#and ao i need to watch the third !!!!

[itsabardknocklife]

Things the Baldur's Gate Fandom Needs To Know About Mystra

The current Mystra is the third Mother of Magic and she was originally a mortal human woman named Ariel Manx.

Ariel was the second daughter of a wealthy merchant and she liked to sneak out at night to go partying in the clubs.

While out clubbing one night, Ariel - known as Midnight among her friends - met a conjurer named Tad who introduced her to magic and brought her to Mystra's temples.

When Ariel was 21, she attracted Mystra's attention and began to feel as though she were being watched. Whenever this happened, she found that her ability to cast spells increased and that spells that she once found difficult were much easier.

In 1358, when Ariel was 26, the ALL gods were cast out onto the Material Plane by Ao because Bane and Myrkul were being little shits and making yet another power grab, like they do.

The Original Mystra was extremely Unhappy about being thrown out of the heavens and tried to march back up the Celestial Stairway to reclaim her place of power.

Ao did not take kindly to this, and promptly had Helm kick her ass.

Unfortunately, Mystra dying is Bad For The Weave, and Ao had to replace her.

He picked Ariel.

When she was 26.

Immediately after she kicked Myrkul's bony ass in a duel that took place in the sky over Waterdeep.

In order to make the transition easier, Ariel took up the name of Mystra so that

27 years later, Cyric and Shar conspired to kill her so that Shar could take over as the Mother of Magic and spread her Shadow Weave over the land.

Instead of granting Shar control of the Weave the way she hoped, the new Mystra's death/disappearance caused the Weave to collapse, taking the Shadow Weave with it and kicking off what is known as the Spellplague.

Unlike the last two times Mystra was killed, everything went kind of nuts. Magic faded, blue fire raged across the land, killing everything it touched and then raising them into ghouls, the landscape became warped, it was Bad.

The only good thing to come out of the Spellplague was the Dragonborn, who were released from thousands of years of enslavement as a result of the blue fire blowing everything to shit. Hooray for the dragonborn!

Anyway.

Over the next hundred years, things calmed down and the magic… sort of returned, but there were a lot of changes to how magic worked. The Mother of Magic was a non-entity, her presence unfelt even by the famed Elminster of Shadowdale.

At least, not until 1479, when he found her possessing a bear and guarding a hoard of magic items she'd stashed while mortal.

She sent him out to go find new candidates to become her Chosen, and he came back a few weeks later after gorging on the magic of a few of Mystra's other Chosen and gave her enough juice to "return."

Three years later, the Second Sundering started when Bhaal's last two descendants fight to the death and resurrect him as a result.

At this point, ALL the gods are out there recruiting people to become their Chosen right, left, and center. It's a race to become the strongest god in the pantheon, with the winners being decided based on who has the most followers.

This goes on for five years, with the Second Sundering coming to a close in 1487. This was when Mystra became fully restored as a Goddess, with the Weave returning to its original strength.

Over the next two years, MOST of the gods drop their Chosen like they're hot and go quiet, resulting in the rise of clerics as mortals struggled to understand why the gods' behaviors changed so drastically from before.

Mystra was actually one of the few who kept in contact with her Chosen while a few others (such as Ellistraee and the Dead Three) chose to remain on Toril in Avatar form.

In the year 1491, Gale Dekarios of Waterdeep finds the Netherese Orb and has his silver flame (the mark of Mystra's chosen) consumed by it.

12 years after Mystra - once the mortal woman known as Ariel Manx - recovered from her near-death experience.

Please, I am begging you. Stop portraying Mystra the Ultimate Evil and Gale as her Innocent Victim. Their whole relationship is so much more complex than that. Mystra put so much trust in Gale and simply asked that he not cross her boundaries in return, and Gale, in his own words, "sought to cross [those] boundaries." He's a man who heard no and decided that he wasn't going to stop trying until that no became a yes.

I'm not saying Gale is the villain in this, but I am saying that both Gale and Mystra are complex individuals who are both flawed in different ways, and reducing them down to Good and Bad is doing them a disservice.

#gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #mystra #bg3 mystra #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #d&d lore

[badass-queer-couples-battle]

Sword gays showdown, poll for the third place of bracket two

Propaganda:

For Haruka/Sailor Uranus:

She wields the space sword, one three talismans. She's also in a canon sapphic relationship with fellow sailor soldier sailor neptune and later is raising a child with her and another sailor, sailor pluto. Their daughter calls her papa because she's also a genderqueer icon. 

For Hikaru Sulu:

1) Okay, first off: Which version am I submitting? Prime timeline (TOS) or Kelvin timeline (AOS, also known as the reboot movies if you're not in the fandom)? The answer is both. Prime Sulu has the more iconic fencing scenes (and is also said to have other sword related abilities) while Kelvin Sulu is canonically gay. Specifically as a tribute to George Takei btw who played prime Sulu in TOS and is famously gay and an LGBT+ rights activist among other causes. The picture provided is prime Sulu but if you've only watched AOS, feel free to vote for him anyway.

I'm not gonna link any videos here since that would probably exceed the scope of the propaganda section but clips should be pretty easy to find. And if you can't, just trust me: The TOS fencing scenes are amazing. The AOS one is probably fine too but it's been ages since I've watched it and I forgot it even existed so it can't have been THAT memorable.

Fun fact: George Takei initially didn't know how to fence and didn't find out he'd have to until pretty late and started taking fencing lessons only three weeks before the filming of that episode (The Naked Time) and apparently "became so out-of-control and boisterous that he had to be separated from the rest of the production personnel, for their own safety" which, in context of what the episode is about, is just absolutely amazing. Truly iconic.

Anyway, considering Star Trek is an important part of queer history (I'm only half joking) you need to vote for Sulu, we all know George Takei is an icon, make the right choice here.

2) When they got hit with the drunk virus he took his shirt off and started challenging people to duels. Iconic 

3) This bitch got the outer space disease that makes you silly, and revealed they were gung ho for fencing, and brought out their sabre to just. Swashbuckle. Goes "/oh my/," and is clearly gay and played by a gay actor

#sword gays showdown #haruka tenoh #sailor uranus #hikaru sulu #star trek #sailor moon #star trek aos #star trek tos

[dayslynthesix]

break point | charles leclerc x tenis player!oc

just a small observation, i don't like to write social media au with y/n or user1/user2 thing, so i just named every character of this one, jeremy made a small appearance on deuce and slice (danny ric x tennis player), for context, he's also a tennis player lol and all the other ones are supposed to be cath's friends

hallieriley

liked by benshelton, scuderiaferrari, charles_leclerc, usaopen, ao, f1 ans 328.233 others

hallieriley splitting my time between an actual sport and fast cars going vroom vroom, scuderiaferrari thank you for the invitation, i love miami and i love the red car 🏎 | 📌 miami

scuderiaferrari alway a pleasure to have you with us!

hallieriley it would be very funny if you let me do a hot lap with a certain driver 🤨

benshelton so that's why you didn't came to see me play?

hallieriley you're not even playing bro, you came to miami with me just so we could see fast cars going vroom vroom

charles_leclerc cmonnnn going vroom vroom is lovely

hallieriley lovely, simply lovely

volleyserve wait... hallie is watching 20 playboys racing in circles?

rileyxverstappen actually is 19 playboys racing behind max verstappen

hallieriley nice to see there's people around the world who supports me (most amazing players ever) and max (i don't actually know him)

queenofrg hallie sweetie??

maxverstappen1 what ferrari promised you? i assure you redbull can offer twice

hallieriley im a redbull athlete they should have invited me first, maxie 😇

redbullracing our bad 😔 next one is on us!

f1tennisgirl the fact that max doesn't follow her but went to her profile just to tease ferrari is so max coded

maxverstappen1 i do follow her, we're redbull athletes besties

hallieriley yeah, best friends (i didn't knew him until 2 days ago but sure whatever he says)

carlossainz55 thank you for the support, hallie, having you here was amazing!

liked by hallieriley

norrisprivateacc carlos bro be more subtle

rileygirl i love how she answered charles coment with a max radio and she just liked carlos comment

ccaspari wow you were there and didn't stand to say hello to your BEST FRIEND?

hallieriley omg where you here? hold on let me find the mercedes garage i need to see you 😭😭

mercedesamgf1 third one right to left 🫡

jeremyrossi oh us tennis players that somehow are related to f1 🫠

jensonbutton i don't think you'll ever accept the fact that I married your sister and it's been 6 years

yrossibuton 8 years*

may 5th, 2024

hallieriley

liked by charles_leclerc, rolandgarros, scuderiaferrari, redbull, benshelton and 210.087 others

hallieriley oh is that time of the day where im calling ben so we can practice together and he's not answering me 🤪

benshelton omw

hallieriley you're not supposed to be on your way benjamin, you were supposed to be here 15min ago!

benshelton omw!!!

coachjames i see...

breakpoints how does ben and hal know each other? just recently got into tennis and i love they're friendship and they're awesome playing doubles

hallieriley thank youu!! our parents played together at the same tour back in the '90 and we sorta grew up together, we're close in age (im 1 year older than him) once ben started to play tennis we started to play doubles together, we're friends since childhood

charles_leclerc i won a padel match a few month ago does that count as tennis? actually im a padel king 👑

hallieriley charles... do you read what you type before you send it?

charles_leclerc so it is not tennis?

maxieboy he's trying to impress her but he's just embarrassing himself

maxverstappen1 im pretty confident that i can beat you in a 2h2

hallieriley redbullracing can you organize a tennis match between me and max?

max1rileychamp he's allergic to failing and 2nd places but im so ready to see him and his delulu thoughts having his ass kicked by catherine

merliagrace i would never do this to you

hallieriley i know!!! missing you btw, when are you going to italy so i can see you play?

merliagrace we're playing rome in 3 weeks, hope you can make it

hallieriley YESSSS !!!! finally, yep ill be home in 3 weeks

gialis pick up the phone, ps: looking good

rileyxverstappen i love how gia and carlos communicate with the world almost the same way, i think they should be friends

maxverstappen1 🤨🤨🤨

gialis i think carlos and i should be friends as well, hallie can you introduce us?

scuderiaferrari we should send you some official merch 🤔

nike get out, we got here first!

redbull how i love being a redbull athlete 😊

hallieriley don't lie adm, you guys don't even remember me at this days 😭😭😭

hallieriley but if you want to reward me there's this skydiving thing im dying to do...

redbull on the way!

redbullracing we'll send you monaco tickets and after the race we will have a court ready!

besttennisgirl i think we lost hallie to fast cars going vroom vroom

alinariley why there's so many f1 drivers in my daughter's comment section?

charles_leclerc my bad, im sorry 😭

alinariley not you sweetie!

maxverstappen1 mama riley we're sorry for being so chaotic

alinariley are you? 🤨

queenofclay i wish i could call ben shelton my bff

sheltonriley and double partner

queenofclay i completely forgot that ben and her are a pair in doubles

janniksin i didn't

carlitosalcarazz me neither

hallieriley both of you don't even play doubles 👁👄👁

alcarazwimbledon oh to be hallie riley and have both alcaraz and sinner fighting to be her double 🤭

may 15th, 2024

hallieriley

liked by scuderiaferrari, charles_leclerc, benshelton, usaopen, maxverstappen1, redbullracing and 344.562 others

hallieriley multitasking at rolandgarros, see you in a couple of days 🎾

gialis hallie's life is so easy, she goes there, play a tennis match, win, go back to hotel, see her team mess around... us ferrari girls at this point we're just happy with not being knocked out of q3

charles_leclerc have faith on the team

gialis heyyy charlie hello!! faith and ferrari on the same sentence... lol not happening, but i have faith on you

rolandgarros looking forward to have you back on court!

nike there's a lot of ferrari and charles leclerc on this post 🤔

hallieriley nike x ferrari when?

queenofrg hallie is... soft launching?

jeremyrossi 👏🏻👏🏻

maxverstappen1 charles is trying to get out of imola to go see you play can you get us some vip passes?

hallieriley call my agent and ask her, nicely

maxverstappen1 what do you think im rude for free with people?

charles_leclerc you took me out of the race for free last week

hallieriley not everything is about winning but charlie got the ability to lose all the times, maxie you've been a bad team player so no vip passes for you 🤪

f1 i think the tifosi army got another member

redbullracing well, they didn't, she was our girl first

hallieriley yeah, since seb (jenson button walked so seb could run) (please everyone knows im a ferrari girl trough and throughout)

charles_leclerc got pole for you 🫶🏻

hallieriley i saw it hihi amazing lap charlie

benshelton you're not coming to see me play?

hallieriley omw!! i forgot my credentials 🫠

gialis and me! your forgot me!!!

coachjames so that's why you were late?

hallieriley lies! im never late and you know that 🥺

sheltonriley ben and hallie are not playing doubles at roland garros?

hallieriley we are!!

may 18th, 2024

hallieriley

liked by charles_leclerc, rolandgarros, usaopen, benshelton, carlitosalcarazz, redbullracing and 432.122 others

hallieriley first match ✅️ love to play here, love the french crowd and the croissants 🫶🏻 waiting for wilsontennis to send me a pink racket

wilsontennis pink? it shouldn't be red?

jeremyrossi congratulations hallie, you played an amazing tennis this match and it was worthy the sleepless night

hallieriley thank you jer!!! and im pretty positive that im wasn't the one who got you up all night, hope little mia was watching me play as well! 🥺🫶🏻

charles_leclerc great match!

