#( anyways..... she's can use a sword in her main and most of her other verses so like why not apply that here? )
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GOD right yeah so the scrapped arg. this stuff is OLD, like, from 2018 ok. but even if it never went anywhere i did have a ton of fun coming up with the mechanics and story, and did a decent bit of groundwork for getting it set up, so this is a long post with a lot of images.
for a good long while i was kicking around the idea of a doing “double takeover” thing where, for one reason or another, annie would just be Not Around, and not the one answering questions. just suddenly switch to double shapeshifted as annie and never comment on it until someone tried to point it out. i did a handful of sketches exploring this.
the sword? you mean this sword that ive defintiely always had and didn’t just shapeshift out of my body? yeah it’s a cool sword.
i like to imagine double would just be really fucking salty about any praise annie gets too.
and then the inevitable heel turn when someone Did catch on and call her out.
it never really went anywhere because frankly annie’s too powerful for most forces in the sg universe to be able to keep her restrained somewhere against her will; there was a vague idea about her somehow having gotten separated from sagan, which would not only severely nerf her power but also provide prime angst material.
ultimately though it was all still just idle musings, until i started thinking about how i was gonna handle annie’s eventually being included in indivisible, and how to do asks with the characters in that game.
so first off, there was gonna be this whole Mechanic™ for how she passed between the two games; nothing super fancy, if anyone remembers star vs. the forces of evil and how the “dimensional scissors” worked there, it’s pretty much the same thing. just a little trinket she can pull out and make portals/holes between game universes.
second, only annie and sagan can use the said portals; any other characters or objects that try to go through, from either side, are met with a sort of ‘compatibility error’; just in that the programming to let them exist isn’t present in the other game, and so they can’t pass through. anything else that does try to go through just kind of gets vaporized. momentarily. it re-materializes a few seconds later, wherever it was last before trying to go through so nbd. yknow the material emancipation grids from portal? it’s like that but it just sort of rewinds stuff a few seconds instead of killing it.
i was going to have beowulf try to follow her into indivis world and then promptly get vaporized to demonstrate this, which would have been really funny. for me. not so much for annie, watching it happen.
dont worry though hes fine. again it’s only momentary, it just caught them off-guard. i could never hurt dear sweet beowulf.
so anyway we go on answering asks normally with annie going back and forth between indivis and sg for awhile; however long it takes to get comfortable with the game-hopping mechanic, and then at one point when we’re Supposed to have her travel back to sg-verse, i just pull out the pink double-annies and say Nothing. this is where the arg begins.
the first leg of this is figuring out what the hell happened to annie. someone would have to call double out for Not Being Annie and start questioning her about what happened, and at some point i’d find a way to slip in that double has been using “console commands” on the blog, which you are to also then do. i did actually make the console command page, though it’s still 100% in messy beta test phase and there’s not really anything there that finalized or presentable or functional. but it exists and you can go look at it if you want, i don’t intend on deleting it.
the important thing there is the “camera focus” toggle/links; this would have been the main gimmick of the arg. the camera is, by default, set to “main”, which is this “annieoftheshitposts” blog. annie is the player character here who receives the asks, so there’s not usually any discrepancy. however, now, with her being missing, when you toggle the camera to view the “player character”, you’re brought to a DIFFERENT blog, where the real annie is, and where you are met with a post of annie now getting the whole “being vaporized when she tries to pass between games” deal.
very rough bc i only drew it for testing/placeholder purposes but you get the idea. so anyways then you’d send annie questions on this Other blog to ask her what’s going on and get her caught up to speed what you know about double being on the main one now, etc. at some point you would be told about an Additional camera control, to let you see/go to a Third blog with venus and aeon to send THEM asks and get further information. [fun fact, if you remember my venus redesign? this is what it was for!]
anyway we’d spend a good bit of time here just bouncing back and forth questioning the characters and relaying information between them to piece together what was going on.
and what’s going on is this: you know how in that one ending it’s shown that venus and aeon have a Physical Cartridge of the game skullgirls? they noticed annie had been slipping in and out of the game/sg universe, and thought “hey, wouldn’t it be neat if we could lock her out permanently so she’s not always fucking up our endeavors?” and then they hacked/modded their game; specifically to remove/patch annie out so that she gets the same ‘compatibility error’ thing when trying to return home and just becomes Stuck in indivis universe. yknow the whole shtick with vanellope in wreck-it ralph? pretty much that.
so then the second leg of the arg is getting her written/coded back IN to the skullgirls ‘verse. i never really figured out much about this part though. i was doing some stuff on twinery about like, passwords or something; you’d have to go on this whole goose chase to find them and then enter them on there and it’d let you access the actual stuff to do the little ‘coding’ activities or whatever. i dont know it has been like 4 years since i was actively planning all this. but anyway once all that is Done you’d go back to annie to let her know, and then she can go back home to this main blog to beat double’s ass and get things back to normal. the end!
but yeah i killed this blog to go focus on working with my own original stuff, and then indivisible itself also Fucking Died before annie ever got added, so all this is 200% never happening. but now you know.
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What are the major details that confused you about the Hound blurb? The major one that stood put to me was the "way of the farmer opposed to the sword" thing which felt very...un-Cú Chulainn. Also, if you don't mind expanding further, which details didn't you question/be confused by?
and also for anon:
okay so it is like. 2am so there are not going to be any sources here but i can't sleep so here goes!! i will go through this blurb line by line and give youse my thoughts
In 50 BCE,
reasonable. this is roughly the right time period for when the ulster cycle is set. maybe marginally earlier than i'd place cú chulainn, but i'm talking a few years, nothing to get worked up about.
Morrigan, the goddess of war,
fine. normally i'm wary of pantheonising impulses with regard to irish characters (almost none of them can be identified as a god of anything in particular, it doesn't work like that) but tbh the morrigan is like, the most plausible exception to that, so whatever. normally her name has the definite article attached to it because it's kind of a species term as well but whatevs.
has become restless as a long-lasting peace settles over Ireland.
dubious. closest i can think of to peace being reference in any texts is togail bruidne da derga talking about conaire mor's reign being like, prosperous and peaceful and whatever, and even there you've got díberg (plundering/reaving) which is what eventually fucks him over and starts the otherworldly hell spiral situation. that's roughly the right period here but conaire's doom proves you don't have to do much to nudge peace into war, and connacht and ulster are at each other's throats for years before cú chulainn comes on the scene anyway
Deciding the time of peace must end, she chooses Setanta, the nephew of the king of the north, to become her ward.
hmm. i mean. like, this isn't the WEIRDEST choice they could have made. it's still completely made-up, don't get me wrong -- cú chulainn has a lot of different foster parents in different texts and they don't agree with each other but none of them ever mentions the morrígan. but like, they do have a connection of some sort, as evidenced by their conversations. and there's that one moment in the r1 boyhood deeds where little cú chulainn is out on the battlefield and hears her (not sure which name is used here) calling out to him and it like. motivates him to do some deeds or whatever, and i guess you could extrapolate that into some kind of teaching capacity.
so like. could be weirder. if you're gonna pick anyone, you could do worse. still seems weird to me! but not on its own a major issue, i could get past this and consider it a Fun But Unorthodox Creative Decision
(the fact that she tries to seduce him in the táin probably wouldn't get in the way of this considering sleeping with his teachers/foster-mothers is far from unheard of where cú chulainn is concerned)
After a young Setanta slays the demon-hound of Cullan, he becomes known as Cú Cullan—The Hound of Cullan.
weird spelling choices, they could have at least bothered to use the genitive properly. also the hound isn't a demon, it's a ferocious watchdog -- making it sound all Otherworldly and Hellish like this kinda confuses the issue of why he would need to take its place. he needs to take its place because the cattle and people still need protecting because it is a watchdog!! but whatevs, again, it's a brief summary so they can't exactly give us all the details and this is not actively objectionable
As Cú Cullan grows older, it is apparent that an extraordinary power lies within him … and a great darkness.
ugh boring. this makes it sound like he's going to be ~tortured~ and angsty about it. give me an unapologetic murder teen please. is the ríastrad dark? sure i guess, if you're going to be boring about it. it's more like, grotesque neon in my head
When he chooses the quiet life of a farmer over the sword,
this would fucking never happen on like five different levels. obviously like anyone who has ever read anything about cú chulainn can see that this is not in his nature. he is never going to choose a quiet life. this is the kid who tricked his way into taking arms before everyone thought he was ready. also juxtaposed with the "darkness" comment makes it sound like he would Angst his way into this quiet life which. again. have you seen this kid. he is an unapologetic murder teen
the only thing i can think of that might make him temporarily want to walk away is connla's death which... depends where you position that in the timeline really, he does seem a bit fucked up by it and maybe he'd want a holiday although i can see that lasting precisely 5 minutes before someone pissed him off enough for him to murder them. but if he's being raised by the morrígan i can't see him going to train with scáthach so then he'd never meet aífe and therefore connla would never be born so that wouldn't happen. so like. whatever.
but also like. he would not become a farmer. he just wouldn't! it doesn't work! the ireland of the stories is super hierarchical, right? and this blurb has already fucking told us that he's the king's nephew (canon) so we can tell that being a farmer is Not His Place. when we see upper class figures becoming menial labourers in texts, like in cath maige tuired, it's because Things Are Fucked, Shit's Gone Wrong. people don't just decide to change their entire social class on a whim lmfao
if cú chulainn really wanted to turn his back on being a warrior he could probably make recourse to certain other Suitable Professions ... his grandad's a druid so he might have a route into that, though his dad's not so that might fuck things up a bit bc it's one of those things that's usually inherited. he does give "wisdom" in at least one text though and we also know he can write (he carves riddles in ogham in the táin) and he composes verses on various occasions so idk, maybe something in a poetic direction, though again, usually requires two generations of inheritance to be a real poet and not just a lower-class bard. warrior's kinda the main thing he's got open to him tbh. but farming? i'm not a legal expert but as far as i'm aware based on what i have read, that would fuck shit up
more likely an upset cú chulainn would just go off in search of an adventure somewhere conveniently far away until he'd calmed down (alba, or the tyrrhenian sea, or -- if we're going to get early modern about it -- somewhere like india, which frequently gets thrown into the texts with absolutely no cultural context and it's always hilarious)
Morrigan, angry at the betrayal,
of the entire social order, yes,
instigates an invasion of his homeland
i mean. if they intend this to be the táin then.... táin bó regamna does kinda make the morrígan responsible for it? not in the sense of triggering the pillow talk argument that it's in the book of leinster -- it's her getting up to her usual cow-nicking behaviours for shits and giggles. [note to readers: it is probably for more than shits and giggles but did i mention it's 2am]
but all in all, not particularly out of character that she would be at least some way responsible for this so i can vibe with this. echtra nerai also supports the TBR explanation with her fucking around with otherworldly cows and pissing people off so, yeah, whatever. the morrígan engineered this. sure.
and Cú Cullan must challenge fate itself
this is probably a controversial stance but fate feels like a difficult concept to apply to medieval irish texts. like are people sometimes Doomed? yes. there are prophecies, there are gessi, there's all manner of otherworldly fuckery that can trip you up. is that the same thing as fate? no idea. considering cú chulainn comes out alive from the táin though and his doom prophecies don't catch up to him for like, at least another decade, maybe 16 years depending on who you listen to, hard to see how that would apply here
to keep the goddess at bay.
again like she IS causing fuckery in the táin but also it's like... one time. really not the main character. but she or maybe just some crows, hard to say, do get implicated in the death tale so maybe they're doing what people often do and conflating the two? even though there's like 10-16 years in between them?
anyway as you can see i don’t think it’s wholly terrible / i’m not completely thinkshaming it. like, having cú chulainn raised by the morrígan is unorthodox but it could be a fun and creative direction so i don't object to it. making cú chulainn get sad about murder and choose to be a farmer is just fucking laughable tho, and makes me doubt their characterisations in general. so that's offputting and would probably make me think twice about buying it, if that had ever been on the cards.*
and of course sure, their cú chulainn can be a Sad Boy Who Likes Sheep, but that means he's not the cú chulainn of medieval irish lit / irish myth, because that cú chulainn is a feral murder teen who keeps killing his friends and also is way too high social status to ever be a farmer, and whose only relationship to livestock is as the watchdog who kills anyone trying to harm them (which is an important role on a farm! but like. not the same thing as Being A Farmer. mostly because it involves more murder and is essentially just an extension of his role as a warrior. or rather the other way around. he promises to protect mag muirthemne as a watchdog and this like. gets extended into him becoming its sole defender)
this has been my analysis of this blurb i hope you enjoyed it
it's now 2.30am i should try and sleep now that i've exorcised a few thoughts from my head
*as i mentioned in the tags of my other post, i don't tend to read graphic novels due to disability stuff. they're much harder for me to understand and follow than prose, to the point where some are incomprehensible, so i don't really enjoy them. there are a few i've read, but they tend to be short ones, and i'm usually not reading them in order, just admiring the art separately from the text. so it's unlikely i would read a graphic novel of this size anyway.
#cu chulainn#hound#hound graphic novel#answered#oddnub-eye#anonymous#irish mythology#medieval irish#tain bo cuailnge
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Glossary of references in The Bifrost Incident
It’s Very Long and yet also not really complete. If there are any questions / clarifications I can add, or I’ve messed anything up and need to fix it, let me know!
The tl;dr is that nearly every word in the album draws from either Norse mythology or the Lovecraft / Cthulhu mythos, directly or indirectly.
@moony221b here’s that glossary that I promised forever and a day ago.
Edit: I decided to create this document of annotations (x). Lyrics taken from Genius; I’m not totally sure how accurate they are, but hopefully they help get the point across! Again, questions and complaints both welcome.
Arcomba
I can’t find anything on this, would be interested if someone knows.
Asgard
One of the Nine Worlds, specifically the one where most of the Æsir (the subset of gods most associated with humans, including the well-known ones like Thor and Odin) live.
Thus Asgard is the planet on which the most powerful inhabitants of the Yggdrasil system, and those named after the gods, are found (though the subjugation / colonization relationship does not exist in myth).
Azathoth
This one’s from Lovecraft; Azathoth is the greatest of the Outer Gods, often served and worshiped by other gods themselves. Often described as mad, a demon, a sultan, or putting it all together as the Mad Demon Sultan. Resides at “the center of the universe,” where he appears as some sort of vast, amorphous, bubbling, roiling mass of “nuclear chaos.” (Nuclear probably refers to center, not nuclear power, which didn’t really exist when this was written). Servants about him play drums and flutes.
Mentioned briefly as the train travels through the Bifrost and into his realm, and a lot of the narration in those few verses draws directly from Lovecraft’s descriptions.
Baldur
The god of light and beloved by all, Baldr was killed by Loki in his final betrayal of the gods. After the murder Loki was tracked down and imprisoned, and will escape at the start of Ragnarok. In particular, Loki used a spear made of mistletoe... or, in the album, missile two. And tricked another god into throwing it, which I think is mimicked in the distance and impersonality of the crime. Look up more of his story if you want, it’s interesting and important, but that’s the relevant info here.
Bifrost
The rainbow bridge that the gods use to travel between worlds.
Which is, of course, directly analogous to the wormhole-ish extradimensional-ish space of “shifting, undulating hues” through which the train travels.
Edda
The Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda are the names given to two pieces of literature that are most people’s main source for Norse mythology. The Prose Edda was written by Snorri Sturluson around 1200 to teach his (mostly Christian) contemporaries about the mythology and mythological references that made up a big chunk of Norse literature. The Poetic Edda is a set of poems that serve as a major source for Norse tales.
This is partially just a way to connect our hero Lyfrassir Edda to the Norse traditions, but also definitely a reference to their (presumed) role as the main “recorder” and source of information to get out of the Yggdrasil system.
Fate
Honestly the way the Mechanisms deal with fate in general is very interesting and arguably sometimes quite Nordic... but in particular, Bifrost Incident references fate or destiny a number of times and features a number of situations where the outcome is fixed and can’t be changed, but you have to fight anyways: “Killing me won’t save your world” “I don’t care” or how Loki and Sigyn can’t stop the train, but can only delay it. A lot of Norse tragedy revolves around people heading into battle knowing that they’re doomed and fighting anyways, or around the cycle of conflict that marked the cultural requirements for avenging insults. And the myth cycle is notable for the fact that the gods know, explicitly, exactly what Ragnarok is, what’s going to happen, and how they’re going to die, but will fight in it anyways.
Inevitability and helplessness in the face of what you can’t possibly understand, let alone fight, which is a depiction slightly sideways of the Nordic version, are very Lovecraftian themes.
Fenrir
A wolf, child of Loki and father of Skoll and Hati, who was chained by the gods (particularly by Tyr, who placed his hand in the wolf’s mouth as “hostage” to assure him they would unchain him later, and lost the hand). He will break free at Ragnarok to join the battle against them and kill Odin.
With his association with monsters and with Loki, it’s fairly clear why he was aligned with the resistance movement. He’s serving “five life sentences” as a reference to his being chained, and the whole motif of the train’s journey being hijacked for a prison break certainly references the various characters who will be freed or break free as Ragnarok begins.
Frey
The brief reference of Frey being killed by the raging fire of the sun, with “no weapon, no defense,” is a direct translation of the god’s role in Ragnarok, when he will be killed by Surtr. Frey gave away his sword for the opportunity to woo his eventual wife, and so will be armed only with a stag’s antlers in his final combat. Also called Freyr.
Freya (“weeps tears of red-gold”)
Like her brother Frey (and yeah, these names get confusing), Freya is associated with harvest and fertility, though unlike him she also gets battle. In the song she weeps red-gold tears at the death of her husband Odr, which in myth she is said to do when her husband is absent. Also called Freyja.
Garm
Garm is another wolf, who guards Hel’s gates. He also breaks free at Ragnarok, and his howling heralds its coming. As in the album, he will fight and kill Tyr. Also called Garmr.
Hati
There’s a lot of wolves in Norse mythology. This one is a child of Fenrir. He chases the moon across the sky, and will swallow it when Ragnarok comes.
