#Also - the line ''if you don't love still to serve the Ladies'' is interesting

[john-laurens]

Captn Gillon will deliver you £50 sterling which your Sister & myself intreat the favour of you to lay out for us the articles you'll see in the enclosed memorandum if it should be the least inconvenient to you do it, be so kind as to write out the mem. fair & give it to Gillon, who will get them, but you must be much altered indeed if you don't love still to serve the Ladies, the knitting thread is for my own work As I am grow So old I can't see to do any other, any old woman of your acquaintance will get that for you the paper & quills you must send or expect no more letters from America both being at present being very scarce here, Gillon is a very good judge of all the things sent for & you may if you please take his advice, if you remember how you used to wear & tare your own cloaths, & can get any thing that you think will be strong & dark coloured to make Breeches, for just such a graceless raking fellow as you was once, send a piece, we should be glad of one of the then same colour & of a lighter of any french cloth whatever to make Bens coats.

Anne Cleland Kinloch to her son Francis Kinloch, in a letter from 1776

From “Kinloch family history and genealogy research files” from the South Carolina Historical Society Archives

I do enjoy reading Anne's letters to Francis - they have a common theme of being simultaneously endearing and patronizing. I find it funny that she called young Francis a "raking fellow." Given the context, I assume she meant it in a "constantly getting scraped up" kind of way, but I think it's fair to say that Francis grew up to become a rake in the "promiscuous degenerate" kind of way.

I also wonder if Francis fulfilled his mother's requests. The Ben referred to in the letter is likely Benjamin Huger, who was the husband of Mary Esther Kinloch (Francis's sister). Given their starkly different political opinions, Francis hated Benjamin and even wanted to write Benjamin out of his will at one point.

[squiddy-god]

"Antique hearts"

Zhongli x reader

Sweet, cute, and domestic fluff with the former geo archon turned charming man. More re-uploads. As usual no beta no prof

♥︎REQUEST ARE OPEN♥︎ don't be shy, send request for any of the fandoms on my fandom list, you can even recommend shows/games if they aren't there. Or even if you just want to chat! Anon is also always open!

────────────────⊹⊱✫⊰⊹───────────────

Hesitance was etched along his defined features when you suggested a trip to mondstat, nothing too long, simply a day away from the familiar mountains of liyue. "Are you sure my dear? " He inquired, you nodded smile painted on your face, "it'll just be for a day I promise, there's a place I'd love to take you" 

How could he say no when you gave him such a hopeful expression. He let out a deep sigh, amber eyes closing gently. It was no secret that zhongli was not a fan of mondstat taverns, the oddities that they often served- it simply wasn't his cup of tea. Thankfully you had no intention of taking him somewhere like the cat tail or angel's share, no no, you were planning to take him somewhere you were certain he'd love. "Alright, I suppose a day's visit to the city of wind wouldn't hurt" He agreed, still slightly sceptical. 

Holding his gloved hand in yours you lead the tall man through the stone streets of mondstat. Although the geo Lord stuck out quite a bit in his liyue attire, people still smiled nonetheless. "Dear, where exactly are you taking me? " His inquisitive gaze was locked upon you, the rich hues of his eyes holding a silent plea that it wasn't a tavern. "Well we're almost there! You'll see soon" 

You were indeed right, you soon came to a quaint cafe, a hole in the wall that was almost never packed. 

He took in the sight, a charming sign hung up above and the small chalkboard with a drawn cake and teacup, it gave a calm atmosphere he rather appreciated in a city such as the bustling mondstat. "Wait until you see the inside" You chirped, interlocking your fingers and leading the way. 

The interior was plastered with a warm yellow wallpaper, murals of cities and gardens painted on the walls. It was as if  each wall was a new place, straight from a story book's pages. But truly what caught. His eyes were the antiques. The front room was adorned in cute white shelves stacked with anything from porcelain birds to beautiful oak jewelry boxes. Elegant carvings in the dark wood drew his eyes to inspect them, a shimmer of curiosity lighting his dazzling face. 

You smiled seeing him so happy, the gentle smile he now dawned warmed your heart and you chuckled. The lady at the front desk created you with a warm smile before leading you to a table in the further back of the cafey. Zhongli admired the walls, beautiful flower bushes and charming window shutters tying together in a landscape unfamiliar yet beautiful. 

"This place is quite charming, hmm, even the cloth on the table holds much character, perhaps this place holds interesting stories" He mused holding his chin. He was delighted to learn they had a vast selection of tea, some blends even from liyue harbor, how curious that such a small cafe had such selection. 

His gloved thumb traced the smooth porcelain cup, swirls of gold lining the rim with pale yellow flowers painted on the smooth surface. 

"This is a common shape for tea cups, the design is wider and lends itself to the maximization of surface area" He began, eyes shifting subtlety from the hot liquid to your eyes. You happily listened as he went on, gently placing the cup down on the matching saucer as you intertwined your fingers atop the table. His voice was soothing and calm, the slight rasp lending itself well to his deep vocals. "The reason for this is to focus on the texture and feel of the tea, specifically teas with rich and velvet textures. Hence it is often used to serve black teas such as Sichuan Imperial Gongfu" He finished, a warm smile on his face as he sipped his tea. 

He always loved when you listened to him, he adored how appreciated you made him feel. That twinkle of attentiveness in your eyes as he spoke, yes, he'd make sure to return that love ten fold.

────────────────⊹⊱✫⊰⊹───────────────

[artemismoorea03]

Ok, but for your amusement, might I suggest:

Tucker decides Danny needs a break and a shot at a love life. Tucker blackmails Danny into ATTENDING (though he makes the mistake of not specifying for how long) and Danny runs into a bored Wayne kid. Neither want to be there. Both were blackmailed with the kindest intentions. Both decide to team up to make their well-meaning but obnoxious meddlers pay.

I MIGHT HAVE GONE A LITTLE CRAZY WITH A REPLY HOLY FUCK, I'M SO SORRY. WARNINGS FOR THE END: MENTIONS OF GUNS, THREATS OF VIOLENCE, VIOLENCE. Happy ending <3

"Danny, you need a break." Tucker said, and Danny sighed.

"This again? Guys, I'm fine."

"You're not fine, Danny." Sam insisted, standing next to Tucker. She had originally struck up this conversation when they were still in Amity Park. "You're going through a lot right now and you need a distraction that isn't work or ghost related. Gardening didn't work-" Because he froze every plant he touched, "Meditation didn't work-" because when he closed his eyes and tried to relax he would have flashbacks about the countless things he'd seen since the accident. "So the next step is dating."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Hard pass."

"Come on dude, Sam is right. If nothing else you can at least do some people watching and get to know the city better!"

Danny simply continued to scroll on Tiktok, wondering how hard it would be to do one of those dancing videos he saw everywhere. Then again he'd actually need to know how to dance for that to work. He was so busy looking at the video he didn't notice the glance his friends passed between each other before they sighed.

"You've given us no choice, Danny." Sam said, "Tucker."

Tucker held a phone out to Danny to make him see the screen as Danny's face burned red at the picture. It was a picture of him in his Phantom form after a fight with Skulker where a good chunk of his suit had been destroyed, showing off more than Danny was comfortable with.

"DUDE! I told you to delete that!" Danny said, jumping off the couch towards Tucker who was pulled out of the way by Sam who then armed herself with a frying pan. "Delete it, guys!"

"No way! And if you don't at least get out of this house and at least make a friend I'm going to make a Phantom Dating Profile using this picture!"

"You wouldn't dare." Danny glared.

"Try us." Sam said, "We'll even send it through the Ghost Zone now that the Phantom Phones are working we're bound to get some replies from interested ladies."

Danny faultered, then groaned. "Fine."

"Hell yeah, we even made it easy for you." Sam said, handing Danny a piece of laminated plastic. "One ticket to the Wayne Gala this weekend. Tucker got permission for two people to go with him. Which means the three of us are going to a party!"

"A party. A Wayne run party? You guys are just begging for trouble." Danny sighed, "Besides, I don't own a tux, remember?"

"Leave that to me."

Two days later the party arrived and the three of them walked up the drive towards the building where the event was being held.

Sam was wearing a beautiful A-Line dress that was jet black in color with a rose shaped black bracelet that was wrapped around her wrist over the back of her hand and connected to her middle finger.

Tucker was wearing a black suit with a white button up shirt with slight rose shaped patterns on it, a black tie and a thin gold chain connected to his left vest pocket. he looked very sofisticated.

Danny felt like a fool though. Silently wishing he had never let Sam pick out his clothes. He was wearing a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, exposing the black compression sleeve on his left hand, a gray vest, black suit pants, black shoes and a black tie. He was wearing a silver watch on his right hand which served as a ghost portal maker in emergencies.

He also knew that the 'pocket watch' in Tucker's Pocket was the same kind of device, and the rose Sam was wearing would release harmless smoke out of it if they needed a distraction.

Danny still felt like this was a bad idea. No, actually, this was a terrible idea. Not only because he looked out of place compared to his friends but compared to the rest of the party he hardly seemed like he fit in. He was going to draw so much attention to himself.

They walked to the front doors, showing their invitations and id's to the guards before walking inside. It wasn't as loud as some other parties they'd seen since coming to Gotham but it also was more crowded. There were people everywhere in expensive outfits, talking about... something that sounded like rich person gossip, it was boring.

"Have fun you two, don't make fools out of yourselves." Sam said, waving as she walked over to mingle with a young woman with blonde hair and another girl with short black hair, both seemed to recognize her.

"Oh, hey those guys are from my team, I'll catch you later, Danny. I wanna talk shop." Tucker said, rushing off just as quickly as Sam did as Danny sighed.

'I wanna go home.' He thought as he began to wade through the sea of people, trying to find his way to a wall where he could make himself look as small as possible. Not that it would be hard, his body was so busy developing new powers all the time it had decided that he didn't need to grow anymore after he turned 16 and stuck him at a solid 5'6".

He finally found his way to a corner, letting out a sigh as he sat down on a chair and looked out at the party happening all around him. He started to subconsciously count the people in the room, even going so far as to closed his eyes and sensed the very souls in the room. 56 people in his room, 17 in the room Sam was in, 10 upstairs. Danny then opened his eyes and got a sense for the room in another way. 45 windows lined the entire South side of the building if he was going his math right, with two sets of double doors near the front of the building. The building was mostly open floorplan which helped keep an eye on everybody but in an emergency it would be a stampede.

A man walked over, crossing his arms as he leaned against the wall with a growl. He was wearing clothes similar to Danny's but with a red shirt, but what caught Danny's attention was how he felt. He was luminal but not like Sam who felt like a walk through the garden or Tucker who felt like gritty sand, no the feeling that came from this man was like fire. A burning pain that also felt like grease stuck to the back of Danny's throat.

He was luminal but the ectoplasm that made him luminal was so fucking tainted that it made Danny want to gag.

Seeming to notice Danny's glance the man looked back at him.

"What?" He growled.

"Nothing, just thought your hair was cool." Danny said, noting the white streak at the front of his bangs.

The man blinked, touching his hair. He was about Danny's age if he had to guess, maybe a bit older.

"Thanks. It's a birthmark." He grumbled, but Danny could tell that it was probably a sore subject. If death turned his hair white he could only assume it did the same to this guy too. "What's your name kid? Never seen you at one of these boring as parties."

"Danny. Danny Fenton. And I'm not a kid, I'm 19."

"Same age as me, neat. The name's Jason." Jason introduced, himself. "You work at Wayne Enterprises?"

"Kinda, I'm just the janitor, my friend was the one who was invited. I'm just one of his plus ones."

"Yikes, what'd you do to deserve a punishment like that?" Jason asked as Danny laughed.

