger. But this is actually a very good example of Bigwig’s loyalty- he’s angry but sticks to physical discipline while they’re merely talking about not wanting to follow Hazel. However, once they start snarking and perhaps suggesting Bigwig lead a coup/suggesting he’s a usurper/Hazel isn’t a good leader you can see how the switch flips in Bigwig’s mind. He doesn’t take the insult well, Bigwig views himself quite clearly as a second in command, and a loyal one at that. (Loyalty, strength and protectiveness are some of Bigwig’s best features). The incident isn’t really focused on again, but safe to say there’s no more questioning who’s really the boss, just as there’s no questioning Bigwig’s tendency to lead in lieu of Hazel. This isn’t just because of Bigwig’s own presence, it’s a lot to do with how Hazel treats Bigwig, even if he doesn’t seem to quite consciously focus on it yet…

Lastly to note and really seal the deal, when they meat Cowslip several of the Sandleford Rabbits refer to Hazel as “Hazel-rah” (calling him chief), Bigwig… doesn’t, but he doesn’t seem to object in any way, and, in a scene that I will dissect, really does seem to view Hazel with incredible respect and as leader- to who Bigwig follows but offers meaningful criticism to allow him to be better.

#watership down i guess #PB's long rant on watership down #Bigwig Supremacy Agenda

[vancampemily]

Emily VanCamp teases the mystery of Sharon Carter on The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Warning: Spoilers from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier season 1, episode 3 are discussed in this article.

There's more to Sharon Carter than meets the eye. A lot more.

Emily VanCamp returned to her Captain America movie role in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier's third episode, which revealed the former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent has been living under the radar in Madripoor after she was forced to go on the run from the U.S. government in Civil War for illegally aiding Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan).

She's since made a life for herself in this neon-soaked city filled with all manner of criminals, which formed her new outlook. As VanCamp tells EW, she's no longer the "young and idealistic" agent who "committed her whole life to the cause and the government." She now believes "the whole superhero thing is a joke." But that may not be all she believes.

After first saving Sam, Bucky, and Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl) from getting their heads blown off and then later assisting in their search for Dr. Nagel, who's been secretly replicating the super-soldier serum, Sharon gets picked up in a car — a fairly nice-looking one at that. She tells her bodyguard, "We've got a big problem," seemingly referring to Zemo shooting and killing Dr. Nagel. Is Sharon secretly working for the elusive Power Broker, the mysterious antagonist fueling the Flag-Smashers' mission? Is she the Power Broker?

"We could interpret that in so many different ways," VanCamp says. "There's still three episodes left so hopefully those questions will be answered. There's still lots of characters to come in and out. The problem could be many things."

VanCamp spoke with EW after the premiere of episode 3 to talk about Sharon's new life in Madripoor, crafting her character's unique combat style with the stunt choreographers, and Brühl's unique dance moves.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: This feels like a very different version of Sharon Carter. Did this feel like it was a completely different character for you in some ways? EMILY VANCAMP: In some ways, yeah it is, but I think that was necessary. To bring her back as the same person she was in the films wouldn't make any sense. When they told me what they had in mind for Sharon, I was delighted that it was something very different and we were actually going to address where she's been, what she's been up to, how she's been surviving, and just answer some of those questions. We don't answer all of them but some of them, for sure.

Was there anything specific that helped orient you around who Sharon is now? She says it best in episode 3 that the superhero thing is a joke. That would never be something that Sharon would say when she was young and idealistic and this agent [who] committed her whole life to the cause and the government. She's from this bloodline of agents, so for her to say that is very indicative of where she's at mentally. She's still out there kicking butt and doing her thing. It's just her whole perspective and priorities have shifted because they've had to. She's been on the run and trying to survive in this lawless land for this crazy amount of time. It's understandable the resentment, anger, and frustration that she has when you meet up with her in Madripoor.

Did the changes to Sharon's character affect your approach to her? Absolutely. I think it changed everything from the way she walks to the way she fights to the way she communicates. She's all grown up and has a chip on her shoulder. She takes all that quite seriously, everything that happened to her. at this point in time, it's about getting that pardon that she's been wanting this whole time. It was great to talk to [director] Kari [Skogland] a lot of about that and just try to implement that in everything that we did.

It really seems like the government did her dirty. They did her dirty. It's true. I wouldn't have said it, but since you did. Yeah, the government left her behind. She's such a loyal agent. Even though she's thriving in this environment, it's still not where she would want to be, and not how you treat a loyal agent. She's become anti-establishment in that sense and stopped believing in all of the things she put her faith in.

When I think of Sharon Carter, I can't help but think of Peggy and all the morals and ethics she instilled in Sharon. Where Sharon is at this point, has she left a lot of that behind? I think it doesn't just go away, but I think she's cynical and jaded enough that a lot of that has been very repressed within her. I think she's left a lot of that behind. She's probably had to make some very difficult decisions and do some things she didn't want to do. You see her in that ship yard! There's no holding back. Unfortunately, the sad thing in Sharon's story is that idealistic young girl in many ways is gone.

At the end of episode 3, Sharon gets in a car. She's telling her bodyguard, "We've got a bigger problem." What are we to make of this? I don't want to say what, but obviously there are so many things. We could interpret that in so many different ways. There's still three episodes left so hopefully those questions will be answered. There's still lots of characters to come in and out. The problem could be many things.

Here's something you can hopefully talk about: Your big fight sequence. You mentioned earlier that this was your first time getting to develop Sharon's unique combat style with choreographers. Now that we know a lot more about Sharon, are there specific elements from her backstory that was most informative in the way that she fights? It was a very big discussion. What does Sharon's fight style look like in this world of Madripoor? Because we had to be sure to remind everyone that she has this technical background. She was a trained agent. In the comic books, that's her specialty. We struggled a little bit for a while with what weapons she's using. That shipyard scene was very unique. Does she come armed? What is that? We ultimately landed on she's using whatever she can find. That made it a little bit more brutal and gritty and interesting looking. It definitely made for some interesting fight sequences to learn. The training was very rigorous. She doesn't have any superpowers, so it really is down to the choreography. The stunt team is ridiculously amazing and helpful, and they spent all the time in the world with me. Every bit of free time I had I was there with them, and they were so gracious with their time. We just wanted to make it look as real and raw as possible, and the only way to do that was put the time in.

Well, I think you succeeded. Definitely did not come out totally unscathed. So, it was worth it. That makes me happy to hear. There were a lot of cuts and bruises and scrapes, but that's part of the fun.

I just spoke with Daniel earlier and he mentioned there's a longer version out there of him just fist-pumping in the club. What do you remember from that day on set? That day was insane. I think we had, for that whole dance sequence in that club, it was a very, very insanely quick, fast-paced day. But, oddly, they got a lot of great shots from my recollection of the boys dancing individually. Whoever has that footage should hold onto it closely. I remember there was a lot of dancing here. It was so funny and the boys are so hilarious. And Daniel's the best. I just love him.

source

#emily vancamp #sharon carter #daniel brühl #the falcon and the winter soldier #interview #*

[xiyao-feels]

new tu and xiyao fan from earlier. i searched ao3 as per your suggestion and there's only 500 or so fics for them. :( however, i do have a legit question - what are the differences between mdzs and tu (i've never read the latter). and if you want expand on nieyao (or xiyao) please feel free! i love reading meta! one of the few reasons i miss old school fandom spaces lol. thank you!! :D

Hmmm, I see about eight hundred if I limit to English? But I take your point! But that was just as a way to start; once you do find an author you like, you can look at their bookmarks, for example. (Also I'm not sure if you're familiar with the AO3, but if not, sorting by kudos when doing a general search is a way to get stuff that at least lots of people thought was good. I'm not saying it's perfect, but when you're starting in a fandom it can be better than the default by-date-updated.)

