#I did actually enjoy the season by the way - even if I've mostly been expressing criticisms

[xerith-42]

I decided to watch Void Paradox

I'm about five minutes into the first episode and I'm still not entirely sure if this is a good idea or not, but Laurance has already spoken like three lines of dialogue and I felt my heart wrench at just one of them, so clearly I'm in too deep now.

This post serves as my live tweeting/mental break down that I am currently having as we speak. It is very incomprehensible because it is literally just my thoughts as they happen, and given how much I have to say, I'll probably make proper posts out of a lot of these points once I finish the series.

This mess is just giving you a taste of the madness I truly posses.

I am only three minutes in before I have to pause and feel the urge to scream about how bad the dialogue in Aphmau series can be. Like this series is fairly okay, especially based on the standard set by her other shows but man... something is just not working here. The whole thing feels very clunky and while I can get the gist of what Jess is going for, the execution of said gist is leaving a lot to be desired.

[Laurance shows up]

nevermind Laurance is on screen and fully voice acted everything is better

Literally nobody talk to me I need to scream about Laurance Zvahl because he is EVERYTHING in this series. The way he very softly says Aph's name when he sees her, the immediate instinct to hug her because he's so relieved to see her, the fact that you can hear the smile in his voice the minute he registers that she's there and alive!! AUGH I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!

And I literally screamed when he revealed that he was transported to this AU right at the end of season 1. Oh my Irene, I screamed. I collapsed. I was truly defeated by a single line of dialogue. I don't know where this series is going to go but I am here for it. And the fact that he knows Garroth did it and hid it from her???

I can't overstate how genuinely healing it is to hear Laurance fully voice acted. I know Sebastian Todd is retired from voice acting, but when he retired, he took down all his posts, including what I considered to be a comfort video. That video of him reading iconic Laurance lines from before he was in mcd/lines he just didn't act? That video was my everything when I was trying to hold onto this version of the character I knew I loved who was different to what Jess made him. When that video got taken down it was a major cowabummer bc there's so little properly voice acted Laurance content that isn't mcd Season 3 or My Street stuff (and I can't stand My Street like 80% of the time)

Hearing his voice, hearing him get to be properly expressive, it's just doing things to me man. I missed this character a lot. I've mostly been enjoying him through fan content or my own work. It's nice to say I enjoy a piece of canon content involving him, at least so far.

Still not sure how I feel about literally anything else. The whole relationship between Aph and Tommy feels very... weird. She describes herself as "basically his mother" after she's left with him, and treats him like it in the opening scene. But then when he's mocking her for being attracted to Laurance (so relatable), it seems really weird for a [checks wiki] 14 year old kid to be calling out his mom for finding someone hot. Feels a lot more like sibling dialogue to me? Which I guess they could be seen as siblings, but the series explicitly stated that she views it like motherhood??? But I don't think Jess is even thinking that deeply about it, I just over analyze her work for fun at this point.

Okay what the actual fuck is going on with the inside of this house???

Why is the color scheme purple and yellow? And not in any kind of flattering way which is possible with opposite colors, it just has both of them. The wallpaper changes when you get into the living room except not entirely on the windows, and in an earlier scene it looked like it wasn't even put onto all of the walls. And the wood that she used as supports just does not compliment either of these colors as they are. Just make it all purple, you know you want to Jess.

Also is the texture on the table and the glass the same??? I don't know a damn thing about modding or making texture/data packs for minecraft but that just seems. odd.

Laurance: mentions the nether Me: [screams just a little]

Tommy: shows up and gives a random ass lore dump Aph: Kay thanks go back to your room

"I don't know what I can do to help."

"Just be there for me. I just need someone to ground me right now."

I literally want to shake Laurance around like a rag doll and give him a stupid kiss on his stupid fucking face UGH why can't I be normal about this block man and his stupid feelings?!?! The way his voice breaks as despair sets in?? The fact that he's no doubt pieced together that Garroth probably stole the amulet and plans to use it to hurt Aph and he can't do anything about it?? I'm literally losing it.

How did I not watch this series before.

Literally about to cry over him just calling Aph "M'lady" out of pure instinct. He didn't consciously do that. He just misses her that much.

oh no spooky evil alternate Laurance or whatever--

MAN I'm so happy I decided to watch this series. This was probably a mistake though :)

[mikerooksi]

opinions on the new lmk s5 trailer (spoilers.. duh..)

Correct me if I'm wrong on anything btw 😭

Flyingbark studio is no longer doing LMK, which lowkey makes me upset because they already abounded ROTTMNT.. sigh, but now we have Wildbrain. At first I was a little skeptical as Wildbrain mostly does 3D stuff and LMK, well, isnt really 3D that much.. so.. Also there's been a lot of backlash about the animation style change and expression etc with the characters. Which, I can kinda see 😭 In some of the scenes it looks really stiff or the expressions look almost lifeless.. kinda..

in reality, it is just a TV show that I enjoy, it's fine if the animation changes. perhaps it's like how flyingbark progressed their artstyle from s1 to s4. wildbrain will most likely improve, and they have the same writers/story boarders from previous seasons (I think), so I'm assuming the lore will be pleasant. Either way, I will still watch it, multiple fans have expressed their opinions and even said they'd still watch themself even with the change. I won't have high expectations though after seeing the change in animation from the trailer. Sure, change will be hard, but I will adjust, eventually, hopefully.

I am grateful and glad that the new season might be out soon, along with the sets, and that they at least gave the fandom something to work with. It may not be perfect, but I'll take it.

Another thing I've heard is that the trailer could be unfinished or rather just rushed. LMK is a show that is mostly running off of.. well. the lego sets... So, maybe they rushed the trailer because the lego sets aren't gonna wait forever. But, with time Wildbrain will obviously get better too. It'll be different and may not be able to replicate some of the close up, fighting scenes, etc, but I'm sure they'll do good! wildbrain has worked with many other animations, one of my favorites being Sonic Prime. Sooo, yk!! (I believe they worked on Ninjago too??... idk guys..)

Of course, the whole trailer isn't actually trash or anything. there are some cool scenes and animation! I like one of the MK close ups, and the snippet at the end with Red Son and Mei, and another one of Chang'e looking up at the broken world or however it is 😭 But those scenes are pretty and whoever worked on those did the lego style pretty well! Again, I'm also really excited for the story and I'm just glad it didn't get canceled 😭😭

Oh yeah also, who even knows is S5 animation is gonna look like how it was animated in the trailer?? Maybe it'll look different in S5, so, there's always that possibility too. Kinda goes with the trailer being rushed or wtv but 🤷‍♂️

TLDR: it'll take me a bit to adjust to the new animation style but wildbrain also has time to improve their lego style and I'm also just glad it didn't get canceled.

[otakween]

They Were 11: Horizon of the East, Eternity of the West

This is the sequel manga to "They Were 11." Another one shot with even fewer chapters than the first (nice). It honestly felt like highly condensed epic. Moto Hagio packed so much into a tiny volume and I salute her. This seems ultra obscure to me in 2024, but it got its own stage adaptation, which shows it had staying power in Japan. Glad to be introduced onto this hidden classic :) (see, going through all of MAL blindly has its perks!)

Ch. 1

Damn that was one chonky chapter! Really good though. I think a true sci fi aficionado would laugh at me if I called this "high sci fi," but it was very lore heavy for me. And I love lore so I was riveted lol

I think this was a really smart direction to take for a sequel manga. The scope feels somewhat narrower since they're focusing on one of the eleven's planets. If this series was bigger I think I would have enjoyed other such spin-offs on other planets. Learning about space culture is fascinating haha.

This chapter was religion and politics heavy and they're intertwined on King's planet because it's theocratic. It's funny because most of the characters don't actually seem to believe in their own religion? They kept mentioning that the phenomenon that decides their ruler is probably just a natural occurrence rather than a sign from God. It seems like they play along when it benefits them...oh wait, that's just how it works in the real world LOL (jk, I know some people actually believe in their religions wholeheartedly IRL)

Lots of talk of progressives and conservatives which felt too real 😭 This fan translation was really good by the way! I can tell that some lines were localized really smoothly (like injecting slang and English expressions very naturally).

Funny seeing that Tada and Frol haven't changed much (well, not much time has passed). Frol's personality kinda reminds me of Miss Piggy or something. Very hot headed. I found them annoying in the OG manga but at this point, I see their appeal. They started this chapter as she/her and ended as he/him. It was really funny how much more popular they were as a boy. Accurate 😂

Why does Tada and Frol's pilot school just casually have a Goddess in their faculty? This series seems a little confused about how mystical it wants to be.

The thought of two planets wanting to go to war but both of them are too poor to do so is kinda a funny image (yet they found a way to go to war anyways I guess)

We get some Tada x Frol fluff and while Frol is in boy-mode no less :D <3

Frol declaring "we're here to pick up babes!" was really cute.

Ch. 2

The drama, the intrigue!! This chapter was mostly the gang on the run as fugitives but with also a big war-inciting incident. It honestly reminded me a lot of the current season of Arcane which I've also been watching as I read this. They both have this "point of no return" moment where it looks like there will never be peace between the two factions.

Although he's the "masculine one" I noticed that the mangaka puts Tada in some pretty girly looking outfits. It is a classic shoujo after all! Everyone looks ~fabulous~

Frol saying "YOLO" and crashing into the side of the academy building cracked me up.

I feel like the vibes of the Fourth being forced to poison the King feel very Shakespearean tragedy

We get another silly name with a woman named "Chu Chu" (how am I supposed to take her seriously? lol)

They nerfed Tada by making him instantly fall asleep after he uses his powers. I didn't really think they were OP enough to need nerfing, but okay...

Ch. 3

That was so majestic! Honestly, I didn't completely follow the (somewhat convoluted) plot but I don't think it mattered. All I really needed to know is who was bad, who was good, and that some corruption was goin down. Other than that, the vibes and the beautiful art did most of the heavy lifting.

This was kinda like the Fantastic Beasts sequels where the protagonists don't really have a reason to be a part of the plot, but they're there for the audience lol. Honestly, we could have probably just had this story just be all about King and his people, but I understand the desire to bridge the two stories with familiar faces.

Some of this gave me Game of Thrones vibes with the various kingdoms and politics. It takes place in space but felt smack in the middle of fantasy and sci-fi. Maybe because things were more planet-side this time around?

I really liked the design of the Priestess. She had an almost masculine look despite her really long hair. It was refreshing.

King marrying Chu Chu in the end was a little cheesy. Not everything needs to end with marriage -_- (well, it is shoujo...)

[lilrobinbird]

Long Ass Tag Game

Cause I wanna get to know you guys better

Thanks for the tag @edas-boytoy <33 Putting this under cut

I accidently wrote looong answer for one question shdhs

How many tumblr accounts have you had before this one?

It's my first one actually haha, I've made like two/three more after this but now they're abandoned forever

Also for this blog I have two sideblogs, I don't really use them now either

How long have you been in fandom?

Like the current one? By the end of July 2023 I posted my first Kyoshi novels fanart and maybe one month earlier I started rebloging and commenting on posts from others, this was after I read the novels and I jumped into their fandom and then in the procces I've also got into tlok and atla (I enjoyed them way earlier but I just didn't participate in their fandoms)

Your favorite trope in fiction?

HMMMmmm Grumpy serious stoick ish x chaotic more fun (and other antonyms that matches first character idk) (whatever heituat has going on))), expressive women with strong personalities, girlfailures<3, severe stern ruthless etcetc women but caring deep down inside (optional), morally gray characters, and I'm just a little obssesed with mother daughter relationships in fiction if that counts as a trope

Your favorite random fact?

That might be well known idk, but sometimes for a video game character they'll hire one person as only just face model, and then differnt person as voice and acting/motion capture

Must feel weird and funny when you basically see yourself in video game doing stuff you didn't do speaking with a different voice

Your favorite game or kind of game?

Now I don't really play video games myself but since I've watched Until Dawn gameplay yeaaaars ago I still like to watch playthroughts of those choice based horror games (the quarry, devil in me, resident evil etc), and later I watch other playthroughts for different choices outcomes scenes etcetccc, The games can be kinda stupid but fun, alsooo playthroughts of adventure games(???), I usually watch them when I eat something

Also CHECK OUT "STRAY"!! I only watched playthrought too but it looks so cool, you basically play as a cat (they did good job with motion capture, feels like real cat moves and it looks so fun to play) and you're in a world when humans no longer exist and there are cool looking robots, you can stratch walls and make robots pet you but I promise it's not just that lolol it has an actual plot and wordbuilding

Aside video games I like chess but I suck big time, but for my defence I mostly played with my friend who sucks even more aHA, we downlanded one chess app for two players and played during some classes

I think I'm just interested in 3d models and graphics hehhh I like 3d modeling

There's also a game called Hades, and this one I actually started playing myself, not the kind of games I'm usually into (roguelike),but friend got me it and! The character designs are very cool

HA nerd long anwser

A place you'd like to visit? (If carbon emissions, logistics and money weren't in question)

Honestly idk, somewhere warm, Greece? Spain would be nice too mmm mm architecture

Or someplace with cool mountains

An animal you're irrationally afraid of?

