#firebird arc

[lumenflowered]

It's over. Team Rocket has disbanded.

May they stay that way this time; their four executives have all been taken into custody, and their fabled 'boss' never came to aid them.

There were several injuries. More for Team Rocket.

Zero casualties.

#firebird arc #mid stakes pokeblogging #pokeblog rp #pokemon irl #rotomblr #pokeblogging

[phoenix-before-the-flame]

oh that's really cool to hear!

If you don't mind me asking, how many chapters do you have planned for it?

I actually had to reconsult my planout for this bcus deadass i didnt actually know the numbers but uh

Arc 1 has 17 chapters

Arc 2 has 23 chapters

Arc 3 has uh, uhm, jesus christ 43 chapters

Arc 4 has 5 chapters

Im not doin a total chap count bcus i think the number might scare me off. But this is just a rough estimate where dependin on stuff the numbers can change.

#talking to the firebird #arc 3 i need to whittle u down jesus fuckin christ

[ladeedayda]

The way the author of tcf problem solves story pacing and deals with power creep is honestly fascinating. I'm reading through the maple castle war arc and like... Spoilers, obviously, but the author established this very powerful alchemy that Cale used for one battle for a very dramatic scene, but then was stuck with, well, a very powerful alchemy that Cale just Had Now. And sure enough a battle comes around that this exact tool would be perfect for. And Cale would use it; he never forgets anything that could be useful to him.

So how do you get around this situation? Cale has a fire that only he can put out, and that can be mass produced. Clearly it has to be nerfed, right? Someone comes along that can also beef out this fire?

Nope! Legit Cale is the one to put it out so the rest of the battle can continue. The mental gymnastics to make that work is INSANE. Love it

#the trash of the count's family #spoilers #There's so many powerful moments in this arc #I find it amusing how much Cale obsesses over the firebird thing and just never elaborates on it #*holds the dwarves by the shoulders* just do it it's gonna look SO COOL

[violetasteracademic]

I know this has been said a million times in a million ways, but I humbly request an audience to September Virgo out for a hot minute and share my dissertation on why the "Three Brothers and Three Sisters is *lazy writing*" take is by far the WORST.

If you found me through my Lucien Vanserra's Hero's Journey breakdown (I'll link that at the end) then you already know I am an absolute nerd about book structure. I do not beef with the other ships and genuinely love and am interested in every character in these shipwars. But I get a little hot when I see this take!

The reason being is that 3 and 3 is not "lazy writing." Lazy writing is:

⚫ Conveniently de-escalating all current stakes and conflicts established in the service of a romantic pairing.

⚫ Poorly pacing a book because now we have to explain why a character was thinking about offering another character 1 ticket to ride his face, but now he quickly wants someone else instead that many people offline don't even know about. Structure wise- (we are talking three act structure here, again I have broken that down in the link I'll post below) this means that by the end of Act One, the act in which the lead of our story has been presented with all of the information and their story has been laid out, they are now crossing into Act Two with clarity and set up, (side note-the first act is typically resolved within the first 20% of the book (or less!) we must resolve an existing romance with one character that has not even gotten its opportunity to be told in depth (i.e. Feyre and Tamlin). And reasonably introduce a new romance. As well as the introduction of new plotlines to accommodate the new romance. It's just... it's a plot and pacing nightmare. I'm getting the sweats even thinking about it.

⚫ Ignoring years worth of details and foreshadowing in an act of fan service because the fandom decided they don't like your character, even if you, as the author, very much do.

⚫ Introducing a brand new plot in the middle of a smorgasbord of unresolved plotlines so a newly introduced side character who has already had a complete arc in service of another main character can now become the next main character, leapfrogging over the remaining main characters who have been around since book one with active storylines in development.

Three and three is not "lazy writing." Three is simply a motif. A motif is an artistic/literary device. Three sisters. Three brothers. Three mountains. Three stars on the night court insignia, ect.

Writing is: Structure. Line level prose. Obstacles. Stakes. Character arcs.

I will absolutely allow the criticism that it is cheesy or corny. That is an opinion, and you are totally allowed to have it. We can respectfully disagree on that and it's no skin off my back.

However, Elriel (as well as Vassien) have the elements that *good* writing is comprised of. Characters with steadily increasing arcs. Obstacles at every turn. Incredibly high stakes. And in my opinion (though of course everyone is allowed their own opinion on this!) some downright BREATHTAKING one liners and line level prose in their interactions from ACOMAF all the way to the bonus chapter.

Please, I beg of you, understand that just because you do not like something does not make it lazy or poorly executed. Art is subjective, and when we use our taste to make objective assertions about things we don't prefer, art suffers.

For more on book structure and the possibilities of Lucien and Vassa's absolutely beautiful potential, hop on over here:

Thank you for your time 😂

#elriel #elriel endgame #pro elriel #azriel x elain #elain x azriel #elriel supremacy

[famouscyclenerd]

My fake interview with an imaginary e/riel

A huge reason as to why I doubt the possibility of e/riel, is because they don't really seem to have a clear indication as to what will happen in their book and the rest of the series, beyond the romance aspect. They really haven't gotten that far with their planning... ;)

So I decided to put what I've gathered from some of their logic in interview format.

*Keep in mind, this is just for shits and giggles. I'm not saying that this is completely accurate*

How will the romance go?

"Elain and Lucien will talk, they both realize that they don't want each other and they reject the bond. Elain and Azriel are together and in love, they will have a forbidden romance. Elain will become a spy and she is friends with Nuala and Cerridwen. Elain uses truth-teller to server the bond with Lucien. Elain and Azriel are likely true mates"

So Elain and Lucien will reject the mating bond, but she and Azriel are also mates?

"Yes."

How will they have a forbidden love story?

"Because Rhys said no"

But Rhys is not the enemy, I'm sure he would want them to be happy, as would Feyre, right?

"They will serve forbidden love and hide it from their family"

That sounds like incest, honestly.

"😲"

What of Mor?

"...."

That's exactly what Az said as well, haha! What about Graysen?

"She is already over him as she is in love with Azriel"

Sure. And Gwyn?

"It doesn't matter, she is just a side character in Nesta's story"

Could Emerie and Mor get a book/novella?

"Absolutely!"

But not Az and Gwyn?

"No, it doesn't make sense. And Sarah says her books are about women"

Is Gwyn not a woman?

"😠"

But we saw more of her in SF than Elain, right?

