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doctordumblesstark · 21 days

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Things I loved about season 3 of Alex Rider

Yassen as Alex's mentor and guardian

Julia Rothman as the vengeful leader of Scorpia, she plays Alex and Yassen very well, pulling the strings behind their backs.

Mrs Jones. Just wow. Her scenes were so powerful, just all around impressive

Nile and Yassen's relationship

The water bottle fight. World class.

Alex being sassy and a little brat

Alex complying when Yassen declared the training over after refusing when previously told to stop.

Albert Bridge! The way they immersed Blunt and Alex in showing what really happened was a wonderful piece of film work.

The planning of the operations Alex carries out with Yassen, just gave me so many Devilverse vibes

The department actually having Alex's back and them working together. Especially the rescue mission from the home secretary.

Alan Blunt getting character development and not just being a cartoonish bad guy as he is in the books. I actually prefer this more rounded version of Blunt

The action scenes were better choreographed, more visually impactful and really well done. The overall mix of action, dialogue, stealth, drama and humour just was well done

Malagosto. Not surprising that with how they have chosen to depict the department (in constant darkness!) Malagosto would be underground, but it really worked well with the aesthetics they have chosen and makes sense in the universe. Also the rivalry between Alex and the others... I'd be worried too if the newbie gets a single room when I have to share with the others ;)

Scorpia's threat level. They are a really well balanced opponent to the department, making them hard to take down and in charge and control for most of the season with the department having to work incredibly hard to take them down

A great balance between technology/gadgets and old school spying. Really felt realistic and good use of Kyra, Smithers and Scorpia tech without it becoming a trope like Batman's utility belt

The overall more rounded off storytelling approach and more realistic character representation

Things I thought were unrealistic or unbelievable

Jay not knowing his brother is into film, when he clearly knows Tom and Alex are not going to the beach. Tom's character is shown again and again as a film buff and we all know his desire for pursuing a film career

Also felt weird of dropping that in and then never resolving that storyline. What was Jay's purpose other than some comic relief and one piece of wisdom and for Tom to show he chooses Alex over himself?

Jack saying "if Alex can do spy shit so can we". What an utterly stupid line. That's not how it works, Alex is trained and has skills you guys don't have. There are many good reasons Alex is good at this and not many for the rest of you to think you'd be too.

Kyra saying to Tom not to say anything to the police and then answering the police officer after Jack has already essentially freed them

The whole conversation between Jones and Jack in the garage was confusing. It felt like they switched roles halfway through.

#alex rider #alex rider series #alex rider season 3 #alex rider spoilers #yassen gregorovich #mrs jones #alan blunt #tulip jones #julia rothman #scorpia

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writingonjorvik · 3 months

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The After Stories

So I was musing to myself about how I thought narratively the Soul Riders were most likely to be set up as more cyclical characters for what I think the next major story arc is most likely to be, what I called the Witch Wars arc in this ask response, and I ended up doing more than the Soul Riders, so I figured I'd share those thoughts.

I'll start with the Soul Riders since I've put the most thought into their arcs, also they're the most important characters right now, so it makes the most sense. I really only think one of the Soul Riders should be in the next story arc as a major character, for a number of reasons, though I doubt that'll be the case. I'm also following the assumption that, based on what we've been told in plot about severing the connection between Pandoria and Jorvik meaning the Soul Riders will lose their powers, that after Garnok is defeated, the connection Aideen created with Pandoria is cut and they don't have magic, or they only have whatever magic is left.

Easiest first, Lisa. I think Lisa is going to return to her music career and take time to recover. Personally, I think the writers need a step back from Lisa. She went from being what I had always thought was the leader of the group in SSL (and in the books) to her country redesign and her being largely the party healer. And I think there is a really good story arc to have there. Not to lean into the trope that metal and rock are symbolic of rebellious phases, but I think there's a story you can tell about the eras of Lisa's music genres being reflections of her stages of grief, the more punk genres being her rage followed by her return to country music as acceptance, a connection with her mother, and a way to maintain that connection as she processes that grief. I think a lot of folks will conflate stadium & pop country with classic country music which does also hold a lot of punk values which sets her up for a return, but I also think a step back from Lisa post all of the crazy would give her time to recover and take that symbolism and make it material. So I think she should take a more minor role in the next story arc.

Second easiest, Linda should not be a major player in the Witch Wars arc. Firstly, Linda is arguably the Soul Rider we've spent the most time with. It makes sense why, she's an easy lore dump character, but that also is a reason why in it of itself. If Linda is always our source of worldbuilding, there isn't an opportunity for other characters to provide information that feels relevant, and also it takes that opportunity away from the player character to discover in their own exploration. But the biggest reason I think is that Linda has probably had the least amount of time to pursue her own personal goals. There is absolutely a story there to tell about how major achievement is a personal scale, you don't need to achieve the world in order to be successful, but I don't think that's a story SSO will tell and it also falls a little flatter when Linda is part of the team that did save the world from Garnok. But comparably, Linda has the least amount of achievement to her name. Like, imagine being able to see the future, not to mention be unquestionably intelligent, with very clear goals of going to university and pursuing your interests and expanding your skills as a writer, saving the world and then watching all of your friends' dreams of reality come true. Visions made material. Lisa's music career, Anne's success as a dressage rider, a model, going on to be a vet, Alex being set up to take over a culturally significant organization (which I'll come back to), and you. Seeing all of it, and never getting there. And then the visions start to go away. There was already the moral question of could Linda use her powers to cheat, not that she would, but I imagine the guilt of the idea probably prevented her from pursuing entry exams because, she could. See the future to see the exam answers to study perfectly. And the fear of it prevents her from applying. And now her powers are leaving, she has the chance to be honest about it again. To provide she was more than her role as the Moon Soul Rider. She deserves to take it and come back to the story a more fulfilled person.