Ladybugs. No further explenations. But I do appreciate their beauty on photos and from big distance, I'm serious they are very pretty

What's your favorite season?

HMmmm currenlty maybe spring

A smell that brings you nice memories?

I still remember taking a breath of fresh spring air in a specific room last year and getting hit with memories lol, is that even a smell? felt like a smell

(If you're ok talking about food. If not, delete this part)

What's your favorite food from where you were born? And what's your favorite food from some place else?

Pierogi, krokiety and bigos from our stupid potatoland, from other places hmmm, most kinds of pasta maybe, I love pasta, pasta!! which is a little boring but mmmmm mm mmmm pastaaaaa

What's your favorite drink (if you drink alcohol, alcoholic and non-alcoholic)?

I do drink but not too often and I don't really care what, I like flavoured beer, which is alcohol for babies as my friend would say and she might be right but I like it

Do you give your pets random table scraps?

Not too often but sometimes yeah and depends what is it

no pressure tag @korrasamibottles

[scientific-tricorder]

An uncharitable grumpy aromantic reading of Star Trek: Picard's second season:

This season states that, in order to have a happy life and feel complete and at peace with one's self, one must have a romantic partner.

The most obvious example of this is in Jean-Luc Picard. His primary arc is to overcome his buried childhood trauma - in order to be able to enter a romantic relationship with Laris. Q even explicitly states that he set the story of the season up so that Picard would be forced to confront and come to terms with what happened when he was a child so that he doesn't have to die alone like Q. The season defines 'not dying alone' as not having a romantic partner by introducing Picard's trauma during his aborted kiss with Laris (thing prevents romance) and showing him and Laris together at the end (thing gone, thus romance).

We also see this theme rather blatantly expressed in Ríos's arc. He feels out of place in the 25th century, and so at home in the 21st century that he's willing to drop his entire life in the 25th, never to see any of his friends or relatives ever again, to live out the rest of his life in the 21st, where he's been arrested for existing, doesn't understand the rules of society, has to learn how to deal with money, will have to find a career when there's no equivalent to what he's been trained in (yes, okay, one can argue plane pilot, but those are flown very differently to La Sirena, and good luck getting a license with zero documentation), etc. What's so different between the two that he's willing to make this major life decision after only a few days? A romance with Teresa.

We see this theme continue to our leading ladies. Seven and Raffi's main storyline is the two of them cementing their relationship with each other. Jurati's might not seem to fit the pattern, and while it doesn't exactly, but she gets her happy ending by merging with (or getting together with) the Borg Queen - a relationship that had some pretty heavy sexual coding (and arguably to an extent romantic coding, if only due to a cultural conflation of the two). The fact that Borg Queen/Jurati became a ship very early into the season demonstrates that.

Rounding out the main cast, we have Elnor (no romantic storyline for him since he's dead for most of the season, so), Tallinn (doesn't fit the pattern unless one really stretches to argue her relationship with Renée), Kore (no romantic storylines), and Soong. Soong also doesn't have a romantic relationship, but his lack of such is more emphasized by the story. See the scene wherein Kore discovers her true origins and we get this from Soong: "Anyone can procreate. You exist because I willed it!" I.e. He rejected normal procreation to instead pursue science gone mad - something portrayed rather unequivocally as bad. If we associate normal procreation with a romantic relationship (as it often is), we see the rejection of romance associated with villainy.

The only other regularly recurring characters are Ricardo (he's literally a kid), Guinan (no romantic storylines), Renée (no romantic storylines), and Q (one can argue romantic tones to his relationship with Picard).

Overall, the most central characters all have character arcs that end with them finding their happy ending in some sort of romantic(-ish) relationship, and the two characters who seem to reject romance (Picard and Soong) either overcome an obstacle to achieve romance or become villainous. The character arc of the namesake of the show is even explicitly linked to achieving romance as an end goal for a good life and death.

-

Please note that this is only one possible reading, and, as stated at the beginning, a rather uncharitable one coming from an aro person who's feeling rather grumpy about, annoyed at, and tired of romance in stories. Mostly, I'm here to highlight how the season (hopefully unintentionally) pushes amatonormative ideas, and to express some of my own frustrations.

[whengeorgiawentblue]

Debated about sending this, but I think I can shed some ancient fandom history light on why Misha gets a lot of hate. At least how it started if not why it's persisted.

So, anon credentials, take 'em as you will. I watched the pilot the night it aired, I created one of the first fic focused Supernatural communities on LiveJournal, hell I participated in the SN vs SPN debate.

The thing to remember is that SPN became popular fairly quickly. It hit at the right time and had the right elements to fill a gap in fandom at the time and it attracted a lot of brand new fans. (Supernatural was a lot of people's first fandom and they were feral.) So take one part migrating slash fandom looking for a home, one part baby's first fandom, and combine it with a show that only had 2 leads and they were related.

The results were somewhat predictable. Incest shipping and fans had been around for ages, but always pushed to the side and generally not allowed in regular fandom spaces. But suddenly Supernatural was on the scene and Wincest was the bees knees. For 3 years Wincest and J2 were king and everyone just sorta accepted that as a part of the fandom. Didn't have to like it, but what the hell else were we supposed to do?

(The mysoginistic shitstorm those asshole created when the Ruby and Bella casting sides were leaked pre-season 3? I've not seen it's like. What happened to Bella was because of these asshats deciding she had to go before she'd even been introduced.)

But, again, for 3 years we had the reigning champions. It was either genfic (waves), fic focused on the brother's relationship, obscure pairings very few people paid attention to, or wincest. Then something glorious happened. Lazarus Rising. Misha Collins walked onto the scene, had amazing chemistry with Jensen, and changed the fandom game completely.

They tried the same tactics they'd used against Bella and Jo, but migratory slash fandom came on strong. Because there were a lot of people who watched the show, but didn't participate in fandom because incest. Only now there was Castiel! And even better he actually had chemistry and a great actor. There was something to latch onto!

They lost their crown that night. Words can not express just how much and quickly the fandom shifted in season 4, even more so on season 5 when it was clear Cas was sticking around. They had to hate Misha, he took all of their imaginary power and prestige away. They could no longer dictate fandom policy. You might go into a fic challenge or exchange and be asked to writing something beside Sam and Dean. They had to share the stage.

Few things will cause a person to hate like losing power. Even imaginary fandom power.

Anon thank you very much for your history lesson. It's truly fascinating!

I'm loving SPN (currently watching season 10) but I really hate how dirty the did on female characters. I loved Ruby (not so much the one played by Gen...), Bella, Jo and Ellen Harvelle, Pamela, Meg... and they all are killed? And usually in he most nonsensical and unnecessary deaths (sort of they way the killed Dean in the finale). oh shit I even spoiled myself and found out Charlie Bradbury also dies 😭

I don't understand that level of misogyny and sexism coming from a mostly female-based fandom. I'm a destiel shipper and yet I loved the chemistry between Bella and Dean and I wanted them to fuck, just as I enjoyed the sexual chemistry between Cas and Meg, and I wanted them to stay alive and further develop their arcs.

It should have been amazing the first time you watched Lazarus Rising. The first time that episode aired and nobody had fucking idea of what's going on and then suddenly Castiel makes his entrance and just. everybody lose their shit. I watched that episode when I already knew about destiel and already saw gifs and pics and yet it was such a glorious and epic experience. It was amazing, it deserves to be in the history books of TV shows.

And the most popular ship ever was born, and the actors had wild chemistry on and off cameras, and their lives were changed forever. I'm sure the moment Jensen and Misha met each other for first time was a pivotal event in their own lives. Isn't amazing that the most popular ship ever was born and fueled by the intense love these actors have for each other? (Whether it's romantic or just platonic... but, personally, I believe it's romantic)

[punderfulowl]

TOP 10 ANIME (that I've seen) IN 2021)

Just like the title suggests, this is a list of the anime I've seen during 2021 and are not necessarily ones that came out that year. My hope in doing lists like these is to provide recommendations for any anime of any year. Here we go!

(Holy crap, my is sort of on time this year!)

Honorable Mentions: K-On!!, Beastars S2

10. When Supernatural Battles Became Commonplace (2014)

I could be simplistic and just say that this is a harem show where the main protag is a chuunibyo...but that's exactly what it is. Unfortunately, this show falls to the bottom of the list because it's one of those shows that's more of a commercial for the original source material and it ends before the actual plot starts without a second season. Why recommend it? Well, I will give points for the protag for not being a complete idiot, the animation/character designs are pleasant, and the concept of having someone make believe they have powers then suddenly having them is pretty humorous. Plus, there's a good chance that you have seen a clip from this show without realizing it. This show is the home this scene.

9. Seitokai Yakuindomo S1 (2010)

This show only has one joke. That joke being: what if high school girls were openly perverted? And it's a joke that lands every time. I'll admit it, I enjoyed myself. It's kind of a breath of fresh air having a whole cast of female characters be openly expressive with things of a sexual nature. Sure, there have been harems where, typically, an older woman is more direct with her approach, but for high school girls to have no shame in exploring these kind of things? If it weren't mostly played for laughs, I'd call it a game changer. Even so, I can't wait to start season two this year.

8. Bubuki Buranki (2016)

I can't even be sure if I like the show this much, but I'm pretty sure Bubuki Buranki is this high up mostly on style points. I'll bring up the elephant in the room: this is a 3D anime (but a 3D anime done well). Character models move around just fine for casual scenes, but is turned up a few notches for the battle choreography! As for story, the set up is paced just fine, but then slams on the gas pedal and never lets up. The show reminded me of the early years of RWBY where the fight scenes were the main draw. If all style shows appeal to you, I'd recommend this one. It even has two seasons!

7. Joshiraku (2012)

Based off a gag comic, Joshiraku is a series about cute girls performing in a style of a one person theatre known as Rakugo. While I did have fun watching Joshiraku, I'll be honest and say that it's hard for me to suggest it. There's nothing overly wrong with it, the color palette is very pleasing and the humor goes over well. The best way I can put this is to paraphrase a friend of mine, "It's very Japanese." Again, there's nothing wrong with that, but if you are relatively new to the anime scene, this probably won't appeal to you. If you want to give it a shot anyway, I'd say go for it. If you're a seasoned weeb that hasn't seen this yet, definitely seek it out!

6. Higehiro (2021)

Higehiro is about a young man in his 20s who takes in a runaway high school and helps her get her on the right path and deals with her past. I wish I could bring myself to rank this higher. At the heart of it, the series is really touching and shows that there are still people, albeit rare, that can/will help you out of the goodness of their heart. On the other hand, this show had a habit of picking ill-timed camera angles and framing for certain moments that felt icky. If you're able to ignore those moments and focus on the wholesome parts, give it a watch. If you can't settle for anything less than 100% wholesome, I completely understand.

5. Demon Slayer (2019)

When it comes to my approach of popular shows, I usually wait until most of the hype dies down before I watch them. With that said, being able to watch with clear eyes unaffected by hype:

it's fine. Just fine.

Yes, Ufotable knocks it out of the park once again with its animation. Yes, most of the characters are fun and likable. And yet, I enjoyed just fine. I honestly don't know what it is, but I just wasn't blown away. Still looking forward to the next arc, though.

4. O Maidens in Your Savage Season (2019)

Watching a show about high school girls going through their own sexual awakening as a dude, gotta say, I've learned a lot. Not saying I'm an expert, but definitely have a better understanding now than I did beforehand. To further establish my lack of expertise, I'll just give it a high recommendation before I say anything that shows my ignorance.

3. Records of Grancrest War (2018)

This was the show that got me mad. Not at the show itself, but rather at the several people in the anime community who didn't watch this. I'm not one who's all in on waifu culture, but all y'all slept on this anime! Yes, the waifu game is strong here, but it also has decent animation, large-scale battles, political drama, and allegiances that change! Please check this out. Being three years late is better than never!

