#((it does! even if it's tragic that they're dead; they're at least not alone))

[theheadlessgroom]

@beatingheart-bride

"I'm sure our visit to town earlier did a great deal in drumming up excitement," Dorian chuckled, finally setting aside his great performance in favor of settling down beside Elizabeth, holding her hand in his: He too wouldn't be surprised at all if the front page story would be their impending nuptials in just a few days time; the presses making money hand over fist as everyone jumped to grab the papers and read on about the union of the children of two wealthy pillars of the community-a union they'd never get to see...

Honestly, it was a touch disappointing to think that he wouldn't have such a huge and lavish wedding: As a boy, Dorian had always daydreamed about his marrying Elizabeth being the talk of the town (much like how it was with him and Emily), with his whole family in attendance. He envisioned a union in the garden, among the blooming rose bushes, with Elizabeth's mother Lena sitting alongside his parents at the front row, with Randall at his side as his best man, just as he promised in their youth...he even imagined Mrs. Pace there, sitting up front with his parents and Mrs. Henshaw...

But that was when he was young and largely unaware of the prejudices of his family and the city of New Orleans at large...he had no idea that the backlash, were he to pursue Elizabeth romantically, out in the open, would be so...severe. He knew now, of course, he knew this was the only way they could be together, but he couldn't quite shake the disappointment settling in his heart nonetheless.

[epickiya722]

As much as I would have loved for Kenjaku and Yuji to have more interactions, another part of me now actually liked the little interaction they had.

It's just as tragic, if not more tragic. But also it goes with the idea that Yuji doesn't know his parents or more of his family.

The most he knows now probably is that Choso and the Death Paintings are his (half) siblings and Kenjaku had something to do with it (Choso probably told him so).

Yuji learning about Choso being his brother is a good thing for him. The time he did act unsatisfied with the idea was back in Shibuya. After that, we seen their relationship got better. He had Choso at his side since then.

Now what good would it do if Yuji learned the truth about how he's related Kenjaku and Sukuna? In fact, would he even care?

Remember when Wasuke tried to tell him about his parents? Didn't care to hear that.

When Junpei asked about his parents? Didn't remember little to nothing about his dad and nothing at all about his mom. But he didn't seem entirely brokenhearted. He seemed... like he accepted it, moved past that.

The thing with Yuji is... if Sukuna decides to throw it in their face that they're related, I doubt Yuji would break down in tears and give up fighting.

That's not Yuji.

Two reactions I feel like Yuji would give.

Either he will be furious or he'll brush it off as he normally does with Sukuna's antics.

With him being furious, it will just give him more reason to hate Sukuna and kill him. Family be damned. We seen Yuji angry. Look, Sukuna already got hit with back to back Black Flashes. I don't think he wants Yuji angry. Nuh uh. Sukuna don't do that.

Honestly though... I also feel like Sukuna doesn't give a damn about telling Yuji.

Anyways!

Same with Kenjaku. I don't think Yuji would actually care to know Kenjaku is his mother (by host). Again, what good would it do for him?

I also feel like he may have figured it out by now. Yuji ain't all that dumb now. I said it before but I do think he may have caught on by now or at least will later. And I don't think he would be fazed.

Would he think it would be cruel that Kenjaku have done such things? Yes! Would he not like the fact he was created by Kenjaku to be Sukuna's vessel and be related to those two? Also, yes. He'd hate that idea.

But Yuji just doesn't come off as someone who dwells on the past like that, let alone would be like "oh, woe is me, my family is so messed up" and cry waterfalls.

He's just more of a "What's done is done and I'll do what I can to make the best of it" person to me. He accepts, he learns and does what he can to make the most of out a bad situation.

Him knowing he's related to Kenjaku and Sukuna in some way will not change the fact that they're both evil and done terrible things or Yuji's feelings.

Sometimes I feel like the reason we don't know much about Yuji or Sukuna or others for the Heian Era is for the purpose of not needing to.

Yes, knowing about the past can help. But sometimes knowing, it doesn't have a purpose other than having extra information.

Maybe not knowing much about Sukuna is a way of saying "let's leave the past in the past and move on". Sukuna was not meant to be in the present times. When he's finally put to rest, that should be it for him.

It's why some of the characters like the Higher-Ups and the Zenin clan sucks and came to a downfall. Part of their awful behavior was they were more traditional and didn't care to adapt to the new changes.

That's going to be the case for Sukuna. Yuji is the present and future. Sukuna is the past. Yuji is going to be that new age that rises and push Sukuna right into the dirt where he belong.

Again, them being related and Yuji knowing ain't going to change the fact that Yuji wants Sukuna dead and he's going to kill him. So what would be the point of knowing?

[izunias-meme-hole]

Since I already posted my favorite Sailor Moon Villains but I didn't exactly rank them, so here we go.

My Top 10 Sailor Moon Villains (From Both The 90's Anime & The OG Manga/Crystal & Eternal)

Number 10. Wicked Lady - No, I will not be calling her "Black Lady," but aside from that, this is Chibi-Usa at her undeniable worst, no matter the version. Though execution-wise, the anime wins out purely because of her resolution, and the showcase of some level of good still being in her.

Number 10. Mistress 9 - Ah, pure evil done well. She didn't exactly have a lot of screentime in the 90's anime (and she was sadly kinda basic), but in the manga she's an entirely different story. Mistress 9 is the child and herald of Pharaoh 90, and is hellbent on eradicating all life on earth because she sees them as inferior lifeforms. Oh, and let's not even bring up her possession of Hotaru Tomoe, the fact that Chibi-Usa's pure heart was used to give her power, and overall she's just heinous as hell. In short, Mistress 9 was definitely something in both the 90's Anime and Manga/Crystal, though her appearance in the latter elevates her into the 10th spot on this list.

Number 8. The Shitennou - Ah yes, Beryl's servants. The loyal supervillain Jadeite, the passionate Nephrite, the ever so underhanded and insecure Zoisite, and last but not least the "cool" Kunzite. Surprisingly, Crystal botched these guys really bad, while the anime basically expanded upon the other 3 and gave Kunzite, the best one in the manga, the literal shit end of the stick after a good run. Still, all four of these guys are absolutely phenomenal minibosses.

Number 7. The Amazoness Quartet - God, they look absolutely ridiculous, but that doesn't stop them from being great minibosses like the Shittenou. Between their unique personalities, relations with Chibi-Usa, and overall just how solid they are as a group just sold me on them.

Number 6. Crimson Rubeus - Ah yes... the second most consistently heinous member of the Black Moon Clan. Rubeus is selfish, cowardly, sadistic, arrogant, manipulative, loyal to the literal worst people ever, and overall he's just a very hateable villain on so many angles. Though this hateability, his effectiveness as a villain, and just how much of a good addition he is to the Dark Moon Clan cements this guy's placement on here.

Number 5. Queen Nehelenia & Zirconia - Life is funny sometimes. In the manga/Eternal, Zirconia has nothing going for her aside from design and the fact that she's Queen Nehelenia's other self, while Nehelenia herself is almost like Snow White's Evil Queen mixed with Maleficent and its genuinely great to see. Yet in the 90's anime, Zirconia is expanded upon so much more to the point where she's legit entertaining, while Nehelenia gets expanded upon too before being brought back from the dead with a tarnished character. Still though, in both of the mediums where they're at their best, this evil queen and the personification of her inner ugliness are great.

Number 4. Prince Demande - What a delightfully twisted, vile, yet tragic villain. Granted the 90's anime take on him falls short because the guy had a half-assed "redemption," but it doesn't neuter all of his best qualities, nor does it ruin the OG Manga/Crystal's take on him, where he fully commits to that bit.

Number 3. Queen Beryl & Queen Metalia - Nothing wrong with a classic wicked witch. Especially if said wicked witch is an envious and hateful woman that's in service to pure unadulterated evil as a means to get what she wants most. Granted Beryl alone could've made the list, especially since Metalia doesn't have a lot going for herself, but the anime had the perfect resolution for these two by just fusing them together.

Number 2. Death Phantom/Wiseman - No matter the iteration, no matter the medium, Nazgul Charles Manson here is pure, unadulterated, unrestrained evil done right. Death Phantom is a manipulative monster who sees no value in life, who's made it his personal mission to become a dark god of death and nothingness. He's not a complex character, but he has substance, his evil deeds remain significant across the entirety of the Black Moon Clan's arc, and he leaves an impact as the most evil villain in the franchise and its best final boss. TL:DR: Death Phantom is objectively the best villain.

