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exo-raskreia · 5 months

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Thoughts & Speculations On Utahime In The Shinjuku Showdown Arc

WARNING: MANGA SPOILERS & HIGH LEVELS OF COPIUM

There are theories going around about Gojo's potential revival & subsequent defeat of Sukuna. Several are interesting & seemingly possible. However, I've hardly seen any involving Utahime & her potential role in all this. While I shouldn't be hoping for anything in this manga 😩, I couldn't help but get some ideas.

With some of the theories out there, I wouldn't want Gojo to sacrifice part of his power in order to come back. But who knows at this rate...? Would Gege let him come back even more powerful? Or only temporarily before losing all, half, or some of his power? I don't want him to lose an eye or something like that... 😮‍💨

Once he returns, what will be the next step to defeat Sukuna? Gojo may get a new power-up or even has something else up his sleeve that he hasn't revealed yet.

This is why I wonder if Utahime could still have a role to play in this arc. She's the only character involved who hasn't gotten a flashback yet with, or in regards to, Gojo. She hasn't even spoken a word! Does this mean anything? Is Gege withholding something important? Will it come into play at all?

She's barely had any screen/panel time & was absent for 3 arcs spanning several chapters since Shibuya. Gege finally revealed her CT for the biggest fight of Gojo's life against the King of Curses. She helped Gojo achieve 200% Hollow Purple along with Gakuganji, while Ijichi hid them from Sukuna's view with a barrier.

They really come in a set, don't they? Every one of her appearances is related to Gojo. She is bound to him. So you see, we may next see her whenever Gojo is about to, or has already, returned.

Neither her, Gakuganji or Ijichi have reappeared since.

It's been 20+ chapters now & we know nothing of their status. Is this the last time we'll see them, especially Utahime, in action? Do they still have another role to play? They have not been shown to be back with the others at HQ, which implies they're still out on the battlefield.

What have they been doing all this time? Watching the fight unfold? Is it just taking them a while to head back to HQ? Or could it be that they're potentially doing something important?

Chapter 244 showcased a flashback scene with the other characters having a meeting before the fight regarding the possibilities of Gojo's defeat. Neither GojoHime, Gakuganji or Ijichi were seemingly present.

Unless the two people behind Shoko here could be either of them? The one in black could be Gojo & next to him is Utahime, or could it be Gakuganji?

If not, this could imply they were doing planning of their own, maybe in a separate room. That planning is the key.

Clearly, GojoHime (& maybe Gakuganji) must've practiced the Hollow Purple throughout the weeks-long timeskip since Gojo's unsealing. But is that all they did? Is there something else that they planned? The fact they're not back at HQ could imply this. It almost seems deliberate that there's no involvement of them with the others... unless Gege really doesn't care.

Gojo told Sukuna at the beginning of their fight that he did some "special training."

What could this special training be? It hasn't been brought up again. Did it involve Utahime & maybe Gakuganji? This further showcases that Gojo's role isn't over yet.

Now, there are theories that Shoko may heal Gojo with her RCT. If so, could Uta help by buffing her to make it quicker & more effective?

We know so little about Uta's CT. Gege stated singing is a big part of it (unless it's just the chanting?). Could it be used for healing (kinda like Rapunzel from Tangled, lol)? What about offensive abilities? How else would she be a Semi-Grade 1 sorcerer if she can't fight on her own? Is it possible, though? We know she has good reflexes based on her encounter with Haruta at the Goodwill Event. Maybe she's good at hand-to-hand combat & wielding weapons? Heck, can she weaponize her voice like a siren?

When Uta buffs someone, does her cursed energy cover them like a blanket? Does it feel a certain way? Is it visible to other sorcerers or does it become one with the buffed person's own CE so that it's undetectable?

If her CE is visible, wouldn't Sukuna (especially as powerful as he is) have sensed it enmeshed with Gojo's? Instead, he thought Gojo's initial HP was a lot stronger than usual due to a Binding Vow (which we know Gojo didn't make) in chapter 234.

Since Ijichi made a barrier that hid him & the others from view, Sukuna doesn't know about them. If he couldn't sense Uta's CE, that could also mean she might not have been buffing Gojo after the HP. How long is her full range anyway?

Speaking of Ijichi, Gojo told him he had a monumental task in chapter 222 before the timeskip.

As then shown in a flashback in 223, it seems it was just to put up the barrier to hide them, Uta & Gakuganji from Sukuna.

Does this mean that Gojo planned their team-up that early after he got unsealed? 🤔 The flashback here has Gojo in casual wear & the place looks similar to the inside of the Tokyo Tower. Could this mean they were headed to Shibuya Sky, the top of the tower, to practice or simply strategize, & maybe meet up with Uta & Gakuganji?

Still, why did Gojo place such importance to this task? Was it just to establish the trust he has for Ijichi despite his antics?

Was it to keep Utahime safe? Not just about the barrier?

So, I've been having these questions for a while now. Here's where my delulu really kicks in.

Absolute insanity mode. You've been WARNED.

There are theories discrediting the fact Sukuna doesn't know about Uta's CT, that it's NOT why he thinks Gojo made a Binding Vow to achieve 200% HP. I know I'm crazy, but I think him not knowing could come into play.

Other than potentially helping Shoko heal Gojo, could Utahime have a hand in bringing him back? Maybe she could even buff Gojo's own RCT, in the case it's still activated (since Gojo's head's still intact). If Gojo is meant to be truly enlightened upon his return, almost like a god, then wouldn't Uta being a shrine maiden mean something? Shrine maidens dance for the gods, communicate with them, summon them.

DELULU THEORY 1:

This scene in chapter 222 made me wonder if Ino told Gojo about him witnessing the summoning of a dead person (which we know is Toji) in Shibuya, as there's been no follow-up to it yet...

If it's about Toji, did Gojo get the idea that in the case of him "dying", then his soul could be summoned back into his body? And with no side effects as it's his own body, and/or that as long as it's done immediately upon "death"? Is this something that could have been researched?

Since Ino knows a form of necromancy, could he possibly have a role to play in this as well? With his help, could Uta along with Gakuganji do a similar ritual as the granny who summoned Toji in Shibuya?

If Uta sings or chants for the ritual, could Gojo hear her in the limbo & follow her voice or something? Could she guide him north towards enlightenment, make him remember (or realize) who he is & what he has to do, in the case he's temporarily forgotten? 🫢 (delulu, I know, I KNOW 😩)

There's a song called North Wing by Akina Nakamori, the artist who sang Kinku, which is the song that Uta's CT is based on. It was her 7th single released the year after Kinku (7?! A number associated with Gojo?!). It was then re-recorded years later on an album titled 'Utahime Double Decade' (Akina is nicknamed Utahime, meaning Diva in Japan). The lyrics talk about a woman who boards a plane to meet with her lover. Here's an excerpt:

Love Is The Mystery It calls me Love is a mystery With its mysterious power I’m an Airplane, throwing everything away Like a scene out of a movie North Wing I depart all alone tonight For where he is Someone I once gave up on Teardrops, my heart’s punctuation I watch the city lights from above As they get smaller and smaller I take a midnight flight, chasing the night through the fog As if I were wandering through a dream Love Is The Mystery I spread my wings And cross the shining seas. I’m a little nervous The date paints over yesterday Which was nothing but agonizing for you The foggy city you live in Awaits me beneath the clouds

Let's see. If we see it in Uta's POV, then she might've thought loving Gojo was not worth it (as loving someone like him wouldn't be easy), but something happened that changed her mind, maybe before/during the time-skip, or seeing his "death." She could be headed to meet him, meaning to help him? It says at midnight, so could Gojo be revived the following day on Christmas? It mentions yesterday was agonizing for him, meaning his "death" & the fact of whose body/vessel he's fighting?

What if we low-key see it in Gojo's POV? His love for his students (and Utahime?) will make him choose North to return to them. He'll leave his past behind, making peace with it, & depart all alone, as the others in the limbo are going South. He knows everyone must be sad over his "death" (the 'agonizing' part) but he's coming home.

There is also a sequel song to this called Dramatic Airport - North Wing Part II. The lyrics are about a (the same?) woman on her way to meet up with her man at the airport, reuniting with him at night. So, could we see it as Utahime heading towards Gojo to help him, to be there for him on his 2nd awakening?

(There's this amazing theory here, which talks about the possibility of Utahime helping Gojo reach true enlightenment like Buddha's wife did for him in Buddhist myths.)

DELULU THEORY 2:

If Gojo returns through some other means, then that gives us another possibility. He's the only one who knows the location of Sukuna's last finger. What if Gojo had told its location to Utahime & co. (maybe even Ino)? What if their absence in the flashbacks of everyone else making plans is because they were retrieving the finger? And what would they do with it, you ask?

Could it be they had planned & are currently making the preparations for a ritual like the one I mentioned, in which they'll summon Sukuna into another vessel by using the finger? Or simply give it to someone to swallow? And could that vessel possibly be Yuuji, as he's the only one who can really handle harboring Sukuna?

It's scary to think of what this could mean, though... 😥 I will not delve into that.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Anyway, I know I'm fully delulu & may be burning the kitchen, but I just wanted to get this out there. The theories and speculations are rampant these days so might as well add some more to the bunch.

I know for Utahime, a literal side character, to have a major role in the most important fight of Gojo's life, is too much to hope for. Gege also doesn't have a good streak with giving importance to his female characters (except Maki). Then again...no one expected Utahime, after a long absence, to finally reappear with Gojo the chapter after he got unsealed & having her CT finally revealed for him against Sukuna. Just what is Gege trying to say?

Whatever the outcome, I still have so many questions...

What was Utahime even doing during her long absence since Shibuya? As the main teacher of Kyoto, & all these crazy things happening to her students, not a single peep from her?! Was she training?! Put under protection because of her CT or cuz Gojo would have their heads if something happened to her? Buffing people secretly somehow?

How did she end up teaming up with Gojo? Did he ask for her help, like when he did to investigate the traitor? What did he say? Did he finally fess up & tell her what she means to him? Gakuganji & Ijichi got their flashbacks, Gojo showing them his true feelings/thoughts, so what could this mean for Utahime?! That he trusts her too? That he doesn't find her weak? Did he apologize for his constant teasing? Could he have said something more?

Did she offer to help him? Did he refuse & Uta insisted, giving a sort of speech that shut him up?

Just what happened between Gojo & Utahime during the time-skip?! 😫 Is the fact we haven't been shown yet deliberate?!

I wonder if Gege will ever give us this much, at least... 😮‍💨

While I'd like for her to do more, I just hope Uta will be safe. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her like nearly every other female character in this manga... 😥

LET'S HOPE FOR GOJO'S REVIVAL ✊️

#gojohime #iori utahime #gojo satoru #gojo and utahime #jjk spoilers #jjk theory #sorry if these don't make much sense 😅#reiapost

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autistichalsin · 7 months

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Yes, Halsin's arc had romance and leadership and trauma and redemption for past mistakes and war and society vs nature and "pain of altruism" themes...

But his arc was just as much about a man's search for family as anything else.

Every bit of Halsin's arc was about him protecting someone he saw as family.

Act one was his family at the Grove- "the Grove became my family," he says after telling the player he lost his parents and any other family he once had long ago. If they are saved, he makes what he feels is the best choice for them and appoints a new leader of the Grove like a parent letting another parent have custody when they know they aren't the most capable caregiver. If they are sealed off by the Rite of Thorns, Halsin grieves the loss of his home and the people inside. If they are killed, he mourns too, and in either case he can't bring himself to go back and he joins the player's camp. And if they are killed by the player and he doesn't die first, he comes to kill them in retribution.

The Grove helped him through the trauma of the Shadow Curse, it helped him learn about himself as an Archdruid, it helped him realize where his heart lay- and where it didn't. Halsin loves their companionship, but hates his leadership role when it extends beyond paternalism; "it is a terrible burden," he says. He feels too comfortable in the Grove, too separate from nature, and considering how much the leadership role is tied in to his trauma over the Shadow Curse, it's no wonder he resents it. He just wants them as his family, not as his underlings.

Act two was about Thaniel. "He made me who I am today," he says. Several devnotes make it quite clear that Halsin's feelings are paternal ones, towards Thaniel and Oliver both. When he says he thinks it will be good for them to have a friend in each other when he's gone, a devnote says, "a little bittersweet: the kids are growing up." When he notes later that the two play together often in his meditations, the devnote says "proud 'father'."

It makes sense in more ways than one; not only is Halsin paternal to these two particular beings, but then, as a Druid, Halsin is a caretaker to nature itself. As the spirits of the land, of course his feelings would be doubly so, especially given their history.

But before he gets to this point, act two is about searching for family he fears losing- he is terrified for Thaniel and doesn't know if or how to save him. This is the core of his entire arc, really- his arc continues after this, but Thaniel was the most important part of his arc. He is restless and anxious before, and once they do find him, he relaxes again.

Act three is half for the player, whether a friend or a romantic partner. "The Grove became my family... and now I have you," he says as the player gets to know him. The player, who protected him, showed him kindness, saved him from the goblins and now saved his not-quite-sons from the Shadow Curse. The player who, if in a romantic relationship, lets him admit he felt lost before and helped him find himself, ease his burdens. The player who either expresses condolences for the loss of his family or (in a presumably well intentioned if slightly obsessive way) tells him he's better with them anyway, still indicating that he is wanted. The player who lets him show his playful side again, who tends to his needs just as much as the other way around (clearly an uncommon dynamic for him to be in)... He gets to find parts of himself he hasn't in a long time. And as he finds a romantic family again, he gets to start turning his thoughts to the future again. As he can tell Wyll if one plays as him, "we'll need new life when this is over." The player gives him his future back, whether a friend or romantic, along with the family bond he misses after leaving the Grove. It's an even more free, open family than at the Grove, since here he's not forced to take a leadership role and hold himself to a higher standard.

The other part of act three is Halsin seeking family in community. He sees the vulnerable in the city of Baldur's Gate and feels a connection with them- especially the children, but also the refugees. He sees how they're hurting, and he develops a dream "of a better future for those who need it," as the devnotes refer to this arc. Halsin is a person who fundamentally can't stand to see suffering, especially in the young, and the worse he hurts from seeing Baldur's Gate, the more determined he is to help them. This isn't just an act he takes out of duty as an Archdruid, though that is part of it, but it's also the act of someone who loves people and wants to help them. And he is rewarded for it- "Daddy Halsin, [the orphaned children] call me." Halsin, with his endless, deep love and empathy, finds a place where his efforts to help the defenseless allow him to find more love and connections. He gets to take on a fatherly role to nine wagon-fulls (depending on what size of wagon we're talking about, that could be dozens of children, maybe even HUNDREDS!) of children, teaching them about the traditions that are important to him, while also filling the hole left by his parents' absence- by keeping them and their beliefs alive in his interactions with what are now effectively his children.