hallieriley thank you charlie 🫶🏻 did you see the point i made for you?

charles_leclerc obviously

sedicislice hello?

queenofrg the queen is back at her castle

merliagrace WOW WOW WOW that was a high level tennis

sheltonriley waiting for the doubles even though i think ben and hals are insane for playing single and double at the same tournament

maxverstappen1 we got the tickets haha see you during the next match haha

verstappenxriley not max getting into tennis just to annoy charles

f1tennis5 i think max is living in a parasocial relationship with hallie

charles_leclerc he's living in a parasocial relationship to annoy me, where i go he goes, if i go to a volleyball match, he's there, if i go to a tennis match, he's waiting in front of my car, if i go to a baseball game IN THE USA HE'S THEREEEEEEE

hallieriley me and my agent we're about to have a nice little chat 🤨

maranellosun ok so i just got into tennis why are people saying charles and hallie are a thing? or is cath and max?

sedicislice she was invited by ferrari to the miami gp and they were caught outside the circuit having dinner, they're always interacting on social media and they went to a very famous gym in monaco after the miami gp, and no, she and max are just friends since she became a redbull athlete

scuderiaferrari well done, hallie!

rolandgarros the people princess!

georgerussell63 hey charles_leclerc is it possible for you to ask your girl if she can come and take a picture with carmen?

hallieriley rude, I'll find you and carmen after this match and we can go for a coffee 🥰

hallierileyupdates she is indeed the people princess

may 22nd, 2024

hallieriley

liked by charles_leclerc, carlitosalcarazz, wimbledon, benshelton and 321.944 others

hallieriley time to see my #2 boy, vamos carlossss! anxiously waiting my turn to play

benshelton 🤨🤨

hallieriley I SAID #2 YOU KNOW YOU'RE MY #1

charles_leclerc 🤔🤔

sedicislice hallie is everywhere, volleyball match, tennis match, f1 races, you blink and she's there

hallieriley im here to support my girl's!

merliagrace at this point she'd just watching random matches from the turkish league and the italian one

sedicileclerc charles be like: what about me?

jeremyrossi wow i thought i was you number #2

hallieriley you're yolanda number #2

jeremyrossi yes, she's my sister

hallieriley out of the old ones you're my number #2

jeremyrossi old? im 32! who's your number #1?

hallieriley federer 🥺

benshelton i see...

hallieriley no fighting over who's my favorite! everyone knows that if federer haven't retired he would be my number 1!

rogerfederer thank you! 🥰

maxverstappen1 about that match we played... can we rematch it?

hallieriley why would i? everyone know i kicked your ass once and i would do it again

redbull our athletes are on fire!

nike ready to the next round 🫡

queenofclay oh to be hallie riley #01 taylor swift fan and #00 carlos alcaraz support friend and ben shelton bff

july 3rd, 2024

hallieriley

liked by charles_leclerc, maxverstappen1, rolandgarros, carlitosalcarazz, janniksin, nike, wilson and 644.173 others

hallieriley played my first final here 3 years ago and now i can finally say IM A WIMBLEDON CHAMP! as i said in my acceptance speech, thank you wilsontennis and nike for having my back. thank you to my coach, my team and my boys, thank you for the british crowd and thank you james mcavoy, this one is for you! also i would like to quote a good friend of my, jannik boy: i wish everyone in the world could have my parents as their parents, thank you mom and thank you dad, for making this dream possible and for walking along the way with me, i love you 🥰🫶🏻

carlitosalcarazz vamossss hally!

carlitosalcarazz 👏🏻👉🏻🏆🥇🎾🔥

coachjames well done kid! super proud of you!

alinariley our daughter is a wimbledon champ we cant believe this 😭😭😭 (your dad cant put coherent sentences)

benshelton well done halliecat, congratulations

jeremyrossi amazing!! congratulations!!

gialis my girl!

janniksin well done, hallie!! mega job

merliagrace congrats hally

charles_leclerc wow wow wow that was amazing! super proud of you! 🥰❤️

gabiguimaraes10 congratulations!!

hallieriley gabiiii, hiii!! thank you girl! looking forward to see you play at the olympics

nike hallie riley ladies and gentlemen is a wimbledon champ

wilsontennis always a pleasure to have your back! 🎾

oscarpiastri good job

maxverstappen1 it's starting to get boring, you win everything, also, congrats 🫡

hallieriley now you know how i feel every sunday watching you win 🤪

charles_leclerc karma is queen indeed

lewishamilton speak the truth hallie!!!

jamesmcavoyrealdeal 🤔🤔🤔

lewishamilton amazing!

lifeofriley did you see how adorable she was while holding that cup??

queenofrg queen of wimbledon as well

queenofclay WJJJAUAIAIJHAKAIIQUAJQI oh god she did it!!!

halliechamp our champ is back!

hallierileyupdates amazing!!

july 13st, 2024

hallieriley

liked by paris2024, charles_leclerc, redbull, nike, wilson, benshelton, gabiguimaraes10 and 633.421 others

hallieriley already in paris for the olympics and while it is not time to play we took some time of to go around, he's awful at tennis, have no idea how he won that padel match, if i was max i would demand a rematch

charles_leclerc that was very rude, im very good at tennis, i was just warming up

hallieriley yeah, warming up

maxverstappen1 i told everyone he was cheating

charles_leclerc how could i cheat on a padel match? you're just saying this because you're bad at padel

georgerussell63 i would like to know so i can cheat as well

nike time to be olympic champ!

wilsontennis charles leclerc is the new face of wilson, stay tuned

leclercupdates charles was racing in hungary yesterday but his girl called and asked if he wanted to go having a tourist date and the next thing we know is that he is in france

benshelton he is indeed very bad at tennis, i was there, i saw it

sedicislice SO WE DID HAVE BEN AND CHARLES MEETING UP AND THERE'S NO FUCKING PICTURE OF IT?

diallinginshelton i would pay rivers of money to see them playing tennis 😭😭

carlitosalcarazz 👏🏻🫡🥰🤨🏎🎾

hallieriley translation of the emojis please

carlitosalcarazz no

usaopen time to shine in paris!

july 25th, 2024

kitcathriley

liked by usaopen, charles_leclerc, nike, wilson, ccaspari, laurencaspari and 433.193 others

hallieriley tooke a little time off to enjoy the post olympics, and let me tell you, being an olympc champion is AMAZING!!!! also i would like to thank you guys for the support, a little disappointed that ill have to wait another 4 years to play another olympics but really grateful for the results at this one. now IT'S USOPEN TIME!!!

usopen waiting for you at court number 3!

charles_leclerc credit for the pics when?

benshelton now you know!

maxverstappen1 wish we could get to see you play this one

hallieriley you can always quit f1 and be a fab (friends and boyfriends) 🤪

maxverstappen1 nice try

nike that kit suits you

wilsontennis 🏆🏆

lewishamilton good look at the USOpen, hallie! i know you will blast this one as well!

hallieriley lewis omg hello hiiiiii, thank you! if i win i will dedicate this one to you 🫶🏻

queenofrg i can't wait for her to win this one, we need that!!

laurencaspari you and i we need to catch up!

gialis doubles at beach volley when? 🏐☎️ plus can you get me a pic with ben shelton????

hallieriley oh to be a pro volleyball player and former olympian and not be able to fan girl her fav athlete

benshelton i though gia's favorite athlete was gabi?

gialis it is! your my number 2! can i please get a pic? 😭

maxverstappen1 what about me?

gialis don't try lol

august 23rd, 2024

hallieriley

liked by charles_leclerc, scuderiaferrari, f1, lewishamilton, nike, maxverstappen1 and 766.143 others

hallieriley last round of the 2024 fast cars going vroom vroom season, well done prince charlie, congrats on the p2 on the championship, we'll fight for the highest spot next season. and oh, congrats to max car as well, it was a tough season. AND alson congratulations to oscar on his first winnnnn!!

charles_leclerc thank you my love ❤️❤️❤️

oscarpiastri thank you cath!

maxverstappen1 if your boyfriend haven't tried to take me out of the races so many times my car would be just fine

sedici16 dude, he tooke you out once in barcelona and just because the tyres weren't warm enough

hallieriley not my burn account i sweat but thanks sedici16 you're 100% right!

puma hallie x charles x puma when?

nike 🤔🤔🤔

scuderiaferrari wish we got to you sooner, it was lovely to have you with us one more time!

redbullracing bahrein vip passes are on the way 🫡

hallieriley now you do remember me 😭😭😭

december 8th, 2024

hallieriley

liked by charles_leclerc, boweandstowe, australianopen, benshelton, nike, wilson and 633.493 others

hallieriley happy birthday sir lewis hamilton! oh, and its australian open time againnnn, me, charlie, bowe and stowe we are ready to go! see you in 3 days 🔥🎾

charles_leclerc can wait to see your reaction to the t-shirts i have made to see you play

hallieriley im scared to death about which pants you're gonna wear

lewishamilton thank you, hallie! wishing you the best australian open you can get and rooting for you

australianopen rod laver arena is ready for you!

nike let's go!

wilsontennis i hope the pink racket is what you wanted

redbull 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

benshelton make it double!

gialis oh shit here we go again with 2 weeks of the bare minimum of sleep

merliagrace i put money on you, plese win this one

usaopen wake up, it's australian open time

january 7th, 2025

#formula 1 #charles leclerc #formula one imagine #formula one #f1 imagine #ferrari #charles leclerc imagine #max verstappen #charles leclerc x oc!character #tennis imagine

[dirtytransmasc]

Any headcanons for Spider and Ronal's baby when it's born? I think it'd be so cute if he got caught singing lullabies to them and he tries to deny it.

due to one frightened comment thinking this was like spider x ronal, because of the wording of the ask, let me preface, this isn't that, its about the baby ronal was pregnant with and spider growing up as siblings.

he would do just a out anything for the baby, he loves them so much, and he is such a good big brother.

he was with the Tonowari's for only a couple weeks before the baby's birth, he didn't have much time to prepare, but he used what little time he had to carve toys and weave a blanket for the little thing.

he was a good helper for his mom too, always helping her get up and down, carrying things for her, taking over some of the more physically demanding chores.

he's like a little kid when it comes to her belly. he never really got to experience the pregnancies of his siblings like he wanted to, he wasn't allowed close quarters with Neytiri or any really connection with the baby before there birth like Na'vi children are encouraged to have, and even after they were born he got little time with them when they were baby's. Ronal aims to fix this, the best she can at least, giving spider plenty of alone time with her, encouraging him to watch the baby kick, to talk to them. it becomes a custom, every night, a little before she would begin cooking dinner, with his and tsireya"s help, she takes time to sit with spider and the baby, singing songs of creation and life, having spider help with the last few preparations. she makes sure spider feels like this is his sibling, that he is an important part of their life and their family.

spider makes a few beads for his new song chord; one for the pregnancy, as he it had brought him and his mother closer then ever, and it was a first for him, one he is so very grateful for. oke for the birth of his sibling, the metkayina have water births to represent the child's transition from water to air, and to assure they have a swimming reflex; watching his tiny sibling swim up to the surface and take their first breath was something that took his own breath away. a third for his sibling themselves, he was the first, aside if him his mother and father, to hold the baby, and they were perfect, the way they held onto his finger and wiggled around and where generally just chubby with baby fat; he decided right then and there that he would always protect them.

spider carries the baby around everywhere, and he's an amazing teacher, cause he's always showing them things, teaching him the names of different items. you barely see one without the other.

spider stops going out with friends very often for the first few months, longing to be with the baby and their mom more the he does to hang out on the water with ao'nung and rotxo, or messing around on the beach with the sully kids.

speaking of their mom, he continues to be an amazing helper even after the baby is born, acting as a second set of hands and he's got the baby touch, meaning if the baby is fussy, Ronal has someone to pass back and forth with when she needs a break.

no amount of pushing or begging from anyone will get him to part with the baby for long, trust me, they all tried, spider just more content at home.

after mom and dad, the baby's first word was Hi'i'tsyil (spider Na'vi name) and spider cried. he out another bead on his chord that night.

metkayina babies are natural swimmers, so the baby is always giving spider a run for his money when he goes swimming with them and the family.

ao'nung and spider may have been Mama's boys, tsireya a daddy's girl, but the baby is their brothers child. even as they get older, it is very clear that out if anyone in the village, they would run to spider first.

spider is so overprotective, he's convinced the baby is made of glass. (wonder where he got that from *cough cough* ao'nung)

him and the baby are mischief machine's, moreso than ao'nung and spider had been.

#avatar 2 #avatar the way of water #spider socorro #miles spider socorro #miles socorro #hi'i'tsyil te fkew'weopx tonowari'itan #Ronal #tonowari #ao'nung #tsireya

[hel-the-growl]

Nezha Reborn annotations - Part 1

Since New Gods: Yang Jian is about to enter NA theaters this week, and before I do a huge information dump about that movie, I wanted to write about its prequel - Nezha Reborn.

I've already seen Yang Jian twice in cinemas here in Australia, and the animation has markedly improved in the one year since Nezha came out - it's definitely worth seeing on the big screen. You don’t need to watch Nezha before Yang Jian but if you’re interested in the lore, then you should lol. It's on netflix.

My original thread on twitter.

Background

Nezha is one of the most well-known characters from the 16th Century Chinese Novel Investiture of the Gods (IOTG), with countless adaptations based on his legend.

