#gideon just wants sasha

[igotsnothing]

Beginning/Previous/Next

#the sims 4 #sims 4 story #sims 4 vampires #DARKER #sasha #gideon #i don't think gideon's ever taken a bus before #sasha shut up #no need to go into detail about the mystery stain #but he's oddly proud of his housekeeping skillz #gideon just wants sasha #it was a misunderstanding #but we communicate #use our wordsesses #they're keeping it all so PrOfEsSIoNal! #*golf clap* #no feelings have been developed here #nope #love my fools

[genericnam]

Why, out of GF, Amphibia, and TOH, only Luz didn't have to leave her new world behind:

I've seen people complain about Amphibia and to a lesser extent, Gravity Falls, for having their series end with a goodbye; the main characters having to leave their found families and this world they've grown to love and return to regular life. But the thing is, the three shows all have MASSIVELY different morals, that each fit in with how the goodbyes (or lack thereof) work into the finales.

Gravity Falls has a large theme of temporary goodbyes and reconciling. Stan and Ford being the primary example. But there are others: Soos and Melony, Wendy and Robbie, even Dipper and Mabel to an extent. The show builds upon this with Gravity Falls being a VACATION, they aren't trapped there, they could theoretically go home at any time. Episodes such as Summerween and Dipper and Mabel Vs. The Future also build on the tone, telling that it's okay to both grow up and move on, but you don't have to leave behind what you once loved in doing so.

The final conflicts (Wierdmaggedon) are caused because of characters not being able to let go. Stan couldn't let go of Ford, Mabel couldn't let go of Gravity Falls, Gideon couldn't let go of Mabel.

Gravity Falls teaches the viewer that even if you love something, you have to let it go, and eventually it will return. In the words of Bill Cipher: "We'l meet again. Don't know where, don't know when. I just knew we'll meet again, some sunny day."

Amphibia has a similar theme of Gravity Falls, but it takes it further. Amphibia tells you that if you don't let go, sometimes things will only get worse. The primary example for this is the show's catalyst event: Marcy getting Anne to steal the Music Box. Marcy chose to go to Amphibia, rather than move away, and she dragged her friends into it with her. Instead of having a long distance friendship with Sasha and Anne, she took them to an alternate dimension in order to spend eternity on a massive adventure, and it got her killed. Marcy and Anne died and Sasha tried to kill herself.

And that's only Marcy. Sasha was a control freak that bordered on yandere at the height of her villain arc. Sasha couldn't accept that Anne was beginning to move on from the toxic friendship that the Calamity Trio had locked themselves into.

The trio were horrible to eachother, pre-character arcs, and they needed to focus on self improvement before they could even hope to be good friends. In the time between 'All In' and the epilog, the Calamity Trio would not have actually been able to be good for eachtoher. They say they forgive eachother, but that was forgiveness given during a WAR. Post show, the real feelings would start to bubble up. Anne's resentment for the betrayals, Marcy’s abandonment issues, Sasha's definite self hatred. The trio HAD to split up to have any semblance of a friendship.

Amphibia tells its audience that not all good things can last, and if you obsess and force it to stay, it can destroy you.

The Owl House has a completely opposite moral. It tells you to find your people, and fight for them.

Luz lived in the Human Realm, but it was never her home. Her home was with Camila and Manny, but when Manny died, Camila and Luz's relationship began to falter. That world wasn't her home. When Luz found the Boiling Isles, she was always supposed to be able to leave. This wasn't a summer trip she didn't want at first, or a one way portal. The Boiling Isles was HER choice.

Luz picked Bonesburrow. Luz picked Hexside. Luz picked The Owl House. Her home was always meant to be The Boiling Isles. She only started trying to find a way back to Earth because the choice was taken from her. Luz no longer had the choice to go back to the Human Realm. In fact, the only time Luz chose Humans over Isles was when she was PUNISHING herself for helping Belos.

Luz got to stay in the Boiling Isles because TOH tells its audience that where you start isn't where you should always stay. Find your place and find your people. And when you do, hold it dear and never let go. "Us weirdos have to stick together."

#the owl house #amphiba #gravity falls #luz noceda #anne boonchuy #sasha waybright #marcy wu #mabel pines #character essay #monologuing to the void #gravity falls spoilers #amphibia spoilers #the owl house spoilers

[just-an-enby-lemon]

Sir Bertrand Mcguffingan from District 2 is exactally what the Capitol expects when hearing the word Victor: a born killer in golden armor with silly anthics and the same levels of empathy a brick wall has for the unfortunate driver that hitted it (and vaguely the same brains). That is in itself odd. People shouldn't be so blasé about the constant slaughter of their neighboors even when treated as special for it. But that's the wonder of the career districts and Bertie isn't special even in his awfullness.

Hamid Saleh Haroun al-Tahan from 1 is more likely what one would expect from a career. Someone that always felt a bit unconfortable with the games but not enough to actually see something bad with it. Specially not when most of his family is made of victors and important people nor when his friends were all up to it. Gideon was a legend after all. Someone who was way too soft but always pretended not to be until he won his games and couldn't drive the nightmares alway. Couldn't pretend it had all been worth it.

Zolf Smith from four was barely a career. He did what he had to do to survive both in games and outside of it and while he respected Barnes he never bought the honor talk the other Victor tried to use to keep himself sane. He was cynical and realist and he lost more and more of himself at every kid he send to die.

Howard Carter from 5 was a surprise only because he voluntered by a random impulse and maybe just a hope that winning would make the judment stop. It didn't. He drank a lot nowdays.

Azu from District 8 should not have survived. She was physically strong but she had a big bleeding heart and not a single one of her peers had any hope she would get out of it. They liked her, loved her even. But when she got out of the arena, blood on her pink clothes and tears for the friends she lost people were shocked. She always lit a candle for the lost in the temple of Afrodite. The fact she was still soo good was probably the surprise.

Grizzop Drik Ach Armsterdam from Distric 11 knew his way with a bow and took no punches from anyone. He was a force of nature. He didn't regret winning nor the people he had to kill but he hated the system that made him do it with passion. The fact that the Capital had let him mostly by himself was probably the biggest surprise.

Celiquillithon "Cel" Sidebottom from 3 was the Victor everyone hoped to be. Not because they were coping better than any of the others but because they were still abble to build a comunity afterwards. Because they took care of the people of their district, used their money and inventions to help, visited their homes, offered smiles and advices and did the best they could. And people noticed it. They counted on Cel. It was a complicated situation because it was the perfect grounds for a revolution but also because the Capital had the whole District as form to keep them in line.

Sasha Rackett from District 12 came from nowhere. She was a poor kid from a forgotten place with no carisma and no mentor and she should've died. She was too sincere and too standofish and too good with a knife and small spaces and the way she cried when her district partner died and the way she killed and the way she smiled like she didn't want to be there. There was something about Sasha.

Oscar Wilde was not a Victor. In fact for most people he was as Capital as they come and he was fine with it. No one needed to know about his late mother nightmares or Esperanza or an arena she refused to talk about even when it cleared haunted her. His sister died in the districts, his accent died quickly after in the Capitol. He trusted the Capital goverment as much as he could throw them (so taking in consideration his lack of upper body strengh and the fact they were all dragons not at all) and the Harlequins trusted him even less. None of it mattered. What mattered was that the Victors loved him in front of the cameras and every single one hated him when the lights turned out and the interview was over and it was fine. No one suspects the press of revolution wich is absolutly stupid but he is fine with it. No one suspects a spy of anything as long as they are doing a good job.

None of them fit very well as the biggest hope the world has of changing. Not the way Curie and her Council (apart from Einsten) did. Not even the way Earhart did. But no one actually fits the roles the world gives them, they just have to keep trying.

#i'm soo deleting this later #thinking about my ambitious hunger games rpg i would dm if i had the time #and this happened instead #rqg #rusty quill gaming #hunger games

[eljeebee]

OC question of the day!

If you could make a character real, which of your OCs would be:

your bestie

your spouse/partner

your secret lover!

your friendly rival

your enemy!

BONUS: do this for other people’s OCs too!

Pass the game along (anonymously or not)

Thanks for the ask!!!! 💜

BESTIE

I want to be friends with Sid Harper and Louie Davis! They're a fun bunch to be with. I usually don't bat an eye to couples IRL, but they're going to be one of those couples that I'll keep a close eye on and cry if they break up (THEY WON'T; I'M THE WATCHER AFTER ALL!)

Either them, or Penrose Walters. I really admire Penny's patience working for the royal family, and patience with her boss. I feel like she has a lot of stories (keyword: personal experiences) to tell over brunch.

SPOUSE/PARTNER

See, when asked this, I can't think of anyone because I'm done with relationships IRL 💀 but for this time, it's either Jason Davis or his wife, Sophia Davis (or why not both?!?!?!) They're supportive of each other, and they're the type of couple that reciprocates on the things they do. Jason do the chores on the morning, cook for the family in the mornings, since his shift always starts at noon until midnight, and Sophia will takeover the house on nights and weekends!

But my husband is also Emilio by @pralinesims (hehehehe)

SECRET LOVER

I want my secret lover(s) to be either Valentina Asvang or Percival Asvang...or both 😏 both of them gives love at first sight.

Valentina will be subtle. She'll know what your daily schedule is when you go to the coffee shop to get your coffee fix. Val will always be in your peripheral. Always there. Barely noticed. And she doesn't mind it. You'll just suddenly feel safe...as in, if someone tries to pick a fight on you, the next day, you won't have to worry about. They've been taken care of.

