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starkdirewolflove · 2 months

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Latest episode of X-Men ‘97, wow.

Omg there was so much going on in that episode can’t believe it was only 36 minutes.

Love square of Jean, Scott. Madelyne and Logan. Love triangle of Magneto, Rogue and Gambit, relationship drama galore.

I find it really amusing that Emma Frost has a front row seat to the drama with Jean, Madelyne and Scott like her own personal telenovela. Love that Madelyne has been forging her own path and becoming a part of the council of Genosha.

There’s a reporter doing a documentary about the X-Men and Xavier’s school. I’m a bit confused about Roberto being there. When we first meet him he’s a young rich party boy, heir to a wealthy Brazilian family that can just take a private jet wherever he wants to go and is ashamed and afraid of people, particularly his mother learning he’s a mutant so he leaves after episode one. Then he’s just always at the mansion hanging around with Jubilee and he’s in this documentary about a mutant school. Is he out to his family as a mutant or does he not care who knows anymore? I feel like this should’ve been addressed at some point.

Things are still really rocky with Scott and Jean, I can understand why he blew up at the reporter, she was being really invasive about his personal life and calling him a liar about having a son. And who was that doctor to make any statement about the birth? The bigot refused medical help to a woman in labour. But then he goes and has his psychic affair with Madelyne, dick move. And he’s been doing this since she left while shutting Jean out then turns everything around on her. Like Jean has been traumatised by what Sinister did to her. She doesn’t know how long he had her abducted, what he did while she was his prisoner, her mind is all messed up and on top of that her husband had a baby with her clone who had completely stolen her life (not Madelyne’s fault, this was 100% Sinister’s evil plan) and the only one who is actually supportive and understanding of her pain is Logan, no wonder she kissed him. Good on Logan for not trying to make the kiss into a big deal, Jean and Scott are married and he respects that even though he’s in love with her. The betrayal from Scott was even worse for Jean because their psychic connection has always been sacred between the two of them and her anchor when the Phoenix was overwhelming her and then he disregards all that because he’s in love with Madelyne too supposedly. Like I get their shared grief over having to give up their baby, it doesn’t give him a free pass to cheat on his wife.

Gambit was such a gentleman throughout the whole Rogue and Magento stuff, even though it was breaking his heart to see her with another man he respected her choice, didn’t try to blame or shame her about it and said they can be friends still. Rogue had a really rough time this episode. From the start of this season I felt uncomfortable with this Rogue and Magento pairing but when she explained their history to Gambit it was even worse because it just sounded like grooming and made Magento a creepy sexual predator. So Rogue ran away from home as a teenager after the trauma of putting the first boy she kissed in a coma and being rejected by her dad, gets taken in by Mystique who gets her to use her powers as part of her mutant terrorist group then brings this vulnerable teenage girl who is afraid to touch anyone to a middle aged man to help her control her powers and instead of doing that he fills her head with his ideologies and because he can touch her without it hurting either of them they become lovers. 🤢🤮 so creepy. Magento leverages the council of Genosha that he will only lead them if he can take Rogue as his “Queen” or co leader to the public, so she feels backed into a corner after seeing how amazing things on Genosha were for mutants now. Then after that amazing dance scene she realises that Gambit is the man she truly loves and what they have is more meaningful and goes beyond being able to touch and she chooses her swamp rat only to lose them both by the end of the episode.

The attack on Genosha was brutal but it was so amazingly done. Cable traveling back through time to try and warn everyone about the attack even though it goes against the rules of time travel, seeing Madelyn for a moment, her recognising him as her son by his eyes and him calling her “mom” as he got pulled back through time. The music, the chaos and panic you could literally feel through the screen, Magneto’s holocaust flashbacks, the Morlocks being trapped and thinking no one was coming to save them, Nightcrawler almost dying saving Rogue and Magneto.

Rogue and Gambit were the ultimate power couple fighting their way to the Morlocks, a better dance than the one she had with Magneto. Magneto saving Rogue and Gambit while he tried to shelter the Morlocks from the sentinel blast, so tragic. Then Gambit saves Rogue from getting herself killed by attacking the sentinel in a rage, takes it on by himself to save everyone and destroys it but sacrificing his own life in the process 😭.

The tragedy is they foreshadowed this in the first episode when Jean/Madelyne went into Trask’s mind and then both Jean and Madelyne got a psychic premonition of the attack just before it happened but were unable to do anything to stop it.

When the dust settles at the end you see the X-Men witness the aftermath of the attack, the few surviving mutants gather around the crater where Rogue is cradling Remy’s body. She’s finally able to touch him but only because he’s dead. “Sugah. I can’t feel you.” 💔

That killed me at the end, was so shocked that they killed Magneto and Gambit within minutes of each other. I know they probably won’t be dead forever but fuck that was brutal.

I know next week’s episode is gonna be Storm centric so we’ll probably have to wait 2 weeks to see what happens with the rest of the X-Men and hopefully by then Storm is ready to rejoin the team. There was a moment in the Genosha attack where Val Cooper is helping evacuate mutants to the gardens and she looks back at the sentinels and there’s this look in her eye that made me wonder is she Val Cooper or Mystique in disguise? We haven’t seen Mystique in the show so far but what if she’s been there all along? Maybe she was afraid of being exposed as an imposter by the sentinels because they’d know she’s not human.

#x men 97 #rogue #gambit #magneto #cyclops #jean grey #madelyne pryor #wolverine #emma frost #the beast #nightcrawler #jubilee #genosha #val cooper #mystique #cable #mr sinister #storm #roberto da costa

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muzzleroars · 4 months

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What? This is what I thought when he has V1's parents' same reaction.

lucifer sees v1 as a work of art that has become an artist in itself - being once of god, unlike any other angel, lucifer has massive amounts of creativity and appreciation for what humanity achieved through their own god-given spark. but beyond that, for v1 in particular, he sees something that has moved past its makers, it has forged its own path in defiance of what it was made for. he is fascinated by its mind, its construction, its life as something that may or may not have a soul (for what constitutes a soul, even lucifer does not know). but importantly it is a life not made by god, it is removed from him, and he wants to meet what god did not create. he wants to see what a full, vibrant experience it has, and v1 sure does. not disappoint lol so animalistic in behavior but with a razor-sharp mind, its first action is probably to challenge him to a one-on-one fight - not a surprise, given how much he knows through hell itself, but he worries he won't be an impressive match for it. he had been inert for so long and really...lucifer was never a warrior, his strength bolstered purely by his closeness to god. still, like anyone that can face v1 and live to tell about it, he finds the fight inspired, unpredictable, and a beautiful insight into a mind he cannot understand despite his godly knowledge. he is not moved by battle, but he can feel how v1 is, its emotions showing through and resonating within lucifer so that he gains insight into its passion. v1 finds its fascination in turn, recognizing right away that lucifer is not a fighter yet there is a disjointed fluidity in his movement, his choices largely defensive and illusory - he wouldn't be v1's first choice as an opponent, though his skillset is unique enough that it doesn't get bored. they stand as two perfect creations, the pinnacle of what god and man could create, and they find interest in the other purely for how alien they are. lucifer made for love and creation, v1 for apathy and destruction, curious of the other as they have been steeped in the role of their opposite.

gabriel doesn't ever really say anything to lucifer about his relationship with v1, mostly figuring it wouldn't be of any relevance to him as he seems preoccupied with attending to his fallen angels. but also...gabriel's aware that lucifer knows most of what's happened in hell and so his partnership with v1 likely isn't a secret to him. unsurprisingly, lucifer doesn't broach the topic for some time, his talks with gabriel a bit sparing and distant with his mind so attuned now to a self-centered focus in his isolation (GENUINELY does not remember how to talk to other people). gabriel actually begins to think he might not even have an opinion on their relationship, but he finds out that's quite far from the truth once lucifer is able to acknowledge more outside of himself. it's just...not what gabriel expected, if he expected anything at all. lucifer, already coming in with an appreciation of the bizarre, is actually happy for what v1 and gabriel have together. their relationship entirely defies the "natural" order of things, an act that would have been condemned fully by god and denied even as possible by v1's makers. he is glad too to see that love led gabriel to something better, it allowed him to finally follow what his heart had been telling him for all this time. it is a very rare thing to find such a kindred spirit and then to defy everything you were told you are in pursuit of that....and lucifer can find nothing more noble in the world than that. so while he continues to harbor his own issues with gabriel, he believes v1 has improved him by bounds and that he is now far more "palatable" than his siblings. gabriel has no idea how to take this, but v1 labels it an "endorsement" of its "personality"

#gabriel tells it that might not be the best thing. coming from satan #gabriel supposes he should have guessed lucifer's approval though #he has been made THOROUGHLY contrary to all things #and so of course something everyone else finds bizarre gets the thumbs up #cake answers #lucifer #v1 #gabriel #rise and fall au

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princess-sof-time · 11 months

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Hi Can I ask for Itachi, Naruto, Hinata, Marinette, Adrien, Felix, Luka, Kyoko With a S/O Kekkei Genkai/ Miraculous that has Powers Related to Plot Manipulation.

Basically Breaks the Fourth Wall and Knows They're Fictional Characters.

How would they react to the S/O communicating with viewers, writers and the general public?

How would they deal with knowing that they are An Anime/Cartoon and that their entire destiny is in the Hand of Writers and Spectators.

This Link Will Explain It Better

https://omniversal-battlefield.fandom.com/wiki/SCP-001_(S_Andrew_Swann%27s_Proposal)

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ──────

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• Itachi, a stoic and introspective character, would experience a whirlwind of emotions upon discovering that his significant other possesses a Kekkei Genkai related to plot manipulation and an awareness of their fictional existence. At first, he might find it difficult to process the idea that their lives are shaped by the whims of viewers and writers, questioning the nature of his own existence and the choices he has made. As a highly responsible and dutiful person, Itachi may feel conflicted about the idea of having his destiny controlled by external forces.

• However, being the analytical and perceptive individual that he is, Itachi would likely approach this revelation with a calm and curious demeanor. He would seek to understand the full extent of his S/O's Kekkei Genkai and its implications. The prospect of his S/O communicating with viewers, writers, and the general public might initially unnerve him, as he is a private person by nature. He would value his privacy and the integrity of his world, but over time, he would come to appreciate the unique connection his S/O shares with the outside world.

• Itachi's journey of acceptance would be marked by moments of introspection and contemplation. He may question the nature of reality, existence, and free will, delving into philosophical discussions with his S/O to gain a deeper understanding of their abilities and what it means for their lives. His desire to protect those he cares about, including his S/O, would drive him to support them in harnessing their powers responsibly and ethically.

• As he becomes more comfortable with the idea of his S/O possessing a Kekkei Genkai related to plot manipulation, Itachi would likely use this newfound knowledge to explore the possibilities of influencing his world positively. He might find solace in knowing that even as a fictional character, his actions and choices have an impact on viewers and fans. This realization could instill a sense of purpose and motivation in him, empowering him to continue on his path of protecting and guiding his loved ones.

• In the face of the uncertainties brought about by the Kekkei Genkai, Itachi's composed and level-headed nature would help him maintain his sense of self and stability. He would strive to navigate the boundaries between his fictional existence and the reality of his emotions, relationships, and experiences. His journey would be one of self-discovery, as he learns to embrace the complexities of being a character with a unique ability while still finding meaning in the connections he forges with his loved ones and the viewers.

• Overall, Itachi's reaction to his S/O's Kekkei Genkai would be a mix of intrigue, contemplation, and acceptance. He would undoubtedly face challenges in understanding and coming to terms with the nature of his existence, but his resilience and devotion to those he cares about would guide him through this extraordinary journey. With his S/O by his side, he would find strength in the knowledge that even with their unique abilities, they can impact and inspire others in meaningful ways.