Alex has a good opportunity to be semi-present. She has been set up to take Elizabeth's place and with the defeat of Garnok, there's finally enough breathing room to do so. Yes, I'm sure the druids will be thrown into more ordeals with the fallout of their magic, which leads into the Witch Wars and pursuing answers there, but someone has to take up the mantle now that the chaos of Garnok is passed. And we were told that was Alex. It's a huge responsibility shift for her too, one she's going to have to learn on the job. I'm sure she'll receive help but it's not like she can go to school for how to be the leader of a magical organization. And it's not like her predecessor is there to guide her. There's also the existing tradition that she's breaking by taking Elizabeth's place as the Lightning Soul Rider becoming the Keeper's leader, where the Sun Soul Rider would normally take that place. But these are unprecedented times, the druids are losing a major part of their magic, so maybe it's time for a change. I think that sets Alex up well to be both present in the story, as the leader of the druids supporting us, the PC, going to learn more about witch magic to help the druids, but also take a step back. She has to stay in Valedale now, be a present leader and coordinator. But of course, it's Alex, she's bound to show up for big confrontations.

Which leaves Anne as the last Soul Rider. And I think she remains present. She's the Soul Rider we got the least amount of time with, but she also has the least reason to settle down. She still has a lot of grief to process from her imprisonment. And, as I said in my last post, I don't think we will kill the Generals. They might die in losing Garnok as like, their life source, but I don't think we will kill them directly. I'll get more into them later, but at the very least, I think Darko survives and Sands dies. And that right there sets Anne up perfectly. In a post Garnok world, in a world without magic, and the man chiefly responsible for her imprisonment is still out there. If anyone is going to be desperate for her magic back, it's Anne. There is still an angry part of her that cannot rest, and so when magic starts to fade and the PC pursues answers with the witches, Anne is right there. Not to mention, if we do get a new quadrant of the map, portal magic would be great for teleporting in and then reconnecting physically after main story shenanigans through North Link. But particularly after we've seen Anne proving she's not only back, but she's among some of the most powerful Sun Soul Riders in history, losing that would be devastating. Anne pursues answers about magic, and is our primary ally moving forward from the original cast.

Also in all of this, the Guardians. We don't know if in losing their Soul Rider powers the Guardians survive (I think they will), but we don't know if the Soul Riders will be able to talk to them. Like does Aideen's Gift maintain itself. Of all the Soul Riders, Anne probably has the most experience of not being able to talk to her horse, and so I see her thriving in this condition of still being able to connect with Concorde in a way none of the other Soul Riders can because of her time working with Concorde as a foal. And I see that causing a rift with the Soul Riders too as suddenly Anne is the odd man out again, and now that their grief in losing that particular connection is broken, there is some true feelings coming out about how they expect Anne to help in a way she only ever got resistance or correction for feeling with Concorde.

Quick ones off the list next:

Fripp goes to sleep. I don't know if he dies, I think he probably like. Does whatever Aideen did and fades into the magic of the world. I think he comes back, but without the connection to Pandoria, he can't maintain his consciousness without more magic. It also gets him off the table for the same reasons I think Linda should back seat, he knows too much and that takes away from the player's ability to discover.

Avalon dedicates himself to supporting Alex in taking over the leadership role. He's more confident now and speaks up for her against the rest of the council and commits himself as her primary ally and mentor within the druids.

Evergray is going back to the North with us. Without a connection to Pandoria, he is still a magic researcher. Possibly even tasked with finding another connection back to Pandoria, which leads to whatever he was doing in the North. He also has the most connection with witches there.

Rhiannon is also going back to the North. She's a Warden, she knows more about magic outside of the Circles from her proximity to the witches, and the Wardens aren't, kinda aren't, are something other than druids. Not to mention, if the connection with Pandoria cuts off magic and possibly losing Aideen's Gift, Rhiannon is the most set up to help reestablish this connection. I think it will, it's Aideen's Gift to Jorvik, it was her own magic, but there's a plot there to connection with the Wardens.

Ydris leaves. I know he's the game's Internet sexy man, but we've honestly seen very little of him since Fripp's recovery and we know his goal is to save his home. If the connection is broken, Ydris goes home to Pandoria. He can return in a later arc, with I think what would be fitting, a redesign of his original model since time is soup there, but I see very little for him to do in a witch arc unless he can't make it back home, which does have potential in him being a begrudging ally as he's made like. Semi-human from being cut off from Pandoria.

Mrs. Holdsworth and Sive are obvious, it's called the Witch Wars arc, they would be joining as major characters. Great opportunity too to introduce Marzipan from concept work from forever ago here as our young witch companion.

