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idiotthatdrawsakaartist · 11 months

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so while yall are waiting for the season 4 rewrite and wizards redesigns I've decided to post some ideas i had for a remake if fate the Winx saga. I've been working on a sort of rewrite but i gave up on it long ago because the point of that rewrite was to keep everything as intact as possible and still tell a good story.

long story short i failed : D miserably

so all my ideas amounted to was a few mood boards of the girl's looks, il run you through them :3

Bloom :

her casual form is quite simple and monochromatic, I like to imagine my version of Bloom fixated on the idea of fairies so much that it became a sort of coping mechanism. thinking of herself as a fairy as a sort of confidence boost has been her go to so her look includes lots of pastels, cute skirts , simple shapes and butterfly motifs. her whole point is : mi like fairies , mi want to look cute :3.

her fairy form is low key a funny story XD basically in my cancelled rewrite, the only thing you get when you transform are your wings. making your outfit is a requirement in order to become a guardian fairy. its sort of like a uniform. it actively shows that you're using your magic and what your here to do. its not taken lightly. a fairy transforming to fight basically means: u, my friend, are fucked :D

this is done ether during your fairy education or right before graduation. and since in my version Enchantix vanished a long time ago, any Enchantix fairies lost the power and any fairies in training have lost the hope of receiving it your base form is treated like your final form since for many fairies of that past, it was. all fairies thus are told

"make your fairy form fancy as shit, people gatta look at you and piss themsleves bc of how badass you looks"

but since Bloom didn't get the memo she made hers incredibly simple, which low key makes her a laughing stock in Alfea. my plan was to use this to deepen hers and Stella's bond since ide like to imagine Stella would help her redesign her outfit XD also I'm diversifying the body types, Bloom is now skinny fat

her form very closely based off of her OG form bc of that since their base form was quite simple.

Stella :

her casual form is very in line with the types of things her og counterpart would wear, since in my version Solaria would be called the crescent queendom with fate version of Luna running it. were keeping the whole her mom is abusive thing but where changing a few things.

Stella grows into her own in the Winx club and thus begins showing off her sunny disposition which in a moon queendom is looked down upon. but her outfits would do a 180 once her mom is present. she's suddenly in dark blues, purples ,and silver.

her fairy form is her trying to morph herself to be exactly what her mother wants, everything is moon themed. again dark blues and silver everywhere. Also i changed her body type to being Chubby bc yes :3

Flora :

she's pretty straight forward, her fairy form and casual form follow the same theme of nature. I just made her main colour for her casual form sage while her transformation pink just like in the OG. also I kept her plus sized bc plus sized Flora was a great idea, and than they white washed her :,)

in terms of her fairy form, I leaned in to the cute pink girl horror rpg asthetic aka pocket mirror. i want her to be as custey as possible bc

y e s

Musa :

oh boy her casual form was fun : D , i hate how they feminised her in the later seasons and took this as an opportunity to go FULL IN to the alt fashion she was meant to wear uwu she a lil alt girlie, she's quirky like that uwu.

her fairy form is based more on her culture but still has the edge of her alt fashion sense ^^ I've decided to keep her as skinny since most of the cast now are leaning heavily to the plus sized of the spectrum, I thought ide include the skinny girls in here too ^^ and when i say Skinny i don't mean an hour glass, i mean no boobs, no butt, no nata.

Tecna :

i decided to dive into the hacker aesthetic but make it fairy :3 her wings ( in her base form at least) don't flap, they put her body into a 0G state which allows her to "fly". lots of neon lights with her uwu

her casually outfits are just generally geometric. also i decided to make her thin but to an unhealthy degree. perhaps she could be dealing an illness and we could explore how she feels being mostly in solitude for most of her life :p

Aisha :

she's basically the sporty girl aesthetic incarnate. lots of neutral tones with hints of green and pink :D her basic form is simply meant to be kind of mermaid inspired, also ide like to imagine her Enchantix would give her afro with cute water drops in it and pearls :3

Jesus that was long. anyhow as stated, this rewrite isn't being made anymore bc I've concluded that my challenge wouldn't work. keeping most of it intact and making it good would just simply result in a decent at best show. and us in the Winx fandom aren't going for just fine were going for MAJESTIC UWU

#winx club #winx club restyling #fate the winx club #fate the winx saga #restyling #winx bloom #stella winx #winx musa #winx tecna #flora winx #aisha winx #layla winx

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toxicnorn · 10 months

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actually fuck it, here are all my senshi from when i was 13 and determined to make the best, most mature, serious sailor moon fanfic ever, which i only ever wrote one chapter of

sailor charon didn't have strongly outlined powers, but charon had two "rivers" on its surface, which were actually her two massive pigtails. she didn't move or anything. queen serenity had sealed away charon as a prison planet and theoretically she would've been pissed about that but i think she more or less did villain shit for the lulz because i don't think i actually connected her motivations to her origin story. idk she was just kind of there. this stuff was mostly faux-deep.

-sailor psyche was the leader and she was posing as a lost princess from the silver millennium because usagi was reawakening a bunch of reincarnated senshi and she was trying to scope them out to get them on their side. she had been in love with endymion because of course she had been. while on earth, she posed as super nice and a classic princess type, but actually she was super manipulative and evil and shit. i think her starseed would get corrupted or something. she was gaslighting the four charon senshi. her power was emotional manipulation. she reincarnated in japan and her earth name was shinju.

-sailor halley was the senshi of temperature and she had been unhappy during the silver millennium because she was treated less than because she was a earth-born human and also because she was sent off to space to guard the solar system from the outskirts. she was either kunzite's little sister or his niece. there was a thing where all of them had been harvested by galaxia but usagi had reincarnated everyone, i guess. this broke the magic sealing them on charon and the reincarnated on earth. she was reincarnated somewhere in the middle east; i think she might have been turkish or possibly iranian. she was like super serious and solemn and liked engineering. in tragic love with mercury. kunzite and the other generals were reincarnated on earth, so she got to chill with him. may have had a sword?

-sailor mimas was zoisite's identical twin sister and her power was reflections, which somehow meant that she did weird dimension hopping stuff. her weapon was a mirror. she was like the bubbly, quirky one but charon killed her monster of the week husband and blamed it on usagi and then she was supposed to go super vengeance mode until she tragically died. i think she reincarnated in ireland?

-ganymede had a magic cup that could make any liquid, so she mostly attacked with poison and acid. she was a handmaiden of the jupiter royalty and i think she resented having to leave earth. she was the cute tomboyish girl. she was nephrite's cousin and i think she reincarnated in mexico. her bestie was rhea.

-rhea was jadeite's...???? i don't think i ever decided. her motivation was that her mentor sailor janus died (i think someone betrayed her???) and i don't remember the circumstances, but it meant that she hated the moon royalty. her power was crystals. she was a huge alpha bitch with a rivalry with halley but she also had like some noble stuff going on with how she wanted to keep the memory of janus alive. she wore the mask of janus and i think she may have had a crystal spear???? reincarnated in china.

i honestly do not remember what most of the plot was going to be because i mostly daydreamed very dramatic space politics and then never wrote it. naru was an important part of it though because she was awakened as sailor galatea, the stone senshi, and she got a very cute mint green outfit with special ribbons.

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plutoswrath · 3 years

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i’m jealous of your big heart when it comes to animals lmao. i’m arachnophobic and it can be so annoying to have sometimes. i haven’t been able to tie it back to astrology, as much as i would like to. i asked because i was wondering if there was a clear indicator based off certain placements like how 6th house rules animals, 6th is ruled by mercury so i jumbled them even though i probs shouldn’t have lol. and with venus it ties to personal taste so i wondered if it could indicate a liking towards a certain animal. i have sag and sag venus in 6th and embarrassingly enough, i was obsessed with horses. like i came out of the womb adoring them. as soon as i learned to talk i was a walking horse encyclopedia. my obsession died down. i’m not a horse girl, i swear on my life.

i agree with you about the cancer loving animals. animals are babies and momma cancer loves to nurture the babies. i feel like cancers are the most likely to hate the “are you a dog or cat person” question. they’d get offended because how dare someone assume their heart isn’t big enough for both. more than both, really. throw a turtle in there. a rabbit even. cancer asc peeps usually have a shit ton of animals. it’s probably the sag/abundance in the 6th. or they either own a horse or Great Dane. but this is off topic because i forgot i had a follow up question.

if you could tie an animal or a couple animals to each sign that you think best represents that sign? or just seems like one they’d like? some are so easy and others just leave me blank. my arachnophobia thinks scorpio’s deserve better than scorpions but my terror blinds me. but i was looking up the symbolism behind animals and tying them to signs. so far, i’ve concluded that while horses should go with sag, their highly intuitive and empathetic animals. their behavior is like a mirror so if you’re nervous, they are too. so pisces or cancer actually seems to be a better fit. and to stay on topic of cancer with animals, i always tie wolves and dogs in general to cancer. the wolves are tied to the moon and familial dynamics and also i think they’re a great symbolic opposition to leo and how leos tend to resemble cats. sun and moon, dog and cat, night and day, that sort of thing. i realized i’ve rambled but i’m looking forward to your opinion because i’m so lost on what other signs would have. it’s been a year old question in my brain and it’s time for help from the master.

I'm sorry to hear that, I'm had a friend once who was arachnophobic and having phobias like these is really no fun, I can't imagine what it feels like really having them. And omg don't feel bad for liking horses when you were a child, literally so many children, especially young girls, like horses simply because people decided horses where a 'teenage girls only' thing somehow?? (and I will have to dig deeper into this at a point because here where I come from the horse girl thing is soooo painfully real and I want to understand the phenomena). And if I'm not mistake, arachnophobia (like most types of phobias), stem from some kind of trauma right? I absolutely don't try to get to personal but if we look at phobias in that way, maybe it's good to also include looking at planets/asteroids that point to trauma or aspects that can represent/indicate traumatic experiences in that sense! And I agree wholeheartedly to the 'dog or cat' question, I don't get offended by it but I hate this question in general because every animal deserves my love and empathy adfghj and yes, mother feelings definitely play into this haha! I think cancers enjoy (to an extent) having that occasional (or constant) outlet for their nurturing side and the bound you have to animals is also very intuitive and requires a lot of patience and getting educated as well as being observant and reading between the lines somehow and all that dedication paired with emotional knowledge just really speaks to water signs in general (and animals don't judge openly with words, just your energy asdfgh) Uhh, I like the question regarding the animals and I agree with your takes on it so far!! I think one animal can not represent all the core traits of a sign alltogether, but I'll try my best here! and psdfghj no need to call me master because I'm literally so far from anything close to that but thank you so much still, I feel honored really!!

The Signs as Animals:

Disclaimer: some of them are inspired by my ‘the Wild Unknown Animal Spirit’ tarot deck.

Aries: House cat. I know, I always thought cats actually link pretty well to Aries! Cats are just the perfect mixture of intelligen and curious, reserved, stubborn, aggressive, senstive as well as playful/impulsive! They are quick to learn and not afraid to face off against any other, bigger animals, but also can live pretty well together with other pets in the house, as long as they don‘t bother them too much. Especially when it comes to intimacy/pda they are very picky, but forceful when demand it. Seem flexible and unbothered at first but actually have the firmest boundaries when it comes to their personal freedom. Will let you believe they need you but give it a few weeks and the neighbor has better treats than you and gone they are asdfgh, but it's actually a harmful stereotype to believe that cats don't need you because they can become extremely fond of you and grow very attached.

Taurus: Elk. Based on the interpretation of my tarot deck. The elk represents earth energy, it is grounded, is established in itself and knows their core values and acts according to them. They show consistency, coherence and care. Dedicated to who they love and what they care for. Can become narrow minded due to knowing what's best, based on their perception of what's right and necessary, which can effect their ego negatively. Very Taurus for me. Gemini: Dragonfly. I refer to the interpretation of the Dragonfly based on my tarot deck. The dragonfly represents the mind: everchanging, quick, fascinating, a reflection of the world inside us and aroudn us. As the dragonfly is very quick (refering to Mercury's fast and nervous energy) the dragonfly also calles for paying attention to what quality our mind has and to become mindful, because on first glance things always appear different tahn on first glance (Mercury floats between detail-oriented and paying attenetion and being too fast, impatient). The dragonfly is joy and magic, as well as impatience, restlessness and being unable to concentrate. Cancer: Killer Whales (but also whales in general)! I thought especially about Killer Whales, because I once watched a documentary on them and they went in depth about how they have different cultures and different languages even (if I remember correctly) in their familys. Cancer often gets associated with the home life, but I think I wanted to look at it from another perspective, as in how does family 'become' family and how do those family roots develope, what do they consist of, how do we define family and what holds it together (and especially: how do our roots shape our own emotional patterns and nature in life?). I think the mystery of the Killer Whales but the whole complexity that lies behind the fascination of how these animals function and also how deeply affected Killer Whales are by their emotions/when they are absent from their kin, just opens up another big question of family dynamics and how we relate to one another and how principles we always condoned to human beings now apply to animals too. I think the whole part about the Killer Whales relation to emotions and their family's cultures just really made me link them to Cancer. Leo: Otter. I refer o the meaning of teh Otter based on my tarot deck. The Otter resembles the energy of the inner child: it's pure bliss, playfulness, they love to live and live for life itself, and out of this eagerness to enjoy life comes also a contentment and completeness towards life itself. To reconnect with otter energy, it is advised to step into settings of celebration, or total creative self expression and from the outside looking 'unproductive/selfish' indulgence. But actually, this energy is what makes life so enjoyable in the first place.