Also I'll take the opportunity to plug my absolute favourite xiyao author, roquen. I didn't mention them last time because they haven't I believe written a post-canon fixit, and you should know that they're mostly sticking to MDZS instead of CQL canon, although with some sprinkling of CQL elements and characterization. Some particular favourites of mine include their AtLA AU and their Sunshot/on the run fics (both series with a couple of short fics), their what you might call a mid-temple hopeful fix-it (divergence where LWJ strikes to kill and LXC takes the blow), the baby LXC fic ("Lan Xichen reverts to being a fifteen-year-old junior, and immediately gets an epic crush on Lianfang-zun"; disclaimer that I was fairly involved with the creation of this one but it's GREAT) and, of course, above all, their gigantic canon fix-it verse, it's worth it every time. It's SO GOOD and the characterization is fantastic and the prose is excellent and UGH. It's so good!!!!! Disclaimer that the second fic in the series, which is the main work, is still WIP, but roquen updates regularly and there are only a couple of chapters left; if you're still wary of WIPs, I'd at least recommend the first fic, which stands alone and is brilliant in its own right.

As to the differences between MDZS and CQL…ho boy. There are quite a few, both major and minor, and I'm by no means familar with all of them—especially the ones that don't involve 3zun, lol. I tried to google around but unfortunately the ones I found tended to be either short or, if more in-depth, contain inaccuracies about JGY/LXC—I think people tend to be more interested in the Wangxian, and then this stuff goes by the wayside. The wiki can be a good source for differences for specific incidents, and although I think it's not always accurate it /does/ usually cite chapter or episode, which can be pretty helpful. 

This, by hualiann, looks like a good overview, though I'd add that JYL, WQ and WN didn't study at Cloud Recesses in the novel and that more generally MDZS has a lot of actual undead.

In general my advice is to take things people say about the novel with a large grain of salt, myself included. And about CQL, too! I have no idea if this is you but when I joined the fandom, if people asserted stuff about CQL I tended to just kind of take it as fact—oh, I thought, I must have misremembered! My memory is pretty terrible, and honestly there was absolutely stuff I did misremember. But also sometimes other people misremember, or fanon gets taken as canon, and then there's stuff like—I mean, I'm certainly not going to blame people for not realizing that "JGY conspired with XY at the Unclean Realm" is a lot more uncertain than you might guess at first, especially if they're more Wangxian focused which most people in the fandom are, but I'm still not going to present it as straight-up fact. (veliseraptor has a recent post examining this here which I would very much recommend).

Honestly I think I'd recommend reading the MDZS NMJ Empathy flashback—chapters 48, 49, and the beginning of 50. That gets you a lot of the JGY, LXC and NMJ backstory, and then you can compare for yourself! I'm also going to recommend Mercy's thread, here, listing common fanons about MDZS (I will add to the list, since it's a bugbear of mine, the idea that LXC recognized NMJ's fierce corpse by his abs).

Okay with all that out of the way, and in no particular order, Sun's extremely idiosyncratic and particularly- aka mostly JGY-focused differences list:

-In MDZS, LXC doesn't become Sect Leader until the burning of Cloud Recesses by the Wen, when his father is injured and then succumbs to his wounds. In CQL, he's Sect Leader from the beginning of the show, his father having apparently died not too long before the show started.

-In MDZS, MY wasn't working for the Nie at all before the beginning of Sunshot; he joined the Nie forces just after Sunshot began. NMJ didn't instantly promote him to be his deputy when he's telling at the Nie men for bad-mouthing him; it takes a few more encounters and/or battles with the Wen (after which MY clears the battlefield and helps the commoners).

-In MDZS, xiyao's first meeting happens when LXC is on the run with the Lan books after the burning of Cloud Recesses. We don't see it happen on the page, and we don't know any details of that time beyond, like, MY helped LXC.

-NMJ willingly sends MY away from the Nie, with a letter of recommendation for JGS, after, uh, an extended overhearing of a conversation between MY and LXC wherein MY's desire to be recognized by his father and gain a proper place in the Jin, the opportunity offered for that by JGS recruiting talent at Langya, and the possible difficulty of obtaining permission from NMJ are all established. 

-NMJ sees MY stabbing a /Jin/ captain, at Langya, after he goes looking for MY. Rather than taking a blow for NMJ, MY stabs himself, faking suicide, then immobilizes NMJ (who's trying to save his life) and flees. This is because NMJ wants MY to go turn himself in for killing the captain; MY thinks they'll kill him, while NMJ says that if the captain has actually been mistreating MY as MY said, MY won't be killed. Personally I think that all the evidence suggests that MY is right, and NMJ is blind to the effects of his position to the extent it's a not insignificant moral failure.

-Okay, so, you know how in CQL MY stabs WRH while he's distracted with WWX, outside on the steps with the Sunshot alliance right outside? In /MDZS/, they're in the Sun Palace, WWX isn't anywhere near the place, he does it to save NMJ's life, and then he starts lugging NMJ's unconscious body out of the palace. And then NMJ comes to consciousness amd demands his sabre and tries to kill him. He likely only survives because of NMJ's wounds, and if LXC hadn't shown up (responding to a message MY sent for aid for NMJ) NMJ might easily have killed him. If you want a more in-depth analysis, I take a close look here in my response to someone's, er, imaginative interpretation of NMJ and JGY's relationship in MDZS.

-In CQL, NMJ's qi deviation happens at the stairs incident. In MDZS, it happens later, when he overhears JGY being upset to LXC about how NMJ treated him at the stairs, and, overcome with rage that JGY would dare (arguably in combination with being polite and pleasant to NMJ's face, although the last time he was confrontational to NMJ's face NMJ kicked him down the stairs and tried to kill him so), he kicks open the door and tries to kill him. He also kills several people as he's qi deviating (seeing them as JGY—while in CQL he also sees several JGYs they seem to be just illusions), and injures NHS.

-In MDZS, NMJ sets fire to all of NHS' nice things. I don't think we're told either way in CQL, although it's worth noting that in MDZS this happens after the stairs (and before JGY starts playing for him again). (I think they do something in FJ?? But I don't take FJ as canon for CQL; see confusion-and-more's post here).

-In CQL, JGY suggests to NMJ that he's always played the corrupted Clarity for him (though granted this is in Empathy, so it's hard to say for sure if this is what he actually said, but in any case it's the only version we're given). In MDZS, it's strongly indicated that JGY only started playing Turmoil for NMJ /after/ the stairs—there's a variety of evidence, but I think the most objective is that WWX, who in MDZS Empathy can literally feel NMJ's anger, actually observes it working beforehand:

Since [JGY started playing for NMJ], Jin GuangYao would travel from Lanling to Qinghe every few days, playing Sound of Lucidity to help quell Nie MingJue rage. He tried his hardest, without speaking even a single word of complaint. Sound of Lucidity was indeed effective. Wei WuXian could clearly feel that the hostile energy within Nie MingJue was being suppressed.

(Exiled Rebels translation, ch. 49)

And then the next scene is the stairs incident, so.

-In general, the degree to which JGY's position is completely awful is played down in CQL. confusion-and-more talks about it a bit here; I'd also note that some of JGY's dialogue defending himself is removed ( “Some trivial achievements?” He spoke in a shaking voice, “…What do you mean, some trivial achievements? ChiFeng-Zun, do you know how much work I put into such trivial achievements? How much I suffered? Glory? Without the handful of glory I have nothing!”, for example), we don't hear about his mother at the guqin scene, the temple flashback where his mother is dragged naked outside by a client and he's kicked down the brothel stairs is eliminated, etc etc.