Percival, however, will be more upfront. He'll try to get close to you, get your number. He'll try to be smooth - and he will be smooth. You'll suddenly get hit by realization that you've fallen in love with him, hard.

Also I'd love to have Gideon by @igotsnothing as my secret lover 😍😍😍 (so sorry, Sasha)

FRIENDLY RIVAL

My friendly rival? Perhaps Penrose Walters! Besties and workplace buddies!

ENEMY

Lady Lana Beau, 'nuff said.

#ask lana and she shall answer #ask games #igglemouse

[mdhwrites]

So, what made the villains in Amphibia, DuckTales 2017, maybe Star vs seasons 1-3, and Gravity Falls like Andrias, the Core, Grime, Sasha, Magica, Bradford, Lunaris, Glomgold, Ludo, Toffee, Meteora, Gideon, and Bill Cipher work better than TOH's villains like Belos and the Collector?

Okay so on the one hand, it's reasonable to ask me about what makes something work if The Owl House is failing at it. I'm assuming the same person though has sent me this sort of ask three times now where it's like "Hey, if TOH fucked this up, what makes it work for these others" and its kind of uncomfortable for me. First there's just the fact that I have not seen any of these series to their endings. I've watched one season of Star, literally a handful of Gravity Falls episodes and a season and a half of Amphibia. I cannot do the deep dives on any of these shows that I can do with TOH that help highlight them. But perhaps more importantly: I don't like the DIRECT opposition of these shows against each other. I have done blogs like that and even on a subject like this I've mentioned Amphibia's monsters. That's to prove an overall point though and to teach about the writing. When the thesis is "Why are these shows better than TOH" it gets... It gives the impression that if I can't prove ALL of these correct, then you won't believe the original analysis which goes into why these elements don't work and thus also does go into partially why they do work. And that's not a good place to be in a debate. It's just kind of uncomfortable and sets a bad precedent. Like if you just want to know what good villain writing looks like... Ask that. Until very recently I was calling myself a professional writer for a reason. I know what I'm talking about. I can just go into what makes a good one off villain versus a big bad, a good organized villain and not, etc. like that and I'll figure out examples that work well for the concept of the lesson. And that's the thing: I talk about this stuff as lessons, not to prove TOH is categorically worse than anything else out there. That's not my goal and explicitly attacking it while uplifting other modern cartoons is explicitly trying to prove why TOH is worse than them and I'm not comfortable with that. Just as a quick example though for what a villains lesson from me would look like, one part of it is absolutely tone. If we aren't SUPPOSED to take the threat seriously, than a goofball villain is great. Look at Jack Cypher from Xaolin showdown. He's the main bad guy for a WHILE and he works really well for while the series isn't that serious and then they swap in for a tonally consistent big bad when they get more dramatic. Jessie and James aren't great villains because they're successful but because they facilitate a LOT of great silliness keeping in tone with childishness of Pokemon. But these are also consistent villains who when they bare their teeth, that shock hits both the story and the viewer but also only if it's earned, just like Zuko turning good only works as a villain redemption because he earns that right to change his inherent tone. The Collector and Belos don't do this. They're tonally inconsistent. We never really know how seriously we're supposed to take Belos because the show has a hard time keeping him intimidating while glorifying Luz. It's part of what makes Elsewhere Elsewhen suck so much. We can't take Belos as seriously anymore and we're not sure what his tone is supposed to be when we're obviously meant to think Philip is kind of an idiot, one note asshole, etc. like that and then all the mystique and threat Belos is simultaneously terminated. The Collector similarly is meant to be tonally a big threat and problem which lasts until the end of King's Tide. After that, his tone is literally anything but threatening so you're just waiting for his redemption that won't be earned and bored the rest of the time. And those are just big bads. One off villains have their own issues with tone and presentation and keeping up some sort of novelty to them. I can ABSOLUTELY do a blog about villains in general. I just don't want it to be explicitly about "Yeah, TOH fucking blows versus the modern cartoon market". That's just not my goal and it never has been.

#toh critical #the owl house criticism

[yantooning]

X READER REQUESTS?

hi there! my name is cal and im a new writer :) i have been very fixated on cartoons lately and wanted to make a blog dedicated to fics of them!! pls note this blog is probably going to be yandere centric, just keep that in mind when interacting :)

who/what i write for:

the owl house

belos/phillip wittebane

eda clawthorne

raine whispers

darius deamonne

odalia blight

alador blight

terra snapdragon

luz noceda (aged up)

hunter/the golden guard (aged up)

willow park (aged up)

gus porter (aged up)

amity blight (aged up)

vee (aged up)

the collector (platonic)

king (platonic)

gravity falls (i also write for AUs such as reverse falls!)

stanford pines

stanley pines

bill cipher

dipper pines (aged up)

mabel pines (aged up)

wendy (aged up)

gideon gleeful (aged up)

pacifica northwest (aged up)

amphibia

anne boonchuy (aged up)

sasha waybright (aged up)

marcy wu (aged up)

more to be added!

rules/criteria:

im perfectly fine with NSFW! but please do not request NSFW for characters who are aged up!

please let me know if you want yandere romantic/platonic, or regular romantic/platonic hcs/drabbles/oneshots!

reader is gender neutral unless specified to be orherwise!

this blog is 16+ !! please DNI if you are under that age. and if you are under 18, please don't interact with my NSFW works!

please specify if you want headcanons or a oneshot, or both!

thats all for now!! please send requests to my inbox :)

#yandere #the owl house x reader #toh x reader #gravity falls x reader #amphibia x reader #emperor belos #phillip wittebane #eda clawthorne #raine whispers #darius deamonne #terra snapdragon #luz noceda #amity blight #alador blight #odalia blight #gus porter #willow park #hunter noceda #hunter toh #the golden guard #mabel pines #dipper pines #ford pines #stanford pines #stanley pines #wendy courderoy #gideon gleeful #bill cipher #pacifica northwest #sasha waybright

[tenpintsof-sundrop]

sorry if you have answered this already, but who are your favorite characters in Twd ?

I haven't answered this before!! I have posted about my favourite characters before - reblogging gifsets and such, but I have never made an official list of my favourite characters. So I thought this would be interesting. Based on this, I decided to do an official list of

My Top Ten Favourite Characters In The Walking Dead

Fair warning: This list contains spoilers for the show. If you are just watching the show for the first time, or if you have never seen it before and you want to watch it spoiler-free, then don't read this list. It contains mentions of character deaths and major plot points from the show.

Honorable Mentions: Gareth (probably my favourite villain from the whole show), Noah (such a great character, saddest death), Carol (her character arc is so good that it makes me wanna vomit confetti), T-Dog (they wasted his character so much it makes me wanna cry sometimes), Sasha (such an amazing badass and I love her soft, sweet moments, and her death literally had me screaming), Andrea (I love the display of a sister/sister dynamic with her and Amy, and I love how they showed her struggle with mental health and suicidal ideation and being left behind). OH FUCK I ALMOST FORGOT (because I haven't watched their seasons in a while, I have an excuse) - King Ezekiel (he is so sexy and like he has a TIGER and the way he talks is so beautiful I don't care if it's theater kid bs), Jerry (I love him so much I need to write a fic about him some day), Aaron (Rick tying him to a pole and forcing him to eat applesauce as a form of torture will forever live on in my mind as peak comedy).

There is actually very few characters from the show I dislike - even when it comes to the villains, I feel like they have their merit and their place in the show. But here are my top ten characters in the show that I will always cheer on and scream when they come on screen

10. Dale Horvath

I love Dale so fucking much.

I have mentioned this before, but a lot of the time people adopt blorbos from shows romantically (like a boyfriend or a wife), or platonically as a best friend, or sometimes even as a child you want to take care of (like the Stranger Things kids) - but I am someone, who, at an alarming rate, adopts blorbos who I want to be my father.

I have such a wide blorbo collection of father figures. Gideon from Criminal Minds, John from the Saw films - the list goes on.

Dale is my father. I love him so much as a father.

Right from the moment he made that speech around the fire about 'this watch will suit you no better than it suited me, no better than it suited his father or his father before him' - it was so DAD. and him talking about fixing the fucking radiator hose, and begging them all to save Randall. Like I love how compassionate he is, and how he is so slow and caring. And I hate that the actor left the show, but I love how it adds this symbolism - that Dale is not suited for their world. The world was turning too dark for him.

He is a character who brings something amazing for me every single time he's on screen. I love him so much.

9. Bob Stookey

I love Bob!!

I am so, so in love with the Bob/Sasha ship, and how she unintentionally saved him from slipping back into alcoholism and that stupid game they play where she says something negative and he puts a positive spin on it - it the definition of grumpy grump and sunshine person. I love it so much.

But I would have to say that Bob is slightly more my favourite of the two.

I love his upbeat attitude, and even though I wish that he would have stuck around longer (like with a lot of the characters who were killed off too soon) - his death was so perfectly jarring. I feel like a lot of people say that The Walking Dead isn't scary, which I don't fully get? There is a lot of terrifying parts to it, and Bob's death is absolutely one of them. His death feels like a set piece from a horror film. Him seeing his own severed leg on the fire and screaming 'tainted meat!! tainted meat!!!' is one of the most wonderfully horrifying things ever. And it does make me like his character more because I love the horror of it.

I also think his backstory is so interesting.

Him being alone for so long and finally finding a family at the prison - it hit me. Ooof.

