#magneto's disaster family

[renthony]

Some recs for adult animation I enjoy:

People always seem to think I only watch kids' shows, so here's a list of animated television shows I adore, that were all made with adults in mind:

King of the Hill - Genuinely didn't think I'd like it, but I actually really love it? I expected something that was basically just The Simpsons or Family Guy, but got a surprising amount of emotional depth from the main cast. Bobby Hill is my son boy.

Futurama - I am legally obligated to list Futurama. I have watched the entire series so many fucking times. I'm going to watch the reboot and we all know it.

Disenchantment - It's more than just "Futurama medieval fantasy" but tonally, they are pretty similar. I enjoy it immensely. Bean is a #bicon, and that's fucking canon <3

Samurai Jack - The original show aired as a kids' show, but the revival apparently put it into the adult category. I haven't gotten that far yet, but holy shit, it's so good so far. Even the "kids' show" part is pretty mature, imho.

Bob's Burgers - I fucking love Bob's Burgers. I need to catch up on the more recent seasons. A sitcom that DOESN'T have parents who clearly hate each other? Whaaaat?

Harley Quinn - I'm not caught up, and there are aspects I have critiques of, but overall, it's been fun as fuck. I LOVE this interpretation of Ivy so fucking much.

Metalocalypse - My dad's a metal musician, so this was on in my house all the time when I was a teenager. I haven't watched it in *years* but I still reference the early seasons in conversation constantly. The Duncan Hills will wake you, motherfuckers.

Big Mouth/Human Resources - They are better than you think they are, and the "ugly style" reminds me of classic Klasky-Csupo. Compare it to Rugrats and tell me it doesn't have similar caricature styles. Story-wise, it nails the exact blend of panicked awkwardness I felt as a disaster tween, it has SO MANY queer characters. They dramatically improved on their more problematic aspects after getting called on it in seasons 1 and 2. And Human Resources made me sob like a little baby in the episode with Kieth from Grief.

BoJack Horseman - Starts off as a goofy gross-out humor sitcom but very quickly becomes a serious drama. Incredibly heavy and dark, but holy shit the catharsis. Delves into a lot of musings about morality, celebrity culture and Hollywood, generational trauma, and the perpetuation of cycles.

Tuca & Bertie - Goofy slice-of-life about characters navigating their 30s. Lots of musings about family, trauma, sexual abuse, queer dating in your 30s, friendship, and trying to survive it all. I relate so fucking much to the main cast.

Magical Girl Friendship Squad - It's a magical girl cartoon about milennials. Their magical girl weapons are birth control pills and a bong. It's fucking amazing. I'm really sad nobody else seems to have heard of it. :(

Little Demon - Sitcom about the Devil's daughter. Unsure if it's going to get a season 2, since it's about to get taken completely off of Hulu. Still worth watching if you can, because it's so fucking good. Centers on a teenage girl navigating Being A Teenage Girl while also dealing with her dad being the Devil and her mom being a traumatized mess who's figuring her own shit out.

Q-Force - The advertising did this show so fucking dirty. It was genuinely fucking funny, and it was clearly made with love. This isn't straight people making fun of us, this is queer people making queer comedy. Watch it.

Arcane - Arcane's politics are all over the place and I am in my "Silco Was Right" corner, which is right next to the "Magneto Was Right" clubhouse. But goddamn, the animation is gorgeous and the story is intense.

The Legend of Vox Machina - I haven't watched Critical Role, so I can say with confidence that this show is fucking amazing even if you have zero interest in the original gameplay streams. Fantasy animation for grownups, where they can show blood and titties, my beloved. <3

#original post

[batrachised]

I haven't written at length about this latest chapter of the Blue Castle because in all honesty, what is there to say? This is one of my favorite chapters in all the fiction I have ever read, if not the favorite. The chapter is brimming with one liners, savage tear downs, and cathartic rebellion. The build up is exquisite; the release is immaculate. Every sentence is gold. The ending is perfect - it could have stopped at Uncle Benjamin and Cousin Stickles without missing a step, but instead we have the sudden switch in tone to Uncle Herbert that is the cherry on top of a perfectly constructed family disaster sundae. As magneto would say, "~perfection".

#also BOO olive #we all hate olive #blue castle book club

[bawfulio]

My Thoughts on the Star vs Pitch Bible

So, a few months back, the pitch bible for Star vs the Forces of Evil leaked but nobody (including myself) really noticed. It wasn't until the recent major leak of multiple pitches and pilots for both released and unreleased shows that the svtfoe pitch bible was reposted. It was only then that I found out about it and downloaded a copy for myself. I have to say it's pretty... interesting to see what the show could have been

Below are my thoughts/reactions to the things I read

Echo Creek Academy was originally a boarding school? But Star still lives with a host family??? It does get called a private school later in the bible though…

Moon was originally named Moonbeam. Slightly less on the nose

Wand is stored in case by Queen until the princess turns 14 Star had apparently always wanted to go to an Earth school and longed for a normal life. Wonder why they changed it so that the Queen keeps it until then

The Diaz family was originally The Juans (note: Juan is apparently a Spanish given name but I did find census data indicating that it is used as a surname, commonly among Hispanic families)

…yikes…

So St. Olga's darker nature doesn't seem to have been thought up yet.

Proto-Ludo is even more obsessed with the wand than canon-Ludo

So multiversal travel was through finding and entering cracks between worlds instead of dimensional scissors in the earlier drafts. Interesting

So Proto-Rafael and Proto-Angie were tree doctors/world travelers who were particularly obsessed with Mewni and were chosen as Star's host family because of this

Proto-Ponyhead was not just a ponyhead. She's just like that because she can detach her head from her body and fly around??? And they would cut to what her body's doing in at St. Olga's??? Apparently she also spied on Ludo for Star

Yikes again….

Proto-Marco (aka Sol/Santiago) practiced Tang Soo Do, a Korean martial art that's based on Karate instead of karate itself. He's also pretty into Japanese culture which apparently makes living with Star more manageable

The "How it Works" sections all but confirms that the show was pitched as an episodic comedy about Star and Sol's adventures. This unfortunately means that all the worldbuilding, twists and plot hooks introduced much later in the show's life means that they were likely conceived of right at that late point in production. That does explain a lot sadly…

Also, Ludo uses a secret passage way to get between Mewni and Earth, which is apparently the only other way to travel between worlds No mention of the Monsters being the victims of colonization, oppression and genocide. They're apparently just "hideous and unintelligent" creatures who are "mostly gullible" and Ludo rules them because "he's smarter than them"

Toffee. We've had conflicting statements about his motives. He's apparently both "a Magneto-like villain doing the right thing in the wrong way" and someone who went to all the trouble of corrupting magic to "just get his finger back". With the pitch bible, I was hoping that, even if it's just an early idea that was scrapped, there would be some hint of what he was originally wanting out of his plan. And I got it Toffee, in the earliest form of the show, was just Ludo's advisor who planned to takeover if/when Ludo gets Star's wand. He wasn't a charismatic general nor rebel fighting to end the oppression of his race. He was just a guy that Ludo hired.

Admittedly, Toffee treating the whole deal like a 9-5 office job is kind of funny. No matter what; he clocks in and out on schedule regardless of any chaos or impending disaster, he sticks to his legally mandated breaks and puts in his 40 hours of week because he refuses to be paid a flat fee and Ludo won't pay him in overtime. Not to mention how he apparently he has a family he comes home to complete with a kid to take to soccer practice Still though, the fact that there is no hint of any greater mystery or conflict in his sections pretty heavily implies if not confirms that every mystery, plot hook, even the few answers we got via the finale AMA about Toffee and his motives were thought of the moment their respective episodes were written/the moment the question was asked on reddit

So the Proto-Diazes live in Echo Creek because of the mystery surrounding it and that it's a "weakening dimension"… It was mentioned earlier in the pdf that it's the place where the dimensional rift is particularly thin and accessible

Star…. Star, just… Just don't

YIKES. NEFCY WTF?!?! This does explain how the fantasy racism metaphor was written in the final show but still... Why would you have two of your very few poc characters in your pitch say this to the BLONDE WHITE GIRL MAIN CHARACTER???

Oh, hey it's the bully character from one of the og Star comics. Neat! Followed by Proto-Starfan who's not as concerningly obsessed

Apparently August (Proto-Alfonzo) and Proto-Ferguson had crushes on Star. Considering the shipping mess in the later half of the final show, it's probably for the best that it was dropped

Oh, hey it's another og comic character! Who is apparently Sol's cousin and was sent to Mewni in the foreign exchange program! Poor kid

Apparently there was another antagonist early on that would be after Star. That wanted to steal her hair for her collection. Eh….

