#this ramble is only slightly cohesive

[dementedfilament]

Ramble time!

So, I was thinking over some things for Ruth while at work!

Well, I didn’t get a solid backstory for her or anything, just a few things here and there. No idea how well it fits in canon since I’ve only kinda skimmed half the series again so far xD

But anyways, some old details I remember for her is that she’s with the Order from the beginning, and doesn’t have her own intro arc like Miranda, Krory, or Timothy. She’s in General Tiedoll’s unit.

Her personality is a bit shy and naive, but hard-working. She admires the others in her team, even Kanda, though she finds him a bit scary. As the series progresses, she learns how to talk to him much more casually. She also wears glasses.

In the very beginning of the series, she tends to keep her hair cut super short, but when Lenalee loses hers, they make a promise to grow their hair out together, since Ruth’s never seen Lenalee with hair shorter than Ruth’s, and Lenalee’s never seen Ruth’s grown out.

Ruth wields a weapon-type Innocence shaped like a bow, but I don’t remember if I named it or not. She doesn’t carry a sheath, as the arrows grow off the bow itself like sort of spike-like objects. When she pulls the spikes off, the arrows will take shape, and the number of them on the bow with slowly regenerate overtime.

I don’t remember all the things I had made her arrows capable of, but I did have a few ideas for her crystal-type version. Now, I’m not sure where her crystal arc would fit in. There’s some time skips here and there in the story, so I thought about maybe having it to where she exhausts herself during the first Level 4 battle and has her arc inbetween that and the Alma arc. (That way she’ll have it by the time the current arc begins to unfold.) Exhausting herself would probably be forcing her Innocence to generate more arrows than she can handle, and having to forcibly hold whatever magic is behind them I guess. Maybe one of her abilities is like a shield? idk let me live-

Anyways, so her crystal type bow obviously looks a little different from her regular type. When not active, it forms into a large cuff on her wrist. What’s different with her new weapon type is the addition of a “scope” that enhances the vision of one eye, which will turn into a set of rings on her opposite hand (I think). The circular ornaments on the rings will form the scope (sorta like Allen’s eye mechanism, except it only enhances her vision and nothing more), and the rings will form a wing-like ornament that hovers in her hand, acting as the bowstring being pulled back. Her arrows will now be formed by her blood, which come out of the stigmata on the backs of her hands.

I imagine she probably has to carry around extra vitamins and things to make up for the blood loss. (And tbh, I had a funny headcanon involving her getting shot by akuma bullets, the virus spreading, and Krory drinks it out of her. A comedic scene of her feeling awkward about it and him being disgusted ensues, then Ruth stumbles into a wall feeling light-headed.) Eventually, besides learning how to use her scope properly (which may include a targeting feature too? I want to say she did have homing variety of arrows in her OG weapon), she also learns that she no longer has to pull the “bowstring” back entirely. She can actually “prep” the bow with the same motion, hold her hand in place, and continually fire without have to redraw the string. Building on this new ability, she eventually begins experimenting with how to fire more, and fire faster, while using less blood. She’ll make small, spherical objects akin to bullets, and instead of maybe doing something shield-like or otherwise being unable to aid her comrades much with it, she can now rapid-fire these bullet projectiles to combat akuma bullets, allowing her comrades to move freely as she defends them. (Her targeting feature could also prevent her from having to move around too much in order to shoot.)

A part of me wants her to begin questioning if there’s more to their war than they’re aware of. Not in a way that she doubts the Innocence or their reason for fighting, but she’s curious as to what the 14th has to do with anything and why the Noah are striving so hard to see him, and why Allen has to be wrapped up in this mess. (This curiosity will probably generally be a part of her personality tbh, which seems fitting for a Tiedoll unit member.)

When Kanda decides to chase after Allen, I kinda want a scene between him and Ruth paralleling the one between Allen and Lenalee (minus the, what I assume to be is, romantic undertones. I honestly don’t ship her with anyone). Except, I kinda wanted it to show her growth in understanding and befriending him, and while searching for him somewhere, she realizes he wouldn’t go a direction the Order could find him in, and manages to pinpoint him by simply knowing his character. She catches up with him and tries to stop him, which he obviously doesn’t. She tells him he’ll become a Fallen, and he’ll say he knows already. So, she’ll ask him to take her with him, as she fears her curiosity into the truth behind their war will cause her to become a Fallen also, so at least neither of them will have to go through it alone. Eventually, he manages to convince her to stay with the Order for the time being, and bids her goodbye.

She’ll probably get caught by the Order and be forced to explain before them why she was speaking with Kanda the night before he disappeared, and what about. She manages to lie and say she didn’t know where he was going, that he was simply “going out” and she didn’t know what that meant. They claim she should have known better, but she uses the excuses that Kanda always fought with Allen, so it was no guarantee he went after him, and that plenty of people had gone out that night for various reasons, thus she had no reason to assume he was going to betray them. They end up letting her go, and Tiedoll asks how she managed to lie so well. She tells him she “learned it from the best”, and Tiedoll also intentionally tells her a small lie about his plans regarding finding Kanda and bringing him home.

Later, when the General and Kanda meet up, he reveals that he brought Ruth with him. (Which...may make the above conversation a bit useless, but these are just a bunch of random ideas I had.) When promoting Kanda to a General, he says that he’ll only allow Kanda to roam outside the Order if he takes Ruth as his new apprentice, which would enable the two to more easily do as they wish without worrying about the Order holding them back. Kanda of course agrees, and Ruth and he have a humorous little conversation about how weird it’ll be for her to call him “General Kanda”, to which he tells her just to refer to him as she always has.

As far as the current stuff goes...she probably got left behind with Johnny and Tiedoll, and I guess we’ll see whenever they eventually find Kanda and Allen.

I feel like I missed something, but...anyways, here’s my big ol’ ramble.

#[ Echoes From the Multiverse ] #D.Gray-Man OC #Ruth Alexander #this ramble is only slightly cohesive #also I've been loving seeing the artstyle progression again #but I've also only read the latter-half of the series SO #I need to like...go back to the beginning actually #lmao

[aphpuffinchild]

since it's out i can finally post my piece for @hws-anthology as well as the timelapse for it. as is arguably all my hetalia work, it's a love letter to my friend @pyrrhocorax 's fic Sendlingur og Sandlóa - i'll ramble a bit about how much it means to me, as well as the symbolism i wormed into this piece below the read more :)

i originally had two pages planned for this piece, potentially more - the fic is a good 74k words long and certainly not light on scenes i could and wanted to pull from, but various things led into other various things and one page was all i could manage, so i tried to cram in what i could, so here's that (in a rough, somewhat arbitrary order of focal points)

the opening chapter! the car is a framing device for the piece as much as it is for the journey the characters will take following that first chapter, so i wanted to use the car window/shapes as a literal framing device in my drawing

joi, shaky at best in his sense of self, sees no reflection in the window, instead there's a silhouetted raven to signify the search he must go on to find it

while not perfectly transcribed by virtue of wonky (plus an extra) line(s), the notes coming from joi's headphones are the opening to the song sendlingur og sandlóa, the fic's namesake, which a loved one kindly transposed by ear for me for the purpose of this piece

in a similar vein, the stickers on joi's suitcase are of a purple sandpiper and a ringed plover, the birds after which the song is named - here they are as transparents and in their original colours

i wanted to create a sliiight impression that joi is the one knocking over the chessboard, representing his repeated rejections of it (both physically, and the things it represents)

the chess pieces were also chosen specifically! originally i was going to use a black rook and a white pawn to match chapter 41, but for the sake of having alternating colours and the rest of my metaphors working (iirc) i swapped those colours around. that, and i wanted to match chapter 13's white king and black pawn - the black pawn stuck, the white king was colour swapped for colour cohesion reasons like the other's. (visual contrast was important to me, but the white queen blending slightly into the sky was okay for symbolism reasons) (there was also black king, white rook from chapter 3, so it all worked out anyway - there's a lot of chess in this story and i only had space for so many pieces and colours, basically)

speaking of which, the black pawn is for joi (chapter 13), the white queen is for halle (someone who, from joi's perspective, can go anywhere, vs joi's pawn, someone to be used -> see chapter 35 and perspective).

the king piece is falling (but hasn't quite fallen) between halle and henrik (chapter 3, 7, 13, though i most clearly thought of 19)

the person in the top right corner is eduard! i desperately wanted to include him because i think he's deserved it, and i considered a lot of ways of working him in, but i think an ambiguous silhouette that isn't Quite part of the main picture works better narratively

note also that he's separated from the other's through a red curtain, to represent the iron curtain (naturally) i wanted it to match ber + tino's part in some way, to sorta emphasise their similar foundations despite being split apart across places

the flowers at eduard's window are placed and chosen purposefully as well! orange/red zinnia's outside (for familial ties, steadfastness, friendship and remembrance) for what eduard puts out in to the world, then lily-of-the-valley for tino and cornflower for him inside to show what he wants to hold close :)

halle and joi are the only characters with their eyes open - halle looks towards the viewer/author/reader/joi, while joi looks away all together. if you've read the fic (which i assume you have because i can't imagine this is interested to read otherwise) you probably don't need me to explain why that reflects their roles in the story

similarly, every character apart from the brothers is turned towards another in some way (eduard does not count when his flowers do, and his role in the story is based around that disconnect partially anyway) tino towards ber and eduard (and hana, i guess), ber towards tino, henrik to halle, halle to henrik (though he looks away - his values are elsewhere even when they are together). joi, at best, looks at his own reflection in the window

the colour scheme, while arbitrarily picked from gradient maps based on what i felt "fit" has been approved by the author as being very "SoS core"

finally, the poem on the note, chapter 46

all that being said, i can and will now talk about my personal relationship with SoS, so unless that interests you i imagine the post is done now! thank you for reading :)

the first comment i posted on SoS is dated 2nd November 2016 - logging into my old account i can see i bookmarked it on the 31st August that same year, so i can safely assume i first read or at least found it then. a month after my first comment, i posted another on a different account, pouring a few bits of my heart out and the author responded! we went back and forth a bit and eventually talked (i think) via tumblr for a little, but the majority of our conversations were via skype for whatever reason (we didn't call, just texted). it was a lot of me looking for writing advice, insight to their work/process/skill, talking about The Brothers and talking about psychology/the brain on a general and personal level. i think if i read our conversations back now i'd cringe, given that i was an awkward, fumbling 16 year old, but i dont think anything else wouldve been fitting given the subject matter. eventually our conversations fizzled out and we stopped talking for years, but i'd go back to SoS routinely and cry.

in may of 2021, i posted another comment during what in hindsight was definitely another relatively minor mental health episode - i think it was half trying to emphasise how important the work was to me on the off chance pyrr saw it, and half a bid for connection since i had no idea if they even remembered us talking. i assumed nothing would come of it, and for about a year that was true - until pyrr responded after all in february of 2022 - i'm happy to say we've been talking consistently on discord since then. i feel a little weird speaking too intimately about our friendship as it is now since it's not just my story to tell (though pyrr, if you're reading this) (i'm sure you are at some point) (you're welcome to talk about it however, i just didn't want to without consulting you) but i can say with some certainty that it's at least a little bit my fault that we have a sequel now - cementing my place as official number #1 fan and validating the me from almost 8 years ago in a way i don't think either of us processes well.