Mentioned briefly only as one of the resistance members on the train.
Heimdall
Heimdall is the watchman of the gods, with keen eyes and foresight, and guards the Bifrost as the entrance to Asgard. He will blow his horn to summon the gods to the final battle during Ragnarok, and he and Loki will kill one another. Also called Heimdallr; you’re probably noticing a pattern. It’s a grammar thing.
Mentioned as guarding the train and “doing his part.” His dying screams initiate the train’s destruction and echo throughout it, which presumably recalls the horn thing.
Hel
Another daughter of Loki, and, as the name will imply to English speakers, a guardian of the dead. She refuses to give Baldur back to the world of the living after Loki kills him. Also the name of the realm in which she resides, and to which go those who die of disease or old age. Doesn’t necessarily have the same bad-punishment connotation as modern Hell. I don’t know whether there’s any indication of what she herself is doing in Ragnarok, but many of her people and associates are certainly fighting against the gods, and I’m fairly certain the ship Naglfar, which carries Loki and his allies to Ragnarok, sets sail from Hel.
Hel as a prison colony clearly references the various characters the gods have chained or otherwise imprisoned (though, in myth, not all within Hel) as well as her alignment with “other side” during Ragnarok, and the jailbreak the resistance members are planning recalls the breaking of all these bonds as Ragnarok begins.
Hoddmimis
The woods in which Líf and Lífþrasir (see Lyfrassir) will shelter to survive Ragnarok and the various disasters accompanying it.
So, good news! We can be marginally assured of Lyfrassir’s survival after taking shelter at the mining-colony of Hoddmimis.
Jormungandr
The world serpent, which lives in the seas and encircles the earth. Will arise during Ragnarok, causing great floods, and fight Thor; Thor will slay the serpent, but in turn the serpent’s poison will cause his death, after he staggers “nine steps back.”
Thor’s fight with Odin-turned-serpent is pretty clearly analogous to this, especially the taking nine steps to the window before destroying it with his hammer, resulting in both their deaths. I don’t think there’s any mythological basis to Odin turning into the serpent, though
Kvasir (“blood drained out”)
Kvasir was a very wise man/god and the originator of poetry. I’m leaving out a fair amount of his birth and life; the important information here is that two dwarves who were jealous of his knowledge tricked him, killed him, drained his blood, and mixed it with honey to make mead. Any who drank of the mead gained the gift of poetry / scholarship; eventually the gods stole it.
I’m not sure if there’s a reason they decided to specifically describe him as a resistance member, but there’s a clear parallel in Kvasir’s blood being drained and used to power the train, especially with the language of glyphs and sigils providing power.
Loki
Ah, Loki. Male in the general canon, though not without genderbending (he turns into a mare and gives birth to Fenrir, Hel, and Jormungandr, for instance). Inasmuch as the Norse myths we have can be organized into a “chronology,” you could do it (in my opinion) along Loki’s path from a mostly benevolent trickster god whose antics occasionally cause trouble to a genuinely malevolent figure. Associated with wit, magic, and trickery. Despite how modern lore (I suspect influenced by Marvel) often portrays Thor and Loki as brothers and children of Odin, in the myth Loki and Odin are bonded as blood-brothers. But Loki also often appears alongside Thor. As mentioned, parent of three of the main figures of Ragnarok. In the “final” myth, he jealously arranges the death of the god Baldr, who was loved by all; then he appears at a feast, where he exchanges insults with the other gods. This is the last straw; they capture him and chain him to a stone, over which they tie a serpent. Venom drips from the serpent’s fangs, causing him great agony. His wife Sigyn stays by his side, catching the venom in a bowl, but when she is forced to leave for a moment to dump it out his thrashing causes earthquakes. He will break free at the start of Ragnarok and sail to Asgard, where he and Heimdall will kill each other.
Hopefully that’s enough to give you a good background for Loki’s role in the album... it’s pretty clear why she’s framed as the opposition to the gods and the “leader” of the resistance movement, as a call to her role in Ragnarok. Her association with magic and trickery make sense for her being the “expert” in the twisted Lovecraftian “science” that produces the train. It also parallels her role in myth; her actions often get the gods into trouble, but they just as often need her wit and knowledge to get them out of it, as Odin needs her knowledge despite her taking action to destroy the train. And the setup at the end - drip, drip, drip, her face twisted in pain, her wife beside her, her “release” heralding the end of the world - precisely echoes the language of her bondage in myth; though her mind-destroying imprisonment by Odin also invokes this.
Lovecraft(ian)
A highly influential horror writer from the early 20th century. He’s largely credited with the creation of the creation of the “cosmic horror” genre, a type of horror which emphasises a vast, unknowable, uncaring universe against which we cannot hope to even begin to fight. His ideas and the gods / demons / creatures he created form the basis of the “Cthulhu mythos” or even “Lovecraft mythos,” which today is a sort of standard set of assumptions on which writers can build. Lovecraftian themes of apocalypse, inevitability, and powerlessness are highly prevalent in the album. Several of the gods in this mythos are used; in particular, Yog-Sothoth (see below). Also, a lot of the general description (madness, roiling chaos, undulating colors) draws from his distinctive vocabulary that remains staple of the genre. It’s worth noting that Lovecraft was a horrible and very racist person, but the genre today is widely used by people who are not terrible.
Lyfrassir
Líf and Lífþrasir in Norse mythology are the two humans who will survive Ragnarok and rebuild humanity; a hopeful sign for our album’s protagonist!
Midgard
In Norse mythology, the “middle” world where humans live. Earth.
Nagthrod
I don’t know this one.
@acorn-mushroom pointed out that it may be a mis-transcription of Naglfar, the name of the (ocean) ship which will carry Loki and his followers from the shores of Hel to the battlefield at Ragnarok. It’s made of dead men’s nails.
Odin
The king of the gods in Norse mythology. As the god of both wisdom and madness, Odin’s role in the album as a researcher and technological ruler whose discoveries drive her slowly mad is both very Lovecraftian and a reasonable leap. I could say a lot about the figure of Odin, but I think this character is one of the most divergent from the myth, in detail if not in role.
Odr
Óðr is Freya’s husband.
Outer gods
A Lovecraft thing referring to several of the most horrible and powerful gods, including Yog-Sothoth.
Ragnarok
The apocalypse, basically, in Norse mythology. Proceeded by various catastrophes, especially a very long winter, mentioned in the album, culminating in a great battle between the gods and their enemies, and resulting in the death of the majority of gods and other creatures of the world.
Ratatosk
A squirrel who runs up and down Yggdrasil, carrying messages between some of the tree’s other inhabitants and sowing discord. The Ratatosk Express links the worlds of the Yggdrasil System, and causes “discord” in the resistance’s opposition to it.
Sigyn
Loki’s wife. See Loki for her role in his imprisonment.
Skoll
Sköll in Norse mythology is the wolf that chases and will someday eat the sun. Association with Fenrir (another wolf) and other monsters motivates his inclusion in the list of resistance members.
Thor
A Norse god, associated with war, lightning/thunder, strength, and in general sort of... common people, as opposed to Odin’s association with kings and royalty. Prone to anger, which makes sense with his depiction as a volatile military leader in the album. He is heavily associated with his hammer mjölnir, hence jokes about “throwing a hammer in the works” and whatnot. Often associates with Loki, both as friends and as enemies as Loki progresses from a mostly-harmless trickster to actively opposing the other gods; thus how in the album he and Loki were once friends. See above for his death fighting Jormungandr.
Tyr
Another Norse god associated with war. He sacrificed a hand to bind Fenrir, and will be killed by Garmr during Ragnarok, both events referenced in the album.
Yggdrasil
The world-tree of Norse mythology, which supports the nine worlds of the cosmology.
Yog-Sothoth
An Outer God of Lovecraftian mythos; also called the Gate and Key. It is associated as sort of the substance of time and space, binding together the cosmos. A lot of the description during the Ragnarok sequences draws directly from the “canonical” descriptions of this deity, and the invocation spoken by Lyfrassir in Red Signal draws from a story about this creature, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.
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Those Long, Lonely Nights (part 1/6)
Author’s note: This is a retelling of the story These Deep Dark Woods, but from Roman’s perspective, plus a few new scenes. I recommend reading that story first, but this can also stand alone. Please read the warnings!
Summary: Roman, a knight, insists on accompanying his best friend Logan, a potion maker, when he decides to head into the notoriously dangerous woods bordering their home to find some rare herbs and minerals for his apothecary. They find much more than they bargained for when they encounter Remus, a bloodthirsty giant. Logince. Angst with a happy ending.
Warnings: food mention, blood, injuries, death mention, killing mention, gun mention, mild body horror (it’s Remus), disturbing imagery (it’s Remus), character death, temporary/believed character death, kidnapping, guilt, attempted self sacrifice, talk of giants, vampires and other monsters. Very unsympathetic villain Remus.
Word Count: 1764
Part 2
Ao3 Link
Writing Masterpost!
...
Roman bounded down the bustling street, waving to familiar passerby as he went. He knew he was easy to pick out and very recognizable, in his white knight’s uniform. Despite the early morning, many people were already up and about, setting up for the day, but the street lamps still glowed—a recent installation, they actually ran on electricity! Roman still didn’t quite understand how that worked, but he was proud to see his settlement prospering, and it was fascinating, how much light came from them, just from a few little wires and some glass. Perhaps there was some sort of enchantment involved.
“Good morning, Sir Roman,” a shopkeeper called.
Roman tabled his nerdy thoughts for the time being. He put on a bright smile and approached the shop, where a woman stood sweeping clear the welcome mat. “Good morning to you, Maryanne!”
The woman put aside the broom and dusted her hands off on her apron. “Would you like a pastry? The peaches just arrived from Mellow Valley, and they are simply delightful in a fruit tart.”
Roman hummed consideringly. “Oh, that’s very tempting, but I’m afraid I’m in a rush this morning!”
“Some other time, then. Perhaps you could even bring that handsome young man you’re always with.” She winked.
Roman really hoped he wasn’t blushing. “Of course—you know I love your treats.”
Roman was on his way to his shift guarding the outer wall, an imposing structure built of shining gray stone that protected the citizens of his home from the monsters that roamed the forest beyond. It was an important job, entrusted to the expertise of the knights, and one that Roman loved doing; but it wasn’t always the most exciting prospect. Their settlement, Old Haven, was one of the longest standing, enough so that most of the monsters had known since generations past to stay well away; and between the few times that things truly got exciting... they could be terribly dull.
But, before Roman went to his shift that morning, he had a stop to make, and this he was definitely looking forward to.
The apothecary was located just a couple of blocks from the main square, in a small, warmly colored cedar and stone building with windows filled with neatly arranged bundles of colorful herbs and evenly spaced rows of bottles of medicinal powders and potions. A hand-painted sign read, Please come in, in neat, white letters, in an only slightly decorative script.
Roman reached the shop just as the door opened, the bell overhead chiming. A customer stepped out, dressed in a dark robe with the hood up. At first glance, he seemed to be clothed entirely in black, but on closer inspection, his robe was actually a deep plum color. He clutched a bottle of pomegranate juice in one pale hand and a neatly sealed packet of herbs in the other. Dark bangs poked out from under the hood, but his face was cast in shadow. Roman frowned slightly noticing the dark, grayish veins in his hands as he stepped back to give the man room. He hurried past Roman and disappeared down the street. Roman stepped inside the apothecary once he was gone.
The apothecarist, Logan, stood behind a counter within the shop, wearing an elegant, navy colored coat and his usual pair of spectacles. He was pushing together a pile of coins on the counter. Copper and bronze coins only, Roman noticed. No silver.
“Got a lot of vampire clientele?” Roman asked, leaning (or perhaps posing) against one of the display cabinets.
Logan looked up, the warm lamplight making his deep blue irises glitter in a way that never failed to make Roman’s heart skip a beat. He glanced back down and finished tucking away the money. “Six,” he said honestly. “Seven, most likely, although she has not personally shared that information with me, and if she is, hers appears to be a mild case.”
“Hm.”
“You don’t approve?”
“Ah… they’re a little too similar to monsters, for my taste.”
“It is a monster-derived affliction, that is true, but with modern treatments, most of those afflicted with vampirism can lead nearly normal lives.”
Roman shrugged dismissingly, waving him off. He hadn’t come here to talk about vampires. “I know, I know. Anyway. How’s my favorite nerd this morning?”
“I wish you wouldn’t call me that,” Logan sighed.
“You know you love it.”
Logan did not deny it, Roman noticed with a small smile. Instead, he adjusted a few already perfectly positioned potion bottles on the counter, before saying, “I am well, although rather busy.”
Roman glanced around the room, noticeably empty of customers. “Ah yes, this is a very busy time for your shop, I see.”
“A customer did depart only moments ago,” Logan pointed out. “Although, no, I was not referring to customers. I’m preparing for an outing.”
“An outing?” Roman was interested, now. “Finally taking a little vacation, are you? Good on you. Where are you going? And more importantly—can I come?”
Logan wanted to smile, Roman could tell. But he didn’t. The guy took himself too seriously. “Not that type of outing. I require materials to restock my shop.”
Roman sighed dramatically, making it a full body motion. So much for a vacation. And the hot springs in the hills of northern Old Haven were so nice this time of year. “So? Just put it on the list for the traders. Mellow Valley should have most of your things in season by now. Did you hear the peaches arrived? Maryanne, that baker on Lilac, promised me some of her delightful pastries. We could go get some, when I’m finished with my shift on the South Wall this morning.”
Logan shook his head “Mellow Valley won’t have everything I need; and besides, the costs are considerably lessened when the materials are personally collected.”
Roman furrowed his brow. “Collected where?”
“Outside.”
“You mean outside, like, as in the park, right?”
“In the woods,” Logan sighed, beginning to sound exasperated.
Roman opened his mouth, then closed it again. The woods. The veritable ocean of dense trees beyond the settlement’s walls, filled to the brim with monsters, held back from advancing only by the strength of the guard and broken only by the occasional human stronghold and the heavily protected trails that linked them. Generally, only knights and the traders they accompanied ever ventured beyond the walls—this was, in fact, why Roman had become a knight in the first place, to get to see some of the world that most only saw through pictures and stories. Citizens were allowed to leave—they weren’t prisoners—but it was very rare, and highly discouraged. Many who went unprepared—or even those who did—never returned; and sometimes even those who did return were not the same as when they left—like the vampires who apparently frequented this shop, or at least one or more of their ancestors. Vampirism could be tricky like that. Sometimes it cropped up randomly, somewhere down the line.
Logan had begun sorting through some of his supplies, acting for all the world as if he hadn’t just announced he had a death wish.
Roman shook off his distracted thoughts of vampirism and knightly missions, and focused on the most important thing: “Please tell me you aren’t planning to go out there alone.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Logan sighed. “I will have my dagger, and I will go no further into the woods than required.”
“Oookay, first of all, why am I just now hearing that you’ve been hanging out in the monster-filled woods by yourself?”
“I would hardly call it ‘hanging out’.”
“And second of all, you are absolutely not doing that.”
Logan gave him a dry look. “Yes, I am. My herbs will not pick themselves.”
“Get a garden like a normal person.”
“You know I have a quite extensive garden.” Logan paused, looked confused. He shook his head, going back to counting bundles of tiny black seeds. “Some of these herbs do not naturally grow within human settlements, let alone ours, and my attempts to recreate their preferred environment have in many cases proven thus far unsuccessful. Besides, I cannot ‘get a garden’ to form mineral deposits, several of which are required in even non-specialty potions.”
Roman still didn’t quite see why Logan wouldn’t be able to get all of this stuff using a trader. Knowing Logan, it was less about the money and more about needing to personally ensure that he received the correct materials. Surely, though, even the least-versed in medicinal resources could get him what he needed, if he described them well enough.
Also knowing Logan, though, he would not be dissuaded from going.
Roman pulled himself up to his full height, puffing out his chest and putting one hand on the protective-charm engraved hilt of his sword. “Alright, then, I am coming with you.”
Logan raised an eyebrow. “You’re coming to collect herbs? Can you even tell wormwood from hemlock?”
“I’m not going to find your nerd plants, I’m going to protect you.”
Logan scoffed quietly, clearly believing Roman’s very generous and heroic offer was unnecessary. But he sat down on his stool, finally, and looked at Roman without busying himself with his apothecarist duties. He glanced Roman up and down, apparently trying to decide how serious Roman was. “Alright, then, if you insist.”
“I do!” Roman nodded firmly. He relaxed his posture. “So, when are we going?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes?”
“I—” Roman groaned, looking up towards the wooden beams of the ceiling. “Fine. It’s a little short notice, but fine.” He worked his jaw, then mumbled, “I’ll need to cancel a couple days… maybe Sir Leo can cover? Hm.”
Logan tilted his head slightly, adjusting his spectacles and watching Roman’s dramatics. “I am not forcing you to come.”
You are, though. “Well, I am.”
“Alright.”
“Alright.”
A beat passed in silence, Roman feeling triumphant, before Logan gave the knight a slightly amused look. “I thought you had a shift on the wall?”
“I—right. Yes.” Roman had gotten a little distracted. He took a couple of steps back. “So, you, me, tomorrow, woods. Great.” He turned towards the door, stopped, and turned around. “About those pastries?”
Logan hummed. “I can take a break two hours after noon, which is when your shift ends, if I remember correctly. I suppose I would accept one then.”
“They have fruit in them,” Roman encouraged. “That makes them healthy!”
“I do not believe that is entirely correct.”
Roman grinned and left the shop.