So Cashew from the og comics would have been Sol's cat instead of Star's. Then was written out completely

And we end this pitch with some members of Echo Creek Academy's faculty, one of which is a prototype Skeeves. Kind of interesting that there could have been more presence from the school staff instead of just Skullnick.

If anyone wants to read for themselves, just let me know and I'll drop a link to the pitch in the replies

#svtfoe #star vs the forces of evil #tldr it explains a lot of what went down in the final show #For better or for worse

[kazz-brekker]

top five marvel characters?

this didn't specify movies or comics but i'm a lot more familiar with comics these days, so i'm going with that!

5. doug ramsey. i am Big Fond of him, he is such a nice young man. i love him in the original new mutants where he's a really sweet kid trying to keep up with his teammates (i haven't read his death i know it will make me sad). his resurrection in the zeb wells new mutants is SUPER cool and emotional ("i love you and you are breaking my heart" fucks me UP) and i love that in the current era of comics he's been given a lot more to do and has had some awesome applications of his cool language power.

4. gambit. he is such a fun dirtbag of a character and i love him very much. he is so dramatic and silly. i love a good heist story and he's great for that. has very strong disaster bisexual vibes and i am greatly enjoying his "i love my wife" era with rogue. also his protective relationship with laura kinney really gets to me!

3. magneto. magneto made some valid points! when he's written right, like in al ewing's x-men red, he's an utter badass whose backstory and motives completely wreck me emotionally. one of my favorite magneto plots is the headmaster era in new mutants, he just loves those kids SO much and wants a better future for them that he isn't afraid to fight for.

2. illyana rasputin. i am incapable of feeling normal about her, ever. her conflict and self-hatred about being a dark sorceress raised in hell who doesn't want to be evil but has the capacity within her is SO good, it makes me utterly feral. love her soulsword, it's extremely cool. also she is a lesbian, i will not accept criticism on this.

1. billy kaplan. one of the first comic book characters i ever encountered and i will always love him. his struggles related to controlling his powers and his feelings of inadequacy have been done really well i think, i find the extended magneto family endlessly fascinating, love that he got to have big gay jewish space wedding with his alien husband.

#there are so many comic characters i love these are just the first 5 i thought of #you are perhaps seeing some mutant bias and you are CORRECT #it is all x-men in my brain all the time #pie says stuff #ask game #ask #anon #x-men #marvel comics #xmen #doug ramsey #remy lebeau #magneto #illyana rasputin #billy kaplan

[toodles-me-doodles]

Charles, absolutely done with everything: Alright, that’s it. Swear words are illegal now, if you say one, you’ll be fined.

Peter: Heck.

Erik: You’re on fucking thin ice, Peter.

Charles:

Erik: Oh no.

#moments before disaster #xmen #x men #incorrect quotes #xmen incorrect quotes #Charles Xavier #professor x #peter maximoff #quicksilver #Erik Lehnsherr #erik lensherr #magneto #cherik #magnet family #dadneto

[springtidesnowfall]

once again overly emotional over some fucking comics ://

#god. yes it features magneto. something about him and his disaster family make brain go brr #argh #basically . basically. yeah no words only vaguely gesturing everywhere

[mejomonster]

while i’m on a thai drama binge, some recs:

1. the gifted

Lots of familiar faces if you watch GMMTV, ensemble show of found family friends made up of kids who’s mutant powers are awakened, as said kids get caught up in the power struggle of the inequality in their school, the perpetuators of the system that awoke their powers and is trying to use them, with gratuitous allegory to make some bigger social commentary. Very X-men esque - particularly if you liked the New Mutants comics, X-men Evolution but want a more mature tone, literally what I’ve wanted from an X-men film/show adaptation for decades. Including a dynamic between Pang and Wave very reminiscent of Professor X and Magneto. Pang is helped by being a bit less ‘I know best’ than Professor X, in part because its a lesson he’s got to learn - that he does NOT know what his peers want enough to choose for them, that he’s better with a group, that just because you could make something Happen doesn’t mean you know what’s Best (and oh the parallels to the perpetuator of the system). There’s intelligent meta out there on this show which I intend to read, and The Gifted Graduation is wholly welcome as its sequel show. If you like Nanon’s acting, mutant premises, shows about corruption that are making a fucking point, this is Phenomenal. The Gifted season 1 is also perfectly self contained if you just want to watch season 1 and wait a while before looking into The Gifted Graduation. I WISH someone had recommended this to me years ago right back when I watched Sotus and was looking into thai dramas more. Also, wow do I love the music and Unique Vibe this show creates.

2. 3 Will Be Free

do yourself a favor and just watch it. Gunsmile, Jennie, Mild, Tay, Joss, Toptap, Pod. its a dream. It has a very specific aesthetic feel, I’ve never watched anything like it but I sure wish there was more stuff like this now and will definitely be checking out future projects with similar elements. You might notice, I really love when shows have a very distinct identity. Neo is a stripper dating a mob boss’s wife, all hell breaks loose when hitmen go to ‘take care of him’ and the wife dies instead. He’s on the run, saved on accident by Shin (mob boss’s son) who he has a history with, and Miw (hostess). Together the three of them go on the run, fall in love, and grow a lot. Very Bonnie & Clyde feel to it, suspenseful and grounded, found family poly relationship at the heart of it all. Better in execution than I could ever manage to describe, you just have to watch it to see what I mean. Well handled character arcs which I won’t spoil. On the flipside of our protagonists is hitman Phon (Max), his best friend and fellow hitman Ter (Gunsmile) who loves Phon a lot, and Phon’s girlfriend who he wants to leave this dangerous life and go build a future with (Jennie). In a way this trio is just as influential to the plot, and I love that the plot centers two very well developed trios that seep into your heart. I fell in love with every main character

3. Not Me

It’s barely out, I’m still reccing it. By far the most impressed I’ve ever been with a bl premise plot, the script is aiming at political and succeeding, the protagonists are vigilantes. There’s a dash of supernatural in what is otherwise mundane grounded reality (one of my favorite premises for stories), White is pretending to be his brother Black to figure out who hurt his brother Black and put him into a coma (hello Comically Bad Secret Identity Shenanigans), character arcs are clearly plotted out and protagonist White is a disaster bi who was raised in privilege planning to work in the Ministry for the good of people, only to realize reality is not as shiny and functional as the life his father’s raised him in. Through living his brother’s life, meeting his brother’s friends, he realizes what’s corrupt and what he can really do to effect change. The entire extended cast is Be Gay Vigilantes and I cannot understate how excited I am to see how this plot plays out. Its got the whole deal: mystery, action, solid characters, grounded plot, political commentary, bi protagonists, Off and Gun in the most serious series I’ve seen them do together and its clear the story is going to show off their skills along with the entire extended cast of solid actors. If your jam is more Manner of Death, History 3 Trapped, Beyond Evil, rather than sugar coated fluffy romcoms, this is going to make the cut. I’m extremely excited to see where this show goes. It is also stylish as fuck - like 3 Will Be Free, it has a Very Distinct aesthetic which makes it stand out just at a glance.

4. A Tale of A Thousand Stars/1000 Stars

Just saw this recently, it already makes it as a rec. This poster is misleading - overall the show’s ‘aesthetic/feel/tone’ is less storybook, more grounded reality very in line with the feeling of Crash Landing On You kdrama. Tian is a rich kid dying from heart issues that’s partying what’s left of his time away recklessly, the son of a man willing to bribe to get his son the heart transplant he needs - the heart turns out to be from a woman named Torfun hit by a car, who used to work in a rural town as a teacher. After Tian’s life is saved, he looks into who’s heart saved him, finds out, and ends up becoming a teacher too to try and live a life worth living the way this woman seemed to. In the process, he works through his own guilt and family issues, figures out what he wants in life, and falls in love with the man Torfun had loved. A lot of the main conflict in this has to do with Tian’s personal guilt - which I won’t spoil, and Tian growing as a person. The majority of the romantic conflict will feel familiar if you’ve seen Crash Landing On You - these are two people from different worlds, an impossible couple that shouldn’t be able to find a compatible life together, that somehow manage to in the end. It is intensely satisfying to watch play out. A lot of the themes of the show are about living a good life, deciding how to live ones life, corruption, trust, lies. It has a large ensemble cast of villagers, friends, family, and all of them feel fleshed out and alive (again very similar to the extended cast of Crash Landing on You). Tian is the most interesting protagonist I’ve seen for a show like this in a while - and while the leads of this do remind me a lot of CLOY’s couple in their dynamic and what they’re going through, the lead characters of 1000 Stars are unique in their own right. Its a simple romance of two people who care, in a world where them being together seems impossible and yet with them, of course they would love each other. 