At his core, Halsin is a lonely person throughout canon, who craves more connection; at this point in his life, it's primarily romantic love and paternal love he wants to give. Act one shows him in a situation where he has neither, and while he's not UNhappy, he's not happy either, and is all too happy to abandon his duties because it's not where he's meant to be. Act two gives him Thaniel, who he is overjoyed to finally free from the Curse, but he isn't meant to linger thanks to the battle against the Absolute. And then act three gives him the player (even if not romanced, he still feels a deep connection with them and vice versa) and, in the end, children he can finally be a father to, even if it's in a slightly different way than he imagined. And that is where he finally finds happiness and purpose.

It's a really wonderful progression for him, I think.

#halsin #bg3 #baldurs gate 3

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thedevilinmybrain · 5 months

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Harry knows Louis has his reasons. He's heard all of them, listed out like one blow after another. The focus should be on the band, on the music, too much at stake. They can't be selfish, need to think about the rest of the boys, the fans. So many things weighing on them, should know better than to push back against management. Louis is the oldest so he needs to make the right choices, be a role model, be mature enough to know when enough is enough.

Louis talks and Harry can hear Simon's voice.

Standing against the wall, Harry presses the rim of the glass against his lips, can smell the vodka inside. It's expensive, served straight because Harry can't afford the calories, no sugar after seven. It's all part of the image, the routine to make Harry hotter, more attractive with a sharp jawline and thin waist. His hair is getting longer now, brushes against his jaw, a real Mick Jagger in his tight jeans and drawling accent, charming whomever he feels like. It doesn't mean shit when he's watching Louis wrap his arm around the shoulders of some up and coming.

He's pretty, Harry guesses, as far as aesthetics go. Big eyes and smooth skin, an upturned mouth in a smirk that makes him look a little impish. Louis is being bold tonight, no one that important around to side eye him, to shove a pretty blond in a mini dress into his lap. So, Louis is free to laugh into the guy's neck, face flushed red and drunk. His free hand has been on the guy's thigh for over an hour, holding him close, holding him down, with a ring on his finger that belongs on Harry's. Louis had said they had to break up because too many people were watching them, that it was a liability, that it just wasn't possible. But someone with a name the tabloids don't care about is safe, Harry guesses.

Jealousy is a fucking collar around his throat, chokes the air out of his lungs, drags him down like an anchor into the darkness, drowning him. Louis used to do that to him, to press their cheeks together, to keep Harry close and safe against his side. Always had to have his hands on Harry somehow, around his wrist, on his waist. But that was before Louis decided to start eating out of the hand that feeds them.

This morning, leaving the studio, Louis had held the door open for Harry and smiled at him, all big and bright and cooing at him. Come on, baby. Hurry up. Like it wasn't a punch to the gut when Louis is the one who told Harry he had to stop calling him that. When Louis is the one who set up the rules, who laid down the way it was going to be. And Harry has been trying to be so good, kept himself away, doesn't try to press or talk to him. Even when it feels like Harry's sawing off a limb every time Louis is in the room.

"Feels fucking rude," Niall mutters, digs his fingers into his own cup, tugging out a cherry. "Over there flaunting it."

"Niall," Harry sighs, takes another sip of his own drink. Across the room, Louis takes the pipe from Zayn, holds it up to show his newest friend.

"Well? It fucking is. I know you all broke up and shit, but honestly? To do it here?" Waving his hand at the center of the room, Niall's top lip curls. "Fucked, mate. Really fucked."

Niall is right. They're in one of the public houses that the label owns, all blase designs and inconsequential art on the walls. But it's still in front of their friends, some of the crew, all the lads. Harry can't remember ever feeling so on the outskirts of the people he considers family, so fucking lonely in his own skin.

"You're Harry fucking Styles," Niall hisses, venomous and angry. He's felt like this since he heard the news, had been the one to pull Harry out of that bathtub, soaked through his clothes, wine drunk and sobbing. Louis doesn't know any of it, but Niall does.

"It was almost Tomlinson." Harry mutters, takes the rest of his drink in one shot, rolls off the wall to stalk towards the stairs. He hasn't worked up the ability to charge across the room yet, to stand his ground, to call Louis out on his shit. No, not yet. So, Harry prefers to have his meltdown behind closed doors, to cry his eyes sore and try to rub the tattoos off his skin.

#larry #drabble #just something i have been thinking about writing #canon era jealous harry #maybe too inspired by lyrics

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bonefall · 3 months

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could fern leaf be a former park cat or something that clear sky sends to spy on tall shadow & then defects? or, since she’s important to the rescue of star flower in the books, maybe she could be involved with one-eye somehow…? even though star flower is totally different now, so she doesn’t really Need rescuing from any situation she’s in that you’ve talked about so far. guess it depends on which aspects of the character best serve the story, and whether she would work better as part of DOTC proper or thunder’s SE

i also genuinely can’t remember if bb!clear sky’s original M.O. for his group is Tribe Cats Only, or if he is willing to take in anyone who kisses his ass enough. could make sense if fern leaf (or more accurately, any tom willing to vouch for her) appeals to clear sky enough. hell, maybe she could be a mole on one-eye’s behalf instead?

(Follow up ask to this post)

The new rub to the formation of the groups in BB is that there is two distinct cultures in the forest: Park Cats and Tribe Cats. They're divided by a language barrier, with the Park Cats speaking Parkmew and the Tribe cats speaking what we now call Old Tribemew.

So Clear Sky doesn't have the same "options" like canon. These ""rogues"" don't speak his language and he simply would not learn even if the chance was offered to him. It doesn't even really cross his mind that these are full people to reach out to; in his mind they're intruders. The flavor of bigotry in the modern era hasn't quite evolved yet, so he has the most straightforward kind of xenophobia you can imagine.

He only starts changing his mind after the First Battle, after his revelation, when he's back on his bullshit in Thunderstar's Justice. In my head it's kind of like... a mockery of Thunder Storm's way of life, that allowed him to live in defiance of him for so long. "See, now I do what you do. Since Gray Wing approved of you so much." kinda thing

There's two park cat groups; The River Kingdom, and The Wind Coalition.

The first conflict the Sun Trail Pioneers run into is with WindCo up on the moor, who chases them down into the forest! The Park cats who lived in the forest weren't united, just various individuals that had little "homestead" territories.

The conflicts with them start after the Shadow/Sky split that follows the death of Jagged Peak. Shadow's Clan moved eastward into the caves at Snakerocks, where no one bothered them, but Sky's Clan started getting hostile towards the little homesteads and pushing cats westward, back to the River Kingdom.

SO with that recap out of the way...

I have two and a half-ish cats already that I'm heavily interested in using to turn on Clear Sky for Thunder's Clan. So I'm not sure how to slot Fern Leaf in there.

1: Snake. Snake is the only cat in-canon who said that maybe Clear Sky shouldn't be their leader after letting One Eye into the Clan against all warnings, and then he gets DOGPILED for it, and the very next book shoves him into the arms of Slash to undermine the fact that they accidentally gave him a good fucking point.

I'm RIDICULOUSLY fond of him because of this. I love him out of spite. I've spoken before about how I plan for him to be a Tribe-descended cat, and a lot of that is because I want to keep his goon roles serving Clear Sky. One of which is that he is going to badly injure Sunlit Frost in the First Battle.

So thinking about it... it makes the most sense for Snake to turn on Clear Sky in Thunderstar's Justice. Still unsure when. But if I have any roles where a cat needs to get help, stop a battle, or call Clear Sky out for making a really bad decision, it's gotta be him.

I'll keep him in my hand for a while; this feels like a piece that will fall into place.

I'm also unsure of what family he's going into. I keep waffling on it. I'm leaning towards the Claw family and possibly the son of Fox, since he's going to be living a bit longer. He's going to be about the same age as Thunder Storm, maybe a bit older.

2: Red Claw Since Acorn Fur is now Acorn Swoop, and she's not nonsensically going to go join the guy who killed both of her parents because it would be too sad to go home where they're not alive, her love interest has to end up in Thunder's Clan.

I'm already pretty committed to making Petal into Petal Claw and Fox into Fox Claw, so it follows that Red Claw would be in the family. Thinking about it, maybe Red should be the son of Fox instead...

Especially because he could defect earlier. Moth Flight's Vision is totally overhauled anyway and I'm planning to shift a lot of the original plot to something for another character anyway...

Plus, enemies-to-lovers is fun and I haven't really had a chance to do it yet. Acorn Swoop is absolutely the kind of punk who would nab one of her worst enemy's best soldiers, and the type of nerd who would frame it like her biggest catch yet.

("OI THUNDER!! LOOKIE WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN")

And most relevantly... this is leaving Fern Leaf's backstory up in the air. Him leading a dog pack into the heart of camp and getting Beech and Frog killed is what kicked off the Bunny Bones plot of the original MFV that I like so much, and I feel like it's an important part of Fern Leaf.

So not only am I here planning Red Claw as a high priority for being someone to turn against Clear Sky, but also, he complicates Fern Leaf a bit.

Maybe I should step back a bit on the two and start from scratch with them, and replace their backstories with new ones that preserve the "emotional core." I'll have to think about it.

That 1/2 Cat: Alder or Birch The kits that are stolen from Misty, that queen who was murdered by Clear Sky and whose kits are given to Petal. In BB, that's something I want to examine for how fucked up it is. It becomes the basis of Kit Stealing later, an awful practice that the Clans will struggle with for many generations.

These ones are SUPER important, but I say 1/2 because it doesn't have to be Thunder's Clan they turn for. But I do want one of them to eventually learn their origin, and end up finding their family in River Kingdom or the Wind Coalition.

I mention them because I keep going back and forth on if they're going to get combined with other characters. Basically imagine me next to a big conspiracy chart and I'm connecting a big red line between possible plot threads back to Fern Leaf. Maybe her? Maybe she can be one of the stolen kits?

I could even make it so Birch is actually an older sibling, or a half-sibling, or one from the same litter who was saved... maybe even end up making it a litter of 4. Slots in well with her canon story, too, where she mentions her mother abandoned her.

The truth can be that it was a lie. Her mother didn't abandon her. One of them was murdered and the other was chased off.

And, of course, I could save her to be a "One Eye Cultist." None of my drafts so far have brought in any extra followers of One Eye who will follow him from place-to-place besides Star Flower herself. I would like to add some, and that's a fine place for Fern Leaf, but somehow I feel like I can do her better.

#better bones au #BB!DOTC #BB!Fern Leaf #also for the record I am both Very sorry and Not sorry that--#--Acorn Swoop ended up changing so much from her mild-toned canon counterpart lmaooo #My lover showed me a clip of a british TV show with a character called Vyvyan ranting about bad sitcoms #RIGHT around the time I first designed her #Because I was yelling about the original arc and partner was like ''this is u (affectionate)''#And somehow that evolved into an inside joke about Acorn Swoop and now I cannot unhear it #''being hungry makes me lose my easygoing approach to living with other cats''#(THROWS A MOLOTOV AT SKY'S CLAN)

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the-ninjago-historian · 5 months

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Ninjago Dragons Rising Season Two News! Sets and Plot Info!

HELLO EVERYONE! I have some great info for you guys on the new Dragons Rising Sets and Seasons! I worked REALLY hard on this article, so I hope you all enjoy it. There's a lot to talk about so let's just jump in. Below the cut. SPOILERS!!!

Our Sources for all this info are these two interviews here.

youtube

Now, let's get started.

First off, the mechs. The third wave will be for Part Two of Season Two! The mechs have interchangeable parts. So you may mix and match different sets to build your own mechs. The suits in the first wave the Ninjas are wearing are called the mech suits. There are only for when they are specifically in their mechs. They wanted to make sure everyone had a mech suit. So even though Zane doesn't have a mech, he got one anyway. The mechs did best in testing. They aren't as relevant to the story as the other sets.

There is also a short series coming that will showcase Sora building the mechs from the first wave. (It's important to note, that since there is a Cole mech, perhaps we can expect to see him in the shorts.👀) Also, Cole's golem form from the show was based off an early version of this Cole Mech.

I heard people asking why Sora and Arin haven't gotten any new suits yet. This has been addressed. The reason is Sora hasn't gotten a new suit since she's only been present for one wave. This means she might eventually get new variants. On a side note, Arin had a new hood now. Maybe not a full new suit, but hey. It's a start!

Also, there is a new sword Lego piece. So if any of you guys for some reason collect Lego weapons, nows the time to add to your collection. Lol.

And the dragon in the Wyldefyre set is just called a Source Dragon. It's not actually one. This is possibly for marketing. On more thing to remember is that there will be January, March, Summer set wave. So more sets ARE coming.

Now, the villains. Cinder is confirmed to be the new Elemental Master of Smoke! The designers don't know if Cinder is actually Ash. Or what happened to Ash. We can only assume we'll find out in time.

Second, the wolf army and Lord Ras! The wolf army is called the Wolf Clan. Ras's wolf warriors are humans in Wolf Masks. Not werewolves or anthromophic wolves. It is also interesting to note that The people that worked on Chima worked on designing the Wolf Warriors. And the Wolf Mech is based on a scrapped Nexo Knights Malware Wolf model.

Now for Ras, we now know that Ras's Shadow Dojo is located in a place called The Shadow Forest. It's where he uses the BloodMoon's power. The Gong of Shattering is apparently ANOTHER tool Ras uses to power/command his wolf army.

As for this Shadow Forest, the designer stated that the highly anticipated climbing suits will be for when they are climbing in the forest.

Last but no least, we have Egalt. The Master Dragon Not much is said about him other than he will take on a mentor role, much like Master Wu.

For our last topic, we have this very exciting news about Pixal! She has been confirmed by the designer to be returning to the series! Her name is on the storyboards and everything!💜🤍💜🤍💜🤍💜🤍

Well, that's all the news for now! Also, you like this newsletter format, let me know, as I am considering setting up a weekly Ninjago newsletter that will publish either every Wednesday or Sunday.

Bye! - ✒️🐉

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kitkatopinions · 3 months

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Does Whitley have potential or is he an extra Schnee?

I think Whitley had and has a lot of potential, actually!

One of the most interesting things about Weiss is her connection to her family, which I think deserves more focus and exploring, and Whitley is obviously a big part of that. I find it fascinating how the environment Weiss and Whitley were raised in made them react in completely different ways - Whitley with putting up a mask of casual indifference (airing on cheeriness) and leaning into what was expected of him while clearly showing in volume eight that it isn't just how he naturally is, and Weiss with anger and mimicking Winter and desperately trying to get away from it. I think exploring both Weiss and Whitley as abuse victims would really speak to the fact that reactions to abuse takes all sorts of forms and are no less sympathetic.