2. Den-noh Coil (2007)

This was an anime that had been stuck on my "Want to Watch" list for YEARS, but finally gave it a watch after I found the whole show on Blu-ray for a good deal! Den-noh Coil takes place in an alternate world where people wear glasses that not only connects to the internet, but allows interactive augmented reality. However, this technology isn't perfect, in fact, it's actually kind of sketchy. It's a sci-fi and supernatural story being led by a group of young girls, which is a combination I don't see often. It's a fun series that surprised me quite a bit and I hope it can surprise you, too!

1. HoriMiya (2021)

SCREW. BECOMING. A. COUPLE. AT. THE. END.

I want more romance shows that establishes a couple in the first few episodes and shows their growth throughout! Don't get me wrong, I understand the "Will they/won't they" model because it's a tried and true method to tease the audience to come back for more. But when shows like HoriMiya write relationships, it's so much more satisfying. Ahem, sorry. Yes, for all the reasons I just said as well as comedy with great timing, this was my favorite anime I saw in 2021.

[idontknowmyownmind]

Hey so I know you technically don't take requests but I had kind of an idea for you and I know you're probably not doing mammon stuff right now but maybe something to get to later So here's the idea mammon Makes a human friend because they're human diaovlo is happy to let them live in the house of lamination But let's say this human friend starts doing all the things that the bros used to do with mammon and the brothers start getting jealous of this friend I don't know why but this has been heavy on my mind I've loved this idea

Oh! That's a good idea!!! I, myself, also have some thoughts about Mammon having human friends because if I remember correctly, I've read his wiki page and it mentions that he often goes to the human realm more than his brothers. So, I think it's not so surprising if he ends up with some human as a friend.

Let's see what I can get for this wonderful idea.

• Mammon often went to the human realm for his schemes or to make profit.

• He accidently and unwillingly made friends with a random stranger he somehow clicked with.

• The brothers know about it, but they don't think any of it because they think their friendship is a kind of friendship with benefits (not in a sexual way!!).

• Let's say that the human is a straightforward person and will not hesitate to call Mammon on his bullshits but also stand by him. They are a prospective person and know what needs to be said, not say what they want to hear (unless the situation calls for it). They're blunt and most often appeared to be rude. They give and show their love in a mean way but perfectly delivered.

• That's the reason Mammon seemed to be attracted to them and unconsciously seek their comfort.

• When Diavolo found out about this, Lucifer accidently let it slip. He is incredibly happy because it's proof that demons and humans can be friends. You know that Diavolo is a man with many secrets.

• So it's a big surprise when one day this friend is suddenly being summoned to Devildom.

• The brothers who know a little about Mammon's human friend are curious about how they are because when they manage to make Mammon talk about them, which proves to be really difficult, he talks highly and fondly about them. Every time the brothers hear his tone when he talks about them, it brings an unpleasant feeling for them.

• The first few days went by normally, well as normal as it can be. But the brothers started to notice things. The human get along with the brothers just fine and they're mostly chill.

• Like predicted, they spent most, if not all, their time with Mammon in his or their room, or out somewhere.

• When they're together, they're a chaotic natural duo who can be chill if they want.

• It started with how they noticed how the human blatantly steering Mammon away if they saw the brothers started to make fun of him outside the house (R.A.D or anywhere where they can take Mammon away).

• Distract him from his brothers and their way makes it hard for the brothers to interfere.

• When they accuse him for things, the human will make snarky and sharp comments in an innocent manner. Unless Mammon really did the thing, they will also call him on his bullshit. Their comments sometimes stuck in their mind and heart.

• (HC) Mammon is a good cook. But it's very rare for him to cook because he is too lazy for it. His cooking is the brothers favourite because it tastes wonderful (since he makes it with love).

• So imagine their surprise when they found Mammon cooking in the kitchen when they arrived downstairs to eat.

• (HC) They have schedules on who will cook for the day but mostly it was their cook.

• They think he cooks for them despite it's too early for breakfast. They tried to act casually while sitting at the dining table.

• Beel went to him to look at what he cooked and wanted a taste (Mammon never refused to give him any even though he complained). To his surprise, Mammon is cooking human meals.

• When Beel wanted to take some of the food, Mammon slapped his hand away saying that it's not for him.

• He asks who it is for and Mammon answers that it's for the human. He said they want to bring a human bento box to school so he decided to make some for them (and himself).

• Beel complained why not let their cook prepare it but Mammon saying, in his tsundere way, that he wants them to feel and taste the homemade bento rather than the one made by a professional.

• Asmo and Levi obliviously started bitching around why he doesn't cook for them too. Mammon rolled his eyes and said that they can cook for themselves so why would he. He told them how his friends can't cook to save life and he has to take the matter at hand, implying that he often cooks for them before and after they arrived here where it's been millennia since they tasted his cooking. (No wonder they sometimes smell lingering homemade meals in the kitchen).

• Satan and Belphi give him snarky comments to disguise their displeasure while Beel looks upset and Lucifer just stays silent.

• Mammon never cooks for someone outside their family circle. It used to be their thing.

• (HC) Mammon is actually smart (not as smart as Luci or Satan but his brain work differently if you know what I mean?), above average while his human is decent.

• You see, no one really went to the house library except Satan who may just make the place his bedroom.

• One day, when Satan is chilling in there while reading new books. Mammon and his friend went inside to study. Apparently the human want to study more about Devildom but also about human courses and Mammon helps them. Satan scoffed at that.

• Mammon demonstrates or shows some unique and interesting way to study, some of the things Satan still brings with himself until this moment. Lucifer was the one who introduced him to reading but Mammon was the one who brought him to like it. So seeing them study, while having fun, and enjoy it brings some good memories between him and the second born. But he also feels unpleasant seeing them as he thought that fun study seasons are just their, Mammon and Satan, thing.

• Mammon often act stupid so he doesn't need to study or help someone study.

• Levi and Mammon used to be the troublemaker of the gang, partner in crime, each other ride or die. When they were up to something or didn't feel like talking, no words were needed and they just needed a little gesture to understand each other. Don't tell anyone but Levi was proud of it, thinking that it's something special between them and no one has, or is able to have, it with Mammon.

• But then he started to notice the way Mammon and the human communicate. When something amusing happens and one of them wants to let the others know, they just need to have each other's attention and talk with their eyes and a little gestures here and there. Their facial expressions are an addition. Sometimes when they are near, a little tap or touch is needed.

• Everytime it happens in front of his eyes, Levi is burning with jealousy.

• Lucifer prides himself on being able to read his brothers, especially the second born. Because he knows him longer and for a long time it's just the two of them before the others join their little family. He prided himself that no one can't understand Mammon as well as him.

• But he came to doubt it when he noticed how the human always catched a little change in Mammon's expressions, tones or body language. Depending on what the changes cause, the human seems to know what they need to do and say. Sometimes they just sit close or distract him with small silly talk. And whatever gestures they provide and give always manage to ease Mammon.

• Belphie went downstairs in the middle of the night, having a nightmare and doesn't want to disturb his twin.

• He found Mammon in the kitchen making some drink which he identifies as something he used to make when one of his younger brothers had a nightmare or when Lucifer worked too much. Belphie used to come to Mammon when he had a nightmare and the older one would make him drink and then ease him to sleep. After that, he would had the best sleep.

• He silently sits on the seat in the kitchen and silently hopes that Mammon will come and make sure that he is alright and sleep peacefully after.

• When he heard something placed beside him, he peered a little and found Mammon gave him a little smile before ruffling his hair and went outside.

• He frowned and turned his head to the side to see where Mammon went.

• From there, he can see Mammon walking to the living room and found that the human is there. It seemed like they had a nightmare. Mammon sits beside them and gives them the drink, they exchange soft murmuring words.

• Despite the unpleasant feeling he feels, he doesn't really mind. Until he heard a familiar melody. It started with a quiet hum but it became clearer.

• That's a lullaby Mammon used to sing for the brothers, for him. The one Mammon said that he created the random, but shooting, tunes for Belphie. When he was a child, he often had nightmares and it was kind of hard to make him go back to sleep. But since Mammon started humming or singing the lullaby, it became easier.

• The first time he heard Mammon also sang it to the others, it made him really upset because he thought it's for him and just him. Mammon convinced him that it's his and he is the sole reason he created it not the other so it's really special and he just wants the other to know too. He then make them to perfect the lullaby to make it them, but Belphie favourite is always the original one.

• But now, seeing and hearing his brother sang it to someone else, to the human, a stranger and an outsider makes him angry and sad. He loudly stomps away ignoring his call asking is there something wrong.

• The first few years they arrived at the Devildom, Asmo was in his lowest self. One of the many ways Mammon used to cheer him up is to bring a lot of beautiful things for him. He still keeps them, saving them as his most treasured treasure. Up until now, Mammon still brings him something he thinks is pretty or reminds him of Asmo.

• Although he critisted them sometimes or teased him of it, he still kept them. Asmo most favourite is the bracelet he's wearing. This is the very first thing Mammon gave him after they fell and it turns out he made it by himself.

• It's not as beautiful as his other accessories by any means, but he loves it so much. There was a time when he misplaced it and he literally trashed his room and so upset he cried for hours. The others try to help finding it or tell him that maybe he needs something new which got him angry at them.

• Turn out it was with Mammon all the time because he found something need to be fixed. So he fixed it by himself and added some additional things, saying that to make it more presentable. He is relieved that at least it's not gone and is upset at Mammon, telling him that he should let him know then make him so scared thinking he may lose it. But he incredibly grateful for his effort.

• It's been so long since Mammon brought him something. He didn't realize it at first but when he caught Mammon bringing something for his human friend because it reminds him of them or he thinks they'll like it. He thought when the last time Mammon bring him something.

• He left it as he thought it may be just one time thing but he kept catching Mammon giving the human thing he found or made.

Well, that all I could get for this idea. Hope you like it!!

[ae0nx]

FRUITS BASKET S3 EPISODE 8 RECAP AKA THE KYORU CHRONICLES PART 2 (plus a quick recap of eps 3-7)

aaaaaaAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!! I gotta get it out of me otherwise I won't be able to concentrate on work and I will be scrolling through the tag till the day I die. Everything from episode 3 of Season 3 literally hit me like an avalanche - literally cos I marathoned 3-7 over the weekend which I wouldn't advise unless you want an accelerated heartbeat - and I'm starting to realise... maybe I just wasn't ready for season 3. Despite asking for it, haha. Not gonna put as many screencaps for this one cos tumblr editing bay be trippin and I just don't have time nor emotional energy to be fighting with the picture uploads, sorry lol

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Episodes 3 - 7

I spoke before about how (despite my feelings about the characters) the English dub VAs for Akito and Shigure pair up really well audibly. And I think I feel the same way about both Yuki and Machi's English VAs! They both have the same soft spoken yet scratchy element to their voices almost like they are holding slightly back. Although, I'd argue that Yuki has been losing the element of slightly holding back as the anime has gone on which I wonder if the same would be included for Machi's performance?

I really like the presentation of Machi's trauma through her family's expectations to be perfect and how physical it is? How Yuki kind of encourages her to let it out in a healthy way? (Btw the whole chalk breaking scene in the meeting was SO FUCKING SMOOTH. YUKI IS A NERD BUT HE IS SO EFFORTLESSLY COOL A LOT OF THE TIME)

The age gap between Isuzu and Haru for sure isn't the worst age gap in this anime/manga but it's still a bit... hmm...

Episode 4:

In all seriousness, I know Akito deserves some sympathy but it doesn't change the fact that I still see her as a villain. Hurt people hurt people but it doesn't mean they should get away with it, I was honestly pleased Haru got that big confrontation with Akito to tell her WHAT'S WHAT but it was also somewhat... merciful?

Hiro's growth has been so beautiful to see, him realising there are bigger things than him from the event with Rin to his relationship with Kisa to then the birth of his little sister.

Kureno choosing to get his hands a little dirtier and paying the ultimate price for it (as far as we know so far in the anime lol) was great, he is the moon side of Tohru's sunshine.

Shigure... I still don't really get him and Akito's relationship. It's clear he's waiting for Akito to grow the fuck up but at the same time he's not creating an environment for her to grow and develop. He's decided to go with the 'tough love' route which I'm still deciding whether I like it or not tbh. Sometimes it feels necessary, at other times it feels shitty. I respect that he knows he's a scumbag and I don't deny that there are people out there who take revelry in the fact that they are awful but at the same time, him remaining unchanging despite everything feels... unrealistic. But considering throughout this story he doesn't seem affected by trauma, it's understandable, I guess?