5. Theory of Love

Look up each episode poster if you have time - each one references a famous romantic movie. If I had to pick a single college setting thai bl to rec, it would be this one. The story is about a group of friends studying film - Third fell for his friend Khai and hasn’t told him for years. Khai is a playboy who goes through girls and frankly takes advantage of Third as an emotional relationship to lean on since his romantic relationships are shallow as a puddle and Third loves him and gives him that emotional support. Third finally is rightfully fed up, decides he’ll tell Khai he loves him. A mess ensues, and includes Khai realizing what a dick of a friend he is, losing his best friend Third, and learning how to be a better friend. First half is Third pov, second half is Khai, this is one of the most angst heavy romances I’ve watched - they love each other, but they both have to grow to get to a place where they can be together. Third has to grow to stand up for himself, and Khai has to grow to treat other people with care. Meanwhile friend Two ends up in a bi dilemma between the crush he has on an old friend and the rival who’s eye he’s caught, and friend Bone ends up crushing on someone it will never work with and learning to make more responsible choices. The entire friend squad goes through their own character growth arcs, all in the midst of a stylish loving homage to so many romance movie references, the characters shooting films and personal projects that serve as parallel to their own lives in fun ways, every fluffy romcom trope you are desperately hoping for all grounded in the most painful case of best friends in love who CANNOT have this happy fluff be their real situation until they fix things, and relatable college experience. Third is gay and that’s covered before the show starts so there’s no coming out necessary, Two is bi and likewise already figured that out in his life so his plot just Unfolds no explanation needed, Khai is bi and he is an absolute mess but god does he grow so much. Sexuality is handled as if characters already figured themselves out (except Khai who honestly Needed to do some self-introspection lol so its justifiably part of his arc). I won’t sugarcoat - this is romcom like 10 Things I Hate About You is, in that there’s heavy moments (and of all the bl I’ve seen this Will cut your heart to pieces if you’ve ever been in a situation like Third, and mend it later after a lot of satisfying hard work is paid off). It looks as saccharine as 2gether but its absolutely not, and you will be crying as bad as Third eventually, until people grow and things get better. Its probably the most tragedy emotionally I’ve seen in a romance, because really, loving a best friend who uses you as a partner but doesn’t date you? That’s painful, and that’s our premise. (Very Jennifer’s Body of Theory of Love lol). Unlike 2gether, its stylish aesthetic is grounded in purpose - them studying film is critical to the setup of pretty much everyone’s storyline and the events that play out. The cute fluff is under-pined by some heavily realistic emotions every character is dealing with. Off and Gun show off just how well they can carry a show together, and the rest of the friend group shine with enough focus that this feels like an ensemble show of friends in film college which again, gives it a very specific identity and feel. Its fun to watch and catch all the references, there’s literally a 10 Things I Hate About You confession on a sports field! Its amazing watching OffGun in a story they can thoroughly flesh out with a pov that lets us see both leads biases, and Two’s side story is so good it won me and most watcher’s main attention (its the most relatable story to my own college experience, nice to just see bi characters living their lives - also its White and Earth which is a dream team acting combo). If you want Friends to Lovers that doesn’t go shy on how angst heavy that situation can get, this is The drama.

6. Dark Blue Kiss*

I highly recommend this. Its not A Favorite of mine, but it is a lovely show and its good enough I still feel like re-watching. The only reason I recommend it with an asterisk * is that the main couple Pete/Kao is from a previous shows Kiss Me and Kiss Me Again. If you’ve seen those shows, Dark Blue Kiss may be more satisfying. I have Never seen the previous shows, so I went into this as a standalone show. A strength of this show is that the main couple Pete/Kao are already an established couple and the issues they go through in this series are largely very grounded situations lgbt people deal with navigating their families and society in a long term relationship. As such, this show feels more like watching a realistic plot then some pulp romance (so more like 3 Will Be Free in tone). Pete and Kao are also a very stable relationship so there’s very little stupid jealousy drama or ‘oh we might break up’ bullshit. It definitely made me want to check out the shows this couple originated in. Another big appeal of this show: the ‘big’ side couple (which is basically the other 50% of the plot) are a realistic take on ‘coffee shop au’ romance. A coffee shop owner (Sun) has a brother, who is friends with a bit of a miscreant Mork. Mork ends up needing help and working at said coffee shop, chemistry ensues. Like the main couple, these two’s sexualities and that affecting their lives is a more grounded realistic approach - Sun just is into men, that’s established before the show and not a plot point, and Mork likes men but not jerks like he thinks Sun is lol. There’s also commentary on external homophobia. This show does a lot to say gay rights, marriage rights, accept your lgbt family members, hate crimes need to be fucking addressed. Due to Sun, Pete, Kao all being pre-established as into men, we start the show with a mostly clearly lgbt main cast which gives this a The L Word vibe in a way, rather than the very ‘college people not sure who they are yet’ that some bl shows main characters start at. The premise also ensures very little college setting, very little school plot. Its about adults living their lives, navigating love. Its got all the charming fluffy flirtatious scenes you want couples to have, along with a grounded atmosphere that makes it feel very kind to real life and not ‘unrealistically saccharine.’ This is the closest to ‘mainly romance genre’ I watch, and it was worth the watch. Its absolutely refreshing to see a realistic setting with grounded feeling characters, having romance in a story caringly told. A bonus, everyone on the main cast is a solid actor if you go on to check out other stuff they’re in. 

7. He’s Coming To Me*

I’m recommending but I have only watched to episode 8, so asterisk * just in case this show suddenly dives in quality. Like 1000 Stars, don’t judge based on the poster - this show is shot in a way that makes me feel its just like... a person living their life if that makes sense? Its not flashy and stylized like Theory of Love or 2gether, its not vibrant neons and dramatic appeal like 3 Will Be Free. It has a slight old-fashionedness to the toning that makes you feel you’re watching the slight past, and goes well with the ghost character who’s 20 years past the decade he died in but that still shapes his personality. They use a lot of 90s songs in this, adding to the mix of old era and newer, and they use very natural colors so it looks more like ‘some real person’s life’ the way the coloring of Sotus did. Everyone’s styled to look like regular people, and so it feels very grounded slice of life. A ghost waits for years until one day a human sees him - he makes friends, and one day that friend comes to see him and offers to take him back home to live with him. The ghost moves in, and they try to solve the question of how this ghost died so that he can move on. In the process, falling in love. I’ve been assured this has a happy ending* (thank goodness! but I have no idea how it will get there). The ghost’s life connects to his friend’s more and more, as they find out how he died. It feels very slice of life in a way these college settings rarely do - because the problems are realistic. The group of friends are going through crushes, wondering what’s wrong with their friends, sports, dating versus friends, family obligation, secrets, grades, life goals. It’s also very ensemble - the side characters feel fleshed out and you’ll be invested in them and the surrounding tapestry of connected lives going on as much as the main romance. And the main romance... Ohm leads as the human who makes friends with a ghost, his character arc is handled very well. This is a supernatural meets mundane slice of life premise, one of my favorites, and it does it superbly well. I wish I hadn’t taken so long to watch this - I wish I’d watched this as soon as I’d finished Sotus years ago. If you liked Cherry Magic, this may be your kind of thing, with a cast of characters you want to love and to grow and be okay, a supernatural thread sparking a very human connection, with a touch of something heavier like (the lightest Touch) of Beyond Evil with whatever is going on with the mystery of how the ghost really died. Its slice of life meets murder mystery all wrapped up in the 90s meets the Now, and a cast of characters coming to terms with who they are and what they want. This show won me over and convinced me Ohm has Solid Range, and the supporting cast is so solid I’m over here rooting desperately for the straight side characters to get together and heal their little hearts. As a bonus, it is a bl show with the Most Solid Justification for so little physical intimacy, since its HARD for a ghost and human to manage to touch, okay? And Yet despite that this couple feel more intimate and comfortable with each other than a number of ALL Human bl romance pairs. I imagine part of that is due to solid acting in this show. Another bonus, like Theory of Love, this show feels very slice-of-life about a group of friends without any of that sad angst, these friends are full of love and good intentions and for the most part manage to make sure things turn out okay. I feel like if you liked Cherry Magic (or any supernatural slice of life premise), you’d like this. It feels like a warm embrace.

