#but season 3 means getting funky

[lowkeyclueless5137]

Winx au (S2)

here's season 1 with all the necesarry notes :3

And now on season 2:

Following the direct continuation after Halloween, our first year group is in a bit of a hitch.

They had no fucking idea what happened to Mandor. They still were under supervision and still unable to leave the school grounds.

These dumbasses bearly started training with Trein and it was HELL

Mid-term exams were coming and like hell any of them actually wanted to do them.

Now we follow more Sebek. Sebek did get to go and congratulate Silver on his 'heroic moment' because he heard around from other people. Malleus and Lilia aslo congratulated Silver on saving the ball, although there is a few comments towards how Sebek could learn a lot from Silver.

Unsurprisingly, Sebek takes them a bit hard, given his current position as a misfit.

He doesn't really share about the comments with the rest of the group, but they figure on their own that something must've upset Sebek. Because now Sebek was drowning himself in work, trying his utter best to Excell in every academic, which in turn resulted in a bit of a poor skill to the secret training.

Trein also notices this, so he does approach Sebek about it. As the lightning fairy, he tends to speed up through things and not look once back. Sebek is a bit at loss, but doesn't yeld yet.

For the others tho, they decide to pursue more ways to find more about prince Mandor. So far, he was the prince of the land of dawn, also names as land of heroes, a kingdom well known for it's advanced ways in fighting without magic as well as the place where the 'magilocks' were invented.

Magilocks were magical objects meant to capture very powerful amounts of magic. From magical objects to even fairies and witches who posed as a ginormous threat to the magical universe.

It was clear that their enemy was searching for another way to gain more power.

So Trein gives them their first assignment: pursue the tree of life from the Gloomy Woods Forest. The tree itself holds count of the balance in between light and dark magic. They could use it's help to pinpoint more about prince Mangor's location.

They all look at Epel tho. :'3

The problem was how could they even get there. The tree of life was on a whole other planet. They needed not only to get off the school perimeter and not get caught... They also need to pass on the magic border. Then again, they were clearly down to breaking the rules... What's a minor intergalactic law, am I right? >:3c

Trein assures them that their answer is already in their hands. They have to just find it. Even so, he still lets them use the library book arsenal how they please.

Trein seems to regret his decision almost immediately, since these guys immediately split up and none knew where each section was, which was painfully made aware when they tried so hard to look like they had any idea where they were looking.

FINALLY! Deuce and Jack approach Trein to ask for some pointers about the sections. And Trein points under the staircase at a detailed map about the sections available.

Ace tho, is the one that comes up with an idea, bringing up a book about magic artefacts. He found the zodiac blade in there, which has 12 spells, one which included creating portals. Deuce is very against the idea since he still cannot control it. Ace breaks it to him: how can he expect to control it if he doesn't try?

Deuce finally gives in and summons the zodiac blade. The blade itself was big, showing the night sky. The handle had 4 different circles spinning around in different directions. Deuce was a bit shakey, the blade circles aligning into the Leo one. According to the book, the leo cosntelation was meant to a very powerful attack.

So everyone decides to hold onto Deuce, assuring him that it's OK. Just a deep breath and concentrate. He tries his best and finally, the circles allign showing the cancer constellation. The blade makes a cut through air and opens a portal to the gloomy woods.

The problem was, they didn't know where tf in the woods it was.

But Deuce seemed happy, reassured even.

And on his clothes, a small broch manifested. Everyone is a bit curious, since it dissappeared quick, but Deuce said that it felt as if he had a new power.

Nonetheless, they went on their merry way through the woods, Epel on the lead as he was using his magic senses to feel around the earth.

It takes some time and they poked a bear and had to fight it, but they happened to stumble upon a pixie who seemed to be trying to sneak out of the bear's cave. Because the group fought the bear, the pixie managed to get out and it's very thankful.

The pixie introduces itself as Camelie, the pixie of knitting. And Camelie feels a strong bond with Jack. She explains that she must be his bonding pixie, hence why she is very excited that there are more fairies with Jack, which means their pixies have to be in the village.

They get sidetracked and help Camelie find the berries she was supposed to take to the village. :3

At the pixie village, Epel suddenly feels a surge of power that almost knocks him off his feet. He was tok concentrated on feeling the earth that when he came face to face with the tree of life, he was overwhelmed.

Thankfully Epel was alright after a few seconds. He also meets a quite jumpy pixie named Brosky, the frog pixie. Much like Jack and him, the others get to meet their bonding pixies too. Ortho's pixie is named Bishop, the chess pixie. Ace's pixie is the magician pixie, Harlow. Deuce had the pleasure of meeting Axel, the pixie of maps. And Sebek got himself the rocker pixie, Eleanor.

They do mention that they were looking for the tree of life. They need to pinpoint where someone is. They are on a very important mission.

The pixies do let them see the tree of life, Epel being the one who tries to connect to it as the fairy of earth. And to help, Brosky also tried to help Epel via using their bonding. It was quite weak, but it helped fasten the process.

And Epel gives the verdict: Prince Mangor was in RSA still. As a dark magic user, Epel had a harder time finding him, but finally he got a grasp, even if now he was tired.

So tired that he immediately fell off his feet and the others had to help him back up.

Epel didn't only feel the magic users, but he also felt some big energy. He couldn't pin-point it, but he knew that thing sensed him. This got the others a bit worried, but nonetheless, they had to get Epel back and let him rest.

Except that when they get back, they realise that their pixies followed them. They wanted to bond! And Deuce was also tired from using the blade. It was late and tomorrow they had school.

Trein seemed a bit worried when they reported to him about this, but he let them go and rest, especially Epel.

The next day, there were made right out the batch: the rules.

Pixies had to stay in the dorm. And under no circumstances let them be seen by others. Otherwise everyone will know they left the school grounds and so be punished.

And it was clear that things weren't that good. The classes were harder than usual and maybe because of the fact that they were dead tired that they had more worries on their head.

This gets the attention or Riddle surprisingly. The redhead did bring up how the first years were quite down lately. The other prefects had mixed opinions, knowing that they are dealing with the misfits. Idia does bring up that so far, they didn't do much.

Riddle figures that perhaps, since they did seem to study, they should receive some sort of reward. They worked very hard lately and their practic exercises showed that they are quite good at it. Kalim suggests that maybe they should convince Crowley to let them leave the campus again on free time. Vil said that they shouldn't go that far.

Riddle suggests that maybe they should give them something like a cake or something to remind them of taking a break. Idia, Ruggie and Kalim seemed to agree with this. Malleus was showing skeptisim surprisingly, even though Azul confronted him about it, because Sebek was close to him. Malleus just says that Sebek needs time to learn and not mingle with bad influences.

Nonetheless, Riddle, Idia, Ruggie and Kalim roll on with their little plan to surprise the first years with something sweet. Vil did say to check the food for Epel, but none of them really listen to it.

Meanwhile, the first years were a mess. Trein was quite surprised to see the absolute mess these 6 managed to conjure in a few hours after the classes ended. They acquired a whiteboard, which was filled up with photos, strings and scribbles. Notes and books were sctered on the floor and everyone was hanging like dead people. The pixies and Lucius didn't really get along, but occasionally they would team up to wake up the boys.

And to assure that they won't be caught snooping off, they installed a hidden alarm system that would tell them is someone was coming to their dorm.

And it so happened to go off. Waking up everyone and dragging them back to the dorms, Sebek mustered enough energy to get up and politely greet the prefects, who presented to them their little gift of 'you did well, you deserve a break'.

It was the famous cupcakes from the city's most popular bakery. Everyone loved them and so, they got for the first years a few of each, not exactly knowing who likes what flavor. Well... More like Kalim bought them. The other 3 told him to not get really a few out of every flavor.

Of course, the first years welcomed the free food (Ruggie wipes one proud tear), but, as expected, ask why the sudden gift. Kalim is just a sunshine and tells them that since Crowley forbid them to go out of the campus, they seemed to focus more on studies, and since there are some notable evolutions in tests and grades, they figured out that it would be fit to give them something. More like remind them to take a well deserved break.

And for once since they started the school year, the group gets one proper break. It feels like heaven descended upon them and they bearly touched the food, more like it was sinking in the fact that they actually had a break.

Noticing this, Riddle is the first to break the ice. It was obvious they had to be struggling with something, but even then, the 4 prefects assumed it were the classes. So naturally Riddle offered to tutor them or help them understand a lesson they are struggling with. They can't leave the school grounds, so there is literally nothing they could even do to enjoy NRC time like the other students, who always go to town after classes.

But the first years weighted their options. On one hand, they could use a senior's guidance, especially someone like Riddle, the top of his class, but on the other hand, they were training now way above their year's curriculum. They couldn't let anyone else catch on their gig.

And Ace took the initiative. He admitted that at the moment, they study because they are bored. They played multiple times every boardgame they own, they did all kinds of things and seriously nothing priquired their interest anymore, so they just hit the books. And to see that others finally are aware of their hard work really is very rewarding as it is. So Ace admits that maybe he judged a bit harsh the others... Some prefects are actually nice.

And without any of the prefects noticing(Ace was covering his chest), a small broch appeared for a few seconds and Ace did feel like he gained some more energy.

Ruggie does clear it out that this is always the first impression on the prefects. Some are truly assholes, but then you have Kalim, this guy who's heart doesn't even let him be mean on an ant.

Sebek tho, does ask about Malleus. He figured he must've been quite busy to not come and enjoy some cupcakes with all of them. The other 4 prefects don't really say anything, just awkwardly confirming it that Malleus had some work to do. Especially as a 3rd year, who is yet to gain his enchantix.

Epel does ask what the hell is this enchantix that it needs to be gained on the 3rd year. Kalim explains that enchantix is the final form of a fairy, the gateway to more transformations with different perks. Enchantix is basically the most powerful form a fairy can have and by gaining it, you lose your base form forever. Hence why the 3rd years have to pursue it. Because they trained in their base form and are proficient enough to pursue a higher level of power.

Riddle says that Idia is probably the earliest enchantix I'm the history of NRC. He gained it over the summer break after all. Idia himself doesn't seem that proud of it, but that excuses him from the extra courses, so he doesn't really complain about it.

As for how the years work, Riddle explains that throughout the years, the students need to pursue a certain level of knowledge over their powers. First year is getting used to the base form and what it grants. The second year has you focus more on oneself and gaining charmix, which signals you as half-way to enchantix. Third year has you pursue enchantix, so in the 4th year you are training with it and learning to be a guardian fairy.

Really, our group internally sweat when they realise that they can't possibly speedrun the NRC years without gaining some unwanted attention. If Idia was known already to be the earliest enchantix, it meant that if they were to even get remotely close to enchantix, everyone will know, including Prince Mangor and whoever is helping him out.

Kalim tho, reassures that everything will go at it's own pace. Even late bloomers like him can keep up. So he advises the group to relax a bit more and not rush into things.

