He who controls the shadows.
He who commands the dead.
This was just a quick contrasts practice and also I really wanted to draw him
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@dolphinatsea
He who controls the shadows.
He who commands the dead.
This was just a quick contrasts practice and also I really wanted to draw him

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Season 2, episode 8!
Vankaskan's undead torture chamber is really something. It makes perfect sense for him, though.
Why must this be the last episode when Vega is saying he's sailing towards the Cluster Isles?? I want to see the Cluster Isles!! I trust this team to design them well! And I wonder what this means for the terms of his exile -- is he just ignoring them? Is he hoping that the Catlord armada won't be able to stop him because he's too fast? I have so many questions!
(I like that Vega jumps over the couch to sit on it instead of walking around it, though. I'm so glad they preserved his eccentric ways of sitting!!)
And Hector's nightmares about necromancy continue to be a great representation of its grip on him!
(I also love the lighting in Vega's room from the stained glass windows!)
I love the small detail that when Whitley asks, "Baba Korga, is that you?", she technically doesn't say yes.
And yay, Chancer is back! And Whitley and Gretchen are in charge!
Yes, Drew is down a hand! (I'm sorry for Drew, but I was hoping they wouldn't shy away from his worst injuries from the book, especially since this is a disability he's left with and has to navigate for the rest of the series). It seems like Broghan may have chopped it off with the axe rather than Drew having bit it off, but the ambiguity and the smoke do help maintain the injury while avoiding the gore.
In the same vein, I'm glad Vankaskan's death is still disturbing.
Whitley being told that Drew's gone hurts more in this version, actually, because we've sat more with the loss of her brother! And she has more reason to believe he's dead.
I love the transition to Hector waking up, crying out for Drew! It's as if it were all a horrible nightmare.
And I like how they adapted Leopold's death! He's so clearly drunk, which adds to Orsino's distaste and displeasure. And the look of shock when Vanmorten betrays him and Lucas stabs him? Wonderfully done.
(And his long roll down the stairs is darkly funny, but seeing him transform back and following his perspective with the changing camera angles is very cool)
Shah!!! She looks so cool! (And I find it funny that she drops Drew)
I enjoy the shifting perspectives as she flies with Drew -- it's disorienting, just as it must be for Drew!
And we end on a cliffhanger with Lucas and Drew yelling dramatically as they assert their right to rule!
Season 2, episode 7!
Poor Gretchen . . . I like that her grief and panic are portrayed this vividly.
Drew carrying Trent around is stressful, but also silly. Which suits them.
I continue to love following Hector through the siege! And Amelie catching on to the dark magick and being upset because she knows what it's like to be under it's influence? I love that choice.
Whitley being so confident that Broghan will fix everything and trying to reassure Gretchen hurts so much, but I like that it was added -- it fleshes out her relationship with her brother more! Which means that we mourn him more as well.
I love that we see Gretchen watch the lock in the mirror, setting up their escape! I'm a fan of the show letting her use her wits to escape bad situations.
Yay, Vega is back! It's so funny that he tosses his sword to Amelie when she's already holding a sword (I like the implication that she fought, too, during Wergar's campaigns; she's right! She is the White Wolf! It would make sense for her to fight as well!), leaving himself without a weapon, aside from the Shark. How Onyx of him.
(Unlike the Vincent-vile, though, I love his dramatic antics. His sudden, theatrical appearance is exactly what I would want and expect from him).
And this was a cool way to show Hector using the vile!
I'm glad they didn't have Gretchen and Whitley fight over Drew. Something that I respect in both versions of this series is that, while both of the girls are interested in the protagonist, they refuse to let that worsen their friendship. I'm not a fan of romantic drama in general, but I like that they handle it maturely and prioritize their friendship!
Ewan's betrayal will never not hurt, but it was foreshadowed here when he heard about the ransom on Drew's head. He's probably thinking of how that money could rebuild Haggard.