it's here that i feel the need to talk about my other dear friend, @hws-lceland , who i'm grateful to have met through the zine's discord server. i'm sure they're reading this too, and a lot of what our relationship means to me is stuff that's probably a bit too vulnerable for either of us to speak publicly, but i *can* say that i love them very much, and i'm really grateful to have someone else to understand, and that he read SoS for me. i thought he needed it, and i hope i was right

sendlingur is...endlessly important to me. i'm aiming to not write an essay here (a goal i think i've already sorta shot in the foot) but i think it's important for me to talk about some of this a little loudly, all the same. my writing has changed because of the series - remeeting with pyrr and showing them some of my more recent work was interesting since it was apparent even to them the influences i'd taken (to be fair, in one section i explicitly asked and did borrow a format of theirs, but this goes beyond that). when i was 16 i asked my mum to read the fic in a desperate bid to be understood. i've cried reading the fic many, many times. i've signed off letters and poems with my switched around version of i'm sorry / thank you / i love you (i swap the first two around) many, many, many times, including in a close friend's wedding gift. SoS has very sincerely changed my definition of love. the name halle is a part of my abstract mindscape. id already considered changing my name to johannes anyway and this fic certainly didnt help. i've gained a friendship of 7 and a half years through it. i've gained another newer one now, too. i am not well. i wasn't well then, reading it, and it hasn't fixed me (i am worse, now, arguably), but it healed something, or at least made me feel understood. i could go on, and maybe sometime i will (there were so many things i wanted to include in my piece and pay homage to!), but for now i will thank anyone who took the time to read all this (again), and say that i look forward to experiencing the sequel

as always, i'm sorry, thank you, i love you

#hetalia #hetalia nordics #hws iceland #hws norway #hetalia iceland #hetalia norway #hetalia denmark #hetalia sweden #hws sweden #hws estonia #hetalia estonia #hetalia finland #hws finland

[scarletevening]

who would first and how they would confess [ blue lock headcannons ]

Including: Isagi Yoichi, Nagi Seishiro, Bachria Meguru, Kunigami Rensuke

cw: gn reader

𝐈𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐢 𝐘𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢

Him, but probably as an accident. Listening to you ramble about something or another when the look in his eyes turns warm, welcoming a sense of infatuation you never noticed before. Isagi wanted to be the one to say it, to show you how much you truly meant to him, how he noticed every detail about you, the changes in your hair, the slight tire from staying up studying, he noticed everything, and he hoped you did the same for him. That infatuation brought you to look a little deeper than before. Maybe it was the way his lips pouted, and his eyes never left yours, the way his hand gently moved to capture yours. Isagi’s eyes held such grace of warmth that it never felt the same when you looked him in the eye, glad to say he was suave enough to say it in three words. 

𝐍𝐚𝐠𝐢 𝐒𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐨

You, the lazy bastard only burning your face into that (incapable to confess) consciousness of his. Nagi was never one for words, but he couldn’t seem to shut up when it came to you, spending all your lunchtime using his mouth to blabber rather than chew. Something you could have never expected from a guy as sluggish as him. But the passion he had for you burned the same way it did for football. Nagi never wanted to let you go, let alone lose you. So when the conversation steered to another man, his dodgy phrase went along as, “Forget him, I’m the only one you need to focus on”. The cherry tint on his cheeks gave you enough to infer, a grin to return to his jealousy. “I like you Seishiro, I don’t need him”. His eyes glistened as they shot up to stare at you, filled with fluster as he realized you beat him to the punch.

𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐚 𝐌𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐮

Him. It would be at a random instance, no day of the year in particular, just a day. The best of it was his setup. Bachira was a passionate man when it came to his interests, one of them being you. Of course, the two of you had been getting along quite easily, and with a person as fascinating as him, you could hardly call yourself bored at any moment with him, because it was always unpredictable. Keeping up with the prestige of unpredictability was hard, but determination never left Bachira. So the day he showed up at your house, early in the morning when even the birds were asleep, he knocked on your door and handed you a bouquet of freshly picked wildflowers, a surprisingly cohesive set at that. Before you could even question him on his antics, he spoke, “I know it’s early, but I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I like you,” His adorable lopsided grin made your heart chatter, as your flush faced his in the crook of his neck.

𝐊𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐢 𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐤𝐞

Him, trying to fit his superhero model, he pushed past his biggest fear, the fear of rejection. The two of you had been friends and knew each other plenty, but the growing swell of his heart made him too nervous to sacrifice his cherished friendship with you. You were a sunshine he couldn’t bear to think of having removed from his life, but at the same time, he would do anything to keep you in it forever. He wanted it to be forever, beyond just a friendship. When the two of you walked home from the snack shop, back to the computer café, he decided to stop you. The sunset gleams behind your perfect face, bringing out every feature of refined beauty. Your head tilted slightly, confused and curious at his sudden request, “Let’s talk,” but he was too preoccupied with your charm. “Well,” He let out a deep breath, he really was beginning to regret his impulse, “I don’t want to be friends with you anymore.” What. His eyes went wide as he realized what he said, and quickly took in the sheer anguish. Your charming eyes quickly bore tears as you hung your head. “Not like that!” He hid his face in his hands, not daring to peek as you whipped up to look at him, noticing to bright red tips of his ear. “I like you...” 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

ok so the sukuna story is coming along... but im not sure about continuing head cannons/short drabbles like this so please lmk!!

#PLEASEEE #LEAVEEE #REQUESTSSSS #desperate #idk what to write anymoreeee #bllk #bllk headcanons #bllk imagines #bllk nagi #nagi seishiro #nagi #isagi #isagi yoichi #bachira meguru #kunigami #kunigami rensuke #chigiri #isagi x reader #nagi x reader #bachira x reader #kunigami x reader #cute #fluff #romance #confession #bluelock #blue lock #anime #x reader #headcannons

[saoxuan]

hello my loves, my dears!

i am a 21-year-old male looking for new roleplaying partners (anyone 18+) — preferably those who are literate and detailed writers! i have roughly 8-9 years of roleplaying experience at this point for those looking for a partner that’s slightly experienced. i have a decently broad range when it comes to the lengths of my replies as well; i can try to keep responses as short as a paragraph or so, or i can span upwards of 3-5k words and beyond. of course, i also include everything in between!

i’m personally only interested in fandomless, MxM roleplays. i love to create my own characters, storylines, headcanons, and all else with my partners! i adore being able to ramble about ideas and whatnot with my partners, as well as brainstorming plots to create a truly cohesive and unique experience, so if that sounds appealing to you, please reach out. 🖤

i enjoy having smut/nsfw included in my plots. this isn’t always the case, especially depending on whether or not smut is even appropriate for the plot we choose, but please do keep it in mind that i am not necessarily a sfw writer! also, if we do include smut in our roleplays, be aware that i am not looking for anyone who only roleplays as strictly submissive characters. i am a switch, i am happy to portray both submissive and dominant roles, but i get extremely bored when roleplaying with those who only sub. also please be willing to have a conversation about limits and comfort levels regarding nsfw.

like this post and i’ll send you a dm! additionally, i’m happy to provide my discord as it seems that many of you here prefer to communicate there.

(please, forgive me for not being experienced with how to use tumblr for roleplays. i apologize if anything i do/say seems out of place here.)

#roleplay #oc rp #rp finder #literate rp #literate roleplay #discord rp #fandomless rp

[tiredassmage]

It's that time again - update rambles time kdfnalsdfnsd. The short version is, overall, I'm really pleased with this update, but there's... at least one thing missing that did sort of derail me in the end and I'll still need to go back and play it pubside on my Trooper, which I think I might enjoy slightly more for... cohesion of a story's sake, but that's. a) getting a bit into the actual ramble and b) getting my personal blorbo feelings involved which is absolutely what I do here but, let me do it in the right place, lmao.

Mechanically, this was. a really sweet update to me. There's lots of doing in progressing through the story part. The fights are engaging, the action is selling. It doesn't play like a bunch of run to checkpoint x, do y, hand in z, which is very nice. There's. actually a few things to consider. Comparing to 7.2 in Showdown, the action isn't just in the cutscenes this time - it's definitely there, too, I have plenty of nice action shots to add to the blasters out collection, lol - but it's also in the gameplay, at least from my take, so! I've really no complaints from a gameplay perspective thus far.

I haven't worked on any of the dailies or done the little follow up with Lane or whatnot yet because I sort of had my fill with the story for the day and I wanted to check out some of the lighting changes in other parts of the game, hehe! So, might run into other things later, but we'll see.

I also love seeing locations from earlier in the game making a comeback. The little hints here and there are enough to be exciting for me - though I see some people saying missed opportunity to do things with Jorgan and Corso and I will more than likely agree with that. I'd always be a sucker for more references.

Petra's really cool. I love her. Loved meeting her and working with her. As a local Imperial Agent enjoyer, I think it's only natural to say I do love the sneak and spy elements of this update, lol.

I got a lot of what I could've ever hoped to ask for out of this update. I'm just... missing the saboteur options? Which... really threw me at the end. There's at least a place or two that it felt exactly where those sort of options should've come up, but there's at least no directly labeled sight of them around, which is... jarring given Tyr's extensive history as a double agent for the Republic.

It's... a really tricky situation to deal with on Ord though, so that's. how I'm choosing to sort of interpret that one. There are some areas that felt a little too tight on strictly Imperial loyalty for how I typically play him, so it's. It's jarring, in short. One of my disappointment areas, I have to admit. I haven't done any of the dailies, but it looks like it'll end up being interpreted as Imperial support either way - which, fair, I'm playing an impside character, I know, but the lines were very clear on Ossus for where that saboteur option was involved and they even appeared on Manaan. I'm still hoping to see that storyline go somewhere even though there feels like there's a lot of moving parts on the board at the moment.

SO. With that said, onto my giggles and other miscellaneous references because it seems the last several story updates have thematically been reflective and reference-pockmarked for me, lol.

I cannot tell you the way I squealed with excitement to see these two in frame and actually doing something like cooperating.

And also the way I am, once again, haunted by being an Imperial Agent girlie. Because all I can think of in this is Double agent. Triple agent. Do you even know whose lies you're telling anymore?

Primarily, of course, my own feelings about blorbo who's been in the spy business for literally about half his lifetime and a double agent for maybe half of that - now he's going to balance being a double for the Republic with working with Sa'har? Ough. Tyr, babe. I hope you know what you're doing.

He wants to help her. He's wanted to from the start. Sa'har's I'm not sure I -want- to leave, speaking to that I'm not sure I can leave a job unfinished that Tyr is so, so painfully familiar with experiencing. Maybe he's got fleece over his eyes because of his own complicated feelings about working in unseen ways, but he does believe her.

ALSO THIS GIRL. NEARLY GIVIN ME A HEART ATTACK. GIRL I LIKED YOU DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT. Anyway. I love her. I love. Again, one of the most hilarious dialogue wheels you could give this man is I'm no traitor (lie, you've been once since you were in your late twenties, and you're like, what 46ish? It's been a long time since Hutta, agent) / I don't work with traitors (another lie, you're still kissing Theron Shan [Tyr. argues that doesn't count which is the only reason this is the option I went with] / and [Attack]

And then I won't be normal about him taking option 2 and dropping "I'd like to believe I've always been fighting for something greater."

I'm fine. I'm sure I'm fine. [Girl who is constantly plagued by the emotional agonies of maining a double agent.]