New Gods: Nezha Reborn is one of the latest portrayals of the character, and is the first move in Light Chaser Animation Studios' attempt at establishing a New Gods cinematic universe.

Nezha’s origin story

Nezha was born as a round ball of flesh after his mother Lady Yin was pregnant for three years. His dad Li Jing thought he was demon spawn, so tried to kill him but was spared by the immortal Taiyi Zhenren who became his master. At seven years old, he caused a lot of trouble like accidentally killing a demon from 1000 miles away and killing the dragon king Ao Guang’s third son Ao Bing as well as his right hand man the Yaksa Li Gen. When Ao Guang demanded retribution from Li Jing, Nezha chose to sacrifice himself instead. His master later resurrected him using lotus roots to construct a human body, and he came back more powerful than ever. 3000 years later...

Breakdown

Donghai (East Sea). It was the mythical underwater city that Nezha once conquered, now depleted of all its water resources. Set design is inspired by Republican-era Shanghai and Manhattan in the 1920s and 1930s. The poor Chinese style backdrop is contrasted against the glitz of the Western style architecture in the rich area. Rickshaws were commonplace on the streets.

Fashion is also blend of east and west, like the guy wearing kung fu shoes with a denim jacket.

The qipao was a favored dress among women at the time, popularized by Chinese socialites and high society women in Shanghai. Flapper fashion also influenced Kasha’s outfit, blending eastern and western styles.

Li Yunxiang shares the same surname as the original Nezha. His brother Jinxiang’s name is also similar to Nezha’s eldest brother Jinzha. Jinxiang’s look is very typical of the republican era - complete with his center-parted hair and round glasses.

Old Li has the same temperament as Nezha’s dad, The Pagoda Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing.

Who is Yunxiang’s adoptive sister Kasha? She’s an orphan of Belarusian descent, however not much else is known about her past. Her name means porridge in Belarusian. It might be a corruption of Katyusha (喀秋莎) with middle character removed in order to follow Chinese naming conventions idk.

If you know the history of the Republic of China, there were many girls like Kasha in that era. Her father was a soldier and left Kasha and her mother after the war.

✨Princess✨ Ao Bing～～ and the Yaksa Li Gen. Ao Bing is the third son of the Dragon King of the East Sea. The Yaksa Li Gen is the dragon king’s right hand man.

The four big clans - De, Li, Shun, Song (德家、利家、顺家、松家) - actually corresponds to the titles of dragon kings of the four seas. King De, Dragon King of the East Sea; King Li, Dragon King of the South Sea; King Shun, Dragon King of the West Sea, King Song, Dragon King of the North Sea.

A netizen looked this up and really wanted to kneel to Light Chaser for their worldbuilding.

Fun fact: the white horse from Journey to the West is the third son from the Song family.

H*rley-D*vidson Darrley-Hudson product displacement on the arm of Kasha’s jacket:

Actually the film has left some hints about her past. There are some Soviet-style badges pinned to her jacket, along with some small badges that Kasha herself added as well. Since this jacket is huge, it can be assumed that it was left to Kasha by her biological father.

The giant buddha statue is reminiscent of the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang, Henan.

Daddy! Ao Guang, the dragon king of the East Sea.

Art deco details on the hood ornament, decals and invitation card.

Monkey’s suit is basically a hot pink version of the Zhongshan suit, a style of menswear introduced by Sun Yat-sen during the republican era, adapted from Japanese student wear. The four pockets are said to represent the Four Virtues of propriety, justice, honesty, and shame. He's blinged up his prayer beads too.

Does this mean Dr. Su is a descendent of Su Daji, the femme fatale of IOTG? Or could she actually be Daji’s reincarnation? Now I don’t know whether to trust her or not.

All these sea creature demons. Why? Chinese dragons are aquatic. They live underwater, and command water-based attacks, unlike western dragons who breathe fire. So it makes sense for them to control an army of demons that came from the deep.

So this is the crystal palace.

After Nezha’s death, Li Jing found out that Nezha’s mother had built a temple in his honor and burned it down because he was still angry at his son for all the trouble he caused to the family. The soul of Nezha was pissed and after his reincarnation, began to pursue his dad with the intent to kill. It took several parties to step in before matters were resolved.

Looks like monkey likes to listen to Peking Opera.

The Pukui fan, commonly known as the cattail fan, is a fan made from palm leaves and stalks. Lightweight and cheap, it is the most widely used fan in China.

Part 2｜Part 3

#new gods: nezha reborn #new gods #nezha reborn #nezha #新神榜 #新神榜：哪吒重生 #哪吒重生 #哪吒 #jttw

[kessokubando]

Summer 2023 Anime-Round Up

A pretty mediocre season of anime tbh. But still some hidden gems to be found and appreciated. RIP to Zom 100 btw lmao. Anyway, here's the round up!

Anime of the Season: Bungou Stray Dogs 5th Season

Best Opening: Ao no Sumika (Jujutsu Kaisen S2)

Best Ending: Akari: (Jujutsu Kaisen S2)

Drops: Tenpuru, Liar Liar

Plans to Watch at a later date: Bang Dream! It's MyGO!!!!! , Dark Gathering, Spy Classroom Season 2

Completed:

Jobless Reincarnation: Season 2 - (6/10)

They told me that this season was just Rudeus trying to cure his ED. Too bad I didn't believe them. Not a fan of the "Solve my heartbreak over one of harem girls dumping me by finding another one of my harem girls" narrative that went on for 5 episodes more than it needed too. Unsure if I'll come back for more of this. After 3 cours of this show, I think I can confidently say I just don't like Rudeus.

Horimiya: Piece - (8/10)

Not every side-story worked for me, but most of them were pretty good. I just love how stupid and honest these kids are. Sometimes, the way anime glorifies high school life can be overbearing, but I can't help but wishing I enjoyed those days more whenever I watch this show. Gonna miss it.

Remi best girl.

Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Arc Part 2 - (7/10)

Definitely felt the exhaustion I remembered when reading the manga. I'm not sure what's Kubo fascination with long strings of fights while the plot stands completely still. Didn't enjoy it during the Arrancar arc, not enjoying now. At least Squad 0 redeemed themselves (somewhat)

My Happy Marriage - (8/10)

Still believe this show would be better if it didn't have all that supernatural stuff. Nevertheless, still enjoyable romance. Mio is a great lead and her development alongside Kiyoka was really good. We will be there for Season 2.

Reign of the Seven Spellblades - (6/10)

Remember when "Magic High School" was the genre that was oversaturated? Me neither. This show was enjoyable but had some weird moments. Also for once, I'd like a magic show that doesn't obsesses over the reproductive system. Probably won't watch any foreseeable sequel. Still rooting for Nanao to get that kiss.

Bungou Stray Dogs 5th Season - (9/10)

Actual Peak Fiction. Igarashi and his team at Bones just know how to make this show as stylish and cool as possible. Also this arc is by far the best one we've gotten so far. Could feel the tension at every episode where crazy shit happened. Shame I can't read the manga to find out what happens next lol.

Undead Girl Murder Farce - (8/10)

Now this is a show that had style in every corner of its being. Undead Murder Farce with just so fun to watch. The trio of Aya/Tsugaru/Shizuku is one of my favorites in recent times and the side characters we very memorable. I think the last arc when one for 1 or 2 episodes more than it needed too, but still enjoyable nonetheless

EDENS ZERO 2nd Season - (7/10)

This season was a lot more darker than what I usually expect from Mashima. Wish the presentation wasn't so exact to Fairy Tail, but it has some high points that exceeds it's sister series. Probably will check out the manga if a third season isn't announced sometime in the future.

Fate/strange Fake: Whispers of Dawn - (8/10)

An anime series by the team that did all those FGO commercials is any fate fans dream. Cannot wait for the full show of this. I hope Aniplex gives them enough time to animated this (they probably won't)

#anime round up #summer 2023 #mushoku tensei #jobless reincarnation #horimiya #hori san to miyamura kun #bleach #bleach tybw #watashi no shiawase na kekkon #my happy marriage #nanatsu no maken ga shihai suru #reign of the seven spellblades #bungou stray dogs #bsd #undead girl murder farce #edens zero #fate #fate/stramge fake

[maagicmushies]

Ok, on this episode of thinking about Naruto mechanics harder than anyone was ever meant to, I recently came to an epiphany around magnet release.

It is SO fucking weird. Instead of converting chakra into matter, this just changes the basic physical properties that your chakra has. Something like this is totally logical in a world like Hunter x Hunter but in Naruto, this doesn’t really happen. It is also up in the air if it should even be called “Kekkei” Genkai, because both the Third Kazekage and Rasa “learned” it. From watching Shukaku.

This all seems confusing until you remember the non-nature release Kekkei Genkai like the Byakugan or Shikotsumyaku (always showing up for some reason). The Byakugan helps you see real good and Shikotsumyaku allows you to spontaneously stimulate bone growth. However, neither have really obvious combat applications and had to have entire martial arts crafted around them. Ao has a Byakugan, but without a Hyuga tutor he’ll never learn gentle fist. Kimimaro doesn’t just fight by growing bones, he has a series of “Dances” to make effective use of them. Those don’t change the property of chakra, but they do change how your body works and thus opens a space for extended techniques. Anyways, I believe this is the secret to magnet release. People like the Third Kazekage and Rasa are born with it, but needed to study Shukaku to actually use it in any meaningful way. Probably why you see such drastic differences between the people in the sand who learned from Shukaku vs Toroi and Naruto just sorta winging it.

#naruto #jutsu mechanics #third kazekage #rasa #sabaku no gaara #toroi #shukaku

[butterflyintochains]

Completely agree with you on Rafa. A lot of what he’s saying is not really making sense and it feels like he wants to downplay Novak’s achievements at any cost. Not sure why Nadal had to mention Djokovic’s name when praising Federer. Could have easily said “Watching Federer play has moved me the most” and we would understand. God, I wish Novak wasn’t such a fool and didn’t delay that elbow surgery for two years so we never had to deal with Fedal resurgence in 2017 but alas.

Same, anon. Like I said, though. I love Novak, always have, always will, nothing will ever change that for me. But, I respect the hell out of the other two. The thing that gets me more is how naive Rafa still seems to be. Like I said, these journos are actively trying to create some sort of war of words between them. And, Novak knows this, so why doesn't Rafa?

How I would've answered that would be something like this:

''Well, we all play so differently, myself (as in Rafa), Federer, and Djokovic. I'm more the warrior type, Djokovic is a chessmaster, and Federer is like a dancer. I have my style, and I greatly admire how Djokovic has adapted to the new generation, but Federer's style inspired me more coming up. We're all so different, and we've all shown how any play style can achieve great things. No one's is inherently better, we're all so special.''

As for Novak's elbow operation, I have medical anxiety myself (it took me a year to realise I needed glasses, but I'm very happy with them now) so I get it. I more hate that Stan and Andy didn't become the Big Two while Novak was away. So Andy could've gotten his AOs and third Wimbledon, and Stan could've gotten another FO and USO titles. Then, Novak could've had a smoother comeback, less catch up work to do in so little time, and some actual rivals of his own age too.

#tennis #novak djokovic #rafael nadal #roger federer #big three

[jalexisfuller]

Vanitas's Death

So at the end of Ep 1. Or Memoir 1, Noe mentions in the letter to his teacher about how he met Vanitas and all the stuff they went through together. But he also mentions how he killed Vanitas. Or so that's one possibility. He mentions:

"And that is how this Vanitas died by MY own hands."

Now it seems pretty simple, in the end Noe kills Vanitas, right? Not quite. When one thinks about it, there are different ways to kill people. So let's get into the ways this could happen.

Noe becomes a curse bearer and kills Vanitas

When reading the manga or watching the anime, we see that Ruthven and Naenia both want something with Noe. Ruthven wants to use Noe against the "Shapeless One", while Naenia wants his true name. So this got me thinking. What if Ruthven uses him against the Teacher FIRST and then Naenia turns him into a curse bearer?

See in a way it makes sense. Ruthven has a one sided love/hate relationship with the Shapeless One. So why not use his own student to get rid of him?

Vanitas stands in Naenia's way of corrupting more curse bearers and from getting Noe's true name. So what does every good villain with a sinister plan do if they have obstacles in their way?

 Get rid of them of course.

Think about it. If Naenia corrupted Noe's true name and made him a curse bearer, then HE could get rid of Vanitas for her.

Noe could attack Vanitas, severely injuring him. Vanitas could heal Noe just before he finished him off, but be dying while doing so. Noe would be freed from his curse and find a dying Vanitas before rushing over and holding him in his arms. Vanitas would probably say some dumb shit that ruins the sweet moment before dying in Noe's arms. (I have a sad twisted mind.)

That's just ONE possibility.

2. That doesn't mean He kills Vanitas directly

Sometimes in the entertainment world, when someone says that a person died by their own hands, they don't always mean they directly killed them. Sometimes their actions can lead to a person's death.

For instance, Noe could do something that leads to Vanitas's death. While I'm not quite sure what it would be, it woild have to be something that would hit Vanitas ao deeply that he needs to risk his life to do so.

This brings me to my third point

3. Noe doesn't physically kill Vanitas

€Now when someone "dies" that doesn't always mean physically. A person could be killed mentally as well. Noe could say or DO something that breaks Vanitas mentally to the point the doctor, isn't the same anymore.