(The next characters, I am having such a hard time putting in order because I love them all so much.)

8. Beth Greene

I don't see a lot of people saying that Beth is their favourite character, and I don't get it?

I know that it's very easy to view soft female characters as weak, but honestly - I love Beth's weakness. Her jump towards suicide when finding out the truly hopeless situation is so relatable (how many fucking people make memes about 'why do people wanna survive the apocalypse, I would just die!!!') - but they mock her at the same time?

And when Rick was out to lunch and Lori had died, Beth stepped up and took care of an infant when she was just a teenager and it was not at all supposed to be her responsibility and there was plenty of other adults around to do it - but she took pride in taking care of the baby and fostering new life.

I feel like a lot of people don't see the silent strength in her character, and while her death is sad because of how it affected Daryl and Maggie, I think it's sadder because of the lost potential of her character. I would have loved to see how she did in Alexandria. How jarring a quaint community was to her after everything she had been through.

Also - I was one of the people who shipped her and Noah. And can you imagine the what the storyline would have been like, paralleling her random boyfriend's death at the BigStop with Noah's death?? Like - emotionally detatched Beth vs Beth who is just learning to feel again???

Devastating.

Also - a lot of people say that Still is one of the worst episodes because it's boring, but I think it is by far one of the best episodes in the show. It's part of why I love TWD - because it's raw, slow character work. I fucking love it. It's one of my favourite Beth episodes (and it's one of the things that made me love Daryl).

7. Tara Chambler

A character that I was not expecting to like as much as I do. When she introduced herself as a cop and did the whole 'hey, hey, buddy, this isn't the four seasons' to the Governor leading his plate outside (like, it is the Governor, but she came off as too rude) - finding out that her being rude was just terrified gay cat posturing is hilarious.

And she is not only one of my favourite TWD characters, but she is one of my favourite characters of all time.

I can't even describe all the ways I love her. The fact that she is Glenn's ride or die and they have the Lesbian and Lesbian Protector vibes going on, the fact that she is funny, sweet, awkward, dorky, cute. Her saying 'I know you're scared, and I know it sucks, but you have to be brave right now' - is eternally stuck in my head. And it helps me get through everyday life.

I just love her so much. She is so precious to me.

6. Abraham Ford

The love of my life. Every time he opens his mouth, I feel inspired to kick god's ass.

I wasn't too sure about him when he first came on the show because he was disrupting Gleggie, but then - I learned to love him so fucking quick. I love the way he talks, I love his attitude, I love how imposing he is.

"When you were pourin' the Bisquik... do you intend to make pancakes?"

He. Is. Iconic.

Now, every single time that fucking truck pulls up beside Glenn's unconscious body, I scream. Because GREATM is the greatest squad of all time (it was back when Eugene was still tolerable).

Even without Maggie, they were GREAT. (puns <3)

5. Michonne

I have said this before, but I feel like she is such an underappreciated character outside of her relationship with Rick.

I love her in the earlier seasons - how her showing kindness to Andrea and taking her in unintentionally gives her good faith with Rick's group and ends up giving her a home with them later on - even the utter coincidence of her overhearing Maggie and Glenn being kidnapped and taking the formula to Judith.

I also just love her dynamic with Andrea.

"We need a couple of days to get our shit together."

"My shit never stopped being together."

(That will never not be funny to me.)

And I love how she is a character who is presented with such a tough outer shell, but she is slowly revealed to have a softer side, when interacting with Judith and Carl. I really love her when she first comes onto the show, and I wish they wouldn't have tried to cut away her edges and just put her in Lori's place. (Maybe the new show will bring back more of the old aspects of her character - the toughness with only showing a soft side around family. But idk)

4. Daryl Dixon

He is definitely one of my favourite characters of all time.

Again, a character that I didn't like when he was first introduced on the show (but I think that is the intention and part of the beauty of it) - and it's fun to rewatch the beginning of the show and laugh at how much of an asshole he is when he's first introduced.

I think it's truly iconic that his first line in the show is "son of a bitch!" like, it says so much about his character in the best way.

His evolution from asshole loner to the emotional core of the group and one of the leaders is so well done, and the way he handles himself around children is so sexy. I don't know if I have said this before, but I am often attracted to characters based on their actions rather than their looks, and he is absolutely one of those characters. I wanna fuck him senseless because he makes children a priority in his life and because he is very selfless. OOOOOOF

3. Rosita Espinosa

I need to write a fanfic about her!!! It is something that needs to be on my priority list! I need to write a fic about how she finds out that she is a lesbian during the apocalypse, especially after all the men she has dated. it would be amazing

Anyway - I'm in love with her. Her short shorts are one of the reasons I'm gay. those shorts had a very special impact on me during my teen years.

I love how one of the general themes of TWD is breaking down gender barriers, and her character represents that so much. she is so fucking powerful, and I love it. I also love how the actress got the character killed off in the most 'last hurrah' peaceful way possible in the last episode just so she couldn't be brought back for any reboots. hilarious

2. Maggie Greene (Rhee)

I don't even know what I can say about Maggie

"Some chick came in like Zorro on a horse and took Lori. It was awesome"

Glenn already said it.

Maggie presents like this demure little farm girl at first, and then she seamlessly rides her horse and takes out Walkers at the same time - she has no problem mastering a gun, or any other weapon she is given. she is one of those characters who somehow looks stunningly gorgeous while filthy and sweaty. she is smart, badass, holds herself so well.

I love her so much.

and as I have said so many times before - I need to be in a Gleggie sandwhich. I need it. (I feel like being in a poly relationship with Abraham, Rosita, Tara, Maggie, and Glenn would be the best part of my post apocalyptic life, but hey - who's gonna write that fanfic? maybe me.)

1. Glenn Rhee

What else can I say about Glenn?

If you have been following me for more than five minutes, you have heard me talk about how fucking much I love Glenn. He is easily my singular favourite character of all time. Right from the moment I first heard his voice inside the tank, I fell in love with him.

He was the first character I ever wrote death denial fanfiction for, and at the time, it was the only twd fandom thing I had posted on my all kpop fanfiction blog. And I didn't even care if anybody else read it or care about it - I wrote it and posted it because I needed to mourn. Because his character death hit me so hard, and I am still 100% in denial of his character death to his day. I pretend it never happened.

Anyway - I love Glenn so much!

He is the hopeful one of the show, he is the heart of the show. Everything he does in the show matters so much to me. The fact that he always lifts them up and reminds them who they are matters to me. He had to die for the group to go in such a dark and hopeless direction. And he will always have such a special place in my heart.

#sundrop answers #anonymous #the walking dead #twd

[sirendeepity]

As of today (November 1st) Blaketober is officially over and, my goodness, what a ride. I am a changed person. Lowkey proud of myself for respecting the timeline, even when I thought I wouldn't make it (tragic) and entertained the idea of cheating a little (fyi, I didn't, except on one (1) small occasion, but it was just 20 pages and life got in the way,so-).

Like basically anything else in my life, here are my unasked for opinions on all the books <3

Needless to say, there will probably be spoilers

Alone with You in the Ether [★★★]

This challenge didn't start off very strong for me. Although I did overall enjoy the story, this was the book I struggled the most with—the only one, actually. The writing style was phenomenal, to no one's surprise, but I found the pace to be a bit slow, and didn't particularly connect with the characters. Not to mention the theories (seriously, Olivie, leave quanta alone). To sum it up: Not my cup of tea, my cute little brain was not made for this. But the bees !!!

One For My Enemy [★★★★★]

This, on the other hand, my brain very much enjoyed. My heart can't say the same, given the fact that I was in physical pain after finishing it, but anyway- I felt for Dima, for Masha, for Dima and Masha, for Sasha, for my baby Lev (love that man, seriously). I even felt for Roman. Roman! Someone give that man a hug. What a tragedy, this book. Olivie blake could easily write Romeo and Juliet, but could Shakespeare write One for my Enemy? I don't think so.

Masters of Death [★★★★★]

One of the best books I've read this year. Favorite one out of all five. Easily. Even if ghost Thomas Edward Parker the fourth was a child of Twitter, yes. I spent half of the book laughing out loud and the other half crying. I wish I were joking, but I'm not. I was hyperventilating by the end of it. (Not fun.) Fox and Brandt could step on me and I'd thank them. Seriously, go back and do it again. Don't walk, run to buy this book.

The Atlas Six [★★★★]

It was supposed to be 3.5 stars, since I felt like it missed that ✨sparkle✨, but that is to be expected when you already know the plot points and twists and all of that, so I decided to change it and leave the rating as it was after the first read. If I gave it 4 stars, there's a reason. I don't really have much else to say about this? I still didn't understand shit about physics and quantum theory (again), but I did understand the characters a little better this time around. Or, at least, I started to appreciate them for who they were instead of what I wanted them to be, Parisa and Libby included. A win is a win, right?

The Atlas Paradox [★★★★]

Repeat after me: Nico can learn how to live without his left hand (Libby), but he can't learn how to live without his conscience bECAUSE HE DOESN'T KNOW WHO HE IS WITHOUT GIDEON !!!!!!

@olivieblake don't worry, I'll take it well if they're not endgame 😊(🔪)

Anyway, Dalton? Hello, hi, nice to meet you. Also, who told Callum he could be so hilarious? That man is not appreciated enough, methinks. I am so ready for The Atlas Complex and whatever new project our lord and saviour Olivie is working on. Take all my money. Take my firstborn too, I don't care, just give me the gays and the theys.