ANYWAY. Or perhaps also on that note. Krovos getting a little sharp about his misplaced priorities. Nothing comes of it. Yet. But it's enough to keep my brain stew going and bubbling about the weight of it all.

And it's just. so very Tyr to throw himself in the line of fire trying to keep people he meant to keep out of overcomplicating situations safe.

And I am, overall, just a sucker for the way this update brings it back to... I guess grass roots, you could say. Grounding the story in what's actually happening to places like Ord Mantell, brushing with some of the consequences on people in general - the Hidden Chain stealing supplies, possibly moving people, even, or at least their allies might be - sells the big story in the end, I think. Otherwise, the big, vague prophetic 'the fate of the galaxy sets on your shoulder' doesn't really settle as much. This might be what you're fighting for, or it might be what you're costing along the way. And I just like having that connective tissue that is 'they're here for supplies;' they're rebuilding and moving forward with plans after Ruhnuk, and Malgus's threat that all things will still unfold according to a plan is still lingering around.

[Also, Rass people. The flirts. wtf I love it. They're adorable.]

And I really am just. Such a hopeless sucker for scenes like this. A little slice of just being people in between all the galactic turmoil and heroics.

So, I've still got a fair amount of things to be chewing on! Once I'm through this last week of finals stuff, I'll expect I'll hop on TrooperTyr and go. redamage my emotions further and play it pubside and have a whole other whirlwind of emotions about how he handles it too dlfknsadlkf;sld. For now, time to pop some screenshots into the queue! ^.^

OH. ALSO. Kessing's Landing is fucking beautiful.

#dot talk #swtor spoilers #swtor 7.4 #spoilers #swtor chains in the dark

[jessicas-pi]

9, 13, and 24 for the teenage rebellion au?

Yay, more asks!! :D

9. Is there a scene you wish you could've included, but couldn't? Why?

Gosh, yeah. Ever since the Ahsoka show came out, I've wanted to write a bit where Inquisitor!Ezra is assigned to babysit the newest and youngest addition to the Inquisitorius, except he also has secret plans to meet Sabine that night which he really doesn't want to miss, so he decides to just bring the kid along. What could go wrong? Well, turns out, the answer is A Lot, as the kid, who happens to be Shin Hati, books it the heck out of there the first chance she gets to cause as much chaos and property damage as possible, and what was supposed to be a nice date night turns into a mad dash across Coruscant in something strongly resembling Yzma and Kronk's hunt for Kuzco, if Kuzco was a slightly feral 12-year-old with a laser sword, and Yzma and Kronk were teenagers who couldn't stop flirting long enough to form a cohesive plan besides "follow the sound of traffic accidents and hope for the best," which I realize doesn't sound much like the Emperor's New Groove at all, but trust me, the comedy vibes are the exact same.

Unfortunately, this isn't gonna work, due to the simple fact that Mara is already dubbed Youngest Sister, and Shin is about four years younger than her, so, like... what would they even call her?

13. Write a lil snippet set in this verse.

ohhhh ok ok how about some pain???

She stumbled through the first door she could find--a cluttered supply closet--and scrabbled to release the clasps on her mask, gasping for breath. The coldness rubbed her mind raw, boring into her like blasting sand in a desert storm. She wanted to claw at her own skin until the horrible Darkness drained out of her like drops of blood. She had hoped. She had believed. She thought she could fix things, save just the child if she could save no one else. But the child was older now, and Falling farther and farther, and Anakin was a monster, and the other Inquisitors--people who were once Jedi, people who she once loved--were past hope. All was lost, and the only thing Ahsoka had managed to do was to destroy herself.

24. Ramble about something you haven't gotten to talk about yet.

OOH OK OK SOOO. At first glance, this AU is either a cracky or angsty fic, depending on which way any given story swings, without too much depth in it, where all the fics are named with lyrics from ABBA songs (don't ask me why. I don't know). But!!! There are two big, serious themes in this AU, as well. One is redemption, and the other one, which I'm gonna ramble about, is family. Good family, bad family, blood family, found family--all of it.

The Inquisitors all go by "Brother" and "Sister", and some of them--especially Ezra and Mara--actually do view each other as siblings. (Others... not so much.) Basically, as a whole, the Inquisitorius functions as a big, messed up family. Vader sees Ezra and Mara as the children he lost, but his love for them is selfish and possessive. Even the kids, to a smaller extent, also have an... I don't want to say "unhealthy relationship" because theirs is by far the most healthy dynamic in the whole Inquisitorius, but their relationship definitely isn't optimal, as Ezra's had to be both a brother and a parent to Mara since he was five.

Meanwhile, Sabine is living as a virtual prisoner with her relatives on Coruscant. She feels abandoned by all of her blood family, except for her brother. While she has friends in Luke and Leia, and a motherly figure in Vere, she's extremely lonely and isolated.

But also, there's the Organas, and the Naberries (who adopted Luke,) and even Luke and Leia--though they don't know they're blood siblings (yet). There'a also the Ghost crew (who will be showing up eventually), and while I would really, really love to elaborate on said Ghost crew, as well as SEVERAL other people/groups of people that tie into the theme of GOOD family, I'm not going to, because in this AU, the good family elements mostly tie into the happy ending, so I'd have to spoil a lot of the plot to do it.

#thank you for the ask!!! :) #the teenage rebellion AU #sabezra #fic snippet

[tacit-semantics]

Hello, new follower for fiber arts specifically lace, can you tell me a bit about your filet lace? I know about filet crochet which provides a similar look but I think that's not what you're doing?

Hello!!! I’m gonna go under the cut because I want to add pictures sjsjj. Just as a fair warning, this might not be the most cohesive post on earth- im just gonna ramble, and then link resources at the end. I am also very much a self-taught beginner, so I’m gonna apologize in advance for any potential gaps in knowledge

You are absolutely right about the filet crochet/filet lace thing- similar looks, completely different techniques. Whereas from what I’m seeing with crochet filet you make the net background and the filled-in stitches simultaneously, when I make filet lace I make the net backing first and then embroider directly onto the net. Their patterning does look identical in that they boil down to filled in stitches on a grid, and because of that you’ll see a lot of overlap; I find a lot of information on antique pattern library, and some of the metacommentary you’ll see often enough in the filet/filet crochet sections is that patterns can be used for filet, filet crochet, or sometimes even cross-stitch.

Now granted, I’m assuming there’s a bit of an issue with a direct one-to-one because the type of stitches involved in filet lace- as well as how they relate to the net itself- is different than in filet crochet.

To elaborate: there are two major stitches that you see used in filet lace. One is the darning stitch, and involves only moving the thread under/over the lines on the net itself, thus creating a densely filled square. This is shown below.

The other is the linen or cloth stitch, and involves crossing the working thread over and under both the threads of the net and then the previously laid lines of the working thread. Think like a basket weave. This is intended to make a slightly looser stitch, though the version shown below is also on a larger net than the previous example so the difference is more pronounced:

Now, the thing about either of these stitches is that the way that they are worked means that there are going to be points where the working thread is looped around the threads of the net on the outside of a motif, as shown by this. Questionable graphic (graphic design is not, in fact, a passion of mine):

And traditionally, to complete a piece of filet lace, you’ve gotta go back through with your needle and working thread and move through those edges to simultaneously give your work a bit more shape and then neaten things up a bit. As far as I can figure, the difference in technique means that this is not a concern with filet crochet, and thus, I don’t think that all filet crochet patterns would need to be made with this caveat in mind.

THAT SAID. I think you could make it work. One of my books mentioned that a lot of newer (relatively speaking) filet lace patterns don’t really take that particular part of the technique into account which does. Not really seem to be a good thing, but to be fair one of my books also mentioned that there’s a filet lace technique that involves going back through and doing that outlining with a thicker thread, so I don’t think it’s too much to assume that you could fudge things a little bit to work with grids from across techniques, provided you’re willing to bend a bit on tradition.

Moving on! The netting itself is a bit of an easier story. You can buy machine made net specifically for filet lace! I just do not know where and am also broke, so I make it myself. It uses the same technique you would to make a fishing net, just on a smaller scale. The netting itself can also be used to make lace, which I have also done. Below is a picture I took of the process of making one of my square pieces of netting to be used in filet lace, followed by a piece of netted lace that I made at some point

It’s fun. I like it.

And unfortunately, that’s about all I’ve got right now! I’m gonna link you to another post of mine where someone asked for what I’ve been using to learn this. I will say that the most materially helpful of these so far has been the Elinor’s crafts tutorial on Wordpress.

Good luck!! Hope this helps!!!

#id in alt #ok it fucked up my readmore a little bit but I don’t want to lose all that. so very sorry aksksk #luckily it seems to have worked for the rest!! which is good lord knows I’m not posting all of this with no warning. woe. lace be upon you. #regardless!!! #replies #filet lace #trypophobia #long post

[theres-no-protocol-for-this]

Fandom and Interpretation

There was a discussion in one of my Discord servers that gave me lots of thoughts. And I want to share them here before they're not fandom-specific. I wanted to preface it with this is about fandom holistically and not any particular space. And also that this is neither good nor bad, and I'm not assigning judgment here. It just is. Sometimes.

I think all fandom is ultimately interpretive in nature.

You can't read and ingest content without filtering it through your own experiences, culture, and perceptions. Written work relies on the rather flimsy medium that is words; inaccurate and easily misinterpreted, even on the best of days. When people read Murderbot books, for example, they are inherently imagining a future somewhere out in space that doesn't exist through the lens of perhaps the modern world or the science-fiction tropes they're familiar with or whatever else the books might conjure for them. And once the words are ingested, so to speak, anything the fandom creates only adds to the interpretation.

In my mind, there's no such thing as "accurate canon" or "correctness" in the context of a work. We might all agree that Murderbot is a SecUnit, but what that means to each of us is likely going to be slightly different. We might say that a SecUnit has machine parts, and again, we all define machine parts a little bit differently. It feels good to be right, but I think right is overrated when it comes to almost everything.

In a fandom, it can sometimes feel like there's a particular interpretation that's "correct" (and I use the word in quotes for a reason here). Especially in established fandoms where people have had time to collaborate, some interpretations will naturally emerge as the most likely ones or the ones most people like.

And, as that happens, other, less-common interpretations either fade or become no longer canon compliant. Dividing lines can also form around particular interpretations and concepts. I think it's easy to join a fandom and take these as truth, and it's important to question them and the assumptions that underlie them.

In established fandoms, you also see echoes of their beginnings. Like static from the Big Bang. Before some particular established reading emerges, people often feel freer to interpret the works, and those original musings often find their way into established fandom in a weird game of broken telephone. No longer what the original fan intended but still sort of there. For me, CSU handlers are a great example of this.

I feel like it's important to remember that fandom is ultimately people who are working both together and individually to create a vision of a work that was, in and of itself, an interpretation. Pull apart the illusion of cohesion and underneath you'll find splinters and fractured bits. As should be -- we're all too different to suddenly adopt the exact same trains of thought.

The Borg will not take us this night!

And, once there's a particular interpretation (a ship that people like), some fans will make an effort to make it canonically true. In some way, it's a tug of war about whose interpretation is the most correct by making it extra correct somehow. Voltron had this with Keith and either Lance or Shiro. People would stare at a single line of context and argue its validity (or not) to the point of harassing the voice actors.