🄽🄰🅁🅄🅃🄾 🅄🅉🅄🄼🄰🄺🄸

• Naruto, the ever-optimistic and energetic ninja, couldn't believe what he had just discovered about his S/O, his Kekkei GenkaiOverall, Naruto's reaction to his S/O's Kekkei Genkai would be a roller coaster of emotions, mixing emotion with introspection and struggling with the realities of his existence. The drama and weight of this revelation would test his indomitable spirit, but ultimately empower him to face his vulnerabilities and find strength in loving and supporting those who matter most, granted them the ability to perceive and manipulate the very fabric of their world, transcending the boundaries of reality itself.

• However, as the weight of this revelation settles in, Naruto's emotions would take a more dramatic turn. He'd start to grapple with the implications of knowing that his destiny and the fates of his loved ones are in the hands of writers and spectators. The thought of having no control over his own life might create a sense of helplessness, stirring up deeply buried insecurities from his past.

• Naruto's belief in himself and his friends would be put to the test as he confronts the idea that they are mere fictional creations, subjected to the whims of an external force. He might feel a mixture of anger, sadness, and confusion, questioning the fairness of a world where their fates are determined by others. This internal conflict would be a stark contrast to his usual optimism, revealing a vulnerable side of Naruto that few have witnessed.

• As Naruto's relationship with his S/O evolves, he would find solace and support in their connection. Their understanding of the fictional nature of their world would bond them in a profound way, and Naruto would lean on his S/O for emotional strength and guidance. Together, they would navigate the complexities of this newfound knowledge, sharing their hopes and fears about the future.

• In the process, Naruto would learn that even though their destinies might be shaped by writers and spectators, their emotions, experiences, and relationships are real and meaningful. He'd recognize that his impact on the viewers and the bonds he shares with his friends are authentic expressions of his character, transcending the boundaries of fiction.

• With his S/O by his side, Naruto's journey of self-discovery would take on a deeper significance. He'd embrace the idea of influencing the hearts of viewers and fans, hoping to inspire them with his unwavering determination and belief in never giving up. This newfound understanding of his role as a fictional character would fuel his resolve to create a brighter future for his world and the people he cares about.

• Overall, Naruto's reaction to his S/O's Kekkei Genkai would be a roller coaster of emotions, mixing emotion with introspection and struggling with the realities of his existence. The drama and weight of this revelation would test his indomitable spirit, but ultimately empower him to face his vulnerabilities and find strength in loving and supporting those who matter most.

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• Hinata Hyuga couldn't believe her eyes and ears as her S/O revealed their incredible Kekkei Genkai, granting them the ability to communicate with viewers, writers, and the general public. As someone who had grown up with a sense of shyness and reservation, this revelation was almost overwhelming for her. She couldn't fathom the idea of people from beyond her world watching her every move, knowing her deepest thoughts and feelings.

• At first, Hinata might feel a bit insecure about this newfound knowledge. Her past experiences with her Hyuga clan's expectations and her struggle to find her own voice made her hesitant about exposing herself to an even wider audience. The fear of judgment gnawed at her, wondering if the viewers would scrutinize her every action, criticizing her for her mistakes and weaknesses.

• Yet, as she began to process everything, Hinata's compassionate and caring nature took over. She understood that her S/O didn't mean any harm by sharing this revelation and that it was just a part of who they were. She realized that the fact her destiny was in the hands of writers and spectators wasn't something she could change, but she could control how she responded to it.

• Drawing strength from her experiences with Naruto and her friends, Hinata resolved to face this reality with a newfound determination. She decided to view it as an opportunity to connect with the viewers on a personal level, to let them see the growth she had undergone and the strength she had found within herself. She hoped that her journey from a timid and hesitant girl to a confident and strong ninja could inspire others who might be struggling with their own insecurities.

• The weight of her past experiences with the Hyuga clan and her cousin Neji, who once resented her, gave her a profound emotional charge. The pain she had endured and the battles she had fought to prove herself were etched into her heart. But now, she saw the chance to turn that pain into hope, to show others that even in the darkest of times, one could rise above and find their place in the world.

• As Hinata continued her adventures with her S/O, she took small steps to interact with the viewers. It was challenging for her at first, but with their unwavering support and encouragement, she grew more confident. She began to address the viewers directly, expressing her gratitude for their belief in her and Naruto's journey. Her shy smile and heartfelt words endeared her to even more fans, and she started to understand the impact her story had on others.

• Through her interactions with the audience, Hinata discovered that her struggles and triumphs resonated with many. People admired her resilience and empathized with her vulnerabilities. Knowing that she had the power to bring hope and positivity to others through her story filled her heart with a sense of purpose she had never experienced before.

• With each passing day, Hinata embraced her role as a character in an anime/cartoon and as a beacon of hope for those who followed her journey. She no longer feared the gaze of the spectators or the hands of the writers shaping her destiny. Instead, she welcomed it as a chance to touch the lives of others, to show them that even in a world beyond their own, the power of kindness, determination, and self-belief could transcend all boundaries. And with her S/O by her side, supporting her every step of the way, Hinata Hyuga's story became a shining testament to the strength of the human spirit, inspiring generations to come.

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• Marinette's initial reaction to her S/O's revelation would be a mixture of awe and disbelief. As a creative and resourceful individual herself, she would find the concept of her S/O's powers related to plot manipulation utterly fascinating. The idea that their actions and decisions could influence the very narrative of their world would both excite and overwhelm her.

• At first, she might struggle to grasp the full implications of this knowledge. The weight of responsibility on her shoulders would feel immense. Knowing that her every move, decision, and emotion could potentially alter the course of her story and the lives of those around her would be a tremendous mental load to bear.

• Marinette would undoubtedly feel a deep sense of anxiety about making the "right" choices. She might second-guess herself at every turn, worrying that one misstep could lead to disastrous consequences for her friends, family, and the world she cherished. The fear of the unknown and the unpredictability of her own destiny would create moments of doubt and hesitation.

• However, being the strong-willed and determined hero she was, Marinette wouldn't let these feelings of uncertainty consume her. She would channel her emotions into becoming an even more proactive and strategic individual. She would seek ways to use her awareness of the audience and writers to her advantage, leveraging their interest and support to rally even more people to her cause.

• As she began to communicate with the viewers, writers, and the general public, Marinette's shyness might initially get the better of her. But with time, she would grow more comfortable, understanding that her genuine and heartfelt interactions endeared her to the audience. She would take this opportunity to express her gratitude, not just for their support but also for their belief in her as a hero.

• The burden of being a fictional character would still weigh on her, but she would transform it into a source of strength. Instead of feeling powerless, she would find empowerment in the fact that her story could inspire, bring joy, and teach valuable life lessons to people beyond her world.

• Marinette's mental load would be realistic, not just a cute reaction. She would have sleepless nights, pondering the outcomes of her choices, and struggling to find the balance between staying true to herself and appeasing the audience. She might confide in her S/O about her fears, seeking comfort and reassurance that she was doing her best.

• Throughout her journey, Marinette would grow as a character, learning to trust in her instincts and beliefs. She would become an advocate for staying true to oneself, not just for the sake of her story but also for the message she wanted to convey to the viewers. She would encourage others to be authentic, to embrace their flaws and strengths, and to face challenges with resilience and creativity.

• As the story progressed, Marinette's surprise and bewilderment would gradually transform into acceptance and determination. She would embrace her role as a fictional character, recognizing that her story had a purpose beyond entertainment. It was a tale of growth, of overcoming obstacles, and of forging deep connections with others.

Ultimately, Marinette would understand that she might not have control over every aspect of her destiny, but she could control how she faced the challenges thrown her way. She would use her awareness of being an anime/cartoon character to become an even greater symbol of hope and inspiration, both within her world and in the hearts of the viewers. And as she continued to write her story alongside her S/O, Marinette's journey would exemplify the strength of the human spirit and the power of storytelling to touch lives in unimaginable ways.

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• Adrien Agreste's heart skipped a beat as he listened to his S/O explain their extraordinary powers related to plot manipulation. He was no stranger to the fantastical, being a Miraculous holder himself, but this revelation was on a whole different level. The idea that he was part of an anime/cartoon and that his entire destiny lay in the hands of writers and spectators was almost too much to comprehend.

• As a kind-hearted and caring individual, Adrien had always tried to live up to the expectations placed upon him by society and his father. He carried the weight of his past experiences, the loss of his mother, and the pain of never truly feeling like he belonged. The mental burden he carried was heavy, and the thought of being a fictional character added a new layer of complexity to his struggles.

• At first, Adrien might find it difficult to come to terms with this revelation. The notion that his every action and decision was being observed and scrutinized by people beyond his world was overwhelming. He questioned whether his feelings were truly his own or if they were merely a product of the writers' imagination.

• The pressure to be a perfect hero, to make the right choices, and to follow a predetermined path would weigh heavily on him. He might retreat into moments of self-doubt, wondering if he had any control over his life at all or if he was merely a puppet dancing to the whims of the spectators.

• In the midst of this emotional turmoil, Adrien's S/O would be his pillar of support. Their understanding and empathy would help him navigate this new reality. They would remind him that, despite being a fictional character, his emotions and experiences were real and valid. They would encourage him to embrace his uniqueness and use his insight into his own narrative to grow as a person and hero.

• Adrien's friends, too, would play a crucial role in helping him cope with this revelation. Marinette's unwavering belief in him and her determination to stand by his side would provide him with strength. Cat Noir's wit and humor would lift his spirits when he felt weighed down by the gravity of his existence.

• As he ventured into communicating with the viewers, writers, and the general public, Adrien would find solace in connecting with the audience on a personal level. He would be genuinely touched by the support and love he received from fans, realizing that his journey resonated with many who had faced their own hardships and challenges.

• Amidst the chaos of his newfound awareness, Adrien would seek a sense of purpose and identity beyond his fictional nature. He would decide to use his story as a platform to address issues of self-discovery, acceptance, and overcoming adversity. By sharing his vulnerabilities, he hoped to show others that even in a world that seemed beyond their control, there was still room for personal growth and transformation.

• Though Adrien's journey to accepting his role as a fictional character might be filled with ups and downs, he would ultimately find a sense of peace and understanding. He would embrace the fact that, while some aspects of his life were predetermined by writers, he still had agency over his emotions, friendships, and the love he shared with his S/O and friends.

• With the weight of his past and the knowledge of his fictional nature, Adrien's character arc would become even more profound. He would strive to be true to himself, to break free from the constraints of expectations, and to carve a path that he could call his own. And as he continued his adventures as Cat Noir, he would inspire not only the citizens of Paris but also the viewers beyond the screen, proving that even in a scripted world, the power of the human spirit could shine through.

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• Felix, with his reserved and aloof demeanor, couldn't help but be intrigued by the revelation of his fictional nature. The concept of being a character in an anime/cartoon opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for him. His analytical mind immediately delved into the narrative structure of his story and how it influenced his character development.

• As a sentinel, Felix had always carried the weight of his family's legacy and the expectations placed upon him by his father. The mental burden of feeling like he had to uphold the Vanily name and be the perfect heir was immense. The constant pressure to meet these expectations and conform to a predetermined role made him feel trapped and restrained.

• However, learning that he was a fictional character allowed Felix to view his situation from a different perspective. He realized that his character arc, though influenced by the writers and spectators, still had room for growth and self-discovery. This revelation granted him a sense of agency he had never experienced before.

• While Felix might not actively engage with viewers like some other characters, he appreciated the idea of having some level of control over certain aspects of his story. This newfound knowledge gave him a sense of empowerment and allowed him to explore his character's depth beyond the confines of his scripted persona.

• The relationship with his father weighed heavily on Felix's mind. Their strained bond and his father's expectations had left deep emotional scars. The knowledge of being a fictional character amplified the complexity of their relationship. Felix began to question whether his father's actions were merely products of the narrative or if there was genuine love and care behind them.

• In his quieter moments, Felix would contemplate the nature of his existence. He wrestled with the idea of being a character whose destiny was ultimately in the hands of writers and spectators. The thought of not having full control over his own life made him feel vulnerable and exposed.