#dee reads #blaketober #alone with you in the ether #one for my enemy #masters of death #the atlas six #the atlas paradox #the atlas series #olivie blake

[cryptid-killjoy]

Honest John and Gideon - Jax and Mazzie legal guardians - fathers

FC - change - Noel Fielding and Tim Minchin

Just wanted to throw this out there. I know I switch them up a little before. I chose Sasha on a whim thinking of the Sweeny Todd character he played and that outfit Lmao on first quick brainstorm when I needed an FC for the first time played when they were just npc’s. I’d like to use them more. Just the more I think about them and have used them this makes more sense to me now that they’re developing, and how I see my John & Gideon. Noel is Honest John and Tim Minchin as Gideon. Also, just for reference Gideon is the silent partner no the silent father. He’s not mute. Nor is he blind or anything else he’s been seen on the streets doing. It’s part of the con though yes Honest John is the front man. 

#fc change #final. #honest john and gideon fc change #mazzie head canon #jax head canon #bio shit #bio

[incorrectlumityquotes]

DTVAU - Battleworld (Part 1)

OR

What if Disney Channel had a Dissidia-type crossover game?

So I'm going to try this again. Hello, friends and followers and welcome to my second attempt at a fan made crossover. Even before the MCU people have always loved the idea of characters from different shows interacting with each other. I also think that would be fun and would like to see it with the catalogue of characters from Disney's modern era of television animation.

But there are so many ways to do it and I'm not sure which one to go with? So for now, I wanna do this: kinda like my "If The Owl House was an RPG" series I'm gonna a do "What if Disney Channel had a Dissidia type crossover game"

or DTVAU (Disney Television Animation Universe): Battleworld

but I know you guys are asking, what's Dissidia? Well I'm glad you asked.

Dissidia Final Fantasy was/is a fighting game with action RPG elements developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. It was a crossover game that used the main protagonists and their rivals in a 3D fighting arena.

I loved this game back in the day, and since it ran on a formula, I'm going to abuse that formula for this because...I get bored at work sometimes. Let's start with the story:

DTVAU: Battleworld - Story

I don't want to change the overall story too much so let's go with this.

The God of Chaos wants to invade the multiverse, but The Goddess of Harmony is there to stop him so he proposes a game. They will both choose champions from across the multiverse to fight on their behalf on Battleworld, a mishmash of bits and pieces of the champions' original worlds. And to make sure the champions focus on their task, The God of Chaos has wiped their memories just enough to retain their identities and personality. But The God of Chaos has no intention of losing or playing fair, and unknown to everyone else, has a back up plan to ensure his victory.

Neat, right? Now let's get to the part everyone likes: the roster. As usual, follow the legend key. (?) means subject to change

Harmony-Show-Chaos

Luz Noceda-The Owl House-Emperor Belos

Dipper & Mabel-Gravity Falls-Gideon & Bill

Randy Cunningham-Randy Cunningham 9th Grade Ninja-The Sorcerer

Penn Zero-Penn Zero: Part Time Hero-Rippen

Star Butterfly-Star vs the Forces of Evil-Toffee

Anne Boonchuy-Amphibia-Sasha Waybright

Kim Possible-Kim Possible-Shego

Jake Long-American Dragon Jake Long-Huntsgirl

That's it for the original roster. I'll go more in depth into each of them in Part 2. Let me know which Bonus Characters you'd like to see in Part 3 or just send me your thoughts on an ask. Thanks for reading.

#dtva #amphibia #the owl house #gravity falls #rc9gn #penn zero part time hero #kim possible #star vs the forces of evil #american dragon jake long #battleworld #dtvau #dtvau battleworld

[franzis-frantic-thoughts]

Baggage

Hamid has just gained his wings and grown into his powers and grown into himself. He's finally found his feet again after the fiasco at university, not to mention Lilliana. And now the magic is gone and it's like a rug has been pulled out from beneath his feet. He's back to being just some kid. No degree, no job, no powers, no nothing.

Zolf, Azu, and Cel have set off to help the world. They're all so smart and capable in their own ways. His only mundane skill - tailoring - also relied so heavily on his magic. He's never even sown a single garment without magical help. There’s not a single way in which he can contribute.

He goes back to Cairo, because what else is there, but returning to his family, tail between his legs, and rely on them for their support now.

Saira introduces him to her girlfriend. And he tries to be happy for her. He does. But at the same time he can't stop hurting. He can't stop wondering.

What does it mean to have someone to love and to trust who loves and trusts you like that in turn? Because he didn't have that with Lilliana, did he? Or how could she have left him like that, in a time of need, how could she have moved on to be engaged to Gideon not even a year after everything happened? Clearly, she never felt for him the way he felt for her. Clearly, she only ever strung him along and he was too naïve to see. Too stupid. Too foolish. Gullible. Weak. Pathetic. Unloveable. Unworthy.

And he thinks back over the past few months. Over meeting Zolf and Azu. And how he's started developing feelings for both of them at one point or another.

How his childish crush on Zolf from way back in Dover had developed into something deeper. Something more true and nuanced over the time they spent in Japan and the Airship and the bunker. How much Zolf had changed and how much Hamid respected him, even if Zolf never seemed to respect him as much in turn. Hamid understands that Zolf wasn't in a good place when they met. And that - by the time they met again in Japan - Wilde had taken up what could have been his place, one day, at Zolf's side. He's missed his chance.

With Azu, Hamid sees potential. She seems to genuinely like and respect him in turn. She's kind and warm and good to her core. And she'd never betray him the way Lilliana did. But by the time Hamid has realised this, Azu has settled down. Gotten married - Hamid finally realises what that weird emotion in his stomach at her wedding had been - has had children. She's so much further in her life than Hamid is. So much more grounded. He's missed his chance.

When Azu dies of old age - surrounded by her children and grandchildren - Zolf and Wilde are there at his side during the funeral. They know how much she's meant to him.

When Wilde dies of old age - after a long and happy life with Zolf by his side - Hamid is there for Zolf.

They start growing closer. Living together. They still go on "expeditions" (holidays) together. They learn more about the Harlequins. More about Sasha. They remember her fondly. When Zolf's eyesight starts going, Hamid reads him Cambell. When Hamid's hair starts going, Zolf shaves his head - but never his beard - in emotional support.

Together, they help each other through their grief of losing their loved ones. Stick together. The last of the Rangers and the last of the LOLOMG. They stick together because they're the only ones who understands what the other has gone through. What the other has done and suffered and won and lost. And though neither of them ever confesses their feelings to the other - it's been too long. And what they have is good. It's good. Neither wants to risk it - they got a second chance together.

#franzis writing #rqg #rusty quill gaming #rqg spoilers #rqg finale #rqg zolf #zolf smith #rqg hamid #hamid saleh haroun al tahan #zamid #hazu #rqg wilde #zoscar #rqg azu #ficlet #rqg post-canon #rqg pre-epilogue #rqg epilogue #rqg epilogue 2 #rqg epilogue 1

[igotsnothing]

OC QUESTIONNAIRE

Thanks for the tag, @stargazer-sims and @eljeebee! I really enjoyed reading your questionnaires! And since you both tagged me, I am going to do this for Sasha and Gideon because I'm obsessed with telling their story, and I need a little fluff for them; they've been going through a lot recently.

Gideon: Interesting! Ready?

Sasha: Nooooo.

Gideon: I'll go first.

NAME: Gideon Westergaard

NICKNAME: None (Sasha: Oh, I can think of a FEW, all of them unpublishable.)

GENDER: Cis man

STAR SIGN: I honestly don't know...and I don't really care. (Sasha: He's a virgo, obviously. Please.)

HEIGHT: 6'3 (1.90 cm)

ORIENTATION: Bi, like many vampires.

NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: Citizen of San Myshuno, member of the Forgotten Hollow Coven, originally from somewhere further north of Windenburg.

FAVORITE FRUIT: Sasha... (Sasha: SERIOUSLY? You think that's funny? F*ck you!)

FAVORITE SEASON: Fall.

FAVORITE FLOWER: Lily of the valley

FAVORITE SCENT: Cartier's Pasha.

COFFEE, TEA, or HOT CHOCOLATE: (Gideon: *Looks at Sasha.* Sasha: DON'T YOU DARE. NO.) Scotch. If good quality, I prefer it neat. (*Sasha pretends to puke*)

AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: I don't need much sleep; I usually get 4-5 hours.

DOGS or CATS: *Grins broadly* My kitten, of course. (*Sasha grumbles incoherently*)

DREAM TRIP: I actually love San Myshuno. I like going to the art galleries, theaters, concert halls- all the activities the city has to offer. But if I had to travel somewhere...I like skiing. Mt. Komorebi is quite the challenge.

NUMBER OF BLANKETS: I don't really get cold.

RANDOM FACT: Vampires are connected to their covens via specific bloodlines. Gideon has a coven sire, who turned him- but the one who claims him as her "child" is his coven's mistress (more to be revealed...can't wait to share.)

Gideon: Your turn!

Sasha: Hello, nosey people! Why don't you mind your own bu-

NAME: Sasha Velky

NICKNAME: Sash. Sassy, but don't call me that ever. Loco- but only Hector gets to call me that (Gideon visibly bristles at this). And...that's it. (Gideon mouths 'kitten' and winks. Sasha does not acknowledge this and maintains a steady glare.)

GENDER: Cis man

STAR SIGN: Okay, my sun sign is Taurus, moon sign is Leo, and Aquarius rising! (Gideon: What? Was that even Simlish? Sasha: That's such a virgo reaction.)