And finally, people enjoy media for different reasons. Escapists wanting to read a romance novel probably don't much care that some people read Twilight and wanted Edward jailed as a creepy stalker. The point of reading Twilight, for many, was not to enjoy a realistic depiction of a healthy relationship. So while the interpretation that Edward is an a*hole is valid, most people aren't starting petitions to get him barred from all schools across the fictional US where he resides.

All of these are just my ramblings, thoughts I've had for a while but didn't bother to write. And if I have a point at all, it's that fandom is complex and, like any other human space, should be regarded with minimal reverence. Dance even when you're wrong because "wrong" is relative and dancing is beautiful.

#interpretation #fandom #not saying anything you don't already know

[theotherseapancakes]

Very entertaining to me how one of the most popular tumblr posts I have is me yelling (sleep-deprived) about Chrom's insecurities.

(I rambled this got long im sorry.)

Slightly, SLIGHTLY less funny that it constantly reminds me that was the day a bird broke into our house and refused to leave, though, which is funny, in a horrible way. Because Chrom attracted a Robin, I guess, IDK. It was a small one. (It was not funny at the time. Literally nobody would help us we called EVERYWHERE just had to make our poor roommate come home.) I get notes on that one so often. I feel like Chrom's insecurities SHOULD be obvious, but maybe they're not AS obvious as I thought? Hrmmm. Food for thought. ... I'm putting this on main because I'm scared it'll also blow up somehow--but while I'm here, I'm also thinking about how FEA has some really good leitmotif useage. Like, I think anyone if they just listened to the OST will notice the obvious Id ones (which I tend to feel belong to Robin, as the protag, which makes sense to a degree, but Chrom too) but I feel like rambling specifically about something dumb. Say how "Such Bonds Are The True Strength of This Army" has such a simple melody that gets reused in so so many pieces. It's really good stuff; Nintendo music is always leitmotif heavy in the best ways but it's not absent here. It makes the game feel cohesive to me. Also I can't think of many times I've heard the notes to Id Purpose also in other songs. It's present in Sorrow for obvious reasons but I still just. Gosh, I fucking love this game. I know it's a mess, I know it has issues. I know, I know. But fuck if it doesn't compel me. I don't ask much of my fiction. Just engross and compel me. Sell me on your characters. And I can't deny awakening does that. Sitting here rotating Robin in my head and Chrom and thinking about how their relationships really do mean the difference between so much. Grima is so lonely (the latest FB event makes this doubly obvious I would say) and Robin is so surrounded by friends and allies. That shit hurts. Like, imagine if you made all these friends only to be told by the universe, hey, no, fuck you, giant dragon time. Anyway everyone should go play the gay awakening mod and also my game about anime chess people, it was the one that introduced easy mode gdi. GO PLAY IT PLEASEI M ON MY KNEES CRYING AND BEATING THE FLOOR.

#grimleal trash heap; #fire emblem rambling #i just have so many feelings #like not even the lascivious kind i just #Chrom and Robin hit me in the SPECIAL BUCK DESTINY tropes so hard and NNNGHHH #also as seen with my OCs #i love a good drastic difference pairing where they compliment each other #or a friendship even

[stranger-nightmare]

Walking in on Eddie, in his boxers, on his floor his tongue sticking out slightly as he sees on a patch you got him onto his D.I.O vest, right over his heart are just

“One second babe, just trying not to…ow shit! Well stabbed my self anyway”

Also you know he rips any hole in his pants bigger just to get it over with and because

“It’s already there might as well make it look cohesive”

*Also the fact Eddie is based on Damion Echols, from the very real true crime case of the west Memphis 3 is chilling because the accuracy of how Jason and the town is reacting is very much like the true case. If people don’t know about the west Memphis 3. It was a case of three boys who were found murdered in horrible ways, and everyone, the police, the judge, were all so fucking stupid that they blamed 3 very much innocent teenage boys for the crimes, all believing that Damion was somehow the ring leader behind it all, because they wore black and liked metal music and were seen as ‘outsiders’ to the community, like no joke the main sheriff of the town had it out to get Damion for no real reason besides how he looked and dressed, They were put on death row in 1993-1994 and only got out in 2017 and now are going through the courts to fully get the justice they were denied and hopefully it find the real killers of the little boys. But yeah ramble over. Look up the case it’s wild how the police said ‘oh he wears black and listens to metal? Yep satanic cult member’ like satanic panic was real back in the day when dnd came out and all that*

-🎸😈

honestly the image of him just working on his clothes is so cute to me, and just think of the excitement on his face every time you get him a new patch, like he doesn’t even wait he just goes and sows it on immediately

ooh I didn’t know that, I’m not really into true crime so I don’t know the case but yeah that’s super interesting! I find it so funny that people like Eddie who dress like that and listen to heavy metal are seen as being scary and intimidating and violent etc. when honestly in my experience they’re usually the absolute nicest people you’ll ever meet

you know who is usually violent and scary?? umm jocks…

- hope

#the answer to your nightmare #🎸😈 anon #stranger things #eddie munson

[gillianthecat]

The Devil Judge: Episode 7

I just finished The Devil Judge and something about this show compelled me to take copious notes - it had emotional intensity and layers of mystery. These are long and rambling, so they're likely not of interest to anyone else, but since I spent all that time writing it I decided, why not post it. Perhaps someone will find it interesting.

Below are my moment-to-moment reactions, predictions and analysis as I watched episode 7.

eps 1&2  ep3  ep4  ep5  ep6  ep7  ep8  ep9   ep10  ep11  ep12  ep13  ep14  ep15  ep16

I wrote about my initial impressions, up to episode 5, here and here.

This is cleaned up only slightly. I followed the spelling given in the Viki subtitles. I mostly don't explain what I'm reacting to, so this will probably only make sense if you've seen the episode recently. Occasionally I give timestamps.

I'm worried all the plots and counterplots won't make sense. But they usually don't; it's just about the vibes. Which would be fine, but it would be really exciting if they day. 

Getting more focus on the tv/public image mob rule stuff, and I'm starting to think the show is not going to have much meaningful or interesting to say on the topic. I think because the public is portrayed as a single entity, credulous and easily swayed, so they're just a pawn in the political game. And there isn't much to say about pawns. At first I was hopeful because of the aesthetics of the show, but it turns out the focus is on the powerful. 

So if public attention and/or opinion is useful in anyone's plots we'll see it, but otherwise it will be ignored. Or if they want it for its vibe and aesthetic. 

Is Judge Oh really this naïve? She seems to be a stand-in for the public. so yes she's going to be shown as naïve, to voice what the person-on-the-street might be thinking. Which is too bad because I thought she was going to be interesting with her poor rural background, her ambition, and her interest in playing the media game. But I suspect any cohesiveness as a character she might have will get drowned if the story needs a mouthpiece for public opinion. Hopefully I'm wrong. She will still be ambitious etc, but only when it's convenient for the story. 

Of course Judge Kang would hire someone he thought he could manipulate easily. 

And now she's maybe being insightful again?

She's also sometimes expressing the extreme distillation of G's thoughts of feeling. 

Judge Oh and her upside down reflection in the glass table as she's thinking about how to political intrigue. 

(7:30) JSA's glass walled stone and metal house.  Very empty and full of reflections. 

This skincare routine looks like product placement but I don't think it is. JSA just never drops her mask, even alone. Has she forgotten she had any other self? Does she not trust that she's ever alone? When your whole house is windows...

(8:20) And it turns out she wasn't alone. Does Jae Hui live with her? I'm curious about their relationship. 

JSA backstory implications? Real emotions? 

What is honest and what is performance here, and who is she performing for? 

Interesting. This is the first time we've seen her with no sexuality in her performance of self. She performing big sister instead. 

She was 12 when she started at the Kangs'

Oh, and she's switched back to her seductive persona, perhaps?. She's dropped whatever honesty was involved, and I'm pretty sure there was some honesty there.  But this is another kind of honest, maybe even more so, she's telling them her core belief and I think she really wants to help them. She's big sister again 

Does she not think any of the adults here are important enough to harm her? Or is she caught up in identifying with the girls so she doesn't really notice them? 

Is that what she did to chairmen Seo? 

That heartbreaking question at 16:45. 

Did JSA kill her mother at 12? Oh shit. Well she killed now. 

(18:00) Elijah. Thank you for asking the question for me. 

Immediately following the orphanage we get E and Y's argument about guardianship. 

Oh my god this whole scene was amazing.

(25:46) An all out media war was instigated. Prez evoking xenophobia. Paying for tips? 

I love these rows of journalists on their laptops at student desks. Echos of JSA's speech? 

Wife thinks he went too far. 

(28 ish) How the 5 gained power. And their eventual plot to build a concentration camp?!

Y was playing the politics game with G. Y thinks risk is fun. but G is too earnest and brought in the domestic.  have you thought about Elijah?  their real selves in the judges’ chambers

Episode 7, 30 minutes in and G has joined Y in his plotting for the first time! 

Fuck he's sexy 

That was the plot? Fake like he received an envelope from them? Ok, he Sets them all against each other. They're not that bright, but that's ok it would needlessly complicate the plot if they were. 

Y loves the risk. Adrenaline junkie. He's so happy now, he's playing games against his enemies and winning and he comes home to his crush working alongside him on his lifelong project. (I'm sure he will crash soon, but his life is great now!)

Presidential basement. 

Journey to the prison:

G has been repressing his desire for revenge. 

I would have taken a different message from that than Kang is trying to give. 

Is this the moment of corruption? Here in the prison yard?

I feel like we're finally seeing Seon Ah’s true face as she murders Seo. Anger and grief 

White was a bold choice for a murder. Contrasting Y in his all black. 

Huh, this ‘coronation’ framed like a Christian wedding 

eps 1&2  ep3  ep4  ep5  ep6  ep7  ep8  ep9   ep10  ep11  ep12  ep13  ep14  ep15  ep16

#the devil judge episode 7 #kind of like liveblogging #the devil judge reaction #the devil judge #the devil judge spoilers #reaction by gillianthecat

[macaronnya]

Fresh(?) Impressions (2)

Other parts: |Trickstar| |UNDEAD| |2wink| |Ra*bits| |Akatsuki| |fine| |Ryuseitai| |Knights| |Valkyrie| |Switch| |MaM/Double Face/Crazy:B| |Eden| |Alkaloid|

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Hello Enstarries~☆ It hasn't been 24h yet but lucky enough, I'm a master procrastinator so here's the next part with UNDEAD already. This whole series is probably more like me talking in an echo chamber but that's also alright. I couldn't eternalise my first thoughts from other games, which is quite a shame. So this will be a nice memory to look at when someday the game ends and enough time has passed for my opinions on them to have changed. I sure hope that that someday is still very far away.

Anyways here's my last post about Trickstar, if you're curious enough and want more info about me and enstars. And the next one as well, if I'm committed enough to continue.

|Prev| |Next| See above ⬆️

DISCLAIMER!: Everything said here is for entertainment purposes only and not meant to attack anyone. This is not an accurate description of any characters but my subjective rambling for fun, so please don't take it too seriously. (Just to be safe, I'm kinda scared of elite idol fans) Also, you will hear me mention other games a bunch of times bc I'm that bad and uncreative at explaining and I'm still grieving A3!EN's shutdown. Eng is my 2nd or 3rd language so you might see weird spelling or grammar. I like to think I'm pretty decent, though...