The little visit ended on mixed feelings. On one hand, the 4 prefects found it as a success, but on the other side, the first years were in an absolute panic. If prince Mangor got again gloomix, they had to get charmix to be on par, but they cannot possibly pursue it because of year goals, which would basically give away their plans and screw everything up. But at the same time they had bonded with pixies and already Deuce and Ace seemed to have gained somehow charmix, which really... They are in it now and there's no possible way back.

So they return to the library, in search for a safety net for the power imbalance. Trein suggest to them to look into the magi-locks.

And our group discovers just how a magi-lock is done: an object forged out of a special spell resistant metal, called the forever young iron, blessed with intricate spells of both light and dark magic and then using a mirror stone melted inside to make a core. This explains a lot about how they can make one. And so, they decide to do it. If they create a magi-lock, they could use it to store away their higher powers and so, act like normal students until it is needed for them.

Trein tho, suggests to use the magi-lock to capture their enemy's magic. If they do it, the prince will have no other option than to either give up or seek back the source of them again, which would lead the group to figuring out everything behind those dark powers.

So that's their plan.

Trein also gives them books on where they could find the ingredients for what they needed. Sebek takes the initiative and declared that whatever happens, they will stuck together and defeat this threat. Nothing will hinder them down.

And Sebek also admits that maybe, it was time he leaves aside his worries about Malleus. He didn't even want to visit him, so Sebek will work more on this team and himself now. Just like the prefects told them: they need a break. A break from their personal troubles that hinder them down.

The group seems very fired up by the speech, but at the same time, they are surprised to see the small broch that appeared for a split second on Sebek too. Now half of them earned charmix and it was clear they had to make that damn magilock faster.

The forever young iron was found in the abandoned mines from the storybook forest, here in twisted wonderland. On the same level, the mirror stones were stones that were found on the sunlight river, in the scalding sands.

As for the spells needed, Ortho offered for the witch spell, although it was a bit above his level, if maybe he trains with it a bit more he could do it. For the other spell, Ace was desemned, mostly for his quick memorising power.

Even so, the group knew that Ortho needed more power for that spell. And fortunately for them, they had just the thing. They just needed to know how to fix what they initially broke. That's all. :'3

Their bonding pixies also decided to help. And they were a great help too. From small things to even boosting their spells for a bit, when they confronted with the dangers of the cave and the river.

Although, none of them really knew what that inky cave monster was. Ortho did say that it was a blot monster, a creature born out of unattended magic used with malicious intent. He knew this because he researched into them years prior. And no one decided to question him further.

Meanwhile, Deuce also was getting more better at his zodiac blade wielding. He found out that he could use only 4 out of 12 spells for now: cancer(the portals), leo(the powerful one hit K.O.), taurus(shield) and virgo(creates a short lived illusion).

They used the blade to travel wherever they needed. Axel was a great help with all the maps too, so they always took the pixie with them to navigate around.

But on the other hand, Jack and Epel both worked at the gloomix stone they took from prince Mangor. Sure, it was shattered, but with Sebek's research, they found out a way to fix it. If they fix it, they could use Mangor's previous weapon against him, which would assure for them another advantage.

Their self imposed deadline was up until the winter holiday starts, so they really hurried, knowing that midterms always were right before the holiday itself. A lot of white nights and thanking whoever invented coffee, because right now our first years just found out how it feels to be an average working adult.

On the other hand, Epel had a small accident. It seemed like Mangor finally got some guts to come out again and summon back the monsters. And their first encounter with this was a sticky monster, which unfortunately got Sebek to have his hand stuck to Epel's hair. Cue a hair cutting machine and a whole night of looking through 'how to cut hair' before Epel told them to fuck it and give him an undercut or something.

The group again had to watch several 'how to make an undercut' tutorials. Even so, Jack unstuck Sebek(Epel finally felt the ✨waxing✨ experience) and ortho with Ace took the styling lead as Deuce and Jack tried to get rid of the glue charm.

In the end, Epel had some mixed feelings about his undercut, since if he let his hair down, it looked like nothing changed. The others do confront him about this change in hair, but in the end, Epel feels comfortable with it and even says that it looks so badass he feels already like he could fistfight that damn prince.

And indeed, Epel gains his charmix too, which leaves Jack and Ortho as the only 2 left without a powerup.

Jack does gain his too, mainly via standing against Vil, when he was nagging Epel about the undercut. It made things a bit sour in between them, but Jack felt like he had to speak his opinion and stand by what he deemed fair.

As for ortho, the rest of the group present to him the fixed gloomix stone. Ortho did have a few mixed feelings about it, but they needed that powerup to make the magi-lock and even Ortho admitted that the spell he had to do needed him to have much more power.

The gloomix stone fortunately takes the form of a forehead crown, which ortho easily hides with his firehair. Plus, as Epel and Ace dubbed it, it looks awesome.

Now to the forging, Jack's snow powers proved to be great, mainly in getting the iron to cool down in the shape they needed. Imbedding the mirror stone itself was harder, but in the end, with a convergence spell in between Ortho and Ace, they acquired a magilock in the form of a small box.

Their new problem arose when they tried it out. Not only it sucked out charmix, it took all the magic one had. Thankfully, they could return it back, but they realised the magi-lock was not going to help them with hiding from the students and teachers.

But what it could help them would be stealing Mangor's powers. Sebek insisted that they have to use it on Mangor and then they could finally make a significant step forward. The others seemed to agree, but for now, their only worry was the mid-term exams.

And first were the 3rd years. And their exams were tough. So were the 2nd years. The 1st years mid-terms are expected to be harsh as well.

But then again, they were the Requix squad. They already had charmix and were more than ready to woop some ass.

At the theoretical part, it was a bit harder than expected. Some mistakes were on purpose and some actually were legit mistakes, but that gave them a nice high score on the team, but not too high to raise suspicion.

As for the practical exam? Because they were petty and previously got in an argument with a few other groups, our team decided 'ya know, fuck it' and did a record time in finishing the course, placing them as the first group overall in the exams. Ya know, just to rub it in other's faces. >:3

And for that, Trein and the pixies do allow them to have a small celebration. It was just for one night, a small movie marathon, some dancing and fooling around and of course, snacks and soda. (Sebek got sprayed in the face when he opened a bottle pre-shaked by Ace)

Needless to say, despite everything, the group dropped to sleep early.

Except that the next day, the whole school woke up with a bang.

And not just any bang: a student apparently was attacked last night and their wings were cut off, meaning they lost their magic powers. It was a 2nd year nonetheless and also, from Silver's group. Everyone was shaked up and of course, the blame was thrown around because no one could sneak in the school without triggering the barriers(put since S1).

The blame finally seems to settle on our group, because those 6 stood in the school all this time and add to that the sudden spike in grades and how they had a flawless practical exam. Where did they even practice?

Besides, it was a very known fact that our first year group had some beef with a few other students, including the one who got their wings cut.

For now tho, no one could make solid accusation. No one had any kind of evidence of what happened or how it happened. They just knew that it happened and that it was a risk of it happening again.

So that meant a new set of rules. The prefects and 4th years will patrol in shifts at night. Everyone who leaves the campus will have to be checked when they leave and when they come back.

And the winter holiday was, of course, canceled. Everyone would stay in here and keep tabs on each other. They can't possibly leave the culprit out in the world.

So the group takes the matter to their dorm, talking it out with the pixies. Because of the checking on the dorms, they can't possibly sneak into the library and all stay there for hours. They needed a system, since the pixies couldn't go willy nilly in the library like the boys could.

So they come up with the next idea: the shower motives.

Everyone stood in the dorm and only 2 will go to the library. They will rotate via a system per hour and the other 4 will study in the dorm. If they are the majority, they could pass the inspection very easily. Just say one is in the shower and the other is changing clothes or something.

And so far, the system worked. They had a fair share of surprise inspections, but mainly it was Idia, who seemed to overlook some things such as the utter mess of notes and books or the fact that most of them are still in pijamas or half dressed up with the school uniform.

2 days after and another incident occurred. Again, it was another 2nd year, still a student that had previous beef with our group and again, they were attacked, no one seemed to hear their help cries and because of the ambush, they were vulnerable enough for their wings to be cut off too.

And now, more suspicion was built on the group from the other students. So much so that the group seemed to be left out or even avoided by the others.

Sebek did try to speak to Lilia, who was a teacher too, but Lilia was more preoccupied on caring to silver. After all, the first victim shared a room with none other than Silver, so for him it hit quite hard. Sebek really wanted at least a teacher's aid in the situation and he trusted Lilia, so to not receive any attention at all to the matter, it did sting a bit.

So Sebek took the steering if the group again in his hands. He accused Mangor for this. It was adding up. The weaker monsters were a diversion. Mangor surely wanted to get something out of cutting fairy wings. So they get their asses to research on the topic.

And they discover an old book. One about forbidden rituals. From killing dragons and using their remnants to gain maddening powers to the emperor's throne and wild magic. The reason they were forbidden was because not your average person could control them. They would mess up your mind and either kill you or turn you into a greedy creature that wants power above all.

But pages were missing. When asked about it, Trein reveals that before them, there were many who entered the library. One student of his in particular, was obsessed with this book. Trein tried to stop them when he realised what they wanted to do, but it was too late. The book's pages were scattered around twisted wonderland and Trein used his whole magic and body, becoming a spirit tied to the crystal ball, just so that he could banish to oblivion the said student.

The group theorise that it is a possibility that Mangor got his hands on one of the lost pages and so, they try to pinpoint more about fairy wings.

All they knew was that so far, fairy wings could make fairy dust, used to fly. Only in enchantix the fairy could actually use that fairy dust for spells and healing. If you cut a fairy's wings, via a special weapon, you could steal their powers, but for what exactly do you need multiple pairs? And how did Mangor get that weapon exactly.

Ortho brings up STIX. Unlike Kingdom of dawn or other countries on this planet, STIX was a non-governmental organisation, tasked with the mission of handling world ending level of threats. STIX had quite the arsenal of weapons and specialised guardians. From fairies to witches. Not to mention the cut-edge magic tech. STIX had weapons that could be used to cut a fairy's wings, that's no doubt. Even so, the art of forging them had to be taken from outside.

But why bring up STIX? No one could enter it. From the array of magical barriers to the fact that no one could even find its location to begin with. How would that even help them?

Ortho simply pulls out his phone and dials his mom's number. He had to tell his parents about the exams and all that after all. And his mother is very happy to hear from her younger son too. She mentioned that Idia also called, informing them about the situation at NRC. She does ask if everything is alright on Ortho's end, to which the younger makes a pause.

Then he admits that no. Things are not alright. The others do mimick to Ortho what to say and he of course dramatically says that everyone is scared of the incidents and they need to know at least how could one take a fairy's wings so fast and easy.

After the call ended, Ortho presented the group with good and bad news.

Good news! STIX was looking into it and of course, the only way of taking a fairy's wings so easy was through a magical weapon called the nightshade blade.