• Yet, as Felix continued to explore this revelation alongside his S/O, he found solace in their unwavering support. Their understanding and willingness to listen allowed him to express the emotional turmoil he felt. Together, they navigated the complexities of his identity, helping him to understand that even as a fictional character, he still possessed real emotions and experiences.

• Through self-reflection and introspection, Felix started to embrace the idea that being a character in an anime/cartoon didn't invalidate his journey or emotions. It merely provided a unique framework for growth and development. He sought to break free from the expectations imposed on him and forge his own path, one that wasn't solely defined by his role in the narrative.

• As Felix's character arc progressed, he found ways to subtly influence his story, taking control over the choices that defined him. This newfound agency allowed him to grow as a person and hero, showing him that he could be more than just a one-dimensional character on the screen.

• In the end, Felix's realization of being fictional didn't change who he was at his core. It merely added depth and complexity to his character, enabling him to confront his past and redefine his future. He would use this newfound insight to become an even stronger and more multifaceted individual, embracing the unique journey that lay ahead of him. And in doing so, Felix would demonstrate that even in a scripted world, the human spirit could transcend the boundaries of fiction and touch the hearts of those who followed his tale.

🄻🅄🄺🄰 🄲🄾🅄🄵🄵🄰🄸🄽🄴

• Luka, with his calm and understanding nature, absorbed the revelation of his fictional nature with surprising ease. The idea of being a character in an anime/cartoon didn't faze him as much as it might have others. Instead, he saw it as an opportunity to create something truly meaningful with his S/O and use his unique perspective to connect with viewers in a way that was both captivating and heartfelt.

• His introspective nature allowed Luka to embrace the concept of being a fictional character with a sense of wonder rather than fear. He found himself pondering the intricacies of his narrative and how it shaped his experiences and relationships. This newfound understanding added a layer of depth to his personality, and he sought to explore the different facets of his character within the boundaries of his scripted existence.

• As a musician, Luka viewed his role in the story as a chance to share his emotions and experiences through his music. He saw his songs as a bridge between the fictional world and the hearts of the viewers. Through his music, he could convey the range of emotions he experienced, allowing the audience to connect with his story on a profoundly personal level.

• Luka's reaction to being fictional wasn't one of apathy or resignation, but rather a realization that he held a unique power within his grasp. He understood that being aware of his scripted nature gave him the ability to make choices and decisions that would not only influence the narrative but also resonate with those who followed his journey.

• His calm demeanor didn't mean he lacked complexity or depth. In fact, Luka's understanding nature allowed him to empathize with the struggles of the other characters around him. He became a supportive presence, offering a listening ear and a comforting presence for his friends and fellow heroes who might be grappling with the weight of their own fictional existence.

• As he deepened his connection with his S/O, Luka appreciated the bond they shared, knowing that it extended beyond the confines of their animated world. Their love and understanding transcended the screen, making their relationship feel tangible and real despite the fictional constraints.

• In quiet moments, Luka might reflect on the significance of his life as a character. He might question the role of fate and free will in shaping his journey, grappling with the notion that some aspects of his life were predetermined by the writers. Yet, he found peace in knowing that he had the power to influence how he responded to the challenges and opportunities that came his way.

• With his newfound awareness, Luka took small but meaningful steps to connect with viewers in innovative ways. He started live-streaming musical performances, taking song requests from fans, and even engaging in heartfelt conversations with the audience during Q&A sessions. His genuine and open-hearted approach endeared him to viewers, making him not just a fictional character but a beloved presence in their lives.

• As Luka continued his adventures as a hero, he embraced the understanding that being fictional didn't diminish the impact he could have on the world around him. His music, his personality, and his connections with others were genuine expressions of the human spirit, reaching far beyond the boundaries of fiction.

• In this journey of self-discovery and growth, Luka found himself not only creating a meaningful story alongside his S/O but also inspiring others to embrace their own uniqueness and find beauty in the moments that made life extraordinary. And in doing so, he proved that even in a scripted world, the power of love, empathy, and authenticity could resonate with the hearts of those who experienced his tale.

🄺🅈🄾🄺🄾 🅃🅂🅄🅁🅄🄶🄸

• Kyoko found herself in awe and intrigue as her S/O revealed their extraordinary powers related to plot manipulation and breaking the fourth wall. As a wielder of the Dragon Miraculous, she was no stranger to the fantastical, but this revelation was beyond anything she had ever encountered. Initially, she might be taken aback, unsure of how to react to the idea of her S/O communicating with viewers, writers, and the general public.

• Kyoko's character was characterized by her strong-willed and determined nature, but even so, the concept of being a fictional character in an anime/cartoon would challenge her understanding of reality. The thought of her entire destiny being in the hands of writers and spectators would evoke a mixture of emotions - curiosity, uncertainty, and perhaps even a tinge of fear.

• At first, Kyoko might be skeptical about the idea of breaking the fourth wall and interacting with the outside world. She would question the implications of this ability and the potential consequences of altering the narrative beyond her animated world. The weight of this newfound knowledge could leave her feeling vulnerable and exposed.

• However, as she delved deeper into the concept and discussed it with her S/O, Kyoko's pragmatic nature would kick in. She would realize that while this revelation brought an entirely new set of challenges, it also presented unique opportunities to shape her own story and protect the people she cared about.

• Kyoko would likely approach the situation with a level-headed and strategic mindset. She would see the chance to communicate with viewers, writers, and the general public as a way to garner support and forge connections with those who followed her adventures. She would appreciate the value of their feedback and use it to adapt her actions and choices, making her a more relatable and endearing character.

• Dealing with the knowledge of being a fictional character would be a journey for Kyoko. It would require her to confront her sense of identity and the idea that some aspects of her life were beyond her control. She might struggle with the realization that her emotions and experiences were predetermined to an extent.

• Yet, as a powerful and heroic figure, Kyoko wouldn't let this revelation hinder her determination to be the best version of herself. She would seek ways to assert her agency, using her plot manipulation abilities to influence her own narrative. She would strive to protect her loved ones and stand strong in the face of challenges, knowing that even though her destiny might be influenced by writers and spectators, she could still make a difference through her choices and actions.

• Through her journey, Kyoko would come to embrace the fact that being a fictional character didn't make her emotions any less real. She would treasure her connections with her S/O and friends, cherishing the love and support they offered both within the animated world and beyond.

• In the end, Kyoko's character would evolve and grow as she navigated the complexities of her existence as a fictional character. She would learn to accept the duality of her nature - existing as both a character in an anime/cartoon and a cherished presence in the hearts of viewers. And with her S/O's plot manipulation abilities by her side, Kyoko Tsurugi would continue to write her story, leaving an indelible mark on the world of miraculous Ladybug and beyond.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ──────

#miraculous x reader #miraculous ladybug x reader #naruto x reader #marinette dupain cheng x reader #marinette x reader #luka couffaine x reader #adrien agreste x reader #kyoko tsurugi x reader #itachi x reader

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jgroffdaily · 26 days

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Excerpts:

It’s a personal story for Groff, who relates to Frank’s interior life and how others (don’t) respond to his struggles. For example, his showbiz peers suggest he take a vacation in response to a tearful breakdown. “No one wants to really make space for Frank’s darkness or his pain…that feels so familiar to me,” Groff says. “It feels very gay. And then there’s also something about it that feels quite American of like, just…take a little trip, and then you’ll come back, and you work, and everything will be fine. But there’s not a real investigation of sadness or despair.”

Merrily is personal by design — for actors and audience members alike. Groff quotes the musical’s producer, Sonia Friedman (and sister to Merrily’s director, Maria Friedman): “There are certain shows that are beyond theater, and this is one of them where you want the audience to follow the characters’ stories. But you want them to also reflect on their own lives as well as this, because [the show] keeps saying, how did you get to be here?”

It’s a question that Groff contemplates as he journeys backward in time each night at the Hudson Theatre. Like Frank, the 39-year-old has two decades of career and adulthood to reflect upon. He marvels how the teen reading a Sondheim biography in front of his high school science fair project went on to garner three Tony nominations (for Merrily this year, Melchior in Spring Awakening in 2007, and King George III in Hamilton in 2016), voice Kristoff and Sven in Disney’s hit Frozen films, and lead the groundbreaking HBO dramedy Looking as Patrick.

Outside the spheres of musical films and theater, Groff has broken ground as a gay actor by starring in the Netflix crime thriller Mindhunter as Holden Ford and in The Matrix Resurrections as Smith. He was also a lead in M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin last year and will appear in the new season of Doctor Who — starring Ncuti Gatwa as the first Black queer star of the long-running British sci-fi series. “He’s a supernova of talent,” Groff sings of Gatwa; an It’s a Sin fan, he also jumped at the chance to work with Russell T Davies after the showrunner personally invited him to join the season.

This enviable acting career is not what Groff envisioned when he came out publicly in 2009 in an interview with Broadway.com. “I would rather be myself and be in a relationship and not have that compromised by this career thing,” he recalls reasoning at the time — effectively choosing to be himself openly over the possibility of becoming a leading man.

“I felt like I was opting out of that [star] trajectory because of coming out,” he says. “And so everything that’s happened to me with the success of film and television has been a complete surprise to me because I thought…by coming out that that was impossible.”

Groff credits his coming out with saving him from becoming a Frank, who makes a devil’s bargain for material gain. In fact, by appearances, Groff is an anti-Frank. To wit, he arrives via bicycle to his Out photo shoot at the Duplex gay bar in the West Village. He says he even favors riding a bike to the theater each day over an offered car service. Later at Julius’ around the corner, he takes a bite (and then finishes) a burger prepared for a photo op, and then thanks the owner and chef by name. So not the stereotypical fame monster.

“Being gay has allowed me to forge my own path,” he attests. “I don’t feel at the mercy of the traditional Hollywood machine because I never really felt like I fit in there. That equation wasn’t where I lived. And so I’ve just been sort of over here following my artistic heart, which was a choice I made long, long ago. I sort of credit that for not buying into the stuff that Frank in the show kind of buys into.”

Groff calls his success in the entertainment industry “a lucky gift of timing,” noting how he came of age at a turning point for gay acceptance in America — and after the worst of the AIDS crisis in NYC. His speech following each Merrily performance helps raise funds for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and it “means so much” to him because he is mindful of “all of the gays that came from small towns to move to New York to do theater and how many of them died.” Groff was born in Lancaster, Pa., and was raised amid Amish communities before pursuing his Broadway dreams in the Big Apple.

As a working out actor, “I feel so lucky and I feel some sense of responsibility, of really breathing it in and taking it in,” he confesses. “Even 10 years ago, I don’t know if I would have been cast in this role of Frank, ’cause even in theater, it’s such a straight character.… There’s also something that feels like a shift in the times that’s allowing me to play this role right now as well.”

His casting in such a diversity of roles on stage and screen “feels a part of this wave of progress of people being not only accepting of actors being out, but of actors being able to play multiple different things and not get so pigeonholed…. I’m so grateful to be living in this time.”

Like Patrick, Groff feels like he’s ready for love, in part because Merrily sparks “reflection and embracing an ownership of the past to cross through into the future.” By chance, the same night this writer saw Merrily in April, Groff’s first boyfriend, celebrating a birthday, was also in the audience.

Groff recalls how, at 3.5 years, this relationship remains his longest to date — and one that occurred at a crucial period in his career. Groff dated him from ages 19 to 23 when they were still closeted yet lived as roommates in midtown Manhattan. His ex, who he did not name, is a dancer who helped teach him the choreography for Fame at Crunch Fitness; Groff played Nick Piazza in a regional production at North Shore Music Theatre in Massachusetts. “I was so slow at picking up choreography,” he confesses. But the fancy footwork made a lasting impact. Fame led to Groff being signed by an agent, his membership in the Actors’ Equity Association, and his Broadway debut as an understudy for the lead role in 2005’s In My Life. A year later, he was appearing in Spring Awakening.