"Doesn't matter. Did you not read how determined Az was to save Elain in acowar. He didn't hesitate🥰"

He saved Gwyn too, and *reads from book* "slaughtered all of them within moments. He didn't hesitate"

"😡"

Sorry... What about Koschei?

"Oh yeah! Um.. Elain and Az will defeat him! That was hinted at in SF!"

Okay, what about Lucien, Jurian and Vassa? Aren't they tied to it?

"They'll be there too. Lucien and Vassa will fall in love"

Right! But what about Jurian?

"Lord of flame and firebird makes sense to me¯\_(ツ)_/¯"

Lucien is the son of Helion, though. I always considered Eris to fit lord of flame more, don't you?

"No. Lucien and Vassa are lord of flame and firebird while e/riel are death and his lovely fawn, kinda like Hades and Persephone"

Isn't that Feyre and Rhysand?

"... death and light, I mean"

But that's Lidia and Ruhn, right?

"Whatever"

Fair enough! Could you share your thoughts as to why Gwyn was in Az' bonus chapter?

"To indicate that she is evil or to hint at powers she's not yet aware she has."

Why though? If her arc is seemingly over and she's just there to be Nesta's friend?

"¯\_(ツ)_/¯"

Nice! *checks notes* What about the illyrian conflict?

"What conflict?"

... *checks notes again* Is there nothing more to do with these characters other than to defeat Koschei?

"And the power of choice! Elain is the girl who never got to choose and Azriel is the boy who never got chosen! Love will trump even a mating bond!"

But Az and Elain are actually mates, correct?

"...Depends on who you ask"

So Elain choosing Lucien is not a choice?

"No. It is a wrong choice"

But it is a choice?

"... No. And they aren't interested in each other"

How come?

"Lucien doesn't even try to get to know her, and Elain loses her boldness around him!"

He does bring her gifts though..

"So what!?! She didn't like the gloves!"

Not the pearl earrings either?

"She'll likely never use them"

Just like she won't wear the necklace from Az either?

"😤"

Sorry, sorry... But he also looks at her with longing, correct?

"That is just because of the bond!"

So they are mates?

"Maybe, maybe not"

You said Elain could become a spy. How do you think that will tie in with the plot?

"I'm not sure, that is Sarah's job after all"

So what will happen in acotar 5 & 6?

"Acotar 5 is Elain's arc where she finally gets a choice as she never has been able to voice her opinion. Acotar6 is about Lucien and Vassa defeating Koschei and falling in love"

With Elain and Azriel?

"Right! The article soft-launched e/riel for us :D"

What about when sjm talked about Elain and Lucien as a couple?

"Irrelevant because of the times article >:("

Lovely! Can't wait!

#acotar #anti e/riel #pro elucien #elucien #pro gwynriel #gwynriel #this is just a joke

[gallusrostromegalus]

AEIWAM question:

The Soul Society has the ability to interact with the human world physically, and wildly more firepower than pre-dead people have. Is there a particular reason the world of the dead hasn't pulled a colonialism or other form of resource extraction on the world of the living? Is there a reason the warlords on the fringes of the rukongai don't set up in the world of the living instead of the spirit world's most marginal land?

Why haven't the dead colonized the living? The dead have not pulled a colonialism on the living world because (and IIRC this is canon but it's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment) while Shinigami, Arrancar and other dead spirits CAN go hang out in the living world for brief periods of time, if forced to STAY in the living world, their superpowers rapidly degrade because the ambient spiritual energy in the living world is so low. That's why Rukia wasn't *immediately* suspicious when her powers weren't coming back after activating Ichigo's, and why the shinigami that visit Ichigo's school during the aarancar arc don't stay after the battle- they can't heal effectively. There's also the whole "Balance the total number of Souls between the living and spirit worlds" thing. I'm not sure what the dead having permanent residency in the world of the living would do to that balance, but it's probably Not Great.

Why aren't there fringe district warlords or other countries? Great news! THERE ARE. They're just not human. Hueco Mundo used to be the bulk of the West 80th disctrict, but then it got lightly dimension'd off by the noble houses after they stole the Soul King's bodyparts, and the partition between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society is made of the Soul King's toes. Heck, it's even got a capital city- Las Noches! Las Noches used to be drastically more populated before Barragan took over and murdered the shit out of everyone he could find, because there's a BIG difference between not being able to let go of the living world and actually resorting to cannibalism, and I think there used to be a TON of hollows like Dondochaka and Pesche who just subsist off the ambient Reishi and do whatever instead of eating people. The Eastern 80th district is the land of the Beastfolk- Spirits like kitsune and tanuki, the ghosts of ancient and venerated trees, the sort of thing that appear in Mononoke/Mushishi/Princess Mononoke etc. and the wolves that Komamura is descended from. They're not as organized as the hollows so they didn't get ghetto'd like Hueco Mundo, but neither is the Soul Society able to tangle with them,. See, the entire Court Guard System and Central 46 was founded SPECIFICALLY to end and prevent the warring clans that had dominated Soul Society for so long. So the Central 46 and yamamoto are very much erring on "Don't let any extant clan or district or whatever political org gain too much power, and for the love of god, don't start a war", so the East is heavily protected by the sanctions that keep any clan from raising an army to invade another clan (much smaller than what would be needed to invade the east), the fact that the gotei-13 recruits very nearly all spiritually powerful people away from joining that kind of force, and Yamamoto's personal connection to Komamura's wolf clan (Major spoilers for the fic but the upshot is that he will NEVER tresspass on Wolf land, and the shinigami are also forbidden from doing so) The North is uncolonized for roughly the same reason antartica is uncolonized- most of it is straight-up inhospitable to human life, or all but a handful of beasfolk and hollows. In fact, the only thing that "Lives" up there are Kami- Serious Kami, like The Firebird and other personifications of Major natural disasters or philosophical concepts. The ONLY reason to go to North 80 is if you want to pick a fight with a God, and why would you do THAT when one of them just moved into the court guards? (That isn't quite true, actually- there are quite a few humans living on the southern edge of the Zaraki District- but they live in isolated villages that change locations every few decades and don't appear in Soul Society census data. They don't pay taxes, but neither do they demand services. The court guard is aware of the tribes living up north, but so long as they don't start shit, the gotei-13 is willing to ignore them.) The South 80th district is... well, it's 95% ocean, for starters, and many of the lovely tropical islands in there are active volcanoes and/or hellmouths. There's quite a few humans living in South 80, but the overall population is even smaller than the tribes in North 80, and many of the islands are "Uninhabited". I use quotes because those volcanoes are the result of Hell cracking under the strain of not being able to pass souls through it fast enough, and making incursions into other dimensions. The Demons that live on the spirit world side of these cracks have no beef with soul society- if anything, they're very pleased with it!, but they're busy trying to prevent a dimensional collapse or mass prison break, and tend to chase off any curious humans, so the closest thing to a "real" government is the Dimensional Crack Stabilization Project Manager, and the Law of Hell is mostly OSHA.