Without further ado....Let's Ensemble!☆

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Ah yes, the sexyish bad boy group. Military aesthetic once more but make them goth. All their uniforms are slightly different from each other but still cohesive, which is nothing groundbreaking but I just wanted to mention I love stuff like this. And these outfits in general. Really cool stuff. Also, everyone has different gloves. Purple is my fav color so I might be biased. Their songs are more rock 'n roll with a lot of guitars, which isn't exactly my go to genre but it's nice to listen to it sometimes. Melody in the Dark & Valentine Eve's Nightmare are my favs. They also sing with these oldies microphones, which is cool but looks a bit funny when they gotta take the whole thing to switch places. Surface aside, they're all much sweeter than their image leads on?? Like, I was surprised upon reading their Ep.1.

7.5/10 - I like them a bit, mainly for their color scheme but I think I'll like them for more as well

Rei Sakuma

I thought he was some mysterious flirt, who will tease and entice you to do flirty stuff but he's actually a nice old vampire next door. His vocabulary and tech knowledge may be from the 19th century but he drinks his respect women (& tomato) juice 👍I know he sleeps in a coffin and has a younger brother who hates him for some reason, so there's something he may have fucked up....He's also very pretty. Possibly one of the prettiest one out of the whole cast. His voice is very attractive as well, sounds like melted chocolate.

8/10 - i like him, he's pretty, polite, lives with a distinct lowkey flair, this card is amazing

Kaoru Hakaze

Flirty boys often make me weak. Not bc I actually fall for their flirting but I like what hides beneath that. Be it trauma (Ikki, Amesia), shyness (Inigo, FE:Awakening), dorkiness (Impey, Code:Realize). I knew instinctively he's one of them and his panicking monologue Ep.1 that lasts for ⅓ of the time was my proof. I don't think he's christian (like smn else) even though he has a cross necklace here. It would fit more with Rei's vampire package but whatever. He seems easy to fluster, which is just the cherry on top. His voice is also nice, melodic and sweet but only like 65% chocolate.

8.5/10 - Cute but hot as well, I wonder what more he hides

Koga Ogami

Wild and rowdy. I know he jumped on poor Anzu on her first day. Imagine falling on your face bc of some rude dog boy on your first school day smh. I used to mistake him for Izumi and vice versa. Similiar hairstyle and haircolor, though his color scheme is warmer. Idk why he insists on being taking the saying lone wolf so literally but if it works 🤷‍♀️ He really went at it during Nightless World's MV with his guitar. Surprised he composes but somehow also not. I guess, he's just very creative and passionate, hence his wolf persona.

6/10 - he's not average but also not that interesting

Adonis Otogari

What a gentleman. He reminds me of Guy (A3!) what with him being rather stoic and looking slightly intimidating but is actually quite caring. And he might have important parents in his homeland? Maybe it's not that special tho, considering he's attending a private academy and looking at the rest of the cast....He's probably the tsukkomi from his unit. Might have the patience of a saint. I didn't expect him to have such a deep voice and it felt a bit off at first, but maybe that's just bc I was still playing A3! and there's another character with the same VA, who's quite different. This is the second time I see this VA in an idol franchise, the idol in question is Gaku from Idolish7. His unit's vibe is also similiar. I forgot to mention it but FORBIDDEN RAIN is an absolute banger as well.

7/10 - I look forward to getting to know him better

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Conclusion

This group is one of the more normal units, I think, which is pretty telling of the other ones. Overall on a more favourable side. I dig their costumes and voices.

Reading their Ep.1 made me question whether I suddenly shifted games or smth. Especially Kaoru's??? He's so funny panicking and being all "I'm usually so much coolee why is she so cute? 😣". Rei's manner of speech and the library made me think of these isekai manwhas on the rise. Adonis was suddenly talking about world disasters (ain't that hitting close home) and his guilt of not being of more help and slight desire to just stay in safe Japan but ultimately not regretting helping his land. And Koga is struggling to find his individual self after finally finding a place to belong. Like, what is this tone shift from Trickstar!? I guess, this is a sneek peak to what we will see more of in future events and character development? Do characters have that here?

Anways, feel free to comment whatever and share some thoughts. Until next post!~☆

#ensemble stars #enstars #I think I slowly get how formatting works #macaron rambles #UNDEAD

[deenoss]

Chapter Eleven: Psychosocial Whirlpool

Friday

Being caught in such a major conspiracy really played with Max Caulfield's head. Her being captured by the true culprit behind Rachel Amber's murder and the ownership of the Dark Room turned out to be none other than her photography teacher, Mr Jefferson. When Max regained consciousness, she found herself seated uncomfortably in a chair she was bound to by layers of duct tape. It took her time to sober up from being drugged until she came to her senses.

Groggily, Max corrected her position and observed her surroundings where her mind completely registered the fact that she was the new victim of the Dark Room and its conspirator, Mark Jefferson. In front of Max was a camera on her right, active lighting equipment on her left and a trolley filled with chemicals, gloves, syringes, capsules, unmarked boxes, a red folder and a manila-coloured folder.

To Max's horror, Victoria Chase was unconscious beside her with tape around her ankles and wrists. Her throat was dry but she managed to let out a cry for help if by the highly impossible chance that somebody would come to her rescue. Her hands and feet fought against the tape, to no current avail, until her right foot managed to break free and pulled the trolley closer. Max noticed a photograph of herself unconscious on the floor similarly to Victoria.

By focusing on the photograph, Max's powers enabled her to take over her past subconsciousness. The first thing that came into her view was a body hunched down with a camera lens pointed at her face which had become relatively focused in her sight which began to regain focus from being drugged. There were camera shots taken while a haunting voice filled her ears as she slowly regained control of her body.

"... the angle highlights your purity, see? The slightly unconscious model is often the most open and honest. No vanity or posing, just... pure expression. Oh Christ. Look at that perfect face." Mr Jefferson spoke with an unsettling tone that sent a chill throughout Max's body.

She only just gained enough feeling in her body to feel Mr Jefferson pinch her left leg with his hand to reposition it. Rolling her head, Max caused her former teacher's temper before he lashed out at her verbally with a tone he never thought he would use against his favourite student.

"Hold that stare there! STAY! STILL!!" Mr Jefferson snapped.

His temper settled almost immediately when he resumed taking photographs of the eighteen year-old. She moved a second time when he was attempting to get a headshot of her.

"Oh, Max. You fucked up my shot!" Mr Jefferson barked when his tone shifted to a more gentle, creepier one. "But please don't worry. We have all the time in the world... for now. I knew you were special the second I saw your 'selfie'. Yes, I still hate that word. But I love the purity of your own image. Not like Rachel, who was always looking in the wrong places. Poor Rachel. Wait... Let me try this angle."

Mr Jefferson took various angled shots of Max while she was temporarily immobilised on the cold white floor.

"Oh, much better. Thanks Max. If only Nathan could see this setup. He tried so hard, but you can't just throw a few subjects around and expect a cohesive style or theme. But he had an eye for shadows. And an eye for a whole lot more, as his elite family will find out, along with Arcadia Bay. Nice... Good... Oh, those eyes. Stop. Moving!"

The more she came to infuriate Mr Jefferson, the more he struggled to hold it together - his rambling delayed his administering another dosage to render her unconscious.

"It's just too bad you're so goddamn nosy, Max. But this room is under twenty-four-seven surveillance. So all I had to do was text you from Nathan's phone and you fell right into my hands. Luckily I managed to lose my tail. But don't you worry your pretty little head, Max. I let them live... this once. You really should have focused on schoolwork, not private detecting with your little friend."

"Chloe..." Max groaned.

"Chloe, right. Yeah, I'm sorry that I killed her... that Nathan killed her - in self-defence. But she had a troubled history like most Arcadia Bay drop-outs. Nobody will be surprised, or care. Though I promise, people will care when you die soon, Max. I wasn't lying when I said you had a gift. Okay. Now this looks good. Maybe just a few more close-ups. Max, please do not move so much. I need you posed and framed my way! Maybe a new dosage will calm you down."

"No... no, no."

Mr Jefferson placed his expensive camera on a tray he pulled towards the end of Max's body whilst he prepared a dosage to inject her with. His carelessness in leaving the syringe capsule cost him greatly when Max used the strength in her leg to kick the trolley, thus resulting in the folder filled with completed photographs of Mr Jefferson's. As a result, Mr Jefferson injected her with the dosage which snapped Max out of that memory.

Upon returning to reality, Max at the same time to hear Victoria Chase waking up from her being drugged multiple times so that Mr Jefferson could secure photographs of the illustrious popular schoolgirl. With Victoria being conscious enough to converse with her, Max explained the danger they were in and how Mr Jefferson was the true threat, not Nathan. Using another photograph to capture her previous subconscious, Max entered that photographic reality.

While Max was rendered into slumber so that her subconsciousness could toy with reality, Mr Jefferson had been away for some time, only to walk in on Victoria crying for help. The short-haired blonde's heart raced when Mr Jefferson entered the room. His presence alone terrified her as his twisted thoughts only gave her more reason to panic that her life was about to end.

"I must admit... you're not exactly my type of girl, Victoria," said Mr Jefferson. "But I do admire your courage and your dedication to getting what you want. And now you have it."

"Why... Why are you doing this?" Victoria sobbed.

Mr Jefferson chuckled evilly. "Simply put, I'm obsessed with the idea of capturing that moment: innocence evolves into corruption. That shift from black to white to grey, and beyond. Most models are cynical. They lose that naiveté. However, some Blackwell students carry their hope and optimism with them like... an aura. And those lucky few become my models; my subjects."

"You're a madman! Let me go! Where's Nathan?!"

"Sorry, Victoria. I may need you for a few more... Oh, oh... oh wait, no. Actually... I have something else planned for you."

Tears streamed down Victoria's face as she fought against the tape around her wrists and ankles when Mr Jefferson administered a large dosage into his syringe. His footsteps clapped against the tiles as he approached Victoria and injected said dosage into her neck. Kneeling down, Mr Jefferson placed his index and middle finger on her neck and focused on her pulse until there was none.

Once Mr Jefferson confirmed that there was no pulse, he grabbed Victoria by her legs and dragged her out of the room in order to dispose of the body while Max remained unconscious in the centre chair. Upon his return, he proceeded to burn all of Max's photos and her diary some time before she woke up. The scent of burning paper had dissipated from the air when she woke up and questioned her current predicament after believing she'd altered reality once again.

In shock of her repetitive situation, Max fought against her restraints and noticed that Mr Jefferson was standing in front of her, talking to somebody who had been zoned out until that moment. A strange feeling tickled her philtrum that he also noticed and took a moment of brief kindness to wipe her philtrum before he produced a glass of water and fed it to her before he added half a loaf of bread.  

"Such an elegant creature you are, Max. It's such a shame you won't last much longer. There's a storm a-brewing, Max... Jesus. It's like you're back in my class - you're still spacing out. It might be cool if you took one of your patented selfies now. The transformation between the old Max and the new Max."

Her head craned around to where she last saw Victoria. To Max's disappointment, the schoolgirl was nowhere to be seen. Max's eyes carried disappoint when she found absence from a person whom she had almost found closure with.  

"Oh, I had to let Victoria go." Mr Jefferson explained briefly.

"You let her...?"

"Don't be stupid, okay? She's exactly where she deserves to be."

"No..."

"Oh, as if you care."

From a saddened expression to that of a hardened one, Max looked up and stared crossly at him which he seemed to ignore her new desire to make him pay.