“There was something about having him at the show last night,” says Groff, calling it a “full-circle moment.” He adds, “I’ve been single now for a couple of years and I’m feeling…ready and open for anything. If that’s continuing with that, if that’s a relationship, I’m cool with that.”

In addition to the occurrence of a rare NYC earthquake, the day of this Out interview marked another fateful event: the 63rd anniversary of Barbra Streisand making her TV debut on The Tonight Show. Groff appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to commemorate the occasion. But his Barbra standom doesn’t end there. The actor wants to one day buy a Village restaurant called & Son Steakeasy, which used to be the site of the Lion, a gay bar where Streisand first sang publicly during a singing contest (according to a plaque there, at least). His goal is “turning it back into a gay bar and calling it BARbra.” A neon “BARbra” sign even hangs in his Merrily dressing room as a reminder of this dream.

Other dreams are poised to come true as well. Merrily’s revival is one of the biggest hits on Broadway right now, boasting sold-out shows and one of the Great White Way’s highest ticket prices. It also received seven Tony nominations this year, among them nods for Groff, Radcliffe, and Mendez.

Groff has been Tony-nominated twice before, but the theater world’s highest honor has lost some of its luster from the days when, post-high school, he taught a class on the Tony Awards at a theater camp. (He’d show clips to his pupils and have them vote for Best Actress. Wicked and Avenue Q were contenders that year.)

“When I was a kid, the marker of success was like an Oscar or a Tony or like whatever the award was,” he says. “Now I understand 20 years later that that’s a fun part of the game of it all. But it’s not what makes your artistic heart sing.”

The eschewing of awards recognition is also very anti-Frank. However, Groff also recognizes the importance of a good speech, like the “beautiful and touching and inspirational” words for the LGBTQ+ community that Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda gave at the Tonys after the Pulse nightclub shooting. If he has the opportunity to give his own remarks onstage, “I’ll attempt to honor whatever is happening in that moment,” he promises.

For now, Groff feels like his character at the end of Merrily, as three starry-eyed young friends look to the skies and imagine what dreams may come. “We gotta be the luckiest people who ever lived,” he quotes.

“I feel that. I really like to be living in this time and working in this way,” he says. “It’s more than I ever could have dreamt of. And so I just wanna soak it in, take it in, and keep going.”

#jonathan groff #out magazine #interview #merrily we roll along

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a-la-campanella · 4 months

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Lunar New Year post! To all who celebrate, may the new year be full of happiness for you!

I have many gripes about the writing for the High Cloud Quintet, but what I find the most fascinating about their fallout is where it places Jing Yuan, and where it will lead him into the future.

Baiheng is dead. She's gone, and while there is very strong evidence (nothing explicitly confirmed, but we're working with what we can get) pointing to traces of Baiheng in Bailu, part of the reincarnation process is acknowledging that Bailu is a whole other person separated from her past/any other life she may have lived and with different memories/experiences. The future is thus: she will be the next High Elder for the Xianzhou Luofu, and she's content with her position as a doctor and healer to those in need of treatment. She doesn't seem to have any big dreams, and what she has now is enough for her. As part of her duty and the expectations of her, she'll stay with the Xianzhou Alliance until she has to reincarnate. It doesn't matter if she one day grows to dream bigger, the choice is now robbed from her like it was from Dan Feng.

Dan Heng is content with his own life. He's suffered enough as it was when he was first born in this name, escaped the Luofu, running away from Blade across space, and made his way to forge a life he can call his own on the Astral Express. He has no need nor want to be shacked by his past, and he can live freely without the shadow of Dan Feng hanging over him. I'm curious where he'll be centuries down the line, given how long his expected lifespan is, and the lifespans of his companions being... probably nowhere as long. But until they part ways, Dan Heng will have them by his side. Of the current Express Crew, Pom-Pom would still be around, and maybe the Trailblazer too. Dan Heng might die and never reincarnate, or he might someday return to the Xianzhou Luofu again to settle down when it's his turn to return to an egg and be reborn anew once more. Given what he's like, I don't see him going out with mara.

Blade was Yingxing, and now he's Blade. Yingxing is dead in the sense that the person he used to be is no more, and now, Blade is just a blade. Mara haunts him in a way that tortures him, and he'll take the path Elio promises if it'll grant him freedom. Living for so long is his punishment/price, and death will be a mercy. He'll die one day, I'm sure, though I'm fairly confident that day will be far off, too. He has the Stellaron Hunters to keep him company for now, and if Elio delivers his promise, Blade will see his peace in the end with them. After the events on the Luofu, I think it's safe to say his arc will conclude with him moving on from chasing a past that no longer wants him, and breaking free—accepting a certain finality—in what has passed, and what will come (his death).

Jingliu is the only other character besides Jing Yuan to keep her name from those times, but she's mara-stricken like Blade and has her own agenda now. She has no personal attachments anymore to anyone from her High Cloud Quintet days, not even her own disciple Jing Yuan, nor does she display interest in associating with them now. She'll pass one day like Blade, I'm sure. They may not go out the same way though; regardless, I don't expect her to do much even if she does live on after her role has been fulfilled (to participate in the war/"game" against Yaoshi and end the abominations of Abundance once and for all).

Jing Yuan was, and still is, shaped by the people around him. The person he was when the High Cloud Quintet was around isn't the same person he is now, but in some ways, he still shares that identity. He's fond of Dan Heng and still cares about Baiheng (now assumed to be Bailu). Jing Yuan used to dream of being a Galaxy Ranger touring the universe in the name of justice, and instead took to rising the ranks in the Cloud Knights, learning to protect what's left of his home on the Luofu, and becoming a leader who valiantly fights for peace. I'm not quite sure how he'll go out. Maybe in battle, against the Abundance; or maybe Yanqing, trained to surpass him, will be called to cut him down; or maybe he'll retire peacefully, spending his days peeling tangerines and basking under the Sun, until he's older and more gray, and one day, gone.

And it's just so interesting to me, because Jing Yuan is so kind, and it does not make him worse off. Unlike Blade and Jingliu, he doesn't let the mara consume him, and focuses on his happiness instead of the despair. His grief is quiet, he carried the weight of a world on his shoulders, but he still finds the time to take in a disciple and teach him the way of the sword, to visit the doctor who reminds him of an old and dear friend, and to make way for banter with his next-in-line. He's outlived the rise and fall of civilizations during that time, alone and not-alone, surrounded by the people he had and has now, and may live long enough to outlive several more.

Everyone has moved on from those years together, and their pasts may connect, but their futures all lead in vastly different directions. I'm sure Jing Yuan has lamented over the past before, but centuries have gone by since. Many things in the world have changed now, and he lives his own life, too. They all do.

Where am I going with this? Who knows. Happy Lunar New Year to all who celebrate and to Jing Yuan especially. As Yanqing might say: 恭喜发财（红包拿来）。

May your red envelopes be packed with extra money so Yanqing can buy that new and fancy dragon-themed sword.

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emeritusemeritus · 6 months

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Simple really [Weasley Twins x ftm!Reader]

This work is based off a request I received from @king-of-the-damned-world and it’s been a pleasure writing this for you, sorry again that it has taken so long!

Unfortunately I am not currently taking requests but I am currently working on a few different pieces that should hopefully be uploaded soon.

Title: Simple really.

Pairing: Weasley Twins x Ftm!Reader {Established Relationship}

Timeline: Set around GOF.

Summary: With the Yule Ball around the corner, you must make a choice that could alter your entire life. Do you stay the same and remain unhappy or risk it all to finally find peace?

Warnings: Reader is trans!male (ftm). Contains a little angst and a lot of self reflection. Pronouns change throughout. A little humour, a little fluff and a lot of heartwarming goodness. Mentions of reader wearing a suit. Mentions of gender stereotypes and conforming.

This is my first time writing non-afab reader so please be gentle.

The walls of Hogwarts had never seemed so dreary to you or less like home than they felt right now. The corridors felt empty and hollow, even filled with people. It was a mild autumn day but it felt like it was mid-winter in your mind, every fibre of your body feeling bleakness all around you. You wanted to crawl into bed, shut the surrounding curtains and disappear but you knew even that wouldn't bring you comfort.

You'd avoided your boyfriends all day most successfully, most of the week really, which wasn't too hard between their shared detentions and your extra curricular activities. George might have been on to something, being the more sensitive of the two, but you were near certain that Fred hadn't even noticed anything was wrong, your efforts of hiding your true feelings paying off, at least for them.

You thought about going to Hagrid's, sharing a cup of tea or distracting yourself with his newest creature he was caring for but you didn't trust yourself not to unleash your inner monologue on him and quite frankly he wasn't the right person to work through your thoughts with. You didn't know who was, never having much experience on the matter except for your own thoughts.

You could talk to your head of house, or Madame Pomfrey, but that seemed too clinical, too unemotional in a time when you felt you needed it.

You sat on the grass, looking down at Hagrid's hut and the outskirts to the forbidden forest, watching as smoke rose from the chimney of his hut, drifting in the gentle breeze until it disappeared high up into the sky. You sighed, looking down at your legs and the wand in your hand, absently twirling it as you wished this could all be fixed with a single wave of said wand.

Your mind felt plagued, completely consumed by your thoughts, by the realisations you'd made and the intoxicated consequences they would have on your life if you sought to decide on the route to take. You were at a metaphorical crossroads in your life and your two options were to stay exactly as you were, on the path that had been created for you by societal expectations and preconceived notions; or you could create your own path, following your heart and deal with the consequences as they come.

The biggest loss would be your boyfriends Fred and George Weasley, the boys you had loved for years, first as friends and then more as your relationship grew. This new path you were forging would jeopardise the relationship in a way that nothing else ever could but was it worth a life of unhappiness and unfulfilment? It wasn't exactly new for you to be consumed by these thoughts but in the past year they'd grown in strength and reoccurrence until the faint inkling turned into assuredness, certainty and faint hope.

You sighed again, knowing what needed to be done.

You dragged yourself to your common room, another pang of discomfort hitting you as you walked to your pre-selected dormitory and threw yourself on your bed, thankful that no one else was there. You pulled out some parchment and your quill and began to write. There was no need to plan what you were trying to say, no thought of perfecting your words or of your penmanship, it was just honest words straight from your brain onto the quickly filled parchment. A rabid determination washed over you as you began writing, unable to stop or slow as you finally put everything you'd known to be true and denied for years plainly on paper for your loved ones to read.

"Whaaaatya doing?" You suddenly hear from behind you and you let out a scream, your body jolting upright in bed at the sudden and unexpected intrusion. George, who watches on, thinks quickly and salvages the ink pot that had spilled with your actions, not one spot of black ink falling into your crafted parchment or bed.

"Merlin you two!" You said, clutching at your chest as you look upon the grinning twins that had essentially broken into your dorm, not for the first time.

"Sorry sweetheart, couldn't resist," Fred smirks, hopping down onto the bed, followed by George who takes a seat with a hint more decorum than his slightly older brother.

"What you got there?" Fred says, nodding his head to the parchment. You suddenly freeze and clam up, not expecting the letters to be read so soon by the intended recipients.

"Potions homework," you say absently, scrambling to move the letter than you'd previously been so proud of.

"He didn't set us any," Fred says, eying you with suspicion before he turns to George in question, "did he?"

George shakes his head slowly in reply and his gaze flickers up to you, a sadness in his eyes as he realises that you were lying to them. Apparently, from the look he was giving you, you'd not quite hidden your mental and physical absence as well as you thought you had.

"What's going on darling?" He asks, cutting through the bullshit. It's now or never. You take one last look at them, their long gorgeous hair and the freckles, trying to remember them like this, just how you loved them. You took a deep breath and stare at your slightly shaking hands, suddenly not knowing any way to explain yourself.

"Are you breaking up with us?" Fred asks quickly, his nervousness evident in his voice.

Your eyes shoot up to his quickly, as if offended by the notion and splutter out a reply that really doesn't help your case.

"No! Merlin no, I, maybe? I don't want to."

"Glad we got that cleared up," George says bitterly, though there's no trace of humour in his voice.