"My friends decided that going to work then living as some kind of godless cryptid that sleeps the rest of the day 'isn't healthy' so they dragged me out here in hopes that I'll make friends. Though they may have heavily implied that they expected me to either find a date or hook up with somebody while I was here. When I said no, they blackmailed me here. I'm just hoping that if I stay small and don't complain then they'll just let me exist without getting in my face for a while. What about you, what are you in for?"

Jason hummed and nodded, "Similar story. My dad and siblings are all here and said that if I didn't at least make an appearance this time that they would hide some of my books. Among other things. Plus my older brother used the whole 'you never spend time with us' whimper while my two sisters gave me puppy dog eyes."

Danny and Jason sighed before Danny looked at him. "Wanna hang out so they think we're playing nice and leave us alone?"

"Sure." Jason chuckled, "So which ones are your friends?"

"That one there." Danny said pointing to Tucker, "Tucker Foley, he works as a Programmer at WE. Then over there is Sam Mason, she works as a Gardener."

Jason's eyes widened, "Doesn't your friend Sam work at the Wayne Manor?"

"Yeah? How do you know that?"

"My dad is Bruce Wayne." He said, his eyes going to Tucker before they landed back on Danny and he laughed. "Wait. You're that Janitor?"

Danny swallowed a lump in his throat. "I don't understand?"

"My dad came home one day and said that somebody told him that there was information happening at Wayne Enterprises that was above his paygrade an we've been teasing him about it for weeks. Now every time he asks anything we reply with 'that's above your paygrade, Bruce'."

Danny groaned, his cheeks burning red. "Oh my god, I can't believe this. I didn't even mean to say that, I just panicked when he suddenly showed up in storage for no reason and caught me... uh... testing stuff."

"Testing stuff?" Jason asked as Danny nodded.

"Y-yeah. See, I work as a janitor because I didn't graduate high school and unlike Tucker I can't just breeze through school and show off my hacking skills to get a job. So I've been using some of the tech that gets thrown away to make something that would help me temporarily lift some of the fragile heavy objects around the building and place them harmlessly down so I can clean under them. But then Bruce caught me, I panicked and that was my reply." Danny was quick to explain, which wasn't a lie he was working on something like that but it was for the Ghost Zone to help him move some heavy things around his Lair and hold down things that often floated off for no damn reason.

"You know, that does explain a couple of things. I can't imagine your boss seeing you mess with tech would be a fun thing to explain. But... if you're so smart why didn't you graduate?"

Danny shook his head, "I'm not smart, I mean not like Tucker or Sam or my family. My sister is in Metropolis studying Psychology and is already a good way through her degree because she graduated a year early. Tucker and Sam graduated and are both working on getting degrees in something but nah, school just wasn't something I could do. Sitting behind a desk learning from a book isn't my thing. I'm better at using my hands, figuring stuff out on the fly, and trial and error shit."

Jason thought about this for a moment before he smiled. "I don't blame you, school is bullshit. Just like stupid galas."

"Mhm..."

Jason suddenly smiled, "Dude, I have the best idea to get back at all of them."

Danny smiled back, "Oh, you have all of my attention."

That one choice was how Danny ended up leaning against a wall closer to the crowd while Jason loomed with one hand near his head, talking to him about absolutely nothing important just to play the position while Danny occasionally chuckled. To anybody outside of the conversation it was supposed to look like they were flirting, which in a way they were but they also weren't.

"Do you like raisins? How about a date?"

Danny chuckled, at the horrible pickup line. "Excuse me, sir, do you have the time? I would like to know the exact time when I got a crush on you."

Jason snorted, "Are you a magnet? Because you sure are attracting to me."

Noticing Tucker and Sam looking his way Danny reached up and gently touched Jason's black tie to sell it more, but he was careful not to touch Jason otherwise. "Let's flip a coin." He told the taller man, "Heads I'm yours, tails you're mine."

Jason's cheek got ever so slightly red as he cleared his throat. "Are you a parking ticket, because you've got fine written all over you." He said as Danny chuckled again, watching Sam and Tucker quickly walk away to give Danny privacy.

"If you were a vegetable you'd be a cute-cumber."

Jason relaxed again at the cheesy flirt as Danny touched the silk tie in his hands. Not because he was actively trying to flirt with Jason but because it felt really nice and expensive. Jason snapped him out of his thoughts with another flirt. "Do you believe in love at first sight, or shall I walk by again?"

Before Danny could think of another flirt another man walked over, this one about 24 or so in age. He had wavy black hair and blue eyes with tan skin.

"Little Wing! Who's your friend?"

"Ugh." Jason groaned, moving slightly as Danny let go of his tie. "Take a hint, Dickie-Bird." He groaned.

The new person simply ignored Jason though and held out his hand.

"Hi! I'm Dick, Jason's older brother."

Danny shook his hand, "Danny. Danny Fenton, it's nice to meet you."

"You too, Danny! You look a little young to be working at WE, are you here with somebody?"

"A bit of both, I'm a janitor at WE but I'm here with my friend Tucker."

"Really? That's awesome! How old are you, Danny?"

"I'm 19."

This seemed to relieve Dick in a way that confirmed any suspicion that Danny had about him checking to make sure Jason wasn't doing anything illegal though he found himself ever so slightly annoyed. Did he look that young? No, people were just blind.

"Neat! Well, I just wanted to make sure Little Wing here didn't ditch the party, so I'll let you guys go back to what you were doing. Have fun~" He said, then walked away as Danny chuckled and looked at Jason.

"'Little Wing'?"

"Dick gives everybody nicknames, it's stupid. Now, where were we?" He asked, suddenly slamming his hand back by Danny's head as his cheeks grew warm. "Oh, that's right, I was going to out cheese you with these stupid fuckin' flirts."

Danny snorted, "Do you play soccer? Because you look like a keeper."

"I'm studying to be a historian. I'm really interested in finding a date."

This continued for a long time until they ran out of flirts and by that point Bruce Wayne was about to do a speech. At least that was the plan until suddenly the doors slammed open as party was crashed by a large group of people all wearing matching masks. Masks that looked like Ghostface from Scream.

There were at least twenty of them, all heavily armed with guns that they fired into the air. Jason cursed and Danny quickly grabbed him by the arm.

"Don't." He said, looking for Sam and Tucker who were trapped on the other side of the room. They were separated, they were in a large room but with so many people they might have been trapped in a hallway. "Where's your family?"

Jason looked around, "I see my dad and youngest brother. My two sisters are with your friend Sam. I don't see the other three though."

Danny shook off the question of 'just many of you are there' and instead nodded. "Okay, my friends are together too. So we should stick together, everybody else is in groups. Rushing anywhere now might start a stampede."

Jason frowned then glared at the criminals who were pointing their guns at everybody.

"Okay~ I think it's time we get this party started. Now, let's make this easy. If you don't actively work at Wayne Enterprises or aren't related to Wayne Family via blood or adoption get on your stomachs on the ground, the rest of you stay on your feet."

"They're looking for somebody..." Jason mumbled as Danny nodded.

The majority of the crowd laid down while only about a third of the crowd remained standing allowing them to see each individual person.

"Very good!" The criminal in charge praised and looked around. "Now, anybody who makes the wrong move will get one of the people laying on the ground killed. I know a lot of you are stupid enough to try to play heroes so instead of you getting shot we'll shoot whoever is closest to us."

"Shit." Danny and Jason both said together before passing a glance at one another.

The one in charge looked around again until he looked at Danny and pointed at him. "You. Step up."

"No way." Jason said as the man pointed a gun at a young woman who sobbed in fear.

"No no, it's okay. I'm coming." Danny said, patting Jason's arm as he walked carefully through the crowd towards the gunmen.

"Nice to see you again, brat." Hissed the man as Danny raised a brow. Before he could question it though the man pointed to Bruce Wayne. "You. Step up."

"Father." The young kid standing next to Bruce Wayne said going to argue but Bruce just told him to stay put then walked towards them. Bruce kept his hands up, looking at Danny with a clear look of recognition.

"Why don't you let the kids go, there's not a lot of them but those who are here don't need to be involved in whatever demands you have." Bruce said.

"Hah, no way, Bruice-Boy." Hissed the man as two of his men grabbed Bruce by his wrists, yanking his arms behind his back and knocking him back down to his knees. "We came here today for you, but damn we're lucky that this one is here. See, if it weren't for the kid here-" The man grabbed Danny by the front of his suit, shoving the barrel against his chin. "We wouldn't need to do this. This is what happens when you meddle, brat."

Danny's heart sank before he glared. "It's you. You're that bastard who boke in a few weeks ago!"

"Yeah! And if you had just minded your damn business this wouldn't be happening now. If you had just let us do what we were going to do then it wouldn't be a problem."

"You were trying to burn down part of the building with people still inside, I wasn't going to let you."

"And how is that turning out for you now, brat? Hm?" He moved the gun from Danny's chin as shoved Danny back into the arms of two more men who grabbed Danny's arms and shoved them behind his back but let him stay on his feet. "Now, Mr. Wayne, let me explain. See, you and your company were trying to find a cure for something found in the water supply that was making some kids sick, but see were were making a lot of money selling the cure at the highest price. We were going to destroy your progress but unfortunately we were stopped by another kid who thought he was a hero. So, this is what we're going to do. You're good at fundraising so you're going to help us fundraise ransoms for each and every one of these people from their own pockets. The more a person pays the more limbs they get to keep. We'll start at 20,000 per limb." He pointed his gun at Jason. "We'll start with the young man closest to doing something stupid."

Danny growled, glancing at Sam and Tucker. Their eyes met and Danny flashed them green. Sam nodded then with a swift motion told her friends something before smashing her bracelet on the ground.

In an instant their area filled with smoke that rushed out covering the men with smoke and protecting the majority of the crowd laying on the ground in a layer of smoke while only those standing could be seen. Danny reacted as well, knowing that more people would be able to see him . Dropping his full weight down he yanked the two men holding him together as they smashed their heads together and let him go. Danny then elbowed the one to his right in the crotch before standing up, grabbing the barrel of his gun and yanking it upwards, squeezing the metal so the gun would be unusable before he pulled it from the mans hand. Flipping on the safety of the gun he spun it and smacked the man in the temple with the butt.

Danny spun the gun, moving it to his left hand before disarming the man of his gun and kicking it into the smoke in the direction of the stairs in hopes of keeping it away from people. Snapping out of their dazes Bruce and Jason also seemed to react as Bruce slammed his head back, breaking the nose of one of the men before elbowing one in the center of the chest knocking the breath out of him while Jason grabbed the barrel of the gun the main guy was using and shoved it up, causing the gun to go up and break some of the ceiling plaster but preventing people from getting hit. Deciding to leave those men to those two Danny go to work again, but this time in a slightly different way.

He hated fighting humans.

They were too fleshy and not durable like ghosts so he chose not to fight and the smoke provided the perfect cover as he froze the feet of the enemies who were still posing threats while mysterious snake like shapes wriggled under the smoke and yanked the men under to where they would later be found wrapped up in plants or ice. One by one the men were taken down until there was a pained cry that made Danny turn when he heard Bruce shout.

"Jason!"

Danny turned, seeing Jason rubbing at his face. There as a cut above his brows from a knife. He had managed to get the gun from the man but he had pulled out a knife.

Protect.

Danny snarled, taking a step forward as the man went to stab Jason. Danny and Bruce moved at the same time with Bruce covering his son. But Danny made it to them before the man could make contact and he got in the way of the attack. Danny held the wrists of the man as he barred his teeth.

Danny shoved the mans hands upwards, knocking him back slightly before he spun and did a roundhouse kick. An attack that he might have put just a bit too much power into as the man was thrown a good ten feet backwards towards the stairs and the doors that he had broken down. Danny could hear the man wheezing and coughing, seeing him flailing desperately under the smoke but not getting up.