"You could have won the contest, but you destroyed your own beautiful photo," said Mr Jefferson. "What a waste. Sorry. I burned all your stuff. I got a little carried away. Especially since you've developed from nerd to hero within a week. There's something weird going on with you."

The lights flickered, briefly capturing their attention. Max was the only one between the two as to what was really going on. Others outside of the Dark Room were getting the full experience of the storm that had hit Arcadia Bay.

"Whoa! Did you see how crazy it is outside? Like I said... something weird. There's that fear. Oh Max... it's an honour working with you on these final sessions. I hope these images will truly be appreciated for what they truly capture. At least that's the last lecture you'll ever have to hear from me. And I promise you... no more nosebleeds."

"Mr Jefferson! You don't know what's happening!"

He shushed her as he approached his tray to acquire a final dose for Max Caulfield. "Quiet, Max. It'll all be over soon. I promise, the final dose won't hurt."

Max had all but accepted her fate when suddenly there was an intervention. Both she and Mr Jefferson were shocked to hear that somebody had managed to locate the Dark Room to save her. Quietly, Mr Jefferson dropped the loaded syringe on the tray and picked up a tripod and hid around a corner, waiting for the intruder to appear.

To Max's relief, David Madsen had walked around the corner - looking the wrong way - which resulted in him being jumped by Mr Jefferson. The former photography teacher exclaimed at the sight of the security guard of Blackwell Academy before he dropped the tripod carelessly and retrieved the syringe he was to inject Max with. Fortunately, she only just got her hand free to rewind time before Mr Jefferson was made aware of David's presence.

Multiple errors that resulted in David's death worried Max that her headaches would become too much to bear and that she would make the same mistake which would result in David's permanent demise. Eventually, Max was able to concentrate and focus on how she could give David the upper hand. By kicking the trolley towards Mr Jefferson, he was briefly distracted distracted received a few punches from David.

"Jefferson, it's over!"

"You are not going to stop me!" Mr Jefferson disagreed.

When Mr Jefferson booked it for the shelf on the opposite side of the room to retrieve a handgun, Max used her feet to tug on a wire connected to some lighting equipment and delayed her corrupt teacher so that David could knock him unconscious.

"Max, are you alright? Are you hurt?" David questioned anxiously.

"I'm... I'm fine. David, how did you find me? I thought I couldn't--" Max stammered.

"You've got (Y/n) Donohue to thank for that. He brought me straight here after the party a couple days ago. Said that he followed Jefferson from the junkyard carrying you into his car but he was a bit too wasted. Probably 'cause of that Vortex party if you ask me."

It came as quite the surprise to hear that (Y/n) was responsible for reaching out to David in order to free her from captivity. If she would get the chance, she'd be sure to thank him immensely for taking part n her rescue. Once she was freed, Max shared a quick conversation with David where she felt obligated to tell him the truth about Chloe's fate, as with him being her step-father.

It broke her heart to see him hurt, but the more time she wasted, the lives that were lost in the storm. While David grovelled and mourned the loss of his step-daughter, Max collected Mr Jefferson's car keys and rushed out of the Dark Room in order to reach Arcadia Bay in hopes of figuring out how she could prevent Chloe's death. Fortunately, it was through her friend Warren who held the key. With no time to lose, Max headed for the Two Whales Diner.

#max caulfield #david madsen #mark jefferson #kidnapping #photoshoot #kate marsh x reader

[avalonsaesthetic]

hey! it's been ages since we chatted wips, i actually only realized you had a new account like, last week! what story have you been working on lately? feel free to use this as an excuse to ramble!

Hey Katie!

Yeah I just kinda rebranded, since I was mostly reblogging aesthetics anyway lol.

I'm still working primarily on the fifth anniversary edition of Like Falling Stars! I've got five chapters re-edited and seven to go. I'm having someone else format the interior for me this time because I hate formatting. It's nice to get to re-experience this story and immerse myself in it again. I'm not making any major changes since it's an anniversary edition and I don't want it to tell a different story from the original but there is one scene I think I'm going to alter slightly and add more context to, in order to make the tone feel more cohesive.

Wbu?

[phantom-le6]

Ramble of the month June 2023: Phase 2 of the Batman Begins-Led DCEU

This ramble is coming so late in the month of June simply because I wasn’t quite sure what to write about.  I had hoped to land on something a bit more general current affairs or otherwise different from my usual run of Marvel and DC-related articles, but the one idea I have in that line is very much in its infancy and will take a while to work out how best to do.  As such, I’ve decided to quickly put my alternate DCEU up to the same level as my 90’s MCU that I did a ramble for last month.

With my alternate DCEU, as those who read my March ramble will remember, the idea was that Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins is used to kick-off a wider continuity, producing what I would hope was a better, more consistent and cohesive superhero film universe.  To recap, the alternate DCEU I’ve come up with begins in 2005 with Batman Begins and works on a basis of one film a year, then two as the momentum builds, and the break-down of those films is as follows:

2005: Batman Begins

2006: Man of Steel

2007: Wonder Woman

2008: The Dark Knight, Green Lantern

2009: The Flash, Man of Steel 2

2010: Aquaman, Justice League

Going into the second stage of this alternate DCEU, the films shift into the three-per-year pattern I also use in my 90’s-based alternate MCU.  The slate for this hypothetical DCEU phase 2 breaks down like so:

2011: Wonder Woman 2, Green Lantern 2, Green Arrow

2012: Hawkman, Batman/Superman, Aquaman 2

2013: John Constantine, The Flash 2, Suicide Squad

2014: Justice League 2, Green Arrow 2, Batman: The Long Crusade

 As you can see, solo hero film sequels make up a fair chunk of the phase, but so do introductions for more solo heroes, and we also get more films based around teams and ensemble casts.  How do these then interconnect to tell a story?  Well so far, Batman’s first two solo films went much the way Nolan made them in real life, but with the cover-up of Harvey Dent’s crimes, etc. in the Dark Knight being done in a pro-Batman way, enabling his inclusion in the Justice League.  Superman got his solo introduction in an earlier version of Man of Steel, then better defined himself with the aid of Martian Manhunter against the likes of Lex Luthor and Metallo in a sequel.

 In turn, Wonder Woman’s origins remain very much World War I-centric in this film-verse, the Flash gets his introduction in a clash with the Rogues instead of doing Flashpoint, while Green Lantern goes through a revised origin based on the ret-con done when Hal Jordan was resurrected in the comics.  As for Aquaman, that film is designed around the 2018 version, but changing some elements as well (Aquaman learns about his Atlantean origins as an adult, his mother is only usurped rather than executed, etc.)  This all then leads to a Justice League film where the League battles the White Martians, based on Grant Morrison’s JLA: New World Order.

With this as our foundation point, let’s look at what the phase 2 films offer.

Wonder Woman 2 (2011) Directed by Gates McFadden

Diana/Wonder Woman = Kate Beckinsale

King Faraday = Bradley Cooper

Maxwell Lord = Zachary Quinto

Barbara Ann Minerva/Cheetah = Kirsten Wiig

Paula Von Gunther = Diane Kruger

Sensei = Chow Yun-Fat

This film borrows only slightly from Wonder Woman 84 of the real DCEU.  It involves Diana, Maxwell Lord, Cheetah and the Dreamstone, but a lot about it is also changed.  The film is set in the 1960’s during the Vietnam war, and Wonder Woman is coerced into helping government agent King Faraday hunt down rogue businessman Maxwell Lord and Nazi war criminal Paula Von Gunther, both of whom seek the Dreamstone. The villains are also accompanied by the reluctant archaeologist Barbara Ann Minerva, and their quest takes them to Nanda Parbat for the final act, bringing them into conflict with Ra’s Al Ghul’s predecessor Sensei (since Ra’s got white-washed in Batman Begins by the casting of Liam Neeson, we can’t claim Sensei as Ra’s father as per the comics).

 I’ve retained Gates McFadden as director from my alternate version of the first Wonder Woman, and Kate Beckinsale as my alternate Wonder Woman, while Kirsten Wiig is the only carry-over from Wonder Woman 84.  Everyone else is a fresh casting, and I’ve very purposely left Steve Trevor (played in this alternate DCEU by Heath Ledger to leave the Joker role for Willem Dafoe).  Comics have a bad tendency towards not letting death stick, and except for a small handful of cases, I don’t think it’s a habit the films should follow.

Green Lantern 2 (2011) Directed by Matthew Vaughan

Green Lantern/Hal Jordan = Ben Affleck

Carol Ferris = Liv Tyler

*John Stewart = Derek Luke

*Guy Gardner = Damian Lewis

Thaal Sinestro = Mark Strong

*Katma Tui = Mila Kunis

Kilowog = Tyrese Gibson

Tomar-Re = Hugh Laurie

Salaak = Dominic West

Arisia Rrab = Anna Paquin

*Boodikka = Gina Carano

*Ke'Haan = Kevin Durand

*Laira = Emma Stone

*Kreon = Ryan Philippe

Carl Ferris = Kurt Russell

Tom Kalmaku = Taika Waititi

Andy = Connor Trinneer

Biff = Josh Lucas

Ganthet = Patrick Stewart

Sayd = Glenn Close

Appa Ali Apsa = Hugo Weaving

*Lyssa Drak = Angelina Jolie

*Arkillo = John Cena

*Amon Sur = Ben Foster

*Romat-Ru = Ian McShane

 With our first GL film bringing Hal Jordan into the corps and having him and Sinestro team-up to take down Black Hand and Atrocitus, the second now has room to really play with the Hal-Sinestro dynamic. In this film, Sinestro goes rogue early on and is imprisoned by the crops, only to be broken out by members of his fledling Sinestro-Corps, the fear-wielding Yellow Lanterns that are the antithesis of the Green Lanterns.  As the Green Lanterns are rocked by the rise of the Yellow Lanterns, Hal is forced to find his trust again and recruits fellow humans Guy Gardner and John Stewart to aid him against Sinestro.

 Again, we’re keeping the director from a first film into a second, and much of the cast is retained from the earlier film.  For ease of reference, the new additions for this film are marked with asterisks, and those from Lyssa Drak down are all Yellow Lanterns; every other new character added is a member of the Green Lantern Corps.  Where possible, I’ve tried to go for notable actors who I feel can really create the sense that we’re watching two corps of ring-wielding warriors; one group very much a kind of space-police, the others more like terror-wielding space-maniacs.

Green Arrow (2011) Directed by Simon West

Oliver Queen/Green Arrow = Ethan Hawke

Dinah Lance/Black Canary = Malin Akerman

John Diggle = Gary Dourdan

Felicity Smoak = Elisabeth Moss

Robert Queen = Michael Ironside

Moira Queen = Julie Hagerty

Count Vertigo/Werner Zytle = Christoph Waltz

Tommy Merlyn/Dark Archer = Dean Cain

William Tockman/Clock King = Bill Irwin

Floyd Lawton/Deadshot = Christian Slater

Hellhound/Kai = Archie Kao

China White = Kelly Hu

The emerald archer is someone DC has constantly talked about giving a solo film to, but somehow never seem to get around to, something that’s rather surprising considering the character’s efficacy in recent years kicking off TV’s Arrowverse continuity.  As such, I really wanted my hypothetical DCEU to give this character the cinematic chance DC and Warner Brothers don’t seem to be offering. Going through various films I know to come up with a good director, I’ve landed on Simon West of The Mechanic and various other action films to lead on this one.