Number 1. Professor Souichi Tomoe - I shouldn't even need to explain this, but I will. Tomoe in the anime is hammy as hell, an amazing boss, shining with personality, nuanced as hell, carried the Infinity Arc on his back, and surprisingly enough gets a shot at redemption after his evil Daimon side, Germatoid, is split from him. Meanwhile, Tomoe in the manga/Crystal is initially shown as a somewhat shady figure who possibly cares about his daughter, before slowly being revealed as just a nicer looking Professor Hojo, complete with him making his own daughter the vessel for Mistress 9 all for the sake of becoming the god of an entirely new race of super-beings that will inherit the remains of the earth. It doesn't matter if this man is a corrupted magnificent bastard or a complete megalomaniac, this man is a stellar Mad Scientist who's undeniably human.

[ipatrichor]

dead boy detectives episode eight thoughts

oh my god we're here... the finale... god i have so many thoughts with this. im gonna try to keep things slightly organized and do a little wrap-up at the end but. we'll see!

moved spoilery stuff under the cut haha. but also technically everything is a spoiler? so it's just all under the read more 👍

first of all... niko my love my heart. i've moved past the shock i'm just sad now... my girl!!! i hate being right sometimes like... god she was so kind and she tried so hard and and. huauaauaghh i don't have the words for this just know im absolutely gutted 😭😭

and crystal... god i love the way they did her memories and i love that she was an asshole, but also she was a neglected kid with parents who didn't even notice when she went missing!! god. it sure does explain some things huh... idk i love the way she reacted, how scared she was of the person she used to be. but ultimately, of course, the only way she can go is forward. the only thing she can do is live with who she used to be and choose who she wants to be going forward, and she won't be doing those things alone

JENNY IM SO GLAD JENNY CAME TO ENGLAND WITH THEM. it sucks that her shop got exploded but also i think it'll be good for her, to get a fresh start somewhere else after the shit she's been through. i'm glad she's staying with the group i care her ^^

monty helping save them... alright man. you're on thin ice but you're at least back on the ice instead of falling right through so. you have earned a little bit of my respect back and im sorry that you were bound to such a shitty witch 👍

ALSO HEY SPEAKING OF EDWIN'S LOVE INTERESTS. can we talk about the gorgeous animation for the cat king's story????? HELLO that was beautiful and so impressive!!! it really transported me into the story being told and it looked so classic disney which made a wonderful juxtaposition with what was happening. i love that so much!!!!!

esther... god what do i say about esther. her acting is phenomenal, she's so well written to be funny and absolutely terrifying, i love her story and i love the way it was resolved. i absolutely LOVE that she wasn't beaten by the gang overpowering her, it was karmic. it was the retribution for the lives she's taken, all the little girls she's killed for her own selfishness, and their retribution comes to claim her. who gets justice for them, indeed

OKAY can i just say. i am absolutely thrilled with how the lilith thing went down i didn't even think they would use the image of her in esther's memories to contact her!!! i hoped she would be involved somehow, would right the wrongs that had been done to those little girls, but i did not expect it to be this amazing!!!! god i love that they put those pieces into the show so early, so we were able to guess that they'd come together and then they DO in such an amazing way!!!

and once again niko saves the day by being genuine and talking to people... god i love her so much. she learned the exact information they needed for this fight episodes ago, by talking to the woman near the beach because she likes talking to people and learning things!!!! niko sasaki the woman that you were.... god the fact that it's were instead of are. im gonna fucking cry

and the ending!!! they aren't on the run anymore it's been recognized that they're doing good so they're allowed to keep doing it and helping people!!!!! GODDD that makes me so happy i love that so much!!!!!!

ALSO I WILL SAY. when the superior didn't give them her name and then said the thing that tragic mick (finally learned his name!) told niko before she died... im not gonna lie my first thought was that she Was niko like somehow after dying she ended up in the afterlife outside of time or whatever. i don't think that's true i think it's just the theme of the show and that's why they said it twice but. for a minute i was like HELLO???

but the very ending scene!!! niko and the sprites? i think? idk im really bad with faces and recognize people through their hair so. did not help that they were dressed sensibly for the weather and their hair wasn't showing haha. BUT STILL. was that her afterlife? why are the sprites there?? what does that scene Mean is there still a chance for her to meet the group again??? please i need answers you can't just leave me hanging about my girl!!!!!! 😭😭

god this whole show has been amazing i'm so glad i watched it... thank you noble for introducing me to dead boy detectives!! i have had such a good time, it's been an emotional rollercoaster and i'm so sad it's over. i'm off to the tumblr search to reblog whatever i find and then it's to ao3 for me, with noble's profile as a starting point and then i'll scour the tags haha. thank you guys for coming along with me on this lovely experience! i'm doing a little wrap-up summary below to end things off

FAVORITE MAIN CHARACTER: god this is so difficult.... it's gotta be niko or charles, but know that i say this with the other two very close behind. they're all fantastic, it's rare that even when i imprint on a character (in this case charles) the others are all so good that it's still hard to pick a clear favorite, with niko even rivalling that imprint

FAVORITE RECURRING SIDE CHARACTER: jenny it's gotta be jenny!! i love her scenes i love her personality she's so fun i love how no-nonsense she is only to consistently be dragged into the Most Nonsense. she's a delight i love her and her proficiency with knives

FAVORITE ONE-OFF CHARACTER: kashi!!! fish guy!! he is such a goddamn delight he is the first character whose name i learned On Purpose instead of through the natural course of the show. i love him he showed up for one episode, performed his role magnificently, and swanned off to implied further fascinating adventures. love that guy

FAVORITE EPISODE: okay surprising no one ever, probably episode seven? i love what it does with the characters, i love the scene of edwin and charles meeting (well worth the wait!), i love all of it

SECOND FAVORITE EPISODE: okay this one has gotta be episode four or the jock one. five maybe? idk im torn between those two bc of the excellent charles characterization and development we get, and i've mentioned before what a soft spot i have both for the scene where he first breaks down and the scene where he and edwin hug. i love them both i cannot choose!!!

FAVORITE LOCATION: this has gotta be the dead boy detective office or maybe the inside of the fish. idk they're very different locations but they both serve their purpose very well and have a lot to offer!! oh wait shit actually i take it back the inside of crystal's mind with the tree. that's absolutely gorgeous and i love it so much

LEAST FAVORITE CHARACTER: daniel. the demon ex sorry i choose not to remember his name <3 he is daniel To Me. anyway they just did a really good job of making him a shitty asshole who also happens to be a powerful demon

FINAL OPINION ON THE CAT KING: uh. i mean i still don't respect him but he's a very fun character and i do enjoy his vibe. i actually liked him a lot better when he wasn't essentially holding edwin prisoner (imagine that!) so i think the coercive nature of that original dynamic is what really threw me off. i found myself enjoying his character a lot more with the bracelet off and them interacting on even footing!

and finally, i couldn't possibly choose so here

LIST OF FAVORITE SCENES

- charles dying and meeting edwin

- charles having a breakdown at the night nurse

- every kashi scene

- crystal speaking to lilith and when she appeared to claim esther

- simon seeing the blue light and possibly leaving hell

- pretty much all of niko and edwin's one on one talks

- the conversation between niko and crystal when they first opened up to each other

- edwin telling the cat king the binding bracelet is all he is and leaving to save his friends

- charles hugging edwin after edwin comforts him

- esther killing the cat king

- charles getting stuck in the loop of the devlin murders

- niko going out into the storm to save her friends

- niko's reading comprehension skills <3

AND MANY MORE that i am forgetting but here you go ^^ goddamn this show is good. hit me like a trainwreck though i need a fucking nap

[hopefilledramblings]

Okay. Let's talk Izuru Kamukura.

From the very beginning, it's shown that Izuru doesn't seem to have any goals for himself. He has something that interests him, unpredictability, but he doesn't really think it's obtainable. Not for him, anyway, given his ability to accurately predict things. He's stuck in a limbo where he has no goals and no one to give him any. The Steering Committee made him this way deliberately. They molded him into a "vessel" that would do what they wanted simply because they're giving him purpose. He doesn't have ambitions, goals, or dreams. None of that. Only emptiness. A void that he knows can't be filled no matter what he does. At least, not in his current predicament, alone in a room with nothing to do and no one to talk to.