Thank you, that was a very helpful question!

#AEIWAM #An Elephant Is Warm and Mushy #Bleach #Bleach fanfic

[kalevalakryze]

Firebird

Fandom: Star Wars - All Media Types, Ahsoka (TV) Pairings: Shin Hati/ Sabine Wren Characters: Sabine Wren, Shin Hati, Ahsoka Tano, Ezra Bridger, Hera Syndulla, Ghost Crew 2.0,  Warnings: Major Character Injury, Near Death Experiences, Explosions Notes: For Whumptober Day  16 and @sabineweek Day 2 Prompts: “Would you lie with me and just forget the world?” | Gurney | Flatline | “Don’t go where I can’t follow.” + Icarus Word Count: 3,571 AO3 Link: Here!

“Sabine, they’ve got TIE’s taking off.” Ezra’s voice rushed over comms, voice strained from exertion from whatever fight he’d gotten himself into.

“Copy that, do we have eyes on which shuttle is carrying the Lieutenant?” The Mandalorian dropped her rangefinder and rose her eyes to the sky, boot pressed firmly against an incapacitated trooper’s throat where she’d engaged on the rooftops. 

“It will be the one with a burn across the third quadrant of its left wing.” Shin followed, and while her voice was much calmer than Ezra’s, Sabine could feel the strain of her altercation across their bond in the force, feel the ebb and flow of the force where Shin used its power to keep plastoid covered troopers off of their closing position, flowing so freely beside Ezra’s that despite the odds being against them, they moved like a finely oiled machine. 

“On it,” Sabine cast her fuel gauge a wary look, there was just enough in her tanks that she might be fine, and from the screaming of a TIE fighter arcing through the air, she knew there was no time to top off at the Ghost. A TIE swirled overhead, left wing sparking and burning from a lightsaber having cut through it on takeoff. 

“Kark it,” Sabine grumbled, tapping at her gauge with a shake of her head. “We ball.” The woman took to the sky smoothly, jet fuel sparking into a high flame as she dumped more to keep up with the fighter.

The Ghost soared through the sky, streaking past Sabine and offering her a chance to grab on to Chopper’s head to save some fuel as fire was concentrated against the shields and engines to slow down the surviving Imperial’s ascent. 

Before the Ghost could pull away, Sabine was throwing herself from the ship’s hull, fingers brushing out as her jetpack sputtered, wrapping around one of the handles poking out past the hull to yank her weight against it, boots scrambling to push against the durasteel, hooking into the space in between ports to keep herself steady.

“Sabine, you need to hurry!” Hera called, exasperated as she pitched the ghost to the side, rolling out of the way just a hair away from the path of plasma as the TIE opened fire. 

“Work in progress, Hera!” Sabine shouted into her comms, hooking her fingers into the latch of the tie to stabilize before she could dig through a pouch on her belt, revealing her stack of the newest mixture of thermal detonators and the dye packs attached to the explosives. “Hello, beautifuls.” She breathed, fingers ghosting over the neatly stacked explosives. 

Piling them into a fistful, Sabine started planting them each, using the force to sail them across to the inside supports of the fighter’s wings, lining the hatch with enough to blow the top and settling the last couple against the engines, just in case somehow, the hull would survive. 

They rose closer to the upper atmosphere, Sabine’s helmet automatically clicking itself shut and releasing pressure to adjust. “Hey guy, I don’t have freefloating in space on my bucket list for the year,” She grumbled, making quick work of getting her charges set. 

“Sabine!” Several panicked voices hollered her names, staticy over comms the further she got out of range. The Mandalorian’s head shot to the side in time to watch an X-Wing swing in for a strafing run, she didn’t know the pilot, and wasn’t linked into their comms, but she could hear Hera on their open channel, ripping in to the pilot to get them to stop. 

It was too late, however, plasma scorched through the air, singing the air with a heavy smell of ozone. Sabine watched the blue lasers arc towards her before the Ghost could sweep in to incapacitate the fighter. Her legs moved too slow when she pushed off the hull, body turning as she fired up her jetpack, propelling herself away from the fighter half a second before the lasers struck the TIE and ignited her charges. 

Sabine’s head turned in time to watch the colorful, fiery explosion behind her; at least it looked as cool as she figured it would, she’d have to make sure she saved the clip in her helmet to watch later. 

Her jetpack sputtered mid flight, dropping her right into the path of the first shockwave. She didn’t have much chance to see the TIE go down, when paint speckled across her visor and then she was sent into a freefall, the resounding shockwaves hitting her like brick walls with a personal agenda against her existence. 

She was floating in a limbo of dizzy and peaceful, limbs too heavy to move, and her eyelids felt glued shut with weight pressing into her eye sockets to keep her from opening them.

There was a bustle of activity floating into her ears, fading like her grip on the world around her. She wanted to snap at all the people moving around her. Couldn’t they tell she was trying to sleep? A loud, persistent beeping ground away at her nerves, but she was useless in willing her body to shut off whatever alarm was going off.

The beeping grew higher in pitch, there were no breaks in the thudding tone it had carried before. At least the movement in the room seemed to cease, a pin could drop in the silence and bated breath of every body in the room.

Finally, some peace and quiet. Now she could get some sleep.

“Sabine.” There was a distortion in the voice that called out to her, warbling through the very core of her being, through the will of the force. Shin’s voice rang in the notes of their bond, scratchy and deep, but the other voice, the notes she could pick out, a tone she’d only heard in her dreams, a voice and a face she was terrified of forgetting, that had been harder and harder to pick out every day.

She wanted to snap her eyes open, to fly out of bed and run into her buir’s arms, to do something but the stones inside of her skin wouldn’t give her a chance to budge. 

“Don’t go where I can’t follow, me’suum’ika.” Shin’s voice sounded strained, and too far away, like their bond was growing stagnant in Sabine’s indecision. Fingers wrapped around her hand, warm where they sparked against the unbeaten pulse point against her wrist. “You promised,” Their voice wavered with emotion that they fought to keep concealed, Sabine hadn’t heard that tone since they’d gotten her back from the Bandits. 

