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frost-queen · 3 months

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Pride in a thunderstorm (Reader x Anthony Bridgerton)

Requested by: anon, Forever tag:@missmelodramatic, @merlin-dahlia, @alex--awesome--22, @elllie-does-the-posts, @floatlosers, @merlieve, @queen-of-books, @glimmering-darling-dolly@denkisclown, @wildieflower, @meyocoko, @bubblybrianna, @justanothercoco@subjecta13-thefangirl, @m-rae23, @harleyquinnswifeyfrfr, @swampthing07, @melsunshine, @panhoeofmanyfandoms, @venomsvl, @the-uncoordinated-house-cat, @rosecentury, @imagines-by-her, @evilcr0ne, @vviolynn

Church bells rang as the few last of the ton arrived a church for a Sunday mass. The Bridgerton’s being one of them. All dressed in their Sunday’s best. Violet ran her fingers quickly through Hyacinth’s curls that looked out of place. Francesca noticed Colin’s tie hung sideways as she tapped him against his shoulder. Colin turned confused to her as Francesca pointed at his bow. Colin looking down widened his eyes in a brief panic and started working on his tie. Francesca sighed slapping his hands away so she could adjust it for him. Benedict was chatting with Eloise as they neared the church.

Gregory walking composed by Anthony. Anthony had his hands behind his back as his gaze rose resting on a person amidst the crowd. They were on you while you stood with your parents and many siblings. Four to be exact minus you. Five children in total. All girls of various ages. You stood with your eldest sister Julia. One would say the fairest out of all of you. Lillian and Kitty laughing loudly beyond themselves. The ever so quiet Mabel stood beside your father, looking down. Anthony quickly pulled his gaze away, feeling himself stare to much at you. Good thing you hadn’t noticed it.

All of you got in motion heading into the church. You mother flashed a smile with her fan at the preacher as it made you roll your eyes from embarrassment. Julia and you took a seat on the right side of the church. Julia’s ever so bright smile faded. You let your knuckle brush down her cheek, whispering encouraging words to her. She turned her head to you with a saddened smile. You knew it was a façade to hide her true emotions. One she hardly showed to anyone, too shy for it. Grabbing her hand you moved it to your lap. Mabel came sitting beside you as the rest of your family took a seat on the row behind you.

Lillian still snickering as your mother had to shush them. Your father looking at the preaching stool, waiting for the mass to begin as he didn’t notice the world around him burning. On the other side the Bridgerton’s took a seat. Anthony sitting himself down with Benedict and Hyacinth beside him. Violet sat a row behind with Colin, Eloise, Gregory and Francesca. The preacher went to his stool as the church went silent. All eyes to the front. He began speaking as his voice echoed from the walls. The roofing so high as it bounced his voice around.

You squeezed Julia’s hand tighter knowing just how heartbroken she was from Lord Bingley leaving her hanging. Leaving London without a word after every moment with him was magical. For the first time your sister had felt so in love with anyone. Lord Bingley being just the sweet character she needed. Yet now he had left leaving Julia heartbroken. Unsure what the sudden reason was for his departure in the midst of the social season.

The words of the preacher barely reached you as you were too deep in thoughts. Trying to think of signals you had missed. Something that would indicate that Lord Bingley did not like your sister. No that was out of the question. His affection was as clear as day. He only looked at her, he had no eyes for another. So what could make him leave. Had someone said anything to him? You kept breaking your head over it, thoughts spinning.

From behind you, you heard Lillian yawn and your mother lecture her about it in hushed voices. It made you take a deep breath, wondering why some of your family members were the way that they are. Julia had her head low as your eyes widened. Slowly turning your head to her. Her shoulders moving in shocks. She was sobbing quietly. You barely saw her cry. You wanted to place your hand on her shoulder as she got up. – “Sorry.” – she said to you, making her way for the back.

Keeping her head down so no one could see her tears. – “Julia.” – you whispered worried. Now that she had gotten up, you had a clearer view of the benches across. Amidst them the Bridgerton’s. All their eyes were turned to the front yet one pair was looking away. Staring right back at you. Anthony Bridgerton’s eyes were focused on you rather than the preacher. Suddenly something snapped inside of you. A connection made. You got up yourself taking a run for it.

It all came together like a tide-wave, crushing you underneath it. You left the church heading outside. Outside you panted loud needing air. A rumble sounded in the sky, making you look up. Lifting the hem of your dress up, you ran. Ran to get away from it all. With no destination in mind you just went. Running down the path that led you away from the church. The church grew smaller behind you as the rumbling in the sky continued. Before you knew you felt droplets on your head.

First a few than more. In a matter of minutes it was raining. The hem of your dress mudded. You reached a bridge that went over a stream as you went over it. Going to unknown places. The rumbling got louder as you were drenched. Mostly out of breath. In the distance you saw a pavilion. You decided to run for it running over the grass fields. Your shoes splashing in the squishy earth. Touching the stone of the pavilion you panted loud. Chest rising and falling out of control to steady your breathing.

Everything was wet. Your dress dripping on the dry stone leaving a pattern of wet. Slowly your breathing steadied when you leaned against the stone wall. Glancing to the side, you got startled by a sudden figure. Anthony Bridgerton standing drenched before you. His gaze fixated on you. If one was tentative of them they would see the yearning behind them. – “Miss Y/n.” – Anthony spoke out of breath. Your first reaction was to look down.

Avoiding those charming eyes of his. – “I have struggled in vain and I can bear it no longer.” – he continued making you slowly lift your head up to him. – “These past months have been a torment.” – he outed. – “I came to Rosings with the single object of seeing you.” – he went on without giving you a chance to speak. – “I had to see you.” – he breathed out as you kept staring at him.

Perplexed and full of pride. – “I have fought against my better judgement, my family’s expectations all these things I am willing to put them aside and ask you.” – he kept speaking taking no notice of your feelings or desire to say something back. The prejudice inside of you growing at the arrogance of his attitude. Having no concern to you as he so loudly expressed himself without a warning. – “To end my agony.”

Finally you cut through his words. – “I don’t understand.” – to be clear his rambling was getting difficult to understand where he was going. – “I love you.” – he confessed in a matter of seconds. He fell silent as you could only stare at him in shock. – “Most ardently.” – he added upon your silence. He swallowed nervously, shifting his weight on his feet. – “Please do me the honour of accepting my hand.” – he asked, almost beggingly. Your mind was still spinning trying to process the heavy confessions made in a matter of minutes.

“My lord I…” – you began looking briefly down. – “I appreciate the struggle you have been through and I am very sorry to have caused you pain.” – you answered lifting your gaze back up with a slight hint of attitude. It was something you couldn’t hide away. – “Believe me it was unconsciously done.” – you finished with. The sarcastic undertone clear now. Anthony’s gaze had slightly hardened upon you. – “Is this your reply?” – he asked deeply. – “Yes, my lord.” – you responded immediately. – “Are… are you laughing at me?” – he wanted to know taking a step closer to you.

His posture suddenly hostile and defensive. – “No.” – you said loud. – “Are you rejecting me?” – his voice suddenly more agitated. – “I’m sure that the feelings which, as you’ve told me, have hindered your regard will help you in overcoming it.” – you answered bitsy. Not backing down from his sudden change in character. He took a quick breath with a simple nod. – “Might I ask why, with so little endeavour at civility, I am thus repulsed?” – he wanted to know. – “And I might as well enquire why, with so evident a design of insulting me, you chose to tell me that you liked me against your better judgement!” – you ranted out.

“No believe me…” – Anthony fired back. – “If I was uncivil, then that is some excuse!” – you interrupted him needing it to be your turn to rant to him. – “But I have other reasons! You know I have.” – you exposed to him. – “What reasons?” – Anthony asked visibly confused. You slightly shook your head at the ignorance of him. – “Do you think that anything might tempt me to accept the man who has ruined, perhaps forever, the happiness of a most beloved sister?”

Finally Anthony realized it. He was gawking at you as the realization hit him of his actions. – “Do you deny it, Viscount Bridgerton?” – you asked. Anthony could only stare. – “That you separated a young couple who loved each other, exposing your friend to the centre of the world for caprice and my sister to its derision for disappointed hopes. And involving them both in misery of the acutest kind?” – you ranted needing your anger to be outed. It was all so clear he was the very reason for your sister’s unhappiness. Separating them when they were so clearly in love. How every could you marry such a man.