-There is absolutely no second flutist in MDZS; also JGY tells us in the temple that QS was already pregnant before he found out about the incest. I think even in CQL it's questionable whether he actually intended to kill Zixuan (see this whole conversation), and significant unveiling or no CQL never actually says QS wasn't pregnant before their marriage so I tend to go with that too, but certainly it's easy to walk away with the impression that he definitely did both deliberately, especially if you aren't familiar with the novel.

-(In general, I think CQL JGY is a lot more sympathetic than most people think once you look closely, but he's also very much set up to look upon a more casual watching as Villain, so.)

-In CQL it's All A-Yao All The Time but in MDZS we see LXC calling him san-di after the sworn brotherhood, and then it's back to A-Yao in the present day (see my last addition on this chain here).

-In MDZS, JGY doesn't shove JL out of the way of the incoming attack.

-The LXC lifting JGY out of his bow thing is from CQL

-The watchtowers! Oh /man/ the watchtowers. God the watchtowers are so much. Uh, confusion-and-more has a post about how much they're mentioned in MDZS vs CQL here, and see my last addition to this thread for an argument that the watchtowers were indeed a force for good. God. Twelve hundred watchtowers. He must have saved so many lives...

-confusion-and-more's watchtower post also reminds me that CQL has the Guanyin temple giving out medicine, while MDZS does not

-The episode 23 scene where Sect Leaders Jin, Nie, and Lan agree to spare some of the Wen doesn't exist in MDZS (though I'll take the opportunity to observe that I disagree with popular interpretations of that scene, see point three here).

-In MDZS NMJ's fierce corpse is literally trying to kill JGY, there's no saber spirit. And like, it's been trying to kill JGY for a long damn time, that's why JGY dismembered him.

-The XY plotline—in MDZS, JGY recommends a young XY (who at thay point has a reputation but is not known to have committed any massacres) as a Jin cultivator, as part of an effort by JGS to recreate the Yin Tiger Seal. JGS has multiple people trying, but most of them aren't getting anywhere and XY is getting furthest. It's during this time that XY kills the Chang clan, and is discovered as guilty by XXC, who brings up the evidence at a conference happening in Lanling; the Jin are stalling, MMJ gets angry and shows up, he almost kills XY on the spot and gives JGS a lecture such that he's forced to relent and sentence XY to death (and incidentally scares JGY, imho quite seriously, while he's at it). Then JGS turns it into life imprisonment once NMJ has left, and then NMJ is extremely angry and attacks JGY at the stairs. (Ch. 30 and 118)

-I mentioned before but I'll add it here too: in CQL JGY asks LXC to stay and die with him, and LXC agrees.

-The CQL ending in general is...hmmm. Despite having most of the elements which complicate MDZS' ending (JL is in a terrible position!), it kind of presents as...happy ending all is fixed now? In MDZS I think it's presented as—more complicated, even though Wangxian do very much get their happy ending.

-Also LWJ is a lot less. uh. Okay, so in CQL he's more Mr Morality, and in MDZS it's much more Wei Ying Right Or Wrong. Also, he doesn't become Chief Cultivator in MDZS! I think that's my least favourite change, because it's like...LWJ hates politics, hates compromise, and never attends the cultivation conferences. At least one of 'this is going to be a major diisaster' and 'LWJ is going to have to go through some significant shifts in his worldview and approach' are going to have to happen, but that's not the vibe CQL gives off at all, and I think it really works against some of the major themes of the text :/

-OH RIGHT I knew I was forgetting something—in MDZS MXY's revenge is focused solely on the Mo; JGY is not part of the curse.

Okay I don't want to go too much on about xiyao or nieyao, because this is already quite long and I don't want you to be waiting forever, but broadly although I certainly think NMJ cares about JGY a great deal it seems to be about his competence and potential; he doesn't really seem to, like, actually like who he is as a person. JGY, meanwhile, is at first very grateful to and then increasingly exasperated by and very much fucking terrified of NMJ, but...well, he doesn't seem to be into him or interested in spending time with him for the sake of it or etc etc.

On the other hand—xiyao. Man, xiyao!!!! They just—they get each other so fast, they're /partners/, they work together so well, they like and they respect each other, they're both like—LXC and MS are on their own tier for JGY, LWJ and JGY are on their own tier for LXC, they're for each other in a way neither is for anyone else, they care a lot about the same things—it's not perfect overlap, obviously, but it's more overlap I think than either has with anyone else, they—invest, they're builders, JGY was planning the watchtowers project from way back and although I have no doubt he was driving it LXC was with him and!!!! ugh!!!!! xiyao are REALLY GREAT, okay.

#the best of men #more than one tag could contain #a gentle warmth filling the deepest of needs #anger burned in his heart #long meta #sort of #we can't change places #j #mostly jgy-focused discussion of differences between mdzs and cql under the cut

[yukipri]

Good evening, how are you? Hope your days are well, safe, and happy! I was wondering in your MerLuffy AU, how does Robin fit in? Because it's canon that she is the mother figure so would she also be a playing mother figure with bit more protective tendencies? Or would she fight alongside Nami for MerLuffy's attention?

Hey there to you too! Kinda hard to find “well” days nowadays, but we make do, and I hope you’re doing your best to take care of yourself too ^ ^;

Ah, Robin.

So I’m not entirely sure if I agree that she’s a “mother” figure in canon. I think she’s an older woman in a group of people mostly younger than her, and that her maturity and experience often has her looking out for them, or watching over them when they engage in more childish actions that she herself doesn’t want to participate in. But I personally have never read her as being motherly to the other Straw Hats. Possibly older sisterly, but even that’s kinda open to interpretation! She’s just their friend and crew member, same as any other friend and crew member, and you can defs have amazing friends who are older/younger than you without needing a parental element in your relationship ^ ^;

As for her role in this AU...while it’s certainly subject to change in the future, I don’t currently have any plans to have her romantically interested in Luffy, at least beyond a gentle comfortable crush that she has no interest in acting upon. I personally sorta do see her as older sisterly! And can also absolutely see their relationship as queerplatonic, such that Luffy curling up on Robin’s lap and Robin gently kissing her head while stroking her tail and even sometimes pecking her lips is completely normal.

Robin’s absolutely very protective of Luffy, because in addition to Luffy being her chosen captain and savior, she’s adorable, and we know how Robin feels about cute things ^ ^; Robin’s also hyper observant, and is absolutely aware of most of their other crew members’ feelings towards Luffy, oftentimes before even they’re aware of it themselves. And, I think she finds the whirlwind of heated emotions centered around her beloved captain to be absolutely fascinating, and honestly, the greatest entertainment she’s ever had.

By which I mean, Robin’s essentially the all-knowing Overseer of the ongoing Win Luffy’s Affections Battle that is going on aboard their ship, and everyone but Luffy knows it too. She knows exactly who’s in love with Luffy and how deep they’ve gone. She’s there waiting when they come to the realization and need someone to talk to, and she gives advice on how to deal with their Feelings.

She steps in whenever things get too heated in love rivalry, such as when Zoro and Sanji are snapping at each other for Luffy-related things, suddenly appearing between them and giving them a Look, quietly saying, “Captain would be so sad if she knew,” which immediately gets them to back down and sulk in their respective Corners of Shame.