"It's not, you, it's," you begin to say, unable to meet their eyes. "I want to be with you both but you won't want me anymore."

"That's ridiculous," they say at the same time, protesting your words almost instantly. You sigh, picking at the blanket beneath you.

"I just, here," you say suddenly, thrusting the barely dried parchment onto George's lap and lingering for only a second before you run off, out of the dormitory and out of the common room.

Somehow, they find you a few hours later, curled up in the astronomy tower, fighting off the cold that you had not anticipated in your hurry. You caught sight of the Marauders map hanging out of Fred’s pocket and realised that they’d either borrowed it from Harry or had momentarily stolen it from him, seeking you out.

"Here he is," Fred says, catching sight of you and gesturing for his twin to join you as he smiles down at your crouched figure. His words make you freeze, shocked at the pronoun he used, so nonchalantly that is blindsides you.

"What-."

"We read your letter," George says, crouching down beside you, followed only moments later by his twin.

"All of this over a dress?" Fred says, smirking at you as if nothing was wrong.

"Well not really," you mumble, worried that they'd taken everything the wrong way, not taking it seriously enough.

"Well no," Fred admits, reaching out for your hand, "why didn't you just talk to us?"

"Because you wouldn't want me anymore," you said in a quiet voice, your tone blunt as if it was obvious. You were trying so hard not to cry, pushing down every urge as you faced your problems head on.

"Who told you that?" George says, outraged at the notion.

"No one?" You say unconvincingly, even though it was the truth.

"Sweetheart," Fred says, pausing and looking up to you with hesitation, "do you still want to be called that?"

You nod slowly, still unsure of where the conversation was going.

"I know this is a big thing for you, it's a big thing for all of us, and rightly so, but it doesn't change how we feel," he says, a smile tugging at the side of his mouth, as if he's trying to show you that it really is okay.

"Yeah," George says from beside him, "you're still ours, just with a few different pronouns."

You're silent for a moment, shocked as you take in their words until a huff of laughter escapes you.

"You're really okay with it? You still want to be with me?"

They share a look between each other, identical devious smiles on their faces.

"A few questions," Fred says, suddenly rather serious. You nod instantly, having anticipated this.

"Have you had a brain injury in the past 24 hours?"

"Eh?" You ask, suddenly feeling very vulnerable.

"I ask, you answer," he smirks with a shrug. You shake your head. “Not fell off a broom or from a high ledge?” Once again you shake your head, still reeling with confusion.

"Have you been put under the imperius curse? Blink twice for yes," George says, an identical expression on his face. You blink once, with a frown and shake your head.

"Are you really someone else pretending to be our love, using Polyjuice potion to trick us?"

"No."

“Prove it, one thing about me and Georgie that no one else would know,” Fred says, egging you on with a grin and a wiggle of his eyebrows.

“Uh, George has a freckle on his left rib and you have a mark on your left bumcheek,” you say, squinting up at them, not quite believing that those exact words were tumbling out of your mouth.

"Then that's sorted," George says, as if it's that simple. "We might need reminding sometimes, old habits and all that but nothing will really change, not between us at least."

"We love you, male or female, simple really."

The night of the Yule Ball had finally come and you were a bundle of nerves as you fiddled with the buttons on your suit.

It was ironic really that your whole life had turned upside down but you'd landed exactly the right way up, never happier now that you could be exactly who you'd always been, who you knew you really were inside.

The idea of having to wear a dress, to conform to the social pressures that came along with your birth assigned gender was the catalyst to all of this, the turning point that you couldn't go back from. As you looked in the mirror and saw the man you had always been inside reflected in the mirror, a tear came to your eye.

"You look perfect, love," George says moving to stand behind you. He towers over you as usual and you can't help but think of how devastatingly handsome he looks, the colours of his waistcoat and dress robes contrasting perfectly with his flaming hair.

"You both look so handsome," you say, reaching out for them both as Fred steps closer to you, his suit matching George's and complimenting your own.

"Out the way, three handsome gentlemen coming through!" Fred says, barging past the crowd as he leads you by the hand into the hall, George attached to your other hand as you navigate the crowd together.

“Yeah coming through! He’s all ours, everyone put your eyes back in your head and avert them!” George shouts, shooting you a wink.

Your smile shines brighter than every candle in the hall combined as you make your grand entrance, finally at peace with yourself and the world around you.

Taglist is currently being uploaded.

#harry potter #fred weasley #fred weasley x you #fred weasley x reader #fred weasley imagine #george weasley #george weasley x you #weasley twins x you #Weasley twins x ftm reader #Weasley twins x transmalereader #fred weasley x reader x george weasley

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omgkalyppso · 8 months

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Tav Étoile as a Companion Part 2 of 4

Questions from here. You can press J to skip this post on desktop.

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4.

7. Do they have their own personal quest that spans the course of the game? Can it take different branching paths depending on the choices the Player Character makes?

I'm calling it:

A Cold-Hearted Pal

Quest Act 1:

Triggered when the player loots a piece of the Mourning Frost staff in the Underdark. Can obviously be missed if you only travel through the Mountain Pass, but Étoile will not leave the party if it's missed.

A. If the player character cures Dhourn Ba'Tol of petrification, Étoile will notice that he has the Icy Helve, and will take it off Dhourn's person.

Étoile: Where did you find this?

Dhourn: Excuse me, faerie—

Étoile, shoving against his collar: Where did you find this?

Narrator: Your companion has pulled a long shaft of metal from the Drow's belongings. Cold radiates from the Helve, crackling upon the air like too-cold-ice left to separate in tepid water. A ring of snowflakes coil around the hand guard.

[Lolth sworn drow women only] Quickly, whelp.

[Intimidation] I think you better tell them.

[Intimidation] I think you better tell them, I won't be so kind.

Étoile, stand down.

Just watch.

Dhourn: I bought it. Spoils from a long ruined House. House Baenre surely sold the pieces of the staff separately to incite — ahem, competition. Even shattered, it was the last piece I needed to confirm the duplicity of House Shobalar. By now, my matron mother shall have used this information to increase the standing of House Ba'Tol. Sadly, as a third-born son none of this glory extends to me, but I still have my research.

What research?

Étoile, are you satisfied?

Spoils from which long ruined House?

[Persuasion] Tell us of House Shobalar's duplicity.

House Shobalar's Duplicity

So House Shobalar was once all but eliminated. They had been responsible for the enchantments of weapons and armor made by House Baenre with the Adamantine Forge, a power thought lost when the forge was claimed in a mighty battle by heretics — worshippers of Shar, who knew of the Adamantine Forge's location because House Shobalar was, without the consent of House Baenre, nor the blessing of Lolth, selling enchantments, even to colnbluth — non-drow.

After losing the forge, House Baenre moved to destroy House Shobalar on Lolth's behalf, but upon arriving, discovered all had already been slain by the youngest daughter, Xullrae'Hael Shobalar, whose ignorance of her family's actions and loyalty to Lolth was rewarded with her life.

Publicly, House Shobalar was removed from the Council of Eight, and dishonored to fifty-second in rank, but Xullrae'Hael, house of one, played drow politics well for one so … disadvantaged. She would have spun in her grave to know it was all for naught, with her great grand-daughter allowing House Shobalar finally being destroyed in the War of the Spider Queen as punishment for women practicing arcane magic, rather than Lolth's divine magic.

Étoile's Perspective

But Étoile knows this staff, the Mourning Frost was depicted in a tome of Auril's treasures in their mother's temple. It was not gifted to her in a moment of divine inspiration as the Revelations of the Icedawn was given to Iyraclea, Chosen of Auril and the Ice Queen of the Great Glacier until 1373 DR. Étoile's mother, Aranea, would sit with her open book in the storms atop their mountain, praying as frost coated the pages over days and hours. Her thin, dry hands would crack so that when she could finally trace the images, messages, and blessings upon the book the pages were also anointed with blood.

Étoile was only permitted to look upon this book on the coldest days of the year, only with supervision, only to recognize the value in frozen waterfalls, weapons, and adventurers.

The Mourning Frost was gifted to a priestess who oversaw the shifting rivers of a frozen temple deep underground. Where molten earth and stale air should have thrived, Sozican, Elderteeth, The Ghost, a white dragon who favored the guise of an albino drow, channelled Auril's power in the heart of an unwelcoming land.

What Research

Dhourn wishes to bring the knowledge of the Forge back to Menzoberranzan. To either recreate the legendary weapons and armor of old with techniques that have the benefit of advances in magic and materials. Or better still, to recreate the forge. If he could build but one for House Baenre or one for each great House that would offer him more than his place as a third son. He would marvel to see such magic wielded in the greatest regimes and assassinations with his name on the lips of every Matron Mother as either a praise or a curse…

Spoils from which long ruined House?

Dhourn would ask, What does it matter?

B. If the player character loots or pick pockets the Icy Crystal from Filro the Forgotten then the next time the player character speaks to Étoile at camp, Étoile will say that it was a pretty thing they procured, and ask to see it. Agreeing will have Étoile confirm that it is a divine chill that eminates from the crystal, and then they will recognize it as a piece of the Mourning Frost.

C. If the player character loots the Icy Metal from Xargrim's body, then Étoile will comment that it has an angelic shape, doesn't it? That they appreciate that cold magic gives everything a frost or a sparkling shine, and then they'll stop, stunned, and will recognize it as a piece of the Mourning Frost

If the Mourning Frost is reforged and Given to Étoile. Reminder that they would default to using it one-handed with a shield, but that it is a versatile weapon, and can be taken away immediately after to be given to a caster if you like, lol.

Étoile: I— Are-are you sure? Heh, I am used to … temptations, like this, if you feel it would better suit another in the party, but … I am honored to hold it. I am not my mother, but I will pray on it, perhaps despite our distance from the frost and the mountains, my god might also hear me, and offer us some manner of aid in these … extenuating circumstances.

You're welcome.

Please keep me out of your prayers.

Isn't Auril the weakest she's ever been? I wouldn't keep my hopes up.

Maybe try to sound more humble if you're entreating your god.

It's just a weapon.

Étoile, to 1: I'm so sorry. Thank you. I appreciate that we took the time to restore the staff.

Étoile, to 2: [Disapproves] Of course, my apologies, I shouldn't have presumed you'd be comfortable with it.

Étoile, to 3: I think it's far more likely that she'll look us over than not have the power to assist. No harm in exhausting another means of dealing with the parasite.

Étoile, to 4: Oh, that's … You're very correct. I will be most supplicant.

Étoile, to 5: [Disapproves] A fine weapon. One I will strive to use ably.

Étoile unlocks a new camp idle animation of sitting cross-legged in meditation. If Mourning Frost is in their inventory, it will be draped across their lap.

Quest Act 2:

In Act 2, there'd be some scratches in the earth in the shadow-cursed lands that you could talk to Étoile about, where they point out that they're not made by twig blights or the other moving trees the party has seen. They were made by a werewolf, keep an eye out.

After discovering Locke's fate in the House of Healing, Komira is still missing. We discover her curled up against a wall from a number of Harpers. She shrieks at the heroes for failing to save them, for failing to save everyone, about all the horrible things those nurses did to Locke. She couldn't even take his body when she had to sneak out the window. And now everyone's gone.

There are other survivors, we can take you to them.

Arabella needs you, she's in our camp.

I don't need to listen to this.

Harper: It doesn't matter. She's been transforming back and forth the past four hours. The shadow-cursed lands are calling to the curse in her blood. She's a danger to everyone, even if she leaves.

Komira: These accursed lands have taken everything. They've already taken my sanity, I just feel so … weak. The grip I have on myself is slipping, there's only the pain, and the rage, and the sorrow, and this horrible, aching …

Queue werewolf transformation. Étoile cursing Malar's mercy, and calling on the party to hold back.