Promises meant more to Shin than even their connection to the force, Sabine knew that better than anyone, and well… She intended to keep her word. Clan Wren would still be waiting for her, at the end; The Manda would not go anywhere, the cosmic force would still connect all beings, but if she walked out on Shin now… What kind of Mandalorian would she be? Surely not one who deserved to join her people in the afterlife they’d all strived for.

Sabine stopped struggling to see Ursa, there was no where she could go where her mother would not be able to reach, and if the unthinkable happened and she did somehow forget the timber of her voice or the sharpness of her face, she knew there were hundreds of others walking across the galaxy who would be more than happy to help her remember.

Shin’s hand started to slip from Sabine’s palm; She couldn’t move to reach out for them like she wanted, she didn’t want them to leave her either, didn’t want to see someone else give up on her. Someone was crying, voices were murmuring, she could hear the charge of shock paddles-

The first beep of the heart monitor was hard won, an exhaustive struggle that had the same reaction in the room as the flatline. Oxygen forced back into her lungs painfully, and warm fingers brushed against her pulse point once more, squeezing at her wrist to feel the next thud of her heart in her veins themselves. The tension in the room was cut with each thud and each successful breath, pain reigniting in her body in the feeling of broken bones and half sealed abrasions.

“Better,” She could hear the relief in Shin’s voice as their fingers interlocked with the limpness of her own, squeezing her hand even as the activity picked back up around them.

Ahsoka’s presence washed over her in their own bond, another string that she’d familiarized herself with, the calm soaring feeling that came with each interaction the Master and Apprentice shared through their woven destinies. 

“Prep her for the bacta tank,” A medic called out, unfamiliar voice ringing in her ears as cold gloved hands started touching her, though from the warmth seeping into her hand, she was able to rest easy knowing no one had moved Shin, at least until after the calm and quiet suggestion of sleep that had been passed through their bond, and the promise that she would wake up on the other side… eventually.

There was no way to gauge how much time had passed, but every now and then, Sabine would gain an awareness of the real world happening around her. Of Shin’s back pressed into the cool glass of her bacta tank, steadfast in their post as her protector. 

“Shin, she won’t wake up anytime soon,” Ahsoka’s voice floated through the void, in her mind’s eye, Sabine could make out the vision of Ahsoka stepping into the medbay, arms crossed over her chest and a carefully impassive look on her face; Ahsoka learned just as fast as Sabine had that Shin didn’t like sympathies, but she also knew that if Ahsoka’s distaste of Shin’s actions showed, the Gray Apprentice would close themselves off further and often turn to violence to defend their actions or beliefs. 

“You need to go take care of yourself,” Sabine could hear the lightness of the Togruta’s footsteps as she came to a stop in front of the tank, could feel piercing blue eyes on her suspended form, as if Ahsoka knew that Sabine had some awareness of the world around her. 

“I will not leave,” Shin was closed off to them visually, she could not find a way to bring some vision of the other woman to her eye, though she assumed, from the unease rolling off of Ahsoka and the concern in her tone, that her wolf wasn’t doing the best with her incapacitation. This must have been an argument the two force-sensitives found themselves in often, as Shin’s voice curbed on dangerous, the air Sabine could not feel filling with the tension of a hand curling around a saber hilt. 

“There is no reason to fight, Shin,” Ahsoka called, calling for calm across their own unstable bond; Her second apprentice varied greatly to the Mandalorian, and Ahsoka had never been able to determine if it had been Baylan’s teachings, or the influence of her time with the bandits that had them so willing to fight in a situation it did not call for. “She isn’t going to like waking up and seeing you like this.”

“Then it will not be the worst thing I have done to her.” They replied, and while there wasn’t a hint of regret, their tone took on something somber that Sabine wasn’t a fan of. The Mandalorian could feel the brush of their muddled presence, reaching out to the anchor point of their bond, to the scar that entwined them together forever. 

Drifting off to the comfortable thrum of their force bond being brushed against, Sabine was only half aware of the Togruta sweeping defeatedly from the medbay. 

Consciousness did not find Sabine when they emptied the bacta tank and pulled her from it, nor did it find her as she was cleaned up and reassessed, as what wounds were left had been set to heal on their own, with minimal medical interference, now that her body would need to fight on its own once again, enjoying her quiet limbo over the thought of returning her active mind to the real world.

The first time her eyes opened in weeks she was met with dim lights and near silence. 

Bandages wrapped firmly around her abdomen, criss crossing against her back where the jetpack had burned and shrapnel had made homes in her skin, now almost entirely healed after her extended nap. Sabine gave her muscles an experimental flex to ensure she could still move, fingertips touching and toes wriggling under the warm blankets; someone must have just recently changed the thin hospital sheets for ones straight from the warmer. Her movement brought the reminder of pain, aggravating sore muscle under the haze of protection offered by the medicine pumping through her IV.

Tired golden eyes scanned the rest of the room next. There was a raw set of armor, seemingly fresh from a forge, stacked in a corner next to weapons crates, where she could see Westar power cells placed carefully on top of the locked containers, and a newer model of a jetpack she couldn’t recall the name of leaning up against it all. 

Shin was settled into a hard-backed chair shoved right up against her cot, knees pulled up to their chest and a datapad sitting against them, fingers idly swiping along a document that Sabine couldn’t focus her gaze on. Her wolf looked exhausted, Sabine couldn’t tell how much of the darkness around her eyes was eye makeup, or bags from lack of sleep. Their hair was in disarray, even the braid carefully tied and sitting at their collarbone seemed frayed and rushed, as if  tying it had been a mere afterthought to something more important. 

The armor strapped to their arms and legs was filthy, burns scorched across unpainted metal and deep groves went unfilled, a state Shin hadn’t even let become of themselves when they’d all been stranded on Peridea. 

The only indication Sabine had that they’d showered or changed clothes even once since they’d gone after Thrawn’s contact had been the dark blue of Ahsoka’s tunic bunched up around their torso, leaving their bare arms on display (which, Sabine would never complain about, if only Shin wasn’t wearing gauntlets and pauldrons strapped tight to her bicep), and the way pants so clearly borrowed from Ezra were tied tight around her waist, bunched up and stuffed into her boots with their greaves strapped awkwardly around the extra fabric. 

“You look like Bantha shit,” The Mandalorian croaked tersely, wincing at the feeling of glass in her dried out throat. Silver eyes flashed to meet her open eyes immediately, the datapad clattering to the floor in the scramble of their legs to push outwards to turn themselves to face her.

