#Arent we glad that she no longer does this?

[radioconstructed]

⌖ Before it was "some guy with a podcast," it was "some guy with a broadcast!" We've always been here!

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale Reviews: ML Season 5 episode 10 Transmission (Kwami’s Choice Part 1)

(Spoilers below)

-Okay so Marinette is hella depressed. I think this is the morning after Elation

-Wow she sounds so done

-Honestly summed up Adrien never started, Luka couldnt have started, and Chat noir shouldnt have started.

-Girl quoted her theme song and dissed herself. Damn

-And before I see posts saying she shouldnt be so focused on her love life... She is 13 f*** off

-Alya’s message was ignored by Marinette because she really in the dumps. And tikki saw the second call from Adrien and was like “Yea... she wouldnt want that call right now”

-EVEN THE VOICE MAIL IS DEPRESSED!

-Well Bustier is really showing the baby bump now

-Nino helping alya wing woman. Now thats cute

-Adrien blames himself specifically chat noir for Marinette feeling bad. And Plagg is like “Yea pretty much”

-Adrien realizing the consequences of his actions

-She took down all the photos of adrien. Not to be that guy, but if the is was about all her failed love life, luka’s photos would be removed to. Just saying

-Adrien really going up there to try and cheer her up. Boy knows what she is going through (and is mainly at fault for it)

-Look this angst is absolutely delicious and I am eating it up...

-How can they not hear the kwami. Plagg literally yelled

-Marinette was about to tell him... but then the trashcan

-I mean... we know he has seen the photos but seeing them in the trash... baby boy no

-Adrien just confessed! Damn! That is an angry yet touching confession. Boy is pissed the girl he loves is hating on herself. Dude... I can relate. (Ah memories of teen angst)

-She turned him down. Ouch.

______________________________________________________________

-oh look its zoe. After all the angst she is ... certainly a person to see

-Did they seriously throw a party without them even there?! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!

-Im sorry but no. I do not need to see this right now.

-Wow... Alya your brain cells are like negative right now. You should PROBABLY check before you think a party is a good idea.

-Zoe being the only one with a brain cell right now. The rest of the class I get... they sort of have horde mentality when the plot is involved.

-And Nora be calling. I wonder why

__________________________________________________________________

-And now just rubbing salt in the wounds

-Boy be depressed.

-And now its monarch. Because only when he can exploit his son does he actually care

-Wait... oh he didnt. Well it isnt the first time he didnt do it. He only tries to akumatize adrien when he knows he is chat noir. So I guess not as big of a prick as you could have been Gabe

-Plagg is like “My boy is destroying himself over this. Fu was wrong to do this”

-Plagg suggesting they find new holders for themselves to save them.

_____________________________________________________________________

-Zoe continuing to show that she is the only one with a braincell.

-286 days since adrien came to school?

-Wait a f***ing minute. IT HASNT BEEN A YEAR? ITS ONLY BEEN 9 MONTHS. WHAT THE S*** ASTRUC

-Adrien is depressed and his mom is checking up on him. (I mean Nathalie)

-And now they realize that their party was a dumb idea

-Nathalie sees Gabriel and is already in Mama Bear mode

-Gabriel... what are you planning?

-Did he just come in here to give him an alliance ring?

-Lila heart ache rating? Gabriel... what the s***

-YOU PIECE HUMAN FECAL MATTER! THIS WAS ALL TO GIVE HIM AN ALLIANCE RING AND MAKE HIM A DEADLIER AKUMA. YOU INSUFFERABLE SAKE OF SHIT! I AM GLAD YOU ARE DYING AND I HOPE EVERY MOMENT OF YOUR LIFE EXISTS AS PURE AGONY FROM THE CATACLYSM.

-The Kwami! The kwami took back the miraculous. I mean i knew they would cause spoilers but... damn. This hurt more than expected

-That mother f***er. YOU WOULD AKUMATIZE YOUR OWN SON!?

-Adrien realizes he has a chance now. Boy is going to try! And it ruined his father’s plans

-But now Marinette and Adrien arent feeling the crushing burden of their hero lives.

-Like I feel like they would still be depressed for a bit longer... But that is just me

-Guy is wearing 5 rings at once? Like why that many?

-He realized he forgot to give her the homework. And sees she is in better spirits. A good sign

-She cant say it. She is trying to say she loves him. But she struggling. I think it might be a mental block or something at this point

-The parents went to go check and they both realized what was happening and Immediately went back down. Now if it were me. That door stays open. I dont care if the boy is literal sunshine. No closed doors when boys are over. But enough about parenting. Back to the adorablw

-Okay the hand thing was cute. Also... was the music for this show ALWAYS this on point?

-THEY CANON! THEY KNOW! BREAK OUT THE CHAMPAGNE!!!!

-Party turned back into a strategy meeting

-Wait.... Is his name Boubi. What did Nora do?

-OMG THATS HILARIOUS!

-Tikki and Plagg shopping for holders

-DAMN IT! NOW WE WILL NEVER GET CAT NINO! I HATE THIS

-Okay while I am not crazy about Nino getting shafted. I do find it funny that Plagg sees a blond yell at people and is like “Yep, thats my next holder”

-HE JUST THREW THE RING AT HER!

-look at him!

-At least Tikki talked to alya first.

-Though in hindsight, Tikki is being  dumb. Marinette Knows that Alya was Scarabella. So she would know Alya was Ladybug. Would that be smart?

-Okay Alya, i will forgive your stupidity earlier in the episode

-Wait... is he giant now?!

-So he has rocket fists

-Okay so... yea I am still not sold on Cat!Zou’s look. I hate the lips stick. And How come SHE can have yellow eyes but Ladynoir couldnt have blue?

-Man, Imagine getting to be new heroes and your first bad guy has 5 miraculous powers plus his own giant size and rocket fists

-Wait... Did he resist CATACLYSM?! OHHHHH... He got the bull miraculous too

-Now he can multipy!

-Im confused... whats the plan?

-Ah yes, the firemen are the real heroes

-OH I GET IT. MAKE HIM BLIND SO HE BRINGS THE SHIELD DOWN. Clever

-Well played

-Wait... why does this guy look like a mix of Blingbling boy and Mr.T?

-Adrien and Marinette had a cute moment

-Oh no... Zoe and Alya had their Alliances on them. Well s***

______________________________________________________________________

so for part one.

I will say I enjoyed every scene involving Marinette and Adrien in it. It was precious and now they canon!.

Outside of that it was... well mid.

Gabriel proved he deserves death

Alya’s mental capacity was questioned.

Zoe’s personality seems to be Only braincell in existence

And the cliff hanger was kind of expected but not in a bad way.

That being said

6.5/10

More pros then cons but it is probably the episode I had the least enjoyment of outside of the Adrinette

[yveltalreal]

for both: how do you feel about family

Yveltal: It's all I know, isn't it? Ever since the beginning, it was Xerneas, Me, and Zygarde. Of course, there was a beginning before that. There were other legends before that, but I Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina... they aren't siblings. They existed long before us. Same with Arceus. Especially true for Arceus. I need to have family because if I don't have one, if someone cannot look at me and go "That's Yveltal, they're like family to me" then what am I? What am I except the hurt? I need to be the love as well, don't I? I love them both. I love them a lot, and I love the others too. Maybe it was a mistake to love them like friends and children, rather than axes and hammers. To treat them as family rather than tools. Who knows. I am nothing without them. I miss them. I miss Zygarde, even if they hurt us. Maple: i think its complicated. i love my parents. they arent the best. they sucked. they were busy. but i love them. they learned. theyre trying better. they love me. its whatever. my mom especially though. i remember talking to her. she didnt want to be him. she didnt want to be her either, so she ran. she thought that if she wasnt there maybe her love wouldnt be so strong that it hurt. thats what she told me. word for word. i get it. i love a lot too. it took her a lot longer. it took her so much longer to not be afraid. she was always afraid that if she looked at me too hard that id snap. that her hands werent made for holding a child. she didnt want me. she didnt treat me like she wanted me. i mean she wasnt cruel but she just wasnt there. it took almost losing her to realize everything. for her to be there. i love her. i love her a lot. i love them all. but i dont know. sometimes at night, i wonder if they really do care, or if its the bare minimum. i wonder how long that would have gone on, a child alone in a house filled with pokemon until the end of time if grandma didnt find us.

and my brother. i love my new brother. im glad hes never going to experiance what i did. but hes so small and scared. just like my mother. but unlike her i am built for hurting. a whole body staying alive because of the stolen life of others. hes so small. hes so fragile. when i look at him i know what my mom felt and i know she felt it worse. its fine. im not his parent. im his sibling and by arc am i going to be a good one.

and outside of them. outside of blood. where does it begin and end. aspen and jaime? im married to them. we're legally family. and i love them like that. and tori shes my sister and law now but she was kinda like family too. and estelle. family friends is just family to my family, sometimes, and shes a family friend. my grandma wants her to call her grandma as well. shes like a cousin. even if i cant remember when we knew eachother when we were little well i remember knowing her now. at least a little. tami is like my mom, even if shes an absol. same with most of my moms pokemon actually. one of the few things i can remember as a kid is them all gathering around as solar taught them how a first aid kit worked. it was so interesting watching a beeheeyem try to explain things to the others even if i couldnt understand that the bad scrape i had stopped hurting. and pickle. shes been here forever. well not forever. but shes been with me for like over 10 years. what is she? a sister? idk. shes my partner. shes my starter. and heph is also kinda like family even if ive had her for less than a year and theres dash and theres bibi and glacier and little and. storm. im rambling. i love them. theyre family too. i love them a lot.

anyways family is a choice, but sometimes youre obligated to make a certain choice, i think.

[tuliptiger]

Can I just talk about being fat for a second though. (This is all from what I know, my perspective on my own experiences, with the full acknowledgement that yeah every BODY is different and some things work for others and dont work for the rest.)

More specifically being a "weight I don't want to be". I've tried a lot of things and read a lot of scientifically back research, that certainly doesn't make me an expert but I do know what didn't work for me, and didn't work, and didn't work. And nothing worked at this particular point.

It's a specific and unique kind of frustrating when I want to go about not responsibly, in a healthy way, and in a sustainable and long term way. I also wanted instant results but have worked on letting that particular hang up go at this point.

Diets do NOT work, they don't, they fuck up your metabolism and whole inner workings in the worst way. Whatever weight you lost you're HIGHLY, almost ALWAYS in fact going to gain it back or gain more than you had previously. The more you try the more your body will kick back and the worse the results will be every time. Ok so...diets dont work.

HOWEVER changing your eating habits will IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH, not necessarily help you lose weight but it WILL improve your health. I don't restrict myself these days (do Not read that as I eat endlessly and bottomlessly, as it turns out when you arent starving yourself on a diet or eating out of boredom your regular hunger is just. Pretty regular? Pretty low usually.) But I have really worked on not eating foods with saturated oils and high ADDED sugar items. They made me feel bad and I feel better in every single way by not eating them anymore. Every way, teeth, oral health, digestive health, my energy levels are way more EVEN not high or low, and overall physically feeling better.

I specifically said added sugars btw because fruit is fucking fine for you and natural sugars are fine for you. Nature throws in fiber with high sugar items far more often than not to even it all out.

Ok ok so diets dont work, mark one thing off the list of possible options. Eating in a more conscious way makes me feel better overall but doesn't necessarily help me lose weight. Ok so should I be looking at calories then? Apparently no because that does similar things that a diet does. Don't be eating 10000 calories a day but I guess if you eat under a minimal amount of calories a day your body goes into starvation mode and if this keeps happening your body once again will kick back worse everytime.

This has only ever helped me keep my current weight and I wasn't even aggressive with it. My body still went hey we're not getting enough hold on to what you can. Love her for doing that, glad shes looking out for us, i wish we could talk.to.each other so I could ask her to burn the fat reserves first, well always have food.

Unfortunately that's not how it works so ok calories in and out and diets don't work. Exercise and building muscle must be the solution then right? I don't know!! It's the hardest one by far and I hate doing it, there is no endorphin boost for me after exercising there is no bonus other than "I'm doing this for my health" and that alone is a poor motivation for the animal that I am. I worked all year long in 2022, hiked around all day in the heat and weather and yet I only dipped 5-10 lbs under my normal weight and returned right to it when seasonal work was done.

Ok so far everything I've tried or MAY have tried did work and or is bad for me in the long term. So my current attempt is, with my new eating habits and relationship with eating and food, is to go to the gym and just. Show up. I just show up and i walk/"hike" for 30 minutes ish and leave when I want to.. sometimes i stay longer sometimes I don't. This feels sustainable and doable. This FEELS better but will it work? Sincerely how do I lose weight if I can't restrict calories, go on a diet, or beat the shit out of my body with intense workouts until I weigh what I need to. None of that is sustainable for me and I get that but what CAN I do then :( I feel hopeless and stupid.

I want to be a specific weight for work reasons and health reasons btw. I want to be able to go out on fires and pass the fitness test for getting my red card. I want to be able to keep up with my coworkers when we are working and hiking to plots. I want to be able to move around in the forest better than I am right now. I need the weight off of my joints long term. I'm healthy at the moment, all blood tests come back excellent and I don't have any injuries or aches. I just want to be able to carry a 45 lb pack of gear in a back pack instead of on my body :(

I just feel helpless because there are so many things coming out now that say "This never worked for weight loss and never will, stop doing it!" But there still isn't JACK shit about what people CAN do to lose weight :((( only what they shouldnt

[ozzo-the-wozzo]

So based on the tweets from Miraculous Mexico, it seems that Chat being sidelined isn't actually leading to anything and his story is just being with the Agrestes. She also pretty much confirmed Ladybug doesn't want to tell Chat her identity due to Chat Blanc

I think I know what tweet you’re talking about, but just in case I’ll cover two tweets that come to mind. And no matter which one it is, I don’t really take it that way at all!

(Post under cut because this is a long one lmao)

The translation of the first tweet and the question it was in response to reads as such:

“a doubt feri! Will Ladybug and chat no longer be a duo? I mean ... now that alya has the miraculous forever ... now, when there is an akuma, will the three always be there? if yes, I cry :(“

“They will always be a duo, it is just people jumping into tragedy at the slightest change, as usual xD”

“Serious question for you to realize how unfounded your fears are.... Did you see Alya help in Furious Fu? And in Guiltrip? And in Sole Crusher and in Queen Banana? XD And who was in the 4 despite of his duration on stage? Yes. Cat Noir. :3”

“People forget that Marinette was touched by what happened in Chat Blanc. She doesn't know how it happened, but she was left with the idea that they should NEVER know their identities. Alya fills a gap that Chat can't (help her as a civilian too or if something happens to her) but Chat will always be # 1.”

Feri’s response to the question does NOT say that Chat isn’t intentionally being sidelined, it is rather a reassurance that him and Ladybug are still a duo and will not become a team with Rena. In fact, Feri acknowledges Chat Noir’s minimized run time with the phrase “despite his duration on stage”. So I don’t think this tweet is saying that Chat being sidelined wont lead to anything, and is rather just reassuring he will always be there, that RENA ROUGE IS NOT REPLACING HIM, and that he and ladybug will still primarily work as a duo.

As for the 2nd tweet you may be talking about, which I’m going to assume IS the one that you’re talking about, it translates as:

“It is difficult to explain. While Ladybug is the focus for her role as guardian now, Adrien is an important part of the overall plot. Anything that involves the Agrestes will involve Adrien, but his story is subtle. You have to catch the clues.”

“His story is subtle, you have to catch the clues”

If anything in this season is going to lead to Adrien boiling over in frustration, I take this tweet as saying that the factors that lead to this breakdown wont be explicitly made clear to us right away. And Feri is right, it’s not explicit!

Everything the fandom notices in regards to Adrien’s isolation this season is subtle, is in clues: Us getting less and less transformations on his behalf, the sad look on his face that he hid from ladybug after he wasn’t needed in Optigami, the visual isolation of him being in a cage in Sole Crusher, him not joining Marinette on the walk because of his father, alongside many, many more examples. None of these can be considered “explicit”, and yet the fandom picks up on these. His story is being told to us subtlety.

But yeah, I hope what I said made sense! I’ve seen a lot of people saying Feri’s tweets disprove people’s theories that Adrien/Chat’s isolation is intentional, but I really really don’t think that’s the case!

And yes, I’m REALLY glad we finally have official confirmation that MARINETTE IS STILL AFFECTED BY CHAT BLANC!!!! GUYSSSS WHY ARENT MORE PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT THIS?