I think Justin should get a baby arc just to give him a better ending. He should go train with the Wild Whispers before going to train with Herman.

Speaking of Herman, he comes back briefly because his brother, Coyote, is in northwest Jorvik, so that gives us a connection into the not magic stories and exploring the cities there. Also, that sets up CHILL to come in with GED and we can have that semi-mundane arc too.

On to bad guys!

GED first, there's no reason why these guys wouldn't be back or even thriving without DC competing with them. They're low stakes bad guys, they've been basically run out of southwest Jorvik, they're very likely to be back in a new region.

I already said it, Mr. Sands dies. Look, his wife is dead, the devil he made a pact with dies, and he was human. There is no reason that he survives unless we get the redemption arcs I've discussed before happen, which are not remotely set up in the story. The man is death flagged, I don't make the rules. Turns to dust, bye.

Darko survives. I think having Darko be less present now means he can be set up to do the whole take over the vacuum when Sands is gone. Maybe he sees the writing on the wall, this is a kids' game and Garnok is going to lose. So he stops trying to go for Sands and bides his time. And when that happens, guess who steps in. A magic inventor with the remnants of resources to continue to be a problem and no competition anymore to do so. The rest of DC is goons, now he gets to horde a black market of magic to himself. DC dissolves, all the assets relocated before charges could be pressed. No charges to press on a dissolved company, the leading members of the board dead in a freak accident of their own making, there's no one there to hold responsbile. And Darko wasn't a General, he was just their inventor, conveniently missing from records, assumed dead, ready to be a main antagonist in the next arc under a new evil corporation.

I don't think all the Dark Riders die. The least likely is Erissa. She has gone through so many iterations just to finally get released, Erissa survives. Escapes capture even. Blends in, disappears, starts whispering into powerful ears. She becomes a problem. She also looks like a kid, they're not going to kill her for a slew of age rating reasons.

Because that's the thing, the Dark Riders aren't human. They're different kinds of aliens, by our best guesses. From different worlds too. Katja's ice world and Sabine's dark star are not the same places. If anyone survives the break from the pact with Garnok, it's these four.

Jessica is iffy, she is arguably the least developed. Of any of the Dark Riders to team up with Darko, I see it being Jessica. She reads as having a need for control, and suddenly cut off from her magic, either from being more injured than the others or the loss of the portals powered by Pandoria's magic, I think a reluctant deal with Darko for some scraps of magic to survive, that's where Jessica lands.

Katja leaves. She does not care about people. Of anyone in the story to become a permanent cryptid, it's Katja. She just goes back to being the Ice Witch of Icendell, if not through that portal. She's here because of her pact with Garnok, I see no reason for her to stay. She isolates herself until she can recover enough power to be a menace again.

Sabine is difficult but I see her as the character the community most wants to have a redemption arc (for various reasons), as well as the story setting up the most for a redemption arc, but I don't know if SSO would go there. Sabine has a riding club, she's made connections, however trivial to her now, on Jorvik. And something else, she's discovered a new kind of power, one she could never possess on her Dark Star home. People, control over people, working together to achieve more power. There is no civilization to control back home, it's a world of beasts, hunters, predators, there is no civilization, nothing to control, just survival. There are here. And so while I see her probably still being fairly narcissistic about it, I also see a story where Sabine recognizes that she can only have that kind of authority if she protects this new home. Very Greed from FMA kind of character twist. So she is a partial ally then, but it opens the door for more opportunities of, maybe not altruism, but more potential for good.

I think that's everyone who's a primary NPC. But let me know who I missed. Or if you think otherwise.

#star stable #woj theories #star stable online #sso #starstableonline #starstable #ssoblr #sso blr

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sso-maev · 3 months

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Story quest thoughts!!!

Biggest impression I got from the quest is that the team has a direction for where they want to take the story. Which like finally. The quests being called “beginning of the end” really signifies to me that they’re not gonna keep stalling with the story anymore. The stakes are going up and it really feels like we’re nearing the end of the main story quests, at least the story we’ve been following.

Speaking of stakes, omg we actually bombed the DC headquarters. Went over this in a previous post but like. Sso has NEVER made a previously permanent area inaccessible. Im gonna miss the platform and emo crust-Justin (Gone but not forgotten❤️) but honestly? This was such a great way to make the scale of the battle so much larger. Also it does make sense to me that the HQ never actually drilled for oil. Dark core has other establishment that I’m sure were actually doing legit business, but since all the workers on the oil rig are robots anyway and it’s the location of the portal, it makes sense that they reserve the HQ for just the magic shenanigans.