Also... that scene where Shigure ponders about whether he should've been with Tohru is THE creepiest creeper shit he's EVER done in this series. No. 🙅🏾‍♀️

Momiji is best bunny boi regardless of how tall and 'manly' he becomes. 🐰His scene with Akito was so authentically him and he really did that shit. We love him. <3

I love the way that the curse breaking should (on surface) be a happy event considering all the trauma the zodiac went through because of it but it's presented mostly as loss as well as happiness. It's the realness of getting out of a bad relationship

Shigure basically laying it out to Tohru how Kyo means nothing in a very taunting way was an excellently painful scene and I choose violence. It was heartbreaking seeing how worthless they all saw Kyo compared to how Tohru saw him but... by this point I was just living in the pain so 🤷🏾‍♀️

The story visually showing how Isuzu is more willing to be soft after her whole ordeal through her fashion choices (e.g. the pastels, the cardigans) was really nice. And Haru being happy about Isuzu making friends with Tohru was cute!

It was nice we saw that Kazuma was still wary about whether Tohru loved Kyo for the right reasons, you'd assume after everything Kazuma would love Tohru as a match for Kyo but he's so emotionally intelligent and also just a protective Dad! Yay, good parenting!

Tohru's confession to loving Kyo was amazing however I still adore Kyo's confession a little bit more. Just a bit. Lol. However, if you add the moment later in episode 8 it trumps it completely. Ethereal goddess.

Kyo and Tohru's grandfather having a scene together was great and nice

Now that I think about it, I wish there was more a visual link in the story between Tohru adapting her speech to imitate her Dad and Momiji adopting his Mum's German accent. Albeit for slightly different reasons, it just adds to the unique connection Tohru and Momiji have. In short, I'm seeing this ship with my third eye now. I get it lol

I don't wanna screencap the scene where Kyo is haunted by both his deceased mother and deceased Kyoko and potentially deceased Tohru because it's the stuff of nightmares. But, it was a wonderfully done scene. You definitely understand fully and clearly why Kyo buried all of that trauma under his hatred for Yuki (I CAN'T WAIT FOR EPISODE 9, YOU GUISE!)

If Akito is a villain, Ren is the final boss. Although, with her type of villainy... I feel like I can kind of enjoy a bit more. She reminds me of a Greek God in the ways she master manipulates people and her desperation for control and power (I just read 'Mythos' by Stephen Fry, it's a great read lol)

It lowkey feels like every female character who's comfortable in expressing their sexuality in this story is punished in some way for it... this is an incomplete thought

Shigure as a child feeling like they should all be pitied is so... mature... I feel like I need more of an explanation for why Shigure is the way he is

Akito's ego death with Kureno? Amazing. I loved that she was at least aware enough to realise how Kureno had been coddling her all this time but again... doesn't excuse her crimes

But anyways...

EPISODE 8

Honestly? I really don't have much to say about this episode besides 3-5 points I wanna get out of my head. It's not a bad thing at all, it's just that there's still a lot left to play out from this 'arc' and this season in general that I wanna complete my thoughts on.

But I'll start with this:

Lol, isn't it funny?! Isn't it heart-wrenchingly funny how the relationship between Kyo and Tohru has kinda reverted back to how they were at the start of the series? The coldness of Kyo at the beginning of this episode (and throughout) was a bit of a gut punch considering all the light and fluffy moments that we've gotten between the two since the True Form arc.

Talking about the True Form arc, I feel like this episode is somewhat a repeat of the same emotions, same trials of the True Form arc. Kyo still 'runs away like he always has' but this time we get him being the most honest and confrontational with his own emotions and trauma than he ever has been during the course of this whole story. While trusting someone (Tohru specifically) for the first time with the whole truth of his story! He always seems to move one step forward and then three steps backwards and while it's a tad bit frustrating, it feels very... real. I'll probably complete my feelings how this arc reflects the True Form arc when we finish this section of the story in future episode(s).

Considering the fact that 80% of this episode is Jerry Jewell monologuing as Kyo and I never got bored really just sells his performance. Kyo was being incredibly cold this episode and yet the range of emotions through his performance made it feel understandable enough for you to empathise with it.

BrattyKid!Kyo to lighten the mood 😹I still wish he and Hiro had more of a relationship, I feel like they could have taught each other a lot. Well... mostly Kyo teaching Hiro tbh

Kyo rejecting Kyoka for her honesty and kindness and then later rejecting Tohru? Oh... kid...

Wow, I felt so good about that whole episode of Kid!Yuki helping Kid!Tohru get home and then it's slightly soured knowing KID!KYO was running about the streets alllll night into the morning?!?! I really did feel Kyo's frustration at not getting that win to actually do something right. And the irony of that being linked to him being unable to save Kyoka from the oncoming car?

Honestly, I don't know what my feelings are on Kyo being unable to save Kyoka. I don't even know what my feelings are on Tohru pretty much pushing that aside in favour of her feelings for Kyo. It's... complicated and I've been mulling it over in my head for the last 10+ years hahah However, if I was in Tohru's position I think I'd eventually come to a point where it feels like it's too late to really do anything about how bad I'd feel about it. Kyo's intentions weren't horrid, if anything he was just being a scared kid and he's allowed to be that. I just wish Tohru had a bit more time to evaluate it but considering she knew her mother well and assumes that wouldn't have been the full scope of what she had said, I don't have much of a problem with it in general

Lol, I love when Tohru gets a 'FUCK YOU, I LOVE YOU' moment with Kyo. 😂Another reflected scene from the True Form arc... only thing is that this time... it doesn't quite work. 😕

(Again, I love how all of these reflections are resolved in later occurences in response to the duality but I'll get to it next week when it shows hopefully)

Laura Bailey only had a few sentences in this episode but she killed it as always. Comparing her performance in 2001 to now is just... growth!

Ok, so Yuki automatically gets Best Boi in this episode for meddling and chasing after KYO of all people. Showing how he's personally done with hating Kyo. Realising Kyo is pretty much the only person who'll make his mother happy. I think he also lowkey wants to understand Kyo? But, we'll get to that next week.

....Oh yeah, Akito is there.

--------------------------------------------------------------

In total, I liked this episode even though it has me anxious for the next one. We finally get the full picture of why Kyo is the way he is! Ahhhh - a weight off all our chests, I'm sure. I kinda don't like that they put the ending theme at the end of these episodes - the joyfulness doesn't really match up with the intense theme? But, that's just a minor gripe. And hey, maybe they just want the audience to know... it's all gonna be okay :)

See you next week!!!

[kitkatopinions]

I saw that you said that you don't care about winter in one of your posts, may I ask why? O.o This isn't confrontational or anything, I'm just genuinely curious since her character is generally well liked as far as I've seen (maybe I'm biased since her and whitley are the only two characters that I care if anything happened to them lol)

My experience with Winter has been... A bit of a roller coaster. XD

When she first showed up, I had very little to go off of, as she only had a couple of scenes, but tbh, I didn’t like her because of how she acted towards Weiss. I saw the two of them interacting and I thought “Ohhh, Weiss makes more sense now.” Like, I knew that Weiss had a terrible home life mostly because of her father, but watching Winter’s ‘tough love’ approach, insulting Weiss, hitting her... They had some softer moments too, admittedly, but it just wasn’t enough for me to think of her as a good sister. She only had a couple scenes of like two episodes, then outside of one trailer (which didn’t reflect well on Winter in my opinion) she was gone for three other seasons. There were only a couple of mentions after that, including Weiss’s devotion to her, but also including the nugget of information that Whitley never liked her (according to Weiss.) I totally admit that part of my early dislike towards Winter had to do with me ‘filling in the gaps’ myself lol. I’d figured that Winter was at least a decade older than Weiss (who I had thought started the show at sixteen XD) and when I wrote my own fan fictions and Whitley was involved, I wrote in that Winter had spent a lot of time with Weiss and training her but hadn’t ever paid much attention to Whitley and that was partially because of Jacques, but partially because he’d never gotten a semblance.

In volume seven, however, I really liked Winter’s interactions with Weiss and Penny, I really enjoyed seeing her as Ironwood’s right hand woman in action, and I just... Actually liked her, and I was surprised about it, but yeah. In my experience, when a minor character that I dislike gets brought back in media, either I start liking them so much more, or I start hating them so much more. XD Winter was the former. Of course, she still hadn’t expressed much care towards Whitley, but I was mostly happy with Winter. Then the mess with season eight happened.

Her standing by Ironwood seemed good, her becoming the head of the Ace Ops was a choice I didn’t like, she was caught up in the whole ‘Ren reading everyone’s emotions,’ which was stupid as hell, and I guessed right then that she and Marrow would both defect, and then they’d both be easily accepted into the group, and everyone would forget the fact that Winter had been the one to first suggest martial law before the stakes had got overblown, and she and Ironwood would have some face off... What I wasn’t anticipating was them making it seem like Ironwood had just been manipulating her and that she was a victim of his mistreatment. Winter having broken away from her abusive father, joining a profession she wanted, deciding for herself that she was willing to take the Maiden powers, choosing her own path, being determined to blow up the whale even if there were people still inside of it because it’d save the most people and she believed in that... That was interesting to me.

Now they’re reducing her relationship with Ironwood to him being manipulative and controlling, having her seem less responsible for her own choices, having her be just another person on Team RWBY’s side that can act morally superior, having her act completely lacking in sympathy or understanding to Ironwood... None of that is interesting to me. It makes Winter feel less real, it makes her feel like she’s just another plot point. Honestly, it’s the unfortunate timing, I think.

She’d been frustrating for me in volume three and I didn’t really like her based on her interactions with Weiss. She’d started getting more interesting and likable in volume seven. But volume eight is my least favorite volume as far as the writing goes, and Winter really suffered for it, as well as it tainting the good things about Winter in volume seven. Unfortunately, unlike the main characters who arguably all annoyed me way more (with the exception of Oz,) Winter didn’t have much good previously for me to focus on or hope there’s more of later. The things that made me interested about Winter’s character don’t interest me anymore. I no longer dislike her like I did before volume seven, but I just don’t personally... Care about what happens to her after this volume.

In the words of Taylor Swift: “It isn’t love, it isn’t hate, it’s just indifference.”

[alj4890]

Misfortune's Intentions

(Liam x OC* Elisse Mallin) (Drake x Riley) in a Choices The Royal Heir fan fiction

A/N This idea came to me one night when I couldn't sleep. In this version from The Royal Heir, it has been nearly three years since Riley married Drake. Their infant daughter, Hope, was named heir to Cordonia's crown. Liam considers the possibility of dating after pining for Riley all these years. Elisse is a noble and first cousin to Queen Amalas of Monterisso. She will eventually become an ambassador, settling in Cordonia to continue Amalas's alliance. She also has a small bit of significant history coinciding with Liam's social season. This first part though will take us through the past for our main characters.

Not sure who to tag for this new miniseries, LOL. Let me know if you want to be added.

Masterlist

Prologue

Two years ago, Cordonia...

"To keep people's attention away from your brother's," Constantine's voice hardened, "decision to abdicate," his fist clinched for a moment, "we will have you participate in a season for a potential bride."

Liam swallowed uncomfortably. He knew there was a possibility his father would insist on this particular custom. He had hoped though that like Leo, he would be given a few years reprieve before he had to choose a bride.

Constantine fought through the chest pain he hid from everyone as he continued to explain what the next few months would be like for his only obedient son.

"We will have the usual bevy of ladies from Cordonia's noble houses. Perhaps sprinkle a few from other countries to appease the people."

"Yes sir." Liam mumbled when his father seemed to silently demand his agreement. "Whatever you think is the best way to move forward."

"Good." Constantine waved toward the door. "You may go. We will make our announcement tomorrow."

Liam bowed his head in acceptance. Still in a state of disbelief as he made his way to his chambers, he didn't hear his best friend calling his name.

"Liam?" Drake jogged to catch up to him. "I heard about Leo. Is it true?"

The new crown prince waited to answer until they were behind closed doors.

"It is." He rubbed a hand down his face. "Leo abdicated."

Drake poured them both a drink. He observed the slight tremble in Liam's hand as he took a healthy gulp of whiskey. Eyes closed briefly as he gathered his thoughts.

"I--I'm going to have to get married."

"What?" Drake breathed in disbelief. "Why?"

"All part of being king." Liam's lips twisted in a bitter smile.

He rolled his glass between his hands as he stared down at its contents. "I have to choose one during this year's social season."

"You have to go through all that Leo did?" Drake asked.

"Yes, but unlike his, I won't know who I'm supposed to choose." Liam grimaced as he swallowed the rest of his drink. "Madeleine had been chosen years ago by Father and Regina. The competition was mostly for the public's entertainment than to actually choose a queen."