And while by no means is she a cock block, she’s also very aware of how oblivious Luffy can be, especially to things like romance, and steps in when she thinks anyone is going too far without Luffy’s knowing consent. Like perhaps Law gets a bit too tempted one night, and leans in to give Luffy a kiss on the lips while she sleeps--only for Robin’s eye and mouth to pop out of the wall next to them, gently chiding, “That’s crossing a line, Torao.”

Let’s just say, Law does not shriek like a terrified mouse, but no he won’t ever be repeating that. Nico-ya sees All.

Sabo, who got to know her a bit better than most during her time in the Revolutionary Army during the time skip, sometimes slides into the library while she’s working alone and tries to coax information on his competition out of her, such as whether Deuce has actually admitted to his feelings yet. And Robin’ll laugh, “That’s cheating, Mister Chief of Staff,” and Sabo’ll laugh too, raising his gloved hands in surrender but hey, don’t blame him for trying! He’ll be back to try another day, because it’s fun, even knowing Robin’s ironclad rules of confidentiality.

Who is Robin rooting for? Well, everyone, to be honest. While her unashamed favorite is Luffy, she loves all of her found family and friends, and finds all of their confused, chaotic, and passionate feelings for Luffy to be endearing. She gives little nudges here and there, but mostly stays neutral, waiting to see how things play out.

(And she has a strong hunch that there’ll be no single “winner,” anyway. Her captain always surprises them like that)

❀ ❀ Send YukiPri an Ask! ❀ ❀

~This ask has been added to the Mermaid AU Text Headcanons Compilation post~

#YukiPri replies #One Piece Mermaid AU #Nico Robin #genderbend #blackwings-fallens-blog #longpost #long post

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

RWBY / MCU AU (2.0)

(reposting since Tumblr is being weird)

The Avengers

1) Ruby Rose as Tony Stark / Iron Man (reasoning: weapons nut, expert inventor, red color scheme, main protagonist)

2) Jaune Arc as Steve Rogers / Captain America (reasoning: awkward blonde guy who is always trying to prove himself, forged his papers in order to get into Beacon, team leader of JNPR)

3) Weiss Schnee as Thor Odinson (reasoning: yes, I know that Nora is the more obvious choice. I went with Weiss since I felt that she fit Thor’s story better. Nora doesn’t really have good parallels for Loki, Sif, Odin, Hela, and the rest of the Thor cast. As for Weiss, she started out as an arrogant heiress with a terrible father and brother. She later lost her inheritance and was humbled by her experiences in Beacon and with Team RWBY. To me, her character arc fits Thor to a tee)

4) Yang Xiao Long as Bruce Banner / The Incredible Hulk (reasoning: prone to anger, known for brute force and punching. Also, since she’s Bruce, she would be close friends with Ruby, which could mirror their sisterly relationship)

5) Harriet Bree as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow (reasoning: if the Atlas Military and Ace Ops are S.H.I.E.L.D. in this AU, then I felt that a member of Ace Ops should be Black Widow and Hawkeye)

6) Clover Ebi as Clint Barton / Hawkeye (reasoning: if the Atlas Military and Ace Ops are S.H.I.E.L.D. in this AU, then I felt that a member of Ace Ops should be Black Widow and Hawkeye)

Guardians of the Galaxy

1) Mercury Black as Peter Quill / Star-Lord (reasoning: douchey guy who always feels the need to overcompensate. Hates his biological father)

2) Emerald Sustrai as Gamora (reasoning: she’s partners with Mercury, green color scheme, can be said to be in league with Salem due to her association with Cinder, black character)

3) Roman Torchwick as Rocket Raccoon (reasoning: loudmouthed thief who mocks everyone, partners with Neo who is Groot)

4) Neopolitan as Groot (reasoning: characters known for their distinct way of “speaking”, Roman’s closest associate, cutest member of the team)

5) Cardin Winchester as Drax the Destroyer (reasoning: big, muscular guy who is not really known for his brains)

6) Cinder Fall as Nebula (reasoning: she’s one of Salem’s main followers, Salem being our Thanos. Also, her connection to Emerald)

Wakanda

1) Blake Belladonna as T’Challa / Black Panther (reasoning: daughter of Ghira, our T’Chaka. Her story is all about discrimination and finding a way to bridge the gap between humans and faunus. Technically, she’s of royal blood. She’s also part cat)

2) Adam Taurus as Erik Killmonger (reasoning: anti-human/pro-faunus extremist who is obsessed with Blake. His main plan is basically to kill everyone who he feels is a threat to his people. True, the origins of his obsession with the Black Panther is different in this AU but still)

3) Kali Belladonna as Queen Ramonda (reasoning: Blake’s mom)

4) Ghira Belladonna as King T’Chaka (reasoning: Blake’s dad)

5) Sun Wukong as Nakia (reasoning: Blake’s love interest. Don’t come at me Bumbleby stans, he’s a faunus and Yang’s already cast as Hulk)

6) Ilia Amitola as W’Kabi (reasoning: since she’s a White Fang agent, I felt that she should be the member of T’Challa’s inner circle who ends up siding with Killmonger)

7) Sienna Khan as N’Jobu (reasoning: this is to act as a parallel to her relationship with Adam. N’Jobu was Killmonger’s father, Sienna was Adam’s leader. Also, just like N’Jobu, Sienna was a radical who wanted to fight against discrimination towards her people)

The Black Order

1) Salem as Thanos (reasoning: main villain of the series)

2) Arthur Watts as Ebony Maw (reasoning: member of Salem’s Inner Circle)

3) Tyrian Callows as Corvus Glaive (reasoning: member of Salem’s Inner Circle)    

4) Hazel Rainart as Cull Obsidian (reasoning: member of Salem’s inner circle)  

Asgard

1) Jacques Schnee as Odin (reasoning: Weiss’ father)

2) Willow Schnee as Frigga (reasoning: Weiss’ mother)

3) Whitley Schnee as Loki Laufeyson (reasoning: Weiss’ brother)

4) Winter Schnee as Hela (reasoning: Weiss’ sister)

5) Klein Sieben as one of the Warriors Three (reasoning: associate of the Schnee Family)

6) Nora Valkyrie as Valkyrie (reasoning: besides the obvious naming reasons and Viking symbolism, Nora is also headstrong and stubborn)

7) Lie Ren as Heimdall (reasoning: okay, to be honest, Ren is Heimdall mainly so that he can have some type of connection with Nora. In terms of personality, Ren is also stoic and honorable)

Stark Industries

1) Qrow Branwen and Summer Rose as Howard and Maria Stark, respectively (reasoning: going with the fan theory that Qrow is Ruby’s biological father, then it made sense to have Qrow and Summer as the Starks. Also, Qrow being Howard oddly fits if you picture him as a raging alcoholic who unintentionally neglects Ruby while she was growing up)

2) Penny Polendina as J.A.R.V.I.S. / Vision (reasoning: A..I. and android who is close friends with Ruby)

3) Pietro Polendina as Ultron (reasoning: okay, so this one is a bit of a stretch. Since Ultron is the “father” of Vision, then it made sense that Penny’s father would take this role. Just imagine that Pietro is a rogue A.I./killer robot made by Ruby and Yang in this AU)

4) Oscar Pine as Pepper Potts (reasoning: Jaune and Weiss have already been cast, so I guess this AU is a Rosegarden fic)

5) Coco Adel as James Rhodes / War Machine (reasoning: I was running low on characters. This is literally just because her main weapon is a minigun)

Other Major Characters

1) Raven Branwen as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (reasoning: so instead of Ross being Betty’s father, Ross would be Bruce’s father in this AU. The reason for this change is that I really wanted to include Raven in this AU and casting her as a power-hungry general chasing her daughter around the world in order to control the Hulk felt appropriate)  