Anyway yeah, that’s all! Hope I gave ya the far fetched clownery you wanted anon 🤡

[vaicomcas]

Thank you so much for you comliments.you have really been a great inspiration for me to start my own story

so you said that you agreed with someone else's post that you woulden't mind cas suffering if the story was about him, and I agree in fact I wouldn't mind if cas's suffering was actually doing anything for the plot, some times he suffered and it did not make any sense like in s12 we had two episodes 10 and 12 if I am not wrong and they did not discuss it any further. so where they even for?

the one with Lily gave a really good look at cas's past but a lot of people use it villanise cas and it angers me so much

SPN writers used all of their side characters as plot devices, I still haven't understood why crowely had to go.

Yeah, first of all I have never understood the desire for "happy ending" (but I know others such as my own husband who cannot fathom the appreciation or even tolerance of sad endings). That personal preference aside, any compelling character goes through hardship and suffering, just like in life everybody experiences pain and humiliation. The problem with the show is what extreme trauma they put Castiel through was not used to charactrize and develop his character and often not even acknowledged. For those of us who see Castiel as the main character, we experience him being pushed aside and used as a tool in his own story.

I actually really like the Lily Sunder episode, even though there is a lot in it that bothers me (the disrespect Dean showed both to Cas and to his angel buddies, the way they as always set Cas up to have to chose between his angel identity and the Winchesters, by making the angels evil of course, and did I mention Dean's assholery?), it is actually one of the few episodes that was all about Castiel, about who he is. I am glad I never saw those posts that villainize him for this episode (how? never mind don't tell me), I would be angered too.

I am not too sure about the point of "stuck in the middle with you" either. I think part of it is to up the ante on the Mary's "betrayal" arc, so they need some serious consequence that viewers would care about . The whole s12 is very depressing-- all about Castiel being down on himself but also his complete dedication to the Winchesters at the same time (this one, and later killing of Billie). Did they intend to show Castiel's dedication to Winchesters as part of him losing his agency? Because that would actually be refreshing, and would be consistent with the choosing Kelly/Jack part ("I've been so lost. I am not lost anymore"). But then as soon as he stopped being lost they killed him, and then it's back to him being sidekick again. They are kind of all over the place arent they? They neither developed the de*tiel thing (which was very palpable in s12) nor developed Castiel as his own character.

One of the worst example for me was when we learned that he got mind wiped over and over for at least thousands of years. It is so horrific but all they used that for was to set up first the "simulated killing of Dean" and then the crypt scene so they get that fake conflict arc with Dean. (It does seem like the show was promoting de*tiel here) Then, it was no longer mentioned ever again, and they immediately turn Naomi, the one who violated and tortured him over thousands of years, the one who murdered a restaurant full of innocent people in cold blood a few episodes ago, into a "good guy" who cares about people and wanted to reconcile with Castiel , and made him seem foolish for not trusting her on the spot, by making Dean wisely believing Naomi in contrast. It makes zero sense all around. Even later when they brought Naomi back she still gets to be some noble figure and Castiel doesn't even get to be mad at her for more than five seconds.

Later they make him go into Dean's mind and marvel "there is so much trauma". While Castiel's trauma, far exceeding any human could possibly imagine, was only used to build up Dean Winchester.

[archer3-13]

some more thoughts! up to ch6

map difficulty has been up and down overall id say, there are moments that made me sit and think but also a lot of moments of just 'following the routine'. but then this is the early stage of the game, which i would definitely rank as a vast improvement over three houses early game right off the mark because it doesnt faff about. though arguably it does get going a bit too fast...

ch2

training with dragon mama, its fine mostly about building a rapport with lumera before shes inevitably killed off. a very sweet rapport mind you but still.

also, more dragon shenanigans as dragon mama makes puppet soldiers from rocks. interesting comparison the game intentionally draws of the puppet soldiers being rather creepy given how alear also considers the 'corrupted' to be freaky deaky [though on a more instinctual level?]

i know how to fight game we dont need to go over this again. reinforces to me though that the prologue flash forward coulda been easily cut and nothing would be lost.

that lumera engages and moves with sigurd right as you enter her hypothetical range caught me off guard ill admit.

promise bangle! inevitable death incoming!

ch3

as expected turns out the safe have wasnt all that safe! first real chapter were getting here which is a huge relief compared to three houses hogwash, the game even gives us some flying pegasi to grapple with! theyve got cav mov so my prediction on that was wrong

suddenly alfred? he just kinda shows up like 2 levels higher then where your likely to be at that point and helps out. his retainers are also better then you [probably].

nothing too taxing just a standard route battle here with a named unique[ish] looking boss! praise be!

another kinda awkward moment where a transition woulda been appreciated as we suddenly dive into a cutscene to cg with this weird floating evil child

also, as soon as i saw the child i internally giggle a bit at the prospect of fighting an evil floating child in that kinda giddy 'im so glad this is happening' way.

lumera sacrifices herself taking a hit on our behalf. also flamme tries to heal someone in a cutscene! it doesnt take cause lumera used her... lifeforce im guessing to wake us up so now shes dying

good god does she take a while to die. i feel this might have been more effective/deserved had she been around longer and the scene wasnt written with a kinda awkward stop and start to it that makes it feel longer then it is. overall though, i appreciate the acting and ill admit it did twing my heart a bit. but then i am a sap.

lumera says some stuff that im thinking indicates that shes going to be ghost mom at some point but no one in universe seems to catch the implication. that might just be me extrapolating though.

we get sigurds ring this chapter

ch4

we gotta go help alfred save his kingdom its under attack by zombies. we arrive just in time to save his sister cerine in the stupid dress and we get celicas ring this chapter.

not much else to note about this chapter, its a straight up slug with zombies though instead of a zombie boss the boss is actually a named human whos commanding them and laments as he dies how he only got zombies to control.

the game also implies that celines retainers are introuble, but frankly they arent. maybe on higher difficulties they are, but on the standard normal difficulty they actually cleared out most of the map section they were in themselves. that said they arent npcs you get control of them which i appreciate as it avoids a lot of the headaches of npcs and provides some fun flow to the map as we move the main army to the holdouts.

ch5

turns out the capitals under attack ohno. gotta go save alfreds mom, and i will note i was really stressed they were gonna kill her off immediantly as well but thankfully they didnt.

sexy evil villain lady shows up to note that theyve already freed the fell dragon and be a taunting sexy evil lady. idk im not feeling her, shes very flagrantly evil which i can appreciate but her outfits stupid and so far she feels more generically evil then uniquely evil. shes no petrine anyways.

castle map with a treasure set to the side to loot. again nothing to major to note her gameplay wise though this is the first boss we hit whos got a second health bar! idk how to feel about that, on the one hand its an interesting solution to making bosses stand out more but on the other unless the boss is particularly tough or ya placed a unit in a bad spot it just means more bullying of the boss for the player to engage in.

alfreds mom saved, we get told to go find a 'secret' ring firanas been holdin.

paralogue 1

definitely awakening styled here in that they just show up. farming village is under attack by zombies and we gotta save the villagers including a doctor and his son who'll be our donnel for the game.

that said well the mob is npcs this time they arent under particularly pressing threat [again atleast on normal] and we start pretty dark close to them

fight off the zombies, small child wishes to go with us, parents protest but small child insists cause hes gonna be THE BEST doctor and parents immediantly relent.

i chuckled at that 'son its dangerous!', 'but i wanna go dad', 'okay son, you can go.'

i will make him into the supreme doctor fist man!

ch6

on the road to the secret shrine we meet our first thief yukiana who puts on a somewhat obnoxious act and we learn she had the ring we were looking for but ended up losing it, so we gotta go help her retrieve it.

no this is not actually a trap she really did lose the ring and a bandit picks it up that we immediantly kill when we get on the map. yukiana then gets to use the michaiah ring which lets her also staff bot which is handy.

other then that its a night map, fog of war and all that but mother fucking map object lanterns make a return which is nice.

range of vision also feels greater then usual which helps.

we clear out the bandit, yukiana admits she originally stole the ring and was gonna sell it alfred points out that yikiana still stuck around to help out and we ask her to join the team. a good time was had by all.

quick note on characters

i like all of them reasonably enough so far but ill admit that the one whos sticking out to me the most at the moment is yukiana. she introduces herself with a kinda obnoxious faux personality but its obviously a facade and her actual personality manages to be bubbly without going to far into it well also being tempered by a likely rough past. also i guess shes michaiahs girlfriend now which is kinda cute, though it does also bring to my mind a michaiah yukiana sothe polyamorous relationship...

SO! went out and actually got my hands on an engage physical copy. played through the first lil bit. thought id start up an internal reblog chain for myself here on thoughts on the game!

opening:

very abrupt but it goes hard on the music even if the visuals feel somewhat noncommittal and incoherent. in fact ill add right off the bat that the music here SLAPS HARD! like holy shit is it good.

title is in that kinda static manner a lot of title are these days.

prologue:

im playing on normal for a first run, cause i like to get a handle on what the developers are designing the bare basics of the game around. ie, the experience they assume most people are going to undergo when playing the game. idk, first impressions and all that.

anyways! prologue is doing the fe awakening thing of a flash forward [?] with a fight against scary bad man though instead of evil sorcerer were apparently fighting the fell dragon of this game itself. WHO WEARS NO SHIRT AND IS THEREFORE SUPERIOR TO GRIMNA BY DEFAULT!

its fine for what it is, the hook of the story and a quick run down on basic move attack mechanics. we even get to 'engage' and use an engage skill!

that said, i feel it misses the mark on what was effective about awakening paralogue. to clarify off the bat here, awakening is on the lower end of fe games for me personally, so when i say it misses the mark i really do mean it. awakenings paralogue setup worked by building a lot of dread and tension, oppressive music and atmosphere, the pre fight cg throwing us right in the action in a frantic and somewhat grim fight, the dramatic tragic twist with shishchrombob and a jarring evil laughter to play us off.

engage raises questions like awakenings, but thats all it really does. raise questions, otherwise being kinda flacid in atmosphere comparatively.

ch 1

which brings us to ch 1! alear wakes up, meets the stewards, and then suddenly were on the ground! feels like we missed a transition here, cause i wasnt sure if we had been in the sky or not like the game insisted we had but hey. i can forgive it a bit here cause a] its not an essential transition and b] the following stuff in the chapter is real good!

zombies show up, the corrupted, to cause some ruckus and the twins get into a sticky situation we have to unstick them from. namely that we actually get a 'diagetic experience' as it were cause the twins are on the map getting attacked as we rush out to save em. the twins run ahead a bit, zombie enemy turn ambush spawn and we dip into a cutscene then a cg

on a side note, the in engine cutscenes are such a massive improvement over what we had before! theres the dialogue skit sections of course where we do the awkward stand and nod like mascots that plagued three houses [though not as bad in engages case], but also we get actual action sequences animated in engine! and they look pretty slick minus some clipping.

anyways, cg marth shows up to bedazzle us [hes so pretty...], and we get some engage buisness to deal with and to help illustrate how op it is we get to mulch a bunch of enemies! fun.

on another side note, map sizes along with mov ranges so far have been reduced from average. infantry has sat at 4 well vander the paladin has sat at a 6 mov. armours im guessing have 3 move well flyers have 4 and non promoted cavs have 5 as it follows the heroes model as it were. in fact a lot of the mechanics and interfaces feel very heroes inspired which... im not entirely against as heroes does do a lot of things right and expanding on what works there in a full fe setting sounds very delicious to me.

dragon mama shows up at the end to save us from some more enemy reinforcements and we get a nice little reunion cutscene still [also very nice], and moment in general. dragon mothers cloths clip like no tomorrow in engine but shes very pretty and her voice actress giver her a nice melodic quality that i find very calming.

on an aside, i was giggling like a maniac the entire later half of the battle map for ch1. its a very over the top sequence but it just feels so fun to watch and its delightful to see some over the top choreography in action.

characters at the moment!

the twins: could not remember their names at the moment as they are just 'the twins' that exist in all of fiction

vander: is uther. reminded me of uther lightbringer from warcraft 3 when i first saw him and his personality and portrayal just kinda reminds me of uther in general. uthers pretty cool though and vanders definitely endeared himself to me in just a handful of scenes. more so then the twins anyways.

lumenera: sweet and melodic as i mentioned. i feel like the twist of the story is going to be that alear is related to the fell dragon in some way [fell dragon going 'i am your father!' or somethin] and lumenera is either the fell dragons ex or tryin to just put alear on a better path. interested in seeing and learning more anyways, and i feel shes the most endearing early game slated to die mother figure so far thats become very common in modern fe storytelling. at time of writing this anyways.

alear: somewhat timid, obviously gonna have a story about learning to be bolder. they talk so its a step up from byleth regardless.

marth: speaking more then i thought he would. hasnt said much yet but as ever hes sweeping me off my feet for no reason other then i like him.

[inosukeslefttoe]

SO i just finished wonder egg priority and i think that with confidence i can say it has been one of my favorite animes like... ever ?? and not even from hyperfixation or obsession over it just... its so fucking real yet so simple in a way that i havent rlly seen shown in any other shows you feel ??

but first i wanna talk about how sexy the art and animation is real quick... HOMIE ITS SO GOOD LIKE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT JUST... serotonin... the characters are all so unique and iconic and fun but not over the top in their designs yknow ??? they seem like regular every day girls but they stand out and theyre all sO CUTE !!!! also i love how the style is like this soft bubbly slice of life lookin stuff with bright happy colors and the most beautiful scenes you could find but they also have the SICKEST fight scenes complete with whimsical animal helpers and terrifying villains and crazy weapons unique to each character. and the animation. god DAMN shawty i am obsessed with everything in this show. i might make a post solely about the art later lol bc i wanna get into the other stuff.

so the themes in the show right ?? it starts just as this cute lil magical girl kinda deal but within the first episode we see that like.. oh damn... thats kinda heavy... tbh i was a little shocked and thought about stopping bc yknow bad mental health BUT i was so intrigued that i had to keep going and i am SO GLAD that i did. because this show just so beautifully discusses all these heavy topics in such an eloquent and artistically expressive way. and also like, , the juxtaposition of the charming childlike vibe with bright colors and 14 yr old girl protagonists against the dark themes of suicide and so much else,, i think is just perfect. bc a lot of heavy animes are more of the seinen genre and have some middle aged dude as a protag or make the entire color palette dim or offer little relief to the pain of these heavy themes right ?? but NO not wonder egg bitches B) because these problems arent just things that ppl face later in life or just problems that need to be talked about among adults or the edgy seinen watching squad,, these are REAL problems that face people of every age, gender etc and i think its awesome that wonder egg addresses that. some may cringe at the thought of their high schooler watching animes that discuss sexual harassment, suicide, abuse, self harm, eating disorders etc,, but in reality it is the most comforting thing i have ever come across and is basically jsut free anime therapy. because not only does wonder egg present these themes to the viewers as something real that happens to all kinds of people (making said people feel heard in a way that maybe they hadnt before), but it also makes sure to vanquish all of these forms of trauma. and the way the trauma is vanquished isnt always beautiful and it isnt always just magically gone with a poof. the struggles of overcoming or living with that sort of thing are shown in such a real and relatable way that addresses every hardship trauma survivors have to go through. and i just. god i cry bro. 