Anne never hesitating to use her powers in the most dangerous way possible will never cease to be funny to me. Go queen commit whatever atrocities you need to. But I honestly think everyone was pretty well written in terms of dialogue. Anne takes a major risk with her powers, and it results in her getting the revenge she wanted. Alex isn’t only used as an engine for comedy, and I really like the bit where she expresses remorse for leaving us to face the dark riders on our own. Linda gets a lot more screentime than I expected, and she really reminds me of her book counterpart in these quests. The DR have nearly killed her so many times and she’s just not afraid of them at this point. She has this confident assertiveness to her that we don’t really see as much when she’s talking to friends, outside of short quips. Lisa is the only one who didn’t get that much through these quests, but I’ve kind of gotten used to that at this point. I can project my headcannons onto her regardless

Surprisingly I was also really fond of the soul horses this time! Concorde and Tincan had some really nice ominous foreshadowing to their dialogue (Runestones hasnt been used since WHAT dark times Tincan???????) and both Meteor and Starshine had some fun dialogue

The DR are always just so great. You don’t understand I love Jessica more than anything in this world. Her telling Katja to “do the thing” and it’s just them riding over an already iced river is absolutely wonderful. And oh my god the ENDING. Its so cinematiccccc. Mr sands is back after what. 7 years?? Insane. The three hits on the tree, the glowing red runes of the hammer, Sabines full name of general Malumi, Erissa sommersaulting out of the portal LIKE. The questline was short but it was so packed with new story developments. The soul riders think theyve won while the dark riders welcome their fourth general come onnn.

So Darko is dead right? Like if they were gonna bring him back they would at this point. I do wish they found a way to integrate him here, and if not that introduce him earlier in the game. I don’t really care that much about him as a character, but him being introduced as relevant, killing Elizabeth and then never being talked about again isn’t really the conclusion I want.

But overall I really liked the quests. Everyone felt in character, we got really impactful cutscenes, and the story is progressing in a way thats both natural and really exciting. I can’t wait to see whats gonna happen now that the HQ is gone and the dark riders are complete.

#sso #star stable online #star stable

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lilac-landscapes · 2 years

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Ian Rider Was Not Training a Spy, He Was Protecting His Remaining Family the Only Way He Knew How

Ian Rider loved his nephew. It’s a given with the way he is remembered in the books and yet again with how he is portrayed in the recent show. He took every safety precaution with his nephew, the beginning of Stormbreaker meticulously goes over how Ian was a stickler for safety. Even though he was quiet and self-contained, he kept up with Alex’s schoolwork and hired Jack so he wouldn’t be alone while Ian was gone (a huge move, considering most kids whose parents are always gone for work just leave takeout in the fridge, or some microwaveable meals)

It was said Alex was a handful growing up, and suggested that the best way for him and Ian to connect was through sports. Ian, whose job was very physical, could give Alex’s energy a run for its money.

Considering the languages Ian had Alex learn is interesting in itself. Ian had the means and opportunity to teach his kid useful life skills. Children who grow up knowing more than one language tend to do better and have greater opportunities. Ian was always traveling, so having Alex learn local languages and customs makes sense on many levels. Ian making Alex argue only in certain languages, or ask for permission in others was most likely thrown in as a funny throwaway line. Examining it more, it’s a useful way to ensure Alex retained his ability to use that language when there was no one else around who could speak it.

Now, Alex’s parents were killed by Scorpia as direct retaliation for John being an MI6 spy. Both Helen and John were killed because of his job. Little Alex was saved because of an ear infection that meant he was unable to fly.

Picture this: You are Ian Rider, a single man whose brother and sister-in-law were just assassinated, and have been given guardianship over your only remaining family. A baby, your baby.

You are Ian Rider. You are also a spy, you carry the same title that got your brother and your nephew’s mother killed. You look to your last remaining family and realize that you’re all he’s got left, as much as he’s all you’ve got.

You are Ian Rider and most of your family was killed by a man they trusted.

Ian wanted Alex to always be safe, and maybe that means teaching him advanced self defense in case Ian’s job or the Rider surname ever compromised them. Maybe that means making sure he’s prepared for any situation, so that when time catches up to Ian, Alex won’t be so unprepared to save himself.

Yes, the skill sets are similar. When you fight fire with fire, you begin to notice similarities.

Finally, let’s examine who says what. It is stated by Jones that Ian was training Alex for this. Consider the source. MI6 was making plans to use Alex before Ian’s body was even cool. They wanted him bad. What better way to pull at the heartstrings of a child than to insist that this is was his recently deceased parent would have wanted. MI6 are unreliable narrators. In fact, most adult characters in the book series are shown to be unreliable narrators. Blunt and Jones play the field. They are, after all, master spies. Anything they say that is supposed to look like the truth should be taken with a whole box of salt.

A parting question: Why would Ian train his nephew for something he worked so hard to keep him away from? Ian never once let his cover story slip. Even when Alex was old enough to understand, he kept it from him. Why? Perhaps because he wanted Alex to grow up and have a normal life, and to choose a normal career. If Ian had really wanted this for Alex, there most likely would have been more career-tailored ways of going for it.

TL;DR Ian Rider love him nephew.

