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upon-a-starry-night · 15 days

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Number Neighbors Epilogue

Natasha Romanoff x Fem! Reader

Natasha Masterlist Series Masterlist

Word Count: 719

Summary: When you catch sight of the newest trend going around you know you’re all but bound to at least try it, it was harmless anyway. What could possibly stem from something so little?

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“And here I am thinking ‘Oh god I’m going to be kidnapped by an angry-looking puppy dog-” The people around you laugh as you tell this story for probably the twentieth time. However, one very unamused-looking puppy dog who is sitting in the corner does not laugh.

“Meanwhile I’m just trying to figure out why my potential kidnapper is buying so many plums”

Bucky groans as the rest of the group begins teasing him and he tries to defend himself to no avail. There’s no escaping the roasting of both Sam and Wanda.

You look over into the kitchen during all the commotion and see Nat staring at you with a lazy smile on her face and a glass of wine in her hand. You beam in her direction and send her a wink before diving back into your story of how you two officially met.

All of the other Avengers had been curious about your presence but they’d grown used to you the more you came around, and you and Wanda had hit it off just like Nat thought you would.

It was a rocky start after you two had gotten together, Nat was still dealing with government stuff and the Avengers were divided but your support always comforted Nat, and now she had a shoulder to rest on on the days that got rough.

The rest of the Avengers seemed to enjoy your presence as well, and eventually, you’d convinced them all to do a game night together.

Tensions were high when they’d all first sat down but by the end of the night, everyone was laughing and teasing like before.

You had the biggest smile on your face that night and that was when Nat realized just how gone for you she was. She wasn’t big on the idea of marriage but she bought you two promise rings the next day.

You brought her peace and happiness and helped bring her family back together. She didn’t know if it was God or Fate but whoever it was she was thankful that you’d texted her that random morning.

She walked over to you and wrapped her arms around your waist, feeling you lean back into her.

When you’d finished telling your story and everyone was talking amongst themselves you turned your head to the side to catch her lips in a kiss.

“Hi Nat” You breathe out with a soft smile as soon as you pull away.

Nat smiled into your shoulder, kissing your scar lightly before speaking lowly into your ear.

“I was going through my phone listening to some of your old messages and guess what I found?” Curious and a little worried you tilt your head and make a noise of question, all while being distracted by the taste of wine that now lingered on your tongue.

Much to your horror, the sound of your voice begins playing lowly on her phone speaker

‘Anyway, sorry I know that was a lot- all that to say I miss you and I love y-’ You reach to shut off the voicemail as you hiss at her to turn it off, embarrassment burning your cheeks

“I thought I deleted that?!” You were so sure you’d pressed the delete button all those months ago and now you were determined to delete it for certain this time.

All your attempts to reach Nat’s phone to delete the message are useless of course and you forget your mission halfway through when Nat laughs at your failure to do so. Your mission changes then, and instead of reaching for your phone, you take Nat’s moment of distraction to peck a kiss on her cheek, quickly looking away to try and pretend you didn’t do anything but unable to hide the blush on your face.

Her laugh stops and when you turn to look back at her the playfulness in her eyes has been replaced with a hazy dark green.

You don’t even try to protest as Nat pulls you away from the group and off towards the direction of your shared bedroom.

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A/n: ahhh it’s finally done! I really hope you guys like this ending as much as I do. I feel like a simple domestic end is perfect for Nat and Y/n after such a rollercoaster of a relationship. Feel free to ask me any questions in the comments. I love answering them!! ~ Starry

---Taglist--

@marvelwomen-simp @cd-4848 @wandanatlov3r @rebeltombraider @ctrlamira @fxckmiup @aliherreraaa @natsxwife @la-douler-ne-finite-jamais @romanoffsgal @moistblobfish @natashaswife4125 @elenimoris @how-to-disappearrr @screechcat @toouncreativeforausername @ordelixx @autorasexy @blacklightsposts @vmpnano @jono723 @sylencr @saraaahsstuff @autorasexy @gay4hotmilfs @tofu9162 @dyslexic-dreamer @graniairish @colettehope @kosmichs1 @nmhlver @natblidaclexa @skittlebum @dorabledewdroop @nothanksbye07 @mrsrushman @midastouch013 @thalia-is-not-ok @tessalah @annab3113 @officialnighttime @taliiiaasteria @bgwlsmahf25 @chibilauren @natashasgirlll @nmhlver @strange-night-owl @obsessedwjill @autorasexy @madamevirgo @kissesfornat @gemz5

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eshoeteric · 1 year

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🍓 style analysis: nana komatsu / hachi (NANA)

welcome to the first entry in my style analysis series- where i take a different fictional character for each entry and take a look at their fashion sense, as an exploration on how fashion plays a role in forming a character's personality & overall identity. in other words, it's a deep dive into the intersection of story & style. today we're starting off with nana komatsu (who we'll be affectionately referring to as hachi from here on out) from NANA, my favourite character from my favourite manga of all time.

NANA is a manga very near and dear to my heart. i could spend all day talking about why, but i'd say one of the biggest reasons is for how ai yazawa (the creator of NANA) uses fashion as a means of storytelling. in NANA, clothes are not just a typical character design element, but are instead a visual narrative tool used to convey a characters' personality, as well as to express their traits and feelings. today i've chosen hachi for the style analysis because i'm fascinated by the subtle changes to her style syncing with her character development over the course of the story. also, i think her style is just super cute. so let's get into it! (⚠ anime & manga spoilers ahead)

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overview

if i only had one word to describe hachi's style, i'd say feminine- think frills and lace details. she's all about babydoll silhouettes, pleated skirts, knit cardigans, ballet flats, and generally embodying shoujo fashion from the early 2000s with a good balance of cute and classy. hachi's fashion sensibilities lean more towards the modest side, as her dresses and skirts are usually around midi-length, and mini skirts are often paired with extra layers like tights or leggings underneath. it's a very good girl chic look, which fittingly leans in to her innocent personality. hachi is very stylish and clearly puts a lot of thought into picking her outfits everyday, as she's not afraid to occasionally experiment with different styles every & to use fashion as a key means of expressing herself.

in terms of colour palettes, hachi's wardrobe has a bit of everything- warm hues, earth tones, soft pastels, which all work together to capture the warmth and sweetness of her character. she's definitely more attuned to light colours than dark. this suits her personality better too, as light coloured clothing is said to convey feelings of friendship, fun, compassion, and approachability. fabric-wise, hachi likes to keep it light and airy with materials like chiffon and tulle; switching to warmer fabrics like cashmere and wool for cold weather, giving her outfits a vintage feel.

we can see that hachi pulls fashion inspiration from various aesthetics and fashion trends across different decades. she definitely incorporates her love for vintage fashion in her style, particularly with elements we've seen her wear before like mod dresses, neckerchiefs, pearl necklaces, long fleece trim coats, and brown platform boots. you can also see it in how some of the pieces she wears feels so unique, like a surprise gem you would find in a vintage boutique while thrifting. in dressier looks, hachi's girlish charm and allure is slightly reminiscient of 1960s it girls, like twiggy and sharon tate. she draws from a lot of 60s-inspired elements- the romantic parisienne style, and a bit of vintage preppy chic.

scarves and bandanas are a vintage essential as well as one of hachi's signature accessories. they have tons of versatile styling options, plus the potential to be dressed up or down. we've seen her wearing one scarf (exhibit A) multiple times over the series. the babushka scarf version has to be my favourite, it's very hepburn-esque, who i 100% i could picture hachi having a poster of in her childhood bedroom. i also think that having characters re-wear pieces we've seen before is generally just a cool subtle styling detail, which adds to the realism of NANA's 10/10 worldbuilding. the scarf's many appearances styled in different ways also goes to show how hachi enjoys being creative with her outfits, loves the pieces she owns and wants to get as much use out of them as possible.

hachi's style also incorporates a touch of influence from the kawaii lolita subculture, particularly modern offshoots like larme-kei. lolita is french rococco-inspired with a focus on cuteness, and has its origins in early 2000s harajuku street style- which is also where mori/kogyaru fashion originates from; hachi's go-to style during her high school years (see: her modified school uniform, miniskirts, fuzzy legwarmers). both of these movements were heavily pioneered by j-fashion magazines of the time like FRUITS, Olive, Larme & CUTiE, which were mainly popular with teenage girls and young women, and hachi is no exception. her fashion sense is also heavily inspired by famous japanese celebrities and style icons like risa nakamura.

if we had to really narrow it down, i think hachi's style can be best described by otome (lit: maiden) fashion. known as one of the predecessors of lolita fashion, this style was very popular among young girls in the 70s-80s and is heavily centered around embodying all things traditionally feminine. sweet, cute, girly, and romantic are all common descriptors of the style, which pulls influence from 60s mod fashion (which, as we've seen, has prevalent elements in hachi's style). think tons of layering, pattern mixing, longer hemlines, and mary janes/flats, all of which we frequently see in hachi's outfits. we also see that she takes elements from modern lolita fashion like frills, bows, ribbons, lace, tights & stockings, and incorporates them into her own personal style as more understated outfit details; making it more wearable on a daily basis while still being a tribute to one of her sources of style inspiration.

now that we've explored what makes hachi's personal style unique to her character, let's dig into how her style is influenced in relation to how the story progresses and how her character develops. and just for funsies, i'll also be styling a casual everyday outfit that i could picture hachi wearing for each story arc. let's go!

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i. art school

i'd describe hachi's style here as the most youthful, which makes sense considering she's freshly moved to tokyo to study at an art school. we see her sporting a face-framing pixie cut, which gives her look a bit of edge, but not too much as she still retains her signature soft girl style to balance it out. also, can i just say: super farmer's daughter vibes when paired with a bandana! jeans were having a moment too- during this era, hachi was often seen wearing a pair of bellbottom flares or baggy jeans, creating a casual and easygoing look which really leaned into the artsy college student fashion. this would also mesh well with her then-best friend junko's more bohemian/indie, woodstock-inspired hippie style. the short hair paired with her experimentation on androgynous silhouettes definitely accentuates her gamine facial features, lending to a cute boyish look.

all these style elements are in direct contrast with the hyperfeminine looks of her high school years, back when she'd opt for skirts over jeans and long, styled hair; showing how hachi underwent a pretty drastic style change whilst adapting to the new environment in tokyo. at the same time, it could also hint at hachi's approach to self-expression & using fashion as a coping mechanism to deal with major life changes. dressing more casually to blend in with the college crowd is one of many indicators on how easily influenced hachi can get, which is pretty on-brand behaviour for someone with a tendency to seek validation from others instead of oneself.

so let's get into the first look i've picked out for her: layers on layers on layers baby! for this outfit, i took a lot of inspiration from hachi's first day of class outfit. i tried to be consistent with her theme of 70s-inspired prints and silhouettes during this phase, but also wanted to incorporate a modern y2k touch since we know that younger hachi (before fully developing her unique & personal sense of style) is more of a trend chaser, and what could be more early 2000s than a blouse + dress + jeans combo? accessories-wise, i wanted to pick out unique-looking pieces that had a lot of charm, as i was really going for that 'flea market finds' vibe since she obviously wouldn't have been able to afford any designer yet on a college student budget. also please notice the gorgeous vintage floral print ballet flats- i was so excited when i found it, i thought it screamed hachi!! they look so comfortable to walk in on top of being cute, it's the perfect shoe to slip on for a long day of classes without sacrificing style.

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ii. apartment 707

during this time, we see hachi start to embrace feminine styles again. she lets her hair grow out and we see her back in skirts, dresses, and all things girly, which is why her otome fashion influences shine through most here. she wears tons of pieces in floral and polkadot print, as well as flowy babydoll tops which are very y2k-girl-next-door-reminiscient. we also see her starting to wear vivienne jewelry (the pearl choker, the dainty silver orb earrings), likely as a result of nana's influence (who she heavily admires and looks up to) & wanting to emulate her style. hachi's outfits here seem to have more colour and print, which i believe is reflective of her mental state here; happy, confident, and surrounded by support. good vibes all around, her environment at this time encourages her to take more risks in not just decision-making but also in her fashion choices.

in general, this era is where hachi seems to be getting a better hold on growing into her own personal style. she's still open to trying out different styles every now and then, but we can see there are some style elements that really stick and appear most often in her outfits. she's also seen here experimenting with all kinds of different hairstyles- french braids, pigtails, twin buns, the half-updo. to me, i think all of this signifies how hachi's style development runs parallel to her identity formation and how she grows as a person. at this point of the story, hachi believes she's finally found a place where she fits- within this ragtag but loving cast of unique characters.

so the second look was a little more of a challenge to work with- that's because hachi's style during this era doesn't subscribe to any one specific aesthetic or subculture, but more like a bit of everything, and her outfits can differ a lot between episodes. the goal here was to go for a casual daytime outfit, and i ended up super proud of the colour coordination in this one! i've styled hachi in a frilly vintage floral print chiffon slip dress that's almost reminiscent of the strawberry dress of 2020, but with unique details that give it much more character. i gave hachi a cream-toned vivienne crossbody purse, a scarf to balance out the salmon pink of the dress accents, styled as a neckerchief, some strawberry hair clips to match, and of course i had to include her much-spotted pearl orb necklace too. the highlight of this look are definitely the shoes, which are maison margiela tabi ballet flats- something i could 100% picture hachi wearing if NANA were set in the context of modern day fashion trends.