I love that Vega really does get all of the most dramatic lines this episode ("and death's bell tolls"? Awesome). I'm trying not to think about how the Maelstrom sails when he says "full sail ahead," because I have not figured out the logistics of it, but the dramatic shots look cool, so I'll focus on that.
I enjoyed the Bergan-Leopold fight, but now we're left on a cliffhanger with Bergan! And the transition to Drew waking up was well-done, I was hoping that was Bergan for a moment!
One has to realize that Will Turner is so unhinged that he scares Jack Sparrow sometimes
Had to save @wintergardenscribe's tags because YES that's it exactly π
Season 2, episode 6!
What a wonderful start with Onyx/Orsino! He's still so intimidating in every scene, and we get an automatic sense of the difference between Lyssian and Bastian soldiers -- Whitley was actually holding off the Lyssian troops, but once Orsino and his forces step in, the tide turns. And we get suspenseful music before we see his face!
I'm sad that we don't get more Panthers and they're all condensed into Orsino, but I love that Trent's strange dynamic with Frost was preserved in his dynamic with Orsino. Especially since it means Lucas doesn't get his way.
I also love how much more competent than Lucas Orsino is, as shown by him unsheathing the blade with his finger! It's a fun detail.
I love the use of the candle to show that Hector can't get rid of the Vincent-vile!
I'm not sure if this is because my headphones don't work well all the time, but it seems like the audio for the vile shifts and comes from different directions as he circles Hector -- it's an incredible effect, and it's super creepy!
The parallel between Leopold and Bergan at the beginning of the siege is wonderful! Leopold seems mad with his desire for vengeance, so that parallel positions us to be sympathetic to Amelie's desire to evacuate the city from the beginning. (And I like her dig at Bergan's axe-throwing abilities).
Following Hector during the siege is wonderful -- part of it is to develop the plot around the vile (and yay, Hector breaks his influence with the power of his love for Drew! At least for now), but it serves to highlight how chaotic it is as well. Hector isn't a fighter, so the siege feels much more dangerous from his perspective than it would from, say, Bergan's.
Trent being afraid of the Wolf was a good decision for condensing his arc around Drew! It makes sense -- that's the creature he sees as having killed his mother.
I enjoy the shots of all of our protagonists losing, scared, and trapped. They really develop the somber mood of this episode. I particularly like the scenes from the siege, where even the warriors of the Wolf's Council are too exhausted to maintain their shifted forms.
(Also, it looks funny when Bergan passes Manfred to Vega because of their height differences. Vega is not short, but those two are so, so tall!)
And Broghan's death hurts. I miss the book version for the personality it gives to our antagonists (Opal's "Interesting. Kill him" is so dismissive, and makes her intimidating with so little), but I'm glad Broghan got to be a more active character here. And this is extremely traumatic for Gretchen (especially since he's been helping her process her kidnapping this episode!), so it's something to explore for her character later.
Spoilers for War of the Werelords below:

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Shout-out to aromantic people whose lives are so fucking busy that they periodically forget what day of the week it is. today is Wednesday, June 5th. Happy Aromantic Visibility Day.
Today is Thursday, June 5th. Happy Aromantic Visibility Day.
It's June 5th again!
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL ARO VISIBILITY DAY!!!
second one ever :)
So I thought y'all would like this too This great white comes to the jersey shore every year and this year they named her and have been tracking her hella so this is Mary Lee and she decided to show herself under this rainbow for pride month A true gay icon
#This is the representation Iβve been looking for
I just reread Shadow of the Hawk and got to the part where Red Rufus gets introduced and I just want to say Rufus might be my favorite character. Reasoning to follow:
1. Red Rufus apparently looks like an old seagull that went through a woodchipper. Missing feathers, scrawny, scarred to hell and back, scary fucking face. The Guy of All Time.
2. He immediately wants to kill Drew. Immediately. Doesnt know who this kid is. Doesnt know why hes here. DOES. NOT. CARE. wants to gut him so bad. Hopping up and down begging to kill Drew. Hilarious. Me too bro
3. When compared to Count Carsten and Baron Baum, Rufus sounds like he's their cousin that does meth. This guy snorted a line off the floor and showed up here to throw hands and throw hands exclusively.