#rec list #the gifted #3 will be free #dark blue kiss #hes coming to me #theory of love #1000 stars #not me

[gpsoftun]

During my recent re-watch of the Fantastic Fours, I realized even more why Rise of the Silver Surfer is one of the best sequels ever made. It succeeds where too many followups fail. It stays true to the protagonists while also further developing them, raises the stakes, ventures into new territory, avoids rehashing, and balances the drama-action-levity masterfully.

Some of the interesting aspects:

-The movie opens with bizarre disasters going on across the globe. Right away, the audience is informed that there is a mysterious and much bigger threat this time around.

-Re-introducing the Fantastic Four being the Fantastic Four. They're full-blown celebrities now, Reed and Sue keep having their weddings derailed, Ben is comfortable in his rocky skin, and Johnny is more hilarious than ever.

-Reed is as eager to get married as Sue, but he can't help his fixation with trying to save the world via science. Still, it's evident that if he had to choose, he would pick superhero retirement to have a family with Sue.

-All criticism for Sue prioritizing her wedding is absurd. She's concerned about Johnny's power glitch and understands how important it is that they cooperate with the military. Her role as Team Heart gets expanded. Her empathy convinces the Silver Surfer to be their allie. It is devastating when she tries to protect him, but the alien technology penetrates her force field. She's deeply pierced in the chest. It is so gut-wrenching to watch the Team Heart bleeding to death from her own.

-Chris Evans incredible emotional range as Johnny. He's still the kid of the team with innocence and vulnerability behind his showboating persona, but there's clearly more to him. After being the one most in love with his powers, he's now seriously struggling in that area. He's also going through growing pains and trying to figure out what he wants out of life besides media attention.

-Ben went through so much sorrow in the first film and he's completely earned the happiness and peace of mind he has now. He's more outgoing and adored by children. He's willing to go down fighting, but admits he'd rather go out holding Alicia. He is the Team Muscle and strong support pillar for the others.

-The Four have individual arcs and interpersonal relationships, but they're obviously a unified team. Whatever disagreements between them, there's no doubt what an inseparable force they are.

-It's so amazing how well the sub-plots mesh together. Johnny's power issues, Sue and Reed's wedding woes, and the Silver Surfer arriving on Earth are necessary for the end and wrapped up nicely.

-The pacing was great, never too rushed or dragged out. There are plenty of human moments instead of hurrying to get to the next action sequence.

-Victor Von Doom returning without crowding the film or being Magneto levels repetitive. He's supposed to be hostile towards the Four, but Julian McMahon's chemistry with the rest of the cast comes off as if he's comfortable with their temporary truce. Victor and Reed working together looked so natural and he even appeared quietly proud when Reed asserted himself authoritatively towards the general. It's easy to interpret their inevitable fallout as a 'what could have been' scenario.

-The Four having actual friends besides their fans. Alicia is much closer to the other three now, especially Sue. Her relationship with Ben gets more screentime as well. After getting acquainted with the team for less than a day, the Silver Surfer is more loyal to them than any alleged friendship in the X-movies.

-Messages like true heroism requires a lot more than flashy powers. Also, how arguments in a family doesn't necessarily make any one member absolutely wrong or right. No view is dismissed as invalid. Compare that mature approach to the mcu's marketing of Team Tony vs. Team Steve.

-An ending that would make even the hardest heart jump for joy.

I am so grateful for the Definitive Fantastic Four films, especially with what's happening in current day. It's a shame that if any future comic book movies stay true to their source material while also being entertaining, it likely won't be in my lifetime.

A sad situation I might have to remedy.....

#fantastic four: rise of the silver surfer #fantastic four 2005 #found family feels #anti xmdp #anti dark phoenix #anti xma #anti misandry #jessica alba #ioan gruffudd #chris evans #michael chiklis #julian mcmahon #kerry washington #lawrence fishburne

[polahris]

( halston sage. 25. she/they. non-binary. ) are you a VIGILANTE? something tells me that earthquakes living in your bones, a blonde wig on the kitchen counter, earths beating heart inside you make you who you are, LORNA DANE, with the powers of ELECTROMAGNETISM MANIPULATION, you’re sure to have a adroit, callous personality — and you definitely belong to UNAFFILIATED. were you listening to ATOM BOMB BABY by THE FIVE STARS on your way to the subway? it suits you. we can’t wait to see what you do next! ( jelly. 22 they/them. nzdt. )

character name:    lorna sally dane.      >  also known as  polaris  during her time as an villain/anti-hero  &  self-titled  mistress of magnetism.   age:    25. faceclaim:    halston sage. voiceclaim:   liza del mundo  (in wolverine and the x-men) skill set:    lorna’s skillset is divided into two sections.

                                                    mutation.

electromagnetism manipulation:   the ability to create, shape & manipulate electromagnetism which for accounts for almost all physical phenomena observable to the unaided human senses, including light and other electromagnetic radiation, all of chemistry, most of mechanics (excepting gravitation), and of course magnetism and electricity. this allows for her to generate & control electricity,  see electromagnetic fields,  manipulate technology & low-level psychic immunity.

magnetism manipulation:   generate, control & manipulate magnetism in all its forms, both natural (planetary, solar, lunar, stellar, magnetosphere, magnetic materials/ferromagnetism, etc.), organic (generated by the electric currents of living beings) or artificial (everything creating/using electricity). can affect any matter that is magnetic (iron, nickel, cobalt and their alloys, some rare earth metals, naturally-occurring minerals such as lodestone) manipulating and controlling them as they will and indirectly use them to manipulate other things. this allows for the creation of magnetic force-fields,  flight,  electromagnetic sight,  concussive blasts,  energy absorption,  a geomagnetic link to earth & its em-field,  control of organic iron & control over the electromagnetic spectrum. 

                                              abilities.

extensive expertise in geophysics in which she has gained a masters degree in that field—  probably helps that she can feel the earth rotate and predict natural disasters from the way the earth moves but yknow.

affiliations:    x-men,  loosely.  family:    

suzanna dane  (mother,  deceased)

arnold dane  (step-father,  deceased)

max eisenhardt / erik lehnsherr / magneto (father)

wanda maximoff / scarlet witch  (half-sister)

pietro maximoff / quicksilver  (half-brother)

zodiac:    gemini.   june 1st. wiki link.

was your character “blipped” out? if so, what did they return to and how is it affecting them? if not, who important to them was blipped out, and what has it felt like after those five years have passed? ( if your character is a dc muse:  what were they doing when they passed through the portal? )

she was in a coffee shop drinking a terribly overpriced latte.   and there she felt two things.   one:  a distant echo as half the population of earth was ripped away.   two:   the mind-numbing scream as her sister,  wanda,  was pulled from the earth.   however she didn’t have time to try and process anything.   half the population vanished & it was in that moment that the planes and helicopters started to fall from the new york city skyline. 

lorna dane was a secret identity.   polaris was a hated anti-hero.   but those are innocent people in the sky.   so she throws her coffee to the side and catches hundreds of planes and lowers them carefully to the ground.   she filled new york with a dark green swarth as she captured falling planes and collapsing buildings.   and so?   she’s spent the next five years trying to repair the world.   she’s been pulling together destroyed buildings and dragging up boats that sunk,  moving rubble and remains.   she’s taken up polaris again to do so,  keeping lorna & her job as a geo-physicist separate.   maybe the world doesn’t trust polaris but that’s okay.

where are they living? are they living with anyone?

in a small apartment thats cluttered with plants.   she’s alone— bar her lazily named cat,  katze.

why is your character affiliated with who they’re affiliated with?

lorna is alone for the simplest reason:  because no one understands her.   she watched her father & his allies be branded as  evil  for believing in mutant equality and being willing to do whatever it takes to get there.   she may align herself with others if their motives happen to be the same but lorna is a lone wolf more then anything.   however if she  did  find likeminded people,  she would join them.

who are their major friends, allies, and foes?

to call lorna an  ally  of the x-men is.. inherently untrue.   she is the ally of her father first and foremost.   and if he chooses to align himself with them, then so does she.   for now,  she is alone.   the identity of polaris was scorched with the terrible things she did in the name of  mutant rights  and few are willing to trust the vigilante—  even after her help after the blip.

whose hands do they believe the country should be in?

magneto obviously—  jk but maybe not.   as long as humans are in charge,  mutants will never have the rights they deserve in lorna’s mind and she’s spent far too long being held down to even care who is running the country unless its her father.   he is the only person she trusts to give them the freedom they deserve.

what’s their current mental state at? their physical state?

she is her fathers daughter above all and so that means.. not that well sometimes.   lorna suffes heavily from undiagnosed bipolar disorder & clinical depression.   while she is doing well physically,  her mental state is constantly up in the air & varies from day to day.