2) Vernal as Betty Ross (reasoning: to keep the General Ross-Betty Ross relationship to some extent, then Vernal as Betty made sense. Instead of being father-daughter, it’s “mother figure-daughter figure”)

3) James Ironwood as Nick Fury (reasoning: big military guy and the head of Atlas Military and Ace Ops)

4) Glynda Goodwitch as Maria Hill (reasoning: this would’ve been Winter...but I have Winter cast as Hela. So Glynda, being my second choice due to her past relationship with Ironwood, gets this role)

5) Neptune Vasilias as Jane Foster (reasoning: closest character we have for Weiss’ love interest. Don’t come at me Whiterose stans, Ruby’s already Iron Man)

6) Bartholomew Oobleck as Erik Selvig (reasoning: it’s mainly because he’s a professor)  

7) Pyrrha Nikos as Peggy Carter (reasoning: warrior, closest character we have for Jaune’s love interest)

8) Saphron Cotta-Arc as Bucky Barnes / The Winter Soldier (reasoning: there was literally no other character who I could think of that could fit this role, so I went with Saphron since you have the sibling relationship element with Jaune. This is obviously not a romantic-Stucky interpretation, this is more along the lines of Steve and Bucky being spiritual brothers)

9) Ozpin as Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange (reasoning: Earth’s protector, one of the guys leading the charge against Salem. Also, Ozpin looks like the kind of guy who’d be a mysterious sorcerer)

10) Marcus Black as Ego the Living Planet (reasoning: Mercury’s estranged, biological father)

#rwby #ruby rose #weiss schnee #blake belladonna #yang xiao long #jaune arc #nora valkyrie #pyrrha nikos #lie ren #qrow branwen #winter schnee #penny polendina #adam taurus #james ironwood #glynda goodwitch #mercury black #emerald sustrai #raven branwen #cinder fall #roman torchwick #neopolitan #saphron arc

[fuckyeaharthuriana]

I went through your links and I couldn’t find it (though there’s a good chance I missed it) but do you have like a beginner’s guide to Arthurian legends? I have like a basic knowledge from like pop culture, a few movies, a wiki hole I went down at work a few weeks ago, but there’s just so much stuff I don’t know where to start.

My links are a bit of a mess, and I think I put some beginner guides around that I cannot even find myself, haha. 

I remember that when I started reading arthuriana I focused only on one character. I think that was easier for me because I was really obsessed with him (Mordred, of course!), and I think there are different routes to approach arthuriana (also, be mindful that for me, approaching arthuriana = hobby =/= academic study!).

1) Option one is to follow a character of choice. In this case feel free to ask for more character specific recs, otherwise I have here a list of books I’ve read tagged by main characters and secondary characters. The Arthurian list of everything also has old texts (pre 1850) tagged by character! I think for me this was the easy route because I ended up absorbing a lot of other arthurian stuff in my desperate quest for Mordred content.

2) Option 2 is following the chronological order for old texts (main texts)! You can click on the arthurian list of everything where I added both characters, dates and download links for old texts, or you can check this post which has less texts but I put in bold my favorite ones (they also have download links)!

Personally, when I started I did a mix of option 1 and option 3, which is mixing up texts, just because I love novels and I really wanted to mix up my old texts with some modern novels and movies/tv shows.

3) Option 3 is mixing it up! Let me explain a bit better!

I have here the old “How to start arthuriana” post with mixed up old and new texts (here is another “How to start”). To summarize it, I do think that the main “old texts” that people cite and use as references are  History of the Kings of Britain (Geoffrey of Monmouth),  Four Romances (Chrétien de Troyes) and  Le Morte d'Arthur Volume 1 + Volume 2 (Thomas Malory) (with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight  and  The Wedding of sir Gawain and dame Ragnell if you are interested in Gawain).

Mixing them up with good novels for me was a plus, because I love seeing how stories are re-imagined. What helped me at the beginning was reading novels that encompass the whole of Arthur’s life, from his birth to his death, adding various re-interpretations within. This ended up putting in my mind a vague order of the main arthurian themes and elements that are used and re-used. Some examples are:

Sword at Sunset (Sutcliff), if you like historical novels

The Once and Future King (White)

Guinevere trilogy by Persia Woolley

Merlin trilogy by Mary Stewart + The Wicked Day (Mary Stewart)

The Pendragon (Catherine Christian)

Firelord (Godwin)

Warlord Chronicles (Bernard Cornwell), also historical

Any of Mike Ashley’s short stories collections

Some character specific good novels:

Arthur: Sword at Sunset (Sutcliff) or The Great Captains (Treece) which is Welsh inspired

Morgana: I am Morgan le Fay (Springer) or Morgana (Rio)

Guinevere: Persia Woolley’s trilogy or Queen of Camelot (McKenzie)

Bedivere: The Pendragon (Catherine Christian)

Kay: Exiled from Camelot (Baldry) and Idylls of the Queen (Karr)

Gawain: Down the Long Wind (Bradshaw)

Mordred: Idylls of the Queen (Karr) or The Winter Prince (Wein)

Lancelot: Guinevere novels tend to have good Lancelot, otherwise there’s Vansittart’s Lancelot or Lancelot by Gwen Rowley

Ragnelle: Gawain (Gwen Rowley)

Percival: Corbenic (Fisher)

Lady of the Lake: Here Lies Arthur (Reeves) or The Book of Mordred (Velde)

Merlin: Mary Stewart’s trilogy

Agravaine: Camelot’s Blood (Zettel)

Galahad: Blessed Bastard (Lehman) but it is hard to find!

Regarding tv shows and movies, I have written here a list of arthurian tv shows in order of my personal preference, with small explanation to why, but I do think for someone who is diving into arthuriana the classic tv shows and movies are:

The Legend of King Arthur (BBC) tv show

Camelot (musical, any version)

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Excalibur (1981)

The Sword in the Stone (Disney)

The Knights of the Round Table (50s movie)

Merlin (1998) miniseries

The Mists of Avalon miniseries

Plus, here is a list of movies divided by character and a list of tv shows divided by character.

Other nice and fun arthurian things to start are:

This amazingly funny Legends summarized video

For any “Who is who???” Bruce’s dictionary is an amazing resource

I hope this helps! :D

#arthurian #arthuriana #morgana #king arthur #camelot #resource #resources #question #where to start

[impracticaldemon]

what mbti type do you think are the captains of the shinsengumi?

Hi Anon!

I’m not an expert on MBTI, and I tend to overthink the Shinsengumi guys from Hakuouki.  So this is a little rough, but conveys the key elements of how *I* perceive their characters :)

Myers-Briggs uses 4 basic traits; there is also a 5th indicator (newer)

Extroverted / IntrovertedIntuitive / SensoryThinking / FeelingJudging / Perceiving[Assertive / Turbulent ~ I’ll leave this out]

Hijikata Toshizo ~ appears extroverted to some, but actually somewhat introverted; borderline intuitive/sensory; more feeling than thinking (as Sannan often points out); judging ~ INFJ (can appear as ESTJ, but remember that this man is both creative and a visionary, and prefers small groups; introverts can be - often are - leaders, but it takes a toll on them)

Okita Souji ~ extroverted, because although he doesn’t like sharing anything of himself, he does seem to derive pleasure and energy from being around and teasing/interacting with others (positively or otherwise); intuitive more than sensory (he’s intuitive in both a positive and negative sense); feeling rather than thinking (he’s intelligent, but passionate); judging more than perceiving (overall, he’s stubborn, with strong personal biases and a dislike of change; loyal for good and for bad; intense and can be very attractive) ~ ENFJ