Drake slumped back in his chair. "I'm sorry, Liam."

"It's..." He got up to pace, "it's fine. It's an honor to have a chance to serve my country. To marry and have a family...perhaps life will be better."

Perhaps this palace will feel like a home, he thought.

"When will it be announced?"

"Tomorrow."

"So soon." Drake murmured.

Liam briskly nodded.

His closest friend held his glass up in a toast. "Here's hoping, Liam."

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

Monterisso Royal Palace, a week later...

"Elisse." Amalas hugged her cousin. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

"Of course." Elisse took the offered chair. Her eyes dropped down to the baby bump showing. "How are you feeling?"

"Good." Amalas gently patted her tummy. "This baby has finally decided I'm not the enemy and has agreed that food is definitely a good thing."

Elisse laughed, shaking her head at her cousin's humor.

"But enough about the spoiled future king or queen I’m having." Amalas handed over a letter with Cordonia's royal seal. "Read this."

Elisse scanned the invitation, eyes widening slightly. "Prince Leo abdicated? Do we know why?"

The spy queen chuckled. "You know I do." She leaned over and grabbed a file off her table. "Let's just say that the former crown prince did not want the responsibilities that went along with the crown."

Elisse opened the file and snorted. "I've heard that Lady Madeleine can be difficult to deal with."

"That along with wanting his freedom to wander the earth like a rich playboy are his reasons." Amalas pointed out a photograph one of her agents snapped recently on a cruise ship. "This woman, Katie, is an even bigger reason."

"They're engaged?" Elisse whispered in disbelief. "He didn't waste any time, did he?"

"No, he did not." Amalas reclined in her chair. "Elisse? What would you think of Monterisso gaining an alliance with Cordonia?"

"I think it would benefit our country as well as theirs." She replied, setting Leo's folder down.

Another folder was handed to her. Her lips curved into a soft smile at the pictures of Cordonia's new crown prince. Each aspect her cousin found on Liam had made him a man she thought she would enjoy meeting.

"Marriage is the easiest and strongest alliance one can have with a foreign power."

Elisse looked up. "You're suggesting  I take part in Prince Liam's search."

"Exactly." Amalas smiled at her. "I can't think of a better queen for Cordonia than you." She reached over and grasped her hand. "But feel free to say no. I won't force you to do this if you do not wish to."

"I would like to meet him." Elisse admitted. She lowered his eyes to his picture. "He is very handsome."

"You always did like blue eyes." Amalas teased.

Elisse bit back a smile. "I do."

"Would you like to attend Cordonia's social season?"

Elisse slowly nodded. "Yes, I think I would."

Amalas picked up the letter from Constantine. "I'll go ahead and schedule your health exam."

"My what?" Elisse blinked in surprise.

"Cordonia's king isn't taking any chances that his last possible heir marries a woman unable to have children." Amalas grinned at her cousin. "Lucky for him that our family is notorious for our reproduction abilities."

Elisse laughed. "Our mothers certainly came from a large family." Her smile turned tender. "Whenever I think of my future, I always see myself with three or four children."

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

A few weeks later, Cordonia, the King's study...

"Have you made a list of those that are participating?" Regina asked her husband.

"I have." He handed her a sheet of paper.

The Queen scanned the names. "What happened to the Monterisso viscountess? I thought from Queen Amalas's letter that they were hoping to make a match."

Constantine's lips firmed in a disappointed frown. "She cannot have children."

Regina's countenance fell. "How tragic."

"Indeed." He replied. "It would have been a profitable match for us." He released a resigned sigh. "I suppose we now settle for Madeleine to take the crown again."

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

The viscountess's chambers, Monterisso Palace...

"Elisse." Amalas pleaded. "Please, talk to me."

The young viscountess shook her head. Tears fell silently as she clutched a pillow to her stomach. Her thoughts were too much for her. All the plans she had dreamed of as a little girl were destroyed from one simple examination.

All from thinking Liam had beautiful blue eyes and seemed like a nice man she could easily fall for.

A choked sob burst forth as she doubled over from the pain of it all.

"Elisse." Amalas tried to wrap her arms around her. "I'm so sorry."

Elisse knew her cousin was. She knew Amalas would move heaven and earth for her if she could. Unfortunately, there were some things even a powerful queen could not do.

"We'll call in every specialist we can find." Amalas whispered, gently rocking Elisse. "I refuse to believe--"

"Stop!" Elisse cried out. "Please stop." Her anguished eyes met her cousin's. "I can't continue to hear doctors say that it is impossible."

"It's not." Amalas argued. "I can’t believe you are unable to--"

"I only have one ovary!" Elisse snapped. "It is so damaged from the endometriosis and benign tumors that I'm lucky to have a period every few months." She looked down at her worthless womb. "Even my uterus is filled with fibroids to the point they have warped it beyond repair. Surgery won't help." She wiped angrily at her tears. "No one will marry me now."

"That's not true! You--"

"Amalas, you know what nobles need." Elisse bit out. "They need heirs. They need a woman to fulfill that role. I'm completely obsolete in our world now."

She turned away from her cousin's sudden tears. She didn't want her pity. She didn't want anything except those elusive images of cuddling her own children.

If she could turn her mind off and focus on something else, anything else...

"I'm going to go away for a while."

Amalas jerked upright. "What?"

"I need to be alone." Elisse turned to face her. Her eyes filled with tears when her gaze dropped down to her cousin's ever growing baby bump. "I need to come to terms with all of this."

"Will you back in time for..." An expression of guilt flickered over the queen's face for such a selfish question.

"I'll try." Elisse hedged. "I promise."

She knew Amalas depended on her. Though the two had numerous cousins sprinkled in various titled positions all over Europe, they had always had a special bond that made them more like sisters. Perhaps it was their mothers' doing that made certain they would always have the other close at hand.

But Elisse knew deep down, she would have been close to her cousin without any outside influence. The notorious Queen of Spies distrusted most people, even some of their blood relatives. Yet, she trusted Elisse with everything.

She hated to leave her during her pregnancy, but the viscountess didn’t think she could take being around an expectant mother right now.

Amalas hugged her once more. "I'll arrange your travel. But I insist you take Felix with you as a bodyguard." She waited on Elisse's agreement. "Let me know where and when you wish to leave."

"I don't care where." Elisse whispered. "Just as long as I can leave as soon as possible."

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

New York City, a month later...

"One nondescript bar as requested." Maxwell announced, holding the door open.

"Steaks for the table!" He yelled out.

"And four whiskeys!" Drake chimed in.

Riley rolled her eyes at Daniel. "You're really going to leave me with these guys?"

"I promise I'll work two of your shifts whenever you want." He bargained.

She let out a tired sigh. "Make it three and we have a deal."

He shook her hand. "You are brutal with negotiations."

She laughed, piled the tumblers of whiskey on her tray, and headed for the bachelor party.

She passed three drinks out. "I thought there were four of you."

"There are." Drake winked at her, causing a blush to form on her cheeks. "Right behind you is number four."

She turned around and blinked.

He's so handsome.

Liam smiled at her. "Pardon me, Miss?"

"Hmm?" She shook herself out of her daze. "Of course."

His smile flashed, making her knees feel slightly weak. "If you would..." He gestured toward his seat that she was blocking.

Her cheeks flared even more with color. "Right. Sorry."

She decided then and there to not allow her eyes to rest on him the remainder of their time here.

A few hours later, Liam approached her.

"Thank you for being so patient with us." His charming smile was a bit bashful. "I don't suppose I could repay such kindness with buying you a drink."

Riley found herself mesmerized by his blue eyes. "Where were you planning on going next?"

"I actually hoped you could help with that." He rubbed the back of his neck. "The guys hoped to go to a nightclub."

Her nose wrinkled. "I say forget the nightclub. There's a beach cove I could show you that is just the place to unwind."

"That sounds perfect." He held his hand out. "Shall we?"

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

Six months later, Edenbrook Hospital, Boston...

Elisse chewed on her lower lip, wishing she could hear what the group of doctors were saying behind the glass partition.

After taking her file and passing it to a man in surgical scrubs, Dr. Ramsey walked back into her room.

"Ms. Mallin, after further examination," his expression gentled, "I believe your doctors in Monterisso were correct."

Elisse lowered her eyes. "I see."

"I still want to perform the surgeries we discussed." He sat down beside her hospital bed. "The severe pain in your uterus will only increase if we don't remove the fibroids. Dr. Tanka isn’t sure though how it will be after your surgery."

"Whatever you think." She closed her eyes tight. "It doesn't really matter what shape it is in. I suppose we should just remove it altogether."

Her doctor rested his hand over hers. He waited patiently for her to make eye contact.

"We won't know for certain until Dr. Tanka gets in there, but we believe we can save your ovary."

A bitter laugh escaped her lips. "By all means, hold on to that worthless body part."

His brow furrowed. "Elisse, I don't like the thought of you in this state of mind before surgery."

"I'm sorry." She replied automatically. "I don't mean to sound like this." Her gaze held his. "I--I never wanted much in life." Her shoulder lifted. "Perhaps it was the life I was born into, but having a family was more than passing on my noble title."

Ethan remained silent, allowing her time to express herself.

"I know I need to accept this, but I couldn't help but hope after reading about your diagnostic team," She rested her head back against her pillow, "I wanted the impossible."

"There's still a chance your uterus can remain intact. We might even be able to save some of your eggs." Ethan reminded her. "You could find a surrogate and--"

"I know." She sniffed. "And I also know there is a chance my eggs might not be in any shape to be saved."

She noticed his frown and gently squeezed his hand. "Thank you for trying, Dr. Ramsey."

"We're not done yet." He stood up when Dr. Tanka walked inside. "We'll talk more later."

Once everything was settled for her surgery in the morning, her bodyguard returned and kept vigil by her bedside.

"Felix," Elisse smiled softly at the middle aged man. "You should go to the hotel and rest."

"I'm fine m'lady." He grumbled.

Her eyebrow lifted at the six foot seven man. "That chair has to be uncomfortable."

A flicker of humor flashed in his eyes. "I've had better and worse, m'lady."

She began to laugh. "I can't imagine anything being worse than that."

"You haven't been on some of the queen's missions." He smiled warmly at her.

Elisse reached for his hand. "Thank you for watching over me."

He gently patted it, becoming gruff with his words that a lady didn't have to thank him for doing his job.

She smiled, taking comfort in his admonishment. Felix had tried to keep a professional distance from her, yet her sadness had him stepping in more and more to offer what comfort he could. He thought of her as a little sister and couldn't help but smile whenever she teased him as if he was family.

Such fondness for her added to the devotion and care he would have normally never given any other noble he was assigned to.

But Elisse was special. He hoped that somehow she would find a piece of happiness that could be all her own.

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

New York, Statue of Liberty...

Riley swallowed nervously. She didn't know how she could refuse Liam, but it was no use.

After spending so much time with Drake while Liam kept up appearances with Madeleine, she had fallen out of love for Cordonia's new king. The grumpy commoner had touched her heart with his stories of not belonging. She had felt the same way while enduring every snub and insult from Madeleine and some of the other ladies at court.

With so little opportunities to be with Liam, and with feeling a bit hurt that her Prince Charming had not defended her against the allegations, she convinced herself that she had no choice. She had to be with the man that had stood by her side as she tried to locate Tariq.

"Liam, I can't marry you." Her words somehow came out steady. "I came to Cordonia for you, but I fell in love with Drake."

Liam took a step back. "What? You and Drake..."

He couldn't believe it. How had this happened without him noticing? He knew that Drake was fond of her and took her out some evenings. But love?

"Liam?" Riley was growing more nervous by his silence.

Liam couldn't think of what to say.

What should I do?

He only knew he wasn't ready to lose her from his life.

"You...you intend to live in Cordonia?"

She slowly nodded. "If that's okay. I want to see where things go with Drake."

Her words were another bitter slash to his heart.

"Of course." He slid his hands in his pockets to keep from grasping her and forcing her to take her words back. "Just because you don't feel as I do, I would never hold that against you. Cordonia is your home."

She visibly relaxed. "Thank you Liam."

"I think," he focused on her, "I think you will be a benefit to Cordonia. I'm going to make you a duchess."

"A duchess?!" She gasped. "But..."

He knew this would keep her at hand. Give him a reason to see her without appearing as the desperate, rejected suitor. Perhaps now that the scandal was over and things calmed down, she might realize that what she thought was love for Drake was nothing more than gratefulness for his assistance.