Yes!!!! I love Red Rufus!!! He's such a whacky character and is such a nice contrast to some of the other lyssian werelords and their more honorable traits lol
Season 2, episode 5!
The Vincent vile is appropriately scary! Poor Hector.
The design for Cape Gala is cool!
I love Broghan being so proud about Bergan coming second in a race against Lorimer, only for Whitley to add that it was a two-person race. It encapsulates their respective relationships with their father so well (and Bergan would totally omit the number of people in the race).
Someone please listen to Whitley. She's carrying the brain cell now (and so is Amelie. Vega exhausted his, and he's really trying to devote himself to this loyalty thing).
I'm not the biggest fan of the race because Drew isn't usually this susceptible to flattery and isn't this bad at determining when he's being deceived, but I suppose Wolf King's Drew is much more impulsive. I feel so bad for Whitley watching this, though. It's not just that something is clearly wrong, it's that dealing with Drew obsessing over the race must have been so annoying.
I love how they show scenes with the Vincent vile!! It's so terrifying from Hector's end, but we also see how unstable he looks from others' perspective. It's a great way of seeing how Hector's actions make sense to him, but how his mental health seems to be in freefall to everyone else (and it is, but not for the reasons they think).
Yay, Vega's brain cell is returning! And he's heading to sea!! (And I like that Amelie is trying to support Hector. She may not know what's going on, but he's clearly going through it. I'm glad he has more than just Vega).
The Bastian fleet!! I like that they gave the ships a distinct design.
(I'm sad that Vega is serving as the lookout, though. Where is Casper? I miss him.)
(I understand that having Casper do his job would have meant hiring another voice actor for one line, so I get it. But still.)

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Season 2, episode 4!
I love that Haggard is so creepy -- it should be, with Kesslar in charge! And with Hector starting with Vincent's death, we're off to a scary start as a whole!
(Also, it's funny (in a dark way) that Ringlin was the one who helped Vega dispose of Vincent's body here. The Vincent-vile is wrong about pretty much everything, but he's justified in being mad at how quickly Ringlin switched sides in this version. Hector didn't even confirm that he'd pay him!)
I like Drew knowing of Kesslar because he'd raid the Cold Coast! It's a wonderful worldbuilding detail -- Drew is from a pretty remote region of Lyssia with access to the sea, so to Kesslar, it's the ideal place to exploit.
Vega reassuring Hector that he's not going to get caught for murder is so funny. It makes sense that Hector would be stressed, and they all interpreted it as an accident (except Vincent, of course), but he really is describing how to get away with crimes to him. And how to cope with the mental health consequences of said crimes.
(And Ringlin does bring up his wages!)
Leopold delivering a message to Bergan by arrow is so funny to me. He could have shot him, but instead, he used the arrow to deliver an arrow. To set up an ambush. That's so unnecessarily dramatic if they can already get through the window with arrows! But honestly, that unnecessary drama fits Leopold (and most of the Catlords). I know it doesn't make sense, but I love it. It's so extra.
I love that Vega walks in ready to tell everybody about his night (he wouldn't share what actually happened, but he seemed to hope someone would fish for a story) only to have Mikkel pick him up in a hug.
I'm not a big fan of the dream plotline, but it is a way to quickly work through Drew's anxieties about the Wolf and ruling, so it does work in that way. The purple lighting and the giant Drew/Wolf remind me of Aang's struggles with the Avatar State in The Last Airbender!
Listen to Amelie!! She's right! Don't trust Leopold!! (And the way they dismissed her concerns because of her "long ordeal?" It hurt, but unfortunately, it would make sense for those characters to ignore her words and dismiss them as a product of stress).
You know bad decisions are being made when Vega is the voice of reason!! (Also, to say that the situation is "fishy?" Nice pun).
Yay, Shah tripped Kesslar! She deserves to cause him problems! (And we see that her relationship with him isn't one of loyalty! And we see her fly!!)