#there’s so much I could say on the subject #Alex rider #ian rider #jack starbright #alan blunt #tulip jones #point blanc #stormbreaker #tempo posting #tempo watches alex rider

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jenna-louise-jamie · 1 month

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thinking about yassen gregorovich instead of sleeping (because i love him) and how he is a catalyst. yassen stabbs ash -> ash kills john rider -> ian rider raises alex -> yassen kills ian rider -> mi6 blackmails alex into becoming a teenage spy.

i have so many thoughts that i can't properly articulate. obviously this is a simplified chain of events, but yassen and his choices set off a chain reaction of the world's most unfortunate dominos. especially when you read russian roulette. to be clear im not necessarily trying to blame him for everything because that feels very mean. he was also just a 14 year old kid when everything in his life went wrong, just like alex. only difference being yassen literally had no one.

i think i should write an essay about this because i haven't even gotten into my thoughts about what yassen and alex's dynamic would look like past eagle strike. i would imagine it'd be similar to ellie and joel from the last of us part 2.

where obviously yassen loves alex and alex on some level cares for yassen back but struggles to reconcile that with the fact that yassen is responsible for his uncle's death. a very unforgivable act. it would be so messy and complicated and angsty, because on one hand here is an adult who truly cares about him and has a connection with him through his father. yassen could tell alex about john, and trust that yassen truly wants whats best for him. but he killed ian, and he cannot take that back.

while alex reels from those feelings, yassen is also trying to reconcile his love of alex with the knowledge that he on some level is responsible for the suffering alex endured at the hands of mi6. and possibly even the fact that alex's godfather is the one who killed john and helen.

#btw i think anthony horowitz killed yassen off so he wouldnt have to deal with this lmao #and sidenote ash is responsible for his own shitty choices but i think itd be difficult for yassen to cope with the fact that stabbing ash #led to some very bad consequences for literally everyone #are there any fics that are similar to what im describing?? ?#i read a ton of alex rider fics but i mostly read fluff because im actually too emotionally fragile to handle angst #i cried while reading stormbreaker and that book wasnt even supposed to be sad #if this is doesnt make any sense its because i woke up at 2 am and wrote this #its just word vomit; pure not proofread thoughts directly from my fucked up little brain #idk maybe someone will enjoy reading this #alex rider #yassen gregorovich #alex rider books #ian rider #john rider #chaotic ramblings #and final note i do not ship yalex #i was thinking of this more in terms of yassen having a weird guardian/parental relationship with alex #if it wasnt clear from my ellie and joel reference from the last of us #anyways im gonna go back to making shitposts and memes so i never have to feel anything again thank you goodnight <3

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daddyplasmius · 2 years

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So, you wanna know about Flying Over the Pit of Death, aka Magpie AU

Hi, it's me, Plasma, also known as fuckinart & daddyplasmius, here to introduce a little project I've been working on since 2020 (but the AU of which has been haunting me since 2016) called Flying Over the Pit of Death, or as I call it, FOtPoD, the Magpie AU.

On top of the panic, the anxiety, the disbelief, Danny thinks idly to himself that he has always wanted to fly. After an accident with his parents’ Portal, Danny Fenton finds himself no longer human in more ways than one.

I would like to say first that Magpie AU is 100% a crack AU that I accidentally started taking way too seriously, because I find identity shenanigans & losing your sense of self & humanity to be the perfect recipe for angst. The original idea that inspired Magpie AU was something called Bird AU by @rest-in-peachs & you can find the original Bird AU post here, though I used almost nothing from the original & added a whole lot more, hence the renaming to Magpie AU.

The fic itself is called Flying Over the Pit of Death, which is based on the quote, "We go down into the pit of death and feel the waters of annihilation close above our heads and wake thinking to find ourself in the presence of angels." by Virginia Woolf (which I now see is the incomplete version)

So, what actually is FOtPoD? Well, there's 3 main things you need to know about Magpie AU first:

Danny goes through the Portal Accident aloneーSam & Tuck aren't there. This is a No One Knows AU.

Danny's arm & leg are damaged from the Accident & he is held back by this in human form. He has chronic pain & limited mobility. And,

The whole reason for, well, everything, Danny's ghost form is a (ghostly) magpie. He can't shapeshift any more than he can in canon, he's just a magpie when he goes ghost now. There is no real reason for this.

So, again, what is FOtPoD? I explained the AU, but this doesn't really say anything about the fic itself, & the description is pretty vague.

To put it simply, FOtPoD is a pseudo-rewrite, with each part based on actual canon episodes. It focuses a lot on Danny's struggles with how humanーor inhumanーhe is post Accident, his degrading mental health, & his straining relationship with his friends & family while attempting to keep his hoard of secrets from them. Also, because I can't make Danny entirely alone here, he gets some crow friends, hence the art of him surrounded by crows.

If you haven't caught on already, this is heavily inspired by Animorphs since that's what I was reading when I gave in & began writing FOtPoD, as well as the Alex Rider book series which inspired the more current version & really helped me figure out how to write that particular mental health downward spiral.

So, what's to be expected? I've already planned & mapped out 12 parts, 60 chapters in whole, as well as a mini comic thing based on one of the later chapters which was actually one of the first chapters I'd planned & wrote.