#reshielded:intro

[obscuremarvelmuses]

Ahaha I got asked this in Discord about Wanda: “From what I gather Wanda and Pietro were originally the biological children of Magneto (who is Jewish) who were adopted by a Romani family? Then the dad thing got retconed. But they’ve always been at least half Romani? Most of the time they’ve been ethnically Jewish as well, with Magneto being their father? She started out with red telekinetic bolts but then switched to reality warping? God damn you Marvel for being unable to stop retconning.” OH MY POOR FRIEND They then had to suffer this LENGTHY EXPLANATION and NOW YOU SHALL TOO

“ The twins are introduced in the 60s. They're not related to Magneto or anyone else at that point, nor are they Romani or Jewish, just "from the heart of Central Europe" They're described as orphans iirc. We later learn in the 70s that actually, they are the long-lost biological children of The Whizzer aka Robert Frank and his wife Miss America aka Madeline Joyce (not to be confused with America Chavez, a much later character) They were actually called Wanda and Pietro Frank for a little while after discovering this. Then about twenty issues later we meet Django Maximoff, the man who raised them, and a few issues away from that, we meet Bova. Bova is a humanoid cow woman created by the High Evolutionary, who has a habit of "uplifting" animals like that. Bova was also the midwife who delivered Pietro and Wanda. She explains that their mother was a woman named Magda fleeing her husband who had strange powers and didn't want the twins to fall into his hands, but it's not revealed who the husband was. She explains how she tried to give the twins first to Robert Frank, because she had ALSO delivered his wife's baby, but both Madeline and the Frank child died in the process, and Robert ran away in grief before he could hear the whole story, hence why the twins and he thought he was their bio-dad. So the High Evolutionary had Bova give Wanda and Pietro to Django and Marya Maximoff, a Romani couple, instead. It's not until 1983 that Magneto reveals his discovery that they're his children. At some point around this same time Magda gets established as Romani too. Magneto and Magda being their bio-parents is pretty static for the next few decades. In 2014, an event called Axis happens that I don't know about but it results in Wanda casting a spell that effects everyone she's related to, and Magneto isn't effected, showing he's NOT her bio-father after all. In 2016 the Scarlet Witch miniseries reveals Magda's not her mom either, Natalya Maximoff, sister of Django, is. Bio-father still unknown. But most fans haven't recognized this retcon because it's stupid. As for her powers that's a trip too, strap in. She's introduced in the 60s with the ability to fire hex bolts. They're often described as "probability manipulation" but they're really more very specific, localized telekinesis. Makes people trip, guns jam, screws in a structure come loose, etc. Minor disasters that negatively impact her enemies, but she wields it really well and effectively. I honestly liked that better; it seems like it can only be an annoyance, but because she's creative and a quick thinker in crisis, it does a LOT of damage. 

In the 70s, she meets Agatha Harkness, the nanny of Franklin Richards who it turns out is a badass witch, and she says Wanda actually is a witch too, a real one, and she wants to tutor her. Unlike the WandaVision series, which I haven't seen and don't plan to, she's not evil. She starts tutoring Wanda sincerely. Wanda begins to learn magic, which augments the power of her hex bolts. Wanda later discovers that the reason she has magical aptitude is that she was touched by the dark god Cthon at birth so that he could use her as a vessel for his return, and he posses her. Getting posessed by Cthon or other magical beings happens a lot to Wanda after this point, as does various losses of her agency/free will. 

While she's famous for "chaos magic" now, the term isn't actually used for her til 1998, over 20 years after she started practicing witchcraft. The chaos magic does allow her to warp reality to a certain degree. The reality big huge warping she's famous for doesn't happen til the 2000s, with House of M, when she rewrites the entire world. A common misunderstanding is that this is how her power NORMALLY is. It's not. She was yet again posessed by something, in this case the Life Force of the ENTIRE PLANET, which was a big boost. It's not her normal state. 

What she can do now though is still nothing to sneeze at. Like she's very OP at this point just at her default. It'd be easier to list what she CAN'T do than what she can.  I go with her having the backstory that's most well-known and lasted longest and makes the most sense (Magda/Magneto bio-parents, raised by Maximoffs)  And just her hex bolts as her power, they're cool enough. Plus like. . . I don't think she needed chaos magic and reality warping and a ton of trauma and loss of agency to be cool. I'm kinda sick of the tendency in superhero media to give a woman a ton of raw power but at the expense of her sanity/agency/control/etc. Just gimme someone with a strong interesting personality who makes her own choices!”

#wanda canon

[thecorteztwins]

And once again, Fabian returns like a bad penny to contaminate everthing around him! (Omg, hey luv! Long time!)

HIIIII! yes, I was awakened by his return in the comics! You need to hear about this. it was amazing. He went NAKED before the Council (long story but just go with it) and argued as to why HE should get SPECIAL permission to break the “no killing humans” rule. His argument? Well, he’s suffered a LOT at the hands of humans. The “suffering” being that he and Anne Marie got “barely six figures” from the family fortune. That’s it, that’s his TRAGEDY. He says this MAGNETO, a HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR. And when he gets told no, he throws a tantrum and screams about how important he is and how they all need him. Also he was naked the ENTIRE TIME and I think both Mr. Sinister and Sebastian Shaw were checking him out. He’s an EGOTISTICAL DISASTER as ever, I love him <3 And I love seeing you!!!

#fraulinekritzkrieg

[rowenawarden]

Oc Reveal

Not entirely Sparhawke chronicles related but I’m gonna post anyway since I’m super excited to share what’s in the brain bank! With the Sparhawke Chronicles on Hiatus til the final manga chapters come out I have picked up old fics I had planned to write well before my current obsession and found my favourite Ocs which I want to show off like a proud mamma. Some you may know, some are debuting for the first time, people I give you RowenaWardens OCs!

THE SPARHAWKE CHRONICLES

The Birth of Freedom, The Fight for Mankind, The Warriors of the Walls and The Rise of Eldia. 

First we have the brave and slightly in need of anger management sessions, ok maybe really needs them, Aurora Alexandra Sparhawke. Protagonist and leading lady of the Sparhawke Chronicles! Easily one of my more expressive OCs, Aurora is the embodiment of emotion, big things are coming for her and I can’t wait to finish her story.

THE SPARHAWKE CHRONICLES

The Birth of Freedom and The Fight for Mankind.

Next up we have my recently deceased Rian Tristan Sparhawke! I legit cried for an hour when I wrote his death and desperately wanted to take it back. That being said, I think his death has turned my fic into something better with a bit more reality and consequence as opposed to a OC insert. Love you Rian, your always gonna be my baby😭😭.

THE SPARHAWKE CHRONICLES

The Birth of Freedom. 

Last of the Sparhawke series we have Rowan Sparhawke, the man who in recent times at least, set the ball rolling for the Main Ocs but the doesn’t deduct from how cool I think Rowan is. Despite his death being set in stone from the onset, I have always secretly wanted Rowan to meet the other characters such as Levi, Erwin and Hange. Guess I’ll have to keep those scenes in my head*sigh*

THE RULE OF ANDROMEDA

Getting into new territory but this young lady is easily one of the most complex Ocs I have ever created. For those of you who haven’t seen one of my newest Fic posts, this doll is Andromeda Lovelace from the Rule of Andromeda. She’s a medical discharge from the Armed forces where she served as a combat surgeon and now works in Pasadena as a surgeon where she meets the gang from the Big Bang theory after moving in with Penny. This fic is my attempt to add some humour into my usual serious writing and I think Andy helps me do just that!

THE MUTANT CHRONICLES.

Dark Star.

Now this knock out is by far one of my favourite OCs ever, the powerful Aksana Ivashkof. A mutant from the x-men universe, Aksana is a Ukrainian Jewish woman who survived the nazi war camps alongside Magneto, losing her entire family in the process. A powerful mutant, Aksana has the ability to create and manipulate dark energy in awe inspiring ways, earning herself the title Dark star (also the name of the fic she is in, 3 chapters posted already!)