No sooner did Danny relax and turn back to the Bruce and Jason then did Batman (who seemed shorter today for some reason), Red Robin and Signal showed up with the police and a verity of confused looks.

"You sure you're okay?" Danny asked Jason who nodded, his forehead bandaged.

"Just a scratch, headwounds bleed a lot. I'm more confused what the hell just happened. Normally the bats react more quickly than that when they send in a smoke screen."

Danny chuckled, "You have a lot of experiences with the bats?"

"I'm a Wayne, it comes with the territory. Are your friends okay?" He asked as Danny looked towards Sam and Tucker who were mostly just waiting for Danny to finish but Tucker was also hacking on his phone to erase whatever data he could from the security cameras as he possibly could.

"They're fine. I'm going to get an earful for being reckless though."

"I don't think you were reckless. But... how did you learn to fight like that?"

"Uh... long story. Where we come from though the saying 'fight or die' was serious and there were daily reminders of it. But again... long story."

Jason nodded, looking drained. "Well... I know that this whole thing was just a way to get our groups off of our backs but how would you like to get dinner together some day? Just as friends, I mean I'm not against maybe trying some day but right now I kinda wanna get to know you. Besides, I'd like to thank you for protecting me and my dad."

Danny thought for a moment before he smiled. "Sure." He reached into his pocket and handed Jason his phone. Jason typed in his number then handed the phone back. "Get home safe, Jason."

"You too, Danny."

Danny started walking away when Bruce suddenly called out.

"Danny." Danny stopped and turned towards his boss, shrinking down slightly before Bruce smiled and put his hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"All good."

"Are you sure? You did really well out there but if you're hurt you should get looked out."

"I'm not hurt, Mr. Wayne, I promise. Just really tired."

"Alright, if you're sure." Bruce moved his hand and smiled, "Thanks for saving us, Danny."

"Any time, Mr. Wayne, but let's not make a habit out of it, okay? I moved to Gotham to get away from craziness like that." He said, waving his hand as he walked to his friends as he wrapped his arms over both of their shoulders and they made their way home.

"So, you guys have fun?" Sam asked as Danny looked at her.

"You know what... kinda, yeah. At least until the end."

"Did you get his number?" Wondered Tucker.

"Of course I did."

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hello Lady Raven! How do you do? I hope you're having a good day.

I was looking stalking at your blog when I saw your post which contained a world map of the game. This made me really curious: what informations do we have about the countries, kingdoms and other lands that appear in the map? Specially the Land of Dawning, Sunshine Lands and Kingdom of Heroes. Does the world of Twist have other lands that do not appear in the map? Are the shaftlands some sort of Twist Europe (as in; a bunch of countries that signed a agreement to be sort of unified)? And what is that big empty land north of the shaftlands?

I'm really curious about the countries and their cultures in the Twist world, I feel like we don't really have a lot of info on them, and as someone that really loves geography and history, that makes me a bit sad 😂.

I hope you're healthy, thank you for your time!

Oh, the map from this post?

Hello, hello!

Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m able to compile ALL lore we have on all available countries, cities, and towns into a single post (especially when there’s a lot of other questions that have also been posed + need answering in your ask). That’s way too large of a scope for a single post. I did compile lots of food/related lore here if you want to take a look, as I find the food and food customs in a region say a lot about its culture and history. (Plus, I’m just very interested in food!)

If you’re curious about each location, you can find the bulk of information yourself in related hometown events—however, tons of lore tidbits are also dropped in non-hometown events (ex: Floyd talks about land training camp in the second beans day event), voice lines (ex: Dorm Uniform Leona says that in his home land, scars are seen as signs of bravery), and vignettes (ex: In Jade’s School Uniform vignette, Kalim talks about how serving very sweet tea is a luxurious way to welcome guests to your home in the Scalding Sands). There’s lots out there if you’re willing to search for it!!

Please be aware that we haven’t visited most of the areas on the map, so we are still missing a lot of information on them. The Land of Dawning, Sunshine Lands, and the Kingdom of Heroes are particularly lacking in information. They’ve been mentioned offhandedly every so often. Platinum Jacket vignettes feature the boys visiting the National Museum of Art in the Land of Dawning, and there are sometimes bits of lore which mention these lands. The Mermaid Princess that strengthened the bond between merpeople and humans married a prince from the Sunshine Lands, I believe. In his Broomquet card, Idia says there is a place called “Hydra Valley” in the Kingdom of Heroes (which probably is a reference to the place Hercules defeated the hydra at). Finally, Crowley went with Idia’s parents to the Land of Dawning with to discuss important matters yet to be explained to us. The Land of Dawning is also referenced in a call for evacuation in book 7.

The map you see above is definitely incomplete. We don’t see several vital spots marked even though we’ve visited them: the City of Flowers/Fleur City, the Scalding Sands (and Silk City), Clock Town, Fairest City, the Land of Swords, Dawn City, and more. Heck, the continent that contains Briar Valley isn’t even labeled but somehow Briar Valley itself is. We cannot tell if this is even the entire world map or just a portion of it, since Lilia describes “a land to the east”/the Land of the Crimson Long, but the most eastward locations depicted seem to be the Queendom and the Afterglow Savanna. I definitely feel like there has to be more to it than what we currently see.

I would caution against saying that “[TWST location] = irl location” as even though there are oftentimes strong parallels or inspirations drawn between the two, they shouldn’t be conflated for one another. TWST often forms cultures of its own or borrows from many inspirations to create these places and to present them to us. Comparisons can be made, but let’s remain cautious to not veer too much into that since there’s no clear 1:1. For example, the Shaftlands could be interpreted as “twisted Europe”, but not really because the area often considered “twisted Britain” (which is a part of Europe) is seemingly separated and located on the other side of the map. And then you notice that this “twisted Britain” has a collection of islands that very much resembles irl Japan, an eastern country. So… in essence, sure, the City of Flowers/Fleur City resembles Paris, Fairest City feels very European and German, and Harveston is a blend of Nordic inspirations, but at the end of the day, they’re their own thing.

We don’t know what the land right above the Shaftlands is as of right now. For all we know, it could just be even more of the Shaftlands since the country seems to be a large expanse of land with variable weather depending on the region.

[nocandnc]

I saw some discussion floating around on what Momo and Okarun might name their child if they had one, which got me thinking about it as well. This inevitably led me down a deep rabbit hole of Japanese wordplay and research that really needed its own post, so here goes...

Naming hypothetical Dandadan kids!!

Fandadan kids...?

I'll be covering Momo x Okarun, Aira x Jiji and Kinta x Vamola below the cut for those who're interested - it's very long and very silly.

Momo x Okarun

If it were up to me, I'd name their child Tou. Why?

Well. You. See! Okarun's real name is Ken, written as 健 - meaning 'health' or 'strength'. However, 'ken' is also how you pronounce the word for 'sword' - written as 剣. This refers broadly to swords of many varieties. A more specific word would be 'katana', written as 刀, which refers to Japanese-style blades in particular. Another way of pronouncing 刀 is 'tou'.

Momo's name means 'peach' and is written as 桃. An alternate way of pronouncing 桃 is also 'tou'. Furthermore, the word 'momo' is also one way to read 百, the kanji for the number 100... as in the number of kilometers an hour a certain old lady can run.

So Tou feels like a wonderful name to me, as it loops all in and around Momo and Ken's names and even Turbo Granny to boot. It's a masculine name, but I feel like they'd still go with Tou even for a girl. A very tough girl!!

Aira x Jiji

Whether these two end up becoming a proper pairing in-series remains to be seen, but I've become totally hooked on them recently ^^;; and they're both so good with kids, I can imagine them having two or three... but I think the first one should be Buyuu.

Aira's name is written as 愛羅, which is a nod to the phrase 愛羅武勇 - read as 'I love you', or アイラブユー (ai ra bu yuu) - said as if one were speaking in English, rather than the Japanese line 'aishiteru' for example. A very fun line that showcases Aira's passionate side!

'Buyuu' would make for a very nice boy name to match his mother, written of course as 武勇 to follow Aira's 愛羅. Jiji is a fun and sentimental guy, so I think he'd be fully on board with this kind of wordplay!

武勇 can also be read on its own to mean 'bravery', 'military prowess' or 'valour'. Jiji's real name is Jin, written as 仁 and means 'benevolence', 'compassion', 'charity' etc. - while not directly related, 'jin' and 'buyuu' both point towards virtuous qualities that often go hand-in-hand. Buyuu refers to warrior-like traits especially, which also serves as a nod to Jiji's power both with and without the Evil Eye.

I can certainly think up good names for more kids too... but let's move on for now >///<

Kinta x Vamola

This ship might be a bit polarizing, but I honestly think they'd be so sweet together once they have time to grow! Another reading for Vamola is Bamora, written either way as バモラ - neither reading is right or wrong from a technical standpoint, but I prefer Vamola as it sounds more alien to my ears.

It also matches with Vega, which is the name I'd choose for her and Kinta's daughter!

Vega is the brightest star in the Lyra constellation, and is known in Japan as 織姫 or 'Orihime' - as in Orihime from the popular folktale of Tanabata. The story is about two lovers (Orihime and Hikoboshi) who are separated by the Milky Way and can only meet on the 7th day or the 7th month. A lonely maiden from the stars... almost like a certain alien girl!

But the connections don't stop there. Sakata Kinta (坂田金太) also happens to be a folktale reference! 'Kintarou' (金太郎) is the name of a very famous figure in Japanese myth, particularly known for slaying the fearsome oni overlord Shuten-douji. He also may or may not have served Minamoto no Yoshitsune under the name of Sakata Kintoki (坂田 金時). Folktale father, folktale daughter.

Kinta is such a bombastic guy, Vega just might be on the normal side of his naming preferences... but I think Vamola would find it all very sweet and moving. That said, Vega herself might choose to go by Orihime amongst her peers to avoid the questions and weird looks >.>

(And of course, if they had a son it'd be Altair instead!)

So... yeah! Those are my thoughts and ideas on the matter ^^;;;

I love researching Japanese terminology etc. so this was really just an excuse to ramble about all that... Hope some folks enjoy!

[sataara]

Fanfic Recs! pt. 1

Hello hello! For yall that don't know me, I'm Billy or Sataara, either is fine, and I read a lot of submas fics so I decided to make a list of some recommendations that I have! A few things about me is that I can't deal with unhappy endings, heavy angst and/or any pairings where both brothers are with someone else (also no bl/nkship), so if you're looking for any of these types of fics, I'm sorry but you won't find it here :/

That aside, I'll make more than one post since this was getting kind of long, this first one are just multi-chapter fics! Most of these are either reunion fics or Ingo living after getting back from Hisui, with some exceptions! Gonna leave the actual description under the link with small personal notes on my opinion about them!

edit: added a few more!

Combūrere by Anonymous

Emmet doesn’t appreciate hearing his brother is dead. But if it takes everyone treating him like glass to let him fistfight a god, so be it. He’s an over-pressured steam boiler, waiting to explode. He’s already set up all the pieces, lined all his matchsticks one by one. The only thing left to do is set himself ablaze. In which Emmet becomes a vengeful spirit, reunites with Ingo, travels to an alternate universe, and fights a god. Just. Not in that order.

Words: 140,000 Chapters: 28/28

This fic got me hooked from start to finish, I was up until 5am at one point because I just couldn't put it down. Reunion with a lot of bumps in the road that only make the story more interesting and flashbacks that only add context making the fic more robust.