Defend Komira. (Harpers hostile)

Defend the Harpers. (Komira hostile)

Refuse to take a side. (Komira hostile)

If the player character initiates combat against Komira, Étoile greatly disapproves, but if they let her feed on the corpses of the fallen Harpers (Wyll, Gale, Karlach and Lae'zel disapprove), then Étoile's Paladin Oath breaks, and the Oathbreaker Knight arrives. Komira doesn't transform back at this time, runs off.

The next time the party long rests Étoile swings wildly between being confident that defending Komira was the right thing to do and that they've lost everything that made them a paladin, that made them useful to the party, that made their late werewolf mother proud of them, that connected them to their drow mother and their shared god.

After that long rest Étoile can confide more about their mothers. Including that House Ienith was once the thirteenth House in Menzoberranzan until it was crushed under the young heel of Malice Do'Urden; she had only been a Matron Mother for thirty years. While it had simply been a power play, Malice probably would have had an even easier time of it, if she'd known that the second daughter of the House, Aranea, had not been keeping Lolth in her heart, and was instead entertaining whispers from the Mourning Frost. The information Étoile revealed previously about Sozican was true, but not the whole of it, and they didn't want to seem personally motivated in obtaining the staff, but to think that their mother had once been protected by Auril, and now Étoile has let them both down …

But they're still conflicted, Komira deserved to be treated kindly in her affliction, to be allowed to learn or taught to live, not executed.

Conversely, if Komira is killed Étoile is extremely short with the player character. They feel they've betrayed themself.

Killing Komira:

Shadowheart: This place is one tragedy after another, isn't it? But I think it will be for the best, wouldn't want Komira to injure her daughter in a fit of— Well. It's done now.

Astarion: Werewolves are … undisciplined, unmanageable, extraordinary horrors. How Étoile could keep hope that the tiefling could be saved— It was a sign that they needed to be faced with the reality of things. You did right.

Gale: You know … historically speaking, Lord Urtos Phylund II was a very able patriarch of Waterdeep. Notably, a lycanthrope, and so it was decreed none of his children could inherit his lands or titles, but … It's unfortunate that not more cursed souls aren't given the opportunity to learn to manage such a volatile condition.

Lae'zel: While I do not envy her fate, I imagine Komira would rather die as she was than live as a monster. The soldiers will make far more able allies against the growing threat from the towers. Do not allow the others to lose focus.

Wyll: Étoile might mourn Komira, but those Harpers deserved their lives too. How many more would she have hurt if she'd made her way to Last Light? To Baldur's Gate? Hard decisions need not make hard hearts, but there was a right choice.

Karlach: I dunno, soldier. That was hard. That was— Gods only know how hard her life was before the Descent, and then Elturel — can you imagine being a young mother with a family to worry about in Avernus? And then this … This was all there was for her.

Saving Komira:

Shadowheart: Despite their association with the night, and the dark, werewolves have never been creatures of Shar. It is strange to find Komira corrupted in this way. We should be vigilant for whatever turned her.

Astarion: Do you think our little thief's magic will help or complicate the transition of living with a monstrous mother? They'll make quite the pair.

Gale: Those were just people we killed. They were not opposed to our recovery from the parasites. They were not threatening a member of the group. They were people. Frightened of monsters in the dark. What does that make us.

Lae'zel: The wolf has as much control over her power as a t'phret. They are … like wyrmlings filled with poison. When the beasts lick even themselves they cause serious injuries and blinding scars. She is a danger to herself and all around her. The Harpers were right not to turn their backs.

Wyll: Keep Étoile away from me. They know where I stand on this. I … I cannot believe what you've made me party to. Has the shadow-curse affected your senses?

Karlach: That was … supremely unheroic of us. I mean, how often do you hear of heroes who had to put down an old friend for the greater good? That's— That's why Étoile's Paladin Oath broke. This wasn't a good thing we did … But what's worse is … I don't know that I wouldn't do it again.

The next long rest Komira will join camp, will hug her daughter and tell her that she doesn't know that she can stay. Withers weighs in that her transformations will be restricted to the full moon (and, one day, her own will) once she leaves the shadow-cursed lands, which Arabella needs to do anyway to pursue her destiny. Arabella is afraid of and for her mother, full of grief for her friends and father, and uncertainty. Withers still uses his magic, and assures all that they will be safe on their own.

Quest Act 3:

Étoile is very embarrassed to show you where they were living in the Lower City of Baldur's Gate. I'm adding an alley to the south of the Basilisk Gate or to the east of the Guildhall Entrance. I'm adding an Adventurer's Guild building. Étoile lives near this building but not in it. Some kind of large building that is mixed use, most people rent a room and both operate out of it and live there, selling clothing or tool or shoe repairs, but not clothing or tools or shoes (etc.) themselves, herbs they've home-grown, healing, prestidigitation, and so on. Étoile's been living there a while and so has the benefit of three rooms on an upper floor, away from flooding and theft.

When Étoile goes to investigate if they've been replaced (yes), they find that most of their things have been sold or given to the new family that has moved in, but they have some things they can retrieve. A neighbour or four, perhaps a member of the Adventurer's Guild, is relieved to see that Étoile isn't dead, having been missing for so long, they suggest having a party sometime over the next few days. It isn't the high society party that everyone wishes was in Wyll's or Astarion's quest, it's lower class, in the residential street, but find some nice 'camp' clothes because there'll be drinking and dance, music and gambling — maybe an optional party game, like Charades or Yes And No (that the tadpole squad can cheat at if you like, Étoile disapproves).

Neighbour: I thought you were dead. We should celebrate.

Étoile: We don't have to do that, there's so much terror with the Absolute and —

Neighbour: Precisely. Let's have a few hours to be merry, the 'we may all die tomorrow' kind of merry.

Étoile is right, it's inappropriate.

That sounds wonderful.

Let us get back to you.

In the meantime, because you'll probably want to prepare, the next time at camp, Étoile can be comforted, with the player character having the option to be upset on their behalf over the loss of their home and their things; that was their whole life in there. And Étoile can be gracious about it, tapping their chest, indicating that they have their life; a romantic tilt on this for romanced Étoile (but they still wouldn't call their romantic partner their whole life).

When it comes time to dancing, the player character can choose to dance with Étoile or allow Étoile to choose their partner. If the player character is Étoile's only partner, they will dance with them, and if they are in a polyamorous relationship then Étoile will choose a companion over the player character for this dance. Otherwise Étoile will dance with a random party member.

Afterwards, Étoile will be approached by a pale drow for a dance. They accept.

Étoile: Do I know you?

Sozican: Not in this life. Not for ages. Ienith. I thought you'd be a drow, I— You have no memory of me?

Étoile: (amused) Not in this life. (thoughtful) But …

Sozican: There's much in your soul that's gone unchanged. Your heart. Your faith. The way people love you. ... What drew you to my staff?

Étoile: Your staff?

Sozican: How I mourned you once … this is not the reunion I envisioned. You were not easy to find. Obscured by time, by blood, by Lolth, by Shar. You, a high elf babe with no connection to the chilling dark ... but you found your way to Auril regardless, and to me.

Sozican stops moving, the ground frosts from beneath her outward in all directions slowly, and then all at once in a burst of white-blue light. The music stops and the celebration is frozen. The party finds themselves able to move.

Sozican: The others will thaw, but the hour grows late. (She offers her hand) I would have no other. Come, slay me that i might reincarnate, and someday, in another life, we need no longer be strangers.

Étoile: We need not be strangers in this one.

Sozican: No … Do not ask this of me. Simply take Auril's favor, through force and victory as a champion should, and help me move on, please.

They do not require Auril's favor.

They no longer want Auril's favor. [Étoile disapproves]

They will not fight alone. [Étoile approves]

Auril would have an Oathbreaker? (conditional)

[Persuasion] You don't have to do this.

Sozican, if 1: Then I will fight you all the same.

Étoile, if 2: Do not speak for me.

Étoile, if 3: I would. I would spare you this hardship.

Sozican, if 3: (laughter) Gentle Soul, you will need your allies.

Sozican, if 4: The Orders of mortals are not the tenets of the gods. They have broken no vows to Auril. The frost still welcomes them. Come, and you will see just how much.

If you selected 3 or 4, Étoile begins the fight with the buff Auril's Faithful and is immune to being Frightened or knocked Prone for 4 turns.

Étoile, if 5, Persuasion failed: No, but I'm going to. With or without you.

As if you'd stand a chance without me.

With me, obviously.

Good luck.

It's your funeral.

1 or 2 lead to the fight. 3 or 4 sees Étoile teleported away with Sozican, and they permanently leave the party; whether deceased or otherwise is left up to speculation.

Étoile, if 5, Persuasion succeeded: (gets down on their knees) Sozican, Elderteeth, I cannot risk my life for you while my allies need me.

Sozican, if 5: So much respect for these new lives ... and none for me. (kneels, holds Étoile's shoulder) Perhaps in the next life, Gentle Soul.

Étoile slowly frosts over and turns to ice. Étoile is permanently removed from the party. The party takes 3d6 cold damage as Sozican teleports away.

Sozican teleports the party to a scene of white. A quick look around might make it look like there is a black sky high above, but a longer look around reveals that it is a bowl of onyx, her frost white temple deep in the Underdark, three moving rivers of ice acting as a boundary to the combat map / her lair.

Sozican fights the party with the stats of an Adult White Dragon.

After the fight the player character can still convince Étoile to spare Sozican. Doing so changes Étoile's personality to be more distant and distracted, their smiles are strained and their approval is forever skewed to favor merciful outcomes, even at the cost of their faith. Additionally, Sozican can be summoned in the final battle. If the player character allows Étoile to sacrifice Sozican, Étoile is briefly conflicted but quickly back to themself and expresses their relief that whatever of the past, that they, in this life, feel like releasing Sozican from her grief was the correct choice. They wouldn't wish to suffer that sort of loneliness.

Completing the fight upgrades the Mourning Frost to instead be the Dead of Winter. In addition to the Mourning Frost's previous abilities it is now a +2 weapon and allows wielder to cast Auril's Flowers once per Long Rest.

#long post #baldur's gate 3 #oc tag: étoile #oc tag: sozican

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tathrin · 9 months

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🖤 a dark ship?

[from this ask meme]

I think I have to answer Silvergifting for this one. (And let me also throw you a rec for my brand new Celebrimbor joins the Fellowship AU, with lots of post-Silvergifting trauma baked-in.)

For starters I'm completely obsessed with the very idea of the Gwaith-i-Mírdain and desperately need some kind of hardcore world building 75-chapter story set in Ost-in-Edhil about these crazy smiths and the culture of their city. And of course you cannot talk about Ost-in-Edhil without talking about Sauron, and how he wormed his way into their lives and forges and was probably happier there than he'd ever been in his life before he destroyed it.

But it's about how much they had in common, and how great things could have been if only Annatar had meant any of his pretty lies (and maybe he did, just a little; maybe he wished he did, just a little; a Sauron who is at least tempted to Be Someone Other Than Sauron is my favorite flavor of this; a Sauron who destroys his own happiness, too in his pursuit of his dreams of power and does it anyway...) and how impossibly terrible everything was instead.

Doomed less by the narrative than by yourself: by looking at the blood that stains your own lineage and being forgiving of a maia who has blood and shadows in his own past as a result of wishing that you could ever forgive your family and yourself for their sins (because Celebrimbor might not have known that Annatar was Sauron, but he had to have figured out that something was wrong eventually; had to have made a conscious choice to ignore the warnings of Galadriel and Elrond, even if he didn't want to admit to himself quite how conscious; had to have sensed something off eventually, after so many years of working so closely together, and either decided to ignore it or to accept it because maybe everyone deserves a second chance, right? And what else is Ost-in-Edhil for...?).

Doomed by the knowledge of the horrors that resulted from your family's smith-craft in previous years, and your fear of what your own hands could make as a result; and being coaxed to step beyond the self-imposed limits that you set upon yourself because of that fear. By the fact that you finally, finally feel comfortable and safe enough here working with the Gwaith-i-Mírdain to take a risk in the forge and try something great...and the damnable results of that risk being taken alongside the worst person you could have possibly chosen to craft with, and knowing that you've doomed not just yourself but the world, too...