Virgo: Octopus. Highly intelligent beings that can quickly adapt and take the initiative. Self sufficient by nature, they aren't aggressive unless provoked, they like to mind their business unless they get curious (then they cling heavy onto you because you are their new object of interest). They can change color if it's needed (Virgo is a mutuable sign and can blend in perfectly in social occasions/new situations) and tbh the inking part about octopus just reminds me of the fact that most Virgos have a really quirky side to them you only get to see when you annoy them long enough (aka you are a long term friend). Libra: Gazelle. I refer to the meaning of ten Gazelle based on my tarot deck. The gazelle combines the creation of beauty and harmony, creativity and hyper awareness of it's surroundings, very affected of the imbalances in it's environment, but in it's try to remain this beauty around them, they tend to forget their achievments and stay in the present with their thoughts, as they constantly wheigh out the 'what if's'. A very perceptive animal in the tarot deck and this attribute is equally it's strong suit and downfall. Scorpio: Tiger. I refer here to the meaning of the Tiger based on my tarot deck. Waits in stillness and darkness to reconnect to their own inner power. Healing in isolation with the help of the lunar forces, waiting to regenerate. The Tiger energy shows itself in being passionate, sensual and stepping into ones own power, recognizing ones strength. For me, this is very Scorpio (Moon) for me. When the Tiger in unbalanced, it becomes overstimulated and acts according to this hyperawareness. Sagittarius: Zebra. I refer here to the meaning of the Zebra based on my tarot deck. The Zebra stands for an open mind, visionary and eccentric, new thinking, as well as being young at heart and expansion. I personally connect horses with passion and drive, because they are truly powerhouses. Based on the meaning of my tarit deck, the Zebra also is sociable, at least people find themselves drawn to the energy of the Zebra because it triggers their desire to learn, and I think this is something very beautiful Sagittarius symbolizes when they come into your life: be prepared to broaden your horizon for more.

Capricorn: Camel. I refer to the meaning of the Camel based on my tarot deck. Camels here represent absolute dependence on self and being able to find the answer to problems in oneself. This self reliance and capability reminds me of capricorns, the camel is finding the 'cool' aka water inside of them and Capricorn is traditionally also symbolized as the sea-goat (which I seriously think should really be considered when anaylzing this archetype) and Capricorns have (imo at least) a rich emotional life, but it's just deeply locked within. The Camel represents showing responsibility for their own actions, regulating the self and circumstances around them as best as they can, which makes sense for Capricorns, ruled by Saturn they usually are confronted with task in their life. If the Camel energy is out of balance, it shows a lack of vitality, with Capricorn representing the senior age in life makes sense, especially since Capricorns can tend to feel very old (exhausted)- Aquarius: Platypus- and no, I’m not using the Platypus because ‚wow all Aquarius are so weird like straight up aliens 🤪🤪’ I think the platypus is a good representation because it makes us question what we’ve known so far about animals and Aquarius too is a sign that introduces us to new ideas and perspectives all in the favor of progress and considering alternatives, leaving the status quo. Pisces: Raven/Crow. I name these two in particular because as far as I know it’s only the ravens that have been documented intimating people’s voices and tones, but crows are definitely more known for their bright mind. For me people often forget Pisces mutable nature and how quick witted they actually are. These birds are hyper intelligent and their observational skills are truly amazing. In my Wild Uknown Animal Spirit deck, the crow is an animal carrying 3rd eye energy. Here, the view is clear, the crow is moving through different dimensions and sees what other’s cant. For and the emotional depth (void) Pisces is conencted to it just seem to make sense.

#i swear i will be more active the next days #replies #anonymous #astrology #zodiac #the signs as #the signs as animals

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hmgfanfic · 3 years

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Talk about all the Fillory worldbuilding in LQoF, please :)

THIS IS INEXCUSABLY LATE. I’m so sorry!

And I wish I could say it was just my scatterbrainedness, which is definitely a constant factor, but it was also that when you sent this, I was deeeeeeeep into writing the final few chapters of Little Quirks of Fate and I was kind of... in my head about it. It took a lot longer to finish than I had planned (a cardinal sin to my particular combo of severe ADHD and Type-A personality) and I was spending excessive amounts of time making sure I figured out a satisfying ending by my own exacting standards, so I just didn’t have the headspace to think through my early process yet. Very sorry about that :( But now that I’m finally done, I’m excited to look back! So if you’ll indulge me a very late answer, I’d be tickled. 💗

Long ramblings and major fic spoilers under the cut.

The truth is a lot the world building came down to character stuff foremost, followed closely by my preferences as a writer. I adapted the world to the story I wanted to tell, while using the little bits of information we’re given in canon as a baseline, rather than building the story around the world. And that was a lot more fulfilling for me, since I only really love worldbuilding through the lens of character, rather than as an exercise unto itself (though it’s super fun once you get rolling.)

To explain what I mean by that, you need to know that Little Quirks of Fate was originally going to be a oneshot. My plan was about 25-30k (lol) of a pure S2 retelling, only with Quentin in the role of Fen. It was also going to take a much more traditional enemies-to-lovers’ path—with Quentin as an active member of the FU Fighters—and the whole thing was going to be in his POV. Also, they weren’t even going to kiss until after the bank heist (which, yes, was going to be a thing here), but that got abandoned the fastest in favor of trying my hand at smut. But two things made me realize I needed to significantly shift course:

1) I was struggling to make Quentin actually feel like Quentin. I wrote this very atmospheric early scene at the FU Fighters encampment, with lots of description of the bonfires and the way their shirts dyed in Fillorian red looked like blood (you get it.) It took place in the black of night, shrouded in secrecy, and when Bayler questioned Quentin about his new husband, Quentin said something like, “He’s a drunk idiot, we have the advantage.” It was all very lush and dramatic, but it really, really, really didn’t feel like Q in any recognizable way to me. Now, I’m not someone who thinks Q needs to be a precious sweetheart all the time, but what I was writing didn’t have his idiosyncrasies or a motivation that felt true to who I feel he is.

2) The draft was DEFINITELY missing Eliot’s story and his perspective. I certainly don’t think Eliot’s POV is always necessary (sometimes not having his direct thoughts heightens tension in romance especially), but it felt really necessary here, to fill in the gaps of what Quentin was assuming and also—more importantly—because the events were just as impactful on him, but in a very different way. So I knew I was missing half the narrative, but that meant I would need to deal more explicitly with the Beast (i.e., Mike, the most devastating storyline to me, personally) and I really, really didn’t want to do that.

My first step in making a more recognizable Quentin was figuring out a way he could more or less use the same syntax that he does on the show. Voice is the first way I connect with a character, so while many writers in this fandom thrive at modifying speech patterns and keeping the heart of a character alive, keeping close to Quentin’s canon speech was an easy fix for me in a story I was excited to get rolling. Sort of like the old adage of uplifting your strengths before putting outsize energy into things you struggle with.

The easiest way I could think to give him the same syntax was to figure out a way Quentin spent some significant time on Earth during his formative years. And once I rewatched 2x06 and was reminded that Ess went to Phillips Exeter Academy for high school, I lost my damn mind. I started sketching out ways that Quentin could get there too and that’s how I built out the idea of Umber brokering a marriage deal with the actual landmass of Coldwater Cove, which included an education opportunity for the boys (in a nod to Fillory’s patriarchal nature), and also the reason why Umber did that, which was to take advantage of his brother’s orgy mistake with the first Children of Earth to usher in a more productive and orderly Fillory. So that created a whole new set of rules and essentially a whole new world for me to play with... all for the sake of Quentin getting to say “fuck.” It was that important to me. :p

And as I worked through all that, I realized I also wanted to give Q magic, since Quentin’s relationship with magic is something I’m interested in. But I had read on ye olde Tumblr that the reason Illario uses a wand in 2x06 is a nod to the books, where Fillorians specifically aren’t Magicians and that’s the rationale for the Children of Earth royalty. And while I generally see the books as interesting supplemental material with zero bearing on the television show canon, I still said to myself, “Self, wouldn’t it be kind of funny if Quentin was the only native born Fillorian who had magic and so the FU Fighters believe he’s the chosen true High King, but instead of it being because he’s ~special~, it’s because Umber made a clerical error? Lol! Hilarious!”

So while all my questions for how to explain all THAT spun out into more and more detail, at the same time...

I caved to the idea that this story was going to be a No Beast AU, just like my last two stories, mostly because I really couldn’t bring myself to deal with the Mike of it all, even tangentially. I could have just changed that single element, but I’m not a half-measure gal! But I still wanted to stick with the vague background theme of Fillory = adulthood from a questing perspective and I wanted Julia leading the charge this time, but without the sexual assault that occurs in canon. So obviously, the answer was avenging all of the murdered and cannibalized “grown-ups,” i.e., master Magicians, by seeking out help from the gods in a balanced Fillory free from the devastation of the Beast. Duh! ;)

So then, like anyone would do, I rewatched every episode up to 4x11 that makes a mention of Fillory and took about twenty pages of notes on the canon worldbuilding, along with an analysis of how much a particular piece of information would be impacted or not by balance in the realm. For instance, the existence of geraniums (per The Fillorian Candidate and Tick’s misunderstanding of “power plants”) and the lack of diamonds as a precious stone (per the River Watcher not knowing the value of Margo’s earrings in Knight of Crowns) struck me as static facts unaffected by Ember’s reign of chaos. But I shifted the overall feel of Fillory to one that’s more functional and a lot more bureaucratic, leaning on things like the existence of socialized health/vision/dental insurance (the idea of which is canonical, per a petition from the beavers requesting dental coverage from acting High King Josh in Ramifications), strict taxation plans, and an overall sense of thriving Ceremony to show Umber’s influence.

Basically, I wanted Eliot to inherit a much, much easier Fillory to rule—especially with the highly educated Quentin as a built-in and passionate advisor—mostly so it wouldn’t completely strain credulity when a lot of his energy goes toward his love life rather than the intricacies of ruling (though Margo would say he still favored his personal life more than he should have, and she wasn’t... wrong. He wants to be a husband more than a king!) But I specifically made it so most of the chaotic elements were played as whimsical (sorry) quirky shit or smaller hints of greater injustice (see: Ember getting rid of STDs, but still letting magic-poor citizens die of sepsis because that’s too boring to deal with), all while a cataclysmic danger lurked under the surface.

After that, I just filled in details as they worked with character stuff and plot stuff, and I tried to make sure they didn’t contradict each other in a way that couldn’t be chalked up to “chaos.” I basically lived with the Fillory map open all the time and also took screenshots of Benedict’s map of Loria, which gave me alternate ideas for the overall feel of the landmass rather than just the kingdom. And pretty much that’s the basic process I used to create the world! It was extremely fun, and I learned a lot, though I’m *definitely* focusing on some pure relationship kind of stuff for a while because... oof, sometimes it was a lot.

Annnnnnnd if you’re still with me, here’s some stray observations, for funsies:

I wanted Quentin and Eliot’s starting points to be more mature than in the show. Quentin when we’re introduced to him as an adult in LQoF is a lot more jaded and cautious than S1 Q, which is because in this world, his S1 mentality happened while he was on Earth and came to a head during the throes of his fucked up relationship with Bayler. Similarly, Eliot had already gone through a lot of shit too, and was much more self-actualized by the time he agreed to be High King here than in the show. It was still out of desperation for purpose, but not coming out of a direct trauma spiral. I think if they had been younger, both in age and mentality, the story wouldn’t have worked because they would’ve blown it up day two. They’re both still disasters, as we like to say, which is why the... everything happens, but they’re not disasters in the exact same way as in early canon. I thought of them as closer to their S3 selves, pre-Mosaic.

While I mostly kept Quentin’s syntax the same as on the show, I did change it up in some ways to reflect his Fillorian upbringing. The most obvious was replacing “goddamn” with “godsdamned” and “Jesus” with “Hades,” but I also made him slow on the Earth idiomatic uptake and slightly more likely to use passive voice and less likely to use contractions, especially early on and especially when speaking with Fen. He also said slightly out of date things even for someone who last remembered 1999, since Earth was still overwhelming despite his immersion. E.g.: In the epilogue, he asks Eliot if he can spend some time “Googling the World Wide Web” instead of watching Gossip Girl together, even though by 1999 most people were saying “on-line” or “the internet” by a pretty wide margin. But in my mind, the first term he learned was World Wide Web and he stuck to it like glue.