GODS AMONG MEN

Say hello to Thyra, last living descendant of Talos of Atmora and Dragonborn to the people of Skyrim. Nordic descent, Thyra has lived her whole life hunted by the thalmor and empire for the blood that runs in her veins until one day she finds herself in the middle of Helgen, setting her on a path that will change not only Skyrim but all of Tamriel. Her fic will be coming soon after the Sparhawke Chronicles have concluded.

THE FADE EFFECT

One of my more beautiful OCs, Freya Trevelyan will be my first ever major cross over fic with Mass effect and Dragon age. A biotic soldier during the Reaper war and cousin to famous commander John shepard, Freya can no longer bear the sight of her galaxy after the horrors she watched and signs up for the second wave of the Andromeda initiative however disaster strikes as upon arrival to her new life, Freya finds herself blown of course and barrelling into the cosmos where she crash lands on a pre FTL planet that has far to many similarities to the one she left behind, Thedas. Coming to a local fan fiction site near you!

THE AHKARAN ANNALS-

 Blood of the Empire.

And last but certainly not least, I introduce the sith warrior/first grey Jedi Vaelena Nahla and her twin Brother the Jedi Knight Kaenan Nahla. Prince and Princess of the force sensitive humanoids of the Akharan Empire, their home was destroyed by the rising sith empire. In the chaos as their homeworld was evacuated, Kaenan and Vaelena were separated, Kaenan being rescued by the Republic and joining the Jedi Ranks, Vaelena enslaved by the empire and forced into the sith academy. Separated by more than just light years, these twins grew up in opposing factions but that means little when the force has plans for the both of them. Taking place in a galaxy far far away in the Era of the Old Republic, this Fic will likely be my next big Series. 

#RianSparhawke #thesparhawkechronicles #AuroraSparhawke #fanfiction #My OCs stuff #TheRuleofAndromeda #DarkStar #skyrim #mass effect #dragon age #xmen #tbbt #starwars #star wars the old republic

[xplainthexmen]

In which Magneto is a drama llama in any universe (but a remarkably decent parent in at least one); the soap opera hits the Age of Apocalypse; Weapon X is a man made of red flags; Gambit has an OT3; the better man wins; some blanks are better left unfilled; and we would probably not fare too well on Earth-295.

X-PLAINED:

The other Magnus

Synchronicity

Earth-295 (more) (again)

X-Men Chronicles #1-2

Selective backstory

Magneto’s hair

Wundagore Mountain

Aesthetics of the Age of Apocalypse

The X-Men of Earth-295

Magneto’s pedagogy

More miscellaneous horsemen

Weapon X (Logan)

Cape Citadel, revisited

The death of the Scarlet Witch

Disaster Bisexual Gambit

Wolverine (but not that one)

Punks who may or may not also be scrimshanders

Emotionally well-adjusted Quicksilver

Further miracles of magnetism

The narrative power of evocation

Age of Somebody Else

Jay and Miles of Earth-295

NEXT EPISODE: Summers Family Reunions somehow get even worse.

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#X-Men #XPlaintheXMen #Jay and Miles X-Plain the X-Men #podcast #Age of Apocalypse

[demiwonder-a]

like a train coming off the track // discord

WHO: Cassie Sandsmark, Donna Troy, Illyana Rasputin. 

WORD COUNT: 2041 words.

LOCATION: Central Park then the Sandsmark/Kent apartment.

GENERAL NOTES: Back dated to after the siege. Cassie sees the results of the fight between Kara and Donna and goes to help her. Illyana shows up at the apartment to do some healing.

WARNINGS: Mentions of injuries, blood, near death experience. 

CASSIE: had watched in horror, frozen in fear and dread as the live footage of the fight between Kara and Donna occurred. There was this need to watch disaster unfold before you, it was in human nature it seemed. You knew it was awful, you knew it was devastating, but you couldn't tear your eyes away. Flashes of Kon's death played back in her mind, her screaming as Superboy Prime threw him into the ground and he was unmoving. His clammy, cold skin as she refused to budge from actively sobbing over him. It made her stomach roll as Donna hit the ground. 

Get up, Donna. GET UP.

She wasn't moving. No. No.

There was no thinking involved, Cassie was just moving. A blur of red in the night sky as she flew as fast and hard as she could to where her sister laid. There were tears actively dripping down her cheeks she couldn't even feel at that point. Her mind was a constant of 'get to Donna, get to Donna, get to Donna' and she refused to stop. 

The girl landed hard enough that the concrete cracked under her feet, a bright crack of lightning behind her lit up the sky as she felt the rage overtake her body, red lasso tight in her grip. Even Zeus seemed to feel the rage that was flowing in Cassie's veins, untapped and never ending. She knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, that this wasn't who she was, what she did, but if someone got between her and her sister? They may just be taking their last breath. 

"Donna—" Cassie gasped out as soon as she finally spotted her and she surged forward, collapsing to her knees beside her sister. She smoothed a hand over her cheek to brush the errant hairs away and swallowed hard. "I got you. I'm gonna get you help. I'm right here, big sis. I'm not leaving."

DONNA: The stars had been so bright on Themyscira. Not in the glaring way of the city lights or the soft glow of candlelight. The stars were something unearthly. The gods map to the history of the world. But now Donna knew that surrounding those stars were planets full of people that she sometimes longed to meet, and sometimes those stars were long dead, their dying rays not yet reaching Earth. She dreamed of the stars, tangling in her hair and pressing into her skin and calling her home to other universes parallel to her own. There, she floated along as an observer of a hundred lifetimes passed her by -- beginnings and endings. But was there ever truly an ending in the infinite loop of time?

Something soft brushed against her cheeks and eyes fluttered open for a moment only to snap shut against the glare of harsh spotlights. A spatter of water on her face. Was it raining? A flash of blonde. "Kara?" she groaned. Something about Kara. Something was wrong with Kara. The floating -- that had been easier, she thought. Maybe if she could sink back into that then this could all go away.

CASSIE: "Fuck," the blonde whispered and her hands shook as she tried to figure out the best way to approach picking up the older woman. She let out a harsh breath and swallowed hard, gingerly pressing an arm under Donna's legs and the other under her back in an attempt at the bridal hold. She carefully stood with her in her arms and couldn't help the whimper that escaped her upon feeling the warmth of the blood that touched her arms, likely staining her suit too. 

"It's okay, it's okay, it's okay," Cassie whispered insistently, entirely unsure if she was trying to reassure an incoherent Donna or herself. It was so much easier to be angry than to feel this utter dread. She was strong, she was. It just felt...hard to be strong with her older sister, lying broken and bleeding in her arms. "I'm gonna get you help. I'll fix this." She said determinedly. She was smart, she could find a solution.

The apartment was the first safe place Cassie could think of. She laid her sister on their couch and tried to not let her hands shake too much as she got out the first aid kit. She'd call Tim. He'd know what to do. "I got you, Don," Cassie said softly.

ILLYANA: The fight between Donna and Supergirl had reached the news but it hadn't caught Illyana's attention until it was over. She watched the footage on the tv, Donna being picked up by her sister who she assumed took Donna to somewhere safe to tend to her injuries. This really didn't have anything to do with her, or maybe it did, she still had her doubts about how Magneto had convinced Supergirl to destroy those bridges. She could claim ignorance though, just turn the other way... instead she conjured a pentagram under her as she sat with her legs crossed, searching for Donna's energy. It was similar to how she'd found Donna when she was stuck in that pocket dimension just easier this time around. 

Once she'd picked up on Donna's energy she teleported herself there, from what she'd seen on the news it was a safe bet that Donna's sister would be there, who she didn't think would take to Illyana's presence kindly. As soon as she appeared in Cassie's apartment in front of her Illyana made her sword disappear. "I'm not here to fight" she said quickly, though she did keep a magical forcefield around herself just in case. "I can help her."

CASSIE: had so much blood on her hands, her eyes stinging with how many emotions swirled around in her chest. There was used gauze on the ground, Cassie digging constantly through the first aid kit to do what she could to take care of the wound. Red, red, red, red. Red the color of her uniform. Red the shade of hands. Red suddenly flaring in her vision the moment someone teleported into her home. She was up in an instant, lasso taut in her hands and rage coming back in an instant, roaring as loud as a wildfire in her veins. 

Of course. Of course.

Cassie's grip on her lasso didn't lessen and she looked at her sister before looking back at Illyana. "Help her then. This changes nothing. It's a truce at best." Reluctantly, she stepped back towards the end of the couch and kept her eyes on her sister warily.