Exploring Weiss's dynamic with Winter and Whitley more, I think, would help to expand on Weiss's character and give her a stronger arc (since she hasn't seemed to have a personal arc in volumes and even in V7 seemed to not get the attention she deserved.) Going into V10 (if we get a V10) the Schnees are going to be all of a sudden pretty much penniless, with no home, in a kingdom that should by all rights be very hesitant to accept them. If Weiss isn't concerned with helping specifically Whitley (not because he's more important to Weiss or to the narrative than Winter but because he's an auraless untrained teenage civilian) than it'd seem like a bit of a blow against her character tbh. And it could lead to some great conflicts not only surrounding Weiss and Whitley making an effort to understand each other better and get to know each other more after years of icing each other out, but might also create conflicts with the rest of Weiss's team who might perceive Weiss focusing more on her family than on important issues.

On top of that, Whitley could serve very effectively as a demonstration that not everyone needs to be a Hunter or fighter or have a semblance in order to be helpful and good. In V8, Whitley proofed to be smart, kind, and brave. He could be the sort of person to be doing things on computers while talking to Team RWBY and co over comms in their ears. Whitley could be incredibly useful in that way, and it would be so much fun to see the team acclimatizing to a new person more or less being brought in, into a new role they're not used to having around. It'd be a nice change, also something that RWBY could use.

And on top of on top of that is the fact that Oscar and Ruby both having this new friend that's more their age and is super different from both of them but could get along with both of them (and could be shipped with either of them) is a good thing too that could be good and worth exploring. And also on top of both of those things, the classic 'villains use a loved one to threaten their enemies' thing can't be easily done in this show where everybody is basically a superhero, but auraless teenage civilian Whitley provides an excellent opportunity for that.

Basically, Whitley has tons of potential as a character going forward from here, and I do hope that he stays involved and even gets more involved (so long as there's also plenty of proper focus given to the mains obviously.) Do I think that any of this potential will actually be realized? No. I think Whitley will pretty much just be treated like an extra Schnee, and the most we'll see of him if we ever get more RWBY is like two very bit parts of scenes where Willow has like a hand on his shoulder or something and that's it. The show can't have make the mains reach a quarter of their full potential, so there's very little hope for my baby boy Whitley. But I think he could be a great, amazing, involved character.

#rwde

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aboutzatanna · 4 months

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To put into perspective just how forced the whole JohnZee pairing has been for the last few years, Zatanna met John 5 times in the pre-reboot continuity. That's 5 out of the 379 times she has appeared in comics before the Pre Nu 52 debut of Justice League Dark. Similarly John's Hellblazer lasted for 300 issues with his own supporting cast and love interests and Zatanna only appeared once in it.

(Yes, there was a divide between Vertigo and DC at the time but Zatanna was one of the few characters who famously flaunted the line)

Swamp Thing #49-50: this is where we first find out that these characters knew each other as John tries to recruit Zatara and Zatanna for the magical seance. Note that there is an element of manipulation involved in all of John's interactions with everyone in this issue. John was also a new character at the time and Zatanna was a very established character. Moore can be a perv so it's not surprising that he made their relationship sexual. He also basically ended the pairing with John Zatara's death and Zatanna blaming John for it. Although they were established as collegues, we got fans and writers today who think Zatanna should be a novice who needs John to lead her around and tell her where to aim her powers.

Books of Magic: In which we learn that John hasn't met Zatanna at all since the traumatic seance but feels he can just waltz in and ask her to babysit a kid for him. The writer likes him so of course it works and she hugs and kisses him, which felt so very jarring. Books of Magic is a book I enjoy except for the Zatanna scenes (and Spectres). Then we had Zee acting like a complete idiot who endangers Tim Hunter and needed to be saved by John Constantine. Really jarring when you see her appearances in JLA comics around the time where she was a powerful magician whose kicking ass. ( Yet, this one comic would decades later set the pace for her characterization in JLD as this novice with a lot of power except for when John needs to shine. ) We would later get a follow up to this in a dream sequence in the 1991 Zatanna mini series by Lee Mars but that too had a scene where Zatanna went 'oh no, I'm not as good John' which makes no sense since she has been involved in magic her whole life.

Hellblazer Vol 1 #63: Zatanna's only appearance in the title at John's 40th birthday party. I don't have any objections to this one. Zee getting high at a party with a floating joint is hilarious.

Totems mini series: A brief appearance where she turns down his offer for sex and even goes 'reven niaga'.

Zatanna Everyday Magic: I like this one. As it deals with things from her perspective. She is the one who saves him and very subtly we see her shed any resentment she may have for John but is not hung up on him. She has her own life and her own love interests, even has casual sex with them.

So we have a pairing that cratered and halfway buried, only for an ill thought out reboot to drag it back up and heavily retconning both character's respective histories to make it work. Like introducing Nick Necro and treating the seance like Zee's origin story instead of Zatanna's Search. Ignoring any aspect of her that's not related to John, like all her relationships with the JL members (except Batman) don't matter anymore even though they played important roles in her life as well. Yet, John gets to keep most of his history and supporting cast and even get several shots at an ongoing. Zee ends up being treated as less smart, less competent and daresay even less sexy, whenever the JohnZee pairing comes to the forefront. The seeds were there since even their second meeting.

I don't see why this pairing needs to be treated as something so sacrosanct that the characters aren't allowed to grow past it. It's definitely not an earned relationship that's up there with Clark/Lois, BatCat, WallyLinda or BarryIris. It's only post nu52 that writers can't seem to go two pages without mentioning the pairing whenever Zee shows up. And I hate the fact that it's lead to Zee developing a reputation as a woman with a bad body fetish. Yet another aspect of the character they had to twist to make the pairing work.

It's not just that Zee deserves better, it just plain doesn't make sense. Even on it's own, it's a constant merry go round 'oh John, you are lying to me, I can't trust you/John, you lied to me, I trusted you. Everyone in JLD gets this but Zatanna gets it the worst.

Also, Zatanna didn't 'choose him', they were apart then the reboot happened and DC went 'well, lets pretend these two are an angsty couple who can't quit each other, forget anything that might contradict this narrative'.

To drive the point home; compare Zee's last appearance in 2022 in JLD as team leader where she was shown to be reckless and dumb leader who endangered her team for no reason and refused to take responsibility (of course John comes out looking good). To her later appearances in Batgirl and the excellent Knight Terrors crossover team up with Robot Man.

Once she is away from John, she goes back to being her fun, competent, bad ass, sexy self.

Side note: Can we also go back to a time when Zatanna, Phantom Strnager, Spectre and Dr Fate were bad asses and not chumps so John Constantine can look cool as he pulls out a vaguely defined spelled from his ass? I saw scans from a comic recently where he got the drop on freakin' Waverider recently.

#zatanna #zatanna zatara #john constantine

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imakemywings · 2 months

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I'm glad they (or you did in the tags?) mentioned Maedhros because given Celebrimbors actions toward his uncle and father and later his actions at the fall of his city, I'm pretty sure Maedhros is the last person he would want to see or want for comfort (it seemed there was a general consensus that Celebrimbor would look for him of all people for comfort or something, which is weird for me because like @undercat-overdog said, most people don't rate their uncles as the most important people and he hasn't seen them for thousand years and when he did hear of them, it's the news of them committing the second and third kinslaying). I also subscribe to @aipilosse's headcanon about the feanorian brothers not being that close hence why Celebrimbor can easily ignore them because the relationship wasn't that deep to begin with. I fervently agree with you about Finrod most likely the family he would immediately live with after rebirth. Honestly, I headcanon him living with Finrod and Finarfin because I feel like that's the house where Celebrimbor would be able to heal (I subscribe to Finarfin being the best father and grandfather out of the three, sue me.). And even if Celebrimbor did start speaking with his father and uncles (and grandparents) the relationship wouldn't be the same anymore, like he's polite but there's no warmth or fluffiness or tearful reunion or something, it's not there anymore. What do you think of him and Elwing bonding over the trauma of getting screwed over and losing their city and people to a bunch of assholes?

With FULL WARNING that everything following is pure headcanon, since we don't actually get anything in canon on how Celebrimbor feels about his family (except that eventually he found them so morally repugnant he no longer wanted to associate with them), I think we're a lot in agreement here, anon.

I'm not opposed to Celebrimbor having originally been close with his uncles--every family is different and sure, it could be that his paternal uncles took a particular interest in his life. I DO think he was very close with Celegorm, if only because Celegorm was such a presence in his life, particularly in Middle-earth. However, I don't personally see him as super close with his other uncles (However, Lady_Gavroche has an excellent fic about his relationship with Caranthir that's a lot of fun!) I don't think Maedhros and Maglor were very fond of children as younger adults (Maedhros makes something of an exception for his brothers; Maglor does not), so I don't envision them taking much of a role with Celebrimbor.

However, with or without the premise that he was originally close at all with Maedhros, I WILL stand by that I don't think he wants anything to do with Maedhros after his death.

For me, it's that Celebrimbor put his foot down before arguably the worst of the Feanorians' atrocities. Leading up to his essentially disowning his paternal family, we have: Alqualonde, the burning of the ships at Losgar (either of which Celebrimbor may have personally had a hand in, we don't know), the fractious relationship with Doriath, the coup against Finrod, the kidnapping and attempted forced marriage of Luthien, and the effort to use Luthien to blackmail Thingol. Already at this point, Celebrimbor says "No, enough, I can't side with you anymore." (And I think his moral journey from someone who, in my mind, participated in the kinslaying at Alqualonde and in the ship burning at Losgar, to someone who says "No, this is wrong and we can't keep doing these things" is soooo interesting.)

AFTER Celebrimbor has already sided with Orodreth and left behind his family, THEN we have the attempted murder of Beren and Luthien by Celegorm and Curufin, the failure of Maedhros to address their actions in any way, the Second Kinslaying, the particularly cruel way Elured and Elurin were killed, the Third Kinslaying, the kidnapping of Elrond and Elros who were then held onto for an unknown number of years, the slaying of Eonwe's guard and the theft of the Silmarils AFTER everyone else had put their whole heart into defeating Melkor.

Like, they got SO much worse after Celebrimbor had already had enough. I imagine the amount of horror and revulsion he feels towards them and the things they did are quite high. And Maedhros, the guy who was head honcho for ALL of these things--Celebrimbor is supposed to get comfort from HIM? This guy? Nah man.

Celebrimbor died in agony and torment trying to prevent more death and bloodshed as a result of his creations. Maedhros decided slaughtering a bunch of other Elves was the best way to get what he wanted. I'm really not sure what they have to say to each other at this point.

We don't know anything about Celebrimbor's maternal family (although @swanmaids has seduced me on the idea of Curufin's wife going along with the rebellion of the Noldor and going with the Feanorians to Middle-earth) but even on the extended paternal branch of his family there are other people who have experience with torture, even torture by Sauron or Melkor! Maedhros is FAR from the only person with this experience!

Finrod would be my #1 choice because he, like Celebrimbor, was tortured by Sauron for information, and because I like to imagine they were somewhat close in Nargothrond, and that contributed to Celebrimbor being so disturbed by the way Celegorm and Curufin treated Finrod. (This is a fun fic about Finrod helping Celebrimbor through rebirth.)

There's Finduilas, who's captured and killed by Orcs; there's Celebrian, who's captured and put to torment; there's Orodreth who was killed by Glaurung; there's Aredhel who dies of slow poison thanks to her husband...and there are probably plenty of Celebrimbor's other friends and acquaintances and neighbors who have similar experiences and whom he can sympathize with. Even Nerdanel is likely to be a much better choice, since she at least never partook in any of that. He has options.

And I agree, IF he had interactions with his father and uncles again, it would be a very different relationship from what it might have been before. I can easily see him deciding he simply doesn't want them in his life anymore at all, full no-contact (as much as that's possible in Tirion).

As for Elwing, I think it would take her a while to come around to Celebrimbor just because he IS a Feanorian and I don't think she's especially inclined to give any of them the benefit of the doubt, not least one who created Sauron's rings of power ^.^;;; I'm also not sure how welcome he'd be around where she lives since iirc her tower is in or around Teler territory and you know, Alqualonde and all. But it's possible he wins her over. Kirta does a really interesting fic where Celebrimbor and Elwing meet before the attack on Sirion.

I also think it's fun when he gets to chat with Frodo.

ANYWAY long story long...I can zero percent see Celebrimbor seeking comfort from Maedhros, and honestly, it would be INCREDIBLY audacious (derogatory) for Maedhros to assume Celebrimbor would WANT comfort or support from him at this point.

#asks #anonymous

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thatonesongyouretryingtoremember · 2 years

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Yet another reason why Kali needs to come back

Kali's arc is half baked, which I'll never shut up about. We established her morals, she was sad to see El leave, neither of them gets ANY type of closure, and Kali doesn't go through any change despite having an entire episode dedicated to her. The fact there's business left with her is the reason we need her back. She ALSO has alot of backstory the show hasn't covered- so I'm here with my little tinfoil hat theory of Kali's real role at the lab.

Let's start of with some of the facts:

Kali's canon age in S2 is 20, El at the time is 12. They are 8 years apart. (I think a lot of people don't know this, but it's a universal answer wherever I checked)

in the flashback of s2, Kali and El have long hair, regular clothes, and are in a different rainbow room which is not in a hospital- like area.

in the same flashback, Kali and El appear the same age. They are playing together, unlike in the other version of the facility. We don't see any other kids near El or Kali.

since Henry/Vecna/001 uses "while 008 was still here" as a marker of time in S4, it's reasonable to assume the policies on hair and clothes, as well as the building's layout changed in response to Kali's disappearance.

Kali doesn't have telekinesis, telepathy, or electromanipulaton like ALL the other kids do(as we see those are all important to their training) she was born with pets in London, and presumably chosen and kidnapped (and targeted twice) because of her own power of illusion, something of V/H/1's that we don't see replicated in any other number.

Which is where my theory comes in:

Kali was twelve while El was 4(the age they both appear imo in the flashback) this could mean that she was "telling" El to see her as a 4yo as well as anyone around at the time.

I think one possible reason for this is that Brenner wanted her to. Brenner is scared of the telekinetic, but he's also studying them. Two teekinetics in the same room as eachother would be dangerous, so using Kali would be a way to see the kids interact while at ease around someone "their age" who was similar and friendly, but who wouldn't both be able to punch out the eyes of two security guardseach.

Kali is even seen to be held at a clearly higher standard than El bc she was electrocuted, a punishment we only see shared by V/H/1, an employee who interfered with Brenner's plan, and 002, someone who at the time had failed to do Brenner a service (killing El). While it's possible that this was generally common in the Hawkins Lab Facility, these are when we see it, so it is reasonable to draw the conclusion that they're similar. V/H/1, 002, and Kali were punished the same way for the same reason: they were meant to carry out a purpose. Not only as test subjects, but they each had a task as well.

After Kali left for good, that's when it seems the policies changed. Brenner needed a new way to keep the kids seperate now that they couldn't always be physically seperate. That's why in the newer rainbow room, kids are never playing together (the exception being competitive games, which also seemed less popular imo, not to mention we see Brenner pitting them against eachother). These weren't the kids specifically chosen to watch others like Kali and 002 were, so they weren't acting like friends. Brenner didn't want someone back who would refuse her job or kill him or convince a kid to. Kali's job was important enough to seek her out from London, but it's(her job's) goal could be achieved in other ways

Kali was sought out specifically for her illusion powers in order to keep watch on the other kids and show them to interact with other kids but not eachother. Her absence was the reason for the policy changes that we see by the time El is 8yo.