Currently, I'm deep into editing & rewriting FOtPoD to better fit my plans & the themes for the third time, so posting it is looking a lot like

in the meantime, I'm going over my older fic, Phantom, for reasons, which be will updated regularly for the next 10-ish weeks on Wednesdays/Thursdays, & uh, expect more FOtPoD (& generally DP) art I guess xD

#Danny Phantom #Magpie AU #FOtPoD #Flying Over the Pit of Death #Bird AU #I also have other plans for other DP things #going into the woods where I shant have much internet so I'll be working no FOtPoD 100%#which I need to be doing because I've been procrastinating T-T #it's just really annoying having to rewrite the beginning again even though I really want the new one #anyway I don't think there's anything more to say. might make a better post later with like. my actual designs drawn out #like a little information pamphlet #because I Do have official designs. the ''who're your friends'' is basically it for Danny & the crows if you're curious #okay I have to shower & leave goodbye enjoy all of whatever this is & if you got questions feel free to ask

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lastlymatt · 2 years

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Alex Rider Rewatch S1 Ep 1

I already mentioned this, but the fact that Yassen rolls up with the name Gregor plastered all over him is peak comedy.

The whole scene between Michael and Parker Roscoe is just the right amount of off. They are clearly not close, but you can tell it's because Michael Roscoe is creeped out by his son (for a good reason). I really like the setup to his death and the rest of the plot, but his death is so out there?? With hologram technology, that's only going to be mentioned once more and be instantly forgotten, which is a major shame.

And we have our first Yassen murder! 6.5/10 not that visually exciting, but the method was cool, and so was his outfit.

The opening song IS SO GOOD. I've been listening to it on repeat.

I love how Alex's first line is "not doing it", my precious reluctant spy boy. Also, this Tom? Chef's kiss, amazing, great energy, great outfit, but I have the constant urge to pull his beanie down over his eyes.

"But the laaadiesss", and then Alex proceeds to get absolutely zero concrete romance plots. No kisses for him, and I find it rather refreshing.

We get a showcase of Alex's skills, and it's a fun teaser for what's to come. Also, he has definitely broken into school before.

Oh Ian, why do you have to be such an ass? I'm glad that we do get to see him interact with Alex and Jack before he dies, and I like just how mundane his last interactions with them are. It's more than what we got in the books. Also, this Jack is amazing and a major mood. Ian is some spy, though, if he doesn't notice he's being served takeout.

The back-and-forth between the party and the warehouse is an interesting contrast. Martin is immediately shady as hell. I don't have much to say about the party outside of the fact that it captures the feeling of normalcy very well, which is kind of the point.

But the warehouse scene, oh my god. It's Yassen's 2nd murder! 10/10 Ian, we barely knew ye, but that Yas hit like a gut punch. Also, absolute bastard behaviour towards Wilby. I support that 100%. I enjoy how ominous Yassen is if you haven't read the books.

Alex hearing the news is such a good scene oh my god the acting is amazing. Someone wrap him in a blanket.

Is anyone else reminded of vultures when Jones, Blunt, and Crawley are standing over Ian's body?

"First his parents, now his uncle" I like this line to bring all viewers up to speed on the Rider's history in espionage, but if I didn't know any better, I'd think his mom was a spy too.

While I did watch the series first and read the books second, I am very happy with how they modernised it because some things feel very dated, especially in the first few books, and the seatbelt thing was always weird to me. Going over the speed limit makes a lot more sense, and the way Alex discovers what happened is incredibly smart and well-adapted.

Not sure where the decision came from to make mi6, not really mi6?? Why is it The Department now, and why do their headquarters look like they belong in a horror game? Alan Blunt, my beloathed.

THIS FUCKING SCENE

JUST BRILLIANT

The confusion, the chaos, the way Alex doesn't even need to call for them to all instantly disappear. Now that's a scary scene. I am stealing it for RPG purposes.

8/10 amazing first episode if I didn't know whump was coming, I would've been hooked anyway.

#Matt's AR rewatch #alex rider

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icebluecyanide · 15 days

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Alex Rider pre-S03E08 Thoughts

Because I once again had a full night to sleep on the episodes and obsess over them, here’s some more thoughts before I watch the finale:

I had a sudden ‘one fear’ meme moment when I realised that maybe Yassen did actually know about John already, but Julia didn’t know that he knew when she told him about it. Like, maybe he’s just not obsessed about revenge and still considered John his friend despite John being a secret agent. I guess there could be another reveal next episode, though gosh this story has already been complicated enough what with them spreading the reveals out. I suppose it doesn’t make too much of a difference for Yassen if he’s determined not to be emotional about it, but I’m not a fan of how it would mean he lied to Alex about his dad dying.

I think that if you join a secret criminal organisation, they should at least take your phone away and isolate you from your friends

Thinking about that ep where the data scientist dies and Smithers says something about the cover story being that it’s a car accident and that she wasn’t wearing her seatbelt. Which is an Ian reference of course, but ironically, in the show what they told Alex was that Ian was speeding.

I’m fascinated by how they moved the John was a spy reveal closer. In the book it was sort of strangely added on at the end there, but I did like Alex acting like his dad without realising it and how he actually ended up disillusioned with John in the book before Mrs Jones tells him the truth. Loved the Father’s son thing in the show a lot tho, but I do wonder what Alex thinks Mrs Rothman wants from him. Like, he doesn’t know about the nanoparticles yet, but he has to know that she wants him dead, right?

We haven’t actually heard the names Cossack and Hunter yet (or at least I didn’t), so I guess maybe they left those out. I guess they were always sort of just there so we wouldn’t know it was Yassen and Alex’s unnamed dad in the Eagle Strike prologue, since I don’t think either of the names were mentioned in Scorpia the book, but still a shame.