#sanders sides#thomas sanders#ts sides#roman sanders#logan sanders#ts roman#ts logan#Gt#Giant/tiny#giant!remus#knight!roman#potion maker!logan#remus sanders#ts remus#g/t#giant tiny#fanfiction#ts fic#ts fanfic#ts#tss#villain!remus#villain remus#giant remus#knight roman#potion maker logan#apothecarist logan#sanders sides fan fiction#logince#romantic logince
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More Funny Little Moments #1: Season 1, Episodes 1-12
So, I decided to do this post after all. Halp. LOL Because I apparently LOVE giving myself a bunch of unnecessary work, I decided to choose two to three extra moments, per episode! SUPER halp! X’D Anyway, these are moments that didn’t make the cut for my FFLM series because: my sense of humor is a little weird, they were gonna be too much work (LOL/Siiigh), I like to highlight patterns, and I don’t like a lot of repetition. [Links to each FFLM along the bottom of the post. :)]
Let’s start with something I originally agreed with other fans on but have since changed my mind. A lot of people didn’t like this part of “Chariots of War” because it seems so ludicrous that Xena would forget her chakram anywhere. Well, let me tell you! This lady has left her weapons behind most episodes thus far. I didn’t note it every time here (and especially didn’t bother with her whip) because that’d really overrun the post buuuuut… You’ll see. XD
1.01 Sins of the Past
Xena’s shift being so much dirtier than the little boy’s clothes though she’s high up off the ground, and he lives in smoked-out rubble.
Yup. Xena forgot her sword (and later, her main saddlebag) at her mother’s tavern. Pft.
Sorry these were kinda lame, but I didn’t want to re-use any more of the original fifteen points I made about this episode... Ah well. Moving on! (heh)
1.02 Chariots of War
Xena loses her sword after the chariot crash, taking up and discarding Sphaerus’s but walking off without her own. (See her front and back and both of Argo’s sides.)
Gabrielle chewing Xena out, Xena being bummed about it, and Argo being surprised. X’D
1.03 Dreamworker
This got me good. Gabrielle does Xena’s war cry so well here that I really thought it was Xena for a few seconds. Realizing it was GabbyWabs only made me chuckle more because she apparently can’t do it when it really counts in “The Greater Good.”
Argo NOT being on Team Gabrielle. XD (Their feud is a little funny to me.)
1.04 Cradle of Hope
Xena tossing aside her sword after killing Nemos. Extras even dance and celebrate right on top of it! Wut thuh?
I decided to avoid mentioning Hope in the FFLM because Xena’s quote here is more ironic than comedic, and Gabrielle’s little face is just so sad, but I didn’t want to let it pass by entirely unremarked upon. At least GW gets to show off her oracle skills again? :’)
1.05 The Path Not Taken
So, Xena and Gabrielle walk into a bar… Heh. No, but really, they enter this tavern for the first time ever, yet the bartender not only knows what they want, he knows that they’re coming and has their drinks waiting for them too. All Xena has to do is knock on the counter and nod to get her fire-breath alcohol/oil, and Gabrielle barely has the word “cider” out of her mouth before the guy hands it to her. Xena, like me, is duly amazed.
Lucy, through Xena, making another timely anti-peanut statement. I just didn’t want to do the same thing twice back-to-back in the FFLM. X)
1.06 The Reckoning
Gabrielle thinking along the same lines Xena and I did about this poor excuse for a judge.
Me not being well-versed in ancient Greek heroes and picturing the fool who Draco killed so handily in the first episode. heh
1.07 The Titans
I’ll let Xena explain this one. …Mostly. I can’t believe Gabrielle not only sassed the Titans such that she unashamedly put Xena and Phyleus in danger too, but also kinda got this (admittedly awful) town demolished and didn’t lift a finger to actually help anyone in the temple. Tsk tsk. XP
So… Hyperion here can smash homes and businesses that were probably well-built and reinforced and all, but he can’t get his hand out of a stocks-cuff that was made in a single evening with scraps from those destroyed buildings. He also, inexplicably, has no use of his left hand or the power-breath that he used to knock Gabrielle over. Okie. XD
1.08 Prometheus
Is this really a thing? I was giggling quite a bit in disbelief that severed windpipes can heal. Like, perforated is one thing; completely bisected? Yeah, I don’t think so.
Gabrielle being incredulous upon learning that Xena has other friends, realizing what the warrior princess means, and then wondering if that could be her one day.
1.09 Death in Chains
Gabrielle enjoying watching Xena kill someone for the first time, then quickly realizing that fact. Whoops.
I found this moment really odd and then kind of hilarious. This poor dying old woman begs for water and goes ignored not only by the hospice workers, but also Talus and Gabrielle. Then Talus decides to be helpful. Gabrielle goes to the woman and lets her talk a lot (undoubtedly drying her mouth and throat even more), hears that Xena might be in danger, and then just… leaves. Talus goes with her, not having gotten water from the well after all. What a couple of jerks! XD
1.10 Hooves & Harlots
I really don’t know why Gabrielle kept making this face as Terreis died, but it tickled my funny bone too. So, I provided alternate subs to go with it. [Did you notice how she kind of cringes when Terreis tries to hold her hand and then just lets the Amazon flop once she’s died, flinging her hand aside like, “Ew, get it off me!”? What was that all about? X”) Hm… maybe she has an aversion to dying people, and that’s why she abandoned the old lady last episode?]
Gabrielle being a smart aleck, just like me, because Phantes’s complaint here is so ludicrous. But then you see the close-up of little hoofies in cuffs too, and, if you’re anything like me too, kinda just topple over laughing. The poor actual horse they did this to, though, man! What even?
Gosh, this episode was chockfull of hilarity, eh? Why did this happen? Gabby, take it away!
1.11 The Black Wolf
I laughed at this too. But now I wonder. Is Xerxes related to Caesar and/or connected to Rome or something? Because Xena does this twice around them too. In “When in Rome,” she jokes that the two guards lost playing tag with her, and in “A Good Day” she informs Pompey that if there were more guards hiding around their meeting space, then she would have had more helmets. heh Oh, Xenie. I think I know why Gabrielle’s turning out to be such a little punk ...or vice versa? Is Gabrielle actually a bit of a bad influence on Xena? XP
So, this fight just struck me as really odd. Xena passes her sword to Flora though she (Xena) needs to battle the big boss of the episode, and… actually, is totally right. The king throws a single wide-ass punch, waits while Xena kicks the guy behind her a few times, lets himself get kicked in the face a couple of times, and then comes at her with a little piece of chain, presumably from the restraints that were intended to keep Flora in place during her execution. Sir, you have a sword! A giant sword, right there on your hip! What are you doing? Then, when Xena kicks him a final time and sends him flying, his (supposed-to-be) metal armor is no match for the splintered wood of the axe she broke earlier. …Okie. XD XD XD *gif below*
Xena once again leaves her chakram somewhere. …And I am now imagining this being part of Gabrielle’s maid duties: the poor kid has to go find Xena’s weapons each night and bring them back to her. I’m especially imaging the fluffball hilariously, adorably struggling to get the chakram out of things like this wall, as she did with Xena’s sword in the tree stump in “Dreamworker,” but more parallel to the floor. Cuuuute! XD
This plus this
*pic + GIF below*:
1.12 Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts
This scene too really made me wonder, though amused as well. Why is Gabrielle so surprised that the only city nearby, that they were headed to, is the one they find? Is she really being that loud? Is Xena goofing around with the bootlaces question? Why startle Gabrielle and then yank her into enemy territory screaming, when what you want is quiet? What’s with the trapdoor-spider soldiers? Xena’s pose throwing the chakram. XD Gabrielle mostly featherlight dance-y moves through the battlefield. XD XD XD Why is it that when Xena tells Gabrielle to stick right behind her, Gabrielle disappears? And what was with the bucket-sitting soldier? Gabrielle is like, “Oh; no, thank you!” when she sees him and turns tail. Then Xena ...follows her. “We’re goin’ this way! Now we’re goin’ that way!” But they still end up dead-ahead from where they burst out of the bushes. XD That was ridiculous and nonsensical, and I’m very confused but had lots of fun. heheheh *gif below* [ETA: Darn! The original file was too big, so I had to remake the GIF and cut quite a few things out. :( Sorry]
Xena’s outta-nowhere crusade to emasculate Deiphobus coming full-circle. What was that all about?
Welp, I hope you had as much fun as I originally and then later did. Not so much in the middle with the collage-and-GIF-making and editing and redoing, but; y’know. XD Wouldn’t trade it for …Hm… Nevermind. LOL
If you missed any of the FFLMs, then please click on the corresponding number-links below. :D
#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12
#xwp#xena#xena warrior princess#gabrielle#xena and gabrielle#fflm#funny#comedy#season 1#forgetful#magic#shenanigans#argo#chakram#sword
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story-spinner
Having a bad day. You happen to have any HCs or snippets for Kings Skjald verse? You may not but your writing always seems to cheer me up so
Me: So sorry I missed this! I didn’t log in yesterday like- at ALL and I only just got the notification. I unfortunately do not have any snippets to share, but HCs I can do. :)
-In the aftermath of Souls of the Sea (Still Belong to Blue Tides) and everything that happened in there, a couple things happen. One of the big ones being that Ravus joins the Kingsglaive. It takes him a year of stubbornly arguing with his mother over it, because she does NOT want Ravus to go haring off to war, but in the end Ravus wins and joins up at 17.
-The glaives at first are not too sold on this idea. Because... prince. Tenebraen prince with a resting murder face. He’s probably a wimp. Or just a jerk. Will he even obey orders and work with us non-royal Galahdian/Lucian nobodies?
-Then they actually throw Ravus into boot camp and learn that this boy may have enough formal manners to perfectly blend in with Lucian high society but once you take him out of that environment and stick a sword in his hand he becomes a bundle of Feral Anger And Bloodlust with a side of Really Scary Cunning. Also he spent part of those months on the run being grilled by Gladiolus in how to fight (on top of the royal sword training he’d already been receiving pre-Tenebrae’s Fall obviously) and spent putting food on the camp grill for his mother and sister by Killing It Really Hard First.
-Basically he fits riigghhtt in with the rest of the feral, chip-on-their-shoulder-rookies.
-Also, Ravus may not be a Reborn Viking of Pure Awesome like Gladiolus, so he can’t stand toe to toe with Cor the Immortal or anything but like- in canon this boy was able to claw his way up the ranks of a foreign military that WOULDN’T HAVE WANTED HIM THERE (see: Uldor’s comments during the Ignis DLC, and that cutscene with Besithia making snide comments at Ravus in the main game) and eventually become SiC and then Supreme Commander. Kid has talent and the stubborn to back it up.
-Nyx is not a fan of being Braincelled by this younger, more aggressive Tenenbraen, especially when half the time Ravus is only in yelling range because he’s DOING THE DUMB RIGHT ALONGSIDE NYX.
-Luche and Libertus are both a Stress.
-Tredd finds it fun to wind the kid up even though it repeatedly gets him a broken nose.
-Anyway as a side effect of Ravus joining the Kingsglaive, Luna and Gladiolus both take an interest in the Kingsglaive as a whole, and of course, whatever THEY take an interest in, Noctis will take an interest in too.
-Cue Smol Prince following along whenever Luna comes to check on her brother (and secretly use her magic to heal them even though Mother Strictly Forbids Using Her Magic Outside Emergencies Until She’s Fully Trained) and Gladiolus making friends with people physically a lot older than him but not mentally. And maybe mopping the floor with anyone who dares challenge him to a spar (this is the year Gladiolus is finally good enough to win against Cor in a spar according to a previous HC of mine, sorry but the Glaives have no chance, they give it a good go though).
-Gladiolus may or may not accidentally teach the Kingsglaive how to swear in Old Norse.
-I really really want the other Astrals (minus Bahamut) to start noticing and taking an interest in Leviathan’s new “kid”, because no one has given blessings since Solheim’s fall and of all of them, LEVIATHAN was not the one they expected to buck the mold in that way (in other ways sure, but Blessing a human???? THEIR angry rage snek???). But I’m still working out how all that ... goes.
-Leviathan probably browbeats the others into keeping it a secret from Bahamut tho. Because she is protective of her child and there’s no way she’s letting Bahamut hurt her Chosen again, even by accident.
-Gladiolus, with his newfound abilities to breathe underwater and such, sometimes gets an itch to go swimming. Considering the ocean is miles away most of the time and the pool has chlorine that stings his lungs when he breathes it, he finds the Royal Aquarium with all its ocean fish a much better place to hang out for a few hours.
-Clarus, Juno, Regis, Ignis, Cor, and more than a few freaked out Crownsguard would like to STRONGLY DISAGREE.
-Gladiolus, who lost track of time swimming around with the Really Dangerous Fish that won’t bother him because they can sense Leviathan’s Blessing, is just like- sorry? I’ll warn you next time.
-Everybody: WHAT DO YOU MEAN NEXT TIME.
-Sylva becomes a major voice in Lucian noble circles in favor of the Kingsglaive and efforts to clean up the refugee sector. Because she may not be Lucian, but she is the ORACLE and her voice carries a LOT of weight and she’s lived through what the Galahdians and other refugee groups have suffered through. She knows the smell of your home burning and blood on your clothes as you run from MT units and pray they don’t find you. She knows what it’s like to flee to another country. What it’s like to be HUNGRY and SCARED. What it’s like to cling to the children at night on a Haven, cold and tired but unable to sleep because the daemons wander and scream only a few yards away, and while the mind says they cannot come onto the Haven, the heart and the instincts do not believe. She knows ALL OF THAT.
-She also knows what it’s like to be saved. To be found and sheltered and taken to safety by soldiers who are just like her, and know to give her and her children soup and soft foods, who know to approach from the front rather than the sides and to move slow and open, to always say what they’re doing before they do it. She knows what it’s like to be so grateful for those simple kindnesses that it takes all she can muster not to start crying, because if she starts she will not stop and then her children will start crying too.
-So whenever some Lucian noble makes contemptuous noises over the “necessity” of the Kingsglaive or the refugee sector, or makes a comment on how Insomnia is for LUCIANS and not ragged strays, she will look them in the eye and say something perfectly cool and polite and deadly. Something that sharply reminds the noble that SHE, the HOLY ORACLE, is a refugee just like all the other “ragged strays”. That she and hers were “found” by Kingsglaive and escorted safely home. That her SON is now part of that very same organization.
-But do go on and tell her how the Kingsglaive are a waste of money and refugees should be left to fend for themselves.
-Needless to say, between Sylva backing them politically, Luna healing them on the sly (and also Sylva does come heal the bad cases whenever she has time), and Ravus being his feral budding terrifying strategist self, the Kingsglaive and Little Galahd as a whole rapidly come to adore the Nox Fleuret family. These are their Oracles. No touchy. They will Fite You.
-And of course, Noctis adores Luna and tries to emulate her because she’s Cool, and also his Shield-Brother cares for the Kingsglaive, and Big Brother Ravus IS a Kingsglaive, so Noctis rolls up his little sleeves and tries to help too. He’s too young to have a voice in politics, but he can and will follow his dad around nagging that hey-hey Ravus says their shoes don’t fit and the quartermaster won’t give them potions even though IGNIS says they have the budget for it and hey hey hey- (Regis would like to know how Ignis the Eleven Year Old got his hands on the Kingsglaive budget, but Cor has been making dire noises along these lines already so he sighs and siccs the auditors on the quartermaster).
-Noctis also visits a lot, and tries to give the Glaives games and things because hey those make him feel better so maybe it’ll make the glaives not look so tired too.
-The Entire Kingsglaive as they proverbially (and sometimes literally) pick up Noctis: We’ve only known this princeling for a few months but if anything happened to him we would kill everyone in Niflheim and then ourselves.
-Gladiolus approves this feeling.
I think that’s all the HCs I got for the moment, I hope these made your day a little better. :)
#Secret Engima Rambles#kings skjald verse#kingsglaive#ravus is gonna be Cor's sic by the time he's 20 mark my words#Cor is already plotting to groom him for the mantle of Captain
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How I would do RWBY pt. 5
Season Five.
Lingering drama amongst teams despite stable exterior.
Everyone’s a little wary of Blake on account of her cutting and running on them a couple seasons ago.
Everyone’s a little wary of Ruby and her insane berserker moment against Cinder.
Everyone’s a little wary of Yang and her being a bit of a dick recently.
Everyone’s a little wary of Weiss being a little emotionally fragile at this whole experience.
JNR is wary in general on the grounds that they didn’t sign up for this level of shit.
Everyone’s a little frazzled in general on account of recent events.
Qrow is giving them the rundown on Salem and Ozpin as far as he’s aware.
Says that they’re ancient demi-gods that have been fighting each other since before history.
He only knows so much because Ozpin is pretty tightlipped about his past and only gives certain individuals certain amounts of information.
Speaking of, Ozpin is there to greet them at Haven.
And teams CFVY and SSSN, leading to a happy reunion.
Haven headmaster is indisposed and can’t be present. (He’s on the phone with Salem)
Ozpin gives the skinny on what they know of Salem’s plan.
The exact plan still eludes them.
What they do know is that she has the remnants of the White Fang that follow Adam with the greater White Fang being uninvolved, a loose cabal of personal agents here and there, and literally countless grimm to bring to bear.
Easy odds, as far as they’re concerned.
They also tell him that Cinder has been beaten.
He doesn’t really care, seeing her as just another dime a dozen assassin.
He happier about Tyrian (Salem’s only truly competent assassin) being dead than anything about Cinder.
Ruby is quick to also say that being dropped down a pit doesn’t necessarily mean Cinder’s dead and if she shows up she gets first dibs.
Speaking of, Cinder is quite alive.
She is quickly found by Emerald and Mercury.
Cinder is wounded, but still powerful enough to kill the both of them should they piss her off.
Brief recovery period.
Discover that Salem isn’t returning her calls.
Salem’s decided that she’s gotten all she can out of Cinder and that she’s not worth further investment.
She can find another urchin, creep, or psycho to mold.
Brief moment of heartbreak is capped off with new plan to regain Salem’s favor.
Emerald and Mercury try to offer other options but eventually agree to come along because they have fuck all for other opportunities.
Get to Mistral and seek help of local crime boss for passage to Atlas to go about evil business there.
Crime boss restrains Emerald and Mercury.
Reveals that Neo already purchased their services.
Neo is angry at Cinder. Blames her for Roman’s death.
Cinder and Neo fight, Cinder wins, and shifts the blame of Roman to Ruby.