oh m y GOD and the lgbtq+ rep in this show ?? like shawty... as soon as i saw episode one i was picking up on some gay/lesbian themes but then again im sapphic and project that a lot so i tend to see that sort of stuff like... everywhere... but NE WAYS... episode ten made me FUKCING CRY BRO LIke i cant believe there was a whole trans character with a whole trans pride hoodie like LKGHKDGH my heart is just so.. so fucking full thinking about him. bc like yeah i know there are trans characters in anime but i feel like theyre always very ambiguous about actually being trans or not or erased or portrayed as a harmful stereotype or theyre constantly misgendered and still refered to as their assigned gender at birth and i hate it. HOWEVEr... Kaoru.. *chefs kiss* it was so amazing to see a character straight up say “yeah im trans” in such a casual yet powerful way bc i personally have never seen that before. and i love love loved how he went into his backstory and talked to momoe about gender bc i think thats what she rlly needed and that it helped her find herself and it makes me so happy oh my god,, and the way they talked about it never seemed forced or like it was the focal point of his existence yknow ?? like yeah he existed to help momoe overcome some of her trauma but he also just existed to be HIM yknow ?? also... personally, i headcanon momoe as a trans girl even though i dont remember it being explicitly stated plus the school scenes of her and stuff would seem like they suggest otherwise ??but,,, SHAWTY THE AMOUNT OF SUBTEXT and her complicated relationship w gender is... something i feel like a cis girl would not go through so harshly yknow ?? with all of the questioning and feeling detached from femininity or feeling like ppl dont see her as an actual girl and only like her as a guy or for her masculine traits,,, but dont take my word on this bc i myself am a cis girl but that was just my take on it as someone in the lgbtq+ community trying to educate myself on the transgender community :) either way,, wonder eggs portrayal of momoe and kaoru and the way that momoe becomes so passionate about expressing herself the way she wants to as a girl is just... good lord im gonna cry its so perfect,,,.so ... i just love this show way too much. i also am honestly super lost about the relationship btwn acca and ura-acca ?? bc i was gonna mention ura-acca as a canonically gay guy bc when i was watching i interpreted ep 11 as him being in love with acca and being jealous of Azusa (bc i mean,, they lived together (i swear to god there was only one bed in that apartment) and had a daughter together and def loved each other and also when Frill said they were husbands and then when ura-acca said he wasnt attracted to azusa but he was def jealous of their relationship ??) but then i saw somewhere that theyre brothers ?? which would make sense ig since they look kinda similar and accas daughter called ura-acca “uncle”.. but at the same time its ANIME SO THEY ALL LOOK SIMILAR and referring to gay couples as siblings is an EXTREMELY common euphemism soooo... IM JUST LOST HERE... but yeah i tried doing research and found different things so i cant say anything for sure >:( however,,, if they are canonically a lil fruity for each other... when frill refered to acca as ura-accas husband i imploded dude you never hear that sort of wording in anime.. but if theyre related i am so sorry. 

god this is so much longer than i planned it to be oops but i also love the theme about like.. relying on friends to help carry your weight but at the same time not becoming completely dependent on those friends and using their support to learn how to love yourself and rely on yourself yknow ?? bc that is exactly what healthy friendships look like. bc i think ai sort of had a codependency thing goin on with koito maybe ?? but now she has a whole squad of funky friends that are so so different but all struggle with different kinds of trauma and although they fight over it, they always get through it with each other together. and they push each other no matter what to be the best versions of themselves and they teach other that getting hurt is okay because theyre always gonna be there to pick up the pieces no matter what happens. they can give each other space when they need and adapt to meet each others needs but theyre always able to balance it out with their own needs and thats such a beautiful thing in friendships especially at their age like damn i wish i had that maturity when i was 14 but no all i had was depression. another thing is that through these friendships you get to see all the different sides of each girl; you get to see them being strong or a shining light to their friends when theyre hurting but you also get to see them being hurt and weak and allowing themselves to be on the receiving end of the comfort. their friendships allows them to have weaknesses but it also allows them to highlight their strengths and thrive off of each others. I LOVE FRIENDSHIP DUDE

next i wanna briefly mention some of the themes connected to suicide that ive noticed. a big one is the survivors guilt that ai feels once koito is dead. several times she screams that she wishes she couldve gone with koito and she dreams of a “perfect world” where they committed a double suicide. one of the main reasons for her troubles is that she blames herself for koitos death and feels like it should be her thats dead... but at the same time she feels like too much of a coward to do anything now that koito is gone. she just has all these complex and contradicting feelings that wear away at her in ways that ppl that havent gone through the suicide of a loved one could never imagine. a lot of the times when things like this are portrayed in media i feel like its more in a way thats meant to guilt trip those that have taken their own lives and paint suicide as this selfish sin thats unforgivable but... not only does wonder egg reject that idea and instead portray it as a heartbreaking tragedy with,,, so so many terrible reasons, but it focuses on the feelings of ai separate from koito without blaming her in any way. not once did i feel like the show antagonized koito or that ai blamed koito for doing any of this, but they simply mourned her loss and touched on ais reaction towards the event but separate from koito herself if that makes sense. and i think that discussing survivors guilt without painting koito as the bad guy is something so beautifully done in wonder egg that can really resonate with those that have lost a loved one to suicide and have struggled with these same things.

okay i think this is the last thing ill mention,,, but HOMIE THE PARALLEL UNIVERSE BIT AT THE END. I AM. OBSESSED. i am such a whore for anything about the multiverse okay n e ways...,, not only did this make a super epic trippy ending of season one and add a little bit more magical girl whimsy to the show,, but it had such a powerful message. from the perspective of og ai,, finding out that you killed yourself in another world is... i mean its definitely not a surprise but at the same time it rlly makes you think how close og ai herself couldve been to that point and what decisions led her out of that dark place in her life. if i were in her shoes i would be terrified and id cry bc the thought of going back to such a dark place and actually going through with something like that is my worst fear and probably something that ai fears too. but at the same time,,, think from the perspective of ai two !!! like yeah its true that theres this awful terrible version of ai that dies but theres also a whole version of ai that is a superhero magical girl fighting off monsters to save countless ppls lives !! and she has a badass lizard and a gang of awesome friends !!! at first i was worried that ai two would be jealous of og ai and compare herself to her and feel inferior but like.. THEYRE LITERALLY THE SAME PERSON AND CAPABLE OF THE SAME THINGS !!! and ai two realized that !! just within the span of one episode, she went from the version of ai who took her life,, to the version of ai jumping in front of a friend to take a bullet for them and save their life. and that just inspired THE SHIT OUT OF ME. i think that ai was sent another version of herself to sort of beat her own worst enemy yknow ?? those doubts and fears that shes no good or that shes that same bystander from episode one and that she hasnt changed at all. but getting to interact with her parallel self and see her grow was just what she needed to realize that while yeah sometimes the worst thing can happen and things can be terrible but on the other hand sometimes the most wonderful thing imaginable can happen because she has the power to do either. 

so im gonna go ahead and stop rambling bc i got all my thoughts out that i wanted to for this post :D but yeah lol i might make another if i feel like it sometime. long story short: this show is perfect and it is going on my favorite of all times.

[words-for-holland]

Quarantine Series: Burnt Out

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Summary: Y/N has to work from home during Quarantine, but when she gets extremely busy it’s up to Tom to find a way to help her relax .

A/N: This is my second attempt at this piece. Last time I created this it was super long but it got deleted 😩

Check the Rest: Burnt Out | A New Look | Secret Cuts & Kisses | Breaking Friendships |The Birthday Week | Movie Night | Silence is Golden?|

All Y/N ever wanted was an opportunity to work from home. Then again, who wouldn't want that opportunity? All she could think about was how nice it’d be to work in the comfort of her own home, not have to dress up in business professional clothing, and most importantly be surrounded by the people she cared for the most. But as the saying goes, “Be careful for what you wish for.”

When a global pandemic decided to take over 2020, Y/N certainly got her wish. Her company was forced to work from home until further notice, but what she didn’t expect was the amount of work she would be given. Y/N was pulled from project to project with deadlines thin as paper, and was expected to pick up the extra work of those that were no longer with the company. There was no time to catch a breath, and there certainly was no time to spend with her beloved boyfriend, Tom. This only made Y/N more depressed and made the Holland boys only more concerned.

“Mate, you got to get her to take a break. She’s gonna overdo it.” Harrison commented to his best friend, as they watched Y/N type away like a zombie from the kitchen.

“You think I don’t know that?!” Tom responded with a defeated sigh. “Every time I ask her, she always brushes it off and claims shes fine. Don't get me wrong, Im proud of her and admire her work ethic, but damn its sucking the life out of her.”

Both Harrison and Tom continued to observe Y/N with a cup of tea on hand, wondering how long it would take before she snapped. Tom hated seeing her like this. To him this wasn’t fair. It’s not fair that her 8 hour shift now became a 15 hr shift. Its not fair that she had to work 3 weekends straight, and it certainly wasn’t fair that her company took precious time away to be together. It was hard enough already that he couldn’t spend time with Y/N like a normal boyfriend would because of filming. Now, that he has the opportunity to make up for the lost time, it’s taken away.

“What if you surprised her?” Harrison quipped.

Tom looked up at his best friend with curious eyes. It took a few minutes to sink in, until the brightest idea figuratively smacked him in the face. “Yeah...yeah!” he responded, a smile forming “And I think I know exactly how to do it.”

As Tom was working through the thought process of his brilliant plan, his younger brother entered the kitchen, looking for his usual afternoon snack. “Hey, does anyone know where —. Oh no...” Harry groaned as he looked up at Tom and Harry. “Whatever it is that you two are planning...Leave me out of it.”

“Come on, mate. You dont even know what were planning.” Harrison defended

“Believe me, I know enough and any plan that involves you in it, is likely to fail 99.9% of the time.” Harry opened up his bag of crisps as he continued to list out the other 99 possible reason why they should have left Y/N alone like she wanted. “Cmon guys, you know how she gets. When she doesnt want to be bothered, she doesnt want to be bothered.”

“You’re right Harry, but she’s so stressed, she’s homesick, and one day she’s going to overdo it. Id be a shit boyfriend, if I let it happen.” Tom reasoned. “Look, Im not trying to do anything crazy here. I just want to give her that sense of comfort and see her relax.”

Harry looked at his brother and then at Harrison, both displaying their best puppy dog eyes, in hopes that he’ll join in. “The face doesnt work on me...but I’ll help for Y/N’s sake.”

Meanwhile, Y/N continued her work in the living room, her eyes firmly glued to the computer screen. After being dragged into the kitchen and the Holland plan, Tuwaine slowly made his way to Y/N. “Hey Y/N.” he happily greeted. “I think it’s time for you get some fresh air, don’t you think?”

Y/N looked up, her glasses slightly shifting forward down her nose. “You know theres this thing called being stuck in Quaratine right?” she responded, continuing to code her project.

“I think the real question is do you really want to work here when there’s just nothing but CONSTANT NOISE !” Tuwaine yelled out, hoping the others would catch on.

“What?!” Tom yelled back. It took him some time to realize what Tuwaine meant by his statement. “Oh...Right!” Quickly, Tom grabbed whatever pot or pan he could grab his hands on and dropped them on the counter. Harrison and Harry gave Tom the strangest look. “What? I gave him some noise?”, he shrugged.

“See?” Tuwaine smiled back at Y/N. “You wouldnt want to distract that working brain of yours with all this going on, right?” Y/N furrowed her eyebrows as Tuwaine as she looked at him and the closed off kitchen. Did they think she was born yesterday? Of course she knew they were up to something. None of the boys were subtle enough to keep everything hush hush.

Y/N shook her head and decided to just go with it. The faster she complied, the faster they’d leave her alone, which only meant more time to finish her work. Tuwaine helped carry her laptop, mouse, and charger to the porch as he led her outside. “See, arent you glad your outside, breathing in fresh air with no distractions?”, Tuwaine spoke out.

Y/N took her time to admire the view. “Wow”, she whispered under her breath. Y/N couldnt remember the last time she set foot outdoors. Seeing the sunlight hit the flower beds, the gentle breeze rustle through the grass; it was beautiful. Of course, the moment was short lived with a simple ding, which only multiplied by the second.

Y/N dripped her head back, trying to rub out the frustration from her face. “Yes, well it was fun while it lasted. Duty calls.”

“Im sure they wouldnt mind if you just took five minutes for yourself at least.” Tuwaine commented, feeling bad about the amount of work he saw popping up on your screen.

“Yeah well that’s Corporate for you. Doesnt matter if you’re 500 km away or if a virus is hurting the population. If you’re not working, you’re useless.” Y/N shrugs. It wasn’t like her company was completely evil, this was just how business worked.

“I know Y/N, and we all see that you care deeply about your work but we’re all so worried about you too. We want you to be mentally okay as well. I know Tom is worried about you the most...He misses you, you know.”

Y/N’s heart dropped the second she heard him say it. She knew that all of this was gonna take some time away from Tom, but she hadn’t realized how much he would be missing her, even though they’re living under the same roof. “Yeah I miss him too, more than anyone will know. Believe me.” Y/N pondered for a moment as she stared at the work in front of her. Perhaps five minutes couldn’t hurt. “Maybe I will take that break after all.”

“Really?”, Tuwaine was surprised she had agreed so quickly, and at the same time he panicked. Tom and the others were not ready for Y/N’s surprise yet. “On second thought, Im wrong. You should keep going and try to finish up that project of yours or else you’ll never be done.”

“Excuse me?” Y/N asked as she tried to close her laptop. “You just spent a whole half hour trying to convince me to stop working, and now you want me to go back and work?”

“Yeah..I mean what do I know, right?” He laughed nervously. Tuwaine looked back at the door, for some sort of signal. Come on man it’s not like your preparing a break for the Queen of England.

“Listen Tuwaine, if I go back there and you boys break anything in that house...I swear— I’ll”

“Y/N!” Tom interjected as he stepped out to the porch. He wrapped his arms behind her waist, giving her a gently kiss on the top of her head. “How’s work, my pretty girl?” He looked back at Tuwaine and mouthed a thank you to him as he left the love birds alone.

Y/N turned around to face Tom, taking in his features and running her hands at the nape of his neck. “Busy, but what else is new? I’ve been missing you a whole lot”

“Me too, darling. Anyway, Im really hoping you can take a break from all this because I’ve got something special for you.”

“Oh no, babe. You know you didnt have to anything for me. Really Im fine..I-“

“I wanted to. In fact the boys wanted in on it too. So this is really from all of us, if you think about it.” Tom grabbed Y/N’s hand as he led her back in to house. “Come.”

As they both enetered the house hand in hand, Tom led Y/N into the kitchen, where the rest of the boys waited with diner burgers in hand and warm homemade chocolate chip cookies on the side of table. What seemed like a simple meal was a cure for any bad day..at least for Y/N it was. It represented a sense of home for her, while being far from Jersey. Even though she hadnt realized it, Tom and the boys knew she needed it. “Wow” Y/N breathed “I...I dont know what to say.”

“Dont say, just eat” Harrison laughed. “In all honesty this was Tom’s idea. We just wanted to make sure you had the support you need.”

“Yeah you deserve this, so please enjoy it.” Harry added. With that, everyone dug in and bonded over a family dinner, sharing laughs and stories. Tom leaned toward Y/N whispering in her ear, “I have a few more surprises after this.”

The next few surprises did not disappointment. He set up a nice warm bath for the two of them to relax and enjoy each others compny. A few subtle kisses, laughter, and silence was shared between the two. Y/N leaned back into Tom’s chest, feeling the water gently flow back and forth. Breathing in and out, she had forgotten how good this felt. Being close to Tom, was a different experience, one that no one could ever do justice. This was what she really needed.

After the bath, Tom led her into their shared bedroom. For a moment, Y/N stopped him as she pulled his head down to hers, giving him the kiss he rightfully deserved. Her lips crashed with his, his hands gently holding the sides of her tiny face. He picked her up as she wrapped her legs around his waist and situated themselves on the bed. Reluctantly, they both pulled away, catching their breath. Their foreheads touching and noses gently rubbing the others. “I love you. I love you more than you could possibly know.” Y/N whispered to him

“And I love you. I just want to give you the world because you deserve it all. My hardworking pretty girl.” Of course all good things must come to an end.

After a great well spent break was shared between Y/N and Tom, she was back on the work grind. Only this time she was working in their room as Tom was reading a script for his next upcoming project. The more Y/N coded, the sleepier she was getting. It onyl took a few minutes before she started leaning into Tom and her eyes started to flutter. Her breaths became slower and she was out like a light.

Tom turned to look at Y/N, smiling to see the sight of her finally at peace. He removed her glasses and set them by her table side. Tom made sure to clock her out of work abd checked to see if her work was saved. Just as he was about to turn off her laptop, another message popped up. “Great”, he muttered, rolling his eyes at the fact her team is still working at this hour. He couldnt help but read it though. Just how badly did they need her anyway?

We all know how hard you’re working and going above and beyond to get these projects out the door. For that, we thank you! On behalf of the company we’d like you all to take a day off on us!

Tom smiled, relieved that shell finally get some time for herself. Feeling triumphant, he shut off her laptop and set it aside. Crawling back into the bed and covering themselves under the blanket. His arms wrapped her waist once again. “Goodnight, my love. Im so proud of you.” he whispered.

[sanchoyo]

danny phantom season 2, ep 12-16 thoughts! these episodes, in comparison to the first 10 or so, felt way more laid back and low-stakes, which I appreciate sometimes. I didn't appreciate how lazy jack's halfa design was in masters of time, it made me so annoyed I redesigned it. 👎🏻 u_u

see prev episode thoughts in this tag <3

-'picking a fight with me and my upgraded form!' 'you upgraded to a mullet?' DANNNNY. YOU CANT SAY THAT TO TECHNUS. YOUVE HAD A MULLET TWICE NOW ('fun' split danny, and evil future danny BOTH HAD THEM). I HAVE THE RECEIPTS.