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iii. motherhood

as time passes, we also see how hachi's fashion sense has slightly evolved into a classier, more refined version. more adult, if you will. this occurs when hachi decides to move out from apartment 707 and starts getting serious with takumi. not only did her living situation change, but as did her lifestyle, and with that, her fashion sense too. her style here simplified and took on a more mature look. she started prioritizing function over form as she cut down on layering and accessorizing. she would also opt for longer, flowier silhouettes and comfortable styles, often wearing simple dresses or aprons over a basic shirt-skirt combo. i really like how the change in style here - which pulls a lot from the 50s-suburbia housewife trope (think frilly aprons, puffy dresses, flared skirts, modest hemlines) - feels like a sublte detail to show how hachi settles into her new role of motherhood, expressed via clothing choices.

as a whole, this period of her life signifies the drastic 180° change from spending carefree days of young adulthood, to taking on the role of mother/wife in a nuclear family unit. it's the most major life change she's ever had to experience at this point, and it's expected that her style evolves alongside this. she's seen wearing noticeably less patterns or colour during this time, which could hint at possibly representing her inner feelings- the bleakness of spending her days in a mostly-empty home, and the isolation of being separated from the friendships she once surrounded herself with daily. thankfully, we do eventually see her return to dressing fashionably again after the timeskip. however, it's extremely important not to gloss over this period of her life as it portrays how she must have felt having most of her agency taken away overnight, with her style being all she had left as a form of control.

so last but not least is the final outfit, which was tough styling as there was comparably less material to go off, but i based it on the few going-out looks we get to see hachi wear post-takumi. rolling with the 50s-inspired looks, i've styled her in a coral short-sleeve button down dress. for the outerwear i picked a long checkered overcoat, which nicely complements the dress in addition to being a going-out staple for classy ladies everywhere. since the outfit is mostly harsher silhouettes, i decided to keep the colour scheme light to balance it out. while i was going for 'stylish mature woman', i still wanted some youthful elements in there to maintain hachi's signature girlish look. i balanced it out by accessorizing with a headband (a prep chic essential) and dior saddle bag, both lime green for a pop of colour and contrast. and of course, i had to incorporate the iconic neckerchief too as it doesn't get any more vintage-looking than this. the final piece to tie it all together are a pair of classic miu miu ballet flats- chic and comfortable!

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final thoughts

all in all, hachi's fashion sense is super girly and sweet, which i'd say directly reflects on her character's personality. hachi is an outgoing girl who wears her heart on her sleeve and has a lot of love to give. she's warm and approachable, which she expresses through her clothing choices by embodying the cheerful, down-to-earth girl next door look. her bubbly style is youthful and fresh, which personality-wise is in character with hachi's innocence and willingness to trust others. this is shown through how much hachi cares deeply about her loved ones & often (unhealthily) prioritizes their feelings over her own. however, this naïveté unfortunately leaves her a lot more vulnerable to others seeking to exploit her emotional attention.

hachi's fashion evolution over the series shows how she uses fashion as a coping tool to help adjust to life changes, capturing her emotional growth and how she matures over the course of the story. the way that hachi's sense of style develops alongside her character is so realistic. her style development tells the story of a girl who finds herself and loses herself over and over again, frequently changing jobs and wardrobes in a constant struggle to find an identity to latch onto- until she does. hachi's style story is one of self-expression & identity formation; a story that speaks to all the young, unsure girls out there who see a bit of themselves in her, trying to figure out their place in a world in a world that often decides for them.

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livefromcastledracula · 6 months

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Carmilla Adaptations, Summary

So to summarise what I think I want from Carmilla adaptation: ~ She's young and pursues exclusively other young women. ~ She's disinterested and indifferent toward men rather than flirtatious or hostile. ~ She's poetic, romantic and melodramatic. Her poetry trends 'dead moths and withered roses' flavor of goth. ~ When she decides she likes a girl she goes full Tsundere-with-a-Crush. ~ Be ready, girls, because her interest is INTENSE. ~ Very long dark hair a plus. ~ Sexy voice a plus plus. ~ In the novella she is explicitly not pale or cold, and isn't hurt by sunlight, though she's lazy and floppy in the day. She appears to be a very human human with slightly sharp teeth and fairly average college student sleeping habits. ~ Still super strength though and she can do creepy spectral-vampire-sleep-paralysis-demon-by-way-of-Sadako shit by night. ~ Must turn into cat. Because she can turn into a huge black cat and why would you not have her turn into a huge black cat, adaptations, why the fuck would you not. Don't give me the 'budget' excuse, the web series managed it, there are ways. ~ "Stray cat in the rain" energy. ~ Dark, snarky sense of humour. ~ May drop dead things in your lap to show her affection. ~ Novella continually describes her as 'languid', so I want her draped on every available chaise lounge at every available opportunity. ~ Will murder you with her bare hands if you get between her and her girl crush.

... Yeah, the web series basically delivers all of those in spades, lol.

#carmilla #carmilla weekly #adaptations #carmilla karnstein #sheridan le fanu #hollstein #carmilla series

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turtleinsoup · 10 months

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youtube

“The Color of Corruption - How Purple Is Used”

What I find interesting about this (”this” being how the color of “Purple” is tied to corruption in storytelling, meaning dark magic, malevolence etc.) and how it relates to Donnie and the themes of his character.

(”Purple Dragons” have been called so in the original TMNT Mirage Comics, even before Donnie became “The Purple Brother”. “Purple” just being associated with “evil”.) Do you notice something about RISE Villains?

Even most shots of the Krang are more purple than they are pink.

But the Color Purple symbolizes not just “villainy”.

Psychologically speaking, since purple is a rare color in nature its abundance means that something unnatural is happening. Its abundance feels threatening because “it gives the distinct sense of not belonging.” (Razbuten 2020)

But obviously, Donnie is not an evil character.

His “malevolent” tendencies are never executed. Yes, he traqulized both Mikey and Raph, (which was inredibly irresponsible) but he did that in situations where they were surrounded by family and would be cared for by everyone present. Yes, he made a shock-collar for Leo and Leo got hurt, but Donnie also made the collar in a way that Leo could take it off again without Donnie’s help. It’s the difference between getting your head dunked in a toilet and getting waterboarded. He says he wants to go “semi-lethal” on his father, but he asks for permission. He could’ve just fired. But all it takes for him to stop is Leo telling him “No.” Out of all of them, Donnie has the weakest moral compass. But he cares deeply enough about his brothers, that it doesn’t impact his place in the story.

Looking at it through that lens, Leo is more responsible that Donnie. I’ve noticed a trend with Leo being the one to “not let Donnie shine” the most. (I’m like, 99% sure Donnie would’ve already killed a man without him around.) And April as well! (Whenever Raph’s stopping Donnie it seems mostly for trying to keep Donnie out of harm’s way. Mikey tries to prevent emotional harm to and from Donnie, e.g. Shelldon’s restraining bolt.) Without his family, Donnie might be...

well.

(Donnie says “I’m sorry” more often than Leo during the series by the way, always towards or because of his family.) What I love about this is this: Donnie claims to “never let things go” and Leo seems also able to hold a grudge for a while, but they forgive each other pretty easily. (All the brothers do.) To close it out: Yeah, Donnie is “the purple brother” and thematically he wears it well. He has the weakest morals, is incredibly destructive (emotionally as well as physically) but he does love his family above everything and his destructiveness is the strongest when it comes to protect them.

(I love how, despite his manic rage here... purple is also a soft color.) (They really love each other, hehe.)

#rottmnt #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt analysis #rise of the tmnt #rottmnt leo #rottmnt movie #tmnt donnie #tmnt #rottmnt donatello #rottmnt leonardo #not me writing about purple instead of my college project #ah welp #I'll be more productive tomorrow #<3

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theresattrpgforthat · 2 months

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The Galaxy Squad Campaign.

Back in September, I posted what I hoped to be the first part of a series in which I blogged about a multiple-game campaign called The Galaxy Squad: a series of inter-connected games all taking place in the same galaxy. The continuous blogging about this series didn’t happen, but the games certainly did! So I’m going to re-cap that series now.

I’ve already talked about our Last Fleet series, so I won’t repeat myself too much, but the biggest piece of that series that we carried forward was the ending: the blowing up of the technology that enabled Faster-Than-Light travel, so as to set up the scene for Starforged. (Last Fleet play-kit)

Starforged was not a game that I ran, or managed to participate in; this series began a trend where I and another GM handed the reins to each-other every month to give both of us a chance to tackle games that were on our to-play list. We also had a higher rate of sign-ups overall for Galaxy Squad, possibly because Monster Squad ended up being a pretty big hit.

Star-Forged can be played with or without a GM, and presents the characters with Vows that they are expected to work towards to try and complete. In Star-Forged, much of the new galaxy that our players fled to was built, because this game has very good tables for setting generation. The group generated a number of planets with different power-structures, resources and danger levels, and established a number of factions with various shady goals. This included a large corporation that was funding a lot of Forge-Spawn research, as well as a cult called the Oracles of Larissa, which dealt quite a bit with the strange space-magic that certain individuals were able to wield. (Stargazer journaling app)

One of the most important contributions from the Star-Forged game involved the creation of Celadon, a wild and lush planet teeming with dangerous life. The players landed on the planet, took one look, and took off again, which meant that it was perfect for the next game in our line-up: Moth-Light.

For Moth-Light, we started with the premise that our characters would be the descendants of one of the ships from Last Fleet, crashed into a planet and reverting back to a pre-space-flight level of technology out of necessity. This is because Celadon (called Beacon by its inhabitants) was populated by gigantic, dangerous insects called Moths. We pushed the timeline forward to a point where our players could not remember how they ended up on this planet, and then put them in a precarious situation where their current settlements were in danger. The solution: to search for another, safer place to call home.

In more abstract terms, this means that we used the Promise Pact from Moth-Light, which takes plenty of inspiration from media such as Legend of Korra, Farscape, Horizon: Zero Dawn and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Moth-Light’s story and tone can vary drastically, depending on the kind of story we want to tell. When creating this game, I briefly entertained the possibility of playing Scavengers, which would be much grittier and harsher, but the group and story seemed to fit the Promise pact better.

Moth-Light is Forged-in-the-Dark and is a phenomenal game. While it’s FitD, the Pacts provided to the group do a lot to help you determine what kind of concept and tone you’re playing in. The typical action ratings and Stress mechanics are also re-worked in a really interesting way, making them slightly modular so that they can change to reflect the Pact you are working with. I really enjoy the prompts left on character sheets that give you just enough information to start brainstorming what these pieces mean exactly for your character. The designer also has a fantastic set of Google-Sheet play-kits that put my character sheets to shame. You need to check this game out.

After Moth-Light, our timeline had a little bit of a stop-and-start. One of the games we were originally planning to include in the lineup didn’t turn out to be easily translatable to our method of play, so we pivoted to another game intstead: Wetrunner. Wetrunner is a FATE - powered game that takes place in an oceanic cyperpunk future, and we weren’t sure where it would fit in our current galaxy.

We decided to put it into the timeline before Last Fleet, on one of the planets that was eventually destroyed by a robot uprising. There, we decided that at one point in this planet’s history, climate change and decreasing oceanic wildlife led to a great profit for folks who managed to steal aquatic life from power-hungry billionaires.

In other words, we were a diver-themed Leverage crew stealing fish from Eelon Mollusc.

This is where our Squad took a turn for the wacky. We were donning secret identities, wrestling with former connections to the Calamari mafia, and coming up with elaborate Seahorse-racing schemes to lure in our marks. It was hilarious, it was goofy, and it was a great tone-shift from our previous drama-heavy games. (Wetrunnner play-kit)

Next up: Scum & Villainy. This is where a lot of the set-up in Starforged really did us a favor. We had a lot folks at this point who were excited about Scum & Villainy, so we ended up running two games on two different days of the week. Both games were set up as bounty-hunting crews on the Cerberus, for reasons that I’ll mention later.