“I do not deny it.” – Anthony responded clear. His response made you feel disappointed. – “How could you do it?” – feeling yourself get emotional from the heartbreak he has caused your sister. – “Because I believed your sister indifferent to him.” – he explained. – “Indifferent?” – you nearly shouted out in disbelieve. – “I watched them most carefully and realise his attachment was deeper than hers.” - Anthony answered to further explain his actions.

“That is because she is shy.” – you called out to him. – “Bingley, too, is modest and was persuaded she didn’t feel strongly for him.” – he replied loud. – “Because you suggested it!” – you accused. – “I did it for his own good!” – Anthony called back. – “My sister hardly shows her true feelings to me!” – you shouted at him. Anthony was silent, staring at you. His gaze slowly lowering to your mouth.

You smiled half trying to persuade yourself of the silliness of this conversation. That this was the way for Anthony to act so rashly. Because your sister was shy. It was almost laughable. – “I suppose you suspect his fortune had some bearing…” – you began as you just thought about it. – “No! I wouldn’t do your sister the dishonour!” – Anthony shouted back. – “Though it was suggested.”

“What was?” – you answered up most confused. – “It was made perfectly clear that an advantageous marriage…” – he started to explain as you interrupted him rudely. – “Did my sister gave you that impression?” – your voice shrieking a pitch higher. – “No! no!” – Anthony quickly defended. – “No… there was however, I have to admit the matter of your family.” – he went on. – “Our want of connection?” – you yelled at him furious.

Anthony turned his head away slightly vexed or bothered. – “Mister Bingley didn’t seem to vex himself about that!” – you called out to Anthony getting all worked up and thrown back into the discussion. – “No, It was more than that.” – Anthony replied looking back at you. – “How, my lord?” – you asked crossing your arms. – “It was the lack of propriety!” – Anthony confessed loudly. – “Shown by your mother, your three younger sisters, even, on occasions your father.”

The sky rumbled loud behind you as it had not stopped raining behind you. With shock you looked back at him. You knew your family wasn’t the most perfect, but they were still family. Anthony started to notice the impact of his harsh words about your family. – “Forgive me…” – he said in a softer tone. – “You and your sister I must exclude from this.” – he apologized with a soft bow of his head. The two of you were lost in each other’s gaze for some moments.

With a soft breath you felt yourself be drawn to his body. Wanting surprisingly to be closer to him. – “So how will you mend this?” – you offered, not wanting your dearest sister to remain in her unhappiness. – “Mend this?” – Anthony asked bluntly. – “Yes, your actions led to the unhappiness of my beloved sister. Wouldn’t you wish for a righteous when it involves one of your siblings?” – you suggested bringing his family into the matter.

“Well yes…” – Anthony stuttered out, briefly stunned with the ultimatum. – “Then set it right!” – you ordered taking a step closer to him. Anthony neared as well. – “Perhaps these offenses might have been overlooked had not your pride been hurt by my honesty…” – you told him. – “My pride?” – Anthony called out stunned. – “Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your circumstances?” – He replied getting up in your face.

It was intimidating how close he was to you. – “And those are the words of a gentleman.” – you replied angered at how he was looking down on you. – “From the first moment I met you, your arrogance and conceit, your selfish disdain for the feelings of others…” – you went closer to him, forcing yourself closer to his face as it made him back a bit away. Intimidated by you now. – “made me realize that you were the last man in the world I could ever be prevailed upon to marry!” – you called out with fury at him.

The rumbling went quieter in the background. You were panting a bit from having expressed yourself so openly. Anthony tilted his head a bit letting his gaze go from your eyes to your lips. He hesitated bringing himself closer to you. You felt yourself lean more to him as well. Suddenly yearning with desire. He hesitantly pulled back turning his posture away from you.

It made you exhale loud, shoulders slouching as the moment was broken off. Anthony paused letting his finger brush over his lips. He turned back around as it made you look back up to him. Wondering why he had turned back. He stared right at you. Slightly shifting his posture as a hunger set in his eyes. A more demanding approach as he went back to you. Confused you followed the movement of him, allowing your posture to face him fully. He grabbed for your waist and neck, pressing his lips onto yours.

Your eyes went wide as you did not intended this. His lips kissed your forcefully demanding to be satisfied. Slowly your eyes closed, kissing him with passion back. The rain had stopped leaving a dampness over the meadow. Anthony pushed you up against the stone, continuing to kiss you as if his life depended on it. Every inch of him wanted to love you, loved you. You were kissing him back till you suddenly opened your eyes. Pushing him off you and taking a run for it.

This was inappropriate. You had just declared to this man you could never marry him, yet here you were showing him just how much you wanted him. Then there was the matter of your sister. He was the cause for her unhappiness. You couldn’t this to your sister. Anthony watched you leave, with a deep breath. He touched his lips. The very lips that had kissed yours.

Something he couldn’t believe he had done. He had always been so civil, yet now it appeared his yearning for you took the better hand. He knew right now you wouldn’t want him. So he just had to make amends for the sake of your sister and yours. Hoping his act of kindness would bring you back to him. Where he most desperately wants you to be.

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Read more of my fics on my Masterlists!

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leupagus · 2 months

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Three-Legged Puppy Fics

List five of your least-popular fics, as well as when/why you wrote them.

Home to the Weary: Merlin, Gwen/Morgana, 2010.

I wrote this at the request of a friend who wanted, I think, something Gwen-centric. Because I was not a fan of the show I decided to focus on an AU in which Gwen backflipped out of that whole situation and founded her own sort of kingdom, only meeting the terrible trio years later. It was really fun and was the first time I'd ever tried writing a fic that hinted at a larger world going on around the characters, if that makes sense. This one's a little pretentious but you can definitely see my "style" as it were.

Treads on the Ground: Babylon (not the sci-fi show, the short-lived british cop show), Liz Garvey/Finn Kirkwood, 2022.

This was written during my Bertie Carvel phase where I'd watched "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" and was desperate for something, anything, that didn't have him wearing terrible prosthetics or playing a psycho. He still sort of plays a psycho in this show, but he looks super hot and angry all the time which is really all I needed. (Also bonus hilarity: Liz's boyfriend in this show is played by none other than James Lance, playing "louche asshole" to the absolute hilt.) Anyway I wrote this because I really wanted a fake dating AU for these two AND a "Finn is secretly in line to the throne" fic and this was the perfect way to combine these two. I'm still legitimately really proud of thsi fic.

The Bright Relief: 1776 musical, John Adams & Thomas Jefferson (and a little bit of / in there, if I'm honest), 2010.

I wrote this because my friends waldorph and screamlet and I were having the Summer of 1776 Feelings and we all wrote various (wonderful) crimes and misdemeanors in that fandom, mostly revolving all the ways in people who love John Adams make fun of him. That was a truly terrible summer but made a whole lot better by those two, and by William Daniels being the most John Adams to ever John Adams. (I actually rewatched the miniseries a few months ago and Paul Giamatti does a great job but that thing is SO DREARY. Although I will say Stephen Dillane first caught my eye in the role of TJeff, aka once again playing a guy who's down real bad for someone smarter than him (in this case both Abigail AND John). The scene where he first meets Abigail is just nonstop flirting, with John making faces in the background. It's great.)

Happy Tails To You (Until We Meet Again): SGA, Rodney McKay/John Sheppard, 2009.

Oh lordy — probably the worst fic I've ever written, but I can't quite bring myself to delete it. I've been on the periphery of fandom for most of my adult life (what up X-Files yahoo groups and Prodigy Star Trek RP rooms), but SGA was what made me start thinking of writing fic after a long period of only reading it. (Yes, there is college-era gus fic out there. No, I'm not posting it on AO3.) I never quite got a handle on Sheppard or McKay but I did enjoy writing this and the other SGA fic I wrote, but yeah this deserves its obscurity.

Honey Now I'm Not One To Complain: Dalgliesh, Adam Dalgliesh/Kate Miskin, 2022.

Another one of my "Bertie Carvel is extremely attractive when he's sad and/or a cop" flash-fandoms, although I wrote a pretty good primer on the first season that I think gives a good case for the show as a whole. I wanted to write that largely because the show is so resolutely grim and I prefer stories that are... not grim, so I gave myself the challenge of putting these guys into one of the classic tropes. I did toy with the fake dating/marriage trope but honestly I think this was funnier, and I would always rather commit to the bit.

Tagging uhhh let's see, @laiqualaurelote, @themardia, @sadcypress, @auntieclimactic, and @eyebrowofdoom, if they (or anyone else) wants to do this.