Last Train Home by StellarCoachman

Ingo arrived in Hisui far too early, settling in and making a life for himself there. Akari, his daughter, grows up alongside him and Lady Sneasler in the Highlands, developing a strong bond with Pokemon that serves her well when she decides to join the Galaxy Team Survey Corp. There, she meets an odd boy named Rei and takes part in the events that shape the history of the region itself. An unexpected encounter leaves her lost in an unfamiliar world. Meanwhile, Emmet has long since grown to accept his brother's presumed death, but still struggles on occasion. When he gets proof that his brother may actually be alive, he rushes off to see for himself, but he's not prepared for what he finds instead.

Words: 90,307 Chapters: 12/12

One of the many fics I'll share from this author, love their works very much and I really enjoy their different takes on their reunion! As a warning, though, this one can be very sad and it made me cry a few times too </3

Legends, ponderances, and then some. by An_Ephemeral_Walk

Of all the lands, all the regions, all the timelines, it was Unova that was chosen. It was Unova that was the first to lose someone to a mythical being outside the domain of Truth and Ideals. It was Unova that fell victim to the being already tormenting both the Sinnoh of now, and the Hisui of then. While it wouldn't be Truth or Ideals that would ultimately lead Giratina to regretting going along with Volo, it would learn the taste of regret and defeat all the same in many flavors. Stealing the partner of a fiery ghost is a lesson not learned yet, but it will be. Oh, it will be.

Words: 85,049 Chapters: 10/10

This one is a very interesting and enjoyable read, a lot of introspection, different hcs for how the characters met, just, really nice all around.

Elevated Railways by FluentInFangirl12

I'm a sucker for wingfics and I'm surprised that in all my submas fics, I haven't written one yet. This was inspired by @manchasma's wing au on tumble dot com and this specific post by @fang-tasmal (https://fang-tasmal.tumblr.com/post/682901862855426048/wing-au-time-i-like-the-traditional-wings-on-back) but im changing the lore and stuff a bit.

Words: 71,987 Chapters: 28/28

Wingfic! This one has a lot of uncle Ingo content, it's a really fun read and nice exploration of the setting with the "but what if wings?" trope added to that <3 Also, another author that has a bunch of fics I enjoy!

Ingo in Wonderland by PerpetuallySleepy

Falling for the second time, Ingo finds himself in a strange land… a strange wonderland. Well, it appears that there’s quite an adventure ahead of him. A weird and wacky one! All aboard!

Words: 71,058 Chapters: 30/30

This one I actually avoided for sometime thinking it wouldn't be something I enjoyed, but oh, I'm so glad I gave it a chance! What a fascinating and fun story! Its heart wrenching and different, I loved it all the way through!

Give Not In To Sorrow by Hare_Brained_Scheme

Something strange is going on in Hisui. There are reports of a man in white roaming the wildlands while leading a pack of Pokemon . Some say they're a mix of Pokemon, some claim they're a pack of zoroarks. Some swear that the man is none other than the amnesiac warden of the Pearl Clan. One thing is certain. Those who meet the man in white all report the same thing: He is looking for his brother. And he will not rest until he finds him.

Words: 70,551 Chapters: 12/12

This one I can not recommend enough, beautifully crafted story, completely gut wrenching, I've read it twice not counting the times I reread my favorite parts and cried a lot, mind the tags but do read it if you haven't already.

We Are Derailing by william_pkmn

Lucas is sent on a mission to investigate a sacred site to the Diamond clan. As added backup, he takes Ingo with and inadvertently unlocks his memories, deepening the mystery they have to solve together.

Words: 49,451 Chapters: 10/10

Another really interesting one! Following Ingo and Lucas as they look for clues about Ingo's past, the promise that things will work out by the end, the road to get there, it's worth the read!

A Rather Dramatic Displacement by NanixErka

Arceus grants the wish of the two heroes displaced in time However, perhaps they should have consulted Dialga with the time portion of this 10 years isn't too far off for humans, right? the scowling 5 year old didn't think so.

Words: 44,258 Chapters: 12/12

Really fun fic with Ingo and Akari being de aged and sent to the wrong time! Tons of shenanigans and also cute moments with dad Ingo <3

Autistic Elopement (if it sucks, hit the bricks) by Alienea, Juan_Pujol_Garcia

Stuck in the past? Textures suck? Tastes bad? Horribly understimulated? Just walk out! Hit the bricks! Leave through a portal with a kid you met a few months ago! What could go wrong?

Words: 42,008 Chapters: 6/6

Loooooove this one! Ingo relearning and slowly remembering his present time, while Emmet has to deal with everything that comes with Ingo being back but with no memories.

to the rift that tore us apart (and brought us together again) by Gibberish_Sorcerer

A distortion appears at a certain Unovan subway station, taking away Ingo to a different land. Emmet sees everything firsthand. (Emmet goes through a rift to Hisui, keeps his memories, and just sorta hangs out with Ingo. Also the entire plot of PLA happens with the twins going along for the ride.)

Words: 31,911 Chapters: 15/15

This one is really good! Such an interesting idea to explore with Emmet also in Hisui and now everyone has to deal with the fact that there's two of them kjdbsjakbvkjb

I Came Back For You by Elithesia_Autem_Danguarde

Upon experiencing a mysterious connection to another time and space, Warden Ingo regains his memories and makes the choice to return home to Unova where he belongs. However, he has to deal with not only his own emotions about being in Hisui for over a year, but how his absence impacted those that loved him. Settling back home isn't easy, but there are always people who stand behind him, particularly his precious little brother who missed him so dearly.

Words: 30,295 Chapters: 5/5

The care and love in this fic is so heartwarming but also a bit sad at times, I really enjoyed the concept and how the different conflicts were worked through!

A Change in Conductors by CuzReasons

Warden Ingo wakes up in a place he doesn't recognize. Subway Boss Ingo wakes up in a place he's only read about. Neither are where they should be.

Words: 23,654 Chapters: 9/9

This author is currently my favorite and I love their concepts and how they work through their stories and ideas, I recommend looking through their entire pokemon tag if you're looking for reunions and sibling antics! But talking about this fic in specific, the concept uses a common trope but the way it's used is fresh and so intriguing! I kept reading each chapter as soon as I got the notification, I cried happy tears reading it.

I am not there, I do not sleep. by digitalpen

How does it feel to be a dead man walking? The Pearl Clan found the body of a man in the icelands. His lips were blue and he had no pulse. When no one else in Hisui could identify him, his body was given to a blessed pokemon in lieu of a funeral. And yet, his spirit is seen walking about days later. Ingo haunts the highlands as a ghost. He has no home, no family, no memories, no life. What comes next?

Words: 20,249 Chapters: 5/5

This one messed me up and made me happy all over again, mind the tags and don't forget the promised happy ending!

The Warden, The Girl, & The Fox by Elithesia_Autem_Danguarde

While freely roaming Hisui, Akari stumbles upon a mysterious man in the Alabaster Icelands with a familiar face. As the two begin to form a friendship, Akari begins to realize there might be much more to this new man's presence than what it initially seems, as well as being the key to unlocking the lost memories of her friend, Warden Ingo.

Words: 68,621 Chapters: 15/15

Another one by Elithesia! I do love this one and their reunion is bittersweet at first but so comforting as it goes! The focus on this one is way more on Akari, but the brothers are the main point of the story!

Let It Simmer by EVTrainingUniversity

Having returned to the future, Ingo finds himself stumped on just who he was before Hisui as his memories still haven't returned. As such, until he can find his way back to his home station he must spend some time in the modern-day Sinnoh. Left sitting around for the most part while the investigators do their work, he decides to put a gift given to him by his friends in the past to good use by making a food recipe blog of traditional Hisuian dishes. It's by complete happenstance that Emmet stumbles upon his blog, having taken on cooking as a hobby during Ingo's absence.

Words: 6,538 Chapters: 4/4

This one is very special to me, food as a love language, as a healing tool, as a bonding experience, it's everything to me

Fear Not the Descent by ImpossibleJedi4

Some coping mechanisms formed in wake of a tragedy are healthy, some are unhealthy, and some are a mixture of the two. Emmet finds peace when he travels far below the surface of the earth, but then, at long last, someone finds him in return.

Words: 2,316 Chapters: 2/2

Very short one but it's so touching... Please do mind the tags if any of those concepts might make you uncomfortable, better safe than sorry

[noones-untruly]

Your bitch is watching the second season of Blood of Zeus and lemme tell you, I don't like it. At least the very first 10 minutes. As I did previously, imma put here all of my thoughts regarding each episode as I watch, so beware of MASSIVE SPOILERS.

Also, small disclaimer: I'm not a professional writer, nor a movie critic. So everything here is my pure humble opinion so if you don't like it - don't read it.

So without further ado:

Episode 1:

Gods, it's been 10 minutes and half of the visuals (if not more) are just parts of the final episode of the first season. And also the plot didn't really moved past the point "yeah, Hades is the bbeg. Again." Although I sense some bits that it's more like "oh he's a misunderstood guy who did it all for love and whatnot" but the line of "Hera and Zeus made us fools and now we get to have our revenge" is already pissing me off. 10 minutes of almost nothing but being cliché. Not a good start, but imma give it a shot.

Another thing that irritates me is the "romantic" tension between Alexia and Heron. First of all, I don't get it how Heron is so good at fighting despite the fact that he lived with his mother and never really had to fight anyone with a sword. Like I get the arrows and such (tho hunting an animal in a forest and shooting a moving fucking warrior on a bloody battlefield seem kinda different, but aight, I'll let it slide). But how in the fuck after a few days-weeks of training with Zeus he manages to be so fucking op in the battle that it impresses an Amazonian Fucking Warrior Lady that spent at least half her life perfecting her martial skills?? This guy was not a warrior to begin with, how is he so good at killing people and demons?? He was BULLIED AND HAD NO ONE TO TEACH HIM KICK BALLS! So anyways, I don't like that it's implied that Alexia is falling in love with Heron. No, she's a powerful ass Amazonian, she's supposed to be COOL AND NOT FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS WIBBLY WOBBLY HERON THAT HADN'T EVEN LIVED FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS!!! Like, c'mon, how old is he? 17? 18? He maybe has a body of a perfect athlete, but he's a fucking baby... And don't tell me Alexia is below 20, she's in her late 20's AT LEAST, cuz ain't no way a 20 year old is commanding an elite squad in ancient Greece. So no to Heron×Alexia. Not on my watch.

Also, what the fuck is elusinian stone and why are we supposed to care whether Hades gets it not?

What the fuck did they do to Hestia's and Athena's designs?? Like what the honest fuck is this bullshit?? Who do winged dead eating demons look more interesting that obviously very important characters?? Also, the scream Hestia lets out burning the demons away from her 💀💀💀

NO, NOT THE PROPHECY TROPE, PLEASE, NO

Why does Gaia look like she stepped out of a marvel movie...?

Episode 2:

Alexia, girl, why are you sleeping in full armour?? Also what happened to your face??

Heron, what happened to your face?? Did they ever give proper character references to the animators??

Also, why is Heron having a mental breakdown over some noname bro that killed their mother??

Bro, why are you so suddenly questioning gods?? (Ye, he should question who the fuck these gods are to rule over humanity, but it's smth he was supposed to do in the previous season, not now when he beat the shit out of his step brother in the name of gods)

Yay, my babygirl Seraphim is still here, serving cunt as usual 💖 And fuck yeah, eternal judgement >> serving gods!! Slay babe! (I am kinda ashamed for this passage, but I won't apologise for it)

Bitch what. A love interest? FOR MY MURDEROUS VENGEANCE LED BABYGIRL?? ARE Y'ALL KIDDING ME??

WHY DID YOU SPIT LIKE THIS?? PEOPLE DON'T SPIT LIKE THIS, SWEETIE. DEMONS TOO BY THE WAY

Ok, I understand the lack of colours for Hades, he is kinda gothic, but why is Persephone such a goth chick?? She's the goddess of spring and such no?? Why'd she wear black fucking lipstick and look like a depressed teen??