Neo acquiesces and teams up with Cinder and co. for revenge on Ruby. (Team CEMN for the win)
First act of new team is to kill local crime boss for trying to dupe 3/4 of them and steal their shit.
Neo just shrugs. No honor among thieves. They overcharged her anyway.
Set off for Atlas to cause problems on purpose to regain Salem’s attention.
RWBY + JNR take a well-earned moment of respite.
Catch up with CFVY and SSSN, fill them in on what’s been happening.
Ruby tries to bridge gaps by returning to being the designated weapon repairwoman.
Grills everyone for not taking better care of their shit.
Because how hard is it to do basic maintenance people?
Given downtime is able to upgrade Jaune’s sword + shield.
Sword has cooler design and shield can produce bubble shield effect now.
Ozpin takes RWBY and JNR aside to ask them to join his inner council.
He would have done it earlier but he was waiting to see if Ruby’s second semblance would ever awaken.
When they agree he elaborates further on Qrow’s earlier explanation.
He’s a great big windbag so he just info dumps everything (that they need to know) on them at once.
Explains that he is opposing demi-god to Salem. A deity of order and building as opposed to destruction and chaos.
Explains that he and Salem were created from on the whims of an ancient god of creation to guide the free peoples of the world and keep them all safe and sound.
Creator god fucked off after making the two of them on the grounds that it is explicitly a creator god not god of anything else.
It made the world. Caring for it is somebody else’s problem.
He and Salem disagreed as to how best to help people.
Salem thought that growth through conflict was the way to go and Ozpin thought that being the guiding hand from behind the scenes would work the best.
It eventually devolved into just trying to kill the other for getting in the way of each other’s plans.
Salem’s goal is to remove Ozpin from the equation and let people build and thrive in the natural way with a disaster, war, or genocide or two every now and then to keep them on their toes.
She’s basically the big evil boogeyman of the world.
Ozpin’s goal is to remove Salem on the grounds that he feels that the best thing he can do to keep order is not to allow said disasters, wars, or genocides and keep people alive for his later plans.
Either can only be killed by direct action of the other.
They keep themselves separate and ideally safe from each other.
Salem has been trying to find workaround for this for ages.
Salem created the grimm as a means of keeping humanity on its toes, fed by negative emotion in an attempt of dissuading such feelings.
They failed both at that and as a means to permanently kill Ozpin, but she now had an army for the rest of her plans.
Ozpin responded by creating and seeding the world with dust, giving the people a means to fight against the darkness surrounding them.
He never puts himself in the direct spotlight of history. Always the vizier, never the king.
Dust also had the side effect of eventually irradiating humanity and giving them aura and, furthermore, semblances.
These newly powered people, when dead and buried, eventually fossilize into more dust.
Most dust mines are ancient burial grounds. Creepy ain’t it?
Ozpin tried to capitalize on his success and tried to create super-soldiers to use said dust, aura, and semblances to protect humanity by combining human and animal traits.
Yep, Ozpin created the ancient faunus.
That and racism is indirectly his fault too.
He made the original faunus to be overseers and guardians to humanity.
In essence, they were designed to be feudal warlords with extra animal abilities that secretly answered only to him and ruled humans with iron fists.
Resulting human rebellions happened and Ozpin used his creations as scapegoats, letting them take all the blame and quietly …quieting anyone who knew the truth.
And that’s where the racism first came from. It has long since changed and muddied, but that was the initial reason.
He words all of this nicer and glides over the parts that make him look bad.
Salem and Ozpin have been picking at each other like that for eons.
Fall of Beacon only happened to try and distract Ozpin long enough for the latest scheme to kill him to be tried.
Destroying his pet project school was just a bonus.
Suffice it to say that that particular plan failed its main objective but still caused everything to fall apart.
Salem is now officially persona non grata, if she wasn’t already, among those present to the explanation.
Adam is trying to get more support from Sienna.
He has a small band of hardliners (psychos) with him but wants more bodies for his plans.
Gives big speech about faunus supremacy and the like.
Sienna tells him to fuck off, points out that he’s just repeating platitudes and doesn’t really care about the cause.
Reiterates his excommunication, citing working with Torchwick and Salem (despite the fact that she was cool with it at the time) as well as getting an unignorably large amount of his own people killed.
Collateral damage only goes so far, even for terrorists.
Adam vs Sienna.
Sienna wins and Adam slinks away, defeated but alive.
Adam’s hardliners get some more members but nowhere near what he wanted.
He’ll have to make do.
Salem wants him to do as terrorists do across Mistral.
Adam suggest that since Fall of Beacon worked fairly well… second verse same as the first?
Salem puts the kibosh on that plan.
She wants people to learn and thrive in a semi-natural way, she doesn’t want to just wipe them all out.
She’s fine with a little culling now and then but too much killing and they’ll never recover right.
Has new plan to try and kill Ozpin.
Has resurrected Tyrian, making a faunus/grimm Frankenstein thingy that she can directly possess at will.
All she needs is an opportunity to infiltrate him into Mistral.
Adam’s job is to provide an exploitable distraction.
He’s okay with that.
Yang has argument with Blake about running off like a punk.
Blake says it won’t happen again.
Yang says once bitten twice shy.
Ruby talks to Blake about Raven and Tai and the abandonment issues Yang has as a result of them both.
Meeting Raven and realizing that she was just a piece of shit this whole time only made things worse.
Says that Blake leaving like she did didn’t help.
Ruby also admits that her own leaving probably wasn’t great either.
Ruby wants her to know that she has faith in her but Yang has always needed a little more than faith.
Weiss airs some grievances to Yang about her dickish behavior.
Yang apologizes for her churlishness and reassures Weiss that the team is still going to be together but she is still mad at Blake.
Weiss tries to help smooth things over further but is interrupted.
Ilia shows up, is met with gun barrels.
Says she was sent by Sienna to take care of Adam, avoiding getting slotted by everyone.
Is kept at arm’s length but if she’s helping then, sure fine whatever, she can help.
Coco, Yatsuhashi, Weiss, and Ren try to talk to Ruby about not going crazy the next time she sees Cinder.
The best they can do is get her to agree that being so out of control insane while fighting her might not be the best way to fight.
They try and say that that’s really not good enough.
Ruby changes the subject via some odd noises she hears.
Haven headmaster (Lionheart? I barely know, or give much of a shit about, canon at this point) is part of The Cabal and is giving regular reports to Salem.
How else could CEMN masquerade as Haven students?
Almost gets walked in on.
Cheeses it but leaves the grimm thing that lets him talk to Salem.
Ruby has brief conversation with Salem.
Salem tries to tempt her, says that Ozpin is an asshole that only wants to control people not help them.
Ruby calls her a bitch.
Cites that Salem ruined her life and got some of her friends killed for this crap, not to mention her fucking mother.
Salem is just listening, still stunned from the audacity of being called a bitch right to her face.
Ruby finishes off by saying that even if Ozpin is an asshole, better the devil you know.
She then kills the grimm.
People now know there’s a turncoat and the only absolute they have is that it’s not Ruby or Ozpin (duh).
Everyone walking on eggshells, not sure who the traitor is.
Accusations are thrown around.
Eventually, after some shouting, everyone comes to the conclusion that it’s also not WBY, JNR, CFVY, or Qrow.
Logic starts to work its magic.
Lionheart tries to calm everyone down, IE: distract everyone from the growingly obvious.
Adam is up to his old tricks.
Blake and Ilia notice and point it out.
Lionheart breathes a sigh of relief as RWBY and JNR mobilize to stop Adam.
Adam is just a distraction.
Tyrian is slipped into the city via some bribes and carefully placed murders.
Adam has placed bombs across the city and broadcasts to the city that they’re doomed.
The civilians start to panic and draw grimm.
Mistral defense force is now busy dealing with said grimm.
Team splits up to stop the bombs.
Tyrian makes his move, attacks Ozpin directly.
Salem assumes direct control, hoping that this will count as her killing Ozpin herself.
SSSN and CFVY pop up and fight Tyrian!Salem.
Start getting their shit kicked in because it’s a fucking demi-goddess in a crazy scorpion demon body.
JNR returns.
Qrow finally does something too.
Ozpin even gets off his lazy ass.
Everyone helps take on Tyrian!Salem and win, killing Tyrian for good and pissing off Salem.
Ozpin got killed again to do it. (He’ll be back)
Blake and Yang find Adam.
Fight him, beat him, he runs away, we know how this song and dance goes.
Blake chases him alone.
Says that she has realized that Adam had been trying to commit suicide by anti-terrorism for a while.
Adam gets enraged and fights Blake again.
Adam final boss fight.
Blake starts winning.
Adam goes beyond the brink of madness.
In his anger he manages to destroy Blake’s weapon.
About to kill Blake but sees a little trinket he gave her when they were kids.
Sees his own reflection and sees a monster where he should be standing.
Realizes his own sense of self-destruction.
“I must already be dead,” –Vlad Dracula Tepes. It applies, says I.
Blake puts Adam down.
Yang arrives, worried that Blake ran off… again.
Blake has completely broken down.
Yang comforts Blake, who just had to kill one of her oldest friends.
Bombs and terrorists are dealt with.
RW see Blake is having troubles and embraces her along with Yang.
Blake, with tears in her eyes, swears to never abandon her team and friends ever again.
RWBY comes together and all vow to be there for each other.
Team RWBY are truly together once again.
Ruby uses parts from Adam’s weapon to repair and upgrade Blake’s.
Ozpin gets back up. (What I tell ya?)
Lionheart is found out as the traitor and calls everyone chicken shit for siding with Ozpin.
Says that Ozpin is a paranoid control freak who would strip them of all free will and thought if he could.
In fact, he says that that exact thing is Ozpin’s plan once Salem is beaten.
Salem at least promised freedom.
Ozpin doesn’t exactly deny these accusations by promptly and rather brutally executing Lionheart.
Reactions are cut short when a news bulletin plays on the TV about problems in Atlas.
WF-SDC war has officially stopped being a shadow war and there is now open combat in the streets.
They catch a very brief shot on the telly of something that looks a lot like a grimm arm on some chick.
Ruby has reacquired target-lock.
RWBY and JNR set off once again, this time for Atlas.
Season five done.
#RWBY#Not going to bother tagging it as RWDE from now on#Ruby Rose#Weiss Schnee#Blake Belladonna#Yang Xiao Long#Qrow Branwen#Cinder Fall#Emerald Sustrai#Mercury Black#Neopolitan#Team JNPR#Team CFVY#Adam Taurus#Sienna Khan#Salem#How I would do...
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This is everything about WandaVision up to Episode 5, with most of it concentrating on Episode 5. I have seen Episode 6 at this point, but I will respect the one week spoilers rule that is part of Nerd Culture.
:read more:
First of all, some basics about this series. This is an homage to different American sitcoms. Why American sitcoms when the main character is Sokovian? No one knows.
In the comic books, Wanda Maximoff is a mutant, not a science experiment like in the MCU. She and Pietro are the twin children of a Mutant named Magneto and a human named Magda (who is sometimes a Romini, and originally from Transia). Magneto is referred to as an Omega level mutant. Wanda is born with mutations, able to control Hex Powers, which is whatever the comic book writer needed to move the plot along. Sometimes her original powers have to do with probability, but like, 30 years ago, they started calling it chaos magic, and then she had extra reception to magical powers, and basically, it’s all very vague and ill-defined. She’s like the only one immune to Phoenix powers, and that’s a huge deal. She is not considered an Omega Level Mutant because she does not have completely mastery over her powers, not because she isn’t powerful enough. In the comic book series House of M, she is powerful enough to rewrite the entire universe, that was retconned in The Children’s Crusade, but then her powers are called Mutant Magic in A vs X and she’s got cosmic chaos magic. She’s supposed to serve The High Evolutionary at this point, which has made her more powerful. In the MCU, she was genetically altered by the Mind Stone, one of the six Infinity Stones. So when Wanda, AKA The Scarlet Witch, is in a story you can expect it to be about ridiculous amounts of power.
The assumption that you can make pretty quickly in the series is that Wanda Maximoff is in charge of this alternate reality, and quite possibly created it. Knowing what we know about Wanda, we assume it’s because she broke after the death of Vision and couldn’t deal with that death after the death of her parents (because of the Sokovian civil war) and Pietro, her twin brother, who was killed by Ultron. It’s stated pretty early on that Wanda could have defeated Thanos by herself (this is most likely true, one time in the comic books she decided to remove every mutant power in the known universe and she did for a couple of years. Is she more powerful than Jean Gray? Sit down with some nerds and listen to them argue, because that call will never be settled in a peaceful manner). Wanda has brought back Vision (who was killed by Thanos before he made his wish on the Stones, making him dead dead instead of mostly dead like half of the population of the universe) and in the MCU, this makes almost sense as her powers were given to her by the Mind Stone which brought Vision to life in the first place, with some interference from Tony Stark (Iron Man). In the first couple of episodes, they bring in Billy and Tommy (Speed and Wiccan) and the twins make themselves grow up pretty quickly.
Other characters that come in and play a part are Monica Rambeau (from the Marvel Comic Book Universe and the movie Captain Marvel, who is also the future Captain Marvel), Darcy Lewis (MCU character last seen hanging out with Thor), and Jimmy Woo (another MCU character, an FBI agent in charge of Scott Lang’s house arrest from Ant-Man and the Wasp).
Let’s also talk about some background about where Disney plans to go in the next 5 years. First of all, they have already acquired rights to do an X-Men series. If you have DisneyPlus (which you do unless you’re pirating this series), you know that the X-Men movies have mostly been added to the Marvel Channel rather quietly and unobtrusively. Also, there are rumors that all three movie Spidermen have signed on to the next Spider-Man movie (Toby McGuire, James Garfield, and Tom Holland). Also also, Disney has made a statement that Deadpool will be in the universe pretty soon. So we know that the endgame for Disney is a combination of all of the Marvel Comic book universe.
Things that I have noticed that are fun about this series: all of the commercials are nerd shout outs. The commercials all have something to do with time, with two being blatantly about clocks or innovation. The commercials for the most part have the same two actors in it (are they SWORD agents?). The first is a Stark toaster, which is weird, but okay, and it is the first time we see color (red, maybe an Iron Man shout out?) used in the series. The second is the Strucker watch, a blatant time reference, and Strucker if you recall from the movies is that dude who was experimenting on Wanda and Pietro when they were in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. In the comic books he’s Wolfgang von Strucker, or Baron Strucker, a former Nazi officer and agent of Hydra, and he never ages, and he shows up to try and do a genocide in the books all the time. The third commercial is about taking a break? HydraSoak bath powder. We all get the willies anytime Hydra is mentioned, so relaxing with Hydra is something we don’t want to do. This is also the first time that I think maybe this isn’t all Wanda? Also, this isn’t time appropriate (and this might be an influence from my real world job, and not some intentional message from Marvel) but mixed-race kids on a commercial in the 70s? That would have never happened. Are things starting to unravel, because this would have been super weird at that time and Marvel has been strict about time appropriateness so far, even so far as including gender roles. The last commercial is Lagos, the paper towel commercial. Paper towels are about cleaning up, right? Because these folks in the commercial spill everything. Also, we see the first incident of gender roles not being respected in WandaVision, because we see a dude wipe up his own spill. Anyway, Lagos is that Nigerian city where Wanda killed a bunch of people, including the King of Wakanda, on accident in Captain America: Civil War.
So in episode 2, SWORD is teased with the little logo on the beekeeper’s outfit at the end of the episode when he comes out of the sewer. The group outside Westview is verified to be SWORD in episode 4. Let’s talk about them a bit. These dudes in the comic books were all about space and going into space and doing space things, but then Thanos does a snappy thing. After the snappy thing (and this series is set 5 years after the Snap) they start doing nanotech and AI. In the comics Maria Rambeau is in charge, and after she dies, dude named Tyler Hayward takes over. Watch Tyler Hayward. I personally do not think he is actually Tyler Hayward, and if someone is acting and looking like someone else, we know which villain has probably just inserted himself into the show (if you’ve been watching the interviews, Tom Hiddleston shows up as a call-in fan of the show and demands to know why he didn’t have a series because he’s been dead a couple of times and Vision is stealing his Schtick). I don’t know that for sure, it could be sloppy writing? Maybe they ran out of character archetypes?
At the end of episode 5, this is when the next five years of the MCU comes into play. Wanda is missing her twin, probably because of her sons, and the doorbell rings. Standing there is Pietro Maximoff. Now the crazy part of this is that he is the wrong Pietro Maximoff (the better one, not the one that has been in the MCU movies, the X-Man Quicksilver). He’s standing there and does the weird Uncle Jesse thing from Full House, (which, if you’re paying attention to the real world, Wanda Maximoff is played by the younger sister of the Olsen twins who played Michelle on Full House in the 80s), but Wanda recognizes that he is the wrong Pietro. Darcy, who is watching the broadcast from outside the Hex, states that Wanda has recast Pietro. But has she? This woman is incredibly powerful, why would she bring back the wrong Pietro? What if she is not in charge? Wanda is really freaked out by this, and that is when I realized I needed to write everything down.
Here are my lingering questions: We have all seen Into The Spiderverse a dozen or so times. Is this how Disney is going to handle the Multi-Verse? Is Pietro the wrong Pietro because of Miles Morales and his rag-tag group of Spidermen? Does this mean that Nicholas Cage is going to be in the MCU? Is Wanda as in charge as we think she is? Can we expect to see Magneto (Wanda’s and Pietro’s dad in the comics) show up to either support his children in the Hex or fight on the side of SWORD? Maybe Professor X will come and get Wanda, Pietro, Timmy, and Billy? Will we finally see if Jean Gray is more powerful than Scarlet Witch (she’s not). Is Hayward a problem of inconsistent writing or is he Loki? Is a multi-verse a way to address Chadwick Bosemen’s death for a proper replacement of Black Panther? Hurry up and watch Episode 6 so we can talk about this stuff!