But then, he's given a chance. Junko comes to him with an offer. He knows what this means. He knows her intentions and what she's planning, but he doesn't really care. This is his one and only chance to leave the room that the Steering Committee made to be his cage. This is his one and only chance to see that unpredictability. While he believes it's incredibly unlikely for Junko to give him the one thing he desires deep down, he takes that chance because there's a slim possibility that she'd be right.

And, in a way, she was. In the first killing game with the student council, he almost gets shot, moving at the very last second. It grazes his cheek, and if you look closely, there's a barely visible smile on his face. His want has been satisfied, but only temporarily. Exposed to this excitement, he craves more of it. He wants to feel the thrill of encountering something unexpected. He wants to feel ALIVE.

But again, he knows what Junko is planning. He knows that she was watching, and he knows that she's going to manipulate him to do her bidding. Does he care? Nope. He's going along with it because it gives him purpose, just like with the Steering Committee. And, for once, he's actually getting something out of it, or so he thinks, even if it's minimal.

Izuru proceeds to become obsessed with her, just like the rest of the Remnants of Despair. However, he can still see through what she's doing and understands that this truly doesn't matter, but he does it anyway. He grows this twisted relationship with her, even when she's gone. Through his dedication towards her cause in exchange for more excitement (which he never seems to get again), he's losing more and more of his humanity.

Junko makes him question his emotions in UDG, implying that he doesn't have any TRUE emotions because he's not a person. He's less and more than human, he's different, and therefore, he can't be on the same level as them. He can't feel. He can't want anything. He can't do anything without someone else's beckoning call. He's just a vessel. A tool. That's what Junko wants him to believe, and that's also what the Steering Committee wanted him to believe. In solidifying this belief, she gains more control over him. While he may be technically acting on his own occord, Junko is still pulling the strings from beyond the grave, to the point he tries to bring her back from the dead with the rest of the Remnants.

Izuru is still self-aware, to an extent. He knows he's playing into HER wants, but he doesn't care. Or at least he doesn't think that he does. He's following her, not blindly, but still following her and doing everything she wants him to, if not more than that. He can feel himself getting twisted by her lies and empty promises, but he just keeps falling deeper and deeper into her trap until it's too late and he erases his own existence for her.

I don't know about you, but that is TRAGIC to me. To be used and manipulated from start to finish. To never get what you want. To never find peace and satisfaction, always wanting something that you know you'll never truly reach. It's SO SAD.

But you know what makes me ANGRY? When people depict Izuru and Junko having a positive relationship with each other in canon context. They do NOT. She clearly manipulated him, and he went with it with a false sense of control in the situation. Izuru became just as obsessed with her as the other Remnants of Despair, but somehow, no one sees that because they mischaracterize him as an emotionless emo boy that's too overpowered and edgy for anyone to like. BUT THAT'S SO WRONG!!! PLEASE. PLEASE, I'M BEGGING YOU TO LOOK INTO IT MORE.

Anyway, that's all for this post. I love Izuru.... bye bye now

[starheirxero]

They've finally given us a break from the angst! :D And have given us so much lore, golly gee-

First of all👆: HELL YEAH SUN, GO OFF!!! Seeing him talk back to Eclipse and the Creator has healed me!

After these episodes, the Creator has officially gained the first place for biggest god complex- WE HAVE A LITERAL GOD ECLIPSE, AND HE SOMEHOW OUT-COMPLEXES HIM, HOW THE HELL IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?? Mfer is taking it to a whole new level! At least God Eclipse stays in his own damn dimension!

As for Ruin…he is so interesting, HELP- How does he know all this??👀 Who is he??? I am very certain now, that he lied to Bloodmoon about his creation! He did say he "suffered one", which can have a lot of implications. Of course there's the obvious, which is what he did to their dimension, but there is also the possibility, that Ruin was never a daycare attendant at all. Maybe he was created for the virus, and was kept around by his creator?🤔 Maybe their relationship was a lot more personal??

There's also the dimensions in general! We know Stitchwraith's origin now, or at least the reason for it. There are only thirteen in all the dimensions combined👀 It really makes me hope for a deeper look into the multiverse in general!

But there's also Eclipse. And then there is Lunar. Both of them actively defy fate.

Most Eclipses die, be it still in Sun, or shortly after. Yet our Eclipse keeps on dragging himself out of his grave. He dies and keeps dying, yet he won't. stay. dead. He actively laughs in death's face. And that is so intriguing!

And there's of course everything surrounding Lunar. For one, the Creator wants to use them. It's so ironic, to be honest. They were created to be used, and now that they finally want to move on, want to leave this part of their life behind, there's this giant, looming threat, wanting to use them again. And unlike other villains, this one cannot be stopped! This one is on another level, and not even Moon knows what to do about him!

There are also their powers. This wasn't supposed to happen. And the way Ruin worded it, it seems that Lunar is the first of a kind! And it makes me wonder why. What makes our Lunar different? What makes them so special? Was it really just a cosmic storm? Or was there a higher power involved? I an literally shaking in my seat about it!

Also, on a side note: the amount of angst possibilities Ruin has opened up by talking about what the creator council would do to Lunar, Jesus christ-

-Stardust

RIGHT LMAO back to your regularly scheduled external horrors!! 😁

GHOD YEA SUN JUST CAME OUT GUNS A-BLAZING THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY WILD 2 ME. My man is at his LIMIT!!!

AND GHOD YEA THE CREATOR. THIS MAN HAS SOME GALL. Honestly tho the fact that he wants to use Lunar's star power is a sign to me that Ruin probably wasn't at all lying or exaggerating about the Creator Council's motives. Honestly, he was probably the one who gave them the idea in the first place 😭

AND RUIN,,, HONESTLY YEA I'VE BEEN WONDERING THE SAME THING. If all of this is so multiversal, it raises SO many questions as to how Ruin knows about things like their plans and motives. MAN if it turns out that Ruin was basically a living weapon made to stand next to the creator, I will go INSANE. (Smth smth Lunar n Eclipse parallels too.....)

ANS AUAAGAGGHHH YEA THE WORLDS OMG. The fact that most Eclipses die is smth both insanely tragic and insanely ironic to me. Like it's so sad to think that so many of them didn't make it past our Eclipse's point and just,, died alone and bitter in a body that wasn't their own. But also it's almost unfathomable bc like u said, that man does NOT STAY DOWN.

AND LUNAR,,,, GHOD YEA LUNAR. It makes sense if they're one of a kind because honestly, if there were others who had star power literally threaded into their being, the Creators could have easily gone for that person instead, yk?? But that fact is simultaneously horrifying and intriguing tbh HDJAHAJS BUT ITS LIKE U SAID, WHAT MAKES THEM SPECIAL HERE.

THERE'S SO MICH FUN STUFF REVEALED FROM THOSE TWO EPS LIKE AOAUAGAHGHHH EXCITING!!!!

[triviareads]

ARC Review of A Jingle Bell Mingle by Sierra Simone and Julie Murphy

Rating: 4/5 Heat Level: 4/5 Publication Date: September 24th

Premise:

Adult film actress Sunny agrees to live with ex-boybander-slash-prior-hookup Isaac Kelly in his spare bedroom so she can work on the script for her new romantic holiday movie.

My review:

A Jingle Bell Mingle was a super sexy, super touching (ha, see what I did there) raunch-com, and the perfect way to wrap up the Christmas Notch series. We've been edged by Sunny and Isaac ever since they had an off-page threesome with another pornstar (It's what Isaac's dead wife would have wanted, okay?), and I was excited to see them pick up where they left off, even with a two-year gap.

Yes, this book does start with an early bang, and I do appreciate it not only because I love an early sex scene, but also because I love when couples don't necessarily need a lot of build-up before sex, but they have ways to go before they can actually be in a functional relationship— It feels very contemporary.

So Sunny moves in temporarily to work on her holiday movie script, and gets it in her head that the only way for Isaac to regain his creative muse is.... dates. With other people. What follows is a hilarious sequence of dates including a hot mechanic, hot librarians, and a hot catty pornstar from That threesome (Isaac and Sunny are both bisexual). Obviously they're all disasters.

Also, I LOVE Sunny; she's bubbly and quite fearless, but she also has some very real insecurities where Isaac is concerned, particularly when it comes to the emotional aspect of their relationship. She also has ADHD and you see these moments of hyperfixation throughout the book, my favorite being the mystery of the mailman, WWII soldier, and his wife, and whatever they were up to back in the day.......