I originally had a full-blown coronation scene, where Quentin helped Eliot with the answers to the 90s questions via subtle charades, such as flapping his hands at his sides to give him the answer “Wings” (and Eliot was eventually going to Eliot-Logically use that moment to argue to Quentin that maybe Q really is the true High King since he was the one who actually answered the Knight’s questions, etc.), but I cut it and only showed bits and pieces in flashbacks because it didn’t really matter. They had to treat it seriously because it was An Event in this version of balanced/un-Beasted Fillory, with a full audience bearing witness, but the whole thrust of the external plot was about dismantling that moment and the concept of monarchy in general, so giving it too much weight outside of the Eliot and Julia friendship felt disingenuous to the story I was telling.

This is also why it was important to me that Margo hated the title High King Eliot the Kind, even though I only brought it up textually once or twice. But in my view, she fucking hated it and never came around to it. Which isn’t because she doesn’t think Eliot is kind, it’s that it felt like a simplification of all that he is, and the coronation ceremony in general felt similarly shallow. It wasn’t just the four of them working out their shit on the beach; it was true ceremony after a year of questing toil and a lot lingering uncertainty/resentments (especially regarding Julia), so it was too Big Shiny Happy Bow to her.

Yet on the same theme, my greatest regret was not being able to work in the fact that Margo’s title for Penny (King Penny the Persistent) was supposed to be half-sincere and half-sex joke. She did genuinely admire that he stuck it out even through his initial heartbreak because he gives a shit about his people underneath it all, but—and this is a very important headcanon to me—she admired his dedication to the art of the female orgasm even more.

I was originally also going to include the One Day More sequence with way more details—such as Umber taking the Javert lines, Ember taking the Thenardier lines, Bayler taking the Enjolras lines, and Penny taking the Marius lines, but... uh... writing a musical number is apparently not in my skill set. Also, honestly, the weirdness of the original is its whole charm and so I didn’t want to improve upon perfection. See also, in a more serious way: Eliot bowing to High King Margo on the Muntjac, the events of Plan B, and Quentin & Penny in the Flying Forest. Would not touch it!

My favorite Fillorian detail was either the guy who sent a citizen petition requesting a “smidgen” of Eliot’s earwax for an undisclosed purpose, or the use of the verb “to peg” to describe a Pegasus flock greeting an outsider with honor. They encapsulate the obscene yet pristine feel I always tried to give Fillory.

My favorite subtle(-ish?) ironic moment is Ess, the heir to a hereditary monarchy, taking Quentin to task for not honoring the anarchy patch on his high school backpack. In general, I don’t like everything being neatly resolved, including on an overarching world level. And I very strongly felt they had ZERO business meddling in Loria, so it left some fun-to-me unanswered questions. Will Ess usher in democracy for Loria based on his experiences on Earth? Maybe! Maybe not, since tradition’s a hell of a drug and Loria has its own history and complexities. Who knows?

I misread the town name Sutton as Sultan on the map the first time I referenced Bayler’s hometown (Sultan’s Ridge), but instead of going back to fix it, I just made it a sister town. Whatever!

I do not know how Quentin got a full bookshelf of Earth literature back to Fillory with him. Magic, I guess. (That’s the answer to anything I didn’t totally think through.)

I occasionally get asked whether Quentin and Fen were physically related. The answer is no, though it doesn’t totally matter. But I intended heart-cousins to be more like close family friends. (Though I actually originally had a joke where Eliot still wasn’t sure by the epilogue, but it didn’t land/feel realistic so I cut it.)

The details of the magic frequency poisoning were DEFINITELY what I thought through the least. My main goal was to have something catastrophic happen to Fillory based in part from the historical actions of the Children of Earth and Ember, patently ridiculously but with lasting consequences. Hence, god orgy that took away Fillorian human magic and sent out a slow poisoning of the overall magic “frequency.” It sounds all well and good, but it’s definitely something that would fall apart with even the lightest bit of prodding. It serves it’s purpose though, so I figured the gaps could be filled in or politely ignored. ;)

This question was way too much fun and a helpful retrospective for me! Thank you so much for indulging me, many moons ago. 💗

#little quirks of fate #harri writes #anon asks #ze process #<3 thank you i love you #this one is a long post even for me #dialogue asker if you’re reading this you’re up next I promise!

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floralkittygambler · 3 years

Text

Hazbin OC - Lady Luck [WIP shit]

Just a dump of some Lady concepts and some of how she’s developed. Current design + Angel forme [above] Lady’s brief bio: Name: Lady Luck, Lady Age: Various [based on rebirth], most notably the ages 31, 38 and 55. [anyone who knows where these ages from, you know] Gender: female Date of Birth: Various Date of Death: N/A Cause of Death: Perhaps ‘they’ caught up- Race: White British/Irish ‘human’ turned feline demon [current ‘life’], ‘Deity’ Occupation: Fortune Teller/Medium, Lingerie model, part time barmaid and entertainer, only a hobbyist gambler Voice type: Cornelia Hayes O'Herlihy [Fiona Belli, Haunting Ground - VA is Irish] Quirks, strange mannerisms, and/or annoying habits: [soon] Appearance: Grey feline demon [inspired by Russian and British blues], Green/Olive eyes, adding more soon lol im tired Personality: soon Sins/Vices: Alcohol consumer [non addict], past minor addiction to medicine, gambling [non addict], money hoarding, ‘playing god’ [unwilling], Witchcraft/magick [main sin]. Prone to wrathful acts, feelings of envy, moderate greedy habits. Sinned in other lives. Strong profanity, dark business, sometimes catalysts for chaos. Self hazardous. Melancholic. Virtues: Can be giving if convinced/interested, deep empathy/compassion, chastity [unintentional], though often impatient can be extremely patient for those in need. Protective of animals, children and the vulnerable but the opposite towards assailants. High tolerance against addiction. Mental illnesses: Abilities/Powers/Skills: Thin and nimble, quick witted, ability to appeal [emotional], ability to debate, reading traits [acquired], magick/supernatural powers - connects to life/death cycle, monsters, psyche, deity levels. Card magick - throwing weapons, summoning weapons, evasive. Nature connected powers. Analysist. Great with children, animals, the vulnerable. Jack of many trades [incl. mixology, divination, board games, survivalist, etc] to allow more opportunities. More intelligent than she appears. Pickpocketing [magick assisted]. Basic magic tricks. Can speak pieces in some languages, including Latin. Performer/entertainer. Dancer [helps in fights]. Observant. Comforting and nurturing. Humorous. Willingness to stand up for and defend. Listener. Sniper aim. Weaknesses: Phobias [such as mirrors, safety/romance, vertigo/heights, etc], radiowaves [can be triggered by her creations or by her loss of composure], strong deity powers [actively denies and suppresses them leading to ‘charge up’. Emotions can stir them up signaling her difficulty controlling them. Can turn these against herself as well. Prone to overexertion which can easily be fatal. Can lead to great acts of wrath]. Intimacy. Can vary from too trusting to too wary. Grey moral compass [leading to passive inaction in some cases and aggression in others]. Lightweight drinker [in denial]. Drinks when anxious/socialising [often, though easily substituted]. Heightened senses [pro and con]. Easily distracted. Can be rude/jest harshly. Closed off. Handles drug effects badly. Over-emotions can lead to ‘possession’ from a ‘friend’. Exhausts easily. Durable and fragile. Panic [can calm others]. Avoids own issues [can admit and confront them however is closed off]. Overworks. Avoidant. Melancholic. Sadistic streak that’s hard to tame. Could be way better at illusionism. Vengeful. Frozen in past. Terrible runner. Chronic conditions. Low tolerance for certain types. Can often mishandle these violently. Surprisingly shy. Can only mask for so long. Materialistic to replace loneliness. Height: 5′8 - 5′9 [human], 6′5 [demon] Body type: Pear, extremely small bust with larger rear and wider hips. Dislikes: many, soon to list. People/humans, having to socialise, being picked up [esp like a cat], phobias, worms, ‘crawling blood’, perverts, Fears: soon, mirrors, Goals: soon Relationships/Love interests: She has a potential interest, though she’s likely to approach first [or make a ‘first move’ per say] she most likely wouldnt confess feeling that she wasnt appealing to them. Definitely would make the effort to comfort and befriend [leaving Lady’s comfort zone] Hobbies and interests: Gambling, card and board games, playing games, tarot/divination of many kinds, witchcraft, magic tricks/shows, lingerie modelling [think more boudoir/classy or the playful takes of Bettie Page], botony/herbology, collecting plushies, faux smoking, drinking, overreacting to gameshows/tv shows, comedy stand ups, chocolate making, art and sewing, playing instruments [accoustic guitar, harmonica, lyre, inflatable saxophone, triangle, tambourine], mixology, learning new things, animals and caring for those who need it, fashion [often quirky or outdated], hula hoop tricks, dancing and singing [quite shy], teaching/educating children [especially in hunting/survival], taxidermy, sharp shooting, sometimes being nude [in safe areas], meditation, collecting, true crime files, star gazing, shadow puppets, laser pens, making jokes, berry picking, reading, snuggling, cats, money saving/spending, horror novels/movies, aerials, pole dancing [fitness], general fitness [in the yoga sense, not jogging], sci-fi, woodcarving [no skills], loves 70s and rococo fashion as well as classy looking fashion, playbunnies, aesthetics, nature. Laser tag. Comfy blankets. Nurturing other’s needs. Cute things. Trivial: - Was a virgin in her last life before becoming a demon, dreads sex demons like Val finding this out. - Covered in scars, both self inflicted and otherwise, these remain hidden beneath her fur. - Will go around topless or nude as her fur works as censorship. Even to the dismay of others. - Loves the 60s, 70s and 80s. - Regrets no longer liking cheese like she used to. - Enjoys stronger alcoholic drinks despite being a lightweight, her drunk self showing her softer and more optimistic hidden side. Often giggly, complimentary and cuddly. Occasionally verbally aggressive/wants to fight. - Some of her dreams include; starting a bar fight, visit a magic show, learn to spin plates, [finally] visit a Vegas style casino, own a garden/creatures sanctuary, find a meteorite, attempt to hold a lion’s mouth open for ‘Strength’, own her dream house and business away from ‘fucking everyone’, ride a dolphin, master juggling and magic tricks, create some new potions, slap the shit out of each overlord [etc] - Avoids love; from the topic to her history, though it’s implied that she doesn’t feel like it’s ‘in the cards’ for her as well as implied insecurity. - The memories of each of her past lives often collide, especially in the night, causing hidden distress - She was originally planned to have a power inspired by John Coffee where she could ‘alleviate’ other’s emotional suffering by CBT and physically ‘taking’ it from them, an ability that would land her a job at the Hotel. This idea has since been moved to another character. - She has a ‘baby face’ and is often called cute by others, leading her to be treated little more than an oversized pet. This is something that bothers her when not in jest. - Related to Dead Hand - Has had certain dealings with Valentino and Lucifer that she’s not proud of. - Lady Luck is an ironic name - Old design designed around my old cat Angel, new design ironically resembles our current cat Angel [taken over from Great Auntie. First was named after Buffy characters. Second... Idk] - [soon] [Temp: https://www.deviantart.com/pixichi/art/Very-Basic-Character-Sheet-for-OC-s-By-Pixichi-482645873 ] Old designs:

#hazbin hotel oc #Hazbin sona #cat demon #hazbin hotel #hazbin oc #what other tags dya fuckin apply to ocs?#gambling cat #cat oc #fuck it #furry #cat characters #honestly dont know how to tag ocs anymore #insert cat joke here #old insert now similar but revamped as a separate character #also no one cares but my fuckin family may have #rough paper sketches

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boogiewrites · 3 years

Text

Mae Flowers Ch. 8

Characters: Alfie Solomons x Mae LeBlanc (OFC)

Summary: A modern, magical Alfie Solomons AU. Alfie takes Mae out to celebrate a milestone in her magical work. It turns into an evening of deep conversation and bonding, learning about one another.

Warnings/Tags: Language.Magic/Supernatural.FLUFF. Bonding. Talk of being soul mates. Support/Love. Talk of confidence issues and mild bad memories.

Click on my screenname then go to Mobile Masterlist in my bio for my other works and chapters. (Had to do this since Tumblr killed links, sorry.)

“Go throw something on that makes you feel like celebratin’ and we’ll go out ‘n do just that.”

It was a simple enough request. But one Mae was having a hard time with. She watched the grass and soul gather in the antique tub's drain, washing the sweat from the sun off her warm brown skin. Wiggling her yellow-painted toes, she took a few deep breaths to ease the sense of anxiety building and give the many potted and ivy plants in the bathroom a good dose of co2.

She stood before her full-length mirror in her room whose colors all deep jewel tones made her feel at peace. A mix of malachite, amethyst, and a pop of color with citrine soothed her as she adjusted her dress. Mae wasn’t the “going out” type. Like most, she had a dress that had been dormant in her closet for ages. The one that you bought on a whim when you had some manic episode where you swore you’d start going out and dating and having fun like everyone said you should. But it just sat in the back of your closet. A reminder of money wasted and goals not met.

She frowned, her dark curls against her shoulders only covered by the thin straps of the bold red dress. Her hands moved across her body, a pudge to her stomach, her hips wide from her pear shape and her breasts barely enough to fill out the cups of the dress. It reminded her of the “hot girl” dresses in 90s movies from when she was younger. Cinched in a baby doll cut and the rest hugging her body in a way she was unfamiliar with showing off. Her denim cut-offs and a tank or shop t-shirt were her go to outfits. She never purposely dressed up to seem more attractive, it was function over fashion for her at this point in her life. The last time she’d gotten “dressed up” had been when Ruth and Nancy set her up with a “nice boy” from their church. What a bust that had been.