HEIGHT: 5'9 (1.75 cm)

ORIENTATION: Homosexy (Gideon: Did you mean homosexual- Sasha: NO! I know what I said! It's a JOKE! I didn't get mixed up this time! You are so pretendcious sometimes! *Gideon doesn’t dare correct him this time; Sasha’s irritated enough.*)

NATIONALITY/ETHNICITY: I'm from San Myshuno, born and raised, but my mom was from Simvlakia and I understand and speak Simvlakian a little bit. I can't write it for sh*t.

FAVORITE FRUIT: Twinkies. (*Gideon shakes his head*)

FAVORITE SEASON: Summer.

FAVORITE FLOWER: Sunflowers.

FAVORITE SCENT: (*Looks sheepishly at Gideon*) Cartier's Pasha. (*Gideon sits up, pleased*)

COFFEE, TEA, or HOT CHOCOLATE: Cigarettes. (Gideon: What happened to quitting? Sasha: I'm no quitter! Hey- don't look at me like that...I am trying. It's been three days, ok? Gideon: I'm so proud of you!)

AVERAGE HOURS OF SLEEP: I need 7-8. I'm a pretty deep sleeper.

DOGS or CATS: Yes.

DREAM TRIP: I don't know...I haven't really been out of San Myshuno. I always wanted to visit my mom's family in Simvlakia, but I wouldn't know where to begin. After she died, my father got rid of all her pictures, her papers, documents...I don't have anything from her, except for a stuffed animal from when I was really little. (*Gideon inhales sharply and his expression darkens- it begins to soften again when Sasha rests his head on his shoulder.*)

NUMBER OF BLANKETS: One? Two? I guess I get cold at night. (Gideon, knowingly: Hey- I can keep you warm at night. *Sasha, perking up*: You are a pervert! Is this a ploy to get me in your bed? Gideon: Always... Sasha: *Snickers*)

RANDOM FACT: Sasha has a green thumb. It's something he shares with his late mom. He's really good with plants.

I AM TAGGING: @agena87, @damseljamsel, @lynzishell, @alinelie (plz plz plz!), @simarcana (Alika or any of your fabulous OCs), @eslanes (love your stuff and saw you have more storytelling coming soon?), and even though @greighish is taking a hiatus, I AM NOT ! This is all optional, do it if you want to, ignore me at your own risk, up to you! ❤️😆

#tag games #the sims 4 #this was fun #DARKER #sasha #gideon #gideon is very protective #sasha is a feral kitten #i'm trying not to spoil the story #gideon finds sasha’s mixups beyond endearing #he wants to help sasha because he is very #self-conscious about his limited education #he corrects sasha because he knows he gets embarrassed #when he makes such mistakes with other people #but sasha gets so flustered #and cranky even if he secretly appreciates it #gideon finds him hopelessly adorable #and just wants to smother him with hugs and kisses

[wolves-against-the-world]

Chapter 1

It took almost an hour until all his little sheep were finally happy and the priest could retreat into the privacy of his chambers. The sacristy was small and comfy, with only the most necessary furniture: a desk, two chairs, a small wardrobe. In one corner, a few boxes of unused ornaments were strewn about. He'd meant to put these away. Milo should have done it, if fact. but now he'd taken so long it was easier to just leave them there for when they needed them. He didn't bother turning on the overhead lamp. Instead, he lit a few candles to give his eyes a break from the harsh electric lights. He’d never get used to that cold, intense glare in his face. 

While slipping out of his robe, he went over their plans for the coming days in his thoughts.

There was still so much to do - cleaning up the church was Milo’s and Eike's job, luckily, but he still needed to finalize the following week's schedule and- The door slammed open so harshly it made the candles shake in their sockets. Sasha stormed in with wide, furious strides, his long hair flowing behind him with unnecessary drama.

”Are you out of your fucking mind?!”, he roared.

Attila rubbed the little spot between his eyes. He felt a headache coming, sooner than later. Cursed electricity. 

”Sasha, please,” he said. “What in the great wolf's name are you talking about?”

Sasha's growl echoed in the small room. He slammed his hand down on the light switch, banishing the warm glow of the candles in the flickering of the neon tube overhead. 

”You know exactly what I mean! Drinking blood during the mass? Our prayer? What if someone actually went to the trouble of listening to what you are singing?”

”We are in the middle of nowhere, old friend,” the priest sighed. He took off the robe and changed into a black shirt and jeans. ”Nobody out here knows a single word of Latin, and the only person who remembers a time before we came here is going senile. I don't know why you're so fired up about this.”

”Google exists, even here,” Sasha hissed. ”Even if you don't know how the new technology works, Pawel.”

Attila froze. Ah. He took a deep breath. There was no point in losing his composure now.

”Perhaps,” he replied. ”But we have different problems now. Milo told me there’s someone in our territory, and-”

”No, that's actually not everything,” Sasha interrupted. ”The chalice. You drank in front of the whole village. There is a spot on your clothes. Even if Andersson is going senile, the others have eyes.”

One, two, three deep breaths. Only then he turned around. Sasha met his eyes once more. They glowed brighter than ever in his anger, the blue of a sudden lightning strike seconds away from coming down.

”Maybe you have forgotten why we came here, boss,” Sasha growled. ”We can't risk being discovered again. Have you already forgotten about Lucia and Gideon?”

”Watch yourself, brother.” The words were soft, friendly, as if they were not a barely concealed threat. But without the pressure of spectators, Sasha didn't think of submitting himself. 

He’d always been a stubborn dog.

”Admit it, Pawel, you're getting old,” he snarled. “I saw you. You could barely control your wolf when he tasted blood. You're becoming weak, or why else could you not tame your desire until tonight?”

The clock on the wall ticked ominously in the silence that fell after the words. 

Sasha's head hit the hardwood floor. He gasped for air as Attila's fingers dug into his throat.

”Don't you dare talk to me like that.” Attila's voice was calm, nearly disinterested, but his eyes glowed burning red. He stressed every word. ”This is not your pack. I will not tolerate your insolence.”

“Are you sure?” Sasha was wearing a green kerchief around his neck and Attila's hands slipped. For a second, he thought Sasha might just throw him off. Then he got a grip and held on.

Sasha looked like he wanted to say more, but the hands around his neck had cut off his airways.

”And to be just as clear about something else,” Attila snarked. “Pawel died many ago. He and I are not the same man anymore. Remember that, my friend.”

Sasha writhed under Attila's grip, desperately trying to break free. His face had gone an unhealthy red. Attila waited just a few seconds longer before he let go and got up. 

He straightened his shirt and turned away to put on his jacket, paying no more attention than he would to a fly.

Sasha stayed where he was, coughing and gasping for air, furious, but defeated. For now.

Attila took up his robe and examined it. Indeed, there was a small red spot on the collar.

”Maybe it was a mistake... the chalice, I mean,” he said pensively. ”There is a reason we wait for night to come. Why our pack is so small. I just thought...” He stared up at the cross on the wall. The metal Jesus did not answer. The wood of the cross had splintered and been mended more times than he could remember, but it was still there, still the same relic from times long past. Just like them.

”It was an experiment. Perhaps I should have shared.” He laughed.  ”Come in Milo, it's alright.”

Milo froze. "Um. Hi." He ducked under the smaller than average door frame with practised ease and closed the door. 

Sasha had recovered a little by now and was getting back on his feet, ignoring his brother's outstretched hand. 

Milo didn't ask. It wasn't necessary. 

”I got a question.”

Attila gave him a warm smile. ”Of course. But let us wait for Eike. I assume this concerns the whole pack.”

”Amazing pack we are, with four members,” Sasha muttered.

Attila sighed but decided not to answer. It was a full moon, everyone was irritable. He doubted that Sasha was going to challenge him again, not for a while. The demonstration had taken care of that, unpleasant as it had been. He couldn't allow his own deputy to doubt his leadership.

Even if he was right.

Attila forced his attention back to the present. He grabbed the desk chair, turned it around and sat down. Eike would be here in a few minutes and then they would have to make plans, like they did every Sunday. Attila was well aware that Milo was extremely – and unusually – nervous. It was his job to patrol their territory, well covered by his duties as a caretaker for the church and forest. He’d been the first to notice the signs. But was that it? Milo was a big guy, over six foot, with broad shoulders and a seemingly never ending supply of energy. It was rare to see him anything other than excited for a fight. 

The pack hadn't gotten a new member in... almost eighty years? Had it really been that long already? 

Attila snapped out of his thoughts when Eike stormed in and slammed the door shut behind himself. His body writhed and shook, fingers turning into claws and back while he fought the wolf inside of him. Nobody thought of coming closer. It was his battle to fight.

Eike took the upper hand. For now.

He sank against the door, white as a sheet and bathed in sweat.

”Sorry. I... I don't know what just happened.”

Attila wondered if he should point out the blood stains on his shirt, but decided against it. Eike was the youngest member of the pack. He still had a lot to learn. 

”Good, now we're complete,” Attila announced. ”Before we can enjoy the hunt tonight, is there any acute problem that needs solving?”

Milo hesitated, but even though Sasha still looked as if somebody pissed on his dinner, he began to talk. ”Not a problem, per se... just... I have a really terrible feeling. Like really, REALLY, terrible.”

”And that surprises exactly nobody,” Sasha growled. ”Is there a reason we haven't picked a target yet that I wasn't made aware of?”