Drew's struggle with choosing between Whitley and Haggard also made me think of ATLA and Aang trying to choose between Katara and the Avatar State (the giant, purple, glowing figure really does just make me think of that show). It is a way of going through his relationship with her quickly, and it makes sense that he would be similar to Aang in this regard.
And it is an ambush! Vega and Amelie are the brain of the Wolf's Council at this moment (which is how you know it's not going well)!! Manfred mourning Mikkel is sad, but, while the ambush as a whole feels silly (because there were other ways to take out the Wolf's Council), baiting Mikkel made a lot of sense. He is the most hot-headed member, and this isn't the first time we've seen him be impulsive in the show (he tried to free Drew last season). The ambush may be pure drama on Leopold's end, but I like that we so clearly see the personalities of the Wolf's Council's members throughout it: Mikkel is brash and thinks little before acting, Bergan and Manfred are cautious, but are optimistic, Amelie is wary because she knows the Lion well, and Vega is skeptical of any deal where he can't see the benefit for both parties, but has also decided that he's going to try being loyal, so he refuses to leave the others.
Happy Pride Month to all people out there who developed an obsession with pirates at age 12, I see youβ€οΈπ€
Vega is so funny heβs unaffected by sirens and his defense is that heβs ALSO of the sea so thatβs probably why it didnt work on him. like um sure dude thats why. unrelated i am an ally βπ³οΈβπ to the lgbtq community. have you heard of june yeah thatβs my favorite month. by the way.
He's simply too bisexual for them to have a meaningful effect, all the signals get scrambled
Season 2, episode 3!
This show likes stress dreams, doesn't it? Whitley's was certainly stressful! I wish she would communicate with Drew! But that's exactly what the show wants me to think, so that's done well!
Poor Hector. He would rehearse speeches. And of course Vincent caught him doing it (the comment about knocking out Bergan reminded me of book Vincent's dagger comments, so that also felt very in-character).
And Vega!! I love that he understands all that's going on so quickly and is trying to help Hector!! And while his comment about not letting someone as dangerous as Vincent is certainly a dig at him, it also serves as a reminder that he's uniquely positioned to judge how much of a threat he is -- he's dealt with equally shady characters for much of his life as a pirate. I really wish Hector did not defend Vincent, but he's understandably frightened (and, as we know from the last episode, Vincent's not just physically threatening him with an "accident;" he knows about his necromancy, too. He has more to lose than Vega knows).
Nooo don't leave Chancer!!
I love how the map is used so many times. I love seeing copies of the map from the book everywhere, it's so cool! And the rolled-up one here is even cooler!
I like that Drew's eyes still glow when everything turns black and white because of Vankaskan's necromancy, but they're still dimmed. It's an incredible detail.
Vega continues to be a mood in this season. Giving Vincent a second chance really is a terrible idea.
Drew trying to distract Whitley and keep her awake with jokes was cute!
Hector communing with his father always hurts so much. And seeing Vincent disrespect his ghost made it even more painful!
"Vega was right" yay Hector has finally realized!!
I appreciate that Vincent's death still feels very accidental, but is something Hector can still feel guilt for (so that Vincent's manipulation makes more sense). What Vega witnesses here is much less incriminating than in the books, though (especially since we see Hector try to save Vincent), which may have impacted the story more if there had been a third season.
SHAH IS HERE!! The creepy mask and the lyre? I love it! It makes Haggard terrifying and highlights how mysterious she is.
And I am so glad that Kesslar's introduction is as horrific as it should be!

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Season 2, episode 2!
Vankaskan's comment about how Gretchen could be "managed" is so scary. What's implied here is necromancy (we see him control a vile(?) in that scene), but given what we saw with Amelie, the options for "managing" troublesome women in his mind are truly terrifying, and worse than just tentacles of dark magick.
The repetition of "a rose for the rose of Hedgemoor" is also appropriately creepy -- we don't know if Lucas was watching her when the vendor said that, and it makes us suspect he was, underscoring the depth of his obsession (and how long he stalked her for).