“You look dead,” Their voice sounded as equally rough as Sabine’s own, bringing a teasing smile to tug at the purple haired woman’s lips. 

“What, didn’t-” A dry cough rattled her chest, she only managed to turn her head to the side to cough into the pillow, her arms still felt like they were full of beskar. “Didn’t have anything nice to say to anyone? Didn’t say anything at all?” It was meant to be tasing, but the pull of their lips into what little resemblance of a pout they would allow answered enough. 

“I’ll go get the medic.” They stood sourly to pick up the datapad, tossing it into the seat they’d been occupying for gotal’ad knows how long. 

Sabine finally reached out, atrophied muscles protesting even as her fingers latched around the cold metal of their wrist. “Wait…” 

They did, turning to glower at them with a rage that had too much vulnerability under the surface, weakness they did not want the Mandalorian to be privy too, even if she could feel it in the knot of burnt out nerves in her abdomen. “Would you lay with me, and just… forget the world a minute? Ten out of ten recommend.” 

Shin’s weight shifted between their feet uncomfortably, even as Sabine forced herself to move, to make room in the hospital bed that felt both too big and too small. “You need the medic,” They insisted, but it wasn’t a denial of the offer; Shin looked exhausted, and the prospect of laying down seemed enough that they’d be willing to let Sabine get away with just a few more minutes without being poked and prodded by medics. 

“I need you more right now, I’m not going anywhere,” She let go of their wrist, hoping the invitation was  enough to keep them around. IVs and wires were moved too carefully when they’d finally relented, though Sabine could feel the tightness in their muscles ease as their head dropped back against her pillow.

Shin was laying ramrod straight next to her, as if moving would break her, afraid to do anything that could hurt her what a softie, stabbing people one day, then playing statue to avoid inconveniencing them almost two years down the line.. 

“C’mere, Kurs’kaded.” Another grunt of exertion as she forced her arms to move, though they were quick in how they turned to cave into the touch the minute Sabine offered, tucking themselves up into her side as their face found their spot in the crook of her neck, fisting the fabric of the uncomfortable shirt in their fists as their nose crinkled. 

“You don’t smell right,” They complained in a quiet whisper, bringing a tired giggle from the older woman.

“Plenty of time to fix that later, doubt anyone’s been able to nail my skin care routine during my nap,” Sabine’s fingers brushed through their hair, relaxing more and more with how their shoulders eased and the way the force around them felt like it started to clear. “Speaking of naps…”

“You need a medic,” But their voice was already thick with sleep, breath soft where it began to even out against Sabine’s neck, the offer of safety in the arms they’d been missing for so long too enticing; they couldn’t remember the last time they’d slept. 

“You spent so long watching after me, let me return the favor, just for a bit.. Someone will come along eventually.” It didn’t take Shin long at all to nod off with the promise, and the press of her fingers against Sabine’s scar to ground themselves to her life probably wasn’t detrimental to assuring her of the Mandalorian’s survival either. 

“You’re awake,” Sabine’s attention was pulled from the sleeping blonde for the first time in hours, stopping her thousandth trace of the constellations craved across their skin in beauty marks and freckles. 

“Or you’re just tripping really hard right now,” Sabine teased in a quiet whisper, watching Ahsoka as the woman moved to lower herself quietly into the seat closest to her. 

Ahsoka’s lips pursed, clearly fighting a smile as her hand came to rest on the open space of the mattress between them, itching towards touching Sabine to verify for herself just how alive her Apprentice was. Sabine gave a quiet, fake dramatic sigh as she brought her hand down to rest overtop of Ahsoka’s, much smaller than the Togruta’s as she curled her fingers around the older woman’s. “What did you guys even do while I’ve been out?”

“Well… Some of us-” Her eyes flickered to Shin before coming back to Sabine with a knowing look. “Waited for you to come back.” 

Sabine offered a nod of her head in understanding as she bought her other hand from Shin’s hair to rub circles into their back. “What about everyone else?”

“Mmm. Ezra and I handled the Imperial cell; There were whispers of a New First Order, but it doesn’t seem as if they’re organized enough, not after our last round of strikes.” Ahsoka shifted, hand slipping from Sabine’s to fill the empty canteen that had been sitting, just out of reach, toppled over when Sabine had reached for it in the force, too weak to grab it with her abilities, and too disappointed when she’d found it empty.

Water was filled and passed over gratefully, as quietly as possible to avoid disturbing the slow, heavy breathing from the slumbering wolf; the only reaction they had to Sabine gulping down water was to press their face closer to the movement of her throat and to slip under her shirt, chasing the warmth that had been steadily rising in the older woman’s skin. 

“How are you feeling?” Ahsoka asked at last as she returned to her chair, taking the canteen when Sabine had finally finished with it. 

“I’m not going anywhere for a hot minute, if that’s what you’re asking,” Sabine promised, knowing that she had zero intention of almost dying any time soon, and that she doubted she’d find a return to the battlefield for at least a month while she figured out the limits her wrecked body could handle.

“Next time, don’t push yourself so hard. It was a close one,” 

“You’re one to talk.”

“Sometimes, the student teaches the Master, you know.” Ahsoka’s facial marking rose with the knowing smirk she offered, before she shook her head and rose. “You should get more rest while you can, I’m sure the medics will come to check on you once they believe Shin is asleep and won’t attack them again.”

“.... again?...” 

“Go back to sleep, Sabine,” 

#sabineweek #whumptober 2023 #day two #no.16 #lyric #gurney #flatline #quote #icarus #star wars #ahsoka series #fanfiction #near death tw #explosions #sabine wren #shin hati #wolfwren #ahsoka #ahsoka tano

[fictional-library-tournament]

Prelims round 1, poll 14

Propaganda

Komura Monument Library, Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

There are mysteries in it, but still somehow it is a relatively safe haven. There are like two other people in it. You can LIVE in it when you are fifteen and honestly what else do you need. Especially when you are young Kafka on the Shore dealing with family curses.

The Thunderhead, Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman:

It contains the collective knowledge of humanity and is a perfect, almost-sapient AI that doesn’t follow the “utopia is actually dystopia” trope

The Cloud Recesses' Library Pavilion, Mó Dào Zǔ Shī/Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu:

I hope someone else has submitted a better propaganda; it's been awhile since I last read the novel. I hope there aren't any egregious mistakes.😔

During the aggression that the Qishan Wen sect is deploying in a bid to conquer the rest of the five great sects, members of the Gusu Lan sect were made to burn down the buildings of their own dwelling, starting with the Library Pavilion. In standing his ground and refusing to do so, Lan Wangji had his leg broken by Wen Xu. In the meantime, Lan Xichen retrieves what documents and scrolls he can from the library and seeks refuge, assisted by (whom will later be) his trusted sworn brother, Jin Guangyao.