#three-legged puppy fic appreciation #ficcage of interest #...very very slight interest

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albentelisa · 4 months

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Hi! Here's an interesting ask. What if Douxie had met and eventually adopted by Barbara a few years before the events of Season One happen?

Barabra and Jim are both aware of the supernatural during season one due to them finding out Douxie is a wizard. As to how Jim and Douxie both claim: "it was Archie's fault" when Claire asks the same question when she learns.

So, I'd say that Douxie gets in trouble with some witches who have a personal vendetta against Merlin. He uses a de-aging potion to escape them, turning into a twelve-year-old kid. Initial Douxie's plan is to hide for a while, using a potion until the witches leave Arcadia. He also uses a foster care system to throw them off his tracks.

One day, Douxie gets injured and taken to the hospital where he meets Barbara for the first time. Barbara takes a liking to this kid, and after some consideration, decides to adopt him.

That is how Jim gets an elder brother when he is ten. Both Jim and Barbara start to consider Douxie their real family fast enough.

Douxie feels slightly conflicted about the development - while being in an actual family will clearly cover his tracks better, he realizes how much he starts caring about Barbara and Jim. So Douxie's decision is to continue with de-aging until he reaches his actual age of 19 while keeping the magic part secret.

The latter one is where he fails spectacularly because of Archie who isn't able to tolerate being treated as a silly cat for long and loses it one day when Toby tries to babytalk to him. So, Toby, Jim, and Barbara who are present, learn that Archie isn't a cat at all, and Douxie decides it'll be fair to tell them everything fully expecting that Barbara might throw him out after his confession. However, the truth actually makes their bonds tighter. It's such a relief for everyone as Barbara has always felt her adopted son hid something, not to mention that Douxie doesn't need to pretend to be a kid all the time (and Archie is the happiest for finally being treated with some respect).

Initially, Barbara is worried about Douxie's occasional monster hunts, but as he proves his competence, she lets him go. However, she strictly prohibits Jim and Toby from joining - and Douxie supports this decision as he's aware of how dangerous are his outings. Not that the boys agree with that as they keep sneaking out and following Douxie. It ends up with Douxie teaching them how to deal with various types of creatures as he realizes that Jim and Toby will continue anyway, and it will be better to ensure that they will at least know how to defend themselves.

Not that Jim is content with only that. He wishes to have a true adventure, not just warding off some goblins. At some point, he even tries to learn magic, but unfortunately for him, he has no aptitude for it.

Everything changes when Jim picks up the amulet. He (and Toby) know straight away that the amulet is magic, but cannot tell what exactly it is. When Jim is back home, he asks Douxie about it right away - and Douxie doesn't take it well because he 1)knows what it is and 2) knows that Jim cannot refuse the mantle. Merlin ordered Douxie not to get involved with the Trollhunters until Merlin contacts him, but it's not like Douxie can ignore his little brother getting into a dangerous situation.

Blinky and Aaarrrgghh come right amid Douxie's explanation about the amulet. Jim isn't that shocked or scared to see them as he knows about trolls' existence. He's also rather excited to finally get his adventure. Besides, Douxie is on his team too.

Initially, Jim hopes to keep everything from Barbara as he doesn't want to trouble her more. She finds out the next day though as trolls barge in openly (they are sure that everyone in the Lakes' household knows about magic, so see no problem, and Jim has forgotten to mention it to them to keep his mom in the dark).

So, in this AU Jim has support from both his mom and elder brother. It changes some things:

Barbara is initially worried sick about Jim risking his life and only calms down a bit once Douxie promises her that he'll make sure that no one is hurt;

Barbara is a team medic and frequent to the Trollmarket. She still has a relationship with Strickler as no one has been aware that Strickler is a changeling for a while;

Douxie provides some information about different magical creatures and the amulet;

Douxie also helps Jim with dating advice (though, Jim is still awkward when it comes to Claire);

once Jim learns that Strickler is a changeling, he is reluctant to tell it to Barbara. Keeping it secret leads to Barbara falling under the binding spell of Angor Rot. She learns the truth soon afterward, but the damage is already done;

Douxie starts teaching Claire magic once she gets a shadow staff, however, Claire has been interested in magic since joining the team

#tales of arcadia #toa #toa au #big brother douxie au #jim lake jr #douxie casperan #barbara lake #text post #ask box #anon ask

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mask131 · 10 months

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Seasonal theme: Magical summer (beginning)

This summer will be a season of wonders and enchantments, of spells and wizards - a magical summer!

Here is a list of beings, entities, objects and concepts you can check out if you want to add some magic to your summer:

In the myths, legends and so-called “real” world...

In the Arthurian literature: Merlin the enchanter, most famous of all wizards, derived from the legendary Welsh figure of Myrddin. Morgan le Fay, the ever-so-ambiguous enchantress of Arthurian mythos. Excalibur, the greatest and most iconic of all magical swords.

In Greek mythology: Hecate, the goddess of magic and witches. Circe, the divine enchantress of the Odyssey. Medea, the most frightening sorceress of the Greek legends. Lamia, a Greco-Roman bogeywoman that medieval times assimilated with various monsters and witches.

In Norse mythology: seidr, the old Norse magic, and its patron goddess Freya. Loki, expert shapeshifter and trickster supreme.

Christian legends, myths and beliefs: the Malleus Maleficarum, the unfamous manual used by many witch-hunters during the great witch hunts throughout Europe - a manual which was not accepted by the Church, unlike what many people believe. The Ars Goetia, both the art of invoking demons and the grimoire containing the secrets of said art. Astaroth, a demon often associated today with witchcraft. The famous witches sabbath, that was the great terror and fantasy of devil-fearing men of the Middle-Ages and the Renaissance. The paintings of Goya, which illustrated the various superstitions and beliefs surrounding witches in Spain.

The folklore of the British Isles: the British Grimalkin, with its cousins the English King of Cats and the Celtic Cat-sith. Lugh, the Irish Celtic god that mastered all of the arts, including magic.

Vaïnämöinen, the great bard-enchanter of Finland, and one of the sorcerer-heroes of the Kalevala alongside the magical blacksmith Ilmarinen, all fighting against the evil witch-queen Louhi.

In fairytales: the fairytales of the brothers Grimm brought many of the famous fairytale witches, from the evil queen with her magic mirror in Snow-White to the witch living in a house of bread and sugar in Hansel and Gretel. In Slavic fairytales, the great and iconic witch is the dreaded Baba Yaga. The French fairytales also brought the archetype of the fairy godmother: Cinderella, Toads and Diamonds, Donkeyskin, Cunning Cinders, The Hind in the Woods/The White Doe, Prince Marcassin... And let’s not forget Carabosse, the wicked fairy of the fairytale Princess Mayblossom, that became thanks to Tchaïkovsky’s ballet the old antagonistic fairy of Sleeping Beauty. Plus: the seven-league boots, one of the most famous magical items of French fairytales, appearing in Little Thumbling or The Orange Tree and the Bee.

The world of alchemy: the famous philosopher’s stone, elixir of life, and panacea that formed the ultimate goals of alchemists. Hermes Trismegistus, the mythological patron and ancestor of all alchemists (himself a mix of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth). Nicolas Flamel, the 14th century book-seller everybody believed to be the discovered of the philosopher’s stone.

Some famous grimoires of our world: The Book of Abramelin, a tome of sacred Jewish magic. The Lesser Key of Solomon, a demonology grimoire of the 17th century inspired by the older book of sacred spells known as The Key of Solomon. The very famous duo of French grimoires known as the Grand Albert and Petit Albert. The Book of Shadows, a type of grimoire originally part of the Wicca religion, and that became popularized in America media thanks to the television series Charmed.

Principles, beliefs, personalities and practices of our world (which, as you will note, frequently mix magic with religion and folk-healing): Nostradamus, the great French prophet. The magi of Persia, Zoroastrian priests and astronomers that gave birth to the concept of the “mage” as we know it today. The original mana - not the video game mechanic, but the supernatural force of Oceanian beliefs. The Celtic druids and the most famous of their sacred sites: Stonehenge. The marabout, a type of Muslim holy man from Africa to whom was attributed some magical powers in folk-belief. The shamans of Siberia, the ones from which the very principle of “shamanism” was codified in the West. The medecine people of the First Nations in Northern America. The sangomas of Southern Africa, one of the most famous types of African “witch-doctors”. The Haitian Vodou and the Louisiana/New-Orleans Voodoo, folk-religions and magic beliefs deriving from the Vodun religion of West Africa (not to be confused with their various “cousins”, such as the Vodu of Cuba, the Jejé of Brazil or the Hoodoo).