Bad news! STIX was looking into it, which means that not only they are under school personnel watch, they are also under the eye of a very powerful organisation that could immediately lock them up and say bye bye to their powers.

At the question on how Ortho knows about STIX actions nonetheless, he responds that he does have ties after all.

Nonetheless, their next library search was magic weapons. They had a name and so, finding a book about it was far more easier.

The nightshade blade was a blade that was hard to forge, being done by special blacksmiths who live in the mountains of piroxene. Epel recalls that his village has a blacksmith family. And the father of the current blacksmith was decorated with honors from the blacksmith society.

So they need to go there and meet up with the guy. Epel brings up that every year, there is a sled race, over which the blacksmith forges a special medal and hands it to the winner. The competition happened in groups of 4 and also during the winter holiday.

But how can they even go there? Let alone train for the sled race of only 2 are going to the library and the surprise inspections are still in full swing.

Sebek suggests that perhaps they should take their issue to a teacher. That was immediately ruled out, but Ace got a better idea.

What if they create a motive for their absence? Like a very heartfelt motive that can warm a teacher's heart enough to let them go for the winter holiday to Epel's place. Ace gives credit to Sebek for the idea of asking a teacher tho. If a teacher steps in, it could hold more water than if a prefect would be swayed their way.

Unbeknownst to them, a prefect actually heard them.

The next day tho, the group was summoned tot he headmaster's office, resulting in a very long 'walk of shame'.

And in there, Idia already was there, next to the headmaster, trying to look very stoic.

The headmaster informs that Idia was yesterday night on duty in their dorm aera. And he heard about Epel's woe that his grandma is very sick and his parents are out of town for their family business. Since they couldn't possibly forsake the family's only money income, but also because of the sick grandma, Crowley accepted for the 6 of them to go there as a group and take care of the house and grandma felimer, all under the supervision of Idia.

Really, the group thought that it was too good to be true.

And it was.

Because the second they were all out, Idia nags them that they are in very deep shit. He suspected that they hid something, but he didn't expect for the group to actually be investigating these incidents. And here he had hopes that maybe, maybe, they were good intentioned. He had hopes, man... Why crush them like that? :'3

Nonetheless, Idia figured that they wouldn't back down no matter what, because they are petty. (a collective sets of hey was received), so Idia indulges them in 1 little favor, then he wants for them to just stay out of trouble for fuck's sake. It was bearly half a year and these 6 managed to jump from trouble to trouble.

So before their departure, they take their new situation to Trein. Of course, the library spirit nags them for being so careless, but he advises that Idia is known to have influence. He is someone they should try to at least keep out of his bad side. At best, they could sway him into being an ally. At first, none of them really were warmed up to the idea of working with a prefect, but Trein nagged them again that allies came from everywhere and that they should take the opportunity. Every small perk can be an important advantage. The pixies had to go back to their village and warn their kind of what happened. Since bonded pixies could feel their fairy's pain and would grow weaker if the fairy loses their magic, they should warn the village to take more precautions in case the effects of the said attacks would feel in there too.

So here comes the Harveston visit. It was winter, so Sebek, Ace and Deuce were trembling a bit, not handling that well the cold. Meanwhile Jack was absolutely în his element with all the snow and cold temperature. Idia, Ortho and Epel all were used to cold weather so for them it wasn't that much of a bother.

Naturally, grandma Felimer wasn't sick, more than anything, she was so lively, one could say she was 20 again. She was very happy of Epel bringing here some friends and even happier when she heard that Epel will participate in the sled race.

Although the team was made out of Epel, Jack, Sebek and Deuce. The other 3 would stay and help around with other things.

But Marja does warn them that apparently the previous blacksmith was kidnapped a few months ago. Many speculate the poor old man was dead and his family mourns him deeply, so for this year, there won't be any medal.

The group does reassure Marja that even without medal, they will do their best and promised to win.

Despite the warm welcome from the village and everything, still in between the group and Idia is was a cold atmosphere. Idia did confront them about what exactly they are planning, but none wanted to spill the beans. Yet so far, the group didn't do much, rather enjoy Epel's village and train for the sled race(and deck Idia with snowballs, but that's something the latter won't mention).

Although, on the night before the race, Ace wakes up in a cold sweat. Sebek is the one who is additionally waken up and so, the 2 go a bit outside to talk about it.

Ace says that he had another vision. What set it apart from the others was that it was a lot of blood and panic. He could basically feel the desperation.

And he saw a dead body. Sebek asked who died, but Ace kept his mouth shut and looked the other way. Sebek didn't pry anymore and promised to Ace that no one will die on his watch. He knew that sometimes profecies are prevented and Sebek will do just that. It wasn't put in stone yet so there is still time to fix things.

Ace says that he appreciates the optimism, but that alone isn't going to save anyone.

On the race day, everyone was fussing around. Apparently RSA had a team in here too that participated.

Meanwhile, Idia seemed to run a bit late. But even so, he said he had some good news. So before the race was going to start, he gathered the group to tell them the said news.

He went to the blacksmith residence. And as the fairy of death, he felt if the man that went missing was truly in the afterlife. The good news were that he wasn't. The man was still alive, although Idia couldn't pinpoint the soul location. That was put of his power.

Ortho tho, seemed to perk at that. He could use his gloomix powers to pinpoint the soul in question, but he needed an object of sentimental value of the victim. Of course, he didn't say it with Idia around, but Epel just 'mentioned' that the missing blacksmith was the one who made the medal his grandma first won on her sled race. It was the very first medal that blacksmith made, therefore it was a great moment for the village and even he admitted that it was one of their proudest work, which is why they were so proud to hand it to Marja.

Marja Also recalls fondly that memory and hopes that they will find the missing man. Idia's news did bring hope for the group. For various reasons but no one really knew of that.

So while the sled group start the race, Ortho is the one that offers to bring from back to the felimer residence some things marja forgot. Ace stood with Idia and Marja too, while Ortho snuck in there, found the medal and used his gloomix powers to locate the soul in question.

It took a bit, but Ortho did return with the asked things and also a small little map, folded and stuck with magic at the bottom of a bottle of warm tea.

Thankfully, Epel, the leader of the group, took the bottle and found the secret message. The man they were looking for was at the top of the mountain. Ortho had to hurry and so he couldn't say exactly where, but he circled the aera. Thankfully it was on their way, so they could make a small detour.

Ace sure was growing a bit anxious as the night rolled in. Ortho figured that something must've happened, most likely a vision that had Ace so fidgety, so the 2 decided to tell Marja and Idia that they will wait at the finish line and get to Ace something to warm up. Idia still had to help Marja with aiding the competitors, which was clearly easy for someone who had already enchantix and a more varied arsenal of spells and control.

And Marja does have a heart to heart with Idia. She noticed how the latter was acting as if he walked on eggshells with the group. Idia admits that things seem to happen too fast and he is very worried for the safety of his brother. Marja too id worried for Epel's safety, but she knows that her grandson is a strong boy and he would push to the end no matter what.

She advises Idia to hold more trust in his brother and his friends. They are good boys, she saw many people at her age, so she knew if a person was truly ill intentioned or not.

And Idia finally seems to relax a bit and accept that yeah, they are good kids, sure they won't get in trouble.

Spoilers: they get into trouble :v

Because Idia sees Ortho and Ace rushing through the woods, hoping to not be seen, towards the mountain top. Idia really just felt a pit in his stomach, but he first got Marja back at the finish line and reassured that he will go and look for the teams that were left behind, in case someone had an accident or something.

Meanwhile, our group had their 2nd proper meeting with prince Mangor, this time holding the old blacksmith as hostage and having quite the arsenal of weapons. Of course, they engaged in battle, trying to save the hostage, but Mangor really enjoyed his new toys, which the sentiment really wasn't shared by the Requix squad.

In all that frenzy, Epel secures the safety of the blacksmith and asks the man if by chance, these weapons have a weak point. The man explains that the weak point is the handle itself, but knowing that the handle is literally holded by Mangor, they couldn't reach it with a spell that easy.

The blacksmith also warned them that Mangor isn't alone. He was forced to make weapons not by the prince, but by someone else.  Mangor is just a pawn in all this, given power to just execute orders. Epel seemed to nod, but also he had to use his charmix power up to put up more the barriers.

Meanwhile, Sebek was also on defense, which really it wasn't his forte. But he promised to Ace that he won't allow anyone to pass away and he would fulfill that promise. Ace had time to summon on their way here the magilock box they created and so, he proposed to use it to capture Mangor inside.

Except that Idia arrives. And seeing the untransformed fairy, Mangor aims at him. In desperation, Ortho tries to get a grasp of his brother, but he's pushed aside by someone else.

That someone is Sebek, which unfortunately, the nightshade blade got stabbed in his stomach. With the power and adrenaline left, Sebek uses his lightning powers to drag both him and Mangor outside, getting both struck by lightning summoned by Sebek, weakening Mangor enough to let go of the weapon and Sebek to destroy it. Deuce used his blade to hold Mangor off as Ace locked the prince in the box, but already Sebek was too weak to even stand, collapsing on the ground.

And the group all swarmed him. Idia didn't have any healing spells, so he tried to converge his with Epel's healing to at least make it act more faster. Ace bawled that his prophecy was right and holded Sebek's hand, asking why the hell did Sebek even do such thing.

And Sebek, through weak sobs and fluttering eyes, admitted that he knew he had nothing to lose. He was made painfully aware that his wakasama, the one he served and Lilia, the one he was trained under, both gave all of their attention and energy towards Silver. He knew none of them would miss him, but he also knew that this group, this mission they had, was crucial for everyone. And that Idia was very important to Ortho. He had to step in. He promised to Ace that he won't allow any deaths to occur.

Unfortunately, Sebek smiled apologetically as with his last breath he said that he failed Ace.

But! As everyone in the group mourned him once Idia gave the verdict, instantly the oldest of them had to retract his words. He didn't feel Sebek's dead soul. He felt something pulling him out of the afterlife.

That something was enchantix. Sebek gained enchantix, which immediately had him wake up and gasp for air. His own fairy dust healed his wound and he was just like new, except very sparkly, with some big wings and far more powerful.

This was celebrated by a big group hug and everyone crying to Sebek to not sacrifice himself again, goddammit, they thought they were gonna lose his ass!

Although, after everything is calm, realisation sinks in. Sebek. Had. Enchantix. And Idia was aware of their power status.

Oh Trein is so gonna blow a casket.

They decide to first get the blacksmith back to his home. They came in last, but the whole village was cheering for them as they found and brought back the missing ex-blacksmith. Maybe the RSA won, but for the village, the true winners were our NRC gang.

And they were treated with a feast, dancing and singing.

For the night tho, Idia had to discuss with the group about what happened. It was only half a year of the school and already they all had charmix and Sebek had enchantix. While Idia had to congratulate them, he was bringing up the facts:

They fast evolution was worry some. They will basically paint a big target on their back if Mangor was truly just a pawn for whoever is orchestrating this. Not to mention their already bad reputation.