#WandaVision#WandaMaximoff#Vision#Wiccan#Speed#quicksilver#marvel#CaptainMarvel#MonicaRambeau#DarcyLewis#JimmyWoo#MCU#Marvel Comic Books#Snap
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So since you’re working on a Cancer driven story. I’m going to ramble about the semi popular reverse role au where 3802 is the WBC and 1146 is the RBC. I’ve only seen some (really good) fanart (by the same blog that did fanart of some of your stories!) and read one or two stories on it. But today some stuff hit me and I want to try to make hc’s on how that’s a thing.
For starters In this verse some things are switched around. The whole shock incident happened already. I wanted DB5963 to be around and the shock incident wouldn’t propel 1146’s character development any since I see him as being already RBC.
Anyway 1146, 2001, 4989, 2048 and 2626 are all RBCs (I’m kind of thinking Esinophil too. If only because I wanted her to still be 1146’s close childhood friend. Or Idk, maybe she can be a cell who grew up to be a young Macrophage so she’s still someone he knows since childhood even if it’s not the same. But whatever).
On the flip side, 3803, 5100, 4201, PO1076 and 4201 are all WBCs.
1146 is pretty much a perfect RBC. He’s experienced. He’s always savvy about routes and knows his way around the body so well he doesn’t even need to carry a map. He’s brave and relentless in the face of danger. He knows how to maneuver around bad areas so often times he’ll recklessly run past bacteria and figure out how to use his environment to his advantage. He’s seen as a great role model of a proper, if not a little extreme, RBC.
3803 is still a little fresh. She gets easily flustered about sudden calls for help in areas she’s unfamiliar with. She’s a bit absent minded with her weapons and sometimes might drop her sword (I’m inspired from CAW Black where the female WBCs all have swords instead of knifes. In this verse just for fun, guys wield daggers, girls wield swords) which her friends are always finding and giving it back with various ranges of amusement to anger born of worry. It’s not that she’s a horribly clumsy. 3803 is a good weapon user. But she’s more into the hand punching to leg kicking to bite ripping flesh combat. Sometimes in the heat of the moment she’ll surprise her enemy by going ape on them and then surprise herself when she realizes she lost her weapon somewhere.
And yeah she still gets lost easily and often is found helpless stuck in walls while transmigrating.
Before I go into the rest, I’ll go over the others: 5100 is 3803’s main mentor in the squad. She’s both supportive and faithful to helping 3803 grow. But she also worries and acts more protective since their line of work is more dangerous. She calls 3803 on the radio several times a day and if 3803 doesn’t check in fast enough, she panics. Her and 1076 are the typical brute warrior WBCs. They stick to protocol and do what’s expected of them. They’re typically always a duo so they have excellent teamwork. But 5100 displays her best teamwork with 3803 when the two are in berserk mode at it’s best.
5963 is a new addition that came with the armada of RBCs. He quickly established himself as the unofficial leader of the squad without any fuss from anyone. His positive and relaxed demeanor makes him easy to work with. However he’s the most experienced so he’s no softy on the battlefield. He’s brutal and can scare any non immune cell watching into fainting.
4201 is the newest recruit to the squad. She came sometimes after the shock incident so she wasn’t there to witness the end of the world. She’s a prodigy in her knowledge of Bacteria weakness multiple forms of self defense. She knows protocol like the back of her hand and is above average in nearly all areas. Her biggest weakness is that she gets easily defeated in overwhelming situations and will lose her nerve if there’s a enemy she thinks she can’t win against. She’s assigned to shadow 3803 around her big moment of realizing she has a lot to learn from 3803 is when Cancer shows up. Beyond that she usually partners with 3803 for patrols. Also she dislikes the Killer Ts and finds a lot of them obnoxious but is professional enough to never let that interfere with work.
Also 4989 is the RBC who is always trying to invent better ways to transport packages. One time he slingshot his oxygen delivery into a 3rd story window and nearly knocked the poor Normal cell out.
Anyway, 1146 met 3803 while on the job. She was stuck in the wall and desperately calling for backup on the radio. Everyone was busy so 1146, having pity for the pathetic WBC, came over to pull her out. Before she could even thank him, he was one his way barely giving her a glance. 1146 wasn’t one for gossip or prejudice. He respected the immune system for what they did and had no ill will. But he was a professional and never had any reason or interest to interact with, much less be thanked by, them. He was a good guy but he wasn’t in the mindset for making friends with other cell types.
The weird WBC however didn’t think that. She followed after him asking for directions to the lungs. If this was any other WBC, 1146 admits he’d feel a little nervous since immune cells, from his pov, typically only interact with you to protect you or slay you if you’ve become a threat (1146 is experienced enough to have seen the latter happen to a few of his brethren). But this weird WBC came off as so unusual and weak he wondered if even a platelet could take her. The impression got worse when a Killer T and his squad showed up to mock her for her weakling status and how she was probably going to die and get the RBC killed with her.
It made him wonder if he should worry about his life or hers more.
He showed her to the lungs and parted ways. Determined to make his delivery on time so he could help out 4989 later with his double shipments as promised. Along the way the Bacteria shows up and 1146 distracts it from chasing other RBCs by throwing himself in harms way. Thinking this is it, he determines at least he made the delivery and saved some other RBCs. 3803 pops up at the last moment. Tumbling from the ceiling in a rather ungraceful way. But she doesn’t care. She’s just grateful she made it to the right vent this time!
3803 attacks the bacteria to defend 1146 and all other RBCs. She slashes away and nearly gets her head cut off a few times. 1146 uses the time to warn off all other RBCs, but can’t help but linger nearby to see if she’ll make it. When the bacteria is about to kill a wandering cell, 3803 goes berserk and ditches the sword and starts ripping into the monster. It’s the goriest thing 1146 has ever seen. 1146 sees the sneeze capsule and calls 3803’s attention to it. She gets the idea and pushes the bacteria to the spot and manages to push the button and save the day. She thanks 1146 again for his help and then starts doting on his injured hand by wrapping it up in bandages. Much to his surprise since she’s the one covered in gashes and ooze. She asks if they’ll meet again. He doesn’t think so. But he makes sure his goodbye is a little warmer then the last two times. He gives her his handkerchief so she can wipe her face and see a little better before parting ways.
That’s how the first meeting goes.
Some more hc’s.
3803 is a berserk beast. It wasn’t always apparent but one day when her favorite platelet, Leader Chan, got threatened. She went absolutely savage and all out. She will channel all her determination to win into a primal rage that has other WBCs respecting her more after that. Say what they will, she has that protective instinct and willingness to never give up down down to near perfection.
1146 will retrieve her weapons when he finds them and give them back to her. He often worries someone won’t pick them up for her or she’ll forget to find them if her signal goes off. If he doesn’t see her with her sword after a battle, he will automatically start looking for it.
Despite 3803 being the WBC, 1146 eventually becomes VERY protective of her. Almost overprotective. He helps her when she’s lost no matter what. He always checks out allyways to make sure she’s not stuck. He always helps her find her weapon. He immediately shuts up any ungrateful Normal cell or RBC that makes fun of her or acts rude in a very cold manner. Even if she’s not around to hear it.
One time he saw Killer T yelling at her after a fierce battle with Influenza. He was scolding her harshly for getting herself injured being so soft when saving a Normal cell instead of being more vigilante. If she wasn’t so useless she could do both easily. Her eyes start to water and she apologizes a lot and promises to do better. She runs off and before Killer T can react, 1146 is up in his face and very calmly asks him to never yell at her for trying to do her job the best she can. 1146 then coolly leaves Killer T stunned that some punk RBC just scolded him in a calm rage without any fear. Killer T and 1146 still have a unusual relationship in this verse (1146 is savvy enough to know Killer T can yell all he wants but he can’t hit him).
3803 will often tag along with 1146 during his deliveries and he teaches her all the routes he knows and how to better navigate. He comes to really enjoy it and gets a bit disappointed when she has to run off during one of her stories about her day.
NK cell first befriended 3803 in this verse solely because she seems to piss off Killer T so much (Killer T actually does respect her growth a bit and care about what happens to 3803 as a fellow immune cell. Yelling harshly is partly his way of caring. But her antics still annoy him). 3803 considers NK to be the coolest immune cell in the body (after 5100 or tied). NK gets flustered yet pleased with this attention and acts like another big sis to her.
1146 will wipe her face for her with handkerchiefs if she gets too much guts on them.
Cancer meets both 1146 and 3803 the first time around while they on walking together. She doesn’t realize he’s a cancer cell until much later. She spends almost the whole day protecting both of them from germs and Cancer appreciates 1146’s company and 3803’s kindness to other cells. When Cancer dies, 1146 approaches to pay his respects and 3803 (who landed the final blow, much to everyone’s surprise) ends up crying over him and devastated over his fate and loss of their friendship. Cancer falls in love with 3803 for being so different and unusual. He also vows to talk with 1146 again in hopes he’ll find the answer to his questions about life and destiny. 1146 is disturbed by both revelations (3803 didn’t get Cancer’s love confession to her. 1146 did and dislikes it and also how much Cancer made him think about life in ways he didn’t want to).
Uhm that might be it for now.
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Okay, where were you when I wrote Transmigrating Universes? XD OTL
Hahahah! Look at all of this head canons and snippets of what could really be a wonderful, well written au! Seriously, I love how you included the different relationships among characters and how they would have adapted as different cell types! Special spotlight on 4989 because he would definitely be that one innovative red blood cell while the rest try to get him to use more traditional, and standard regulated dollies.
But, of course, the real star of the show is definitely 3803 and 1146. I love how you reworked the first chapter/episode here. It goes to show how differently they would react to different situations, how they would have adapted, and ultimately, how their relationship would evolve. Although different, there is still that sense of platonic/romantic relationship that is based on true friendship.
And that whole Cancer bit at the end,,, hahaha!
Thank you so much for the delightful, in depth analysis! It was truly inspiring and terrific!
Thank you and I hope that you have a wonderful day! :D
#caw#cells at work#hataraku saibou#caw anon#anon ask#devintrinidad author#devintrinidad#devin trinidad author#devin trinidad#ae-3803#3803#ae3803#u1146#1146#u-1146#caw cancer#caw cancer cell#submission
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Under the cut, I’m gonna put what I have so far for Eiluned & Elyan. And if anyone is interested, feel free to message me. Cause I would be so thrilled if someone wanted to write Elyan. Knowledge of the Chronicles of Prydain isn’t necessary for him as it would be for Taran and Adaon, though I’d love to have them too, no lie. Content warnings for stalking and sexual harassment, as well as miscarriages and stillbirth.
Eiluned and Elyan are the birth parents of Taran, the main character of the Chronicles of Prydain. In the books we find out that she and his dad were killed in a battle and the enchanter who took Taran in and raised him didn't know who they were.
Eiluned is an orphan herself, her dad died before she was born, and her mom died giving birth to her. She's raised in the castle of King Pryderi, a minor character mentioned in the last book. She works as a maid most of her life until Pryderi decides that he wants to marry her, because of her beauty. However, Eiluned is in love with Elyan, who’s a gardener. Pryderi, however, doesn’t take that well, and plans to force the marriage anyway. Essentially Belle and Gaston.
Before the forced wedding can take place, Eiluned and Elyan flee the castle, and Pryderi’s lands. They run across the country, and stop for a while at Caer Dathyl, castle of High King Math and Prince Gwydion; the latter ends up becoming their son's mentor and hero in the future. Also the same castle where Adaon and Arianllyn reside. Gwydion is friends with Pryderi, as they come from a race called The Children of Don, who was a Welsh Goddess.
Gwydion marries Eiluned and Elyan, and she tries to warn him about how depraved Pryderi is becoming, already starting down the path that would lead him to his fate in the last book roughly 20 years later, but he doesn't listen. Elyan would have been happy staying at Dathyl, but Eiluned thinks Pryderi is gonna follow them. So they keep running until they either arrive at a location I have yet to determine yet. There’s 4 or 5 possibilities. I just have to do some reading and try to pin down which would fit best. They settle down there and Elyan becomes a farmer, and Eiluned becomes a potter. And they're happy. Eiluned, of course, is on edge for a while, and looks over her shoulder all the time, expecting Pryderi to come for her.
They do have some struggles having a family. Eiluned has 1 or 2 miscarriages, and a stillborn daughter, before Taran comes. And then the battle comes and they both die, but she hides Taran in the trees to keep him safe, and the enchanter Dallben finds him there and takes him into his care, as he’s been searching for him for years.
There are 3 witch type figures, who I can most closely equate to the Fates. Taran and other characters have encounters with them later. And I'm thinking Eiluned has some sort of connection to them. Like maybe she has dreams that guide her choices or something. Not exactly pinned down yet. And neither she or Elyan know exactly what their son's destiny is, but from the dreams and her own intuition, she knows it's something great.
I'm also thinking of Aus where Eiluned lives- in which case her fc will be Liv Tyler- and looks for Taran, where both she and Elyan live and look for Taran, and like a modern reincarnation thing? Where Don is like look you guys had a bad hand. We'll give you another chance. Arianllyn has a similar verse for Adaon.
Eiluned and Elyan are both Pagan. As is Prydain. Elyan is up for debate in modern stuff, and up to mun if they decide to take him. But Eiluned will remain pagan regardless of verse.
While at Caer Dathyl, Eiluned and Elyan spend time as well with Taliesin, his wife, and his little son Adaon, who later become Arianllyn’s fiance. Taran later meets Adaon and it's a thing. I'm going for as many connections between them and Taran's story and later life as I can get CAUSE FATE IS INTERCONNECTED DAMN IT.
Eiluned is very much like Ella, personality wise. She remains optimistic and faithful, good natured, and tender hearted despite all the hardships she and her husband go through.
SURVIVAL AU WHERE EILUNED ACTUALLY FINDS HER BABY AND HE'S ALL GROWN UP.
Taran’s birth name is Alun Uang, the first name means Harmony and indicates his destiny while the second is his father’s first name. Taran, on the other hand means Thunder. Elyan means A Moment In Time, and Eiluned means Much Desired. Her middle name is Siriol, which means Content.
Elyan calls Eiluned his primrose, and brings her primroses from the garden all the time.
Elyan’s full name, in modern threads, will be Uang Elyan Jin. The first and surnames mean Great and Gold. His paternal grandparents were immigrants to Prydain. His father was born there, and his mother and her family were Prydainians. His fc, Remy Hii’s father is Chinese-Malaysian and his mother is English.
Pryderi is stated to be good looking, harsh, and blonde. So his fc is likely to be Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Nikolaj is 18 years older than Anna, and I did want an age and power gap between Pryderi and Eiluned.
In Prydainian verses, neither Eiluned or Elyan can read or write. But they’re by no means dumb. Elyan, as a gardener, can identify almost any plant by sight, and knows their uses. He knows some blacksmithing and fighting. Eiluned is a potter who also knows a bit of weaving, and though she can’t read, she can come up with stories and tunes with some ease. And in verses where one or both of them survive and find Taran, they’re proud that he can read and write, as well as sculpt, smith, garden, and weave. They’re also extremely proud of his accomplishments and skills.
The youngest age we see Eiluned is 18. She has Taran around the age of 22. And, at the most, he was 6 months old when the battle that killed Eiluned and Elyan took place. In that time, Alun/Taran was her world.
Taran’s late sister’s name was Lyn Dafina.
Pryderi uses his tactic mentioned in the final book, wearing an unsheathed sword until a battle is won, to intimidate the members of his household.
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Can you please tell those of us who don't know much about Lily a little about her? I've always been curious from seeing her in your games!
Enthuse at length about my Witcher OC? sure xD
Race: Demon
Gender: Female
Immediate family: None
Sexuality: Bisexual disaster
Occupation: Witcheress, explorer
Lily is thought to be around 400 years old, but she doesn’t actually know, and stopped paying attention at least three centuries ago. She shows no physical signs of aging.
Demeanour: Laid back and cheerful most of the time, but mess with those she cares about and she will hurt you. Maybe not now, but one day she will come back to you because she has all the time in the world. Less concerned about slights to herself, probably won’t even notice them. Will tease those she likes, but will tone it down if they’re getting uncomfortable. Does have a soft side but you have to earn her trust before she’ll show it.
Likes: Shiny things (especially if they’re sharp and pointy), learning, travelling & exploring, dancing, reading, red wine, having her head scratched at the base of her horns (very few people know this).
Languages: Can read and speak most languages of the Northern Realms fluently, has reasonable knowledge of other languages from her travels.
Preternaturally Strong: Lily’s strength is on par with a higher vampire.
Regeneration: Lily regenerates incredibly quickly – as fast, if not faster than, a higher vampire.
Always sober: Can’t get drunk due to how fast she heals, but keeps trying anyway!
Soul-free: Doesn’t have a soul.
Long Witcher 3 verse background under the cut (basically her about from the sideblog where I RP her @simplly-lilly ). She has other verses - modern, Nioh 2 based, a couple of ‘old’ verses set 50-ish years after Witcher 3, but this is her main one.
Lily ended up in the Northern Realms because she investigated an interesting shiny disc she found in her own world. She appeared in an intricately drawn circle in a mage’s lab which was very pretty but she was far more interested in the shiny baubles he had hanging around so wandered over for a closer look. Master Bertrand, the mage, got quite upset that she just ambled out of his summoning circle, he wasn’t aiming for a horned woman but as she’d shown up she should at least have the decency to follow the rules.
Bertrand wrote a work, Master Bertrand’s Treatise on Summoning & Containing Demonic Entities, based on his summoning of Lily that made him infamous among goetia magic users, mostly because none were ever able to replicate his work and summon their own demon. Lily maintains this is because he only summoned her by accident because she went to look at the shiny disc.
Nonetheless it is possible to summon her, something that has so far been managed accidentally by one scholar in Oxenfurt and a group of witchers messing about in Kaer Morhen. Being summoned is disconcerting and makes her hungry, as such her standard advice for anyone trying to summon a demon is to dispense with the theatrics and make sure you have snacks on hand for when they get there because they’ll be grumpy. If she trusts someone enough she’ll give them her sigil so they can call her whenever they want.