More general magic tropes and concepts: the magic potion. The flying broomstick. The magic wand, or its variation the wizard’s staff. The familiar of the witch. The trope of the wizard duel, which, despite its prominence in modern literature and contemporary folk songs, has roots in ancient mythological fights and legendary magic hunts. The tempestarii, or the belief in weather-influencing, weather-changing sorcerers.

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violetsarepurple-fuckyou · 2 months

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WIP Game

I am so incredibly late to the party on this one! But! I was so incredibly honored to be invited!!! @eliotqueliot tagged me, and this was the first time I have EVER been tagged in something like this, so even though my response is late to a degree of insanity, please know that it literally filled me with an explosion of joy that I was thought of and included 💕

Ok, Rules: In a new post, post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs. Buckle in folks, I have SO many.

I'm keeping it just to The Magicians, but if anyone would like me to repeat this process with other fandoms I am in but not primarily focused on right this moment (like Merlin or TMA, both of which I have pretty solid handfuls of fics in the works for that I will get around to eventually) feel free to ask! Also feel free to ask me literally anything about any of my fics at any time, because that would actually excite me beyond all mortal comprehension! OK! Here goes.

And just so everyone knows, a lot of my docs are just named with an autofill of part of the first sentence written there, so I'm really going to get some mileage out of the 'non-descriptive and ridiculous' part of the rule lol

The memory wipe was not

A Reluctant Coin Toss

Something Borrowed

(Eliot steals the Time Key)

5+1+3

Queliot dnd fic

Brian walks through his favorite bookstore

And Death was a Joke

Vampire Eliot series season two

Green-eyed Monster

The Cottage was empty and quiet – somewhat shockingly seeing as most of those missing in attendance were hardly social butterflies – but three first year additions (and Penny) to the Physical Kids residence was more than was customary and the whole building was just a lot less densely packed without them.

Quell Your Love Spell

Eliot Waugh's Adventures in Soothing a High-strung Super Nerd

Eliot was right

Eliot and Quentin have been… weird since Margo retrieved the Time Key.

Fen's eyes sparkle when she cries

Of Prophecies -- Princes, Parrots, Pirates, and Paupers -- and the Prepared

Sksksksksk

Fennel Seeds

Excerpt from A Flock of Lost Birds – Book One of The Adventures of Sam Cunningham series:

I think that is all of them??? All of the ones I actually have stuff written for and not in a notebook anyway lol, I have more ideas and snippets scattered across various journals. Please please please ask me questions, holy shit, I would love that! Honestly, I cannot think of anyone to tag that hasn't been already, so I'm gonna leave this here I think.

#the magicians #queliot #the magicians syfy #quentin coldwater #eliot waugh #margo hanson #fen #penny adiyodi #wips

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emrys-merlin · 1 year

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Merlin’s face card is unmatched.

#merlin #merlin bbc #bbc merlin #colin morgan #merlin emrys #merlinedits #merlin various seasons #just look at him #too stunning #my edit

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theshadytree123 · 6 months

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So I had a thought about a fanfic in the shower today, and since I do not have the time, energy, or mental bandwidth to deal with it right now, I’m going to spew it out onto Tumblr so it can be everyone else’s problem!

I’ve always wondered how Arthur is actually alive before Merlin comes around to save him? He was at least in his late teens by the first season, but how did he even survive to get that far. Like this guy gets attacked on weekly basis! So this is where my idea comes in. Maybe, all of Arthur’s former manservants are also extremely powerful sorcerers who had been sent by various druid leaders to go babysit their Once and Future King so that he doesn’t just keel over from plague, or another sorcerer, or just random bandit.

Like can you imagine just a bunch of powerful sorcerers who have also once been Arthur’s manservants sitting together in like this weird support group, just drinking alcohol, playing poker and bitching about the sheer stupidity of their current or former charge. All of them have given up, not able to deal with Arthur’s prattishness after a few weeks and then end up either getting Arthur to fire them or just straight up resigning. And Merlin is the chosen Emrys not just because he’s the greatest sorcerer to have ever lived, but also because he’s the only one who has the patience to deal with Arthur’s bullshit.

I want an AU where Merlin is spotted by that Morris guy who’s like, “Oh, that guy’s real powerful and also seems okay enough to replace me! I can finally resign!” and is trained by a bunch of cynical sorcerers where he can properly complain, and small interludes where the support group is making commentary as their newest member slowly falls in love with their charge.

I would also like a scene where all of of the support group end up giving shovel talks to Arthur, and he just ends up going around being like, “why are all of my former manservant’s pulling me aside. I’m pretty sure that guy got banished like three years ago? And why are they all threatening to end me in the most painful way possible if I hurt Merlin? I stopped throwing things at him years ago.”

Oh, and George the Brass Guy is there. He isn’t part of the support group or anything, he just showed up one day and no one questioned it. He’s probably not even magical or anything, but he’s become such a core part of their lives that they would rather risk getting executed than have him leave.

#merlin #fanfic #fanfic ideas #bbc merlin #arthur pendragon #merthur

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historyhermann · 9 months

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Unicorn: Warriors Eternal Spoiler-Filled Review

Unicorn: Warriors Eternal is a mature supernatural fantasy comedy with steampunk elements. Genndy Tartakovsky, who is well-known in the animation industry, is the director and creator. He is best known for Dexter's Laboratory, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Sym-Bionic Titan, and Samurai Jack, and more recently, Primal. This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, Unicorn: Warriors Eternal, being reviewed here, wouldn't exist.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the forty-first article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on July 24, 2023.

This series has a simple plot: a group of heroes are inadvertently awakened by Copernicus, a steam-powered robot, in bodies of three teenagers (Emma, Alfie, and Dimitri), rather than in bodies of adults, like in the past. These heroes are opposed by a mysterious foxlike woman (voiced by Grey DeLisle), who embodies evil.

Unicorn: Warriors Eternal drew me in as a person who enjoyed watching Star Wars: Clone Wars as a kid (and have re-watched it various times), and liked Samurai Jack and Sym-Bionic Titan. Voice actors like Jacob Dudman (voice of Edred) who voiced two characters in Primal, and DeLisle, voice of the mysterious woman and the original Melinda, strengthen this series.

Delisle is well-known for her work in animation, including voicing characters in Invincible, Kid Cosmic, The Owl House, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, DC Super Hero Girls, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Elena of Avalor, Star Wars Rebels, The Legend of Korra, Young Justice, and My Life as a Teenage Robot. In contrast, Hazel Doupe, the voice of Emma in this series, is unique. This is her first voice role, as she has only done live-action series before.

I wasn't as familiar with Jeremy Crutchley, Demari Hunte, Alain Uly, Tom Milligan, Ron Bottita, or George Webster, the voices of Merlin, Alfie, Seng, Lord Edward Fairfax, and Winston in Unicorn: Warriors Eternal. I say this even though Crutchley voiced Glad-One and One in Infinity Train, and Uly as Lieutenant Maylur and two stormtroopers in Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

Others, such as Hunte, Milligan, Bottita, Webster, appear to be new to voice work. Rosalind Ayres (voice of Lord Katherine Fairfax) previously voiced characters in video games while Robbie Daymond (voice of various one-off characters) lent his voice to the notorious Curious Cat in Volume 9 of RWBY! He voiced Jesse in Infinity Train season 2, Raymond in OK K.O. Let's Be Heroes!, and many other English dubs of anime characters.

The steampunk setting in Victorian London, in 1890, in this series, reminded me of Steamland in Disenchantment, the upper city in Arcane, or the similarly steampunk action anime, Princess Principal, which spawned a multi-part film series. The steampunk genre has even reached into indie animation and comics. It includes films like Snowpiercer, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and Howl's Moving Castle, along with animated series like Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water and The Legend of Korra. I am even reminded of an unaired 2001 pilot for Constant Payne, by Indigenous writer Micah Wright. It has a strong steampunk aesthetic.

Unicorn: Warriors Eternal is different than all of those previously mentioned. It is unique in its own way. Just as Samurai Jack was set in the future, with magic, robots, lasers, and the like, this series is set in an alternate world. Unlikely the haphazard and strange inclusion of futuristic technology in the far-too-short Yasuke, this series is much more complete. It draws inspiration from works by animators Max Fleischer and Osamu Tezuka, films by Hayao Miyazaki (like Howl's Moving Castle) and other steampunk aesthetics.