We started by recalling the factions we had created in Starforged and mapping them according to theme and tier. I also ported over some of the planets that had been created in Starforged, and started them out in ways that made sense, giving them levels in Weird, Crime, Wealth and Tech. Then the players created characters, and we added more details to the world based on their interests. (Scum & Villain play-kit)

For group A, this led to an investigation into Obsidian Inc, the shady company introduced in Starforged, where Forge-Spawn research invited plenty of cult-related trade and imperial intrigue. We had one player with a robot character continuing the theme of betrayal, turning on the group in the last scene, leaving us with an open-ended ending hinting towards a future rivalry between her and the rest of the crew.

For group B, we set out on an investigation of a racing circuit that was being fixed against the organizer’s will, with strange artifacts and a very humorous rivalry between the crew’s pilot and an NPC called Flick.

As a game, Scum & Villainy elicited mixed reactions. Some folks really loved the chances to experience a number of dramatic moments and heavy role-play, especially during downtime. Others found the harsh consequences from mixed successes to be a bit jarring, especially since Moth-Light, which uses the same bones, feels much more forgiving. Scum & Villainy is definitely a much closer hack of Blades in the Dark, which is meant to be pretty brutal in dishing out harm and consequences. I know that as a GM, I was expecting the Gambit mechanic to carry much more of the weight than it actually did, and if I run this game in the future, I’ll want to have a much more in-depth talk with my players about how harsh we want the consequences to be.

Last, but certainly not least, is A Complicated Profession. This is a game about bounty hunters experiencing a career change into cruise ship employees - and this is why we all played as bounty hunters in the previous games. This was a chance for anyone to carry forward a character they had already created into a new setting, and two players did exactly that. Hatchet, our Mystic, took up the mantle of the ship’s janitor, and Kalo, our former pilot, took up the role of the ship’s bouncer. (A Complicated Profession play-kit)

Once again, we were provided with a much-needed change in tone. A Complicated Profession has so much room for light-hearted comedy, and we took it and ran. Our ship is in a weekend-at-Bernie’s situation, with a captain that is totally out of commission but we need to maintain the facade that he’s still alive in order to make sure we can still get paid. We had occasional run-ins with junk pirates, organized birthday parties for alien teenagers, and solved many a problem with a food processor.

A Complicated Profession is another game that can be run without a GM, although in this case we still had one person take the role of a facilitator because a) we had too many people show interest and b) not everyone had access to the book. As you play, characters will slowly let go of pieces of their old lives, and pick up new skills to help them with their new job, including choosing a new name at the end. I have laughed so many times while playing this game and I’m so happy that this is how we decided to tie up the Galaxy Squad series.

After this my friends and I are re-organizing how we play our games, so we might not have a thematic timeline in the same way we did for Monster Squad or Galaxy Squad. But these experiences have taught me some really valuable lessons, the primary one of which is this:

Choosing games to play based on a theme will sometimes point you towards games that you may not have otherwise thought to pick up. Those games may end up being something that you absolutely love. In this case, I was very excited to run Scum & Villainy, but it ended up being the biggest let-down on the list. Meanwhile, I had never heard of A Complicated Profession before my co-GM introduced me to it, and it is now going at the top of my list of recommendations.

If you are in a game group and you have access to a number of different games between you and your friends, taking turns to try out the stuff you are all interested in will introduce you to so many games, and while not everything will be a hit, you’ll learn a lot about what you like, and you may find your next favourite game. So try stuff!!

#tabletop games #indie ttrpgs #mint plays games #galaxy squad #space games #cyberpunk #space opera #sci-fi #dnd

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gendervapor14 · 1 year

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treating myself to some old OP episodes to alleviate the horrors and i can’t resist the urge to ramble about bell-mère’s death a little bit.

so, i will start here, with this iconic moment:

manga readers may notice something right off the bat. “hey, arlong’s not aiming for her head!” yes, in the anime, seems they switched his aim for the heart. i actually prefer this. first of all, that flintlock is huge compared to her, so head or heart, it’s gonna kill her. not a fatality issue. i’m just a huge sap, and i think there’s something more symbolic about him shooting her in the heart for defending her love - her kids. (even tho all of this could have been avoided if she just lied, and then she’d actually be able to keep loving and supporting her kids, but, uh, i digress)

this moment really captured me when i was first watching, because for the first time, one piece truly felt dark. this wasn’t just an upsetting backstory. it had some element of gore here, which i’m not sure would be as effective if he went through with a headshot. they might have censored it a bit more.

more (slightly gruesome) photos and analysis beneath the cut 👀

look at what they got away with here!! this was early one piece mind you, so i feel like things were generally a little cushier? (or maybe that’s just my nostalgia talking XD) but the harsh black and white contrast, the utter silence during this scene, the speed in which this happened! (it was a pain to pause and scrub and get good screenshots, let me add). i will say i’m not up to date with current OP shenanigans, but to me, this seems like one of the most abrupt and brutal deaths in the series. (and this doesn’t even put into account the horrid beating she got beforehand)

there are some nice parallels here between her death and rosinante’s, (most notably her last words being “i love you” to nami and nojiko, and a flintlock as the weapon of choice), but even then, i think this is a bit nastier. seven little bullets in a 10ft tall man is painful, yes, but it wasn’t gruesome, and he managed to cling onto life for a little while afterwards. this was just. bang. done. heart – gone. leaves the viewer totally reeling.

in a way i feel like it’s almost an honor for bell-mère to get such a violent death? okay hear me out i know that sounds crazy. she sacrificed herself for her kids and went out kicking and screaming (or standing solemnly, towards the end). she brought forth such a refreshing take on women in one piece. i mean, let’s not forget this scene:

she was gonna blow his brains out!! zero hesitation!! how many characters in this series, let alone women, would go through something like this? i get that different characters have different honor codes and such, but it was sooo incredibly invigorating to see a woman get her hands dirty like this.

so by that logic, it’s kind of weirdly nice to see her not be treated like a little doll? this is highly speculative though, because i’ve noticed there’s this rather annoying trend where women are used as a moral compass for villains. “oh, look how deplorable arlong is, he did that to a young pretty woman!” we see the same thing with doflamingo, for instance, in his “fight” with viola. “oh how heinous, he threw her to the ground! how disrespectful! she’s just an innocent princess!” yeah, ugh. getting off tangent here

this whole scene set a standard for me, (and hopefully other viewers), who kind of saw the series as a fun lighthearted pirate adventure. yes, there was tragedy and sadness before this arc, before this backstory, but something about this moment in particular made my perception tremble. the bar was raised! a compelling character and backstory can have a truly harrowing ending!! a delightful revelation for me, for whatever reason XD

feel free to chime in if ya got any additional comments or takes on the matter. i don’t think bell-mère gets enough love. if you do wanna chime in, just um. be nice. i’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer, okay. and multiple interpretations of these scenes are valid! i’d love to hear ‘em! <3

#one piece analysis #because i’m upset and i need to distract myself #this is my first proper unprompted analysis too so go easy on me #i just like the tangerine lady #i think she’s neat #bell mere #bell mère #bellemere one piece #bellemere #she has so many tags #arlong park

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i-heart-hxh · 8 months

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Hi again! I've had this thought in terms of hxh meta that I personally have not seen discussed, so I'm gonna dump it here for you! There's an underlying theme I've noticed of characters throughout the series being one that lost their other halves. Like, most obvious, Leorio and Kurapika lost their childhood best friends. Melody lost her friend to the devil's music. We see Nobunaga lose Uvogin, and so on. So Killua saving Gon instead of letting him die after CAA seems to be a "breaking the cycle" so to speak, although I'm not sure what that would even mean! Nothing much to say besides those details I've noticed, but I wanted to know if you had thoughts? Or perhaps it's just an interesting background detail that is up in the air in terms of being significant?

Hello, thank you so much for sending an ask again! I've put some thought into this topic as well, so I'm happy you brought this up! How I'm answering this is both somewhat abstract and far-reaching in the series so it's a little difficult to summarize and express simply, but I hope you and others might get some meaning out of it!

I strongly believe that one of HxH's great overarching themes is the transformational power of love and how it grants people second chances in life. In this post I'm referring to love in a broader sense, not just romantic love, as of course many different types of love are portrayed and have deep importance in HxH. We see the theme of transformative love in so many different relationships and instances that it's difficult to even summarize them--a few examples are Gon and Killua, Meruem and Komugi, Meruem and his Royal Guard, Ging and Kite, Killua and Ikalgo, even in less major character pairs like Ging and Razor (Razor: "Ging taught me it took only one person, one person in the entire world who will trust you, to save you.") and Kite and Koala, but that's only scraping the surface. I reblogged a previous wonderful meta that pointed out the domino effect of Killua's act of kindness towards Ikalgo, which ended up changing the ultimate trajectory of humanity's war against the Chimera Ants. This is a great example of this theme in action!

But of course, while meeting and loving someone can transform that person's whole life, so also can losing someone significant. It can set someone on a completely different life track than they would have been on had they not lost them--Kurapika, Leorio, Senritsu, the Phantom Troupe (especially with their flashback in recent chapters), Gon and Kite, Kacho and Fugetsu (though this hasn't played out all the way yet) come to mind, but there are many more throughout the series as well. Not all of the losses that fit into this are someone losing their other half/most important person, but there's a solid enough percentage that it certainly seems to be a trend Togashi is establishing and exploring.

It's difficult to explore one of these themes in depth and with honesty without the other--love happens, loss of loved ones happens, both are deeply transformative, and both can ultimately be placed under the broader umbrella of the transformative power of love. After all, if losing a person causes someone's entire life path to change, chances are they loved them a great deal and the force behind the change that occurs in their life is the love and grief they still feel after the loss.

HxH has many tragic elements and Togashi certainly doesn't shy away from the heart-wrenching and long-lasting results of loss, but I think it's fair to say from the 400 chapters we have so far that HxH's themes are not ultimately tragic and hopeless on this topic by any means. In HxH:

Death is not always insurmountable, i.e., Kite, the Chimera Ants in general

The life path one ends up on after a major loss need not be a tragic one, i.e. Leorio deciding to be a doctor and help children in poverty as a result of losing his friend

Death in itself can be an act of love, i.e. Meruem and Komugi, Netero and humanity

Even if one ends up on a dark path as a result of loss, that doesn't mean they can't be saved by someone else's love for them, i.e., Gon and Killua, this could also end up being the trajectory for Kurapika and Leorio potentially?

With Gon and Killua, their whole relationship is based on them transforming each other and giving each other second chances:

Gon saving Killua simply by not judging him, befriending him, and showing him another life path

Gon retrieving Killua from the Zoldyck family when Killua's resolve broke down because of Illumi

Killua pulling the needle of out of his head out of sheer love for and desire to protect Gon

And of course Killua not allowing Gon to die, simultaneously saving him and transforming Alluka's life.

(And Killua's ability to save and help Alluka is of course, a direct result of the kindness Gon extended to Killua and the love Killua has for Gon.)

There's no way to know for certain what will happen in their future, but I definitely think their relationship has one more transformation in it at least, in the form of a reunion and reconciliation.

So, in summary, I think these themes of someone losing a person who was their other half and how one continues to live after that are another way of exploring the broader theme of what it means to love someone and be transformed by meeting them, which I see as a primary theme of HxH. I also think some of these relationships are intended to be comparisons to or foils of Gon and Killua's relationship in a sense (especially Kurapika and Pairo and Kacho and Fugetsu, but others as well), expanding on the themes of their relationship and how a love that deep affects people, both in beautiful and in deeply painful ways.

#hxh #hunter x hunter #meta #gon #killua #killugon #gonkillu #kurapika #leorio #my posts #asks #snowlemons #it's hard to figure out what characters to tag haha #definitely not tagging all the ones I referenced in this post #I feel like this could be stated in a clearer and more eloquent way but I hope it makes sense!#if anyone has something to add on please feel free!#HxH is filled to the brim with examples of these and I'm certain I didn't include a bunch of important ones

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sparklegemstone · 16 days

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Loki at Paley Fest 2024

It was incredible! I'm so happy I got the opportunity to attend, and it uplifted my spirits so much. I really hope Paley makes the panel available for everyone to watch at some point because the questions and discussion were pithy, thoughtful, and engaging. Just a stellar panel. If it doesn't become publicly available, I'll try to circle back to post more detail of what was discussed.