Master Bertrand periodically subjected Lily to horrific experiments and she is heavily scarred as a result, but most people never notice as she heals so quickly her scars are barely visible. Those who do look closely might notice that a lot of them look medical, almost vivisection-like as the mage wanted to find out if demons were the same on the inside as people, among other things. Lily doesn’t like to talk about it and as those who do notice the scarring tend to put it down to fighting she generally doesn’t have to.
Lily ended up staying with Master Bertrand for about a century. He taught her various languages of the Northern Realms and how to read, which he regretted doing as soon as she found the library and started disappearing for weeks at a time. Lily stayed with the Bertrand as long as she did despite the hideous experiments he conducted on her, because it never occurred to her that she could leave.
There were protective wards around the house, and strong magical barriers controlling where she could go. The Mage experimented with magical implants for a while as a way to track and control her, but her accelerated healing powers just pushed them out almost immediately. When he needed to restrain her for an experiment he would have to use massive amounts of magic that would leave him drained for days. As she’s concerned dimeritium is just another shiny metal, it is no more or less effective at restraining her than anything else, and she’s very fond of silver.
Master Bertrand had an ongoing contract with a Cat witcher who brought him interesting bits of monsters for potions and occasional live specimens if requested. For one set of experiments Bertrand hired Cat to spar with Lily, he wanted to see how her speed and strength compared to a witcher having already established she was stronger than humans. Cat won easily and told Bertrand that if he wanted accurate measurements she would need to be trained otherwise the results would always be skewed, so Bertrand hired Cat to do just that.
Cat not only taught Lily hand-to-hand combat and sword play but how to use a whole range of blades, and how to hide them to pass the most thorough searches. Her witcher training would be obvious to any witcher who sparred or fought her, probably down to which school. She can fight very well, although she’s not quite as fast as most witchers, but she can also get reckless because it’s only pain and she heals. She’s very protective of her friends and while most of them are fast healing witchers, she regenerates faster so will put herself between them and peril if the need arises.
Cat also taught Lily how to make witcher potions and an exciting array of poisons, much to Master Bertrand’s annoyance as Cat (and later Lily) refused to share this knowledge with him. Cat tried to teach her to use witcher signs but abandoned it after she blew up half the lab trying to igni a candle.
Cat and Lily were a couple for almost 70 years. Cat made her promise that when he died she’d return his medallion to his school, however he didn’t set a time limit on doing it so she now wears it as her own. Cat also made her promise to look after his blades and put them to good use, most of the blades secreted around her person used to belong to Cat and they have all seen a lot of use. She’ll talk about Cat if pushed, but won’t bring him up voluntarily.
Cat died after being betrayed by Bertrand. Until Cat died she respected the magical barriers around the house, but the pain and fury over his death tapped into her demon nature more fully than any experiment and the barriers came apart as she forced through them. The ensuing fight with Bertrand was when they both discovered how distorted and warped magic can really get around her when she goes full demon. It was the last thing he ever discovered as shortly afterwards she ripped his heart out.
She also destroyed a lot of the darker corners of his lab, but she left the library and house intact. Much as she hates the place it’s always handy to have somewhere to go back to if absolutely necessary. She has an interesting collection of magical knickknacks courtesy of inheriting Bertrand’s collection, most she keeps because they’re shiny but a couple are actually useful.
She likes witchers and vastly prefers their company to humans, mostly because they’ve travelled a lot and seen a lot of shit so always have an interesting story to tell. They also know what it’s like to mostly pass as human until people get up close. When very bored she has been known to put up a contract on herself. Occasionally it works.
She will break her horns off herself if she’s travel through somewhere sensitive (looking at you Novigrad) but she doesn’t like doing it because they itch when they grow back, particularly when they’re going through the velvet shedding phase. Her horns usually grow a bit quicker than her hair, but if she takes a massive amount of damage they’ll grow back more quickly as her body kicks into healing mode.
Lily is a firm believer in hugs, and gets particular joy from hugging tetchy witchers as she’s sure they’d enjoy hugs too with a little practice. She just ignores it when they’re a bit awkward as it’s often been a while since whichever witcher she’s tackle hugged this time last had any friendly contact.
#oc lily#witcher oc#witcher ocs#information dump!#that's probably a lot more than you wanted to know xD#i get quite enthusiastic about my demonic disaster daughter#gharashambles
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HW2020 -- 5: Buying Flowers For Each Other
Part 5 of my Hiccstrid Week Project.
t-rated; RTTE-canon-verse
This one, I had a lot of fun with! 😁 Partially because of the scenes and conversations themselves, but also because of a certain headcanon that wormed its way into this prompt/one-shot which affects how I feel about many things.
I hope you’ll enjoy it! :)
(Also, linking back to the master post for all the wonderful additions 😊)
. o O o .
“So, any ideas what you’re getting for her this year?”
Hiccup grimaced at Snotlout's question. “What do you mean?” he asked, aiming for nonchalance. He knew exactly what Snot meant, but he didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of playing his game.
“Uh, Astrid’s birthday, I guess,” Fishlegs helpfully threw in. “It’s in two weeks.”
Hiccup sighed. “Is that so?” As if he would ever forget that.
“I wonder why I ever bothered thinking about you as competition,” Snot muttered under his breath, then said in a louder voice. “Well, I know what I’ll get her as a gift. All women love flowers. And jewellery. So that’s what I’ll get for her. The biggest bouquet of flowers you can imagine and the most special bracelet you’ve ever seen. She’ll fall in love with me right away, you’ll see.” And with a last sneer in Hiccup’s direction, he left the clubhouse.
“‘The most special bracelet we’ve ever seen’?” Hiccup repeated, his eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement. “And flowers?”
Fishlegs nodded, eager to share what he knew. "Oh, yes. Snot's been talking about little else lately. Apparently, he asked Johann to get him the most ostentatious bracelet he can find. I wonder what it'll be. Can you imagine the wonders foreign cultures may produce? I can't wait to see it!"
Bemused, Hiccup blinked at his friend but then decided not to say anything. Maybe Snot should give that bracelet to Fishlegs instead, he certainly would appreciate it more than Astrid.
Or so Hiccup hoped at least.
Because even though he'd been aware of her upcoming birthday for weeks already, he still had no idea what to give her for this occasion. He wanted it to be something special, something she'd truly appreciate, something unique. But no matter how much he thought about it, nothing would come to his mind that felt right.
The only thing he knew was that Snot's ideas sucked. Because Astrid wasn't like all women. She was special and unique in her own ways, so strong and independent, a warrior. The only worth flowers had to her were when they had any practical healing effects or the petals could be used as a dye. And jewellery? That wasn't her thing at all. Any elaborate adornments would only get in the way during fighting. Sure, she owned a few pieces, a pretty comb for her hair and a brooch to go with it. But those were family heirlooms, pieces she valued because of their meaning and not because they were 'pretty'.
No, there really was no need to worry about how Astrid would receive Snot's gifts, not about any meaningless jewellery and certainly not about some flowers either. But that didn't change that Hiccup still had no idea what to get for her…
. o O o .
Hiccup was still scouring his mind for a suitable gift for Astrid when they all flew back to Berk a few days later. He thought about looking through Trader Johann's goods himself but directly ruled that idea out again. True, sometimes he brought interesting things… but somehow, Hiccup felt like that wouldn't do. The friendship between him and Astrid had evolved and grown since they were living on Dragon's Edge, so she deserved something more personal.
As soon as they'd landed and greetings were dealt with, he headed over to Gobber's forge – or, more precisely, toward his old workshop.
"Okay, let's see what we have here," he muttered to himself as he pulled out a stack of papers and let them drop onto the desk. There were so many things he'd invented during the rather lonely years before he'd met Toothless, so many ideas he'd come up with but hadn't pursued further beyond making simple sketches. There just had to be something sensible, something he could refine during the next days, something more personal and useful than a big bouquet of flowers. The thought alone made Hiccup roll his eyes.
Humming to himself, he sifted through the papers, getting out a second and eventually a third stack. It was a fun walk down memory lane that often made him smile fondly or laugh at his younger self. Some of these ideas were absurd. However, once he’d looked through all three stacks and had hunted out every other loose sheet of paper he could find, he had to admit to himself… that he still had nothing.
Astrid had no need of a splintered twig that could hold a piece of coal. He'd designed that one for his dad once, to keep his hands from getting too messy when he took notes for his chiefing duties. But Stoick had never used it; the twig had broken between his meaty fingers almost instantly. And she also didn't need that utterly ridiculous sword-axe-mace-thing he'd designed when he was thirteen and thought all he would need to get her attention was a cool weapon.
No, none of these sometimes bizarre inventions would work as a gift for Astrid.
Sighing, he let his head drop down onto the table with a dull thump. “What am I supposed to do?”
The knock on the door made him jump up with a surprised cry. “Wha-what? Who’s there?” he asked as he hastily pushed his old notes aside.
To his relief, the door opened to reveal only Gobber, a strange grin on his face. “Is just me, laddy,” the blacksmith announced cheerfully. “I just wanted tae check if yer okay. Heard ye laughin' an' cursin' in here all day.”
Hiccup, who’d gotten up to join his old mentor in the main workshop, blinked at the light falling through the window in surprise. Gobber was right, the sun was already setting.
“I… well, I was just going through my old notes. I hoped to find something... Ah, never mind. I’ll just have to think of something else.”
Gobber frowned. “Yer sure? Is there a problem ye need help with?”
For a short moment, Hiccup actually considered asking Gobber for help. But he sincerely doubted that the older man would come up with an idea for a sensible gift either. Astrid also didn’t need a hand prosthetic that could be used as a cooking spoon, after all.
“No, I’ve got this. But thanks,” he said politely. Gobber didn’t seem convinced though, so he quickly changed the subject. “Anyway, how are you? Any news to share? How’s the forge going?”
Gobber gave him a confused look, but then shrugged. “Ah, just the same as ever. Lots of work an' too wee time. Just today, I got five old swords tae recycle intae somethin' useful.”
Out of reflex, Hiccup’s eyes shifted to the pile of metal in a corner. “Do you need my help with anything?” Maybe working with his hands would help unstick his mind.
“Nae, nothing urgent. But yer always welcome tae work here if ye want.”
Hiccup nodded. “Alright. I’ll stop by tomorrow as long as nothing else comes up.” Casually, he sifted through the mangled and broken weapons, feeling nostalgic when he recognised a blade or a handle he’d made himself. Then he paused, frowning as his hand lingered over one particular sword. “Is this…?” He threw Gobber a surprised look.
“Huh?” Gobber glanced over and then shrugged. “Aye, that’s Gronkle Iron. Grandpa Larson retired an' young Gustav doesnae want it. ‘Too short’, he said.” He rolled his eyes. “A shame. But aam sure I can fin' a new purpose for that metal.”
Hiccup eyed the sword again, an idea forming in his mind in rapid speed. Grinning broadly, he took the sword and turned toward Gobber again. “Would you mind if I used this metal? I already have an idea.”
. o O o .
“Here, these are for you. Happy birthday, beautiful.”
Astrid looked flabbergasted, and Hiccup really couldn’t blame her. After all, Snot had all but thrown an entire armful of flowers at her the very moment she’d appeared at the clubhouse.
“What the–” she cursed, dumping the flowers onto the nearest table. “Snotlout, are you out of your mind? What am I supposed to do with these?”
“Ah, don’t be like that,” Snot drawled. "Beautiful flowers for a beautiful lady, that's what these are for.”
Astrid’s hands balled into fists. “Are you serious?” she snarled.”Odin, when the Gods handed out intelligence, you really were hiding in a cave and screamed 'I don't want any!', didn't you?"
Hiccup chocked on his laughter, both at Astrid's comment and Snot's puzzled expression. The twins weren't as considered, bursting out laughing and wiping tears off their faces.
However, Snot wouldn't give up that quickly it seemed. “Well, no,” he hastily backpaddled. “I mean, of course, no stupid plant will ever outshine you, Astrid. They can only ever compliments your beauty and–"
"Okay, stop right there before I'm getting sick," she interrupted him, visibly shuddering in disgust.
"But it's your birthday, baby!" Snot apparently wasn't done yet.
Hiccup was beginning to enjoy the show, and certainly not least because of how little Astrid obviously cared for Snot's attention. It helped kindle the tentative hope that lately had started blooming in his heart. Maybe, just maybe she felt the same…
"Yes, it's my birthday," Astrid snapped back. "So what? Does that mean I'm obliged to suffer even more of your stupidity?"
Snot gaped at her for a second but then seemed to pull himself together again. "Ah, I know why you're upset. You thought those flowers were your only gift and were disappointed, right? But don't worry, the Snotman is your saviour in every situation.” He snatched the box with the bracelet off the table and held it out to her. “Here, this one’s your true present. Come on, look inside. You’ll love it.”
Astrid took a moment to take a deep calming breath. She rolled her eyes but otherwise stayed clam which, given that Hiccup could see the tension in her jaw, was impressive. “All right, what is it this time, Snot? Let’s get this over with so that I can tell you to shut up and leave me in peace.” She inspected the box and the intricate bow that was bound around it, certainly not by Snow himself but rather by Johann or maybe even the one he’d bought it from. She tugged it open and–
“What, in Loki’s name...” She lifted a note and a simple braided leather cord out of the box, staring at them in disbelief. From where Hiccup stood, he couldn’t make out what exactly was tied into it, only that it was about half a dozen charms, all white and of a rather… phallic form. There was a moment of silence, then...
“Are you kidding me?” Astrid screeched, turning furious eyes on Snotlout.
Snot had turned an interesting shade of white, backing away with his hands raised in defence and his eyes switching from Astrid to the bracelet she’d dropped onto the ground and back again. “I… I’m sorry! I didn’t know what– It was Johann’s fault! He–” He seemed to realise that no excuse would save him, stumbling back a step or three before he turned to make a run for it – Astrid hard on his heels.
“That really is the most special bracelet I’ve ever seen,” Ruff snickered. She’d picked it up and inspected it. “I think those are carved dragon teeth. I never would have thought of giving them this form though.” She held it up for everyone else to see which led to Tuff covering Chicken’s eyes while Fishlegs picked up the note that had fallen to the ground next to the bracelet.
“Uh, no wonder she was so mad,” he muttered after reading the note. “According to Johann, this is a special talisman from somewhere far in the south. Traditionally, it’s meant as a betrothal or wedding gift and is meant to bless the donor and the receiver with...” he paused, blushing a little, “with fertility and never-ending passion. Johan even added a personal note, wishing Snot good luck and happiness with his bride-to-be.”
Tuff looked up, bewildered. “Wait, what? Snot’s getting married? When? And to who?”
Ruff just burst out laughing. “Oh, Snot is so dead!”
Bemused, Hiccup watched in silence from his place in the back of the room. He wasn’t quite sure what Snot had been thinking, whether he’d been thinking at all, or whether it really had just been Johann’s exaggerated enthusiasm. How could he get her something like this and think she’d like it, how could he misread her signs so thoroughly?
Or, could it be that…?
No, he didn’t want to think about the other option; that, maybe, it was Hiccup who was misreading her. Surely, there was something between him and Astrid, something that had developed over the past years, right? He wasn’t as stupid sn Snot for getting his hopes up… right?
He was still brooding, a little worriedly, when Astrid came back. Her body was tense with repressed anger. “Get that thing out of my sight, Ruff, or I swear I’ll shove it somewhere nobody will ever find it again,” she growled.
Still giggling, Ruff pouched the bracelet. “So, did you kill Snot?” she asked, mirth clear on her face. Apparently, she was enjoying herself greatly.
Astrid shot her a glare, then let out a defeated sigh as she slumped down on a nearby chair. “No, I didn’t. He flew off before I could reach him, all the while yelling how sorry he was. I just wish… why can’t he leave me in peace, for Odin’s sake?”
“Same reason Legs would never leave Meatlug and my brother takes Chicken with him wherever he goes,” Ruff prompted, grinning. Both boys looked at her in clear confusion.
Astrid growled at her but then paused when her eyes fell on another box lying on the table in front of her. It was only adorned with a rather simple bow, but it was enough to identify it as another present. Hiccup wished he could rush forward and snatch it away, not wanting to annoy her further, but it was too late.
“And what’s this?” she asked, her voice saturated with annoyance. “If that moron got me even more, then...” She let the threat trail off and grabbed the box.
“No, that’s from–” Fishlegs began but got cut off by Hiccup frantically shaking his head. If she got this angry and annoyed by getting gifts, he rather didn’t want her to know he’d gotten her something, too.
However, Astrid didn’t pay them any mind, eyes fixed on the box’s content. Without a word, she reached inside and lifted one of the two objects out, inspecting it. It was a dagger, sleek and sharp, perfectly balanced, the handle wrapped in practical leather. It was elegant in its simplicity – if Hiccup was allowed to think so himself. What Astrid thought, however, he had no idea.
Mutely, she stood up and walked over to where he stood, her eyes not leaving the sharp blade until she stood right in front of him. “You made this.” It wasn’t a question. She knew his handiwork to well not to recognise it.
Gulping, Hiccup nodded. “Both of them,” he mumbled, hoping she wasn’t about to gut him. The old sword had been big enough to turn it into two daggers, and while he’d worked away in Gobber’s forge, making them had felt like a fantastic idea. Now, he wasn’t so sure anymore.
Astrid shook her head, gaze dropping back to the dagger in her hand and face twitching. “A Gronkle Iron dagger,” she murmured. “Two even.”
“You… you once said you’d want one…” he mumbled, feeling more stupid with every passing moment. That had been ages ago, he should have known better.
Again, she shook her head, but when she looked up again, there was surprise in her eyes, even something like a smile on her face. “You remembered?” she asked. “I… I didn’t think…” She trailed off, her face softening into a grateful smile. “Thank you!”
There was true gratitude in her voice, but Hiccup barely noticed anything anymore as she stretched to press a quick kiss to his cheek; Not Ruff’s snickering, not Fishlegs’ happy smile, and not even the blush on Astrid’s cheeks as she quickly turned away and left. All he knew was that he was grinning like an idiot, his hand rising to brush over where her lips had touched him.