As for Isaac, if you're a fan of a sadboi hero, he's your man. Isaac is.... tragic, to say the least but like, in a hot way because who doesn't love a hot tragic widower? He was also celibate for two years, between the first time him and Sunny hooked up and the present which, again, HOT.

Here's where it gets less hot but packs an emotional punch: Isaac isn't over the passing of his first wife. At all. And at first, it's sweet and sometimes even funny how dramatic and overwrought he gets at times. Then you see the extent of his unhealthy coping mechanisms, namely shutting everyone out to grieve alone, and making Sunny feel reduced to a body rather than someone he can have an emotional connection with. I really appreciate how this book deconstructs that thing romance heroes are prone to doing, where they're convinced they only have one great love of their life, and they're gone now so he can never love again. A lot of romance novels have that development off-page or kind of brush over it so it can get to the happily-ever-after, but not here. Isaac is forced to confront this not only with Sunny, but also his boyband friends/former Christmas Notch heroes.

The sex:

Isaac and Sunny are down-and-ready, anytime, anywhere kind of couple, so obviously they're a fan of a quickie (see: their first time on-page), and public sex because they just can't wait (which is how Sunny ends up shoving fistfuls of cash into a photo booth while Isaac has a hand up her skirt and rips her tights). Isaac does have a bit of a STERN edge but I'd say it's less bossy and more dirty and desperate, plus loads of dirty talk.

I also like how Sunny is never super hung-up on her body as a plus-sized woman, but there's still that moment of genuine awe when Isaac picks her up and drops her on the counter of a public bathroom (another one of their more public encounters lol), and that felt so real to me.

Also, we do get the rare contemporary romance butt stuff, and it does go both ways :D ft. the return of the gingerbread-scented lotion (iykyk).

Overall:

What I love about the Christmas Notch books is that they're genuinely funny (not all romances billed as romcoms are, in my opinion), and they're sexy, sex-positive, AND body positive in a way I rarely see in traditionally published romance novels. A Jingle Bell Mingle was no different and I'd strongly recommend it to any romcom fan.

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

[thelordofgifs]

Obscure Tolkien Blorbo: Round 2

Narmeleth vs Faramir (son of Ondoher)

Narmeleth:

Elf of Lindon & later the Gwaith-i-Mirdain; crafted & entrapped by a minor ring of power (Lord of the Rings Online character)

Narmelleth!!! I mean. She's got it all. Corrupted by the Gift Lord, Ring-forger, Bane of Fornost, Earnur's Worstie, COOL OUTFIT, Redemption Arc we didn't start the fire

she actually managed to destroy the lesser ring of power "Annatar" had used to corrupt her, which is like, SO impressive considering how long she had been under its influence. She also fought Mordirith (the steward of Angmar) and his new champion Mordrambor (a universally loathed NPC that everyone rightfully hates for personal reasons) single-handedly!! I don't mean alone, the player character was there, but I mean she did it single-handed. with one hand. she lost a hand and kept fighting. and WON!!!

Faramir (son of Ondoher):

The younger son of King Ondoher of Gondor, killed in battle along with his father and older brother. Also a character in Lord of the Rings Online.

more blorboganda later but! he's been hanging out on dagorlad as a ghost bc he snuck out to join the fighting against the wainriders with his dad and brother and they all got killed. really wants to help the rangers of ithilien once he gets out of the 'ghost who had to hang out at torture temple for a thousand years or so' fog

propaGANDA please vote for Faramir "Namesake of the Faramir we know" son of Ondoher he's got it all. Younger brother, couldn't stay behind while his family fought Mordor, rode out in disguise (sound familiar?) but died TRAGICALLY in the arms of the proto-Rohirric Commander. this is not even touching all the stuff he gets into in adaptations. Faramir I supremacy

OK no I can wax poetical on Faramir I Son of Ondoher because his is a tragedy that sets in motion the end of the Kings of Gondor (for an age or two. idk on specific but). Faramir I second son of Ondoher is not content to stay at home, doing his duty, following orders etc. etc. because he LOVES his dad and his big brother SO much. And the thing is, he really really shouldn't go. Hindsight 20/20 and all that but if he leaves there is NO ONE who can take the throne from his dad's direct line (because the Gondorian Council are punks and decide his cool sister Firiel and her extremely cool husband Arvedui can't have it on account of [handwaves] honestly). But the armies they're facing off against are serious business! They're really outmatching Gondor here. They straight up already fought his grandfather King Calimehtar, iand are back for round 2. So what does precious Faramir (I) do? He pulls the OG Eowyn, babey (and let's not forget parallels, PARALLELS about following your father (figure) and brother to war, right? she marries the NAMESAKE of this guy, incredibly cool mirroring here) and gets a disguise and rides with the Rohirrim-before-Eorl (some adaptations call this the Eotheod) to go help. Here's where things get EXTRA angsty HIS FATHER AND BROTHER ARE DEAD. He doesn't know because he's with the Eotheod, but like. The Wainriders killed them. And the Eotheod does help rout the rest of them and eventually, Earnil II future Throne-thief (but it's not his fault) gets the final victory BUT not before sweet noble Faramir is run through with a spear by the chieftain of the Wainriders and DIES IN THE ARMS OF A COMMANDER OF THE EOTHEOD. Like. That's a specific detail we have. Blorbo Blorbamir at LEAST didn't die alone and was discovered to be the prince there. So. Mr. Horse Leader gets to give the news to everyone about the poor guy that died in his arms being the son of the king. But oops! The King and brother are already dead so. Technically the King of Gondor died in his arms. What a day for him, right? Anyway this is still about Faramir who (in the LoTRO adaptation) feels such guilt that he HANGS AROUND AS A GHOST REGRETTING HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE DOWNFALL OF GONDOR. Tragicest blorbo. Regret. Precious guy. Vote Faramir I

Round 2 masterpost

[astorythatwritesitself]

For Adrian/Thane!

❤️ Who is the more romantic one? Do they wish their partner was more romantic?

💐 What’s their favorite “domestic bliss” moment? Do they cook/clean together? Do they like to go out shopping together?

💜 How do they silently show love or affection towards the other?

And @aceghosts

❤️ Who is the more romantic one? Do they wish their partner was more romantic?

Tough call, because they're both sentimental romantic dorks xD Like, outwardly? Half the Normandy crew's losing their shit (out of earshot ofc) that the scary assassin is the sort of sap who memorizes a favorite drink or will leave flowers, most of them would say Thane is the more... obviously romantic one. Thane would not necessarily disagree, but would deeply argue that nearly tearing oneself apart at the molecular level to avenge his dead wife puts at least a few points Adrian's way. (As does the poetry and music...)

In any case: they're both quite content with what the other has to offer, as is everyone else around them because anything more would be insufferable :D

💐 What’s their favorite “domestic bliss” moment? Do they cook/clean together? Do they like to go out shopping together?

Differs! Adrian would absolutely say cooking: Like. She has, historically, managed to fuck up the likes of MREs, so getting to advance to 'can grill a cheese without setting off smoke alarms' is one of those delightful little milestones that becomes even better when it's shared with her boyfriend, y'know? But beyond that... it's the sort of domestic moment Thane thought he'd never have again, and the sort Adrian never even contemplated getting to really have. The warmth as things cook, the scent and taste of the ingredients, catching up on the day or singing or just working in companionable silence is... so far removed from so much of the rest of their lives. For Thane, it's a second chance and a return to what he loved, but for Adrian... it kind of becomes a major distinction between two phases of her life, even more so than literally coming back to life lol.

Thane, meanwhile, would be hard-pressed to name anything more specific than 'time together'. He's used to solitude and had pretty much accepted his time with Irikah and Kolyat as a tragic blip in what was meant to be a lonely life. Finding anyone else was never even a consideration let alone a hope- so it's those quiet moments he treasures most, just simply being /together/.

💜 How do they silently show love or affection towards the other?

H a n d s

No but seriously they are so touchy - not much overt, especially in public, but it gets. Obvious lol. Quick touches to the arm or shoulder, linked hands. (And one that... Thane didn't quite consciously pick up on doing, Adrian straight up did not catch, but /so many other people did/ and it Sparked Some Rumors: Thane would kind of keep positioning himself just behind & beside Shepard in sort of a bodyguard way more than general squadmate follow lol.)

💛 What are their favorite activites to do together?

Cooking (particularly in the AU take on 3), reading, biotic sparring & shooting are definitely up there. I also imagine, in the 'congrats living is harder than dying' AU, they take up gardening and just find a lot of contentment in that or like, hiking together - spending time outside in a non-combative way xD

🍿 If they had a movie (or other fiction) couple equivalent, what couple would it be and why?