Knowing that in the end, you've done exactly the sort of damage that you once swore you would never do; that the only good thing left for you to do is to die without giving every last scrap of yourself away again; of having the precious knowledge of the Seven and the Nine dragged from your bleeding lips by the one who'd helped you walk the beautiful paths of their forging in the first place; to have spent so long waiting to show Annatar the glories you achieved with the Three while he was gone, and then realizing too late that their glory was just another form of doom and you could never, ever let him see.

To die at the hands of the lover who taught you to trust yourself again but who was himself lying all along... (But was he lying to you, or to himself?)

There's nothing good about silvergifting, but there could have been. In a kinder world, there would have been; should have been. And that's the appeal, I think: it's the tragedy that was always going to happen, but shouldn't have had to. They should have been able to heal one another from the scars of the First Age and the Years of the Tree; to use the combination of their great skills to heal the world from the damage that Sauron and his Master and the Oath of Fëanor did to Middle-earth; to make things better...

But they didn't. They didn't.

Instead all breaks to ruin and Celebrimbor dies broken in the dark, and love isn't enough to save him; love is only enough to damn him. To lift his shattered dreams like a banner before the Enemy and see his home and all his hopes burn to bitter ashes.

The Lord of Gifts and the Silver-handed Smith should have been able to create beautiful things between them; the most beautiful things seen since the Silmarils. But instead, all they wrought was destruction. Which is another, terrible form of beauty, in its own wretched way.

*Also see this previous post where I ramble deliriously about the joys and horrors of Celebrimbor/Annatar/Narvi.

#emoji shipping asks #asks meme #silvergifting #celebrimbor #sauron #annatar #gwaith i mirdain #shipping

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futurehunt · 3 months

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fuck it just hit me that I’m a court of shadow and ask, Azriel might have to make a choice between his first and most loyal friends, the shadows, and the mate he’s wanted his entire life, Eris (?). The ultimatum of shadow daddy or autumn daddy

A court of shadow and ask 😭😭 I love that.

I obviously don't want to spoil anything but I will say that Azriel 100% does not lose his shadows, they're such an integral part of his character so they're not something I'd ever take away from him.

Azriel is such an interesting character to me because compared to his brothers who are settled down with families + comfortable with their stations in life, Azriel is very much in limbo:

-Azriel doesn't seem to even like the Night Court– openly hates Illyria and Illyrians, hates the Court of Nightmares, has never showed outward love for Velaris in any capacity.

-In five centuries has never established permanent roots in the Night Court in the form of having his own house/apartment (not sure if Rosehall counts since the text implies it's his mother's home). He jumps around living between rooms in his brother's homes. Yes, Cassian and Mor are somewhat similar but we're told Mor has her own home in the countryside + Cassian has his cabin/house in Illyria that he splits his time between and as of ACOSF has the House of Wind as his primary residence.

-Azriel never got the opportunity to forge his own path outside the influence of others. He was released from the cell in his father's keep at the age of eleven due to his shadows, forced to train relentlessly in Windhaven, and his only escape from the Illyrian camp was through employment by Rhysand's father. A job which he's now retained for a little over five hundred years. As described by himself, he's well suited for spy-work but that doesn't erase the fact that he never had the ability to determine his own destiny. His situation has always been driven by survival and dictated by others.

This is a long-winded way of me saying that even though it seems like a tough decision will need to be made, I think you'll find the ending of the fic satisfying because it'll be Azriel finally deciding for himself to choose the path that makes him happiest. Yay for personal growth!

#a court of shadows and ash

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kiigan · 1 month

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@guidemetothedark asked: If Itachi had the ability to revive anyone he wanted to, without any consequences would he?

Very good question!

And the answer is... I don't think he would. But let me tackle this from a few different angles.

ㅤOne, from a very young age, Itachi became familiar with the notion of death and of its inevitability. Humans are born, and then humans die eventually. What matters is what you do in between these two moments, the so-called meaning of life. It's a cycle and a balance that is needed. If somebody, somehow, could live forever, then what would be the point? Would they even value such an existence? Dying is generally perceived as an undesirable thing, of course, and losing a loved one to death is one of the most painful experiences in life - but it is also part of it. You can't just remove it without provoking a possibly catastrophic cascade of effects.

ㅤTwo, and speaking of which, Itachi personally doesn't believe in the "without consequences" argument. Not even in a suspicious manner, rather in knowing that every action has a reaction and every behavior has a consequence. If nothing else, if he was to revive somebody who died, there would be consequences for that person. They would have to adapt, they would have to adjust. And what right does he have to make the choice for them, to assume that they would have wanted to be brought back?

ㅤThree, this ties into something else that is - how could he bring himself to choose who to bring back, to start with? We can think of his parents, it would be an obvious and understandable choice, but then how would he justify bringing back Mikoto but not Fugaku, or vice-versa? Not to mention, despite the tragedy that it was, both of them died on their own terms. They accepted that their actions had brought them to that outcome, and they could even find solace in knowing that their son was also making his own choices and forging his own path, no matter how painful. To bring them back, therefore, would disrespect their choice of accepting responsibility for their actions.

ㅤShisui is another similar example - in a way, he did choose his ending. Yes, he was going to die from the venom anyway, but he chose to take that step first and to make it his own decision to gift Itachi with the power of mangekyou. And, if he was to be brought back, wouldn't it be cruel to make him live in a world where the clan was massacred and all his loved ones (other than Itachi and Sasuke) were gone? And the same reasoning applies even to Kisame. Which, in fact, is a topic very special to them given their chat during their first meeting. No matter who you are, you do not know what kind of human you are until the very end. Something that stuck with Kisame so much that it's what he returned to right before he offered himself to his sharks. Again, wouldn't bringing Kisame back disrespect the choice he made and belittle his growth and development?

ㅤFinally, this can apply also beyond having to choose only one loved one to bring back. Itachi would think, for example, what right does he have to bring a loved one back from the dead when nobody else can afford the same? When thinking of Naruto, what right would he have to choose to bring back, say, Mikoto or Fugaku, but not bring back Kushina or Minato? Even when thinking of a completely random stranger, what right would he have to bring back family or friends for himself but not for that stranger? Why should he be worth more/deserve more than anybody else? Itachi very much believes in a world of justice and equality/equity for all, therefore he would never place himself on a pedestal so to speak.

ㅤAnd... even if he was offered the chance to bring back everybody who once died, to make it fair, I don't think he would have accepted that, either. Because, again, that would have disrupted the natural order of existence and would have been no more than a seemingly perfect world built on a fallacy. In a way, it wouldn't have been much different than the Eye of the Moon plan. And Itachi very much also believes in a world of free will and personal agency, even with the suffering it inherently brings.

#suicide mention cw #guidemetothedark #[headcanons]#ty for asking this was v interesting to think about! <3

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princeescaluswords · 2 years

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You cannot convince me that during Allison's brilliant dark arc, that Chris wasn't having his eyes opened as if looking in a mirror almost and perhaps seeing Kate in his daughter. Was he having flashbacks to his and Kate's upbringing under Gerard's tutelage? He saw her being brainwashed by his father and the path that was leading down.

The Argent's Season 2 arc -- Allison trying to cope with the reality of her own family and her place in it; Chris trying to accept that he was the only hunter who seemed to give a crap about the Code; Victoria putting her own deranged, violent spin on how a mother's desire to protect her children can too often veer into control -- is all about integrity versus corruption.

With their silver bullets forged as testimony to the Code, the Argent family was supposed to be all about an ancient and honorable calling: protecting humanity from monsters who would prey on them, "We hunt those who hunt us." For some, that was true, but for others (Kate and Gerard) they used that calling as a shield for their own selfish actions, the very definition of corruption. Allison, Chris, and Victoria started the series with their integrity intact only for it to be challenged in Season 2.

When you look at Allison's arc from a certain perspective, it's not all that dark. She didn't go after innocents. She didn't try to kill Scott or Lydia. She went after those monsters who were killing human beings: Derek Hale's Pack. It can't be ignored that every single murder (with the exception of the homeless omega) in Seasons 1 and 2 were committed by a Hale or by a Hale beta. That's 14 in less than three months, by the way. And that doesn't even take into account the two times a Hale specifically intended to kill Allison or the very recent battle to keep the Hale Pack from murdering her best friend after failing to do it the first time. As she yelled at Derek in Chaos Rising, where more Hale betas are off to kill people "I'm not the one turning teenagers into killers!"

Then why is it corruption? Because she wasn't trying to uphold the Code when she pursued Derek and his pack; she was using the Code as a cover for her own grief about her mother's death and her own hatred of feeling powerless. Enforcing the Code shouldn't bring her pleasure; it shouldn't be used to deal with her own tragedy or weakness. That is the path she almost didn't avoid, and also why she tried to reform the Code into something more clearly focused on protection rather than vengeance.

Chris's temptation was different. It wasn't one of action; it was one of passivity. It was comfortable to take that role; he was raised to be a soldier, not a leader. But he's not an idiot; he realizes that other members of his family have taken the Code and tossed it out a window. He argues with his father about his tactics, but he doesn't take a stand until the end of the season. He acted as if the Code was all important, but he couldn't bring himself to stand against his father, because that would require him to stand with the creatures he had hunted for most of his life. But, in the end, and he could be criticized for acting too late, he made the choice. "You sometimes find yourself surprised by which side you end up on." (I love how this statement echoes and refutes Kate's earlier statement "And even then, sometimes - You can surprise yourself.")

Chris had to learn that following the Code personally and scrupulously is not enough; it has to be defended. No matter how cowed by his father (and I love how J.R. Bourne showed how intimidated Chris was by his acting choices), the Code is meaningless if he watches people like his sister and his father subvert it. It was a hard lesson. "And if I had done something that night, then maybe my sister wouldn't be the monster that she is today."

Unfortunately, Victoria failed to resist the temptations and fell to corruption. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a mother wanting to protect her daughter from the dangers of the world, especially since Victoria understood the world is filled with monsters. But she, as we can assume all Argent Matriarchs had done, swore to uphold the Code, and Scott was not guilty of anything worthy of death. Her authority doesn't give her the right to execute people for what they might do; no one should have that right.

Regardless of why Derek bit her, her reaction to it was a form of redemption, a way for her character to acknowledge that she had violated the Code by which she had lived her life and to make up for what she had done. We could argue whether her act of atonement went too far or not, but it was an act of integrity in contrast to her earlier act of corruption.

It would be easy to place the Argents into the role of Mindless Bigots, but that would be missing some of the truly great acting and storytelling of Teen Wolf. I'm glad I noticed it.

#allison argent #chris argent #victoria argent #teen wolf meta

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mariacallous · 11 months

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To understand how the American media landscape fractured, one must first understand the brands that forged it. According to Faris Yakob, cofounder of creative consultancy Genius Steals and author of Paid Attention, advertisers created the neutral “view from nowhere” voice in media. In the 19th and 20th centuries, national brands looking to grow customers wouldn’t partner with biased publications. But everything changed when ad tech arrived.

“People started tagging their digital media buys so it wouldn’t appear next to topics like homosexuality, or Covid, to avoid getting into clusters,” Yakob says. “But that means that the news isn’t being funded. If you can pick and choose what topics to fund in news, you can distort what is being reported on, to some degree.”

That distortion, like the US Federal Communications Commission’s abolition of the fairness doctrine in 1987, is part of how America got into this mess. Similar to content recommendation algorithms, audience profiles in digital marketing created micro-targeted ads. Those ads are more valuable on multiple screens. Media executive Euan McLeod recalls growing up when “there was no choice” but to watch what his parents were watching. Now each person in a household might be watching something wildly different, and the shared experience has dissolved. Isolated artists are creating for isolated audiences. Is it any wonder that generative AI seems poised to tailor entertainment to audiences of one?