ILLYANA: She was prepared for Cassie to yell at her, maybe even attack her and was a little surprised when she agreed to let her help Donna, even if it didn't change anything as she said. "Those things don't have the best track record against me so you might as well put it away" she said, nodding towards the lasso, she'd already cut through one with her sword. "She's more injured than I thought" she told Cassie as she walked over to Donna, standing in front of the couch as she looked at the injured form of the Amazon. She didn't like seeing people she... cared about? trusted? Honestly it was complicated but she didn't like seeing Donna like this. "I won't be able to heal her completely but enough that she'll survive and wake up, and ease her pain somewhat" she didn't have the energy to completely heal the extent of Donna's injuries but she'd do what she could.

Illyana took one of Donna's hands in both of hers and closed her eyes. She muttered a few words in demonic script and when her eyes opened they were glowing white as she started transferring some of her own energy into Donna in order to heal her injuries.

DONNA: Everything burned. Donna's eyes snapped open, but all she could see was red as she gasped for air, back arching in pain. She vaguely registered a hand gripping her own as her eyes threatened to roll back and she squeezed instinctively, unable to hold back what strength she had left. The burning increased until she couldn't bear it and then... a kind of numbness as the world drifted in and out of focus.

Donna groaned. "Kara. 's Kara?" she managed to slur, still gripping the hands holding her own. "Illy?" she frowned. Something was wrong. She jerked her hand away with a hiss as a fresh wave of pain reminded her just what was wrong. "You," she grit out. "Did you know?"

CASSIE: watched with a seemingly permanent scowl on her face. Her fingers were wrapped tightly around her lasso and could feel the anxiety thrumming in her veins as she kept her eyes fixated on the woman trying to heal Donna. She took a half step back as Donna finally came to, the anxiety lowering and relief coursing through her. 

Of course that could only last for a moment.

Cassie pushed in between them and a hand pushed back behind her. "Stop. You just got hurt, stay down." She said firmly. It had been awhile since she broke out her own leader voice, leaving it usually to Tim, but can't even remember the last time she had tried to use it on her sister. Her eyes fixated back on Illyana. "That's enough. You helped. Thank you. You need to leave. Now." Her voice was firm and unwavering as she held onto her lasso, it lighting up with the threat of a charge of electricity.

ILLYANA: She was careful not to use too much of her energy to heal Donna, just enough so the injuries wouldn't be life threatening anymore and Illyana wouldn't exhaust herself in the process either. Donna jerked her hand away when she woke up and Illyana stumbled a few steps back, even if she hadn't used all of her energy it had still taken a lot out of her to heal Donna. "Wait" she told Cassie before she turned her attention to Donna "did I know about what?" She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer, but she needed to know whatever information Donna had about Supergirl and what had happened.

DONNA: There was something about the way she asked the question. Something in Illyana's voice that assured Donna that her trust hadn't been so wrongly misplaced -- that even if they'd found themselves again on opposing sides, Illyana would never cross the line to hurt her family. "He used kryptonite," she said through gritted teeth. "Magneto. He did that to Supergirl." She tried to sit up again but this time let herself be forced back down by her sister's hand, biting back another cry of pain as tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She turned away, hating that anyone should see her this week. "You should go." She didn't know who it was directed at -- Illyana, her sister, or both.

CASSIE: The girl's teeth grit in irritation, feeling her temper flare. Which was normal, the constant thrum of anger and rage that filled her on a daily basis. She had about enough of this, especially with the dried blood still staining her hands and arms, smeared over her uniform. It was enough to make her stomach churn and remind her of another devastating time in her life. "Leave my house. I don't want to have to make you. I'd be thrilled to actually, but I'm playing nice so just go. She asked nicely. I did too. Leave."

Without glancing back, her lasso still coiled tightly around her hands, Cassie replied to her sister, "I'll take you home in a bit."

ILLYANA: Magneto. He did that to Supergirl. She knew she shouldn't have believed him after she'd asked him about it and he managed to convince her nothing was wrong. She closed her eyes and clenched her fists together, her nails digging into her skin as they changed to claws, she needed to get out of here before she fully shifted into her demon form. When she opened her eyes again they were glowing orange and part of her armor started to cover her arm as her sword appeared in her hand. "I'm going to kill him" she said before she teleported out of the apartment.

#int: discord #int: donna troy #int: illyana rasputin #donna troy: 009 #illyana rasputin: 003 #discord: donna troy #discord: illyana rasputin #ofcosmicwonder #ofmagikandlimbo #blood tw #injury tw

[alittleyellowdinosaur]

TUA Thought Experiment

So last night I started thinking, what would the Umbrella Academy be like with alternate powers? Still a massive fuck up? Obviously. But how would their personalities change? I got a little invested in the thought experiment, so I decided, I want to write a fic about this. I want one that follows the show as closely as possible, but very different at the same time. And I thought I’d share my thought process on how I got their powers and how I got the changes to personality that would come with those. So... Enjoy! (This gets long, js)

The Powers

To pick what powers they’d have, I wanted to do something directly opposite to their current powers... Only to realize that, for everyone but Luther, Five and Klaus, I was stumped on how to do that. Is there a direct opposite to throwing shit good? no, no there isn’t. So I decided, let’s start in an opposite-like direction, and go from there. Here’s what I decided:

Luther: Super speed. I think that’s a fairly easy leap from super strength. 

Diego: i started with, okay, he can throw good, so maybe he can... catch good? But that’s not so much a power, just a baseball player. To make it a bit more power-y, I decided, okay, he’s got magnetism, but only for already magnetic things (like not just all metal like Magneto. I’m not making Diego all powerful guys.) So he can like, call magnetic objects to him sort of thing. i’ll make it work. 

Allison: Changing reality with her voice doesn’t have a clear opposite, which sucked. I thought about cancelling things with her voice, but she can do that already so it’s not alternate powers enough. In the end I decided mind reading. Since I do want the fic to follow the main story closely (to a point), I figure being able to read minds will get a similar enough backstory for Allison to work with (ie her manipulative personality) 

Klaus: Klaus was easy. If he can see dead people, then the opposite would be to prevent dead people. So he can heal people. This caused problems with Ben, but I’ll get to him in a minute. I thought about having opposites of his comics powers (levitation and telekinesis), but that got too complicated so he’s just going to have healing abilities. 

Five: Five can time travel, so what’s sort of the opposite of that? Stopping time, a la the Handler. This then posed the problem of ‘where did he go for all those years and how does he know the future?’ so I added clairvoyance into the mix, which I’ll explain later. If Klaus can canonically (in the comics) have multiple powers, Five can to. Fuck off. 

Ben: Here’s the tricky one. I wanted Ben to still be a part of the story, but if Klaus can heal then he can’t see Ben’s ghost. I thought about Klaus being able to see the dead people he couldn’t heal, but that’s too similar to canon. So then, maybe Klaus healed him before he died? But then he wouldn’t hang out with Klaus all the time and it’d change too much. I considered making Ben’s powers allow him to be present, maybe able to appear in dreams or instead of having an eldritch monster in him, he was an eldritch monster (hence this going here in the post, not later). In the end, I decided that Ben would still be dead, Klaus wouldn’t be able to see him, and for powers he’d keep the tentacles. Since he’s not a real player in the story himself, I didn’t feel the need to change that. 

Vanya: I wasn’t sure what powers to give Vanya, as apocalyptic telekinesis doesn’t have a clear opposite, and I still want it to be apocalypse causing. In the end, I decided she could get earth powers. Yes i know, kind of basic and ambiguous, but I was trying to think of “how can she destroy the earth/the moon” and well, the moon is rock, the earth is rock, she gets to control rocks. I’m still going to have sound/music center it, because the violin is just too central to Vanya’s character for me to fuck with it. 

---

The Effects

So we’ve got the new powers, great, great, but how do they affect the characters? How do their backstories change? As I mentioned with Allison, I’m trying to keep this similiar-ish to the canon (so Klaus is still going to be a depressing disaster, just a major trigger warning for him). Obviously things changed, but we’re going to keep it as close to the same as possible. 

Luther: Luther is probably the most similar to canon, in that nothing really changes. He still gets the leader complex, still gets turned into a buff monkey (since I think that was mostly the serum not his powers at play), only with that bit he becomes much more clumsy and shit because he’s not used to running with that bulk. He still gets sent to the moon too. Woo hoo. 