-danny seeing technus hurting valerie and yelling I AM GOING TO BREAK YOU IN HALF. SAMEEEE <3

-axion labs is now a part of vladco. FUCK YOU VLAD. hes not even really IN this episode, but just thought I'd throw out a nice fuck you anyway.

-'capable of blasting a single person into space in (2) minutes!' tucker. that would kill someone. i mean yeah they might get to space, but theres NO WAY THEY WOULDNT CATCH FIRE, OR THEIR ORGANS WOULDNT LIQUIFY BECAUSE OF THE STRAIN. THEY'D PROBABLY PASS OUT BEFORE THEN, BUT. ...no, okay, I get why vlad bought this company. this is RIGHT up his alley.

-danny KNOWS VAL DIDNT DO THIS, THAT SOMEONE STOLE THE SUIT. AND SPENDING ALL NIGHT CHATTING WITH HER. <3 and val is a 9TH DEGREE BLACKBELT?? danny's mom is, too!! omg and she hunts ghosts, his parents would love her. and her fav fruit is kumquat bc its a funny word. im so with danny val is amazing. I love her and I Do Not Want To Hear It From Sam.

-I knew danny wanted to be an astronaut, but the bowling tidbit is like. yes give me more useless info abt these characters, I love tiny details that make them feel more human, and im glad hes got hobbies aside from ghost stuff, we dont really see a lot of that!!! (I mean, we knew 'fun' danny from when he split himself in half liked bowling, so obv it makes sense he LIKES it, but hes very GOOD at it. so proud of him, bowling king) val calling him neil armstrong and them teasing each other. LOVE THAT.

-technus you are my favorite grandpa for setting this up. SAM WHY ARE YOU BEING SO CREEPY BE HAPPY FOR YOUR FRIEND!!! STOP SPYING ON THEM!!! who actually cares if technus did 'set them up' together, theyre having fun and enjoy each others company!!! 'you think the universe wants you two to be together?' 'i dunno, but maybe /I/ do!' EXACTLY DANNY!!! SOO TRUE.

-and valerie being happy sam said she wants to try and be happy for them and make room at the lunch table for them. and hugging sam over it. VAL NEEDS MORE FRIENDS.

-VAL GOING AFTER TECHNUS IN HER SUIT WITH (1) MILK, AND (1) TREE BRANCH AND KEYS!!!. I LOVE YOUUUU BEST GIRL. her new suit kicks ass

-dannys like 'HEY IM AN ASTRONAUT :D' AW. ...HES IN SPACE... the fact he's actually intending to give her the ring. with SAMS NAME ON IT?? IM CRINGING DANNY NO. YOU CANT DO THAT...thank god he didnt. thank god valerie cut it off and said they can just stay friends for now. tbh, they both have a lot on their plates!! they obv both still like each other...it can be a future thing!! when she knows about phantom! youre 14 theres no need to rush. I just want her to have friends and be happy :(

-...danny struggles to do (1) pull up. SAME. but all the ghost fighting in phantom form REALLY doesnt carry over at ALL? that sucks

-sam being as fit as she is, is not just a goth. shes a goth jock.

-honey I Shrank Our Kid, One of his Enemies, and his Bully: the episode

-dash's crush on phantom is So Obvious. fitness buddies :) watching them interact always makes me laugh. also, phantom, with PANTS. 'how many costume changes you gonna go through, what is this, vegas??' DASSH DJKSFHASKDF

-MADDIE GOING AFTER THE MOUSE WITH A BROOM, WHAT THE FUCK. AAAH. JUST BUY SOME KIND OF MOUSE TRAP.

-danny likes lime and vinegar chips. which sound very good.

-'our boy finally has the physical prowess of a 60 year old president!' ...poor danny LMAO

-'what's wrong with beauty pageants' oh tucker you sweet naïve child. what ISNT wrong with them. who approved this for a high school?? (I mean, yes. unfortunately child pageants exist, but...) also danny and tucker once again treating the pretty girls like objects. I need to meet the grown man who wrote this, I just want to talk...

-prince aragon's dragon form reminds me of maleficent (color scheme wise) which is always a bonus. considering the episode is called beauty marked, I feel like the sleeping beauty references are deliberate

-sam with the fake fangs. once again her accessories never miss. hate the 'not like other girls, girls who get sucked into this kind of thing are all shallow and all want to be carbon copies' bs tho.

-sam trying to be the Worst Bride, being rude as shit. DORA IS GOING TO GET KILLED. DID YOU MISS THE PART WHERE SHE SAID THE PRINCE WILL HAVE HER HEAD IF YOU ARENT THE IDEAL BRIDE. YOU /KNOW/ DANNY WILL COME SAVE YOU. JUST ACT CHILL UNTIL THEN. even if you were doing fine to get him to take off the crown, consider maybe not letting his poor sister get punished also?? sure, she could also take off the crown and has dragon powers, but did you know that for sure?? dora didnt even really realize it until you guys talked!! (or at least, she was scared to stand up to him. you had no guarantee she would...) but. good for dora. ANOTHER friendly ghost to add to the List :)

-tucker is so under appreciated in his time. if he was doing a tech-based campaign today he'd have a better shot. people in 2004 had NO IDEA how much tech would be a part of our day-to-day lives...altho. tbh if you're going to be running for student council president, maybe you should..focus on things to actually improve the school? since he's going for a tech angle, he could say like, he would be running fundraisers for the schools computers to be upgraded, etc? we've already SEEN he can be good at money-making entrepreneur type stuff!!

-oh my god wait. this episode is JUST YUGIOH?????! A REBORN PHAROH USING A TEENAGER AS A VESSEL?? YESSSSSS

-tucker using his new minion to feed him grapes and carry him. AND LOCUSTS ONTO THE BULLIES. I love how when he's possessed, he gains winged eyeliner.

-this episode is giving me big 'plankton makes everyone in bikini bottom his slaves and build monuments of him from the spongebob movie' vibes. and the pharaoh has a traitor who works for him? VERY big yugioh vibes. aknadin confirmed

-I like that danny is still completely exhausted after using ghostly wail. (still patiently waiting on him to get duplication)

-LOVE the fenton's 80s outfits. I get hes 14 and embarrassed by everything they do because theyre his parents, but. cmon, this is one objectively cool thing theyve done. love 80s fashion.

-...was vlad just standing on that streetlight waiting for danny to come out? how'd he know they'd be coming out the back? how long has he been up there???

-oh, wait, his ecto-acne has flareups? that SUCKS. danny was...well I dont want to say he was LUCKY HE HALF-DIED, but he was lucky his was pretty instant (I'm assuming that had to do with the power/scale of the portals being different?) I remember in the ep we met him, vlad made a point of saying he was stuck in a hospital for a long time, so. that really actually sucks and I feel bad. not that it excuses anything he's done...but like. it does suck.

-vlad being so sure danny wouldnt help him he made it somehow contagious to his friends to make sure he'd get help? danny is a nice boy, he wouldve helped if it was anyone else. the only reason he wouldn't have is because of the shit vlad did to him, on purpose. vlad 100% dug his own grave by being the biggest asshole, so it is very hard to feel bad for him.

-clockwork is back!!! and making danny learn lessons The Hard Way. Uhhh, okay. I kind of get Danny’s logic, that time traveling this far back would prevent vlad from becoming a halfa also, ergo no arch nemesis or ectoacne to worry about. But the fact that was basically the first solution Danny came up with to solve this problem is actually so funny. It’s so extreme

-APPRICIATION FOR THESE 80S LESBIAN BG CHARACTERS.

-vlad telling maddie in the lab (in the 80s) he has something he's wanted to tell her 'for a long time'...how long have they known each other? I assumed they met in college, since jack always calls vlad his college buddy/roommate, so jack and vlad for sure met in college, but did vlad know maddie longer? thats surprising if so. Tho we don’t know what year of college they’re in so they could mean they met as freshmen and a few years have past…speaking of maddie shes crushing the 80s look.

-vlad blames jack, but. maybe dont stick your face 2 inches from the portal??! THIS FEELS LIKE LAB SAFETY BASICS. IF SOMETHING HAS POTENTIAL TO BE DANGEROUS, DONT GET NEAR IT. WITH YOUR FACE UNPROTECTED IN ANY WAY. (altho jack didnt really give a Big Warning besides screaming BONZAI. so. also that, but cmon.) also, they need gloves, goggles, and to pull all of their hair back tbh. but fuck lab safety, I guess!

-cryyyyinnng at how lazy they were with jack's ghost form design, its just plasmius' design on jack!!! you couldve given him his own design!!

-there. I did that in about 10 minutes and its somehow less lazy than what made it into the show. embarrassing! better yet, I think the episode would've been better if maddie would've gotten the ectoacne. or maybe its just me, wanting to see her design! anyway. I'm sure people have already done redesigns of them both as halfas. I have to go look after I finish this watch through. Also mildly frustrated jacks resentment and bitterness is basically also a copy paste of vlads backstory. They’re different characters, I really don’t think jack would stew in bitterness and jealousy the same way vlad would!! I also don’t think he’d give up after one time of trying to hunt ghosts and getting laughed at. Our canon timeline says different…I dunno, I get it was for laughs, but I’m annoyed because the POTENTIAL this plot has…

-did vlad really wear a stupid cheese hat to his wedding. ok actually that kinda rules. and the cheese door knocker. the dairy-only buffet table. vlad still got rich, just on being the New Dairy King. (Assuming that means he owns a lot of dairy businesses?) ok! this actually is great. hope maddie isn't lactose intolerant!

-'no matter how hard I tried, I could never get rid of my ghost half, the half I knew Maddie could never accept' ohh, ouch, what a horrible thing to say to her HALF GHOST SON. 'YOUR MOM WILL NEVER ACCEPT YOU' BASICALLY.

-maddie strapping danny to the table with a lazer pointed at him in a secret lab she keeps from vlad that she makes a point of saying is sound proof so he can scream all he wants...CHRIST. DANNYS POOR PYSCHE.

-also, not to feel bad for alternate vlad (because, he did lie to maddie saying jack blames her and never wants to see her again...) but. being married to a woman 20+ years and she immediately goes back to jack? if she didnt love vlad and feels like she had to hide shit from him, and says she wasted her best years with him, WHY MARRY HIM. it feels like leading him on!!! cannot believe im feeling bad for vlad, but. this alternate timeline vlad is significantly Less Horrible than Our Vlad. did she not think she'd get funding for her ghost stuff? (which, fair assumption since they're considered 'ghost fanatics/nuts in canon...but...) why did she think jack or vlad would be her ONLY OPTIONS? be like your sister. be single. Actually, this au could’ve been really interesting if after the accident, vlad lied to her and said jack never wanted to see her again, but she stays single. Imagine how much that would bug vlad… like, in her mind, it was never a competition it was jack or no one type situation…

-danny being like 'leave him ALONE' this jack is a HOMEWRECKER, DANNY. let them go to court and settle this at the least. ...or just throw vlad into the portal. (100% human, defenseless vlad) CHRIST, MADDIE THATS BRUTAL. THATS MURDER.

-danny seeing his mom immediately accepting him and his dad being half ghosts in this universe, if I was him this would be a great sign that his universe's maddie would also.

-*maddie voice* "clockwork will help!" *2 seconds later, with clockwork* "I will Not Help." TOUGH LOVE KING. YES LET DANNY SEE THE SODA HIMSELF AND DEVOLP BETTER OBSERVATION SKILLS.

-when clockwork ""reset time to the way it was"" just before danny "meddled"" ...did he really erase a whole alternate timeline? ...damn. because maddie and danny both called it an alternate timeline by name, it splitting when the college incident went different, so it wouldnt have really mattered if he reset it, right. like because danny's timeline is on a different stream? why didnt clockwork just. show danny a replay and not Reset That Timeline. wh...I wonder how many people that Erased From Existence. Anyway! once again stating clockwork is casually terrifying!

[classic80sand90smovieloves2]

Meeting and Dating Don Dawson

(Not my gif)(requested by anonymous)

- Don and you first meet when you’re walking through the halls during class time to go deliver something for your teacher. He was ditching class with a friend when the two of you “bumped into each other” and by that I mean you passed them while they leaned against a group of lockers.

- He does a doubletake when you walk past him for the first time. He isn’t shy about his leering either, he full on turns toward you and stares. After he’s gotten a good look, he turns toward his friend, waggles his eyebrows, and tails it after you.

- It kind of spooks you a little when he comes up beside you with an enthusiastic “how ya doin!” but you smile awkwardly and greet him back. He tries to chat you up while you walk back to class; he’s kind of cute so you don’t exactly mind.

- You pause outside of your class to talk a little more but your teacher cuts your conversation short with a teasing comment to you and a cocked brow to Don. He in response starts to flirt with your teacher, earning himself a smile and giggle from you. He winks at you one last time before he disappears back into the hallway and your teacher closes the door.

- He catches you when you’re walking to your car after school and propositions you in his usual fashion. You say “yeah, no thanks” and get in your car, leaving him in the dust. It was at that moment, watching your car disappear down the road, that he decides he has to have you.

- You thought the ordeal was kind of funny so you aren’t too bothered when he approaches you while you’re out with some friends. The two of you just so happened to go to the same place with your individual friend groups. He doesnt proposition you this time, thankfully.

- Now Don, at first, just thought you were hot and was trying to shoot his shot and to weasel his way into your pants. But as he’s talking to you he realizes that he really likes you, like you’re fun to talk to and you’re really interesting. He starts to feel this connection with you that he’s never really had with anyone else.

- Even though he doesn’t want to “admit it” he forms a little crush on you. He starts to talk to and hang out with you more; making it kind of obvious that he likes you with his flirting and innuendos. And you like it, him and the attention, so when he says “Hey why don’t we go grab a bite to eat sometime.” You tell him to “name a date and you’ll be there.”

- It takes him only a few seconds to respond.

- For your first date he gets a few beers and sodas and takes you out to a field where you sit in the bed of his truck and stargaze. He goes to kiss you once or twice but you don’t let him, you know how he is with girls and want to test him a little before you give in. Either way everything goes well and you agree to go out with him again.

- Although he accepts your refusal he probably still complains to the guys that you aren’t letting him “do anything”. But your refusal is more entertaining rather than anything else, he likes you as more than a lay so it doesn’t bother too much. He’s more determined and excited than annoyed.

- For your third date you’d gone to a concert together and the two of you had your first kiss as the band played. Definitely a very memorable experience and one you’re glad to remember. After your first kiss he knew for sure that you were the one.

- For the most part you have a very playful relationship.

- A lot of nicknames although most of the time he’s joking when he uses them. Like he’ll say a bunch of them in a row to get your attention or when he’s smothering you in affection.

- A few genuine ones still slip out sometimes.

- He kind of just lets you do whatever you want to him. Put his hair in pigtails, put make up on him, do his nails, crawl all over him, climb him like a monkey, anything you want as long as the evidence can be erased or go unnoticed.

-  He loves affection and touching you and all that but he isn’t all that into pda. He likes the joking, quick funny stuff but keeps most of what he does behind closed doors unless you’re hanging around some of his good friends who also have their girlfriends there.

- He likes to lay his head in your lap and have you play with his hair.

- Lots of hugs.

- Piggyback rides.

- Double dates with Simone and Pink.

- Matching overalls.

- You’ve probably put flowers in the pocket of his overalls and he secretly finds it so precious. You’ve definitely snuck little notes in them without him knowing and when he finds them he can’t help but smile.

- Smacking his arm and giving him looks to get him to behave, you try your best to keep him out of trouble even though he makes it pretty difficult.

- He watches you a lot, especially whenever you walk away...he likes the view.

- He’s usually pretty animated and goofy, its kind of just how he is so you get to observe all of his adorable and funny quirks.

- You’re nearly always smiling or laughing when you’re with him.

- Playful flirting.

- Him trying to jokingly yet not so jokingly proposition you.

- Lewd jokes, he laughs hysterically whenever you grimace at them.

- Going to his football games and cheering him on.

- Meeting him after football practice and kissing behind the bleachers.

- Hanging out in the back of pickup trucks.

- Dawson’s kinda cool with everyone so he has a lot of friends around the school and subsequently everyones pretty friendly to you. All your friends probably like him. 