Hiddleston was absolutely firing on all cylinders being his eloquent self going on long explorations of themes and the human condition. I think the most memorable was when he was exploring the relationship of Loki's line "Satisfaction is not in my nature" from a previous film to the events of the Loki series and whether that was relevant or not relevant to where the character arrived at in the series.

First of all, kudos to the host of the panel (also writer of a MCU timeline book) that came with receipts and Loki and Hiddleston quotes from over a decade ago that he used to ask really interesting questions that explored Loki's journey and highlighted the beautiful ways Hiddleston has thought about playing the role over years. He just did an excellent, excellent job, and is the one that brough up the "satisfaction is not in my nature" quote to prompt discussion.

And let's be honest, I think a lot of panelists, whose job is to sound engaging and fill up panel time, when asked to explore the relationship of that "not satisfied" quote to the most recent content they filmed, would just turn on their "I'm in English class" brain and run with the prompt and improvise some ideas of how the theme of not being satisfied is shown in the series. But rather than just running with and affirming the prompt, Hiddleston actually thought about it sincerely and turned it around answering in the negative, that he wasn't sure if that still applied in the series. So instead of just running with the prompt, he cared enough about the art to give it the most truthful answer he could. I saw that aspect of how he approaches discussion when I met him in person at a comic con a number of years ago as well, that interest in exploring something sincerely rather than doing the easier thing of just running with whatever is expedient, and I love that about him.

And then Wilson displayed great comedic sense and flow of the discussion by capping off Hiddleston's eloquent discussion by doing a sharp right turn into the absurd, pivoting into how "would my dog have any meaning in his life if he was satisfied and had everything he wanted and wasn't constantly eager for his next meal". That got a huge laugh from everyone.

Some other anecdotes from the event:

For the arc of the series, it was described as season 1 being about Loki learning to love himself and season 2 was about learning to accept connections and let the love of others in.

Hiddleston's wardrobe was lovely -- all black and dark grey, with bright red tread on the bottom of his shoes for which sitting at a panel with your legs crossed is the perfectly opportunity to show off that pop of color.

I was also digging Aaron Moorhead's style with a grey top half and orange pants and shoes with blue socks. Love this trend of men making bold color choices in their wardrobe.

Hiddleston was, unsurprisingly, very engaged with the whole discussion and it was fun to watch his reactions when other people spoke. The host asked the writers/directors if they'd created S2 with it in mind of it being Loki's last appearance or whether we might see more of Loki in the future. Wilson playfully said "he comes the tap dancing" and Hiddleston very deliberately turned towards the writers/directors with his chin on his fist like "I'm so curious to hear the answer, do tell".

Sylvie ended up in a McDonalds in S2 because when Di Martino got asked at the end of season 1 where she saw Sylvie going next, she told them "she's hungry, I bet she'd go for a burger". So Di Martino takes full responsibility for that particular decision, lol.

Because comedy films aren't my thing and Wilson hasn't crossed my personal radar much besides Zoolander, which is a delightful film, I found it very interesting and wasn't necessarily expecting just the thunderous amount of applause and huge reception that Wilson got from the audience. He's very popular.

During the panel, every so often a little piece of paper, like 2x2 inches, the kind you'd use to create the effect of dumping a bunch of confetti, would fall from the rafters above the stage and slowly float down until it landed on the stage itself in front of the panel. The first time was peculiar, but it continued to happen five distinct times throughout the panel and became a bit of a running joke.

Before the Q&A, they screened the finale episode, and they did not have their tech sorted out. The film didn't play at a consistent 24 fps and there were parts that lagged and slowed down the motion on screen. A minor thing really, but for an organization whose sole purpose and mission is media (Paley), in a venue (the Dolby Theater) that hosts the Oscars and should be technologically state of the art, you'd think they'd make sure they could play video at proper speed. I just thought it was a funny issue for a media organization to have.

Tagging @delyth88 since I know you were interested in hearing about it.

#paleyfest #loki #tom hiddleston

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linkemon · 8 months

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Boysband AU headcanons (4ggravate) 2

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, 4ggravate is the Sumeru guys who started a boyband. It comes from the same series as the widely known in the fandom 4nemo.

Working with idol groups involves trends changing like in a kaleidoscope. When 4ggravate entered the scene, it quickly became clear that they would conquer the world. Your label, after the huge success of 4nemo, decided to take another boys under their wing. You didn't know then how much work you would have to put into promoting them on the market...

Kaveh

✧ The most expressive member of the group. You'd even say it makes up for everyone else in this regard.

✧ Always there if you need to record additional video or behind-the-scenes content. This is what his fans see most often and he is the most into social media.

✧ It also has its downsides. Kaveh can be dramatic to the point where it's annoying. If he feels like it, he will walk out of the meeting with the film crew, complaining and slamming the door. Unfortunately, it will often be up to you to bring him back to finish the ad.

✧ He and Alhaitham are constantly arguing, which was a shock to you because they've known each other the longest out of the team. You usually try not to take sides or take turns so that neither of the two will take offense at you.

✧ Kaveh will dance, play, sing... He will fill any role if need be and he will be good at it. However, he feels the best while playing instruments.

✧ He studied architecture and constantly reminds that he knows art. However, this is not idle talk. He happens to come up with brilliant ideas about clothes or scenery while shooting music videos.

✧ Drinks secretly outside the studio. He almost got busted once when someone from the management decided to come to the apartment to hand over the documents but you just arrived before them and managed to put the can in your purse at the last minute.

✧ He wanted to thank you somehow and gave you the keychain. He once bought some handmade ones. He gives them only to exceptional people in his opinion.

Cyno

✧ He as an innate sense of justice. You can be sure that if anyone sees someone hurt, it will definitely be Cyno. He never stands aside. He immediately confronts who he needs to, which often put his career on the line. He would probably be willing to sacrifice it for the greater good. For example, he points it out to the older employees if they use younger ones on the set. He does it even at the cost of unpleasantness towards him. He has earned a reputation as unapproachable and stickler among industry associates.

✧ He loves to play cards. He collects entire collections of them. His favorite card game is TCG Genius Invocation. It got you interested enough to get into it. He's very happy about that because being in 4ggravate has made it a bit difficult for him to find someone he can physically play with without spreading rumors. He loves to explain the new rules to you and show you what he has hunted for his collection.

✧ There was a time when, like Kaveh, he argued with Alhaitham. Whatever happened, one day he came back changed. Since then, they've at least respected each other and making your life a little easier.

✧ He is often given rap parts to sing. Mainly because of his low voice.

✧ Fans marvel at how different he can be. The media tried to create his image as quite dark. This is how new fans often see him. Meanwhile, when they spend a little time with him, they understand that this is not the case at all.

✧ A dedicated Cyno fan site was created to collect his jokes. They are very dry. Some people even send him their suggestions for him to tell on streams.

Alhaitham

✧ Alhaitham believes in peace and quiet. You asked him once why he stayed at 4ggravate then. He replied that in this way he would earn enough to have money for his dream life for a long time. He calculated it all. He even showed you the entire spreadsheet on the computer.

✧ You don't know how he does it but he's learning all the time. Be it from books or from various types of courses. Ask him anything, about everything. He will always have an answer.

✧ He writes the lyrics of the songs. With no exception. He has a gift for words. He always knows how to put them together to use rhymes or puns. Composing is not his strong point, so the worst moment is when he has to collaborate with Kaveh, who is better in this field. Not that he would ever admit it.

✧ If he could, he would avoid interviews and meetings with fans. He doesn't like any of these activities. He goes mostly because he has to. For this reason, he does not have as many fans as Kaveh, but he is not very interested in it. The people who choose him as their favorite are usually those who are deeply interested in his words and where he draws inspiration from. And they always get accurate and in-depth answers that make him their number one forever.

✧ He does not part with the headphones. So much so that it became his sign. One time Kaveh took it for fun when he wasn't looking and broke them. You didn't want them to fight again, so you took the blame and returned it to him after it was fixed. He immediately knew it wasn't you and made you promise not to take the blame on yourself again. Despite this, the next day, there were notes on your desk regarding the marketing strategy for the next quarter. Interestingly, better than you'd ever do yourself...

Tighnari

✧ Tighnari has a very sensitive musical ear. Thanks to this, he remembers songs extremely quickly, especially new ones and perfectly matches the rhythm by dancing. He is usually praised above all for his flawless choreography.

✧ The boy is vegan. He deeply believes in unity with nature. In his opinion, there is no need to use animals in this way. Half of his social media consists of this.

✧ Helped launch an eco-friendly line of stuffed animals called Aranara. He gave you one of his first pieces as a thank you for helping with their publicity campaign.

✧ He lives in the belief that being an idol will allow him to convey certain values to his fans. He attaches great importance to the educational aspect. He often comes up with themes for new albums and is able to cleverly combine them with previous or subsequent ones.

✧ Tighnari is known for his sarcastic statements, which is why interviewers love him. He skillfully sweeps them away and hits remarks back, making them borderline controversial. Their viewership is really high.

✧ Hates the heat. You used to shoot scenes for a music video in the desert. You remember that he was perfectly prepared then. That's not to say he didn't complain about the heat but he was one of the few members on set who didn't get sunstroke. He reminded you regularly to drink plenty of water and lent you his hat.

✧ At the beginning of his career, he received a headband with rabbit ears from his younger friend Collei. When they were younger, they attended several survival camps organized by their school together. To this day, she is his biggest fan. Tighnari only pulls out these ears on special occasions.

#genshin impact x reader #kaveh x reader #alhaitham x reader #cyno x reader #tighnari x reader #4ggravate #boysband au #headcanons #over teyvat #cyno #tighnari #kaveh #alhaitham

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etaleah · 8 months

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My Sonic Predictions and Hopes for 2024

Admittedly some of these are things I want to see happen rather than things that are likely to happen, but what the heck, I’ll list ‘em out and see if any of them end up coming true. 🤷🏻‍♀️

A one-shot for the comics involving either springtime or Valentine’s Day. I think spring is more likely since (1) they’re avoiding romance and Valentine’s Day is a romantic holiday, and (2) having a springtime one-shot nicely follows the trend of having Endless Summer and Winter Special one-shots.

I’m pretty pessimistic about the third movie still happening in 2024 given how stubborn the studios are being about the strikes, so I’m guessing the release date will be pushed back to 2025. However, I do think 2024 will bring us a trailer/teaser with some news about casting and whether any new characters besides Shadow will feature.

Part 3 of Sonic Prime, which will likely involve something bad happening to Shadow for reasons explained here. PLEASE LET THIS ONE BE TRUE I NEED PART 3 NOW

A DLC, update, or some kind of “Plus” pack for Sonic Superstars since that seems to be the trend now.

I doubt we’ll see much more for Frontiers since it won’t really be a new game anymore and will have already had a big update. Maybe a few minor tweaks like a new outfit or pair of shoes.

A new Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games title since 2024 will have the Paris Olympics.

More Sonic Symphony tour dates, one of them probably being New York since that’s a really big city for them to leave out.

More merchandise, possibly featuring Shadow to tie in with the third movie.

The Knuckles TV show released on DVD (hopefully).

The comics will take a darker turn again. They seem to alternate between dark, serious arcs and fun, light-hearted arcs. Right now, they’re on Misadventures, which is fun and light-hearted, so I suspect that at some point in 2024, things will turn serious again.

I also suspect that Starline might be revealed to have survived after all, but that could just be wishful thinking on my part since I like his character and was sad to see such a cool villain go so quickly.

Another visual novel or some kind of storybook thing that builds on the success of Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog. No way is something that successful gonna be a one-time deal.

A remaster or re-release/port of an older game. The titles I think are most likely are Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, and Sonic and the Black Knight. Adventure 2 would tie nicely into the release of the third movie (especially if they’re adapting its storyline) and they clearly know how popular it is since they released a new figure for it and put City Escape in one of their other games. Heroes is possible since it’s 20+ years old, had some songs included in Frontiers, and the franchise as a whole seems to be leaning toward having more playable characters and team/partner-based play. Murder and Superstars lean into this hard, Origins added Amy, and Frontiers will soon have other playable characters too, so I think they’re testing the waters for a game with an ensemble cast. The launch of the Fast Friends comic series on their socials also shows a lean in this direction. Black Knight is possible since 2024 would be the game’s 15th anniversary, the storybook setup was well received in Murder, and they seem to be calling attention to it by putting its characters in their mobile games.