So, he’d been right after all. Astrid wasn’t the romantic type and getting her flowers of all things would never do.
. o O o .
Aah, I really liked this one! 😊 I hope some of you did, too.
* - . - * - . o O o . - * - . - *
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#Hiccstrid Week 2020#Hiccstrid#fanfiction#httyd#rtte#fluff#Hiccup Haddock#Astrid Hofferson#Snotlout#ruffnut#Tuffnut#Fishlegs#yes I admit the reblog of that edit wasn't by chance
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THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE; Mun & Muse - Meme.
fill out & repost ♥ This meme definitely favors canons more, but I hope OC’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. Multi-Muses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm.
My muse is: canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless /
Is your character popular in the fandom? YES / NO / IDK. For sure, for being the cutest of cutes!! All Zeldas are cute though but she was the blueprint ;v;
Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom? YES / NO / IDK. I’m a devout christian virgin I would never ever look at those kind of topics the only hot I see is the flames of hell for even considering this smh smh bUT NO FOR REAL THO I’M NOT REALLY SURE???? I mostly see people gushing over how cute she is rather than hot.
Is your character considered strong in the fandom? YES / NO / In some aspects. We don’t really see Skyward Sword Zelda’s abilities in the games as we did in, say, BOTW where she goes full goddess mode. Aside from blessing the master sword, sealing herself away, and the implications that the game gives us with Zelda being not only a student at the knight school but also a badass warrior goddess in her past life; I’d say she’s pretty up there in terms of strength.
Are they underrated? YES / NO. GONNA GO WITH YES AND NO ON THIS. As a character, Zelda is far from underrated she’s actually cliche blonde character we all love and stan but in this incarnation.... also yes and no because while I see a lot of people like SS Zelda keep in mind that SS is the black sheep of the series so not a lot of people have good opinions on it. I’ve seen some say she’s annoying, too shoujo or even Mary Sue at some points and hweoh we all know that the last one ain’t even close to true since she’s far from bland and OP written. But it’s all a matter of perspective!
Were they relevant for the main story? YES / NO.
Were they relevant for the main character? YES / NO /
Are they widely known in their world? YES / NO.
How’s their reputation? GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL / FOR THE MOST PART, if we were talking verses like say witch verse she’d have more of a neutral reputation considering witches aren’t really well-liked ;-;
How strictly do you follow canon?
I try to do the best that I can do given with what we’re working with here all while adding my own spin to her characterization because we all have different perspective when it comes to art! How I see Zelda is someone who’s bubbly, playful (big ol bully hweoh), a bit of a busybody if she feels she needs to step in due to worrywart tendencies yet highly responsible and carries a wisdom that’s beyond her age, she doesn’t like seeing people bullying others and isn’t afraid to put her foot down to speak her mind if something is up. While kindness is sorta her strong suit I wanted to go beyond “nice girl” and just showcase other sides of her too, hence why main verse is typically set during the events of SS because here we see her growth into the girl we see at the end of the game where she’s melancholic of her past but is looking forward to seeing what the future holds and wants to build a brighter tomorrow with Link by her side along with friends and loved ones. I’m not at all confident in playing as her, despite playing as Zelda since 2017 haha!! So I can’t really say that I’m super strict in following canon considering that’s how I view the character through the actions and dialogue throughout the game, perhaps the creators had something different in mind than how I see Sky Zelda.
SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals.
DO YOU LIKE WHOLESOME GIRLS?! Wait no, hold on, that’s a little too vague, so let’s try that again. Do you like wholesome genki girls who were once a god who fought in a war in their past life? How about pastel girls who may seem sweet but are deep down bullies towards loved ones? Are you at a point in your life where you find yourself wondering: where on earth can I find someone who’s ray of sunshine can brighten up my day. Will do I have good news for you buddy! Introducing your very own friend: Zelda from hit series Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. This Zelda is more extreme than the others due to the fact that she’s not a princess, that’s right no princess titles clogging up that beautiful name. Just a knight who somehow finds out she’s actually a goddess reborn as human, no biggie!
Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?)
SHOUJO PROTAG WHO’S TOO FREAKING CUTE!! So.... if that’s not your cup of tea ;v; but nah I can see people not liking Zelda because not everyone like the nice girl who’s your childhood friend characrter, I totally get it but if you dig a little deeper you see that there’s more to it than that.
What inspired you to rp your muse?
My close friend was FINALLY getting into the LOZ series back when BOTW was first coming out, her playthrough of SS made me remember how much I loved each characters and honestly Zelda’s design in that game was always my fav right next to Tetra and ALTTP/ALBW! At the time I mostly played more introverted muses or straight up villains and I wanted to try my hand at playing more wholesome characters like Sky Zel and ALTTP Zel ;v; now look at me, the CEO of wholesome cute girls ;v;
What keeps your inspiration going?
Motivation and time at this point, I’m not the young starry-eyed rper who used to have playlists and replay things to keep up with canon. I just pray to god I’m doing ok, let jesus take the wheel and just sorta do my own thing. I think having fun threads or a friendship with partners or just good vibes from them def helps a whole lot.
Some more personal questions for the mun.
Give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.
Do you think you give your character justice? YES / NO.
Do you frequently write headcanons? YES / NO. SORTA KINDA NOT AS MUCH AS I DO WITH ALTTP ZEL BECAUSE I’M ALWAYS NERVOUS THAT I MIGHT LIKE BREAK THE CANON OR ZEL’S CHARACTER!!
Do you sometimes write drabbles? YES / NO.
Do you think a lot about your Muse during the day? YES / NO.
Are you confident in your portrayal? YES / NO.
Are you confident in your writing? YES / NO / Most of the time!
Are you a sensitive person? YES / NO. I mean, that’s a trick question because I can be sensitive in picking up tones and reading between the lines but like if you mean if someone says something mean than no not anymore at least, I’m too old to care about what people say about me or think about me.
Do you accept criticism well about your portrayal?
YE! I do! I mean we’re all improving and junk so I see no issues with criticisms uvub I always worry about whether or not you can hear different voices within the characters I rp as among writing issues I have that comes with learning disability and ADD, I try my hardest but I know at the end of the day there will always be grammar mistakes and even spelling!
Do you like questions, which help you explore your character?
YES YES YES!! OMG YES!! I TAKE WHATEVER QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE AND JUST... WORD VOMIT BACK SEVEN PAGE ESSAY SOMETIMES ;V;
If someone disagrees to a headcanon of yours, do you want to know why?
Eh, well yeah it’d be nice honestly to hear feedbacks and thoughts. Just saying ‘I don’t like this or I don’t agree with this’ doesn’t really help anyone who wants to improve but I’m not gonna like press them for it either because again I’m at the stage in my life where I’m just like ‘it is what it is’.
If someone disagrees with your portrayal, how would you take it?
Shrug emoji, and then move on! Again it’d be nice if they can tell me though but I won’t press them for it if they don’t feel like it. We’re allowed to have our opinions after all yo!
If someone really hates your character, how do you take it?
It is illegal to hate sky zel or any Zel really... NAH JK I DON’T REALLY CARE I’ve liked characters who aren’t popular among the fandom, I’m more or less used to seeing character bashing for faves so like it doesn’t really affect me at all I’m just like “lol” and move on.
Are you okay with people pointing out your grammatical errors?
YES! Though keep in mind, despite me using Grey instead of Gray, I use US English ;v; so keep that in mind when spotting out certain words other parts of the world may spell differently because us US Americans just..... gotta be extra like that.
Do you think you are easy going as a mun?
I TRY!!! IDK IF I COME ACROSS AS THAT but I’m very much someone who goes with the flow anyway, I’ve been told that much IRL and I’m just hweoh not really someone who’s a stick in the mud or has a stick up their ass, you know? I’m pretty laid back and not much bothers me, I can get petty if I have to come across rude people that’s the one thing that kills it for me but aside from that, I just wanna try to get along with people. We don’t have to be friends if you’re not feeling the vibes but friendly terms is good enough for me!
That’s about it, congrats for filling out!
#long post /#ooc postings.#the ceo of cute wholesome girls that's all i wanna be known for#but phew the sleeping pills are kicking in i can't write too well now#so good niiiiight enjoy this early munday meme!
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What’s happening is that Disney is not doing its job.
I ended up doing an essay lol. I obviously appreciate someone reading it but given that is really lengthy, I don’t expect anyone to do so. I’m also not Asian so, there’s that. And my English leaves a lot to be desired (I corrected the orthography but I’m prone to grammar errors).
I do recommend checking out the sources I linked, especially 1 (youtube video made by a Chinese person), 2 and 3 (the descriptions are below).
I talk about what Disney is doing is not out of naive idleness. Idleness yes, but naivety no.
I keep thinking, where the hell did this movie go wrong? Because yes, this is not the first time nor the last time Disney is going to deliver a less than mediocre live-action remake, but, despite all of their track record, I still had hope for this one.
Because, while the other movies are classics, they had certain aspects that didn’t age perfectly, which it is understandable. Beauty and the Beast, although arguably the best Disney animated movie, had these “Stockholm Syndrome” connotations* (bear with me) and we also had to consider how much of Beast’s personality could stay in the remake (since he could have been read really wrong if he lashed out on Belle too much, not only because of his appearance but for the power dynamics of him being the one in calling the shots of Belle’s wellbeing, hope that made sense).
Cinderella could have made some* audiences criticize her for her apparent submissiveness, Aladdin is a whole can of worms in the subject of orientalism (which they kept in the remake, anyway), etc., etc.
*This is not the post to discuss whether or not Belle suffered Stockholm Syndrome during her movie, nor to discuss whether or not Cinderella was actually submissive in the original. Many people have already done that, my point in bringing that up is, Disney used that as an excuse to change scenes and plot in the remakes.
But Mulan, aside from minor problems that come from an American company writing an eastern story (and the values and trends present when the movie was made), had a very strong plot that still holds up to this day (I say that like the movie was made in the 30s lol).
Not only it is a “feminist” movie but also, the story is very well written and made, in my opinion. There was not a lot that you needed to change. The main character had already a well-rounded personality (unlike, for example, my girl Aurora), the story was already very rich, etc. The removal of Mushu (and the whole dragon symbolism), although sad, it’s understandable how it was necessary.
However, is not just the removal of important and nostalgic characters like Mushu or grandma Fa, but the removal of the soul of the movie.
Mulan 2020 is a soulless movie.
This is not unique to this remake, as this is not even unique to remakes, imo. But it is one of the most painful ones, because this movie meant a lot to a lot of women (and people) and the beauty of it all was that you didn’t need to be Chinese, or a woman, to appreciate it (that’s a good thing in the sense that is good when you can relate to a story, even if you don’t share some of the traits with the main character. Not that it’s good despite being the story of a Chinese woman, is that clear? Sorry if it’s not).
And it’s also painful because it could have been so easy to... not do that. Other people have already talk about this (and in a much briefer, better way) but yes, what made Mulan so great in the original was that she was your average girl, even worse because she lived in a very conservative society yet she managed to become a badass while, not only discovering who she was in the process, but also staying true to that. That was the reason she was great. She had flaws, she couldn’t adapt, she was the underdog but she, through her unwillingness to give up, her tenacity, wits and compassion, overcame that, eventually becoming a hero.
It was not because of her qì. Again, I’m not going to do a deep dive in that because others have already talked about how they made her a Chosen One. What I want to discuss is how sad it is that they went for that route and my confusion as to why they did it.
And I think it was more than laziness. It’s definitely a lack of motivation but, when you dwelve on it, I don’t think that laziness goes hand in hand with carelessness. But first, with the laziness, a google search would have made them see what progressive crowds now deem as feminist values. Both eastern and western crowds.
Because yeah, sure, I doubt the Chinese government is well versed in intersectional feminism. Yet, there are movies both the Chinese government and its people have liked and appreciated. Weren’t they the ones that, upon watching Kung Fu Panda said something like “how did we not come up with that?”
I saw this video made my Chinese youtuber Accented Cinema (links below: 1, I highly recommend watching it) and he even mentioned his school taking his class to watch the original movie in theaters. So, yeah, believe it or not, you can make a feminist movie set in a third world country (I also come from a third world country, sorry if this sounds like I’m being mean to Chinese people).
So, why did you not do your homework, Disney? Again, I understand they couldn’t have made the most leftist movie, not only because it’s Disney, but because they wanted to appeal to both governments, however, you could have made the remake be satisfying enough for that audience and the rest of the world. But they didn’t even satisfy the Chinese audience, with a lot of them saying how the movie reinforces ideologies the Chinese themselves have already moved on from (the “devotion to family” inscription in the sword has received a lot of criticisms: 2).
This means that they failed to do even the only thing they seemed to compromise on. You could have had still appealed to the government. That is to say, I don’t expect Disney to be the wokest of them all and go full anarchist on their movies because that’s not even what Disney wants anyway.
They could have still done some things that wouldn’t have anything to do with western or eastern values. For example, they could have given Mulan’s sister a personality. Giving your character one is not a western/Americanized value, it’s part of what means to make a well written story.
Without that, her character seems completely pointless. Seriously, I keep thinking what was the point of her character, besides being a disappointing replacement of the grandma. I’d like to think that she was the movie’s way to represent how more conservative values are still valid, if the woman chooses so. Her wanting to get married and have a traditional family doesn’t diminish her value as a person. They could have made a scene with the two sisters still being able to bond with each other, even if they had very different views of the world.
But since we never find out about her motivations or desires, it is left unknown whether this is what she chose for herself or if she is just another victim of her circumstances. And I ask myself why, since it could have been so easily to do that. You could have replaced the scene where kid Mulan is combing her sister’s hair (which, for what I can remember, only serves to further stablish the sister’s fear of spiders… which they make clear in other two scenes) if the movie’s duration was a problem.
Being left with no logical answers, I can only conclude that it was out of laziness. But it doesn’t end there, does it? Because I think “ok, so they were lazy, then they could have done what every lazy student does when they don’t have any motivation left and copy-pasted the original. Didn’t they do that with the Lion King already?”
And I get that it didn’t work with that one, but that’s because you shouldn’t somber up a movie that has anthropomorphic animals, that also heavily relied on being an animated movie. Mulan doesn’t rely on that; Mulan was inspired by a legend. Live-action Mulan had already been made with good results, so what couldn’t they have just copy pasted their own original? If they didn’t have the energy to give it a proper, well-made twist (i.e., Maleficent), the least they could have done is respect its predecessor.
But they took away all the things that made Mulan great in the first place, to made her what every writer will tell you not to do. Making her being born with extraordinary skills, which then results in her not having to work for her merits, is something even I, a nobody, knows not to do. I’m not even going to address how taking agency away from her sends the wrong message to the little girls that are going to see this sad excuse of a movie.
What I’m trying to say, it may not be comparable to a lazy student copying the homework of one of the most accomplished students, but it is as if they based their work on that, just butchering all the parts that made the accomplished student’s work good. And, unlike with the lazy student whose reasons might be justifiable, Disney had no excuse to do so, because it is their job.
It is their job to deliver a well written story or, if that’s too demanding, to at least make a movie with a happy-go feeling (is that grammatically correct?) that sends a well-meaning message. Instead, the message this movie (I would say, purposefully) delivers is that you can only accomplish great things if you’re born special.
Us, regular folks, especially regular women, especially regular women born in less than ideal circumstances, are doomed. And that’s what’s sad.
Links to sources used:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZccG-wtt5FA&ab_channel=AccentedCinema
2. https://twitter.com/tony_zy/status/1302743527240142849
Why “boycott” Mulan 2020 (not only because of what the lead actress said):
3. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/09/07/why-disneys-new-mulan-is-scandal/
4. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/whats-happening-in-xinjiang-is-genocide/2020/07/06/cde3f9da-bfaa-11ea-9fdd-b7ac6b051dc8_story.html
5. What the actress did say: https://time.com/5653973/mulan-boycott-liu-yifei/
#if I did anything wrong#overstepped or assumed things that aren't true#let me know#but again#i know no one is going to read this#this movie had so much potential#but once again it was waisted#essay#in my opinion#disney remakes#disney#live action#live action movies#mulan 2020#mulan#yifei liu#hollywood#essays
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232. Sonic the Hedgehog #164
The Darkest Storm (Part Three): Downburst
Writer: Ian Flynn
Pencils: James Fry
Colors: Jason Jensen
With Naugus and Mogul having teamed up, backed up by both of their respective groups of minions, the Freedom Fighters' task to get the Sword and Crown of Acorns back has just gotten a lot harder. Fiona calls out to Sonic that she wants to finish this quickly, and Sonic takes his chance to quip in Sally's direction that he never disappoints a lady, "present company excluded," a comment which just exasperates her though he merely notes in reply that he's just happy to see her back out in the thick of things once again. Sonic and Elias charge Mogul, distracting him and allowing Sonic to grab the crown off his head, but when he tries to give it back to Elias they're both shocked painfully by a surge of energy from the crown. Mogul gloats that the Source has been permanently corrupted to only respond to his own influence, and Sir Connery, outraged, charges forward to engage Mogul in single combat. I can't stress enough that at this point, someone's weird horse fetish (looking at you, Fry) is on full display, as Connery's clothing is strategically damaged to show off his rippling bicep muscles and the manly glare he gives Mogul as he strains to thrust his sword in his direction. It… lacks even the slightest modicum of subtlety. Sonic tries to rush forward to help, but Mogul traps him in a fist made of rock, ensuring that he and Connery can duel it out one on one. However, it turns out Connery didn't even need Sonic's help anyway, because he's got a cool magic sword and the power of righteousness on his side!
With that, Sir Connery's body disappears in a puff of ash, leaving his empty clothing tatters behind. Merlin sadly informs everyone that he used his own life force as a conduit for the energy surge that was able to destroy the sword and crown at once, eliminating the final remnant of the Source of All from this world. A furious Mogul tries to insist he still holds immeasurable power even without the sword, but a voice suddenly booms out over Knothole from the sky, claiming that it does as well. Eggman's fleet of airships has arrived, and within an instant, they blast every member of the opposing team - Mogul, Naugus, the Destructix, and Uma's children. The Freedom Fighters are left shocked at the sudden and total annihilation of their opposition, and prepare for a battle, but turns out they needn't bother.