Attila was silent for a while. "I hoped a suitable one would reveal itself if I waited. Eike?”

”There's nobody,” Eike confirmed, a little uncomfortably. ”So... what do we do then?”

“We need to hunt if we want to get through this month,” Sasha said. He leaned against the table, but didn't look at Attila. “In the winter there are people in the mountains, but the snow is late this year. I'm not hunting a rabbit again.”

”Is that the reason, Milo?”, Attila asked.

Milo narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. ”Yeah. In part, at least. I don't know.” He sat down on the only other chair and drew his legs up to his chest. For a while, his eyes were distant. ”No, there's something else, but I don't know what it might be. Maybe it really is Sabrina's kid. I just have a bad feeling about this night." He rubbed his face, frustrated. "I've had it for a few days to be honest, but I hoped I could see more than this. It's something big, that I know for sure.”

”A seer who can't see the future,” Sasha grumbled. ”That's just great. What are you good for if even that doesn't work?”

”Maybe you're better at predicting the future, big brother,” Milo shot back. Sasha snarled at him, but his shoulders had visibly relaxed by now. It was hard to be angry with Milo for long. ”So the question is, who do we eat?”, Milo asked.

Sasha leaned back and crossed his hands behind his back. ”I say we're taking Sjögren. He's getting on my nerves.”

”Doesn't he want TV4 to come check out our >historic< city?” Eike put quotation marks in the air. ”I wonder when he finds out that most buildings here weren't built before the fifties.”

“Exactly,” Sasha said. “The farm isn’t exactly a pillar of society and he doesn’t have any family we have to worry about.” He snapped his fingers. “He fell into the pigsty. Tragic.”

”He's right on one thing,” Milo threw in. He pushed a strand of hair behind his ear and scratched one of his many freckles. ”The city does need more business if it wants to survive. And I remember that someone wanted to eat the internet technician two months ago.”

Sasha raised his hands in mock apology. ”I don't remember hearing any protest.” 

”And now we still don't have better internet,” Eike complained. ”It's funny how boring life can be if you don't have to fight for it every day.” He also muttered something about not being able to finish Good Omens. 

Sasha and Milo exchanged a glance, unsure if they should comment on that existential epiphany. 

Then a grin spread over Milo’s face. Despite physically being well into his forties, it turned his features into those of a mischievous schoolboy.

“Did you see his face when Attila's wolf stood in front of him?” Milo and Eike burst into laughter at the memory, and after a moment even Sasha got sick of being grumpy and joined in.

”The poor guy pissed himself when he ran for his car. It was almost worth staying hungry.”

”He's not coming back, that's for sure.” Sasha’s laughter turned into a sigh. ”As fun as that was, I doubt we can manage another month like that. And we can't risk drawing too much attention.”

”You think people believe in monsters these days?” Milo leaned back in his chair and crossed his hands behind his head. ”Werewolves, ghosts, witches, vampires? Come on, in the times of Supernatural and American Horror Story real monsters have lost their place.”

”Maybe it's time to introduce Halloween out here,” Eike said. ”Little kids who dress up as witches and ghosts and go from door to door. Three or four wolves more, what's the difference?”

Sasha chuckled, but Milo stayed silent. His eyes wandered up to the old cross, before falling back to the equally worn floor. ”I don't know. Freeing the wolf anywhere near kids feels... wrong, you know?”

”Excuse me?” Sasha looked at him as if he’d grown three heads.  "Milo, what is it with you today?”

”Maybe.” Milo shook his head, making his curly hair finally escape its ponytail and spread all over his shoulders. ”Forget it. I'm hungry.”

”You're not alone,” Eike said. ”Okay, Sjögren is on the list. But you know, he has really nice dogs and Hanna gets puppies soon.”

Milo blinked at him. ”What in all hell has that to do with anything?”

Eike shrugged uncomfortably. ”We have a comfy life here, don't we? I like dogs. We're not so different.” 

“It totally doesn’t have anything to do with how you’ve been on the farm every second you got the chance?”, Milo teased. 

Eike drew a sharp breath to defend himself, but whatever he meant to say didn’t come out in an understandable order of words. 

Sasha rubbed his forehead. ”You want a dog. Alright, I'm not going to ask. Not Sjögren then. Who else?”

”That reminds me, we should play Werewolves of Miller's Hollow again,” Milo interrupted.

”Good idea!”, Eike agreed hastily. ”With pizza and movie night and everything!”

Sasha stared at them. ”Both of you are hopeless.”

”Chill, brother, can we not even joke anymore?” Milo playfully slapped Sasha’s leg. Sasha slapped him back, less playful. Milo did not care.

”How have you two survived for so long if you lose your train for thought every two minutes?”

Milo rolled his eyes. ”Alright, you spoilsport. Back to dinner. What about Lindkvist? The oldest kid. He's not done anything useful all year, he's lazy, and rude, and honestly he's annoying as shit. It would be pretty simple too, he's always out wandering in the forest for some godforsaken reason.” Eike immediately shook his head. “He’s still a child! Andersson doesn't look good either,” he offered hastily. ”Maybe we can spare Attila her gossip about how she thinks ill about her neighbor who has the prettier dress again.”

Milo laughed. ”Very true. What do you think, boss?”

”No.” Attila had been quiet during the whole discussion, only sitting there with his fingers intertwined and eyes fixed on something the others couldn't see. Now he got up and went over to the door. Eike got up to make way for him, but Attila just stopped and leaned against the door without any obvious purpose.

”No, we can't do that. I know you're hungry, my friends, but we have to be content with animals this month.”

”What?!” The single word was followed by deafening silence.

Attila stared down at his shoes for a moment, but when he spoke he looked at his pack. He seemed very tired all of a sudden.

”I'm sorry, my brothers. You're right, Sasha, I made a mistake today. Maybe that was what Milo saw, maybe not. In any way, taking one of the villagers will call too much attention.” He waved a hand when Milo tried to protest. ”There is something else, too. I know you noticed that we have an intruder in our territory.”

”Are you sure it's not a wild pack?”, Eike asked.

Milo shook his head. ”Definitely not. It's too clean. Whoever it is, they don't want us to know. I tried to find out more, but there’s next to nothing. The trail always vanishes into thin air once I get past the logging road.” He swayed in his chair for a bit, deep in thought. “I’ve talked to Sjögren and a few others, there were more and more attacks on the cattle, but nobody saw anything.”

“Unless,” Attila added, ”it's one of you who couldn't control his hunger.” He looked at his pack and made eye contact with every member individually. 

Milo frowned, but there was no guilt in his bright golden eyes. He was the one least able to hide his nature, physically and behaviorally. But he was also a senior wolf with near perfect control over himself. And even if he’d hunted - why set up such a scheme when he knew he’d be easily forgiven?

Sasha returned the gaze calmly, but Attila hadn’t suspected him either way. He was too controlled to hunt alone.

Only Eike looked away after only a short moment. Attila waited. 

”I hunted. Once. I know we shouldn't, but...” Eike’s voice broke. ”I'm sorry, I was... I was so hungry.” Attila did not speak. It was hard to say what he thought.

”Okay, so I found a trail that wasn't ours,” Eike continued hastily. ”I followed it, but tried to stay in the shadows. I caught up with him outside of Kenneth's farm. It was another wolf, male, black... I think, maybe dark gray, it was hard to tell. He's bigger than me, maybe bigger than you, but smaller than Milo. I think he wanted to go after Knut, that's the dog who guards the cattle, but he fled when he heard me. I didn't see or smell anyone else.”

After the flood of words, the silence was complete. 

”I see,” Attila said. Nothing more.

”How was it?”, Milo asked.

Eike flinched. He was waiting for reproaches or a punishment. ”How... was what?”

Milo cocked his head. His eyes sparkled, as if he didn’t even feel the tension. ”Shifting between the moons. That must have been difficult.”

Eike pulled a face. ”It was awful.” 

”Another wolf?", Sasha mused. "I thought we were... well, not the last but... there's so few of us these days, right? Are you sure it wasn't Joacim?” He didn't need an answer. “They wouldn’t have a reason to steal.”

”Fine, if he wants this place, he has to be prepared for a fight,” Milo growled. He got up and stretched, brushing the low ceiling with his elbow. ”Who does he think he is? To have the impertinence to just come into our territory and not even challenge us properly?”

”So we can expect a battle?”, Eike asked.

”Against his pack if there is one,” Milo confirmed. He shook his head before he could lose control, but his grin stayed. They hadn't fought properly in decades. It was time.

Eike just wrapped his arms around himself and stayed silent.

He's young, Sasha thought. And maybe his fear was justified. He'd already died once, between smoke and blood and snow. Eike was a good wolf, but he'd never wanted to be a soldier.

”Don't worry little brother, we'll protect you,” Milo joked. His hearty pat on the shoulder nearly threw Eike across the room.

”Thanks," Eike replied sourly.

”We'll see what this other wolf is planning,” Attila interrupted them. ”Until then, is there anything else we have to talk about?”

”Sven Blom, maybe?”, Sasha said. 

Milo’s smile paled.

Attila shook his head. ”Not yet. There's no point in panicking before we have all the information. I'll hear what Sabrina has to say and then we'll decide. If that is all, I want Milo and Eike to go through the village and ask about any disturbances we may have missed. Mark the locations on a map, I want to see if there is a pattern. Sasha, you and I will go to the forest and do some footwork too.” He looked around and waited for objections. There were none.

“Fantastic. The night isn't far, my friends.”