... yeah i got nothing for this one the tired sleepy is winning and apparently i have never seen a movie or read a book to draw a comparison from xD

🤍 What is their favorite or most admired quality in the other?

For Adrian - Thane's ability to accept things. That he could live through so much tragedy and still like... live, without it eating at him every waking moment; even when he shakes off the passive calm... he's still leagues ahead of her, in being able to face up to a situation as it is and not be shaken half to pieces from fear.

For Thane - Adrian's passion. Even though they met at about her lowest point - she loved so much and so /deeply/ - even if she didn't care for her own life, she cared for everything around her enough to keep trying, instead of simply shutting everything else out.

🍬 Who is their biggest supporter (friend, family, etc)?

Tough call xD Though I feel Chakwas and Mordin would be up there, and as far as my canon goes, were the first to pick up on anything (quite literally in Mordin's case), and were quite supportive - they're the ship doctors and had to deal with Adrian and Thane quite a bit beyond the usual injury patchups, so they got a unique little view of just how positive an effect they had on each other - /and just how much the pining fucked with them/ xD 

[ryutarotakedown]

susato for the character ask game! if she’s already been sent in then olive/viridian :^)

AAAAAAAH THANK YOU!!! im doing both because i feel like i say everything i think abt susato immediately on here lmao so i probably have more olive thoughts than anything

headcanon A: realistic

susato is autistic. sososo autistic. and as a result she learned most of her Way of Speaking (and english in general) from the herlock sholmes zine serials, which i think is actually pseudo-canon according to an interview with the localizer janet hsu? but anyway at one point she says something like “it is a great joy to know what emotions lie behind that cold mask” with the utmost politeness to, like, maria or somebody, and iris is like. ohh susie! i think i know where you got that from! ^-^ and susato has the delayed realization that half of her prepared lines were written by a ten year old

also susato has really good sea legs considering she's spent like [thinks] eight whole months at sea by the time she arrives in japan post-canon

i really like that one fanart with the headcanon that olive needs glasses!! i also think that she had severe anxiety as a teenager (and still does, it just manifests in a different way now) such that she had trouble speaking at all at times (selective mutism) which is how she got to be so fast at painting arrows on her palette thing. it's lessened a bit by the time we meet her but she likes doing it for emphasis anyway

headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

i cannot find the fanart for the life of me but please know i am always constantly thinking about that one comic where susato flies away with her hair loops flapping like a bird's wings. i am haunted by it.

on a more original note i think susato should consensually steal iris's smoke gun so she can go try to shoot her initials into the walls of the mikotoba mansion again. "the problem with the Real gun, naruhodou-sama, was the recoil! but this one should do the trick :)!" she succeeds and also dyes her father's hair blue in the process. hey at least he matches with sholmes-of-two-months-ago now

oh god let's see, do i have any good olive headcanons? i think her middle name is viridian and the difference between her original and localization counterparts is that viridian hates the color olive and olive hates the color viridian. they're both so glad their parents gave them two options.

headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

maybe i should have put this one in "realistic" but: consider the fact that susato arrives to london early the second time because she didn't get on the same boat as her father. consider that after they find out about him, both ryuunosuke and susato think it's possible that yuujin knew kazuma wasn't dead (even though this is disproved immediately after they tell him about it). consider susato running away from ryuunosuke after telling him she has to leave in 1-5. anyway i think avoidance is susato's main coping mechanism and she chose to spend 2 more months alone on a ship with no one she knew because she couldn't bear to look at her father for more than three seconds without making herself sick with wondering what he was hiding

i thought for so long about olive but the thing is. i genuinely don't think i could make her story more tragic than it already is without making it just, horrifically dark, you know? i thought a bit about whether she would be executed for attempted murder but i do think the system of tgaa is more lenient on that than the actual modern ace attorney universe, so. let's see — canon says she has parents and that she and duncan were waiting to graduate before telling them about their engagement, so i think they tried to talk to her after she dropped out but the selective mutism kicked in for like. a very long period of time. while she went to briar road every day, pretending not to hear them calling after her that this wasn't healthy. she heard them talk about possibly institutionalizing her behind her back and figured, what's another straitjacket. after she gets placed in prison they do come visit her and try to hide that they're horrified that she would ever go so far as to poison someone for that ross boy who they never did approve of that much, but she can tell. she doesn't speak much to them. they still visit every week.

headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

i have said this probably a million times already but susato should have Exploded in 2-5!!! she should have blown up!!!! she should have had a meltdown!!!! why don't we have a susato breakdown sprite other than her trying to chuck her book into the ocean!!!!!!!!!! also she spills everything to haori once she gets back and they kiss about it.

ALSO also this isn't "unrealistic" exactly but it is unbelievable to me that susato & haori are not canonically childhood best friends so i am just. going to canonize that. one extra word. there

while in prison olive keeps drawing anywhere and everywhere and more and more people join in until it's a whole underground movement thing, and 200 years later textbooks will say that the term and practice of "art therapy" originated from a felon convicted of attempted murder whose name has sadly been lost to the annals of history (her signature was stylized in all-lowercase like "olive green" so as to be Emo, and so they thought she was just making a statement about color theory)

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Hey :)

Do you think what Beth and Daryl had in the funeral home before she got taken was actually love or even a form of love or them just kind of admitting their feelings?

Also, on another note: Would even be able for Daryl to fall that fast? Now, I don’t know how much time has passed between „Still“ and „Alone“ but it does seem like there wouldn’t me enough time for Daryl to actually fall in love. Or is he the kind of guy to immediately fall without even noticing?

So, both Norman and tptb have always gone out of their way to say that (and I paraphrase) "IF Daryl had romantic feelings for Beth, he didn't understand them."

Now, just the fact that they're qualifying this has always been evidence to me of her return. if she were dead and not coming back, it would be MUCH more tragic to say, "yes, Daryl was in love with her, and he lost her."

In the first years after Coda, I couldn't understand why they kept saying things like this. But as the seasons of the show have proceeded, it's become more clear. Daryl has grown a lot. He was emotionally immature in those early seasons, and that's why he couldn't recognize his romantic feelings for Beth for what they were. Norman also said something about her being the first girl who was truly nice to him. Daryl was so inexperienced in romance, he couldn't tell the difference between a "girl being nice" and a budding romance.

**Note that based on the above, tptb are admitting the romantic feelings are there; Daryl just didn't entirely recognize or understand them.***

When asked why they did the Daryl/Leah storyline, Gimple answered, "that's growing up." It both echoed what Carol said to him and Consumed, and was the writers' way of showing that Daryl has now matured to the point where he can both recognize and sustain a romantic relationship.

So, I'm not sure if I answered your question, lol. I think the romantic feelings were there, but had they tried to jump into a romance back then, at the very least it would have been clunky and awkward because Daryl was so inexperienced at it.

Now, years later, he's ready to be with his soulmate. And when they come together, I think it will be easy, effortless, and completely beautiful.

Xoxo! 🎆💖

[feathered-serpents]

My altogether way too detailed God of War "Theory" for how Hel could become "Hel"

Hello

I have a problem when I theorize where I just keep thinking about it until it stops being a theory and basically becomes a fanfic. That's what this is. This is not a theory, this is the outline of a fanfic. But it was fun so I'm gonna post about it

So, in Norse mythology, Hel is the daughter of Loki and Angrboda, sister of Fenrir and Jormungandr. Of Loki's six total children, she is his only daughter. That's not relevant I just think it's fun

(There are people who have seen the Ritual screaming "MODER!!!" right now. Moder is not an actual child of Loki. I can find no official resources that say she is a real child of Loki. I'm sorry Ritual fans, I know she's sexy, but she does not exist.)

It did not escape my nor many fans' notice that Hel is the only child of Loki and Angrboda that we did not see. We got explanations for how Atreus and Angrboda "created" Jormmy and Fenrir, but not Hel. Most fans, myself included, believe this is because she is the most humanoid of their children and will thus be their biological daughter. The possibility of a new person becoming "Hel" was teased in the postgame of Ragnarok, Mimir even saying "it doesn't have to happen soon." While I still wouldn't call it guaranteed, I would say it's extremely likely

So that's enough backstory. Let's get into the actual theory

At some point in the future Angrboda and Atreus are going to get married and have a daughter. They are not going to name her Hel obviously, so I'm gonna Calliope throughout this post.