Am I wrong for hoping this? Should I instead hope their love is true?

Liam forced a smile. "I arranged for us to go to the top." He motioned toward the statue. "Would you still like to?"

Riley returned his smile. "I really can't pass up an opportunity like that, can I?"

"I hoped you wouldn't." He replied.

He followed behind her, wishing this night had ended differently.

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

Another five months later, Cordonia...

"Anton and his minions are in chains!" Riley held her glass high as the court cheered.

Liam tugged at the stiff collar of his jacket. It had been a day filled with emotions that he could not share with a single soul. Seeing the woman he thought he loved marry his best friend had cut deep. Discovering they had been kidnapped had caused both anger and worry as he rushed to face down the man who dared to take the throne from him.

Witnessing Riley and Drake fight side by side, each trying to protect the other had been eye opening. Neither cared about anything other than keeping the one they loved safe.

He couldn't begrudge their happiness. Nor could he continue to wish that circumstances had gone differently. Riley was not meant for him after all.

He knew he would have to let the past go and somehow find a way to move forward into the future.

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

A month later, Monterisso Royal Palace...

"King Liam chose an heir!" Amalas exclaimed when Elisse walked into the main hall.

"He chose one? That is shocking." Elisse leaned forward to see the report that just came in. "Who's the lucky child?"

"That's just it." Amalas dropped the paper. "He has named the yet to be conceived child of the Duke and Duchess of Valtoria as his heir."

Elisse's brow furrowed. "But, he might still marry. His own children should be next in line."

"He says differently." Amalas pulled up his news conference for her cousin to watch.

"This seems wrong." Elisse mumbled. " I know those two are his closest friends--"

"And they are Guardian and Champion of the Realm." Amalas reminded her with an eye roll. "That's what he has had to use to get the people on board with his decision."

"Poor Liam." Elisse couldn't help but sympathize with the king. "He's being pressured on all sides for something he can't completely control."

"I think I might pay a visit." Amalas tapped her finger against her chin. "Perhaps see if the new duke and duchess are amenable to a possible alliance."

"It couldn't hurt." Elisse added.

"Indeed." The Queen smiled warmly at her. "I want you to come along. It has been too long since you and I went on a trip. I could use your ability to read people while I guide them toward a possible arranged marriage for their child and mine."

"I suppose I have to do as my queen commands." Elisse teased. "And I've yet to ever say no to my cousin."

"Doubly lucky for me." Amalas smirked.

"When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow."

[eagles-translated]

Answering Eagles questions before the season 3 finale (Part 1/2)

I've received a bunch of questions since 3x08 and 3x09 dropped, so I compiled all the questions into two posts. I had to split them up because Tumblr only allows 10 images per post. Anyway, keep reading to see my answers and enjoy! 👇

My theory is that everybody will be gathered together for some event and then shit goes down. Sort of like the ending of 1x08.

We've seen an image of Adam, Omar, and Ludde together at a party of some sort. I can't post it here because of Tumblr only allowing ten pictures, but you can find it in Ludde's prediction post that I made prior to the season 3 premiere.

Felicia might be absent from this considering how her mental health has been recently, and instead opting to stay at home rather than attending a party.

I have my suspicions that Elias will be attending this party, though. We saw him at some concert in the season 3 trailer and they made it look like he was watching Amie singing in Stockholm. But maybe Amie will be performing at this party and Elias is watching her here instead?

It seems like Amie singing at the end of the season has become kind of a recurring theme. She performed "Follow" in 1x08 and "Second Sight" in 2x10 (on the radio, but my point still stands). I wouldn't be surprised if they followed this trend by having Amie perform a new song in the season 3 finale.

Maybe Elias approaches her after the performance to express how good she is. He hasn't really seen her do a live performance since 1x08, where she still hadn't really come out of her shell. They've also grown a lot closer this season. Perhaps Elias even has something more to tell her?

I can't help but feel like this party will end on a bad note, though. We have that whole thing with Andreas potentially buying a gun or whatever he's up to (discussed this more in another question down below).

I have a feeling this party is going to get interrupted in some way and that the season is going to end on a major cliffhanger.

I don't even know what they'll do with Ludde and Felicia. Ludde has no idea what happened to Felicia in these last two episodes, and I hope they'll have a conversation just to clear the air surrounding the whole press situation. Ludde still loves her even if he broke things off, and I would really like to see him reassure Felicia that the blame lies with Jack and not her. I don't think they will get back together and repeat what 2x10 did since the drama is still so fresh. Felicia shouldn't really get into a relationship right now, either.

I'm unsure about Klara. I feel like she's mostly done her part this season, but maybe things aren't completely finished between her and Elias. Maybe there were some things left unsaid on Klara's part when she met with Elias at the café, and Elias never really confirmed where he was at.

This talk regarding their relationship (and Eagles?) might happen in the season finale. I'm leaning towards them ending it for good since I doubt they will be getting back together. However, I'm pretty sure that it will be on good terms now after everything Klara did for Felicia.

I somewhat agree with this, even if it was worded a little harshly. Felicia shouldn't have been so quick to share the most personal thing that had ever happened to her on her first date with a guy she had just met. And she shouldn't have done the same thing with Jack, even if it was someone she'd known for longer.

I think she should've at least waited a while to see if the person she told her secrets to was trustworthy—sort of like Ludde did when he told Felicia the truth about how Andreas landed in prison. That's a huge secret and it made more sense to have it be shared closer to the end of the first season rather in the first three episodes.

On the other hand, I can definitely understand why she was so quick to share her problems. Felicia was really lonely when she first came to Oskarshamn. Her parents were fighting all the time, and her dad was only focused on Elias' hockey career. She carried these huge traumatic events and had nobody really supporting her when she ended up at the hospital and was sent to rehab. Felicia couldn't share the secret about her dad's affair either. She really had nobody in her life that she could talk to about any of this.

So it's reasonable that when she finally met a person who she really connected with, she felt comfortable enough to finally share these burdens she had been carrying. She actually started out by saying this to Ludde in 1x03:

I don’t know why I’m telling you this. I don’t talk about it to people.

I don't think Felicia set out to tell her whole backstory to Ludde. It just happened. I'm not saying it was the right choice, but Felicia probably realized that she desperately needed someone to talk to. And she said herself that it felt really good to just get these secrets out (until it didn't when she thought Ludde had spilled the beans to Klara). Felicia even made sure to stress to Ludde that he couldn't tell anybody about her experiences in the US.

Felicia: I don’t want this to come out, that’s really important. Ludde: Of course, I’d never tell.

A similar situation arose with Jack. Felicia was more isolated than ever and she had aborted a child that nobody knew about—not even her mom. That's a huge secret to carry on your own.

Felicia had known Jack since she was a child. She trusted him and he was a family friend. Not only that, but Jack has the ability to be incredibly charming when he wants to be. If anything, it makes more sense that Felicia told her personal things to Jack rather than to Ludde. She couldn't predict that Jack would turn out to be a cheating asshole who would leak everything in the press. It's kind of sad that Felicia would have to constantly keep quiet about all the wounds she's carrying when support from the people around her is the thing she needs and craves.

I've never said that the Kroon family's reaction to them being slandered in the press wasn't valid. I actually understood their anger and frustration quite well, but they let their emotions get the better of them. Yelling at Felicia did nothing to help the situation even though it's fair that they would direct their anger at the person who was to blame in that situation.

It wasn't pretty, and ganging up on Felicia (when her personal business had also been leaked) wasn't the best way to deal with the situation. But because their privacy was violated, I understand it. I can agree with you on that part.

It just sounds like you're implying that Felicia isn't allowed to share personal stuff at all because it would be "gifting ammo to expose her family". If Jack had actually been a decent person and never ruined her family's reputation in the press, you wouldn't be as harsh on her. The situation just got blown out of proportion for everybody.

Put these questions together since they were sort of asking the same thing regarding the last scene of 3x09. Here is the full transcript from that scene if anybody needs a reminder:

Man: Hey. Andreas: Hello. Man: Wasn’t yesterday. Welcome to the outside. Andreas: Thanks. Hey… The last time I saw you, you said you knew somebody who sells. Man: Are you thinking of a fully automatic? Andreas: Yeah, whatever. Man: There’s a guy in Stockholm. I’ll fix it. I’ll send you the number. Just tell him I sent you. Andreas: Alright, good. Got it. Man: Good. Good, see you. Andreas: See you.

It actually didn't click for me at all when I first saw this scene that Andreas could've been talking about buying a gun—my first thought was actually that he was talking about a car because I'm that stupid lmao.

Anyway, there is definitely potential for the season to end on a cliffhanger involving a gun and Andreas. I have a few theories on what the season could end like. Season 3 has been so much darker than previous seasons, so while this might feel too serious for a show like Eagles it's definitely not out of the question after the recent episodes. Anyway, here's what I think could happen.

1. The season ends with Andreas having the gun—but we don't know if he'll actually use it 2. The season ends with Andreas just about to shoot someone—but we don't know who (?) 3. The season ends with Andreas having just shot someone—but we don't know who (?)

I don't know which one of these theories I'm leaning more towards, but I really hope this won't be the outcome for Andreas. He just spent close to a year in prison for something he didn't even do. Andreas is not a criminal, and it would be disappointing if he actually ended up doing this. They could be throwing us for a loop.

I mean, personally I don't think shooting somebody because they were the reason my younger brother didn't get into his dream school is enough reason to risk ending up in prison for. Yes, Ludde got his reputation ruined, but there are other ways to solve that than to resort to crime. Andreas should know that too, considering the whole thing where he got landed in jail because he tried to protect Ludde.

This could absolutely be the case but at the same time I'm a little unsure. Hopefully things will just go up from here since the last two episodes were so dark, but I'm unsure what that last scene in 3x09 will mean for the season finale.

I hope they will do something similar to 2x10, where the ending was more bittersweet than just sour. We had the moment with Elias finally being drafted to the US and then Felicia and Ludde finally getting back together. We saw Amie achieve her dreams as a pop star. And yet there were still sour tones with us seeing Klara's dad passing away, Ludde being brought to the police station, and Amie being entirely alone and heartbroken.

2x10 was a really good episode and the ending montage gave me goosebumps the first time I saw it. I think ending a season like that, with both positives and negatives, hits you more emotionally rather than just ending on one or the other. The 1x08 season finale was really depressing and while the cliffhanger was intriguing, it didn't hit as hard for me as 2x10.

I'm kind of curious if they'll be able to top that episode—it's definitely among my personal favorites.

My stance is that if Elias and Amie won't happen in 3x10, they will be guaranteed to happen in season 4. There is no way they're passing that opportunity up. They have clear chemistry, are fan favorites, and it absolutely makes sense for them to get together considering where they're at in their journeys—both having realized their dreams but then coming back to Oskarshamn because it didn't turn out the way they thought it would.

I think they have a mutual understanding of each other—in season 3 more than ever—and it would definitely be a shame if their potential was wasted. So I can't see the writer(s) passing up that opportunity.

There is a possibility for Elias to make a move in the season 3 finale, but I think it's better to keep our expectations low. We just had Felicia go through something really traumatic and her whole family is dealing with the ramifications of Jack slandering them in the media. Elias's relationship with Amie might have to take a backseat because of that.

There's also the thing where we thought that Petra might forbid Amie from seeing Elias because the newspapers painted him as a sex addict. But I think Petra and Amie have reached an understanding in their relationship after the whole Michael thing, and I can see Petra taking Amie's word when saying that Elias isn't what the press makes him out to be—and that he's not like his father.

I really do want to see something happen between them in the season finale, though. I'm excited but impatient for Elias and Amie and I think there are many fans who feel the same way.

But there is a reason they've been so slow to develop their relationship. Elias and Amie have grown as people separately and they're at a point where I believe they're more compatible than they ever were previously. They've been building their character development, slowly but surely, and I like that they haven't been rushed together like Felicia and Ludde were.

If nothing happens between them in season 3, don't lose hope. I think season 4 will absolutely be Elias and Amie's season.

I hope so. I hope Petra isn't listening to the tabloids and tries to see what's in front of her instead, which is that Elias is not Mats.

Elias is entirely his own person. I know Petra was heartbroken when Mats left her after getting drafted, but when Elias was put into this exact situation he hesitated because he didn't want to leave Klara alone.

Klara: Elias… I don’t understand why you’re even thinking about this. Of course you’re going [to the US]. You’ve always wanted this. Right? Elias: But I don’t want to leave you.

Petra doesn't know about this, but we as the audience do. Elias's actions have always been caring and supportive (and I'm not just saying this because Elias has always been my favorite character). It should only be a matter of time until Petra realizes that, if she just gave him a chance.