Alas, Idia promised to not say anything about this. This whole mess was kept under wraps for now and no one else should even know about it.

But at least, they could finally have a proper celebration: they defeated Mangor, they gained Idia as an ally and Sebek got enchantix. Which meant that they only will be more powerful and ready for whatever evil the one behind everything was sending their way.

And sure enough, the mastermind was quite amused with this. How this group of fledglings managed to defeat their pawn. Truly it took them a bit less, but that doesn't mean our misterious person doesn't look forward to what they have in store.

And that's where season 2 ends. We settled the actual big bad and we also got our first enchantix! :D

previous season

next season

other seasons: S1, S3, S4, S5, S6

#twisted wonderland #twst #winx club au #man season 2 is a bit stuffed #but season 3 means getting funky

[funkytoesart]

i want to draw dragon prince fanart but that means I need to catch up on the show and THAT means getting through season 4 which i haven't even finished bc i couldn't stand it (for the record, it was the poor writing and the very in-your-face childhood Asop fable type lessons that annoyed me into stopping watching lol) and now i'm like... i've HEARD season 5 the writing gets better and less... "Let's shove as many morals into each episode and be the literal definition of Tell Don't Show with those moral childhood lessons" but... i'm still hesitant to watch the show anymore... even though I hear season 5 is better than 4... idk anyone manage to get through season 4 and 5 and tell me, is it worth fighting thru season 4 ?? is season 5 truly better??

#funky's personal tag #children are not dumb but the show definitely was treating it's audience as idiots as far as how obvious it was being lol #i mean i agree with a lot of the themes don't get me wrong... but show don't tell is was season 1-3 were with a lot of social themes... #they did a complete 180 in season 4 with that in mind lol #idk i've given up on the show kinda #season 4 made me lose almost all interest #but now i'm like...hmm... i wanna get back into it. #i might have to watch season 4 on 2x speed

[morganas-pendragons]

breathe | hunter

Hunter has been struggling with nightmares and guilt over not being able to save Crosshair from siding with the Empire. You are there to pick up the pieces.

AN: OKAY. So. Never in a million years did I think my funky little brain was going to be writing Bad Batch fanfiction again for the first time in like 2-3 years, but here we are. I've been obsessed with Season 3. I have particularly enjoyed Hunter and Crosshair in this season and have had ideas for both of them, so here I am.

Also, for those of you who have been around a while, this season has also gotten my brain rolling with ideas for Jedi!Skip (If you know you know) so if there's interest in that, I will definitely write for it.

Mando'a Translations:

Ad'ika - Little One

Me'suum'ika - Little Moon

Anyway, this is set before Crosshairs return in s3. Female reader.

***

It starts off as it always does with them. Suffering barricaded behind wary eyes, hidden underneath the surface and carefully tucked away to be left until they are alone.

They all do it. They all hide from their emotions, and when embraced, it is only in the quiet of solitude. Only when they are alone. Only when they are the ones able to be haunted by it. Not one of the clones in your charge will dare burden their brothers with their heartache.

Which is why you would have never known of Hunter's despair had it not been for Omega.

You were deep in sleep when little hands wrapped around your shoulders, frantically shaking you awake. "Shhh, ad'ika," You grumbled, throwing your arms over your eyes as Omega continued to shake you from where she knelt beside your cot. "We all need our beauty sleep-"

"No, no. Didn't you hear it? It's Hunter." Omega pleaded. You rose one arm to peer at the young clone through the dark. Even swathed in shadow, you could still make out the desperation written across her face. Whatever she'd seen had clearly scared her. "I think he's having a nightmare in the cockpit. I wasn't sleeping anyway. And when I tried to wake him up, he nearly punched me. I don't think he meant to."

Now fully alert, you allowed yourself to slip out of your tiny cot and follow Omega to the stairs that led to the cockpit of The Marauder. You could just barely see Hunter's dark hair over the pilot's seat.

The two of you had gotten along from the start. When you were assigned to the Bad Batch due to your unconventional means of engaging on the battlefield, The Council had essentially cleaned their hands of you and never bothered to breathe another order in your direction again. You'd preferred it that way.

Hunter had been hesitant to work with a Jedi at first. They all had. When Wrecker had finally been the one to get past your exterior, they all came to learn individual traits about you that each one gravitated to.

For Hunter, however... He was always drawn to the security you offered. Clones were never guaranteed safety. With you, though, he knew he would always find security in your embrace. Even when he believed he didn't deserve it.

Frowning, you swallowed the knot in your throat and laid a hand on Omega's shoulder. She was still staring intently at the cockpit. You knew how close she and Hunter were, especially after Tech's death, and you didn't want her to have to see him wake from the throes of a nightmare.

You opened your mouth to murmur to her when his frantic, broken cry of his brother's name rang out in the silence.

It wasn't Tech's.

"Ad'ika, go back to Wrecker. I'll take care of him."

Omega opened her mouth as if she were going to argue before turning on her heel and padding quietly to where Wrecker was fast asleep. You swallowed your fear and slowly approached the cockpit, the hems of your robes brushing against bare feet as you quietly padded forward until you stopped right behind Hunter.

You peered over the top of the pilot's seat and softened. Hunter was fast asleep, as you had anticipated, his neck and head bent at an awkward angle as his fingers tightly gripped the armrests of the chair. His knuckles were nearly white.

"No, no- Cross, please..." Your heart sank as he fought himself in his dream, fought the image of Crosshair walking away from you and joining the Empire. You wondered what event he was dreaming about. You could very easily slip into his dreams, but you'd promised them during the war you'd never do that unless you had to. "No, Cross!"

You were kneeling with your hand on his thigh by the time he woke up. You could have easily anticipated his next move: Lunging outward to attack an assailant and pin them effectively with his weight against the controls. You chose not to. You needed him this way to give him the comfort he was going to be seeking.

"Hunter." You whisper. Smooth, soft fingers glide through his hair to part it and allow you to see his eyes. He's staring right at you. Staring right at you with dark eyes so wide and fearful you almost wonder if he is seeing something you're not. That's probably the worst part. The clones are always anticipating what you, a Jedi, cannot see. It is usually devastating. "Me'suum'ika."

It's the roll of Mando'a off your tongue that finally coaxes him to properly look at you. The nickname had been given once you'd solidified your standing with him upon settling on Pabu. In the quiet night along the shoreline, Hunter had convinced you to sneak away from the others to spend some time with him alone.

You hummed quietly as Hunter settled over you, dark eyes gleaming against the moonlight above as he caged you with his body and planted his knee between your thighs. "You know," He murmured lowly as he tangled his fingers in the hair at your nape. The gravel of his voice sent shivers down your spine. "I think it's customary to kiss someone once you know they feel the same way about you."

You had only just uttered your heart's confession moments before. He'd been so afraid to admit he felt the same way. So afraid to let himself indulge in his desires, so afraid to admit he was deserving of them.

You rose one hand to rest it in the dip of his chest.

"I think I've got my endearment for you," You whisper, lips quirking upward as you raise yourself to hover mere inches from his mouth. Your breath trembles as it fans his face. He too is swallowing the fear, embracing the courage, and letting himself free fall into that desire he spent so long running from. "Little moon."

"Me'suum'ika," He repeated. You nodded and continued twirling his hair around your fingers, desperately trying to ignore how his body was pressing against yours in just the right way. "I always did like that name."

"I know you do," You whisper. It's only a second later when you catch a glistening flash of tears against his cheeks, and you're leaning upward to kiss them away. He shudders against you at that action and allows you to guide him back to sitting in the pilot's seat. "I know you."

Something flickered across his face as you slowly settled yourself in his lap. Whether or not it was guilt, or shame, or anger... You didn't know. But you'd give anything for him to find some peace in the midst of all this grief.

His breathing is still erratic just under where your hand lays in the dip of his chest. You watch his eyes unfocus as he struggled to ground himself and come fully out of the throes of whatever nightmare he'd endured.

You didn't dare ask him what that was. If it had to do with Crosshair, it was obviously enough for him to look wrecked. Like he hadn't done enough. He'd never felt like he'd done enough to save Crosshair to begin with. And now, with Tech gone...

Well. We all have to end up somewhere.

"I don't know what guilt you carry, or what anger," You guide his hands to your hips and hum quietly as you continue your ministrations of twirling your fingers through his hair. His eyes fluttered closed and leaned into the warmth of your touch, seeking it out as if it were the only thing that could possibly sate a need he couldn't quite identify. "Or your shame. What I do know is you. I know you. I know you, and your heart, and I know how loyal you are to who you love. How you protect what you love. What happened to Crosshair is not on you, Hunter. We all make our own choices. We are who determines how we end."

Autonomy. Also another new concept for clones.

Hunter swallowed the knot in his throat and leaned forward until his face was tucked against your chest. A long moment of uneasy silence passed before he decided to speak, "I can't get it out of my head. The image of him just standing there and watching us fly away. We failed him. I failed him. And then Tech..."

His voice faded into silence once again. As the leader, you understood carrying losses. You understood the pain of failure when it comes to not being able to protect what's yours. That's one of the things he's come to love about you. You understand him in a way that no one else has ever been able to do.

You tapped his temples once with your fingers. It was a silent question, one you only ever asked when you wanted him to let his guard down enough to help him. To comfort him.

He nodded. The moment he did, Hunter allowed the carefully constructed barricades keeping his emotions at bay to fall, and you swept in to steady him when they did.

Breathe, my love.

You securely wrapped your arms around him and pressed your chin to the top of his head. Underneath your hand, you felt his breathing steadily begin to slow.

He tipped his head back just enough to look up at you. Your fingers continue a downward descent, across the slopes and plains of his face, until they're brushing against the fullness of parted lips.

Hunter nods. It's all he can do. He is a man standing alone on an island, and you are the sanctuary he seeks.

Bathed in moonlight, the Sergeant surged upward and caught your lips with his own. Your hands now laid tangled together against his chest.

Just breathe.

#sergeant hunter x reader #hunter x reader #the bad batch #the bad batch fanfiction #tbb fanfic

[songbird-of-eden]

A CLUE?! The Missing Death Theory

Good Omens S2 SPOILERS below!!!

Okay, it has been the nocturnal habit of mine over the last 3 days to suddenly dwell on the Good Omens finale and scrutinise every detail in a sleep-deprived thought soup.

And apparently, tonight, my last two remaining braincells fired up their little engines and decided to put something rather interesting together.

One thing that got me when I watched the finale was the book that Muriel was reading. "The Crow Road."

So I decided to give it a quick Google, and realised the opening line of the book is one that Gabriel, or Jim, stumbled across earlier in the season. It goes like this:

"It was the day my grandmother exploded. I sat in the crematorium, listening to my Uncle Hamish quietly snoring in harmony to Bach's Mass in B Minor, and I reflected that it always seemed to be death that drew me back to Gallanach."