Saitou Hajime ~ introverted (the truest introvert of the lot); sensory rather than intuitive (mostly a benefit, but can make him appear cold; he cares more than it seems, but cares logically which can be distancing); thinking rather than feeling (again, more balanced than it appears, but he tends to bury or not understand the feeling aspects of what he does); perceiving more than judging (he can be more accepting and flexible with respect to what is real or necessary than most; but again, he can appear cold when he isn’t; he’s very perceptive, but often awkward or silent) ~ ISTP

Toudou Heisuke ~ an extroverted sweetheart (but don’t forget that he does a lot of self-reflection when he’s down); intuitive (tends to add his own “gloss” to the basic facts, or ignore what he doesn’t like until it’s too late); feeling (for good and for bad!); a mix of judging and perceiving, on balance more perceiving: he wants to stay open to different possibilities and is constantly looking for better ways to act and think ~ ENFP

Harada Sanosuke ~ extroverted, but with a streak of self-reflection (he also appreciates the intimacy of close friendships and smaller groups); a mix of sensory and intuitive, but more sensory (he tends to work with reality and facts, and only cautiously adds his own personal take); feeling (he tries for thinking, but his basic personality is feeling; maturity has helped balance things a bit); perceiving rather than judging (Harada is flexible in his outlook and adapts well to most changes in plan; like most of them, he’s stubborn about certain things) ~ ENFP

Kazama Chikage ~ introverted more than extroverted (he truly seeks solitude over companionship; being domineering/arrogant is a form of introversion, in his case); intuitive (he interprets the world almost entirely within the context of his own values and upbringing); thinking (he is confused when others don’t follow the “logical” path - although logical to him may be different than to others; put another way, he’s not empathic, and honestly finds it difficult to relate to the “illogical” behaviour of others); judging ~ INTJ [Note that his character has an innocence to it, despite his casual violence; he absolutely believes in himself, his role/place, and his duties; he’s immature by most standards, especially early on; the world is disillusioning to him]

I’ll have to put a shorter analysis for the newer or new route characters, both for time and knowledge reasons… Maybe to explore later?

Nagakura Shinpachi ~ ENFP (I could go into more detail, but he’s actually one of the easier ones to categorize, although he’s as complex a character as anyone; don’t underestimate his intelligence or ability to be logical)

Sannan Keisuke ~ ISTP (the textbook scientist?; maybe, but don’t underestimate his capacity for feeling, or his tendency toward non-logical reactions; still ISTP is probably the best fit - in many ways, he’s the true realist of the group)

[image: Iba, Sannan, Hijikata]

Yamazaki Susumu ~ ISTP, with tendencies toward F and J; I love Yamazaki, and he reacts more from his gut than you’d think (consider his not-as-buried-as-he’d-like romantic views of the world - hence the ninja, the devotion to the Shinsengumi etc); keep in mind that this middle-class doctor’s son “ran away” to become a samurai

[image: Okita, Yamazaki]

Iba Hachiro ~ moderately extroverted (he likes being with people, and likes people); more intuitive than sensory (a romantic type); feeling (ditto); more judging than perceiving (both by personality and upbringing, but moderate) ~ a moderate ENFJ 

[image: Miki Saburo, Nomura, Souma]

Souma Kazue ~ a sweetheart who wears his heart on his sleeve (”earnest” should be his middle name!) ~ ENFJ (very moderate E)

Sakamoto Ryouma ~ a very strong E (yeah, okay, that part’s obvious); seriously, though, he’s quite canny, logical, and tends to see things as they are; flexible and always on the lookout for a better solution ~ ESTP

I hope this was interesting, Anon-san & others!

~ Imp

#hakuouki #hakuoki #haku headcanons #hijikata toshizo #okita souji #saitou hajime #toudou heisuke #harada sanosuke #kazama chikage #impracticaldemon #asked and answered #imp writes #nagakura shinpachi #sannan keisuke #yamazaki susumu #iba hachirou #souma kazue #sakamoto ryouma #long post #shouldn't have added all the different pictures!

[fallingstarsarentreal]

The Blue-Haired Minnie Mouse/ Purple Hoodie Guy

September 14, 2020 (6 months after Hellish pandemic break loose)

The situation is not getting any better in the Philippines. Everything is just being a huge joke here and we’re not actually getting proper response from the high ranking officials. Hence, I cannot help but feel quite hopeless with the situation. Also, the toxicity of my fandom has been getting to me at one point in time. So I have decided to go away for a bit, and go back to what soothes me at hard times, Music.

Truth be told, I liked his former band’s music, but I’m not in to the point that I will be stanning them as hard as I am doing right now. (I’m really not into KPOP except for Blackpink so I don’t have much reference... And I usually like ballad and relaxing songs.) I didn’t have the time to watch series then because I was too busy in my former job. Also, I have been into writing way before, so I would be satisfied with listening to their music from time to time.

However, by the time that I have fallen in love with their band, 9by9th, I found out that their “End Route” means the end already, no more renewal of contract of 1 year. I was quite devastated with the news and I kinda took it hard and tried to go fan girl over series instead. *SOBS*

(9x9th members: L-R: Thanapob, Ryu, Captain, Porsche ^^, JameyJames, Third, Jackie, Jaylerr, IceParis)

When Trinity debuted, I was really focused on Third and I can remember that I cried over their MV (Hater’s Got Nothing) because I thought that Third will be able to continue with what he’s passionate about. (Third is originally from Kamikaze group but the company disbanded, and his second group is 9x9th but disbanded as well after one year). I kind of followed them for a bit but then I started managing Philippine Fan club bases of my favorite series, with everything that happened, I got too busy... but all I can remember then was the old me crying because I cannot buy the merchandise from before. (Quite a noob then and I didn’t know about pasabuys and stuff.. so yeah). T_T.

(Trinity members: L-R: Jackie, Porsche <3, JMJ, Third)

Before hell broke lose in the whole world, I had the opportunity to go back to Thailand for the second time and I met those artists that I am following. I actually wanted to meet Trinity but there was no opportunity for me to do so because I didn’t even check their schedule then and I think there wasn’t any update regarding their work, so yeah... T_T. (Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed my stay in Bangkok)

So yeah.. After probably taking in shit from the govt for about 7 months already, and toxicity from something that I really used to enjoy and made me smile, I started to distance myself for a bit because what I really need now is not stress, but something that will probably lift up my mood. So what I did was to stress myself even further... watch mystery series that will probably make your head burst into thinking... so in the end, I actually stopped watching BL series and stumbled into their first series together as 9x9 boys, In Family We Trust.

So an excerpt from Wikipedia says,

The Jiraanan family is a wealthy ethnic Chinese business family, whose extended family spans three generations. Grandfather (A-gong) and Grandmother (A-ma) have four children. Prasoet, the eldest son, heads the family business, Jirananta Hotel, and manages its main Bangkok location, while Phatson, the only daughter, manages its Pattaya branch. Met, the second son, is a single stay-at-home parent, while the youngest son Konkan lives a playboy lifestyle. Among them (and a deceased fifth sibling), they have nine third-generation children. The family members seem to get along well as they celebrate A-gong's birthday, but when he dies of old age shortly after, and his will is revealed to exclude Phatson from inheritance of the hotel, she gets into an argument with Prasoet regarding its management. Prasoet is then found dead from a gunshot in his bedroom, and Phatson becomes a prime suspect. Prasoet's wife Chris also becomes suspected when it is revealed that Prasoet had been seeing a mistress for twenty years. The grandchildren, especially Prasoet and Chris's son Pete and Phatson's eldest son Yi, become involved as each family tries to prove their innocence and uncover the mystery of the case.