I think that Petra will eventually see that Amie has finally found someone special who makes her happy. That Elias isn't at all like how Mats was at his age, or like Michael who didn't even bother to support her.

Petra has been so unlucky in love and I hope she can see through her prejudices and let her daughter be happy and loved, in the way that Petra never really got to be.

It could happen, but even if it does I don't think they will be separated for most of season 4.

Maybe Amie decides to finally take charge of her career and tells the record label that she's doing this her way or not at all. Maybe she even decides to quit to try a music career on her own terms, or with a different label that doesn't make her as successful but doesn't control her.

I never felt like the particular record label Amie ended up with was a great fit for her. Yes, she's very talented and I would love to see her become an even bigger star, but only if it's done the way Amie wants it to be done. There could be the possibility of Amie leaving the label, just like how Elias left the US.

I definitely think Felicia has picked up on Elias overworking himself. He's been at the gym constantly, even during the school field trip to Stockholm. Elias left this huge opportunity in the US to come back to Eagles, and the overworking could be a result of him feeling like he has to prove to both himself and the people around him that this decision was the right one.

They've been super subtle about this whole thing and I hope they will be discussing it properly soon instead of just giving us small snippets. There was discussion about this being an eating disorder, but I think it's leaning more towards overworking like you said and bad eating habits (in my opinion, we would need to see something more drastic before drawing the conclusion that Elias might have an eating disorder).

There's so much that needs to be brought up in the season 3 finale—like what exactly Andreas is planning and its outcome, Felicia healing after her suicide attempt and potentially having a conversation with Ludde, and maybe some sort of triangle drama between Elias and if he'll choose Klara or Amie. There are so many possibilities here that I have my suspicions that this storyline won't be fully resolved in just one episode.

I think it will be pushed forward into season 4 because that seems to make the most sense right now. I've been wrong before though, so something else could definitely happen.

[aslaton8-blog]

What does "Home" mean?

What does "home" mean when you don't have a family? I mean I have a family, a very large one fact. None of us get along though. My family is wrought with mental illness. Mostly things such as narcissistic personality disorder, hypochondria, sociopathy, borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, and above all just flat selfishness. I really can't handle them. They make my issues so much worse. Actually they are the cause of my issues.

My society has been the least of my problems. I made the best decision when I decided to get away from my family and never talk to them again. I was sick of being gaslighted and ghosted being treated as if I wasn't doing anything when I was the only one doing anything meanwhile homeless and struggling by myself. Fuck those people they aren't a family.

So I struggle to understand what family means. I've been invited to be a part of a witch coven. It's actually really cool. I don't hate the idea. I'm just so disconnected from the idea of having a family. I can't even make a friend family of my own. I'm married to my friend family. To the twins Ryan and Daniel Krone. I love them with all of my heart. I don't love anybody else this way outside of the celebrities that have been with me since my childhood. Those are distant feelings though and I'm just a stranger to them anyway.

I feel like I got tossed into this witch coven immediately. I didn't really get a say so in whether I wanted to be a part of it or not. I didn't really have a full understanding of witch covens before they tossed me in there. We had one meeting already and it just felt like a meeting of complete strangers. Is this what it feels like to be a celebrity? Being in a room full of strangers and still feeling completely disconnected from people and community? I'm so glad I never tried that path. I don't like much attention anyway. I mean I like attention to an extent just like everyone else would want to feel a part of life. But I don't need all that. That was too much.

I don't think I'll feel at home with these people unless they stay in my life. I still don't feel at home with these people and I've been hanging out with them for a couple of years. it just feels like another adventure that's going to disappear in time. I like these people don't get me wrong, it's just not a hundred percent there for me. First of all the entire coven is completely white minus maybe one lady who is close enough to being white that she could pass as white. All that does is remind me of our societal problems and all I want to do is keep fighting them. Second of all I'm not religious and I believe in every religion not just one. It's hard for me to feel honest with being in a coven when I don't hundred percent believe in everything their doing.

It seems like all I want to do is fight anymore. I don't want to get along with society. Why is that? Maybe I'm just that full of pain. I feel like I'm walking through the next door of the chapter of my healing. But it feels like a door that I opened and don't know where to go. It's like a room full of mazes. Maybe I shouldn't have opened the door just yet but what do I now? I haven't had much guidance in this life I only have me to guide myself.

People say take the direction that's right in front of you but what if you're not a hundred percent feeling it? What if that road just leaves to falling off a cliff and breaking every bone in my body? I can't take a different path though or I'll be steering away from my husband and his brother who I don't want to be away from at all.

I've been feeling my soul pushing me to form a life outside of Ryan. And that scares me so much because I don't want to think about a life outside of Ryan. I don't want to lose him like Terry lost Steve Irwin. I'm not ready to detach from him yet like that, I mean I haven't even given birth to my child yet. Why are you always pushing me to do stuff I'm not ready for yet world? I vibe with conservatives here. Stop moving and changing so fast let us enjoy what we have right now.

I cried my eyes out last night. I haven't cried in a while so I probably needed it but then that's a paradox in itself because why do we need to cry? I suppose in this case to release a lot of the pressure I have been feeling inside lately. I've got to get started with my photography career because I'm going to quit my part-time job in February and need to make income. I always wanted to start my photography career but I was always so hesitant because I didn't want to turn my hobby into a capitalist dream. I don't believe in capitalism and I don't believe it works. It's like a tool that worked at one time and is now broken and we need to try something else.

If I ever have employees I'll make sure they get half of the income and not this 80/20 bullshit. If they aren't putting forth the effort into the work then obviously I will look for somebody else. Naturally that's all we can do. But for now I prefer to just team up with other photographers that are seasoned and have their own established business that we partner up on. I really love this field and I don't want to steer away from it in any way.

I'm having other fears. Like I said I've been pushed into this witch coven thing. Which to be fair they haven't really pushed me on anything else, she just kind of stuck me in there and I'm welcome to back out if I want to but I feel like I didn't learn enough about it to make a real decision on it and I'm just becoming a part of it automatically because I never made a decision. You people move too fast!!! Now my brother-in-law is dating one of them. *Sigh*

I mean I like her I just have a lot of conflicts in my heart. She favors the character that I was creating for Daniel's character in my story which is really weird because she's like a silhouette of what I already imagined. Maybe this is his dream lover maybe this is where he's supposed to be. But something about it has me really uneasy. I feel like it's all moving too fast. Maybe that's just my fear speaking, maybe it's not moving too fast and maybe that's just how I'm seeing it because I fear people. I also love Daniel very much and don't want to see him get his heart broken again. I feel like we just met these people.

She and I did not get off to a good start either. I was connecting with this lady that I really really liked name Tonya and I was having a bad day and wanted to go see her. This woman was there and Tonya said she would be leaving soon so I wouldn't have to meet new company since I was not in the mood to meet any new company. I feel like I had just met Tonya and didn't get to really get to know her yet before I'm being forced to me all these other people...so I was rude to this woman. I treated her exactly like I felt. I did not want to meet anyone new. We talked about it later and we smoothed over our bad first meeting. We got to talkin and she seems fine and I like her I just did not expect her to start dating my brother-in-law this fast. I understand he's starving for a partner because he loves romance and he deserves a good partner and that will tend to make a dog eat its food too fast and throw it back up. This is my family, my home. I love whoever he loves. But I'm jaded because the last girl he was in love with was a complete psychopath. It wasn't really love again it was starvation for love. Thankfully this woman does not seem like a psychopath. She's a very sensitive empath with a lot of love in her heart. Despite that I still feel so many fears. We got in another fight again when I was just trying to be direct, be myself. I found out how sensitive she really is.

That scares me too because I don't need anybody in my life who cannot handle me and if she's dating my brother-in-law and something comes of it she could one day become my sister-in-law. That's a big deal for me. I've never connected really well with women. I've been connecting with Tonya and I was happy with our slow pace. She's a really cool woman and I like her. So the idea of getting closer to this woman put a lot of pressure on me because I don't want to be a jerk and be completely distant from my brother-in-law's girlfriend because we've already had that issue with another friend and it will just bring up old hurt. I need people who can stand up to me when I'm at my worst moods and I'm beating you up emotionally.

Daniel's new girlfriend did that with me the other night. We got in an argument sure but we also resolved it. She did not run away from the argument and go hide. She broke down and cried right in front of me and expressed every emotion I caused her to feel. Great start right? I hate feeling like this monster that calls out everybody's bulshit including mine. I really was just trying to pull out my conflict and deal with it and not try to put the burden on her for sure but I'm not about going behind people's back and talking about them especially to the people that they are dating who else that I have to discuss this with other than her anyway? I like direct communication. I'm not a passive aggressive person. I can be passive so not to hurt your feelings but I'm not a passive aggressive person. If I've got something to say to you I'm going to say it especially when I am ready and know how I want to say it. It turned out for the better because she admitted that she needed to cry from a lot of pressure from the week and that I was the push that made her move but I'm still worried about future interactions. I don't want anyone in my life I'm just going to beat up by being myself. I need people to be in my life who can separate themselves from my anger and internal conflicts and not take on the pain.

My husband is still learning how to do this. I was ranting and venting away about him being sick and not being able to enjoy my birthday with him and he took all the pressure on as if it was his fault. 🙈 I swear I can't be angry about anything without somebody taking on the pressure themselves. I have to suck it up all the time just so I don't hurt other people's feelings. I think that's why I relate to #Slipknot so much. I've been listening to that band since I was like 11. So that means I've been listening to them for like 22 years. They are a huge part of my life and a huge influence in my life and my healing. Probably number one on my list. They're definitely a part of my soul and I definitely feel the big brother attitude that they have with society. It's beautiful and well needed for people like me. The magic of their music has filled my spirit with so much love in so many times that I needed it.

But before I go on a tangent let's get back to what was bothering me in the first place. Family. I need to work through my fears because it's not like this woman is some crazy monster person like the last girl. The last girl wanted to keep secrets with my husband about me. He immediately told me about it of course but I'm just really jaded by her and my mother because they popped in my life at the same time. They were just alike. It was like my mother pushed herself into my life not only physically but spiritually too. I have so much hatred for my mother I really wish she would die. I know she's going to die one day and I can't wait for that day to end everybodies suffering. She's one of those Santa baby ladies, gold digging, cocaine junkie narcissistic trash. She's somebody else's mess to clean up, I was not here to raise her. I don't want anybody else like her in my life ever again. The fighter in me will really show and I might damage some relationships along the way. I just hope this girl turns out to be fine. She seems fine. I'm just wrought with a lot of trust issues and fears and I'm not feeling at home right now even though I know I am home.

[oumakokichi]

From what I understand, Monodam seems to be the most popular of the Monokumarz. If my memory serves me right you also noted how Monodam was your favorite mascot character or something similiar. I've heard he goes through some sort of character development over V3, is it possible for you to explain how he changes over the course of the game?

Haha, I don’t know if I’d call it “character development”exactly but it’s true that Monodam has the most likable personality out of allthe Monokumerz. It’s hard to say that it’s an actual arc of development whenthe entire point of them as a group is to basically lampshade the “Poochie”trope and act out the part of extra, unnecessary mascots for the sake of “boostingthe ratings,” but Monodam is still… entertaining, to say the least.

The game opens with all four of the other Monokumerz gettingalong relatively well, and only Monodam being on the outskirts of things.Monotarou describes him as someone who “has become quiet and withdrawn becauseof bullying, and who will only talk to the people he’s opened up his heart to.”There’s then a hilarious scene where he goes “Right, Monodam?” and Monodamdoesn’t respond, and the joke is that Monodam hasn’t opened up to any of hissiblings at all because they’re the ones who’ve been bullying him in the firstplace.

The subplot with the Monokumerz really kicks off at the endof Chapter 1. Right at the end of Kaede’s execution, Monodam suddenly pushesMonokid, the worst of his bullies, into the piano as the lid closes, killinghim in front of everyone. The rest of his siblings are horrified and extremelynervous around him, but at the start of Chapter 2 Monodam explains that hewants the rest of them to all be friends and get along. Monotarou and Monofunnyare hesitant but interested in his claim; Monosuke, meanwhile, tells them notto let their guards down and not to forget what he did to Monokid.

But as time progresses and Monodam continues to express hiswish to be friends with the rest of them, Monotarou and Monofunny admit thatthey didn’t like Monokid very much either, because he was loud and obnoxious(and usually drunk). They start warming up to Monodam, and in the processMonosuke starts getting a lot louder and angrier about his distrust forMonodam. Monotarou and Monofunny get cross with him as a result, but Monodamactually sticks up for him, telling them “not to bully” Monosuke and offeringto be friends with him as well—an offer which Monosuke repeteadly andemphatically rejects.