After her birth, Angrboda, Atreus, and Calliope are all going to live happily in Ironwood. Ten to twelve years of enjoying being giants, having a huge dog, frequent visits from grandpa, and then I'm gonna kill Calliope and Angrboda

How do they die? I don't know. I do know that it's random, not murder, and not anything as dramatic as some sort of monster attack. They get sick. There's a tragic accident. The how does not matter as much as the fact that they are gone and Atreus is devastated

Why both of them? Why not just Calliope? It's about those parallels baby. Kratos lost his wife and daughter, and now his son has lost his wife and daughter. Like some sort of curse, it has happened again. It has happened again

And Atreus is not alone in his grief. Kratos, Mimir, Freya, they're all there grieving with him, but what do you say? What do you do? You could argue that Atreus' situation is not as bad as Kratos' because at least Atreus didn't kill them, but Atreus also has no one to blame. There's no reason this happened. It just happened and it is hideously unfair

And if we know anything about Atreus we know that he is not fantastic at accepting realities he doesn't like, and he is painfully stubborn. He does not accept this, and instead, he swears to get them back.

Atreus devises a plan to go to the Lake of Souls and steal his wife and daughter back. He tells no one about this as he does not want to risk anyone trying to stop him, but he knows he will need outside help. There is one person who comes to mind, one person who he believes would not only not try to stop him, but has direct experience doing exactly what he is trying to do

Sindri

Atreus tracks Sindri down and begs him for his help. He doesn't ask Sindri to actually go with him, he just asks for some kind of help. Some tool. Some technique. Anything. Anything at all.

Sindri surprises him. Sindri actually offers to go with him, show him the path he took, and tell him the most effective ways to fight off the dead that will try and stop him. He offers that, but not for free. This isn't a favor, they're not friends. This is a transaction.

Sindri helps him, and as payment, Atreus gives him his head.

I'm not pulling this out of my ass! This is a real myth. The circumstances are different there but there is a real myth where the dwarves Brok and Sindri are based on ask for Loki's head, though in that myth it's a wager and not a payment, but same difference.

Atreus agrees, and Atreus and Sindri in a new tense "partnership" go to the Lake of Souls to get Atreus' family back. I don't think Sindri follows him into the lake, just takes him to the shore and then Atreus is on his own to actually fight off the dead in the lake.

It goes well! He gets Angrboda's soul back, and not only that, he gets it back whole. All four pieces, fighting the dead the whole way, he gets her back and puts her in her mable. But there is one complication.

Calliope is not there

Not just he can't get her back. She isn't there. She didn't go to the Lake of Souls! Because she's not a giant

She's a god

Whoops! Being 3/4ths giant her parents assumed she was a giant. No. God inheritance is funny like that. She's a god, so she isn't in the Lake of Souls. She is in Hel

Whoops

Atreus and Sindri leave the lake and return to Ironwood. There, Atreus is reluctant to bring Angrboda back. He doesn't have their daughter! He's scared to face her and tell her what he's done when he didn't get Calliope back as well. It's Sindri that convinces him to bring her back. "Convinces" is probably too gentle a word, "forces" is better. Sindri tells Atreus that he doesn't get to do this. He does not get to rob Angrboda of death and then deny her life until it is convenient for him. He either brings her back, faces her, and tells her what he's done, or he smashes her marble and lets her go. He does not get both

So he brings her back, and he tells her what he's done. All of it. He is honest, that he wanted to bring her and Calliope back, but doesn't have Calliope. He swears to her that he will get Calliope back from Hel and everything will be the way it should be.

Angrboda isn't angry. She's calm. She comforts him. Because she trusts Atreus. She's seen him defy fate before, he saved his father! Atreus tells her he will get their daughter back, and she believes him.

This is where Sindri leaves, and tells Atreus that he's upheld his end of their bargain, and will expect Atreus to find him when he's done to give him what he promised. Angrboda asks what that means, but Atreus says not to worry. Together, Angrboda and Atreus go into Hel to get their daughter back (probably with Fenrir too let's be real)

This goes less smoothly

Now up until this point, I have not talked much about combat. There really isn't much point in getting caught up in that in my mind unless it's very important.

This though? This is very important. And this is a fight

I wanna throw hands with Hræsvelgr

Angrboda and Atreus fight their way through Hel, long and hard until they find Calliope. They take her soul and put it in her marble and then they fight their way back out. It looks like they really might make it. They're back at the gate. They did it. He did it

And then Hræsvelgr swoops in and grabs Atreus just as they're about to make it out. Flying him and Calliope's soul back into Hel

This fight would take place partially in the air, partially on high structures Atreus lands on whenever he manages to get away from Hræsvelgr. At first the "fight" isn't very brutal. Atreus doesn't want to hurt Hræsvelgr. He even tries to plead with her to just let them go. Please. Just let this one go. It is no use

The fight does not get violent until Hræsvelgr manages to take a hold of Calliope's soul in her beak. I imagine the image of her pulling it out of the marble looking very much like an eagle pulling meat off its prey. Now Atreus starts to fight back with the intent to harm. Now it's he'll do anything

And in the end he kills Hræsvelgr, but he doesn't win. As Hræsvelgr falls out of the frozen skies of Hel, she rips away one-half of Calliope's soul, and Atreus is powerless to get it back.

Calliope's Hamr (Form) and Hamingja (Fortune) are pulled back into Hel, leaving Atreus with her Hugr (Mind) and Fylgja (Direction).

If you've read this far thank you, we are almost done

Atreus finds Angrboda and tells her he has Calliope. He does not tell her that he only has half of her soul. He never tells her that. He lies to her face about it. He has her, they need to get out of Hel. Now.

Calliope is not the same after she's brought back. The world seems crueler to her for one. She keeps getting hurt. She keeps losing things. "Bad luck" anyone would call it, but it just keeps happening to her. She keeps wandering, like she's being pulled, like something in her heart is telling her to reach a place she can't.

And then one-half of her body starts to grow cold

Then pale

Then begins to rot

And yet somehow, this isn't their biggest problem!

Hræsvelgr is dead, which means it is time for complete and total undead chaos. Nothing they hunt stays dead. There are draugr and Hel-Walkers everywhere and not just in Jotunheim. All the realms. This is what makes Kratos, Freya, and Mimir who have until this moment not been privy to any of this show up at Atreus' doorstep. Not because they think he caused it (then), but because they're worried about his safety. They should all be together so they can figure out whatever is going on in Hel

And then they get there, see Atreus' suspiciously not-dead family, and probably have the most dire version of this meme ever in this history of time

Freya, Kratos, and Mimir: "Uh whatcha got there?"

Atreus: "...a smoothie"

Only then is Atreus forced to confess. He did not bring her back whole. Her form and fortune are still in Hel. Because this is outrageously long, we're gonna speed through the ending here. Its discovered that the undead do not hurt Calliope and are in fact soothed by her, and once Calliope herself learns the truth, she begs to be taken back to Hel. A request Atreus refuses, but Angrboda honors.

They take her back and there the realm is kind to her. The dead are kind to her. There she decides to stay, not just stay, there she decides to take Hræsvelgr's place and become Hel.

Angrboda and Atreus cannot stay, so they leave her there, they have no choice. However, she is not alone. Mimir, the selfless talking head he is, offers to stay with the new "Hel." At least until she has her bearings. It's been a minute since he's advised a true ruler, truth be told he's missed it a bit. There's a big goodbye, and everyone leaves.

When they leave Helheim, Atreus tries to speak with Angrboda, but Angrboda is furious. She trusted Atreus, and he lied to her. He has cost them their daughter forever. Atreus tries to defend what he did, says that he thought it would be alright. They could've found a way to help her. He still thinks maybe they can find someone else to take her place and get her back.

Angrboda tells him to stop. None of that is true, he knew if he told her he couldn't get her whole soul back she would've told him to let the half he did collect go. So it could find the rest back in Hel and be at peace, but he couldn't stand that. He couldn't let her go, and now look at what that's cost them

Maybe if he had told her the truth they could've mourned her together. They could've rebuilt together. They could've stayed together. But he didn't. He lied to her because he knew she always believed him. How could he? How dare he

"Goodbye, Loki."