Also I haven’t finished the show yet, but I do prefer the book when it comes to everything around Mrs Jones’s assassination and the immediate aftermath and Blunt’s interrogation. The show is not mean enough to Alex sometimes, and refuses to seriously engage with the idea that Alex joined Scorpia and planned to kill her.

I hope Julia Rothman gets her ‘give me your gun’ moment where she shoots one of the guards with his own weapon.

Interesting how even Blunt didn’t know about who set the bomb on the plane, but makes sense with them thinking Scorpia was done for and destroyed.

What if there’s a stand off with Nile and Alex and Yassen like in the John/Yassen flashback? No idea how it would work exactly, but it would be cool. Yassen can save Alex’s life!

#alex rider spoilers #alex rider tv #alex rider tv spoilers #alex rider s3 #cyan watches alex rider s3 #not me deciding to spread these out and then being too busy to post them #anyway some real dramatic irony in these predictions/hopes

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oakashandwillow · 26 days

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20 Questions for Writers

Tagged by @bywayofmemory

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 91. A couple of those are 3SF compilations.

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 115,642

3. What fandoms do you write for? Narnia, mostly. Used to write some Supernatural, Doctor Who but mostly in crossovers. Once we get into 3SF or "i've written this like once" - Star Wars (Mandalorian & Andor/Rogue One in particular), Battlestar Galactica, original stuff, Alex Rider, The Locked Tomb, Mass Effect, DC Comics, Middle Earth (movies, all books, Rings of Power), MCU - a lot. Twilight because of my "what if Renesmee was not... what Meyers wanted her to be" series.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Whose Other Side Is Salvation. Narnia/Doctor Who. Susan and the Doctor run.

we have to go on living. Young Justice. He can't hold it together forever. Robin, post-Failsafe.

to go nowhere with you. Torchwood/Narnia. "Minotaur," Edmund corrects automatically. Edmund/Ianto, time loops, minotaurs, coffee, and rift archaeology of sorts.

give me a world, you have taken the world i was. Hardy Boys. Joe wakes up alone in the dark. Things get worse from there, which sucks, because Frank is supposed to be home from college for Christmas break today.

Secrets Kept. Young Justice. Artemis knows Robin's secret. Spoilers through Young Justice 1x08.

5. Do you respond to comments? I... am nowhere as good as I would like to be at it.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? ... considering all the Narnia and specifically Susan Narnia stories I write that is a hard call. Probably we have come to our real work. AU. When Peter and Lucy hunt the White Stag, Susan and Edmund are in Archenland. Things go downhill from there. It's pretty early in my fic career so it could be a lot better in terms of quality but it is probably the saddest ending I've written. In terms of saddest story that I'm actually proud of? Probably we should take warning, we should forgive each other. Narnia, Prunaprismia, the bitterness of loss and pride and decisions it seems like are the only ones you can make even though they aren't.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Do I.... do I write happy endings.

I suppose my Renesmee series has a pretty happy ending! between one June and another September. Twilight, Renesmee/Leah. Renesmee Cullen comes full circle and falls in love. Does not make much sense without having read the previous works in the series though.

OH wait i gave edmund/bacchus (Narnia) a happy ending in one year since i've seen the mountains. I can write things that are happy!

8. Do you get hate on fics? I am extremely under the radar for almost everything honestly so no! And tbh I just don't have patience for that so would probably just delete and block if it was properly hate.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I've written some, though it's pretty mild!

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Look, what haven't I crossed over with Narnia. Merlin (BBC), Doctor Who / Torchwood, Mary Poppins, The Dark Is Rising, The Library Trilogy. I've done Leverage/Supernatural and I don't even know what I've done in various 3SF rounds. If we're counting my RP days I had some WILD character interactions while playing Padme Amidala in particular.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? I doubt it? Never checked.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Once or twice! And podcasted once.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Several times! Only one is actively published and available as a fic though. Winds To Catch, Narnia/Mary Poppins, with @siterlas and animus in the city on A03. A Very Long Time Ago @bedlamsbard and I did like... an alarming amount of words on a BBC Merlin/Narnia crossover in commentfic. (Alarming for me who mostly writes like, maybe 1-2k a fic, not for Bed who's chapters number easily in the multiple thousands of words.) @siterlas and zempasuchil and I once wrote a bunch of AU BBC Merlin RPF commentfic where we wrote both the actors as if they were in a show about Marx and Engels instead and also parts of the fake show that they were in. Definitely various Supernatural and Narnia commentfic across the years. Probably more? Have also written friend fic for Las with Animus and Z. I also did a lot of RP stuff over the years! Which is cowriting though not in the sense we think of with fic.

Actually I really miss commentfic. It's so fun. I sometimes get to do it a little in 3SF but most people don't even know it's a thing you can do these days I think alas. Very informal collaboration is delightful!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? Yeah I can't answer that. I'm very bad at picking favorites, ever. If we're talking ships I actually write, Susan/Edmund (Narnia), Bo-Katan/Din (Mandalorian) and Kara/Lee (BSG) are probably my top three? But I love... so many ships.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I started a follow up to my Hardy Boys story and I've noodled with it occasionally and don't think I'll ever properly finish it.