The footing between Monosuke and Monodam is really rocky bythe end of Chapter 2 as a result, so when the opportunity presents itself,Monodam throws Monosuke into the execution again, getting him killed beneathKirumi’s falling corpse. Monotarou and Monofunny are really horrified this timearound, but Monodam swears he only did it because Monosuke was being a bully.As long as they’re “friendly” with each other, they all have nothing to worryabout.

At the beginning of Chapter 3, Monodam really takes centerstage as the most memorable mascot because he quite literally hijacks thekilling game not only from his siblings but from Monokuma himself. Granted,this entire development is scripted, and obviously just an extra subplot to “makethe killing game more exciting,” so it’s not like the Monokumerz ever really doanything of their own volition. But still, even if it’s all scripted and fake,it’s a really fun development.

The Monokumerz are the only ones capable of operating theExisals. Monokuma himself can’t operate them—so Monodam pretty much saysflat-out that they don’t feel like doing whatever Monokuma wants them to doanymore and that he has no way of forcing them to. He threatens Monokuma withthe Exisals and says that the killing game is now a “friendship game,” not forthe kids of course but for himself and his siblings. Monokuma goes into a stateof catatonic shock and gets bald patches all over his fur (and stays like thatfor probably ¾ths of the chapter), and meanwhile Monodam, Monotarou, andMonofunny all go off to enjoy themselves and their newfound “friendship game.”

Of course, Monotarou and Monofunny don’t really get a say inthe matter either. Anyone who isn’t interested in “being friends” will beperceived as a bully at this point and threatened on sight. So, of course, theydon’t argue with Monodam. Monodam’s transition from quiet and unresponsive bearwho seems like the weakest link in the group to this sort of hilariouslyterrifying enforcer of friendship is great,and honestly probably the most enjoyable development that ever happened withthe Monokumerz (though Monotarou and Monofunny do have a few great moments inChapter 4 too).

However, after thedouble murder occurs in Chapter 3, Korekiyo asks what happens if there are twomurders by two separate culprits, and Monodam has absolutely no idea how torespond or handle the situation. His inability to respond to an unforeseenproblem causes Monotarou and Monofunny to immediately go ask for Monokuma’shelp, and from that point on they start ignoring Monodam pretty blatantly.Monokuma welcomes them back with open arms, Monodam is pretty obviously shakenup about this, and even when he tries talking to them directly in theinvestigation or the trial after that, they don’t even bother giving him aresponse.

It’s pretty hard not to feel sorry for him after that. Hegets progressively quieter and quieter during the trial, until eventually he’sno longer even saying “Let’s all be friends,” but is completely silent wheneverMonotarou and Monofunny are talking to each other. And when the execution rollsaround this time around, rather than continuing his reign of terror and killingeither of his remaining siblings, he runs directly into the flames for Korekiyo’sexecution and kills himself instead. He was so honestly enjoyable in the firstthree chapters that it’s really hard not to feel sad about this, since he wasthe main driving force behind all the side-developments with the Monokumerz asa whole.

Of course, at the end of the Chapter 5 trial, Monodam andall the other Monokumerz are brought back to life by Monokuma. He clarifiesthat they’re not the same Monokumerz as before, but “all-new Monokumerz” whodon’t have any of their memories and haven’t lived the same experiences as theMonokumerz who were killed before (which is beautiful foreshadowing for the waythe killing game itself works). The Monokumerz take much more of a backseatrole in Chapter 6, since it’s clear that the ringleader didn’t originally planon bringing them back but only did so in order to use the Exisals to intimidateand coerce the rest of the characters into going along with the killing game.

In the Chapter 6 trial, they’re pretty much only there to becannon fodder for Monokuma to kill off quickly. The fact that they’ve overstayedtheir welcome and “aren’t interesting or funny anymore” is blatantlylampshaded. Monokid gets killed again only a few minutes into the debate,Monodam is tragic all over again because he’s killed next despite being theonly one in the group who was actually doing anything useful or responding toSaihara’s questions, and then Monosuke gets killed off too.

When Monofunny and Monotarou are once again the last twoMonokumerz left alive, they try pleading with Monokuma repeatedly to sparethem, to which he replies, “Ah, just shut up, we’re getting to the best part!No one even cares what you have to say anyway!” Which is… well, again, it’spretty much just the “Poochie” trope of how mascot characters are often throwninto shows and media in a cheap attempt to rope people in or hook them on a newseason. So it illustrates pretty directly that the Monokumerz don’t really haveany actual arcs of character development but are mostly there to be used asplot devices and follow along a pre-written script for entertainment value.

Regardless of that though, Monodam really is the mostenjoyable one out of the bunch. Monokid is barely present in the narrative,makes crude and gross comments where he is, and exists to be awful and dislikedby his other siblings. Monosuke is obnoxiously outspoken about distrustingMonodam and turns down all his offers of getting along (and having to translatehis Kansai-ben is an added pain in my ass). Monotarou and Monofunny have somepretty good moments but there’s also some really uncomfortable jokes in Chapter4 (Monotarou loses his memories and suddenly thinks he’s Monofunny’s abusive husbandinstead of her brother).

Monodam is so well-liked at this point that I’ve seen quitea few Japanese artists ranking him higher on their personal preference listthan Monokuma, even. So it’s kind of amusing to me that even though theMonokumerz are there to be intentionally annoying and irritating, there arestill things about them that are genuinely enjoyable. I hope I could answeryour question, anon!

[medschoolash]

You are wonderfully talented! It has been such a pleasure reading your stuff:) I loved your piece on How Far Jon Would Go for Love. Honestly, I think I've loved almost everything you've written. On that note, I have to express my absolute dread for this season. I have never disliked a character as much as I have Daenerys. I am sick to death of her. I got excited when she started to show some dark dany signs, but then she ended with "I will save the North". *yawn*. Will Dany go dark at all?

Aww Thanks Anon! When I wrote my piece on Jon that was me trying to make some sense of the narrative and me coming around to accepting the scheming Jon theory. I thought it had lots of merit but I wasn't a real believer until the finale because none of Jon's proposed motives were compelling enough for me. It wasn't until I really thought about it and noticed that there was no way Jon could truly love some of the glaring personality and character flaws Dany showed in the finale that I was able to accept the theory. So I'm glad so many people like yourself enjoyed that post even if it did spark some fandom drama lol As far as next season goes, I don't blame people for being weary but I'm not that worried about it tbh. I think the problem with this season was that it was shortened and that we expected this season to be a season that brought everything together for the epic finale but most of the content was transitory in nature. That's why if felt like a let down because we were expecting the actual wars and to finally start to get some answers about how this end and what we got was mostly set up content meant to transition is from season 6 into season 8, which is when the real meaty stuff and answers will come. Some of this was done well, and some of it was sloppy, but I think everything we saw was very deliberate which is what matters most. When I see a narrative with scenes that exist just to exist with no real narrative purpose I get weary because that means what happens next is gonna be unpredictable in a bad way. I've seen this over and over with low quality shows and it's frustrating as a viewer. GOT has never given me that feeling. Even when I don't get the purpose there is still usually a purpose. Everything we saw, even the head scratching and the nonsensical was there for a reason, a reason we can analyze to predict what comes next. It's that deliberateness that makes me not stress over season 8. I know we'll get answers to the lingering questions because the lingering questions have been planted purposely by the narrative and the creators. Take your concerns about Dany. Prior to this season Dany was a straight forward heroine we all should root for. This season has slowly and deliberately started to dismantle that idea. The characters around her have questioned this idea and they have put Dany in multiple positions to make the viewer question it as well. It's like the blinders about Dany are slowly coming off. Even if we didn't see Dany take full descent into darkness they have set up lots of future character and plot things to continue this transition for Dany. That's what season 7 has done for lots of characters and plots. I believe we will see more dark Dany in season 8 as the series comes to an end just like I think we will see the pay off of many of the remaining questions for all of the rest of the major characters like Jon and Sansa and Ceresi and Jamie will finally.

[jacksgreysays]

51. "I don't know if your wings are real / but I've never seen you without them / and I follow you everywhere." Fire Fallow Cultivation

I don’t know if your wings are real,but I’ve never seen you without them,and I follow you everywhere.(you have a nice living room)

—

When eight year old Sasuke wakes up after his aniki… after That Man killed… After…

When Sasuke wakes up After, hollowed out and muddled and crushed under the weight of his own grief, he thinks maybe he’s just dreaming. Not about what happened–he knows the truth–but now, currently.

Either that or maybe, instead of sparing him, That Man really did kill him. Maybe he’s dead.

The medic who checks on him has wings, feathery and small and light brown like a sparrow’s. He’s never heard of a bloodline like that. He must be dreaming, then.

He is not.

—

It takes a while for him to figure out what is happening, mostly because there are so many possible explanations for it and, frankly, he has other more obvious matters to worry about. But on the few occasions when everything grows to be too much, or he needs to just take a break, or on those lighter days when he can pretend that this mystery is the greatest problem in his life, he can ponder it freely.

It’s not a bloodline: The medic from that first day was civilian born, and more besides, he sees other people with wings around Konoha, none of whom are related to each other whatsoever and some of whom are in different clans.

It’s not a genjutsu either, he’s already learned how to dispel them with a kai, and the hospital would never let a patient leave while they’re under one.

He wonders for a while if maybe it’s the Sharingan. Other people can’t seem to see it, not even the Hyuuga, and its not as if it’s so far a leap.

But he doesn’t remember anyone from his clan talking about wings Before, and besides… he doesn’t have the Sharingan yet.

—

Not everyone has wings and, while he hasn’t exactly been taking notes, there doesn’t necessarily seem to be any correlation between the person and their wings’ size or colors.

Some people match what he’d think of them:

Kakashi-sensei has small, grey wings. A little darker than his hair but just as messy, feathers ruffled and out of alignment. Frequently they look like they’re broken, except they can’t be because they’re not real.

Naruto’s are a riot of color–though not yellow like his hair–they’re always up and reaching as if, maybe this time he’ll actually be able to fly.

Some people don’t:

Sai’s wings are fluffy, a white so bright they nearly hurt to look at, and constantly moving around.

Sakura’s are sleek, plumage dark but iridescent like the surface of a bubble in the sun. They only flare out when she’s angry, but are otherwise still for the most part.

Yamato-taicho doesn’t have wings–which somehow doesn’t seem like much of a surprise–but neither does Shikako, which is one.

Sasuke doesn’t either, and he’s not sure how he feels about that.

—

Tsunade-sama’s wings are massive, wide enough to touch either end of the Hokage’s office at the same time, and ever so expressive. There’s a few patchy, ragged places, but her wings don’t look any less magnificent for them.

He’s never seen her in battle–not one outside the political arena, that is–but he thinks such a sight would be awe inspiring.

This is what a Hokage is, this is what a Hokage should be.

(The Sandaime visited Sasuke in the hospital, once, After, but before the wings became his norm. Now, looking back, Sasuke remembers that there were no wings behind the robe and hat.)

He may be Hawk, but Tsunade-sama is the one who looks like she could rule the skies.

—

(The first time he sees wings without feathers, skeletal and horrific, sharply painful things, they are jutting out of Orochimaru.

The second time they’re on the back of That Man, a terrible silhouette to an already nightmarish figure.

It doesn’t take much to figure out what that means.)

—

Whenever he uses his Sharingan, Sasuke can no longer see the wings.

He’s not sure how he feels about that, either.

~

A/N: Um… so… very little Tsunade in this, anon, except for the section with Sasuke’s fanboying, but I guess my brain caught more on the “wings” part of the prompt and ran away with it. Please enjoy, regardless.

Highly influenced by the BBC Sherlock fic (written in 2010, so before all the awfulness of the later seasons) called A City on the Head of a Pin by Mad_Maudlin. I tweaked it a bit so that going bad didn’t lead to bat like wings but rather just skeletons.

Because bats are cool and fuzzy and great.

I guess if you really tilt your head and squint this isn’t necessarily canon noncompliant? (And if you tilt your head the other way and clap three times you can maybe consider this as part of the Walking Around aka Sakako Uchiha ‘verse. Sakako sees dead people, Sasuke sees angels in the living.)

Number + Ship + (optional) AU –> my ask box

[If anyone else wants to do a softer world prompt that isn’t on the list, you can just send the page id number for the original comic instead.]