She leaves him

Having lost his wife and child once again, Atreus goes to Sindri to give him what he promised. Sindri asks him what happened, and Atreus tells him and tells him he's ready now. He's here to give him his payment

Sindri looks at him and says no, he can't take his head. Atreus asks why. And Sindri says the deal was he would get his head, but, he can't think of a way to get to it without cutting his neck, and his neck wasn't part of the deal. (Again, not making this up, this is real in the myth how Loki gets out of getting his head chopped off)

Sindri then says if he has nowhere else to go he can stay with him, and Sindri says if he has anything he needs to finish he will help him. As a favor

And there's your post-game. Atreus and Sindri go around and do any unfinished business that wasn't done during the main game. And also do some bonding. It's a bit of grace after all. That

It's done! You can stop reading now! I'm gonna bullet point some other stuff on this totally not a fanfic theory below this but you do not have to read it!

I obviously obviously obviously do not want Atreus and Angrboda to break up. I ran through EVERY possible way to keep them together and I just couldn't. There was no way that did not feel forced or like it robbed Angrboda of agency and she is already robbed of some agency when she's brought back.

This could open the door for Sigyn to come in as a separate character despite me preferring she and Angrboda be combined into one character. Or, Atreus and Angrboda could get back together in the future after some DEEP reflection on Atreus' part. He fucked up here, he needs to face the consequences

I like to think Hel takes on the will of its ruler. So it gets cleaned up a bit. It becomes it less cruel to the dead who are there whose greatest crime is dying outside of battle

Yes, OBVIOUSLY the scene where Atreus can't get Calliope back will mirror Orpheus and Eurydice in some capacity. Who do you think you're talking to

This actually isn't my only "How Hel becomes Hel" theory! There's another one! Even more complicated, it isn't just about how Hel becomes Hel. Instead, it HEAVILY involves the Egyptian pantheon, requires Atreus and Angrboda to have two more kids and doesn't break them up, features Loki's iconic snake punishment, AND has Atreus' son become Osiris. Maybe I'll post that one too but my god if you think this post is long. Buckle the fuck up

[cupids-chronicles]

Hades X Persephone Saga: A Touch of Ruin #2

Author: Scarlett St. Clair

Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Mythology

My Rating: ⭐⭐/5.

Spice: 🌶🌶🌶

Goodreads rating: 3.8/5

Pages: ‎‎448

Published: 22 April 2020

A Touch of ruin Review

Note: This book is intended for mature audiences over the age of 18 due to explicit content (steamy chapters).

Sequels. They're a tricky business, aren’t they? To quote an entirely different universe: with great power comes great responsibility. After finishing the first book one would assume that the sequel would carry the same electricity. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t.

If you ever imagined the powerful Queen of the Underworld, Persephone, being chased by paparazzi in high heels and a toxic taste in relationships, then "A Touch of Ruin" is just the novel for you. At 448 pages, Scarlett St. Clair presents us with the much-awaited sequel to "A Touch of Darkness", and I’ll be frank: I have some feelings.

To start with the positive, Scarlett St. Clair's writing is, as always, engrossing. Whether you love or hate the story, you can't deny that she has a way with words that just pulls you in. I was captivated, even as I rolled my eyes. My favourite line, “Create the life you want, Persephone, and stop listening to everyone else,” echoes throughout the book as Persephone struggles with external and internal pressures.

However, it seems like our Protagonist, Persephone took a detour through Teen Angst Town and stayed there. Throughout the novel, her behavior is erratic, impulsive, and well, very human. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but for someone who's on the way to becoming the Queen of the Underworld, one would hope for a bit more maturity.

Hades, on the other hand, while alluring with his mysterious persona in the first novel, now seems more like a puzzled lover than the powerful god of the dead. Their relationship seems to rely more on makeup sex than actual communication. And this tragic lack of communication results in some utterly avoidable drama.

The plot, if we can find it between the lustful gazes and angst-filled outbursts, seemed lost. There were several subplots that felt more like distractions than genuine additions to the story. This series had such potential to delve deep into Greek mythology, but instead, it often felt like it was skimming the surface, using familiar names without embodying the weight they carry.

However, not everything is a miss in this book. The secondary characters shine bright, providing some much-needed humor and depth. Hermes, with his sass, was a much-needed palette cleanser, and Apollo, once you warm up to him, offers layers that make you question your initial judgments. It's these characters, alongside the hints of a more enticing plot for the upcoming book, that will likely have me (somewhat masochistically) coming back for more.

In conclusion, while "A Touch of Ruin" does justice to its title with the chaos it presents, it does remind readers of the pitfalls of love, the weight of insecurity, and the importance of, well, good communication.

If you're here for the drama, angst, and a sprinkling of Greek gods in modern settings, dive in. Just maybe keep a stress ball handy. And for those looking for a deep dive into Greek mythology, perhaps look elsewhere, or at least manage your expectations. For now, I'll be waiting to see if Persephone finds her way in the next installment or if we'll be plunged further into ruin.

P.S. Scarlett, if you ever wanted to write this series in Hermes' POV let me know because I am HERE for it. Maybe some of the humor and sass will bring some light into the dark (pun intended) story that you've woven.

Please note that this book is part of a series and can not be read as a stand alone. Lucky for you this can be your little weekend binge as almost all the books in the series has already been released !

Wait a minute boys and girls, check out these trigger warnings first:

Kidnapping

Mental illness

Sexual Assault

Suicide (off page)

Death

Getting Drugged

Alcohol use

Torture

Prostitution

Romance Tropes, you ask ?

Miscommunication

Retelling

Marriage

Who do we meet in this book ?

Hades

Persephone (Perri)

What to read next:

Neon Gods (Dark Olympus) by Katee Robert.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black.

Drag Me Up (Gods of Hunger) by R.M. Virtues.

Or just like read the next few books of this series.

[rahleeyah]

Do you think that by killing off Kathy instead of a divorce between her and Elliot, that El is still not "choosing" Liv? That when EO get together it's more of Elliot being "well my wife's dead so I guess I'll be with you". For many fans the choice of killing her off was not the best choice for the reason I state, and cause to fridge a female character is gross too.

What are your thoughts? Hopefully you understand what I am saying.

No, I don't think that.

I know a lot of people feel that way, but as we've discussed on this blog before I really do feel that Elliot couldn't choose Liv over Kathy while Kathy was still alive, not least bc Olivia wouldn't let him. And yes, of course, he could've gotten divorced from Kathy and then turned up looking for Olivia - and it would've been interesting to see Olivia be able to really vent her anger at him in those early days - but there's something....off, if Kathy's still around. She's still such a source of insecurity for Liv - does Elliot really want Olivia more, did he only come to Olivia bc Kathy finally got rid of him (which is essentially the same as only coming to Liv bc Kathy died, maybe even worse), has Olivia taken something from Elliot's family, do the kids resent her, etc - and Olivia's own reticence I think gets in the way too much if Kathy is alive. Olivia has been telling herself that Elliot is someone else's husband for so long that even a divorce isn't enough to nudge her, I don't think; it certainly didn't the first time. And yes the first time they were still partners but this time he's left her for a decade (why is he only coming back now? Isn't Liv still a consolation prize in this version?) and if she leaps straight into her anger without those months of caring for him maybe they don't ever recover.

And like what's the timeline. Elliot comes for the ceremony while still married to Kathy and Liv is furious and he leaves Kathy? Idk about that. Elliot gets divorced and only then turns up? Yeah I don't love that either.

And yeah, obviously, fridging is a serious issue that we do need to talk about but also characters have to die sometimes. We can't just never have a character die, never have the other characters experience loss; that's ignoring a whole vast swath of human emotion that does need to be explored in media. And if you're gonna kill someone off so that you can talk about grief and trauma and love and healing, pragmatically you're gonna kill a side character. Bc you want to keep your mains around for later. You need your mains. They're the story.

On the one hand, it would've been nice to see Kathy stand up for herself and go out and make a new life and not be beholden to Elliot. On the other hand, life doesn't give us all happy endings. Kathy had just as many choices as Elliot did. She asked him to come to bed, she asked - pushed - him to come back to raise Eli. She was happy in Rome. With him. Maybe Kathy didn't want another life. Maybe she wanted her husband - she worked hard enough to keep him - and maybe her ending is tragic, but life is tragic. A man looking at his cell phone while driving hit my mother head on and we spent a week in the hospital with her, jumping every time her eyelashes fluttered even tho we knew there was no activity in her brain. In the perfect story, her eyes would've opened. She would've woken up. We wouldn't have lost her. We did. The story doesn't have a happy ending. We stumble thru our grief. I kind of like it when the stories I consume reflect things I've felt in my own heart; it helps learn to name my emotions, and find connection and solace in the knowledge that I am not alone in feeling them.