What in the Hades the game is this?? Listen, I didn't want to bring the game into this discussion, but you did it yourself, netflix. Y'all are not ready to be compared to the supergiants' masterpiece. Don't drag Zag and Melinoë into this, y'all are not on the same level of deepness into the greek mythology to have them here.

Seriously? The same punishment as Loki? Y'all ain't even creative. Don't tell me this bitch lover of Sera is gonna stay there with a cup to "help with the pain"

Bro, stop it already with y'all's "well I've always tried to help you, I'm not like the others" it's not gonna cut it anymore

So like, Hades was very hot and you redesigned him into edge lord? Ok.

Ah, so now you explain us about the elusinian stone and why it's so important, at the end of the 2nd episode? Thanks, cool.

Episode 3

Apollo is still serving. By now you should see the pattern of what men I like.

Drop it with the love interest for Seraphim already. I don't believe that a murder machine like him is able to fall for a simple mortal woman. Like this fuck would even care for anything else than his revenge. Well, tbh I didn't believe that he'd care for his biological mother either, so... I just don't like how they portrait him as a weak for love bud. Isn't that a bit unrealistic for a mass murderer with no empathy? Like ain't one supposed to be empathetic to love? Ain't one supposed to feel nothing when killing a shit load of people with no remorse whatsoever? Isn't there some psychological repercussions? No? Ok.

Lmao, suicidal Hades is something new.

Yeah, ofc, let's make Hades seem like a creep again...

Is that weird that I'm more attracted to the demon Seraphim more than to his human form?

Honestly, I'm so tired of media portraying Hera and Demeter as hysterical bitches that know no boundaries. Like come up with something new.

Lol, Hades just made my man enter into an invisible wall to make the wall disappear a second after.

Aren't you supposed to win over his trust? For now you're just venting about your shit ass family to a man that has no family at all. Not very kind tbh

"Look at her! Look at how she suffers!" Meanwhile the girl is just sitting on the ground bumboozeled that the god of the dead and some hot demon guy are looking at her talking some nonsense.

Why, of course she's not gonna suffer ugly like the other wraiths, she's the main hero's love interest, so that's why she looks like she's on some heavy tranquilizers

Yes, of course the prideful demon Seraphim, the murderer of guilty and innocent, the vengeful spirit will succumb to be a pawn in god's hands once again, only to alleviate the suffering of the soul of his beloved! What a bunch of horseshit, guys... I may be delusional enough to be attracted to that man and call him babygirl, but even I understand that this fuck is incapable of love. This isn't his character, it was done to just make him into the "good guy that was just too miserable so he caused a lot of pain to the others". Let's be fair for a sec here, he's a mass murderer, he deserves no forgiveness. Yes, he can be redeemed, but it's a long fucking process, that doesn't always include forgiveness, but a shit load of work and reflection. And therapy. Hades could've "tempt" him to join forces by manipulating his pride and desire to be free, to be above gods. Not love. Love can be ugly, love can be beautiful, love can be an instrument to redeem someone, but by gods, stop using it on every Joe to make him into hero, it's just stupid.

Sera, why are you so easy to manipulate??

Episode 4:

NOOOO, WHY DID YOU TURN HIM HUMAN AGAIN?? BRING BACK THE DEMON LOOK, IT WAS SO GOOOOD!!!

Off topic, but wasn't heron impaled in the middle of his chest? Why's the scar on his tit?

I can't, Aphrodite clinging to Ares's arm 😭😭😭 Stop with itttt!

Okok, one good thing: I like how in the games Heron is drawn to always be in Ares's shadow. A bit on the nose, but I appreciate the symbolism.

Apollo's refusing to compete with Ares?? Apollo?! You're making me laugh.

There's this background god with blueish skin and black wings and I cannot, who are they?? I have to know whom I'm falling for. Is that Thanatos??

Hm, so half the season is wasted on some weird intro to the story itself? Cool. Wow. Never seen that happen.

Episode 5:

You serious? The mighty Zeus, the king of gods, is judged by mere mortals? The pure-blood god, not a bastard child ascended to godhood, but the child of Rhea and Kronos, is judged by some mortal and has to go through the same path as any other human?? Y'all aren't serious. I can't. This is idiotic.

Hera, I don't believe you, that now, all of the sudden you're changing your mind and vouching for Zeus, that he's not that bad. Girl, you unleashed a whole ass box of giants to kill that man just a few weeks ago, why such sudden change of mind??

Zeus, how in the fuck you managed to build a whole ass knowledge bunker under that shabby house of your son without anyone noticing?? Please, share the secret, I also want to be capable of that

Greatest quote of the greatest man in these series, Evios: "Look, I'm alive for two reasons: I was born and I hadn't died yet."

Oke, I can understand why Sera might've fallen for the priestess in a normal situation (if he hadn't been fucked up beyond repair, that is). She's smart, she's beautiful, she's compassionate. A perfect woman, if she had any character to her. But my man is, unfortunately, beyond salvation of any kind, when he met her, he wasn't recovering from the hatred, he was driven by it. How can one love another, when one is fueled by hatred and anger? How can one love, when one had long forgotten what is it to be loved? How can one love, when one is no longer feeling?

Episode 6:

I suddenly like the Heron's arc. Is he gaining some depth to his character? Wow.

Lmao, Sera, you fell from gods know what height and you're still in one piece and not smushed into the ground and around? You are a solid rock of a man.

Ok, maybe Sera is slay in his human form. It's just that he needs to be dressed appropriately. Stop walking around with tits out in and wearing this stupid furry mini skirt and he's looking like a decent man.

Icarus?? Sera, choose another pseudonym, this ain't a good one.

Honestly, I'm kinda digging all that "Demeter, the great mastermind " vibe. Slay queen! Love it for her. She's a bitch in this scenario, but damn she's good at it.

Episode 7:

Y'all, I'm in love with Demeter. This bitch? The bitchiest of them all. Slay 💅

Alexia, girl, how did you survive Talos exploding?? You demigod too? And that big fella who's name wasn't mentioned once this season is he also the same or just explosion-proof?

Ah, yes, his name is Kofi. Could've guessed.

Bruh, you've already done Alexia wrong in this season, why open her character like that in under a minute?? 😭 Opened and immediately closed. Feels like "That's rough, buddy" from Zuko but make it lvl 99 of idgf

And now you're Nobody?? Babe, you decided to fuck with mythology, didn't you? Bad idea.

Also, hadn't Kronos had another design in the beginning, no? Then who was that cosmos looking titan in the beginning?

Wait a moment. Does Sera classify as a demigod? Like, he is partially giant, cuz he ate flesh of one. And he possesses a ton of demigod-like qualities. Could it be that he's the prophecy demigod? Meh, I'm too lazy to look for the prophecy to compare it and actually find out. Will see in a moment what happens.

Episode 8 (finally):

Sera is getting sexier with each challenge.

Heron, surprisingly, is too, getting more attractive.

I absolutely hate Gaia's design. Disgusting.

Lmao, I was right, there's a possibility for Sera to be the prophecy child.

Oh my, are you serious, Hera is a pacifist now?? Y'all are crazy.

This is just a massive slaughter house at this point, gods, what the fuck.

Aw, the brothers are helping eachother in this butchery, how cute.

Heron, chill your ass, you're about to explode.

Btw, where's Evios? And that interesting associate of his.

So, what's that terrible horrible monster whose name we do not say?

Oops, someone pissed off the primordial Gaia. Y'all are fucked. Btw his name's Typhoon. Meh.

In conclusion:

The majority of the script is shite. Some (almost all) of the arcs can be done so much better. Designs suck an ass too. But did I enjoy watching it? Yes. Is it because of Seraphim? Primarily so. But will I wait for the 3rd season? Absolutely yes.

So I loved and hated the show at the same time. The main line is quite interesting nevertheless, so see y'all when the 3rd season is out.

I have a shit load of stuff to say on addition, but this post is long enough in it self, so maybe later.

[destinyc1020]

I loved your review of Challengers!!!! I watched the movie 3 times now and although I love the vibes the film gave me, I had big issues with the script and overall's Tashi's arc. I felt that the male characters were more interesting as ppl and their story of a close friendship turned rivalry to ending with both of them not speaking for years was quite compelling. I honestly just thought Tashi was a symbol for them tbh. this is where I blame the writer Justin cause the reason he made Tashi black was because he was inspired by Serena and Naomi Osaka however, this film is very apolitical. Outside of the mention of the alleged racist tennis opponent, her race is never mentioned. Her black father isn't even present in the older Tashi scenes. So what was the point of taking such good care of her white boys' line?

The last point is not going to be a point but a link. It discusses how Zendaya is the next leading lady of the generation. I have some thoughts but I hope you can read it so we can discuss. I do think that one critic has some inflammatory comments on Z that I feel are more personal than biased, but as a dark-skinned black woman, I can understand where that frustration comes from. It is tough because it is a lot and I appreciate if you do want to add any more discourse because I do feel Z sometimes is separated apart because she biracial black woman the bigger issue is Hollywood as an entity but using that white boy line kinda justify it for me.

https://www.vulture.com/article/zendaya-challengers-leading-lady-debate.html

Whew!!! Anon....this was a very deep and interesting read! Thank you for your kind words Anon about my review. Like I said, I'm always 100% honest on here about how I feel lol. 😄

I'll just say this, that overall, people are going to have varying opinions on someone's acting or just a film in general. I look at films and an actor's performance as just something that is subjective.... One person may LOVE a film or an actor's performance, and another person may think the film/acting was just "So-so". It's just like a piece of art. We can all have various different tastes, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that necessarily? Sometimes, our life experiences, exposure, and world view can shape how we view certain films or pieces of art. So, I am not even surprised that one of the critics in this article doesn't really care for Z's acting/films, etc... It's her personal opinion I guess.... 🤷🏾‍♀️

I'm a little iffy as well on Justin's writing tbh.... I remember when leaks of the script/screenplay FIRST came out, people were cringing lol. 😅 I'm glad that the film version wasn't as cringe-worthy as some people felt the film would be. I still would have changed some things about the writing.

But hey, sometimes, you don't need a picture-perfect film with picture-perfect characters. Sometimes, life is complicated, PEOPLE are complicated, and you don't need an ending that's tied neatly into a nice little bow with a "happily ever after" attached.

With that said, I'll comment and provide my reaction to some of the points in the article you just linked:

Whew... Welp...She made some interesting points. I know this will probably ruffle a few feathers here, but she's definitely coming in with some hard-hitting thoughts and feelings.

I've been saying this about Hollywood for years... The fact that monoracial, YOUNG, desirable, darker-skinned black women are basically ignored in Hollywood.... I do agree with her statements on this. I am a huge supporter of Z, and I love that she has the type of power that she has in Hollywood, but I do also feel for my darker-hued sisters as well. 😔

With regards to race.... Don't get me wrong, I don't need films where black people (black women especially) have to address RACE in every single role that is given a black person. Is it just me?? But sometimes, it's just REFRESHING to watch a movie, see a black person onscreen, and NOT have to think about race. 👀 We already have to deal with race and think about it just about every single day, 24/7... That can at times be exhausting. Sometimes, when you watch movies, you just want to ESCAPE...Escape your problems, escape reality, escape real life, or just escape what's on your mind atm, etc... You don't need a constant reminder of societal issues, and views of "blackness" in every single film that features a black person. At least, I don't feel that way.

But I do feel like certain elements and ways that woc (black women in particular) are portrayed onscreen DO play a huge role in how we are viewed in society, how we view ourselves, and how certain stereotypes are continuously perpetuated. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Anyway, I still hate that "white boys" line lol. It just seemed cringe to me, and totally out of nowhere lol. 😅 I'm like, do people even talk like that in REAL life? I doubt it lol.