Again, these are just guesses and I could be wrong about all of them. We shall see… 👀

#sonic the hegehog #sonic franchise #sonic games #sth #sonic movie #sonic comics #sonic idw #sonic prime #shadow the hedgehog #sa2 #sonic heroes #satbk #sonic frontiers #murder of sonic the hedgehog #sonic superstars #mario and sonic at the olympic games

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space-mermaid-writing · 1 year

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The witchling and the god [Loki x Witch!Reader] Chapter 10

Summary: The Avengers were looking for someone to help Loki fit in with the team. To become socially acceptable, so to speak. He had been given the choice of sitting in a cell in Asgard or serving some sort of community service probation on Midgard. The Avengers and Shield both felt that as long as Loki was on Earth, he should be under supervision. This is now your job. Why? Because you’re a witch. You’re not sure why this qualifies you, but here you are, giving it a shot. What could possibly go wrong?

Tags: Witch!Reader, Magic, Witches, slow burn, everybody lives in the tower, character development, Loki‘s redemption, Stephen Strange is a friend, Loki and Stephen are frenemies, Tony Stark is a good bro, kids love Loki, Tony has stupid nicknames for everybody, eventual smut

Main Masterlist | Series Masterlist | Read it on AO3 | Previous | Next

Chapter's Note: An undercover mission? In fancy/sexy clothes? And they pretend to be dating? Nooobody knows where this could possible lead to! Clearly not some intimate moments between Loki and the Witchling. Clearly. Beta by @zaria-04 <3

Chapter 10: Club Enchant

Before she arrived, Nat called up a blueprint of the building and committed it to memory, making sure she knew every last detail. Finding the necessary points, she cycles through those details, planting the customary mental markers in place.

Total building occupancy: three hundred twenty six, single door entrance located on the north side of the building. One bouncer is manning the main door, armed with a well hidden taser. Twelve security cameras are positioned through the club, with none of those cameras pointed at the secluded VIP area.

Single door exit point on the south wall, illuminated by a neon green sign; bathrooms on the east wall, accessed through another door and a small hallway. No windows.

"Clint, re-confirm your position," Natasha speaks calmly.

"Still north of the entrance, opposite building. Clear visual, nothing irregular to see." Clint's voice comes clearly through a tiny device tucked in Natasha's ear.

Loki and you are driven to the front of the club in a dark limousine. The driver opens the door for you. Loki gets out first, then extends his hand to help you.

"We arrived," you murmur just loud enough for Natasha and Clint to hear over comm.

There's a small line of waiting people lined up, but you don't even glance at them. People who don't walk right into the club are beneath the dignity of those you pretend to be today. Loki has perfected this behavior. It must be his royal blood, you realize, he is used to this. As he leads you to the entrance, you feel like a piece of jewelry being carried out on his arm.

The doorman stops you. "Name?" he asks briefly but not rudely. He will be if he doesn’t find you on his list.

"Pine, Jonathan." Loki's voice is bored, on the edge of annoyed. Like a man in his position would think that when he appeared, you would know who it was. Still, he can't help but feel important when fuss is made over him. Even if it is only to have his presence, his status, confirmed by someone in a certain position. Not that the bouncer is an influential person, but he does hold some power in his hands, deciding who belongs in here and who does not. Loki plays his role perfectly.

Only you notice the small gesture of his hand, the brief flicker of green light on the display, which immediately disappears again.

The doorman scrolls and then nods. The door opens for you. You are let in.

Loud music is booming towards you. Unfortunately, it’s very generic, not to your liking. But you're not here to have a fun time.

The club is furnished in a modern style. It's clear at first glance that only people with money come here. There are quite a few of those in town. Every year there is a new secret location tip that is passed on only in certain circles. Some of these clubs want to give the impression that they belong to the underground, with industrial ambiance. The more run-down, the better. It's a trend so that the children of the rich feel transported to another world for a night, a world of the forbidden and the gutter.

Not Club Enchant. Everything looks expensive. The walls and floors are white, almost marble-like, with silver accents. In the neon light they have different shades of pink, blue and purple. The seats are covered in red leather and the staff wear very questionable-short uniforms and masks of black lace.

What the decor shows in taste, the female guests lack in their outfit choices. While the men wear dress-shirts and slacks, sometimes even suits, the ladies show a lot of skin. You see more than a pair of breasts under fabric that is so translucent that it doesn't even deserve its name. You feel almost overdressed with your short dress, but you are glad it covers everything important.

There are two levels. The main area has a large bar, a spacious seating area with armchairs and small tables and a dance floor. For being so exclusive, the club is very crowded. It has to be, so individuals can get lost in the crowd.

A staircase in the back leads to another bar, a smaller one. Up there, you see Natasha standing. She's sipping champagne from a glass and apparently watching the dance floor. Your eyes meet briefly, but neither of you acknowledges that you know each other. Then she turns her back to you.

"Do you see the red velvet curtain to your left, guarded by a bouncer?" you hear her voice over comm. "Behind it is the VIP area. Identification mark is a tattoo on the right forearm, checked with UV light."

"Who gets tattooed for a club?" you ask, frowning.

"You'd be surprised what rich people do to give the impression of being exclusive." You hear amusement in her voice and make a mental note to ask her about it later. For now, it's better if you talk as little as possible to her.

So the first hurdle of the evening is to figure out what that tattoo is. You can't show up with the wrong one.

"Why don't you have some fun without me?" asks Loki, who's been listening in on comm. "I'll be right back."

"Having fun without you? How do you expect me to do that?" Your tone is playful, but you let go of his arm and he disappears into the crowd of guests. You glance after him for a moment, then turn in the other direction. You remind yourself that the two Avengers can overhear everything. You should be more careful about flirting, even if it is part of the role. Fortunately, the comm remains silent.

You sit down at a free table and let your eyes wander. The music is loud and the beat is pounding in your head. The light changes between different colors and for the most part you can only make out the outlines of people. The club does have its charms, if you're into that sort of thing.

Rose Petal must have money if she can run this club. It's not unusual for witches, over time they just learn how to make money - and more importantly, how to keep it. They have more time, more resources, more knowledge. They don’t always stick to legal ways.

Not every witch lives as solitary as you have the last few years. You can find witches in all walks of life. Whereas the magic is never publicly practiced. The threat of witch hunters is still too real for that.

Suddenly, someone sits down next to you. "Surely a woman sitting here all by herself and without a drink is waiting to be approached."

It's a man probably in his 40s or early 50s. Below average height, round face and a receding hairline. His suit looks expensive enough that it may compensate some for the fact that there's something predatory about his small, watered-down eyes and the grin that shows just too many teeth. His arm rests casually on the back of your seat and it wouldn't take much for it to be around you. At least he hasn't put his hand directly on your leg.

For a moment your gaze is irritated because you were in thought, but you catch yourself immediately and give him a fake smile. You need to be more on guard and aware of your surroundings. "You seem to know a lot about women," you reply innocuously.

The man's grin gets a touch smarmier. "Well, I have a pretty good eye for these things. What would you like to drink? You can choose everything on or off the card."

"That sounds generous but maybe the lady is more interested in visiting the VIP lounge," another voice interjects from behind you. You recognize it immediately and as you turn around, you see Loki holding out his hand to you. He eyes the guy disdainfully.

You place your fingers in his. "That offer is much more tempting."

Without another word, you let yourself be led away, not even feeling the annoyed look at your back. Loki squeezes your hand gently, a reassuring gesture. You repeat it, as a sign that everything is fine. The guy wasn't really bothering you, he was just being disruptive.

You reach the red velvet curtain and Loki pulls up the hem of his right sleeve, just enough to expose his wrist and a bit of his forearm. The bouncer shines a small UV flashlight on it and you see a diamond with small line-like details shining brightly. You recognize it as the Lion's Paw symbol, a foreign rune.

You are let through without any objections. Behind the curtain you are walking up a staircase leading to a door at the top.

"This is an unusual place for Berber magic," you murmur just loud enough for your companion to hear you.

"We'll see if it's real or just for show."

Things are a little quieter in the VIP area. You notice a wall of windows facing the rest of the club. From the outside, it had given the impression of a mirror. Of course, you have a good overview of the club from here. People feel much better while watching the ordinary people that don't deserve to even breathe the same air.

You sit down at the bar and order drinks, looking around a bit. There are about thirty people up here, sitting or standing together in small groups. The largest group sits in a booth in the back corner and seems to be having a splendid conversation. At least you hear laughter from there every now and then and notice a lot of glasses and bottles standing on the table.

There you also spot Rose Petal and her right-hand man, Daegal Thornton, who is always at her side. With a nudge you draw Loki's attention to them. You recognize her immediately from the photos: blonde hair, an expensive pastel lipstick and designer clothes. A silver, tight-fitting dress and a fur stole to go with it. Everything about her screams 'I'm too rich for you to even look at me'.

Her right-hand man is the exact opposite in the matter of appearance: dark, short hair, lots of tattoos and a glance that tells you you better not bug him with unimportant things. His outfit is all black, but looks no less expensive than Rose's.

As you eye him secretly, you curse softly. "Shit."

"What is it?" asks Loki quietly. His expression remains calm, as if you're talking about something trivial.

You nod your head in their direction. "See that guy at Rose’s side? The one with the tattoos on his neck and hands and the black goth clothes, who looks like he fell out of a Tim Burton movie? He's the witch."

The Asgardian reaches for his drink and sips it as he sneaks a look at the man. "Are you sure?" This changes the facts of his assignment. But it wouldn't be a problem.

"Absolutely. They are magical rune tattoos. Either he's a huge fan of the aesthetics or he has spells stored in every single one of them," you explain, "My sister uses the same method."

Now Loki gives the sorcerer a more interested look. "Pretend to be offended when you leave," he says, without looking at you.

You slide off your barstool and scowl at him. "Be careful," you hiss, jostling his shoulder as you walk.

He doesn't answer, but you can hear him ordering a drink for the witch. It's all part of the performance. If Loki is to distract the man, you can't be in the way. And what's more flattering than someone else getting dumped for you. You're sure with his charm Loki can wrap anyone around his finger – if he wants to.

Back in the main area on the first floor, you disappear into the crowd of dancers, to shake off curious glances and avoid being approached by a creep again. Normally, you like to dance. But not when you're surrounded by sweaty bodies and with that hypnotizing, monotonous beat in your ear.

"Having fun?" you hear Natasha over comm.

"Mhm."

"Right next to the bar is a door that leads to the basement. I'll distract the bartender."

"Copy that."

"Nobody says that."

"Yeah, rookie mistake," Clint joins in.

You don't say anything in reply, but make your way through the crowd, walk up the few steps to the elevated bar. You could use a drink, especially since you forgot your glass in the VIP area. So you order yourself another. While you wait, you take a look around. The door Natasha was talking about is near you. Perfect.

The drink you get has a color gradient from yellow to red and is decorated with skewered fruits. You put them between your lips and pull out the skewer as you watch Natasha flirt with the bartender at the other end of the bar. Briefly, you check the area again, but there are no other staff to be seen near you. Setting the skewer down on the napkin, you take your drink and slip through the door.

Behind it you find a short corridor and then a staircase leading down. You've just reached the stairhead when somebody places a hand on your shoulder from behind. You spin around, a spell ready in your hand. You stop just barely in front of Loki's face.

"What the hell are you doing here?" you ask in a hushed voice.

"The witch is boring. He's talking to an illusion of me." Loki steps past you down the stairs. "Come on. We don't have all night."

You finish the rest of your drink in one go and follow him, after placing your empty glass on a step. Someone else can take care of that.

The Asgardian is waiting for you downstairs and together you walk down the hallway. You keep passing small branch corridors with doors signposted as storerooms.

Suddenly Loki grabs you and pulls you into a narrow side corridor, pressing you against the wall. He clasps his hand on your mouth, his face very close to yours as you stare up at him with wide eyes.

"Sshh," he murmurs as you try to speak. His body presses against yours and you feel its warmth through your dress, which is basically a breath of nothing. Maybe you've been enchanted and this is just a dream. One you don't want to wake up from so soon. It must be so, you have no other explanation for this – admittedly your brain is not capable of thinking straight right now.

Suddenly you hear footsteps as someone approaches you. Panic adds to the confusion of your feelings and you hold your breath. If you two get discovered, it will jeopardize the mission.

Your eyes search his gaze. Loki is perfectly calm, even winking at you. As if to tell you that he has everything under control, you just have to trust him. You have no other choice. Maybe he created an illusion around you, protecting you from the gaze of others. His warm breath brushes your skin and you bite your lower lips to avoid making a telltale sound.

The footsteps stop very close to you. Loki blocks your view to the main hallway and you don't dare turn your head.

"Hey! What are you two doing down here?"