Now, you may be thinking, okay, but what does this have to do with anything? And you would be right to be confused, but hear me out.

Death has a major, reoccurring influence in S2.

Yes, we have the obvious coffee shop "give me coffee or give me death" reference (this has a major point that I will get to a little later, but please, bear with me). But that is not the only one.

Throughout each episode, Death has been raised and eluded by numerous characters. In ep2, Jobe's family were saved by our ineffable duo. In ep3, we have the incident with the graverobber and stopping her from calling it a day. In ep4, we have the rise of the nazi zombies. In ep5, our unfortunate fellow from the ball gets thrown to the demons and appears to die, only to make a reappearance later on in ep6, albiet looking a little nibbled on.

And then there's the fact that miracles, as Crowley points out, are measured in "the power required to raise people from the dead."

Still with me? Okay good. Because its gonna get a little more crazy from here. Time to break out the funky tinfoil hats.

So, yes, many of the characters seemingly ellude death, right? Not a big point at first glance, considering the upbeat nature of the show... until you consider this.

Whilst in the coffee shop, the Metatron asks whether anyone ever chooses death instead of coffee. A weird line to be sure - perhaps an awkward statement of an angel unsure of how to interact with mortals. Totally plausible, right? Well, what if it was a test?

Nina claimed to remember everyone by what they order, and replied that no one has ever chosen death. I mean, I would hope so, but what if Death was no longer a thing that happened?

What if our devious Metatron wrote Death out of the Book of Life, considering that Death is a being instead of a simple concept as shown in S1 - and so the Metratron was asking as a test to gauge Nina's response. To figure out if his alteration had taken effect?

Okay, yes. It sounds a little wild, but if that is not the case, it does not mean that something is not going on with Death.

Going back to The Raven Road book, the plot follows a boy in pursuit of uncovering the mystery around his missing uncle. So perhaps, it is not so crazy after all to believe that something, or rather, someone is missing.

Which leads me to another missing creature.

Remember that heartbreaking line from Crowley? "You hear that? No nightingales?"

It was the dagger in many fan's hearts, but potentially held another meaning. Because in the poem: "Ode to a nightingale", the bird is used to represent, to an extent, death. As well as the concept of immortality.

Which means it's disappearance may be signalling a strange shift in the world.

Which brings me to my final point. We are in the home stretch now kiddos!

The second coming. The Metatron's grand plan.

In biblical text, it states that the Second Coming will be a sudden and unmistakable incident, like "a flash of lightning".

Now, where else did we see lightning? Hmmm. What about Crowley's enraged outburst that sealed poor Maggie and Nina in the coffee shop?

Which makes their line an episode or two later even more interesting...

Maggie: "Did it all start with the lightning?"

Crowley: "No, way before that."

Does this mean that events were starting to be influenced and set in motion way earlier as the Metatron began to tinker in the book?

We also have the name of S2 ep1 being called "The Arrival" - a name the Second Coming is sometimes referred to as, along with the text: "For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise."

So, just take a moment to digest that.

An archangel's call. Well, we've had two of those - Gabriel calling on Aziraphale as well as Aziraphale being called to heaven. Then we have the trumpet that plays whenever Micheal and co descend from Heaven, a sound Aziraphale actually asks whether Maggie could hear.

Which leads to the final part: the dead in Christ will rise.

People are not dying as they should, be it from the influence of our ineffable duo, or perhaps, it is the Metatron's plan after all. A way to start the second coming.

Even the opening credits alludes to this with Crowley and Aziraphale seemingly leading a crowd of humans out of hell and through various time periods, but perhaps I really am getting ahead of myself.

So yep. Something is very up with Death.

Anyway. I need to be up in 5 hours for work. Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk before the incoherent babbling begins.

#good omens #neil gaiman #ineffable husbands #aziraphale #crowley #goodomens #missing death theory #the missing death theory #theory #good omens season 2 #good omens season finale #good omens theory

[destinysbounty]

Yo what if you went off about s3, it'd be cool

The love triangle, the quick tech development, whatever you want, I wanna know what you think

(I saw you in the tags of that post, please gimme the analysies. pretty please)

The entirety of my thoughts on Ninjago's technology are long and vast and complicated, and I could probably make a full video essay on just that topic alone. But for the sake of simplicity, and also because I'm too lazy to write a 10k-word essay with screenshot evidence on why Ninjago tech isn't actually anachronistic, I'm going to just focus on the season 3 issue for now.

Now, one criticism that often gets lobbed at Rebooted is the matter of the technology. How did Ninjago suddenly become a hyper-futuristic technoscape in the span of what couldn't be more than a year? At first glance, I can understand how that might feel unrealistic. I used to feel the same way! But it actually makes total sense when you realize that this technology probably already existed, if only in a beta form, for years before s3 started.

But wait! If the technology already existed in some form, then why wasn't it used? Why did Ninjago only become a cyberpunk dystopia during s3??

The answer to that question is something that sounds like a no-brainer, but should probably be said anyway: just because a technology exists, doesn't mean it is democratized. That is to say, just because a society has made certain technological advancements, doesn't mean everyone in that society can actually access those advancements. Look at any country in our contemporary world - richer and more industrialized communities typically have better access to cutting edge developments, whereas more rural communities may not even have reliable internet access. Even Ignacia, which is one of the most rural communities we've seen in the entire show, was depicted as having landlines and telephone poles in the very first scene.

Moreover, it's reasonable to assume that robotics and digital technology has existed - and fairly advanced - for decades in-universe.

My evidence? The creation of characters such as Zane and Unagami. Both were invented roughly 40 and 20 years pre-canon respectively. Coding, and especially programming an AI like both characters are classified as, requires the existence of a computer. Which means that computers existed as early as the Serpentine War. (Unless Zane is the product of magi-tech, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Especially since Zane's original body also has other functions that, to my knowledge, wouldn't be possible without programming. For now, I'm proceeding under the assumption that Zane was created purely with technology.)

For these reasons I would argue that certain technologies, and in particular digital technology, have existed in-universe for a lot longer than we might think at first glance - but due to what appears to be some very extreme wealth disparity, technology has only recently become more widely accessible within the last few decades.

Think about it. Most human settlements we see are fairly small and rural, except for Ninjago City. Ninjago City is the only city we've seen on-screen in the entire series (with a few small towns here and there, but it's mostly just villages). And even then, the cost of living in Ninjago City itself is astronomically high. There's clearly something funky going on with this country's distribution of wealth.

With that in mind, it makes total sense that the tech we see in s3 was at least in development a lot earlier than anyone might realize. It's just that it was too expensive and exclusive for anyone in the general public to actually use it.

Now, let's look at this in the context of Rebooted.

Imagine you're a multi-millionaire tech mogul and the CEO of a very powerful tech company. The city is in shambles in the wake of an apocalyptic battle against Lego Satan. You take this opportunity to spearhead the reconstruction efforts. On top of being an impressive PR stunt, this is also great for business as it presents you with the perfect opportunity to populate the city wholesale with your own products: flying cars, holographic floating streets, AI vending machines, elaborate VR and AR setups, mechanical spider wheelchairs, the whole nine yards. The government probably even writes you a big check to make this process more accessible to your consumers - I mean, to the citizens of your the shiny new corporatocracy you may or may not have stumbled into creating. Whether or not you employed lobbyism to get this check is neither here nor there. After all, this is for the greater good! And to finally seal the deal that this city has become a Borg Industries outpost, you rebrand Ninjago City to New Ninjago City. This isn't just a city anymore, it's a corporate asset. It's an ad campaign. It's a way of life.

This also explains why all the tech mysteriously vanishes after s3 ends: supply and demand. A robot apocalypse is, among other things, bad for PR. I don't wanna think about the existence of a Lego Stock Market because that will hurt my brain, but a robot apocalypse is definitely what I would classify as a "black swan event" (an unpredictable crisis that severely disrupts the stock market). The company starts faltering financially because of all the public backlash, people stop buying and investing in their tech, their stocks start to crash, and Borg Industries has to roll back on their infrastructural monopoly. And so the technological status quo is (mostly) restored.

The theme of s3 isn't "technology bad" - at least, it shouldn't be. If you're as brainrotted as I am then the theme of s3 instead becomes, "maybe you shouldn't let one sole company have a total monopoly on your society's infrastructure because they might accidentally start a cyberpunk dystopia". And that is a...disturbingly apt moral for our current day and age (cough cough Amazon).

...can you tell I've been listening to The Fine Print by Stupendium on loop for too long?

#sorry this took so long to respond to! #i have a lot of thoughts about ninjagian technology but most of them are haphazard and unorganized #so it took me a while to properly sort my thoughts in a way that was comprehensible to anyone other than myself #ninjago #ns3 #ninjago rebooted #ask #destiny post

[ezras-left-thumb]

BAD BATCH SEASON 3 - FLASH STRIKE (Spoilers duh)

OK, starting off strong. My tear ducts have replenished, and Echo is alone. Fucking s u p e r b you funky lil copy-and-paste man.

I hope Hemlock gets stepped on. The confidence with which he strode into the command room with... he deserves to walk on Legos.

Alright, they're getting shot at standard, getting shot down, standard.

I HOPE RAMPART DIES I PRAY ON IT I HOPE HE DIES AND I HOPE HUNTER LIVES

i was right yall

"Unfortunately, yes." "I heard that." Fuck you to Rampart. I feel like he'll pull an alarm or something that lets Hemlock know they made it to Tantiss.

Scorch and his team searching that science vessel had me sweating. Where is echo? is he alright?

"Thanks for the hand." Echo, honey, Five's would be so proud. 🥲

The fact those kids asked what 'cover me' means is just... so sad for some reason. For Omega that's second nature now but them... :( And oohhh those flying cart things inside the vents are gonna be a problem aren't they.

Fuck off rampart fuck off rampart fuck off rampart I hate him immensely.

Is... Is Wrecker OK? They've been putting him in more and more dangerous situations and now he's finally hurt i am worried.

HEMLOCK HAS A ZILLO BEAST??!

In your face, Dr. Scalder. I seriously love Omega's silent attitude to her lol.

Wonderful. Whilst Echo's plugged in to Emerie's little blood transfusion machine, Hemlcok's gonna walk in, isn't he?

Gonna do a part 2 since this one is so long lol.

#star wars #the bad batch #the bad batch s3 #tbb s3 spoilers #the bad batch spoilers #flash strike #episode review #many tears #the bad batch season 3 #tbb echo #tbb wrecker #tbb crosshair #tbb hunter #tbb tech #tbb omega #tbb cx 2 #tbb s3 ep14

[pinesfamilyguidetotheweird]

Ya know how Bill can possess bodies once he's given permission to do so?

What if his deal with Ford was the longest he had ever had the luxury to possess someone?

The information about summoning Bill was in Journal 2, right?

So, I'd wager that by the time Ford started to write in his 3rd journal, they had already made the deal.