#noe archiviste #vnc vanitas #the case study of vanitas #theories #i dont even know #I swear i make myself cry

[thegeminisage]

SEARCH FOR SPOCK breakdown

i watched THIS movie three days ago and im still not over it. incoherent phone liveblogs translated to normal human language below:

firstly, this movie is extraordinarily quiet. even with my computer and browser volume and 100% i still couldn't hear it. we had such trouble finding a copy that was both loud and subtitled i had to download my own - even actually starting a free paranmount plus trial didn't work because their website is GARBAGE and refused to load the movie for me on any browser. which meant losing one day. and then the second day i was out of town. i had to wait SO LONG to start searching for spock. i basically forgot the first 12 minutes of the film bc of those two lost days

uhura was very hot in this movie. i love how she had stuff to do. idk how she keeps getting hotter every movie but she's the most beautiful woman in the world i think. her telling that little ensign to get into the closet while calling him a good boy was maybe the sexiest thing she's ever done. i wish she had gotten to go with them the whole time!

the absolute screaming that ensued when kirk found bones sitting in a pitch black room with spock's voice coming out of his mouth. like i said i knew vaguely about this but i did not expect him to be FUCKING POSSESSED??? i need to find time to read 4000 spones fics about this specifically if anyone has recs i am soliciting them

everything was so good. the comment about poison in a bar not being logical. the failed nerve pinch. him being able to suddenly act as first officer. mwah

i like the snowy cacti on genesis even though most of those sections lagged for me personally. not like computer lag but like. psychologically. and baby spock was so cute!! teenage spock did not need to be fucking his former student who is now way older than him tho. that was wack. sorry saavik

the entire section of busting bones out of prison and stealing the enterprise is one of my favorite trek scenes from everything i've seen so far, actually. it's exciting, it's funny, it's heartwarming, the chemistry is off the charts, and they all truly feel like a family.......cathy said it best but this is what aos was missing tbh

ALSO I TOTALLY RECOGNIZED LEONARD NIMOY'S VOICE IN THE ELEVATOR SHAFT. am i faceblind maybe a little bit but my ear never fails me

very shocked to see christopher lloyd in this movie. his makeup was um questionable. but he did a great job

we went back and forth for awhile on whether or not bones realized he was possessed. i guess "you're suffering from a mind meld" wasn't specific enough. like did he know spock was IN THERE. but we didnt know for sure until jim was like "how are we doing" and bones was like "WE are doing just fine thank you but i'd rather he have just taken a kidney" which was fucking hilarious. third best best line after "i've got all his marbles" and "THAT GREEN BLOODED SON OF A BITCH THIS IS REVENGE FOR ALL THE ARGUMENTS HE LOST" he's so iconic. like it wasn't actually just revenge for the stunt he pulled in the empath.

deeply mourning the enterprise. i knew there were different enterprises and that they had to blow her up eventually bc spoilers but this is the one and only first ever enterprise TO ME. watching her go down in flames was almost as painful as watching spock die. rest in peace queen :(

absolutely FLOORED they fridged david. i didn't expect them to do that ever but i'm SO glad they did bc 1. cry bitch and 2. i didn't actually care about him. despite them finding spock on genesis those parts of the movie felt slowest to me because spock wasn't able to like, Be Spock and i just did not care about david. i like saavik but i liked her better when she wasn't fucking spock. so. perfect choice

final fight was good. i was like I DONT CARE ABOUT THIS SHOW ME SPOCK but then i gasped every time one of them almost bit it. rip christopher lloyd's character he did a great job

did i burst into tears when kirk held spock and pointed a gun at people? yeah

however what we missed was the bit where bones goes to hold him instead when kirk has to put him down. truly the mcspirk movie of all time.

bones going "i choose the danger" HE IS SO IMPORTANT i love him so much

having absolute kittens in the section where i had to wait to find out if they put spock's katra back. like obviously they were gonna. did i start crying again when spock started talking? YEAH. i knew he was gonna have amnesia but i forgot so i got to be surprised anyway. and then also cried through the credits too bc ofc i did. spock is so important. bones tapping his temple at the end was everything though

idk why everyone says the odd ones are all bad! 1 was bad and i know everybody hated 5 but 3 was REALLY GOOD. i liked it even better than wrath of khan - aside from, again, the pon farr thing. there was more interpersonal stuff than in 2 but it didn't lack action and momentum the way that 1 did. it was perfect. there's no way 4 can be better than this. no way. sincerely hoping i eat my words <3

#personal #sfs lb #star trek blogging #glad i got that down for again posterity. #in 5 years i'll remember none of this so i need a record

[ironcladrhett]

TIMING: Last week, before ‘Merciless’ LOCATION: Various PARTIES: Rhett (@ironcladrhett) & Owen (@apaininyourneck) SUMMARY: Rhett & Owen meet by chance at Fable Blades, and the old warden decides to take the younger slayer out for a fae hunt. They get the coordinates to a suspected aos sí, and find the deadly faun that’s been guarding it. Things go about as well as you’d expect, but Rhett does manage to get some answers before the fight is over. CONTENT WARNINGS: n/a

—

A vintage Volkswagen bus rolled up on the street outside Fable Blades, psychedelic mushroom landscape on its side perhaps giving a false impression of the person inside it. Rather than a stereotypical hippie, the man that climbed out of the driver’s side was an older, salt’n’pepper-haired man, dressed in black jeans and a black jacket, his long locks pulled back in a messy bun and his impressive beard hiding the entire lower half of his face—not that he’d be hard to pick out in a crowd. 

Circling around to the rear of the van, Rhett pulled open the double doors and rummaged around for something for a moment before stepping back and closing them again. In his gloved hands was what was clearly a sword, kept safe in a temporary leather sheath. 

Showing himself into the shop, Rhett strolled toward the back of the store, glancing around him briefly as he went. “Chet!” he bellowed, rather unceremoniously for a customer. But that was cleared up as Chet emerged from the back room and shouted right back, laughing gregariously—a way that was unusual for him. “Rhett, you fuckin’ bastard! You still owe me for the other night, you know.” 

Rhett laughed, dismissing the reminder with a wave of his hand. “Aye, I know, I know… patience, my friend.” 

Chet looked at the sword in his other hand and his eyes brightened, thick brows raising curiously. “What’s this?” “Commission… had to back out. Real beauty, mate. Thought ya might like ‘er.” It was only then that his attention turned to the third person in the shop—an employee, if he had to guess. One he’d not seen before, though he didn’t often personally come to the store to drop off blades for sale. “Oi, who’s this, then?” Chet, who looked eager to see his fellow warden’s newest creation, blinked and looked over. “Oh! That’s Owen. C’mere, boy. This here’s Everett, best fuckin’ warden I know. Besides me, ‘course.” Rhett snorted, holding a hand out to the younger hunter (or so he had to assume) to shake. 

“Says the one that retired,” he reminded the other. Chet just grinned and shrugged his shoulders, then reached for the sword. 

“Give it here, let me get a look at it.” Taking it over to one of the counters, he unsheathed it and turned it over in the light, admiring the gentle curve of the blade and the attention to detail in the hilt. Rhett left him to it, eyes falling instead on the one called Owen. “You been ‘round long?”

—

If not for the easy access to weaponry and the odd genuinely helpful nugget of wisdom Chet dropped when he wasn’t being an idiot, Owen would have quit this place a long time ago. Some days it could get excruciatingly boring, sitting around and waiting for something, anything to do. It was days like those, like today, where he was actually thankful to have company around, even if it was Chet fussing about and being an asshole about things being in the wrong place and a particular blade needing shining. 

As the old warden vanished into the back of the store, muttering about how ‘in my days, young people had work ethic’, the doors blessedly swung open. Surprisingly enough, the oldie with the beard was far from the strangest person to have walked in here, even just in the last week. Owen hadn’t even managed to push himself away from the display case he’d been leaning against before the shop’s owner was summoned and he sighed, settling back in. Just when there was a customer who looked like he might be buying things for actual hunting and not play-fighting. 

Even so, Owen watched the exchange curiously, faint smile tugging at his lips as the two men talked, clearly cut from the same cloth. The attention turned to him and the slayer languidly moved closer, shaking the offered hand with a curt nod. This Rhett’s grip was strong, hands calloused and his bearing strong. Owen figured that if he even made it past forty, this wasn’t the worst future to have in sight. Minus the beard, that would get real annoying real fast. Chet left them to admire his new piece, mumbling under his breath as he usually did and the newcomer spoke again. 

“Long enough,” Owen replied, arms crossing as he leaned back, still taking in the older man. It was always of some interest to meet older hunters, at least ones that weren’t retired like Chet. Had to mean they were either talented or very lucky. “Not here all the time, though. Also serve drinks to assholes down at The Wormhole since Chet is a cheap bastard.” A grunt was the only response from the bastard in question and Owen leaned back in, elbows resting on the counter as he lowered his voice. “Speaking of, what do you owe him for?” he asked, intrigue coloring his features. 

—

“Ah, been meanin’ to hit up that dump,” Rhett remarked with a grin, clicking his tongue at the chastisement. “Aye, sounds like the fucker, all right,” he agreed. The question made him smile, and he gave a nonchalant sort of shrug. “Bet him a couple’ah fifths that I could kill more of the gremlins infectin’ the ol’ beater he’s got at home than he could in two minutes.”

“Yeah, and you lost! Where’s my damned whiskey?” Chet interjected. Rhett huffed out a breath, holding up a hand to his fellow warden. 

“On a fuckin’ technicality, mate. That last one got killed by the door fallin’ off its hinges, not you.” Chet was wearing a shit-eating grin now, giving the sword Rhett had brought with a few practice swings. 

“Still counts.” Exasperated, Rhett shook his head.

“Just for that, you’re payin’ an extra five percent on that broadsword, mate.” Chet snorted and gently set the sword back down, circling around the counter to go dig through the register. Looking at Owen, who he noted was ever so slightly taller than he was, he sniffed. “What’s yer specialty?”

—

Owen grinned back, giving the warden in front of him a very blatant once over. “You’d fit right in.” It really was neither a compliment nor an insult as any kind of person could end up at The Wormhole. With the slayer’s general smarmy tone and expression however, all bets were off on how exactly the words would be taken, though. Not that he worried too much about this Rhett taking offense at every single thing possible, the man looked to have a hide thicker than a few lame comments would pierce. 

The banter with Chet was amusing to watch to say the very least, Owen’s smirk growing by the second. “Wow, surprised you didn’t break a hip there, buddy,” he shot at his employer, who could tolerate shit talk much better than badly polished weapons. 

“Let’s see you make it to forty before you start talking shit, idiot,” Chet grunted back. 

Turning his attention back to Rhett, who was eyeing him with the faintest hint of disdain coloring his features, Owen stuck his fingers under the neckline of his shirt to pull at the chain that rested there. A small cross dangled from the end of it, catching the light for a moment before being shoved back to its place underneath the shirt. Didn’t want people mistaking him for some sort of religious wacko when the cross only served one very specific purpose. “Pity, though. Would have liked to show up the old man in a bet of my own but gremlins aren’t really my speed.”

—

Rhett grinned. “Damn right I would.” The younger slayer’s assumptions about him were right, and he prided himself on being able to fit in with most social classes… besides the shitty ones at the top, of course. He could pretend, but his looks alone often set him quite far apart from everyone else around him. He was very clearly a… what did they call it around here? Mountain man? Eh, something like that. Wouldn’t be caught dead sleepin’ on a bed, is all he’d say.

Nodding at the sight of the necklace, Rhett’s expression lightened. “Can be learnt. Killed my fair share’ah undead n’ beasties. Might not be yer finest work, but… can be learnt.” He pointed at the necklace now hidden behind Owen’s shirt, then crossed his arms over his chest. “Like my lil’ brother. Lives ‘round here, apparently. I’d say you’d like ‘im, but he’s a cranky motherfucker.” Lifting a brow, the old warden snorted. “Then again, might be precisely the kind of person y’like, if yer willin’ to put up with this ol’ curmudgeon.” Rhett glanced over at Chet who was striding their way and wearing a scowl. He pressed a handful of cash into the man’s hand, shaking a finger at him.

“Go on, count it. Make sure I haven’t fucked it up since I’m so god damn senile,” he barked, but there was a light of amusement in his eyes. Rhett obliged, licking a thumb (the gloves were fingerless) and sorting through the stack, counting silently in his head. Good thing the lights in here were good, or he’d never have been able to see the fuckin’ numbers.

—

The hunch proved right - this Rhett couldn’t give two fucks about what people thought or said about him. It seemed obvious, how else would he get through life wearing fingerless gloves for Christ’s sake. There was a point to be made about hunters’ work moving over these preconceived lines, most of them having some knowledge about the others’ specialty. Owen knew he was part of a minority in his single minded focus on vampires, even tending to lack knowledge on the other undead. Learning more from a bona fide warden didn’t seem like a bad idea, though, since things like goat fae were starting to pop up in his life. “Wouldn’t mind a crash course if you ever have the time.” 

Family always seemed to be a touchy subject among hunters and for good reason. At least Rhett seemed to have kept some contact with his, not to a great extent however if he only supposed the man lived in Wicked’s Rest. “I’m definitely fond of the cranky ones,” Owen confirmed, following the gesture towards Chet and letting out an amused scoff. “Helps if they’re prettier than this, though. Your brother have a name?” 