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

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#loki x y/n #Loki x reader #loki layfeyson x you #loki laufesyon x reader #Loki x you #imagine loki #the witchling and the god #imagine marvel #mcu prompt #loki odison x reader #marvel x reader #mcu x reader #loki fanfction #slow burn #loki odinson #loki laufeyson

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not-too-many-eyes · 2 years

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CW: Mentions of Self-Harm, Child Abuse and Suicide, not discussed in depth just mentioned.

Something Really Irritating about how Shuuji was received is something I've said a lot, people want sanitized versions of trauma they can baby and infantilize and make aesthetic, so immediately once characters get out of that circle of "good ways to process trauma" people get angry. I've seem people look at this obviously traumatized child projecting onto someone and go "He's an irredeemable bastard who deserves to die" and you can see how this manifests with Lopmon too, Lopmon is someone that people can coddle and is cute and sweet and can be easily infantilized, people talk about how they wish they could save Lopmon and not Shuuji.

But Lopmon and Shuuji are explicitly, two halves of a soul, all the characters and there partners are two halves of one soul, it's not subtext is told to you right after Part 5...it's almost like the game wants you to make the connection and realize what happened with Shuuji and Lopmon.

The really upsetting thing about this is how Obvious it is, the game isn't hiding this, Part 5 starts with a nightmare with Shuuji remembering how his father abandoned him, Shuuji, says things like "When will I be good enough" and "Let me prove that I'm not worthless/useless" and so on...which echo things Shuuji says to Lopmon and what Lopmon thinks about themselves, him kicking Lopmon (who is established RIGHT AFTER to be the second half of his soul) and him dark evolving is a metaphor for how Shuuji's has been treated/treating himself and how that's hurting Shuuji, you can even read it as self-harm. Right before this Shuuji did offer himself up as a sacrifice because he didn't think his life was worth "that much" and again, Lopmon is a part of him.

But no, since Shuuji's way of expressing trauma is ugly (and it is, it's perfectly understandable why you would dislike him) people just decided, to not read into his character even though the game is pushing you understand Shuuji and his character, and this is troubling cause Shuuji's is a very real portrayal of someone with trauma, I relate to Shuuji on multiple levels, he's a well written depiction of what trauma can do to someone, and to see all of that disregarded because the way he acts isn't sanitized or aesthetically pleasing really sucks and hurts both Lopmon and Shuuji's characters.

Your not supposed to think Shuuji is justified! He DIES because he wasn't able to improve, the way he gets snapped out is Ryo punching him in the goddamn face and telling him what he's Doing, no sugarcoating, just the Truth, and I love that Digimon Survive does this.

Digimon Survive went "Yeah your doing terrible things, and yes you have to take responsibility for your actions, but you can still Become Better, you are not a Lost Cause" that's why they extend the same hand towards Aoi and Kaito later on, there doing something terrible but we can't just abandon them and I love Digimon Survive for that.

So it's infuriating that people are using a black and white lens of morality when reading into it, it's not a black and white story, heck the original Adventure isn't a black and white story, most Digimon series aren't black and white actually, there's usually some layer of complexity to them. There's a reason why there's hundreds of posts dedicated to analyzing this franchise in detail.

And on less, Digimon focused things, the trend of having a Good Victim and Bad Victim in fiction is harmful for many reasons and I'm really happy Digimon is shooting that concept in the foot, but it really sucks that people are trying to make Shuuji into a "Bad Victim" or Lopmon into a "Good Victim" when at the end of the day there both...Victims, the moral categorization of people who've suffered trauma and if there "justified" or not in there actions is a troubling trend in fandom spaces, and the overemphasis on morals in character analysis and how bad or good a character is, not great. That's a bigger issue but I thought I'd mention it.

#digimon #digimon survive #digimon survive spoilers #shuuji kayama #lopmon #PLEASE USE READING COMPREHENSION

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msg4andre · 2 years

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#MYSTERY GIRL- E.M

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ a/n: hi sexies. I really love this concept so I hope y’all do too :DD <3 This is gonna be a series cuz no way I can fit this into one piece HAH | masterlist

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ contains: eddie munson x famous!rockstar!reader, eddie and the reader are both in their early 20’s, punk aesthetic!reader, late night phone calls, suggestive topics, Reader is the lead singer (sorry y’all I don’t know enough about instruments to write about it NSKS)

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ word count: 2,132

˚₊· ͟͟͞��➳❥ tag list: @ourprisma

Eddie’s stomach rumbled as he pushed the door of some burger place open, Gareth following closely behind him equally hungry. “Dude I don’t know how much longer I could’ve waited. I’m starving.” Eddie groaned. “Well setting up gigs takes a long time, find a table to sit and I’ll order for us.” Gareth said as he walked towards the cashier. Eddie nodded. Getting Corroded Coffin on the same level as other bands like Metallica was definitely not as easy as Eddie thought it would be. He didn’t expect he and his band to get famous over night of course but he didn’t think it was gonna be super hard either. Sure, they had a bigger following than they did in high school but it wasn’t the kind of success that would satisfy Eddie.

He sighed and looked around before picking a spot at the corner of restaurant beside a large window with posters sticking to it. Eddie walked over and sat down on the plastic chair right against the window. Bored, he scanned the pieces of paper taped on the glass. It was usual stuff you’d see at a restaurant. Advertising for radio stations or an announcement about some local event Eddie didn’t care much about. He kept reading the others until his brown eyes landed on a particular poster. “Hawkins Music Is Now Open for Business! 9 am- 7pm! Closed on Sundays!”

Eddie hummed, looking around for Gareth, who was coming back with their food. “Yo, Gareth. Did you know a new music shop is opening?” Eddie asked, taking a french fry from a pile on the red tray. “Yep, I saw the poster when we came in.” Eddie hummed again as he took a bite from his burger. “I’ve been needing new guitar strings and this store is closer to my trailer. The other place I went to is like, far as fuck from where I live.”

Gareth head a fry in between his lips. “You should go after we finish eating, I’m gonna have to leave you though. I promised someone I’d help them move their stuff so you’re on your own for the strings, sorry, dude.” He said. “Are you freaking serious?!”

—

A bell jingled as Eddie opened the door to Hawkins Music. The long haired man let out a long whistle, nodding his head as he checked out the place. Guitars hung on the navy blue brick wall at the end of the store and shelves with all kinds of music filled up the space. Posters of various trending artists and bands were hung on the sides of shelves and neatly placed in straight lines at the window to the left of the room. Eddie walked across the store. He took the ocasional glance at the shelves of music but he never actually went into them. He simply took his pack of strings and went up to the counter to pay for them. Eddie rang the bell at the desk and waited for someone to come and ring up his guitar strings.

Eddie leaned against the counter, swinging his feet back and forth out of pure boredom. It had been about two minutes and no one had come yet.

Ding!

Eddie looked up from the carpeted floor and towards the door, someone else had walked in. It was a girl, she looked to be around his age and she dressed like some of the people in his metal magazines except for the large sunglasses that covered majority of her face. Despite her face being completely covered by the dark glasses he could tell she wasn’t from Hawkins. She was definitely unfamiliar yet he had the weird feeling like he’d seen her somewhere. He eyed the the mystery rocker who looked around the store as if she were looking for someone, eventually coming up to where Eddie stood waiting for the cashier.

“Uh, hey. Have you seen the girl who works here? We’re supposed to meet for lunch.” The mystery girl asked, awkwardly shoving her hands in her pockets. Eddie shook his head. “Nah, sorry. I’m I’ve been waiting for her to ring up my damn strings for like- five minutes.” The mystery girl snorted. “Ugh that sounds totally like her. She has a habit of doing her own thing. The place just opened but I’m surprised she hasn’t gotten fired yet.” Her voice triggered something in his brain, he’d heard her from somewhere but he couldn’t put the name to a face.

Eddie’s face broke into a smile. “Cant really judge her ‘cause I hate working too.” She laughed again, her awkwardness seemed to melt, taking off her sunglasses and shoving them in her pocket. This was the first time Eddie got a look at her eyes, her beautiful eyes.

Wait a minute.

Eddie’s eyebrows furrowed, the realization hit him like a bus. He had seen her before! Eddie had seen the “mystery girl” at a rock concert he and his band went to, the not-so mystery girl was the lead singer of the band that was performing that night. He’d also seen her in covers of various metal magazines and in advertisements. This “mystery girl” was a living legend. “Holy shit Y-you’re Y/N L/N!” Eddie exclaimed. Stepping back in both shock and excitement. Y/N smiled and nodded her head. “Yep! That’s me! And who might you be, Mr…?”

“Edward! Uh wait no, Eddie. I mean- my name is Edward b-but you can just call me Eddie. Munson. Y-yeah! Eddie Munson. I’m Eddie Munson.” Eddie went bright red. He wanted to sock himself in the face for sounding like a total dumbass. ‘She just asked for your freaking name, dingus.’

The amused celebrity eyed Eddie up and down, biting her lip making Eddie’s heart race. “Okay, Eddie. It’s real nice to meet you!” Y/N took out her hand. “Yeah, you too. I went to your concert a couple days ago, you can uh…really sing.” Eddie said, shaking the girl’s hand. “Thanks, man. Glad you’re out there supporting me and my band. Also, thanks for not freaking out and doing something totally weird.” She grinned. Eddie cocked an eyebrow, crossing his arms and giving the rockstar a lopsided smile. “And what would be an example of something totally weird?”

Y/N took in a dramatic sigh, pretending to wipe her tears earning a chuckle from Eddie. She also seemed to have a flair for the dramatic, partaking in the same over the top theatrics he did in high school and even now. “Once, I had guy just start going hysterical. Like he was on the floor, full on tears and shit. Another time this girl straight up flashed me! Like, ‘her boobs on full display’ flashing.” Eddie’s eyebrows went up in surprise. “Holy shit. How do you even respond to something like that?” Y/N grinned widely. “You don’t! I just stood there not knowing what to do!” She moved her hands erratically, the most precious smile he’d ever seen taking over her face completely. “Anyways, enough about me. Eddie, you said you play guitar, are you in a band or is it just you?”

“As a matter of fact I am in a band” Eddie’s chest puffed up in pride. “Corroded Coffin, made up of these three other guys,” Eddie said. “Actually, before coming here me and this dude named Gareth, he’s our drummer by the way, had just booked a gig at a club not too far from here.” Y/N beamed at Eddie, mouth opened into an ‘o’ shape and her eyes glazed with a look that seemed to be admiration. “Corroded Coffin, woah. That’s literally the hottest band name I’ve ever heard.”

Eddie blushed and murmured a soft ‘thanks.’ It was kinda a big deal to him, being praised by such a musical genius. He was sure Y/N couldn’t tell but he was totally freaking out about it. Y/N giggled as was about to say something else but suddenly the door swung open. “There you are!” The girl grumbled at Y/N. “I thought we agreed to meet up at Enzo’s! What are you doing here?!”

Y/N looked at Eddie and back at her friend, giving her seething friend a bashful smile. “W-we…we did?” The girl facepalmed. “Yes! You’re lucky you’re a total big shot rockstar because I don’t think the guy at the restaurant would’ve let us keep our reservation! Now let’s go.”

Y/N nodded, digging around in her pockets and taking out a blue pen and an old receipt from some grocery store. She scribbled something on it before giving it to Eddie. His eyes went wide and his heart began hammering in his chest.

XXX - XXXX

- Call me, Y/N L/N.

—

Eddie had completely ditched the guitar strings. He was back at home and the sun was just beginning to set in Hawkins. He was sprawled out on his dirty mattress, one arm behind his head and the other toying with the receipt with Y/N’s name on it. He had been too nervous to call, he didn’t know if he was intimidated by her status or because he was just scared to talk to a pretty girl. Y/N L/N, one of the most gorgeous, influential artists gave her number to Eddie “The Freak” Munson. What if she was just messing with him? What if she had the same inflated ego some of the other celebs and just felt like crushing someone’s self esteem or something?

Eddie groaned in frustration, rolling over and screaming into his mattress. He later faced down for a couple minutes before abruptly getting up and walking over to the kitchen. He picked up the phone and dialed the number on the receipt. Eddie inhaled deeply, heart racing and hands shaking. He was gonna risk it.

“Hello?”

“U-uh. Hey! It’s Eddie.”

Eddie breathed a sigh of relief once he heard her signature laugh. He breathed a sigh of relief, he felt a bit guilty for doubting Y/N but he was mostly glad you actually picked up. “Eddie! Oh my gosh, I was getting kinda scared you’d never call.” Y/N sighed shakily. Eddie laughed. “Are you kidding? As if I’d pass up the opportunity to speak with the lovely Ms. Y/N,” Eddie paused. “Actually, I’m gonna be honest…I was kinda afraid that you weren’t gonna pick up.”