Hmmm....interesting take.... 🤔

.

I meannnnn....I DO have to agree w/her statement on Timmy and Zendaya in the "Dune" franchise. I sense more platonic/"Friendship" chemistry btwn them, than actual sexual or sensual chemistry tbh. 👀

Whereas, I felt like she and Josh definitely seemed to have tangible sexual chemistry onscreen in "Challengers". Sometimes, you can know someone a little TOO well, that when you act with them in romantic scenes, it's not really believable because you two are like brother and sister vibes irl with each other lol. 🤣 I think that's the case w/Timmy and Zendaya onscreen.

.

While I don't agree with her that black people should ONLY work with mostly other black people onscreen lol, I will say that I agree with her part highlighted above. I've been saying for a while now that I'm really curious to see how Z would fare in a film directed by a black director, surrounded by a primarily black cast. 😊

.

With all of this said, I have to admit, this little part right here made me smile...

I can see it too! The Academy LOOOVES indie films like these. 😊😃

Anyway, great read Anon! 👍🏾 Thanks for sharing! It was good to get dual sides of the coin from their differing opinions.

[kitkatopinions]

Sometimes I think of how people will see the most shallow bit of feminism and girl power in media and then treat it like the height of progressiveness and act like that piece of media is now incapable of being misogynistic.

Like I don't actually have a problem with some of the obvious girl power stuff - things like girls standing up to people who say they can't fight, or girls being confronted by guys who are like rating the attractiveness of them and their friends, or 'you should smile more' stuff, or things like that. Every time I see someone post about how 'we should be past that' and how 'everyone gets it' I also see both women expressing how it helped them and also terrible men talking about how they think it's overdramatic and lying and anti-men, so like... Yeah, we do still need some of this kind of obvious girl power, no we haven't actually progressed past men out and out saying they think women belong in the kitchen or should serve men or something, it actually is totally realistic and empowering to many real life women to see a female character openly stand up for herself and show up men and stuff.

But also that sort of on the nose shallow level stuff is often used in a very performative way, and there's often deeper levels of misogyny at play that writers usually don't seem to bother to deconstruct. And the willingness to only pay attention to shallow level stuff and call that good enough is in my opinion actually detrimental, especially when that's then used to try to shut up the women that are rightfully trying to criticize deeper misogyny.

A female character standing up to a male character that says girls can't fight might be and often is still not given a narrative outside of a love interest.

A female character being the main protagonist might still be shuffled to the side to give more attention to a male character, or not be allowed to be really flawed and therefore less of a real relatable character.

A confident and feisty female character might still be objectified and made specifically for male audiences to sexualize, designed to be sexy for men or just written in a way that's meant to be palatable for them (such as stripping femininity from a female character who is involved in action.)

A female character in a position of power might still be treated like a jealous power hungry bitch or a sad cat lady who secretly longs for a husband and babies, or be 'in a position of power' in name only and not actually be that big of a threat, or do nothing, or be propped up as the important bad guy only for the media to reveal that really, she's nothing compared to this new eleventh hour male threat.

A female character who stands up to one male character might still be written to wind up in a relationship with a male character that treats her like crap and acts entitled to her and yet it's still framed as romantic, or will be pressured into a romantic relationship with no one acknowledging it as weird or bad, or just is written to never really challenge her male friends.

A female character might be allowed to be non-feminine and dismiss beauty standards but she might then be portrayed as having no female friends and being not like other girls and meanwhile women who are more traditionally feminine are put down and men who aren't traditionally masculine are mocked and treated like they're weak and lesser. A female character might be allowed to be non-feminine and dismiss beauty standards, but she might be confined to not going over a certain line, like a female character who is portrayed as strong but not allowed to become muscled, or a female character who doesn't like make up and fashion but is still designed in an 'appealing' way and might have a 'oh no she has to dress all girly and hot against her will and the men will exclaim over her' moment.

Female characters might be given any of the above only for it to feel like the writers punish them for it. Brutally murdering them, having them tortured, having their friends turn against them, or even just the writing around them feeling snarky and pointed. Like a writer making a female character say something right and having a different character be like 'uh-huh, you're probably right like always.' Or a writer making a female character show up the boys in her combat training class only to then have her get brutally beaten on the field like her confidence must be destroyed or proven wrong or something.

Female characters might have everything technically right on paper, and yet be written in thin, spiritless ways that give them no real growth, dismiss their personal narratives, or are just dry like you can tell the writers don't actually want to be writing for the character and don't really care that much about them. Sometimes the misogyny is in the fact that other characters are allowed to have growth arcs and learn and change and go after their goals and make mistakes and forge important connections that are actually relevant, while the female characters that are meant to be important/badass/feminist icons are just a lot thinner and aren't given that same attention and just feel like they're around because the writers feel like they have to be.

I need people to understand that misogyny in media is rampant and that writers rarely seem to be interested in deconstructing their biases, and I need people to understand that the only types of misogyny in media aren't 'women characters only exist to be nameless sexy club girls' and 'women characters only exist to be teary damsel princesses in need of saving.' There's much deeper forms of misogyny in media.

And it's really very frustrating to try to talk about misogyny in various pieces of media and have people hold up shallow level performative stuff and be like 'But if they were misogynistic, they wouldn't have done this, checkmate.' Like, no, that's just the profitable bare minimum people think will get women off their backs. Even when it's meant sincerely (and again, I'm not saying it's always inherently bad) it's most often accompanied by some form of deeper level misogyny.

(Also radfems and terfs leave me alone, DNI, you guys are also really fucking terrible at writing women characters and I swear you've all got misogyny that leaks into that shit too.)

[k8lynjoy]

I know the Live Action Little Mermaid came out forever ago, but I wasn't blogging then, so I have to discuss my grievances with it now. I want to start off by saying that I think the live action was good, this is in no way intended to slander the movie because as far as live actions go, this one is one of the good ones (Halle Bailey, I love you, marry me). That being said, I have got to talk about how much I hate the lyric changes made to "Poor Unfortunate Souls".

I understand why they decided to change the lyrics in "Kiss the Girl" to remove the lines of kissing people without their consent, but the lyric changes in "Poor Unfortunate Souls" irk me to no end because they completely miss the point of the original song. Are the lyrics incredibly misogynistic and rooted in outdated stereotypes surrounding women? Yes. Is that the whole point? YES! Ursula is MANIPULATING Ariel. She wants her to believe that giving up her voice is in her best interest. Of course she's going to be spouting bs about how "it's she who holds her tongue that gets a man", she's the VILLAIN. We are not meant to be taking any of what Ursula says seriously. Changing the lyrics to "remove the sexism" misses the intention of the original song. It's SUPPOSED to be sexist, not because it's sexism for the sake of sexism, but because it serves a narrative purpose within the story.

I also want to add that URSULA IS PROVEN WRONG! I know The Little Mermaid gets a lot of flak for having the FMC give up her voice "for a man" (I use quotes bc Ariel had an interest in the human world BEFORE Eric, but I also understand that he was the main catalyst for Ursula being able to manipulate her into giving up her voice and becoming human), but I don't think enough people- or anyone really- ever talks about the fact that Ariel NEEDS her voice in order to be with Eric. Now obviously I know that Eric was falling for Ariel even before she got her voice back, but her not having her voice was the main source of "conflict" for their relationship. This was once again, intentional on Ursula's part. She knows how powerful Ariel's voice is, which is why she takes it in the first place, she knows that without her voice, Ariel is going to have a very hard time winning Eric. What Ursula doesn't count on is Ariel having a personality that still manages to win Eric over. I also feel compelled to add that Eric spending the movie wishing that Ariel could speak to him also disproves the points Ursula made because "on land it's much preferred/for ladies not to say a word" becomes null and void when Eric actively wants Ariel to speak, but she can't. I digress.

Regardless of Ariel being able to sway Eric with her personality, they do not end up together until AFTER she has gotten her voice back. Ariel did not need to lose her voice to gain a man, she needed to WIN IT BACK. Ariel's voice holds a lot of weight in the movie- being the thing that drew Eric to her and what Ursula now covets in order to keep Ariel from succeeding to get Eric to kiss her- so her taking it back from Ursula is very important within the context of the story. And it is only after she has gotten it back that her and Eric end up together, fully cementing the point that Ursula WAS WRONG. Ariel NEEDED her voice, its important and holds its own kind of power. We were never supposed to believe what Ursula was saying, and even if some of us did get manipulated right along with Ariel, by the end of the movie, we see that what Ursula was saying wasn't true.

Now this isn't me trying to spin some revisionist, feminist take on The Little Mermaid, where I'm lamenting on how beautifully feminist the original message of the movie is, because that is most definitely NOT what I'm saying. What I am saying is that there is an ever-growing lack of media literacy and nuance when it comes to the things we read/watch and changing the lyrics to "Poor Unfortunate Souls" because they're sexist, just proves that A.) some people lack the ability to understand context and nuance and B.) that Hollywood doesn't trust people to have the brain capacity to understand complexities within plot and character.

It's just a shame to see because one thing that remakes keep doing is removing a lot of the things they deem "problematic" in order to make it more palatable, but- in reality- the only thing they are doing is reducing the complexity of the narrative because they can't trust audiences to work things out for themselves.

[a-trick-or-two-with-lepers]

I finally watched Swedish Christ Superstar

Remember how I did a whole deep dive into the 2018 one? Yeah well, I was gonna try to do that with this version, but it is so unbelievably, completely, utterly, insanely unhinged that I just had to have my post about it match the energy. So without further ado, here are my literal first reaction notes to Jesus Christ Superstar (2014 Swedish Arena Tour).

Overture-

• Ooh the stuttering guitar is so metal

• Love the outfits, give me more apocalyptic leather headbanging nonsense

• Love how the choreo goes with the music rather than pure immediate chaos

• Admittedly the orchestra could be a bit better, but not terrible

• The shopping cart is my favorite character

• This feels almost interpretive

• Ok. Jesus is hot

• Draculacore

• Is he orgasming?

• I think that's an appropriate tone to be set

• I will say, I like productions with more color, but I see the style they're going for and I don't dislike it

Heaven on their minds-

• I like how they translated the lyrics to sound good in Swedish

• Also gives extra context and connotation to the words

• Love judas' mesh top!

• Really good singer wow

• This is how the song is supposed to be sung!!!

• I like boys with long hair hehehehe

• Symbolic that jesus is sleeping while judas is trying to get him to listen. Shows how closed off and resigned to his fate he was

• And also how no matter how hard judas tried he would never really be heard

• Painted nails!

• The subtitles said fuck? Lol

• I seriously love this guy's voice

• Oh my god they're so boyfriends

What's the buzz/Strange thing mystifying-

• Jesus is serving so much cunt

• So. Much. Touching.

• AHAHAHAHAGSVSBAZHDVWH THEYRE SO BOYFRIENDS HWWGGA

• Yes Maria feed him that orange

• "A man like him" you mean... 💅?

Everythings alright-

• I really like Mary's voice and look

• Mommy vibes fs

• He's in the shopping cart hhahahaha

• The masculine urge to sleep in a shopping cart while wearing shades

This jesus must die-

• Caiaphas sounds like a toad LMAO

• "It's seduction! It's blasphemy!" -Christians watching this 😭

• Caiaphas saying "STOP" such a jumpscare

• They kept the jesus is cool line and for that this is now one of my favorite productions

• AND THEY SAID IT TWICE AM I IN HEAVEN??