- Going to parties with him and getting invited to others just for being his girlfriend.

- He always has a beer ready for you or shares his own with you, if you’re into that sort of thing.

- Going on little adventures with him.

- Hes pretty much down to do whatever you have in mind.

- Concert dates.

- He’ll play tackle/pounce on you and start kissing all over your neck and face; he’s pretty fond of that move.

- Secret handshakes.

- He’s a good listener, he likes hearing about what’s new in your life and things that you’ve done recently.

- He hates seeing you upset; he’s not very good at comforting you but he tries to get you to forget about whatever’s bugging you.

- Play wrestling.

- If you mention wanting something he’d 100% go out and grab it for you.

- He’s got major big brother vibes, do with that what you will.

- He gets involved in a lot of crazy shit so be prepared for some killer stories. He thinks its cute when you look worried for him.

- Constant compliments.

“Looking good.”

- Making fun of each other.

- Play arguing and punching.

- Tricking you into doing something suggestive; mostly when you’re alone, he doesnt want to completely embarrass you...or give his friends a free show.

- He admits he’s an asshole so be prepared. Although to be fair a lot of his asshole behavior is just a front. He’s actually really sweet once you get to know him, especially when you’re his girl/he likes you.

- He does think its kind of funny when you get mad at him...well it depends on how mad you get and how mad you stay. If you grumpily trudge off, rolling your eyes at him in front of his friends then he’ll probably laugh and joke with them.

- A lot of “oh come on babe it was just a joke!”

- It isn’t until you really stay mad that he no longer finds it as funny. He doesn’t like fighting with you but you always inevitably do. In a fight you’ll argue for a while before he tries to just end it as painlessly as possible. At that point he isnt even really sorry nor does he think you’ve settled things, he just doesnt want to fight anymore.

“Okay, okay,okay, alright, so-”.

- Sometimes his attempts to calm things really just backfire for him, like if you feel like he isn’t really listening and just trying to brush you off. It really depends on what you’d fight with him about.

- When you’re holding a grudge he’ll make jokes and bets with his friends, condescendingly saying how you “think you’re mad at him”. He says it himself: he’s an asshole. Although in these moments a lot of his asshole behavior is just him being spiteful because he’s hurt that you won’t talk to him.

- He does know how to apologize when he’s done something wrong or upset you. Like I said he’s usually really sweet even if he doesn’t act like it sometimes. It’s the reason you can come to forgive him especially during the “trial” part of your relationship (up next).

- He flirts too much, thats always been his problem, that and he’s sort of a hypocrite about it; he thinks he can flirt with other girls but you arent allowed to flirt with other guys. He doesn’t understand the injustice but after your first really big fight and subsequent breakup; most likely where he sees you go out with another guy, he finally learns his lesson.

- He’s a pretty coolheaded guy but he definitely doesn’t like people flirting with or having a thing for you even if he’s a playboy and would usually partake in the locker room talk with them. When you came along he was kind of like “Well I’ve finally settled down and I like this one a lot so back off.”.

- He gets a lot of girls coming after him so you’ll probably get a little jealous every now and again. He tries to assure you as best as he can that he isn’t interested in them.

- He’s a football player so there’s at least a little pent up aggression in him. He’s ready to bust a lip to get a guy off your back or stop him from trying to get with you.

- He wants that nuclear family type of future, with a nice house, picket fence, and son to play catch with in the yard. He never thought he’d imagine a future with a girl before but here he is, and he... kinda likes it.

- He’s definitely dropped a “Mrs. Dawson” on you after you teasingly called him Mr. Dawson. You’d just been trying to mess with him but then he had to go and make you all flustered and giddy.

- Dawson will probably go to college on a football scholarship. Before you came along he was planning on screwing a lot of chicks but now thinks “I’d be pissed if she screwed a guy while I was gone” and stops the temptation where it starts. He comes a long way during your relationship.

- I can see him proposing to you after he gets out of college and settles down with a nice job. He’d make a personal kind of special occasion out of the proposal, something that involves a sentimental part of your relationship.

[honeycombalbedo]

jaSKDCJGAKHKHJEFJDHGJKFHSFJLJ inazuma

live blogging the first world quest

so normal so far but i did enjoy the build up to this, especially since we arent getting on the boat immediately

AYE "depths of the abyss" DOES KATHRINE KNOW ABOUT THE ABYSS?? MA'AM

WA BYE KATHRYNE WWAAAAAAAAAAAAWAWA

OH FUCK KATHRYNE

CUTSCENES AREEDHASKJLDEFJDJNSLDEFJ HOWS THE CRUX FLEET SIMPS DOING??

OOOOOOOOOOW E'RE IN

WAIT THOMA ASLDKHJKDJLKD WHY IS HE A GOLDEN RETRIEVER

tbh im so glad the rewrote his preserved personality that his model gave everyone, he would have been so insufferable but this! this malewife is good

damn entry really was easier than we thought huh

AAAHHAHHA THE SECOND OPTION

oooo soundtrack is so good holy shit

is it just me or is the imagining mond and liyue supposed to be aimed at us?

this reminds me of ganyu's quest where we investigated tax evasion

NO I WANNA HELP I WANNA HELP STOP THE VISION HUNT LET ME HELPPPPP

LOOK AT MY GIRL EXCITED SHE SHARED A KNOWING GLACE WITH ANOTHER WOMAN

HSJAHSVDJHKLHBWDJHSKEFV NOOOOOOOOOOO

WAIT I WAS FUCKING KIDDING ABOUT THOMA BEING A GOLDEN RETRIEVER HES AN ACTUAL FUCKING DOG??????//

OH ALRIGHT DICKHEAD WAY TO MAKE ME LOOK LIKE A FOOL

WADALWIKHFWESHILDFESKZDUPI LET ME LOOK AT AYAKA LET ME SEE HER LET ME HELP HER LET ME MA

THEN WE SKIP PRETTY FAR AHEAD

AHAHAHAHJSJA CAN PAIMON CATCH A BREAK???

wait... so when i was joking about only decent people getting visions i was actually kinda right??? when that one dude had his vision yoinked he became less selfless and more likely to act out in aggression, huh?

how are the angst fic writers doing with the new lore?? personally im excited to see my favs fall into a depression and forget who they and once lover

WOW WHAT THE GRAND SHRINE IS SO AMAZING GHOLY FYCK

obhbhiheiOHOHJOJOJP LADY YAE

WIEODIIOIFJDOIJHJIIJHJIOI AYAKA IN THE FLESHSHSHJHH

THE MENTAL IMAGE OF VENTI RIDING TO INAZUMA ON DVALIN TO GET A FAKE VISION MADE FOR HIM IS SO FUCKING FUNNY IDK WHY

HOLY SHIT THIS QUEST IS SO LONG

but maybe im thinking its longer than it is bc i had to go to a workshop??? idk?

WHA

KKATHRYNE CAN TELEPORT THE FUCK

ONCE AGAIN FUCK KATHRYNE

ah i knew there'd be a summer festival in inazuma, though i shouldnt be surprised looking at yoimiya's design anyways she's pretty epic

time to do crime

THE DOMAIN MUSIC Q,MWNFNLKDQNDLJKFLDJ;KASDLKNJ L;

yeah yoimiya's very epic i love her

god i fucking love thoma what a dumbass

AND THATS ACT 1 alright im gonna go do some exploring

[mechecolomar-archive]

genuinely curious: do you think that the depictions of homophobic abuse and violence towards lgbt characters in tlou2 outweighs the portrayal of their other experiences and happy moments of love/self expression? is it bad representation if the lgbt characters go through strife and pain as well as being happy and allowed to express themselves? i feel like there are valid criticisms to be made, but views on lgbt rep tend to be pretty polarized, either "it's great" or "it's bad" with no nuance

I think a big issue I have with the characters and representation specifically in The Last of Us 2 is that in the game the characters feel like they were created solely to serve a point in the plot, the game’s tone is progressively bleak (and the violence is gratuitous), and the inclusion of bigotry also felt unnecessary.

As a disclaimer, I’m not saying tlou2, Naughtydog, or even Neil Druckmann is simply homophobic because the gay character gets in fights and all that, but for me personally I felt that the treatment of lgbt characters in the game made me uncomfortable and wasn't satisfying. I’m glad they weren't outright stereotypes, but I’d like it if there was a bit kinder treatment of these characters. It just really feels like nd heard they didn’t do diversity well in the first game and just threw in a bunch of poc and lgbt characters without really thinking... I don’t think what happens is homophobic, but it feels very thoughtless.

The characters in tlou2 are not well done, I’m not sure what happened between The Last of Us and tlou2, but they do not feel the same at all. Every character in the game feels very weak and the player themselves cant name 10 facts about each one, even characters like Abby or Dina (I’m excluding Ellie and Joel because they already existed). This applies the most to Jessie imo, but I’ll only discuss Ellie, Dina, and Lev since they are the lgbt characters in the game. in tlou2 Ellie is just the vengeful character and as Neil put it, “the villain.” tlou2 could have been a wonderful opportunity to add more to her story, but here she’s basically just the traumatized girl who likes girls and is playing the guitar to remember Joel. Dina is basically the player’s partner who is randomly benched halfway through and from a narrative point she is something that Ellie can lose, you learn she has some ability with tinkering, she is Jewish, bi, has a sister... and not much else. Finally Lev feels like the main justification to sympathize with Abby, without Abby he is introduced literally being hunted because he is trans. Every character in the game is like this, but with these three very prominent characters, it’s disappointing.

Next, for tlou2 the violence seems to be double what happened in tlou, being much more detailed and forcing you to look at what is happening (Ellie getting her face smashed in and Abby threatening to kill Dina and its good because she is pregnant). Tlou was able to thread the needle concerning this successfully; having Ellie being kidnapped, hunted, and almost being sexually assaulted to immediately having the famous scene where Joel and Ellie pet giraffes. Tlou also (to my knowledge) did not have those shock value moments 2 constantly has, and when there is violence its rarely explicitly shown. Now in tlou2 this is almost the opposite, instead of going back and forth between intense and calm scenes, the sequel seems to steadily go downhill in tone. I know that these specific characters arent being hurt BECAUSE they’re lgbt, but its still not good to see.

The happiest moments are the beginning with Dina and Ellie, but while they're having fun and making out together what’s happening? Joel is currently getting his face caved in by Abby. Halfway through the game after Ellie and Dina are beaten, it seems to go back up in tone, but ooc tommy forces Ellie to turn back to revenge and the whole thing comes crashing back down. “I’m afraid of ending up alone” Ellie chooses to leave Dina and Ellie’s life is now hell going all the way back to Abby. After all this Ellie comes back to their house but her family is no longer there. Ellie is alone. I have a huge issue with the ending and it’s that you are explicitly shown that everything there is sad. Nd doesn't make “letting go” of Joel a relief, and they don’t show any implication of Ellie reuniting with Dina. Our lesbian protagonist is now living her worst fear, even though she did the “right” thing and spared Abby. Lev’s ending is clearly better because he’s affiliated with Abby, but it doesn’t change that throughout the story he’s repeatedly hurt and has a similar fall to Ellie after Abby thinks she finds the fireflies, he is never explicitly shown recovering from being made a literal slave and almost crucified.

My last issue is that the bigotry is entirely uncalled for, especially in a world that is as already violent as they’ve made tlou2. One of the most striking moments to me in tlou2 is Dina saying, “What’s this” referring to lgbt flags, indicating she has no concept of pride for being bisexual. Ellie also has no clue and they joke about the erotica and thats the end of that. Later Ellie is called a slur. The man who does it isnt exactly punished and Ellie is forced to make up with him later. That scene and the scene at the end somehow included Ellie, but clearly were about Joel. The last flashback is used as a tragic “Ellie could have forgiven Joel but he was killed :(” scene, there’s very little focus about her sexuality positively. Ellie and Dina are also never openly gay, the one time they are (in a room full of maybe 50 people) Ellie is called a d*ke. Ellie’s previous gf is scrapped except for subtle concept art and notes and she only has one conversation in the beginning mentioning a her.

Then on the opposite side of characters, Lev’s entire story outside of and before Abby is being hunted simply because he is trans. He’s deadnamed multiple times and even Abby cluelessly says it (??). There’s endless reasons why he could have been hunted (hell, just simply wanting to leave the cult because theyre so violent), but nd went with this... for some reason. Him being trans is also never discussed in a positive way other than Abby’s weird attempt to make him feel better by giving him a toy (”Hey, I know your group you grew up with and family literally wants you dead, but uh, would a toy help?”). Lev THEN goes BACK to the people who wants him dead, and we’re shown that his mother has viciously attacked him and he accidentally kills her due to this. Him being trans is never mentioned again... I don’t think we have to exactly hide homophobia in fiction, but I personally do not play a game to get called a slur, I can find that irl. Also if these things were to be included, they could have at least shown comfort after, but they don’t. The scenes are simply more shocking violence and are never mentioned again, simply skipped over. Nd used these characters being lgbt as an excuse for them to be discriminated against for it instead of anything positive.

Their advertising of Ellie kissing a girl in 2018 and in 2020 having her be called a slur instantly after what was shown to us is just SO jarring... Nd and their stans like to say, “Well if you don’t like The Last of Us 2, you’re just homophobic.” but that’s honestly so ridiculous. There simply can’t be more instances of oppression than acceptance and think you're doing something good?? Revealing Lev’s deadname gives people an opportunity to be transphobic, having Ellie be called a slur and lash out at Joel after gives people a reason to be angry at her there. You simply can’t include these things if it can do the opposite thing that you want. The point of including minorities in fiction should be so people can related and identify with these characters, not as some virtual reminder that people will hate you specifically for these reasons. It should not be too much to ask for a character you are like to be treated well and nd not listening to fans critique the game is sad,

I suppose I appreciate the attempt at inclusion, but it feels like a failed one that I preferred would not have happened, or at least had been strongly corrected. It would have been different if maybe Ellie had reunited with Dina apologizing, Abby telling Lev she supports him, Joel saying he loves Ellie, or even Dina and Ellie talking about being gay in some way thats anything other than making out and calling each other “babe”, but idk... that didn’t happen. Dina and Ellie are clearly supposed to be the main rep, but I feel like they really missed things they could have mentioned. This rep really reminds me of Life is Strange, but I can’t decide if dying or ending up alone and depressed at the end is worse. I’m probably missing more things but yeah... It would be cool if my lesbian protagonist did not have to be traumatized for an overdone, useless story.

[freerebelmentality]

Its the most wonderful time of the year

AN: Ok, I know this took me a really long time to get this done and FINALLY HAVE THIS POSTED. But I ran into personal stuff and finally my laptop broke and I got it fixed and now I have it. YAY!!! Anyways this was requested during the time of the World Junior Tournament when it was hosted in Vancouver. I am so sorry but I finished it. Anyways!!! The request was  “Can I request a Jacob Markstrom fic/imagine? They’ve been dating for a while until the world juniors happen. He’s off for a very long road trip and reader stays behind in Vancouver. She decides to attend a few games then attends throughout the duration of the tournament. Jacob tried calling and texting but she just doesn’t hear her phone. He thinks she’s cheating and when he gets back he distance himself from her. Until she straightens everything out. Is that too much?”

********************************************************************************

Word Count: 2,885

Its the most wonderful time of the year. The World Junior Tournament is whats wonderful and taking over the cities of Vancouver and Victoria.

Which means the Canucks will be off on a long road trip and that also means your boyfriend will be away as well.

Its Christmas Day and you spend as much time with your boyfriend as you can along with his family. Its not every day he sees them and you’ve always loved his moms company.

“Y/n do you want to come with me on this road trip?” Jacob asks while his family is surrounded the both of you in the living room.

“I would love to but I think I will just stay behind and catch up on some work” you reply wishing you would tag along for the road trip

“Its going to be a long one, you think you will be able to handle it?” his mom asks looking to you.

“I think I will survive these two weeks without him. At the same time I get to spend time with you and my family” you reply while giving a smile to Lena.

“Alright, that sounds good to me. I’ll call as much as I can and we can FaceTime” Jacob replies while wrapping his arm around you.

After dinner is done and you help clean the kitchen with his mom and sister in law. When done the cleaning, you make the coffee and bring out the cake you made.

A treat before going to bed and having to say good bye to your boyfriend the next day.

You look to his sleeping form and smile to yourself. As you smile it begins to fade, a reminder in just a few hours he will be off on a very long road trip and how you debated about packing as well.