This was the first time that I started to look at him. Porsche played the character of Kuaitiao, the orphaned grandson who lived with Grandpa and Grandma. Kuaitiao is actually an art student here and he’s passionate about his drawings.

What probably captured my attention is his ability to lighten up the mood around him. Even at awkward situations he was able to make me laugh. And probably the fact that he’s close to his grandma and a sweet grandchild even if he’s an adopted one. It kinda got into me. I’ll be honest. There was a scene where Grandma wouldn’t eat, and he pretended to be angry and did not eat as well. I found it cute and smiled at first, but after few moments, I was sobbing already. He made me miss my grandma who passed away last July 15.

Over all, I loved his acting here. Rating 4.5/5

(But please, don’t make him cry because I’ll end up crying as well).

(He’s such a precious person guys, pleaseeeee... make him smile a lot, okay?)

So, of course, once you’re interested in your new bias wrecker’s work, you’re going to check his latest and previous works, right? So what I did next is watched their latest series (still with 9x9 boys, but this time, it was 7/9 only. I just found out that Thanapob cannot join the series anymore because he’s busy filming another series and Ryu is actually an actor of another channel. Hence, his few appearances as Macao in In Family We Trust) entitled as, Great Men Academy.

(Great Men Academy Cast: Porsche as P’Good <3, Third as Nuclear, JameyJames as Love, Jackie as Menn, Captain as Sean, Jaylerr as Tangmo, and IceParis as Vier)

The excerpt of the story is as stated below,

Love (Chanyapuk Numprasop) has always been a fan of the popular guy Vier (Paris Intarakomalyasut) of the famous all boys high school Great Men Academy, but she has never had the chance to meet him. One day, she sees the mystical unicorn rumored to fulfill wishes and wished for her love for Vier to get a chance.

Unfortunately, the unicorn interpreted her wishes in a different way and Love wakes up to find herself in a male's body. She is able to switch between genders under the condition that she must return as a girl before midnight each night. Love attends Great Men Academy as a guy, and works through the complications of winning Vier's heart and meeting new people while trying to keep her identity a secret.

I actually fell in love with P’Good’s character here because he’s such a stern but doting brother. Good is kinda strict when it comes to Love at first because he has to be strong for their whole family because his dad passed away. He’s a very smart guy, yet clumsy fellow. He can also be shy when it comes to Me. (His crush in the series. Why can’t it be “me” instead? Just kidding).

Over all, I loved how he brought to life my favorite glasses ikemen on this series. He made me cry with the way he handled the vulnerability of his sister, Love. His acting for me in this series is a complete 5.0/5.0! *For the love of Good, Please?*

I rest my case. I’m dying again of spazzing to Phi Good. (Okay. I have a huge crush on this character. The character, okay?!) hahaha

Wait... let me breathe for just a bit... *hyperventilates in Good’s name*

Then after watching the said series, I started to rewatch their Elements MV. And that got me hooked. I noticed his talent in rapping, singing and dancing that I wouldn’t have normally seen in the first place because I have a bias of my own before.

It’s like the more that I watch him, the more I fall for this person (in terms of being a fan of his). I kind of accepted that he’s my bias on Trinity now when I saw this video. (ปาว ปาว (Shout) – V.R.P kamikaze)

I’ve been reading articles about him when I came across the interview of Bangkok Post with Third and Porsche regarding their new work. (being 9x9th members and In Family We Trust). I found out that Porsche was actually a member of VRP of Kamikaze and I watched all his previous work. So when I saw the video Paw Paw/ (Shout), I burst into laughter. I knew from that time that he’s such a funny guy and he’s giving me positive vibes.

As I continued watching, I saw him with a Minnie mouse headband, and I lost it... I laughed a lot, which I rarely do these days. So by then, I wasn’t able to help it, I started to love this kid more.

I continued to watch all the showcases, the fancams, the v-live videos, the vlogs about him and goodness gracious, I am really swoon. This kid is such an interesting person and I really regret not knowing him right away.

As I get to know him, the more I admire him. I mean... for real, it’s even funny knowing his quirks. Like he likes to draw stuff, he likes to play the piano, he loves Anime and his favorite anime is Hitman Reborn! (I wonder if he likes Hibari Kyoya too). Anyway aside from his talent, another selling factor of him to me is his positivity towards life.

“Don't worry na krub, all TWILIGHT. No matter what will happen in the future or the situation, we are always TRINITY and we will do better than before krub.” #XXSIVK #PorscheSivakorn 

His positivity and his ambition would inspire you to do well and go on no matter how difficult things may be.

Thank you Porsche, you are indeed a good source of a breather in my life. Things have been quite difficult in the Philippines and no matter how much I wanted to take a vacation now, I can’t. Your music makes me smile a lot and at times, I forget my worries when I watch you dance. It’s like watching someone you idolize do what they love to do and give it all with passion makes you motivated as well and keeps you going.

Truth be told, you remind me of one of my favorite persons. He used to be brimming with life. But covid made things difficult for him... well it made things difficult for everyone. I really hope he gets his footing soon.

PS. I might not be able to get to know you in person in this life, but I really wish you success. I will always be watching from afar. :)

I’ll be waiting for your come back again. Thanks a bunch XX :)

#trinity_tnt #trinity #porsche sivakorn #xxsivk #great men academy #in family we trust #Sivakorn Adulsuttikul

[lily-orchard]

Why do you like Voyager over DS9? DS9 made the Federation relatable.

No it didn’t, it just made the Federation more superficially “morally grey” as understood by idiots. Voyager hit more heights of true moral greyness, unless you think there wasn’t something morally dubious about forming an alliance with the BORG, and had far more “relatable” characters among the crew.

There is nothing in Star Trek more relatable than the sheer level of violent bloodlust the crew of Voyager can be driven to if someone threatens Captain Janeway. And honestly, that’s what makes Voyager so much better.

DS9 might have been darker and more brooding, which some people interpret to mean “mature and complex.” But Voyager had a lot more heart and soul in the story. The way the crew became a family, the extremely personal story of getting home, and the fierce loyalty the crew has to Janeway all makes the story more meaningful on a personal level. And that makes a show leave a much more deep and significant impact than any kind of grand galactic war could ever hope to.

Look, Star Trek is silly. Conceptually it is VERY silly. Like, they invented a universe full of aliens that look like humans but have silly foreheads and represent aspects of human behavior. This is why Capitalism, Imperialism, Fascism, and Conformity are all their own alien races while the Federation represent a more idealistic and optimistic version of Humanity that is decidedly divorced from 21st Century humans.

The Federation was never meant to be “realistic” because it represents what Gene Roddenberry thought Humanity could become. You know how 90% of Moviebob’s tweets are about leaving obsolete aspects of Humanity behind and pushing forward toward a better future without the garbage of white bigots dragging us down? That’s the core that Star Trek formed around.

The Federation was never meant to be “realistic” it was mean to be something to aspire to. The fact that DS9 just progressively rips that away to try and make them closer to a version of Humanity that is, in-universe, antiquated and obsolete, kinda misses the point entirely and rips apart the entire core concept just to give something more “gritty.”

This is part of what I hate about the “gritty re-imagining” as a concept because in many cases doing that kind of thing involves destroying what made something so interesting in the first place to offer a shallow, empty husk of what it used to be just because the superficial elements seem more mature, deep and serious to someone who has no idea what maturity, depth or seriousness actually is. 