She let herself take a deep breath to gather what confidence she could and it only deflated into a sigh. She let her head fall back and made silent protests with clawed hands and an angry face before stomping and glaring at her reflection. Why couldn’t she just feel...good? She was a so-called powerful witch but all she saw looking back at her was an unsure girl. Not the confident woman she wished she was. Her chest aches a bit, a pit in her stomach as sadness came and went, flashes of failed attempts at dates and moments others killed her hard work at feeling confident in one single comment.

“Okay…” she exhaled forcefully. “This is as good as it’s going to get.” She flops her hands to her hips and decides maybe a cardigan would be an acceptable addition to the outfit. She could cover up a bit, but it wouldn’t look like she was trying to hide. Yeah. That’d work. She found comfort in the extra layer, adjusting it over her cleavage as she exited her bedroom.

Alfie stood relaxed and confident as always. He looked up to her, hazy blue eyes under a heavy brow of ginger tinged hair. He blinks slowly and watches her unsure movements. He could very literally see the dark haze of uncertainty around her but only a blind man couldn’t see how shy she felt.

“Why’ve ya got a sweater on? It’s blazin' out.” Alfie asks with a furrowed brow as he sees her usually sunny disposition missing.

“If you think it’s hot now I have some bad news about the summers in the south.” she answers back, a clear deflection.

“I know it’s hot enough to melt ya bollocks to your leg down ‘ere but that’s not what I asked now was it?”

Her face falls into a defensive expression. “It’s part of the outfit.” she says and averts her eyes from his.

“Mae. Now, what would be the point in lying to me? When I don’t even have to get into that noggin of yours to read it.”

“None I guess.”

“So why are ya?”

“Because I don’t wanna get into it,” she states with an attitude-filled head shake. “I’m just trying to...get through this night out you wanted to do.”

“Nope.” he says with a clap of his hands and moves her over to the couch. He squats in front of her and stares her down. “We don’t lie to each other Mae. Not only is it pointless it serves no purpose for growth. And that’s why we’re together. So I’ll ask again.”

“Just read my mind if you wanna know so bad. Since you can just poof everything into existence without trying.” she snaps back.

“You’re acting like a teenager, Mae. You’re a grown woman.”

She glares at him because he’s right. “I’m wearing it because I want to hide. Is that what you want to hear?” she blurts out.

“The truth yes but I never want you to feel poorly.” he pats her knee. “Why?”

She huffs out, feeling her face be red with embarrassment and hurt and anger. “Because I don’t… I’ve never worn this and it’s tight and I’m not… I don’t wear things like this because it’s something hot girls wear and I’m not that.”

“No, you are not.”

His eyes blink and go wide at his response.

“You are a beautiful woman. Not some slaggy young thing. You are of substance. Of...principal and power.” He sees the tears prickle up in her eyes from her rush of emotions. “You also look lovely in that dress. Red suits you. It’s a shame a woman like you would lack confidence when you owe the world nothing. You gracing these mortals with your visage is a gift they do not deserve.”

“You’re just being full of shit now Alfie.” she groans.

“No. No Mae darling I am not. I said no lies did I not? I stand by that.” he raises her chin with his calloused index finger. “I understand that your big big soul is feeling lots of things in this little human body of yours. I know you’ve been hiding it from me and I commend you for trying to handle it all on your own. But the purpose of us existing my love is to NOT have to deal with these burdens alone. Now tell Alfie what is wrong so he may mend it.” he leans in to kiss her forehead and hug her. It was too much for her little heart to handle. “Let it out little one.” he shushes as she sniffles and pretends she doesn’t want to sob and wail.

“I just feel so… boring. So not confident and I don’t like what I see when I look in the mirror. Nothing is where I want it. I don’t look how I should. I don’t-” she hiccups and he wipes away her tears.

“Says who? Who told you you had to look any certain way? Some old rich white man behind a desk who doesn’t give a shit about you and only wants your sorrow to make more money off of things you don’t need based on self-hate? Who do these negative emotions serve eh? Not you. And you are all you have to be concerned with. You are as you are. As you are is how you should be. There is no “supposed to” in reality, Mae love. There is only a culture that hates women. And you are so very fuckin' far above their standards and expectations I cannot even begin to tell you. You are otherworldly. A soul full of sunshine and vulnerability. Things most humans hide from. You are growing and with that comes those damned waves of emotions. This is why we do the shadow work, yeah? We accept all parts of us, and release what no longer serves us? I’m not just talkin’ out me arse love. I promise.”

“You...really?” she sniffles.

“Not to force any standards of beauty upon you my darling little sunspot but you are the most beautiful soul I have ever encountered and will ever encounter. To me you are perfection and I hope one day to make you see that as well.”

She begins to cry again and he takes her back into his arms. “You’re so nice to me-ee-e.” she stutters.

“Only honest pet. You created life with your thoughts today Mae bug!” he squeezes her upper arms. “You are so powerful. And you’ve barely scratched the surface. Now let's dry those tears, right? Let’s take off this shroud of negativity you call a jumper.” he chuckles and takes it off her and then pats her cheeks with it.

“It’s a sweater you cockney bastard.” she lets out a giggle that he answers with an amused snort.

“There she is.” he bops her on the nose. “A smart mouth and cheeky disposition was something I always did favor in a woman.” he muses and helps her up from the couch. “And you are a clever little thing. Far too smart to feel so low about yourself.”

“Thank you.” she says quietly.

“Now chin up pumpkin. We are going to go out and have a wonderful time, yeah? Celebrate your progress and the simple fact it is a beautiful evening and we just so happen to exist at the same time. That’s enough cause for a drink and a good meal.”

“You’re… very good with words.” she says as he fusses with her curls and wipes away any running mascara from her eyes.

“Thank you. Ol’ cockney bastard like me has to have something going for him, eh?” he grins.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mae sat back and enjoyed the breeze in Alfie's antique car that resembled more of a boat to her. It was long, a bit excessive but it did suit him. Something quirky for a man that looked like some sort of mystical cult leader in dress and charm. He could feel the calm around them now. The late evening air humid but the breeze made it tolerable. With her head laid back in a nest of curls and her eyes closed the golden light of the sunset highlighted the round highs of her face. A round heart-shaped face with doll eyes and high cheek bones and a button nose sat in the middle of all the delicate softness. He smiles softly, glancing over and seeing her take in the day's last touch of sunlight as it sets.

“You seem to be doing better.” he speaks softly and pats her knee to break her from her half-hearted moment of meditation.

“I am.” She answers softly.

“You seem like the type to enjoy solitude and silence more than the company of others.”

“Yeah. When I was young I wanted to have ‘my’ people so bad. My own little group. But then I got used to being alone. Now I prefer it.”

“When other's lower vibrations drain your energy it’s hard to want to be around that. We can work on shielding. But tonight is about a good time. What is a good time for you Mae? What is that moment you just sit and relish in and appreciate?”

She tilts her head in thought. Blinking slowly she tries to find her happy place. “In the morning on Sundays. I’ve slept well and have the day off. I’ve got my favorite mug and I’m in my little spot in the sunroom. It’s raining and Percy is asleep on the bench. My music is playing in the kitchen. Outside is quiet and all you hear is the rain. You can forget you live around people on those mornings. Everything foggy and dewy and the sheets of rain run off the glass ceiling.” She lets out a content exhale. “That’s my favorite time.”

“Lovely innit. Life’s simple pleasures.” He mused and scratches his chin. “I believe I can work with that.” He nods. “I know a little hidden beer garden I believe you might enjoy. We'll go there.”

“A beer garden?”

“Yeah.” He says obviously and confused by the questioning inflection in her voice.

“What’s that?”

He turns and blinks rapidly at her for a moment before looking to the road. “You dont-?” His brows furrowed in question. “You don’t know what a beer garden is?”

“Would I be askin' if I did?”

He lets out a small snort of amusement. “‘Spose not. A pub-a bar outdoors. This one's in the old part of the city.”

“I don’t go there much because of the tourists.”

“No tourists where we’re going. Not exactly Bourbon street.”

“So an outside bar? Do they call those beer gardens? Weird.”

“Well, I think you not having tea in every restaurant is weird.”

“We got sweet tea.” She grins.

“We are not having this argument again Mae. That abomination is NOT tea. It’s sugar water in a cowboy hat.”

She lets out a giggle that warms him, recalling an almost argument on sweet tea and good British char one night before bed. Mae didn’t see what the big deal was. But she was promptly informed by Alfie it’s because she was a bloody yank so she never would.

————————-

The place he took her was off the beaten path. A small old white building with a courtyard in the middle with small iron tables and canopies. It was quiet and rustic and full of plants along the walls and in decorative planters. It felt green and wet and lush and alive and she felt oddly at home. A gentlemanly pulling out of her chair before he sat, his crystal pendants glinted in the sun around his neck. They lay at the edge of his vest, a dark and worn fabric over his usual worn in white button ups.

“Order whatever you like darlin' this is a treat for you.”

“I’m gonna order sweet tea.”

“Cheeky bugger.” he smirks and keeps his eyes on the menu.

“I’m not sure.” She says quietly.

“When I say order what you like I do mean you could order the whole fuckin' thing.”

She blinks and thinks a moment. “What if I actually did?” Her big curious eyes have a smile to them as she looks his way.

“I wouldn’t have to worry bout cookin' dinner for a tick then would I?” He answers with a playful nod her way. “I think I’ll go with seafood.” He says after a long pause. “No point in wastin' bein so close to the water eh? Perhaps calamari to start. Fried, of course, because you lot can’t just leave things be.”

“Never had that.”

“Hmmph. Guess you will be tonight.” He affirms with a nod.

“We could get the variety appetizer. I haven’t tried escargot either.”

“A day of firsts calls for a night of the same.” He declares confidently to her. “We are here for you Mae. Indulge.”

———————————

They sit among multiple plates and drinks, the frosted glass of the table growing cool as the sun sets and the garden lights and music turned on. A little candle was lit on the table for “ambiance” the waitress said with a wink. Mae tried to hide a blush but ALfie felt the ruffle of energy come from her and hid an amused smirk.

“Can I have some of your-?”

“Yes, of course, scoot ya bum over here.” Alfie chuckles and pulls her chair next to him. With their arms pushed together she lets out a small but audible content sigh. She continues to pick at his appetizers and he at hers. A vibrating calm between them as they touch.

“Nice innit?”

“It’s really good.” Her answer is muffled by the food in her mouth.

“The food is yes but not what I meant.”

“Wat.” She says with stuffed cheeks and wide questioning eyes.

“This.” He holds his hand out palm up on the table.

She looks at it and blinks.

In his head, he hears. “What the fuck?” And he laughs.

“Put your hand over mine Mae bug.” He chuckles as he holds her hand a few inches above his own. She holds in and swallows, she gives a small shiver in response. He touches his fingertips to hers.

“It tickles.” She giggles and slaps his hand.

“Not into tickling?”

She shrugs. “Not really? Not really had it done before.”

“How’s bout this?” He asks with a nod of his head, lacing their fingers together and resting

“Mmm.” She hums and smiles at him. “That you or the alcohol?”

“Can’t take credit completely. Can’t feel it myself without you.” He says it matter of factly but he feels the sentimental response like warm honey through his veins.

She studies his face a moment and then their hands, taking her time and connecting and disconnecting, tips then palms, moving to put as much skin to skin as she can. With their arms and shoulders pushed against one another, she speaks softly in realization, “It's when we touch.”

He makes a grunt of agreement. “What’s it feel like for you?” His curiosity gets the better of him.

“It’s...good.” She says after a pause.

“You can be more descriptive than that.” He scolds playfully.

“Than what’s it like for you?” She sass's back and takes a drink with her free hand.

“There was a place...long long ago I lived alone. Which is what I preferred. I got away from my old life, a pipe dream to be sure. But it was the happiest I had been before...this life. Feels like that relief. But without the loneliness.” He looks at her and she once again has tears in her eyes. “Oh come now love do your eyes ever dry?” He laughs and dabs at her cheeks.

“That’s better than I could ever put it.” She says and smiles. A sniffle and she squeezes back. “It’s our souls right? They missed each other this much? It’s like I feel warm down into my bones.”

“We missed you more than even my silver tongue can express.”

She lets out a heavy sigh. “I must’ve missed you too. Because this feels…” she smiles sweetly and puts her head on his shoulder, only feeling more contentment. “Feels right.”

“Like morning sunshine. Warm and dare, I admit, happy.”

“Probably Like a good hug or like when Ruth makes me a pie when I’m sad.”

“I do suppose that would be rather good.”

“The best.” She smiles as she rests her cheek on him. “Man… people are missing out. This is like drugs.” She softly laughs.

“Why did you say it's probably like a good hug? Odd way to put it.”

“Well… people say hugs from people you love or miss are the best.” She pauses. “But I don’t know that I’ve ever had one of those.” She admits.