16. What are your writing strengths? I have been told I'm really good at ending lines! I like to think I'm good at just character study.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Plot. Who needs a plot. What is a plot.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I do not trust myself to get it right at all so I just don't overall.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Depends if we count doing RP in which case it's Lord of the Rings. If it's straight fic, Narnia.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? My favorites land in very different categories, so I think I will pick the first fic I wrote that I properly felt "wait, I think I can be good at this writing thing" and still gets received well. this temporary flesh and bone. Narnia. Susan/Edmund. Susan, Edmund, and the zombie apocalypse in England.

I shall tag. @svgurl410 @lyntergalactic @liminal-zone @callowyn @ravenlilyrose

#fanfic #writing #narnia #it me

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nyxraex · 1 month

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Guess what I bought! (*SPOILERS*)

+ my two cents on it.

Ok, so I read this thing in about an hour or so, maybe half or even less, can't tell since I didn't pay any attention to the clock.

OVERALL:

Overall I think it's...meh. Not amazing but not horrible either. It's an ok book with a simple, easy-to-understand storyline and great art. I especially liked how the girls' powers were shown, since, y'know, it's something that's barely shown in-game.

It's pretty clear while reading as someone in my early 20s that it's meant for younger audiences, with how Alex is constantly going like "BUT WHAT ABOUT FOOD?!" even if they're on a mission (or maybe I'm just too serious of a person, idk. I d o u b t it.). The book also tries it's best to not get too serious by putting jokes and humour that can be either a hit or miss depending on what you find funny. Personally, while not funny enough to make be laugh, it did make the atmosphere more light-hearted.

The pacing in my opinion is a bit too fast, not giving the reader enough time to breathe so to say, meaning that there's a lot of dialogue instead of scenes where the characters are having a break from travelling (ok there is but they're a rarity).

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In my opinion the Soul Riders act how you'd expect them to based on how they speak and act in-game.

Surprisingly enough, while no one character is given the lead role, Lisa was the one with more relevancy, but considering that the plot revolves around a sickness/plague/withering, having the healer of the group more front-side makes sense.

Linda and Alex were the next most relevant, with Linda having a vision about what would more-or-less happen & figuring out what the creature chasing them is, with Alex mostly serving as comic(ayo)-relief until the end fight. Both of them being the more vocal ones (Alex especially) of the group also contributed to why they were more relevant.

Anne on the other hand was kind of just...there. She didn't really have much else to do other than tag along to unravel the mystery with the others and have her angsty moments about having been stuck in Pandoria and having (almost) lost Concorde. Like Alex, Anne had her time to shine during the end fight since their powers are more suited for combat than Lisa and Linda's.

The Guardian horses also are kinda just there, doing what horses do, except with more sentience. Heck they didn't even speak in the book.

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Bryann, one of the Keepers, serves as the main antagonist of the book and is the one who caused the sickness-plague thing, although accidentally, having tried to get back her horse after he was turned into a Lignos by her desperate attempt to save the dying horse.

Although I get where she was coming from, I have a hard time forgiving her. Not only did she willingly sacrifice Kora for the tree, she also almost killed the Soul Riders in an attempt to also sacrifice them AND their horses for the same tree to get her own horse back.

The biggest reason why I dislike Bryann is the same reason I disliked Anne after she was saved from Pandoria (up until the most recent quests). Selfishness. While it's easy to understand that both were/are in pain over the loss of they beloved horses and that it's going to cause trauma, it's the fact that they both were like 'I'M in pain. I want my best friend back.' and seemingly never thought about how their horses feel about what happened that drives me up the wall!

However the biggest gripe I have about the books ending in regards to Bryann is that while she does admit that she was wrong for not letting go & seemingly sacrifices herself to the tree so that Caliban (Bryann's horse) can be free, she never actually receives any consequences for her actions that put not only the Soul Riders but all of Jorvik in serious danger. The Soul Riders IMMEDIATELY forgive her (except Alex, but she doesn't really reprimand Bryann either...) and are like:

( Direct fin to eng translations by me; all 4 quotes are in succession in the book. )

"Bryann? I...We understand. You only tried to save your horse. Right?" - Lisa

"We understand, how it feels...Desperation is familiar to me too." - Anne

"The loss must have hurt, and it's okay. We are the only ones, who can understand that." - Linda, with tears in her eyes. (*bish W H A T???)

"Tell that to KORA." - Alex, looking annoyed. (*T H A N K Y O U!)

Like, I get that they want to say that 'Not all bad people are bad for no good reason' or something along those lines, and even I myself tend to be very forgiving to the point where all I need to hear is someone say sorry and visbly feel guilty to make me forgive, but what Bryann did warrants more than just a 'sorry' with the Soul Riders saying that they would have done the exact same thing. We needed more than a self-sacrifice.

If the Soul Riders had been rightfully mad at her whilst remaining understanding, telling Bryann just how majorly she screwed up, followed by her apology and self-sacrifice, THAT would have been enough for me to be happy with how the story ended. But no.

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Well, that's that. My brain can't handle anymore thinking.

#ssoblr #star stable #sso dark song #while the story wasn't that strong I don't really mind since the whole reason I even bought the book was so that I could stare at the art

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