Later in the story, it will be revealed that in assisting Lan Xichen in protecting the contents of, and further in rebuilding, the Library Pavilion, Jin Guangyao has attained access to the forbidden chamber of the library, and subsequently has attained knowledge of a song of turmoil, which he then uses to induce qi deviation in Nie Mingjue, who is also a sworn brother to Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao. Nie Mingjue later dies following this qi deviation.

The Librarium, Fire World by Chris d'Lacey:

It's a museum of books! There are Firebirds roaming the upper levels!

Aunt Josephine's Grammatical Library, A Series of Unfortunate Events:

So boring that the kids aren't even able to enjoy it even though reading is Klaus's greatest joy in life. Has a sick, plot-relevant, badass eye window looking out on its owner's greatest fear.

Library of Records at Heimlich Hospital, A Series of Unfortunate Events:

It is a vast archive held under a creepy hospital, possibly affiliated with a mysterious organisation, and curated by a cryptic man named Hal who insists that an archivists job is to file the documents, not read them:

"'The Library of Records contains information not only from Heimlich Hospital , but from all over the area. There's information about everything from poetry to pills, from picture frames to pyramids, and from pudding to psychology-and that's just in the P aisle, which we're walking down right now.'

'What an amazing place,' Klaus said. 'Just think of everything we can learn from reading all these files.'

'No, no, no,' Hal said, shaking his head sternly.

'We're supposed to file this information, not read it.'"

Also his organising principle is absolutely insane:

"First, you remove the paper clips and put them in this bowl. Then you glance at the information and figure out where it goes. Remember, try to read as little as possible.' He paused, unclipped a small stack of paper, and squinted at the top page. 'For instance,' he continued 'You only have to read a few words to see that these paragraphs are about the weather last week at Damocles Dock, which is on the shore of some lake someplace. So you would ask me to unlock cabinets in aisle D, for Damocles, or W, for weather, or even P, for paragraphs. It's your choice.'

'But won't it be difficult for people to find that information again?' Klaus asked. 'They won't know whether to look under D, W, or P.'

'Then they'll have to look under all three letters,' Hal said. 'Sometimes the information you need is not in the most obvious place.'"

Absolutely bonkers.

#fictional libraries #tumblr tournament #archives #books & libraries #fictional archives #libraries #tumblr polls #poll #Kafka on the shore #haruki murakami #arc of a scythe #aoas #thunderhead #mdzs #the last dragon chronicles #the fire within #a series of unfortunate events

[malinaa]

the way the show went about alina's greed is so superficial like. the amplifier hunt should've been way more intense. after alina gets the sea whip she should've been hounding everyone else to get the firebird instead of just wandering about nikolai's hiding place. like her greed is DIRECTLY tied to the darkling's bc they're connected!! even if she doesn't want to be, she always felt called to him and his presence marred her powers... and without him?? her greed is meaningless. her inevitable corruption arc falls flat bc who is she to bounce her powers on ?? the fucking night sky?? the darkling's meant to be there to pull her towards him and she's meant to resist !! ugh. this fucking stupid show

#sab spoilers #shows #shadow and bone #s&b s2 #grishaverse #alina starkov #the darkling #text #tais toi lys #YALL GOT ME OUT HERE DEFENDING DARKLINA FOR WHAT. #* #lys lb: grishaverse #grishaversepost

[erysium]

Has the world of Kochab been influenced by any legends beyond just “Ifrit is a fire spirit”?

the overall story arc was originally a take on Sleeping Beauty. :’) When I started writing, around the same time I also had a school assignment to do some vis dev art inspired the Aladdin fairytale, so that had a little influence. I also really liked The Firebird, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, Hans Christian Andersen’s Snow Queen, A Promise Is A Promise, and fairytale-inspired work - like soviet animations The Humpbacked Horse (1947), The Fox and the Hare (1973), Hedgehog in the Fog (1975), and fairytale illustrators Vera Pavlova, Fritz Baumgarten, Ivan Bilibin, John Bauer, Arthur Rackam, Edmund Dulac. A lot of the webcomics I was reading & inspired by at the time also had a kind of fairytale tone to them.

#ask #process #comic #hmm #I'm not sure if talking about inspirations exactly answers this question #I think there were other direct influences/concepts #but they might have sunk into me too much for me to remember now

[lumenflowered]

[A video is attached; it appears to pick up directly where the last one left off. As Maria and the Kimono Girls watch, Ho-oh makes a loop around the tower, wings shimmering in the light of dawn—then comes in for a landing, perching upon the spire, wings still outstretched.

The Kimono Girls bow. Maria looks around at them, evidently weighing her options, and after some hesitation bends a knee.

"...Ho-oh," Maria greets, voice tight.

A voice seems to come from everywhere and nowhere at once— Ho-oh, perhaps? But then why is it being picked up the video?

"So it was you who called upon me," Ho-oh says. "I had hope that it would be you. Tell me, human from another world—what is your name?"

For a few seconds, Maria just stares. Naoko clears her throat meaningfully, looking directly at her.

"...My name is Maria," she says at last. "How did you..."

"You were not born of Johto; that, I would sense. Traces of your home still linger upon you, visible to few, tangible to none."

"Oh," Maria murmurs, very quietly. "I see. You... I have seen you before. Though I did not wish to believe it..."

"Yes. You are of much interest to me; those who were reborn through a power that was not my own always are."

She stiffens. "It was not you, then, who...?"

The massive bird shakes their head. "I bear no responsibility for your resurgence, no. Nor can I be certain of who—or what—was."

"Ah," Maria murmurs, even quieter. She looks down. "I see."

"...You have called upon me for a reason, have you not?" Ho-oh says eventually, when it becomes clear that Maria isn't going to say anything else. "Not that I particularly mind having an excuse to return here at last, if you did not..."

"I have."

"Speak of it."

"There is... a group of humans, called Team Rocket," Maria says uncertainly. "I thought that I could stop them... I failed, evidently, to stop them in any way that mattered. Now, they are a threat to the entire region. I call upon you as Johto's protector."

If a giant bird can blink in utter confusion, this one does, cocking their head to one side as if what Maria has said will make more sense at a ninety degree angle.

"It seems," Ho-oh says, "that some legends have not been passed down entirely correctly."