“I admit I don’t know how you aren’t beloved by everyone. A sunspot like yourself should know of everything good and pleasurable in life. You deserve only the best Mae. And if I can help it I’ll help you feel the love you’ve deserved. Show you how to open up. You are a white witch after all, you radiate love.”

“Guess it’s all going out and not stayin' in” she mumbles and gives him a half-smile. It was a rather good observation.

“So many things you haven’t done yet” Alfie muses as he feels her inexperience in her thoughts.

“I can… feel you up in there.” She pulls away and shakes her head, curls bouncing. She shivers. “That’s so strange I can… feel you in there now.”

“You’re learning how to.”

“It kinda… feels like you’re scratching an itch in my brain.”

“Because I mean no harm, only help.”

“Does it hurt if a bad person is trying to get in my head?”

“For a sensitive little bean like yourself, I would assume so. It’s all about intention. As I’ve said. I see loneliness and fear of missing out and I want to alleviate it. So with good intention brings good feeling.”

“What are you seeing?”

“I don’t want to upset you, darling.”

“It’s my head it won’t upset me.” she snorts.

“I see you alone at a school dance. On the bleachers. Watching everyone else dance together.”

“Yeah. That is a bit upsetting.” She shrugs. “But a long time ago.”

“It was...the first time you felt a real romantic rejection and alienation.” He squints his eyes as he saw a small underdeveloped Mae in an out of style hand me down dress hiding tears as a boy she thought might’ve liked her looked at her and laughed with his date that was the opposite of what she looked like.

“Yeah… it got easier after that.”

“Shutting out everyone else isn’t easier Mae it’s self-sabotage.”

“Well.” She says thoughtfully. “It made it hurt less.”

He looks down at her with understanding. She was so full of life and emotion and she was robbing herself from fear and it made him sad for a moment to see her potential being stunted due to the hateful actions of others. “I’m here to show you how to master your emotions to unlock your potential, love.”

“That sounds...exhausting.” She looks down at his hand and rubs its embrace with her thumb.

“Nah. We can start small.” He insists with a look around. “Let’s start by checkin' something off your list.” He implores as he begins to rise.

“Like what?”

“I’m going to give you that dance.” He states obviously

“I don’t...I’m not a dancer.”

“Neither am I?” He laughs. “It’s about the experience. With it grows your confidence. It’s simple, I’ll show you.”

“I know HOW I just…” she glances around. “I don’t wanna in front of people.” She whispers

“I can fix that. Make it so no one notices us.”

“You can do that?”

“I can do most things you could ever imagine.” She looks around the small courtyard and weighs her options. He stood with a steady hand outreached .”I could even SHOUT ABOUT HOW ICED TEA IS SHIT...and no one can hear.” He grins.

Her eyes go wide but see's no one even glances their way as she rises to her feet. “Are we invisible?”

“No, just an illusion of the mind.”

“Can I be invisible?” She asks as he pulls her to the open center of the patio space.

“I can show you how to be very elusive. Although I don’t know why you would want to be.”

“Because I’m shy. Crippled with anxiety. Full of trauma. Where do you want to start?” She answers honestly but with a chuckle.

“We’ll start with this.” He pulls her close and minds his hands to keep it PG. She was skittish enough without adding physical affection to the mix.

She slowly gives in to his affectionate embrace. A simple back and forth and distanced as she’d wanted in her memory. He can feel the remnants of hurt the memory left around her, her yellow energy turning blue. “I know it means nothing when a man says these sorts of things, and only time will prove it to be true but you don’t have to worry about me rejecting your true self Mae. You do know that?” She looks up at him, knowing she must’ve been very bad at hiding her fear. “As cliche as it is we were made for each other and I have no intentions of abandoning this partnership.” He pauses and she lets out a heavy sigh. “I know love it seems like everyone has left you that’s said that. But I won’t yeah?” He gives her cheek a gentle playful stroke.

“Thank you. For trying to help me.” She says softly, feeling a warmth that wasn’t from the summer evenings still wet heat. “For being nice while I’m… still all...fucky.” She grins and lets out a soft laugh. “I know I’m grown but I feel like such a child sometimes. I’m kinda glad you can read my mind because with feel like I don’t even know what’s going on in there sometimes.”

“You’re going through a...magical puberty Mae and you’re doing wonderfully. I only celebrate things worth it and today-and your work was. Excess innit? Folks like us aren’t meant to be about it. It’ll go to our heads.”

“Good thing I don’t have to worry about that.”

“Your powers are just beginning and you’ll grow as they do. You’ll come to understand yourself and the things you’ve been through as lessons. You have so much power within you little one you’ll be astounded one day looking back at your life before. We have so much to gain, and it’s worth these emotional outbursts your human self insists on having.”

“You make everything sound so fancy and purposeful.”

“It’s just the age and accent dear.” he grins.

“You’re very wise.” She insists with big soft eyes. “I’m glad you’re my person. I need someone to keep things straight like you do.” She leans in and hugs him but doesn’t pull away.

He smiles down at her, a flutter in his stomach for this small gentle creature being accepting of him despite the dark monstrosity he had fancied himself for so long. “You’re too kind Mae.” He places a kiss on her bouncy head of curls and settles into a comfortable embrace.

She sighs and surprisingly to him cozies up to his chest. “I like these Feel Good drugs” she grins as he holds his hand to her bareback with her head on his chest. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Course. Always will be.” they both feel it warm and encompassing them both. A moment of being on the same page and the barriers between them thin.

———

They stuffed themselves on seafood and local beef and ease was between them now that hadn’t existed before. A bit of honesty went a long way with Mae. Her nature was very trusting in general and optimistic, so Alfie's reassurance left her feeling much more relaxed than she had in a long while. Alford was practiced at restraint as Mae was not. So he could not only feel but see in her eyes as they parted for the night to go to their rooms that she didn’t want to separate. He found it very endearing of her to want him around. He would as always have her make her own choices in her own time. Make her ask for the things she wanted. So instead of making the giant step of sleeping in the same bed, platonically, mind you, he simply whispered a soft intention as she snuggled into her own bed and yearning for that comfort he gave her now.

“Sleep well little one and may the morning find you as sunny as it.”

She hears him in her head and sighs, a happy one this time.

“Goodnight Alfie.” She murmurs, trying to send the thought his way and not knowing if she succeeded. But she had.

@jaegeeeeer @brianaisasongbird @hardygal69 @emerald-bijou @captstefanbrandt @coolgh0st @tinastarkandco @xstylishmileage @peakys-mystic @likedovesinthewnd

#alfie solomons au #alfie solomons fan fiction #alfie solomons #alfie solomons fic #alfie solomons fanfic

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for-peace-war · 4 years

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No, really. Lovecraft Country sucks.

These are spoilers, but I also don’t give a shit because it’s a bad show and I hope you skim enough to fucking skip it. I took a few days to decide if I hated it enough to write this and well, I do.

I will try my best not to say “X is a bad actor,” but instead stick with the characters as they’re intended save for one particular issue.

The Story

It isn’t very Lovecraftian. And don’t take this as me saying Lovecraft was some kind of master of his craft. I think he was an absurd racist that used xenophobia as his guise for what truly horrified the sane mind. That being said, the element of the unknown is definitely the hallmark of his world and that in no way is represented in this show. It could easily be called “Goosebumps: The Black Version” and it’d be just as authentic--if not more so, really.

The story deals with the Bible (?) and magic that comes from uh, knowing the names of things. You speak a made up language and then you do some kind of confusing magic that has no real purpose or point. I sound dismissive of this because I am, to be clear. They could have just as easily had this language be something whites stole from Africans and then perverted into their own means of power (it’d be a pretty easy parralel to any number of imperialist issues left behind in Africa, huh.)

But anyway, it has a tentacle monster. I think we see a big scary octopus at one point. But the monsters are often in your face and it’s probably less scary than Stranger Things S1.

Honestly, the characters repeat “autumnal equinox” so much that I felt I was going to have a fucking breakdown. Just the writing is very empty and no one seems to really care about anyone else on the screen except for in a rare moment between the only two characters that make it far and matter.

Characters

They aren’t very good. There are tropes present, which isn’t bad at all, but the way the characters interact, speak, and in general move us through the story feels stilted, often nonsensical, and entirely reliant on the viewer assuming that the latest sentence spoken is the only one that matters.

Atticus “Tic” Freeman

A war criminal that derives his power from the white blood inside of him. Again, dismissive but true. We see this man struggle to connect pieces to a puzzle and eventually he pays the price for it, but not in the way Lovecraft would have someone pay for endeavoring beyond their realm. Rather, something about fate and a book. Look, honestly? Who gives a shit. Tic murders a woman in coldblood and it’s never really touched on. There’s a lot that could be said about militaries, oppression, etc, but we often see these characters enact violence and then the story skips merrily beyond it. So yeah, he summarily executes a Korean woman and then is later shown torturing another, but it’s okay because he feels a little bad and fucks the Korean sex demon woman. More on that later. I felt nothing for him. He didn’t have some deep animus over being a torturing war criminal. He was just kind of moving through scenes and having confusing fights with his girlfriend/baby mama.

Letitia “Leti” Lewis

This is what empowerment shouldn’t look like. It amuses me that the show claimed to subvert some kind of norms when the primary love interest (and ultimate heroine) remains the lightest skinned sister in the room. She is able to maintain the appeal of the ingenue while at the same time having the understood attractiveness of her complexion. As far as Leti is concerned as a character, she too seems to be a pretty shitty person. We hear that she has “transactional” friendships and she seems pretty much all about self-survival and rarely if ever puts up where others do. She’s a heroine in the sense that the story makes her be heroic, but it never addresses how her flaws are ultimately all self-inflicted and unnecessary. She could just not be a shitty person.

Hippolyta Freeman

Well. Hidden Figures was an excellent film, and I think that’s where Hippolyta came from. In a more serious series, perhaps she and her daughter could have had a very touching arc that would deal with survival and exceptionalism in a world that maligns you for your very being. Unfortunately, in reality she just comes off as a character that’s quirky in a world that’s also quirky and she doesn’t get to harness her power. There’s an entire episode dedicated to how she discovers who she is and the result is well, her hair turns blue and she makes robots? I think the character TYPE is great, but they misused her here in all ways.

George Freeman

Well, well. If the series had remained about George, Tic, and Leti adventuring through America and encountering sundown towns and monsters both human and otherwise, I think it’d have been okay. The issue is, they wrote this series by the numbers so George is immediately thrown away. He’s a wise and circumspect guy that has his own flaws (he has patrarchical notions built around protecting/babying his genius wife, clearly), but the flaws he has are understandable and well reasoned. George dies early on. Then he sort of doesn’t, I guess? But the fact he did was really the nail in the coffin for this series. The moment they did that, the rest just became empty strokes. A story where George witnessed the others dying and going back to his wife and daughter would have had so much more heart to it, but well. Uncle George is literally one of the few bright spots.

Ruby Baptise

Much like her sister, Leti, Ruby is a terrible attempt at showing empowerent on the one hand, and a masterwork on the other. The bad first: she’s a rapist. I’ve been called a nigger before and while it didn’t feel great, I don’t think I’d have been justified in just sodomizing the person that did it. That entire sequence was weird and they tried to hype it as her reclaiming something, when really it spoke to a disgusting and gratuitous tendency toward Ruby: she’s always too much. Ruby, IMO, should have been Tic’s love interest. In a sense. First, because Wunmi Mosaku was a very attractive woman with impressive acting chops (she’s where I’ll break my moratirum, sorry), but also because it wouldn’t be what you’d see in every other show now: light-skinned pretty sister, dark-skinned sexual eikon. And that’s the issue with Ruby there: she’s always too much. She’s sexual by existing and that isn’t necessarily to her benefit since Leti, the good one, is an actual virgin before her sudden period sex. So the narrative has already spoken as to how it views sex. Yet, because they tried to give Ruby these strange strokes, she comes out as an interesting character. She has feelings, aspirations, and dreams that she’s kept from and that’s very real. In a story about the absurd, a sense of realness is a familiar handhold to gather your wits. She’s all that, really. It’s why she has the best relationships in the show, which is AGAIN an issue, but well. I’ll say Ruby was never bad to have on screen though I was disgusted with how often her blackess (and Blackness in general!) became the source of grotesque horror.

Christina Braithewaite

This is where I get annoyed. My issue with Christina is that she should have easily been the most hated character, but they overplayed their hand with not showing how nefarious she was. In fact? Christina and Ruby’s relationship is the only meaningful, real, and understandable one in the entire series. I felt no joy during her downfall, because I didn’t really get to see her doing anything bad? Just, consider what the show is. It’s about Lovecraft’s lore, ostensibly, which treats all non (specific types of) white men like dogs. So Christina comes at it from the “white” but “woman” perspective and you know, she has moments of duality that you can say is she more white or woman here. But they don’t execute on how sinister she should be. She’s a little rude at times? Yet she is the only person to treat Ruby like she should be treated and she’s the only person that seems to have a goal outside of “the quest.” It really bothered me that she came out so well done, because either they needed to have her for two seasons and make her far more nefarious after the first, or to just make her less a force for good. She saves the characters more than a few times and pays for it by being killed when she’s at her lowest. Yeah, it’s... a weird take.