Owen watched the exchange, intrigued by the amount being paid. Rhett was clearly good at his craft if the cheap bastard running this store was willing to cash out. He’d have to see about getting one of his own from the man - granted that he wouldn’t end up being charged a higher fee if Rhett decided he didn’t like him. Unable to help himself, the slayer started muttering random numbers under his breath, arms crossed and an innocent smile on his face until Chet whacked his arm, eyes narrowed. “Just trynna keep the hunting population sharp,” he explained casually. 

—

Crash course, eh? Reminded Rhett of the days when Milio was a wee teenager eager to learn his surrogate brother’s tricks. Rhett had taught him everything he knew, knowing it would only serve to make him a better hunter, even if he was a slayer by birth. It wasn’t as if the fae would simply decide to leave you alone just because you didn’t make a habit of killing their kind. That’s why he killed all kinds. His grin widened and he nodded. “Aye, could certainly do that,” the older man agreed. 

That smile shrank down a bit at the following question and Rhett lifted a hand to shake a finger at Owen. “Ah, nah, no ya don’t, he’s got enough shit on his plate,” he warned with a snort. “Milio don’t need no more distractions.” 

As he counted the cash, he could hear Owen trying to fuck him up. Giving him a hairy eyeball stare (one that may have slightly missed the mark on account of the darkened edges of what remained of his vision), the warden just grunted and kept going. Was close enough, anyway. He did still owe Chet, after all. “Aye, that’ll do,” he announced, shoving the cash in his back pocket. “And you… plenty’ah bounties on the board at Three Daggers. Could grab one, take ya along. Teach ya a few things.” His gaze turned to Chet, then. “Let ‘im off early today?” There was no time like the present, after all… and it was 5pm somewhere, so a drink before heading out couldn’t hurt. 

Chet grunted and rolled his eyes, waving a dismissive hand. “Fine, fine. Not like we’re full to the brim with customers, anyway.” A beat. “Appreciate the sword. Of course I’m going to sell it for three times the price I paid you…” Rhett snorted.

“Would think you was a doppelgänger if ya didn’t, Chet.”

—

Yeah, Owen definitely liked the guy. He had an air about him that definitely held less of the charm the slayer usually carried himself with but he was intriguing in a different way. A way probably not dissimilar to Owen, with the way he talked back, seemed excited at the prospect of sharing his knowledge of killing things and walked through the world not letting anyone or anything affect him. Whether Rhett had always been like this or slowly molded was anyone’s guess. Not that Owen would be asking any questions of that sort - he was fine with a crash course on fae and someone to shoot the shit with. Even if he was a bit older than the people usually surrounding the slayer. 

But, as he had slowly and surely learned throughout the years, everyone had a button that could be pressed to incite a reaction. Whether he admitted it or not, Owen knew what his own button was and no one would ever get close enough to find it. Rhett’s was an easier find though - family. The wagging finger was only an accelerant to Owen’s glee at having found a weak spot to poke and prod at. This warden was impressive, sure, but that didn’t make him exempt from the slayer’s bullshit. 

Glee turned to pure mischief at the name being dropped despite Rhett’s insistence and really, what were the odds of there being a slayer in town, other than Emilio, who would be called that. As hard as it was, Owen kept his mouth shut. Now was not the time to reveal that actually, he had been an excellent distraction to this man’s brother on multiple occasions. Before slapping said brother around and humiliating him but that was much less fun to think about, wasn’t it? Rhett didn’t need to know any of this at the moment, especially not since an offer was being thrown on the table. Eager eyes turned to Chet, crinkling with satisfaction when the old man waved him off. 

“I should really think about getting you one of those world’s best boss mugs, huh?” Owen said with a grin, wasting no time in heading towards the back, sidestepping Chet and giving him a kiss on the head as he passed and vanishing before he could be punished for it. The muttering could be heard all the way into the back room where the slayer picked up his things and rushed back out, not hiding how pleased he was with this turn of events. 

Once they’d left the store, Owen stretched and took in the sight of Rhett’s vehicle. Interesting choice of decorations and a stark contrast to the black and white figure accompanying the van. “Should probably mention that I’m technically not allowed on the Three Daggers premises, though.”

—

Snorting at the display, Rhett made sure to give Chet hell about it for a moment before Owen reappeared from the back, and the two took their leave. 

Outside, Rhett was just unlocking the vehicle when Owen made his little announcement, and his eyebrows rose. “Yer not?” he laughed, opening the driver’s side door and dropping into the seat. “The fuck did ya do to get yerself banned from a place like that?” There was a story here, surely, and Rhett wanted to hear it. “Anyway, m’sure if I’m with ya, they’ll make an exception.” He threw the younger hunter a wink. “Keep ya in line, n’ all that.” As if he hadn’t already made his own trouble at the hunter bar in the short time he’d been here—but that need not be discussed. 

—

Following Rhett into the car, Owen made sure to take in every visible detail inside, even craning his neck back to sneak a peek. It looked very much so lived in, the dingy excuse for a sleeping station making the slayer wonder if this guy had an actual home. Considering he was apparently Emilio’s brother, Owen shouldn’t have expected much more than this. Although it did smell cleaner than the grumpy slayer’s apartment so point for Rhett, he supposed. “That story is reserved for close friends,” Owen sighed contentedly, sinking back into the seat. A bold faced lie, seeing as there were no close friends to have ever heard the story. With a mischievous grin to match the wink, they headed for their destination. 

Sure enough, Rhett seemed to be in good enough standing to avoid Owen getting thrown out at first sight. It probably helped that the owner was out for the day. Emanating smugness and throwing a wink to whoever stared for too long, he joined his new companion at the bar. Most of the strong booze here was shit so he settled for ordering a beer, practically giddy with excitement. “Full disclosure, I’ve really only tangled with a faun and some transforming lava creature.”

As soon as the words were out, Owen realized that Rhett might have some follow up questions. He wasn’t on good standing with Bridie but sending the old man after her seemed a bit harsh. And it would make a decent enough club shut down. As for Cass, basically just a kid and as far as he knew, not keen on hurting anyone… “Iron really does do the trick.” A hint that both had been taken care of was probably good enough. 

—

“Uh huh. Fine, keep yer secrets,” Rhett responded with a snort, climbing into the van and turning the engine over, smiling as she purred to life. She was the best little bus a guy could ask for. 

Shit or not, rum was Rhett’s go-to. Wasn’t like he could taste the difference, anyway—his taste buds had gone to shit decades ago. As Owen mentioned some fae he’d had the misfortune of tangling with, the warden’s brow rose expectantly… only to settle again as the slayer made it apparent he’d already taken care of them. “Aye. Nice to have a cure-all for that particular plague,” he mused, holding the barkeep’s attention after their drinks were dropped off.

“Oi, mate… you heard’ah any good fae bounties lately?” There was the board, of course, but that required getting up. And sometimes, he’d found, the barkeeps kept the more dangerous ones to themselves, in an effort to vet the hunters that took it on and make sure they weren’t thinning out the younger, more inexperienced generation too quickly. And of course, Rhett looked anything but young. “Friend n’ I here are lookin’ for a challenge, aye?” The barkeep eyed the both of them for a moment before nodding and holding up a finger. He turned away, rummaging through something beneath the bar and then turning back around to face them, squinting his eyes and giving them another thorough once-over. 

“Lost two to it already. Be ready,” he warned, sliding a note across the bartop to Rhett, who took it eagerly and started to read, his gaze brightening. 

“Listen t’this: they found an aos sí. Trouble is, there’s a faun what guards the entrance.” He glanced up at Owen, grinning like a kid in a candy store. “Well. Shouldn’t be no trouble since yah dealt with one already, aye? You in?”

—

Owen watched curiously as Rhett went through what seemed to be very practiced. If his looks didn’t give him away, his casual tone and demeanor definitely carried the air of a practiced hunter. Whether or not this particular bartender recognized him, he had the good sense to correctly spot a pro. Sipping at his beer while the man rummaged, Owen noticed the warden’s excitement rise with every second spent waiting. Not just a pro, this was a passion project. The slayer could relate. 

Green eyes trailed the note that vanished into Rhett’s ragged hands, trying desperately to keep up at least some demeanor of team work. It was a general preference more than a rule, working alone, but this situation was a rare one. Not only did he have a surprising amount of faith in this old man, Owen was also very curious to see just what Emilio grew up with. A two for one, really. 

A sparkling grin lit up the warden’s face, looking slightly eerie surrounded by the tangles of gray hair, and Owen could definitely feel the infectious effects of the excitement. Even though he had by no means dealt with a faun before - more so threatened her, earned a binding favor and then gotten her chewed up by a creepy vampire. Well, she had gotten herself chewed up by being an idiot. Getting off track… “Aos sí… that’s like their version of a clan, right? Of course I’m in.” If nothing else, he’d see just what a faun could do and know if Bridie ever used her shit on him. 

“So,” he started once the drinks were finished and they were on route to where two hunters had apparently been brutally murdered, “a warden and a slayer in the same family. One hispanic, one… wherever the fuck you’re from. Take it you’re not officially related?”

—

This was everything he’d been after for weeks. He’d been trapping fae and interrogating them to get a sense of how many aos sí were in the area, where they were located, and if one hesperide named Mariela had visited them. So far the trail had picked up a bit — he knew she’d come through here, and he knew that there were a few fae around the place that knew her, so it likely hadn’t been for just a night. She also had a daughter with her, which… Rhett had to assume it was his. She’d been pregnant when he ran her off, after all. 

So yeah, to say he was excited would be an understatement. He was beside himself. “You betcha. Whole fuckin’ community’ah the scum, ready t’be wiped clean. Damn… might be able to use some’ah those dispellates I got, finally.” 

On the road, topped off with a bit of liquid courage (not that he needed it) and thankful for the fact that the way seemed to be mostly free of other drivers, Rhett settled in for some easy conversation with the other hunter. It started like it always did, with stories of hunts and close calls, which of course eventually involved the slayer family that Rhett had found himself living with in Mexico for quite some time. 

He was about to question how Owen knew Emilio was hispanic before remembering that, well… he’d mostly implied that with his tales, so it made sense. And his accent, while certainly influenced by the amount of time he’d spent around Spanish-speaking folks, was not quite so clear in origin. It was an amalgamation of all the places he’d been—all the places he’d spent any significant amount of time, anyway. 

“Unofficially adopted, aye,” he answered, his voice getting a bit quieter as the hole that the Cortez family had left behind was made known to him again. He was… okay at covering it up, usually. Better than Emilio, that was for sure. But he’d had more practice. “Pops came from Aotearoa—New Zealand. Never spent much time there m’self, though. Was born on a boat, lived on a boat, floatin’ ‘round the islands. Workin’.” There was a whole chunk of his life he was leaving out, when he’d lived in the hunter community, where he’d become family to Desmond, but that didn’t need saying.

—

There was a lot to process about this other hunter and much more to unearth than would be possible over the course of a single drive. Owen rarely made it an effort to dig into people’s pasts since that insinuated that he’d be sticking around long enough for it to matter but in this case, Rhett’s stories were like the young hunter’s bedtime story. Sure, odds were that most stories were embellished but that didn’t make them less enticing. Not to mention that this did give some rare insight into his fellow slayer, who probably wouldn’t give up his damn age even with a knife to his throat. 

“Guess that kinda explains the weird accent,” Owen conceded, at this moment very grateful that his own accent had faded into nothing more than the occasional lilt here or strange enunciation there. God, he’d sounded like a total fucking jackass those first two years in the States. “And the inspiration for your whole… hippie pirate shtick.” He fought the temptation to poke at the beard, deciding it wasn’t worth the risk of possibly losing a finger. Or getting disinvited from what promised to be a fun hunt judging from the excitement radiating off Rhett. 

“So,” Owen grinned, turning fully in his seat to look at his companion as the car closed in on their destination, “which of your toys do I get to try out?”

—

Hippie? “Will accept tha pirate dig, but hippie? Boy, if I ain’t the farthest thing from a tree-huggin’, free-lovin’ sack’ah compost…” He was teasing in his own way, a smirk curling up the corners of his mouth. Hippie. Please. He was a bite piratey, though, he had to give people that. Hell, if he ever accepted the fact that his left eye was never going to work again, he might even get himself an eyepatch. 

Anyway. The question of toys came up, and the warden was more than willing to share. “Tell ya what—whichever ya think ya can handle, young man. If y’ain’t ever fought with a sword before, wouldn’t recommend that. You’d be next tah useless. Got plenty’ah blades back there though. Ax wieldin’ ain’t hard. Got some dispellates, too… could use one’ah them in case we find this faun n’ think it’s near the entrance. Wouldn’t waste it, otherwise. Hard t’come by, these days.”

They had long since pulled onto a dirt road, and here was where the road ended. Stopping the van and killing the engine, the pair climbed out and circled around to the back to gather their choice of weapons. Rhett stuck with his favorite, lightweight cutlass, dagger, and a pistol for good measure—the handgun was regarded with some amount of disgruntlement as he was forced to recollect how he’d lost the last one. And, just in case, a small silver orb. The dispellate. 

“Will reveal the truth behind any manner’ah fae trickery,” he explained with a nod. “Glamours, barrier magic… all of it. S’why they’re so damned expensive. N’ why we ain’t gonna use it unless we got a good reason t’think the entrance is nearby. Understood?” He gave Owen a decidedly fatherly look before passing the orb to him. “Is like a smoke bomb. Press in the top there, n’ it’ll detonate when ya huck it.”