All together, the sketchy situation on its own even without my theory being true means there's so much of Kali's backstory we don't discover in canon so far. Combine that with the fact that she and El never get closure for how they left things off, and nothing makes more sense than a Kali reappearance in s5.

#kali prasad #stranger things kali #stranger things 008 #kali stranger things #el hopper #stranger things #stranger things theory #stranger things headcanon #stranger things headcanons #stranger things theories #martin brenner #song says a smart thing

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siennaditbot · 10 months

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Here's my suggestion for a scene we didn't see in Kim Possible: So the Drama <3

A tiny fluffy fic thing :>

"You know, Ron, we'd better hurry", Kim smiled at her best friend coyly. She was feeling a lot of feelings and wanted to get going already. It only confused him.

"Hurry where?"

"You'll see." She took his hand and the two hurried to Ron's scooter they had left nearby.

The day had been a rollercoaster of emotions, and, to be honest, that wasn't going to change any time soon. Big Drakken plan with huge robots, the whole Bueno Nacho sitch, Eric's role in everything, and Ron finally coming to terms with his feelings - even telling Kim about it in an uplifting but roundabout way.

Now that things were finally starting to calm down a little, both got the chance to organize their thoughts. Kim didn't tell Ron where they were heading, so both had their thoughts going a mile a minute.

Ron was getting more and more nervous as minutes and miles passed.

Where was she taking him? Should he be polite and put his hands on her shoulders this time or is the usual hip-waist hold okay? What was her reaction to his confession again? Did she get it even though he was interrupted and pretty indirect? What's going to happen if she did get it?

That made him tighten his hold on her a little. Be it rejection or becoming a couple, he would honor her decision, but would obviously prefer the latter. Then he.... could kiss her again. Properly this time. He looked up at her, even though she couldn't look back at the moment. She's so important to him, he doesn't want to mess this up.

In front of him, Kim's mind was getting clearer and clearer as she drove.

So, Eric was a syntho-drone and part of a surprisingly cunning Drakken plan. Explains why he appeared at such a perfect time and why he was so perfect in general. Truly the perfect distraction.

If it wasn't for Ron..... He got her out of the prom princess mindset and back into business. He brought her out of her slump. He made sure she knew that she wasn't unlovable. He.... told her he liked her.

That wasn't a new thought to her. She has suspected he might have had feelings for her for quite some time actually - he was always more open to that whole concept than she was. She... has had feelings for him for a while now as well, but she was in major denial for many reasons, most important one being the fear of ruining their friendship. The whole moodulator business also made her afraid of rejection - he had broken up with her, after all, even though he had kissed her back.

Eric appearing and fitting into the whole "food chain" business was the perfect solution to Bonnie's dumb stuff, her own fears and the obvious recent "there's something there" kind of awkwardness she's had with Ron. She could've taken the first step, but she was afraid. Eric was the easy path.

But now? Ron had taken the plunge and shared his feelings first. He took the risk, just to help her get her mojo back. She really needed to thank him for that.

What was going to happen now?

Whatever it will be, she knows they can deal with it. For now, she just wants to get back to prom with him this time, apologize, and thank him for everything. She hasn't been... the nicest best friend since she met Eric. He had taken up all the space in her head. She barely paid any attention to Ron, even as a friend! No wonder he called her words pretty when she said nothing would change what they're all about. A lot already had.

It took a while, but the two finally arrived at the wreckage of a house that was the Possible residence at the moment. The tweebs and Kim's parents among a few neighbours were trying their best to clean up enough for the Possibles to still be able to sleep at home that night. Broken walls were nothing new to them, after all.

"Ah, right. Completely forgot about this mess."

Kim rolled her eyes with a smile and got up, removing her helmet. Ron did the same.

"Oh, oh, I bet your battle suit is gonna help with this! It does give you super strength, right?"

"It enhances my abilities a bit, sure, and could be of use here, but fixing the place isn't why we were in such a hurry."

He was even more confused as they walked up to meet Kim's parents.

"I know you save the world frequently but I'm always so relieved when you both come home alright", Ann said and looked at her daughter with motherly pride. She then looked up and around. James immediately understood what his wife was thinking.

"Did Eric still decide to stay at the prom while you two went to do your thing?"

He wasn't very happy about the idea. Not that her daughter needed protection, she was plenty capable, but what kind of a boyfriend doesn't help when the stakes are this high?

"Uhh.. So, he was a syntho-drone with the sole purpose of distracting me", Kim shrugged nonchalantly. "So not the drama. We're in a hurry though, dad, so I'll give you two the deets later, ok?"

She gave both her parents a quick peck on the cheek and eagerly dragged Ron towards the house.

"Okay, I'm going to get ready for round two, you go get into that blue suit of yours. Meet me in 10?"

He nodded, still baffled but starting to understand where she was going with this.

Both hurried to get changed, one almost giddy, the other in disbelief.

Ron got up the stairs to his room and dug out his dad's old suit he had stuffed to the very back of his closet. Out of sight, out of mind, after all. Rufus jumped to sit on the dresser while Ron got changed.

"Am... am I really about to go to prom with Kim now?"

Rufus nodded with a just-as-baffled 'uh-huh'.

"And not as friends??"

Another nod from Rufus.

"Not the way I thought today would end, but who am I to argue", he smiled, pulling his fancy pants on.

He walked up to the mirror and reached out for his little pal.

"Still can't do the bowtie though."

Rufus hopped onto his hand and started tying the bowtie again, just like he had done only a few hours ago.

"Guess I was right about the 'something there' part, huh."

He looked at the disbelief in his reflection, also taking the chance to make sure his face was as ok as it can be after everything they went through.

"I'm glad I finally got that mushy stuff out there, though. Wasn't as humiliating as I thought, either. Not sure if I'm happy about the interruption", he looked at Rufus with a raised eyebrow, "but it seems I said enough at least."

Rufus shrugged and finished tying the bowtie. The two did a tiny high-five, and headed back out.

Meanwhile, Kim was trying hard to tame her battle-frazzled hair. She was in her sparkly dress already, deciding to go with it even though it got ruined. The frayed edge gave it extra character? It also punches another hole into the perfect expectations the concept of prom apparently has.

The whole Eric thing was already draining out of her system. It really wasn't that deep, huh. Was she that shallow? Did she just want attention and a pretty boy to make Bonnie eat her words?

Whatever it was, she's glad it crashed and burned. The whole thing had had her in a daze. Now she was in her right mind, though filled with nerves and adrenaline, and her buried feelings for Ron were starting to resurface - hard.

She barely managed to get her necklace on before darting out the door. She was eager to see his face when he saw her again. He had seen her in the dress already, yes, but this time the dress meant she was going with him.

She didn't see him inside the house, so she peeked out and saw him in his expectation-breaking blue suit, talking to her parents. He was smiling softly. His face brightened instantly when he noticed Kim from behind James' shoulder.

"I hope you're not grilling him again, dad."

"This is much less of a grilling than what he got for the Middleton Days outing. Right, Ronald?"

"Yeah. No black holes mentioned."

"He was about to put a 'no boys policy' into place, but me and Ron managed to talk him out of that", Ann added with a gentle laugh.

"One time you almost died out of embarrassment - literally may I add - , one time you were under that blasted device's control and got broken up with", he shot a quick look at Ron, causing him to grin awkwardly, "and the most recent one turned out to be a syntho-goo filled drone. That's not a good track record, Kimmy-cub", James said seriously, counting the cases with his fingers.

"He really might have done it if not for Ron", Ann smiled and looked at Ron with both softness and motherly protectiveness in her eyes. "He's an exception, as long as he's not about to take you out to break up with you again."

"Not gonna happen, Mrs. Dr. P. Promise", he placed one hand on his heart and raised the other up.

"Good. Then you're almost free to go. Dear?"

James fished his camera out of his pocket and handed it to his wife. She gestured for the kids to get closer together to pose for a photo.

Both Kim and Ron blushed slightly, awkward with this new tone in their relationship. Ron contemplated putting his arm around her "boyfriend style", but shyly decided to place his hand on her shoulder blade instead. She took a tiny step closer to him. Both looked at the camera with small and shy but content smiles on their faces.

"Okay, super cute. That's going on the wall. Have a nice night, you two."

"No black hole threats but you'd better treat her right, Ronald. Understood?"

"Yes, Mr. Dr. P."

"Good."

"C'mon, we don't wanna miss the whole thing after all this, do we?" Kim took his arm and guided him towards the scooter.

"Definitely not", Ron grinned, still reeling from the idea that this was actually happening.

He tossed her helmet to her like always, and the two hopped on the bike. What was new, however, was Kim wrapping her arms around him and leaning against his back. He was frozen for a moment, but soon started the motor with a soft grin.

Things got more nerve-wracking and real when they got closer to the school. They couldn't just waltz in without anyone noticing, right?

After a bit of nerve gathering and contemplation, Ron took her hand.

"People are going to talk about it anyway. Why not make a proper entrance?" he smiled, trying to lighten the nervous mood.

"Yeah. Rip the bandaid off or whatever", she grinned in response.

The two looked at each other, both absolutely sure about doing this, and opened the gym door.

I'm happy with this. Posted on AO3 as well. A cute lil thing <33

#kim possible #kim possible so the drama #ron stoppable #kim possible x ron stoppable #kim x ron #kimron #kim possible fanfic #fanfic #SDB rambles #not technically but i don't have a fic tag #SDB fics #i guess?#not sure if there's gonna be more than this though

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alwayslovingharry · 2 years

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Sparks Fly

A/N: I'm new to writing here on tumblr, until now I've only been a reader but since a few days ago I couldn't get the idea of this story out of my head and I felt that I could publish it. This is the first chapter of a series that I hope to continue writing. I hope you like it :)

PAIRING: Harry Styles x famous!Reader

WORD COUNT: 3.4k

WARNING: English isn't my first language so maybe they are some mistakes, sorry :/

SUMMARY: You're an actress who has been a fan of One Direction since you were a teenager but never, not even in your wildest dreams, thought you would meet Harry at one of their concerts and become friends with him.

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Who hasn't had a directioner phase during their teenage years? Of course, YN did. She had known the band since their early days on XFactor, watching all their performances on the show and even crying when they came third in the final.

She followed the band all the way through the years they were together, although she always regretted not being able to go to any of their concerts. She was never able to go because at the same time One Direction was achieving fame, she was starting her acting career. She moved from London to New York at 16 to begin her acting studies and her first big roles soon followed, bringing her to fame as the band she adored so much.

It was in 2018, when she was finally able to fulfill her wish of going to one of their concerts, even if it was one of them solo after the hiatus. And what a concert! The end of LOT in Los Angeles was the ideal way to fulfill her dream. It was a gift from her parents, who for her 22nd birthday decided to give her the opportunity to see one of her former idols from the pit itself along with her childhood best friend, who came from London to LA for the show.

And not only that, as they got to be right in the front row, being able to enjoy the show as close as possible. She didn't care about the possibility of being recognized by Harry's fans, she had already done several important projects and even though there was a big chance of being recognized, she just wanted to enjoy the concert as much as possible.

YN and her friend sang, screamed and enjoyed the show like never before. She thought she saw Harry watching them for a few moments during the concert but she didn't want to make a big deal out of it either. It was the best concert she had ever been to and no one could say otherwise, she didn't want it to end, and when Harry sang three times in a row Kiwi she knew he didn't either. After all, this performance was the official end of his tour.

Few minutes after the concert was officially over, they had barely started to clear the venue when one of the STAFF members approached YN and her friend, who were still waiting for their time to leave next to the stage.

“Are you YN LN?”

“Yes”

“I was sent to look for you, Harry said he saw you during the concert and wanted to say hello. He told me to ask you if you want to come backstage, he can't go out yet with all the fans around but he didn't want you to leave before he met you.”

Of course, at that moment YN was about to explode with joy. She was going to meet The Harry Styles. Unable to say anything for the excitement of the moment, she just nodded quickly and the boy moved one of the barriers that separated them from the stage so that she and her friend could pass.

YN felt her heart want to burst out of her chest as the guy led them backstage to the door of what she could imagine was a dressing room. He knocked three times before seconds passed and the door was opened by Harry himself. The staff member stepped back a bit and YN could instantly notice how his gaze fixed on her and smiled.

“Please come in“ he said with his thick British accent, opening the door and letting them into his dressing room after thanking the staff member for his help before he left. “Do you want something? Maybe some water or a snack?”

“No, thanks “they both said

“If you need anything, just ask” he wasn't wearing the performance outfit anymore, having changed to a short sleeve t-shirt and sweatpants “I'm sorry to have bothered you, but I recognized you in the audience and I couldn't miss the chance to meet you, I'm a big fan of yours.”

Harry Styles a big fan of yours? She thought she was going to faint.

“Thank you, I'm a big fan of yours too, it's really amazing to meet you.”

“Then we’re mutual fans.”

Harry laughed, causing them to laugh too. YN never imagined he could be really that close, but it had only been a few minutes and she already felt totally comfortable in his presence.

“I don't want to sound rude but...who are you? What's your name?” he asked, addressing her friend directly.

“I'm Alice, YN's best friend.”

“Oh, well, I'm Harry.” and he held out his hand for her to shake, "It's a pleasure to have met you both.”

“And for us.” YN replied,

"The concert was a blast!” opined Alice

“Thank you so much.”

“I never got to see you live before and it was quite an experience.” YN admitted

“You're going to make me blush.” he said, although his cheeks were already totally red.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and a man YN recognized as Harry's manager entered the dressing room.

“The band is waiting for you to go to dinner, H." said the manager, then turning his attention to the girls. “Hey, who are you?”

“This is YN LN and her friend Alice.” Harry introduced them.

“YN LN! That's right, I knew your face looked familiar, I'm Jeff.” The manager shook hands with both of them before looking back at his client. “I'm sorry to interrupt you, but we have the whole team waiting and a reservation that we're going to end up being late for.”

“Just give me two more minutes, Jeff.” asked Harry.

“Okay, but in two minutes I want to see you in the car that's waiting for you at the emergency exit, just two minutes. It was nice to meet you girls.”

The manager came out of the dressing room, flashing two fingers at Harry before disappearing.

“I was hoping I could have talked to you more, but my band wants me.” he said as he picked up his phone from the dressing room vanity and put it in his pocket.

“It was nice talking to you and getting to know you.” YN replied.

“It was my pleasure, I hope to see you again.”

The three of them left the dressing room and Harry quickly said goodbye to them before running down one of the corridors of The Forum.

“Looks like Harry Styles is into you.” Alice said as they walked the other way to the main exit.