“No, I really need to catch up on work” you thought to yourself as you roll over and go to bed.

You feel an arm pulling you closer and being wrap around the person you love. Oh how you were going to miss this.

You wake up early the next day, you wake Jacob up as well and he begins packing. You walk out of the room to prepare breakfast and coffee.

You make a plate for your boyfriend while you see his mom walk into the kitchen

“Is Jacob getting ready?” Lena asks while getting herself a cup

“Yeah, he is just packing and Im getting this plate ready for him” you reply and you hear someone walking into the kitchen

“There are my two favourite women” Jacob says as he gives his mom a side hug and gives her a peck to the forehead.

He goes towards you and does the same

“There is my favourite man in the world” you reply while giving into the embrace

“Are you just about ready?” you ask while finishing up your coffee and food

“I am ready, my bags are by the door” he replies while placing his cup and plate into the sink.

He gives them a rinse and places them in the dishwasher but you were going to do the dishes. Anything to pass time.

You also thought about cleaning the whole house. One day wash the walls in the living room, The next will be the windows, the next will be washing the walls in the rooms. Again just to pass the time.

“Ok we better get going. Mom you coming?” Jacob asks looking to his mom

“No, I will just say my farewells from here. Take care son” she says while giving him a hug.

His brother and sister in law come down and say their farewells as well along with with his niece. Oh how they looked cute together.

Once the both of you get to the airport is when you see the other wives and girlfriends saying their farewells.

“Last chance to change your mind” he says while looking to you.

“I’ll wait for you here” you giggle while hugging him

“Alright, I’ll call once we get to our hotel” he says while giving you a kiss

“I’ll be waiting” you reply and give into the kiss

“You two are gross, get a room” Jake Virtanen says as he passes by the both of you.

“Oh be quiet or else I will hip check you” you teasingly reply.

He gets a chuckle out of that playful threat.

“I’ll keep an eye on him for you” Jake says while giving you a hug

“Thanks” you reply while pulling away from the hug

“Babe, make sure he stays out of trouble” you tell Jacob as he gives you a nod and a smile

Ever since moving to Vancouver with Jacob, you became really close with Jake. He reminded you of your younger brother and have always remained close with Jake.

He saw you as an older sister he can go to whenever things or life got him down. Or just simply to hang out.

“Well I better go” Jacob says as he gives you one more good bye kiss

You melt right into the kiss and felt a little sad cause its going to be the last for the next two weeks. But you are willing to wait until he got back.

You wait until the plane flies off, like any other time you have dropped him off and waited until the plane was in no sight.

As you see the plane fly off and disappear into the air is when you stood there for a bit longer and finally drove off.

You went back to the house and hung out with his family. You always loved spending time with them and when it was time for them to go back to Sweden, the house felt a lot more emptier and more lonely.

Your family came and went as well and that got you down a little.

Finally you buried yourself in a ton of paper work that needed to be, you didnt have enough time before going on holidays.

Once you completed the work is when you went into the office and filed them away. Your boss is in the office as well, finishing up things before the new year.

“Y/n, finishing up a few things as well?” she asks as she enters your office

“Yes, I didnt have time before going on holidays and now that everyone is gone. I thought I would bury myself in work” you reply while finishing up the filing

“I always knew you are committed” she replies with a smile on her face

She always knew she can count on you to get the work done but never over worked you. She always wanted to give you the time to rest and come back to work refreshed.

“I have these hockey tickets my husband purchased and none of us arent going to be in the country. So I was wondering if you wanted them?” she asks in hopes you would put them into good use

“World Junior tournament tickets?” you ask rather quickly

“Yes they are and have good seats” she replies while pulling out an envelope

“Sure, I think I will put these to use. My friends are coming for a visit and now I have something to entertain them with” you reply while taking the tickets from her hand

“Good, I was getting worried because everyone else either got them or going away” she says with relief

She leaves to head home and get ready to leave for the holidays. You leave as well and go home.

You go to the bus station to pick up your friends that are coming for a visit. Finally go to the airport to get another friend. It felt good to have the house full again, even if that meant only for a few days.

The comes as the first game of the tournament starts, Its game day for team Canada and you were glad you took the tickets from your boss.

“Y/n, Im still surprised your boss even gave you tickets for the tournament” your friend Shandy says while looking at the line up to get into Rogers Arena.

“I am just as surprised as you are. I am so happy for these too” you reply thinking about giving your boyfriend a quick text that you are at the game.

You forget when your friends begin talking about other things that are going on with their lives and the line begins to move.

Finally you and your friends get to your seats while the guys went to get drinks and snacks.

“Y/n, the only one who never drinks when we come to visit” Gabe says as he hands you a water you asked

“Well someone needs to be the designated driver for your drunk asses” you reply thinking back to those times.

“Thats right and why you’re always the smart one” he replies while looking to you.

Finally the game begins.

Jacob tries calling, leaves messages and texts bu they go unaswered.

“Still trying to get a hold of y/n?” Jake asks looking to Jacob

“Yeah, I guess she really buried herself in work” he replies while placing his phone in his pocket amd walks away from him.

He takes a walk by himself to get rid of the ugly thoughts he has of you.

“No, she wouldnt do that to me. No” he thinks to himself while sitting on a bench in a park. He sips his coffee

The unanswered phone calls, texts and facetime have gone throughout the two weeks. Jacob is convinced you are with someone and cheating on him most of the time.

His other teammates and friends from other teams have tried convincing him that you would never do that to him and never got that impression from you at all. But he still isnt convinced. He appreciates the talks though but thoughts still linger.

You and your friends continue going to games, hanging out and checking out the rest of Vancouver. Along with whale watching.

Your phone died and never got the chance to charge it or just completely forgot about it cause you also went to work.

The tournament has come and gone.

Now it was time for your boyfriend to come home. Finally.

You asked one of the other girlfriends when they were landing home and she gave you the time. You drive to the airport 45 minutes early before the expected arrival. You were getting excited for Jacob to finally come home.

“Oh crap, I better charge my phone now” you finally remember and begin charging it.

As your phone begins to charge is when it comes to life, text messages are coming through, voice mails. Sixty text messages and countless of voice mails, which is full. You read every text and begin to feel bad for not charging your phone sooner.

Half of the text that consists of I miss you, good night and I love you. The other half is what are you doing?, why havent you texted or called back?, What are you up to? Is there someone else?

“Fuck” you mutter to yourself

You see the plane land after going through your voice mails and deleting everything. You needed to explain yourself to Jacob.

Finally the plane comes to a stop and finally the guys exit the plane.

Jake sees you first before Jacob can even notice his surroundings.

“Hes not happy with you right now” he says and gets into his truck

You go towards Jacob and give him a big hug, he returns a weak one and begins putting his stuff in the car. As the both of you get into the car, its silent.

“Before we go, can I explain myself?” You ask breaking the silence

“Please by all means” he replies with a stern voice

He really doesnt look happy right now

“Shandy and them came into town and we attended the world junior tournament” you reply while looking to him

“But why couldnt you just return my texts or phone calls” he asks while driving away from the airport

“Because I completely forgot to charge my phone the minute it died. Well until today just before you landed” you tell him looking to him in hopes he will forgive you.

“If you even did go to the games. Where did you even get the tickets? They were all sold out” he says never taking his eyes off the road

“I got them from my boss. Her and her husband were going out of the country for the holidays and she didnt want those tickets to go to waste and gave them to me” you reply while keeping your attention on him

He is beginning to feel a little better but the feeling of you seeing someone else isnt fading. He wants to believe but something else is tugging away.

The rest of the ride was quiet, being at home was quiet and eating dinner was quiet. Going to bed was quiet.

Going to bed without telling each other ‘I love you’

No kisses good night.

Just went to bed

Quiet

As the days go by you feel hes drifting away from you. The more you explained, the more he didnt believe a word you said. Nothing

At work wasnt great either. You were distracted and everyone can see that.

Your phone begins to ring and you see its Jake. You slide across the screen to answer it.

“You: Hey Jake

Jake: Hey, how are you?

You: Not so great

Jake: Yeah, I figured

You: Thanks

Jake: You arent the only one

You: Right

Jake: You free for lunch?

You: Yeah, since my person isnt going to pick me up nor will he answer my calls or texts

Jake: I know, Im outside your office building”

He hung up on you and you just smiled as you got up and got your jacket. You walk out of the building and get into his truck

“is he talking to you at least?” you ask once you get into his truck

“Nope, not a single word” he replies pulling away from the building

“He thinks I knew that you were messing around but I tried explaining that you wouldnt. I also mentioned that I didnt know nothing and tried convincing him you did absolutely nothing” he adds while looking for a place to have lunch

“This hurts” is all you say and the ride goes silent

He sees the hurt of your face and he doesnt like what he sees. He hates seeing his best friend, his sister hurting. He hates it.

Finally the day ends and the thought of going home was just dreadful. You didnt like the silence at home.

You walk into the house and you see Jacob in the kitchen.

“Y/n can you come into the kitchen please” he says as soon as he hears the door open

Your heart begins to race.

“I am so sorry” he says while looking to you.

You look up and tried not to form any tears

“Shandy called me and she told me everything. I am so sorry for not believing you and pushed you away” he continues while coming closer to you.

His arms wrapped around you felt amazing, finally feeling complete again and finally just being close to him. After so long of being ignored and not touched.

You were already beginning to feel as though the both of you were over and you feared he was going to ask you to move out.

Thankfully he didnt.

A tear streams down your face and you release a soft sob

“I know you said you werent seeing anyone, its just I had this feeling at the pit of my stomach that you were cause you werent answering my calls or anything. That nagging feeling wouldnt go away and I was stupid” he continues while he still holds you in his arms

“I was getting scared that you were going to ask me to move out” you whisper while pulling away from him

“No. No” he says while looking to you.

“I am so stupid, I should have listened to you but no. I am so sorry” he continues

“You arent stupid. You were just scared as I was. I dont want to lose you” you tell him while looking into his eyes

“I dont ever want to lose you either and Im sorry that I drifted from you. I feel incredibly stupid for doing that. I placed myself in a lonely position by doing that” he says while placing a light kiss to your forehead.

The more the both of you talked it out, the more everything started to feel less empty, lonely and more understanding.

“From now on, Im charging my phone right away then waiting till way later to charge it” you say while giving him a kiss to the lips.

“Yes. Or else next time Im kicking your ass to the curb” he jokingly says with a smile

Oh how you loved his smile, the dimples were always your weakness.

“Do you promise?” you ask as you chuckle as well

He pulls you in closer and kisses you. He loved being close with you and he always felt complete.

[ua-monoma]

.03.07.

Session Two || Hakamata Tsunagu @ua-bestjeanist

[Listless and exhausted, Monoma makes his way into the room, hardly looking up as he slips into the closest chair. The dark circles under his eyes are fading but still noticeable, and he immediately bows his head so that his hair covers his face.]

MONOMA: ...

[Hakamata hardly catches a glimpse of the boy's face when he looks up from his notes. He knows the feeling well, the exhaustion.]

HAKAMATA: Hello, Monoma-san..

[Wasting no time, he takes a bento from his bag and sets it on the table in front of the poor boy.]

HAKAMATA: Here, eat if you're hungry

MONOMA: ... Thank you... 

[He nudges the bento closer to himself but doesn't make an attempt to open it up just yet, bleary as he blinks away his tiredness.]

HAKAMATA: I've brought my own, you won't have to feel uncomfortable being the only one eating.

[He sets drinks on the table as well, thinking it's best to wait until the young man has eaten before bringing up his tired appearance.]

MONOMA: ...

[Figuring that the hero was going to keep bringing it up until he's eaten, he starts to pick up the chopsticks tucked into the bento after opening it, picking at the food with them before bringing a few small bits into his mouth.]

MONOMA: ... 

[He chews slowly.] 

MONOMA: It's good... [he mumbles.]

[Hakamata opens his own, handling his chopsticks with a shaky hand.]

HAKAMATA: ..I'm glad you like it, you can let me know if you have any food preferences for next time.

MONOMA: ... 

[He watches him struggling, already feeling sick again at the sight of it. He's still so weak... It's upsetting.

He tries to force himself to continue chewing, at the very least.] 

MONOMA: ... I will...

[Eventually, the hero just sighs and swaps hands. Bringing food to his mouth. He eats for a few minutes, letting the silence exist for maybe a bit longer than it should.]

HAKAMATA: Have you been adjusting back into class well? Your friends must have missed you dearly.

MONOMA: ... I suppose they did... [he mumbles, now picking at his food more than actually eating again.] They say they did. I don't know... mm.

[He frowns a little.]

MONOMA:  Classes are alright. I'm still catching up, so I've had a lot of extra lessons... and I haven't used my quirk much. Besides that, though, it's fine...

HAKAMATA: From what I can tell...your class is like a tightly knit family.

[After another bite, he continues.] 

HAKAMATA: Your quirk is "copy", right? Is there a reason you haven't been using it?

MONOMA: A little bit. Quite a few of us are a little more... estranged from our actual families. And Vlad-sensei is wonderful to us...

[He trails off, his bad mood soothed for the moment as he thinks of his beloved teacher, only to sour again at the next question.] 

MONOMA: Mm... It's complicated. It doesn't feel... right to, I suppose... 

[His voice drops in volume, almost inaudible as he admits it.]

HAKAMATA: I see...I won't pry further. I hope you can feel better about it soon.

[He picks up his drink.]

HAKAMATA: I can't speak for any of your friends, but your teacher seems to care for you greatly.

[Monoma nods slowly, his mood plummetting a little more at that. It's an awful contradiction in his mind, the relief that the hero wasn't prying but somehow feeling betrayed at the same time for it, like he or even the subject wasn't worth the effort. Distracted, he pries a piece of meat apart with his chopsticks.]

MONOMA: He... does. He's very kind to me despite all the trouble I've caused him... And he hasn't discarded me yet, though I'm sure he wants to...

HAKAMATA: I doubt he ever will, Monoma-san. People like Vlad King-san tend to stick in people's lives when they have that kind of relationship. A bit like a father, really.

[He finishes his own food, tucking the box back into his bag. He lifts some other things out first before placing everything back in, so they can be at the top, ready to be extracted later.]

[Monoma can't help but flush a little at the 'father' comment. Eyes flickering up quickly, he watches Hakamata packing his food away and hurries to do the same, setting his box away and placing it to the side for now.]

MONOMA: I, um. I suppose. I don't know. 

[He starts to fidget, picking at his nails as his cheeks continue to redden.]

MONOMA: I don't know... maybe...

[Hakamata notices the sudden shift of colour. Was he embarrassing him?]

HAKAMATA: I'm glad you have someone that important in your life...can you tell me about your friends?

MONOMA: ...

[He keeps fidgetting.] 

MONOMA: I don't know what to say... I suppose I'm friends with my classmates, mostly... And maybe a few in the other class, I don't know...

HAKAMATA: Is there anyone in particular you'd like to bring up that you're especially close with? I'd love to hear about the important people in your life. 

[He adjusts his legs, sitting more comfortably.] 

HAKAMATA: It helps me understand you on a special level.

[Monoma watches him move a little, feeling a little relieved at that.]

MONOMA:  ...

[Then he wilts a little as he thinks of the mess of his relationships at the moment.] 

MONOMA: I don't... know if I'd really want to bring anyone up, but I could, um... [He sighs a little.] 

MONOMA: A few of my classmates I grew up with... I supose I'm closest to my friend Kendou, but we haven't been talking. That's... sort of been the trend lately. There's Shinsou-kun, who I haven't been talking with, and Yaoyorozu, who I haven't been talking with... I do have Todoroki-kun, at least, and I talk to him, but... I don't... I don't know.

[He lists off a name Hakamata recognizes, but pushes the thought aside for later.]

HAKAMATA: I see...is there any particular reason you arent talking to them? Is it just the readjustment back into your life, or other reasons?

[Monoma shrugs vaguely.] 

MONOMA: It's the readjustment... or it's our schedules never quite lining up or it's... me, I suppose... I don't know. 

[He wilts a little, looking miserable.] 

MONOMA: I haven't exactly asked. Sometimes I'll have a few guesses, a few theories, but I don't ever really know...

HAKAMATA: Well..if they're your friends, then they must care for you. Remind yourself of that if it helps. Have any of your friends reached out to you in specific?

[He writes down the names, but nothing else.]

[Watching something getting written down, though, makes him antsy, especially since he doesn't know what it is from where he's sitting.]