Ji-Ah

What can I say? There are depictions of sex in the series, and they’re all negative: most of Ji-Ah’s scenes, Montrose’s angry self-loathing sex with his boyfriend, Ruby’s morphic horror scenes. In the case of most of those, there’s something being said. Ji-Ah is a monster, literally, that could be seen as Lovecraftian in the sense she’s an exotic Asian woman that kills men that sleep with her. So, HBO was like “we’ll blow our tits and ass budget on her,” and she exists for a series of sex scenes and vague, inscrutable... shit, maybe SHE is the most Lovecraft of all the characters! Anyway at some point she joins the party after confusing drama with Leti because they both fucked Tic. It’s okay though, because Ji-Ah isn’t here for any of that now. She’s the one who had the best friend that had her teeth yanked out by Tic, and also who was there when he shot her other friend in cold blood, but they get over that and she’s now their friendly red panda pal or some shit. It’s fucking trash. Much like the Freemans (sans Tic), I think she’d have done great in another show. But they rushed her story and it felt less Ghost Nation (Westworld) and more Masturbation (Jordan Peele).

Diana Freeman

Confusing. A stock character (quirky kid that does art, is impetuous, and won’t take no for an answer) that is given a lot of screen time. When she sort of hijacks an episode when two ragamuffin girls chase her down and infest her or something because racist cops. Well, the story veers to her direction. What can I say? If you like 11 from Stranger Things but wanted her to have Mike’s attitude, well. Here you go.

Montrose Freeman

He could have been a good character, I guess. He seemed unnecessary and often was there purely for an x-factor of “uh?” Like, his infamous scene where he slits a two-spirit Native American’s throat after we learn that this indigenous person had just been restored after being raped by bad guys. So there’s that. Also I guess he was self-loathing so he beat his son (that may not be his son???) and also liked fucking dudes, which was I think where we were supposed to care about him. It’s like someone saw Omar was a gun-wielding desperado of drug theft and decided, “Well what made him okay is he’s gay!” But it didn’t add much. I get he was angsty but other than Tic calling him a “faggot” (one of the few good scenes between them in terms of emotion), it all seemed empty and kind of meandering. At no point does Montrose seem a part of the team. He just half-mumbles, gets angry, cries, and falls apart.

Captain Seamus Lancaster

He’s barely a character, but I need to include him for another point. He’s the “bad guy.” I guess? He uses the bodies of black men to stay alive, which is actually a really smart reference to black bodies fueling the American system, but it comes off as cheesy because it just never comes up. He’s cartoonishly bad in a way that he’s less sinister than a meme. Compare him to say, Ridgeway from Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad. One’s a sinister representation of an oppressive system and the other’s well, a joke.

Racism

How could this not be a theme? The issue, as was shown with Lancaster, is that it isn’t even remotely handled with seriousness. The best scene of racism is in the first episode when Tic, George, and Leti are forced to leave a Sundown county before they’re lynched by the racist sheriff. The anticipation and animosity lead to some serious anxiety and it was a nailbiter.

But after that? White people say “nigger.” Then they get, I don’t know, raped or spit on or who knows. A lot of black people talk back to the cops anyway in the 50′s and that’s cool.

But the real monsters of the series are all black people. Let’s go through it:

Tic brutalized women in the Korean War.

Montrose killed the two-spirit person.

Ruby rapes the shop owner.

Diane crushes Christina’s throat.

Ruby literally sheds her flesh in repeatedly gratuitous acts of the grotesque.

Even Ji-Ah, who’s not black, is a monster in the literal sense. We do see the doctor that experimented on black people, but that’s about 5 minutes at the end of an episode that has a baby’s head on a man’s body so I was too busy laughing at the absurdity to take any real meaning from it.

The truth is, in Lovecraft Country, white people always should do their best to kill or keep black people down. It definitely doesn’t speak at all to any togetherness or what have you. Just, well. Magical negroes doing bad stuff because nothing can stop them.

The show misses the chances to show real horror in race. Hell, the Tulsa Riots are reduced to a backdrop for a confusing book scene. But then again, Emmett Till becomes a kind of empty reference point that we then see a white woman act out... for some reason?

Again, the only characters with any chemistry are Ruby and Christina, which is very unfortunate for any number of reasons. As far as a statement that racism is bad goes, I mean. I barely saw it. If I was a racist I’d be like hell yeah, Lovecraft was right they are dangerous.

Even when people try to indicate the horrors of it like, “Oh, the Korean War scenes are bad because we see how men are forced into the military complex!” We didn’t see a white officer say “Shoot her, boy,” it was just two black guys killing women with no care at all. And no compeuppance, so that’s cool.

The Music

Sucks. Thanks Peaky Blinders for making modern music over gif sets a thing.

Conclusion

I sure as hell would never watch it again. If I can get one other person not to, then maybe it’d be worth it. It’s not a good show. It’s not “smart,” and there’s no secret subversion in it. It’s just... bad.

I won’t post on it anymore. Please, in true Lovecraft fashion, trust me when I say that this show is so bad it cannot be comprehended.

#lovecraft country

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explosionshark · 5 years

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Thanks for recommending Gideon the Ninth! It was so good! Do you have a book rec tag I could check out? :)

honestly i should, huh? i’ve read more books than probably ever before this year and i’ve talked about ‘em intermittently, but not with a consistent tag. i’ll recommend some right now, though, with a healthy dose of recency bias!

sf/f

the priory of the orange tree by samantha shannon - a truly epic fantasy novel with one of the most beautiful, satisfying f/f romances i’ve ever read. the novel takes account nearly everything i hate about fantasy as a genre (overwhelmingly straight, white, and male centric, bland medieval European settings, tired tropes) and subverts them. incredible world-building, diverse fantasy cultures, really cool arthrurian legend influence. one of my favorite books i’ve ever read tbh.

gideon the ninth by tamsyn muir - which you’ve read, obviously, but for posterity’s sake i’m keeping it here! sci-fi + murder mystery + gothic horror. genuinely funny while still having a super strong emotional core and more than enough gnarly necromantic to satisfy the horror nerd in me. makes use of some of my favorite tropes in fiction, namely the slowburn childhood enemies to reluctant allies to friends to ??? progression between gideon and harrow. absolutely frothing at the mouth for a sequel.

the broken earth trilogy by nk jemisin - really the first book that helped me realize i don’t hate fantasy, i just hate the mainstream ‘medieval europe but with magic’ version of fantasy that dominates the genre. EXTREMELY cool worldbuilding. i’ve definitely described it as like, a GOOD version of what the mage-vs-templar conflict in dragon age could have been, with a storyline particularly reminiscent of “what if someone got Anders right?”

this is how you lose the time war by amal el-mohtar and max gladstone - i’m not usually big on epistolary novels, but this one really worked for me. spy vs spy but it’s gay and takes place between time traveling agents of two opposing sides of a war. the letter writing format really plays to el-mohtar’s strengths as a poet, the unfolding love story is weird and beautiful. it’s a really quick read, too, if you’re short on time or attention.

empress of forever by max gladstone - i just finished this one this week! if you’re in the mood for a space opera, look no further. imagine if steve jobs was an asian lesbian and also like not a shitty person. this is where you start with vivian liao. you get the classic putting-the-band-together arc with beings from all across the universe, your romances and enemies-turned-friends and uneasy alliances all over the place. really satisfying character development and some extremely cool twists along the way. it’s just a fun good time.

the luminous dead by caitlin starling - this one rides the line of horror so it’s closest to that part of the list. it reminds me of the most inventive low budget horror/sci-fi films i’ve loved in the best way possible because it makes use of the barest narrative resources. it’s a book that takes place in one primary setting, featuring interactions between two characters that only meet each other face-to-face for the briefest period. the tension between the two characters is the most compelling part of the story, with competing and increasingly unreliable narratives and an eerie backdrop to ratchet things up even higher. the author described it as “queer trust kink” at one point which is, uh, super apt actually and totally my jam. the relationship at the center of the book is complicated to say the least, outright combative at points, but super compelling. plus there’s lost of gnarly sci-fi spelunking if you like stories about people wandering around in caves.

horror

the ballad of black tom by victor lavalle - we all agree that while lovecraft introduced/popularized some cool elements into horror and kind of defined what cosmic horror would come to mean, he was a racist sack of shit. which is why my favorite type of ‘lovecraftian horror’ is the type that openly challenges his abhorrent views. the ballad of black tom is a retelling of the horror at redhook that flips the narrative by centering the action around a black protagonist.

lovecraft country by matt ruff - more of what i just described. again, lovecraftian themes centered around black protagonists. this one’s especially cool because it’s a series of interconnected short stories following related characters. it’s getting a tv adaptation i believe, but the book is definitely not to be missed

rolling in the deep / into the drowning deep by mira grant - mermaids are real and they’re the ultimate deep sea predators! that’s really the whole premise. if for some reason that’s not enough for you, let me add this: diverse cast, a romance between a bi woman who’s not afraid to use the word and an autistic lesbian, really cool speculative science tangents about mermaid biology and myth.

the haunting of hill house by shirley jackson - it’s halloween month so i’m thinking about hill house again. one of the greatest american ghost stories ever written. especially worth the read if you follow it up w the 1964 film adaptation (the haunting) and then the 2018 netflix series.

the hunger by alma katsu - i’ve always been fascinated by the donner party even though we now know the popular narrative is largely falsehoods. still, this highly fictionalized version of events scratched an itch for me and ended up surprising me with its resistance from the most expected and toxic racist tropes associated with donner party myth.

wounds / north american lake monsters by nathan ballingrud - nathan ballingrud is my favorite horror writer of all time. one of my favorite writers period regardless of genre. in ballingrud’s work the horror is right in front of you. you can look directly at it, it’s right there. but what permeates it, what draws your attention instead, what makes it hurt is the brutally honest emotional core of everything surrounding the horror. the human tragedy that’s’ reflected by the more fantastic horror elements is the heart of his work. it’s always deeply, profoundly moving for me. both of these collections are technically short stories, but they’re in the horror section of the recs because delineations are totally arbitrary and made solely at my discretion.

short stories

her body and other parties by carmen maria machado - tbh i almost put this in w horror but there’s enough weird fiction here for me to be willing to straddle the line. it was really refreshing to read horror that centered queer women’s perspectives. the stories in this collection are really diverse and super powerful. there’s an incredible weird fiction piece that’s like prompt-based law and order svu micro fiction (go with me here) that ends up going to some incredible places. there’s the husband stitch, a story that devastated me in ways i’m still unraveling. the final story reminded me of a more contemporary haunting of hill house in the best way possible. machado is a writer i’m really excited about.

vampires in the lemon grove by karen russell - my friend zach recommended this to me when we were swapping book recs earlier this year and i went wild for it! mostly weird fiction, but i’m not really interested in getting hung up on genres. i don’t know what to say about this really other than i really loved it and it got me excited about reading in a way i haven’t been in a while.

the tenth of december by george saunders - i really like saunders’ work and i feel like the tenth of december is a great place to start reading him. quirky without being cloying, weird without being unrelatable.

misc

the seven husbands of evelyn hugo by taylor jenkins reid - there’s something really compelling to me about the glamour of old hollywood. this story is framed as a young journalist interviewing a famously reclusive former starlet at the end of her life. the story of how evelyn hugo goes from being the dirt-poor daughter of cuban immigrants to one of the biggest names in hollywood to an old woman facing the end of her life alone is by turns beautiful, inspiring, infuriating and desperately sad. by far the heart of the book is in evelyn finally coming out as bisexual, detailing her decades-long on/off relationship with celia st. james, another actress. evelyn’s life was turbulent, fraught with abuse and the kind of exploitation you can expect from the hollywood machine, but the story is compelling and engaging and i loved reading it.

smoke gets in your eyes by caitlin doughty - a memoir by caitlin doughty, the woman behind the popular ‘ask a mortician’ youtube series. it was a super insightful look into the american death industry and its many flaws as well as an interesting, often moving look at the human relationship with death through the eyes of someone touched by it early and deeply.

love and rockets by los bros hernandez (jaime and gilbert and mario) - this was a big alt comic in the 80s with some series within running on and off through the present. i’m not current, but this book was so important for me as a kid. in particular the locas series, which centered around two queer latina girls coming up in the punk scene in a fictional california town. the beginning starts of a little sci-fi-ish but over time becomes more concerned with slice-of-life personal dramas.

#book recs #long post #SORRY IF THIS IS MORE THAN YOU WANTED #obviouslyending #book tag

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big-gay-ready-to-play · 4 years

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Alright yous guys, I have a question that requires an answer. I'm wanting to write a Lumity fanfic, but I got several different story ideas for them rattling around in this tin can of a brain of mine and I need a vote.