Eike shrugged and put on his overly warm winter jacket. Milo on the other hand didn’t bother with such silly things as jackets. He lifted a hand in greeting and they ventured out with limited enthusiasm. Their footsteps echoed in the church until the front door slammed and they were gone.

Sasha leaned against the wall and watched Attila with crossed arms. 

“What are you scared of, old friend?”

“What do you mean?” Intimidating as Sasha could be, now his eyes were full of worry and warmth and Attila hated it. “It's Andersson, isn't it?” Attila sighed but didn't answer. It wasn't necessary. “Do Milo and Eike know about her?”

“They know she exists.” He chuckled weakly. “They know she remembers the time before we came here. And they know she's going senile.” He was silent for a moment. “I thought it was best for all.”

“But not anymore?”

Attila stopped his pacing and stared at the cross again. Then he turned around and clapped Sasha's arm. He was warm even through his thin black shirt, and Attila found his hand lingering. “We should get going before it gets dark. We can talk while we're out.”

Sasha raised an eyebrow, but pushed away from the wall to follow.

“Whatever you say, old friend,” he said. “Whatever you say.”

#wolves against the world #writers on tumblr #novel #urban fantasy

[lenaellsi]

6! Roll that dice!

thank you!! <3

6. your character joins the party at a different point in the story – earlier, later, whenever. what alterations to their backstory would create this change in the timeline? how does their presence/absence influence the plot?

hamid!

premise: hamid never gets kicked out of university. the party meets him when they are investigating in prague.

liliana has disappeared, and hamid is certain it has something to do with her work with kafka. he's a struggling student, still unaware that he's actually a sorcerer and not a wizard, and he's been trying to figure out why he keeps getting all these spells just dumped into his head when other students apparently have to study for them. he's charismatic and well-liked, but his alignment has definitely shifted more to the neutral end of things than the good end of things, with gideon and liliana as his primary influences and without the wake-up call that was The Accident.

he learns that LOLOMG is investigating kafka and begs to join them. grizzop is initially like ?????? uh no???? but sasha, who would assume a reluctant leadership role with zolf gone, decides sure, what the hell, they need another magicy type anyway, and lets him tag along. and bertie knew hamid back in his uni days! it'll be fine!

hamid is the one who tells them about the opera. he's been chatting with his sister while she's in town, and she's been sharing concerns that some of the staff have been acting weird, and she's got a bad feeling about the event. some investigation leads them to believe that kafka is planning his Big Zombie Party for that night. hamid is sure liliana will be there, and wants to 'rescue' her from kafka, who he's sure has 'kidnapped' her. (the rest of LOLOMG is very 😬about this, but hey, let the kid think what he wants.)

hamid is terrified by the mooks they fight along the way in prague, as he was in early london days, but finds that he's good at combat in a way he just wasn't good at school. the party is a bit surprised the first time he casts fireball, but sasha is extremely enthusiastic about his ability to be a walking bomb, and he feels appreciated and useful. he likes working with this team, even if the mercenary life is a little scary.

then the opera happens. liliana is not there. hamid is turned into a dragon. his sister dies.

wilde shows up in the aftermath like 'who the FUCK are you, i haven't slept in a week but i'm pretty sure i'd remember a rich dragonborn sorcerer on the team' and hamid is brought on officially. he's determined to find liliana, distraught at aziza's death and his part in it, mourning bertie (he has bad taste) and done with university life. he needs to do something important, something that will mean something, and the only time he's ever felt useful and appreciated has been when he's casting AOE spells for this weird group of mercenaries. his primary motivation becomes his anger, and without the tempering effects of That Accident With Gideon, he becomes a much more volatile presence on the team than he is in canon.

i think this would be a killer AU, tbh. hamid's backstory and his guilt at the deaths he caused are so important to his caution and determination to better himself--without that, i worry about what he might do.

#god the cairo arc would be a MESS #rqg #ask meme #sorry this took a bit i was not feeling well yesterday :(

[popwasabi]

“The Mandalorian” S2 is a power fantasy with mini Star Wars trailers

The term “Plot armor” is often used by readers and viewers to describe the myriad of ways writers keep their heroes away from any real danger no matter what choices or actions they make in the narrative. It’s typically a derisive phrase for the way a writer’s hero seems to escape death no matter what is thrown at him for the sole purpose of moving the plot forward.

In Disney+’s “The Mandalorian” this term takes a far more literal description in the form of our main anti-hero, played by Pedro Pascal, in his beskar armor which seems to be, by all accounts the most indestructible material in the galaxy far, far away.

(I mean, it still looks really cool too, of course.)

The result of this narrative decision in this series is that action scenes often don’t have real tension to them. In another series you might be able to reasonably believe the hero might be in danger with blaster fire shooting all around them but with beskar it’s almost comically not the case at all. Stormtroopers fire laser blast after laser blast at The Mando and each time they bounce harmlessly off him as if he were fucking Superman. It makes scenes feel devoid of stakes and danger no matter what situation they are in.

The show thus becomes a power fantasy, as action scenes serve as extended highlight reels for the Mando. Where season 1 of the show mitigated the power of the Mando’s plot armor by putting him more often in situations where his beskar alone wasn’t enough to save the day, season 2 goes mostly full power fantasy as The Mando rarely runs into a situation he can’t just quite literally walk through.

(“Aim for his armor, men! That’s his weak point!”)

This isn’t to say the season wasn’t without its high moments or even that it wasn’t enjoyable plenty of times but the series’ devotion to fan servicey action and callbacks to “Hey remember ____” makes it a fairly shallow story. At least for myself.

Season 2 of “The Mandalorian” continues the story of Din and his small Yoda-like companion, The Child (later known officially as Grogu), as he looks to complete a quest to return the burgeoning Force wielder to the Jedi. As he seeks to reunite The Child with the ancient Order, he encounters other Mandalorians who are on a quest to retake Mandalore and right on their tail is the nefarious Grand Moff Gideon who is still bent on capturing Grogu for whatever it is he has planned for the Empire.

Let me start this review by saying power fantasies aren’t inherently bad to watch or read. They can be good, cathartic junk food for the soul and can also be compelling, artistic, or even deeply metaphorical in their own way. A movie series like “John Wick” for instance is a power fantasy that aims to reinvent the wheel in action film-making with Keanu Reeves performing perhaps the best gun kata of all-time onscreen. Another film like Paul Verhoueven’s “Total Recall” can satirize the power fantasy to show how ridiculous it is in concept.

So, making your hero an unstoppable killing machine isn’t necessarily always a bad thing if used properly.

(Seriously, this is one of the smartest action films ever made. Don’t @ me.)

Now that that’s established, however, “The Mandalorian” season 2, despite some strong moments here and there, is a power fantasy that lacks these elements for a more interesting narrative. If you believe killing dozens of stormtroopers onscreen while never suffering so much as a scratch for eight episodes equals compelling storytelling then boy does Disney have a series for you.

Through the first four-ish episodes, the new season is mostly just fine and even quite enjoyable. We have the Mando getting a fun side quest with Timothy Olyphant on Tatooine where they get to wrangle a sand worm in a callback to the Westerns that inspired much of the franchise’s aesthetic. The Mando gets to escort a frog lady to her home planet to give birth to some tadpoles and they run into some actual danger in this episode in the form of kyrnknas/space spiders. And we get the return of Bo Katan from Dave Filoni’s “Clone Wars” and “Rebels” cartoon series, with Katee Sackhoff herself reprising the role in a fun Mandalorian team-up episode.

(I’m just so happy to see my girl, Starbuck, again more than anything honestly ;_;)

But the wheels started officially falling off for me in the next episode.

Episode 5 marked the live-action debut of fan favorite Ahsoka Tano, played by Rosario Dawson, and she meets the Mando by getting the jump on him with her lightsabers. In virtually any other situation we have been told lightsabers can cut through virtually anything. Now, beskar has been shown to be plenty durable throughout the series so far but lightsabers? Surely not.

Well…

It is an overall good episode despite this but it marked the point for me where I badly wanted The Mando to just go the rest of the series without it. Obviously, the writers aren’t going to actually kill our hero, afterall The Mouse needs more money and he can’t have it unless we get 50 more Mandalorian episodes and spin-offs, but at some point I gotta feel like there’s a possibility at least that our hero might actually die or at least is in danger. It is actually super funny to me each time The Mando ducks or seeks cover in a shootout when I know, and the viewer damn well knows, he can literally walk right into the middle of it and shoot all these motherfuckers at his own leisure cause his actual plot armor is the stuff of adamantium and vibranium combined.

Episode 5 is mostly good though, it’s a nice callback to old school samurai flicks and for an old fan like myself it was enough to ignore beskar again saving the Mando’s ass.

(This was cool...This...was...cool.)

If episode 5 marked the point in which the wheels began to come off though, episode 6 is where the show really spun out into the ditch for me. Perhaps, this series worst episode, personally, episode 6 reintroduces fan favorite and series inspiration Boba Fett back officially into the fold and the result was perhaps the most self-indulgent entry of the series.

(I mean, it was directed by Robert Rodriguez so...)

Boba arrives to demand his beskar from The Mando who promptly tells him “no” before they are ambushed by a platoon of stormtroopers. Alongside Ming-Na Wen’s Fennec Shand, the three do battle with the stormtroopers with ridiculous ease. I’m aware that stormtroopers exist to be on the highlight reel of our heroes in this franchise and have a long history of not being able to hit the broad side of a bantha but again, I can only watch these guys die by the dozens onscreen over and over again while our heroes get away without suffering even a bruise before it starts feeling boring and repetitive.