In the official Journal 3, Ford started writing it in June (three days after his birthday) and while we don't get the date of his 'Trust No One' entry, the day before testing the portal was January 17th...

So, 7 months...wow...I wonder if Bill did occasional...mischief during this time.

Also, it is unknown when Ford got sucked into the portal, as he has hidden Journal 3 at this point. The only evidence we have was that it was snowing in Gravity Falls.

I did attempt some research about the climate in Central Oregon and it can get chilly, even during the summer (though not enough for snow).

Prior to the official Journal 3, it was thought that Ford got sucked into the portal perhaps in December or January because there was a snowstorm going on. Now, the fact that the testing didn't happen until the later half of January has to make me rethink this and thanks to this one website and some approximation, I'd say that Ford got sucked into inside by March.

I'm sure some would be thinking...how? Since March is rather late for such a snowstorm. Not for Central Oregon and most certainly not for Gravity Falls. Like I said before, Central Oregon can get chilly, even during warmer seasons. Now, of course, it can get less cold in spring and summer, meaning little to no snowfall. However, since it's already established that Gravity Falls can have funky weather on occasions, so as long as there is a chance for snowfall, a snowstorm can happen.

So, going by this, Bill probably had access to Ford's mind and body for about 9 months, maybe spending the last two on giving Ford a hard time (an understatement) before Ford gets pushed into the portal...

And that doesn't even take account of the probability that Bill still had access to Ford's mind up until he got that metal plate in his head!

It could've been years!!!!!!!!

#gravity falls #stanford pines #ford pines #grunkle ford #bill cipher

[star-trek-dumb-comics]

Ranking the star trek openings (of series I've seen) bc I have nothing else to do :

1- TNG season 1-2

Perfect 10/10. Love the Patrick Stewart narration. The music is just straight up happy juice every time I hear it. Makes me really eager and energetic and gets me in the mood every time. Only downside is that I think it shouldn't be used as a end credit music, because it create a pretty jarring mood whiplash with the endings of some episodes

2- TNG season 3-7

Pretty much the same, except I like the sorta "reverb" sound and chords of the first one better.

3- Lower decks

The theme song slaps sooo hard it was one of the few things that kept me watching in season 1 when back then I really didn't like the show. The visuals are pretty fun as well and look very good

4- TOS season 1-2

This may just be nostalgia speaking but the relaxed and content "home" feeling I get when I hear this theme is unparalleled. Also I like how short it is, which means I almost never skip it even when binging.

5- TOS season 3

It's really almost on the same level as the first one but I like the singing a bit less than the instrumental. But idk the blue letters do look a bit better

6- Voyager

Voy may be mid, but it does have a dope opening music. Really engaging and emotional. The visuals are fine but the ship just doesn't look as good as Enterprises sorry

7- Enterprise season 1-2

Okey HEAR ME OUT HEAR ME OUT. The visuals are really cool, and this opening would have made top three if they used Archer's theme instead of Faith of the heart like they planned at first. But hey. Ik the song is bad but like Enterprise itself, I have developed a weird fondness to it. I went trough the classic arc of hating it - liking it ironically - liking it unironically back when I first watched the show. Now I just sing along and almost never skip it.

8- TAS

this theme funky af

9- SNW

Still not decided on my feeling about this theme (like the show itself funnily enough). Feels nostalgia baity with the TOS remix but at the same time it is different enough from the TOS theme to be its own thing, and it sounds pretty good. Very cool visuals and love that they brought back the opening narration.

10- DS9 season 4-7

This may be my controversial opinion of the day but as much as I love DS9 I don't really like the opening. It feels dragged out as fuck and the visuals aren't very engaging (+ that meteorite looks ugly as shit sorry). Idk it's the one I skip the most often. This version feels at least a bit faster that the first one but the trumpets are slightly offbeat which is kinda infuriating.

11- DS9 season 1-3

Its sloooooooooow

12- Enterprise season 3-4

Really don't like how they remixed it. I don't even want to sing along, the added rhythm section is so distracting.

Edit : I wanted to add the first Disco theme since I've watched most of season 1 but I have no idea where to put it. I really like the music and the visuals but it just feels like it belongs to a completely different show than Star trek. Even the little TOS notes at the end feel out of place.

#star trek #tos #tng #ds9 #voy #ent #snw #lwd

[mopeytwat]

So ofmd got cancelled and that fucking sucks. I have so much to say on the matter but I probably never will say any of it cuz I feel like I've ranted so much about it and I just don't wanna talk about it any more.

Also I'm aware of the whole "save our flag means death" campaign and I hope it works cuz even though I don't really care anymore, it would still be cool to have a season 3. If you want a season 3 there's still hope. If we talk about it enough by commenting about ofmd under posts on Max's official accounts and sending feedback asking them to change their minds on their decision there's a really small chance that we could get a season 3. If you have a Max subscription stream ofmd as much as possible before canceling your subscription, and if you do wanna cancel your subscription make it clear that it's because they cancelled ofmd. All we can do is fight and try have our voices heard. David Jenkins also liked a comment under one of his posts today about how another streaming service might be able to pick up the show. Both of these alternatives have worked out for other shows in the past and there's still hope that it could work that way too for ofmd.

Anyway, I'm gonna keep this page up and I'm gonna continue to post about ofmd, especially Izzy and Con. I'm gonna try to post as much positive content as possible because I feel like we all need it rn. Just because the show might be at its end doesn't mean that the fandom has to be as well.

If you wanna follow me on insta it's xxa_editzxx, I'm really active on there and I post about ofmd and Izzy a lot.

With all of that being said, here's a really blurry new Izzy pic that we got today. Look at our boy shine. Isn't he just so funky.

#ofmd #our flag means death #izzy hands #israel hands #ofmd season 2 #con o'neill #our flag means death season 2 #renew as a crew #save ofmd #save our flag means death #izzy the spewer #dizzy izzy #ofmd bts #our flag means death bts #stede bonnet #edward teach #edizzy #rhys darby #taika waititi #ouizzy #joel fry #lucius spriggs #sprizzy #stizzy #ok that's a lot of tags

[epickiya722]

Can I suggest Iida from My Hero Academia?

My first impression: I thought he was funny as hell. I didn't see the first season until after my watching of season 2 and midway of season 3. So I caught his more comedic moments like the battle between him and Mei.

My impression now: Tenya is great, I like him! He's a good kid and means well.

Favorite thing about that character: I'll say this later, but I like that Tenya isn't too serious of a character. Instead, as the story goes on, he does loosen up, even though he can still be a little too much at times. At best, he just doesn't want the class to get too out of hand, but still have fun.

Least favorite thing: Watching season 1's first couple of episodes I was like "he is so serious..." I didn't exactly hate it and honestly, I didn't think I would care much for Tenya. Of course, my mind has changed since.

Favorite line/scene: There's a couple, but to choose... in season 4, Tenya actually mocks Izuku saying something like "in just one day, I have been completely left behind" and then called him "house arrest". I wasn't expecting that at all!

Favorite interaction that character has with another: I love how he interacts with Izuku, but I especially love the moments he has with Ochako. Kinda hate how some of the fandom forgets that Izuku isn't the only boy Ochako hangs out with. My favorite interaction with Tenya and Ochako is back in season 1 during their first team battles. Their exchange during that was funny as hell.

A character that I wish that character would interact with more: I know we got some flashbacks, but I would love to have seen more Iida Brothers scenes. (For those who don't know, Tensei is my favorite big brother of BNHA... and honestly, the best one, tied with Rody.) Scratch that, not even just them, but more scenes with them and their parents, too. Probably a spin-off of the Iida Family and how they became one of the top hero families.

Another character from another fandom that reminds me of that character: It's been years since I actually watched Free, but Iida reminds me of Rei. Blue haired, glasses wearing tall teens with serious, but not so serious personalities and voiced by J. Michael Tatum? Twinsies.

A headcanon about that character: I headcanon that Iida does have a couple of glasses that are in funky colors and/or have designs on them. Some even being different lenses shapes.

A song that reminds of that character: Ever heard of the Sonic X's theme song?

An unpopular opinion about that character: I don't think Iida is that much of a "stick in the mud" as some of the fandom thinks. Especially since sometimes he's just as silly as the rest of the cast and sometimes he's the one breaking the rules.

Favorite picture: I really like this one sketch Horikoshi drew and of course, I get a chuckle out of Iida's funny poses.

Send Me a Character...✨️

#kiya answers #bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #iida tenya #tenya iida #ingenium #ingenium ii

[laundrybiscuits]

(wait for the season to come back to me tag | 1 | 2 | 3)

“Okay, so when you say you were a monster, what do you mean?” asks Robin.

“Ah-ah-ah, pay attention, Buckley. This is important.” Eddie kicks up his feet, arms stretched across the back of the couch. “I am a monster. Present tense.”

“What kind of monster?” Robin’s voice is very even, but Steve can see the way she’s gone still. 

“It’s funny,” says Eddie. “Harrington hasn’t asked a single question about that.”

Robin gives Steve a look. It’s not hard to guess what she’s thinking. She’s not wrong, but—it’s just seemed so much more important to show Eddie the photos, in case it might make Eddie smile. He'd just wanted to get Eddie to stick around a little longer. It had seemed important.

“So, here’s the rundown,” says Eddie. He’s still leaning back, eyes half-lidded, but his voice has sharpened to something firmer and more authoritative. “I’m basically a vampire. The labcoats gave me some kind of fancy official scientific name, but I drink blood and fly, so they can suck my undead balls. Animal blood’s okay to keep me going, but I need a hit of human every so often or things get funky. I’ve got a hookup at St. Joseph’s, which is why I’m in this damn city at all. Um, what else…oh, sunlight’s not great for me. I’m a bona fide card-carrying creature of the shadows now.”

“Shit,” says Steve. “Wait, where are you staying during the daytime? Is it safe?”

Eddie stares at him. “That’s your next question? What the fuck, Harrington.”

“Hey, hi, I have questions,” says Robin. “This St. Joe’s hookup, what exactly is he giving you? How did you find this guy? Have you ever killed anyone? How worried should we be?”

“Well, the answer to that last question is complicated.” Eddie winks at her, grinning. “But don’t worry, Buckley, I’m not gonna eat you.”

“Uh, good,” Robin snaps. “You’re not exactly my type, Eddie.”

“Oh!” Eddie clutches at his chest, draping himself over the side of the couch. “The heartbreak, the agony, how will I ever recover. ‘Tis a mortal wound, Lady Robin.” 

“So where are you staying during the daytime?” Steve asks again. 

Eddie sits up. There’s some fluff in his hair, because they don’t clean their couch basically ever. “There’s an empty building around Logan Square, think it used to be a hairdresser's or something. I just need somewhere with cover during the day, so I’ve been camping out in the back room. I’ve got—they’re giving me, like, an allowance as long as I come back in for testing every month, but it turns out it’s kinda complicated to rent a place when you legally don’t exist.”