Not every story has a happy ending. Kathy's didn't. That's not a crime imo.

[theflybitteneye]

Fun fact about Furby, but because I adopt seniors with disabilities only I usually feel too bad to change their name.

The shelter I got both my boys from does already as a little extra just distance from their old lives. (My other rescue Duckie was dropped off at a vet to be euthanized. He was severely neglected. Close to death from untreated diabetes and his old owners not giving a single shit about him his whole life. There's even some question as to exactly how old he is because his teeth are so bad the vet deduced he was either much older than they said or he had profoundly poor nutrition for a long time. Left to suffer. They didn't want to pay to have him recover. Vets will sometimes get owners like them to sign papers relinquishing ownership, promise to put the pet down, then call around to see if any shelters have the room to get an animal like him into recovery. Whoever used to have him, as far as they know, he's been dead for years. Changing his name gives the vet a bit of cover in the event his old owners see a picture of him on social media and recognize him. Like, Duckie has some pretty distinct markings on his face, but like, as far as they'd know it's just as likely a eerily similar cat to the one they abandoned. What they did is totally legal, but, for some reason people get weirdly pissed to find out the animal they left to die alone is doing well and has a better life.) But by the time I get them, they've usually been in the shelter for a while. Special needs senior animals are hard to adopt out, obviously. It usually feels a bit mean, you know? Third name change after all that.

However, I made an exeption for Furby. Unfortunately since the shelter gets so many cats and they all have to be named different shit, some of them end up with real bad ones. Furby's shelter name was apparently a model of German car, hard to pronounce, and un-fucking-spellable for my dyslexic ass. I literally don't even remember what it was, and can't spell it accurately enough for Google to guess. Because of that he had a million nicknames and basically responded to anything anyway.

When I saw Furby, I fucking fell in love instantly. He doesn't seem to be all Persian, but he's clearly at least a good chunk Persian. I love Persians. I've loved them every since my little 12 year old Warrior Cat kid ass was instantly taken by best girl hag queen Yellowfang. This is no judgement to people who get pets from breeders, but, personally, I'm uncomfortable with supporting the pet breeding industry even as it pertains to "ethical" breeds, let alone unethical ones. And for those of you unaware, as gorgeous little gremlins as Persians are . . . At best, they're on par with pugs. It depends on what kind and how severe their face squish. And even before all that, just personally, in today's current pet trade market it's shelter or bust (in terms of cats and dogs, not other kinds. But even for rabbits and stuff I feel it's good practice to always check shelters first.) Persians are expensive, fancy cats, unlikely to end up in a shelter at all, and if they do, they'll be adopted out in a blink of an eye. Which is good, don't get me wrong, but, I try to always go for the ones who nobody but me would want. That's why Furby just seemed fated to be mine. Old? Needs special medical care? Tragic backstory? Completely unwanted and stuck in foster care for ages? That's MY KIND OF PET, BOyo. That he has this stupid short muzzle that makes him look like he's sucking on a lemon perpetually since he has no teeth and this big fat forehead that makes him look like a toddler about to fly into a temper tantrim was a special treat. He sits on the back of the couch with his front paws crossed and looks like the snobbiest little shiteating twink and I fucking love him with every cell in my body.

He looks exactly like the 1998 Furby I had as a kid. The white one with black spots. I collect furby stuff, as I am a toy collector and modder obviously, so the name seemed absolutely perfect. . . Too perfect. Profoundly far too perfect. In what I can only describe as a cosmic troll-job, he happens to also have something else very much in common with the 1998 Furby I had as a kid.

He. Never. Fucking. Shuts. Up.

In his distinct high pitched wail (if you've heard a Persian meow before, you'll know what I mean) he cries incessantly. Dare I not pay attention to him when he demands it, nothing but screaming. Unfortunately like an idiot, I've reinforced the behavior by accident. The more annoying he is the faster I'll drop everything to get him to stop with food or pets, so now he just goes full Final Girl to get what he wants as fast as possible. The only way he isn't like his name sake is that he has no batteries to remove in a desperate bid for peace. Like all cats, he's an agent of chaos unrivaled by any other animal on the planet. The degrees him and his brother can cause mischief in my daily life is unparalleled.

That sounds all extremely negative, but like, believe it or not this is exactly what I love about cats. I went through a very long battle with what felt like and endless cascade of health problems I'm only now starting to actually recover from over the past three years, and I don't think I would have survived it without my boys. No matter how sick or depressed or lost in a endless mental fog I got, these little pissbabies managed to get me to interact with them or there would be hell to pay. They managed to be as charming as ever charm me even while they caused all the fucking mayham they could.

Even when I felt like staying in bed until I rotted and died, Furby screamed until I got up. Duckie sent stuff crashing to the ground until I snapped out of my haze.

Non-cat people think cat lovers are insane, but like, it's never a fucking dull moment with them around. The will of cats is infamous, and in a lot of ways I think the real reason I managed to survive all I did was because it was inconvenient for my two little goblin kids to have to find another forever home if I kicked it, so they made sure that didn't happen.

[maenage-a]

parts of the jw 4 script (a special thanks to @yllowpages <3) that live in my mind rent free. spoilers ahead.

i'll start from the very beginning, of course. and oh, do a lot of things make me unwell here.

charon

first of all, is the way winston was expecting that gun to stay on him. he was, if reason failed, ready to "such is life" his way to the grave. he does in fact tell charon, as they enter the office, that he shouldn't be here for this, that he shouldn't watch him get executed for his mistakes. but charon, of course, stays, bless his soul and his loyalty and everything about him (but i'll get to him on the multi, let's not digress).

the point here is: he doesn't let him fall. he goes down with him. he cradles his head!!! it's an awfully intimate and caring gesture. in the movie he kneels down after, when the marquis is leaving (it makes sense why, logistically). and don't get me wrong, i love that version too. winston staying still until the very last moment, not baring (almost) any reaction. but there's something so gentle about the script version that has such a grip on me. he keeps holding him, he takes his hand and tells him to rest. openly calls him friend, too. it gives me the impression that i'm intruding on something very private here, almost as if i should be looking the other way.

and here it is. the hotel is one thing.. still a blow, still hits right to the heart, to the very core of who he is, but charon? charon is unforgivable. in killing him to supposedly teach him a lesson the marquis has signed his own death. of course he can't kill him directly, he's smarter than that, but he will find a way (and he will indeed).

vincent

bastard on bastard violence, my beloved. winston walked so neil josten and his legendary "Pity only gets you so many concessions, and you used yours up about six insults ago. So please, please, just shut the fuck up and leave us alone.” speech to a mafia adjacent person could run. neil is half british, winston is half scottish (in my portrayal).. maybe it's the european part in them.

this is almost word for word in the movie, but why is it so much cuntier on page?

bonus

yes, winston is smart. yes, he plans ahead. but this little, crucial detail, slipped away from him. i think that, ideally, winston would keep himself off from the line of fire, from exposing himself to such a risk. i love this, so much: he doesn't know everything, he can't possibly account for every single variable there is.

and the same thing could be said for the rooftop scene in parabellum. i've seen people theorize that he knew exactly where john would fall so he wouldn't die. and i.. personally don't agree with that. it takes away the fact, painful as it is, that john's survival was not his end goal there. a nice strike of luck, surely, since he didn't want john dead, but that was also not the point. his main objective was to not have the hotel and everything else that comes with it stripped from him. and with it, a chance, at least that, of john living to see another day. but not a certainty. and it does work well for him in the end, albeit temporarily: the abjudicator has seen him shoot. not once, not twice, but five times (yes, i counted them, leave me alone). so even if john walks away, she can't say winston didn't try to kill him. she doesn't believe him, i do think, but she has no choice but to walk away.

john

if you listen really well, you can hear me chew on forniture. this truly is the culmination of their almost but not quite father-son relationship (also no, i don't think they're actually father and son. or blood related in any other way). the fact that winston only ever refers to john as "son" at his grave, when john can't possibly hear him, after having buried him, much like a father would, is so tragically beautiful to me. and it leads me to believe that 1) he might not have wanted it between them, spoken out loud, not wishing to become another rope around john's neck, yet another thing between him and freedom. sure, he helped him along the way, best he could. he was — and the continental as a whole — i think, a stable and fixed point in his life, someone and somewhere he could always turn to. 2) he possibly also didn't see it that way until then, not so surely at least to admit to it. to empty air and a gravestone, but still.