Lucas' silver sword looks so silly in a way that suits him. It's so elaborate.
And yay, Gretchen gets to use her wits!
Oh and they directly reference Amelie's enchantment! They're leaning into the horror of that level of control!
Gretchen's escape is fun! I remember liking how she took advantage of her superior agility and wits in the book, and I enjoy that here, too -- it's interesting for her character, and it's also fascinating worldbuilding, illustrating the diversity amongst therians and the ways in which they exploit their abilities. And everything connected to Vankaskan fills me with dread (as it should).
I love that the Wolf's Council is very seriously talking to Hector . . . and Vega is looking out the window and only speaks once he gets so annoyed with Bergan that he feels compelled to. I love season 2/book 2 Vega.
I also like that Amelie is supporting Hector! I'm glad he has more than just Vega through this. And the reappearance of the dead guard? It was a solid jump scare (although I will say, the undead in both Wereworld and Wolf King freak me out in general)!
Bergan seems a bit more power-hungry than protective here than in the books (with the way he automatically assumes the position of Lord Protector for himself, as Vega points out), but in both cases, it stems from the same instinct: to control those he cares about to keep them safe (with "control" being the issue here). I actually like this about Bergan? His actions are understandable, he's not controlling in a horrific way like, say, Leopold and Lucas; he's just a bit more overprotective than the others and is extremely stubborn. It allows our heroes to have flaws, while also creating understandable differences of opinion (Hector is out of his depth in so many ways here! His position as Lord Protector wasn't really his main issue, but perhaps it would make sense for someone more experienced to have greater influence! But Vega and Amelie's disagreement with Bergan makes sense, too!)
(I only wish they could have put someone else fully in charge of dealing with Vincent instead. In fact, Bergan entertained me doing that last season. Can he do it again?)
The Romari are unfortunately still very stereotypical in how they're depicted. I do like, though, that they introduce the impacts of a bite mark from the undead through another character, setting up consequences for later scenes with Whitley!
And Vincent continues to be so despicable. Watching Hector's scenes hurts so much -- his brother is tormenting him psychologically and threatening him even as he's haunted by visions of the undead. It's awful, and it works well both as an adaptation of the book and as its own version for the show!
Episode 6! The Maelstrom!!!!
I love the title card for the episode! The Maelstrom looks beautiful.
Hector's "I Know You're in There" speech just makes me think of how a friend had to point out the undertones in Drew and Hector's relationship when I first read the books, because I was kind of oblivious. I see it now! And while we have no explanation for how Drew was able to undo this irreversible transformation, I am completely okay with his bond with Hector bringing him back.
(Poor Hector, though. He was so brave.)
I like the scene of mourning for Erin. It adds some worldbuilding (the flower on the water) while also letting us sit with the sense of loss. Since the show can't be as gory as the books, I think it's good that it leans into that sense of grief when it can't show horror, as it maintains some of the emotional impact.
I love the Maelstrom's design! The bright red sails and the golden decoration along her hull are so fitting for the flamboyant Pirate Prince's vessel, and her sleek design makes her look like she's the fastest ship in the White Sea.
I will never not find it funny that they're actively looking for Vega. You do not want to find him!! He's very shady!!
I like that Drew knows of All Hallow's Bay from Tilly! It's a nice detail about her attempts to educate him on Lyssia and her worldliness as someone who traveled a lot in the queen's service!
I love that Gretchen takes charge at the inn because Drew and Hector don't know what they're doing and are getting mocked. Good for her!
Ooo Highcliff! I love the Keep and the bridge over the cliffs; it looks terrifying and beautiful!
11/10 character introduction for Vega. Of course he would have already been there watching this very suspicious group of kids. Of course he would get the money for locating himself and start mythologizing himself before being exposed by another guy chasing him because he owes him money. I love seeing their disappointment as the realization that that is Vega sinks in. I'm sad that he can't drug them and be a drug smuggler because of the rating, but he does still trick them into coming aboard, so I'll take it, because everything else is perfect!