The show's character designer, Stephen DeStefano, worked on Sym-Bionic Titan, Primal, and other projects, with Tartakovsky. He pushed, as did Tartakovsky, to ensure the series had an "old aesthetic" but was told "in a very contemporary way". The studio producing the series, Cartoon Network Studios, has produced many of Tartakovsky's previous projects. Some of the same animators who worked on his previous projects may be working on this series.

These animators could not do their work without the writers. If a recently circulated spreadsheet is representative of Cartoon Network Studios as a whole, it would mean that, for animators, there is repetitive work, little opportunity for advancement, sterile environment due to the Warner-Discovery merger, disorganization, burnout, and overwork. There are two primary show writers: Darrick Bachman and Tartakovsky. While the latter is more well-known, the former is not, despite his work on Primal, Samurai Jack, Regular Show, Star Wars: Clone Wars, and many animated series, some of which he worked on with Tartakovsky.

If Glassdoor is accurate, each of these writers makes somewhere between $46,000 to $83,000 a year. I would guess that Tartakovsky is paid more than Bachman. In any case, the conditions the writers work in influences whether a show is "high-quality" or "low-quality". High Guardian Spice was said to be the latter, until it was revealed that the working conditions at Crunchyroll were horrendous. This does not appear to be the case for Cartoon Network Studios. The recent closure of the iconic studio's headquarters, with employees told to move to a sterile, lifeless Warner Bros. building instead, it does not bode well.

Even some predicted that under David Zaslav, it is difficult to "imagine a future in which the studio’s original animation output can match what it has been in the past," with a strong shit to reboots rather than original series. However, if the writers, and actors, are successful in their strike, these conditions may change for the better. On the other hand, the studios are doing all they can to burn down motivation of actors and writers, while stockpiling completed works and scripts before the strikes began.

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Coming back to the series, Unicorn: Warriors Eternal is a relatable coming-of-age story. The protagonist, Emma (who can transform into Melinda) is struggling to determine whether she is "Emma" or "Melinda". She loses control of her powers after any emotional outburst she has. Having one's powers tied to their emotions is not new. In the last half of Elena of Avalor's final season, the protagonist, Elena Castillo Flores, had to wrestle with the fact that her magical abilities were tied to her emotional moods. The same was the case for Steven Universe in the series of the same name, and in Steven Universe Future.

For Emma/Melinda, her anger and fury seem to be how she expresses her power, in a super saiyan esque transformation. While this expression of raw power can be effective in defeating enemies, it doesn't prevent her from hurting people, unintentionally, in the process. For instance, in the second episode, she uses this power to defeat a huge magically possessed elephant. However, her fiancé Winston is badly hurt in the process and the surrounding area is nearly obliterated.

The use of her abilities in Unicorn: Warriors Eternal are complicated by her relationship with Edred, a warrior elf. He reincarnates in the body of a wanna-be magician named Dimitri. After Copernicus resurrects him, he rushes over to Emma/Melinda, and kisses her. While he has memories of their relationship, Melinda-as-Emma does not. Making matters worse, she still has some romantic feelings for Winston, who wants to "rescue" her from her "new" form.

This contrasts with Edred. He can effectively fight with a sword in manner which almost seems reminiscent of the sword-wielders in anime or those in Western animations like Amphibia, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, and Steven Universe. Like all Tartakovsky productions, Edred has his own specific style. Every character is stylized in their own way. This is thanks to the aforementioned character designer, DeStefano, and work by many others at Cartoon Network Studios. The same is the case for their battle moves and attacks. It sets the series apart from others with similar themes.

The team of Emma/Melinda, a cosmic monk named Seng (in the body of a young Black ruffian named Alfie), Copernicus, and Edred, make an interesting combination. Each has personal issues they must overcome. Seng cannot fully comprehend the cosmic plane as a young child. Edred has a "clouded" mind despite having a largely intact memory and retains his power. Emma/Melinda has an identity crisis. She even tells Winston, at one point, that she isn't Emma anymore and that the Emma he knew is dead. This is a cold, hard truth which is hard for him to accept.

The complications in each character's lives make it an increasing challenge for these heroes, whose souls are tasked with protecting the world throughout eternity. With the scrambled memories, especially of Emma/Melinda, and the fact that only Edred remembers the most about their role in fighting evil, it makes the story that much more intriguing. The secretive villain is almost as devious as Shadowy Figure in O.K. KO!, but shares more characteristics with Kilgore in Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Huntsmen, Part 1. He aimed to change the Justice League into teenagers, so they are "vulnerable", are ripped apart by the world, and have to deal with emotions they ignore or regress as adults.

There is one major difference. The villain in Unicorn: Warriors Eternal never intended on awakening the Order of the Unicorn (Melinda, Seng, Edred, and Copernicus). Instead, she wanted to destroy Copernicus so the order would cease to exist. The villain exploits the situation for her own ends. She hopes that these heroes will be resurrected one final time. The heroes will do anything they can to stop this evil, with Edred declaring that the villain will "not succeed".

In future seasons, Melinda's insecurities may be exploited just as Invictus did with Ash Graven in Final Space. If so, she may turn against her friends. It is hard to say whether the series villain will be as devious as Aku, who had built an entire empire and dedicated many of his resources to track down Samurai Jack.

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By the show's third episode, there is a clear focus on discrimination, specifically how humans will "other" that which they don't understand. The response of the British police and Scotland Yard to a theft of priceless artifacts bound for the British Museum is to arrest anyone engaged in "magic" in London. There are mass arrests of soothsayers, fortune tellers, and anyone else on Mystic Row.

To make matters worse, they put up a Wanted poster for Emma/Melinda. Even when two spiritualists, Clarice Leydoux and Lao Xi Sheng, tell the police detective the reality, he doesn't believe them. Clearly, the police in this series, including Inspector General Hastings (voiced by Gildart Jackson), do not know how to deal with the situation at hand. People such as Agatha (voiced by Rosalind Ayres), another royal official, try and put in place more order.

Through it all, Emma/Melinda tries to figure out herself. She isn't sure of her connection with Winston, who she inadvertently injured. She even goes to a seance which separated her two identities, making her question whether she wants to be a hero or not. As a result, she declares that she hates the other part of herself. Her father even realizes that she is different, remarking "that is not our daughter". Winston remains in pursuit, even when he clashes with Edred on who "truly" loves her.

After the first two episodes, the series explored the insecurities of Seng. The villains cause him to be swallowed by a cosmic fox. The latter, known as a Lady Fox, attacks them. An amazingly animated chase scene on the rooftops follows, reminding me of similar scenes in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Samurai Jack. In the fourth episode, this is more apparent. Seng is unable to use his powers while he is trapped on an abandoned ship with other Unicorn team members. He even starts to become translucent! Although they escape this predicament, it could foreshadow more trouble for Seng in the future.

As Emma/Melinda learns more about the story of her Melinda side, with the child version of original Melinda voiced by Marley Cherry Hilbourne. She learns that her mother, Morgan Le Fay (voiced by Peta Johnson), was terribly injured, thanks to her. It is revealed that Merlin (voiced by Jeremy Crutchley) is her father. The conflict between the two halves of herself remains an important part of the story. This is especially the case when they all fight a big squid threatening to destroy the town. Her attempts at reconciliation do not go well, even though she is making some progress by the seventh episode.

At the end of the fifth episode, Unicorn: Warriors Eternal takes a bold step: it appears to kill off one of its protagonists, Copernicus. This is comparable to a similar "loss" of Octus in Sym-Bionic Titan. While Emma/Melinda is most distraught, she works together with Edred to find someone to repair Copernicus. They find an inventor named Otto (voiced by Jason O'Mara), thanks to a robot named Dashwood (voiced by Chris Butler). He works on a huge floating airship, which functions like a space station.

He remarks that Copernicus is like a robot he hasn't created yet, but he says it feels familiar. Copernicus cannot fully come back until his magical power is restored. He is a futuristic magical being. The power from an ancient magical stone is used by Merlin. He brings Copernicus back to life. Even so, this sequence implies that Copernicus can die, in certain instances.

The seventh episode of Unicorn: Warriors Eternal is a rollercoaster ride. It is revealed that Edred left his bride-to-be, in an arranged marriage meant to unite two clans, to be with Melinda. At the same time, it is further implied that Emma/Melinda somewhat remembers this. The quest to get the necessary magical power, the presence of Merlin, and restoration of balance, causes Edred's brother, Aelwulf (voiced by Jack Bandeira), to regain respect for him.