MONOMA: ... I don't know. I don't exactly make it easy for them... Like, I know I'm most of the problem. I've had a conversation or two with... um, I didn't list them before, Kuroiro-kun and Tokage... And if it's obvious, if I make a grand show of my suffering and all, then someone is always bound to come rushing forth to help. But I've always thought that was more because... they're good people, that's what they do. It's hard to think that it's... for me... in any way.

HAKAMATA: I'm just saving the names of your friends so I don't forget them, don't worry.

[He decides to be upfront, seeing his reaction.]

HAKAMATA: ..Is it really a show if you're hurting, Monoma-san?

[Monoma’s eyebrows furrow a little and he purses his lips at that, falling quiet.] 

MONOMA: ...

MONOMA: Isn't it...

HAKAMATA: You've been through a lot, you're allowed to hurt.  It's okay. I like to believe that your friends reach out to you because they care...you said you grew up with the other ones?

MONOMA: ... Well, I'm not an optimist like you apparently are... [he murmurs bitterly before crossing his arms, frowning to himself.] But yes. Kendou Itsuka, I've known her since we were children.

HAKAMATA: ...I wouldn't call myself an optimist..

[Shifting again, he starts to think about his own experiences, but hurriedly pushes it aside.]

HAKAMATA: Tell me about her..?

[Monoma sighs a little, sulking now.] 

MONOMA: ... She's currently our class president at UA. And she's always been that sort of type, you know... responsible. Maybe a little too much, [he adds with a huff.]

MONOMA: We met when we were children and she was one of the first kids my age that would let me borrow their quirk. Usually, that was more of a luxury shared with me by the adults in my life... [he trails off for a moment, blinking slowly before sighing again.] She used to get into little tiffs as well. To protect me. She's the protective type.

HAKAMATA: So she's like a sister, then..from the sound of it, at least.

[He scribbles a star by her name in his book.]

HAKAMATA: You're fortunate to have someone like that. I noticed you brought up your quirk again....is there any way you would like me to help you with feeling comfortable using it again?

MONOMA: ... Something like a sister. I grew up an only child, so I wouldn't know...

[He's somewhat grateful for the change in conversation, though it turns to one that's that much more uncomfortable to talk about.]

MONOMA: I don't know. I'm not... not-comfortable with it. It's just... the process has been complicated, is all. 

[He thinks a moment.] 

MONOMA: ... I think there's a way that would help, maybe, if I may ask...

HAKAMATA: I did too, I understand..

[He nods, listening carefully. His interest is caught when he starts to suggest something.]

HAKAMATA: ..Go ahead

MONOMA: ... I want to do hero work again... [he mumbles before he raises his eyes, meeting his gaze.] I want to be out there, using my quirk for good. I was in an internship before I was taken, and I've been applying for more again, I just... I think everyone thinks I'm... That I can't. And I know I can.

HAKAMATA: ...You're asking to intern with me. Or someone I know. Is that it..?

[He thinks on it for a few moments. Letting the question hang in the air.]

HAKAMATA: ..Yes, I can probably arrange that

[Monoma just nods slowly, choosing not to answer the question since it's just... easier. Really, he'd take what he could get, and as much of it as he possibly could...]

MONOMA: .. Thank you, sir...

HAKAMATA: ...It'd have to be someone else. The public doesn't even know of my return yet. Unless you'd rather work with one of my sidekicks if you want my agency. Do you have anyone in particular you'd like to work with?

MONOMA: Not really. I just... 

[He frowns a little.] 

MONOMA: I wasn't allowed in this year's Sports Festival... and you know how important that all is in having heroes see you as capable enough to work alongside them. But... it was too soon after I'd returned and I wasn't believed to be stable enough. I think people still don't think I'm stable enough, really...

[He fidgets, but tries to keep his gaze even despite his nerves.] 

MONOMA: ... but... with your word, or your permission, or... recommendation, what have you, they'd have no choice but to believe I can still handle myself...

HAKAMATA: Alright, then. I can do that for you....but it will need to wait until my return is announced. Would that be alright? The word of a man many probably believe is dead wouldn't be any help to you.

MONOMA: ... 

[He nods slowly, sulking again.] 

MONOMA: Of course...

HAKAMATA: Which should be soon, don't worry. I can get you doing hero work one way or another.

MONOMA: ... Thank you... [he mumbles.] I just... really think it would help if I had something to dedicate myself to...

HAKAMATA: For now, I can ask a few fr....coworkers if they would be willing to let you join them temporarily. Would you like that?

MONOMA: ... I would... if you don't mind...

HAKAMATA: I can do that, then. I'll get started after our session and keep you updated.

[He worries a bit. They've not even started the heavier topics.]

HAKAMATA: Speaking of..[he sighs.] Your internship was placed immediately after that traumatic game, wasn't it? Aside from what else you've been through, do you think that horrible simulation has anything to do with the way you are feeling right now?

MONOMA: ... 

[He stills slowly, in a way he prays isn't noticible, his heart skipping in his chest at the mention of the simulation. Like all this isn't bad enough, now he has to remember that Hakamata was present for that horrible event, and he would have seen... so much of such an ugly side of him.]

MONOMA: ... 

[He feels sick. He wants to go home.]

MONOMA: Not really... [he lies, a quiet restraint in his voice.] If anything, that should be proof that I could... handle myself...  That I... [he trails off, trying to remember that internship. He'd been hospitalized soon after the simulation; had he even done much...?]

MONOMA: ... 

[More reason to feel like a failure, then...]

HAKAMATA: ....I wasn't present for the end of it due to personal reasons. That simulation was too risky from the start, I am sorry that I helped in such an awful project. It pushed you to your extremes by using your fear against you in an extremely unlikely situation.

MONOMA: I understood the point of it- [he starts with a rising panic, cutting him off some as he hears the hero start to apologize.] I understood why it was needed, I know what it was trying to teach us, I know it was necessary, it's fine. I'm fine. It helped me in the end, anyway. It's fine-

HAKAMATA: ...It's not fine...it's clearly impacted you...we can move on, if you would feel more comfortable talking about something else.

MONOMA: I don't care. 

[He curls in on himself, hugging himself tight.] 

MONOMA: You brought it up for a reason. If this was about comfort, I wouldn't be here in the first place... Just ask your questions.

HAKAMATA: I just want to know if it's somehow affected how you feel about your quirk, Monoma-san, that's all. If it hasn't, we can talk about something else. My job is just to help you..

MONOMA: It's just different, [he snaps.] Of course it's different. You use your quirk to hurt someone, it's going to feel different every time you use it. And I've never had that luxury everyone else had, [he continues, raving now.] I don't get to EVER understand things about my quirk. I don't get to know what power I'll have by the end of the day. And things change and I don't get to know what until it's too late. And I hate it.

[Tears pop into his eyes but he continues.] 

MONOMA: I've changed so much and I don't get a choice in the ways how and it's the same fucking thing with my quirk and I hate it. And you can't help me.

[Frowning, the hero reaches down to click something on his wheelchair before wheeling himself over to Monoma's side of the table. He doesnt say much of anything, but reaches to pull the boy into a hug.]

HAKAMATA: I want to at least try, Monoma-san

[Mouth snapping shut as he approaches, Monoma withdraws a little, but he doesn't resist more than that as he's pulled into a hug. He shivers a little, almost violently, and closes his eyes, trying to hide the way that he starts to sniffle.] 

MONOMA: ...

[A shaky hand comes up, petting his hair. He stays that way.]

HAKAMATA: You can cry, it's alright.

[He doesn't want to. He tries his damn best not to, but feeling that shaky hand against his hair, trying to comfort him despite all he's done, and intimately knowing every reason for every little tremor that goes through it- He can't. Monoma sniffles again, then slumps weakly in his arms as he starts to quietly sob against him.]

HAKAMATA: I've got you..

[He continues with it, occasionally rubbing the young hero's back with the other. He comforts Monoma much like he remembers his mother comforted him at a young age.]

HAKAMATA: ..You're a good kid, Monoma-kun.

[Monoma clutches to him, shaking his head once as his cries get a little louder, than soften into a quiet intensity. Under his hands, where he only clutches tighter, the fabric of Hakamata's clothes just barely start to unfurl and loosen under his fingers. He doesn't notice.]

HAKAMATA: Here.. 

[Also not noticing, and without letting go completely, he moves his hand for a moment to grab boxed tissues from the table. He sets them on the armrest of Neito's chair before continuing.]

MONOMA: Mm... 

[He goes to reach for one, hoping to clean his face off, feeling disgusting for such a mess he's making, and that's when he notices it, feeling the threads sticking to his hands as he pulls away from Hakamata's body. Upon feeling that, he lifts his head to look, and then immediately leaps back with a gasp of dismay, shaking his hand frantically to try and get the threads to stop clinging to him.]

MONOMA: S-sorry-- sorry, I'm- I'm not trying to, I'm sorry--

[Confused until he sees the threads, Hakamata looks down at the hole in his jacket.]

HAKAMATA: It's alright, you didn't mean it. It's a very tricky quirk..

[Gently, he helps hm get the threads off his hands, zipping them back into place once they're free.]

MONOMA: I didn't make that happen, I didn't do it on purpose... [he continues, rambling under his breath.] I'm-- I'm supposed to control it, I...

[When he watches Hakamata easily fix the damage, he finally falls silent, mouth pressing together like he's decided he's said something... forbidden, somehow. His hands lower into his lap and he bows his head a little, sullen.] 

MONOMA: Sorry... thank you...

HAKAMATA: It's alright, quirks can be activated with strong emotions. I'm assuming that's what happened.  You don't need to worry so much...

[Trying his best to reassure him, he seems to remember something.]

HAKAMATA: Ah, right. I brought dessert.

[Even with that, though, Monoma only continues to withdraw, flushing with embarrassment now, though he does perk up slightly at the mention of dessert.]

MONOMA: Um... did you?

HAKAMATA: I did, one of my favourites actually.

[He reaches into the bag again, pulling out two small containers. He passes one to Monoma.]

HAKAMATA: I do hope you like macarons..?

MONOMA: ... 

[He flushes again after feeling the automatic way he brightens slightly at the sight of one of his favorite desserts.] 

MONOMA: ...

MONOMA: I do, I really like them... [he mumbles sheepishly.]

HAKAMATA: Oh, good..! Looks like I made the right decision then.

[Inside the container, there's 4 little cookies, each a different flavour.]

MONOMA: ... 

[Monoma sniffles again. He wipes his face a little, scrubbing any lingering tears away with his hand. It's more than a little exhausting, going from so miserable to having this pleasant little surprise. The spark of happiness it gives him feels strange.]

MONOMA: ...Thank you...

HAKAMATA: You're welcome, Monona-san...

[He smiles at him, pleased to see him feeling a bit better. He hopes sessions after this will come easier.]

[Monoma returns the smile a little before managing another sniffle and wiping at his face again, now a little self conscious for his outburst.] 

MONOMA: .... 

[He fidgets a little, nervous again.] 

MONOMA: ...

[He looks concerned noticing his shift in attitude again.]

HAKAMATA: Are you alright..?

MONOMA: Just... y'know. 

[He shrugs sheepishly.] 

MONOMA: I don't... do that often, it's embarrassing...

HAKAMATA: I understand...it's nothing to worry about. Nobody knows but us, I'm legally unable to tell a single soul.

MONOMA: Well, that is comforting... [he says with a dry little laugh.]

HAKAMATA: If I do, you can sue me..! [He jokes with him a bit, feeling a bit better himself.]

[Smirking at that, Monoma manages another little laugh.] 

MONOMA: Oh, don't tempt me...

HAKAMATA: In all seriousness though, nobody will hear a word of it.

[Monoma nods, chewing his lower lip as he thinks about that.] 

MONOMA: ... Thank you.

HAKAMATA: You're welcome... ah, one more question actually. Is there any heroes you would like me to avoid asking to temporarily intern you?

[Monoma frowns. Immediately he thinks of Endeavor but... it's hard to deny just how incredible the man's influence and power is. So, instead, he just shakes his head.] 

MONOMA: I'm fine with whoever is kind enough to take me on...

[Hakamata nods.] 

HAKAMATA: I see, I've got some ideas, I'll do my best..

MONOMA: Thank you... It really means a lot to me.

HAKAMATA: It's no problem...I'll text you when I find someone.

MONOMA: Thank you...

HAKAMATA: Do you have any concerns, before our time is up?

[Monoma shrugs vaguely.]

MONOMA: ... Do you ever get sick and tired of the patients you see? I can't imagine this is a job that isn't... extremely taxing emotionally...

HAKAMATA: Your case is actually very unique. I don't typically see hero students...or teenagers at all, really. Its usually grown adults who have comitted crimes.

[He shrugs]

HAKAMATA: As someone who's worked here for years, I can't imagine how you ended up here.

[Monoma forces a humorless laugh.] 

MONOMA: Just my damned luck, I suppose...

MONOMA: ...

MONOMA: I don't have any other concerns, no...

HAKAMATA: Alright, then..! I do hope you enjoy your dessert, I am sorry that we could not talk longer.

[He ruffles Neito's hair slightly.]

HAKAMATA: I'll see you next week?

MONOMA: ...

MONOMA: Oh... 

[Not expecting the affectionate gesture, he ends up flushing again as he gathers his things, taking his bento and the little box of macarons.] 

MONOMA: Ah, yes, next week... Thank you for everything, sir...

HAKAMATA: Really, it's no problem-..  

[Another man enters, approaching Hakamata in his chair before realizing Monoma is still there. He looks embarassed and apologizes.]

MONOMA: ... 

[Monoma fights off a grimace. Instinctually, he just feels ashamed that someone else has appeared to bear witness to such a humiliating practice. Then, a bout of curiousity... Lingering for a moment, he fixes questioning eyes on Hakamata, hoping to get an explanation without having to come out and ask for it just yet.]

HAKAMATA: Ah, sorry. This is my caretaker, Gyakuten-san. He's used to coming in here at certain times.

[He gestures to the man, who looks like he feels awkward. He forces an uncomfortable smile.]

MONOMA: ... 

[Monoma politely smiles back, giving him a short bow as he comes to standing.] 

MONOMA: It's a pleasure, Gyakuten-san...

[Then, he looks over at Jeanist.] 

MONOMA: I won't keep you any longer, sir... Again, thank you for everything you've done for me today.

[He bows in return, then scoots behind the wheelchair.]

HAKAMATA: I'm glad to have helped. Have a good weekend, Monoma-san.

MONOMA: You too.

[With that, he takes his leave.]

[kendrixtermina]

Someone finally uploaded a Kingdom Route run with everyone recruited!

So imma be doing a bit of reacting

Kingdom!Ignatz works a bit like Empire!Felix  - He wanted to go his own way unlike what his parents said and is thus following Byleth. In this case it’s of course somewhat less angsty ‘cause the Victors have the means to flee if necessary, unlike Rodrigue who was a prominent leader of the kingdom side of things

In an interesting parallel to how half the cast abandons the kingdom cause it’s a sinking shipload of kamikaze, on the other routes, Raphael complains about the instability and confusing politics of the alliance and how she should probably grab Maya and his grandfather and get them to Garreg Magh. I suppose a lot of people without connections or political accumen must feel this way. the monastery IS light javelin proof, so yeah...Raphael isn’t salty toward Claude himself tho. Then again he has little capacity for salt and in his paralogue it’s kinda shown that he makes a deliberate choice to live a low-salt lifestyle its not just obliviousness, he actively doesnt want grudges or awkwardness in his life

Leonie is also here to babysit Byleth and tells them not to let Dimitri push them around 

Hilda: “The Monastery is a mess. So is Dimitri. I’m only here because Byleth is competent and Holst is annoying“

Dorothea and Bernie have so far gotten identical dialogues to the church route

Lysithea is interesting and kinda morally ambiguous. She says outright that she cares nothing for the kingdom or anything other than a peaceful life for her parents. She wants to get at the slitherers for her own revenge and they’re in the empire so she finds Dimitri’s revenge obsession convenient. Also very ironic cause, are she and Edelgard gonna fight each other because they both want to get at Thales? Very interesting bc vanilla BL doesn’t adress the slitherers that much - of course Lysithea says she has beef with “the empire” and doesn’t elaborate. At the same time Lysithea is MUCH more logical and self aware than most of the kingdom crew bar Sylvain so yeah

actually,  Lysithea, like Felix, has TONS of route specific dialogue. I guess the devs expected those two to get recruited a lot since they are just flat out the strongest students apart from the house leaders. 