—

Most of the words thrown out by Rhett were comprehensible, despite the accent delaying Owen’s understanding by the briefest of moments, except for the babble about some dispelling shit. Didn’t matter much to him however, as the slayer got to look at the expanse of weapons at his disposal. Sure, he had a collection of his own but new and different was always more fun than old and regular. 

Keeping up his appearance as a pirate, Rhett pulled out a sword. In any other scenario, Owen would have done the same for the chance to fuck around with it but there was definitely some sense in the other’s advice. It would really be a bitch to get both of them killed because he didn’t know his way around a sword well enough. So he picked up a nice looking iron dagger instead, followed by a tactical axe that he would definitely be asking more about later. 

Finally, an explanation on the more ‘warden-y’ equipment came and surprisingly, it was handed to Owen. He cocked an eyebrow, not having expected any real sort of teaching to come from this impromptu mission but grateful for it all the same. Even as that faint hint of ‘authority figure’ wrapped around Rhett’s words and expression brought on an uncomfortable feeling of deja vu. “Copy that, cap’n,” he replied with a small salute, the ghost of a grin on his face overpowered by the seriousness of a hunt. The small orb was placed into one of his jacket pockets for safekeeping before he gave the older man a nod. Ready. 

—

Checking the coordinates on the bit of paper, Rhett tapped them into his phone and took a screenshot of the map of the surrounding area. Looked like they weren’t too far off, and ten minutes of walking would get them to a nearby game trail that appeared to wander right through the middle of the approximate swathe of forest that was the faun’s last known location. Relaying this information to Owen, the pair locked up the auspicious vehicle and took their wandering leave into the forest. 

“Now if there is a faun, it’s gonna try t’hypnotize us both. Won’t work on me, ah’course, but you gotta be on yer toes, beanstalk. Don’t seem like much, y’just might find yerself bein’ drawn to the creature… but once it gets its hooks in ya, it’ll be able to talk ya into damn near anythin’. So just… if I say so, don’t look at it. Try not t’listen to it. If I say so, we attack first n’ ask questions later, aye?”  He seemed deadly serious about the whole thing, ridiculous as it might’ve sounded to someone who didn’t often deal with fae trickery. It was dangerous to bring non-wardens along on fae hunting trips if only for all the ways the fae could turn them against you, which might have been the reason Rhett resisted Emilio’s badgering to bring him along. 

Owen, though… well, he didn’t know much about him. Liked him well enough, but there wasn’t that damn near crippling need to protect like there was when it came to Emilio. A need that would, eventually, kill him. Whether that meant metaphorically or literally was anyone’s guess. That wasn’t to say he’d just let Owen die, though—just that the fear of loss was absent. 

As they walked, a funny feeling crept up Rhett’s spine. He tensed, holding out an arm to motion for Owen to slow down. “Aye… somethin’s near,” he said in a low voice, squinting into the trees. For what fucking purpose, he didn’t know—he’d feel the damn things long before he’d see them with his shit vision. It was more a reflex than anything. “Quiet as ya go. Faun’s got choice hearin’.” 

They crept along for a bit, until—there. There it was. Glamoured (damn it) and… looking expectant. Oh. 

“I know you’re there,” it crooned, staring directly at them. Rhett cursed softly under his breath before stepping out of what was supposed to be cover, if they hadn’t been anticipated guests. This told him one thing—the faun (presumably, all he knew was that it was not a nymph based on feeling alone) was a guardian. Which meant the intel was good, which was invaluable. 

—

As much as Owen could pretend that his attention span was highly defective, it was quite the opposite. When it mattered, something could have his unbridled attention, much like right now. Rhett wasn’t just talking to prove how much he knew, he was talking in an attempt to keep Owen, to keep both of them, alive. If anything was going to kill the slayer, he wasn’t going to let it be a goat legged creature in the woods. “Questions later is my forte,” he replied, humor tinting his words despite the seriousness of the situation, and the fact that it was the god’s honest truth. 

Following the more experienced man, Owen halted when told, spotting almost the exact moment when the warden’s senses picked up on something. He felt a bit empty, tensed and ready for a fight without the gnawing tickle of something to kill nearby. Even so, he straightened up, fixing his grip on the axe. Sneaking was rarely Owen’s first instinct but this wasn’t his mission so he slowly, painfully so, followed until a person came into view. They looked absolutely normal but judging from the expression on Rhett’s face, they were far from human. 

Eyes gazed at the pair, sharp in their intensity, filling the slayer with unease. So much for all the sneaking. Owen stayed behind the warden as the two emerged, feeling a bit like a guard dog as he sized up the fae. They didn’t look intimidating in the slightest although their calm demeanor was eerie. Owen had been prepared for anger, even fear. Although fear was unlikely seeing as a handful of hunters had been unsuccessful dealing with this exact foe. “Don’t be shy. Show us those pretty goat legs of yours.”

—

The faun scoffed, folding their arms across their chest. “Goat legs? That’s no way to talk to a gracious host.” They gestured to some trees to their left, pointing out a long picnic table laden with very delicious looking food that’d previously been hidden from sight. “What are you boys doing all the way out here, anyway?”

“Just a nature walk,” Rhett grumbled, coiled like a cobra, ready to strike. 

“Oh, a nature walk, hm? That’s nice. You must be hungry! Thirsty? I have plenty to go around.” The faun’s gaze shifted from the warden to the slayer, eyes narrowing slightly as they took him in. “Come here, dear,” they cooed after a beat, and Rhett tensed. He couldn’t feel anything happening because he wouldn’t even if it was, and his gaze danced anxiously over to Owen. 

“Remember what I said,” he hissed in a whisper, trying to get a read on the kid’s face. 

“I said, come here,” the faun implored a little more aggressively, though it still wore that disarming smile. A hand reached out toward Owen, the bracelets that hung from its wrist dancing and glinting in the light. “I’m certain I have something very special for you.” Rhett cursed in his head, grasping Owen by the wrist to stop him if he tried to move forward.

“We’re fine,” he bit out, grip tightening on the slayer’s arm. “Kinda strange you got a whole banquet set up with no guests, aye?” The faun laughed and clicked its tongue.

“But you are the guests, silly! Please… please come here. Come sit, relax, and enjoy!” 

—

God, all this talking was getting old. And the whole picnic set up was weird as fuck. They had the weapons, this was only one goat person, so why the hell weren’t they striking? What was the old man waiting for? Tensing with every second, green eyes moved from the ominous picnic table back to the threat, which was currently staring at him in return. Teeth gritted together, hands tightening on the axe. It would be so easy to wipe that weird ass smile off its face, just… a single… swing?

He felt weightless, much too weightless to be capable of carrying an axe as heavy as the one in his hands. What had he needed an axe for again? Eyes snapped towards the voice hissing in his ear, the sigh of Rhett making Owen feel the ground under his feet once more. Right. Hypnotized. Try not to listen to it. Don’t listen to the voice calling you over, even though it definitely feels like you should be going over… 

A rough hand on his wrist, jolting him back, hands once again tightening on the weapon. They were fine. They were here to kill this thing and get out. Owen was going to prove himself to Rhett, who was currently squeezing his wrist. Completely unnecessary, he was fine. He was simply maneuvering his arm out of the warden’s vice grip because he didn’t like being constrained like that. Just to take a quick look. They were guests after all…

Any consequential attempts from Rhett to grab the slayer were shrugged off quickly, feet pulling him towards the smiling host. The thought of taking a seat and relaxing sounded nice, filling Owen with a warm feeling, like the small bubbles in champagne were filling him up inside. “Good job, dear.” What a nice thing to hear. 

The slayer hadn’t even noticed when the axe had started to hang limp by his side, didn’t hear or see anything other than eyes that promised more of that addictive warmth. “Get rid of our party crasher, would you?”

Rhett’s presence became very noticeable then, hulking frame standing in the treeline, armed. A threat. Weapon raised and cloudy eyes narrowed, Owen charged. 

—

If asked, the reason for his hesitation would’ve been the desire to take this thing alive, at least to start. You couldn’t get many answers or directions from a dead fae, now could you? But no one was asking, and instead the fuckin’ beast was putting its spell on Owen pretty goddamn effectively. That much was evident in the way the younger hunter twisted free of his grip again and again.

Well, the faun certainly knew that Rhett was a warden by now, if it wasn’t stupid. And it knew Owen wasn’t, and that he could be used to—ah. Yeah. That. Fuck. This was exactly why non-wardens didn’t belong on fae hunts. Perfect, shitty example.

Stepping back, Rhett deftly sidestepped Owen, flipping the sword in his hand around to instead weaponize its hilt. “C’mon, boy,” he growled, gaze darting quickly to the faun to make sure it wasn’t taking advantage of the situation to get away, but it was still there, grinning with delight. Yeah. Definitely a guardian, resigned to its post. Fuck, they were close to the entrance, had to be. But now there was another problem, one that would put a wrench in the whole fucking thing, and that faun knew it. 

Rhett either needed to kill it, or use the dispellate on it to break the hypnosis. He really didn’t want to do the latter, since that was also the only way to get inside the aos sí, probably. There was a good chance the faun wouldn’t tell him shit, especially if it was still hanging around to see who won this fight. And, as much as he didn’t want to admit it, Owen had all of the advantages, here. Rhett was more than half blind, and striking to incapacitate rather than decapitate was decidedly harder. How much was too much, you know? You had to pull your punches, but if you pulled them too much, you’d end up with an ax in the back. Fuckin’ hell. 

First things first. Get the dispellate back. Rhett grabbed onto the younger hunter and wrestled him to the ground, trying to shove a hand into the pocket he’d seen Owen stash it in. 

—

Rhett’s attempt to snap him out of it carried an air of deceit, adding to the planted dislike currently pushing Owen to swing an axe in the warden’s direction. A voice, a stubborn one in the back of his head, was probably the only reason the hit wasn’t successful. There were many things to take advantage of when it came to the older warden but this tiny whisper of doubt was enough to make him hold back just so. Enough to give Rhett the chance to bring the fight to the ground. 

Owen needed to get rid of Rhett like he needed air, words of encouragement from the faun rejuvenating the slayer’s efforts and thickening the fog in his head. There were hands rummaging around in his jacket but he paid it little mind - there was a forced, single minded focus now. With a low growl, Owen swung his elbow at the warden’s face, the cracking sound making his stomach sink in a way that didn’t match up with his thoughts. Kill the intruder, reap the rewards. 

Forcefully shoving the other man off, Owen abandoned the dropped axe in lieu of pulling out the borrowed iron knife as he got to his feet. Flipping it in his hand, he focused his sights back on Rhett, eyes blank. A far cry from the slayer’s usual fighting style, filled with sly eyes and snippy words. This isn’t what we came here for, the voice whispered and for a moment, there was hesitation. Until the faun noticed, eyes narrowing. “Kill him.”

—

The orb found its way into Rhett’s hand, but before the older man could celebrate this small victory, an elbow was cracking him in the nose. He hissed in a pained breath, pulling his arms toward himself as he tumbled off of Owen after being unceremoniously shoved, and the dispellate dropped to the forest floor. His gaze followed the small, silver ball, ignoring the fact that Owen was getting back to his feet and drawing another weapon. Blood poured from his broken nose, staining a red streak into his beard, but still he only had eyes on the orb. 

Scrambling for it, Rhett heard the faun command Owen to kill him, but it wasn’t fear that crawled up his spine. Truthfully, it had been a while since he’d been in a scrape like this, and it wasn’t entirely unenjoyable. The warden was, after all, a thrill seeker… and what was more thrilling than a very capable and determined young slayer trying to gut you like a fish? He would have laughed, if it wouldn’t make his face ache.

Pushing himself through the ferns and fallen leaves, Rhett stretched out a hand to snatch up the dispellate, the sigh of relief short lived as something sharp found its way into his side. A surprised, pained grunt filled the quiet of the clearing, the warden turning his head to see Owen atop him. Well, he hadn’t gone for a killing blow, so at least there was that. Some small part of the slayer must have still had control, though Rhett knew that wouldn’t last more than a few seconds longer. “Ah’right,” he groaned, closing his fist around the dispellate and clicking the button on its top. The other arm wrapped around Owen, pulling him closer with a rough tug and giving Rhett the leverage he needed to throw the device at the faun still standing on the sidelines. Smoke filled the area the moment it hit the ground, and the effect was immediate—the faun’s glamour fell, revealing those horns, ears, and legs. With a bloody smile, Rhett forced Owen’s gaze in the fae’s direction, but he didn’t let go of the slayer. 

He knew what came next, and that simply wouldn’t do. 

“Don’t kill it,” he wheezed into Owen’s ear. “Not yet. Just restrain it.” Then, his arms relinquished their grip. “Go.” 

Once the slayer was back on his feet, Rhett turned his attention to the knife sticking out of his side, sucking in a deep breath and grabbing the hilt to slip it free. “Ah… fuck,” he muttered, pressing a hand over the bleeding wound. They didn’t have a lot of time for questions now, but he couldn’t let that show, or the faun would just play a fucking waiting game with them. So he pushed himself to his feet, a grimace set on his features as his attention fell on the pair.