At the end of the seventh episode, the Unicorn team learns that they still have evil to fight, and that their time in this world has not ended. It is implied that Merlin will help they stop it. The eighth episode throws this into question. Out of nowhere, Merlin appears and tells them to come "quickly" to battle an evil machine killing the land. While they meet the mighty tiger Rakshasa (voiced by Sunkrish Bala), Merlin attacks Emma/Melinda, surprising them all.

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The last three episodes of Unicorn: Warriors Eternal lay bare tensions between the group members. This is clear with the addition of a new member, Winston, who can become a werewolf. Predictably, Edred objects, as Winston has feelings for Emma/Melinda. All the while there is the fight against evil, which exudes dark magic.

This reaches a critical point in the ninth episode when the evil leaves Merlin and enters the cosmic realm. They meet an older Seng who has been fighting it for over 20 years, with no success. It is said that if the evil devours everything, the world will end. Merlin and Rakshasa remain optimistic until Emma and Melinda are split apart.

I wish Unicorn: Warriors Eternal had been longer. By the eighth episode, it appears that Melinda is coming to peace with the part of her who is Emma, and vice versa. This seemed too quick. Her struggle with her identity could have stretched across an entire season of 20 to 26 episodes. Take Cassandra in Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, for example. She is mentally manipulated by Zhan Tri. Even so, she tries to figure out her identity and how she feels about Rapunzel. Like that series, which ended with a bang, this series is burdened by compulsory heterosexuality. Tangled differs by featuring well-recognized gay vibes between Rapunzel and Cassandra, shipped by fans as "Cassunzel".

Much of the internal struggle that Emma/Melinda experiences is couched by a love triangle. Emma loves Winston, while Melinda loves Edred. However, Edred hates Winston and vice versa. Due to the propensity of male characters in this series, there isn't any character, female, non-binary, or otherwise, written for Emma/Melinda that would allow her to have a queer romance.

Even so, the struggle of Emma to reunite with Melinda, resulting in defiance of her by-the-book parents, is promising. Considering this series is set in the 1890s, it is no shock that Emma's parents try to hold her back. They think she is out of her mind and want to bring her to a doctor, who will commit her to an asylum. Her actions, including drawing on equations on the walls of the bathroom, akin to the oft-memed scene from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia in which Pepe Silvia goes on a conspiratorial rant, don't help her case. In her defense, she is desperate and wants to get back to the cosmic realm at any cost.

This episode goes off the rails when two huge men try to capture Emma and bring her to "the doctor". What follows is an intense chase scene in which Emma has many near-death experiences, and barely escapes those trying to get her, even riding a steam-powered tram to Mystics Row. Two mystic warriors (Clarice Leydoux and Lao Xi Sheng) offer to help her. With their assistance, she uses the Heart of the Forest to get to the cosmic realm.

The Unicorn: Warriors Eternal finale concludes strongly. Emma inspires everyone, reuniting with Melinda, and convinces them to combine their powers into one. They strike a decisive blow against evil forces. This is blunted by the surprising revelation: Morgan is trapped in the heart of the evil beast! At the end of the episode, the protagonists find themselves in a bizarre world in which "the evil" has changed everything. Emma/Melinda gets the last word, noting their determination to save Morgan and defeat the evil being no matter what.

The ending is not definitive, but is open-ended. The central conflict rings true, especially if seen as a metaphorical extension of Genndy Tartakovsky as a Jewish immigrant who faced pressure to support his mother and live up to the myth of a "model minority". A possible second, or even third, and fourth season, could expand upon these characters and their struggles. Possibly, the series may go an Infinity Train route, having different characters for each season.

I hope that any possible future seasons of Unicorn: Warriors Eternal would increase diversity of the cast. Surely, there are talented voice actors like a Black men Demari Hunte (voice of Seng) and Victor Alli (voice of Adult Seng). They are joined by a Filipino man, Alain Uy (voice of Lao Xi Sheng), an American actor of Tamil descent, Sunkrish Bala (voice of Rakshasa), and a British actor of Iraqi, Lebanese, and Indian descent, Brian George (voice of Darvish).

From the available lists of the cast members, I'm not seeing much diversity beyond the aforementioned individuals. A quick read of the cast list for Primal, indicates that the series has a much more diverse cast than this series! Perhaps, this is just reflecting the fact that historically, London was ethnically homogeneous, composed primarily of White British residents, until after World War II. By 1891, over 5.6 million were living in Greater London, a number which would grow in later years.

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Cartoon Network Studios president, Sam Register, is an executive producer, and Shareena Carlson is supervising director. Unicorn: Warriors Eternal is expertly animated thanks to Studio La Cachette in France and Studio Zmei in Bulgaria. Cartoon Network Studios is the aforementioned production company. This is reinforced by the show's music, composed by Tyler Bates and Joan Higginbottom. It is effective, connecting the action with the story. It makes you excited to watch each episode, and become more invested in the characters.

None of this is much of a surprise. Bates is a well-known producer, composer, and musician, primarily of action and horror media, including the John Wick franchise. He was probably chosen because he composed the music scores of Sym-Bionic Titan, the fifth (and final) season of Samurai Jack, and Primal.

Similarly, Higginbottom was a composer on the same season of Samurai Jack, Primal, and John Wick Chapter 4. Tara Billinger, known as the creator of Long Gone Gulch and a storyboarder, did production work on the series as well. The animators either worked on French productions not known in the U.S., or series such as Love, Death & Robots, and Primal. Even Tartakovsky did some storyboarding. The animation, background art, and set pieces are strong in this series.

Unicorn: Warriors Eternal may have been a passion project for Tartakovsky. However, it is incorrect that the plot is "humdrum". Furthermore, Emma/Melinda is not a "poorly written" character, nor does she have a "pat dilemma" or lack emotional complexity. Her struggles are at the series' center. On the other hand, this series, like Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Sym-Bionic Titan, and Primal, is male-centered. In fact, Emma/Melinda is the only female protagonist.

The series has "urgent stakes" and the characters are intriguing. This accompanies amazing mythologies and some worldbuilding. It could be better, but it is not missing "the magic of Tartakovsky". Instead, this series is unique and different from other Tartakovsky series in the past. Surely, I'd love to have queer characters and even have a love triangle akin to the one between Hazumu Osaragi, Yasuna Kamiizumi, and Tomari Kurusu in Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl. Unfortunately, this series did not go that direction, instead having male-female couples, without any one-way crushes.

Overall, despite my criticisms, Unicorn: Warriors Eternal is an enjoyable series and I'd recommend it. I can hope that it improved to become even better, breaking out of the good-evil dichotomy, and other common tropes used in Tartakovsky's work.

Unicorn: Warriors Eternal can be watched on Adult Swim or streamed on Max, DirectTV, and Spectrum. It can be purchased through Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu, or Microsoft Store.

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grotesquehorse · 4 months

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My 2023 Year in Review :)

Last year I listed out my favorite movies, shows, books, that I experienced in 2022, so I wanted to do it again :)

MOVIES -

I watched 26 movies this year, which is pitiful, but it's fine because most of them were with book club. 7 were rewatches and 15 were with book club.

Best Movies I watched in 2023:

Bottoms (2023)

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

My Cousin Vinny (1992)

The Blob (1988)

Movies that are Still Favorites:

Shelter (2007)

Venom (2018)

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

SHOWS -

New-To-Me shows:

The CW's Nancy Drew

Various Dropout TV

Rewatches:

Supernatural (seasons 1 & 2)

Merlin (seasons 1 & 2)

Medium (seasons 1 - 4)

Elementary (season 1)

Leverage (season 1)

New Episodes of Shows I've Watched Previously:

Abbott Elementary

Futurama

Only Murders in the Building

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

BOOKS -

As of 12/24/23, I have read 192 books with an average rating of 3.25 stars. I DNF'ed 66 books.

Rereads:

The Wrong Mr. Right - Stephanie Archer

People We Meet on Vacation - Emily Henry

Red, White, and Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston

The Fiction Between Us - Julie Olivia

If I'm Being Honest - Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Favorites:

Adult -

The Roughest Draft - Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

Holiday Romance - Catherine Walsh

While the Duke Was Sleeping - Sophie Jordan

Love Interest - Clare Gilmore

The Good Daughter - Karin Slaughter

Roadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

Young Adult -

Seven Percent of Ro Devereux - Ellen O'Clover

Woke Up Like This - Amy Lea

The Folk of the Air Trilogy - Holly Black

The Trouble Series - Stephanie Tromly

Honorable Mentions:

Adult -

The Appeal - Janice Hallett

Annihilation - Jeff VanderMeer

Love, Theoretically - Ali Hazelwood

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

Blindsighted & Kisscut - Karin Slaughter

Young Adult -

All Alone With You - Amelia Diane Coombs

Carrie - Stephen King

Hell Followed With Us - Andrew Joseph White

They Hate Each Other - Amanda Woody

#slay

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amyreadsandstresses · 1 year

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AMY'S DAILY FIC REC

Starting the year with a bang :) here we go. Today, BBC Merlin, BBC Sherlock and Teen Wolf

*Co-Dependent - harsassypotters

8k, 3/3, Merlin & Arthur Friendship, Humor and Crack, Knights, Uther Pendragon, Sir Leon the Long Suffering, Magic Reveal

As punishment for Arthur's disobedience, Uther bans all contact with his manservant for a week.