“That's silly, he was just being nice”.

“You'll see, I'm telling you I'm not wrong, I can sense those things.”

They had barely left the car park when YN saw the DM's coming in.

harrystyles: Hey

Only one minute later another message appeared.

harrystyles: I'm Harry, the guy from the concert. :)

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soon after that first meeting and those messages, it was as if they had known each other all their lives. After Harry slided into her DM’s, they started talking and arranged to meet again the next day for coffee. Harry was going to stay in LA for a while, working on his new album, and YN was going to start filming a new movie in the next few weeks. So after they went out for coffee together, they started spending time together, going for walks, working out together...even YN accompanied Harry to the studio on some occasions.

Now, ten months after their first meeting, neither of them could imagine their lives without the other. And that's why YN had an internal conflict, because her teenage crush on Harry had become a much stronger feeling. She had found that getting to know Harry better had shown her sides of him that she never imagined he could have.

She no longer had just the image of Harry Styles, the handsome superstar who could take anyone's breath away with just one look, now she knew Harry (or H, as he preferred to be called by his friends), the boy who had grown up in a small town in England, who despite being on the other side of the world all the time still prioritised his family and whose humility had not been taken away by fame. Who made her laugh with his silliness and who surprised her from time to time with gifts and details that showed how much he listened to her and cared about her.

She had fallen in love with the person she had met only a few months ago but who had become an indispensable part of her life.

But she didn't dare tell him about the feelings she had developed, either; she didn't want to be rejected or, worse, create a bad vibe in their friendship. She tried to hide her feelings the best she could and so sometimes she had to endure Harry telling her how other girls had hit on him.

“Mitch had to come and save me this time, the girl was chasing me and didn't care if I told her I had to go to the bathroom, she'd walk me to the door.”

“Well, what did you expect? Every time you go out somewhere some girl tries to hit on you” YN sat next to Harry with two beers in her hands, giving him one.

YN and Harry were sitting on the couch, he had picked her up from the set of the new movie she was shooting after he had been all the day in the studio recording his new album to spend the afternoon at her house.

“It's not like I didn't expect it but... I feel bad for them, I always have to reject them and it's getting tiring.”

“I find it funny how you're tired of the attention that a lot of people wish they had, surely the girls that come up to you are like supermodels that every time they walk down the street people stare at them.”

"Well, let's not forget that the last time someone tried to hit on you, the guy looked like a mixture of Leonardo DiCaprio and Ryan Gosling in the same person. And you rejected him”

"It's different, I didn't complain that he tried to hit on me, I turned him down because I don't want anything right now and because he was way above my level, he was like a Greek god.”

“Says the actress who according to People magazine is the fifth most beautiful woman in the world, you were both at the same high level” Harry took a sip from his bottle. “I'm just complaining that it's not the kind of attention I want. I'm a hopeless romantic, I want to find the right person, I'm not a one night stand type of person. That's why I don't like the attention in which they idolise me to try to get into my pants.

“And what kind of attention do you want to receive, Mr. Styles?”

Harry was silent for a few seconds staring at her before shifting his position on the sofa.

“I'd rather adore someone than be adored by someone, I'll just say that.”

“Mmm," YN nodded and got back up from the couch, "I'm going to order pizza for dinner, do you have a preference? I was thinking about a four-cheese pizza or a pepperoni”

“Whatever you prefer, either is fine with me.”

YN walked to the kitchen and grabbed a pizzeria pamphlet from the fridge before sitting down in one of the chairs by the kitchen island.

“Large or Extra large?”

“Extra Large" he shouted from the living room.

She dialed the phone number on the pamphlet and began to place the order. While she was talking to the girl who was picking up the order, Harry appeared in the kitchen as he stretched his back.

“Half an hour? Perfect, thank you very much. Bye," he hung up. “Do you want to put on a movie while the pizza arrives?”

“Yes...but first I wanted to ask you something.”

“Okay, shoot the question.”

“Well...you don't have to accept of course, but I need your help.” YN noticed how he tensed up.

“You know I'll help you with whatever you need, what's up?" Harry sighed and cleared his throat before answering.

“What I'm going to tell you is going to sound crazy, but let me explain...I have my cousin's wedding in two months, he's getting married to one of my old classmates and...I know that everyone expects me to go with a partner.”

“I hope you don't want to do what I think you want to do.”

“I need you to be my date, pretending to be my girlfriend.”

“Harry..." she growled.

“I promise if I could think of another plan I wouldn't bother you with this.”

“But what's the use? I understand that going without a date to a wedding isn't ideal, but pretending to bring one? It's too much of a rom-com cliché.”

“I know, I know, but...the last time I was with my old classmates, they remarked...they made some comments that I didn't like at all.”

Harry sat down in a chair next to YN's and she turned to look at him. His head was down and he was playing with the fingers of his hands anxiously. She brought her hand to his chin, getting him to lift his head and look at her eyes. She brought her hand to his chin, getting him to lift his head and look back into her eyes, trying to reassure him that nothing was wrong with just by him looking into her eyes.

“I never liked being labelled as a womaniser by the media, but having your childhood friends comment that you must be living a life where you can be with a different woman every day and seduce them without any problem, hurts. It makes you see the true opinion people have of you, and it hurts even more to see that even those who have known you all your life believe what the media say..”

“If they think that, they don't really know you, you've never been a womaniser.” YN sighed, they had talked several times about how the media had radically changed the reality of their lives to make them look totally different to the public. “They prefer to listen to four journalists who make up half of their articles rather than see the truth with their own eyes.”

“That's why I want to shut them up this time, if I take someone with me they're going to think that everything is different from what they thought," she is about to answer when he cuts her off, "But if you don't want to do it, it doesn't matter, I only asked you because you're the only one I'd feel comfortable doing something like this with.”

“It's just... what if a picture or a rumour leaks out? If anything comes out, our managers will kill us.”

“I don't think anything will come out, since I became famous the locals have respected my privacy every time I've been to Holmes Chapel. Besides, it would be a small, private event, nothing big. Only their families and some childhood friends.”

“But what if they find out it's not true? What if we pretend so badly that we get caught?”

“I think we know each other well enough to pretend we're in a relationship and make it totally believable, you are also a really good actress and I was in a Christopher Nolan film, I think we can make it look real. But if you're feeling pressured we don't have to.

“I don't want to live in a fake relationship with you that leaves me with expectations that could never be fulfilled," she held her tongue for a few seconds before answering. “I hope you are ready to bring out your best acting skills because I haven't won a Golden Globe for nothing.”

Harry smiled and hugged YN as he kept thanking her.

“What have I gotten myself into?” she thought.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two months after Harry asked her to pretend to be his girlfriend, YN was walking alongside him at a private terminal at Heathrow Airport. They had flown in a private jet that Harry had rented two days before the wedding so they could get used to the time difference and finish preparing everything. Before going to Holmes Chapel the next day, they had to go to Harry Lambert's studio to pick up the outfits they were going to wear to the wedding. Harry had insisted on being the one to take care of what they were going to wear to the wedding, despite YN's complaints that he wanted to pay for her dress.

“It's my repayment for getting you into this mess.” he had said.

YN was nervous, more nervous than at the premiere of her first big film. She had been thinking about the situation for the last two months and she had a feeling that something was going to go wrong, they were going to get caught or... she would end up falling in love with the idea of having a relationship that could never be possible with Harry.

"Shall we go over the story one last time?"

"We've been going over it again and again the whole flight, I think that's it" Harry walked with his travel bag slung over one of his shoulders and dragging YN's cabin suitcase with his free hand.

"We've been dating since last Christmas," she ignored him, "we wanted to keep it under the radar so as not to create a big fuss with the press while you were working on your album and I was working on my new pro-"

"Really, I don't think you should be stressing more about all this...everything’s gonna be fine." he interrupts her as he looks at the only man at the entrance of the terminal, " Look, there's Tom.

Harry walked a little faster than YN to this man and handed him the suitcase and then shook his hand. She didn't take long to reach them and the stranger offered his hand for her to shake, which she did quickly.

"YN, this is my driver Tom Wilson."

"It's a pleasure to meet you in person, Miss LN."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wilson."

"Please, just call me Tom." he said as he turned and started walking through the exit doors, towards a car parked at the entrance of the airport.

Harry and YN followed the driver, who opened the boot of the car so that he could put in the suitcase and handbag that Harry handed him when he arrived next to him. With all the luggage already in, Tom walked to one of the back doors and opened it offering YN to get in, which she did, thanking him quietly.

"Where do you want me to take you?"

"To my house directly, please" Harry replied as he got into the car as well and sat down next to YN.

"Didn't you want to stop by Harry Lambert's studio to take the clothes first?" she asked as Tom closed the door and walked towards the driver's place.

"He texted me when we landed, he personally went to drop off the outfits at my place, he has a key." Harry pulled his phone out of his jacket and began to check everything that had come in during the flight as Tom got into the car.

"You were lucky, there wasn't much traffic today so it's a short drive compared to other days," he commented as he started the engine "Do you want me to play some music? Any station preferences or Spotify?

"Whatever you prefer, you're driving, you're in charge."

"Whatever you say, boss," he replied as he selected the music he wanted on the car's centre panel.

"You look weird, is something wrong?" Harry locked his phone and put it aside, turning his attention to YN.

"Nothing's wrong with me."

"I've already told you, if you'd rather not doing this we can say we're just friends and still go to the wedding" he leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear, for Tom not to hear it."we can still have a good time"

The way he noticed Harry's breath on her neck and the little rasp in his voice as he whispered sent a shiver up and down her spine.

"I don't like quitting things I’ve started, besides, going as friends would raise as many rumours as if we went as a couple." she whispered and Harry pulled away from her settling back into his seat.

"If you feel uncomfortable or don't like the situation, just tell me and I'll come up with something to get us out of there."

"Okay."

to continue...

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Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it, please leave any comments or leave a like it if you enjoyed it.

See you soon :)

#harry styles #harry styles fanfic #music #harry #styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles one shot #harry styles soft fanfic #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x reader #harry styles x you #harry styles x famous!reader #harry styles blurb

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larrikin-is-a-himbo · 1 year

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Thoughts on rewatch of the Batman 2022

"Ave Maria" faintly playing in the background in the beginning. Hadn't noticed that before.

Gotta look fabulous before going to beat the life out of criminals.

This movie does a perfect job of separating Batman and Bruce Wayne. How different those two people are, despite being the same person.

Another aspect I love is that this is the very beginning stages of Batman's journey. He's not the "perfect, no mistakes, flawless detective work" Batman that most movies portray. He's learning, making mistakes, still needs to improve his skills and craft. And since it's the first years and he hasn't been established as an asset to the Gotham PD yet, the officers, rightfully so, *do not* like him which makes a lot of sense than letting him run amok. (Not that that gets any better with time but you feel the difference in how they take Batman's presence.)

"The city's eating itself. Maybe it's beyond saving. But I have to try." SEE that is how you characterise Bruce, hope and endurance in the face of despair.

The narrative parallel between the death of the mayor and his son finding the body, and young Bruce watching his parents being murdered. Oh, it's so good, I'm gonna eat my hand.

Bruce saying he doesn't care what happens to his family's business and all the work they've done, equating his worth to what he does as a vigilante just goes to show how much the trauma and mental anguish has taken over his life, and now the severe depression, suicidal tendencies, even subconsciously just looking for an excuse to not live hits too close to home.

Robert Pattinson's back 😳 (I am a whore, leave me alone)

Batman fucking up the twins will never not be funny.

You've gotta be honest, our edgelord's entrance into Penguin's lair is nothing short of iconic.

I love this version of Penguin so much, he's the right amount of menacing and goofy.

THE FIRST MEETING OF BATCAT. Love-at-first-sight if I've ever seen it.

I fucking LOVE seeing Catwoman in action.

If I don't meet my S/O with us having a 1v1 and them manhandling me, what even is the point of it all.

Selina and Bruce's socio-economic background play such a big role in their reasons and aspirations to be heroes (or vigilantes). Glad this movie doesn't gloss over that.

Batsy is such a bastard in his early days. Selina should deck him.

He has so much to learn and grow, not just as Batman, but as a person. Yes, this is about him sending Selina as a spy.

Bruce Wayne looking like he's having the worst time of his life when he's in public. I love this socially repulsive man with all my heart.

Bruce seeing his child self in the mayor's son, but now with new responsibility of solving this mystery, just wow. A lot of movies, at least the live-action ones, tend to not prioritise portraying Bruce's childhood or the trauma he experienced with the gruesome murder of his parents, because at his core that's what led him down this path, it's just as, if not more, important, to him being the saviour, the knight of Gotham.

Him getting jealous thinking that's Selina with Falcone. Somebody's in love.

Riddler and his stupid love letters. Get a life.

Batman, you idiot, why would you stand with your face right infront for the bomb.

The police station scene is so funny. Poor Jim is losing it. "Great, now I got you on assaulting an officer." "You got me on assaulting three." Bad bitch energy.

"We gotta get you out of here buddy." "🥺" Gay behaviour.

OOOOOH. THE ESCAPE SCENE. Can't wait to see Batsy hit the ground and eat shit. THERE IT IS.

The fucking chase scene. Hell yeah. Emo Batman has some of the best entrances and chases in this movie. It's actually fun to watch and isn't cringe. What a refreshing change.

"Good cop, batshit cop." Jim shoving the pictures of the mutilated face into Penguin's face. I can't breathe.

Jim and Bats interrogating Penguin. Penguin roasting the fuck out of them. "No habla espanol, fellas?" "Shut up!" FUCKING HILARIOUS. Them leaving his tied up, and him waddling while cursing. THAT'S how you do comedy without breaking the tone of the movie, especially for dark superhero movies.

I know Alfred doesn't die but godsdammit I hate seeing him hurt.

Bruce lashing out because he feels betrayed but also reeling from getting flashbacks to his father's death while seeing Alfred in that bed, my boy was in the worst emotional state. I forgive him for being a little bitch to his dad (Alfred).

The heart to heart between Bruce and Alfred is such a tender and love-full moment. I needed that :,)

Selina should have just killed Kenzie before Bats came around. I support women's rights, but more importantly I support women's right to murder.

Carmine Falcone is such a sleazebag character. He gives me the creeps.

I love Jim Gordon. No particular scene inspired that statement, I just love him.

THE SECOND BEST HALLWAY FIGHT SCENE IN THE WORLD. I LOVE IT SO MUCH. I want it injected in my veins.

When Falcone is arrested and Penguin speaks against Carmine, I love that scene because it's a subtle indication to the end of the movie, where we see Penguin will now take over the criminal underworld of Gotham. The mighty Falcon has been taken down, the city is drowned. What better opportunity for a flightless bird to takeover?

Riddler with his dumb ass jokes and reddit lives. What a clown. He's dangerous but I can't take him seriously.

Batman appears and he just [starts screaming] peak teenage boy behaviour. Cringe lord. Be better.