“Stay here,” Steve says instantly. “You should stay here.” He glances at Robin to double-check it’s okay, but she’s already nodding.

“Yeah, Eddie, don’t squat in abandoned buildings. But first tell us some more about your secret blood dealer at St. Joe’s, because I think we need to have a house discussion before we start storing bodily fluids in the fridge.” 

———

Despite his best intentions, it’s been a long day, and Steve starts nodding off around midnight while Robin peppers Eddie with endless questions. 

He swims halfway back to consciousness at the low rumble of Eddie’s voice. It’s coming from above him, and he muzzily realizes that his head is on Eddie’s lap. Good. At least Eddie can’t leave without Steve noticing.

“So…don’t take this the wrong way.” 

“Eddie, nothing good has ever followed that phrase in the history of the world.”

“I just wanna know. It seems like Steve’s…like you’re doing a little better than Steve, with like, me coming back and all.”

Robin makes a considering noise. Steve can picture the exact face she’s making. He stays very still and keeps his breathing slow and deep. 

“It’s not that I didn’t…I think by the time everything went down, back then, I already hated Hawkins. I already knew I wanted to get out and see how much more I could learn about the world. Steve was still hanging onto this whole idea of being normal, you know? He still wanted to stay in Hawkins, raise a family, do all the shit his parents did.”

“Sure,” says Eddie. “Not exactly a surprise.”

“Right, but, the thing is…he would’ve been so, so miserable. I thought exactly the same thing as you when I met him: that he was just another dumbass who peaked in high school and didn’t have the freaking imagination to want anything more than pep rallies and a nice house. But Steve’s not like that at all.”

“I’m starting to see that,” says Eddie softly. His hand ghosts over Steve’s head.

“Yeah.” Robin sounds like she’s smiling. “He’s kind of a weirdo. Anyway, with everything that went down over that Spring Break, I think he finally realized that Hawkins was just a shitty small town in the middle of nowhere, and that if things had gone a little differently for him, he might’ve been Jason Carver himself.”

“Who? Oh right, the basketball guy.”

Robin laughs, still kind of quietly. “Hot tip: don’t say his name around Steve. I think he, like, embodies everything that Steve hates about Hawkins now. Steve totally blames him for your…you know. What happened to you.” 

“Shit.” There’s a rustle as Eddie leans back. “That week really made an impact, huh.”

“Honestly, if it weren’t for you—like, if Vecna had picked some other random victims, I think Steve would still be in Hawkins, married to some former prom queen and hating his life. I mean, obviously what happened fucked me up too, but it didn’t completely reroute my life the way it did with him. For me, you coming back is like, a big deal and amazing and great and also completely crazy. But it's like, an event, you know? It's something new that's happening. For Steve, it’s like one of the most defining moments of his life is suddenly getting a sequel.”

“Glad I could contribute to his character development,” says Eddie. 

“I mean, yeah? So did I? And he contributed to mine, too. That’s just…meeting people. That’s just letting people matter to you.”

“I’m not mad about it, Buckley, christ. It’s just weird to think about, that’s all.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve been platonic roommates with Steve Harrington for like eight years now, and you’re a vampire. I don’t think any of us really know how life’s going to go.”

Eddie hums in agreement, petting Steve’s head a little more. Steve lets himself sink back down into sleep, safe and warm and known.

#steddie #fic: wait for the season to come back to me #vampire eddie munson #might have to get this up on ao3 soon #I probably should not be writing as much as I've been lately tbh #my irl responsibilities are slightly in shambles #but I'm so weak for the concept of confronting images that other people have of you #what I'm trying to get at here isn't EXACTLY a parasocial relationship but it bears some notable similarities #and I just love leaning into the inherent messiness of that dynamic

[goatskickin]

Hi all! Debated whether or not I should post my next installment of ‘Clothes for Grandma’ as a bunch of uploads or one. 

So I made a compromise; - all of the tops will be in this post, and the bottoms will come late.

Downloads after the cut!

First up, 3 singular black and white sweaters, on a variety of meshes.

From left to right: 

AAS and Xandher textures on a Cocomama mesh

AAS textures on a different Cocomama mesh

and more AAS textures the @deedee-sims EF conversion of this top by @claudettesims.

Next is this EF conversion of @sushigal007’s ‘Dori Jacket’, done by @deedee-sims. Most of the jacket textures are from Nightlife, except the the striped one, that’s from AAS.

The turtleneck underneath is by lilisims. This top reads very ‘rich grandma who came to watch your soccer game.”

Next is my favorite turtleneck for elders, by CatOfEvilGenius at MTS with a cable knit sweater texture by AAS, and a funky knit texture by AAS too.

Next is a sweater I am very pleased with! Trapping made a top only version of this outfit for elders (elder conversion, with the original adult version being by JaRo), and then I put some very cool AAS textures on top of it. 

I think I like the red and black one on the far right the best!

Next are some somewhat wacky jackets/cardigans. The thing I always liked best about All About Style’s clothing for elders is that they were somehow, ‘matronly cool’, you know? That’s what these are - all have textures by AAS.

Mesh credits, from left to right:

- first two are by Cocomama at MTS

- the blue and tan striped jacket and red and blue jacket at the far right are by tamo at MTS

- the jacket with the purple top is an elder conversion of a bunhead mesh, by trapping

And ho! A retexture of one of my own meshes! Both jacket textures are by AAS, though the black turtleneck on the red plaid jacket is by FashionTwist.

Both give me a very ‘grandma who is rich but mean’ vibe. Very Lucille Bluth. 

I’ve also got a smattering of random tops, that could be for all season. All textures by AAS.

Mesh credits from left to right: CatOfEvilGenius at MTS, @whattheskell, Sentate, @whattheskell​ again and CatofEvilGenius at MTS again. 

And also - 2 cute recolors on that conversion of that OFB separated top by lemonlion that I like. 

Red one was only inspired by an AAS outfit (actual texture ended up looking sloppy) and the blue striped one is an AAS texture.

2 odd ones that I had originally planned for Halloween. But then just ended up being 2 tops lol.

An ‘evil corset’ jacket for grandma, using a @deedee-sims mesh and those hidden sewing machine textures found in FreeTime. 

And another @deedee-sims mesh with University textures on it (originally separated for AF by Amaryll).

And last but not least! 2 jackets with a texture by Lyran, mesh by Cocomama at MTS.

You get all of that? Good! All meshes are included.

Download - Clothing for Grandma - Tops

#sims 2 download #sims 2 cc #ts2 download #ts2 cc #ts2cc #sims 2 clothes #sims 2 clothing #ts2 clothes #ts2 clothing #clothes for grandma

[nerdasaurus1200]

I saw Dragon Prince season 4 and hoo boy do I have thoughts (in no particular order)

First off, it's adorable how much of a magic nerd Callum is. He's grown so much and become so much stronger in two years

Stella is baby. She's living her best life with her cuddlemama and future cuddle papa. Speaking of, let Callum becalled a cuddlepapa by himself or Rayla next season

Zym and Ezran have grown up so much and it both breaks and warms my heart

Okay, so Rayla is a Dragonguard. Good to know.

Terry is my son now. I adopted him, he's mine.

I feel like Callum is just a little bit jealous of Stella getting love from Rayla

“The other elves saw me as a doe, but I knew. I always knew that I was a buck. I..chose the name Terrestrius.”....This line here. This line is gonna stick with me forever. I honestly didn't expect them to outright tell or show us Terry is trans but I'm so glad. That's gonna mean so much to trans kids watching this show. And the fact that Viren has no problems with it at all makes it even more special. Although Terry's wording makes me wonder if someone in his family didn't accept him.

Oh man I just read his wiki page and apparently Terry is still mid transition

I'm calling it now, that girl that figured out Araavos is Harrow and Ezran's descendant

Well, at least we know how loyal Terry is to Claudia.....someone get this poor boy a mug of hot cocoa, a blanket, a hug, and a therapist; he's earned it. He was 100% having a panic attack

"I'm gonna feel all the feelings!" THAT'S RIGHT YOU GO MY FUNKY BOY

I KNEW IT! I KNEW RAYLA'S PARENTS WERE IN THE COINS!GOD POOR RAYLA! ETHARI AND CALLUM ARE GONNA LOSE THEIR SHIT!

Hot damn, Ezran's speech combined with Ibis and Claudia fighting was powerful...that whole scene really encapsulates what the entire show is about, I think

Zubeia gets more and more badass with every episode

I wasn't expecting the chocolate tart to be brought back but it's nice that Rex Igneous liked it. Although how could he taste so much of such a little thing?

Ohhhhh wait, I just got that! Rex means king, he's KING Igneous!

Oh man I had no idea Ezran's crown is made from Harrow's sword

That possesion scene was straight up creepy, I honestly thought Callum died for a second

Speaking of creepy, I never wanna see snake Claudia again, please and thank you

I know Callum is angry at Rayla but he needs to talk to her, really. I feel like he's using the possession thing as an excuse to not talk about their relationship. Like, I do think he's genuinely shaken up by it but he's choosing to focus on that because it's easier

Soren...god, Soren has changed so much. In just 3 years, this boy has gone from picking fights with dragons and being eager to kill them to not being able to turn away from a dragon in need. He even shed his armor for her. Season 1 Soren would NEVER have done that in a million years

Another thing S1 Soren would never do is that talk with Claudia. Man, that was deep.

Also I love Soren's new look, I feel like it suits him way better than his knight armor

I dunno why I expected an out of the gate dramatic conversation when Soren found Claudia. Although I am glad we still got them having that conversation

I will say though, I do wish we got more of a reaction to Terry from Soren

Can Squeaky return next season as Soren's dragon pal? Please? he's the only one that doesn't have an animal companion

"I wanna spend the last month traveling with my daughter, the most important person in the world to me" I....it's nice that you're finally learning to not be a jackass Viren, but did you forget that you have a son??? Is Soren just chopped liver to you?

That said, I do appreciate that Viren has changed. I feel like he's definitely not gonna become immortal.

Regarding Claudia's speech about human suffering....either she's been fed TONS of propaganda by Araavos or she's taking it way too personally after all this time. Like, girl, you have an elf boyfriend, calm down

Awww the return of big feelings time!

#tdp #the dragon prince #tdp spoilers #the dragon prince spoilers #nerd talks #claudia #terry #viren #rayla #callum #harrow #ezran #araavos #rex igneous #soren #zym

[localcuttlefish]

asks you about the lightning never strikes twice au

You and @thecatchat have opened Pandora’s Box, I will take this as my signal to never shut up

Strap in folks this is gonna be a Long Post, but I added visuals so bear with me on this

This AU relies heavily on a few assumptions about character personalities, and a few assumptions about how the entities work. 