Look at it, indeed! You would be a complete fool not to attempt to do so at this very moment, when Knothole is vulnerable and its fighting force is already exhausted. But, of course, if Eggman enacted a sudden and decisive victory over his foes right now, then we wouldn't have a comic, would we? And so, Eggman willingly falls victim to the most fatal of villainous flaws, and leaves, intending to return soon on his own terms when conquering Knothole will actually present him with a bit of a challenge. The Freedom Fighters are left to clean up the mess left behind, and give what's left of Sir Connery a proper burial in Knothole's small cemetery. Elias tries to say something in remembrance, but finds that the grief is a bit too much.
Sonic's words reinvigorate Elias, and he gives an impressive speech on the spot, stating that Knothole and its kingdom will aspire to be as brave as Connery was in his final moments, and that his Sword of Light will be passed down the Acorn line as the new royal heirloom. Man, all this would be way more inspiring if Sir Connery appeared in more than four issues and had any personality traits beyond "medieval-esque knight." Sonic, Merlin, Tails, and Knuckles all walk together, discussing how even without the Ancient Walkers, they still have their three chosen successors - Aurora, Athair, and Merlin himself. Their spirits are raised by the thought, but darker things are going down back in New Megaopolis.
…you know, the Egg Grapes may be horrible, awful torture devices and all, but I can't say I really feel bad for anyone stuck in them right now. Well, maybe Uma's children given that apparently they're all still just acting on instinct from their mother's imprinting, but hell, they threw their lot in with Naugus, so I can't really bring myself to care that much. Eggman leaves the room… which gives Anonymous some time to ruminate. You see, their plan went exactly as they hoped, with the sole exception of Sonic's survival. Eggman is now the ultimate power on the face of Mobius, poised to be able to truly win this war and take over everything. A silhouette reminiscent of Robotnik appears on A.D.A.M.'s screen… and the voice of A.D.A.M. quietly reveals himself to be Anonymous, orchestrating everything while hiding in plain sight. That's right, A.D.A.M. has been Anonymous all along! If this seems kind of out of the blue and like it wasn't really planned from the beginning, well, that's because it wasn't. Apparently Romy Chacon had originally intended for a resurrected Robotnik to be Anonymous, but clearly that didn't pan out, and Ian decided to make it A.D.A.M. instead. Far more interesting for Eggman to be betrayed from within, if you ask me, and furthermore, I'm glad that they haven't actually brought the original Robotnik back permanently. It's not often a series' main villain actually dies for real, only to be replaced by someone even worse - I feel like it would just cheapen things to suddenly bring back the original Robotnik for some more shenanigans.
(Unnamed Story)
Writer: Ian Flynn
Pencils: Tracy Yardley!
Colors: Josh & Aimee Ray
What? Again?! Yes, just like before, we have another unnamed story! Now, given what the name of the story preceding it in the previous issue was, we can easily deduce that the name of this story was meant to be "Sonic Riders (Part 2 of 2)", but the title never actually appears anywhere in the story itself, so out of principle (and spite) I'm leaving its name blank here. Sonic returns to Knothole after his encounter with the Babylon Rogues, battered and exhausted from having lost his fight with them. Tails and Knuckles are concerned, but he brushes them off, saying only his pride is truly wounded and revealing their plans to attack Knothole tomorrow.
Again, I have to point out how strange and out of nowhere all this is, given that in the game these three only get into Extreme Gear riding in the first place after entering Eggman's competition. Like, Tails just suddenly made some airboards at the exact same time that the Babylon Rogues showed up on boards of their own? Suuure. Well, using them to allow the other Freedom Fighters to keep up with Sonic is a good idea at least. The next morning finds the Rogues waiting in the forest outside Knothole, wondering if Sonic plans to show up, though Jet is certain he won't given how badly they beat him yesterday. However, of course he chooses that moment with Tails and Knuckles in tow, and a furious Jet begins to race with him, planning to trash Knothole purely on principle now and determined to prove that he's the fastest thing alive, not Sonic. The six quickly pair off with their respective foils, with Knuckles and Storm trading punches, Wave and Tails trying to outfly and outsmart one another, and Jet and Sonic focusing on pure speed. And then… it ends! Again with this lack of closure, Ian! The final page even invites readers to "play Sonic Riders on your favorite console" to find out who wins this race, despite such a "race" never taking place in the game.
The good news is that after this arc, Ian seemed to have realized how disappointing and odd these non-adaptions are, and in future issues dropped them in favor of non-canon pre-adaptions called "In Another Time, In Another Place" that essentially act as short ads for upcoming games. These take place, as the name suggests, in an alternate reality much closer to that of the games, and as such aren't considered canon within the preboot universe, thus this blog won't be covering them. That said, as I mentioned before, altered versions of some games are considered to have happened at some point within this universe, such as both Sonic Rush games. Sonic '06 is a particularly interesting case, as while Ian apparently confirmed that it did happen in the preboot 'verse and small references to characters and locations from the game are included in future issues, the very nature of the game's storyline means that everything that happened in it was erased from the timeline regardless. This does mean, however, that Silver, arguably the most important new character to be introduced in said game, exists in this universe, though we won't be seeing him for some issues yet. Don't worry though - when he does appear, he really shines!
#nala reads archie sonic preboot#archie sonic#archie sonic preboot#sonic the hedgehog#sth 164#writer: ian flynn#pencils: james fry#pencils: tracy yardley#colors: jason jensen#colors: joshua d ray#colors: aimee r ray
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“ 𝐢 𝐚𝐦 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲. ” ⋰ canon divergence.
my daenerys is very heavily influenced by book, show, and personal headcanons. i have taken what i want from each, but ultimately, if you don’t like certain things, you are free to unfollow. this is what you can expect if we write together. massive credit to both @killthebxy and @tymptir for their input, and everything they’ve contributed.
⋰ ⊰ 𝒊𝒇 𝒊 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌; 𝒊 𝒂𝒎 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕. ┊┊ spans the time across all books, and seasons 1 - 5.
The main verse takes place as a mixture of book, show, and headcanon influences, starting with the history we know and love, so I won’t go into a ridiculous amount of detail since the plot points are pretty universally known. Born during the worst storm the world has ever seen, and at the cost of her mother’s life, Daenerys was raised by her brother Viserys in exile, to escape the wrath of the Baratheons who had already destroyed the majority of her family. She was eventually taken into the Free Cities with her brother, by loyal retainers, and after years of trying to raise support, they were given sanctuary by Magister Illyrio Mopatis in the Free City of Pentos. Despite living in constant fear of her brother ( who threatens she’ll “wake the dragon” ) and somewhat meek and malleable in response to such treatment, she dreams of finding a peaceful home and a place to belong.
SUBVERSE NOTE HERE: In any canon where someone who is not Viserys raises Daenerys ( whether that be Rhaella, or whether that be any other person – Arthur Dayne, Elia Martell, etc ) the tag will be as linked beside this. This is to signal that her background in that verse may be different, thus lining her up for the potential of a different life.
After reaching a ripe age for marriage, she is sold to Khal Drogo in exchange for an army of 40,000 men for the khalasar, for an army to take back the Iron Throne, Daenerys is initially terrified of her husband, who does not hesitate to take what is his by purchase. Throughout her time with the dothraki, she eventually finds the strength to fight back against her older brother, and manages to impact the culture of the people around her - instilling ideals against the way the dothraki used to live in a respectful manner. After Drogo’s death, and the birth of her dragons, her time with the dothraki comes to a close, as they won’t follow a woman who has not displayed traditional stereotypes of strength. As such, she seeks out the major cities in Essos in an attempt to fortify her power beyond just her broken people.
Making her way from Qarth, to Astapor, it is there that Daenerys acquires the army of the Unsullied, and forms an alliance with the Stormcrows. After freeing the slaves of both Astapor and Yunkai, she marches to Meereen, though she suffers unrest from the people under her power, and some degree of disobedience from her dragons, resulting in two of them being locked beneath the Great Pyramid after her largest slaughters a child. Note, there is a lot of content within this timeframe to take in, and solely for the avoidance of rehashing everything in the earlier books and the earlier seasons, I won’t go into more detail than that, but time frame wise, this verse will cover the duration of Daenerys’ reign until the fighting pits, where she takes flight on Drogon for the first time. It is also worth noting that while I will not defer to show canon when it comes to things like Doreah’s betrayal, if it works for our plot, I am happy to make it work.
The important things post books ending begin here. I will be accepting the canon that accompanies the course of season 6. That is, that after being found by the dothraki, Daenerys is taken to Vaes Dothraki to be tried before the council of Khals, and potentially fated to live a life with the widows. I will also be accepting the death that she gives those Khals by fire, and the new support of the entire Khalasar at her back - as their Khaleesi, she instills new values to ban their traditional sexual violence and strives to continue positive changes to the more problematic aspects of their culture, as she did as Khaleesi. I will also be accepting the season 6 canon that after securing Slaver’s Bay and renaming it the Bay of Dragons, she accepts an alliance with the Greyjoys, who escort her to Dragonstone.
SUBVERSE NOTE HERE: After the attack in the fighting pits by the Sons of the Harpy, Drogon carries a wounded Daenerys ( who took a blade to the thigh whilst mounting him ) from the arena and across the narrow sea to protect her from her enemies, finding his way north, to be found by the Lord Commander of the night’s watch. Over the duration of the time her leg heals, she remains within castle black, forging a friendship that buds on the edge of something more with the young Lord Commander, and is at the castle for both his death and resurrection. Only after his announcement to travel south does she decide it’s time to travel home, and back to Essos. upon return, and whilst Drogon stops for rest after his long fight, she is found by the Khalasar, who take her as prisoner. This default verse is based on my plots with @killthebxy and allows some prior interactions with members of the night’s watch, should any wish for it. Within this same verse, her armies travel North to fight alongside at the Battle of the Bastards, before returning to Dragonstone once he is crowned King of the North and realising she is no longer welcome there. Heavily plotted with Fil.
This verse will span upwards to her journey North, though heavy plotting can change her reasons for that. By default, it is Jon that persuades her of the real fight to the North, but happy for that to change. Also happy to keep the canon of Daenerys executing the Tarlys - controversial, I know, but it’s staying. The major changes within this arc come from a personality basis; she’s not nearly as entitled in these exchanges, nor as bloodthirsty. This verse will also include her arrival in the North, by which time she faces massive isolation amongst wary people, and even from her own advisors. It is up for discussion whether she agrees to Northern independence at this point or slightly later, in either subset of this canon - but she will agree at one point, or another. This canon will end at the Battle of Winterfell.
from here, there are two potential paths for my canon to follow. one in which the battle ends with arya killing the night king, and one in which the battle ends with winterfell’s ruin. & note that in both, after what happens at winterfell, daenerys is forced to carry a sword, and to wear armour for both larger scaled battles. whether this be a small one created for her, or whether this be dark sister, gifted by the free folk ( thanks to @arcusignis for that theory ) is up for speculation. in both, at the very least, the dragons will be forced to wear chestplates.
⋰ ⊰ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆. ┊┊ set after the battle of winterfell.
Massive credit to Fil, who also helped to write this verse. In this verse, the premise is simple to follow. The battle of Winterfell happened as per show canon to an extent - battle strategies were different than the mess that was show canon, and I’ll defer to @killthebxy and his beautiful headcanons, along with discussions with @tymptir for how Jaime would have integrated his own strategies. Instead of killing the Night King, Arya managed to kill an Other - this resulted in a large portion of the wights dying, and enough time for the Northern people to begin to scatter. Note, it is also unclear in this verse if Bran is alive or dead, and that is also up for negotiation. The casualties that take place in their attempted retreat are enormous, thus leading to more wights, and very few managing to escape. In this canon, Daenerys is harmed after her fall from Drogon, though Jorah is still very much alive.
Forced to retreat South, and find what little resources they can, the remainder of the Northern forces must reach an agreement with Cersei, who is admittedly shaken at the fall of the Northern forces. In this verse, as part of that agreement, Jon Snow is taken as prisoner until the battle, to ensure that this is not a trap for Daenerys to take power.
SUBVERSE NOTE HERE: There is also a subverse here wherein Daenerys herself offers up her own claim to the throne in exchange for support from the South. This agreement also extends to her own execution following the potential success of the battle - a deal she would agree to, given that there are more important things than the throne at this point, though her key condition would be that the North is left alone and untouched by the South.
Within this verse, the battle for the Long Night continues on to an extended battle at King’s Landing, with the dragons fighting over the Dragonpit, until the Night King is separated from Viserion once again. In most canons, unless specified otherwise, I will also have Daenerys as pregnant during this fight - and with that in mind, she fights anyway because she would never let the dragons fight a battle without her. She is their mother.
SUBVERSE NOTE HERE: There is also an alternate subverse here where Daenerys does, in fact, temper Lightbringer for Jon as Nissa Nissa once did for Azor Ahai, and once again, we can all thank Fil for this. In this verse, she willingly gives her life to temper his sword.
Following this time, we welcome a dream of spring easily, given that the people of King’s Landing have seen her saving them from the darkness, and that timeline will take place in a separate part of the overarching verse.
⋰ ⊰ 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅. ┊┊ set during season 8 timeline, post bow.
This verse follows the show theory, that the big bad is not in fact the Night King, but the purpose of the story is the fight for the Iron Throne. As a result, any deaths in 8.03 will be considered canon in this verse unless plotting dictates otherwise. In this verse, after rest and recovery of her armies, Daenerys begins the fight for the Iron Throne by travelling South once more. Firstly basing herself at Dragonstone, and then travelling closer to King’s Landing. Any events of 8.04 ( Rhaegal’s death, Missandei’s death, the Greyjoy ambush ) will not be considered canon in this verse unless we explicitly discuss otherwise.
In the actual attack on King’s Landing, the main focus for Daenerys will be eradicating the scorpions on the castle walls. In conjunction with @tymptir and her lovely Greyjoys, there is potential for Rhaegal to be used against her via Dragonbinder, or alternatively, for Euron to lose at an earlier stage of the battle ( because presumably it’s not over so shortly ) and to make an agreement in exchange for his own life, to betray Cersei. In verses where that is void, either Yara/Asha Greyjoy can lead the charge against the Iron Fleet with the remainder of her own, or alternatively, Daenerys will burn it herself. If and only if Varys betrays Daenerys, will she consider executing him - and no, Tyrion will not be betraying her in this verse. She has the support of her Hand, at the least, and she will not abandon him.
SUBVERSE NOTE HERE: Another subverse! In this one, I’m going to be controversial and embrace the madness storyline - but not done the way the show did. In this verse, upon her attack to King’s Landing, Daenerys accidentally sets off the wildfire in the city, and the guilt at finishing what her father started causes her psyche to fracture, unable to split reality from fiction. In this verse, she either loses her unborn child or Drogon, and her madness manifests in seeing visions of herself as if she was standing in the room with her. Grief and isolation cause her to want to take her own life.
Once breaking through the walls to King’s Landing, and once the armies there see what forces she brings, a surrender is quick to follow - and is one she takes gladly. Resources are distributed to the citizens of the city to ensure they don’t suffer while the transition of power happens. Cersei’s fate is up for negotiation, though I defer to the theory that either of her younger brothers will deal with her long before Daenerys has to. She takes the throne quickly after.
⋰ ⊰ 𝒂 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈. ┊┊ set in the future.
This verse, finally, takes place after Daenerys is in power. In default, she will take Jon as her husband - though he will not rule as King, but instead by personal choice, takes the title of Consort. Her rule is a peaceful one, granting Northern independence - and truth be told, if any others ask for independence, so long as they prove themselves happy and functioning, she will grant it. Every year, she travels to Meereen several times to check on how progress is going there, and instills forms of welfare and many orphanages within King’s Landing, as well as basic forms of education and skills trades for all. Tyrion remains her Hand.
She knows that a perfect world isn’t created over one lifetime, and eventually if there will be a broken wheel for all, then she’s okay with the idea - but for now, it’s about building the city from the ground up so that no one knows what it’s like to not have a home, not like she did.
⋰ ⊰ 𝒂 𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒂𝒓𝒚𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅. ┊┊ official season 8 ending verse.
This verse is the closest to the canon for season 8 that you’ll ever see me come, and is based on theories like this one here. In this verse, Cersei frames Daenerys by setting off the wildfire around King’s Landing ( referencing that one line about Cersei “having other plans for the Dragon Queen ) after the bells have been rung, making it look like she didn’t accept the surrender ( and making Dany herself think that she herself set it off, by the timing of it all ). Blaming herself for the thousands of deaths that have now occurred, and believing she is responsible for the deaths of so many innocents, Daenerys begins to burn the Red Keep itself as the city burns around them.
Between the losses of everyone she’s loved and knowing she’s being betrayed by so many people, and adding the guilt of her actions, this verse ends in her taking her own life with her last conscious thought urging Drogon to destroy the Iron Throne. ( Note that if you would rather it be Jon who kills her, then I’m not opposed to the idea, but it’ll require plotting beforehand to clarify! )
In this verse, Drogon carries her body away towards Volantis, and either Red Priestess revives her, or in burning her body, Drogon manages to revive his mother as per the fire and blood rituals that have saved her before. This verse was also written in collaboration with @killthebxy.
#verses#i. headcanons. » a dragon is not a slave. «#tag drop#v. canon. » if i look back; i am lost. «#v. canon alt. » the big house with the red door. «#v. canon alt. » at the end of the world. «#v. canon. » the long night is here. «#v. canon alt. » a dragon is not a slave. «#v. canon alt. » her strength and her courage all went into the steel. «#v. canon. » with fire and blood. «#v. canon alt. » queen of the ashes. «#v. canon. » a dream of spring. «#v. canon. » a targaryen alone in the world. «#long post#long post cw
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