Starting the movie with "I am darkness", contemplating if Gotham can even be saved, and ending it with Batman lighting the way, leading Gotham out of the destruction. GODS. Him coming to the realisation that Gotham, and by extension himself, need hope and change, not clinging to the past, not vengeance. That is so poetic.

In regards to BatCat, the last meeting really signifies their love story. He loves her, he truly does, and maybe in this version of the story they end up together despite all the, but Gotham will always be his priority. She wants him to live, not just exist, but live, but Bruce gave up on that idea long ago.

"The Bat and the Cat, its got a nice ring to it. [Pause] Who am I kidding? You're already spoken for." OK, Mr. Matt Reeves, why don't you just shoot me between the eyes?

#Finally getting to ng 2nd watch #1 month and a year after the movie was released #my*#You don't understand the way BatCat look at each other so tenderly and lovingly #Them slowly building their trust and protecting and saving each other #Jim and Batsy growing better as detective duos #So many good developments happen in the span of 3 hours #I am not gonna talk about the clown because I don't like him. and I think Mr. Reeves should just have him dead in the next movie so that I-#-never have to see him again #There's more than enough villains to choose from STOP CHOOSING THAT CLOWN #If I don't get the boy wonder. the first child. the light of Bruce's world. the ball of anger and revenge in the next movie. I'm killing me #Batman 2022 #Batman #Bruce Wayne #Alfred Pennyworth #The Riddler #The Penguin #Carmine Falcone #Catwoman #Selina Kyle #Jim Gordon #Edit: I had the credits for the bi separation line saved but I can't find it #If anyone knows. can you let me know #Jae rewatches

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greypetrel · 5 months

Note

I see you've been asked several already, so for the Tolkein asks: whichever question you want to answer most, but haven't been asked c:

Hi Mo! :D

Thank you! The temptation to answer all the questions left was there... But I don't want to pester you with basically an essay, so I'll select a few x°D

Edit after writing it: *it's still an essay* Oops.

2. If you were the Middle Earth race that your personality most matches, which would it be?

I'm a Hobbit. Definitely a Hobbit. No love for being on centre stage, will eat six meals per day (listen, snacks are important ok), is very comfortable at home, but resourceful when needed. I miss the love for gardening, my thumb is very black and I have little interest for plants that I can't eat because what's the point. But Bilbo in the book dreaming while camping in the cold of a cozy afternoon spent reading with the kettle on the fire speaks to my soul.

10. Favorite performance by any actor in the Tolkien film projects? Bonus: What's your favorite scene with them?

Bernard Hill as Theoden always gets me. He's just the right level of intensity, melancholy and grieving because he's old and feels like he hasn't accomplished anything. The tenderness and the respect he has for Eowyn as his beloved niece AND a wise woman he can be happy leaving his kingdom to (Eomer goes with him to a potentially suicidal mission. He's saying, to me, that his heir is HER, not him). And his speeches are all-!!! The Pelennor Field's one always have me shivering. The words are nice, sure, but his acting was just great. All of the Rohan part is just peak casting and great. Miranda Otto did a stunning job, her singing the mourning song haunts me. And THAT SCENE where Karl Urban just screams himself raw when he finds apparently dead Eowyn. I still don't know why exactly it was cut from the cinematic version, it was a pity.

Andy Serkis. I am appalled that he doesn't appear in more movies because honestly find me any other person who would have delivered a Gollum in the same way. (and please Hollywood cast him in more diverse roles, make me see his face, he's GOOD, give him a chance)

Since no one named him: Sean Astin as Sam. REALLY. The way he can go from grumpy and pouty to bright and happy seeing Frodo and absolutely EPIC. He's a whole journey by himself. Favourite scene: I can tell you the PO-TAY-TOES scene by heart, mimicking Gollum as well. But his speech at the end of Two Towers.

And also. Not a favourite because it's down for lines that are not so good, but... I know it's highly unpopular, but I really liked Morfydd Clark as Galadriel. She's not Cate Blanchett, and she's not supposed to be. That's still Edgy!Galadriel that she plays, she's younger and still hot-headed and please read the book and find out that Galadriel is not an ethereal lady, she's a Noldorin and she can and she WILL kick your ass. Clark does it, she has the right look for it. (her lines could have been better? Yes. I still think she did good with what she had.) (I'm all for edgy and angry, more human-like elves, and thought I know it's flawed, but I liked Rings of Power.)

12. Tolkien's work contains a lot of interesting themes: devastation of war, things lost that cannot be restored, rebirth/renewal, holding true to one's companions even when it is darkest, and others. Which is the most important to you?

I'll try to be brief here, I could fill a dissertation over this.

But mainly:

“It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going, because they were holding on to something. That there is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for."

This.

The fact that no matter how dark it is outside, there's the promise of light and joy at the end of the tunnel. Hope in spite of everything.

And the fact that it doesn't matter where you come from, it doesn't matter who your ancestors were, how tall are you, how much your people has been involved in a situation before. You are valuable, your help is not in vain, there's some good you can do. See: Pippin's arc. Going from fool of a Took, basically a baby thrown in a world so much greater than him... And standing up to the situation, in the end, just because he wants to help, even if he's scared. His taking the Palantir and talking to Sauron, in the end, is one of the biggest assists given to Frodo... and he's the member of the Fellowship that had the least reasons to be there, the least experience and knowledge to help the mission. In the end, he's just as useful as everyone else.

#ask game #tolkien twenty questions #petrel replies #... Tolkien has been my hyperfixation since I first saw the first movie at 9 #in case it wasn't plenty clear #(on “Badass Noldorin Galadriel”: I know Cate Blanchett does it in the Hobbit movie.)#(But I really really didn't like those movies and I don't want to be unpleasant on the subject.)#(I'm glad if you -reader- enjoyed them! I envy that you did!)#(unfortunately for me it wasn't so and to preserve your love I won't engage in any The Hobbit trilogy discourse)

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starstrvckfool · 6 months

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We haven't gotten any updates on Qiang and company's journey recently :0 , What's going on with you all!

Ok so it has been a while since I've updated you guys (reason being the DM and players have been very busy with personal activities for school and stuff)

BUT I will update you on what happened last few sessions :3

Part 1

So qiang ended up going to the apeling village and founded out that it was refurbished and turned into a full blown KINGDOM of course we look around and the ground finds out there's a fruit festival going back on

Time skip a bit later where important stuff happens, qiang confronts the imposter and finds its actually LiuYin! (Liuyin is a mimick half apeling! 🫶) Who you guessed it is the macaque of the group, LiuYin explains that after a big fire they didn't know what to do because the kingdom was really panicked so they took qiangs place expecting to only do it for a couple of days and then go back to normal life, but those days ended up turning to year's.

Qiang is understanding towards this answer, we get introduced to a new character called MeiGuei (I think that's how her name is spelled I forgor) who looks rather not like a monkey, or she does but she just doesn't fit in with the rest. But qiang doesn't think anything of it because his romantic partner liuyin is quite literally a half and half of two species anyways so she isn't judgey.

Liuyin has qiang promise not to tell his friends that they were the imposter this whole time, qiang doesn't break this promise and agrees

Liuyin puts on a disguise and Upon them getting introduced to qiangs friends they're rather friendly except jinli, he's kinda thinking everything is really sketchy.

Fast forward to more important plot points, qiang doesn't know how to properly give a speech as king (he hasn't been at the kingdom in 20 year's since he was a prince so he didn't exactly learn alot about being a proper king) so liuyin ends up doing it but UH OH the group spots the imposter and guess what they didn't know it was liuyin So jinli and shichen go to investigate when they go to the festival banquet.

They both leave qiang and go to investigate and end up confronting the imposter, jinli attacks and when qiang catches up he sees the whole thing and tried to break the two apart, this goes sorta fine until qiangs parents come up, liuyin not wanting to get caught being an imposter apologises to qiang in monkey chatter before running off. Qiangs parents see the group and ask qiang what happened because they heard a struggle. The group tries to lie but also explain what they heard at the same time and man our roles were SO BAD BUDDY HAHEJF they didn't believe any of us so they told qiang to go leave to take care of the banquet while they dealt with jinli and shichen, qiang can't talk back to his parents because *COUGH* LORE so she has to agree, again apologizing to jinli and shichen before leaving the hall.

At this point jinli and shichen are pissed at qiang, they don't exactly trust her very much anymore and feel hurt.

So the parents put jinli and shichen in jail, and while that happened qiang got to feel guilty about his actions and slow dance with his lover

And then we left off at a cliffhanger.

Ok part 2

Shichen and jinli are not having a good time in jail, jinli is pissed off swearing he's gonna kill qiang when he gets his hands on him while shichen is like, "please don't do that, I'm made just as you are but it's important fornthe journey"

So they end up talking for a bit until shichen as the idea to explain to the guards they're situation in hopes they'll let them go. After some explaining and some pretty good rolls, they're convinced so jinli and shichen end up out of the prison, YIPPE

Back with qiang, he's having a nice time but again is ridden with guilt especially when tang asked where the others are and qiang just says,"oh they're around" and manages to get qiang to believe him because he's a very gullible monk. It gets late and liuyin says they're going to sleep at a different place while qiang can sleep in his room now since he's back.

Qiang goes to his room and finds that some things are different, on the dresser there are letters but he doesn't wanna read them since they could be private, he senses something in the closet and looks in, previously liuyin kept a magical shadow cloak in the closet but it turns out it was gone which she found pretty strange. And lastly the bed, qiang senses a giant illusion spell on it which is really weird, he manages to dispell it and reveals a small hall of stairs that go up yo the roof, upon going up shichen and jinli manages to catch up with qiang.

All of them question alot of things and qiang goes up the stairs and they follow.

They hear two voices, liuyin in his real form and a new voice, she sounds cold and stern somebody the group has seen before (we theorize that it's the lady bone demon 👀) LiuYin is talking to the demon as if they're negotiating something or the demon is the boss of liuYin. They also stole a red magical sash which is an important artifact the group stole from yin and Jin that bailong seems very protective of. When the two leave shichen and jinli immediately want to investigate and stuff but qiang accidentally let's a sentence slips out which gives away liuYins secret

"Personally I don't want you guys tackling my partner to the floor-"

"Your partner?!"

So yeah they very much want an explanation, and shichen tells qiang that if they have to fight liuyin they will and qiang has to be either with them or Against (ouch)

They go to the hotel to explain things to tang and bailong and then go to the library and that's where liuyin is inna disguise, but because they've already seen this disguise jinli attacks. jinli resorts to violence and because liuyin doesn't like randomly getting tackled it ends up scratching jinlis face which does alot of damage (jinli now has a scar) qiang gets between them and asks liuyin to explain the situation because everybody needs answers.

We find out that liuyin is working for the demon we heard (not against their will tho it's for a different reason that I can't remember but it's not a bad reason dw) liuyin does NOT like qiangs friends anymore and constantly throughout the session asks qiang if he's sure he wants to continue on this journey

Part 3

It's now the middle of the night so they have no choice but to rest up, we all roll and it ends up with qiang and shichen have nightmares while jinli slept like a baby. Wonderful!

In the morning theyre all feeling very tense, there's a feeling of distrust anxiety and worry in the group, they know today is the day to leave so because jinli and shichen are still wanted criminals, tang goes up to liuyin (who's back disguised as qiang) and asks for a pardon, meanwhile shichen sees a magical cloak and BUM BUM it's a voidwalker and it's wearing the magical shadow cloak that went missing. Shichen holds the voidwalker up to make sure it doesn't get away and qiang is close enough to see what's happening and then

It goes into the shadows WITH shichen, meaning shichen is now MISSING. Qiang is already stress out as it is so now she's even more stressed, qiang tells jinli so they both along with bailong end up looking for shichen and he ended up in a tree (shichen is very fearful of going up trees and isn't the best at climbing) qiang does a little "dw guys I'll help him down" and climbs up there easily to try and get shichen down, but jinli just gets the BEST IDEA to get them down, the shake the tree.

In the end only qiang got knocked down due to a very high roll by shichen, but by the second time the big blue lion ended up coming down, and bailong caught him so HORRAY!

when they finally get shichen tang id being escorted to the group by liuYin and MeiGuei, which they all realize they can leave and continue their journey.

Qiang is very hesitant to leave but knows she has too, so saying his goodbyes in monkey chatter to liuyin they say one final message for qiang

"don't let the other's get you in trouble"

Qiang just nods and after that they CONTINUE THEY'RE JOURNEY WESTWARDS ‼️‼️

and that concludes the apeling kingdom, I was meant to make many drawings based off it but i got sidetracked with school and OC work aswell as me being hyperfixated on LMK but ya that's what happened

#ask j&d #journeys and dragons #dnd campaign #dnd session #send asks #anon ask #anonymous #ask

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kellyvela · 2 years

Text

I, CLAUDIUS / GRRM / ASOIAF

GRRM about the best TV series of all time:

Question: Name the best television series of all time, and explain why it's the best. GRRM: This is a tough question. I have liked a lot of television through the years, and of course I have to exclude the programs I've worked on myself (e.g. Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast). I was very impressed with Rome on HBO; I found it riveting, both brilliantly written and brilliantly acted. I am interested in ancient Rome so another contender would be I, Claudius, produced by the BBC, that aired on public television three decades ago (1977). It was produced on sound stages so it hasn't got nearly the HBO production value, but again the writing was superlative, as was the acting, so it holds up today.

GRRM when HBO's ROME ended:

I am going to have to watch all of I, CLAUDIUS again to get the taste out of my mouth. Pfui.

GRRM about Tiberius and Stannis:

grrm Re: No actors named Bart that I could see playing a role in GoT Damn! I hadn't known that.

Baker was one of the unsung heroes of I, CLAUDIUS. Derek Jacobi and Sian Phillips got an incredible amount of praise for their portrayals of Claudius and Livia, deservedly, while Brian Blessed and John Hurt were already well-established and well recognized, but I never felt Baker got nearly enough attention for his Tiberius… a thankless role, since the character was so unlikeable, but one that he performed brilliantly.

There's a lot of his Tiberius in my Stannis, fwiw.

GRRM (again) about Tiberius and Stannis:

And it is important that the individual books refer to the civil wars, but the series title reminds us constantly that the real issue lies in the North beyond the Wall. Stannis becomes one of the few characters fully to understand that, which is why in spite of everything he is a righteous man, and not just a version of Henry VII, Tiberius or Louis XI.

GRRM about a possible HBO's adaptation of I, Claudius:

sourbillytipton You're reportedly new HBO contract Is there anymore light you could shed on it?

With the report saying you'll help produce other projects many fans hope for adaptations of Robert's Rebellion, D&E, Tuf, Sandkings…

I doubt any of those mentioned will be produced anytime soon. My money is on you lending a hand on the new I, Claudius mini series.

grrm Re: You're reportedly new HBO contract Tuf would be fun. Dunk and Egg are being discussed. Robert's Rebellion is part of Ice & Fire, won't be a separate series. Sandkings was done by the OUTER LIMITS; I retain feature film rights, but television rights are gone.