Here’s my basis of knowledge upon which this entire AU is built:

We know Tim is mentally and emotionally checked out for the majority of Season 3. He’s antisocial, cold, and resentful towards anything regarding the institute and/or it’s employees. He doesn’t give them the opportunity to get close to him anymore, and therefore, he isn’t really fully informed as to what the archival team is looking into all the time (as evidenced by MAG 104: Sneak Preview).

This means he wouldn’t know much (or care much) about Jon going out of his way to seek out Jude Perry, and subsequently seek out Mike Crew. 

The events of MAG 091: The Coming Storm occur as normal. What I want us to focus on is the audio after the statement, of Daisy disposing of Mike’s body and attempting to execute Jon as well. We know that the location Mike is buried in has to be accessible by car, specifically by standard undercover police vehicles, because the audio recording is implicitly either from the trunk of the car or in a closed bag in the car. I tend to make the assumption that the burial location is in a clearing through a patch of woodlands off the shoulder of the highway, because Daisy would know that the highway is a very difficult place to thoroughly search for cadavers, and Jon confirms that he was dragged through a forest to be executed in MAG 132: Entombed. If I remember correctly, Daisy frequents this place, as confirmed by Basira in MAG 091: The Coming Storm. We will keep the presumed location of Mike’s unmarked grave in mind.

Now here comes some big leaps of logic from me. This is where it starts to get funky.

We know that in order to become an avatar, like, a real one, full blown inhuman, you need to die, or at least come close to death, as explained in MAG 121: Far Away.

Up until this point, Tim has not encountered such an event. He’s been tricked into a binding contract with The Eye after being traumatized by The Stranger, he’s held his own against The Corruption, he’s been trapped in The Spiral, he’s inflicted his loneliness upon himself, and god knows to what degree The Web has been stringing him along as it did to all the archival employees, but none of these experiences killed him, or even came that close to it. 

As much as I love Desolation or Stranger aligned Tim, we always forget that he is first and foremost an employee of The Magnus Institute. He’s got that Eye alignment set up for him from the start. Being that he hasn’t died, he isn’t an avatar, but he can tap into the power of The Eye to some degree, much like how Jon in S3 could, but obviously Tim’s dominion of The Eye would be much narrower, since he isn’t The Archivist. 

I would like to think Tim’s abilities are almost mundane to some extent, since he resents the entities and tries to distance from them as much as possible.

Perhaps he’s just really good at finding hidden things. Like in MAG 039: Infestation, when he conveniently fell into multiple canisters of fire extinguishers in a seemingly coincidental stroke of good luck.

That’s the assumption I like to make.

We also know for a fact that trying to escape The Magnus Institute will cause sickness. It happened to Tim when he tried to get away in MAG 090: Bodybuilder. We will keep this effect in mind for later, trust me, it’s important. 

Jumping back to Mike, we know that avatars of The Hunt are the only beings that can really put down another avatar (I forgot which episode this was explained but I think it was from late S3 or early S4, if I find it I’ll edit this and put the exact episode). Daisy, at the time of MAG 091: The Coming Storm, is not confirmed to be an avatar for certain if I remember correctly. But for sake of covering all our bases, let’s say she is. In MAG 132: Entombed, Daisy clarifies that The Hunt “was in me all my life. Telling me who to chase. How to hurt them.”

Daisy was never hunting Mike, though. She was hunting Jon, and Mike just so happened to get caught in the crossfire. Therefore, I would make the argument that The Hunt did not put Mike down, but it sure looks like it did at face value.

So, when she puts a bullet or two through Mike, I’d like to think that’s not enough to really do the job permanently. But what does incapacitate Mike is being completely separated from The Vast, stuck in The Buried. Almost a fairytale-esque sleep-like-death. 

From that, I would dare to assume Mike isn’t dead, but in a painful, paralyzed, eternal stillness and silence, being crushed on all sides and totally severed from that which he serves. He can’t even scream in the few fleeting moments of lucidity in his entrapped state because Daisy broke his jaw when she first attacked. He’s stuck in a half-coma underground.

The last piece of setup for this show is the fact that Tim values autonomy. We see this as he gets more and more frustrated with Jon hovering over him with accusations and micromanagements throughout S2, and Elias trapping him in his current job via supernatural means as revealed in S2 and S3. Granted, he’s not as outspoken about it as Melanie is in comparison, but he still values autonomy. He even dared Elias to kill him if Elias wanted to take away his freedom of choice so badly. “Kill me or fuck off.” (MAG 104: Sneak Preview)

From this, I’d like to assume that he tries to get away in smaller ways, like driving far away from the city of London just to see the stars. Simple things like that, so the institute doesn’t drag him back on a shorter leash, kicking and screaming. 

So, we have the setup. Where does that lead us?

We have a tired and stressed Tim, driving out on a long empty stretch of highway, feeling more and more unwell the further he gets from the institute, until he sees an undercover police vehicle whipping out of a shoulder on the highway. Once again, he has conveniently found something meant to be hidden. 

And of course, being of The Eye, he investigates. Almost instantaneously he no longer feels unwell. 

To his horror, he unearths Mike, discovering the potter’s field Daisy has been steadily adding to over her years in the police force. 

What really wakes Mike up, though?

Well.

There’s a few more fine details, but this is the general gist of it! Feel free to ask more, I’m gonna continue to put out content for this AU but I would love to know what people want to see from it!

#local cuttlefish is drawing again #the magnus archives #tma season three #tma podcast #tma #mike crew #michael crew #tim stoker #the magnus institute #the eye #the vast #lightning never strikes twice au #rusty quill #tma au #skyak

[princess-of-the-corner]

Had a realization on that Civil War AU what could have been timeline.

Its resolved in season 2 if: Adrien s the one to bring Chloe in through the manner I described. THe reason being it brings the tension in brewing out much sooner and ensures that no one's loyalties are gonna be shifting majorly between identities.

Thus once everyone has a bit of a dust up and then have to collaborate to take down Hawk Moth names are revealed, there's some shock and they resolve to work together with Fu admitting he should have done this sooner.

It bleeds over into season 3 as the main focus if: Marinette is the oe to bring Chloe in with the main shifts being:

Adrien doesn't know Chloe has the bee & is too tied to his father to help when Chloe's obviously having a breakdown cos of Audrey.

Marinette however, kind of overwhelmed by 'all that' does end up trying to help and gets Chloe out of there before a reveal.

Chloe resolves to show everyone how exceptional she can be & the same general stuff happens as outlined in the original idea.

Except Marinette does discover Queen Bees identity & she has a talk with Chloe, does get the Miraculous back, but tries to fix things with Audrey.

Malediktator happens excuse Chloe needs to be mean to please her mom, wants Marinette as a friend now. That self destructs & as she can't be Queen Bee she tries to leave, and Marinette chooses her as Queen Bee again.

This is when Chloe actually figures out her identity but keeps it to herself, but because of the combo of Marinette trying to help as a civilian despite all that baggage & Ladybug choosing her, Chloe basically shifts all her dogmatic dedication to her mom to Marinette.

Basically: If she was willing to see passed the last four years of crap I gave her & is giving me a chance to be a hero as I want to be, she can be my new god.

Meanwhile Chat's getting more and more frustrated.

This leads to him revealing himself to Nino who does a 180 on the identity issue now that he knows his buddy is totally in the dark.

& this, along with Alysa's preference for truth causes her to also switch in favor of Chat's side post Catalyst/Hero Day, in part cos the identity thing created some issues with who could get what to who.

Meanwhile Kagami despite her civilian ties to Adrien, would overall default to Ladybug both due to her relationship with Marinette and generally viewing Ladybug as the more responsible hero.

Because the identities are still revealed, but this only compounds the hurt, so the schism remains present into season 3. & leads to strange seating arrangements in their first year at high school with it now being two trios:

Adrien, Nino & Alya,

Marinette, Chloe & Kagami + a confused Sabrina sometimes.

None of them can aptly explain how this happened and as their respective teams grow a bit, it gets more ???? to outsiders.

Funky!

[inverted-flowers]

So... Those Secret Life tarot predictions I've been doing huh? Well it's Grian's turn! Reminder that you don't really need to know anything about Tarot Cards. If you're curious though it's just a simple 5 card spread I made specifically for this. Also I did this on November 2nd of 2023 (it's a Thursday) cuz I'll probably decide to schedule this as to not spam the tags lol.

First Card - Start

So this card was rough because while I was placing it I turned it without thinking about it (which I like never do). I had to debate whether to interpret it upright (how it would've been had I not turned it) or reversed (how it was when flipped it over). As I said in the very first post, I'm doing these as practice so this is also just a 'well wtf do I do in this situation' sort of milestone. In the end I've decided to interpret it as upright with a kind of side note of reversal... if that makes sense... I'm gonna combine the meanings a little bit!

I drew the Ace of Wands... uh... funky style. (Sure that makes sense right? /silly) This card is describing Grian's start of Secret Life as involving a lot of hard work. There could be some minor setbacks but he'll likely work through them fine enough. He'll probably have a great time, honestly, if this card has any truth to it.

Second Card - Individual

This card is describing how Grian does in the game basically. For it I drew the reversed 8 of Swords. He survives through the more difficult first part of starting in a new life series world. So far he's doing very well too so this is supported! If you've seen his episodes you'll know he's not exactly down a whole lot of hearts yet. This card also talks about being open to change and new opportunities. What new opportunities? I'm so glad you asked. To the next card!

Third Card - Social

This card is meant to describe how Secret Life goes for Grian on the social end of this series. I drew the Death card which made me laugh. The death card is about change, rebirth, and transitioning from one phase to another. My brain immediately went to how everyone and their grandma were drawing comparisons between his first ep with Scar on the camel and third life. This makes me think he's either not going to team up with anyone or if he does it'll be someone he hasn't yet and well... So far it's looking like the former! It makes that lil' comparison extra fun cuz this is saying he'll be putting the past expirences behind for something new.

Fourth Card - Big Impact

I drew the reversed Page of Pentacles which is wild cuz I drew that for Joel too but as his season end. Here I drew it for Grian's 4th card which is describing what makes the greatest impact for him this season. This card talks about a lack of progress and getting lost in the details. He might get too caught up in something and forget about his task.

Fifth Card - End

I drew the 3 of Pentacles for how Grian'll end Secret Life. This card talks about collaboration and learning. He's probably very secure in his beliefs... except that those beliefs might be a strict adherence to the rules which could ultimately cause him more problems than necessary. It also means he could take the advice and criticisms of his fellow players pretty well.

So do I think this reading is predicting Grian to win? Not in the slightest. 3 of pentacles really feeling like a participation trophy here lol. Like 'yay you learned things and got to make content with all these lovely people!' Not exactly something screaming he's gonna win. If I had to take a gander as to how it goes down, I'd reckon he gets distracted and fails a hard task or fails his normal tasks multiple times (based on the 4th card). That would then somehow push him to be more strict with rule following (based on the 5th card). If that is what happens, the fail would probably happen either soon and then affect the majority of his season or later when he's low. Maybe it's what turns him red.

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