It only gets worse once Boba actually puts on his armor. In a sequence that I would describe as “gratuitously” fan servicey, Boba wastes just about every last stormtrooper in this scene culminating with him destroying their two get-away vehicles in a single shot with a rocket. Considering he was killing them with ease just moments before with nothing more than a battle club and a bathrobe, it seemed almost hilariously needless that he donned his iconic armor.

(It would be tempting to say the stormtroopers fought as ineptly as the Putty Patrol here but even the Power Rangers have struggled a few times against these guys...)

I get that Boba is really important to a lot of fans, based on their perceptions of him in the original trilogy and subsequent books and graphic novels that came out in the following years, but here’s a hot take; this series didn’t need him in it. Maybe they didn’t need to keep him rotting in the Sarlacc Pit but this episode, alongside Ahsoka Tano’s feels more like marketing choices for the story rather than narrative ones. I’ll concede that there is a bit more substance to having Ahsoka there to commune with Grogu but their additions to the plot don’t actually show much of anything about the Mando outside physically helping him in a fight.

The way they tease, in both cases, stories that exist outside the internal narrative between Ahsoka’s search for Admiral Thrawn and Boba taking over Jabba’s palace at the end of the final episode, it feels like Disney threw in mini trailers for fans to nibble on at the expense of telling the Mando’s own story and letting it stand on its own like the first season.

The choice to have these characters shoved into this season again appears to be market driven not narrative. Once more, I get that these characters are important personally to many fans, but the appearance of these characters alone DO NOT equal good storytelling.

(Me when a fan tells me “But Boba was such a badass in *obscurely titled EU book that a handful of general audiences have read*! He deserves this moment!”)

The final episode of the season is truly encapsulating of all these issues “The Mandalorian” has, however. Moff Gideon, played by the always sharp Giancarlo Esposito, has Grogu imprisoned aboard his ship. The Mando and his friends plan a rescue mission to save him and, just like nearly every episode before, it is stupidly easy for our protagonists.

The crew of five, again, walk through every Imperial on the ship. I don’t mean this metaphorically by the way, I mean this literally as Cara, Fennec, Bo Katan and Koshka Reeves (played by WWE’s Sasha Banks) without a single moment of real adversity just blast through every stormtrooper on the ship and never get hit once in the process.

A good action scene needs an element of danger, a sense that our hero might actually not come out of this alive even though we all know they will. An action scene without this has no tension and without tension it becomes booooooooring.

(Even John fucking Wick is capable of bleeding, guys...)

The finale had a chance, however, to add real stakes and danger to the scene in the form of this season’s new enemy; The Dark Troopers. These Imperial battle droids were foreshadowed as these super soldiers at the end of episode 4 and seemed to be billed as a real dangerous match for our heroes to faceup against. When the Mando finally gets himself face to face with one he finds they are not as easy to kill as the nameless stormtroopers from before. To see The Mando briefly face real adversity for a change snapped me out of my cynical mood so sharply for a moment I thought I had turned on another series by accident.

But of course, danger never lasts long in this series as The Mando’s armor again saves him first from getting pummeled to death by the droid’s super fists then he uses his plot spear, cause of course he has one of those too, to finish the job.

Danger over.

Moff Gideon doesn’t fair much better in this episode. This villain who had been built up for two seasons as this calculative monster gets stopped rather easily with Mando and his friends barely breaking a sweat. This character feels wasted because of this, even though I’m sure Giancarlo Esposito will return in the next season. He just feels about as much like a pushover as the nameless stormtroopers in this series.

The episode had one more chance though to show these Dark Troopers meant business toward the end as we found the heroes cornered on the command deck with nowhere to run and a dozen of these droids ready to blast and pound them into the floorboards. But help arrives in the form of a Deus X-Wing Machina.

Without having to face even one Dark Trooper, Luke fucking Skywalker arrives on the ship and kills every droid without breaking a sweat. It plays as inspiring in the moment but again I just found myself bored and irritated. A chance to see the series heroes actually use their wits and show their creativity in a moment of true danger thwarted to please fan boys.

I get that Grogu called out to him in episode 6 but creatively this felt like an extremley lazy way to solve the heroes’ dilemna.

(“Hello my name is Jedi. I enjoy doing...*computes script* Jedi things.”)

This season wasn’t all bad. It certainly had nice production value that made each alien world pop and beautiful to look at. Every actor and actress played their parts expertly well, with what they were given, and made for interesting characters at times. There are also nice homages to both Western and Samurai cinema throughout the season that fans of both will appreciate. And Pedro Pascal is just so good on his own, especially in tender moments with Grogu, that you forget that his character is kind of a Gary Stu.

But the main crux of the issue here that I’m trying to get across is the reason you need to remove the plot armor of your heroes is not just because action scenes need tension and stakes, it’s that when faced with danger these scenes reveal who these characters are. I used to believe that the reason Mandalorians and Jedi had such a fierce rivalry in the lore despite the obvious advantages of wielding the Force was because these famed bounty hunters were just that fucking good at killing. That despite being, on paper, normal people they had great martial prowess, athletic skill, and the tactical wit to outsmart people who can literally sense their feelings. But now with beskar and the way this series is written, it appears the Mandalorians were challenging warriors just because they happened to harness the most OP armor building material in the galaxy.

It makes you wonder how the fuck they were conquered to begin with…

(Maybe they just needed more knee rockets...)

This takes away from the mysticism of the Mandalorians for me. It makes The Mando less interesting to me in the way he fights. Yea he can shoot really good too but really it’s the armor that makes him the fighter that he is and I find that kind of boring. We occasionally get this character to remove the armor during the series, including a whole episode that was easily one of the best of the season, and in every case he’s more interesting once the helmet comes off. I get that fans hold a lot of reverence for that armor, yea it still looks really cool, but making it this impenetrable super material doesn’t add anything to the story.

If anything, it takes away from it.

(Plus how could you not love Pedro Pascal when he’s out of armor? uWu)

I wouldn’t go as far as to say I hate season 2, even though I spent 2000 plus words just now lambasting it but I guess I just want to say I am unimpressed more than anything. I feel like I’ve seen better Star Wars be it in the movies, cartoons, books, video games, etc and I’ve certainly seen better action in the franchise as well.

Considering fan reaction so far appears to be overwhelmingly positive, I am definitely in the minority here and you are welcome to enjoy this series as much as you want in spite of how unimpressed I am with the season. But considering all I have seen of this fandom the last few years, regarding complaints about fan service (“Rogue One”), easily defeated/underdeveloped bad guys (“The Last Jedi”), and Mary Sues (The sequel trilogy in general), I have to ask again what is it actually that fans like or don’t like about new entries in the franchise? It’s not that there isn’t valid criticisms there and “The Mandalorian” is enjoyable in sincere ways too but it has many of the issues I hear commonly said of more divisive entries in the Disneyverse. So why does it get a pass?

I’ve been told it’s not worth my energy to talk too derisively about the fans in one of my earlier write-ups, so I’ll leave it at that but it does make me wonder.

(“Rogue One” admittedly has a simarily self-indulgent action sequence though haha...)

Season 2 of “The Mandalorian” isn’t the worst piece of Star Wars media ever created, far from it, and for most part its solid enjoyable Saturday morning cartoon theater but if the series wants to really take steps to become more compelling in the future it might be good to stop bubble wrapping their heroes in plot armor. Literally.

Until then this is the way…I guess…

Me getting ready for the backlash...

#Star Wars #the mandalorian #Mando #Baby Yoda #grogu #Boba Fett #Mandalorians #bsg #Battlestar Galactica #jedi #Ahsoka tanno #The Last Jedi #ROgue One #jon favreau #dave filoni #Clone Wars #Star Wars rebels #Sabine Wren #Breaking Bad #John Wick #Keanu Reeves #paul verhoeven #Total Recall #power fantasy #disney #Disney Plus #TV #review

[measureyourlifeincake]

oooooh for the fandom ask, multiples of 5 ?

5. what is your favorite overused trope? Not sure if it’s my favorite per se, but the Gilligan cut and variations thereupon, such as the It’s Always Sunny title card gag (even though I don’t actually like iasif as a show lol) is just pretty much always funny to me, no matter how many times it’s been done.

10. characters that deserved worse? >:] For some reason the first character that comes to mind is Evan Hansen from Dear Evan Hansen. I don’t even like the musical. Honestly, this is part of the reason why (I have. many issues with this musical.).

15. does it bother you if a character shares the same name of someone you know well? Generally no, but I can’t say it happens super often anyway. I will say that once one of my friends played a larp character named Ethan, which is my brother’s name, and that felt weird to me and I couldn’t figure out why, as I knew other people named Ethan and that never felt weird. Then I realized that it was probably because the player’s name is Jacob, which is my brother’s middle name.

20. name a song that reminds you heavily of a specific fandom or character. oh I have a few of these.  Skeleton Appreciation Day in Vestal, NY (Bones) by Will Wood and the Tapeworms makes me want to see someone make an animatic to it of Gideon the Ninth and/or Harrow the Ninth. Or, honestly, I want there to be a netflix series or something of the locked tomb trilogy specifically so someone can make a proper music video of it. I also have a whole animatic planned out in my brain of Whatsername by Green Day about Not-Sasha from TMA

#thanks for the ask! #algebrasunshine #Rook answers things