Diego: Again Diego is fairly similar. Stutter, rivalry with Luther, mommy’s boy, all the same. Still goes to the police academy and meets Eudora and fights crime in kink gear. Only difference I see obvious is he probably uses a magnetized knife or bullets or something to fight since he can call it back/manipulate it’s path. 

Allison: She still got really manipulative as a kid, always knowing what people were thinking and such. Since I headcannon that Reginald trained her into thinking she can only change reality with “i heard a rumor” even though she could do it anyways, as like a way to control her, I think he likely did the same with mind reading. So say, now she can only do it when touching someone even if she technically doesn’t need to. She still likely got to be a super star by always knowing what they were looking for/blackmailing, snagged Patrick by being everything he ever wanted in a girlfriend, and manipulated her daughter leading to the divorce and losing custody. Now she wears gloves and long sleeves to prevent touching someone since she doesn’t want to read minds anymore. 

Klaus: Again, trigger warning, this one gets dark. Since he could heal, and his family was being put into dangerous situation when they were like, 10, he probably had immense pressure put on him from family, Reggie, and himself. I imagine for training, Reggie would bring him to hospitals where he’d have to see and heal domestic violence victims, terminally ill children, attempted suicides, burn victims, etc, just horrible things from the time he was young. Reggie probably also hurt him to see if he could heal himself, possibly Grace helping as she could cause pain without permanent damage, and possibly also hurt his siblings for added punishment/’motivation.’ With the pressure and the memories of those he couldn’t save and his siblings suffering, he turned to self harm and self destructive tendencies rather than drugs, as ‘punishment’ for failing. When Ben died and Klaus was unable to save him, he tried to kill himself, only for it not to work as his healing ability kicked in before he could die (see your bitch still got that immortality in there!) Instead he turned to really terrible self destructive tendencies. He wound up in mental health hospitals a LOT which just made things worse as he was surrounded by depressed people who he couldn’t help since he can’t heal mental illness, but he’s still got that ‘i must save everyone or i am worthless’ mindset Reggie gave him. I’ve got more for him, but I kind of want to save some of it for the fic, as he will be the POV character (obvi.) 

Five: Got a vision of the future apocalypse that he tried convince Reginald to take seriously, but he didn’t since Five didn’t get many details except the date (which as we know Reggie already knew). Since Reggie was no help, he left to find out more and stop it on his own, got picked up by the Commission pretty soon after leaving (do you think they WOULDN’T want a person who could stop time/see how different deaths would affect the timeline without long math problems/was crazy smart and excellent at killing? No, they’d swoop him up as soon as he was away from Reggie). He’d eventually come back when he figured out how to tamper with the briefcase they gave him to make it untraceable. Problem was he messed part of it up and it turned him young again (though he was never as old as he got in the series). Delores was another person at the Commission who helped him out. No mannequin fucking in my good Christian household today you hear me? 

Ben: Dead. Torn apart by the tentacles and unable to be healed by Klaus because it’s hard to reattach shredded bodies even with powers. Luther pressured him into using his powers that day, but everyone told him it was okay, so they all feel like they share the blame. I think Klaus probably had a feeling it wouldn’t be...

Vanya: Caused an earthquake as a kiddo when she had to eat oatmeal. Reggie got annoyed because how dare a four year old have a temper tantrum and put her on medication. She got ignored except for by Ben and Five. So about the same. 

The Fic

I haven’t actually started writing the fic yet, again this was just the brainstorming/thought experiment I had at... midnight? one am? Somewhere around then. If you are interested in the idea of this fic, or have any ideas on their powers/plot ideas, please please please leave me a reply or send an ask!! I’d love some feedback and ideas. Whenever I start posting I’ll post the link here as well as on my writing blog @elliot-orion. Thanks for reading!

#the umbrella academy #tua #klaus hargreeves #five hargreeves #vanya hargreeves #diego hargreeves #fanfiction #fanfic #brainstorm #ao3 #gerard way

[levelofdepth]

Tag! Get to know me!

Rules: Always post the rules. Tag 11 new people you’d like to know better!

Tagged by @opalxempress

Tagging (with no pressure to do it): @haospart, @hoiist, @toomanyoperatives, @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond, and @lanabenikoisagodess. Sorry if any of you were already tagged.

1. Dogs or Cats?

It doesn’t matter to me as long as I can cuddle it and it will cuddle me back.

2. YouTube celebrities or normal celebrities?

I enjoy the curated content on Youtube, but I think @opalxempress put it quite nicely: “Don’t put people on pedestals, they will inevitably fall off and crush you if you’re standing too close.”

3. If you could live anywhere where would that be?

By my girlfriend’s side.

4. Disney or DreamWorks?

I like to mouth off about the conglomerate mouse

5. Favorite childhood TV show?

The Last Airbender as well as its successor, The Legend of Korra. However, there are a lot of shows I enjoyed when I was younger. Funny, since I don’t really watch any shows anymore.

6. The movie you’re looking forward to most in 2020?

Like shows, I don’t watch many movies. I’m going to cheat a little and say The Rise of Skywalker, because it’s practically 2020. It’s also the only movie I’m probably going to go out and watch for the next year.

7. Favorite book you read in 2019?

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo. I’m a leader in my school’s club for “social justice” (for lack of a better way to describe it), so this book has been incredibly helpful and enlightening in educating myself and others on how to talk about racism with white people.

8. Marvel or DC?

Marvel

9. If you choose Marvel favorite member of the X-Men? If you choose DC favorite Justice League member?

Rogue, Jean, or Storm. I also kind of like Professor X, Magneto, and Mystique. 

I watched the X-Men movies a lot when I was younger with my dad, and the themes of these young adults/teens struggling with their identities in the face of societal oppression (essentially) hit close to home for me. I haven’t watched any of the movies in awhile, and I never finished the Wolverine series, but I still get that warm feeling one experiences when they wax nostalgic.

10. Night or Day?

Any hours outside of school hours are friends of mine. Except the entire day of Sunday. 

Sundays give me anxiety.

11. Favorite Pokemon?

I never really got into Pokemon. Walking around and suddenly getting stopped to fight really pissed me off. I liked riding the bike around in Diamond and Pearl though.

Anyways Snorlax.

12. Top 5 bands/artists:

I have a niche music taste, but...

Tesseract

Bring Me The Horizon

Nightwish

Gorillaz

Phantoms

The top three I listen to religiously. The rest just happen to be bands I listen to consistently; most of the music I enjoy is just a song I liked and saved to my library or added to a playlist of similar songs.

13. Top 10 books.

I’m gonna be honest, I read more fanfiction than I do books, however some books/series that I enjoyed were

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The How to Train Your Dragon series by Cressida Cowell (read these concurrently with my father when I was younger, those were fun days)

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

Things Fall Apart/The African Trilogy Chinua Achebe

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

1984 by George Orwell

The Terrorists Son by Zak Ebrahim

14. Top 4 movies

In no particular order

Rogue One

The Hobbit

The LotR Series (all of them yes)

Toy Story 1-3 (I have not seen 4)

and because im a sucker for melodrama i liked revenge of the sith

15. US or Europe?

Ask me again after 2020.

16. Tumblr or Twitter?

Don’t even have a Twitter.

17. Favorite vacation destination?

My family is big on Disney World.

18. Favorite YouTuber?

Lindsay Ellis. She makes very engaging video essays on media, particularly movies and shows. I’m not a film lit student, and yet she manages to bring me back for all of her videos, and then some! 

19. Favorite author ?

I look at authors like I do music; I like books, and if I happen to click with a particular author, they’re an outlier. However, Cressida Cowell paved the road for my reading habits to take off on for many years as a child, and I love how much I bonded with my father over her books.

20. Tea or Coffee?

Coffee all the way.

21. OTP?

Not counting ships with OCs (sorry SWTOR), and the order is intentional

Rizzles - I believe there might be some controversy with this ship, but I never actually watched the show. A long time ago, I stumbled across a fanfic author named colormetheworld who captured my little, lesbian mind with her rendition of this ship, so it’s a bit personal, to be terse.

Clexa - Again, I never watched the show. There wasn’t really a single author that got me interested in this ship, but Lightning Only Strikes Once 

Whiterose - I’m just a fan of the opposites attract trope.

Wayhaught - It’s nice to have positive representation (knock on wood).

Bumbleby

22. Do you play an instrument/sing?

I can play the guitar, piano, drums, though I’m incredibly rusty at the latter two, and unfortunately I had a run in with the recorder back in middle school.

Also “unfortunate run in” would be a good descriptor for my singing voice, because that would be an accident. Or just a straight up disaster.