 For the title role, I picked Ethan Hawke based on an age similarity to the actors I’ve already picked out for Green Lantern and Flash, since Green Arrow is closer to those heroes than to most others when joining the Justice League. As such, picking someone too much younger or older risks creating a mentor/mentee relationship instead.  It also doesn’t hurt that Hawke is a good actor, and for his co-lead, co-hero and love interest, I’ve picked Malin Akerman based on her performance in Watchmen.

 Other cast members mostly vary from notable film actors to CSI alumni.  My notable options in terms of picking up anyone who has had other DC-related roles include Dean Cain (Superman in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman), Michael Ironside (the voice of Darkseid in the DC Animated Universe) and Christian Slater, who plays Deadshot in the DC Animated Movie Universe.  I’m also aware Kelly Hu plays the role of China White in the Arrow TV series, and decided this was a casting worthy of transfer into my alternate DCEU.

Hawkman (2012) Directed by Kenneth Branagh

Carter Hall/Hawkman = Sullivan Stapleton

Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl = Jessica Alba

Carl Sands/Shadow Thief = Rupert Friend

James Craddock/Gentleman Ghost = Benedict Cumberbatch

Khufu = Adrian Lester

Chay-Ara = Naomie Harris

Hath-Set = Colin Salmon

Cinnamon = Bryce Dallas-Howard

Nighthawk = Chris Pratt

Commissioner Emmett = Robert Wagner

Stewart Frazier = Anthony Mackie

Professor Ziegler = John Rhys-Davies

Emma Ziegler = Reese Witherspoon

Hawkman is one of those superheroes who really needs his own film before you go shoving him into team films, something the people on Black Adam didn’t realise apparently.  After all, this guy is one-half of a regularly reincarnating duo, and frankly learning this has somewhat spoiled my affection for the old Justice League animated series by bringing in Hawkgirl alone.  Regardless, it’s something best done in its own film, and this time I’ve picked Thor director Ken Branagh, based on his work on both Thor and the most recent film version of Death on the Nile.

 The fun thing about Hawkman and Hawkgirl is they reincarnate, so any film focusing on the pair for origin purposes can shift between time periods, and in the process use different actors for the roles.  Black British actors Adrian Lester and Naomie Harris play the pair in their Ancient Egyptian incarnations opposite Collin Salmon, while their “wild west” incarnations are played by Jurassic World duo Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas-Howard.  This leaves the modern versions to be played by Sullivan Stapleton (300: Rise of an Empire) and Jessica Alba (Fantastic Four, Sin City).  Rupert Friend and Benedict Cumberbatch then play the modern-day antagonists, each with roots in those past lives.  A few notable actors then round out the cast in some supporting roles.

Batman/Superman (2012) Directed by Rob Marshall

Bruce Wayne/Batman = Christian Bale

Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent = Brandon Routh

Lex Luthor = Kelsey Grammer

Mercy Graves = Scarlett Johannsen

Alfred Pennyworth = Michael Caine

Lois Lane = Kate Bosworth

Dabney Donovan = Emile Hirsch

Joseph Martin/Atomic Skull = John Cena

General Swanwick = Harry Lennix

Dr Emil Hamilton = Richard Schiff

James "Jim" Gordon = Gary Oldman

Capt. Maggie Sawyer = Jeri Ryan

Insp. Turpin = Colin Farrell

Jim Harper/Guardian = Bobby Cannavale

Jefferson Pierce/Black Lightning = Jamie Foxx

Rex Mason/Metamorpho = Karl Urban

Tatsu Yamashiro/Katana = Devon Aoki

Prince Brian Markov/Geo-Force = Daniel Brühl

Jennifer Lynn-Hayden/Jade = Rachel Nichols

Amanda Waller = Viola Davis

Rick Flag Jr. = Joel Kinnaman

Floyd Lawton/Deadshot = Christian Slater

Captain Boomerang/Digger Harkness = Hugh Jackman

John Corbin/Metallo = Orlando Bloom

Killer Frost/Louise Lincoln = Amanda Seyfried

Major Disaster/Paul Booker = Dave Bautista

Parasite/Rudy Jones = Alexander Skarsgård

Count Vertigo/Werner Zytle = Christoph Waltz

Unlike Snyder’s Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, I’m not trying to do a hero-on-hero clash based on an Elseworlds graphic novel.  Instead, I’m taking my cue for this one from the DC animated film Superman/Batman: Public Enemies.  Much like that film, this one would have Superman framed by Lex Luthor for the murder of a supervillain.  As the government and public alike turn against him, Superman has to turn to Batman for aid in proving his innocence.  The government’s efforts at apprehending Superman result in the enlistment of the Suicide Squad, giving the villain team an intro ahead of their own film, and to combat them, Batman brings in the Outsiders.

 As a result, this film becomes something of an ensemble picture, which is a key reason why Rob Marshall is my chosen director.  Marshall directed the fourth instalment in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, as well as the recent live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.  Such films doubtless give him not only experience in directing the fantastical, but also dealing with large ensemble casts.  Speaking of which, the film retains a fair number of actors from the Batman and Superman solo films of this alternate DCEU, and most notably pairs Christian Bale with Brandon Routh in the title roles.  John Cena also gets a second DCEU role, as he also appears as Arkillo in Green Lantern 2.  Both roles would be mo-cap CGI, though, so factor in appropriate voice effects for each role and it’s an easy double-cast to excuse.

 As for the two teams involved, the Outsiders have largely gone unused in film, with only the misplaced Katana turning up in the Suicide Squad film of 2016, and I’ve recast that role to Devon Aoki simply because that’s an actress I’m aware of.  In turn, the only Suicide Squad casting I’ve retained from the 2016 film has been Viola Davis and Joel Kinnaman.  The rest of the squad is either gathered from this film-verse’s past instalments (Deadshot, Boomerang, Metallo and Vertigo), or they’re new to this film (Killer Frost, Disaster and Parasite).  The squad’s selection, in turn, is about combining fan favourites with villains who can put Superman in jeopardy.

Aquaman 2 (2012) Directed by Jonathan Frakes

Arthur Curry/Aquaman = Chris Pine

Thomas Curry = Bill Pullman

Atlanna = Kim Catrall

Mera = Felicity Jones

Orm/Ocean Master = Taylor Kitsch

Vulko = Jonathan Frakes

Dr Stephen Chin = Tadanobu Asano

Black Manta = Idris Elba

Scavenger/Peter Mortimer = James Franco

Siren/Hila = Felicity Jones

Aqualad/Garth = Luke Benward

Yes folks, I’ve brought back Trek actor/director Jonathan Frakes to helm the second Aquaman film while also reprising the role of Vulko.  With Aquaman now ruling Atlantis and preparing to marry Mera, and the treacherous Orm now imprisoned, Black Manta returns for revenge, aided by Mera’s villainous twin sister Siren and human criminal Scavenger.  This film is also the first to start in on the idea of superhero apprentices by bringing in Garth, better known to comic fans as Aqualad, or Tempest to use his latter-day codename.  The cast is largely unchanged from film 1, and Siren being a twin to Mera allows for an obvious double-casting in those roles.  As a result, only James Franco and Luke Benward are new additions.  Franco, of course, is well known for roles in the Raimi-Maguire Spider-Man trilogy, the first film in the rebooted Planet of the Apes continuity and various others. Benward, by comparison, is a former Disney Channel actor with a decent filmography even by the time of this film, and he is of an age to integrate well with others I’ve cast with a view to setting up for a Teen Titans film or two down the line.

John Constantine (2013) Directed by Sam Raimi

John Constantine = Matt Ryan

Zatanna = Katrina Law

Jason Blood/Etrigan = Eddie Redmayne

Alec Holland/Swamp Thing = David Harbour

Dr Fate/Kent Nelson = Mads Mikkelsen

Inza Nelson = Tessa Thompson

Morgan Le Fey = Elizabeth Hurley

Mordred = Will Poulter

Felix Faust = Brad Douriff

Enchantress/Dr June Moone = Keira Knightley/Natalie Portman

Solomon Grundy = Andy Serkis

Having learned that Constantine is Liverpudlian in the comics, I’m certainly avoiding the use of Keanu and other non-British actors for the role in this alternate DCEU.  The Americanisation of non-US roles is something I can’t stand generally, and when it’s done to a character from any part of Britain, I get even more ticked. As such, I’ve retained the Arrowverse and DCAMU choice for the role, Matt Ryan, going into this film.  It’s largely a one-off, but the film has Constantine dealing with the return of Morgan Le Gey and her son Mordred, figures from Arthurian history, aided along the way by several other mystic heroes. Unlike the DCAMU’s Justice League Dark, this film isn’t about a team-up; rather, it’s more of an Indiana Jones-meets-horror adventure, with Zatanna and Jason Blood being the only ones along for the ride in the long-haul.

 Given the horror aspect, I’d be putting this film in Sam Raimi’s hands, and throwing in a veritable who’s who of quality actors.  For the Enchantress, I’ve actually cast two women to play the role for one very simple reason.  The Enchantress of DC lore is a separate entity from the woman she possesses, and I think casting two actresses that can appear similar to play each character is a different way to do that.  Since two people pretending to be one was a trick Keira Knightly and Natalie Portman had to pull in the Star Wars film The Phantom Menace, I think it’s a good idea to use that same casting here as an homage.  As for Bruce Campbell, I’ve not put him on the cast list but I know he’d show up in a suitable comedy relief moment.  An obnoxious American tourist Constantine could put some minor curse on for a quick laugh seems appropriate.

The Flash 2 (2013) Directed by JJ Abrams

Barry Allen/The Flash = Matt Damon

Iris West = Drew Barrymore

Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash = Jake Gyllenhaal

Wallace "Wally" West/Kid Flash = Calum Worthy

Det. Ira West = William Sadler

Dr Henry Allen = Harrison Ford

Darryl Fyre = William Russ

Capt. Singh = Faran Tahir

Patty Spivot = Cameron Diaz

Tina McGee = Pauley Perrette

Francisco "Cisco" Ramone/Vibe = Wilmer Valderrama

Ralph Dibney/Elongated Man = Ben Savage

Sue Dearborn = Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Mari McCabe/Vixen = Lupita Nyong'o

Captain Cold/Leonard Snart = Rob Lowe

Heatwave/Mick Rory = Ron Perlman

The second Flash film sees the Flash becoming increasingly established as Central City’s de facto superhero, even inspiring other metahumans to become heroes.  However, it isn’t long before Barry finds his new life in jeopardy, thanks to the sociopathic nature of time-travelling speedster Eobard Thawne, otherwise known as the Reverse-Flash.  This film brings back much of the first film’s cast, with Jake Gyllenhaal taking on the villain role as Wilmer Valerrama (NCIS), Ben Savage (Boy Meets World and Girl Meets World) and Lupita Nyong’o (Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) play the hero roles. Mary Elizabeth Winstead then rounds out the roles by playing Sue Dearborn, the love interest for fledgling hero Elongated Man.

 Director-wise, we’re again unchanged from original to sequel; I picked Abrams for his work on the rebooted Star Trek films, and for now I think he’s still the one to direct the Flash.  That’s not to say all sequels in this film run, or in my 90’s-based MCU, will retain the same director for each hero or team.  It just happens that in this case, I’ve kept a lot of the titles consistent because I honestly think the less you can change your director and any recurring cast roles, the better.