—

What a strange thing, the complete lack of satisfaction felt when iron pierced through skin and muscles. Through the haze, it wasn’t even really clear to Owen whether he’d foregone stabbing the warden’s heart because of an inner struggle or just shitty aim. No matter the reason, the pull to finish the mission was still there, the faun’s voice ringing in his ears. Retracting the knife for a more deadly blow was interrupted - Rhett was older and wounded but he still had enough supernatural strength to pull Owen closer. A strange thing to do when someone was trying to kill you since he still had the advantage, one hand on a knife, the other free to strangle or otherwise maim, body still placed in a way that would keep the warden down for as long as he desired…

And then the fog cleared. His eyes had already been following the thrown object, mind still set on protecting the one who could conjure such pleasant feelings, but Rhett forced him to continue looking. Until a different kind of fog settled, not the one currently revealing horns and hairy legs, but anger. Pure, unfiltered anger and disgust, disappointment - it was completely disorienting. A good thing for Rhett, the hesitation providing the warden a chance to prevent Owen immediately tearing the faun’s head off its body. God, how he wanted to. He wanted to do much, much more than that. 

As bad as he was at following orders, Owen figured he at least owed Rhett this one thing. 

For the first time since their arrival, the faun’s eyes showed something other than smugness. There was panic, fear, and not a smidge of regret to be found in the slayer as he ruthlessly tackled the creature to the ground. It was a pitiful release for his anger and this piece of shit deserved so much worse for messing with his head but for now, no killing. Rhett hadn’t mentioned anything about non-lethal bodily harm.

When you were used to fighting vampires, snapping the limb of something that equated to a fucking goat was a breeze. No less satisfying however, Owen’s eyes dark with fury and a hint of enjoyment. “Shouldn’t have done that,” he hissed into the furry ears before dragging the thing to its hooves, a bit of a scramble with one of the goat legs hanging at an angle. The hand covered in Rhett’s blood was a vice around the faun’s throat, forcing it to look at the approaching warden. Even as Owen found himself unable to directly look at the man he had just stabbed, shame a hungry creature on his back, clawing and scratching. 

—

As if he sensed the way Owen’s gaze wouldn’t meet his own, Rhett clapped a hand to the younger hunter’s shoulder as he stopped in front of them, his own attention fixed solely on the goat.

“Right then. This can be quick, if ya keep those word games to a minimum,” he explained. “I got three questions for ya. One, are you from an aos sí near here?” The faun, in between sobs of pain and fear, blubbered something unintelligible. Rhett scowled, grabbing one of its horns. “I asked ya a fuckin’ question. Answer it.” 

“—please, I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

“I said answer it!” the warden bellowed, and the fae shrieked.

“Y-yes! Yes!” 

“What’s the forest look like at the entrance? Remember, I’ll know straight off if yer lyin’. Don’t make us break that other leg, aye?”

“Th-th-there’s a b-b-boulder! A boulder between t-t-two trees that make an X!” it wept. Other than the broken leg, it didn’t seem to be suffering any other kind of malaise spurred by a lie. Good. 

“Last one, love. You know a hesperide named Mariela?” The faun whimpered, and then nodded. Rhett’s heart beat frantically in his chest. “She in that aos sí?” It nodded again before fully breaking down into sobs, begging to be let go, pleading for mercy. 

Eyes dark and harboring a deep malice that Owen had yet to see the likes of, Rhett took a step back. “Kill it,” he told the other, turning away. 

“Wait! W-wait, I told you what you wanted—!”

Once the forest was quiet again, Rhett looked back at Owen and motioned for him to follow. “Huh. Guess that was four questions, wasn’t it?” He laughed bitterly. “Got some thread fer stitchin’ back at the wagon—you any good at that?”

—

This side of Rhett was somehow not surprising in the slightest. The fact that Owen liked this side, even less so. It was so much easier to digest than the pat to the shoulder, the implication that the warden was fine with what had clearly been a giant fuck up on Owen’s part. Warnings and all, he’d still let this sniveling fae mess with his head, take away his control, almost kill the person that had put their faith into Owen being an asset here…

Dragging his mind away from that spiral and shoving it with everything else that was unnecessary, Owen reset his focus on the current conversation. Well, interrogation was a much better word for it. Between the broken leg and the sudden darkness in Rhett’s eyes, answers spilled out. Also some answers to questions that hadn’t been specifically asked but definitely pondered by the slayer. Their reason for being here. A fae named Mariela. 

If not for the way his head still felt screwed on wrong after the fae magic, doubled with the fact that Rhett looked about ready to kill anything and everything right now, Owen would have chimed in. Dug deeper into why this specific fae was so special. Probably cracked a joke but right now, with the permission to kill finally in place, Owen settled for cracking the faun’s neck instead. 

Uncharacteristically quiet as he fell into step with Rhett, the slayer glanced at the blood seeping through fabric. The anger still burning in every way was familiar - the guilt and disappointment were much more of a liability. Time to shove those down, too. Right down, deep and hidden, along with the thought that the last person he’d stitched up was Rhett’s brother. “If you can stay still and not be a little bitch about a few stitches, then I’m excellent at it.”

#. thread ; #. with ; owen lundkvist #. four questions ;

[circusclownnamedrex]

AU stuff

Wanna just note down my sunnyday jack AUs here so I can check back later.

There is a college AU, where Rex, Shaun and Jack where buddies in art college and did some projects together but their own thing.

Rex - photography focus but as skills in graphics and tradiontional (it was a given because he had to do it )

Shaun - Film (in the same boat as Rex)

Jack - Drama (But also Music because it is part of the course.)

I imagine they were in Barbados for this. O.O the school system I am working off of mostly.

Rex, Shaun, Ian and Jack took a part time Drama course as well. Jack just took it to spend time with Rex and Shaun....mostly Rex because he like Rex but he is with Ian at the time. So, I should be calling Jack, Joseph instead here because Jack is a character.

The groups vibe is kid core, clowns and horror. Rex isn't fully into horror yet but he is open to it because it helps not be seens as a soft baby. He is the force for the kidcore.

This AU spends from the second year of college to the forth. Associates and bachelor's degrees obtained in the creative arts before everyone split for 5 years to work.

Shaun, lucky enough, on his own projects.

Jack with the sunshine crew.

Ian....doesn't matter, this isn't about him.

Rex with [redacted]

And from there I don't know where I wanna go but hey. The timeline and will explain some of the art I will be making. :v

Second AU is basically everything is the same but Shaun is just here earlier.

Rex lost just job at [redacted] because the studio just stopped and the show with it. So to have two intenses happen at the same time kinda just rattled and Shaun can back to hep him out.

One night, Rex watched a tape he bought nd out came Jack. Rex can see him and Jack told that Shaun is his friend. :3c

Jack may not like Shaun but he knows how important he is to Rex, so he kinda just vibes with him. Showing himself to him too.

Because....he can be picked up on cameras. Old ones mostly.

This AU is just called 'I live with a ghost' because the project Rex is doing. He is still an artist here as well. Him and Shaun are working on a project together. A little film project before it becomes a bigger thing. A indie horror to match the brand Shaun.

The main work for this one is Rex's zine and Shaun and Rex's slasher film. I posted the first draft of it here but I am going to continue it then rework it. Jack likes having Rex's attention honestly, ao he is trying to make himself the center of Rex's focus in thia AU.

Who knows what will happen. :3

Th third AU is just Jack in my world. Paradise sage is an idea I have for a bunch of fantasy and tech characters. The 'right now' follows Mitchell, an AI who is struggling with emotions and being a figure head of a whole planet because his brother made said planet.

I just thought Mitchell would love Jack because he needs that close and sweet person who would take care of him. Romanitically, Mitchell had an awful boyfriend but he broke up with him and the struggle to have the crave for affection is so high because it feels like something in missing.

Not much thought outside of 'Oh! Jack would be perfect for Mitchell' and 'heheh robo furry Jack because he is a ghost and Atlas would recommend using a frame to be screen and attached to this world besides an old tape.' :v

Going try and draw all of them but main focus is 'I live with a ghost' one because it seems to be fun! :3c and the oldest of the 3 honestly.

#sunny day jack #braindump #writing #au talk

[beevean]

Thoughts on Dawn of Sorrow?

Dawn of Sorrow is a good game! It has pretty much all the qualities of Aria of Sorrow, but in a longer, more fleshed out experience.

The plot is a nice continuation of AoS’s, a little meatier. Soma is now the target of an evil cult who wants to resurrect the Dark Lord, and there are two candidates that are set to kill him: Dmitrii, who can copy abilities, and Dario, who can control fire (one of those is much more interesting than the other...). Dmitrii dies not long into the game, even though Soma didn’t try to kill him, leaving Dario as the last one to defeat. So far pretty standard... until you get to the Good and Bad Endings.

The requirements for the Good Ending are... weird. Equipping Mina’s Talisman to not become Dracula, that makes sense and it’s super easy - in fact, if you don’t do it (maybe because you forgot about its existence lol), Arikado will spell out the solution to you in the Bad Ending, and it’s just a matter of reloading the save file after a cutscene. This is not the problem. To avoid the Normal Ending in the first place, you need to kill Aguni, the fire demon that fused with Dario, and to do that, you need Paranoia’s soul to enter mirrors. Okay. But to get to Paranoia, you need to have the Axe Armor, the Killer Clown, and the Ukoback, because there are gates that can only be opened with those Souls. Why? Why those souls to get to Paranoia? And if you don’t have them, back to grinding you go! The game doesn’t even hint at the fact that you need Paranoia until you get to the final boss room! And only if you kill Dario, Arikado reveals that you have to sever the connection between Dario and Aguni. At least the souls in AoS made sense! This is just padding.

On the complete opposite hand, I adore what they did with Julius Mode this time. You can unlock it as usual by beating the game, but much more interestingly, you can unlock it by getting the Bad Ending, the one where Soma succumbs to his nature and becomes Dracula! You didn’t equip Mina’s Talisman, Celia kills her in front of Soma, and welp will you look at that, watching his loved one die in front of him for the third time is enough for Dracula’s spirit to overwhelm poor Soma. And you play as Julius, Alucard and Yoko as a twisted version of Castlevania 3 (rip Hammer), where you have to go and kill your former friend/protagonist :( the concept alone hurt me more than having a hand in killing Shanoa in the bad ending of OoE.

My heart is in pain :(

(Celia here has a great moment though. "Yay, I shall kill the beloved one of the Dark Lord to awaken him! He'll be grateful to me :D wait why are you mad at me for killing your beloved one". Also she literally gets yeeted before the final boss. She wasn't the brighest bulb lol)

Soma as a character has really grown on me. A seemingly normal student, one that is somewhat aloof and only has one friend-maybe-girlfriend, who discovers that he’s the reincarnation of the Dark Lord himself, and now he has powers he barely understands (although in the good ending of AoS he seems to have embraced them lol), and he makes new friends but they all seem to be on edge around him, and he has to accept that if he succumbs to his real nature his Belmont friend will come to kill him... That’s a lot to take in. Poor guy even felt guilty for not becoming the Dark Lord, and Arikado had to remind him that he's just a normal human being :( I guess that at least the beginning confirmed that, as long as he doesn't use his powers, they'll become dormant...

(the other characters were fine, but I’m... not sure of what happened to Hammer. His obsession with Yoko is not funny.)

The castle... wait. We’re not playing in Dracula's castle. What kind of Castlevania-less Castlevania is this??? D: first you change the artstyle to something more anime, then you remove the castle, clearly the series is ruined forever!!!1!

Anyway, the... With Light headquarters? are just as well designed as the castle in AoS, maybe more on the bigger, labyrinthine side, but once again it was easy to orient myself. I noticed that this time there are no optional areas like in AoS - there was one dead end in the form of the Silenced Ruins, but you need to go there for the Bat Company soul. Funny how the GBA game, which you would expect to have memory limitations, has extra areas while the DS game doesn’t. The closest thing to an optional area I've found is the lowest connection between Subterranean Hell and Wizardly Lab: you need the First Class soul to traverse a spike pit, and you find a connection with the Lost Village, some items, and some very creepy unique enemies in the form of the Homunculi, which explain what exactly the cult has been creating in this lab... Love world building like this <3

(Oh, and nice C1 reference in the Silenced Ruins, haven’t seen one in a while. It’s funny how AoS does the whole subverting of expectations by replacing the Giant Bat with Balore, but in DoS it’s all played unironically lmao.)

I know that the souls are grindier than in AoS, which kills the replayability that the fomer game was known and loved for. But... I’m an impatient spoiled brat who suffered in AoS already, so I hardly felt the difference 😂 I’m also glad that this game introduced the idea of ranking souls based on how rare they are.

DoS also makes the souls a little more complex. If you have multiple souls of the same type, the power levels up, up to 9: this is pretty nice for the easily farmable (and usually weaker) souls. But you can also go to Yoko, and let her infuse one of your souls with a certain weapon and upgrade it. I rarely used this mechanic, but it can be useful depending on your playstyle, and I appreciate the choice. Sadly this means you can’t simply find the best weapons in the game like in AoS, rip Claimh Solais :(

Speaking of souls, some of them are really interesting. The Puppet Master soul pretty much replaces the Mist in SoTN, but can I just say that astral projecting using a doll is a sick power in on itself? It’s like what I expected from Ghost lol. First Class is absolutely *chef’s kiss* Taking down Death with the Guilliotine was pretty funny. And I absolutely annhiliated Menace with the OP combo of Death + Abaddon :D

As for the whole Magic Seal mechanic... well, I had to play a hack that removed them, due to me playing on an emulator. The mechanic seems to be somewhat unpopular, and by the time I got the 5th Seal, yeah, I could see why. Let’s just say that it screams “early DS game” and move on. The other uses of the touch screen, such as clearing the ice blocks and solving the labyrinth puzzle in the Guest Room, are far more inoffensive and I didn’t mind them.