I, CLAVDIVS? Heh, not likely. And talk about a suicide mission. I mean, I'll watch, but how do you match one of the greatest TV series ever made? That's the television equivilent of remaking GONE WITH THE WIND or CITIZEN KANE. No, thanks.

GRRM when asked about reading recommendations:

The books [Maurice Druon's THE ACCURSED KINGS] were a huge success in France. So huge than they have twice formed the basis for television shows (neither version is available dubbed or subtitled in English, to my annoyance), series that one sometimes hears referred to as “the French I, CLAUDIUS.”

GRRM about being influenced by Robert Graves's I, Claudius:

Question: So you’ve talked a lot about the historical novels that you’ve drawn on. Are you influenced by Robert Graves’ I, Claudius?

GRRM: To some extent. I read I, Claudius and Claudius the God many, many years ago. And of course, I loved the TV series. I think the TV series is one of the best series ever done. There’s talk [that] HBO may be re-doing that. That’s a dangerous idea.

GRRM (again) about a possible HBO's adaptation of I, Claudius:

Question: It seems like HBO’s development is very slow. They put things in development and it takes a long time.

GRRM: They do, but they don’t develop nearly as much as the broadcast networks, who typically order 20 drama pilot scripts, will make 10 of the 20 scripts, will actually film them, have 10 pilots and put three shows on. HBO doesn’t do that. When they develop something, they’re pretty serious about it. And they have some interesting shows in development. American Gods would be cool. And if they do remake I, Claudius, that’s a tough one to tackle, though, because the original was just so great. How do you equal a cast with Derek Jacobi and John Hurt and Brian Blessed and Xiân Phillips? Wow, what a cast.

HBO could go further, obviously, because I, Claudius was a BBC production. It was made for a dollar fifty. The sets are painted canvas. You could see marble columns flapping when someone walks by them too fast. They were just a painting. You didn’t care. It was a landmark kind of thing. Special effects are nice, but it’s the writing, acting, and storytelling that make a story great. And the dialogue and the characters, and it’s a brilliant, brilliant show.

GRRM about Suetonius and Mushroom:

The narrative unreliability is reminiscent of Westeros’s first tell-all author, the court jester Mushroom, who claims intimate knowledge of various Targaryen bedroom secrets. “And he may be making up a lot of this shit,” Martin said. “That possibility is there, because he’s an old guy telling tales, and embroidering them, making them more sexual, suggestive, and violent.” Martin likens Mushroom to Suetonius, “the great gossip of ancient Rome,” whose stories helped shape I, Claudius. “It’s full of things like [Claudius’s third wife] Messalina having a fucking contest with a prostitute, and there’s no source for that! Unless you believe Suetonius,” Martin said. “People do know things, but the things they ‘know’ may not be right.”

GRRM about re-watching I, Claudius during the COVID - 19 pandemic:

The BBC made their adaptation of I, CLAUDIUS — based on the classic novels by Robert Graves (I, CLAUDIUS and CLAUDIUS THE GOD), which were in turn based on the histories of Suetonius — in 1976, but I did not encounter them until a few years later, when PBS picked them up and ran them (in a somewhat censored form, to shield Americans from seeing nipples) in the USA. I remember, I was still living in Dubuque, Iowa at the time, teaching college. I loved the series then, and I love it now. I have probably watched it a dozen times in the years since. When it was rerun on TV at first, then later on VHS tape, and most recently on DVD.

I just finished watching it again. Up in my mountain cabin, I discovered that my assistant had never seen the series, so of course I had to break it out and show it to her. It is just as brilliant as I recall. I am pleased to say my assistant, seeing it for the first time, loved it just as I did, seeing it for the… I don’t know, the tenth time? Twentieth? I have not kept count.

This despite the fact that the budget for BBC drama in the 70s was… let us say… not large. There are no special effects here. No battles. No exteriors, in fact. It was all shot on a sound stage, and most of it takes place in one or two rooms, repeatedly redressed. When these Romans go to the arena for a gladiatorial show, you do not so much as glimpse a gladiator, you just see the actors sitting watching carnage offstage. This is not HBO’s ROME nor even SPARTACUS (both great shows in their own right). I, CLAUDIUS is more akin to a filmed stage play. I think the craft services budget on any HBO series is probably ten times what the BBC spent on the entire thirteen episodes.

And you know what? IT DOES NOT MATTER. If you have great writing and great acting, that is really all you need. And I, CLAUDIUS had that in spades. A single writer, Jack Pulman, scripted all thirteen episodes. Pulman is long deceased, I fear, which I regret. I would have considered it an honor to meet him and shake his hand. His dialogue sparkles from beginning to end, with so many unforgettable lines… and throughout he remains true to the genius of Robert Graves and his great novels.

And the acting here is equal to the brilliance of the writing. This was the series that made Derek Jacobi a star, and rightly so, but the supporting cast around him was sensational as well. Sian Phillips as Livia, Brian Blessed as Augustus, John Hurt as Caligula, the criminally underappreciated George Baker as Tiberius, Patrick Stewart (with hair!) as Sejanus, and more, and more, and more…. there’s not a false note here. They were all great.

And yes, from time to time a marble pillar ripples when someone passes, revealing itself to be painted canvas, but so what? If you are like me, you are too deeply involved with the characters to notice or care.

If you have never seen I, CLAUDIUS, you owe it to yourself to have a look (though be warned, this a dark show, and there is lots of violence and sex, especially by the standards of 1976). You should read the novels too, they are terrific. And then give thanks you do not live in ancient Rome.

Even now, deep in the Second Golden Age of television, I would rank I, CLAUDIUS as one of the greatest television series ever made. Certainly in the top ten. Probably in the top five.

Most of the ASOIAF fandom:

GRRM: I dunno if any of you, if you guys have ever seen I, Claudius, have you seen I, Claudius?

GOO: No.

GRRM: Oh, you should see I, Claudius. It's one of the great television series of all time, one of my favorites.

GOO: What is it about? [DAMNATION!!! DISGRACE!!!]

GRRM graciously lecturing most of the ASOIAF fandom about I, Claudius:

It's about Claudius, the Emperor Claudius, it's based on two novels by Robert Graves, which were called I, Claudius and Claudius the God. Claudius was, let's see, he was the fourth Roman emperor, I think, but he lived through the reigns of the first three, and he was disabled in some manner, he had a limp, he twitched, he stuttered and everybody thought he was an idiot in his family, and at a certain point, he started even, according to Graves and some historians, exaggerating his idiocy, because meanwhile everybody else was competing for power and all his relatives were murdering each other and poisoning each other and stabbing each other, so he managed to survive and become emperor, and Graves wrote these two great novels about them, which I recommend. And in the '70s, the BBC adapted them to a 13 hour series called I, Claudius. Now it it was a BBC show, not an American network show, so their budgets are significantly less anyway, and it was the '70s, so these shows were made for a dollar and 95 each, there are no special effects, there are no, in fact, the entire show was filmed in like three rooms, and, you know, when Claudius goes to a gladiator show, you never see any gladiator, you just see him sitting and his face reacting to, and, you know, things like that. Um, occasionally some of the marble pillars will ripple as he walks by because they were actually painted canvas. Can you forgive that? Sadly I found that there's some modern viewers and fans who can't, but I certainly could, and it's brilliantly written and brilliantly acted it's it made Derek Jacoby a star. It includes Patrick Stewart with hair in a minor role and a very young John Hurt and things like that. And it captures all of, you know, all of the reign of Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, and of course, Augustus's wife, Livia, who is portrayed very…you know, she's like a smarter version of Cersei... Umm but it's a great show, but the point is, it's framed, because when you come into the show, you see the old Claudius, he's emperor now, he's in his old age, but he's writing the secret history of his family to pass down the real story of what happened, and, you know, he opens every episode writing it and then you see the flashback, you see the episode. So all of the episodes are framed by old Claudius, actually the first two, I think, he's not even born yet, but old Claudius was writing about that.

It's not a novelty that GRRM loves historical novels and dramas and his love for I Claudius (the BBC show and the Graves's novels and even Suetonius's gossip stories) it's the perfect example.

And if most of the ASOIAF fandom paid more attention to that love, they would have asked George more about I, Claudius (show, novels and Suetonius's gossip stories) and how they inspired some ASOIAF characters, events and plots; or read and watch I, Claudius (show, novels and Suetonius's gossip stories) to see for themselves what George took from those and made it into ASOIAF.

This post is nothing new, some readers have posted about I, Claudius and ASOIAF similarities before, but (as always) there's a lot of things that they missed and/or interpreted differently.

So here I'm going to show you some more of what most of the ASOIAF fandom is missing because they don't pay attention to what GRRM is always saying and recommending....

TITLES

Claudius wasn't there to bore you with all his many titles:

I, TIBERIUS CLAUDIUS DRUSUS NERO GERMANICUS This-that-and-the-other (for I shall not trouble you yet with all my titles)...

—I, Claudius (Chapter 1) - Robert Graves

No comments needed (or read this post).

UNTHOUGHT MONARCH

Two years have gone by since I finished writing the long story of how I, Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus, the cripple, the stammerer, the fool of the family, whom none of his ambitious and bloody-minded relatives considered worth the trouble of executing, poisoning, forcing to suicide, banishing to a desert island or starving to death – which was how they one by one got rid of each other – how I survived them all, even my insane nephew Gaius Caligula, and was one day unexpectedly acclaimed Emperor by the corporals and sergeants of the Palace Guard.

—Claudius the God (Chapter 1) - Robert Graves

Sounds familiar??? Here's is a hint of Bran the Broken everyone, and this is only a little one, the HUGE one comes later.

I know, I know, most readers that have written about I Claudius and ASOIAF think that Claudius is most similar to Tyrion, because they are both disabled but clever people, despised by members of their families, lost first love, prostitute lover, betrayed by a wife/lover, etc.

And I agree, but GRRM doesn't take from original sources and make exactly the same into ASOIAF, he changes and mixes characters, events and plots.

And that's why I find in I, Claudius (show and novels) a really huge hint to Bran Stark becoming the unthought ruler of Westeros. But, as I just said, that comes later.

BROTHER AND SISTER INCEST

Caligula: [coughs] Agrippina: Caligula, darling, what are you doing out of bed? Caligula: I've had a bad dream, Mother. Agrippina: Oh, my poor baby. Come here. What did you dream? Caligula: Horrid dream. I dreamt there were bats sitting along the shelf in my room. Then they flew down and sat on me until I was all covered with them and no one could see me anymore. Agrippina: Oh, my poor baby. Antonia: You shouldn't eat so much before you go to bed. Agrippina: Oh, Mother, he's been through so much! Antonia: He stuffs himself with all manner of things. Claudius: Perhaps he'd like to sleep with Drusillus? He'd be company for him. Agrippina: Would you like that darling? Would you like to sleep with your cousin's room? Caligula: I'd rather sleep with Drusilla. Antonia: Drusilla? Your sister? A boy of your age? What is the world coming to? Agrippina: Oh, he doesn't mean anything by it.

—I, Claudius - Episode 6 - Scene 3 "Foul Play"

Caligula: No! Let go of me! Let go of me, you horrid old German woman! Claudius: What's this? Caligula: I hate you! Claudius: What's the matter? Antonia: He is disgusting! Claudius: What has he done? Antonia: Oh! Claudius: What has he done? Antonia: That child is a monster! Caligula: I'm not, you horrid old German woman! I'll burn your German house down! Claudius: Stop it! Stop it! Come here! Come here! Now, what is all this G-German? Antonia: He calls everything German that he doesn't like it. He is a monster. Claudius: Well, what has he done? Antonia: He knows what he's done! Caligula: I didn't do anything! I didn't! I didn't! Honestly, Uncle Claudius. I didn't do anything, I swear. It was only a game. Antonia: I found him in Drusilla's bed. Naked, the pair of them! He is revolting and so is she. I've locked her in her room! Caligula: Well, Mother… Antonia: You're a blockhead if you believe his lies! Claudius: Where are you taking him? Antonia: To the cellar to lock him in. Caligula: Please don't let her take me. Please Uncle Claudius. I hate the cellar. I'm afraid. Claudius: Well, you leave him here with me. I'll t-t-talk to him. Antonia: He needs a good whipping, not a talking to! Oh, Claudius, you're such a fool! I've no patience with you. It should have been you who died, not Germanicus! What use are you to anyone? Claudius: Now, don't you know that you sh-shouldn't play games like that with your sister? Hmmm? Don't you know how w-wicked it is? Caligula: Why? Claudius: Why? B-because it is. Caligula: Why? Claudius: Now, now look, don't answer me back or I'll cut you on the head! Now, you listen to me. Now, a sister is a sister and she's not to be p-p-played with, ever, do you understand? You can't p-p-play with her and you can't m-marry her. Caligula: But she wanted to… Claudius: I don't care what she wanted! You're disgusting, the pair of you. And I shall talk to Dr-Drusilla later.

—I, Claudius - Episode 6 - Scene 3 "The Trial"

Sounds familiar???

He could never bear to be long apart from his twin. Even as children, they would creep into each other's beds and sleep with their arms entwined. Even in the womb. Long before his sister's flowering or the advent of his own manhood, they had seen mares and stallions in the fields and dogs and bitches in the kennels and played at doing the same. Once their mother's maid had caught them at it . . . he did not recall just what they had been doing, but whatever it was had horrified Lady Joanna. She'd sent the maid away, moved Jaime's bedchamber to the other side of Casterly Rock, set a guard outside Cersei's, and told them that they must never do that again or she would have no choice but to tell their lord father. They need not have feared, though. It was not long after that she died birthing Tyrion. Jaime barely remembered what his mother had looked like. —A Storm of Swords - Jaime III

HEIGHT DIFFERENCE WEDDING

When I watch the scene of Claudius and Urgulanilla's wedding, I immediately thought about Sansa and Tyrion's wedding.

The I, Claudius scene has no dialogue except for Livia's final line. Claudius enters to the ceremony, salutes to the bride's family and then to Augustus and Livia, then seats next to the bride and holds her hand.

Then the priest signals the bride and groom to stand and:

Urgulanilla: [stands]Livia: [crowd laughs] She grew! She just kept on growing! —I, Claudius - Episode 4 - Scene 7 "Keep playing the Fool"

Urgulanilla was indeed very tall, but her appearance is closer to Brienne than Sansa:

Urgulanilla was – well, in brief, she lived up to her name, which is the Latin form of Herculanilla. A young female Hercules she indeed was. Though only fifteen years old, she was over six foot three inches in height and still growing, and broad and strong in proportion, with the largest feet and hands I have ever seen on any human being in my life with the single exception of the gigantic Parthian hostage who walked in a certain triumphal procession many years later. Her features were regular but heavy and she wore an almost perpetual scowl.