Suicide Squad (2013) Directed by Guy Ritchie

Amanda Waller = Viola Davis

Rick Flag Jr. = Joel Kinnaman

Floyd Lawton/Deadshot = Christian Slater

Captain Boomerang/Digger Harkness = Hugh Jackman

Killer Frost/Louise Lincoln = Amanda Seyfried

Hellhound/Kai = Archie Kao

Mirror Master/Sam Scudder = Terrence Howard

Garfield Lynns/Firefly = Chaning Tatum

Ben Turner/Bronze Tiger = Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Sameer Park/Copperhead = Sendhil Ramamurthy

Siobhan Smythe/Silver Banshee = Katie McGrath

Bette San Souce/Plastique = Elisha Cuthbert

Eric Needham/Black Spider = Mehcad Brooks

Brian Durlin/Savant = Michael Rooker

Roman Sionis/Black Mask = Ewan McGregor

General Wade Eiling = Clancy Brown

King = Cuba Gooding Jr.

Queen = Jennifer Lopez

Jack = Mark Whalberg

Ten = Jaimie Alexander

Ace = Chris Hemsworth

For this film, I feel it’s to go with Guy Ritchie as director, as his work directing films like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels makes him a natural fit for covering a film that’s all about criminals.  In this film, the plot would be about Black Mask hiring the Royal Flush Gang to steal classified military intelligence.  The intel is in three parts, and the Suicide Squad is called in. Their mission; either capture the Royal Flush Gang for interrogation or follow them to find out where Black Mask is hiding the intel.  Again, this is a huge ensemble cast, and the film will inevitably involve a body-count by its very nature.  The cast includes a huge number of notable actors, some of which are brought over from other roles in TV’s Arrowverse.  The only repeat from the DCEU not previously mentioned in this ramble is of course Michael Rooker as Savant, which is a transferred casting from James Gunn’s Suicide Squad film.

Justice League 2 (2014) Directed by Alan Taylor

Bruce Wayne/Batman = Christian Bale

Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent = Brandon Routh

Diana/Wonder Woman = Kate Beckinsale

Green Lantern/Hal Jordan = Ben Affleck

Barry Allen/The Flash = Matt Damon

J'onn J'onzz/Martian Manhunter = Chiwetel Ejiofor

Arthur Curry/Aquaman = Chris Pine

Vandal Savage = Gerard Butler

Talia Al Ghul = Marion Cotillard

Giganta = Hayley Atwell

Amazo = Steve Austin

Professor Anthony Ivo = Brent Spiner

Lex Luthor = Kelsey Grammer

William Hand/Black Hand = Wes Bentley

Weather Wizard/Mark Mardon = Michael Fassbender

Black Manta = Idris Elba

Solomon Grundy = Andy Serkis

Alfred Pennyworth = Michael Caine

Lois Lane = Kate Bosworth

Snapper Carr = Josh Duhamel

Iris West = Drew Barrymore

Carol Ferris = Liv Tyler

The second Justice League film follows a similar tact to the animated DC film Justice League: Doom.  In other words, a major villain manages to uncover contingency plans Batman developed to take down his fellow heroes if they went rogue. These plans are then adapted and used against the Justice League.  Both films are based on JLA: Tower of Babel, but in our film as with the animated version, the lead villain role shifts from Ra’s Al Ghul to Vandal Savage. However, I’ve included Talia because we’re now way off Nolan’s original Batman trilogy, and yet I still want to see the thread of Talia’s vengeance on Bruce retained.  Also, Talia stole Batman’s contingency plans in the comics, so it’s a good way to get back to being true-to-source.

 Much of the cast is recurring from past films, with only a handful of the villains being fresh additions on this film.  I also add in Amazo and his creator Professor Ivo as opening villains, with Amazo later coming back for certain plot-points.  Since Amazo is an android, I thought it would be fund having Brent Spiner, who played Data in Star Trek: TNG, appearing as Amazo’s creator. The whole thing is directed by Alan Taylor, who I think did a good job on Thor: The Dark World despite popular opinion to the contrary.  I’d be curious to see how he handled a Justice League film instead, especially one with all the twists and turns this one would involve.

Green Arrow 2 (2014) Directed by Simon West

Oliver Queen/Green Arrow = Ethan Hawke

Dinah Lance/Black Canary = Malin Akerman

John Diggle = Gary Dourdan

Felicity Smoak = Elisabeth Moss

Roy Harper/Speedy = Cameron Monaghan

Moira Queen = Julie Hagerty

Grant Wilson/Ravager = Andrew Garfield

Carrie Cutter/Cupid = Serinda Swan

Prometheus = Sebastian Stan

Dr Arthur Light = James McAvoy

Barry Allen/The Flash = Matt Damon

Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent = Brandon Routh

Diana/Wonder Woman = Kate Beckinsale

In this second Green Arrow film, the Justice League approaches Oliver Queen about replacing Batman on the team.  Oliver, however, initially refuses because while he disagrees with Batman’s methods, he is aware the League lacks sufficient regard for the idea that fail-safes should exist.  When a group of villains then manage to make three of the League go rogue, it falls to Green Arrow, Black Canary and young hero Speedy to set things right.  While things kind of work out and result in Ollie joining the league, Wonder Woman leaves because she isn’t willing to concede her objection to the idea of checks and balances.

Once again, the director and most of the case are consistent from film 1 to film 2. Beyond the guest appearances of some League members, the new cast is all bound up in addition of Cameron Monaghan (the proto-Joker in TV series Gotham) and our quartet of villains.

Batman: The Long Crusade (2014) Directed by Matt Reeves

Bruce Wayne/Batman = Christian Bale

Alfred Pennyworth = Michael Caine

Richard “Dick” Grayson/Robin = Patrick Schwarzenegger

Lucius Fox = Morgan Freeman

James "Jim" Gordon = Gary Oldman

Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin = Sean Astin

Arnold Stromwell = Steve Buscemi

Rupert Thorne = Vincent D'Onofrio

Tony Zucco = Robert Iler

Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow = Cillian Murphy

Dr Lesley Thompkins = Rene Russo

Det. Harvey Bullock = Donal Logue

Det. Renee Montoya = Penelope Cruz

Det. Crispus Allen = Djimon Honsou

Det. Peter Foley = Matt Le Blanc

For the third solo Batman film, and the last one in this phase, things change a lot more.  First off, the directorial reins transfer to Matt Reeves.  Second, we’re dealing with a Batman who is on the outs with the Justice League following the events of JL2.  At the same time, a gang war is brewing in Gotham between the Penguin and rival mob bosses Arnold Stromwell and Rupert Thorne, following Black Mask’s fall in Suicide Squad.  In the midst of all this, Stromwell’s nephew Tony Zucco returns, having killed the parent of Richard “Dick” Grayson a year earlier.

 The film is essentially looking at Batman trying to distance himself from others due to trust issues, only to be made to realise he can’t do this, and just because some of his fellow heroes haven’t understood him or his ways doesn’t mean others don’t understand him.  Again, we have a fair number of returning cast members, but also plenty of new ones, include Patrick Schwarzenegger, son of the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger, taking on the role of Robin. The film also expands Batman’s supporting cast by working in more notable members of the GCPD and Bruce’s surrogate mother figure, Dr Lesley Thompkins.

 So, that concludes the second instalment in our alternate DCEU for the time being. Hopefully I can think of enough other things to discuss in future rambles to keep us from coming back to this or my 90’s-based MCU too soon.  However, if there’s sufficient positive response, I can always come back to both in due course.  Anyway, until the next ramble, ta-ta for now.

[woozi]

beloved yza 🤍 how do you like the cb?

AL OMG???????? HIIIII THIS IS SUCH A NICE SURPRISE 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

this might be long and rambly as shit but since u asked 😋 i really am SAURRRRR excited!!! i really have forgotten what svt cbs were like bc i got so incredibly busy but im SOOO so glad i'm here for it again <33 i haven't participated in anything else like i used to before (i.e: watching all the interviews, keeping up w/ all the appearances n shit 😭), so i haven't seen anything else aside from the mv & medley/did anything aside from listening to the whole EP. HOWEVER!! i can definitely say it well exceeded my expectations! for me svt comebacks just kept getting bigger and better since attacca, and honestly the pre-cb hype and General Good Vibes we were getting from that era just kept getting carried over their more recent releases! i'm glad there's that kind of energy (on my end at least) with their cbs!! and honestly, i'm so so happy to see them getting the recognition their unceasing hard work deserves. they're not a loud group, if that makes sense (like, when u ask ppl outside of korea abt kpop groups they most likely would not mention svt off the bat), but they really are so stable and they're only consistently getting bigger not only because of all the work, but also because of how well they just treat carats as well. it really does feel like we're a team to a certain extent 🥹

honestly my only gripe this time is abt the faded mono life concept bc idk... i feel like the company concept has been used and reused to death (and we've already seen so many similar concepts from the boys), but i also acknowledge that they're trying to fit it all into the fml overarching theme (and the title alone is v smart!!), but i really wish we had a ver with the traditional fits 😔 ALSO ICB I'VE MANIFESTED THIS i literally have been mentioning how i wanted crazy concept photos like the a.c.e hanbok ones to my irl carat friends and seeing it come to fruition makes me feel successful LMFAOO

there r so many things i'm glad abt w this comeback, esp chorus center dino <33 so deserved if i might say so heheheh. (im just going to ignore woozi btw) but i also fear i have cemented my dolly traits 😭 the mv for super was also such a nice surprise to me (but i also feel slightly bamboozled bc, again, this was so diff from the concept photo teasers just like attacca era as well lmfao). AND SPEAKING OF THE MV AND THE SONG ITSELF, I REALLY LIKE HOW SVT SUPER IS??? ik people say svt isn't sticking to their distinct sound anymore, but from the concept (that really speaks a lot about woozi, and which is also giving me a sense of shared childhood bc i also grew up watching dbz lmfao), THE LYRICS, and just the performance aspect of it all... it's so svt to me <333 i fr luv my team and luv my crew. ALSO LOVE THE REFERENCES THEYVE PLANTED IN THERE, everything's really well thought of. the composition of the song itself too is so fresh to me, i love how they structured the song and the way there r sm variations!! the double title track was also a smart choice it JUST makes so much sense

tracklist wise, i'm generally pleased with all of them tbh <33 also liking FML (the title track) a lot more than i expected!!! i was expecting to like it the least ngl, but not bc she's a shite track but the Sound we got from the medley just wasn't what i usually gravitate to. i expected it to be 'FML 👹' and not 'fml 😔' based on what theyve been saying tbh NDNJDJD i also fucking LOOOVE fire so much, as a noise enjoyer she's my top song rn <33 i really appreciate how they gave us a more varied sound this time around (while still being cohesive), and i really think they were able to highlight each unit's strengths so well. ALSO OBSESSED W THE PERF U SONG <333 they really never fucking miss!!! that being said though i hope we get more crazy subunits in the future (i.e: a diff mix of members) <33

i feel like i still have sm to say but i've forgotten them all bc i'm so excited LMFAOO BUT ENOUGH ABOUT ME WHAT ABOUT UUU <33 HOW HAVE U BEEN WHAT R UR THOUGHTS ON THE CB HOW R WE FEELING ABT SHORT HAIRED WONU AND HOCHI EYELINER 👁️

#really so glad to see u in my lil inbox 🥹🥹🥹 #thanks for checking in this made my day a LOOT better 🥰🥰🥰 #hope you're having a great one al u deserve no less 😋 #al 🎇 #smingi #y.ask #long post