Idea One:

Medieval fantasy aged up. Premise; the Boiling Isles and the human realm are one whole realm. Luz was found by Eda as a baby in a burnt out human village that was attacked by the King's Coven (i.e. the Emperor's Coven), and baby Luz was the only survivor of the attack. Belos is looking for humans for Plot Reasons, as a no one knows why, so Eda raises Luz and teaches her magic until she can find her real mother. Luz finds out how to use glyphs on her own at a young age. Oh, she uses a sword with glyphs etched into it too and has an illusion glyph tattooed on the back of her neck that she uses to appear as an elf (or whoever she wants really)

Amity is a powerful elf Magi whose dream is to join the King's Coven Knights and serve at the castle of Belos, but shit gets weird when some human rando makes her Feel Things(tm), not all of the Things are positive.

Luz finding a cure for Eda's curse is her goal in this one. (Luz and Amity are 22, everyone else aged up respectively to them)

Idea Two:

A Detroit: Become Human AU! This is an Android!Luz AU with an aged up crew again. Premise; Amity's parents got a divorce when Amity was young, the twins going with their dad and Amity staying with her mom, who is an engineer for The Coven, i.e. CyberLife. Luz is an android who was scraped for parts by her old family because of the 'glitches', i.e. her quirkiness, but saved by Eda (a Deviant android hiding as a human, but wanted by The Coven) who repaired Luz and helped her figure out How To Human so she can blend in. Meets 'The Amity' and desperately tries to befriend the sad green haired girl because she sees herself in her, minus the human bit of course. Shenanigans ensues which forces Luz to Deviate completely while Belos and The Coven hunt her and Eda down. Eda has a nasty virus in her system that bugs out when she gets overwhelmed and it forces her Fight or Flight switch to stick in Fight Mode. Belos wants to deactivate her, Luz wants to save her. Amity wants a Gal Pal and to get away from her abusive mother. (Luz is depicted as a 24 year old android, Amity is 22, everyone else aged up in relation to this)

Idea Three (final idea):

Zombie apocalypse AU with Zombified! Luz and Soldier! Amity. Another aged up AU as well. Premise; Luz is infected but didn't turn all the way and in fact has all of her human characteristics intact. However, when she smells spilled blood, it forces her to go into a frenzy (kinda like a shark and blood frenzies). Luz doesn't want to be a zombie, but was taken to The Coven, a research center studying the virus, for samples and to see what made her not be a full zombie. Camille was a scientist (and of course Luz's momma) and stole Luz from the facility when she realized that The Coven wanted to kill Luz in their studies. Camille and Luz took shelter with Eda and her weird dog while they try to find out if they can cure Luz without killing her.

The Blight family are prominent military figures that work for The Coven. Belos sends Soldier Amity to hunt down the rogue scientist and the pseudo-human. Starts as a sort of 'enemies to lovers' type thing because, Uh Oh! Amity caught Feelings!

Amity is 24, Luz is 23. The rest of the crew is aged in relation to that.

So yeah. Several ideas. All of which involve angst, fluff, and all that good jazz. I am NOT writing utter smut, just fyi. They are aged up because I'm not putting 14 year olds in war type situations with blood and gore and shit.

Will definitely do some art depending on which AU I actually go with, but I'd love suggestions!

Also, this blog is super new, I have a Random Fandom blog under @edolin where I just reblog cool/funny/cute shit from different Fandoms I'm in, but this one will be just for writing and fan fics and what not.

What idea should I go with guys?!

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incorrect-mcu-quotes101 · 4 years

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Rant about Marvel New Warriors

(spoiler they are shit - Ps. I know I'm late to this)

This is about to be long-

Since evryone is roasting the shit out of Marvel's New Warriors. (I'm late I know shut up) why not hop on the train of anger and give out my opinion.

First on the list is Screentime.

Now I dont really have a problem with the design. It think that the green goes well with his backstory being all sciency and shit (which is the problem but I'll get onto that later) If we ignore the fact that they ripped off the ben10 colour palette I kinda like how he looks.

But oh boy the backstory.

"A Meme-Obsessed super teen whose brain became connected to the internet after becoming exposed to his grandfather’s “experimental internet gas.” Now he can see augmented reality and real-time maps, and can instantly Google any fact. Does this make him effectively a genius? He sure acts like it does."

Okay first of all. "Internet gas"? Wtf is that supposed to be. Also meme-obsessed just makes me think he would be a redditor making him very fucking annoying.

Now his powers I think are shit. He's always connected to the internet? Couldn't the others just get out their phones and do exactly the same. (Maybe like 10 seconds slower since it takes time to open your phone)

I think it would be cool to see him do more than look up "how to beat up bad guys" on wikihow. Maybe make him control other computers or phones. And he could possibly teleport using electronics.

Alright that's screentime on to the next mistake.

Second is Trailblazer

Her design is... Uhh. Acceptable. In my opinion the costumes are a bit too colourful. It reminds me of those girls who put on different socks and walk around saying how qUiRKy they are.

Now uh backstory/description (idk why i have been calling it backstory all this time tbh) it's definitely better than Screentime. But still. Bad.

"A regular kid scooped up into the world of teenage Super Heroing. Her “magic backpack” is actually a pocket dimension with seemingly infinite space, from which she can pull out useful or random objects—it’s not always under her control. She claims to get her power from god, but “not the god you’re thinking of.”"

So uh. Dora?

I like how they made it sound more interesting saying that she never knows what she'll get. But the thing I want to know is what if someone gets her backpack. It's not hard to take a backpack from someone tbh. Is it glued to her back? Or can she like leave it in school and forget about it? "A regular kid scooped up into the world of teenage Super Heroing." This makes me think that she didn't chose to have her powers. Which i can understand. But it's a fucking backpack.

If it's not connected to her and someone takes it SHE WILL BE FUCKING POWERLESS?!

Alright. That's that. On to the next one.

B-negative. Uh-

Alright the name is clever I'll give them that.

But the design. Ughhh. Again. The oversaturated colours they used. I personally dont like the use of bright pink. They could have used dark red instead. Red symbolizes blood, death, anger and the pink doesn't make me think about that sort of stuff. It clashes with his dark edgy design and face. Other than the fact he looks straight out of a Twilight edgy fanfic.

"A teen “living vampire” exposed to Michael Morbius’s blood as a child in a rogue, but life-saving medical procedure. He still ages like a regular kid, but has all the abilities of Morbius. He’s also obsessed with all the music and attitude of a “classic” long-past decades like the '90s, and the '00s. “The world is a vampire…and so am I.”"

I don't really have anything to say to this. It's just once again marvel trying to relate to the youth. Tbh his description. As crazy as it sounds. Is the one I have the least problems with.

Alright now to the one people hated the most.

This thing-

A lot. And i mean. A LOT of people have criticised and even took the time to redesign the characters. And yea. They are shit. I'm not going to take the time to redesign them myself because I don't have that kind of time at the moment. (Maybe I'll make another post where I remake them myself. But idk)

Now my biggest problem with the design is the fact they are twins. TWINS WHO ARE FROM THE OPPOSITE SEX SHOULDN'T BE IDENTICAL TWINS. That is literally impossible. Also they kinda remind me of the characters from that online game everyone was obsessed with called 'Fireboy and Watergirl'. Don't know if anyone remembers that.

Their costumes are hideous. Again the vibrant colours are giving me a goddamn seizure. The whole idea of those characters is for Snowflake to be the more self assured and most likely to beat you up for being a bit racist to Twitter. And for Safespace to be this big soft dude who looks though but is actually an angel when you get to know him.

But looking at them I do don't get those vibes. I think they should have made Snowflake look more sassy and wear like a coat to be more mysterious and shit. And for Safespace to have more fur and armour (he can create shields for other but not for himself so he should have atleast some other type of protection) I think having like fur on his jacket would give off a more 'soft uwu boi' vibe.

I'm not going to shit on their description because to be honest. Everyone already has. And this has become way too long for a normal post. I hope ya'll enjoyed it. If you took the time to read me ranting about some weird fictional characters I really appreciate that.

#alright i know this is long #but like fuck it #i wanted to say some thing and I did #marvel #marvel new warriors #new Warriors #marvel thoughts #marvel cinematic universe #marvel studios #marvel stuff #mcu #Safespace #Snowflake #screentime #dora the fucking explorer #b negative

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ichorshrooms · 3 years

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hello!!! tell me about ur ocs!!! who are they?? what do they look like?? do they have anything quirky about ‘em??

hOOO BOY OK I HAVE A LOT OF THEM. no joke i probably have like 30 characters. maybe more! most likely more! i have never counted! i have... a Lot. i’m gonna try to tell you about as many as i can before i start to lose all hope. the things you asked are actually a good short list of intro questions so.

On to the characters! (Ooh, grammar and syntax! Joy! I’m getting serious now askjlfjklsa)

Israfil Bashir | Israfil is a man of science! He’s a recently out gay man in his 40s who has a lot of baggage about his father. He’s the head of a company that researches advancements in prosthesis -- something he has been passionate about since the loss of his left leg in a near-fatal wreck. He’s active -- a little less so since he developed chronic fatigue, but he still tries to get out there and bike regularly! And he has a child named Misha who he loves and cherishes! Israfil is of Pakistani and Indian descent. He has neatly-cropped dark hair, beautiful honey brown eyes, and he usually wears his beard in a short goatee (he feels like he looks too young if he shaves it off, and he’s sensitive about it). His skintone is light brown with a warm undertone.

His face is fairly angular, his body lean and immaculately toned (for the most part). He has a hooked nose with a slight deviation from a decades-old break that wasn’t set quite right. As I said before, he lost his left leg in an accident, so he wears a prosthetic! His prosthetic is not patterned or matched to his skin. It’s the color of the metal that was used to make it.

His... quirk... hmm... oh right, he’s telepathic. I almost told you about the secret lab under his prosthesis research facility that has developed identical-to-human sentient machines! Phew, that was close! I almost spilled the beans!

Misha Bashir | Misha is Israfil Bashir’s child! They’re just a couple of years old, but they’ve been given the intelligence of a very, very smart teenager -- and the body of one too! They’re a living, breathing machine. They’re also extremely naive and curious, as most new-ish androids tend to be. It’s not often that they leave the safety of their home, as Israfil has developed a pattern of strictness due to his fear that the government will disappear Misha from the streets and do experiments on them.

Misha is extremely lifelike. They’re modeled in part after their creator/father Israfil, but some... design cues... have been taken from a certain CSO of a rival R&D company who Israfil may have an on-and-off non-romance with. Misha inherited their skin tone, the shape of their eyes and their mouth from Israfil. The rest, though... Misha has bright white hair, blue-green eyes, an aquiline nose and -- perhaps most peculiarly -- a very slight Russian accent.

I think Misha’s existence as a sort of pseudo-lovechild of two embittered ex lovers counts as a quirk. That weird shit aside, though, they’re a robot! That’s pretty quirky! Oh and they may or may not be part of a research program that endeavors to find out if it is possible to teach a machine to read minds. And they’re nonebinery... they dont have any binery... thats ise so cool.........

Eleanor Louise French | Eleanor is a 15 year old witch who just loves to make it known that her middle name is Louise. It’s one of her most favorite things about herself. At the tender age of 14, she set out on her own (as all young witches do) to do some independent study and learn the ways of the world.

She is very gay, very short and very smart. Her hot-headed temper lands her in a metric fuckton of trouble on a daily basis, but she manages to escape dire consequences most of the time! She is narcoleptic, frog-obsessed (like all gays are) and is all about that baby-pink-and-blue aesthetic. She has some serious trauma from a werewolf attack, so wolves and ghouls and other “scary” magical creatures are not typically welcome in her alchemy shop. She will serve them, but it is very draining for her -- just as all trauma is. Spoiler alert: she eventually recovers, but that’s like! the main thing in her story! so! it takes time for her to get there.

She is fair-skinned with a cool undertone. Her hair is light blonde and straight as a board (which she claims is completely natural, but sometimes she forgets to drag a brush through her hair in the morning and it gets all frizzy and wavy hMMM CURIOUS). She has a grecian nose, a round baby face and bright blue eyes. Her scowl is so powerful it’s enough to strike the fear of god in... idk a lumberjack or something. Her fashion sense is a bit... conservative. She’s a little insecure and likes to cover up. Being a teenager kind of sucks sometimes!

Her Big Quirk (TM) is her ability to effortlessly turn people into frogs. She does it when she’s annoyed, and she has a frog collection. If you are bad enough, she will literally keep you in a terrarium until she decides you’ve learned your lesson. She has a couple of forever frogs and the reason is because they’re bad people (and decent frogs).

I have a lot more characters, but this is already quite long and I don’t want to write a profile for literally every character ‘cause then you’d be like “dude what the fuck.” I have demons, angels, superpowered villains in varying degrees of villainy, a ballet dancer, a park ranger, a televangelist, a fashion designer, an immortal who has seen the horrors of war, a haunted pianist, triplet thieves, princes, a princess, an embittered king, monsters of all sorts and a billion more types of characters that I honestly cannot think of off the top of my head. There is a massive list to get through! And that’s not counting some of my one-off projects involving characters I haven’t roleplayed with! You should see the state of my google docs. I have 50+ projects I’m currently working on.

I have too many characters. If you’re curious about anything on the list, I will elaborate!

#i mADE IT THROUGH THREE AND WAS LIKE ''holy fuck this is a lot''#i am really sorry for saying so much FKJAKSLFJSAKL #tammie-brown

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emsartwork · 5 years

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Winx characters from Earth!!!!