—Claudius the God (Chapter 8) - Robert Graves

Back to the wedding, something very similar happens in ASOIAF with the bride and groom height difference and the crowd laughing about it:

The dwarf tugged at her a third time. Stubbornly she pressed her lips together and pretended not to notice. Someone behind them tittered. The queen, she thought, but it didn't matter. They were all laughing by then, Joffrey the loudest. "Dontos, down on your hands and knees," the king commanded. "My uncle needs a boost to climb his bride." —A Storm of Swords - Sansa III

TRUST NO ONE

Now farewell for the last time, Tiberius Claudius, my friend whom I love more truly than you ever supposed. Farewell, little Marmoset, my schoolfellow, and trust nobody, for nobody about you is worthy of your trust.

—Claudius the God (Chapter 23) - Robert Graves

Herod: Listen, Claudius. Let me give you a piece of advice.

Claudius: Oh, I thought you'd finished with advice.

Herod: One last piece and then I'm done. Trust no one, my friend, no one. Not your most grateful freedman, not your most intimate friend, not your dearest child, not the wife of your bosom. Trust no one.

Claudius: No one? Not even you?

—I, Claudius - Episode 11 - Scene 4 "Advice From an Old Friend"

"Lord Petyr," Ned called after him. "I … am grateful for your help. Perhaps I was wrong to distrust you." Littlefinger fingered his small pointed beard. "You are slow to learn, Lord Eddard. Distrusting me was the wisest thing you've done since you climbed down off your horse." —A Game of Thrones - Eddard V

Trust no one, I once told Eddard Stark, but he would not listen. You are Alayne, and you must be Alayne all the time.

—A Feast for Crows - Sansa I

"Say what you want. She will be my bride, Lord Connington will see to it. I trust him as much as if he were my own blood." "Perhaps you should be the fool instead of me. Trust no one, my prince. Not your chainless maester, not your false father, not the gallant Duck nor the lovely Lemore nor these other fine friends who grew you from a bean. Above all, trust not the cheesemonger, nor the Spider, nor this little dragon queen you mean to marry. All that mistrust will sour your stomach and keep you awake by night, 'tis true, but better that than the long sleep that does not end." —A Dance with Dragons - Tyrion VI

TYWIN, JOANNA, IS THAT YOU?

Augustus ruled the world, but Livia ruled Augustus. And I must here explain the remarkable hold that she had over him.

—Claudius the God (Chapter 2) - Robert Graves

Narrator Claudius: Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, old friend and commander of the armies of Augustus. Emperor of Rome, a most remarkable man. But even more remarkable who was Livia, his second wife. If Augustus ruled the world, Livia ruled Augustus.

—I, Claudius - Episode 1 - Scene 2 "Dinner Conversation"

His mother had died giving him birth, so the Martells would have found the Rock deep in mourning. His father especially. Lord Tywin seldom spoke of his wife, but Tyrion had heard his uncles talk of the love between them. In those days, his father had been Aerys's Hand, and many people said that Lord Tywin Lannister ruled the Seven Kingdoms, but Lady Joanna ruled Lord Tywin. —A Storm of Swords - Tyrion V

TARGIES, IS THAT YOU?

Livia was of the Claudian family, one of the most ancient of Rome, and so was my grandfather. There is a popular ballad, still sometimes sung by old people, of which the refrain is that the Claudian tree bears two sorts of fruit, the sweet apple and the crab, but that the crabs outnumber the apples.

—I, Claudius (Chapter 2) - Robert Graves

Tiberius: I'll tell you something, Drusus. Sometimes I so hate myself, I can't bear the thought of me anymore. You don't know anything about darkness, do you? Inside darkness. Blackness. Drusus: Ah, stop bragging! I could match you black for black. Tiberius: Not you. Not you. The say the tree of the Claudians produces two kinds of apples - the sweet and the sour. That was never more true than you and me. Drusus: And what of our mother, which is she? Tiberius: Livia? Drusus: Mmm. Tiberius: They say a snake bit her once and died. Drusus: Hey. Hey, that's no longer funny.

—I, Claudius - Episode 2 - Scene 2 "Siblings Rivalries"

"Why ask for truth," Ser Barristan said softly, "if you close your ears to it?" He hesitated, then continued. "I told you before that I used a false name so the Lannisters would not know that I'd joined you. That was less than half of it, Your Grace. The truth is, I wanted to watch you for a time before pledging you my sword. To make certain that you were not . . ." ". . . my father's daughter?" If she was not her father's daughter, who was she? ". . . mad," he finished. "But I see no taint in you." "Taint?" Dany bristled. "I am no maester to quote history at you, Your Grace. Swords have been my life, not books. But every child knows that the Targaryens have always danced too close to madness. Your father was not the first. King Jaehaerys once told me that madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born, he said, the gods toss the coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land." —A Storm of Swords - Daenerys VI

STANNIS, IS THAT YOU?

He was a tall, dark-haired, fair-skinned, heavily-built man with a magnificent pair of shoulders, and hands so strong that he could crack a walnut (…) He went bald early in life except at the back of his head, where he grew his hair long, a fashion of the ancient nobility. He was never ill. Tiberius, unpopular as he was in Roman society, was nevertheless an extremely successful general. He revived various ancient disciplinary severities, but since he did not spare himself when on campaign, seldom sleeping in a tent, eating and drinking no better than the men, and always charging at their head in battle, they preferred to serve under him than under some good-humoured, easy-going commander in whose leadership they did not have the same confidence. Tiberius never gave his men a smile or a word of praise, and often overmarched and overworked them. ‘Let them hate me,’ he once said, ‘so long as they obey me.’ He kept the colonels and regimental officers in as strict order as the men, so there were no complaints of his partiality. Service under Tiberius was not unprofitable: he usually contrived to capture and sack the enemy’s camps and cities. He fought successful wars in Armenia, Parthia, Germany, Spain, Dalmatia, the Alps, and France.

—I, Claudius (Chapter 3) - Robert Graves

Tiberius: Well, don't bother on my account! I'm sick of it! The gods know I've done my best! He never liked me. Never! Thirty years I've run his errands for him! I've fought on his bloody frontiers, collected his taxes! He's never once put his hand on my arm and said, "Thank you. What would I have done without you?" Now he sends me off to Illyricum and he doesn't even plan a farewell dinner. Not even a goodbye. Just get on your horse and ride! Well, damn him! I retired before and I can retire again! Let his precious grandson run his empire for him. I'm sick to death of it!

—I, Claudius - Episode 5 - Scene 4 "False Pretenses"

Stannis Baratheon, Lord of Dragonstone and by the grace of the gods rightful heir to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, was broad of shoulder and sinewy of limb, with a tightness to his face and flesh that spoke of leather cured in the sun until it was as tough as steel. Hard was the word men used when they spoke of Stannis, and hard he was. Though he was not yet five-and-thirty, only a fringe of thin black hair remained on his head, circling behind his ears like the shadow of a crown. His brother, the late King Robert, had grown a beard in his final years. Maester Cressen had never seen it, but they said it was a wild thing, thick and fierce. As if in answer, Stannis kept his own whiskers cropped tight and short. They lay like a blue-black shadow across his square jaw and the bony hollows of his cheeks. His eyes were open wounds beneath his heavy brows, a blue as dark as the sea by night. His mouth would have given despair to even the drollest of fools; it was a mouth made for frowns and scowls and sharply worded commands, all thin pale lips and clenched muscles, a mouth that had forgotten how to smile and had never known how to laugh. Sometimes when the world grew very still and silent of a night, Maester Cressen fancied he could hear Lord Stannis grinding his teeth half a castle away. (...) "Why should I avenge Eddard Stark? The man was nothing to me. Oh, Robert loved him, to be sure. Loved him as a brother, how often did I hear that? I was his brother, not Ned Stark, but you would never have known it by the way he treated me. I held Storm's End for him, watching good men starve while Mace Tyrell and Paxter Redwyne feasted within sight of my walls. Did Robert thank me? No. He thanked Stark, for lifting the siege when we were down to rats and radishes. I built a fleet at Robert's command, took Dragonstone in his name. Did he take my hand and say, Well done, brother, whatever should I do without you? No, he blamed me for letting Willem Darry steal away Viserys and the babe, as if I could have stopped it. I sat on his council for fifteen years, helping Jon Arryn rule his realm while Robert drank and whored, but when Jon died, did my brother name me his Hand? No, he went galloping off to his dear friend Ned Stark, and offered him the honor. And small good it did either of them." —A Clash of Kings - Prologue

A SIGN FROM THE GODS

When I watch the scene of Claudius catching the wolf pup from the sky, I immediately thought about Bran and Summer.

The I, Claudius scene is called "A sign from the Gods"

Germanicus: Eagles. What are they fighting for? Julia: Here come the children. Let's go into the house. It sounds as if they've been quarrelling again and I don't think I could stand it. Germanicus: Eagles! They're fighting! Postumus, look at the eagles! Agrippina: What are they fighting for? Castor: Oh look. One of them's got something! See, in its claws there. It's a small animal, [screeching overhead] Agrippina: Mother, Mother, the eagles are fighting! Castor: They're fighting over something. Look out! Livilla: What is it, Claudius? Castor: It's a wolf cub. Germanicus: Mother, it dropped right from its claws. Livilla: Let me have him! Let me have him! Antonia: Leave it be! It fell to Claudius, leave it be! Julia: Look at the blood. Ye Gods, what does it mean? Domitius, tell us what it means. Domitius: Lady, I… Antonia: You know what it means, I can see from your face. Tell us, I beg you. Children, go into the house. Domitius: No! Let them stay. The sign was given to you all, and given now, perhaps, because I am here to read it. But they must be sworn to secrecy. Who are the gods that watch over this house? Julia: Jupiter and Mars. Domitius: Then do you swear, all of you, by these your gods…that no word of what you are about to hear shall ever pass your lips? [all]: Yes, we do. Domitius: The wolf cub is Rome. No doubt of it. Romulus was suckled by a wolf as her own cub, and Romulus was Rome. And look at it. All torn about the neck and shivering with fear. A wretched sight. Rome will be wretched one day. But he will protect it. He and no other. Livilla: [laughs] Claudius as protector of Rome! I hope I shall be dead by then. Antonia: Go to your room! You shall have nothing to eat for the rest of the day! Julia: Children, come in. Come inside. Claudius: May I k-k-keep the cub, please, Mother? Please may I?

—I, Claudius - Episode 3 - Scene 2 "A sign from the Gods"

In the novel the scene is basically the same, but it provides more important details:

One extraordinary event in my childhood I must not forget to record. One summer when I was just eight years old my mother, my brother Germanicus, my sister Livilla, and I were visiting my Aunt Julia in a beautiful country-house close to the sea at Antium. It was about six o’clock in the evening and we were out taking the cool breeze in a vineyard. Julia was not with us, but Tiberius’s son – that Tiberius Drusus whom we afterwards always called ‘Castor’ – and Postumus and Agrippina, Julia’s children, were in the party. Suddenly we heard a great screeching above us. We looked up and saw a number of eagles fighting. Feathers floated down. We tried to catch them. Germanicus and Castor each caught one before it fell and stuck it in his hair. Castor had a small wing feather, but Germanicus a splendid one from the tail. Both were stained with blood. Spots of blood fell on Postumus’s upturned face and on the dresses of Livilla and Agrippina. And then something dark dropped through the air. I do not know why I did so, but I put out a fold of my gown and caught it. It was a tiny wolf-cub wounded and terrified. The eagles came swooping down to retrieve it, but I had it safe hidden, and when we shouted and threw sticks they rose baffled and flew screaming off. I was embarrassed. I didn’t want the cub. Livilla grabbed at it, but my mother, who looked very grave, made her give it back to me. ‘It fell to Claudius,’ she said. ‘He must keep it.’ She asked an old nobleman, a member of the College of Augurs, who was with us, ‘Tell me what this portends.’ The old man answered, ‘How can I say? It may be of great significance or none.’ ‘Don’t be afraid. Say what it seems to mean to you.’ ‘First send the children away,’ he said. I do not know whether he gave her the interpretation which, when you have read my story, will be forced on you as the only possible one. All I know is that while we other children kept our distance – dear Germanicus had found another tail-feather for me, sticking in a hawthorn bush, and I was putting it proudly in my hair – Livilla crept up inquisitively behind a rose-hedge and overheard something. She interrupted, laughing noisily: ‘Wretched Rome, with him as her protector! I hope to God I’ll be dead before then!’The Augur turned on her and pointed with his finger. ‘Impudent girl,’ he said, “God will no doubt grant your wish in a way that you won’t like!”

—I, Claudius (Chapter 5) - Robert Graves

An disabled eight year old boy got a wolf pup that fell from the sky free from two eagles that were fighting for him, an event that was considered a sign from the gods, a portent about the boy becoming the forth Roman Emperor, the Protector of Rome???

Tell me if this is not very similar to Bran and his brothers finding the direwolves next to their dead mother and keeping them as pets, pets that are considered a gift from the old gods, a portent about the children becoming monarchs, at least some of them, like Robb, Jon, Bran and Sansa???

But the similarities between Claudius and Bran are the most prominent:

Similar age: Claudius 8 / Bran 7.

Prophecies: Claudius was prophesied to be the fourth Roman Emperor / Bran was prophesied to be the Three Eyed Raven.

Wolves: Claudius got a wolf pup from the sky, the wolf was an important symbol of Rome (The Capitoline Wolf nursed Romulus and Remus) / Bran got a direwolf from the old gods, the direwolf was the sigil of House Stark.

Disability: Claudius got a permanent limp, after suffering infantile paralysis that shortened his left leg / Bran got paralyzed from the waist down after his fall.

Hurtful nicknames: Claudius was known as the Cripple / Bran hates being called cripple and according to the show he will be known as Bran the Broken.

Especial transport: Claudius was usually carried in a sedan-chair / Bran was usually carried by Hodor.

Lost older brother: Claudius lost his beloved older brother Germanicus / Bran lost his beloved older bother Robb.

First Love: Claudius first love was Medullina Camilla. Among the Etruscans “Camilla” is what they call the young hunting priestesses dedicated to Diana (the Huntress) / Bran's first love was Meera Reed, a fine huntress and fisher, a fighter with net and spear.

Compared to monkeys: Claudius was called "marmoset" by his few friends / Jon remembers Bran clambering up a tower wall, agile as a monkey.

Survivors: Claudius nearly died on several occasions / Bran survive his fall.

Unthought monarchs: Claudius, despite all odds, became the fourth Roman Emperor / Bran will become King of the Seven Kingdoms.

Builders: Claudius built many roads, aqueducts and canals / Bran was named after his famous ancestor Bran the Builder, and as a monarch he will be able to emulate his renowned ancestor.

There you have it!

All hail Tiberius Claudius Drusus Nero Germanicus and Brandon of House Stark!

#grrm #asoiaf #i claudius #robert graves #bran stark #tiberius claudius drusus nero germanicus

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