• Well I won't be after watching this 😌

• Caiaphas has a pretty cool voice ngl, my timbers are shivered

• HELIKOPTER 🚁 HELIKOPTER 🚁

Hosanna-

• A bit faster rendition that's neat

• Interesting how judas is participating in the fray

• It's so nice to see his character happy for once though

• The jesus balloons are killing me

Simon zealotes/poor jerusalem-

• Ooh it's a fight

• The ladies are sangin and dancin 💃

• THEY SAID FUCK AGAIN

• Well okay I'm just gonna give up on the notion that this play will be family appropriate in any manner, it's better that way anyway

• Pretty cool how the choreo is militaristic, as well as the costuming

• They way Simon is pronounced 😃

• I am unilingual my brain is incapable of not making a joke about that

• Jesus your nail polish is chipping baby fix that

Pilates dream-

• Love pilates robe, very pretty

• Ok but the sparkly suit is better

The temple-

• Fuck counter: 3

• They have a bit more speaking in this version which I really don't mind

• The lyrics make it really clear how the crowds used their connection to God to justify their actions, an issue which is still prevalent today

• Annas shaking that tail go off

• Jesus jumpscare

• He called it "A whorehouse" 💀

• The beggars all have little hand lights, that creates a really cool effect

• Wow the music got really fast

I don't know how to love him-

• Yayy Mary hi Mary hi 😍🥰👋

• Da smoochy???

• Judas ain't gonna be happy bout this

• Her voice is so good!!

• Interesting how jesus is awake for this

• ITS JUDAS HE'S PEEKING

• Uh oh

Damned for all time/blood money-

• OH NO

• MY BOY GOT SLAPPED

• HE JUST WANTED A SMOOCH

• Ok now it just feels like he's betraying him cause he got rejected 😭

• Annas is such a little shit oh my god

• He's giving Draco Malfoy vibes somehow

The last supper-

• Act 2 baby here we go

• Okay so he's dragging them to absolute hell, love that for you jesus

• The girls are FIGHTING!

• "Tell us what happened to the good vibes" I'm loving this translation

• Judas actor once again killing it, he has a really lovely rock voice

• The apostles throwing shade at judas and planning to blame him in the gospels 😙🤌

• This shit crazy

Gethsemane-

• Ok I'm gonna try to be serious for this once

• So far pretty good

• The lyrics are hitting the important parts of the song I feel

• HE GOT THE NOTE!

• Pretty damn good

• My bias still lies with Neeley but that wasn't gonna change really

• I like how he made the g5 actually part of the song rather than separating it. This whole performance is actually very natural and easy to watch

• The last verse goes so incredibly hard

• *rips shirt open*

• 👌

The arrest-

• Here it is the kiss

• Here we go

• Literally the only part of this play I'd seen before

• Okay that's just. So romantic. JESUS kissed JUDAS! What a twist!

• "Why did you date a whore" goddamn

Peter's denial-

• Annas is basically the main character he's in so many songs

Pilate and christ-

• "Yeah we know you're 'hot'" I mean 😏

• Fuck counter: 4

• My notes are seriously lacking I apologize

King herods song-

• Herod is me I am Herod

• Me in my robe on a Monday morning imposing judgement onto others:

• Did they just use a slide whistle?

• Goofy ahh sound effects 💀

• "Fine I'll do it myself- look, no hands 😚"

• He's my favorite

• Herod being silly and goofy:🤪

• Jesus: 😐

• Loved that

Could we start again please-

• Fuck counter: 5

• Not the song I expected it to be in tbh

• Maybe it doesn't hold the same weight in Sweden

• "How are we going to explain it so it looks good on paper?" This is a new angle that is actually really interesting, and reminds me that the Bible is pretty much ancient RPF

• Yay they included the ensemble

Judas death-

• "For one measly kiss" I'd call that kiss a lot of things but measly does not come to mind

• He is talking to jesus instead of christ

• Something tells me this production is not very religious 🤔

• Which I am very ok with

• He's goin through it

• He's got the rock screams going on 🤘love it

• RIP Judas, too gay to live 😔

Trial before pilate-

• He called Jesus a clown, bitch this isn't Godspell

• Ouchie

• That's a lot of blood

• It's easy to overact in the role of pilate and this guy isn't doing that, which is good

Superstar-

• I prefer when Judas is wearing white in this song, but the glittery red robe kinda slays ngl

• And once again judas is a pretty boy

• They kept the "jesus christ, Jesus christ, who are you what have you sacrificed" line in English

• Oop the robe is off

• Get those dance moves judas damn

• This is insane

• What is happening

• Why am I turned on

John 19:41-

• Ooh this is rather scary

• The way its literally just him on stage suffering is pretty intense

• IT IS FINISHED

Hope you enjoyed sluts

[amypihcs]

Bonsoir! Second part of this pretty spooktober story! Holmes and Watson are re-interviewing GK and they are NOT. AMUSED. Let's listen to the rich ass

Tell him Holmes! Teach this guy how a gentleman behaves when he has no blackmailer to catch!

Look at this! Holmes is a moment from STRANGLING this man.

SHE IS NOT AN OBJECT YOU BIG BASTARD! Holmes is taking the case only for HER sake, not sure for yours! And you ARE asking for criticism. I'm bonking him HARD over the head! With my chemistry universitary book (1.8 kilos)! (Also Watson is torn between tearing GK to shreds with his eyes and admiring his husband's FORMIDABLE self. Man's sooo much in love)

HE SAID IT! Assault or attempted assault CAN BE WORSE THAN MURDER. AND I HEREBY QUOTE THE LAST SENTENCE TOO.

Rich people, this was written at the beginning of 1900s and IT'S STILL VALID. Holmes is being so valid in this story.

Well, story gets explained, Holmes snarls a bit more and then off to the country to talk to the policeman. Watson favors us with some pretty description too, but i do believe i'm doing what holmes would do in omitting them.

Holmes OF COURSE REMITS ALL THE MERIT! Don't even worry, he's not like Scotland Yard. (Lestrade, yes, it's Holmes, let's postpone this week's thursday sleepover and dinner, ah yes, sorry i've a case, maybe on saturday?) Watson will publish a full account in a couple of years anyway, lol. People still trusting Watson to shut the hell up about the cases.

And incredible but true, even the local police is ANXIOUS to hold GK accountable for his actions! Godo. Come. Un. Riccio.

Let's see what we have here...

detectives detectiving for a while. And apparently we lost a pistol. GK is being very american in having so many firearms, no offence to my dear American mutuals but this is a part of what America looks like from Italy.

And we have to praise Holmes' intellectual honesty. It was sensible. Even if he's saying it through gritted teeth as every single letter was more painful to him than having his nails tore out. Chapeau!

Hey, nice and anxious cop, calm down. There's an overabundance of 'sir' there! Holmes is seeing some light in it? Apparently?

Let him sit and think... Meanwhile infinite thanks to Jeremy Brett that gave us Holmes walking on the parapet and having a lil lie down on the bridge. I loved that sce- WHAT'S THAT??!

Chipped! And even violence time served just to understand that it took A LOT of violence to chip the stonework. Interesting.

Now, let's hop at GK's, we have a nice examination of the arm-room and then our boys try to go to talk to the young lady. Let's have some considerations

Watson is having a Himbo moment... And Holmes is of course willing to explain. Of course, the place where the weapon was found is the key detail! In freeing her. Let me explain, dearest Watson

Holmes: -sigh- My husband will be never a good criminal. He's too honest. Watson, my darling, DO try and think like a character of your stories THIS ONE TIME.

BUT THE POINT STILL IS

-rubs hands- We have a NEW TRAIL! A new line of inquiry. Ah, the day's so beautiful, don't you all think?

Which line? Oh well, that comes with the end of the story!

[kafkaoftherubble]

I expect you to look up names as you read this so that you're not entirely confused. I'll also write a timeline, starting with pre canon.

Event 1

15 years before the story, three little commoner boys (Phoenix, Miles and Larry) from the capital city were good friends. One day, Miles stops showing up for school. Phoenix and Larry don't really know why, but a year later it's announced king Manfred Von Karma adopted a son called Miles. So that's weird.

Event 2

About 10 years before the story begins, there is a problem between the two main countries. Japanifornia (the one Manfred is king of) and Khurain (manakete country ruled by Morgan Fey) are neighbors but have always been cold towards each other. Now, there's a manakete lady who has been terrorizing the citizens of Japanifornia. Neither country wants to make a big stink of it because they have other priorities right now, so they each send one elite knight to investigate. Japanifornia sends Diego Armando (Diego later changes his name to Godot, we'll get into that later) and Khurain sends Mia Fey (queen Morgan's niece).

While Diego and Mia are investigating this lady, she catches them off guard and poisons Diego so now he's in a coma, Byleth style!

Morgan called off the investigation and ordered Mia to come home, but Mia (who grew to love Diego during the investigation) refused and continued alone. This made Manfred very angry, so he orders an assassin named Redd White to kill her. Mia had also gotten some dirt on several nobles in Japanifornia during this investigation, so that's part of why Manfred wants her dead.

Skip to the present day, or the beginning of the story!

Event 3

Phoenix has just been knighted and now serves king Manfred. At the same time though, tensions are getting worse between Japanifornia and Khurain. To the general public, it's just another pointless conflict about the position of the border. Secretly though, nobles of both countries are still livid about the manakete lady incident and the following little string of blackmailing and assassinations that both countries did in revenge for losing both Diego and Mia.

So Phoenix, obnoxious as he is, protests. He is sent to the front lines but convinces general Will Powers to stand down and instead negotiate. The negotiation goes amazingly well because princess Maya Fey of Khurain hates the conflict too. She agrees to help Phoenix's cause and negotiate with Manfred.

Event 4

Along the way back to the capital of Japanifornia, the gang is stopped by prince Miles. He's leading his own little army, meant to stop Phoenix. Phoenix, in true fire emblem lord fashion, talks to him. Miles left 15 years ago because his father had been killed, but Phoenix did some snooping around and figured out it was Manfred who killed him. After this, Miles thinks for a bit before telling his soldiers to follow all of Phoenix's orders, while he goes off to take care of "business" (refuses to elaborate). Odd interaction but at least it went well.

Between this and the next event, a full year passes. No one has heard anything from Miles and most believe him to be dead. Manfred put a pause on inciting war with Khurain cause it'd be weird if he didn't (to outsiders, it seems like his beloved son is gone and likely dead). So it's a kinda uneventful year. Phoenix takes care of some bandits n stuff, nothing too interesting happens. Oh yeah also Will Powers stepped down and nominated Phoenix as his successor and he got the job, so Phoenix now leads the army.

Event 5

Now, Phoenix advances further to the capital, with Maya as his bestest buddy. He does this cause Manfred is acting up again. Yet another little army stops them, but this time it's princess Franziska. Her group is much smaller than an army and you can hardly even call it platoon. This isn't official business at all, just her and her very unofficial rage.

She's here on the grounds that she believes Phoenix caused Miles to kill himself and she's just angry. No specific emotions, just vague rage. They fight a few times. At their final battle, Miles shows up at the last second.

Phoenix and Franziska are both momentarily distracted from their fight. They take turns yelling at Miles, Phoenix even punching him. Finally, when they've calmed down, Miles explains that he left because he felt lost. While gone, he learned of the manakete lady situation for the first time and decided he had to come back to do something about it. Miles and Franziska now join the party and they can *finally* confront Manfred.

Event 6

At the capital, they kill Manfred. Sure it isn't *technically* necessary but Miles kinda wants revenge and also it is necessary cause Manfred pulled some Lyon type crap so he's a real hazard now and needs to die. There'd be some neat chapters leading up to it n stuff.

Afterwards, Franziska is crowned queen of Japanifornia.

Event 7

Phoenix and his posse continue on their journey to kill the manakete lady. Early on, they learn her name is Dahlia. Phoenix thinks this is a little odd but whatever. They investigate and find a zombie monster thing, very quickly killing it.