Macy, Mitzi, Morgana in civvies with husband klaus, Morgana in fairy form, Nebula, Diana, Aurora, Sybila, and Eldora

hcs and lore for my ridiculous version of winx below the cut

Macy- yes thats macy , yes she only appeared in one episode(but shes so cute i had to draw her), yes i made her a scene kid. Macy is pretty similar to her in show personality, shes a sweet heart, pretty quiet, and likes plants, she has a new hobby every month or so tho, and is into anime and shit lol (also half of her scene clothing might be hand-me-downs from Mitzi’s emo phase but shhhhh)

Mitzi- I didn’t want to make Mitzi the bombshell cheerleader type popular girl, so instead I went for self important, pseudo intellectual, hipster girl with a quirky fashion sense and “better than you” attitude. She’s a writer and is majoring in journalism.

Civilian Morgana and Klaus- After Morgana steps down from her queendom, she and Klaus manage the Fruity Smoothie Bar together and are looking to expand to a second location sometime soon. Morgana doesn’t really use her powers very often(partially she can’t), but will do little magic light shows for Klaus because he loves them. They are still horribly in love and have a date night every chance they get and Roxy has an instagram devoted to every sickeningly sweet and gushy line or smooch her parents share in front of her.

Queen Morgana- So basically most magic user/magical creature were imprisoned in Tir Nan Og just before the dark ages (300 CE or so) the wizards of the black circle had a couple issues with some of them escaping and re-enforced the barrier after the renaissance so that nothing could get in or out if it have even a smidge of magic. (the winx were able to get in since the barrier started to deteriorate after time) Morgana, in a last ditch effort attempted to force her way through the barrier(her magic would be ripped out of her in the process) her three generals and Sibylla (sibylla is a judge more than a general) didn’t want her to be with out protection so they put their most powerful spells inside four glass marbles, which were then encased in an iron locket Morgana wore.

Her generals, and the rest of the magic users in Tir Nan Og focused on the weakest part of the barrier and Morgana forged her way through, she had to use Diana’s gift to grow a plant boat for her to get to mainland europe. Morgana started to experience slight losses in memory as a result of going through the barrier(which erases all magic, including the memory of it), and started keeping a journal so she wouldn’t forget her purpose. She spent a couple years wandering the earth with out any direction trying to find any magic users who had escaped the wizards, but didn’t have much luck. She knew the more magic she kept around her, the more of her memories she would keep but She used Aurora’s gift to make a compass that would point her in the direction of fairy magic which after a couple MORE years of nothing, leads her to baby bloom, who had the faintest trace of fairy magic on her. but like. you can’t really recruit a baby to fight a war.

Morgana has about half her memories now and sticks around in Gardenia with a vague sense she should be doing something important. She uses Sibylla’s gift to try and cast a memory spell and put her mind in order, but it only helps a little, she remembers she had magic, that she left her friends, and that the locket she’s wearing is important, but not much more. This is about the time Morgana meets Klaus, and as she forms an attachment her memory slides away even faster until the only thing she remembers even slightly related to magic is that her locket is important and must never leave her.

After Roxy is born with semi-intact magic (the wizards can’t really detect it, but it needs to be kick-started because of the lack of environmental magic that’s important to a fairy’s development) Morgana opens her locket to put a lock of roxy’s hair inside the locket which reacts with Nebula’s gift creating a spark of a memory in Morgana and she just KNOWS she has to get back to whoever gave her this locket. She, roxy and klaus find their way to Tir Nan Og, where the barrier has deteriorated enough that some magic is leaking through, allowing Morgana to realize she won’t be able to come back out after she goes in. She uses Nebula’s gift to bring peace to Klaus and Roxy’s memories, effectively erasing herself from them, and returns to her kingdom, much to the relief of her people.

NOTE- All of the earth fairies here are in a transformation called Danix (named after the creator Dana), its generally Earth specific, but could be attained on other planets. Fairies who have earned their enchantix will bind their powers to a source of magic on earth (such as the sacred bud in the amazon, the north or south poles, Tir Nan Og, the source of the Nile river etc.) this can be a very dangerous and time consuming process, which is why any fairy that achieves it is automatically part of the royal court. This transformation gives the fairy additional powers, and increases durability and magical stamina. however if their source dies or is injured the fairy suffers the consequence as well.

Nebula- Nebula has bound her magic to the source of magic found in Trondheim, Norway, which is generally considered the war source, its powers cover strength, metal, and physical magics. She is also bound to the source of peace in Lake Itasca in the USA, which covers prosperity, fertility, and emotion magic. She is one of the only fairies to have more than one power source. She initially was only going to be the major fairy of war, but Morgana could see that ending badly considering Nebula’s aggressive and hot headed nature and encouraged her to pursue the peace source as well.

Diana- She’s bound to the sacred bud which is the source of all of earth’s wild magic. It’s located some where in the Amazon Basin but since it’s the source of wild magic the bud tends to change locations. Diana has the basic nature powers of plants and the like, but also holds power over animals and water. She’s fairly antisocial, preferring to live with her source than in Tir Nan Og. She is also very impulsive, and often jumps before looking.

Aurora- Aurora undertook one of the more dangerous bindings of the north pole, which is the source of ice, wind, and light magics. She lost her fingers and toes to frostbite during the binding. Aurora is very cold and pragmatic, offering a counter balance to both nebula and Diana.

Sibylla- Sibylla is bound to the source in the sibillini mountains, specifically to one large tree, its the source of order, justice, and binding magic. Sibylla was born blind, and tho not even sure if she could hear her eyes, has chosen not to use her healing powers in order to make sure she doesn’t fall prey to visual biases.

Eldora- She’s technically bound to the source in Alexandria(source of mind, information, and paper related magics) and is the major fairy of learning. She was one of the major fairies who weren’t trapped in Tir Nan Og. She and the other fairies mounted rescue attempts, but as they started to be picked off, decided to lay low. Eldora was actually part of the 7 fairies who fought Acheron. During Acheron’s height of power, he used one of the items trapped in his book to curse Eldora. The Red Shoes are very dangerous, feel like hot coals, will literally dance you to death, and you can’t really take them off. Eldora survived by amputating her legs below the knee, faked her death, and went into hiding, believing all of the other fairies to be either dead or trapped. She lost access to her powers after creating and losing her Mythix wand, but regained them after getting the wand back. She usually prefers a wheel chair, but her fairy form substitutes prosthetics.

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blackvelvetmuffin · 5 years

Text

To the Undaunted to the Usurper

Yeah...I think its time for me to give my input on what happened now that things have relevantly calmed down.

I could care less about the teens and their rom drama.

The destruction of magic that I already saw coming in one form or another.

But Moon’s betrayal like everyone else, it did cut a little deeper than expected only because nobody saw it coming.

The show doesn’t really have much of a black and white perspective but it made me see Moon in a different light at almost the end of the show....and it’s not positive.

I also want to point out that Moon is still my favorite character but I cannot defend her actions...so despite it being harsh, I have to stay objective on this.

I never would have expected for Moon to be placed in anti-villain territory along with Toffee and the MHC. But considering her history with her mother murdered when Moon was 17 by a rebel monster faction, forced to take the throne early, and making deals with a “Dark” Queen for a spell to kill an immortal leader, she’s been through some hard shit. With being a Queen being the only life she knows, she eventually took in villagers that got shafted by Eclipsa’s new decrees and gave them structure and community despite them hating Eclipsa and the monsters. But does it justify overthrowing Eclipsa, terrorizing her family and the kingdom because she was sent by accident to the Realm of Magic where she lost her memories and got separated from her family for a while that Eclipsa already apologized and tried to make amends for?

No...

If anything, it makes her look petty and arrogant; at worse, a weak excuse to justify what was put on full display to the audience: her racism reborn.

I can understand using the MHC to put Eclipsa in the most shameful light possible. I can even see her freeing Globgor to try to prove herself right just this one time only in my assumption that she would be relieved that she was wrong...

But teaming up with Mina?

She knew very well what Mina was capable of, the destruction and death she knew it would bring to all monsters as well as mewmens, especially how crazed and fanatical to Solaria Mina is. And she teamed up with her anyway and worst, gave her more soldiers using the very mewman villagers that opposed Eclipsa to assist Mina. All while thinking that somebody this unpredictable and crazed can be controlled, let alone trusted. Mina’s very nature and mental instability would instantly be a huge red flag that no one with any real common sense would dare risk trusting unless you are looking to be the world’s biggest dunce.

That type of reckless and fatal destruction doesn’t come from a simple grudge in my eyes, that comes from true hatred for Eclipsa which is why I think her excuses are just perfumed horseshit to avoid saying the truth: She never wanted Eclipsa with the throne and she and the monsters need to go. You know during her reign, it got so bad for the monsters that they, including Buff-Frog and his kids, had to flee for a safer dimension? Moon may say its not about hurting monsters but her actions say otherwise. And the most tragic thing of all out of this?

She betrayed her own daughter.

Moon destroyed all of Star’s trust, faith, and respect for her as well as crushing her ambition to bring Mewni together the right way. Her actions and direct role in this brand new threat have made her no different than Toffee except they’re on different sides of the conflict and that Moon is in denial about her ruthless, reckless and devious nature while Toffee fully owns his. As people, they have become two sides of the same coin; two peas in a pod and kindred spirits. What she’s done was prove Toffee’s point in the end and I know that he must be cackling like a maniac at her from beyond the grave for this.

Despite knowing that she held no real right to the throne because of the MHC’s role in placing her impostor direct ancestor, Festivia, out of politics and racism, she had no interest or desire to give up her power or secede to honorably and ethically install the rightful heir to the throne, Eclipsa.

To make herself look good, she left to try living a peasant life with River for Star but in the end, her need for power got too strong and instead of being honest with Star and Eclipsa and handling it peacefully, civilly and ethically, she created a war and tried taking the throne and her power back by force which resulted in Globgor near death, her daughter almost dying in battle, the kingdom near destroyed, Star’s friends and the monsters injured or ending up like Quirky Guy who died from his wounds. Do you have any idea how bad it would get if Ponyhead, whose still a princess and heir to the throne of the Cloud Kingdom, ends up dying from Moon’s war with Eclipsa? Civil war would only be the beginning if that happens.

Now Moon’s recklessness is further displayed when she honestly thought that she held any shred of control and that Mina had real trust in her but her power-hungry and reckless nature clouded her judgement to not see that Mina was only using her for a means to an end and cleverly struck the final blow when Moon held no further use for her and tried having her killed along with Eclipsa, Star, and Marco. I will give Mina this: She’s very observant, clever, and manipulative when the occasion calls for it.

When Moon and the others got rescued by Heckapoo, she helped them escape into a multi-dimensional bar using it as a safe house to avoid getting caught in Mewni’s destruction. And the roasting that Moon got from Star was rightfully deserved as she stabbed her in the back deeply and got all of her friends, but Marco, fatally injured. What’s surprising is that Eclipsa exposed that this wasn’t the first time that Moon betrayed her as she knew that no one but Moon could persuade the MHC from releasing Globgor to sabotage her family revealing why she wasn’t much surprised at Moon’s deceit and why she turned down Moon’s offer to care for Meteora earlier. Her resilience, calm under pressure, and quick innovative planning, further notes how far Eclipsa has come and willingness to sacrifice for the safety of her kingdom proves she’s become a worthy queen of admiration and respect.

As far as the question of Moon’s redemption goes, I don’t think it’s possible for a real and genuine one so close to the end or else it will be an extreme form of sacrifice on Moon’s part. However the real question is “Does Moon deserve one?” As I’ve stated earlier, her actions are the same as what Toffee had done in the Battle of Mewni and both believed they were in the right side of the conflict. She’s manipulated and back-stabbed people to stage an uprising and overthrow the royal family in the same ruthless and devious manner and was willing to kill to get their way. Why should Moon get a pass when Toffee got demonized, punished, and killed for the exact same crimes? And to add, she is still withholding information on how to end Mina and the Solarian warriors as she nervously lied to Eclipsa. To do so would not only be the highest form of hypocrisy and display of bias and racism in ethics and morality on the show but on the fandom as well. I’m of the opinion that Moon, for the sake of the show’s integrity, should not get one.

Scorn from her daughter and Eclipsa throwing shade and the possible removal of all magic is like giving her a slap on the wrist, the punishment needs to fit the crime. Not just for her but the MHC, Mina, and the Solarian Warriors as well. All of them have committed treason, conspired to harm the royal family and the citizens of Mewni. At what point do we see real punishments being dealt to the antagonists by the end of this show? It is because of them that Star has no choice but to destroy magic as no one is offering any effective solutions to end the current threat and is considering to sacrifice being with Marco to save all of Mewni.

Even if the last episode/movie manages to resolve the crisis and Star succeeds in saving Mewni, be able to be with Marco somehow, all of her friends and family are safe, and everything is pretty much happily ever after, the quality of the series finale and the show will be judged by how its antagonists are going to be handled to see if it will stand the tests of time.

#my thoughts #svtfoe #moon buttterfly #toffee #star butterfly #eclipsa

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