"...What do you mean?"

"I am a protector, yes," Ho-oh clarifies, "but not in the way you believe. I am the new growth rising from the ashes of a forest fire, the scar tissue over wounds that have healed. I am renewal itself. I lend my power to a chosen mortal, so that they may do what I cannot."

"I... see," Maria says, glancing over at the nearest Kimono Girl. "You have several options to choose from."

"I would choose you," Ho-oh says without hesitation, "if you are willing."

Maria makes a noise like something dying in her throat. She takes a big step back. Then another. Ho-oh watches her all the while, unblinking. Unmoving.

"That," Maria says, "is a spectacularly terrible idea. You don't know what I have done."

"Perhaps not," Ho-oh says. "Would you care to enlighten me?"

She freezes. Then, very slowly, nods. Mutters something under her breath, too far away for the camera to pick up.

"...I am not going to smite you," Ho-oh says.

"You might just change your mind about that," Maria says. "In my old world, there was a god that died, for a certain value of the word. Kos. I stood by and allowed others to desecrate her corpse. Then, when her followers took issue with this, I... I-I..."

The Kimono Girls are starting to look horrified. The camera shudders a little. Ho-oh merely nods for her to continue, and continue she does.

"I slaughtered them," Maria says, her voice detached. "You do not want me, Ho-oh. Anyone would be better."

"...Would they?" Ho-oh sounds unconvinced. "Whatever you did in your old world, you clearly regret it. Here, you have done nothing but attempt to do good."

"Attempt, yes. No amount of good can ever truly make up for what I have done, but—"

"That is untrue," Ho-oh says. "Good and evil are not absolutes, Maria. Everyone is capable of great good, and great evil, regardless of what they have done before. More than that... you are aware that rebirth can be in a metaphorical sense, too, yes?"

"Which means?" Maria does not sound like she was aware of that.

"Second chances," Ho-oh says. "I choose you because you are who this region needs, because in spite of your professed crimes there is great sorrow in your heart, great pain—you would not do such a thing again, I presume."

"Of course not," Maria says shakily. "I tried... for all the good it did, I tried to prevent others from visiting that place again. Even amid the waking nightmare I was thrust into as penance."

"...I cannot speak for this Kos, but that does not sound like penance. That rather sounds like malice." Ho-oh does not sound pleased. "You regretted your actions. You did everything you could to make amends. And she singled out... you."

Maria looks away. Utters a single word. "Yes."

Ho-oh considers this. "You have been wronged by the gods of your former world; I see now why you wish for nothing to do with me. Yet you were nevertheless willing to put your own discomfort and fear aside, for you believed I was what Johto needed."

Her shoulders slump. "If—"

"I choose you," Ho-oh says, gently but firmly, "if and only if it is what you truly desire. You are a hero."

"I—"

"You are a hero," Ho-oh emphasizes, "with or without my aid. You will find another way to save the region from Team Rocket; of that I am quite certain. You do not need my help any further than I need yours."

Maria looks at them again. "If I were to accept..."

"Then we would put an end to them together." The Legendary Pokémon almost smiles. "It is said that only one with a pure heart can call upon me; what is not said is that any heart has the capacity for such a thing. Even yours, Maria, as has been clearly demonstrated."

"...A question, then," Maria says. "Before I make my choice."

Ho-oh cocks their head to one side, regarding her silently, and says nothing. They wait, giving her time.

"You truly believe that... anyone can change for the better? Whatever their crimes?"

"I do," Ho-oh says. "It is my favorite thing about mortals, as a matter of fact—their potential to grow, so long as they remain alive."

She takes a deep breath. "Then I accept."

Maria steps forward, extending a gloved hand. Ho-oh spreads their wings again, enough to hop down to Maria's level.

Hand meets wing. There is a bright flash, the color as golden as Ho-oh's flames, bright enough that for several seconds there is nothing seen but that on the camera.

And then it fades. Maria looks back at the camera, the very faintest of smiles upon her face as she stands beside Ho-oh. Something looks... different, about her, and it isn't immediately obvious what.

"Very well then," Maria says faintly. "The days—no, the hours—of Team Rocket are numbered, and numbered few indeed. Shall we?"

The audible giggling of a Haunter can be heard behind the camera. It zooms in on Maria's face for a moment, making it far more obvious what has changed.

Her eyes are red. Almost blood red, in the light of early morning—the exact same color as Ho-oh's.

The video ends.]

#firebird arc #mid stakes pokeblogging #pokemon irl #rotomblr #pokeblogging #pokeblog rp

[phoenix-before-the-flame]

Levy. I'm a bit sad she doesn't get to shine much in canon, but I've always loved her design and character concept.

She checks off both cute and powerful on the list!

[Tell me who's your fave fairy tail character and why!]

#talking to the firebird #oh fantasia arc outfit i miss u so much #it was very fun

[captaincoffeegirl515]

Finally got to watch eps 7 and 8 and y'all

Y'ALL

I gotta take another social media break bc people keep going "How could he?! I hate the Crown Prince he's evil now!! He's such a psycho/coward!! Why's he listening to and siding with Jin Mu again??"

And all I can say to them is ARE Y'ALL BLIND??

To me and my sister, it's glaringly obvious that Go Won is planning something with Jang Uk to bring Jin Mu down. Like, in your face obvious.

First clue is during his convo with Jang Uk over the golden plaque and the North Fortress.

This isn't the first time the choice between staying in Daeho vs going to the North Fortress was brought up. There is also a heavy emphasis that "going" means "not fighting" or "doing nothing". Now in ep 6 Jang Uk says "what if I do go?" bc back then he had no fight/vigor in him and Go Won outright scolds him bc that would put Daeho in grave danger.

In ep 8, Jang Uk's answer is cut off completely. In front of Jin Mu and the King, Jang Uk agrees to go, but later when he's talking to Park Jin he says that he's ready to take up the fight and asks if Park Jin will stand with him.

Why would that be other than to show that Jang Uk and Go Won are working together to set a trap for Jin Mu. By Go Won making Jang Uk "leave", it lets Jin Mu drop his guard and allows Go Won to be in better standing with Jin Mu.

Something is clearly not being shown from Go Won and Jang Uk's convo and will probably be revealed in the last 2 eps.

Jang Uk even says to Bu-yeon that he'll be back earlier than expected. Why? Because he won't be going that far away in the first place.

I also wonder what Go Won meant when he told Jang Uk to wait for the "black clouds that bring energy". Is it similar to the black clouds/smoke that forms whenever someone performs sorcery like soul shifting? Whatever it is, it must be some sort of signal or cue for Jang Uk and Songrim to attack.