Eddie snickered. “Also, no offense but I thought you’d be a little more sure of yourself, like you probably have guys dropping left and right.” Y/N groaned. “Just ‘cause I’m a celebrity doesn’t mean I don’t get insecure, you know? I thought I totally pushed my luck giving you my number, I thought you were really cool and stuff so I had to take my chance. Once I left I was overthinking the whole thing!”

“Me, a cool guy? Someone didn’t meet me in high school.” Eddie snorted, readjusting his position by leaning on his back against the counter, steading himself by gripping the edge. “Excuse me, I’m sure if we had met in high school I would’ve thought you were cool.” Y/N said. Eddie let out a teasing ‘hmmmm’ causing her to gasp. “Don’t ‘hm’ me! You’re this hot guy who’s into metal and plays guitar. You’re totally cool by my standards.”

Eddie felt a little bolder now. “You think I’m hot?” He cocked his eyebrow, ignoring the beat his heart skipped and the urge to giggle like a high school girl. “Totally hot.” Y/N affirmed. Eddie definitely felt even more confident now, despite Y/N’s fame and fortune he felt comfortable talking to her, and perhaps even flirting a little bit. “Okay, rockstar. Tell me, whats sexy about Eddie Munson?” He bounced his eyebrows like an idiot meanwhile Y/N scoffed playfully. “Well, if we’re talking sexy, your jewelry caught my eye. Also, you got a wild freakin’ mane, dude. Your hair is totally rad.” This time Eddie couldn’t control it, he giggled in the girliest way possible. He sounded like a dork but he was too enraptured in the conversation with the equally hot girl on the other end. He certainly didn’t think that getting a pack of guitar strings would’ve gotten this girls phone number.

“So, am I hotter than the girl who showed you her tits?” Eddie asked with a smirk that could be heard through his voice. Y/N pretended to ponder the question. “I don’t know, you’ll have to flash me next time I see you.” Eddie pursed his lips, intrigued. “Next time?”

Y/N and Eddie spent the rest of the night making plans to go out the next day, eventually their conversation drifting to stupid stories and conversations about their pasts. It wasn’t until Eddie noticed that it was two in the morning that they decided to hang up for the night.

“So… tomorrow?” Eddie said, smiling.

“Tomorrow.”

#stranger things x reader #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #stranger things #stranger things fluff #stranger things fanfiction #fan fic #rockstar!reader 🎤

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wingedblooms · 2 years

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Forbidden secrets

This theory was written in honor of @elriel-month and combines prompts from weeks 1-3. Okay, so week 3 might be a stretch but gardening on a grander scale is proposed and I think it counts. Spoilers for other Sarah J. Maas series, including TOG and CC.

Two Secret-Keepers

Sarah has talked about planting secrets for the next ACOTAR book, so naturally my mind turns to our notorious secret-keepers: Azriel, the spymaster, and Elain, the seer. Both are, as Sarah explicitly points out for us, skilled in the art of uncovering and keeping secrets.

Feyre smiled. “Elain was the only one who guessed. She caught me vomiting two mornings in a row.” She nodded toward Azriel. “I think she’s got you beat for secret-keeping.” (acosf)

Azriel’s got no shortage of lovers, though, don’t worry. He’s better at keeping them secret than we are, but … he has them.” (acomaf)

On a Forbidden Adventure

Not only are both matched in secrecy, but they are also forbidden from doing what they want.

“Then go off on adventures,” Nesta said. “Go drink and fuck strangers. But stay away from the Cauldron.” (acosf)

Rhys bared his teeth. “So you will leave Elain alone. If you need to fuck someone, go to the pleasure hall and pay for it, but stay away from her.” (Azriel’s bonus chapter)

But, you see, they have a tendency to challenge commands (even if that is a more recent development for Elain, I think it’s here to stay):

Elain remained in the doorway, her face pale but her expression harder than Nesta had ever seen it. “You do not decide what I can and cannot do, Nesta.” (acosf)

“You can’t order me to do that.” (Azriel’s bonus chapter)

I believe these parallels are designed to set up an adventure for Azriel and Elain that involve the sacred sister peaks. Both Feyre and Nesta have overcome challenges in these mountains, so it would make sense for our spymaster and seer to continue this trend with a different kind of mission that suits their powers: together, they can explore and unearth the forbidden secrets that lie beneath the sacred peaks.

Mapping the Secrets of the Sister Peaks

In ACOSF, Sarah refers to the sacred mountains—barren sister peaks, at odds with those around them—in a way that reminds us of the Archerons and sacred trio (Mother, Fate, and Cauldron, or Urd as I have theorized elsewhere).

Eris was waiting for Nesta and Cassian when they arrived in a forest clearing nestled in the Middle. But Nesta didn’t bother to do more than glance at the High Lord’s son—not with the sight rising above the trees. The sacred mountain—the mountain under which Feyre, Rhys, and all the other High Lords had been trapped by Amarantha. It rose like a wave on the horizon, bleak and barren and somehow thrumming with presence.

Sound familiar? It should. Sarah has been planting this water imagery since at least ACOMAF, starting with Elain’s emergence from the Cauldron:

And as if it had been tipped by invisible hands, the Cauldron turned on its side. More water than seemed possible dumped out in a cascade. Black, smoke-coated water. And Elain, as if she’d been thrown by a wave, washed onto the stones facedown. Her legs were so pale—so delicate. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen them bare. […] Elain sucked in a breath, her fine-boned back rising, her wet nightgown nearly sheer. And as she rose from the ground onto her elbows, the gag in place, as she twisted to look at me—Nesta began roaring again. Pale skin started to glow. Her face had somehow become more beautiful—infinitely beautiful, and her ears … Elain’s ears were now pointed beneath her sodden hair. (acomaf)

And then when Nesta makes her bargain with the Cauldron:

And as it faded, dark ink splashed upon Nesta’s back, visible through her half-shredded shirt, as if it were a wave crashing upon the shore. A bargain. With the Cauldron itself. Yet Cassian could have sworn a luminescent, gentle hand prevented the light from leaving her body altogether. (acosf)

To Cassian’s chagrin, we learn more about these sacred peaks from Eris:

Eris shrugged, and Nesta knew Cassian monitored his every breath. “There are three of them, you know. Sister peaks. This one, the mountain called the Prison, and the one the Illyrian brutes call Ramiel. All bald, barren mountains at odds with those around them.”

“We don’t know why they exist, but do you not find it strange that two out of the three have underground palaces carved into them?” […] Eris gave him a mocking smile, but continued, “Unsurprisingly, the Illyrians were never curious enough to see what secrets lie beneath Ramiel. If it, too, was carved up like the others by ancient hands.”

“I thought Amarantha made the court Under the Mountain herself,” Nesta said. “Oh, she decorated it and made us act like a sorry imitation of your Court of Nightmares, but the tunnels and halls were carved long before. By who, we don’t know.” (acosf)

There are palaces buried deep under these sacred mountains, or at least two out of three that have been confirmed. Ramiel remains a mystery. These underground palaces seem to be linked in unexpected ways, and lead all the way back to the Middle—a place with its own forbidden secrets.

The Middle

“Oorid was once a sacred place,” Amren said. “Warriors were laid to rest in its night-black waters. But Oorid changed to a place of darkness—don’t give me that look, Rhysand, you know what I mean—a long time ago. Filled with such evil that no one will venture there, and only the worst of the faeries are drawn to it. They say the water there flows to Under the Mountain, and the creatures who live in the bog have long used its underground waterways to travel through the Middle, even into the mountains of the surrounding courts.”

Feyre frowned. “It can’t be more specific, though?” She asked Rhys, “Do we have a detailed map of the Middle?”

Rhys shook his head. “It’s forbidden to map the Middle beyond vague landmarks.” He pointed to the sacred mountain in its center, where he’d been held for nearly fifty years. “The Mountain, the woods, the bog … All can be seen from land and air. But its secrets, those discovered on foot—those are forbidden.”

Feyre’s frown didn’t lighten. “By whom?”

“An ancient council of the High Lords. The Middle is a place where wild magic still dwells and thrives and feeds. We respect it as its own entity, and do not wish to provoke its wrath by revealing its mysteries.” (acosf)

When they travel to Oorid in the Middle, the darkness Amren spoke of is readily apparent. It seems to be in a death-like slumber, and evokes imagery connected to the sacred trio and Elain in surprising ways:

But then gray, watery light hit her. And the air—the air was heavy, full of slow-running water and mold and loamy earth. No wind moved around them; not even a breeze. […] Oorid stretched before them. She had never seen a place so dead.

The oppressive air muffled even the sound of their wings, like Oorid would abide no sound disturbing its ancient slumber. […] Islands of grass dotted the expanse, some so crowded with brambles that he could find no safe place to land. The tangles of thorns were a mockery of what might have been—as if Oorid had ever produced roses. Not a single flower bloomed.

He screamed, but it was soundless. Just as the dead were soundless, surging from the murky bottom, some in marching formation, and converging on him. […] “Mother save us,” Azriel whispered, and it was undiluted terror, not awe, hushing his voice as the dead rose from Oorid’s depths. (acosf)

As an aside, we know that Nesta raised the dead in Oorid with the Mask. And it’s likely that she will, indeed, need to call upon thousands to help defeat an ancient enemy in the future:

Thousands and thousands of bodies. But she would not call thousands. Not yet. Her blood was a cold song, the Mask a slithering echo to it, whispering of all she might do. Home, it seemed to sigh. Home. (acosf)

From the information we are given in the text, it seems like Oorid—which is corrupted and lacks life—is the source of the water flowing deep within the earth, into the sacred peaks, and even other courts. Is it possible that, if the Daglan were indeed related to the Asteri, they used this source as a way to drink power from the land like wine? And did they take too much, causing its sacred places to become bleak and barren?

Rhys lifted a hand, and a book of legends from a shelf behind him floated to his fingers. He laid it upon the desk. He flipped it open to a page, revealing an image of a group of tall, strange-looking beings with crowns atop their heads. “The Fae were not the first masters of this world. According to our oldest legends, most now forgotten, we were created by beings who were near-gods—and monsters. The Daglan. They ruled for millennia, and enslaved us and the humans. They were petty and cruel and drank the magic of the land like wine.” (acosf)

Ramiel and the Illyrian Mountains

Ramiel is also described as ancient and barren, and it is connected by a network of water-carved caves.

Ramiel. The sacred mountain. The heart of not only Illyria, but the entirety of the Night Court. None were permitted on its barren, rocky slopes—save for the Illyrians, and only once a year at that. During the Blood Rite. (acofas)

But Cassian paused before a landscape painting of a towering, barren mountain, void of life yet somehow thrumming with presence. Snow and pines crusted the smaller peaks around it, but this strange, bald mountain … Only a black stone jutted from its top. A monolith, Nesta realized, stepping closer. […] The sacred mountain from the Blood Rite. Indeed, three stars faintly glowed in the twilight skies above the peak. It was a near-perfect, real-life rendering of the Night Court’s insignia. (acosf)

Like the sacred peak in the Middle, Ramiel is also surrounded by water imagery:

Ramiel might as well have been across an ocean. It loomed straight ahead, with two mountains and a sea of forest and the gods knew what else between her and its barren slopes. It looked identical to Feyre’s painting.

Around a river, she’d learned on her hike with Cassian, cave systems were often carved out by the water. (acosf)

Even before the spin-offs, Elain stared at the barren ground when they entered the Illyrian war camp for the first time. I can’t help but wonder if the sight of it made her hands itch to make something—anything—grow there. If she looked at it and saw its potential, like she did with her family’s cottage.

Warriors and females laboring around the fires silently monitored us. Nesta stared them all down. Elain kept her focus on the dry, rocky ground.