In this world, we can all be George Lucas, using technology to create special editions. Rick gets on the plane with Ilsa. Jack fits on the door with Rose. Ben Solo lives. As Marvel Comics writer Anthony Oliveira says, Andy Warhol was fascinated by the fact that people everywhere drank the same Coke. But the allure of AI content generation, he says, is the same as the Coca-Cola Freestyle: filling your own cup with someone else’s flavors.

But when everyone can just request the narrative path they want, opportunities to hear other people’s stories greatly diminish. “That is a very sad world to live in, because how else are we gonna be conveying our deepest hopes and wishes, what we think should be a vision of the world we want to live in, what we should worry about?" Yang says. "This is what story and art is for.”

Using AI to sanitize content in regions where certain subjects are banned is already possible, especially if actors yield likeness rights. Generative AI means that studios could edit or change the content of some films without consulting the people who signed a contract based on a script, and the only thing stopping them is the possibility of a defamation suit. It sounds unlikely, until you remember that multiple versions of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse appeared in cinemas.

And animation is an apt comparison: Most changes to entertainment production have made film and TV more like animation or video game development, not less. With current technology, actors can be little more than action figures smashing together, as weightless as they are sexless. With AI, the actors need never leave the trailer. Or exist.

“[Studios will] say it’s for the insurance,” says production designer Blass, suggesting a “Paul Walker scenario” in which a deceased actor’s performance needs generating, because that performance is one of the terms of the film’s business insurance. But in reality, these likenesses could be used to do things that actors would rather not—whether it’s a dangerous stunt or a sex scene.

Generative AI could also be used to edit films in real time, responsive to data-brokered preferences, with algorithms running A/B tests on how much nudity you want based on the customer profile you most closely match.

If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is: In the 1990s, Blockbuster Video refused to stock films like Natural Born Killers and The Last Temptation of Christ. But that tradition goes back even further. Otherwise known as the Hays Code, the Production Code was an industry standard of self-censorship guidelines for major US studios from 1930 to 1968, when it was replaced by the movie ratings system. The Code influenced everything from the Comics Code to parental advisory warnings to video game ratings. It’s why titles from major studios during that period don’t depict graphic violence. It’s also why they lack out-and-proud queer and interracial relationships. But today, a revived Production Code might have very different guidelines. For example, the Pentagon recently announced it would no longer offer technical support to filmmakers who censor their films for the Chinese market.

When I ask McLeod if he thinks America will ever re-adopt the Production Code, he’s unequivocal: “Absolutely. Everything goes in cycles.”

Hollywood’s Future Belongs to People—Not Machines

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direwombat · 2 years

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*kramer voice* it’s like a wednesday in here.

tagged by @funkypoacher, @socially-awkward-skeleton, and @adelaidedrubman to share some wippy stuff today

tagging: @strangefable, @natesofrellis, @thomrainer, @confidentandgood, @noetikat, @aceghosts, @strafethesesinners, @schoute, @purplehairsecretlair, @sstewyhosseini, @harmonyowl and anyone else wanting to share what they have!

stringing words together has been difficult recently, but here’s something vaguely coherent:

When Sybille calls Jacob to meet her in the mountains, she has every intention of killing him.

It was a decision she had made a long time ago. All of the Seeds are dangerous in their own right. John is volatile. Joseph is cunning. Even Faith has a way of distorting reality to her whims. But she’s confident she can find a non-violent solution to neutralize and bring those three to justice. Jacob, on the other hand, based on what she knows about him -- and she knows more than most -- he’s not going to give her any other choice. He’ll die for the Project. For his family. And she gets the distinct feeling that the only way she can bring the others to justice is if he’s six feet under.

Without him, the Cult loses its strength. They’ll be weak. Vulnerable. It’ll only be a matter of time before they crumble and fall apart entirely.

It’s the smart, tactical move.

Killing Jacob means a swifter victory.

It also means killing the only person who’s ever seen her for who she truly is. Not the big sister or quasi-mother figure her brother sees. Not the Deputy or some sort of savior the rest of the county thinks she is.

Her. He sees her. A woman whose fear is only overpowered by her stubbornness and who desperately fights to protect the people of the county because if she can’t do that, then what fucking good is she? He sees how she shoulders the burden of Soldier and Commander. How she bears the familiar mantle and ignores the consuming dread that when this is all said and done, they’re just going to discard her the same way the military did when they deemed her unfit for further service.

Some people -- people like Joseph -- are born for greatness. But people like her, and people like Jacob? They’re born to die, because in the end, they're more useful as martyrs. Tools used to forge the path of victory. Never the victors themselves.

He understands this, and aside from herself, she thinks he’s the only person in the damn county who does. She just wishes he also saw the tragedy in it too.

Which only fucking makes this all the more fucking difficult. To say things are complicated between the two of them would be an understatement. The intense eye contact. The clandestine meetings. The way he fucks and gives her everything she didn’t know she needed -- only you, only you, only you. She’ll never admit it because admitting it would make it real, but there’s a not insignificant part of her that thinks she might love him.

But this is war. Her feelings have no place here and she can’t let them cloud her judgment. She’s better -- stronger -- than that.

So, she called Jacob on their private channel under the usual pretense and told him to pick her up on the road towards their cabin.

#im in that phase where i want to write SO BAD but every time i open a word document my brain goes blank #it's just static in there #anyway here's the wip where google asserted to me that jacob was anti-swiffer mops #wip wednesday #technically john should be dead at this point in the timeline but *shrugs* words flowed better referring to him in present tense #i'll figure that out later *shrugs*

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martianbugsbunny · 1 year

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We Are Mandalorians: Our Love Must Be Forged (An AxePaz Fic)—Chapter 2A

*maniacal laughter* I couldn’t pick what tone I wanted for the scene where Axe and Paz fight on the skiff, so I did two!! Muahahaha! 2A is a little heavier on releasing some genuine anger (but it ends well, don’t worry) and 2B is a bit more fun and flirtatious. This is the only point where I’m doing a split like this, so there’s no need to worry about the fic diverging later on.

Read both if you want to pick your favorite, or if you just find both intriguing. Read one if you don’t like the sound of the other one or you don’t have time to read both. Read neither if you’re not interested. It’s all about options, that’s the point, so read on in whatever combination you like and have fun!

The landing had definitely been smoother than Axe was expecting it to be. Despite Din Djarin and Bo-Katan both assuring the entire party before takeoff that the air wasn’t poisoned and the planet wasn’t cursed, the part of Axe that had watched the destruction of the planet in person all those years ago had doubts.

But when the older Mandalorians had arrived on their piecemeal skiff, Axe had finally accepted the truth: hope was possible. Mandalore really could be his home again. He pulled off his helmet, breathing in deeply, allowing himself to revel in the fact that his boots were once more on Mandalore’s surface.

Paz Vizsla stared at him, then shook his head and boarded the skiff. Even that couldn’t dampen Axe’s mood. So what if Paz thought he was an unfit Mandalorian? Paz had no more authority to make that judgement than anyone.

After about half an hour on the skiff, Axe noticed Paz staring at him again. “Hey! You got a problem?” he called across the deck. “I’d be happy to listen to your complaint, Son of the Watch!”

Paz turned and muttered something to a friend with a bright green helmet. “You look like a man who has had too much to drink, Nite Owl,” Paz returned. His voice carried without raising in volume. “I have my doubts you will be of any use on this mission.”

Axe crossed the deck in a couple of quick strides. It was his turn to go up, chest-to-chest, with his rival and not back away. He tilted his head back to look Paz in the visor. “And you look like a man who has no emotion,” he said. “Perhaps your heart is as rusted out as the Great Forge must be!”

The Nite Owls laughed. Axe crossed his arms, although there was barely enough room between him and Paz to do it. He raised an eyebrow in silent challenge.

Paz stood just a little bit straighter, which somehow made him taller than before. “My heart is solid beskar,” Paz said. “Mandalorian to the core. Not overemotional and flighty as you are. I would not trust you to keep your wits in battle.”

“I wouldn’t trust you not to abandon your fellow warriors in the heat of the fight,” Axe countered.

Paz clenched a fist, as if weighing whether or not it would be worth it to knock Axe to the deck. “What do you say we settle this with a game of strategy?” he offered. “I win, you stop watching my every move and leave my people alone.”

Watching your every move? Axe thought. Look who’s calling the kettle black. “And if I win?”

“That won’t be an issue.”

The other Mandalorians hastily cleared a path as Paz and Axe crossed over to the side of the skiff where a chessboard was attached to the deck. A small container bolted to the table’s side held all the pieces. Axe guessed it was probably the only source of entertainment for the old Mandalorians who had been stuck on the planet, judging by how worn-down the pieces were.

Axe set up the board. He tried to ignore the way Paz sat, large and imposing, across from him. “You move first,” Axe said. “It won’t matter, I can still beat the pants off you.”

He couldn’t help noticing several of his own friends snickering behind him at his choice of words. Grow up, he wanted to snap. “Go ahead,” he prompted again. “I’m waiting.”

Paz was, to Axe’s severe annoyance, a rather clever chess player. Better than Axe, he hated to admit. (He would rather lick rocks than ever say that in earshot of Paz, but it was true.) So, although he was well aware that there were different rulesets for the game across different Mandalorian coverts, even within the same ones, Axe called out one of the moves that wasn’t Nite Owl-standard, to hell with whether or not it was a legitimate move in some sects.

“You can’t move an Enforcer like that,” Axe said.

“It’s a flank jump,” Paz said, with the tone of someone explaining an obvious concept to a stubborn ox. “And you’re about to submit.”

The anger lingering in Axe’s chest overcame him and he couldn’t help himself arguing. “But only the Wing Guard can flank jump,” he said shortly.

“The Enforcer moves like a Wing Guard when it’s flanking,” Paz said. Axe remembered reading that in a comprehensive rulebook once; he didn’t care. The fury in him took over as a response to Paz’s posture—he was arrogant, and he thought he was so right.

“These primitives make up their own rules for everything,” he said, before he could think enough to not. The Children of the Watch standing behind Paz all tensed.

Paz stood, more threat than man, and pulled his vibroblade from its sheath on his arm. “Submit or fight,” he said.

“Well, if those are my choices….” Axe fired up his jetpack to launch a flying kick at Paz. He ducked out of the way and Axe landed back on the deck, now more attuned to his opponent’s speed capabilities. He moved faster with the huge jetpack attached to his back than Axe expected, but not as fast as Axe.

Paz took a few experimental swipes with his vibroblade, which Axe dodged easily. He pulled out his own knife and they parried no less than a dozen strikes in quick succession, sparks flying. Axe almost had a window when Paz elbowed him directly in the neck—he stumbled, then retaliated with a blow to Paz’s gut.

When Paz threw him to the deck, Axe shot out a metal cable from his right gauntlet and brought Paz down with him. Both of their vibroblades fell to the deck with a sharp clang, and Axe knew the second he picked one of them up that it wasn’t his.

Before either he or Paz could give a proper stab with their swapped knives, the Djarin foundling stepped between them. Axe suddenly noticed Bo-Katan Kryze standing at the bow of the ship, watching silently. He stepped back, away from Paz, still glaring at him.

More irritating than anything, than Paz’s attitude or his own self-awareness of how childish he was being, was that Paz was a good fighter. The duel had fed the beast of rage within Axe and stirred the other one; the one he had tried to ignore; the one that screamed Be impressed with his skill!

Paz didn’t move to return Axe’s blade. He holstered it in his gauntlet and turned away from Axe. Axe felt his eyes widen, but didn’t say anything about it. If Paz hadn’t noticed, far be it from him to bring it up. Instead, he put Paz’s knife away in the sheath attached to his own belt. It fit perfectly.

Axe sighed heavily and sat back down at the chess board, staring out at the surface of the planet.

#Paz Vizsla #axe woves #paxe #axepaz #axe x paz #paz x axe #the Mandalorian #mandalorian season 3 #Star Wars #rivals to lovers #(emphasis on rivals rn lol)#fix it #nite owls #children of the watch #mandalore #fic #martianbugsbunny writes fic

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