It works out about as well as you could expect.

*"I've always wanted a pet" - InTooManyFandomsRay

1k, 1/1, Merlin & Arthur Pendragon, Humor and Crack, Aithusa is adorable

Merlin adopts a baby dragon and convinces everyone that it's a bird. Meanwhile, Arthur is sure that the universe holds a grudge against him, and Uther just gives up on questioning everything.

*One More Secret - orphan_account

11k, 9/9, Merwaine, Implied/Referenced past and non-graphic R/Ncon, Mpreg, Implied/Referenced Torture, Hurt/Comfort, Magic Revealed, Aithusa, Magic Revealed

Merlin's now got another secret to hide from Arthur, but this one attracts more attention that he'd like.

*We Daren't Go A'Hunting - wryter501

14k, 1/1, Merlin & Arthur Pendragon Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Fae Magic

"We daren't go a'hunting, for fear of little men..." ~ "The Fairies" by William Allingham On Samhain the veils between various worlds thin, and strange things can pass through - beings who wish to assimilate Arthur, and Merlin, into their troop... but for very different reasons. And Merlin's magic doesn't work on them... Takes place in-canon after season 2, does not reveal Merlin's magic - but it does reveal other secrets.

*Overlooked - Smcstrav

48k, 13/13, Merlin, Arthur, Gaius, Knights of The Round Table, Hurt/Comfort, Sickfic

Arthur is well on the way to becoming the type of leader Merlin had always hoped he'd be - one who cares for all of his people. But even so, preparations for Yule festivities along with some unforeseen circumstances result in Merlin taking on too much work. Unfortunately nobody notices until it's almost too late.

*Temple of Magic - nlpiersee

6k, 5/5, Arthur Pendragon & Merlin Friendship, Protective Gwaine, Knights of the Round Table and Merlin and friends, Merlin's Magic Revealed

With magic being freed from persecution, Arthur decides to journey to a temple that magic users have begun trekking to. Their pilgrimage, Leon called it. Merlin can't place why he thinks it's a bad idea, but feels like they shouldn't go. Naturally, where Arthur goes, Merlin goes, and so the King, his servant (read: friend), the Knights of the Round Table, all ride out to investigate the temple in hopes of proving that magic is truly free and not a ploy of the Pendragons to instigate another purge.

*Take A Break - TheGameIsOn_Geronimo

3k, 1/1, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Merlin Whump, Everyone Loves Merlin

Merlin keeps falling asleep in random places as he's working so hard. His friends stage an intervention.

*The Great Tavern Conspiracy - N16

4k, 1/1, Merlin & Arthur Pendragon, Knights of the Round Table, Humor, Friendship, Fluff

Arthur knows that Merlin isn't at the tavern. That's just a lie Merlin used to tell, back before Arthur knew he had magic.

So if Merlin isn't at the tavern all those times he disappears, where the hell is he?

*Summer tales of family and lovers - Veruca_Cruz

2k, 1/1, Coming Out, Soft, Siger Holmes, Violet Holmes, Future Johnlock, Teen Sherlock

Some insight on the relationship between Sherlock and his father.

*You've Arrived at Panic Station - Phia

20k, 15/15, Sherlock Holmes/Original Male Character, One-sided Johnlock, Mary Morstan/John Watson, Moving On, Domestic, Sherlock-centric

Fifteen chapters based on fifteen different emotions. John is married and oblivious, and Sherlock pines but moves on.

*Plus One - saintscully

5k, 1/1, Johnlock, Fix-it, Humor, Happy Ending

More precisely —and more to the point— Sherlock was staring at the man’s arse, hanging mid-air like a denim-clad piñata.

*A Study in Sentiment - C4t1l1n4

1k, 1/1, Johnlock, Fluff, Cats, Soft Sherlock, Everything is cute and soft and fluffy

Sherlock gets a kitten, and John wants to know why. The answer is cuter than either of them could've expected.

*the suffering that is weatherd - scullyseviltwin

8k, 1/1, Johnlock, Season 4 fix-it, First Kiss

The magnitude of what they’re discussing seems as though it shouldn’t fit within the walls of 221B.

*Strangers When We Meet - sunken_standard

19k, 1/1, Sherlock Holmes/Victor Trevor, Gloria Scott, Drug Addiction, Abusive Relationship, The 90's, Internalized Homophobia, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson

Sherlock tells John the story of his first case, and his first love

*whose war is it anyway - nefariosity

11k, 2 works, Johnlock, A/B/O, Omega Shelrock, TW: Attempted R/Ncon, No smut

Sherlock's refusal to relinquish control to his hormones and let his partners reap the reward had proven to be the death knell for both of his previous relationships. He had hoped, had even begun to believe that it would be different with John, that their relationship would survive without Sherlock having to give over to his base nature for John's pleasure.

Foolish to ever think otherwise, thought Sherlock bitterly.

*Not The Hands That Kill - You_Light_The_Sky

6k, 1/1, Johnlock, Wingfic, Canon Divergence

Having wings does not make Sherlock Holmes a guardian angel, not in the way that John Watson is his.

*5+1 Times Sherlock Let Someone See His Wings - wendymarlowe

6k, 1/1, Johnlock, Wingfic

Sherlock could count on one hand the number of times other people had seen his wings. John was the only one of significance.

*It Takes A Village - kitthekazoo

49k, 35/35, Sterek, Mpreg, Dad Stiles, Dad Derek, Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Cora Hale/Isaac Lahey, Family, Hurt/Comfort

Stiles's used to yogurt handprints on his shirts from where he picked her up, and he's used to snot on his shoulders and neck from where she cried after a bad dream. He's used to her legendary tantrums when she doesn't get her way, her eyes glowing ferocious gold. He's used to being the village it takes to raise her, and the pack she longs for.

Except, he needs the pack's help, and Derek's protection when a particularly power-hungry pack wants his cub. And he isn't used to sharing.

#amy's fic rec #bbc sherlock #sherlock fic rec #johnlock #bbc merlin #merwaine #merlin fanfic #sterek #stiles stilinski #derek hale #john watson #sherlock holmes #arthur pendragon

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mortalityplays · 1 year

Text

I worked for an accountant for a while and it largely wasn’t a terrible job, except for every constituent thing I had to do and the people I worked with and the location. I had to take two buses to reach the office, which was situated in an office park sandwiched between a highway and a very muddy riverbank, and my boss was always mildly annoyed by my lateness no matter how early I arrived, because my job was to do her job and she couldn’t leave until I got there. She didn’t trust me with the key (even though she would disappear for the rest of the day the moment I arrived), so she would get up at the crack of dawn to unlock the office, then sit there drinking coffee and sending me pissy texts asking what time I would be in. I was contracted to start at 11am, which within the first two days became 9am. I was contracted to be her apprentice, which translated to watching her work for a few days and then doing it all myself while she ‘took meetings’ in town.

Anyway.

I didn’t mind the actual accounting because. as the previous poster accurately described, it was basically the world’s worst ugliest stickiest most unsolveable sudoku. It was a game of putting numbers in spreadsheets until they looked close enough to accurate that the government wouldn’t get mad. Our best client would save invoices, cheque stubs and receipts in random envelopes, in no particular order, and then deliver them in bundles every few months when they realised tax season would eventually happen. They ran a successful construction firm and used local suppliers, and most of the time with a wish and a prayer it was possible to triangulate the numbers. The worst client ran an organic café, and would come into the office once a week and empty her pockets for us. Her paperwork was mostly handwritten, always sticky, and often either inaccurate or incomplete. It was always, always in a completely random order so that I had to create a kind of manual sorting algorithm for her drawer in the filing cabinet where I could cross-reference date order and what collection of papers did this arrive with, which were somehow always unrelated but also necessary to make sense of her vendor relationships. Once I asked her if she had any knowledge of a sizeable outgoing that had no associated invoice, and she said ‘no but I remember what that was, I can write one’.