I had a few issues with the controls, though, which is odd as AoS went without a hitch. Namely, the Flying Armor. It falls too fast, and sometimes it doesn’t even activate during a jump. Climbing the Condemned Tower was pretty annoying ngl. In general Soma feels stiffer than in AoS, especially in his jumps - nothing game breaking, but I feel the difference.

The bosses are good, a step up from AoS’s, which were also good but a little basic. Dmitrii was especially fun, he reminded me of Copy Mega Man lmao. (I also didn’t expect to tackle Karasuman right after him, good thing he’s just of a pushover as he was in SoTN lmao) Some of the bosses are creepy af - Gergoth, looking like a rotten dinosaur; the Pupper Master, which is just demented; Menace, which is only slightly below Belzeebub in terms of “what in the sheer fuck am I looking at”.

(I’m a bit sad that Death snubbed me, though. C’mon, man, you’re fighting the reincarnation of your boyfriend! You really have nothing to say? :( )

The game is good looking. I’m aware that I sound like a broken record, but look, it’s not my fault Castlevania games have consistent graphics quality D: this being a 2005 DS game, it has far less 3D effects that were included in PoR and OoE, but I guess that it makes it a little more timeless? When the 3D appeared in the Pinnacle, though, it stood out much more, because man is the view so good <3 Of course, you can’t talk about the graphics without mentioning how the general style was changed from gothic to anime and... eh. It’s not the end of the world, but I can see how fans could be irritated. Soma looks good in anime style (although I mourn the loss of his glorious fur collar), and it’s still not as cutesy as PoR, but yeah, I’m glad OoE corrected itself.

(it is a little weird how the portrait want to look cuter, but then parts of the game are creepy af - The Abyss is straight up nightmare fuel, with its heavy hell/Satanic imagery, wow)

The music absolutely benefits from a less crunchy soundfont, and it’s just as good as PoR’s and OoE’s :) I did not expect a track named Dracula’s Tears to sound this funky lmao. Platinum Moonlight is oddly relaxing, with a sweet piano solo. Condemned Tower fits the ascending to Gergoth's lair and the lurking darkness beneath. Demon Guest House is vaguely unsettling, fitting for this elegant yet haunted side of the castle (there are kids' toys here, who grew up here?). Subterranean Hell is anything but hellish, in fact it's quite pleasant to listen to. The Pinnacle is yet another climax-y track for one of the hardest areas in the game, and it's so good when you're outside and you see the 3D scenery. In the Dark Night is one of my favorite boss themes in the series, shred that synth man! Scarlet Battle Soul is a great competitor, though, pumping you up for a fun fight. The Holy Trinity is back in great fashion, and I think it's the first time since Symphony of the Night that one of them has reappeared?

So I guess the final question is: do I prefer AoS or DoS? I honestly expected worse. I would maybe put AoS above DoS due to the excessive grinding in the latter, the less intuitive way to avoid the Normal Ending, and yeah I can imagine how annoying the Seals are in the original game lmao, but I can’t say DoS is a huge step backwards. It has higher highs and lower lows, but not in an extreme fashion. I had fun :)

#castlevania #dawn of sorrow

[daisyachain]

are you a fan of any shojo/josei works?

Wish I were! Josei stories in particular seem to run the gamut of mature stories in interesting locations that don’t really fit to any one mold or trope, but I read manga on an irregular basis and rarely read something I haven’t already seen others talking about. There’s doubtless some really good stuff out there…but the few that I have tried (Fruits Basket, Ao Haru Ride) don’t fit my preference for either loud, dumb, and action-packed. In general I’m not a fan of m/f romances and the tropes associated with them in female-targeted manga (the overbearing/controlling older guy, the clumsy everygirl, the female friends who function mostly as cheerleaders) which makes it hard to get into some stuff.

Shoujo/josei that I have enjoyed are

BANANA FISH, a violent thriller/action subtextual BL that reads as a bizarre fusion of The Wire and That One Darkfic You Read At Age 15, a tight series with allowances for 80s + bl tropes that should absolutely be read with a list of CWs.

Shimanami Tasogare/Our Dreams At Dusk, a sort of pan-demographic slice of life with some melodramatic moments, you’ve doubtless heard of it but it is as good as they say. A quick and impactful read, I want to read the mangaka’s other works but I really need to emotionally prepare myself first lol.

GSNK, it’s funny!

Hakuouki. Purely a matter of timing. I watched it as my third anime ever and became obsessed with the way the side characters were built up in drama CDs and bonus content, many of which only exist as translated on the tokio-fujita LJ by a person who is now unfortunately deceased(?) but back in the day successfully pulled a minor scam or two within the fandom. Pretty mid, has all the same fatal flaws as any VN adaptation, interesting cast and ideas HAMSTRUNG by having to stick to the main m/f romance, women robbed of all relevance and agency, somehow the male protag’s love interest in the prequel is far better written than the female protag. This series is indivisible from my love of all animanga so I can’t tell how good or bad it is. I can only say that I spent a very very long time thinking about it. Classic shinsengumi story, Japan is torn by a civil war between traditionalist and modernizing factions, but also there are magically enhanced vampiresoldiers and a line of bloodsucking demons seeking to continue their race through eugenic matchups. It’s Anime as anything.

There are a few others that fall into josei/shoujo-adjacent but that aren’t officially in the category I think? After Hours (mature and sedate slice of life romance), No. 6 (slow biological sci fi), Shadows House (ontological mystery thriller) are all series I’ve enjoyed but never quite got to ‘fan’ except for Shadows House, which I really need to catch up on

Bonus rec: Hakkenden: Eight Dogs of the East is as far as I can tell just a cringe, tropey bl-inflected adventure with godawful pacing that I somehow watched in grade 10? Absolutely would not recommend for a quality watch but it’s obscure enough that it has a certain novelty.

I’ve rb’d a few josei/shoujo recs for future references as I keep searching for something to vibe with so all recommendations are welcome! Next one I am considering a read of is XXXHolic, haven’t yet started because while the pros are that it is CLAMP, the cons are that it is also CLAMP and my list of works to consume is too long to spend time trying to figure out whose legs are whose.

If you’re looking for manga to read, I have to recommend Screentone Club podcast! They do first-volume reviews of mostly new manga without anime adaptations that hit the sweet spot of brief, literate, and indicative without being spoilery. Doesn’t work well for series that get good in the 8th volume, but it’s my go-to for broadening my awareness of the current scene.

#kelsey rambles #like I said—if you think I’d like it lay it on me because I do actually have a list! #with a 2 year backlog! still! it’s a list and I am working thru it

[valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn]

A proper exploration of the Darkhold would probably include emphasis on "it greatly amplifies your more negative traits". If that was the explanation given, that could explain some of Wanda's DSMoM behavior (because as shown with Ultron and Thanos, she did show that she had a bit of a vicious streak) and Agatha's (Agatha was clearly power-hungry), though with the latter I think we lack in having some pre-Darkhold screentime to confirm that (hopefully that's something Jac Schaeffer's going to dive into in Coven of Chaos).

I love Wanda vs Thanos in EG, it was such a joy to watch her go feral 😍😍 All MoM needed to do was follow in AoS' footsteps.

It doesn't quite make sense since in the first part of the film they have Stephen say it twice that the book corrupts anyone who touches it & he told the sorcerers in Kamar-Taj that Wanda is gone and "the Darkhold has her"... but then this bit is forgotten for the rest of the film until the third act when the concern is that the book is going to corrupt Stephen. But for some reason this concern doesn't extend to Wanda, she's treated as a villain at all times until she decides to kill herself - that's the point she's considered good again (we've seen this before, she can only be a hero when she's dead... 🙄).

It's so confusing. They go in circles with the Darkhold: it's bad and it corrupts people, but everything Wanda is doing is her fault and she's so evil, but in the end she fights against the book except that's not what we see on the screen at all (she only stops when she sees her kids afraid of her) but it doesn't matter because the narrative claims she defeated the Darkhold's power despite not showing a single scene of her fighting against it, and oh look the book corrupted Stephen too! 🤦‍♀️

At least in AoS they made it very clear that the book was awful, anyone who read it would be affected by it and they showed many instances in which the characters just by taking a quick look would have their minds completely blown. But if we know Waldron and Raimi couldn't be bothered to watch the 9 eps of WandaVision, the last thing they were going to do is watch S4 of AoS. Their loss. That season is AWESOME.

#multiverse of madness #agents of shield #season 4 my beloved

[jeremy-ken-anderson]

City of Heroes Not-Quite-Beginners Guide

There's a first layer of knowledge like "what's an enhancement" (It's basically equipment) and "how do I level up once I've got the xp" (talk to trainers) but watching a CoH Beginner's Guide I found there were a few things I wished he'd say:

Getting a Task Force Together: If you go into LFG under the Task Force tab you can mouseover the names of lit-up task forces and it'll show you the level range for the run. It also tells you who the character is that directs it. Then go into LFG Chat (find it with the mouseover popups by the chat bar) and type "LFM for [name of director], level [minimum level you read when mousing over the description]+ pst for invite." So for Positron 2 it'd be "LFM for Posi 2, level 11+ pst for invite." The main task forces are

Positron 1 and 2 in Steel Canyon

Synapse in Skyway City

Penelope Yin in Independence Port

Citadel in Talos Island

Manticore in Brickstown

Numina in Founder's Falls

While they don't show up on the minimap they're all within immediate view of the level trainer, who does.

When people reply that they're willing to come along, you click their name in the chat window and select Invite to Team from the popup.

Personally my netiquette is that I'm willing to repeat the posting in LFG once the number of party members has changed. Once I have someone I repost "LF6M..." for instance (team size for Task Forces is 8). It's also good for both courtesy and self-preservation to announce when the group's full. Otherwise you'll keep getting tells from people who want to join.

Archetype Origin: One of the largest jumps in power you'll receive is from set bonuses on matching enhancements. As you do plot-relevant content (storylines and task forces, mostly, but also battles against giant monsters) you'll receive Merits. These can be spent at Merit Vendors to get special enhancements that, as far as I know, can ONLY be obtained this way. Go into the list under your own Archetype (so, Defender if you're a Defender) and there will be two sets you can get, for a total of 12 enhancements. Each costs 100 merits, and the first stories that give merits are worth 3, so you won't be getting these immediately. But you can get your first by around level 20 if you're story-focused. And they're extremely powerful; sometimes enabling a whole different playstyle, such as effects that immediately recharge your buffs or drop you into stealth mid-combat.

Set Bonuses: It's also worth noting that set bonuses - on both AOs and Inventions (IOs) - are really strong. For instance you might get one where for having just 2 enhancements from the same set you get +7% accuracy on all attacks. Add a third and you get resistance to all crowd-control effects (like stun or hold). A fourth and you also recover energy more quickly. These don't stack infinitely, but they do stack a LOT. One drawback is they have to be on a single power. If you put the six pieces of an enhancement set like Scirocco's Dervish on different powers they're good enhancements, but you'll be missing out on the five Set Bonuses you get from having all of them. Personally I think this was a mistake, design-wise, but it is what it is.

Your First Invention: As soon as you go to Steel Canyon - maybe you're level 8 and you're joining in on Positron's first Task Force - there's a quest about inventions at the university. Doing this nets you a free IO, which is strong and which, while it can be outshone by later enhancements and need to be replaced for that reason, never stops giving its bonus due to your level. Where a level 20 Single-Origin Enhancement has no effect for a hero level 24 or higher, a level 20 Invention still provides its full value even to a level 50 player.

Ouroboros: You might be lucky enough to be near someone who drops a golden portal with an infinity serpent icon under it. If you click this it'll take you to Ouroboros, a pocket dimension outside of conventional time. This is important for lategame content and also a useful way to traverse the city, since entering Ouroboros grants you the ability to summon your own Ouroboros Portal once every 5 minutes and it has exits to several different areas of the city. If you're not lucky enough to have access to Ouroboros handed to you, Montague Castanella (also in the Steel Canyon University) has a quest chain that ends with your induction into the Midnighter Society. Once you're in, poke around the grounds until you find a crystal you can click on. It'll transport you to Cimerora, which is probably WAY beyond your current level, but going there means you're a time-traveler and grants you the Ouroboros Portal power if you didn't have it yet.

Ouroboros also has an area where you can simply select a storyline mission and run it - leveling down if necessary - so if you ran a few radio missions with friends and leveled out of a cool bit of lore you can still see it. This is also a good way to get Merits.

Team Transport: For 10 million inf you can get a power from the Pay-2-Win Vendor that summons a jet. This opens a popup for anyone in your party who stands close to it, for about the next 30 seconds, asking if they want to be transported to the entrance of the current mission. If you're in Skyway City and the next mission of your Task Force is in Boomtown, this can save your party about 5 minutes of just getting to the zone and traversing it to the mission door. If you're not spending a ton of money you can probably get this somewhere around level 20-25. If you're in a Task Force and someone in your team says "TT" in chat, don't go toward the subway station or the next mission: Go toward whoever said that! They're announcing that they're summoning the jet, so that a) people don't disperse and b) nobody else summons a TT at the same time, functionally wasting it. Once you've bought one your character has the power forever, but it does have a long cooldown (30 minutes).

#city of heroes #guide