They run into a general with no allegiance named Godot. He's pissed that Phoenix, local cool revolutionary, let Manfred and Redd White kill Mia. Phoenix is confused at first, then remembers he met Mia. She briefly worked alongside the Japanifornian knights, though she pretended to be human. She taught Phoenix some of what he knows about fighting and planted the first little seeds in his mind that Khurain isn't evil.

Godot fights him once but then scrams. Before Phoenix can do his classic negotiation trick. Continuing, they kill more weird zombie monsters.

Eventually, they find the manakete lady. Except, her name is Iris. She, at first, tries to run too but Phoenix catches up to her.

They talk and here's what they find out:

This mysterious Dahlia is Iris' identical twin sister. And Phoenix also briefly dated Dahlia because she lied about being a human. Iris says Dahlia has been dead for a few months (was just killed in some random ass skirmish, very boring and anticlimactic death) but she's still doing damage.

In attempts to become immortal, Dahlia created zombie like monsters. Though she's dead, she's able to temporarily possess these monsters and does so to find a way to bring herself back to life. Her secondary, minor goal is that Dahlia was asked by Morgan Fey to kill Maya.

This is because Maya is next in line for the Khurain throne, but Morgan would rather have her daughter, Pearl, become queen.

So Iris joins the army and helps find and kill these zombie dragons.

When they find the last and strongest one, they find Godot fighting it alone. Godot and Iris have been working since he woke up from his poison induced coma (woke up, found out Mia was dead and got angry so he's working with Iris to get rid of the last remnants of Dahlia and end the conflict between Japanifornia and Khurain) so they talk. She convinces him to join Phoenix's army, but only on the condition that they duel first.

So they kill the zombie dragon, then Godot duels with Phoenix. After a bit, Godot loses and says he just misses Mia and some strange little part of him believed he could bring her back if he did everything right. Whatever. Miserable dude. Godot joins and they head to the capital of Khurain, where evil queen Morgan is waiting.

She's got her own little army of manakete zombies, but they kill her in the end. Maya is made queen of Khurain and because her and Franziska are friends, they make quick work of fixing the relations between both countries.

Phoenix returns home to continue training more knights, Miles helps Franziska rule and Diego (now changing his name back because he no longer feels like he has to hide) becomes Maya's advisor.

This, shockingly, doesn't have too much plot relevance but Dahlia and Iris are both Morgan's daughters but were stolen from her as young children. Dahlia became a horrible nuisance to the continent while Iris simply lived in a temple helping people.

At the end, when the dust has settled, Iris goes with Maya and Godot to Khurain. She helps Maya rule too and finally meets her little sister Pearl for the first time.

Sorry if this story isn't that good or it's incoherent, you know well that I am sick.

Bro. You told me you'd be sending slop to my inbox but

WHERE THE FUCK IS THE SLOP?!

This is just fucking Michelin level course and I don't even know the AA half of your materials. Shit just works even without context. It's a legit Fire Emblem game with a plot more engaging than Engage.

Sorry if this story isn't that good or it's incoherent, you know well that I am sick.

Bruh this^ legits reads like "sorry I was only using 1% of my true power, I'm shackled by a power limiter right now." HOW IS THIS MAGNIFICENT THING ONLY 1% OF YOUR POWER.

What are you, god of cooking?

Also, companion art piece: here.

[anticute-marshmallowmars]

if i had more energy/time to eloquent, i'd explore how

fan xian's depths of empathy is lovely.

like,

he can say he doesn't have connections except the very few he chooses to say feels "real"

which i do believe there's a degree of truth in it

(dude's a dude out of time, and there's a certain level of disconnect with others because of that)

but he DOES love the people in his life very much

like, he's such a good brother to ruoruo obviously (SUCH a soft spot for her), but he's a good brother to fan sizhe too.

and don't get me STARTED with lady fan!

like, fan xian is SO afflicted with the human caring condition.

perhaps too much in some ways? the way he can get SO furious/explosive, and weaponize against others to the point of destruction and ruin.

but also

actually that's kind of the show's thesis isn't it.

that's exactly the problem that fan xian is fighting

that the world doesn't care enough.

he can be passionate and a ticking time bomb in some ways

because he's SO impulsive, but he's passionate for a good reason

and we can say 'dude needs to calm down' or 'that's pretty extreme of a reaction'

but that's just a reflection on us/the general world consensus. and again, what fan xian is constantly combatting against. a system that doesn't care; that KNOWS there are issues, but won't do anything about it.

and we can say that's like 'wow that's extreme' the way he reacts to things

but it's true, we just let things go because we all think That's Just How It is

i think the prime minister is a good example of that. like, he's by no means a totally good dude (you don't get to his position by good acts. you get there by accomplishments.)

but in the grand scheme of everyone else on the canvas? he's decent. he's also a good father (i BAWLED at his exit episode).

but he has clearly done shady things. he also has lines that he's drawn, on a personal value system that serves his interests - that he won't cross (killing people).

but he plays the game. he works the systems. and knows the system is broke, while trying to monopolize what power he can. he's not malicious about it, arguably. but he is still complicit by virtue of letting things happen. because he doesn't think elsewise could happen. change isn't possible.

the world is cruel. but maybe we don't need to just let it stay cruel.

everyone in the show encourages fan xian to just stay put and stop making waves because he's such a nepo-baby situation. and that he's the weird one for caring. but in actuality: fan xian's just like 'no YOU'RE the weird one'

and there's something just beautiful about how his depths of heart and love is then used as a weapon.

[lmelodie]

Lucy Miller Headcanons (Grown Up Addition!)

Alright, so I've been really thinking about Lucy as a character, and how I personally want to head canon her for her to be fun for ME to write personally. @kscribs already has a FANTASTIC version but I've been wanting to throw my hat into the ring. And considering that I've already made other head canons for her teenage self, I figured I might as well.

Rambles about her under the cut LETS GO!

If her teenage self was mostly a Mable Pines vibe, her 30s and 40s are the next evolution of just straight up Ms. Frizzle.

She dresses like a middle school art teacher got dowsed in a rainbow, and she likes it that way. Bright colors, graphic prints and quirky earrings are EVERYWHERE

And she lives to help people, she gets her master's in psychology and opens up two offices for both humans and folklore, doing both one-on-one and relationship counseling.

(She wrote a very compelling capstone thesis paper on the development and the nature vs nurture effects of narcissism (Jack is none the wiser this was about him))

Her magic is most suited for this line of work as she can see people's auras/core's

And her appearance is a bit misleading, and people usually doubt her professionalism, so no one is expecting her to absolutely CLOCK THEIR ASS with the most 100% accurate soul read of their issues. She's the best in the business, and a miracle worker and helping people through their traumas.

This also happens combat wise because no one is expecting this little rainbow of a lady to start whipping out GOD POWERS out nowhere.

And while she does try peaceful conflict resolution first, she is definitely not afraid to start blasting when she needs to, she is completely capable of putting someone into the ground if she has to.

She is a collector of Things and Knickknacks. Which kinds you may ask? All of them. Any item that she finds remotely interesting or beautiful is at risk to be bought and join her collection of stuff, magical or otherwise.

She probably has an impressive display cabinet of colorful glassware.

Also probably has a trunk somewhere of magical items that she's forgotten about and doesn't remember what any of them do.

She can do SO MANY sick staff tricks. She's spinning that shit around like its NOTHING. And Charlie has been calling her Donnie/Donatello because of it. TMNT looking ass up in here.

Meanwhile Cupid has been calling her Artie, for Artemis!

Try as Cupid will, she still uses the staff to smack people on the head and occasionally bludgeons enemies.

She calls its The Snow Shovel Move.

This staff in the images isn't even the staff she really ends up with at the end of CnC. This one is the one she ends up getting at the end if the series of epilogue stories I've been thinking about.

Not pictured, but she also has quite a few dangling pendants for her staff for reminders of her loved ones.

She has a plethora of hand braces to help manage her tremors.

In her even later years, she gets more into helping the council and maybe even eventually joins, probably at the point when Charlie has already taken over.

Works closely with Cupid/Sandman/Killian as an adult on the magic side of things.

Calls herself, Sandy and Kills "The Night Crew"

Probably gets a husky at some point because she keeps rather cold company and doesn't wanna worry about the dog freezing.

Possibly Asexual! I don't think she herself has ever put a label on it.

She gets her own realm that serves as her home/therapy office. It's probably somewhere in a field where the grass is lavender, and the moon is always visible.

[emilykaldwen]

(@queen--kenobi ) Okay, I have a question. How do you think Aegon and Abby's relationship would be different if Harwin and Rhaenyra had been able to marry? Because like. I feel like people would see it as the Strongs trying to take over imho. Or do you think nothing in their relationship would change?

THIS IS SUCH A GOOD QUESTION DAMN!

Okay okay okay hmmmmm We're going to be typing out all the thoughts so you can see my ADHD brain dance around to try consider what this looks like.

So if Harwin and Rhaenyra married (WE COULD HAVE HAD IT ALLLLLL), that makes Abby the sister to the King-Consort (or would that make Harwin Prince-Consort since a King would be over a queen? That's not the question you're asking never mind). Which means that Abby is attached to the royal family more directly through her brother - since Abby is second cousin to Alicent (her mother being Alicent's first cousin).

So you would still have the split family loyalty here, but it would be far more in your face because Harwin's relationship with Rhaenyra isn't a secret. Abby is still of age with Helaena - Rhaenyra doesn't have daughters, so she still makes sense as a lady of hers (when she's older) but it would also make sense that Abby could ward with Rhaenyra or even become a companion of Baela and Rhaena (Abby and Rhaena are similar after all!) - to bolster those connections between House Strongaryen and the Velaryons who have been shafted by Rhaenyra not marrying Laenor/Laena not marrying the king.

Abby hands down becomes a stronger political pawn - the only reasons Alicent has to betroth Aegon and Abby are A) she is her brother's heir and B) Alicent feels like she can control her due to the length of relationship they had. If that's taken away, then Abby falls down that list. So Abby's going to be off making a political match to bolster Rhaenyra's support. The connection is just stronger.

So what does that mean for Aegon and Abby? I'm a fucking romantic through and through, so that red string of fate between those two will always exist in my heart and whatever world they co-exist in. Abby as a woman would likely serve as one of Rhaenyra's ladies (as she does canonically - don't forget I aged her down from her book counterpart!) and likely her husband would be on the small council in some fashion due to familial connections.

If Aegon is still stuck in the Red Keep (and again, I ask you, George, what were the boys meant to do??) Is he married to Helaena? Is he married to a Lannister or Baratheon? Is he serving as his sister's hand? (my favorite Rhaenicent fic, Cleopatra, has Aegon training beneath the guidance of his sister to eventually become her Hand and I'm feral for it). So I mean, if Aegon's intended to become his sister's hand, than marrying him and Abby neutralizes him on that front because he's married to his good-brother's sister. Aegon marrying into a Paramount family is dangerous in terms of people wanting to put him up against Rhaenyra - which is why you could say Viserys married him and Helaena in an attempt to neutralize that.

The thing is though, for these gen 2 kids (the targtower kids and the team black kids), you have a dearth of eligible girls, but not a lot of boys. So, going by the idea that maybe Aegon's groomed to be Rhaenyra's hand down the line - then yeah, you could still have them work.

For their relationship in general - they're just not as close as they are in my canon. Aegon follows his book/show path more so vs the veering off path through his relationship with her. But do they absolutely want to fuck each other/are still made for each other? Of course they do.

There's just so many ways this could go, with very interesting ways, but when it comes down to it: the aegon and abby relationship is just going to be so different. And Aegon's going to be different

I would love to hear your thoughts too! because god, it's a rich mine of what ifs which is why I write what I do lmao