Then there's the turtle. After he first saves the turtle, Go Won literally spends almost every scene he's in harping on about his special turtle and how smart it is. Did you see how worried he was when he noticed it went missing and going so far as to ask Jin Mu what happened to it. He fucking loves his turtle! Now all of a sudden he's telling Jin Mu that he doesn't really care about it?? That's so sus! And did y'all see at the end of his talk with Jin Mu how Go Won's smile dropped and how he looked at his turtle's empty nest before giving one hell of a death glare at Jin Mu?

Go Won also keeps asking Jin Mu about his secret organization and clarifies details about Jin Mu's plans. He's clearly gathering all the info he needs so he can relay that to Jang Uk. Even his face in the scene where Jin Mu was showing him the firebird earthenware just screamed "Oh so that's what you're planning?"

They're definitely trying to get Jin Mu's entire org together in one spot so they can put an end to the whole thing in one blow.

And if I'm wrong I'm going to be screaming at the Hong sisters bc anything else would be a complete waste of Go Won's character arc and the growth they've been giving him along the entire show.

That's if I'm wrong, and right now I have never felt more confident about my predictions.

#alchemy of souls #go won protection squad

[ryoryeonggu]

So, speaking of season 3... I'm curious about what would be Mal's storyline in the next season. The guy just found out about his family and his amplifier status just one day ago before he decided to die and literally died. So when he finally gets on his own and has time to heal, has time to process things, would he be interested in learning more about his root? Morozova family? Since their story still tied to "consequence of using merzost", "creating amplifiers" and Shadow Summoners, which will also tie to dark!Alina arc in season 3 (and possibly potential solutions). Besides, Mal has spent time studying and reading stuff when he searched for the Firebird (I wish they had shown us more about it) and that's how he learnt about Sankta Neyar and the Neshyener Sword. He might have time to do a little side mission before (or while) he and the crew are trying to find out what the heck of a mess are happening in Ravka xD

And since he brought back to life by merzost (the same thing that Baghara's father did to bring back her sister), what will happen to him now? What is he now? What is the consequence of using merzost that Baghra has warned them about, is it truly just about Alina? So many questions.

#mal oretsev #malyen oretsev #alina starkov #baghra morozova #malina #i know baghra told them a bit but i still don't feel it's enough #speaking of which her sister's coffin empty? #is she still alive??? #the stag and sea whip were ancient creatures have lived very looooong years come on #and have they ever mentioned why baghra and the darkling are amplifiers i still don't understand #shadow and bone

[aroaessidhe]

November Reading

audio favourites

Godly Heathens - 3.75 arc, (reviewpost held for SMP boycott)

All That Consumes Us - 4

Fakes Dates and Mooncakes - 3.75

The Vanished Birds - 4.5

A Crown So Cursed - 4

Alebrijes - 4.25

Technically You Started It - 2.75

The Archive Undying - 4

Mammoths at the Gates - 4.25

Their Vicious Games - 4.5

We Are The Crisis - 3.75

Unwieldy Creatures - 3.5

Abeni's Song - 4

Just Lizzie - 4.25

System Collapse - 4.5

The Meadows - 4.25

Provenance - 4.25

Foundryside - 4

The Poisons We Drink (arc) - 3.5

Everyone's Thinking It - 4

Translation State - 5

The Absinthe Underground (arc) - 3

Cupid Calling - 4

Chain-Gang All-Stars - 5

Graphic Novels

Atana and the Firebird - 4.5

Brooms - 4.5

Roaming - 4

If You'll Have Me - 4

Nonfiction

Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement

Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics

Braiding Sweetgrass

Cobalt Red: How The Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives

#laya reads

[shelbbswrites]

I'm here to write about Shadow and Bone Season 2 — again. Shocker! But what can I say? I love the Grishaverse.

And I've been streaming this new season non-stop, so I keep glancing up and catching new details I like. So many of them wind up being diversions from the book that serve the story the show is telling well.

I've been meaning to write about this specific detail for a few days, but I keep losing track of time.

It's the Season 2 finale, "No Funerals," when Alina uses merzost to bring Mal back from the dead — but little does she know, she's ripping him away from peace.

The Shadow and Bone trilogy being from Alina's perspective means that those bigger twists in Ruin and Rising, like Nikolai's physical transformation and the psychological effects of Mal discovering that he's the Firebird, don't get a fuller perspective. It's an understandable side effect of making the heroine the narrator.

The TV show opens that door to a myriad of points of view which means Mal's autonomy and psychology are not only thoughts in Alina's mind but influential factors in a season-long story arc that is independent for Mal — gradually, as he questions whether his existence is dependent on Alina's heroism.

For me, it all culminates in that scene when Mal finds peace in the meadow, only to return to a life where he believes he has no purpose. That twist is packed with story opportunities, and Shadow and Bone utilizes it as a turning point for Mal within the time jump and (a hopeful!) Season 3 (Keep streaming!).

Ruin and Rising describes (and I'm paraphrasing here) Mal's second chance as a second life that was always his beneath the generational purpose of the Firebird, and Season 2 takes that second chance as a way to give Mal the freedom that matters at the core of this narrative. Choice and autonomy are crucial to this story. I wrote about it regarding Mal and Alina's relationship for CBR.

Becoming Sturmhond grants Mal that freedom, and I love what passing that title down means for Nikolai and Mal's dynamic in the show, which significantly differs from the source material.

The season spends time discussing the role of Sturmhond from Nikolai's point of view while expanding the impact of life at sea and the community it fosters through comments from Tolya, Tamar, and others. That life has a level playing field that Mal needs and in which he can thrive.

But nevertheless, that harrowing shot of Mal being yanked from peace stands out. And not only because I love how it was shot.

It's a common belief in fantasy and supernatural media that no one is ever the same when they come back from the dead (Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the standout in my mind as I write this.) So, I like that "No Funerals" doesn't pretend that Mal is the same, that something drastic didn't shift within him after all that.

It's an authentic angle in a fantastical story — a level of storytelling I believe the Grishaverse is excellent at delivering. So, overall, I like how it unfolded in those final two episodes of Season 2. Archie Renaux did a great job with everything.

And on a different yet similar note, I love that Alina uses merzost for the first time to save Mal rather than to command nichevo'ya. That difference from the books really works for me, too.

#shadow and bone #sab #grishaverse #mal oretsev #malina #malyen oretsev #shelbbswrites