(Also, the Sindbad design? Wonderful decision. The books are more Eurocentric, so now I get Golden Age of Piracy Vega AND Sindbad Vega! Now I just need Odyssey Vega and I can cover all of my maritime childhood obsessions with one character).
Yayyyy we see Casper!!! I love that Vega is introducing Casper to Drew and revealing all that he knows about him that way.
Hector communing with his dad is always so sad.
"I believe in you like I believed in your father" wow the double meanings in everything Vega says are so much fun!
The training session with Vega is so entertaining, in part because we also get a sense of how outclassed Drew is -- of course Vega is comfortable on the Maelstrom's masts, as her captain, a Shark, and a life-long sailor, but watching Drew need to use the Wolf to keep up with an unarmed, untransformed Vega really underscores how much more experienced he is relative to Drew.
(And we get the added bonus of seeing the Maelstrom from several angles in all of her beauty. And it sets up future fights so well).
Lucas' speech to Whitley is supposed to be menacing in how he's forcing her to conform to feminine norms that cage her, but it also highlights how much he looks down on this work. He directly compares her to Gretchen, who is simply "pretty" and just "sits and sews." We know Gretchen is so much more than that (both in the sense that she's pretty rebellious in her own way and that, while she embraces femininity, she also manipulates it to her advantage), but we do get that added anxiety about what awaits Gretchen. Not only is Lucas violent, but he clearly doesn't want a future for her that allows her any freedom, even within the "feminine sphere" that she is otherwise comfortable in.
His casual shove of the tailor off the balcony, of course, worsens matters (it's not clear if he killed him, since they can't show super graphic violence, but we do see that his body is limp when it's dragged out of the horse's trough). The push actually reminded me of Game of Thrones, where there's a similar scene between a child and one of the Lannisters -- it's that same casual disregard for the lives of others and willingness to inflict horrific violence without giving it a second thought. I find it especially clever with Lucas, since his character clearly was influenced by Joffrey in that series. Here, this push can link his character to that series for those who are familiar with it, but it's less graphic to a child than something like a beating would be (even if it's worse in some ways because he likely killed the man).
Back to Vega!! The mention of "Omir" and "dreams that didn't work out" makes me suspect he's talking about Shah -- I'm happy that they foreshadowed that early on and seem to have changed the nature of their relationship (as this is a kid's show)! The way you can see him quickly dismiss those painful memories is so in character!!!
I love everything about Vega's cabin. The stained glass? The shark carvings? The shelves full of books (we know he writes! And it's funny after Hector's comment about how he thinks Vega doesn't read)? The map of Lyssia, right in the corner? All of the details are excellent.
Gretchen being a jump-scare for Hector was a great decision!!
The Drew-Vega fight is fun! The parallels to the lesson, with Vega no longer helping him? Vega transforming really quickly, showcasing his mastery of therianthropy? Vega yelling at Drew about what is probably his rage at losing the Cluster Isles and Shah while also insisting he is not a father figure? All great choices.
So happy to read your thoughts on this episode!!!! I loved Vega's intro in the show, it is very him. I am also sad he doesn't get to be shadier bc of the ratings..... and I am... still a bit put-out that the Maelstrom's design looks very cool but is completely lacking function π΅βπ« why are her masts like that
But I also love LOVE love that Vega's therian design is the only one without a shirt πππ kills me every time, bc it's so Vega. Recalling the times in the books he just has his shirt off randomly. Anyway. Love his flamboyant bisexual vibes. And I am sad we never got Casper by name.... :(
I also have questions about how the Maelstrom works . . . It looks pretty, but yeah, the masts are something . . .
And you're so right about his design!! I think it's especially great that his therian design is the only one without a shirt because all the others don't seem to be particularly affected clothes-wise when they shift? So it's clearly a choice for his personality and his character (exactly as he would want it to be!). His vibes are perfect.
And it is tragic that Casper isn't named :( I'm glad he's there! But I would love more of him, or for him to be a recognizable character even to those who aren't looking for him