But Elain wrapped her own blue cloak around herself, averting her eyes from all of those towering, muscled warriors, the army camp bustling toward the horizon … She was a rose bloom in a mud field. Filled with galloping horses. […] If Elain was a blooming flower in this army camp, then Nesta … she was a freshly forged sword, waiting to draw blood. (acowar)

The language Sarah uses in this scene has already proven to be foreshadowing for Nesta (who is compared to a freshly forged sword; she then forges swords in ACOSF with her magic). Elain is a rose bloom in a mud field, a place that is bleak and barren, preparing for death. Is it possible she might map the secrets of the land with her powers, and help it bloom in earnest again? Her powers—which seem to involve tracking and mapping like the mystics in CC—may allow her to uncover secrets that were either lost or forbidden before even setting foot in these places. This would provide a significant advantage to missions that require any recovery of important objects on foot. And the mysteries buried within the earth may lead her to those above:

Emerie’s eyes shone. “Long ago—so long ago they don’t even have a precise date for it—a great war was fought between the Fae and the ancient beings who oppressed them. One of its key battles was here, in these mountains. Our forces were battered and outnumbered, and for some reason, the enemy was desperate to reach the stone at the top of Ramiel. We were never taught the reason why; I think it’s been forgotten. […] This Rite is all to honor him. So much of the history has been lost, but the memory of his bravery remains.” (acosf)

Why, exactly, were the ancient enemies (who I believe were the Daglan and related to the Asteri in CC) so desperate to get to the top of the mountain? Is it possible the obsidian stone—that heals and transports—is one of the Made items that was forgotten after this epic battle?

Amren’s eyes glowed with a remnant of her power. “The Cauldron Made many objects of power, long ago, forging weapons of unrivaled might. Most were lost to history and war, and when I went into the Prison, only three remained. At the time, some claimed there were four, or that the fourth had been Unmade, but today’s legends only tell of three.”

Rhys threw her a frown. “Those who possessed them grew careless. They were lost in ancient wars, or to treachery, or simply because they were misplaced and forgotten.”

“Made objects tend to not wish to be found by just anyone,” Amren cautioned. “That they have faded from memory, that even I didn’t think of them immediately in the fight against Hybern, suggests that perhaps they willed it that way. Wanted to stay hidden. True things of power have such gifts.” […] “They were Made in a time when wild magic still roamed the earth, and the Fae were not masters of all. Made objects back then tended to gain their own self-awareness and desires. It was not a good thing.” Amren’s face clouded with memory, and a chill whispered over Nesta’s spine.

Rhys mused, “Just as I’m able to alter a mind to forget, perhaps they have a similar gift.”

“When Briallyn was Made, it likely removed from her the Dread Trove’s glamour, for lack of a better term. Recognized her as kin. Where she might have glanced over a mention of the items before and never thought twice, now it stuck. Or perhaps called to her, presented itself in a dream.” All of them, all at once, looked at Nesta. “You,” Amren said quietly, “are the same. So is Elain.” (acosf)

Is it possible that the Illyrians can’t remember why their enemy was desperate to reach the top of Ramiel, where the stone remains, because it is Made and willed it that way? True things of power have such gifts. Is that why Elain has already been forgotten in the narrative of the most recent war, as @sleepylivart has theorized before?

“I …” Nesta blinked. “Do you not know who I am?”

“I know you are the High Lady’s sister. That you slew the King of Hybern.” Gwyn’s face grew solemn, haunted. “That you, like Lady Feyre, were once mortal. Human.”

Nesta sank into the chair beside Gwyn’s. “I’m not a warrior.”

“You slew the King of Hybern,” Gwyn repeated. “With the shadowsinger’s knife.”

“Luck and rage,” Nesta admitted. “And I had made a promise to kill him for what he did to me and my sister.” (acosf)

Did she, like Rhysand and Made objects, will it that way?

Elain fell into step beside me, peering at Lucien. He noticed it. “I heard you made the killing blow,” he said.

Elain studied the trees ahead. “Nesta did. I just stabbed him.” (acowar)

Would the stone recognize Elain as kin, like the Trove objects’ response to Nesta? What might she be able to heal, or explore, with that stone? This special kinship may be one reason why Elain, with her sisters, is Starborn. It allows her to find and wield Made objects unlike other fae. It sets them apart—at odds with those around them like the sister peaks. And as @offtorivendell, @silverlinedeyes, and I have discussed before, if others use these objects without that connection, there are consequences. Helion’s reaction to the Mask is a stark contrast to Nesta’s kinship and use of it; he is repelled by it, and wonders if the consequences of its past use were written in his very blood. Could those consequences involve the betrayal and death of Fionn?

Helion whirled to Nesta, all sensuality vanished. “You truly wore this and lived?” It wasn’t a question meant to be answered. “Cover it again, please. I can’t stand it.” […] “Doesn’t it rake its cold claws down your senses?” Helion asked.

Helion shuddered, and Nesta threw the cloth over the Mask. As if the cloth somehow blinded it to their presence. “Perhaps an ancestor of mine once used it, and the warning of its cost is imprinted upon my blood.”

Rhys’s eyes flicked to Ataraxia, then to Cassian. “Some strains of the mythology claim that one of the Fae heroes who rose up to overthrow them was Fionn, who was given the great sword Gwydion by the High Priestess Oleanna, who had dipped it into the Cauldron itself. Fionn and Gwydion overthrew the Daglan. A millennium of peace followed, and the lands were divided into rough territories that were the precursors to the courts—but at the end of those thousand years, they were at each other’s throats, on the brink of war.” His face tightened. “Fionn unified them and set himself above them as High King. The first and only High King this land has ever had.” (acosf)

The Prison

The sacred mountain on the prison island is barren, and it can no longer sustain the wild creatures that once lived there.

Helion’s most beloved pair—this black stallion, Meallan, and his mate—hadn’t produced offspring in three hundred years, and that last foal hadn’t made it out of weaning before he’d succumbed to an illness no healer could remedy. According to legend, the pegasuses had come from the island the Prison sat upon—had once fed in fair meadows that had long given way to moss and mist. Perhaps that was part of the decline: their homeland had vanished, and whatever had sustained them there was no longer. (acosf)

We are told that Clotho discovered ancient songs in the lower levels of the cavernous Night Court library. These songs are a wave of sound and function like a dream that transports Nesta to the Prison. She even flows into the mountain, like she might if she were traveling through an underground waterway.

“Some of the songs you’ll hear are so ancient they predate the written word. Some of them are so old we didn’t even have them in Sangravah. Clotho found them in books shelved below Level Seven. Hana—she’ll be the one who plays the lute—figured out how to read the music.”

As that seventh bell finished pealing, music erupted. Not from any instruments, but from all around. As if they were one voice, the priestesses began to sing, a wave of sparkling sound. […] It was like a braid, the song—a plait of seven voices, weaving in and out, individual strands that together formed a pattern. […] She’d never heard such music. Like a spell, a dream given form. The entire room sang, each voice resonating through the stone.

The music took form behind Nesta’s eyes as the priestesses sang lyrics in languages so old, no one voiced them anymore. She saw what the song spoke of: mossy earth and golden sun, clear rivers and the deep shadows of an ancient forest. The harp strummed, and mountains rolled ahead, as if a veil had been cleared with the stroke of those strings, and she was flying toward it—toward a massive, mist-veiled mountain, the land barren save for moss and stones and a gray, stormy sea around it. The mountain itself held two peaks at its very top, and the stones jutting from its sides were carved in strange, ancient symbols, as old as the song itself.

Nesta’s body melted away, her bones and the stones of the cavern a distant memory as she flowed into the mountain, beheld towering, carved gates, and passed through them into a darkness so complete it was primordial; darkness that was full of living things, terrible things.

So Nesta drifted down and down, the harp and the voices pulsing and guiding, until she stopped before a rock. She laid a hand on it to find it was only an illusion, and she passed through it, down another long hall, beneath the mountain itself, and then she stood in a cavern, almost the twin to the one the priestesses sang in, as if they were linked in song and dreaming. (acosf)

Is it possible that these mountains are not only linked physically, but magically? If so, this makes it even more likely that Elain might use her murky realm of dreams, which I believe is connected to the sacred trio and the waters of the Cauldron, to navigate the magical waterways that may exist between the peaks. And who knows what she might find…or even wake in the womb of these sacred mountains?

Healing the Womb of the Earth

The language Sarah uses to describe the sacred sister peaks and their cavernous depths is not exclusive to Prythian. Healers in TOG use a sacred underground cave called Silba’s Womb. Silba was believed to be the goddess of healing and she was associated with owls, purple, and water.

Candles had been tucked into natural alcoves, or had been clumped at either end of each sunken tub, gilding the sulfurous steam and setting the owls carved into every wall and slick pillar in flickering relief.

A plush cloth cushioning her head against the unforgiving stone lip of the tub, Yrene breathed in the Womb’s thick air, watching it rise and vanish into the clear, crisp darkness squatting far overhead.

Some ancient architect had discovered the hot springs far beneath the Torre and constructed a network of tubs built into the floor so that the water flowed between them, a constant stream of warmth and movement. Yrene held her hand against one of the vents in the side of the tub, letting the water ripple through her fingers on its way to the vent on the other end, to pass back into the stream itself—and into the slumbering heart of the earth.

An acolyte had been waiting with a lightweight robe of lavender—Silba’s color—for Yrene to wear into the Womb proper, where she’d discarded it beside the pool and stepped in, naked save for her mother’s ring.

Water—Silba’s element. To bathe in the sacred waters here, untouched by the world above, was to enter Silba’s very lifeblood. Yrene knew she was not the only healer who had taken the waters and felt as if she were indeed nestled in the warmth of Silba’s womb. As if this space had been made for them alone.

The darkness above her was that of creation, of rest, of unformed thought. […] Yrene stared into it, into the womb of Silba herself. And could have sworn she felt something staring back. Listening, while she thought through all Lord Westfall had told her. (tod)

It is perhaps no coincidence that Elain is inspired by Blodeuwedd, who was transformed into an owl, and has begun to glow with health while wearing the color…purple. Her emergence from the Cauldron even evoked the water imagery most associated with the power of the sacred trio, which includes the Mother. Silba’s healing waters are compared to a womb. And like a womb, it is calming and creative, and allows the healer to emerge renewed. We learn of another dark womb from Nesta in the acotar series:

There was night, and there was the darkness of extinguishing a candle, and then there was this. Not only the true absence of light, but … a womb. The womb from which all life had come and would return, neither good nor evil, only dark, dark, dark. […] Her name drifted to her as if rising from the depths of some black ocean. […] The darkness pulsed, beckoning. (acosf)

This language reminds me again of the sacred trio, especially the Mother, who is believed to be a primal goddess associated with creation and wild magic:

Her gaze shifted to the carved wooden rose she’d placed upon the mantel, half-hidden in the shadows beside a figurine of a supple-bodied female, her upraised arms clasping a full moon between them. Some sort of primal goddess—perhaps even the Mother herself. Nesta hadn’t let herself dwell on why she’d felt the need to set the rose there. Why she hadn’t just thrown it in a drawer. (acosf)

For whatever reason, Nesta placed Elain’s carved rose—a symbol of love and beauty and color in the bleakness of winter—next to the Mother. It is half-hidden in shadows, like Elain herself. There are many symbolic meanings for roses, including (1) love and beauty, (2) strength through silence, (3) healing, and (4) divination and secrecy (more on how those apply to Elain here). Like the Mother, Elain is also elusive and associated with symbols of rest and renewal.

The gates to her mind…solid iron, covered in vines of flowers—or it would have been. The blossoms were all sealed, sleeping buds tucked into tangles of leaves and thorns. (acowar)

The Faelights gilded Elain’s unbound hair, making her glow like the sun at dawn. (Azriel’s bonus chapter)

Her sister’s delicate scent of jasmine and honey lingered in the red-stoned hall like a promise of spring, a sparkling river that she followed to the open doors of the chamber. Elain stood at the wall of windows, clad in a lilac gown whose close-fitting bodice showed how well her sister had filled out since those initial days in the Night Court. Gone were the sharp angles, replaced by softness and elegant curves. […] Her sister turned toward her, glowing with health. Elain’s smile was as bright as the setting sun beyond the windows. (acosf)

And as though the Mother is indeed next to her, Azriel mentions her as a witness to their secret, forbidden encounter:

But he could have this. The one moment, and maybe a taste, and that would be it. “Yes,” Elain breathed, like she read the decision. Just this taste in the dead of the longest night of the year, where only the Mother might witness them. (acosf)

Could these two secret, forbidden lovers merge their powers of sight and sound to find the source of the corruption in the Middle? It will likely involve unearthing events of the past that were lost, including—potentially—the actions of Theia’s forgotten daughter. And the secrets they uncover as they navigate time and space might help Elain, like a rose bloom in the mud, clear the corruption at the root and heal the wild magic that once bloomed and thrived throughout the land. Together, Azriel and Elain could create a thing of secret, lovely beauty, showing the Spymaster that he can help heal rather than torture, and finally—finally—feel hopeful about his future with Elain at his side.

#elriel #elrielmonth #forbidden secrets #sister peaks #cc acotar tog crossover theories #forbidden lovers #azriel and elain #seer elain #azriel #shadowsinger #elrielmonth22 #maasverse theories

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