The Kingdom is arguably just as infiltrated but Lysithea doesn’t know... and at this point Cornelia’s cooperating with the Empire anyways

General trend of the Alliance recruitees not being all that attached to the Alliance as they hardly knew each other at the start and half of them had nothing to do with politics

Nothing to do with the recruitees, but so THATS what happens if you propose to go to Fhirdiad first. Dimitri is like “You’re supposed to lead the church! Go rescue Rhea!” ...he doesn’t know the whole thing with Byleth being experimented on by Rhea (neither does Byleth at this point) but it is kinda low. Mitya you have no leg to stand on here indeed the main reason I was sympathetic to you last playthrough is that you never ASKED Gilbert & co to put you on the throne and made clear that you’re not interested in that... so following you was on them to an extent. but you don’t get to say “Do your Bishop job” (that Byleth never asked for) if you’re not doing your job cause you’re too busy doing your kamikaze raid. Then again he’s probably too emotional and just plain done with everything rn to see the contradiction/look at this with perspective he’s probably physically incapable of chilling out rn

It just ends with Byleth doing a pointed sadface. daamn Mitya don’t be mean to By-By she still believes in you dude : (  Though it makes sense he’s big on obligation he’s doing this revenge trip because he feels he must. So it’s more a distortion than it really is a contradiction, as far as he’s concerned he IS doing his duty...to the fallen. I guess if you can’t handle him at his “Go be a bishop or something” you don’t deserve him at his “my beloved~” 

Still hurts a bit tho. Especially when Claude, though not without his own agenda, was distinctly a good friend on the topic, “Teach you’re in charge now be more confident~ the church doesnt run you, you run the church”

Before Aillel Dorothea says something about the Kingdom people also looking undecided of where to march, but she also wonders if some fighting/ victory will quell uncertainty 

Also she and mercie are standing next to each other! Ive said before that it’s weird how they don’t rly have a support though they are the two most popular extroverted ppl on the campus... they GOTTA know each other at least on a smalltalk basis

Alois is like “These kingdom ppl dont seem to know what they want... but hey this allow YOU to shine as a leader”... so basically Byleth is running this show but for all that they’re a good field commander and decisive when it comes to immadiate practical problems, as far as big picture direction goes, well, Sothis’ “boulder” quote comes to mind. They just never had big attachments on convictions, the Felix support chain is also salient here. They kinda just did whatever job they were given until they found a bigger cause/purpose after throwing in their lot with one of the lords or the remaining saints.

I wondered how this would play out as the Kingdom route is very kingdom-specific, whereas Claude, Edelgard and the church all have an universal cause for people to get behind. I guess how this plays out is that before Dimitri’s turnaroud there’s the kingdom faction and the Byleth faction and Byleth is kinda trying to run the show as they think Dimitri would if he were at his best

Caspar is still on the more unphazed side but also substantially more phazed than on the church or GD routes, he wasn’t particularly close to Randolph but he’s not unaffected by Dimitri going a tad over the top here - he also has the takeaway that Dimitri probably never trusted him much since he was born in the empire.

Sylvain actually alledges something about Dimitri not socializing much with any Adrestians even back in the academy days if you recruit him on CF so this does not come out of nowhere. Also kinda makes me wish they had a support - theyre both naturals at smashing things but they have very different attitudes towards it. then again i suppose it would go alot like the raphael one

Ferdie recognizes Myrrdin is a strategically better location but as Aegir territory is closeby he wishes we could have invaded through there so he could take it back... Would the citizens want him back tho? After the war its a no-brainer cause he helped end it, the peasants arent going to complain about too much peace and prosperity nor are they gonna feel nostalgic about anyone who started a war with their tax money and then lost it, but if he waltzed into an area that had thus far been far from the frontlines, following his fathers’s exploitative management and 5 years of semi equal rights under edelgard? he might have been welcomed with  pitchforks, through no fault of his own. 

He says something implying hed like to come rescue his relatives implying that some of them are still alive. of course the pm deserves all Edelgard threw at him and then some, but id be curious about Ferdie’s other relatives. His mom probably looks just like him, because he sure didnt get the looks from his dad... or anything else really, apart from the crest and hair color. - though i think the a support with bernadetta implies that shes no longer around

Lorenz bitterly remarking that of course Claude and his dad eventually made peace since they both only serve their own interests. (”So long as their interests are in allignment they will continue to cooperate”)   Says the guy we just rescued from his endeavors in turncoatery. Lorenz you’re pretty opportunistic too, and as for your redeeming features Claude has those too - but of course you’ll never find out in this one. Still, it shows that he’s painfully aware that his father - whom he would have died protecting if we hadn’t spared him - is a villain and a hack

Claude isn’t super trusting and knows that he gets percieved as shifty so he promises people to get them theirs so that they support him out of self interest. No need to take a chace. Of course by the end of this route he WILL take big chance on Dimitri 

That says Lorenz is not SO biased that he can’t tell that Claude might be interested in working with the kingdom army

Lysithea (who surprisingly has TONS of unique dialogue here, and I like that it’s a complex mature plot) is having her doubts and not trusting Dimitri for all that she finds him an useful idiot. By and large you get the sense that many consider Byleth the leader of this operation, she’s glad that Byleth is there to issue sensible orders. She tells Byleth not to tell anyone and worries about what will happen once the empire’s vanquished. No faith in team Kingdom... at all. Understandable of course

Hilda’s dialogue is largely the same as in the church route and at times kinda the same in all routes but I like how she’s like “Claude might’ve looked like a lazy bum but he’s smart! If he says he’s on our side he will defs help!” before the gronder fiasco

A lot of NPCs stir the suspicion here so it stands out how much she totally trusts him like hes any other friend

As with the other routes with the recruitees you get an idea of what’s going on in the other territories such as Lysithea deducing that Judith must be backing Claude in his gambit

One moment you think Lorenz is going to add some somber insightful commentary to the sincerity of Claude’s offer but then he’s like, “Granted Dimitri is much improved. He must be asking us for help cause he trusts ME” XD Like... no friend. You’re almost right but if there’s anyone here he was faith in its Byleth. And then he’s even like, “Well no choice but to save poor Claudesy” On the one hand it shows that there not just pure hate there on the other... lulz. 

apparently one of the first things Dimitri did after getting his act together post gronder is profusely apologize to Caspar for that ugly business with Randolph. Thats a worthwhile detail and i want fanfic of it. Caspar being Caspar he wasnt really keeping a grudge, they’re a warrior clan and they were at war

They had to move out so quickly that Hilda had no time to go shopping in Fhirdiad #Priorities XD

Meanwhile Ignatz, like a normal person,  hopes his folks will be safe

hilda does eventually remember to maybe save her folks and claude but only after making Byleth promise to go on a shopping trip with her. Someone should probably write that fanfic

Someone told me that Ferdinand had some prominent critical lines but it was really just one, and it’s as I suspected actually just a variant of the same “a king can’t be emotional” line he gets in all the routes, this time with the addendum that if he turned around and decided to go rescue the capital, he might be capable of reason/being a decent leader after all.  granted I guess compared to how most of the Kingdom people go along with everything it comes off critical? IDK.

Lysithea misses Rodrigue :( 

Lorenz and Ignatz standing next to each other was a nice touch they have a fairly wholesome friendship

Leonie’s just glad that ol’ Mitya is “back to normal” especially since she’s pretty sure that they don’t have enough soldiers to get to Fort Merceus let alone Enbarr

For obvious reasons, Petra is pretty sympathetic about the whole “retaking Fhirdiad” thing

Seeing Seteth and Catherine so certain that Rhea would want them to save the people of Fhirdiad first when you know that she wouldn’t hesitate to set the place on fire is just...OUCH. Though it does show the goodness in Seteth and Catherine themselves. 

Manuela wishes she could’ve moved her informary to gronder and save a few more peeps :(

It seems like to Leonie, Dimitri will always be just “Dimitri”, King or not. Figures she aaaaalmost adressed even Byleth by name XD You really DO get the sense that he interacted alot with the recruitees

All the house leaders shouldve had more supports. 

If you grabbed hanneman he’ll give you some extra backstory on Cornelia - apparently she was originally from the empire and an eminent scholar whose great work Hanneman was vaguely aware of. I would assume that was still the real cornelia. Judging by the timing it sounds like she might’ve smuggled Patricia out of Adrestia. Assuming both were still original at this point this might present a possibility for why she trusted/vouched for cornelia without being complicit / lend itself to a “she was duped” reading

But it’s still suspicious that she would end up courting the second most powerful man in the land right after number one. 

Some had suggested that Cornelia caused the plague in the first place but the thing is there was a perfectly credible  “mundane” explanation for it (the city’s sewers not being up to date technologically) that theres no reason to doubt

Assuming that all the replacements occurred 14 years before part one when Arundel stopped his donations/ thins being about the time when Cornelia’s personality was noted to have changed completely, that would mean both the “fixing the severs” thing and the soppy story about how Edelgards’ parents met would be real 

AAAA everything to do with patricia is just so ambiguous - if they were longtime friends wouldn’t she have noticed something “off”? Same with her brother actually. Lambert had his own country so its not like there was no one to protect her. 

Ahhh THIS is how lorenz gets iinto the midset for that prissy, hes pissed that Claude dissolved the Alliance and misses it XD

you DO get to call him out for being a turncoat himself tho. particularly hilarious since Byleth just blinks and asks a casual question there

He immediately changes his tune

oh lorenz dear, i love you but you, sir, are WEAK xD

Lysithea as always calls everything and notes how suspicious arundel was alluding to the hrym nightmare also mentioned in her paralogue

She also mentions that he was said to be good and just at one point suggesting that there was a real Volkhard von Arundel at some point. 

if the replacement took place when those donations ceased then Edelgard and Dimitri were 3, 14 years before part 1. Early enough that this could be around the time Patricia left enbarr, if this is when it happened then the romantic tower story might be real assuming that the Arundels were replaced at the same time - whatever arrived in Faerghus recomended patricia for a job so it probably had already happened by then 

Its all so ambiguos tho we can only speculate there are so many possibilities

Ignatz marvels at how Claude managed to minimize damage to Alliance lands throughout the war, as in CF only Deirdru itself got particularly thrashed. Ignatz’ folks are safe and sound! Leave it to him to wonder where Claude might have absconded to. He was always one of the insightful ones but not in the same way as the other clever ones. More intuitive I guess. Cant remember if it was indentical to what you get if you spare Claude on CF (Cue the lets player remarking that Claude is probably stuck in a washing machine somewhere... he hadn’t cleared the Alliance route at that point)

Lol HILDA “And then the whole Alliance descended into chaos...” or actually she is surprised that that DIDNT happen and how orderly Claude managed the dissolution. “But I Guess we’re screwed if Dimitri turns out to be a crazed despot... he’s not gonna go crazy again is he?” You of little faith XD But she says all this in her usual cheery nonserious voice like

this chapter has a lot of unique dialogue actually

Linhardt  impressed that anyone would have the guts to attack Fort Merceus directly and suggests looking for weak spots in the old walls

He shows up guarding it in SS and Vw doesn’t he? Guess he was visiting Caspar or something - or would have been familiar with the place from visiting the Bergliez clan in the past. 

Ferdinand is wowed by Claude bowing out giving him kudos for caring about the peoples wishes. He thinks Edelgard ought to quit at this point and he’s alot harsher on her here than in any of the other routes. (”Not reveryone with noble blood has noble ideals” - Coming from Ferdinand that’s an accusation ) Interestingly at this point hes sticking with Dimitri cause post character developement, lots of ordinary ppl support him at this point and hes popular with the crowds. He’s wholly on the Savior King bandwagon, and maybe that’s why he’s harsher. He’s partial. Says something about him actually, largely good things when you think about it. Dimitri is probably the closest to what Ferdinand’s (and Lorenz’) own beliefs were. He likes the existing order and living in a fancy palace but he thinks the rulers should serve the people.

Its kinda ironic and sad because in ALL the other routes he clearly thinks Dimitri is an idiot and a bad ruler, and says he should be more composed and objective. But Dimitri wasnt at his best there now was he? 

 now ill be sad everytime I get to those “Ferdinand disses Dimitri” lines. They couldve been buds! 

but i dont see this happening in any other route. According to something Sylvain says in cf Dimitri avoided ppl from the empire  at the academy so they wouldnt have cozied up pre-timeskip, and its only the version of Dimitri who has his shit together which appeals to Ferdie as a leader. 

really torn here on the one hand its a nice synergy to see lorenz and especially Ferdinand (who is waaay less arroganz than lorenz) sort of getting to win on their own terms with a ruler that jives with them and their Lawful Good fantasy classic thing. It’s not just a status quo thing its a protectors of the people thing. It’s heroic.  On the other hand it feels like they’re stagnating when they could have had growth. This is basically the same Lorenz and the same Ferdinand we first met except slightly more mature.  Notably lorenz is the same in the church route whereas Ferdie isnt as he still ends up rebelling fleeing and fighting against the empire. It helps that he practically winds up leading the remaining Eagles, albeit under Byleth and Seteth.  

He still gets that line about being kinda sad to see the empire go though he knows there must be an end to the chaos, i think a few lines are different, so, not wholly without doubt

Shamir muses about hoe the three countries were once one and the same, but wonders that even if we put fodlan togethere theres no guarantee that it wouldnt come apart again. i mean there isnt, and wether thats a bad thing would depend a lot on the circumstances but its also possible that theyll get used to being one and forget they wrere ever separate. no one controls the far future... and should they? After all its always possible that someone in the future will have unforseeable circumstances or better ideas

Caspar sighs with relief that they didn’t have to fight his dad, last second worry about him turning up in the capital nonwithstanding... right does he get to live in this? Carpar wonders what’ll happen to him if they win, but he’s not holding down Faerghus so he might not have died the way he did in Silver Snow and Verdant Wind. It’s at least possible that he was captured alive and pardoned somehow. 

Marianne’s adoptive dad sure smelled which way the wind was blowing; He was supporting Claude’s strategy to get the Cloucesters back under controll but sent Marianne to curry favor with the kingdom. Make friends with whoever wins I suppose. Ambitious politician indeed. 

When she doesnt her from him in a while she wonders if he forgot about her but says she wouldnt mind that much because at least she wouldnt have to do any more politics? I distinctly recall that in gd there was something about how they got along better after the timeskip. Sigh. 

she is real glad that Dimitri and claude ended up cooperating in the end

So does Dorothea but then she makes herself sad wishing that Edelgard was also there :( Me too friend, me too.  I think thats the one unique line she gets this route. I like how it’s consistent in the church route she’s also the one who feels the most sad about betraying her, they were pretty close pre timrskip 

as far as leonies concerned Dimitri is still just Dimitri even after taking back his kingdom. i like to think hed appreciate that. its also very typical of leonie. as with the “Caspar gets an apology” thing plenty of the recruitees get lines hinting that theres been more personal interaction between them and dimitri, kinda goes with how ppl in his own house follow him more out of personal loyalty than because they follow his plans like with the other two. hes kinda a very approachable sort of leader, makes the decisions with the group or follows whatever gilbert and Byleth decide, in the other routes theres always a distinct inner circle. Its cool how they incorporated the recruitees into that dynamic. 

Petra is dissapointed that they DIDNT do a sneak attack on fort Merceus contrasting her usual line about how she likes sneak attacks.  Dimitri naps both that an Enbarr head on doesn’t he? The Church has a smaller Army full of peeps who would rather not destroy Enbarr, and Claude agrees with Petra on the sneak attack thing and then Edelgard did that sorta shady but largely very gutsy thing where she didn’t sound the evacuation to restrict Claude’s movements knowing that there was zero danger that he would plow through the civilians (they don’t do this here cause last time they met Dimitri he was not feeling merciful indeed judging by huberts welcome lines and engage quotes he doesnt buy the turnaround), the AM ending narration also suggests that Enbarr wasn’t rebuilt, though Dimitri gave distinct “No pillaging!” orders, so they probably just couldn’t avoid wrecking the buildings and relocated the citizens. 

Ashe also speculates where Claude went. That’s one of the things i like about Ashe he consistently averts out of sight out of mind I particularly always loved how he consistently worried about Dedue. Someone ought to. 

Ingrid interestingly changed her tune here / kinda speaks positively of claude here - in CF she was like “I always though he was creepy”

Then again that was before fighting him I don’t recall If those two dont get the same lines if you spare Claude,  have to go back and check

id like to mention that the lets player put lorenz in the pyjamas/loungewear the whole time as “punishment” for being late to the reunion and poked fun at him throughout.