Star Trek was campy and used its campness to say something better than a realistic war story could, for example, asking important questions using a lens of inherent silliness. DS9 and late-TNG started to get embarrassed by their lineage and paint over it with a pseudo-depth that the fans ate up, seeing it as a chance to make their favourite show look like it should be taken seriously, but which doesn't have the appeal of the show they flocked to in the first place, essentially ending its ability to find a new audience.

There was more gravity to watching Neelix recount the death of Palaxia than there is in any of DS9 because there is something very meaningful in a terrifying and gruesome story coming from a jovial and light-hearted character who’s very existence was to keep the tone of being stranded in the Delta Quadrant from being too grim. This is what I talk about when I talk about the importance of a level tone to amplify drama. Drama is meaningless unless contrasted against the default state of the story.

Because DS9 is always dark, always broody, always set on this grungy, dirty station that looks like a terrible place to live… nothing stands out.

There’s no Neelix, keeping the mood lively.

There’s no Seven of Nine or The Doctor, having genuinely moving character arcs that reach extreme heights without sacrificing the tone of the story.

There’s no Space Mom providing a hefty amount of emotional, awesome, and hilarious moments and being one of the most inspiring characters ever written who the crew would literally murder someone for.

DS9 has no soul. It’s like if every episode of Voyager was Year of Hell.

No thanks.

#Anonymous #star trek #voyager #deep space 9

[dungeondivebar]

Dungeon Dive Bar Crawl - Heck Knights In Space!

As we announced last week, we’ll be running a 24 hour stream for Extra Life on November 6 and 7! Check out that link for some more information on the stream and how to tune in.

Each Friday until the event itself, we’ll be publishing an interview with the GM of one of the adventures along with other material to get everybody super jazzed for the stream.

This week we’re talking to Megan, though you may know me better as Retha ;)

How long have you played TTRPGs in general? About five years now. I'd heard a lot about them beforehand, but could never find a group because no one in my tiny hometown was a nerd like me. Finally, in my freshman year of college, I found a group of nerd friends, including Alex, and started a D&D game. 5e was pretty brand-new at that point, so we started in 4e and then changed over not long after.

What is your favorite thing about TTRPGs overall? I love the character design. I'll usually start with a build and work out the concept as I go, but as I build further I usually find the character's personality solidifying in my head, and it's only a matter of time before they have a specific appearance, too. I'm an artist, after all. 

How long have you played Pathfinder and Starfinder in particular? I've been playing Starfinder basically since it was released. I was barely familiar with Pathfinder at the time; I'd played a game with some friends that fell apart after about four sessions, and at the time I wasn't a fan of all the rules and options. Starfinder seemed a bit more reasonable on the options side of things, though, since it was brand new.

I came over to Pathfinder via the lore. I've always been interested in divine casters, and I took an interest in the gods of Pathfinder as they were represented in Starfinder. It's a long story, but I started writing a Starfinder fanfic that had me digging deep into Pathfinder lore, and eventually I got interested enough to actually try to play the game, theorycraft some builds, and get involved in the community of a certain other Pathfinder podcast.

Have you ever been the GM of a campaign or module before? I'm not quite a "forever GM," but I have GM'd a lot. My GMing resumé includes a D&D 4e homebrew that turned into a 5e homebrew, a 2-year Starfinder homebrew, a running play-by-post of the Runelords trilogy, Against the Aeon Throne twice (plus a follow-up homebrew adventure one of those times), an attempt at Hell's Vengeance, a rewrite of Tyrant's Grasp for an all-divine party, the Pathfinder 2e adventure Agents of Edgewatch, and countless one-offs. (Notable one-offs included an all-Shelynite party braving Nidal and a tournament of universes where characters from the Forgotten Realms, Eberron, and Golarion came together to fight Tiamat.)

What is your favorite part of being a GM? Getting to make up my own stories or add my own elements to prewritten ones, and ultimately, getting to decide what system we're playing, though if we're doing a long-term campaign the players get some say in this too. I love setting up opportunities for roleplay. I also like seeing what characters people bring to the table, especially when they have a lot of backstory I can work into the campaign.

What will you be running for the Dungeon Dive Bar Crawl? Can you tell us a bit about it? I'm running a homebrew scenario I've temporarily called "Heck Knights In Space." As the name might suggest, I required all the other players to be Hellknights for this game, which mostly just translates to lawful-aligned in Starfinder, since there's only one archetype for it and I didn't want to force everyone to take it. I don't want to spoil anything for the players if they happen to be reading this, but the module's premise is centered around exploring an abandoned Hellknight Citadel that's been broken into and involves both starship and ground combat.

What are you most excited about when it comes to Heck Knights in Space? Getting the chance to combine two of my favorite things-- Starfinder and Hellknights. As far as the module's content goes, there are some enemies that I've been wanting to use for a while now, as well as some I built myself.

Why do you like Hellknights so much? 

...In all seriousness, though, I'm a very lawful person IRL, and also an edgelord. I first read about Hellknights in the Starfinder Pact Worlds book, and basically instantly fell in love. On a deeper level, I'm intrigued by the different Orders and their different philosophies-- I definitely don't like all of them. You've got everything ranging from a group of detectives whose specific objective is to take out bad-faith actors, to a group of bounty hunters that operate across multiple star systems while using their codes as protection from those systems' own enforcement organizations, to a group whose main "thing" is finding new and improved ways to summon devils and work infernal magic. And they all operate under the same overarching codes, the Measure and the Chain, with what I can only imagine are vastly different interpretations.

What do you like the most about the Starfinder system? The lore! The flavor! Watching people try to come up with a balanced party for starship combat (or not try, and then just utterly fail in starship combat... I’ve had that happen in a few Society games, oof) is always a good show. Building my own enemies to fit the campaign is always fun too, especially boss enemies.

Can you explain how starship combat works for the viewers? Screams internally well here goes nothing. PCs operate from within a starship and choose a role on the ship. The only part of their character build that's really relevant to what they're doing is the skill modifier they're using for that role. It usually becomes a team effort, though, because it's a collaborative game.

There's different phases in which different roles operate, though the captain and chief mate can operate in any phase they need to.

Engineering phase is first, and gives ships' engineers and magic officers a chance to repair any damaged systems or boost operational ones to give a bonus to anyone using them this turn.

Next is the helm phase, where pilots roll off for initiative. It's a bit like Star Wars X-Wings in how it handles initiative: the lower roll actually goes first, because whoever acts second has the positioning advantage. (I think at one point Paizo admitted that X-Wings inspired them). Also in the helm phase, the science officer can scan the enemy ship to gain info about it, or can move your shields around to defend the firing arc the enemy ship is facing.

Finally, there's the gunnery phase, where ships attack each other. Obviously, the gunners act during this phase.

It sounds really complicated, but it's easy enough to understand once you get going, as long as you understand what your role can do!

What do you think players are the most excited about? Depends on the player. I know David is super excited about the starship combat system. Alex is more interested in ground combat; he has a technomancer build he's been theorycrafting for a while. Sam is excited about the huge variety of race options; last I heard he was trying to make fetch shakalta happen. Though if that doesn't work, we might see a familiar face…

What do you think our viewers will enjoy the most? If my brother-in-law is any indication, the callbacks to a specific group of Hellknights in Pathfinder will be pretty fun. ;) 

And that’s it for this week’s interview! Tune in starting at 9PM Central on Friday November 6 for the stream and in the meantime, join us at the bar for new Dungeon Dive Bar episodes every Monday at midnight Central!

#paizo #extra life #pathfinder #podcast #tabletop #tabletop gaming #tabletop rpg #tabletop roleplaying game #pathfinderrpg #Pathfinder Roleplaying Game #Pathfinder 2E #pathfinder 1e #starfinder #Dungeon Dive Bar #dungeondivebar