We shared that office with another woman who ran her own civil engineering consultancy. Since my boss generally left at 9am and reappeared around 4 or 5pm, I spent most days working in quiet companionship with her. Just kidding, every day was a fucking gauntlet. She was ‘spiritual’ in the sense that her belief system was arcane and completely unmappable. For instance, she believed that she was a direct descendant of the wizard Merlin, and had a complex timetable of work that took into account the phases of the moon so that every client project she took on would be as efficiently auspicious as possible. Anything important that she had to do during the day had to be done at 1pm exactly (according to the battery operated office wall clock), and she had to remove her shoes to work ‘so that energy could flow through her’. She was absolutely fascinated by the video game World of Warcraft, and would ask me very involved questions about the lore and cultures of the various factions. I think at some point she’d heard that the game had ‘shamans’ in it and accordingly became very taken by the idea that the whole thing was a veiled allegory to secret systems of energy and spirit communication in the real world. She also really, really, really liked Neil Diamond, which put me in the daily position of having to decide whether to put on one of the two Neil Diamond CDs for the 49th time or listen to seven uninterrupted hours of whatever she had going on.

I quit when college started. Overall not the worst job I ever had.

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aceofwhump · 1 year

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Well it finally happened. Finally caught covid for the first time 😭. Got any favorite whumpy eps/movies to rec to keep me busy? ❤

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that! I hope you feel better soon! Here's some stuff to keep you busy!

Whumpy episodes/shows/movies

Once Upon a Time has a lot good whump for various characters. I'm partial to Killian Jones and August Booth so I'd rec the following episodes: 2x12 killian hit by a car and broken ribs and handcuffed to hospital bed, 3x20 killian nearly drowned, season 5 killian covered in blood and tortured by hades, 4x16 has both hook and August whump

Hawaii Five-0 is a fav of mine. Specifically these episodes: 1x23 danny is poisoned, 4x19 danny and steve collapsed building, 5x07 major Steve whump, 6x25 steve shot, 8x10 danny shot in quarantine, 10x22 danny kidnapped and shot

Stargate SG-1for some great Daniel whump the og whump king: Need (2x05), Legacy (3x04), Meridian (5x21), The Light (4x08), The First Ones (4x08), Evolution (part 2) (7x12)

The A-Team 5x13 when Face is shot and held hostage

The movie The Man From U.N.C.L.E is both a fun movie to watch and has some good whump

The Martian. Just watch the Martian. It's so good

Burn Notice. I don't have specific episode recs but Michael Westen gets whumped often. Sometimes its tiny and sometimes its BIG and its always great.

Broadchurch for some excellent angsty, heart condition David Tennant

These three episodes of Bones: 1x15 when booth is in an explosion, 2x18 for some booth torture, 11x01 good whump too

These episodes of 9-1-1: 2x18 my fav. Trapped under an exploded fire truck, 3x01-3x03 the tsunami arc

Lucifer 4x05: Held hostage in Lux, shot in the stomach and is bleeding out in the club until he, Chloe, Eve, and Ella are rescued.

Graceland: Just the whole show really but check out 1x09/1x10 when he gets stabbed, 2x13 he gets shot, 3x01 aftermath of getting shot, 3x07 emotional whump, 3x08 the best! Withdrawal scene

BBC Merlin the whole show. 1x04 is a fav of mine. Merlin poisoned. 1x13 good Arthur whump, 4x02 and 5x08 more good merlin, and 5x13 for more arthur

#mod replies #ask #anon #whump recs

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beansterpie · 2 months

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B, D, J, L, T, U

Thanks for the ask moth!! <3

B - A pairing–platonic, romantic or sexual–that you initially didn’t consider, but someone changed your mind.

LMFAO Agohiru from ES21 😂 I remember when I first got into es21 back in highschool, Hiruma was my fav, but I didn't think much of Agon other than 'wow what an asshole!' and didn't like him. (Also I was a big Hirumamo shipper at the time, and I'm the type who clings onto One Ship for a character and isn't too interested in anything else lol) It wasn't until I got back into it in the last couple of years that I've come to appreciate how much fun it is to bat that asshole around, and just how loaded Hiruma and Agon's ~history~ is.

Though I guess no one person specifically changed my mind, unless you count past me vs present me lol. OH actually, what changed my mind was the fic "Independent Variable" on ff.net. I think I got back into es21 and was like 'you know, hiruma/agon totally has potential' and so was looking up fics of that pairing, and then I read that fic and was lost.

D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t.

Hmmmm oh, Merther (Merlin/Arthur) lol. Their set up as a ship is extremely juicy (two sides of the same coin?? fate ties them together??? conflict because their initial world views are diametrically opposed????) and there's soooo much fic for them, but. I just. I don't like Arthur 😭 Like, I mean, he's FINE. But the writing of the whole show is so inconsistent and there's entire seasons where he's just so shitty to Merlin for no damn reason in a way that I'm supposed to take as funny and silly which pisses me off more.

J - Name a fandom you didn’t think about until you saw it all over Tumblr. (You don’t have to care about it or follow it; it just has to be something that Tumblr made you aware of.)

I mean, most shows that have mainstream popularity that I never checked out lol, though I think one that I've seen a lot of shipping art for on my dash is Star Wars? I've seen the main movies, but I think this is from.... Clone Wars, or the Obi-wan show or something. I see a lot of Obi-wan shipped with... one of the clone guys I think lmfao.

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves.

Hmmmm this isn't even a character I dislike, but whatever-- Judeau! I like him a lot tbh but I also find him shady 😂

I like how his 'friend who gives good advice and just has your best interests at heart' vibe is subverted by his personal biases and emotions, even if he'd probably deny that lol. He's flawed and it colors the advice he gives, and he even has moments that I'd argue are kind of judgy. It's what makes him interesting!

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending?

Yes! Main one coming to mind rn because I've been thinking about Hiruma (ES21) a lot, is that Hiruma is on the ace spectrum! I'm usually pretty take-it-or-leave-it when it comes to sexuality headcanons, like I can buy most interpretations but I generally don't feel strongly about them, but with Hiruma I really struggle to see him as anything else.

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites.

OOHHHH. Well in Berserk, it's legit a tie between Guts and Griffith. I wouldn't like either one of them as much without the other in their orbit, and Berserk is one of those rare stories where both characters are really complex and compelling in their own way, and bring a lot of significant baggage into their dynamic lmfao. With Guts I love how sensitive he is, and the various ways in which he subverts and deconstructs the Macho Male Power Fantasy™ archetype, how at the end of the day he just wants someone to care about him and find worth in his existence. With Griffith, I love his ideals and his fragility in the face of the sacrifices those ideals demand from him, I love how much he cares and how much he gouges himself for caring, and how all of his stress and guilt and obligation still aren't any match for his love for Guts. And with both of them, I love how their upbringing informs their decisions so well to ruin everything even though they care about each other so much :')

w/ ES21, it's Hiruma lol which might be basic because he's everyone's fav, but for good reason! He's just fucking fun! I love how unhinged and demonic he is, I love the borderline slapstick loony-tunes tyle antics he gets up to, and I love his shamelessness. But I also love how accepting and realistic he is about his limitations, and how that doesn't stop him from striving for the top and going for what he wants. And like, for such an anime-level strategic genius type character, I love that such a core part of what makes him great is that he brings people together and uses teamwork and creativity to overcome everyone's various limitations. He's just-- so much fun!

And because this list is depressingly male lemme throw in a wild card-- Chase from Midnight Furies! It's a webcomic that I recently read for the first time, and Chase is the deuteragonist and a Hiruma expy lol. Which you can definitely tell, they both have the unhinged vibe and shark teeth, as well as the mysterious past and having a lot of cards up their sleeve, but I also think they're quite distinct. Obviously, Chase is a butch lesbian (which really does just add to her cool factor), but also I feel like Midnight Furies is a more grounded story compared to ES21, despite there being supernatural elements lol, and so Chase feels more grounded and realistic as a character. She's a bit more raw in her relationships to other people, and she shows vulnerability more, but she's also much more of a direct physical threat than Hiruma is. Because of that, she has moments where calculation gets thrown out the window in favor of a good ol' beat down, which of COURSE I love to see. And I think she has the capacity to be more ruthless. ANYWAY, awesome character, A+++ (please read Midnight Furies)

[alphabet ask meme]

#marley-manson #ask meme #sorry this took a while and i think i'm posting this when most of my mutuals are asleep lol #but ohhhhw ell

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